Thursday,
April 29th, 2004
In Today's Tribune
No. I haven't gotten senile.
I know this picture was posted on Monday but I thought that I'd move
it to the top of the edition. It was too good to get buried way down
there.
Have a great weekend.
Christine and I are going to Long Beach and check out the Aquarium
of the Pacific on Saturday. It should be a great getaway. Well, at
least for a day. Take care.
Here's today's tidbits
Born on April 29th
Jo O'Meara
(1979)
Andre Agassi
(1970)
Master P
(1970)
Uma Thurman
(1970)
Michelle Pfeiffer
(1957)
Daniel Day-Lewis
(1957)
Kate Mulgrew
(1955)
Jerry Seinfeld
(1954)
Dale Earnhardt
(1951)
Zubin Mehta
(1936)
Celeste Holm
(1919)
Tom Ewell
(1909)
Duke Ellington
(1899)
William Randolph Hearst
(1863)
Naked
Man
It was three o'clock in the morning, and the receptionist at a posh
hotel was just dozing off, when a little old lady came running
towards her, screaming.
"Please come quickly!" she yelled, "I just saw a naked man outside
my window!!!"
The receptionist immediately rushed up to the old lady's room.
"Where is he?" asked the receptionist.
"He's over there," replied the little old lady, pointing to an
apartment building opposite the hotel.
The receptionist looked over and could see a man with no shirt on,
moving around his apartment. "It's probably a man who's getting
ready to go to bed," she said reassuringly. "And how do you know
he's naked, you can only see him from the waist up?"
"The dresser, honey!" screamed the old lady. Try standing on the
dresser!
Today's useless
fact - How long does it take a skunk to reload?
Skunks store their noxious spray in two glands the size of Ping-
Pong balls. They can squirt the stuff over and over again in
rapid-fire sequence, letting fly with as little as a teaspoon or as
much as half a cup. "Skunks can form a sort of U and 'look' at you
with both ends at once, firing with bull's-eye accuracy," notes
University of New Mexico mammalogist Jerry Dragoo.
Theoretically, the skunk will eventually run out of spray if he
gets angry enough, but in practice it never seems to happen. Dragoo,
who was once sprayed by a single skunk eight times in one torturous
minute, puts it this way: "I've yet to come across an empty gland."
What
is the Daily Buzzword for April 29th?
queue
\KYOO\ noun
What does it mean?
1 : a braid of hair usually worn hanging at the back of the
head
2 : a waiting line
How do you use it?
We waited in a long queue for hours to buy tickets to the
movie.
Are you a word wiz?
Our word "queue" is borrowed from a French word, which was
adopted from the Latin word "coda," meaning "tail." Knowing
that, how do you think "queue" came to mean "waiting line"?
A. Because the people at the end of a
line were called
"the tail."
B. Because the line at the bottom of the letter "Q" looks
like a tail.
C. Because people standing in line form what looks like a
tail.
D. Because a "queue" in French is an animal with a very
long tail.
Answer:
In the 19th century, English-speakers began using "queue"
to mean a number of people waiting in line because such a
line looked like a tail. When "queue" was first adopted from
French in the mid-1700s, it was used to refer to a long braid
of hair, because a braid can hang from a person's head like a
tail. This sense is still in use, but today such a braid is
more commonly called a "pigtail."
Today's Jigsaw
puzzle
CLICK HERE
WEIRD
KIDS
That's
all for this week. Have a great weekend.
The following is what appeared in Wednesday's edition..........
In Today's Tribune
A clear conscience is usually the sign of a
bad memory. .
Here's today's tidbits
Born on April 28th
Jessica Alba
(1981)
Penelope Cruz
(1974)
Nancy Lee Grahn
(1958)
Jay Leno
(1950)
Ann-Margret
(1941)
Saddam Hussein
(1937)
James Monroe
(1758)
The
Lone Ranger & Tonto
The Lone Ranger and Tonto walked into store to buy some supplies.
After a few minutes, a big tall cowboy walked in and said "Who owns
the big white horse outside? "
The Lone Ranger said, "I do, Why?"
The cowboy said, "I just thought you'd like to know that your horse
is about dead outside!"
The Lone Ranger and Tonto rushed outside and sure enough Silver was
about to die from heat exhaustion.
The Lone Ranger got water and soon Silver was starting to feel a
little better. The Lone Ranger turns to Tonto and said, "I want you
to run around Silver and see if you can create enough of a breeze to
help cool him down."
Tonto said, "Sure, Kemosabe" and begins running circles around
Silver.
