12/12/13


FYI: Any blue text is a link. Click to check it out!
Flagstaff Almanac:
Week: 50 / Day: 346    
Today: L -8°…H 32°… Ave. humidity: 57%
Wind: ave:   12mph; Gusts:  8mph  
Average Low: 17° Record Low:  -16° (1961)
Average High: 44° Record High:  64° (1921)

Quote of the Day
 
Today’s Historical Highlights
1st Canadian coins circulated (1 cent, 5 cent, 10 cent & 20 cent)…1858
1st case of plague on Oahu, Hawaii…1899
1st Crusaders capture & plunder Mara Syria…1098
Arthur Ashe becomes 1st black to be ranked #1 in tennis…1968
Batang Kali Massacre - 14 members of the Scots Guards allegedly massacre 24 unarmed civilians and set fire to the village…1948
Belo Horizonte, the first planned city of Brazil, is founded…1897
Carlos the Jackal, "professional revolutionary" goes on trial in Paris…1997
Delhi replaces Calcutta as the capital of India…1911
Frank Sinatra Jr returned after being kidnapped…1963
Hebrew language officially used to teach in Palestinian schools…1913
Japanese train builders (Maglev) claim world speed record at 332 MPH…1997
Joseph Pulitzer begins publishing "St Louis Dispatch"…1878
Ludwig Von Beethoven (22) receives 1st lesson in music composition from Franz Joseph Haydn…1792
Martin Luther King Jr & 700 demonstrators arrested in Albany Ga…1961
Mexico officially recognized as an independent nation by US…1822
NYC Subway system adds new stations (Z line)…1988
Tide detergent introduced…1946
Washington DC established as capital of US…1800

♫  Today’s Birthdays: ♫   
How many can you identify? Answers in Today’s Birthdays
 
My Free Rambling Thoughts   
Finally got into the Christmas spirit. Spent the morning shopping. Got a lot done with just a few things left to pick up. I always work better with a deadline. I’m leaving for Chicago in 9 days and with several Christmas lunches that last week, and getting my new glasses, the days are slipping by quite quickly. Ho! Ho! Ho!
 
I have three apple products…an old iPod, an iPad, and an iPhone. I have one apple ID for all three, and one password for all three. One would think I could keep that straight, but when Apple told me someone had tried to hack my gmail account, I changed that password. Now for some reason, I can’t keep any of the passwords straight. Every time I try to download something, it asks and I have to keep getting a new password. Driving me crazy. Sure hope I figure it out pretty soon.
Game  Center (answers at the end of post)
Brain Teasers
Mr. Jones filed a lawsuit against the company he worked for. He claimed that the company he worked for was drugging him to make him a better worker. He claimed that the coffee the company provided contained a drug called Trimethylxanthine. Trimethylxanthine is an addictive drug that increases alertness, improves concentration, and gives you a euphoric feeling. It operates using the same mechanisms that amphetamines, cocaine, and heroin use to stimulate the brain only to a lesser degree. When the coffee was tested it was found that it did contain large amounts of Trimethylxanthine. But, Mr. Jones did not win his lawsuit. Why?
Lifestyle  Substance:     
Found on You Tube with some relevance to today

Very Strange Laws…North Carolina
  • A bill has been passed that restricts local planning agencies’ ability to use climate change science to predict sea-level rise.
  • A three dollar tax must be paid on all white goods sold.
  • A marriage can be declared void if either of the two persons is physically impotent.
  • All couples staying overnight in a hotel must have a room with double beds that are at least two feet apart.
  • Bingo games may not last over 5 hours unless it is held at a fair.
  • Elephants may not be used to plow cotton fields.
  • If a man and a woman who aren’t married go to a hotel/motel and register themselves as married then, according to state law, they are legally married.
  • It is a felony to steal more than $1000 of grease
  • It is illegal to have sex in a churchyard.
  • It’s against the law to sing off key.
  • No one may be a professional fortune-teller, and if one wishes to pursue the practice as an amateur, it must be practiced in a school or church. Repealed 2004
  • Oral sex is considered a crime against nature.
  • Organizations may not hold their meetings while the members present are in costume.
  • Persons in possession of illegal substances must pay taxes on them.
  • Serving alcohol at a bingo game is not allowed.
  • The mere possession of a lottery ticket is illegal in North Carolina and may result in a $2,000 fine. Repealed 2009
  • While having sex, you must stay in the missionary position and have the shades pulled.
  • Barber--
    • Fights between cats and dogs are prohibited.
  • Chapel Hill--It is a misdemeanor to urinate or defecate publicly.
  • Charlotte--Women must have their bodies covered by at least 16 yards of cloth at all times.
  • Dunn--Cars may not be driven on sidewalks. \ It is illegal to throw rocks at a city street.
  • Forest City--You must stop and call City Hall before entering town in an automobile.
  • Greensboro--Restaurants “with on sidewalk dining” must post their menu so that it is clearly readable from the sidewalk, but is not readable from the street.
  • Kill Devil Hills--You may not ride a bicycle without having both your hands on the handle bars.
  • Rocky Mount--It is required that you must pay a property tax on your dog.
  • Zebulon--No person may walk on top of the water tank of the city.

