9/4/13

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Almanac: Flagstaff:  Week: 36/ Day: 247   

Today: H 79°…L 51°

Wind: ave:   5mph; Gusts:  17mph  

Ave. humidity:  68%

Record Low: 22° (1902)

Record High: 83° (2010)

Average Low: 37°

Average High: 68°

Quote of the Day

Today’s Historical Highlights

1st cafeteria opens (NYC)…1885

1st newsboy hired (Barney Flaherty, 10 years old-NY Sun)…1833

Apache Chief Geronimo surrenders ending last major US-Indian war…1886

Catholic coup in Scotland…1571

English astronomer Edmund Halley sees his namesake comet…1682

English author Beatrix Potter 1st tells the story of Peter Rabbit…1893

Ford Motor Co introduces Edsel…1957

George Eastman patents 1st roll-film camera & registers "Kodak"…1888

Longest bridge in Europe opens (Scottish Forth Road Bridge)…1964

Phoenix Cardinals play 1st regular-season NFL game…1988

US swimmer Mark Spitz becomes 1st athlete to win 7 Olympic gold medals…1972

♫  Today’s Birthdays: ♫   

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

My Free Rambling Thoughts   

I made an investment with my new dealer-broker a couple of weeks ago. On Friday he called to say the new company had misplaced my check. Then he called back and said they found it. Then this morning he called to say they didn’t find it. He stopped by this morning, and after calling the bank and stopping payment on the first check, I issued a new check. Not the best way to start off a new business arrangement. Right after he left, the maintenance manager for the property stopped by to have me sign my new lease. Nothing changed, so I’m good with that. Back a few months ago, when I had to remove my front area ornamentation, I had requested that the owner get me a security door, since the removable screen I was using didn’t meet the standards of the HOA. I hadn’t heard anything and kept being told the owner was ‘out of town’. He said the owner would be in this week to pick up the checks for his properties and he would ask him then. Sure hope he agrees.

 

Even though I am long retired, today sure felt like Monday. Guess that will never change.

 

I tried to listen to the news but all I was hearing were the drums of war. So depressing. Can’t believe that any act of war is going to help anyone in this situation.

 

Clouds came in late this afternoon, everything cooled off, but alas, no moisture has made it to the ground…maybe later tonight.

Game  Center (answers at the end of post)

Brain Teasers

Changing one letter in each of the following words will make new words that are all related to each other. What are the new words?

Storm Payable Cable Moth

Lifestyle  Substance:     

Found on You Tube with some relevance to today

• Steve Irwin on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien"

• Paul Harvey Pays Tribute to Firefighters

• Mark Spitz - Seven golds - Munich 1972 Olympic Games

• Edsel Commercial (1957)

Hmmmm…Fearsome Phobias

If you have an irrational fear of... Blushing
You're suffering from... Erythophobia from Greek: ερυθρός, red/φοβία, fear, literally "fear of redness."

If you have an irrational fear of... Books
You're suffering from... Bibliophobia

It is Illegal…

It Is Illegal To Serve Butter Substitutes in Wisconsin State Prisons

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

If you are being tried in court, you can assume that the jury of “your peers” will share your faith and not hold that against you in weighing decisions.

Ok, then?

Harper’s Index    

• Chance that a US gun owner has ever called or written a member of Congress about gun-control legislation: 1 in 5

• That someone living in a household without a gun has: 1 in 10

Unusual Fact of the Day

The cashew is in reality a seed. Native to Brazil, the cashew is the seed of a cashew apple and contains an irritant toxin in its shell similar to poison ivy. This requires it to be deshelled before being shipped off to market.

Joke-of-the-day

Knock-knock. Who's there? Dishes. Dishes who? Dishes the police! Come out with your hands up!  

Rules of Thumb:   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

FITTING A SHOE

You should have a thumb's width of space between the longest toe and the tip of your shoe.    

Yeah, It Really Happened

Paul Fudacz, Jr. of Ohio agreed to go under the knife to donate one of his kidneys to his dying sister. It is just about as close as you can come to giving up your life without actually dying for your family. That is until the hospital throws the organ out in the trash.

Surgeons at the University of Toledo Medical Center removed Paul's kidney to give it to his sister, however a nurse threw it away as she discarded the contents of a slush machine before the operation was over.

Doctors tried to "resuscitate the organ" for a couple hours but ultimately weren't able to do so.

Now, the Fudacz family is suing the hospital where it all happened.

You would think that law suit would be a slam dunk, but the hospital found another donor for the sister and covered her traveling costs so she could undergo the surgery in Colorado, so now they want the lawsuit dismissed.

The doctor who performed the surgery still works at the medical center, but the two nurses responsible for tossing the kidney no longer work there.

Somewhat Useless Information   

• The dipper bird builds nests behind waterfalls for protection.

• Vultures can soar for hours without one beat of their wings.

• Sea horses pull themselves around with their chins leading them.

• Foxes sometimes nip at the heals of cattle so the stomping of the cattle makes mice and other rodents come out of the ground, for the fox to eat.

• The guanaco of South America, a cousin of the camel, has pads on its feet to keep its feet from burning on desert sand or freezing in mountain snow.

• The fiddler crab can grow a new claw when it loses one of its own.

• Blue jays often forget where they hide winter supplies of food.

Calendar Information        

Happening This Week:

1^st-7^th

International Enthusiasm Week
National Nutrition Week

National Waffle Week
Self-University Week
National Payroll Week

3rd -7th  

Play Days

Today Is                                                                       

·        International Drive Your Studebaker Day

·        Newspaper Carrier Day

~~~~

·        Curacao: Animals' Day

Today’s Events through History  

1st passage of McClure Strait, fabled Northwest Passage completed…1954

1st transcontinental TV broadcast, by Pres Harry Truman…1951

Carpet that can help prevent falls in elderly by warning them after detecting 

     unusual footsteps is developed…2012

Finland breaks diplomatic contact with Nazi-Germany…1944

General Lee invades North with 50,000 Confederate troops…1862

Greg LeMond becomes only American to win cycling's Road Championship…1983

Robert Fulton begins operating his steamboat…1807

Yanks become 1st team to win 5 consecutive championship…1953

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

Beyoncé Knowles, singer (Destiny's Child) is 32

Tom Watson, golfer (British Open 1975, 77, 80, 82, 83) is 64

Damon Wayans, actor/comedian (In Living Color, Major Payne, Blankman) is 53

Remembered for being born today

Alexander III (Alasdair mac Alasdair) King of Scotland [1241-1286]

Phoebe Cary, American poet (Poems of Alice & Phoebe Cary) [1824-1871]

Paul Harvey, news commentator (Rest of the story) [1918-2009]

William Lyons, British industrialist (Jaguar cars) [1907-1985]

Dick York, actor (Darrin-Bewitched, Inherit the Wind) [1928-1992]

Today’s Historical Obits                                                           

Irene Dunne, actress (5 Oscars)…1990…at 91

Steve Irwin, Australian naturalist and TV personality…killed by stingray…1962…at 44

Albert Schweitzer, German/French missionary (Nobel 1954)…1965…at 90

Matthew Stewart. 4th Earl of Lennox, regent of Scotland…murdered…1571…at 54

Cesar F Cassini de Thury, French astronomer (geodesic labor)…smallpox…1784…at 70

Herve Villechaize, actor (Fantasy Island)…suicide…1993…at 50

Dottie West, country singer (Here Comes my Baby)…car crash…1991…at 58

Brain Teasers

Story Parable Fable Myth

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  §