9/9/13

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Almanac: Flagstaff:  Week: 37/ Day: 252    

Today: H 61°…L 54°…Ave. humidity:  %

Wind: ave:   3mph; Gusts:  9mph  

Average Low: 45°

Average High: 75°

Record Low: 33° (1935

Record High: 88° (1977

Quote of the Day

Today’s Historical Highlights

1st "bug" in a computer program discovered by Grace Hopper, a moth was removed…1945

1st steam engine arrives in US colonies…1753

1st use of TV laugh track-Hank McCune…1950

Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works is finalized…1886

Congress officially renames United Colonies as the United States of America…1776

Elvis Presley's 1st appearance on Ed Sullivan's Show…1955

Iraqi Ayatollah Khomeini calls for uprising in Irani army…1978

John Herschel takes 1st glass plate photograph…1839

Mary Stuart, at nine months old, is crowned "Queen of Scots"…1543

Pres Eisenhower signs 1st civil rights bill since Reconstruction…1957

Serena Williams wins her fourth women's tennis singles at the US Open…2012

Sinn Fein accepts Mitchell Principles on para-military disarmament…1997

Territories of New Mexico & Utah created…1850

♫  Today’s Birthdays: ♫   

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

My Free Rambling Thoughts   

Sunday…a nice day to sit on the deck and read our Sunday paper…NOT. It’s been raining most of the day, with just a little sunshine a few times. These are real rain showers. Haven’t heard any thunder or seen any lightning, just steady rain every couple of hours. I’ve heard reports of minor flooding on the main roads, and the rain keeps a comin’.  

Our local PD has reported a ‘gang-related’ stabbing that has resulted in one death and two hospitalizations. This is really big news in our little mountain town. It seems there are two rival gangs—one on the west side, one on the east side of town. While there are lots of FB comments on this event, I find it interesting that while most of the posts are people expressing sadness over this unneeded tragedy, some posts are less than understanding and some are in denial that that there are gangs here. Social media sure has all kinds of people using it.

 

My Sunday news shows were filled with Syria and now the upcoming 12^th anniversary of 9-11 and possible events in the Middle East, or on our shores, or at our government installations around the world. We live is such frightening times. Sadly, so many refuse to understand that the terrorists are radicals who do not represent the vast majority of Muslims in the world. So many complain that the Muslims themselves should be stopping the radicals, The everyday Muslim is not that much different most of us in Flagstaff, with our gangs. We don’t hang out with them, we don’t really know them, and we certainly don’t understand their culture. So the radicals/gangs do their thing and the non-radical/non-gang population does little until there is a major event. Here is hope that this year’s 9-11 will be non-violent around the world.

Game  Center (answers at the end of post)

Brain Teasers

Can you figure out what words are represented by the following?

1. Iron + M + Iodine + Nickel + Neon 2. M + Arsenic + Copper + Lithium + Neon 3. Iron + M + Aluminum + E 4. Tungsten + Oxygen + M + A + Nitrogen 5. Germanium + Nitrogen + Thallium + E + M + A + Nitrogen 6. Lanthanum + Dysprosium

Lifestyle  Substance:     

Found on You Tube with some relevance to today

• Michael Bublé - "Haven't Met You Yet"

• Edward Teller: earliest memories

• What did Mao Zedong really say?

• CLIFF ROBERTSON TRIBUTE

Hmmmm…Fearsome Phobias

If you have an irrational fear of... Cemeteries
You're suffering from... Coimetrophobia [from Old French cimetiere, "graveyard"]

If you have an irrational fear of... Changes
You're suffering from... Tropophobia [Greek tropo  (meaning bend or turn)]

It is Illegal…

Putting Salt on a Railroad Track May Be Punishable By Death In Alabama

Privileges granted to people in the U.S. (and many western nations) for being Christian…

It is easy for you to find your faith accurately depicted in television, movies, books, and other media.

Ok, then?

Harper’s Index    

Factor by which a conservative is less likely to buy a fluorescent bulb if it is advertised as good for the environment: 2

Unusual Fact of the Day

King County, Washington, managed to keep its name while changing its namesake. Originally named for William King (13^th VP), it was "renamed" in 1986 for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Animals with the strongest jaws…each day will have a stronger jaw

Tiger 1050 psi

The biggest species of the cat family, the tiger is a solitary hunter. They can reach 3.3 meters and weigh up to 300lbs. They stalk their prey and hunt at night. Like lions, they tend to bite the throat of their prey to cut the flow of air and blood to the animals head. They have a powerful bite, nearly twice that of the lion. There are more tigers in captivity than in the wild. They usually avoid humans but attacks on humans and cattle have been reported around the world.

Joke-of-the-day

A farmer walks into a lawyer's office and says: "I'd like to get one of them-thar day-vorce-ees"

"Yes sir, I believe I can help you" replied the lawyer. "Do you have any grounds?"

"Oh shore do!", exclaimed the farmer, "Got me bout a 140 acres out back a the house thar."

"No no..., I mean do you have a case?" asked the lawyer.

"No sur," replied the farmer, "I drive one of them John Deer's"

"You don't understand," said the lawyer, "You need something like a grudge."

"Oh!!" said the farmer, "I got me one of those! That's what I park muh Deer in!"

