Wednesday

343 days so far this year…22 days remain in 2009
16 shopping days remain until Christmas
***Provocative Quote***
"I'm prepared for all emergencies but totally unprepared for everyday life.” ~Murphy—of Murphy Law fame
***Free Ramblings***
I woke up this morning to a little over two feet of snow on the ground. I was awakened several times during the night to the 60-70mph wind gusts. It was 18° and the wind had put a thick crust on the snow. I shoveled my small walk, during 40mph winds. Then it was time to find my Xterra. I know it was there. Somewhere. As I knocked the snow off the vehicle, I was standing in snow up to my…butt. There was no way I could even think about opening a door. Thanks to the snow plow that came through our parking lot, I have a two foot bank of ice right in front of the vehicle. Tomorrow I will dig, crack, and shovel, to get out of the parking space. I have 4WD and Low4WD so if I can get a little movement, I should be able to get out.
My sidewalk is only about 15 feet long to get to the common sidewalk. On one side is a huge Colorado Spruce; on the other side is a three foot square evergreen bush. That doesn’t really leave much room to throw the snow. So now I have about a four foot bank of snow on both sides. At the common sidewalk the snow is about five feet high.
The cold temperatures will continue—read no snow will melt. Then on Friday another storm is a comin’. I have heard that the main drags of Flagstaff are fine, so when I get of the parking space tomorrow, things should go very well. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
± Quotes from Values.com—Confidence
“Respect yourself most of all.” Pythagorus, Philosopher
± Unusual News
Keiichi Iwasaki, a 36-year-old Japanese tourist has spent eight years cycling more than 45,000km across 37 countries with the equivalent of just $2 in his pocket, relying on his bicycle for transport.
Iwasaki left his home for a short tour through Japan in 2001. He liked the trip so much that he extended his trip and hitched a ride on a ferry to South Korea and began to travel the world.
"Most travellers and adventurers need money but instead of giving up an opportunity to travel the world I want to clarify that dreams can come true if you have a strong will," Iwasaki said.
During his trip, Iwasaki ran into trouble on many occasions. He was robbed by pirates, attacked in Tibet by a rabid dog, escaped marriage in Nepal and was arrested in India.
Countries Iwasaki has visited include: South Korea, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Laos, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech, Austria, Germany, Holland, Belgium, France, England, Spain, Portugal, Andorra, Switzerland.

± Random Facts
Whoopi Goldberg was a mortuary cosmetologist and a bricklayer before becoming an actress.
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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 6 December
Operation Santa Paws Week (Donations for Shelter Animals Care) ~ National Hand washing Awareness Week ~ Clerc-Gallaudet Week (Honored for work in the Deaf Community)

§ 9 December Observances
National Pastry Day
Weary Willie Day—For Emmett Kelly—the clown
-Tanzania: Independence Day/Republic Day (1961)
-United Nations: International Anti-Corruption Day
- Antigua and Barbuda: National Heroes Day (formerly V.C. Bird Day)
-Sweden and Finland: Anna's Day. Recognizes everyone named Anna, and marks the day to start the preparation process of the lutefisk to be consumed on Christmas Eve.
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~ Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1788…George Washington sold his race horse, Magnolia, reportedly getting 5,000 acres of Kentucky farmland in the trade.
BIRTHS ON THIS DAY
~ The Arts
[William] Broderick Crawford in 1911 actor (Highway Patrol)
Dame Judi Dench in 1934 actress (As Time Goes By)
Michael Dorn actor in 1952 (Worf-Star Trek Next Generation)
Kirk Douglas [Issur Demsky] in 1918 actor
Douglas Fairbanks Jr in 1909 actor
Redd Foxx (John Elroy Sanford) in 1922 comedian
Margaret Hamilton in 1902 actress: The Wizard of Oz
Buck Henry in 1930 screenwriter/comedian
Emmett Kelly in 1898 circus clown (Weary Willie)
John Malkovich in 1953 Emmy Award-winning actor
Donny Osmond in 1957 singer
~Athletics
Otis Birdsong in 1955 basketball guard: Kings, Nets, Celtics; scored over 14,000 career points
Dick Butkus in 1942 NFL hall of fame (Bears)/sportscaster
[David] Deacon Jones in 1938 NFL defensive end (Rams, Chargers, Redskins
~Business / Education / Politics
Thomas P "Tip" O'Neill in 1912 Speaker of the House
~Science / Religion
Clarence Birdseye in 1886 frozen vegatable king (Birdseye)
Grace Murray Hopper in 1906 computer innovator [COBOL]
John Milton in 1608 poet/puritan (Paradise Lost)

In Remembrance~
Edith L Sitwell English poet/author (Wheels)@ 77
Leon Jaworski Watergate special prosecutor @ 77
Douglas "Wrong Way" Corrigan (aviator) @88
Faron Young country singer, suicide @ 64
Anthony van Dyck Flemish painter @ 42
Ralph Bunche diplomat, Nobel Peace Prize, heart disease @ 67
Archie Moore American boxer @ 86

Historical Events on this day
1640…Settler Hugh Bewitt banished from Massachusetts colony when he declares himself to be free of original sin
1793…Noah Webster establishes New York's 1st daily newspaper, American Minerva
1851…1st Young Men's Christian Association in North America (Montréal)
1854…Lord Tennyson's poem, "Charge of the Light Brigade" published
1901…The Canadian Mounted Military was going to supply 600-900 of its troops to help in fighting in the 2nd Boer War, to South Africa. They also would send 900 extra horses
1907…1st Christmas Seals sold (Wilmington DE post office)
1963…The last American made Studebaker is produced
1965…"A Charlie Brown Christmas" premieres
1973…Tripartite talks on Northern Ireland have end with the signing of the Sunningdale Agreement
1985…Phoenix AZ, gets 3" of snow
1990…Lech Walesa wins presidential election in Poland
1994…Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders resigns after masturbation comments
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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. oungeizard
2. ixedetaphor
3. mergencyxit
4. uessingame
5. epperot
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Hint: 1-l, 2-m, 3-e, 4-g, 5-p
Scroll down for answers
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ANSWERS

1. lounge lizard
2. mixed metaphor
3. emergency exit
4. guessing game
5. pepper pot