Wednesday Sept. 8

This is Week 36 of 2010►Day 251 with 114 days left.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

I’m packed and ready to go. All that is left is a few last minute things tomorrow morning. Therefore this will be the last blog until I return. They should return on October 1st. This is going to be a great adventure. So much to see, so many things to do. I spoke to my roommate on the trip this afternoon. He too is ready for an adventure. This is his first trip with a really long plane ride. He has done Alaska, the Caribbean, and Hawaii. He is my age, a retired Baptist minister who retired early when his wife got sick. He lost her about two years ago. It should be an exciting trip.

I was shocked tonight when I turned on the computer and found that the canyons just outside Boulder CO are on fire. Forty years ago, I spent a lot of time in those canyons. Back then, the canyons might have had a few very old cabins and a few houses built in the 30’s. Most of the canyon was unfenced uninhabited wilderness. You could pull of the road and find a nice place to eat a lunch, have a campfire, maybe pitch a tent. There were plenty of places to have a beer bust too. From the scenes I saw, Fourmile Canyon is now little more than houses on small plots of land up and down the mountain. These are not the small cabins or houses I was used to seeing. Towns grow and spread and it sure looks like Boulder has done that up through the many canyons below the Flatirons. I sure feel sorry for all those people who have to leave this beautiful part of Colorado. I’m sure the land and the homes came at a premium price, before the housing market crashed. It is hard to rebuild when you paid $500K for your house and now it is appraised at $350K and the bank still wants whole amount. Flagstaff residents are so fortunate that our huge fire this summer didn’t destroy any homes.

I am still hopeful that the Gainesville Center will decide not to burn the Koran’s on Saturday. The only ray of hope is that the leader of the cult has said he heard what General Petraeus had said and that he was praying about it. He said he is waiting for a sign from God to tell him to stop, if that is God’s Will. I certainly hope he gets that sign, real soon. He has given himself a face-saving out and that is better than what was happening just yesterday.

Flag…H—73°; L—46°; RH—43%; and only a breeze of 6mph—which doesn’t tell the story at all. This morning at 6am it was nice outside, a little cloudy, but not a bad walk. Along about 8am the clouds suddenly burst and we had a hard, steady rain for about 45 minutes. There was a little thunder and lightning, but mostly just lots of water. After the rain stopped, the sun came out, and within an hour the streets were again dry. We had some clouds most of the day, but otherwise, it was nice.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY

Daniel J. Boorstin-The traveler was active; he went strenuously in search of people, of adventure, of experience. The tourist is passive; he expects interesting things to happen to him. He goes "sight-seeing."

HOLY MACKEREL: 1892 The Pledge of Allegiance to the United States of America was written by a former Baptist preacher, Francis Bellamy. It only took Mr. Bellamy three hours to write the original 23 words in honor of the 400th anniversary of Columbus discovering America.

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION: Ancient History

▬The first capital of ancient Egypt was Memphis, a city whose name can be roughly translated into English as "White Walls."

▬On his way home from the siege of Miletus, Julius Caesar was captured by pirates and held hostage for about forty days. Caesar insisted that his captors double their ransom demand (he was, after all, an aristocrat) and promised to return and punish them. True to his word, Caesar returned after his release, hunted the pirates down, and had them crucified.

▬Ancient Greek civilization is believed to have originated on the island of Crete. It is unclear when the island was first settled, but there are archeological remains dating as far back as 5000 B.C.

▬Of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, only one remains: the Great Pyramid of Giza.

▬Anaximander, a philosopher from Miletus who lived during the first half of the 6th century B.C., is credited with making the first map of the known world around 540 B.C.

GREY MATTER PUZZLE 1—Jeopardy Answers: Starts with ‘Q’

$100-Klugman's coroner

$200-Hugo's hunchback

$300-"To be or not to be"

$400-Oldest city in Canada

$500-Popular name of the Religious Society of Friends

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM—Great, this is where I’m headed

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — A Malaysian was jailed for six months and fined 190,000 ringgit ($61,000) for trying to smuggle dozens of snakes out of the country, a sentence that conservationists said was too light. Anson Wong, already convicted of trafficking in wildlife in the United States in 2001, pleaded guilty last week and will start his sentence on Sept. 13.

Under Malaysian law, Wong could have faced seven years in jail and fines of up to 100,000 ringgit ($32,000) for each snake up to a maximum of a million ringgit ($320,000US) or both.

Wong was detained when in transit from the Malaysian island state of Penang to the Indonesian capital Jakarta on Aug. 26 when staff at Kuala Lumpur airport were alerted to a bag that had broken while on a conveyor belt. They found 95 boa constrictors, two rhinoceros vipers and a matamata turtle inside the bag.

The U.S. Department of Justice said Wong had pleaded guilty to a trafficking in the United States in 2001 and was sentenced to 71 months in jail.

TRAFFIC, a wildlife trade monitoring organization, said the sentence indicated unwillingness by Malaysian courts to get tough with real wildlife criminals and to show the world it was serious about wildlife trafficking.

"This is a tragedy. It clearly tells wildlife traffickers that they have little to fear from Malaysian law," said TRAFFIC's Southeast Asia regional director, William Schaedla.

The prosecuting officer said he would discuss with other government authorities whether to appeal the court's ruling and seek a tougher sentence.

A LITTLE LAUGH

Back in the days of the Roman Empire, the famous Emperor Nero instituted a new game. The players would take those little disks you set your glass on in order to protect the furniture, and see who could get the most distance rolling them across the floor.

They were the first roller coasters. Back in those days, the disks were made of iron, and they would bet on whose disk would roll the farthest.

They called them ferrous wheels.

GREY MATTER PUZZLE 2--Riddle

A blue man lives in a blue house. A green man lives in a green house. Who lives in a white house?

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

Quebec City: See It Here!

GREY MATTER PICTURE

This is a close up of what object?

SOME CALENDAR INFORMATION

¤ Weekly Observances ¤

1-8: Self-University Week and International Enthusiasm Week

5-11: National Waffle Week AND Suicide Prevention Week AND National Payroll Week

¤ Today’s Observances ¤

National Date Nut Bread Day

National Pardon Day

International Literacy Day

Peregean Spring Tides

Rosh Hashanah

World Physical Therapy Day

Andorra : National Day )

Lichfield, England : Sheriff's Ride Ceremony (1533)

Malta : Commemoration of Regatta Day/Commemoration of 2 Sieges (1565)

Mauritius : Mid Autumn Festival

North Korea : National Day (Established Govt) (1948)

South Korea : Thanksgiving Day

Uganda : Republic Day (1967)

¤ Hit Songs on this date ¤

1907...I Pagliacci - Vesti La Giubba (On With the Party)…Enrico Caruso Click Here to Hear It!

1927...Russian Lullaby…Roger Wolfe Kahn

1937...So Rare…Guy Lombardo

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

1957…Diana…Paul Anka

1967…Ode to Billie Joe…Bobbie Gentry

1977…Best of My Love…The Emotions

1987…La Bamba…Los Lobos Click Here to Hear It!

