Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

lucre \LOO-kuhr\, noun:
  • Monetary gain; profit; riches; money; -- often in a bad sense.
Lucre comes from Latin lucrum, "gain, profit." It is related to lucrative, "profitable."
Squirmish
  • A verbal stoush between two or more parties that is so petty, pointless, misinformed or ill-conceived that it makes witnesses wince with embarrassment, or so uncomfortable that they don't know where to look.
Did you hear those two going off at each other across the table? I just don't want to get involved in these squirmishes.
Trivia
What bird is pictured on the official flag and seal of Atlanta, Georgia—home of pro sports teams named the Falcons, the Hawks, and the Thrashers?
  • The phoenix. The bird is shown rising from its ashes, symbolizing the city’s rebirth after it was devastated by fire in 1864.
History
  • anesthesia: was first used in an operation; a tumor was removed from a man's neck while he was under the effects of ether (1842)
  • pencil: patent was awarded to Hymen Lipman for attaching an eraser to the end (1858); it was declared invalid by the US Supreme Court 17 years later because his invention was simply "an aggregation of separate elements"
  • Seward's Folly: the US bought Alaska from Russia for $7.2m. — about 2 cents an acre (1867)
  • 15th amendment: was declared in effect, giving black men the right to vote (1870)
  • Jeopardy!: game show debuted on television (1964)
  • Ronald Reagan: was shot by John Hinckley, Jr.; the US president was hit in the chest and seriously wounded, but recovered fully (1981)
Birthdays
  • Evgenia Diordiychuk (28) model, Russian PMOY
  • Moses Maimonides (1138?-1204): Medieval Jewish philosopher who wrote Guide for the Perplexed
  • Anna Sewell (1820-1878): author of Black Beauty; also, writers Paul Verlaine (1844-1896) and Sean O'Casey (1880-1964)
  • Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890): the tormented painter of Starry Night; plus, artist Francisco Goya (1746-1828)
  • Warren Beatty (74): actor/director/writer/producer who got the Best Director Oscar for Reds; plus, performers Richard Dysart (82), John Astin (81), Robbie Coltrane (61), Paul Reiser (54) and Mark Consuelos (40)
  • Astrud Gilberto (71): bossa nova singer of "The Girl from Ipanema"; plus, singer Rolf Harris (81)
  • Tracy Chapman (47): singer/songwriter and multiple Grammy winner; other Grammy winners born on this date are Eric Clapton (66), M.C. Hammer (49), Celine Dion (43) and Norah Jones (32)
  • Donna D'Errico (43) actress, model

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