Today is...

[IceWizard]

08 Sept 2017


Star Trek Day

“I haven’t faced death. I’ve cheated death. I’ve tricked my way out of death and patted myself on the back for my ingenuity; I know nothing.”
~ James T. Kirk, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Long ago, in the depths of the cold war, America had a prophet arrive. He spoke not of religious texts and damnation, but instead provided us with a vision of the future so hope-filled, so compelling, that it has indelibly marked the imaginations of man-kind ever since. Star Trek Day celebrates that vision, and the man who created it, Gene Roddenberry.

History of Star Trek Day

To today’s audiences, the original Star Trek series can seem hackneyed, corny, and even incredibly racist when viewed through the modern lens. To view it in this way overlooks the incredible strides that were made during it’s production, and how unthinkable some of the elements found within were. Consider if you will, Lieutenant Pavel Andreievich Chekov, a officer of Russian descent serving on board an American starship. In the days of the ‘Red Communist Threat’ this concept was inconceivable, but Gene dreamed of a day where it would be possible.

Then there was Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, who stood out not only by being a female officer on the deck of a naval vessel (since all starships are considered part of the Navy) but by being of African-American descent. Both of these elements created an incredible story for her, her position as fourth in command of the USS Enterprise not undermined by her position as a glorified telephone operator.

Star Trek speaks of a hope-filled future where our nationality no longer matters, and yet each of our personal heritages is still something we can be proud of. We are all citizens of the same universe, and at the end of the day that’s all that matters.


And




National Pardon Day

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”

– Mahatma Gandhi

Forgiveness, the process by which an offended party chooses to change the way they feel about someone who has committed the offense against them. It bears a distinct difference from the idea of condoning (where one does not see the offense as wrong, and therefor not needing forgiveness), excusing the action (where you place the blame for the action on someone else entirely), giving pardon (cleared by a legal representative), forgetting (where the action no longer exists in memory in any real or present way), or the act of reconciliation (where the relationship is restored without the action strictly being forgiven).

History of the Day

On the 8th of September back in 1974, President Gerald Ford presented a rather controversial Presidential Proclamation. This proclamation pardoned Richard M. Nixon of all wrongdoing that was related to that most famous of American scandals, the Watergate affair. Richard made very clear that he felt he had committed grievous wrong-doings against the people of the United States and the seat they had granted him.

While you are unlikely to be in a position to grant a presidential pardon, what you can do is be more forgiving on International Pardon Day. If you are holding a grudge against those who have committed some offense against you, Pardon Day grants you a valid reason to examine your feelings and the time that has passed, and to let that resentment and anger go.

“The truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation, unless you realize that the situation is over, you cannot move forward.”
– Steve Maraboli

What is known about forgiveness is that it is an act that brings happiness to those who give it, one can release the hold on the negative emotions they’re harboring in themselves, but they cannot release the associated guilt for the person who committed the act. As a result, forgiveness is for the one giving it, rather than the one who committed the transgression. Research has shown that those who have chosen to give up resentments live longer lives as a result to an improvement in their cardiovascular and nervous systems.

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September 8 Birthdays




Pink - 38




Bernie Sanders - 76




Martin Freeman - 46




Jonathan Taylor Thomas - 36




Chumlee - 35




Patsy Cline - (1932 - 1963) (30)




WW Jacobs - (1863 - 1943) (79)








September 9th


2003: Simon and Garfunkel announced plans for their reunion tour, their first tour in twenty years.

1996: Tom Petty’s wife of 22 years Jane filed for divorce citing “irreconcilable differences” as the cause of divorce.

1992: At the ninth annual MTV Video Music Awards at the Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, Van Halen won Video of the Year, Best Direction and Best Editing for “Right Now”. Backstage during the show, Kurt Cobain and Axl Rose got into an argument after Courtney Love jokingly asked Rose to be the godfather of Cobain’s daughter Frances Bean. Rose reportedly told Cobain to keep Love in line.

1987: Pink Floyd kicked off their first tour without Roger Waters at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa, ON in support of A Momentary Lapse of Reason.

1982: Rush released their ninth studio album Signals. This was their first album to simultaneously be certified Gold & Platinum, went on to peak at number ten on the Billboard 200 Album Chart, & contains their only top forty Pop hit “New World Man”.

1978: Foreigner peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with “Hot Blooded” which was their third top ten single in the U.S.

1971: John Lennon released his second solo album Imagine. This would be Lennon’s first solo album to reach the top of the Billboard 200 Album Chart.

1968: The Beatles recorded “Helter Skelter” at EMI Studios in London. Helter Skelter would go on to be covered by Aerosmith, Pat Benatar, Motley Crue, U2 & Bon Jovi.

1956: Elvis Presley made his debut appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show where he was filmed from the waist up.



Birthdays:

Doug Ingle - Singer and organist for Iron Butterfly born in 1945

Bruce Palmer - Bassist for Buffalo Springfield born in 1946

John McFee - Guitarist for The Doobie Brothers born in 1950