Thursday

♣ 11 March 2010--Week 10 of 2010: 70 days this year…295 remain ♣
♣ Two Quotes to think about…Today ♣
“A general dissolution of the principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of the common enemy.”
~Samuel Adams
“Love built on beauty, soon as beauty, dies.”
~John Donne
♣ Free Ramblings ♣
Old man winter will just not give it up. I am beginning to sound like a broken record. It snowed most of the day. My deck has a good 6” of snow that didn’t melt. The wind gusts of 30mph gave of several ‘white-out’ conditions throughout the day. Amazing. Nothing like looking out your window and seeing nothing but white. It wasn’t snowing that hard, but the wind just picked up the newly fallen snow and made life miserable.

I sure guess I don’t get Flagstaff politics. The two women candidates seem to have split the center and left vote, letting the right wing guy have a huge margin in the Primary…scary. I’m hoping that the losing candidate quickly supports our Mayor, who came in second. I really wanted the loser to make the general election but that didn’t happen. She did thank all her supporters today, but hasn’t thrown her support yet. Now, the center and the left have to unite, to keep the conservative wing out of office. I also have some learnin’ to do about the council seats. Our little mountain town may have more problems in the future if somehow we get a conservative mayor and conservative council.

The School District Override passed, so we will see if they can clean up their house a little, with the additional money. Arizona has been in the national news lately. If it isn’t the fights between the non-elected governor and the legislature, then it’s how little we pay for educating our children. Somehow way too many believe that education funding is not that important. I don’t have a lot of hope that this will change anytime soon.
♣Random Fact: ♣
Hugh Hefner served as circulation manager of Children's Activities magazine while he was raising money to launch Playboy.
♣Side Show Stories—♣
ALTON, England - A British man who raised money for charity by taking a roller coaster ride in the nude said it was his 298th thrill ride in the buff. Richard Jones, 27, of Churchdown, England, a lifelong roller coaster fan, said his recent nude ride on the Nemesis coaster at England's Alton Towers marked the 298th time he has taken off his clothes and gone for a roller coaster ride for charity, The Sun reported. Jones said his rides have included coasters across Europe and North America, including his favorite, the Top Thrill Dragster at Ohio's Cedar Point amusement park. "Ever since I was 4 I have been hooked on roller coasters. It's an escape from time because it takes you somewhere you don't normally go," Jones said. "Hurtling along at 80 mph also gets the adrenaline going. Doing it naked is a lot more difficult because it does get very cold." Jones said he participated in the Mary 2004 Guinness World Record for largest naked roller coaster ride with 112 fellow nude riders on the Nemesis coaster.
♣ 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 5 X 5 sections.
1 happiness (HINT: B - - - -)
2 solar emission (HINT: - I - - -)
3 dome home (HINT: - - L - -)
4 assemble (HINT: - - - A -)
5 took possession illegally (HINT: - - - - E)
♣ 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
7-13 •Celebrate Your Name Week:
       •National Consumer Protection Week
       •National Words Matter Week
       •Save Your Vision Week
       •Telecommuter Appreciation Week
       •National Professional Pet Sitters Week
       •Read an E-Book Week
       •Teen Tech Week
8-12•Make A Referral Week
      •National Sleep Awareness Week
      •National School Breakfast Week
8-14•Universal Women's Week
• 11 March Observances—US/UN/World •
Johnny Appleseed Day
Worship of Tools Day
Dream 2010 Day: To focus attention on making the world a safer and better place.
World Kidney Day
•11 March Observances—by country •
Mauritius : Maha Shivaratree (Hindi Celebration)
Lithuania: Reestablishment of Lithuania's Independence from the Soviet Union in 1990
Zambia: Youth Day
♣ Number One Songs in…
1950•Dear Hearts and Gentle People - Bing Crosby
1958•Lollipop - The Chordettes
1966•The Ballad of the Green Berets - SSgt Barry Sadler
1974•Seasons in the Sun - Terry Jacks
1982•I Love Rock ’N Roll - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
• Holy Mackerel: 1824•John C. Calhoun, Secretary of War, creates the Bureau of Indian Affairs, within the War Department. Thomas McKenney is appointed its' first head.
• Born on this day •
     …The Arts
Authors, Artists and Composers
Douglas Adams, 1952, author: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Dr. Who
Sam Donaldson, 76, journalist
Dorothy Schiff, 1903, publisher (New York Post)
Jerry Zucker, 60, writer, (Naked Gun movies with brother David), producer (Airplane!)
Entertainers in Cinema, Music, Theater, and TV
Jimmy Fortune, 55, tenor: group: Statler Brothers
Ric Rothwell, 66, drummer (Mindbenders-Games of Love)
Lawrence Welk, 1903, bandleader
     …Athletes
Steve Reed, 45, pitcher (Rockies and many more)
     …Business, Education
Henry Marking, 1920, CEO (British Airways)
Rupert Murdoch, 79, media executive
      …Politics
Ralph Abernathy, 1926, civil rights leader (Southern Christian Leadership)
Antonin Scalia, 74, Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court
Sir [James] Harold Wilson, 1916, British Prime Minister
      …Science/Religion
Vannevar Bush, 1890, developed 1st electronic analog computer
Robert H G Havemann, 1910, German chemist
Urbain Jean Joseph le Verrier, 1811, co-discovered Neptune
•Today’s Obits •
Richard Brooks, 1992, director (Blackboard Jungle, Key Largo), @ 79
Richard E Byrd, 1957, US explorer (Antarctica), @ 68
John Chapman [Johnny Appleseed], 1845, @ 71
Vince Edwards, 1996, actor (Ben Casey), cancer @ 67
Alexander Fleming, 1955, English bacteriologist (penicillin), @ 73
Erle Stanley Gardner, 1970, US writer (Perry Mason), @ 80
[Wayne] Woody Hayes, 1987, football coach (Ohio State), @ 74
Charles Sumner, 1874, a white civil rights leader, @ 63 (My grandfather, father and I named after him)
•What Happened on this Day •
     …The Arts
1302•Romeo & Juliet's wedding day, according to Shakespeare
1927•Samuel Roxy Rothafel opened the famous Roxy Theatre in New York City
1959•"Raisin in the Sun", 1st Broadway play by a black woman, opens
1985•We Are the World airing first on this day as a single
     …Athletics
1927•1st golden gloves tournament
     …Business, Education.
1823•1st normal school in US opens, Concord Academy, Concord VT
1918•Save the Redwoods League founded
1969•Levi Jeans add the latest craze of jeans, bell bottoms, to their line of Jeans
     …Politics
1779•US army Corps of Engineers established (1st time)
1917•British troops occupy Baghdad
1977•130 hostages held in Washington, D.C., by Hanafi Muslims are freed when ambassadors from three Islamic nations joined negotiations.
1988•£ note ceases to be legal tender, replaced by £ coin
1995•Sinn Fein party leader, Gerry Adams, arrives in US
1997•Beatle Paul McCartney knighted Sir Paul by Queen Elizabeth II
     …Science/Religion
1665•New York approves new code guaranteeing Protestants religious rights
1669•Volcano Etna in Italy erupts killing 15,000
1918•The first cases of one of the worst influenza pandemic ( FLU )in history are reported at Fort Riley, Kansas
1953•1st woman army doctor commissioned (FM Adams)
♣ANSWERS to puzzle ♣
BLISS
LIGHT
IGLOO
SHOAL
STOLE
♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