Month: May 2020

The Thing About Today – May 17

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

May 17, 2020
Day 138 of 366

 

May 17th is the 138th day of the year. It is the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia, which aims to coordinate international events that raise awareness of LGBT rights violations and stimulate interest in LGBT rights work worldwide. It’s also the National Day Against Homophobia in Canada.

 

In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Pack Rat Day, National Cherry Cobbler Day, National Graduation Tassel Day, National Walnut Day, National Idaho Day, and Take Your Parents To The Playground Day (which is typically observed on the third Sunday in May).

 

Historical items of note:

  • In 1792, the New York Stock Exchange was formed under the Buttonwood Agreement.
  • In 1875, Aristides won the first Kentucky Derby.
  • In 1900, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum was first published in the United States. The first copy was given to the author’s sister.
  • In 1936, actor and director Dennis Hopper was born.
  • In 1954, the United States Supreme Court handed down a unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, the landmark decision U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools were ruled unconstitutional.
  • In 1955, actor and director Bill Paxton was born.
  • In 1961, Irish singer-songwriter and producer Enya was born.
  • In 1962, Scottish-American comedian, actor, and talk show host Craig Ferguson was born.
  • In 1969, actress Paige Turco was born.
  • In 1973, televised hearings began in the United States Senate for the Watergate scandal.
  • In 1977, Nolan Bushnell opened the first Chuck E. Cheese’s in San Jose, California.
  • In 1983, The United States Department of Energy declassified documents showing the world’s largest mercury pollution event in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. There was ultimately found to be 4.2 million pounds of mercury contamination, and the discovery was in response to the Appalachian Observer’s Freedom of Information Act request.
  • In 1990, the General Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO) eliminated homosexuality from the list of psychiatric diseases.
  • In 2004, the first legal same-sex marriages in the United States were performed in the state of Massachusetts.

 

In 1865, the International Telegraph Union (later the International Telecommunication Union, both known as the ITU) was established in Paris.

The oldest global international organization, the ITU is a specialized agency of the United Nations that is responsible for issues that concern information and communication technologies. The ITU coordinates the shared global use of the radio spectrum, promotes international cooperation in assigning satellite orbits, works to improve telecommunication infrastructure in the developing world, and assists in the development and coordination of worldwide technical standards.

The organization is also active in the areas of broadband Internet, latest-generation wireless technologies, aeronautical and maritime navigation, radio astronomy, satellite-based meteorology, convergence in fixed-mobile phone, Internet access, data, voice, TV broadcasting, and next-generation networks.

World Telecommunication Day, later replaced by World Information Society Day, is observed on May 17th to commemorate the establishment of the ITU. The day also serves to raise global awareness of social changes brought about by the internet and new technologies, as well as helping to reduce the digital divide.

The term digital divide, which was coined and publicized by Larry Irving when he was head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, describes a gap in terms of access to and usage of information and communication technology. Traditionally, it was the question of having or not having access, but the penetration of mobile phones in the global market has changed that a measure of relative inequality with respect to bandwidth.

 

The Thing About Today is an effort to look at each day of 2020 with respect to its historical context.

For more creativity with a critical eye, visit Creative Criticality.

 

 

The Thing About Today – May 16

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

May 16, 2020
Day 137 of 366

 

May 16th is the 137th day of the year. It is Honor Our LGBT Elders Day, which recognizes the people in the LGBT community who have blazed the trail for access and social acceptance. The rights and acceptance that LGBTQ individuals have today did not happen in a vacuum or by accident, and the observance is an opportunity for community centers, faith organizations, educational institutions, and aging service providers to recognize the lives of older adults in the community and honor their contributions to history.

 

In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Barbecue Day, National Do Something Good for Your Neighbor Day, National Love a Tree Day, National Mimosa Day, National Piercing Day, National Sea Monkey Day, National Biographer’s Day, National Coquilles Saint Jacques Day National Armed Forces Day, and National Learn to Swim Day. The last two are typically observed on the third Saturday in May.

 

Historical items of note:

