Showing posts with label Literature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Literature. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

The Matarese CountdownEarlier in the year I read The Matarese Circle by Robert Ludlum. I loved the book (review HERE), so when I found out there was a sequel I had to get my hands on it!


Twenty years after the events of The Matarese Circle, the family business is back at it. The grand children of the Baron Matarese, along with the son of the shepherd-boy have put together a time-table for global domination. First, they will destroy economies, then the governments of the world. The smallest scraps of information on the case are dumped on the desk of CIA Agent Cameron Pryce and he's told to find the reclusive hero from the first book, Brandon Scofeld, for his assistance and knowledge on the subject.


The book is a series of twists and turns as the good guys and bad guys are in a death grip for control of the entire planet.

The concept is chilling, and the story will enthrall you. However there is entirely too much reflection by Scofeld and his wife to the first book to make it drag a bit.


All in all, it was a fun book to read and the 566 pages went by very quickly. If you like Ludlum and read the first one, definitely consider this book as well!

Thursday, August 11, 2011

billet \BIL-it\, verb:
1. To provide or obtain lodging.
2. To direct (a soldier) by ticket, note, or verbal order, where to lodge.
noun:
1. Lodging for a soldier, student, etc., as in a private home or nonmilitary public building.
2. A small chunk of wood; a short section of a log, especially one cut for fuel.
Billet stems from the French billet, "official register." The word relates to the English bill.
Mental virginity
  • The general state of mind characterized by complete ignorance about sex and human reproduction.

Dude they think that sex ed teaches us a heck of a lot of stuff we didn't know, but the truth is, we lost our mental virginity a while back.
Totally dude.
*high five
Trivia
What animal was given the Latin name Avahi cleesei in honor of actor-funnyman John Cleese?
  • Not a python—a woolly lemur. It was named for Cleese, who played a lemur-loving zookeeper in the 1997 film comedy Fierce Creatures and hosted a 1998 documentary about the endangered species titled Operation Lemur.

History
  • SOS: Arapahoe became the first American ship to use the distress signal (1909)

  • Alcatraz: island prison in San Francisco Bay received its first civilian inmates (1934)

  • Hussein ibn Talal: 16-year-old was proclaimed king of Jordan after his father was declared mentally unfit (1952)

  • Watts riots: civil disturbances in Los Angeles left 34 dead (1965)

  • The Mall of America: the most-visited mall in the world opened on the site of Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota (1992)

Birthdays
  • Friedrich Ludwig Jahn (1778-1852): father of gymnastics

  • Alex Haley (1921-1992): author of Roots; also, writers Eduard Devrient (1801-1877), Hugh MacDiarmid (1892-1978) and Louise Bogan (1897-1970)

  • Jerry Falwell (1933-2007): Moral Majority founder

  • Steve Wozniak (61): cofounder of Apple Computers

  • Hulk Hogan (58): wrestler/actor, host of NBC's American Gladiators

  • Julia Anne Clarke (39): aka Julie Clarke, Playmate 03/91, actress, model, hardbody

