9/1/13


FYI: Any blue text is a link. Click to check it out!
Almanac: Flagstaff:  Week: 36/ Day: 244   
Today: H 69°…L 57°
Wind: ave:   3mph; Gusts:  8mph  
Ave. humidity:  79%
Record Low: 33° (1962)
Record High: 91° (1948)
Average Low: 47°
Average High: 77°
Flash Flood Warning

Quote of the Day



Today’s Historical Highlights
1st white women to settle west of the Rocky Mountains, arrives at Walla Walla, WA…1836
Aaron Burr acquitted of charges of plotting to set up an empire…1807
Alberta & Saskatchewan become 8th & 9th Canadian provinces…1905
Beslan, North Ossetia school hostage crisis begins…2004
Construction begins on NY Stock Exchange…1901
Jews living in Germany are required to wear a yellow Jewish star…1941
LA Court orders Clayton Moore to stop wearing Lone Ranger mask…1979
Last passenger pigeon, a female named Martha, dies in captivity in the Cincinnati Zoo…1914
Max speedometer reading mandated at 85 MPH…1982
NYC law requires all "pool" rooms to change name to "billiards"…1922
Physical Review publishes 1st paper to deal with "black holes"…1939
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame opens in Cleveland Ohio…1995
Russia began taxing men's beards…1689
St Petersburg, Russia changes name to Petrograd…1914
Traditional date of destruction of Jerusalem…69

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



My Free Rambling Thoughts   
Wet and rainy Saturday with a flash flood warning since last night that continues until tomorrow. A little sunshine throughout the day, but hard steady rain when the sun wasn’t shining. I was planning on heading to the fair again, to see the local bagpipers play, but about an half hour before I was ready to leave the first heavy rain of the day started.

Since I was home, I had CNN on for background noise. Was so happy I did, as our President came on and said even though he had the power, he would wait for Congress for approval to do a strike on Syria. That is the man I voted for. He did leave the possibility open to do it without Congressional approval, but I doubt he would do that. He and his crew will just spend the next few weeks trying to convince Congress to approve. I was wondering why France was our only vocal supporter in a strike, until I check the history of Syria and discovered that it was under French control until 1938. It will be an interesting debate as the usually pro-War, anti-Obama Republicans feel about our possible involvement in Syria…surely will be a difficult vote for many.
Game  Center (answers at the end of post)
Brain Teasers
On a 12-hour digital clock, what is the smallest interval between two times that are palindromic (can be read forwards and backwards as the same number)?
Lifestyle  Substance:     
Found on You Tube with some relevance to today

Hmmmm…Fearsome Phobias
If you have an irrational fear of... Bathing
You're suffering from... Ablutophobia (from Latin ablutere 'to wash off")If you have an irrational fear of... Beards
You're suffering from... Pogonophobia (pogonic 'pertaining to beards)
It is Illegal…
Next-Door Neighbors May Not Lend Each Other Vacuum Cleaners In Colorado
Privileges granted to people in the U.S. (and many western nations) for being Christian…
You can worship freely, without fear of violence or threats.
Ok, then?



Harper’s Index    
Percentage of college professors teaching online courses who do not believe students should receive credit for them: 72
Unusual Fact of the Day
Braces go all the way back to ancient Egypt. In fact, archeologists have found several mummies with crude metal bands wrapped around their teeth.
Joke-of-the-day
A shy man was feeling a little lucky and decided to ask the subdued provocative Librarian about seduction as he tended to be oblique in his intentions.

