Friday, November 12, 2010

alchemical \al-KEM-ik-uhl\, adjective:

1. Pertaining to the transformation of something common, usually of little value, into a substance of great worth.

2. Relating to a form of chemistry and speculative philosophy practiced in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance concerned principally with discovering methods for transmuting baser metals into gold.

Alchemical is the adjectival form of alchemy, which derives from the Arabic al-kimiya and the Ancient Greek khemeioa. Both roughly translate as "to pour the juices," a figurative description of the goal of alchemy to transmute the essence of one substance into another.

OHN

acronym for "Oh hell no!", which is properly used when someone does something so offensive, insane, or inappropriate that you must voice your disapproval.

Lu: "I told her I couldn't go to the baby shower because my aunt was in the hospital, and she said 'Sorry you'll miss it,' and reminded me where I could send the present."

Me: OHN! What a bitch!

Trivia

What inspired vaudeville entertainer Jack Norworth to write the lyrics to the song “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” in 1908?

• A sign announcing “Base-Ball Today—Polo Grounds” in the New York City subway. Norworth claimed he had never seen a major league baseball game when he scribbled the lyrics on a scrap of paper as he rode a train. At the time, the Polo Grounds was the home field of the New York Giants.

History

• Kenesaw Mountain Landis: judge was elected the first commissioner of baseball after the Black Sox scandal (1920)
• Leon Trotsky: was expelled from the Communist Party and Joseph Stalin became the Soviet ruler (1927)
• Oakland-San Francisco Bay Bridge: eight-mile-long structure opened for traffic (1936)
• Ellis Island: the New York Harbor facility, which served more than 12 million immigrants, was closed (1954)

Birthdays

• Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902): reformer who fought for women's rights
• Baha'u'llah (1817-1892): leader of the Baha'i faith
• Auguste Rodin (1840-1917): sculptor, The Thinker
• Sun Yat-Sen (1866-1925): founder of modern China
• Neil Young (65): singer/songwriter; other musicians born on this date include Brian Hyland (67), Booker T. Jones (66) and Omarion (26)
• Nadia Comaneci (49): the first perfect 10 in Olympics gymnastics
• Sammy Sosa (42): home run slugger
• Anne Hathaway (28): actor nominated for an Oscar for her role in Rachel Getting Married; also, actors Grace Kelly (1929-1982), Wallace Shawn (67), Megan Mullally (52), Sam Lloyd (43), Radha Mitchell (37), Lourdes Benedicto and Tamala Jones (both 36), Coté de Pablo (31) and Ryan Gosling (30)