To the end of time

To the end of time http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-31762129

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‘Cancer made me want mashed potato’

‘Cancer made me want mashed potato’ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-31641689

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Weekend edition: The best of the week’s reads

Weekend edition: The best of the week’s reads http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-31693805

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this pressed: Flash – Iran open to regional cooperation ‘against extremism’ – France 24

© PRESIDENT.IR/AFP | Handout picture by the official website of the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani shows him (R) meeting with Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh on March 7, 2015, in the capital Tehran

TEHRAN (AFP) –

Iran is ready to cooperate with other regional powers in the battle against extremism and terrorism, its foreign minister said Saturday during a meeting with his visiting Jordanian counterpart.

There is a “need to pursue dialogue and cooperation with the countries of the region to fight extremism and terrorism,” Mohammad Javad Zarif was quoted by the official IRNA news agency as saying in remarks that focused on the Islamic State (IS) group.

For his part, Jordan’s Nasser Judeh called for dialogue between Iran and the 22-member Arab League.

“Instability, violence and extremism have taken root in the region in recent years, and we consider unity and cohesion among Islamic countries and dialogue with our Iranian brothers on regional matters to be necessary,” he said.

Not only is Iran non-Arab, but it is predominantly Shiite Muslim, while the Arab countries are, with the exception of Bahrain, overwhelmingly Sunni.

IS is a radical Sunni group, which views Shiites as heretics.

In his remarks, Zarif pointed to the “savage terrorist acts” by IS in its burning alive earlier this year of a captured Jordanian fighter pilot who had been participating in attacks on IS targets by a US-led coalition.

Such acts, he said, “are unacceptable and aimed at tarnishing the image of Islam and… creating divisions among us”.

But Arab countries are wary of Iran, which backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in a civil war against mostly Sunni rebels, and also suspected of supporting Shiite rebels in the increasingly lawless Arabian Peninsula nation of Yemen.

via Flash – Iran open to regional cooperation ‘against extremism’ – France 24.

Wonder in the Galapagos

Wonder in the Galapagos
http://www.cnn.com//2015/02/26/travel/gallery/cnnphotos-the-wonder-list-galapagos/index.html

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Week in pictures: 28 February – 6 March 2015

Week in pictures: 28 February – 6 March 2015 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-31763295

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From NPR News

Protests After Police In Wis. Kill Unarmed 19-Year-Old Black Suspect http://n.pr/1A6KQsa

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new at EUZICASA-WIDGET: BibleHistoryOnline.com !!!ALWAYS OPEN!!!

BibleHistoryOnline.com (Click to access or access from the sidebar widget)

Statue_of_Ashurnasirpal-II_From_Nimrud

Statue_of_Ashurnasirpal-II_From_Nimrud

Is this the king who made Assyria into a great empire?

This sandstone statue of King Ashurnasirpal II is from the ninth century BC. The eight lines of cuneiform text on his chest reveal his name, titles, and exploits.

The statue was placed in the Temple of Ishtar to remind the goddess Ishtar of the king’s piety. It was actually made of magnesite, and stands on a pedestal of a reddish stone. These unusual stones were probably brought back from a foreign campaign. Kings often boasted of the exotic things they acquired from abroad, not only raw materials and finished goods but also plants and animals.

The king’s hair and beard are shown worn long in the fashion of the Assyrian court at this time. It has been suggested that the Assyrians used false hair and beards, as the Egyptians sometimes did, but there is no evidence for this.

Ashurnasirpal with his long hair and beard holds a sickle in his right hand. The mace in his left hand shows his authority as vice-regent of the supreme god Ashur. The carved cuneiform inscription across his chest proclaims the king’s titles and genealogy, and mentions his expedition westward to the Mediterranean Sea.

In 612 BC the Babylonians and Medes came and destroyed proud Assyria and the Assyrian Empire passed into history. The statue of King Ashurnasirpal II discovery is important in the study of Biblical Archaeology.

“Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger And the staff in whose hand is My indignation. I will send him against an ungodly nation, And against the people of My wrath I will give him charge, To seize the spoil, to take the prey, And to tread them down like the mire of the streets. Yet he does not mean so, Nor does his heart think so; But it is in his heart to destroy, And cut off not a few nations. For he says, “Are not my princes altogether kings? Is not Calno like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus? As my hand has found the kingdoms of the idols, Whose carved images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria, As I have done to Samaria and her idols, Shall I not do also to Jerusalem and her idols?”‘ Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Lord has performed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, that He will say, “I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his haughty looks.” For he says: “By the strength of my hand I have done it, And by my wisdom, for I am prudent; Also I have removed the boundaries of the people, And have robbed their treasuries; So I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man.”  Isaiah 10:5-13

Detailed Description of the Statue of Ashurnasirpal II

Material – Magnesite
Neo Assyrian
Date: 883-859 BC
Language: Cuneiform
Height: 113 cm
Width: 32 cm
Depth: 15 cm
Nimrud (ancient Kalhu), Northern Iraq
Excavated by: Excavated by A.H. Layard
Location: British Museum, London
Item: ANE 118871
Room 6, Assyrian Sculpture

British Museum Excerpt

Statue of Ashurnasirpal II

A rare example of an Assyrian statue in the round

This statue of King Ashurnasirpal II (883-859 BC) was placed in the Temple of Ishtar Sharrat-niphi. It was designed to remind the goddess Ishtar of the king’s piety. It is made of magnesite, and stands on a pedestal of a reddish stone. These unusual stones were probably brought back from a foreign campaign. Kings often boasted of the exotic things they acquired from abroad, not only raw materials and finished goods but also plants and animals.

The king’s hair and beard are shown worn long in the fashion of the Assyrian court at this time. It has been suggested that the Assyrians used false hair and beards, as the Egyptians sometimes did, but there is no evidence for this.

Ashurnasirpal holds a sickle in his right hand, of a kind which gods are sometimes depicted using to fight monsters. The mace in his left hand shows his authority as vice-regent of the supreme god Ashur. The carved cuneiform inscription across his chest proclaims the king’s titles and genealogy, and mentions his expedition westward to the Mediterranean Sea.

The statue was found in the nineteenth century by Henry Layard, the excavator of the temple.

(The British Museum)

Related Pages:

Assyrian Pride – Ashurnasirpal II Inscription

Human-headed winged bull

Bible History Links – Biblical Archaeology : Assyria

Bible History Links – Ancient Near East : Art & Images

Bible History Online – Colossal Lion of Assyria

Archaeology of Ancient Assyria – Calah

Ancient Babylonia – Nimrud

Archaeology of Ancient Assyria – Austen Henry Layard

Archaeology of Ancient Assyria – Ancient Assyria

HUNTING in the Bible Encyclopedia – ISBE

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia – Calah

Ancient Sketches

 

 

Silent Witnesses B-W Sketch: Amazing sketch from my SketchGuru

I’ve been using SketchGuru and I think you might like it. Check out from your Android phone:

https://market.android.com/details?id=com.seventeenmiles.sketch

Sent from my Android.

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Head Sculpture- B&W Comics Style: Amazing sketch from my SketchGuru

I’ve been using SketchGuru and I think you might like it. Check out from your Android phone:

https://market.android.com/details?id=com.seventeenmiles.sketch

Sent from my Android.

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Non-idol Art Object: Amazing sketch from my SketchGuru

I’ve been using SketchGuru and I think you might like it. Check out from your Android phone:

https://market.android.com/details?id=com.seventeenmiles.sketch

Sent from my Android.

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Junk Food Anyone? Amazing sketch from my SketchGuru

I’ve been using SketchGuru and I think you might like it. Check out from your Android phone:

https://market.android.com/details?id=com.seventeenmiles.sketch

Sent from my Android.

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Le Monde : Claude Guéant mis en examen pour “faux” et “blanchiment”

Claude Guéant mis en examen pour “faux” et “blanchiment”

Le Monde

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Pope Francis St Peter Vatican – Latin Pray : Sung Pater Noster

Canale25

 

Pater Noster, latin pray sung by Pope Francis Bergoglio at St Peter in Vatican.

