Europe Needs To Re-Examine The History Of The Moors

The horrible murders of men, women and children in France is just another reason that the world, especially Europe, needs to enforce their borders and scrutinize immigration. Immigrants who refuse to assimilate to their host country are problematical.

Perhaps Europe should re-examine the history of the Moors:

The term Moors refers to the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages, who initially were of Berber and Arab peoples of North African descent.

Moors are not a distinct or self-defined people and mainstream scholars observed in 1911 that "The term 'Moors' has no real ethnological value. Medieval and early modern Europeans variously applied the name to Arabs, Berber North Africans and Muslim Europeans.

The term has also been used in Europe in a broader, somewhat derogatory sense to refer to Muslims in general, especially those of Arab or Berber descent, whether living in Spain or North Africa.

During the colonial era, the Portuguese introduced the names "Ceylon Moors" and "Indian Moors" in Sri Lanka, and the Bengali Muslims were also called Moors. In 711 the Moors invaded the Iberian Peninsula from North Africa and called the territory Al-Andalus, which at its peak included most of modern-day Spain, Portugal, and Septimania.

The Moors occupied Mazara on Sicily in 827, developing it as a port, and they eventually consolidated the rest of the island and some of southern Italy. Differences in religion and culture led to a centuries-long conflict with the Christian kingdoms of Europe, which tried to reclaim control of Muslim areas; this conflict was referred to as the Reconquista.

In 1224 the Muslims were expelled from Sicily to the settlement of Lucera, which was destroyed by European Christians in 1300.

The fall of Granada in 1492 marked the end of Muslim rule in Iberia, although a Muslim minority persisted until their expulsion in 1609.

The News As I See It: Elizabeth Warren has been invited to give an address on the first night of the Democratic Convention. Hillary Clinton will give the address on the final night and Bernie Sanders will be given the wrong address so that he misses the convention entirely.

A restaurant in China forces customers to solve complex math problems before they can order their meal. The restaurant has no plans to expand to the United States.

A man in Oregon got stabbed while playing Pokémon Go and refused medical treatment in order to keep playing. He leaves a wife, two kids, and six Squirtles.

Some nursing homes in New York are allowing elderly residents to have sex. There’s also a new trend the next morning at nursing homes known as the "Shuffle of Shame."

This Date In History: 1869; Margarine was patented in France by Hippolyte Mege Mouries. 1870; Georgia became the last of the Confederate States to be readmitted to the Union. 1918; The Second Battle of the Marne began during World War I.

1940; The world's tallest man (8 feet, 11.1 inches), Robert Wadlow, died. 1948; John J. Pershing, whose leadership in World War I earned him the title General of the Armies of the United States, died in Washington, DC.

1975; The Russian Soyuz and the U.S. Apollo launched. The Apollo-Soyuz mission was the first international manned spaceflight. 2010; After 86 days of gushing oil into the Gulf of Mexico and several previous attempts to contain the flow, BP caps its leaking oil well.

Picture Of The Day: The picture speaks for itself.....

Printable Things I Never Told You: 1) Map Quest really needs to start their directions on number five. I've mastered the art of getting out of my neighborhood. An "avoid ghetto" option would be handy.  2) Kim Kardashian is more popular than Congress. And, like Congress, Kim's maximum capacity is 500 members. 3) A young man scolded me the other day for not paying attention to his question. I apologized and asked him if he had graduated from college. He scowled and said, "I majored in liberal arts." Then he said, "Will that be for here or to go?" 4) A twofold national problem is how to preserve the wilderness in the country and get rid of the jungle in the cities.  5) In an intellectual, equal pay society, how will I get my hamburger and fries and who will be the busboys?.....and that's five !

Today's Horoscope: Cancer - July 15th: The odds are that you'll see something this weekend that you physically and desperately desire. However, the risk may not be worth the reward. I know this to be true as I have been married twice and payback is hell. Relax, have a beer and wait for the next bus.

Birthdays: Rembrandt, Dutch painter, etcher and draftsman 1606, Clement Moore, poet 1779, Mother Cabrini, nun 1850, Iris Murdoch, writer 1919.

