Profile America for Sept. 25 - First woman Supreme Court Justice

U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for September 25

The daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25: FIRST WOMAN SUPREME COURT JUSTICE

Profile America — Saturday, September 25th. Today marks the anniversary, in 1981, of the swearing in of the first woman Supreme Court justice — Sandra Day O'Connor. She served until retiring in 2006. There have been four women to join the court: O'Connor, Elena Kagan recently, Ruth Bader Gensberg, who joined in 1993 and Sonya Sotomayor, who joined last year. A total of 111 men and women have served on the Supreme Court. The workload of the court has grown. There were just over 5,000 cases on the docket in 1980, while in recent years, that number has almost doubled. At the same time, the total number of cases argued annually has dropped by more than half to 125. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at www.census.gov.

A Bronx Cheer...

Have you wondered where the term "Bronx Cheer" came from? It's not a cheer as most of you know it's also known as "blowing a raspberry." You can guess that it came from the Bronx though that's not a given, French Toast and French Fries didn't come from France. It's been reported that it came from New Yorkers expressing their unhappiness at baseball games with the first reporting of a Bronx cheer taking place back in the 1890's. It is of course not something you'd want to do to a Bronx medical malpractice lawyer unless of course you were the one who was being sued...

:-)

Revenge is a dish best served cold...

As a history buff, I'm well aware of the different versions of the story of Sweeney Todd as well as the debate as to was he a real person or a creation of several real murderers. That as with most fictional adaptations can be debated forever, but what is evident is that people are still attracted to the story, and if you visit the official Sweeney Todd movie site you'll see how Johnny Depp adapts so very well to this role.

In theory Todd is seeking revenge on those he felt has wronged him, yet many suggest it was jealousy against those who had more than Todd that drove his murderous rage resulting in him slicing the throats of his victims with them ending up as meat pies. The plot is suggests that Todd is acting out of revenge for his being wrongfully imprisoned and that during his prison years something horrible happens to his wife and his daughter which drives him to "never forgive and never forget". No matter which version of the Sweeney Todd story you feel is more accurate, the desire for revenge, real or imagined, it is the desire for revenge that motivates the character in Sweeney Todd. Similar to the revenge scenes in "A Man on Fire" the motivation that drives the character is part his past and part his belief that correctly the wrong involves killing people. The movie's popularity has grown to such that you can visit Sweeney Todd on MySpace and perhaps even be added as a friend.

As a fan of both Johnny Depp and the work of Tim Burton, it will be interesting to see this film...

Wow, winning a hunk of rust....

Unfortunately the dreams of those who put the 1957 Plymouth Belvedere into the ground 50 years ago with the idea of awarding the car and a savings account that was $100.00 at the time the car was put into the ground to the winner of whoever in 1957 guessed what the population of Tulsa would be today were crushed. It appears that the protective wrapping that was supposed to protect the car, failed :

Would-be auto restorers unwrapped 1950s-era protective covering from the mud-caked relic onstage Friday evening at the Tulsa Convention Center, revealing a ruined hulk with rotting upholstery, collapsed suspension, flat tires and an engine that appeared to be a solid chunk of rust.

A love of history equals great games...

I've often wondered if historical events had different endings such as in some of the wars we've had what the outcome would be. One of those moments similar to the early "It's a Wonderful Life" then later movies like the "Butterfly Effect", where it is implied that one different event can change many lives.

Niall Ferguson has wondered some of these same things and now thanks to his historical knowledge, and after getting involved with the game, "Making History"; Ferguson has partnered with Muzzy Lane to design a new game. Due out in 2008, this one will model modern, real-world conflicts such as Iraq, Afghanistan and the nuclear confrontation with Iran. I hope they make a pc version so I can play it...

:-)