1 November 2013

recidivism

[ri-sid-uh-viz-uhm]

noun

1. repeated or habitual relapse, as into crime. e.g. ‘Institutionalised criminals show a high rate of recidivism’.
2. Psychiatry. the chronic tendency toward repetition of criminal or antisocial behavior patterns.
Origin:
1885–90; < Latin recidīv ( us ) relapsing ( recid ( ere ) to fall back ( re- re- + -cidere, combining form of cadere to fall) + -īvus -ive) + -ism

Related forms
re·cid·i·vist, noun, adjective
re·cid·i·vis·tic, re·cid·i·vous, adjective

Today’s aphorism

Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.

– Jimi Hendrix

On this day

1 – 2 November – Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), celebrated around the world, but particularly in Mexico, where it is a public holiday. On this day people pray for loved ones who have died. Coincides with the Catholic holidays of All Saints’ Day (originally introduced in 609AD) and All Souls’ Day.

1 November 1952 – The U.S. detonates the world’s first thermonuclear weapon, the Hydrogen Bomb, at Eniwetok Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.

1 November 1993 – The European Union formally established as a result of the Maastricht Treaty, which had been ratified by 12 nations in February 1993. The nations were Great Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Denmark, Greece, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Irish Republic.

31 October 2013

pecksniffian

[pek-snif-ee-uhn]

adjective (often lowercase)

– hypocritically and unctuously affecting benevolence or high moral principles, e.g. His response to the questions showed how pecksniffian he really was.

Also, Peck·sniff·ish.

Origin:
1850–55; named after Seth Pecksniff, character in Martin Chuzzlewit, a novel (1843) by Dickens; see -ian

Related forms
Peck·sniff·er·y, Peck·sniff·i·an·ism, Peck·sniff·ism, noun

Today’s aphorism

As a child my family’s menu consisted of two choices: take it or leave it.

– Buddy Hackett

On this day

31 October – Halloween (All Hallow’s Eve), celebrated in a number of countries on the eve of the Christian festival, All Hallows’ Day (or All Saints’ Day).

31 October 1517 – Protestant Revolution starts when Martin Luther posts his 95 theses on the Wittenburg Church in Germany in protest against what he saw as corruption in the Catholic Church.

31 October 1876 – large cyclone strikes India, killing more than 200,000 people.

31 October 1941 – completion of Mt Rushmore sculptures near Keystone, South Dakota. It is a sculpture carved into the granite face of the mountain and ended because funding ran out. The sculpture features the faces of four U.S. presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. Construction started on 4 October 1927. It was the brainchild of Doane Robinson. The carvings are 18m (60′) high and were carved by Gutzon Borglum and a team of 400 workers.

31 October 1984 – Indian Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, assassinated by Sikh extremists.

30 October 2013

cruciverbalist

[kroo-suh-vur-buh-list]

noun

– a designer or aficionado of crossword puzzles, e.g. He was Australia’s leading cruciverbalist.
Origin:
1975–80; < Latin cruci‐, stem of crux cross + verbalist

Today’s aphorism

Life is like Sanskrit read to a pony.

– Lou Reed

On this day

30 October 1920 – the Communist Party of Australia founded in Sydney, New South Wales.

30 October 1938 – Fear of alien invasion panics the United States as Orson Welles narrates the H.G. Wells radio-play, War of the Worlds (click for the complete broadcast). Listeners did not realise it was just a play, unleashing havoc across the U.S.

