6-14-13

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Almanac: Flagstaff:  Week: 24/ Day: 165   Today: H 81°…L 46°

Wind: ave:   25mph; Gusts:  40mph  Ave. humidity:  19%

·        RED FLAG WARNING

Ave low	Ave high	Record low	Record high
41°	79°	25° (2001)	92° (1974)

Quote of the Day

Today’s Historical Highlights

1st bazooka rocket gun produced Bridgeport Ct…1942

1st commercial computer, UNIVAC 1, enters service at Census Bureau…1951

1st Canadian parliament opens in Kingston, Ontario…1841

Albert DeSalvo, Boston Strangler, murders Anna Slesers, his first victim…1962

Auschwitz concentration camp opens (3 million killed there)…1940

Chlorophyll patented by Benjamin Grushkin…1938

Harpers Ferry evacuated by rebels in face of McClellan's advance…1861

Player piano patented by John McTammany Jr (Cambridge, Mass)…1881

Pres Eisenhower signs order adding words "under God" to the Pledge…1954

Recording of 1st country music hit (Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane)…1923

Ronald Reagan is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II…1989

Sandpaper patented by Isaac Fischer Jr, Springfield, Vermont…1834

Walt Disney's "Bambi" animated movie is released Thumper's 1st job…1942

♫  Today’s Birthdays: ♫   

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

 

My Free Rambling Thoughts   

Great lunch with our group…at a place that was listed in a local magazine. Everything home made, a real care atmosphere, small, but got quite busy around noon. Best minestrone soup I’ve had in a long time. Cheryl gave me some ideas about my investments to keep my contact in Flagstaff. Wait and see will be the order of the day. She also pointed out that my former advisor has a rep in the advisor world of making company changes quite quickly. Since my current investments are safe, I’ll just wait. Mary is heading out for Oregon in two weeks and Cheryl is headed to CA on Monday. We will have lunch together a week from Monday, when we are all here, then it will be Cheryl and I for a few weeks….while Mary basks in the Oregon summer. 

Sure wasn’t pleased to hear the news on Syria and chemical weapons…and all the talk of ‘crossing the red line’. I keep recalling my parent’s discussions about WWII and the strain it placed on all Americans with rationing, We have been involved in wars for so long, many youth in our country have never known an America in peacetime. I had so hoped that by leaving Afghanistan, our youth would finally know peacetime America. Doesn’t look like that is going to happen anytime soon.

Game  Center (answers at the end of post)

Brain Teasers

It's time to get back at the Queen of Hearts by beheading words that start with "Qu". In this case, you remove the first TWO letters and still have a valid word. You will be given clues for the two words, longer word first.
Example: British pound -> Part of the psyche
Answer: The words are Quid and Id.

1. Stop doing -> That thing 2. Peculiar behaviour -> Annoy 3. Subatomic particle -> Large boat 4. Unit of liquid measure -> Product of creativity 5. Small game bird -> To be unwell 6. Large feather; pen -> Unwell; faulty 7. Nausea; uncomfortable -> Simple 8. Misgivings; scruples -> Donations to the poor

^^^

Hint

The shorter words start with these letters:

1. I 2. I 3. A 4. A 5. A 6. I 7. E 8. A

Lifestyle  Substance:     

Found on You Tube with some relevance to today

• Mary Cassatt Paintings

• John McCormack - When You & I Were Young, Maggie (1925)

• Auschwitz

• The Little Old Log Cabin In The Lane Fiddlin John Carson

Hmmmm

Don't sweat petty things... or pet sweaty things.

Ok, then?

Harper’s Index    

Estikmated number of rosed the US imports annually from Columbia and Ecuador for Valentine’s Day: 184,830,000 or 15,402,500 dozen

Picture of the Day: Getting Ready for Summer!

Unusual Fact of the Day

The Rams were the first pro football team to decorate their helmets. An early version of the "horn" motif is still used by the franchise today.

Joke-of-the-day

There's a lot to be said about marital bliss...

A while back there was an opening in the CIA for an assassin. These highly classified positions are extremely difficult to fill, requiring an extensive background check, training, and testing before candidates are even considered for the position. After reviewing several applicants and completing all the checks and training, the field was narrowed to the three most promising candidates. The day came for the final test, which would determine which of equally qualified candidates, would get the job.

The final candidates consisted of two men and one woman. The men administering the test took the first candidate, a man, down a corridor to a closed door and handed him a gun saying, "We must be completely assured that you will complete your assignments and follow instructions regardless of the circumstances. Inside this room you will find your wife, seated in a chair. Take this gun and kill her." The man, looking completely shocked said, "You can't be serious! I could never kill my wife." The CIA man said, "Well, then, you're obviously not the man for the job. Take your wife and go home." They brought the next candidate in, the other man, and repeated the instructions. This man took the gun, walked into the room and closed the door. However, after five minutes of silence, the door opened and the man handed the CIA tester the gun, saying, "I just couldn't do it. I couldn't kill my wife. I tried to pull the trigger but I just couldn't do it." The CIA man said, "Well, then, you're obviously not the man for the job. Take your wife and go home."

