Browsing: April 2

A Brief History On April 2, 2017, the people of the United States are being bombarded by a new infinitive or transitive verb, “to surveil,” and its present and past tenses, “surveilling” and “surveilled.” As a Military Intelligence officer (Go ahead, make your jokes…) I had pointed out to me early in training that the word “surveillance” was a noun and that there was no verb, to surveil. Well, so many people misused this non-word, that not only is it now in the dictionary (Merriam-Webster), but politicians and news casters seem to have made it the most overused word in…

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A Brief History Leon Russell was born on April 2, 1942 as Claude Russell Bridges.  He is but one of a number of rock and rollers to have changed their names!  This article celebrates thirteen great performances in rock and roll history by stars who changed their names! Digging Deeper 13. Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz) 12. Freddy Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara) 11. Cher (born Cherilyn Sarkisian) 10. Leon Russell (born Claude Russell Bridges) 9. Ringo Starr (born Richard Starkey) 8. Madonna (born Madonna Louise Ciccone) 7. Conway Twitty (born Harold Lloyd Jenkins) 6. Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier)…

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A Brief History On April 2, 1992, John Gotti’s Teflon coating wore thin and numerous charges stuck, enough to convict him of murder and a host of other crimes! Digging Deeper Gotti was born in New York City growing up in the criminal underground there, eventually rising to become the boss of the Gambino crime family. Moving up the Mafia ladder, Gotti found himself in position to seize the top job by killing his boss, Paul Castellano.  More than just a power grab, Gotti had Castellano murdered partly in self defense, as he feared Castellano would have Gotti himself executed…

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A Brief History On April 2, 1917, just a few months after being reelected President of the United States on a platform of “He kept us out of war,” Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war on Germany, proving that you cannot believe a word a politician says. Digging Deeper Wilson, more or less the “peace candidate” who had initially resisted involvement in World War I, had been the President of Princeton University and the Governor of New Jersey prior to being elected President of the United States in 1912.  To this day, Wilson remains the only American president to have earned a…

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