June 14

FYI: Click on any blue text for a link to more information!

Today’s  Historical  Highlights

1642 - 1st compulsory education law in America passed by Massachusetts

1834 - Sandpaper patented by Isaac Fischer Jr, Springfield, Vermont

1846 - California declares independence from Mexico

1940 - Auschwitz concentration camp opens (3 million killed there)

1942 - Walt Disney's "Bambi" animated movie is released Thumper's 1st job

1954 - Pres Eisenhower signs order adding words "under God" to the Pledge

1958 - Nelson Mandela weds Winnie Madikizela

1984 - Southern Baptist convention decide on no women clergy members

♪Happy Birthday To: ♪ 

                  

Free Rambling Thoughts   

I got tired of my sinus infection today. Went to a walk-in clinic. It has changed a lot since I last went there a year ago. I have never felt like I was part of an assembly line like today. The first tech took my BP and it showed very low, so he took it with another cuff and it was normal. Then he asked about my meds and the Dr. couldn’t even read what he wrote…the doctor asked me why I was taking a birth control. Then the Dr. said he wanted to check me for strep. I told him I was immune from strep and had been since my pre-teens when I took a series of shots for two years. He informed me no one was immune. They swabbed me and guess what, it came back negative. Then he had me do a breathing machine to loosen my chest. It worked fine. Another lady led me out. At the check-out counter the lady hands me two scripts. I asked what those were for, and she said they are prescriptions, take them to a pharmacist. WTF? Thankfully I have a good pharmacist who told me it was an antibiotic, a strong cough syrup (codeine), and an inhaler if I get too congested. Then about 2 hours later they call me at home to tell me that the Dr. said I could have another breathing treatment tomorrow if I need it. I must say, in my 60+ years I have never been given a script where the Dr. didn’t explain what it was and what to expect. This used to be a great walk-in clinic. Now it is little more than an assembly line. And now, one has to pay the co-pay before seeing the Dr. I guess I know why.

Game   Center: (answers at the end of post)

Brain Game—A close up picture of what?

NPR Sunday Puzzle  Calling All Homophones

Each definition or clue contains a missing word. That word is a homophone of the word that answers the clue. For example: If the clue is "have (blank) doubt" the missing word would be "no," completing the phrase "have no doubt." "No" and "know" are the homophones.

1.     Warning ____ a golfer:

2.     What an Hawaiian may ____ around your neck:

3.     Raw material that may contain gold ________ silver:

4.     Something ____ in a play:

5.     A place to turn ____ at night when traveling:

6.     Put a ____ number of workers on the payroll:

7.     Animal with long ears and soft ____:

8.     Groups working on ____ ships:

9.     Showed fear as a ____:

10.  What a phone company may ____ you:

11.  A large animal that may ____ its teeth:

12.  ____ simple addition:

What is the answer?

Here are the names of four flowers with the vowels removed. What are the four flowers?GRNM  GRDN  CLMBN  CLNDN

4X4 Word Boxes

The answer to 1 across is the same word as the answer to 1 down; 2 across is the same as 2 down; etc. Can you solve these Word Boxes? Each answer is 3 letters.

1.              heap

2.              little picture

3.              bright, short-lived star

4.              annoying insect

Lifestyle  Substance     

Songs of the 1970’s

• Imagine, John Lennon 1971  

• Lady Marmalade, Patti LaBelle 1975  

• ABC, The Jackson 5 1970  

• One Way Or Another, Blondie 1979

Harper’s Index         

Factor by which the average white resident of the District of Columbai out-earns the average black resident: 3

Found on You Tube 

       Burl Ives--What's My Line

Burl Ives - Traditional American Folk Songs

Planet Earth—

Joke-of-the-day

If you had 11 roses in your arms and looked in the mirror;

You would see the twelve most gorgeous things in the world.

Rules of Thumb   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

You should be able to balance a good conductor's baton one and one quarter inch up the shaft from the handle. If it balances any further up the shaft than that, you will find yourself holding the baton incorrectly to compensate. Your arm will get tired.

