August 23

FYI: Click on any blue text for a link to more information!

Flagstaff Almanac…  

Week: 34 / Day: 236   Today: High   71°…Low 53°

Records: High   88°(1938) …Low 32°(1968)

Averages: High   78°…Low 49°

Wind:   12mph;  Gusts: 14mph

Big Afternoon Rain  Today’s average humidity:  73%

Quote of the Day…

Today’s  Historical  Highlights…

2005 - Hurricane Katrina forms over the Bahamas, later becomes a 

            category 5 hurricane

1987 - 15-years old boy hijacks KLM B737, demands $1 billion

1979 - Bolshoi Ballet dancer Alexander Godunov defects in NYC

1948 - World Council of Churches formed by 147 churches from 44 countries

1919 - "Gasoline Alley" cartoon strip premieres in Chicago Tribune

1869 - 1st carload of freight (boots & shoes) arrives in SF, from Boston

♪   Happy Birthday To: ♪.. 

How many can you identify…answers in Today’s Birthdays

 

Free Rambling Thoughts…   

Big storm this afternoon, flash flood warnings for our area…not surprised, it was really coming down for about 30 minutes.

I got a call from a former colleague today, and we are doing lunch Friday. It will be good to catch up. He is still working, so somehow he got a Friday off. Good deal. Tomorrow is lunch with Cheryl, as Mary is in Chicago, and Sunday is a 70^th birthday party for one of our discussion group. Busy weekend ahead.

Just as the Republican Convention is getting ready for its Tampa shindig, news from the weatherman that Hurricane Isaac may join in the festivities. That will certainly add some news to the convention since we know who will be nominated, who will be speaking, and the platform. I hope my friends in Florida will be OK…it’s too early to know who, if any will be involved in any weather messes. Hopefully everyone in Florida will be safe.

For those wondering about the violence in Kenya, yes is it very sad and no our tour thankfully wasn’t anywhere near the areas involved. Tribal violence in that part of Kenya is nothing new. While I have visited Africa several times, we have always avoided dangerous areas. Most of Africa loves tourism as it brings in much needed income for its people and the various tourist boards and governments aren’t going to send tourists into an area of conflict.  It would ruin their income. Ethiopia’s Prime Minister passed away, and hopefully there will be a peaceful transition of power. He took over in a coup some twenty years ago and while he was a socialist dictator, he did help the people of Ethiopia and was a leader of the Horn of Africa, working to get stability, both economic and political, to the area. It is unclear if the new leadership will remain as friendly to the US as he was. Just like Egypt, I am glad I traveled to Ethiopia in a peaceful time.

Game   Center: (answers at the end of post)

What is the answer?

Answer the following clue in two rhyming words (e.g. an obese feline is a fat cat) If only one number is given, the answer is a word featuring internal rhyme (e.g. voodoo)

fairy tale creator, small in girth (4,5)

Rebus…

Can you figure out what this means?

Lifestyle  Substance…     

Do you remember this?

Read Carefully!!

War Dims Hope for Peace

Do you know what this word means?

What is this not so common name of a common object?

Borborygmus

Historic Flagstaff, AZ—…

60’s music…:

• Papa's Got A Brand New Bag- James Brown

• Whole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin

• My Generation- The Who

• All Along The Watchtower- Jimi Hendrix

Harper’s Index…         

Number of Denmark residents told by the Danish lottery that they’d won at least $3.5 billion: 133Average size of the actual prizes the group had won: $18

Unusal Fact of the Day…

Before Duncan Hines helped create the food label bearing his name, he wrote popular food and lodging guides.

Found on You Tube… 

Mark Russell looks at Campaign '96

Joke-of-the-day…

Q. What did the fish say when it swam into the wall?
A. Dam!

Rules of Thumb…   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

POPPING CORN: To get popping-corn oil hot enough, place three kernels in the oil as it heats; when all three pop, the oil is hot enough.

Yeah, It Really Happened…

AKTOBE, Kazakhstan - Police in Kazakhstan said a man facing theft charges allegedly stole a case of beer from a store and later returned several unopened bottles. Investigators in the Aktobe region said the man allegedly stole a 14-pack of beer from a store Saturday and later returned to leave six unopened bottles he had decided not to drink, RIA Novosti reported Tuesday. Police told CA-News officers arrested a 27-year-old man from an adjacent apartment building Monday in connection with the incident. They said the man, whose name was not released, has a prior theft conviction.               

Somewhat Useless Information…   

• The amount of money spent at family clothing stores in August 2011 was $7.7 billion. Only in November and December were sales higher. Similarly, sales at book stores in August 2011 totaled $2.4 billion, the strongest sales month of the year.

• The number of children and adults enrolled in school throughout the country in October 2010 - from nursery school to college - totaled 79 million. They comprised 27 percent of the entire population age three and older.

• Median earnings of full-time, year-round workers with an advanced degree in 2009 equaled $74,000. Workers whose highest degree was a bachelor's had median earnings of $56,000. Median earnings for full-time, year-round workers with a high school diploma was $33,000, while workers with less than high school diploma had $25,000 median earnings.

• The percentage of all college students 35 and older in October 2010 was 16 percent. They made up 34 percent of those attending school part time.

• The percentage of children 3 to 6 enrolled in kindergarten who attended all day, as of October 2010, was 72 percent.

• The percentage of 18- to 24-year-olds enrolled in college in 2010 was 41 percent.

