3-20-14


FYI: Any blue text is a link. Click to check it out!
Flagstaff Almanac: Day: 079   / Week: 12  
Today: L 12°…H 55°… Ave. humidity: 29%
     Wind: ave:   5mph; Gusts:  22mph  
     Average Low: 23° Record Low:  -1° (1935)
    Average High: 51° Record High:  72° (2004)

Quote of the Day
 
Today’s Historical Highlights
1616 - Walter Raleigh released from Tower of London to seek gold in Guyana
1760 - Great Fire of Boston destroys 349 buildings
1852 - Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin" published (Boston)
1933 - Dachau, 1st Nazi concentration camp, completed
1935 - "Your Hit Parade" made its debut on radio
 
1942 - Gen MacArthur vows, "I shall return"
1954 - 1st newspaper vending machine used (Columbia Pennsylvania)
1963 - 1st "Pop Art" exhibition (NYC)
1976 - Patricia Hearst convicted of armed robbery
1987 - FDA approves sale of AZT (AIDS treatment)

♫  Today’s Birthdays: ♫   
How many can you identify? Answers in Today’s Birthdays
 
My Free Rambling Thoughts   
A decent day…got my haircut. Then got a bill from Concentra for my recent foot problem. For some unknown reason BC/BS didn’t pay anything on the visit. Every office is closed, due to time differences so will find out tomorrow. Just a pain in the butt.
 
I sure hope my trip gets me out of my funk that I am having with bureaucracy. I really am having a hard time dealing with ‘let me put you on hold’, lots of music, then no answers, then transferred to another person. I also called my bank yesterday after a letter from the bank about my recent check hold issue and the lady I was to call had gone home. I called this morning and was on hold for about 8 minutes and was told she was having problems with phone and that she would call me if I gave them my number. I did. Two hours later she hadn’t called and I called back. I was informed that she was not in the office today. I asked to speak to her supervisor and was told that all they could do was email the supervisor and that person would call me back. I asked if the call would come today, tomorrow, next week, or next month. The idiot said “I don’t know, the supervisors are very busy and I cannot give you any time line.” Really, customer service seems to be a thing of the past.
 
Good news: My days on the Rez showed me a culture where military service was seen as a family tradition and for many as a way to get a better education. I have my problems with the military but certainly honor those who fought at the direction of various Presidents. Twenty-four vets were just given the Medal of Honor for their service during a couple of wars. These service people had been denied the Medal because of their race…and included African Americans, Mexican Americans and others because they were not White. Thank you to our current President for learning of this injustice and correcting it. How the military could believe ‘you are good enough to fight and even die, but not good enough to be honored by our government’ is distressing to say the least.
More Good News: for the first time in history, AZ now has more registered ‘independents’ than Republicans or Democrats. Dems still lag behind, but many Republicans must be fed up with the party here in AZ.
 
Family Trivia: Today marks the death of Chet Huntley, the news guy. As a teenager I spent 3 summers with my great uncle, great aunt, and grandfather at a ranch near a small town—Norris Montana. I remember Norris for two things…1st is the nice hot springs that was next to the town’s bar. After a long day we would go to the hot springs. It was locked and my great uncle would get the key from the barkeep. Inside the bar was a picture of ol’ Chet Huntley who lived for a few years there as a child. My great uncle claimed to have known him, as did everyone in the bar.
Game  Center (answers at the end of post)
Brain Teasers
When you behead a word, you remove the first letter and still have a valid word. You will be given clues for the two words, longer word first.
Example: Begin -> Sour, acidic Answer: The words are Start and Tart.
1. Delayed -> Delighted 2. Dresses -> Possesses 3. Duplicate -> Solitary 4. Contemplated -> Employed  5. Useless -> Useful 6. Falling behind -> Feature to prevent falling 7. Holds waste water -> Holds drinking water 8. Poke with a stick -> A pole or stick

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

Books that Changed the World
On the Origin of Species by Charles DarwinCharles Darwin’s 1859 work created one of most important modern scientific fields: evolutionary biology. Darwin’s book was a groundbreaking work that turned many of the mid-19th century’s theories on human development upside down.
Criticized by some, adored by others, it’s undeniable that Darwin’s book kick-started a lot of modern science. How many other 150-year-old science books continue to be the subject of debate today?
Breakthroughs that Changed the World
Electricity, late 19th centuryAnd then there was light
OK Then…
 
Harper’s Index 
  • Percentage change since 2007 in the number of cells in the NYC prison system devoted to solitary confinement: +63
  • Portion of the adolescent prisoners in solitary on Riker’s Islands who have been diagnosed with a mental illness: 7/10

