TODAY’s HOLY MACKEREL: 1953 An American B-47 accidentally drops a nuclear bomb on South Carolina, the bomb doesn't go off due to 6 safety catches
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MY FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
We had a great Mexican lunch today. Trading stories over enchiladas is always fun. Mary found out that her oldest brother has prostate cancer. She is much more upset than he is. I get that—from her brother’s point of view. In today’s world there is so much they can do. Mary headed for the internet and must have found the worst case scenarios. I tried to let her know that lots can be done, and she seemed to accept my advice. She says her brother isn’t going to do anything about it until he returns from a trip in a couple of weeks. I told her that it is usually a very slow growing form and treatment is seldom started immediately anyway His wife is a late blooming born-again who seems to believe that Jesus will heal her husband through prayer. We all agreed that she needs to let God direct them to a physician. Cheryl had plateaued on her weight loss for a couple of weeks, but is back to losing again. She is down 60# since the surgery. She looks much healthier and says many of her aches and pains have disappeared. A mutual friend, Pam, from Tuba is not doing well. She is in her late 60’s and has so many health problems I can’t remember them all. Basically her immune system is not working correctly and her kidneys are not functioning correctly. She is not on dialysis so I have to wonder how bad it really is. Pam is a very outgoing lady who worked on the rez for many years, then remarried and moved to Flagstaff. She always liked to be the center of attention. While I am sure she has numerous issues, I hope that most of them are not as major as she makes them sound. She still does the books for her husband’s construction business so that keeps her busy. The last time I saw her, about 2 years ago, she was looking well and reiterated many of the same problems she has now.
We are having some great spring weather and the weather guy says they will continue into next week. I didn’t get the car washed today, but did rid myself of another pile of paper. Tomorrow our discussion groups meets. The topic is really boring for me…finances. Thankfully the lady doing the presentation is a financial advisor and will take all those boring words and numbers into something we can all understand. The international economic crisis continues and we will be discussing or at least listening to how various world powers have handled it. Another part of the discussion will be ‘too big to fail’ theory. I’m looking forward to this. At our lunch we were discussion how our retirement checks seem to get smaller every year with new costs being taken out before we see the money. Insurance goes up, this year they are taking another $35/month for something we don’t even understand…especially since it is a flat $35 for every CSRP and FERS retiree. Usually it is a percentage raise. I haven’t gone in to find out about my Social Security payments. I’ll get the stuff together soon and make the appointment. I have this fear that if I start SS, my CSRP will decrease. I understand that it is very complicated. All I can find on the web is the changes that affect spousal benefits. Guess it is time to find out. All the money I paid to SS was money earned outside my Federal employment so it shouldn’t make a change. When I earned money that had SS taken out, I was in furlough status from my Federal employment or was earned before I went to work under Civil Service. Therefore the two are not connected. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
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DID YOU KNOW THAT…
Going meat-free one day a week. Cutting back on red meat, especially, reduces your risk of dying from cancer or cardiovascular disease, reveals a study of more than 500,000 men and women.
For stains in your sink--especially rust or coffee--try making a paste of salt and lemon juice or a full strength solution of hydrogen peroxide. Leave it on the stain for several minutes then flush well with water.
SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION…
The Bible is the most shoplifted book.
A Boeing 747 has six million parts and half of them are fasteners.
A normal 60-passenger bus gets 5.5 miles out of a gallon of fuel.
PUZZLE: Trivia Quiz […answers at bottom…] MUSIC
1. Who composed the piece 'Air' for the G string?
2. Who had a hit with the song 'Sylvia's Mother'?
3. Which classical composer wrote the piece 'Hungarian Rhapsody'?
4. Jean-Christopher Denner invented which musical instrument?
5. Who's band was The Quarrymen?
6. In 1996 which Celine Dion album won Grammy album of year?
7. The 'sackbut' developed into which modern instrument?
8. The song 'How to Handle a Woman' comes from which musical?
9. What was the first British instrumental to top the USA charts?
10. Annie Mae Bullock became famous using what stage name?
UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM:
HEMET, CA — California narcotics investigators found a $1.5 million marijuana growing operation at a house and an unusual security guard — a 4-foot-long alligator named Wally.
The Riverside County drug task force team moved in on the Hemet area house on Monday night and seized nearly 2,300 pot plants. The commander says agents also found the reptile, described as a "watchgator."
The healthy 55-pound American alligator was turned over to the Phelan-based Forever Wild Exotic Animal Sanctuary, since gators are illegal in California.
The Riverside Press-Enterprise reports 29-year-old John Nathan Donna, who lives in the home, was arrested and booked for investigation of marijuana cultivation and possession. He was released Tuesday on $100,000 bail.
A LITTLE LAUGH:
My 10-year-old daughter has decided she is an environmentalist. So she talked me into participating in an aggressive recycling effort with her.
Last week she and I took what proved to be 134 pounds of cardboard boxes to the recycling center and earned $1.34. Counting gas and ice cream, we turned a profit of -$7.85.
We're going to use generally accepted accounting principles and see if we can apply this amount to our taxable income.
Top 10 In The World:
CLOSEUP PICTURE: Can you identify this close up picture?
FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’: TV SCANDEL 1959 CHARLES VAN DOREN QUIZ SCANDEL
♫ ‘Hair Bands’ ♫
Musically, use traditional hard rock and heavy metal songs, incorporating elements of punk rock,[5] while adding pop-influenced catchy hooks and guitar riffs. A little loud but interesting.
Click on Song Title to see and hear it.
