DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF ESPERANZA AQUINO
DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF ESPERANZA AQUINO
Thursday November 18th, 2004
In Today's Edition
When in a hole, stop digging.--Sanjeeva Ananthan
Born On November 18th
Kirk Lee Hammet (1962)
Elizabeth Perkins (1960)
Linda Evans (1942)
Brenda Vaccaro (1939)
Alan Shepard, Jr. (1923)
Imogene Coca (1908)
Eugene Ormandy (1899)
William Gilbert (1836)
Baseball in heaven
Two buddies, Bob and Earl, were two of the biggest baseball fans in America.
Their entire adult lives, Bob and Earl discussed baseball history in the winter, and they poured over every box score during the season. They went to 60 games a year. They even agreed that whoever died first would try to come back and tell the other if there was baseball in heaven.
One summer night, Bob passed away in his sleep after watching the Yankee victory earlier in the evening. He died happy.
A few nights later, his buddy Earl awoke to the sound of Bob's voice from beyond.
"Bob is that you?" Earl asked.
"Of course it me," Bob replied.
"This is unbelievable!" Earl exclaimed. "So tell me, is there baseball in heaven?"
"Well I have some good news and some bad news for you. Which do you want to hear first?"
"Tell me the good news first."
"Well, the good news is that yes, there is baseball in heaven, Earl."
"Oh, that is wonderful! So what could possibly be the bad news?"
"You're pitching tomorrow night."
Today's useless fact - What was the name of the first roller coaster and who built it?
According to the links in our Roller Coasters category, today's roller coaster has its roots in the Russian Ice Slides of the mid-1600s. Popular mostly around St. Petersburg, these wooden constructions resembled giant skateboard half-pipe ramps coated in ice. Happy-go-lucky Russians would shoot down the ramp on a sled, zip up the other side, and then gradually slide down to the middle. Catherine the Great was apparently a huge fan. Enough said. When did wheels enter the picture? Roller-coaster historian Robert Cartmell cites a ride in the Gardens of Orienbaum in St. Petersburg (1784) that featured "carriages which undulated over hills within grooved tracks." Unfortunately, no engineer is credited with the project, and there is some dispute with the French on this matter.
The first roller coaster built in the U.S.A. was called the Gravity Pleasure Switchback Railway. Built by LaMarcus Thompson in 1884, it opened in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York.
What's The Buzzword For November 18th?
facsimile \fak-SIM-uh-lee\ noun
What does it mean?
1 : an exact copy
2 : a system of transmitting and reproducing printed matter
or pictures by means of signals sent over telephone lines
How do you use it?
We studied facsimiles of the Declaration of Independence and
the U.S. Constitution at school before we saw the actual
documents in Washington, D.C.
Are you a word wiz?
"Facsimile" suggests a close reproduction often of graphic
matter, as in "a facsimile of a rare book." There are other
words in English whose meanings closely resemble that of the
word "facsimile." Which word do you think is a synonym for
"facsimile"?
A. frequency
B. replica
C. episode
D. original
Answer:
"Facsimile," "reproduction," "replica," "duplicate," and
"copy" all refer to a thing made in imitation of something
else. "Reproduction" implies an exact or close imitation of
an existing thing, as in "reproductions from the museum's
furniture collection." "Replica" implies the exact
reproduction of a particular item in all details, as in "a
replica of the Mayflower," but not always in the same size,
as in "miniature replicas of classic cars." "Duplicate"
implies a double or counterpart exactly corresponding to
another thing, as in "a duplicate of a house key." "Copy"
applies especially to one of a number of things reproduced
mechanically, as in "printed 1,000 copies of the book."
Today's Jigsaw Puzzle
Click Here
Curiosity
That's all for this week. See you Monday.
The following is what appeared in Wednesday's edition.
In Today's Edition
If you earned $100 a week, it would take 192 years to earn $1 million - and that is before taxes!
