Saturday Dec 18




TODAY’S QUOTE—W.J. Ronald Tucker

For centuries men have kept an appointment with Christmas. Christmas means fellowship, feasting, giving and receiving, a time of good cheer, home.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
Teachers around AZ are now on Winter Break. A well deserved break I know they will enjoy.

My ENT looked at the CD of my CT, just as he suspected, way too much loose soft tissue down there. I told him I had talked to several friends and everyone agreed my voice hasn’t changed in at least 20 years. He said that was probably true and that he had never seen anything like it. He showed me how, when I am holding my breath and laying on my back the soft tissue basically cuts off the windpipe from getting any air. Thus I don’t lay on my back very often…duh. He says he can’t wait to get in there and make my breathing better. So I’ll go in for the trimming in January by making the appointment tomorrow. Whoopeee!

Martha and I had lunch and exchanged gifts. I got a bunch of stuff, including choc chip cookies (my favorite), a Scottish can cooler, and a bottle of choco-red wine. It sounds awful, but is actually quite good. I had a glass after dinner. It was a good lunch and a good time.

While I was there, I got a voice mail—I never talk on the cell when I’m with others, unless it looks really really important. The HOA has decided that we will all get parking stickers for our vehicles. Their reasoning is that during the winter parking restrictions on the street too many non-residents are parking on our ‘street’ which is really a parking lot, even though it has a street name and has no parking restrictions during the winter. All it does is allow the tenants with stickers to park in front of the doors. All those without stickers will park a little farther away from the doors. About five residences near me already have to park far from their doors because the parking area doesn’t even come close to their unit. Power play for sure. I reminded her that none of us have gotten new numbers on our doors. She said she had talked to the head of the HOA. I reminded her that I didn’t want to hear excuses, I just wanted numbers back up. I told her that since our last talk one fire engine and two ambulances have entered our street and have had to stop to count doors to figure out which unit had called 911. I also told her that UPS, FEDEx, and the PO is using lots of substitute drivers and they too have to stop and count doors. I asked her to remind the head HOA person that I now consider this a safety issue and would sure hate to be sitting on the board if someone did not get the medical attention they needed because the first responders couldn’t find the right unit in a quick manner. She said she would call her right away, again.

I was going to run some errands after my ENT visit, but when I came out it was snowing—again. Traffic was moving very slowly for some reason and I don’t think it was the snow flurries. I swear I had to stop at every one of the ten stoplights between the doctor and my house. It was like some crazy traffic director was doing everything possible to slow the traffic. I will do those errands on Monday.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1936 Su-Lin, 1st giant panda to come to US from China, arrives in San Francisco

∞ JEOPARDY PUZZLE—(SuperJeopardy Answers) from 1990 DEMOCRATS
◄In May 1990 Daniel Akaka became this state's new junior senator, replacing Spark Matsunaga
◄Colorado congresswoman who was an almost-ran in the 1988 presidential race
◄William A. O'Neill has been governor of Connecticut since she resigned because of illness
◄He's been an Arizona congressman since 1961 when his brother vacated the seat to join JFK's cabinet—his service ended in 1991.
◄He lost the presidential nomination to Hubert Humphrey in 1968 & ran as an independent in 1976

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—Snow
While snow appears to be white, it is actually clear and transparent. The crystals become prisms and break up the light into the entire spectrum of color. Since our eye cannot process that, we see it as white, or sometimes blue.
►◄
Based on National Climatic Data Center records, New York state is home to the snowiest cities in the United States: Syracuse averages 115 inches of snow per year, and Rochester averages 93 inches per year.
►◄
Buffalo, New York, is a close runner-up in terms of U.S. large cities with the most snow. A 39-inch snowfall in 24 hours in early December 1995 cost the city nearly $5 million for snow removal.

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM  JANESVILLE, MN
A 26-year-old man thought he was doing a good deed when he gave a 70-year-old woman a ride to a Minnesota bank.
But police say the woman robbed the bank, and the man was her unsuspecting getaway driver.
The man told The Free Press of Mankato that he thought the woman, who rents an apartment from his mother, was going to the bank to withdraw cash so she could pay back rent. His mother had recently begun eviction proceedings over unpaid rent, the Free Press reported.
Instead, employees of the Elysian State Bank reported Wednesday that an "elderly woman" told the teller she had a gun, demanded money and left with $3,700, according to The Star Tribune.
The bank's vice president followed the black Jaguar, calling in a description, location and license plate number as he went.
Police stopped the car and, with guns drawn, ordered both occupants to the ground.
The woman repeatedly told police, “Luke had nothing to with it,” The Star Tribune reported.
The woman had a hammer but no gun, according to The Star Tribune. She's in jail, pending charges.
Found in the car along with the cash and the hammer, The Star Tribune reported: a pair of white rubber gloves and a 2011 Elysian Bank calendar.

A LITTLE LAUGH
A Sunday School teacher of preschoolers told her students that she wanted each of them to have learned one fact about Jesus by the next Sunday.
The following week she asked each child in turn what they had learned.
Susie said, "He was born in a manger."
Bobby said, "He threw the money changers out of the temple."
Little Johnny said, "He has a red pickup truck but he doesn't know how to drive it."
Curious, the teacher asked, "And where did you learn that, Johnny?"
"From my Daddy," said Johnny. "Yesterday we were driving down the highway, and this red pickup truck pulled out in front of us and Daddy yelled at him, 'Jesus Christ! Why don't you learn how to drive?'"

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’
While working I always enjoyed listening to the children sing Carols in their native language. Here are a few carols in various Indigenous languages:


