Monday, May 10, 2010

mugwump

1. A person who is unable to make up his or her mind on an issue, esp. in politics; a person who is neutral on a controversial issue.

2. A Republican who refused to support the party nominee, James G. Blaine, in the presidential campaign of 1884.

Mugwump originates in the 19th century as a term for a Republican who refused to support the party nominee, James G. Blaine, in the presidential campaign of 1884. It is a rough adoption from the Algonquian (tribe native to the Massachusetts region) word muggumquomp, "war leader". In his 1959 novel "Naked Lunch" American author William S. Burroughs uses mugwump as the name of a bizarre creature.

stock douche

• The guy that just happens to own every stock that ever takes off. A self-proclaimed Warren Buffet.

Brock: Hey Rod, you see WFR up 49%?? Trading at $25!!

Rod: Yeah.

Brock: I bought that like 3 months ago at 5 bucks... Put every dollar I had into it after I graduated Duke.

Rod: Awesome. Thanks for the tip... stock douche.

Trivia

Which U.S. president once quipped, “I would like to deny all allegations by Bob Hope that during my last game of golf, I hit an eagle, a birdie, an elk, and a moose”?

• Gerald Ford, who was known to accidentally hit spectators with wayward golf balls.

History

• transcontinental railroad: a golden spike linked the Union Pacific and Central Pacific lines at Promontory Summit (1869)
• J. Edgar Hoover: became director of the FBI; he held the post until his death 48 years later (1924)
• Nazi book burnings: as part of Goebbels' "synchronization of culture," some 25,000 "un-German" volumes were destroyed in a single day (1933)
• Micronesia: adopted a constitution, becoming a self-governing federation (1979)
• Nelson Mandela: South Africa's first black president was sworn in to office (1994)

Birthdays

• Thomas Johnstone Lipton (1850-1931): merchant, tea trader, yachtsman
• Einar Gerhardsen (1897-1987): Norwegian PM
• Fred Astaire (1899-1987): elegant and dapper dancer/actor
• David O. Selznick (1902-1965): producer of such films as King Kong and Gone with the Wind
• Barbara Taylor Bradford (77): bestselling romantic novelist, A Woman of Substance
• Jim Abrahams (66): writer/director of parodies like Airplane! and The Naked Gun
• Bono (50): lead singer of U2 and social activist; musicians Milton Babbitt (94), Donovan (64), Dave Mason (64) and Young MC (43), Richard Patrick (42) singer of Filter
• Linda Evangelista (45): Canadian supermodel