Friday, October 28, 2011

berserk \ber-SURK\, adjective:

• Violently or destructively frenzied; wild; crazed; deranged.

noun:

• Scandinavian legend. An ancient Norse warrior who fought with frenzied rage in battle, possibly induced by eating hallucinogenic mushrooms.

The English usage of berserk lies in an Old Norse story introduced by Sir Walter Scott in 1822. It is from the Old Norse word berserkr (n.) meaning a raging warrior of superhuman strength. Linguistically, it probably from stems from ber- meaning bear and serkr meaning shirt, thus literally "a warrior clothed in bearskin."

Passport To Jersey (n)

• A brightly colored or pastel polo shirt with upturned collar and a pooka shell necklace. Normally accompanied by an artifically bronzed tan.

Bubba, from Pennsylvnia, was going to Atlantic City for the weekend so he swung by Hollister to pick up his PASSPORT TO JERSEY.

Trivia

What size were the infamous bloody gloves that football great O. J. Simpson tried on at his 1995 murder trial?

• XL (for extra large). They didn’t fit him. Embarrassed prosecutors later claimed the cashmere-lined gloves had shrunk a full size from being soaked in blood and noted that Simpson (who was acquitted of murder) was wearing latex gloves during the courtroom demonstration.

History

• Harvard College: Harvard University's oldest school was founded (1636)
• Statue of Liberty: the iconic monument — a gift from France — was dedicated by President Grover Cleveland (1886)
• Prohibition: US Congress passed the Volstead Act, overriding president Woodrow Wilson's veto; manufacture, sale or transport of alcoholic beverages were banned (1919)
• Benito Mussolini: the Fascist leader took control of Italy's government (1922)
• Nostra Ætate: the Second Vatican Council under Pope Paul VI absolved the Jews of collective guilt for the crucifixion of Jesus (1965)
• Prospero: the first and only satellite launched from a British rocket went into low Earth orbit (1971)

Birthdays

• Roger P. (39): financial coach, t3h bax0jayz brother
• Georges Escoffier (1846-1935): world-class chef
• Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966): novelist, Brideshead Revisited
• Jonas Salk (1914-1995): developer of the polio vaccine
• Bruce Jenner (62): winner of 1976 Olympics decathlon
• Bill Gates (56): founder of Microsoft
• Julia Roberts (44): Oscar-winning actress; also, actors Joan Plowright (82), Jane Alexander (72), Dennis Franz (67), Telma Hopkins (63), Annie Potts (59), Mark Derwin (51), Daphne Zuniga (49), Lauren Holly (48), Jami Gertz (46), Andy Richter (45) and Joaquin Phoenix (37)
• Brad Paisley (39): Grammy-winning country singer, songwriter and guitarist; other musicians with birthdays today include Cleo Laine (84), Charlie Daniels (75), Wayne Fontana (66), Caitlin Cary (43), and Justin Guarini (33)