December 2007
Words
Terrigal skirt A micro-mini named after Terrigal, on the NSW Central Coast just south of The Entrance
Words
News Q. I wonder if you could tell me where the word “news” comes from? Could be more than one “new” piece of information or could it be made up from “North, East, West, South” or maybe derived from some early English word? I really don’t know but I feel I should! [Jim Butterworth] A. People mention the points-of-the-compass story so often as the source...
December 31 in history
406 Eighty thousand Vandals, Alans and Suebians crossed the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gallia. 765 The coffin of Ho-tse Shen-hui was interred in a stupa built in China. 870 Skirmish at Englefield: Ethelred of Wessex beat the invading Danish army. 1164 Death of Margrave Ottokar III of Styria. 1194 Leopold V of Austria was killed at a tournament in Graz. 1384 Death of John Wyclif (b....
Born December 31
1712 Peter Böhler (Peter Boehler; d. April 27, 1775), German-born Moravian missionary and bishop who was influential in the Moravian Church in the Americas and England during the 18th Century; he was instrumental in founding the towns of Nazareth and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA 1720 Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie;...
“All the isms lead to schisms which lead to wasms.”
– Abbie Hoffman
Words
Moobs Man boobs, made famous by the likes of James Packer and Mark Latham
Words
south to south adj. jargon used at the World Bank to indicate migration from one poor country to another. “South to north” indicates migration from a poor country to a rich one.
December 30 in history
987 French King Hugh Capet crowned as king his son, Robert the Compassionate. 1317 Pontifical decree ‘Sancta Romania’ against spiritualists. “… Pope John XXII ordered the Franciscan Spiritualists to obey their superiors against their beliefs, which prompted the Spiritualists to become bitter enemies of the French pontiff by aligning with his...
Born on December 30
1865 Rudyard Kipling (d. 1936), Indian-born English novelist and poet, British imperialist celebrator-apologist, who wrote mainly of India; recipient Nobel Prize in literature 1907. Kipling visited Australia in 1891 (see November 14). 1869 Stephen Leacock (d. March 28, 1944),...
December 30 in Aussie history
1821 The NSW Government first permitted private distillation of grapes, sugar & grain. 1835 HMS Beagle, with Charles Darwin aboard, arrived in Sydney. 1836 Hindmarsh, Colonel Light and J H Fisher visited the proposed site of Adelaide. 1845 Thomas Spencer, a builder and industrial arbitrator who managed to pen hugely popular prose for The Bulletin, was born. Read more of this talented...
Fred Astaire
Alan Jay Lerner writes about the work ethic of great stars. The context is the preparation for his greatest hit, My Fair Lady, and Rex Harrison has voluntarily shown up before the rest of the cast to begin his rehearsals. This causes Lerner to reflect on another great star—Fred Astaire: “[Right before we began rehearsals], while the rest of our future company was enjoying their...
Words
wasta n. the Arabic word for influence, personal connections; “pull” or “juice.” While not yet fully adopted as an English word, “wasta” is increasingly familiar to American soldiers serving in the Middle East. A previous surge in use of the term among Anglophones happened during the first Gulf War.
December 29 in history
1170 On a Tuesday, Thomas à Becket (b. c. 1118), 40thArchbishop of Canterbury, was murdered in his own cathedral by four knights acting, as they perhaps mistakenly believed, on orders of King Henry II of England. More 1563 Death of Sebastian Costellio (b. 1515), French preacher and theologian, one of the first Reformed Christian proponents of freedom of the conscience or freedom of...
Born on December 29
1721 Madame de Pompadour (d. April 15, 1764), French mistress of King Louis XV of France, born Jeanne Antoinette Poisson 1766 Charles Macintosh (d. July 25, 1843), Scottish chemist and inventor of waterproof fabrics after whom the...
December 29 in Aussie history
1696 The Flemish captain Willem de Vlamingh arrived at, and named Rottnest Island, after seeing large numbers of quokkas which he mistook for large rats. Rottenest is Dutch for “rat’s nest”. 1765 Laurence Halloran, a jack of all trades and a master of writing defamatory pamphlets, was hatched. Read more of this convict who started the first Sydney Grammer School HERE. ...
December 28 in history
1065 Westminster Abbey was consecrated.1170 On the night before the murder of St Thomas à Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, visions of his impending doom were had by people as far away as Normandy, or, so it is said. 1308 The reign of Emperor Hanazono, the 95thimperial ruler of Japan, began. 1367 Death of Ashikaga Yoshiakira (b. 1330), Ashikaga shogun. 1694 Queen Mary II of England (b....
Born on December 28
1856 (Thomas) Woodrow Wilson (d. 1924), 28thPresident of the United States (1913 - ‘21) 1861 Walter Head (alias Walter Woods; d. February 28, 1939), Australian poet, journalist, editor, parliamentarian and organizer for the New Australia communal...
The Holy Innocents
Anon after this came the three kings in to Jerusalem, and demanded where the king of Jews was, that was new born. Herod when he heard this, he had great dread lest any were born of the true lineage of the kings of the Jews, and that he were the very true heir, and of whom he might be chased out of the realm. And when he had demanded of the three kings how they had had knowledge of the new king,...
“Why on earth would any parent call their child ‘Clive’? They might as well...”
– Clive Robertson, Australian broadcaster, born on December 28, 1945
December 28 in Aussie history
1809 Lachlan Macquarie arrived at Sydney Cove to take up his post as Governor on New Years’ Day 1810. 1811 Sir James Youl, grazier, business agent and the bloke who introduced trout and salmon to Australia, was hatched ( although not in a salmon hatchery). Read more about this determined chappie HERE. 1815 John Hargrave, judge and politician who was a little unbalanced when it...
Words
Boxing Day The 26th of December, also called St. Stephen’s Day. Boxing Day is a public holiday that forms part of the Christmas festivities in most of the countries that were once part of the British Empire. It was originally the first working day after Christmas Day, but is now always celebrated on December 26th, regardless of which day of the week it falls. Origin Christmas boxes...
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Frank Sinatra
Another [Sinatra] trademark: He adored openly and gave not a damn who saw. In the middle of parties, amid any gathering, he blurted encomiums of love and appreciation: ‘Doesn’t she look radiant?’ he would say of Bacall. (‘I remember feeling so happy,’ she said of such eruptions.) Whatever his latest elations and fancies, they were always made grandly audible:...
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Ecosexual A guy who’s into hybrid cars, low-energy lightbulbs, organic food and recycling.
