History for April 18

History for April 18 - On-This-Day.com

Good Friday

Birth anniversary of American attorney Clarence Darrow (1857-1938).

Happy Birthday! Barbara Hale,  Hayley Mills, Rick Moranis, Conan O’Brien, David Tennant, James Woods

1775 - American revolutionaries Paul Revere, William Dawes and Samuel Prescott rode though the towns of Massachusetts giving the warning that "the Regulars are coming out." Later, the phrase "the British are coming" was attributed to Revere. 


1861 - Colonel Robert E. Lee turned down an offer to command the Union armies during the U.S. Civil War. 

1906 - San Francisco, CA, was hit with an earthquake. The original death toll was cited at about 700. Later information indicated that the death toll may have been 3 to 4 times the original estimate. 


1934 - The first Laundromat opened in Fort Worth, TX. 


1937 - Leon Trotsky called for the overthrow of Soviet leader Josef Stalin.
 



1938 - Superman, the world's first super hero, appeared in the first issue of Action Comics. The cover date was June 1938. 


1942 - James H. Doolittle and his squadron, from the USS Hornet, raided Tokyo and other Japanese cities. 


1942 - The Vichy government capitulated to Adolf Hitler and invited Pierre Laval to form a new government in France. 

1943 - Traveling in a bomber, Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, was shot down by American P-38 fighters. 


1945 - American war correspondent Ernie Pyle was killed by Japanese gunfire on the Pacific island of Ie Shima, off Okinawa. He was 44 years old. 


1955 - Albert Einstein died. 


1956 - Actress Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco were married. The religious ceremony took place April 19. 


1978 - The U.S. Senate approved the transfer of the Panama Canal to Panama on December 31, 1999. 


1980 - Rhodesia became the independent nation of Zimbabwe. 






1983 - The U.S. Embassy in Beirut was blown up by a suicide car-bomber. 63 people were killed including 17 Americans. 

GOP legislation would cut off Holder's salary | Fox News

GOP legislation would cut off Holder's salary | Fox News:

"Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Texas, introduced the "Contempt Act" on Tuesday, less than a week after alluding to the measure during a contentious House Judiciary Committee hearing where Holder faced criticism from GOP lawmakers.
"The American people should not be footing the bill for federal employees who stonewall Congress or rewarding government officials’ bad behavior," Farenthold said in a statement. "If the average American failed to do his or her job, he or she would hardly be rewarded.""

Hillary PAC takes page from Carney family playbook with Communist-inspired Clinton iconography | TheBlaze.com

Hillary PAC takes page from Carney family playbook with Communist-inspired Clinton iconography | TheBlaze.com:

"Last week, we noted that in a profile of White House Press Secretary Jay Carney’s wife, Claire Shipman, in Washingtonian MOM magazine, Soviet-era propaganda adorned the walls of the family’s home.
Today, a photo has been making the rounds, courtesy of the Ready for Hillary Super PAC’s Facebook page, of Hillary Clinton supporters standing in front of a piece of Communist-style, propaganda-esque art. The person depicted in the piece? Ms. Clinton herself."

Lapdog libs get scooped by comedy show??--------Carney: The Toughest Interview Obama Had Was With Jon Stewart

Carney: The Toughest Interview Obama Had Was With Jon Stewart | Video | RealClearPolitics:
"JAY CARNEY: I remember we had some discussion during 2012 about well, is it appropriate for the president, the sitting president and candidate, to give interviews with Jon Stewart and others.
And the answer was yes, again because the young voters we were trying to reach are more likely to watch The Daily Show than some other news shows.
But also, I think if you look back at 2012 and the series of interviews the sitting president of the United States gave, probably the toughest interview he had was with Jon Stewart.
Probably the most substantive, challenging interview Barack Obama had in the election year was with the anchor of The Daily Show. (A Conversation with Jay Carney at George Washington University, April 17, 2014)"

Ukraine Crisis in Maps

Ukraine Crisis in Maps - NYTimes.com:
"Ukraine Crisis in Maps-A visual guide to the continuing conflict over Crimea and the country's east."

