Nov 2008
An American Patriot: Norman Rockwell by Andra Fernandes
11/25/08
Norman
Rockwell (1894-1978) known for his patriotic
depictions of American life, painted portraits of
four presidents: Kennedy, Eisenhower, Nixon, and
Johnson, as well as several election-related scenes,
some of which are shown above.
1. Norman Rockwell was sometimes referred to as Mr. Scouting for his long association with the Boy Scouts of America. He became the art director for Boys' Life, the BSA official magazine, at age 19 and, though he only kept that job for three years, he illustrated the official Boy Scouts calendar for 50 years. In 1939, the BSA awarded Rockwell the Silver Buffalo Award, their highest adult award.
2. According to TIME magazine, Rockwell shared with Walt Disney the extraordinary distinction of being one of the two artists familiar to nearly everyone in the U.S., rich or poor, black or white, museum goer or not, illiterate or Ph.D. Rockwell's art was so popular with the American people that newsstand sales of The Saturday Evening Post would increase by 50,000 to 75,000 copies every time his art appeared on the cover.
3. Rockwell was inspired to create his famous Four Freedoms paintings after hearing President Franklin Roosevelt's January 6, 1941, state of the union address. Roosevelt identified four essential human rights that deserved universal protection: freedom of speech, freedom to worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. By the end of World War II, 4 million copies of the posters had been printed, and the touring exhibition had raised $139.9 million for the war effort through war bonds sales.
4. Several U.S. postage stamps were designed by Rockwell, including a Boy Scouts of America 50th anniversary stamp (1960) and a stamp marking the 100th anniversary of free city mail delivery. Rockwell's stamp featuring Boy Scout Thorton Percival is one of the most popular U.S. stamps of all time with a printing of more than 139 million. Rockwell's "Triple Self-Portrait" was featured on a 1994 stamp issued in his honor. Even Liberia had a Rockwell-designed stamp, which featured one of Rockwellís Boy Scout calendar paintings.
5. In 1957, Norman Rockwell was declared a Great Living American by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, who told Rockwell, "Through the magic of your talent, the folks next door, their gentle sorrows, their modest joys, have enriched our own lives and given us insight into our countrymen."
Notable Bathtubs in History by Miss Cellania
11/18/08
Ah,
the pleasure of soaking in a warm bathtub! People
have been bathing in artificial facilities since
about 3300 BC, so there are bound to be some great
bathtub stories in our history books. I found a few
interesting ones.
Eureka!
The ancient Greek inventor Archimedes discovered the physics of displacement while soaking in a bathtub.
The
water rose when he got into the tub, and he figured
you could measure the volume of all kinds of objects
that way. As the story goes, he jumped up from the
bath, shouted "Eureka!"and ran around naked telling
people of his discovery. The Emperor had asked
whether the royal crown was pure gold. Archimedes
measured the volume of the crown by water
displacement and compared that to the volume of an
equal weight of pure gold. The volumes were
different, indicating that the crown had lighter
material underneath the gold.
Millard Fillmore's Bathtub
H.L. Mencken wrote "A Neglected Anniversary" in the New York Evening Mail in 1917. The article gave a history of the bathtub in America, with facts like bathtubs were outlawed at one time, and that Millard Fillmore installed the first bathtub in the white house. The entire column was a work of fiction.
Mencken
said it was just a bit of fun, but others suspect
that he wanted to prove the point that readers will
believe anything printed. And they did! He admitted
the hoax in print in 1926, but the genie was out of
the bottle. Books, magazines, newspapers, and
classroom teachers have passed on the "fact" about
Millard Fillmore through the 20th century, and even
into the internet age. The actual first bathtub in
the white house is hard to pin down, since early
presidents bathed in tubs that were brought in and
filled with water heated on stoves, at least as far
back as James Madison. Water pipes were installed in
the white house in 1833, during Andrew Jackson's
administration.
Ship's Bathtub
A bathtub on a Navy ship?
