INSPIRATION OF THE DAY

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Monday, July 20, 2009
National Get Out of the Doghouse Day 

Oh Oh. Screwed up again? Have you been banished to the doghouse? Well today’s the day to ask for forgiveness and try to work on getting yourself back in the ”house.” Good luck!

 National Get Out of the Doghouse Day 

Holidays Around the World

Botswana  Botswana President's Day
Brunei  Brunei Isra Mikraj (The Prophet's Ascension)
Colombia Colombia Independence Day
Comoros Comoros Leilat al-Meiraj (The Prophet's Ascension)
Cook Islands Cook Islands Atiu Gospel Day [Regional]
Indonesia Indonesia The Prophet's Ascension (Isra' Miraj Nabi)
Iran Iran The Prophet's Ascension (Mabaath)
Japan Japan Marine Day
Malaysia Malaysia Israk and Mikraj (KDH NSN PLS) [Regional]
State Public Holiday (TRG) [Regional]
France Mayotte Miradji (The Prophet's Ascension) [Muslim]
Nicaragua Nicaragua Revolution Day Holiday (day in lieu)
Oman Oman Al Israa Wal Miraj (The Prophet's Ascension)
Philippines Philippines The Prophet's Ascension (Lailatul Isra Wal Mi'raj) [Regional]
Puerto Rico Puerto Rico Luis Muñoz Rivera Day [Government]
Sudan Sudan The Prophet's Ascension (Israa Wal Mi’Raaj)
Palestine West Bank and Gaza The Prophet's Ascension

