Survivalist Tip: I missed posting yesterday’s survivalist tip, so here it is: don’t leave anything out! As you prepare for the apocalypse, start making a list of everything you’ll need. Whether you think you’ll be able to stay in your home, or you know you’ll be heading out on foot, just compose a complete and thorough written inventory of all your essential supplies. Even after things settle down, keep that list handy. Your descendants might need it for Baktun 13 – 26,000 years from now.
Filed under Mayan Calendar Countdown
Filed under News
“An important statistic that I read once was that there’s a survey done of 12 year-olds that found at age 12, 25 percent of the students were unsure of their sexual orientation. But we know from surveys of the adult population that only maybe 2 to 3 percent of the adult population will actually identify as homosexual or bisexual. So you have this population of young people that left to themselves, 9 out of 10 would end up being perfectly heterosexual, but now with the politically correct environment in the schools, those kids are being told by their teachers and guidance counselors, ‘Well you are probably gay, you were born that way, you just have to accept it and embrace it.’”
– Peter Sprigg, of the Family Research Council who wants public schools to distribute “ex-gay” information.
In other words, it’s a vast left-wing conspiracy! Grab your guns and bibles, folks! Those damn queers are on the rampage again!
Filed under News
Helmets were just one of the many pieces of protective gear medieval warriors used when engaging in battle. They also had complete body armor, which included protection for the arms and legs and the renowned form-fitting chain mail; shields; pole arms (javelins and lances); and even armor for one’s horse. The 14th and 15th centuries – what’s known as the “Late Medieval Period” – saw incredible developments in armor, particularly with helmets. This stands to reason, since the same period also experienced significant advances in weaponry. The region occupied by present-day Germany sat at the heart of the Roman Empire, and during the medieval period, the Teutonic Knights created a powerful and completely independent establishment; solidifying their reputation as fierce warriors and technological geniuses. Here’s a sampling of 16th century German helmets, courtesy of the Wallace Collection.
c. 1500
c. 1520
c. 1530 I
c. 1530 II
c. 1545
c. 1550 – 1560
c. 1550 I
c. 1550 II
c. 1555
c. 1560 I
c. 1560 II
c. 1575
c. 1590 I
c. 1590 II
Filed under Classics
From left, Louise Estes, holds her new-born daughter Jade as her sons Xavier, 8, and Remington, 4, sit nearby at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo, Utah, on February 29, 2012. Photo: Mark Johnston, Daily Herald.
In one of the rarest achievements in family planning, a Utah woman has given birth on a third consecutive Leap Day, tying a record set by a Norwegian family in the 1960’s.
David and Louise Estes’ daughter Jade was born February 29 in Provo, four years after their son Remington was born on February 29, 2008, and eight years after their son Xavier was born February 29, 2004. Jade was already five days overdue when doctors induced labor and managed to hit the elusive date.
The only other known case of triple Leap Day babies is the Henriksen family of Norway, which logged February 29th births in 1960, 1964 and 1968, according to the Guinness World Records.
All those kids may belong to one of the most unique clubs on Earth, but I still feel sympathy for anyone born on February 29th.
Filed under Curiosities
Actor James B. Sikking (Hill Street Blues, Ordinary People) is 78.
Actor Paul Sand (Gimme a Break, St. Elsewhere) is 77.
Actor Dean Stockwell (Gentlemen’s Agreement, Dune) is 76.
Fred ‘The Hammer’ Williamson (former professional football player [Kansas City Chiefs] and sportscaster is 74.
Actress Samantha Eggar (Exterminator, Doctor Dolittle) is 73.
Randy Matson (National Track & Field Hall of Famer and1964 Olympic Silver Medalist) is 67.
Actor Michael Warren (Paris, Hill Street Blues) is 66.
Actor – singer Eddie Hodges (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, A Hole in the Head) is 65.
Singer – songwriter Eddy Grant (Equals) is 64.
Keyboardist Alan Clark (Dire Straits) is 60.
Actress – comic Marsha Warfield (Night Court, Empty Nest) is 58.
Magician Penn Jillette is 57.
Actress Eva Mendes (Training Day, Once Upon a Time in México) is 37.
Filed under Birthdays
1750 – The first Shakespearean play was presented in America, when the Nassau Street Theatre in New York City staged King Richard III.
1770 – A mob of American colonists gathered at the Customs House in Boston and began taunting British soldiers guarding the building in protest of the English occupation of the city. The British retaliated, which resulted in the “Boston Massacre.”
1815 – Franz Anton Mesmer, a physician who pioneered the practice of hypnotism, died in Meersburg, Germany.
1821 – James Monroe became the first President of the United States to be inaugurated on March 5th. The usual inauguration date of March 4th fell on a Sunday that year, and a President cannot be inaugurated on the Sabbath. It’s still the law, even though the Inauguration Day was officially set back to January 20th.
1872 – George Westinghouse patented the air brake.
1923 – Old-age pension laws were enacted in the states of Montana and Nevada.
1946 – Winston Churchill delivered his famous “Iron Curtain Speech” in Fulton, MO, which included the line, “From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent.”
1953 – Joseph Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union, died in Moscow.
1960 – Elvis Presley returned to civilian life after a two-year hitch in the U.S. Army.
1963 – Patsy Cline, Lloyd “Cowboy” Copas and Harold “Hawkshaw” Hawkins were killed in a plane crash at Camden, TN, near Nashville.
1963 – Arthur Melin patented the Hula-Hoop.
1969 – The rock magazine, Creem, debuted.
1984 – The Los Angeles Express of the United States Football League signed quarterback Steve Young, from Brigham Young University, to a “substantial” contract. Young inked a pact that would earn him $40 million dollars over a 43-year period, in one of the most complicated contracts ever – lasting until 2027. The USFL folded not long after he signed the deal.
1985 – Mike Bossy of the New York Islanders became the first National Hockey League player to score 50 goals in eight consecutive seasons.
Filed under History
Yes, now grow up for God’s sakes! You’re embarrassing your grandchildren!
Filed under News
The Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge over the Trinity River. Designed by Spanish engineer Santiago Calatrava, the bridge links downtown Dallas to predominantly Hispanic West Dallas. It opened this past weekend with much fanfare and hope for a brighter future. Another bridge is planned across the Trinity River, but further east where it swoops southward; it’ll link downtown Dallas to predominantly Black South Dallas. Ah hah! I see a connection!
