Thursday, March
11th, 2004
In Today's Tribune
I'm burned out. This has
been a long week for me so I think I'll take tomorrow off. Have a
super weekend.
I hope to see you all at the
birthday brunch this Sunday.
Here's today's tidbits
Born on March 11th
Thora Birch
(1982)
Douglas Adams
(1952)
Charles W. Swan
(1942)
Sam Donaldson
(1934)
Rupert Murdoch
(1931)
Ralph Abernathy
(1926)
Lawrence Welk
(1903)
Sunday March 14
My wonderful wife Christine
Just as cute as ever
Corruption
At the height of a political corruption trial, the prosecuting
attorney attacked a witness. "Isn't it true," he bellowed, "that you
accepted five thousand dollars to compromise this case?"
The witness stared out the window, as though he hadn't heard the
question.
"Isn't it true that you accepted five thousand dollars to compromise
this case?" the lawyer repeated loudly.
The witness still did not respond.
Finally, the judge leaned over and said, "Sir, please answer the
question."
"Oh," the startled witness said, "I thought he was talking to you."
Mind Control
See if you have good mind control over your body.
This is left brain, right brain stuff.
This actually is true even though it may seem stupid
and it's going to really frustrate you, but it's fun!
While sitting at your desk, lift your right foot off the floor
and make clockwise circles.
Now, while doing this, draw the number "6" in the air with your
right hand.
Your foot will change direction and there's nothing you can do about
it.
Try it.
What
is the Daily Buzzword for March 11th?
maelstrom
\MAIL-strum\ noun
What does it mean?
1 : a strong violent whirlpool dangerous to ships
2 : a great confusion
How do you use it?
Serena experienced a maelstrom of emotions upon learning
that while she had received a scholarship from the college of
her choice, her best friend had not even been accepted.
Are you a word wiz?
"Maelstrom" comes from the language of a northern European
seagoing people. What language do you think those people
spoke?
A. Dutch
B. Greek
C. Portuguese
D. Russian
Answer:
The Dutch have a long, proud seafaring heritage. In ages
past, Dutch sailors told tales of a great whirlpool in the
Norwegian Sea that could engulf whole ships. They named it
using their words "malen," meaning "to grind," and "strom,"
meaning "stream." In fact, the legendary whirlpool was really
a marine channel with a treacherous current made worse by
strong winds. But the captivating story of the terrible
whirlpool led English speakers to adopt "maelstrom," first
as a name for any dangerous whirlpool and later as a word
for something resembling a whirlpool in its turbulence.
Today's Jigsaw
puzzle
CLICK HERE
CHRISTINE
& RENEE
That's all for this week. Have a great weekend.
The following is what appeared in
Wednesday's edition...........
In Today's Tribune
No husband has
ever been shot while doing the dishes. - Unknown
Here's today's tidbits
Born on March 10th
Shannon Miller
(1977)
Jasmine Guy
(1964)
Sharon Stone
(1958)
Kim Campbell
(1947)
Bob Greene
(1947)
Chuck Norris
(1940)
James Earl Ray
(1928)
Pamela Mason
(1918)
Bix Beiderbecke
(1903)
Big
City Money
A big-city counterfeiter decided the best place to
pass off his phony $18 bills would be in some small
hick Texas town. So, he got into his new wheels and
off he went.
He found a tiny town with a single store. He entered
the store and handed one of the bogus bills to the
man behind the counter. "Can you change this for me,
please?" he said.
The store clerk looked at the $18 bill a short time,
then smiled and told the man, "Ah reckon so, Mister.
Ya want 2 nines or 3 sixes?".
What The Heck?
San Franciscans.......we
told you so
What
is the Daily Buzzword for March 10th?
gaunt \GAWNT\
adjective
What does it mean?
1 : being thin and bony (as from hunger or suffering)
2 : grim and forbidding : barren, desolate
How do you use it?
"It was not very long, indeed, before his coat hung with a
discouraged sag from his gaunt shoulders and his hair and
beard were rumpled as if he had been out in a gale."
Are you a word wiz?
Who do you think is the author of the quotation we've used
as our example sentence for "gaunt"?
