Word-Wednesday for November 6, 2024

And here is the Wannaskan Almanac with Word-Wednesday for November 6, 2024, the forty-fifth Wednesday of the year, the seventh Wednesday of fall, the first Wednesday of November, and the three-hundred-eleventh day of the year, with fifty-five days remaining.

 
Wannaska Phenology Update for November 6, 2024
ermine
/əR-mən/ n., any of several weasels whose coats become white in winter usually with black on the tip of the tail. Wannaska-land has three species of weasels in Minnesota: the short-tailed weasel (Mustela erminea); the long-tailed weasel (Mustela frenata); and the least weasel (Mustela nivalis). All belong to a family of mostly long, narrow "tube-shaped" animals in the family Mustelidae. All three species of weasels are brown on top and white-yellow on their undersides in summer, and turn white in winter, when they are called ermine. The fur of the least weasel fluoresces in ultraviolet light. Like human adolescents, weasels have voracious appetites, and the least weasel eats about 30 percent of its weight each day. Because weasels have a high surface area to weight ratio, they conserve body heat in winter by curling into a ball and lowering their metabolism.

November 6 Fickle Pickle Wednesday Menu Special: Potato Dumpling


November 6 Nordhem Wednesday Lunch: Updated daily, occasionally.


Earth/Moon Almanac for November 6, 2024
Sunrise: 7:19am; Sunset: 4:56pm; 3 minutes, 3 seconds less daylight today
Moonrise: 12:52pm; Moonset: 8:15am, waxing crescent, 25% illuminated.


Temperature Almanac for November 6, 2024
                Average            Record              Today
High             38                     61                     41
Low              21                    -10                     30

November for Beginners
by Rita Dove

Snow would be the easy
way out—that softening
sky like a sigh of relief
at finally being allowed
to yield. No dice.
We stack twigs for burning
in glistening patches
but the rain won’t give.

So we wait, breeding
mood, making music
of decline. We sit down
in the smell of the past
and rise in a light
that is already leaving.
We ache in secret,
memorizing

a gloomy line
or two of German.
When spring comes
we promise to act
the fool. Pour,
rain! Sail, wind,
with your cargo of zithers!

November 6 Celebrations from National Day Calendar

• National Stress Awareness Day
• National Nachos Day
• National Saxophone Day
• Gustavus Adolphus Day
• International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict

November 6 Word Pun
Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.


November 6 Word Riddle
What do you call a can opener that doesn’t work?*


November 6 The Devil’s Dictionary Word-Pram
DESTINY, n.

    A tyrant's authority for crime and a fool's excuse for failure.
    A force alleged to control affairs, principally quoted by erring human beings to excuse their failures.

        "'Tis destiny," Sam Barrell cried;
        "Once I had gold of Ophir;
        Now humbled is my former pride,
        And I've become a loafer."
        "Not strange," said Turnbull, passing by,
        "That you with fate should fare ill.
        The destiny that rules you, I
        Have always found in barrel."


November 6 Etymology Word of the Week
equity
/EK-wə-dē/ n., the quality of being fair and impartial, from early 14th century, equite, "quality of being equal or fair, impartiality;" late 14th century, "that which is equally right or just to all concerned," from Old French equite (13th century), from Latin aequitatem (nominative aequitas) "the uniform relation of one thing to others, equality, conformity, symmetry;" also "just or equitable conduct toward others," from aequus "even, just, equal" (see equal (adj.)).

In law, "fairness in the adjustment of conflicting interests; the settlement of controversies by the dictates of good conscience" (natural equity), late 14th century, from Roman naturalis aequitas, the general principles of justice which corrected or supplemented the legal codes ("governed by benevolence, while justitia yields to another only what is strictly due," Lewis & Short). Hence, in England and U.S., also "justice based on such principles, the system of jurisprudence as to what is fair and what is not," and "a court or jurisdiction in which these doctrines are applied" (1590s). The Latin word also meant "a quiet, tranquil state of mind; moderation, evenness of temper."

