Thursday 3-18

♣ 18 March 2010~~Week 11 of 2010: 77 days this year…288 remain ♣

♣ Two Quotes to think about…Today ♣

“Dreams do not vanish, so long as people do not abandon them.“

--Phantom F. Harlock: fictional anime Japanese character

“It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow.”

--Robert H. Goddard: Physicist who made first liquid rocket fuel

♣ Free Ramblings ♣

I had lunch with traveling Mary today. Her pictures of Hawaii forced me to realize that the whole world is not covered in snow right now. They had a great vacation, once they made it to the big island. Plane trouble allowed them the opportunity to make a stop in San Francisco, rather than flying from Phoenix to Hawaii directly. I looked at the map and still don’t understand why Frisco, but that’s where they spent a few too many hours. This took one whole day off their vacation. They should have landed in Hawaii about noon and didn’t make it till midnight. The airline is giving them a $100 voucher for future flights. This doesn’t make up for the missed beach time, but is certainly better than anything I would have expected. I’m not into traveling to tourist sites like Hawaii, but I must say, the 85° temps, the swimming and snorkeling in the ocean, and the volcano experience is intriguing. However, Mary and group went to one place to snorkel at 6:30am, for the sunrise and all. When they left about 9:00 in the morning, there were 13 bus loads of Asian tourists standing in line, waiting to get into the venue. Maybe I will make it to Hawaii someday, but don’t think I will do it will be in the near future.

While we were having lunch, some former Tuba teachers came in. Sheila, who left many years ago, and Esther, may boss’ wife, come in with three or four other ladies. Turns out it was Esther’s birthday. I’ve known her professionally for about 40 years, and did not know that she was born on St. Patrick’s Day. This was a big one for her, 65. So we wished her a happy one and moved on.

It was a beautiful spring day again. This is turning into a great spring. When I got back from lunch it was 65° outside. I cleaned off my deck that had almost an inch of pine needles and small branches from the last few storms. I really need to clean the concrete and this winter’s long lasting snow allowed the pine needles and branches to leave dirt on the concrete, and then soak into the concrete or something. I think I’ll wait until I know there will be no more snow before I tackle that job—probably in July. I enjoy afternoons and breakfasts on the deck when the weather is nice, so I guess I just won’t look at the dirty concrete.

♣Random Fact: ♣

A Boeing 747 airliner holds 57,285 gallons of fuel.

♣Side Show Stories—♣

Studying the experimentally induced intoxicated behavior of ants in 1888, naturalist John Lubbock noticed that the insects that had too much to drink were picked up by nest mates and carried home. Conversely, drunken strangers were summarily tossed in a ditch.

♣New Puzzle ♣

Each of these phrases is the anagram of a recent celebrity. Rearrange the letters to identify the celeb.

1 Woken Obscenely

2 I'm a Jerk, But Listen

3 Major Menaces

4 Bald, Bony

♣ Calendar Information ♣

• March’s Month Long Observances •

BIRTHSTONE: aquamarine and bloodstone (courage) FLOWER: Narcissus [daffodil, jonquil] (vanity)

National Cheerleading Safety Month • National Clean Up Your IRS Act Month • National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month • National Craft Month • National Ethics Awareness Month •National Eye Donor Month • National Frozen Food Month • National Multiple Sclerosis Education & Awareness Month •National Kidney Month• National Nutrition Month • National Social Work Month • National Umbrella Month • National Women's History Month • Optimism Month • Play The Recorder Month • Poison Prevention Awareness Month • Red Cross Month • Save Your Vision Month • Sing With Your Child Month • Small Press Month •Spiritual Wellness Month • Women's History Month • Workplace Eye Health and Safety Month • Youth Art Month

• Observance Weeks in March•

6-21

•Iditarod Race

14-20

•Campfire USA Birthday Week •National Poison Prevention Week •Nat’l Agriculture Week •Nat’l Animal Poison Prevention Week

14-21

•National Toad Hollow Week

15-19

•Wildlife Week

15-21

•Act Happy Week •American Chocolate Week •International Brain Awareness Week •Wellderly Week: To recognize Senior Citizens who don’t act their age

16-22

•National Inhalant and Poisons Awareness Week

• 18 March Observances—US/UN/World •

Supreme Sacrifice Day

• To remember all who gave the supreme sacrifice for others…fireman, policemen, soldiers, and all others

Absolutely Incredible Kid Day

• Email or write a kid you know and tell them how incredible they are

Awkward Moments Day

• Everyone has them, today look back on some you have had and hopefully be able to laugh

Companies That Care Day

• If you know a company that cares about its employees, its customers, the community—let them know by supporting their business

National Biodiesel Day

• To honor Rudolf Diesel

Peanut Festival: Wilmington NC

•18 March Observances—by country •

Aruba and Haiti : Flag Day/National Holiday

Haiti : University Day

Ireland : Sheelah's Day

• In the eighteenth century, William Hone reported the celebrations surrounding Sheelah (a mysterious figure who has been identified by variously as the wife, mother, or other relative of St. Patrick) noting that, the people of the day "are not so anxious to determine who 'Sheelah' was, as they are earnest in her celebration

