relict achilles

Here's the SPAM of they day. Go figure how it made it past the filter:

from
Marguerite Dobson

HarrietabutFink@progressiveliving.org
to
bax***@***.com
date
Thu, Jul 31, 2008 at 6:50 PM
subject
relict achilles

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Turtle Thursday: Random Pics

Mrs. Baxojayz sent me these three random turtle pics:

Above: Randall, an adult male red belly cooter

Above: Silent Bob, a dark phased Texas diamondback terrapin when he was a hatchling.

Above: Snappy, an adult female red ear slider.

Imeem Visitors Get TRAPT One Week Early!

Beginning July 29th Imeem has your ticket to listen to Trapt’s entire album, Only Through the Pain, for free, one week prior to the album’s release on August 5th! Starting today, fans can stream the entire album plus watch exclusive backstage videos and photos shot by the band on the Crüe Fest tour on Trapt's Imeem Profile.

Trapt is currently on the Crüe Fest tour alongside Motley Crüe, Buckcherry and others through August 31st.

ON THE WEB
trapt.com

myspace.com/trapt

onlythroughthepain.com

Nikki Sixx releases a new video for free Motley Crue show

With 48 hours till Mötley Crüe’s free online performance on http://www.deeprockdrive.com/, Nikki Sixx has posted a YouTube clip inviting all of their fans to sign up. The band’s Friday, August 1st show at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas will be aired in its entirety at 930 PST for anyone who signs up at DeepRockDrive’s website but tickets are going fast.

Nikki Sixx YouTube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mi-QYeIS5_Q

Jack's Mannequin Pre-Order & Exclusives

The new JacksMannequin.com has launched! Pre-order The Glass Passenger now and receive an instant gratification track titled “Miss California” here.

Mark your calendars now for August 4th because the first single from The Glass Passenger will be launched live from MySpace.com/JacksMannequin. Then, on August 5th, The Ghost Overground EP will be available for purchase exclusively on iTunes featuring new music from The Glass Passenger.

Finally, TheGlassPassenger.com experience is now live. The site will provide one clue a day for fifteen days. On the fifteenth day, solve the puzzle to be rewarded with an exclusive b-side and a sneak peek inside “The Glass Passenger”.

NKOTB's New "Single" Featuring Ne-Yo

Head over to People.com to check out the exclusive first listen of New Kids On The Block’s new track featuring Ne-Yo! The song is called “Single” and will appear on NKOTB’s forthcoming album called The Block, which is due out on September 2nd. “Single” will be available for purchase on iTunes August 12th.

90 second “Single” stream:
http://www.imeem.com/newkidsontheblock/music/JJoqIn4w/new_kids_on_the_block_feat_neyo_single/

Hoax-Slayer Issue 84: August 2008

This month in Hoax-Slayer:

1. Barack Obama in Afghanistan Protest Email
2. 'Buy Airplane Ticket Online' Trojan Email
3. Rottnest Island Great White Shark Hoax
4. Robert Mugabe Mansion Photographs
5. Not Able to Deliver UPS Package Malware Email
6. Prime Minister Howard - Muslims Out Of Australia
7. Lightning Storm Meets Volcanic Eruption Photos
8. Ball Girl Wall Climb Catch Video
9. Google Workplace Photographs - Google's Zurich Office
10. Google AdWords Phishing Scam
11. German Truck Art
12. Lottery Scam Payment Requests - Sky Express Couriers
13. Diamond Covered Mercedes Photographs
14. Incredible Chinese Love Story
15. Johan Lorbeer Gravity Defying Street Performance Photographs
16. Nadezhda - Russian Dating Scammer
17. Fake $5 Off Target Coupons

More here:
http://www.hoax-slayer.com/issue-84.shtml

Word of the Day for Thursday, July 31, 2008

egress \EE-gress\, noun:

1. The act of going out or leaving, or the right or freedom to leave; departure.
2. A means of going out or leaving; an exit; an outlet.
3. To go out; to depart; to leave.