“Do you have any books on women seducing men?''
The Librarian answered without hesitation '' Why yes" she murmured. 
Most likely found in the '' Fantasy section"
Rules of Thumb:   
Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess
CLIMBING MOUNTAINS
According to the 1952 Everest Expedition, one pound added to your boots equals five pounds added to your back. Buy the lightest boots that are safe.    
Yeah, It Really Happened
ST. LOUIS - A Missouri man said his Harley-Davidson motorcycle was stolen and recovered twice in the space of about 24 hours. David Dickinson, 61, of St. Louis, said the 2006 Dyna Wide Glide was in a trailer in front of his house with a flat tire and someone took the bike and trailer sometime between 3:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. Aug. 20, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Tuesday. Dickinson filed a police report and the motorcycle and trailer were found later in the day behind a stolen truck about 5 miles away. The trailer was towed to Dickinson's son's house, where he thought it would be more secure, but the motorcycle was gone from the trailer by 4:45 a.m. Aug. 21. The motorcycle was spotted by a neighbor in the parking lot of an apartment complex about a mile away. Dickinson said he isn't taking any more chances with the bike. "I put a lock, chain and a padlock on it," he said.  
Somewhat Useless Information   
  • When an octopus gets angry, it shoots a stream of black “ink”.
  • There are about 100 billion birds in the world, and about 6 billion of them make their homes in the United States.
  • The emperor penguin is playful, and often times lies on its chest and side to slide along the ice and snow.
  • The leatherback is the biggest sea turtle, and it can weigh as much as 1,500 pounds.
  • The snapping shrimp, only 1 1/2 inches long, makes a noise with its one big claw, which sounds exactly like a firecracker.
  • Flying fish actually glide on wind currents above the surface of the water, sometimes up to 20 feet above the surface.


Calendar Information        
Happening This Month:


Happening This Week:
1st-7th
International Enthusiasm Week
National Nutrition Week
National Waffle Week
Self-University Week
National Payroll Week


