Sunday, May 8, 2011

cloture (KLO-chuhr)

noun

• The action of closing a debate by calling for an immediate vote.

verb tr.

• To close a debate by cloture. [From French cloture (closure), eventually from Latin claustrum (barrier).

Rendezbooze

• When a group of people (friends, co-workers, acquaintances) get together to drink.

I just bought a bottle of gin and have tonic at home, we should rendezbooze at your place for further discussion on the topic.....

Trivia

What 1970s TV sitcom supermom won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of a prostitute?

• Shirley Jones, who played Shirley Partridge in The Partridge Family (1970–74). Her Oscar win was for Elmer Gantry (1960).

Holiday

• Mother's Day

History

• Mississippi River: was reached by Spanish conquistador Hernando do Soto (1541)
• Reign of Terror: Antoine Lavoisier, the father of modern chemistry, was guillotined (1794)
• pyroclastic flow: Martinique's Mt. Pelée erupted a cloud of hot gas, ash and rock, killing 40,000 people (1902)
• eye bank: a collection of corneas donated after death was established for the first time, in New York City (1944)
• V-E Day: the UK and US celebrated their victory over Nazi Germany, a day after Germany signed an unconditional surrender (1945)

Birthdays

• Jean-Henri Dunant (1828-1910): founder of the International Red Cross
• Harry S. Truman (1884-1972): haberdasher who became the 33rd POTUS
• David Attenborough (85): environmentalist who pioneered the nature documentary
• Don Rickles (85): caustic comedian
• Thomas Pynchon (74): author of V. and Gravity's Rainbow; other writers born on this date include Edward Gibbon (1737-1794), Thomas Costain (1885-1965), Edmund Wilson (1895-1972), Romain Gary (1914-1980) and Peter Benchley (1940-2006)
• Keith Jarrett (66): jazz and classical pianist/composer; musicians Toni Tennille (71?), Rick Nelson (1940-1985), Philip Bailey (60), Chris Frantz (60), Alex Van Halen (58) and Enrique Iglesias (36) share this birth date