Saturday, December 19, 2009

capricious \kuh-PRISH-us; -PREE-shus\, adjective:

• Apt to change suddenly; whimsical; changeable.

Capricious comes, via French, from Italian capriccio, a shivering, a shudder, finally (influenced by Italian capra, goat) a whim, from capo, head (from Latin caput) + riccio, hedgehog (from Latin ericius). The basic idea is that of a head with hair standing on end, like the spines of a hedgehog.

Cashmas

• The primary holiday celebrated in capitalist cultures. Generally observed around the winter solstice, Cashmas is a celebration of materialism in which its celebrants attempt to flatter or impress relatives, friends, and acquaintances with the extent of their purchasing power. (The "power to get".) Cashmas co-opts signs, symbols, and sympathies from other religious holidays of the winter season to mask its foundation of conspicuous consumption. In the United States, where the holiday is most actively observed, Cashmas traditionally begins on "Black Friday", that is, the day following Thanksgiving Thursday in November. Holiday observations traditionally end on January 2nd, but may arguably be said to extend through "Super Bowl Sunday" of professional American football. This event can occur as late as the month of February.

Also "$mas".
Jodi spent 14 hours at the mall in celebration of Cashmas.
Trivia
What is used instead of fingerprints to identify individual gorillas?

• Nose prints. Every gorilla has a unique nose print.

Today in History

• Altair 8800: this precursor to the PC was announced as a do-it-yourself kit (1974)
• FIFA World Cup Trophy: the football trophy named for FIFA president Jules Rimet, consisting of an octagonal cup held by Nike and made of gold and lapis lazuli, was stolen in Rio de Janeiro(1983)
• Bill Clinton: was impeached for perjury and obstruction of justice (1998)
• Titanic: movie with the highest box office earnings (and largest budget to that point) opened in the US, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet (1997)

Today's Birthdays

• Leonid Brezhnev (1906-1982): Soviet leader
• Edith Piaf (1915-1963): cabaret singer called "the little sparrow"; other musicians born on this date include Robert Sherman (84), Maurice White (68), John McEuen (64) and Lady Sovereign(24)
• Richard Leakey (65): paleoanthropologist and conservationist
• Criss Angel (42): magician, illusionist
• Jake Gyllenhaal (29): actor, Brokeback Mountain, Brothers; also, actors Ralph Richardson (1902-1983), Cicely Tyson (76), Tim Reid (65), Jennifer Beals (46), Scott Cohen (45), Rosa Blasi and Alyssa Milano (both 37) and Marla Sokoloff (29)