10/28/13

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Flagstaff Almanac:

Week: 44/ Day: 301   

Today: L 28°…H 62°… Ave. humidity: 60%

Wind: ave:   8mph; Gusts:  28mph  

Average Low: 27° Record Low:  13° (1954)

Average High: 58° Record High:  74° (1950)

Quote of the Day

 

Today’s Historical Highlights

1st Protestant church assembly for Indians (Massachusetts)…1646

1st railroad in Spain - between Barcelona and Mataró - is opened…1848

1st university in the New World, the Universidad Santo Tomás de Aquino, is 

     established…1538

After over 5 months 2nd Olympic games in Paris France, close…1900

Air China (Mainland China) jetliner hijacked by disgruntled pilot and flown to Taiwan…1998

FDR rededicates Statue of Liberty on its 50th anniversary…1936

Flag of Israel is adopted…1948

Harvard University (Cambridge, Massachusetts) founded…1636

Nikita Khrushchev orders withdrawal of missiles from Cuba, ending crisis…1962

Nobel prize for literature awarded to Ernest Hemingway…1954

St Louis police try a new investigation method-fingerprints…1904

 ♫  Today’s Birthdays: ♫   

How many can you identify? Answers in Today’s Birthdays

My Free Rambling Thoughts   

Warmer than our average. Nice day all the way around.

 

I heard an interesting argument that I am still trying to wrap around. First, the average age of Fast food workers is now 29, so it’s not just teenagers anymore. They make minimum wage, which is not a living wage…even if they worked full time. The fast food chains are making huge profits...MacDonld’s just announced a $1.5billion profit, up 5% from last quarter, KFC made over $1billion in profits, and Wendy’s posted $12.5 billion in profits. The majority of fast food workers receive government assistance by food stamps and other government help, like Section 8 housing allotments, WIC, etc. Many Republicans are against ‘big government’ and want to cut out many of the social assistance programs while at the same time are against raising the minimum wage to a living wage because that will hurt big business. So the fast food business continues to pay low wages, causing employees to need government assistance which all of us are paying for through our taxes. Many in our country seem to have become very greedy and with little concern for the little guy.

 

Broncos and Cardinals both had wins. Sadly I couldn’t watch the Broncos…but could follow it on the internet machine.

Game  Center (answers at the end of post)

Brain Teasers

In this teaser your job is to try and discover a shorter word within the given word that relates to the theme. The word must be an extension of the 'theme' word. The letters of the hidden word are NOT jumbled.
Example: Theme: NIGHT______
Sneaky = SKY (NIGHT SKY)

 Theme: NIGHT______ 1. Amplifier = ? (NIGHT______) 2. Vowel = ? (NIGHT______)  3. Counteract = ? (NIGHT______) 4. Persimmon = ? (NIGHT______)

Lifestyle  Substance:     

Found on You Tube with some relevance to today

• Porter Wagoner - Green Green Grass of Home

• Dody Goodman in Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman

• Barney Miller: Nick and the Hooker

• Brad Paisley, Alison Krauss - Whiskey Lullaby

• Game of Love

• Charlie Daniels Band - The Devil Went Down to Georgia

Hmmmm…Fearsome Phobias

If you have an irrational fear of... Home
You're suffering from... Ecophobia Ancient Greek: οἶκος (oikos) ‘house’

If you have an irrational fear of... Home, returning to
You're suffering from... Nostophobia Greek nosto ‘return home’

OK Then…

Harper’s Index 

• Number of CIA officers who have been embedded with the NYC Police Dept. since 2002: 4

• Number of ‘limitations’ placed on shoe officers’actions: 0

Unusual Fact of the Day

Bridgestone Corporation, maker of Bridgestone tires, is a Japanese company. The name is derived from founder Shojiro Ishibashi's last name, which translates literally to "stone bridge."

Joke-of-the-day

1. Golden Retriever: The sun is shining the day is young, we've got our whole lives ahead of us, and you're inside worrying about a stupid burned out bulb?

2. Border Collie: Just one. And then I'll replace any wiring that's not up to code.

3. Dachshund: You know I can't reach that stupid lamp!

4. Rottweiler: Make me.

5. Boxer: Who cares? I can still play with my squeaky toys in the dark.

6. Lab: Oh, me, me!!!!! Pleeeeeeeeeze let me change the light bulb! Can I? Can I? Huh? Huh? Huh? Can I? Pleeeeeeeeeze, please, please, please!

7. German Shepherd: I'll change it as soon as I've led these people from the dark, check to make sure I haven't missed any, and make just one more perimeter patrol to see that no one has tried to take advantage of the situation.

8. Jack Russell Terrier: I'll just pop it in while I'm bouncing off the walls and furniture.

9. Old English Sheep Dog: Light bulb? I'm sorry, but I don't see a light bulb?

10. Cocker Spaniel: Why change it? I can still mess on the carpet in the dark.

11. Chihuahua: Yo quiero Taco Bulb.

12. Pointer: I see it, there it is, there it is, right there...

13. Greyhound: It isn't moving. Who cares?

14. Australian Shepherd: First, I'll put all the light bulbs in a little circle ...

15. Poodle: I'll just blow in the Border Collie's ear and he'll do it. By the time he finishes rewiring the house, my nails will be dry.