Egress is from Latin egressus, from egredi, "to go out," from e-, "out" + gradi, "to step."
i'm just sayin'

• A phrase that is used when someone is offended by something you said. This phrase then removes all the offensiveness of the previous statement, making it all good.

Ryan: That chick has nice tits!

Rob: Damn, that's my sister!

Ryan: I'm just sayin'

Rob: Oh, okay, it's cool.

Trivia

How many times was baseball great Rickey Henderson caught stealing in 1982, the year he stole a record 130 bases?

• A record 42 times. The fleet-footed Henderson was with the Oakland Athletics at the time.

Today in History

• Trinidad: island in the Caribbean was discovered by Christopher Columbus (1498)
• Christchurch: became the first New Zealand city to be chartered (1856)
• NYSE: closed due to the outbreak of World War I, but opened again four months later to help the war effort by selling bonds (1914)

Today's Birthdays

• Primo Levi (1919-1987): Italian chemist who wrote of his experiences during the Holocaust
• Evonne Goolagong Cawley (57): tennis champ
• Deval Patrick (52): governor of Massachusetts; former Mass. governor William Weld (63) was also born on this date
• J.K. Rowling (43): creator of Harry Potter (who shares the same birthday)
• Will Champion (30): rocker, Coldplay; also, musicians Kenny Burrell (77), Lobo (65), Gary Lewis (63), Bill Berry (50), Fatboy Slim (45) and Jim Corr (44)
• B.J. Novak (29): comedian, The Office; also, actors France Nuyen (69), Susan Flannery (65), Geraldine Chaplin (64), Michael Biehn (52), Wesley Snipes (46), Dean Cain (42) and Ben Chaplin (38)

Travelzoo Weekly Top 20

************************************************************
TOP 20 DEALS * -- JULY 30, 2008
************************************************************

$499 -- Caribbean All-Inclusive Vacation: 5 Nights & Air
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/16678005-442843/
Source: CheapCaribbean.com

$89 -- Waterview Rooms at Upscale Florida Hotel
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/16678005-441730/
Source: Crowne Plaza Hollywood Beach

$39 & up -- JetBlue Cuts Fares into Winter
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/16678005-442897/
Source: JetBlue Airways

$1695 -- Brazilian 8-Night Jungle Adventure w/Air, Save $800
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/16678005-442855/
Source: Air Projects Vacations

$89 -- Riviera Maya: Suite at All-Inclusive Beach Resort
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/16678005-443043/
Source: BookIt.com

$109 -- San Francisco Boutique Hotel at 50% OFF
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/16678005-442279/
Source: Serrano Hotel - A Kimpton Hotel

$257 & up -- Hawaii from Across the U.S. (each way)
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/16678005-443008/
Source: American Airlines

$1699 -- Cruise South America: 16 Nights incl. Air
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/16678005-442933/
Source: CruCon Cruise Outlet

$145 & up -- Fly to San Francisco from Across the U.S. (R/T)
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/16678005-443018/
Source: Orbitz

$169 -- NYC: Grand Opening at Trendy Brooklyn Hotel
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/16678005-442767/
Source: NU Hotel

$75 -- This Weekend: Las Vegas from 16 Cities
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/16678005-442921/
Source: United Airlines

$50 -- Historic Hotel in Oregon's Wine Country
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/16678005-442862/
Source: Hotel Oregon

$986 -- Jet to the South Pacific from New York City (R/T)
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/16678005-443085/
Source: Air Tahiti Nui

$99 -- Weekends at 4-Diamond Greenwich Hotel (Reg. $280)
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/16678005-440865/
Source: Hyatt Regency Greenwich

$335 -- Nevis 5-Diamond Resort w/$100 Daily Credit
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/16678005-442867/
Source: Four Seasons Resort Nevis, West Indies

$101 -- Orlando 2-Bedroom Suite at Family Resort
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/16678005-441766/
Source: Nickelodeon Family Suites by Holiday Inn

