Thursday 4-22

22 April 2010~~Week 17 of 2010: 112 days this year… 253 days remain

‡ Something To Think About 

Give me the money that has been spent in war & I will clothe every man, woman, & child.

~Charles Sumner (1811-1874) MA orator and lawyer

• Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1864 ►US mints 2¢ coin (1st appearance of "In God We Trust") AND 1955 ►Congress orders all US coins bear motto "In God We Trust"

‡ Free Ramblings   

Look at your calendar. It is APRIL. It should be spring. Everything should be turning green. Flowers (from bulbs) should be popping out of the ground. Today was not a pleasant day outside. I woke up to strong winds and almost horizontal rain. Hard rain…the Navajo call it a Male rain. Then it was graupel, those little tiny little snowballs or hail pellets. Then it was rain again. Then finally, to make the day complete we had thundersnow. Watching the snow fall while listening to the thunder was interesting. All this time the wind was blowing at about 40 mph. About 3pm the wind calmed down and we had tiny, tiny snowflakes falling to the ground. Then the wind picked up. The snow started again. Our high today was 48° and that came just after midnight, during one of the rain showers. We did get two hundredths of an inch of moisture today, so that is good. Some of the ground does still have some snow on the ground, but the streets are just wet. Flagstaff certainly is a destination for all seasons—all in one day.

My travel buddy Bob called today and we talked about our trip to Hadrian’s Wall. He has been checking it out and found a friend of a friend who lives in that part of the UK. Turns out the driest month is May, and that July—when we were thinking of going—is the best time for black flies. So glad he found that out. I didn’t have a lot of trouble with the midges in Scotland, though they did keep us inside on late afternoon we had planned a patio happy hour. I survived the flying bugs in South Africa because the rainy season was just around the corner and they hadn’t returned. I am happy we won’t be dealing with that in the UK. On top of that, I am now excited about the trip. Traveling during the driest month means that we probably won’t have rain every day. I spent almost three weeks in Scotland during their driest month and we had two days of rain that messed up our trip plans. One of those days was at Culloden, and that was still a great time—even though I was soaked from the knees down. The other was Edinburgh and the Tattoo. We saw the whole show, in a downpour and I remember thinking about how sad it was to see those uniforms, made of wool, being soaked. We were a few rows up and weren’t able to get the wet-wool smell, but those performers must have felt like they were at sheep camp. The idea of walking 6-8 miles in rain did not excite me. Now I am ready. At least I am pretty sure it won’t be raining all day every day we are there. I will be checking the weather during May of this year at the towns we are going to visit, just to be sure.

A little good news came from Phoenix today. The non-elected governor didn’t sign the archaic immigration bill. Her office did note in a press release that she had received a little of 1000 emails asking her to sign the bill, and 12,000 emails asking that she veto the bill. I’m glad my email was included in that number. She wants to become an elected governor in November. This may help her decide what to do. I am not expecting a response from her office, but at least she knows where I stand. Better than that, I now know that at least 13,000 people in Arizona express their opinion to the governor using an electronic device. I am not alone.

I don’t use Twitter. I don’t tweet. Just not my thing. I did think about it a few months ago but never did it. Now I am pleased with that decision. Last week the Library of Congress announced that they are archiving all the tweets of all the people who have used that program. Something about letting another generation learn about our lives. 140 character messages are not like a previous generation’s telegrams. Back then, each word cost money, so many telegrams were carefully thought out to get the message to another without spending a fortune. Tweets are free. For the few I have read, or heard about, the required very little, if any, thought. Telegrams were read by a few people—the sender, the operator who sent it, the operator who received it, and the recipient. Tweets can be read by just about anybody with a computer. Now tweeters find out that their little messages will be available at the Library of Congress for a very long time. Scary, very scary. The lesson here must have something to do with those very long complicated privacy policy statements one has to agree to before the software will work. I’m still having a hard time believing that the Twitter policy said anything like we will be giving all your tweets to the Library of Congress for permanent archiving. Live and Learn.

‡ A Quick Smile…   

Mary was married to a something of a chauvinist. They both worked full time, but he never did anything around the house and certainly....not any housework. That, he declared, was 'woman's work.'

One evening Mary arrived home from work to find the children bathed, a load of wash in the washing machine and another in the dryer, dinner on the stove and a beautifully set table, complete with flowers. She was astonished, and she immediately wanted to know what was going on.

It turned out that her husband Charley had read a magazine article that suggested working wives would be more romantically inclined if they weren't so tired from having to do all the housework in addition to holding down a full-time job. The next day, she couldn't wait to tell her friends in the office. "How did it work out?" they asked.

"Well, it was a great dinner," Mary said. "Charley even cleaned up, helped the kids with their homework, folded the laundry and put everything away."

"But what about afterward?" her friends wanted to know.

"Oh, that part didn't work out," Mary said. "Charley was too tired."

‡ Random Fact

Your thumb is the same length as your nose

‡ Puzzle   

Heteronyms are words that are spelled identically but have different meanings when pronounced differently. For example: Lead, pronounced LEED, means to guide. However, lead, pronounced LED, means a metallic element.

1. to leave ; arid region

2. an elementary book; preparatory coat of paint

3. a string instrument; a fish

‡ Side Show Stories   

Diamond Springs, California: California Highway Patrol office was briefly evacuated earlier this month when investigators became concerned that an arrestee might have been carrying a

concealed explosive device.

When officers collared Steven Ferrini on a drug charge, a search of the 60-year-old suspect turned up "a suspicious wire, with an on/off switch" in his pants pocket. So they called in El Dorado County's "explosive ordinance disposal" team and evacuated "all unnecessary personnel" from the office.

The wire was found to extend from the pants pocket to the subject's anus and was connected to a vibrator. The bomb squad "rendered the device safe" and determined it was not dangerous.

‡ Calendar Information   

• Observance Weeks in April•

18-24

Administrative Professionals Week

Cleaning For A Reason Week

Coin Week

National Crime Victims Rights Week

National Volunteer Week

Sky Awareness Week

19-25

Astronomy Week

Consumer Awareness Week

Fish Fry Week

National Inspirational News Week

Police Officers Who Gave Their Lives In The Line of Duty Week

National Paperboard Packaging Week

National Window Safety Week

Turnoff Week

• 22 April Observances—US/UN/World •

National Jelly Bean Day

Chemists Celebrate The Earth Day

Earth Day—since 1970

Take Our Daughters & Sons to Work Day

Nebraska : Arbor Day, where they created it (1872)

Oklahoma : Oklahoma Day (1889)

• 22 April Observances—by country •

Brazil: Discovery Day (Pedro Álvares Cabral became the first European to land in Brazil in 1500 )

Spain, US : Queen Isabella Day

USSR : Lenin's Birthday (1870)

•Number One Songs in…

1945 ►My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time; Les Brown

1955 ►The Ballad of Davy Crockett; Bill Hayes

1965 ►Game of Love; Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders

1975 ►(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song; B.J. Thomas

1985 ►We Are the World; USA for Africa

• 22 April Happenings•

In The Arts

1978 ►'The Blues Brothers' (Dan Akroyd and John Belushi) make their first appearance on Saturday Night Live

1994 ►In Denmark the largest lollipop, weighing 3,011 pounds is made

In Athletics

1981 ►Dodgers rookie Fernando Valenzuela tosses his 3rd shutout in 4 starts

1988 ►Women are allowed to compete in the Little 500 bicycle race in Bloomington IN, for the 1st time

In Business or Education

1964 ►The 1964-1965 New York World's Fair opens for its first season.

2000 The Big Number Change takes place in the United Kingdom allowing new telephone exchanges

In Politics

1526 ►1st slave revolt occurs in South Carolina

1793 ►President George Washington attends opening of Rickett's, 1st circus in US

1889 ►The Oklahoma land rush begins.

1915 ►1st military use of poison gas (chlorine, by Germany) in WWI

1951 ►Ticker-tape parade for General MacArthur in NYC

1993 ►Holocaust Memorial Museum opens in Washington D.C.

