Wednesday

17 February 2010--Week 7 of 2010: 48 days this year…317 remain

» Quote Times Two «

"Matrimony is the root of all evil." ~unknown

“Discipline isn't just punishing, forcing compliance or stamping out bad behavior. Rather, discipline has to do with teaching proper deportment, caring about others, controlling oneself and putting someone else's wishes before one's own when the occasion calls for it.” ~Lawrence Balter, Psychologist, Author

» Free Ramblings «

I think the above quote by Lawrence Balter, should be on permanent display in every classroom and administrator’s office in our schools. So many believe that discipline is forcing compliance.

Sure hope everyone got their beads and are wearing them with style. I never got into Mardi Gras, until I spent a week in New Orleans a few years before Katrina. I was there in the summer but every night there is a parade on Bourbon Street and unlike this week, we could walk around and enjoy everything with only a crowd, not a massive crowd. I was a presenter at a non-BIA workshop and stayed right on Bourbon Street. If you have been to NOLA, you already know that Bourbon Street is a very, very narrow street. If you haven’t been, I would suggest taking a taxi or shuttle to your hotel—if you are staying anywhere in the French Quarter. You can walk just about everywhere you want to go and taxis will take you everywhere else. The beads are purple for justice, green for faith and gold for power. It’s been that way since 1892. I did go to a Mardi Gras parade once…in Deadwood, SD, where it was snowing and 12° below zero. This year I’m watching it on several of the dozens of web cams set up throughout the French Quarter.

The Olympics continue to take up way too much of my time. Both Biathlons were exciting. Both the Men’s and Women’s races were messed up a little by the starter. The athletes in both races knew the mistake, and probably threw off their game plan a lot. One mistake by non-athletes should not happen. Two mistakes should never happen. A total of three mistakes, inexcusable for the athletes and for the fans.

Flag had another great weather day. We had lots more snow melt with the 43° high. It was cold last night—14°, but warmed up very quickly to make a nice day.

»* Winter Olympics* «

The Vancouver Olympics open on Feb 12.

Curling is one of four winter Olympic sports contested indoors. The other three are hockey, figure skating, and speed skating. No weather worries for these events.

»Side Show Stories—«

ORLANDO, Fla. - A Florida graduate who lost his 1989 class ring when it fell from a cruise ship 21 years ago said an Ohio woman called to say she found the ring. Tom Whitney of Orlando, who accidentally dropped the 1989 West Orange High ring from a Port Canaveral-based cruise ship the year of his graduation, said he received an e-mail last Monday from a woman who said she believed the ring had been found, The Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel reported Monday. "It was just this Monday, and I got a message from a woman who said she has my ring," Whitney said. The message said the ring was found by the woman's metal detector-wielding father along Florida's Daytona Beach.

»Random Fact: «

The strike note of The Liberty Bell is E flat.

» Puzzle «

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 warm up from freezing    (hint: T _ _ _)

2 sound in health              (hint: _ A _ _)

3 letter sequence in m????se, a feeling of uneasiness (hint: _ _ A _)
4 fence in the water (hint: _ _ _ R)

» 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 ☼

Alzheimers and Dementia Awareness Week: 14-21

Love a Mench Week: 14-21

National Condom Week: 14-21

National Engineers Week: 14-20

National Pancake Week: 14-20

International Friendship Week: 17-23

☼ 17 February Observances—US/UN/World ☼

Ash Wednesday or Quiet Day

Champion Crab Races Day

My Way Day

National PTA Founders Day

World Human Spirit Day

☼17 February Observances—by country ☼

Kosovo: Independence Day since 2008

Sri Lanka : Maha Shivaratree

☼ Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1876…Sardines 1st canned (Julius Wolff-Eastport ME) 
☼ Born on this day ☼

     » The Arts

Authors, Artists and Composers

Thomas Malthus, in 1766,- economist, demographer

Entertainers in Cinema, Music, Theater, and TV

Brenda Fricker, 65, actress (Oscar for My Left Foot; The Field), born Dublin, Ireland

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 29, actor (Tommy: “3rd Rock from the Sun”)

Paris Hilton, 29, socialite, television personality (“The Simple Life”)

Hal Holbrook (Harold Rowe, Jr), 85, actor

Dame Edna Everidge (Barry Humphries), 76, (Australia) actor, comedian

Richard Karn, 51, actor (“Home Improvement”), game show host (“Family Feud”)

Jerry O'Connell, 36, actor

Gene Pitney, in 1941, singer/songwriter (Town Without Pity)

Lou Diamond Phillips, 48, actor (La Bamba, Stand and Deliver)

Denise Richards, 39, actress

Rene Russo, 56, actress

     »Athletes

Walter L "Red" Barber, in 1908, sports announcer

James Nathaniel (Jim) Brown, 74, Hall of Fame football player, activist, actor

Michael Jordan, 47 basketball player, sports executive

     »Business, Education, Politics

Yasser Arafat , 81,. PLO-leader

Mary Frances Berry, 72, educator/head (US Commission on Civil Rights)

William Cadbury, in 1867, English chocolate manufacturer (Cadbury)

Frederick Douglass, 1817, politician

Samuel Sidney McClure, in 1857, Irish-American newspaper editor/publisher

Huey Newton, in 1942, Black Panther leader

John Pinkerton, in 1758, Scottish historian

     »Science/Religion

--

☼Today’s Obits ☼

Reverend James Renwick hanged in Scotland for being a Presbyterian, @ 26

James Macpherson, 1796, Scottish poet, @ 60

Heinrich Heine, in 1856, German poet, lead poisoning @ 58

Geronimo (Goyaałé, "one who yawns"), in 1908, Chiricahua Apache chief, pneumonia @ 79

Lee [Israel] Strasberg, in 1982, father of method acting/actor, heart attack @ 80

☼What happened on this day? ☼

     » The Arts

1933…Blondie Boopadoop marries Dagwood Bumstead; Dagwood's father promptly disinherits him

1958…Comic strip "BC" 1st appears

1986…The National Critics Book Circle Award to Ann Tyler for "The Accidental Tourist"

     »Athletics

1949…Men's Figure Skating Championship in Paris won by Richard Button USA

1974…49 die in stampede for seats at soccer match, Cairo, Egypt

1989…Orel Hershiser, Dodger pitcher signs record $7.9M-3 year contract

     »Business, Education, Politics

1621…Miles Standish appointed 1st commander of Plymouth colony

1817…1st US city lit by gas (Baltimore)

1854…British recognize independence of Orange Free State (South Africa)

1867…1st ship passes through Suez Canal

1897…The National Congress of Mothers (Later PTA) organized

1911…The First Electric Self Start was installed in a Cadillac By GM

1969…Golda Meir sworn in as Israel's 1st female prime minister

     »Science/Religion

--

» Number One Songs in…

1944…Besame Mucho - The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra (vocal: Bob Eberly & Kitty Kallen)

1952…Slowpoke - Pee Wee King

1960…Teen Angel - Mark Dinning

1968…Love is Blue - Paul Mauriat

» ANSWERS to puzzle «

T H A W

H A L E

A L A I

W E I R