Wednesday, June 5, 2013

motza \MOT-ser\, noun:

• a large amount of money, especially a sum won in gambling.

Motza is Australian slang that possibly came from the Italian word mezzo meaning "half" or from the Yiddish word matzo meaning "unleavened bread." Regardless of its origin, it entered English in early twentieth century.

Michael Scott Racist

• A Michael Scott Racist is a generally well-intentioned person who tries so hard to be politically correct and to demonstrate that they are not racist that they show themselves to actually be racist. Named for Steve Carell's character on The Office who made a habit of being this.

Oscar: Both my parents were born in Mexico. And they moved to the United States a year before I was born. So I grew up in the United States. My parents were Mexican.

Michael Scott: Wow. Wow. That is... That is a great story. That's the American dream right there, right? Um, let me ask you, is there a term besides "Mexican" that you prefer? Something less offensive?

OR

Kate: I'm not racist. I love all races, but especially Asians because although they're not great drivers, they really know how to run a buffet.

John: You're a Michael Scott Racist.

Trivia

What did the Indian Packing Company of Green Bay, Wisconsin, donate in 1919 to become the namesake of its newly formed hometown football team?

• It donated $500 for uniforms, plus the use of its athletic field for team practice. The Green Bay Packers joined the National Football League two years later.

History

• Joseph and Jacques Montgolfier: took the first successful balloon flight (1783)
• gold standard: was abandoned by the United States (1933)
• Marshall Plan: Secretary of State George Marshall outlined his aid program for Europe in a speech at Harvard (1947)
• Six-Day War: began; Israel was victorious against Egypt, Syria and Jordan; Jerusalem was reunited (1967)
• Robert Kennedy: US presidential candidate was shot by Sirhan Sirhan; he died the next day (1968)
• AIDS: first cases were reported by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; they were five people in Los Angeles (1981)

Birthdays

• Adam Smith 1723 - Author
• "Pancho" Villa (Francisco Villa, José Doroteo Arango Arámbula) - Mexican Revolutionary general
• John Maynard Keynes 1883 - Economist
• William Boyd (William Lawrence Boyd) 1895 - Actor
• Dennis Gabor 1900 - Electrical engineer, inventor of holography
• Eddie Joost 1916 - Baseball player
• "Specs" Powell (Gordon "Specs" Powell) 1922 - Drummer
• Bill Hayes (William "Bill" Foster Hayes III) 1925 - Actor
• Tony Richardson (Cecil Antonio "Tony" Richardson) 1928 - Director, producer
• Robert Lansing (Robert Howell Brown) 1929 - Actor
• Jacques Demy 1931 - Filmmaker
• Pete Jolly 1932 - Musician
• Bill Moyers 1934 - Broadcast journalist
• Spalding Gray 1941 - Actor, playwright, screenwriter
• Floyd Butler 1941 - Musician (Fifth Dimension)
• Don Reid 1945 - Musician (The Statler Brothers)
• Fred Stone 1946 - Musician (Sly & The Family Stone)
• Gail Davies 1948 - Country singer
• Ken Follet 1949 - Singer (Psychedelic Furs)
• Laurie Anderson 1950 - Singer
• Wayne Wood 1951 - Hockey player
• Marva Jean Brooks 1954 - Wife of Muddy Waters
• Nicko "Boomer" McBrain 1954 - Drummer (Iron Maiden)
• Kenny G. 1956 - Musician
• Richard Butler 1956 - Musician (Psychedelic Furs)
• Karen Sillas 1965 - Actress
• Ron Livingston 1967 - Actor ("Band of Brothers," "Office Space")
• Brian McKnight 1969 - Singer
• Mark Wahlberg 1971 - Actor, singer (Marky Mark)
• Chad Allen 1974 - Singer
• P-Nut 1974 - Musician (311)
• Torry Holt 1976 - Football player
• Liza Weil 1977 - Actress ("The Gilmore Girls")
• Pete Wentz 1979 - Musician (Fall Out Boy)
• Seb Lefebvre 1981 - Musician (Simple Plan)