FARK.com: (2509360) Which useless resolution will you most likely fark up first?
For us at Snarkyspot, it'll be "To post only concise, pertinent, top shelf news in 2007" To see what Farkers are blabbing about, hit the link, Merry Whatevah, Snarkys...
Time until Monday, January 1, 2007 (UTC time) ... Other countdowns. Who will enter New Year 2007 first? Countdown to the date & time of your choice ... www.timeanddate.com/counters/newyear.html - 6k - Cached - Similar pages
New Year - Applet Countdown. Time until Monday, January 1, 2007 (UTC time) ... Other countdowns. Who will enter New Year 2007 first? ... www.timeanddate.com/counters/newyeara.html - 5k - Cached - Similar pages
Chinese New Year. 2007 is Year of Pig 2006 is Year of Dog. 2005 is Year of Rooster. 2004 is Year of Monkey. 2003 is Year of Goat (sheep, ram). www.chinapage.com/newyear.html - 20k - Cached - Similar pages
Happy New Year 2007. ...Happy New Year 2007. The full conversion from analog to Digital Television is just over 2 years away. The FCC is requiring United ... tv.about.com/b/a/131349.htm - 18k -Cached - Similar pages
and then as simultaneously Big Ben chimes and zero is reached, shout "Happy NewYear!" instead of zero. Amusingly, the countdown is sometimes miscalculated ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Year's_Eve - 52k - Cached - Similar pages
6) Stay What? After years of characterizing US policy in Iraq as "Stay the course," the Bush administration not only drops the phrase, but denies it ever existed. On October 23rd, Bush declared "We've never been 'stay the course.'"
7) Guilty Until Proven Innocent: Carrying Cash is a Crime. In August, a federal court ruled that the government can seize cash from an individual, even if that individual has not been accused of a crime and has no criminal record. Link to Article | Link to Ruling (pdf)
8) The Automated Targeting System. In November, the Federal Register revealed the existence of the Automated Targeting System, a Department of Homeland Security program for identifying terrorists and criminals, which cross references all people entering or leaving the country with a host of personal data which they are not allowed to see or correct. Links: 1234
9) NSA Warrantless Surveillance and Crypto-City. Although the NSA's secret spying program broke in late 2005, the controversy took up much of 2006, culminating in the August ruling by Detroit District Court that the program was unconstitutional and illegal under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. It continues nonetheless. And yet, through all of this, there's been almost no discussion of the NSA's secret city north of Washington, DC, called Crypto-City. Crypto-City links: 123
10) You tell me. What did I forget, or what's Orwellian in your neck of the woods? I'll add the tenth item from the best glaring omission suggestions made in the comments section.
Mr Ford lost to Jimmy Carter in the 1976 presidential election.
Gerald Ford lived with Betty, 88, at Rancho Mirage in southern California.
The former president suffered ill health this year and was taken to hospital four times for tests and angioplasty. He suffered a stroke in 2000.
(from wikipedia)
Health problems
As Ford approached his ninetieth year, he began to experience significant health problems. He suffered two minor strokes at the 2000 Republican National Convention, but made a quick recovery.[57] In January 2006, he spent 11 days at the Eisenhower Medical Center near his residence at Rancho Mirage, California, for treatment of pneumonia.[58] President George W. Bush visited former President Ford in April 2006 at Ford's home in Rancho Mirage; the former President, walking with a cane, escorted Bush back outside to his car after visiting for about an hour. While vacationing in Vail, Colorado, he was hospitalized for two days in July 2006 for shortness of breath.[59] On August 15, 2006 Ford was admitted to St. Mary's Hospital of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota for "testing and evaluation". On August 21, it was reported that he had been fitted with a pacemaker. On August 25, he underwent an angioplasty procedure at the Mayo Clinic, according to a statement from an assistant to Ford. On August 28, Ford was released from the hospital and returned with his wife Betty to their California home. On October 12, however, Ford entered the hospital yet again for undisclosed tests at the Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California,[60] he was released on October 16. As a result of his frail health in the past year it was announced on October 17 that Ford was considering selling his home near Vail, Colorado due to the uncertainty as to whether he would be able to return.
He was, at 93 years of age, one of only four U.S. Presidents to have lived to 90 or more years of age (the others being Reagan, also 93, Herbert Hoover, 90, and John Adams, also 90).
