Jan 4, 2012

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Today’s  Historical  Highlights

1863 - 4 wheeled roller skates patented by James Plimpton of NY

1884 - Last sighting of an eastern cougar (Ontario)

1915 - 1st elected Jewish governor, Moses Alexander, takes office in Idaho

1958 - Sputnik 1 reenters atmosphere & burns up

1975 - Ice thickness measured at 4776 m [15,669 ', 3.49 "], Wilkes Land, Antarctica

1995 - Newt Gingrich (R) becomes speaker of the House

♫Happy Birthday To: ♫                     

 

Free Rambling Thoughts   

Greg stopped by after school today and we worked on his T-Shirt design. It was enjoyable, and will be a great T-shirt once it is done. It’s the architectural drawing of a cataract boat. Very cool.

Getting ready to head to Merida…I leave the 5^th. Should be a fun trip…and warm??? I sure hope so.

It looked like it was going to be cold today, waking to an overcast sky…but just a nice day. Ran some errands, got the toilet fixed, and the maintenance guy said it was an ‘easy job’. Maybe for him.

Game   Center   (answers at the end of post)

NEW—Brain Game

NPR Sunday Puzzle

Every answer is a made up two-word phrase in which the two words look like they should rhyme, but they don't. For example, given the clue "desires trousers," the answer would be "wants pants."

1.     Listens to grizzlies:

2.     Exhibits cattle:

3.     Holds tightly stinging insects:

4.     Provides mates for husbands:

5.     Outlaws graceful birds:

6.     Wheels out Barbies:

7.     Cuts plumbing items in two:

8.     Takes the rough edges off magician sticks:

9.     Interrupts series of wins:

10.  Is a pedicurist:

Wuzzles  What concept or phrase do these suggest?

Lifestyle  Substance      

AZ Centennial is in days: Did you know?…

• Arizona is a right-to-work state. The law states no person shall be denied the opportunity to obtain or retain employment because of non-membership in a labor organization.
• Arizona leads the nation in copper production.
• Arizona is home of the Grand Canyon National Park.

Found on You Tube         

DANCE OF 1000 HANDS...

Read the paragraph below before you watch the videoThere is an awesome dance, called the Thousand-Hand Guanyin, which is making the rounds across the net. Considering the tight coordination required, their accomplishment is nothing short of amazing, even if they were not all deaf. Yes, you read correctly. All 21 of the dancers are deaf-mutes. Relying only on signals from trainers at the four corners of the stage, these extraordinary dancers deliver a visual spectacle that is at once intricate and stirring. Its first major international debut was in Athens at the closing ceremonies for the 2004 Paralympics. ad long been in the repertoire of the Chinese Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe and had traveled to more than 40 countries. Its lead dancer is 29 year old Tai Lihua, who has a BA from the Hubei Fine Arts Institute. The video was recorded in Beijing during the Spring Festival this year. 

Harper’s Index         

• Opening weekend box office draw in Hong Kong of Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy, a 3D prono movie: $1,660,031
• For Iron Man 2: $1,529,782

Joke-of-the-day

Why is 6 afraid of 7?

Because 7,8,9.

Old-er people in the News

Helen Koton said she didn't hear any warning signals before the bridge started opening with her nearly halfway across. She said she was able to grab the railing. "I was holding onto the railing and I went up in the air," Koton later told WSVN-TV in Miami.

As the bridge rose to its full height, shocked motorists got out of their cars and told the bridge attendant, who lowered the span after several minutes. "Finally, I came down. When I came down, I fell on my face," she told the Fox affiliate. "So I bruised my forehead and my nose."

Those were the only injuries she suffered, and she was released after treatment at Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood. Koton, a winter resident, also lives in Massachusetts.

Rules of Thumb   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

• The distance between an alligator's eyes in inches is its length in feet.

Somewhat Useless Information   

• Virginia Dare was the first child born in the American colonies, on August 18th, 1587, on what is now Roanoke Island, North Carolina.
• Anne Bradstreet was the first published American woman writer (1650). Her published work was called The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America.
• In 1762, Ann Franklin became the first woman to hold the title of newspaper editor, "The Newport Mercury" in Newport, RI.
• Edward Smith was the first indicted bank robbed in the U.S. In 1831, he was sentenced to five years hard labor on the rock pile at Sing Sing Prison.
• Mary Walker was the first (and only) woman to receive the US Medal of Honor, in 1865. She was a Civil War surgeon. Her medal was rescinded in 1916, however, when the Army purged its files to cut down on what they thought were "unwarranted" issues. It wasn't re-instated until 1976.
• In 1892, Annie Moore became the first immigrant to pass through Ellis Island. She was 15 years old and from County Cork, Ireland.

Yeah, It Really Happened                 

LOS ANGELES - Transportation Security Administration workers at Los Angeles International Airport serenaded travelers with holiday classics and other tunes. The TSA Chorus entertained passengers at Terminal 4's American Airlines gates Tuesday with seasonal fare as well as tunes including "America the Beautiful" and "I Believe I Can Fly," the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.