Unable to do anything except wait, the Lone Ranger returns to the
store to finish buying their supplies. A few minutes later, another
cowboy struts into the store and asks, "Who owns that big white
horse outside?"
The Lone Ranger stands and claims, "I do, what's wrong with him this
time?"
The cowboy looks him in the eye and says, "Nothing, but you left
your Injun running."
Can you identify this
celebrity from her high school picture?
This is too easy.
answer below
Today's useless
fact - Why is it called the Dead Sea?
The Water in the Dead Sea has no outflow, so anything that comes in
can't leave. As water evaporates, minerals are left behind, forming
a salinity rate of 25% and rising. Nothing can survive salt levels
that high; therefore "Dead" Sea is a pretty good name for it.
Despite it's name, Dead Sea is known for its healing properties and
with high levels of salt content, the Dead Sea is one of the most
unique places on earth. Praised for centuries for its medicinal
properties, people flock to the Dead Sea each year. Even the
heaviest of heavies can float on this highly salted sea. At 400
meters below sea level, stirred by the awesome Mountains of Moab to
the East, and the Judean Mountains to the West, one can find
tranquillity, health, and peace of mind in a landscape like no other
on earth. In short, a visit to the Dead Sea is an unforgettable
exhilarating adventure that rejuvenates mind, body and spirit.
Answer to Celebrity picture
Ruth Buzzi
What
is the Daily Buzzword for April 28th?
enunciate \ee-NUN-see-ayt\
verb
What does it mean?
1 : announce, proclaim
2 : to pronounce clearly : articulate
How do you use it?
After my sister had her wisdom teeth removed, she had a
hard time enunciating words until the anesthesia wore off.
Are you a word wiz?
"Enunciate" ultimately traces back to the Latin word
"nuntiare," meaning "to report." Which words below also
share this Latin root?
A. "proclaim" and "acclaim"
B. "officiate" and "retaliate"
C. "articulate" and "recapitulate"
D. "pronounce" and "renounce"
Answer:
"Enunciate," "pronounce," and "renounce" all trace back to
"nuntiare," meaning "to report." The Latin prefix "pro-"
("forth") plus "nuntiare" produce "pronounce," meaning "to
declare officially." The Latin prefix "re-" ("back") combined
with "nuntiare" gives us "renounce," meaning "to give up by
public declaration." Our Buzzword, "enunciate," comes from
the Latin prefix "e-" ("out") and "nuntiare." Why no family
resemblance? Because "pronounce" and "renounce" came into
English via French, while "enunciate" came into English
directly from Latin and so more closely resembles the Latin
ancestor.
Today's Jigsaw
puzzle
CLICK HERE
MOM
That's all for today. Tune in tomorrow for more stuff.
The following is what appeared in Tuesday's edition..........
In Today's Tribune
Sign in a Chinese
pet store: "Buy one dog, get one flea."
Here's today's tidbits
Born on April 27th
Sheena Easton
(1959)
Ace Frehley
(1951)
Sandy Dennis
(1937)
Anouk Aimee
(1932)
Casey Kasem
(1932)
Coretta Scott King
(1927)
Jack Klugman
(1922)
Ulysses S. Grant
(1822)
The
Experienced Vet Solves a Problem
The only cow in a small Kentucky town stopped giving milk. The
people did some research and found that they could buy a cow just
across the state line in Illinois for $200.
They brought the cow from Illinois and the cow was wonderful. It
produced lots of milk all of the time, and the people were very
happy.
They decided to acquire a bull to mate with the cow to produce more
cows like it. They would never have to worry about their milk supply
again.
They bought the bull and put it in the pasture with their beloved
cow. However, whenever the bull tried to mount the cow, the cow
would move away. No matter what approach the bull tried, the cow
would move away from the bull and he could not succeed in his quest.
The people were very upset and decided to ask the Vet, who was very
wise, what to do.
They told the Vet what was happening. "Whenever the bull tries to
mount our cow, she moves away. If he approaches from the back, she
moves forward. When he approaches her from the front, she backs off.
An attempt from the side, she walks away to the other side."
The Vet thought about this for a minute and asked, "Did you by
chance, buy this cow in Illinois?"
The people were dumbfounded, since no one had ever mentioned where
they bought the cow. "You are truly a wise Vet," they said. "How did
you know we got the cow in Illinois?"
The Vet replied with a distant look in his eye, "My wife is from
Illinois."
