Monday 6-21

This is Week 25 of 2010, Day 172 with 193 days left. It is Day 62 of the BP Mess.

Free Rambling Thoughts

Have a great Solstice today!

Another day, another fire. This one is on Mt. Elden—Shultz Pass, a beautiful area that connects the Grand Canyon Highway and US 89. Again, several developments (about 1000 people) have been evacuated and has burned 3000 acres. We choose to live in the beauty of this nation’s largest Ponderosa Pine forest. As we had all that snow last winter, we knew it would be good for the forest, as long as the moisture continued. The moisture stopped, but the trees soaked up all that moisture and grew quickly. Now, with no moisture, they are dry and ready to burn. They arrested a transient from CA for the fire yesterday that burned 600+ acres. Today’s fire continues to burn as planes and helicopters traverse over our complex. The FAA shut down all air travel around Flag to let the planes and helicopters have free air space. This is fire season, but these fires are big and very close to town. As with yesterday’s fire, lots of deer live in the area of the fire. I have to say, during this time, I am very thankful for Facebook, and computers. We have no local TV station and only the NPR station that broadcasts directly from Flagstaff. Our Mayor, who likes being the center of attention, has been very helpful on Facebook. She posts the updates she gets every 30 minutes or so. The local NPR station is giving updates every thirty minutes, and even our local paper is posting updates very quickly. With all this technology we are being kept very informed—and I might add, informed with good accurate information. Without the internet, we would really be in a void. I know this because some Tuba people have called, since they too can see and smell the smoke. They have been listening to the ‘word on the street’ and are horribly misinformed. One caller told me she had heard that all of East Flagstaff was being evacuated. Another told me the fire had jumped 89. Neither is true, and neither is even remotely possible.

We made it to 80° on my deck. There was a strong breeze with gusts to 35mph and with only 19% percent humidity. It would have been a nice day, had it not been for the fire. Most of my neighbors, like me, have been in and out today, taking pictures of the huge smoke cloud. We have a bunch of elementary kids in the complex. All of them were scared by the smoke. It is so hard to explain to them that the fire is really far away and that it won’t be burning their house. Young kids don’t understand distances like this very well. One little girl, about 11, told me she was going inside and packing her stuff so she would be ready to evacuate. Her mom told her that wasn’t necessary, but she didn’t believe her and headed inside.

Holy Mackrel:  On this date in 1887 ►Britain celebrates golden jubilee of Queen Victoria
My Quote For The Day

Ruth E. Renkel: Sometimes the poorest man leaves his children the richest inheritance.

Somewhat Useless Information

Captain Kangaroo won five Emmy awards. Bob Keeshan was the orginal Clarabell on the Howdy Doody Show. Bill Cosby was a regular from 1980-1984. Tom Terrific and Mighty Manfred the Wonder Dog was a regular cartoon on the show. Grandfather Clock was also a regular. John Denver, Minnie Pearl, Carol Channing, and Pearl Bailey were among many guests.

Grey Matter Puzzle 1

What does this Rebus represent?

Cockroach, Ant, Worms

Rabbit

Unusual News Item

BIRSTALL, England - Doctors said a man who let friends give him a "male Brazilian" waxing in a pub nearly lost a testicle when six of his seven layers of skin were removed. Joe Cooper, 24, said he and 10 of his friends were waxing themselves at The Trees pub in Birstall, England, as a fundraiser for a local hospital and he was the only one brave enough to go beyond the chest and wax his groin, The Sun reported. "One of the peelers just got too enthusiastic and he was pretty apologetic afterwards,"

Cooper said. "I ended up at the hospital. You can imagine how much everyone was laughing at me. It was ironic. I was meant to be helping them -- and they ended up helping me. They told me if any more skin had come off, that would have been it. I was very lucky really." Despite the injury, Cooper said he and his friends earned $4,443 for the Leicester Royal Infirmary children's ward.

A Little Laff

Eleven people were hanging on a rope under a helicopter, ten men and one woman. The rope was not strong enough to carry them all, so they decided that one has to leave, because otherwise they are all going to fall.

