4/17/13

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Flagstaff Almanac:  Week: 16/ Day: 107   Today: H 51°…L 39°

Wind: ave:   10mph; Gusts:  58mph  Ave. humidity:  47%

High wind warning

*Averages: H  58° L 28° Records: H 77°(1948)…L 13°(1995)

Quote of the Day

Today’s Historical Highlights

"Snooker" (variation of pool) invented by Sir Neville Chamberlain…1875

1st successful US newspaper; published in Boston by John Campbell…1704

Ellis Island, NY-11,745 immigrants arrive…1907

Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia ends slavery…1932

Geoffrey Chaucer tells the Canterbury Tales for the first time at the court of Richard II…1397

Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures & Louis B Mayer Co merged to form MGM…1924

Sirhan Sirhan is convicted of assassinating Sen Robert F Kennedy…1969

Virginia is 8th state to secede…1861

♪  ♪   Happy Birthday To: ♪. ♪   

How many can you identify?…answers in Today’s Birthdays

Free Rambling Thoughts   

Another windy day here in our little mountain town. Lots of clouds but no moisture, just drying winds. Fire season is starting early, with one wildfire just outside Flag already. Not the best weather, but tolerable. I-40 closed east of Flag most of the day due to high winds and low visibility due to sand. All this wind is playing havoc with my allergies. Red, itchy eyes most of the day.

 

All the news coverage over the bombing in Boston has me wondering what kind of news coverage there is in the Middle East when a bomb explodes over there. I think it is time our news media follows what happens in other countries. Now they are saying that the Boston bombs were made to kill and maim since there were so many metal fragments and that they were placed on the ground.  There are sure some real sickos ou there.

 

Since it was so windy, I spent some time playing with my pictures again today. I was reviewing the Ethiopian photos and had some great memories. This is such a beautiful country that not too many Americans have an opportunity to visit. I had forgotten the several baboon sightings we had. Great memories.

Game  Center (answers at the end of post)

Brain Teasers

They turn themselves over to me
Completely voluntarily

Knowing before they've departed
They'll end up near where they started

I may be called emotional
Loopy, perhaps commotional

For those brave souls who seek a thrill
I'm sure to nicely fit the bill

By a force of nature propelled
I'm courage-testing those compelled

Greeted with anxiousness and fret
Seldom exited with regret

What am I?

Lifestyle  Substance:     

Found on You Tube with some relevance to today

• Willie Mosconi 1987 Billiards Expo Trick Shots

• Eddie Cochran - Summertime Blues

• Endymion...A Thing of Beauty by John Keats

Origins of Phrases

A thing of beauty is a joy forever

Meaning: Literal meaning.

Origin

From John Keats' epic poem, Endymion, 1818:A thing of beauty is a joy for ever: Its loveliness increases; it will never Pass into nothingness; but still will keep A bower quiet for us, and a sleep Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.

Ok, then?

Harper’s Index    

Value of Chinese acquisitions of US assets and businesses in the past year: $7,700,000,000

Ruminations:

Oh, how a pack of 800 toothpicks looks so small until it spilled all over the floor.

Picture of the Day: North Korea

Unusual Fact of the Day

On an episode of Saved by the Bell: The College Years, A.C. Slater learned his last name was actually Sanchez. His dad changed it 25 years earlier to get into the military academy. "He felt he had to hide his heritage to be accepted,"

Joke-of-the-day

Q. Why did Mrs. Smokey the Bear divorce Smokey the Bear? A. Because every time she got hot, he'd beat her with a shovel!

Rules of Thumb:   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

SHOES TREES

 Buy cedar shoe trees. You only need one pair. Put them in the shoes you just took off. They will absorb moisture and help the shoes keep their shape. Increases lifespan by 50%   

Yeah, It Really Happened

NEW YORK—A former employee of a New York city law firm has been convicted of stealing more than $376,000 worth of copy machine toner from the firm.

Thirty-nine-year-old Adrian Rodriguez pleaded guilty to second-degree grand larceny for his thefts from the firm of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance said Tuesday that Rodriguez ordered more than $376,000 worth of toner from vendors between 2010 and 2012. Prosecutors said Rodriguez then resold the black ink toner for $10 per box and the color ink toner for $15 per box.