¤ Today’s Births ¤

╬ THE ARTS

Antonín Leopold Dvořák, composer (New World Symphony) …born 1841…Nelahozeves, Czech

Pink, 31, singer, born Alecia Moore at Doylestown, PA

Jimmie Rodgers, country singer/singing brakeman …born 1897… Mendoza MS

♦♦♦♦♦♦

Sid Caesar, 88, comedian, actor (“Your Show of Shows”), born Yonkers, NY

Patsy Cline (Virginia Petterson Hensley), Country Music Hall of Famer: Crazy, I Fall to Pieces …born 1932…Winchester, PA

Peter Sellers, England, actor (not now, Kato, Bobo, Pink Panther) …born 1925… Portsmouth, England

╬ ATHLETICS

Ken (Kenneth Roth) Forsch, 64, baseball: pitcher: Houston Astros [all-star: 1976], California Angels [all-star: 1981] …born Sacramento, CA

L.C. Greenwood, 64, football: Steelers defensive end: Super Bowl IX, X, XIII, XIV…born Canton, MS

Latrell Sprewell, 40, basketball (Warriors, Knicks, Timberwolves), born Milwaukee, WI

╬ BUSINESS & EDUCATION

--

╬ POLITICS

Lyndon LaRouche, 88, American presidential candidate (1980) …born Rochester, NH

Claude (Denson) Pepper, U.S. Senator from Florida [1936-1950]; member of Congress for fourteen terms; champion of social welfare for the elderly …born 1900.…Dudleyville, AL

╬ SCIENCE & RELIGION

--

¤ Today’s Obituaries ¤

Bud Collyer. TV emcee (Beat the Clock, To Tell the Truth), @ 61 in 1969

Dorothy Danridge. actress, dies @ 41 in Hollywood in 1965

Huey P Long (Sen-La). assassinated at Baton Rouge Capitol building in 1935

¤ Today’s Events ¤

╬ THE ARTS

1930 1st appearance of the comic strip "Blondie"

1952 Ernest Hemingway's "Old Man & the Sea" published

1966 "Star Trek" premiers on NBC-TV

╬ ATHLETICS

1972 Jim Ryun (US) & Billy Fordjour (Ghana) collide & fall in qualifying competitions for 1,500m finals, ending Ryan's chances for gold

╬ BUSINESS & EDUCATION

1553 City of Lichfield, England established

1930 NYC public schools begin teaching Hebrew

╬ INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

1535 Cartier reaches Stadacone, where the modern city Quebec is located.

╬ POLITICS (US)

1771 Mission San Gabriel Archangel forms in California

1858 Lincoln makes a speech about when you can fool people

1974 Pres Gerald Ford pardons former Pres R Nixon of all federal crimes

╬ POLITICS (International)

1565 Turkish siege of Malta broken by Maltese & Knights of St John

╬ SCIENCE & RELIGION

1866 James and Jennie Bushnell became the proud parents of sextuplets in Chicago, IL. Three boys and three girls were born. Though two babies died, the surviving four lived long lives. This was the first recorded birth of sextuplets.

GREY MATTER ANSWERS

↔ 1

$100-Klugman's coroner: Who is Quincy?

$200-Hugo's hunchback: Who is Quasimodo?

$300-"To be or not to be": What is the Question?

$400-Oldest city in Canada: What is Quebec?

$500-Popular name of the Religious Society of Friends: Who are the Quakers?

↔ 2

The President!

↔ PICTURE

Frozen soft drink in a bottle

TODAY’S NATIONAL PARK PHOTO SHOTS

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 24th National Park since date February 26, 1929: Grand Teton is the tallest mountain in the Teton Range. The park's Jackson Hole valley and reflective piedmont lakes contrast with the tall mountains, which abruptly rise from the glacial sage-covered valley.

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Tuesday, Sept. 7

This is Week 36 of 2010►Day 250 with 115 days left.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

I spent the day looking over my pile of stuff that I have to take on my trip. Somehow I misplaced, or lost the electrical converter. After several hours of looking, on and off, I gave up and ran to the store to get another. Probably a good thing, because the little brochure that comes with them clearly states they should not be used on computers. That probably explains what happened to my last battery. I read the info on the old converter and it said the same thing. Yeah, I had the package but lost the converter and the plug I used in South Africa. I also called my roommate, as we have only communicated through e-mail. I left a message, he called back and I missed his call. He gets to LAX about 4pm and I get there about 6pm so we can meet up then. We don’t fly out till midnight and the rest of the group arrives about 9pm from Denver. I also cleaned up my iPod a little and added about five hours of podcasts. As I looked for audio books, they were all 12+ hours. I don’t have that much down time alone and on my last two trips I get home and then listen to the rest of the book. I really enjoyed audio books when I was driving to and from Tuba or when I drove to Denver. I have found that when I sit on a plane, I usually fall asleep so music and short podcasts will work much better. I don’t have to be to the shuttle until 10:30 on Wednesday, so there is plenty of time to do what still has to be done.

Obama hit the campaign trail today. He made an interesting analogy. Our economy is like a car. The previous administration ran it into a ditch. This administration has pulled it out, and that was not easy, the car had some dents and scratches but it still runs. Now the Republicans want the keys back. The Democrats are putting the car in D-rive. The Republicans have stated they want to go back to the Bush era and put the car in R. Interesting analogy. Some Republican was on CNN talking in a panel discussion about the speech. He said the car is in Park, and his party just wants to get it moving again. Clever is better than bashing.

While my brother and his wife are enjoying Paris, it looks like a hurricane may be heading toward their hacienda in Mexico. Hermine is still a tropical storm and isn’t expected to be a big hurricane, but that means little to the people who get pelted. They are about 40 miles from the coast and the hacienda has withstood weather for over 100 years, so it shouldn’t really be a problem, but flooding and sandbags and that stuff will take its toll on those living a little closer to the coast. That area is mostly farms and Mayan villages. I hope everyone gets through it will little permanent damage.

General Petraeus came out today with an interesting statement. There is a church in Florida that is going to have a Koran burning on 9-11 at their church. The Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville has a big day planned. This ‘New Testament Church’--a non-denominational charismatic church--has actually called for an International Burn the Koran Day on Sept. 11. The Church leader believes that Islam is demonic and must be destroyed. General Petraeus has told us that if the burning takes place, it will place our troops and our ‘friends’ in Afghanistan in mortal danger. He said that there are already daily protests against the burning in Afghanistan. It is so unnerving that zealots, like the Florida preacher, can frighten everyday Muslims half way across the world. Oh, wait, the Muslim zealots have been doing that for almost a decade, frightening everyday Christians here in the US. I hope the American zealots will soon get the message that their actions are threatening our soldiers, our government, and all Americans. The Federal and State governments are in a tough situation. They can’t just stop the burning, anymore than they can stop the burning of the American Flag or the Bible. The only people who can stop this insanity are the people who started it. I won’t be in the states on 9-11, but I will be in a part of the world where Muslims predominate. Since Ramadan will be ending on or about 9-11 this year, the tensions between the zealots and the ordinary Muslims is already high. The typical end of Ramadan celebrations will not be as public in the US as they have been for decades. If the burnings actually take place, they won’t affect American soil. The outrage will be worldwide. An Imam in Nigeria said a few years ago that when America sneezes, Africa catches the cold. In this case, the Muslim World may catch that cold. Most reliable estimates on religions of the world say there are about 2 billion Christians and 1.5 billion Muslims. That is a lot of people for the Dove World Outreach Center to piss off. I should add that I checked out the web for information on the Dove group. Nowhere could I find any information on the number of people belonging to this church. I did find that the religious community of Gainesville is against the burning, with 25 congregations stating that this event is wrong. The city also denied them a permit to burn books. It is nice to know that not everyone in Gainesville is fanatic, just like it is nice to know that not everyone in AZ is a racist.