Today's Birthdays

Born Age Name Profession
1922 87 Alan Stephenson Boyd American politician 
1924 85 Thomas Berger American novelist 
1924 85 Mort Garson Canadian composer 
1925 84 Jacques Delors French President of the European Commission 
1926 83 Lola Albright American actress 
1927 82 Michael Gielen Austrian conductor and composer 
1929 80 Mike Ilitch American businessman and sports executive 
1930 79 Sally Ann Howes English-born singer and actress 
1931 78 Tony Marsh English racing driver 
1932 77 Otto Schily German politician 
1933 76 Cormac McCarthy American author 
1933 76 Rex Williams English snooker player 
1934 75 Uwe Johnson German writer 
1934 75 Doug Padgett English cricketer 
1936 73 Barbara Mikulski American politician 
1938 71 Roger Hunt English footballer 
1938 71 Dame Diana Rigg English actress 
1939 70 Judy Chicago American artist 
1940 69 Tony Oliva Cuban baseball player 
1942 67 Ron Bowden Australian politician 
1942 67 Pete Hamilton American race car driver 
1942 67 T. G. Sheppard American country music singer 
1943 66 Chris Amon New Zealand racing driver 
1944 65 Olivier de Kersauson French sailor 
1945 64 Kim Carnes American singer and songwriter 
1945 64 Larry Craig American politician 
1945 64 John Lodge English musician (The Moody Blues) 
1946 63 Randal Kleiser American film director 
1947 62 Gerd Binnig German-born physicist, Nobel laureate 
1947 62 Carlos Santana Mexican-born American guitarist 
1948 61 Muse Watson American actor 
1950 59 Tantoo Cardinal Canadian actress 
1950 59 Naseeruddin Shah Indian actor 
1951 58 Jeff Rawle English actor 
1952 57 Keiko Matsuzaka Japanese actress 
1953 56 Dave Evans Australian singer (AC/DC) 
1953 56 Thomas Friedman American journalist 
1953 56 Marcia Hines American-born Australian singer 
1953 56 Dan Shaughnessy American sports writer 
1954 55 Moira Harris American actress 
1955 54 Jem Finer English musician and composer (The Pogues) 
1955 54 Dan Monahan American actor
1956 53 Paul Cook English musician (The Sex Pistols) 
1956 53 Jim Prentice Canadian politician 
1957 52 Donna Dixon American actress 
1958 51 Mick MacNeil Scottish musician (Simple Minds) 
1960 49 Claudio Langes Italian racing driver 
1962 47 Carlos Alazraqui American actor and comedian 
1962 47 Giovanna Amati Italian racing driver 
1962 47 Lee Harris English drummer (Talk Talk, .O.rang) 
1963 46 Frank Whaley American actor 
1963 46 Adoni Maropis American actor
1964 45 Chris Cornell American musician (Soundgarden, Audioslave) 
1964 45 Terri Irwin American naturalist; widow of Steve Irwin 
1964 45 Kool G Rap American musician 
1964 45 Bernd Schneider German racing driver 
1964 45 Dean Winters American actor 
1966 43 Stone Gossard American musician (Pearl Jam, Mother Love Bone, Brad) 
1966 43 Enrique Peña Nieto Governor of the State of Mexico (2005-present) 
1967 42 Reed Diamond American actor 
1967 42 Courtney Taylor-Taylor American musician (The Dandy Warhols) 
1968 41 Jimmy Carson American ice hockey player 
1968 41 Michael Park American actor 
1968 41 Julian Rhind-Tutt English actor 
1969 40 Josh Holloway American actor 
1969 40 Giovanni Lombardi Italian cyclist 
1969 40 Tobi Vail American musician (Bikini Kill, The Go Team, The Frumpies) 
1969 40 Vitamin C American singer 
1970 39 Agot Isidro Filipina actress 
1971 38 Ed Giddins English cricketer 
1971 38 Charles Johnson American baseball player 
1971 38 Sandra Oh Korean Canadian actress 
1972 37 Jozef Stümpel Slovak ice hockey player 
1972 37 Erik Ullenhag Swedish jurist and politician 
1973 36 Peter Forsberg Swedish ice hockey player 
1973 36 Nixon McLean West Indian cricketer 
1973 36 Omar Epps American actor 
1973 36 Haakon Magnus Crown Prince of Norway 
1973 36 Claudio Reyna American soccer player 
1973 36 Mads Rieper Danish footballer 
1974 35 Bengie Molina Puerto Rican baseball player 
1974 35 Simon Rex American actor 
1975 34 Ray Allen American basketball player 
1975 34 Judy Greer American actress 
1975 34 Erik Hagen Norwegian footballer 
1975 34 Birgitta Ohlsson Swedish politician 
1975 34 Atiq-uz-Zaman Pakistani cricketer 
1975 34 El Zorro Mexican professional wrestler 
1976 33 Erica Hill American news anchor 
1976 33 Debashish Mohanty Indian cricketer 
1976 33 Andrew Stockdale Australian musician (Wolfmother) 
1976 33 Alex Yoong Malaysian racing driver 
1976 33 Tamás Kásás  Hungarian water polo player
1977 32 Kiki Musampa Congolese footballer 
1977 32 Alessandro dos Santos naturalized Japanese footballer 
1977 32 Brant Bailey American basketball player 
1978 31 Pavel Datsyuk Russian ice hockey player 
1978 31 Charlie Korsmo American actor 
1978 31 Tamsyn Lewis Australian athlete 
1978 31 Will Solomon American basketball player 
1978 31 Elliott Yamin American Idol contestant 
1979 30 Claudine Barretto Filipino actress 
1979 30 David Ortega Spanish freestyle and backstroke swimmer 
1980 29 Gisele Bündchen Brazilian model 
1980 29 Mike Kennerty American guitarist (The All-American Rejects) 
1980 29 Dado Dolabella Brazilian actor
1981 28 Damien Delaney Irish footballer 
1981 28 Thorsten Engelmann German rower 
1982 27 Percy Daggs III American actor 
1982 27 Antoine Vermette Canadian ice hockey player
1984 25 Alexi Casilla Dominican baseball player 
1984 25 Troy Smith American football player 
1985 24 John Francis Daley American actor 
1985 24 David Mundy Australian Rules footballer 
1988 21 Julianne Hough American ballroom dancer 
1988 21 Stephen Strasburg American baseball player 
1989 20 Witwisit Hirunwongkul Thai actor 
1991 18 William Tomlin British actor 
1999 10 Princess Alexandra of Hanover daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco 

