Sunday, June 16, 2013

The Sunday News Is Not New

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The reason I was so late in posting today is because I invested the first three hours this morning in watching the Sunday morning news shows on TV.

And I learned nothing concrete by doing so.

And I knew beforehand that I would not.

But I did it anyway,

And that indicates how insane I seem to have become in my old age.

Damn!
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TRIVIA

The longest one-syllable word in the English language is 'screeched.'

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HISTORICAL EVENT

On this day, June 16, 1963, aboard Vostok 6, Soviet Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to travel into space. After 48 orbits and 71 hours, she returned to earth, having spent more time in space than all U.S. astronauts combined to that date.

Soviet Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova

 
The first American woman in space was astronaut and physicist Sally Ride, who served as mission specialist on a flight of the space shuttle Challenger in 1983.

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WORD FOR TODAY

magnanimity
noun
-  loftiness of thought or purpose,
-  extreme generosity

Defined by Noah Webster
noun
Greatness of mind; that elevation or dignity of soul, which encounters danger and trouble with tranquility and firmness, which raises the possessor above revenge, and makes him delight in acts of benevolence, which makes him disdain injustice and meanness, and prompts him to sacrifice personal ease, interest and safety for the accomplishment of useful and noble objects.

Magnanimity is the virtue of being great of mind and heart. It encompasses, usually, a refusal to be petty, a willingness to face danger, and actions for noble purposes.

Its antithesis is pusillanimity.
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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
 

(June  16, 1890 - Feb. 23, 1965)
Stan Laurel was an English comic actor, writer and film director, famous as one half of the comedy team Laurel and Hardy. In 1961, Laurel was given a Lifetime Achievement Academy Award for his pioneering work in comedy.



(born June 16, 1955)
Laurie Metcalf is an American actress. She is perhaps most widely known for her performance as Jackie Harris on the ABC sitcom Roseanne and has also had series television roles as Carolyn Bigsby on Desperate Housewives and Mary Cooper on The Big Bang Theory. Her motion picture roles include the voice of Mrs. Davis in the Toy Story film series and the character Debbie Loomis/Debbie Salt in Scream 2, as well as roles in such critically acclaimed films as Making Mr. Right, JFK, and Mistress.



(June 16, 1829 - Feb. 17, 1909)
Geronimo was a prominent leader of the Bedonkohe Apache who fought against Mexico and the United States for their expansion into Apache tribal lands for several decades during the Apache wars.

 "Geronimo" was the name given to him during a battle with Mexican soldiers. His Chiricahua name is often rendered as Goyathlay or Goyahkla in English.

In 1886 Geronimo surrendered to U.S. authorities after a lengthy pursuit. As a prisoner of war in old age he became a celebrity and appeared in fairs but was never allowed to return to the land of his birth. He later regretted his surrender and claimed the conditions he made had been ignored.

Geronimo died in 1909 from complications of pneumonia at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.



(born June 16, 1943)
Joan Van Ark is an American actress, most notable for her role as Valene Ewing, which she originated on the CBS series Dallas and continued for thirteen seasons on its spin-off, Knots Landing.

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“AMNESTY is the state's magnanimity to those offenders whom it would be too expensive to punish.”
--Ambrose Bierce
    

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