Flag…H—81°; L—51°; RH—49%; and only a breeze of 5mph—a really, really nice day.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY

Richard Whately: Everyone wishes to have truth on his side, but not everyone wishes to be on the side of truth

HOLY MACKEREL: 1998 Sergey Brin and Larry Page incorporated the Internet search engine company Google

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION on Movies

▬The Blues Brothers once held the record for crashing the most police cars in a movie at approximately 30. The record was eventually broken by Blues Brothers 2000.

▬When the Mother-Ship passes over the Devil's Tower near the end of Spielberg's movie, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, R2-D2 can be seen hanging from the bottom of the ship.

GREY MATTER PUZZLE 1—Jeopardy Answers: States in Song

$100-It's where I came from with a banjo on my knee

$200-According to Beach Boys' hit, state with the cutest girls in the world

$300-State where you'd find Elvis' rain & Diamond's woman

$400-The alternate lyrics to "I've Been Working On The Railroad"

$500-Patti Page hit that is official song of a southern state

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM

Dallas — The best fried recipes were crowned Monday at the "Big Tex Choice Awards."

This winner of the "most creative" fried food was "Fried Beer." It is actually a beer-filled pretzel pocket, but diners can open the delicious dough and pour a cold one.

"I was lazy. I figured, 'Why should I have to drink and eat when I can just eat?" I wanted a pretzel, I wanted beer and I figured a way to combine them. You know, make something fun out of it," said inventor Mark Zable.

The recipe is only for 21 and over, ID required.

The coveted award for "Best Taste" went to "Texas Fried Frito Pie." The concoction is Texas chili and sharp cheddar cheese encased in Frito chips and then battered and fried. The creator calls it a smooth medley of hot, meaty, crunch, salty, cheesy goodness that transports you back to the golden age of fair food.

Other finalist recipes included: Deep Fried S'mores Pop Tart, Fried Chocolate, Deep Fried Frozen Margarita, Fried Lemonade, Fernies Fried Club Salad and Fried Texas Caviar.

You will be able to taste the recipes at the State Fair of Texas, which runs from Sept. 24 through October.

A LITTLE LAUGH

English professors love to catch the errors students make in their term papers, and they love nothing better than to catch mixed metaphors. The "friends and survivors" of Calvin College English department collected this list of mixed metaphors and posted them on their web site:

"He swept the rug under the carpet."

"She's burning the midnight oil at both ends."

"It was so cold last night I had to throw another blanket on the fire."

"It's time to step up to the plate and cut the mustard."

"She's robbing Peter to pay the piper."

"He's up a tree without a paddle."

"Beware my friend...you are skating on hot water."

"Keep your ear to the grindstone."

"Sometimes you've gotta stick your neck out on a limb."

"Some people sail through life on a bed of roses like a knife slicing through butter."

GREY MATTER PUZZLE 2--Riddle

Johnny's mom had 5 kids, January, February, March and April. Who was the fifth kid?

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

Garrison Keillor sings: Click Here to Hear!

GREY MATTER PICTURE

This is a close up of what object?

SOME CALENDAR INFORMATION

¤ Weekly Observances ¤

1-8: Self-University Week and International Enthusiasm Week

5-11: National Waffle Week AND Suicide Prevention Week AND National Payroll Week

¤ Today’s Observances ¤

Neither Rain Nor Snow Day

Google Commemoration Day

Grandma Moses Day Salami Day

Another Look Unlimited Day: devoted annually to lessening the flow to landfills, and is reserved for taking a second look around your house, attic, basement, garage or any storage area where you may find possessions you no longer need.

Australia: National Threatened Species Day

Brazil : Independence Day (1822: Brazil from Portugal)

Mozambique: Victory Day

¤ Hit Songs on this date ¤

1916...America...Columbia Mixed Double Quartet

1926...Bye Bye, Blackbird...Gene Austin Click Here to Hear It!

1936...A Fine Romance...Fred Astaire Click Here to Hear It!

1946...To Each His Own...Freddy Martin

1956...Hound Dog/Don't Be Cruel...Elvis Presley

1966...You Can't Hurry Love...The Supremes Hear It Here!

1976... (Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty...K.C. & the Sunshine Band Click Here to Hear It!

¤ Today’s Births ¤

╬ THE ARTS

"Janet" Taylor Caldwell, novelist (Melissa) …born 1900…Manchester, England

Arthur Ferrante, 89, pianist (Ferrante and Teicher), composer, born New York, NY

Charles Hardin Buddy Holly, singer (Peggy Sue, That'll Be the Day) …born 1936…Lubbock, TX

Elia Kazan, director (Streetcar Named Desire) …born 1909… Constantinople, Turkey

Garrison Keillor, 68, humorist (Praire Home Companion) …born Anoka, MN

Grandma (Anna Mary Robertson) Moses, primitive painter (Old Oaken Bucket) …born 1860…Greenwich, NY

♦♦♦♦♦♦

Corbin Bernsen, 56, actor (“LA Law,” “Ryan’s Hope,” Major League), born North Hollywood, CA

Susan Blakely, 60, actress (The Way We Were, The Lords of Flatbush, Shampoo), born Frankfurt, Germany

Peter Lawford, actor (Mrs Miniver, The Thin Man) …born 1923…London England

Sir (John) Anthony Quayle, actor: The Bourne Identity, MacKenna’s Gold, QB VII, Anne of a Thousand Days, Lawrence of Arabia, The Guns of Navarone…born 1913… Lancashire,England

Richard Roundtree, 68, actor (Shaft, Q, Once upon a Time When We Were Colored), born New Rochelle, NY

Devon Sawa, 32, actor: Casper, Little Giants…born Vancouver, British Columbia

╬ ATHLETICS

Paul Brown, Pro Football Hall of Famer: football coach: Cleveland Brown…born 1908…Norwalk, IA

Bert Jones, 59, football: Colts: Rams…born Ruston, LA

Joe (Joseph Oden) Rudi, 64, baseball: Athletics, Athletics, Angels, Red Sox…born Modesto, CA

╬ BUSINESS & EDUCATION

J.P. (John Pierpont) Morgan Jr., financier…born 1867…Irvington, NY

╬ POLITICS

Queen Elizabeth I, (1558-1603) daughter of Henry VIII…born 1533… Greenwich, England

Thomas Hendricks, 21st vice president of the United States [1885] …born 1819…Fultonham, OH

Daniel Ken Inouye, 86, US Senator (D, Hawaii), born Honolulu, HI

╬ SCIENCE & RELIGION

Dr Michael E DeBakey (Michel Dabaghi), artificial heart pioneer…born 1908…Lake Charles, LA

Ferdinand Vandiveer Hayden, geologist (Geographic Survey 1859-86) …born 1829…Westfield, MA

¤ Today’s Obituaries ¤

Spring Byington, actress (Lily Ruskin-December Bride), @ 84 in 1971

Al Kelly, double talk comedian (Ernie Kovacs Show), @ 67 in 1966 See and Hear him Here!

