Sunday 6-27

This is Week 26 of 2010, Day 178 with 187 days left. It is Day 69 of the BP Mess.

Free Rambling Thoughts

Fire Update: Over 900 firefighters are still at our fire. It has destroyed 15,000 acres of forest land. It continues to creep—their word—around the sacred peaks. Humidity rose to 28% in that area—though Flagstaff proper is 12%. The fire did get some moisture—only 0.007”, but every little bit helps. Right now the fire is in very rough terrain from 7000’-10050’. The Forest Service expects full containment on 2Jul. That is almost 2 weeks after hundreds had to be evacuated. The cost of the fire has risen to almost $6mil. There are at least 12 agencies fighting this fire—including the BIA. I know the Bureau has hot-shot teams around the country and I’m sure that’s who is there. All of this because of one unattended campfire in the forest. I sure hope they find those campers. One local brewery stepped up the reward by offering ‘free beer for life*’ to the person who identifies the idiot(s) that did this. [* They say restrictions apply. Several people are complaining that this is not an appropriate reward, no matter what the restrictions. Probably not, but if this finds the jerk(s), I’m fine with it.] The smoke in my area is almost gone. Our next big concern will be the 4th. Our non-elected Governor signed a bill that allows sparklers in AZ. Of course, with the forest closed, the forest is safer, but our bone dry area does not need sparklers or any fireworks to enjoy our country’s birthday. My area is full of kids, full of dry pine trees, and has a nice layer of dried pine needles throughout the complex. In my youth, in suburban Denver, we always had a 4th of July picnic in our backyard and we had sparklers, worms, and other fireworks after dark. Our area was green, with no dry trees. We stopped doing it when the American Legion did a huge fireworks display and program on a nearby college football field. We still did worms during the day and a few sparklers when we got home. Again, we were in a suburban area that was NOT dry. Dear Governor, we don’t need any more forest fires in our state. Too many people in our state—residents or visitors—are not very careful with fire. Why would you make it legal to burn down forests or towns to celebrate?

Our non-elected Governor was in the news with her ‘facts’ about immigration again today. According to her, most of the illegals coming to AZ are coming here to traffic drugs. She seems to be the only one on the planet that has the statistics she quoted, and she isn’t giving up her source. She belongs on FauxNews or a BP spokesman. Today a ‘reporter’ hired by BP did a one hour documentary of the Gulf. He flew over the area in a helicopter and never mentioned the devastation of the spill on the animals, the fishermen, the water life, or the shoreline. He babbled about how the oil industry is good for the Gulf and good for America.
The World Cup is over for the USA, falling to Ghana--just like four years ago. That doesn't mean the Cup is over. Lots of good games remain. The more I watch soccer, the more I wish America would get into the game. It is complicated, you need to be a good athlete to participate at this level, and it has fan support that surpasses any American sport. From what I have seen, that's our loss.

Great weather day today: 82° on the deck, a little breeze to keep the air moving, lots of birds stopped by for a few bites and a quick bath. They seem to have settled down a little since the fire began.

Holy Mackerel: On this date in 1990 ►Salman Rushdie, condemned to death by Iran, contributes $8600 to help their earthquake victims

My Quote For The Day

Sophocles: Wisdom is the supreme part of happiness

Somewhat Useless Information

The largest toy distributor in the world is McDonald's.

Grey Matter Puzzle 1

Take the given words, and by moving a single letter from one word to the other, make a pair of synonyms, or near synonyms. For example, given: Boast - Hip, move the 's' from 'Boast' to 'Hip' creating two synonyms: Boat - Ship.

1. Flat - Pump

2. Feather - Crate

3. Bet - Stop

4. Ear - Trip

5. Lopes – Shills

HINT: 1. Overweight; 2. Produce; 3. Ranking; 4. Pull apart; 5. Mounds

Unusual News Item

NEW PORT RICHEY, FL - A Florida woman accused of starting an office fire to get sent home early with pay pleaded guilty to criminal mischief. The Pasco County Sheriff's Office said Michelle Perrino, 40, drew suspicion during a meeting of Bayonet Point Oxygen employees when she mentioned the May 12, 2009, fire had started in a filing cabinet before workers had been informed of the fire's origins, the St. Petersburg Times reported Thursday. Investigators said a friend of Perrino told them she had admitted to tripping the main circuit breaker and adjusting phones to block incoming calls in bids to go home early without sacrificing the day's pay. Perrino was sentenced to 9 months imprisonment followed by 5 years of probation. She was also ordered to pay Bayonet Point Oxygen $4,800 in restitution and banned from contacting the company or its employees.

A Little Laff

A cowboy and his wife had just got married and found a nice hotel for their wedding night. The man approached the front desk and asked for a room.

He said, 'We're on our honeymoon and we need a nice room with a good strong bed. The clerk winked, 'You want the 'Bridal'?'