Today Is                                                                       
·        Building and Code Staff Appreciation Day
·        Calendar Adjustment Day: Following the British Calendar Act of 1751, Britain adopted the Gregorian Calendar in 1752. However, the current Julian calendar system required them to drop eleven days in order to sync themselves with the proposed Gregorian calendar. On the evening of 1st September 1752, the population of Britain and its American colonies went to sleep and awoke the next morning to 13th September 1752  
·        Chicken Boy's Day: statue perched atop a fried chicken restaurant in downtown LA Historic Route 66) in the 1960s
·        Emma M. Nutt Day (first female telephone operator)
·        International Day of Awareness for the Dolphins of Taiji
·        National No Rhyme (Nor Reason) Day
·        Toy Tips Executive Toy Test Day
~~~~
·        Libya: Revolution Day (1969 commemoration; Green Revolution of Muammar Gaddafi)
·        Qatar: Independence Day (1971 from UK)
·        Slovakia: Constitution Day (1992)
·        Uzbekistan: Independence Day (1991 from USSR)

Today’s Events through History  
1st Pullman sleeping car in service…1859
UN announces Earth population has hit 3 billion…1962
King Louis XIV of France dies after a reign of 72 years—longest of any European 
     monarch…1715
Liberty Bell arrives in Philadelphia…1752
Luxembourg became the 1st country to complete the move to all digital TV 
     broadcasting…2006
Manuelito and 23 of his Navajo followers surrender to the army at Fort Wingate…1866
Murder conviction forces the violent Irish anti-owner coal miners, the "Molly Maguires", 
     to disband…1875
NYC reinstates the death penalty…1995
Robert T Freeman is 1st black to graduate from Harvard Dental School…1967

Today’s Birthdays                                                           
Alan Dershowitz, attorney (Claus Von Bulow, OJ Simpson) is 75
Gloria Estefan, [Fajardo], Havana, singer (Miami Sound Machine-Conga) is 57
Barry Gibb, Manchester England, guitarist/singer (Bee Gees) is 67
George Maharis, actor (Buz-Route 66, Most Deadly Game) is 85
Dr. Phil McGraw, TV psychologist is 63
Scott Speedman, movie, TV actor is 38
Lily Tomlin, comedienne/actress (9 to 5, Laugh-in, All of Me) is 74

Remembered for being born today
James Gordon Bennett, Sr., American newspaper publisher [1795-1872]
Edgar Rice Burroughs, sci-fi author (Tarzan of Apes, Mars Saga) [1875-1950]
Yvonne De Carlo, Vancouver BC, actress (10 Commandments, Munsters) [1922-2007]
Rocky Marciano, heavyweight champion boxer [1923-1969]
Ann Richards, (Gov-D-Tx) [1933-2006]
Conway Twitty, [Harold Jenkins], Miss, country singer (Hello Darlin') [1933-1993]
"Boxcar" Willie, singer [1931-1999]

Today’s Historical Obits                                                           
Jacques Cartier, French explorer…typhus?...1557…at 65ish
William Clark, 2nd Lt of Lewis & Clark Expedition…1838…at 68
Hal David, American Lyricist…2012…at 91
Henry "Scoop" Jackson, (Sen-D-Wash)…aortic aneurysm…1983…at 71
Louis XIV, the sun king of France (1643-1715)…gangrene…at 76
Ethel Waters, actress (Beulah)/singer (Stormy Weather)…1980…at 76

Brain Teasers
The interval is two minutes, between the times of 9:59 and 10:01
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  §
Posted by No comments:

8/31/13


FYI: Any blue text is a link. Click to check it out!
Almanac: Flagstaff:  Week: 35/ Day: 243   
Today: H 73°…L 56°
Wind: ave:   12mph; Gusts:  8mph  
Ave. humidity:  78%
Record Low: 36° (1975)    
Record High: 90° (1948)
Average Low: 47°    
Average High: 78°    

Quote of the Day

Today’s Historical Highlights
 1st sun-powered automobile demonstrated, Chicago, Ill…1955
12,000 die in 7.8 quake destroys 60,000 buildings in NE Iran…1968
Apple loses its patent dispute with Samsung in Tokyo, Japan…2012
Bonnie Prince Charlie reaches Blair Castle Scotland…1745
Stolen famous painting The Scream recovered…2006

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

My Free Rambling Thoughts   
My day started out with a visit to the eye doctor to see why my new glasses aren’t making things easier to read…after lots of tests, dilation, more tests, I have an appointment in 3 weeks to see if I need cataract surgery. I feel like that lady on the commercial for some emergency alert system where she says ‘but that is for old people.’ Guess not. Still not sure I need it, but time will tell.
 
Then our group went to the County Fair and then to lunch. Fair was nice, though the clouds looked menacing, nothing happened while we were there. Lots of nice exhibits. I have to say that while I really like to travel but I have no idea how all those vendors do it for a living. Trucks of food where they spend their lives traveling from fair to fair selling turkey legs, funnel cakes, and everything imaginable fried. There were also the traveling vendors selling the ‘latest and greatest’ fix to everything from dry skin to healing oils to wooden puzzles. We did see one amazing thing for kids…it was a pool of water about 2 feet deep with huge plastic bubbles that kids climbed into then were sealed and floated as they tried to maneuver like bumper cars. Quite entertaining. A nice way to spend a few hours, but that’s about it for me. Lunch was at a nice place with great food, then off to the new Sprouts store. I’ll be spending more time there as they have great selection and good prices. Our little town now has three or four of these types of stores…all with different names, but this one is the best so far.

Game  Center (answers at the end of post)
Brain Teasers
The following is an advertisement for a common item. The ad agency, however, is trying to entice buyers by making the item sound more impressive than it really is. Can you tell what is being sold here?
DEFY GRAVITY!
As you command water - or any liquid - to flow upwards! Could you be tampering with the secrets of the Earth? Your friends will be amazed! Just $1.99.

