3-19-11 Saturday

TODAY’s HOLY MACKEREL: 1949 1st museum devoted exclusively to atomic energy, Oak Ridge TN 

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MY FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

I am stunned. It looks like we are headed to another war. I get that Libya is in trouble. I get that he is a crazy man. I get that it takes lots of nations to stop him from killing his own people. There are other countries that are going to take the lead in making a no-fly zone. I’m sure the conservatives are glad that the US is finally getting involved in yet another military action. The only bright spot is that two Arab countries have joined in helping with the no-fly zone. This is a very frightening time.

While the state of AZ continues to be broke, continues to cut educational funding, our governor said “I led the lead in protecting education.” Her higher education experience was at Glendale Community College where she received a certificate as a ‘radiological technologist’. She certainly didn’t need much public speaking or budget experience for that profession. She got her early education [K-12] in California. She does not understand the AZ educational system and certainly doesn’t understand higher education in AZ. She continues to believe that cutting K-12 money will have no effect on future generations and now by cutting Higher Education, fewer students will be able to afford either a Community College or University education. Here are some interesting stats from the census—2000: (no official figures have been released on the 2010 population)

• 29.5% of the population is under 19 years old,
• 12.9% of the population is 65 or older,
• the median age is 34.2 years old,
• 75.5% of AZ is White,
• 24% is Hispanic (includes bi-racial claiming Hispanic),
• 5.7% is Native American,
• 35.2% of the households have children under 18,
• 24.5% of households have at least one person over 65.

The governor should be looking at the young and the old, at education and health care.

Saturday night would be a good time to look up in the sky. It will be the closest it has been to earth in over 18 years. The moon should look a little larger than normal, especially as it rises. Scientists say it won’t effect things here on earth…others disagree.

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DID YOU KNOW THAT…

-Surround yourself with fresh flowers. Escape the drudgery of winter by heading to a nursery or florist where forced bulbs are blooming right now! Their fragrance will lift your mood instantly.
-Mouthwash fights germs in your mouth, so why not in the rest of the bathroom? Pour 1/4 cup alcohol-based mouthwash (the cheap, generic kind) into your toilet and let sit for a half-hour. Swish around with a brush, then flush. It will sanitize and deodorize the bowl.
-Clogged drain? Pour 3 cups of warm cola down your drain and let sit overnight; the soda's citric acid will break up any buildup in your pipes. In the a.m., run hot water to help flush the debris.

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION…

The ancient Greeks chewed a gum-like substance called mastic that came from the bark of a tree.
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Most of Wrigley's wrapping machines were designed and built by Wrigley engineers and machinists, and each is made up of over 6,000 parts.

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The Wrigley Company has 19 manufacturing facilities worldwide; five in North America, six in Europe, one in Africa, two in India and five in the Asia/Pacific region.

PUZZLE:   Trivia Quiz […answers at bottom…]

1. The dunnock is another name for which common bird?
2. What country do Great Danes come from?
3. An ‘unkindness’ is a group of what kind of birds?
4. Beaufort the man who invented the Beaufort scale, had what kind of job?
5. Saponification is the process that makes what common product?
6. Gregory Pincus, John Rock and Gerhart Domangk developed what?
7. A tittiliomaniac has a compulsion to do what?
8. Segmental, Primitive, Doucine and Elliptical are all types of what?
9. Pertussis has what more common name?
10. What is the chemical symbol for tungsten?

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM:

Grand Rapids--It's probably a good idea to unfriend one wife on Facebook before marrying another. Generally speaking, a divorce would also be appropriate.
Such was not the case when Richard Leon Barton married a Grand Rapids, Mich. woman several years after skipping out on his first wife, a Rhode Island resident, according to local news website Michigan Live. Barton had been in and out of prison, and had fled Rhode Island to evade parole, but he still managed to stay "friends" with his first wife, at least on Facebook.
Apparently the Rhode Island wife got suspicious when Barton unfriended her on the social network. She poked around and found wedding photos of Barton and his new wife, linked to other Facebook profiles, such as those of Barton's friends and family members. Duly alarmed, the estranged (but still married) wife called the police, and Barton was charged with polygamy.
According to Michigan Live, the second wife thought Barton was divorced. "She had absolutely no idea what was going on," the site quotes Michigan state police detective Denise Bentley as saying.
Polygamy is not a serious crime, but for a repeat offender, it's certainly bad news.

A LITTLE LAUGH:

I was in my ninth month of pregnancy and feeling very uncomfortable. On top of everything, my pleas for sympathy seemed to go unnoticed by my husband.

One day I told him, "I hope in your next life you get to be pregnant!"

He replied, "I hope in your next life you get to be married to someone who's pregnant!"

Top 10 In The World:

CLOSEUP PICTURE: Can you identify this close up picture?

