Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.
Public opinion is a weak tyrant compared with our own private opinion. What a man thinks of himself, that is which determines, or rather indicates, his fate.
Mark Twain
If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed.
HOLY MACKEREL: 1921 Last San Francisco fire horses retired
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FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
Interesting afternoon at the local hospital. First to pre-op clerk who looks me up in her Apple IIe and finds that I have been there before. It’s been two years since I was there so she has to reverify all my information—that’s OK. We decided that I should spend the night in the hospital when they do the surgery, since I am about 6 miles from the hospital, live alone, and probably couldn’t drive there if I had a breathing problem. Julie, my nurse for the appt re-asked all the questions I had just answered. I ask if the computers were connected…nope. I asked her why the “III” after my name didn’t show up on my bracelet. She called and looked at me and said, it has to match your insurance card. I pulled it out and surprise, the card has the “III”. She called in someone else who took my card and ‘fixed’ my name…we’ll see. Then it’s off to tests. I should mention that it has been snowing all day and while all the places were ‘open’, only one person was at each stop so I had some waits. First was EKG. Easy but my chest is closely related to a chimpanzee and he said he could shave me, but it would take another 30 minutes. No shave…a bunch of tape all over. The EKG took all of 30 seconds. He ripped off all the tape and took a few hairs from each piece of tape. Off to the lab for blood tests. No one there. Some poor guy came in after me and looked to be in substantial pain so I headed for radiology across the hall. Chest Xray went well. The radiologist mentioned he was all alone, since the wimps had already left. He was about 45 and had two arms filled with very colorful tattoos, that were sagging a little and he was far from being ripped. Then back to the lab. Again one lady. She was very nice, a Navajo living in Doney Park…and the only one who stayed due to the snow. I was teasing her and told her she couldn’t find anything ‘bad’ in the blood. She shook the tube she had just taken and said “Well Charlie, you have the best looking blood I have seen this month.” Then I was out of the hospital. I had been told to stop taking my daily baby aspirin, but when I got home, Julie called and said I should keep taking it because I have a stent. Whatever. So I guess I’m good to go get trimmed in a couple of weeks. Whoopee!!!
The HOA has kept our drive and sidewalks mostly clean. It took some time to get the 8+” of snow off my Xterra. It has a luggage rack on top that really adds to the overall look of any Xterra. The problem is when it snows. Brushing snow out of the luggage rack is impossible, so when I start driving it flies out. This snow is very light and fluffy so it’s no big deal. However, some of the snow still turns to ice on the roof and in the next days will have chunks of ice sliding around on the roof, making a lot of noise. The first speed bump will loosen the ice from the roof, but the bars on the luggage rack won’t let it fall off. While all the roads are fairly clear, traffic was moving about 20mph—not a problem for me as I am retired and am seldom in a hurry to get anywhere. I stopped at the drive up ATM for some cash and it was frozen solid. So I had to get out of the vehicle and walk up to another ATM. With the wind, my phone told me the wind chill was -2. Maybe—the moisture in my nose did NOT freeze, so it wasn’t really cold.
∞ JEOPARDY PUZZLE—(SuperJeopardy Answers) from 1990 DESIGN
…answers at bottom…
→A schapslote is a German-painted decoration using enamel of this color on glass
→Juniper trees are sometimes used to build chests known by the name of this other wood
→The Griffin originated as a design in this "land between two rivers"
→This group of buildings formed the Great Fortified Palace of the Moorish kings of Spain
→Two of the 3 classical orders of columns developed by the Greeks
UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM: WARMINSTER, Pa. (pop: 32,000)
What was the reason two Warminster men fired a hail of rifle bullets at a shopping center, scattering fearful supermarket employees, early Tuesday morning?
The pair felt like shooting, particularly at streetlights, and didn't think anyone would be around when they fired about 40 rounds shortly after 5 a.m., police said.
"Chalk it up to doing something really stupid," said Warminster police Chief S. Michael Murphy.
An investigation revealed that Joseph B. Carr, 21, and James W. Pearson, 23, were not targeting people or businesses at Warminster Towne Center on Street Road near Norristown Road.
"They were both shocked that people would be in the shopping center at that hour," said Murphy.
The shots were fired shortly after 5 a.m., striking the ShopRite in an area where employees had been standing and also hitting a nearby Sovereign Bank.
