Monday, May 03, 2010
today
MAY 3
1865:After 12 days that drew enormous crowds from Washington, D.C., through 12 cities, Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train reaches Springfield, Ill., where he will be interred.
1937: Margaret Mitchell wins a Pulitzer Prize for the novel Gone With the Wind.
1986: At 54, Willie Shoemaker becomes the oldest jockey to win the Kentucky Derby. It’s his fourth Derby victory.
1937: Margaret Mitchell wins a Pulitzer Prize for the novel Gone With the Wind.
1986: At 54, Willie Shoemaker becomes the oldest jockey to win the Kentucky Derby. It’s his fourth Derby victory.
Sunday, May 02, 2010
DID YOU KNOW THAT?
Before writing The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, author J.R.R. Tolkien worked for the Oxford English Dictionary with a focus on the etymology of Germanic words beginning with W.
TODAY IN HISTORY
Image via Wikipedia1863: Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson is hit by friendly fire and dies eight days later.
1939: Lou Gehrig voluntarily ends his streak of 2,130 consecutive games. He never plays again.
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DO YOU REMEMBER?
Image via WikipediaSo, what did it look like – watching this theme park rise from an empty field? Well, thanks to literally hundreds of hours of footage that was shot during construction, there is some wonderful time-lapse photography available that offers a glimpse into the building of Disneyland. Here are the first two parts from a captivating documentary called Building Walt’s Dream. If you are a Disney fan, sit back, relax and enjoy the bird’s eye view.
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AND I QUOTE
"It is better to sleep on things beforehand than lie awake about them afterward." – Baltasar Gracian
PEOPLE BEING PEOPLE
In the Columbia County courthouse, there’s a new, handicapped-accessible water fountain. There’s only one problem — the fountain is on the building’s second floor, which is only accessible via a staircase.
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10 COMMANDMENTS OF AIRPLANE TRAVEL
1. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's personal space.
The armrest is a boundary. Consider it a guideline for where you are allowed to be.
2. Thou shalt not interrupt the in-flight movie.
This goes for pilots and flight attendants as well; unless the announcement is of dire importance, like the wings have fallen off the plane, no conversation should be attempted during the in-flight movie, especially if it can't be paused.
3. Thou shalt not hide thy telecommunications from the flight attendants.
God knows your phone was still on during take-off. And He is upset about it.
4. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's overhead compartment.
If people seated in the back of the plane get nervous about finding an open space and use the overhead compartments at the front of the plane, it's chaos.
5. Thou shalt not attempt any out-of-chair business during the meal service.
If you get up to use the restroom during the meal service, you are a jerkstore. Getting up during the drink service isn't great either.
6. Thou shalt not raise the armrest.
Under no circumstances should someone raise the armrest, the sole divider between you and a stranger's hips, without permission.
7. Thou shalt remember thy close proximity to others, and keep it holy.
Though theologians will surely interpret this in many ways, it seems to cover the gamut of bodily-function-related offenses, as well as the putting of thy feet on things and the wearing of strong perfumes or colognes.
8. Thou shalt say please and thank you.
Whether you're asking for a $10 box of cheese and crackers or asking your neighbor to let you crawl over them to the aisle, politeness is imperative. A routine "thank you" on your way off the plane reportedly goes a long way with St. Peter.
9. Thou shalt be mindful of children.
This commandment seems to work in two ways. Firstly, if you have children, you must take care that they are not kicking the chair in front of them or making other unnecessary nuisances of themselves. Secondly, if you are near a child who is crying or otherwise causing you irritation, you have to be a grownup about it.
10. Thou shalt not demand special attention.
Call buttons are for emergencies, and your neighbor probably doesn't want to talk to you. Be thee humble on thy azure path.![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_sjLNTfwX9Ty8OImXJkHTgiGA0VRXjFbrhn7lq6dEjB7Jk6KRiDjeRKZSAYqFUUC61mghiirzMw0imTmhkjdRchxCplvdQb3COvhDvjwje-HRmn-zY9kYohS1kgmvHUOr9a9b7t4YkWPDutcKWjmnKG=s0-d)
The armrest is a boundary. Consider it a guideline for where you are allowed to be.
2. Thou shalt not interrupt the in-flight movie.
This goes for pilots and flight attendants as well; unless the announcement is of dire importance, like the wings have fallen off the plane, no conversation should be attempted during the in-flight movie, especially if it can't be paused.
3. Thou shalt not hide thy telecommunications from the flight attendants.
God knows your phone was still on during take-off. And He is upset about it.
4. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's overhead compartment.If people seated in the back of the plane get nervous about finding an open space and use the overhead compartments at the front of the plane, it's chaos.
5. Thou shalt not attempt any out-of-chair business during the meal service.
If you get up to use the restroom during the meal service, you are a jerkstore. Getting up during the drink service isn't great either.
6. Thou shalt not raise the armrest.
Under no circumstances should someone raise the armrest, the sole divider between you and a stranger's hips, without permission.
7. Thou shalt remember thy close proximity to others, and keep it holy.
Though theologians will surely interpret this in many ways, it seems to cover the gamut of bodily-function-related offenses, as well as the putting of thy feet on things and the wearing of strong perfumes or colognes.
8. Thou shalt say please and thank you.
Whether you're asking for a $10 box of cheese and crackers or asking your neighbor to let you crawl over them to the aisle, politeness is imperative. A routine "thank you" on your way off the plane reportedly goes a long way with St. Peter.
9. Thou shalt be mindful of children.
This commandment seems to work in two ways. Firstly, if you have children, you must take care that they are not kicking the chair in front of them or making other unnecessary nuisances of themselves. Secondly, if you are near a child who is crying or otherwise causing you irritation, you have to be a grownup about it.
10. Thou shalt not demand special attention.
Call buttons are for emergencies, and your neighbor probably doesn't want to talk to you. Be thee humble on thy azure path.
Saturday, May 01, 2010
YOUR NEXT BIKE?
Well, it looks like it's the season for automakers to show off electric bicycle concepts, with Volkswagen now following Lexus' lead with its own "Bik.e" concept. Unlike Lexus' hybrid concept, this one is a full-fledged electric bicycle (sans pedals), and it boasts a few innovations of its own, not the least of which is that it's able to fold up and fit where you'd normally store a spare tire. It's also apparently able to be charged using your car's DC current in a pinch in addition to a standard AC outlet at home, and it promises to deliver a range of 20 kilometers on a full charge, along with a top speed of 20 kilometers per hour. What's more, it seems like Volkswagen is actually looking at commercial possibilities for the Bik.e, although it's not making any firm commitments just yet.
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