Monday, July 26, 2010

potlatch \POT-lach\, noun:

• A ceremony at which gifts are bestowed on the guests in a show of wealth that the guests later attempt to surpass.

Potlatch comes from the Chinook language, meaning "gift." Nearly identical words exist in the languages of various tribes of the Pacific Northwest.

sniff test

• To test if an item of already worn clothing is suitable to wear out. common amongst students who cant be bothered to do their washing.

Friend1: Hey man cant you just wear those boxers?

Friend2:(sniff test) yeah i can get a couple more uses out of those

Trivia

What was the name of Jethro’s homely twin sister on the TV sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies?

• Jethrine. Both Jethro and Jethrine were portrayed by Max Baer Jr., son of one-time heavyweight boxing champion Max Baer.

History

• Lionel Nathan Rothschild: became the first Jew to sit in the British Parliament — 11 years after he was elected; the House of Commons had to allow a special oath (1858)
• Unua Libro: the "First Book" of Esperanto was published, by Dr. L.L. Zamenhof (1887)
• National Security Act: was signed by US President Harry S Truman; it created the Department of Defense, National Security Council, Central Intelligence Agency, and Joint Chiefs of Staff (1947)
• Suez Canal: was nationalized by Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, leading to an international crisis (1956)
• Jimmy Hoffa: Teamsters union head was convicted of fraud and conspiracy (1964)

Birthdays

• George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950): Nobel Prize-winning author of Pygmalion; also, writers Pearl Buck (1892-1973) and Aldous Huxley (1894-1963)
• Carl Jung (1875-1961): the founder of analytical psychology
• Salvador Allende (1908-1973): Chilean president
• Stanley Kubrick (1928-1999): perfectionist director of A Clockwork Orange and 2001: A Space Odyssey; also, directors Blake Edwards (88) and Peter Hyams (67)
• Mick Jagger (67): singer/songwriter, The Rolling Stones; rocker Roger Taylor (61) shares this birth date
• Dorothy Hamill (54): gold medal figure skater
• Sandra Bullock (46): Oscar-winner for The Blind Side; also, actors Gracie Allen (1902-1964), Vivian Vance (1909-1979), Jason Robards (1922-2000), Kevin Spacey (51), Jeremy Piven (45), Jason Statham (43), Cress Williams (40), Kate Beckinsale (37) and Taylor Momsen (17)