Yeah, It Really Happened

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - An Indiana mother said she made her 12-and 14-year-old children hold a sign at an intersection as punishment for being "disrespectful" to their stepfather. Amanda Minch of Fort Wayne said she was originally only going to make the children hold the sign at the intersection of Eastwick Drive and Reed Road for 40 minutes Monday, but she added another 40 minutes when they laughed about the idea, WANE-TV, Fort Wayne, reported Wednesday. "We are disrespectful and nasty to our dad. We don't follow the rules and we only do what we want. We hit him and treat him like crap. We are ungrateful," the sign read. Minch said she picked the sign-holding punishment after previous attempts to alter their behavior failed. "No matter how many conversations we had, it never stopped. So we just decided, you know what, other parents have tried it, so let's try it," Minch said. "Let's embarrass them a little bit and let people know how they behave and how they treat their stepdad." Minch said the punishment previously worked for her 13-year-old child.                 

Somewhat Useless Information   

• There are roughly 250,000 sweat glands on a pair of feet. Sweat glands in the feet produce as much as half a pint of moisture each day.

• The First shoes were invented 5,000,000 years ago during the Ice Age and were made from animal skins. The Romans were the first to construct left and right shoes. Before that, shoes could be worn on either foot.

 Calendar Information        

Happening This Week:

10-16

   National Flag Week
   Jim Thorpe Native American Games
   Men's Health Week
   National Automotive Service Professionals Week
14-21

   Nursing Assistants Week
   US Open Golf Championship
   Duct Tape Days

Today Is                                                                      

Army's Birthday 1775

Career Nurse Assistants Day

Family History Day

Flag Day 1777

Pause for the Pledge Day

Pop Goes The Weasel Day

 (World) Blood Donor Day

Japan: Rice Planting Festival

Today’s Other Events                                                             

1300’s

1381 - Richard II in England meets leaders of Peasants' Revolt on Blackheath. The Tower of London is stormed by rebels who enter without resistance

1600’s

1645 - Battle at Naseby Leicester: New Model army under Oliver Cromwell & Thomas Fairfax beats royalists

1800’s

1834 - Hardhat diving suit patented by Leonard Norcross, Dixfield, Maine

1861 - Harpers Ferry evacuated by rebels in face of McClellan's advance

1877: During their forced march from their old reservation to Indian Territory, the Ponca arrive at the Otto reservation. Taking pity on the Ponca, the Otto give them some horses to help carry their people

1900’s

1907 - Norway restricts woman's voting rights

1922 - Pres Harding is 1st US president to use radio, dedicating the Francis Scott Key memorial in Baltimore

1923 - Recording of 1st country music hit (Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane)

1946 - Canadian Library Association established

1953 - Eisenhower condemns McCarthy's book burning proposal

1962 - The European Space Research Organisation is established in Paris - later becoming the European Space Agency

1989 - Ground breaking begins in Minn on world's largest mall

1989 - Zsa Zsa Gabor arrested for slapping Beverly Hills motorcycle patrolman

2000’s

2001 - China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan form the Shanghai Cooperation Organization

2005 - Asafa Powell of Jamaica sets a new Men's 100 meters world record of 9.77 at the Athens Olympic Stadium

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

Remembered for being born on this day

Alois Alzheimer, Germany, psychiatrist/pathologist (Alzheimer Disease) in 1864

Gene Barry, NYC, actor (Bat Masterson, Name of the Game, Burke's Law) in 1919

Ernesto "Che" Guevara, Rosario, Argentine Marxist revolutionary and physician (Cuban Revolution) in 1928

Burl Ives, Hunt Ill, folk singer/actor (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof) in 1909

