Sunday, September 1, 2013

cummerbund \KUHM-er-buhnd\, noun:

• a wide sash worn at the waist, especially a horizontally pleated one worn with a tuxedo.

Cummerbund came to English in the 17th century from the Urdu and Persian kamarband, meaning "waistband."
Pomosexuality

• Pomosexuality refers to a nonorientation in which people disregard sexual labels altogether. In the world of pomosexuality, the superficial orientation identifications (a.k.a. gay, straight, etc.) are insignificant and not what people should accord to. Stems from postmodern sexuality.

"Gay/Straight Alliances were the first step toward unification, but they weren't enough. What if neither gays nor straights existed, and were all simply called people? With pomosexuality, there is less reason for division in the world."

Trivia
What popular appetizer bears a common Mexican nickname?

• Nachos. They’re named for maître d’ Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya, who created the quick snack for a group of Texas women at a restaurant in Piedras Negras, Mexico, in 1943 when he couldn’t find his chef. One of the women dubbed the dish Nacho’s Especiales, a name that evolved into just plain nachos.

History

• Canadian provinces: Canada welcomed two new provinces, Saskatchewan and Alberta (1905)
• WWII: Germany invaded Poland and the war began (1939)
• 1923 Great Kantō earthquake: a quake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale devastated Tokyo and Yokohama; tens of thousands died and millions were left homeless
• Muammar al-Qaddafi: took power in Libya after overthrowing King Idris I (1969)
• Titanic: the wreck of the luxury liner was found by American and French searchers on the North Atlantic ocean floor 73 years after she sank (1985)
• Beslan: Chechen terrorists took over a Russian school; hundreds were killed during the three-day standoff (2004)

Birthdays

• Lydia Sigourney 1791 - Author
• Engelbert Humperdinck 1854 - German composer, his name was borrowed by singer Arnold Dorsey
• Edgar Rice Burroughs 1875 - Writer (Tarzan of the Apes, A Princess of Mars)
• Richard Arlen (van Mattimore) 1898 - Actor ("Road to Nashville", "Island of the Lost Souls")
• Don Wilson 1900 - Announcer, Actor ("The Jack Benny Show")
• Johnny Mack Brown 1904 - Actor (Ghost Rider, Texas Kid)
• Walter Reuther 1907 - Labor union leader
• Arleen Whelan 1916 - Actress (Never Wave at a WAC)
• Richard Farnsworth 1920 - Actor (Lassie, The Grey Fox, Legend of the Lone Ranger)
• Yvonne De Carlo (Peggy Yvonne Middleton) 1922 - Actress (The Munsters, Salome, McLintock!)
• Vittorio Gassman 1922 - Actor (Sharkey's Machine, War and Peace)
• Rocky Marciano (Rocco Marchegiano) 1923 - Boxer, the only heavyweight champion to have won every fight in professional career
• George Maharis 1928 - Actor (Route 66, Return to Fantasy Island)
• Boxcar Willie (Lecil Martin) 1931 - Singer, songwriter, known as "The Singing Hobo"
• Ann Richards 1933 - Texas Governor
• Conway Twitty (Harold Lloyd Jenkins) 1933 - Singer, songwriter
• Seiji Ozawa 1935 - Orchestra leader (San Francisco Symphony Orchestra)
• Guy Rodgers 1935 - Basketball player
• Ron O'Neal 1937
• Al Geiberger 1937 - Golfer, recorded a score of 59 in a PGA Tour
  

  
• Lily Tomlin 1939 - Actress, comedian
• Rico Carty (Ricardo Adolfo Jacobo) 1939 - Baseball player
• Dave White 1940 - Singer, songwriter (Danny & The Juniors)
• Don Stroud 1943 - Actor (Dillinger and Capone, Amityville Horror, The Buddy Holly Story), son of Clarence Stroud
• Archie Bell 1944
• Leonard Slatkin 1944 - Orchestra director
• Barry Gibb 1946 - Singer, songwriter, musician (The Bee Gees)
• Greg Errico 1946 - Musician (Sly and The Family Stone)
• Dennis Partee 1946 - Football player
• Ed Podolak 1947 - Football player
• Garry (Lee) Maddox 1949 - Baseball player
• Bruce Foxton 1955 - Musician (100 Men, The Jam)
• Gloria Estefan (Gloria Maria Milagrosa Fajardo) 1957 - Singer (Miami Sound Machine)
• Boney James 1961
• Scott "Bam Bam" Bigelow 1961 - Wrestler, actor
• Spigg Nice (Lost Boyz) 1970
  Scott Speedman 1975 - (Underworld)