Picture of the Day
Filed under News
Quote of the Day
“My choice of words was not the best, and in the attempt to be humorous, I created a national stir. I sincerely apologize to Ms. Fluke for the insulting word choices.”
– Rush Limbaugh apologizing on his web site Saturday
Thanks, Rush! After a national backlash and several corporate sponsors pulled ads from your show, I can tell this comes from the depths of your enlarged heart. You besmirched the reputation of someone you don’t know, but that happens all the time in your business. Now, take some Vicodin and shut the hell up!
Filed under News
March 3, 2012 – 292 days Until Baktun 12
Survivalist Tip: If you have to evacuate your home when the apocalypse hits, or if you’ll be on foot anyway, one thing you might consider taking with you is cactus juice. For centuries the indigenous peoples of what are now Latin America and the American Southwest have used cactus juice as a nutritional source. Now scientific research has proven there are actual benefits to it. For one thing cactus juice is rich in a rare antioxidant called betalain, which is actually the pigment that gives the prickly pears that attractive reddish pink color. But, altogether juice from the prickly pear cactus can:
- Decrease inflammation, the leading cause of pain in the body
- Cleanse cells of harmful toxins
- Reduce swelling in the joints and muscles
- Improve breathing
- Ward off annoying relatives
Whether you’ll be in your home or traversing the barren wasteland, you must be in peak physical condition. It’s one reason why the native peoples of the Americas could survive so long in a harsh environment, often without running fresh water or coffee shops. The strength provided by cactus juice also helped Native Americans stave off some of the diseases brought by the first Europeans, such as jock itch and Catholicism. Therefore, it’ll be an essential tool in your arsenal, as you struggle to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. With all you have to worry about, annoying relatives trying to take your food shouldn’t be one of them.
Filed under Mayan Calendar Countdown
Today’s Birthdays
John Thomas (Olympic medalist (1960 & 1964) and Track & Field Hall of Famer) is 71.
Singer – guitarist Mike Pender (The Searchers) is 70.
Jazz /classical guitarist David Pritchard (Contraband) is 63.
Actor – comedian – writer Tim Kazurinsky (Saturday Night Live) is 62.
Actress Miranda Richardson (Fatherland, The Crying Game) is 54.
Jackie Joyner-Kersee (Olympic gold medalist & 1st woman to hold world record in the heptathlon) is 50.
Herschel Walker (former professional football player [Philadelphia Eagles] and mixed martial artist) is 50.
Filed under Birthdays
On March 3…
1820 – Congress passed the Missouri Compromise, a bill that temporarily resolved political clashes between pro- and antislavery interests by granting statehood to Missouri and forbidding slavery north of the 36th parallel.
1845 – Congress overrode a presidential veto for the first time. President John Tyler had vetoed a Congressional bill that would have denied him the power to appropriate federal funds to build revenue-cutter ships without Congress’ approval. With the override, Congress insisted that the executive branch get the legislature’s approval before commissioning any new military craft.
1845 – Florida became the 27th state.
1863 – Congress passed a conscription act that produced the first wartime draft of U.S. citizens; all males aged 20 – 45 had to register by April 1 that year.
1873 – Congress passed the Comstock Act, making it illegal to send any “obscene, lewd, or lascivious” material through the mail.
1875 – The first indoor game of ice hockey was played in Montréal, Québec.
1877 – Rutherford B. Hayes is sworn in as the nation’s 19th president in a private White House ceremony.
1879 – Congress created the U.S. Geological Survey, an organization that played a significant role in the exploration of the West.
1915 – Director D.W. Griffith’s controversial Civil War epic The Birth of a Nation debuted in New York City. At 2 hours and 40 minutes, it was unusually long for its time and utilized then-revolutionary filmmaking techniques, such as editing, multiple camera angles and close-ups.
1923 – The first issue of Time magazine appeared on newsstands.
1931 – The Star-Spangled Banner, written by Francis Scott Key, officially became the national anthem of the United States.
1938 – A world record for the indoor mile run was set at Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH. Glenn Cunningham made the distance in 4 minutes, 4.4 seconds.
Filed under History
Picture of the Day
Oklahoma state Sen. Judy Eason McIntyre, left, holds a sign borrowed from a protester against the state’s “Personhood” bill outside her office.
The photo naturally got the state’s conservative extremists all riled up who thought it was of McIntyre’s design.
Filed under News
Quote of the Day
“For a people of many faiths, for a people committed to the principle of religious freedom, the way forward is always found through greater respect for the equal rights of all, for the human dignity of all.”
— Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, in signing legislation that made his state the eighth to legalize gay marriage.
Maryland Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, Gov. Martin O’Malley and House Speaker Michael Busch, from left, sign the state’s same-sex marriage bill into law at the Maryland State House in Annapolis. Photo: Alex Wong, Getty Images
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Venezuela’s Book Import Controls Threaten Cultural Isolation
Latin America has produced some of the best writers the world has ever known: Jorge Luis Borges, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Carlos Fuentes, Isabel Allende, Octavio Paz and Pablo Neruda among them. As the nations of the region move towards more democratic forms of government, their citizens are becoming increasingly connected to the world around them. And, of course, literature assumes its usual role as a conduit of culture and ideology. It goes without saying that political freedom allows a populace to consume anything it wants to read. Just ask residents of the former Soviet Union. But, amidst the glory of Latin America’s revitalization, Venezuela seems mired in literary seclusion. According to Roger Michelena, owner of Librerias Michelena and founder of Ficcion Breve (Short Fiction), an independent literary trade publisher in Caracas, barely 1% of titles published in Spanish ever make it to Venezuela.
The nation isn’t just dealing with the usual problems involving distribution and marketing. It has to contend with a government that imposes strict exchange controls – much like the former Soviet Union did to its literary elite and what China often does now to its own writers. It shouldn’t be a surprise to even a minor student of international politics.
Since assuming the presidency in 1999, Hugo Chavez has ruled Venezuela like…well, like Stalin. As with many Latin American leaders, Chavez came to power with a socialist agenda; promising radical changes for the poor and daring to take on the “predatory oligarchs” of the old order. But, in the 13 years since, he’s become more of an autocrat; holding onto his position in much the same way any dictator does. And, when the power and wealth of a nation go into the hands of a few, the lower classes suffer the most. And, among the first things they’re forced to sacrifice is education.
It’s up against this backdrop that Michelena finds himself. In this interview with “Spanish World Book News,” Michelena explains his mission and his passion.
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Chief Writing Wolf 