DAYBOOK INFORMATION
♦ THIS WEEK ♦
14-28: Halcyon Days: The seven days where there are no winter storms
16-24: Posadas:
17-23: Saturnalia
♦ TODAY IS… ♦
International Migrants Day
Niger: Republic Day
Mexico: Feast of Our Lady of Solitude
Qatar: National Day (1958)
US: New Jersey: Ratification Day (1787—3rd state to ratify constitution)
♫ Academy Awards Best Original Song ♫
Click on Song Title to see and hear
♦Today’s Births♦
ARTS
Christina Aguilera, 30, singer
1779 Joseph Grimaldi English pantomimist ("greatest clown in history")
Leonard Maltin, 60, movie critic, author (Maltin’s Guide)
Keith Richards, 67, musician, singer (Rolling Stones)
1870 Saki (Hector Hugo Munro) Burma, author (Reginald, When William Came)
Steven Spielberg, 63, producer, director (E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Indiana Jones movies, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Jurassic Park, The Color Purple; Oscars for Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan)
► ◄ Actors
1916 Betty Grable great legs/actress (Gay Divorcee)
1917 Ossie Davis actor/playwright (Hot Stuff, Man Called Adam)
Katie Holmes, 32, actress (Batman Begins, Pieces of April, “Dawson’s Creek”)
Ray Liotta, 55, actor (Unforgettable, Goodfellas, Field of Dreams, Something Wild)
Brad Pitt, 46, actor (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Babel, Ocean’s Eleven)
Roger Smith, 78, actor (77 Sunset Strip)
1906 Kam Tong actor (Across the Pacific, Flower Drum Song)
Casper Van Dien, 42, actor (Starship Troopers)
ATHLETICS
1886 Ty Cobb , batted .367, stole 892 bases (Tigers)
Greg Landry, 64, football: Univ. of Massachusetts; Detroits Lions QB/QB coach
Charles Oakley, 47, basketball (Bulls, Knicks, Raptors, Wizards, Rockets)
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1888 Robert Moses power broker (built Long Island & NYC parks & roads)
POLITICS
1913 Willy Brandt [Herbert Frahm] German chancellor (1969-74, Nobel 1971)
Ramsey Clark, 83, US Attorney General (1967-69)
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1856 Joseph John Thomson English physicist discovered electron (Nobel 1906)
♦Today’s Obituaries♦
John T "Legs" Diamond US gangster, murdered @ 35 in 1931
Chris Farley comedian (Saturday Night Live, Tommy Boy), OD @ 33 in 1997
Mother Clare Hale cared for NYC AIDS babies (Hale House), @ 87 in 1992
Mark Goodson TV game show producer (Goodson-Toddman), cancer @ 77 in 1992
Antonio Stradivari renowned violin-maker, @ 93 in 1737
♦Today’s Events♦
ARTS
1892 Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballet "Nutcracker Suite" premieres
1920 Conductor Arturo Toscanini made his first recording for Victor Records
1956 "To Tell the Truth" debuts on CBS-TV
1966 Dr Seuss' "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" airs for 1st time on CBS
1976 "Wonder Woman" debuts on ABC
ATHLETICS
1961 For 2nd consecutive year, AP names Wilma Rudolph female athlete of year
1994 Darryl Strawberry pleads not guilty on tax evasion charges
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1719 Thomas Fleet publishes "Mother Goose's Melodies For Children"
1796 1st US newspaper to appear on Sunday (Baltimore Monitor)
1865 1st US cattle importation law passed
1991 General Motors announces the closing of 21 plants
1996 TV industry executives agree to adopt a ratings system
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1835 A military baggage caravan near Micanopy, FL, separated from its main force while marching from Jacksonville to Wetumpka. A group of Seminoles, led by Osceola, will attack the soldiers, killing most of them. This battle will be called the "Battle of Black Point"; and, according to some historians, will be the first battle of the Second Seminole War.
POLITICS (US)
1777 1st national Thanksgiving Day, commemorating Burgoyne's surrender
1935 A $1 silver certificate was issued. It was the first currency to depict the front and back sides of the Great Seal of the United States.
POLITICS (International)
1944 Nazi occupiers of Amsterdam destroy electricity plants
1956 Israeli flag hoisted on Mount Sinai
1980 Vietnam adopts constitution
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1839 1st celestial photograph (the moon) made in US, John Draper
1849 William Bond obtains 1st photograph of Moon through a telescope
1898 Automobile speed record set-63 kph (39 mph)
ANSWERS
∞ JEOPARDY
In May 1990 Daniel Akaka became this state's new junior senator, replacing Spark Matsunaga
What is Hawaii?
Colorado congresswoman who was an almost-ran in the 1988 presidential race
Who was Pat Schroeder?
William A. O'Neill has been governor of Connecticut since she resigned because of illness
Who was Ella Grasso?
He's been an Arizona congressman since 1961 when his brother vacated the seat to join JFK's cabinet
Who was Morris Udall?
He lost the presidential nomination to Hubert Humphrey in 1968 & ran as an independent in 1976
Who was Eugene McCarthy?
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Friday Dec 17





TODAY’S QUOTE—W.T. Ellis

It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
It has either been raining or snowing all day. The wind has been as high as 25mph.

Our retirement group got together at a fancy restaurant—a converted old-town home with eating in small rooms. I gave those daily tear off each day calendars and got some great homemade cookies and candy and a redi-med inhaler that is guaranteed to work to clear out junk in your nose. Very cool. Cheryl is not losing weight as quickly as she had hoped but is hangin’ in there till her January appointment. She is heading for Cal-I-four-ney-ah on Tuesday. Mary is volunteering at a kindergarten to help out a church member is who going crazy with 20+ kindergarteners and no aide. Her grandkids are coming to Flag on Saturday and they are doing the ‘Polar Express’ to Grand Canyon on Sunday evening. It is a Santa Clause ride with a ‘Polar Express’ theme. All passengers take the ride in PJ’s as they listen to the story and while come of the crew act it out. If nothing else, the car ride for Mary, Mike, the parents and the twins—in PJ’s should be interesting. Sure hope they don’t have to stop for a bathroom break, gas, or have car problems. Maybe the driver will change in the train station restroom. She will be heading to Phoenix for Christmas sometime next week.

I am still confused. In 100 words or less can anyone tell me exactly why we are sending our youth to Afghanistan? Next task, in 100 words or less, why are we not leaving until 2014 at the earliest? If we knew that the populace of Afghanistan had asked for our help, I would get it. They didn’t. If the elected government of Afghanistan had asked for our help, I would get that. They didn’t. Our young military continue to die every day. This year—2010—has had the highest number of lost Americans. I saw a US map today of the towns where a soldier has been killed or severely wounded—not talking about a bullet in the arm, talking about losing a limb. There were over 36,000 dots—1500 dead, the rest severely wounded. The men and women who return wounded have their entire lives ahead of them without an arm, a leg, or TBI. For many, death would have been a whole lot less painful. If I could put a face on the enemy; if I could understand their mindset; if I thought that the vast majority of the populace wanted democracy; I could understand. Since two generations of Afghans have lived their entire life in war, they seem to have become dependent of war. It is all they know so they don’t want it to end. 2014 will become 2016 and each withdrawal date will simply be moved a couple of years ahead. Mark Z, the FB guy was in 6th grade when we sent our first troops to Afghanistan. It’s time to tell Afghanistan, get your people to take over cause the US is leaving Jan 1, 2011. And then we need to leave.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1936 Ventriloquist Edgar Bergen & dummy Charlie McCarthy, make their radio debut on Rudy Vallee’s Royal Gelatin Hour