EugŠne Lefebvre, dies test piloting a Wright A aircraft in 1909

Keith Moon, English drummer (The Who), OD @ 32 in 1978

José Clemente Orozco, Mexican painter @ 66 in 1949

¤ Today’s Events ¤

╬ THE ARTS

1963 1st US TV appearance of the Beatles (Big Night Out-ABC)

1996 Rappers Tupac Shakur and Marion ‘Suge’ Knight, were shot after leaving the Tyson/Seldon prizefight

╬ ATHLETICS

1892 James J Corbett kayos John L Sullivan in round 21 at New Orleans

1983 Drury Gallagher sets fastest swim around Manhattan (6h41m35s)

1986 Dan Marino of the Miami Dolphins threw his 100th career touchdown pass, in only his 44th pro game, setting an NFL record

╬ BUSINESS & EDUCATION

1880 Geo Ligowsky patents device to throw clay pigeons for trap shooters

1907 Sutro's ornate Cliff House in SF destroyed by fire

1914 New York Post Office Building opens to the public

╬ INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

1957 An Act of Congress gives the Chilkat Indians mineral rights to their lands near Klukwan. They are one of only a very small number of Alaskans with this provision.

╬ POLITICS (US)

--

╬ POLITICS (International)

1940 German Air Force blitz London for 1st of 57 consecutive nights 1986 Desmond Tutu installed to lead south African Anglican Church

╬ SCIENCE & RELIGION

1800 Zion AME Church dedicated (NYC)

1888 Edith Eleanor McLean was the first baby to be placed in an incubator.

1936 Boulder Dam (now Hoover Dam) begins operation

1986 Desmond Tutu installed to lead South African Anglican Church

GREY MATTER ANSWERS

↔ 1

$100-It's where I came from with a banjo on my knee: What is Alabama?

$200-According to Beach Boys' hit, state with the cutest girls in the world: What is California?

$300-State where you'd find Elvis' rain & Diamond's woman: What is Kentucky?

$400-The alternate lyrics to "I've Been Working On The Railroad": What is The Eyes of Texas?

$500-Patti Page hit that is official song of a southern state: What is the Tennessee Waltz?

↔ 2

Johnny!

↔ PICTURE

Handcuffs

TODAY’S NATIONAL PARK PHOTO SHOTS

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, 23rd National Park since date February 25, 1928: Bryce Canyon is a giant natural amphitheatre along the Paunsaugunt Plateau. The unique area has hundreds of tall hoodoos formed by erosion. The region was originally settled by Native Americans and later by Mormon pioneers.

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Monday, Labor Day, Sept. 6

This is Week 36 of 2010►Day 249 with 116 days left.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

It’s the Labor Day Weekend. The end of summer and a day to honor all those laborers who make this country work. With the financial mess this country is in, it is important to remember that the real people who built this country are the hard working 8-5 who built the buildings and the infrastructure, made the discoveries, and never really became rich. Most of the rich have made it hard for the workers—paying low wages, demanding long hours without overtime, fighting health benefits and regulations. When BP discovers oil, it is the workers who found it. When technology grows by leaps and bounds it is the worker who puts the computers together. It is the greedy executives who much of the money. For decades there was always a pay difference between the worker and the execs. In the last five years the CEO salary has risen to more than 1000 times that of the average worker in the company. Some CEO’s had a 42% jump in salary as they laid off large numbers of workers. So, on this Labor Day weekend, let’s honor the workers who continue to make this country operate on a day to day basis.

When I graduated from college, in 1971, there was an oversupply of teachers. Finding a job was not easy. I was lucky in that I was offered three teaching jobs. Luckily I made the right choice for my life. I certainly learned that education is cyclical. Teaching methods, testing, instructional times for each subject, class size, classroom discipline, and anything else connected to education reinvents itself every ten to twenty years. This week CNN and NPR both ran a series of pieces on education in America. I certainly get it that there is no one answer to teach groups of individuals and good educational leaders are always trying to improve education. Many times all that has happened is that a new lexicon has been written. I was disheartened as I listened to the results of the 2010 teacher overage. Schools have been following a business model for most of the last decade. They are still hiring much of their staff after the school year begins. A new teacher--whether just out of college or changing grade or changing school or changing district—needs time to adjust to the new environment. This learning should not be taking place during the time students are in the classroom. Any teacher entering mid-term will have a host of problems. Students will have set the climate of the classroom because they are the only thing stable in that classroom. Having one temporary teacher or a constantly changing line of temporary teachers is not a good educational environment. People outside the educational culture do not get this. Hiring usually takes place in the days or maybe a few weeks before classes begin. Most districts are still hiring after the first month of classes. I was very fortunate in my first job. My students had been in class for a month when I arrived. There was a classroom aide and a Teacher Corps intern who had been with them since day one. My entrance did not change that. Both remained in the room for the remainder of that school year. This seldom happened in any school back then and doesn’t happen today either. I believe that the school leaders have not learned much about school culture in the last forty years. If the goal is to have THE teacher in every classroom on the first day of school, student learning would improve. Until that happens, we will continue to spin our wheels to improve education. If every teacher had a couple of days to set up the classroom, a couple more to learn about the school culture, and have their classroom set up and ready on Day One, we would see improvement. As long as the classroom teacher is seen only as the adult in the classroom, things will not change.

Flag…H—81°; L—49°; RH--31%; and a light wind of 17mph—a little windy as I read Sunday paper on the deck.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY

Anais Ninn: When we blindly adopt a religion, a political system, a literary dogma, we become automatons. We cease to grow.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1959 The first Barbie Doll was sold by Mattel Toy Corporation. Today they are sold in 150 countries at a rate of 2 dolls per second.

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION on Picasso

▬Pablo Picasso was born Pablo Ruiz on October 25, 1881

▬On May 4, 2004 Picasso's painting Garcon à la Pipe (Boy With a Pipe) was sold for USD $104 million at Sotheby's, establishing a new price record.

▬Picasso once said, "Art is not the application of a canon of beauty but what the instinct and the brain can conceive beyond any canon. When we love a woman we don’t start measuring her limbs."

▬After the Second World War, Picasso joined the French Communist party.

▬Georges Braque, a French painter, was Picasso's partner in the creation of the Cubist style

GREY MATTER PUZZLE 1—Jeopardy Answers: Potent Potables

$100-In 1935 Kreuger's Cream Ale was the first beer sold in these

$200-Never swallowing, they sip, swish, gargle, then spit out what they sample

$300-This 19th century Philadelphia distiller's name became slang for liquor

$400-Derived from Hindu word for "5", describing number of ingredients mixed in a large bowl

$500-C2H5OH

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM

SURREY, British Columbia - A Canadian woman said her 14-year-old cat, which disappeared during a recent move, turned out to have spent five days hiding inside a box spring. Anne Green said Augustus the ginger tom disappeared Aug. 5 while movers were packing up her family's old Edmonton, Alberta, home for a move to Surrey, British Columbia, The Vancouver Sun reported. Green said her family searched their old neighborhood for days and the movers checked the contents of their truck, but there was no sign of the orange cat. Green said she decided to search the truck herself when it arrived in Surrey eight days after it was packed. "Al, the driver, got out of the truck and asked if we'd found him. I said no and asked if I could walk into the van and look for him," she said. "I didn't think it would do any good but I called his name and then I heard this little meow. I shouted 'He's here' and they all came running and we found him in the box spring, which had been completely wrapped in plastic." Green said Augustus has since taken to the box spring as his favorite hiding spot.

A LITTLE LAUGH

If Kitty Carlisle married Conway Twitty, she'd be Kitty Twitty.

If Yoko Ono married Sonny Bono, she'd be Yoko Ono Bono.

