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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