$197-$218 -- Fly to the West Coast from Florida (R/T)
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/16678005-443051/
Source: Major Airlines

$146 -- Paris Hotel incl. FREE Boat Tour on the Seine
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/16678005-442955/
Source: Hôtel Abba Montparnasse

$109 -- San Antonio 4-Diamond River Walk Hotel
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/16678005-442292/
Source: Crowne Plaza San Antonio Riverwalk Hotel

$499 & up -- Dubai from Across the U.S. (each way)
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/16678005-442853/
Source: United Airlines

TOP SHOW & EVENT DEALS:
$30 -- See Cirque du Soleil in Newark, 25% OFF
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/16678005-441742/
Source: 'Saltimbanco' by Cirque du Soleil

$23-$36 -- Miami 'Restaurant Month' at over 100 Restaurants
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/16678005-443117/
Source: Miami Spice 2008

$20 -- See Rock Legend John Fogerty in Concert, 55% OFF
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/16678005-442390/
Source: John Fogerty

$128 -- Upgraded Experience to See Elton John in Las Vegas
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/16678005-443003/
Source: BestofVegas.com

$25 -- See Dinosaurs Stomp Madison Square Garden, 30% OFF
http://www.travelzoo.com/top20/16678005-443063/
Source: 'Walking with Dinosaurs' in New York

For more travel deals visit
http://www.travelzoo.com

Plain White T's Premiere New Track

Plain White T’s have just released the first single off their forthcoming album Big Bad World. The track, “Natural Disaster” can be previewed on the band’s MySpace page.

http://www.myspace.com/plainwhitets

Plain White T’s have also just announced they will take part in the first ever Rockband Live Tour with Panic At The Disco, Dashboard Confessional and The Cab. Information and tour dates can be found at

http://www.rockbandlivetour.com/.

The full track listing for Big Bad World is as follows:

1. “Big Bad World”
2. “Natural Disaster”
3. “Serious Mistake”
4. “Rainy Day”
5. “1234”
6. “That Girl”
7. “Sunlight”
8. “I Really Want You”
9. “Meet Me In California”
10. “Someday”

Big Bad World hits stores September 23rd.

Hasselhoff Wednesday: No Comment

This pic speaks for itself.

Word of the Day for Wednesday July 30, 2008

sesquipedalian \ses-kwuh-puh-DAYL-yuhn\, adjective:

1. Given to or characterized by the use of long words.
2. Long and ponderous; having many syllables.

noun:

1. A long word.

Sesquipedalian comes from Latin sesquipedalis, "a foot and a half long, hence inordinately long," from sesqui, "one half more, half as much again" + pes, ped-, "a foot."

brush the horse

• When you are walking past someone in close proximity and your body parts touch theirs. Thus, making you feel uncomfortable.

1. Dude, that guy so just brushed the horse up on me.
2. Did that guy just brush the horse? I swear I felt his fupa on my back when he passed by me.

Trivia

Why did Catherine Zeta-Jones insist on cutting her long hair into a short bob for her role in the hit 2002 musical Chicago?

• She wanted to be sure moviegoers would see that she did all the dancing in the film herself—and feared her normally long hair would obscure her face, leading some to wonder if a stand-in had been used.

Today in History

• Baltimore: port town and industrial center was founded (1729)
• Kim Philby: the Soviet news service announced that the British intelligence officer and double agent had defected to the USSR (1963)
• Medicare: insurance program for senior citizens was signed into US law (1965)
• Sarbanes-Oxley Act: "Corporate Responsibility Act" — that tightened control of financial reporting and reduced the potential for fraud — was signed into law by President George Bush (2002)

