Oct 30, 2012
Baseball Record
Joel Youngblood was the only major league
baseball player to get hits for two different teams in two different
cities on the same day. On April 4, 1982, he hit a single that drove
in two runs for the New York Mets at Shea Stadium against the
Chicago Cubs. He was traded to the Montreal Expos and flew to
Philadelphia in time to get a hit in the 7th inning at Veterans
Stadium.
Poll, Polled, Polling, Polls
The word comes from the German
Poller, meaning head. Modern use seems to have evolved from
'counting heads'. Poll has many definitions:
Noun,
Noun,
1. The casting and registering of votes in an
election.
2. The number of votes cast or recorded.
3. The place where votes are cast and
registered. Often used in the plural polls.
4. A survey of the public or of a sample of
public opinion to acquire information.
5. The head, especially the top or back of the
head where hair grows.
6. The blunt or broad end of a tool such as a
hammer or ax.
polled, polling, polls Verb,
1. To receive a given number of votes.
2. To receive or record the votes of: polling a jury.
3. To cast a vote or ballot.
4. To question in a survey; canvass.
5. To trim or cut off the hair, wool, branches, or horns of: polled the sheep; polled the trees.
Sometimes, when the polls do not go their way, people feel like they have been clipped.
polled, polling, polls Verb,
1. To receive a given number of votes.
2. To receive or record the votes of: polling a jury.
3. To cast a vote or ballot.
4. To question in a survey; canvass.
5. To trim or cut off the hair, wool, branches, or horns of: polled the sheep; polled the trees.
Sometimes, when the polls do not go their way, people feel like they have been clipped.
Oct 26, 2012
Happy Friday
You look at where you are going and where you are and it never makes
sense, but then you look back and a pattern emerges.
It makes much sense when you have a history of having Happy Fridays!
It makes much sense when you have a history of having Happy Fridays!
Jack O' Lantern
This was originally one of the numerous
names given to ignis fatuus (Medieval Latin for “foolish fire”),
another of which is “Will O’ the Wisps”, basically the odd light
that can occasionally be seen over marshes, swamps, etc.
When you see someone carrying a lantern in a distance at night you see is a man, but you can’t make out who exactly it is, he is literally “man with a lantern”, a.k.a. “Jack of the Lantern” or “Jack O’ Lantern.” This was also commonly used for a nickname for night watchmen.
“Jack O’ Lantern” first popped up in the mid-17th century in East Anglia, UK and spread from there through parts of England, Ireland, and Scotland. The name likely originally derived from the practice of calling men generically “Dick, Jack, Tom, etc.” In particular, men who were lower class, were often called generically “Jack” beginning around the 14th century in England.
How this name made the jump to referring to carved pumpkins with lights inside, it has its origins in the Celtic practice of hollowing out and carving faces into turnips and other vegetables during Samuin (a festival where many of the traditions of Halloween come from). After carving the vegetables, they placed candles inside and put them in windows or carried the make-shift lanterns with them as they walked to ward off evil spirits.
In Britain, pranksters would make these types of carved lanterns to scare people on the road or children would carry them around during Hallowmas while begging for soul cakes.
When you see someone carrying a lantern in a distance at night you see is a man, but you can’t make out who exactly it is, he is literally “man with a lantern”, a.k.a. “Jack of the Lantern” or “Jack O’ Lantern.” This was also commonly used for a nickname for night watchmen.
“Jack O’ Lantern” first popped up in the mid-17th century in East Anglia, UK and spread from there through parts of England, Ireland, and Scotland. The name likely originally derived from the practice of calling men generically “Dick, Jack, Tom, etc.” In particular, men who were lower class, were often called generically “Jack” beginning around the 14th century in England.
How this name made the jump to referring to carved pumpkins with lights inside, it has its origins in the Celtic practice of hollowing out and carving faces into turnips and other vegetables during Samuin (a festival where many of the traditions of Halloween come from). After carving the vegetables, they placed candles inside and put them in windows or carried the make-shift lanterns with them as they walked to ward off evil spirits.