The supermarket workers ran for cover. Bank windows were shot out, but no employees were present. While Carr and Pearson face felony charges, they are not accused of attempted homicide, despite the shots striking near people, police said. "There were other charges you could look at given the close proximity to the people, but with most of those charges you have to show some kind of intent," said Murphy.
"We couldn't draw that conclusion based on the investigation."
Carr and Pearson used a .22-caliber rifle with a scope and silencer to fire the shots. The rifle is described as being used for recreational shooting, initial firearms training and pest control.
Carr and Pearson were jailed in Bucks County Prison in lieu of 10 percent of $500,000 bail.
Charges against them include conspiracy, criminal mischief, discharging a firearm into an occupied structure and recklessly endangering another person.
In July Pearson was sentenced to five years probation on explosives-related charges for a February incident in which a bomb squad from Philadelphia police was dispatched to handle homemade bombs Pearson had made.
A police officer caught Pearson with the home-brewed ordnance, made of carbon dioxide cartridges and explosive powder, at a parking lot frequently used by fishermen on Mill Road near the Neshaminy Creek in Warwick.
Police discovered the explosives in Pearson's jacket, his car and, later, in his room at his Warminster home.SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—
Sports shooters, especially those who use indoor small-bore rifle ranges, risk lead absorption and intoxication.
Recreational skiers can easily reach speeds of up to 40 mph, which can lead to injuries similar to those seen in car accidents.
…
Male testicles create 10 million new sperm cells every day, enough to repopulate the entire world in just 6 months.
All humans exist as a single cell organism for a half hour at conception.
A LITTLE LAUGH
This is a fool proof Best Friend Test. If you don't believe it, just try this-
Put your dog and your spouse in the trunk of the car for an hour.
When you open the trunk, who is really happy to see you?
…
I spent 20 minutes explaining life insurance options to one of our employees. After reviewing the different plans and monthly deductions, he decided to max out, choosing $100,000 worth of life insurance.
But he had one last question.
"Now," he said, "what do I have to do to collect the money?"
FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’
Thanks to my friend Wes for this: Awesome People
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DAYBOOK INFORMATION
♦ THIS WEEK ♦
25-31 It's About Time Week
26-1/1 Kwanzaa
♦ TODAY IS… ♦
Kwanzaa: NIA (NEE-ah) is the fifth day of Kwanzaa and it means "purpose". A pledge to build and develop communities, schools and families. A pledge to provide a strong communal foundation from which children can develop into strong and productive people.
Leap Second Time Adjustment Day
Make Up Your Mind Day
New Years Eve
No Interruptions Day
Universal Hour of Peace Day
Unlucky Day
World Peace Meditation Day
Western Christianity: The seventh day of Christmas (seven swans a-swimming represent the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: from Isaiah 11:2-3—Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, Fear of the Lord)
Azerbaijan: Solidarity Day
Austria: Imperial Ball
Benin: Feed Yourself Day
Congo: National Day
Indians at Mitla, Oaxaca : Noche de Pedimento/Wishing Night (My brother and sister-in-law are there to join in)
Japan: Omisoka Day/Grand Purification
Lebanon: Evacuation Day (1946)
Mauritania: People's Party Day
Scotland: Hogmanay Day Learn More
Scottish Gaelic Òg-Mhadainn/h-òg-mhaidne ('new morning')♫ Academy Awards Best Original Song ♫
Irish Gaelic: "theacht meán oíche" ('the arrival of midnight', pronounced 'heacht meawn eehe')
Gaelic: ochd meadhan oidhche ('eighth midnight' (eighth night from Christmas))
Manx: word Hop-tu-Naa (31 October) - the Old Gaelic new year
Click on Song Title to see and hear
♪…2001 "If I Didn't Have You" — Monsters, Inc
♪…2002 "Lose Yourself" — 8 Mile
♪…2003 "Into the West" — The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
♪…2004 "Al otro lado del río" — The Motorcycle Diaries
♦Today’s Births♦
AUTHORS
Diane Halfin von Furstenberg, 65, fashion designer, author
ATHLETES
Émilie Le Pennec, 23, French gymnast
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
Dawood Ibrahim, 55, Indian crime boss
His Grace the Most Reverend Dr. Pius Alick Mvundla Ncube, 64, Zimbabwean human rights advocate
ENTERTAINERS (ACTORS/SINGERS/…)
1922 Rex Allen cowboy singer, born in Wilcox AZ
1914 Pat Brady actor (Roy Rogers Show)
1943 John Denver [Henry John Deutschendorf Jr] singer/songwriter/actor (Rocky Mountain High, Thank God I'm a Country Boy, Oh God!)