Pierre Salinger, newsman (ABC)/press secretary (John Kennedy) in 1925

Harriet Beecher Stowe, author (Uncle Tom's Cabin)  in 1811

In their 80’s

Joe Arpaio, sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona is 80

Marla Gibbs, actress (Florence-Jeffersons, Mary-227) is 81

In their 60’s

Donald Trump, billionaire/master builder (Trump Towers/Plaza/Castle) is 66

In their 50’s

"Boy George" O'Dowd, androgynous vocalist & druggie (Culture Club) is 51

In their 40’s

Yasmine Bleeth, actress (Ryan's Hope, 1 Life to Live, Baywatch) is 44

Today’s Obits                                                           

Benedict Arnold, Revolutionary War general, dies in London of gout in 1801 at 60

Bob Bogle, founding member of The Ventures dies of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2009 at 75

Vincent T Hamlin, cartoonist (Alley Oop), dies in 1993 at 93

Henry Mancini, composer (Pink Panther, Moon River), dies of pancreatic cancer in 1994 at 70

Marlin Perkins, TV host (Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom), dies in 2007 at 81

Salvatore Quasimodo, Italian poet/essayist (Nobel 1959), dies of cerebral hemorrhage in 1968 at 66

Kurt Waldheim, Austrian politician and statesman(UN) dies in 2007 at 88

Max Weber, German sociologist/economist/historian, dies of Spanish Flu in 1920 at 56

Answers                                                                                                                                            

Brain Game: Close Up Picture

What is the answer?

Geranium, gardenia, Columbine, celandine

NPR Sunday Puzzle

1.     Warning ____ a golfer: for/fore

2.     What an Hawaiian may ____ around your neck: lay; lei

3.     Raw material that may contain gold ________ silver: or; ore

4.     Something ____ in a play: seen; scene

5.     A place to turn ____ at night when traveling: in; inn

6.     Put a ____ number of workers on the payroll: higher; hire

7.     Animal with long ears and soft ____: hair; hare

8.     Groups working on ____ ships: cruise; crews

9.     Showed fear as a ____: coward; cowered

10.  What a phone company may ____ you: sell; cell

11.  A large animal that may ____ its teeth: bare; bear

12.  ____ simple addition: some; sum

4X4 boxes

BING

ICON

NOVA

GNAT

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  ☺

June 13

FYI: Click on any blue text for a link to more information!

Today’s  Historical  Highlights

1774 - Rhode Island becomes 1st colony to prohibit importation of slaves

1888 - Congress creates Department of Labor

1889 - 2' of snow accumulates in Rawlins Wyoming

1917 - Germany bombs London

1927 - Ticker-tape parade welcomed Charles A Lindbergh to NYC

1933 - 1st sodium vapor lamps installed (Schenectady NY)

1956 - After 72 years, Britain gives up Suez Canal to Egyptian control

1979 - Sioux nation receives $100 million in compensation for Black Hills SD

1980 - UN Security Council calls for South Africa to free Nelson Mandela

1990 - Nelson & Winnie Mandela welcomed in NYC

♪Happy Birthday To: ♪ 

                    

Free Rambling Thoughts   

Busy day running some errands. A good day to be out and about. Time to start getting serious about my trip….14 days and counting.

I’m calling tomorrow as I still haven’t gotten my tickets and tags for the trip. I know it takes a little while to get to Flag, but I have waited long enough. Still have to find a motel in Houston, but that won’t be a big problem.

Game   Center: (answers at the end of post)

Brain Game—A close up picture of what?

NPR Sunday Puzzle

Every answer is a familiar two-word phrase or name, in which every word contains the consecutive letters R-I. For example: What a person who might fail an FBI background check might pose. The answer would be: secuRIty RIsk.

1.     A black person who lives in the US:

2.     Co-discover of radium:

3.     A power tool with a bit:

4.     Tributary of Mississippi used by Lewis and Clark:

5.     Lead dancer in a Tutu:

6.     Geometric figure that may have sides of 3,4,5:

7.     Russian who was the first man in space:

8.     Breed of dog from the land of Dublin having a wiry coat:

9.     Breakfast cereal that goes ‘snap, crackle, pop’:

10.  Capitalism:

11.  Illegal reproduction of protected text:

12.  A hod:

13.  Something on a spool on a Smith-Corona:

14.  Line that passes through Greenwich England:

15.  Another name for Santa Claus:

What is the answer?