In Britain, pranksters would make these types of carved lanterns to scare people on the road or children would carry them around during Hallowmas while begging for soul cakes.
Milk Duds
They really are duds. The Milk Duds name
came about because the original idea was to have a perfectly round
piece. Since this was to be impossible to do at the time, the word
'dud' was used. Each piece was a dud, because it was not round.
In 1928, Milton J. Holloway took over F. Hoffman & Company of Chicago, the original manufacturer of Milk Duds chocolate covered caramels. The brand passed through many other hands in subsequent years and is now owned by Hershey.
In 1928, Milton J. Holloway took over F. Hoffman & Company of Chicago, the original manufacturer of Milk Duds chocolate covered caramels. The brand passed through many other hands in subsequent years and is now owned by Hershey.
Marx Brothers Name Origins
The five Marx brothers got their
nicknames during a poker game. The Marx family comedy act was made
up of Julius, Adolph, Leonard, Milton, and Herbert Marx. The five
characters became better known as Groucho, Harpo, Chico, Gummo, and
Zeppo. Four of the five were given their new names in 1915.
The boys were involved in a poker game with monologist Art Fisher. It was a popular fad around this time to give everyone a nickname that ended in “o”. Common nicknames were “Jingo” or “Bongo” or “Ringo, etc.
In this poker game, Fisher was dealing out the cards to the four Marx brothers and he gave them each their nicknames as he dealt. “First, here’s a card for ‘Harpo’.” Adolph Marx played the harp.
“Here’s one for ‘Chicko’.” Leonard Marx was a notorious ladies’ man and, in those days, women and girls were often referred to as “chickens”. Later the slang term became “chicks.” Supposedly, a typesetter accidentally left the “k” in “Chico” out in one town the brothers were performing in, and his name became “Chico.”
Next was Julius, “And here’s a card for Groucho.” The name derived from Julius’ not-so-friendly demeanor. Julius denied this for most of his life.
The fourth was Milton, “And here’s a card for Gummo”, Fisher said. This one has two popular theories behind it. The one the family (except Harpo) is because Milton often wore gumshoes (rubber soled shoes), hence “Gummo.” The alternate from Harpo is that Gummo was sneaky and would creep up on people like a gumshoe detective. Gumshoe detectives received their name for the same reason, rubber sole shoes.
A few years later, the youngest of the five brothers entered the act, replacing older brother Gummo. Herbert Marx became “Zeppo.” Harpo said Zeppo was named in honor of a wild monkey who played on the bars and ran around named “Zippo”. Groucho said in 1972 that Zeppo was named after the Zeppelin airships.
The boys were involved in a poker game with monologist Art Fisher. It was a popular fad around this time to give everyone a nickname that ended in “o”. Common nicknames were “Jingo” or “Bongo” or “Ringo, etc.
In this poker game, Fisher was dealing out the cards to the four Marx brothers and he gave them each their nicknames as he dealt. “First, here’s a card for ‘Harpo’.” Adolph Marx played the harp.
“Here’s one for ‘Chicko’.” Leonard Marx was a notorious ladies’ man and, in those days, women and girls were often referred to as “chickens”. Later the slang term became “chicks.” Supposedly, a typesetter accidentally left the “k” in “Chico” out in one town the brothers were performing in, and his name became “Chico.”
Next was Julius, “And here’s a card for Groucho.” The name derived from Julius’ not-so-friendly demeanor. Julius denied this for most of his life.
The fourth was Milton, “And here’s a card for Gummo”, Fisher said. This one has two popular theories behind it. The one the family (except Harpo) is because Milton often wore gumshoes (rubber soled shoes), hence “Gummo.” The alternate from Harpo is that Gummo was sneaky and would creep up on people like a gumshoe detective. Gumshoe detectives received their name for the same reason, rubber sole shoes.
