Happy Sunday to everyone....
Just a couple of reminders:
The July election ends on July 31st so if you haven't voted yet please do
so....we have an awesome representation from North Carolina!
If you plan on being away for an extended period of time, Denise, our List
Mom can unsubscribe you or put you on digest mode so your e-mails don't
bounce.
I'm still receiving bios - thank you to all of you. If you want to
contribute, please e-mail me at: kmorgan7(a)nc.rr.com. Also, I know we have a
lot of talented and knowledgeable NCGW volunteers - if you would like for me
to put you on a list to assist newcomers or those that need extra assistance
you can e-mail me and let me know.
As always, thank you to all of you for your hard work - your dedication will
not last just a day, month or year but a lifetime!
Have a wonderful week and please remember to vote. I'm on the Elections
Committee so if you have any questions that I might be able to answer or
forward to Ellen, I would be happy to do so.
Take care,
Kimberly
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
1996 Bombing at Centennial Olympic Park
In Atlanta, Georgia, the XXVI Summer Olympiad is disrupted by the explosion
of a nail-laden pipe bomb in Centennial Olympic Park. The bombing, which
occurred during a free concert, killed a mother who had brought her daughter
to hear the rock music and injured more than 100 others, including a Turkish
cameraman who suffered a fatal heart attack after the blast. Police were
warned of the bombing in advance, but the bomb exploded before the anonymous
caller said it would, leading authorities to suspect that the law
enforcement officers who descended on the park were indirectly targeted.
Within a few days, Richard Jewell, a security guard at the concert, was
charged with the crime. However, evidence against him was dubious at best,
and in October he was fully cleared of all responsibility in the bombing.
On January 16, 1997, another bomb exploded outside an abortion clinic in
suburban Atlanta, blowing a hole in the building's wall. An hour later,
while police and ambulance workers were still at the scene, a second blast
went off near a large trash bin, injuring seven people. As at Centennial
Park, a nail-laden bomb was used and authorities were targeted. Then, only
five days later, also in Atlanta, a nail-laden bomb exploded near the patio
area of a crowded gay and lesbian nightclub, injuring five people. A second
bomb in a backpack was found outside after the first explosion, but police
safely detonated it. Federal investigators linked the bombings, but no
suspect was arrested.
On January 29, 1998, an abortion clinic was bombed in Birmingham, Alabama,
killing an off-duty police officer and critically wounding a nurse. An
automobile reported at the crime scene was later found abandoned near the
Georgia state line, and investigators traced it to Eric Robert Rudolph, a
31-year-old carpenter. Although Rudolph was not found, authorities
positively identified him as the culprit in the Birmingham and Atlanta
bombings, and an extensive manhunt began.
Believed to be hiding in the rugged, mountainous wilderness in western North
Carolina where he grew up, FBI and state and local agents have yet to
capture Rudolph, who is an experienced woodsman. The FBI has posted a reward
of up to $1 million for information leading to his arrest
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1921 Insulin isolated in Toronto
At the University of Toronto, Canadian scientists Frederick Banting and
Charles Best successfully isolate insulin--a hormone they believe could
prevent diabetes--for the first time. Within a year, the first human
sufferers of diabetes were receiving insulin treatments, and countless lives
were saved from what was previously regarded as a fatal disease.
Diabetes has been recognized as a distinct medical condition for more than
3,000 years, but its exact cause was a mystery until the 20th century. By
the early 1920s, many researchers strongly suspected that diabetes was
caused by a malfunction in the digestive system related to the pancreas
gland, a small organ that sits on top of the liver. At that time, the only
way to treat the fatal disease was through a diet low in carbohydrates and
sugar and high in fat and protein. Instead of dying shortly after diagnosis,
this diet allowed diabetics to live--for about a year.
A breakthrough came at the University of Toronto in the summer of 1921, when
Canadians Frederick Banting and Charles Best successfully isolated insulin
from canine test subjects, produced diabetic symptoms in the animals, and
then began a program of insulin injections that returned the dogs to
normalcy. On November 14, the discovery was announced to the world.
