Maryannaville™

Actor Peter Graves, brother to James Arness of the TV series, Gunsmoke, was best known for part in the TV series “Mission: Impossible.”  He was found Sunday at his home just hours after he had brunch with his family in the Pacific Palasades  according to a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Police Department. He was 83.

There is no sign of foul play in the actor’s death, officer Karen Rayner said. He died 4 days before his 84th birthday. He is survived by his wife, Joan Endress, his three daughters, Kelly, Claudia and Amanda and six grandchildren.

Graves starred as  Jim Phelps for all but one of the seven years of the ever popular TV series, “Mission: Impossible”  from 1967-1973 although he had appeared in more than 70 films, TV series and TV movies throughout his acting career.

Mr Graves was a major part of my life and am saddened for his wife and family’s loss. He was an admirable man to many.

Peter Graves (Photo by Genaro Molina/ Los Angeles Times) – Chicago Tribune : World online news

I just signed an urgent petition calling on nations to protect elephants from poachers. There’s a risk they will weaken the global ban on the lethal ivory trade — it’s being discussed at a UN convention next week!

The petition will be delivered directly to the convention, so I thought you might be interested in standing up for the elephants too — just click here:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/protect_the_elephants/98.php?CLICK_TF_TRACK

Thanks!

(Read more below)

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Dear friends,

Within days, 2 African governments will try to pry open the worldwide ban on ivory trading — a decision that could wipe out whole elephant populations and bring these magnificent animals closer to extinction.

Tanzania and Zambia are lobbying the UN for special exemptions from the ban, but this would send a clear signal to the ivory crime syndicates that international protection is weakening and it’s open-season on elephants. Another group of African states have countered by calling to extend the trade ban for 20 years.

Our best chance to save the continent’s remaining elephants is to support African conservationists. We only have days left and the UN Endangered Species body only meets every 3 years. Click below to sign our urgent petition to protect elephants, and forward this email widely so we can deliver hundreds of thousands of signatures to the UN meeting in Doha:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/protect_the_elephants/98.php?CLICK_TF_TRACK

Over 20 years ago, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) passed a worldwide ban on ivory trading. Poaching fell, and ivory prices slumped. But poor enforcement coupled with ‘experimental one-off sales’, like the one Tanzania and Zambia are seeking, drove poaching up and turned illegal trade into a lucrative business — poachers can launder their illegal ivory with the legal stockpiles.

Now, despite the worldwide ban, each year over 30,000 elephants are gunned down and their tusks hacked off by poachers with axes and chainsaws. If Tanzania and Zambia are successful in exploiting the loophole, this awful trade could get much worse.

We have a one off chance this week to extend the worldwide ban and repress poaching and trade prices before we lose even more elephant populations — sign the petition now and forward this message to everyone:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/protect_the_elephants/98.php?CLICK_TF_TRACK

Across the world’s cultures and throughout our history elephants have been revered in religions and have captured our imagination — Babar, Dumbo, Ganesh, Airavata, Erawan. But today these beautiful and highly intelligent creatures are being annihilated.

As long as there is demand for ivory, elephants are at risk from poaching and smuggling — but this week we have a chance to protect them and crush the ivory criminals’ profits — sign the petition now:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/protect_the_elephants/98.php?CLICK_TF_TRACK

With hope,

Paul, Alice, Iain, Raluca, Graziela, Ricken, Luis, Paula Benjamin, David, Ben and the rest of the Avaaz team

More information:

Partners at Bloody Ivory and Born Free:

http://www.bloodyivory.org/

http://www.bornfree.org.uk/

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species: http://www.cites.org

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In defense of Canadian seals, they will be clubbed to death by greedy hunters this season if we don’t speak up about it now.  Please take action with us tomorrow on March 15th. It is the Day of Action for Canadian Seals. Europe has rules which forbids the use of any animal parts. Europe cannot trade animal skins nor use wild animals for food. Only a thoughtless and greedy country allows its citizens to monetize animal cruelty.  Help us defend these helpless mammals.

As sociologist Carol Cassell notes in her book, “Swept Away,” female sexuality is generally considered more acceptable when women are seduced, romanced or misled, because they can’t be blamed for what they can’t control. If women are swept away, they can have sexual pleasure without having to confront their own desires or self-image… “Romance” is the social institution that enables both genders to create a socially-approved sexual experience. It’s the ritual pageant through which we pretend that sex exists outside the bounds of normal life. Everyone says that relationships should be “honest,” but there is little honesty in romance.
*EmpowHer: Dr. Marty Klein

Today is National Pi Day, however, if you are scheduled to work today, you better show up for your shift. It’s not one of those stay home from work type of National holidays. This year brings us to 22 years of celebrating Pi; moreover,   Pi Minute is sometimes also celebrated; this occurs on March 14 at 1:59 p.m. If π is truncated to seven decimal places, it becomes 3.1415926; making March 14 at 1:59:26 p.m., Pi Second (or sometimes March 14, 1592 at 6:53:58 a.m.)

Enjoy a million digits of Pi today!

Also, Albert Einstein (March 14, 1879– April 18, 1955) was born on this very same date.

One day one boob announced that the other boob had problems.

Do you dare guess which one has the problems?

*Hint- It’s the special boob.

For the first time, scientists have been able to watch neurons within the brain of a living animal change in response to experience. Thanks to a new imaging system, researchers at MIT’s Picower Institute for Learning and Memory have gotten an unprecedented look into how genes shape the brain in response to the environment. Their work is reported in the July 28 issue of Cell.
Watch a Live Brain In Action

Originally posted 2006-07-31 10:35:00. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

W h e n
g e n u i n e
p a s s i o n
m o v e s
y o u ,

s a y
w h a t
y o u ’ v e
g o t
t o
s a y

a n d
s a y
i t
h o t .

992 surfers that bad behavior caught in just one week’s time. Wow!
I’m impressed. 5 more were nailed as I typed out this information.

Has anyone heard anything more about Daylight Savings Time going to be the constant around the world?  President Bush allegedly signed it into law effective 2010 however, at the time, the major airlines became upset at the time because it was too short of time for them to change their flight schedules. I’ve not read anything more about it.