Picture of the Day
Researcher Maurizio Seracini (foreground) views video from behind a Giorgio Vasari mural in Florence. Art researchers are wondering if an undiscovered painting by Leonardo da Vinci is hidden behind a 16th century mural by fellow artist Giorgio Vasari. Photo courtesy of National Geographic.
Filed under News
Quote of the Day
“I am trying to say y’all and I like grits and things. Strange things are happening to me.”
— Mitt Romney joking to a Mississippi audience last week and apparently trying in vain to appeal to Republican voters there and in neighboring Alabama.
It’s bad enough the Republican Party has a virtual stranglehold on the Southeastern U.S. – mainly because of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that dared to guarantee Negroes and Indians the right to vote – but then politicians have to prove their insincerity with this kind of goofiness.
Filed under News
Self Publishers Unite!
Chris Faraone starts off with a great piece of business advice from his father: “develop a compelling product, sling it like your kid is starving, and never trust distributors.” I couldn’t offer better wisdom to any kind of business entrepreneur – especially to us writers. Self-publishing – once the bastion of desperation for writers – has become more than fashionable; it’s become competitive. It’s now a viable alternative to any scribe who’s tired of trying to appeal to the right book agent or publisher with just the right proposal at just the right time. Self-publishing is a leech on traditional book publishing – but it’s the proverbial “Holy Grail” for the independent writer. It puts the power of publishing in the hands of the right people – the writers themselves. It doesn’t make the actual task of writing any easier; nor does it simplify the equally difficult job of marketing. But with self-publishing, writers at least have complete control over their work. Faraone learned about the business from his father who, ironically, operated his own book publishing company. And, although the younger Faraone concentrates a good deal of his editorial on the “Occupy Wall Street” movement, I see a perfect analogy. If you don’t like the way something is, work to change it! That’s how progress is made.
Filed under News
1973 Oil Crisis
Those of you age 40 and over (yes, this means you, too!) should remember the oil crisis of 1973. It started in October of that year when the member nations of the Oil Exporting Countries (OPEC) abruptly decided to stop exporting oil to the United States and several other countries. The U.S. was most affected, however, because we’d already developed an addiction to driving by the 1970’s, and the average vehicle earned less than 15 miles per gallon. There’s always been a love – hate relationship between the U.S. and the nations of the Arabian region. American geologists discovered oil beneath the sands of the Saudi deserts in the 1930’s, but full-scale production didn’t begin until after World War II. That coincided with the rise in automobile usage in the U.S. and the construction of the massive interstate highway system. The Saudi people moved from a feudal-type existence into the modern world – and got rich in the process. But, the governments of the various OPEC nations despised the U.S. for its liberal ideals, such as allowing women to vote and drive the vehicles that needed all that oil and its support of Israel. This latter factor has always been a sore point between the U.S. and the OPEC countries – then as now. And, it was actually the primary reason for the OPEC embargo. Egypt unexpectedly attacked Israel on October 6, 1973, and the U.S., of course, took Israel’s side. The embargo lasted into 1974 and made Americans more conscious of their energy consumption. I remember scenes like those depicted in these photos. They’re not what one would call “sweet memories.”
Source: David Falconer / EPA
Filed under Classics
March 12, 2012 – 283 days Until Baktun 12
Survivalist Tip: Rice is another one of the many foods you’ll need to survive in the aftermath of the apocalypse. It’s one of the oldest grains on Earth and feeds at least half of the world’s current population. That means some 3.5 billion humans subsist on this very precious cereal crop – mainly because there aren’t any nearby pizzerias. Scientists don’t know where and when rice was first cultivated, but the ancient Mesopotamians are the most likely candidates. The people of Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and Iran) were highly civilized and ambitious, just like their counterparts – the Mayans. Unfortunately, when Islam came to rule, the Mesopotamians suddenly got stupid. The same thing happened with Christianity and Judaism, but that’s a different subject. The ancient Mayans made rice a staple of their diet, and the crop spread northward into what is now the United States. The indigenous peoples in these regions – from the Cherokee in the southeast all the way to the Hollywood in the far west – quickly adapted and made it part of their daily menu. Rice is not very high in protein, but it is a very sturdy plant and very filling. We don’t know how long things will be in an uproar after the initial apocalyptic wave strikes; thus we don’t know how long it will be before you can start shopping for groceries again, or when your favorite pizzeria will re-open. But, rice will save you from going hungry!
Filed under Mayan Calendar Countdown
Today’s Birthdays
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Edward Albee (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?; A Delicate Balance) is 84.
Andrew Young (U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations under President Jimmy Carter) is 80.
Actress Barbara Feldon (Get Smart; The Man from U.N.C.L.E.) is 79.
Auto racer Johnny Rutherford (Indianapolis 500 winner 1974, 1976, 1980) is 74.
Singer Al Jarreau (Breakin’ Away, We’re in This Love Together) is 72.
Actress – singer Liza Minnelli (Cabaret; The Sterile Cuckoo) is 66.
Singer James Taylor (You’ve Got a Friend; Fire & Rain) is 64.
Keyboardist Bill Payne (Little Feat) is 63.
Singer Marlon Jackson (The Jackson Five) is 55.
Former professional baseball player Darryl Strawberry (NY Mets; LA Dodgers; SF Giants; NY Yankees) is 50.
Filed under Birthdays
On March 12…
1755 – The first reported use of the steam engine was made in North Arlington, NJ.
1884 – The state of Mississippi authorized the first state-supported college for women called the Mississippi Industrial Institute and College.
1889 – Almon B. Strowger received a patent for the automatic telephone system, which was installed in Laporte, IN, in 1892.
1930 – Mohandas Gandhi began a defiant march to the sea in protest of the British monopoly on salt, in his first public act of civil disobedience.
1933 – Eight days after he was inaugurated, U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt presented his first presidential address to the nation, more commonly called Fireside Chats.
1935 – Parimutuel betting became a reality as Nebraska legalized horse race bets.
1938 – Germany annexed Austria.
1947 – President Harry S. Truman asked for U.S. assistance to prevent Greece and Turkey from falling to communist domination in what became known as the “Truman Doctrine.”
1951 – The comic strip, Dennis the Menace, appeared for the first time in 16 newspapers across the U.S.
1966 – Bobby Hull of the Chicago Blackhawks became the first player in the National Hockey League to score 51 points in a single season.
Filed under History
Cartoon of the Day
Looks like he’s having a tough time getting sweetness to stay interested. I just don’t understand why most southern conservative Republicans don’t like Romney. He’s tall, handsome, wealthy and – most importantly – a full-blooded Caucasian (even if though his daddy was born in México). Oh wait! How silly of me to forget! He’s a Mormon! Damn – just when they thought he was perfect!
Filed under News
Picture of the Day
Northern lights accentuated by last week’s solar storms, as viewed from the Space Station. Photo courtesy National Geographic.
Filed under News
