Stephen Crane died today – 107 years ago

U.S. writer Stephen Crane was born on November 1, 1871 in Newark, New Jersey. A well-known work of his is “The Red Badge of Courage.” He once said, “Every sin is the result of collaboration.” {1} [I wonder where he’d been.]... Mr. Crane died in 1900 in Badenweiler, Germany.

U.S. writer O. Henry was born as William Sydney Porter in September 11, 1862 in/near Greensboro, North Carolina. He said, “Life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating.” {2} [I’ll... (sniffling sound)... to that.]... Mr. Henry died in 1901 in New York City, New York.

U.S. political columnist Max Lerner was born as Mikhail Lerner on December 20, 1902 in Minsk, Russia. He said, “The so-called lessons of history are for the most part the rationalizations of the victors. History is written by the survivors.” {1} [That is so true!] He also said, “The best thing about lying in bed late is that you learn to distinguish between first things and trivia, for whatever presses on you has to prove its importance before it makes you move” {1} [And that’s why I try not to get up early: so that I can discern what is most important in life.]... Mr. Lerner died in 1992 in New York City, New York.

U.S. economist Sylvia Porter was born on June 18, 1913 in Patchogue, Long Island, New York. She said, “One of the soundest rules to remember when making forecasts in the field of economics is that whatever is to happen is happening already.” {3} [So if we’re making money now, we’ll be making money in the future. Sounds good to me.] She also said, “The average family exists only on paper and its average budget is a fiction, invented by statisticians for the convenience of statisticians." {3} [So true! So true!]... Ms. Porter died in 1991 in Pound Ridge, New York.

U.S. critic Alfred Kazin was born on June 5, 1915 in Brooklyn, New York. He said, “If we practiced medicine like we practice education, we'd look for the liver on the right side and left side in alternate years.” {1} [Nothing like trying new things... even if they don’t work.]... Mr. Kazin died in 1998 in Manhattan, New York.

U.S. actor & President (40th) Ronald Reagan was born on February 6, 1911 in Tampico, Illinois. He was married to U.S. actress Jane Wyman and Anne Frances Robbins "Nancy" Davis Reagan – but not at the same time. He graduated from Eureka College in Eureka, Illinois. [I also graduated from Eureka College in Eureka, Illinois. Think I might be president some day?] He once said “All the waste in a year from a nuclear power plant can be stored under a desk.” {2} [Well, we can stop building that storage facility in Nevada. Just buy a big enough desk.] He also said, “Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them.” {2} [Just look around you.] And, while he was on a roll, he said, “One way to make sure crime doesn't pay would be to let the government run it.” {2} [I wonder why they didn’t think of that?]... Mr. Reagan died in 2004 in Bel Air, California.

{1} Source: http://thinkexist.com
{2} Source: www.brainyquote.com
{3} Source: http://creativequotations.com/one/1213.htm

Dorothy Gish died today – 39 years ago

U.S. actress Dorothy Gish was born on March 11, 1898 in Massillon, Ohio. She was the sister of Lillian Gish. She was in many, many (around 142) movies. She said, "I wanted to be a tragedienne. I only wanted sad parts. When mother read the press notices when I was on the road, saying I was a 'comedienne', the tears rolled down my cheeks. I thought comedians had to have black on their faces or red beards." {1} [Hmmmm.]... Ms. Gish died in 1968 in Rapallo, Liguria, Italy.

U.S. actor Joe E. Lewis was born as Joseph Klewan on January 12, 1902 in New York City, New York. He said, “You only live once - but if you work it right, once is enough." {2} [But some of us just need more time.]... Mr. Lewis died in 1971 in New York City, New York.

