6-20-11

Ø  TODAY’s “Geez”:

·        1944 - Congress charters Central Intelligence Agency

Ø  Free Rambling Thoughts…

Yet another windy day. This has gotta stop.

Our discussion group last night was really good. We uncovered a lot of issues I had never considered. This one big world is really quite small. Most of the issues we face today are simply replays of previous similar situations. As hard as we try to take a new look, so many times we don’t. I am still a believer that many problems are related to the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’. No matter what culture you come from, you will be influenced by that culture, and will have a hard time accepting values vastly different from your own. I would have a very hard time not living in a consumer driven country, as much as people from non-consumer driven cultures would have living here. Of course most people believe their way is the right way…and some believe theirs is the only way. Diplomacy seems to deal with pushing your agenda to others without having them turn you away. War seems to deal with pushing your agenda to others with no worry about what they think.

This afternoon was my angioedema day. I thankfully caught it early and it was tolerable, if not a little boring. This one was just the center of my upper lip. It started about 11a and by 4p I was close enough to normal that others wouldn’t notice.

Ø  Trivia Quiz…(answers at the end of post)

1.      In 1991 who was voted "the most successful Australian to get to the top with least ability" by students in Adelaide?

2.      What was the first name of the baby in the Louise Woodward case?

3.      Who were the first married couple to go to the electric chair?

4.      Ulrich Salchow was the first Olympic medalist in his sport and give his name to one of its jumps; what sport is it?

5.      Who was America's second man in space?

6.      Which poet read a poem at John F Kennedy's inauguration?

7.      Who was charged with murder after the massacre at My Lai?

8.      Who admitted that his "autobiography" of Howard Hughes was a hoax?

9.      Which cartoon strip was Charles Schulz's most famous creation?

10.   Sidney Bechet was famous for which musical instrument in addition to the saxophone?

11.   Who founded the American Institution of public Opinion?

12.   What was Malcolm X's real last name?

13.   Who founded The Reader's Digest?

Ø  Zoom-ed in Picture…Can you Identify what this is? (Answer at end of post)

Ø  Hmmmmm…

·        Percentage of 2010 federal budget deficit attributable to Bush=era cuts and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan: 38

Ø  Somewhat Useless Information…

·        The Boston Nation, a newspaper published in Ohio during the mid-nineteenth century, had pages 7 1/2 feet long and 5 1/2 feet wide. It required two people to hold the paper in proper reading position.

·        When using the first pay phones (installed in an office building in New Haven, Connecticut in June 1880), a caller did not put coins in the machine. Instead, he or she gave them to an attendant who stood next to the phone. Coin telephones did not appear until 1899.

·        The first operators employed by the Bell Telephone Company were young boys who worked standing up. Only after several years did it occur to anybody to provide them with chairs.

·        The Pentagon building in Arlington, Virginia, has 68,000 miles of telephone lines.

·        On Nov. 9, 1965, the day of the great blackout in the northeastern U.S., 62 million phone calls were placed in New York City during a 24-hour period.

·        Of all professionals in the U.S., journalists are credited with having the largest vocabulary - approximately 20,000 words.

Ø  Yeah, It Really Happened…

PLAINFIELD, Ill. - A 62-year-old Illinois woman who fought with her sister over a 1-degree difference in the setting of their home's thermostat has been acquitted by a judge. Ilona Sales of Plainfield was cleared Monday by Will County Judge Brian Barrett, who said it was unclear whether Sales or her sister, Wanda Lupina, started the December fight, the Chicago Tribune reported Wednesday. "Both of them seemed ready to settle the issue in front of the thermostat," he said. "I hope this is the last blowup." Both sisters agreed the fight was sparked by their feud over the thermostat in their home -- Sales wanted the temperature to be 68, while Lupina preferred 67. Lupina claimed Sales shoved her away from the thermostat twice and punched her in the face, causing a black eye. However, Sales claims Lupina started the fight by pushing her away from the thermostat. Steven Haney, Sales' lawyer, said his client still lives with her sister and the women have come to an agreement about the thermostat.

Ø  Guffaw…or at least smile…

Two drunks are driving down the highway, drinking their beer. All of a sudden the driver notices lights flashing in his mirror; the cops are on his tail.

His buddy says, "What are we going to do?" The driver says, "Don't worry. Just do exactly what I tell you and everything will work out perfectly. First, peel the labels off our beer bottles and we'll each stick one on our forehead. Then shove the bottles underneath the seat, and let me do the talking."

