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Almanac: Week: 51 \ Day: 354
December
Averages: 44°\17°
86004 Today: H 44°\L 22°
Ave. humidity: 72% Average Sky Cover: 45%
Wind ave: 1mph\Gusts: 12mph
Ave. High: 43° Record
High: 61° (1917)
Ave. Low: 16° Record
Low: -12° (1924)
Holiday Observances
Today:
Cathode-Ray Tube Day
Games
Day
International
Human Solidarity Day
Mudd
Day-Dr. who helped John Wilkes Booth with his injuries
National
Sangria Day
World
Day of Prayer and Action for Children
Observances This
Week:
14-20
Gluten-free
Baking Week
14-28
Halcyon
Days
15-31
Christmas Bird Count Week
16-24
Posadas
17-24
Chanukah
Saturnalia
• • • • • • •
Quote of
the Day
Historical
Highlights for Today
1192 - Richard the Lionhearted captured in Vienna
1606 - Virginia Company settlers leave London to
establish Jamestown, Virginia
1688 - Prince William of Orange's troops arrive in
London
1745 - Bonnie Prince Charlie's army reaches the
river Esk
1790 - 1st successful US cotton mill to spin yarn
(Pawtucket, RI)
1803 - French flag lowered in New Orleans to mark
formal transfer of Louisiana Purchase from France to US for $27M
1812 - "Grimm's Fairy Tales" by Jacob
and Wilhelm Grimm is published
1820 - Missouri imposes a $1 bachelor tax on
unmarried men between 21 & 50
1860 - South Carolina secedes from the Union (US
Civil War)
1880 - NY's Broadway lit by electricity, becomes
known as "Great White Way"
1892 - Pneumatic automobile tire patented,
Syracuse, NY
1919 - US House of Representatives restricts
immigration
1919 - Canadian National Railways established (N
America's longest, 50,000 KM)
1920 - Bob Hope becomes an American citizen
1922 - 14 republics form Union of Soviet
Socialistic Republics (USSR)
1957
- Elvis Presley given draft notice to
join US Army for National Service
1963 - Berlin Wall opens for 1st time to West
Berliners
1967 - "The Graduate"
starring Dustin Hoffman& Anne Bancroft premieres
1985 - Sportscaster Howard Cosell retires from
television sports after 20 years
2005 - The first same sex civil partnerships in
Scotland are celebrated
2007 - Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth
II becomes the oldest ever monarch of the UK
• • • • • • •
♫
Birthdays Today: ♫
How many can you identify? Answers below in Birthday’s Today
My
Rambling Thoughts
Interesting day. Snow stopped and fairly clear sky much of the
day. Made my (hopefully) last Christmas Shopping trip. Picked up Christmas bags
and birthday bags for my trip to Merida. Also found a microfiber sheet set for
$10. At least that is what the sign said, but the magic cash register rang them
up at $39.95. I caught it and after waiting for someone to go check the price,
I was right and got them for $10…good deal. I have been using T-shirt sheet
sets for years, but a couple of months ago I found another microfiber sheet set
on sale. Tried them and liked them. Must say they are much nicer after a couple
of washes.
As a student of culture awareness, I am having a problem with Sony
and with N. Korea. On the Sony side, making a parody about the killing of a
politician is not cool. As many times, parody is culturally sensitive, and what
is funny in one culture is not necessarily funny in another. On the N. Korea
side, I get that they are upset and why they wanted retribution as the parody
plot was not funny to them. Hacking and then releasing emails and other
business stuff did that. Then, they threatened the movie going public and the
studio with violence…not cool. So Sony pulled the movie from distribution. It
appears that Sony has lost this cyberwar. I wonder if the American people also
lost by not being able to see the movie? I don’t think the movie would have
been an award worthy movie. Until all the controversy, it looked like a movie
along the lines of Dumb and Dumber. That said, when Americans are told they can’t
see something, the get upset and if the movie is released somehow, it will be a
blockbuster…which it probably wouldn’t have been without the controversy. Time
will tell.