  • In 1771, the Battle of Alamance, a pre-American Revolutionary War battle between local militia and a group of rebels called The “Regulators”, occurred in present-day Alamance County, North Carolina.
  • In 1804, Elizabeth Palmer Peabody was born. She was an American educator who founded the first kindergarten in the United States.
  • In 1831, David Edward Hughes was born. He was a Welsh-American physicist and co-inventor of the microphone.
  • In 1842, the first major wagon train heading for the Pacific Northwest set out on the Oregon Trail from Elm Grove, Missouri, with 100 pioneers.
  • In 1866, the United States Congress established the nickel.
  • In 1868, the United States Senate failed to convict impeached President Andrew Johnson by one vote.
  • In 1888, Nikola Tesla delivered a lecture describing the equipment which would allow efficient generation and use of alternating currents to transmit electric power over long distances.
  • In 1891, the International Electrotechnical Exhibition opened in Frankfurt, Germany. It featured the world’s first long-distance transmission of high-power, three-phase electric current, which is the most common form of electrical power today.
  • In 1905, actor Henry Fonda was born.
  • In 1918, the Sedition Act of 1918 was passed by the United States Congress, making criticism of the government during wartime an imprisonable offense. It would be repealed less than two years later.
  • In 1919, pianist and 1960s Batvillain Liberace was born.
  • In 1929, the first Academy Awards ceremony took place in Hollywood, California.
  • In 1937, ballet dancer and actress Yvonne Craig was born.
  • In 1947, actor Bill Smitrovich was born.
  • In 1953, actor and producer Pierce Brosnan was born.
  • In 1955, actress Debra Winger was born.
  • In 1960, Theodore Maiman operated the first optical laser. It was a ruby laser located at Hughes Research Laboratories in Malibu, California.
  • In 1969, Soviet space probe Venera 5 landed on Venus.
  • Also in 1969, actor David Boreanaz was born.
  • In 2002, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones premiered.
  • In 2005, Kuwait permitted women’s suffrage in a 35–23 National Assembly vote.
  • In 2011, Mission STS-134 was launched from the Kennedy Space Center. It was ISS assembly flight ULF6, and was the 25th and final flight for Space Shuttle Endeavour.

 

In 1991, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom addressed a joint session of the United States Congress. While not the first world leader to address Congress, she was the first British monarch to do so.

And now… trivia time!

According to the Office of the Historian at the United States House of Representatives, French general and Revolutionary War hero Marquis de Lafayette was the first foreign dignitary to address the House of Representatives, which happened on December 10, 1824.

Non-heads of state have also addressed Joint Meetings of Congress. The first was Polish Solidarity Leader Lech Walesa in 1989. Nelson Mandela, then Deputy President of the African National Congress addressed a Joint Session in 1990. Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization addressed a Joint Meeting in 2019, and including Secretary General Stoltenberg, 116 leaders or dignitaries have addressed Joint Meetings of Congress.

Queen Elizabeth’s address made history in another way: She was the first religious leader to address a Joint Meeting of Congress. Remember, the British Monarch is also the head of the Anglican Church. King George VI, the current monarch’s father, attended a reception in the Capitol Rotunda on June 9, 1939, but he did not address the body.

There have been 120 Joint Meeting addresses delivered by foreign leaders and dignitaries, starting with King David Kalākaua of Hawaii in 1874. To that end, eleven monarchs or members of royalty have addressed Joint Meetings.

Twelve women have addressed Joint Meetings of Congress:

  • Queen Juliana of the Netherlands was the first on April 3, 1952.
  • Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands
  • United Kingdom Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
  • Philippine President Corazon C. Aquino
  • Prime Minister of Pakistan Mohtrama Benazir Bhutto
  • Nicaraguan President Violeta Barrios de Chamorro
  • Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
  • Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of the Republic of Liberia
  • Vaira Vike-Freiberga, President of Latvia
  • Dr. Angela Merkel, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany
  • Julia Gillard, Prime Minister of Australia
  • Park Geun Hye, President of the Republic of Korea (8 May 2013).

Addresses to Congress can also be a family affair. Two different families have had multiple generations of descendants do so. From the Netherlands, both Queen Juliana and her daughter Queen Beatrix have addressed Joint Meetings. Queen Wilhelmina, who was Juliana’s mother and Beatrix’s grandmother, would have made three but she only addressed the Senate with the House as an invited guest in 1942. The other family was King Hussein I and King Hussein II.

France, Great Britain, and Israel have the distinction of sending the most leaders or dignitaries to deliver Joint Meeting addresses before Congress, with eight per country. After those three, the countries with the most include Mexico (7), Italy (6), Ireland (6), the Republic of Korea (6), Germany (including West Germany and unified Germany) (5),  India (5), Canada (3), Argentina (3), Australia (3), and the Philippines (3).

Finally, Winston Churchill and Binyamin Netanyahu have made more addresses to Congress than any other individuals. Churchill did so three times, as did Netanyahu. Nelson Mandela of South Africa and Yitzak Rabin of Israel have both addressed Joint Meetings of Congress on two occasions.

 

The Thing About Today is an effort to look at each day of 2020 with respect to its historical context.

For more creativity with a critical eye, visit Creative Criticality.

 

 

Culture on My Mind – Quarantine Con, Episode IV

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

Culture on My Mind
Quarantine Con, Episode IV
May 15, 2020

This week’s “can’t let it go” are those who are about to rock, because I salute you.

It’s the irregulars from Dragon Con American Sci-Fi Classics Track, back once again from their individual COVID-19 quarantine bunkers, this time taking it to eleven with geeks who make music.

