Fifty-five years ago today, a space agency was born. NASA launched into existence on July 29, 1958, when President Dwight Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act (Pub.L. 85-568) into law. It opened for business on Oct. 1. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Space.com
By hnn
Chances are, you’ve sported a T-shirt in the last couple of days. But did you sing “Happy Birthday” to it?
Yes, this year is being trumpeted as the 100th birthday of the much-beloved, almost-everyone-has-one T-shirt.
But wait a sec. While it seems to be fact that the U.S. Navy introduced sailors to a “light undershirt” in 1913 (the poor guys had been sweating it out in itchy wool), their European counterparts had already donned the lighter shirts as summer undergarments.
So the T-shirt — so named because its shape resembles the letter T, natch — has to be older than 100….
Source: FULL ARTICLE at History News Network – George Mason University
By Jens Meiners
Each week, our German correspondent slices and dices the latest rumblings, news, and quick-hit driving impressions from the other side of the pond. His byline may say Jens Meiners, but we simply call him . . . the Continental.
A nice success story for my favorite off-roader, the Mercedes-Benz G-class: The Swiss army has decided to replace the 4189 G-wagens currently in service with brand-new versions. The old vehicles have been in the fleet for two decades and are fitted with 2.3-liter gasoline engines, but the new Gs get a 184-horsepower, 3.0-liter V-6 turbodiesel and a five-speed slushbox.
The Swiss army models are part of the 461 vehicle line, which has been partially substituted by the more plush and advanced 463 series since 1990. However, the 461 remained in production for military and government use, and it was even offered to private customers as well. Today, the purposeful 461 is still offered in several global markets as the G300 CDI Professional. It’s not cheap; in Germany, it costs almost exactly two-thirds as much as the G500 (which is sold as the $113,905 G550 in the U.S.). Cost aside, it is the quintessential G-wagen—and, philosophically, the opposite of the recent embarrassment that is the G63 AMG 6×6.
New Škoda!
Another attractive Škoda signifies both the brand’s strength and the return of the hatchback in Europe. The Rapid, essentially a low-cost vehicle that is rebadged as the SEAT Toledo and the Volkswagen Santana, now comes as a five-door hatchback. Škoda’s boss told me about it over dinner last year: It is called the Spaceback and is 7.1 inches shorter than the sedan and more useful. From the rear view, the large glass area looks futuristic, but the side view, with a third window behind the rear door opening, recalls a station wagon.
It is interesting to compare the Rapid with the Volkswagen Golf Mk VII: The Spaceback’s length and height is almost identical to the VW’s specs, but it is slightly narrower. The Škoda’s platform is a mixture of components from the Volkswagen Polo and previous-generation Golf, and therefore it does not reach the latest Golf’s level of sophistication. A lot of the Golf’s (mostly optional) assistance systems are not available here, and the engine range is topped by a 122-horsepower, 1.4-liter four. For customers looking at a GTI or a fully optioned regular Golf, the Rapid Spaceback won’t be an option. But for those who merely seek reliable transportation, the Czech relative might work just as well. Especially since it is a very pleasant and convincing car from behind the wheel, as I found out last year when I drove the Rapid sedan at its launch in Bratislava.
Opel’s Stylish Van
The Opel Vivaro is the offspring of a curious cooperation, being essentially a rebadged Renault Trafic that was styled under the tutelage of former Renault chief designer Patrick Le Quement. And it will soldier …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Car & Driver
By The Huffington Post News Editors
There was a celebratory atmosphere in the air during the inaugural public meeting of Southeast Michigan‘s new Regional Transit Authority (RTA) governing board on Wednesday in Detroit. The advocacy group Transportation Riders United even brought balloons and sang “Happy Birthday” to commemorate the occasion, after marching several blocks from Detroit’s Rosa Parks Transit Center to the SEMCOG (Southeast Michigan Council of Governments) offices, where the meeting was held.
The gathering was packed. A mixed crowd of over 100 people showed up to witness the new governing board set the stage for the authority, which will coordinate public transit between the counties of Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw County and the city of Detroit.
The occasion went surprisingly smoothly, considering the authority’s contentious history in the region. There have been 23 failed attempts by the state legislature to create an RTA in Southeast Michigan since the 1970s, according to the Metro Times. State lawmakers finally ended this losing streak late last year by passing several bills establishing the authority and its powers, which were later signed into law by Gov. Rick Snyder.
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More on Detroit Impact
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Huffington Post
He still goes by “Bergoglio” when speaking to friends, seems reluctant to call himself pope and has decided to live in the Vatican hotel rather than the grand papal apartment in the Apostolic Palace.
It might seem as if Pope Francis is in a bit of denial over his new job as leader of the world’s 1.2-billion Catholics. Or perhaps he’s simply changing the popular idea of what it means to be pope, keeping the no-frills style he cultivated as archbishop of Buenos Aires in ways that may have broad implications for the church.
The world has already seen how Francis has cast aside many trappings of the papacy, refusing to don the red velvet cape Benedict XVI wore for official occasions and keeping the simple, iron-plated pectoral cross he used as bishop and archbishop.
On Thursday, his belief that a pope’s job is to serve the world’s lowliest will be on display when he washes the feet of a dozen young inmates at a juvenile detention center in Rome. Previous popes have celebrated the Holy Thursday ritual, which re-enacts Christ’s washing of his disciples’ feet before his crucifixion, by washing the feet of priests in one of Rome‘s most ornate basilicas.
Such moves hint, even at this early stage, only two weeks into his papacy, at an apparent effort by Francis to demystify the office of pope.
Unlike his predecessors, he doesn’t sign his name “Pope Francis,” ending his official correspondence simply “Francis.”
