Fri 6-04

»Week 22 of 2010: 155 days this year…210 days remain:
Day 46 of the BP oil spill, 35,000,000+ gallons≈

» Something To Think About  

You cannot help but learn more as you take the world into your hands. Take it up reverently, for it is an old piece of clay, with millions of thumbprints on it.

~ John Updike

» Random Fact    

The state of Maine has 62 lighthouses.

¤ Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1989 ►Chinese troops with tanks and armored cars stormed Tiananmen Square killing hundreds of protesters

» Free Ramblings    

Summer has arrived. Not officially for a couple of weeks, but unofficially--judging from the great days and the increased traffic on 66.

After living through our long snowy winter, it is so nice to look at San Francisco Peaks and still see a small amount of snow on the very top. Flagstaff is ‘greening up’. Not too many people can afford to have huge lawns, but almost everyone has plants and flowers. The non-evergreens are green. Flagstaff is really beautiful throughout the year, but right now it is outdoing its own beauty.

Our retirement group met today for lunch. We were supposed to be meeting a still working teacher. Faith didn’t make it but we still had a good lunch. She is working at a tiny school, Jones Ranch/Chichiltah and they are broke. She and the administration is trying to get a grant to get some more money for the school. I’ve been there at several small schools. Every school has basic costs for transportation, supplies, janitorial services, telephones, 2 way radios, etc. The Bureau has never really fixed the problem for small schools. Many years back, there was a small school where the Principal’s salary was greater than the entire school budget. Anyway, Faith will get together with us later this summer. Mary will be at her family beach house for a couple of weeks in July and Cheryl will be on an Alaskan cruise with her oldest grandkids during July. Maybe I’ll find somewhere to go in July too. A retired friend from BIA-Alb is currently on a month trip to Italy with her hubby. She is keeping us all up-to-date on her adventure. My trip to Malaysia and Borneo is still a while away. Each time I read about someone else’s adventure, I get more excited about my own. It really isn’t jealousy, but just reminds me that there is a huge world out there and lots of places to visit.

My visit to the dermatologist was successful. My basal cell surgery of 6 months ago had healed with no scar. That’s cool. The visual body search found no new growth. His parting words were to wear sunscreen when outside, and see you in a year—sooner if anything strange appears.

Last night’s Tiger’s game will go down in history. A very bad call and no instant replay for the umpire made it worse. Then the ump apologized to the pitcher for the bad call. The young Venezuelan pitcher did pitch a perfect game, but the ump called the 27th hitter safe. Amazingly, the pitcher said he harbors no hard feelings. A lesson for all of us, baseball fan or not.

Flag made it to 76° today, while my deck surpassed 80° by a degree. The great thing about living at the foot of Mt. Elden, we had a nice cool breeze during the hottest part of the day. Last summer I used my portable swamp cooler only about three days, when the outside temp surpassed 90°. The rest of the summer, open windows was all that was needed to keep everything nice. Looks like it will be the same this year.

» Puzzle 1  

(Thing 1)

I, at the start, am old / Many centuries I've been told / Used by the Greeks / For counting techniques /After things were bought and sold
Later is when I became known / As an infinite figure, when shown / You've counted my spaces / Over two billion places / And still, my amount is unknown

(Thing 2)

I, too, am not young / I'm almost as old as Thing 1 / I'm just a frog / On the natural log /

But I can make counting fun

(Thing 1 and Thing 2)

When you combine us two / In the order of Thing 1 and Thing 2 / We'll be a baked treat /

That's painful to beat / Whether cherry, peach, or aloo

» A Quick Smile…    

The first day at my new health club I asked the girl at the front desk, "I like to exercise after work. What are your hours?"

"Our club is open 24/7," she told me excitedly, "Monday through Saturday."

» Side Show Stories    

NEW YORK - Workers and patrons at a New York restaurant say a mysterious couple have been picking up the checks for other customers. Spigolo employees said the couple, whom they refused to identify, come by for dinner often and pick other tables seemingly at random to pay for. "There's no rhyme or reason to whom they pick," bartender Paula Lukas said. "The tabs will vary. They also take care of the tip, but most people leave a tip, too." Manager Abby Merz said the couple is also unpredictable when it comes to when they are likely to come in for dinner. "I have no idea how they choose people," she said. "It's an anonymous, random act of kindness."

» Puzzle 2: Brain Food  

I am the black child of a white father, a wingless bird, flying even to the clouds of heaven. I give birth to tears of mourning in pupils that meet me, even though there is no cause for grief, and at once on my birth I am dissolved into air. What am I?

» Something you might enjoy…  

In 2005, YouTube changed the internet forever. It is now available in 22 languages. Check out this one…

The Discovery Channel has video of the top 5 volcanoes…with webcam links. Click HERE!

» Calendar Information    

¤ 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.