Born On November 17th
Isaac Hanson (1980)
Laura Wilkinson (1977)
RuPaul (1960)
Danny DeVito (1944)
Lorne Michaels (1944)
Tom Seaver (1944)
Lauren Hutton (1943)
Martin Scorsese (1942)
Gordon Lightfoot (1938)
Rock Hudson (1925)
Lee Strasberg (1901)
Snail Mail
At a Milwaukee post office, a woman complained to the clerk that a Pony Express rider could get a letter from Milwaukee to St. Louis in two days, and now it takes three.
"I'd like to know why," she scoffed.
The clerk thought a moment and then suggested, "Well lady, you know the horses are a lot older now."
Today's useless fact - How do I request a birthday card from the president for my 91-year-old aunt?
Let us be the first to wish your aunt a very happy birthday. Of course a greeting from us probably pales next to a card from the president. That said, we paid a visit to the Lukol George W. Bush category to find your answer. After several clicks, we discovered the page from the White House Greetings Office which gave us the lowdown on requesting a card from President George W. Bush. Greetings can be sent to U.S. citizens for the following:
* birthdays (the recipient must be turning 80 or older)
* wedding anniversaries (the couple must be celebrating 50 years or more)
* births
* weddings
* Eagle Scout ceremonies
* Girl Scout Gold awards
* Bar or Bat Mitzvahs or "equivalent occasions"
Here's the procedure:
At least six weeks in advance, mail a written request for a greeting to:
The White House
Attn: Greetings Office
Washington, D.C. 20502-0039
* Make sure to include the following:
* the name and address of the recipient
* the date of the occasion
* for a birthday, include the age of the recipient
* for an anniversary, include the number of years married
* for a wedding, include the married names and address of the couple
* for a birth, include the date of birth and the full names and address of the parents
If all goes as planned (this is the government we're talking about), the card should be mailed 10 days before the event.
What's The Buzzword For November 17th?
tattle \TAT-ul\ verb
What does it mean?
: to tell secrets : blab
How do you use it?
Some wiseacre thought he could smuggle a camcorder into
the movie, but he was caught when someone tattled on him to
the cashier at the ticket booth.
Are you a word wiz?
"Tattle" and four other words in today's sentence all have
roots in the same language. What language do you think it is?
A. Italian
B. Malay
C. Dutch
D. Greek
Answer:
We'll tell you a secret: the answer to this quiz is C.
"Tattle" entered English in the mid-1500s from a Middle Dutch
word with the same meaning. Not long after, "wiseacre" was
adapted from the early Dutch word "wijssegger," which
referred to a person thought to be able to foretell the
future. At about the same time, "cashier" was borrowed from
the Dutch word "kassier," which comes ultimately from a
French word meaning "money box." Conversely, "ticket" comes
from the French word "etiquet," but it has roots in Dutch
"steken," meaning "to stick." Dutch "smokkelen" was borrowed
into English as "smuggle" in the late 1600s.
Today's Jigsaw Puzzle
That's all for today. See you tomorrow.
The following is what appeared in Tuesday's edition.
In Today's Edition
Accidents are careful!
-Taiyo, circa 1959
Born On November 16th
Oksana Baiul (1977)
Lisa Bonet (1967)
Dwight Gooden (1964)
Daws Butler (1916)
Burgess Meredith (1908)
Ted Carrier
Robin Aquino
Brain Food
A customer at Green's Gourmet Grocery marveled at the proprietor's quick wit and intelligence.
"Tell me, Green, what makes you so smart?"
"I wouldn't share my secret with just anyone," Green replies, lowering his voice so the other shoppers won't hear. "But since you're a good and faithful customer, I'll let you in on it. Fish heads. You eat enough of them, you'll be positively brilliant."
"You sell them here?" the customer asks.
"Only $4 apiece," says Morris.
The customer buys three. A week later, he's back in the store complaining that the fish heads were disgusting and he isn't any smarter.
