Desultory Christmas/Holiday Week Stuff
Rich Galen Wednesday December 21, 2005
- "� Desultory ...": This is one of those words which I skip over when I'm reading such that I always pronounced it to myself (I really do move my lips) "dulcet-ory." Here, for the three of us who care, is the official Merriam-Webster definition:
Function: adjective
Etymology: Latin desultorius, from desultus (past participle of desilire to leap down, from de- + -silire, from salire to leap)
1: Lacking steadiness, fixity, regularity, or continuity; erratic
2: Marked by lack of definite plan or method, sustained purpose, or regular persistent logical procedure or continuity
3: Not connected with the main subject : not cogently relevant; digressive
- "� Festivus ...": Festivus was a holiday made up by George Costanza's Father (Frank, played by Jerry Stiller) which was non-denominational and was for everyone who didn't want to celebrate Christmas, Channukah, Kwaanza, or anything else. "Festivus for the Rest of us" was how he described it.
Here is a link to an insanely complete entry in the Wikipedia Encyclopedia for Festivus.
- "�500,000 yen ...": I looked this up for you: The fine was the equivalent of $4,270.22.
- "� Prime Numbers ...": A prime number is one which is only evenly divisible by itself and one. Here are the prime numbers from 2 to 100:
2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31,
37, 41, 43, 47, 53, 59, 61, 67, 71, 73, 79, 83, 89, 97
I've never understood why they are such a big deal but really, really smart people in college used to pat me on the head and tell me not to worry about it. So I didn't.
- "� Birthday ...": I may have told you this before, but I was about 17 before I realized that my birthday being on the shortest day of the year didn't mean I didn't get the full 24-hours that everyone else got.
I do, don't I? My mom told me I did. She didn't just say that to make me feel better, did she?
Mullfoto of the Day
This photo, taken yesterday in New Orleans next to one of the broken levees, shows an innocent car which, "they" say, was shot trying to escape.
Please send this to Sen. Harry Reid as further proof of the excesses of the Bush Administration.
Catchy Caption of the Day
Actual Caption:
An activist from environmental group WWF, dressed up as a fish, blows a shell during a protest in front of the European Council building in Brussels at the start of an EU agriculture and fisheries ministers meeting where 2006 fishing quotas were being discussed.
Oh, yeah. They're takin' you seriously. Blowing into that shell really makes the point.
(REUTERS/Thierry Roge )
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