Tuesday August 10

This is Week 32 of 2010►Day 222 with 143 days left.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

The week started out very strangely here on ol’ St. Nicholas Drive. Some background: I live in one of about 33 units in our complex. My living room and one of the bedrooms (my office) look out onto the U-shaped compound. I am in one of the sides of the ‘U’. My master bedroom and my deck are on the back—quiet side—of the apartment. So this morning I got up about 6:30. After my normal tasks—you know those—I went to the office to turn on the computer. As I enter the office, I hear a voice yelling, “This is the police, raise your hands and slowly walk down the stairs.” I look out the window to find several things. The cops are at a unit in the bottom part of the ‘U’. There is one cop at the door, pounding and yelling. Another is standing on a retaining wall looking into the stairwell inside the unit. Three more cops are standing on the sidewalk, hands on guns standing in a very aggressive position. I look around the parking lot to discover that the entire parking lot and commons area has yellow tape around it. No one can leave the parking lot. Several cars are sitting at the yellow tape, trying to get to work. After a couple of minutes a young man comes out, is handcuffed, and sat on the sidewalk. A few more minutes and a young girl comes out and is handcuffed and moved down to another spot on the sidewalk. Both of the people handcuffed are in their late teens or early 20’s. The yelling by the cops stops, they put up crime tape in front of the house. Those trying to get to work are let out. Cops and detectives walk though the commons area; tape some of it off; walk around some more. I decided not to take a walk this morning. About 30 minutes later the man is taken away in an ambulance, but does not seem hurt as he walks to the stretcher. Later the girl is un-cuffed and walked to a police car and the car leaves with her. Part of the commons area remains taped all day, as does the unit door. Usually there are lots of kids outside, riding bikes and playing. Not today. The detectives keep looking around. Around about 10am everyone is gone, but the tape remains. Each time I went outside; there was a marked police car sitting in the parking lot taking up several spaces in front of the unit; his motor running; and he sitting behind the wheel.

At noon I decided I need to detail my vehicle. It was a nice day. I had been planning on doing it for several days, the sky was clear, and yeah, by being outside I could see if anything was happening. I figured the cop sitting in his car could radio back to his superiors “No action on St. Nicholas except for old man who seems to be detailing his vehicle.” During my 3 hours outside, several residents did approach the cop but only stayed a minute or so. Not long enough to find out what was going on. My vehicle looks very nice. I went inside about 3:30 and decided to call the HOA to find out what the hell was going on. She hadn’t heard anything, but said she would make some calls. I told her I thought about calling the cops, but she told me, “they won’t tell you anything.” I was sure that was true, especially if they were waiting for some perp to return. I was surprised when she called me back about 30 minutes later to tell me that there had been a ‘domestic disturbance’ and that a male had been stabbed by a female, and he was OK. This stabbing took place in the early hours near the trees in the commons area. All the pieces fit, I felt better. Just as the workers were beginning to return home after a hard day’s work, the yellow tape disappeared, the parked police car disappeared. Only the toddlers have been outside with their moms since the cops left. I just signed a new one year lease—with no rent increase, but I think I am going to start looking for another neighborhood. Moving is such a hassle. I like the place I live. I don’t like having cops with guns around. This is twice in the last month that a large number of cops have entered our quiet neighborhood. Nothing like this has happened in the four years I have lived here. It’s probably the economy—hard to find renters. I am also real glad I don’t own this place, as selling right now would be stupid. Time will tell what happens.

It really was a nice day as we were a very comfortable 75° with no breeze. A great day to be outside. There were a few clouds and they actually were helpful while I was waxing my vehicle. Just as I was ready to start on the sunny side of the vehicle, it went behind a cloud and stayed behind the cloud until I finished. I didn’t have to move the vehicle. Good, but strange day.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY

Isaac Asimov: The human brain, then, is the most complicated organization of matter that we know.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1966 Daylight meteor seen from Utah to Canada. Only known case of a meteor entering the Earth's atmosphere & leaving it again

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION

>More than 50% of the people in the world have never made or received a telephone call.

>Thirty-five percent of the people who use personal ads for dating are already married.

GREY MATTER PUZZLE 1—Jeopardy Answers: State Capitals

Until 1875 its dual capitals were New Haven & Hartford

This N.M. town is the oldest city that's a state capital

Crossing the Delaware on Xmas, 1776, Washington defeated the Hessians at this N.J. capital

It actually is 5,280 feet above sea level

The name shows its founder, Roger Williams, believed God led him there.

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM

AP--Police say a JetBlue flight attendant who got into an altercation with a passenger on a plane arriving in New York City and deployed an emergency exit slide so he could flee has been arrested.

They say Steven Slater was arrested on charges including criminal mischief and reckless endangerment following Monday's incident at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Slater faces up to 7 years in prison if convicted, according to WNBC.

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey police say Slater was working on a JetBlue Airways Corp. flight from Pittsburgh when he got into a heated argument with the passenger about baggage. They say as the plane was landing Slater used the public-address system to berate the passenger. They say he then activated the slide, slid down and went to his car.

The New York Daily News reported that he took over the intercom and called the passenger a 12-letter epithet beginning with 'm' and then told everyone, "I've been in the business 28 years. I've had it. That's it."

A LITTLE LAUGH

The summer after college graduation, I was living at home, fishing in the daytime, spending nights with my friends—generally just hanging out. One afternoon my grandfather, who never went to college, stopped by. Concerned with how I was spending my time, he asked about my future plans. I told him I was in no hurry to tie myself down to a career.

