11-16-11

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

TODAY’s “Geez”                                                                                            .

1908 - Arturo Tuscanini begins conducting NY's Metropolitan Opera

1824 - NY City's Fifth Avenue opens for business

1938 - LSD is first synthesized by Swiss chemist Dr. Albert Hofmann at the Sandoz Laboratories in Basel, Switzerland

1939 - Al Capone freed from Alcatraz jail

1945 - UNESCO is founded

1962 - Kuwait adopts constitution (1st, Islamic Constitution)

1965 - Walt Disney launches Epcot Center: Prototype Community of Tomorrow

1982 - Agreement reached ending 57 day football strike

♪♪ Happy Birthday To:♪♪                                                                   .                     

Free Rambling Thoughts                                                                              .

So the cable guy arrives about 9am. He says, let me guess—ch 223 and 112 don’t work. Turns out he has been making calls for two weeks, ever since they went to the new system. I was not ready to hear that the problem was a ‘dirty’ line or a dirty connector. Turns out dirty is cable speak for interference coming into the line. Flagstaff has two really powerful radio stations that are interfering with those two channels. It seems that the old cable company hasn’t done much upgrading in years and the new company spent $10million in Flagstaff to upgrade. He was able to ‘clean’ the ‘dirty’ whatever in about 15 minutes and everything is working fine. Turns out I was lucky as some of the houses have to be rewired. Glad I don’t have to deal with that.

Got a call from my friend Mary today. She is back from Oregon and her 99 year old mom’s funeral. She is in good spirits and I’m sure the reality hasn’t completely hit her yet. She did say that she was able to talk to her mom several times and that all her brothers and sisters were there for a few days before the passing. Family is so important at these times.

My brother is working long hard hours getting his showroom ready for the opening. He called to let me know he got the late present. Good to hear he liked the little basket and the coffee. Ethiopia has very colorful artwork and is not very expensive. Bartering is becoming easier, but I still let Hamdy do most of it. He helped all of us get good deals. As long as the customer is happy, it’s OK with me. After all the stops on all my trips, the tour guide and the merchant always shake hands and exchange a little local currency for bringing in the ‘rich’ Americans. It all works.

It was a nice day and I had windows open for a little while. I didn’t run any errands but worked on the stack of mail. Not very exciting.

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

1.     Portugal is bordered by only want country, what is it?

2.    Which country is responsible for the world's India ink was developed in what country?

3.    What country did 153 of the first 400 Nobel Prize-winning scientists call home?

4.    What country first came up with windmills?

5.    A patent on polyester was patented first in what country?

6.    The world’s first mid air collision took place over what country?

7.    Eddy Grant, musician, comes from what country?

8.    Roxette, a pop music duo, came from which European country?

9.    Celine Deion was born in what North American Country?

10.  What floral symbol do the country of Peru and the state of Kansas have in common?

11.   What country has a volcano called Okinawa?

12.  Lesotho is a southern African Kingdom surround by which country?

13.  In what country can one find 40 species of lemurs?

Wuzzles…What concept or phrase do these suggest?                           .

NEW: Rules of Thumb                                                                          .

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

• When placed in a bowl of water, a fresh egg will sink and lie on its side. An egg that's not fresh but still edible will sink and stand partially erect on its tapered end. A rotten egg will float.

Hmmmmm                                                                                                       .

Members of Malaysia’s Obedient Wives Club, which encourages woment to be ‘good sex workers’ to their husbands: 1,050

Somewhat Useless Information                                                                     .

• Chocolate was introduced into the United States in 1765 when cocoa beans were brought from the West Indies to Dorchester, Massachusetts.
• Cocoa butter is the natural fat of the cocoa bean. It has a delicate chocolate aroma, but is very bitter tasting. It is used to give body, smoothness, and flavor to eating chocolate.
• Cultivation of cacao trees can occur only in tropical climates, 20 degrees north or south of the equator. Principal growing areas include West Africa, Brazil, Ecuador and the Indies.
• German chocolate cake did not originate in Germany. In 1852, Sam German developed a sweet baking bar for Baker's Chocolate Co. The product was named in honor of him -- Baker's German's Sweet Chocolate.
• In 1900, Queen Victoria sent her New Year's greetings to the British troops stationed in South Africa during the Boer War in the form of a specially molded chocolate bar.
• The world's first chocolate candy was produced in 1828 by Dutch chocolate-maker Conrad J. Van Houten. He pressed the fat from roasted cacao beans to produce cocoa butter, to which he added cocoa powder and sugar.

