Saturday, October 30

This is Week 43 of 2010►Day 303 with 62 days left.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

OK, so I slept with a monitor on my finger all night. Results: my breathing and pulse slows down when I am sleeping. The doctor said I am within the normal range, so we simply await the results from a blood test I took last week. That will determine if I need to do a sleep apnea test. The test I took last night was inconclusive regarding that issue. Slower than normal range would have said apnea, but since they were in the normal range, it didn’t decide. I guess that is good.

About a week ago France was put on a terror alert possibly because of their proposed law to outlaw the burqa. At about the same time the TSA announced that they were changing their pat down rules, which began today. The new pat down means that if a passenger is ‘lucky’ enough to ‘selected’ for a pat down, the TSA will now pat down with their open palm. Previously they were using the back of their open hand. [Sidenote: I had one of the old pat downs in Chicago a couple of years ago. I found that overly intrusive. My pat down, because I changed my flight after the airport closed due to weather, had the TSA guy taking his hands way to high into my crotch. Now those hands will be with the palm side instead of the back of the hand. ] Then late last night all the news stations broke into programming to tell us of a ‘credible threat’ with cargo planes coming into the US. Throughout the entire day we learned that terrorists had put ‘at least’ two potential remote controlled bombs on cargo flights from Yemen to the US. The two packages were being sent to Jewish Synagogues in Chicago.

First of all, where the heck is Yemen and what are they doing with terrorists? Yemen used to be a huge civilization. Now it is 23 ½ million people with a median age of 17.9 years old. The Ancient Greeks called the Yemen region “fortunate Arabia” or “happy Arabia” because of their mild climate, adequate rainfall, and their spice trade—including frankincense and myrrh. They were a wealthy and prosperous Semite area. Over the centuries they never united and were conquered by various groups, with the British coming in during the 19th century. Basically a civil war in 1994 united several groups. Since then they have had radical groups trying to un-unite the country. While the government of Yemen is pro-West, it is a very weak government. I learned today that the US has done an unknown number of ‘drone attacks’ from ships off the Yemen coast which are aimed at destroying terrorists. We know that innocents are always going to be injured or killed in these attacks.

Looking at a map, Yemen is closer to the US than Dubai. For some reason cargo planes go from Yemen to Dubai then to the US or Europe. I get ‘globalization’ and I get that UPS, FedEx, and others have planes coming from all over the world to the US and Europe. Just never really thought about very much. But I guess this is another downside to globalization.

I am very glad that our government is working so hard to stop attacks from radical terrorists. Since the 9-11 attacks we have stopped many attacks, and today seems to be another success story. I am slowly, very slowly, beginning to realize that we will have to stay vigilant for a very long time. While I am not looking forward to more security, more hassles when I fly, I will continue to fly, probably continue to bitch about the hassle, but might feel a little safer knowing that people are out there who are trying to stop terrorists. We are now paying the price of our forefathers in this country and our friend’s forefathers who thought that they should colonize other people and try to make them just like us. It was wrong then, it is wrong today. Those conquered people have not forgotten what happened in the ancient past, the modern past and even the present. It doesn’t look like they will get amnesia anytime soon.

Flag was windy again today. The birds continue to clean out the feeder during the day. They hide out during the windy parts of the day, but return as soon as the wind subsides and chow down like it could be their last meal.

Flag…H—67°; L—38°; RH—54%; and 25mph wind gusts most of the afternoon.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY—General Sir Archibald Wavell

The elementary principle of all deception is to attract the enemy's attention to what you wish him to see and to distract his attention from what you so not wish him to see.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1925 If you put everything into it except the kitchen sink, you’d have the TV transmitter that beamed TV to London for the first time. To build the transmitter, John Baird used a tea chest, a biscuit box, darning needles, piano wire, motorcycle lamp lenses, old electric motors, cardboard scanning discs and glue, string and sealing wax.

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—Eyes

→The muscle that lets your eye blink is the fastest muscle in your body - it allows you to blink five times a second.

→On average, people blink 15,000 times a day. That’s about 10 times per minute, or more than five million times a year.

→Women blink more than men.

→Jean-Dominique Bauby, a French journalist suffering from “locked-in” syndrome, wrote the book “The Driving Bell and the Butterfly” by blinking his left eyelid – the only part of his body that could move.

→Some bird species, usually flightless birds, have only a lower eyelid, whereas pigeons use upper and lower lids to blink. Fish and insects do not have eyelids – their eyes are protected by a hardened lens.

→Carrots really do help your eyes. Vitamin A is known to prevent “night blindness,” and carrots are loaded with Vitamin A.

→Carrots were first cultivated in 500 BC in the Mediterranean regions. The first carrots were purple, white, and yellow. They were introduced in Europe in the 1600s.

GREY MATTER PUZZLE 1—Jeopardy Answers (1984 games) Numbers Please

$100-An unlucky Friday or a baker's dozen

$200-Number of stars on American flag raised at Iwo Jima

$300-Square inches in a square foot

$400-Total of trombones & cornets in "The Music Man" tune

$500-Age range of an octogenarian

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — Two suspects face multiple charges after North Carolina police said they left notes thanking the homeowners for the $5,000 worth of electronics gear and food they stole. Fayetteville police spokesman Dan Grubb said Friday the pair left one note on a white paper napkin saying simply, "Thanks." Grubb said a second message etched into a wall Wednesday morning said the same thing, and added: "We love the stuff we got."

Police charged Dajuan Marquis Avant and Darrell Sturdivant Jr. with breaking and entering, larceny, and other charges.

Both 19-year-olds are from Fayetteville. It was not known if either had an attorney.

The homeowners told The Fayetteville Observer the stolen loot included a box of corn dogs, frozen chicken and beer.