2000 ►The six year old Elian Gonzalez is taken by a swat team from other Cuban relatives in Miami.

In Science/ Religion

1969 ►1st human eye transplant performed

1970 ►The first Earth Day was observed -- with the purpose of reclaiming the purity of the air we breathe, the water we drink and the environment we live in

1979 ►The Albert Einstein Memorial is unveiled at The National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC.

• 22 April Births •

Artists, Writers, and Composers

Henry Fielding, 1707, author: The History of Tom Jones

Immanuel Kant, 1724, Konigsberg Germany, philosopher

Athletes

Spencer Haywood, 61, NBA star (Supersonics, Knicks, Olympics-gold-1968)

Entertainers

Eddie Albert [Heimberger], 1908, actor (Oliver-Green Acres)

Glen Campbell, 75, singer (“Gentle on My Mind)

Peter Frampton, 60, singer

Hal March (Mendelson), 1920, TV emcee: The $64,000 Question

Jason Miller, 1939, Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning playwright

Jack Nicholson, 74, actor (Oscars for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Terms of Endearment and As Good as It Gets)

Charlotte Rae, 84, actress (“Diff’rent Strokes)

Aaron Spelling, 1923, TV executive producer (Charlie's Angels, Melrose Place, Dynasty, Love Boat, Starsky and Hutch, Mod Squad)

Ryan Stiles, 51, actor (“The Drew Carey Show)

John Waters, 64, filmmaker (Pink Flamingoes)

Business, Education Leaders

Eleazar Wheelock, 1711, American founder of Dartmouth College

Political Leaders

Henry Clay, 1777, the great compromiser

Nikolai Lenin [Vladimir Ilich Ulyanov], 1870, Bolshevik/USSR revolutionist

Scientists /Religious Leaders

J[ulius] Robert Oppenheimer, 1904, head of Manhattan (A-bomb) Project

• 22 April Obits •

Frederick Henry Royce, 1933, motorcar pioneer @ 70 (last words: "I wish I had spent more time in the office.")

Jane Froman, 1980, singer (Jane Froman's USA Canteen), heart attack @ 72

Ansel Adams, 1984, US photographer, @ 82

Huey Newton, 1989, Black Panther leader, shot dead @ 47

Cesar Chavez, 1993, US farm worker (United Farm Workers), in his sleep @ 66

Richard Milhous Nixon, 1994, 37th US President, stroke @ 81

Erma Bombeck, 1996, AZ humorist (Grass is Greener over the Septic Tank), kidney disease @ 69

‡ ANSWERS to puzzle   

1. Desert dihZURT- to leave ; DEZert- arid region

2. Primer PRIHMer- an elementary book; PRYmer- the preparatory coat of paint

3. Bass BASE- a string instrument; (rhymes with mass)- a fish

  ‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡   

Wednesday 4-21

21 April 2010~~Week 17 of 2010: 111 days this year…254 days remain

‡ Something To Think About 

The influence of repetition on crowds is comprehensible when the power is seen which it exercises on the most enlightened minds. This power is due to the fact that the repeated statement is embedded in the long run in those profound regions of our unconscious selves in which the motives of our actions are forged.

~Gustave Le Bon in The Crowd, published in 1897

• Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1869 ►Donehogawa (Ely Samuel Parker) is appointed as the first Indian to be Commissioner of Indian Affairs. Donehogawa, a SENECA IROQUOIS, was trained as a lawyer and a civil engineer. Unable to find work in the white world, Donehogawa contacts his old friend Ulysses Grant. Grant makes him an aide, and they work together through much of the Civil War. Because of his excellent penmanship, Donehogawa draws up the surrender papers for Lee to sign at Appomattox. Promoted to Brigadier General, Ely Parker worked to settle many conflicts between whites and Indians. After Grant becomes President, he will be appointed as Indian Commissioner

‡ Free Ramblings   

Arizona is in the National news again…we all await the signing or vetoing of the toughest immigration laws in the country. This new law would require law enforcement to verify citizenship, if the officer feels there is a question of citizenship. Over 30% of Arizonians are of Hispanic or Latino decent. All of those citizens would have to carry proof of citizenship or live in fear of being arrested if stopped by the police. Many communities in the Arizona have stated that their law enforcement responsibilities do not include assuring citizenship. If our non-elected governor decides to sign this archaic bill, all of law enforcement will face hefty fines—up to $5000 if an illegal alien is stopped and not reported to the Feds. Many Natives also live in Arizona, and will probably have to prove citizenship as well. I am aware of the illegal problem in Arizona. This is not the answer. The Phoenix capitol looked like the 1960’s with peaceful demonstrations since last night. Today people chained themselves to the doors and were promptly arrested. Many believe that if the non-elected governor signs the bills, it will spend years in courts. Last week our state joined several others to sue the Feds regarding the Healthcare reform bill. In other legislation today they have given the AZ Secretary of State the responsibility of determining that each Presidential candidate was born in the US, and if the proof doesn’t meet the AZ Secretary of States’ criteria the candidate will not be on our ballot. We here in Arizona like to make our own laws, and don’t really care that much about Federal law. The politicians tell us we are broke, can’t pay for education, can’t pay for state parks, can’t pay for law enforcement…but we seem to have a bottomless pit of money to pay for endless lawsuits for laws that almost everyone knows will not work.

My Blackberry decided to mess up today. I took it to the Verizon store and after 30 minutes, told me to take it home and update the software. That took over 45 minutes and may or may not have fixed the problem I had. It seems to be working OK, but for some reason, I don’t think I fixed the problem. I have a calendar that shows upcoming appointments. I used to list three. Then it listed none. With the software update it is listing only one. When that appointment happens, I will find out if it really works. Technology is so fickle.

We made it to 61° today, but the 30+MPH winds this afternoon kept us feeling a whole lot cooler. The storm is a brewin’. Two or three days of snow is not going to make Flagstaff a nice spring town. The thundersnow is due Thursday.

‡ A Quick Smile…   

The following are some very funny spelling bloopers caught in local newspapers, publications and various emails. See if you can catch the goofs.

"Boxer Pups AKC, 1M, 1F, Bread for Health and Temperament." (e-mail)

"[Paris Hilton] was probably going through cocaine withdrawls." (Sunnyvale, Calif.)

"Our lunch menu [includes] a variety of hot entrees and tempting deserts." (Upper Saint Clair,Pa.)

"Vincent was a brawny Swiss ex-patriot." (San Jose, Calif.)

"...those who acquaint shopping with charity." (Simsbury, Conn.)

‡ Random Fact   

In 1849, the U.S. Department of the Interior is established. Among its duties (which are so diverse that it is nicknamed "the Department of Everything Else") is the management of public parklands. It is now the nation's main conservation agency.

‡ Puzzle   

Heteronyms are words that are spelled identically but have different meanings when pronounced differently. For example: Lead, pronounced LEED, means to guide. However, lead, pronounced LED, means a metallic element.

1. alcoholic drink; a purpose

2. a list; to write down

3. to rip; fluid in eye

‡ Side Show Stories   

SYDNEY - An Australian publisher is reprinting 7,000 cookbooks over a recipe for pasta with "salt and freshly ground black people."

Penguin Group Australia's head of publishing, Bob Sessions, acknowledged the proofreader for the Pasta Bible should have picked up the error, but called it nothing more than a "silly mistake."

The "Pasta Bible" recipe for spelt tagliatelle with sardines and prosciutto was supposed to call for black pepper.

"We're mortified that this has become an issue of any kind and why anyone would be offended, we don't know," he told The Sydney Morning Herald for a story printed Saturday.

"We've said to bookstores that if anyone is small-minded enough to complain about this ... silly mistake, we will happily replace (the book) for them."

The reprint will cost Penguin 20,000 Australian dollars ($18,500), but books already in stores will not be recalled because doing so would be "extremely hard," Sessions said.

