Brand News

Columnist Bernie Delinski was pondering semantics when a reader posed the question whether the term “brand-new” was redundant. For if something is new, why does it need a qualifier in front of it? Is it then newer than new? Mr. Delinski turned to Answers.com to see how the site defined the term. He also checked out an alternate spelling, “bran-new,” which reminds me of a fiber cereal, but actually is an alternate spelling of the same term found in Webster’s 1913 Dictionary. With some further investigation, Delinski found that spelling was used in 1700s and 1800s literature, including the description of a "bran-new Barlow knife" in Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn."

Speaking of brand-new, Answers.com’s first ever edition of its blogger newsletter went out last week. A mention was made by at least one blogger, BudiPetra, who said it has “smart” positioning as the

“very first blogger newsletter.”

Aspirin. As I get older, my fondness for these small white pills grows. Now, new studies show that these old pain killers are not only good for headaches, but also help prevent several diseases connected to aging, especially heart disease. A recent study that appeared in Bloomberg reinforced these findings, particularly for women. So what’s the potent ingredient in aspirin?

It’s salicylic acid, which according to Answers.com, is found in the inner bark of white willow, a large tree found in Europe, Asia and North America.

The author behind Sarasota Web Design has admittedly been trying to find an alternative to search engines. In his quest, he tried Brainboost and Answers.com. He says, “I’ve been using both and have been pretty impressed with the results.”