This is Week 31 of 2010►Day 217 with 148 days left.
It is Day 108 of the BP Mess.
FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
The past few months have been filled with disasters. Luckily I have been looking that them from afar. At times one had to wonder if all these disasters were not leading to the end of the world or at least the end of the world as we know it. For those who believe that we will be around for the end of times another story was added to that belief. The Navajo Nation had a primary yesterday for its President. Mrs Lovejoy, who ran in the last election won the primary with her closest competition with 1/3 the votes she received. I know that the Navajo is a matriarchal society. I know that the Navajo governmental system was set up by Washingdoon, DC after the 1868 treaty. Prior to that there was no central government and the DC people needed someone to sign the treaties. Anyway, I always wondered why a matriarchal society would not have a woman at its head. Several Navajo FB friends posted comments on the Lovejoy victory. All commented on that the elders have always taught that an event like this is a sign of the ‘end of days’. I have several people on Navajo who taught me much about their culture. The knowledge I gained always came from listening and not asking questions. I always knew that I was being given the information up to a point, but that some was never shared. I also knew that the information I was given did not necessarily give me the go ahead to share it with others. As I was given information and then kept it to myself, I was given more and more. I learned that when one ‘asks’ for information, one gets an answer that may or may not be accurate. Sometimes it is given so one will quit asking, thus my lack of understanding about this situation. I don’t see my Navajo Culture teachers very often, and when we do meet, it is certainly not like living on the Rez. I am really curious to learn more about this belief, but have no idea how to get more information. My first thought was to call somebody. Duh, I quickly realized that wouldn’t work. I will just have to wait to find out, and when the time and place are right, I will be given the information if I am supposed to have it. The Sioux have a belief that there is a young woman who weaves. Each day she weaves all day, each night her dog unravels most of that day’s work. If the weaving is ever finished, the world will end. This is common knowledge and has been in books and movies. There is certainly much more to the belief that is only known to the Sioux.
A California judge overturned Prop 8 today—the one on same-sex marriage. This is only the beginning of a long battle. His 37 page decision certainly stuck to the heart of the matter. The state should not be messing with love. The judge compared the ban to those of the laws that used to prevent inter-racial marriages. Many used to believe that if there was inter-racial marriage, or inter-religious marriage that it was a sign for the end of days. They were wrong. Sanity may be returning to the world.
I didn’t get any rain today, and it was a mostly sunny day. Good day to walk and I did. It got up to 80° by this afternoon. My walk was about 7am when it was about 60°. So happy to live in a place that has such great days. I ran a few errands today and spent time on the deck.
QUOTE FOR THE DAY
Jean Baptiste Massieu, translated from French: Gratitude is the memory of the heart.
HOLY MACKEREL: 1925 Plaid Cymru is formed with the aim of disseminating knowledge of the Welsh language that was at the time in danger of dying out.
SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION
>The density of Saturn is so low that if you were to put it in a giant glass of water it would float. The actual density of Saturn is 0.687 g/cm3 while the density of water is 0.998 g/cm3. At the equator Saturn has a radius of 60,268 ± 4 km (197,729 ') – which means you would need an extremely large glass of water to test this out.
>Every year the moon moves about 3.8cm further away from the Earth. This is caused by tidal effects. Consequently, the earth is slowing in rotation by about 0.002 seconds per day per century.
GREY MATTER PUZZLE 1
Half of what number is zero?
UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM
A late night run to 7-Eleven could now lead to an agonizing decisions: Slurpee or a new chicken for your virtual farm on "FarmVille."
PayNearMe has launched a payment system that allows Facebook game players to buy credits for virtual goods at local 7-Eleven stores around the country. While in Facebook, players select the number of Facebook credits they want to purchase, print a receipt and take it to their local 7-Eleven where it will be charged at the register just like an item purchased in the store.
Facebook credits run $5.00 for 50, $10.00 for 100 and so forth. Recently, Facebook added free credits to user accounts to help fuel the demand for its currency.
The new payment method eliminates the need for using a credit card online. It is PayNearMe’s first step in building a payment system to provide offline payment for online purchases.
PayNearMe’s CEO Danny Shader told Inside Facebook that he’s not sure how many people would try the service, but social games and virtual goods are big business. Zynga, the company behind "FarmVille," "Mafia Wars" and "PetVille" is expected to make more than $450 million this year from virtual purchases.
To promote the service, PayNearMe spokesperson said the company will offer bonuses to customers. All users receive a 10 percent bonus at the register and those who are the first to buy credits at that 7-Eleven’s morning, second, or night shift get an extra bonus of 50 or 100 credits.
PayNearMe is developing a mobile app so customers can show a digital barcode instead of printing a receipt at home.
A LITTLE LAUGH
During a conference, I was pleasantly surprised to be seated next to a very handsome man. We flirted casually through dinner, then grew restless as the dignitaries gave speeches. During one particularly long-winded lecture, my new friend drew a # sign on a cocktail napkin. Excited, I wrote down my
phone number.
