Tuesday, August 24, 2010

lupine \LOO-pahyn\, adjective:

1. Savage; ravenous; predatory.

2. Pertaining to or resembling the wolf.

noun:

1. Any of numerous plants belonging to the genus Lupinus, of the legume family.

Lupine derives from the Latin lupinus, "of the wolf." The relation between the animal, savagery, and the plant of the same name is unclear.

half and half and half

• A type of coffee so diluted by sugar, cream or milk that it no longer tastes like coffee, instead like milk and sugar, and has a beige or light brown color to it. The drink is typically concocted by those who want to appear as if they are drinking coffee but despise the taste.

Anne: Carrol is such a coffee poser, she'll only fill her mug with coffee halfway before she drowns it in milk and sugar.

Jill: Yeah, i hate the taste of her half and half and half.

Trivia

How much fluid—in ounces—can the bladder of a healthy human adult hold?

• About 16 ounces. The bladder can hold that amount comfortably for two to five hours.

History

• St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre: the murder of 70,000 French Protestants (Huguenots) by Catholics began (1572)
• White House: the seat of the US government was burned down by the British when they invaded Washington, DC, during the War of 1812 (1814)
• Treaty of Cordóba: Mexico gained independence from Spain (1821)
• Pluto: got demoted to dwarf planet following a redefinition of "planet" by the International Astronomical Union (2006)

Birthdays

• Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986): Argentinian writer, Ficciones
• Mason Williams (72): musician/writer best known for his guitar instrumental, "Classical Gas"; rocker Ken Hensley (65) was also born on this date
• Mike Huckabee (55): former governor of Arkansas who made an unsuccessful run for US president; other politicians with this birthdate include William Wilberforce (1759-1833), René Lévesque (1922-1987), Joe Manchin (63) and Bob Corker (58)
• Cal Ripken, Jr. (50): baseball hall-of-famer; hoopster Reggie Miller (45) shares this birth date
• David Gregory (40): host of Meet the Press; also, talk show host Craig Kilborn (48)
• Rupert Grint (22): Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter movies; also, actors Kenny Baker (76), Joe Regalbuto (61), Stephen Fry (53), Steve Guttenberg (52), Marlee Matlin (45), Dave Chappelle and Carmine Giovinazzo (both 37) and Chad Michael Murray (29)