AZ News

It doesn’t happen very often. Arizona was the lead story on several nightly news programs. Our Jr. Senator—Jon Kyl—made a statement about the failures of the stimulus package and said that funding should stop now. The Federal Departments of Transportation, Education & Housing sent a letter to our non-elected governor outlining the funding that would stop in the state if the stimulus money were stopped. “If you prefer to forfeit the stimulus money, let us know.” Then both McCain and Brewer decried this as a threat and the letter was not appreciated. McCain went so far as to say he supported Kyl and did not appreciate the threat. The national news had nothing good to say about non-elected Governor Brewer. As we in Arizona are learning almost daily, Jan is incompetent, over her head, and unable to lead. It is a sad state of affairs here in Arizona. As if that isn’t enough, the AIMS test—written specifically for AZ students, based on a very detailed curriculum—just released the spring scores. Flagstaff test scores dropped in reading, math, and writing. I know that each year the ‘passing’ score rises, and that makes it harder for students to pass. That is not what happened in Flagstaff. The actual scores dropped. This is not good. Everyone is spinning the story, and some in Phoenix are suggesting that we change the test—read dummy down the test. What a sad state for our youth.

We have all heard stories, and some of us have friends who accidently taped over some important family event with the VCR. Well, now it seems NASA did the same thing—with the landing on the moon. The original scene was taped over in the 1980’s when money for new magnetic tape was scarce. This will probably give the conspiracy clans new ammo to say it never happened. I doubt I would have ever watched the actual original tape, but to find out they are gone seems like we lost part of the history of mankind. Not the first time and certainly not the last time.

My deck made it to 92° today, and there were few clouds and no rain. Sunset will cool us off, I hope.

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Random Fact
A hippo can open its mouth wide enough to fit a 4 foot tall child inside.

July is…

…Air Conditioning Appreciation Month…Blueberries Month…Cell Phone Courtesy Month…Family Reunion Month…Herbal/Prescription Awareness Month…Nat’l Doghouse Repair Month…Nat’l Grilling, Nat’l Hot Dog, Nat’l Horseradish, and Nat’l Ice Cream Month…Smart Irrigation Month…Social Wellness Month…Tour de France Month…Women’s Motorcycle Month…
Week of July 16
National Ventriloquism Week

July 17—198 days so far this year…167 days remain in 2009

Wrong Way Corrigan Day
World Day of International Justice
*South Korea: Constitution Day [1948]
*Japan: Gion Matsuri [Festival of purification to appease gods thought to cause fire, floods and earthquakes] since 869

BIRTHS ON THIS DAY…
1487
Esma'il I shah who converted Iran from Sunni to Shi'ah
1674
Isaac Watts England, writer/preacher/hymnist
1763
John Jacob Astor fur tycoon: American Fur Company
1888
Shmuel Agnon Israel, novelist (Day Before Yesterday-Nobel 1966)
1889
Erle Stanley Gardner author (created Perry Mason)
1900
James Cagney actor
1912
Art Linkletter (Arthur Gordon Kelly) Saskatchwan Canada, TV host
1917
Phyllis Diller Lima Ohio, comedienne
1934
Donald Sutherland Canada, actor
1935
Diahann Carroll Bronx, actress
1939
Spencer Davis Wales, vocalist (Gimme Some Lovin)
1952
David Hasselhoff Baltimore—actor; America’s Got Talent

IT HAPPENED ON THIS DAY…
1453
The Hundred Years' War between England and France ends with the English defeat at the Battle of Castillon in France.
1850
Harvard Observatory takes 1st photograph of a star (Vega)
1861
Congress authorizes paper money
1862
National cemeteries were authorized by the U.S. government on this day
1867
1st permanent university dental school in US, Harvard
1879
1st railroad opens in Hawaii
1917
British Royal family changes its name from Hanover to Windsor
1938
Douglas (Wrong Way) Corrigan leaves NY for LA, wound up in Ireland
1945
Harry Truman, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin meet at the beginning of the Potsdam Conference
1954
"Operation Wetback" is launched by the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) to remove about four million illegal immigrants from the southwestern United States
1955
Disneyland opens its doors in rural Orange County
1962
Senate rejects Medicare for the aged
1976
21st modern Olympic games opens in Montreal

Word Puzzle from NPR Sunday Puzzler…1987

Unscramble the following words, each of which contains two consecutive F’s somewhere inside it.

EX: ORE + FF
Answers: OFFER

1. SIN + FF
2. AGE + FF
3. ROAD + FF
4. ABLE + FF
5. RITA + FF
6. TUBE + FF
7. TORE + FF
8. LURE + FF
9. ARIA + FF
10. INSET + FF
• Bonus: LEMUR + FF

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Answers:
1. Sniff
2. Gaffe
3. Afford
4. Baffle
5. Tariff
6. Buffet
7. Effort
8. Ruffle
9. Affair
10. Stiffen
* Bonus: Muffler
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