“To the atheists watching this telecast, if our belief in God offends you, move!”
– John Hagee, founder and pastor of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas.
That’s ridiculous. Does he honestly think atheists would watch his broadcast?
Monthly Archives: June 2012
Life and Breath in Paint
Alfredo Rodriguez is a Mexican-born artist who now lives in California. He’s best known for his spectacular drawings of life in the American West. His works are breathtaking in their use of color and light, which give viewers an extraordinary sense of realism. Such details as shadows and strands of hair almost make you doubt that you’re looking at an illustration. Words aren’t enough to describe the sensation. Here are just a few examples of Rodriguez’s work.
Filed under Art Working
June 4 Notable Birthdays
If today is your birthday, “Happy Birthday!”
Author and sex therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer (Karola Ruth Siegel) is 84.
Jazz singer – actress Morgana King (The Godfather, The Godfather Part 2, A Time to Remember) is 82.
Actor Bruce Dern (Black Sunday, Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte, Coming Home, The ’Burbs, They Shoot Horses Don’t They?) is 76.
Author Robert Fulghum (It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten) is 75.
Michelle Phillips (singer: The Mamas and the Papas; actress: The Last Movie, Dillinger, Knot’s Landing) is 68.
Actor Parker Stevenson (The Hardy Boys Mysteries, Baywatch, Melrose Place, Falcon Crest) is 60.
Actor Keith David (Dead Presidents, The Quick and the Dead, The Last Outlaw, Final Analysis, Men at Work, Platoon) is 56.
Actor Eddie Velez (Extremities, Bitter Vengeance, Rooftops, Romero) is 54.
Former tennis player Andrea Jaeger (1984 U.S. Olympic women’s team) is 47.
Mezzo soprano opera singer Cecilia Bartoli is 46.
Actor Scott Wolf (Party of Five, The Evening Star, The Naked Dead) is 44.
Actor Noah Wyle (ER, Can’t Stop Dancing, Pirates of Silicon Valley) is 41.
Actress Angelina Jolie (Girl, Interrupted; Gia, George Wallace, Cyborg 2, Foxfire, Playing by Heart, Tomb Raider) is 37.
Filed under Birthdays
On June 4…
1738 – King George III of Great Britain was born in London.
1831 – The independent constitutional monarchy of Belgium named Prince Leopold I as its first king.
1876 – The Transcontinental Express train arrived in San Francisco, 83 hours after leaving New York City.
1896 – Henry Ford took a trial run around the streets of Detroit, MI, in his “Quadricycle,” the first vehicle he had designed.
1910 – Christopher Cockereel, inventor of the Hovercraft, was born in Cherry Hinton, England.
1917 – The first Pulitzer Prizes were awarded under the name “Plan of Award.”
1919 – Congress passed the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, guaranteeing women the right to vote, and sent it to the states for ratification.
Suffrage Parade, New York City, ca. 1912
1931 – The first rocket-glider flight was made by William Swan in Atlantic City, NJ.
1989 – The People’s Army of China opened fire on pro- democracy student protestors in Peking’s Tiananmen Square.
Quote of the Day
“Republicans being against sex is not good. Sex is popular.”
– Alex Castellanos, a GOP strategist, on his party’s war on women.
Oh, my God! An American conservative committed two of the greatest sins: he said something bad about the Republican Party and something good about sex. If he says Obama might stand a chance at reelection, that’ll be a third strike, and he’ll be relegated to a spot on “Dancing with the Stars!”
Filed under News
The Art of Sand
Who would think that lowly sand could become an artist’s tool? Ilana Yahav has discovered the joy of it. Using only her delicate hands and boundless imagination, Yahav transforms these simple grains from the stuff of beachfronts and deserts into breathtaking visions of extraordinary beauty. This video is just one example of her work.
Filed under Art Working
June 3, 2012 – 200 Days Until Baktun 12
Survivalist Tip: As I stated last week, I’m reducing my countdown to a weekly announcement. But, here’s something of extreme importance as the apocalypse nears: eye drops. Eye health is essential to your well-being. Without good eyesight, you’re vulnerable and have to rely upon other people. This, of course, is counter-intuitive to the survivalist mentality. You’ll need a good supply of eye drops in your arsenal. When Earth’s axes swap places, there will be plenty of dust and debris flung through the air. That won’t just aggravate your skin and mess up your hair; it’ll threaten your eyes. Dry eyes aren’t just an irritation; they’re a health threat. If you’re bothered with dry eyes, you won’t be able to pay attention to potential threats from intruders, patch up injured family members, or search for chocolate. Besides, you can’t afford to use up your valuable water supply to moisten your eyes. That’ll lead to dehydration, which will create even more drama in your already chaotic life.
Filed under Mayan Calendar Countdown
June 3 Notable Birthdays
If today is your birthday, “Happy Birthday!”
Director Alain Resnais (Last Year at Marienbad, Stavisky, Providence, On connaît la chanson) is 90.
Author Larry McMurtry (The Last Picture Show, Terms of Endearment, Lonesome Dove) is 76.
Olympic Gold medalist swimmer Michael Burton (1,500-meter freestyle [1968, 1972], 400-meter freestyle [1968] – the only swimmer to win this event twice) is 65.
Singer – actress Suzi Quatro is 62.
Singer Deniece Williams (Let’s Hear It for the Boy, Too Much, Too Little, Too Late) is 62.
Actor Scott Valentine (Family Ties, Midnight Caller, Object of Obsession) is 54.
Filed under Birthdays
On June 3…
1800 – John Adams became the first U.S. president to move to Washington, D.C. The People’s House, or the Executive Mansion, later known as the White House, wasn’t completed until November of that year, so Adams lived at Tunnicliffe’s City Hotel.
1808 – Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America (1861 – 1865) was born in Christian County, KY.
1856 – Cullen Whipple of Providence, RI, patented the screw machine.
1956 – Santa Cruz, CA, became the first city in the U.S. to ban rock n’ roll.
1959 – The Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO, graduated its first class.
1965 – Major Edward H. White became the first American to walk in space, when he exited the Gemini 4 spacecraft 120 miles above Earth.
Filed under History
Chief Writing Wolf 