11/15/13

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Flagstaff Almanac:

Week: 46/ Day: 319   

Today: L 25°…H 61°… Ave. humidity: 51%

Wind: ave:   5mph; Gusts:  21  

Average Low: 22° Record Low:  2° (1985)

Average High: 51° Record High:  70° (1999)

Quote of the Day

 

Today’s Historical Highlights

1st kosher butcher (Asser Levy) licensed in NYC (New Amsterdam)…1660

1st regularly scheduled commercial flights over North Pole begins…1954

1st telecast of an unscheduled event (fire), W2XBT, NY…1938

1st US college magazine, Yale Literary Government, publishes 1st issue…1806

1st US mines school opens in basement of Columbia University, NY…1864

250,000 peacefully demonstrate in Wash DC against Vietnam War…1969

American Federation of Labor (AFL) founded (Pittsburgh)…1881

Articles of Confederation adopted by Continental Congress…1777

Charles Mason & Jeremiah Dixon begin surveying Mason-Dixon Line…1763

Creeks loose all their property in US…1927

Deep Horizon Oil Spill: BP settles for $4.5 Billion…2012

Explorer Zebulon Pike sights Pikes Peak (Colorado)…1806

FDR lays cornerstone of Jefferson Memorial in Wash DC…1939

King C Gillette patents Gillette razor blade…1904

Pres Jimmy Carter welcomes Shah of Iran…1977

Research assistant is injured from Unabomber package University of Michigan…1985

Series of fires kills 10 in Edinburgh, Scotland…1924

Social Security Administration approves 1st unemployment check…1939

US President Bush signs Clear Air Act…1990

Wendy's Hamburgers opens…1969

♫  Today’s Birthdays: ♫   

How many can you identify? Answers in Today’s Birthdays

 

My Free Rambling Thoughts   

Had a great lunch with Cheryl as Mary is off in Chicago visiting her daughter and grandkids. Things are all going well. She is planning her Thanksgiving visit to her son’s family in CA. She’s leaving early this year, on Monday before to spend more time there. Good for her. I’m set for another holiday dinner at Martha’s with several interesting people from around Flagstaff.

 

In the wake of the newest Secret Service scandal, Cheryl and I were remembering some of the scandals we had to deal in Tuba. Oddly we remembered quite a few and neither of us could remember the names of the two parties. We could usually remember one name but not the others involved, just the details that shook the school. Now the stories are just funny, but at the time, hardly. Nothing quite like dealing with an angry spouse who has caught her man ‘messing around with’ another employee. My favorite was a female teacher messing around with a male aide. Then the aide’s ‘wife’, they weren’t legally married but had 2 kids, got pregnant and the teacher took leave for every checkup to sit between the aide and the ‘wife’ in the waiting room. Several years later, when I retired, the threesome was still ‘together’.

Game  Center (answers at the end of post)

Brain Teasers

Can you find the one word for each list that can be added to the end of each word in its list to create a new word, compound word, or phrase?

round show  throw grow *** out be in sub *** put shake  get hoe

Lifestyle  Substance:     

Found on You Tube with some relevance to today

• Curtis E. Lemay (1906 - 1990)

• Dr. Margaret Mead, Intergenerational Education

• Georgia O'Keeffe talking about her life and work

• CONAN O'BRIEN, 1/18/94 - YAPHET KOTTO

• Petula Clark - I Know a Place

• CW McCall: Convoy

• Very Strange Laws…New York

• It is illegal to congregate in public with two or more people while each wearing a mask or any face covering which disguises your identity.

• In New York, adultery is still a crime.

• A fine of $25 can be levied for flirting.

• It is against the law to throw a ball at someone’s head for fun.

• The penalty for jumping off a building is death.

• New Yorkers cannot dissolve a marriage for irreconcilable differences, unless they both agree to it.

• A person may not walk around on Sundays with an ice cream cone in his/her pocket.

• Women may go topless in public, providing it is not being used as a business.

• While riding in an elevator, one must talk to no one, and fold his hands while looking toward the door.

• Slippers are not to be worn after 10:00 PM.

• It is illegal for a woman to be on the street wearing “body hugging clothing”.

• Citizens may not greet each other by “putting one’s thumb to the nose and wiggling the fingers”.

• Greene
--During a concert, it is illegal to eat peanuts and walk backwards on the sidewalks.

• Kendall
--It is against town ordinances to camp out on your own land more than 72 hours a month. If you want to camp out for 2 weeks you need a permit, which can only be obtained once a year.

• Ocean City
--A law from the early 1900′s prohibits men from going topless on the Boardwalk. /Eating while swimming in the ocean is prohibited. /People may not slurp their soup. /Pinball machines are not to be played on Sunday. /Raw hamburger may not be sold.