{1} Source: www.imdb.com
{2} Source: www.brainyquote.com

Clean Up Those Emails – They’re “Dirty”

Yes, I know it’s what we want to do: let the whole world know EVERYTHING that we think is important or interesting or funny or clever or ... fill-in-the-blank. So, if you (and I’m in this category) just have to tell us all, you (and I) don’t have to tell us who EVERYONE is. Instead of using the “To:” field, use the BCC field. BCC doesn't mean "Brings Copious Contacts." That's what we're getting now. BCC means “blind carbon copy.” By doing this, none of the other email addresses will appear in the recipient’s email. The next step is to delete ALL of the email addresses in the body of the email to be forwarded. It’s really quite simple: just highlight them and press “Del” (for Delete). An added bonus is that it's easier to find the forwarded message, rather than having to scroll down many pages (in some cases) to find it. We all do have other treasures to find.

There’s one more consideration. Look at the many addresses in emails that are forwarded to you. How many of them do you know? (Yes, I know that you want to know them all. You might miss out on an interesting person. Well, there are trade-offs in life. Get over it.) Remember that spammers can get email addresses by “mining” those many-forwarded emails. And we certainly don’t need any more SPAM, do we? I didn’t think so. Cheers!

The Roswell Connection

I recently received the following email:

******************************************************************************
Subject: maybe not true

I thought you would enjoy this little blurb of nonfiction:

Many will recall that on July 8, 1947 witnesses claimed that an Unidentified object with five aliens aboard crashed onto a sheep and cattle Ranch outside Roswell, New Mexico.

This is a well known incident that many say has long been covered up by the U.S. Air Force and the Federal Government.

However, you may NOT know that in the month of March 1948 exactly nine Months after that historic day:

Albert Arnold Gore, Jr.
Hillary Rodham;
John F. Kerry;
William Jefferson Clinton;
Howard Dean;
Nancy Pelosi;
Dianne Feinstein;
Charles E. Schumer and,
Barbara Boxer

were born.

See what happens when aliens breed with sheep... This piece of Information may clear up a lot of things.
**********************************************************************************

Well, I'm sure there are many reasons to criticize these people (along with most other politicians), but lying about the facts is not the way to do it. According to Wikipedia,

Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. was born on March 31, 1948.

Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton was born on October 26, 1947.

John Forbes Kerry was born on December 11, 1943.

William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton was born on August 19, 1946.

Howard Brush Dean III was born on November 17, 1948.

Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi was born on March 26, 1940.

Dianne Goldman Berman Feinstein was born on June 22, 1933.

Charles Ellis "Chuck" Schumer was born on November 23, 1950.

Barbara Levy Boxer was born on November 11, 1940.


P.S. Besides, “exactly nine Months after that historic day” of July 8, 1947 would be April 8, 1948. There’s nothing like getting it ALL wrong, is there?

William Harvey died today – 350 years ago

English physician William Harvey was born on April 1, 1578 in Folkestone, Kent, England. He discovered the nature of blood circulation. He said, “[M]emory cannot exist without endurance of the things perceived, and the thing perceived cannot remain where it has never been.” {1} [Uh-huh. I see. I guess.]... He died on June 3, 1657 in London, England.

Czech writer Franz Kafka was born on July 3, 1883 in Prague, Austria-Hungary. He said, “Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.” {2} [Finally, the fountain of youth has been discovered.]... He died in 1924 in Vienna, Austria.

English fashion designer & critic James Laver was born on March 14, 1899 in Liverpool, England. He said, “The same costume will be Indecent 10 years before its time, Shameless 5 years before its time, Outré (daring) 1 year before its time, Smart, Dowdy 1 year after its time, Hideous 10 years after its time, Ridiculous 20 years after its time, Amusing 30 years after its time, Quaint 50 years after its time, Charming 70 years after its time, Romantic 100 years after its time, Beautiful 150 years after its time.” {3} [That doesn’t apply to my wardrobe. Trust me.]... He died in 1975 in London, England.

Irani religious leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini was born on May 17, 1900 in Khomein, Markazi Province, Iran. [No quotes seemed appropriate. It’s my blog and I’ll exclude if I want to... There must be a song in there somewhere.]... He died in 1989.

