FEb 23, 2013

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Flagstaff Almanac:  Week: 08/ Day: 54    

Today: H   35°…L 7° Averages: H  46° L 20° Records: H   64°(2002)…L -10°(1955)

Wind: ave:   11mph; Gusts:  17mph  Ave. humidity:  88%

Quote of the Day:

Today’s Historical Highlights:

13th Winter Olympic games close at Lake Placid, NY—1980

16th Winter Olympic games closes in Albertville, France—1992

1st college student government forms at Bryn Mawr—1892 

1st mass inoculation with Salk vaccine—1954 

25th amendment (presidential succession) declared ratified—1967

Alamo besieged by Santa Anna; entire garrison eventually killed—1836

Aluminum manufacturing process developed—1886

By popular referendum, Texas becomes 7th state to secede from US—1861

Cuban state of Guantanamo leased to USA—1903

Osama bin Laden publishes a fatwa declaring jihad against all Jews and Crusaders—1998

Patty Hearst, daughter of publisher Randolph Hearst, kidnapped by SLA—1974

Scientists in Scotland announced a lamb named "Dolly"—1997

Supreme Court lets Megan's Law stand—1998

Tootsie Roll introduced by Leo Hirshfield—1896

♪  ♪   Happy Birthday To: ♪. ♪   

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

Free Rambling Thoughts:   

Mary and I had a good lunch at Sizzler today. She is still working out final paperwork for her house in Phoenix. Now getting ready for some new furniture. Cheryl is on the road with her grandsons and headed back to Williams. Her doctor released her yesterday and she is ready to ‘get home’. She says she’s not sure she is looking forward to the daily drudgery of cleaning, cooking, etc. as her son and family have been doing everything for her since her arrival there almost a month ago.

 

I grew up during the cold war, in an area that was considered a ‘top site’ for a Russian attack. We did all the ‘duck and cover’ stuff. I remember studying Red China in school and never understanding or believing that the people of that country could hate us. I was watching a new series on TV the other night and it really opened my eyes. The episode was regarding some Soviet spies who had been living in the US for decades as American citizens, but secretly communicating with the Soviets. I’ve always been a spy fan. So in this episode it was happening at the time that Reagan was shot. That is when Sec. of State Haig got on TV and said he was in DC and had everything under control. The VP was in a plane somewhere returning to the capital. I remember the actual event, and the backlash that Haig got for his misstep of not knowing the Constitutional succession. The show revolved around the Russian spies thinking that a coup had taken place in DC. It seems relevant to our world today. Many countries do not have a stable system that allows for a peaceful transition of government. So Haig’s misstep could easily be seen as a coup. On the other side, we as Americans do not always understand that many countries do not have a stable system and that when a leader leaves office by choice or by being chased out, there is true chaos. No one in or out of the government really knows what will happen next. Many believed that when Castro chased out Batista in Cuba that it would be temporary thing. When Castro took over all the land and businesses, it was thought that it would be temporary. It wasn’t. When Mubarak left Egypt, the strongest in the Military tried to take over. They didn’t but they are still fighting verbally to keep their long held power. The ‘people’ who chased out Mubarak were not organized enough to keep their power. Lots of everyday people in Egypt were happy to see Mubarak gone, but each splinter group has their own ideas of what ‘democracy’ means for their country. Until these differences are worked out, Egypt will remain in difficulty. Today the new leader has called for new elections in May and June with a new Assembly set to take office in July. Yet another step to get what the people of Egypt want.  

Game  Center: (answers at the end of post)

Brain Teasers

A magazine competition invited people to come up with "invented" inventions of the cyber-age. For example, a solar powered clothes drier (a rope) and a hand-held word processor (a pencil). Can you guess what this is?

It is a portable arcade. A hand-held amusement resource with no cartridges or batteries. Access games of speed, dexterity, memory, cunning. Produce magical effects or construct lofty towers. Some games can increase your income.

Lifestyle  Substance:     

Found on You Tube with some relevance to today:

• Baseball "Take Me Out to The Ball Game" (1908)

• Stan Laurel receiving an Honorary Oscar

• WEB Du Bois Documentary

Ok, then?

Read This Carefully!!

Study Shows Frequent Sex Enhances Pregnancy Chances

Picture of the Day: Native American Art

Harper’s Index:         

Projected year by which more than half of Americans will be obese: 2030

Unusual Fact of the Day:

Baseball anthem "Take Me Out To the Ball Game" actually has two main verses. During the 7^th-inning stretch, fans traditionally sing just the refrain. Jack Norworth had never been to an actual baseball game when he wrote the song.

Joke-of-the-day:

A couple was making their first doctors visit prior to the birth of their first child. After the exam, the doctor took a small stamp and stamped the wife’s stomach with indelible ink. The man and his wife were curious about what the stamp was for, so when they got home, the man took out his magnifying glass to try to see what is was. In very small letters, the stamp said, “When you can read this, come back and see me.”

Rules of Thumb:   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

CHECKING A PEARL

To tell if a pearl is genuine, rub it against your teeth. A fake pearl will feel smooth; the real thing will grate.   