• Staten Island
--It is illegal for a father to call his son a “faggot” or “queer” in an effort to curb “girlie behavior. /You may only water your lawn if the hose is held in your hand.

OK Then…

Harper’s Index 

Factor by which Mexican economic growth has outpaced US growth since 2008: 2

Unusual Fact of the Day

A sardine is not a species of fish, but a name that can apply to many small varieties of pickled fish, including herring and pilchard.

Joke-of-the-day

A customer at a counter of a garden ornament shop said to the cashier, “Give me four of those pinwheels, two of those pink flamingos, two of those sunflowers, and one of those bent-over grandmas in bloomers.”

The cashier replied “that’ll be eight dollars for the pinwheels, ten for the flamingos, six for the sunflowers, and an apology for my wife!”

Rules of Thumb:   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

MINIMUM REPAIR MOTTO

Regular oil changes are always cheaper than engine rebuilds. ... quoted by S. Nettles, an auto repair shop owner/operator & mechanic of high integrity.    

Yeah, It Really Happened

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - The U.S. company behind a GPS "bullet" that can track the location of a crime suspect's car says it hopes to bring the technology to Britain. The bullet by StarChase in Virginia Beach, Va., is designed to make high-speed chases safer by allowing authorities to track suspects without risk to life. Fired from a police car, the bullet sticks to the suspect vehicle, broadcasting a signal that allows pursuing police to back off while pinpointing the vehicle's speed and location in near real time. StarChase says it wants to bring the system -- already in use in Iowa, Florida, Arizona and Colorado -- to Britain. The GPS tracking offers important tactical options for police, Trevor Fischbach, president of StarChase, said. "We've already made a difference, from rescuing little girls from human trafficking to stopping drivers under the influence," he said. Dave Allen of Britain's Leeds University has co-authored a report into the possible use of the technology by British police forces. "This sounds like interesting technology and there is a clear operational use for it," he told the BBC. "I think the costs will fall rapidly and we will see them being used routinely in the not so distant future." The StarChase system costs $5,000 to install in a police vehicle and each bullet costs $500.

Somewhat Useless Information   

• Juicing allows you to eat all of your fruits and vegetables raw. This is a benefit because depending on cooking temperature and time, vitamins and antioxidants are lost in varying degrees while cooking. Also, while cooking raw foods proteins become denatured, which renders them useless to the body.

• Raw foodists argue that humans are the only mammals that continue to drink milk after being weaned because of the belief that milk is important for calcium. However, plants provide all the calcium the body needs without the health risks of milk. Some of the best sources of calcium are collard greens, kale, spinach, okra, broccoli, and almonds.

Calendar Information        

Happening This Week:

10-16:   Geography Awareness Week / National Hunger & Homeless Awareness Week
11-15:  National Young Reader's Week

11-17: National Global Entrepreneurship Week /  World Kindness Week
15-17: National Donor Sabath