‡ Calendar Information   

• Observance Weeks in April•

18-24

Administrative Professionals Week

Cleaning For A Reason Week

Coin Week

National Crime Victims Rights Week

National Volunteer Week

Sky Awareness Week

19-25

Astronomy Week

Consumer Awareness Week

Fish Fry Week

National Inspirational News Week

Police Officers Who Gave Their Lives In The Line of Duty Week

National Paperboard Packaging Week

National Window Safety Week

Turnoff Week

• 21 April Observances—US/UN/World •

Kindergarten Day: birthday of founder—see below

Administrative Professionals Day or Secretary's Day

National Chocolate-covered Cashews Day

Texas : San Jacinto Day (1836) gives Texas independence from Mexico

• 21 April Observances—by country •

Belize, Hong Kong, and others: Queen's Birthday

Brazil : Tiradentes Day/Día de Tiradentes/) Joaquim José da Silva Xavier, the dentist, fought for Brazil’s independence from Portugal. Hanged 4/21/1789)

Brazil: Brasilia Day (1960 became capital of Brazil: Today’s pop: 3.5 million)

Indonesia : Kartini Day (Raden Ajeng Kartini, heroine of women’s rights-born 4/21/1879)

Israel : Deliverance from Egypt

Taiwan : Death of Chiang Kai-shek/Tomb Sweeping Day

•Number One Songs in…

1982 I Love Rock 'n Roll; Joan Jett & the Blackhearts

1972 The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face; Roberta Flack

1962 Good Luck Charm; Elvis Presley

1952 Wheel of Fortune; Kay Starr

1942 Moonlight Cocktail; Glenn Miller

1921 O-H-I-O (O-My! O!); Al Jolson

• 21 April Happenings•

In The Arts

1997 ►Ashes of Timothy Leary & Gene Roddenberry launched into orbit

In Athletics

1982 ►Rollie Fingers of the Milwaukee Brewers becomes the first pitcher to record 300 saves.

In Business or Education

1828 ►Noah Webster publishes 1st American dictionary

1878 ►New York installs 1st firehouse pole

1952 ►BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation) begins 1st passenger service with jets (London-Rome route)

In Politics

753BC ►Traditional date of the foundation of Rome

1862 ►Congress establishes US Mint in Denver CO

1983► £1 coin introduced in United Kingdom

1989 ►100,000 students gather at Beijing's Tiananmen Square to commemorate Hu Yaobang the deposed reform-minded leader of the Chinese Communist Party and voice their discontent with China's authoritative communist government.

In Science/ Religion

1892 ►1st buffalo born in Golden Gate Park

1948 ►1st Polaroid camera is sold in US

1972 ►John Young & Charles Duke explore Moon (Apollo 16)

• 21 April Births •

Artists, Writers, and Composers

Charlotte Brontë, 1816, Tornton England, novelist (Jane Eyre)

Elaine May, 78, actress, writer, director

Athletes

Al (Alonza Benjamin) Bumbry (Bumbrey), 63, baseball: Orioles, Padres

Reg (Reginald Stephen "The Ruffian") Fleming, 1936, hockey: NHL: Canadiens, Blackhawks, Bruins, Rangers, Flyers, Sabres )

Antonio Ramiro "Tony" Romo, 30, football: Cowboys

Entertainers

Tony Danza, 59, actor (“Taxi,” “Who’s the Boss?”)

Charles Grodin, 75, actor (Midnight Run, Beethoven)

Iggy Pop (James Newell Osterberg, Jr), 63, singer,

Anthony Quinn, 1915, Chihuahua México, actor

Business, Education Leaders

Friedrich W A Fröbel, 1782, Germany, educator (founder: kindergarten)

Don Tyson, 80, founder, Tyson Foods

Political Leaders

Elizabeth II [Alexandra Mary Windsor II], 84, queen of England

Scientists /Religious Leaders

John Muir, 1838, US, naturalist (discovered glaciers in High Sierras)

• 21 April Obits •

Mark Twain [Samuel Langhorne Clemens], 1910, author(Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn), @ 74
François "Papa Doc" Duvalier, 1971, dictator of Haiti, used voodoo to kill 30,000, heart disease @ 64

John Maynerd Keynes, 1946, English economist (How to pay for the war?), open bisexual, heart attack @ 62
Gummo [Milton] Marx, 1977, US comic (Marx Brothers), @ 84
"Red Baron" [Manfred von Richtofen], 1918,shot down in WWI @ 25
Dimetrios Georgios Synodinos (Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder), 1996, oddsmaker/sportscaster (CBS), heart attack @ 76
‡ ANSWERS to puzzle

1. Sake SAHkey- alcoholic drink; SAYK- a purpose

2. Record RECKord- a list; reKORD- to write down

3. Tear TARE- to rip; TEER- fluid in eye

   ‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡   

Tuesday 4-20

20 April 2010~~Week 17 of 2010: 110 days this year… 255 days remain

‡ Something To Think About 

The secret of joy in work is contained in one word–excellence. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it.

~Pearl S. Buck

• Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1606: ►According to the first charter of Virginia, issued today, part of the colonists goals are to civilize the natives. "...and may in time bring the infidels and savages, living in those parts, to human civility."

‡ Free Ramblings    

I am so tired of fear tactics to get my vote. The latest has to do with a temporary 1% sales tax in AZ. For several weeks we have heard that if we don’t pass the tax our schools and emergency services will be cut deeply. Today we find out that a failure to pass the tax will probably shift state prison and state court costs to each county. Hmmm. This one percent tax certainly seems to be a panacea for all our financial troubles. The magic pill will return us to the panacea of yesteryear. I fear our non-elected governor is living on a different planet. I remember many years ago when residents of AZ were asked to allow the lottery. We were told that the lottery would support our schools so we would never have to worry about financing schools. (We are 46th in school funding this year.) Well, that sure didn’t happen. The genius legislators moved the education money to other places. I’m sure they will do it again. AZ is not yet out of the recession; building is still at a standstill and we have the third highest foreclosure rate in the US. Just tonight a home in Mesa, finished just as the recession hit was expected to sell for $5mil upon completion. It is now in foreclosure; no one has ever lived in it, and at auction is expected to bring in maybe, just maybe $2 million. Big item sales are flat. Tourism is down. Yet this magical 1% tax is going to solve our problems. Yeah, right.

MSNBC ran a very interesting documentary tonight—The McVeigh Tapes. It’s been 15 years since his bombing. Two hours of various McVeigh videos and interviews of people who were there. Amazing. A Gulf War, bronze star veteran who killed Iraqi citizens, came home and lost it. He believed the Army taught him that it is appropriate to kill innocent civilians for a higher cause. He killed 168 in OK city. Militias led him to believe that the government was going to take all of our guns. Survivalists let him to believe only those prepared would be around after the government took over. He was executed still believing he was a martyr who was saving the people of the country.

We had another great day. We made it to 68°. We did have some high clouds, but nothing to interrupt the day’s great weather. The weatherman says a big change is just around the corner. Wednesday we can expect ‘Thudersnow’. OK, that will be a little freaky. We have been told to expect ‘minor accumulation’ of 1”-2” between Wednesday and Friday. Winter just doesn’t seem ready to leave us.

‡ A Quick Smile…   

The following are some very funny spelling bloopers caught in local newspapers, publications and various emails. See if you can catch the goofs.]

1. "...an autopsy to determine if the elderly man lost courteousness for medical reasons." (Trenton, N.J.)

2. "[An NBA coach] will take charge of a young team still in the throws of a roster overhaul." (Vernon, Conn.)

3. "'It's pretty exciting,' according to his material grandmother." (Potsdam, N.Y.)

4. "The MCCC fight team won 21 out of 32 awards and brought home nine metals." (Trenton, N.J.)

5. "McNabb...exasperated the injury attempting to chase down Dallas Cowboys safety Roy Williams." (Trenton, N.J.)

‡ Random Fact   

Pittsburgh Pirates—The franchise was called the Innocents until 1891 when it signed second baseman Lou Bierbauer. His old club, the Philadelphia Athletics, and its fans weren't at all happy about the way Bierbauer was "obtained" and dubbed his new club the Pirates because they "pirated" the star player away from them.