Larry Craig 

Larry Craig
Carlos Santana 
Carlos Santana
Jeff Rawle 
Jeff Rawle
Dan Monahan
Dan Monahan
Adoni Maropis 
Adoni Maropis
Chris Cornell 
Chris Cornell
Chris Cornell
Dean Winters
Dean Winters
Reed Diamond
Reed Diamond
Josh Holloway 
Josh Holloway
Omar Epps
Omar Epps
Haakon Magnus 
Haakon Magnus
Simon Rex
Simon Rex
El Zorro 
El Zorro
Alex Yoong
Alex Yoong
Tamás Kásás
Tamás Kásás
Brant Bailey 
Brant Bailey
Charlie Korsmo 
Charlie Korsmo
Dado Dolabella 
Dado Dolabella
Thorsten Engelmann 
Thorsten Engelmann
Antoine Vermette 
Antoine Vermette
John Francis Daley 
John Francis Daley
Julianne Hough 
Julianne Hough
Stephen Strasburg
Stephen Strasburg

Television Ratings

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
TW LW Title Studio Wkend Gross % Chg Theaters Chg Average Total Gross Budget Wk #
1 N Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince WB $79,475,000 - 4,325 - $18,376 $159,662,000 - 1
2 2 Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs Fox $17,700,000 -35.90% 3,817 -285 $4,637 $152,005,000 $90 3
3 3 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen P/DW $13,750,000 -43.20% 3,857 -436 $3,565 $363,867,000 $200 4
4 1 Bruno Uni. $8,374,000 -72.70% 2,759 3 $3,035 $49,588,000 - 2
5 6 The Hangover WB $8,315,000 -16.30% 2,667 -335 $3,118 $235,882,000 $35 7
6 5 The Proposal BV $8,294,000 -21.80% 3,043 -115 $2,726 $128,087,000 $40 5
7 4 Public Enemies Uni. $7,592,000 -45.00% 3,118 -218 $2,435 $79,483,000 $100 3
8 8 Up BV $3,147,000 -33.30% 1,706 -495 $1,845 $279,559,000 $175 8
9 9 My Sister's Keeper WB $2,825,000 -34.20% 1,967 -477 $1,436 $41,504,000 $30 4
10 7 I Love You Beth Cooper Fox $2,665,000 -45.80% 1,872 14 $1,424 $10,261,000 $18 2
11 10 The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 Sony $885,000 -42.70% 610 -506 $1,451 $62,896,000 $100 6
12 N 500 Days of Summer FoxS $838,000 - 27 - $31,037 $838,000 - 1
13 17 The Hurt Locker Sum. $764,000 19.20% 94 34 $8,128 $2,172,000 - 4
14 11 Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian Fox $760,000 -47.70% 515 -339 $1,476 $171,821,000 $150 9
15 12 Star Trek Par. $677,000 -41.90% 505 -258 $1,341 $253,151,000 $150 11
16 16 Moon SPC $538,000 -20.30% 252 5 $2,135 $2,666,000 - 6
17 15 Whatever Works SPC $517,000 -23.80% 228 -92 $2,268 $3,937,000 - 5
18 14 Away We Go Focus $498,000 -31.70% 299 -107 $1,666 $8,285,000 $17 7
19 19 Cheri Mira. $294,000 -14.50% 191 18 $1,539 $2,025,000 - 4
20 18 Land of the Lost Uni. $223,000 -36.70% 269 -44 $829 $48,591,000 $100 7
- 22 X-Men Origins: Wolverine Fox $190,000 -35.80% 226 -53 $841 $179,191,000 $150 12
- 25 Monsters Vs. Aliens P/DW $183,000 -26.90% 230 -31 $796 $197,481,000 $175 17
- 27 Drag Me to Hell Uni. $138,000 -37.40% 194 -47 $711 $41,691,000 $30 8
- 29 Imagine That Par. $108,000 -37.10% 144 -65 $750 $15,300,000 $55 6
- 30 Dance Flick Par. $84,000 -40.10% 113 -52 $743 $25,615,000 $25 9
- 40 The Stoning of Soraya M. RAtt. $77,900 49.30% 34 9 $2,291 $440,000 - 4
- 38 Easy Virtue SPC $62,700 6.90% 48 - $1,306 $2,489,000 - 9
- 41 The Brothers Bloom Sum. $47,000 3.80% 68 -22 $691 $3,439,000 - 10
- 49 Tetro AZoe. $31,500 46.50% 16 6 $1,969 $306,000 - 6
- 46 Soul Power SPC $21,000 -12.10% 9 3 $2,333 $57,000 - 2
- 44 Every Little Step SPC $18,700 -30.70% 35 2 $534 $1,559,000 - 14
- N Death in Love Scre. $16,000 - 4 - $4,000 $16,000 - 1
- 98 War Eagle, Arkansas EmpF $13,900 3548.30% 2 1 $6,950 $60,300 - 6

Today ...

