Feb 3

FYI: Any blue text is a link. Click to check it out!
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Feb 3, 2018 Week: 05\ Day: 34
86004 Today: H 61° \ L 29° \ Average Sky Cover: 5% 
Wind ave.:   8mph\Gusts:  17mph Visibility: 10 mi
Record High: 64°[1953]   Record Low: -22°[1922]
Feb Averages: 46°\19°
Feb Records: H: 71° (1986) L: -23° (1985)
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Today’s Quote

Never bend your head. Always hold it high.
Look the world straight in the eye.
  Helen Keller

Harper’s Index

3/5- Portion of likely US voters who think most members of Congress would sell votes for campaign contributions or cash

3/10- Who think it’s very likely their own member of Congress has done so

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Observances This Week
1- 3
Catholic Schools Week
National School Choice Week Link
Meat Week

1- 4
US Nationals Snow Sculpting Days

1-5
US Snow Sculpting Week

1-7
African Heritage & Health Week
Women's Heart Week

2-4
Cordova Ice Worm Day Link

2-8
Publicity for Profit Week

3-9
Dump Your Significant Jerk Week

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Observances for Today
Four Chaplains Memorial Day
Ice Cream For Breakfast Day  
Link
National Missing Person's Day  Link
National Women's Physicians Day  Link
Take Your Child To The Library Day
The Day the Music Died 

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Today’s Significant US Historical Events
Today’s Significant International Historical Events 
1700’s                                          
1743 Philadelphia establishes a "pesthouse" to quarantine immigrants

1800’s                                          
1807 A British military force, under Brigadier-General Sir Samuel Auchmuty captures
        the city of Montevideo in the Battle of Montevideo, then part of the Spanish 
        Empire now capital of Uruguay (Napoleonic Wars)
1809 Territory of Illinois organizes (including present-day Wisconsin)
1815 World's first commercial cheese factory established, in Switzerland
1834 Wake Forest University is established in North Carolina
1863 Samuel Clemens first uses the pen name Mark Twain in a Virginia City 
         newspaper, the "Territorial Enterprise"
1870 US state of Iowa ratifies the 15th Amendment of the United States Constitution
         allowing suffrage for all races & color
1876 Albert Spalding with $800 starts sporting goods co, manufacturing 1st official
         baseball, tennis ball, basketball, golf ball, & football
1882 Circus owner PT Barnum buys his world-famous elephant Jumbo
1887 To avoid disputed national elections, the US Congress creates Electoral Count
         Act

1900’s                                          
1908 Supreme Court rules a union boycott violates Sherman Antitrust Act
1918 Twin Peaks Tunnel for streetcars begins service in San Francisco, at 11,920
         feet one of world's longest
1928 Paleoanthropologist Davidson Black reports his findings on the ancient human
        fossils found at Zhoukoudian, China in the journal Nature and declares them to
        be a new species he names 'Sinanthropus pekinensis' (now known as 'Homo
        erectus')
1931 Arkansas legislature passes motion to pray for soul of H L Mencken after he
         calls state "apex of moronia"
1943 4 chaplains drown after giving up their life jackets to others
1948 Dick Button becomes 1st world figure skating champion from US
1953 J Fred Muggs, a chimpanzee, becomes a regular on NBC's Today Show
1959 "The Day the Music Died" plane crash kills musicians Buddy Holly, Richie 
         Valens, J. P. Richardson and pilot near Clear Lake Iowa
1960 British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan makes his famous "wind of change" 
        speech in Africa, against the apartheid regime, angering South African 
        politicians
1960 "La Dolce Vita" directed by Federico Fellini and starring Marcello Mastroianni
         and Anita Ekberg has its film premiere in Italy
1962 US President John F. Kennedy bans all trade with Cuba except for food &
         drugs
1966 1st soft landing on Moon (Soviet Luna 9)
1967 "Purple Haze" recorded by Jimi Hendrix
1972 11th Winter Olympic games opens in Sapporo, Japan (1st in Asia)
2000’s                                          
2009 Eric Holder becomes 82nd and 1st African American US Attorney General, 
         succeeding Michael Mukasey
2016 US President Barack Obama visits his first US mosque - the Islamic Society of
         Baltimore mosque in Maryland

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My Rambling Thoughts
Our retirement group had a great lunch at a hole-in-the-wall neighborhood Mexican restaurant. Two green chili pork enchiladas with rice and refried beans was a whopping $4.29. The place has been around for decades. They used to provide other restaurants with their tortillas and salsa. They still have a great carry-out business. Must have had a least 10 Latino people taking carry-out on our visit. Their salsa today was the only down side to the meal, as it was watery thin and didn’t stick to the chip. Otherwise, a great meal and certainly can’t be beat for the price. We will definitely be returning.

