TODAY’s HOLY MACKEREL: 1931 1st use of a rocket to deliver mail (Austria)
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MY FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
I picked up our Great Decisions book today. Our group meets for the first time this year on the 11th. This group is sponsored by the Foreign Policy Association in DC. It has been around since 1918 and provides topics in a non-partisan, balanced format. Our little group in Flag is only one of hundreds throughout the US. There are interesting topics, great discussion questions, and brain work is required to understand the topic. We have a nice group of about seven people who will meet throughout the year to discuss the topics. We don’t currently have any real conservatives in the group, and are trying to find some people with a conservative outlook in Flagstaff to join us. Having a variety of people on the liberal-conservative scale makes for much better discussions. As I look over the topics, I see myself being able to be on a more conservative side—at least during the discussions. Our first topic is “The Caucasus”—the region [Chechnya, Ingushetia, Dagestan, Adyghea, Kabardino-Balkaria,Karachai-Cherkessia, North Ossetia, Krasnodar Krai, Stavropol Krai, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia] has a great many energy resources and minerals. To be honest, I have only heard of about 60% of these countries. I know very little about this region, and the pre-discussion homework should be interesting and educational.
I am hearing from friends and relatives in this current snow storm of the century. Overall their biggest concern is a lengthy loss of electricity if the ‘ice storm’ thing hits their area. In a big storm, I have enough food and water to stay home and not have to go anywhere for survival stuff. However, being without electricity means no heat, no lights, and difficulty cooking. Some of my Chicago in-laws have young kids which makes it even harder. It could be a couple of tough days for them. The wind and the humidity here is Flag made it unpleasant to be outside. I did run some errands and the parking lot to store walk was not pleasant. We didn’t have any snow, just cold. While the thermometer said 29°, the wind chill took that to about 15°, and they say tonight will be close to zero on the thermometer and well below with the wind chill. Brrrrr. To make it less enjoyable, no moisture is due here during this cold spell.
Not a lot of Super Bowl Mania here in AZ, but I’ll be pushing for the Packers. I have never liked the Stealers and I like cheese.
I’m not real sure what the groundhog will see, but, at least in Flag, he will be mighty cold. And with the problems in Egypt, he will probably wish gas prices weren’t on the rise.
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DID YOU KNOW THAT…
◘ When plastic storage containers start to smell like the food that was in them, wash them with hot water and two tablespoons of baking soda.
◘ Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza.
SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION…
◘ Did you know that Simon Fuller was the manager of the Spice Girls in the mid-90s, right when they reached the height of their fame? Yup. However, when the gals decided to give Fuller the ax, he responded by creating the American Idol sensation that would allow him full control.
◘ Fuller wanted "American Idol" to be an online show when he first came up with the idea in 1997. Back then, however, the Internet was still fairly new and operating on snail-paced modems, and the concept of an online show seemed impossible.
◘ Now a judge on "So You Think You Can Dance," Nigel Lythgoe was once the bad-guy judge on Britain's "Idol"-prototype TV talent show "Popstars." When he left "Popstars" to produce "Pop Idol"(the British version of AI), he picked Simon Cowell to be his successor.
¤… PUZZLE: Who Wants To Be a Millionaire …answers at bottom…
1. In a popular campfire song, generally sung in a three-part round, you 'row, row, row your ______, gently down the stream...'
ark boat canoe inner tube
2. What might a person wear to protect his or her clothing while cooking?
suit of armor apron hair shirt cloak of indifference
3. During a quiet or pensive moment, you might turn to your friend and ask, 'A penny for your ________'?
philosophy thoughts cogitations notions
4. A small case containing a mirror, face powder, a powder puff and sometimes rouge, is called a what?
Disguise compact concise miniscule
5. What pop band includes the members AJ, Kevin, Howie D, Brian and Nick?
The Yardbirds Backstreet Boys Backyard Babies Batty Birds
6. What is the capital of Alabama?
Montgomery Columbia Jackson Lexington
7. What do you call small pieces of colored paper which are scattered around at festive celebrations? Confetti paprika litter papyrus
8. Which of these countries does not border France?
Monaco Andorra Netherlands Luxembourg
9. Lycanthropy is the magical ability to assume the form and characteristics of what animal?
bear wolf lion lynx
10. In the movie 'Fight Club', what ailment did the narrator, Jack (played by Edward Norton) seek medical treatment for?
insomnia uncontrollable rage depression testicular cancer
11. What do sumo wrestlers throw into the ring before a match?
Salt talcum powder rice sand
12. In American Football, when an official stands with his feet together and both arms straight out from his shoulders (like the letter 'T'), what does it mean?
time out holding too many men on the field unsportsmanlike conduct
13. Which of these men was never a U.S. Senator before becoming president?
Warren G. Harding Harry S. Truman John F. Kennedy Gerald R. Ford
14. Who wrote, 'I should have been a pair of ragged claws scuttling across the floors of silent seas'? Robert Frost T.S. Eliot e e cummings Stanley Kunitz
15. Which of these paintings is not included in the current 'Vermeer and the Delft School' exhibit (as of 2001), because it is owned by the Queen of England and is in her private collection at Buckingham Palace?
