On This Day
1870 – Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina becomes the second black U.S. congressman.[6]
Joseph Hayne Rainey (June 21, 1832 – August 1, 1887) was an American politician. He was the first black person to serve in the United States House of Representatives and the second black person (after Hiram Revels) to serve in the United States Congress. His service included time as presiding officer of the House of Representatives.
Born into slavery in South Carolina, he and his family were freed in the 1840s when his father purchased their freedom. Both Revels and Rainey were members of the Republican Party.
1962 – NASA launches Relay 1, the first active repeater communications satellite in orbit.
The Relay program consisted of Relay 1 and Relay 2, two early American satellites in elliptical low Earth orbit. Both were primarily experimental communications satellites funded by NASA and developed by RCA.[1] As of December 2, 2016, both satellites were still in orbit.[2][3] Relay 1 provided the first American television transmissions across the Pacific Ocean.
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Born On This Day
1928 – Helen Frankenthaler, American painter and academic (d. 2011)[59]
Helen Frankenthaler (December 12, 1928 – December 27, 2011) was an American abstract expressionist painter. She was a major contributor to the history of postwar American painting. Having exhibited her work for over six decades (early 1950s until 2011), she spanned several generations of abstract painters while continuing to produce vital and ever-changing new work.[1] Frankenthaler began exhibiting her large-scale abstract expressionist paintings in contemporary museums and galleries in the early 1950s. She was included in the 1964 Post-Painterly Abstraction exhibition curated by Clement Greenberg that introduced a newer generation of abstract painting that came to be known as color field. Born in Manhattan, she was influenced by Greenberg, Hans Hofmann, and Jackson Pollock’s paintings. Her work has been the subject of several retrospective exhibitions, including a 1989 retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and been exhibited worldwide since the 1950s. In 2001, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts.
Frankenthaler had a home and studio in Darien, Connecticut.[2]
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1814 – Ana Néri, Brazilian nurse and philanthropist (d. 1880)[24]
Ana Justina Ferreira Néri (December 13, 1814 – May 20, 1880) was a Brazilian nurse, considered the first in her country. She is best known for her volunteer work with the Triple Alliance during the Paraguayan War.
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FYI
Rasmuson Foundation: Two family foundations direct $2 million to Seacoast Trust
Al Cross and Heather Chapman at The Rural Blog: Tornadoes highlight importance of local journalism; report shows how much pandemic has hurt outdoor recreation industry and more ->
Pocket: The best articles of 2021 are here!
By MessyNessy, 13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. DLXXXI): Aquascaping (it’s a thing); A Very Strong Neck; If you’re ever in Springfield, TN, look up this warehouse of the Gilded Age; Central Park during relandscaping, New York (1930); British troops given LSD; After Hours at the Butcher Cafés of Paris, 1950 and more ->
Rare Historical Photos: Photographs of the old TWA flight center that was considered a shrine to minimalist design, 1962
By Sara Barnes, My Modern Met: Photographer Has Reunited With Over 350 People Whose Photos He Snapped 40 Years Ago
By Tod Perry, Upworthy: 17 of the funniest photos from the Comedy Pet Photo Awards
If You Can’t Say Anything Nice
Tragic stories and new data on the prevalence and harmfulness of bullying have made us all more sensitive to the ways our words can hurt others – merciless criticism, nasty sarcasm, hurtful nicknames, malicious rumors, and careless gossip.
In Words That Hurt, Words That Heal, Joseph Telushkin writes about the moral implications of what we say. He points out that most people choose their clothes more carefully than they choose their words, yet, “Unless you’ve been a victim of terrible physical violence, chances are the worst pains you have suffered in life have come from words.” The simple fact is that what we say about others can not only hurt feelings, it can damage reputations and affect the way the person we talk about is treated or thought of.
So much for sticks and stones will break my bones, but names will never harm me.
To prove how often we engage in gossip or negative words, Telushkin challenges his readers to go for 24 hours without saying an unkind word to or about anyone.
Ethical speech – speaking fairly, respectfully, responsibly, and carefully about others – is an easy duty to neglect. Here’s an easy test: ask yourself how the person you’re talking about would feel if he or she overheard the conversation. And would you be willing to say what you said if the object of your gossip was present?
In the end, I was left with a greater appreciation for the advice I’ve heard often but regularly ignore: “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.”
Michael Josephson, What Will Matter
www.whatwillmatter.com
NSFW
Recipes
By Betty Crocker Kitchens: Top-Rated Slow-Cooker Suppers to Feed Every Family (from 2 to 10)
By Betty Crocker Kitchens: Holiday Sugar Cookie Cups
RecipeTinEats
- Nutella Stuffed Cookies November 22, 2024Nutella Stuffed Cookies. Yes, they are as naughty and indulgent as they look. But so much easier to make than you think! No electric beater, just a wooden spoon. That moment when the melty Nutella floods in your mouth…. send help! Nutella Stuffed Cookies This is no ordinary cookie. This is a cookie that is... […]Nagi
- New Orleans Chicken Wings November 19, 2024Why settle for plain chicken wings when you can have bold, spicy, New Orleans sass?! Tossed in Creole seasoning and garlic butter then baked until golden, the smell alone will make you drool. Easy enough for dinner, excellent for parties. Get in my belly! New Orleans Chicken Wings Today’s recipe is inspired by New Orleans... […]Nagi
wikimedia
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for November 25 November 25, 2024Picture of the day Papaya fruits in a grocery store. Colatina, Espírito Santo, Brazil.
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for November 24 November 24, 2024Picture of the day The Scroll of Eighty-Seven Immortals, drawn by an unknown painter, measuring 30cm high and 292cm wide, is a line-drawing Chinese figure painting. Drawn on a long silk scroll with lines, the painting depicts 87 taoist immortals, including three supreme gods with halo, ten divine generals, seven deities and 67 celestial maidens […]
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Welcome to the Stump the Bookseller blog!
Stump the Bookseller is a service offered by Loganberry Books to reconnect people to the books they love but can’t quite remember. In brief (for more detailed information see our About page), people can post their memories here, and the hivemind goes to work. After all, the collective mind of bibliophiles, readers, parents and librarians around the world is much better than just a few of us thinking. Together with these wonderful Stumper Magicians, we have a nearly 50% success rate in finding these long lost but treasured books. The more concrete the book description, the better the success rate, of course. It is a labor of love to keep it going, and there is a modest fee. Please see the How To page to find price information and details on how to submit your Book Stumper and payment.
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