10/2/14

     

Tucson Weather Today

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“It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not.”
--Andre Gide

I have nothing of interest in mind to write about today. Sorry.

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Did You Know . . .?

Most fish have tongues.

Crispy Fried Cod Tongues video

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HISTORICAL EVENT

On this day in 1967 Chief Justice Earl Warren swore in Thurgood Marshall, the first black justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. As chief counsel for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in the 1940s and '50s, Marshall, the great-grandson of a slave, was the architect and executor of the legal strategy that ended the era of official racial segregation. During his 24 years on the high court, Marshall consistently challenged discrimination based on race or sex, opposed the death penalty, and vehemently defended affirmative action. He retired in 1991 because of declining health and died in 1993.

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WORD FOR TODAY

Andropause
noun
1. the period, usually occurring between the ages of 45 and 55, during which a man's testosterone levels may fall, leading to a reduction in vigour and sexual drive Also called male menopause
2. a name that has been given to a set of effects that appears in some aging men, and which have some superficial similarities to menopause effects in women. The condition "andropause" is currently not recognized by the World Health Organization and its ICD-10 medical classification.

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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner

(born 2 October 1951)

Sting is an English musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, activist, actor, and philanthropist.

Lorraine Bracco

(born October 2, 1954)

Lorraine Bracco is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Dr. Jennifer Melfi on the HBO series The Sopranos and as Karen Hill in the 1990 Martin Scorsese film Goodfellas. She currently appears as Angela Rizzoli on the TNT series Rizzoli & Isles.

Avery Franklin Brooks

(born October 2, 1948)

Avery Brooks is an American actor. Brooks is best known for his television roles as Benjamin Sisko on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, as Hawk on Spenser for Hire and its spinoff A Man Called Hawk, and as Dr. Bob Sweeney in the film American History X.

Kelly Maria Ripa

(born October 2, 1970)

Kelly Ripa is an American actress, talk show host and television producer. Ripa played Hayley Vaughan on the television soap opera All My Children from 1990–2002 and is best known as co-host of the popular syndicated morning talk show Live! with Kelly and Michael.

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"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams."
--Dr. Seuss

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8/30/14

     

Tucson Weather Today

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"We are all tattooed in our cradles with the beliefs of our tribe; the record may seem superficial, but it is indelible."
--Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

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Did You Know . . .?

Male students at Brigham Young University need a doctor's note before they can grow a beard.

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HISTORICAL EVENT

On this day in 1967, Thurgood Marshall became the first African American to be confirmed as a Supreme Court justice. He would remain on the Supreme Court for 24 years before retiring for health reasons, leaving a legacy of upholding the rights of the individual as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. Justice Marshall came out in favor of abortion rights and against the death penalty, as he continued his tireless commitment to ensuring equitable treatment of individuals -- particularly minorities -- by state and federal governments.

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WORD FOR TODAY

hooligan (HOO-lih-guhn)
noun
1. a rough lawless young person
2. A tough and aggressive or violent youth.

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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

Warren Edward Buffett

(born August 30, 1930)

Warren Buffett is an American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is the chairman, CEO and largest shareholder of Berkshire Hathaway and consistently ranked among the world's wealthiest people. He was ranked as the world's wealthiest person in 2008 and as the third wealthiest person in 2011. In 2012, American magazine Time named Buffett one of the most influential people in the world

Cameron Michelle Diaz

(born August 30, 1972)

Cameron Diaz is an American actress. She rose to prominence during the 1990s, with roles in the movies The Mask, My Best Friend's Wedding and There's Something About Mary. Other high-profile credits include the two Charlie's Angels films, voicing the character Princess Fiona in the Shrek series, Any Given Sunday, Knight and Day, The Holiday, The Green Hornet and Bad Teacher.

Michael Chiklis

(born August 30, 1963)

Michael Chiklis is an American actor. Some of the roles for which he is best known include Commissioner Tony Scali on the ABC police drama The Commish, LAPD Detective Vic Mackey on the FX police drama The Shield, the Thing in the Fantastic Four film series, and Jim Powell on the ABC science-fiction comedy-drama No Ordinary Family.

Michael Michele

(born August 30, 1966)

Michael Michele is an American film and television actress. She played Dr. Cleo Finch on the medical drama ER and Detective Rene Sheppard on the police procedural Homicide: Life on the Street. Her films include the Academy Award-nominated film Ali.

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Literature is the art of discovering something extraordinary about ordinary people, and saying with ordinary words something extraordinary.
--Boris Pasternak

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A Temporary Impasse

     

Tucson Weather Today

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A good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read.
--Terry Pratchett

Charles Wright

The New U.S. Poet Laureate

Rivers and mountains glide through my blood.
Cold pillow, bittersweet years.
In the near distance, a plane’s drone
rattles the windows.
Clear night. Wind like a predator
in the sharp grass of the past.
--Charles Wright

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One of the reasons for this blog's on-again off-again hiatus is because I am involving myself deeply in writing a new, highly experimental piece of fiction.

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Did You Know . . .?

The largest hotel suite in the world is located 22 stories under the surface in the Grand Canyon Caverns. One night for two people in this 65 million year old cave is $700.

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HISTORICAL EVENT

On this day in 1967 President Lyndon Johnson appointed U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Thurgood Marshall to fill the seat of retiring Supreme Court Associate Justice Tom C. Clark.

On August 30, after a heated debate, the Senate confirmed Marshall's nomination by a vote of 69 to 11. Two days later, he was sworn in by Chief Justice Earl Warren, making him the first African American in history to sit on America's highest court.

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WORD FOR TODAY

genteel
adjective
1.  belonging or suited to polite society.
2.  well-bred or refined; polite; elegant; stylish.
3.  affectedly or pretentiously polite, delicate.

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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

Timothy Alan Dick

(born June 13, 1953)

Tim Allen is an American comedian and actor. He is known for his role in the sitcom Home Improvement. He is also known for his starring roles in several popular films, including the Toy Story film series, The Santa Clause film series, and Galaxy Quest. Since 2011, he has starred as Mike Baxter in the ABC sitcom Last Man Standing.

Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Fuller Olsen

(born June 13, 1986)

The Olsen Twins collectively, are American actresses. The twins made their acting debut as infants playing Michelle Tanner on the television series Full House.

Richard Earl Thomas

(born June 13, 1951)

Richard Thomas is an American actor, best known for his leading role as budding author John-Boy Walton in the CBS drama The Waltons.

Alexandra Elizabeth "Ally" Sheedy

(born June 13, 1962)

Ally Sheedy is an American film actress and author of two books. Following her film debut in 1983's Bad Boys, she became known as one of the Brat Pack group of actors in the films The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire. She is also known for her roles in WarGames, Short Circuit and High Art.

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Genteel women suppose that those things do not really exist about which it is impossible to talk in polite company.
--Friedrich Nietzsche


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