Friday, January 14, 2011

klatsch \KLAHCH\, noun:

• A casual gathering of people, esp. for refreshments and informal conversation.

Klatsch comes from the German word for "gossip."

Smartphone Shuffle

• The act of walking slowly or "shuffling" because you're too preoccupied with tasks being done on your smartphone such as browsing the internet, texting, etc. The Smartphone Shuffle can sometimes be dangerous for oneself, such as crossing a roads, not paying attention to surroundings. It can also be a nuisance for other people as distracted Smartphone Shufflers block hallways, stairs or sidewalks and impede flow of pedestrian.

Stop doing the Smartphone Shuffle! You're blocking the sidewalk.

Trivia

What animal has the strongest bite of any known living creature?

• The great white shark. Its powerful jaws can snap shut with a force of two tons.

History

• Marilyn Monroe: blonde bombshell wed legendary Yankee Joe DiMaggio; the marriage lasted less than a year, but DiMaggio remained devoted long after that (1954)
• Human Be-In: counterculture event took place in San Francisco, preceding the Summer of Love (1967)
• Margrethe II: ascended the throne of Denmark as its first reigning queen since the early 1400s, thanks to a constitutional amendment that allowed female succession (1972)
• Miami Dolphins: beat the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII, becoming the first, and so far only, NFL team to have an undefeated season (1973)

Birthdays

• Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965): medical missionary and humanitarian
• 
  Benedict Arnold (1741-1801): America's most famous Revolutionary War-period traitor
• John Dos Passos (1896-1970): journalist and novelist; plus, writers Hugh Lofting (1886-1947) and Yukio Mishima (1925-1970)
• Andy Rooney (92): CBS's curmudgeonly commentator; plus, broadcast journalists Nina Totenberg (67) and Shepard Smith (47)
• Allen Toussaint (73): R&B musician; also born today, Billie Jo Spears (74), Jack Jones (73), Slick Rick (46), LL Cool J (43), Dave Grohl (42) and Caleb Followill (29)
• Lawrence Kasdan (62): screenwriter and director, The Big Chill; also, director Steven Soderbergh (48)
• Maureen Dowd (59): Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist
• Jason Bateman (42): actor, Arrested Development, Juno; also, actors Faye Dunaway (70), Holland Taylor (68), Carl Weathers (63), Mark Addy (47), Dan Schneider (45), Tom Rhodes and Emily Watson (both 44) and Jordan Ladd (36)