April Fool's Day 11

TODAY’s HOLY MACKEREL: 1952 Big Bang theory proposed in Physical Review by Alpher, Bethe & Gamow

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MY FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

I have been confused about the AZ educational system for four decades. First it was why AZ had no reciprocity with any state for certification. Then it was the state system not wanting to deal with ESL for anyone but Spanish speakers, and finally it was the state proficiency test. I only had one semester with high school students and that was in SD, so I can’t say a lot about what happens in the upper grades. But I did know K-8 education pretty well. Our goal was to prepare students for life. That meant basic reading, writing, speaking, and math skills. My schools were never affected by budget changes in AZ. We had to deal with budget changes at the Federal level. Earlier this week a report was listed that only 31% of the incoming Freshman graduate from NAU in 4 years. The number jumps to 35% in five years. I thought that was pretty low and something was wrong. I checked my Alma mater, Univ. of CO, to see what their stats were. In 2009, the CU graduation rate for all students was 68% with athletes a little lower at 57%. I felt a little better.

If less than one in three freshmen makes it to graduation, there are problems. Students at NAU are paying about $4,000 per semester for in-state tuition and fees. Are the students leaving NAU because of the tuition costs? I’m still trying to figure that out. Many students get scholarships, grants, and other loans to pay these rates. Most are tied to grades. Grade inflation has always been a problem at universities and NAU is no exception. Are the NAU students there because they want an education, or is just that the high schools only push college attendance? Do they leave because they just have too much fun their first couple of semesters? Do students leave because the work was too difficult? How are the AZ high schools preparing students for the freedom and the responsibility of college?

I don’t have any answers but as AZ falls lower and lower on the education scale—currently at 46th in the US, I sure hope someone is asking these questions and more. More importantly I hope that someone is finding answers. I know many students who have found happiness with a high school diploma. I know some who found happiness with less than a high school education. They didn’t do well with ‘book learning’ in school, but were hard working, reliable, driven people who wanted to have a good life for themselves and their families. I also know students who were unsuccessful in school and unsuccessful in life. Education is only part of the big picture. It is time the public schools look at that big picture and teach the skills needed to be successful in that world. We need doctors, lawyers, teachers; we need techies, mechanics, warehouse workers, and janitors; we need artists, writers, and actors; we need entrepreneurs, dreamers, and leaders. A one size fits all high school not the answer, but having high schools that are magnets for various skills may be the answer to our educational dilemma here in AZ.

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DID YOU KNOW THAT…

~If you've been yanking on a cork in a wine bottle and it just simply won't budge, here's a quick tip: Take a hot, wet towel and wrap it around the neck of the bottle. The heat will cause the glass to expand a little so the cork will pop right out.

~Electric bulbs get dirty just like everything else, and that makes them less efficient. By simply dusting them with a microfiber cloth, they'll give off 50% more light so your rooms will be lighter and brighter.

~Next time you boil potatoes, let the water cool and use it to give your thirsty plants a drink. It contains starch, nutrients and organic water that help plants thrive.

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION…

~McDonald's fast food restaurant opened an official school, Hamburger University, in Oak Brook, IL, (a suburb of Chicago) in 1961.

~McDonald's purchases the more beef than any other entity in the world. 

PUZZLE: Trivia Quiz […answers at bottom…]

1. In the movie 'Casablanca' what is the name of the nightclub?

2. Detective Philip Marlow smokes what brand of cigarette?

3. What was Colombo's dog called?

4. Who directed the movie 'Sharky's Machine'?

5. Pat Sullivan created which cartoon character?

6. What was the world's first X rated cartoon?

7. What TV character lived in Waratah National Park?

8. Maurice Micklewhite became famous as who?

9. Who was Dan Dare's greatest enemy in the Eagle?

10. Wo Fat was the enemy of which TV detective?

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM:

Unreal Estate: The collapse of the economy in 2008 might have reached the far corners of Earth, but evidently not to Planet Calypso, the make-believe asteroid containing make believe real estate in the multiplayer online game Entropia Universe, where resort entrepreneur Jon Jacobs, a 44 year old high school dropout, recently cashed out his properties for $635,000—in real (not make believe) US dollars. Since Jacobs’ original 2005 investment of $100,000 (a record at the time), he thus has earned an average 35% annual return. A recent study by the marketing firm In-Stat estimated that online players spent $7 billion in 2010 on make believe property and goods.