Battleships
are designed to carry as much equipment and as many
men as needed without wasting an inch of space. But
an exception was made for the USS Iowa When the ship
was to take President Franklin Roosevelt to the Cairo
Conference and the Tehran Conference in 1943, a
bathtub was installed for his convenience. Roosevelt
had been crippled by Guillain-Barr syndrome since
1921, and would have had a hard time taking a shower.
The USS Iowa is now looking for a home as a museum
ship.
The
Oversized President
William Howard Taft was the heaviest US president at 332 pounds. Early in his administration (1909-1913) he became stuck in the white house bathtub, and had a larger one installed. In 1912, he took his own oversized tub onto the battleship Arkansas for a trip from Key West to Colon. It was not permanently installed. In 1915, the New York Times printed a story of how Taft caused a hotel flood by displacing water in a bathtub in New Jersey.
Death in a Tub
There
have been a few famous people who have died in a
bathtub. Thomas Merton, an influential Trappist monk
and theological writer died at the age of 53 when he
stepped out of a bathtub in Bangkok in 1968. He
touched a poorly-grounded electric fan and was
electrocuted. Singer Jim Morrison died in a Paris
bathtub of a heart attack in 1971. He was only 27,
and speculation is that the heart attack was
drug-related. This account has been disputed and the
whole story may never be known.
Eureka!
The ancient Greek inventor Archimedes discovered the physics of displacement while soaking in a bathtub.
Millard Fillmore's Bathtub
H.L. Mencken wrote "A Neglected Anniversary" in the New York Evening Mail in 1917. The article gave a history of the bathtub in America, with facts like bathtubs were outlawed at one time, and that Millard Fillmore installed the first bathtub in the white house. The entire column was a work of fiction.
Ship's Bathtub
A bathtub on a Navy ship?
William Howard Taft was the heaviest US president at 332 pounds. Early in his administration (1909-1913) he became stuck in the white house bathtub, and had a larger one installed. In 1912, he took his own oversized tub onto the battleship Arkansas for a trip from Key West to Colon. It was not permanently installed. In 1915, the New York Times printed a story of how Taft caused a hotel flood by displacing water in a bathtub in New Jersey.
Death in a Tub
Interesting and Totally Useless Stuff - Contributed by Barry West
11/11/08
In
England , a man was allowed to beat his wife with a
stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have 'the
rule of thumb"
Many years ago in Scotland, a new game was invented. It was ruled "Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden"...and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.
The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were
Fred and Wilma Flintstone.
Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the U.S. Treasury.
Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.
Coca-Cola was originally green.
It is impossible to lick your elbow.
The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work is Alaska.
The percentage of Africa that is wilderness is 28% (now get this...)
The percentage of North America that is wilderness is 38%
The cost of raising a medium-size dog in the United States to the age of eleven is $16,400
The average number of people airborne over the U.S. in any given hour is 61,000
Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
The first novel ever written on a typewriter was Tom Sawyer.
The San Francisco Cable Cars are the only mobile National Monument.
Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:
Spades - King David
Hearts - Charlemagne
Clubs -Alexander The Great
Diamonds - Julius Caesar
111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321
If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.
Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?
A. Their birthplace
Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested?
A. Obsession
Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter 'A'?
A. One thousand
Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?
A. All were invented by women.
Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?
A. Honey
Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year?
A. Father's Day
In
Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed
frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the
mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep
on. Hence the phrase......... "Goodnight, sleep
tight."
It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon.
In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... So in old England , when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them "Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down." It's where we get the phrase 'mind your P's and Q's'
Many years ago in England , pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle" is the phrase inspired by this practice.
At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow!
Many years ago in Scotland, a new game was invented. It was ruled "Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden"...and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.
The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were
Fred and Wilma Flintstone.
Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the U.S. Treasury.
Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.
Coca-Cola was originally green.
It is impossible to lick your elbow.
The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work is Alaska.
The percentage of Africa that is wilderness is 28% (now get this...)
