Wednesday, February 23, 2011

February 23, 2011: Khutbatul Wada' and the Guttenberg Bible

The anniversary of two religious events...


February 23, 632: The date that is believed to be the last sermon of the prophet Muhammed, this is called the Khutbatul Wada'. There is no definitive text of this sermon, as it apparently was quite long and various people have contributed to text that have been attempted to be meld into one teaching.


February 23, 1455: The traditional date for the publication of the Guttenberg Bible. In addition to being the first Western book printed with moveable type it also made the bible accessible for many more people to read than had ever had the opportunity before.

Idea 2 Blog:

  • Although hundreds of years ago, have either of these events impacted your life? If so, how.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

February 16, 2011

  • 6 years since the NHL (National Hockey League) canceled the 2004-2005 regular season and playoffs due to a labor dispute (2005)
  • 11 years since Hezbollah is founded (1985)
  • Rapper and actor Ice-T turns 53 (born 1958)
  • Actor and Reading Rainbow host LaVar Burton turns 54 (born 1957)
  • North Korean leader Kim Jong-il turns 70 (born 1941)

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Available on DVD: February 15, 2011

Unstoppable (Staring Chris Pine, Denzel Washington)

Waiting for (Documentary)

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (Directed by Woody Allen; Staring Anthony Hopkins, Naomi Watts)

Monday, February 14, 2011

Febrary 14, 2011 - Spouse Blogging Projects

Happy Valentine's Day.

Here's three blogs I know of where spouses blog together. These people share their love together through their blogging projects:

* Our Marriage Project
* He Said/She Said
* Colorado Dreamin

February 14, 2011 - Other Than Valentine's Day...

Want to talk about something other than Valentine's Day? Here are some other "observances" associated with February 14...
  • Statehood Day in Arizona and Oregon.
  • Communist Martyr's Day (observed by the Iraqi Communist Party)
  • Actor Freddie Highmore's birthday (he turns 19, born 1992)
  • Oscar nominated actress Meg Tilly's birthday (she turns 51, born 1960)
  • Magician Teller (of Penn & Teller) celebrates his birthday (he turns 63, born 1948)
  • New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg celebrate his birthday (he turns 69, born 1942)

Sunday, February 13, 2011

February 13, 2011 - Black Sabbath

The date is 2/13 and there are 321 days in the year...kind of fun.

February 13, 1970 the album Black Sabbath is released. Viewed to be the first heavy metal album ever. So for those keeping score, 41 years of Heavy Metal since the release of this famous album.

The album released February 13 in the UK, was later released in the USA on June 1, 1970.

Some ideas to blog:
1. What's your thoughts on heavy metal music, and how have your perceptions and interest changed over time?

2. When was the first time you were exposed to music of this nature and how did that impact you?

3. Ozzy Osbourne, the vocalist for Black Sabbath, has had quite a career spanning far beyond his Black Sabbath roots. What connotations do you have with Ozzy and would you consider him a hero, icon, cultural detriment, or something else?

Friday, February 11, 2011

Monday, February 7, 2011

February 7, 2011

If you're a sports blogger of NFL fan you might spend today, the day after Super Bowl XLV talking about the season ahead or reactions to last nights game.

For the rest of us, here's some other goings on to talk about.

It's 20 years since Haiti's first democratic election, and Jean-Bertrand Aristide is sworn in (1991). Questions to ponder: How has democracy impacted Haiti? How does democracy impact Haiti in dealing with crisis, such as the earthquacks from a couple years ago?

2 years since the busfires in Victoria Australia left 173 dead, the worst natural disaster in Australian history (2009). Questions to ponder: How do you respond to a natural disaster of this nature, especially if it is a long way away? What types of disasters are you most likely to be personally or emotionally impacted by?

Friday, February 4, 2011

February 4, 2011

  • 109 years since the birth of Charles Lindbergh (he died 1974, born 1902)
  • 105 years since the birth of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (he died a maryr in 1945, born 1906)
  • 98 years since the birth Rosa Parks (she died in 2005, born 1913)
  • 75 years since Radium (automic number 88) is made synthetically, making it the first radioactive element to be made in this way (1936)
  • Famous Zombie director George A. Romero turns 71 (born 1940)
  • 70 years since the USO (United Services Organization) is created to entertain American troops (1941)
  • Former Vice President Dan Quayle turns 64 (born 1947)
  • Musician Alice Cooper turns 63 (born 1948)
  • Musician Clint Black turns 49 (born 1962)
  • Boxed Oscar De La Hoya turns 38 (born 1973)
  • Musician Natalie Imbruglia turns 36 (born 1975)
  • Gavin DeGraw turns 34 (born 1977)
  • 7 years since Facebook launched. It's initial launched and limited to students at Harvard (2004).

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

February 2, 2011: Groundhogs Day

Feel like you should be blogging about Groundhogs Day Today? This holiday celebrated in the United States & Canada is a goofy holiday around predicting the weather based on a groundhogs reaction to his shadow.

Think it's crazy? Here's some ideas to blog.
  • Do a little research into the origin of the holiday.
  • When it comes to groundhogs day we usually think about Punxsatawney Phil in Pennsylvania, but did you know there's also Stormy Marmot, Chuckles, Queen Charlotte, Dunkirk Dave, Spanish Joe, and Sir Walter Wally. If you had a groundhog in your front yard, what would his name be and what would his weather prediction be?
  • What weather are you hoping for at this point in the year - are you hoping for an early spring or are you crossing your fingers for a few more extra weeks of winter?
  • In the 1993 Bill Murray film Groundhogs Day Bill Murray is forced to relive one day of his life over and over again until he gets it right. Is there a day of your life you wish you could relive again in order to get it right?

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Available on DVD: February 1, 2011

Let Me In (Horror Re-make)
Never Let Me Go (Drama)
Conviction (Drama)
The Tillman Story (Documentary)

Also Straight to Video: Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 & Mean Girls 2