Valentine's Day 2014

     

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The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels won the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and was named one of the 100 best books of the 20th century by Modern Library. It is a provocative study of the gnostic gospels and the world of early Christianity as revealed through the Nag Hammadi texts.

After receiving her doctorate from Harvard University in 1970, Elaine Pagels taught at Barnard College, Columbia University, where she chaired the department of religion. She is now the Harrington Spear Paine Professor of Religion at Princeton University. Professor Pagels is the author of several books on religious subjects and was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 1981. She lives and teaches in Princeton, New Jersey.

I have not yet read this book but I have read about it, and I ordered a copy from Amazon's used list. The price was one cent with shipping charges of $3.99.

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Did You Know . . .?

At 33 Thomas Street in New York City there is a 550 foot tall skyscraper in New York city with no windows.

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HISTORICAL EVENT

On February 14 around the year 278 A.D., Valentine, a priest in Rome in the days of Emperor Claudius II, was executed. The emperor was having a difficult time getting soldiers to join his military leagues. Claudius believed that Roman men were unwilling to join the army because of their strong attachment to their wives and families. To get rid of the problem, Claudius banned all marriages and engagements in Rome. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. Valentine was arrested and dragged before the Prefect of Rome, who condemned him to be beaten to death with clubs and to have his head cut off. The sentence was carried out on February 14, on or about the year 270. Gradually, February 14 became a date for exchanging love messages, poems and simple gifts such as flowers.

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WORD FOR TODAY

pederasty
noun
-  sexual relations between a man and a boy
-  homosexual relations between men and boys
-  a sexual act between two males, especially when one is a minor

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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

Michael Rubens Bloomberg

(born February 14, 1942)

Michael Bloomberg is an American business magnate, politician and philanthropist. He served as the 108th Mayor of New York City, holding office for three consecutive terms beginning with his first election in 2001. With a net worth of $31 billion, he is the tenth-richest person in the United States and the thirteenth-wealthiest in the world.

Tracy Spiridakos

(born February 14, ????)

Tracy Spiridakos is a Greek-Canadian actress. She stars as Charlotte "Charlie" Matheson on the NBC post-apocalyptic science fiction series Revolution, for which she has been nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television.

Carl Bernstein

(born February 14, 1944)

Carl Bernstein is an American investigative journalist and author. Along with Bob Woodward at The Washington Post, he did the majority of the most important news reporting on the Watergate scandal. These scandals led to numerous government investigations and the eventual resignation of President Richard Nixon

Tiffany Dawn Thornton

(born February 14, 1986)

Tiffany Thornton is an American actress, comedian and singer-songwriter best known for her co-starring role as Tawni Hart on the Disney Channel Original Series, Sonny with a Chance and So Random!. She made her television acting debut in the pilot episode of the Fox sitcom Quintuplets. She then went on to appear in 8 Simple Rules, American Dreams, The O.C., Desperate Housewives, That's So Raven, Jericho, Wizards of Waverly Place and Hannah Montana.

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Today is Valentine's Day - or, as men like to call it, Extortion Day!
--Jay Leno

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