To those closest he is still Bergoglio, and this week, Italian state radio broadcast a voice mail he left wishing a friend Happy Birthday. “It’s Bergoglio,” the pope said, using the surname he was born with.
Even on Day One, Francis didn’t acknowledge he was pope.
Speaking on the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica after his election the night of March 13, Francis told the tens of thousands gathered there that the cardinals’ task during the conclave had been to “give Rome a bishop.”
And bishop of Rome is the title he has emphasized repeatedly ever since — not vicar of Christ, or any of his other official titles.
“I do think there is something about trying to reduce the awesomeness, the grandeur and majesty …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
By Andrew Tonner, The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
In the following video, Motley Fool tech and telecom analyst Andrew Tonner tells investors that today marks one year that Apple has been paying a dividend. He also looks at several analyst expectations coming out of Bloomberg recently, saying the dividend could increase this year by as much as 56%, giving the company an effective 3.7% yield. Andrew tells investors how likely he thinks that could be this year and why Apple is such a great buy right now.
There’s no doubt that Apple is at the center of technology’s largest revolution ever and that longtime shareholders have been handsomely rewarded, with more than 1,000% gains. However, after the company’s major pullback recently, there is a debate raging as to whether Apple remains a buy. The Motley Fool‘s senior technology analyst and managing bureau chief, Eric Bleeker, is prepared to fill you in on both reasons to buy and reasons to sell Apple and what opportunities are left for the company (and your portfolio) going forward. To get instant access to his latest thinking on Apple, simply click here now.
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Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
A Florida school bus driver was suspended for five days after surveillance video caught her answering her cell phone while she was behind the wheel, WSVN.com reported.
Rossana Lucas said there was a reason she answered the call: she had not heard from her son for seven months. He is a Marine stationed in Afghanistan and he was calling to wish her happy birthday.
“He said ‘Mom, I am OK, I love you, Happy Birthday,'” Lucas told the station. “Because my birthday was December 10, and I said, ‘Thank you, I love you and you take care’ and that is it.”
Her translator told the Boward County School Board Monday that when she answered the call, she was two blocks from the parking lot and there were no children on board.
“If I don’t answer in that time he will have no chance to call me back again,” Lucas said. “He has to wait three or four months again to call me back.”
Tracy Clark, the spokeswoman from the Boward County School District, said the board agreed to review the matter and meet again in April. Clark said it is against school board policy to use a cell phone on while operating a bus.
Lucas, for her part, says she was unable to get permission from a dispatcher because her phone was already ringing.
WSVN reported that Lucas seems to have dialed up some support from Superintendent Robert Runcie.
“We have these rules, context does matter and there is some definite circumstances here that I think weren’t taking another look at this,” Runcie said.
Fox News’ Edmund DeMarche contributed
By Len Burman, Contributor The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration. [U.S. Constitution, 16th Amendment]
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
By David Wismer, Contributor We are guilty of that most inexcusable of social misdemeanors, failing to wish a dear friend Happy Birthday on the actual day marking their birthday.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon, celebrates his 83rd birthday today.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Space.com
But let judgment roll down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream. Amos 5:24 ERV
Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. quoted this powerful scripture in his famous I HAVE A DREAM speech. He believed God’s Word. He took his Bible, the one President Obama will place his hand upon next week, very seriously; so seriously that he repeatedly risked his life to proclaim its message of love for God and love for neighbor.
Uncle M.L., like everyone, was far from perfect; but he loved the Lord. It was God’s Word that he used to unite a movement and change our nation.
Uncle M.L. was born on January 15, 1929. In remembering him today, I can tell you that he was a kind and gentle man who was used as a strong prophet of God.
Many people called him the “Black Moses” and the “Modern Day Apostle of Love.” He was a Baptist preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ who was also called to lead the 20th Century Civil Rights Movement.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. loved Jesus and preached His Word. His sermons such as Rediscovering Lost Values and The Death of Evil on the Seashore reflect his devotion to the Lord and his obedience to God’s call. The themes of his teachings are strongly reflective of the need of God’s love, human repentance, and forgiveness.
Dr. King was a family man. As one whose bloodline includes ancestors who were not only powerful Gospel preachers, but ex-slaves, Irish sharecroppers, educators, musicians, entrepreneurs, and civil rights leaders, we can understand and appreciate how God called Dr. King as a modern day Moses and gave him a prophetic DREAM to help set the captives free.
He and my father, Rev. A. D. King, are brothers, fallen soldiers of the 20th Century Civil Rights Movement who now reside in Heaven. Many people don’t even know that Martin had a brother and a sister. He was a beloved uncle and family member.
The year 2013 will mark several significant landmark anniversaries, including 150 years since the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, 100 years since the formation of the Federal Reserve System, 50 years since the MLK ‘I HAVE A DREAM SPEECH’, and the 40th year landmine Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion in America. This will surely be a year of transition, and there is a need for a deep spiritual awakening. In fact, it’s time for America to wake up before the dream becomes a nightmare.
Thank God that Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream. Happy Birthday, Uncle M. L.
By hnn
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Elvis Presley fans from as far as Japan and Brazil gathered Tuesday in Memphis to sing “Happy Birthday” to the late rock ‘n’ roll icon on the day he would have turned 78.
Hundreds of Elvis devotees watched as 13-year-old Isabella Scott cut a birthday cake on the lawn at Graceland, the singer’s longtime Memphis home. Scott, of Bonifay, Fla., heads an Internet-based Elvis fan club with more than 2,000 members….
Source: FULL ARTICLE at History News Network – George Mason University
