TODAY’s HOLY MACKEREL: 1986 - Worst nuclear disaster, 4th reactor at Chernobyl USSR explodes, 31 die
1991 - 23 killed in Kansas & Okla by tornadoes
MY FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
Wind continues in Flagstaff. Weatherman doesn’t give any sign of it letting up.
I got a call this morning that a former colleague had passed. Lorraine was the secretary when I came to TC in 1976. Her husband had been a code talker and spent many hours in my classroom, talking about what it was like. He passed a few years ago. She helped me make the transition from elementary to jr. high teacher. She was tough, but fair. She was a good lady.
Wikileaks dropped more news today—this time on Guantanamo. I seem to recall that candidate Obama was going to close this place. President Obama hasn’t. For those who wonder why many don’t trust America, here is a great example. One guy was held as an enemy till it was learned—3 years later—that he didn’t even speak Arabic. An 80+ year old farmer was held because he was wearing a Casio watch—a favorite of Al Qaeda and he had a cell phone in his house. On that drop phone were some numbers that appeared to be known terrorist numbers. It took two + years to find out that the elderly man didn’t even know how to use a cell phone. One of the men released turned out to be a terrorist and returned to bomb sites in Afghanistan. A newsman from Al Jazeera was held for six years to get information on the way the news bureau worked. There are still some 50+ people there who are considered too dangerous to release, but we don’t have enough information for a civil or military trial. Guantanamo is not on American ‘soil’…unless Cuba wants it back. Somehow that means that the US Constitutional rights do not apply. Since it is still open, I can only deduce that Obama believes that all this is OK. If that is true, no wonder we are seen as inhumane aggressors in many parts of the world.
Another interesting NPR story was on the FBI. Back in the 50’s Hoover did want the FBI to break up the mafia. One unproven story is that somebody in the mafia had compromising pictures of Hoover with an aide in the back seat of a government vehicle. Another story says that he wanted to have arrest records rise every year so that he could get even more money and do even more surveillance. Any mafia investigation would take years and would take many man hours—neither of which helps increase arrests. It was Bobby Kennedy who forced the FBI to investigate the mafia. Hmmm.
Trivia Quiz […answers at bottom…]
1. Clarence Birdseye had what job?
2. What Italian habit did Thomas Coyrat introduce to England 1608?
3. Ian Fleming's house, 'Goldeneye' was located in which country?
4. What Was The Name Given To Those Who Campaigned For Social Reform In England Between 1836 & 1858?
5. What were early diaphragms, IUDs and Dutch Cap made from?
6. Who is best remembered as the mistress of Lord Nelson?
7. Sir Henry Morgan was a famous 17th century...?
8. What do Humphry Davie, Michael Faraday,and Madam Curie have in common?
9. What was launched In 1960 & was closely linked with the sexual attitudes of the Swinging 60's?
10. What nationality was Thor Heyerdahl?
CLOSEUP PICTURE: Can you identify this close up picture?
Hmmmm…
>Estimated percentage of votes cast in Afghanistan’s parliamentary elections in Sept. that were fraudlent: 23
>Portion of Ukrainian votes in an October survey who said they would be willing to sell their vote: ¼
>Percentage of these people wh said they would sell it for less than $65: 47
> Fee charged by Myanmar’s ruling junta for a candidate to appear on the ballot in their most recent election: $500
>Average annual income in Myanmar last year: $459
THIS REALLY WORKS…
>Fold your clean sheets and stick them inside the matching pillowcase to keep sets together and organize your linen closet.
>Put two teaspoons of salt in a cup of water and place an egg in it -- a fresh egg will sink, an older egg will float.
>If you have hard-boiled eggs that are difficult to peel, that means they are fresh!
SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION…
>Today's geometry is based on the ideas of ancient Greeks Pythagoras and Euclid.
> The major change from the Phoenician alphabet to the Greek one of the eighth century was the addition of five letters to represent the vowel sounds.
UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM:
DENVER, N.C. -- A man is facing more than a dozen charges after leading deputies on a chase in Lincoln and Gaston counties.
According to the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office, 31-year-old Dion Torrence was driving a moped and refused to stop for an officer on Highway 16 Saturday night.
Torrence drove the moped into Gaston County and then crashed near Macedonia Baptist Church on Stanley Lucia Road.
Torrence jumped from the moped and ran, but a deputy tracked him down near the church.
Torrence is facing several charges, including felony cocaine possession, resisting a public officer, careless and reckless driving and speeding.
He was being held in jail under a $25,000 bond.
A LITTLE LAUGH:
After I applied for jobs at both a library and a shoe store, my husband said he hoped that I'd get the one at the store.
"It would be nice to have employee discounts on shoes," he explained.
Then, without thinking, he added, "Of course, if you get the job at the library, we'll get free books."
FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’:
♫ Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ♫
2003 Inductee: For three decades AC/DC has reigned as one of the best-loved and hardest-rocking bands in the world. Featuring guitarist Angus Young as their visual symbol and musical firebrand, they grew from humble origins in Australia to become an arena-filling phenomenon with worldwide popularity. MORE INFO
Click on Song Title to see and hear it.
