11-13-11

FYI: Blue text is a link…be sure and click on it for more information!

TODAY’s “Geez”                                                                                            .

1789 - Ben Franklin writes "Nothing . . . certain but death & taxes"

1843 - Mt Rainier in Washington State erupts

1933 - 1st modern sit-down strike, Hormel meat packers, Austin, MN

1942 - Minimum draft age lowered from 21 to 18

1946 - 1st artificial snow produced from a natural cloud, Mt Greylock, MA

1977 - Final Al Capp comic strip of "Li'l Abner" (1934-77)

1990 - The World Wide Web first began

♪♪ Happy Birthday To:♪♪                                                                   .                     

Free Rambling Thoughts                                                                              .

Still no moisture…still waiting…oh well.

I’m back on schedule…woke up about 6am feeling rested and ready to go. I ran some errands…not my favorite activity for a Saturday. I did make it to the post office to pick up my ‘on hold’ mail and mail by brother’s late b-day present. I needed a big bag to carry out the junk mail and bills. Turns out, when there is a holiday on Friday, the entire town comes to the post office on Saturday and many bring out of towners with them. The line was out into the lobby and bending a little. No need to get upset, there were three windows open and one more person was handling non-money transactions. The line moved along. I made some other quick stops and was done in no time.

While catching up on the news, I must say, the Penn State story disgusts me. As a Federal Employee working with kids we were required to report any suspected child abuse within 2 hours of suspecting it. If it was found that we didn’t do it, the penalty was the loss of the job. This was in effect since the late 1990’s. At times it caused way too much paperwork and meetings with authorities. In my career I only had three cases of true child abuse and dozens of reported suspected cases. When I see the results of non-reporting, I get it. How any adult could be allowed to continue the pedophilia on little kids for years at a school is beyond my comprehension.  Almost worse, IMHO, is the student reaction of rioting when their beloved coach was fired. They too are young and it appears that they acted without thinking the whole thing through. Paterno knew about the abuse and simply reported it to his superior and let it continue. Even after the pedophile was questioned on another incident and told not to shower with little boys in the campus shower, he continued to work with disadvantaged kids. The head coach may have followed the letter of the law, but from a moral standpoint, how could he sleep at night?  Sick and totally unacceptable.

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

1.     What is the northeastern most state of the USA?

2.    In which state is the Cumberland plateau?

3.    Where is the lowest point of the western hemisphere?

4.    What divides Alaska from the rest of the USA?

5.    The Missouri joins the Mississippi just north of which city?

6.    Where is Wayne State University?

7.    What was called Windy City by a New York newspaper editor?

8.    Mount Mitchell is the highest peak in which mountains?

9.    What is the world's second longest single span bridge?

10.  What is the largest city in Maryland?

Wuzzles…What concept or phrase do these suggest?                           .

NEW: Rules of Thumb                                                                          .

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

When you're playing blackjack, assume that any unseen card is an 8.

Hmmmmm                                                                                                       .

Percentage of applicants offered admission to Harvard this year: 6.2

Percentage of applicants accepted for employment at McDonald’s National Hiring Day: 6.2

Somewhat Useless Information                                                                     .

Veterans Day originated as "Armistice Day" on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and Nov. 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938.

In 1954, President Eisenhower officially changed the name of the holiday from Armistice Day to Veterans Day.

In 1968, the Uniform Holidays Bill was passed by Congress, which moved the celebration of Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October.

The Uniform Holidays Bill went into effect as law in 1971, but in 1975 President Ford returned Veterans Day to November 11, due to the important historical significance of the date.

Britain, France, Australia and Canada also commemorate the veterans of World Wars I and II on or near November 11th: Canada has Remembrance Day, while Britain has Remembrance Sunday (the second Sunday of November).

In Europe, Britain and the Commonwealth countries it is 4 common to observe two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. every November 11.

Yeah, It Really Happened                                                                               .            

CLEVELAND - An Ohio poll worker accused of head-butting and biting the nose of a voter turned himself into police, officials said.

Charges are pending against James N. Williams, 53, who allegedly assaulted Greg Flanagan, 49, Tuesday at a Cleveland polling place, The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer reported Thursday. Williams, an elections rover, was arguing with a campaign worker about the worker's distance from the polling place when Flanagan said he told Williams "he didn't have to be such an ass" to the campaign worker.

"He came after me and said, 'What did you say?' He head butted me. He bit my nose. He tried to bite it off," Flanagan said.

Polling location coordinator Andre Bell pulled Williams off Flanagan before Williams jumped into his car and drove off. Williams surrendered to Cuyahoga County sheriff's deputies Wednesday. Flanagan was treated at MetroHealth Medical Center for a "human bite," the hospital said.

Guffaw…or at least smile                                                                               .

An old man was tired from riding his bike, and decided to hitchhike. A guy in his red Corvette pulled up to give him a lift. When the old man brought out his bike that he had leaned up against a tree, the driver said, "I have no room for your bike in my car, but I'd like to help you in some way seeing you standing here in the hot sun."

After a few seconds of thought, the driver said, "I know what we can do. I have a rope behind my seat. I'll tie one end of it to the rear end of my car and the other end to the front your bike. You ride your bike, and I'll give you this whistle. If I go too fast for you, just blow your whistle and I'll slow down."

The old guy agreed to it. So off he went down the highway with the old man and his bike in tow. A little ways down the road, a young lady in a bright yellow corvette pulls up next to them. She gives the guy in the red Vette the High Sign, meaning "you want a drag?" Off they go down the highway, 100 plus MPH, the old man blowing his whistle like crazy. They zipped by a Highway Patrol cop sitting under a tree. The cop knew he couldn't catch them, so he called ahead to his fellow cop down the road to intercept.

