3-19-14

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

Flagstaff Almanac: Day: 078   / Week: 12  

Today: L 25°…H 49°… Ave. humidity: 32%

     Wind: ave:   5mph; Gusts:  24mph  

     Average Low: 23° Record Low:  1° (1963)

    Average High: 51° Record High:  71° (1907)

Quote of the Day

 

Today’s Historical Highlights

1279 - Mongolian victory ends the Song Dynasty in China.

1644 - 200 members of Peking imperial family/court commit suicide in loyalty to the Emperor

1748 - Naturalization Act passes granting Jews right to colonize North American colonies

1822 - Boston, Mass, incorporated as a city

1895 - Los Angeles Railway established to provide streetcar service

1931 - Nevada legalizes gambling

1942 - FDR orders men 45-64 to register for non military duty

1945 - 800 killed as Kamikaze attacked USS Franklin off Japan

1945 - Adolf Hitler issues "Nero Decree" to destroy all German factories

1991 - NFL strip Phoenix of 1993 Super Bowl- AZ not recognizing Martin Luther King Day

1995 - Arizona outside of Phoenix begins using new area code 520

2013 - NASA's Mars rover Curiosity discovers further evidence of water-bearing minerals

♫  Today’s Birthdays: ♫   

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

 

My Free Rambling Thoughts   

Thankfully there was a lot less wind today, and things were much nicer today.

 

Busy getting ready for my trip to Cuba…got a lot to do before we go, the biggest thing is my taxes, a haircut and a trip to my less than favorable bank to get some cash to take on the trip…and of course packing. I’ll be ready…somehow.

 

I am getting a little burned out with the CNN coverage of the missing Malaysian airline. Every day they interview new people for hours who have no idea what happened but sure have their guesses. I still can’t imagine what the poor relatives must be going through. They seem to be holding out some hope, but can’t really move on with their lives until this is resolved. They can’t return to their daily lives, they can’t plan for funerals, they can’t make business plans or family plans with no answers. Many of the passengers were the breadwinner of the family and now it is all on hold. Such a tragedy. I am still surprised that no one is checking the flight attendants backgrounds and they keep talking about the pilot and the co-pilot. Guess we will all just have to wait to find out what happened.

Game  Center (answers at the end of post)

Brain Teasers

(Estimate/Never)^(+Thinking) - 2

Lifestyle  Substance:     

Found on You Tube with some relevance to today

• Conspiracy Science: Earth is FLAT

• Sir Arthur C Clarke

• Remembering Edgar Rice Burroughs

• Good Old Days - Moms Mabley

***NEW*** Books that Changed the World

From promoting learning to establishing morality, books have had a huge impact on the development of culture, law, science, and more. In some cases, books make such a big impact – whether good or bad – that they become significant pieces of history.

1984 by George Orwell

Published in 1949, George Orwell’s 1984 saw the world turn into a surveillance state run by the terrifying Big Brother. Many of the novel’s major themes have had a huge effect on modern society and vocabulary.

In an age where our communications aren’t always as secure as we think, Orwell’s 1949 novel reads like a warning to some and a possible look at the future for many others. Whether you love it or hate it, it was undeniably one of the 20th century’s most influential books.

Breakthroughs that Changed the World

Printing press, 1430s

The printing press was nominated by 10 of our 12 panelists, five of whom ranked it in their top three. Dyson described its invention as the turning point at which “knowledge began freely replicating and quickly assumed a life of its own.”

OK Then…

 

Harper’s Index 

Returns tomorrow

Unusual Fact of the Day

Since 1932, only Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush have failed in their bids for re-election to a second presidential term. Gerald Ford was not elected into the office.

Joke-of-the-day

A police officer sees a man driving around with a pickup truck full of penguins. He pulls the guy over and says, "You can't drive around with penguins in this town! Take them to the zoo immediately."

The guy says okay, and drives away. The next day, the officer sees the guy still driving around with the truck full of penguins -- and they're all wearing sunglasses. He pulls the guy over and demands, "I thought I told you to take these penguins to the zoo yesterday?"

The guy replies, "I did. Today I'm taking them to the beach!"  