The percentage of North America that is wilderness is 38%
The cost of raising a medium-size dog in the United States to the age of eleven is $16,400
The average number of people airborne over the U.S. in any given hour is 61,000
Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
The first novel ever written on a typewriter was Tom Sawyer.
The San Francisco Cable Cars are the only mobile National Monument.
Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:
Spades - King David
Hearts - Charlemagne
Clubs -Alexander The Great
Diamonds - Julius Caesar
111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321
If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.
Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?
A. Their birthplace
Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested?
A. Obsession
Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter 'A'?
A. One thousand
Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?
A. All were invented by women.
Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?
A. Honey
Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year?
A. Father's Day
It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon.
In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... So in old England , when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them "Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down." It's where we get the phrase 'mind your P's and Q's'
Many years ago in England , pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle" is the phrase inspired by this practice.
At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow!
How Real is Reality TV? by Kara Kovalchik
11/04/08
Reality
TV isn’t always real? The devil you say. Next thing
you’ll try to tell me is that Milli Vanilli didn’t
sing on their records, or that Martha Stewart doesn’t
really shop at K-Mart.
1. Shady Deals on The Apprentice
Season One of The Apprentice featured a challenge called Dupe-Lex. The two teams had to refurbish a pair of New York apartments and then rent them out. The team that achieved the highest percentage of return on what they’d paid for the apartment plus their improvements would be declared the winner. The Protégé Corporation was declared the champion on the air, but the person who’d ultimately rented the newly refurbished apartment later admitted that she’d signed the lease before The Apprentice crew had even arrived. She also confided that the rent negotiations were a sham, as a price had already been agreed upon when she’d signed the lease.
2. Making up the Making Out on Joe Millionaire
Remember 2003's Joe Millionaire? The FOX Network passed off Evan Marriott as a $19,000-per-year construction worker.
While
its true that Marriott worked for a construction
company, he’d also earned some additional pocket
change by modeling men’s underwear for print ads and
appearing in a small role on the soap Days of Our
Lives. A year after his stint as Joe, Marriott
revealed to the press that much of the series was
staged, and that he had made it clear prior to
signing on for the project that he had no intention
of getting involved with any of the potential birdies
on the show. He admitted that the famous making out
in the woods scene was completely faked, and that the
heavy breathing and other smoochy sound effects were
all added in post-production.
3. Where Do They get Those Awful Songs?
Have you ever watched Dancing with the Stars and wondered what on Earth were they thinking when they chose this song? I Truth be told, the dancing couples have nothing to do with their musical choices. They’re not even allowed to consult or make suggestions. Producers compile a list of songs that have what they believe are appropriate rhythms for the various styles of dance used on each episode. Sometimes, though, they are unable to secure the rights to use a particular song, and a last-minute replacement is used, whether it fits the beat or not!
4. Finally, Some Honest Casting Auditions!
So as not to quash everyone’s hopes for humanity, let it be known that there is a soupcon of honesty behind the casting of some reality shows, such as The Biggest Loser or Nanny 911.
Shows
like The Biggest Loser send production assistants out
to troll the parking lots of Curves and Jenny Craig
and similar establishments, where they place
promotional flyers on windshields. They also frequent
Usenet newsgroups looking for women who confess that
they don’t feel attractive and are looking for a
change. Representatives from Nanny 911 and similar
shows will actually approach moms of out-of-control
tots in LA-area toy and department stores to see if
they’d be interested in appearing on TV.
5. A Reality Double-dipper Gets Carded
A few months ago, TV Land presented a reality series called She’s Got the Look, which was purported to be an America’s Next Top Model for the over-35 set. However, eagle-eyed reality TV junkies noticed after the series premiere that contestant Paula Thomas looked awfully familiar. Turns out she had appeared a year earlier on the Sci-Fi Channels Who Wants to Be a Superhero as WhipSnap. OK, there’s no law that says you cant be on more than one reality series However, on the Superhero show, Thomas gave her age as 31. One year later, on She’s Got the Look, her autobiography listed her as being 36 years old. When confronted with the evidence, TV Land officials said simply that they trusted their screening process, but we’re thinking that they only shrugged off this potential controversy because they already knew that Paula had been eliminated from the contest.