When I got back from a quick beginning of the month shopping trip for household essentials I was shocked and surprised. A couple of months ago the owner of the unit next to mine had a construction crew start building some wooden structure that was connected to the unit and completely blocked the alley. I called my owner, and his son had bought the unit in question and he knew nothing of what was going on but did say that his son had mentioned our HOA had contacted him about getting their permission. Then nothing. But today, the construction crew returned and removed all of the mess. I am overjoyed. Since it started no one could get into the alley which meant that the falling pine needles and cones could not be removed. That can be a real fire hazard, especially while the weather remains so dry. There is already a high fence at the far end of the alley, so we don’t have human visitors wandering around.

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Birthdays Today
@-  indicates age at death

90’s
@96- George Nissen,
American inventor (created the trampoline),
born in Blairstown, Iowa
(d. 2010)
80’s
@89- Elizabeth Blackwell,
English-American physician who was the first woman to
receive a medical degree in the United States,
born in Bristol, England
(d. 1910)
@89- Joey Bishop, [Gottlieb],
talk show host (Joey Bishop Show),
born in The Bronx
(d. 2007)
@84- Norman Rockwell,
American artist/illustrator (Sat Evening Post covers)
(d. 1978)

70’s
78- Fran Tarkenton, 
NFL quarterback (NY Giants, Minnesota Vikings),
born in Richmond, VA
75- Blythe Danner,
actress (Butterflies are Free),
born in Philadelphia
@73- Clarence Mulford, Ill,
western writer (Hopalong Cassidy)
following surgery (d. 1956)

60’s
68- Morgan Fairchild, [Patsy McClenny],
actress (Falcon Crest),
born in Dallas, Texas
62- Nathan Lane,
actor (One of the Boys, Frankie & Johnnie),
born in Jersey City, NJ
@61- Horace Greeley,
editor ("Go west, young man")
(d. 1849)

40’s
42- Isla Fisher,
Australian actress 
(Arrested Development, The Great Gatsby),
born in Muscat, Oman
@41±- Ferdinand Magellan,
Portuguese explorer,
born in Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Portugal
bamboo spear (d. 1521)

30’s
@38- Felix Mendelssohn [Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy],
German composer and pianist (Great Scherzos),
born in Hamburg, Germany
strokes (d. 1847)
34- Elizabeth Holmes,
American entrepreneur and CEO of Theranos
(youngest self-made female billionaire - Forbes 2014),
born in Washington, D.C.
@30- Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd,
gangster and FBI Most Wanted criminal
shot by FBI (D. 1934)

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Historical Obits Today

80’s
@82-2006 Al Lewis,
American actor (Grandpa in "The Munsters")

70’s
@72-1985 Frank Oppenheimer,
American physicist, UofCO
cancer
@70± 1468 Johannes Gutenberg,
German inventor (movable printing press)
@69-1996 Audrey Meadows,
actress (Alice-Honeymooners),
lung cancer

60’s
@69-1991 Nancy Kulp,
actress (Jane Hathaway-Beverly Hillbillies),
cancer
@67-1924 Woodrow Wilson,
28th US President (1913-21),
stroke

50’s
@59-1989 John Cassavetes,
American actor (Rosemary's Baby) and director,
cirrhosis

40’s
@40-1889 Belle Starr,
US female gangster,
murdered

20’s
@28-1959 Big Bopper,
rocker, plane crash
@22-1959 Buddy Holly,
rock and roll musician (That'll be the Day),
plane crash 

teen’s
@17-1959 Richie Valens,
American rock vocalist (Donna),
plane crash

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Disclaimer: All opinions are mine…feel free to agree or disagree.
All ‘data’ info is from the internet sites and is usually checked with at least one other source, but I have learned that every site contains mistakes and sadly once the information is out there, many sites simply copy it and is therefore difficult to verify. Also for events occurring before the Gregorian calendar was adopted [1582] the dates may not be totally accurate.
☼☼☼☼…And That Is All for Now…☼☼☼☼