Two months later, with the support of J.J.R. MacLeod of the University of
Toronto, the two scientists began preparations for an insulin treatment of a
human subject. Enlisting the aid of biochemist J.B. Collip, they were able
to extract a reasonably pure formula of insulin from the pancreases of
cattle from slaughterhouses. On January 23, 1921, they began treating
14-year-old Leonard Thompson with insulin injections. The diabetic teenager
improved dramatically, and the University of Toronto immediately gave
pharmaceutical companies license to produce insulin, free of royalties. By
1923, insulin had become widely available, and Banting and Macleod were
awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine.
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1980 Ousted shah of Iran dies in exile
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the former shah of Iran, dies of cancer while in
exile in Egypt.
Mohammad Reza was enthroned as shah of Iran in 1941, after his father was
forced to abdicate by British and Soviet troops. The new shah promised to
act as a constitutional monarch but often meddled in the elected
government's affairs. After a communist plot against him was thwarted in
1949, he took on even more powers. However, in the early 1950s, the shah was
eclipsed by Mohammad Mosaddeq, a zealous Iranian nationalist who convinced
the Parliament to nationalize Britain's extensive oil interests in Iran.
Mohammad Reza, who maintained close relations with Britain and the United
States, opposed the decision. Nevertheless, he was forced in 1951 to appoint
Mosaddeq premier, and two years of tension followed.
In August 1953, Mohammad Reza attempted to dismiss Mosaddeq, but the
premier's popular support was so great that the shah himself was forced out
of Iran. A few days later, British and U.S. intelligence agents orchestrated
a stunning coup d'etat against Mosaddeq, and the shah returned to take power
as the sole leader of Iran. He repealed Mosaddeq's legislation and became a
close Cold War ally of the United States in the Middle East.
In 1963, the shah launched his "White Revolution," a broad government
program that included land reform, infrastructure development, voting rights
for women, and the reduction of illiteracy. Although these programs were
applauded by many in Iran, Islamic leaders were critical of what they saw as
the westernization of Iran. Ruhollah Khomeini, a Shiite cleric, was
particularly vocal in his criticism and called for the overthrow of the shah
and the establishment of an Islamic state. In 1964, Khomeini was exiled and
settled across the border in Iraq, where he sent radio messages to incite
his supporters.
The shah saw himself foremost as a Persian king and in 1971 held an
extravagant celebration of the 2,500th anniversary of the pre-Islamic
Persian monarchy. In 1976, he formally replaced the Islamic calendar with a
Persian calendar. Religious discontent grew, and the shah became more
repressive, using his brutal secret police force to suppress opposition.
This alienated students and intellectuals in Iran, and support for the
exiled Khomeini increased. Discontent was also rampant in the poor and
middle classes, who felt that the economic developments of the White
Revolution had only benefited the ruling elite. In 1978, anti-shah
demonstrations broke out in Iran's major cities.
On September 8, 1978, the shah's security force fired on a large group of
demonstrators, killing hundreds and wounding thousands. Two months later,
thousands took to the streets of Tehran, rioting and destroying symbols of
westernization, such as banks and liquor stores. Khomeini called for the
shah's immediate overthrow, and on December 11 a group of soldiers mutinied
and attacked the shah's security officers. His regime collapsed, and on
January 16, 1979, he fled the country. Fourteen days later, the Ayatollah
Khomeini returned after 15 years of exile and took control of Iran.
The shah traveled to several countries before entering the United States in
October 1979 for medical treatment of his cancer. In Tehran, Islamic
militants responded on November 4 by storming the U.S. embassy and taking
the staff hostage. With the approval of Khomeini, the militants demanded the
return of the shah to Iran to stand trial for his crimes. The United States
refused to negotiate, and 52 American hostages were held for 444 days.
Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi died in Egypt in July 1980.