A. 18th-century Scottish writer Sir
Walter Scott
B. 19th-century British writer Oscar Wilde
C. 20th-century American writer Willa Cather
D. 21st-century South African writer Nadine Gordimer
Answer:
American author Willa Cather used "gaunt" in the sentence
to effectively describe the thinness of her character. The
dictionary is fat with other words a writer can choose to
mean "thin," though. "Scrawny" and "skinny" suggest an
extremely thin and bony appearance. "Lanky" suggests
awkwardness and loose-jointedness as well as thinness.
"Lean" suggests a lack of unnecessary flesh and may also
suggest the tough muscular frame of an athlete. "Slender"
implies leanness often with grace or good proportion, while
"slim" adds to that a sense of fragility.
Today's Jigsaw
puzzle
CLICK HERE
THE
FOGATA FAMILY
That's all for today. Tune in tomorrow for more stuff.
The following is what appeared in Tuesday's edition...........
In Today's Tribune
My little editorial
yesterday about "Venus" induced a response from one of our readers.
Thank you Tony for your memory and recollection of the Arizona trek.
It really makes me feel good to know that one of you stopped and
reflected on a thought that was presented here. I hope you don't
mind if I post your e-mail to me on the website. Here it is.
Ben,
Your little story about the song
"Venus" and the trip to Arizona brought back a memory of my own
about that trip. Believe it or not, it was that very song that is
the major thing that I remember. I was only six years old. There
are only two other things that I remember. The first was that we
had stopped at a store and Petra or Esther were allowed to choose
the cookies for us to snack on. I recall that they had picked
"Ginger Snaps". It was very hot and the cookies made us very
thirsty. The other thing was the dusty dirt roads of the
residential neighborhood that Mom's relatives lived on.
It is inconceivable to think that in the
backseat of that old Chevy Impala there was six or seven kids
and not one seatbelt !
Thanks for the memory,
Thank you Tony
Here's today's tidbits
Born on March 9th
Lil Bow Wow
(1987)
Emmanuel Lewis
(1971)
Robin Trower
(1945)
Bobby Fischer
(1943)
Raul Julia
(1940)
Mickey Gilley
(1936)
Yuri Gagarin
(1934)
Keely Smith
(1932)
Irene Papas
(1926)
Mickey Spillane
(1918)
Samuel Barber
(1910)
Golfing
Lawyers
Two lawyers, Jon and David, head out for their usual 9 holes of
golf. Jon offers David a $50 bet. David agrees and they're off. They
do a great game. After the 8th hole, David is ahead by one stroke,
but cuts his ball into the rough on the 9th.
"Help me find my ball. Look over there,'" he says to Jon. After a
few minutes, neither have any luck. Since a lost ball carries a four
point penalty, David secretly pulls a ball from his pocket and
tosses it to the ground. "I've found my ball!" he announces.
"After all of the years we've been partners and playing together,"
Jon says, "you'd cheat me out of a lousy 50 bucks?"
"What do you mean, cheat? I found my ball sitting right there!"
"And you're a liar, too!" Jon says. "I've been STANDING on your ball
for the last five minutes!"
My Latest Venture
What
is the Daily Buzzword for March 9th?
debut
\DAY-byoo\ noun
What does it mean?
1 : a first public appearance
2 : a formal entrance into society
How do you use it?
One of the most popular dolls ever made, Barbie made her debut
on store shelves on March 9, 1959.
Are you a word wiz?
Be a doll and tell us which of these words you think comes
from the same root word as "debut."
A. beauty
B. butt
C. debt
D. debate
Answer:
Did you pick B and make your debut today as a word wiz?
"Butt" and "debut" have a common ancestor in "but," a word
French speakers in the Middle Ages used to mean either
"starting point" or "goal." French speakers eventually
modified "but" to form "debuter," meaning "to begin."
"Debuter" later gave rise to "debut," a term that made its
debut in English in 1751. And in case you thought the "butt"
related to "debut" is the thing you're sitting on, we should
tell you, it's not. It's actually the "butt" that means a
person who is made fun of, as in "the butt of a joke."
Today's Jigsaw
puzzle
CLICK HERE
TOURISTS
That's all for today. Tune in tomorrow for more stuff.
The following is what appeared in Monday's edition...........
