Thought this was interesting. No Politics.

10 Curious Facts About Mark Twain

Source: The 2010 Old Farmer's Almanac

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, aka Mark Twain, provided us with endless entertainment through numerous novels, nonfiction books, short stories, and essays—all despite having ended formal schooling after the fifth grade. Here are 10 curious facts about his life.

One

Baby Clemens arrived prematurely in a two-room shack in Florida, Missouri, on November 30th, 1835. He was a frail infant and sickly child, prompting his mother to admit, "When I first saw him, I could see no promise in him."

Two

The Clemens family had 19 cats at one time during Twain's childhood. Over the years he gave his cats inventive names such as Bambino, Famine, Pestilence, Satan, Sin, Sour Mash, and Stray Kit.

Three

Sam Clemens tried out several pseudonyms, including Rambler, W. Epaminondas Adrastus Blab, and Josh, before settling on Mark Twain (the phrase used by Mississippi River steamboat crews when measuring water depth).

Four

In 1874, the author spotted one of the first typewriters, a Remington, in a Boston store window. Although it could only type capital letters and he had to operate the carriage return with a foot pedal, he bought it for $125. Twain also claimed to be the first person in New England to have had a telephone for private use.

Five

This literary giant stood 5 feet 8 1/2 inches tall and was so well known that he once received a letter addressed "Mark Twain, God Knows Where."

Six

In 1905, he spent the first of two summers in Dublin, New Hampshire (home of The Old Farmer's Almanac). There he wrote (but never finished) a book called Three Thousand Years Among the Microbes. To keep him company, he rented three kittens from a local farm. While lecturing at the Dublin Lake Club, he noticed that an audience member was knitting a pair of socks while he spoke, Infuriated, Twain declared that he had never played second fiddle to a sock and left the room. The following year, he returned to the Lake Club and spoke for over 2 hours on various topics. He received a standing ovation.

Seven

Twain made headlines in 1907 by walking from his London hotel to a public bath across the street attired in his blue bathrobe and slippers. Back in America, he often wore scarlet socks and all-white suits, which he called his "don'tcareadam suits."

Eight

Twain loved to write in bed, and reporters chatted with him there more than once. He said, "I have never taken any exercise, except for eating and resting, and I never intend to take any."

Nine 

He once observed: "When I was younger, I could remember anything, whether it happened or not; but my faculties are decaying now and soon I shall be so that I can not remember any but the things that never happened. It is sad to go to pieces like this, but we all have to do it."

Ten

He was born and died when a comet passed, once noting: "I came in with Halley's Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year [1910], and I expect to go out with it. It will be the greatest disappointment of my life if I don't." He got his wish. He died on April 21, 1910, just two days after Halley's Comet had reached its point closest to the Sun.  

I found this on a Blog Called Margret and Hellen and thought it was right on the mark. This old lady has it right. I don't like to lump all Republicans in this pile, but the "Tea Party" ones sure fit.

http://margaretandhelen.com/2013/10/24/ted-cruz-could-start-an-argument-in-an-empty-house/

 FROM HELEN:

Margaret is it just me or have the Republicans all gone bat shit crazy? First they are screaming bloody murder about Obamacare and then they complain because people are having trouble signing up for Obamacare. Do they want the thing more alive so they can enjoy killing it? Or are they just upset because Obama is still black? I suggest it’s the latter but I sure as hell know this – these days if a Republican politician’s lips are moving, he’s lying.

They close the government and then complain when government-funded national parks are closed. They whine about activist judges but then run to the Supreme Court when elections don’t go their way. They scream for freedom and then make it harder for people to vote. They complain about the liberal media but then spend all their time getting interviewed by Fox News and Rush Limbaugh. They take issue with Obama being born in Hawaii with a Kenyan for a father, but have absolutely no problems with Ted Cruz being born in Canada with a Cuban for a father. Now on that last one, I half agree. In truth, I have no issue with either birth certificate. But I never did fancy hypocrisy much. These days, the Republican platform is so crooked it could get lost behind a cork screw.

Honey, I get it. The web page for Obamacare is a piece of shit. So let’s fix it. But speaking of a piece of shit, how in the hell did Texas produce yet another political moron? I wonder if Ted Cruz knows that Texas leads the nation in uninsured Americans. Rick Perry sure as hell doesn’t. Texas also leads the nation in gun purchases… in carbon pollution… in repeat teen births… and in home schooling. OK. Maybe that last one isn’t a big deal, but something tells me the last two are connected. Anyone think it’s a coincidence that Texas also has a Republican super-majority in its State Capitol?

If Ted Cruz is so committed to killing Obamacare, why is he so upset that the website isn’t up to snuff? You’d think he’d be celebrating. But then again Ted Cruz could start an argument in an empty house. I’m sorry, but I just don’t trust that man. He looks like something the dog’s been keeping under the porch.

The problem is that Republicans are so worried that if America does well with a Democrat in the White House, Americans won’t vote for a Republican in the next election. Funny how soon they forget who got elected after Clinton left the White House. Of course, I often try to forget that too. I mean it. Really.

Taxes-Taxes and more taxes.

Here is some interesting info on the age old debate about Federal Income Tax. This was copied from http://www.fairtax.org/site/PageServer?pagename=HowFairTaxWorks
This seems like a good fix for the problem at the federal level anyway. Check it out for your self. I think we should press our Rep's to pass this. It should be very simple and to the point not full of loop holes for people to wiggle out of.

The FairTaxSM Plan

Your Money, Your Decision

The current federal income tax system is clearly broken -- unfair, overly complex, and almost impossible for most Americans to understand. But there is a reasonable, nonpartisan alternative that is both fair and easy to understand. A system that allows you to keep your whole paycheck and only pay taxes on what you spend.

