Thurs 5-13

≈Week 19 of 2010: 133 days this year… 232 days remain≈

≈ Something To Think About  

To fight fear, act. To increase fear–wait, put off postpone.

--David Joseph Schwartz, Motivational speaker

≈ Random Fact    

Each year, the average American family uses about 18,000 gallons of water just to do its laundry.

• Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1873 ►Ludwig M. Wolf of Avon, CT patented the sewing machine lampholder. Up to that time, those who could afford it had hired pygmies from their local Lampholders-R-Us company to hold their sewing machine lamps. Those who could not afford that service had to sew with one hand while holding the lamp with the other. LOL

≈ Free Ramblings   

During the past few months I have not been afraid to show my disappointment with our non-elected governor here in AZ. I guess she isn’t all bad. Yesterday she vetoed two bills. One would have allowed motorcycle drivers to move up between cars at a stop light and to allow them to pass vehicles in the same lane while driving. The other bill would have allowed manufacture of incandescent light bulbs after the date a Federal law prohibits their manufacture. See our non-elected governor is not completely bonkers. I will certainly sleep better tonight.

This morning I met with my financial advisor to finish up what we started last week. I have a small percentage of my money in Mutual Funds. I learned that fund I was in had some very toxic stuff in it. Mutual Funds buy lots of different stuff and some goes up, some goes down. The strength of these is to have more ups than downs. My particular fund has been around for years and paid well. It is still paying decently in the dynamic time. Here is the secret that Mutual Fund makers don’t want us to know…thanks to a decrease in regulation since the 80’s…the fund can carry on its books a company that no longer exists and it can do it for a long time. They carry the company as though it were still there, and have a value before the collapse of a year ago. If they drop the company from the fund, they have to show a loss. Depending on how much of that fund is in a defunct company it could make the whole fund fall into negative gain numbers. My particular fund had about 8% in Countrywide. That company doesn’t exist anymore. It is worth Zero, zilch, nada, nuttin’. The fund can legally carry that company until 2012. The fund can’t slowly write off the fund—a little each year. If they drop any part of the company from their books, the whole thing drops.

I am not a believer in 2012 being the end of the world—the Mayan Calendar thing. Yes the calendar ends in Dec. 2012, but today’s Mayan elders say that it does not mean the world will end anymore than throwing out my current AZ Highways calendar on Jan 1 will change the world. However, those with Mutual Funds should do some checking into what percentage of that fund is carrying businesses that no longer exist. The year 2012 is when every fund will have to drop their non-existent companies from their books and show the loss. Two last things: When my financial advisor discovered Countrywide was still in the fund it took six weeks for the fund to get back to her about this dirty little secret. On her first three calls she was told that they would look into it and get back to her. The fourth call explained that all this is legal. And the current financial system is not the system of our parents; it’s not even the system we were placing our hard earned money into to prepare for our life after retirement. In many situations it is a train, in the tunnel, and the light at the end of the tunnel probably is a larger and faster oncoming train.

Our wind yesterday was bad. I-40 was closed for almost 10 hours due to dust. Several big rigs were tipped over while parked on the side of the highway. The National News talked about hurricane force winds out there on I-40. Today was much better. We stayed cool, only making it to 52°. There was a little wind and the gusts were about 35mph. The good news from that is that we got two rainstorms this afternoon. It was nice to just watch the rain fall straight down and make puddles.

≈ A Quick Smile…    

We visited our newly married daughter, who was preparing her first Thanksgiving dinner. I noticed the turkey thawing in the kitchen sink with a dish drainer inverted over the bird.

I asked why a drainer covered the turkey.

Our daughter turned to my wife and said, "Mom, you always did it that way."

"Yes," my wife replied, "but you don't have a cat!"

≈ Puzzle    

In a country, there are over 100 streets. Street 1 is named First Street, street 2 is named Second Street, and so on and so forth.

A traveler decides to walk through all these streets in the country. He could find all the streets except Street 62. No matter how hard he tried, he could not find it.

He later found that the locals had given the street another name.

What is the name?

≈ Side Show Stories    

LAND O'LAKES, Fla. - A Florida high school senior who has worn the same pair of Nike Shox since he was a freshman said he plans to graduate in the shoes to collect on a bet. Ben Hedblom, 17, who is preparing to graduate from Land O'Lakes High School, said he made a wager as a freshman with Spanish teacher Adrian Antonini that he would wear the same shoes through graduation day, The St. Petersburg Times reported Monday. Hedblom said the wager stated the loser would shave his head and eyebrows. The teacher left the school after that year, but Hedblom said he continued to wear the shoes because he felt it was important to stay true to his word. The Times said it was able to track down Antonini, who was interviewing for a coaching job in Texas. He said he is considering shaving his head on Web cam. Hedblom said he hopes school officials will put his shoes in the school trophy case after he graduates.

