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MY FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
I am switching to Arabic proverbs today. First, I ran out of strictly Egyptian proverbs. It is still the proverbs from that area.
NPR did another good interview today. It was about the history of the Muslim Brotherhood. While the Muslim religion has been around for almost 2 millennia; any political branch didn’t begin until 1927-28. At that time the British were in charge in Egypt and most of the area. There was an Egyptian King figurehead but all decisions went through the British Empire. While the Egyptian Brotherhood was non-violent, they were pushing for Egyptian rule of Egypt. They were members of the Muslim faith. Over the years various branches of the Muslim Brotherhood have splintered off. Any groups that pushed their agenda through violence or talk of violence were denounced by the Brotherhood. Some of those groups continued to use ‘Muslim Brotherhood’ in their name. Western powers of the 1900’s were busy with a couple of wars and were more worried about Europe than Africa. Any nation supporting the Muslim Brotherhood was automatically against the British Empire and later, the French and the Dutch who had territories in the Middle East and Africa. So for 90 years the Muslim Brotherhood has pushed for local governance and the rest of the world paid little attention. When some of the splinter groups became known for their violence and terrorism, they were still being grouped with the Muslim Brotherhood by outsiders. Of course, through a lack of knowledge, all members of the Islam or Muslim faith were also usually grouped with the radical splinter groups. While this is wrong, it makes life so much easier. During WWII all Germans and all Japanese were dangerous—it was just easier. We should continue to move beyond these stereotypes and recognize that whenever we hear ‘all’ it is probably wrong.
I do my thyroid blood test tomorrow, to see if I need to take any meds. I seem to have less energy than I had before the two surgeries. I’m no doctor, so don’t know if my body is just trying to recoup or I am in need of meds. When I think that each surgery had me in the hospital for only one night, I wouldn’t be surprised if my old-er body isn’t just saying ‘give me a break—let me heal.’ Looking forward to the results, not the blood draw.
Since I have retired I have seen lots of TV ads for ‘colleges’ that prepare you to have one limited task—dental hygienist, air conditioner specialist, graphic artist, massage therapist, etc. There are also ads about Community Colleges that encourage people to return to school to be able to get a career. It all sounds so good. I have known a few of my former students who have enrolled in some of these ‘programs’. They are given great loans, sometimes a free computer, and have three years after graduation to pay their fees. Of course these ‘colleges’ promise great placement after graduation, it seldom works out that way—especially in these hard economic times. Today our local paper gave us some interesting stats about these places. Flagstaff has three that have over 30% of their grads not paying back their fees. This educational system really means ‘buyer beware’. Once a student signs up for the courses, the full amount of money is owed, whether the student finishes all the class and graduates or not. I get that education is really expensive, but many of these places seem to be praying on the under-educated with only giving them best case scenarios of potential jobs. A sad story for AZ and its residents who need jobs.
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DID YOU KNOW THAT…
○ Your mashed potatoes will get a delicious boost of flavor by drizzling olive oil instead of butter before serving...
○ A change of pace whipped topping can be made by stirring instant hot cocoa mix with heavy cream, then whipping. You will get a light, chocolately whipped topping that tastes great...
SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION… Parrots
○ Parrots are the only birds that can bring food to its mouth with its foot. Their tongues are made up of small bones that make them flexible enough to manipulate the food. In the wild, parrots eat flowers, fruit, nuts, plants, and insects.
○ Pet parrots often die of the same causes as humans do: too much fat, too much stress, too little exercise. In fact, parrots have a tendency to become obese. Parrots live for 40 or even 100 years!
○ It takes about two months to teach a parrot to talk, or rather, to teach a parrot to imitate human speech – parrots don’t understand what they’re saying.
PUZZLE: Who Wants To Be a Millionaire […answers at bottom…]
1. Which of these is a type of ray the sun produces?
Manta Ray Romano Scout Ultraviolet
2. What is a baby frog called?
Regis jumper tadpole croaker
3. Who is known as 'The King' of rock and roll?
Elvis Presley Rob Thomas Kermit the Frog Pat Sajak
4. Who is Batman's faithful sidekick?
Sparrow Robin Turkey Brad
5. What was last name of the family on 'The Cosby Show'?
Hampton Baby Hindley Huxtable
6. The Statue of Liberty was presented to the United States by which country?
England France Germany Portugal
7. Which company has the slogan 'Smart, very smart'?
Honda Sony Magnavox Toyota
8. John Daly's first professional win was also a major, which one was it?
The British Open The Masters The PGA Championship US Open
9. For which style of painting is Salvador Dali best known?
Impressionism Pointilism Surrealism Abstract
10. Cochise was a chief of which Native American tribe?
Sioux Apache Blackfoot Comanche
11. Who is the narrator of 'Wuthering Heights' until her death?
Tessa Day Catherine May Harriette Rowe Nelly Dean
12. In the Continental US, which state has the northernmost point?
Minnesota Michigan Maine Washington
13. Who is the lead singer of Drivin n' Cryin?
Benji French Eddie Vedder Kevn Kinney Tyler Kline
14. Who, with Amelia Earhart, was lost in a 1937 plane crash?
Newhard Mann Noonan Blomberg
15. The Gap headquarters are located in which city?
San Francisco New York City Paris Chicago
UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM… FORT WAYNE, IN
— A former Indiana mayor who won four terms in the 1930s and 1950s is proving less popular with modern-day city leaders, who say they probably won't name a new government center for him because of the jokes his moniker could inspire.