A few years later, the youngest of the five brothers entered the act, replacing older brother Gummo. Herbert Marx became “Zeppo.” Harpo said Zeppo was named in honor of a wild monkey who played on the bars and ran around named “Zippo”. Groucho said in 1972 that Zeppo was named after the Zeppelin airships.
What's in a Name, Grawlix
That is the name we give to a
sequence of typographical symbols used to represent a non-specific,
profane word or phrase. That is no #@$%*! It is true.
The term was coined in 1964 by American cartoonist Mort Walker, who is best known as the creator of the Beetle Bailey and Hi and Lois cartoons.
He also created and named an international set of symbols used in comics around the world and called it Symbolia. A few examples:
briffits: clouds of dust indicating that a character left in a rush
plewds: drops of sweat indicating that a character is hot or stressed
squeans: asterisks with an empty center indicating drunkenness or dizziness
The term was coined in 1964 by American cartoonist Mort Walker, who is best known as the creator of the Beetle Bailey and Hi and Lois cartoons.
He also created and named an international set of symbols used in comics around the world and called it Symbolia. A few examples:
briffits: clouds of dust indicating that a character left in a rush
plewds: drops of sweat indicating that a character is hot or stressed
squeans: asterisks with an empty center indicating drunkenness or dizziness
Dog Years Myth
Most of us have heard one dog year is
equal to seven human years. This bogus fact is usually worked out so
that a dog life is equal to a human life in total years, but the
numbers do not add up. The average human life expectancy is 78,
while the average dog life expectancy in dog years would equal
around 90 years.
Furthermore, different dog breeds have dramatically different life expectancies, ranging from a short 6 years to 13 or more years. In general, the smaller the dog, the longer its life expectancy. Well, I'll be doggoned.
Furthermore, different dog breeds have dramatically different life expectancies, ranging from a short 6 years to 13 or more years. In general, the smaller the dog, the longer its life expectancy. Well, I'll be doggoned.
Oct 25, 2012
Bonilla Bonus
In 1999 Bobby Bonilla returned to the Mets
for a second time following his borderline disastrous free-agent
signing in 1992. He again didn't so well, so the Mets waived him in
2000.
However, the team still owed him $5.9 million in guaranteed salary. His agents agreed to defer the salary if the team would pay him $1,193,248.20 every July 1 from 2011 (he was 48) to 2035. Sounds like a sweet deal to me.
However, the team still owed him $5.9 million in guaranteed salary. His agents agreed to defer the salary if the team would pay him $1,193,248.20 every July 1 from 2011 (he was 48) to 2035. Sounds like a sweet deal to me.
Fortune Cookie Facts
The commonly held notion that they
were invented in China typically comes from the fact that they are
primarily served in American Chinese restaurants. However, you will
not find fortune cookies in actual Chinese restaurants, nor will you
find historical records of a similar food item in China.
The largest manufacturer of fortune cookies, Wonton Food, based in New York, even once tried to introduce fortune cookies to the Chinese in the late 1980s. After three years, they gave up, as they simply were not a popular food item in China.
The people often credited with inventing fortune cookies were Japanese immigrants to America. Fortune cookies were actually invented in Japan.
A researcher, Yasuko Nakamachi, encountered a fortune cookie-shaped cracker, called a Tsujiura Senbei, made by hand in a family bakery near a Shinto shrine outside of Kyoto, Japan. This cracker, not only looked like a fortune cookie, it also contained a fortune, called an “omikuji” (fortune slip), and was traditionally sold in shrines and temples.
Around 3 billion fortune cookies are consumed annually world-wide, with most consumed in the United States. Wonton Food produces around 4.5 million fortune cookies per day.
As an aside, Chop Suey, which translates to “break into many pieces,” is commonly believed to be a Chinese food invented in America. Not so. It was invented in Taishan, a district of Guangdong Province, China.
The largest manufacturer of fortune cookies, Wonton Food, based in New York, even once tried to introduce fortune cookies to the Chinese in the late 1980s. After three years, they gave up, as they simply were not a popular food item in China.
