Saturday, March 15, 2014

15 March 2014

Birthdays
Anna Shaffer b. 1992 (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows)
Kellan Lutz b. 1985 (The Legend of Hercules, Twilight, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Heroes)
Sean Biggerstaff b. 1983 (Harry Potter)
Brian Tee b. 1977 (Grimm, Mortal Kombat: Legacy, The Wolverine, Red Shift, Jericho, Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation, The Chronicle [TV], Buffy, The Invisible Man)
Will i Am b. 1975 (X-Men Origins: Wolverine)
Kim Raver b. 1969 (Revolution, Night at the Museum)
Robin Malcolm b. 1965 (The Lord of the Rings, Boogeyman)
Renny Harlin b. 1959 (director, The Legend of Hercules, The Covenants, The Exorcist: The Beginning,T.R.A.X., Deep Blue Sea, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4)
Joaquim de Almeida b. 1957 (Revolution, Once Upon a Time, Robosapien: Rebooted)
Craig Wasson b. 1954 (Sasquatch Mountain, The Tomorrow Man, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Trapped in Space, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, Tales from the Darkside)
David Cronenberg b. 1943 (director, eXistenZ, Naked Lunch, The Fly, The Dead Zone, Videodrome, Scanners, The Brood, Rabid, They Came from Within)
Judd Hirsch b. 1935 (Sharknado 2, Warehouse 13, Independence Day)
Lawrence Tierney b. 1919 died 26 February 2002 (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, The Runestone, Wizards of the Demon Sword, Star Trek: The Next Generation)

I don't want to say today's birthday list is lacking in star power, but if I didn't want to repeat a picture from last year of a guy from Twilight I had to resort to showing a quiddich player.

I'm being cruel to actors here and that isn't fair. They have a very tough gig. Think of all the great work Judd Hirsch has done in his career and it still doesn't spare him from appearing in Sharknado 2. Money must be tight.

Many happy returns to all the living on today's list and to Lawrence Tierney, I'm just glad I never got on his bad side while he was alive.
 

Predictor: Thomas L. James, Postmaster General of the United States, 1881

Prediction:  There will a be a delivery of mails that will rival the speed of telegrams. Ocean postage is going to be reduced to a two cent stamp to any part of Europe, while the cost of domestic postage will be reduced to a penny.

Another thing which is sure to come in the next century are postal savings banks. There will be objection to this from some quarters, but my impression is that the people are bound to make such use of the post-office department.

Reality: During his brief tenure at Postmaster General, James reduced the price of postage from three cents to two cents. He hoped one of his successors would follow his lead. It went up to three cents during World War I, then fell back to two cents, but after that it only increased. A postcard could be sent for a penny until the early 1950s.

The postal savings bank idea did come to pass. It was instituted in 1911 and lasted until 1966. There are several progressive politicians, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, that want to see the idea brought back to lessen the burden on the poor of the predatory payday lending industry. Until the Republican Party stops being downright evil, I don't like the odds of this happening.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Sunday is nuclear war day! Make some nice coffee and start your day with a story of an apocalypse we successfully avoided.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

2 comments:

  1. Kim Raver. Robyn Malcolm, or Anna Shaffer didn't meet the pretty girl default criteria?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fair point, Nan. Robyn Malcolm is pretty, but made to look dirty and scruffy in Lord of the Rings. Anna Shaffer and Kim Raver are certainly attractive enough in their best known sci-fi roles, I just wasn't that familiar with their work. They could certainly be considered next year.

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