3-18-11 Friday


TODAY’s HOLY MACKEREL: 1818 Congress approves 1st pensions for government service 
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MY FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
Always the linguist. The power plant complex that has the world wondering ‘what next?’ is named: 福島第 or Fukushima Daiichi. Translating it: ‘Fuku’ means luck or good fortune, ‘shima’ means island, and ‘Daiichi’ means first or big. Other translations say ‘fuku’ means beautiful. So we have a beautiful or lucky island that is first or big. Rather ironic.
Finally, some sanity out of the AZ state legislature. Five bills came up for a vote in the Senate and all were defeated: 1-No services for illegals at hospitals 2-Illegals who attend schools are reported 3-Harsher penalties for businesses that hire illegals 4-No automatic citizenship for kids born in US to illegals 5-No vehicle registration without providing proof of citizenship. This is even more amazing since the Republicans control both houses in AZ. One of my senators—Jack Jackson, Jr.—who is a Navajo introduced an amendment to two of the bills stating ‘that applies them retroactively to deny Arizona citizenship to anyone who is not an descendent of an original occupant of what is now the United States prior to October 12, 1492.’ Good sense of humor and his point was made. His amendments were defeated before the bills came up for a vote.
March Madness has begun. The planners added 4 more teams this year, so that there wouldn’t be the cries from a school that they should have been included. Of course, when they announced the now 68 teams, a couple of schools felt that they should have been included and gave examples of why they should be in. I say go back to 64 and ignore the cries. The other thing that happened is that it is now possible to see every one of the games on TV cable. That is pretty cool. I don’t have a favorite this year, but did catch the highlights of today’s games. Even this early there were some close games. So for the next few weeks, basketball will be that game of the day.
We had our weekly lunch today. Mary is heading to Chicago next week, after spending about 5 days with her grandkids in Phoenix. Cheryl is busy trying to figure out how to keep the JW’s away from her door. She never lets the lady inside, but lets her talk at the front door. She says the lady reads her parts of the Bible and then says a prayer before leaving. It is odd to hear her tell these stories because she is usually very forthright about her opinions. We had lunch at OG and just had the soup/salad/breadsticks so I could still enjoy my Irish dinner here at home. Nothing like Corned Beef, cabbage and soda bread on St. Patrick’s Day. This year’s soda bread was much better than last years. Don’t know why, but it is soooooooo good.
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DID YOU KNOW THAT…
Adding vinegar to your final rinse water when washing your hair, will help to remove any remaining oils.
Heat a bowl of water and lemon slices in your microwave for 30 seconds to a minute; then wipe out the oven. Stains will be easier to remove and old food odors neutralized.
SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION…ST. Patrick’s Day
Also called a “seamroy,” the shamrock was sacred in Ireland, marking the rebirth of Spring. But as the English began taking over Ireland and enforcing strict language and religious laws, the shamrock became a symbol for national pride for the Irish people, who would wear it on their
clothes in opposition to English rule.

Traditional music was used by the Irish to celebrate their heritage and language during the English rule. It worked so well that Queen Elizabeth even outlawed Irish music, and put musicians and pipers in big trouble.
 
The original Irish name for the leprechaun is “lobaircin,” which means “small-bodied fellow.” Today’s common representation of a cheerful, jolly leprechaun and symbol of St. Patrick’s Day is purely an American concoction, started by a Walt Disney movie in 1959. Traditionally, they’re the small, cranky, and scheming clan of the Celtic fairies, whose job it was to repair the shoes of the other fairies.
The traditional meal of St. Patrick's Day used to be Irish bacon (otherwise known as “Canadian” or “back” bacon). Corned beef became the norm when Irish immigrants living on New York City’s Lower East Side could no longer afford the more expensive customary meat.
 
Legend has it that God visited St. Patrick in a dream, telling him to flee to the coast where he would find a ship that would bring him back to Britain, which he did and became a Catholic priest upon his return. In 432, God called to him again and told him to bring his teachings to Ireland. After thirty years there, he died on March 17, 461, and remains the most admired figure in the Irish
Catholic Church.
 