Latin

Pater noster

Pater noster, qui es in cælis,
Sanctificetur nomen tuum,
Adveniat regnum tuum,
Fiat voluntas tua,
Sicut in cælo et in terra.
Panem nostrum quotidianum
da nobis hodie,
Et dimitte nobis debita nostra,
Sicut et nos dimittimus
debitoribus nostris.
Et ne nos inducas in tentationem,
Sed libera nos a malo.
Amen

English

Our Father

Our Father, who is in heaven,
Blessed be Your name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
As it is in heaven, and on earth.
Our daily bread
Give to us this day,
And forgive us of our debts,
As we also forgive
Our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But rather free us from evil.
Amen.

Historic Pics: The Sphinx, circa 1850 — Classic Pics (@classicepics)

The Sphinx, circa 1850 pic.twitter.com/nnMvsK79FA

— Classic Pics (@classicepics) March 7, 2015

this pressed- the realities that feed your insomnia: This Congressman Doesn’t Wantthis pressed: reading to prevent you from falling asleep: Federal Science Board to Be Allowed to Consider Science | Mother Jones

This story originally appeared in Grist and is republished here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.
This Congressman Doesn’t Want a Federal Science Board to Be Allowed to Consider Science

Because ignoring science is even easier than denying it.

—By David Roberts

| Fri Mar. 6, 2015 3:50 PM EST

Last year, the House of Representatives passed two absurd anti-science bills, the Secret Science Reform Act and the EPA Science Advisory Board Reform Act. It will come as no surprise that both bills, under the guise of “reform,” would have the practical effect of crippling the EPA’s efforts to assess science in a fair and timely way. I don’t have the heart to get into it — follow the links above for the details.

The bills are back; the House considered them both again yesterday. Emily Atkin has the gory details if you’re interested. They might get a little further this time—the Democratic Senate didn’t take them up last year, obviously, but the GOP-controlled Senate might this year—though it won’t matter in the end, as Obama has threatened to veto both. So it’s mainly yet another act of reactionary symbolism from the right.

All that is by way of background so I can draw your attention to a hilarious amendment attached to the Science Advisory Board bill. It comes by way of the bill’s sponsor, Rep. David McKinley (R-W.Va.), a far-right, coal-country, climate-denying conservative of the old school.

Here’s the amendment. Its sole purpose is to prohibit the EPA’s Science Advisory Board from taking into consideration, for any purpose, the following reports:

• the US Global Change Research Program’s National Climate Assessment
• the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report
• the May 2013 Technical Update of the Social Cost of Carbon for Regulatory Impact Analysis Under Executive Order No. 12866 (which I wrote about here)
• the July 2014 Pathways to Deep Decarbonization Report, from the Sustainable Development Solutions Network and Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (which I wrote about here)

So. When considering what to do about carbon pollution, EPA may not consider what America’s best scientists have concluded about it, what an international panel of scientists has concluded about it, how the federal government has officially recommended calculating its value, or the most comprehensive solutions for it. Oh, and it can’t consider Agenda 21 either. Otherwise the EPA can go nuts.

As I’ve said many, many times, most Americans have no idea how batshit crazy the House GOP has gone. They serve the base, and only the base (and Politico obsessives) pay close attention. But imagine, if you will, a GOP House and Senate paired with President Jeb Bush. A bill like this might pass. Politicians might be picking and choosing, based on ideological criteria, which scientific reports administrative agencies are allowed to consider. It’s amusing in its own dark way, but it’s not a sitcom or a satire. It’s real life.

via This Congressman Doesn’t Want a Federal Science Board to Be Allowed to Consider Science | Mother Jones.

Note: Category: Storied to keep you from falling asleep and awake all night long!