The cartridges were worth $80 to $259 apiece.

Officials have said Rodriguez's scheme was part of a growing black market for toner cartridges and other office supplies.

Somewhat Useless Information   

• If you are locked in a completely sealed room, you will die of carbon dioxide poisoning first before you will die of oxygen deprivation.

• If you go blind in one eye, you'll only lose about one-fifth of your vision (but all your depth perception.)

• In a lifetime the average US resident eats more than 50 tons of food and drinks more than 13,000 gallons of liquid.

• In the late 19th century, millions of human mummies were used as fuel for locomotives in Egypt where wood and coal was scarce, but mummies were plentiful.

• It takes 17 muscles to smile --- 43 to frown.

• It would take 1,200,000 mosquitoes, each sucking once, to completely drain the average human of blood.

• Jaw muscles can provide about 200 pounds of force to bring the back teeth together for chewing.

Calendar Information        

Happening This Week:

14-20
Bat Appreciation Week

Health Information Privacy and Security Week

National Crime Victims Rights Week
National Environmental Education Week
National Robotics Week
National Library Week
National Public Safety Telecommunicators (911 Operators) Week

Pan American Week
(Spring) Astronomy Week

Week of The Young Child

Undergraduate Research Week
17-24
International Whistlers Week
Cleaning For A Reason Week
Consumer Awareness Week
Police Officers Who Gave Their Lives In The Line of Duty Week

Today Is                                                                      

Bat Appreciation Day

Blah! Blah! Blah! Day

Bookmobile Day

Ellis Island Family History Day

National Cheeseball Day

National Ford Mustang Day introduced in 1964

National Haiku Poetry Day

Nothing Like A Dame Day

~Syrian Arab Republic: Independence Day (1946 from France)

Today’s Events through History  

Christopher Columbus signs contract with Spain to find Indies…1492

Europe's oldest intact book, The St Cuthbert Gospel, purchased by British 

     Library:£9 million…2012

IBM produces 1st megabit-chip…1986

Longest NL opening game, Phillies & Dodgers tie 5-5 in 14…1923

Mary Surratt is arrested as a conspirator in Lincoln's assassination…1865

Moslem fundamentalists assault military academy in Heliopolis Egypt…1974

Willie Mosconi sinks 150 consecutive balls in a billiard tournament…1956

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

In their 50’s

Sean Bean, actor [Lord of the Rings] is 54

Norman Boomer Esiason, QB and now color commentator is 52

In their 40’s

Jennifer Garner, actress and film producer is 41

In their 30’s

Victoria Beckham [Adams], Harlow, Essex, English singer (Posh Spice-Spice Girls) is 39

Remembered for being born today

Robert Blair, Scottish poet (Grave) [1699-1746]

J. P. Morgan, American financier [1837-1913]

Harry Reasoner, Dakota City Iowa, newscaster (60 Minutes, ABC, CBS) [1923-1991]

Today’s Historical Obits                                                           

Kitty Carlisle, American actress and television personality…2007…at 96

Eddie Cochran, rocker [Summertime Blues]…car crash…1960…at 21

Benjamin Franklin, US, (Poor Richards Almanac)…1790…at 84

John van Kessel, Flemish painter…1679…at 53

Dick Shawn, comedian (Producers)…heart attack on stage…1987…at 57

Answer: Brain Teasers

A roller coaster.

lines 1-2: People who wish to ride a roller coaster do so voluntarily.

lines 3-4: The loading area and where the ride ends for roller coasters are typically not far apart.

lines 5-6: Line 5 alludes to the phrase "emotional roller coaster". In line 6, "Loopy" is a reference to the fact that many roller coasters have loops.

lines 7-8: Most people find a roller coaster ride exhilarating and/or thrilling.

lines 9-10: A roller coaster is powered by the force of gravity. It might be considered as a test of courage to see if one is brave enough to take a ride on a roller coaster. Some may find this challenge enticing.

lines 11-12: Before the roller-coaster ride, there is often some degree of anxiousness or uneasiness. But afterwards, the rider usually feels positive about the experience, and quite possibly would want to go again for another ride.

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  §