‡ Puzzle   

Heteronyms are words that are spelled identically but have different meanings when pronounced differently. For example: Lead, pronounced LEED, means to guide. However, lead, pronounced LED, means a metallic element. NOTE: As an ESL teacher I know how hard it is for second language learners to understand this part of the English language.

1. to change one's belief; one whose belief was changed

2. to lower one's head or the front of a ship; used to shoot arrows

3. performs; more than one female deer

‡ Side Show Stories   

A British man kayaked, pedaled, walked, swam and skated to become the first person to circumnavigate the globe by human muscle alone.

Jason Lewis, 40, shunned motor and sail to travel 45,505 miles in a quest that ended last week when he pulled his pedal boat across the Meridian line at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich.

The epic journey took him 13 years, two months, 23 days and 11 hours. He left on an expected 3.5 year journey in 1994.

Lewis capsized in two oceans, was chased by a crocodile in Australia, had two bouts of malaria, surgery for two hernias and nearly died of blood poisoning 1,300 miles off Hawaii.

He also suffered acute altitude sickness in the Himalayas, broke both legs when he was hit by a car in Colorado and was arrested as a spy in Egypt.

"It's been a big, long journey. It's good to be back," a thin, leathered and weeping Lewis said simply as he crossed the finish line.

‡ Calendar Information    

• Observance Weeks in April•

18-24

Administrative Professionals Week

Cleaning For A Reason Week

Coin Week

National Crime Victims Rights Week

National Volunteer Week

Sky Awareness Week

19-25

Astronomy Week

Consumer Awareness Week

Fish Fry Week

National Inspirational News Week

Police Officers Who Gave Their Lives In The Line of Duty Week

National Paperboard Packaging Week

National Window Safety Week

Turnoff Week

• 20 April Observances—US/UN/World •

Look Alike Day: also called Copy Cat Day—change your hair, dress like someone you want to be

• 20 April Observances—by country •

420: National Pot Smokers Day (Began @ high school in San Rafael, CA in 1971 when counter culture students would gather @ 4:20pm each day to smoke a joint near the campus statue of Louis Pasteur), now celebrate in France, New Zealand, Ontario, British Columbia)

•Number One Songs in…

1941 ►Amapola (Pretty Little Poppy); Jimmy Dorsey

1951 ►How High the Moon; Les Paul & Mary Ford

1961 ►Runaway; Del Shannon

1971 ►Joy to the World; Three Dog Night

1981 ►Kiss on My List; Daryl Hall & John Oates

1991 ►You're in Love; Wilson Phillips

• 20 April Happenings•

In The Arts

1841 ►1st detective story (Poe's "Murders in the Rue Morgue") published

1935 ►"You're Hit Parade" begins broadcasting (becomes #1 quickly)

In Athletics

1920 ►7th modern Olympic games open in Antwerp Belgium

1949 ►Willie Shoemaker won his first race as a jockey

In Business or Education

1898 ►US Assay Office in Deadwood SD opens

1999 ►Deadliest school shooting in US history at Columbine High School, Littleton CO, 13 killed, 23 wounded

1906 ►Firefighters finally end the spread of flames in San Francisco after the earthquake two days earlier on April 18th

In Politics

1770 ►Captain Cook arrives in New South Wales

1914 ►33 killed by soldiers during mine strike in Ludlow CO

1965 ►People's Republic China offers North Vietnam military aid

1971 ►US Supreme Court upholds use of busing to achieve racial desegregation

1974 ►The continuing violence between the two para-military organizations in Northern Ireland claims its 1,000th victim

In Science/ Religion

1902 ►Marie & Pierre Curie isolate radioactive element radium

1940 ►1st electron microscope demonstrated (RCA), Philadelphia PA

• 20 April Births •

Artists, Writers, and Composers

Sebastian Faulks, 57, British novelist, journalist

Athletes

Donald Arthur (Don) Mattingly, 49, former baseball player

Entertainers

Carmen Electra, 37, actress

Nina Foch, 86, actress

Jessica Lange, 61, actress (Oscars for Tootsie and Blue Skies)

Joey Lawrence, 34, actor

Harold Lloyd, 1893, comedian, actor: For Heaven’s Sake

Shemar Moore, 40, actor (“Criminal Minds”)

Ryan O’Neal, 69, actor

George Takei, 70, actor (Sulu-Star Trek)

Johnny Tillotson, 71, singer: Poetry In Motion

Business, Education Leaders

David Chalmers, 44, Australian philosopher

Political Leaders

Adolf Hitler, 1889, Braunau Austria, dictator of Nazi Germany

Louis-Napoleon [Napoleon III], 1808, emperor of France

Scientists /Religious Leaders

Charles Gordon Curtis, 1860, US attorney/inventor (Curtis Turbine)

• 20 April Obits •

George Clinton, 1812, 4th US Vice President, 1st Vice President to die in office, @ 73
Benny [Alfred Hawthorn] Hill, 1992, British comedian, heart attack @ 67

Pontiac, 1769, Chief to Ottawa, murdered @ 49
Don[ald] Siegel, 1991, US director (Coogan's Bluff/Dirty Harry), @ 78
‡ ANSWERS to puzzle 

1. Convert conVERT- to change one's belief; CONvert- one whose belief was changed

2. Bow BAU- to lower one's head or the front of a ship; BOH- used to shoot arrows

3. Does DUZ- performs; DOZE- more than one female deer

  ‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡   

Monday 4-19

19 April 2010~~Week 17 of 2010: 109 days this year… 256 days remain

‡ Something To Think About 

The challenge of social justice is to evoke a sense of community that we need to make our nation a better place, just as we make it a safer place.

--MARIAN WRIGHT EDELMAN—founder of Children’s Defense Fund

• Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1951 ►General Douglas MacArthur spoke before Congress. The highlight of this memorable address was General MacArthur stating, “Old soldiers never die, they just fade away.”

‡ Free Ramblings   

I hope the new format of this blog is easier to read. I have been looking for months go get rid of all that junk on the right or left. Today I figured it out. I can still do color and stuff, but the other space taking information is now at the bottom. I am just a little too ADD when it comes to working on a computer problem. I can start out fine, but it I’m not taking giant steps, I quickly find myself unable to concentrate on the issue. I will just leave it, and come back to it at a later date.

In some reading today I learned that the US war in Afghanistan has lasted longer than the Viet Nam War. I found that hard to believe until I realized Viet Nam, prior to 1964, the US role was that of advisor. In 1964, LBJ gave the go-ahead for actual fighting. Nixon ended it in 1973. We started fighting in Afghanistan in October of 2001. The Soviet War with Afghanistan lasted over 10 years, with their final troop withdrawal in 1989. So, in the last thirty one years—half of my life—Afghanistan has been involved in an on the ground war for over twenty years. Afghanistan has a life expectancy of 44 years (US is 78.8); the average Afghani woman has 7.4 children (US is 2.05); 57% of Afghani women are married before 16 years old; over one million are widows. Most importantly, the median age of the 30 million Afghanis is 17.6 years old (US is 37.6). That is ½ the population is older and one half the population is younger. More than half of their population has lived their entire life in war. The UN has labeled the Karzai government the second most corrupt nation in the world. (First on that list is Somalia—which basically has no central government.) If peace ever returns to Afghanistan, it will take several generations for the country to rebuild.

Yet another great spring day in Flagstaff. We made it to 66° and it was great to be outside. My windows were open most of the afternoon. I cleaned up some of the pine needles in the front and in the back…again. I was even able to read the Sunday paper out on the deck. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to do that.

‡ A Quick Smile…   

Looking down the stairs at a football game, a fan spots an open seat on the 50-yard line. He asks the man sitting next to it if the seat is taken.

"No," he replies. "I used to take my wife to all the games, but ever since she passed away, I come alone."

"Why don't you invite a friend?"

"I can't. They're all at the funeral."

‡ Random Fact   

The word "samba" means "to rub navels together."

‡ Puzzle   

Heteronyms are words that are spelled identically but have different meanings when pronounced differently. For example: Lead, pronounced LEED, means to guide. However, lead, pronounced LED, means a metallic element.