Here’s What Defiant New York Gun Owners Decided to Do on the Day of State’s Gun Registration Deadline | Video | TheBlaze.com

Here’s What Defiant New York Gun Owners Decided to Do on the Day of State’s Gun Registration Deadline | Video | TheBlaze.com:

"On Tuesday, the deadline, New York gun owners and Second Amendment rights advocates gathered in downtown Buffalo, N.Y., and shredded gun registration forms in an act of protest.
New York lawmakers have “shredded” their constitutional rights, so it’s only fitting the gun registration forms get the same treatment, protesters reportedly said."

This is an immoral company-----GM looking to bankruptcy court for lawsuit protection

GM looking to bankruptcy court for lawsuit protection - Fox 2 News Headlines
DETROIT (WJBK) -General Motors says it will ask a federal bankruptcy judge to shield the company from legal claims involving conduct before its 2009 bankruptcy.

The company revealed its strategy late Tuesday in a motion filed in a federal court case in Corpus Christi, Texas, surrounding defective ignition switches that have led GM to recall more than 2 million cars.

Paul Krugman could receive $25,000 per month for income inequality initiative

Paul Krugman could receive $25,000 per month for income inequality initiative | WashingtonExaminer.com: "New York Times author and liberal economist Paul Krugman has been offered a position as a distinguished scholar for a nine-month stint at the City University of New York's Luxembourg Income Study Center, which researches income inequality. 

Krugman has also been nominated to become a distinguished professor for LIS, which would bring with it a hefty $225,000 salary. (Krugman's nomination was first reported by Gawker.)

That means that Krugman, while working to research income inequality, will earn nearly five times the median household income of residents of New York City -- for nine month's work."

The IRS Tea Party Targeting Scandal May Have Just Gotten a Lot Worse | TheBlaze.com

The IRS Tea Party Targeting Scandal May Have Just Gotten a Lot Worse | TheBlaze.com:
"The matter remains under congressional investigation, while the Justice Department probe of the IRS tactics is being run by DOJ attorney and Obama donor Barbara Bosserman.

“Not only do these e-mails further prove the coordination among the IRS, the Federal Election Commission (FEC), the Justice Department and committee Democrats to target conservatives, they also show that had our committee not requested the Inspector General’s investigation when we did, Eric Holder’s politicized Justice Department would likely have been leveling trumped up criminal charges against Tea Party groups to intimidate them from exercising their Constitutional rights,” said Rep. Jim Jordan, a member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee."

What weapons should you use to defend your home?

What weapons should you use to defend your home?:
"The question about what the best home defense weapon is is a pretty hotly-debated one.
Some people thing it’s a .45, some people think it’s an M-16 or AK-47, and some people think it’s a shotgun.

Here’s what I think.
There are several considerations that you need to think of when deciding what weapon would be best to protect your home, such as:
Your experience and training
The risk of collateral damage
The effectiveness of the round used"

10 Most Ridiculous Things You Didn’t Know Your Tax Money Was Going Towards

America, Inc - 10 Most Ridiculous Things You Didn’t Know Your Tax Money Was Going Towards:

1 – $384,949 spent on a federal study that looks at ‘‘Plasticity in Duck Penis Length.‘ Wait, it gets better.

2 – $1 million to New York to put up some road signs telling drivers they are spending money … on road projects. It gets better.

3 – $15,000 to an “artist” so he could build a model home out of cardboard… and then burn it down. Remember, this is your money.

4 – $3.4 million of your taxpayer dollars to the state of Florida for an underground turtle tunnel… Can’t have enough of those.

5 – $1.4 billion of your money paid for the Obama family housing, flying, and entertainment.When does Beyonce come to my place?

6 – $386,000 of taxpayer money went towards studying the effects of massage therapy on rabbits. Cats just fired their lobbyist.

7 – $1 million for the State Department to buy a sculpture of a granite block… made up of smaller granite blocks. Important people make these decisions.

8 – $835,000 for a General Services Administration conference in Las Vegas that included clowns and mind readers. Nothing too good for our government workers.