Rules of Thumb:   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

LISTENING TO YOUR ENGINE KNOCK

If your engine knocks during acceleration, it's probably the connecting rod. If the engine knocks during deceleration, it's probably the piston wrist pin. If you have piston slap (too much room between the piston and cylinder wall), the knock will be loudest when the engine is cold and idling.    

Yeah, It Really Happened

-- Logical: (1) John Rogers of Geneva, Fla., recently acquitted in a shooting death (using Florida's "stand your ground" defense), convinced a judge in February to return his guns, which police had confiscated when they arrested him. Rogers said he needs the guns for protection because he is particularly vulnerable -- in that he is blind. (2) Rogerio Scotton, challenging federal charges in January that he lied to immigration officials about his "marriage" to a Cuban woman (a "sham," said prosecutors), offered to prove the matrimony's bona fides by showing the couple's conjugal-bed videos in open court. (The judge instructed Scotton to find a "less intrusive" way to make the same point.) [WESH-TV (Orlando), 2-21-2014] [South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 1-22-2014]  

• Somewhat Useless Information   

• The ideal dimension for ship stability is a length six times that of the width.

• Female mosquitoes are non- vegetarian in nature and continue their existence by taking the blood of human-beings and other animals.

• Female mosquitoes are responsible for the spreading of the infectious diseases like Malaria, Dengue fever and Chikungunia etc.

• Only in the last century have we discovered that there are towering mountains and deep trenches in the depths of the sea.

• Washing soda: chemically it is Hydrated Sodium Carbonate.

• Chemically Cooking soda is Sodium Bicarbonate.

• Ornaments prepared with pure gold (24 karat) do not give much brightness and also not so attractive, that is why, copper is added to the gold to prepare the ornaments (making it 22 karat), which are very shiny. These are more popular in India.

Calendar Information        

Happening This Week:
16-22 

American Chocolate Week

Campfire USA Birthday Week
Health Information Professionals Week
National Animal Poison Prevention Week
National Inhalant and Poisons Awareness Week
Termite Awareness Week
Flood Safety Awareness Week
17-23

Act Happy Week
Flood Awareness Week
Wellderly Week
Wildlife Week
World Folktales & Fables Week

Today Is                                                                      

·        Client's Day

·        Goddess of Fertility Day

·        Kick Butts Day

·        National Chocolate Caramel Day

·        National Quilting Day

·        Operation Iraqi Freedom Day

·        Swallows Return to San Juan Capistrano Day

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·        National Day of Oil (Iran)

·        Save the Florida Panther Day (US: Florida)

Today’s Events through History  

1571 - Spanish troops occupy Manila

1915 - Pluto photographed for 1st time (although unknown at the time)

1928 - "Amos & Andy" debuts on radio (NBC Blue Network-WMAQ Chicago)

1965 - Indonesia nationalizes all foreign oil companies

1984 - "Kate & Allie," premieres

2012 - Wendy's overtakes Burger King to become the second best selling hamburger chain

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

Ursula Andress, actress (She, Sensuous Nurse) is 78

Lynda Bird Johnson Robb, LBJ's daughter is 70

Sirhan Sirhan, Palestinian-born assassin (RFK) is 70

Glenn Close, actress (The Big Chill, Fatal Attraction) is 67

Bruce Willis, actor (Moonlighting, Die Hard) is 59

Remembered for being born today

1813-1873 - David Livingstone, Scotland, explorer (found by Stanley in Africa)

1848-1929 - Wyatt Earp, sheriff (OK Corral)

1860-1925 - William Jennings Bryan, "The Great Commoner" orator/statesman

1894-1975 - Jackie "Moms" Mabley, comedienne (Merv Griffin Show)

1906-1962 - Adolf Eichmann, Nazi Gestapo officer

1920-2007 - Tige Andrews, actor (Capt Adam Greer-Mod Squad)

Today’s Historical Obits                                                           

Sir Arthur C. Clarke, English science fiction author and inventor, 2008, @90

Charles K. Johnson, President of the Flat Earth Society, 2001, @77

Edgar Rice Burroughs, sci-fi author (Tarzan of the Apes), heart attack, 1950, @74

King Alexander III of Scotland, fall from horse, 1286, @45

Rene-Robert Cavelier La Salle, Fren explorer (Louisiana), killed, 1687, @43

Brain Teasers

Never underestimate the power of positive thinking.