They were not able to name that person, until the woman held a very touching speech. She said that she will voluntarily let go of the rope, because as a woman she is used to giving up everything for her husband and kids, or for men in general, and was used to always making sacrifices with little in return.

As soon as she finished her speech, all the men started clapping their hands.......

Grey Matter Puzzle 2

What does man love more than life?

Fear more than death or mortal strife?

What do the poor have, what the rich require,

And what contented men desire?

What does the miser spend, the spendthrift save,

And all men carry to their graves?

My You Tube Site of the Day

Canadian Student Video on National Aboriginal Day Click Here!

Grey Matter Picture--This is a close up of what common object?

Something in case of survival.

Some Calendar Info

► Weekly Observances◄

14-20: Men's Health Week and Universal Father's Week and Meet A Mate Week

20-26: Carpenter Ant Awareness Week and National Mosquito Control Awareness Week

► Today’s Observances◄

National Daylight Appreciation Day

Baby Boomer's Recognition Day

Go Skateboarding Day

Ride To Work Day (Motorcycles)

Summer Solstice @ 7:28 EDT: Longest Day on the year--N. Hemisphere

World Handshake Day

World Humanist Day

Canada: National Aboriginal Day

Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and Uganda: Father's Day

Newfoundland : Discovery Day (1497-John Cabot)

Hong Kong, Taiwan : Dragon Boat Festival

New Hampshire: Ratification Day (1788)

► Hit Songs on this date◄

Riders in the Sky (A Cowboy Legend)-- Vaughn Monroe in 1949

The Battle of New Orleans-- Johnny Horton in 1959

Get Back-- The Beatles in 1969

Hot Stuff-- Donna Summer in 1979

► Born today◄

…The Arts

Rockwell Kent, 1882, artist/painter/illustrator (Canterbury Tales), born in Tarrytown, New York

Jean-Paul Sartre, 1905, philosopher/writer (Nobel 1964; declined), born in Paris, France

Lalo (Boris) Schifrin, 78, composer (Mission Impossible), born in Buenos Aires Argentina

+++

Meredith Baxter, 63, actress (“Bridget Loves Bernie,” “Family,” “Family Ties”), born Los Angeles, CA

Jane Russell, 89, actress (The Outlaw, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes), born Bemidji, MN

…Athletics

Thomas Doane (Tom) Chambers, 51, former basketball player, born Ogden, UT

…Business & Education

Daniel Carter Beard, 1851, organized 1st boy scout troop, born in Flushing, New York

…Politics

Daniel D Tompkins, 1774, 6th US vice-president (1817-25), born in Scarsdale, NY

Prince William (William Arthur Philip Louis), 28, son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, born London, England

Martha Washington, 1732, 1st, 1st lady, born in Chestnut Grove VA

…Science / Religion

--

► Obituaries today◄

King Edward III of England @ 65 in 1377

Niccolò Machiavelli, Italian historian and political author (b. 1469)@ 58 in1527

Carroll O'Connor, American actor (Archie Bunker) @ 77

► Events◄

…The Arts

2003 ►JK Rowling's fifth Harry Potter book "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" is released and becomes the fastest selling book ever.

…Athletics

1964 ►Jim Bunning (later to become a U.S. Senator from Kentucky), a pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, threw the first perfect game in the National League in 84 years

…Business & Education

1834 ►Cyrus Hall McCormick patents reaping machine

1879 ►F W Woolworth opens 1st store (failed almost immediately)

1893 ►1st Ferris wheel premieres (Chicago's Columbian Exposition)

…Politics (US)

1968 ►Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren resigns

1989 ►Supreme Court rules ok to burn US flag as a political expression

…Politics (outside US)

1942 ►General Erwin Rommel takes control of British Allied garrison at Tobruk, Libya, taking more than 30,000 prisoners,

…Science / Religion

1607 ►1st Protestant Episcopal parish in America established, Jamestown

1674 ►CHATOT Indians have a mission established for them today west of the Apalachicola River.

1948 ►1st stored computer program run, on Manchester Mark I

Grey Matter Answers

…1

Bugs Bunny

…2

Nothing

Grey Matter Photo

first aid box

Today’s Photo Shot

Something we all need to remember: Click Here!
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