What do the following numbers have in common?
3    7    10    11    12

4X4 Word Boxes

The answer to 1 across is the same word as the answer to 1 down; 2 across is the same as 2 down; etc. Can you solve these Word Boxes? Each answer is 3 letters.

1.              warm up from freezing
2.              sound in health
3.              letter sequence in m????se, a feeling of uneasiness
4.              fence in the water

Lifestyle  Substance     

Songs of the 1970’s

• American Woman, Guess Who 1970

• Bad Girls, Donna Summer  1979

• Ain't No Mountain High Enough, Diana Ross 1970  

• I Want You Back, The Jackson 5 1970

Harper’s Index         

Annual saving the US mint estimates will result for aborting its efforts to circulate $1 coins: $50 million

Found on You Tube 

Dare To Be Great       

Planet Earth—

Joke-of-the-day

Three men are in a hot-air balloon. Soon, they find themselves lost in a canyon somewhere.
One of the three men says, "I have an idea. We can call for help in this canyon and the echo will carry our voices far enough for someone to hear us."
So he leans over the basket and yells out, "Helllloooooo! Where are we?" (They hear the echo several times).
15 minutes later, the men in the balloon hear an echoing voice: "Helllloooooo! You're lost!!"
One of the men says, "That must be a Microsoft service tech!"
Puzzled, one of the other men asks, "Why do you say that?"
The man replies: "For three reasons:  (1) he took a long time to answer,  (2) he was absolutely correct, and  (3) his answer was absolutely useless."

Rules of Thumb   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

Three acts of poor judgment equal one airplane accident.

Yeah, It Really Happened

CHIPPING CAMDEN, England - The judge of the Shin-kicking Championships in Britain said the sport is about more than just two men kicking each other below the knees. James Wiseman, who judged this year's Shin-kicking Championships at the Cotswold Olimpicks, an event held in Chipping Camden, England, on-and-off since the 1600s, said the event is similar to wrestling, ITN reported Wednesday. "I kind of get quite annoyed when people think that shin-kicking is quite literally two guys facing each other and kicking each other as hard as possible in the shins," Wiseman said. "The easiest ways to describe it is it's a bit like wrestling but with a lot of contact below the knees. The idea is really to throw the person to the ground, but to throw the person to the ground you've got to unbalance by kicking them first." The winner of this year's event was Zac Warren, 23, of Pershaw, England.               

Somewhat Useless Information   

• Sterilizing the arm prior to administering a lethal injection may seem odd, but there is always the chance of a last-minute stay of execution. Officials want to take all necessary precautions to prevent infection "just in case."

• Saddam Hussein's last meal, per his request, was boiled chicken and rice. Along with that, he drank several cups of hot water mixed with honey, a childhood favorite of his.

• In 1846, the state of Michigan became the first English-speaking government entity in the world to ban the death penalty.

• Ruth Snyder wasn't the first woman to die in the electric chair, but she was one of the most memorable, thanks to a photograph on the front page of The New York Daily News. Thomas Howard had smuggled a tiny camera into the viewing area and snapped a picture at the moment Snyder was executed.

• The Manson Family members who participated in the Tate-LaBianca murders were all sentenced to death. However, in 1972, California declared the death penalty to be unconstitutional, so their sentences were commuted to life in prison.

• Gary Gilmore signed an organ donor card while on Death Row. Within hours of his execution by firing squad, two patients received his corneas.

Calendar Information        

Happening This Week:

10-16

   National Flag Week
   Jim Thorpe Native American Games
   Men's Health Week
   National Automotive Service Professionals Week

Today Is                                                                      

Kitchen Klutzes of America Day

National Juggling Day

Queen's of England’s Official Birthday

Today’s Other Events                                                             

1500’s

1525 - Martin Luther marries Katharina von Bora, against the celibacy rule decreed by the Roman Catholic Church for priests and nuns

1600’s

1660: Wamsetta, a Wampanoag, and his younger brother, Metacomet (various spellings), have requested "English" names from the Plymouth court. Today, their names will be officially be changed to Alexander and Philip Pokanoket. Philip would eventually be called "King Philip."

