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People don't realize that turtles are great escape artists, as this snapping turtle demonstrates!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Thursday, December 31, 2009
tor (tor) noun
- A rocky heap on the top of a hill.
- A peak of a bared hill.Etymology
Of uncertain origin: probably from Celtic
telecountdown
- Counting down towards the new years together over the phone (cell) when physically not able to be together due to distance or circumstances.
Trivia
What famous composer wrote the “Farewell Symphony,” which ends after the musicians leave the stage two by two until only two violinists remain?
- Franz Joseph Haydn.
Today in History
- Times Square: Waterford crystal ball dropped for the first time in celebration of New Year's Eve (1907)
- Panama Canal: waterway that connects the Caribbean with the Pacific was handed over to Panama by the US in accordance with the Torrijos-Carter Treaties (1999)
- Simon Wiesenthal (1908-2005): Nazi hunter
- Donna Summer (61): disco queen; other musicians born on this date include Jules Styne(1905-1994), John Denver (1943-1997), Peter Quaife (66), Burton Cummings (62), Tom Hamilton (58), Scott Ian (46) and Joe McIntyre (37)
- Val Kilmer (50): actor, Batman Forever, the new Knight Rider's voice of KITT; also, actors Anthony Hopkins (72), Tim Considine (69), Sarah Miles (68), and Ben Kingsley (66), Tim Matheson (62), Joe Dallesandro (61), James Remar (56), Bebe Neuwirth (51), Don Diamont (47) and Gong Li (44)
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Russia may send spacecraft to knock away asteroid
This sounds plausible as long as Ben Affleck and Bruce Willis aren't involved:
More here:MOSCOW – Russia's space agency chief said Wednesday a spacecraft may be dispatched to knock a large asteroid off course and reduce the chances of earth impact, even though U.S. scientists say such a scenario is unlikely.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/eu_russia_asteroid_encounter
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
presage \PRES-ij; pri-SEYJ\, noun:
- An indication or warning of a future event; an omen.
- A feeling or intuition of what the future holds.
- Prophetic significance.
- [Archaic] A prediction; a prognostication.
- To indicate or warn of beforehand; to foreshadow.
- To have a presentiment of.
- To predict; to foretell.
- To make or utter a prediction.
Presage is derived from Latin praesagium, "presentiment," from praesagus "having a presentiment," from prae-, "before" + sagus, "prophetic."
Amazonukkah- When Christmas really lasts 8 days because the presents take longer to deliver from Amazon.com than anticipated by the purchaser. This is often caused by the reckless use of Super Saver Shipping on items which were bought on Christmas Eve. As a result, the presents are received in small amounts each day over an 8 day period, similar to Hanukkah.
Kid 1: Did you get everything you wanted for Christmas?
Kid 2: I dunno, we're celebrating Amazonukkah this year. My parents are real procrastinators. FML
TriviaWhat husband and wife were the first couple to be chosen as Time magazine’s Man of the Year? Clue: The year was 1937.
- Generalissimo and Madame Chiang Kai-shek of China.
- Gadsden Purchase: was signed, acquiring for the US the land of southern New Mexico and Arizona from Mexico (1853)
- USSR: was established when Russia joined Byelorussia, Ukraine and the Transcaucasian Federation (1922)
- Arroyo Seco Parkway: aka the Pasadena Freeway, connecting Los Angeles with Pasadena, opened (1940)
- Saddam Hussein: the Iraqi dictator was executed by hanging for war crimes in the Dujail massacre (2006)
- Sandy Koufax (74): pitcher; plus, athletes Tiger Woods (34), A.J. Pierzynski (33) and Ryan Sheckler(20)
- Paul Stookey (72): folk singer, Peter, Paul and Mary; also, musicians Bo Diddley (1928-2008), Michael Nesmith (67), Davy Jones (64), Patti Smith (63), Jeff Lynne (62), Rob Hotchkiss (49), Daniel Sunjata (38) and Tyrese (31)
- Tracey Ullman (50): award-winning actor and comedian; also, actors Joseph Bologna and Russ Tamblyn (both 75), Fred Ward (67), Sheryl Lee Ralph (54), Patricia Kalember (53), Daniel Sunjata (38), Jason Behr (36), Eliza Dushku (29) and Kristin Kreuk (27)
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
On CD: I Am The New Black Audio Book by Tracy Morgan
I heard clips from this audio book on the Stern Show and I felt compelled to give it a listen.This book is the life story of comedian Tracy Morgan. Whether you know him from SNL or 30 Rock, you know he's a funny guy. But there's not a whole lot of funny in this book. There was a lot of depressing stuff going on in Morgan's life and you get feel the raw emotion in his voice as he reads his pages. The man survived many hardships and managed to come out of it alive thanks mostly to his sense of humor.
