Friday

345 days so far this year…20 days remain in 2009
14 shopping days remain until Christmas
***Provocative Quote***
"When in doubt, make it sound convincing." ~Unknown Bureaucrat
***Free Ramblings***
Sure glad I don’t live in the Midwest. We may have a blizzard every decade, but our temps didn’t drop until the snow stopped. We are still cold—low was -3° last night, high today was a blistering 31°. The 15mph winds sure made it feel colder. Those in the Midwest are hit with blizzards and sub-zero temps. It makes our hassles seem so small.
I listened to Obama’s acceptance speech today. He sure can give a good speech. However, I’m not so sure that Nobel would have been happy by this choice. Obama is doing a very good job, but he has shown us all that he is not a man of peace like so many previous recipients. I certainly understand that there is evil in the world. I believe that Nobel, the maker of dynamite, wanted to honor people who found other means to keep the peace. King and Mandella tried peaceful means for years, acknowledged that some violence had to occur, and then worked for years to keep the peace. Obama just hasn’t been on the International scene long enough to show the world that he is a man of peace.
‘member my tax problem with Colorado. Well, today they sent a letter to say that they hadn’t accepted my appeal. It took me over an hour to get an appointment with HRBlock to deal with this. After all the phone and internet hassles, I still am not sure that my appointment is with someone who is trained to do my complicated taxes. I’m sure I will have more to bitch about after my appointment next Thursday. What a mess. Why the tax system is so complicated is beyond me. Even the tax people have problems keeping up. It is no wonder the states and the Feds are broke. Most Americans work hard and want to pay the least amount of tax possible. Most tax people try to help reach that goal. The states and the Federal tax offices want to get as much money as they can. So what really happens is that tax preparers and the tax collectors do not speak Standard English. They both learn ‘tax language’ and speak to each other in that language. The poor tax payer can do little more than just listen. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
± Quotes from Values.com—Confidence
“Be who you are and say what you feel, because in the end those who matter don't mind and those who mind don't matter.”
~Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel--Writer, Cartoonist

± Unusual News
NEW YORK - A New York man said he has cashed in nearly half a million dollars worth of betting slips during the past 10 years without buying a single ticket. Jesus Leonardo, 57, said losing a betting slip a decade ago led him to discover nearly $2,000 in discarded slips in an off-track betting parlor's trash can, The New York Times reported Tuesday. Leonardo, who is married with two teenage children, said he now supports his family with the $100 to $300 he makes per day collecting 2,000 to 7,000 discarded tickets from five betting parlors in the city. "This has become my job, my life," he said. "This is how I feed my family." "At first, my wife thought I was crazy, but then she realized I was finding a lot of money in winning tickets, sometimes $200 a day," he said. "After a while, she didn't think I was so crazy." Leonardo said he spends hours in front of ticket machines to scan each discarded ticket. "It is such exhausting work that I give myself a lunch hour," he said.

± Random Facts
The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time television was Fred and Wilma Flintstone.
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§ December Month Long Observances
Birthstone: Blue Topaz…Flower of the Month: Narcissus
Colorectal Cancer Education and Awareness Month + Hi Neighbor Month + National Write A Business Plan Month + National Tie Month + Rising Star Month + Safe Toys and Gifts Month + Spiritual Literacy Month + Stress Free Family Holiday Month + Universal Human Rights Month + Read A New Book Month+ World Aids Month

§ Week of 10 December
Human Rights Week

§ 10 December Observances
National Noodle Ring Day
International (UN) Mountain Day (since 2001
UNICEF Day (since 1946)
Indiana : Admission Day (1816—19th state)
-Argentina – Tango Day, Buenos Aires
-Upper Volta(Bourkina Fasso) : Republic Day ( from France 1958)
-Philippines – Pampanga Day, (since 1571)
-Wales – Remembrance Day of Llywelyn II (Llywelyn ab Gruffydd) (Last Leader Day)
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~ Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1964 – Che Guevara speaks at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City. An unknown terrorist fires a mortar shell at the building during the speech.
BIRTHS ON THIS DAY
~ The Arts
Marjorie (Henderson) Buell in 1904-cartoonist: Little Lulu
Ron Carey in 1934-actor (Barney Miller—Officer Levitt)
Teri Garr in 1947-actress
Jermaine Jackson in 1954-singer The Jackson Five
Booker T Jones in 1944-organist (Booker T & MGs)
Brenda Lee [Brenda Mae Tarpley] in 1944-singer (I'm Sorry)
Nagib Machfus in 1911-Egyptian writer (Nobel 1988)
Carlo Ponti in 1912-producer, director
Susan Seidelman in 1952-director: Desperately Seeking Susan
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn in 1918-writer (Nobel 1970)
~Athletics
Jay Bell in 1965-infielder (Pittsburgh Pirates)
Karen Susman in 1942-tennis pro (Wimbledon 1962)
~Business / Education / Politics
Tom Hayden in 1939-60's activist/Mr Jane Fonda
Fiorello LaGuardia ‘Little Flower’ in 1882-politician;NYC mayor
~Science / Religion
Sir David Brewster in 1781, Scotland, physicist/inventor (kaleidoscope)
Max Born in 1882 physicist (quantum mechanics, Nobel 1954)
Annie Jump Cannon in 1863-astronomer: discovered five stars

In Remembrance~
Percy Kilbride actor (Ma & Pa Kettle), @ 76
Sam Cooke singer (You Send Me), slain @33
Robert Q Lewis comic/TV panel member @70
Maurice "Mac" McDonald fast-food pioneer @ 69
Bettie Page American model @ 85

Historical Events on this day
1719…1st recorded display of Aurora Borealis in US (New England)
1844…1st dental use of nitrous oxide
1872…1st black US Governor took office, Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback (Louisiana)
1882…The Bijou Theatre in Boston, MA became the first theatre to be lighted by electricity
1906…US President Roosevelt attacks abuses in the Congo
1928…Buenos Aires police thwart an attempt on President-elect Herbert Hoover
1931…British Statute of Westminster gives complete legislative independence to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, Newfoundland
1936…King Edward VIII abdicates throne to marry Mrs Wallis Simpson
1951…Joe Dimaggio announces his baseball retirement
1961…Adolf Eichmann is found guilty of war crimes, in Israel
1997…150 countries agreed at a global warming conference in Kyoto, Japan, to take steps to control the greenhouse gas emissions.
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§ Double Play
In order to make sense of the letters below, you need to add a letter at the start of the expression, divide the string of letters, and insert the same letter again. The result will be an alliterative familiar phrase of two words.
Take "eachall" an example, add a 'b' before the 'e', divide the expression between the 'h' and 'a' and add the 'b' again. The result is BEACH BALL.

1. estalirgins
2 . hiteine
3 . asternurope
4 . cutengle
5 . oonsense
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Hint: 1-v, 2w, 3-e, 4-a, 5-n
Scroll down for answers
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ANSWERS
21. vestal virgins
22. white wine
23. Eastern Europe
24. acute angle
25. no nonsense