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Today’s Historical
Highlights
1554 - Founding of São Paulo city, Brazil
1755 - Moscow University
established
1851 - Sojourner Truth
addresses 1st Black Women's Rights Convention (Akron)
1877 - Congress determines
presidential election between Hayes-Tilden
1924 - 1st Winter Olympic games
open in Chamonix, France
1955 - Columbia U scientists develop an atomic
clock accurate to within one second in 300 years
1981 - 52 Americans held
hostage by Iran for 444 days arrived back in US
1998 - Superbowl XXXII: Denver Broncos beat Green
Bay Packers 31-24 MVP:
Terrell Davis
♫Happy Birthday To:
♫
Free Rambling
Thoughts
A windy day, but I was
out and about running errands. I did get my phone fixed…finally. It took about
30 minutes and we changed some settings. Not sure, but my Google calendar had a
yahoo sign in because I’ve had the calendar longer than there was g-mail. While
the calendar has been attached to the g-mail address since I got my Android
phone, something somewhere changed that caused a conflict with the yahoo sign
in. Now the Google calendar is attached to a g-mail address and everyone is
happy. Crazy. We did a lot of signing in and out of the Google account from a
tablet with a keyboard. Must say…tablets are the future. I really liked it…it
was fast, easy to use, and easy to read. Hmmm. I’ll wait a little while longer
before I get a tablet…iPad still has the most features and the Android one I
was using may be pushed out by iPad.
Hard to tell at this point. If I get an iPad, then my next phone will be
an iPhone. Don’t need to guess if I’m thinking in Microsoft or in Apple.
I pay my taxes. Being
single puts me in a higher tax bracket…I’m at about 33%. The tax code needs
reform. How could a wealthy politician pay at 15%? It’s not about the amount of
money either of us pay…it’s about the percentage of our income that runs this
country. I have used H & R Block forever. I do have a very complicated
taxing with my ‘alternative’ investments. I get that. I don’t mind paying for a
good job. Last year, my H&R bill was almost the same at my refund from the
Feds. That upset me. I don’t think the very wealthy should be paying a higher
percentage than I do, just the same percentage. The middle class is
disappearing…some are moving into the upper class; most are moving into the
lower class. Some of my investments gave me a tax break, because I was doing
alternative energy…something that should be good for the country. The Feds even
said it was good. Even in those days my tax rate was at about 25%. I have never
been at a 15% tax rate…never. Since I started working as a grocery clerk while
in school, I have been paying much more than 15%. It is OK, as long as others
are paying the same rate.
Game Center
(answers at the end of post)
Brain Game
NPR Sunday Puzzle
Every
answer is a familiar phrase or title in the form of "____ of ____,"
where the word before "of" starts with the letter R. You are given
the word that follows "of" and must come up with the phrase. For
example, given "Saturn," the answer would be "rings."
1.
Hope:
2.
Passage:
3.
Gibraltar:
4.
Applause:
5.
Law:
6.
Fortune:
7.
Terror:
8.
Fire:
9.
No
return:
10. The mill:
11. The road:
12. The Jedi:
13. The ancient mariner:
14. The lost ark:
15. Order [two words, both beginning with
R]:
Wuzzles
What concept or phrase do these suggest?
Lifestyle Substance
AZ Centennial is in 23 days: Did
you know?…
- A saguaro cactus will take between 50 and 100 years to grow an arm. The saguaro cactus flower is the official state flower of Arizona.
- An ordinance prohibits the wearing of suspenders in Nogales, Arizona.
Found on You Tube
Robert Burns – Documentary
Harper’s Index
Percentage of non-interest federal spending that is dedicated to programs for the elderly: 1/3
Joke-of-the-day
1. A day without
sunshine is like night.
2. On the other hand,
you have different fingers.
3. 42.7 percent of all
statistics are made up on the spot.
4. 99 percent of lawyers
give the rest a bad name.
5. Remember, half the
people you know are below average.
6. He who laughs last;
thinks slowest.
7. Depression is merely
anger without enthusiasm.
8. The early bird may
get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese in the trap.
