Saturday, July 31, 2010

wakame [wah-KAH-meh]

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  A deep green, edible seaweed popular in Japan and other Asian countries. It's used like a vegetable in soups and simmered dishes, as well as occasionally in salads. The browner versions are more strongly flavored. Wakame is available both in fresh and dried forms in Asian markets.

communist

• How old people in Alabama and possibly in other Southern states insult younger people.

My Grandpa: You want me to fix you a sandwich?
Me: Nah.
Grandpa: Are you sure you're not hungry?
Me: Yah.
Grandpa: You must be communist.
[Editor's note: Heff! Is this true? If so, LOL!]

Today's History

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  Trinidad: island in the Caribbean was discovered by Christopher Columbus (1498)
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  Christchurch: became the first New Zealand city to be chartered (1856)
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  NYSE: closed due to the outbreak of World War I, but opened again four months later to help the war effort by selling bonds (1914)
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  K2: the world's second-highest peak, also known as Mount Godwin-Austen, was summited for the first time, by an Italian team (1954)

Today's Birthdays

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  Henri Brisson (1835-1912): two-time premier of France
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  Milton Friedman (1912-2006): Nobel Prize winner for Economics
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  Primo Levi (1919-1987): Italian chemist who wrote of his experiences during the Holocaust
• 
  
  Evonne Goolagong Cawley (58): tennis champ
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  J.K. Rowling (45): creator of Harry Potter (who shares the same birthday)

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  Will Champion (32): rocker, Coldplay; also, musicians Kenny Burrell (79), Lobo (67), Gary Lewis (65), Bill Berry (52), Fatboy Slim (47) and Jim Corr (46)
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  B.J. Novak (31): comic writer/actor, The Office; also, actors France Nuyen (71), Susan Flannery (67), Geraldine Chaplin (66), Michael Biehn (54), Wesley Snipes (48), Dean Cain (44), Ben Chaplin (40) and Annie Parisse (35)