The AREA 51 Retirement Home Bar And Grill: A busload of politicians were driving down a country road, when suddenly the bus ran off the road and crashed into an old farmer's barn. The old farmer got off his tractor and went to investigate. Soon he dug a hole and buried the politicians.

A few days later, the local sheriff came out, saw the crashed bus and asked the old farmer where all the politicians had gone. The old farmer told him he had buried them.

The sheriff asked the old farmer, "Lord, were they all dead?" The old farmer said, "Well, some of them said they weren't, but you know how crooked politicians lie."

Obama was sleeping one night in the White House and the ghost of George Washington appears. Somewhat nervous, Obama asks, "How can I best serve my country?" Washington says, "Never tell a lie." Obama says, "Ooh, I don't know about that."

The next night, the ghost of Thomas Jefferson appears. Obama says, "How can I best serve my country?" Jefferson says, "Listen to the people." Obama answers, "Oh, I can't really do that."

On the third night, the ghost of Abe Lincoln appears. Obama says, "How can I best serve my country?" Lincoln says, "Go to the theater."

The Hits Just Keep On Coming: The 6th grade science teacher, Mrs. Parks, asked her class, "What human body part increases to ten times its size when stimulated?" No one answered until little Mary stood up and said, "You should not be asking sixth-graders a question like that! I'm going to tell my parents, and they will go and tell the principal, who will then fire you!"

Mrs. Parks ignored her and asked the question again, "Which body part increases to 10 times its size when stimulated?" Little Mary's mouth fell open. Then she said to those around her, "Boy, is she going to get in big trouble!"

The teacher continued to ignore her and said to the class, "Anybody?" Finally, Billy stood up, looked around nervously, and said, "The body part that increases 10 times its size when stimulated is the pupil of the eye."

Mrs. Parks said, "Very good, Billy," then turned to Mary and continued. "As for you, young lady, I have three things to say: One, you have a dirty mind. Two, you didn't read your homework. And three, one day you are going to be very, very disappointed.

A woman called 911 when she realized she was about to give birth. Due to a power outage, only one paramedic responded to the emergency call.

The house was very dark so the paramedic asked Kathleen, a 3-yr old girl, to hold a flashlight high over her mommy so he could see while he helped deliver the baby very diligently. Kathleen did as she was asked.

The woman pushed and pushed and after a little while, a baby boy was born. The paramedic lifted him by his little feet and spanked him on his bottom and the child began to cry.

The paramedic then thanked Kathleen for her help and asked the wide-eyed 3-yr old what she thought about what she had just witnessed. Kathleen quickly responded, "Smack him again! He shouldn't have crawled in there in the first place."

That's it for today, my little tumble weeds. Remember, as you get older three things happen. The first is you get sexier, the second is your memory fades and I can't remember the last one. I'm heading over to AREA 51 for happy hour.

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A Tail Of Two Kitties

Between Samantha and Scooter, Sam is the independent one. Granted, Scooter is just a kitten and is learning fast, but he's happy-go-lucky and likes to sit with me. Sam was a street wise, six-month-old independent. But the two are fast becoming pals.

Sam thinks she's smart and ofttimes bangs her food dish to indicate that she's hungry, yet she is unable to explain baseball's infield fly rule. She is capable of opening every cabinet door in the house, but she refuses to use the can opener to open the cat food can and feed herself.

My personal belief is that she only does the things that she wants to do and seems amused when I finally relent to the food dish banging and feed her. She will not give me the satisfaction of meowing for her food as that is evidently beneath her.

Little Scooter is growing like a weed and is learning all the navigation tricks to ascend to just about anywhere he likes. Within the next month, he'll have all the high places conquered.

Meanwhile, Scooter likes to be wherever I am. The top picture is where he sleeps when I am on the computer. He crawls up behind my neck and wriggles and squirms until he's comfortable and, of course, i'm uncomfortable.

The News As I See It: Bernie Sanders officially endorsed Hillary Clinton at a rally in New Hampshire. Hillary said she’s glad Bernie is behind her 100 percent, then Bernie said, "Let’s just start off with 10 percent."

Sanders' endorsement of Hillary Clinton has angered many of his supporters. Many of them are threatening to not vote for her when they don’t vote in November.

