In an unrelated event, “Etch-a-Sketch” stock has tripled in the past few days.
Monthly Archives: March 2012
Cartoon of the Day
Filed under News
Picture of the Day
A gray wolf rests at Wolf Haven International, a wolf sanctuary in Washington State.
Since 1982, Wolf Haven International, a non-profit organization headquartered in Tenino, WA has focused on wolves; providing education about the animals and operating as a sanctuary for captive-born wolves. The gray wolf once was common throughout North America, but had been driven nearly to extinction by the 1930’s. Conservation efforts, including reintroduction to Yellowstone National Park in 1995, have led to an increase in their numbers.
Filed under News
Quote of the Day
“We cannot afford to lose the Medicaid funding for low-income women to have health care services. We can’t keep turning back federal funds that every state gets and then try to find money in our budget, which is already being cut in key areas like education.”
— Republican U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, criticizing Gov. Rick Perry for his war on women’s preventive care.
I don’t have much regard for Bailey Hutchison, but I’m glad that – although she’s a token female in the White male-dominated Republican hierarchy – she has the decency to turn her back on the patriarchal decision by the state of Texas to control women’s health care.
Filed under News
March 23, 2012 – 272 days Until Baktun 12
Survivalist Tip: I’ve mentioned in previous posts that you should have a cache of weapons, such as guns, knives and naked before pictures of lap-band surgery patients, to ward off looters, vandals, zombies, rap singers and other miscreants who might survive the apocalypse. But, it would also be prudent for you to learn a martial art, such as tae kwon do or jiu-jitsu. Most forms of martial arts are ancient athletic practices, and many societies utilized them as learning tools for both the body and mind. In the chaotic aftermath, you’ll need to be both physically and spiritually strong. Besides, nothing will boost your self-esteem like knowing how to kick someone’s ass and hurt their feelings at the same time.
Filed under Mayan Calendar Countdown
Photos of a Dying Sea
Located in Central Asia, the Aral Sea is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north and west and by Uzbekistan to the south and east. It once was the fourth-largest inland sea, or salt-water lake, in the world, fed by the Amu Darya and Syr Darya Rivers. Now, it is a mere fraction of its former self, reduced to less than a quarter of its original size. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan were part of the former Soviet Union and attained independence in the 1990’s, as the Soviet regime collapsed. In the 1960’s, the Soviet government began damning up the Amu Darya and Syr Darya Rivers, as part of an expansive farming project. But, the consequences were dire for the Aral Sea. As its source waters were siphoned off, the Aral began to shrink, leaving a vast desert that has proven toxic for residents living near its former coastlines. Efforts by Kazakhstan to restore as much of the sea are ongoing, but the situation is still dire. Here are some photographs showing the refuse left behind, including plenty of ships that got stranded as the waters receded.
Locomotive Rock, seen here from the Ust-Urt Plateau on the western side of the South Aral Sea in September of 2005, used to be mostly underwater. Before the Aral Sea receded, Kazakh fishermen would climb the rock and leave fish as an offering for a good catch.
Filed under Curiosities
Behind the Scenes of “Metropolis,” 1925 – 1926
“Metropolis” is a science fiction film that came out in 1927 and has become a cult classic. Directed by Fritz Lang, who wrote the screenplay with his wife Thea von Harbou, “Metropolis” examines capitalism in a futuristic urban society. Produced by Germany’s Babelsburg Studios, it was the most expensive film of its time. It’s survived several edits since its premier and even colorization at the hands of modernists, but it remains a beacon of ambitious filmmaking; a hallmark of early 20th century German culture. Here are a few stills taken during the film’s production.
Behind the Story of ‘Here is Berlin’
“Here is Berlin” is J.M. Stim’s extensive essay on the German capital, a city that has always been an entity unto itself, a magical, enigmatic metropolis like Paris or New York, where someone can disappear and metamorphose into a completely different persona. Stim modeled “Here is Berlin” on E.B. White’s “Here is New York” and had a tough time getting it published. He had consulted with 6 prominent European publishers in 2011, only one of whom expressed any interest in his work. Stim knows a few things about publishing. He’s founder and former publisher of Datum, a political and literary monthly in Vienna. He’d already put out one book with an established publisher, but after dealing with the rejection of “Here is Berlin,” he did what many writers are doing these days: he published the book himself. And, as many writers have experienced, it turned out better for him. “Here is Berlin” already has been published in 3 languages. Stim has relocated to the United States and, in this editorial, describes his newest adventures with trying to find an intellectual audience amidst a readership that seems to crave voluptuous vampires.
Today’s Famous Birthdays
If it’s yours, too, Happy Birthday!
Rocket car speedster Craig Breedlove, the first person to travel more than 400mph, more than 500mph and more than 600 mph on land, is 75.
Singer – songwriter – guitarist Ric Ocasek (The Cars) is 63.
Singer Chaka Khan (Yvette Marie Stevens; Tell Me Something Good [with Rufus], I Feel for You) is 59.
Basketball Hall of Famer Moses Malone (Buffalo Braves, Houston Rockets [single-game playoff record for most offensive rebounds; NBA MVP: 1979, 1982, 1983; records: most consecutive games without a disqualification [1,212], most free throws made [8,531], most offensive rebounds [6,731]) is 57.
Actress Teresa Ganzel (The Dave Thomas Comedy Hour, The Duck Factory, Roxie) is 55.
Actress Amanda Plummer (Agnes of God, Joe Versus the Volcano, The World According to Garp, Pulp Fiction) is 55.
Filed under Birthdays
On March 23…
1795 – Josiah G. Pierson received a patent for a rivet machine.
1858 – Eleazer A. Gardner of Philadelphia, PA received a patent for the cable street car.
1861 – John D. Defrees became the first Superintendent of the United States Government Printing Office.
1880 – John Stevens of Neenah, WI patented the device which was called a grain crushing mill. The machine allowed flour production to increase by 70 percent and to sell for $2 more per barrel.
1919 – Benito Mussolini broke with Italian socialists and established the Fascist party.
1983 – Barney Clark died 112 days after becoming the world’s first recipient of a permanent artificial heart.
1986 – Martina Navratilova defeated Hana Mandlikova to win the Virginia Slims Championship. It was the first women’s tournament to go four sets since 1901.
1998 – The movie, Titanic, won 11 Oscars at the 70th Annual Academy Awards, tying the number of awards won by Ben-Hur in 1960.
Filed under History
Chief Writing Wolf 