NEWS worthy Clips (1/2)

Update your vocabulary with news clips from around the world 

Pomegranates prove positively popular

Running just one marathon would be a big deal for most. But Francisco Rodriguea, 56, has run 150 in the past 20 years, including eight in 2006 and six in 2007.

How does he do it? For Rodriguez, it’s pomegranate-specifically the bottle of POM Wonderful pomegranate juice he drinks after every race. The juice, he says, is his “secrete weapon” because it wards off many long–distance runners. “The next day, I’m totally recovered,” he says. “It’s like I‘ve never run.”

He can thank Lynda Resnick. Who as founder of POM Wonderful helped kick off the pomegranate-juice craze in 2002. Resnick uses clever ads, generally with of five words or less, to make her brand of pomegranate juice trendy. “We’ve reinvented the pomegranate,” she says.

Pomegranate mania

While there is little medical evidence supporting the fruit’s health claims, pomegranates are popping up everywhere. POM Wonderful launched a line of pomegranate teas last year. Tropicana launched a pomegranate fruit drink. Starbucks has a pomegranate-flavored Frappuccino. Former financier Michael Milken, a friend of Resnick’s who has funded extensive research in healthful food. Adds POM Wonderful’s pomegranate extract to a shake he and his wife drink every morning. “I attribute this greatly to my health,” he says.

Popularizing the obscure fruit and making it a sensation has been a case study in . Resnick, a spunky woman with the swagger of a 20-year-old, overcame several hurdles to build the business.

When POM Wonderful first hit Los Angeles groceries in 2002, pomegranates were barely known in the United States. In 2000, says Resnick, only 4 percent of people in the U.S. had ever eaten one.

Vocabulary Focus

ward off (phr v) ---to prevent something unpleasant from approaching you

pop up (phr v) ---to appear or happen, especially suddenly or unexpectedly

spunky (adj) ---showing brave determination and confidence even in discouraging situations

swagger (n) ---a walk, especially with a swinging movement, that shows that you are confident

hurdle (n) ---a problem that you have to deal with before you can make progress

Specialized terms

case study (n phr)--- a detailed examination of a particular process or situation over a period of time