≈ Calendar Information    

• Observance Weeks in May•

8-16

National Tourism Week

9-15

National Nursing Home Week ↔ National Police Week ↔ National Return To Work Week

National Women's Health Week ↔ Reading is Fun Week ↔ Salute to Moms 35+ Week

10-16

National Etiquette Week ↔ Salvation Army Week ↔ Universal Family Week

Children's Book Week ↔ National Stuttering Awareness Week

13-16

Grand Prix de Monaco

• Today’s Observances—US/UN/World •

Leprechaun Day: a day dedicated them in Ireland and around the world.

Frog Jumping Day: Mark Twain’s "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County", first published as "Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog"

Root Canal Appreciation Day

• Today’s Observances—by country •

Fiji: Rotuma Day: To celebrate islands cession to UK in 1881

• Today’s Number One Songs in…

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

"Music, once admitted to the soul, becomes a sort of spirit, and never dies." ~ Edward Bulwer-Lytton.

1935 ►What's the Reason (I'm Not Pleasin' You); Guy Lombardo

1945 ►My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time; Les Brown

1955 ►Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White; Perez Prado

1965 ►Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter; Herman's Hermits

1975 ►He Don't Love You (Like I Love You); Tony Orlando & Dawn

• Today’s Happenings•

In The Arts

1938 ►"When the Saints Go Marching In" was recorded by Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra.

In Athletics

1950 ►The first round of the Formula One World Championship is held at Silverstone.

In Business or Education

1637 ►Cardinal Richelieu of France creates the table knife

1821 ►Samuel Rust of New York city patented the first practical printing press built in the U.S.

1950 ►Diner's Club issues its 1st credit cards

1958 ►The trade mark Velcro is registered.1991 ►Apple releases Macintosh System 7.0

In Politics

1540 ►Hernando de Soto leaves Cofitachequi. He takes the "Lady of Cofitachequi" with him, against her will. 1568 ►Mary Queen of Scots is defeated by English at battle of Langside

1614 ►The Viceroy of Mexico finds Spanish Explorer Juan de Oñate guilty of atrocities against the Indians of New Mexico. As a part of his punishment, he is banned from entering New Mexico again.

1865 ►South Brownsville TX (Palmito Ranch) Final engagement of Civil War PVT John J Williams of 34th Indiana is last man killed

1888 ►Brazil abolishes slavery

1989 ►Large groups of students occupy Tiananmen Square and begin a hunger strike.

In Science/ Religion

1643 ►Heavy earthquake strikes Santiago Chile; kills 1/3 of population

1917 ►1st appearance of Mary to 3 shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal

1981 ►Pope John Paul II shot in failed assasination attempt

• Today’s Births •

Artists, Writers, and Composers

Stephen Colbert, 46, writer, comedian (“The Daily Show,” “The Colbert Report”), born: Charlestown, SC

Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan, 1842, composer (Gilbert & Sullivan) born: London England

Athletes

Joseph Louis Barrow: Joe Louis, 1914, world heavyweight boxing champion, born: La Fayette, AL

Dennis Rodman, 49, basketball (Pistons, Bulls, Spurs, Lakers, Mavericks), born: Trenton, NJ

Entertainers

Bea (Beatrice) Arthur (Bernice Frankel), 1922, actress: The Golden Girls, Maude, born: NYC, NY

Peter Gabriel, 1950, rocker, born: London England

Harvey Keitel, 71, actor (Mean Streets, Blue Collar, Bugsy, The Piano), born: Brooklyn, NY

Robert Pattinson, 24, actor (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Twilight), born: London, England

Ritchie Valens (Richard Steven Valenzuela), 1941, singer: Donna, La Bamba, born: Pacoima, San Fernando Valley, CA

Stevie Wonder (Steveland Morris Hardaway), 60, singer, musician 19 Grammy Awards; born: Saginaw, MI,

Business, Education Persons

Peter Henry Emerson, 1856, 1st to promote photography as an independent art, born: Havana Cuba

Henry William (Baron) Stiegel, 1729, early American glassmaker, born: Cologne, Germany

Political Persons

Prince Carl Philip of Sweden,31, born: Stockholm

Scientists /Religious Persons

Nandor Fodor, 1895, Hungarian-born psychologist and parapsychologist ; born: Berengszasz, Hungary

Jim Jones, 1931, American cult leader; born: Randolph County, OH

• Today’s Obits •

Robert II the Steward, 1390, King of Scotland @ 74

Sholem Aleichem, 1916, yiddish writer (Fiddler on the Roof); poor health from earlier TB @ 57

Gary Cooper, 1961, 2 time Academy award winning actor (High Noon), cancer @ 60

Dan Blocker, 1972, actor (Hoss-Bonanza), following surgery @ 41

Bob Wills, 1975, actor, King of Western Swing, pneumonia @ 69

Selma Diamond, 1985, actress/comedienne (Selma-Night Court), cancer @ 64

≈ ANSWERS to puzzle    

Minute street. This is because Street 62 is named Sixty Second Street, and Sixty Seconds = 1 Minute, hence Street 62 is also called Minute Street..

   ≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