Flagstaff Weather:
TODAY’S QUOTE—Confucius
Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.
FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
Have you seen this full moon? It seems there is a fairly lively debate as to whether or not this is a blue moon. I’ve always heard the phrase “once in a blue moon” most of my life. Many, many years ago I learned that a blue moon has nothing to do with the color of the moon. I have always wanted to see a moon that was the color blue. But then, I like sci-fi. A blue moon is so called when there are two full moons in a calendar month. It doesn’t happen very often, but does occur. Now for the debate part...you may have already looked at your calendar and said hey, this is the first full moon in November. You would be right. However, there is another definition of a blue moon. That one says there are three full moons in each season—based on all that equinox and solstice stuff. If there are more than three moons in a given season, the moon just before the last moon of the season is called a blue moon. The last moon of a season is always called the last moon of the season. Confused? Me too. There will be a full moon in December 2010 that will be full for about 2 hours before the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. By the second definition, we are now experiencing a blue moon. Now you know and can look up in the sky and enjoy a blue moon that many don’t even know is occurring.
Our wind was pretty strong this morning, but thankfully died down early this afternoon. I took off about 9:30 to get a haircut and buy my Turkey day items. I got right in for my haircut, after all, who in their right mind get a haircut at 10am on a Monday morning. Two people did come in while I was there, but I was the first. Teri, the haircut lady, told me the salon will be opening at 6am on Black Friday. The salon is in the mall and all stores have to open a 6am or pay a hefty fine. This seems a little crazy, unless they are offering $5 haircuts or something like that. Those shoppers who are out to get the early bird specials are not going to make a hair salon their first stop. I have done the early thing—never before 7am. I have yet to see anyone arriving to have a haircut. I have seen lots of women wearing a scarf to hide something. Teri said that maybe some husbands will come in, just to get away from the chaos. Maybe. I went directly home after the haircut as the parking lots were all very icy, the wind made being outside miserable, and I figured it would get better later in the day. I was right. I went to the grocery about 2pm and it was cool, the parking lots were just wet, and there were very few people at the store. I got everything I needed but the aluminum pie plates.
Not a bad Monday. There is, of course, snow scheduled until Wednesday. There was a couple of inches of the white stuff on my car this morning, but the sidewalks had less than an inch with ice underneath. We didn’t get any snow during the day and that wind dried up any on the ground. I am so glad that the temperatures are really quite nice for snow. We don’t get too cold at night and when there is no wind it is nice to be outside.
HOLY MACKEREL: 1935 Ethel Leginska became the first woman to write an opera -- and conduct it. Her original work, titled Gale, opened at the Chicago City Opera Company.
JEOPARDY PUZZLE—(SuperJeopardy Answers) from 1990 SIGNS & SYMBOLS
The geometric ratio 3.14159265 is symbolized by this, the 16th letter of the Greek alphabet
This hockey team's logo features a fluke & a "W"
The value of this answer ($1500) in Roman numerals
This month's birthstone is turquoise (or blue topaz), & its flower, the holly
Among the symbols in its major arcana are the sun, a hanged man & a fool
SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—Marijuana
A 2005 National Household Survey on Drug Use and Health indicates that 46 percent of U.S. residents 12 years of age and older have tried marijuana one or more times.
***
Since 1990, nearly 5.9 million Americans have been arrested on marijuana charges, a greater number than the entire populations of Alaska, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming combined
UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — Soldiers accused of breaking into a Colorado medical marijuana dispensary and then accidentally locking themselves inside told police they planned to destroy the marijuana — not smoke or sell it.
The Gazette in Colorado Springs reports a police affidavit says two of the three Fort Carson soldiers told officers they were trying to steal the marijuana so they could get rid of it.
Police say the three were arrested Saturday on second-degree burglary charges after they accidentally locked themselves in the Colorado Springs dispensary during a burglary attempt.
Officers say they were on an unrelated call at a nearby business around 2 a.m. when they heard someone banging on glass inside the dispensary.
The soldiers are 23-year-old Pfc. Darius Thomas, 22-year-old Pvt. Cory Young and 22-year-old Pfc. Ramone Hollins. It was unknown Thursday if any of them had an attorney.
A LITTLE LAUGH
Everyone knows I'm a stickler for good spelling. So, when an associate e-mailed technical documents asking me to "decifer" them, I had to set him straight.
I wrote, "Decipher is spelled with a ph, not an f. In case you've forgotten, spell checker comes free with your software."
A minute later, I got this reply, "Mine must be dephective."
FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’
Sathya Sai Baba chants Gayatri Mantra Story and translation under the video.
UP CLOSE PICTURE
This is a close up of what object?
CALENDAR INFORMATION
♦ Weekly Observances ♦
19-25:National Farm-City Week
21-28: National Bible Week, National Family Week, National Game & Puzzle Week, National Teens Don't Text and Drive Week, Better Conversation Week, Church/State Separation Week
♦ Today’s Observances ♦
National Cashew Day—always sold shelled because the shell is very poisonous
Fibonacci Day: for math geeks, has to do with numbers found in nature
Japan : Labor Day/Thanksgiving
Maryland : Repudiation Day (1765)
Slovenia: Rudolf Maister Day (soldier, painter, poet)
Georgia—the country: St George's Day or Giorgoba Traditional Giorghoba Dance
♫ Early Folk overlooked songs ♫
Click on Song Title to see and hear the original
Phil Ochs, "I Ain't Marchin' Anymore" (1966 electric single version). Ochs had previously done this protest classic as a solo acoustic track. For a 1966 non-LP single, it was totally redone as a galvanizing electric number, with bursts of bagpipes at the beginning and end, and roadhouse piano runs throughout. Inexplicably only released in England, this could have been a hit if it had been promoted properly.