Yeah, It Really Happened                                                                               .            

BUFFALO GROVE, Ill. - An Illinois man who dressed up in tribute to his favorite hip-hop dance crew was asked to stop by police who said some "find mimes disconcerting." Sorin Dumitru, 19, who is from Romania and lives in Buffalo Grove, said he donned white gloves and a white mask for his street dancing Tuesday in tribute to San Diego dance group Jabbawockeez, which won the first season of "America's Best Dance Crew" in 2008, the Chicago Tribune reported Thursday.

Police arrived at about 5:30 p.m. and told him they had been called by concerned residents who were not used to seeing street dancers in the residential area. Some of the callers had mistaken him for a mime due to his garb and officers said "some residents apparently find mimes disconcerting."

"He could have stayed, but more than likely we would have been deluged with phone calls," Cmdr. Jim Newton said. "We didn't force him to leave."

Dumitru said he agreed to stop his performance, but he is still planning to dance on the sidewalks provided he can get out earlier in the day. "I enjoy myself and the people who walk around and see me enjoy it," he said. "I like dancing very much and it was relaxing time after work."

Guffaw…or at least smile                                                                               .

After every flight, pilots fill out a form called a gripe sheet, which conveys to the mechanics problems encountered with the aircraft during the flight that need repair or correction. The mechanics read and correct the problem, and then respond in writing on the lower half of the form what remedial action was taken, and the pilot reviews the gripe sheets before the next flight.

Never let it be said that ground crews and engineers lack a sense of humor!

 Here are some actual logged maintenance complaints and problems as submitted by Qantas pilots and the solution recorded by maintenance engineers.

(P = the problem logged by the pilot.)

(S = the solution and action taken by the engineers.)

 P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.

 S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.

 P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.

 S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.

 P: Something loose in cockpit.

 S: Something tightened in cockpit.

 P: Dead bugs on windshield.

 S: Live bugs on back-order.

 P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute descent.

 S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.

 P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.

 S: Evidence removed.

 P: DME volume unbelievably loud.

 S: DME volume set to more believable level.

 P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.

 S: That's what they're there for.

 P: IFF inoperative.

 S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.

 P: Suspected crack in windshield.

 S: Suspect you're right.

 P: Number 3 engine missing.

 S: Engine found on right wing after brief search.

 P: Aircraft handles funny.

 S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right, and be serious.

 P: Target radar hums.

 S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.

 P: Mouse in cockpit.

 S: Cat installed.

Searchin’ “You Tube” I found                                                                        .     

Bill Russell Highlights

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                                                                                                         .

Button Day

International Day for Tolerance

National Educational Support Professionals Day

Prematurity Awareness Day (half a million babies are born too soon in the United States…March of Dimes)

~*~

Estonia: Day of National Rebirth (1988 Declaration of Sovereignty-became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991)

US: Oklahoma Admission Day (46^th state in 1907)

Today’s Events                                                                                                .

ARTS

1849 - A Russian court sentences Fyodor Dostoevsky to death for anti-government activities linked to a radical intellectual group; his sentence is later commuted to hard labor.

1955 - Johnny Cash made his 1st chart appearance with "Cry Cry Cry"

1981 - Luke marries Laura on General Hospital (16 million watch)

ATHLETICS

1926 - NY Rangers 1st game, beat Montreal Maroons 1-0

1955 - 1st speed-boat to exceed 200 mph (322 kph) (D M Campbell)

1957 - Celtic Bill Russell sets NBA record of 49 rebounds beat Phila 111-89

1962 - Wilt Chamberlain of NBA SF Warriors scores 73 points vs NY Knicks

BUSINESS

1914 - Federal Reserve System formally opens

EDUCATION

--

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

1764 - Native Americans surrender to British in Indian War of Chief Pontiac

POLITICS [International]