Harry Baals is the runaway favorite in online voting to name the new building in Fort Wayne, about 120 miles northeast of Indianapolis. But Deputy Mayor Beth Malloy said that probably won't be enough to put the name of the city's longest-tenured mayor on the center.
The issue is pronunciation. The former mayor pronounced his last name "balls." His descendants have since changed it to "bales."
The issue is pronunciation. The former mayor pronounced his last name "balls." His descendants have since changed it to "bales."
Supporters said it's unfair that the former mayor can't be recognized simply because his name makes some people snicker. But opponents fear that naming the center after Baals would make Fort Wayne the target of late-night television jokes.
"We realize that while Harry Baals was a respected mayor, not everyone outside of Fort Wayne will know that," Malloy said Tuesday in a statement to The Associated Press. "We wanted to pick something that would reflect our pride in our community beyond the boundaries of Fort Wayne."
An online site taking suggestions for names showed more than 1,300 votes Tuesday for the Harry Baals Government Center. That's more than three times the votes received by the closest contender.
Jim Baals, 51, who has lived in the city his entire life, said it's unfortunate that his great-uncle's name won't be considered for the building.
A LITTLE LAUGH…
A Canadian customer was calling to find out if there was a faster way to trigger menu commands than mousing up to the menus.
Agent: Certainly, sir. There are keyboard shortcuts for many of those commands. For example, suppose you want to trigger the Select All command...
Caller: Yes, I use that one all the time! How do I do it?
Agent: Well, you just press Control-A.
Caller (after a pause): Well, that's not working for me.
Agent: Do you have a text document open in front of you?
Caller: Yes, I sure do.
Agent: OK, now press Control-A.
Caller: I am, but nothing happens.
Agent: The text isn't highlighted?
Caller: No, there's no change at all.
Agent: That's odd. If you press Control-A the whole document should be highlighted. Try it again. Press Control-A. Tell me exactly what's happening.
Caller (nearing his Canadian breaking point): Listen. I'm pressing Control, eh? And nothing's happening, eh?
TOP 10 HISTORICAL FINDS…
1. The Olduvai Gorge
An Ancient lake basin in northern Tanzania, the Olduvai Gorge has yielded the remains of more than 60 hominids as well as the two earliest stone tool traditions ever found (Oldowan and Acheulian). The gorge was discovered by German entomologist Wilhelm Kattwinkel in 1911 when he fell into it while chasing a butterfly. This inspired Hans Reck to lead an expedition there in 1913 but his work was ended by World War I. Excavations of Olduvai began in 1931 by Lois Leakey and his wife Mary. Three separate species of hominids have been found at Olduvai over the years, including Australopithecus boisei, Homo habilis and Homo erectus. Animal remains have also been found at the site including large antelopes, elephants, hares, guinea fowl, giraffes and hipparions (extinct three-toed horses).
Importance: The Olduvai Gorge contains the longest sequences of cultural remains ever found and the discoveries there have strengthened the argument that the origins of humanity are in Africa. These finds also give us an insight into how these hominids lived. For example, Mary Leakey found hominid footprints in 1975, which proved that they walked on two feet- one of the greatest paleoanthropological discoveries of the past century.
CLOSEUP PICTURE…
Can you identify this close up picture
FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’
♫ Rock Anthems ♫
Click on Song Title to see and hear
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DAYBOOK INFORMATION
¤…THIS WEEK…¤
3-9 ► Boy Scout Anniversary Week
6-12 ► Dump Your Significant Jerk Week ♥ Freelance Writers Appreciation Week ♥ International Coaching Week ♥ Jell-O Week
7-11 ► International Networking Week ♥ Just Say No to PowerPoint Week ♥ National Green Week ♥ National School Counseling Week
7-14 ► Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week ♥ Publicity for Profit Week ♥ Risk Awareness Week ♥ Love Makes the World Go Round; But, Laughter Keeps Us From Getting Dizzy Week ♥ World Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Week
8-10 ► World AG Expo
¤…TODAY IS…¤
Toothache Day ♥ National Stop Bullying Day ♥ Read in the Bathtub Day
Today’s Births
○ AUTHORS/COMPOSERS
Carole King, 69, singer, songwriter
1874 - Amy Lowell Pulitzer Prize-winning poet: What’s O’Clock [1926]
Alice Walker, 67, author (The Color Purple)
○ ATHLETES
Vladimir Guerrero, 35, baseball (Expos, Rangers, Angels)
○ BUSINESS & EDUCATION
Roger Mudd, 83, journalist
1814 Samuel Jones Tilden philanthropist for New York Public Library
○ ENTERTAINERS (ACTORS/SINGERS/…)
Mia Farrow (Maria de Lourdes Villers), 66, actress (“Peyton Place,” Rosemary’s Baby, Hannah and Her Sisters)
Judith Light, 62, actress (“Ugly Betty,” “One Life to Live,” “Who’s the Boss?”)