Yeah, It Really Happened

You've just won the lottery, what's the worst that could happen? Well, you could blow your house up. Authorities say two brothers accidentally blew up their house while celebrating in just such a way.

Wichita police Sgt. Bruce Watts says the explosion happened after one of the brothers went to the kitchen to refuel the butane torches they planned to use to light their bongs. The brother emptied a couple large cans of butane lighter fluid, leaking butane into the air. Eventually, butane vapor reached the pilot light in the furnace, causing the blast.

Watts said one of the brothers was taken to a hospital and the other to jail after the explosion. No report was made if their medical and legal fees with exceed $75,000.

Somewhat Useless Information   

• Prehistoric men and women chewed on lumps of tree resin for pure enjoyment, making them the first--ever gum chewers in recorded history. In fact, the study of civilization has found that almost every culture chewed some kind of "gum." Ancient Greeks routinely gnawed on tree resin to clean their teeth and freshen their breath, and called their treat "mastiche." Native Americans often chewed on tree sap, and while early settlers combined tree sap and beeswax to soften the chew.

• The natural gum resin called chicle, obtained from the sapodilla tree, had a unique ability to retain flavor and helped to popularize chewing gum.

• The first patent for chewing gum was issued in 1869 to William F. Semple, a dentist from Mount Vernon, Ohio (U.S. patent #98,304).

• During WWII, U.S. military personnel spread the popularity of chewing gum by trading it and giving it as gifts to people in Europe, Africa, Asia and around the world. 

• The color of the first successful bubble gum was pink, because it was the only color the inventor had left, and that remains the predominant color today.

• The very first bubble gum was invented by Frank Henry Fleer in 1906. He called it Blibber-Blubber. Fleer's recipe was later perfected by Walter Diemer, who called his product Double Bubble.

Calendar Information        

Happening This Week:

15-24
National Date (fruit) Week
National Entrepreneurship Week
National FFA Week
Brotherhood / Sisterhood Week
Build A Better Trade Show Image Week
National Engineers Week
National Justice for Animals Week

21-23
National Conference on Education

21-25
Read Me Week

22-24
Texas Cowboy Poetry Week
National Eating Disorders Awareness Week

Today Is                                                                      

Curling is Cool Day

Diesel Engine Day

Inconvenience Yourself Day

International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day

International Sword Swallowers Day

Iwo Jima Day (flag raised 1945)

Open That Bottle Night

~~Purim: Jewish holiday that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian Empire from destruction in the wake of a plot by Haman, a story recorded in the Biblical Book of Esther

~Russia: Army and Navy Day (since 1918; flowers laid on Tomb of Unknown Soldier)

~Brunei Darussalam: National Day (1984 from UK)

Today’s Events through History  

Alabama becomes 1st US state to enact an antitrust law—1883

Battle of Buena Vista Mexico; Zachary Taylor defeats Mexicans—1847

Boston is incorporated as a city—1822

College of Apothecaries organized in Phil; 1st US pharmacy college—1821

Gary Coleman wins $1,280,000 lawsuit against parents for high fees—1993

Humane Society of Massachusetts incorporated (erected life-saving stations 

    for distressed mariners) —1792

Johannes Gutenberg prints 1st book, Bible—1455

Joseph Haydn's 94th Symphony in G, premieres—1792

Lieutenant J.F. Cummings, and Troop C, Third Cavalry, attack a group of 

     "hostiles" near Deadwood, Dakota Territory. One Indian is killed. 624 head 

      of live stock are recovered—1877

Mississippi is readmitted to US—1870

Pres Calvin Coolidge creates Federal Radio Commission (FCC) —1927

Rotary Club International formed by 4 men in Chicago—1905

Series of bomb attacks across 12 Iraqi cities kills 60 and injures 200—2012

US troops begin largest offensive of Vietnam War—1967

Walt Disney's animated movie "Pinocchio," released—1940

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

In their 70’s

Peter Fonda, actor (Easy Rider, Lilith, Wild Angels, Trip) is 73

In their 60’s

Ed "Too Tall" Jones, NFL linebacker (Dallas Cowboys) is 62

Patricia Richardson, Bethesada Md, actress (Home Improvement) is 62

Under 30

Dakota Fanning, actress is 19

Remembered for being born today

William E B Du Bois, civil rights activist and writer (Souls of Black Folk) (1868-1963)

Victor Fleming, American director (Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind), (1889-1949)

George Friedrich Handel, Halle Germany, organist/composer (Messiah) (1685-1759)

Paul Tibbets, Pilot of B-29 "Enola Gay" over Hiroshima (1915-2007)

Today’s Historical Obits                                                           

John Quincy Adams, 6th US pres (1825-1829)—stroke—1848—at 80

John Robert Gregg, Irish-born publisher and inventor (shorthand)—1948—at 80

Stan Laurel, comedian (Laurel & Hardy)—heart attack—1965—at 74

Aleksei Tolstoy, Russian poet/writer (Pjotr Peroyj)—1945—at 62

Answer: Brain Teasers

A deck of cards

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  §