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MY FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
I, like so many other Americans, remember where I was 25 years ago today. I was working at Tonalea Day School. We had worked long and hard to get a satellite dish at the school. We wanted students to be able to watch educational programs. The government bureaucrats didn’t see the necessity of this, while that sat in their offices in Gallup and DC and went home to their own cable TV watching. The dish was finally set up on January 26. We had a TV in the library and three could be wheeled into the gym. The plan was to allow our youngest students to watch Sesame Street every day in the library. We had two kindergarten classrooms and both would easily fit into the library and be able to watch on one of two big—for the time—27” TVs. To inaugurate the system, we were setting up the Space launch live. Most of the teachers remembered watching some of the first lift-offs when they were younger. About 250 students and a staff of 40 watched the disaster unfold. It was one of the most difficult days in my career. It would be several months before we started using the satellite TV for Sesame Street.
The events in Egypt are, I fear, more frightening than most Americans realize. Egypt has been a ‘friend’ of the US for many years. The one thing the Egyptian Muslim citizens have never liked about our ‘friendship’ is our support of Israel. They wonder why Americans are not ever given the Palestinian side of the story. Since 1948 the US has backed a country that took land from Muslims to make Israel. The idea burns deep for them. Now that the Egyptian dictatorship is on the brink of collapse, a non-US friendly regime is certainly a concern. Our government’s stance on these events is being watched by the entire Arab world. After all, most of the recent populous uprisings have been spirited through Facebook and Twitter, both are American phenoms. To further our unique relationship with Egypt, none of the protests are ‘un-American’ or ‘Anti-American’ yet the tear gas canisters that are being used on the protestors are clearly marked “Made in the USA.” Some of the protestors are truly confused by this. Our government claims to believe in democracy and says it supports more democracies throughout the world…as long as they are friendly to our form of democracy. When a population overthrows a dictatorship that is friendly to the US, we support it. If not, we claim it is not really a democratic action. Right now, all we hear is that the demonstrators want an end to the Mubarak regime. Mubarak (82 years old) and his family seem so removed from the people. The protestors haven’t named a new leader they want. This is a very fluid situation for the people of Egypt. That makes it a very fluid situation for the entire world. Any change in this area of the world certainly makes change everywhere in the world. I hope the 80+ million people of Egypt realize that they need America as much as America needs them.
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DID YOU KNOW THAT…
○ The best time to de-gunk the bathroom mirror is in the morning after everyone takes their showers. Once the mirror steams up, wipe it off with a towel. the dirt comes off easily, and you'll save money on cleaners and paper products.
○ Do you have a tomato-stained plastic container? Simply put it in a sunny window or out on the patio and leave it there all day. The sun's rays make a great "bleach".
SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION… Monopoly—the game
○ The three most-landed-on properties in Monopoly are Illinois Avenue. "GO" and the B&O Railroad.
○ The game board streets in original Monopoly are named after streets in the gambling resort city of Atlantic City, New Jersey. In 1972, the Atlantic City Commissioner of Public Works threatened to change the names of the real Baltic and Mediterranean Avenues, but public outcry vetoed the bill.
○ Both the Reading and Pennsylvania Railroads are no longer in business. And St. Charles Place was leveled to make room for a casino. In Atlantic City, the game's Marvin Gardens is actually spelled "Marven Gardens."
¤… Who Wants to be a Millionaire PUZZLE
…answers at bottom…
1. Which of these girls' names is also a herb?
Sue Ellen Pamela Rosemary Amanda
2. The face of which actor appears on his own brand of salad dressing?
Tom Cruise Paul Newman Sylvester Stallone Mel Gibson
3. Which green vegetable is associated with Popeye?
Lettuce Cabbage Spinach Zucchini
4. What would you do with a truffle?
Eat it Spend it Wear it Bury it
5. Who produced the official report on the Clinton and Lewinsky affair?
Kenneth Cole Cole Porter Ringo Starr Kenneth Starr
6. What colour belt do you buy for your outfit when beginning judo classes?
Yellow White Green Black
7. Who first made the liqueur Benedictine?
Monks Nurses Crusaders Sailors
8. In Greek legend, who was sent to fetch the 'Golden Fleece'?
Apollo Jason Hermes Hector
9. What color is the ELEVEN on a 7-ELEVEN store sign?
Green blue red orange
10. What was the first name of the man who invented the Rubik's Cube?
Erno Emile Ernst Arnold
11. In 1913, which skyscraper was considered to be the tallest building in the world?
Empire State Building Prudential Building Chrysler Building Woolworth Building
12. Which trained professional uses a theodolite in the course of his or her work?
Surgeon Surveyor Sea Captain Graphic Designer
13. What is the offspring of a lion and a tigress called?
Tigelon Ligron Liger Tigon
14. Which Gospel writer is the patron saint of Venice?
Mark Luke Matthew John
15. Which cartoon character made his screen debut in 1935?
Porky Pig Bugs Bunny Popeye Pluto
UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM… Los Angeles
Urination plus a colleague's door equals trouble.
That's the hard lesson to take away from the case of a California State University-Northridge math professor, who allegedly urinated on a colleague's door on campus.
Tihomir Petrov, 43, was charged with two misdemeanor counts of urinating in a public place. His arraignment was scheduled for Thursday at the Los Angeles County Superior Court in San Fernando, according to the AP.
School officials' yellow flags went up when they saw what they suspected was urine outside another math professor's door. Petrov was rumored to be in dispute with his colleague, according to school officials.
They allegedly struck gold by capturing an incident on camera in early December.
A LITTLE LAUGH…
Five-year-old Becky answered the door when the census taker came by. She told the census taker that her daddy was a doctor and wasn't home, because he was performing an appendectomy.