"Well," he replied, "you better start thinking about it. You'll be thirty before you know it."

"But I'm closer to twenty than to thirty," I protested.

"I won't be thirty for eight more years."

"I see," he said, smiling. "And when will you be twenty again?"

GREY MATTER PUZZLE 2--Riddle

I can only move forward, but always moving backward. What am I?

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

Smithsonian National Museum of American History—one of the many museums: Click Here!

GREY MATTER PICTURE

This is a close up of what object?

SOME CALENDAR INFORMATION

♦ Weekly Observances ♦

8-14: Assistance Dog Week

…Feeding Pets of the Homeless Week

…National Resurrect Romance Week

10-16: Elvis Week

♦ Today’s Observances ♦

Lazy Day

National Duran Duran Appreciation Day

Perigean Spring Tides

Smithsonian Day

S'mores Day

Ecuador: Independence Day (1809 from Spain)

Missouri: Admission Day (1821 as 24th state)

♦ Hit Songs on this date ♦

My Wild Irish Rose Albert Campbell 1899

Singin' in the Rain Cliff Edwards ('Ukelele Ike') 1929

Some Enchanted Evening Perry Como 1949

A Big Hunk O' Love Elvis Presley 1959

In the Year 2525 Zager & Evans 1969

Bad Girls Donna Summer 1979

♦ Today’s Births ♦

• The Arts

Ian Anderson, 63, musician, lead singer (Jethro Tull)…born Black-pool, England

Eddie Fisher, 82, singer (Oh My Papa, Lady of Spain) …born Philadelphia, PA

Rachel Simmons, 36, American feminist and author: Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls…born in Rockville, MD

~~~

Rosanna Arquette, 51, actress (Desperately Seeking Susan, New York Stories)…born New York, NY

Antonio Banderas, 50, actor (Spy Kids, The Mask of Zorro, Desperado)…born Malaga, Spain

Noah Beery Jr, actor (Rockford Files, Quest, Doc Elliot) …born in 1913…NYC, NY

Jack (John Joseph) Haley, actor: The Wizard of Oz…born in 1898…Boston, MA

• Athletics

Riddick Bowe, 43, boxer…born Brooklyn, NY

James (Tod) Sloan jockey, created monkey crouch riding style…born in 1874…Bunker Hill, IN

• Business & Education

Jimmy Dean, actor/singer (Jimmy Dean Show, Diamonds are Forever), sausage king …born in 1928…Plainview, TX

• Politics

Viscount Dunrossil, Gov Gen of Australia (1959-61) …born in 1893… Torinturk, Argyllshire, Scotland

Herbert Clark Hoover, (R) 31st Pres…born in 1874…West Branch, Iowa

Anwar Ibrahim, 63, former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia…born in Cherok Tok Kun, Penang,Malayan Union

Laura Spurr, Tribal Chair, Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi…born in 1945…Battle Creek, MI

• Science/Religion

Gaudencio Rosales, 78, Filipino cardinal and Archbishop of Manila…born in Batangas City, Batangas, Philippines

♦ Today’s Obituaries ♦

Robert Goddard, father of American rocketry, [“Every vision is a joke until the first man accomplishes it; once realized, it becomes commonplace.”] cancer @ 63 in 1945

Ray "Crash" Corrigan, cowboy (Crash Corrigan's Ranch), @74 in 1976

Clara Peller, actress (Where's the Beef), @ 86 in 1987

♦ Today’s Events ♦

• The Arts

1948 Allen Funt's "Candid Camera" TV debut on ABC

• Athletics

1743 Earliest recorded prize fighting rules formulated

1984 Mary Decker (US) and Zola Budd (Great Britian) collide in the 3,000-meter run @ LA Summer Olympics

• Business & Education

1985 Michael Jackson buys ATV Music (every Beatle songs) for $47 million

• Indigenous People

1680 The Pueblo Rebellion takes place in New Mexico under the leadership of a Tewa named Popé.

• Politics (US)

1827 Race riots in Cincinnati (1,000 blacks leave for Canada)

1831 Former slave Nat Turner led violent insurrection against slavery

1833 Chicago incorporates as a village of about 200

1846 Congress charters the "nation's attic," the Smithsonian Institution

1893 Chinese deported from SF under Exclusion Act

1995 Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols were indicted (11 counts each) for bombing the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City

2000 The California State Legislature approved a bill to make March 31, the birthday of the late labor leader Cesar Chavez (he died in 1993), a holiday for state workers.

• Politics (International)

1792 Mobs in Paris attack the palace of Louis XVI

1911 Parliament Act reduces power of House of Lords

1961 England applies for membership in the European Common Market

• Science / Religion

1869 O.B. Brown of Malden, MA patented the motion-picture projector

GREY MATTER ANSWERS

↔ 1

Until 1875 its dual capitals were New Haven & Hartford: What is Connecticut?

This N.M. town is the oldest city that's a state capital: What is Santa Fe?

Crossing the Delaware on Xmas, 1776, Washington defeated the Hessians at this N.J. capital: What is Trenton?

It actually is 5,280 feet above sea level: What is Denver?

The name shows its founder, Roger Williams, believed God led him there. What is Providence?

↔ 2

An antlion—an insect.

↔ Picture

The trigger of a gun

TODAY’S PHOTO SHOT

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