If Dolly Parton married Salvador Dali, she'd be Dolly Dali.

If Oprah Winfrey married Depak Chopra, she'd be Oprah Chopra.

If Olivia Newton-John married Wayne Newton, then divorced him to marry Elton John, she'd be Olivia Newton-John Newton John.

If Sondra Locke married Elliott Ness, then divorced him to marry Herman Munster, she'd become Sondra Locke Ness Munster.

If Bea Arthur married Sting, she'd be Bea Sting.

If Liv Ullman married Judge Lance Ito, then divorced him and married Jerry Mathers, she'd be Liv Ito Beaver.

If Ivana Trump married, in succession, Orson Bean (actor), King Oscar (of Norway), Louis B. Mayer (of MGM), and Norbert Wiener (mathematician), she would then be Ivana Bean Oscar Mayer Wiener.

GREY MATTER PUZZLE 2--Riddle

The warden tells the prisoner he will be hung if he lies about his crime. The guard tells him he will be shot if he tells the truth. What will be the prisoner's fate?

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

Pablo Picasso clips: Click Here to See!

GREY MATTER PICTURE

This is a close up of what object?

SOME CALENDAR INFORMATION

¤ Weekly Observances ¤

1-8: Self-University Week and International Enthusiasm Week

5-11: National Waffle Week AND Suicide Prevention Week AND National Payroll Week

¤ Today’s Observances ¤

Fight Procrastination Day

Stillbirth Remembrance Day

Bulgaria: Unification Day: Eastern Rumelia and Bulgaria in 1885

Pakistan : Defense Day

Swaziland : Somhlolo Day/Independence Day (1968 from UK)

US: Labor Day: Federal Holiday since 1894: to exhibit to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations," followed by a festival for the workers and their families.

¤ Hit Songs on this date ¤

1895...The Band Played On...Dan Quinn

1925...Yes Sir! That's My Baby...Gene Austin

1935...I’m in the Mood for Love...Little Jack Little Click Here to Hear!

1955...The Yellow Rose of Texas...Mitch Miller Click Here to Hear!

1965...Help! ...The Beatles Click Here to Hear!

1975...Rhinestone Cowboy...Glen Campbell Click Here to Hear!

¤ Today’s Births ¤

╬ THE ARTS

Jeff Foxworthy, 52, comedian, actor (“The Jeff Foxworthy Show”), author (No Shirt, No Shoes … No Problem), born Atlanta, GA

♦♦♦♦♦♦

Leo Carrillo, actor (Pancho-Cisco Kid) …born 1881…Los Angeles, CA

Jane Curtin, 63, actress (“Saturday Night Live,” “3rd Rock from the Sun”), comedienne, born Cambridge, MA

Swoosie Kurtz, 66, actress (“Sisters,” The World According to Garp; Tony for The House of Blue Leaves), born Omaha, NE

Rosie Perez, 46, actress (King of the Jungle, White Men Can’t Jump), born Brooklyn, NY

Carol Wayne, actress: The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Scavenger Hunt, Heartbreakers…born 1942…Chicago, IL

Jo Anne Worley, 73, comedienne, actress (“Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In”), born Lowell, IA

╬ ATHLETICS

Alex Escobar, 32, baseball player (Rockies, Mets, Indians, Nationals)…born Valencia, Carabobo, Venezuela

╬ BUSINESS & EDUCATION

Joseph P Kennedy, financier/diplomat, father of JFK, RFK & Teddy…born 1888…Boston, MA

Elizabeth Vargas, 48, television journalist… born Paterson, NJ

╬ POLITICS

John Dalton, chemist, developed atomic theory of matter and researched color blindness…born 1766… Eaglesfield, Cumberland, England

Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt, a Canadian founding father…born 1817… Chelsea, England

James Melville Gilliss, founded Naval Observatory in Washington…born 1811…Georgetown, Washington DC

Marquis de Lafayette (Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier), American patriot, French revolutionary…born 1757… Paris, France

╬ SCIENCE & RELIGION

Heinrich Melchior Muhlenberg, founder of US Lutheran church…born 1711… Hanover,Germany

Susumu Tonegawa, 71, Nobel Prize-winning molecular biologist [1987]: discovered how the body can defend itself against millions of different diseases it has never before encountered…born Nagoya, Japan

¤ Today’s Obituaries ¤

Tom Fogerty, American singer (CCR), aids @ 49 in 1990

Pres William McKinley assassinated by Leon Czologosz @ 58 in 1901

Margaret Sanger, American birth control activist @ 87 in 1966

Ernest Tubb, singer (Grand Ole Opry), @ 70 in 1984

¤ Today’s Events ¤

╬ THE ARTS

1958 Actor Steve McQueen starred on the CBS-TV series, Wanted: Dead or Alive.

╬ ATHLETICS

1920 1st radio broadcast of a prizefight

1920 The first prizefight broadcast on radio featured Jack Dempsey knocking out Billy Miske in the third round of a bout in Benton Harbor, MI.

1963 Major league baseball’s 100,000th game

╬ BUSINESS & EDUCATION

1819 Thomas Blanchard of Springfield, MA patented a machine called the lathe. Blanchard said it was invented for the manufacturing of gun stocks. His lathe did the work of 13 operators.

1869 1st westbound train arrives in SF

1899 Carnation processes its 1st can of evaporated milk

╬ INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

1689 Two hundred Indian survivors of King Philip's War have found refuge with the local Indians around Cochecho (modern Dover), New Hampshire.

1861 A Yamparika Chief and another Comanche sign a treaty with Union representative at Fort Wise, Colorado (near Lamar, CO).

╬ POLITICS (US)

1628 Puritans land at Salem, from Mass Bay Colony

1839 Great fire in NY

1853 Women's Rights Convention met (NYC)

1876 Race riot in Charleston SC

╬ POLITICS (International)

1620 Pilgrims set sail from Plymouth England to the New World

1941 All Jews over age 6 in German territories ordered to wear a star

1948 Juliana becomes queen of the Netherlands

1997 The Westminster Abbey funeral for Diana, Princess of Wales

╬ SCIENCE & RELIGION

1909 Word received, Adm Peary discovers North Pole 5 months earlier

GREY MATTER ANSWERS

↔ 1

$100-In 1935 Kreuger's Cream Ale was the first beer sold in these: What are cans?

$200-Never swallowing, they sip, swish, gargle, then spit out what they sample: Who are wine tasters?

$300-This 19th century Philadelphia distiller's name became slang for liquor: Who was Booze? (Philadelphia distiller E.G. Booze)

$400-Derived from Hindu word for "5", describing number of ingredients mixed in a large bowl: What is punch?

$500-C2H5OH: What is alcohol—the drinking kind?

↔ 2

Neither. If he doesn't say anything.

↔ PICTURE

A honey (bear) bottle

TODAY’S NATIONAL PARK PHOTO SHOTS

Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, 22nd National Park since May 25, 1926: With 365 miles (587 km) of passageways mapped, Mammoth Cave is by far the longest cave system in the world. Cave animals include five bat species, the Kentucky cave shrimp, cave fish, and cave salamanders. Above ground there are rivers, hiking trails, sinkholes, and springs.