A LITTLE LAUGH:

A man was sitting alone in his office one night when a genie popped up out of his ashtray.

"And what will your third wish be?"

The man looked at the genie and said, "Huh? How can I be getting a third wish when I haven't had a first or second wish yet?"

"You have had two wishes already," the genie said, "but your second wish was for me to put everything back the way it was before you made your first wish. Thus, you remember nothing, because everything is the way it was before you made any wishes. You now have one wish left."

"Okay," said the man, "I don't believe this, but what the heck. I've always wanted to understand women. I'd love to know what's going on inside their heads."

"Funny," said the genie as it granted his wish and disappeared forever, "That was your first wish, too!"

Top 10 Game Shows:

10. Sale Of The Century

9. Takeaway

8. Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Countdown

7. Family Fortunes

6. Wheel Of Fortune

5. The Generation Game

4. The Price Is Right

3. Jeopardy

2. Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?

1. Deal or no Deal

CLOSEUP PICTURE: Can you identify this close up picture?

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’:

Spaghetti Harvest

Math Class Shadow

♫ Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ♫

Madonna (born Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccon)

Click on Song Title to see and hear it.

♪… Like a Virgin

♪…Give it to Me

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DAYBOOK INFORMATION

►THIS MONTH◄

Atlanta Food & Wine Month ♦ Alcohol Awareness Month ♦ Amateur Radio Month ♦ Autism Awareness Month ♦ Brussels Sprouts and Cabbage Month ♦ Cancer Control Month ♦ Car Care Month ♦ Celebrate Diversity Month ♦ Child Abuse Prevention Month ♦ (International) Cesarean Awareness Month ♦ Confederate History Month ♦ Couple Appreciation Month ♦ Cranberries and Gooseberries Month ♦ Defeat Diabetes Month ♦ Emotional Overeating Awareness Month ♦ Fair Housing Month ♦ Financial Literacy Month ♦ Fresh Florida Tomatoes Month ♦ Frog Month ♦ Global Child Nutrition Month ♦ Grange Month ♦ Grilled Cheese Month ♦ Holy Humor Month ♦ Home Improvement Time ♦ Informed Women Month ♦ International Customer Loyalty Month ♦ International Guitar Month ♦ International Twit Award Month ♦ IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) Month ♦ Jazz Appreciation Month ♦ Keep America Beautiful ♦ Month of the Young Child ♦ Month of the Military Child ♦ National African American Women's Fitness Month ♦ National Child Abuse Prevention Month ♦ National Card and Letter Writing Month ♦ National Decorating Month ♦ National DNA & Genomics & Stem Cell Education & Awareness Month ♦ National Donate Life Month ♦ National Garden Month ♦ National Humor Month ♦ National Kite Month ♦ National Knuckles Down Month ♦ National Landscape Architecture Month ♦ National Occupational Therapy Month ♦ National Parkinson's Awareness Month ♦ National Pecan Month ♦ National Pet Month ♦ National Poetry Month ♦ Nationally Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) Month ♦ National Sexual Assault Awareness Month ♦ National Youth Sports Safety Month ♦ Pharmacists War on Diabetes Month ♦ Pet First Aid Awareness Month ♦ Physical Wellness Month ♦ Prevent Lyme in Dogs Month ♦ Prevention of Animal Cruelty Month ♦ Rosacea Awareness Month ♦ School Library Media Month ♦ Soy Foods Month ♦ Straw Hat Month ♦ Stress Awareness Month ♦ Testicular Cancer Awareness Month ♦ Tomatillo and Asian Pear Month ♦ Women's Eye Health & Safety Month ♦ Workplace Conflict Awareness Month ♦ World Habitat Awareness Month

