≈Week 21 of 2010: 144 days this year… 221 days remain≈
≈ Something To Think About
“The privacy and dignity of our citizens [are] being whittled away by sometimes imperceptible steps. Taken individually, each step may be of little consequence. But when viewed as a whole, there begins to emerge a society quite unlike any we have seen -- a society in which government may intrude into the secret regions of a [person's] life.”
~Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas (on court 1939-1975)
≈ Random Fact
Red wine will spoil if exposed to light; hence tinted bottles.
• Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1982 ►Baby Boy Samane South Africa, son of Christina, heaviest known viable baby (22 lbs 8 oz/10.2 kg)
≈ Free Ramblings
I had a busy day…at least busy thinking. One of my favorite daily emails is from Kim Komando. She sends out computer information on just about every subject. She has been on a kick about privacy issues, partly because of the Facebook changes, but also on how advertisers use your information. I spent a couple of hours on the web searching for me. I was happy to find that there ain’t that much about me out there. Kim had given me several less popular free search engines. First I found that there a lot of Charles Frazier’s out there. My middle initial is ‘S’ but I found that ‘E’, ‘R’, and ‘W’ popped up with one or more of my old addresses or phone numbers. I found this just another reason not to believe much of what you find on the internet. Finally, I am proud of the fact that I am named after my father and grandfather—making me the third. When I put my full name in the search, there is nothing, nada, zilch. This will help me rest well, knowing that my personal information is not out there for people to steal. As I believed, before the searches today, I figured the privacy issue was much more hype and fear than factual. This doesn’t mean I’m going to start being less prudent, it just means that my prudence has paid off. I feel a little left out of pop culture tonight. From what I hear, millions will be watching the final episode of Lost. I’ve heard this will be the biggest series finale of the decade. OK. I do watch a lot of TV. I have my favorites and work hard to make sure that I either see the show every week, or record it when I am not home. I did watch the first three or four Lost episodes when it first started back in ’04. Just never got into it. I heard they hype every year, but just couldn’t get it, so as millions watch the final episode I won’t be.
As if three days of high wind hasn’t been hard enough to live through, now we have snow in the forecast. Yeah, I know, it’s the end of May. The only good thing is that there isn’t going to be any accumulation. Just snowflakes falling from the sky and disappearing. We had steady winds of 30+ mph all night last night and all day today. As if that wasn’t enough, we had gusts that are called ‘strong gale’ meaning that the gusts are 47-54 mph. Just east of Flag the wind was ‘whole gale’ or 55-63 mph. My deck only got to 54° and the snow clouds started moving in early this evening. I will always take snow over wind. I will take just about anything over wind.
≈ A Quick Smile…
Jimmy: 'Hey, Mike! How's your new pet fish doing? You told me he was really something special.'
Mike: 'To tell the truth, I'm really disappointed in him. The guy who sold him to me said I could teach him to sing like a bird.'
Jimmy: 'What? Let me get this straight... You bought a fish because you thought you could teach him to sing like a bird?'
Mike: 'Well, yeah. After all, you know, he's a parrot fish.'
Jimmy: 'Now listen, Mike, while you might be able to teach a parrot to sing, you're never going to get anywhere with a parrot fish.'
Mike: 'That's what you think! It just so happens this fish CAN sing. The thing is, he's terribly off-key and it's driving me crazy. Do you know how hard it is to tuna fish?'
≈ Puzzle 1
With pointed fangs I sit and wait,
With piercing force I dole out fate,
Over bloodless victims proclaiming my might,
Eternally joining in a single bite.
What am I?
≈ Side Show Stories
HORN LAKE, Tenn. - Officials in a Tennessee town said they are working on a new ordinance to ban locals from wearing their pants low enough to reveal underwear or bare backsides. Horn Lake Mayor Nat Baker and members of the board of aldermen said they have seen recent increases in men wearing their pants in the saggy fashion, leading them to seek a ban in the form of an ordinance, The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal reported. "There have been ordinances like this upheld across the country, and in talking with the city attorney, I think we can draw up something that can be upheld in court," Baker said. "They need to pull their pants back up to where they should be," Baker said. "It's getting out of hand." Officials did not reveal possible penalties for violations of the ban.
≈ Puzzle 2: Brain Food
The man who invented it doesn't want it. The man who bought it doesn't need it. The man who needs it doesn't know it. What is it?