1. to act against; a fight or disagreement

2. to allow some event to occur; a document giving permission

3. not valid; an ill person

‡ Side Show Stories    

TRACY CITY, Tenn. - Election officials in a Tennessee county said a town elected a deceased candidate mayor in a landslide -- 268 votes to the incumbent's 85. Donna Basham, administrator of the Grundy County Election Commission, said Tracy City voters elected Carl Robin Geary, who died suddenly a few weeks ago, over Mayor Barbara Brock, who took office about a year ago after the death of the last mayor, WTVC-TV, Chattanooga, Tenn., reported Thursday. Basham said Geary's death was widely reported in the town. She would not speculate as to the reasons for his posthumous victory. The administrator said the city council will appoint a mayor to serve a four-year term.

‡ Calendar Information   

• Observance Weeks in April•

18-24

Administrative Professionals Week

Cleaning For A Reason Week

Coin Week

National Crime Victims Rights Week

National Volunteer Week

Sky Awareness Week

19-25

Astronomy Week

Consumer Awareness Week

Fish Fry Week

National Inspirational News Week

Police Officers Who Gave Their Lives In The Line of Duty Week

National Paperboard Packaging Week

National Window Safety Week

Turnoff Week

• 14 April Observances—US/UN/World •

Garlic Day

National Hanging Out Day

Oklahoma City Bombing Commemoration Day

Boston Marathon

US : John Parker Day (1775) honors minutemen

US: Dutch-American Friendship Day

• 14 April Observances—by country •

Bicycle Day: Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann in the Sandoz (now Novartis) laboratories in Basel, Switzerland took first LSD trip—yep on a bicycle.

Cuba : Bay of Pigs Victory Day (1961)

England : Primrose Day death of British statesman and prime minister Benjamin Disraeli

Sierra Leone : Republican Anniversary Day (1971)

Uruguay : Landing of the 33/Desembarco de los "Treinta y Tres" (1825 when 33 ‘easterners’ landed to begin a revolution)

Venezuela : Declaration of Independence Day/Day of Indian

•Number One Songs in…

1940► In the Mood; Glenn Miller

1950► If I Knew You Were Comin' (I'd've Baked a Cake); Eileen Barton

1960► Stuck on You; Elvis Presley

1970► ABC; The Jackson 5

1980► Call Me; Blondie

1990► Nothing Compares 2 U; Sinead O'Connor

• 14 April Happenings•

In The Arts

1847 – New portico at British Museum opened

1987 – The Simpsons premieres as a short cartoon onThe Tracey Ullman Show

In Athletics

1897 ►1st Boston Marathon won by John McDermott of New York in 2:55:10

1960 ►Baseball uniforms begin displaying player's names on their backs

1982 ►Rosie Ruiz, marathon race cheater, arrested for forgery

In Business or Education

1928 ►The 125th and final fascicle of the Oxford English Dictionary is published.

1960 ►Students in South Korea hold a nationwide pro-democracy protest against their presidentSyngman Rhee, eventually forcing him to resign.

In Politics

1859 ►Ft.Mojave is establsihed today to "protect" the area from theMOJAVE and PAIUTEs. 1587 ►Sir Frances Drake sails into Cadiz Spain & sinks Spanish fleet

1770 ►Captain James Cook 1st sees Australia

1775 ►Minutemen Captain John Parker orders not to fire unless fired upon—Lexington, starts Revolutionary War

1928 ►The combined nationalist Northern Armies under Chiang continue drive onto Peking as part of the Civil war continuing in China

1932 ►President Herbert Hoover suggests 5 day work week

1993 ►An assault on the Waco cult headquarters of the Branch Davidian sect near Waco, Texas

1995 ►Truck bomb outside Alfred P Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, kills 168 & injures 500

In Science/ Religion

1919 ►Leslie Irvin of US makes 1st successful parachute jump & free fall

1971 – Launch of Salyut 1, the first space station.

2005 ►Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger has been elected Pope

• 14 April Births •

Artists, Writers, and Composers

José Echegaray y Eizaguirre, 1832, mathematician/dramatist (Nobel 1904)

Athletes

Carlos Reyes, 41, pitcher (A's)

Maria Sharapova, 23, Russian born tennis player

Entertainers

Tim Curry, 64, actor (The Rocky Horror Picture Show; stage: Spamalot, Amadeus, My Favorite Year), born Cheshire, England

Elinor Donahue, 73, actress (Betty:“Father Knows Best”)

Kate Hudson, 31, actress (Fool’s Gold)

Ashley Judd, 42, actress (High Crimes)

Jayne Mansfield [Vera Jane Palmer], 1933, actress

Dudley Moore, 1935, actor (10, Arthur, Bedazzled)

Hugh O’Brian, 80, actor (“The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp”)

Dick Sargent, 1933, actor (Darrin, #2-Bewitched)

Al Unser, Jr, 48, race car driver, born Albuquerque, NM

Business, Education Leaders

Andrew Carnie, 41, Linguistics Professor at the University of Arizona (Scot-Gaelic Languages)

Political Leaders

Lucretia Rudolph Garfield, 1832, US 1st lady

Eliot Ness, 1903, untouchable (Prohibition Agent for Department of Treasury-Chicago)

Scientists /Religious Leaders

Ole Evinrude, 1877, inventor (outboard marine engine)

Glenn T Seaborg, 1912, head of Atomic Energy Commission/chemist
discovered Plutonium/Nobel 1951

• 14 April Obits •

Benjamin Disraeli, 1881, 1st Earl (Beaconsfield)/novelist @ 77

Charles Funk, 1957, Encylopediest (Funk & Wagnalls), @ 76

Alfred [Joseph] Hitchcock, 1980, horror movie producer, renal failure @ 80

‡ ANSWERS to puzzle   

1. Conflict kunFLIKT- to act against; KAHNflict- a fight or disagreement

2. Permit perMIT- to allow some event to occur; PERmit [although both pronunciations are listed]- a document giving permission

3. Invalid inVALLid- not valid; INvallid- an ill person

  ‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡   

Sunday 4-18

April 2010~~Week 17 of 2010: 108 days this year…257 days remain

‡ Something To Think About 

A politician thinks of the next election - a statesman, of the next generation.

--James Freeman Clarke

• Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1949 ►Republic of Ireland withdraws from British Commonwealth

‡ Free Ramblings   

We had one of our best Great Discussions last night. When I was in school, China was one of our enemies. I wasn’t really into international politics during my teaching career. I kept up with the news stories, but not the underlying changes that were happening. I was much more interested in national politics and regional politics. When I retired, I discovered that the US and China had made lots of economic deals over the years. The great articles and then a very good presentation at our meeting really clarified things for me. China’s government is much more interested in building its economic power that its military power. There are many oppressed people to do this. They have many environmental issues. They have a clear distinction between the government, the military, and the people. The government wants economic development and the development of a middle class. That is what will happen. The other interesting concept is that China’s government has a 20 year plan. Not exactly like the old communist 5 and 10 year plans, but more of a vision. It certainly concerns me that this vision tramples on human rights, is destroying cultures that have lasted thousands of years. Developing a middle class in any society is very messy. Certainly the US does not have a great track record in accomplishing that. I don’t know any culture that has developed a middle class without having to give up so much. One of the many lessons I took from our discussion was that China will not become a military threat to the US due to our current symbiotic relationship. I also found out that NAU’s Chinese student population is second to the Arabs in foreign students. Our small group did discuss Taiwan and came up with no better solution than any government or other organization has come up with. We did conclude, as have many world leaders, that the solution will only come from the Chinese and Taiwanese governments. It will not come from any outside governments making the decision.