∞ JEOPARDY PUZZLE—(SuperJeopardy Answers) from 1990 SMITHS
◄The Pilgrims used the maps & books of this founder of Virginia, but did not accept his services
◄This former ABC News anchor played himself in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" & "The Candidate"
◄This New York Daily News columnist once said that gossip is "news in a red satin dress"
◄Much of this British poet's works dealt with death including her most famous, "Not Waving, But Drowning"
◄She wrote over 70 one-act plays but is best known for her first novel, "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn"

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—Snow
Snowflakes can range in size from just a fraction of an inch to much longer. In 1887, a fifteen inch snowflake was recorded in Ft. Keough, Montana.
►◄
The largest amount of snow recorded in one year was 1,140 inches. It was recorded in Mt. Baker ski area in Washington in 1998-1999. That is about 95 feet of snow in one year!
►◄
Every year an average of 105 snowstorms occur in the continental united states. A typical storm will have a snow-producing lifetime of two to five days and will bring snow to portions of several states.

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM Fort Lauderdale, FL
Sheldon Gonzales said he was asleep on his couch Tuesday night when he was suddenly "awakened by a burning sensation in the crotch of his pants," according to a report from the Broward Sheriff's Office.
Standing over Gonzales was girlfriend Berlinda Dixon-Newbold, cigarette lighter in hand.
Gonzales quickly realized the bottom of his shirt, which was lying over his crotch, was on fire. He was able to put out the small blaze with his hands, police said.
When Gonzales tried to leave, Dixon-Newbold confronted him at the door, and a "heated argument" broke out. A neighbor called police, who showed up and arrested the 38-year-old woman for aggravated assault.
Dixon-Newbold was being held on $6,500 bail.

A LITTLE LAUGH
Yesterday I was at my local COSTCO buying a large bag of Purina dog chow for my loyal pet, Jake, the Wonder Dog and was in the check-out line when a woman behind me asked if I had a dog.
What did she think I had an elephant? So since I'm retired and have little to do, on impulse I told her that no, I didn't have a dog, I was starting the Purina Diet again. I added that I probably shouldn't, because I ended up in the hospital last time, but that I'd lost 50 pounds before I awakened in an intensive care ward with tubes coming out of most of my orifices and IVs in both arms.
I told her that it was essentially a Perfect Diet and that the way that it works is, to load your pants pockets with Purina Nuggets and simply eat one or two every time you feel hungry. The food is nutritionally complete so it works well and I was going to try it again. (I have to mention here that practically everyone in line was now enthralled with my story.)
Horrified, she asked if I ended up in intensive care, because the dog food poisoned me . I told her no, I stepped off a curb to sniff a poodle's ass and a car hit me.
I thought the guy behind her was going to have a heart attack he was laughing so hard.
Costco won't let me shop there anymore.
Better watch what you ask retired people. They have all the time in the world to think of crazy things to say.

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

DAYBOOK INFORMATION
♦ THIS WEEK ♦
10-17: Human Rights Week
14-28: Halcyon Days: The seven days where there are no winter storms
16-24: Posadas: Christmas celebration in Mexico
17-23: Saturnalia: Ancient Roman Festival to the God Saturn. Eat, drink, be merry—role reversals of slaves and masters.

♦ TODAY IS… ♦
Underdog Day
National Maple Syrup Day
Wright Brothers Day
Bhutan: National Day (ascension of 1st king)
Colombia: Independence Day (1819)
United States: International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers
Venezuela: Bolivar Day (1830)

♫ Academy Awards Best Original Song ♫
Click on Song Title to see and hear
♦Today’s Births♦
ARTS
1942 Paul Butterfield musician: group: Paul Butterfield Blues Band: East-West
1903 Erskine P Caldwell author (Tobacco Road, God's Little Acre)
1894 Arthur Fiedler conductor (Boston Pops)
1807 John Greenleaf Whittier poet: Barbara Frietchie, Maud Miller, Snowbound; Quaker: devoted to the abolitionist cause in U.S
► ◄ Actors
Christopher Cazenove, 65, actor (Zulu Dawn, Eye of the Needle)
Bernard Hill, 66, actor (The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, Great Expectations, Titanic)
1927 Richard Long, actor (Professor-Nanny & the Professor)
ATHLETICS
Leo (Leonardo Lazaro Alfonso) ‘Chico’ Cardenas, 72, baseball: (Reds, Angels, Indians, Rangers)
Chase Utley, 32, baseball (Phillies)
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1930 Bob Guccione publisher
1929 William Safire journalist, author: Words of Wisdom, Coming to Terms
POLITICS
1874 William Lyon Mackenzie King (L), 10th Canadian PM (1921-30, 1935-48)
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1797 Joseph Henry scientist/inventor/pioneer of electromagnetism
1824 John Kerr System physicist (electro-visually Kerr-effect)
1908 Willard Frank Libby inventor (carbon-14 "atomic clock" (Nobel 1960))
♦Today’s Obituaries♦
1830 Simon Bolivar President of Colombia, TB @ 47
♦Today’s Events♦
ARTS
1843 - A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens was published in London and immediately sold out.
1969
ATHLETICS
1984 John McEnroe and Peter Fleming lost a doubles tennis match in the Davis Cup competition for the first time in 14 matches.
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1791 NYC traffic regulation creates 1st 1-way street
1875 Violent bread riots in Montréal
1900 New Ellis Island Immigration station completed costing $1.5 million
1965 Largest newspaper-Sunday New York Times at 946 pages (50¢)
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1890 Sitting Bull and the police killed during his arrest are buried with honor.
POLITICS (US)
1821 Kentucky abolishes debtor’s prisons
1852 1st Hawaiian cavalry organized
1895 Anti-Saloon League of America formed, Washington DC
1944 US Army announces end of excluding Japanese-Americans from West Coast; Japanese-Americans are released from detention camps
1975 Lynette Fromme is sentenced to life for attempt on President Ford's life
POLITICS (International)
1745 Bonnie Prince Charles army retreats to Scotland
1949 Burma recognizes People's Republic of China
1996 Kofi Atta Annan was named seventh secretary-general of the United Nations
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1526 Pope Clemens VII publishes degree Cum ad zero - forms Inquisition
1728 Congregation Shearith Israel of New York purchases a lot on Mill Street in lower Manhattan, to build New York's 1st synagogue
1900 1st prize of 100,000 francs offered for communications with extraterrestrials. Martians excluded-considered too easy
1903 The first successful powered airplane flight took place near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
ANSWERS
∞ JEOPARDY
◄The Pilgrims used the maps & books of this founder of Virginia, but did not accept his services
Who was Captain John Smith?
◄This former ABC News anchor played himself in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" & "The Candidate"
Who was Howard K Smith?
◄This New York Daily News columnist once said that gossip is "news in a red satin dress"
Who was Liz Smith?
◄Much of this British poet's works dealt with death including her most famous, "Not Waving, But Drowning"
Who was Stevie Smith?
◄She wrote over 70 one-act plays but is best known for her first novel, "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn"
Who was Betty Smith?

