Tuesday August 3

This is Week 31 of 2010►Day 215 with 150 days left.

It is Day 106 of the BP Mess. Day 18 with Small(?) leaks

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

Another soggy day here in Flagstaff. I love the rain, but need to see the sun. I’ve talked to several friends and we all agree this has been the wettest monsoon in a number of years. I should get a rain gauge, but really have no place to put it. The back area has a good pine canopy and the front area has lots of kids who would mess it up, I think. The airport, about 5 miles out of town and 10 miles from me is not getting anywhere nearly as much rain as we are. I am right up against the mountain and even tiny Mt. Elden, at 9300’, stops the clouds and drops the rain. The airport, our reporting station, doesn’t always get moisture when we do. I’ll be out and about tomorrow and will look for some kind of gauge…if nothing else it will stop the rain. You know how it is, you wash your car and it rains.

More immigration news came out today. Crime rates in the southern counties of AZ have decreased crime rates in both property and violent crimes. The same crime rates have also dropped every year for the past decade throughout AZ. The Santa Cruz Sheriff, a border county, says that in his 40 years in law enforcement the overall crime rates have remained stable or dropped. He says the border/illegal immigrant issue is much more political than factual. The Pinal County sheriff is now asking for private donations so his officers can be armed with automatic rifles. He says that the county is broke and the Federal process to get the weapons is too cumbersome. So, for his 200 officers he needs $200,000 in donations to arm his officers with guns similar to what the drug cartels have. A quick check on the internet shows many automatic combat ready assault weapons from $500-700 each. The most expensive, newest, and with lots of bells and whistles is $7500. He is asking for about $1000 per officer. Interestingly, he says his plea is due to the number of citizens who have asked how they can get the officers better weapons. In the first few hours after his plea went out the account already had $10,000 in donations. Senator Kyl of AZ has proposed that the 14th amendment be repealed. That’s the amendment that said if you are born on US soil, you are a citizen. It was first passed just after the civil war so that Negros could not be denied citizenship. Kyl believes that if either the mother or father is here illegally, the children born on American soil will not be citizens. Immigration to America has been political since 1882 (see events below). The Feds open and close the door often based on the current political climate ever since our inception. This whole thing is and always has been political. Paint a group as a danger to the American Way and the door slams shut. It is very frustrating as many in Arizona are not afraid of immigrants; many welcome the new cultures and new ideas.

Flag was only 63° today, which was cool enough for me to close all the windows. It rained on and off most of the day. Not a nice day to be outside.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY

Victor Hugo: Inspiration and genius--one and the same.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1933 The world-famous Mickey Mouse Watch was introduced.

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION on Pasta

>Legend has it that noodles were first made by 13th century German bakers who fashioned dough into symbolic shapes, such as swords, birds and stars, which were baked and served as bread. In the 13th century, the Pope set quality standards for pasta.

>Thomas Jefferson is credited with introducing macaroni to the United States. It seems that he fell in love with a certain dish he sampled in Naples, while serving as the U.S. Ambassador to France. In fact, he promptly ordered crates of "macaroni," along with a pasta-making machine, sent back to the States.

>The Spanish explorer Cortez brought tomatoes back to Europe from Mexico in 1519. Even then, almost 200 years passed before spaghetti with tomato sauce made its way into Italian kitchens. (For many years tomatoes were feared to be poisonous)

>The first American pasta factory was opened in Brooklyn, New York, in 1848, by a Frenchman named Antoine Zerega. Mr. Zerega managed the entire operation with just one horse in his basement to power the machinery. To dry his spaghetti, he placed strands of the pasta on the roof to dry in the sunshine.

> The Italians only ate meat a few times a month. So, when they came to America, where meat was so plentiful, they incorporated meat into their cooking more often, making meatballs an American invention.

>Approximately 2.75 million tons of pasta is made in Italy each year, while the United States produces nearly 1.9 million tons per year.

GREY MATTER PUZZLE 1

What comes next in this sequence: Dave Edward Duncan Neil Liam

Choose from: Alan Kevin John Michael Steve.

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM

NEW YORK - A 59-year friendship that began as a school assignment to write a letter to a soldier stationed in Korea finally has culminated in the pair meeting in New York. Barbara Rohl, 69, of New York said she first sent a letter to Orville Schumacher, 80, of Nebraska -- then a soldier stationed in Korea -- as a school assignment when she was 11 years old in 1951 and the two continued exchanging letters for 59 years, the New York Post reported. Rohl and Schumacher met in person for the first time last week. "I'm getting past 80 now and I figured if there was a time I was ever going to meet her, it's now," Schumacher said. Rohl said she had strong emotions about meeting her longtime pen pal for the first time. "I can't even explain how I feel about this whole thing," she said. "It's a beautiful thing."

A LITTLE LAUGH

A mother and a baby camel were talking one day when the baby camel asked,

"Mom, why do we have these huge three-toed feet?"

The mother replied, "Well son, when we trek across the desert, our toes will help us stay on top of the soft sand."

Two minutes later the young camel asked, "Mom, why do we have these long eyelashes?"

"They are there to keep the sand out of our eyes on the trips through the desert," the mother said.