Jacqueline du Pré, Dvořák Cello Concerto in B minor op.104 , great compositions/performances

Jacqueline du Pré, Dvořák Cello Concerto in B minor op.104

HarpsichordA6

Published on May 26, 2014/91,337 views

 

Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Daniel Barenboim

1. Allegro 0:00
2. Adagio ma non troppo 15:27
3. Finale. Allegro moderato 28:45

Johannes Brahms – Serenade No.1 in D-major, Op.11 (1857) , Orchestra,: Capella Agustina Conductor,: Andreas Spering

Johannes Brahms – Serenade No.1 in D-major, Op.11 (1857)

KuhlauDilfeng2

Published on Jun 7, 2013

Johannes Brahms

Work: Serenade No.1 in D-major, Op.11 (1857) for orchestra

Mov.I: Allegro molto 00:00
Mov.II: Scherzo: Allegro non troppo 10:27
Mov.III: Adagio non troppo 17:55
Mov.IV: Menuetto I & II 33:35
Mov.V: Scherzo: Allegro 37:13
Mov.VI: Rondo: Allegro 39:47

Orchestra: Capella Agustina

Conductor: Andreas Spering

Antonin Dvorak “Waltz op. 54, No. 1” , orch.: Jarmil Burghauser Prague Symphony Orchestra Jirí Belohlavek, conductor

Antonin Dvorak “Waltz op. 54, No. 1”

Addiobelpassato

Uploaded on Feb 6, 2011

Waltz op. 54. No. 1 A Major
by Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904)
orch.: Jarmil Burghauser
Prague Symphony Orchestra
Jirí Belohlavek, conductor

Ravel: Miroirs III. Une Barque sur L’Ocean (André Laplante)

OrangeSodaKing

Definitely my favorite version of this piece I’ve ever heard. Canadian pianist André Laplante is an amazing artist, and his Ravel is phenomenal. You MUST go buy this CD!

P. A. Locatelli: Op.7 n.4 / Concerto Grosso for Strings & b.c. in F major – Part 2 / Concerto Köln

John Portman

PIETRO ANTONIO LOCATELLI [1695-1764]

from VI CONCERTI À QUATTRO: Op. 7 n. 4
(Leyden, A. van der Hoeven, 1741)

Concerto à quattro for strings and basso continuo in F major

IV. Allegro molto – 0:05

Concerto Köln

1994 – DDD

[on authentic instruments]

New at EUZICASA: Widget – News.VA – Official Vatican Network

Catholic News Agency: For Middle East Christians, UN indifference is deadly

Refugees who have fled from ISIS and arrived in Ankawa, in the northern part of Erbil, Iraq. Credit: http://www.ankawa.com. Refugees who have fled from ISIS and arrived in Ankawa, in the northern part of Erbil, Iraq. Credit: http://www.ankawa.com.

For Middle East Christians, UN indifference is deadly

Madrid, Spain, Mar 5, 2015 / 11:00 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Inaction on the part of the United Nations and international community toward the brutality of ISIS has drawn criticism from a refugee and scholar who says the lives of Christians are at risk.

Raad Salam Naaman, a Chaldean Catholic and professor of Islamic Studies, sees a “totally deplorable and very strange” attitude on the part of the United Nations and the international community in the face of “the murders and crimes” of the Islamic State.

He told CNA that the international community is acting “as if Middle Eastern Christians mean nothing to them,” despite their sufferings under the violent Islamic radicals.

“They don’t care about the expansion and growth of this group,” said Naaman, who teaches Arabic philology and Islamic Studies at Complutense University of Madrid.

Born near Mosul, the professor has lived as a political refugee in Spain since 1991.

For Naaman, the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, is not a state but a “band of murderers and thieves.”

He charged that the group is “the fruit of the so called ‘Arab Spring,’ one of the many mistakes made by the West.” He said the Arab Spring uprisings “aided these revolts and protests pulled off by Islamic radicals.” Many of the radicals had ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and helped overthrow governments run by secular Arab dictators, he argued.

The year 2010 marked the beginning of several popular “Arab Spring” uprisings that has toppled the governments of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen.  Political instability and sometimes violence followed. An uprising against Syria’s President Bashar Al-Assad unleashed a civil war now in its fourth year.

There is continued political instability in Iraq, which has worsened since the withdrawal of American troops between 2010 and 2011.

The Islamic State group, especially active in Iraq and Syria, witnessed significant successes in 2014 when it took the major city of Mosul. The group’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, then proclaimed an Islamic caliphate in its territory in both countries. The group has imposed a strict version of Islamic law and persecuted Christians, other religious minorities, and Muslims they consider to be apostate. The group has enslaved women, murdered children, and destroyed churches.