Classics Track co-directors Joe Crowe and Gary Mitchel are joined by Leigh Tyberg, Madison Metricula Roberts, Tegan Hendrickson, and Ryan Cadaver. Tune in and crank it up!

As before, Joe and Gary will be hosting more of these, so stay tuned to the YouTube channel and the group on Facebook. If you join in live, you can also leave comments and participate in the discussion using StreamYard connected through Facebook.

cc-break

Culture on My Mind is inspired by the weekly Can’t Let It Go segment on the NPR Politics Podcast where each host brings one thing to the table that they just can’t stop thinking about.

For more creativity with a critical eye, visit Creative Criticality.

The Thing About Today – May 15

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

May 15, 2020
Day 136 of 366

 

May 15th is the 136th day of the year. It is the International Day of Families, a day proclaimed by the United Nations to reflect the importance the international community attaches to families. The day provides an opportunity to promote awareness of issues relating to families and to increase knowledge of the social, economic, and demographic processes affecting families.

It also provides a good day to remember that not all families are based on blood.

In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Chocolate Chip Day, National Nylon Stocking Day, National Endangered Species Day, National Defense Transportation Day, National Pizza Party Day, National Bike to Work Day, and NASCAR Day. The last five of those events are typically observed on the third Friday in May.

 

Historical items of note:

  • In 495 BC, a newly constructed temple in honor of the god Mercury was dedicated in ancient Rome on the Circus Maximus, between the Aventine and Palatine hills. To spite the senate and the consuls, the people awarded the dedication to a senior military officer, Marcus Laetorius.
  • In 1252, Pope Innocent IV issued the papal bull ad extirpanda. It authorized, but also limited, the torture of heretics in the Medieval Inquisition.
  • In 1536, Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, stood trial in London on charges of treason, adultery, and incest. She was condemned to death by a specially-selected jury.
  • In 1618, Johannes Kepler confirmed his discovery of the third law of planetary motion. He first discovered it on March 8th but initially rejected it after some initial calculations were made. Obviously, he changed his mind.
  • In 1718, London-based lawyer James Puckle patented the world’s first machine gun.
  • In 1776, the Fifth Virginia Convention instructed its Continental Congress delegation to propose a resolution of independence from Great Britain. This paved the way for the United States Declaration of Independence.
  • In 1817, the first private mental health hospital in the United States opened in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the Asylum for the Relief of Persons Deprived of the Use of Their Reason, but is now Friends Hospital.
  • In 1856, novelist L. Frank Baum was born.
  • In 1857, Scottish-American astronomer and academic Williamina Fleming was born.
  • In 1859, French physicist, academic, and Nobel Prize laureate Pierre Curie was born.
  • In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill into law that created the United States Bureau of Agriculture. It was later renamed the United States Department of Agriculture.
  • In 1869, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton formed the National Woman Suffrage Association in New York.
  • In 1890, short story writer, novelist, and essayist Katherine Anne Porter was born.
  • In 1905, Las Vegas was founded when 110 acres were auctioned off. The land was part of what would later become downtown.
  • In 1928, Walt Disney’s iconic character Mickey Mouse premiered in his first cartoon, Plane Crazy. It was a silent short sent to distributors, but it failed to gain any traction. Mickey’s first film with sound (and the first in wide release) was Steamboat Willie. Plane Crazy was later released with sound, becoming Mickey’s fourth film.
  • In 1940, McDonald’s opened its first restaurant in San Bernardino, California.
  • In 1949, astronaut Frank L. Culbertson Jr. was born.
  • In 1958, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 3.
  • In 1960, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 4.
  • In 1963, the final Mercury mission was launched. Mercury-Atlas 9, also known as Faith 7, carried Gordon Cooper into orbit where he became the first American to spend more than a day in space, and the last American to go into space alone.
  • In 1987, the Soviet Union launched the Polyus prototype orbital weapons platform, but it failed to reach orbit.
  • In 2005, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.
  • In 2008, California became the second U.S. state after Massachusetts (in 2004) to legalize same-sex marriage. This was after the state’s own Supreme Court ruled a previous ban unconstitutional.
  • In 2010, Jessica Watson became the youngest person to sail, non-stop and unassisted, around the world solo.

 

May 15th is Peace Officers Memorial Day in the United States. It is an observance that pays tribute to the local, state, and federal peace officers who have died, or who have been disabled, in the line of duty. It is sponsored by the National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) and is implemented by the FOP Memorial Committee.

The holiday was signed into law by President John F. Kennedy on October 1, 1962. President Bill Clinton amended the law in 1994 with direction to fly flags in the country at half-staff.

Much of the holiday centers on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial wall in Washington, D.C. The wall features the names of more than 21,183 law enforcement officers who have been killed in the line of duty.

 

The Thing About Today is an effort to look at each day of 2020 with respect to its historical context.

For more creativity with a critical eye, visit Creative Criticality.

