| Friday, August 29, 2008 |
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James Stewart Filibusters Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Source |
Spotlight: Filibuster. The word conjures up images of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington: an exhausted speaker, impatient representatives, cynical and often acrimonious outbursts. A filibuster is a delay tactic used to stop a legislature from taking action on a bill. Usually, the representative who filibusters speaks incessantly and on irrelevant topics, in an attempt to wear down the majority into withdrawing a bill. On this date in 1957, Strom Thurmond ended the longest filibuster in US Senate history. He spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes against a civil rights bill, to no avail; the bill passed.
Quote: "I think even for a senator, it takes some pretty serious yodeling to call for a filibuster from a five-star ski resort in the Swiss Alps."
Question of the Day: What was the longest group filibuster in history and who performed it?The longest filibuster came in spring of 1964 when the U.S. Senate was weighing Lyndon Johnson's Civil Rights Bill. The bill had been introduced by President Kennedy a year earlier but not taken up for debate until after his death. Debate began in March, 1964. Before it was over, Southern senators had filibustered for 534 hours, 1 minute and 51 seconds. When the Senate finally mustered enough votes to end the filibuster, an aging California senator was wheeled onto the floor and voted by winking his eye.
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| Green |
Greenwash (a portmanteau of green and whitewash) is a term used to describe the perception of consumers that they are being misled by a company regarding the environmental practices of the company or the environmental benefits of a product or service.... The term is generally used when significantly more money or time has been spent advertising being green rather than spending resources on environmentally sound practices. This is often portrayed by changing the name or label of a product, to give the feeling of nature...
There are so many colors in the rainbow, and many of them have been moonlighting as parts of phrases that give them a whole new meaning. This week we'll take a look at some of them.
Today's History:
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| A Louisiana Levee in May 2008 |
- chop suey: was introduced in New York City by a chef for visiting Chinese diplomat Li Hongzhang (1896)
- The Beatles: gave their last paid concert, at San Francisco's Candlestick Park (now Monster Park) (1966)
- Hurricane Katrina: the costliest natural disaster in US history made landfall in Louisiana and Mississippi, devastating cities, most notably New Orleans (2005)
Today's Birthdays:
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| Richard Attenborough |
- John Locke (1632-1704): English empiricist philosopher who influenced the American and French revolutions
- Ingrid Bergman (1915-1982): Oscar-, Emmy- and Tony-award winning actress; actors Elliot Gould (70) and G.W. Bailey (63) also have birthdays today
- Richard Attenborough (85): director of Gandhi and Cry Freedom; directors William Friedkin and Joel Schumacher (both 69) were also born on this date
- John McCain (72): US senator from Arizona and the presumptive Republican candidate for president in 2008
- Michael Jackson (50): androgynous pop superstar; other musicians who share his birth date include Charlie Parker (1920-1955) and Dinah Washington (1924-1963)
