Monday, August 11, 2008

Happy St. Clare Day



St Clare is the patron saint of television. But I'm not sure if you pray to her for quality tv or to deliver you from all the bad tv out there.

Here's your today in History:

August 11 1772 -


The summit of Papandayan volcano in West Java suddenly implodes, unleashing a catastrophic debris avalanche which blankets an area of 250 square km. Tumbling boulders flatten 40 villages and their 2,957 inhabitants. People, this is what happens when you do not make the proper virgin sacrifices to the volcano gods. You can't throw just any old skank into a volcano.

August 11 1937 -


On this day, expatriate Edith Wharton died in France, and ex-expatriate Ernest Hemingway didn't in New York. Edith Wharton died in France, in the quiet, Old World style she liked to live and describe; also on this day, and in New World contrast, ex-expatriate Ernest Hemingway bared his hairy chest to Max Eastman's unhairy one, demanded "What do you mean accusing me of impotence?" and then wrestled Eastman to the floor. I'm not accusing Hemingway of anything, it's just Hemingway liked to strip to the waist, grease his body and wrestle smaller, slender men to the ground - sweating and grunting, stiffening then becoming quite still. That's perfectly normal.

August 11 1956 -


Jackson Pollock famous abstract artist and public urinator, dies in an alcohol-related, single car crash in 1956 at the age of only 44, killing one of his passengers, Edith Metzger. The other passenger, his girlfriend Ruth Kligman, survived.


August 11 1984 -
Not realizing that his weekly radio address is already on the air, President Ronald Reagan quips into his live microphone: "My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes." Oh that rascally dead President, such a kidder.



August 11 1997 -
Responding to reports of a domestic disturbance at the L'Elysee condominiums in West Los Angeles, LAPD officers encounter Christian Slater "swinging his arms and yelling incoherently" in the building stairwell. The movie actor reveals to police that "the Germans are coming and they will kill us." He also mentions that he has been awake for most of two days, and the last thing he remembers is "snorting a couple of lines of cocaine this morning." When officers attempt to put him in handcuffs, Slater knocks one of them to the floor and makes an unsuccessful grab for the cop's weapon. His punishment? 59 days in jail.


(Yes, I know these are mugs shots from an earlier arrest)

So kids, remember limit your drug intake and stay inside your own home.

And so it goes.

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