11/13/13

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Flagstaff Almanac:

Week: 46/ Day: 317   

Today: L 27°…H 59°… Ave. humidity: 50%

Wind: ave:   3mph; Gusts:  11mph  

Average Low: 23° Record Low:  -3° (2000)

Average High: 51° Record High:  72° (1967)

Quote of the Day

 

Today’s Historical Highlights

"Sheik," silent film starring Rudolph Valentino, is released…1921

1st condom commercial on BBC TV…1987

1st modern elastic brassiere patented by Mary Phelps Jacob…1913

1st modern sit-down strike, Hormel meat packers, Austin, Minn…1933

1st shipment of canned pineapple from Hawaii…1895

American Revolutionary forces capture Montreal…1775

America's 1st saint, Mother Frances Cabrini, beatified…1938

Ben Franklin writes "Nothing . . . certain but death & taxes"…1789

Black Renaissance begins Harlem NY…1922

Disney's "Fantasia" released…1940

English Lady Jane Grey/Bishop Cranmer accused of high treason…1553

Final Al Capp comic strip of "Li'l Abner" (1934-77)…1977

False fingernails 1st sold…1952

Flooding ravages Ganges delta, 200,000-1 million killed…1970

Mt Rainier in Washington State erupts…1843

Significicant battle at Sheriffmuir during Jacobite rebellion…1715

Vietnam War Memorial dedicated in Washington DC…1982

World Wide Web first began…1990

US President Reagan confesses weapon sales to Iran…1986

♫  Today’s Birthdays: ♫   

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

 

My Free Rambling Thoughts   

An OK day with sun and some high clouds. Would be happier if it had been a tad warmer.  

I can why people are upset about having to change health plans. I’ve been with BC/BS Fed for decades. Every year I get a book, at least an inch thick that outlines everything that is covered or not covered. I’ll be honest, it’s like those ‘terms of service’ when you sign up on the internet….for the most part it is just blah, blah, blah. The few times over the years that I have been unhappy, I read the part of the annual book. If I don’t think their decision is correct, I call. It is always explained. So as long as am generally very happy with my coverage, I keep it. I can’t imagine what it must be like to have to read several policy books and then decide what is best for my situation.

 

Watching the devastation in the Philippines, I have to wonder how these people will survive. Very little food, very little drinking water, lots of sewage and decaying bodies, knowing that disease is just waiting to add to the problems. Amazing work being done there by those who are working and looks like more help is on the way. Mother Nature can sure be violent.

Game  Center (answers at the end of post)

Brain Teasers

Unscramble the words below, then take the letters from each word as instructed to form another word that is the answer to this teaser. Note, only one unscramble works, while other words may be made by unscrambling, those words won’t help solve the puzzle:

TLEM - Take letters 1,2 & 4 ELTA - Take letters 1 & 3 MSURT - Take letter 1  HMEYR - Take letters 2 & 3 Unscramble the letters you collected... what do you get?

Lifestyle  Substance:     

Found on You Tube with some relevance to today

• Whoopi Goldberg - Comic Relief VI

• Six Feet Under - The Plan

• Garry Marshall discusses Henry Winkler

• DALLAS: BLAST FROM THE PAST

• Jack Elam Gunned Down by Lee Marvin

• Junior Samples: Hee Haw Funny Man, Joke/Storyteller

Very Strange Laws…Mississippi

• Mississippi’s “Anti-Bloomberg Bill” will restrict towns and counties from regulating nutrition labeling

• If one is a parent to two illegitimate children, that person will go to jail for at least one month.

• No one may bribe any athlete to “rig” a game, match, tournament, etc.

• It is illegal to teach others what polygamy is.

• A man may not seduce a woman by lying, and claiming he will marry her.

• One may be fined up to $100 for using “profane language” in public places.

• Private citizens may personally arrest any person that disturbs a church service.

• Vagrancy is punishable by either 30 days in prison or a $250 fine.

• Unnatural intercourse, if both parties voluntarily participate, results in a maximum sentence of 10 years and $10,000.

• It is illegal for a male to be sexually aroused in public.

• Cattle rustling is punishable by hanging.

• Horses are not to be housed within 50 feet of any road.

• Adultery or Fornication (living togeather while not married or having sex with someone that is not your spouse) results in a fine of $500 and/or 6 months in prison.

• Ridgeland
--It is unlawful for anyone to have sex in public. /Exterior burglar bars which are viewable from the street are not allowed.

• Tylertown
--It is unlawful to shave in the center of main street.

OK Then…

Harper’s Index 

Estimated number of immigrants deported since July 2010 whose children are native born US citizens: 200,000

Unusual Fact of the Day

Carly Simon’s dad is the Simon of Simon and Schuster.