The Byrds, "I Knew I'd Want You" The B-side of "Mr. Tambourine Man," this is one of many gorgeously melodic, sensitively sung early Byrds songs written by Gene Clark that could have qualified for this list.
The Jefferson Airplane, "Today" Perhaps the greatest folk-rock ballad ever, and a hit single that should have been, but never got released as a 45. From their classic Surrealistic Pillow album, with Jerry Garcia contributing guitar. Note: One of my favorite Airplane songs.
Fred Neil, "The Dolphins" The greatest song by the singer-songwriter most known for "Everybody's Talkin'," mixing oceanic dolphin imagery with allusions to failed love.
Judy Collins, "Hard Lovin' Loser" Yet another hit single that should have been, from her In My Life album. A great cover of a Richard & Mimi Farina song with an ascending harpsichord riff, barrelhouse honky-tonk piano, and convincing rock'n'roll vocals that totally outdistances the original.
♦Today’s Births♦
╥ THE ARTS
1928 - Jerry Bock, composer: Fiddler on the Roof, Fiorello, Mr. Wonderful
Steve Harvey, 54, comedian, actor (The Original Kings of Comedy, “The Steve Harvey Show”)
Miley Cyrus, 18, actress, singer (“Hannah Montana”), born Destiny Hope Cyrus
1887 Boris Karloff (William Henry Pratt), actor (Frankenstein)
1888 Harpo [Adolph] Marx, actor/comedian (Marx brothers)
1903 Victor Jory, actor (Gone with the Wind, Papillion, Dodge City)
╥ ATHLETICS
Vincent Lemont ‘Vic’ Baker, 39, basketball (Bucks, Celtics, Supersonics, Knicks, Rockets, Clippers)
Oscar Robertson, 72, NBA guard (Bucks, Olympic-gold-1960)
╥ BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1860 Karl Branting, statesman/diplomat (Nobel Peace Prize 1921)
1859 Billy the Kid(William Bonney or Henry McCarty), criminal
╥ POLITICS
1804 Franklin Pierce, 14th President (1853-1857)
╥ SCIENCE & RELIGION
Sathya Sai Baba, 84, Indian guru and philosopher
David Britz, 30, American nano-technologist
1924 Colin Macmillan Turnbull, British anthropologist
♦Today’s Obituaries♦
Roald Dahl, British short story writer, @ 74 in 1990
Elbrige Gerry, VP (of Gerrymander fame), @ 70 in 1914
Andre Malraux, French novelist/art historian/puplic office. ("The Voices of Silence"), @ 75 in 1976
Freddie Mercury lead singer of Queen, aids @ 46 in 1991
♦Today’s Events♦
╥ THE ARTS
1644 John Milton publishes Areopagitica, a pamphlet decrying censorship.
1899 1st jukebox (Palais Royal Hotel, San Francisco)
1903 Enrico Caruso US debut (Metropolitan Opera House, NY) in "Rigoletto"
╥ ATHLETICS
1904 3rd Olympic games close in St Louis
╥ BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1765 People of Frederick County MD refuse to pay England's Stamp tax
1835 Henry Burden patents Horseshoe manufacturing machine
1863 Patent granted for a process of making color photographs
1936 1st issue of Life, picture magazine created by Henry R Luce
1948 Lens to provide zoom effects patented-FG Back
╥ INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1868 Custer and the Seventh Cavalry leave Camp Supply looking for "hostiles" in the Indian Territory (present day Oklahoma). There are 800 soldiers who start this march in a heavy snow storm.
1877 While authorities are attempting to arrest an Indian named Naught, who is accused of shooting two teamsters, other Indians become agitated. One of them shoots Alex Rhoden, who is walking across the street at the time, in Nalad City, Idaho. This incident leads to the Bannock War.
╥ POLITICS (US)
1903 Governor of Colorado James Peabody sends the state militia into the town of Cripple Creek to break up a miners' strike.
╥ POLITICS (International)
1971 China People's Republic seated in UN Security Council
╥ SCIENCE & RELIGION
1848 Female Medical Educational Society founded in Boston
1976 Apneist Jacques Mayol is the first man to reach a depth of 100 m undersea without breathing equipment.
ANSWERS
∞ JEOPARDY
The geometric ratio 3.14159265 is symbolized by this, the 16th letter of the Greek alphabet
What is Pi?
This hockey team's logo features a fluke & a "W"
Who are the Hartford Whalers (now the Carolina Hurricanes with a new logo)?
The value of this answer ($1500) in Roman numerals
What is ‘MD’?
This month's birthstone is turquoise (or Blue Topaz), & its flower, the holly
What is December?
Among the symbols in its major arcana are the sun, a hanged man & a fool
What are Tarot Cards?
∞ PICTURE
A garden hose
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