The lawyer, a bit frustrated responded, "Sir, you've got to have a reason to divorce your wife. Does she beat you up or anything?"

"No sur", replied the farmer, "I purt near get outta bed afore her ever mornin."

Finally the exasperated lawyer shouted, "WHY do you want a divorce?"

"Oh, well..." replied the farmer, "She says we jus can't communicate!!"   

Rules of Thumb:   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

VISUAL COMMUNICATION

Only 25 percent of people are good at coming up with visual images.    

Yeah, It Really Happened

VERDEN, Germany - Authorities in Germany said a 10-year-old boy rummaging in an attic discovered a mummy estimated to be 2,000 years old. Lutz Gaebel, spokesman for the public prosecutor in Verden, said Lutz Wolfgang Kettler called police after his 10-year-old son found the mummy in an old chest that belonged to his grandfather, The Local.de reported Thursday. Kettler said the chest has been in the family's attic for decades, since his own father had it shipped home while he was traveling in North Africa in the 1950s. "Initial forensic medical examinations suggest it could be around 2,000 years old," Gaebel said of the mummy. "It will be at least another six weeks before we are sure. But should this estimate be confirmed, it will certainly lead to the end of any investigation we conduct into the death."  

Somewhat Useless Information   

• The language of a society changes slowly but steadily with the result that an educated person will not be able to read or understand words in his language written 500 years ago.

• Do you feel like you can’t talk to your parents? Maybe it’s because you belong to the Niger-Congo family. More than 1,400 languages are spoken by different members of this family from Africa.

• It has been estimated that the number of actively spoken languages in the world today is about 6,000.

• There is no word that rhymes with orange.

• Pinocchio is Italian for “pine head.”

• The most common letters in English are R S T L N E.

• There is no word that rhymes with purple.

Calendar Information        

Happening This Week:

8th-15th

International Housekeepers Week
National Assisted Living Week 
National Historically Black Colleges & Universities Week
Substitute Teacher Appreciation Week 

Suicide Prevention Week

9th-14^th

Line Dance Week

Today Is                                                                      

·        Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Day

·        National Boss/Employee Exchange Day

·        Teddy Bear Day

·        Wonderful Weirdoes Day

~~~~

·        Japan: Chrysanthemum Day (菊の節句 Kiku no Sekku) since 910

·        Tajikistan: Independence Day (1991 from USSR)

·        Uganda: Independence Day (1967 from UK)

·        US: California Admission Day (1850; 31^st state)

Today’s Events through History  

"Diana" by Paul Anka reaches #1…1957

"Robinson Treaty with the Ojibwa Conveying Certain Lands to the Crown" signed…1850.

Association for study of Negro Life & History forms by Carter G Woodson…1915

Dean St Station in Brooklyn, is 6th MTA station to close since 1904…1995

Mounted police 1st used in NYC…1904

National Broadcasting Co created by Radio Corporation of America…1926

New England colonies declare war on Wampanoag…1675

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

Michael Keaton, actor is 62

Tom Wopat, actor and singer (The Dukes of Hazzard) is 62

Hugh Grant, actor (4 Weddings & a Funeral, 9 Months) is 53

Adam Sandler, Brooklyn, actor/comedian (Happy Gilmore, SNL) is 47

Michael Bublé, Canadian singer and actor is 38

Remembered for being born today

Alf (Alfred) Landon, (R-Ks) politician and Presidential candidate (1932, ‘36) [1887-1987]

Otis Redding, rock bassist (Sitting on the Dock of the Bay) [1941-1967]

Cliff Robertson, actor (Charly) and spokesman for AT&T [1923-2011]

Harland Sanders, colonel/CEO (Kentucky Fried Chicken) [1890-1980]

Jimmy "the Greek" Snyder, gambler/sportscaster (lay you 5 to 1) [1918-1996]

Leo Tolstoi, Russian writer (War & Peace, Anna Karenina) [1828-1910]

Richard Webb, actor (Captain Midnight) [1919-1993]

Today’s Historical Obits                                                           

Catfish Hunter, baseball player…"Lou Gehrig's disease"…1999…at 53

James IV, King of Scots…in battle…1513…at 40

Albert Spalding, baseball player and sporting goods manufacturer…1915…at 65

Patrick O'Neal, actor (King Rat, Night of the Iguana)…TB…1994…at 66

Edward Teller, Hungarian-American "the father of the hydrogen bomb"…2003…at 95

American Horse [Wašíčuŋ Tȟašúŋke], Sioux chief…in battle…1876…at 46

Mao Zedong [Mao Tse-Tung], Chinese communist party chairman…1976…at 82

Brain Teasers

1. Fe+M+I+Ni+Ne=feminine  2. M+As+Cu+Li+Ne=masculine 3. Fe+M+Al+E=female 4. W+O+M+A+N=woman 5. Ge+N+Tl+E+M+A+N=gentleman 6. La+Dy=lady

Iron=Fe Iodine=I Nickel=Ni Neon=Ne Arsenic=As Copper=Cu Lithium=Li Aluminum=Al Tungsten=W Oxygen=O Nitrogen=N Germanium=Ge Thallium=Tl Lanthanum=La Dysprosium=Dy

All of the words describe females or males.

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  §