Feb 28, 2013

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Flagstaff Almanac:  Week: 09/ Day: 59   

Today: H   37°…L 20° Averages: H  47° L 21° Records: H   64°(1921)…L -12°(1962)

Wind: ave:   10mph; Gusts:  26mph  Ave. humidity:  44%

Quote of the Day:

Today’s Historical Highlights:

100 agents raid Branch Davidian compound at Waco Texas—1994

15th Winter Olympic games close at Calgary, Canada—1988

1st boat load of gold rush prospectors arrives in SF from east coast—1849

1st edition of Henry Fieldings' "Tom Jones" published—1749

1st female in cabinet: Francis Perkins appointed Secretary of Labor—1933

1st US vaudeville theater opens (Boston) —1883

228 Incident: In Taiwan, civil disorder is put down with the loss of 30,000 

     civilian lives—1947

8th winter Olympic games close at Squaw Valley—1960

Coronation ceremony of Liu Bang as Emperor Gaozu of Han takes 

     place, initiating four centuries of the Han Dynasty's rule over China—202BC

Denver International Airport opens—1995

Discovery of the largest prehistoric penguin, Kairuku grebneffi, at nearly 5ft tall—2012

JFK names Henry Kissinger special advisor—1961

Last broadcast of "M*A*S*H" on CBS-TV ; record 125 million watch—1983

Pope Clement XIII allows Bible to be translated into various languages—1759

Salem witch hunt begins—1692

Territories of Nevada & Colorado created—1861

Westminster Abbey opens—1066

♪  ♪   Happy Birthday To: ♪. ♪   

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

Free Rambling Thoughts:   

What a great day. Martha and I went to lunch at Golden Dragon. Great food and good conversation….and presents too. Martha always finds ‘unique’ gifts…3 soapstone objects from Kenya, a great Celtic CD I’m listening to right now, and a bottle of ale (banana, chocolate, and peanut butter flavored with nothing artificial). I know…what?. Yep. Haven’t gotten the urge to try that yet, but will. Always fun.

 

So tired of the BS coming from DC. Sadly the Cabinet members have been stating ‘severe’ impacts of the American people if this administration approved thing takes place. DOT warns that flights will be cancelled, HS warns that borders will not be secure, DOD says we will not be able to keep our #1 status in defense, DHHS warns that food stamp recipients will be receive less, and now DOE says that as many as 40,000 will lose their jobs. While there will certainly be cuts, and I’m sure blame will be spread around to all in government, we will survive…and most if not all of these dire warnings will fall by the wayside. I am so disappointed in the entire government system.

 

I decided to set up my water bill on auto pay. Well, at least I attempted to do that. Every auto pay I have, which is all my regular bills except water, are so easy. Go online, type in your card number with all the secret stuff, type in my name, address, etc. And auto pay is set up. Not for tiny Flagstaff. When you go to the auto pay option, a form pops up that must be printed and filled out, signed, and along with a ‘cancelled’ check mailed to the Utilities department. They really meant a voided check, but whatever. So I called the number for City Utilities. I was told to call ‘customer service’ and she started to give me the number. I asked why she couldn’t transfer me and she agreed she would. Customer service said that that was how ‘we do things’ and she would email me the form and that I could print it out, sign it, scan in a ‘cancelled’ check and print that, and then fax it to her office. I calmly reminded her it was 2013 and this seemed so 2000. I asked if it was the city council that made this rule. Ultimately was her answer. Finally she said I could email her supervisor. I asked if the supervisor had a phone, since the name she gave me wasn’t listed in the on line directory. She said she would transfer me. All I got was dead air. So stupid. This story has not ended, just put on hold.

Game  Center: (answers at the end of post)

Brain Teasers

Below are incomplete words. Replace the letters in each bracket so that you can complete the word on the left and begin the word on the right. Good luck.

Ri ( _ _ _ ) satile Al ( _ _ _ ) ory Mo ( _ _ _ ) ergo Unaw ( _ _ _ ) na A ( _ _ _ _ ) ounce Fel ( _ _ _ ) ly

Lifestyle  Substance:     

Found on You Tube with some relevance to today:

• Paul Harvey The Rest of The Story

• Zero Mostel - If I Were A Rich Man

Ok, then?

Read This Carefully!!

Homicide Victims Rarely Talk to Police

Picture of the Day: Deserts of the world

Harper’s Index:         

Percentage increase since 2000 in the compensation of full professors at the fifty wealthiest private US universities: 14

In the compensation of the presidents of those universities: 75

Unusual Fact of the Day:

Mitt Romney's first name is Willard. When he ran for Governor of Massachusetts in 2002, one of his campaign slogans was “Mitt Happens.”

Ancient Things:

The Finno-Ugric tribes that spread into the hinterlands of Northern Europe are some of the first people to migrate into Europe.

Joke-of-the-day:

The Army has been experimenting for years to come up with a liquid that will eat through anything and they finally did it. It eats through glass, stainless steel, iron, and all kinds of metal, rock and granite. Now if they could only find something to put it in.  

Rules of Thumb:   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

PLANNING A PARTY

One toilet per keg of beer.    

Yeah, It Really Happened

*-- Strange United States Laws --*(from the book "Loony Laws" by Robert Pelton)

• In Ottumwa, Iowa, "It is unlawful for any male person, within the corporate limits of the (city), to wink at any female person with whom he is unaquainted." 

• In Los Angeles, you cannot bathe two babies in the same tub at the same time. 

• In Zion, Ill., it is illegal for anyone to give lighted cigars to dogs, cats, and other domesticated animals kept as pets. 