OK Then…
 
Harper’s Index 
The last year the World Series winning team didn’t have at least one player implicated in performance-enhancing-drug use: 2005
Unusual Fact of the Day
Tattoos have been around for a long time. Ancient Greeks used them to brand spies, Romans used them to mark slaves, Mori (Japan) used them as symbols of rank and lineage, and Ainu women were tattooed as a prerequisite for marriage and the afterlife.

Joke-of-the-day
Bob Hill and his new wife Betty were vacationing in Europe, as it happens, near Transylvania. They were driving in a rental car along a rather deserted highway. It was late, and raining very hard. Bob could barely see 20 feet in front of the car.
Suddenly the car skids out of control! Bob attempts to control the car, but to no avail! The car swerves and smashes into a tree. Moments later, Bob shakes his head to clear the fog. Dazed, he looks over at the passenger seat and sees his wife unconscious, with her head bleeding! Despite the rain and unfamiliar countryside, Bob knows he has to carry her to the nearest phone.
Bob carefully picks his wife up and begins trudging down the road. After a short while, he sees a light. He heads towards the light, which is coming from an old, large house. He approaches the door and knocks. A minute passes. A small, hunched man opens the door. Bob immediately blurts, "Hello, my name is Bob Hill, and this is my wife Betty. We've been in a terrible accident, and my wife has been seriously hurt. Can I please use your phone?"
"I'm sorry," replied the hunchback, "but we don't have a phone. My master is a doctor; come in and I will get him!"
Bob brings his wife in. An elegant man comes down the stairs. "I'm afraid my assistant may have misled you. I am not a medical doctor; I am a scientist. However, it is many miles to the nearest clinic, and I have had a basic medical training. I will see what I can do. Igor, bring them down to the laboratory."
With that, Igor picks up Betty and carries her downstairs, with Bob following closely. Igor places Betty on a table in the lab. Bob collapses from exhaustion and his own injuries, so Igor places Bob on an adjoining table. After a brief examination, Igor's master looks worried.
"Things are serious, Igor. Prepare a transfusion." Igor and his master work feverishly, but to no avail. Bob and Betty Hill are no more.
The Hills' deaths upset Igor's master greatly. Wearily, he climbs the steps to his conservatory, which houses his grand piano. For it is here that he has always found solace. He begins to play, and a stirring, almost haunting, melody fills the house.
Meanwhile, Igor is still in the lab tidying up. His eyes catch movement, and he notices the fingers on Betty's hand twitch, keeping time to the haunting piano music. Stunned, he watches as Bob's arm begins to rise, marking the beat! He is further amazed as Betty sits straight up! Unable to contain himself, he dashes up the stairs to the conservatory. He bursts in and shouts to his master: "Master, Master! The Hills are alive with the sound of music!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
Rules of Thumb:   
Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess
THE TRASH RULE OF THREE
You have to look through a wastebasket three times to find a missing piece of paper.    
Yeah, It Really Happened
DOUGLAS, Mich. - The manager of a Michigan motel said a trio of "well-dressed grandmas" were behind the theft of more than 100 cookies baked for a contest. Rusty Ross, general manager of the Blue Star Motel in Douglas, said the cookies were made for a "best cookie" competition among 18 local motels, but the Blue Star's first foray into competitive cookies was canceled when three women pulled off a heist, WZZM-TV, Grand Rapids, reported Tuesday. "A spritz butter cookie is what it was," Ross said. "A group of ladies showed up. One of the ladies asked if they could see a room, so I showed her the room." Ross said the other two women made off with the cookies while he was showing the room. He said the woman who asked to see the room left without booking a reservation or even giving her name. "If it was kids, maybe you'd say it was funny because the kids took it, but these were well-dressed grandmas, older-looking women," he said. Police are investigating and Ross said the motel is offering a free stay to anyone who offers information leading to the suspects.  
Somewhat Useless Information   
  • Marcel Marceau's greatest-hits album consisted of 40 minutes of silence, followed by applause.
  • When he needed inspiration, Ludwig van Beethoven poured water on himself.
  • Mozart wrote a piano piece that required the player to use both hands and his nose.
  • The original jukeboxes came with earphones - only one person could listen at a time.
  • Singer Wayne Newton is a descendant of Pocahontas.
  • The musical Cats ran on Broadway for 18 years.