♣ Number One Songs in…

1949•Far Away Places - Margaret Whiting

1957•Young Love - Tab Hunter

1965•Eight Days a Week - The Beatles

1973•Killing Me Softly with His Song - Roberta Flack

1981•9 to 5 - Dolly Parton

1989•From a Jack to a King - Ricky Van Shelton

• Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1870•1st US National Wildlife Preserve (Lake Meritt in Oakland CA)

• Born on this day •

     …The Arts

Authors, Artists and Composers

John Kander, 83, composer (Cabaret, Chicago)

Raphael, 1483, painter (Sistine Madonna)

Nicolai Andreevich Rimski-Korsakov, 1844, (Russia), composer (Flight of the Bumble Bee, Scheherazade)

John Updike, 1932, poet/novelist

Eric Woolfson, 1945, (Glasgow Scotland), composer/musician (Alan Parsons Project)

Entertainers in Cinema, Music, Theater, and TV

(Lester Alvin) Smiley Burnette, 1911, cowboy actor (Charlie-Petticoat Junction)

Kevin Dobson, 66, actor (“Kojak,” “Knots Landing”)

Peter Graves (Aurness), 2010, actor (“Mission: Impossible,” “The Winds of War”)

John Hartman, 50, rock drummer (Doobie Brothers)

Edward Everett Horton, 1886, actor/narrator (Bullwinkle Show)

Queen Latifah (Dana Owens), 40, rap artist, actress (Bringing Down the House, Chicago)

Wilson Pickett, 1941, R&B singer

Charley Pride, 72, singer, former minor league baseball player

Vanessa Williams, 47, singer, actress (“Ugly Betty,” Bye, Bye Birdie; Kiss of the Spider Woman) 1st Miss America who was Black

     …Athletes

Bonnie Blair, 46, Olympic gold medal speed skater

     …Business, Education

--

     …Politics

John Caldwell Calhoun, 1782, Andrew Jackson's Vice President

[Arthur] Neville Chamberlain, 1869, British Prime Minister (C, 1937-40)

[Stephen] Grover Cleveland, 1837, 22nd & 24th President

Frederik Willem de Klerk, 74, former president of South Africa

     …Science/Religion

John Paul II [Karol Wojtyla], 1920, Poland, Pope

Mark Van Thillo, 49, (Wilrijk, Belgium), co-captain (Biosphere 2 in Oracle, AZ)

•Today’s Obits •

Willem de Kooning, 1997, abstract artist Alzheimer's @ 92

Jacques De Molay, 1314, the last grand master of Order of Knights of Templar, burned at stake @ 64 or 74

Farouk I, 1965, last King of Egypt (1936-52), possible poisoning while in exile @ 45

Ivan IV the terrible, 1584, Russian tsar (1547-84), heart attack @ 53

Robert Walpole, 1745, 1st English premier (1722-42), @ 68

•What Happened on this Day •

     …The Arts

1902•Enrico Caruso becomes 1st well-known performer to make a record

     …Athletics

1892•Lord Stanley proposes silver challenge cup for hockey (Stanley Cup)

1982•Singer Teddy Pendergrass' spinal cord severed in a car accident

1989•Investor group led by George W Bush & Edward W Rose purchases controlling interest of Texas Rangers 1965: A Soviet cosmonaut known as Lt. Col. Alexei Leonov exited the spacecraft Voskshod II for a short “spin” 1922: Mohandas K. Gandhi a British educated lawyer, was sentenced to prison in India for civil disobedience

     …Business, Education.

1834•1st railroad tunnel in US completed, in Pennsylvania (275 meter long)

1881•[PT] Barnum & [James A] Bailey's Greatest Show on Earth opens (Madison Square Garden)

1931•Schick, Inc., the razor company, displayed the first electric shaver

1961•Poppin' Fresh Pillsbury Dough Boy introduced

     …Politics

1582•Prince Willem of Orange injured in attack at Antwerp

1673•Lord Berkley sells his half of New Jersey to the Quakers

1818•Congress approves 1st pensions for government service

1911•North Dakota enacts a hail insurance law

1963•Supreme Court's Miranda Decision: defendants must have lawyers (AZ case)

1970•Mail service paralyzed by 1st major postal strike

1977•US restricts citizens from visiting Cuba, Vietnam, N Korea & Cambodia

     …Science/Religion

1813•David Melville of Newport, Rhode Island patented the gas streetlight

1919•Order of DeMolay is established in Kansas City

♣ANSWERS to puzzle ♣

1 Beyonce Knowles: Woken Obscenely

2 Justin Timberlake: I'm a Jerk, But Listen

3 James Cameron: Major Menaces

4 Bob Dylan: Bald, Bony

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