 50 million TV viewers see singer Tiny Tim marry Miss Vicky, on Tonight Show
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Thursday Dec 16



TODAY’S QUOTE—Marjorie Holmes

At Christmas, all roads lead home.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
It sure was a strange weather day. This morning it was a little cloudy but when I checked the weather forecast It still showed 10mph winds with rain or snow in the afternoon, but a high of 55° expected. About 10am there were 35+mph wind; it was completely overcast; and there was snow blowing around in the air. It was about 38° and the snow melted as it hit the ‘hot’ pavement. The wind kept up most of the day and it was ‘sn-in’ or ‘ra-ow’ most of the day. Not a nice day to be outside.

I did go get my CT scan today. Quick and easy. Just as the guy started the dye, I let him know it was leaking. He said he would go ahead do the scan. It takes all of about 20 seconds. Then he came in and found that the dye and some of MY BLOOD had leaked out onto the floor. He checked the pictures and said that all of the dye and a tiny bit of my blood had leaked out when the connection between the IV and the dye ‘popped out’. He said that he would have to do it again and show me the difference. So he loaded up, another tech came in and cleaned up the floor and we did it again. He then showed me the difference between the two sets of pics. It is really cool to see how they look. They somehow can rotate the pictures 360° and he pointed out my various veins, body parts in my neck and showed me the difference between the no-dye and dye photos. My doctor will get all the pics on a CD. I sure don’t understand what I was looking at—except for the vertebrae, the brain, the aorta, and a couple of other things. Then he tells me to go across the hall to Suite 101 to pick up the CD for the doctor. Now that was an experience. The sign on the door said ‘Suite 101—mammograms and ultrasounds’. I went in to a room full of fairly pregnant women sitting in chairs that must have been made for pregnant women. The back leaned back enough to have my stomach stick out and must be somehow comfortable for women with child. The receptionist asked “how can I help you, today?” I told her I sure didn’t need a mammogram or an ultrasound, but I did need a CD. She laughed and said have a seat and it will be ready in about 5 minutes. I sat in one of the chairs and found it very uncomfortable. The 8 ladies in the waiting room seemed very comfortable. Who knew? Not me for sure. In less than 5 minutes I had my CD and was on the way home.

I have never considered myself a scrooge type person. I was really surprised today when the Post Office announced that they were getting many letters to Santa from adults. One of my favorite Christmas movies is the original ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ and one of my favorite scenes is the Post Office brining bulging bags of letters into the court room where Kris is on trial. Some of the adult letters are available at big city post offices where one can go in, get a letter and fill the requests. That is all cool. What is odd is that most of the letters are from single mothers who state they still believe in Santa and need basic essentials for themselves and their one or two children. I’m afraid this is the result of kids having kids. The letters read were asking for clothes, shoes, a winter jacket and did not ask for toys. They were all hand written with semi-legible handwriting and not using standard grammar. Since I have never heard of this kind of letter before and I’m pretty sure that these letters have never been public before, I am pretty sure that the authors did not expect the letters to be made public. On a similar story the Post Office noted that about 60% of the letters from kids—little kids—are asking for clothes, shoes, mittens, winter jackets, and snow boots instead of toys. So many of us don’t know what it is like to be poor. I will continue to put money in the Salvation Army Kettles, and at the mall’s Toys for Tots. I’ll probably even make an extra trip to the mall just for that reason. ‘Tis the Season.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1811 Most violent & prolonged quakes in US begins in Midwest region; 8.0 earthquake shakes New Madrid MO

∞ JEOPARDY PUZZLE—(SuperJeopardy Answers) from 1990 HODGEPODGE
►"Blow The Man Down" is an example of this type of song sailors sang while working on sailing ships
►In 1802 Napoleon instituted this award, France's highest
►The Royal Opera House in London has staged this Beethoven opera over 100 times since World War II
►This Scottish missionary explored the Kalahari Desert & discovered the Zambezi River in 1851
►"All The King's Men" can't bring this U.S. Poet Laureate back again; he died September 15, 1989

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—Beethoven
Beethoven began having hearing problems as early as 1802. What started as an annoying ringing in his ears worsened until he was almost totally deaf by 1816.
►  ◄
He was one of the first composers to work on his own instead of working for the church or for a noble court.
►  ◄
He often used a special rod attached to the soundboard on his piano that he could bite. The vibrations of the bite would then transfer from the piano to his jaw thus increasing his perception of the sound.

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM HILLSBORO, OR
The owner of a security firm implicated in a scheme to burglarize his own clients reportedly wrapped some stolen items and placed them under his Christmas tree.
Items taken from Oregon Episcopal School were intended to be given to the poor, according to Sgt. David Thompson of the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
One of the items was a copy of the Dr. Seuss book "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas."
The feloniously regifted items included discount and debit cards to grocery stores to feed the indigent.
A remote-controlled car was wrapped with the notation "From Santa" to the suspect, Stirling Anderson, 27, owner of Northwest Merchant Services.
The stolen and gift-wrapped items were found after deputies served a search warrant at Anderson's home, Thompson said.
Anderson was arrested along with employees Sheldon McMillan, 21, and David smith, 39. They all posted bail and face a Dec. 22 count appearance.
Anderson and McMillan were spotted by an Oregon Episcopal School employee early Saturday morning carting school property out of the building.
In addition to OES, clients St. Matthews Lutheran Church and the Portland Golf Club also reported thefts in recent months. There were no signs of forced entry in any of those crimes.

A LITTLE LAUGH
Tour guides get bored spewing the same facts every day. So these Philadelphia guides rewrote history.
"Trees were planted along streets so illiterate people would know the names of the streets. So Pine Street was lined with pines, etc."
"The reason the kitchens were in the basement is because the long, flowing dresses of women would catch fire and they could run directly into the streets, instead of through the house, spreading fire."
"The Lincoln statue in Fairmont Park shows him signing the Declaration of Independence."