US Open of Surfing
July 18-26, 2009
Huntington Beach, California

What’s the closest thing to watching the world’s best surfers compete in a full-on stadium atmosphere? Look no further than Huntington Beach in July, when up to 500,000 people will find their way to the real Surf City, post up in the sand and cheer on their heroes at the Pier. It’s been that way for 50 years now, starting with the US Championships in 1959 and evolving to today: the Hurley US Open of Surfing®.

As the new title sponsor of this storied event, Hurley and its partners intend to make it a life-changing experience from dawn to dusk: Late-afternoon concerts. Hurley’s Walk the Walk fashion competition. Elite-level BMX courtesy of Nike 6.0. The best skateboarders courtesy of Converse and Red Bull. And a swarm of activity, demonstrations and booths surrounding our “50 Years at the Pier” celebration.

Of course, center stage will be reserved for the ocean, where both men and women will be competing for points, prize money and HB glory in the title event, the Hurley US Open of Surfing®. As a six-star ASP qualifier at the mid-way point in the season, the winner here often goes on to the coveted Dream Tour. Case in point: last year’s US Open Men’s Champ Nathaniel Curran, who ended up winning the 2008 World Qualifying Series and is now a rookie in the elite Top 45. Along with the six-star, Nike 6.0 will be holding an ASP Pro Junior event — another important challenge on the path to become the 20-and-under world junior champion. Rounding out the center stage will be a celebration of the world’s top longboarders in a soon-to-be announced format that will certainly have the crowd cheering for more.

In addition to all of this, the Hurley US Open, in conjunction with the World Professional Surfers athlete union, will be introducing the first-ever WPS All Stars event. This will include participation from 10 of the world’s best surfers voted on by you – the fans. They will surf in the event, sign autographs and blow us away in a special-format expression session that must be seen to be believed.

This isn’t just the closest thing to a stadium; it is a stadium. The only place to witness a gathering of the world’s most talented action sports stars all in one stretch of sand. As local favorite Brett Simpson says, “Competing in the US Open is one event I look forward to all year — there’s no other event like it, really. The crowds, the activity, the excitement…it’s like you have no choice but to perform at your very best.”

US Open of Surfing 

On This Day...

in 1969 ... Astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon.

NYT Moon Landing 

Video

Fame!

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Astronomy Picture of the Day
Apollo 11: Onto a New World 

Credit: Apollo 11, NASA      
click above image for a higher-resolution graphic

A human first set foot on another world on July 20, 1969. This world was Earth's own Moon. In honor of today's 40th anniversary, NASA has released a digitally restored video of this milestone in human history. Pictured above is Neil Armstrong preparing to take the historic first step. On the way down the Lunar Module ladder, Armstrong released equipment which included the television camera that recorded this fuzzy image. Pictures and voice transmissions were broadcast live to a world wide audience estimated at one fifth of the world's population. The Apollo Moon landings have since been described as the greatest technological achievement the world has known.

Photo Of The Day

Photo of the Day
Letting it (almost) hang out    

Fans hold Swiss flags on July 19, 2009 during the 207,5 km and fifteenth stage of the 2009 Tour de France cycling race run between Pontarlier and Verbier (Switzerland). 2007 Tour de France winner and Kazakh cycling team Astana (AST)'s leader Alberto Contador of Spain won ahead of Danish cycling team Team Saxo Bank (SAX)'s leader Andy Schleck of Luxemburg and Italian cycling team Liquigas (LIQ)'s Vincenzo Nibali of Italy.  (LIONEL BONAVENTURE, AFP/GETTY IMAGES / July 19, 2009)

Daily Inspirations

I'll be right here ... in the doghouse
Daily Inspiration 
 
National Get Out of the Doghouse Day
Daily Inspiration 
 

Random Thoughts

Random Thoughts

 

Random Thoughts
Random Thoughts

Fin

Today's Mostly Useless Fact
Women manage the money and pay the bills in 75% of all Americans households.