• In Carmel, N.Y., a man can't go outside while wearing a jacket and pants that do not match. 

• In Clawson, Mich., there is a law that makes it LEGAL for a farmer to sleep with his pigs, cows, horses, goats, and chickens. 

• In Gary, Ind., persons are prohibited from attending a movie house or other theater and from riding a public streetcar within four hours of eating garlic. 

• In Miami, it's illegal for men to be seen publicly in any kind of strapless gown. 

• In St. Louis, it's illegal to sit on the curb of any city street and drink beer from a bucket. 

• In Detroit, couples are banned from making love in an automobile unless the act takes place while the vehicle is parked on the couple's own property. 

• In Hartford, Conn., you aren't allowed to cross a street while walking on your hands. 

• In Baltimore, it's illegal to take a lion to the movies. 

• In Oxford, Ohio, it's illegal for a woman to strip off her clothing while standing in front of a man's picture. 

• In California, animals are banned from mating publicly within 1,500 feet of a tavern, school, or place of worship.  

Somewhat Useless Information   

Traite Des Arbres Fruitiers

The "Treatise on Fruit Trees" is a five volume set written in 1750. It contains illustrations and descriptions of sixteen different varieties of fruit trees. With a 2006 purchase price of $4.5 million, it has the distinction of being the most expensive book about fruit trees ever sold.

The Gutenberg Bible

There are 48 Gutenberg Bibles left of the original 180 believed to have been produced. They were printed in 1456 and were the first books produced with moveable type. A copy sold in 1987 for $4.9 million at Christie's New York.

First Folio

This book, a collection of William Shakespeare's plays, was published after his death in 1623. Seven hundred and fifty copies were published, but only 228 survived. Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen purchased a copy for around $6.1 million in 2001.

The Canterbury Tales

There are only 12 known first edition copies left since its publishing in 1477, and only one is in a private collection. The book was originally purchased in 1776 and not sold again until 1998 with a purchase price of $7.5 million by Christie's of London.

Birds Of America

This three and a half foot tall book depicts 400 life size North American bird species known to the Audubon Society in the 19th century. Only 200 complete first editions were produced, and 120 exist today. In 2010, one was sold for $11.5 million, but a 2012 copy sold for only $7.9 million.

The Gospels Of Henry The Lion

Commissioned by Henry the Lion for the alter of the Virgin Mary at Brunswick Cathedral, the German government purchased this 266 page book in 1983 for $11.7 million.

The Codex Leicester

Da Vinci wasn't only an artist, but also a scientist. This 72 page notebook is a handwritten journal chronicling his thoughts on everything from fossils to what makes the moon glow. Microsoft founder Bill Gates purchased the book for $30.8 million and had it scanned to use as a screensaver for Windows 95.

Calendar Information        

Happening This Week:

24-3/2
National Secondhand Wardrobe Week
Telecommuter Appreciation Week 
Telecommuter Appreciation Week
Peace Corps Week

Today Is                                                                      

Floral Design Day

National Chili Day

National Tooth Fairy Day

Public Sleeping Day

Rare Disease Day

Today’s Events through History  

"Tea For Two" by Marion Harris hit #1—1925

1st killer whale born in captivity (Marineland, LA California) —1977

Caroline Walker runs world female record marathon (3:02:53) —1970

Egypt regains independence from Britain, but British troops remain—1922

Mission Santa Cruz de Sabacola El Menor is dedicated for the Sawoklis

     Indians on the Apalachicola River—1675

Roger Scott was tried in Mass for sleeping in church—1646

Scottish Presbyterians sign National Convent—1638

University of Utah opens in Salt Lake City—1850

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

In their 80’s

Gavin MacLeod, Mt Kisco NY, actor (Murray-Mary Tyler Moore, Love Boat) is 82

In their 70’s

Mario Andretti, Italian American race-car driver is 73

Frank Bonner, actor (WKRP, Hoax, You Can't Hurry Love) is 70

In their 60’s

Charlie Frazier is 64

Ilene Graff, Bkln NY, actress (Marsha-Mr Belvedere) is 64

Paul Krugman, economist and NY Times columnist (Nobel Prize in Economics 2008) is 60

Bernadette Peters, [Lazzara], Queens NY, actress (Jerk) is 65

In their 50’s

Rae Dawn Chong, actress (Quest for Fire) will be 52

John Turturro, actor (Brain Donor, Color of Money, Jungle Fever) will be 56

Remembered for being born today

Mary Lyon, US, educator (Mt Holyoke) (Hall of Fame) (1797-1849)

Linus Pauling, American chemist/peace activist (Nobel 1954, 1962) (1901-1994)

Vincente Minnelli, Chicago IL, director (American in Paris, Gigi) (1903-1986)

Zero "Samuel" Mostel, Brooklyn, actor (Fiddler on the Roof) (1915-1977)

Bugsy Siegel, gangster created casinos in Las Vegas (1906-1947)

Bubba Smith, NFLer (Balt Colts)/actor (Police Academy) (1945-2011)

Olan Soule, actor (My 3 Sons, Arnie) (1909-1994)

Today’s Historical Obits                                                           

Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, comedian (Jack Benny Show)— heart disease—1977—at 71

Paul Harvey, American radio broadcaster—2009—at 90

Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. American historian and political commentator—2007—at 89

Mike Smith, English musician (The Dave Clark Five)— pneumonia—2008—at 64

Answer: Brain Teasers

River - versatile Alarm - armory Mound - undergo Unaware - arena Apron - pronounce Fellow - lowly

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  §