»Week 22 of 2010: 154 days this year…211 days remain Day 45 of BP oil spill
» Something To Think About
The three best things: to be humble amidst the vicissitudes of fortune; to pardon when powerful; to be generous with no strings attached.
~Attributed to the Prophet Muhammad
» Random Fact
The world’s smallest island country is Nauru
[South Pacific, pop: 14,000, Language: Nauruan (official; a distinct Pacific Island language)]
[South Pacific, pop: 14,000, Language: Nauruan (official; a distinct Pacific Island language)]
¤ Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1961 ►Clarence Gideon is arrested and charged with breaking into a poolroom in Florida. In Gideon v. Wainwright, in the Supreme Court it was ruled that a fair trial "cannot be realized if the poor man charged with [the] crime has to face his accusers without a lawyer to assist him." Due to Clarence Gideon's perseverance, every criminal suspect is entitled to representation by a lawyer.
» Free Ramblings
During one of our many snow storms and cold temps my front windshield developed a crack on the passenger side. Last week it started to grow, so today I got it replaced. Amazing, the four years of wind, snow, rain, road chemical, and who knows what else had really done a number on the window. While they said it would take 2+ hours to do it, I was in and out in about an hour. With a window that isn’t pitted, I can really see much better.
I added a count of the days of the oil spill in the Gulf. I will stop it as soon as the thing is stopped. Living in the desert for so long, I never really understood what ‘wetlands’ was all about. Now that we may be losing millions of acres of wetlands, the news stations are starting to visit the wetlands of the Gulf and showing us what is happening. It is frightening to hear experts tell us the worst case scenario. Even the best case scenario is depressing—less wetlands will increase flooding in hurricane area towns’ less wetlands will hurt many fishermen; less wetlands will mean the cost of shrimp and other aquatic foods will skyrocket. To top of this mess, BP is now saying that the oil leak has increased by about 20% as they try to saw off some thing-a-ma-jig to put a top hat on it and that December, not August, is now a timeline for the other two drill holes to reach the spewing well and stop its spewing. As hurricane season arrives in the Gulf, another fear surfaces—the marshes are being killed by oil, when a storm hits, this oil will simply move farther inland, killing more wetlands. CNN went back to the marsh where Obama and the governor were a few days ago. At the time of the visit, lots of people were cleaning up, lots of booms were out in the ocean…today, no people, no booms, and just more oil—so far over 34 million gallons have been put into the Gulf.
My deck made it to 78° this afternoon. What a great day. So nice to be outside after the long, long winter.
» Puzzle 1
"Welcome back to the show. Before the break, Mr Ixolite here made it to our grand finale! How do you feel Mr.Ix?"
"Nervous."
"Okay, now to win the star prize of one million pounds all you have to do is answer the following question in 90 seconds."
"Okay, I'm ready."
"Right. In 90 seconds name 100 words that do NOT contain the letter 'A'. Start the clock!"
Can you help?
HINT: He’s counting on your help.
» A Quick Smile…
One of our projects at military leadership school called for us to speak in front of the class on a topic picked by our instructor. A classmate gave an impassioned speech on the benefits of drinking liquor. Alcohol, he insisted, warded off colds, kept you alert, and even made you steadier on your feet.
"Good job," said our instructor when he finished. "Only one thing: Your topic was the benefits of drinking liquids, not liquor."
» Side Show Stories
Saskatchewan - We've all seen the television programs about how to survive in the wild. Making fire with sticks and killing wild game with a shoe and a belt, etc. But one Canadian man had a much more practical approach. The man reported he had been boating on a lake when bad weather hit and he was stranded. With no way to communicate with the outside world he took matters and an axe into his own hands.
He chopping down four power poles — knocking out electricity to surrounding communities and waited for the power company to come out and repair the damage. "Essentially it was mission accomplished, because we got the call, we chartered a helicopter...and on Friday around noon we discovered him," a SaskPower spokesperson said. They said, considering the circumstances, they are not going to try to recoup damages from the stranded man.
» Puzzle 2: Brain Food
I'm light as a feather, yet the strongest man can't hold me for much more than a minute. What am I?
» Something you might enjoy…
In 2005, YouTube changed the internet forever. It is now available in 22 languages. Check out this one…
A bunch of dogs, some sand, some water, and some music…Thanks Peter for finding this!
» Calendar Information
¤ Today’s Number One Songs in…
For anyone interested, all these songs are available on iTunes.
"Music, once admitted to the soul, becomes a sort of spirit, and never dies." ~ Edward Bulwer-Lytton.