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’: Tarzan and Edgar rice Burroughs Masters Degree Project

♫ Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ♫

Leon Russell—inducted in 2011
Click on Song Title to see and hear it.
♪…"Stranger In A Strange Land"  
♪…”Tight Rope”
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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: 18-20 ♣

►TODAY IS◄

Alfred Hitchcock Day
National Quilting Day
Operation Iraqi Freedom Day
Perigean Tides
Swallows Return to San Juan Capistrano Day
Worm Moon
♣ ♣ ♣ ♣
Australia: Canberra Day
Iran: National Day of Oil ()
US: Florida: Save the Florida Panther Day (since 1973)

■…AUTHORS/COMPOSERS/ARTISTS
Philip Roth, 78, author (The Great American Novel, Portnoy’s Complaint)
1864 Charles Marion Russell artist: known for his paintings of the American cowboy
1721 Tobias Smollett Scottish writer, baptized 
■…ATHLETES
1932 Gay Brewer Jr. golf: champion: Masters [1967]; member of Senior Tour [1982-2000]
Hedo Turkoglu, 32, basketball (Kings, Spurs, Magic, Raptors, Suns), born Hiyadet Turkoglu at Istanbul, Turkey
■…BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1848 Wyatt Earp marshall-fought in Gunfight at the OK Corral 
Brent Scowcroft, 86, business executive, consultant
■…ENTERTAINERS (ACTORS/SINGERS)
Ursula Andress, 75, actress (Dr. No, What’s New Pussycat?)
1920 Tige Andrews (Tiger Androwaous) actor: The Detectives, The Mod Squad
Glenn Close, 64, actress (Emmy for “Damages,” The Big Chill, Fatal Attraction; Tonys for Sunset Boulevard, Death and the Maiden, The Real Thing)
1894 Jackie "Moms" Mabley comedienne (Merv Griffin Show) 
Bruce Willis (Idar-Oberstein), 56, actor (Sin City, The Sixth Sense, Die Hard)
■…POLITICIANS

1860 William Jennings Bryan "The Great Commoner" orator/statesman 

1906 Adolf Eichmann Nazi Gestapo officer 
1881 Edith Nourse Rogers created Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps [1942]; member of U.S. House of Representatives [reelected 17 times: served from June 25, 1925 until her death on Sep 10, 1960]
1891 Earl Warren (Governor-CA)/14th supreme court chief justice (1953-69) 
■…SCIENCE & RELIGION
1813 David Livingstone Scottish explorer (found by Stanley in Africa) 
Today’s Obits:
1907 Thomas Bailey Aldrich US writer (Stillwater Tragedy), dies at 70 
1950 Edgar Rice Burroughs sci-fi author (Tarzan of the Apes), dies at 74 
1974 Anne Klein fashion designer, breast cancer @ 51 
1687 Rene-Robert Cavelier La Salle French explorer (Louisiana), murdered @ 43 
1982 Randy Rhoads heavy metal guitarist (Ozzy Osbourne), plane crash @ 25
Today’s Events:
■…ARTS
1859 Charles François Gounod's opera "Faust" premieres in Paris France 
1928 "Amos & Andy" debuts on radio (NBC Blue Network-WMAQ Chicago) 
1951 Herman Wouk's "Caine Mutiny" is published 
■…ATHLETICS
1995 Michael Jordan rejoins Chicago Bulls after 17 months, beats Pacers 

1995 NBA New York Knicks beat New York Nets in 100th meeting (Knicks 53 Nets 47)

1995 Neil Marshall skates world record 3 km (3 :4.08)
1997 Major League Baseball announces 5 year/$50M deal with Pepsi 
■…BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1831 The first bank robbery in America was reported. The City Bank of New York City lost $245,000 in the heist.
1883 Jan Matzeliger invents 1st machine to manufacture entire shoes 
1995 Arizona begins using new area code 520 outside of Phoenix 
■…INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1851 According to the Costan internet site, one in a series of treaties with California Indians will be signed today at Camp Fremont. These treaties will purport to set aisde lands for the Indians and to protect them from angry whites.
■…POLITICS (International)
1644 200 members of Peking imperial family/court commit suicide 
1945 Adolf Hitler issues Nero Decree: destruction of German facilities 
1996 Winnie Mandela divorces Nelson after 38 years of marriage 
■…POLITICS (US)
1628 Massachusetts colony founded by Englishmen 
1979 House of Representatives begins live TV broadcasts via C-SPAN 
■…SCIENCE & RELIGION
0721BC 1st recorded lunar eclipse; Location, Babylon 
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ANSWERS:
Quiz
1. The dunnock is another name for which common bird? Hedge Sparrow
2. What country do Great Danes come from? Germany
3. An unkindness is a group of what kind of birds? Ravens
4. Beaufort the man who invented the Beaufort scale, had what kind of job? Sailor (Admiral)
5. Saponification is the process that makes what common product? Soap

6. Gregory Pincus, John Rock and Gerhart Domangk developed what?

Oral Contraceptive

7. A tittiliomaniac has a compulsion to do what? Scratch

8. Segmental, Primitive, Doucine and Elliptical are all types of what?

Arch (in construction)

9. Pertussis has what more common name? Whooping Cough

10. What is the chemical symbol for tungsten? W 

Close Up Picture
Foot massager

_______________AND THAT’S ALL FOR NOW_________________