Jan 16, 2012

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

Today’s  Historical  Highlights

1847 - John C. Fremont is appointed Governor of the new California Territory

1854 - Citizens from Yreka, California, confront Shasta Indians over stolen cattle. Four whites are killed. This helps to rekindle the Rogue River War.

1868 - Refrigerator car patented by William Davis, a fish dealer in Detroit

1936 - 1st photo finish camera installed at Hialeah Race track in Hialeah FL

1956 - Egyptian pres Nasser pledges to re-conquer Palestine

♫Happy Birthday To: ♫                     

 

Free Rambling Thoughts   

A chilly Sunday. And a winter storm advisory…it’ll be getting colder, but hopefully the snow will miss Flg.

Our discussion group picked up a new member…from International Studies. He’s from Flg but has lived all over the world. A young guy working on his Masters. He had some really good observations on our discussion. Sure hope us old-er people didn’t scare him away. We certainly had a good discussion about Afghanistan with the recognition that promoting democracy in a tribal nation is probably not a good idea. Duh…President Bush never called any of us to ask our opinion before we entered either war. Sure wish he had.

Game   Center   (answers at the end of post)

Brain Game

NPR Sunday Puzzle

You are given two categories and must name two things in both of them. For example, given "male singers who have No. 1 hits" and "state capitals," the answers would be John Denver (Denver is the capital of Colorado) and Michael Jackson (Jackson is the capital of Mississippi).

1.     Kings of Great Britain, Beatles:

2.     Animals in the zodiac, NFL team mascots:

3.     Holidays, islands:

4.     Countries: things on thanksgiving table:

Wuzzles  What concept or phrase do these suggest?

Lifestyle  Substance     

AZ Centennial is in 29 days: Did you know?…

• The age of a saguaro cactus is determined by its height.
• Arizona, among all the states, has the largest percentage of its land set aside and designated as Indian lands.
• Oraibi is the oldest Indian settlement in the United States. The Hopis Indians founded it.
• Grand Canyon's Flaming Gorge got its name for its blazing red and orange colored, twelve-hundred-foot-high walls.
• There are 11.2 million acres of National Forest in Arizona and one fourth of the state is forested. The largest forest is comprised of Ponderosa Pine.
• It is illegal to manufacture imitation cocaine.

Found on You Tube         

Buckminster Fuller - Everything I Know

Harper’s Index         

• Number of minors sent back to Mexico by US Immigration authorities in 2010: 20,438
• Percentage who were sent unaccompanied by an adult: 57

Joke-of-the-day

There are more important things than money, but they won’t date you if you don’t have any

• BONUS

"Just to establish some parameters," said the professor, "Mr. Nichols, what is the opposite of joy?"

 "Sadness," said the student.

 "And the opposite of depression, Ms. Biggs?"

 "Elation."

 "And you, sir, how about the opposite of woe?"

 "I believe that would be giddy up..."

Rules of Thumb   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

For standard residential construction with wall studs on 16-inch centers, plan on using one stud per linear foot of wall plus two per opening, and you'll be pretty close.

Somewhat Useless Information   

All dogs can be traced back 40 million years ago to a weasel-like animal called the Miacis which dwelled in trees and dens. The Miacis later evolved into the Tomarctus, a direct forbear of the genus Canis, which includes the wolf and jackal as well as the dog.A dog's shoulder blades are unattached to the rest of the skeleton to allow greater flexibility for running.During the Middle Ages, Great Danes and Mastiffs were sometimes suited with armor and spiked collars to enter a battle or to defend supply caravans.The earliest European images of dogs are found in cave paintings dating back 12,000 years ago in Spain.A dog can locate the source of a sound in 1/600 of a second and can hear sounds four times farther away than a human can.Touch is the first sense the dog develops. The entire body, including the paws, is covered with touch-sensitive nerve endings.

Yeah, It Really Happened                 

SANTA CLARITA, CA - Three suspects were arrested after allegedly stealing beer from a California convenience store -- then returning to sloppily erase their tracks, police say.

Oscar Jimenez, 19, Eduardo Salgado, 18, and a juvenile whose name was not reported allegedly stole beer from Dooley's Liquor Store & Market in Santa Clarita about 10:30 p.m. Sunday. Detectives allege they returned a half-hour later, drunk, and asked the clerk to hand over the surveillance video.

Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Tom Bryski said "a scuffle ensued," KNBC-TV, Los Angeles, reported. One suspect allegedly brandished a knife and cut the store clerk on the arm. The clerk needed stitches. What would have been a misdemeanor theft charge suddenly became felony for assault with a deadly weapon. The three escaped, but were apprehended in short order, the TV station said.