1941 My Sister and I Jimmy Dorsey
1951 How High the Moon Les Paul & Mary Ford
1961 Running Scared Roy Orbison
1971 Brown Sugar The Rolling Stones
1981 Bette Davis Eyes Kim Carnes
¤ Observance Weeks in June
thru 5th Black Singles Parent Week
¤ Today’s Observances—US/UN/World
Repeat Day: doing things of joy over and over again
Confederate Memorial Day: KY, LA, TN : (since 1868)
Chimborazo Day:
celebrates Mount Chimborazo, a volcanic peak (6268 meters/ 20,564 feet tall) in Ecuador that pokes farther into space than any other point on Earth, even Mount Everest. That's due to the fact that the planet isn't a perfect sphere, but bulges at the equator. So Jacksonville, for instance, is closer to the center of the Earth than Miami, but farther than Milwaukee.
¤ Today’s Observances—by country
Australia: Mabo Day (since 1992— Eddie Koiki Sambo Mabo helped indigenous people of Australia gain back land rights)
¤ Today’s Births
Artists, Writers, and Composers
(Irwin) Allen Ginsberg, Beat Generation poet, born in 1926 Newark, New Jersey
Charles Hart, 49, lyricist, composer, born London, England
Larry McMurtry, 74, author (Terms of Endearment, Lonesome Dove, The Last Picture Show), born Wichita Falls, TX
Athletes
Hale S. Irwin, 65, golfer, born Joplin, MO
Entertainers
Chuck Barris, 81, television producer (“Dating Game,” “Newlywed Game,” “Gong Show”), born Philadelphia, PA
Anderson Cooper, 43, television journalist, personality (“Anderson Cooper 360,” “The Mole”), born New York, NY
Tony Curtis (Bernard Schwartz), 85, actor (Some Like It Hot, The Boston Strangler, The Defiant Ones), born in New York, NY
Business, Education Persons
Ransom Eli Olds auto (Oldsmobile) & truck (REO) manufacturer, born in 1864 Geneva, Ohio
Political Persons
Raúl Castro, 79, President of Cuba, born Holguín, Cuba
Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America, born in 1808 Philadelphia, PA
Rafael Nadal, 24, tennis player, born Manacor, Spain
Scientists /Religious Persons
Dr Charles Drew Washington DC, pioneer of blood plasma preservation/first director of the Red Cross blood bank, born in 1904 Washington, DC
¤ Today’s Happenings
In The Arts
1968 ►Andy Warhol the American artist and a major driving force in the movement known as Pop art is shot and wounded in his New York film studio
In Athletics
1932 ►Lou Gehrig hits 4 consecutive HRs; Yanks beat A's 20-13
In Business or Education
1921 ►A sudden cloudburst kills 120 near Pikes Peak, Colorado
1949 ►1st negro to graduate from US Naval Academy (Wesley Anthony Brown)
In Politics
1539 ►Hernando De Soto claims Florida for Spain
1621 ►Dutch West India Company receives charter for "New Netherlands"
1833 ►Today, Secretary of War Lewis Cass gives orders directly to the United States Marshal's office to remove white settlers, and trespassers, from CREEK lands in Alabama
1861 ►1st Civil War land battle-Union defeats Confederacy at Philippi, WV
1918 ►Supreme Court rules child labor laws unconstitutional
1937 ►Duke of Windsor (Edward 8) weds Mrs Wallis Warfield Simpson in France
1959 ►The first class to graduate from the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO
In Science/ Religion
1098 ►Christian Crusaders seize Antioch, Turkey
¤ Today’s Obits
Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli Pope John XXIII-261st Pope @ 81 in 1963
Harry Glicken volcanologist, killed by Mt Unzen Volcano in Japan @ 33 in 1991
Ruhollah Mousavi Ayatollah Khomeini, Iranian Religious Leader and Politician, @ 89 in 1989
Ozzie Nelson actor (Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet), liver cancer @69 in 1975
» ANSWERS to Puzzle 1
One, Two, Three, Four, Five......One Hundred!
He just counted from 1 to 100 in ninety seconds (it is possible).
» ANSWERS to Brain Food
Breath
» PIC of the Day
I have always been fascinated with ‘sky’ pictures. While traveling I always try to take pictures of clouds, sunrise, sunset, panoramas with mostly sky. These pics are not mine, but it’s nice to learn that others are also fascinated by the sky. During the month of June I’ll be doing ‘sun rays’.
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