My
Heroes
Today's useless
fact - "Let One's Hair Down":
For decades,
Paris has been the fashion center of the western world. Customs and
sayings that originate there often become more firmly-rooted in
England and in America than in their native soil.
Noted
entertainers and wives of wealthy nobleman have long vied with one
another in creating new and elaborate hair styles. It was once
considered a serious breach of etiquette to appear in public without
a coiffeur that required hours of work. Only in the intimacy of
private quarters did beauties of the Napoleonic era relax by letting
their hair down.
Moves toward
pulling out pins and unbinding tresses came to be associated with
relaxation. So any time inhibitions are discarded, we still say that
a male or female lets his or her hair down.
What
is the Daily Buzzword for April 27th?
untoward
\un-TOH-erd\ adjective
What does it mean?
1 : hard to manage : stubborn, willful
2 : causing trouble : unlucky
How do you use it?
After a few obedience classes, Bowser's untoward behavior
gradually faded and he became more cooperative, learning to
heel, sit, and stay perfectly.
Are you a word wiz?
We promise that answering this question will cause no
untoward reactions. Which word below is a synonym of
"untoward"?
A. kind
B. unruly
C. determined
D. sensitive
Answer:
We hope it wasn't any trouble to pick B as the answer.
Hundreds of years ago, English speakers used the word
"toward" to mean "docile" or "willing to learn." By the
1500s, "untoward" was used as the opposite of "toward" to
mean difficult to control and hard to work with. Today,
"toward" is no longer used to mean "docile," but "untoward"
is still used in its original sense and so is a synonym of
"unruly," "undisciplined," "unmanageable," and "fractious."
Today's Jigsaw
puzzle
CLICK HERE
WEDDING
PARTAY
That's all for today. Tune in tomorrow for more stuff.
The following is what appeared in Monday's edition..........
In Today's Tribune
Man! It's Monday already?
That last week sure flew by fast! It was nice to be off for a week
but I was kinda itching to do the webpage again. I think I'll
probably take a week off in every month just so I don't get
lackadaisical and also because I think this job is starting to take
it's toll on me. If anybody would like to take over the reins for a
week or two, I'd be more than happy to assist them with it. C'mon,
it's only a webpage.
Here's today's tidbits
Born on April 26th
Jon Lee
(1982)
Michael Damian
(1962)
Bobby Rydell
(1942)
Duane Eddy
(1938)
Carol Burnett
(1933)
I.M. Pei
(1917)
John James Audubon
(1785)
A Happy Belated Birthday To
Rose Villalba
April 25th
James
Bond
James Bond walks into a bar and takes a seat next to an attractive
woman. He gives her a quick glance, then casually looks down at his
watch.
The woman next to him asks, "Is your date running late?"
"No," he replied, "Q's just given me this state-of-the-art watch and
I was just testing it."
Intrigued by this, the woman asks, "What does it do, Mr. Bond?"
"Well you see," said Bond, "it uses Alpha waves to telepathically
talk to me."
"I see," said the woman, "and what's it telling you now?"
"It says you're not wearing any underwear..." Bond says.
The woman giggles and says, "Well it must be broken because I'm
afraid I'm wearing underwear!"
007 taps his watch and says, "Damn thing must be an hour fast!" .
What
is the Daily Buzzword for April 26th?
quintessence
\kwin-TEH-sunss\ noun
What does it mean?
1 : the purest form of something
2 : the most perfect type or example
How do you use it?
"Do not shorten the morning by getting up late; look upon
it as the quintessence of life, as to a certain extent
sacred." (Arthur Schopenhauer, _Counsels and Maxims_)
Are you a word wiz?
"Quintessence" comes from a Latin name for something
special. What do you think the linguistic ancestor of
"quintessence" originally named?
A. a type of music so beautiful
it could enchant people
B. a blanket thought to make people fall asleep
C. a mysterious substance believed to make up stars and
planets
D. a special kind of dew once thought to come from fairies
Answer:
Long ago, people believed that the earth was made up of four
elements: earth, air, fire, and water. But they thought the
stars and planets were made up of another element, which
they
called the "quinta essentia," literally, the "fifth
element."
The ancients believed the "quinta essentia" was essential to
all kinds of matter, and they thought if they could somehow
isolate it, it would cure all diseases and make people
immortal. We have since given up on that idea, but we kept
"quintessence," the offspring of "quinta essentia," as a
word
for the purest essence of a thing.
Today's Jigsaw
puzzle
CLICK HERE
TAIYO
That's all for today. Tune in tomorrow for more stuff.
