Oct 17

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Oct. 17, 2019 Week: 42  Day: 290

86004:   H 72° \ L 39° \ Average Sky Cover: 5% 

Nearest active fire:  35mi.  Nearest lightning:  690mi

Wind:   6mph\Gusts:  6mph  Visibility: 10 mi

Record High: 78°[1973]   Record Low: 18°[1998]

Oct. Averages: 63°\32° ( 4 days with moisture)

Today’s Quote

Life is the art of drawing without an eraser.

John W. Gardner

Random Tidbits

Acronyms

TASER stands for Thomas A. Swift’s Electric Rifle.

Your ZIP code is actually your Zone Improvement Plan code.

The USA PATRIOT Act stands for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (seriously). Linguists call this a “backronym”—the word “Patriot” was likely picked first, then an acronym written to fit it.

Observances This Week

10-17

Take Your Medicine Americans Week

12-20

Bone and Joint Health National Awareness Week Link

12-18

World Rainforest Week

13-19

Bullying Bystanders Unite Week
Drink Local Wine Week  
Earth Science Week
National Chestnut Week
International Infection Prevention Week Link
Mediation Week Link  
National Food Bank Week
Teen Read Week
Veterinary Technicians Week Link

14-18

Choose To Be G.R.E.A.T. Week Link
National School Lunch Week
YWCA Week Without Violence Link 

17-24

Food & Drug Interactions and Awareness Week

Observances for Today

Black Poetry Day
Conflict Resolution Day Link 
Get to Know Your Customers Day 
Get Smart About Credit Day 
International Credit Union Day  Link
International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
Mulligan Day
National Edge Day Link
National Pasta Day Link
National Playing Card Collectors Day
Spirit Day Link  
Wear Something Gaudy Day

My Rambling Thoughts

Another great fall day. Headed out and got my car washed, then off to buy groceries. Pulled my wallet out and paid for the car wash. Put the credit card back in my wallet, but since I was sitting in my car, put it on the console. Realized it after doing my self-checkout at the grocery store. Had to get an attendant to watch my groceries while I moved quickly to my vehicle to retrieve my wallet. Felt like an ‘old man’ who was slowly losing his marbles? Yep!

I did watch most of the debate last night. For me, the standouts were Yang and Warren. Sadly, it is hard for me to see either one beating Trump. I’m still hoping for a dark horse.

I used my wireless earphones yesterday. After using them I put them in their case. This morning I kept hearing a voice while I was on my computer. Couldn’t figure out was it was. It was the darn earphones telling me that the power was off. The female voice was repeating it every 30 seconds. Got out the manual which was zero help. Went on line and that too was zero help. In reading the multi-page manual I saw that they turn off automatically while charging. So I plugged them into an empty charger port and she stopped talking. Almost afraid to unplug them, in case she starts talking again. Life with technology always is interesting.

Early Sunday morning a train derailed about 15 miles from Flagstaff. It closed both tracks and luckily there were no injuries. I am sort-of-happy to report that the derailed cars have been moved and the trains are busy catching up. I didn’t have to cross the tracks today, but there is lots more trains than usual on the tracks today. The derailment had made it much easier to move around town. I really understand in the early days of railroads why towns built up on one side of the tracks.

Today’s Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of this page

Long and thin, red within,

With a nail at the end.

What am I?

Historical Events

1091 - The London Tornado of 1091 destroyed many buildings, and killed two people.

1814 - The London Beer Flood killed 8 people.

1860 - First Open (Golf) Championship (referred to in the US as the British Open).

1904 Bank of Italy (Bank of America) opens its doors in San Francisco, founded by Amadeo Giannini

1907 Guglielmo Marconi's company begins the first commercial transatlantic wireless service between Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada and Clifden, Ireland

1919 - Radio Corporation of America (RCA) incorporated.

1931 - Al Capone was convicted of income tax evasion.

1933 Albert Einstein arrives in US as a refugee from Nazi Germany

1943 Burma railway completed, built by Allied POWs and Asian laborers for use of the Japanese army

1956 - The first commercial nuclear power station is officially opened in Sellafield, Cumbria, England.

1956 - Donald Byrne and Bobby Fischer played a game of chess labeled The Game of the Century. Fischer beat Byrne.

1958 - An Evening With Fred Astaire premiered, it was one the first "special" programs on television, and won nine Emmy Awards.

1960 - #1 Hit: The Drifters - Save the Last Dance for Me

1961 NY Museum of Modern Art hangs Henri Matisse's "Le Bateau" upside-down It wasn't corrected until December 3rd

1964 - #1 Hit: Manfred Mann - Do Wah Diddy Diddy

1965 - The 1964-65 New York World's Fair closed. Over 51 million people had attended the event.

1966 - All of NBC's news programming began airing in full-color.

1970 - #1 Hit: The Jackson 5 - I'll Be There

1973 - OPEC imposed an oil embargo against a number of Western countries.

1979 - The Department of Education Organization Act was signed into law, creating the US Department of Education and US Department of Health and Human Services.

1979 - Mother Teresa won the Nobel Peace Prize.

1981 - #1 Hit: Christopher Cross - Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)

1989 (Earthquake) The Lome Prieta earthquake interrupted Game 3 of the World Series

2005 - The Colbert Report premiered on Comedy Central

2007 - Storm Chasers debuted on The Discovery Channel

2007 The Dalai Lama receives the United States Congressional Gold Medal

2012 Lance Armstrong loses a host of endorsements in the wake of his doping scandal

Birthdays Today

Robert Craig ‘Evel’ Knievel, daredevil  

(d. 2007 @69; lung problems)

Norm Macdonald, Canadian comic (SNL) (60)

Alan Jackson, country singer (61)

Eminem

'Marshall Bruce Mathers III', rapper (47)

Puzzle answer:

A finger