Feb 1

FYI: Any blue text is a link. Click to check it out!
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Feb 1, 2018 Week: 05\ Day: 32
86004 Today: H 61° \ L 26° \ Average Sky Cover: 15% 
Wind ave.:   10mph\Gusts:  20mph Visibility: 10 mi
Record High: 60°[2003]   Record Low: -23°[1985]
Feb Averages: 46°\19°
Feb Records: H: 71° (1986) L: -23° (1985)
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Today’s Quote

Neither blame or praise yourself.
Plutarch

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Observances This Week
1- 2
Tax Identity Theft Week Link

1- 3
Catholic Schools Week
National School Choice Week Link
Meat Week

1- 4
US Nationals Snow Sculpting Days

1-5
US Snow Sculpting Week

1-7
African Heritage & Health Week
Women's Heart Week

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Observances for Today
Candy-Making Day
Car Insurance Day
Change Your Password Day 
Link
Decorating With Candy Day
G.I. Joe Day
Hula in The Coola Day
International Face & Body Art Day  Link
National Freedom Day
 National Get Up Day
No Politics Day
Robinson Crusoe Day
Serpent Day 
Link
Spunky Old Broads Day 

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Today’s Significant US Historical Events
Today’s Significant International Historical Events 
1300’s                                          
1327 Teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country 
         is ruled by his mother Queen Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer.

1500’s                                          
1587 Queen Elizabeth I of England signs death warrant for her
          cousin, Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots

1600’s                                          
1669 French King Louis XIV limits freedom of religion

1700’s                                          
1788 1st US steamboat patent issued, by Georgia to Briggs & Longstreet
1789 Chinese troops driven out of Vietnam capital Thang Long
1790 US Supreme Court convenes for 1st time (NYC)

1800’s                                          
1814 Lord Byron's "Corsair" sells 10,000 copies on day of publication
1840 Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, 1st in US, incorporated
1860 1st rabbi to open House of Representatives, Morris Raphall of NYC
1861 Texas secedes from the Union (which precipitates the American
          Civil War)
1862 Julia Howe publishes "Battle Hymn of Republic"
1865 13th amendment approved (National Freedom Day)

1871 Jefferson Long of Georgia is first African American to make an 
          official speech in US House of Representatives 
          (opposing leniency to former Confederates)
1893 Thomas Edison completes worlds 1st movie studio in New Jersey
1896 Giacomo Puccini's Opera "La Boheme" premieres in Turin

1900’s                                          
1906 1st federal penitentiary building completed, Leavenworth, Kansas
1926 Land at Broadway & Wall Street sold at a record $7 per sq inch
1935 1st "March of Time" newsreel premieres at the Capitol
1951 1st telecast of an atomic explosion
1951 UN condemns People's Republic of China as aggressor in Korea
1958 "Volare" ("Nel blu dipinto di blu") single released by Domenico
         Modugno (Grammy Award Record of the Year, Song of the Year 
         1958)
1960 4 students stage 1st civil rights sit-in, at Woolworth's in 
         Greensboro,North Carolina
1968 Saigon police chief Nguyễn Ngọc Loan executes Viet Cong officer
         Nguyễn Văn Lém with a pistol shot to head. The execution is
         captured by photographer Eddie Adams and becomes an anti-war 
         icon.
1972 1st scientific hand-held calculator (HP-35) introduced ($395)
1972 "Harvest" 4th studio album by Neil Young is released 
         (best selling album US 1972)
1976 "Rich Man, Poor Man" mini-series premieres on ABC TV
1978 Harriet Tubman is 1st African American woman to be honored 
         on a US postage stamp
1978 Director Roman Polanski skips bail & fled to France after 
         pleading guilty to charges of engaging in sex with a 13-year-old girl
1979 Ayatollah Khomeini returns to Iran after 15 years in exile
1980 "Call Me" single released by Blondie 
         (Billboard Song of the Year 1980)
1985 -61°F (-52°C), Maybell, Colorado (state record)
1991 South African President F. W. de Klerk says he will repeal 
          all apartheid laws
1991 American writer John Grisham publishes his second novel 
        "The Firm" (bestselling novel of the year)