In Today's Tribune
Most of you older folks will
recognize the song that's playing right now. I'll bet that all of
you that are 30 or younger will never have heard of it before. The
song's title is "Venus" made popular by Frankie Avalon in 1959 when
it reached number one in the charts and stayed there for 5 weeks.
Well, I didn't want to get into the history of the song, I just
wanted you to know what it was and why I picked it for this week.
It's funny but the song
could've reminded me of a lot of things, after all, it was popular
for a long time and I've remembered it all this time. I was ten
years old when it came out in '59.
Every time I hear that song
it reminds me of only one thing. A trip. Yup, that's all. A trip. I
can't remember the beginning or the end of the trip (no, I hadn't
entered my psychedelic era yet, that would come years later), just
the trip.
The whole family was packed
into that Chevy Impala bound for Arizona. I can remember that the
ride began at night time and concluded in day time. I remember
hearing that song while gazing out the window of the car. Looking at
the darkened desert. I remember Mom pointing out Superstitious
Mountain as we passed it. I really couldn't see a thing it was so
dark but I got the willies just the same.
A song can remind you of a
period in your life. A momentous occasion to embrace. It can remind
you of a person, place or thing. This song reminds me of a sleeping
kid waking up in the back seat of a car and peering out into the
darkness wondering all the while where he is going. What a trip,
huh?
Here's today's tidbits
Born on March 8th
Bob Moffatt(1984)
Clint Moffatt(1984)
Dave Moffatt(1984)
James Van Der Beek(1977)
Freddie Prinze, Jr.(1976)
Kathy Ireland(1963)
Aidan Quinn(1959)
Micky Dolenz(1945)
Lynn Redgrave(1943)
Cyd Charisse(1923)
Claire Trevor(1909)
Bush
Tragedy
One day, President Bush visited an elementary school. All the kids
were so excited to get to meet the President. He began to talk to
them and asked them to define the word ''tragedy.''
"Well," one girl replied, "If my mommy ran over my dog, Rover, that
would be a tragedy!"
The President smiled at the little girl and said, "No, sweetie. That
would be an accident! Can anyone give it a try?"
A little boy sitting across the room raised his hand and said, "I
know! I know! If our bus driver ran off of a cliff and killed
everyone!"
The President shook his head and said, "No son. That would be a
great loss! Doesn't anyone know of a good example of a tragedy?"
A small girl raised her hand and said, "Well, Mr. President, if you
and Laura were in Air Force One and it was hit by a missile and
blown to smithereens, most people would think that that was a
tragedy!"
"Very good," he said. "And what was your reason for that answer?"
"Well," she said, "It would not be an accident and it sure would not
be a great loss!"
CHECK IT OUT! IT'S JURASSIC JOHN!
CLICK HERE
FLINTSTONES -2004
Can You Read It?
Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer
in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is
taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae.
The rset
can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm.
Tihs is
bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the
wrod as a wlohe.
Faerknig
amzanig huh?
What
is the Daily Buzzword for March 8th?
filibuster
\FIH-luh-buss-ter\ verb
What does it mean?
: to engage in the use of delaying tactics (as long
speeches) to put off or prevent action especially in a
legislative assembly
How do you use it?
Two days before the congressional recess, opposing senators
promised to filibuster to keep the bill from being passed.
Are you a word wiz?
Today, the term "filibuster" is usually identified with
lawmakers, but it goes back to a Dutch word that meant a
member of a different profession. To which profession do you
think the Dutch word referred?
A. poet
B. farmer
C. pirate
D. merchant
Answer:
The histories of two English words, "filibuster" and
"freebooter," trace back to the Dutch word "vrijbuiter,"
meaning "pirate." "Freebooter," which also means "pirate,"
entered English in the 16th century. It was picked up by the
Spanish, who spelled it "filibustero." In the mid-19th
century, American soldiers of fortune tried to cause
uprisings
in Central America. They were called "filibusteros," which
was
written as "filibuster" by English-speaking journalists.
Soon
after, "filibuster" was applied to members of Congress who
engaged in delaying tactics to prevent passage of bills. It
was probably felt that they, like the filibusters in Latin
America, were trying to undermine the governmental process.
Today's Jigsaw
puzzle
CLICK HERE
ERIKA
IN OZ
That's all for today. Tune in tomorrow for more stuff.
