Sunday, December 18, 2011

gangrel \GANG-gruhl\, noun:

1. A lanky, loose-jointed person.

2. A wandering beggar; vagabond; vagrant.

Gangrel dates back to Middle English and is related to the word gangling. The suffix -rel has a very precise use: to denote nouns that are seen as trivial or worthless, as in mongrel or wastrel.

data encraption

• The process which occurs when a computer or other electronic device corrupts files.

Our server at work got hit and now none of my files will open thanks to data encraption.

Trivia

When it comes to homes, what is hardscaping?

• The non-plant elements outside the home that are made with hard materials—such as wooden decks, brick patios, cement walkways, stone retaining walls, and decorative water fountains.

History

• Amendment XIII: anti-slavery amendment to the US Constitution was declared ratified by Secretary of State William Seward, abolishing the practice (1865)
• capital punishment in the United Kingdom: was abolished by both houses of Parliament (1969)
• Tokyo Wan Aqua-Line: 1.5 trillion yen, 15-kilometer bridge-tunnel opened across Tokyo Bay after 31 years of construction (1997)

Birthdays

• Francis Ferdinand (1863-1914): Archduke of Austria whose assassination sparked WWI; plus, world leader Willy Brandt (1913-1992)
• Ty Cobb (1886-1961): baseball hall-of-famer
• Steven Spielberg (65): highest-grossing filmmaker of all time; plus, directors Hal Kanter (93), George Stevens (1904-1975), Ossie Davis (1917-2005), Alan Rudolph (68) and Gillian Armstrong (61)
• Leonard Maltin (60): movie critic
• Brad Pitt (48): heartthrob actor, activist and family man; also, actors Betty Grable (1916-1973), Roger Smith (79), Ray Liotta (56), Rachel Griffiths (43) and Katie Holmes (33)
• Christina Aguilera (31): Grammy-winning pop singer; also, musicians Fletcher Henderson (1897?-1952), Lonnie Brooks (78), Keith Richards (68), Alejandro Sanz (43) and DMX (41)

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