23 Days until Christmas
Flagstaff Weather:
Do what you feel in your heart to be right, for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do and damned if you don't.
FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
I got a call from my brother today, the Advent calendar arrived. I am happy that each small piece of chocolate is embossed with something Christmas-y and it looks like each one will be different. He said he had just thought about getting one last week, probably about the same time I got them. There are no coincidences and brothers—biological or adopted—have a special bond. He mentioned that his Thanksgiving felt very strange, sitting on a deck, with palm trees all around and a full feast on the deck. I reminded him that those south of the equator celebrate Christmas in the middle of the summer. That too must be very strange. I listen to old-er people saying they move because they are just tired of the snow and the cold. I certainly hope I never reach that conclusion. While my mom was in the Care Facility, there were many people who still loved the beauty of a white Christmas. It was understood that they didn’t want to be out in the cold, but really liked looking out the huge picture windows throughout the building and seeing a winter Christmas scene.
I really hate to carry around all those store discount cards. Many times I forget to get it out or forget I even have one. Today my problem was solved. There’s an app for that. My Blackberry can pull up the barcode so that all I have to do is swipe my phone and it’s done. I always have my phone with me, since I also use it to make my shopping lists. It is amazing that just a few years ago a phone was for making phone calls. Now it does so much more. I was using my new app at Safeway today, and the lady behind me saw it and wanted it. While we were standing in line, she downloaded it and was ready to save, save, save. I have friends who have three to ten of those tiny cards on their key ring. I tried that but the keys were too heavy and probably didn’t do the ignition on my ride any good. For those wanting the app, you need a smartphone. Go to your app store and find CardStar. It’s free and sure is convenient.
The House, still run by Democrats, showed the world that Ethics still means Ethics in their house of government. An 80 year old Democrat with 40 years in the House had to stand before his peers and be censured. It is very humiliating and something like only 25 others have been censured in the history of our country. I sure hope that people realize this is a big deal and that it was done, in part to show that our government works—slowly for sure, but eventually. Certainly this is a baby step in moving our government forward, but 2 years ago Nancy said her congress would come down hard on ethic violations. Now we know they will.
That budget report that came out last week on how to get our country out of debt has some big plans. They too suggest a freeze on civilian employee salaries. They also suggested a 10% cut in retirement payments and having the retirees pay 10-20% more of their share of health benefits. They also want the retirement age to get Social Security to be 70. Of course the Social Security thing won’t start until the current 20 year olds reach 70. The change for Federal Employees would start as soon as a bill is passed. Federal retirees are a small number of Americans so this will be hard to alter. Way too many think that we were underworked, overpaid, and don’t deserve what we get. Many Federal workers groups have already started a campaign to stop this rather unfair change. As I have said before, I am willing to pay my fair share to help out the country in this troubled time, but I don’t want to have to pay more than my fair share. If all American retirees had to take a 10% cut in their benefits or suddenly had to pay 10-20% more in their share of health benefits, then I say go for it. It would not be easy, but everyone would be treated fairly. Just like the GM worker, I didn’t have a lot to say about how money was allocated while I worked. As a retiree I only have my vote. I’m concerned that the new congress will see these retiree cuts as a way to show the American public that they are cutting government waste. Time and time alone will see how this all develops.
HOLY MACKEREL: 1557 1st Covenant of Scottish Protestants form
∞ JEOPARDY PUZZLE(SuperJeopardy Answers) from 1990 MYTHOLOGICAL WOMEN
►Slain by Achilles, Penthesilea was queen of these warrior women
►These terrible goddesses of punishment had eyes that wept tears of blood
►Phaedra who fell in love with her stepson Hippolytus, was the daughter of this king of Crete
►This 6-headed sea monster that ate sailors lived in a cave opposite the whirlpool Charybdis
►Zeus arranged for her to spend part of the year with her mother, Demeter, the rest with her husband, Hades
SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 45 million turkeys are cooked and eaten in the U.S. at Thanksgiving—that's one sixth of all turkeys sold in the U.S. each year.
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The cranberry got its name because the pale pink blossoms on the plant resembled a crane’s head and neck. The name craneberry stuck, eventually becoming cranberry.
***
The average age of the Mayflower passenger was 32. The oldest Mayflower passenger was 64.
UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM
BROOKFIELD, WI — Two Wisconsin couch potatoes hope to wedge their way onto the Snuggie's sofa with an adult onesie.
Tyler Galganski and Dave Hibler are selling fleece, footless onesies with hoods called the "Forever Lazy" out of Hibler's parents' basement.
The 26-year-old Galganski and 25-year-old Hibler have released a long-form commercial that echoes the Snuggie ads, including cheering fans wearing the item as an alternative to a blanket.
Anne Flynn, who works for the company that produces the Snuggie, said there's room on their couch but they are still five or 10 steps ahead of competitors.
Hibler and Galganski say they have sold more than 10,000 of the pajamas in about a year and a half. The Snuggie maker says it has sold more than 20 million over the last two years.