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Sunday Sept 5

This is Week 36 of 2010►Day 248 with 117 days left.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

The county fair started out hot, but cooled off as the clouds came in. On the main stage I saw the Flagstaff Community Band. What a group…they played a lot of Sousa and put everyone in the fair mood. The Southwest Skye Pipe and Drum Band performed. They too were great. This year, many wore different kilts instead of the band kilt. That was nice as they also told a little about each tartan. I wandered through the booths, the exhibits, and the food area. I didn’t eat breakfast, so figured I would chow down on some fair food. I surprised myself when I discovered that none of the greasy food appealed to me. I think it was just too hot. The food booths did do quite a business and all had lines. The demo building had the same ol’ same ol’ fair stuff. It all looks like something one might need one day. I was being very frugal and while I enjoyed the walk through but I didn’t get sucked into any of their sales pitches. I was surprised by the political booths—it is an election year, after all. The Dem booth and the Rep booth were across from each other on one of the aisles. At the end of that aisle, in a corner booth, was the Tea Party. Of course all three were decorated with red, white, and blue everything. I didn’t see any of the candidates, which was the surprise of the day. None of the booths had individual candidate information, but all had register-to-vote forms. I know it is considered an off year because we aren’t electing a President. It is bothersome that voter turnout is expected to be low. Don’t citizens realize that this election is just as important? In AZ we are electing a governor, the entire legislature, one of our senators and our US Congressperson. These offices, in many cases, do more to shape our country than the President.

Our non-elected Governor has finally informed the voters and the rest of the country that no one has been beheaded in AZ. In her apology she said while it hasn’t happened in AZ, it could. With that logic, the pirates off the coast of Somalia could arrive in AZ. I find it so unfortunate that her comment, made back in April, is just now getting corrected. Her beheading comment made international news. I don’t think her apology will do that. In my pre-retirement days, I would hear strange or scary stories about other countries and many would stick in my mind. Now that I have traveled outside the US, I read every news item from a country I have visited. I quickly learned that many of these stories are just a sensational isolated news story that does not represent the majority of the country. I hope people outside the US realize that the US is a great place to visit, a great place to live, and that we are not all crazies. Any politician who makes such a false incendiary comment, that people are being beheaded in their state, should not be running for public office. It is like yelling ‘fire’ in a crowded theater. Jan has also announced that she will not participate in any more public debates before the election. She seldom answers press questions following any of her appearances. Amazing that she is still ahead in the polls. Hopefully things will change while I am traveling.

Flag…H—82°; L—46°; Relative Humidity (RL)—35%; and only a breeze of 3mph—quite warm with that much humiditiy, but the afternoon clouds, though not giving us any moisture, made it great day to go to the fair.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY

Bunker Hunt: To be successful, you must decide exactly what you want to accomplish, then resolve to pay the price to get it.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1960 Cassius Clay captures the Olympic light heavyweight gold medal in Rome

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION about Billards

▬Billiards evolved from a lawn game similar to croquet played sometime during the 15th century in Northern Europe (probably in France).

▬The term “poolroom” now means a place where billiards is played, but in the 19th century a poolroom was a betting parlor for horse racing. Billiard tables were installed so patrons could pass the time between races.

▬The term “scratch”, as applied to a pocketing of the cue ball, was derived from the penalty assessed for such a foul.

▬In pool’s early days, the score was often kept on a chalkboard. When a player pocketed the cue ball, his opponent “scratched” a point off the shooter’s score.

▬In 1765 A.D., the first billiard room was built in England. Played there was One-Pocket, which was a table with one pocket and four balls.

▬Captain Mingaud, the inventor of the leather cue tip, was imprisoned for political reasons during the French Revolution. With the help of a fellow prisoner, he was able to have a billiard table installed in his cell, and was able to devise his invention.

▬The word “cue” is derived from the French queue, meaning tail. Before the cue stick was designed, billiards was played with a mace. The mace consisted of a curved wooden (or metal) head used to push the ball forward, attached to a narrow handle. Since the bulkiness of the mace head made shots along the rail difficult, it was often turned around and the “tail” end was used.

GREY MATTER PUZZLE 1—Jeopardy Answers

$200- Last season, this series mourned the loss of Sgt. Esterhaus

$400- He went from the Ponderosa to the prairie

$600- I n 1970 he had a "Goodtime Hour"

$800- Jackie Gleason show that rejected titles "The Lovers" & "The Couple Next Door"

$1000- In court, he'd always make mincemeat of Hamilton Burger

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM

LINCOLN, England - A British man who posed as homeless and earned up to $36,038 per year while collecting government benefits was sentenced to pay a $154 fine. Daniel Terry, 31, who received $123 in weekly government assistance, pleaded guilty to a charge of begging after admitting to using a sleeping bag and a blanket to imply to passersby in Lincoln, England, that he was homeless, the Daily Mail reported. Terry, who was arrested last month during a crackdown on area vagrancy, was found to not be homeless and admitted to police that he collected up to $77 on a weekday and up to $154 per day on weekends. A spokesman for the Tax Payers Alliance called the $154 fine a "disgrace" and described Terry as a "charlatan" who was "earning more money begging than many taxpayers do from honest, hard-work."

A LITTLE LAUGH

Two political candidates were having a hot debate. Finally, one of them jumped up and yelled at the other ,"What about the powerful interest that controls you?"

And the other guy screamed back, "You leave my wife out of this!"

GREY MATTER PUZZLE 2--Riddle

What is the question you can ask all day, and no matter what the answers are, they would still be correct?

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

Cute Wizard of Oz song: Click Here..It is worth it!

GREY MATTER PICTURE

This is a close up of what object?

SOME CALENDAR INFORMATION

¤ Weekly Observances ¤

1-8: Self-University Week and International Enthusiasm Week

5-11: National Waffle Week AND Suicide Prevention Week AND National Payroll Week

¤ Today’s Observances ¤

Be Late For Something Day

Oatmeal Day

India: Teachers' Day

Iran: Iman Ali Day: First Sunnie Iman

¤ Hit Songs on this date ¤

1904...Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis...Billy Murray

1914...By the Beautiful Sea...Heidelberg Quintet [Disney Version: Click Here to See It ! ]

1944...Swinging on a Star...Bing Crosby Hear it Here!

1954...Sh-Boom...The Crew-Cuts

1964...The House of the Rising Sun...The Animals

1974... (You're) Having My Baby...Paul Anka with Odia Coates

1984...What's Love Got to Do with It...Tina Turner Hear it Here!

¤ Today’s Births ¤

╬ THE ARTS

Carol Lawrence, 75, singer, actress (West Side Story), born Carol Maria Laraia at Melrose Park, IL

Bob Newhart, 81, comedian (“The Bob Newhart Show,” “Newhart”), born Chicago, IL

Freddie Mercury (Farrokh Bulsara), rock vocalist (Queen-We are the Champions Hear It Here!) …born 1946… Stone Town, Zanzibar

John Stewart , rocker (Kingston Trio-Fire in the Wind) …born 1939…San Diego Ca

Dweezil Zappa, 41, rocker/son of Frank Zappa/MTV VJ…born Los Angeles, CA

Darryl F Zanuck, Hollywood producer & motion picture executive…born 1902…Wahoo, NE

♦♦♦♦♦♦

William Devane, 71, actor (“24,” “Knots Landing”), born Albany, NY

Rose McGowan, 37, actress (Jawbreaker, “Charmed”), born Florence, Italy

Raquel Welch, 68, actress (The Three Musketeers, Woman of the Year), model, born Chicago, IL