"Never" is under "estimate", and this is raised "to the power of positive thinking." The "to" is removed by subtracting it at the end.

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  §

3-18-14

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

Flagstaff Almanac: Day: 077   / Week: 12  

Today: L 28°…H 58°… Ave. humidity: 24%

Red Flag Warning

     Wind: ave:   32mph; Gusts:  49mph  

     Average Low: 23° Record Low:  -1° (1954)

    Average High: 51° Record High:  68° (2004)

Quote of the Day

 

Today’s Historical Highlights

1314 - Jacques de Molay, the 23rd and the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, 

     is burned at the stake.

1325 - According to legend, Tenochtitlan is founded; depicted on the Mexican coat of arms.

1541 - Hernan de Soto observes 1st recorded flood in America (Mississippi R)

1818 - Congress approves 1st pensions for government service

1870 - 1st US National Wildlife Preserve (Lake Meritt in Oakland California)

1902 - Enrico Caruso becomes 1st well-known performer to make a record

1919 - Order of DeMolay forms in Kansas City

1931 - 1st electric shavers go on sale in US (Schick)

1944 - 2,500 women trample guards & floorwalkers to purchase 1,500 alarm 

     clocks announced for sale in a Chicago Illinois dept store

1949 - NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Org) ratified

1952 - 1st plastic lens for cataract patients fitted (Phila)

1970 - -25) US Postal begins strike

1977 - US restricts citizens from visiting Cuba, Vietnam, N Korea & Cambodia

♫  Today’s Birthdays: ♫   

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

 

My Free Rambling Thoughts   

Clear blue sky with lots and lots of wind…not a day to be outside.

 

Flag had its first Red Flag Warning of the season…dry spring is here. Boo! I did set out some planters today which had been covered on my patio all winter. Both were full of little green leaves working their way out of the soil. Nice…maybe they will bloom before I head for Cuba. Also set up my birdbath as it is very dry and I’m sure the birds will appreciate it. I finished my plans for Cuba today with a hotel in Denver and my shuttles to the Phoenix airport.  All done and ready for next Monday’s flight to Denver, then a Tuesday flight to Miami, then finally a Wed flight to Havana. Starting to get excited.

Game  Center (answers at the end of post)

Brain Teasers

Can you figure out the veggies described in the clues below?

1. A journey across snow with a dogsled + space  2. Basement + to pore over a book - 4th letter of the alphabet 3. A liquid + foamy top of waves - 20th letter of the alphabet 4. Plant container gobbled zero! 5. An extra mat + we 6. Paintings I strangle!

Lifestyle  Substance:     

Found on You Tube with some relevance to today

Edgar Cayce's A.R.E.: Finding Your Soul's Purpose/Mission

Fess Parker - The Ballad of Daniel Boone

John Updike: Advice to Young Writers

Scaredy Cat Blues - Smiley Burnette

Charley Pride - Heartaches By The Number

Tenochtitlan (The Impossible City)

Remembering TV’s great shows

"Monty Python's Flying Circus"--The parrot may have been dead, but the anarchic vibe of the U.K.'s sketchiest comics has lived on via "Fawlty Towers," "The Kids in the Hall" and "Portlandia."

Bizarre Facts about World’s Dictators

Nicolai Ceausescu, The OCD Dictator

Romanian Dictator Nicolai Ceausescu was beaten in prison during the Nazi era so badly that he suffered a permanent speech impediment, but that did not stop him from getting his message across in brutally direct ways. Rescued in 1944 by Russian soldiers disguised as Nazis, Ceausescu rose to power in 1965. Despite his reckless disregard for the safety and lives of others, this particularly brutal European dictator had an obsessive concern for his safety. His paranoia reached lengths almost unheard of in other dictators. While paranoia about food was common, Ceausescu had sealed coolers of food transported with him, protected by armed guards. His clothing safety practices truly bordered on the insane and took things to the next level. He feared that his enemies were trying to kill him by poisoning his clothing, which led him to wear a different suit each day. Daily suit burnings and the selection of a new suit from his locked annual stockpile of suits ensured his protection. His staff was assigned to protect his clothing from radiation and bacteria and places he might touch were disinfected prior to each visit. This is strange behavior indeed for a tyrant who denied the existence of HIV/AIDS as a public health problem and banned contraceptives.