The cowboy reflected on this for a moment and then replied, “Nope, I reckon not. I'll just hold onto her hair and ears until she gets used to it.”

Grey Matter Puzzle 2

What is it that, after you take away the whole, some still remains?

My You Tube Site of the Day

A choir sounding like rain...interesting
Click Here!
Grey Matter Picture--This is a close up of what common object?

It is rugged.

Some Calendar Info

► Weekly Observances ◄

24-27: Watermelon Seed Spitting Week

► Today’s Observances ◄

National Columnists Day

Decide To Be Married Day

"Happy Birthday To You" Day

National HIV Testing Day

America's Kids Day

Descendants Day

Brazil: Mixed Race Day

Germany: Seven Sleepers Day or Siebenschläfertag: If it rains today, the next seven weeks or the rest of summer is supposedly going to be rainy.

► Hit Songs on this date ◄

"El Capitan March": Sousa's Band in 1895 Click Here to Hear It!

"A Little Bit of Heaven ('Shure, They Call It Ireland')": George MacFarlane in 1915
Click Here to Hear It!

Sentimental Journey: Les Brown in 1945

Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White: Perez Prado in 1955

I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch): The Four Tops in 1965

Love Will Keep Us Together: The Captain & Tennille in 1975

► Born today ◄

…The Arts

J.J. Abrams, 44, television executive (“Lost”), film director (Star Trek, Mission Impossible III), born New York, NY

Mildred J. Hill, 1859, teacher, musician, composer [lyrics by her younger sister Patty Smith Hill]: Happy Birthday to You, originally: Good Morning to All, born in Louisville, KY

+++

Julia Duffy, 59, actress (“Newhart,” “Designing Women”), born St. Paul, MN

Bob Keeshan, 1927, aka Capt Kangaroo/Clarabelle (Good Morning Captain), born in Lynbrook, NY

May Irwin, 1862, US comedienne/singer (A Hot Time in the Old Town) , born in Whitby, Ontario, Canada

Tobey Maguire, 35, actor (Spider-Man films, Seabiscuit, The Cider House Rules), born Santa Monica, CA

John McIntire, 1907, actor (Naked City, Wagon Train, Virginian) , born in Spokane WA

…Athletics

Svetlana Kuznetsova, 25, tennis player, born Leningrad, USSR

Willie Mosconi, 1913, world champion pool player, born in Haddon Heights, NJ

…Business & Education

Charles Bronfman, 79, billionaire industrialist: Seagrams, Montreal Expos, born in Montreal

Helen Keller, 1880, blind-deaf author/lecturer, born in Tuscumbia, AL

…Politics

Bruce Edward Babbitt, 72, Gov. and AG-AZ, Sec of Interior, born in Los Angeles, CA

Emma Goldman, 1869, anarchist/publisher (Mother Earth) , born in Kaunas, Lithuania

Charles Stewart Parnell, 1846, Irish Protestant nationalist, born in County Wicklow, Ireland

H. Ross Perot, 80, philanthropist, businessman, former presidential candidate, born Texarkana, TX

…Science / Religion

Manikkavacakar, 862AD, Hindu saint, born in Vadhavoor, India

Ted Haggard, 54, disgraced American evangelical preacher, born in Yorktown, IN

► Obituaries today ◄

James Smithson, his will established Smithsonian Institute @ 65 in 1829

Joseph Smith, Mormon leader killed by a mob in Carthage IL @ 39, in 1844

► Events ◄

…The Arts

1966 ►1st sci-fi soap opera, "Dark Shadows," premiers

…Athletics

1988 ►Mike Tyson KOs Michael Spink in 91 seconds

…Business & Education

1693 ►1st woman's magazine "The Ladies' Mercury" published (London)

1833 ►Prudence Crandall, a white woman, arrested for conducting an academy for black females at Canterbury, CN

1922 ►Newberry Medal 1st presented for kids literature (Hendrik Van Loon)
2003 ►Registration begins for the Do Not Call List

…Politics (US)

1955 ►1st automobile seat belt legislation enacted (IL)

1969 ►Police raid the Stonewall Gay Bar in Greenwich Village, NY, about 400 to 1,000 patrons riot against the police, it lasts 3 days

Politics (outside US)

1980 ►O Canada Canada's becomes national anthem

…Science / Religion

1915 ►100ø F (38ø C), Fort Yukon, Alaska (state record)

1954 ►1st atomic power station opens (Obninsk, near Moscow, Russia)

1976 ►The world’s first recorded Ebola virus epidemic begins in Sudan

Grey Matter Answers

…1

1. Fat - Plump

2. Father - Create

3. Best - Top

4. Tear - Rip

5. Slopes - Hills

…2

The word "wholesome."

Grey Matter Photo

hand sander

Today’s Photo Shot

Sandpainting

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