There are approximately 36.5 million U.S. residents who claim Irish ancestry. This number is more than eight times the population of Ireland itself (4.5 million)
PUZZLE:   Trivia Quiz […answers at bottom…]
1. What animal eats, rests and sleeps on it's back?
2. Zymase and Glucose combine to form what drug?
3. What dinosaur's name translates as 'roof lizard'?
4. Lack of vitamin B1 causes what condition?
5. In proportion to it's size which animal has the largest eye?
6. The Campbell-Stokes recorder measures what, with a glass ball?
7. Dr. C. W. Long was the first to use which anesthetic in 1842?
8. Samuel Hahnermann developed what type of therapy?
9. Which part of the human body contains the most gold?
10. An isoneph on a map joins places of equal what?
UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM:
Chattanooga TN-A  security guard who apparently wanted to play police officer pulled over the wrong person Tuesday, according to Dalton police.
James Dale Smith, 58, an employee of J.J.K. Security in Chattanooga, turned on his strobe light and tried to stop a car on Shugart Road shortly before 10 p.m. Tuesday, police spokesman Bruce Frazier said in a news release.
What Smith didn’t know was the car was an undercover vehicle and the driver a Dalton Police Department detective.
On Wednesday, Smith was charged with impersonating a law enforcement officer and impersonating a public officer or employee, Frazier said.
When the detective saw the strobe, he radioed for a marked police car and continued driving. Smith, driving a white Crown Victoria with a “Police Interceptor” icon on the back and white strobe lights mounted along with police-style radio antennas, pulled up on the driver’s side of the unmarked car and started to nudge his car toward it, Frazier said.
That’s when Smith apparently recognized the driver, Frazier said. He turned off his strobe and pulled into a RaceTrac station, while the detective followed him and turned on his own blue lights.
He told the detective he wasn’t trying to pull the car over, but he told investigators later that he thought the car was going too fast, Frazier said.
Smith was wearing clothing similar to a police training uniform, a dark polo shirt with 511-style cargo khaki pants and black boots. He wore a Glock pistol in a belt holster, along with a spare ammunition magazine and handcuffs in a holster. He also had his security badge on his belt.
Frazier said police don’t have any reports of Smith attempting to pull anyone else over.
A LITTLE LAUGH:
As the woman was instructing the new maid on the great care required in handling certain valuable household objects. She pointed to the dining room and said with great satisfaction, "That table goes back to Louis the Fourteenth."
"Oh, that's nothing," the maid interjected. "My whole living-room set goes back to Sears the fifteenth."
Top 10 In The World: returns tomorrow
CLOSEUP PICTURE: Can you identify this close up picture?
FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’:
♫ Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ♫
Neil Diamond: inducted 2011
Click on Song Title to see and hear it.
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DAYBOOK INFORMATION
THIS WEEK◄
13-19 Campfire USA Birthday Week    Wildlife Week    International Brain Awareness Week    National Money Week 
18-20
American Crossword Puzzle Weekend   Sherlock Holmes Weekend 
►TODAY IS◄
Awkward Moments Day
Forgive Mom and Dad Day
National Biodiesel Day
Supreme Sacrifice Day: recognizes the ultimate sacrifice made by some for the good of others. (Soldiers, Firefighters, Police, EMTs…)
♣ ♣ ♣ ♣
Masons: De Molay Day (1314) 
Aruba: Flag Day
Haiti: University Day 
Ireland: Sheelah's Day 
Mongolia: Men and Soldiers Day 
Turkey: Gallipoli Memorial Day 
■…AUTHORS/COMPOSERS/ARTISTS
1927 George Plimpton author: Paper Lion, Shadow Box actor
1932 John Updike writer: The Witches of Eastwicke, Rabbit Run
■…ATHLETES
Bonnie Blair, 47, Olympic speed skater
1952 Mike Webster ‘Iron Mike’: Football Hall of Famer: Steelers; played more seasons [15] and more games [220] than any player in Steelers’ history
■…BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1877 Edgar Cayce, American psychic
■…ENTERTAINERS (ACTORS/SINGERS)
1911 Smiley Burnette  cowboy actor (Charlie-Petticoat Junction) 
Irene Cara, 52, singer (“Fame,” “The Dream”)
Kevin Dobson, 67, actor (“Kojak,” “Knots Landing”)
1925 Peter Graves actor (James Phelps-Mission Impossible, Fury) 
1886 Edward Everett Horton  actor/narrator (Bullwinkle Show) 
Queen Latifah (Dana Owens), 41, singer, actress