NPR had a great story on the World Cup today. South Africa will be in the spotlight very soon. This story dealt with Zimbabwe and Robert Mugabe, their leader. Sunday is their 30 year anniversary of independence. We only stepped into Zimbabwe at Victoria Falls and knowing a little about the country’s government I was glad we didn’t stay there. Mugabe has invited many countries to practice for the world cup in his country. To date, only N. Korea has accepted. Zimbabwe has a 95% unemployment rate. The currency is basically worthless. For $2 American one could buy a $1 million note from street vendors in Botswana. Their currency is so worthless there is not even an official exchange rate. They, like other neighbors of South Africa are trying very hard to gain economic and political points during the world cup. One positive note of Zimbabwe, the Walk with Lions in Botswana began with a government supported program in Zimbabwe and was so successful in reintroducing lions back into the wild, they expanded the program into Botswana.

I heard today that all those stranded travelers due to the Icelandic volcano are basically on their own. The airlines have said this is a natural disaster and their obligation to provide hotels and food is not covered. Sure hope those travelers have good travel insurance. Also the wounded soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq are being brought to DC—doubling their air travel time—because they can’t land in Germany. It now takes 18 hours on some southern route. What a mess Nature has wrought on us.

We had another great Spring day. Today we made it to 68° and it was very nice outside. The rain is supposed to be here Tuesday, with the snow arriving on Wednesday through Friday. Too early to tell how much will fall, how much will stick, and how much is just hype. I personally am hoping for 95% hype.

‡ A Quick Smile…   

The brillant lawyer F. E. Smith once defended a bus driver against claims that his negligence had caused injury to a young man's arm: "Will you please show us how high you can lift your arm now?" Smith asked the plaintiff.

The young man obediently raised his arm to shoulder level, his face contorted with apparent pain.

"Thank you," said Smith. "And now, please, will you show us how high you could lift it before the accident?"

The man's arm shot above his head.

‡ Random Fact   

Windmills always turn counter-clockwise; except for the windmills in Ireland. This could not be verified. I really tried. Some say it depends on which side you view the windmill from; another said it was because the Irish are just contrary. Another said it depends on which way the blades are turned. Could easily be an urban myth.

‡ Puzzle   

Heteronyms are words that are spelled identically but have different meanings when pronounced differently. For example: Lead, pronounced LEED, means to guide. However, lead, pronounced LED, means a metallic element.

1. collection of published material; absorb nutrients

2. to bend over; bent

3. to accomplish; a musical note

‡ Side Show Stories   

PEORIA, Ill. - Students at an Illinois school created about 500 duct tape clothing items and accessories to be sold for a breast cancer research charity. The students at Hines Primary School in Peoria created duct tape items including shirts, vests, ties, hats, visors and purses for the May 6 Duct Tape Fashion Show, which will feature a sale of the items to benefit the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, the Peoria (Ill.) Journal Star reported Thursday.

"I think it is wonderful and heart-warming to see the solutions and things the children have found they can do to help," said Carolyn Nunn, assistant principal at the school and a breast cancer survivor who finished her treatments earlier this year. "They can't take away the cancer, but they can do things, like lend support in this way, or say kind words to show they care." Terry Spayer, the school's art teacher, designed the project with help from Pat Townsend, 66, a grandparent and volunteer with the Peoria Citizen Committee for Economic Opportunity.

‡ Calendar Information   

• Observance Weeks in April•

12-18

National Crime Victims Rights Week

14-18

International Whistler's Week

18-24

Administrative Professionals Week

Cleaning For A Reason Week

Coin Week

National Crime Victims Rights Week

National Volunteer Week

Sky Awareness Week

• 14 April Observances—US/UN/World •

International Jugglers Day

Adult Autism Day

Pet Owners Independence Day

Oklahoma : 89'ers Day rodeos commemorate opening of Oklahoma in 1889

World Amateur Radio Day

• 14 April Observances—by country •

Iran: Army Day

Zimbabwe : Independence Day (1980 from UK)

•Number One Songs in…

1948 ►Now is the Hour - Bing Crosby

1956 ►Heartbreak Hotel/I Was the One - Elvis Presley

1964 ►Can’t Buy Me Love - The Beatles

1972 ►The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - Roberta Flack

1980 ►Call Me - Blondie

1988 ►Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car - Billy Ocean

• 14 April Happenings•

In The Arts

1939 ►Gene Autry records the popular song "Back in the Saddle Again.

1956 ►Academy Award winning American film and stage actress Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier of Monaco

In Athletics

1923 ►Yankee Stadium, "The House that Ruth Built," opens.

In Business or Education

1925 ►World's fair opens in Chicago

1934 ►The first Laundromat opened -- in Fort Worth, TX

In Politics

1775 ►Paul Revere & William Dawes warn "the British are coming!"

1902 ►Denmark is 1st country to adopt fingerprinting to identify criminals

1927 ►Chiang Kai-shek forms anti-government in China

1942 ►"Stars & Stripes" paper for US armed forces starts

1949 ►Republic of Ireland withdraws from British Commonwealth

1954 ►Colonel Nasser seizes power & becomes PM of Egypt

1955 ►First use of the phrase “third world,” was by Indonesia’s President Sukarno in his opening speech at the Bandung Conference

1960 ►Tens of thousands of people joined the Aldermaston "ban the bomb" March organized by Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) that ended with a rally in Trafalgar Square

1982 ►Zimbabwe capital Salisbury renamed Harare

In Science/ Religion

1906 ►San Francisco Earthquake (one of the most significant earthquakes of all time) kills over 3000 people

1909 ►Joan of Arc declared a saint

• 14 April Births •

Artists, Writers, and Composers

Stephen Longstreet, 1907, American writer (All or Nothing)

Leopold Stokowski, 1882, conductor: Philadelphia Orchestra

Athletes

Miguel Cabrera, 27, Venezuelan baseball player (Tigers)

Entertainers

America Ferrera, 26, actress (“Ugly Betty,” The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants)
Barbara Hale, 89, actress (Della Street: “Perry Mason”)

Melissa Joan Hart, 34, actress (“Sabrina the Teenage Witch”)

Hayley Mills, 64, actress (Pollyanna, The Parent Trap)

Rick Moranis, 56, actor, writer (Ghostbusters)

Conan O’Brien, 47, television host

Business, Education Leaders

Clarence S Darrow, 1857, defense attorney at the Scopes monkey trial

Political Leaders

Lucretia Borgia, 1480, murderess (poison)/daughter (Pope Alexander VI)

Princess Sayako, 41, Japan

Scientists /Religious Leaders

Joseph L. Goldstein, 70, American scientist, Nobel laureate, biochemistry

• 14 April Obits •

William King, 1853, US Vice President, TB, a month after his inauguration @ 67—shortest serving VP

Charles Ebbets, 1925, president (Brklyn Dodgers), heart failure @ 66—started rain checks for games

Albert Einstein, 1955, German/US physicist (E=MC²), aneurysm @ 76

‡ ANSWERS to puzzle   

1. Digest DYEjest- collection of published material; dieJEST- absorb nutrients

2. Bowed BAU-d- to bend over; BOH-d- bent

3. Do DOO- to accomplish; DOE- a musical note

 ‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡   

Saturday 4-17

17 April 2010~~Week 16 of 2010: 106 days this year…259 days remain

‡ Something To Think About 

This business of burning human beings with napalm, of filling our nation's homes with orphans and widows, of injecting poisonous drugs of hate into veins of peoples normally humane, of sending men home from dark and bloody battlefields physically handicapped and psychologically deranged, cannot be reconciled with wisdom, justice and love.

~ Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

• Holy Mackel:  On this day in 1985 ►The U.S. Postal Service unveiled its new 22-cent LOVE stamp.

‡ Free Ramblings   

Tonight was our Great Discussions group. Tonight it was on China. I’m writing this before the discussion as we will be late tonight. Looking forward to the discussion as one of our members was in China last year.

Yesterday I forgot to publish the Battle of Culloden in Happenings. Don’t know how that happened. I had it on my list, and since I have been there, can’t figure out how I left if out. For those of you unfamiliar with the Battle, it took place in 1746. It was the final battle of the Jacobite Uprising. Two thousand Jacobites were slaughtered. The aftermath of the battle was that Scots were banned from wearing their clan tartans and playing the bagpipes. The battlefield today has a wonderful interactive museum, obviously designed with educator’s input. Many displays have journal quotes from both sides. A 360° film room puts you right in the middle of the battle. You can also walk through the battlefield and find many markers for the clans that lost that day. The Fraser's of Lovat were there and I found thier marker. An amazing site.

