Friday, May 15, 2009

Please cut it out.

Queens School Official In Critical Condition From H1N1 - (NY1 News)

The city has closed three Queens schools over another flu outbreak that sent a staff member to the hospital in critical condition.

The New York City Health Department says the assistant principal at I.S. 238 in Jamaica is on a ventilator at Flushing Hospital. Assistant Principal Mitchell Wiener's case is the most severe illness in the city from the H1N1 virus.

But Mayor Michael Bloomberg said yesterday Wiener may have had pre-existing health problems like many other H1N1 patients whose cases turned critical.

In addition to Wiener, four of the school's students have confirmed cases of H1N1. Dozens of other students were sent home in the past week with flu-like symptoms.

Whoever is still trying to put lipstick on a pig - stop it. We've had enough of the swine flu scares here in NYC

I strongly urge you to make your way down to a NYC subway and hunt down Prof. Edward Alvarado wherever he is playing.



It is a 'See Rome then die' moment.

Here is your Today in History -

May 15, 1886 -


Emily Dickenson finally heard the buzzing of that fly in her room on this date.


This day is little remembered and yet of great import. It was on May 15, 1916, that Sir Mark Sykes of Britain and Georges Picot of France, with Russia's assent, confirmed their agreement to carve up the tottering Ottoman Empire between them.



Most of the mess that was the 20th Century can be traced back to the accord. In brief, here are some of the some of the issues these knuckleheads were trying to sort out -

Russia vs Turkey vs Greece over Constantinople, the Straits and Thrace

France vs the Arabs vs Turkey over Syria

Britain vs France vs the Arabs vs the Zionists over Palestine

Greece vs Turkey vs Italy over Smyrna and southwest Asia Minor

Britain vs France vs the Arabs vs Turkey over Kurdish northern Iraq

France vs Turkey over southeastern Asia Minor and Alexandretta

Russia vs Turkey over Armenia and The southeast Black Sea coast

America, for once, wasn't in on the deal.


May 15, 1918 -
The US Post Office Department (later renamed the USPS) begins the first regular airmail service in the world (between New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, DC).



Of course this new service was a rousing success - the plane got lost and the mail finally had to be sent via train days later. In honor of this special date the Postal Service raised the rate of First Class Postage on Monday.

Hooray!!!


May 15, 1928 -
Plane Crazy was the first animated cartoon to feature Mickey Mouse as well as Minnie Mouse (Mickey's girlfriend). The short was co-directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. Iwerks was also the main animator for this short and reportedly spent six weeks working on it. Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising were credited for assisting him; these two had already signed their contracts with Charles Mintz, but he was still in the process of forming his new studio and so for the time being they were still employed by Disney.



This short would be the last they animated under this somewhat awkward situation. In case you don't know it kids, these guys are the giants of animation and they all worked on this one cartoon.


May 15 1960 -
The Soviet Union launches Sputnik IV, a three-ton spacecraft containing a "dummy cosmonaut." The mission goes fine until they attempt to retrofire.



A bug in the guidance system had pointed the capsule in the wrong direction, so instead of dropping into the atmosphere the satellite moves into a higher orbit.

May 15 1970 -
The Beatles' the twelfth and final studio album, 'Let It Be,' is released in US on this date.


It's probably the most famous 'break-up of a band' album.


May 15 1972 -
On February 16, 1972, Arthur Bremer quit his job as a janitor. Two weeks later, he began his diary on March 1 with the words, "It is my personal plan to assassinate by pistol either Richard Nixon or George Wallace". His purpose was "to do SOMETHING BOLD AND DRAMATIC, FORCEFUL & DYNAMIC, A STATEMENT of my manhood for the world to see".



In his haste, the gunman forgets to yell his carefully-chosen catchphrase, "Penny for your thoughts!" And when Wallace survives the assassination attempt, albeit confined to a wheelchair, Bremer's name is soon forgotten.


Happy Birthday Michael.

And so it goes

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