DAYBOOK INFORMATION
«THIS WEEK
24-30
Administrative Professionals Week
National Dance Week
National Dream Hotline
National Scoop The Poop Week
National Playground Safety Week
National Pro-Life T-Shirt Week
Safe Kids Week
Sky Awareness Week
«TODAY IS
Hug An Australian Day
National Kids and Pets Day
National Pretzel Day
Richter Scale Day
Tanzania: Union Day
US: GA & FL: Confederate Memorial Day
… ARTISTS: AUTHORS: COMPOSERS…
1903 - Niven Busch, US screenwriter (Postman Always Rings Twice)
1897 - Cass Canfield American publisher and editor
1808 - Martha Finley, children's book author
1914 - Bernard Malamud American novelist and short-story writer
…ATHLETES
--
…BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1812 - Alfred Krupp German industrialist; developed and sold armaments
1822 - Frederick Law Olmsted American landscape architect; designed Central Park in New York City
I.M. Pei, Chinese-born architect turns 94
1868 - Harold Rothermere English newspaperman; built a journalistic empire in England
…ENTERTAINERS (ACTORS/SINGERS…)
1906 - Gracie Allen, Mrs George Burns, comedienne (George Burns Show)
Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Actress ("Without a Trace"), turns 44
Carol Burnett, Actress, comedian, turns 78
Duane Eddy, Rock musician, turns 73
Jet Li, Actor, turns 48
1886 - Ma Rainey American singer; known as "the mother of the blues"
Bobby Rydell, Singer, turns 69
…POLITICIANS
--
…SCIENCE & RELIGION
1785 - John James Audubon West Indian-born American ornithologist, artist and naturalist
570 - Muhammad, founder of Islam, according to the Shi'a sect. Other suggest April 20
Today’s Obits:
1989 - Lucille Ball, comedienne (I Love Lucy), dies of heart attack at 78
1984 - William "Count" Basie, jazz piano great, dies on 80th birthday
1865 - John Wilkes Booth, assassin, is shot dead near Bowling Green VA at 27
1986 - [William] Broderick Crawford, actor (Highway Patrol), dies at 74
1997 - Joey Faye, comic (Fruit of the Loom grapes), dies at 86
1970 - Gypsy Rose Lee, stripper/actress (Pruitts of S Hampton), dies of cancer at 56
1784 - Nano Nagle, Irish convent founder
2007 - Jack Valenti, American political advisor and film executive, dies at 86
Today’s Events:
… ARTS
1564 - William Shakespeare baptized
1906 - 1st motion pictures shown in Hawaii
1992 - Alex Haley, (Roots), wins 1992 Ellis Island Award, posthumously
… ATHLETICS
1912 - 1st homerun hit at Fenway Park (Hugh Bradley, Red Sox)
1941 - A tradition begins, 1st organ at a baseball stadium (Chicago Cubs)
1961 - Roger Maris hits 1st of 61 homers in 1961
1995 - Coors Field, opens in Denver, Rockies beat Mets 11-9 in 14 innings
… BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1755 - 1st Russian university opens (Moscow)
1819 - Odd Fellows Lodge forms
1928 - Madame Tussauds’ waxwork exhibition opens in London
… INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1872 - Captain Charles Meinhold, and Troop B, 3rd Cavalry, encounter an Indian war party on the South Fork of the "Loup" River, Nebraska. A fight ensues, in which, 3 Indians are killed. Scout William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody, 4 others will be given the Congressional Medal of Honor for "gallantry in action" during this engagement.
1906 - A law is passed which grants the President to pick the Cherokee Chief.
… INTERNATINOAL POLITICS
1941 - Potatoes rationed in Holland
1959 - Cuba invades Panama
… SCIENCE & RELIGION
1514 - Copernicus makes his 1st observations of Saturn
1721 - Smallpox vaccination 1st administrated
… US POLITICS
1954 - Nationwide test of Salk anti-polio vaccine begins
1957 - Jamestown, VA 350th Anniversary Festival opens
1986 - Actor/body builder Arnold Schwarzenegger weds newscaster Maria Shriver
1994 - Physicists announce first evidence of the top quark subatomic particle
ANSWERS:
Trivia Quiz
1. Clarence Birds Eye had what job?
Fur Trader while trying to find the cause of Rocky Mountain Fever
2. What Italian habit did Thomas Coyrat introduce to England 1608?
Eating with forks
3. Ian Fleming's house, 'Goldeneye' was located in which country?
Jamaica
4. What Was The Name Given To Those Who Campaigned For Social Reform In England Between 1836 & 1858?
The Chartists
5. What were early diaphragms, IUDs and Dutch Cap made from?
Orange skin - Half an orange
6. Who is best remembered as the mistress of Lord Nelson?
Emma Hamilton
7. Sir Henry Morgan was a famous 17th century...?
Buccaneer
8. What do Humphry Davie, Michael Faraday,and Madam Curie have in common?
They were all poisoned by chemicals at work
9. What Was Launched In 1960 & Was Closely Linked With The Sexual Attitudes Of The Swinging 60's?
The Pill
10. What nationality was Thor Heyerdahl?
Norwegian .
Close Up Picture
…AND THAT’S ALL FOR NOW
