The novelty fades

The novelty fades

I, Barack Hussein Obama, do swear, solemnly: President Barack Obama’s second inauguration Jan. 21 is expected to be a shadow of the historic 2009 event, when nearly 2 million people watched him take the oath of office. Officials predict that only about 600,000 to 800,000 people will witness this year’s swearing-in on the steps of the Capitol.

In fact, the run-up to inauguration is so casual this time around that Chief Justice John Roberts hasn’t bothered memorizing the oath of office.

Don’t know much about history: On this day in 1894, Thomas Edison filmed a man taking a pinch of snuff and sneezing, one of the first motion pictures ever made.

The movie, “Fred Ott’s Sneeze,” was rated PG-13 for “frequent and pervasive tobacco use.”

Drop the gloves already: The NHL and the players’ union reached agreement Sunday on a tentative pact to end a 113-day lockout and save what’s left of the pro hockey season.

NHL players are so rusty after four months of inaction that some are even forgetting to keep their guard hand up when their opponent comes after them with a left hook.

— Mark Carlson, Herald staff

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FILE — In this Sept. 17, 2020 file photo, provided by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Chelbee Rosenkrance, of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, holds a male sockeye salmon at the Eagle Fish Hatchery in Eagle, Idaho. Wildlife officials said Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021, that an emergency trap-and-truck operation of Idaho-bound endangered sockeye salmon, due to high water temperatures in the Snake and Salomon rivers, netted enough fish at the Granite Dam in eastern Washington, last month, to sustain an elaborate hatchery program. (Travis Brown/Idaho Department of Fish and Game via AP, File)
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Patricia Gambis, right, talks with her 4-year-old twin children, Emma, left, and Etienne in their home, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019, in Maplewood, N.J. Gambis' husband, an FBI agent, has been working without pay during the partial United States government shutdown, which has forced the couple to take financial decisions including laying off their babysitter. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
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