Today Is                                                                      

·        America Recycles Day

·        I Love to Write Day

·        National Bundt (Pan) Day

·        National Philanthropy Day

~~~~~

·        Belgium: Dynasty Day (since 1866)

·        Brazil: Republic Day (1889-end of empire/start of republic)

·        Japan: Shichi-Go-San (Rite of Passage for 3 & 5 yr old boys and 3 and 7 yr old girls)

Today’s Events through History  

ABC-TV announces it would broadcast nightly specials on Iran hostage…1979

Sir Francis Drake aboard Pelican travels from Chile to Washington…1577

Suez Canal, linking the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea, given necessary 

     royal concession…1854

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

C. W. McCall, American singer is 85

Edward Asner, actor (Mary Tyler Moore Show, Lou Grant) is 84

Petula Clark, rock vocalist (Downtown, My Love) is 81

Yaphet Kotto, actor (Alien, Homicide: Life on the Street) is 73

Sam Waterson, actor (Capricorn One, Law & Order) is 73

Kevin Eubanks, bandleader (Tonight Show) is 57

Remembered for being born today

F William Herschel, German/English astronomer (discovered Uranus) [1738-1822]

John Banvard, painted world’s largest painting (3 mile canvas) [1815-1891]

Erwin Rommel, German Field Marshal (WW II-African campaign) [1891-1944]

Felix Frankfurter, Vienna Aust, 80th Supreme Court Justice [1882-1965]

Marianne Moore, poet (Pulitzer 1951, Collected Poems) [1887-1972]

Georgia O'Keefe, sculptor/painter (Cow's Skull) [1887-1986]

Curtis E Le May, air force general/VP candidate [1906-1990]

Whitman Mayo, actor (Grady-Sanford & Son) [1930-2001]

Carol Bruce, [Shirley Levy], actress (Lillian-WKRP) [1919-2007]

Today’s Historical Obits                                                           

Alger Hiss, former alleged spy/lawyer…1996…@92

Lionel Barrymore, [Blythe], actor (Dr Kildare, Key Largo)…heart attack…1954…@76

Margaret Mead, anthropologist (Thoughts & Female)…cancer…1978…@76

Stokely Carmichael, American civil rights activist…prostate cancer…1998…@57

James Hamilton, 4th Duke of Hamilton, Scottish nationalist…duel…1712…@54

Tyrone Power, actor (Mark of Zorro)…heart attack….1958…@44

Baby Fae, who received a baboon's heart…1984…@3 weeks

Brain Teasers

up side down upside-down!

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  §

11/14/13

FYI: Any blue text is a link. Click to check it out!

Flagstaff Almanac:

Week: 46/ Day: 318   

Today: L 27°…H 61°… Ave. humidity: 41%

Wind: ave:   3mph; Gusts:  11mph  

Average Low: 22° Record Low:  -5° (1985)

Average High: 51° Record High:  70 (1967)

Quote of the Day

 

Today’s Historical Highlights

"Moby Dick," by Herman Melville, published…1851

"National Turn in Your Draft Card Day" features draft card burning…1968

1st regular UK singles chart published by the New Musical Express…1952

1st streetcar (horse-drawn) in NYC; fare 12 cents rode on 4th Avenue between Prince 

     and 14th Sts…1832

1st US professional librarian, Louis Timothee, hired in Phila…1732

Albert Einstein presents his quantum theory of light…1908

Apollo 12 (Conrad/Gordon/Bean) launched for 2nd manned Moon landing…1969

Disney's "Lion King" sets Broadway record of $2,700,000 daily sale…1997

Doubleday Publishing sells NY Mets to Nelson Doubleday & Fred Wilpon…1986

FDR proclaims Philippine Islands a free commonwealth…1935

Maya King K'inich Yo'nal Ahk I (Ruler 1) ascends to the throne in Piedras Negras, Mexico…603

OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries), forms…1960

Philippines hit by typhoon, 110 die…1990

Power plant at Niagara Falls begins operation….1896

♫  Today’s Birthdays: ♫   

How many can you identify? Answers in Today’s Birthdays

 

My Free Rambling Thoughts   

Nice day. Had a great lunch with my friend Martha and Kathleen. Birthdays are always a good time for old friends to get together. She has remained busy into her 70’s by playing the bagpipes and selling books on Amazon. Keeps her much busier than I would want to be, but she loves doing all of it and glad she does. 

Amazing to watch the storm victims in the Philippines. With all the destruction and the very slow reaction for local and national government, many are still hopeful. So amazing to watch the government officials use their bureaucratic language to explain why help is so slow in coming. Such a sad tragedy only being made worse by lack of help.

Game  Center (answers at the end of post)

Brain Teasers

One by one we fall from heaven, Down into the depths of past And our world is ever upturned So that yet some time we'll last.

Lifestyle  Substance:     

Found on You Tube with some relevance to today

• MASH Bloopers

• FOLLOW THE SUN – 1962

• 20 Mule Team Borax

• Claude Monet

Very Strange Laws…Maine

• Shotguns are required to be taken to church in the event of a Native American attack.
• You may not step out of a plane in flight.
• After January 14th you will be charged a fine for having your Christmas decorations still up.
• Augusta--To stroll down the street playing a violin is against the law.
• Biddeford--It is illegal to gamble at the airport. No person may roller skate on a sidewalk.
• Ellsworth--If any part of the sign ordinances of the city are more stringent than federal laws, even though they may be in conflict with them, they will prevail.
• Freeport--Mercury thermometers may not be sold in the city. /It is illegal to expectorate from any second-story window.
• South Berwick--It is illegal to park in front of Dunkin Donuts.
• Waterboro--Dog leashes may not be over eight feet in length.
• Wells--Deer may not be fed. /Advertisements may not be placed in cemeteries.

OK Then…

 

Harper’s Index 

Chance that a US firearms dealer depends on trafficking to Mexico for its economic existence: 1 in 2

Unusual Fact of the Day

O'Hare Airport is named after Al Capone's lawyer’s son, Lt. Cmdr. Butch O'Hare.

Joke-of-the-day

"Frank, if you have 20 dollars and Bill takes away 14. What would you have?” said the teacher.

"A fight!” answers Frank.

Rules of Thumb:   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

EDITING AN ARTICLE

When editing an article, you rarely go wrong crossing out the first page and a half.

Yeah, It Really Happened

EVANSTON, Ill. - A new algorithm can help physical activity tracking apps on smartphones provide accurate data no matter where the phones are carried, U.S. researchers say. The apps, which can be a tool for doctors who want to collect data and create treatment or intervention plans, are generally carried in a pocket, on a belt or in a purse or bag throughout the day by patients who are not aware that where they carry their phone can impact how well the tracker works, they said. Now a new algorithm developed at Northwestern University -- designed with fashion and comfort in mind -- can be used with a physical activity app to predict the location of a phone throughout the day with near perfect accuracy, a university release reported. "While it remains true that smartphone activity trackers are the most accurate when the phone is placed in the pocket or on a belt, with this algorithm we can provide an estimate of error associated with other locations where the phone is carried," lead study investigator Konrad Kording said. It is unrealistic to expect all patients with activity tracker apps to always carry their phone in their pocket or on a belt, the researchers said; in everyday life people carry their phones in different ways. "Most women carry their phones in a purse," Stephen Antos, first author of the study, said. "Some people carry theirs on their belt or in their hand. We may change where we carry our phone throughout the day as well. We wanted to solve this problem and find a way to make these trackers as accurate as possible no matter where you carry your phone." The researchers developed a computer algorithm to predict where a phone is being carried and to detect second-by-second activity such as sitting, standing and walking. "I believe we will have apps running on smartphones that will know exactly what we're doing activity-wise and will warn us of diseases before we even know that we have those diseases," Kording said. "In the future, phones will have a major role in motivating people towards behavior that is good for their health."  

Somewhat Useless Information   

• How do you know when you're playing with an Italian deck of cards? There are no queens.

• The ancient Greeks played cards. In those days aces were known as "dogs."

• The spots on dice and dominoes are called pips.

• The game Simon Says was originally called Do This, Do That.

• In a standard deck of cards, the king of hearts is the only king without a mustache.

• Most frequently landed-on squares in Monopoly: Illinois Ave., GO, B&O Railroad.

Calendar Information        

Happening This Week:

10-16:   Geography Awareness Week / National Hunger & Homeless Awareness Week
11-15:  National Young Reader's Week

11-17: National Global Entrepreneurship Week /  World Kindness Week

Today Is                                                                      

·        International Girls Day

·        Loosen Up, Lighten Up Day

·        National American Teddy Bear Day

·        National Pickle Day

·        Spirit of NSA (National Speakers Association) Day

·        World Diabetes Day World Orphans Day