NEW!!! Planet Earth

Calendar Information        

…Happening This Week:

11-17

• Cuckoo Dancing Week
• National No-Tillage Week Conference
• National Soccer Coaches of America Week
• International Snowmobile Safety and Awareness Week

15-21

• Healthy Weight Week
• International Printing Week
• National Fresh Squeezed Juice Week
• Week of Christian Unity

Today Is                                                                      

• Hot and Spicy Food International Day
• National Nothing Day
• Appreciate A Dragon Day
• Martin Luther King Day Nothing Day
• Robert E. Lee Day
• World Religion Day

• El Salvador: National Day of Peace
• Japan: Haru-No-Yabuiri (Employees and servants who have been working over the holidays are given a day off)

Today’s Other Events                                                             

1200’s

1219 - Floods in Northern Netherlands after storm, 1,000s killed

1300’s

1362 - A great storm tide in the North Sea destroys the German island of Strand and the city of Rungholt

1400’s

1492 - The first grammar of a modern language, in the Spanish language, is presented to Queen Isabella

1500’s

1547 - Ivan IV the Terrible (17) crowns himself 1st tsar of Moscow

1700’s

1777 - Vermont declares independence from NY

1800’s

1831 - Mushulatubbe ("Determined to Kill") says he will step down as Chief when the removal of the Choctaw to Indian Territory begins. He recommends that Peter Pitchlynn replace him as Chief of the Northeastern District.

1870 - Virginia becomes 8th state readmitted to US after Civil War

1900’s

1913 - British House of Commons accepts Home-Rule for Ireland

1919 - Prohibition ratified by 3/4 of states; Nebraska is 36th

1920 - 18th Amendment, prohibition, goes into effect; repealed in 1933

1938 - 1st jazz concert was held at Carnegie Hall (Benny Goodman)

1965 -  "Outer Limits"  last airs on ABC-TV

1968 - Jay Allen's "Prime of Miss Jean Brodie," premieres in NYC

1970 - Buckminster Fuller receives the Gold Medal award from the American Institute of Architects

1973 - NBC presents 440th & final showing of "Bonanza"

1985 - "Playboy" announces end of stapling centerfolds

1986 - First meeting of the Internet Engineering Task Force

2000’s

2002 - The UN Security Council unanimously establishes an arms embargo and the freezing of assets of Osama bin Laden, Al-Qaida, and the remaining members of the Taliban

2003 - The Space Shuttle Columbia takes off for mission STS-107 which would be its final one

2006 - Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is sworn in as Liberia's new president. She becomes Africa's first female elected head of state.

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

In their 30’s

Trent Ford, actor, model is 33

Kate Moss, model is 38

In their 40’s

Roy Jones, Light-MW boxer (Olympic-silver-1988) is 43

Richard T. Jones, actor is 40

In their 60’s

Debbie Allen, actor. dancer is 62

Ronnie Milsap, country singer (Legend in My Time) is 68

Jim Stafford, singer (Spiders & Snakes, My Girl Bill) is 68

In their 70’s

A J Foyt, auto race driver (Indy 500 1961, 64, 67, 77) is 77

Marilyn Horne, mezzo-soprano (Somewhere - West Side Story) is 78

In their 80’s

Jim Berry, cartoonist (Berry's World) is 80

William Kennedy, US Pulitzer Prize writer is 84

Remembered for being born on this day

1911 - Jay Hanna "Dizzy" Dean, HOF baseball pitcher (St Louis Cardinals)

1908 - Ethel Merman, stage & screen actress (Anything Goes, Call Me Madam)

1870 - Wilhelm Normann, German chemist (hardening of oils)

1933 - Susan Sonntag, writer

Today’s Obits                                                           

Ma Barker, American criminal shot by FBI at 61 in 1935

Stanley Biber, American physician, pioneer of transgender surgery, dies at 83 in 2006

Ted Cassidy, actor (Lurch-Addams Family), dies from surgery complications at 46 in 1979

Marshall Field, founder of Marshall Field and Company dies of pneumonia at 71in 1906

Robert R "Bob" Jones, founder (Bob Jones University), dies at 84

David Seville [Rostom Sipan "Ross" Bagdasarian], singer (Alvin & Chipmunks, Witch Doctor), dies of heart attack at 52 in 1972