A LITTLE LAUGH
Although I had arrived 20 minutes early for my one o'clock doctor's appointment, I watched patient after patient disappear into the various rooms. Now, I know things happen, and that more serious issues are typically dealt with first, so I was able to accept that those coming in after me were seen first, But when I was still sitting in the waiting room 1 1/2 hours later, I'd had enough and had become pretty irate.
Fortunately, as I got up and went to the receptionist, I calmed down enough to handle it without anger.
Instead I calmly said, "I know my son's appointment was for one o'clock. Can you tell me if that was a.m. or p.m.?"
FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’
8 Days of Hanukkah Interesting ? !
∞ UP CLOSE PICTURE
This is a close up of what object?
CALENDAR INFORMATION
♦ Weekly Observances ♦
1-7: Cookie Cutter Week ¤ Tolerance Week ¤ Recipe Greetings For The Holidays Week
1-9: Chanukah (Hanukkah)
♦ Today’s Observances ♦
Heart Transplant Day (1967)
UN International Day of the Basque language
UN International Day of the Disabled Person
National Roof-Over-Your-Head Day
India: Advocate's Day (to honor Rajendra Prasad, a Lawyer & India’s 1st President)
US: Illinois : Admission Day (1818—21st state)
♫ One Hit Wonders—1967-68 ♫
Click on Song Title to see and hear the original
♦Today’s Births♦
ARTS
1857 Joseph Conrad Poland, novelist (Lord Jim, Heart of Darkness)
Ferlin Husky, 83, singer Great Song
Jaye P. Morgan, 78, singer That’s All I Want From You
1897 Kate O'Brien Irish writer (Without My Cloak)
Ozzy Osbourne, 62, singer, songwriter (first lead singer for Black Sabbath): Reality Show star
Andy Williams, 80, singer Moon River
1755 Gilbert Stuart US, portrait painter (painted Washington)
***
Brendan Fraser, 42, actor (Mummy, The Quiet American)
Daryl Hannah, 49, actress (Splash, Grumpy Old Men)
Julianne Moore, 49, actress (Children of Men, The Hours, Far from Heaven)
ATHLETICS
Bucky Lasek, 38, skateboarder
Rick Ravon Mears, 59, former auto racer
Katarina Witt, 45, Olympic figure skater
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1753 Samuel Crompton English inventor (mule-jenny spinning machine)
1795 Sir Rowland Hill introduced 1st adhesive postage stamp (1840)
POLITICS
1887 Naruhiko, Prince Higashikuni of Japan
1884 Rajendra Prasad, first President of India
1963 Terri Schiavo, American right to die figure
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1838 Cleveland Abbe, meteorologist: first U.S. Weather Bureau meteorologist
1924 John Backus inventor (FORTRAN computer language)
1888 Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog, Polish-born Chief Rabbi of Ireland and of Israel
1483 Nicolaus von Amsdorf German reformation theologist
♦Today’s Obituaries♦
John Carroll (priest), first Roman Catholic archbishop in the U.S. @ 80 in 1815
Madeline Kahn, American actress, ovarian cancer @ 57 in 1999
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, French impressionist painter, heart attack @ 78 in 1919
Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish writer, cerebral hemorrhage @ 44 in 1894
St Francis Xavier, Jesuit missionary to the East, fever @ 46 in 1552
♦Today’s Events♦
ARTS
1947 Tennessee Williams play "A Streetcar Named Desire" premieres in New York NY
1950 Paul Harvey begins his national radio broadcast
ATHLETICS
1938 AAU's decides to continue linear measuring system over metric
1956 Wilt Chamberlain's 1st collegiate basketball game (scores 52)
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1586 Sir Thomas Herriot introduces potatoes to England, from Colombia
1931 Alka Seltzer goes on sale
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1598 Zaldivar "discovers" ACOMA.
1837 Accompanied by CHEROKEE mediators, Mikanopy, and 30 other SEMINOLE leaders arrive at Fort Mellon, near St.Augustine, Florida, today, under a flag of truce, to discuss peace. The CHEROKEE mediators were there with the approval of the Secretary of War. General Thomas Jesup, much to the shame of the CHEROKEEs, takes the SEMINOLEs hostage. Jesup hopes to force the SEMINOLEs to surrender by holding their leaders as prisoners.
POLITICS (US)
1639 1st annulment by court decree passes
1775 1st official US flag raising (aboard naval vessel Alfred)
POLITICS (International)
1694 English parliamentary election set for every 3 years
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1621 Galileo perfects the telescope
1834 1st US dental society organized (New York)
1967 1st human heart transplant performed (Dr Christiaan Barnard, South Africa)
1984 2,000 die from Union Carbide poison gas emission in Bhopal, India
ANSWERS
∞ JEOPARDY
►Slain by Achilles, Penthesilea was queen of these warrior women
Who are the Amazons?
►These terrible goddesses of punishment had eyes that wept tears of blood
Who were the Furies?
►Phaedra who fell in love with her stepson Hippolytus, was the daughter of this king of Crete
Who was Minos?
►This 6-headed sea monster that ate sailors lived in a cave opposite the whirlpool Charybdis
Who was Scylla?
►Zeus arranged for her to spend part of the year with her mother, Demeter, the rest with her husband, Hades
Who was Persephone?
∞ PICTURE
An electrical outlet
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