The game Pokémon Go is actually making people visit remote, potentially dangerous areas. On the bright side, they finally found a way to get people to attend the Rio Olympics.

Bill Cosby has hired a woman to be his lead attorney. She says she doesn’t know how she got the job, she just woke up and there it was.

This Date In History: 1793; French revolutionary Jean Paul Marat was stabbed to death in his bath by royalist sympathizer Charlotte Corday. 1863; The draft riots, protesting unfair conscription in the Civil War, began in New York City.

1865; P. T. Barnum's American Museum, which had featured Tom Thumb and the original Siamese twins Chang and Eng, was destroyed by fire. 1930; The first World Cup soccer competition began in Montevideo, Uruguay.

1943; The Battle of Kursk, the largest tank battle in history—involving some 6,000 tanks, 2,000,000 troops, and 4,000 aircraft—ended in German defeat. 1977; A 25-hour blackout hit New York City, engendering widespread rioting and looting. 2003 Iraq's interim governing council was inaugurated.

Picture Of The Day: Love these kittens

Printable Things I Never Told You: 1) Don't make exceptions for ignorant people. An asshole with a flower in it is not a vase. 2) I don't need to be rich, it would just be nice to live in a neighborhood where I could be confident that that noise was definitely fireworks. 3) The fireworks have been over for hours but Rex is still barking, which is weird because he's 12 years old and not a dog. Weird little kid. 4) I spent a nice relaxing hour on Facebook, writing "you Two look fantastic!!" on all the selfies with three girls or more in it. 5) I had no Internet or cable last night and I was left with my thoughts. I guess that's why the pioneers usually died so young.....and that's five !

Today's Horoscope: Cancer - July 13th: Life can be as romantic as you wish to make it. Like the old saying goes, "A man with three fish has enough in his heart to help him build a picnic table." I have no idea what that means, but it's in the stars.

Birthdays: Nathan Bedford Forrest, general 1821, Isaac Babel, writer 1894, Wole Soyinka, playwright, poet, novelist, essayist, and political activist 1934, Patrick Stewart, director 1940, Harrison Ford, actor 1942, Cameron Crowe, director, screenwriter 1957.

The AREA 51 Retirement Home Bar And Grill: Morris complained to his friend Irving that love making with his wife was becoming routine and boring. Irving said, "Get creative Morris. Break up the monotony. Why don't you try 'playing doctor' for an hour? That's what I do."

Morris replied, "Sounds great, but how do you make it last for an hour?" Irving said, "Just keep her in the waiting room for 55 minutes!"

A man complains to a friend, "I can't take it anymore." "What's wrong?" His concerned friend asks, "What's wrong?" The man replied, "It's my wife. Every time we have an argument, she gets historical!"

His friend said, chuckling, "You mean hysterical," The man answered, "No, I mean historical. Every argument we have, she'll say, "I still remember that time when you did this ...."

The Hits Just Keep On Coming: A funeral service is being held for a woman who has just passed away. At the end of the service, the pall bearers are carrying the casket out when they accidentally bump into a wall, jarring the casket.

They hear a faint moan! They open the casket and find that the woman is actually alive! She lives for ten more years and then dies. Once again, a ceremony is held and, at the end of it, the pall bearers are again carrying out the casket.

As they carry the casket towards the door, her husband cries out, "Watch out for that damned wall!"

A husband and wife are waiting at the bus stop with their nine children. A blind man joins them after a few minutes. When the bus arrives, they find it overloaded and only the wife and the nine kids are able to fit onto the bus. So the husband and the blind man decide to walk.

After a while, the husband gets irritated by the ticking of the stick of the blind man as he taps it on the sidewalk, and says to him, "Why don't you put a piece of rubber at the end of your stick? That ticking sound is driving me crazy." The blind man replies, "If you would've put a rubber at the end of your stick, we'd both be riding the bus."

That's it for today, my little pickle packers. Remember, you should never burn bridges but you can loosen the bolts a little each day. I'm heading over to AREA 51 for happy hour.

