As we celebrate Alice Walker‘s birthday (1944), let’s take a look at some headlines from yesteryear for this day:

• 474 – Zeno crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
• 1775 – American Revolutionary War: The British Parliament declares Massachusetts in rebellion.
• 1913 – A group of meteors is visible across much of the eastern seaboard of North and South America, leading astronomers to conclude the source had been a small, short-lived natural satellite of the Earth.
• 1950 – Second Red Scare: Senator Joseph McCarthy accuses the United States Department of State of being filled with Communists.
• 1964 – The Beatles make their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, performing before a “record-busting” audience of 73 million viewers.

And now, let’s get right to today’s Headlines Du Jour:

FIRST, THE GOOD NEWS:

George Zimmerman’s Epic Boxing Match With DMX Has Been Canceled
The rapper will not get to stop, drop, shut Zimmerman down after all

Justice Department to
give married same-sex
couples equal protection

‘Racial slurs’ used in more
than 10,000 tweets a day

Republican Party wing creates
18 fake websites for Democrats

Tea Party Brings The Knives
Out For Mitch McConnell

The Religious Right Sells the False Choice of the State or Christianity

Alaska Could Be The Next
State To Legalize Marijuana

This Is Why So Many Reasonable People Think Anti-Marijuana Crusaders Look Ridiculous

Marijuana Legalization Plan Stalls in New Mexico

Former high school bully congratulates gay victim after seeing marriage proposal online

Some bullies never seem to learn:
The Johnny Dollar Cyber-Bully Comments of the Day

Bill O’Reilly Is On The
Wrong Side Of The
Minimum Wage Debate

O’Reilly Sucks Up
To Ted Nugent

Bill O’Reilly: “I Believe
That John Boehner Is
Secretly A Democrat”

Geraldo Rivera Calls O’Reilly ‘President
Of Most Of The White Guys In America

Rob Ford ‘talking gibberish’ during late night B.C. pub visit
Mayor reportedly disappeared into tiny staff washroom for more than an hour, emerging incoherent and fidgety before ordering rounds of drinks.

Toronto police mostly quiet on visit to Mayor Rob Ford’s office

Somali group to use Gawker funds for mentoring

NC parenting columnist’s 3-year-old son shoots 17-month-old sister
with dad’s gun

6-year-old Alabama boy
shot while Dad was trying
to unload his pistol

Red skies discovered on extreme brown dwarf

Headlines Du Jour is a leisure-time activity of Not Now Silly, home of the
Steam-Powered Word-0-Matic, and your rest stop on the Information
Highway. Use our valuable bandwidth to post your news comments in
today’s open thread.