Joke-of-the-day

Herds of elephants from all over Africa were summoned to a meeting in the jungle, as their national leader took his place on the stage, one of the African elephants trumpeted impatiently: “Come on, tell us what this is all about. We’re all ears.”  

Rules of Thumb:   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

BUYING BEEF

Beef fat tinged with yellow means an animal was grass fed; white fat means grain fed.    

Yeah, It Really Happened

David E. Schorr says psychologist Marilyn Schiller pronounced him incapable of caring for his nearly 5-year-old son after he offered a choice - dinner anywhere but McDonald's, or no dinner at all - and let the boy choose the latter. He then took his irate son home to the boy's mother's house.

Schorr, an attorney, is in the midst of a contentious divorce with estranged wife Bari Yunis Schorr. Schiller was court-assigned to evaluate the couple and their child.

"Normally not a very strict father who rarely refuses his child McDonald's," Schorr put his foot down "because his son had been eating too much junk food," the suit said.

He quickly regretted his stance when his son threw a tantrum, but he felt that giving in would reward bad behavior.

Schiller told a judge the fast food flap "raises concerns about the viability" of the father's weekend visits with his son and asked a judge to eliminate or limit them.

Now, if the father had told his son he could only have McDonald's or nothing, I would understand this story, but how can the state try to penalize a father for finally trying to be a responsible parent.  

Somewhat Useless Information   

• A citizen of Calcutta, India , grew the fingernails on his left hand to a length of 76 inches.

• Bangalore has the highest number of software companies in India 242, followed by Hyderabad

• -178, Pune - 127. Hence called the Silicon Valley of India.

• Bangalore has 21 engineering colleges, which is highest in the world in any given city.

• Bangalore was the first city in India to receive electricity.

Calendar Information        

Happening This Week:

7-13: Dear Santa Letter Week / Pursuit of Happiness Week
10-16:   Geography Awareness Week / National Hunger & Homeless Awareness Week
11-15:  National Young Reader's Week

11-17: National Global Entrepreneurship Week /  World Kindness Week

Today Is                                                                      

·        World Kindness Day

Today’s Events through History  

Carl B Stokes sworn-in as 1st major city black mayor (Cleveland Oh)…1967

James Braid first sees a demonstration of animal magnetism, which leads to his 

     study of the subject he eventually calls hypnosis…1841

Just before sunrise, there is a phenomenal meteor shower, which is seen all over 

     North America. This event is recorded on Kiowa picture calendars as the most 

     significant event of the year…1833

PT Barnum's New American museum opens in Bridgeport…1865

US issues 1st gold certificates…1865

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

Garry Marshall, actor, director, writer, and producer is 79

Joe Mantegna, actor (Criminal Minds, Weeds) is 66

Frances Conroy, actress (6 feet Under) is 60

Christopher Noth, actor (Law and Order) is 59

Whoopi Goldberg [Caryn Johnson], actress, comedian, singer (The View, Color Purple) is 58

Vinny Testaverde, NFL quarterback (Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens) is 50

Jimmy Kimmel, comedian, actor, writer, television host is 46

Gerard Butler, actor is 44

Remembered for being born today

Edward John Trelawney, England, traveler/author (Adv of Younger Son) [1792-1881]

Robert Louis Stevenson, Edinburgh, author (Treasure Island) [1850-1894]

Gustav von Koenigswald, paleontologist (found Pithecanthropus erectus) [1902-1982]

Dack Rambo, actor (Guns of Will Sonnett, Dallas) [1941-1994]

Richard Mulligan, Bronx NY, actor (Soap, Empty's Nest, Big Bus) [1932-2000]

Jack Elam, Miami, Arizona, American actor (The Dakotas, Rio Lobo) [1920-2003]

Today’s Historical Obits                                                           

Henry the Navigator, prince of Portugal…1460…@66

Malcolm III, King of Scots…in battle at Alnwick, Northumberland….1093…@62 

Thomas Chippendale, English furniture maker…TB…1779…@61

"Alvin" Junior Samples, country singer (Hee Haw)…heart attack…1983…@57

Karen Silkwood, activist… suspicious car crash…1974…@28

Brain Teasers

TLEM Take letters 1,2 & 4 - MELT, take M,E,T ELTA Take letters 1 & 3 - TEAL, take T,A MSURT Take letter 1 - STRUM, take S HMEYR Take letters 2 & 3 - RHYME, take H,Y

Unscramble the above to get 'Amethyst'. The amethyst is a beautiful gemstone of purple hue. In ancient times, it was associated with celibacy and controlling drunkenness. It was also believed to have the ability to dissipate evil thoughts and quicken the intelligence.

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  §