30 October 1939 – birth of Grace Slick, American rock singer with Jefferson Airplane and as a solo performer.

30 October 1961 – the Soviet Union detonates the world’s largest nuclear bomb, the Tsar Bomba, which had a yield of 50 megatons. It was 4,000 times more powerful than the bomb the USA dropped on Hiroshima, 1,400 times the combined power of the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 10 times the combined power of all conventional explosives used in World War II, and one quarter of the estimated yield of the 27 August 1883 volcanic explosion in Krakatoa. The crown of the mushroom cloud was more than 56km high and was visible for hundreds of kilometres. The Soviets had initially intended for the Hydrogen Bomb to be 100 megatons, but decided to tone it back a tad. The United Nations pleads with both the Soviet Union and the United States to end the arms race or risk destroying the planet. By 1986, with the arms race out of control, the U.S.A. deployed the MX-missiles. Each missile had 10 warheads capable of carrying 300 megatons each, with a potential combined yield 60 times the Tsar Bomba (240,000 times the size of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, 15 times the size of Krakatoa) … a dream come true for Marvin the Martian … but … the MX’s were never detonated (‘where’s the kaboom?‘). They were retired in 2005.

30 October 1990 – the ‘Chunnel’ (or Channel Tunnel) is completed linking England and France by a tunnel that goes under the English Channel.

29 October 2013

whet

[hwet, wet]

verb, whet·ted, whet·ting, noun
verb (used with object)

1. to sharpen (a knife, tool, etc.) by grinding or friction.
2. to make keen or eager; stimulate: to whet the appetite; to whet the curiosity, to whet one’s apetite.
noun
3. the act of whetting.
4. something that whets; appetizer or drink.
5. Chiefly Southern U.S.
a. a spell of work.
b. a while: to talk a whet.

Today’s aphorism

One chord is fine. Two chords are pushing it. Three chords and you’re into jazz.

– Lou Reed

On this day

29 October 529BC – International Day of Cyrus the Great, King of Persia, responsible for the Cyrus Cylinder, which has been called the world’s first charter of human rights. The Cyrus Cylinder praised the munificence of King Cyrus and denounced the conquered Babylonian King Nabodinus as an oppressor of the people. It extols King Cyrus as a benefactor of the people, who liberated them from Nabodinus, repatriated them, restored temples and improved their lives.

29 October 1929 – ‘Black Tuesday’, stock market crash leads to the Great Depression. Investors dumped traded 16 million shares and the market crashed a further 12%, losing $30 billion in two days.

29 October 1956 – Israel invades Egypt after President Nasser announces he is nationalising the Suez Canal, starting the Suez Crisis.

29 October 1969 – Creation of the ARPANET, predecessor of the internet, when the first host-to-host communication is sent. ARPANET stands for Advanced Research Projects Agency Network which was operated by the U.S. Department of Defense.

29 October 1982 – Lindy Chamberlain found guilty of murdering her baby daughter, Azaria, after a jury dismissed her claim that a dingo took the baby. Her husband, Michael, was found guilty of being an accessory to the murder. She spent 3 years in jail, before being released. Eight years after the trial, her conviction was overturned. In 1992, her and Michael were acquitted and received $1.3 million in compensation from the Australian government for false imprisonment. There have been four inquests, with the latest being held 2012, with the finding that a dingo did take the baby.

28 October 2013

obfuscate

[ob-fuh-skeyt, ob-fuhs-keyt]

verb (used with object), ob·fus·cat·ed, ob·fus·cat·ing.

1. to confuse, bewilder, or stupefy.
2. to make obscure or unclear: to obfuscate a problem with extraneous information.
3. to darken.

Origin:
1525–35; < Late Latin obfuscātus (past participle of obfuscāre to darken), equivalent to Latin ob- ob- + fusc ( us ) dark + -ātus -ate1

Related forms
ob·fus·ca·tion, noun
ob·fus·ca·to·ry [ob-fuhs-kuh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] adjective
un·ob·fus·cat·ed, adjective

Synonyms
1. muddle, perplex. 2. cloud.

Antonyms
1. clarify.

Today’s aphorism

When asked, ‘How do you write?’ I invariably answer, ‘one word at a time.’

– Stephen King

On this day

28 October 1922 – Benito Mussolini, of the National Fascist Party, takes over the leadership of Italy’s government, after forcing Prime Minister Luigi Facta to resign following the ‘March on Rome’. Mussolini took the title ‘IL DUCE’ (The Leader).