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Sunday, August 7, 2011

nervure \NUR-vyoor\, noun:
  • A vein, as of a leaf or the wing of an insect.
Nervure is French for "rib."
chiptease
  • When you buy a bag of chips thinking that it will be full of chips but when you open the bag it's barely full.
I bought a bag of chips out of the vending machine and there was only 5 chips in the bag, what a Chiptease!
Trivia
In the popular Margaret Mitchell novel Gone with the Wind, how many children did Scarlett O’Hara have?
  • Three—each with a different husband. The first was a son, Wade; the second, a daughter, Ella; the third, a daughter, Bonnie. The first two children were eliminated from the 1939 movie.
History
  • Purple Heart: the military decoration was instituted by George Washington (1782)
  • Ulysses: a US appeals court ruled that the James Joyce novel was not obscene and therefore should not be banned (1934)
  • Kon-Tiki: the balsa wood raft made it across the Pacific, crashing at the end on a reef in the Tuomotu Islands; this demonstrated that pre-Columbian South Americans could have reached and settled Polynesia (1947)
  • Gulf of Tonkin resolution: US Congress authorized President Lyndon B. Johnson to use military force in Vietnam (1964)
  • Lynne Cox: swims the frigid Bering Strait, becoming the first person to swim from the US to the Soviet Union (1987)
  • Twin Towers: Philippe Petit walked a tightrope between the towers of New York's World Trade Center (1974)
  • US embassy bombings: simultaneous al-Qaeda attacks in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, killed over 200 people and wounded thousands (1998)
Birthdays
  • Alonso de Ercilla y Zúñiga (1533-1594): soldier and poet, La Araucana
  • Mata Hari (1876-1917): dancer/spy
  • Louis Leakey (1903-1972): paleoanthropologist
  • B.J. Thomas (69): country/pop singer, "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head"; also, musicians Bruce Dickinson (53) and Marcus Roberts (48)
  • Garrison Keillor (69): writer/host of A Prairie Home Companion
  • David Duchovny (51): actor, The X-Files, Californication; also, performers Stan Freberg (85), Wayne Knight (56), Harold Perrineau (48) and Charlize Theron (36)
  • Jimmy Wales (45): founder of Wikipedia
  • Sidney Crosby (24): center for Pittsburgh Penguins; runners Abebe Bikila (1932-1973) and Alberto Salazar (53) share this birth date

Saturday, August 6, 2011

moxie \MOK-see\, noun:
1. Vigor; verve; pep.
2. Courage and aggressiveness.
3. Skill; know-how.
Moxie enters common speech from the 1908 Moxie, a trademark name registered 1924 for a bitter non-alcoholic beverage; it was used as far back as 1876 as the name of a patent medicine advertised to "build up your nerve," and it is perhaps ultimately from a New England tribal word.
platonic relationship
  • When a woman officially declares a man to be in her 'friend zone'.
Man: "I love you"
Woman: "I love you, too"
Man: *leans in for a kiss*
Woman: *magically turns it into a hug* "You're such a great friend."
Man: *is now in a forced platonic relationship*
Trivia
What symbols were combined to create the antiwar peace symbol?
  • The naval semaphore signals for “N” and “D”—shorthand for nuclear disarmament.
History
  • Holy Roman Empire: came to an end with the abdication of Francis II (1806)
  • Bolivia: declared independence from Spain (1825)
  • electric chair: was first used as method of execution, on murderer William Kemmler at New York's Auburn Prison (1890)
  • Gertrude Ederle: became the first woman to swim the English Channel (1926)
  • Enola Gay: US bomber dropped an atomic weapon on Hiroshima, killing over 60,000 instantly; it was the first-ever use of nuclear warfare (1945)
  • Voting Rights Act: was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson; it prohibited states from imposing racial discrimination at the polls based on literacy or financial ability (1965)
  • Gerry Adams: the Sinn Féin president and British PM Tony Blair meet; it's the first time in 76 years that a British leader met with an IRA ally (1997)
Birthdays
  • Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809-1892): Victorian age poet, "The Lady of Shalott"
  • Sir Alexander Fleming (1881-1955): bacteriologist who discovered penicillin
  • Richard Hofstadter (1916-1970): Pulitzer Prize-winning historian
  • Andy Warhol (1928-1987): pop artist who had his "fifteen minutes of fame"
  • Jeremy Ratchford (46): actor, Cold Case; also, actors Lucille Ball (1911-1989), Robert Mitchum (1917-1997), Peter Bonerz (73), Dorian Harewood (61), Catherine Hicks (60), Michelle Yeoh (49), Merrin Dungey (40), David Campbell (38), Vera Farmiga and Ever Carradine (both 37), Soleil Moon Frye (35), and Stepfanie Kramer (54)
  • Geri Halliwell (39): the former Ginger Spice; musicians Charlie Haden (74), Pat MacDonald (59) and Patsy and Peggy Lynn (both 46) were also born on this date

