Sunday

Flagstaff certainly keeps us on our toes. All last week we were preparing for fall. Nights were getting cooler and days were not as warm as they had been. The sun was setting earlier and earlier. Darkness lasted longer into the morning. It was time to think about frost, preparing plants for winter, looking for those long sleeve pullovers and sweaters. But alas, we have been tricked again. While we did make it down to 36° last night, we climbed to 80° today. Eighty, that’s like a very warm summer day here in Flagstaff. The birds are still preparing for winter, eating a lot of seed. They must be as confused as the rest of us. Those temperatures with the low humidity are really making the forest dry—more than it already was. I forgot to check the sign near the forest service building today, but I’m sure we are either high or extreme when it come to fire danger.

I’m sure glad that I do not have the burdens of President Obama. Here we are with a messed up economy, fighting over a health care bill that will save many lives, and now he has to get back to the world issues. Nuclear plants in Iran, terrorists arrested in Denver and NYC, and of course Afghanistan are forcing our leadership into some very difficult decisions. Since retiring I had forgotten that Oct 1 is a scary day for Federal Employees. After the BIA was shut down two different times when the Congress did not approve a budget, we were lucky to get what was called forward funding. It meant that we could stay open while Congress played the budget game. Not all in the Federal system are that lucky. Yesterday, our Representative voted NO on a budget bill that would keep many government offices open if a budget isn’t approved by Oct. 1. Ann may carry the Democratic banner as her party of record but her voting record is much too conservative for me. I’m saddened to say, that my dreams of hope in Northern AZ are quickly slipping away. Ms Kirkpatrick wants to be reelected and believes that by being conservative, that will happen. She is selling out her base to appease the conservatives in this district. That is not what I voted for, and it is not what I will be voting for next year. The only bright side to our much too conservative state is that our non-elected Governor Brewer, is not getting the support of her own party. Her party is now asking if she is able to lead. The Middle and Liberals have been asking that since February. Take a minute to read the “Crazy Stuff in the News” below. It shows how messed up our state has become. Thanks to Martha for sharing the emailed story.

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Random Facts…

Pain travels through your body at 350 ft. per second.

If you toss a penny 10,000 times, it will not be heads 5,000 times, but more like 4,950. The heads picture weighs more, so it ends up on the bottom.


Crazy Stuff In The News …

TUCSON A University of Arizona graduate student was arrested and charged with "criminal damage" and "disturbing an educational institution" for using sidewalk chalk today at a pro-education rally on campus.

More than 150 faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate students gathered for a noontime rally at the university to protest cuts to public education in the State of Arizona. As members of the U of A marching band played "Bear Down Arizona", demonstrators held signs and made chalk outlines of "bodies" in front of the administration building, with slogans like "Death by a Million Cuts", "Edu-cide",
and "Stop Student Sacrifice".

Jacob Miller, a first-year master's student, was arrested by police as he was leaving the rally. Police told Miller that the order to arrest him came "from higher up."

Said Miller "the administration has said that they want people to get involved and dialogue concerning the budget situation. But now they are penalizing me for speaking out. And all I did was to use sidewalk chalk."

The rally, organized by Arizona for Education, was part of a university-wide day of action in support of education that also included teach-ins and other educational events. Last year, the university took a $77 Million cut and is expected to take a cut between $18 and $25 Million this year. The day of action was organized in support of the state-wide walkouts organized today throughout the University of California system, where campuses are also facing dramatic budget cuts.

Arizona for Education is a coalition of students, faculty and staff as well as members of the Tucson community concerned about cuts to university education spending.

As of 2 pm all chalk had been removed from the sidewalks in front of the university administration building.


September Month Long Observances

Apple Month…Be Kind to Editors & Writers Month…Children’s Good Manners Month…International People Skills Month…International Strategic Thinking Month…National Honey Month…National Preparedness Month…Pleasure Your Mate Month…Healthy Aging Month…National Hispanic Heritage Month…

Before They Were Famous…

Sheryl Crow was once an elementary school teacher in St. Louis, Missouri.

Russell Crowe did a public broadcast promoting AIDS awareness.

Billy Crystal worked as a substitute teacher after graduating from New York Univerity.

Billy Ray Cyrus went to Georgetown College, a Baptist College in KY, on a baseball scholarship before fully concentrating on his music career.

Week of 26 Sep…

Banned Books Week

27 Sep Observances…

270 days so far this year…95 days remain in 2009
Gold Star Mother’s Day
National Good Neighbor Day
Ancestor Appreciation Day
*World Heart Day
*World Tourism Day
*Belgium: French Community Holiday


BIRTHS ON THIS DAY…

…ARTS…
1792 George Cruikshank England, illustrator for Charles Dickens

1920….. William Conrad Louisville Ky, actor (Bullwinkle Show, Cannon)
1926….. Jayne Meadows Wu Chang China, Mrs Steve Allen, actress
1933….. Kathleen Nolan actress: The Real McCoys (Kate); Screen Actor’s Guild president
1934….. Greg Morris Cleveland Ohio, actor (Mission Impossible)
1943….. Randy Bachman Winnipeg, rocker (Bachman-Turner Overdrive
1947….. A Martinez Glendale Calif, actor

…ATHLETICS…
1939….. Kathy Whitworth golf champion
1949….. Mike (Michael Jack) Schmidt Baseball Hall of Famer

…POLITICS/Business…
1722….. Samuel Adams revolutionary rabble rouser—led Boston Tea Party

1840….. Thomas Nast political cartoonist: considered the father of American political cartooning: drew cartoon [Harper’s Weekly] using elephant as symbol of Republican party
1896….. Sam Ervin (D-Sen-NC), Watergate committee chairman

…SCIENCE/Religion…
1918..... Sir Martin Ryle Britain, radio astronomer, astronomer royal 1972-82
1952..... Dumitru Prunariu 1st Romanian space traveler (on board Soyuz 40)

Events on this day…

1540..... Society of Jesus (Jesuits) founded by Ignatius Loyola

1894..... Aqueduct Race Track opened in New York on this day

1919..... Democratic National Committee votes to admit women
1938..... RMS Queen Elizabeth is launched at the John Brown and Company yard in Clydebank, Scotland
1954..... Steve Allen's "Tonight Show" premiers .
1994..... The Contract with America, a 10-point legislative agenda prepared by Republican congressman Newt Gingrich, is signed by more than 350 Republican candidates for Congress.
1996: The Taliban, an Islamic fundamentalist movement in Afghanistan, captures the country's capital, Kabul.
1998..... Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals breaks the single-season home run record ( held by Roger Maris ) hitting his record-setting 69th and 70th home runs during the last game of the season against the Montreal Expos .

Holy Mackerel…
1964..... The Warren Commission, named to investigate the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, releases its report, which finds that Kennedy's assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, acted alone.


Anagrams
Here are some words that can easily be anagrammed into something interesting.
1. moon starer
2. Epic Plan
3. Fascinating, No scars
4. Call up curse
5. one cool dance musician
6. Attaineth its cause, freedom
7. A Rope Ends It
8. He'll mesh crooks
9. Oily Fart
10. Babes All
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Scroll down for answers
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Answers:
1. Astronomer = moon starer
2. Apple, Inc = Epic Plan
3. San Francisco Giants- Fascinating, No scars
4. Pre Calculus = Call up curse
5. madonna louise ciccone = one cool dance musician
6. The United States of America = Attaineth its cause, freedom
7. Desperation = A Rope Ends It
8. Sherlock Holmes = He'll mesh crooks
9. Frito Lay = Oily Fart
10. Baseball = Babes All
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