Gerald and Betty Ford held the record as the longest-lived First Couple, at ages 93 and 88 respectively. The previous record (calculated using the combined ages of the two spouses) was held by Ronald and Nancy Reagan at ages 93 and 83 respectively at the time of President Reagan's death on June 5, 2004, at which time Gerald and Betty Ford had already tied their record at ages 90 and 86 respectively. Prior to 2003, Harry and Bess Truman, at ages 88 and 87 respectively at the time of President Truman's death in 1972, had held the record for more than 30 years.
Gerald Ford died at the age of 93 on December 26, 2006 at his home in California. At 11:49 pm EST, MSNBC reported that Ford's wife, Betty, has confirmed his death. [1]
"My family joins me in sharing the difficult news that Gerald Ford, our beloved husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather has passed away at 93 years of age," Mrs. Ford said in a brief statement issued from her husband's office in Rancho Mirage. "His life was filled with love of God, his family and his country." A state funeral is to come later this week most likely.
Trivia
Ford, Clinton and Franklin D. Roosevelt are the only three former Presidents who did not have full siblings (no president has been a true only child).
Gerald Ford was the 38th President to be born as well as the 38th to serve. Richard Nixon was 37th born, 37th to serve, and the 37th to die. John F. Kennedy was the 39th President born, 35th to serve and the 32nd to die. Four of the 43 presidents (Carter, George H.W. Bush, Clinton, and George W. Bush) are still living.
After leaving office, Ford did a televisionpublic service announcement for the Boy Scouts of America. The advertisement featured a long list of former Boy Scoutcelebrities, athletes, etc., each stating that when your son joins Scouting there was no guarantee that he would grow up to be a movie star, major league player, astronaut, etc.. At the closing, Ford's appearance intentionally surpasses all the others as he says, When your son joins the Boy Scouts, there's no guarantee that he'll grow up to be President..., but you never know.[citation needed] In the 1990s, the West Michigan Shores Council renamed itself in honor of the former President.
Ford was characterized in The Simpsons episode "Two Bad Neighbors," having moved in across the street from the family after George H.W. Bush left in disgust. He gets along famously with Homer, inviting him over to watch football, while the two snack on beer and nachos. The two trip simultaneously on the way to Ford's new home, with both muttering "D'oh!" at the same moment, showing both to be accident prone.
Thompson, Kenneth (ed.) (1980). The Ford Presidency: Twenty-Two Intimate Perspectives of Gerald Ford. ISBN 0-8191-6960-9.
Hartmann, Robert T. (1980). Palace Politics: An Insider's Account of the Ford Years. ISBN 0-07-026951-3.
Hersey, John (1980). Aspects of the Presidency: Truman and Ford in Office (The President: A Minute-by-Minute Account of a Week in the Life of Gerald Ford). ISBN 0-89919-012-X.
Brown began his professional music career in 1953 and skyrocketed to fame in the late 1950s and early 1960s on the strength of his thrilling live performances and a string of smash hits. In spite of various personal problems and setbacks, he continued to score hits in every decade through the 1980s. In the 1960s and 1970s Brown was a presence in American political affairs, noted especially for his activism on behalf of African Americans and the poor (as well as his outspoken support for Richard Nixon).
Brown was recognized by a plethora of (mostly self-bestowed) titles, including Soul Brother Number One, Mr. Dynamite, the Hardest-Working Man in Show Business, Minister of The New New Super Heavy Funk, Mr. Please Please Please, The Boss, and the best-known, the Godfather of Soul. He was renowned for his shouting vocals, feverish dancing and unique rhythmic style. (more)
Satan is the adversary of God. Thus, Satan is evil personified. Many followers of the Bible consider Satan to be a real being, a spirit created by God. Satan and the other spirits who followed him rebelled against God. They were allegedly cast out from Heaven by their Creator. Theologians might speculate as to why the Almighty did not annihilate the "fallen angels," as He is said to have done to his other creations when they failed to be righteous (save Noah and his family, of course). Satan was allowed to set up his own kingdom in Hell and to send out devils to prowl the earth for converts. The demonic world seems to have been allowed to exist for one purpose only: to tempt humans to turn away from God. Why God would allow Satan to do this is explained in the Book of Job, where Satan is described as an angel who works in cahoots with God. When Job asks why God let Satan torment him the answer is blunt and final: Hath thou an arm like the Lord? The story of Job is interpreted in many different ways by theologians but my interpretation is that nobody knows why God lets Satan live and torment us. God is God and can do whatever He wants. Ours is not to question why, ours is but to do and die. (more)
Rebelde ("rebel" or "rebellious") is a Mexicantelenovela (or series) produced by Televisa. It is a remake of an Argentine telenovela Rebelde Way adapted for the Mexican audience therefore leading to differences in character's backgrounds. The series ran for three seasons, the final episode airing in Mexico on 2006-06-02. Rebelde was replaced in June of 2006 with Televisa's new series Código Postal.