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

DAYBOOK INFORMATION
♦ THIS WEEK ♦
10-17: Human Rights Week
14-28: Halcyon Days: The seven days where there are no winter storms
16-24: Posadas: Originally from Spain, now mostly in Mexico
Typically, each family in a neighborhood will schedule a night for the Posada to be held at their home, starting on the 16th of December and finishing on the 24th. Every home has a nativity scene and the hosts of the Posada act as the innkeepers. The neighborhood children and adults are the pilgrims (peregrinos), who have to request lodging by going house to house singing a traditional song about the pilgrims. All the pilgrims carry small lit candles in their hands, and four people carry small statues of Joseph leading a donkey, on which Mary is riding. The head of the procession will have a candle inside a paper lamp shade. At each house, the resident responds by refusing lodging (also in song), until the weary travelers reach the designated site for the party, where Mary and Joseph are finally recognized and allowed to enter. Once the "innkeepers" let them in, the group of guests come into the home and kneel around the Nativity scene to pray (typically, the Rosary). Latin American countries have continued to celebrate this holiday to this day, with very few changes to the tradition. In some places, the final location may be a church instead of a home. Individuals may actually play the various parts of Mary (María) and Joseph with the expectant mother riding a real donkey (burro), with attendants such as angels and shepherds acquired along the way, or the pilgrims may carry images of the holy personages instead. At the end of the long journey, there will be Christmas carols (villancicos), children will break open piñatas by striking these colorful papier-maché objects with bats while blindfolded to obtain candy hidden inside, and there will be a feast. Traditionally, it is expected to meet all the invitees in a previous procession. They also play pinata. Pinatas are made out of clay.
♦ TODAY IS… ♦
National Chocolate Covered Anything Day
Barbie and Barney Backlash Day
National Re-gifting Day
Zionism Day
Bahrain: Independence Day (from UK-1971)
Bangladesh: Victory Day (1971 against Pakistan)
Kazakhstan: Independence Day (1991 from Kazakh SSR)
Nepál: Constitution Day (1962)
South Africa: Reconciliation Day ()
Thailand: National Sports Day ()

♫ Academy Awards Best Original Song ♫
Click on Song Title to see and hear
♦Today’s Births♦
ARTS
1775 Jane Austen English novelist (Pride & Prejudice)
1770 Ludwig van Beethoven , composer (Ode to Joy) in Bonn Germany
Steven Bochco, 67, television writer, producer (Hill St Blues, LA Law, St Elsewhere, NYPD Blue)
1917 Arthur C[harles] Clarke sci-fi author (2001, 2010, Childhood's End)
1899 Sir Noel (Peirce) Coward actor, director, composer, playwright
1928 Philip K[indred] Dick US, sci-fi author (Hugo-1963, Blade Runner)
►◄Actors
Benjamin Bratt, 47, actor (Traffic, Miss Congeniality, “Law & Order”)
ATHLETICS
1882 Sir John Berry, 1st cricket player knighted (1953)
William “The Refrigerator” Perry, 48, football (Bears, Eagles)
Clifford (Cliff) Ralph Robinson, 44, basketball (Trail Blazers, Suns, Pistons, Warriors, Nets)
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1917 Murray Kempton Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaperman
1863 George Santayana philosopher/writer: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
Lesley Stahl 69, journalist (“60 Minutes,” former White House correspondent)
POLITICS
1485 Catherine of Aragon Spanish princess/1st wife of Henry VIII
SCIENCE & RELIGION
Bruce N. Ames 82, biochemist, cancer researcher
1901 Margaret Mead anthropologist (Coming of Age in Samoa)
♦Today’s Obituaries♦
Richard Bright British Dr (Bright's disease/nephritis), heart disease @ 69 in 1858
Wilhelm Grimm writer (Grimm's Fairy Tales), infection @ 73 in 1859
Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin a powerful Russian monk murdered @ 45 in 1916
Charles Camille Saint-Saens French composer (Carnival of the Animals), @ 86 in 1921
Harland "Colonel" Sanders founder Kentucky Fried Chicken, @ 90 in 1980
Lee Van Cleef US actor (Good, Bad & Ugly), heart attack @ 64 in 1989
♦Today’s Events♦
ARTS
1903 Majestic Theater, New York NY, becomes 1st in US to employ women ushers
1905 Sime Silverman published the first issue of Variety, the weekly show biz magazine.
1913 Charlie Chaplin began his film career at Keystone for $150 a week ($3215.14 in 2010$)
ATHLETICS
1979 QB Roger Staubach's last regular season game with the Dallas Cowboys
1983 Yogi Berra named Yankee manager for 2nd time
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1617 Spanish viceroy Hernando Arias de Saavedra founds provinces Río de la Plata (Argentina)/Guaira (Paraguay)
1835 Fire consumes over 600 buildings in New York NY
1908 1st credit union in US forms (Manchester NH)
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1811: The New Madrid earthquake takes place today on the Mississippi River. Many tribes will tell tales of this event for generations.
1834: Signed at Potawattimie Mills, Indiana, today, a treaty ceding 2 parcels of land for $700 ($14,850.03 in 2010 $)and the canceling of some outstanding debts by the Potawatomi Indians and William Marshall.
POLITICS (US)
1773 Boston Tea Party
1978 Ronald Reagan denounces President Jimmy Carter's recognition of China People's Republic
POLITICS (International)
1653 Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord Protector of England, Scotland & Ireland
1944 Battle of the Bulge begins in Belgium
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1538 French King François I orders renewed pursuit of Protestants
1631 Mount Vesuvius, Italy erupts, destroys 6 villages & kills 4,000
1915 Albert Einstein publishes his "General Theory of Relativity"
1953 Charles E Yeager flies over 2,575 kph (1,650 mph) in Bell X-1A (first man to fly at nearly two and one-half times the speed of sound)
ANSWERS
∞ JEOPARDY
►"Blow The Man Down" is an example of this type of song sailors sang while working on sailing ships
What is a sea shanty?
►In 1802 Napoleon instituted this award, France's highest
What is ‘Legion of Honor’?
►The Royal Opera House in London has staged this Beethoven opera over 100 times since World War II
What is ‘Fidelio’?
►This Scottish missionary explored the Kalahari Desert & discovered the Zambezi River in 1851
Who was Livingstone?
►"All The King's Men" can't bring this U.S. Poet Laureate back again; he died September 15, 1989
Who is Robert Penn Warren?
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Wednesday Dec 15