►THIS WEEK◄1-7

Golden Rule Week

International Pooper-Scooper Week

Laugh at Work Week

Medication Safety Week

►TODAY IS◄

April Fools or All Fools Day

Atheist Day

Boomer Bonus Days (anyone over 50 celebrates)

Hospital Admitting Clerks Day

International Tatting Day

National Fun Day

National Fun at Work Day

National Geographic Bee (State Level)

One Cent Day (to wonder why we still have the penny)

Poetry & the Creative Mind Day

Reading is Funny Day

Sorry Charlie Day (for those who have been rejected and survived)

§ § § §

Iran: Islamic Republic Day

Bulgaria: Saint Lazarus Day

San Marino: National Day

Sri Lanka: Sinhal/Tamil New Year

US: Air Force Academy Day

■…AUTHORS/COMPOSERS/ARTISTS

David Eisenhower, 64, author (Eisenhower at War), lawyer

1922 William Manchester writer: The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur

1873 Sergei Vasilievitch Rachmaninov, composer (Prelude in C# Minor)

■…ATHLETES

Libby Riddles, 55, first woman to win the 1,135-mile Iditarod Alaskan dogsled race

Daniel Joseph “Rusty” Staub, 67, former baseball player

■…BUSINESS & EDUCATION

1887 Leonard Bloomfield US linguist

1866 Sophonisba Breckenridge scholar/teacher/social activist

Rachel Maddow, 38, political commentator

■…ENTERTAINERS (ACTORS/SINGERS)

1883 Lon Chaney man of 1000 faces, actor (High Noon, Phantom of Opera)

Jon Gosselin, 34, television personality

1932 Gordon Jump actor: WKRP in Cincinnati

Ali MacGraw, 72, actress (Goodbye, Columbus; Love Story)

Jane Powell (Suzanne Burce), 82, actress (Seven Brides for Seven Brothers) Debbie Reynolds, 79, actress

■…POLITICIANS

Samuel A. Alito, Jr, 61, Associate Justice of the US

■…SCIENCE & RELIGION

Wangari Maathai, 70, Kenyan environmentalist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize

1919 Joseph Murray, American surgeon, Nobel laureate

Today’s Obits:

1870 Patrick Gass Sergeant of Lewis & Clark Expedition, @ 98

1984 Marvin Gaye shot by his father @ 44

1917 Scott Joplin ragtime composer (Sting), dementia/syphilis @ 48

1969 Helena Rubinstein US cosmetic manufacturer, @ 89

1997 Nancy Woodhull news editor (USA Today), cancer @ 52

1930 Zawditu 1st reigning female monarch of Ethiopia, typhoid @ 53

Today’s Events:

■…ARTS

1724 Jonathan Swift publishes Drapier's letters

■…ATHLETICS

1876 1st official National League baseball game (Boston-6, Philadelphia-5)

1980 Wayne Gretzky breaks Bobby Orr's record with 103rd assist

■…BUSINESS & EDUCATION

1889 1st dishwashing machine marketed (Chicago)

1946 400,000 US mine workers strike

1946 Weight Watchers forms

■…INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

1536 After being shipwrecked in Galveston, Texas, Cabeza de Vaca and a few men march across the continent to California. They will be the first "white men" to visit many Indian tribes.

