6-4-13

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Almanac: Flagstaff:  Week: 23/ Day: 155   Today: H 78°…L 44°

Wind: ave:   3mph; Gusts:  25mph  Ave. humidity:  24%

*

June	Ave low	Ave high	Record low	Record high
4	38°	75°	23° (1908)	89° (1990)

Quote of the Day

Today’s Historical Highlights

1st British gliders touches down on French soil for D-Day…1944

1st historic solar eclipse is recorded in China…781BC

1^st Patent for the ATM is granted to Don Wetzel, Tom Barnes and George Chastain…1973

1st Pulitzer prize awarded to Richards & Elliott (Julia Ward Howe)…1917

Apple II, the 1st personal computer, goes on sale…1977

Automatic washer & dryer introduced…1907

Dr Jack Kevorkian assisted an Oregon woman to commit suicide, beginning a 

     national debate over the right to die…1990

George Eastman demonstrates 1st Technicolor movie (Rochester NY)…1929

Great Upheaval: New England planters arrive to claim land in Nova Scotia, Canada 

     taken from the Acadians…1760

Johnny Weissmuller set swim records in 100-yard & 200-yard free-style…1927

Largest parade in Bronx history honors 350th anniversary…1989

Oldest animal fossils in US discovered in NC…1975

Roquefort cheese created in a cave near Roquefort, France…1070

Self deodorizing fertilizer patented in England…1850

Senate passes Women's Suffrage bill…1919

Sierra Club forms in SF…1892

Synthetic rubber tire unveiled…1940

US, Russia, England & France agree to split occupied Germany…1945

s♫  Today’s Birthdays: ♫   

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

My Free Rambling Thoughts   

Warm summer day…nice time on the deck.

 

Always surprised when I turn on my computer and one of the search engines has changed. Such a strange feeling when the stuff you expect just isn’t there. Chrome did it today, but was able to figure it out fairly quickly. Just no ready for the change.

 

A little bothered by a story today about protests in Ethiopia. Their leader died unexpectedly about a year ago, and now the people are frustrated by the direction the new government is taking. Protests in the capital are disturbing. Seems that the new government has been jailing journalists who print anti-government stories. This is a Coptic Christian nation, but the fear is that radical Islamists—less than 1/3 of the population seem to be gaining power and becoming very vocal. I can only hope that the historical sites in Northern Ethiopia are not disturbed by this news. We had a great time over there and while I enjoyed the southern tribes more than the northern cities and churches, I learned a lot about the beautiful country and its history. The underground churches and monasteries were awesome and I will always remember when someone asked our Coptic guide if the roofs of these underground churches ever collapsed he responded “God would not let that happen.”

 

While looking at today’s events I discovered that Lee Harvey Oswald returned to the US in 1962 on a ship called the SS Maasdam. After some quick searches I discovered that our recent Canadian trip was on the MS Maasdam. Strange…and the MS Maasdam didn’t go into service until 1993. Oswald rode on a steamship, we were on a motor ship. Both ships are named after a river in Holland.

Game  Center (answers at the end of post)

Brain Teasers

Thing1I, at the start, am old Many centuries I've been told Used by the Greeks For counting techniques After things were bought and sold
Later is when I became known As an infinite figure, when shown You've counted my spaces Over two billion places And still, my amount is unknown
(Thing 2) I, too, am not young I'm almost as old as Thing 1 I'm just a frog On the natural log But I can make counting fun
(Thing 1 and Thing 2) When you combine us two In the order of Thing 1 and Thing 2 We'll be a baked treat That's painful to beat Whether cherry, peach, or aloo

Lifestyle  Substance:     

Found on You Tube with some relevance to today

• Gunsmoke Star Dennis Weaver Interview

• Rosalind Russell - Funniest moments

• Robert Merrill - Star Spangled Banner

Hmmmm

The colder the X-ray table, the more of your body is required on it.

Ok, then?

Harper’s Index    

Percentage of US government contracts intened for small businesses that went ot large corporations in 2011: 37

Picture of the Day: Recent Canadian Cruise

Unusual Fact of the Day

At the Wife Carrying World Championships in Sonkajärvi, Finland, first prize is the wife’s weight in beer.