It has encouraged radical groups such as the Libyan group Ansar al Sharia to join them. The Libyan group in February released a video of the beheading of 20 Coptic Christians from Egypt and a non-Christian from Chad.

Naaman said the Islamic State group “threatens our Western civilization and is a danger for the future of our human rights, for liberty and democracy which western society was able to attain after centuries of struggle.”

He said that the West should “correct its mistakes” and eliminate “this radical gang of Islamic murderers.”

In that respect, the Iraqi refugee echoes the call of the Vatican’s Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who warned that rise of the caliphate in Libya demands “quick intervention.”

However, the cardinal said any military intervention should be “under the auspices of the U.N.”

Naaman said that bombing Islamic State targets will not eliminate them. He said the U.S. and the U.N. need to call for a U.N.-led coalition to attack the group and its followers “on the ground, and with a resolute army.”

“That is the only solution,” he said.

Naaman’s statements came as the Islamic State perpetrated a mass kidnapping of more than 200 Assyrian Christians in northwestern Syria. While at least 19 of the victims were released, it is feared the rest will be executed en masse.
 

This Pressed for your reflection: “Abandonment is the greatest suffering of the elderly”, Pope says :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

By Elise Harris

Vatican City, Mar 5, 2015 / 01:00 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis said Thursday that when it comes to caring for the elderly, palliative care is necessary because it counters a mentality of utility that often leaves elderly persons marginalized and alone.

“Abandonment is the most serious ‘illness’ of the elderly, and also the greatest injustice they can suffer: those who helped us to grow must not be abandoned when they need our help, our love and our tenderness,” the Pope said March 5.

With its emphasis on alleviating the suffering of the sick and accompanying them with tenderness for the duration of their illness, palliative care serves as a crucial support for the elderly, “who, for reasons of age, often receive less attention from curative medicine, and are often abandoned.”

The Pope’s words came in an audience with members of the Pontifical Academy for Life, who are gathered in Rome March 5-6 for their annual assembly, which this year reflected on the theme: “Assisting the elderly and palliative care.”

What palliative care offers as a unique and essential element in the medical field is the recognition of “the value of the person,” Francis said.

He noted that many elderly are either “left to die or made to die” due to their physical or social condition, and stressed that all types of medicine have the societal responsibility to bear witness to the honor due not only to elderly persons, but to each and every human being.

All medical knowledge, Francis said, “is truly science, in its most noble sense, only if it finds its place as a help in view of the good of man, a good that is never achieved by going ‘against’ his life and dignity.”

The Pope also emphasized that the criteria governing the actions of doctors must not be limited to medical evidence and efficiency, nor to the rules of heath care systems and economic profit.

“A state cannot think of making a profit with medicine. On the contrary, there is no more important duty for a society than safeguarding the human person.”

Palliative care then, bears witness to the fact that the human person always has value, even when suffering from age and illness, the Pope continued.

The human person, he said, “is a good in and of himself and for others, and is loved by God. For this reason, when life becomes very fragile and the end of earthly existence approaches, we feel the responsibility to assist and accompany the person in the best way.”

Francis then praised the efforts made on the part of those who work in the field of palliative care, and encouraged both professionals and students to specialize in the topic.

Although this type of care is not geared toward saving lives, it centers on the equally important recognition of the value of the human person, he said, and encouraged those working in the field to carry out their tasks with an attitude of service.

“It is this capacity for service to the life and dignity of the sick, even when they are old, that is the measure of the true progress of medicine, and of all society,” the Pope observed, and repeated an appeal made by St. John Paul II to “Respect, protect, love and serve life, every human life!”

However, while palliative care is necessary, it does not remove the need for the family in caring for the elderly, Francis added.

“The elderly, first of all, need the care of family members – whose affection cannot be replaced by the most efficient structures or the most competent and charitable healthcare workers,” he said.

When family members are not able to offer the needed care, or if the illness of their elderly loved one is advanced or terminal, then the “truly human” assistance offered by palliative care is a good option so long as it “supplements and supports” the care already provided by family members, he said.