9 – $50 million of your money for IRS conferences from 2010 to 2012, including a $14 million conference in sunny California.. Might bring that up if you’re audited.

10 – And $398,990 of your money to conduct a study to see if “Tea Partiers” are dumb. Well, obviously, when compared to Washington.

- See more at: http://www.foramerica.org/2014/01/10-most-ridiculous-things-you-didnt-know-your-tax-money-was-going-towards-2/#sthash.jeztDjU3.dpuf

Isn't 23 on the ACT... well ....um.... kinda crappy?----- Detroit student joins BAMN to lead protest against U-M admissions office (VIDEO)

Make sure you click on the video link below to see these young knowledge-seekers at their most eloquent!
Detroit student joins BAMN to lead protest against U-M admissions office
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (WJBK) -- Detroit high school student Brooke Kimbrough, along with the pro-affirmative action group By Any Means Necessary, staged a protest Tuesday to demand more diversity at the University of Michigan.
BAMN is demanding an immediate appeal on behalf of Kimbrough and Birmingham Seaholm student Daisha Martin.
Both applied to the university school and were denied admission.
Kimbrough, who is black, says she carries a 3.6 GPA, scored a 23 (out of 36) on the ACT test and is a leader of University Prep High School's winning debate team.
Martin's is president of Seaholm's Black Student Union, plays the violin and started an annual march against racism.
Her academic records were not made public.

"I believe I have been rejected because of the morals I stand for," said Kimbrough. 
"I will make it my civic duty to document every news of a rejection letter that the university produces to our black, brown and red bodies."

U-M officials tell FOX 2 they share students' concerns about diversity on campus and that increasing the number of unrepresented minorities on campus is a major goal of the administration.
On Wednesday, officials said a series of meetings between administrators and the Black Student Union have produced several steps aiming at increasing the percentage of black students.
It was back in 2003 when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down U-M's undergraduate admissions practice of assigning points to minority candidates in the undergraduate admissions process.

Must see video:

Detroit student joins BAMN to lead protest against U-M admissions office (VIDEO)

Jeepers, maybe telling the world that a blowjob isn't sex mighta contributed?-------Study: Many young girls view sexual violence as 'normal stuff'

Study: Many young girls view sexual violence as 'normal stuff' | MSNBC
Fear of slut-shaming drives many adolescent girls to stay silent and not report sexual violence, a new study found, as many view harassment as normal, everyday life of middle school and high school.
The eye-popping results, from a study on Normalizing Sexual Violence set to appear in the next issue of Gender & Society, exposes how objectification, sexual harassment and abuse are viewed as everyday experiences for many young women.
.......Instead, Hlavka found, girls avoided reporting instances of harassment or violence because they feared backlash from peers and of assuming the label of “whore” or “slut.”
“Some girls belittled others’ experiences, holding them responsible for their victimizations,” Hlavka wrote. Young girls in the study describe how peers – and even friends – would question a victim’s story after they came forward.
Girls were criticized for not successfully maneuvering men’s aggressive behavior.
Others didn’t report violence because they didn’t want to make a “big deal” of their experiences.

Be patient, Summer's coming!

How Much Does the Government Estimate It Will Make From Obamacare Taxes? | TheBlaze.com

How Much Does the Government Estimate It Will Make From Obamacare Taxes? | TheBlaze.com:

"Though the stated goal of Obamacare is to increase the number of Americans with health insurance, the government’s accounting arm estimates it will get a revenue boost from those that do not buy coverage, anticipating $185 billion over the next decade in penalties from non-compliant individuals and employers.
President Barack Obama, with Vice President Joe Biden, speaks in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, April 1, 2014, about the Affordable Care Act. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
“People who do not obtain coverage will pay the greater of two amounts: either a flat dollar penalty per adult in a family, rising from $95 in 2014 to $695 in 2016 and indexed to inflation thereafter (the penalty for a child is half the amount, and an overall cap will apply to family payments),” a new report from the Congressional Budget Office and Joint Committee on Taxation stated. The report said this could also be 1 percent of the household’s income."

