Today is my birthday. I'm 34 years old today. I'm sad to say that my birthday is something of a boring day. Not much of interest happens on my birthday, although I shared it with longtime Chicago newspaper columnist Mike Royko, who was writing when I lived there in 1991-92. Let's look at some things that happened on this day in history, courtesy of Wikipedia:
The English, led by Edward the Black Prince, won the Battles of Poitiers in 1356 (part of the Hundred Years' War).
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid commit their first robbery together in 1900.
Simon and Garfunkel reunite for their famous concert in New York's Central Park in 1981. I actually remember seeing bits of this on TV...my parents watched it with their friends John and Carol Lee, at John and Carol's house in Shawnee, OK. I remember seeing when the crazy fan jumped on stage at Paul as he was singing.
Independence Day for the Caribbean island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis in 1983.
Cal Ripken, Jr. removed himself from the Baltimore Orioles' lineup in 1998, ending his streak as baseball's "Iron Man" at 2,632 consecutive games.
The US invades Afghanistan in 2001, beginning its military activity in the War on Terror.
Today is also International Talk Like A Pirate Day, for reasons I have yet to understand. (For this reason alone my birthday is a laughingstock.)
A few more folks with birthdays today:
Adam West (TV's original Batman)
Jeremy Irons
Jimmy Fallon (from Saturday Night Live)
Rosemary Harris (Aunt May in the recent Spider-Man movies)
"Mama" Cass Elliot
Joan Lunden
Jim Abbott (the world's only pitcher who plays without a right hand)
Trisha Yearwood
So let's move on, shall we? How about some news:
This is what happens when your city has been run by Democrats for decades. Boy, what a great idea! First, lay a bunch of people off, but don't cut entitlements. That way, the people you just laid off have to apply for those entitlements, so you're not really saving anything. Then jack up the taxes, so everyone loses! Interesting fact: Cook County, which contains most of Chicago, has 43.3% of the population of the entire state of Illinois! Consider the implications of that fact for the poor Illinois folks who don't live in Chicago.
How does this happen? A Taser? A woman in a wheelchair? Do you mean to tell me that they couldn't come up with a better way to get her under control? Come on, people...just have someone distract her from the front, then have two people run up behind her, grab her arms, and cuff them to the sides of the chair. This is as ridiculous as shooting at snakes in a populated area (I'm glad to see this was resolved, by the way...the boy's family deserved some justice here).
On to some sports news: The poor Longhorns...they just can't stay clean. Another Texas player has been arrested, their 6th since June. My Uncle Glen back home sent me an e-mail with the following list of jokes at the Longhorns' expense...enjoy!
1. What do you call a drug ring in Austin? A huddle.
2. Four UT Longhorns in a car, who's driving? The police.
3. The UT Longhorns have adopted a new "Honor System". Yes Your Honor, No Your Honor.
4. The UT Longhorns knew they had to do something for their defense, so they hired a new defensive coordinator: F. Lee Bailey.
5. How do the UT Longhorns spend their first week at fall practice?
Studying their Miranda Rights.
6. What do you say to a Longhorn in a suit? Will the defendant please rise?
7. If you see Longhorn football player on a bike, why don't you swerve to hit him? It might be your bike!
8. The Longhorns employ scouts. But to look out for cops, not to scout high school kids.
9. I heard a rumor that the Texas Department of Corrections plans to build a new prison in Austin, Texas in order to allow Longhorns to walk to school.
10. What do you call it, when a Longhorn goes on vacation? Time off for good behavior.
11. Why couldn't the Longhorn get into a huddle on the football field?
It's a parole violation to associate with known felons.
12. Obviously Coach Mack Brown is not paying his players if they have to resort to robbing people.
13. BOOK 'EM, HORNS!
Thanks for reading along.
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