"You didn't eat enough, " says Green. The customer goes home with 20 more fish heads. Two weeks later, he's back and this time he's really angry.
"Hey, Green," he says, "You're selling me fish heads for $4 apiece when I just found out I can buy the whole fish for $2. You're ripping me off!"
"You see?" says Morris. "You're smarter already."
Today's useless fact - How do microwave ovens cook food?
Here's what we learned from the links in the Lukol Microwave Cooking Recipes category: Microwaves have become a ubiquitous appliance in the American kitchen. We use them to heat up last night's dinner, pop some corn, or defrost a T-bone. Despite the fact that millions of people eat "microwaved" food every day, very few know how the process actually works. A microwave oven uses radio waves, usually in the 2,500 frequency range, to cook food. At that frequency, the waves are absorbed by water, fats, and sugars. When that happens, they are converted directly into atomic motion -- in other words, heat.
When you cook something in the microwave, the radio waves penetrate the food and "excite water and fat molecules." The heat is everywhere at the same time, and the food is heated fairly evenly. When you use a conventional oven, the heat is conducted from the outside of the food to the inside, so the outside may be hot while the inside is still stone cold.
The invention of the microwave oven happened as many inventions do -- by accident. According to the Idea Finder site, two British scientists invented the magnetron, a tube that produces microwaves. Magnetrons were installed in Britain’s radar system during World War II to help spot Nazi warplanes headed to the British Isles.
Percy LeBaron Spencer of the Raytheon Company discovered that microwaves could be used to cook food quite by accident. A candy bar in his pocket melted when he was around the radar waves. Subsequent research showed that microwaves could rapidly increase the internal temperature of food, much faster than conventional ovens. Soon thereafter, Amana Radaranges were being sold as kitchen appliances.
Now if we could just figure out how to cook microwave popcorn without burning half the kernels in the bag...
What's The Buzzword For November 16th?
frenzy \FREN-zee\ noun
What does it mean?
: great and often wild or disorderly activity
How do you use it?
When the Thanksgiving play ended, the students who had
performed in it poured out into the audience in a frenzy of
excitement.
Are you a word wiz?
The word "frenzy" ultimately traces back to the Greek word
"phrenitis." What do you think "phrenitis" means?
A. a plant that produces a stimulant
B. a sudden dislike for a companion
C. a species of wild animal
D. an inflammation of the brain
Answer:
If you had answer D on the brain, you picked the right one!
The "-itis" suffix in "phrenitis" might sound familiar. It
means "inflammation," which is swelling of part of the body,
like what happens when you bump your head or arm. The suffix
is commonly found in the names of many diseases and sicknesses,
such as "arthritis," which is inflammation of the joints, and
"appendicitis," which is inflammation of the appendix.
"Frenzy" doesn't name a disease or sickness, though, does it?
Well, the way it's most commonly used now doesn't, but the
word does have the older and less common meaning of "a
temporary madness."
Today's Jigsaw Puzzle
That's all for today. See you tomorrow.
The following is what appeared in Monday's edition.
In Today's Edition
Ok. First things first. I want to thank Neen for graciously allowing all of us into her home for the great dinner she gave us. The spread was fantastic as usual. I have only two regrets. I shouldn't have sampled all of the appetizers before the main course and I should've packed more leftovers than I did. Everyone that brought a dish should be commended - that was a feast fit for a king.
I had a great time. I wish I could've stayed longer but I was beat.
I spilled the beans on the contest winners Saturday but if you weren't there or didn't hear - Renee won first place and Alanah got second place. I'll get your t-shirts to you as soon as possible ladies. Congratulations. By the way, the magic number was 411.
Born On November 15th
Frida Lyngstad (1945)
Sam Waterston (1940)
Petula Clark (1932)
Ed Asner (1929)
Bill "C.W. McCall" Fries (1928)
Georgia O'Keeffe (1887)
Born On November 14th
Elizabeth Turner
A Lawyer and the Pope in Heaven
A lawyer died. At the same moment, the Pope also died. They arrived at the gates of heaven at the same moment. They spend the day in orientation, and as they're getting their heavenly vestments, the Pope gets a plain white toga and wings, like everyone else, and the lawyer gets much finer apparel, made of gold thread, and Gucci shoes.
