Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

clinquant \KLING-kunt\, adjective:
  • Glittering with gold or silver; tinseled.
noun:
  • Tinsel; imitation gold leaf.
Clinquant is from French, glistening, tinkling, present participle of obsolete clinquer, to clink, perhaps from Middle Dutch klinken.

Christmas Eve Eve

  • The day before Christmas Eve, 2 days before Christmas.
Stay away from the malls on Christmas Eve Eve. 

Holiday

  • Festivus ("for the rest of us") An alternative to the crass commercialization of Christmas, typically celebrated on December 23. It involves The Airing of Grievances (telling your family and friends all the ways they have disappointed you during the year) and does not end until the Feats of Strength (pinning the head of the family) are accomplished. A plain, metal pole is used in lieu of a Christmas tree, because decorations (such as tinsel) is distracting from the true meaning of the holiday.
A Festivus for the rest of us! -George Costanza 

History
  • Kidney transplant: was successfully performed for first time, in Boston (1954)
  • Federal Reserve Act: law signed by President Woodrow Wilson created the Federal Reserve System, a central banking system for the US (1913)
  • Immaculate Reception: the Pittsburgh Steelers won an NFL playoff game over the Oakland Raiders with a "miraculous" touchdown (1972)
  • Voyager: experimental plane designed by Burt Rutan completed a 9-day flight around the world without refueling (1986)
  • Lenny Bruce: comedian who satirized politics, religion and sex was granted by the governor of New York a posthumous pardon for obscenity, for which he had been convicted 40 years earlier (2003)
Birthdays
  • Richard Arkwright 1732
  • Alexander I (Russia) 1777
  • Joseph Smith 1805
  • Samuel Smiles 1812
  • Fredi Washington 1903
  • Don McNeill 1907
  • Yousuf Karsh 1908
  • Maurice Denham 1909
  • James Gregory 1911
  • Jose Greco 1918
  • Gerald O’Loughlin 1921
  • Ruth Roman 1923
  • Harry Guardino 1925
  • Robert Bly 1926
  • Dick Weber 1929
  • Akihito 1933
  • 'Little' Esther Phillips 1935
  • James Stacy 1936
  • Frederic Forrest 1936
  • Johnny Kidd (Johnny Kidd & The Pirates) 1939
  • Tim Hardin 1940
  • Eugene Record (Chi-Lites) 1940
  • Jorma Kaukonen (Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna) 1940
  • Elizabeth Hartman 1943
  • Harry Shearer (Derek Smalls of Spinal Tap) 1943
  • Ron Bushy (Iron Butterfly) 1945
  • Susan Lucci 1946
  • Johnny Contardo 1951
  • Dave Murray (Iron Maiden) 1958
  • Joan Severance 1958
  • Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam) 1964
  • Carla Bruni 1967
  • The Naked Cowboy 1970
  • Corey Haim 1972
  • Jamie Murphy (Space) 1975
  • Estella Warren 1978



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