■…POLITICS (International)

1977 Attempt for Moslem state in Chad fails

■…POLITICS (US)

1934 Bonnie & Clyde kill 2 police officers

■…SCIENCE & RELIGION

1748 Ruins of Pompeii found

1826 Samuel Morey of Oxford, New Hampshire patented the internal combustion engine

1920 Church disestablished in Wales

1931 Earthquake devastates Managua Nicaragua, kills 2,000

1960 The first U.S. weather satellite was launched. TIROS I

1987 Steve Newman became the first man to walk solo around the world

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ANSWERS:

Quiz

1. In the movie 'Casablanca' what is the name of the nightclub?

Rick's

2. Detective Philip Marlow smokes what brand of cigarette?

Camels

3. What was Colombo's dog called?

Fang - Basset Hound

4. Who directed the movie 'Sharky's Machine'?

Burt Reynolds

5. Pat Sullivan created which cartoon character?

Felix the Cat

6. What was the world's first X rated cartoon?

Fritz the cat

7. What TV character lived in Waratah National Park?

Skippy the Bush Kangaroo

8. Maurice Micklewhite became famous as who?

Michael Caine

9. Who was Dan Dare's greatest enemy in the Eagle?

Mekon

10. Wo Fat was the enemy of which TV detective?

Steve MacGarett

Close Up Picture

Covered Auto

________AND THAT’S ALL FOR NOW________

3-31-11 Thursday

TODAY’s HOLY MACKEREL: 1992 UN Security Council voted to ban flights & arms sales to Libya 

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MY FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

AZ is back in National news in a bad way. Turns out the Fiesta Bowl Committee has been doing lots of questionable activities. This could have them lose their standing in Bowl Games by the BCS rules. The Fiesta Bowl has tax exempt status which comes with rules. As a BCS member there are also rules. Follow the rules and millions of $$$ come to the area in year after year. Every 4 years the area gets about 4x’s the amount of money when they hold the National Championship. To be fair, all three bowl committees in the US have problems—Fiesta just seems to be the worst offender. Lots of firings today and lots of scrambling in Tempe. The report is almost 300 pages, so it will take some time to figure out how bad it is. The report is covering 2000-2010. The CEO has admitted giving tickets and trips to elected representatives in AZ so they can learn about the ‘college football championship culture’. Mr. Russell Pearce, the legislative leader in SB1070, is a major recipient of the ‘perks’ from the Fiesta Bowl Committee. One can’t be a non-profit and give ‘perks’ to legislators. If the BSC decides that the Fiesta Bowl will no longer be in the mix, there are plenty of cities in-waiting. Of course this will really hurt the state tourist industry, the businesses that serve the thousands of tourists who come to Tempe for the Bowl game, and anyone connected to the Bowl. For years the Bowl struggled with games at ASU stadium, New Year’s Eve games, and only a local parade. Then they made the big time. Now all that money and work is in the hands of others. Whether a sports fan or not, this will have a huge effect on Arizona’s economy and thus every citizen’s well-being in one way or another.

Friday, April 1^st, will be my tax day. I will take everything in and get it back a few days later. I figure that is a appropriate day to begin the paperwork.

I have found that my humidifier does assist in my sleep and does make my bedroom more comfortable. The problem is the noise while it is running. I have looked around and still haven’t found one that is really quiet without spending several hundred dollars. I’m trying something new tonight…I turned on the humidifier about 5pm.  I will let it run on high until I got to bed about 11pm. I’ll see if that raises the humidity enough and yet lets me sleep undisturbed by the noise. It’s worth a try. They say that it is humid enough when the windows begin to get wet. That still hasn’t happened, so I guess this area is really dry.

Sea World returned a whale to it’s ‘show’ today, only 14 months after the whale killed a trainer. Stupid.

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DID YOU KNOW THAT…

~Grapes are loaded with skin-firming alpha hydroxy acids, just like many wrinkle cream! Mash up 3 green grapes and dab the juice on your skin, concentrating on areas around your eyes, mouth and forehead. Leave it on for 5 minutes, then rinse.

~To quickly clean a bathroom floor without having to mop or sweep, use a lint roller to pick up hair and other small debris. You'll be able to lift hard-to-see dirt particles in a confined area more easily than with a broom or vacuum.