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A Dark Day

I have utter disgust for anyone that shoots a cop. Everyone has a right to protest and free speech. When that protest turns to masks and hidden faces to avoid prosecution, throwing of any dangerous object or weapons of any kind, then your rights end.

At that point in time, any method used by police to quell violence is fair. When things get out of control, take away any bull horn used to egg on the protesters, arrest anyone wearing a mask or wearing a hoodie with the top up, and any other means necessary to stop the violence.

This includes rubber bullets, tear gas, water hoses and, if necessary, police discharging their firearms. I'm fed up with a group that constitutes less than 15% of the nation's population causing so many problems.

All instances of police abuse should be addressed in the courts, not by people in the street and Rufus Obama throwing in his two cents every time there's a shooting involving blacks promotes racial divide. Obama has cause a lot of racial division during his presidency.

The News As I See It: An aquarium in the U.K. claims that it has the world’s first vegetarian shark. Either that or they’re playing a really mean prank on Nigel the tank cleaner.

The new J.C. Penny catalog features a gay couple. This is historic. It's the first time anyone gay has been spotted wearing clothes from J.C. Penny.

The Dalai Lama is saying that China trained a woman to assassinate him by putting poison in her hair. Luckily, the Dalai Lama had recently just stopped eating hair.

This Date In History: 1533; Pope Clement VII excommunicated England's King Henry VIII. 1804; Former vice president Aaron Burr fatally wounded former secretary of the treasury Alexander Hamilton in a duel. Hamilton died the following afternoon.

1864; Confederate general Jubal A. Early and his troops attacked Washington, DC. They retreated the next day, ending the Confederate threat to occupy the capital. 1914; Babe Ruth made his major league baseball debut as a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox.

1977; The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his work to advance civil rights. 1989; Actor Laurence Olivier died. 1995; The United States and Vietnam established full diplomatic relations.

2011; The News of the World, a British newspaper owned by Rupert Murdoch, closes after several allegations that the paper's journalists hacked into voicemail accounts belonging to not only a 13-year-old murder victim, but also the relatives of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Picture Of The Day: The picture says it all.....

Printable Things I Never Told You: 1) Lust is not real love and Domino's is not real pizza but both are fine when you're drunk. 2) You know you're a redneck when you take your dog for a walk and you both use the same tree. 3) I do not Twitter or tweet although I once slept with a lovely English bird who chirped. 4) I'm not saying that the girl I met last Friday was slow, but she thought Gazpacho was Pinocchio's father. 5) I went to the doctor because of water on the knee and he said, "You're not aiming straight.".....and that's five !

Today's Horoscope: Cancer - July 11th: Feel welcome to share your inner most secrets with your entire family and friends. They will adore you for your spectacular honesty and may only exclude you from certain holidays and special events.

Birthdays: Robert the Bruce, Scottish King 1274, Thomas Bowdler, editor 1754, John Quincy Adams, 6th President of the United States 1767, E. B. White, writer 1899, Yul Brynner, actor 1920.

The AREA 51 Retirement Home Bar And Grill: A frustrated wife buys a pair of crotchless panties in an attempt to spice up her dead sex-life. She puts them on, together with a short skirt and sits on the sofa opposite her husband. At strategic moments she uncrosses her legs.

Finally, after she had crossed her legs enough times, her husband asks, "Are you wearing crotchless panties?" She answered with a seductive smile, Yes." Her husband replied, "Thank God. For a moment, I thought the stuffing was coming out of the sofa."

Two elderly women were eating breakfast in a restaurant one morning. Ethel noticed something funny about Mabel's ear and she said, ''Mabel, do you know you've got a suppository in your left ear?"

Mabel answered, "I do?" Mabel reached up to her ear, pulled out the suppository and stared at it. Then she said, "I think I know where to find my hearing aid."

The Hits Just Keep On Coming: A man walks into a bar and orders a beer. He pours ir into a cold mug, sips it and sets it down. A monkey swings across the bar and pees in the cold mug.

The man asks the bartender who owns the monkey. The bartender replies, "The piano player". The man walks over to the piano player and says "Do you know your monkey just pissed in my beer?" The pianist replies, "No, but if you can hum it, I'll play it."

