Wednesday, June 1, 2011

catarrh \kuh-TAHR\, noun:

• Inflammation of a mucous membrane, especially of the respiratory tract, accompanied by excessive secretions.

Catarrh enters English in the 1300s, derived from the Greek katárrous, "down-flowing."

Word up, kids?

• What your mom says when she's trying to be cool. You know she says it.

"Word up kids? Yo yo yo the notorious M.O.M. is in the house, homeyz! Better eat your veggies before I bust a cap on yo white ass."

"Your mom's fucked up, dude."

Trivia

What slugger hit the first home run checked by instant replay in major league baseball history?

• New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez, in a September 2008 game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. The home run call was upheld.

History

• Kentucky: became the 15th state in the US (1792); Tennessee joined the Union four years later (1796)
• Don't give up the ship: the mortally wounded commander of the frigate Chesapeake, Captain James Lawrence cried out these words; the US Navy adopted them as its motto (1813)
• north magnetic pole: was found for the first time, by English explorer James Clark Ross on the Boothia Peninsula (1831)
• Action Comics: debuted, featuring Superman (1938)
• CNN: Ted Turner's network began 24-hour live news broadcasts (1980)
• Nepalese royal massacre: 10 people were slain in Narayanhity Royal Palace, including the king and queen; Crown Prince Dipendra was accused of murder-suicide (2001)

Birthdays

• Brigham Young (1801-1877): early religious leader who brought the Mormons to Utah
• John Masefield (1878-1967): English poet laureate who wrote "Sea-Fever," which includes the line "All I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by."
• Andy Griffith (85): actor with the homespun charm; also, actors Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962), Edward Woodward (1930-2009), Morgan Freeman (74), René Auberjonois (71), Brian Cox (65), Jonathan Pryce (64), Powers Boothe (63), Gemma Craven (61) and Teri Polo (42)
• Ronnie Wood (64): guitarist with The Rolling Stones; also, musicians Nelson Riddle (1921-1985), Pat Boone (77), Frederica von Stade (66), Alan Wilder (52), Jason Donovan (43) and Alanis Morissette (37)
• Paul Coffey (50): hockey hall-of-famer; plus, sports figures Derek Lowe (38), Santana Moss (32), Carlos Zambrano (30) and Justine Henin (29)
• Heidi Klum (38): model, host of Project Runway

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