►Provocative Quote
"He who you wakes up and finds himself a success hasn`t been asleep."
~Unknown
►Free Ramblings
This decade is quickly drawing to a close. I’m ready to welcome in a new decade. When I was in Elementary School we used to try and guess what it would be like in 2000. We sure got some things wrong. We don’t have our own ‘car/plane’ that leads to know traffic problems. We don’t have robots running around doing the housework. We don’t have cities on the moon or any of the planets. We don’t even get to ‘vacation’ anywhere outside the planet. We are still fighting wars with our fellow man. We are unable to drop the notion of race as a category. We didn’t even think about computers. We thought the ‘transistor’ was incredible and would rule technology for our entire lives. We did get some things right. The main one being Dick Tracy’s Wristwatch communicator. As we leave the first decade, about 80% of Americans own a cell phone. Most of those cell phones do a whole lot more than dial a number.
That young ‘radicalized’ Muslim who tried to blow up the plane was a crazy. I’m sure glad I was not in a decision making role on Christmas Eve. The bombing did take place on the eve of one of Christianity’s most holy days. Monday morning conservative quarterbacks are raging on with ‘what if…’ politics. I am glad that Obama didn’t assume the worst. That’s what the terrorists like. It did take Bush three plane crashes before he grounded flights. It took him six days to decide that we all have to remove our shoes after the shoe bomber and at the time the shoe misfired, he didn’t stop any planes from flying. So many conservatives have such short memories.
My New Year’s Wish is that Obama be allowed to run this country. We need to unite behind our President. We elected him. We clearly stated we wanted change. No more Birthers. No more blatant racism, no more obscure or hidden racism. It is time to remember that united we stand, divided we fall. For the new decade, let us speak through our votes. Let’s go back to real boring news reports that are not filtered to fit a particular viewpoint. Those news readers and news commentators that must inject a particular point of view should have to have a banner running across the screen that states ‘this is commentary and should not be confused with news.’ For the radio guys, there should be a voice over every few minutes stating the same thing. Way too many watchers or listeners hear the drivel and think it is news.
One last thing I would like to see no more in the new decade: 99.9% of the reality shows. People don’t need their 15 minutes of fame by being on TV. Susan Boyle proved that and she continues to prove it.
We made it all the way to 27° today. It snowed on and off most of the day. It is not really building up that much. We got about 3” so far, and streets are clear. We dropped to 20° last night, so not much snow has melted. The weather people say we will see the sun tomorrow, but then, that’s what they said yesterday. Maybe they meant, “for about 12 hours today, it will be light outside and that light is from the sun…so you are seeing the sun’s light.” We sure didn’t see the ball of fire in the sky today. December 31st marks the second full moon of December 2009…a blue moon…thus the phrase “once in a blue moon.”
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± Quotes from Values.com—LIVE LIFE╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣
“Have regular hours for work and play; make each day both useful and pleasant, and prove that you understand the worth of time by employing it well. Then youth will be delightful, old age will bring few regrets, and life will become a beautiful success.”
~Louisa May Alcott Novelist± Unusual News…
LONDON - British supermarkets say sales of premium toilet paper are spiking during the holiday season as people stock up on the soft stuff to impress guests. Store chain Sainsbury's said quilted, patterned and extra-thick toilet rolls accounted for 24 percent of overall toilet paper sales during the second week of November and increased to 35 percent during the second week of December, The Daily Telegraph reported Monday. Meanwhile, Asda said quilted toilet paper sales at its stores across Britain have increased by a factor of four in the past two weeks. Officials at the stores said they have also seen increases in sales of goods including Earl Grey tea and filter coffee at the expense of their cheaper counterparts on the shelves. "Embracing the inner 'snob' and 'keeping up with the Jones' syndrome is a trait often associated with the British," Asda spokeswoman Jennifer England said. "We've seen a distinct trend in shoppers trading up at this time of year."