 

 

The Thing About Today – May 14

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

May 14, 2020
Day 135 of 366

 

May 14th is the 135th day of the year. It is Flag Day in Paraguay.

In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Decency Day, National Underground America Day, and National Buttermilk Biscuit Day.

 

Historical items of note:

  • In 1727, English painter Thomas Gainsborough was born.
  • In 1796, Edward Jenner administered the first smallpox inoculation.
  • In 1800, The 6th United States Congress went to recessed. The process of moving the United States Government from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Washington, D.C., began the following day.
  • In 1878, the last witchcraft trial held in the United States began in Salem, Massachusetts. It started after Lucretia Brown, an adherent of Christian Science, accused Daniel Spofford of attempting to harm her through his mental powers.
  • In 1925, Virginia Woolf’s novel Mrs. Dalloway was published.
  • In 1936, actor and singer-songwriter Bobby Darin was born.
  • In 1938, The Adventures of Robin Hood starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland was released.
  • In 1939, Lina Medina became the youngest confirmed mother in medical history at the age of five. She is also believed to be the youngest documented case of precocious puberty. The father’s identity was never determined, but Medina’s son grew up healthy until he died from a bone disease at the age of 40.
  • In 1944, director, producer, screenwriter, and entrepreneur George Lucas was born.
  • In 1952, director, producer, and screenwriter Robert Zemeckis was born.
  • In 1961, a white mob attacked a Freedom Riders bus two times near Anniston, Alabama. They then fire-bombed the bus and attacking the civil rights protesters who fled the burning vehicle.
  • In 1965, author Eoin Colfer was born.
  • In 1969, actress Cate Blanchett.
  • In 1971, director, producer, and screenwriter Sophia Coppola was born.
  • In 1973, Skylab was launched. It was the United States’ first space station.
  • In 1983, actress, author, model, and director Amber Tamblyn was born.

 

May 14th is known in some circles as National Dance Like a Chicken Day.

This is where I shout out to Kevin and Kornflake from The Flopcast, as well as the Mayor and all of the citizens of Chickentown! Grab a coffee and join them to discuss Saturday morning cartoons, Dr. Demento-style funny music, television and movies of the 1970s and 1980s, comic books, conventions, chickens, and more.

On May 14th, everyone is encouraged to flap their arms and strut like a chicken, because it’s highly probable that you’ve danced the “Chicken Dance” at least once in your lifetime. It’s a silly song that is popular at wedding receptions, Oktoberfest, and other celebrations. It’s catchy and gets people moving.

Also known as the Bird Song, the Birdie Song, the Bird Dance, or the Chicken Song, is an oom-pah song composed in the 1950s by accordion player Werner Thomas from Davos, Switzerland. It hit the United States sometime in the 1970s after Belgian producer Louis van Rymenant heard Thomas playing it in a hotel or restaurant. Once it was published in America, it acquired choreography with repetitive beak, wing, and tail motions, as well as its current name.

A version by Henry Hadaway actually reached #2 on the October 1981 music charts, and by 2000 it was voted as “the most annoying song of all time” by a poll on the dotmusic website. It has been featured on Lawrence Welk, and is very popular among children, novelty fans, and various celebrations.

 

The Thing About Today is an effort to look at each day of 2020 with respect to its historical context.

For more creativity with a critical eye, visit Creative Criticality.

 

 

Timestamp #203: Turn Left

Michael Falkner4 Comments

Doctor Who: Turn Left
(1 episode, s04e11, 2008)

 

What could have been if not for a Noble companion?

The Doctor and Donna have stopped in a bustling marketplace on an alien world. While mixing it up with the locals, Donna wanders away to explore and finds herself in the company of a local fortuneteller. Offered a free reading since she’s a redhead, Donna takes a seat. The fortuneteller talks to her about the Doctor and Donna recounts her first meeting with the Time Lord.

While a mysterious scurrying occurs behind her, she flashes back to her time as a temp with H.C. Clements and the offer she turned down businessman Jival Chowdry. The moment of decision for her entire future was sitting at an intersection with her mother. She turned left…

…but what if she had turned right?

A large insect latches on to her back and the fortuneteller convinces her to turn right. She does.

The next time we see Donna Noble, she’s at a Christmas party celebrating her recent promotion with a round of drinks for her friends. One of her friends, Alice, almost sees the creature on her back, but they’re interrupted by the arrival of the Racnoss Webstar. The invading spacecraft is destroyed by UNIT and the Racnoss queen was killed, but the Doctor drowned in the assault. He was unable to regenerate.

Donna walks away by is soon met by none other than Rose Tyler. She came so far but was too late to meet with the Doctor, but she spots the insect on Donna’s back before vanishing into thin air.

