Thursday, March 28, 2013

A Couple Of Things . . .

     
Tucson Weather Today


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Having walked daily by the Emeritus senior living facility on East Speedway Boulevard near Pantano for two years now, I decided it was time to investigate the place. Who knows when I might take a turn for the worst, become feeble or senile, and need some professional care in my old age?

Did I go inside and take the "tour" advertised on a sign out in front? No, of course not. That would be too easy, too normal. Instead, I did a Google search and found all the information I needed.



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What Do I Think About Same Sex Marriage?

Should two men or two women be allowed by force of law to enter into a marriage contract?

Certainly. They already have that right. A gay men can legally marry a woman just like a straight man can marry either a lesbian or a straight woman. It's legal. And a lesbian can marry either a gay or straight man. What's the problem?

No, no . . . Pay attention. Here's the question: Should two men be allowed to legally marry each other? And should two women be allowed to marry each other?

Oh. Okay. Well, that's a different thing.

The only argument, it seems to me, against a man marrying another man, or a woman marrying another woman is based upon religious belief. People when they are children are taught by their parents, teachers, priests or protestant ministers, that doctrines consisting of superstitious nonsense about listening to an All-Powerful and really nice Father-God, or listening to frightening devils and evil magic demons trying to lead us astray, into sin -- taught and convinced that this crap is absolutely, unquestionably TRUE. And that our creator, our magnificent God does not want homosexual men and women to marry, because marriage is a holy union between one man and one woman and was created by God and should not be profaned.

Good Gravy!

Lying to kids like that is nothing more than child abuse.

And child abuse is against the law.

Ain't it?





 

To tell the absolute truth, I really don't care about this same-sex marriage argument. I am not a gay man and I am certainly not a lesbian, so I cannot walk a mile in their shoes. I have no dog in the hunt.

To tell the truth, I just don't give a damn, either way.

(How's that for being truthful?)

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Historical Incident

At 4 a.m. on March 28, 1979, the worst accident in the history of the U.S. nuclear power industry began when a pressure valve in the Unit-2 reactor at Three Mile Island fails to close. Cooling water, contaminated with radiation, drained from the open valve into adjoining buildings, and the core began to dangerously overheat.

A bubble of highly flammable hydrogen gas was discovered within the reactor building.

Experts were uncertain if the hydrogen bubble would create further meltdown or possibly a giant explosion, and as a precaution Governor Thornburgh advised "pregnant women and pre-school age children to leave the area within a five-mile radius of the Three Mile Island facility until further notice." This led to the panic the governor had hoped to avoid; within days, more than 100,000 people had fled surrounding towns.

On April 1, President Jimmy Carter arrived at Three Mile Island to inspect the plant. Carter's visit achieved its aim of calming local residents and the nation. That afternoon, experts agreed that the hydrogen bubble was not in danger of exploding. Slowly, the hydrogen was bled from the system as the reactor cooled.

In the more than two decades since the accident at Three Mile Island, not a single new nuclear power plant has been ordered in the United States.

Details here

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WORD FOR TODAY

emeritus
adjective
retired or honorably discharged from active professional duty but retaining the title of one's office or position: professor emeritus of history.
noun
an emeritus professor, minister, etc.

Emeritus is a Latin past participle that means "having served one's time" or "having merited one's discharge by service". In current usage, it is a postpositive adjective used to designate a retired professor, bishop, president, prime minister, or other professional; as such it refers to the post-retirement status of at least one pope.

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BORN ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY


Lady Gaga
 
Born Mar 28, 1986
Age:   26 years old

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, activist, businesswoman, fashion designer, actress and philanthropist.

Lady Gaga came to prominence as a recording artist following the release of her debut album, The Fame (2008), which was a critical and commercial success that topped charts around the world and included the international number-one singles "Just Dance" and "Poker Face".

In 2012 she launched the Born This Way Foundation (BTWF), a non-profit organization that focuses on youth empowerment and issues like self-confidence, well-being, anti-bullying, mentoring, and career development.



 
 Born Mar 28, 1970
Age:   42 years old

Vincent Anthony "Vince" Vaughn is an American film actor, screenwriter, producer, comedian and activist. He began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before attaining wider recognition with the 1996 movie Swingers. He has since appeared in a number of films, including The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Return to Paradise, Old School, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Wedding Crashers, The Break Up, Fred Claus, Couples Retreat and The Watch. He is one of the tallest leading men in Hollywood at 6 feet 5 inches.



 
 Born Mar 28, 1955
Age:   57 years old

Reba Nell McEntire is an American country music artist and actress.

Signing with MCA Nashville Records, McEntire took creative control over her MCA album, My Kind of Country (1984) and produced two number one singles: "How Blue" and "Somebody Should Leave". The album brought her breakthrough success, bringing her a series of successful albums and number one singles in the 1980s and 1990s.

McEntire has since released 26 studio albums, acquired 40 number one singles, 14 number one albums, and 28 albums have been certified gold, platinum or multi-platinum in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America. She has sometimes been referred to as "The Queen of Country", having sold more than 72 million records worldwide. In the United States, she ranks as both the tenth best-selling female artist in all genres and the second best-selling female country artist.

In the early 1990s, McEntire branched into film starting with 1990's Tremors. She has since starred in the Broadway revival of Annie Get Your Gun and in her television sitcom, Reba (2001–2007) for which she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series–Musical or Comedy. She currently stars as Reba McKenzie in the ABC sitcom Malibu Country.



 
Born Mar 28, 1943
Age:   69 years old

Conchata Galen Ferrell is an American actress. She is best known for playing Berta the housekeeper in the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men, for which she received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations in 2005 and 2007.

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The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of the child into old age, which mean never losing your enthusiasm.
--Aldous Huxley
    

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