1930 Odetta [Holmes Felious Gordon] folk singer/actress (Sanctuary)
Sir Anthony Hopkins, 73, actor (Oscar for The Silence of the Lambs
Val Kilmer, 51, actor (Batman Forever, The Doors, Heat)
Ben Kingsley(Krishna Bhanji), 67, actor (Oscar for Gandhi )
Tim Matheson, 62, actor (Animal House)
Bebe Neuwirth, 52, actress (“Cheers,” “Frasier”)
1943 Pete Quaife musician: bass: group: The Kinks: You Really Got Me
Donna Summer (LaDonna Andrea Gaines). 62, singer
POLITICIANS
1738 Charles Lord Cornwallis solider/statesman "fire when ready Gridley"
1880 George C Marshall authored Marshall Plan (Nobel 1953)
1825 Francis Trowbridge Sherman Brigadier-General (Union volunteers)
1720 [Bonnie Prince] Charles Edward Stuart English pretender to throne
1908 Simon Wiesenthal Polish/Austrian nazi hunter (Wiesenthal Center)
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1864 Robert G Aitken US astronomer (Binary Stars)
♦Today’s Obituaries♦
1972 Roberto Clemente Pittsburgh Pirate slugger, plane crash @ 38
1997 Floyd Cramer pianist (Nashville Sound), cancer @ 64
1802 Francis Lewis Welsh/US merchant/signer (Declaration of Independence), @ 89
1985 Rick Nelson singer/actor (Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet), plane crash @ 45
1966 Chief Nipo Strongheart Yakima actor, authored the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, @ 75
1993 Thomas J Watson Jr president of IBM (1956-71)/diplomat, @ 79
♦Today’s Events♦
ARTS
1907 For the 1st time a ball drops at Times Square to signal the new year
1947 Roy Rogers, ‘the King of the Cowboys’, and Dale Evans were hitched in marriage.
1961 1st performance of the Beach Boys
1995 Cartoonist Bill Watterson ends his "Calvin & Hobbes" comic strip after a decade of laughs
ATHLETICS
1950 Willie Shoemaker and Joe Culmone, both 19 years of age, became the first jockeys to ride 388 winners in a single year.
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1600 British East India Company chartered
1896 25th auto built in US
1981 CNN Headline News debuts
1997 Microsoft buys Hotmail E-mail service
2004 Official opening of Taipei 101, the tallest skyscraper at that time in the world, standing at a height of 509 metres (1,670 ft). (very cool...but I still think it sounds like a college class)
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1794 After agreeing to a peace with the United States on November 7th, the Cherokee and Chickamaugans, and the U.S. will exchange prisoners, this will effectively end the Chickamauga War
POLITICS (US)
1852 Future President & Mrs Rutherford B Hayes marry
1970 Congress authorizes the Eisenhower dollar coin
POLITICS (International)
1564 Willem van Orange demands freedom of conscience/religion
1923 BBC begins using Big Ben chime ID
1942 Potatoes rationed in Holland
1958 International Geophyscial Year ends
1958 Cuban dictator Batista flees
1999 Control of Panamá Canal reverts to Panamá
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1492 100,000 Jews expelled from Sicily
1744 James Bradley announces discovery of Earth's motion of nutation (wobble)
1841 Alabama becomes 1st state to license dental surgeons
1861 22,990 mm (75.42 feet) of rain falls in Cherrapunji Assam, India in 1861, world record
1911 Marie Curie receives her 2nd Nobel Prize
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ANSWERS
∞ JEOPARDY
→A schapslote is a German-painted decoration using enamel of this color on glass
What is Black?
→Juniper trees are sometimes used to build chests known by the name of this other wood
What is Cedar?
→The Griffin originated as a design in this "land between two rivers"
What is Mesopotamia?
→This group of buildings formed the Great Fortified Palace of the Moorish kings of Spain
What is Alhambra?
→Two of the 3 classical orders of columns developed by the Greeks
What are ‘Ionic’, ‘Doric’, ‘Corinthian’