± Random Fact The earliest recording of a New Year celebration is believed to have been in Mesopotamia, c. 2000 B.C. and was celebrated around the time of the vernal equinox, in mid-March. The early Roman calendar designated March 1 as the New Year. The calendar had just ten months, beginning with March.
╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣§ 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
§ Observance Weeks in December
It's About Time Week (25-31)
Kwanzaa: (26-1/1)
§ 31 December Observances
Unlucky Day
First Nights-- to foster the public's appreciation of visual and performing arts through an innovative, diverse and high quality New Year's Eve program which provides a shared cultural experience, accessible and affordable to all.
Leap Second Time Adjustment Day
Make Up Your Mind Day
New Years Eve
No Interruptions Day
-Austria : Imperial Ball in Vienna
-Benin : Feed Yourself Day
-Republic of Congo : National Day (from France—1960)
-Indians at Mitla, Oaxaca : Noche de Pedimento/Wishing Night
-Japan : Omisoka Day/Grand Purification
-Lebanon : Evacuation Day (1946)
-Mauritania : People's Party Day
-Scotland : Hogmanay Day
-World : New Year's Eve/Watch Night
Kwanzaa: Today is Kuumba (Creativity): To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.
╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣§ Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1890…Ellis Island (New York NY) opens as a US immigration depot—Annie Moore, Irish girl, first to pass through.
§ Births On This Day
~ The Arts
Rex Allen in 1922 Wilcox AZ, cowboy singer
John Denver [Henry John Deutschendorf Jr] in 1943 singer/ songwriter/actor
Diane von Furstenberg in 1946 fashion designer
Sir Anthony Hopkins in 1937 Academy Award-winning actor
Val [Edward] Kilmer in 1959 actor
Ben Kingsley (Krishna Bhanji) in 1943 actor (Ghandi)
Henri Matisse in 1869 impressionist painter (Odalisque)
Bebe Neuwirth in 1959 actress (Lilith-Cheers)
Odetta (Holmes Felious Gordon) in 1930 blues/folk singer, musician, songwriter
Jason Robards Sr in 1892 actor
Donna Summer in 1948 disco singer
~Athletics
Rocky Graziano in 1921 New York NY, boxer
~Business, Education, Politics
Charles Lord Cornwallis in 1738 solider/statesman "fire when ready Gridley"
Sidney Greenbaum in 1929 grammarian
George C Marshall in 1880 authored Marshall Plan (Nobel 1953)
[Bonnie Prince] Charles Edward Stuart in 1720 English pretender to throne
Simon Wiesenthal in 1908 Polish/Austrian Nazi hunter (Wiesenthal Center)
~Science/Religion
Robert G Aitken in 1864 US astronomer (Binary Stars)
§ In Remembrance
Roberto Clemente in 1972 Pittsburgh Pirate slugger, plane crash @ 38
Floyd Cramer in 1997 pianist (Nashville Sound), cancer @ 64
Rick Nelson singer/actor in 1985 (Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet), plane crash @ 45
§ Historical Events On This Day
1687…1st Huguenots depart France to Cape of Good Hope
1783…Import of African slaves banned by all of the Northern states
1879…Cornerstone laid for Honolulu's Iolani Palace (only royal palace in US)
1907…For the 1st time a ball drops at Times Square to signal the new year
1911…Marie Curie receives her 2nd Nobel Prize
1924…Edwin Hubble announces existence of distant galactic systems
1945…Ratification of UN Charter completed
1946…President Truman officially proclaims end of WWII
1961…1st performance of Beach Boys
1962…"Match Game" debuts on NBC with host Gene Rayburn
1981…CNN Headline News debuts
1999…Control of Panamá Canal reverts to Panamá
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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. stray over there (6,6):
2. Southern sprite (5,4):
3. Southern sprite (5,4):
4. hamburger (6,5):
5. blithe drama (3,4):
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Scroll down for answers
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ANSWERS
1. stray over there (6,6): wander yonder
2. Southern sprite (5,4): Dixie Pixie
3. Southern sprite (5,4): cordate plate
4. hamburger (6,5): ground round
5. blithe drama (3,4): gay play
