Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

pharisaical (far-uh-SAY-uh-kuhl)
  • adjective: Marked by hypocritical self-righteousness, especially in observing rituals over understanding their meaning.
Etymology: After the Pharisees, a Jewish sect during 1 BCE - 1 CE, whose members were noted for strict observance of rites and rituals, and felt superior because of it. The word is derived via Latin and Greek from Aramaic prishayya, plural of prish (separated).
  • America by Heart : Reflections on Family, Faith, and Flagsimple, straight-forward questions that cannot be answered by inept politicians.
katie couric: "governor palin, how many fingers am i holding up?"
sarah palin: "you know katie, i'm sick and tired of this gotcha journalism."  
Trivia
What historic document sold for an incredible $21,321,000 at auction in 2007?
  • The Magna Carta—actually a copy of the Magna Carta made in 1297. It was purchased by billionaire David Rubenstein, who has made it available for display at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.
History
  • Louisiana Purchase: acquisition that doubled the territory of the United States was ratified by the Senate (1803)
  • "I shall return": General Douglas MacArthur fulfilled his 1942 promise when he led an Allied army in freeing the Philippines from Japanese control in WWII (1944)
  • HUAC: opened hearings into alleged Communist influence in the movie industry (1947)
  • Saturday Night Massacre: during Watergate, President Richard Nixon got rid of his special prosecutor, Archibald Cox, as well as his AG Elliot Richardson, and deputy AG William Ruckelshaus (1973)
  • Sydney Opera House: distinctive building on Sydney Harbour was opened by Queen Elizabeth II (1973) 
Birthdays
  • Christopher Wren (1632-1723): architect who designed St. Paul's Cathedral
  • John Dewey (1859-1952): philosopher, educator
  • Dr. Joyce Brothers (82): pop psychologist
  • Elfriede Jelinek (64): Nobel-winning writer; plus, writers Arthur Rimbaud (1854-1891) and Art Buchwald (1925-2007)
  • Mickey Mantle (1931-1995): NY Yankees slugger
  • Tom Petty (60): Heartbreakers' frontman; other musicians born on this date include Charles Ives (1874-1954), Jelly Roll Morton (1890-1941), Jim Sonefeld (46), Dannii Minogue (39) and Snoop Dogg (38)
  • John Krasinski (31): Jim Halpert on The Office; also, actors Bela Lugosi (1882-1956), William Christopher (78), Jerry Orbach (1935-2004), Viggo Mortensen (52) and Jennifer Nicole Freeman (25)

1 comments:

Manish Batra said...

Hey, very nice site. I came across this on Google, and I am stoked that I did. I will definitely be coming back here more often. Wish I could add to the conversation and bring a bit more to the table, but am just taking in as much info as I can at the moment. Thanks for sharing.
Finger Cot

Keep Posting:)