Due to the closure of the Thames, Chowdry’s company has been losing money and Donna has been fired. Simultaneously, the Royal Hope Hospital has vanished into the sky. When it returns, there is only one survivor: Medical student Oliver Morgenstern. He was saved by Martha Jones, but she died as a result. Sarah Jane Smith and the Bannerman Road Gang were there as well, but they died while trying to stop the incursion. Wilfred is convinced that aliens are to blame, but Donna wants to hear none of it.

Donna takes a walk and finds Rose again as she emerges from loud flashes of light. The insect comes up again before Rose asks her about Christmas plans. She suggests that Donna and her family take a holiday, using the winnings from a future raffle ticket to afford it. Donna warns her to stay away and Rose vanishes again.

Sure enough, next Christmas, Donna’s family travel to the countryside. On Christmas Day, they watch as the Titanic smashes into Buckingham Palace. As a mushroom cloud rises over London – and Donna nearly spots the insect in a mirror – the terror and shock set in as they realize that everyone they know is dead.

Now refugees, her family is forced to relocate to Leeds to escape the radiation. Meanwhile, France has closed its borders to refugees, but the Nobles are allocated a house with two other families. The United States offers monetary assistance, but they are forced to withdraw their support when sixty million Americans are killed and converted to Adipose. Every major world city is affected as well.

The Nobles bond with their housemates, but they’re interrupted by soldiers firing at cars. The Sontarans have activated the ATMOS system and covered the planet in a poisonous fog. One of the soldiers spots the insect and takes aim at Donna, but he can’t find it later. Donna follows the flashing lights to find Rose in a nearby alley.

The two companions sit on a bench and talk about the crisis. The sky lights up as the gas burns away, courtesy of Torchwood Three. Gwen and Ianto died in the attempt, and Jack was taken to the Sontaran homeworld. Rose talks about the Doctor, how he saved the world from all of these events, and how Donna traveled with him in another reality. Had she been there to save him from himself under the Thames, the world would be in a better place. Rose has come to warn the Doctor of a darkness that threatens both of their universes, calling Donna the most important woman in the whole of creation.

Rose asks her to come along, finally settling on a time three weeks from now. She vanishes with an ominous prophecy: Donna Noble will die.

The Nobles bid farewell to their Italian housemates, courtesy of a new law that evicts all immigrants from England. They’re going to labor camps, which Wilf recognizes as the first step to fascism that he fought against before. Later that night, Wilf and Donna relax by the fire as he looks through his telescope. While trying to find Orion, the stars vanish from the night sky. Donna finds Rose and tells her that she is ready.

They hitch a ride with UNIT to a warehouse filled with computers, mirrors, and the TARDIS. The police box was salvaged from the Thames wreckage, and when Donna goes in, she finds it cold and dark even though she’s amazed. The ship is dying but still trying to muster the energy to help.

Using that energy, Rose is able to show Donna the insect with a circle of mirrors. The beetle feeds off time, specifically from decisions not made. By turning right instead of left, Donna has given the beetle a temporal smorgasbord. Rose recognizes that both the Doctor and Donna are necessary to stop the stars from going out. Scared out her mind, Donna asks what she can do to help.

Rose tells her that Donna needs to travel through time.

After a quick briefing, Donna steps back into the mirror circle – which is actually a homemade time machine – with the intent of changing her car’s direction. The machine is activated, but Donna has the revelation that she still has to die to save the world.

She materializes on a sidewalk in Sutton Court, half a mile and three minutes from her destiny. She starts running but soon realizes that she won’t make it in time. With the revelation echoing in her mind, she understands what she has to do.

She steps out in front of a truck, sacrificing her life to cause a traffic jam. As Donna dies, Rose whispers two words in her ear as a message for the Doctor, and Donna Noble turns left.

The insect falls off as the reset button is pushed. The Doctor comes in as the fortuneteller runs off, and Donna wraps him in a hug. They examine the insect as they talk about Donna’s adventure and her knack for finding parallel worlds. The Doctor wonders about the coincidences in their travels together, and when he calls her brilliant, Donna remembers Rose.

Except she never knew Rose’s name.

But she does know two words: Bad Wolf.

The Doctor rushes back to the TARDIS, seeing “Bad Wolf” everywhere. Inside, the console room is bathed in red light and the Cloister Bell is ringing.

The end of the universe is coming.

 

This “what if” story is a great dark tale that is really just a setup for the season finale. We get the greatest hits of the Tenth Doctor’s saves of Earth without seeing much of David Tennant at all. He was filming Midnight while Catherine Tate was engaged on this “Doctor-lite” adventure, one in a similar vein to Love & Monsters and Blink, but with a much darker direction.

It’s also a tease for the all-star cavalcade to come with nice touches for each mention: Martha’s theme and a pop of the Torchwood theme accompany their non-appearances, and the news report surrounding Sarah Jane’s heroic death mentions her employment with the Metropolitan, which is where she mentioned working to the Third Doctor in Planet of the Spiders. Rose obviously gets her theme throughout.