From 1620s as "an equitable right, that to which one is justly entitled," especially a right recognized by courts of equity that is not provided for in the common or statute law (such as certain property rights of wives). Equities, "the ordinary shares of a limited company," carrying certain rights to assets and profits, is attested by 1904. By 1980s it had taken on extended senses in sociology, e.g.: "allocating benefits in various policy fields in such a way as to provide groups, persons, and places with at least a minimum level of benefits so as to satisfy basic needs" [Stuart S. Nagel, "Equity as a Policy Goal," 1983].


November 6 Historic Events, Literary or Otherwise, from On This Day

• 1455 Lawsuit between Johann Gutenberg and Johann Fust concerning the printing press is decided in favor of Fust, with the Gutenberg's printing press turned over to him.
• 1572 Supernova is observed in constellation known as Cassiopeia.
• 1813 Chilpancingo congress declares Mexico independent of Spain.
• 1878 Henrik Ibsen's play Samfundets Stotter (Pillars of Society) premieres.
• 1879 Canada celebrates first Thanksgiving Day.
• 1917 New York State adopts a constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote in state elections.
• 1928 Swedes start a tradition of eating Gustavus Adolphus pastries to commemorate the king.
• 1936 Terence Rattigan's play, French Without Tears premieres.
• 1939 WGY-TV (Schenectady, NY), first commercial TV station, begins service.
• 1962 Saudi Arabia proclaims abolition of slavery.

November 6 Author/Artist/Character Birthdays, from On This Day

• 1479 Johanna, the Insane, Queen of Castile.
• 1550 Karin Månsdotter, Queen of Sweden.
• 1558 Thomas Kyd, English dramatist.
• 1566 Julien Perrichon, French composer.
• 1607 Sigmund Theophil Staden, German composer.
• 1613 Luis de Garay, Spanish composer.
• 1671 Colley Cibber, English dramatist and poet laureate.
• 1692 Louis Racine, French poet.
• 1753 Mikhail Kozlovsky, Russian sculptor.
• 1757 Louis Abel Beffroy de Reigny, French dramatist.
• 1779 Michal Bogdanowicz, Polish composer.
• 1800 Eduard Grell, German composer.
• 1814 Adolphe Sax, Belgian musician and instrument inventor of the saxophone, saxtromba, saxtuba.
• 1833 Jonas Lie, Norwegian author.
• 1854 John Philip Sousa, American composer.
• 1855 Iosif Kotek, Russian composer.
• 1867 Marie Bregendahl, Danish author.
• 1878 Ernest Irving, English composer.
• 1880 Chris van Abkoude, Dutch-American writer and novelist.
• 1880 Robert Musil, Austrian writer.
• 1884 Richard Weiner, Czech writer.
• 1885 Emiel Poetou, Flemish sculptor.
• 1893 August Defresne, Dutch playwright.
• 1907 Fanny Leys, Flemish author.
• 1909 Henk Bijvanck, Dutch composer.
• 1910 Arthur Cohn, American composer.
• 1913 Václav Boštík, Czech painter.
• 1917 András Mihály, Hungarian composer.
• 1919 Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen, Portuguese poet and children's author.
• 1921 James Jones, American novelist.
• 1922 Lars Edlund, Swedish composer.
• 1924 Jeanette Schmid, Austrian transsexual professional whistler.
• 1930 Raymond Baervoets, Belgian composer.
• 1931 Tsvetan Tsvetanov, Bulgarian com.
• 1936 David Ward-Steinman, American composer.
• 1936 K. Schippers [Gerard Stigter], Dutch author.
• 1937 Edwin Roxburgh, English composer.
• 1938 Dumitru Rusu, Romanian painter.
• 1952 Michael Cunningham, American novelist.
• 1954 Paddy O'Brien, Irish singer.
• 1954 Catherine Crier, American author.
• 1957 Siobhán McCarthy, Irish stage actress.
• 1969 Colson Whitehead, American writer.

