Sunday, February 11, 2024

burled \burld\, adjective:

• Having small knots that produce a distorted grain in wood.

Burled comes from the Old French word bourle, which meant a tuft of wool, from the Latin word for wool, burra. It is also the root of the word "burr."

 

Insurance Piss

• The act of going to the toilet when you don't really need to, to make sure you don't need to go later. Usually conducted prior to long car journeys or departure from drinking establishments.

Her: "lets leave this pub before your too drunk to leave"

Him: "OK, but I need to take an insurance piss first"

History

• gerrymandering: Massachusetts governor Elbridge Gerry signed a redistricting law that favored his party, the Democratic-Republicans (1812)
• Bernadette Soubirous: as a teenager, St. Bernadette saw her first vision of the Virgin Mary at Lourdes (1858)
• Lateran Treaty: pact between Italy and the Vatican was signed, in which Roman Catholicism was declared the state religion of Italy and Italy recognized Vatican City as independent and sovereign (1929)
• Yalta Agreement: plan signed by FDR, Winston Churchill and Josef Stalin, dealing with attacks on Germany and the establishment of the UN (1945)
• Natan Sharansky: Soviet dissident was released after 10 years in prison (1986)
• Nelson Mandela: political prisoner was freed after 27 years in detention; he went on to dismantle apartheid and become South Africa's first black president (1990)

Birthdays

• Lydia Child 1802
• Thomas Alva Edison 1847 - Inventor and businessman. His inventions included the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb
• John Mills (The Mills Brothers) 1889
• Josh White 1908
• Joseph Mankiewicz 1909
• Matt Dennis 1914
• Sidney Sheldon 1917
• Eva Gabor 1921 - Actress
• Lloyd Bentsen 1921
• Kim Stanley 1925
• Dr. Virginia Johnson 1925
• Leslie Nielson 1926 - Actor
• Conrad Janis 1928 - Actor ("Mork and Mindy")
• Larry Merchant 1931
• Mary Quant 1934
• Tina Louise 1934 - Actress ("Gilligan's Island")
• Gerry Goffin 1935 - Songwriter
• Gene Vincent 1935
• Sergio Mendes 1935 - Band leader
• Burt Reynolds 1936 - Actor ("Smokey and the Bandit")
• Bobby "Boris" Pickett 1938
• Otis Clay 1942
• Jeb Bush 1953 - Governor of Florida, brother of U.S. President George W. Bush
• Phillip Anglim 1953
• Catherin Hickland 1956
• Carey Lowell 1961 - Actress ("Law and Order")
• Sheryl Crow 1962 - Singer, musician
• Sarah Palin 1964 - Governor of Alaska
• Jennifer Aniston 1969 - Actress ("Friends")
• Damian Lewis 1971 - Actor ("Band of Brothers")
• D'Angelo 1974
• Brice Beckham 1976
• Michael Kenji "Mike" Shinoda 1977 - Musician (Linkin Park)
• Brandy (Norwood) 1979 - Singer
• Matthew Lawrence 1980 - Actor
• Kelendria "Kelly" Rowland 1981 - Singer (Destiny's Child)
• Taylor Lautner 1992 - Actor ("Twilight", "New Moon")