Calendar Information        
Happening This Week:
10-17: Human Rights Week

Today Is                                                                      
·        Gingerbread House Day
·        National 12-hour Fresh Breath Day
·        National Ding-a-Ling Day
·        Poinsettia Day
~~~~~
·        Russia: Constitution Day (1993)
·        Mexico: Guadalupe Day (1531)
·        Turkmenistan: Neutrality Day (1995)

Today’s Events through History  
"Hello Dolly" with Barbra Streisand premieres…1969
Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek declares war on Japan…1936
National Negro Anthem, "Lift Every Voice & Sing", composed…1900
Pennsylvania becomes 2nd state to ratify US constitution…1787
QB Joe Namath last game as a NY Jet…1976
Sara Jane Moore pled guilty to trying to kill US President Gerald Ford…1975

Today’s Birthdays                                                           
Bob Barker, game show emcee (Price is Right) is 90
Connie Francis, singer/actress (Where the Boys Are) is 75
Dionne Warwick, singer (Solid Gold, Way to San Jose) is 73
Sheree J Wilson, actress (Our Family Honor, Dallas) is 55

Remembered for being born today
John Jay, American statesman, 1st US Chief Justice [1745-1829]
Henry Wells, founder (American Express Co & Wells Fargo & Co) [1805-1878]
Edward G Robinson, [Goldenberg], Romania, actor (10 Commandments) [1893-1973]
Frank Sinatra, Hoboken New Jersey, American singer/actor (old blue eyes) [1915-1998]

Today’s Historical Obits                                                           
Van Johnson, American actor…2008…@92
John Craig, Scottish church reformer/James VI's court vicar…1600…@88
Robert Browning, English poet (Ring & Book)…1889…@77
Ike Turner, American singer, abusive husband of Tina Turner…OD…2007…@76
Mo Udall, AZ Representative…1998…@76
Peter Boyle, actor (Everybody Loves Raymond)…cancer…2007…@71
Johnny Lee, actor (Calhoun-Amos 'n' Andy)…heart attack…1965…@67
Tallulah Bankhead, actress (All Star Revue)…pneumonia…1968…@66
Anne Baxter, actress (Myra-Marcus Welby, Victoria-Hotel)…stroke…1985…@62
Jack Cassidy, actor (Oscar/Jetman-He & She)…fire…1976…@49
Ian Stewart, keyboardist/road mgr (Rolling Stones)…heart attack…1985…@47

Brain Teasers
Trimethylxanthine is also known as caffeine.
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  §
Posted by No comments:

12/11/13


FYI: Any blue text is a link. Click to check it out!
Flagstaff Almanac:
Week: 50 / Day: 345   
Today: L -10°…H 35°… Ave. humidity: 63%
Wind: ave:   4mph; Gusts:  9mph  
Average Low: 17° Record Low:  -11° (1961)
Average High: 44° Record High:  68° (1950)

Quote of the Day
 
Today’s Historical Highlights
"Mona Lisa," stolen from Louvre Museum in 1911, recovered…1913
103 Mayflower pilgrims land at Plymouth Rock…1620
1st dental use of nitrous oxide…1844
700 CHOCTAWs, reach their destination at Fort Towson, in eastern Indian Territory…1833
Adolf Eichmann is found guilty of war crimes, in Israel…1961
Bernard Madoff arrested and charged with securities fraud in $50 billion Ponzi 
     scheme…2008
British physicist, Stephen Hawking, wins the $3 million Fundamental Physics Prize, 
     the most lucrative academic prize in the world…2012
Buenos Aires police thwart an attempt on Pres-elect Herbert Hoover…1928
Che Guevara speaks at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City…1964
KTVA TV channel 11 in Anchorage (CBS) becomes Alaska's 1st TV station…1953
People's Republic of China joins the World Trade Organization…2001
South Africa censors press…1986

♫  Today’s Birthdays: ♫   
How many can you identify? Answers in Today’s Birthdays
 
My Free Rambling Thoughts   
Still not warming up…so the snowfall is just sitting there getting dirty. At least there wasn’t very much wind. It’s still too chilly to spend very much time outside.
 
My brother is closing his business in NYC…too many hassles with the guy who was backing the company. Tough time for him, but he certainly got some great resume stuff from the collection. The guy was only interested in HIS bottom line and felt that it wasn’t there for him. My brother kinda knew the day was coming. He and his wife have plans for Miami and the hacienda in Mexico. It certainly takes a whole lot of stress out of their life. I know things will work out, in time.
 
Amazing to see Obama at the Mandela services today. The Right is freaking out that our US President shook hands with the President of Cuba while on the stage. What was he supposed to do?  Ignore him while they were both there to honor a man who believed in reconciliation? From my point of view Obama did the statesman like thing. The two men may not agree on any issues, but they are both human beings. As one who tries to see the good in people, I hope this will help thaw the relations between the two countries.

Game  Center (answers at the end of post)
Brain Teasers
Take the list of words below and arrange them into 3 sentences that all have something in common. Each word is only used once for each time it appears in the list. Punctuation is not an issue in this teaser in the initial placement of words. Only names are capitalized to start with.