9. Support bacteria.
They're the only culture most people have.
10. A clear conscience
is usually the sign of a bad memory.
11. Change is
inevitable, except from vending machines.
12. If you think nobody
cares, try missing a couple of payments.
13. How many of you
believe in psycho-kinesis? Raise my hand.
14. OK, so what's the
speed of dark?
15. When everything is
coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
16. Hard work pays off
in the future. Laziness pays off now.
17. How much deeper
would the ocean be without sponges?
18. Eagles may soar, but
weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.
19. What happens if you
get scared half to death, twice?
20. Why do psychics have
to ask you your name?
21. Inside every older
person is a younger person wondering, 'What the heck happened?'
22. Just remember -- if
the world didn't suck, we would all fall off.
23. Light travels faster
than sound. That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
24. Life isn't like a
box of chocolates. It's more like a jar of jalapenos. What you do today, might
burn your butt tomorrow.
Planet Earth
Rules of Thumb
Easy shortcuts to make
an ‘educated’ guess
If you play centerfield, wear a billed cap and keep your head level. Go in on any ball that is hit so that it never disappears over the top of the bill; go out on any ball that disappears over the bill. If the ball is hit high and shallow, you will have time to recover.
Somewhat Useless Information
- The enormous number of the figures in the Parthenon, probably exceeding 500, of which 50 were colossal, and the size and complexity of the Athene, which was of gold, ivory, wood, and precious stones, standing 40 feet in height, make it impossible that these vast works could have been executed by the hand of a single artist.
- While studying at the Academy of Ancient Art in the Medici Palace, Michelangelo not only developed his genius as a sculptor, but also excited the wrath of his rival, Torregiano, who struck him with a mallet, crushing the nose on his face and disfiguring him for life.
- Lysippus of Sicyon, in the Peloponnese, was a contemporary of Alexander the Great, who made him his court sculptor, decreeing that no one should paint his portrait but Apelles, and no one should make his statue but Lysippus. His works were all in bronze, and are said to have amounted to 1,500 in number. They represented Alexander and his generals in various characters, Hercules in many aspects, and celebrated athletes of the most naturalistic type.
Yeah, It Really Happened
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean customs officials say they have arrested eight men over a scheme to allegedly smuggle gold out of the country by hiding it in their rectums.The Korea Customs Service said Monday the men allegedly transformed $260,000 in gold bars into small beads and smuggled them in their rectums to Japan two times in 2010 to avoid import taxes.South Korea says Japanese custom officials caught the men on their second attempt and sent them home after imposing fines. Later, one of the suspects allegedly orchestrated an unsuccessful bid to smuggle gold bars from Mongolia to Hong Kong using a similar method.Meanwhile, South Korean officials gathered evidence against them at home. They say the suspects recently admitted to the smuggling after initial denials.
Calendar Information
…Happening This Week:
20-30
Sundance Film Festival
21-27
World Leprosy WeekNational Activity Professionals WeekKid Film FestivalNational Nurse Anesthetists WeekClean Out Your Inbox WeekNational Handwriting Analysis WeekNational Medical Group Practice WeekNational Nuclear Science WeekNo Name Calling WeekNational Take Back Your Time Week
Today Is
A Room of One's Own Day
Macintosh Computer Day
National Speak Up and Succeed DayOpposite Day
World Leprosy Day
Today’s Other Events
1500’s
1554 - Sir Thomas Wyatt
gathers an army in Kent, rebels against Queen Mary
1600’s
1692- Just before dawn, the village of
York, Maine, is attacked by 150 Abnaki warriors, led by Chief
Madockawando. The Abnaki will kill more than 4 dozen settlers, and
almost 8 will be taken as prisoners, and then sold or used as slaves. The
village and surrounding farms were burned for miles.
