Men acquire a particular quality by constantly acting in a particular way.
BONUS QUOTE--Mahatama Gandhi
Faith is not something to grasp, it is a state to grow into.
HOLY MACKEREL: 1989 Riots break-out after Hong Kong decides to forcibly repatriate Vietnamese refugees.
FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
Even though there is not a cloud in the sky, the weatherman says snow tonight…and cold temps till next week. We should be having highs in the 20’s with anywhere from 6”-20” of snow by Thursday night. Maybe we are the 5th snowiest city in the US. Only time will tell how accurate the ol’ weather bureau really is. I am so glad that I don’t have to deal with the latest East Coast storm. Thankfully my brother and sister-in-law don’t have too either.
I ran some errands this morning and the sun was a shinin’ and there was little wind. So I got stuff done quickly. I guess I was ‘in the zone’ at WalMart as Jeannie was standing in the same aisle and I didn’t even see her till she said something to me. She had a great Christmas down in Phoenix. She and the grandkids went with Sue to ‘Zoo lights’ which was nice with the ‘warm’ Phoenix weather.
Whatever the weather tomorrow, I will be taking down the Christmas decorations. It is certainly time. It will give me much more room in my living room and in the back room where I store everything. I didn’t put out all my outdoor lights for fear of snow. Each of the last 4 years, they have been covered until May. So this year, no lights and no snow covering. Is there a lesson here? I really wish that all the decorations were somehow inflatable for the holidays, and could just be deflated for storage. It’s an idea. I guess I could become a better packer.
OMG. President Obama was talking with the owners of the Philadelphia Eagles about their plans for a ‘greener’ stadium. He started the conversation with thanking the owners for giving Michael Vick a second chance after such a major downfall. Faux News and Conservatives are outraged. Of course, when Bush II signed federal legislation that set up second chances for felony convicts no one spoke out. Nor did anyone get really upset when Bush II commuted the sentence for his political crony—Scooter Libby. Sure hope this stops in 2011. Both Presidents did say that the crimes were wrong. Bush decided that the trial and guilty verdict were enough to free him from prison. Obama just thanked the Eagles for giving Vick a second chance. Apples and oranges in my book.
In Chicago my brother and I had ‘brother time’ while Laura had ‘sister time’. We went a saw the new True Grit. So different than the John Wayne movie of the late 60’s. The two really can’t be compared. The new movie follows the 1968 serial novel by Charles Portis--first published in Saturday Evening Post--much more closely than the older version. The dialogue was very unexpected for me. I can’t really explain it, it was not vulgar or nasty but sounded a little like Western King James dialogue. Gotta see it to understand what I’m talking about. Laura and her sister spent the time at a spa. I’m sure they enjoyed their time together as much as I did.
Everyone I know can look back over their family history and find that in some ways it was dysfunctional. On the surface it is not readily apparent, but as you get to know the person, you find that the hidden dysfunction stories come out in conversation. I am so fortunate that my parents, my brother and I never became estranged. Maybe it’s because we were in a ‘small’ family. Laura has not been so fortunate. She isn’t estranged from anyone in the family, but her parents and some of the siblings are. This makes life a little difficult at times. Sons not talking to mom or daughters not talking to dad is hard on everyone. It is especially difficult when there is a family tragedy. Those who believe that ‘time heals all wounds’ are probably correct. The problem is of course how much time. I wasn’t there when the various riffs occurred so I don’t get it. I just know that everyone involved is placed in difficult situations, always being asked to take sides, always walking on egg shells to avoid being dragged in. Nothing I can do but listen and wonder in my mind how this is part of love.
∞ JEOPARDY PUZZLE—(SuperJeopardy Answers) from 1990 PLANTS
∞Indican, a colorless substance in this plant, turns blue in air & is used as a dye
∞The plantain is a species of this fruit
∞Among the most primitive plants with chlorophyll, it is the main plant life in both seawater & freshwater
∞Carrots are root vegetables while potatoes are examples of these underground stems
∞This cactus can grow to 50' tall & the white flower that grows on top is Arizona's state flower
UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM HADDONFIELD, N.J.
A New Jersey collector said he bought a rare Honus Wagner baseball card from an order of Baltimore nuns after an auction winner reneged on a $220,000 bid. Nicholas DePace, 57, a Haddonfield cardiologist who owns one of the most valuable sports memorabilia collections in the country, said he was contacted by auction officials Monday after the original high bidder backed out of paying the School Sisters of Notre Dame for the card, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
DePace, who said he originally stopped bidding on the card when the price became too high, said he changed his mind when he heard proceeds from the sale were destined for the order's ministries in 30 countries. "This is the most famous Honus Wagner card now because it's going to help thousands of people, and that's more than any other Honus Wagner card has ever done," DePace said.
SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—This and That
December 26 was traditionally known as St. Stephen’s Day, after the first Christian martyr. It is now more commonly known as Boxing Day. This expression came about because money was collected in alms-boxes placed in churches during the festive season. This money was then distributed to the poor and needy after Christmas.
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AD is short for Anno Domini, or “Year of our Lord,” as proclaimed by the Roman Catholic Church. Some non-Christians prefer the alternative designation “CE” for “Common Era."
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Kwanzaa is a cultural festival during which African Americans celebrate and reflect upon their heritage as the products of two worlds. It begins 26th December and lasts for seven days. Kwanzaa was founded in 1966 by Dr. Maulana “Ron” Karenga, a college professor and African American leader.