Catherine Tate sells this story, from Donna’s depression as the planet falls apart around her to her abject terror when she finally sees the time beetle on her back, which finally pays off the prophecy from The Fires of Pompeii. Her acting skill is just amazing and is showcased by not being overshadowed by or in competition with Tennant’s energy.

 

Rating: 4/5 – “Would you care for a jelly baby?”

 

 

UP NEXT – Doctor Who: The Stolen Earth and Doctor Who: Journey’s End

 

 

The Timestamps Project is an adventure through the televised universe of Doctor Who, story by story, from the beginning of the franchise. For more reviews like this one, please visit the project’s page at Creative Criticality.

 

 

The Thing About Today – May 13

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

May 13, 2020
Day 134 of 366

 

May 13th is the 134th day of the year. It is Abbotsbury Garland Day in Dorset, England. The celebrations have taken place since the 19th century and involve the making of garlands by local children.

In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Crouton Day, National Frog Jumping Day, National Apple Pie Day, National Fruit Cocktail Day, National Receptionists’ Day, and National Third Shift Workers Day. The last two are typically observed on the second Wednesday in May.

 

Historical items of note:

  • In 1780, the Cumberland Compact was signed by leaders of the settlers in the Cumberland River area of what would become the State of Tennessee. The agreement provided for a democratic government and a formal system of justice.
  • In 1861, Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom issued a “proclamation of neutrality” with respect to the American Civil War. It recognized the Confederacy as having belligerent rights.
  • Also in 1861, the Great Comet of 1861 was discovered by John Tebbutt of Windsor, New South Wales, Australia.
  • In 1880, Thomas Edison performed the first test of his electric railway in Menlo Park, New Jersey.
  • In 1888, the Empire of Brazil abolished slavery with the passage of the Lei Áurea (“Golden Law”).
  • In 1912, the Royal Flying Corps was established in the United Kingdom. It was the forerunner of the Royal Air Force.
  • In 1922, actress Bea Arthur was born.
  • In 1937, author and poet Roger Zelazny was born.
  • In 1946, author Marv Wolfman was born.
  • In 1949, actress Zoë Wanamaker was born.
  • In 1950, singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer Stevie Wonder was born.
  • In 1951, the 400th anniversary of the founding of the National University of San Marcos was commemorated by the opening of the first large-capacity stadium in Peru.
  • In 1964, actor, comedian, and late-night talk show host Steven Colbert was born.
  • In 1977, actress and director Samantha Morton was born.
  • In 1995, Alison Hargreaves, a 33-year-old British mother, became the first woman to conquer Mt. Everest without oxygen or the help of sherpas.

 

In 1950, director and effects artist Joe Johnston was born.

Johnston began his career as a concept artist and effects technician on the first Star Wars film and was the art director on one of the effects teams for the sequel. His association with George Lucas would later prove fruitful when he became one of four to win an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for Raiders of the Lost Ark by Lucas and Steven Spielberg.

He continued to work in film as an effects expert and was an associate producer on Willow and production designer on the two Ewok television films in the mid-1980s.

In 1984, George Lucas offered Johnston a paid sabbatical with tuition to attend the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Johnston left the school after a year, saying he “was asked not to return” because he “broke too many rules”.

Johnston made his directorial debut with 1989’s hit comedy Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. His next two films, The Rocketeer and The Pagemaster were commercial failures, but he followed those with the cult classic Jumanji.

Although he was slated to direct Hulk, he dropped out and picked up more personal dramatic fare with October Sky. He followed that with Jurassic Park III, Hidalgo, and (after a six-year break) the 2010 remake of 1941’s classic The Wolfman.

Because of his experience with The Rocketeer, Marvel Studios tapped him for 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger. He then went to Not Safe for Work and reshoots for director Lasse Hallström on The Nutcracker and the Four Realms.

Joe Johnston is still active in the industry today.

 

The Thing About Today is an effort to look at each day of 2020 with respect to its historical context.

For more creativity with a critical eye, visit Creative Criticality.

 

 

The Thing About Today – May 12

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

May 12, 2020
Day 133 of 366

 

May 12th is the 133rd day of the year. It is International Nurses Day, a celebration of the hardest working professionals in the medical industry and their contributions to society. It is observed each year on May 12th, the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth.

It is also International Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) and Fibromyalgia Awareness Day. The day is observed so that stakeholders have an occasion to improve the knowledge of “the public, policymakers, and healthcare professionals about the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of ME/CFS, as well as the need for a better understanding of this complex illness.” It was also chosen because it is the birthday of Florence Nightingale, who had a disease with an infection-associated onset that could have been a neuroimmune disease such as ME/CFS.

In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Limerick Day, National Odometer Day, and National Nutty Fudge Day.