TODAY’S QUOTE—Peg Bracken

Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
I don’t know many people who like going to the doctor and going to a specialist is always less than enjoyable. I went to see the ENT physician today. While my appointment was at 11:30 the receptionist said to get there 30 minutes early to fill out the forms. That’s pretty normal. And I am always early. My parents always said that the doctor or dentist should never be left waiting for you. I got there about 10:50, got the forms and filled them out. Since everything is computerized these days I still wonder why I have to write my name, birthday, and reason for coming in on three different forms. I fought with minimal success in streamlining the forms at TCBS registration. So the forms were in their hands at 11:05. Today must be the day set aside for new patients as the person in front of me and three more who came after me were all filling out forms. 11:30 came and went. 12:00 came and went. Finally at 12:15 I was called in to the patient room where I got to wait another 10 minutes. The nurse sort of apologized for the wait, but it seemed to me it was part of her regular greeting. “Hi Charlie, follow me to the room, sorry you had such a long wait, the doctor will be right in.” So the doctor comes in and first in a very serious way, apologizes for the wait and says it’s just one of those days. The computer crashed when the lights went out—I was in the waiting room when that happened. Then he asks why I am there. I explain that my PCP wants to be sure there isn’t some physical reason for my high red blood cell count. He asks me how long my voice has been like that. Huh? I said ‘all my life’. He said “I doubt that”, so I added, ‘well, probably since puberty.’ Then I told him about my two removals of adenoids and tonsils in my youth—it was like at 6 months and 8 years old. He checked and said the second time worked, but left scar tissue. Then he says he wants to run a light through my nose to see my voice box. He sprays some deadener up my nose, leaves, and returns about 10 minutes later. As he is leaving I tell him if he is going to eat lunch he has to share it with me. He laughs. When he returns, without any food, he sticks the flashlight up my nose. Then he says “you have the weirdest larynx I have ever seen. It’s not bad, it’s just weird.” I told him that didn’t sound very ‘medical’. So he uses big words, most of which aren’t English based and asks me, while smiling, “how was that?” I told him I got it now, weird. He asks if I sleep on my back. I tell him I’m a stomach or side sleeper and he says he’s not surprised. It seems I have extra something down there that is just moving around when I breathe. He says he is sure it is benign and that I have probably had it for decades. I have just learned to work around it. He says that ‘trimming’ it should fix my voice and I will breathe better. Didn’t know my voice needed fixing, but the breathing thing sounded good. He also said he doesn’t think I have sleep apnea and even if I did the mask probably wouldn’t help because of my very weird larynx. I have to get a throat CT so he doesn’t have any surprises during my ‘trimming’. The day surgery will be done in January and he says the only way I would need to spend the night at the hospital is if there is unexpected swelling after the ‘trim’. I need to talk with him some more after he gets the scan results to see what the hell he is talking about. He really turned out to be a very nice guy and I left believing that my long wait was really unusual.

I don’t even want to know how much this is going to cost. My insurance has a co-pay of $30 for an office visit with a specialist. That doesn’t include the flashlight thing. The co-pay also doesn’t decrease with amount of time I have to wait. So as I am setting up the CT and the next appointment, I volunteer to pay my co-pay. The lady says I will just be billed after BC pays whatever they pay. By December, many patients have already met their deductibles so I’m not real sure what she was talking about. The billing is actually more worrisome than the ‘trimming’. It’s not like I can’t afford it; it’s just not knowing.

I talked to my brother in Miami Beach. He was complaining about the cold—it was only 42° while Flag was 56° as we talked. They were heading out to Laura’s birthday party. As usual it was quite the affair. Lots of creative people were there with lots of creative gifts.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1964 1st time 4 people in space

∞ JEOPARDY PUZZLE—(SuperJeopardy Answers) from 1990 World History
►In 1947 Britain's George VI dropped his title as emperor of this country
►On May 30, 1967 it declared itself a republic & seceded from Nigeria
►After discovering the Philippines in March of 1521, he stayed there for about a month & was killed
►By 1906 British New Guinea had become a territory of Australia & was renamed this
►This smallest Balkan country didn't become independent until the 20th century

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—Charlie Brown Part II
However, viewers and reviewers LOVED it. On Thursday, December 9, 1965, A Charlie Brown Christmas was seen in more than 15 million homes. It won critical acclaim as well as an Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program and a Peabody Award for excellence in programming.
►◄
The logo for Coca-Cola, the movie's first sponsor, appeared several times in original footage of A Charlie Brown Christmas. For instance, in the skating scene, Snoopy throws Linus from the rink into a Coca-Cola sign. Later sponsors objected, and the frames were edited out.

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM
Palm Beach, FL--When choosing a getaway vehicle, it's a good idea to make sure it goes more than 3 miles an hour.
A Palm Beach man led security guards on an intense slow-speed chase in a motorized shopping cart in a grocery store parking lot after he allegedly stole some meat and ran over a child's foot during his escape.
Louis Lorensen, 58, was finally cornered by security guards and employees of the Winn-Dixie, who waited for police to show up to finally arrest the would-be thief, reports the Sun-Sentinel.
"I ain't no punk, and I ain't going down without a fight," Lorensen was yelling, according to a police report of the odd incident. He apparently wasn't in a rush to get away, either.
Most motorized shopping carts can reach speeds of about 3 miles per hour, but they might not even be that fast.
At that rate, Lorensen would have been better off using his feet. But that didn't stop him from allegedly loading up on 11 packages of meat and then low-tailing it out of the store.
As he tried to exit, a woman and her 4-year-old son were walking in. Lorensen told the customers to move out of the way, but the little boy was caught like a deer in headlights with the oncoming slow cart bearing down on him, according to the police report.
Lorensen ran over the boy's foot and made it into the parking lot before finally being corralled, the police report said.
At the police station, Lorensen told an officer, "When you take these cuffs off, I'm going to punch you in the face," according to the report, as reported by the Sun-Sentinel.
He now faces two counts of larceny, aggravated battery on a child, possession of stolen property and resisting arrest.

A LITTLE LAUGH
A man comes home with his daughter, whom he has just taken to work for the day. The little girl asks, "I saw you in your office with your secretary. Why do you call her a doll?"
Feeling his wife's gaze upon him, the man explains, "Well, honey, my secretary is a very hard-working girl. She types like you wouldn't believe, she knows the computer system, and is very efficient."
The daughter thinks for a minute and then replies, "Oh. I thought it was because she closed her eyes when you lay her down."