Today's Birthdays

• Thorstein Veblen (1857-1929): political economist who wrote The Theory of the Leisure Class
• Henry Ford (1863-1947): inventor who popularized mass production with the Ford Motor Company
• Henry Moore (1898-1986): sculptor of reclining figures
• C. Northcote Parkinson (1909-1993): historian and formulator of Parkinson's Law
• Arnold Schwarzenegger (61): action-movie star who became governor of California
• Lisa Kudrow (45): Phoebe Buffay on Friends; also, actors Jean Reno (60), Laurence Fishburne (47), Vivica A. Fox (44), Terry Crews (40), Simon Baker (39), Hilary Swank (34) and Jaime Pressly (31)

Hollywood Undead Release New Track

Hollywood Undead have just released “Everywhere I Go” for sale on iTunes. The first taste of new material off the band’s forthcoming Swan Songs showcases the band’s unique blend of rock, hip-hop and screamo packed perfectly into a three and half minute party anthem.

The party is bound for Baltimore as the band heads East for the Virgin Mobile Festival on August 10th. The fest slot, secured by fan votes, will mark the band’s first live show to date.

Swan Songs hits stores August 26th.

“Everywhere I Go” on iTunes:

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=285976570&s=143441

Word of the Day for Tuesday July 29, 2008

pusillanimous \pyoo-suh-LAN-uh-muhs\, adjective:

• Lacking in courage and resolution; contemptibly fearful; cowardly.

Pusillanimous comes from Late Latin pusillanimis, from Latin pusillus, "very small, tiny, puny" + animus, "soul, mind."

bats in the cave

• visible clumps of nose goblins, often found clinging to nasal hair.

"you need to blow your nose, you got some serious bats in the cave!!"


Trivia
What feature gave the strange-looking platypus its name?

• Its flipper-like flat feet. Its name is derived from the Greek words platus, “flat,” and pous, “foot.”

Today in History

• Spanish Armada: was defeated by the English, led by Sir Francis Drake (1588)
• Lady Di: married Prince Charles at St. Paul's Cathedral in London (1981)
• switch hitter: Red Sox batter Bill Mueller became the first Major League Baseball player to hit grand slams from both sides of the plate in a single game (2003)

Today's Birthdays

• Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859): French politician who wrote Democracy in America
• Booth Tarkington (1869-1946): Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Magnificent Ambersons
• Dag Hammarskjöld (1905-1961): UN secretary general and Nobel Peace Prize winner
• Elizabeth Dole (72): US senator, 2000 presidential candidate; former US senator Nancy Kassebaum Baker (76) was also born on this date
• Peter Jennings (1938-2005): anchor, World News Tonight
• Ken Burns (55): documentary filmmaker, The Civil War, The War
• Martina McBride (42): country singer; musicians Patti Scialfa and Geddy Lee (both 55), Wanya Morris (35) and Danger Mouse (31) share this birth date

Trapt's new album, "Only Through the Pain"

With Only Through The Pain, the third and most ambitious album yet from Platinum rockers Trapt, the band have not only returned to form but shattered expectations of what a rock disc can be. The L.A. based group returned to Co-Producer Gggarth Richardson's Vancouver studio to rekindle the magic that helped propel its 2002 eponymous debut past two million in sales. The comfort of reconvening with Richardson has allowed the men of Trapt to excel both creatively and spiritually on an album that is not only a staggering representation of the growth the band has made, but a kick-ass jolt of hard rock to boot.

From the riff-roaring, high energy anthem "Wasteland" to the deeply moving finale "The Last Tear," the follow up to Trapt's 2005's gold-certified Someone In Control again finds frontman, guitarist and principal songwriter Chris Taylor Brown going deep. "I've come to a point where I've discovered the positives and negatives of pain," the vocalist explains. "I really believe that the bad times in life really help to contribute to the good times in life and these lyrics embrace that. I much prefer to allow myself to feel everything as it comes, as opposed to maybe numbing yourself so that you can avoid feeling anything."

Drawing lyrically on the kind of personal experiences that earned the band modern and mainstream rock smashes like "Headstrong", "Still Frame" and "Stand Up", Only Through The Pain affirms Trapt has turned out its strongest song-cycle yet.

