Monday

348 days so far this year…17 days remain in 2009
11 shopping days remain until Christmas
***Provocative Quote***
"If your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt." ~unknown
***Free Ramblings***
First an oops from yesterday. The Islamic New Year doesn’t begin until the 18th. My internet sources obviously are not followers.

I spent the afternoon watching movies, and baking some Christmas cookies. It was snowing most of the afternoon, and it just felt right. Outside it was 34° with wind gusts to about 30mph. Brrr. Somehow I got onto movies with a Middle East theme. First I saw Rendition, then Body of Lies. Both were spy movies and well done. It is so hard to understand what is going on in the Middle East. Both movies reminded me of how difficult it must be to live in terror and not knowing who to trust and who not to trust. So many horrible things happen over there. I have so much to learn, so much to understand.

I’m very tired of the Tiger News. I’m not a golfer. I have enjoyed watching him play. His name was added to some great Nike shirts—the first to ‘keep you dry’ with something called wicking that let’s the sweat on your shirt dry very quickly. His off-the-green antics and his decision to not talk about it publically have only added to the fodder of the news and sports world. Way too many women have decided that they will tell their story of time with Eldrick Tont Woods. Since he isn’t talking to the press, the stories they tell are making headlines with no rebuttal. So we have learned that another public figure has feet of clay. When will we ever learn not to build any pedestal too high? When will business and sports stop paying the ridiculous sums of money for an image? He is a great golfer. That alone does not make him a great father, a great husband, or a great ethical man. It is discomforting to see anyone fall. The media over-hyped him, and now they have over-hyped his fall. We know he messed up in his off-the-green life. Enough already. It’s time for a new story.
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± Quotes from Values.com—Sacrifice
“True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the courage to surpass others at whatever cost, but the courage to serve others at whatever the cost.”
~Arthur Ashe Professional Tennis Player, Civil Rights Supporter
± Unusual Wizard Of Oz Trivia…
-Buddy Ebson, the original actor hired to play the Tin Man, became very ill from the metallic makeup and was not able to appear in the movie, but his voice can still be heard singing "We're off to see the wizard," when Dorothy and her friends are dancing down the yellow brick road after the forest scene.
-In the original book by L. Frank Baum, Dorothy's slippers were not ruby but silver. The color was changed in the movie for Technicolor purposes.

± Random Fact
The face of a penny can hold about thirty drops of water.
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§ December Month Long Observances
Birthstone: Blue Topaz…Flower of the Month: Narcissus
Colorectal Cancer Education and Awareness Month + Hi Neighbor Month + National Write A Business Plan Month + National Tie Month + Rising Star Month + Safe Toys and Gifts Month + Spiritual Literacy Month + Stress Free Family Holiday Month + Universal Human Rights Month + Read A New Book Month+ World Aids Month
§ Week of 12 December
Chanukah (Hanukkah) Week 12th-19th
Gluten-free Baking Week
Halcyon Days—see below—from Dec 14-28
§ 13 December Observances
National Bouillabaisse Day---Fish Stew: a recipe around since about 600BC in France
International Monkey Day—since 2000—to educate man about other primates
Alabama: Admission Day (1819—22nd state)
-Iran : Death of Iman Ja'far Sadeq (poisoned) Day
-Turkey : Festival of Mevlana-Jelaeddin Rumi (Whirling Dervishes)
-World : Halcyon Days begin—The Halcyon—a Kingfisher—is said to calm the sea the seven days before and the seven days after the Winter Solstice so they can nest.
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~ Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1905…Illiteracy in the U.S. was 10.6 per 100 persons. Today it is 10 per 100 persons.
BIRTHS ON THIS DAY
~ The Arts
Morey Amsterdam in 1908 comedian, actor: The Dick Van Dyke Show
Patty [Anna Marie] Duke in 1946 actress
Don Hewitt in 1922 CBS executive producer (60 Minutes)
Charlie "Silver Fox" Rich in 1932 singer (Behind Closed Doors)
~Athletics
Bill (William Joseph) Buckner in 1949 baseball
Anthony Mason in 1966 NBA forward (New York Knicks, Charlotte Hornets)
Johnny McWilliams in 1972 tight end (Arizona Cardinals)
~Business / Education / Politics
James H Doolittle in 1896 US Army General (Raid on Tokyo 1942)
George VI in 1895 king of England
John Mercer Langston in 1829 1st black to hold US political office
Margaret Chase Smith in 1897 (Representative/Senator-R-ME)
~Science / Religion
Nostradamus [Michel de Nostre-Dam] in 1503 French astrologist/prophet

In Remembrance~
William Bendix actor (Life of Riley) phenomena @ 58
Norman Fell American actor (3’s Company) @ 74
Marie Emmanuel French composer/musicologist (Salamine) @ 76
James V King of Scotland: father of Mary Queen of Scots battle wounds @ 30 Stubby Kaye (Bernard Kotzin) actor (Guys & Dolls, Sweet Charity, @ 79
Myrna Loy [Williams] actress (Thin Man, Vanity Fair) @ 88
Roger Maris homerun hitter (61 in 61, New York Yankees) cancer @ 51
Arthur Treacher TV announcer (Merv Griffin Show) @ 81
George Washington 1st President USA @ 67

Historical Events on this day
1287…Zuider Zee seawall collapses with loss of 50,000 lives
1656…Artificial pearls 1st manufactured by M Jacquin in Paris made of gypsum pellets covered with fish scales
1793…1st state road authorized, Frankfort KY to Cincinnati OH
1911…South Pole 1st reached, by Norwegian Roald Amundsen 1915…Jack Johnson is 1st black world heavyweight boxing champion
1927…Iraq gains independence from Britain, but British troops remain
1962…The Mariner 2 space probe becomes the first spacecraft to fly by Venus
1944…NASCAR is formed and it's headquarters are located in Daytona Beach, Florida
1969…Jackson Five made their 1st appearance on "Ed Sullivan Show"
1988…US agrees to talk to Palestine Liberation Organization (1st time in 13 years)
2000…The FTC approves the $111 billion merger of America Online and Time Warner.
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§ Rhyme & Reason
Answer the following clue in two rhyming words (e.g. an obese feline is a fat cat) If only one number is given, the answer is a word featuring internal rhyme (e.g. voodoo)

1. Buck Rogers or Flash Gordon (5,3)
2. a massage parlour? (3,4)
3. Jupiter's fowl* (5,6)
4. argument over a mere trinket (6,8)
5. add me and my friend (4,2)
*very poor grammar, I know.
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ANSWERS
1. Buck Rogers or Flash Gordon (5,3) space ace
2. a massage parlour? (3,4) rub club
3. Jupiter's fowl (5,6) Zeus’s Gooses—I told you it was bad grammar
4. argument over a mere trinket (6,8) bauble squabble
5. add me and my friend (4,2) plus us