18 April 2015
collywobbles
[kol-ee-wob-uh lz]
noun, ( used with a singular or plural verb) Informal.
1. intestinal cramps or other intestinal disturbances.
2. a feeling of fear, apprehension, or nervousness.
3. (Australian) – used to describe Australian Football League (AFL) team, Collingwood and their habit of losing finals matches.
Origin of collywobbles
1815-1825; coinage presumably based on colic, wobble; see -s3
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wobbly cellos
blob cows yell
Today’s aphorism
We’ve got this gift of love, but love is a precious plant. You can’t just accept it and leave it in the cupboard or just think it’s going to get on by itself. You’ve got to keep watering it. You’ve got to really look after it and nurture it.
– John Lennon
On this day
18 April – World Heritage Day, more formerly known as ‘International Monuments and Sites’ Day as declared by UNESCO. A day for raising awareness of monuments and sites throughout the world that are of world heritage significance.
18 April 1839 – birthday of Henry Kendall, Australian poet. Died 1 August 1882.
18 April 1897 – The Greco-Turkish War is declared between Greece and the Ottoman Empire.
18 April 1955 – death of Albert Einstein, German-born theoretical physicist. He developed the theory of relativity and of course his mass-energy equivalence formula, E=mc2 (energy = mass x speed of light squared). Born 14 March 1879.
18 April 1983 – a suicide bomber detonated a car bomb that destroyed the United States Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, killing 63 people, 17 of whom were American. Most of the victims were CIA and embassy staff, a number of soldiers and a Marine. Pro-Iranian group, Islamic Jihad Organization, claimed responsibility. However, it’s believed the attack was undertaken by Lebanese group, Hezbollah, in response to the intervention of a multinational force, comprised of western nations, in the Lebanese Civil War.
18 April 1996 – At least 106 civilians are killed in Lebanon when Israel shells a United Nations refugee compound at Quana where more than 800 Palestinians and Lebanese were sheltered. Israel claimed it was an accident and that they were trying to hit a nearby Hezbollah position that had fired at them. Hezbollah claimed they had fired because Israel breached the security zone in order to lay land-mines. Both the UN and Amnesty International investigated and found that Israel had deliberately attacked the refugee camp; a claim that Israel denies. Human Rights Watch found that Israel’s use of high-explosive shells and anti-personnel shells were designed to maximise casualities and their use so close to a civilian area, breached international humanitarian law.