Sunday August 8

This is Week 32 of 2010►Day 220 with 145 days left.

It is Day 111 of the BP Mess.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

I was awakened about 1am to thunder and lightning. This is unusual here in Flag. We don’t have a lot of late night loud storms. When I got up about 6am it was still raining, just more quietly. It rained all day, another unusual thing. The rain finally stopped about 5:00 this afternoon. For those who live in rain country, you are used to this, for those of us in the high desert, this is very strange. I can’t remember the last time we had sixteen plus hours of rain. Sometimes the rain was hard, but most of the time it was just a gentle, but steady rain. This is the best kind of rain for our forest. I’m sure glad that I didn’t clean my car yesterday, as now it would all be lost. I had to run to the store this afternoon. I went to Albertson’s for fresh corn. I figured the rain would keep most shoppers away. Wrong. It’s the weekend, and I understand that many out of towners and working in towners have to shop sometime. Albertson’s has wider aisle than Safeway, and has much better lighting, so it wasn’t a big hassle. The real hassle was getting to and from the vehicle, since I was parked real far out. While the rain was ‘steady and gentle’ most of the main drag had standing water at all the intersections and of course the parking lot had a whole slew of wading ponds.

This cloudy day made me lazy so I caught up on some TNT favs. With my DVR I record them and then catch up on a day like this. It is so nice to be able to skip past all the commercials. It’s amazing that a one hour show is really more like 42 minutes of show.

I talked to my brother this afternoon. The NYC economy is still in the whole. I understand that, since a couple of my REIT’s have stopped paying dividends. The REITs are commercial real estate around the US. Business everywhere is suffering and the REITs say they are having trouble with tenants. The scary part of that is that the buildings are rented by high-end businesses as their corporate offices. Seems they just don’t have the cash flow to sign multi-year leases. My brother rents a one bedroom apartment in Manhattan for $4K/month on a two year lease. They have just about decided to move to their condo in Miami to live full time. The condo is 1500 sq ft and their mortgage is only $1000 a month. They can’t sell the condo right now, due to the drop in housing prices in Miami. A friend of theirs down there declared bankruptcy and wanted to unload their 3000 sq ft condo. The bank wouldn’t even take it, saying that they wouldn’t be able to sell it. A family friend in Denver is the top Antiques Dealer in Denver, known nationwide as the go-to guy for Antiques west of the Mississippi. He too is considering bankruptcy as an alternative. This recession is hitting people really hard and sadly, many don’t see an end to it. Even those with ‘old money’ aren’t spending. Those with ‘new’ money don’t have it anymore.

I have lived my life in education, so don’t really understand business. Many ‘leaders’ in education attempted to move the education system in the US to a business model. If teachers aren’t producing, fire them. If schools aren’t producing, close them. Small class size was not economical. All those business genius-type couldn’t figure out a real measure of success in schools. A bottom line of say college graduation took way to long for the business model. So these business people set up a spin for the masses…test scores will show what is learned. Pass the test, everyone is happy. Fail the test, and someone has to go. Since they couldn’t get rid of the learners, they blamed everyone and everything else. Sadly, our students still aren’t learning and the thankfully, the business model is on its way out. So when my business friends talk about their problems, I am at a loss. This is really frustrating when you can’t offer any assistance.

Ah, the rain. It sure kept the temperature down today. We only got to 67° on the deck. There wasn’t any real breeze, but the rain kept me inside most of the day. When it finally stops raining, the deck will need some cleaning as there are lots of pine needles, pine cones, and dirt out there. The birds freaked out too, as they completely emptied all the feeders by 3pm this afternoon.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY

Epictetus: He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1960 Tell Laura I Love Her, by Ray Peterson, wasn’t a big hit in Great Britain. Decca Records in England said the song was “too tasteless and vulgar for the English sensibility.” They destroyed 25,000 of the platters this day.  Click Here to Hear Original

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION about the Old West

>Henry McCarty was born in New York City in 1859, far from the West where he would eventually become famous as Billy the Kid

>The Colt Peacemaker, a .45-caliber gun manufactured by Colt's Fire Arms Manufacturing Company in Hartford, Connecticut, was produced for the first time in 1873 and has become known as "the gun that won the West". At the time, it sold for $17.00 ($250 in 2010 dollars).