Pope Francis closed his speech by encouraging those present to continue advancing in their studies and research, so that “the work of the promotion and defense of life might be ever more efficacious and fruitful.”

via Abandonment is the greatest suffering of the elderly, Pope says :: Catholic News Agency (CNA).

†”Hold Fast to God, the one true God”†: Angelus Domini 2015.03.08 (access from Euzicasa)

“Hold fast to God, the one true good” (Click to access the mass live)

SPIRITUAL REFLECTION (http://www.news.va/en)

“Hold fast to God, the one true good”

From the treatise on Flight from the World by Saint Ambrose, bishop
(Cap. 6, 36; 7, 44: 8, 45; 9, 52: CSEL 32, 192, 198-199, 204)

Where a man’s heart is, there is his treasure also. God is not accustomed to refusing a good gift to those who ask for one. Since he is good, and especially to those who are faithful to him, let us hold fast to him with all our soul, our heart, our strength, and so enjoy his light and see his glory and possess the grace of supernatural joy. […]

Let us take refuge from this world. You can do this in spirit, even if you are kept here in the body. You can at the same time be here and present to the Lord. Your soul must hold fast to him, you must follow after him in your thoughts, you must tread his ways by faith, not in outward show. You must take refuge in him. He is your refuge and your strength. David addresses him in these words: I fled to you for refuge, and I was not disappointed.

“Hold fast to God, the one true good”

From the treatise on Flight from the World by Saint Ambrose, bishop
(Cap. 6, 36; 7, 44: 8, 45; 9, 52: CSEL 32, 192, 198-199, 204)

Where a man’s heart is, there is his treasure also. God is not accustomed to refusing a good gift to those who ask for one. Since he is good, and especially to those who are faithful to him, let us hold fast to him with all our soul, our heart, our strength, and so enjoy his light and see his glory and possess the grace of supernatural joy. […]

Let us take refuge from this world. You can do this in spirit, even if you are kept here in the body. You can at the same time be here and present to the Lord. Your soul must hold fast to him, you must follow after him in your thoughts, you must tread his ways by faith, not in outward show. You must take refuge in him. He is your refuge and your strength. David addresses him in these words: I fled to you for refuge, and I was not disappointed.

 

 

 

Saint of the Day for Saturday, March 7th, 2015: † Sts. Perpetua and Felicity †

Saint of the Day for Saturday, March 7th, 2015

Sts. Perpetua and Felicity

With the lives of so many early martyrs shrouded in legend, we are fortunate to have the record of the courage of Perpetua and Felicity from the hand of Perpetua herself, her teacher Saturus, and … continue reading

More Saints of the Day

Sts. Perpetua and Felicity St. Ardo St. Deifer St. Drausinus St. Enodoch St. Esterwine

Bl. John Ireland Bl. John Larke St. Paul the Simple St. Paul of Prusa St. Paul the Simple

Today In History. What Happened This Day In History

A chronological timetable of historical events that occurred on this day in history. Historical facts of the day in the areas of military, politics, science, music, sports, arts, entertainment and more. Discover what happened today in history.