While I would consider the subject matter to be very interesting, Tracy is kinda all over the place. You almost need to draw a diagram at points trying to keep up with the "cast of characters" and what the time frame was.
If you're a fan of Tracy Morgan and his comedic stylings, you would want to know about what made the man. However if you're iffy, you might want to pass as it's fairly chaotic at times.
In print: The Spy Who Loved Me by Ian Fleming (1962)
The Spy Who Loved Me is considered by many to be the weakest writing by Ian Fleming for the entire James Bond series. I'll get to that later.
When a beautiful young woman named Viv gets caught up with the mob and an insurance scam, James Bond happens to drop in to save the day.
Rather than writing the book from the third person leaning towards the perspective of James Bond like the rest of the Bond series, this book is written from the first person perspective of Viv. Most Bond fans HATE that. However, in my opinion, it's just another James Bond book and an interesting tale. It even references the previous book, Thunderball. So I think it's fine. Give it a read.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
cajole \kuh-JOHL\, transitive verb:
- To persuade with flattery, repeated appeals, or soothing words; to coax.
Cajole derives from Early Modern French cajoler, originally, "to chatter like a bird in a cage, to sing; hence, to amuse with idle talk, to flatter," from Old French gaiole, jaiole, "a cage," from Medieval Latin caveola, "a small cage," from Latin cavea, "an enclosure, a den for animals, a bird cage," from cavus, "hollow." It is related to cave, cage and jail (British gaol).
YouTube Loop- When you go to watch a quick 30 second video on YouTube and regain consciousness hours later having jumped from interesting video to interesting video. Similar to a wikipedian loop or 'WikiComa'
Clarence: "Dude, you totally missed the funeral yesterday!!"
T-dawg: "Yeah I know; somebody emailed me a funny clip and I got stuck in a YouTube loop..."
TriviaWhat famous Pop artists, as young men, created department store window displays together under the pseudonym Matson Jones?
- Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns, between 1955 and 1962.
- Thomas Becket: the Archbishop of Canturbury was killed by four knights in his cathedral; he later became a saint (1170)
- YMCA: the first such men's club in the US was founded, based on the London model that was started in the previous decade by George Williams (1851)
- Wounded Knee Massacre: last major confrontation between the Sioux and the US Army ended with hundreds of Indians killed (1890)
- Tian Tan Buddha: 110-ft.-(34 m.)-tall bronze Buddha statue in Hong Kong was completed (1993)
- Charles Macintosh (1766-1843): inventor of waterproof fabrics, mackintosh; inventor Charles Goodyear (1800-1860) shared this birth date
- Andrew Johnson (1808-1875): 17th POTUS and first to be impeached; England's four-time prime minister William Gladstone (1809-1898) shared this birth date
Pablo Casals (1876-1973): virtuoso cellist; musicians Ray Thomas (68), Marianne Faithfull (63), Yvonne Elliman (58) and Glen Phillips (39) were also born on this date- Tom Jarriel (75): broadcast journalist
- Patricia Clarkson (50): Emmy-winning actor for Six Feet Under, on screens now in Whatever Works; also, actors Mary Tyler Moore (73), Jon Voight (71), Ted Danson (62), Jennifer Ehle (40), Kevin Weisman (39), Jude Law (37), Mekhi Phifer (35), Shawn Hatosy (34) and Diego Luna (30)
Monday, December 28, 2009
FR at the shop
About a week ago I was driving home from work and as I drove I started "losing" gears. The car wouldn't stay in fifth, then fourth, then finally it went into first and wouldn't come out of it. I had to drive about a mile and a half in first gear alone. I got it up the driveway and waited for the snow to go away and have a closer look.