>Pearl Hart became the only woman known to have robbed a stagecoach. She and a man named Joe Boot (probably an alias) stopped the Globe, Arizona stagecoach and relieved its passengers of all their money -- about $400. Feeling badly, however, at leaving her victims penniless, Pearl decided to return a dollar to each of them -- "enough to eat on".

>It has been estimated that 90% of women living in Deadwood, South Dakota in 1876 were prostitutes.

>Legendary Old West figure Bat Masterson held a wide variety of jobs during his adventurous lifetime, including stints as a buffalo hunter, frontier lawman, gambler, Army scout, U.S. Marshal, and sports editor for the New York Morning Telegraph and the inspiration for the character of Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls.

GREY MATTER PUZZLE 1—Jeopardy Questions

Type of auto engine, or a tomato cocktail

Derived from words "American", "travel", & "track", it provides most U.S. passenger rail service

London's, not New York's, was the first ever built

Changing lines, you could have at one time ridden these from Freeport, IL to Utica, NY

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM

Beijing: A fishmonger in China reportedly suffered severe internal injuries after a live eel crawled up his rectum when he fell into a tank. Li Chang, 43, slipped off his perch while sitting on the edge of a container housing hundreds of the creatures.

Chang said: "I guess they were scared when I suddenly landed in the tank so they started wriggling everywhere. Several shot up my trouser leg. And then to my horror I felt one go up my bottom.

"I didn't say anything at first when I climbed out - I was too embarrassed. I dried myself off and tried to carry on working, but it was just too painful."

Chang's co-workers called the emergency services when he later collapsed and doctors successfully removed the eel and repaired the trauma in surgery lasting five hours.

A hospital spokesman said: "The eel had badly injured the patient. If he had not arrived when he did he would have died. We expect he will make a full recovery, though. The eel was as wide as two fingers and as long as a man's arm." There is no report on the condition of the eel.

A LITTLE LAUGH

My quiet Saturday morning ended abruptly when my 12-year-old son, Billy, and one of his friends burst through the door.

"Hey Dad, announced Billy, "have you met the new neighbors?"

"No."

"Come on Dad, you have to meet them."

"Some other time; I'm busy."

"Dad, you have to meet them now."

From the urgency in Billy's voice, I assumed the neighbors were waiting outside. I set aside my project and went to the front of the house. No one was there.

"Where are they?" I asked.

"Well, Dad," he explained, "we haven't met them yet either, but our baseball is in their living room!"

GREY MATTER PUZZLE 2--Riddle

I have feathers but no wings and when I hit you it will sting.

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

Central Park, NY has lots to see, a 2 minute tour: Click Here!

GREY MATTER PICTURE

This is a close up of what object?

SOME CALENDAR INFORMATION

♦ Weekly Observances ♦

6-9: Hobo Week

8-14: Assistance Dog Week

…Feeding Pets of the Homeless Week

…National Resurrect Romance Week

♦ Today’s Observances ♦

The Date to Create

Eleanor Roosevelt Day

Happiness Happens Day

Odie Day (Garfield’s Pal)

Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Night

♦ Hit Songs on this date ♦

The Stars and Stripes Forever Sousa's Band 1897

Me and My Shadow 'Whispering' Jack Smith 1927

A Sailboat in the Moonlight Guy Lombardo 1937

Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette) Tex Williams 1947

Teddy Bear Elvis Presley 1957

Light My Fire The Doors 1967

I Just Want to Be Your Everything Andy Gibb 1977

♦ Today’s Births ♦

• The Arts

Phil Balsley, 71, singer: group: The Statler Brothers: Flowers on the Wall…born in Staunton, VA

