Feb 21

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

Today’s  Historical  Highlights

1828 - 1st American Indian newspaper in US, "Cherokee Phoenix," published

1918 - The last Carolina parakeet dies in captivity at the Cincinnati Zoo

1932 - Camera exposure meter patented, WN Goodwin

1964 - UK flies 24,000 rolls of Beatle wallpaper to US

1986 - AIDS patient Ryan White returns to classes at Western Middle School

1985 - Largest NBA crowd to date 44,970 (Atlanta at Detroit)

♪Happy Birthday To: ♪                     

 

Free Rambling Thoughts   

CORRECTION: Yesterday the date countdown on the Almanac was incorrect…it is correct today. Also in 1745 Bonnie Prince Charlie occupied Fort Augustus, Scotland.

I had to clear the sidewalk today. Not enough snow to bring out the HOA crew, so those of us that face North had to do our own sidewalk. Not a big deal…less than an inch to clear off. Being so simple, I helped out my working neighbors by doing some of their walks too. The insanity continues…all the Phx stations are talking about the gay sheriff from Florence. They all say it is because of the accusations made by the ex-boyfriend, but feel obligated to mention that the story forced the sheriff to admit he is gay. Tonight the sheriff and Republican candidate for the US House is going on CNN to tell his side. Seems to me that someone should be investigating the charges and telling us the results. If he threatened the legal resident, the sheriff should be out. If the boyfriend made this up, or got paid by someone to come out, that should be made public too.  The sheriff’s county was polled before this all hit the press. The Republicans are supporting Rick Santorum, the guy who wants us to go back to the 1950’s over Romney. Two amazing links—Nina Simone’s Sinnerman and Barbara Jordon’s 1976 DNC Keynote Address. Both are worth the time.

Game   Center   (answers at the end of post)

Brain Game

NPR Sunday Puzzle

Each sentence has a blank. Fill the blank with the name of a vegetable that can complete the sentence in a "punny" way. For example: Apologizing profusely, the boy said, "You don't know how sorry I _____." The answer would be "yam" ("I am").

1.     Mary performed her work so well her boss increased her ____:

2.     During the service the pastor said ‘bow your heads and ____pray”:

3.     Bob has been looking for a job for over a year, but is confident that something will ___”

4.     The executive at the Gold Medal Company asked “What do you ___ that is made from wheat germ?

5.     When someone finally found the missing wire for Peter’s guitar, he asked “Where has that ___ ___?

Wuzzles  What concept or phrase do these suggest?

Lifestyle  Substance     

Planet Earth—Orkney Islands

Found on You Tube         

Recently Extinct and Endangered Animal Tribute

Harper’s Index         

Number of members in Iran’s ‘moral police force,’ which is charged with enforcing national dress codes: 79,000

Joke-of-the-day

Eight men have been at a mental hospital for a period of time and are being tested to find out how they are progressing in order for them to leave the institution. The doctor in charge takes them all into a room and with a Sharpie pen draws a door on the wall and asks each one of them to try and open the door for him as part of the tests.
Seven of them rushed out and attempted to open the door on the wall. The doctor was disappointed with the results but never the less called on the last one who was still sitting down and asked him why didn’t he stand up and try to open the door with the others.
The eighth man replied: “because I was holding the key to the door”

Rules of Thumb   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

Fish have vertical tails. Mammals have horizontal tails.

Somewhat Useless Information    

The federal holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February is not officially called Presidents Day. Instead, it is Washington's Birthday.

There was an attempt in 1968 to officially name the holiday Presidents Day. However, this suggestion died in committee. Many states, however, choose to call their own celebration on this day "Presidents Day."

Many across the newly formed United States celebrated Washington's Birthday in the 17th century while George Washington was still alive. However, it wasn't until 1885 that Chester Arthur signed the bill that made it a federal holiday.

Even though many states celebrate Abraham Lincoln's birthday concurrently with Washington's birthday, it is not a federally designated holiday.

Traditionally, many celebrated and continue to celebrate Washington's Birthday with desserts made with cherries. Cherry pie, cherry cake, bread made with cherries, or just a huge bowl of cherries are often enjoyed on this day.

On February 22nd of almost every year since 1888, Washington's Farewell Address has been read in the US Senate. While this does not happen on Presidents Day, it is an annual celebration of Washington's Birthday that stems from 1862 when the Address was read as a way to boost morale during the Civil War.

Yeah, It Really Happened                 

SOUTH HERO, Vt. — An elusive emu on the lam in Vermont has been amusing residents in communities on Lake Champlain.The 150-pound flightless bird looks like a small ostrich. It has been spotted wandering here and there in Grand Isle and South Hero since it escaped from a local farm five weeks ago.It was spotted again Friday outside the South Hero elementary school, where it walked by a window of the principal's office. School worker Steve Berard tried to lasso it with an extension cord, but it broke free.The emu's owner tells WCAX-TV he bought three emus for his grandchildren but they don't make great pets.He's taken out an ad in a local newspaper saying, "Free emu if you can capture it."

