351 days so far this year…14 days remain in 2009
***Provocative Quote***
"Every human being comes equipped with a brain at no extra cost." ~unknown
***Free Ramblings***
OK, I’m almost ready for Christmas. 99.8% of my shopping is complete. 0% of the gifts are wrapped, but I have the necessary items, so it’s just a matter of motivation. Bring on the season.
The dentist called and my cap arrived on time, so tomorrow I lose the bling and get the permanent cap. That’s good. Then I go to the tax man. That will not be enjoyable, but hopefully will start the process of getting Colorado off my back.
I listened to a disturbing story on NPR today. The discussion was about young American-born Muslims, mostly twenty-something, who are being ‘radicalized’ by the Internet to become terrorists. They find Muslim sites that tell of the horrors committed by Americans on their Muslim brothers and sisters. The story admitted that our soldiers and ‘contractors’ are brutally killing many innocents in the wars in Iraq and in Afghanistan. While the American press continues to say these are isolated incidents, the internet sites disagree. Many of these young Muslims are themselves victims of racial tension here in the US. While their parents may have come to the US for a better life, the generation of Muslims that have grown up after 9-11 have not found that better life. Some are being trained at camps outside the US; some are just reading and getting very angry and looking for an outlet for their anger. The US citizenry has not been doing a very good job about learning about the enemy we are fighting. The many law abiding Muslim families here in the US have been treated unfairly. They have been seen as ‘possible terrorists.’ If we continue to remain uneducated about the Muslims who live in the US, and continue to allow others to discriminate against them, we have no one to blame but ourselves for the outcome. We all know that if one hears something long enough, it is almost impossible not to believe it. When one perceives that everyone thinks you are a terrorist, you may just become one. The only way to stop these home-grown terrorists is to educate ourselves.
A good weather day here today. We made it to 46° and there was no breeze. Lots of snow melted. It was nice to be outside. It’s going to drop down to 14° tonight, so melting will be slowed down significantly tomorrow. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
± Quotes from Values.com—Helping Others
“You will find that the mere resolve not to be useless, and the honest desire to help other people, will, in the quickest and delicatest ways, improve yourself.”
~John Ruskin (Poet, Writer, Art Critic)
± Unusual Newspaper Ads…
-Mixing bowl set designed to please a cook with round bottom for efficient beating
-Semi-Annual after-Christmas Sale
-And now, the Superstore--unequaled in size, unmatched in variety, unrivaled inconvenience
-We will oil your sewing machine and adjust tension in your home for $1.00
± Random Fact
The word pound is often abbreviated as lb. This comes from the Latin word libra which literally means "balance" as in a scale.
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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 17 December
Saturnalia: Roman Festival of Tomfoolery (Dec 17th-23rd)
Chanukah (Hanukkah) (Dec 12th-19th)
Gluten-free Baking Week (Dec 12th-18th)
Halcyon Days (Dec 14th-28th)
§ 17 December Observances
Underdog Day—Cheer for one if you know one
National Maple Syrup Day—be sure it is Pure Maple Syrup
National Re-gifting Day—the most popular day for Office Parties
Wright Brothers Day since 1903
-Bhutan: Ascension to the throne of 1st elected King/National Day (since 1907)
-Colombia: Independence Day (from Spain-1819)
-Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Bolivia: Bolivar Day (since 1830) To recognize Simon Bolivar, Liberator
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§ Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1965…Largest newspaper-Sunday New York Times at 946 pages (50¢)
& on this day 1936…Ventriloquist Edgar Bergen & dummy Charlie McCarthy, make their radio debut on Rudy Vallee’s Royal Gelatin Hour…A ventriloquist on the RADIO? Hmmm
§ BIRTHS ON THIS DAY
~ The Arts
Arthur Fiedler in 1894 conductor (Boston Pops)
John Greenleaf Whittier in 1807 US, poet (Snow-bound)
~Athletics
Leo (Leonardo Lazaro Alfonso) ‘Chico’ Cardenas in 1938 baseball: Reds ‘61/all-star, Twins Angels, Indians, Rangers
Earl Dotson in 1970 NFL tackle (Packers-Superbowl XXXI)
~Business/ Education/ Politics
William Safire in 1929 political columnist (NY Times)/speech writer (Nixon)
~Science/Religion
Sir Humphrey Davy in 1778 discovered Chlorine and Iodine
§ In Remembrance~
Simon Bolivar @ 47 of TB
§ Historical Events on this day
1745…Bonnie Prince Charles army retreats to Scotland
1821…Kentucky abolishes debtors prisons
1852…1st Hawaiian cavalry organized Huh? to ride where?
1890…Sitting Bull and the police killed during his arrest are buried with honor. Today, members of the HUNKPAPA SIOUX arrive at Big Foot's camp of MINNECONJOU SIOUX seeking refuge. However, today will also see the issuing of an arrest warrant for Big Foot, himself, for his part as a "trouble maker" in the ghost dance religion.
1895…George L. Brownell of Worcester, MA made history by getting a patent for his paper-twine machine.
1900…New Ellis Island Immigration station completed costing $1.5 million
1903…At 10:35 AM, 1st sustained motorized aircraft flight (Orville Wright)
1922…Last British troops leave Ireland Freestate
1944…US Army announces end of excluding Japanese-Americans from West Coast; Japanese-Americans are released from detention camps
1949…Burma recognizes People's Republic of China
1955…Carl Perkins wrote Blue Suede Shoes. Less than 48 hours later, he recorded it at the Sun Studios in Memphis. The tune became one of the first records to be popular simultaneously on rock, country and rhythm & blues charts.
1971…Radio Bangladesh begins transmitting
1975…Lynette Fromme is sentenced to life for attempt on President Ford's life—released in 2009.
1986…Mrs Davina Thompson makes medical history by having the 1st heart, lung & liver transplant (Papworth Hospital in Cambridge, England)
1992…President George H.W. Bush, Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari signed the North American Free Trade Agreement in separate ceremonies
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§ Rhyme & Reason
Answer the following clue in two rhyming words (e.g. an obese feline is a fat cat) If only one number is given, the answer is a word featuring internal rhyme (e.g. voodoo)
1. demand your appellation (5,4)
2. organized action against bubbly (9,8)
3. crash against the British baby buggy (3,4)
4. resentment over a gift left in a will (6,8)
5. simulation on how to send an interoffice note (4,4)
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ANSWERS1. demand your appellation (5,4) claim name
2. organized action against bubbly (9,8) champagne campaign
3. crash against the baby buggy (3,4) ram pram
4. resentment over a gift left in a will (6,8) legacy jealousy
5. simulation on how to send an interoffice note (4,4) memo demo
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