ON THE WEB

• trapt.com
• myspace.com/trapt
• onlythroughthepain.com

Finch EP delayed

Already available on most digital retailers, Hot Topic will be carrying Finch’s new self-titled EP on Friday, August 1st. The disc was originally going to come out a few days earlier but issues at the CD plant forced the store to move it back. The band explains, “The good thing to putting out our own record is we don’t have to wait for someone from a record company to finally get around to it. The bad news is that we had a snag in manufacturing, so we have to delay it by three days…sorry everyone.” However, the band has copies of the disc available on their current tour with Scary Kids Scaring Kids.

Finch EP hits Hot Topic stores on Friday, August 1st and is already available at most digital outlets.

Jack's Mannequin Set 9/30 Album Release

Jack's Mannequin is set to release their sophomore album, The Glass Passenger, on September 30th, 2008. Co-produced by lead singer Andrew McMahon and Jim Wirt (Incubus, Hoobastank), The Glass Passenger is the follow-up to the band's debut Everything in Transit, which was released in August 2005 and debuted at No. 37 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart.

It has been a busy year for Jack's Mannequin with several appearances at Vans Warped Tour as well as the Bamboozle Festival. Their 4-song iTunes EP will be available on August 5th, and the band just kicked off a cross-country tour supporting Paramore.

McMahon describes the new album as "a bizarre balance between present and past. I was trying to use the music to sort through and reconcile with the adversity of my past. My past is my past and a lot of this record is about that, but it's also about trying to write myself out of it. This is a record about trying to get well. It's about getting out from underneath something. I want people to receive the music for what it is and not have to contextualize it against my own personal battle."

The Glass Passenger is due in stores on September 30th, 2008!

ON THE WEB

• jacksmannequin.com
• myspace.com/jacksmannequin
• theglasspassenger.com

Clique Girlz Get Guitars

Paris, Destinee and Ariel head to Guitar Center in Los Angeles in Episode 9 of Clique Girlz TV. Destinee’s dream of getting a Les Paul finally comes true as the girls jam on some guitars and then rock an impromptu performance in the store. Head over to www.cliquegirlz.com for exclusive photos, blogs and more.

Direct link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnyaPpbtSAs

Staind unveil their new video for "Believe"

Staind have just unveiled the official video for their new single, “Believe.” The Christopher Sims (Saosin, Bleeding Through) directed clip is the first off the hard rock band’s upcoming Johnny K. (Disturbed, Black Tide) produced album, The Illusion of Progress. Staind are currently out on tour with 3 Doors Down and Hinder.

The Illusion of Progress is out on August 19th

7.29.08 Evansville, IN Roberts Stadium
7.30.08 Clarkson, MI DTE Energy Music Theater
8.1.08 Kearney, NE Firstier Arena
8.2.08 Council Bluffs, IA Westfair Amphitheatre
8.3.08 Duluth, MN Bayfront Park
8.5.08 Casper, WY Casper Event Center
8.7.08 Sioux, SD Sioux Empire Fair Expo Hall
8.8.08 Sturgis, SD Buffalo Chip Campground
8.10.08 Lubbock, TX Lone Star Arena
8.12.08 Corpus Christi, TX Concrete Street Amphitheater
8.13.08 Belton, TX Belton County Expo Center
8.15.08 New Orleans, LA Lakefront Arena
8.16.08 Tupelo, MS Bancorp South Center
8.21.08 St. Paul, MN Minnesota State Fair
8.23.08 Calgary, AB The Pengrowth Saddledome
8.24.08 Edmonton, AB Rexall Place
8.26.08 Vancover, BC General Motors Place
8.27.08 Seattle, WA WaMu Theater
8.30.08 Kelseyville, CA Konocti Field Amphitheatre
9.8.08 Cologne, Germany Cologne Arena
9.9.08 Stuttgart, Germany Schleyerhalle
9.12.08 Belfast, Ireland Odyssey Arena
9.13.08 Dublin, Ireland RDS Simmonscourt
9.15.08 Manchester, UK MEN Arena
9.16.08 Sheffield, UK Sheffield Arena
9.18.08 Birmingham, UK The NEC
9.19.08 London, UK o2 Arena
9.21.08 London, UK Wembley Arena

YouTube link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zw0d2fZ1rlo

Look forward to Mondays!