Unusual Fact of the Day
Roger Ebert and Oprah Winfrey went on a couple dates in the mid-1980s. It was Roger who convinced her to syndicate her talk show.
Joke-of-the-day
Having arrived at the edge of the river, the fisherman soon realized he had forgotten to bring any bait. Just then he happened to see a little snake passing by who had caught a worm. The fisherman snatched up the snake and robbed him of his worm. Feeling sorry for the little snake with no lunch, he snatched him up again and poured a little beer down his throat. Then he went about his fishing.
An hour or so later the fisherman felt a tug at his pant leg. Looking down, he saw the same snake with three more worms in his mouth...
Rules of Thumb:   
Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess
LET GRAVITY BE YOUR FRIEND
Always park the truck above the project so that you can shovel downhill into the project. If you are loading a truck, park it on the downside of the project to ease the shoveling effort.    
Yeah, It Really Happened
DREFACH FELINDRE, Wales - A Welsh woman said her concerned dog saved her life when she "bashed" on her back as she was choked on some candy. Rachel Hayes, 40, of Drefach Felindre, said she was eating candy at home when a strawberry pastille became lodged in her throat, the Mirror reported Monday. "It got stuck in the back of my throat and I couldn't get it back up. I couldn't phone anyone because I couldn't talk," Hayes said. She said her springer spaniel, Mollypops, was obviously worried about her. "I was having difficulty breathing but Mollypops' sixth sense kicked in and she knew I was in trouble," Hayes said. "She was insistently trying to help me and I kept pushing her away." "But she kept coming around me because she could see I was trying to get something from my throat. But I kept pushing her away because I couldn't really breathe," she said. "Then Mollypops came up behind me put her paws on me and bashed on my back with such force the sweet came out." Hayes said she is grateful to the canine for the rescue. "I just burst out crying and said, 'I love you.' She came over for a cuddle and I cuddled her. I told her she was a hero," she said. "I gave Mollypops lots of cuddles and, as a thank you, I bought her a squeaky chicken and some doggy sweets."
Somewhat Useless Information   
  • A mother is called ‘tiger’ when she is very tough and a bit scary. Most Westerners were not familiar with this term, until a book was published. The term ‘tiger mother’  (or tiger mum) comes from the book ‘Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua. It can be used as a verb too – ‘to tiger mother’.  Chinese mums are usually called ‘tiger mothers’ and some strict fathers are called tiger dads!
  • The series of the French comics ’Asterix and Obelix’ first appeared in the Franco-Belgian comics magazine Pilote on 29 October 1959 and follows the exploits of a village of indomitable Gauls as they resist Roman occupation. The “ix” suffix of both names is due to the names of real Gaulish chieftains such as Vercingetorix, Orgetorix, and Dumnorix. Asterix and Obelix series is one of the most popular Franco-Belgian comics in the world and has been translated into over 100 languages.

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                                                                      
·        Absolutely Incredible Kid Day
·        Alien Abduction Day
·        Atheist Pride Day
·        Bed-in For Peace Day
·        Companies That Care Day
·        Great American Meat Out Day
·        International Astrology Day
·        International Day of Happiness
·        French Language Day
·        Kiss Your FiancĂ©e Day
·        National Agriculture Day
·        National Jump Out! Day
·        National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
·        Proposal Day
·        Snowman Burning Day
·        Vernal Equinox (Spring): 20 12:57 pm EDT
·        World Storytelling Day
·        Won't You Be My Neighbor Day
·        World Day of Theatre for Children and Young People
·        Won't You Be MY Neighbor Day
<><> 
·        Independence Day (Tunisia-1956-from France)

Today’s Events through History  
1944 - Mount Vesuvius, Italy, explodes
1993 - Dan Jansen skates world record 500m (36.02 sec)

Today’s Birthdays                                                           
Carl Reiner, Bronx, comedian (2000 Year Old Man, Dick Van Dyke Show) is 92
Hal Linden, [Harold Lipshitz], actor (Barney Miller, Blacke's Magic) is 83
Bobby Orr, NHL defenseman (Boston Bruins) is 66
William Hurt, actor (Big Chill, Children of a Lesser God) is 64
Spike Lee [Shelton Jackson Lee], film director (Malcolm X) is 57
Holly Hunter, actress (Broadcast News, The Piano) is 56

Remembered for being born today
1873-1943 - Sergei V Rachmaninov, Russian/US pianist/composer (Aleko)
1904-1990 - B[urrhus] F[rederic], Behaviorism pioneer (Skinner box)
1906-1975 - Ozzie Nelson, actor (Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet)
1908-1985 - Michael Redgrave, actor (Browning Version, Lady Vanishes)
1918-1984 - Jack Barry, game show emcee (Joker's Wild)
1925-1999 - John D Erlichman, Politician (Nixon aide, Watergate)
1928-2003 - Fred Rogers, children's TV host (Mr Rogers' Neighborhood)
1936-2004 - Vaughn Meader, American comedian
1937-2008 - Jerry Reed, singer/actor (Bat 21, Smokey & the Bandit)

Today’s Historical Obits                                                           
2004 - Queen Juliana of the Netherlands , 2004, @94
2010 - Stewart Udall, politician, environmentalist, 2010, @90
2010 - Liz Carpenter, American feminist writer, 2010, @89  
1974 - Chet Huntley, newscaster (NBC Huntley-Brinkley Report), cancer, 1974, @62

Brain Teasers Answer
1. Belated -> Elated 2. Gowns -> Owns 3. Clone -> Lone 4. Mused -> Used 5. Futile -> Utile 6. Trailing -> Railing 7. Sewer -> Ewer 8. Prod -> Rod
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:

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

***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
<><> 
·        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  §
Posted by No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Followers

Total Pageviews

Blog Archive

About Me

My photo
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.