Calendar Information        

…Happening This Week:

14-21

National Condom Week

National Nestbox Week to provide bird houses for winter

NCCDP Alzheimer's & Dementia Staff Education Week

16-19

National Conference on Education

Great Backyard Bird Count

19-25 

National Entrepreneurship Week

Brotherhood / Sisterhood Week

Build A Better Trade Show Image Week

National Engineers Week

National Pancake Week

National Justice for Animals Week

National Future Farmers of America Week

Read Me Week

Texas Cowboy Poetry Week

26-3/3

National Eating Disorders Awareness Week

National Secondhand Wardrobe Week

Telecommuter Appreciation Week

Peace Corps Week

Today Is       

Card Reading Day

International Mother Language Day

International Pancake Day

Mardi Gras begins

Pancake Day (aka Christian--Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday or Switzerland/PA Dutch--Fastnacht Day, Poland--Pączki Day) 

Bangladesh: Martyr’s Day

Today’s Other Events                                                             

1100’s

1173 - Pope Alexander III canonizes Thomas Becket Arch bishop of Canterbury

1400’s

1431 - England begins trial against Joan of Arc

1700’s

1797 - Trinidad, West Indies surrenders to British

1800’s

1846 - 1st US woman telegrapher, Sarah G Bagley, Lowell, MA

1861 - Navaho elect Herrero Grande as chief

1864 - 1st US Catholic parish church for blacks dedicated, Baltimore

1874 - Benjamin Disraeli replaces William Gladstone as English premier

1900’s

1915 - World's Fair in SF opens

1925 - 1st issue of "New Yorker" magazine published

1931 - Alka Seltzer introduced

1970 - Jackson 5 make TV debut on "American Bandstand"

1972 - Richard Nixon becomes 1st US president to visit China

1980 - Eric Heiden skates Olympic record 1500m in 1:55.44

1981 - Japan launches Hinotori satellite to study solar flares 

1988 - Televangelist Jimmy Swaggert confesses his sins to his congregation

1992 - Kristi Yamaguchi of US wins Olympic gold medal   in women's fig skating

2000’s

2007 - Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi resigns from office. His resignation is rejected by the President of Italy, Giorgio Napolitano

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

In their 80’s

Robert Mugabe, president (Zimbabwe) is 88

In their 60’s

Tyne Daly, actor is 66

Olympia J Snowe, (Rep-R-ME) is 65

In their 50’s

Mary-Chapin Carpenter,  country vocalist (This Shirt ) is 54

Kelsey Grammer, actor is 57

William Petersen, actor is 59

In their 40’s

William Baldwin, actor is 49

Mark E Kelly, Lt USN/astronaut is 48

In their 30’s

Jennifer Love Hewitt, actress (Sarah Reeves-Party of Five) is 33

Under 30 years old

Corbin Bleu, Disney actor is  23

Remembered for being born on this day

Erma Bombeck, humorist (Grass is Always Greener...) in 1927

Barbara Jordan, Houston, Tx, (Rep-Tx,) DNC speaker in 1936

Rue McClanahan, Healdton Oklahoma, actress (Maude,  Golden Girls) in 1934

Anaïs Nin, French writer in 1903

Sam Peckinpah, film director (Wild Bunch, Straw Dogs ) in 1925

Charles Scribner, US, music publisher (Scribner Catalog) in 1821

Nina Simone, [Eunice Waymon], vocalist/pianist (Sinnerman ) in 1933

Today’s Obits                                                           

Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore, Governor of the Province of Maryland dies at 78 in 1715

Malcolm X, [Little; El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz], black Moslem leader, assassinated at 39 in 1965

Sunny Lowry, First British woman to swim the English Channel dies at 97 in 2008

Murray the K, American impresario and disc jockey dies of cancer at 60 in 1982

Answers                                                                                                                                            

Brain Game

NPR Sunday Puzzle

1.     Mary performed her work so well her boss increased her ____:

a.     celery

2.     During the service the pastor said ‘bow your heads and ____pray”:

a.     lettuce

3.     Bob has been looking for a job for over a year, but is confident that something will ___”:

a.     turnip

4.     The executive at the Gold Medal Company asked “What do you ___ that is made from wheat germ?:

a.     Cauliflower

5.     When someone finally found the missing wire for Peter’s guitar, he asked “Where has that ___   ___?

a.     String bean

Wuzzle

• Domino
• Forgives and forgets
• Winding roads

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  ☺