"Mom, why have we got these great big humps on our back?"

"They are there to help us store water for our long treks across the desert, so we can go without drinking for long periods of time."

"So we have huge feet to stop us from sinking, long eyelashes to keep the sand out of our eyes, and these humps to store water."

"Yes dear," said the mother.

"So why are we in the Toronto Zoo?"

GREY MATTER PUZZLE 2

What loses its head in the morning but gets it back at night?

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

Here’s an old film of crop dusting in Columbia…they neglect to mention what chemical is being sprayed—very scary with today’s knowledge: Click Here!

GREY MATTER PICTURE

This is a close up of what object?

SOME CALENDAR INFORMATION

♦ Weekly Observances ♦

1-7: World Breastfeeding Week…Simplify Your Life Week…National Clown Week…National Fraud Awareness Week…Single Working Women's Week

2-6: Exhibitor Appreciation Week…Intimate Apparel Market Week…Psychic Week

♦ Today’s Observances ♦

National Watermelon Day

National Night Out

New Zealand: Arbor Day (1872)

Niger: Independence Day (from France: 1960)

Tunisia: Habib Bourguiba's Birthday (first President of Republic of Tunsia)

Venezuela: Flag Day since 2006.

♦ Hit Songs on this date ♦

Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home Arthur Collins 1902 Click Here to Hear! Amazing gramaphone too

In a Shanty in Old Shanty Town Ted Lewis  1932

Jingle Jangle Jingle Kay Kyser  1942 Click Here to Hear it!

Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart Vera Lynn  1952 Click Here to Hear It!

Roses Are Red Bobby Vinton  1962 Click Here to Hear It!

Alone Again (Naturally) Gilbert O'Sullivan  1972

Eye of the Tiger Survivor 1982

♦ Today’s Births ♦

• The Arts

Steven Berkoff, 73, actor, director, writer (A Clockwork Orange, Beverly Hills Cop), born London, England

John Landis, 60, director: Thriller video, Twilight Zone: The Movie, Beverly Hills Cop 3, The Blues Brothers, Coming to America, National Lampoon’s Animal House, Oscar, Three Amigos, Trading Places…born in Chicago, IL

Leon Uris, novelist (Exodus, QB VII) …born in 1924 Brooklyn, NY

~~~

Tony Bennett (Anthony Dominick Benedetto) , 84, singer...born New York, NY

Dolores del Rio (Lolita Dolores Martinez Asunsolo y Lopez Negrete), actress…born in 1905 Durango, Mexico

Jay North, 58, actor (Dennis the Menace) …born in North Hollywood, CA

Martin Sheen, 70, actor (Apocalypse Now, “The West Wing”), born Ramon Estevez at Dayton, OH

Isaiah Washington, 47, actor (“Grey’s Anatomy,” Romeo Must Die, Exit Wounds), born Houston, TX

• Athletics

Tom Brady, 33, football (Patriots), born San Mateo, CA

P.D. James, 90, mystery novelist, born Phyllis Dorothy James at Oxford, England

• Business & Education

Anne Klein, fashion designer (Anne Klein II) …born in 1923 NYC, NY

John T Scopes, Tennessee teacher convicted for teaching evolution…born in 1900 Paducah, KY

Martha Stewart, 69, lifestyle consultant, television personality, writer, born Nutley, NJ

• Politics

Richard D Lamm, 75, (38th Gov-Colo) …born in Madison, WI

• Science/Religion

Elisha Graves Otis, inventor (safe elevator)…born in 1811 in Halifax, VT

♦ Today’s Obituaries ♦

Lenny Bruce, comedian, morphine overdose @ 41 in 1966

Carolyn Jones, actress (Morticia-Addams Family), cancer @ 54 in 1983

♦ Today’s Events ♦

• The Arts

--

• Athletics

1881 US Nation Lawn Tennis Association removes "Nation" from name

1928 Ray Barbuti saves US team from defeat in Amsterdam Olympics track events by winning 400 m (47.8 sec)

1952 15th Olympic games close in Helsinki Finland

• Business & Education

1678 Robert LaSalle builds 1st ship in America, Griffon

1860 American Canoe Association founded at Lake George NY

1863 Saratoga Racetrack (NY) opens

• Indigenous People

1761 According to some records, a conference regarding land questions and the return of prisoners is held for the next ten days between representatives of the British in Pennsylvania and the Cayuga, Conoy, Delaware, Mahican, Nanticoke, Oneida and Onondaga Indians.

• Politics (US)

1882 Congress passes 1st law restricting immigration

• Politics (International)

1492 Christopher Columbus set sail on the Santa Maria.

1914 Germany invades Belgium & declares war on France in WW I

• Science / Religion

1921 1st aerial crop dusting (Troy Ohio to kill caterpillars)

GREY MATTER ANSWERS

↔ 1

Michael: each name begins with the last letter of the preceding name.

↔ 2

A pillow

↔ Picture

A men's room sign

TODAY’S PHOTO SHOT

Mount Elden in Flagstaff is named after John Elden, a sheepherder/homesteader from the late 1800’s.

It is part of the San Francisco Peaks Volcanic Field. My townhouse is in the houses at the bottom of the picture.

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