1885 - Canadian rebel leader of the Métis and "Father of Manitoba", Louis Riel is executed for treason

1936 - German air force begins bombing of Madrid

1950 - Egyptian king Faruk demands departure of all British troops

1988 - Benazir Bhutto wins 1st free Pakistani elections in 11 years

POLITICS [US]

1676 - 1st colonial prison organized, Nantucket 

1776 - 1st gun salute - for US Andrea Doria at Ft St Eustatius

1973 - Pres Nixon authorizes construction of Alaskan pipeline

2000 - Bill Clinton becomes the first U.S. President to visit Vietnam since the end of the Vietnam War

RELIGION

1925 - American Association for Advancement of Atheism forms (NY)

1989 - 6 Jesuit priests are killed by El Salvadorian troops

SCIENCE

1875 - William Bonwill, patents dental mallet to impact gold into cavities

1901 - 3 autos race on Ocean Parkway, Brooklyn, fastest speed achieved by Henry Fournier who drives a mile in 51 4/5 seconds

1920 - 1st postage stamp meter is set in Stamford Conn

Today’s Birthdays                                                                                          .

ARTISTS:  (AUTHORS, COMPOSERS,…)

--

ATHLETES

Dwight Gooden, pitcher (NY Yankees, NY Mets) is 47

Terry Labonte, American NASCAR driver is 55

Bruce Irons, American surfer is 32

ENTERTAINERS (ACTORS/SINGERS…)

Lisa Bonet, Cosby show actor is 44

Clu Gulager, actor (Virginian, Survivors, Tall Man) is 83

Marg Helgenberger, actress (China Beach) is 53

David Leisure, actor is 61

Dean McDermott, actor is45

1908 - Burgess Meredith, actor (Mr Novak, Penguin-Batman, Rocky)

1933 - Guy Stockwell, actor (Chris-Adventures in Paradise)

ENTREPRENEURS & EDUCATORS

Frank Milton "Pete" Higgins II, VP (Microsoft Desktop) is 54

POLITICIAL FIGURES

1836 - David Kalakaua of Hawaii, Hawaiian king

1905 - Astrid SLT Bernadotte, Queen of Belgium/Princess of Sweden

Ann Dore McLaughlin, US Secretary of Labor (1987-89 ) is 70

SCIENTISTS & THEOLOGISTS

--

Today’s Obits                                                                 .

1939 - Pierce Butler, U.S. Supreme Court Justice dies at 73

1806 - Moses Cleaveland, founder of Cleveland, Ohio dies at 52

1978 - Claude Dauphin, French actor (Les Miserables, Mado), dies at 75

2006 - Milton Friedman, American economist, Nobel Prize laureate dies at 94

1960 - Clark Gable, actor (Gone With the Wind), dies of heart attack at 59

1981 - William Holden, actor (Network, Wild Bunch, Breezy), bleeds to death after fall at 63

1961 - Sam Rayburn, Speaker of the House for 17 years, dies at 79

1950 - Bob Smith, American doctor, co-founder of the Alcoholics Anonymous dies of cancer at 71

ANSWERS                                                                            

Trivia Quiz

1.     Portugal is bordered by only want country, what is it?

a.     Spain.

2.    Which country is responsible for the world's India ink was developed in what country?

a.     China.

3.    What country did 153 of the first 400 Nobel Prize-winning scientists call home?

a.     The United States.

4.    What country first came up with windmills?

a.     It was Iran in A.D. 644 for grinding grain.

5.    A patent on polyester was patented first in what country?

a.     Britain.

6.    The world’s first mid air collision took place over what country?

a.     Austria.

7.    Eddy Grant comes from what country?

a.     Guyana.

8.    Roxette came from which European country?

A: Sweden.

9.    Celine Deion was born in what North American Country?

a.     Canada.

10.  What floral symbol do the country of Peru and the state of Kansas have in common?

a.     The sunflower.

11.   What country has a volcano called Okinawa?

a.     Japan.

12.  Lesotho is a southern African Kingdom surround by which country?

a.     South Africa.

13.  In what country can one find 40 species of lemurs?

a.     Madagascar.

Wuzzle

Forgotten

A big party

Crooked politicians

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     §