Semper Fi! - Chicago alderman declares war on Avatar Keeping a Cool Head - brain-cooling helmet could save thousands of lives Baa! - sheep gives birth to human-faced lamb in Turkey
On this day in history: January 14, 1601 - Authorities of the Catholic Church burn a large percentage of the Hebrew books in Rome. Monks targeted the books because they felt they portrayed Jesus in a blasphemous manner.
Born on this day in history: January 14, 1968 - LL Cool J (1968 - ) Born James Todd Smith in Bayshore, New York, hip-hop artist LL Cool J (or, Ladies Love Cool James) released his first hit, "I Need a Beat," while still a teen. His fourth album, "Mama Said Knock You Out," was a mainstream success. He also pursued an acting career and, in 1996, launched a clothing line, FUBU (For Us, By Us).
Scripture of the Day: If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother." - 1 John 4:20-21
Video of the Day: "I Like Guns" - Steve Lee - submitted by Frank
On this day in history: January 14, 1601 - Authorities of the Catholic Church burn a large percentage of the Hebrew books in Rome. Monks targeted the books because they felt they portrayed Jesus in a blasphemous manner.
Born on this day in history: January 14, 1968 - LL Cool J (1968-) Born James Todd Smith in Bayshore, NY, hip hop artist LL Cool J (or, Ladies Love Cool James) released his first hit, "I Need a Beat," while still a teen. His fourth album, "Mama Said Knock You Out," was a mainstream success, popular with mid-America and urban kids. LL Cool J has also pursued an acting career and, in 1996, launched a clothing line, FUBU (For Us, By Us).
Scripture of the Day: Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. - Psalm 100:4
Video of the Day: Stethoscope - submitted by Frank
I created today's blog from the comfort of our deck. Click to enlarge.
The Visitation My friend, Frank, visited me at my office yesterday. If you came to this blog between 4 PM yesterday afternoon and 7 AM this morning, you saw Frank's 1993 Ford Mustang Cobra, captured by the CATCam. You can read about Frank's Mustang and see videos of it by clicking on his name and visiting his blog.
The Dinner Last evening's dinner was a relatively simple dish, but it is easily one of our very favorite meals: Chilled Oriental Noodle Salad I cooked three large Tyson boneless, skinless chicken breasts and 10 large white mushrooms (sliced) in boiling water for 20 minutes. I removed the chicken breasts and set aside to cool, and I removed the cooking pot from the stove. I broke up the contents of four bags of Oriental-flavor ramen noodles and added this to the pot. I allowed the noodles to remain in the hot water for 5 minutes. I drained the noodles and mushroom slices into a large colander and ran cold water over this to stop the cooking process. I left the noodles and mushroom slices to drain while I chopped two bunches of green onions, a quarter of a head of cabbage, a large red bell pepper, and four ribs from the center of a head of celery. I moved the contents from the colander into a large, stainless-steel bowl and added the chopped vegetables. I added a cup of frozen corn kernels and a cup of frozen peas. I shredded the chicken breasts and added them to the bowl. I dressed with extra-virgin olive oil, rice wine vinegar, sea salt, ground black pepper, crushed red pepper, ground ginger, lime juice, and the contents of the four flavor packets from the ramen noodles. I tossed this slowly until everything was mixed well, covered with aluminum foil, and placed in the refrigerator to cool. It was indescribably delicious. A quantity will follow Laura to work this morning, and a quantity remains for a dinner later in the week.
The Dream [While I slept] I attended a Microsoft seminar in San Francisco. Following the seminar, I recalled that my friend, Frank, was working on a job site (Frank is a master tile setter) in Berkeley. I called his cell phone and suggested to him that we meet. He agreed, we met, and he suggested we visit the Seismic Research Facility at the University of California at Berkley. He said the facility was open to the public this week and said it should prove to be an interesting adventure. When we reached the facility, we were greeted by a young male tour guide. He guided us through the facility, explaining the functions of the equipment we encountered. Suddenly, we were in a large room that contained only a small domestic cat—suspended upside-down by a cord, from the ceiling. The cat dangled approximately 6 feet from the floor, and on the floor beneath the cat was an intricate pattern of intersecting lines, numbers, and scientific symbols. "Why is this cat suspended thusly?" I said. "Sometimes, the old ways are the best ways," he answered. "Get him down from there at once!" The tour guide shrugged his shoulders and made no verbal response. I advanced toward the cat. The tour guide gave a signal with his right hand, and several armed guards approached me. I quickly took my Spyderco knife from my pocket, cut the cord holding the cat, clasped the cat to my chest, and ran! Soon, I was seated in an outdoor café. I was enjoying a glass of Pinot blanc, and the cat was lapping with great abandon at a saucer of non-fat milk.
Ahoy! - Atlantic sailor sends mayday to pub Little People - hobbits not different species, say scientists Hic! - school-bus driver DUI, 4 times legal limit
On this day in history: January 14, 1998 - Jewish extremists Avigdor Eskin and Haim Pakovich are charged in a plot to catapult a pig's head containing the Koran into Jerusalem's Dome of the Rock mosque, in order to spark tensions between Jews and Arabs.
Born on this day in history: January 14, 1968 - LL Cool J (1968-) Born James Todd Smith in Bayshore, NY, hip hop artist LL Cool J (or, Ladies Love Cool James) released his first hit, "I Need a Beat," while still a teen. His fourth album, “Mama Said Knock You Out,” was a mainstream success, popular with mid-America and urban kids. LL Cool J has also pursued an acting career and, in 1996, launched a clothing line, FUBU (For Us, By Us).
Scripture of the Day: [You were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,] who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory. - Ephesians 1:14
Video of the Day: Snoring Maggie - submitted by Laura
Monster Fish! The monster sun fish caught by W.N. McMillan of E. Africa, at Santa Catalina Island, California on April 1, 1910. The weight was estimated at 3,500 lbs. Click to enlarge.
Be Careful How You Vote in 2008! Morals! (Before 1960)
OLD VERSION: The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house, and laying up supplies for the winter.
The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed.
The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.
MORAL OF THE STORY: Be responsible for yourself!
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MODERN VERSION: (Today)
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house, and laying up supplies for the winter.
The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.
Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well-fed while others are cold and starving.
CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. America is stunned by the sharp contrast.
How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?
Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper, and everybody cries when they sing, 'It's Not Easy Being Green.'
Jesse Jackson stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house where the news stations film the group singing, 'We shall overcome.' Jesse then has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper's sake.
Nancy Pelosi & John Kerry exclaim in an interview with Larry King that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair share.
Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity & Anti-Grasshopper Act retroactive to the beginning of the summer.
The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the government.
Hillary gets her old law firm to represent the grasshopper in a defamation suit against the ant, and the case is tried before a panel of federal judges that Bill Clinton appointed from a list of single-parent welfare recipients.
The ant loses the case.
The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits of the ant's food while the government house he is in, which just happens to be the ant's old house, crumbles around him because he doesn't maintain it.
The ant has disappeared in the snow.
The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the once-peaceful neighborhood.
MORAL OF THE STORY: Be careful how you vote in 2008