28 October 1962 – end of the Cuban Missile Crisis, known in Cuba as the October Crisis and in Russia as Kарибский кризис (Caribbean Crisis), one of the major events of the Cold War as it brought the world to the brink of nuclear conflict. It started when a USAF U-2 plane photographed evidence of Soviet air bases being constructed in Cuba on 14 October 1962. The U.S. considered bombing the bases, but ended up blockading Cuba, preventing Soviet weapons being delivered. Soviet President Nikita Khrushchev wrote to U.S. President John F. Kennedy, stating the blockade constituted an act of war. For 13 days, the Americans and Soviets conducted talks to resolve the crisis. On 28 October 1962, Kennedy and UN Secretary General U. Thant reached a public and secret agreement with Khrushchev. Publicly, the Soviets agreed to dismantle their weapons in Cuba, while the U.S. gave an agreement to never invade Cuba. Secretly, the U.S. agreed to dismantle its ballistic missiles in Turkey.

28 October 1965 – Ernest Hemingway wins the Nobel Prize for Literature. Author of ‘The Old Man and the Sea‘.

27 October 2013

kaizen

[kahy-zen]
noun

1. a business philosophy or system that is based on making positive changes on a regular basis, as to improve productivity.
2. an approach to one’s personal or social life that focuses on continuous improvement.

Origin:
< Japanese: literally, ‘continuous improvement’>

Today’s aphorism

You’ve got to have something to eat and a little love in your life before you can hold still for any damn body’s sermon on how to behave.

– Billie Holiday, jazz singer and songwriter (1915-1959)

On this day

27 October 1728 – birth of Captain James Cook, British explorer. Made three major voyages in which he discovered many of the islands of the south pacific, including the east coast of Australia. Cooktown, Queensland, is named after him. The house he grew up in was relocated from Yorkshire, England, to Melbourne, Australia and is open to visits (now known as Captain Cook’s Cottage and is situated in Fitzroy Gardens, Melbourne). Died 14 February 1779 after being stabbed by Hawaiians who credited their Chief Kalanimanokahoowaha (Kanaina) with the kill. Captain Cook’s body was then subjected a funeral ritual that was normally reserved for a Chief.

27 October 1923 – birthday of Roy Lichtenstein, American pop artist.

26 October 2013

zombie

[zom-bee]

— noun, plural: -bies , -bis
1. a person who is or appears to be lifeless, apathetic, or totally lacking in independent judgment; automaton
2. a supernatural spirit that reanimates a dead body
3. a corpse brought to life in this manner
4. the snake god of voodoo cults in the West Indies, esp Haiti, and in scattered areas of the southern US
5. the python god revered in parts of West Africa
6. a piece of computer code that instructs an infected computer to send a virus on to other computer systems
7. a tall cocktail made typically with several kinds of rum, citrus juice, and often apricot liqueur.

[from Kongo zumbi: god, good-luck fetish]

– noun

‘zombiism or zombi

Today’s quote

Yeah, I know I’m ugly… I said to a bartender, ‘Make me a zombie.’ He said ‘God beat me to it.’

– Rodney Dangerfield

On this day

26 October 1863 – Football Association forms in England, standardising the rules of soccer.

26 October 1881 – Gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, the most famous gunfight in the Wild West. It is believed the gunfight lasted around 30 seconds and was between outlaws Billy Clanton, Ike Clanton, Billy Claiborne, Tom McLaury and Frank McLaury and lawmen Wyatt Earp, Virgil Earp, Morgan Earp, Doc Holliday. Three of the outlaws were killed, Billy Clanton, Tom McLaury and Frank McLaury. The gunfight has been immortalised in a number of movies and songs.

26 October 1917 – birth of Felix the Cat, legendary cartoon character.

25 October 2013

salubrious

[suh-loo-bree-uhs]

adjective

– favorable to or promoting health; healthful: salubrious air.