1914 Gypsy Rose Lee (Rose Hovick) actress, dancer, stripper
1909 Carmen Miranda (Maria do Carmo Miranda Da Cunha) ‘Brazilian Bombshell’: singer
Joe Pesci, 68, actor (Raging Bull, Goodfellas, My Cousin Vinny)
Shakira (Shakira Isabelle Mebarak Ripoll), 34, singer, born in Barranquilla, Colombia
Charles Shaughnessy, 56, actor (“Days of Our Lives,” “The Nanny”)
Travis Tritt, 48, country and western singer
1914 Ernest Tubb Country Music Hall of Famer: Walking the Floor Over You
Ziyi Zhang, 32, actress (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; House of Flying Daggers)
○ POLITICIANS
1773 William Henry Harrison (Whigs) 9th President (March 4-April 4, 1841)
1909 Dean Rusk US Secretary of State (1961-69)
○ SCIENCE & RELIGION
1865 Erich von Drygalski German Federal Republic, geographer/glaciologist/ Antarctic explorer
Today’s Obituaries…
1996 Alistair Cameron Crombie historian of science, @ 80
1881 Feodor M Dostoevski Russian novelist (Crime & Punishment), hemorrhage @ 59
1981 Bill Haley vocalist (Rock Around Clock), heart attack @ 55
2002 Princess Margaret sister of Queen Elizabeth II of England, stroke @ 71
1966 Sophie Tucker Russian/US singer/actress (My Yiddish Mama), @ 79
1995 David Wayne [Wayne Mcmeekan], actor (Dallas, Ellery Queen, Golden Girls), @ 81
Today’s Events…
○ ARTS
1953 "The Adventures of Superman" TV series premieres in syndication
1964 1st appearance of Beatles on "Ed Sullivan Show" (73.7 million viewers)
1997 Fox cartoon series "Simpsons" airs 167th episode the longest-running animated series in cartoon history: previously The Flintstones
○ ATHLETICS
1964 9th Winter Olympics games close at Innsbruck, Austria
2002 XIX Winter Olympics opens in Salt Lake City UT
○ BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1822 American Indian Society organizes
1863 Fire extinguisher patented by Alanson Crane
1891 1st shipment of asparagus arrives in San Francisco from Sacramento
1926 Teaching theory of evolution forbidden in Atlanta GA schools
○ INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1526 Spaniards are living in the Cakchiquel (Kaqchikel) Maya town of Iximche’ in modern Guatemala. A few decide to desert. They set a large fire as a diversion.
1690 300 Indians and French sneak into the stockade at Schenectady, New York during a snowstorm. After posting warriors at each building, a signal is given, and the primarily Dutch occupants are attacked. Sixty settlers are killed, and twenty-seven are captured. Mohawk Indians attempt to rescue some of the captives as they are marched off to Canada, but they meet with little success.
○ POLITICS (US)
1861 Tennessee votes against secession
1886 President Cleveland declares a state of emergency in Seattle because of anti-Chinese violence
1909 1st federal legislation prohibiting narcotics (opium)
1942 Daylight Savings War Time goes into effect in US
1950 Senator Joseph McCarthy charges State Dept infested with 205 communists
○ POLITICS (International)
1775 English Parliament declares Massachusetts colony is in rebellion
○ SCIENCE & RELIGION
1918 Army chaplain school organized at Fort Monroe VA
1963 The very first Boeing 727 took off. It became the world’s most popular way to fly 1969 The Boeing 747 flew its inaugural flight
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ANSWERS
Millionaire ANSWERS…
1. Which of these is a type of ray the sun produces? Ultraviolet
2. What is a baby frog called? tadpole
3. Who is known as 'The King' of rock and roll? Elvis Presley
4. Who is Batman's faithful sidekick? Robin
5. What was last name of the family on 'The Cosby Show'? Huxtable
6. The Statue of Liberty was presented to the United States by which country? France
7. Which company has the slogan 'Smart, very smart'? Magnavox
8. John Daly's first professional win was also a major, which one was it? The PGA Championship
9. For which style of painting is Salvador Dali best known? Surrealism
10. Cochise was a chief of which Native American tribe? Apache
11. Who is the narrator of 'Wuthering Heights' until her death? Nelly Dean
12. In the Continental US, which state has the northernmost point? Minnesota
13. Who is the lead singer of Drivin n' Cryin? Kevn Kinney
14. Who, with Amelia Earhart, was lost in a 1937 plane crash? Noonan—the navigator
15. The Gap headquarters are located in which city? San Francisco
Close up Picture…
Coin Purse
« AND THAT’S ALL FOR NOW »