Calendar Information…        

Happening This Week:

17-26

Little League Baseball World Series

19-25

Minority Enterprise Development Week

Today Is…                                                                      

Day For The Remembrance of The Slave Trade & Its Abolition

National Spongecake Day

Valentino Day

Virgo Begins  

Today’s Events Through History…  

2000’s

2011 - Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi is overthrown after the National 

            Transitional Council forces take control of Bab al-Azizia compound 

            during the 2011 Libyan Civil War

2010 - Manila hostage crisis, which occurred at the Quirino Grandstand in 

            Manila, where a dismissed police officer took hostage a tour bus full of 

            Chinese nationals

1900’s

1996 - Osama bin Laden issues message entitled 'A declaration of war 

            against the Americans occupying the land of the two holy places.'

1995 - Larry Hagman receives a liver transplant

1976 - Heavy earthquake strikes China, 1,000s die

1975 - Communists take over Laos

1972 - Republican convention (Miami Beach, Fla) renominates VP Agnew 

            but not unanimous-1 vote went to NBC newsman David Brinkley)

1960 - World's largest frog (3.3 kg/7.3 lbs) caught (Equatorial Guinea)

1950 - West Germany & Japan readmitted to Intl Amateur Athletic Federation

1942 - 1st US flights to land on Guadalcanal

1924 - Mars' closest approach to Earth since 10th century

1917 - Race riot in Houston Texas (2 blacks & 11 whites killed)

1904 - Automobile tire chain patented

1800’s

1889 - 1st ship-to-shore wireless message received in US (SF)

1876 - "Treaty 6 Between Her Majesty The Queen and The Plain and Wood 

             Cree Indians and Other Tribes of Indians at Fort Carlton, Fort Pitt and Battle 

             River with Adhesions" is signed in Canada.

1838 - Mt Holyoke Female Seminary (South Hadley, Mass) 1st graduating class

1833 - Britain abolishes slavery in colonies; 700,000 slaves freed

1700’s

1784 - Eastern Tennessee settlers declare their area an independent state & 

            name it Franklin; a year later the Continental Congress rejects it

1732 - Peace conference held in Philadelphia with the local Indians. Attending 

            the meeting are several Iroquois Chiefs, including Onondaga Chief Shikellamy

1600’s

1617 - 1st one-way streets open (London)

1500’s

1555 - Calvinists are granted rights in the Netherlands

1541 - French explorer Jacques Cartier lands near Quebec City in his third 

            voyage to Canada

1300’s

1305 - William Wallace, Scottish patriot, is executed for high treason by Edward I 

            of England

Before 1000CE

79 - Mount Vesuvius begins stirring, on the feast day of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire

Today’s Birthdays…                                                           

Under 30

Sun Ming Ming, 7’ 9” Chinese basketball player is 29

In their 30’s

Kobe Bryant, Philadelphia Pennsylvania, NBA guard (LA Lakers) is 34

In their 40’s

Jay Mohr, American actor and comedian is 42

In their 60’s

Shelley Long, actress (Diane-Cheers, Money Pit) will be 63

Queen Noor, of Jordan is 61

Rick Springfield, Australian actor, singer, (General Hospital, Jessie's Girl) is 62

In their 70’s

Barbara Eden, [Huffman], Tucson Az, actress (Dream of Jeannie) is 78

Christian "Sonny" Jurgensen, NFL QB (Eagles, Redskins) /sportscaster is 78

Lee Majors, Wyandotte, actor ($6,000,000 Man, The Fall Guy) is 71

Richard Sanders, Harrisburg Pa, actor (Les-WKRP, Spencer, Berrengers) is 72

In their 80’s

Vera Miles, [Ralston], Boise City ID, actress (Psycho) is 82

Mark Russell, Buffalo NY, political satirist/pianist (Real People) is 80

Remembered for being born today

Richard Adler, composer/songwriter (Damn Yankees, Pajama Game) b. 1923

Gene Kelly, Pitts, dancer/actor (An American in Paris, Going My Way) b. 1912

Louis XVI, Versailles, king of France (1774-93) eventually guillotined b. 1754

River Phoenix, Madras Ore, actor (Little Nikta, Stand By Me) b. 1970

Malvina Reynolds, American folk singer/songwriter b. 1900

Elizabeth "Betty" Robinson, US 100m sprinter (Olympic-gold-1928) b. 1911

Arnold Toynbee, English economist and social reformer b. 1852

Sarah Frances Whiting, American physicist and astronomer b. 1847

Sollie Paul ‘Tex’ Williams, American singer b. 1917

Today’s Historical Obits…                                                           

The original Shamu, Sea World orca retired early for attacking female trainer 

      dies in 1971

Bobby Bonds, American baseball player and manager dies of lung cancer 

     in 2003 at 57

Hoot Gibson, silent screen cowboy actor (Last Outlaw), dies of cancer in 1962 at 70

Oscar Hammerstein II, Broadway librettist, dies of stomach cancer in 1960 at 65

Hank Patterson, actor (Fred Ziffel-Green Acres), dies in 1975 at 87

Brock Peters, American actor (To Kill a Mockingbird) dies in 2005 at 78

Rudolph Valentino, silent movie idol (Sheik), dies of severe Pleurisy in 1926 at 31

William Wallace (Uilleam Uallas), Scottish patriot, hanged, disemboweled & 

       beheaded in 1305

Alexander Wilson, Scottish-born ornithologist drowns while following bird in 1813 at 47

Answers…                                                                                                                                            

Do you know what this word means?

(Pronounced bor-buh-rig-mus) is the name for the rumbling sounds made by the stomach. These are caused by the movement of fluids and gases, as food, acids and digestive juices migrate from the stomach into the upper part of the small intestine. The average body makes two gallons of digestive juices a day. The hydrochloric acid in your stomach is so strong it could eat into metal, but a special form of mucus protects your inner linings from this acid along the length of its journey.

What is the answer?

Slim Grimm

Rebus

 Back to square one

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 Is All for Now  ☺