25 April 2010~~Week 18 of 2010: 115 days this year… 250 days remain
‡ Something To Think About
If you board the wrong train, it is no use running along the corridor in the other direction.
~Dietrich Bonhoeffer
• Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1967 ►Colorado Governor John Love signed the first law legalizing abortion in the United States.
‡ Free Ramblings
I remember laughing a few years back when a lady from Albuquerque, NM called Atlanta, Georgia to get tickets for the upcoming Olympics. It made International news because she was told that she had to call her country’s Embassy to get tickets. That poor operator didn’t know that New Mexico was part of the United States. Well, no one is laughing in AZ, now that AZ has decided that it is above Federal Law. First was the bill that said any candidate for President of the United States will have to provide the AZ Secretary of State with proof they are an American citizen. Failure to do so will mean the name is not on the ballot. Guess the legislature didn’t read the US Constitution. Now our local police must arrest anyone they think is an illegal alien. Immigration reform is needed, no doubt about that. For an individual state to take on that clearly Federal responsibility is costly. Costly as we lose tourists—just like we did when the legislature would not approve an MLK holiday after two being approved by the voters in two separate elections. Costly for the state in the number of lawsuits that will be filed and lost for this stupid law. Costly to the citizens as local law enforcement to determine citizenship—rather than stopping crime. Costly to the many legal immigrants who how to be sure they always have their immigration papers on them. If a legal immigrant doesn’t have the proper paperwork on their person, they can be arrested, fined $5,000, and get six months in our already full county jails. The bill doesn’t provide money for training, increased officers, or increased jail cells. That is now the city’s or county’s responsibility. The state is broke, the cities are broke, and the counties are broke. Since the state is broke, they simply pass a law that has to be paid for by the city or county governments in our state.
Many Hispanics have been in Arizona for many generations. Until we became a state in 1912, much of AZ had been part of Mexico. Many of these families have worked hard to be sure their children know their heritage, their language, and their beliefs. Now this is going to be a problem for those children. They are American citizens—born and raised, just like their parents and grandparents, and back even farther. They may speak English with an accent. They may dress differently. Now, if stopped for an illegal lane change, they must prove they are citizens or be arrested. I have a few legal Hispanic friends. If we are traveling somewhere and get stopped, the person has to prove citizenship. If s/he can’t do that, I go to jail too. How racist to have to ask a friend, before traveling, if they have their papers. I hope this law is quickly proven unconstitutional so we can all go back to living without fear in our state. Finally, I know quite a few full blooded Natives who have Spanish-sounding surnames. They too, will probably have to prove citizenship or go to jail.
It is hard to believe it was snowing yesterday. Today our thermometer climbed to 65° and it was a great day to be outside. I have been feeding the birds with seed and suet the entire winter. I have two seed feeders and two suet cages. Yesterday I noticed a squirrel climbing around in the tree. I don’t know if this is the same squirrel I had last year, but a squirrel, none the less. I had to position the feeders so the squirrel couldn’t get to them. Squirrels care very clever when it come to getting food. They can hang upside down, reach astounding lengths, and do a sneak attack from above, below or on any side of the food source. This morning I was out checking the feeders and both suet cages were hanging open and empty. Both had almost new cakes in the cages. Looking on the ground below I saw one of the cakes. Squirrels!!! Greedy, hungry, destructive little rodents. What I can’t figure out is what happened to the other suet cake? What animal would take the whole cake and haul it away without breaking it up? There is no trail of crumbs, one cake intact, the other vanished. I’m pretty sure it isn’t kids, because they to would have broken it up a little. Another mystery in Flagstaff. For those of you still interested, no new news on our missing asst. city editor. Nothing on line or in the paper. Strange, and the mystery continues.
‡ A Quick Smile…
My job is in the Aerospace Industry, and it's always been a challenge to explain just what kind of work I do.
At one gathering, I tried several unsuccessful attempted explanations before deciding to be as generic as possible. When the subject came up while I was talking with a group of guys, I replied simply, "Defense Contractor."
The men nodded, and as the conversation went on, I silently declared victory to myself. Then, one of them turned to me and asked, "So, what do you put up mainly? Chain-link?"
‡ Random Facts
1970’s: Love Canal, New York, chemical companies could legally dump their waste products into the canal scientists found that the drinking water contained excessive levels of 82 industrial chemicals, 7 of which were thought to cause cancer.
1979: the worst accident in U.S. nuclear-reactor history occurred at the Three Mile Island power station, near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
1984: an explosion in the Union Carbide chemical plant in Bhopal, India, released a deadly gas, methyl isocyanate, which is used to make pesticides—2500 killed and 100,000 injured.
1986: the reactor blew at the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, ripping open the core, blowing the roof off the building, starting more than 30 fires, and allowing radioactive material to leak into the air.
1989: 11.2 million gallons of crude oil spilled into Prince William Sound from the tanker Exxon Valdez
2005: in Jilin City, China, a series of explosions in a petrochemical plant killed six people, injured at least 70, and forced over 10,000 residents to evacuate.
‡ Puzzle
Heteronyms are words that are spelled identically but have different meanings when pronounced differently. For example: Lead, pronounced LEED, means to guide. However, lead, pronounced LED, means a metallic element.