Sara Teasdale, US, poet (1st Pulitzer Prize-1918-"Love Songs")…born in 1884 St. Louis, MO

~~~

Rory Calhoun, actor…born in 1922 Los Angeles, CA

Keith Carradine, 60, actor (Nashville, Will Rogers Follies, “Dexter”), singer…born San Mateo, CA

Dustin Hoffman, 73, actor (Oscars for Rain Man and Kramer vs. Kramer; The Graduate, Midnight Cowboy, Outbreak)…born Los Angeles, CA

Deborah Norville, 52, television host (“Inside Edition”)…born Dalton, GA

Connie Stevens (Concetta Ingolia), 72, actress (“Hawaiian Eye”)…born Brooklyn, NY,

Mel Tillis, 78, singer, songwriter…born Pahokee, FL

Esther Williams, 87, swimmer, actress (Take Me Out to the Ball Game, Dangerous When Wet), born Los Angeles, CA

• Athletics

Jose (Dilan) Cruz, 63, baseball: SL Cardinals, Houston Astros [all-star: 1980, 1985], NY Yankees…born in Arroyo, Puerto Rico

Roger Federer, 29, tennis player…born Basel, Switzerland

• Business & Education

Charles Bulfinch, Boston Mass, 1st US pro architect (Mass State House)…born in 1763 Boston, MA

Roberta Cooper Ramo, 68, first woman president of the American Bar Association…born Denver, CO

• Politics

Emiliano Zapata, Mexican revolutionary, peasant leader…born in 1879 Anenecuilco, Morelos, Mexico

• Science/Religion

Matthew Henson, explorer: North Pole expedition [1908-09 w/Robert Peary] …born in 1866 Nanjemoy, MA

♦ Today’s Obituaries ♦

Richard Deacon, actor (Mel-Dick Van Dyke Show), heart disease @ 62 in 1984

Charlie Gemora, actor who portrayed King Kong, heart attack @ 58 in 1961

John Roselli , mob hit man hired by CIA to kill Castro and Kennedy (?), murdered @ 71 in 1976

♦ Today’s Events ♦

• The Arts

1963 Kingsmen release "Louie, Louie," radio stations label it obscene

• Athletics

1984 Carl Lewis wins 3rd (200m) of 4 gold medals in the Summer Olympics

1987 The opening ceremonies of the Pan American Games were held in Indianapolis

• Business & Education

1890 Daughters of the American Revolution organizes

1929 Salem Oregon airport dedicated

1963 Seven million dollars was stolen in Britain’s Great Train Robbery by a gang of fifteen thieves.

1988 Renovated Central Park Zoo reopens after 4 years

• Indigenous People

 422 Maya King Casper is born, according to some sources. Eventually, he rules over Palenque, Mexico.

1699 The Tohome Indians live along the Gulf Coast in Alabama and Mississippi. In Biloxi, they formally establish peaceful relations with the French.

• Politics (US)

1973 VP Spiro T Agnew branded as "damned lies" reports he took kickbacks from govt contracts in Maryland. He vowed not to resign

1974 Pres Richard M Nixon announced he'd resign his office 12PM 08/09

• Politics (International)

1588 The Spanish Armada, a fleet of 130 huge ships, met defeat at the hands of English sailors and their smaller, more maneuverable vessels.

1860 Queen of Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) arrives in NYC: Her Majesty Queen EMMA

1940 Battle of Britain began as Germany launches air attacks

• Science / Religion

1609 Venetian senate examines Galileo Galilei's telescope

1709 1st known ascent in hot-air balloon, Bartolomeu de Gusmao (indoors)

1844 Brigham Young chosen Mormon Church head following Joseph Smith death

1876 Thomas Edison patents mimeograph

GREY MATTER ANSWERS

↔ 1

Type of auto engine, or a tomato cocktail: What is V-8

Derived from words "American", "travel", & "track", it provides most U.S. passenger rail service: What is Amtrack?

London's, not New York's, was the first ever built: what is a subway

Changing lines, you could have at one time ridden these from Freeport, IL to Utica, NY: What is a streetcar?

↔ 2

An arrow

↔ Picture

A reflector from a bike

TODAY’S PHOTO SHOT

Queen Emma of Sandwich Islands (Hawaii)

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