Then they brought the woman down the corridor to the closed door, handed her a gun, and said, "We must be completely assured that you will complete your assignments and follow instructions regardless of the circumstances. Inside this room you will find your husband, seated in a chair. Take this gun and kill him." The woman took the gun, walked into the room, and before the door closed all the way, the CIA men heard the gun start firing. One shot after another, for thirteen shots, the noise continued. Then all hell broke loose. For the next several minutes, the men heard screaming, cursing, furniture crashing and banging on the walls; then suddenly, silence. The door opened slowly and there stood the woman. She wiped the sweat from her brow and said, "You guys didn't tell me the gun was loaded with blanks! I had to beat him to death with the chair!"  

Rules of Thumb:   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

MAKING YOUR IDEAS CLEAR

 A clear idea is one that fits on the back of a business card.    

Yeah, It Really Happened

BANGKOK - Police in Thailand said they arrested a man who allegedly kept 14 African lions, as well as a number of monkeys, reptiles and birds on a property in Bangkok. The large collection of animals, which included the lions, 23 meerkats, 17 marmoset monkeys, 12 peacocks and various types of turtles and birds, were seized from the house in Bangkok's Min Buri district on Monday, the Bangkok Post reported. A raid on the property was conducted by police and officials of the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry. Montri Boonphonon, 41, the owner of the residence, was arrested at the scene and charged with illegal possession of and trade in protected wildlife, said Police Col. Sarawut Jitrabeab. Montri had been arrested on similar charges in the past, Sarawut said. Police said Montri alleged that he had paperwork showing he had legally purchased all of the animals. "We will wait for the owner to submit all the proper documents related to the animals," said Navee Changpirom, an official of the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conversation Department specializing in the illegal wildlife trade. "The owner must take care of them and prove they were legally imported."  

Somewhat Useless Information   

• In the U.S. alone, more than 10 billion donuts are made every year.

• The US donut industry is worth 3.6 billion dollars.

• The largest donut ever made was an American-style jelly donut weighing 1.7 tons, which was 16 feet in diameter and 16 inches high in the center.

• The hole in the donut's center appeared in the first half of the 19th Century and allows the donut to cook more evenly.

• The Dutch are often credited with bringing donuts to the U.S. with their olykoeks, or oily cakes in the 1800s.

• The Guinness World record for donut eating is held by John Haight, who consumed 29 donuts in just over 6 minutes.

Calendar Information        

Happening This Week:

8-16

Jim Thorpe Native American Games
Men's Health Week

National Automotive Service Professionals Week
National Flag Week

Worldwide Knit (and crotchet) in Public Week
13-20

Nursing Assistants Week
13-16

Duct Tape Days

US Open Golf Championship

Today Is                                                                      

·        Army's Birthday 1775

·        Family History Day

·         (World) Blood Donor Day

·        Work@Home Father's Day

·        Pop Goes The Weasel Day

^^

·        Japan: Rice Planting Festival

·        US: Flag Day 1777

·        US: Pause for the Pledge Day

Today’s Events through History  

1st compulsory education law in America passed by Massachusetts…1642

Argentina surrenders to Britain on Falkland Is, ends 74-day conflict…1982

California (Bear Flag) Republic proclaimed in Sonoma, declaring independence 

     from Mexico…1846

France claims most of America…1671

Gen Pershing & his HQ staff arrived in Paris during WW I…1917

No Nukes concert at Hollywood Bowl…1981

Norway restricts woman's voting rights…1907

Pres Harding is 1st US president to use radio, dedicating the Francis Scott

     Key memorial in Baltimore…1922

Zsa Zsa Gabor arrested for slaping Beverly Hills motorcycle patrolman…1989

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

In their 80’s

Joe Arpaio, sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona is 81

Marla Gibbs, actress (Florence-Jeffersons, Mary-227) is 82

In their 60’s

Donald Trump, billionaire/master builder (Trump Towers/Plaza/Castle) is 67

In their 50’s

Eric Heiden, US speed skater (5 Olympic gold medals 1980) is 55

In their 40’s

Yasmine Bleeth, actress (Ryan's Hope, 1 Life to Live, Baywatch) is 45

Steffi Graf, West Germany, tennis player (Grand Slam 1988) is 44

Remembered for being born today

Gene Barry [Eugene Klass], actor (The Atomic City, Bat Masterson) [1919-2009]

Edward Bowes, radio host (Major Bowes Amateur Hour) [1874-1946]

Ernesto "Che" Guevara, Marxist revolutionary and physician (Cuban Revolution) [1928-1967]

Burl Ives, folk singer/actor (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof) [1909-1995]

John McCormack, Irish/US singer (Irish folksongs) [1884-1945]

Dorothy McGuire, actress (Old Yeller, Summer Magic) [1916-2001]

Pierre Salinger, newsman (ABC)/press secretary (John Kennedy) [1925-2004]

Harriet Beecher Stowe, author (Uncle Tom's Cabin) [1811-1896]

Today’s Historical Obits                                                           

Benedict Arnold, Revolutionary War general…dropsy…1801…at 60

Mary Cassatt, American Impressionist artist…1926…at 82

Pierre Charles L'Enfant, French architect [Washington DC layout]…1825…at 70

Alan Jay Lerner, Broadway librettist…lung cancer…1986…at 67

Henry Mancini, composer (Pink Panther, Moon River)…cancer…1994…at 70

Salvatore Quasimodo, Italian poet/essayist (Nobel 1959)…stroke…1968…at 67

Answer: Brain Teasers

1. Quit -> It 2. Quirk -> Irk 3. Quark -> Ark 4. Quart -> Art 5. Quail -> Ail 6. Quill -> Ill 7. Queasy -> Easy 8. Qualms -> Alms

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  §