TODAY’s HOLY MACKEREL: 1989 - Students in Beijing China announce class boycotts
MY FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
Another windy day, just not as bad as the past few. I ran some errands and even the wind didn’t deter me. Maybe I’m just getting used to the wind.
Why do gas prices keep going higher and higher? Is it a gas shortage? Nope. The speculators on Wall Street are completely responsible. When Egypt protests began, the speculators decided that that would mean a cut in oil available to the US. They speculated that the price of gas would go up, so started buying it at higher prices. I don’t really get how all that works, but it is certainly raising gas prices. Another interesting sideline is that Libya provides NO oil to the US, but does provide China with lots of oil. So why hasn’t China joined into the Libya mess? Hmmm. Then today our local paper had an article on our current Representative, past of the conservative freshman. It seems our Rep is proud to announce that he introduced a bill to increase drilling in the Gulf. His shallow argument is that this will decrease our need for foreign oil and will therefore lower gasoline prices. But…but…but the people on Wall Street are the ones who are raising the price of gasoline….11 cents a gallon overnight in New Jersey. There is no shortage of oil…only speculators guessing that someday there will be another shortage. If the price of oil is $100 a barrel and the speculators offer $110, of course the oil producers are going to accept that. They are not going to say, “no, $100 is enough”. What Rep Gossar should have introduced is a bill to put some regulations on greedy spectators. Of course he believes that business can fix itself without government intervention. Yeah, that is working out just great. We are already being told to expect $6+/gallon by the end of summer. Yeah that is going to build the economy with jobs—especially at tourist destinations. When the recession hit a couple of years ago, the ‘staycation’ became the norm, where all tourist destinations started advertising in their home state and offering deals for locals to enjoy the nearby destinations. If gas goes to $6+/gallon, I’m sure ‘staycation’ will become a big moneymaker for patio furniture, and ways to turn your backyard into a ‘great destination’ for your vacation.
DID YOU KNOW THAT…
>Skip harsh deodorant by patting baking soda onto your underarms to neutralize body odor.
>If your leafy veggies are wilted, soaking them in cold water with a little vinegar can perk them right up.
SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION…
>Easter derives its name from Eostre, an Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring. A month corresponding to April had been named "Eostremonat," or Eostre's month, leading to "Easter" becoming applied to the Christian holiday that usually took place within it.
>In Medieval Europe, eggs were forbidden during Lent. Eggs laid during that time were often boiled or otherwise preserved. Eggs were thus a mainstay of Easter meals, and a prized Easter gift for children and servants.
>Orthodox Christians in the Middle East and in Greece painted eggs bright red to symbolize the blood of Christ. Germans gave green eggs as gifts on Holy Thursday, and hung hollow eggs on trees. Austrians placed tiny plants around the egg and then boiled them. When the plants were removed, white patterns were created
PUZZLE: Trivia Quiz […answers at bottom…]
1. Herb Caen is credited with inventing what word?
2. Who is Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkle Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs?
3. Which Dickens novel is considered to be an autobiography?
4. In which of Aristophane's plays do the women refuse sex?
5. Who in books and films was the 'Man of Bronze'?
6. Which Australian writer won the Nobel prize in 1973?
7. What was the name of the horse in the book, Animal Farm?
8. Who was Jocasta's (the wife of Laius) son?
9. To which London club did Mycroft Holmes belong?
10. What author was born in Petrovichi, USSR in 1920?
UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM:
LUCKNOW, India — It was an all you can eat buffet at the bank.
The bank manager discovered the damage when he opened the reinforced room in an old bank building on Wednesday, police officer Navneet Rana told The Associated Press.
"It's a matter of investigation how termites attacked bundles of currency notes stacked in a steel chest," he said. The money was put in the chest in January.
The termites had damaged bank furniture and documents in the past.
The police have registered a case of negligence against bank officials in Barabanki, a town 20 miles (30 kilometers) southwest of Lucknow, the Uttar Pradesh state capital. In India, police register a case before opening an investigation.
A LITTLE LAUGH:
A jeweler standing behind the counter of his shop after hours was astounded to see a suspicious looking man in a black ski mask come hurling headfirst through the window.
"What on earth are you up to? What happened?!" he demanded.
"I'm terribly sorry," said the man, "I forgot to let go of the brick."
CLOSEUP PICTURE: Can you identify this close up picture?
FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’:"The Ballad of Alferd Packer" very strange…
♫ Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ♫
2005 Inductee: Detroit has always been a musical hotbed, and Bob Seger is one of its greatest rock and roll talents. His was a long, slow climb to the top, and his overdue breakthrough - with Night Moves, in 1977 - attested to his belief in himself and rock music as a dream worth pursuing. MORE INFO http://rockhall.com/inductees/bob-seger/bio/
Click on Song Title to see and hear it.