"My," said the census taker, "that sure is a big word for such a little girl. Do you know what it means?"
"Sure! Fifteen hundred bucks, and that doesn't even include the anesthesiologist!"
¤…CLOSEUP PICTURE
Can you identify this close up picture
FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’
♫ Rock Anthems ♫
Click on Song Title to see and hear
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DAYBOOK INFORMATION
¤…THIS WEEK…¤
23-29
National Handwriting Analysis Week ◘ National Nurse Anesthetists Week ◘ World Leprosy Week
24-Feb 4
Clean Out Your Inbox Week
¤…TODAY IS…¤
National Corn Chip Day
Curmudgeons Day
Freethinkers Day
National Puzzle Day
National Seed Swap Day
Seeing Eye Dog Day
Thomas Paine Day
World Leprosy Day
Gibraltar: Constitution Day (2006)
US: Kansas
Today’s Births
○ AUTHORS
1923 Paddy Chayevsky US, dramatist (Marty, Hospital)
Germaine Greer, 72, author (Daddy We Hardly Knew You, The Female Eunuch)
1737 Thomas Paine political essayist (Common Sense, Age of Reason)
○ ATHLETES
Gregory Efthimios (Greg) Louganis, 51, actor, Olympic diver
○ BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1850 Ebenezer Howard British pioneer of garden cities
1874 John David Rockefeller Jr philanthropist
○ ENTERTAINERS (ACTORS/SINGERS/…)
1912 Professor Irwin Corey comedian (Car Wash, Doc)
1880 W C Fields [William Claude Dukenfield] actor, "on the whole, he'd rather be in Philadelphia"/actor (My Little Chickadee, Bank Dick)
1918 John Forsythe actor (Bachelor Father, Charlie's Angels, Dynasty)
Sara Gilbert, 36, actress (“The Big Bang Theory,” “Roseanne”)
Ann Jillian, 60, actress (“It’s a Living,” The Ann Jillian Story)
Adam Lambert, 29, singer, television personality (“American Idol”)
1915 Victor (John) Mature actor: The Robe, Samson and Delilah
Katharine Ross, 68, actress (The Graduate)
Tom Selleck, 66, actor (“Magnum, PI,” Three Men and a Baby, Mr Baseball)
Oprah Winfrey, 57, television talk show host (“The Oprah Winfrey Show”), actress (The Color Purple), producer (owner of Harpo Studios)
○ POLITICIANS
1843 William McKinley 25th U.S. President [1897-1901]; assassinated six months after the start of his second term
○ SCIENCE & RELIGION
1850 Lawrence Hargrave inventor (box kite)
¤…Today’s Obituaries…¤
1888 Edward Lear British poet/author, heart disease @ 75
1963 Robert Lee Frost US poet (4 Pulitzers), @ 88
¤…Today’s Events…¤
○ ARTS
1845 Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven" 1st published (New York City NY)
1920 Walt Disney starts 1st job as an artist; $40 week ($604.30 in 2010USD)with Kansas City Slide Co
1953 1st movie in Cinemascope (The Robe) premieres
1959 Walt Disney's "Sleeping Beauty" released
1969 Jimi Hendrix & Peter Townshend wage a battle of guitars
○ ATHLETICS
1963 Jim Thorpe, Red Grange & George Halas elected to football hall of fame
○ BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1802 John Beckley of Virginia appointed 1st Librarian of Congress He was paid $2 a day ($29.55 in 2009USD--$7365/annum).
1924 Ice cream cone rolling machine patented by Carl Taylor, Cleveland
1929 The Seeing Eye was incorporated -- in Nashville, TN. Its purpose was to train dogs to guide the blind.
○ INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1832 Folsom's Choctaws finally reach the Kiamichi River area, their new home. Several people, and lots of animals, die while en route. Cholera will strike all of the groups.
○ POLITICS (US)
1834 President Jackson orders 1st use of US troops to suppress a labor dispute
1850 Henry Clay introduces a comprise bill on slavery to US Senate
○ POLITICS (International)
1900 Boers under Joubert beat English at Spionkop Natal, 2,000 killed
1991 Nelson Mandela & Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi meet in Durban after 28 years
○ SCIENCE & RELIGION
1921 Hurricane hits Washington & Oregon(known as Great Olympic Blowdown of 1921)
1949 The ship, The Newport News, was commissioned as the first air-conditioned naval ship
1989 Episcopal church appoints 1st female bishop
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ANSWERS
¤…Millionaire ANSWERS…¤
1. Which of these girls' names is also a herb? Rosemary
2. The face of which actor appears on his own brand of salad dressing? Paul Newman
3. Which green vegetable is associated with Popeye? Spinach
4. What would you do with a truffle? Eat it
5. Who produced the official report on the Clinton and Lewinsky affair? Kenneth Starr
6. What colour belt do you buy for your outfit when beginning judo classes? White
7. Who first made the liqueur Benedictine? Monks
8. In Greek legend, who was sent to fetch the 'Golden Fleece'? Jason
9. What colour is the ELEVEN on a 7-ELEVEN store sign? Green
10. What was the first name of the man who invented the Rubik's Cube? Erno
11. In 1913, which skyscraper was considered to be the tallest building in the world?
Woolworth Building
12. Which trained professional uses a theodolite in the course of his or her work? Surveyor
13. What is the offspring of a lion and a tigress called? Liger
14. Which Gospel writer is the patron saint of Venice? Mark
15. Which cartoon character made his screen debut in 1935? Porky Pig
¤…Close up Picture…¤
Owl
« AND THAT’S ALL FOR NOW »
: Admission Day/Kansas Day (1861-34th state)