Joke-of-the-day

Q: What did the doctor say to the ghost? A: I have a boo boo

Rules of Thumb:   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

   CUTTING YOUR HAIR

 People who wear their hair short will generally need a haircut within a week after their hair looks perfect.

Yeah, It Really Happened

Two longtime friends ended up in jail in central Florida thanks to a "bucket list" that included stealing from a store. Police say 36-year-old Andrea Mobley and 38-year-old Jennifer Morrow face petty theft charges after stealing bathing suits and beef jerky during a trip to Wal-Mart.

A loss prevention officer told police Mobley was eating beef jerky in the store and Morrow concealed items inside her purse. They were detained after taking the items from the store without paying.

The women told police they hadn't seen each other in years and stealing from a retail store was on the "bucket list."

Mobley said they were just "two stupid women" doing something they'd never done before. She added she's ashamed.

Somewhat Useless Information   

The oldest known fossil of an insect dates back 400 million years and is a springtail.

A particular Hawk Moth caterpillar from Brazil, when alarmed, raises its head and inflates its thorax, causing it to look like the head of a snake.

True flies have only one pair of wings, and sometimes, none at all. A hind pair of "wings" is reduced to balancing organs called halteres.

Male mosquitoes do not bite humans, but rather live on plant juices and other natural liquids from plants and decomposing organic material.

To survive the cold of winter months, many insects replace their body water with a chemical called glycerol, which acts as an "antifreeze" against the temperatures.

Beetles account for one quarter of all known species of plants and animals. There are more kinds of beetles than all plants.

Calendar Information        

Happening This Week:

1-8

Black Single Parents Week
End Mountain Top Removal Week

International Clothesline Week

National Business Etiquette Week
National Headache Awareness Week

National Sun Safety Week
National Tire Safety Week

Rip Current Awareness Week
3-10

(World) Dystonia Awareness Week

Today Is                                                                      

·        Audacity To Hope Day

·        International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression

·        National Trails Day

·        Old Maid's Day

Today’s Events through History  

American men begin registering for the draft…1917

DNA is successfully cloned from an extinct animal…1984

General George Crook takes command of the Department of Arizona, today. 

      He believes the Indians should be treated fairly, but kept under control…1871

Greyhound Bus files bankruptcy…1990

Lee Harvey Oswald departs Rotterdam on SS Maasdam to US…1962

Madame Elizabeth Thible becomes the first female balloonist…1784

Monkees take home an Emmy for their Outstanding comedy Series…1967

Rolling Stones release "Satisfaction"…1965

Terry Nichols is sentenced to life in prison for his role in the Oklahoma City bombing…1998

US constitution goes into effect…1789

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

In their 70’s

Bruce Dern, actor (Coming Home, Silent Running, Tatoo) is 77

Robert Fulghum, short essay author is 76

In their 60’s

Parker Stevenson, Phila Pa, actor (Falcon Crest, Stroker Ace) is 61

In their 40’s

Noah Wyle, Hollywood California, actor (Dr John Carter-ER) is 42

In their 30’s

Russell Brand, British comedian and television personality is 38

Angelina Jolie, Los Angeles, California, American actress (Girl, Interrupted, 

     Lara Croft: Tomb Raider) is 38

Remembered for being born today

Christopher Cockerell, inventor (Hovercraft) [1910-1999]

Freddie Fender, Mexico, country singer (Feelings) [1937-2006]

Robert Merrill, baritone (NY Metropolitan Opera) [1917-2004]

Rosalind Russell, actress (Mame, Take a Letter Darling) [1907-1976]

Gordon Waller, Scotland, singer (Peter & Gordon-World Without Love) [1945-2009]

Dennis Weaver, actor (Chester-Gunsmoke, Duel, Battered) [1934-2006]

Today’s Historical Obits                                                           

Giacomo Casanova, Italian adventurer/writer/librarian and womanizer…1798…at 73

Dorothy Gish, [de Guiche], actress (Home Sweet Home)… pneumonia…1968…at 70

Ayatalloh Ruhullah Khomeini, Iranian leader…1989…at 86

Dipendra of Nepal, murdered…2001…at 29

John Wooden, basketball player and UCLA coach…2010…at 99

Answer: Brain Teasers

Thing 1 is "Pi." Thing 2 is "e," the base of the natural logarithm. Thing 1 and 2 are, together, "Pie." (an aloo pie is a potato pie)

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  §