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

DAYBOOK INFORMATION
♦ THIS WEEK ♦
10-17: Human Rights Week
14-28: Halcyon Days: The seven days where there are no winter storms
♦ TODAY IS… ♦
Ashura or Tenth Day (Islamic - begins at sundown)
Bill of Rights Day
Cat Herders Day
International Esperanto Community: Zamenhof Day (creator’s birthday)
National Lemon Cupcake Day
Alderney: Homecoming Day, celebrates the return of evacuated citizens to Alderney after World War II (in Channel Islands)
Netherlands: Kingdom Day or Koninkrijksdag: the signing of the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands 1954
Pakistan: Quaid-i-Azam's Birthday
US: Puerto Rico: Navidades (beginning of celebrations in the Catholic community)
♫ Academy Awards Best Original Song ♫
Click on Song Title to see and hear
♦Today’s Births♦
ARTS
Dave Clark, 68, musician (leader of the Dave Clark Five
1907 Oscar Niemeyer Brazilians architect (Brasilia)
Edna O’Brien, 79, author (Country Girls Trilogy, Time and Tide)
1906 Betty Smith novelist (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn)
►◄Actors
1918 Jeff Chandler [Ira Grossel] Brooklyn NY, actor (Broken Arrow, Away All Boats)
Don Johnson (Donnie Wayne Johnson), 61, actor (“Miami Vice,” “Nash Bridges”)
ATHLETICS
Alexandra Stevenson, 30, tennis player
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1832 Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel French engineer (Eiffel tower)
1892 J Paul Getty oil magnate (Getty Oil)
1882 Helena Rubinstein US cosmetic manufacturer
1859 Ludwik L Zamenhof Russia/Poland, physician/linguist (Esperanto)
POLITICS
37 Nero Claudius Augustus Germanicus 5th emperor of Rome (54-68)
1848 Edwin Howland Blashfield decorated the dome of Library of Congress
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1852 Antoine Henri Becquerel discovered radioactivity (Nobel 1903)
1863 Arthur D Little US, chemist (patented rayon)
♦Today’s Obituaries♦
Alfonso de Albuquerque viceroy of Portuguese Indies, @ 62 in 1515
Sitting Bull (Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake) Hunkpapa-Sioux chief (Little Big Horn), killed by US Army @ 59 in 1890
Lillian Disney widow of Walt Disney, @ 98 in 1997
Walt Disney animator, lung cancer @ 65 in 1966
Glenn Miller US band leader/jazz composer, plane crash @ 40 in 1944
Thomas W "Fats" Waller jazz pianist, pneumonia @ 39 in 1943
Chill Wills actor (Frontier Circus, Rounders), cancer @ 75 in 1978
♦Today’s Events♦
ARTS
1954 Davy Crockett, Indian Fighter was featured on Walt Disney’s TV series for the first time. Crockett was played by Fess Parker.
1962 Vaughn Meader's "The 1st Family" album goes #1 & stays #1 for 12 weeks
ATHLETICS
1997 San Francisco 49ers retire Joe Montana's #16
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1791 1st US law school established at University of Pennsylvania
1810 1st Irish magazine in US, The Shamrock, is published
1854 1st street-cleaning machine in US 1st used in Philadelphia
1925 1st road with a depressed trough (Texas) opens to traffic
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1855 Governor Stevens gets NEZ PERCE honor guard.
POLITICS (US)
1791 Bill of Rights ratified when Virginia gave its approval
1836 Patent Office burns in Washington DC
1944 US Congress gives General Eisenhower his 5th star
POLITICS (International)
1582 Spanish Netherlands/Denmark/Norway adopt Gregorian calendar
1964 Canada adopts maple leaf flag
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1612 Simon Marius, is 1st to observe Andromeda galaxy through a telescope
1952 Christine Jorgenson is 1st person to undergo a sex-change operation
1973 American Psychiatric Association declares homosexuality is not mental illness
ANSWERS
∞ JEOPARDY
►In 1947 Britain's George VI dropped his title as emperor of this country
What is India?
►On May 30, 1967 it declared itself a republic & seceded from Nigeria
What is Biafra?
►After discovering the Philippines in March of 1521, he stayed there for about a month & was killed
Who was Magellan?
►By 1906 British New Guinea had become a territory of Australia & was renamed this
What is Papua New Guinea?
►This smallest Balkan country didn't become independent until the 20th century
What is Albania?
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Tuesday Dec 14


TODAY’S QUOTE—Washington Irving
Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

I am getting excited about my trip to see my brother and my sister-in-law and her family. Last year at this time the concern was the snowfall in Flagstaff. This year it is the cold and snow in Chicago. All the weather forecasters say that I will arrive in Chicago with snow; a high in the mid 20’s and lows in the teens. It is Chicago so the wind chill will be an important factor. It will be hard to go from the 60’s to those temperatures. It doesn’t look like a big snowstorm so planes should be doing OK for the holiday travel. I hope that Richard and Laura have good flights. Richard is coming from Miami, Laura from NYC. She is making a quick trip to NYC just before Christmas to tie up some loose ends. They will fly from Chicago to Mexico City for New Years. So we will all be hoping that we can fly out after Christmas. I just watched some news from Chicago and while the flying thing may be a hassle, the driving thing would probably be worse.

Two interesting studies have come out recently about our little town. Flagstaff is a hub for many rural communities. Duh…we all knew that. The new study looked at grocery store sales compared to population. Either Flag residents are buying way too much food or we have a lot of people from outside Flag that buy groceries year round. That is good news for our grocery prices. When I was staying in Winslow, AZ and Rushville, NE they had one grocery store. Prices were very high and selection was very limited. Here we have lots of chain stores, always in competition. That was the good news story. The second story was not so good, so of course made bigger headlines in Phoenix and nationwide: the use of substances that alter perception is high (pun intended). There is a new drug—Spice—that is legal and makes one high, followed by bad headaches. It is synthetic marijuana that doesn’t show up on current drug tests. Somehow it has been determined that juveniles at the jail are showing that they use Spice at one of the highest rates in the state. Another study showed that NAU is in 15th place for use of marijuana on college campuses. Somehow it is ironic that we have low grocery prices and high marijuana use. Gotta love Flagstaff.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1985 America’s winningest high school football coach called it quits this day. Gordon Wood, 71, of Brownwood High School in Central Texasretired after 43 years. Wood sported a career record of 405 wins, 88 losses and 12 ties

∞ JEOPARDY PUZZLE—(SuperJeopardy Answers) from 1990 SAINTS & SINNERS
►He expected a debate but didn't expect to start a new church when he posted his "95 Theses" in 1517
►Mark's gospel says this woman whom Jesus cured of seven demons was the first to see him resurrected
►St. Monica's son, who lived a dissolute youth as he admitted in his "Confessions"
►The king who had St. Thomas More put to death
►The king who had St. Thomas of Becket put to death

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION— "Peanuts"
A Charlie Brown Christmas is the longest-running cartoon special in history, airing every year since its debut in 1965.
►◄
The television movie was originally a short documentary produced in 1963 by Lee Mendelson about Charles Schulz called A Boy Named Charlie Brown.
►◄
After the Peanuts made the cover of TIME magazine in 1965, an advertising agent for the Coca-Cola company, who had seen the Schulz documentary called Mendelson and asked if he had thought about creating a Peanuts Christmas special.

