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In Geneva, President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev met for the first time (1985)PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE According to the U.S. Code, the Pledge of Allegiance should be made facing the flag, standing at attention, with the right hand over the heart. Men not in uniform should remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder. Those in uniform should remain silent, face the flag, and salute. The Pledge of Allegiance is: I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
There are no such things as applied sciences, only applications of science. Louis Pasteur (1822-95)Current Mood: awake Current Music: "Mourning Edition" by the Austin Lounge Lizards
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Martin Scorsese born (1942)PREDICTING THE WEATHER From the preceding state of the weather; the undulations of the atmosphere; the apparent color of the sky; the appearance of the clouds; the wind; the changes of temperature, with respect to heat and cold; the apparent colors of the sun & moon. ---Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanac, 1806 Old age means realizing you will never own all the dogs you wanted to. Joe Gores (1931-)Current Mood: amused Current Music: "Bourée" by Ian Anderson w/orchestra
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Dr. David Livingstone first saw and named Victoria Falls on the Border of Zimbabwe and Zambia (1855)HUNDRED DAYS "The first 100 days" has been used on a number of occasions to describe the first three "honeymoon" months of a new political administration--during which it is assumed that radical reforms may be accomplished with less than the usual opposition. The phrase seems to have originated in 1815 to describe the period 20 March-28 June--between Napoleon's escape from Elba and the second restoration of Louis XVIII following England's victory at Waterloo. The Oxford English Dictionary credits Louis de Chabrol de Volvic, Prefect of Paris, with coining the phrase inm a speech to the king: " Cent jours se sont écoulés depuis le moment fatal où votre majesté quitta sa capitale." The archives of the Times indicate that a range of figures have had their "100 days" scrutinized, including: LBJ, Richard Nixon, JFK *, Margaret Thatcher, and Tony Blair. Most famous, however, are FDR's initial 100 days as president in 1933, during which he pioneered the New Deal. * John F. Kennedy's presidency (20 Jan. 1961-22 Nov. 1963) is occasionally referred to as the 1,000 days. XERISCAPE--a landscape designed to minimize irrigation "Legoland is, among other things, a xeriscape."Current Mood: curious Current Music: "Stagefright" by The Band
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After a week off, we've got a new review episode of the podcast up. First is bringing it to the table: Andrea brings Sherlock Holmes: The Archive Collection, even though she didn't enjoy it much; John tells Orenthal about the DVD releases of Streethawk and Tales of the Gold Monkey and shares some new iPhone apps. The segments: "A Case for Books": Andrea reviews The Fate of Katherine Carr by Thomas H. Cook and recommends The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan. Movie reviews: Derrick looks back at the Nicole Kidman thriller, Birth. "Couch Potato Salad": I review the new V, and also anticipate The Prisoner (this was before I actually saw it....). "Pop Fiendish": Orenthal wishes Sesame Street a happy 40th. You can download the episode from iTunes, from the Rift web site, or from Mevio's Rift page. Comment on the forums, or leave a message at 888-866-9010. Current Mood: geeky Current Music: "American Roulette" by Robbie Robertson
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Here's my schedule for Philcon 2009, this coming weekend at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Cherry Hill, New Jersey: Friday8pm: reading (Executive Suite 623) midnight: " Eye of Argon Reading" (Plaza IV), with Oz Fontecchio, Lawrence M. Schoen, Phil Kahn, Hildy Silverman, and Victoria Janssen Saturday11am: "How Faithful are Graphic Adaptations of Popular Novels?" (Plaza I), with Bill Spangler, Jonathan Maberry, Stephanie Burke, and Ray Ridenour 4pm: " Star Trek: Where Does it Boldly Go Now?" (Crystal Ballroom 3), with Lawrence M. Schoen, Samantha Kwait, Terri Osborne, and Hugh Casey 9pm: "The Art of the Collaboration" (Plaza I), with Michael Swanwick, Mike McPhail, Chris Pisano, and John Grant Sunday11am: "The Importance of Cash Flow for the New Author" (Executive Suite 823), with Laura Anne Gilman, Sally Wiener Grotta, Christine Norris, and Oz Drummond 1pm: "Editing Anthologies" (Plaza II), with Darrell Schweitzer, Gardner Dozois, and Danielle Ackley-McPhail Hope to see many of you there! Current Mood: pleased Current Music: "The Ragpicker's Dream" by Mark Knopfler
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Montréal was captured from the British by U.S. forces during the American Revolution (1775)SEVEN THINGS TO BE REMEMBERED Never to stick pins into butterflies and other insects unless you would like to have somebody stick pins into you. Never to carry fowl with their heads hanging down, unless you would like to be carried in that way yourself. Never to throw stones at those harmless creatures, toads, unless you would like to have stones thrown at you in the same way. That nearly all snakes are harmless and useful. That it is cruel to keep twitching the reins while driving. That you should always talk kindly to every dumb creature. That you should always treat every dumb creature as you would like to be treated yourself, if you were in the creature's place. ---Julia M. Dewey, Ethics: Stories for Home and School, 1891 Lucky is he who has been able to understand the causes of things. Virgil (70-19 BCE)Current Mood: curious Current Music: "1913 Massacre" by Ramblin' Jack Elliott
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In honor of my black belt, the Forebearance ( girasole, bronxbob350, helgabee, and the Infomancer) got me a new laptop! Opportunity died a while back, and I've been borrowing girasole's similar machine Rosina (which is just like Opportunity only pink). Now, though, I have a new one that's better in every way. It's an Acer Aspire One, which runs Windows XP instead of Linux, has a better keyboard, a better monitor, and it's red! I'm actually using it right now. I have named it Kiisu, after the transliteration of my name spelled in Japanese katakana characters as it appears on my black belt. *happy dance* Current Mood: happy Current Music: some football game or other on my parents' TV
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