Hint: Try looking at it backwards...
DAD, LET, LETS, LEW, MARGE, MISSES, NO, NORAH, ORDERED, ROSES, SEE, SHARON'S, SIMON, TELEGRAM, TELL, WE'LL, 
What are the sentences and what do they have in common?

Lifestyle  Substance:     
Found on You Tube with some relevance to today

Very Strange Laws…Ohio
  • Breast feeding is not allowed in public. (Revised 2005)
  • In Ohio, if you ignore an orator on Decoration day to such an extent as to publicly play croquet or pitch horseshoes within one mile of the speaker’s stand, you can be fined $25.
  • It is illegal for more than five women to live in a house.
  • It is illegal to fish for whales on Sunday.
  • It is illegal to get a fish drunk.
  • It is illegal to mistreat anything of great importance.
  • No civil arrests may be made on Sunday or on the Fourth of July
  • Participating or conducting a duel is prohibited.
  • The Ohio driver’s education manual states that you must honk the horn whenever you pass another car.
  • Women are prohibited from wearing patent leather shoes in public.
  • Akron--
    • Skateboarding in the city limits after dark is prohibited. \ Posting signs at swimming pools is illegal.  
  • Bay Village--
    • It is illegal to walk a cow down Lake Road.
  • Bexley--
    • Ordinance number 223, of 09/09/19 prohibits the installation and usage of slot machines in outhouses.
  • Canton--
    • It is a misdemeanor to play any game in a public park without the superintendent’s permission.
  • Cleveland--
    • It’s illegal to catch mice without a hunting license!
  • Lima--
    • Any map that does not have Lima clearly stated on the map cannot be sold.
  • North Canton--
    • It is against the law to roller skate without notifying the police.
  • Strongsville--
    • Catch 22 is banned.
  • Toledo--
    • Throwing a snake at anyone is illegal.
  • Youngstown--You may not run out of gas. \ Riding on the roof of a taxi cab is not allowed.

OK Then…

 

Harper’s Index 
Percentage change since 2011 in the number of people who die of heroin overdoses in Maine each year: +300
Unusual Fact of the Day
In the 1970s, Mattel sold a doll called “Growing Up Skipper.” Her breasts grew when her arm was turned.

Joke-of-the-day
A school teacher injured his back and had to wear a plaster cast around the upper part of his body. It fit under his shirt and was not noticeable at all. On the first day of the term, still with the cast under his shirt, he found himself assigned to the toughest students in school. Walking confidently into the rowdy classroom, he opened the window as wide as possible and then busied himself with desk work. When a strong breeze made his tie flap, he took the desk stapler and stapled the tie to his chest. He had no trouble with discipline that term.  
Rules of Thumb:   
Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess
SETTING YOUR RATES
Freelance artists and graphic designers should determine their hourly rate by dividing their annual income requirements by 1,000.    
Yeah, It Really Happened
Sometimes an owner's manual is not enough. Oregon State Police say that's what a 58-year-old man learned when he tried to drive a 50-ton battle tank up a steep grade near the coastal town of Gold Beach.
The Oregonian reports that the 1969 Chieftain had been purchased by a local resident, but a truck driver transporting the tank was unable to climb the grade. So he unloaded it at a turnout along U.S. Highway 101.
The owner's caretaker, Jeffrey Glossop of Pistol River, decided he could get the tank up the hill.
State Police Lt. Gregg Hastings notes that Glossop had the operator's manual.
But Hastings says the tank slipped out of gear and rolled back down across the busy highway, crashing through a guardrail.
Glossop gave it another try, and the tank it rolled backward again through another guardrail and down an embankment.
Glossop was cited for reckless driving and first-degree criminal mischief.
Hastings says the tank is fine.
Somewhat Useless Information   
Ohio columnist & author Miss Regina Brett Written By Regina Brett, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio “To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. Here are 10. 
1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.  2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.  3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.  4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.  5. Pay off your credit cards every month.  6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.  7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.  8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.  9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.  10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile. 

Calendar Information        
Happening This Week:
10-17: Human Rights Week

Today Is                                                                      
·        International Mountain Day
·        National Noodle Ring Day
·        UNICEF Birthday 1946
~~~~~
·        US: Indiana: Admission Day (1816—19th state)