Today's Hottie of the Day:

Anna Kournikova
Sports Illustrated 2008

Cred to original uploader

Weekend Box Office

Tops at the Box Office

1. The Dark Knight
2. Step Brothers
3. Mamma Mia!
4. The X-Files: I Want to Believe
5. Journey to the Center of the Earth

The Batman juggernaut continues to crush competition is the box office, and breaking records. It broke the record for grossing $300 mill in less than 10 days. It's also expected to break the $400 mill mark soon enough. It grossed $75.6 mill over the weekend.

The new comedy starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly, Step Brothers, came in at a distant second with a respectable $30 mill. The opening weekend for The X-Files: I want to Believe only brought in a meager $10.2 mill. If you're an X-Files fan like me, you better see it sooner than later. It's not going to last in this summer of movies putting up those numbers.

Word of the Day for Monday July 28, 2008

quondam \KWAHN-duhm; KWAHN-dam\, adjective:

• Having been formerly; former; sometime.

Quondam comes from the Latin quondam, "formerly," from quom, "when."

piss in the wind

• Doing something that is a complete waste of effort and time for which you can expect no results and may even backfire on you.

Telling the president that invading other countries is unpopular with many voters is like pissing in the wind.

Trivia

In what sport is there a side horse?

• Gymnastics. Also known as the pommel horse, it’s a cylindrical, leather-padded apparatus with two upright handles.

Today in History

• Peru: declared independence from Spain (1821)
• 14th Amendment: granted full citizenship to former US slaves; introduced new civil rights safeguards, due process, equal protection (1868)
• Austria-Hungary: declared war on Serbia, precipitating World War I (1914)
• Tangshan Earthquake: rocked northeast China, killing some 250,000 (1976) 3
• IRA: ended its armed campaign against British rule in Northern Ireland in favor of "exclusively peaceful means" (2005)

Today's Birthdays

• Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968): Dadaist painter; artist Judith Leyster (1609-1660) was also born on this date
• Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (1929-1994): JFK's wife
• Bill Bradley (65): pro basketball player and Rhodes scholar who became a US senator and ran for president
• Jim Davis (63): creator of Garfield
• Sally Struthers (60): actor, All in the Family and Gilmore Girls; actors Georgia Engel (also 60) and Elizabeth Berkley (36) also have birthdays today
• Hugo Chavez (54): maniac president of Venezuela
• Delfeayo Marsalis (43): jazz trombonist; also, musicians Rick Wright (63), Steve Morse (54), Afroman (34) and Carly Goodwin (27)

In Print: The Bourne Betrayal by Eric Van Lustbader

This was the fifth book in the Jason Bourne series that was invented by Robert Ludlum. Since Ludlum's been dead a while, this is the second book by another author, namely Eric Van Lustbader.

Van Lustbader continues the journey from The Bourne Legacy to integrate the character of Jason Bourne from the movies and the books. Plus it seems that he was thnking the same thing I was as I read the first three installments. The book starts off with the wife dead. She was possibly one of the most annoying characters in the Ludlum books. Immediately the kids are shipped off the Canada. There ends any links to the old books. From that point on Jason is just a very efficient assassin employed by the government. In this tale he's on the trail of terrorist looking to detonate a nuclear bomb in the US.

The nearly 500 pages of the book are dedicated to Jason, the terrorists, the CIA, and various governments taking turns screwing with each other. There are many very impressive twists in the plot. Loads of action. A lot to make you think.

As you would expect from a Jason Bourne book, it's a lot of fun, and a real page turner.

Word of the Day for Sunday July 27, 2008

extol \ik-STOHL\, transitive verb:

• To praise highly; to glorify; to exalt.

