Monday

1 February 2010--Week 5 of 2010: 32 days this year…333 remain
» Quote Times Two « .
“Teachers: two kinds: the kind that fill you with so much quail shot that you can't move and the kind that just give you a little prod from behind and you jump to the skies.” ~Robert Frost; Poet
"Mistakes are oft the stepping stones to failure." ~Slovenian Proverb
» Free Ramblings « .
First some information on This month:
February is from Latin for ‘purification’. Since 770BC it was used as the month to fix the calendar, today the Gregorian calendar still uses February to make the calendar work. It is known as the ‘mud month’, the ‘month of the pearl’ (Finnish when the snow melts on branches and then refreezes forming ice pearls), and the month of ‘hard frost’.
My background in sociology and linguistics certainly influences my life. The detainment of missionaries in Haiti is just another example of people not really understanding either. Missionaries were stopped at the Haitian border with ‘orphans’ from the earthquake.
The Haitian government is functioning and stopped all adoptions until it can be determined that the little ones are really orphans. It reminds me of the time the US government came to the Navajo Rez, soon after the 1868 treaty and were in Tuba. While the Navajo knew that there were Ute living in the area—less than 2 miles from Tuba, they were asked if any other tribes were in the area. They denied the existence of any Ute in the area. It took many lawsuits and over 120 years for the Ute to get their land back. The missionaries today believe that they are doing the right thing. They have no understanding of the devastation they are causing. Haitian parents, being very poor, have for years been putting their children in orphanages because they can’t care for them. Many return to their families when they are grown. Raising a child today, anywhere, is difficult. Adopting a child of a different background is very hard on the child and the adoptive family. Maybe it’s because I’m adopted, maybe it’s something else, but I just can’t understand foreign adoptions. It seems to me that the children should be cared for by their own. The families that want to help a child should send money or donate time to help them. They shouldn’t just take them away.
The US has stopped bringing the seriously injured to US Hospitals, because the hospital bureaucrats want to know who is going to pay for their care. Not a lot of humanity being shown. The doctors and other personnel at these hospitals want to help. Many have gone to Haiti to help; others are willing to assist them here. Like so many other things in this country, money takes over. So sad.
The sky was clear, then cloudy, then overcast, then clear again. There was a slight breeze, but overall the 42° was nice. I guess the 18° last night was OK too. Not a lot of snow mounds melted today, but as we get ready for February, we will survive.
»New* Winter Olympics* «                                        .
The Vancouver Olympics open on Feb 12.
Did you know…
Ireland has 6 athletes, Scotland has at least 6 athletes competing under Great Britain.
The first winter games were held in 1924 in Chamnix, France.
»Side Show Stories—«                                            .
OXFORD, England - Police in England said a group of officers caught on camera using a riot shield as a sled on a snow slope were reprimanded by a superior. Superintendent Andrew Murray, Oxford City commander with Thames Valley Police, said a bystander captured video of a group of officers arriving at the slope and encouraging a colleague to sled down the hill while clinging to the straps for steering, the Daily mail reported. The video was later uploaded to YouTube. "The snow has a habit of bringing out the child in all of us," Murray said. "I have spoken to the officers concerned and reminded them in no uncertain terms that tobogganing on duty, on police equipment and at taxpayers' expense is a very bad idea should they wish to progress under my command."
»Random Fact«                                                    .
The 1986 tax act was aimed at simplification. It ended up amending 2,000 sections of the code and creating more than 100 new forms.
» Puzzle «                                                            .
A list of words is given. To solve the puzzle, think of a single word that goes with each to form a compound word or word pair that functions as a compound word. For example, if the given words are volley, field, and bearing, the the answer would be ball, because the word ball can be added to each of the other words to form volleyball, ball field, and ball bearing. Answers are at the end of blog.
1. hard, under, up
2. fitting, land, free
3. salt, melon, white
» Calendar Information «                                             .