OMG, the fish are getting stupider! And it's our fault! (more accurately "Bush's Fault")------Climate change causing fish to lose their minds, researchers say

Climate change causing fish to lose their minds, researchers say - Washington Times:
"Climate change’s latest casualty appears to be fish — or more specifically, fish brains — as researchers say the carbon dioxide that’s being absorbed into the ocean is causing the scaly creatures to lose their survival instincts.
In other words, the fish are losing their minds, The Daily Mail reported.

History for April 17

History for April 17 - On-This-Day.com

Birth anniversary of John Pierpont Morgan, American financier and corporation director (1837-1913).

Happy Birthday! Sean Bean, Jennifer Garner, Rooney Mara

1492 - Christopher Columbus signed a contract with Spain to find a passage to Asia and the Indies. 


1521 - Martin Luther was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church. 


1524 - New York Harbor was discovered by Giovanni Verrazano. 


1895 - China and Japan signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki. It was the end of the first Sino-Japanese War. In the treaty China ceded Taiwan to Japan. 

1961 - About 1,400 U.S.-supported Cuban exiles invaded Cuba at the Bay of Pigs in an attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro. It was an unsuccessful attack. 


1964 - The Ford Motor Company unveiled its new Mustang model. 


1970 - Apollo 13 returned to Earth safely after an on-board accident with an oxygen tank. 


1983 - In New York, a transit strike that began on March 7 ended.
 




1985 - The U.S. Postal Service unveiled its new 22-cent, "LOVE" stamp. 


1996 - Erik and Lyle Menendez were sentenced to life in prison without parole for killing their parents. 

Obama Not Taking Enough Executive Actions? These Legal Scholars Think He Should Take 15 More | TheBlaze.com

Obama Not Taking Enough Executive Actions? These Legal Scholars Think He Should Take 15 More | TheBlaze.com:
“Most of his executive actions have dealt with the environment and the economy,” Brennan Center President Michael Waldman said. “We believe there is another set of goals that can be advanced with a pen and a phone.”
The Brennan Center called for the administration to take 15 more executive actions, even as Republicans, and liberal constitutional scholars such as George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley, have accused Obama of executive overreach."

Census Survey Revisions Mask Health Law Effects - NYTimes.com

Census Survey Revisions Mask Health Law Effects - NYTimes.com:

"An internal Census Bureau document said that the new questionnaire included a “total revision to health insurance questions” and, in a test last year, produced lower estimates of the uninsured. Thus, officials said, it will be difficult to say how much of any change is attributable to the Affordable Care Act and how much to the use of a new survey instrument."

Ukraine crisis could be start of World War III, says Edward Lucas

Ukraine crisis could be start of World War III, says Edward Lucas | Mail Online:

EDWARD LUCAS: I hope I'm wrong but historians may look back and say this was the start of World War III

• 'Vladimir Putin is striking at the heart of the West'
• 'We can chose to surrender any responsibility we have to protect Ukraine and the Baltic states'
• 'Or we can mount a last-ditch attempt to deter Russia from furthering its imperial ambitions'
• 'If we choose to resist Putin, we will risk a terrifying miltary escalation'
• 'I do not think it an exaggeration to say this could bring us to the brink of nuclear war'

The head of the American Cancer Society rakes in how much money??

The head of the American Cancer Society rakes in how much money?? | The Kidney Cancer Chronicles:
"I read a report in the National Journal today detailing the salaries of executives at top trade associations and non-profit organizations.
I suppose if the NFL owners want to pay Roger Goodell $11.5 million a year, it’s their money.
Well, your money really — spent on bottomless cups of beer, tubs of peanuts and plenty of swag — but you get what I mean.
It’s a free market.
When it comes to charity organizations, though, I’m a little less Adam Smithy.
Who knew how rewarding charity work could be — and I don’t mean spiritually or emotionally.
Did you know that John Seffrin, the head of the American Cancer Society, makes $2,270,450 a year? (If you include bonuses and deferred compensation, it’s closer to $2.5 million."