Wednesday, July 1, 2009

penury \PEN-yuh-ree\, noun:

1. Extreme poverty; destitution.
2. Absence of resources; insufficiency.

Penury is from Latin penuria, "lack, want."
mow the laundry

• Doing a load of laundry after allowing clothes to pile up on your bedroom floor for weeks.

"say Magdalene, suppose it's time to mow the laundry? I can't get your door open."
Trivia
Where is the largest active volcano on earth?

• In Hawaii. Mauna Loa rises 13,677 feet above sea level, with more than twice that unseen, beneath the ocean.

Today in History:

• Battle of San Juan Hill: future president Theodore Roosevelt led the Rough Riders in a charge up Kettle Hill during the Spanish-American War (1898)
• Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty: was signed by the US, UK, USSR and others to halt spread of nuclear arms (1968)
• Walkman: portable audio player was introduced by Sony (1979)
• "O Canada": became Canada's national anthem (1980)
• Hong Kong: reverted to Chinese rule after 156 years of British rule (1997)
• Canada Day (marks the formation of Canada as a Dominion with the enactment of the British North America Act of 1867)

Today's Birthdays:

• George Sand (1804-1876): feminist novelist
• Sydney Pollack (1934-2008): director/actor, Out of Africa, Michael Clayton; plus, directors William Wyler (1902-1981) and Claude Berri (1934-2009)
• Twyla Tharp (68): dancer and choreographer
• Deborah Harry (64): singer, Blondie
• Dan Aykroyd (57): actor, comedian, winemaker, ufologist; also, actors Charles Laughton (1899-1962), Olivia De Havilland (93), Leslie Caron (78), Jamie Farr and Jean Marsh (both 74), David Prowse (74), Geneviève Bujold (67), Alan Ruck (53), Andre Braugher (47), Pamela Anderson (42), Henry Simmons (39), Hilarie Burton (27) and Liv Tyler (32)
• Princess Diana (1961-1997): humanitarian princess, Prince Charles' first wife
• Carl Lewis (48): Olympic gold medal winner in track