A foursome of guys is waiting at the mens' tee while a foursome of women is hitting from the ladies' tee. The ladies are taking their time. When the final lady is ready to hit her ball, she hacks it 10 feet. Then she goes over and whiffs it completely. Then she hacks it another ten feet and finally hacks it another five feet.

She looks up at the patiently waiting men and says apologetically, "I guess all those f*cking lessons I took over the winter didn't help." One of the men immediately responds, "Well, there you have it. You should have taken golf lessons instead!"

That's it for today, my little apple blossums. Remember, it's safe to live in Canada. The murder rate is very low because you have to go 300 miles to find someone to kill.

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You Gotta Be Kitten Me

My cats, Samantha and Scooter, are now friends and play together, although when Sam tires of Scooter's shenanigans, she seeks higher ground for a break. Their new game is chasing each other all over the house and across my chest at 3 am.

I have attempted to take pictures of the "chase" but as cat lovers know, cats don't pose. If you take ten shots, you're lucky if one comes out decent. Nevertheless, I continue to try, hoping I get lucky.

Scooter is growing like a weed and slowly becoming a brat. That is until he oversteps his boundaries and Sam gives him a good swat or two. Still, he's a growing boy and he just shakes it off, lays low for a few seconds and returns to play again.

I must admit that they are entertaining to watch and I'm trying to get a good video of the two, but that's easier said than done. 

The News As I See It: Hillary Clinton was cleared of charges in the investigation of her deleted emails, but her actions were described by the FBI as "extremely reckless." However in her defense, the report pointed out that she was Hillary reckless, not Bill reckless.

Bernie Sanders is reportedly going to endorse Hillary Clinton next week. Bernie said, "I was going to do it sooner but I thought I’d wait 'til everyone hated me."

Marvel announced that the next Iron Man will be an African-American woman. However, in keeping with Hollywood tradition, she will still be played by Robert Downey Jr.

This Date In History: 1776; The first public reading of the Declaration of Independence was given in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 1777; Vermont became the first colony to abolish slavery. 1889; The Wall Street Journal began publication.

1950; General Douglas MacArthur was named commander-in-chief of the United Nations forces in Korea. 1958; The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) awarded the first official gold album. It was for the Oklahoma soundtrack. 1986; Kurt Waldheim was inaugurated as president of Austria.

2011; The space shuttle Atlantis launches into space for the last time from the Kennedy Space Center. It is the 135th and final flight of the space shuttle program, which started in 1981. For its final mission, the Atlantis is carrying 8,000 lbs of spare parts and supplies to the International Space Station. The space shuttle program officially ends when the Atlantis returns two weeks later.

Picture Of The Day: Sorry Obie, no illegal aliens allowed in AREA 51.

Printable Things I Never Told You: 1) If you are going to call the cops every time you spot me in your bushes, I don't think this relationship is going to work. 2) Hockey is more tolerable if you pretend they're fighting over the world's last Oreo. 3) They should make a reality show called, "So You've Been Drinking and You Think You Can Dance?" 4) The Lego Movie should have been about parents walking in the dark and screaming obscenities after stepping on Legos. 5) Whenever I hear about a man jumping off a bridge I can't help but wonder how long he was dating my ex.....and that's five !

Today's Horoscope: Cancer - July 8th: Your task today is to keep these words in mind: Give a liberal a fish, he'll eat for a day. Teach a liberal to fish, he'll add to the global over-depletion of the oceans, then complain about global warming while he cashes his government check at the liquor store, so just give him the damned fish.

Birthdays: Jean de La Fontaine. poet 1621, Joseph Chamberlain, statesman 1836, Ferdinand Zeppelin, airship inventor and builder 1838, John D. Rockefeller, American industrialist and philanthropist 1839, Nelson A. Rockefeller, public official 1908, Julia Carson, politician 1938, Anjelica Huston, actress 1951, Kevin Bacon, actor 1958.

The AREA 51 Retirement Home Bar And Grill: A guy was invited to an old friends' home for dinner. His buddy preceded every request to his wife by endearing terms, calling her Honey, Darling, Sweetheart, etc. The guy was impressed since he knew the couple had been married almost 70 years.