Today’s Events through History  
1st black US governor took office-La…1872
1st visit to Lutheran church by a pope (John Paul II in Rome)…1983
Colored moving pictures demonstrated at Madison Square Garden, NYC…1909
Italy withdraws from League of Nations…1937
Spain suspended from UN…1946
Libertarian Party of the United States is formed….1971
People's front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) established…1967
US president Roosevelt attacks abuses in the Congo…1906

Today’s Birthdays                                                           
Rita Moreno, [Rosita Dolores Alverío], Puerto Rico, singer, dancer and 
     actress (West Side Story) is 82
Tom Hayden, 60's activist/Mr Jane Fonda is 74
Donna Mills, actress (Knots Landing, Incident) is 73
John Kerry, Aurora, CO, Sec of State and 2004 presidential nominee…is 70
Brenda Lee, [Brenda Mae Tarpley], singer (I'm Sorry) is 69
Lynda Day George, actress (Casey-Mission Impossible) is 69
Teri Garr, actress (Mr. Mom, Young Frankenstein) is 69
Rider Strong, actor, writer and director (Boy Meets World) is 34

Remembered for being born today
Robert Koch, German bacteriologist (TB, cholera, Nobel 1905) [1843-1910]
Max Born, Germany, physicist (quantum mechanics, Nobel 1954) [1882-1970]
Big Mama Thornton, blues singer (Ball & Chain, Stronger than Dirt) [1926-1984]
Carlo Ponti, Italian producer (Marriage Italian Style, Doctor Zhivago) [1912-2007]
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Kislovodsk, Russia, writer (Cancer Ward, Nobel 1970) [1918-2008]

Today’s Historical Obits                                                           
Ravi Shankar, Indian musician…2012…@92
Dick Hoerner, football player (Rams)…2010…@88
Bettie Page, American model…2008…@85 
Robert Q Lewis, US comic/TV panel member…emphysema…1991…@70
Maurice "Mac" McDonald, American fast-food pioneer…1971…@69
Sam Cooke, rock vocalist…shot…1964…@33

Brain Teasers
1: MARGE LETS NORAH SEE SHARON'S TELEGRAM. 2: WE'LL LET DAD TELL LEW. 3: NO MISSES ORDERED ROSES, SIMON. 
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  §
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Flagstaff, Arizona, United States
I retired in '06--at the ripe old age of 57. I enjoy blogging, photography, traveling, and living life to it's fullest.