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION…

In 1995, Professor Jonathan Reese discovered that mutations of the gene MC1R on chromosome 16 were responsible for red hair (known as the “ginger gene”). The gene mutation responsible for red hair in humans probably arose 20,000-40,000 years ago.
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Red hair is a recessive trait, which means that a child must inherit one red hair gene from each parent. Recessive traits often come in pairs, and redheads are more likely than other people to be left handed.
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According to legend, the first redhead was Prince Idon of Mu who, upon discovering Atlantis, was imprinted with the island’s stunning red sunset and leaves in the form of red hair and freckles so future generations would be reminded of Atlantis’ first sunset.

PUZZLE:   Trivia Quiz […answers at bottom…]

1. 'We've Only Just Begun' was background music advertising what?
2. Who wrote the opera 'Madam Butterfly'?
3. The song 'You'll Never Walk Alone' came from which 1945 musical show?
4. John Henry Deutchendorf is better known as who?
5. Syd Barett, Roger Waters, Richard Wright, and Nick Mason are members of what group?
6. The Detours changed their name to The High Numbers and then to what?
7. What profession did Handel originally study?
8. The Shadows' first record went straight to number 1. What was it?
9. Who sold the most albums in a single day?
10. What Rolling Stone album cover had a zipper on the side?

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM:

ENGLEWOOD, N.J. — People might have thought they were part of a recipe when a northern New Jersey bakery blew its top and shot a cloud of flour over cars and buildings.

Acting Englewood Fire Chief Gerald Marion says a pipe became loose at the top of the La Esperanza Bakery silo as flour was being pumped into the building on Tuesday.

Some people thought there was an explosion as flour filled the air and coated several adjacent buildings.

A spokesman for the bakery told The Record newspaper it lost probably less than 10 bags of flour from the 20,000 pounds that were being delivered.

The pipe has been resealed.

A LITTLE LAUGH:

Trying to do my share for the environment, I set up a trash basket at my church and posted above it this suggestion: "Empty water bottles here."
I should have been a little more specific, because when I went to check it later, I didn't find any bottles in it. But it was full of water.

Top 10 Pixar Movies:

10. Wall-E (2008)

9. A Bug’s Life (1998)

8. Cars (2006)

7. Monsters Inc (2001)

6. Ratatouille (2007)

5. The Incredibles (2004)

4. Toy Story (1995)

3. Shark Tale (2004)

2. Finding Nemo (2003)

1. Up (2009)

CLOSEUP PICTURE: Can you identify this close up picture?

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’:

Carol Burnett Bloopers

♫ Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ♫

2008 Inductee: Dave Clark Five

Click on Song Title to see and hear it.

♪… Glad all over

♪… Bits & Pieces

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DAYBOOK INFORMATION

►THIS WEEK◄

--
►TODAY IS◄

Bunsen Burner Day

National Clams On The Half Shell Day

National "She's Funny That Way" Day

Mule Day

- - -

Malta: Republic Day/National Day (1974) 

US: CA, TX, AZ, CO, MI, NM, UT, and W: César Chávez Day 

■…AUTHORS/COMPOSERS/ARTISTS

1596 René Descartes French philosopher (he thought, therefore he was) 

1809 Edward Fitzgerald author: translated Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat

1732 Franz Joseph Haydn Austrian composer, helped develop classical style 

■…ATHLETES

Pavel Bure, 40, former hockey player

Gordon (Gordie) Howe, 83, Hall of Fame hockey player

■…BUSINESS & EDUCATION

1927 Cesar Chavez labor leader: started the National Farm Workers Association, organizing migrant farm workers

1929 Liz Claiborne fashion designer

■…ENTERTAINERS (ACTORS/SINGERS)

Herb Alpert, 76, musician (Tijuana Brass)

Richard Chamberlain, 76, actor (“Dr. Kildare,” Shogun)

William Daniels, 84, actor (Emmy for “St. Elsewhere”; “Boy Meets World”)
1928 Lefty (William Orville) Frizzell Country Music Hall of Famer