March 7

322 BC		The Greek philosopher Aristotle dies.
161		On the death of Antoninus at Lorium, Marcus Aurelius becomes emperor.
1774		The British close the port of Boston to all commerce.
1799		In Palestine, Napoleon captures Jaffa and his men massacre more than 2,000 Albanian prisoners.
1809		Aeronaut Jean Pierre Blanchard — the first person to make the an aerial voyage in the New World — died on March 7, 1809, at the age of 56.
1838		Soprano Jenny Lind (“the Swedish Nightingale”) makes her debut in Weber’s opera Der Freischultz.
1847		U.S. General Winfield Scott occupies Vera Cruz, Mexico.
1849		The Austrian Reichstag is dissolved.
1862		Confederate forces surprise the Union army at the Battle of Pea Ridge, in Arkansas, but the Union is victorious.
1876		Alexander Graham Bell is granted a patent for the telephone.
1904		The Japanese bomb the Russian town of Vladivostok.
1906		Finland becomes the third country to give women the right to vote, decreeing universal suffrage for all citizens over 24, however, barring those persons who are supported by the state.
1912		French aviator, Heri Seimet flies non-stop from London to Paris in three hours.
1918		Finland signs an alliance treaty with Germany.
1925		The Soviet Red Army occupies Outer Mongolia.
1927		A Texas law that bans Negroes from voting is ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
1933		The board game Monopoly is invented.
1933		The film King Kong premieres in New York City.
1935		Malcolm Campbell sets an auto speed record of 276.8 mph in Florida.
1936		Hitler sends German troops into the Rhineland, violating the Locarno Pact.
1942		Japanese troops land on New Guinea.
1951		U.N. forces in Korea under General Matthew Ridgeway launch Operation Ripper, an offensive to straighten out the U.N. front lines against the Chinese.
1968		The Battle of Saigon, begun on the day of the Tet Offensive, ends.
1971		A thousand U.S. planes bomb Cambodia and Laos.
1979		Voyager 1 reaches Jupiter.
Born on March 7
1707		Stephen Hopkins, signer of the Declaration of Independence.
1872		Piet Mondrian, Dutch abstract painter, leader of the movement known as “de Stijl.”
1875		Maurice Ravel, composer (“Bolero”).
1887		Helen Parkhurst, educator, developed a technique later known as the Dalton Plan.
1904		Reinhard Heydrich, German SS leader and architect of the “Final Solution.”
1907		Rolf Jacobsen, Norwegian poet.
1908		Anna Magnani, Italian actress.

– See more at: http://www.historynet.com/today-in-history#sthash.Mo1VD3gp.dpuf

today’s image: Osa and Martin Johnson (painting: Andrew Whyte, Norwalk, Connecticut)

Osa and Martin Johnson

In the 1930s, Kansas husband-and-wife team Osa and Martin Johnson — flying two Sikorsky amphibian aircraft painted in animal motifs — covered 60,000 miles and photographed the land and peoples of Africa. The Johnsons introduced Depression-era audiences to the beauty of East Africa with their popular travel books and safari documentary films like Baboona.

Painting: Andrew Whyte, Norwalk, Connecticut

Read more fascinating stories about early flying adventures in  Aviation History.

– See more at: http://www.historynet.com/picture-of-the-day#sthash.LR2HcAJm.dpuf

today’s holiday: Bal du Rat Mort (2015)

Bal du Rat Mort (2015)

A huge carnival and ball, Bal du Rat Mort is concentrated in the casino of Ostende, Belgium, but also spread out all over the town. The carnival began at the end of the 19th century, launched by members of the Oostende Art and Philanthropic Circle (Circle Coecilia) who named the affair for a café on Montmartre (a hilly part of northern Paris, home to many artists) where they had whiled away pleasant hours. People are masked at the ball, and there’s a competition for the best costume. More… Discuss

Quotation: Be good and you will be lonesome. Mark Twain

Quotation 

Be good and you will be lonesome.

Mark Twain (1835-1910) Discuss

today’s birthday: Janet Guthrie (1938)

Janet Guthrie (1938)

Before becoming the first woman to compete in the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500, race car driver Janet Guthrie worked as an aerospace engineer. She began racing in 1963. By the end of 1977, she had competed in two of racing’s most prestigious events—the Daytona 500 and Indy 500. She has since been inducted into both the Women’s Sports Hall of Fame and the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, and her race suit and helmet are in the Smithsonian Institution. What record does she hold? More… Discuss

this day in the yesteryear: Antoninus Pius Is Succeeded by Co-Emperors (161)

Antoninus Pius Is Succeeded by Co-Emperors (161)

When Emperor Antoninus Pius died in 161, Marcus Aurelius accepted the throne on the condition that he and Lucius Verus be made joint emperors—an unprecedented political arrangement in the Roman Empire. Aurelius likely sought the partnership so Verus could directly command Roman legions in the empire’s nearly constant war efforts. Verus was authoritative enough to command the loyalty of the troops and powerful enough that he had little incentive to overthrow Marcus. Did Verus remain loyal? More… Discuss

Article: The Addams Family (who doesn’t recall the tune…)

The Addams Family

The Addams Family Theme song

Tiffany The Hobbit

Published on Nov 1, 2012

Hehe I love this show and the movie of course! Enjoy!

