New Words And Stuff

     

Tucson Weather Today

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174 pounds

We make out of the quarrel with others, rhetoric, but of the quarrel with ourselves, poetry.
--William Butler Yeats

A new word has cropped up... vape. It means, of course, to have nicotine delivered to your respiratory system by means of an e-cigarette, or similar vaporizer.

Good God! What next? Powdered alcohol?

Yeah... I know.

Random Photo

A Single Little Cactus Growing All Alone

Tucson, AZ  April 25, 2014

This evening I will once again be temporarily moving outside the city limits and into the scrubland to share a house with Eva. I will be there for at least a week, perhaps two weeks.

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Did You Know . . .?

Richard Harris who played Dumbledore, only accepted the role because his 11-year-old granddaughter threatened to never speak to him again if he did not take it.

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HISTORICAL EVENT

On April 26, 1986, the world's worst nuclear power plant accident occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in the Soviet Union. Thirty-two people died and dozens more suffered radiation burns in the opening days of the crisis, but only after Swedish authorities reported the fallout did Soviet authorities reluctantly admit that an accident had occurred.

An estimated 5,000 Soviet citizens eventually died from cancer and other radiation-induced illnesses caused by their exposure to the Chernobyl radiation, and millions more had their health adversely affected. In 2000, the last working reactors at Chernobyl were shut down and the plant was officially closed.

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WORD FOR TODAY

perorate
verb
1.  To conclude a speech with a formal recapitulation.
2.  To speak at great length, often in a grandiloquent manner; declaim

According to Wikipadia: "In classical rhetoric, a peroration was the final part of a speech. The peroration had two main purposes: to remind the audience of the main points of the speech (recapitulation) and to influence their emotions."

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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

Kevin James

(born April 26, 1965)

Kevin James is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. James is widely known for playing Doug Heffernan on the hit CBS sitcom The King of Queens. James is also known for his lead roles in the comedy films I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Grown Ups, Zookeeper, and Here Comes the Boom.

Carol Creighton Burnett

(born April 26, 1933)

Carol Burnett is an American actress, comedian, singer, and writer. She is best known for her long-running TV variety show, The Carol Burnett Show, for CBS. She has achieved success on stage, television, and film in varying genres including dramatic and comedy roles.

Bobby Rydell

(born April 26, 1942)

Bobby Rydell is an American professional singer, mainly of rock and roll music. In the early 1960s he was considered a teen idol. Well known tracks include "Wild One" and "Volare", and he appeared in the movie Bye Bye Birdie in 1963.

Stana Katic

(born April 26, 1978)

Stana Katic is a Canadian born American film and television actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Detective Kate Beckett on the ABC series Castle (2009-present).

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Rhetoric is the art of ruling the minds of men.
--Plato

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