"Car number 2, this is car number 1."

"Go head number 1, what'cha got for me?"

“I got a red and yellow Vettes come down your way doing hundred plus, can you intercept?"

"Ten-four, Is there anything else?"

"Yeah, you wouldn't believe this, but there is an old guy riding a bicycle blowing his whistle trying to pass."

Searchin’ “You Tube” I found                                                                        .     

Fantasia - Mickey The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Fantasia - The Rite of Spring - Part 1: Genesis

Daybook Information                                                                                    .

…Happening This Week:

7-13

Dear Santa Letter Week
National Young Reader's Week

Pursuit of Happiness Week
World Kindness Week
13-19 American Education Week
Geography Awareness Week
National Hunger & Homeless Awareness Week

National Global Entrepreneurship Week

TODAY IS                                                                                                         .

National Indian Pudding Day: a delicious baked custard made with molasses, cornmeal, milk, butter, spices, eggs, and sometimes apples

International Tongue Twister Day: According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the most difficult tongue twister in the English language is: “The sixth sick sheikh's sixth sheep's sick.”  

World Kindness Day

~*~

UK: Remembrance Sunday

Today’s Events                                                                                                .

ARTS

1830 - Oliver Wendell Holmes publishes "Old Ironsides"

1921 - "Sheik," starring Rudolph Valentino, is released

1940 - Walt Disney's "Fantasia" released

1960 - Sammy Davis Jr marries Swedish actress May Britt

ATHLETICS

1973 - Oakland A's Reggie Jackson wins AL MVP unanimously

1982 - A boxing match held in Las Vegas, Nevada ends when Ray Mancini defeats Duk Koo Kim. Kim's death on November 17 led to significant changes in the sport.

BUSINESS

1895 - 1st shipment of canned pineapple from Hawaii

EDUCATION

1868 - American Philological [the study of language in written historical sources] Association organized in NY

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

1747: According to some reports, a conference regarding alliances is held for the next four days between representatives of the British in Pennsylvania and the Miami, Shawnee and "Six Nations" tribes.

1833: Just before sunrise, there is a phenomenal meteor shower, which is seen all over North America. This event is recorded on Kiowa picture calendars as the most significant event of the year.

POLITICS [International]

1002 - English king Ethelred II launches massacre of Danish settlers

1715 - Battle at Sheriffmuir: English army beats Scottish earl of Mar

POLITICS [US]

1851 - The Denny Party lands at Alki Point, the first settlers of what would become Seattle, Washington

1865 - US issues 1st gold certificates

1970 - VP Spiro Agnew calls TV executives "impudent snobs"

1982 - Vietnam War Memorial dedicated in Washington DC

RELIGION

1938 - America's 1st saint, Mother Frances Cabrini, beatified

SCIENCE

1841 - James Braid first sees a demonstration of animal magnetism, which leads to his study of the subject he eventually calls hypnosis

1996 - Joel Armengaud discovers 2^1398269 - 1 (35th known Mersenne prime)

Today’s Birthdays                                                                                          .

ARTISTS:  (AUTHORS, COMPOSERS,…)

1850 - Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish author (Treasure Island)

ATHLETES

Vinny Testaverde, NFL quarterback (Cleve Browns, Baltimore Ravens) is 48

ENTERTAINERS (ACTORS/SINGERS…)

Gerard Butler, actor is 42

Whoopi Goldberg, comedian, TV host is 56

Jimmy Kimmel, TV host is 44

1932 - Richard Mulligan, actor (Soap, Empty's Nest, Big Bus)

Christopher Noth, actor is 57

Subliminal, Israeli rapper and producer is 32

Steve Zahn, actor is 44

ENTREPRENEURS & EDUCATORS

--

POLITICIAL FIGURES
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SCIENTISTS & THEOLOGISTS

1831 - James Maxwell, Scottish physicist (Treatise on Electricity)

Today’s Obits                                                                 .

1779 - Thomas Chippendale, English furniture maker, dies at 61

2005 - Vine Deloria, Jr., Native American author, theologian, historian, and activist dies at 72

1460 - Henry the Navigator, prince of Portugal, dies at 66

1093 - Malcolm III MacDuncan, king of Scotland, dies in battle

1868 - Gioachino (Antonio) Rossini, composer (Barber of Seville), dies at 76

1983 - "Alvin" Junior Samples, country singer (Hee Haw), dies at 56

1974 - Karen Silkwood, killed in a car crash under suspicious circumstances

ANSWERS                                                                            

Trivia Quiz

What is the northeastern most state of the USA?

A: Maine.

In which state is the Cumberland plateau?

A: Alabama.

Where is the lowest point of the western hemisphere?

A: Death Valley, California.

What divides Alaska from the rest of the USA?

A: British Columbia.

The Missouri joins the Mississippi just north of which city?

A: St. Louis.

Where is Wayne State University?

A: Detroit.

What was called Windy City by a New York newspaper editor?

A: Chicago.

Mount Mitchell is the highest peak in which mountains?

A: Blue Ridge Mountains.

What is the world's second longest single span bridge?

A: Golden Gate Bridge.

What is the largest city in Maryland?

A: Baltimore.

Wuzzle

Rough seas

Separate checks

Elevator out of order

Disclaimer: All opinions are mine…feel free to agree or disagree.

All ‘data’ info is from the internet sites and is usually checked with at least one other source, but I have learned that every site has mistakes and sadly once out the information is out there, many sites simply copy it and is therefore difficult to verify. Also for events occurring before the Gregorian calendar was adopted [1582] the dates may not be totally accurate.

§     AND THAT’S ALL FOR NOW     §