Lyrics:
They’re creepy and they’re kooky,
Mysterious and spooky,
They’re all together ooky,
The Addams Family.

Their house is a museum
Where people come to see ’em
They really are a scream
The Addams Family.

(Neat)
(Sweet)
(Petite)

So get a witches shawl on
A broomstick you can crawl on
We’re gonna pay a call on
The Addams Family.

The Addams Family is a group of eccentric characters representing a satirical inversion of the ideal American nuclear family. A creation of American cartoonist Charles Addams, the group first appeared in a comic strip in The New Yorker, and has since been featured in TV shows, movies, and video games. In Charles Addams’ original cartoons, the characters were not named. When the TV show was developed, Addams was asked to contribute names. All his suggestions were used except for what? More… Discuss

this pressed for your HEALTH: BBC News – Male fertility: Losing weight and cancer drugs ‘boost sperm’

Obesity has long been suspected as a factor in male infertility.

Two approaches to boosting obese men’s sperm have been presented at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society.

The first suggested that obese men who lost weight were more likely get their partners pregnant.

The second found that a cancer drug helped some infertile men have children.

Experts said the approaches were interesting alternatives to IVF and were opening up “real possibilities” for men.

Weight loss is already widely advised for women struggling to conceive and obesity has long been suspected as a factor in male infertility.

A team at the University of Sherbrooke in Canada say they have conducted the first study to help men lose weight and see if it improved the chances of conception.

more…via BBC News – Male fertility: Losing weight and cancer drugs ‘boost sperm’.

word: caper

caper

Definition:	(noun) A playful leap or hop.
Synonyms:	capriole
Usage:	The child’s playfulness was amusing at first, but they soon grew tired of his capers. Discuss.

France 24 : IS destroy Hatra

Islamic State militants destroy Iraq’s ancient city of Hatra

http://f24.my/1MhNO4Q

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1. Une jeune femme qui prend l’eau sur une plage et une guêpe qui fait un photobombing
   Avec les photos numériques on est parfois surpris par le résultat obtenu. Ces 24 photos ont été prises à l’instant précis où le rendu est exceptionnel. Un centième de seconde avant ou 1 centième de seconde après et la photo n’aurait plus du tout eu le même rendu impressionnant. Des photos prises au moment parfait qui les rend uniques et exceptionnelles ! 😉

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Le Monde : Fusillade au Mali : François Hollande dénonce « un lâche attentat »

Fusillade au Mali : François Hollande dénonce « un lâche attentat »
http://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2015/03/07/fusillade-au-mali-francois-hollande-denonce-un-lache-attentat_4589213_3212.html
Le Monde

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Le Monde : Mali : que sait-on de l’attentat de Bamako ?

Mali : que sait-on de l’attentat de Bamako ?
http://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2015/03/07/mali-un-francais-tue-lors-d-une-fusillade-dans-un-restaurant-de-bamako_4589161_3212.html
Le Monde

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Reuters

“Syrian army kills Islamic State commander: state media, monitor” – http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN0M30F720150307

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Reuters

“EU shows little appetite for more Russia sanctions” – http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN0M30GV20150307

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VOA : US First Family Marks Civil Rights Milestones

http://www.voanews.com/A/2671280.html

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BBC : Brazil’s Petrobras scandal deepens

Brazil’s Petrobras scandal deepens http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-31775677

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BBC : Mali nightclub attack kills five

Mali nightclub attack kills five http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-31775679

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BBC : Egyptian executed over Morsi clashes

Egyptian executed over Morsi clashes http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-31779059

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BBC : China takes pollution film offline

China takes pollution film offline http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-31778115

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BBC : IS ‘destroying ancient Iraq site’

IS ‘destroying ancient Iraq site’ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-31779484

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BBC : Two men held over Nemtsov killing

Two men held over Nemtsov killing http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-31778279

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