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DAYBOOK INFORMATION
►THIS WEEK◄
5-20► Iditarod Race ♣
6-12► Celebrate Your Name Week ♣ National Consumer Protection Week ♣ National Pancake Week ♣ National Words Matter Week ♣ Save Your Vision Week ♣ Read an E-Book Week ♣ Return The Borrowed Books Week ♣ Teen Tech Week ♣ Women in Construction Week ♣
7-13► Newspaper in Education Week ♣ National Procrastination Week ♣ National Sleep Awareness Week ♣ National School Breakfast Week ♣ Telecommuter Appreciation Week ♣ Universal Women's Week ♣
11-13► World Rattlesnake Round-up ♣
►TODAY IS◄
Johnny Appleseed Day
Worship of Tools Day
Middle Name Pride Day
♣ ♣ ♣ ♣
Lithuania: Reestablishment of Independence from the Soviet Union in 1990
US: New Mexico : Arbor Day
US: Canisteo, NY: Turkey Vultures Return to the Living Sign Day (the world-famous living sign, as mentioned in “Ripley’s Believe It or Not.” The sign spells out “Canisteo” using 250 trees on a ridge above Greenwood Street)
Zambia: Youth Day
■…AUTHORS/COMPOSERS/ARTISTS
1952 Douglas Adams author: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
■…ATHLETES
1885 Malcolm Campbell 1st auto racer to travel 5 miles/minutes (8 km/minute)
1945 Dock (Phillip) Ellis baseball [pitcher]: (Pirates Athletics, Rangers, Mets )
■…BUSINESS & EDUCATION
Sam Donaldson, 77, journalist
1860 Thomas Hastings architect (New York Public Library)
1920 Henry Marking CEO (British Airways)
Rupert Murdoch, 80, media executive
■…ENTERTAINERS (ACTORS/SINGERS)
1908 Lawrence Welk orchestra leader (Lawrence Welk Show)
Jerry Zucker, 61, writer (Naked Gun movies with brother David), producer (Airplane!)
■…POLITICIANS
Antonin Scalia, 75, Associate Justice of the US
1916 (James) Harold Wilson British Prime Minister; politician
■…SCIENCE & RELIGION
1811 Urbain Jean Joseph le Verrier co-discovered Neptune
Today’s Obits:
1845 John Chapman [Johnny Appleseed] @ 70
1897 Henry Drummond Scottish geologist/evangelist, bone cancer(?) @ 45
1996 Vince Edwards actor (Ben Casey), cancer @ 67
1970 Erle Stanley Gardner US writer (Perry Mason), @ 80
1987 [Wayne] Woody Hayes football coach (Ohio State), heart attack @ 74
0638 Sophronius of Jerusalem saint/patriarch of Jerusalem, @v 58
1874 Charles Sumner a white civil rights leader, @ 63
Today’s Events:
■…ARTS
1302 Romeo & Juliet's wedding day, according to Shakespeare
1794 Royal Theatre in London's Dury Lane opens
■…ATHLETICS
1882 Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association organized in Princeton NJ
1959 "Raisin in the Sun", 1st Broadway play by a black woman, opens
1979 Nancy Lopez wins LPGA Sunstar Golf Classic
1986 NFL adopts instant replay rule
1997 Ashes of Star Trek creator, Gene Roddenberry are launched into space
■…BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1702 1st English daily newspaper, "Daily Courant", is published
1823 1st normal school in US opens, Concord Academy, Concord VT
1927 1st armored commercial car hold-up in US, Pittsburgh
1958 Charles Van Doren finally loses on TV game show "21"
1986 Popsicle announced its plan to end the traditional twin-stick frozen treat for a flatter, one-stick model.
■…INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1856 The NEZ PERCE join Col.Cornelius for a fight against the Yakima.
1901 Cincinnati Enquirer reports Baltimore manager John McGraw signed Cherokee Indian Tokohoma, who is really black 2nd baseman Charlie Grant
■…POLITICS (International)
1917 British troops occupy Baghdad
1982 Menachem Begin & Anwar Sadat sign peace treaty in Washington DC
1988 £ note ceases to be legal tender, replaced by £ coin
■…POLITICS (US)
1824 US War Department creates the Bureau of Indian Affairs
1918 Save the Redwoods League founded
1977 Moslems hold 130 hostages in Washington DC
1964 Senator Carl Hayden broke the record for continuous service in the U.S. Senate. He completed 37 years and seven days in the upper chamber serving the people of Arizona.
■…SCIENCE & RELIGION
1669 Volcano Etna in Italy erupts killing 15,000
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ANSWERS:
Quiz
1. Who composed the piece 'Air' for the G string? J.S. Bach
2. Who had a hit with the song 'Sylvia's Mother'? Dr. Hook
3. Which classical composer wrote the piece 'Hungarian Rhapsody'? Franz Liszt
4. Jean-Christopher Denner invented which musical instrument? Clarinet
5. Who's band was The Quarrymen? John Lennon
6. In 1996 which Celine Dion album won Grammy album of year? Falling into You
7. The 'sackbut' developed into which modern instrument? Trombone
8. The song 'How to Handle a Woman' comes from which musical? Camelot
9. What was the first British instrumental to top the USA charts? Telstar, by The Tornados
It used the clavioline, an electronic keyboard instrument, a forerunner to the analog synthesizer.
10. Annie Mae Bullock became famous using what stage name? Tina Turner
Close Up Picture
Treble Clef
________AND THAT’S ALL FOR NOW________