☼ February’s Month Long Observances ☼
Birthstone: Amethyst …Flower: Violet and Primrose
Adopt A Rescued Rabbit Month^AMD/Low Vision Awareness Month^American Heart Month^Bake for Family Fun Month^Fabulous Florida Strawberry Month^Grapefruit Month^International Boost Self-Esteem Month^International Expect Success Month^Jobs in Golf Month^Library Lovers Month^Marijuana Awareness Month^National African American History Month^National Bird Feeding Month^National Black History Month^National Care About Your Indoor Air Month^National Cherry Month^National Condom Month^National Children's Dental Health Month^National Laugh-Friendly Month^National Mend A Broken Heart Month^National Parent Leadership Month^National Pet Dental Health Month^National Senior Independence Month^National Time Management Month^Plant the Seeds of Greatness Month^Pull Your Sofa Off The Wall Month^Relationship Wellness Month^Responsible Pet Owner's Month^Return Shopping Carts to the Supermarket Month^Spiritual Teachers Month^Spunky Old Broads Month^ Sweet Potato Month^Wise Health Care Consumer Month^ Youth Leadership Month^
☼ Observance Weeks in February ☼
Children's Authors & Illustrators Week: 1-7
National Patient Recognition Week: 1-7
National School Counseling Week: 1-5
Solo Diners Eat Out Weekend: 1-7
Women's Heart Week: 1-7
International Networking Week: 1-5
Intimate Apparel Market Week: 1-4
☼ 1 February Observances—US/UN/World ☼
Freedom Day
G.I. Joe Day
Give Kids A Smile Day
Hula in The Coola Day
Robinson Crusoe Day
Spunky Old Broads Day
Working Naked Day
☼1 February Observances—by country ☼
Ireland: St. Brigid, patron saint day
Malaysia : Federal Territory Holiday (1974)
Nicaragua : Air Force Day
☼ Holy Mackerel: On this day in
☼ Born on this day ☼
     » The Arts
Authors, Artists and Composers
Thomas Cole, in 1801, romantic landscape painter (Hudson River School)
Victor August Herbert, in 1859 (Ireland), composer (Babes in Toyland)
Langston Hughes, in 1902, poet/translator
Muriel Spark, in 1918, (Scotland), novelist (The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie)
Entertainers in Cinema, Music, Theater, and TV
(William) Clark Gable, in 1901, actor (Gone With the Wind)
John Ford, in 1895, director (Stagecoach, Air Mail, Quiet Man)
Michael C. Hall, 39, actor (“Six Feet Under,” “Dexter”)
Sherman Hemsley, 72, actor (“The Jeffersons,” “Amen”)
Rick James [James Johnson], in 1952, rock/soul/funk vocalist (Super Freak)
Terry Jones, 68, Welsh actor, director (“Monty Python’s Flying Circus”)
Anthony LaPaglia, 51, (Australia), actor
Lisa Marie Presley, 42, singer
Bob Shane, 76, vocalist (Kingston Trio)
Pauly Shore, 40, comedian, actor
     »Athletes
     »Business, Education, Politics
Boris Yeltsin, in 1931, president of Russian SSR
     »Science/Religion
Jacob Roggeveen, in 1659, Dutch Swiss lawyer/navigator (Easter Island)
Thomas Campbell, in 1763, founder (Church of Disciples in America)
Eduard Adolf Strasburger, in 1844, German botanist (Angiospermen)
☼Today’s Obits ☼
Carlos I King of Portugal in 1908, assassinated @ 44
Buster Keaton [Joseph Francis], in 1966, US comic @ 69
Hedda Hopper [Elda Furry], in 1966, US gossip columnist, @ 75
Langston Hughes, in 1967, poet/translator, on 65th birthday
Jack Bailey, in 1980, TV host (Queen for a Day), @ 72
James G MacDonald, in 1991, cartoon voice (Mickey Mouse), @ 84
☼What happened on this day? ☼
     » The Arts
1935…1st "March of Time" newsreel premieres at the Capitol
1949…RCA releases 1st single record ever (45 rpm)
1982…"Late Night With David Letterman" debuts on NBC-TV
1999…Former White House intern Monica Lewinsky gives deposition
    »Athletics
    »Business, Education, Politics
1587…English queen Elizabeth I signs Mary Stuart's death sentence
1790…Supreme Court convenes for the 1st time (New York NY)
1862…The Battle Hymn of the Republic was first published in Atlantic Monthly
1884…1st volume of the Oxford English Dictionary, A-Ant, published
1906…1st federal penitentiary building completed, Leavenworth KS
1917…By Executive Order, today, the PAPAGO Indian Reservation in established in Arizona.
1920…1st commercial armored car introduced (St Paul MN)
1951…1st telecast of atomic explosion - US nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1957…1st black pilot (PH Young) on a US scheduled passenger airline
1960…4 students stage 1st civil rights sit-in, at Greensboro NC Woolworth
1965…Martin Luther King Jr & 700 demonstrators arrested in Selma AL
1978…Harriet Tubman is 1st black woman honored on a US postage stamp
     »Science/Religion
2003…The Space Shuttle Columbia breaks up on re-entry into the Earth's atmospher
2004…During the annual Hajj pilgrimage to the city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia 251 people are trampled to death during a stampede
» Number One Songs in…
1944…Besame Mucho - The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra (vocal: Bob Eberly & Kitty Kallen
1952…Slowpoke - Pee Wee King
1960…Running Bear - Johnny Preston
1968…Judy in Disguise (With Glasses) - John Fred & His Playboy Band
1976…Love Rollercoaster - Ohio Players
1984…Karma Chameleon - Culture Club Factory
» ANSWERS to puzzle «
1. COVER: hardcover, undercover, cover up
2. FORM: form-fitting, landform, freeform
3.WATER: salt water, watermelon, white water