A LITTLE LAUGH

A collector of rare books ran into an acquaintance who told him he had just thrown away an old Bible that he found in a dusty, old box. He happened to mention that Guten-somebody-or-other had printed it.

"Not Gutenberg?" gasped the collector.

"Yes, that was it!"

"You idiot! You've thrown away one of the first books ever printed. A copy recently sold at auction for half a million dollars!"

"Oh, I don't think this book would have been worth anything close to that much," replied the man. "It was scribbled all over in the margins by some clown named Martin Luther."

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

Sound of Music is 45 years old: Here is the original Edelweiss: Click Here to View!

And here is the theme song: Click Here to View!

And who can forget this one: Click Here to View!

GREY MATTER PICTURE

This is a close up of what object?

SOME CALENDAR INFORMATION

¤ Weekly Observances ¤

24-31: Disarmament Week ^ Give Wildlife a Break Week ^ Pastoral Care Week ^ Peace, Friendship and Good Will Week ^ Prescription Errors Education & Awareness Week ^ International Magic Week ^ National Respiratory Care Week

27-11/3: World Hearing Aid Awareness Week

¤ Today’s Observances ¤

National Candy Corn Day

Checklist Day

Recreate A Great Funeral Day

Devil's Night

Haunted Refrigerator Night

National Forgiveness Day

International Bandanna Day

Former Soviet republics, except Ukraine: Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Political Repressions

¤ Hit Songs on this date ¤

1897...There's a Little Star Shining for You / Dan Quinn (original not available)

1907...Harrigan / Billy Murray Click Here to View!

1917...Over There / Peerless Quartet Click Here to View!

1927...Charmaine! / Guy Lombardo (original not available)

1937...You Can't Stop Me from Dreaming / Teddy Wilson (original not available)

1947…Near You / Francis Craig Click Here to View!

1957…Treat Me Nice / Elvis Presley Click Here to View!

1967…To Sir, with Love / Lulu Click Here to View!

1977…You Light Up My Life / Debby Boone Click Here to View!

1987…Bad / Michael Jackson Click Here to View!

¤ Today’s Births ¤

╬ THE ARTS

Feodor Mikhailovich Dostoevski, Russian novelist & short-story writer, born in 1821

Ezra Pound, poet (Cantos), born in 1885

Grace Slick, 71, singer (Jefferson Airplane)

♦♦actors♦♦

Ruth Gordon, actress (Rosemary's Baby, Harold & Maude), born in 1896

Dick Gautier, 73, actor (Bye Bye Birdie, “Here We Go Again”)

Harry Hamlin, 59, actor (“LA Law,” “Studs Lonigan”)

Henry Winkler, 65, actor (“Happy Days”), director, children’s author

╬ ATHLETICS

Charles Atlas (Angelo Siciliano), 97 lb weakling to body builder, born in 1893

Robert A. Caro, 75, author (three-volume biography of Lyndon B. Johnson)

Diego Armando Maradona, 50, former soccer player

Dick Vermeil, 74, football coach (Rams, Bruins, Chiefs, Eagles)

Ted Williams, baseball hitter (AL MVP '46, '49; Trip Crown '42, '47), born in 1918

╬ BUSINESS & EDUCATION

Fred Friendly, broadcast journalist; TV producer: CBS, PBS, born in 1915

╬ POLITICS

John Adams, 2nd pres (1797-1801), born in 1735

Francisco Madero, Mexican revolutionary, president (1911-13), born in 1873

╬ SCIENCE & RELIGION

Robert Lee Gibson, 64, USN/ast (STS 41B, 61C, 27), astronaut

¤ Today’s Obituaries ¤

Henry Dunant, Swiss founder of the Red Cross, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize @ 82 in 1910

Robert Goulet, American entertainer @ 74 in 20007

Kirby Grant Hoon Jr., actor (Sky King), auto accident @ 74, in 1985

William Shea (Shea Stadium namesake), @ 84 in 1991

Washoe, 1st chimpanzee trained in American Sign Language @ 42 in 2007

¤ Today’s Events ¤

╬ THE ARTS

1938 Orson Welles panics a nation with broadcast of "War of the Worlds"

1972 A command performance was given for the Queen of England by Elton John.

╬ ATHLETICS

1919 Baseball league presidents call for abolishment of the spitball

╬ BUSINESS & EDUCATION

1888 1st ballpoint pen patented

╬ INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

1763 Pontiac will inform Major Henry Gladwin, Commander at Fort Detroit, that he wants peace, and to end the fighting.

1804 The Mandans like Lewis & Clark's men's dancing.

╬ POLITICS (US)

1864 Helena, Montana's capital, founded

1945 US government announces end of shoe rationing

1954 Defense Department announces elimination of all segregated regiments

╬ POLITICS (International)

1953 Gen. George C. Marshall won the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his contributions to the economic rehabilitation of Europe after WWII, the so-called Marshall Plan.

1961 Soviet Party Congress unanimously approves a resolution removing Josef Stalin's body from Lenin's tomb in Red Square

╬ SCIENCE & RELIGION

1952 Dr. Albert Schweitzer, missionary surgeon and founder of Lambaréné leper Hospital in République du Gabon, won the Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work. Schweitzer donated his prize to the hospital.

1986 Discover magazine reported that almost 43 million tons of dust settle on the United States each year.

GREY MATTER ANSWERS

↔ 1 Jeopardy

$100-An unlucky Friday or a baker's dozen: What is 13?

$200-Number of stars on American flag raised at Iwo Jima: What is 48?

$300-Square inches in a square foot: What is 144?

$400-Total of trombones & cornets in "The Music Man" tune: What is 186? (76 +110)

$500-Age range of an octogenarian: What is 80-89?

↔ PICTURE

credit card scanner

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