Monday 4-26

≈Week 18 of 2010: 116 days this year… 249 days remain≈

≈ Something To Think About 

Some people are so afraid to die that they never begin to live.

~Henry Van Dyke

≈ Random Fact   

Snickers is the best selling chocolate worldwide, raking in over $2 billion annually

• Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1937 ►The publisher of LIFE magazine just about passed out when he looked at his just-off-the-press publication and noticed that someone had forgotten to put the word “LIFE” in the upper left-hand corner! It was the only time that LIFE was nameless. Since hundreds of thousands of copies were already printed, the magazine hit the streets with no name on the cover! The reason? A picture of a rooster would have had an obscured comb if the logotype had been used in the upper left-hand corner as usual.

≈ Free Ramblings   

My brother and his wife are back from the big Annual North Carolina Designer Furniture Week. Laura had a private showing of her designs. Baker Furniture is very happy that she is one of their contracted designers. She does amazing things with her talent. Over the past few years she has been offered many opportunities to be on design shows on the various cable networks. Her designs are not for the budget minded and are not going to be for sale at your local furniture store. For anyone interested in seeing her inspired designs simply Google: Laura Kirar. You will not that like a fine restaurant, there are no prices. So why haven’t they done TV? It turns out that the designers don’t get paid that much and have to block out two or three months of time to the filming. The perk is exposure. Laura does great presentations, and would be great on TV. At present, few if any of her clients don’t do anything as pedestrian as watching TV. The design business is very creative, very exciting, and one hell of a lot of work. Her designs don’t just suddenly appear on a computer screen, nor do they suddenly become real pieces of art. She has to follow each piece from conception to final product. Her designs provide such great pleasure to their owners; it is worth all the work.

Education v Brainwashing…why do so many Americans believe that the Muslim faith is out to destroy America. Why do so many Middle Eastern Muslims believe the US is out to destroy their faith? Turns out, it has to do with education. Few Americans know anything about the Muslim faith. Few Middle Easterners know anything about America. So when either group hears someone who claims to know, that person is believed. Even if they do not know. In a recent study in Afghanistan, the majority in a college classroom believed that the CIA paid radicals for 9-11 so the US would have a reason to invade their country. These students also believed that the US goal is to destroy their religion. As with almost everything in this world, education is the answer. How to educate, without brainwashing, is the challenge. Sending Americans to the Muslim counties or sending Muslims from the Middle East to the US will help. The problem is that when they return to their homeland, many non-traveling locals will believe that have just sold out or have changed so much they are no longer believable. Somehow we have to find a solution. It happens on both sides.

Another nice, warm, spring day here in Flagstaff. We climbed to 68° fairly early and remained nice all day and into the evening. There was little wind and a great day to be outside. The kids were out in force most of the day, riding bikes, chasing each other around, and having a good time. Even moms with their toddlers found time to play a little today. I really hope this is the beginning of real spring…with no more windy cold days. I also want peace throughout the world and that will happen before mid-April is the end of snow in Flagstaff. Our next snow is due Wednesday, preceded by a windy Tuesday.

≈ A Quick Smile…   

She had been thinking about coloring her hair. One day while going through a magazine, she came across an ad for a hair coloring product featuring a beautiful young model with hair a shade that she liked.

Wanting a second opinion, she asked her husband, "How do you think this color would look on a face with a few wrinkles?"

He looked at the picture, crumbled it up, straightened it out and studied it again. "Just great, hon."

≈ NEW Puzzle   

The number next to the acronym helps solve what the acronym means... e.g. 365 DIAY = 365 days in a year, and 366 DIALY = 366 days in a leap year.

1. 9 PITSS

2. 10 YIAD

3. 11 PIAFT

4. 12 MIAY

≈ Side Show Stories

CHICAGO - Authorities in Illinois are searching for two women charged with stealing a woman's money under the pretense of cleansing it of evil spirits. Cook County authorities indicted Laura Santini, 61, and her daughter, Rosann, 35, on felony theft charges this week for scamming a Park Ridge woman out of $62,000, the Chicago Tribune reported Thursday. "They basically were able to convince the victim that some money she had gotten was cursed money and that somehow that curse had transferred to other money that she had," Chicago police Detective Milorad Sofrenovic said. "They told her that in order to be able to remove this curse, they needed to take this money physically to a shrine in Indiana and with prayers drive the curse from the money." Sofrenovic said the woman realized she had been scammed when she saw a "for rent" sign on the women's Chicago home. He said the women have not been seen in more than a year.