╬ ATHLETICS

Julius Keye, basketball: ABA Denver Rockets…born 1946… Toccoa, Georgia

╬ BUSINESS & EDUCATION

Jesse James, outlaw…born 1847…Clay County, MO

Arthur C Nielsen, market researcher (TV's Nielsen's Ratings) …born 1897…Chicago, IL

Jack Valenti, Pres of Motion Picture Assn of America…born 1921…Houston, TX

╬ POLITICS

Louis XIV the great, king of France (1643-1715) …born 1638… Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France

Paul Volcker, 83, Federal Reserve chairman…born Cape May, NJ

╬ SCIENCE & RELIGION

Francisco Javier Errázuriz Ossa, 77, Chilien Catholic archbishop…born Santiago, Chile

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, rocket scientist and inventor…born 1857… Izhevskoye, Ryazan Province, Russia

¤ Today’s Obituaries ¤

Mother Teresa (Agnes Gonxhe Bojaxhiu), Albanian-born missionary and humanitarian, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize @ 87 in 1997

D. James Kennedy, American televangelist @ 76 in 2007

Gisele MacKenzie, Canadian-born singer, cancer @ 76 in 2003

Crazy Horse (Tȟašúŋke Witkó--"His-Horse-Is-Crazy" or "His-Horse-Is-Spirited"), Lakota (Sioux) chief stabbed while in custody @ 28 in 1877

¤ Today’s Events ¤

╬ THE ARTS

1958 Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak published in the US

╬ ATHLETICS

1906 1st legal forward pass (Brandbury Robinson to Jack Schneider)

1918 Due to WW I, 15th World Series begins a month early

1972 11 Israeli athletes are slain at Munich Olympics

╬ BUSINESS & EDUCATION

1885 1st gasoline pump is delivered to a gasoline dealer (Ft Wayne, Ind)

╬ INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

1785 Georgians continue to trespass on Creek lands. Chief Alexander McGillivray writes Congress demanding that they protect his people from the settlers which previous treaties has promised.

1814 Today sees the start of the two day battle of Credit Island, near present day Davenport, Iowa

╬ POLITICS (US)

1774 1st Continental Congress assembles, in Philadelphia

1836 Sam Houston elected president of the Republic of Texas

1882 The first Labor Day holiday parade was held in New York City

1975 Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme attempts to assassinate Ford in Sacramento

╬ POLITICS (International)

1978 Sadat, Begin & Carter began peace conference at Camp David, Md

╬ SCIENCE & RELIGION

1953 1st privately operated atomic reactor-Raleigh NC

GREY MATTER ANSWERS

↔ 1

This series mourned the loss of Sgt. Esterhaus: What is Hill Street Blues?

He went from the Ponderosa to the prairie: Who is Michael Landon?

In 1970 he had a "Goodtime Hour": Who is Glenn Campbell?

Jackie Gleason show that rejected titles "The Lovers" & "The Couple Next Door": What is The Honeymooners?

In court, he'd always make mincemeat of Hamilton Burger: Who is Perry Mason?

↔ 2

What time is it?

↔ PICTURE

A suit of armor

TODAY’S NATIONAL PARK PHOTO SHOTS

Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, 21st National Park since date May 22, 1926: Shenandoah's Blue Ridge Mountains are covered by hardwood forests that are home to tens of thousands of animals. The Skyline Drive andAppalachian Trail run the entire length of this narrow park that has more than 500 miles (800 km) of hiking trails along scenic overlooks and waterfalls of the Shenandoah River.

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Saturday Sept. 4

This is Week 35 of 2010►Day 247 with 118 days left.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

So much to do before I leave, so little time. The joy of travel. I finally got in contact with my bank and found that my ATM, VISA and MC all work on my trip. Good news and I asked them to verify that they would work. I guess the info I got earlier was wrong. Good news for me. I also charged all the electronic stuff. I know I will need to recharge on the trip, but want to start out charged up. I am going to start a campaign when I get back. All electronics need to have a universal charging system. My camcorder, camera, laptop, iPod, and phone all use a different cord. The cords take up more room than necessary in a tightly packed suit case. I thought about taking a power strip so I could charge everything at night, but that really takes up way too much room. Of course, each country we visit has a different plug. Just crazy.

My talks-to-herself neighbor finally got her hot tub hooked up and running today. She is a tiny person and appears to have scoliosis or some other problem that makes it hard for her to walk a straight line. She is going to have quite a time taking the lid off the hot tub. My upstairs window looks right down on her tub. She had quite a time while the installer was showing her how to use the tub. It sure is impressive and I hope she gets a lot of use out of it. I was cleaning my bedroom and am not a peeping Tom. My bedroom window was open and their voices really carried.

The city council finally voted on the selling of drinking water to a ski lodge in our high desert town. By a 5-2 vote they decided not to sell drinking water to make snow. Good for them. Our mayor voted to sell the drinking water, and I can only say that she just doesn’t get it. Oh well, it means I was correct in believing this vote would not be the end of the water issue. The lawsuit against the ski area for putting reclaimed water on the sacred peaks is still in court. So no machine made snow next season for sure. Right now only golf courses can use reclaimed water on their turf. Lot of letters are appearing in the paper with homeowners wanting to use reclaimed water on their turf. That’s the water that is not drinkable and may contain higher than safe amounts of various contaminants, including flushed prescriptions. We’ll see where that goes.

I’m headed to the County Fair tomorrow. Always an interesting and enjoyable time. The bagpipers will be playing, lots of politicians will be at their booths, some free stuff, and lots of carnival food. I’ll probably see lots of Rez friends around too. Weather forecast is good.

Flag…H—81°; L—44°; Relative Humidity (RL)—17%; and only a breeze of 5mph—a really nice day.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY

William McDougall, from The Group Mind, printed in 1920: It is well recognized that almost any emotional excitement increases the suggestibility of the individual, though the explanation of the fact remains obscure.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1864 Bread riots in Mobile, Alabama

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION on Spiders

§The Goliath Birdeater Tarantula from South America has been known to be 10-11 inches wide. Even though it is so big, the Goliath Birdeater Tarantula is not dangerous to humans.

§The majority of spiders will only live for a year or two. However, some tarantulas can live to be 30 years old.

§The spitting spider, a small spider that could be living in your basement, can catch it's prey (such as a fly) through spitting. It sends a gummy glue-like substance in a zig-zag pattern to trap its prey like strapping tape. There are over 150 species of spitting spiders.

§While many spiders only lay a few eggs, some spiders can lay up to 2,000 eggs. The wolf spider will carry her young on her back for a few days.

§In the 1970's, P.N. Witt, a spiderologist and other scientists sent spiders into space on Skylab to see how spiders would build their webs without any gravity. Even though they had complete weighlessness (zero gravity), the spiders still built normal webs.

GREY MATTER PUZZLE 1—Jeopardy Answers: 1789

-Washington proclaimed Nov. 26, 1789 this first national holiday

-Why April 28th was a bad day for Capt. Bligh

-Now totaling over $1 trillion, it began 11 days after Treasury was established in 1789

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM

AURORA, OR -- A small plane crashed into a house near the Aurora Airport Friday afternoon and the pilot walked away with minor injuries.

Marion County deputies said 70-year-old George Bahrman was doing touch and go landings at the Aurora Airport when the plane veered off course and crashed into the mobile home on 14071 N. Cessna Street just after noon.

