An American rapper popularly known as Biggie Smalls and Big Poppa. He was a focal point of the East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry and became a central figure in the East Coast hip hop scene. In March 1997, at age 24, Wallace was killed by an unknown assailant in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles. Sometimes your words just hypnotize me.
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An American rapper and actor known by the stage name 2Pac. Themes of his songs include violence and hardship in inner cities, racism and other social problems. He was a focal point of the East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry and died on this day in 1996, after being shot four times in a drive-by shooting following a Mike Tyson boxing match in Las Vegas. No changes.
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An American singer-songwriter and one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Although primarily remembered as a country music artist, his songs spanned many genres, including rockabilly, rock ‘n’ roll, blues, folk and gospel. The Man in Black died on this day in 2003 at age 71. By the way, I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die.
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A fictional superhero in the Marvel Comics universe who first appeared in 1941, during World War II. Captain America is the alter ego of Steve Rogers, a frail young man who was enhanced to the peak of human perfection by an experimental serum in order to aid the U.S. war effort. He wears a costume that bears an American flag motif.
Note: A moment of silence on Patriot Day. Hard to believe that 10 years have passed since the 9/11 attacks. I love this tribute poster from Extra Credit Projects.
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The star of the Where is my Gnome? series of viral marketing ads used by Travelocity in early 2004. The ads consisted of a man looking for his garden gnome. The concept was inspired by the traveling gnome prank that began in the 1980s and was popularized by the 2001 film Amélie. The Roaming Gnome is now the de facto mascot of Travelocity.
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The garden gnome from the 2001 French film Amélie. This character/prop helped popularize the traveling gnome prank that began in the 1980s. In the film, Amélie’s father finds that the gnome from his lawn shrine has gone missing. Later, he receives unmarked photographs of the gnome visiting exotic landmarks. Je ne comprends pas!
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The main character of the Spanish animated television series, which is based on the children’s book The Secret Book of Gnomes by Dutch author Wil Huygen and illustrator Rien Poortvliet. David the Gnome first came to U.S. television in 1987 on the Nickelodeon cable channel.
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A lonely gnome sets out to learn how to avoid being cold “from the inside out” and finds a friend in a sea otter. He is the main character of the 1974 children’s book The Gnome from Nome, written by Stephen Cosgrove and illustrated by Robin James. Watch an illustrated reading of the story.
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A kindly old character of Scandinavian folklore featured in two 1960s children’s books by Astrid Lindgren. One story is called The Tomten and the other is The Tomten and the Fox, in which moonlit scenes of the farmyard under snow show Reynard the fox prowling near the henhouse. He’s hungry, but the tomten guards the henhouse at night.
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A legendary American investor, industrialist and philanthropist born on this day in 1930. He is the primary shareholder, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. With a net worth of $50 billion, he is consistently ranked among the world’s wealthiest people. Two weeks ago, he wrote the “Stop Coddling the Super-Rich” op-ed, which criticizes billionaire-friendly tax laws.
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The android protagonist of the Mega Man video game franchise from Capcom. The series is known as Rockman in Japan. The first Mega Man game was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987. The series now includes well over 50 releases, easily making it Capcom’s most prolific franchise.
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A fictional web-slinging superhero, created by Marvel Comics, who first appeared in 1962. He became Marvel’s flagship character and company mascot. The character is the alter ego of Peter Parker, an orphan being raised by his aunt and uncle. As a teenager, Parker deals with the normal struggles of adolescence in addition to those of a costumed crime fighter.
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The main villain and archenemy of He-Man in the Masters of the Universe media franchise. Depicted as a muscular blue humanoid with a purple hood over his yellowing bare-bone skull, Skeletor seeks to conquer Castle Grayskull so he can learn its ancient secrets and rule all of Eternia.
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A fictional, heroic character featured in the Masters of the Universe media franchise. He is considered the alter ego of Prince Adam and also the twin brother of She-Ra. He-Man and his friends defend Eternia and the secrets of Castle Grayskull from the evil forces of Skeletor.
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The founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire. He conquered and massacred most of Eurasia, but also promoted religious tolerance. He unified the nomadic tribes of northeast Asia. He died on this day in 1227. Through his sons and grandsons, the Mongol Empire became the largest contiguous empire in history (and included 26% of the world population).
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A Palestinian leader and a Laureate of the Nobel Peace Prize who died on this day in 2004. He was Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization, President of the Palestinian National Authority, and leader of the Fatah political party, which he founded in 1959. Arafat spent much of his life fighting against Israel in the name of Palestinian self-determination.
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A Scottish knight and landowner who became a rebel leader during the Wars of Scottish Independence. On this day in 1305, a captured William Wallace was hanged, drawn and quartered for high treason by King Edward I of England. I can’t help but think of Mel Gibson’s Braveheart speech. “They may take our lives, but they’ll never take our freedom!”
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One of my three cats. The youngest, smallest and most skittish of the group. Tanuki was rescued from the feral cat colony beneath my old apartment complex. He is part-Siamese, insane and magical. I suspect that he shapeshifts. He was adopted in November 2008 as a kitten. My ex-girlfriend adopted his lunatic brother. They both turn three years old soon. His estimated birthday is September 2, 2008.
P.S. I almost named him Rorschach due to the dark inkblot-like markings on his face. Tanuki looks remarkably like Frankie from the 2010 Animal Rescue commemorative stamps.
Update: Tanuki passed away on November 9, 2019, almost exactly four years after The King. He’s now buried in our backyard. Rest in peace, little buddy. On to shapeshifting in another realm. Eli is our last surviving cat, the only family pet we have left – gone are his father and his loyal, secretive little brother from another mother. Eli will turn 13 years old in March. (Thinking about the diversity of fur colors and patterns in the feral cat colony my cats came from, I’m reminded of the detailed Colour and Pattern Charts page at Messybeast.com.)
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One of my three cats. Before being neutered, The King was the alpha male of the feral cat colony beneath my old apartment complex and the presumed father of Eli. He was rescued in October 2008 when I moved from the apartment to a house. This broad-shouldered, 17-pound cat is loyal, tough and possibly shamanic. He wins battles with raccoons. His estimated birthday is May 17, 2005, though he could be older.
Update: The King passed away on November 4, 2015 due to complications from feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), a lifelong condition from his feral past. He had grown thinner and more feeble throughout 2015. One morning he suddenly stopped eating, and it was all over by nightfall. I’ll miss how he followed me everywhere, requesting attention with his broken meow. The King is dead, long live The King. His body will join the previous homeowner’s deceased cat Bhanti (a tiny brown tabby female) in our backyard pet cemetery. Now we are down to two cats, Eli and Tanuki.
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Bob Marley – No. 203
A Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers (1963-1981). Marley remains the most widely known and revered performer of reggae music, and is credited with helping spread both Jamaican music and the Rastafari movement to a worldwide audience.
The Bob Marley is my favorite American Dream Pizza combo. Toppings: Jamaican jerk chicken, mushrooms, black olives and red onions.