Tuesday, May 31, 2011

leitmotif \LYT-moh-teef\, noun:

1. In music drama, a marked melodic phrase or short passage which always accompanies the reappearance of a certain person, situation, abstract idea, or allusion in the course of the play; a sort of musical label.

2. A dominant and recurring theme.

Leitmotif (also spelled leitmotiv) is from German Leitmotiv, "leading motif," from leiten, "to lead" (from Old High German leitan) + Motiv, "motif," from the French. It is especially associated with the operas of German composer Richard Wagner.

Google harder

• A phrase used in response to someone whining about not being able to find something on Google. An expert googler would then show some resemblance of pity and assist by immediately googling for the desired information successfully.

Dude, I don't know what it means to kill two frogs with one dart, and I can't freakin find the definition on google!

Google harder you idiot...

Trivia

How many ballots did it take for the U.S. House of Representatives to name Thomas Jefferson president over Aaron Burr in February 1801?

• 36. The two had been tied with 73 votes each in the Electoral College.

History

• Copyright Act of 1790: was signed into law by US president George Washington; it initially covered only books, maps and charts
• Ford Motor Company: produced the last "Tin Lizzie" and began producing the Model A (1927)
• South Africa: became an independent republic (1961)
• Ancash earthquake: killed more than 47,000 in Peru (1970)
• Deep Throat: Watergate whistleblower's identity was revealed after 30 years of secrecy; he was W. Mark Felt, a former associate director of the FBI (2005)

Birthdays

• Walt Whitman (1819-1892): poet who wrote Leaves of Grass, "O Captain! My Captain!"
• William Pirrie (1847-1924): shipbuilder who built the Titanic
• Rainier III (1923-2005): prince of Monaco
• Clint Eastwood (81): actor/director, won Oscars for Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby; and, actors Denholm Elliot (1922-1992), Sharon Gless (68), Tom Berenger (62), Gregory Harrison (61), Roma Maffia (53), Chris Elliott and Kyle Secor (both 51), Lea Thompson (50), Brooke Shields (46), Colin Farrell (35), Eric Christian Olsen (34) and Jonathan Tucker (29)
• Peter Yarrow (73): Peter of Peter, Paul and Mary; and, singer Johnny Paycheck (1938-2003)
• Joe Namath (68): celebrity quarterback
• Phil Keoghan (44): Emmy Award-winning host of The Amazing Race

Read more: http://www.answers.com/