Friday, August 5, 2011

Friday, August 5, 2011

overslaugh \OH-ver-slaw\, verb:
  • To pass over or disregard (a person) by giving a promotion, position, etc., to another instead.
Overslaugh derives from the Dutch overslaan, with slaan meaning "to strike."
Microwave inflation
  • When the cooking time of food needs to be adjusted to account for a weaker or stronger microwave.
The microwave at my dorm room is older than the one at my house, so when I make a bag of popcorn, I have to adjust for microwave inflation.
Trivia
What was the favorite song of Ross Geller’s pet Capuchin monkey, Marcel, on the TV sitcom Friends?
  • “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”
History
  • federal income tax: was levied for the first time in the US; it aimed to help pay the bills for the Civil War and was rescinded in 1872 (1861)
  • "Damn the torpedoes": famous order was given by Union Admiral David G. Farragut as he led his fleet at Mobile Bay during the Civil War (1864)
  • Little Orphan Annie: Harold Gray's comic strip debuted (1924)
  • Nelson Mandela: South African resistance leader and later president was arrested and jailed; his imprisonment lasted till 1990 (1962)
  • Marilyn Monroe: was found dead after overdosing on sleeping pills (1962)
  • Test Ban Treaty: the US, Britain and the Soviet Union agreed to prohibit nuclear weapon tests underwater, in the atmosphere and in outer space (1963)
Birthdays
  • Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893): author of novels and short stories, "The Necklace"
  • Harold Holt (1908-1967): Australian PM
  • Neil Armstrong (81): first human to walk on the moon
  • Erika Slezak (65): Victoria Lord on One Life to Live; other actors born on this date include Zakes Mokae (1934-2009), John Saxon (75), Loni Anderson (65), Holly Palance (61), Maureen McCormick (55) and Jonathan Silverman (45)
  • Patrick Ewing (49): former NY Knicks basketball star
  • Adam "MCA" Yauch (47): filmmaker who began as a rapper with the Beastie Boys

Thursday, August 4, 2011

aesopian \ee-SOH-pee-uhn\, adjective:
1. Conveying meaning by hint, euphemism, innuendo, or the like.
2. Pertaining to, or characteristic of Aesop or his fables.
Aesopian gets this general sense from its original meaning as a reference to the inferential nature of Aesop's fables.
Gate Massage
  • A TSA pat-down with a "happy landing."
I got a gate massage at the airport today. I feel great!
Trivia
Which three baseball Hall of Famers share the record for playing in the most All-Star games—24?
  • Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and Stan Musial.
History
  • freedom of the press: a legal precedent was established when newspaper editor John Peter Zenger was acquitted of seditious libel; he had published criticism of the colonial governor of New York (1735)
  • US Coast Guard: was launched as the Revenue-Marine, later called the Revenue Cutter Service (1790)
  • Anne Frank: teenage Jewish diarist was discovered, along with her family, by Nazis; their hiding place was revealed by a Dutch informant and they were sent to concentration camps, where most perished (1944)
  • Burkina Faso: West African republic received its new name meaning "land of upright people"; it was formerly called Upper Volta (1984)
Birthdays
  • Elizabeth, the Queen Mother (1900-2002): wife of George VI, mother of Elizabeth II
  • Louis Armstrong (1901-1971): jazz trumpeter
  • Raoul Wallenberg (1912-1947?): Swedish diplomat/businessman who saved thousands of Hungarian Jews during WWII; in 1945, he was taken into custody by the Russians and disappeared
  • Barack Obama (50): the 44th POTUS
  • Roger Clemens (49): pitcher with the record for Cy Young Awards — 7; plus, runner Glenn Cunningham (1909-1988)
  • Dennis Lehane (46): novelist, Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone; writers Knut Hamsun (1859-1952) and Robert Hayden (1913-1980) were also born on this date
  • Daniel Dae Kim (43): Jin-Soo Kwon on Lost; also, actors Richard Belzer (67), Billy Bob Thornton (56), Lauren Tom (50), James Tupper (46) and Michael DeLuise (42)