Looking startled for a moment, he flipped the napkin over and drew another # sign, this time adding an X to the upper-left-hand corner.
GREY MATTER PUZZLE 2
The man who makes it doesn't use it, the man that buys it can't use it and the man who uses it doesn't know it. What is it?
FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’
Hiroshima Memorial Park: Click Here!
GREY MATTER PICTURE
This is a close up of what object?
SOME CALENDAR INFORMATION
♦ Weekly Observances ♦
1-7: World Breastfeeding Week…Simplify Your Life Week…National Clown Week…National Fraud Awareness Week…Single Working Women's Week
2-6: Exhibitor Appreciation Week…Intimate Apparel Market Week…Psychic Week
4-7: Rock for Life Week
♦ Today’s Observances ♦
International Beer Day
National Underwear Day
National Mustard Day
Test Ban Day (Int'l Physicians for Prevention of Nuclear War)
Iran: Constitution Day
Upper Volta: Independence Day/Burkina Faso (1960 from France)
♦ Hit Songs on this date ♦
Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis Billy Murray 1904
By the Beautiful Sea Heidelberg Quintet 1914
Swinging on a Star Bing Crosby 1944
Sh-Boom The Crew-Cuts 1954
A Hard Day's Night The Beatles 1964
Feel Like Makin' Love Roberta Flack 1974
Ghostbusters Ray Parker, Jr. 1984
♦ Today’s Births ♦
• The Arts
Conrad Aiken, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet: Selected Poems [1930] …born in 1889 Savannah,, GA
John Huston , director/writer (African Queen, Chinatown) …born in 1906 Nevada Mo
~~~
Loni Anderson, 64, actress (“WKRP in Cincinnati,” The Jayne Mansfield Story), born St. Paul, MN
Selma Diamond , comedienne (Selma-Night Court) …born in 1920 London Ontario
Robert Taylor (Spangler Brugh), actor: Magnificent Obsession, Quo Vadis, Billy the Kid, Bataan, Knights of the Round Table, The Night Walker, Death Valley Days…born in 1911 Filley, NB
Erika Slezak, 64, actress (“One Life to Live”), born Los Angeles, CA
• Athletics
Patrick Aloysius Ewing, 48, former basketball player, born Kingston, Jamaica
• Business & Education
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• Politics
William , 1st black child born in English America…born in 1624 Jamestown Va
• Science/Religion
Neil Alden Armstrong, 80, former astronaut (first man to walk on moon), born Wapakoneta, OH
John Eliot, "Apostle to Indians," Bible translator…born in 1604 Widford, Hertfordshire, England
Joseph Carey Merrick, "Elephant Man"…born in 1860 Leicester, England
♦ Today’s Obituaries ♦
Richard Burton, Welsh actor (Cleopatra), cerebral hemorrhage @ 58 in 1984
Soichiro Hondo, CEO & founder (Honda), liver cancer @ 84 in 1991
Marilyn Monroe, actress, drug overdose @ 36 in 1962
♦ Today’s Events ♦
• The Arts
1924 The comic strip Little Orphan Annie debuted in the New York Daily News.
1957 "American Bandstand," goes on network TV (ABC) 1
1984 Joan Benoit won the first women’s Olympic marathon at the Summer Games in Los Angeles, California.
• Athletics
1923 1st American to swim the English Channel (Henry Sullivan)
1936 At Berlin Olympics, Jesse Owens wins his 3rd Olympic medal
• Business & Education
1882 The Standard Oil of New Jersey is established.
• Indigenous People
695 Forces under Maya King Jasaw Chan K'awiil I (Sky Rain) defeat an army from Calakmul under Maya King Yich'aak K'ak' (Fiery Claw).
1570 A Spanish colony expedition in sailing up the Chesapeake in Virginia, when they reach the area they will call Axaca somewhere near the Rappahannock. The local Indians will force the Spanish to abandon the effort.
1689 1,500 Iroquois attack the village of Lachine, in New France.
• Politics (US)
1861 US Army abolishes flogging
1861 US levies its 1st Income Tax (3% of incomes over $800)
1864 Battle of Mobile Bay, Ala; Adm David Farragut orders "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!"
1884 The cornerstone for the Statue of Liberty was laid at Bedloe’s Island (now called Liberty Island), New York
1964 US begins bombing North Vietnam
1981 Federal govt began firing striking air traffic controllers
• Politics (International)
1305 William Wallace, who led Scottish resistance to England, is captured by the English near Glasgow and transported to London where he is put on trial and executed.
1583 Gilbert claims Newfoundland (1st English colony in North America)
1945 Atom Bomb dropped on Hiroshima (Aug 6th in Japan)
• Science / Religion
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GREY MATTER ANSWERS
↔ 1
Eight. When written as a digit, 8, the top half is 0, and the bottom half is also 0.
↔ 2
A coffin
↔ Picture
A spigot on a drinking water container
TODAY’S PHOTO SHOT
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| Statue of Liberty |
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