Back to culture awareness. During my time on the Navajo Rez, I had
a hard time understanding their humor. After a time, it really was funny, once
I understood it. I heard many Navajo jokes that had been translated into
English, for my benefit. Many times the joke, told in Navajo, would have all
the Navajos laughing loudly. When translated, many times they were greeted with
silence until there was an explanation. Here is a common one: Grandma comes
running into the Hogan yelling hurry, hurry, grandpa got run over out on the
road. Everyone rushes to the road and starts laughing, including grandma. I
know, silence in English. Explanation: Grandpa and horny toad are the same word
in Navajo. Now at least is brings a smile to Non-Navajo speakers.
• • • • • • •
Brain
Teasers
(answers at the end of post)
Can
you decipher this?
DDDDDDDDDD
DDDWESTDDD
DDDDDDDDDD
Found on
You Tube with some relevance to today
OK Then…
• • • • • • •
Paraphernalia
4 the Brain:
December
Holiday Facts
* Christmas Carol video in Native Languages
*Christmas-Christian
¤ There are approximately 21,000 Christmas tree farms in the
United States. In 2008, nearly 45 million Christmas trees were planted, adding
to the existing 400 million trees.
¤ The first person to decorate a Christmas tree was reportedly the
Protestant reformer Martin Luther (1483-1546). According to legend, he was so
moved by the beauty of the stars shining between the branches of a fir tree, he
brought home an evergreen tree and decorated it with candles to share the image
with his children.
*Hanukkah-Jewish
Gambling is considered almost a sin. However, a gambling game
called as "dreidel" is a popular Hanukkah tradition. People play this
game with a square spinning top. However, the game is not played for hefty sum,
but for pennies or chocolate coins.
Flagstaff,
AZ History…
100 YEARS
AGO
As a result of miscalculating the steering of his motorcycle, C.
D. Young of the Alfalfa Mill sustained a broken leg and was badly bruised in
the crash with an auto driven by Daniel Camp of Maine. The victim was thrown
from his machine and fell on the hood of the auto.
Flagstaff’s
Iconic 50…
More than just raucous college bars
(although you'll find those, too), Flagstaff's known for its several craft
breweries and cozy pubs. One thing you'll notice fairly quickly upon arrival,
if you didn't know it already, is that Flagstaff loves its beer and cocktails.
After a day of hiking, skiing or snowboarding, there's nothing better than a
cold, locally crafted beer shared with friends. Find the best places to go out
and have a few drinks in downtown Flagstaff. Including Hops On Birch, Wanderlust
Brewing, San Felipes Cantina, The Green Room, Altitudes Bar and Grill, Cuvee
928
Harper’s
Index…
¤ Estimated amount of taxes and fees that Colorado has collected
from the marijuana industry since legalization: $34,800,000
¤ That Texas has allocated for a 3 month deployment of National
Guard officers to the border: $38,000,000
Rules of
Thumb…
SETTING
COLUMN WIDTH
Avoid columns of
type more than 65 characters long. Longer lines cause readers to read the same
line twice.
Unusual
Fact of the Day…
It
is never mentioned that there were specifically "three" wise men in
the Bible. The number could have been anything, even numbering in the hundreds.
• • • • • • •
Joke-of-the-day
- EVER WONDER
-Why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin?
- Why women can't put on mascara with their mouth closed?
- Why don't you ever see the headline "Psychic Wins Lottery"?
- Why is "abbreviated" such a long word?
- Why is it that doctors call what they do "practice"?
- Why is it that to stop Windows 98, you have to click on "Start"?
- Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid made
with real lemons?
- Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?
- Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?
- Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?
- When dog food is new and improved tasting, who tests it?
- Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?
- Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?
- You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes? Why don't
they make the whole plane out of that stuff?
- Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?
- Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?
- If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?
- If flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal?
Yep, It
Really Happened
A Roswell, Georgia pastor spoke out after a man who was found
naked allegedly set his church on fire.
