Today: May 31, 2002

Knots is how the speed of aircraft and boats is measured. Both miles per hour and knots is a speed which is the number of units of distance that is covered for a certain amount of time.

1 knot = 1 nautical mile per hour = 6076 feet per hour
1 mph =1 mile per hour = 5280 feet per hour

The term knot or nautical mile, is used world-wide to denote one's speed through the water. Today, we measure knots with electronic devices, but 200 years ago, such devices were unknown. Ingenious mariners devised a speed-measuring device both easy to use and reliable, the "log line."

  From this method, we get the term "knot." The log line was a length of twine marked at 47.33 foot intervals by colored knots. At one end a log chip was fastened; it was shaped like the sector of a circle and weighted at the rounded end with lead. When thrown over the stern, it would float pointing upward and would remain relatively stationary. The log line was allowed to run free over the side for 28 seconds and then hauled on board.

Knots which had passed over the side were counted. In this way, the ship's speed was measured.

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Today: May 27, 2002

The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System, and the only body within it that emits light of its own. The Sun's enormous gravity holds the whole family of planets together.

It is believed that the accretion disk took 100 million years to collapse from the moment the Sun ignited.

The planets are divided into two main groups, based on their physical characteristics. The four planets closest to the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, are called the rocky or the terrestrial planets. They are small in size and all similar to Earth in composition. The four outer planets, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are called gas giants. They all have rings and have many moons. The gas giants are made up mostly of Hydrogen, Helium, frozen water, ammonia, methane, and Carbon monoxide.

Pluto is a tiny outer rocky body. It is the most remote planet, and might be little more than a giant comet. Its composition is similar to that of comets, and its orbit is quite different from that of the other comets and planets. The Earth is the only planet who's modern name does not derive from Greek or Roman mythology: 'Earth' is derived from Old English. The Romans however, referred to the planet as Terra.

Thanks to for a great site. Don't hesitate visiting them. Lots of great things to see and do.

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Today: May 25, 2002

One dismal day in February 1832, Smith was in his room looking over a collection of German music sent him by Lowell Mason, a noted composer and choir leader. Since Mr. Mason did not understand German, he asked Smith to translate the verses or to write a few original poems to go with the music. As Mr. Smith glanced through the collection he was struck by a tune which appeared to him both simple and spirited. He noted that the German words were patriotic and as he relates it, 'I instantly felt the impulse to write a patriotic hymn of my own, to the same tune. Seizing a scrap of waste paper I put upon it, within half an hour, the verses substantially as they stand today.' Slipping the paper carelessly among his translations, the youth returned them to Lowell Mason'.

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Today: May 24, 2002

Aeschylus (525 - 456 BC)

The "Father of Tragedy," Aeschylus was born in 525 B.C. in the city of Eleusis. He was the first of the three great Greek writers of tragedy. Actually, as the Greeks reckoned time, in the fourth year of the 63rd Olympiad. Immersed early in the mystic rites of the city and in the worship of the Mother and Earth goddess Demeter, he was once sent as a child to watch grapes ripening in the countryside. According to Aeschylus, when he dozed off, Dionysus appeared to him in a dream and ordered him to write tragedies. The obedient young Aeschylus began a tragedy the next morning and "succeeded very easily." He wrote between 80 and 90 plays. Seven tragedies survive intact, along with fragments of other works.

Agamemnon Written 458 B.C.E

Many were the improvements which Aeschylus introduced, especially in diminishing the importance of the chorus and in adding a second actor, thus giving prominence to the dialogue and making it the leading feature of the play. He removed all deeds of bloodshed from the public view, and in their place provided many spectacular elements, improving the costumes, making the masks more expressive and convenient, and probably adopting the cothurnus to increase the stature of the performers. Finally, he established the custom of contending for the prize with trilogies, or series of three independent dramas.

Legend has it that Aeschylus met his death when an eagle mistook his bald head for a rock and dropped a tortoise on it. It is reported that the tortoise lived.

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Today: May 23, 2002

Today's Word: Revenge

Main Entry: re·venge
Pronunciation: ri-'venj
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): re·venged; re·veng·ing
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French revengier, from Old French, from

re- + vengier to avenge -- more at VENGEANCE

Nemesis was the Greek goddess of justice or revenge, so a "nemesis" was someone who avenged or punished. Shakespeare used it in Henry VI.