~~~~~

·        India: Children's Day

Today’s Events through History  

Charles J Guiteau went on trial for assassination of President Garfield…1881

During WW II, German planes destroy most of Coventry, England…1940

King Charles VI of France crowned at age 12…1380

President Theodore Roosevelt visits Panama…1906

Protests against austerity measures occur across in Spain, Portugal, and Greece…2012

Ray Charles' "Georgia On My Mind" reaches #1…1960

USC Trojans (then Methodists) play their 1st football game…1888

Yale University announces it is going co-educational…1968

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

P J [Patrick Jake] O'Rourke, writer (Easy Money) is 66

Yanni, new age musician (Live at the Acropolis, Sand Dance) is 59

Condoleezza Rice, political scientist and diplomat is 59

Josh Duhamel, actor (Las Vegas) is 41

Remembered for being born today

Robert Fulton, inventor and engineer (1st commercial steamboat) [1765-1815]

Charles Lyell, Scotland, geologist (Principles of Geology) [1797-1875]

Claude Monet, Paris, impressionist (Water Lilies) [1840-1926]

Joseph McCarthy, US Senator and anti-communist lunatic [1908-1957]

Dick Powell, actor (Cry Danger, Dick Powell Theater) [1904-1963]

Jawaharlal Nehru, 1st Indian PM [1889-1964]

Veronica Lake, [Constance Ockleman], actress (I Married a Witch) [1922-1973]

Mamie G Doud Eisenhower, 1st lady [1896-1979]

Adam Walsh, American murder victim [1974-1981]

Aaron Copland, composer (Billy the Kid, Appalachian Spring) [1900-1990]

Ray Sharkey, Brooklyn, actor (Wise Guys, Wired, Caged Fear) [1952-1993]

McLean Stevenson, actor (M*A*S*H, Hello Larry) [1927-1996]

Brian Keith, actor (Bill-Family Affair, Loneliest Runner) [1921-1997]

Rosemary DeCamp, Prescott Az, actress (Love That Bob, That Girl) [1910-2001]

Sherwood Schwartz, TV creator (Brady Bunch, Gilligan Is) [1916-2011]

Today’s Historical Obits                                                           

Robert Trout, American journalist…2000…@91

Booker T. Washington, educator/organizier…hypertension…1915…@59  

T'ai tsu, emperor of China/founder of Sung-dynasty…976…@49

  

Brain Teasers

Sand in an hourglass

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  §