Answers                                                                                                                                            

Brain Game

1 and 4 are identical

NPR Sunday Puzzle

1.     Kings of Great Britain, Beatles: John (Lennon) George (Harrison)

2.     Animals in the zodiac, NFL team mascots: Lions, Rams

3.     Holidays, islands: Christmas, Easter

4.     Countries: things on thanksgiving table: turkey, China

Wuzzle

GrazingDrove up from the SouthTopics

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  ☺

Jan 15, 2012

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

 Today’s  Historical  Highlights1847 - 1st Swedish magazine in US, ‘Skandinavia’, published in NYC1895 - Tchaikovsky's ballet "Swan Lake" premieres, St Petersburg1943 - 1st transport of Jews from Amsterdam to concentration camp Vught1967 - Superbowl I: Green Bay Packers beat KC Chiefs, 35-10 MVP: Bart Starr 

♫Happy Birthday To: ♫                       

Returns tomorrow 

Free Rambling Thoughts   Our Great Discussions Group meets tonight for the first time this year…We are discussing Afghanistan & Iraq withdrawal issues. Should be a lively discussion. The blog may be a little short, depending on when we dismiss. It has continued to be chilly here, but after looking at the almanac, it isn’t as bad as a few years ago. Nice…I get to wear my Ethiopian neck scarf while outside. Good news for me. Mary Ellen is not selling her ‘book’, just her business. She is opening a branch office in SC and will keep this one open as branch manager. Seems her assistant here doesn’t have the license to be a branch manager yet, but can buy and sell stuff. Mary Ellen is keeping her house and she and her beau will ‘commute’ for business. I am much relieved since I couldn’t figure out why we hadn’t gotten any written notification about the changes I had heard were happening. Also learned that Bill and Mary Ellen have been an item for 14 years and Bill is taking this change very hard. Love is strange. Game   Center   (answers at the end of post)

Brain Game NPR Sunday PuzzleCorrection: the answer about body parts should have been shin, not chin. Typo. You are given an anagram and must rearrange the letters to name a Walt Disney film. For example, given "iconic hop," the answer would be "Pinocchio."

1.     Torn:

2.     As if a tan:

3.     Idle lancer:

4.     A nacho spot:

5.     Auto tallier:

6.     A pony primps:

7.     PU: 

Wuzzles  What concept or phrase do these suggest? 

Lifestyle  Substance     AZ Centennial is in 30 days: Did you know?…

2010 Census                                                   AZ       US

White persons, percent,                                  73.0%  72.4%           

 Black persons, percent,                                  4.1%    12.6%            

American Indian and Alaska Native persons  4.6%    0.9%            

Asian persons, percent,                                  2.8%    4.8%            

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander,   0.2%    0.2%            

Persons reporting two or more races 3.4%    2.9%            

Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin               29.6%  16.3%            

White persons not Hispanic, percent              57.8%  63.7% 

Found on You Tube        

 Returns tomorrow

Harper’s Index         

• Percentage change in the median household wealth of white families since 2005: -16
• Of Hispanics: -66

Joke-of-the-dayComputers are like air conditioners. They work fine until you start opening windows. --Bonus—A grizzled old man was eating in a truck stop when three very large, leathered bikers walked in. The first walked up to the old man, pushed his cigarette into the old man's pie and then took a seat at the counter. The second walked up to the old man, spat into the old man's milk and then he too took a seat at the counter. The third walked up to the old man, turned over the old man's plate, and then he took a seat at the counter.Without a word of protest, the old man quietly left the diner. Shortly thereafter, one of the bikers said to the waitress, "Humph, not much of a man, was he?"The waitress replied, "Not much of a truck driver either, he just backed his big-rig over three motorcycles." 

Rules of Thumb   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

• Antique Dealers know those who are eating when they come in won't buy anything

Somewhat Useless Information   The word "toast" is a wish of good health. It started in ancient Rome, where a piece of toasted bread was dropped into wine.Some older terms for hangover include "wailing of cats" (German), "out of tune" (Italian), "woody mouth (French), "workmen in my head (Norwegian), and "pain in the roots of my hair" (Swedish).During Prohibition, temperance activists hired a scholar to delete all references to alcohol beverages in the Bible.Since the recent discovery of late Stone Age beer jugs, it's been suggested that fermented beverages existed as early as the Neolithic period (cir. 10,000 BC), and that beer may have preceded bread as a staple.Subyou, a powdered alcohol sold in gas stations, convenience stores, and bars across Germany, contains 4.8% alcohol by volume. The powder is intended to be mixed with cold water and costs between two and three dollars.

Yeah, It Really Happened                 WASHINGTON - Thousands of train commuters in Washington, London, Toronto, Mexico City, Madrid and other cities rode the rails in their underpants for No Pants Day. The Sunday event, organized in Facebook by group Improv Everywhere, involved an estimated 16,000 people in 60 cities, AOL reported Monday. Other cities with participants included New York, Los Angeles and Tel Aviv, Israel. The Washington Post reported about 200 men and women participated on the city's Metro trains, and Britain's Sun newspaper said hundreds of pantless people took to the London Underground for what is known in the country as the No Trousers Tube Ride. The Sun said riders in Madrid were stopped by police when entering the planned starting station. "The purpose is to have fun and entertain people," said Dan Becherano, one of the event's organizers. "The purpose of flash mobs is to show how we can get together without knowing each other and work as teams without really having seen each other ahead of time. The most important thing will be the victims -- the reaction of people who aren't involved." 

NEW!!! Planet Earth 

Calendar Information        

…Happening This Week:

11-17  

Cuckoo Dancing WeekNational No-Tillage Week National Soccer Coaches of America WeekInternational Snowmobile Safety and Awareness Week

15-21

Healthy Weight WeekInternational Printing WeekNational Fresh Squeezed Juice WeekWeek of Christian Unity

Today Is                                                                      

Hat DayHumanitarian DayReligious Freedom Day

 Today’s Other Events                                                             

Before 1000CE588 BC - Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon lays siege to Jerusalem under Zedekiah's reign. 

1500’s

1562 - 3rd sitting of Council of Trente opens 

1700’s

1777 - People of New Connecticut (Vermont) declare independence from England 

1800’s

1861 - Steam elevator patented by Elisha Otis

1870 - Donkey 1st used as symbol of Democratic Party, in Harper's Weekly

1889 - The Coca-Cola Company, then known as the Pemberton Medicine Company, is originally incorporated in Atlanta, Georgia. 

1900’s

1919 - 2 million gallons of molasses flood Boston MA, drowning 21

1934 - 8.4 earthquake in India/Nepal, 10,700 die

1935 - 300 Dutch ice cream salesmen protest against Italian competition

1949 - Mao's Red army conquers Ten-tsin

1951 - Supreme Court rule "clear & present danger" of incitement to riot is not protected speech & can be a cause for arrest

1961 - Supremes signed with Motown Records

1970 - Republic Biafra disbands/joins Nigeria

1971 - Aswan Dam official opens in Egypt

1975 - Space Mountain opens (Disneyland)

2000’s

2005 - An intense solar flare blasts X-rays across the solar system

2009 - US Airways Flight 1549 makes an emergency landing into the Hudson River shortly after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport in New York City. All passengers and crew members survive.2011 - Wikipedia the free internet encyclopedia turns 10 years old 

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

In their 30’sJanuary Jones will be 34 

In their 50’sRandy White, NFL tackle (Dallas Cowboys) is 59 

Remembered for being born on this day

1812 - Peter C Asbjornsen, Norwegian fairy tale writer

1913 - Lloyd Bridges, San Leandro California, actor (Sea Hunt, Roots, Airplane)

1803 - Marjory Fleming, Scottish writer and poet 

1929 - Martin Luther King Jr, Atlanta, American clergyman and leader of the Civil Rights Movement (Nobel 1964)

1909 - Gene Krupa, Benny Goodman's drummer (Sing Sing Sing)

1622 - Molière, French playwright

1892 - Rex Ingram, Irish director (4 Horsemen of Apocalypse)

1906 - Aristotle Onassis, Greece, rich shipping magnate

1908 - Edward Teller, Budapest Hungary, fathered H-bomb (Manhattan Project)

1845 - Ella Flagg Young, 1st woman pres (National Educational Association) 

Today’s Obits                                                           

1987 - Ray Bolger, actor/dancer (Wizard of Oz), dies at 83

1949 - Black Dahlia, murder victim found in LA (basis of the movie)

1968 - Bill Masterson, 1st NHLer fatally injured during a game (Jan 13), dies

2008 - Brad Renfro, American actor  

Answers                                                                                                                                            Brain Game NPR Sunday Puzzle

1.     Torn: Tron

2.     As if a tan: Fantasia

3.     Idle lancer: Cinderella

4.     A nacho spot: Pocahontas

5.     Auto tallier: Ratatouille

6.     A pony primps: Mary Poppins

7.     PU: Up 

Wuzzle

Your behavior is out of line

Once over lightly

Back on an even keel 

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  ☺