"Your kingdom's terror and black Nemesis?
O, were mine eyeballs into bullets turned..."

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Today: May 22, 2002

Do not go where the path may lead,
go instead where there is no path
and leave a trail.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Today: May 20, 2002

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Elvis has left the Building

Meaning
The show is over.

Origin
Announced at the end of Elvis Presley's concerts to encourage fans to go home. Now used to indicate that something is complete.

Found on the walls of the tomb of the Boy King of Egypt, Tutankhamen, this inscription puzzled archaeologists for decades. Although the inscription was discovered near the turn of the century, a cypher for the hieroglyphics didn't appear until the 1930's. Here is the direct translation:

For me, the passing of the "King" over tweny years ago was a non-event. But as the spirit lives on and the internet goes south, I really feel a sadness in my gut that Elvis has truly left the building. Get over it folks. The fat Lady sang 20 years ago and went home also.

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Today: May 19, 2002

Mary Edwards Walker, one of the nation's 1.8 million women veterans, was the only one to earn the Congressional Medal of Honor, for her service during the Civil War. She, along with thousands of other women, were honored in the newly-dedicated Women in Military Service for America Memorial in October 1997.

Controversy surrounded Mary Edwards Walker throughout her life. She was born on November 26, 1832 in the Town of Oswego, New York, into an abolitionist family. Her birthplace on the Bunker Hill Road is marked with a historical marker. Her father, a country doctor, was a free thinking participant in many of the reform movements that thrived in upstate New York in the mid 1800s. He believed strongly in education and equality for his five daughters Mary, Aurora, Luna, Vesta, and Cynthia (there was one son, Alvah). He also believed they were hampered by the tight-fitting women's clothing of the day.

In June 1855 Mary, the only woman in her class, joined the tiny number of women doctors in the nation when she graduated from the eclectic Syracuse Medical College, the nation's first medical school and one which accepted women and men on an equal basis. She gratuated at age 21 after three 13-week semesters of medical training which she paid $55 each for.

When war broke out, she came to Washington and tried to join the Union Army. Denied a commission as a medical officer, she volunteered anyway, serving as an acting assistant surgeon - the first female surgeon in the US Army. As an unpaid volunteer, she worked in the US Patent Office Hospital in Washington. Later, she worked as a field surgeon near the Union front lines for almost two years (including Fredericksburg and in Chattanooga after the Battle of Chickamauga).

In September 1863, Walker was finally appointed assistant surgeon in the Army of the Cumberland for which she made herself a slightly modified officer's uniform to wear, in response to the demands of traveling with the soldiers and working in field hospitals. She was then appointed assistant surgeon of the 52nd Ohio Infantry. During this assignment it is generally accepted that she also served as a spy. She continually crossed Confederate lines to treat civilians. She was taken prisoner in 1864 by Confederate troops and imprisoned in Richmond for four months until she was exchanged, with two dozen other Union doctors, for 17 Confederate surgeons.

After the Civil War Walker was recommended for the medal by Generals William T. Sherman and George Thomas, which she received in January, 1866. During the purge of 1917, the federal government tried to clean up many of the errors that had been made in issuing medals. Mary Walker's medal was revoked for "unusual circumstances" two years before she died. She refused to turn the Medal of Honor back to the Army as requested and according to friends wore it proudly every day until her death in 1919.

Born: November 26, 1832, Oswego, New York
Died: February 21, 1919, Oswego, New York

Medal of Honor Awardee, Surgeon, Spy

Purge of 1917 Among the people whose medals were rescinded in the "Purge of 1917" were those given to the 27th Maine to re-enlist, the 29 officers and enlisted men who accompanied President Lincoln's remains from Washington D.C. to Illinois, and that of a true American hero, "Buffalo Bill" Cody, who shared many of Dr. Walker's core beliefs. The honor was revoked along with 900 others for lack of War Department documentation.