Misconceptions of Medieval Figures

King Arthur Was Possibly A Roman Soldier

Speaking of questionable historicity, the search for the real King Arthur rivals his quest for the Holy Grail. Some Arthurian scholars are absolutely convinced the fictional English king must have some historical basis—they just can’t nail down a “who.” Three popular candidates for King Arthur include Owain Ddantgwyn, Lucius Artorius Castus, and Ambrosius Aurelianus. Ddantgwyn was a sixth-century Welsh king. His title was “bear,” which is “Arth” in Byrthonic. His father was named Enniaun Yrth, which is strangely similar to Uther-Pen-Dragon, the father of King Arthur. Ddantgwyn was succeeded by his nephew, much like the legendary Arthur was overthrown by his. Castus, on the other hand, was a Roman cavalry officer who led horsemen around the world in the second century. Perhaps an inspiration for the Knights of the Round Table? His family name, you may have noticed, was Artorius. Last, but certainly not least, is Ambrosius Aurelianus, a fifth-century British king of Roman origin. He defended the Britons against the Anglo-Saxons and was viewed favorably by historians. Arthur may have simply been invented by Welsh historian Nennius, who could have retroactively inserted him into the Saxon conflicts of the 500s. Nennius’s histories contain the first known mention of Arthur in print, around the year 800. Nennius mentions Aurelianus, but treats him and Arthur as two separate figures.

OK Then…

Harper’s Index 

Estimated profit an Illinois zoon has earned since 2008 by selling tree ornaments made from reindeer droppings: $50,000

Unusual Fact of the Day

Beanie babies were such a craze in the 1990s that even struggling MLB teams used them to sell out home games.

Joke-of-the-day

One day a man found an odd-looking lamp and rubbed it. From inside came a genie that told him he would get three wishes, but whatever he wishes for, his mother-in-law gets double of what he gets. 

"What would you like for your first wish?" asked the genie. 

"I want one billion dollars," replies the man. 

"Remember," says the genie, "your mother-in-law gets double of what you get." 

"I know," replied the man.

The man then chooses his second wish, "I wish I had a brand new sports car." So he gets his second wish and he's very content. 

"Your mother-in-law gets double what you get, now what would you like for your third wish?" asks the genie. 

The man ponders for a moment, then answers, "I wish to be beaten half to death."  

Rules of Thumb:   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

TRANSLATING GREEK

If you can't identify a word in a Greek sentence, it is a verb with a prefix. To figure it out, go through the lexicon chopping off one letter from the front at a time.    

Yeah, It Really Happened

Babies can be frustrating. There is no doubt about that. They are fussy, they can't tell you what is wrong with them or what they want, they poop in their pants, they contribute nothing to conversations, and sometimes it seems like they never stop crying.

But never, under any circumstances, is it a good idea to bite them, especially in the face! This is a lesson that was never learned by one California man who bit his infant son's nose clean off! The reason? Apparently the baby would not stop crying.

Fairfield Police said they received a phone call from a hysterical female saying her infant child was bleeding from its nose. Doctors at North Bay Medical Center determined the infant's nose had been severed and the child had possible head trauma.

Investigators determined the father, Joshua Cooper, had bitten his son's nose off out of frustration over the infant crying.

Maybe it is the ignorance of youth, since Mr. Cooper is a tender 18-years-old. Whatever the reason, Cooper was arrested and booked for child cruelty and aggravated mayhem, police said.

