Matthew Reinhart's Blog, page 37

Word of the Day: Scripophily

scripophily (skri-POF-uh-lee) nounThe hobby of collecting historic stock and bond certificates. Also, such a collection.[From scrip, short for subscription + -phily (love).]

Word of the Day: Savoir-faire

Savoir-faire: The ability to say or do the right or graceful thing in any situation.From French savoir-faire (know-how), from savoir (to know) + faire (to do). 

Word of the Day: Utopia

UtopiaThe term come from Greek: ou (not) + topos (place)
An ideal place or state.  An impractical scheme for social or political reform.  Utopia was originally an imaginary ideal island  described in the homonymous book (1516) by Sir Thomas More.
--Gio

Word of the Day: karma

Karma in Indian religions is the concept of "action" or "deed" that causes the entire cycle of cause and effect.  It is also believed to be the force generated by a person's actions to perpetuate transmigration and in its ethical consequences to determine the nature of the person's next existence. 
 

--Gio

Word of the Day: zeitgeist

zeitgeistFrom German (spirit of the time) Zeit (time) + Geist (spirit). 
The spirit of the time; general trend of thought or feeling characteristic of a particular period of time, of an era.   

Word of the Day: Swivet

Swivet (SWIV-it) noun
A state of anxiety, discomposure or agitation; tizzy. (Usually used in the phrase "in a swivet".)
[Of unknown origin.]

Listen Up: C'est si bon

Sometimes Pandora radio stations play songs I've never heard of, and this past week I discovered "C'est si bon" covered by Louis Armstrong.  It's a catchy little tune and with Louis Armstrong's distinct voice he adds a little of New Orleans jazz to the song.  The original song was popularized by Eartha Kitt and was written in 1947 by Henri Betti and Anrdé Hornez (there is an English version of the song as well that was written by Jerry Seelen).  Check out Louis' version here:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xipqv_louis-armstrong-cest-si-bon

--Jess

Vintage Movable Review: Sleeping Beauty

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It's winter and I feel like hibernating. This desire for dreamland reminds me of the great pop-up, Sleeping Beauty by Vojtech Kubasta. This English language copy was printed in 1961 by Artia in Prague for Bancroft & Co. in London. It is a charming retelling of the classic fairytale and Kubasta has brought his trademark design to the work. Largely cut from single sheets of paper, he embellished these inventive pop-ups with pull tabs (including the cover!). Kubasta's color palette and characters are lively and unique and the story invites countless rereadings…that is after I take a nap.

~Kyle

Word of the Day: Suminagashi

Suminagashi (sue-me-NAH-gah-she), which means "ink-floating", is the ancient zen technique of drawing on paper.

It is believed to be the oldest form of marbling, originating in China over 2,000 years ago and practiced in Japan by Shinto priests as early as the 12th century. Japanese Sumi-e inks were originally used, dropped carefully to float on a still water surface and then blown across to form delicate swirls, after which the ink was picked up by laying a sheet of white rice paper atop the ink covered water. Combining the knowledge of fluid mechanics with artistic talent, the artist controls the floating pigments through the viscosity and surface tension of the water to create images suggestive of mountain ranges, landscapes, clouds and animals before printing them on a sheet of paper.  --Gio

History Lesson: A Charlie Brown Christmas

On December 9th, 1965, "A Charlie Brown Christmas" premiered on CBS and was the first prime-time animated TV special based upon the comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz.  This holiday classic is now in it's 45th year on television.  
--Jess