TODAY’s HOLY MACKEREL: 1861 Arizona Territory votes to leave the Union
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MY FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
The best laid plans…go awry. About 3am I awoke with a swollen tongue. I got up and took my pills, but was too late to stop the pesky angioedema. At 5am my tongue was really swollen. I tried sleeping, but kept waking up. I got up about 7am and called Tuba to tell them I wouldn’t be making the trip. As I was talking with my very heavy lisp, they understood. I felt really bad about not being there. I went back to bed and tried to sleep until the swelling went down. I got up about 9am and was still pretty swollen. Even drinking OJ was a task. By noon the meds kicked in and I was almost back to normal. These episodes are a real pain. This is the first time I was unable to do what I wanted, and needed to do. I kept telling myself that I could go to the dinner after the funeral, but this time I was wiped out and decided it wasn’t a good idea to drive for a little over an hour to get there. : - (
I am not a scientist. Never had a desire to become one. I have never really understood how electricity is made or where it comes from. I lived close to Lake Powell when I was on the rez. When the facility first opened, self-guided tours were set up to let the public see what was going on inside the dam. It was a great tour, and I took it several times. Then as the terrorist idea came the people running the dam cut out much of the tour. There was a fear that terrorists would sneak in bombs. The first group they were afraid of was the environmental terrorists who hated the idea of the whole dam blocking the Colorado River. Then it was foreign terrorists. Even when the dam tour was open, I saw big huge loud machines that I was told were making electricity for California and others. I, like many others, just believed that all that noise was ‘making electricity’. I have even less knowledge of nuclear power production. I saw the movies like China Syndrome and others that showed the dangers—sort of. I certainly read about Chernobyl and Three Mile Island. All I got out of that was that making electricity with nuclear plants was great until there was a problem. Then it was a huge disaster. Now that I am retired and have time to learn more about things that don’t have anything to with my career, I am learning how dangerous this really is. People have never been told the truth about the dangers. Just like the Oil spill of last year, the scientists of the world are not sure what to do with a disaster of this size. It is becoming clear that there are no plans ever for the worst case scenario. Japan was ready for earthquakes, they were ready for a tsunami, but they weren’t ready for a big earthquake or a huge tsunami. And they certainly were not ready for both at the same time.
The survivor stories are amazing. What I find more intriguing is the stories of those Japanese survivors who are now in their late 60’s or older who lived through the American bombing to end WWII and are now seeing this disaster. I did watch some news today and listened to these survivor’s stories. One elderly man told of being about 20 miles from Nagasaki on that horrible day, and then being in one of the small towns that was destroyed last week. At 80+ years old he has to start over—for a second time in his life. Yet he says is glad to be alive and will again find a way to survive. The other amazing story coming out of this disaster is the Power Plant workers who have stayed on to keep the disaster from getting worse. These people are really heroes. As things get worse, and more radiation is being emitted, they stay. They are wearing their protective suits, breathing filtered air, having to shower multiple times daily to wash off the radiation. Yet they stay to protect their fellow countrymen and the world. Many of the heroes who stayed at Chernobyl during that disaster were dead within three months from the radiation poisoning that they received for staying. I hope the same thing doesn’t happen to those at Fukushima.
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DID YOU KNOW THAT…
Chicken or turkey on your menu? Bypass birds that are labeled "enhanced."
That means they've been "plumped" --i.e., injected with broth and other flavors. While manufacturers claim the practice boosts taste, studies show the added liquid can account for as much as one-third of the package's weight, making it the priciest poultry around!
While vacuuming, wear an old fanny pack -- it's great for holding all the little things you find on the floor, such as paper clips, rubber bands and small toys.
Hiccups - Peanut Butter is a sure fire cure! Swallow a tablespoon of it and it prevents the esophagus from contracting.
SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION…
There are over three billion pizzas purchased in the United States every year with another two billion being purchased around the world, and still another one billion frozen pizzas being sold each year.
The first pizzeria in the United States was opened by Gennaro Lombardi in 1895 in New York City.
Pepperoni is the most popular topping in the U.S. with over 60% of all orders having it, and in Europe, tuna is the most popular topping.
PUZZLE: Trivia Quiz […answers at bottom…] LITERATURE
1. Who wrote the poem, Kubla Khan?
2. Whose last unfinished novel was 'The Last Tycoon'?
3. What is the first name of Mr Toad in the book 'Toad of Toad Hall'?
4. Stephano and Trinculo are characters in which Shakespearean play?
5. Which Shakespeare character says "Blow winds and crack your cheeks"?
6. E. H. Shepherd illustrated which series of stories?
7. Who wrote 'The Rights of Man' and 'The Age of Reason'?
8. What was the subject of the first book printed in England?
9. Who wrote the 'Dune' series of science fiction novels?
10. Which Dickens novel features a character named Waxford Squears?
UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM:
PHOENIX — An Arizona man has been sentenced to three years of probation for stabbing a man who refused to let him suck his blood.
Maricopa County Superior Court says 24-year-old Aaron Homer, of Chandler, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and was sentenced Monday.
The Arizona Republic reports 25-year-old Robert Maley once let his roommates suck his blood. But when Maley refused a second time on Oct. 4, he was stabbed.
Chandler police said Maley lived with Homer and his girlfriend.
Maley said the two men were into "vampire stuff."
A LITTLE LAUGH:
To get his mind off his losing streak at the racetrack, I took my friend horseback riding. Being a novice, he freaked when his mount took off.
"How do I stop?" he yelled.