They pull over and the cop walks up to the car. He looks at them kind of funny, but asks to see the guy's driver's license. And he asks him, "Have you been drinking?"

"Oh, no, sir," the driver replies. "I noticed you weaving back and forth across the highway. Are you *sure* you haven't been drinking?" the cop asks.

"Oh, no, sir," the drunk answers. "We haven't had a thing to drink tonight." "Well, I've got to ask you," says the cop, "What on earth are those things on your forehead?"

"That's easy, Officer," says the drunk. "You see, we're both alcoholics, and we're on the patch."

Ø  Searchin’ “You Tube” I found…

Martin Landau Interview

Ø  Daybook Information…

…Happening This Week:

14-20

·        Universal Father's Week

·        US Open Golf Championship

19-25

·        Meet A Mate Week

·        Carpenter Ant Awareness Week

Ø  TODAY IS

American Eagle Day

Ice Cream Soda Day

Ride To Work Day (Motorcycles) 

World Refugee Day

Argentina: Flag Day  

US: West Virginia: Admission Day (1863: 35th)

Ø  Today’s Events:

…  IN ARTS

▬

…  IN ATHLETICS

1936 - Jesse Owens of US sets 100 meter record at 10.2

1967 - Muhammad Ali convicted of refusing induction into armed services

…  IN BUSINESS

1793 - Eli Whitney patents his cotton gin

1911 - NAACP incorporates (NY)

1943 - Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) founded

… IN EDUCATION

1214 - The University of Oxford receives its charter

…  FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

1675 - Start of "King Philip's war

1780 - British Captain Henry Bird commands a force of 1000 men, of which 850 are Indians : "Ruddle's Station Massacre."

…  IN INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

1981 - Mudjahedin uprises against Iran regime

… IN RELIGION

1567 - Jews are expelled from Brazil by order of regent Don Henrique

…  IN SCIENCE

1995 - Space probe Ulysses begins 2nd passage behind the Sun

…  IN US POLITICS

1782 - Congress approves Great Seal of US & eagle as it's symbol

1867 - Pres Andrew Johnson announces purchase of Alaska

… ARTISTS:  AUTHORS:  COMPOSERS

1912 - Anthony Buckeridge, English author

…ATHLETES

1918 - George Lynch, American auto racer

Raul Ramirez, tennis player turns 58

…ENTERTAINERS (ACTORS/SINGERS…)

1924 - Chet Atkins, guitarist (Me & My Guitar)

1909 - Errol Flynn, Hobart Tasmania, actor (Captain Blood, Robin Hood)

John Goodman, actor turns will be 59

Nicole Kidman, actor turns 44

Martin Landau, turns 83

John Mahoney, actor turns   71

1924 - Audie Murphy, WW II hero/actor (Destry, Joe Butterfly)

Lionel Richie, singer (Commodores, Hello, Penny Lover) turns 62

Bob Vila, television presenter turns 65

… ENTREPRENEUR & EDUCATORS

▬

…POLITICIANS

▬

…SCIENTISTS / THEOLOGISTS

▬

Ø  Today’s Obits:

1776 - Benjamin Huntsman, English inventor and manufacturer dies at 72

1963 - Gordon Jones, actor (Mike the Cop-Abbott & Costello), dies of heart attack at 52

1947 - Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, gangster, shot dead at 41

2003 - Bob Stump, American politician dies at 76

Ø  ANSWERS:

Trivia Quiz

1.      In 1991 who was voted "the most successful Australian to get to the top with least ability" by students in Adelaide?

Kylie Minogue

2.      What was the first name of the baby in the Louise Woodward case?

Matthew

3.      Who were the first married couple to go to the electric chair?

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg

4.      Ulrich Salchow was the first Olympic medalist in his sport and give his name to one of its jumps; what sport is it?

Skating

5.      Who was America's second man in space?

M Scott Carpenter

6.      Which poet read a poem at John F Kennedy's inauguration?

Robert Frost

7.      Who was charged with murder after the massacre at My Lai?

Lt. William Calley

8.      Who admitted that his "autobiography" of Howard Hughes was a hoax?

Clifford Irving

9.      Which cartoon strip was Charles Schulz's most famous creation?

Peanuts

10.   Sidney Bechet was famous for which musical instrument in addition to the saxophone?

Clarinet

11.   Who founded the American Institution of public Opinion?

George Gallup

12.   What was Malcolm X's real last name?

Little

13.   Who founded The Reader's Digest?

DeWitt Wallace

Close Up Picture

Chalkboard Easel

Ø  …AND THAT’S ALL FOR NOW