Lifestyle  Substance:     
Found on You Tube with some relevance to today

Hmmmm…Fearsome Phobias
If you have an irrational fear of... Bald, becoming
You're suffering from... Peladophobia, phalacrophobia
It is Illegal…
No One May Cross Minnesota State Lines with a Duck On Top Of Their Head
Privileges granted to people in the U.S. (and many western nations) for being Christian…
Holidays celebrating your faith are so widely supported you can often forget they are limited to your faith (e.g. wish someone a “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Easter” without considering their faith).
Ok, then?



Harper’s Index    
Portion of US factory workers who have a college degree:  1/4
Portion of university teaching positions that are led-by grad students or adjunct faculty: 3/4
Unusual Fact of the Day
Hackysack was invented in 1972 by John Stalberger as a game to help him rehabilitate his knee after a football injury.
Joke-of-the-day
A man and his son were walking down the street. The boy saw a dog walking and sniffing at the ground. What makes the dog sniff at the ground dad? That is INSTINCT son.
A bit later his dad saw a dog sniffing another dog. Do you know why he's doing that son? I do dad, like you said before that’s END-STINK.
Rules of Thumb:   
Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess
MAKING GARBAGE
The average person generates one ton of garbage per year.    
Yeah, It Really Happened
NEW YORK - Samsung has confirmed its giant 6.3-inch-display Galaxy Mega smartphone will be available from U.S. carriers AT&T, Sprint and U.S. Cellular. AT&T has announced it will offer the Galaxy Mega as of Friday for $149.99 with a two-year contract or for $24 per month under its early upgrade plan called AT&T Next. Sprint said it plans to offer the smartphone "later this year" with unlimited data plans, while U.S. Cellular has yet to announce launch details, International Business Times reported Tuesday. The Mega's 720 x 1280 HD Super Clear LCD display, approaching tablet size, is aimed at optimal watching of movies and music videos, reading books and playing games. Available in 8GB and 16GB options in black or white, the Mega will run Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean powered by a 1.7GHz dual-core processor, comes with 1.5GB of internal RAM and has a removable 3,200 mAh battery, Samsung said Monday. Storage can be expanded up to 64GB with an external micro SD card. Even at 6.3 inches, the Mega isn't the leader in the phablet race; Sony that honor with its 6.4-inch Xperia Z Ultra smartphone.  
Somewhat Useless Information   
  • A chameleon can move its eyes in two directions at the same time.
  • A father sea catfish keeps the eggs of his young in his mouth until they are ready to hatch. He will not eat until his young are born, which may take several weeks.
  • A single little brown bat can catch 1,200 mosquitoes-sized insects in just one hour.
  • A woodpecker can peck twenty times a second.
  • An electric eel can produce a shock of up to 650 volts.
  • During World War II, the very first bomb dropped on Berlin by the Allies killed the only elephant in the Berlin Zoo.

Calendar Information        
Happening This Week:
25-31
Be Kind To Humankind Week
National Safe at Home Week

Today Is                                                                      
·        Franchise Appreciation Day
·        Love Litigating Lawyers Day
^^^
·        Kazakhstan: Constitution Day ()
·        Kyrgyzstan: Independence Day (1991 for USSR)
·        Malaysia: Freedom Day (1957 from UK)
·        Moldova: National Language Day ()
·        Trinidad,Tobago: Independence Day (1962 from UK)

Today’s Events through History  
108 U boats sunk this month (544,000 ton)…1942
23 U-boats sunk this month (80,000 ton)…1941
British kill 17 Stockbridge indians in Bronx during Revolution…1778
East & West Germany sign a treaty to join legal & political systems…1990
Queen Wilhelmina celebrates 50th jubilee…1948
US Naval Observatory authorized by an act of Congress…1842

Today’s Birthdays                                                           
Richard Gere, actor (Breathless, Cotton Club, Pretty Woman) is 64
Van Morrison, Northern Irish musician is 68
Dan Rather, news anchor (CBS-TV) is 82
Chris Tucker, actor (Rush Hour), comedian is 41

Remembered for being born today
Richard Basehart, actor (Voyage to Bottom of Sea) [1914-1984]
Eldridge Cleaver, Black Panther turned Republican [1938-1995]
James Coburn, actor (Our Man Flint, Magnificent Seven) [1928-2002]
Arthur Godfrey, radio/TV host (Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scout) [1903-1983]
Buddy [Leonard] Hackett, comedian (God's Little Acre, Music Man) [1924-2003]
Alan Jay Lerner, lyricist composer (Lerner & Loewe-My Fair Lady) [1918-1986]
Frederic March [Ernest Frederick McIntyre Bickel], actor (Dr. Jekyll and 
     Mr. Hyde) [1897-1975]
Maria Montessori, Italy, educator (spontaneous response) [1870-1952]

Today’s Historical Obits                                                           
John Bunyan, preacher/novelist/author (Pilgrim's Progress)…fever…1688…at 59
John Ford, director (Mary of Scotland, Stagecoach)…1973…at 78
Rocky Marciano, former heavyweight champ…plane crash…1969…at 45
Dennis O'Keefe, actor (Suspicion)…lung cancer…1968…at 60
Ike Pappas, news correspondent (JFK/Dallas)…heart failure…2008…at 75
Jerry Reed, country music singer and actor…emphysema…2008…at 71
Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales…car crash…1997…at 36

Brain Teasers
The item being advertised is a straw.
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  §
Posted by No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Followers

Total Pageviews

Blog Archive

About Me

My photo
Flagstaff, Arizona, United States
I retired in '06--at the ripe old age of 57. I enjoy blogging, photography, traveling, and living life to it's fullest.