Monday, January 21, 2008

Throw another log on the fire

Happy Monday folks. Hopefully most of you have the day off.

I wanted to share with you this video of the song "Watching the Detectives" for no other reason than it's clever and it's my blog -


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiNHe7BUqhc


Enjoy

Here's your today in History -


January 21, 1793 -
On Monday, 21 January 1793, stripped of all titles and honorifics by the republican government, citizen Louis Capet was guillotined in front of a cheering crowd in what today is the Parisian Place de la Revolution. The executioner, Charles Henri Sanson, testified that the former King had bravely met his fate. An early "urban legend" has the King months earlier suggesting a slant and bevelling of the blade, for better cutting action.

Sometimes, people should just keep their opinions to themself.

January 21, 1924 -
Lenin dead of stroke -- they keep him on ice, expertly preserved. Now after the breakup of the Soviet Union, Russian gangsters employ the use of the same scientists who taxidermied Lenin to preserve each other after they get whacked.





January 21, 1959 -
Former Our Gang child star Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer arrived at Moses "Bud" Stiltz's home in Mission Hills, California, to settle an alleged debt owed to Switzer. Previously, Switzer had borrowed a dog from Stiltz which was lost, but eventually found, Switzer paying the man who returned the dog $50. Switzer went to Stiltz's house to collect the money "owed" him. He banged on Stiltz's front door, demanding that he let him in, flashing a fake police badge. Once Switzer got inside he and Stiltz got into an argument. Switzer informed Stiltz that he wanted the money owed him. However, when Stiltz refused to hand over the money, the two engaged in a physical fight. Switzer bashed Stiltz in the head with a lamp, which caused Stiltz to bleed from his left eye. Stiltz retreated to his bedroom and returned holding a gun, but Switzer immediately grabbed the gun away from Stiltz, which resulted in a shot being fired but neither man being hit. Then Switzer forced Stiltz into a closet, despite Stiltz having gotten his hands back on the gun. Switzer then allegedly pulled out a knife and was attempting to stab Stiltz with it. But just as Switzer was about to charge Stiltz, Stiltz raised the gun and shot Switzer in the chest. Switzer died of intense blood loss while on his way to the hospital. He was 31 years old.

Switzer's death was largely ignored in the media, mainly because director Cecil B. DeMille had died on the same day. Kids, never loan a dog to a former child star.




January 21, 1960
The Little Joe 1B was a Launch Escape System test of the Mercury spacecraft, conducted as part of the U.S. Mercury program, on this date. The mission also carried a female Rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) named Miss Sam in the Mercury spacecraft. The six pound monkey survived the 8 minute 35 second flight in good condition.


Miss Sam retired fro the space program and enjoyed a successfully career in the "Straw Hat" theatre circuit, starring in among other things, "The Little Foxes" and "A Doll's House".

Also, Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

To celebrate the day and the man, I'd like to leave you with these words from his 1964 Nobel Lecture:

"... Occasionally in life there are those moments of unutterable fulfillment which cannot be completely explained by those symbols called words. Their meaning can only be articulated by the inaudible language of the heart."

Hopefully your life will be filled with many of these moments.





And so it goes

No comments: