Sunday

28 February 2010--Week 8 of 2010: 59 days this year…306 remain

» Quote Times Two «

"The heart is wiser than the intellect."

~J.G. Holland

“The wise person understands that his own happiness must include the happiness of others.”

~Dennis Weaver, (1924-2006); Actor

» Free Ramblings «

My body decided to have my last day as a 60 year old with a case of angioedema. This time, it was my tongue, not the whole tongue, just the right side. I took the pills, but they are slow in working this time, think I waited a little too long, not a danger, just takes longer to get the swelling down.

Back in the day there was ABC’s Wide World of Sports with the opening line “Spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of sport… the thrill of victory… and the agony of defeat… the human drama of athletic competition.” Jim McKay and the show are long gone. But the bar they set is very high. NBC televised their first Olympics in 1964 and have covered 12 Olympics. They certainly have had some blunders, like the PPV Red, White and Blue channels they had for one Olympics. They lost a ton of $$ ad angered a lot of viewers who couldn’t get it or wouldn’t pay the price. They did have an internet pay site where you could get more coverage, but I was happy with what was on the three channels. Tomorrow night is the closing ceremonies, and I must say, I have really enjoyed this year’s coverage. I have seen many thrills of victory from athletes spanning the globe. I have also seen a few agony of defeat events. All in all, I don’t keep up on the medal counts, but will remember some of the great finishes, the athletes who gave 110%, the athletes who showed outstanding sportsmanship in very difficult situations. For me, that’s what the Olympics has always been about.

Our ‘big’ storm hasn’t arrived yet. Maybe tonight. We got up to 45° with a heavy cloud cover this morning, then after a day of 25mph winds, it cleared up to give us a nice blue sky. They keep alerting me that I should expect about 8” of snow to come in tonight. However, the sky is clear right now, the full moon is amazing, and even I know that there has to be clouds and cold to make snow. I think this storm may be like the tsunami that fortunately didn’t make it to Hawaii. Chili is suffering but the Pacific’s Island nations seem to have been spared any tsunami devastation. Mary is heading for Hawaii on Wednesday for a week or so on the beach.

»* Winter Olympics* «

The Vancouver Olympics opened on Feb 12.

Counterfeit Olympic tickets to events have always been a problem. The Vancouver games’ tickets had 14 different anti-counterfeiting methods including holograms and color-shifting inks.

»Side Show Stories—«

Ronald Reagan, the 40th U.S. president, saved 77 people from drowning as a lifeguard in his youth at a riverside beach near Dixon, Illinois.

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20th president of the United States James Garfield could write Greek with one hand while writing Latin with the other.

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Abe Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, carried letters, bills, and notes in his notorious black, top-hat.

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First U.S. president George Washington rejected a movement among army officers to make him king of the United States.

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William Taft, 27th president of the United States, weighed more than 300 pounds and had a special over-sized bathtub installed in the White House.

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The 38th president of the United States, Gerald Ford turned down offers to play professional football for the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions.

»Random Fact: «

The Eber Papyrus, an ancient Egyptian medical journal, states that inflammation should be treated with copper. Many Egyptian paintings depict their rulers and wealthy citizens wearing bracelets made of copper.

» Puzzle « New Puzzle Tomorrow

Word Boxes are like miniature crossword puzzles, except that each word is filled in across AND down the grid. That is, the answer to 1 across is the same word as the answer to 1 down; 2 across is the same as 2 down; etc. Can you solve these Word Boxes? To solve: draw a square that has four X four sections.

1 incidental benefit (HINT: P - - -)

2 ardor inspired by passion (HINT: - L - -)

3 timed competition (HINT: - - C -)

4 joint example (HINT: - - - E)

» 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 ☼

Telecommuter Appreciation Week: 24-3/6

American Crossword Puzzle Week: 26-28

Texas Cowboy Poetry Week: 26-28

☼ 26 February Observances—US/UN/World ☼

Public Sleeping Day

Floral Design Day

International Sword Swallowers Day

National Tooth Fairy Day

☼26 February Observances—by country ☼

Taiwan: Peace Memorial Day, commemorating the 228 Incident: 10-30,000 massacred in anti-gov’t uprising

Finland : Kalevala Day (1835): epic poem of history of Finland

☼ Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1954…American molecular biologists James D. Watson and Francis H.C. Crick discover the double-helix structure of DNA

☼ Born on this day ☼

     » The Arts

Authors, Artists and Composers

Svetlana Allilueva, 84, daughter of Joseph Stalin, author (The Faraway Music)

John Tenniel, in 1820 (England), cartoonist/illustrator (Alice in Wonderland)

Entertainers in Cinema, Music, Theater, and TV

Charles Blondin (Jean Francois Gravelet), in 1824, acrobat, aerialist: first to walk across Niagara Falls on a tightrope [June 30, 1859]

Charles Durning, 87, actor (Dog Day Afternoon, “Evening Shade”)

Zero Mostel (Samuel Joel Mostel), in 1915, actor

Bernadette Peters, 66, singer, actress (Dames at Sea, Annie Get Your Gun)

     »Athletes

Mario Gabrielle Andretti, 70, former auto racer

Jelena Janković, (Yugoslavia) 25, tennis player

     »Business, Education

Charlie Frazier, 61, BIA educator now happily retired
Mary Lyon, in 1797, educator: founded Mount Holyoke Seminary, now Mt. Holyoke College, one of the first permanent colleges for women

Bugsy Siegel, in 1906, gangster created casinos in Las Vegas
    »Politics

Clara Petacci, in 1912, Italian mistress of Benito Mussolini

     »Science/Religion

Thomas Newcomen, in 1663, English co-inventor (steam engine)

Smokey The Bear, 1928

☼Today’s Obits ☼

Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, in 1977, comedian (Jack Benny Show), @ 71

Mr Ed (Bamboo Harverster), in 1979, talking horse, @ 21

Henry James, in 1916, US/British writer (Bostonians), @ 72

Jim Thorpe, in 1953, decathlete (Olympics-gold-1912), @64

☼What Happened on this Day ☼

     » The Arts

1749…1st edition of Henry Fieldings' "Tom Jones" published

1940…Richard Wright's "Native Son" published

1983…The final episode of M*A*S*H, became the most-watched television episode in U.S. history, estimates at 106 million Americans.

     »Athletics

1940 – Basketball is televised for the first time (Fordham University vs. the University of Pittsburgh in Madison Square Garden)

»Business, Education

1970…Bicycles permitted to cross Golden Gate Bridge

1977…1st killer whale born in captivity (Marineland, Los Angeles CA)

     »Politics

1692…Salem witch hunt begins

1861…Territories of Nevada & Colorado created

1922…After 40 years of British rule following Great Britain seizing control of Egypt's government in 1882 over concerns for British interests including the Suez Canal. Great Britain announces a unilateral declaration of Egypt's independence.

1933…1st female in cabinet Francis Perkins appointed Secretary of Labor

1961…JFK names Henry Kissinger special advisor

1986…Olof Palme, the Swedish Prime Minister is shot dead and his wife Lisbeth wounded in a street ambush in central Stockholm.

1995…Denver International Airport opens

     »Science/Religion

1066…Westminster Abbey opens

1638…Scottish Presbyterians sign National Convenant, Greyfriars, Edinburgh

1993…Gun battle erupts at Waco TX between FBI & Branch Davidians

» Number One Songs in…

1947…For Sentimental Reasons - Nat King Cole

1955…Sincerely - McGuire Sisters

1963…Hey Paula - Paul & Paula

1971…Help Me Make It Through the Night - Sammi Smith

1979…Da Ya Think I’m Sexy? - Rod Stewart

» ANSWERS to puzzle «

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