1941 Wilson Pickett singer: In the Midnight Hour, Land of 1000 Dances, Funky Broadway, Mustang Sally
Charley Pride, 73, singer, former minor league baseball player
Vanessa Williams, 48, singer, actress, ousted Miss America 
1947 B.J. (Barrie James) Wilson musician: drummer: group: Procol Harum: Whiter Shade of Pale
■…POLITICIANS
1782 John Calhoun U.S. Vice President under John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson [1825-1832]; the first VP to resign office
1837 Grover (Stephen) Cleveland 22nd [1885-1889] & 24th [1893-1897] U.S. President; only one to serve 2 nonconsecutive terms
Frederik Willem de Klerk, 75, former president of South Africa
■…SCIENCE & RELIGION
1907 John Zachary Young, British biologist 
Today’s Obits:
1978 Faith Baldwin US author (They Who Love), @ 84 
1965 Farouk I last King of Egypt (1936-52), after typical large meal @ 45 
1980 Erich Fromm German/US psychoanalyst, @ 79 
1997 Willem de Kooning (abstract artist) dead Alzheimer's @ 92 
Today’s Events:
■…ARTS
1902 Enrico Caruso becomes 1st well-known performer to make a record 
1982 Singer Teddy Pendergrass' spinal cord severed in a car accident 
1990 Largest Art robbery in the history (Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston), where 12 paintings valued at $100 million are stolen 
■…ATHLETICS
1953 Major-league baseball announced the first team relocation since 1903. The Boston Braves told of their plans to move west to Milwaukee, WI. 
1959 Bill Sharman of the Boston Celtics began what was to be the longest string of successful consecutive free throws (56 in a row) to set a new National Basketball Association record.
■…BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1881 [PT] Barnum & [James A] Bailey's Greatest Show on Earth opens (Madison Square Garden) 
1931  Schick, Inc., the razor company, displayed the first electric shaver -- in Stamford, CT.
1961 Poppin' Fresh Pillsbury Dough Boy introduced 
1970 Mail service paralyzed by 1st major postal strike 
■…INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1871 Indians make several sorties on a government wagon trail, near Fort Dodge, in southwestern Kansas. Three citizens are killed, while 5 Indians are wounded in the fighting.
1877 More Indians visit Col.Nelson Miles, the see if he will negotiate on surrender terms. Miles informs the large group of Chiefs, his terms have not changed, with the exception that they can surrender at an alternative agency than originally stated. Miles also informs them he will wait no longer for a reply. If the Indians do not surrender soon, his troops will be deployed against them soon. Little Hawk, Crazy Horse's uncle agrees to bring the Indians into Miles' camp or one of the agencies. Nine important Indians remain with Miles as hostages, as a sign of good faith.
■…POLITICS (International)
1229 German emperor Frederick II crowns himself king of Jerusalem 
1532 English parliament bans payments by English church to Rome 
1582 Prince Willem of Orange injured in attack at Antwerp 
1949 NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) ratified 
■…POLITICS (US)
1543 Hernan de Soto observes 1st recorded flood in America (Mississippi River) 
1766 British Parliament reinstitutes the Stamp Act 
1911 North Dakota enacts a hail insurance law 
1977 Vietnam hands over MIA to US 
■…SCIENCE & RELIGION
1870 1st US National Wildlife Preserve (Lake Meritt in Oakland CA) 
1899 Phoebe, a moon of Saturn is discovered by Pickering 
1919 Order of DeMolay is established in Kansas City 
1930 Pluto discovered by Clyde Tombaugh (US) 
1952 1st plastic lens for cataract patients fitted (Philadelphia) 
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ANSWERS:
Quiz
1. What animal eats, rests and sleeps on it's back? Sea Otter 2. Zymase and Glucose combine to form what drug? Alcohol 3. What dinosaur's name translates as 'roof lizard'? Stegosaurus
4. Lack of vitamin B1 causes what condition? Beri Beri 5. In proportion to it's size which animal has the largest eye? Cat 6. The Campbell-Stokes recorder measures what, with a glass ball? Sunshine 7. Dr. C. W. Long was the first to use which anesthetic in 1842? Ether
8. Samuel Hahnermann developed what type of therapy? Homeopathy
9. Which part of the human body contains the most gold? Toenails
10. An isoneph on a map joins places of equal what? Average Cloud Cover 
Close Up Picture
Fuel tanker
________AND THAT’S ALL FOR NOW________

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Flagstaff, Arizona, United States
I retired in '06--at the ripe old age of 57. I enjoy blogging, photography, traveling, and living life to it's fullest.