The Wild West became wilder today in Arizona. Now, not only do we have an open carry law, now it is legal to carry a concealed weapon without a permit, without any training, just like the wild west. Yee-hah! In some warped sense of justice our non-elected governor believes this will make us all safer. In her little world, the bad guys will no longer know who has a gun and this will stop them from using a gun while committing a crime. She also believes this will stop criminals from committing crimes in general because everyone might be armed. Sure, that will happen. And our streets are paved with gold, everyone in AZ is above average, and you can follow a yellow brick road to meet the wizard.

Flagstaff had another beautiful Spring day. We made it to 65° and the sky was very blue. It is getting harder and harder to remember that there is still snow on the horizon.

‡ A Quick Smile…   

The local high school has a policy that the parents must call the school if a student is to be absent for the day. Alice decided to skip school and go to the mall with her friends. So she waited until her parents had left for work and called the school herself.

"Hi, I'm calling to report that Alice is unable to make it to school today because she is ill."

Secretary at high school answered, "I'm sorry to hear that. I'll note her absence. Who is this calling please?"

"This is my mother."

‡ Random Fact   

The Baby Ruth candy bar was actually named after Grover Cleveland's baby daughter, Ruth.

‡ Puzzle   

Heteronyms are words that are spelled identically but have different meanings when pronounced differently. For example: Lead, pronounced LEED, means to guide. However, lead, pronounced LED, means a metallic element.

1. vegetables; bring forth

2. a bird; jumped off

3. an agreement; to shrink or to agree on a project

‡ Side Show Stories   

Oklahoma City, OK: Be careful what bars you go into in Oklahoma City. You just might get your nose cut off! Police say the manager of a small bar attacked several customers with a sword. The suspect, Adan Zapata, is charged with assault with a deadly weapon.

Police say Zapata thought the victim and his friends were making too much noise. Zapata supposedly got mad, grabbed the 34-inch sword, chased the men outside and slashed one man in the face.

One witness thinks the victim is lucky to be alive.

"He was scared. He cried, 'Oh my nose, he cut my nose,'" said the witness.

"This individual was seriously injured. He was slashed on the shoulder, hand and on his face," said a police spokesman.

In addition to the assault charge, Zapata faces a lesser citation for destroying private property...if you consider a man's face private property.

His friend says doctors have used pieces of skin from his ear and forehead to try and fashion a new nose. Remember the good, old days when all a bar tender kept behind the bar was a Louisville Slugger?

‡ Calendar Information   

• Observance Weeks in April•

11-17

National Environmental Week

National Library Week

National Personal Training Week

Pan American Week

Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Week

Week of The Young Child

12-18

National Crime Victims Rights Week

14-18

International Whistler's Week

17-23

National Park Week

• 17 April Observances—US/UN/World •

National Cheeseball Day

Auctioneers Day

Blah! Blah! Blah! Day

Ellis Island Family History Day

Ford Mustang Day

Husband Appreciation Day

Nothing Like A Dame Day

Record Store Day

Teach Your Daughter to Volunteer Day

• 17 April Observances—by country •

American Samoa : Flag Day (1900)

Democratic Kampuchea : Day of the Great Victory: 1975 Now known as Cambodia 

Gabon: Women's Day

Japan : Children's Protection Day

Syria : Evacuation Day/Independence Day (1946 from France)

•Number One Songs in…

1955 ►The Ballad of Davy Crockett - Bill Hayes

1963 ►He’s So Fine - The Chiffons

1971 ►Joy to the World - Three Dog Night

1979 ►What a Fool Believes - The Doobie Brothers

1987 ►Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now - Starship

• 17 April Happenings•

In The Arts

--

In Athletics

--

In Business or Education

1817 ►1st US school for the deaf founded by Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc (American School for the Deaf-Hartford CT)

1875 ►"Snooker" (variation of pool) invented by Sir Neville Chamberlain

1964 ►The Ford Motor Co. unveiled its new Mustang

In Politics

1629 ►Horses were first imported into the colonies by the Massachusetts Bay Colony

1818: Jackson sets out for Florida today to fight the SEMINOLEs.

1971 ►Egypt, Libya & Syria form federation (FAR)

1985 ►The U.S. Postal Service unveiled its new 22-cent LOVE stamp.

In Science/ Religion.

1521 ►Martin Luther is excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church

1534 ►Sir Thomas More confined in London Tower

1986 ►IBM produces 1st megabit-chip

• 17 April Births •

Artists, Writers, and Composers

Don Kirshner, 76, music publisher, promoter—first to publish ‘bubblegum’

Thornton Wilder, 1897, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist

Athletes

[Norman] Boomer Esiason, 1961, NFL quarterback (Bengals, Jets)

Pedro (Modesto Delfi) Garcia, 60,baseball: Brewers, Tigers, Blue Jays

Entertainers

--

Business, Education Leaders

Charles R Gallas, 1868, Dutch lexicographer (French dictionary)

J.P. (John Pierpoint) Morgan,1837, financier

Political Leaders

Nikita S Khrushchev, 1894 1st Secretary USSR

Harry Reasoner, 1923, Dakota City IA, newscaster

Scientists /Religious Leaders

--

• 17 April Obits •

Reverend Ralph David Abernathy, 1990, civil rights activist, blood clot @ 64

Dick Shawn comedian (Producers), 1987, on stage from a heart attack @ 63

‡ ANSWERS to puzzle   

1. Produce PROdoos- vegetables; proDOOS- bring forth

2. Dove DUV- a bird; DOEV- jumped off

3. Contract CONtract- an agreement; conTRACT- to shrink or to agree on a project

  ‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡     

Friday 4-16

16 April 2010~~Week 16 of 2010: 106 days this year…259 days remain

‡ Something To Think About 

A contented mind is the greatest blessing a man can enjoy in this world.

~Joseph Addison (1672-1719) English writer, statesman

• Holy Mackerel: On this day in 2007 ►Student Cho Seung Hui goes on a killing spree at Virginia Tech killing a former girlfriend Emily Hilscher and her next door neighbor Ryan Clark, and then went on to shoot to death 30 other students before taking his own life

‡ Free Ramblings   

I was thinking today that I should have spent a little more time paying attention in many of my science classes. I never go into much science. I was good at math, but preferred the liberal arts more. The first thing that got me thinking was China’s latest earthquake. The people living in the area are isolated…got that. The people are living in traditional homes….got that. But then I heard that they are living at 13,000+ feet above sea level. At that altitude life is tough every single day. Today I learned that many of the rescue teams are having problems getting to this isolated area…got that. Then I heard that many of the rescuers were having trouble breathing—suffering from altitude sickness. Then I heard that many of the search dogs that are always used in these kinds of recues can’t do it, as they too need more oxygen in their lungs. My brother lives in NYC and every year when he came back to Denver he too suffered for a day or two—mainly headaches and sleepiness. I live at about 7000’ and never suffered like that. However, working at twice my normal altitude would certainly be difficult. My second awakening when I saw the Icelandic volcano. I have long been mesmerized by volcanoes. I like watching the lava type but also am fascinated by the ash ones. Those huge clouds are awesome. The Eyjafjallajokull (AYA-feeyapla-yurkul) volcano [English translation: island mountain glacier] has made air travel between Europe and the US almost impossible. Turns out that volcanic ash and jet engines don’t mix. Cockpit windows quickly become permanently opaque from the stuff in the cloud. Those beautiful plumes of ash that I enjoy watching are very dangerous. Most airlines that go to Europe from the US travel over Iceland. That means all flights to and from Europe have been cancelled. Tough on travelers. The really difficult part of this is that there is no idea yet when the flights will resume. The volcano, if it follows its own pattern could continue up to a year. The only good news is that it is not expected to be erupting with such force. As if air travel wasn’t already a real hassle. I am sure glad I am not responsible for ‘finding alternative routes’ for the airlines. Tonight many of those travelers are just spending an extra night or two before coming home. Not a lot to do, since the airlines have said they will try to fly out tomorrow. Great, if it happens. What if it lasts a week or two? Nothing like spending a few weeks in an airport motel that has no incoming or outgoing flights anywhere. The airports being closed for a day takes several more days before things are back to normal. The closing during 9-11 took several weeks to straighten out. This could be a much longer mess. I definitely should have paid more attention in science class.