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Chanukah, or Hanukkah, lasts for eight days, beginning the 25th of the Hebrew month Kislev (November-December). It celebrates the victory of Judah the Maccabee over the Syrian tyrant Antiochus over 2100 years ago.
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Evergreens and trees were cherished at solstice as a natural symbol of rebirth and life amid winter whiteness. The annual Tree Festival is still celebrated among nature-based faiths such as Wicca. This tree festival was eventually adopted as use for the Christmas tree.
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The oldest written reference of a festival to mark the return of the sun is made to the Mesopotamians. They held a 12-day festival to help the god Marduk tame the monsters of chaos for one more year. There are hundreds of megalithic structures throughout Europe and sacred sites in the Americas, Asia, Indonesia, and the Middle East are oriented to the solstices and the equinoxes.
A LITTLE LAUGH
En route to Hawaii, I noticed one of my passengers in the coach section of the airplane dialing her cell phone.
"Excuse me. That can't be on during the flight," I reminded her. "Besides, we're over the ocean—you won't get a signal out here."
"That's okay," she said. "I'm just calling my daughter. She's sitting up in first class."
FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’
DAYBOOK INFORMATION
♦ THIS WEEK ♦
25-31 It's About Time Week
25-31 It's About Time Week
26-1/1 Kwanzaa
♦ TODAY IS… ♦
Antepenultimate Day: Last second day of the year or coming before the next to the last in a series.
3rd Day of Kwanza: Ujima (ooh-GEE-mah) is the third day of Kwanzaa and means "collective work and responsibility". On this day we celebrate working together in the community to help others. For Ujima, we pledge to rebuild our communities and to help our people solve our own problems by working together to do it.
Pepper Pot Day: Hot soup served to the Continental Army
Tick Tock Day
Western Christianity: The fifth day of Christmas (Five Golden Rings: First 5 books of Old Testament that explained the fall from grace of man: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy )
Gabon : President's Birthday
Ireland: Constitution Day (1937)
US: Texas : Admission Day (28th state: 1845)
♫ Academy Awards Best Original Song ♫
Click on Song Title to see and hear
♦Today’s Births♦
ARTS
1876 Pablo Casals Spanish cellist/conductor/composer
Paula Poundstone, 51, comedienne
►ACTORS◄
Ted Danson, 63, actor (“Cheers,” “Becker,” Three Men and a Baby)
Marianne Faithfull, 64, singer, actress
Jude Law, 38, actor (Closer, Cold Mountain, The Talented Mr Ripley)
Mary Tyler Moore, 74, actress (two Emmys for “The Dick Van Dyke Show”; three Emmys for “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”; Ordinary People)
Jon Voight, 72, actor (“24”; Oscar for Coming Home; Midnight Cowboy, Deliverance
Andy Wachowski, 43, filmmaker with brother Larry Wachowski (The Matrix)
ATHLETICS
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BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1921 Robert C. Baker Inventor of the chicken nugget
Thomas Edwin (Tom) Jarriel, 76, broadcast journalist
POLITICS
1917 Tom Bradley (Mayor-LA) (1973-93)
1809 William Ewart Gladstone (Liberal) British PM (1868-74, '80-86, '92-94)
1808 Andrew Johnson 17th President (1865-69)
1879 Billy Mitchell aviation hero general (WWI)
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1800 Charles Goodyear inventor (vulcanization process for rubber)
1776 Charles Macintosh Scotish inventor patented waterproof fabric
♦Today’s Obituaries♦
1170 Thomas Beckett archbishop, assassinated by 4 knights of King Henry II
1890 Big Foot Sioux Indian chief, @ Wounded Knee
♦Today’s Events♦
ARTS
1967 Star Trek's "The Trouble With Tribbles" 1st airs
1982 Bob Marley postage stamp issued in Jamaica
ATHLETICS
1862 Bowling ball invented
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1851 1st Young Men's Christian Association chapter opened (Boston)
1972 Life magazine ceases publication
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1830 Nine local missionaries, issue a proclamation defending the Cherokees against the actions of Georgia. Georgia is trying to remove the Cherokee from their lands, in New Echota, today. Eventually. Georgia will pass a law sentencing anyone living in Cherokee territory to 4 years of hard labor, if they have not sworn allegiance to Georgia.
1890 Wounded Knee Battle or Massacre (depending on which version you read)
POLITICS (US)
1778 3,500 British soldiers capture Savannah, Georgia without firing a shot.
1813 British burn Buffalo New York during the War of 1812
1848 Gas lights 1st installed at White House (Polk's administration)
1852 Emma Snodgrass arrested in Boston for wearing pants
POLITICS (International)
1911 Sun Yat-sen becomes the provisional President of the Republic of China
1922 Revised Netherlands Law proclaims suffrage
1949 Hungary nationalized its industries
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1782 1st nautical almanac in US published by Samuel Stearns, Boston
1952 First transistorized hearing aid was offered for sale by Sonotone Corporation on this day.
1997 Hong Kong begins to kill all the nation's 1.25 million chickens to stop the spread of a potentially deadly influenza strain.
ANSWERS
∞ JEOPARDY
∞Indican, a colorless substance in this plant, turns blue in air & is used as a dye
What is Indigo? Learn More Here!
∞The plantain is a species of this fruit
What is a banana?
∞Among the most primitive plants with chlorophyll, it is the main plant life in both seawater & freshwater
What is Algea?
∞Carrots are root vegetables while potatoes are examples of these underground stems
What are tubers?
∞This cactus can grow to 50' tall & the white flower that grows on top is Arizona's state flower
What is Saguaro?
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