Saturday 6-19

»Week 24 of 2010:170 days this year…195 days remain:

Day 61 of the BP oil spill≈

» Something To Think About  

You live on earth only for a few short years which you call an incarnation, and then you leave your body as an outworn dress and go for refreshment to your true home in the spirit.

~White Eagle, Ponca Chief

» Random Fact    

Most of our dreams last anywhere from five to 20 minutes.

¤ Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1917 ►As sentiment against Germany by the British People worsened King George V ordered the British royal family to end using the German-sounding surname, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and to take on the name Royal House of Windsor.

» Free Ramblings    

An interesting summer day. Last night I watched the Lakers win. It was a good game and actually a surprise that they repeated. It was exciting. I don’t get how people get so involved in a GAME that they break the law, destroy things, or start things on fire. It is only a GAME. Last night, just like last year, fans exited the Staples Center and began throwing bottles at cops, trying to tip over cars, and finally setting a car on fire. Last year the cops were there, but were unable to prevent many cars from being burned. This year they had 5 times as many cops, and from what I heard, only one car was burned. One of the fans said that since the cops expected problems, the fans just gave it to them. What? Rioting is not new to sports, rioting after winning a championship is not new. It just seems that its time has passed. If the teams and players had come forth, before the game, to tell fans not to riot in celebration, it never would have become so common. If the first American Championship riot had lead to big fines and some jail time, it never would have become common. Such a sad commentary on American sports. Then, I turned on the TV at 6am to watch Team USA play Slovenia at the world cup. We came back from 2-0 to tie the game. Almost unheard of in soccer. Then Team USA scored. The ref called the goal back. No one knows why. It is making headlines around the soccer world. Most have the word ‘robbed’ in their headline. Team USA is still in play, but must win the next game to stay in play. While many players would be upset by the bad call, turns out Team USA says that they should never have been in the 2-0 deficit to begin with. That’s the kind of sportsmanship I like to see. It is a game. The call can’t be undone. I’m sure FIFA is reviewing the whole thing and ensuring that the ref’s abilities are being questioned and doing what they can to be sure such a bad call doesn’t happen again.

It was a really, really nice day here in Flagstaff. A nice breeze kept my deck to a nice 80°. I did run a few errands, but found the deck much more inviting than the air conditioned stores. I had seen those new stop barking of your dog things. My back neighbors have three dogs that rally together whenever someone in on any of the decks of our complex. Amazingly the $10 little box actually works. I was able to sit on the deck and the dogs just walked around. No one was bothered.

Speaking of technology, some very cool geek figured out a way to block those horns at the World Cup from the TV broadcast. It works great on video replays of the games and hopefully will be able to do it on live games. It now sounds so simple: the horns are putting out their buzzing at one frequency—basically a B-flat. By knowing that, the geeky sound techs can simply block that frequency. It is easy on a video—even I can do that. I guess doing it on live TV is a little more complicated. I really applaud the geek who figured this out, and will be much happier when they do it during a live game. I have to applaud FIFA for not banning the horns for cultural reasons. He stated that the South Africans have been using these horns at soccer games for decades before FIFA brought the games to South Africa. The horns will continue long after the World Cup ends. FIFA has no reason to stop this cultural tradition.

» Puzzle 1  

What comes next in this series:

Meno Vowt Eeerht Mruof Jevif Sxis Uneves Nthgie _____?

» A Quick Smile…    

I halve a spelling checker,

It came with my pea see.

It plainly marks four my revue

Mistakes I dew knot sea.

Eye strike a key and type a word

And weight four it two say

Weather eye am wrong oar write

It shows me strait aweigh.

As soon as a mist ache is maid

It nose bee fore two long

And eye can put the era rite

Its rarely ever wrong.

I've scent this massage threw it,

And I'm shore your pleased too no

Its letter prefect in every weigh;

My checker tolled me sew.

» Side Show Stories    

Buffalo, N.Y. (AP) --Her chicks have left the nest, but a peregrine falcon nesting on a Buffalo tower is proving to be an overprotective mother. Antoine Lanier said he saw the falcon recently chase a teenage boy across a street near the University of Buffalo's South Campus, where a falcon nesting platform is perched on McKay Tower.

Minutes later, Lanier said the falcon swooped in and attacked his dog, leaving the pooch with bloodied paws and ears.

State wildlife biologist Connie Adams said the falcon chicks hatched on the UB tower have left the nest, but the mother remains defensive of her territory.

She said the falcon attacked a pair of bird watchers and a man working on the roof of a Buffalo hospital.Adams said the mother falcon should become less aggressive in about two weeks.

» Puzzle 2: Brain Food  

Whoever makes it, tells it not. Whoever takes it, knows it not. Whoever knows it, wants it not. What is it?

» Something you might enjoy…  

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

Great Juggler: 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.