Somewhat Useless Information   

• Albert Einstein was the first to solve the mystery around why do tea leaves migrate to the center of the cup when  stirring it with a spoon. Why don’t they migrate to the edges? The answer is in the centripetal force of any liquid. Einstein explained the so called ‘tea paradox’ by saying that stirring the liquid makes it spin around the cup, so in order to maintain this curved path, a centripetal force in towards the center is needed. Near the bottom and outer edges the liquid is slowed by the friction against the cup and the centripetal force is weaker and cannot overcome the pressure gradient.

•  
Walter Elias ”Walt” Disney, who died in 1966, was the main figure in the American animation industry and is regarded to be an international icon. He was an animator, cartoonist, producer, director, screenwriter, entrepreneur, a voice actor, as well as a philanthropist, well known for his influence and contributions to the field of entertainment during the 20th century. However, although Walt Disney was the inventor of the famous cartoon hero Mickey Mouse, he was afraid of mice. So, how did he get his idea for Mickey Mouse? He came up with it while watching mice play in his garage one night!

• Venus, whose name was taken after the Roman goddess of love and beauty, is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days and has no natural satellite. 

• Venus rotates backwards from the other planets, as it rotates clockwise, what is called “retrograde rotation”. All the planets of the Solar System orbit the Sun in an anti-clockwise direction as viewed from above the Sun’s north pole. Most planets also rotate on their axis in an anti-clockwise direction.

Calendar Information        

Happening This Week:
16-22 

American Chocolate Week

Campfire USA Birthday Week
Health Information Professionals Week
National Animal Poison Prevention Week
National Inhalant and Poisons Awareness Week
Termite Awareness Week
Flood Safety Awareness Week
17-23

Act Happy Week
Flood Awareness Week
Wellderly Week
Wildlife Week
World Folktales & Fables Week

Today Is                                                                      

·        Awkward Moments Day

·        Forgive Mom and Dad Day

·        National Biodiesel Day

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·        Flag Day (Aruba)

Today’s Events through History  

1241 - Kraków is ravaged by Mongols.

1890 - 1st US state naval militia organized (Massachusetts)

1965 - USSR launches Voshkod 2; Alexei Leonov makes 1st spacewalk (20 mins)

1989 - In Egypt, a 4,400-year-old mummy is found in the Pyramid of Cheops.

2005 - Terri Schiavo's feeding tube is removed at the request of her husband.

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

F[rederik] W[illem] de Klerk, president South Africa (1989-94) is 78

Charley Pride, country singer (Sweet Country) is 76

Kevin Dobson, actor (Kojak, Knots Landing, Shannon) is 71

Vanessa L Williams, 1st black Miss America (1983) is 51

Queen Latifah (Dana Elaine Owens), actress/talk show host is 44

Adam Levine, American singer (Maroon 5) is 35

Remembered for being born today

1496-1533 - Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VII /queen consort of Louis XII of France

1837-1908 - Grover Cleveland, [Stephen], 22nd/24th Pres

1877-1945 - Edgar Cayce, American psychic 

1886-1970 - Edward Everett Horton, Brooklyn, actor/narrator (Bulwinkle Show)

1911-1967 - Smiley Burnette, cowboy (Charlie-Petticoat Junction)

1925-2010 - Peter Graves [Aurness], actor (James Phelps-Mission Impossible)

1927-2003 - George Plimpton, sports writer (Paper Lion)

1932-2009 - John Updike, poet/novelist (Rabbit Run)

1941-2006 - Wilson Pickett, R&B singer (Funky Broadway)

Today’s Historical Obits                                                            

Fess Parker, American actor, 2010, @85

Jacques de Molay, last grand master of The Knights Templar. burned at  stake, 1314, @70ish

John Phillips, musician (The Mamas and the Papas), heart failure, 2001, @65

Farouk I, last King of Egypt (1936-52), in exile after heavy meal, 1965, @45

Natasha Richardson, English actress, ski accident, 2009, @45

Edward, the Martyr, King of Anglo-Saxons, murdered, 978, @15

Brain Teasers

1. Mushroom (mush + room)
2. Celery (cellar + read - d)
3. Watercress (water + crest - t)
4. Potato (pot ate O)
5. Asparagus (A spare rug + us)
6. Artichoke (Art I choke)

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  §