 

Historical items of note:

  • In 1846, the Donner Party of pioneers departed Independence, Missouri for California. It would become a year-long journey of hardship and cannibalism.
  • In 1863, Bengali writer, painter, violin player and composer, technologist, and entrepreneur Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury was born.
  • In 1870, the Manitoba Act was given the Royal Assent, paving the way for Manitoba to become a province of Canada on July 15th.
  • In 1907, actress Katherine Hepburn was born.
  • In 1925, baseball player, coach, and manager Yogi Berra was born.
  • In 1928, singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer Burt Bacharach was born.
  • In 1937, the Duke and Duchess of York were crowned as King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Westminster Abbey.
  • Also in 1937, comedian, actor, and author George Carlin was born.
  • In 1948, actress Lindsay Crouse was born.
  • In 1950, actor and author Bruce Boxleitner was born.
  • In 1958, actress Jennifer Hetrick was born.
  • In 1959, actor Ving Rhames was born.
  • In 1965, the Soviet spacecraft Luna 5 crashed on the Moon.
  • In 1968, actress and comedian Catherine Tate was born.
  • In 1978, actress, model, and singer Malin Åkerman was born.
  • In 1981, actor Rami Malek was born.
  • In 1983, actor Domhnall Gleeson was born.
  • In 1986, actress Emily VanCamp was born.
  • In 2002, former United States President Jimmy Carter arrived in Cuba for a five-day visit with Fidel Castro. He was the first President of the United States, in or out of office, to visit the island since Castro’s 1959 revolution.

 

In 1820, Italian-English nurse, social reformer, and statistician Florence Nightingale was born.

She came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during the Crimean War, in which she organized medical care for wounded soldiers. Through her acts, nursing gained a favorable reputation and she became an icon of Victorian culture, especially in the persona of “The Lady with the Lamp” making rounds of wounded soldiers at night.

Her later work was important in professionalizing nursing roles for women. In 1860, she built the foundation of the profession with the establishment of her nursing school at St Thomas’ Hospital in London. It was the first secular nursing school in the world and is now part of King’s College London.

In recognition of her pioneering work, the Nightingale Pledge taken by new nurses, and the Florence Nightingale Medal – the highest international distinction a nurse can achieve – were named in her honor.

Nightingale’s social reforms included improving healthcare for all sections of British society, advocating better hunger relief in India, helping to abolish prostitution laws that were harsh for women, and expanding the acceptable forms of female participation in the workforce.

Although much of Nightingale’s work improved the lives of women everywhere, she was of the opinion that women craved sympathy and were not as capable as men. She criticized early women’s rights activists for decrying an alleged lack of careers for women at the same time that lucrative medical positions, both under her supervision and that of others, went perpetually unfilled.

She was a prodigious and versatile writer and in her lifetime, much of her published work focused on spreading medical knowledge. It was often written in simple English to be easily understood by those with poor literary skills. She was also a pioneer in data visualization with the use of infographics, effectively using graphical presentations of statistical data.

In 1883, she was the first recipient of the Royal Red Cross. In 1904, she was appointed a Lady of Grace of the Order of St John (LGStJ). In 1907, she became the first woman to be awarded the Order of Merit. The next year, she was given the Honorary Freedom of the City of London.

Much of her writing, including her extensive work on religion and mysticism, has only been published posthumously. She died peacefully in her sleep on August 13, 1910, at the age of 90.

 

The Thing About Today is an effort to look at each day of 2020 with respect to its historical context.

For more creativity with a critical eye, visit Creative Criticality.

 

 

The Thing About Today – May 11

Michael Falkner1 Comment

May 11, 2020
Day 132 of 366

 

May 11th is the 132nd day of the year. It is National Technology Day in India.

In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Eat What You Want Day, National Foam Rolling Day, and National Women’s Checkup Day (which is typically observed on the second Monday in May).

 

Historical items of note:

  • In 1888, Belarusian-American pianist and composer Irving Berlin was born.
  • In 1904, Spanish artist Salvador Dali was born.
  • In 1910, an act of the United States Congress established Glacier National Park in Montana.
  • In 1918, physicist, engineer, and Nobel Prize laureate Richard Feynman was born.
  • In 1920, actor Denver Pyle was born.
  • In 1963, actress Natasha Richardson was born.
  • In 1969, the British comedy troupe Monty Python was formed. The membership was Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin.
  • In 1973, citing government misconduct, Daniel Ellsberg’s charges for his involvement in releasing the Pentagon Papers to The New York Times were dismissed.
  • In 1997, chess-playing supercomputer Deep Blue defeated Garry Kasparov in the last game of their rematch, becoming the first computer to beat a world-champion chess player in a classic match format.

 

May 11th is known as National Twilight Zone Day. Always observed on this day, National Twilight Zone Day features mysterious twists and turns highlighted with eerie background music and unexplainable occurrences as it honors the popular anthology franchise The Twilight Zone created by Rod Serling.