1. a line; a fight
2. to injure; coiled up
3. to deny; garbage
‡ Side Show Stories
GURGAON, India - A retired British couple in India say they are being persecuted by neighbors complaining about the donkey sanctuary they created at their home. Residents of Gurgaon said Bob Harrison, 67, and his wife, Jean, 69, are harming their neighborhood with the smells and sounds from the donkeys on their property, The Daily Telegraph (Britain) reported Thursday. "The neighbors have complained to the municipal commissioner about the noise and the smell and they say it's attracting the pigs. But there is a leaking sewage pipe at the back of the houses and the pigs love it," Bob Harrison said. The Harrisons, who said they are trying to find new homes for the four donkeys on their property before they vacation in Britain for the summer, said they believe their neighbors are persecuting them for being British. The municipal commissioner's office said it is offering the Harrisons a nearby plot of land to build a new donkey shelter away from their neighbors.
‡ Calendar Information
• Observance Weeks in April•
19-25
Astronomy Week
Consumer Awareness Week
Fish Fry Week
National Inspirational News Week
Police Officers Who Gave Their Lives In The Line of Duty Week
National Paperboard Packaging Week
National Window Safety Week
Turnoff Week
23-25
National Dream Hotline: Call to have your dreams interpreted. Sponsored by the School of Metaphysics in MO
National & Global Youth Service Days
National Dance Week
National Pie Week
24-30
National Scoop The Poop Week
• 25 April Observances—US/UN/World •
National Zucchini Bread Day
DNA Day-since 2003 when the double helix was discovered
20-Something Service Day: only for the young
Malaria Awareness Day
National Pet Parent's Day for those who have recognize pets are part of the family
Mother, Father Deaf Day to recognize the contribution of deaf parents to their hearing children
Red Hat Society Day
• 25 April Observances—by country •
Australia, Nauru, New Zealand, Solomon Is, Tonga, W Samoa : ANZAC Day (1915 for WWI heros)
Azores : Portugal's Day (1974)
Egypt: Sinai's Liberation Day (1979)
Faroe Islands: (near Netherlands) Flag Day
Italy : Liberation Day
Portugal : Revolution Day (1974)
Swaziland : Flag Day
•Number One Songs in…
For anyone interested, all these songs are available on iTunes.
1940 ►In the Mood; Glenn Miller
1950 ►'The Third Man' Theme; Anton Karas
1960 ►Stuck on You; Elvis Presley
1970 ►ABC; The Jackson 5
1980 ►Call Me; Blondie
• 25 April Happenings•
In The Arts
1939 ►DC Comics publishes its second major superhero in Detective Comics #27; he is Batman, one of the most popular comic book superheroes of all time.
In Athletics
1981 ►Seattle Mariners manager Maury Wills is suspended for 2 games after ordering Seattle's grounds crew to enlarge batter's boxes by one foot
In Business or Education
1859 ►Ground broken for Suez Canal
In Politics
1792 ►Guillotine 1st used, executes highwayman Nicolas J Pelletier
1862 ►Battle of New Orleans LA - US Admiral Farragut occupies New Orleans
1898 ►US declares war on Spain over Cuba
1901 ►New York becomes 1st state requiring auto license plates ($1 fee)
1933 ►US & Canada drop Gold Standard
1935 ►An immense fire ruined Oregon's state capitol Building in Salem
1959 ►The St. Lawrence Seaway opened to traffic
In Science/ Religion
1684 ►Patent granted for the thimble
1938 ►1st use of seeing eye dog
1990 ►Hubble space telescope is placed into orbit by shuttle Discovery
1994 ►14" of snow in Southern California
• 25 April Births •
Artists, Writers, and Composers
J. Anthony Lukas, 1933, Pulitzer Prize-winning author: Common Ground: A Turbulent Decade in the Lives of Three American Families
Flannery O'Connor, 1925, short story writer
Athletes
Meadow George “Meadowlark” Lemon III, 78, Hall of Fame basketball player
Walt Wesley, 65, NBA star (Cavaliers, Bucks, Lakers)
Entertainers
Hank Azaria, 46, actor (“Huff,” The Birdcage, many voices on “The Simpsons”)
Ella Fitzgerald, 1918, jazz singer
Al Pacino, 70, actor (Oscar for Scent of a Woman; Dog Day Afternoon, Godfather movies)
Talia Shire, 64, actress (the Godfather movies, the Rocky movies)
Renee Zellweger, 41, actress (Oscar for Cold Mountain; Miss Potter, Chicago, Bridget Jones’s Diary)
Business, Education Leaders
Edward R. (Roscoe) Murrow, 1908, newsman: You are There, Person to Person; former head U.S. Information Agency
Political Leaders
William J. Brennan Jr., 1906, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court: authored more than 1,200 opinions, including many landmarks: free press [New York Times v. Sullivan], women’s rights [Frontiero v. Richardson], reapportionment [Baker v. Carr], civil rights [Cooper v. Aaron, Green v. County School Board]
Oliver Cromwell, 1599, Puritan lord protector of England
Jon Kyl, 68, US Senator (R, Arizona)
Scientists /Religious Leaders
Charles Ferdinand Dowd, 1825, US, standardized time zones
Guglielmo Marconi, 1874, ‘Father of Radio’: inventor: 1909 Nobel Laureate in Physics: wireless telegraphy [the transmission of Morse Code over electromagnetic energy]
• 25 April Obits •
George Sanders, 1972, actor (Mr Freeze-Batman, Ivanhoe), suicide @ 65
Art Fleming, 1995, game show host (Jeopardy), @ 74
Ginger Rogers, 1995, actress/dancer (Top Hat, Stage Door), @ 83
John Lorne Campbell, 1996, folklorist, @ 90
‡ ANSWERS to puzzle
1. Row ROH- a line; ROUW- a fight
2. Wound WOOND- to injure; WOWND- coiled up
3. Refuse reFUSE- to deny; REFFyoos- garbage
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