Bahrman was able to climb up on the roof and was taken to a local hospital, but should be fine, deputies said. He was listed in serious condition at OHSU. No one else was aboard. A small fire broke out, but was soon put out by emergency crews The Federal Aviation Administration said they sent investigators to the scene.

Homeowner Sally Jones said she came outside just before the crash and eventually turned around to find the conscious, but dazed pilot sitting on top of her garage. She was not injured. Her 18-year-old dog also escaped injury.

"I had just checked on my little dog, she was OK, sleeping on the couch on the side of the house," Jones said, "I went out my door and closed it and then I was on the ground ... bang!"

"It blew me off the porch and on the ground," she said.

A LITTLE LAUGH

The problem - There's a box with a hole at each end and there's a rabbit in the box. The rabbit sticks his head out of the hole in one end, and a minute later he sticks it out the other end. Half a minute later, his head appears at the opposite end, a fourth of a minute later it appears at the end opposite to that one, an eighth of a minute later... etc., etc.

How long will it take before the rabbit sticks its head out of both ends of the box at the same time?

In theory, two minutes. In practice, no answer is possible unless you split hares.

GREY MATTER PUZZLE 2--Riddle

A woman walks into a cafe. She goes to the cashier and asks for a glass of water. The man pulls out a gun. A few moments later she thanked him and left. What happened?

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

Mutiny on the Bounty 1935 movie trailer: Click Here to View!

GREY MATTER PICTURE

This is a close up of what object?

SOME CALENDAR INFORMATION

¤ Weekly Observances ¤

-9/4: Minority Enterprise Development Week

1-8: Self-University Week and International Enthusiasm Week

¤ Today’s Observances ¤

Newspaper Carrier Day

Vatican City: Triumph of the Cross

Lutherns: Commemoration of Albert Schweitzer, missionary

Argentina: Immigrant's Day: to honor all immigrants who have made Argentina what it is today.

¤ Hit Songs on this date ¤

1913...When Irish Eyes Are Smiling...Chauncey Olcott

1923...Swingin' Down the Lane...Isham Jones

1943...In the Blue of Evening...Tommy Dorsey

1953...Vaya con Dios (May God Be with You) ...Les Paul & Mary Ford

1964...The House of the Rising Sun...The Animals http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmdPQp6Jcdk

1974... (You're) Having My Baby...Paul Anka with Odia Coates

¤ Today’s Births ¤

╬ THE ARTS

Beyoncé Knowles, 29, singer, actress (Dreamgirls, Austin Powers in Goldmember), born Houston, TX

Richard Wright, US, author (Native Son, Uncle Tom's Children) …born 1908…Roxi, MI

♦♦♦♦♦♦

Damon Wayans, 50, actor, comedian (“In Living Color”), born New York, NY

╬ ATHLETICS

Ken (Kenneth Smith) Harrelson, 69, ‘Hawk’: baseball: Athletics, Senators, Red Sox, Indians; baseball broadcaster: WSBK-TV, Boston; GM: White Sox…born Woodruff, SC

Michael Joseph (Mike) Piazza, 42, former baseball player (Dodgers, Marlins, Padres, Mets, Athletics), born Norristown, PA

Tom Watson, 61, PGA golfer…born KC Mo

╬ BUSINESS & EDUCATION

Daniel Burnham, architect: Railway Exchange Building [Chicago, one of the 1st skyscrapers in U.S.] …born 1846…Henderson, NY

Paul Harvey, news commentator (The rest of the story) …born 1918… Tulsa OK

╬ POLITICS

Thomas Eagleton, (Sen-D-Mo, Dem VP candidate 1972) …born 1929… St. Louis, MO

Sarah Childress Polk, 1st lady…born 1803…Murfreesboro, TN

╬ SCIENCE & RELIGION

Nyota Uhura, communications officer (Star Trek) …born 2179…Nairobi Kenya

Marcus Whitman, missionary, led to US securing Oregon…born 1802…Federal Hollow, NY

¤ Today’s Obituaries ¤

Irene Dunne, actress (5 oscars), heart failure @ 91 in 1990

Albert Schweitzer, humanitarian @ 90 in 1965

Walter Tetley, voice (Sherman-Bullwinkle Show), 5 yrs after serious motorcycle accident @ 60 in 1975

Dottie West, country singer, car crash @ 58 in 1991

¤ Today’s Events ¤

╬ THE ARTS

--

╬ ATHLETICS

1966 Houston Oilers holds Denver Broncos to no 1st downs winning 45-7

1972 US swimmer Mark Spitz becomes 1st athlete to win 7 olympic gold medals

1988 Phoenix Cardinals play 1st regular-season NFL game

╬ BUSINESS & EDUCATION

1781 Los Angeles founded in Bahia de las Fumas by 44 settlers, (Valley of Smokes)

1833 1st newsboy hired (Barney Flaherty-NY Sun)

1864 Bread riots in Mobile, Alabama

1866 1st Hawaiian daily newspaper published

1885 1st cafeteria opens (NYC)

1888 George Eastman patents 1st roll-film camera & registers "Kodak"

[Both the Kodak camera and the name were the invention of founder George Eastman. The letter "K" was a favorite with Eastman; he felt it a strong and incisive letter. He tried out various combinations of words starting and ending with "K". He saw three advantages in the name. It had the merits of a trademark word, would not be mis-pronounced and the name did not resemble anything in the art. There is a misconception that the name was chosen because of its similarity to the sound produced by the shutter of the camera.]

1951 NBC extends to become a 61 station coast-to-coast network

1957 Ford Motor Co introduces the Edsel

╬ INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

1863 The Concow-Maidu had ancestral homes in the Butte County area of northern California. They were forced to move to different lands. One group of 461 Concows leaves Chico, but only 277 will survive the two-week trip to Round Valley

1886 Geronimo is captured, ending last major US-Indian war

╬ POLITICS (US)

1945 US regains possession of Wake Island from Japan

1950 1st helicopter rescue of American pilot behind enemy lines

╬ POLITICS (International)

 626 Li Shimin, posthumously known as Emperor Taizong of Tang, assumes the throne over the Tang Dynasty of China.

1609 Navigator Henry Hudson discovers island of Manhattan

1884 The United Kingdom ends its policy of penal transportation to New South Wales in Australia.

1964 Scotland's Forth Road Bridge over the "Firth of Forth"  near Edinburgh officially opens.

╬ SCIENCE & RELIGION

1956 The IBM RAMAC 305 is introduced, the first commercial computer to use magnetic disk storage.

1998 Google is founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, two students at Stanford University.

GREY MATTER ANSWERS

↔ 1

Washington proclaimed Nov. 26, 1789 this first national holiday: What is Thanksgiving?

Why April 28th was a bad day for Capt. Bligh: What is Mutiny on the Bounty?

Now totaling over $1 trillion, it began 11 days after Treasury was established in 1789: What is the National Debt?

↔ 2

The man pulled out a gun to scare her so her hiccups would go away. She got the glass of water to try and get rid of her hiccups.

↔ PICTURE

A milk can

TODAY’S NATIONAL PARK PHOTO SHOTS

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina, 20th National Park since May 22, 1926: The Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Appalachian Mountains, have a wide range of elevations, making them home to over 400 vertebrate species, 100 tree species, and 5000 plant species. Hiking is the park's main attraction, with over 800 miles (1,300 km) of trails, including 70 miles (110 km) of the Appalachian Trail. Other activities are fishing, horseback riding, and visiting some of nearly 80 historic structures.

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