Mar 30


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Today’s  Historical  Highlights
240 BC - 1st recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet
1822 - Congress combined East & West Florida into Florida Territory
1854 - Indians successfully attack, and defeat a company of dragoons at Cieneguilla, New Mexico.
1867 - US buys Alaska from Russia for $7,200,000 (2 cents an acre - Seward's Folly)
1981 - Pres Reagan shot & wounded by John W Hinckley III
Happy Birthday To:                      
 
Free Rambling Thoughts   
We moved our weekly lunch to Friday. Mary is very happy to have a new grandson. Mary will head out in a few weeks, though she wants to be there now. Cheryl got called to jury duty in Williams today and had hoped to get out in time for lunch. She didn’t get to be on the jury, as they settled during a break, but she didn’t get out until 11:00 and we had already decided to meet tomorrow.

If Affordable Health Care is set aside by the Supreme Court…I wonder if the many conservatives in this country will then push a law that requires hospitals to no longer pass non-insured patient costs on to insured people. A fairly deep secret in Health Care is that the insurance companies are in constant negotiations regarding all kinds of costs…the health care provider agrees to accept a negotiated price for all services, set by the insurance company; the insurance companies negotiate with ‘groups of insured’ to set the monthly price for its insurance and what it will cover; similar negotiations take place with pharmacies on the cost of meds. When a non-insured patient is treated, they too have some small room to negotiate the price and payments. Many who have gambled by not having insurance, for whatever reason, have found out that costs are high and failure to pay is difficult, until the person’s assets are gone. My mom had good insurance, but ended living in a health care facility that didn’t accept Medicare. Her monthly bill was $7000, she had very good care, good food, and her last few years were good for her. Thankfully she had the money. Many don’t. Several people at the health center stayed until their money was gone, then moved to a Medicare facility. So sad.

Game   Center   (answers at the end of post)
Brain Game

NPR Sunday Puzzle
Every answer is a familiar two-word phrase, in which each word has a short "A" vowel sound. For example, given the clue "A pest weed in lawns," the answer would be "crab grass."
1.      product of Hefty: trash bag
2.      A group of sheets of paper where you may doodle: scratch pad
3.      An annoying thing that accompanies a sitcom: laugh track
4.      Medical image of inside the body: CAT scan
5.      Protection from poison in the air: gas mask
6.      Where you might hang your chapeau: hat rack
7.      Group that included Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, Dean Martin: rat pack
8.      Activity for Sammy Davis Jr and Gregory Hines: tap dance
9.      What you might get a club to allow re-entry: hand stamp
10.   Something that prevents you from slipping in the shower: bath mat
11.   According to superstition, it brings bad luck when it runs in front of you: black cat
12.   Winner of all the tricks in a bridge hand: grand slam

Wuzzles  What concept or phrase do these suggest?

Lifestyle  Substance     
Planet Earth—

Found on You Tube         
Vincent Van Gogh Paintings
Harper’s Index         
Percentage decrease in the median US household income during the ‘Great Recession’: 3.2
Joke-of-the-day
A man in a hot air balloon realized he was lost. He reduced altitude and spotted a woman below. He descended a bit more and shouted,” Excuse me, can you help? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."
The woman below replied, "You are in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You are between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude."
"You must be an engineer," said the balloonist.
"I am," replied the woman. "How did you know?"
"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to make of you, and the fact is I am still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help so far."
The woman below responded, "You must be in management."
"I am," replied the balloonist, "but how did you know?"
 "Well," said the woman, "you don't know where you are or where you are going. You have risen to where you are, due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise which you have no idea how to keep, and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems. The fact is you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it's my fault!"
Rules of Thumb   
Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess
You can predict your marathon time by multiplying your best 10 kilometer time by 4.65.
Somewhat Useless Information   
The Clydesdale became the enduring symbol of Budweiser in 1933 when Prohibition was repealed. Even though horse-drawn carriages were no longer used to deliver brew, August A. Busch Jr. purchased a team of geldings and hitched them to a beer delivery wagon as a surprise for his father.
Former major leaguer Bob Uecker actually gained more fame as the perennial "loser" in a series of ads for Miller Lite. Not everyone thought of him in this way, though. In 2006, he was forced to file a restraining order against a persistent stalker.
New York's Rheingold beer was famous for its annual "Miss Rheingold" competition, and Gothamites took this contest seriously. In the 1959 contest, 22 million votes were cast, making the New York turnout second only to the following year's presidential election.
Spuds MacKenzie, the "ultimate party animal" that pitched Bud Lite, was actually a female dog. The English Bull Terrier, whose real name was Honey Tree Evil Eye, was a female dog forced to live a lie and pretend to be male in front of the cameras.
The frosty mug filled with ice-cold beer seen on TV commercials is actually room-temperature beer with dish soap and salt added to keep a good foamy head. Glycerin is sprayed on the outside of the mug to simulate water drops.
During the late 1970s, actor James Coburn was paid a sum of $500,000 for uttering just two words in a series of beer commercials: "Schlitz...Light."
Yeah, It Really Happened                 
ARLINGTON, Texas - The company that handles concessions for the Texas Rangers said fans at Rangers Ballpark will be able to buy a 1-pound hot dog for $26. Concessions firm Sportsservice said the "Boomstick" hot dog, named in honor of right fielder Nelson Cruz, is topped with shredded cheese, chili, sautéed onions and fries, ESPNDallas.com reported Monday.
"I don't know how many calories are in this thing, but it's got to be 2,000 or 3,000," said Casey Rapp, operations manager for Sportsservice. "We did a half-pound hot dog during the World Series and wanted to top it," Rapp said. "Our company had to have the hot dog made special and we had to find a local bakery to make the bun. The bun is like a loaf of bread just to hold this thing."