Over the weekend I noticed some linkage was out of place. I got that lined up, adjusted the shift cables, started the car up and STILL THE CAR WAS STUCK IN FIRST. I gave up and took it to teh Ford dealership this morning. I should have news tomorrow. Luckily it's under warranty so I have no worries.
More
To
Come.
Look forward to Mondays! 12/28/2009
Kate Beckinsale
Out and about
In one HELL of a mini skirt
Hottie of the day
cred to ou
http://www.imagebam.com/gallery/3cea8f4ef134f31adc61b722e9de63ea/
Weekend Box Office: 12/28/2009
- Avatar
- Sherlock Holmes
- Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
- It's Complicated
- Up in the Air
Avatar had a second strong weekend which kept it in the #1 spot with another $75 million. The new Guy Ritchie movie, Sherlock Holmes, also had a good weekend, with over $65 mill raked in.
Monday, December 28, 2009
surreptitious \suhr-uhp-TISH-uhs; suh-rep-\, adjective:
- Done, made, or gotten by stealth.
- Acting with or marked by stealth.
Surreptitious comes from Latin surrepticius, "stolen, secret, surreptitious," from surripere, "to take away secretly; to steal," from sub-, "under" + rapere, "to seize, to snatch."
postsantum depression- The incredible letdown some folks experience when they realize Christmas is over (typical Monday after Christmas office discussion)
It's not just you, she's got a bad case of postsantum depression.
Trivia
What five-letter word was the answer to the first clue in the first crossword puzzle ever published in the U.S.? Hint: The clue was “What bargain hunters enjoy.”
- “Sales.” The puzzle appeared in the eight-page comic section of the New York World newspaper on December 21, 1913.
- Westminster Abbey: London church where kings have been crowned since 1066 was consecrated (1065)
- The Pledge of Allegiance: US oath of loyalty was officially recognized by Congress (1945)
- Elizabeth Jordan Carr: the first American in vitro fertilization baby was born in Norfolk, Virginia (1981)
- Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924): 28th POTUS
- Stan Lee (87): co-creator of Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk; and writers Simon Raven(1927-2001) and Manuel Puig (1932-1990)
- Martin Milner (78): actor; plus, actors Maggie Smith (75), Seth Meyers (36), Sienna Miller (28), Thomas Dekker (22) and Mackenzie Rosman (20)
- Linus Torvalds (40): computer software engineer who wrote the kernel for Linux; other scientists born on this date include Eliza Lucas Pinckney (1722-1793), Thomas Henderson (1798-1844), William Draper Harkins (1873-1951), Arthur Eddington (1882-1944) and Carl-Gustaf Rossby (1898-1957)
- David Archuleta (19): American Idol runner-up; also, musicians Earl "Fatha" Hines (1903-1983), Johnny Otis (88), Charles Neville and Yehoram Gaon (both 70) and John Legend (31)
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Sunday, December 27, 2009
expatiate \ek-SPAY-shee-ayt\, intransitive verb:
- To speak or write at length or in considerable detail.
- To move about freely; to wander.
Expatiate is from Latin expatiari, "to walk or go far and wide," from ex-, "out" + spatiari, "to walk about," from spatium, "space; an open space, a place for walking in."
christmas tight- The period of time after Christmas and New Years where the clothes you wore prior to the holidays that fit well, all of a sudden are a little tighter than they should be.
"I got this new dress shirt for Christmas. I went to wear it with my favorite work pants, but they are a little Christmas tight now."
TriviaWhat movie topped the American Film Institute’s list of the 100 funniest films ever?
- Some Like It Hot, the 1959 Billy Wilder classic starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon. The list was compiled in 2000.