I had lunch with our retirement group. If you have a Wildflower Bread Company in your neck of the woods, be sure and stop in and have lunch. You might want to buy some of their freshly baked bread to take home. One warning, you have to order and pay for your meal at the counter, fill your own drink cup and find your own seat. In about ten minutes you get a great meal. We usually go to lunch about 11:30 to beat the noon crowds, but at Wildflower, we go at 11:00. Today, at 11 there were six groups ahead of us in line. It was very crowded by 11:30 and cleared out by 1:00. Even though it had lots of customers, it wasn’t at all noisy. While most people don’t have a 2+ hour lunch, we seem to be in that pattern. As we were leaving today, Cheryl commented that none of the places we have lunch ever rush us. I said it was because we tip pretty well. Then I thought about it. We are seniors. The workers could easily be our grandkids. It reminded me that my parents used to go to the ‘early bird’ specials after my brother and I moved out. I prefer having a nice big lunch and then a very light dinner when I go out. To each his own I guess.

It was a great spring day here—65° and only an occasional breeze. It was really hard not to stop at the nursery near Wildflower to get some color for my place. I know it is too early. I have decided that I am going to put some flowers in the back and will definitely be planting some bulbs this fall for next spring. Last year I bought cut flowers at the grocery store every couple of weeks as I awaited spring. This year the stores just don’t seem to have what I need.

‡ A Quick Smile…   

Visiting his parents' retirement village in Florida, my middle-aged friend, Tim, went for a swim in the community pool while his elderly father took a walk. Tim struck up a conversation with the only other person in the pool, a five-year-old boy. After a while, Tim's father returned from his walk and called out, "I'm ready to leave."

Tim then turned to his new friend and announced that he had to leave because his father was calling. Astonished, the wide-eyed little boy cried, "You're a kid?"

‡ Random Fact   

Blueberry Jelly Bellies were created especially for Ronald Reagan.

‡ Puzzle   

Heteronyms are words that are spelled identically but have different meanings when pronounced differently. For example: Lead, pronounced LEED, means to guide. However, lead, pronounced LED, means a metallic element. Identify the heteronyms below from their definitions

1. to bend your neck; having a curve

2. a bald head; a minced food; a porcelain paste [diacritics are needed in two answers!]

3 month [capitalized]; important, eminent

‡ Side Show Stories   

GARNER, Iowa - An Iowa teenager preparing for her junior prom said she will be attending the event in a dress she created from hundreds of gum wrappers. Elizabeth Rasmuson said the colored wrappers of Wrigley's 5 gum inspired her to create a jacket from the wrappers last year and the success of that project led her to create a dress for next weekend's prom at Garner-Hayfield High School in Garner, KIMT-TV, Mason City, Iowa, reported Tuesday. Rasmuson said she began collecting wrappers in August and lost count of how many went into her dress at about 200. Rasmuson's boyfriend, Jordan Weaver, used gum wrappers to create a vest to match his date's dress. Dawn Rasmuson, the girl's mother, said she is proud of her daughter's accomplishment. "I think it's really admirable for her. I mean she's a junior in high school and in today's world a lot of the girls are worried about fitting in; they don't want to stand out for wrong reason so it's really cool and so unique," she said.

‡ Calendar Information

• Observance Weeks in April•

11-17

National Environmental Week

National Library Week

National Personal Training Week

Pan American Week

Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Week

Week of The Young Child

12-18

National Crime Victims Rights Week

14-18

International Whistler's Week

16-18

Trivia Days

• 16 April Observances—US/UN/World •

National Stress Awareness Day

National Eggs Benedict Day

National Wear Your Pajamas To Work Day

World Hemophilia Day

Washington, D.C.: Emancipation Day Public Holiday since 2005, to commemorate signing in 1862 of Emancipation Proclamation

• 16 April Observances—by country •

Cuba : Militiamen Day: To honor the militia for stopping the 1961 Bay of Pigs (La Batalla de Girón, or Playa Girón—Pig Beach-- in Cuba)

Denmark : Queen Margrethe's Birthday

Puerto Rico : José De Diego's Birthday (1867)

•Number One Songs in…

1946 ►Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief - Betty Hutton

1954 ►Wanted - Perry Como

1962 ►Good Luck Charm - Elvis Presley

1970 ►Let It Be - The Beatles

1978 ►Stayin’ Alive - Bee Gees

• 16 April Happenings•

In The Arts

1922 ►Annie Oakley sets record by breaking 100 clay targets in a row

1935 ►1st radio broadcast of "Fibber McGee & Molly"

In Athletics

1980 ►Arthur Ashe retires from professional tennis

In Business or Education

1926 ►Book of the Month Club sends out its 1st selections "Lolly Willowes" & "Loving Huntsman" by Sylvia Townsend Warner

1947 ►Lens to provide zoom effects demonstrated (New York NY)

1956 ►1st solar powered radios go on sale

In Politics

1550 ►Charles V orders a stop to Indian land conquests.

1900 ►US Post Office issues 1st books of postage stamps

1993 ►The United Nations stepped in today to protect Srebrenica in Bosnia that is a haven for Muslim civilians from a Bosnian Serb onslaught

In Science/ Religion

1705 ►Queen Anne of England knights Isaac Newton at Trinity College

1724 ►1st Easter observed

1943 ►Albert Hoffman, a Swiss chemist accidentally consumes LSD-25. After taking the drug, formally known as lysergic acid diethylamide, Dr. Hoffman was disturbed by unusual sensations and hallucinations.

• 16 April Births •

Artists, Writers, and Composers

Henry Mancini (Enrico Nicola Mancini), 1924, Cleveland OH, composer/conductor (Pink Panther)

Athletes

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 63, Hall of Fame basketball player: born Lewis Ferdinand Alcindor, Jr,

Isaac Murphy, 1861, US jockey (won 628 races)

Entertainers

Charlie Chaplin [The Little Tramp], 1889, Lambeth London England, comedian/actor/director

Jon Cryer, 45, actor: Two and a Half Men

Martin Lawrence, 45, comedian, actor

Dusty Springfield, 1939, Hampstead London England, rock vocalist: born Mary Isabel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien

Sir Peter Ustinov, 1921, Academy Award-winning actor

Bobby Vinton, 75, singer (Roses are Red, Blue on Blue): born Stanley Vintulla

Business, Education Leaders

--

Political Leaders

Gordon Wilson, 72, Scottish politician (Scottish National Party)

Scientists /Religious Leaders

Pope Benedict XVI, 83, leader of the Roman Catholic Church: born Joseph Ratzinger at Marktl Am Inn, Germany

John Hadley, 1682, mathematician/inventor (1st reflecting telescope)

Hans Sloane, 1660, England, physician/naturalist; founded British Museum

Wilbur Wright, 1867, aeronautical fame (Wright Brothers)

• 16 April Obits •

Bernadette saint/(saw Virgin Mary at Lourdes), 1879, asthma @ 35

Jacques Cassini, 1756, French astronomer (Discover rings of Saturn), @ 79

David Lean, 1991, director (2 Academy Awards-Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia), pneumonia @ 83

Babe Ruth, 1948, baseball legend, cancer @ 53, born: George Herman Ruth, Jr.

Marie [Gresholtz] Tussaud, 1850, maker of wax figures, @ 90

‡ ANSWERS to puzzle

1. Crooked KROOKt- to bend your neck; KROOK-ed- having a curve

2. Pate PAIT- a bald head; paTAY- a minced food; PAHT- a porcelain paste [diacritics in pâté and pâte don't count!]

3. August AUgust- month [capitalized]; auGUST- important, eminent

  ‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