The FairTax is a national sales tax that treats every person equally and allows American businesses to thrive, while generating the same tax revenue as the current four-million-word-plus word tax code. Under the FairTax, every person living in the United States pays a sales tax on purchases of new goods and services, excluding necessities due to the prebate. The FairTax rate after necessities is 23% and equal to the lowest current income tax bracket (15%) combined with employee payroll taxes (7.65%), both of which will be eliminated.

Important to note: the FairTax is the only tax plan currently being proposed that includes the removal of the payroll tax.

Here is a comparison to look at;
http://www.fairtax.org/PDF/FairTax%20flat%20tax%20income%20comparison%20chart.pdf

A few words for our wonderful Politicians in Washington DC

THINK THIS LADY IS PISSED?

Alan Simpson, the Senator from Wyoming calls senior citizens the Greediest Generation as he compared "Social Security " to a Milk Cow with 310 million teats. Here's a response in a letter from PATTY MYERS in Montana ... I think she is a little ticked off! She also tells it like it is!

"Hey Alan, let's get a few things straight!!!
1. As a career politician, you have been on the public dole (tit) for FIFTY YEARS.

2. I have been paying Social Security taxes for 48 YEARS (since I was 15 years old. I am now 63).

3. My Social Security payments, and those of millions of other Americans, were safely tucked away in an interest bearing account for decades until you political pukes decided to raid the account and give OUR money to a bunch of zero losers in return for votes, thus bankrupting the system and turning Social Security into a Ponzi scheme that would make Bernie Madoff proud.

4. Recently, just like Lucy & Charlie Brown, you and "your ilk" pulled the proverbial football away from millions of American seniors nearing retirement and moved the goalposts for full retirement from age 65 to age, 67. NOW, you and your "shill commission" are proposing to move the goalposts YET AGAIN.

5. I, and millions of other Americans, have been paying into Medicare from Day One, and now "you morons" propose to change the rules of the game. Why? Because "you idiots" mismanaged other parts of the economy to such an extent that you need to steal our money from Medicare to pay the bills.

6. I, and millions of other Americans, have been paying income taxes our entire lives, and now you propose to increase our taxes yet again. Why? Because you "incompetent bastards" spent our money so profligately that you just kept on spending even after you ran out of money. Now, you come to the American taxpayers and say you need more to pay off YOUR debt.
To add insult to injury, you label us "greedy" for calling "bullshit" to your incompetence.

Well, Captain Bullshit, I have a few questions for YOU:

1. How much money have you earned from the American taxpayers during your pathetic 50-year political career?

2. At what age did you retire from your pathetic political career, and how much are you receiving in annual retirement benefits from the American taxpayers?

3. How much do you pay for YOUR government provided health insurance?

4. What cuts in YOUR retirement and healthcare benefits are you proposing in your disgusting deficit reduction proposal, or as usual, have you exempted yourself and your political cronies?

It is you, Captain Bullshit, and your political co-conspirators called Congress who are the "greedy" ones. It is you and your fellow nutcase thieves who have bankrupted America and stolen the American dream from millions of loyal, patriotic taxpayers.

And for what? Votes and your job and retirement security at our expense, you lunk-headed, leech. That's right, sir. You and yours have bankrupted America for the sole purpose of advancing your pathetic, political careers. You know it, we know it, and you know that we know it. And you can take that to the bank, you miserable son of a bitch.

P.S. And stop calling Social Security benefits "entitlements". WHAT AN INSULT!!!!

I have been paying in to the SS system for 45 years “It's my money”-give it back to me the way the system was designed and stop patting yourself on the back like you are being generous by doling out these monthly checks . You need to do the job you were sent to do and stop the BS now.

If you agree with this Lady's sentiment, Pass it along to your elected idiot. Remember the only way to put a stop to your "Captain Bull Shit is elect someone else next November.

This is the first of many to come. (I hope)

   

      Well our wonderful House of Representatives or should I say "House of elected idiots" has performed as expected. It is beyond my understanding why the ruckus 44 rep of the tea-party Ilk can't understand that it's over, The Affordable Care Act is the law of the land and they do not have the numbers to change that fact. If you don't like it then garner enough votes to change it. Holding everything else hostage to the whims of a few is not the way to get things done. Those few were sent to "Washington" to perform a job and if they can't determine which fights / causes are winable then they need to be replaced. They say that the American People don't want "Obama Care", well if that were true then the last election would have turned out very differently.
     To those folks that elected those 44 rep's I can only say, are you proud of the way they have performed their duties? If you are then I hope that you will enjoy the angst that your selfish views have caused. I would only wish that you and/or yours are among the multitude of folks that are not getting paid because your narrow thinking has contributed to this fiasco.
     To the rest of us, my advice is this. We had better pay more attention to the candidates that we choose to go to washington. The only way they get there is by our actions in the voting booth. It behoves us all to think long and hard about who we vote for.We must require our elected officials to be Statesmen and Stateswoman first. After that is satisfied, then they can bow to whatever big money contributed to their campaign.
     I suspect that the "Christian Right" has had a hand in the election of some of these people. If that is true, then the "Christian Right" has proved again that they are neither. What really gets my goat is the fact that these so-called christian congregations can not seem to think for them selves. They listen to some power hungry wind-bag tell them that god will smite them if they don't vote for some less than honest politician who will immediately, upon election, forget how he got the job and proceed to embark upon the filling of his own pocket at the expense of the job he was ELECTED to do.

Just saying.