Al Gore, 63, 45th VP (1993–2001), environmental activist, author, documentary filmmaker
John Jakes, 79, author (North and South, the Kent Family Chronicles)
James Earl (Jimmy) Johnson, 73, Hall of Fame football player
Shirley Jones, 77, actress (Oscar for Elmer Gantry; “The Partridge Family”) Gabe Kaplan, 65, actor (“Welcome Back, Kotter”)

1922 Richard (Paul) Kiley Emmy Award-winning actor: The Thorn Birds [1983]

Edward Francis (Ed) Marinaro, 61, actor (“Hill Street Blues,” “Sisters”)

Rhea Perlman, 63, actress (“Cheers,” Carpool)

Christopher Walken, 68, actor (Hairspray, Catch Me If You Can, The Deer Hunter)

■…POLITICIANS
David Steel, 73, Scottish politician

■…SCIENCE & RELIGION

1965 Jean-Christophe Lafaille, French mountaineer

Today’s Obits:

1631 John Donne Metaphysical poet, stomach cancer (?) @ 59

1995 Selena [Quintanilla Perez] Mexican Grammy winning singer, killed by  fan @ 24 

1913 John Pierpont Morgan US banker/CEO (US Steel Corp), @ 75 

1931 Knute Rockne football player/coach, plane crash @ 43

Today’s Events:

■…ARTS

1945 Tennessee Williams' "Glass Menagerie" premieres in New York NY

1982 Rock group Doobie Brothers split up 

1988 Pulitzer prize awarded to Toni Morrison for "Beloved" 

1990 "Carol & Company" starring Carol Burnett premieres on NBC-TV 

■…ATHLETICS

1909 Baseball rules players who jump contracts are suspended for 5 years 

1995 1st game at Coors Stadium Denver(replacement Rockies 4 Yankees 1) 

1997 59th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Arizona beats Kentucky 84-79 (OT) 

■…BUSINESS & EDUCATION

1880 1st town completely illuminated by electric lighting (Wabash IN) 

1918 Daylight saving time went into effect throughout the United States for the first time.

1923 1st dance marathon-NYC-Alma Cummings sets record of 27 hours 

1932 Ford publicly unveils its V-8 engine 

■…INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

1877 Parts of the White Mountain - San Carlos Reservation in Arizona will be restored to public domain.

■…POLITICS (International)

1889 300 meter Eiffel Tower officially opens (commemorates French Revolution) 

1959 Dalai Lama fled China & was granted political asylum in India 

1971 South Africa national debt hits 5.45 billion 

1996 Radio Canada International's final shortwave broadcast 

■…POLITICS (US)

1850 US population hits 23,191,876 (Black population: 3,638,808 (15.7%))

1868 Chinese Embassy arrives aboard steamship China 

1948 Congress passes Marshall Aid Act to rehabilitate war-torn Europe 

1953 Department of Health, Education & Welfare established 

1954 US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs CO, established 

1980 President Jimmy Carter deregulates banking industry 

■…SCIENCE & RELIGION

1651 Great earthquake at Cuzco Peru 

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ANSWERS:

Quiz

1. 'We've Only Just Begun' was background music advertising what?
Bank
2. Who wrote the opera 'Madam Butterfly'?
Puccini
3. The song 'You'll Never Walk Alone' came from which 1945 musical show?
Carousel
4. John Henry Deutchendorf is better known as who?
John Denver
5. Syd Barett, Roger Waters, Richard Wright, and Nick Mason are members of what group?
Pink Floyd
6. The Detours changed their name to The High Numbers and then to what?
The Who
7. What profession did Handel originally study?
The Law
8. The Shadows' first record went straight to number 1. What was it?
Apache
9. Who sold the most albums in a single day?
Elvis, 20 million sold the day after he died.
10. What Rolling Stone album cover had a zipper on the side?
Sticky Fingers 
Close Up Picture

Fire Station Sign

________AND THAT’S ALL FOR NOW________