Origin:
1540–50; < Latin salūbr ( is ) promoting health (akin to salūs health) + -ious

Related forms
sa·lu·bri·ous·ly, adverb
sa·lu·bri·ous·ess, sa·lu·bri·ty [suh-loo-bri-tee] Show IPA , noun
non·sa·lu·bri·ous, adjective
non·sa·lu·bri·ous·ly, adverb
non·sa·lu·bri·ous·ness, noun

Today’s aphorism

‘It’s so nice to be insane, no one asks you to explain’.

― Helen Reddy

On this day

25 October 1854 – Charge of the Light Brigade. A famous cavalry charge led by Lord Cardigan of Britain, against the Russian forces during the Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War. The Russians were victorious. The charge was immortalised in the poem of the same name by poet laureate, Alfred, Lord Tennyson. The poem can be read here: http://www.ram.org/contrib/the_charge_of_the_light_brigade.html

25 October 1917 – October Revolution. This is the traditional date (old style Julian calendar) for the October Revolution, which corresponds with 7 – 8 November 1917 (new style Gregorian calendar) for the October Revolution. Part of the Russian Revolution which commenced with the February Revolution (8-12 March 1917) and which overthrew the Russian Provisional Government and replaced it with the Soviet government.

25 October 1941 – birth of Helen Reddy, legendary 1970′s Australian singer, with hit songs such as I Am Woman, and Delta Dawn.

25 October 1964 – Zambian Independence. Formally, Northern Rhodesia, the British government grants independence. The first president is Kenneth Kaunda of the United National Independence Party.

24 October 2013

remonstrate

[ri-mon-streyt]

verb, re·mon·strat·ed, re·mon·strat·ing.
verb (used with object)

1. to say or plead in protest, objection, or disapproval.
2. Obsolete . to show.
verb (used without object)
3. to present reasons in complaint; plead in protest.
Origin:
1590–1600; < Medieval Latin remōnstrātus (past participle of remōnstrāre to exhibit, demonstrate), equivalent to re- re- + mōnstrā ( re ) to show + -tus past participle suffix; see -ate

Related forms
re·mon·strat·ing·ly, adverb
re·mon·stra·tion [ree-mon-strey-shuhn, rem-uhn-], noun
re·mon·stra·tive [ri-mon-struh-tiv], adjective
re·mon·stra·tive·ly, adverb
re·mon·stra·tor [ri-mon-strey-ter], noun

Synonyms
3. argue, object, expostulate.

Today’s aphorism

‘Stand often in the company of dreamers: they tickle your common sense and believe you can achieve things which are impossible’.

– Mary Anne Radmacher

On this day

24 October 1648 – signing of the Treaty of Munster, between the Holy Roman Emperor, France and their respective allies. This treaty was the second in a series of peace treaties known as the Peace of Westphalia which paved the way for the modern sovereign state. The first was the Peace of Munster, signed on 30 January 1648, the third being the Treaty of Osnabruck, signed on 24 October 1648.

24 October 1648 – signing of the Treaty of Osnabruck, between the Holy Roman Emperor, the empire, Sweden and their respective allies. This treaty was the third in a series of peace treaties known as the Peace of Westphalia which paved the way for the modern sovereign state. The first was the Peace of Munster, signed on 30 January 1648, the second being the Treaty of Munster signed on 24 October 1648.

24 October 1929 – Black Thursday, one week before Wall Street’s infamous Black Tuesday and in a harbinger of the impending crash, investors dumped 13 million shares and the market lost 11% in value.

24 October 1930 – birth of Jiles Perry ‘J.P.’ Richardson Jr, otherwise known as the Big Bopper. 1950s rock and roll star, famous for songs such as ‘Chantilly Lace’ and ‘Running Bear’. Died in a plane crash on 3 February 1959 with other musicians, Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and the pilot, Roger Peterson. Their deaths were immortalised in the Don McLean song, ‘American Pie’, when he sang about the day the music died.

24 October 1945 – UN Day. The Charter of the United Nations took effect and the United Nations General Assembly declared that it ‘shall be devoted to making known to the peoples of the world the aims and achievements of the United Nations and to gaining their support for its work’.