≈ Calendar Information
• Observance Weeks in May•
22-29
Cover the Uninsured Week
National Safe Boating Week
• Today’s Observances—US/UN/World •
National Escargot Day
Brother's Day
Morse Code Day
• Today’s Observances—by country •
Bulgaria : Education Day/Enlightenment & Culture Day
Ecuador : Battle of Pichincha (1822): Major turning point battle for independence
England : Victoria Day/Empire Day (1819)
Canada: Victoria Day
---Quebec: National Patriotes Day or Journée nationale des patriotes.
• Today’s Number One Songs in…
For anyone interested, all these songs are available on iTunes.
"Music, once admitted to the soul, becomes a sort of spirit, and never dies." ~ Edward Bulwer-Lytton.
1941 ►Amapola (Pretty Little Poppy); Jimmy Dorsey
1951 ►How High the Moon; Les Paul & Mary Ford
1961 ►Travelin' Man; Ricky Nelson
1971 ►Brown Sugar; The Rolling Stones
1981 ►Bette Davis Eyes; Kim Carnes
• Today’s Happenings•
In The Arts
1830 ►"Mary Had A Little Lamb" is written
In Athletics
1951 ►Willie Mays begins playing for the New York Giants
In Business or Education
1883 ►The Brooklyn Bridge, linking Brooklyn and Manhattan over the East River opens to traffic.
1931 ►1st air-conditioned train installed-B&O Railroad
1951 ►Racial segregation in Washington DC restaurants ruled illegal
1983 ►Supreme Court rules government can deny tax breaks to schools that racially discriminated against students
In Politics
1513 ►While exploring the Gulf Coast of Florida. Ponce de Leon encounters Calusa Indians near Charlotte harbor. In a fight with theCalusa, de Leon captures four warriors. 1921 ►1st parliament for Northern Ireland elected
1957 ►Anti American riots breakout in Taipei, Taiwan
In Science/ Religion
1689 ►English Parliament guarantees freedom of religion for Protestants
1738 ►Methodist Church is established
1844 ►Samuel F.B. Morse tapped out the message “What hath God wrought” in Morse Code.
1954 ►IBM announces vacuum tube "electronic" brain that could perform 10 million operations an hour
• Today’s Births •
Artists, Writers, and Composers
Bob Dylan, 69, composer, singer, born Robert Allen Zimmerman at Duluth, MN
Emanuel Leutze artist: Washington Crossing the Delaware born in 1816 Schwäbisch Gmünd,Württemberg (Germany)
Frank Oz, 66, director, puppeteer (Grover, Yoda), born Hereford, England
Athletes
Tony Jones, 44, NFL tackle (Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos-Superbowl 32) born in Royston, Georgia
Entertainers
Gary Burghoff, 67, actor (Emmy for “M*A*S*H”), born Bristol, CT
Dixie Carter actress (Designing Women, Edge of Night) born in 1939 McLemoresville, Tennessee
Rosanne Cash, country singer born in 1955 Memphis TN
Tommy Chong, 72, actor (Up in Smoke, The Corsican Brothers), born Edmonton, AB, Canada
Patti LaBelle, 66, singer (“Since I Don’t Have You”), born Patricia Louise Holte at Philadelphia, PA,
Priscilla Beaulieu Presley, 65, actress (“Dallas,” Naked Gun movies), born Brooklyn, NY
Business, Education Persons
Samuel I Newhouse US millionaire publisher (Parade, Vogue, Glamour) born in 1895
Political Persons
Coleman A Young civil rights leader (Mayor-D-Detroit) born in 1918 Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Scientists /Religious Persons
Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit physicist: developed system for cleaning mercury to keep it from sticking to glass; inventor: alcohol thermometer [1709], mercury thermometer [1714]; created measure of temperature which bears his name [1724] born in 1686 Danzig, (Polish: Gdańsk), Royal Prussia (now Poland)
• Today’s Obits •
David I King of Scotland, @ 68 in 1153
John Foster Dulles US Secretary of State (1953-59), @ 71 in 1959
Edward Kennedy ‘Duke’ Ellington composer/bandleader/pianist, cancer @ 75 in 1974
George Jessel US comedian/America's toastmaster general, heart attack @ 83 in 1981
Jane Porter novelist (Scottish Chiefs), @ 74 in 1850
Harold Wilson British PM (1964-70, 74-76), cancer at 79 in 1995
≈ ANSWERS to Puzzle 1
A Stapler
≈ ANSWERS to Brain Food
A coffin.
≈ Something you might enjoy…
In 2005, YouTube changed the internet forever. It is now available in 22 languages. Check out this one…
This is graduation time across the Navajo Reservation. Back in the 1970’s this song was played at many graduations. It brings back a lot of memories for me. I hope you enjoy it.
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