Dr. Mary Walker was a humanitarian devoted to the care and treatment of the sick and wounded during the Civil War, often at the risk of her own life. A patriot dedicated and loyal to her country, she successfully fought against the sex dis-crimination of her time. Her personal achievements, as much as her vocal support, significantly contributed to the struggle for women's rights.

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Today: May 18, 2002

Origins: Golf is an old word, one that first appeared in our written language in 1425. One theory says it derives from the Dutch word kolf, a generic term for "club" that surfaces in writings related to a number of ancient games of a tennis, croquet, or hockey-like nature. It's a fine explanation, but it does leave a dual mystery in its wake: Dutch word for 'club' or not, golf began in Scotland, and thus we would expect its name to have also come from that place. To assume otherwise would mean we'd have to believe the Scots invented and then become enthralled with a pastime they left unnamed until the Dutch showed up with a word for it. Second, there was no corresponding Dutch game that at all resembled what the Scots were playing. Would the Dutch be coining a term for a game that wasn't common to them?

Another theory ascribes golf to the Scottish goulf (also gowf), a verb meaning "to strike or cuff." This theory would at least place the origin of the word with the people who invented the game. As for "striking or cuffing," an integral part of the game is, after all, hitting the ball.

(In those older Scottish writings, golf is variously spelled gouff, goiff, goffe, goff, gowff, and golph. Our modern determination to have only one correct spelling for each word would have struck our ancestors as hilariously pedantic and priggish. The norm for them was any number of spellings for common terms, provided those written representations validly reflected the pronounciation of the word. When viewed from that angle, those odd-looking spellings begin to appear far less mysterious.)

Games similar to golf have been around since Roman times, but golf as we now know it dates approximately to 1552, when the famed St. Andrews course was constructed. Earlier Scottish versions, however, were called "golf" even though the game itself was not at that time all it would finally become.

This article compiled from Urban Legends Reference Pages(c). They've got a lot of neat stuff here. Check them out.

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Today: May 17, 2002

A common day term that defines the vowels in the English language. But where did the history of AEIOU start. Well, Let see...

English words with exactly all vowels "aeiou" in that order:

abstemious
abstentious
arsenious
arteriosus
facetious

And for the Crossword Puzzle Folks...

Q: What does A.E.I.O.U stand for?

A: A.E.I.O.U. comes from the tombstone of Frederick III, the first Hapsburg emperor. Many believe it's Latin or German for "Austria will rule the world." For me, it means, "Austrian Economics Is Overall Universal."

In Latin: * Austriae Est Imperare Orbi Universo =
It is certain Austria,
to control the world
* Austria Erit in Orbe Ultima =
Austria will be eternal
on German: * All soil is Austria subject

Frederick III, Holy Roman emperor and German king

1415û93, Holy Roman emperor (1452û93) and German king (1440û93). With his brother Albert VI he inherited the duchies of Styria, Carinthia, and Carniola. He became head of the house of Hapsburg at the death (1439) of his distant cousin Albert II, whom he was elected (1440) to succeed as German king. Although Frederick was generally a weak ruler, he made considerable progress toward reuniting the Hapsburg family lands under his own branch. On Albert IIÆs death Frederick became guardian for his young son Ladislaus Posthumus (see Ladislaus V) and regent of Austria for Ladislaus. In Bohemia and Hungary, however, he was unable to establish himself as regent for Ladislaus. In 1453 he temporarily lost Austria when he was forced to give up the youth. After the death (1457) of Ladislaus, Frederick relinquished Bohemia to George of Podebrad and Hungary to Matthias Corvinus. In Austria, his succession to Ladislaus as duke was challenged by his brother, but AlbertÆs death (1463) left Frederick with an undisputed claim.

The objects of interest of Krems
The Steinertor
It is the landmark of Krems and as only of the four medieval city gates kept. The building of gates, flanked of two gotischen round towers, originates from late 15. Jhd., in the core substantially older, the baroque structure took place 1756. On the right side of the gate can be seen the motto in initial form for Kaiser Friedrich III., i.e. A.E.I.O.U. and the year that this was placed 1480. These initials derived from the Latin, "Austriae est imperare orbi universo", which roughly translates as, 'All the earth bows to Austria'.