1947: Peg O' My Heart; The Harmonicats

1957: Love Letters in the Sand; Pat Boone

1967: Groovin'; The Young Rascals

1977: Got to Give It Up Pt. 1; Marvin Gaye

¤ Observance Weeks in June

13-19: National Flag Week

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

¤ Today’s Observances—US/UN/World

Garfield the Cat Day—since 1978—started in 41 newspapers: now in 2500 newspapers worldwide

Juneteenth: Emancipation Day for announcement of abolishment of slaves in TX-1865

--Juneteenth is a portmanteau of June and nineteenth. Other common portmanteaus are smog from smoke and fog; Wikipedia from ‘wiki’ (a computer term for easily edited) and encyclopedia.

World Juggling Day

World Sauntering Day

Oklahoma: Senior Citizens Day

¤ Today’s Observances—by country

Algeria: Anniversary of the Revolution (1965)

Kuwait: Independence Day (1961 from Britain)

Trinidad and Tobago: Labor Day

¤ Today’s Births

Artists, Writers, and Composers

Elbert Hubbard, 1856, author: A Message to Garcia, Little Journeys; founder: Roycroft Press, born in Bloomington, Illinois

Guy (Gaetano) Lombardo, 1902, orchresta leader (Auld Lang Syne) , born in London, Ontario

Salman Rushdie, 63, author (Satanic Verses, Midnight’s Children), born Bombay, India

Athletes

Lou (Henry Louis) Gehrig, 1903, ‘The Iron Horse’: Baseball Hall of Fame first baseman: NY Yankees, born in Manhatten: @ 16lbs.

Entertainers

Paula Abdul, 48, singer, dancer, choreographer, television personality (“American Idol”), born Los Angeles, CA

Kathleen Turner, 56, actress (Body Heat, Peggy Sue Got Married, Romancing the Stone), born Springfield, MO

Moe Howard (Harry Moses Horwitz), 1897, comedian (3 Stooges), born in Brooklyn, NY

Business, Education Persons

Earl W. Bascom, 1906, rodeo showman and inventor: first side-delivery rodeo chute, first hornless bronc saddle, first one-handed bareback rigging, born in Vernal, Utah

Political Persons

Abe Fortas, 1910, U.S. Supreme Court Justice, born in Memphis, Tennessee

Scientists /Religious Persons

Sir John Barrow, 1764, founded Royal Geographical Society, born in Lancashire , now in Cumbria, England

¤ Today’s Happenings

In The Arts

1905 ►The world's first nickelodeon opened showing a silent film called The Great Train Robbery for 5¢

1911 ►The first motion-picture censorship board was established -- in Pennsylvania

1940 ►"Brenda Starr," 1st cartoon strip by a woman, appears in Chicago

1952 ►"I've Got A Secret" debuted on CBS TV Garry Moore as host

1999 ►Horror king/author Stephen King was was run down from behind by a van while walking on the shoulder of a road near his house in Maine

In Athletics

1867 ►1st Belmont Stakes, Ruthless wins

In Business or Education

1910 ►Father's Day celebrated for 1st time (Spokane, Wash)

In Politics

1767 ►The Governor of Louisiana recognizes the CHITIMACHA Indians, and instructs the commander at Manchac tribe to treat them with proper deference.

1879 ►Addressing the graduating class at Michigan Military Academy, General William Tecumseh Sherman uttered his famous words on war—more than a decade after the Civil War had ended. He said, “War is at best barbarism.… Its glory is all moonshine. It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, more vengeance, more desolation. War is hell.”

1912 ►The United States government established an 8-hour work day

1934 ►Federal Communications Commission (FCC) created

1961 ►US Supreme Court struck down a provision in Md's constitution requiring state office holders to believe in God

In Science/ Religion

1923 ►Walls of lava one mile wide are descending Mount Etna towards the town of Lingauglossa in Italy

1981 ►Heaviest known orange (2.5 kg-5.5 lbs) exhibited, Nelspruit, S Africa

2003 ►More than 100 People are killed when an explosion on a vandalized pipeline is ignited by a spark from a passing motorcycle in the village of Amaokwe Oghughe, Nigeria.

¤ Today’s Obits

Len Bias, 1st pick of Celtics, suffers fatal cocaine-induced seizure @ 23 in 1986
Hy Gardner, newspaper columnist, @ 80 in 1989

Maximilian, Mexican emperor, executed, Mexican republic restored @ 35 in 1867

Rosenbergs executed at Sing Sing, Julius takes 3 tries (@35), Ethel 5 (@38) in 1953

Ed Wynn, comedian (Ed Wynn Show), @ 86 in 1966

» ANSWERS to Puzzle 1    

Penin. Each word starts with the first letter of a planet, in order from the sun, and has the rank of distance from the sun spelled backwards added on.

For example, Jevif = Jupiter, five. So the answer is Penin, which stands for Pluto, nine. Hey, I’m an old guy, Pluto is still a planet.

» ANSWERS to Brain Food  

Counterfeit money

» 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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