2000’s                                          
2003 Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates during reentry into the 
        Earth's atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts aboard.
2004 Wardrobe malfunction: Janet Jackson's breast is exposed 
      during the half-time show of Super Bowl XXXVIII, resulting in 
      US broadcasters adopting a stronger adherence to FCC 
       censorship guidelines.
2009 Super Bowl XLIII: Pittsburgh Steelers beat Arizona Cardinals, 27-23
        at the Raymond James Stadium MVP: Santonio Holmes, 
        Pittsburgh, WR
2013 "House of Cards", starring Kevin Spacey as Frank 
         Underwood and Robin Wright as his wife, is released on Netflix
2016 WHO declares a global public health emergency over 
          the rapid spread of zika-linked conditions
2016 Myanmar's first freely elected parliament in 50 years has its 
          opening session in Nay Pyi Taw

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My Rambling Thoughts
Warm Wednesday…can’t believe it is the last day of January…feels like spring, but I know cold weather is still going to reappear.

Weekly shopping completed with little hassle. Actually, I drove home with car window rolled all the way down and no heat on.

I did watch the entire SOTU speech last night. Most of it sounded OK, but really had little or no substance. It is usually like that, but other Presidents have hit the trail after the speech to sell the ideas and plans. This time, 45 is playing golf at his Florida Retreat. He did give a teleprompter speech that lasted well over an hour, so guess he needs some downtime after all that talking and reading at the same time. There were a few times that his gestures reminded me of a high school campaign speech for School President.

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Birthdays Today
@-  indicates age at death

80’s
@88- Muriel Spark,
Scottish writer (The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie),
born in Edinburgh, Scotland
(d. 2006)
81- Garrett Morris,
actor (SNL, Martin, Carwash),
born in New Orleans, Louisiana

70’s
@79- John Ford,
American director (Stagecoach, Air Mail, Quiet Man),
born in Cape Elizabeth, Maine
(d. 1973)
@76- Boris Yeltsin,
Russian politician and President of Russian Federation
born in Butka, Sverdlovsk,
heart failure (d. 2007)
@75- S J Perelman,
American author, humorist and screenwriter
(The New Yorker, Around the World in 80 Days),
born in Brooklyn, New York
(d. 1979)
@74- Sherman Hemsley,
actor (All in the Family, Jeffersons, Amen),
born in Philadelphia
lung cancer (d. 2012)

60’s
@66±- John Napier,
Scottish mathematician/inventor (logarithms),
born in Edinburgh
@65- Victor Herbert,
composer (Babes in Toyland, Kiss in Dark),
born in Dublin
heart attack (d. 1924)
@65- Langston Hughes,
American poet (Weary Blues) and playwright (Mulatto),
born in Joplin, Missouri
complications of prostate surgery (d. 1967)
64- Billy Mumy,
American actor (Will Robinson-Lost in Space, Dear Brigitte),
born in San Gabriel, California

50’s
@59- Clark Gable,
American actor known as 'The King of Hollywood'
(Gone With the Wind, It Happened One Night),
born in Cadiz, Ohio
blood clot (d. 1960)
@56- Rick James [James Ambrose Johnson, Jr.],
American funk musician ("Super Freak"),
born in Buffalo New York
heart failure (d. 2004)
50- Lisa Marie Presley Keough Jackson,
daughter of Elvis,
born in Memphis
50- Pauly Shore,
comedian (Totally Pauly, Encino Man),
born in Hollywood

30’s
31- Ronda Rousey
American athlete (UFC Champion),
born in Riverside, California

20’s
@28- Brandon Lee,
actor (Showdown in Little Tokyo),
born in Oakland, California
accidental shooting on movie set (d. 1993)
24- Harry Styles,
British pop singer (One Direction),
born in Redditch, England

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Historical Obits Today

80’s
Swiss-Austrian actor
(Judgment at Nuremberg, The Pedestrian)

70’s
@75-1966 Hedda Hopper, [Elda Furry],
US gossip columnist
abstract painter (Composition in Blue),
pneumonia

60’s
@69-1966 Buster Keaton, [Joseph Francis],
US comic (General),
lung cancer

50’s
English novelist (Frankenstein),
brain tumor

0’s
@3-1850 Edward Baker Lincoln,
son of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln
TB

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Disclaimer: All opinions are mine…feel free to agree or disagree.
All ‘data’ info is from the internet sites and is usually checked with at least one other source, but I have learned that every site contains mistakes and sadly once the information is out there, many sites simply copy it and is therefore difficult to verify. Also for events occurring before the Gregorian calendar was adopted [1582] the dates may not be totally accurate.
☼☼☼☼…And That Is All for Now…☼☼☼☼

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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.