- Carry Nation: hatchet-wielding temperance activist smashed her first saloon (1900)
- Radio City Music Hall: world's largest indoor theater staged its first show (1932)
- World Bank: was formed to fund postwar reconstruction in Europe; later, the focus turned to developing third-world countries (1945)
- Afghanistan: was seized by Soviet forces; president Hafizullah Amin, was overthrown, executed and replaced with Soviet-supported Babrak Karmal (1979)
- Free Aceh Movement: Indonesia's Aceh rebels formally disbanded their military wing, ending a 30-year armed struggle for independence, in accordance with a peace deal that came out of the 2004 tsunami (2005)
Louis Pasteur (1822-1895): microbiologist who developed pasteurization; scientists Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) and George Cayley (1773-1857) shared this birth date- Cokie Roberts (66): political journalist, author
- T.S. Monk (60): jazz drummer and vocalist; other musicians born on this date include David Knopfler (57) and Matt Slocum (37)
- Masi Oka (35): actor and digital effects expert who plays Hiro Nakamura in Heroes; also, actorsSydney Greenstreet (1879-1954), Marlene Dietrich (1901-1992), John Amos (70), Gérard Depardieu (61), Tovah Feldshuh (57), Maryam D'Abo (49), Eva La Rue (43) and Emilie de Ravin (28
Supermodels Strip to Fight Global Warming
In my opinion this ad has EPIC FAIL written all over it. It shows the reason why we want to get the world warmer! To see hot chicks dressed in sexy little outfits! See for yourself:
http://www.break.com/index/supermodels-strip-to-fight-global-warming.html
Saturday, December 26, 2009
a little catch up
What was the first musical instrument on which the Christmas carol “Silent Night” was performed?
- A guitar. The carol, played on Christmas Eve 1818 at St. Nicholas Church in Oberndorf, Austria, was based on a poem written by assistant pastor Joseph Mohr that had been set to music by church organist Franz Gruber.
Who were Katy the Kangaroo, Elmo the Elephant, and Newt the Gnu?
- Animated characters created along with Tony the Tiger to compete in a 1952 ad campaign for the job of representing Kellogg’s Sugar Frosted Flakes. Tony and Katy initially tied and were pictured on cereal boxes, but after a year, Tony was declared the sole winner.
- the act of putting christmas decoration reindeer into various sexual positions.
We're going to go reindeer gaming tonight. My neighbors just bought two new reindeers and they're just asking for it
Jingle Bowels- Gastrointestinal woes following a night of holiday overindulgence
Someone spiked the eggnog and Justin spent copious porcelain time after waking up with a wicked case of the Jingle Bowels.
Long Distance Charges
George Bush, Queen Elizabeth, and Vladimir Putin all die and go to hell. While there, they spy a red phone and ask what the phone is for. The devil tells them it is for calling back to Earth. Putin asks to call Russia and talks for 5 minutes. When he was finished the devil informs him that the cost is a million dollars, so Putin writes him a check. Next Queen Elizabeth calls England and talks for 30 minutes. When she was finished the devil informs her that cost is 6 million dollars, so Queen Elizabeth writes him a check. Finally George Bush gets his turn and talks for 4 hours. When he was finished the devil informed him that there would be no charge for the call and feel free to call the USA anytime. When Putin hears this he goes ballistic and asks the devil why Bush got to call the USA free. The devil replied, "Since Obama became president of the USA , the country has gone to hell, so naturally it's a local call."
Friday, December 25, 2009
Lady GaGa does Christmas Songs too
Sorta. This is called Christmas Tree:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cP8RzHHhVI
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Turtle Thursday: Happy Holidays!!!
Nothing says happiness and family like a tower of terrapins!
Happy Holidays!
Thursday, December 24, 2009
lambent \LAM-buhnt\, adjective:
- Playing lightly on or over a surface; flickering; as, "a lambent flame; lambent shadows."
- Softly bright or radiant; luminous; as, "a lambent light."
- Light and brilliant; as, "a lambent style; lambent wit."
gift crack
- The gap in wrapping paper or uncovered portion of a gift usually found on the bottom of the box. May result from the gift wrapper running out of paper or cutting gift wrap too small to cover the entire package.
Trivia
Who was the first person in the U.S. to put electric lights on a Christmas tree?
- An associate of Thomas Edison, in 1882. Edward Johnson hand-wired 80 small colored bulbs and strung them around a rotating evergreen in the parlor of his New York City home.
Today in History
- Ku Klux Klan: violent racist organization was founded in Pulaski, Tennessee, by a group of Confederate veterans (1865)
- Howard Hughes (1905-1976): reclusive aviator, movie producer and billionaire
- Mary Higgins Clark (82): mystery novelist; writers Matthew Arnold (1822-1888), Juan Ramón Jiménez (1881-1958) and I.F. Stone (1907-1989) shared this birth date
- Kate Spade (47): luxury designer
- Ricky Martin (38): pop singer
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