While the wife was off in the kitchen he said to his buddy, "I think it's wonderful that after all the years you've been married, you still call your wife those pet names." His buddy replied, "To tell you the truth, I forgot her name about ten years ago."

Two cows were grazing on the side of a hill and one turned to the other and said, "Mooo." The other cow replied, "Damn, I was just going to say that."

The Hits Just Keep On Coming: A man picked up his lovely date at her parent's home. He had saved enough money to take her to a fancy restaurant. She ordered shrimp cocktail, foie gras, lobster and Dom Perignon champagne, the most expensive items on the menu.

He asked her, "Does your mother feed you like that when you eat at home?" She replied, "No, but my mother's not expecting sex tonight." He asked, "What would you like for dessert?"

A blonde female motorist was about two hours from San Diego when she was flagged down by a man whose truck had broken down. He walked up to the car and asked, "Are you going to San Diego?" She replied, "Yes, do you need a lift?"

The truck driver said, "Not for me. I'll be spending the next three hours fixing my truck. My problem is I've got two chimpanzees in the back that have to be taken to the San Diego Zoo. They're a bit stressed already, so I don't want to keep them on the road all day. Could you possibly take them over to the zoo for me? I'll give you $100 for your trouble.” The blonde said, "Sure, I'd be happy to."

The two chimpanzees were ushered into the back seat of the blonde's SUV. They were carefully strapped into their seat belts, and off they went. Five hours later the truck driver was driving through the heart of San Diego when suddenly he was horrified! There was the blonde walking down the street holding hands with the two chimps much to the amusement of a big crowd.

With a screech of brakes he pulled off the road and ran over to the blonde. He said, "What are you doing here? I gave you $100 to take these monkeys to the zoo!" The blonde replied, "Yes, I know you did, but we had money left over so now we're going to Sea World."

That's it for today, my little dandy lions. Remember, sometimes auto-correct can be your worst enema. I'm heading over to AREA 51 for happy hour.

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Have a great weekend and more on Monday.

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Happy 240th Birthday America

Happy Fourth of July, my friends. On this date, the Continental Congress declared that the thirteen American colonies regarded themselves as a new nation, the United States of America and no longer part of the British Empire.

During the American Revolution, the legal separation of the Thirteen Colonies from Great Britain occurred on July 2, 1776, when the Second Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution of independence that had been proposed in June by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia declaring the United States independent from Great Britain rule.

After voting for independence, Congress turned its attention to the Declaration of Independence, a statement explaining this decision, which had been prepared by a Committee of Five, with Thomas Jefferson as its principal author. Congress debated and revised the wording of the Declaration, finally approving it on July 4.

A day earlier, John Adams had written to his wife Abigail:

The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.

Adams's prediction was off by two days. From the outset, Americans celebrated independence on July 4, the date shown on the much-publicized Declaration of Independence, rather than on July 2, the date the resolution of independence was approved in a closed session of Congress.

Historians have long disputed whether members of Congress signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, even though Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin all later wrote that they had signed it on that day.

Most historians have concluded that the Declaration was signed nearly a month after its adoption, on August 2, 1776, and not on July 4 as is commonly believed.

Coincidentally, both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the only signers of the Declaration of Independence later to serve as Presidents of the United States, died on the same day: July 4, 1826, which was the 50th anniversary of the Declaration.

Although not a signer of the Declaration of Independence, James Monroe, another Founding Father who was elected as President, also died on July 4, 1831. He was the third President in a row who died on the anniversary of independence. Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President, was born on July 4, 1872; so far he is the only U.S. President to have been born on Independence Day.

The News As I See It: The Fourth of July is when we celebrate our breaking away from England. And after Brexit, it’s starting to seem like England just can’t keep a relationship going.

Obama recently met with the leaders of Mexico and Canada. Obama said he was trying to figure out where to live when Trump wins.

This Date In History: 1776; The U.S. declared independence from Great Britain. 1826; Former presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died. 1831; Former president James Monroe died. 1845; Henry David Thoreau moved into his shack on Walden Pond.