Calendar Information        
…Happening This Week:
25-31 
Consider Christianity Week:
Passiontide (3/25-4/7)
National Conference on Family Literacy
Pediatric Nurse Practioner Week
Root Canal Awareness Week
National Protocol Officer's Week
National Cleaning Week
Today Is                                                                      
Doctors Day
Grass Is Always Browner On The Other Side Of The Fence Day
I Am In Control Day
Pencil Day 1858 - Pencil with attached eraser patented (Hyman L Lipman of Phila)

Today’s Other Events                                                             
1400’s
1422 - Ketsugan, Zen teacher, performs exorcisms to free aizoji temple
1500’s
1533 - Henry VIII divorces his 1st wife, Catherine of Aragon
> 
1800’s
1802 - The Indian Trade and Intercourse Act becomes law
1814 - Britain & allies march into Paris after defeating Napoleon
1842 - Ether was used as an anaesthetic for 1st time by Dr Crawford Long (Ga)
1856 - Russia signs Peace of Paris, ending the Crimean War
1900’s
1943 - Rodgers & Hammerstein's "Oklahoma!," premieres in NYC
1950 - Phototransistor invention announced, Murray Hill, NJ
1964 - Astronaut John Glenn withdraws from Ohio senate race
1967 - Cover picture of Beatles' "Sgt Pepper's" is photographed
1987 - Vincent van Goghs "Sunflowers" sells for record 22.5M pounds ($39.7 million)
2000’s
2006 - Marcos Pontes is the first Brazilian astronaut in space
2006 - UK Terrorism Act 2006 becomes law

Today’s Birthdays                                                           
In their 80’s
John Astin actor (I'm Dickens He's Fenster, Addams Family) is 82
Richard Dysart, Brighton Mass, actor (Leland MacKenzie-LA Law) is 83
Peter Marshall, Huntington WV, TV game show host (Hollywood Squares) is 85
In their 70’s
Warren Beatty actor (Bonnie & Clyde,Shampoo, Dick Tracy) is 75
In their 60’s
Eric Clapton, Ripley England, singer/guitarist (Tears in Heaven) is 67
In their 50’s
M C Hammer, [Stanley Kirk Burrell], Oakland Ca, rapper (Hammer Time) is 50
Paul Reiser actor (My 2 Dads, Diner, Aliens, Mad About You) is 55
In their 40’s
Celine Dion, Quebec Canada, singer (I'm Your Lady ) will be 44
Ian Ziering, West Orange NJ, actor (Steve Sanders-Beverly Hills 90210) is 48
In their 30’s
Norah Jones, American singer and pianist (Don’t Know Why ) is 33
Remembered for being born on this day
McGeorge Bundy, Boston, national security adviser (JFK) in 1919
Countee Cullen, US poet (Color, Ballad of the Brown Girl) in 1903
John Fiske, [Edmund Fisk Green], US historian/philosopher in 1842
John Hawkins, England, wrote 1st history of music in 1719
Nichiren, Japan, Buddhist priest/saint in 1222
Secreteriat, race horse, triple crown (1973) in 1970
Anna Sewell, British author in 1820
Vincent van Gogh, Groot-Zundert, Netherlands, artist, painter and pioneer of Expressionism (The Potato Eaters, Irises) in 1853
John-Baptist Xavery, Flemish sculptor in 1697

Today’s Obits                                                           
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, Queen Mother of the United Kingdom dies at 102 in 2002
James Cagney, actor (Yankee Doodle Dandy ), dies in NY at 86 in 1986
Alistair Cooke, English-born journalist dies at 96 in 2004
William Hunter, Scottish anatomist dies at 64 in 1783
W F A A Louisa/Lovisa, queen of Sweden/Norway, dies at 42 in 1871
Benedict Augustin Morel, psychologist (dementia praecox), dies at 63 in 1873

Answers                                                                                                                                            
Brain Game

NPR Sunday Puzzle
1.      A product of hefty:
a.      trash bag
2.      A group of sheets of paper where you may doodle:
a.      scratch pad
3.      An annoying thing that accompanies a sitcom:
a.      laugh track
4.      Medical image of inside the body:
a.      CAT scan
5.      Protection from poison in the air:
a.      gas mask
6.      Where you might hang your chapeau:
a.      hat rack
7.      Group that included Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, Dean Martin:
a.      rat pack
8.      Activity for Sammy Davis Jr and Gregory Hines:
a.      tap dance
9.      What you might get a club to allow re-entry:
a.      hand stamp
10.   Something that prevents you from slipping in the shower:
a.      bath mat
11.   According to superstition, it brings bad luck when it runs in front of you:
a.      black cat
12.   Winner of all the tricks in a bridge hand:
a.      grand slam

Wuzzle
  •  play by play OR double play
  • detonate
  • silo

 Disclaimer: All opinions are mine…feel free to agree or disagree.
All ‘data’ info is from the internet sites and is usually checked with at least one other source, but I have learned that every site has mistakes and sadly once out the information is out there, many sites simply copy it and is therefore difficult to verify. Also for events occurring before the Gregorian calendar was adopted [1582] the dates may not be totally accurate.
    And That Is All for Now 

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Flagstaff, Arizona, United States
I retired in '06--at the ripe old age of 57. I enjoy blogging, photography, traveling, and living life to it's fullest.