January 5, 2009

abstinent \AB-stuh-nuhnt\, adjective:

• abstaining, especially from self-indulgence

c. 1386, from French abstinent from Old French astenant, from Latin abstinentem and abstinere "to withhold"

f/u

• follow-up: to pursue in an effort to take further action

"Thanks for the f/u. I can always count on you to resolve my concerns promptly."

Trivia

In what city will you find the only surviving home of American founding father Benjamin Franklin?

• In London, England. The house, a five-story Georgian structure at 36 Craven Street, was Franklin’s home from 1757 to 1775. It is now a museum.

Today in History:

• x-rays: discovery by Wilhelm Roentgen was announced; though their exact nature was unknown to him (hence the name), the rays' discovery earned him the first Nobel Prize in Physics (1896)
• Fair Deal: newly reelected president Harry S. Truman coined the phrase to refer to a 21-point program he had sent to Congress in 1945, focusing on civil rights and social welfare improvements (1949)
• Prague Spring: a brief period of reform began in Czechoslovakia; it ended later in the year with Soviet invasion (1968)

Today's Birthdays:

• Kylie Bax (34): model, actress
• Alvin Ailey (1931-1989): dancer/choreographer
• Robert Duvall (78): actor, Lonesome Dove, Four Christmases; also, actors Diane Keaton (63), Bradley Cooper (34) and January Jones (31)
• Umberto Eco (77): semiotician who wrote The Name of the Rose
• Chuck Noll (77): former NFL player and coach who won more Super Bowls than any head coach in NFL history; other hall-of-famers born on this date are Lou Carnesecca (84) and Alex English (55)
• King Juan Carlos (71): Spanish king; other world leaders born on this date include Shah Jahan (1592-1666), Konrad Adenauer (1876-1967), Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (1928-1979) and Walter Mondale (81)
• Charlie Rose (67): broadcast journalist
• Marilyn Manson (40): musician