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

entelechy \en-TEL-uh-kee\, noun:
  1. A realization or actuality as opposed to a potentiality.
  2. In vitalist philosophy, a vital agent or force directing growth and life.
Entelechy is built from the Greek roots telos "goal" andech "to have."
shark porn
  • chilling cinematic moments when hungry sharks chomp on underwater aluminum cages, filled with divers, during TV news stories and so-called documentaries
I saw a show where a thirteen foot great white shark tried to eat some cage divers near Guadalupe Island. It's nothing more than 'shark porn'.
Trivia
In Great Britain, where a duke’s wife is known as a duchess, what is the title of an earl’s wife? How about a marquis’s wife?
  • An earl’s wife is a countess; a marquis’s wife, a marchioness.
History
  • Declaration Of Independence, Constitution Of The United States Of America, Bill Of Rights And Constitutional AmendmentsDeclaration of Independence: members of the Continental Congress began putting their John Hancocks on "The Unanimous Declaration of the 13 United States of America" (1776)
  • Marihuana Tax Act: US law doused marijuana use, sale and possession with sheer legal intricacy (1937)
  • PT-109: a torpedo boat pathetically commanded by Lt. John F. Kennedy was sunk off the Solomon Islands by a Japanese destroyer (1943)
  • Gulf of Tonkin: the Pentagon reported attacks on US ships by North Vietnamese; the incident led to a Congressional resolution and expansion of the war effort (1964)
  • Kuwait: was invaded by Iraq, triggering the Gulf War five months later (1990)
Birthdays
  • Pierre Charles L'Enfant (1754-1825): architect/city planner who designed Washington, DC
  • Wes Craven (72): director, Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream; director Kevin Smith (41) was also born on this date
  • Isabel Allende (69): novelist, The House of the Spirits; novelists Rómulo Gallegos (1884-1969) and James Baldwin (1924-1987) shared this birth date
  • Mary-Louise Parker (47): Weeds' Nancy Botwin; also, actors Peter O'Toole (79), Max Wright (68), Joanna Cassidy (66), Kathryn Harrold (61), Butch Patrick (58), Victoria Jackson (52), Cynthia Stevenson (49), Sam Worthington (35), Edward Furlong (34) and Hallie Kate Eisenberg (19)

 
 

Monday, August 1, 2011

Monday, August 1, 2011

melismatic \mi-liz-MA-tik\, adjective:
  • Characterized by the singing of several notes to one syllable of text, for emotional impact, as in blues and other musical styles.
Melismatic finds its source in the Greek melisma, "music."
Bag Texting
  • When you try not to be rude texting while you are out with friends so you hide it by texting with the phone still in your bag. This is an attempt to trick people that you are with into not thinking you are rude when in fact it is so obvious when you are standing there with your bag open and your whole hand is in the bag, holding your phone, texting.
"Hey! what are you looking for in your bag, Jenn?"
"Oh nothing, I'm just bag texting".
Trivia
What business sponsored the haplesss Little League team chronicled in the 1976 family movie comedy The Bad News Bears?
  • Chico’s Bail Bonds.
History
  • Video Killed The Radio StarSlavery Abolition Act 1833: abolished slavery in Britain and Ireland
  • WWI: erupted as Germany declared war on Russia (1914)
  • Fulbright: scholarship program was signed into US law (1946)
  • MTV: cable music station was launched with, aptly, The Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star" (1981)
Birthdays
  • Claudius (10 BCE-54 CE): 4th Roman emperor
  • Jean Baptiste Lamarck (1744-1829): the naturalist credited with first use of the word "biology"
  • Moby DickFrancis Scott Key (1779-1843): attorney who wrote "The Star-Spangled Banner"
  • Herman Melville (1819-1891): author of Moby Dick; plus, writer Anne Hébert (1916-2000)
  • Dom DeLuise (1933-2009): actor and cookbook writer; actors Giancarlo Giannini (69) and John Carroll Lynch (48) share this birth date
  • Yves Saint Laurent (1936-2008): fashion designer, popularized pants for women
  • Robert Cray (58): blues guitarist and singer; musicians Jerry Garcia (1942-1995), Michael Penn (53), Joe Elliot (52), Chuck D (51), Coolio (48) and Adam Duritz (47) also celebrate birthdays today

 

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