The Cat's Answer: "Dogs do not change light bulbs. People change light bulbs. 

So, the real question is: How long will it be before I can expect some light, some dinner, and a massage?"

ALL OF WHICH PROVES, ONCE AGAIN, THAT WHILE DOGS HAVE MASTERS, CATS HAVE STAFF.

Rules of Thumb:   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

WATERING YOUR GARDEN

Don't water your garden unless the soil is dry past the depth of your index finger.   

Yeah, It Really Happened

A Tennessee police officer has been fired after displaying heavy use of force in an attempt to rid a Dollar General Store of a trespasser.

Normally a vagrant or transient loitering about a store is not cause for too much fuss, but then this was a perfect storm of coincidences. The incident occurred last week in Mountain City, when according to police documents, now-former Officer Jody Putnam just so happened to find himself in the store when the trespasser appeared. 

In a gross disregard for procedure Putnam discharged his firearm inside the store! When that didn't work he moved on to pepper spray. 

This whole story would seem a lot worse if the trespasser in question weren't a wild squirrel. 

"There was a lot of people that come out and just like me they came out and they were coughing and a hacking," local Carl Duffield said. "It was comical, but I'm sure they didn't feel that way - the customers that came out."

In Mountain City, whenever officers discharge their weapons, they are required to alert their supervisors and provide a written statement. Putnam refused to file a report and was subsequently fired. 

The squirrel was reported dead. 

Somewhat Useless Information   

• Easter derives its name from Eostre, an Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring. A month corresponding to April had been named "Eostremonat," or Eostre's month, leading to "Easter" becoming applied to the Christian holiday that  usually took place within it.

• In Medieval Europe, eggs were forbidden during Lent. Eggs laid during that time were often boiled or otherwise preserved. Eggs were thus a mainstay of Easter meals, and a prized Easter gift for children and servants.

• Orthodox Christians in the Middle East and in Greece painted eggs bright red to symbolize the blood of Christ. Germans gave green eggs as gifts on Holy Thursday, and hung hollow eggs on trees. Austrians placed tiny plants around the egg and then boiled them. When the plants were removed, white patterns were created.

Calendar Information        

Happening This Week:

24-11/11

World Origami Days
25-31

International Magic Week
Give Wildlife a Brake! Week

Today Is                                                                      

·        Lung Health Day

·        National Chocolates Day

·        Statue Of Liberty Day (1886 dedication; 1^st ticker-tape parade too)

~~~~

·        Czech Republic Independence Day (1918 from Austro-Hungarian Empire)

·        Greece Ochi Day (commemorate the rejection by Greek Prime Minister of the ultimatum made by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini)

Today’s Events through History  

Eli Whitney applies for a patent on cotton gin…1793

KANSA Indians conclude a treaty today at St. Louis…1815

Syrian ceasefire collapses and 128 people are killed in ongoing civil war violence…2012

UPPER YANKTONAI SIOUX & the OGLALA SIOUX sign treaties…1865

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

Leonard Starr, comic strip cartoonist (Little Orphan Annie) is 88

Charlie Daniels, singer (Devil Went Down to Georgia) is 77

Dennis Franz, actor (Buntz-Hill Street Blues, NYPD Blue) is 69

Wayne Fontana, Manchester England, rocker (Groovy Kind of Love) is 68

Bruce Jenner, decathlete (Olympic-gold-1976) is 64

Annie Potts, actress (Mary Jo-Designing Women) is 61

Bill Gates [William Henry], billionaire founder/CEO (Microsoft) is 58

Andy Richter, writer/sidekick (Conan O'Brien) is 47

Julia Roberts, actress (Mystic Pizza, Pretty Woman) is 46

Brad Paisley, county musician is 41

Joaquin Phoenix, Actor: Gladiator is 39

Remembered for being born today

Eliphalet Remington, US gun maker [1793-1861]

Anna Elizabeth Dickinson, orator (Joan of Arc of the Civil War) [1842-1932]

Jack Soo, actor (Nick-Barney Miller) [1917-1979]

Edith Head, fashion designer (MGM) [1897-1981]

Elsa Lanchester, London, actress (Bride of Frankenstien) [1902-1986]

Jonas Salk, medical reseacher (polio vaccine) [1914-1995]

Bowie Kuhn, baseball commissioner [1926-2007]

Dody Goodman, comedienne (Mary Hartman!, Max Duggan) [1914-2008]

Today’s Historical Obits                                                           

Morey Amsterdam, comedian (Dick Van Dyke Show)…1996…@87

Porter Wagoner, country singer…2007…@80

Doris Duke, heiress (American Tobacco Co)…1993…@80

Woody Herman, US jazz clarinetist/composer…1987…@74

Abigail Adams, 2nd first lady…typhoid fever…1818…@73

James Goldman, screenwriter/playwright (The Lion in Winter),,,heart attack…@71

Baby Huey, [James Ramey], rap vocalist (Baby Huey & Babysitters)…1970…@26

Brain Teasers

1. Amplifier = LIFE (NIGHT LIFE) 2. Vowel = OWL (NIGHT OWL)  3. Counteract = COURT (NIGHT COURT) 4. Persimmon = PERSON (NIGHT PERSON)

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  §