Judge Sonia Sotomayor's Roman Catholic upbringing--including her graduating from a competitive Catholic high school--might have shaped her views, especially when she could be the sixth member of the now very Catholic U.S. Supreme Court (in a country where just a quarter of the population professes to be Catholic). For thoughts on this--from someone who is both a cheerleader of President Obama and the Catholic faith--we spoke with Douglas Kmiec, a Pepperdine University law professor. Click on following: Doug Kmiec on a Court Packed with Catholics WSJ Law Blog May 27, 2009

Toys “R” Us Inc., the largest U.S. toy-store chain, acquired FAO Schwarz to take over the retailer’s flagship Fifth Avenue store in New York and increase its market share. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aijAoDFBRLQE&refer=home

Flags of the American Revolution
http://www.foundingfathers.info/American-flag/Revolution.html

By 1775, a snake symbol was printed in newspapers and appearing all over the colonies ... on uniform buttons ... on paper money ... and of course, on banners and flags. The snake symbol morphed quite a bit during its rapid, widespread adoption. It wasn't cut up into pieces anymore. And it was usually shown as an American timber rattlesnake, not a generic serpent. We don't know for certain where, when, or by whom the familiar coiled rattlesnake was first used with the warning "Don't Tread on Me."
http://www.foundingfathers.info/stories/gadsden.html

Flags of the fifty states Click on particular state flag for its history at:
http://www.netstate.com/state_flags.htm

Hannah’s Socks—warm feet, warm hearts--is a non-profit serving shelters in Ohio.
On a chilly Thanksgiving Day in 2004, 4-year-old Hannah Turner was helping serve dinner to the needy at Toledo’s Cherry Street Mission. In the middle of the hustle and bustle of doing her part to fill plates, she tugged on her mother Doris’ sweater. “Mommy, won’t his feet be cold?” Hannah had focused on a man in line wearing shoes that had split open to reveal he had no socks on, and her small face reflected concern.
“Mommy, he can have my socks,” she said. That next day, Doris took Hannah to purchase and distribute socks to local shelters. They were able to collect and donate over 100 pairs around Toledo. http://www.hannahssocks.org/hannahs-story
Last night, I had the privilege of meeting Doris and Vic Turner, Hannah’s parents, and heard the story first-hand.

Cheerfulness is not the same as happiness. Peacefulness is not the same as happiness. You have to choose happiness.
paraphrased from quotes in “…And Ladies of the Club” and “Forever Odd.”

Quote: I’m a great believer in low self esteem . . . if you have low self esteem and you always assume you’re the dumbest person in the room, you’ll work harder. Jay Leno
http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/television/general/view.bg?articleid=1174620

He wrote his thesis at Harvard on Flannery O’Connor and William Faulkner and in 1983 and ’84 he was elected president of The Harvard Lampoon for a rare two consecutive terms. After graduation in 1985, he moved to Los Angeles where he was a writer. While he was writing for television, he began performing with the Groundlings, a comedy troupe in Los Angeles that jump-started the careers of, among others, Pee-wee Herman and Will Ferrell. In 1988, he moved East to write for “Saturday Night Live,” and in 1991, he moved West again to work on “The Simpsons.” Who is he? Conan O’Brien. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/magazine/24Conan-t.html?ref=television

May 28 is the birthday of Irish novelist Maeve Binchy, (books by this author) born in Dalkey, Ireland (1940). She's the author of 15 novels, nearly all of which have been best sellers. In 2000, Brits ranked Binchy as their sixth-favorite writer of all time, putting her ahead of Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and William Shakespeare. When an interviewer told her about this, Binchy replied: "A lot of my sales are at airports. You are not likely to buy King Lear for a pleasant read on a 2 1/2-hour journey." The Writer’s Almanac