DAYBOOK INFORMATION
«THIS WEEK
17-23
Christian Holy Week
Cleaning For A Reason Week
Coin Week
Consumer Awareness Week
Fibroid Awareness Week
Fish Fry Week
National Crime Victims Rights Week
National Karaoke Week
National Paperboard Packaging Week
National Park Week
National Pet ID Week:
Police Officers Who Gave Their Lives In The Line of Duty Week
Turnoff Week
19-26
Pesach (Passover)
«TODAY IS
Movie Theatre Day
National Bulldogs Are Beautiful Day
Read Me Day
St. George Feast Day
UN World Book and Copyright Day
World Laboratory Animal Day
Spain: Book Day and Lover's Day
Turkey: Children's Day/ National Sovereignty Day
… ARTISTS: AUTHORS: COMPOSERS…
1899 - Vladimir Nabokov, St Petersburg Russia, novelist (Lolita, Ada)
…ATHLETES
Daniela Hantuchova, Tennis player, turns 28
Andruw Jones, Baseball player, turns 34
…BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1932 - Roy Halston American clothing designer
…ENTERTAINERS (ACTORS/SINGERS…)
David Birney, Actor, turns 72
Blair Brown, Actress, turns 63
Judy Davis, Actress, turns 56
Joyce DeWitt, Actress ("Three's Company"), turns 62
Jan Hooks, Actress ("Saturday Night Live"), turns 54
Melina Kanakaredes, Actress ("CSI: NY"), turns 44
Lee Majors, Actor ("The Six Millon Dollar Man"), turns 72
Michael Moore, Director ("Fahrenheit 9/11"), turns 57
Dev Patel, Actor ("Slumdog Millionaire"), turns 21
Kal Penn, Actor ("House M.D."), turns 34
1904 - Duncan Renaldo, Spain, actor (Cisco Kid)
…POLITICIANS
1791 - James Buchanan 15th president of the United States (1857-61)
1813 - Stephen Douglas American Democratic Party leader
1621 - Sir William Penn English admiral and father of Pennsylvania's founder
…SCIENCE & RELIGION
1792 - John Thomas Romney Robinson, Irish astronomer and physicist
1858 - Max Planck Nobel Prize-winning physicist (1918); originated quantum theory
Today’s Obits:
1616 - William Shakespeare, English poet and dramatist dies at 52
34 - Christ, crucified, according to Isaac Newton
303 - George, knight of Cappadocië/saint/patron of England, beheaded
1850 - William Wordsworth, poet, dies at 80
1907 - Alfred Packer, American Cannibal dies of senility @ 65
1951 - Charles G. Dawes, Vice President of the United States, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize dies at 86
1975 - Pete Ham, rocker (Badfinger), commits suicide by hanging himself at 27
1983 – Clarence Linden Buster Crabbe, 400m US swimmer (Olympics-gold-1932), dies of heart attack at 73
1985 - Sam J Ervin Jr, (Sen-D-NC), dies at 88
1986 - Otto Preminger, dir (Advise & Consent, Anatomy of Murder), dies at 79
1995 - Howard Cosell, sportscaster (Monday Night Football), dies at 77
1998 - James Earl Ray, MLK assassin dies of hepatitis C at 70
2007 - Boris Yeltsin, first President of the Russian Federation dies at 76
Today’s Events:
… ARTS
1597 - William Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor is first performed, with Queen Elizabeth I of England in attendance.
… ATHLETICS
1989 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar plays his last game as a Laker
1990 - 11th Emmy Sports Award presentation
1991 - Bjorn Borg loses 6-2, 6-3 to Jordi Arrese after 8 year lay off
… BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1851 - Canada issues its 1st postage stamps
1900 - 1st know occurrence of word "hillbillie" (NY Journal)
1953 - KTAR (now KPNX) TV channel 12 in Phoenix, AZ (NBC) begins broadcasting
1959 - 1st heliport in Britain opens in London
1992 - McDonald's opens its 1st fast-food restaurant in China
… INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1637 - Wongunk Chief Sequin gave settlers the land on which to establish the village on Wetherfield, north from Saybrook, on the Connecticut River. After he was ordered out of the area, even though he was promised protection as a part of the agreement, he lead an attack on the settlement.
1701 - William Penn will sign a treaty of friendship at Philadelphia with representatives of the Susquehanna, Shawnee, Ganawese and Iroquois. All parties will agree to act peaceably with each other. The treaty will be known as the "Articles of Agreement".
… International POLITICS
1348 - 1st English order of knighthood founded (Order of Garter)
1867 - Queen Victoria & Napoleon III turn down plans for a channel tunnel
1968 - 1st decimal coins issued in Britain (5 & 10 pence)
1993 - Eritrea votes to secede from Ethiopia
… SCIENCE & RELIGION
1962 - 1st US satellite to reach the moon launched
2010 - A series of bomb explosions in Baghdad, near Shia mosques, kill dozens of people and wound 100 others
… US POLITICS
1789 - President-elect George Washington moves into Franklin House, NY
1969 - Sirhan Sirhan sentenced to death for killing Bobby Kennedy
1972 - Apollo 16 astronauts explores Moon surface
1984 - AIDS-virus identified (acquired immune deficiency syndrome)
ANSWERS:
Quiz
1. Herb Caen is credited with inventing what word?
Beatnik
2. Who is Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkle Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs?
He is the wizard of Oz
3. Which Dickens novel is considered to be an autobiography?
David Copperfield
4. In which of Aristophane's plays do the women refuse sex?
Lysistrata
5. Who in books and films was the 'Man of Bronze'?
Doc Savage
6. Which Australian writer won the Nobel prize in 1973?
Patrick White "for an epic and psychological narrative art which has introduced a new continent into literature"
7. What was the name of the horse in the book, Animal Farm?
Boxer
8. Who was Jocasta's (the wife of Laius) son?
Oedipus
9. To which London club did Mycroft Holmes belong?
Diogones
10. What author was born in Petrovichi, USSR in 1920?
Isaac Asimov
Close Up Picture
Dishwasher Rack
…AND THAT’S ALL FOR NOW
