Today is April 5th. On this date in 1792, George Washington cast the very first Presidential veto, on a bill that would have increased the number of Representatives in the House from northern states. In a letter urging the veto, Thomas Jefferson wrote that apportionment should based on “arithmetical operation, about which no two men can ever possibly differ.” Man, Congress sure was different back then. Also on this date, in 1621, the Mayflower set sail from Plymouth on her return voyage to England. The journey took so long that, by the time they docked in England, Plymouth Rock had switched formats and become Plymouth Top 40. On this date in 1869, Daniel F. Bakeman, the last surviving veteran of the Revolutionary war, died at age 109. His wife died 6 years earlier at age 105. They were married for 91 years, the longest American marriage on record. Little known fact: the traditional gift for a 90th wedding anniversary is metamucil. And finally, and most importantly, today is First Contact Day. Open Thread? Make it so.

Fmr Biden Adviser: Green Jobs Oversold | Washington Free Beacon
“The thousands of green energy jobs that President Barack Obama has widely touted after pumping billions into green energy firms rely mostly on short-term construction jobs.”

Healthy polar bear count confounds doomsayers | Globe and Mail
“‘The study shows that ‘the bear population is not in crisis as people believed,’ said Drikus Gissing, Nunavut’s director of wildlife management. ‘There is no doom and gloom.’”

Twitter gives the experience of Titanic, in real time | Twitchy
“This real time Titanic voyage recounting is a project of @TheHistoryPress, marking the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.”

Liberal Actor Don Cheadle Slams NBC for Selective Editing of Zimmerman Tape | Newsbusters
“As the Academy Award-winning actor’s Twitter feed shows, he has no use for liberal media outlets distorting the news through selective editing.”

Today’s Word of the Day comes via Merriam-Webster.
cockalorum (kah-kuh-LOR-um): noun 1. a boastful and self-important person 2. boastful talk