1700’s
1721 - Czar Peter the Great
ends Russian-orthodox patriarchy
1775 - Americans drag cannon
uphill to fight British (Gun Hill Road, Bronx)
1799 - 1st US patent for a
seeding machine, Eliakim Spooner, Vermont
1800’s
1825 - 1st US engineering
college opens, Rensselaer Polytechnic, Troy, NY
1856 - Battle of Seattle;
skirmish between settlers & Indians
1870 - Soda fountain
patented by Gustavus Dows
1890 - Nellie Bly beats Phileas Fogg's time around
world by 8 days (72 days)
1900’s
1905 - Largest diamond,
Cullinan (3106 carets), found in South Africa
the largest rough gem-quality diamond
ever found at 3106.75 carats (621.35 g). It was cut into 105 diamonds including
the Cullinan I or the Great Star of Africa, 530.2 carats (106.04 g), and the
Cullinan II or the Lesser Star of Africa, 317.4 carats (63.48 g), both of which
are now part of the British Crown Jewels.
1915 - Transcontinental telephone service
inaugurated (NY to SF)
1939 - Earthquake hits
Chillan Chile, 10,000 killed
1945 - Grand Rapids, Michigan becomes 1st US city
to fluoridate its water
1951 - UN begins counter
offensive in Korea
1955 - US & Panama sign canal treaty
1961 - 1st live, nationally
televised presidential news conference (JFK)
1961 - Walt Disney's "101 Dalmatians"
released
1971 - Military coup in Uganda under Gen Idi Amin
Dada
1979 - Pope John Paul II's 1st overseas trip as
supreme pontiff
1981 - Superbowl XV: Oakland Raiders beat
Philadelphia Eagles, 27-10 MVP: Jim Plunkett
1983 - Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie arrested in
Bolivia
1985 - "We are the World" is recorded
1987 - Superbowl XXI: NY Giants beat Denver
Broncos, 39-20 MVP: Phil Simms
1989 - Michael Jordan scores his 10,000th NBA point
in his 5th season
1992 - Dan Jansen skates world record 500m in 36.41"
1992 - Hubble space telescope optics finds
NGC3862/3C264
1993 - Puerto Rico adds English as its 2nd official
language
1998 - Spice Girl Victoria Adams (Posh) &
soccer David Beckham get engaged
2000’s
2011 - Egyptian Revolution of 2011 begins in Egypt,
with a series of street demonstrations
Today’s Birthdays
In their 30’s
Alicia Keys, singer is 31
Christine Lakin, actor is 33
In their 50’s
Dinah Manoff, actor is 54
In their 80’s
Dean Jones, Disney actor is 81
Remembered for being
born on this day
Corazon Aquino, 11th President of the
Philippines in 1933
Robert Burns, Alloway Scotland, poet
(Auld Lang Syne) in 1759
Charles Curtis, 31st US VP (1929-33) in
1860
Shirley Mason, American psychiatric
patient (Commonly known as "Sybil") in 1923
[William] Somerset Maugham, Paris,
British novelist/poet (Of Human Bondage) in 1874
Today’s Obits
Al Capone, Chicago gangster, dies of
syphilis at 48 in 1947
Jean Dixon, psychic (Gift of
Prophecy), dies of a heart attack at 79 in 1997
Ava Gardner, actress (Barefoot
Contessa), dies of pneumonia at 67 in 1990
Answers
Brain Game
AnteAntsyAnticsAntennaAntidoteAntiquityAnticipateAntagonistsAnthropologyBonus: resistant
NPR Sunday Puzzle
1.
Hope:
ray of hope
2.
Passage:
Rite of passage
3.
Gibraltar:
rock of Gibraltar
4.
Applause:
round of applause
5.
Law:
rule of law
6.
Fortune:
reversal of fortune
7.
Terror:
reign of terror
8.
Fire:
ring of fire
9.
No
return: river of no return
10. The mill: run of the mill
11. The road: rules of the road
12. The Jedi: Return of the Jedi
13. The sphinx: riddle of the sphinx
14. The ancient mariner: Rhyme of the
ancient mariner
15. The lost ark: Raiders of the Lost Ark
16. Order [two words, both beginning with
R]: Robert’s Rule of Order
Wuzzle
- Rub the wrong way
- Elbows
- Multiple choice
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
☺