Extol derives from Latin extollere, "to lift up, praise," from ex-, "up from" + tollere, "to lift up, elevate."

meter high club

• In the spirit of the mile high club, but for those who couldn't afford the plane tickets so are just taking the train.

Me and my girlfriend thought we would join the ranks of the prestigious mile high club, but had to take the train home instead. We went for the meter high club instead, but forgot that they can throw you off a train a lot easier than a plane.

Trivia

What famous American aviator piloted the first nonstop transcontinental supersonic flight?

• John Glenn, in 1957, five years before he became the first American astronaut to orbit the earth. Glenn made the cross-country flight, averaging 760 mph, in a record three hours and 23 minutes.

Today in History

• telegraph: transatlantic cable linked US and Europe; the cord shortened communication time from days to minutes (1866)
• insulin: physiologists isolated the hormone used to manage diabetes (1921)
• Bugs Bunny: debuted in The Wild Hare (1940)
• Korean War: UN, N. Korea, China signed armistice (1953); veterans memorial was dedicated in Washington by presidents Clinton and Kim Young-sam (1995)

Today's Birthdays

• Geoffrey De Havilland (1882-1965): aviation pioneer who designed and built military planes
• Leo Durocher (1905-1991): baseball infielder and manager
• Norman Lear (86): TV producer, All in the Family
• Julian McMahon (40): demon in love on Charmed, materialistic human on Nip/Tuck; other actors born on this date include Jerry Van Dyke (77), John Pleshette (66), Betty Thomas (60), Maury Chaykin (59), Roxanne Hart (56), Maya Rudolph (36) and Jonathan Rhys Meyers (31)

Word of the day for Saturday, July 26, 2008

diadem \DY-uh-dem\, noun:

1. A crown.
2. An ornamental headband worn (as by Eastern monarchs) as a badge of royalty.
3. Regal power; sovereignty; empire; -- considered as symbolized by the crown.
4. To adorn with a diadem; to crown.

Diadem derives from Greek diadema, "a band," from diadein, "to bind around," from dia, "through, across" + dein, "to bind."

cellcert

• A cellcert is a concert transmitted via cell phone. A cellcert happens when a person dials a friend and hold up his or her cell so said friend can enjoy the show.

Since I wasn't at the concert in NYC, my friends let me share in the moment by giving me a cellcert.

Trivia

Who was the actress who was supposed to play Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz?

• Sherly Temple (this bit of trivia thanks to Don)

What European city's motto is Fluctuat nec mergitur, Latin for "though rocked by the waves, she does not sink"?

• Paris.

Today in History

• Lionel Nathan Rothschild: became the first Jew to sit in the British Parliament, 11 years after he was elected; the House of Commons had to allow a special oath (1858)
• Unua Libro: the "First Book" of Esperanto was published, by Dr. L.L. Zamenhof (1887)
• Suez Canal: was nationalized by Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, leading to an international crisis (1956)
• Jimmy Hoffa: Teamsters union head was convicted of fraud and conspiracy (1964)

Today's Birthdays

• George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950): Nobel Prize-winning author of Pygmalion; also, writers Pearl Buck (1892-1973) and Aldous Huxley (1894-1963)
• Carl Jung (1875-1961): father of analytical psychology
• Salvador Allende (1908-1973): Chilean president
• Stanley Kubrick (1928-1999): perfectionist director of A Clockwork Orange and 2001: A Space Odyssey; also, directors Blake Edwards (86) and Peter Hyams (65)
• Mick Jagger (65): singer/songwriter, The Rolling Stones
• Dorothy Hamill (52): gold medal figure skater
• Jeremy Piven (43): Entourage's Ari Gold; also, actors Gracie Allen (1902-1964), Vivian Vance (1909-1979), Jason Robards (1922-2000), Helen Mirren (63), Kevin Spacey (49), Sandra Bullock (44) and the extra hot MILF Kate Beckinsale (35)