Thursday, December 16, 2010

liminal \LIM-uh-nl\, adjective:

Relating to the point beyond which a sensation becomes too faint to be experienced.

Liminal derives from the Latin limen, "threshold."

Degifting

1. A mutual agreement to suspend holiday gifts for at least one season, usually within a single family or circle of friends.

2. The act of replacing useless and pointless merchandise with something more meaningful, such as a charitable donation, service project or holiday party.

3. Wal-Mart's biggest nightmare.

Due to the recession, we've decided that Degifting is the best plan for Christmas this year. Instead, we're all getting together to serve food at the homeless shelter. I really don't need another Salad Shooter. Do you?

Trivia

What larger-than-life American character was played in the movies by Kurt Russell in 1993 and Kevin Costner in 1994?

Old West lawman Wyatt Earp. Russell appeared as Earp in Tombstone; Costner, in Wyatt Earp.

History

• Oliver Cromwell: was sworn in as Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland; he reigned for five years, till his death (1653)
• Boston Tea Party: rebellious American Patriots dumped tea into Boston Harbor to protest paying tea taxes to Britain (1773)
• Battle of the Bulge: German attack began in the Ardennes region of southern Belgium in WWII (1944)
• Millau Viaduct: taller than the Eiffel Tower and nearly as tall as the Empire State Building, the world's tallest vehicular bridge opened to traffic near Millau, France (2004)

Birthdays

• Catherine of Aragon (1485-1536): first of Henry VIII's six wives
• Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827): composer of nine symphonies and the Moonlight Sonata; plus, composers François Boieldieu (1775-1834) and Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967)
• Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008): author of 2001: A Space Odyssey; also, writers George Santayana (1863-1952), Noel Coward (1899-1973), V.S. Pritchett (1900-1997) and Philip K. Dick (1928-1982)
• Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944): founder of abstract art
• Margaret Mead (1901-1978): culture anthropologist
• Liv Ullmann (71): actor, best known for her roles in Ingmar Bergman films; also, actors Ben Cross (63), Alison LaPlaca (51), Jon Tenney (49), Sam Robards (48), Benjamin Bratt (47) and Hallee Hirsh (23)
• Steven Bochco (67): TV producer, Hill Street Blues, NYPD Blue