Bumbershoots

1. The term, "bumbershoot," when used in insurance, refers to a kind of umbrella coverage used to insure marine risks--which can extend well beyond blue and brown waterways into transportation and, basically, anything that moves. According to Investopedia, "shipyards use this policy for protection and indemnity coverage as well as liability protection under the Longshoremen and Harbor Workers Act." The word "bumbershoot" may be a portmanteau of the words "umbrella" and "parachute."
2. "Elbowing" for some people on Metro North includes brushing them with your fleece sleeve while trying to type on your laptop, three-aside during rush hour. The lady sitting next to me this morning would not have lasted long in Beijing.
3. 17M cars are slated to be sold in the US in 2014, approaching an all-time annual record. If the number of total cars to be sold globally continues to increase at a 5% YOY rate, we can expect about 87 million (new?) cars to be sold worldwide in 2014. Growth is being pushed by China, where people are now buying more than 20M new cars every year. That's about 3 cars per second, all year round.