The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, suspense, horror, and psychological thriller. They often conclude with a macabre or unexpected twist, and usually with a moral. They are, in effect, modern fairy tales or versions of Aesop’s fables.

The original series was shot entirely in black and white and ran on CBS for five seasons from 1959 to 1964. It followed in the tradition of earlier television shows such as Tales of Tomorrow (1951–1953) and Science Fiction Theatre (1955–1957), as well as radio programs such as The Weird Circle (1943–1945), Dimension X (1950–1951) and X Minus One (1955–1958). It was also inspired by the radio work of Norman Corwin.

The success of the series led to a feature film (1983), a TV film (1994), a radio series (2002–2012), a comic book, a series of novels, a magazine, and a theme park attraction. It was followed by various spin-offs over the next five decades, including three revival television series.

The first revival (1985–1989) ran on CBS and in syndication during the 1980s. A second revival ran on UPN (2002–2003). In April of 2019, CBS All Access officially premiered the third Twilight Zone revival, this time helmed by Jordan Peele.

As a testament to the original series, which introduced many people to science fiction and fantasy, TV Guide ranked it at #5 in their 2013 list of the 60 greatest shows of all time, and at #4 in their list of the 60 greatest dramas.

 

The Thing About Today is an effort to look at each day of 2020 with respect to its historical context.

For more creativity with a critical eye, visit Creative Criticality.

 

 

The Thing About Today – May 10

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

May 10, 2020
Day 131 of 366

 

May 10th is the 131st day of the year. This year, it is Mother’s Day, which typically falls on the second Sunday in May. In 1908, it was observed for the first time in the United States, in Grafton, West Virginia.

In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Clean Up Your Room Day, National Lipid Day, National Shrimp Day, and National Washington Day.

 

Historical items of note:

  • In 28 BC, a sunspot was observed by Han dynasty astronomers during the reign of Emperor Cheng of Han, one of the earliest dated sunspot observations in China.
  • In 1773, the Parliament of Great Britain passed the Tea Act, designed to save the British East India Company by reducing taxes on its tea and granting it the right to sell tea directly to North America. The legislation led to the Boston Tea Party.
  • In 1872, Victoria Woodhull became the first woman nominated for President of the United States.
  • In 1888, Austrian-American composer and conductor Max Steiner was born.
  • In 1899, actor, singer, and dancer Fred Astaire was born.
  • In 1902, director and producer David O. Selznick was born.
  • In 1954, Bill Haley & His Comets released “Rock Around the Clock”, the first rock and roll record to reach number one on the Billboard charts.
  • In 1960, the nuclear submarine USS Triton (SSRN-586) completed Operation Sandblast, the first underwater circumnavigation of the earth.
  • In 1962, Marvel Comics publishes the first issue of The Incredible Hulk.
  • In 1969, author John Scalzi was born.

 

In 1869, the First Transcontinental Railroad, linking the eastern and western United States, was completed at Promontory Summit, Utah with the golden spike.

The golden spike (also known as The Last Spike) is the ceremonial 17.6-karat gold final spike driven by Leland Stanford to connect the Central Pacific Railroad from Sacramento, California and the Union Pacific Railroad from Omaha, Nebraska on May 10, 1869.  The First Transcontinental Railroad was a 1,912 mile (3,077 km) continuous railroad line, and construction was started in 1863. The spike was placed in a ceremony where Union Pacific No. 119 and Central Pacific No. 60 (better known as the Jupiter) were driven cowcatcher to cowcatcher. After the ceremony, the golden spike was taken away and the real final spike was driven.

The resulting coast-to-coast railroad connection revolutionized the settlement and economy of the American West. It brought the western states and territories into alignment with the northern Union states and made transporting passengers and goods coast-to-coast considerably quicker, safer, and less expensive.

In 1904, a new railroad route called the Lucin Cutoff was built bypassing the Promontory location to the south. By going west across the Great Salt Lake from Ogden, Utah, to Lucin, Utah, the new railroad line shortened the distance by 43 miles and avoided curves and grades, but that also meant that main-line trains no longer passed over Promontory Summit.

In 1942, the old rails over Promontory Summit were salvaged for the war effort, an event that was marked by a ceremonial “undriving” of the last iron spike. The original event had been all but forgotten except by local residents who erected a commemorative marker in 1943. The 75th anniversary was marked with a commemorative postage stamp, but it wasn’t until 1948 that the first re-enactment was staged.

In 1957, Congress established the Golden Spike National Historic Site to preserve the area around Promontory Summit as closely as possible to its appearance in 1869. Working replicas of the locomotives were built, and those replica engines are drawn up face-to-face each Saturday during the summer for a re-enactment of the event.

The golden spike is now displayed in the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University.

 

The Thing About Today is an effort to look at each day of 2020 with respect to its historical context.

For more creativity with a critical eye, visit Creative Criticality.