The series is set at the Elite Way School, a prestigious private boarding high school near Mexico City, attended by the adolescent children of some of Mexico's wealthiest citizens (as well as gifted becados — students with scholarships). The school's faculty and the parents often have their own subplots as well. One feature of the show is the random use of English words and phrases, commonly used by fresas.
One of the series' major plot lines revolves around a group of students forming a band. The actors, who play the members of this band, are also in a real band, abbreviated as RBD to distinguish it from the show. RBD performs most of the music used on the show, and has been extremely successful in its own right, becoming one of the highest-grossing acts in Mexico and touring internationally.
Jeff Han is a research scientist for New York University's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences. Here, he demonstrates—for the first time publicly—his intuitive, "interface-free," touch-driven computer screen, which can be manipulated intuitively with the fingertips, and responds to varying levels of pressure. (Recorded February 2006 in Monterey, CA. Duration: 09:32)
Joseph Barbera, who created cartoon characters including Scooby-Doo and The Flintstones with his partner William Hanna, has died aged 95.
His work left a lasting impression on Peter Lord, one of the founding directors of the company behind Wallace and Gromit, Aardman Animations. (more at link)
Ambient Addition is a Walkman with binaural microphones. A tiny Digital Signal Processing (DSP) chip analyzes the microphone's sound and superimposes a layer of harmony and rhythm on top of the listener's world. In the new context, some surprising behaviors take place. Listeners tend to play with objects around them, sing to themselves, and wander toward tempting sound sources. With Ambient Addition, I'm hoping to make people think twice about the sounds they initiate as well as loosen up some inhibitions.
James Surowiecki discusses the waste of holiday giving. "Waldfogel's main finding is that, in general, people spend a lot more on presents than they're worth to those who receive them, a phenomenon that he calls 'the deadweight loss of Christmas.'" This is one of my big problems with the whole Christmas thing. Related: gift cards worth billions of dollars are left unredeemed each year.
While I generally reserve eternal damnation and hellfire for those individuals who are particularly hateful and evil, I similarly reserve "blessed" status for those individuals who have shown a unique capacity for meekness. While it is unlikely that all members of your family will be sufficiently meek to meet My exacting standards, it is possible that one or even two may be worthy of blessed status. Please prepare a detailed application for each individual family member, along with specific examples of how and when they have been meek, and I shall consider them along with the hundreds of other submissions. If they are sufficiently meek to warrant inheriting the earth, I will contact you at a later date.
Your host of hosts, Jesus
P.S. If you visit My store, you will see that he who refills My beer shall also inherit the Earth. Just a tip. Buy yourself a Frosted Grail!
Philias writes "A new web-based Star Trek Animated Series may be in the works. CBS is considering a pitch by veteran Trek producer Dave Rossi for a 'Clone Wars' style animated series for StarTrek.com. Like Clone Wars the episodes would be just a few minutes long. Unlike the old animated Trek show from the 70s, this one would be with a whole new crew set in a new time period. The setting is to be a war-torn post-9/11-like Trek universe 150 years after the time of Picard."
From the post:
"The Zero Room team felt that the time was right for a new approach to Trek. The setting is the year 2528 and the Federation is a different place after suffering through a devastating war with the Romulans 60 years earlier. The war was sparked off after a surprise attack of dozens of 'Omega particle' detonations throughout the Federation creating vast areas which become impassible to warp travel and essentially cut off almost half the Federation from the rest. During the war the Klingon homeworld was occupied by the Romulans, all of Andoria was destroyed and the Vulcans, who were negotiating reunification with the Romulans, pulled out of the Federation. The setting may seem bleak and not very Trek-like, but that is where the show's hero Captain Alexander Chase comes in."