≈ Calendar Information   

• Observance Weeks in April•

24-30

National Scoop The Poop Week

26 to 5/2

Safe Kids Week—since 1988—to teach kids how to be safe

• 26 April Observances—US/UN/World •

Richter Scale Day—know how strong that earthquake was

National Pretzel Day: Publicity for the $550 million business

Bob Wills Day: King of Western Swing, born in Turkey, Texas

Hug An Australian Day

International Marconi Day: for the radio guy

World Intellectual Property Day

• 26 April Observances—by country •

Colombia:Vallenato Legend Festival: Music festival featuring the accordian

Guinea-Bissau, West Africa: Municipal Holiday

Tanzania : Union Day (1964)

•Number One Songs in…

For anyone interested, all these songs are available on iTunes.

1940 ►In the Mood; Glenn Miller

1950 ►'The Third Man' Theme; Anton Karas

1960 ►Stuck on You; Elvis Presley

1970 ►ABC; The Jackson 5

1980 ►Call Me; Blondie

• 26 April Happenings•

In The Arts

1932 ►Ed Wynn was heard on radio’s Texaco Star Theater for the first time.

In Athletics

1961 ►Roger Maris hits 1st of 61 homers in 1961

1988 ►NBA approves addition of 3rd referee in the 1988-89 season

1995 ►Coors Field, opens in Denver, Rockies beat Mets 11-9 in 14 innings

In Business or Education

1906 ►1st motion pictures shown in Hawaii

2002 ► An expelled student ( Robert Steinhäuser ) went on a shooting rampage at the Johann Gutenberg Gymnasium in Erfurt, Germany, killing 13 teachers, two students and a police officer

In Politics

1906 ►A law is passed which grants the President to pick the CHEROKEE Chief.

1913 ►Sun Yet San calls for revolt against President Yuan Shikai in China

1941 ►Potatoes rationed in Holland

1994 ►1st multi-racial election in South Africa begins [3 days] Dr Nomaza Paintin in New Zealand is 1st black South African to vote

2000 ►Vermont Gov. Howard Dean signed the nation's first bill allowing same-sex couples to form civil unions.

In Science/ Religion

1478 ►Easter is celebrated for the first time

1514 ►Copernicus makes his 1st observations of Saturn

1986 ►At 1:23 a.m. in Pripyat in the Ukraine when the Chernobyl atomic power station exploded.

• 26 April Births •

Artists, Writers, and Composers

Jet Li, 47, former martial arts champion, actor (The Forbidden Kingdom, Hero, Kiss of the Dragon), , born Li Lian Jie in Beijing, China

Athletes

Donna De Varona, 63, Olympic Hall of Famer: 400-meter individual swimming medley

Ryan Yarborough, 1971, NFL wide receiver (Ravens, Jets)

Entertainers

Gracie Allen, 1906, Mrs George Burns, comedienne

William "Count" Basie, 1904, jazz pianist

Carol Burnett, 74, actress. comedienne

Duane Eddy, 72, musician

Kevin James, 45, actor (“The King of Queens”)

Boyd Matson, 63, TV host/correspondent (National Geographic Explorer)
Ma Rainey [Gertrude Pridgett], 1886, "Mother of the Blues", blues singer

Bobby Rydell, 68, singer (“Wild One,” “Volare”)

Tom Welling, 33, actor (“Smallville”)

Business, Education Leaders

I[eoh] M[ing] Pei, 1917, in Canton China, architect (1961 Brunner Prize)

Erminnie Adelle Platt, 1836, ethnologist (Iriquois-English Dictionary)

Political Leaders

Esek Hopkins, 1718, 1st commander-in-chief (US Navy)

Scientists /Religious Leaders

John James Audubon, 1785, in Haiti, bird watcher/artist

Frederick Law Olmsted, 1822, architect/writer (designed Central Park)

Charles Francis Richter, 1900, seismologist: invented the Richter scale

• 26 April Obits •

Lucille Ball, 1989, comedienne/actress (I Love Lucy), massive heart attack @ 78

William "Count" Basie, 1984, jazz piano great, dies on 80th birthday

John Wilkes Booth, 1865, assassin, shot @ 27

[William] Broderick Crawford, 1986, actor (Highway Patrol), @ 74

Gypsy Rose Lee [Rose Louise Hovick], 1970, stripper/actress cancer @ 56

Charles J Sax, 1865, Belgian inventor (saxophone), @ 74

≈ ANSWERS to puzzle   

1. 9 PITSS =9 Planets in the solar system

2. 10 YIAD = 10 years in a decade

3. 11 PIAFT =11 Players in a football team

4. 12 MIAY = 12 months in a year

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