1862; Lewis Carroll first told the story of Alice's Adventures Underground to the Liddell sisters. 1884; The Statue of Liberty was presented to the United States in Paris. 1895; Katharine Lee Bates published America the Beautiful. 1939; Lou Gehrig, stricken with ALS, made his farewell at Yankee Stadium.

1976; The United States celebrated its bicentennial. 1997; The U.S. Pathfinder probe landed on Mars. 2012; The European Organization for Nuclear Research, also known as CERN, announced the discovery of a new particle with properties consistent with the Higgs boson.

Picture Of The Day: "That's a lovely blue dress, Loretta. I hope it doesn't stain easily." 

Printable Things I Never Told You: 1) Last weekend, during a routine cleanup, park crews discovered a cannon from the Revolutionary War that was still loaded. Old, loaded and ready to go — just like me before the karaoke show. 2) Hurray for Obama wanting more extensive background checks! Let's begin with him first! 3) My friend's mother-in-law is staying with him this 4th of July weekend. He spent the day Thursday clearing out half of his closet so she would have a place to hang upside down and sleep. 4) It's always awkward ending phone calls with loved ones. I always say, "I love you" and they're like, "Thank you for choosing Domino's." 5) The local news says we can tell there's been a power failure with their new app. Call me old fashioned but the lack of lights tips me off.....and that's five !

Today's Horoscope: Cancer - July 4th: Loving care is something that people write on shampoo bottles. What you need is a good hard drink. A beautiful woman will turn your head today and make you wonder whether you're as committed as you ought to be.

Birthdays: Nathaniel Hawthorne, author 1804, Giuseppe Garibaldi, Italian patriot 1807, Stephen Foster, composer 1826, Rube Goldberg, cartoonist and sculptor 1883, Louis B. Mayer, movie executive 1885, Calvin Coolidge, 30th president of the Unites States 1872, Meyer Lansky, mobster 1902, Abigail Van Buren, advice columnist 1918, Ann Landers, advice columnist 1918, Eva Marie Saint, actress 1924, Gina Lollobrigida, model, actress 1927, Neil Simon, playwright, producer 1927, George Steinbrenner, owner of NY Yankees 1930.

The AREA 51 Retirement Home Bar And Grill: Obama, not feeling well and concerned about his mortality, goes to consult a well-known psychic about the date of his demise.

Closing her eyes and silently reaching into the realm of the future she finds the answer: "You will die on a Jewish holiday." Obama asks nervously, "Which one?"

The psychic replied, "It doesn't matter. Whenever you die, it will become a Jewish holiday."

While out walking along the edge of a bayou, a Louisiana a woman walking with her soon to be ex-husband were discussing property settlement and other divorce issues.

Suddenly they were surprised by a huge 14 foot alligator suddenly emerging from the murky water charging at them with its large jaws wide open. She must have been protecting her nest because she was extremely aggressive.

The woman told reporters, "If I had not had my little Beretta Jetfire .25 caliber pistol with me, I would not be here today! Just one shot to my estranged husband's knee cap was all it took."

She continued, "The gator got him easily and I was able to escape by just walking away at a brisk pace. It's one of the best pistols in my collection! Plus, the amount I saved in lawyer's fees was more than worth the purchase price of the gun."

The Hits Just Keep On Coming: In May of this year, police in Chicago announced the discovery of an arms cache of 200 semi-automatic rifles with 25,000 rounds of ammunition, 200 pounds of heroin, 5 million in forged US banknotes and 25 trafficked prostitutes, all in a semi-detached house behind the Public Library on Third Ave.

Local residents were stunned. A community spokesman said, "We're all shocked! We never knew we had a library."

During a lull between the speeches at the recent White House Correspondents' dinner, Michelle Obama leaned over to chat with Joe Biden. She told Biden,"You know, I bought Barack a parrot for his birthday. The bird is so smart, Barack has already taught him to pronounce over two hundred words!"

Biden said, "Wow, that's pretty impressive but, you do realize that he just speaks the words -- he doesn't really understand what they mean." Michelle replied, "Oh, I know, neither does the parrot."

That's it for today, my little firecrackers. Remember, honesty is the best policy unless you want people to like you.

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Happy Independence Day and more on Wednesday.

Stay Tuned !