"Bet on it!" I hollered back.
Top 10 In The World:
CLOSEUP PICTURE: Can you identify this close up picture?
FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’: Call of the long billed curlew
♫ Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ♫
Click on Song Title to see and hear it.
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DAYBOOK INFORMATION
►THIS WEEK◄
13-19► Campfire USA Birthday Week ♣ Wildlife Week ♣ International Brain Awareness Week ♣ National Money Week ♣
►TODAY IS◄
Everything You Do Is Right Day
Curlew Day: Traditional arrival date for the long-billed curlew at the Umatilla (Oregon) National Wildlife Refuge
Freedom of Information Day
Goddard Day: for he first liquid propelled rocket flight in 1926
Lips Appreciation Day
St. Urho's Day: Saint who chased grasshoppers out of Finland.
Well-Elderly or Wellderly Day
♣ ♣ ♣ ♣
Latvia: Latvian Legion Day
■…AUTHORS/COMPOSERS/ARTISTS
Alice Hoffman, 59, writer (Practical Magic, Aquamarine)
1839 René François Armand Sully Prudhomme French poet, 1st Nobel winner (1901)
■…ATHLETES
Todd Heap, 31, football (Ravens), born Mesa, AZ
■…BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1916 Tsutomu Yamaguchi, Japanese Businessman, and Survivor of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Atomic Bombings
■…ENTERTAINERS (ACTORS/SINGERS)
Bernardo Bertolucci, 70, filmmaker (Oscar for The Last Emperor; Last Tango in Paris)
Erik Estrada, 62, actor (“CHiPS,” Honey Boy)
Jerry Lewis, 85, comedian, actor (The Family Jewels, The Nutty Professor, The Bellboy), director, philanthropist
Chuck Woolery, 69, game show host (“Love Connection,” “Scrabble”)
1906 Henny (Henry) Youngman comedian: “Take my wife ... please.”
■…POLITICIANS
1751 James Madison 4th US President (1809-17)
1927 Daniel Patrick Moynihan U.S. Senator from New York
1912 Patricia Nixon [Thelma Catherine] 1st lady (1969-74)
■…SCIENCE & RELIGION
1774 Matthew Flinders English navigator/cartographer (coast Australia)
1750 Caroline Lucretia Herchel, 1st modern woman astronomer in Hanover, Germany
1787 Georg Simon Ohm physicist (discovered Ohm's Law: I=v/r)
1849 Reverend James E Smith became father at 100 with woman 64 years younger
Today’s Obits:
1971 Thomas E Dewey US Presidential candidate (R 1944, 48), cancer @ 68
1983 Arthur Godfrey TV host (Arthur Godrey Show), @79
1995 Lord Lovat [Shimi]: Clan Fraser of Lovat soldier/Landowner, @ 83
1975 T-Bone Walker blues guitarist (Funky Town, Well Done), pneumonia @ 64
Today’s Events:
■…ARTS
1850 Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Scarlet Letter" published
1950 1st annual National Book Awards
1991 7 members of Reba McEntire's band are killed in a plane crash
■…ATHLETICS
1991 New Jersey Net coach Bill Fitch is 4th coach to win 800 NBA games
1997 New Jersey Devils' Dave Andreychuk is 26th NHL to score 500 goals
■…BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1968 General Motors produces its 100 millionth automobile, the Oldsmobile Toronado.
1985 Associated Press newsman Terry Anderson is taken hostage in Beirut. He is released on December 4, 1991.
■…INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1621 Samoset, a Mohegan, meets the Pilgrims.
1830 After some "politicking", Greenwood le Flore is elected as Chief of the Choctaw Nation, during a "rump" council, today. Previously, there were 3 regional Chiefs. Le Flore is in favor of selling the Choctaw lands, and moving to Indian Territory.
■…POLITICS (International)
1900 Sir Arthur Evans finds old city of Knossus
1977 US President Carter pleads for Palestinian homeland
■…POLITICS (US)
1802 Law signed to establish US Military Academy (West Point NY)
1802 US army Corps of Engineers established (2nd time)
1915 Federal Trade Commission organizes
1934 Congress passes Migratory Bird Conservation Act
1941 National Gallery of Art opens in Washington DC
1988 Federal grand jury indicts Marine Lt. Col. Oliver L. North & Navy Vice Adm. John M. Poindexter in Iran-Contra affair
■…SCIENCE & RELIGION
1345 Holy spirit glides above fire; "the miracle of Amsterdam" (legend)
1882 The U.S. Senate approved a treaty allowing the United States to join the Red Cross.
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ANSWERS:
Quiz
1. Who wrote the poem, Kubla Khan? Samuel Taylor Coleridge
2. Whose last unfinished novel was 'The Last Tycoon'? F Scott Fitzgerald
3. What is the first name of Mr Toad in the book 'Toad of Toad Hall'? Thaddeus
4. Stephano and Trinculo are characters in which Shakespearean play? The Tempest
5. Which Shakespeare character says "Blow winds and crack your cheeks"? King Lear
6. E. H. Shepherd illustrated which series of stories? Winnie the Pooh
7. Who wrote 'The Rights of Man' and 'The Age of Reason'? Thomas Paine
8. What was the subject of the first book printed in England? Chess
9. Who wrote the 'Dune' series of science fiction novels? Frank Herbert
10. Which Dickens novel features a character named Waxford Squears? Nicholas Nickleby
Close Up Picture
Grab-a-Prize
________AND THAT’S ALL FOR NOW________
