Flagstaff Weather:
Experience is what you get when you do not get what you want.
FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
I woke up this morning to about 2” of snow and it snowed on and off all day. Guess it’s time to get ready for winter. While we were in the 20’s most of the day, the wind chill was in the low teens. We need the moisture so this is a nice way to get it. It snows, most of it melts, it snows again. Gotta love Flagstaff.
I watched a Public TV special fund raiser today…Paul Stoockey and Peter Yarrow and others. It wasn’t the same as PP&M but was very enjoyable. They are still putting out good music, just using a variety of female singers. I’m a fan of folk music so I enjoyed it.
Broncos lost today, so I’m glad I didn’t get to see it. The Cards play tomorrow.
I did a about 4 loads of laundry today, so I’m caught up for a little while. Not a lot to do with all the snow. Even the birds were staying undercover today. They stopped by a couple of times, when the wind died down, but sure didn’t stay very long. I guess I only feed the smart birds.
Today is my friend Bob’s 80th birthday. He is having a big party up in Loveland, CO. I’ll call him tomorrow when things calm down a little. I forgot to call this morning, before the festivities began. I know he had a great day.
I need to learn more about how the US got involved in private contracting for the various war efforts. Our volunteer military has been sent to foreign countries to fight against locals. Much of the training of the military and police in these countries were being trained by private contractors. The National Police force is currently about 80% illiterate and about 25% are getting high while on duty and while being trained. Recent figures show that they make more money through bribes than they do as police officers. So many times, especially in third world countries, bribes are a way of life and getting a government job is the best way to get more bribes. Watching some training videos on 60 minutes reminded me of Asian culture. So many times the polite Asians will nod ‘yes’, say ‘yes’ and agree with Westerners just to avoid conflict. Once the Westerner has moved on, the Asian will continue to do whatever they were doing. It is just part of the culture. The Afghan police being trained in the video cuts had that same smile on their faces. When will we ever learn that we can’t enter a country and change the culture in less than a generation. If we learn nothing from the last decade + of war, I hope that it is soldiers fight wars and private contractors make money and little else. We need to acknowledge that many of the private contractors are really mercenaries. These contractors are doing their work for money and nothing else. Soldiers are taught that they are fighting for OUR country. We will never win a war with mercenaries because they by definition always offer their expertise to the highest bidder. It is so frustrating that our intelligence community believes in mercenaries. Our military doesn’t.
I am not a wikileaks fan. The latest ‘leaks’ simply show that what government officials say to the press and to the people is not what they say to each other. And many times it is not what they believe. It is going to take decades to rebuild any trust with many of our ‘friends’. The release is making public many of the behind the scene players in our foreign policy. It must be very difficult for our State Department personnel to find a way out of this latest release. I’m a fan of Mark Twain and agree that “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” Too many diplomats don’t believe that and it looks like they are stuck with their decision now. Diplomats now know that everything they put in writing is going to be made public someday soon. The entire diplomatic process is based on various degrees of trust. Many of our government leaders talk about the difficulty of dealing with N Korea or Iran or Cuba because we can’t trust the leadership. Ooops. Now in some cases we are the ones who can’t be trusted.
HOLY MACKEREL: 1877 Thomas Edison demonstrates the hand-cranked phonograph
∞ JEOPARDY PUZZLE—(SuperJeopardy Answers) from 1990--AFRICA
These little people who inhabit the Ituri Forest in Zaire may have been its first inhabitants
In 1962 the northern half of Ruanda-Urundi became Rwanda & the southern half became this nation
Explorers from this country claimed Mauritius in 1598 & named it for Prince Maurice of Nassau
Most of the Asians in this country live in Natal, where their ancestors worked on sugar plantations
Mozambique is a leading producer of this bean-shaped nut related to poison ivy
SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—
Just under half of the notes printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing are $1 notes. In fiscal year 2009, the exact percentage was 42.3%.
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Martha Washington is the only woman whose portrait has appeared on a U.S. currency note. It appeared on the face of the $1 Silver Certificate of 1886 and 1891, and the back of the $1 Silver Certificate of 1896.
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No portraits of African Americans have appeared on paper money, but commemorative coins were issued in the 1940s bearing the images of George Washington Carver and Booker T. Washington, followed more recently by the release of a Jackie Robinson coin.
UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM
ATHENS, GA - Police in Georgia said a man attempted to steal several deodorant sticks from a pharmacy that was struck by a similar crime a week earlier. Athens-Clarke County police said the man was caught on a security camera fleeing the store Friday with nine sticks of deodorant in four varieties stuffed into his cargo pants, the Athens Banner-Herald reported Monday. Police said the incident took place exactly one week after employees stopped a woman from stealing 12 deodorant sticks from the shelves. Police were searching for the latest thief.