 "I love lifting spirits," TSA worker Ernest Perez III said. "And there is no better way to do this than with music." The chorus said they will be performing again Thursday, this time in the publicly accessible area of the Tom Bradley Terminal.

Calendar Information        

…Happening This Week:

1-7

• Celebration of Life Week
• Diet Resolution Week
• Silent Record Week
• National Lose Weight/Feel Great Week
• Someday We'll Laugh About This Week
• New Year's Resolutions Week

Today Is                                                                      

• Dimpled Chad Day
• Humiliation Day
• Pop Music Chart Day
• Tom Thumb Day
• Trivia Day
• World Braille Day
• World Hypnotism Day
•  Utah: Admission Day (45^th state: 1896)
• Myanmar: Independence Day (1948: from UK—as Burma)

Today’s Other Events                                                             

Before 1000CE

46 BC - Titus Labienus defeats Julius Caesar in the Battle of Ruspina

1400’s

1493 - Columbus left new world on return from 1st voyage

1600’s

1698 - Most of the Palace of Whitehall in London, the main residence of the English monarchs, is destroyed by fire

1700’s

1725 - Benjamin Franklin arrives in London 

1754 - Columbia University founded, as Kings College

1800’s

1847 - Samuel Colt sells his first revolver pistol to the United States government

1885 - Dr W W Grant of Iowa, performs 1st appendectomy (on Mary Gartside, 22)

1887 - Thomas Stevens is 1st man to bicycle around the world (SF-SF)

1900’s

1904 - Supreme Court rules Puerto Ricans cannot be denied admission to US

1925 - French psychologist Emil Coué brings his self-esteem therapy to US "Every day in every way I am getting better & better"

1965 - LBJ's "Great Society" State of the Union Address

1971 - Congressional Black Caucus organizes

1982 - Bryant Gumbel became co-host of NBC's "Today Show"

1984 - "Night Court" starring Harry Anderson premieres on NBC TV

1989 - US F-14s shoot down 2 Libyan jet fighters over Mediterranean

1998 - A massive ice storm hits eastern Canada and the northeastern United States, continuing through January 10 and causing widespread destruction

2000’s

2004 - Spirit, a NASA Mars Rover, lands successfully on Mars at 04:35 UTC

2007 - The 110th United States Congress convenes, electing Nancy Pelosi as the first female Speaker of the House in U.S. history

2010’s

2010 - The Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building is officially opened

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

In their 40’s

Dave Foley, comedian, actor is 49

In their 50’s

Joe Kleine, NBA center (Phoenix Suns, Chicago Bulls) is 50

In their 70’s

Dyan Cannon, actor, Mrs Cary Grant (Heaven Can Wait) is 75

Gao Xingjian, Chinese-born French novelist and dramatist, Nobel laureate is 72

Remembered for being born on this day

Louis Braille, French developer (reading system for blind) in 1809

Everett Dirksen, American politician (Sen-Ill) in 1896

Jakob Grimm, German philologist and folklorist in 1785

C. L. R. James, writer and journalist in 1901

Isaac Newton, English physicist, mathematician and astronomer in 1643

Floyd Patterson, heavyweight champ (1956-59, 1960-62) (Oly-gold-1952) in 1935

Isaac Pitman, British inventor (stenographic shorthand) in 1813

Maureen Reagan, President’s daughter in 1941

Charles Stratton, [General Tom Thumb] in 1838

Today’s Obits                                                           

Waverley John Anderson, Scot, viscount/governor of Bengal, dies at 75 in 1958

Peggy Bacon, author/illustrator (Off With Their Heads), dies at 91 in 1987

Les Brown, American bandleader dies at 89 in 2001

Iron Eyes Cody (Espera Oscar de Corti), Native American actor dies at 95 in 1999

T S Eliot, poet (Washed Country), Nobel laureate dies of Emphysema at 76 in 1965

Harry B Helmsley, owner (Empire State Building), dies at 87 in 1997

Gerry Rafferty, British musician and songwriter (Baker Street) dies of liver failure (alcoholism) at 64 in 2011

Elizabeth Ann Seton, 1st native-born American saint, dies of TB at 46 in 1821

Answers                                                                                                                                            

Brain Game

NPR Sunday Puzzle

1.     Listens to grizzlies: hears bears

2.     Exhibits cattle: shows cows

3.     Holds tightly stinging insects: clasps wasps

4.     Provides mates for husbands: gives wives

5.     Outlaws graceful birds: bans swans

6.     Wheels out Barbies: rolls dolls

7.     Cuts plumbing items in two: halves valves

8.     Takes the rough edges off magician sticks: sands wands

9.     Interrupts series of wins: breaks streaks

10.  Is a pedicurist: does toes

Wuzzle

• Bermuda Triangle
• High employee turnover
• Upward mobility

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  ☺