English actor Robert Morley was born as Robert Adolph Wilton Morley on May 26, 1908 in Semley, Wiltshire, England. He said, “I have little patience with anyone who is not self-satisfied. I am always pleased to see my friends, happy to be with my wife and family, but the high spot of every day is when I first catch a glimpse of myself in the shaving mirror.” {1} [Gives you quite a jolt, does it?]... He died in 1992 in Wargrave, Berkshire, England.

{1} Source: http://thinkexist.com
{2} Source: www.brainyquote.com
{3} Source: www.poemhunter.com

Timothy Thomas Fortune died today – 79 years ago

U.S. orator, writer, & civil rights leader Timothy Thomas Fortune was born on October 3, 1856 in Marianna, Florida. He said, "Ours is supposed to be a government in which classes and distinctions melt into a harmonious whole. Until we reach this ideal of government, we will be a distracted, contentious people." {1} [Ah, yes! That’s the melting pot theory. I guess the fire went out.]... He died on June 2, 1928 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

French writer Emile-Auguste Chartier was born on March 3, 1868 in Mortagne, France. He was commonly known as Alain. He said, “Nothing is more dangerous than an idea, when it's the only one you have.” {2} [Sometimes a collection of ideas is no better.]... He died in 1951 in Le Vésinet (near Paris), France.

U.S. educator, writer, & musician John Erskine was born on October 5, 1879 in New York City, New York. He said, “Music is the only language in which you cannot say a mean or sarcastic thing.” {3} [Until you add the “right” words.]... He died in 1951 in New York, New York.

U.S. writer & playwright George S. Kaufman was born on November 16, 1889 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He wrote the Broadway shows “The Cocoanuts” (with Irving Berlin) and “Animal Crackers” for the Marx Brothers. He once said, “I understand your new play is full of single entendres.” {2} [It makes it easier to understand that way.]... He died in 1961 in New York City, New York.

Spanish guitarist Andres Segovia was born on February 21, 1893 in Linares, Spain. He said, “The piano is a monster that screams when you touch its teeth." {4} [Well, he must have been playing it the wrong way.]... He died in 1987 in Madrid, Spain.

Israeli-U.S. cognitive psychologist Amos Tversky was born on March 16, 1937 in Haifa, Israel. He said, “Whenever there is a simple error that most laymen fall for, there is always a slightly more sophisticated version of the same problem that experts fall for." {4} [Ain’t that the truth.]... He died in 1996 in Stanford, California.

{1} Source: www.learningtogive.org
{2} Source: http://thinkexist.com
{3} Source: www.brainyquote.com
{4} Source: www.born-today.com

Henry King “Hank” Ketcham died today – 6 years ago

U.S. cartoonist Hank Ketcham was born on March 14, 1920 in Seattle, Washington. He created the “Dennis the Menace” comic strip. He said, “Flattery is like chewing gum. Enjoy it but don't swallow it." {1} (But it tastes so good. And it’s so filling... at least for a while.)... He died in 2001.

U.S. President (15th) James Buchanan was born on April 23, 1791 in Cove Gap near Mercersburg in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. He said, “To avoid entangling alliances has been a maxim of our policy ever since the days of Washington, and its wisdom no one will attempt to dispute.” {2} (How times have changed!)... He died in 1868 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

U.S. educator & philosopher John Dewey was born on October 20, 1859 in Burlington, Vermont. He said, “As long as art is the beauty parlor of civilization, neither art nor civilization is secure." {1} (Huh?)... He died in 1952 in New York City, New York.

U.S. author & activist Helen Keller was born on June 27, 1880 in Tuscumbia, Alabama. She was deaf and blind. She said, “One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar." {1} (That’s what the eagle said.)... She died in 1968 in Easton, Connecticut.

U.S. theologian Reinhold Niebuhr was born on June 21, 1892 in Wright City, Missouri. He said, “Our age knows nothing but reaction, and leaps from one extreme to another.” {2} (It's so much easier that way.)... He died in 1971.

{1} Source: www.born-today.com
{2} Source: www.brainyquote.com