A LITTLE LAUGH
After I asked for a half-pound trout fillet at my supermarket's seafood counter, the clerk picked one out of a pile and set it on the scale. It weighed precisely eight ounces.
Impressed, I asked, "How did you know?"
Looking pleased with himself, he declared, "I'm psychotic."
FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’
∞ UP CLOSE PICTURE
This is a close up of what object?
CALENDAR INFORMATION
♦ Weekly Observances ♦
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♦ Today’s Observances ♦
Square Dance Day
Cyber Monday
Electronic Greetings Day
Albania: Liberation Day (1944 from Nazi)
Liberia: President William Tubman's Birthday: Father of Modern Liberia
UN: International Day of Solidarity With The Palestinian People
♫ One Hit Wonders—1960’s ♫
Click on Song Title to see and hear the original
1964 Have I The Right? The Honeycombs (note the female drummer)
♦Today’s Births♦
ARTS
1832 Louisa May Alcott, author (Little Women)
1918 Madeleine L’Engle, author: A Wrinkle in Time
1898 C.S. (Clive Staples) Lewis, Christian novelist, columnist, author: Chronicles of Narnia, Out of the Silent Planet
Chuck Mangione, 70, musician, composer (Grammy for “Bella-via”)
Dr David Reuben, 77, writer (Everything You Wanted to Know about Sex)
Garry Shandling, 61, comedian (“The Larry Sanders Show”)
1907 Merle Travis, country singer (16 Tons)
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Don Cheadle, 46, actor (Talk to Me, Hotel Rwanda, Crash, Ocean’s Eleven)
Diane Ladd, 78, actress (Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Ramblin’ Rose), born Rose Diane Ladner
Howie Mandel, 55, actor, comedian, game show host (“Deal or No Deal”)
ATHLETICS
Don January, 81, pro golfer (1976 Vardon Trophy)
Vincent Edward (Vin) Scully, 83, sportscaster
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1818 George Brown, Canadian publisher (Toronto Globe), PM (L) (1858)
POLITICS
Jacques Rene Chirac, 78, former President of France
Janet Napolitano, 53, US Secretary of Homeland Security, former Governor of Arizona
1811 Wendell Phillips women's suffrage/antislavery/prison reformer
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1803 Christian Doppler discovered Doppler Effect (color shift)
1849 Sir Ambrose Fleming inventor (diode)
♦Today’s Obituaries♦
Ralph Bellamy, actor, @ 87 in 1991
Cary Grant, actor, @ 82 in 1986
Rav Aaron Kotler, Orthodox Talmudic scholar @ 71 in 1962
Maria Theresa, leader of Austria (last of House of Hasburg), edema @ 63 in 1780
Giacomo Puccini, Italian composer, cancer/heart attack @ 66 in 1924
Howard Pyle (Gov-AZ, 1951-55), @ 81 in 1987
Natalie Wood, actress, drowns @ 43 in 1981
♦Today’s Events♦
ARTS
1825 Rossini’s Barber of Seville was presented in New York City. It was the first Italian opera to be presented in the United States.
ATHLETICS
1962 Major-league baseball decided to return to playing only one All-Star Game a year beginning in 1963. There had been two games each year since 1959.
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1901 East 182nd Street in the Bronx is paved & opened
1933 1st state liquor stores authorized (Pennsylvania)
1967 US Secretary of Defense McNamara becomes President of the World Bank
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1691 The Abenaki sign a peace treaty with the British and agree to keep the British aware of the movements of the French in the area.
1864 Colorado militia kills 150 peaceful Cheyenne Indians
POLITICS (US)
1887 US receives rights to Pearl Harbor, on Oahu, Hawaii
POLITICS (International)
1952 President-elect Eisenhower visits Korea to assess the war
1994 The city of Seoul celebrated its 600th anniversary as the capital of Korea.
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1950 National Council of the Church of Christ in US established
1961 Mercury-Atlas 5 carries a chimp (Enos) to orbit
1964 Roman Catholic Church in US replaces Latin with English
ANSWERS
∞ JEOPARDY
These little people who inhabit the Ituri Forest in Zaire may have been its first inhabitants
Who are the Pygmy?
In 1962 the northern half of Ruanda-Urundi became Rwanda & the southern half became this nation
What is Burundi?
Explorers from this country claimed Mauritius in 1598 & named it for Prince Maurice of Nassau
What is Netherlands?
Most of the Asians in this country live in Natal, where their ancestors worked on sugar plantations
What is South Africa?
Mozambique is a leading producer of this bean-shaped nut related to poison ivy
What is the cashew?
∞ PICTURE
A compass
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