Mistress And Maid Officer And Laughing
Girl The Music Lesson Girl Interrupted At Her Music
UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM… Miami
The bomb squad isn't usually called in to defuse stink bombs, but a smelly package at a Southwest Miami-Dade bank needed an expert's touch.
An entire shopping center was evacuated Tuesday morning after a suspicious package, which turned out to be a box full of chicken and goat parts, was discovered near a Bank of America.
The box wasn't ticking or anything, but it was swarming with flies, officials said.
The incident happened around 10 a.m. in the area of Quail Roost Drive and SW 127th Avenue, near the Shoppes at Quail Roost shopping center, CBS4 reports.
A bomb-detection robot tried to detonate the potentially explosive device, but nothing happened. Maybe they should have used a bomb-sniffing dog instead.
When bomb squad members got closer to the box, they realized how stinky the situation was.
Officials didn't say what type of chicken and goat parts were in the box, but the stench was strong enough to clear the parking lot.
It's unclear who left the smelly package at the bank or why.
A LITTLE LAUGH…
A prospective juror in a Dallas District Court was surprised by the definition of voluntary manslaughter given the panel: "An intentional killing that occurs while the defendant is under the immediate influence of sudden passion arising from an adequate cause, such as when a spouse's mate is found in a 'compromising position.'"
"See, I have a problem with that passion business," responded the jury candidate. "During my first marriage, I came in and found my husband in bed with my neighbor. All I did was divorce him. I had no idea that I could have shot him." She wasn't selected for the jury.
Top 10 Historical Finds… See #8. The Royal Library of Ashurbanipal
A collection of around 25,000 clay tablet fragments, the Library of Ashurbanipal was discovered in the mid 19th century by Austen Henry Layard at the Mesopatamian city of Nineveh (in what is now Iraq). Ashurbanipal was the king of Assyria during the height of Assyrian military and cultural achievements, but beyond this he was a passionate collector of texts who sent scribes throughout his Empire looking for additions to his library. The library itself was one of the largest in its time and contains approximately 1200 texts. These texts included royal inscriptions, chronicles, mythological and religious texts, contracts, royal grants and decrees, royal letters, omens, incantations, hymns to various gods and texts on medicine, astronomy, and literature. Some of the literary finds include the epic of Gilgamesh, the Enuma Elis creation story, the myth of Adapa and the Poor Man of Nippur. In 612 BC, Nineveh was destroyed by an alliance of Babylonians, Scythians and Medes and the palace was burned, thus preserving the clay tablets by partially baking them.
Importance: Buried for centuries by invaders, the Royal Library of Ashurbanipal gives scholars a lot of precious information about the ancient inhabitants of the Near East. Besides the epic of Gilgamesh one of the most important texts found at the site was a nearly complete list of ancient Near Eastern rulers.
¤…CLOSEUP PICTURE
Can you identify this close up picture
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DAYBOOK INFORMATION
¤…THIS WEEK…¤
Jan 24-Feb 4 ► Clean Out Your Inbox Week
Jan 30- Feb 5 ► Catholic Schools Week ♥ Meat Week ♥ Intimate Apparel Week
1-7 ► Children's Authors & Illustrators Week ♥ National Patient Recognition Week ♥ Solo Diners Eat Out Weekend ♥ Women's Heart Week
¤…TODAY IS…¤
Purification Day or Candelmas: a feast to commemorate the purification of the Virgin Mary and the presentation of baby Jesus at the temple
Crepe Day or La Chandeleur: traditional to hold a coin in your writing hand and a crêpe pan in the other, and flip the crêpe into the air. If you manage to catch the crêpe in the pan, your family will be prosperous for the rest of the year
Groundhog Day or Hedgehog Day: In North America-to find out how long winter will last
International Wetlands Day
National Girls & Women in Sports Day
Sled Dog Day
Estonia: Anniversary of Treaty of Tartu: 1920-Russia, Estonia, Finland to cease their various disagreements
Haiti: Ancestor/Hero's Day
Spain: Granada Day (1492)
Switzerland: Berchtold's Tag, founding of Berne
Thailand: Inventor's Day
US: Betsy Ross Day (1776)
US: Georgia: Constitution Ratification Day (1788)
Today’s Births
○ AUTHORS
1882 James Joyce poet, author: Ulysses, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Finnegan’s Wake, Chamber Music
1905 Ayn Rand (Alissa Rosenbaum) social critic, writer: The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged
Liz Smith, 88, journalist, author
○ ATHLETES
Sean Michael Elliott, 43, basketball (Spurs, Pistons)
○ BUSINESS & EDUCATION
Ina Garten, 63, chef, cookbook author, television celebrity (“The Barefoot Contessa”)
○ ENTERTAINERS (ACTORS/SINGERS/…)
Christie Brinkley, 58, model
1890 Charles Correll creator with Freeman Gosden of: Amos ’n’ Andy; voice of Andy (Brown) on radio
1927 Stan Getz (Stanley Gayetzby) jazz musician: The Girl from Ipanema
1947 Farrah Fawcett actress: Charlie’s Angels, The Burning Bed; ex-Mrs. Lee Majors; Playboy pictorial
Graham Nash, 69, musician, singer
Tom Smothers, 74, comedian, folksinger
Elaine Stritch, 86, singer, actress
○ POLITICIANS
1647 Nathaniel Bacon leader of Bacon's Rebellion, Virginia (1676)
○ SCIENCE & RELIGION
1522 Lodovico Ferrari, Italian mathematician
1829 William Stanley, inventor and engineer
¤…Today’s Obituaries…¤
1989 John Cassavetes US actor (Rosemary's Baby)/director, cirrhosis @ 59
1996 Gene Kelly actor/dancer (Singing in the Rain), @ 83
1907 Dmitri I Mendelejev Russian chemist (Periodic Table), influenza @ 72
1992 Bert Parks [Jacobson], TV host (Miss America Pageant), @ 77
1970 Bertrand Russell philosopher, British MP, @ 97
¤…Today’s Events…¤
○ ARTS
1863 Samuel Clemens becomes Mark Twain for 1st time
1922 James Joyce's "Ulysses" published in Paris (1,000 copies)
1950 1st broadcast of "What's My Line" on CBS-TV
○ ATHLETICS
1924 International Ski Federation (FIS) founded
○ BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1653 New Amsterdam becomes a city (later New York NY)
1802 1st leopard exhibited in US, Boston (admission 25¢: $3.69 USD in 20010)
1852 1st British public men's toilet opens (Fleet St London)
1923 Ethyl gasoline 1st marketed, Dayton OH
1964 GI Joe, debuts as a popular American boy's toy
○ INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1887 A law is passed which will prohibit the use of Indian languages in schools.
1945 In 1905, the Shoshone and Arapaho tribes of the Wind River Reservation ceded a large part of their reservation to the United States. According to Federal Register Number,10fr02254, they will get a small part of that land back, today.
○ POLITICS (US)
1848 1st shipload of Chinese arrive in San Francisco
1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends Mexican War; US acquires Texas, California, New Mexico & Arizona for $15 million
1955 1st Presidential news conference on network TV-Eisenhower on ABC
○ POLITICS (International)
1461 Wars of the Roses: The Battle of Mortimer's Cross takes place in Herefordshire, England.
1901 Funeral of Queen Victoria
1971 Idi Amin replaces President Milton Obote as leader of Uganda.
○ SCIENCE & RELIGION
1935 Lie detector 1st used in court (Portage WI)
1986 Dalai Lama meets Pope John Paul II in India
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ANSWERS
¤…Millionaire ANSWERS…¤
1. In a popular campfire song, generally sung in a three-part round, you 'row, row, row your ______, gently down the stream...' boat
2. What might a person wear to protect his or her clothing while cooking? Apron
3. During a quiet or pensive moment, you might turn to your friend and ask, 'A penny for your ________'? thoughts
4. A small case containing a mirror, face powder, a powder puff and sometimes rouge, is called a what? compact
5. What pop band includes the members AJ, Kevin, Howie D, Brian and Nick? Backstreet Boys
6. What is the capital of Alabama? Montgomery
7. What do you call small pieces of colored paper which are scattered around at festive celebrations? Confetti
8. Which of these countries does not border France? Netherlands
9. Lycanthropy is the magical ability to assume the form and characteristics of what animal? wolf
10. In the movie 'Fight Club', what ailment did the narrator, Jack (played by Edward Norton) seek medical treatment for? insomnia
11. What do sumo wrestlers throw into the ring before a match? Salt
12. In American Football, when an official stands with his feet together and both arms straight out from his shoulders (like the letter 'T'), what does it mean? unsportsmanlike conduct
13. Which of these men was never a U.S. Senator before becoming president? Gerald R. Ford
14. Who wrote, 'I should have been a pair of ragged claws scuttling across the floors of silent seas'? T.S. Eliot in 'The Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock'.
15. Which of these paintings is not included in the current 'Vermeer and the Delft School' exhibit (as of 2001), because it is owned by the Queen of England and is in her private collection at Buckingham Palace? The Music Lesson
¤…Close up Picture…¤
A saw
« AND THAT’S ALL FOR NOW »