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Today: May 16, 2002

The translation of Quetzalcoatl means literally Plumed Serpent. A more understandable translation would be feathered serpent. This point is interesting in that he very rarely appears in this form. He is more often depicted in many of his other roles, specifically as Topiltzin the high priest (Brundage 102-03). The significance of the name is in itself misleading when referring to this complex deity of the Aztecs.

An ancient deity and legendary ruler of the Toltecin Mexico. The name is also that of a Toltec ruler, who is credited with the discovery of corn, the arts, science, and the calendar. It is unclear whether the ruler took his name from the god or as a great ruler was elevated to the position of a god.

The Temple of Kukulkan (the Feathered Serpent God, also known as Quetzalcoatl) is the largest and most important ceremonial structure at Chichen Itza. This ninety-foot tall pyramid was built during the eleventh to thirteenth centuries directly upon the multiple foundations of previous temples. The pyramid is a store-house of information on the Mayan calendar. Each face of the four-sided structure has a stairway with ninety-one steps, which together with the shared step of the platform at the top, add up to 365, the number of days in a year. On each face of the pyramid the central stairway divides the nine terraces into eighteen segments representing the eighteen months of the Mayan calendar. The pyramid is also directionally oriented to mark the solstices and equinoxes. The axes that run through the northwest and southwest corners of the pyramid are oriented toward the rising point of the sun at the summer solstice and its setting point at the winter solstice. The northern stairway was the principal sacred path leading to the summit. At sunset on the vernal and autumnal equinoxes, an interplay between the sun's light and the edges of the stepped terraces on the pyramid creates a fascinating - and very brief - shadow display upon the sides of the northern stairway. A serrated line of seven interlocking triangles gives the impression of a long tail leading downward to the stone head of the serpent Kukulkan, at the base of the stairway.

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The Internet has spawned a whole new lexicon and brought the world to your living room, 24/7/365. And while the opportunities online for consumers are almost endless, there are some challenges, too. As in dot con.

Dot con? Dot con.

Con artists have gone high-tech, using the Internet to defraud consumers in a variety of clever ways. Whether they're using the excitement of an Internet auction to entice consumers into parting with their money, applying new technology to peddle traditional business opportunity scams, using email to reach vast numbers of people with false promises about earnings through day trading, or hijacking consumers' modems and cramming hefty long-distance charges onto their phone bills, scam artists are just a click away.

Find out what new at the Federal Consumer Information Center

Scams and Frauds

FTC Charges Sellers of Cell Phone Radiation Protection Patches with Making False Claims - The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has charged two companies that sold devices that purportedly protect users from electromagnetic radiation emitted by cellular telephones with making false and unsubstantiated claims. The FTC alleges that the companies falsely represented that their products block up to 97% or 99% of radiation and other electromagnetic energy emitted by cellular telephones, thereby reducing consumers' exposure to this radiation. According to the FTC, the defendants lacked a reasonable basis to substantiate their claims.

Internet Warning about Bananas False - According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a widely circulating e-mail message warning people not to eat bananas because they are infected with flesh-eating bacteria is a hoax. Consumers with questions can call the CDC's banana hot line (404) 371-5375.

This is a great site. Great information for the consumer and its all FREE. Our Federal Government has put this site together. Lots of great stuff there and dozens of books and articles for free. Check it out.

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LGM - It could be the LEMBAGA GETAH MALAYSIA (Malaysian Rubber Board), But what fun would that be?

How about - LGM (Our Mission Statement reveals the heartfelt passion of every member of Lifetime Guarantee Ministries. Our mission is to produce Believers who know Jesus Christ, experience their true identity in Him, and live as He intended.) Ya, that could be it,

But a closely guarded secret is LGM "Little Green Men"


And our search for them continues in the Scientific community. Mulder and Scully knew the truth. They had proof. Why do you think they are no longer a team on the TV Series "X-Files". The truth is out there!

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1775: Dr. Franz Mesmer developed healing by 'animal magnetism' or mesmerism, which was later renamed hypnosis.

1784: Count Maxime de Puysegut discovered a form of deep trance he called somnambulism.

The use of chants, drumming, and monotonous dancing rituals to change or alter consciousness fall under the definition of hypnosis. Such methods have been used successfully by the Druids, Vikings, Indian Yogis, Dervishes, Hindu priests, and holy men of all religions and denominations for centuries.