6. Heavily-veiled Drama
Bridezillas is a guilty pleasure for married women. It sort of makes personal tantrums seem less severe when you watch the brides berating their attendants on TV for having visible tattoos or rolls of flesh protruding over a boned bodice. Sadly, it turns out that many of the hissy fits featured on the show are staged.
For
example, there was the incident of Lisa and Andrew,
where Lisa objected to the plain wedding band Andrew
presented to her during a Valentine’s Day dinner at a
restaurant. Lisa declared it a piece of crap, and
tossed it in his wine glass. This scene was not as
impromptu as it appeared, however. The production
staff had approached other diners in the restaurant
ahead of time and informed them that a TV show was
going to be filmed there, with a loud and possibly
violent argument involved, and would they like to
move to a different table? Also, the production staff
informed the restaurant manager in advance that there
would be a cake-smashing scene, and inquired as to
where the best place to film said scene would be,
since the restaurant had a carpeted floor and they
were trying to minimize clean-up costs.
Final Thought:
Regain some of your self-respect, turn this crap off and pick up a book.
1. Shady Deals on The Apprentice
Season One of The Apprentice featured a challenge called Dupe-Lex. The two teams had to refurbish a pair of New York apartments and then rent them out. The team that achieved the highest percentage of return on what they’d paid for the apartment plus their improvements would be declared the winner. The Protégé Corporation was declared the champion on the air, but the person who’d ultimately rented the newly refurbished apartment later admitted that she’d signed the lease before The Apprentice crew had even arrived. She also confided that the rent negotiations were a sham, as a price had already been agreed upon when she’d signed the lease.
2. Making up the Making Out on Joe Millionaire
Remember 2003's Joe Millionaire? The FOX Network passed off Evan Marriott as a $19,000-per-year construction worker.
3. Where Do They get Those Awful Songs?
Have you ever watched Dancing with the Stars and wondered what on Earth were they thinking when they chose this song? I Truth be told, the dancing couples have nothing to do with their musical choices. They’re not even allowed to consult or make suggestions. Producers compile a list of songs that have what they believe are appropriate rhythms for the various styles of dance used on each episode. Sometimes, though, they are unable to secure the rights to use a particular song, and a last-minute replacement is used, whether it fits the beat or not!
4. Finally, Some Honest Casting Auditions!
So as not to quash everyone’s hopes for humanity, let it be known that there is a soupcon of honesty behind the casting of some reality shows, such as The Biggest Loser or Nanny 911.
5. A Reality Double-dipper Gets Carded
A few months ago, TV Land presented a reality series called She’s Got the Look, which was purported to be an America’s Next Top Model for the over-35 set. However, eagle-eyed reality TV junkies noticed after the series premiere that contestant Paula Thomas looked awfully familiar. Turns out she had appeared a year earlier on the Sci-Fi Channels Who Wants to Be a Superhero as WhipSnap. OK, there’s no law that says you cant be on more than one reality series However, on the Superhero show, Thomas gave her age as 31. One year later, on She’s Got the Look, her autobiography listed her as being 36 years old. When confronted with the evidence, TV Land officials said simply that they trusted their screening process, but we’re thinking that they only shrugged off this potential controversy because they already knew that Paula had been eliminated from the contest.
6. Heavily-veiled Drama
Bridezillas is a guilty pleasure for married women. It sort of makes personal tantrums seem less severe when you watch the brides berating their attendants on TV for having visible tattoos or rolls of flesh protruding over a boned bodice. Sadly, it turns out that many of the hissy fits featured on the show are staged.
Final Thought:
Regain some of your self-respect, turn this crap off and pick up a book.