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM—FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.
Authorities say a North Carolina woman reported missing in September walked 200 miles before she turned up at a Virginia shelter.
The Fayetteville Observer reported that 56-year-old Wilma Edwards of Fayetteville turned up last week in Richmond, Va. Her information was found in a database of missing people, and she told authorities she had traveled to the shelter on foot.
Cumberland County sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Tanna said Edwards is known by many as "Miss Betty" and frequently takes long walks around Fayetteville with a white bucket that she sits on when she gets tired.
Edwards had last been seen Sept. 19.
Tanna said Edwards did not have needed medications and did not use her bank account during her disappearance. Her family says she disappeared once before, turning up in New York.

A LITTLE LAUGH
A co-worker was telling us about her sister who was coming to visit her for the holidays. Someone asked how old her sister was, at which she paused, thought for a bit, and then answered, "She's half as old as I am, that's how I always remember."
So someone else (okay, it was me) said, "That's neat... So every year that you age, she only ages half a year?"
My co-worker thought about that, and then said, "Oh, yeah, I guess it only works on even years."

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

DAYBOOK INFORMATION
♦ THIS WEEK ♦
10-17: Human Rights Week
14-28: Halcyon Days: The seven days where there are no winter storms
♦ TODAY IS… ♦
National Bouillabaisse Day: French fish stew from Marseille
Monkey Day: a festival of primates--a chance to scream like a monkey and throw feces at whomever you choose. Or perhaps just a reason to hang out with your friends while grunting and picking fleas off each other.
El Salvador: Revolution Day (since 1931)
Iran: Death of Iman Ja'far Sadeq (جعفر بن محمد الصادق‎) Day: revered by Sunni and Shi'a) in 765
Turkey: Festival of Mevlana-Jelaeddin Rumi (Whirling Dervishes)
US: Alabama: Admission Day (1819—22nd state)
♫ Academy Awards Best Original Song ♫
Click on Song Title to see and hear
♦Today’s Births♦
ARTS
1919 Shirley Jackson US, writer (Road Through the Wall)
1911 Spike Jones Long Beach CA, composer
1853 Salvador Diaz Miron Mexican poet (Los Cien Mejores Poemas)
1932 Charlie Rich ‘The Silver Fox’: Grammy Award-winning singer: Behind Closed Doors
►◄ Actors
1908 Morey Amsterdam, comedian (Buddy-Dick Van Dyke Show)
1914 Dan Dailey, dancer/actor
Patty Duke, 64, actress (Oscar for The Miracle Worker; Emmy for My Sweet Charlie)
Vanessa Hudgens, 22, actress (High School Musical)
1935 Lee Remick actress: Days of Wine and Roses…
ATHLETICS
William Joseph (Bill) Buckner, 61, baseball (Dodgers, Cubs, Royals, Red Sox, Angels)
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1922 Don Hewitt New York NY, CBS news executive producer (60 Minutes)
POLITICS
1896 James H Doolittle US Army General (Raid on Tokyo 1942)
1895 George VI king of England (1936-52)
1897 Margaret Chase Smith (Representative/Senator-R-ME)
SCIENCE & RELIGION
Leonardo Boff, 72, Catholic theologian
1503 Nostradamus [Michel de Nostre-Dam] French astrologist/prophet
♦Today’s Obituaries♦
William Bendix actor (Life of Riley), pneumonia @ 58 in 1964
Carlos III King of Naples/Spain (1759-88), @ 72 in 1788
Stubby Kaye actor (Guys & Dolls, Sweet Charity), @ 79 in 1997
Myrna Loy [Williams] actress (Thin Man, Vanity Fair), @ 88 in 1993
Jock Mahoney actor (Tarzan, Dallas, Cow Town, Range Rider), stroke @ 70 in 1989
Roger Maris homerun hitter (61 in 61, New York Yankees), cancer @ 51 in 1985
John A C Oudemans Dutch geographer/astronomer, @ 78 in 1906
Arthur Treacher TV announcer (Merv Griffin Show), @ 81 in 1975
Dinah Washington singer, pill overdose @ 39 in 1963
♦Today’s Events♦
ARTS
1849 1st chamber music group in US gives their 1st concert (Boston)
ATHLETICS
1915 Jack Johnson is 1st black world heavyweight boxing champion
1953 Sandy Koufax, age 19, was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers.
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1656 Artificial pearls 1st manufactured by M Jacquin in Paris made of gypsum pellets covered with fish scales
1793 1st state road authorized, Frankfort KY to Cincinnati OH
1798 David Wilkinson of Rhode Island patented the nut and bolt machine, and the screw
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1742 Settlers have finally moved into the valley of Virginia. Indians from the north have attacked several settlements and Catawbas Indians in the area. A European militia is formed to find the war party.
POLITICS (US)
1944 Congress establishes rank of General of the Army (5-star General)
POLITICS (International)
1287 Zuider Zee seawall collapses with loss of 50,000 lives
1939 Soviet Union attacks Finland - League of Nations drops Soviet Union
1981 Israel annexes Golan Heights (seized from Syria in war of 1967)
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1124 Theobald Buccapecus elected Pope Coelestinus II (he refuses)
1911 South Pole 1st reached, by Norwegian Roald Amundsen
1967 DNA created in a test tube
ANSWERS
∞ JEOPARDY
►He expected a debate but didn't expect to start a new church when he posted his "95 Theses" in 1517
Who was Martin Luther?
►Mark's gospel says this woman whom Jesus cured of seven demons was the first to see him resurrected
Who was Mary Magdalene?
►St. Monica's son, who lived a dissolute youth as he admitted in his "Confessions"
Who was St. Augustine?
►The king who had St. Thomas More put to death
Who was Henry VIII?
►The king who had St. Thomas of Becket put to death
Who was Henry II?

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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.