In 2600 BC, the father of Chinese medicine, Wong Tai, wrote about techniques that involved incantations and passes of the hands. Accounts of what we would now call Hypnosis can also be found in the Bible, the Talmud, and The Hindu Vedas written about 1500 BC.

You're getting sleepy...Verrry Sleepy. You are now in a trance. When I snap my fingers, you will wake up and have the overwelming urge to send me $5.00. "SNAP".

So, did you send out the money? Ya. Right. So much for that theory.

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Planet Alignment Peaks Sunday and Monday

The long-awaited gathering of the five naked-eye planets reaches its peak May 5-6, 2002 in the western evening sky. In a single glance you'll be able to see all five planets, a feat not possible again for decades. Further, three of the five planets will crowd into a small spot in the sky, making for a very distinctive formation -- officially dubbed a "planetary trio" -- that is sure to thrill skywatchers.

From now through May 10, an official trio will be readily visible low in the west-northwest sky for about two hours after sunset. The three planets are Venus (magnitude -3.9), Saturn (+0.1) and Mars (+1.6). The circle will be at its smallest (2.7 degrees) at 9 p.m. EDT on May 6.

Amazingly, a fourth planet, Mercury, will not be too far away. It passed just south of the Pleiades star cluster on April 29 and arrives at a very favorable elongation, 21 degrees east of the Sun, on May 4. Mercury will sit roughly 8 degrees below and to the right of the planetary trio on May 6, while shining at magnitude +0.8.

Jupiter is the only one of the five bright naked-eye planets that is not directly involved in the extraordinary clustering of celestial bodies. Yet, it's really not so far away. Shining brilliantly at magnitude -1.9 in the middle of the constellation Gemini, it will stand well up in the western sky at dusk. And during the final week of May, brilliant Venus will be drawing noticeably closer to Jupiter.

According to astronomer Robert C. Victor at Michigan State University's Abrams Planetarium, after the spectacular planetary array of 2002 passes into history, future generations will witness similar compact gatherings of the five naked-eye planets in September 2040, July 2060 and November 2100.

But Victor adds an important disclaimer regarding the visibility of these future planet bunchings: "The groupings of 2040 and 2100 will take place with some of the planets barely above the horizon at mid-twilight for northern latitudes and hence they may only be visible with binoculars. Only with the compact gathering due in July 2060 will we again have a chance to clearly see all five naked-eye planets in a single glance."

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Today: May 4, 2002

U.S. Supreme Court, 2001
Back Row (left to right): Ginsburg, Souter, Thomas, Breyer
Front Row (left to right): Scalia, Stevens, Rehnquist, O'Connor, Kennedy

List of all Justices and their bios/decisions

Designed by architect Cass Gilbert Sr. and his son Cass Gilbert Jr., the new building was completed in 1935. For $9.7 million the Supreme Court got a grand neoclassical building with a large library, dining room, chambers for the justices and their law clerks, and an indoor basketball court. Don't be disappointed that you can't visit the justice's conference room, where the court makes its decisions. Not even the justice's secretaries or clerks are allowed to join them for these decision-making sessions.

Loyola University, Louisiana State University (LSU), and Tulane University all have programs that invite judges to their campuses to lecture and participate in seminars at their respective law schools. Of these universities, only Tulane appears to also sponsor travel for judges to locations elsewhere in the United States and destinations abroad.

The extent of Tulane's judicial sponsorship shows that it aggressively pursues a policy of financing foreign travel for judges. Tulane even sponsored a trip for Judge Ginger Berrigan to Greece while she was presiding over Bernofsky's 1998 lawsuit against it for retaliation and defamation.

About 40 subscribers, many of whom were employees of West Publishing Co., dropped the newspaper because of its March 5-6 series that said federal judges, including four present Supreme Court justices, have accepted trips to luxury hotels and resorts paid for by West since 1982.

Order of succession, Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court

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MARY I
Queen Of England 1553 - 1558
BORN: 18 FEBRUARY 1516
PROCLAIMED QUEEN: JULY 1553
DIED: 17 NOVEMBER 1558
Died from stomach cancer

Mary Tudor was the only child born to Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon to survive childhood. Had she been born a boy, it is likely that the whole of English history would have been different (but probably less interesting!).

