| Friday, January 9, 2009 |
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| Guide Dogs in Training |
SpotlightThe Seeing Eye, the first organization in America to train guide dogs for the blind, was founded in Morristown, NJ, eighty years ago today. Originally, only German shepherds were trained; later Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers, boxers and some mixed breeds were also bred for training. Volunteers raise the dogs until they are 18 months old, training them to be obedient and socialized. Then the dogs join the program on the Seeing Eye campus, learning the more specialized skills of stopping at curbs and keeping themselves and their handlers from danger.
Quote"A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down."
Question of the DayWhat qualities should a guide dog have?
First and foremost, a guide dog should have rock-solid nerves. He should be calm and confident, obeying even in the midst of chaos. He should not be easily frightened but also should not be ignorant of real danger when it presents itself. Just as you wouldn't want a guide dog who trembled at the sight of a passing car, you would not want one who stood happily in the road as one speed straight toward it....
Word of the dayRussian roulette
- A stunt in which one spins the cylinder of a revolver loaded with only one bullet, aims the muzzle at one's head, and pulls the trigger.
- An act of reckless bravado.
Alliteration and its relatives, consonance and assonance, go back to Old English and earlier. It seems we love to play with the sounds of our phrases. This week we'll look at some phrases that we just like the sound of.
Today's History
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| Cierva's Autogiro |
- daguerreotype: L. J. M. Daguerre announced the first practical photographic process to the French Academy of Sciences (1839)
- autogiro: aeronautical engineer Juan de la Cierva made the first successful flight in the helicopter-like aircraft he had invented, in Madrid (1923)
- Martyr's Day of Panama: the tearing of a Panamanian flag during protests regarding US sovereignty over the Panama Canal Zone led to several days of deadly fighting (1964)
Today's Birthdays
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| Richard Nixon |
- Richard Nixon (1913-1994): 37th POTUS, who was forced to resign because of the Watergate scandal
- Judith Krantz (81): pop novelist; other authors born on this date include Hayyim Nahman Bialik (1873-1934), Karel Čapek (1890-1938) and Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986)
- Bob Denver (1935-2005): actor, Gilligan's Island; Lee Van Cleef (1925-1989), Susannah York (67), J.K. Simmons (54) and Joely Richardson (44)
- Joan Baez (68): folk rock singer; other singers born today include Crystal Gayle (58), Steve Harwell and Dave Matthews (both 42) and A.J. Mclean (31)
- Jimmy Page (65): lead guitarist, Led Zeppelin; other guitarists born today: Eric Erlandson (46) and Dave Matthews and Carl Bell (both 42)
