Tuesday, August 30, 2011

parergon \pa-RUR-gon\, noun:

1. Work undertaken in addition to one's principal work.
2. Something that is an accessory to a main work or subject; embellishment.

Parergon consists of a combination of Greek roots, para- meaning "beyond, and ergo meaning "work, labor."

poo pride

• High esteem obtained through the sight of the length, girth, or quantity of one's poo. Poo Pride is often left unmentioned, unless one takes a photo, or pulls someone over to look into the toilet bowl to gaze upon the glory of the recently-dumped poo.

"Rate My Poo takes Poo Pride to new heights. Or is that lows?" --MonkeyFilter

Trivia

What famous artist once snapped, “I hate flowers—I paint them because they’re cheaper than models and they don’t move”?

• Georgia O’Keeffe, who’s known for her large, sensuous paintings of flowers.

History

• Melbourne: Australian city named for British prime minister Lord Melbourne was founded (1835)
• Second Battle of Bull Run: in the US Civil War, the Confederates achieved a victory over Union forces (1862)
• hotline: a direct link between the Kremlin and the White House went into operation to reduce the chances of an accidental war (1963)
• Thurgood Marshall: was confirmed as the first black US Supreme Court justice (1967)
• The Late Show with David Letterman: late-night talk show premiered on CBS (1993)

Birthdays

• Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797-1851): author of Frankenstein
• Jacobus Hoff (1852-1911): first winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry; other Nobel Prize winners born on this date include Ernest Rutherford (1871-1937), E. M. Purcell (1912-1997) and Sir Richard Stone (1913-1991)
• Warren Buffett (81): businessman and billionaire
• Cameron Diaz (39): actress, the voice of Princess Fiona in Shrek; also, actors Shirley Booth (1898-1992), Fred MacMurray (1908-1991), Bill Daily (84), Elizabeth Ashley (72), Peggy Lipton (65), Lewis Black (63), Timothy Bottoms (60), David Paymer (57), Michael Chiklis (48) and Michael Michele (45)
• Lisa Ling (38): TV personality and journalist, The View, CNN News
• Andy Roddick (29): tennis pro; other sportsmen born on this date include Ted Williams (1918-2002), Jean-Claude Killy (68), Tug McGraw (1944-2004), Robert Parish (58) and Shaun Alexander (34)

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