Real Time Data

[Bapopik at AOL.COM]

   Greetings from a pre-monastery visit today.

REAL TIME DATA--CNBC's logo states "Real Time Data."  (From the network who brought you the Olympics in "real time.")

PURE-PLAY DOT-COMS--The earnings of YAHOO! were breathlessly reported yesterday.  YAHOO! made the whisper number on earnings per share, and it was played it as high drama.  Some analysts were worried that too much of YAHOO!'s (That looks weird, but the name is YAHOO!, not YAHOO) earnings came from "pure-play dot-coms."

SELL-SIDE WARP--This made the FINANCIAL TIMES a while back.  Analysts are afraid to knock an overpriced stock because brokerages want to sell people stocks.  This is a "seller's bias" or "seller's warp" or "sell-side warp."

MIRACULOUS ICON--Yesterday, I saw a Virgin Mary icon with three hands.  The Bulgarians call this a "miraculous icon."  The maker of the icon had his hands cut off for his beliefs, but he prayed to the Virgin Mary and she restored them, so he gave her an extra hand.  I don't know if the OED will have this under "miraculous."

PHILOSOPHER'S OMELETTE AND OTHERS
   From the HOBO restaurant in Sophia, Bulgaria.

HOON-DOON (Chinese dish)
STEAK HILTON--beefsteak with three sauces
STEAK ANTOINETTE--beefsteak with fruits, ham, cheese
MOURUE (Fish; OED?--ed.)
PASTA MAFIOSA--zucchini, forcemeat, tomatoes, spices (In OED under Mafiosa?--ed.)
SHKEMBE (soup)
OMELETTE PHYLOSOPHER (sic)--omelette with calf's marrow (I think therefore I'm an omelette?--ed.)
CZECH ROULEAU (My Czech guide has never heard of this--ed.)
   SALADS:
SHOPSKA
OVCHARSKA
KYOPOLOU--baked egplant, peppers, tomatoes and garlic vinaigrette
SNEJANKA
MAGURA (assorted)
MONASTERIAL SALAD--green beans, peppers, cabbage, potatoes, olives
AD HOC SALAD--chicken, curry, mayonnaise
MEDITERRANEAN SALAD--shrimps, mussels, octopads (sic), crabs, cognac
TABULIE SALAD--parsley, groats, tomatoes, lemon, olive oil
GEORGIAN SALAD--beets, sause (sic) vinaigrette