ICHTHYOPHAGOUS
Fish-eating.
A student of the classical languages would spot the meaning of this word instantly, since it derives from Greek ikhthus, a fish, plus phagein, to eat, plus the English adjective ending -ous. It has its proper place in biology, where an animal would be so described if fish formed a significant part of its diet.
It may with equal seriousness be transferred to human individuals and populations who subsist similarly, though if you’re not careful it comes out sounding irretrievably pompous, as in this comment from The Manufacturer and Builder of New York City in 1876: “We find that the ichthyophagous class are especially strong, healthy, and prolific”. Eating fish is good for you. Henry Mayhew, in his London Labour and the London Poor, borrowed it for the purpose of elegant variation when he wrote in the 1850s that “Of sprats there are 3,000,000 lbs. weight consumed—and these, with the addition of plaice, are the staple comestibles at the dinners and suppers of the ichthyophagous part of the labouring population of London”.
We moderns eschew polysyllabic pomposities in favour of simple English equivalents, so it’s not seen as often as it once was.
Happy Birthday
Alexander Graham Bell 1847Alexander Graham Bell once summed up his approach to life and invention:
"Leave the beaten track occasionally and dive into the woods. Every time you do so you will be certain to find something that you have never seen before. Follow it up, explore all around it, and before you know it, you will have something worth thinking about to occupy your mind. All really big discoveries are the results of thought."
Happy Birthday
Rupert Brooke 1887
Some day I shall rise and leave my friends
And seek you again through the world's far ends,
You whom I found so fair
(Touch of your hands and smell of your hair!),
My only god in the days that were.
My eager feet shall find you again,
Though the sullen years and the mark of pain
Have changed you wholly; for I shall know
(How could I forget having loved you so?),
In the sad half-light of evening,
The face that was all my sunrising.
So then at the ends of the earth I'll stand
And hold you fiercely by either hand,
And seeing your age and ashen hair
I'll curse the thing that once you were,
Because it is changed and pale and old
(Lips that were scarlet, hair that was gold!),
And I loved you before you were old and wise,
When the flame of youth was strong in your eyes,
- And my heart is sick with memories.
-- Rupert Brooke
Happy Birthday
Matthew Ridgway 1895
U.S. General who led the 82d Airborne Division in the Allied invasion of Europe.
THE GOLDEN MEAN
The Golden Mean, or Golden Section, is a mathematical constant, a ratio that appears in nature and was discovered by Pythagoras in the 5th century B.C.E. This proportional ratio was used in art and architecture by the Greeks and has been used by artists ever since. It was first called "Sectio Aurea" (Golden Section) by Leonardo Da Vinci. This number, 1.6180339..., is the Greek "Phi," or F. Like p Pi (3.14156...), F has no end. These are irrational numbers, whose infinitely long strings of decimal places never repeat. These numbers occur naturally and are used in all cultures with a mathematical awareness.
The Golden Section can be demonstrated graphically by making a point on a line positioned such that the two segments it defines have the property that the short segment has the same proportion to the long segment as the long segment has to the entire line.
A----------B----------------C
Happy Birthday
Jean Harlow 1911
We are counting cartesian coordinates
Happy Birthday
James Doohan 1920
Happy Birthday
George Pullman 1831
In the 1880s George Pullman built the town of Pullman near Lake Calumet to manufacture his famous railway sleeping cars. All buildings in the town were company owned and rented to workers, churches and stores. The town and surrounding areas were annexed to Chicago in 1889.
The company cut wages a number of times in the 1880s and '90s, but failed to reduce the rent in the company owned housing. This double squeeze lead to dire economic circumstances for the workers. Workers struck the car works May 11, 1894. By late June sympathetic railway workers had agreed to boycott trains carrying Pullman cars nationwide. Federal troops were called in to keep the trains moving and to break the strike, prompting violence and looting in Chicago. With the arrest of the leaders in Chicago, the strike collapsed, and workers returned August 2, 1894.
This strike is widely regarded as being pivotal in labor history. Issues raised included a national rail strike, the use of federal troops and company towns.
Happy Birthday
Paul Clayton 1933
Steven Spielberg was busy discussing his new action adventure about famous classical composers. Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger were in the room.
"Who do you want to play?" Spielberg asked Bruce Willis.
"I've always been a big fan of Chopin," said Bruce. "I'll play him."
"And you, Sylvester?" asked Spielberg.
"Mozart's the one for me!" said Sly.
"And what about you?" Spielberg asked Arnold Schwarzenegger.
"I'll be Bach," said Arnie.
Happy Birthday
Gia Scala 1934
Happy Birthday
Willie Chambers (The Chambers Brothers) 1938
Joe, Lester, Willy and George Chambers (l. to r.) came from the black gospel churches of Los Angeles to the clubs and coffeehouses of the folk scene. Their four-part harmonies could move an atheist to prayer.
Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something.
Plato
Happy Birthday
Jennifer Warnes 1947
I Know a Heartache When I See One
Look at who the wind's
Blowin' up the road
Shining like a northern star
Actin' like the answer
To all my prayers
But, baby, I know what you really are
So don't you knock on my door
I won't be home anymore
You can find me out walking in the sun
Oh, you hide it so well
It isn't easy to tell
But I know a heartache
When I see one
There was a time
I was a true believer
Your love was the only way
Well you can save all your sweet talkin'
For some other fool
Only a fool would believe what you say
Oh, time is a teacher
It's taught me well
The loser is the one who cries
And when you've cried like a baby
And you've felt like hell
You know the devil
By the look in his eyes
I know a heartache when I see one
I know a heartache when I see one
Happy Birthday
David Pritchard 1949
Man walking along a road in the countryside comes across a shepherd and a huge flock of sheep. Tells the shepherd, "I will bet you $100 against one of your sheep that I can tell you the exact number in this flock." The shepherd thinks it over; it's a big flock so he takes the bet. "973," says the man. The shepherd is astonished, because that is exactly right. Says "OK, I'm a man of my word, take an animal." Man picks one up and begins to walk away.
"Wait," cries the shepherd, "Let me have a chance to get even. Double or nothing that I can guess your exact occupation." Man says sure. "You are an economist for a government think tank," says the shepherd. "Amazing!" responds the man, "You are exactly right! But tell me, how did you deduce that?"
"Well," says the shepherd, "put down my dog and I will tell you."
Happy Birthday
Miranda Richardson 1958
First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.
Happy Birthday
Herschel Walker 1962
Giza and the Golden Mean
Happy Birthday
Jackie Joyner-Kersee 1962
Happy Birthday
Jessica Biel 1982
I am an excellent driver!
On This Day
On this day
1931 - The "Star Spangled Banner" was adopted as the American national anthem.
The song was originally known as "Defense of Fort McHenry."
On this day
1849 - The U.S. Department of the Interior was established.
Today's Wednesday field trip takes us to Uluru.
On this day
1851 - The U.S. Congress authorized the 3-cent piece. It was the smallest U.S. silver coin.
About a hundred dollars.
Three-Cent Silver
The three-cent piece was introduced to accommodate the lowering of the postal rates from five to three cents. Authorized by Congress on March 3, 1851. There are two types of Three Cents Pieces, the first was minted between 1851-1853 and is made of .750 silver and .250 copper with a weight of .80 grams and the second type minted between 1854-1873 is made of .900 fine silver and .100 copper with a weight of .75 grams. The designer of this coin was James B. Longacre. The silver coin was the tiniest coin this nation has issued. Its face shows a six-pointed star. The reverse shows a crescent-shaped design with the roman numeral "III" in the center to denote the denomination. The silver content of this piece made it inviting to hoarders, who kept it for its bullion value.
On this day
1878 - Russia and the Ottomans signed the treaty of Stenafano.
The treaty granted independence to Serbia.
On this day
1885 - The American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T) was incorporated in New York as a subsidiary of the American Bell Telephone Company.
On this day
1903 - In St. Louis, MO, Barney Gilmore was arrested for spitting.
Missouri
On this day
1904 - Wilhelm II of Germany made the first recording of a political document with Thomas Edison's cylinder.
More stupid laws.
Massachusetts
On this day
1910 - J.D. Rockefeller Jr. announced his withdrawal from business to administer his fathers fortune for an "uplift in humanity". He also appealed to the U..S. Congress for the creation of the Rockefeller Foundation.
On this day
1915 - The motion picture "Birth of a Nation" debuted in New York City.
On this day
1923 - The first issue of Time magazine was published.
On this day
1938 - A world record for the indoor mile run was set by Glenn Cunningham.
He ran the distance in 4 minutes, 4.4 seconds.
On this day
1939 - In Bombay, Ghandi began a fast to protest the state's autocratic rule.
On this day
1945 - Superman encountered Batman and Robin for the first time on the Mutual Broadcasting System.
On this day
1952 - "Whispering Streets" debuted on ABC Radio.
On this day
1956 - Morocco gained its independence.
On this day
1959 - The San Francisco Giants had their new stadium officially named Candlestick Park.
On this day
1969 - Apollo 9 was launched by NASA to test a lunar module.
On this day
1972 - The unmanned U.S. space probe Pioneer 10 was launched.
On this day
1985 - The TV show "Moonlighting" premiered.
Don't forget the Maple Syrup.
Pancakes Wednesday
Definitely