Henry VIII died January 28, 1547, leaving his 9 year-old son as King. The young Edward was a supporter of the Protestant faith,although Mary seems to have hoped at one point he would see the error of his ways and return England to the Church of Rome. Edward died on July 6, 1553.

On the morning of October 1, Mary made the short walk from Westminster Palace to the Abbey across the street for her coronation. It was nearly 5 o'clock before the ceremony was finished and the court made it's way back to Westminster Palace for the banquet in the Great Hall. Mary I was proclaimed queen

In January 1555, the arrests began. John Hooper (former Bishop of Gloucester), John Rogers and John Cardmaster were arrested after they refused to cease their heretical activities and put on trial. All three were condemned to be burnt at the stake, with Rogers the first to die. Instead of deterring the Protestants, the burnings mainly served to increase their hatred of the Queen. In all about 275 people died and were later included in John Foxe's Acts and Monuments of the English Martyrs. It was because of these burnings that the Queen gained the epitaph "Bloody Mary".



Bloody Mary


Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz Vodka
3 ea Drops tabasco sauce
3 oz Tomato juice
1 x Pepper; to taste
1 ea Lemon; juiced
1 x Salt; to taste
1/2 ts Worcestershire sauce


Legend: Chanting "Bloody Mary!" thirteen times in front of a candlelit mirror will summon a vengeful spirit. Some confuse the mirror witch with Mary I of England, whom history remembers as "Bloody Mary." An expanded version of that confusion has it that this murdering British queen killed young girls so she could bathe in their blood to preserve her youthful appearance.

Mary I of England (1553-1558) was anything but a famed beauty terrified of losing her looks -- she was a matronly, fortyish woman who had about as much sense of style as a dust mop. The idea of her bathing in the blood of slaughtered virgins to preserve her loveliness is ludicrous. She came by the moniker "Bloody Mary" because she had a number of Protestants put to death during her reign.

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Today: May 1, 2002

May Day


The Saxons began their May day celebrations on the eve of May, April 30. It was an evening of games and feasting celebrating the end of winter and the return of the sun and fertility of the soil. Torch bearing peasants and villager would wind their way up paths to the top of tall hills or mountain crags and then ignite wooden wheels which they would roll down into the fields

The May eve celebrations were eventually outlawed by the Catholic church, but were still celebrated by peasants until the late 1700's. While good church going folk would shy away from joining in the celebrations, those less afraid of papal authority would don animal masks and various costumes, not unlike our modern Halloween. The revelers, lead by the Goddess of the Hunt; Diana (sometimes played by a pagan-priest in women's clothing) and the Horned God; Herne, would travel up the hill shouting, chanting and singing, while blowing hunting horns. This night became known in Europe as Walpurgisnacht, or night of the witches

The two most popular feast days for Medieval craft guilds were the Feast of St. John, or the Summer Solstice and Mayday. Mayday was a raucous and fun time, electing a queen of the May from the eligible young women of the village, to rule the crops until harvest. Our tradition of beauty pagents may have evolved , albeit in a very bastardized form, from the May Queen.

Our modern celebration of Mayday as a working class holiday evolved from the struggle for the eight hour day in 1886. May 1, 1886 saw national strikes in the United States and Canada for an eight hour day called by the Knights of Labour. In Chicago police attacked striking workers killing six. The next day at a demonstration in Haymarket Square to protest the police brutality a bomb exploded in the middle of a crowd of police killing eight of them. The police arrested eight anarchist trade unionists claiming they threw the bombs. To this day the subject is still one of controversy. The question remains whether the bomb was thrown by the workers at the police or whether one of the police's own agent provocateurs dropped it in their haste to retreat from charging workers.

Mayday, which had been banned for being a holiday of the common people, had been reclaimed once again for the common people.

The international working class holiday; Mayday, originated in pagan Europe. It was a festive holy day celebrating the first spring planting. The ancient Celts and Saxons celebrated May 1st as Beltane or the day of fire. Bel was the Celtic god of the sun.

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