1700’s

1715: As a part of the Yamassee war, South Carolina militia, led by George Chicken, battle coastal Indians. The fight, which took place near the ponds on Goose Creek, resulted in a defeat for the Indians. The Indians sustained forty fatalities. Many of the coastal Indians would withdraw their support for the war after this defeat.

1800’s

1825 - Walter Hunt patents safety pin

1866 - House passes 14th Amendment (Civil rights for blacks)

1900’s

1920 - Post Office says children could not be sent by parcel post

1953 - KOAA TV channel 5 in Pueblo-Colorado Spgs, CO (NBC) 1st broadcast

1962 - "Bob Newhart Show," last airs on NBC-TV

1994 - A jury in Anchorage, Alaska, blames recklessness by Exxon and Captain Joseph Hazelwood for the Exxon Valdez disaster, allowing victims of the oil spill to seek $15 billion in damages

1996 - Freeman in Montana give up to FBI after 81 days

2000’s

2005 - A jury in Santa Maria, California acquits pop singer Michael Jackson of molesting 13-year-old Gavin Arvizo at his Neverland Ranch

2011 - Christchurch, New Zealand is hit by another strong earthquake measuring magnitude 6.3

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

Remembered for being born on this day

Gnaeus Julius Agricola, Roman general; conquered Wales in 40

Paul Lynde, Mt Vernon Ohio, comedian (Uncle Arthur-Bewitched) in 1926

James Clerk Maxwell, Scotish physicist (electromagnetic theory, speed of light) in 1831

Mary Wickes, American actress (Dennis the Menace, Julia, Doc, Sister Act) in 1910

William Butler Yeats, Ireland, poet (Wild Swans at Coole-Nobel 1923) in 1865

In their 70’s

Christo [Javacheff], Bulgaria, artist, wrapper (Running Fence) is 77

In their 60’s

Richard Thomas, actor (John Boy-Waltons, Last Summer, Johnny Belinda) is 61

In their 50’s

Tim Allen, comedian (Tim-Home Improvement, Jungle2Jungle) is 59

Hannah Storm, sports journalist (CNN, NBC) is 50

Under 30 years old

Ashley Olsen, twin actress (Michelle-Full House), entrepreneur is 26

Mary-Kate Olsen, twin actress (Michelle-Full House), entrepreneur is 26

Today’s Obits                                                           

Fran Allison, actress (Kukla, Fran & Ollie), dies in 1989 at 81

Don Bolles, investigative journalist (against Arizona), blown up in 1976 at 47

Tom C Clark, former Supreme Court Justice (1949-67), dies in 1977 at 77

Benny Goodman, clarinetist/bandleader (King of Swing), dies of heart attack in 1986 at 77

Henry Middleton, American president of the Continental Congress dies in 1784 at 67 

Tim Russert, American television host, Meet the Press moderator, dies of heart attack in 2008 at 58

Answers                                                                                                                                            

Brain Game: Close Up Picture

What is the answer?

When written out the only contain the vowel E

NPR Sunday Puzzle

1.     A black person who lives in the US: African American

2.     Co-discover of radium: Marie Currie

3.     A power tool with a bit: electric drill

4.     Tributary of Mississippi used by Lewis and Clark: Missouri River

5.     Lead dancer in a Tutu: prima ballerina

6.     Geometric figure that may have sides of 3,4,5: right triangle

7.     Russian who was the first man in space: Yuri Gagarin

8.     Breed of dog from the land of Dublin having a wiry coat: Irish terrier

9.     Breakfast cereal that goes ‘snap, crackle, pop’: Rice Krispies

10.  Capitalism: private enterprise

11.  Illegal reproduction of protected text: copyright infringement

12.  A hod: brick carrier

13.  Something on a spool on a Smith-Corona: typewriter ribbon

14.  Line that passes through Greenwich England: prime meridian

15.  Another name for Santa Claus: Kris Kringle

4X4 boxes

THAW

HALE

ALAI

WEIR

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  ☺