Then, they get to see where they're going to live. The Pope gets what everyone else gets, a replica of a Holiday Inn room, and the lawyer gets an 18-room mansion with servants and a swimming pool.
At dinnertime, the Pope receives the standard meal, a kosher TV dinner, but the lawyer receives a five-course meal including caviar, prime rib and chocolate truffles.
By this time, the lawyer is beginning to suspect that an error has been made, so he asks one of the angels in charge, "Has there been some kind of mistake? This guy was the Pope, and he gets what everyone else gets, and I'm just a lawyer and I'm getting the finest of everything?"
The angel replied, "No mistake, sir. We've had lots of Popes here, but you're the first lawyer we've ever had."
Today's useless fact - How can I prolong the life of cut flowers in a vase?
We turned to the links in the Lukol Arranging Flowers category and harvested a bushel of tips and tricks to keep a bouquet looking fresh longer. First, before you put the flowers in a vase, cut the stems. Hold the stems underwater, and use a sharp knife to cut them on the diagonal. Don't use dull scissors because they can crush the stem and prevent the flowers from soaking up as much water as they need. Make sure to remove all the leaves and thorns that will be underwater in the vase. Leaves under the water line can cause bacteria and algae to form.
Next, prepare the water. Most flowers prefer lukewarm water, although spring flowers (such as tulips, irises, and daffodils) survive best in ice-cold water. A floral preservative can help the flowers last longer. You can use a store-bought preservative or make your own. Some recipes mix lemon with a little bleach, while others recommend a teaspoon of sugar and a few drops of bleach. However, some experts advise against any home concoctions because they don't provide the complex mixture of nutrients and preservatives that cut flowers need to survive.
Once your bouquet is in the vase, keep it out of direct sunlight and place it in a cool spot. Remove flowers as they wilt so they don't contaminate the rest of the bouquet. Change the water at least every two or three days, if not daily. Make sure to add more preservative to the water every time, and you can re-cut the stems to allow the flowers to absorb more water.
Some types of flowers benefit from special care. When lilies open, they show their pollen-covered anthers. To make cut lilies last longer (and prevent staining), remove these anthers. You can keep cut roses from drooping by poking a pinhole in the stem right below the blossom. Don't mix daffodils and narcissi with other flowers because their cut stems emit a slime that's toxic to other flowers. And don't mix flowers and fruit in the same arrangement -- the fruit will make the flowers wilt faster.
If you follow these suggestions, most cut flowers will last about a week. Gladiolus, statice, liatris, and lisianthus will last up to 10 days, and carnations have been known to last 21 days with proper care.
How to fix AOL
What's The Buzzword For November 15th?
theme \THEEM\ noun
What does it mean?
1 : a subject for a work of literature, art, or music
2 : a written exercise : composition
How do you use it?
Sergey Prokofiev explored the theme of bravery in his famous
piece "Peter and the Wolf."
Are you a word wiz?
Let's see how well you understand "theme." Which of the
answers below describes the theme of this bit of poetry?
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken. . . .
A. the steadfastness of true love
B. smart people
C. how quickly we lose interest in the things around us
D. bad weather
Answer:
You understand "theme" if you chose answer A! The excerpt,
from a sonnet by William Shakespeare, has the faithfulness
of true love as its theme. The word "theme" comes from a
Greek word that literally means "something laid down" or
"groundwork." Many pieces of writing, music, or art can have
more than one theme, but it's important to remember that a
theme is a major subject. Don't get distracted by one or two
smaller things that pull you away from the "meat" of the piece.
Today's Jigsaw Puzzle
That's all for today. See you tomorrow.