Police arrested Juan Ramirez, 24, after they found him naked near
the church. Police said Ramirez admitted to setting the church on fire.
According to the incident report, authorities responded after they
were told a man was wandering around naked.
Authorities found the man, identified as Ramirez, and said he told
them he was trying to get in touch with Indian gods.
Ramirez says he is Jesus Christ, but Father Phillip Scott thinks
he's far from it.
"It was 36 degrees by the thermometer on my car and he was
arrested totally nude ... I don't know about it being crazy. Let's just put it
this way, there's something wrong," Scott said.
Scott said Ramirez ignited four fires on the property. The father
has lived on the property for more than 35 years. Part of the church building
burned, but Scott said they have insurance, and people came from all over to
help clean.
Somewhat
Useless Information
¤
Gustave Eiffel designed his monument to the French Revolution in 1887 as a
grand entranceway to the 1889 International Exposition in Paris. Today, the
tower attracts more than six million visitors per year.
¤ Eiffel and his crew of 300 workers assembled the tower's 18,000 pieces of
iron in two years, two months and five days. They came in under budget and on
time for the start of the fair.
¤ Every seven years, at least 25 workers use approximately 60 tons of paint to
rustproof the tower.
¤ On a clear day, a person at the top of the Eiffel Tower can see about 42
miles in every direction.
¤ On the four sides of the tower, the names of 72 famous French scientists and
engineers are engraved to honor their national contributions.
¤ Heat from the sun can cause the tower to expand up to 3/4 of an inch. During
the cold winter months, the tower shrinks approximately six inches.
• • • • • • •
Today’s
Events through History
1969 - Peter, Paul & Mary's "Leaving on a
Jet Plane" reaches #1
1978
- H R Haldeman, Nixon's White House chief of
staff released from jail
1987 - Nancy Lopez/Miller Barber wins LPGA Mazda
Golf Championship
2012 - Apple is denied a patent for mobile
pinch-to-zoom gestures by the US patent authorities
• • • • • • •
Birthday’s
Today
Kim
Young-sam, President of South Korea is 87
Agatha N "Kim"
Weston, US gospel/singer (It
Takes Two) is 75
Uri
Geller, Tel Aviv, Israel, psychic (bends forks) is 68
Dick Wolf, television
series creator (Miami Vice, Law & Order) is 68
Jonah
Hill, actor, filmmaker, comedian is 31
Remembered
for being born today
Charles
Edward Stuart, [Bonnie Prince Charlie] [1720-1788@67]
Samuel Mudd, doctor,
gave medical aid to JW Booth [1833-1883@49]
Harvey
Firestone, Industrialist, tires, [1868-1938@69]
Irene [Marie] Dunne, actress (I Remember Mama)
[1898-1990@91]
• • • • • • •
Historical
Obits Today
Foster
Brooks, American actor and comedian, 2001, @91
Dean Rusk, US Sect
of State (1961-69), 1994, @85
Arthur
Rubinstein, pianist (My Young Years), 1982, @95
Vincent
Ciccone, inventor (Blow-Pops candy), 1997, @81
Steve
Landesberg, American actor and comedian, cancer, 2010, @74
Richard J
Daley, (Mayor-D-Chicago), heart attack, 1976, @74
John
Steinbeck, author (Grapes of Wrath, 2 Nobels), heart failure, 1968, @66
Carl
Sagan, scientist (Contact), pneumonia, 1996, @62
Moss Hart,
dramatist (You can't take it with you), heart attack, 1961, @57
James
Hilton, English author (Lost Horizon), liver cancer, 1954, @54
Max
Robinson, 1st African American network TV anchor, AIDS, 1988, @49
Bobby
Darin, singer (Mack the Knife), heart failure, 1973, @37
Sacagawea,
Shoshone interpreter for Lewis & Clark, 1864?, @24 [Tribes disagree]
• • • • • • •
Brain Teasers Answers
West Indies
(West in D's)
• • • • • • •
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 contains mistakes and sadly once 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…§