Words-I-Looked-Up-This-Week Writer's Challenge
Write a story or pram from the following words:

• agrestic: /ə-FRES-tik/ adj., relating to the country; rural or rustic.
• balter: /BAHL-tuhr/ v., to dance or tread clumsily.
• bingle: /BIŋG-əl/ n., a base hit; a woman's short bob partly shingled at the back.
• cothurnal: /KŌ-thərn-əl/ adj., of, relating to, or characteristic of tragedy.
• denary: /DEN-(ə)-rē/ adj., ten-fold.
• edaphic: /ə-DA-fik/ adj., of, produced by, or influenced by the soil.
• maleolent: adj., /muh-LEE-uh-luhnt/ adj., foul-smelling.
• rancel: /RAN-suhl/ v., to search thoroughly.
• snod: /snäd/ adj., smooth, neat, trim, sleek; v., to make smooth, neat, or trim.
• tóin: /tohn/ n., IRISH, one's backside, butt, bottom.

November 6, 2024 Word-Wednesday Feature
election
/ə-LEK-SHən/ n., a formal and organized choice by vote of a person for a political office or other position, from circa 1300, eleccioun, "act of choosing" someone to occupy a position, elevation to office" (whether by one person or a body of electors); also "the holding of a vote by a body of electors by established procedure; the time and place of such a vote," from Anglo-French eleccioun, Old French elecion "choice, election, selection" (12th century), from Latin electionem (nominative electio) "a choice, selection," noun of action from past-participle stem of eligere "pick out, select," from ex "out" (see ex-) + -ligere, combining form of legere "to choose," from Proto-Indo-European root leg- (1) "to collect, gather." In Middle English also "act of choosing" generally, "choice, free choice" (circa 1400). The theological sense of "God's choice of someone" for eternal life is from late 14th century. Meaning "act of choosing, choice" is from circa 1400.

The contest of election in democracy has been distasteful from the very beginning, but at the conclusion of the election process, we might look to our nation’s motto to live with the results: E pluribus unum — out of many, one. Here are a few words from writers who span the spectrum of distain to reconciliation for our system:

Next to a small war, there is nothing quite like a general election to stiffen the sinews and summon up the blood.

Ian Richardson

Vote for the man who promises least; he'll be the least disappointing.

Bernard Baruch

Elections are won by men and women chiefly because most people vote against somebody, rather than for somebody.

Franklin P. Adams

The money that is spent in elections is absolutely unconscionable—even if it’s private money. It’s true that one’s not corrupted by the expenditure of one’s own money, but to some extent the system is.

Millicent Fenwick

In every election in American history both parties have their clichés. The party that has the clichés that ring true wins.

Newt Gingrich

I do not like elections, but it is in my many elections that I have learnt to know and honor the people of this island. They are good through and through.

Winston Churchill

An election is coming. Universal peace is declared, and the foxes have a sincere interest in prolonging the lives of the poultry.

George Eliot

An election marks the end of the affair; it puts paid to the seduction of the many by the few. Pretty words, fulsome promises. We wind up married, but to whom, to what? We cannot always predict with certainty the future leader from the winning candidate. Some men grow in the job; others are diminished by its demands and its grandeur.

Anna Quindlen

So when it comes right down to it, this election is a contest between those who are satisfied with what they have, and those who know we can do better. That’s what this election is really all about.

Ann Richards

No part of the education of a politician is more indispensable that the fighting of elections.

Winston Churchill

To give the victory to the right, not bloody bullets, but peaceful ballots only, are necessary.

Abraham Lincoln

Every American election summons the individual voter to weigh the past against the future.

Theodore H. White

From A Year with Rilke, November 6 Entry
Jeremiah, from New Prams

Once I was as yielding as early wheat,
but it pleased you, raging one,
to ignite the heart I offered you.
Now, like a lion's, it is on fire.

What sort of mouth did you allot me,
back then when I arrived?
It was like a wound, which now is bleeding
one catastrophe after another.

Daily I resound with fresh horrors
that you, insatiable one, contrive,
and they do not destroy my mouth.
Even you lack the power to silence it now,

when those whom my people have crushed and scattered are finally lost.
Amidst the rubble, I would want
to keep on hearing the voice that has been mine,
from the beginning a howl.

Orphan Man in Sunday Clothes with an Eye Patch
by Vincent van Gogh

Be better than yesterday,
learn a new word today,
try to stay out of trouble - at least until tomorrow,
and write when you have the time.







*A can’t opener.