Thursday, December 23, 2010

zenith \ZEE-nith\, noun:

1. A highest point or state; culmination.
2. The point on the celestial sphere vertically above a given position or observer. Opposite of nadir.

The source of zenith is an error in transcription by ancient scribes. The M in the Arabic samt, "road," was mistaken for an N, resulting in a Middle Latin senit.

Raving to Jesus

• A condition usually applied to houses in the Christmas time that are completely covered in flashing lights and a Nativity scene. A house will only be raving to Jesus if the lights are flashing and a Nativity scene is present.

I couldn't sleep last winter, the house across the street was raving to Jesus.

Trivia

When it comes to pets, what is psi trailing?

• The uncanny ability of a cat, dog, or other pet to find its owner(s) in an unknown distant location or from an unfamiliar place. Psi stands for psychic.

Today's Holiday

• Festivus ("for the rest of us")

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

• Yousuf Karsh (1908-2002): portrait photographer
• Akihito (77): emperor of Japan
• Harry Shearer (67): writer/director/actor, The Simpsons, This is Spinal Tap; also, actors Gerald S. O'Loughlin (89), Ronnie Schell (79), Frederic Forrest (74), Susan Lucci (64), Corey Haim (1971-2010) and Estella Warren (32)
• Eddie Vedder (46): singer/songwriter, frontman for Pearl Jam; plus, musicians Jorma Kaukonen (70), Ron Bushy (65), Dave Murray (54), Jamie Murphy (34) and Irvin Mayfield (33)
• Carla Bruni (43): wife of French president Nicolas Sarkozy