The people often credited with inventing fortune cookies were Japanese immigrants to America. Fortune cookies were actually invented in Japan.
A researcher, Yasuko Nakamachi, encountered a fortune cookie-shaped cracker, called a Tsujiura Senbei, made by hand in a family bakery near a Shinto shrine outside of Kyoto, Japan. This cracker, not only looked like a fortune cookie, it also contained a fortune, called an “omikuji” (fortune slip), and was traditionally sold in shrines and temples.
Around 3 billion fortune cookies are consumed annually world-wide, with most consumed in the United States. Wonton Food produces around 4.5 million fortune cookies per day.
As an aside, Chop Suey, which translates to “break into many pieces,” is commonly believed to be a Chinese food invented in America. Not so. It was invented in Taishan, a district of Guangdong Province, China.
Halloween Facts
Here are some interesting tidbits about the holiday.
In parts of Mexico, rather than saying the Spanish equivalent of “trick or treat”, “dulce o travesura” (literally “candy or mischief”), it is common to say ¿Me da mi calaverita? (“Can you give me my little skull?”)
During Samuin, it was also traditional to leave a place and food at the table for deceased loved ones temporarily returned from the grave.
The word Halloween originally came from the Middle English ‘Alholowmesse’, meaning “All Saints’ Day”. The night before Alholowmesse was called “All Hallows Even (evening)” which was eventually shortened to “Hallowe’en” until it just became “Halloween” in the 20th century.
In North America about $3 billion is spent on Halloween costumes.
Haunted house attractions bring in about half a billion dollars annually.
Halloween candy sales average around $2 billion per year in the United States. Chocolate candy bars are consistently rated as the #1 treat to get, with the Snickers candy bar being most preferred. In addition, Reese’s peanut butter cups and candy corn are among the most sold Halloween candy items.
Over 35 million Halloween cards, worth $100 million are given every year.
Halloween is the second most commercially successful holiday world-wide after Christmas.
Recently “Trunk or Treat,” where many people will gather in a parking lot with their trunks open and the children will walk from car to car to get their treats from the trunks. This is purported to be a safer way to do trick or treating than having kids go door to door.
In parts of Mexico, rather than saying the Spanish equivalent of “trick or treat”, “dulce o travesura” (literally “candy or mischief”), it is common to say ¿Me da mi calaverita? (“Can you give me my little skull?”)
During Samuin, it was also traditional to leave a place and food at the table for deceased loved ones temporarily returned from the grave.
The word Halloween originally came from the Middle English ‘Alholowmesse’, meaning “All Saints’ Day”. The night before Alholowmesse was called “All Hallows Even (evening)” which was eventually shortened to “Hallowe’en” until it just became “Halloween” in the 20th century.
In North America about $3 billion is spent on Halloween costumes.
Haunted house attractions bring in about half a billion dollars annually.
Halloween candy sales average around $2 billion per year in the United States. Chocolate candy bars are consistently rated as the #1 treat to get, with the Snickers candy bar being most preferred. In addition, Reese’s peanut butter cups and candy corn are among the most sold Halloween candy items.
Over 35 million Halloween cards, worth $100 million are given every year.
Halloween is the second most commercially successful holiday world-wide after Christmas.
Recently “Trunk or Treat,” where many people will gather in a parking lot with their trunks open and the children will walk from car to car to get their treats from the trunks. This is purported to be a safer way to do trick or treating than having kids go door to door.
Oct 19, 2012
Happy Friday
The place to improve the world is first in one's own heart, head,
and hands, and then work outward from there.
It is the same for having a Happy Friday!
It is the same for having a Happy Friday!
Velcro Myth
Some say that Velcro was invented by NASA for
the space program. Not true, Velcro was already commercially
available before being used by NASA. It did receive a huge boost in
popularity after being used by NASA on parts of astronaut’s space
suits as well as used to allow astronaut’s to store things along the
walls of their space craft. Because of this, similar to Tang, it is
a common misconception that Velcro was invented by or for NASA.
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