1942: Tangerine; Jimmy Dorsey

1952: Blue Tango; Leroy Anderson

1962: I Can't Stop Loving You; Ray Charles

1972: Candy Man; Sammy Davis, Jr.

1982: Ebony and Ivory; Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder

¤ Observance Weeks in June

thru 5th Black Singles Parent Week

¤ Today’s Observances—US/UN/World

Old Maid's Day--archaic

Audacity To Hope Day

Doughnut Day or Donut Day—a two day observance each year

¤ Today’s Observances—by country

Botswana : Commonwealth Day

Finland : Flag Day (1867)

International : Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression

Tonga : Independence Day

¤ Today’s Births

Artists, Writers, and Composers

Robert Fulghum, 73, author: It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, born in Waco, Texas

Robert Merrill (Moishe Miller), baritone (NY Metropolitan Opera), born in 1917 Brooklyn NY

Athletes

Andrea Jaeger, 45, former tennis player, born Chicago, IL

Entertainers

Bruce Dern, 74, actor (Coming Home, The Burbs), born Chicago, IL

Freddie Fender (Baldemar Garza Huerta) Mexico, country singer, born in 1937 San Benito, Texas

Angelina Jolie, 35, actress (Oscar for Girl, Interrupted), born Los Angeles, CA

Michelle Phillips, 65, singer (The Mamas and the Papas), actress (“Knots Landing”), born Long Beach, CA

Rosalind Russell, actress, born in 1908 Waterbury, Connecticut

Parker Stevenson, 57, actor (“Falcon Crest,” “Baywatch,” Hardy Boys), born Philadelphia, PA

Gordon Trueman Riviere Waller, singer (Peter & Gordon) , born in 1945 Braemar, Scotland

William Dennis Weaver, actor (Chester-Gunsmoke, McCloud), born in 1924 Joplin Mo

Noah Wyle, 39, actor (A Few Good Men, “ER”), born Hollywood, CA

Business, Education Persons

Charles Collingwood journalist: CBS news correspondent from WWII thru Viet Nam, born in 1917 Three Rivers, MI

Political Persons

King George III English king during American Revolution, born in 1738 Norfolk House, London

Linda Lingle, 57, Governor of Hawaii (R), born St. Louis, MO

Scientists /Religious Persons

Sir Christopher Cockerell inventor: the Hovercraft, born in 1910 Cambridge, United Kingdom

Russell Train, 90, environmentalist: US Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, head of World Wildlife Fund, born in Jamestown, RI

Dr. Ruth Westheimer (Karola Ruth Siegel), 81, television, radio host for shows on sexual relationships, born Frankfurt, Germany

¤ Today’s Happenings

In The Arts

1917 ►The first Pulitzer Prizes are awarded: Laura E. Richards, Maude H. Elliott, and Florence Hall receive the first Pulitzer for biography (for Julia Ward Howe). Jean Jules Jusserand receives the first Pulitzer for history for his work With Americans of Past and Present Days. Herbert B. Swope receives the first Pulitzer for journalism for his work for the New York World.

In Athletics

1987 ►Edwin Moses, who had won a total of 122 consecutive victories in the 400-meter hurdles, was defeated by Danny Harris in Madrid, Spain

In Business or Education

1070 ►Roquefort cheese created in a cave near Roquefort, France

1939 ►Sylvan Goldman introduced the first grocery-store shopping cart, a folding chair mounted on wheels, in Oklahoma City, OK.

1990 ►Greyhound Bus files bankruptcy

In Politics

1674 ►Horse racing in Plymouth, MA was prohibited
1919 ►Senate passes Women's Suffrage bill

1940 ►The evacuation of Allied forces from Dunkirk ends as German forces capture the beach.

1942 ►The Battle of Midway began when the Japanese navy attacked Midway

1989 ►Largest parade in Bronx history honors 350th anniversary

In Science/ Religion

780 -BC ►1st total solar eclipse reliably recorded by Chinese

¤ Today’s Obits

Chief Canonicus, Chief of the NARRAGANSETSs when the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, @ 88 in 1647

Hank Ketcham, American cartoonist (Dennis the Menace) @ 81 in 2001  Yves Saint Laurent, French fashion designer @ 72 in 2008

Murray Wilson father of Beach Boys Brian, Carl & Dennis, hear attack @ 55 in 1973

» ANSWERS to Puzzle 1    

Thing 1 is "Pi."

Thing 2 is "e," the base of the natural logarithm.

Thing 1 and 2 are, together, "Pie."

* (an aloo pie is a potato pie)

» ANSWERS to Brain Food  

Smoke

» PIC of the Day  

I have always been fascinated with ‘sky’ pictures. While traveling I always try to take pictures of clouds, sunrise, sunset, panoramas with mostly sky. These pics are not mine, but it’s nice to learn that others are also fascinated by the sky. During the month of June I’ll be doing ‘sun rays’.

Click HERE!

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