9/11/13

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Almanac: Flagstaff:  Week: 37/ Day: 354   

Today: H 63°…L 48°…Ave. humidity:  93%

Wind: ave:   8mph; Gusts:  23mph  

Average Low: 44°

Average High: 75°

Record Low: 28° (1912)

Record High: 87° (1990)

Quote of the Day

Today’s Historical Highlights

Two passenger planes hijacked by terrorists crashes into New York's World Trade Towers

     causing the collapse of both & death of 2,752 people; Terrorists hijack a passenger plane

    and crash it into the Pentagon causing the death of 125 people; Attempt by passengers and 

    crew of United Airlines Flight 93 to retake control of their hijacked plane from terrorists 

    causes plane to crash in Pennsylvania field killing all 64 people onboard…2001

US consulate in Benghazi, Libya, is stormed, looted and burned down, killing five people, 

    including the US ambassador…2012

~~~~~

"Beetle Bailey" comic strip debuts…1950

"Swedish Nightingale" Jenny Lind gives 1st US concert…1850

1st Cavalry Division of the United States Army arrives in Vietnam…1965

1st typesetting machine to dispense with metal type exhibited…1950

Benjamin Franklin writes "There never was a good war or bad peace"…1773

Buckingham Palace in London badly damaged by German bombs…1940

Ford Pinto is introduced…1970

Foundation of the World Wildlife Fund…1961

Gandhi coins the term "Satyagraha" for the Non-Violence movement in South Africa…1906

Hope Diamond is stolen with other crown jewels…1792

Mountain Meadows Massacre, Mormons dressed as Indians murder 120 colonists in 

    Utah…1857

Scotland votes to establish a devolved parliament, within the United Kingdom…1997

♫  Today’s Birthdays: ♫   

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

My Free Rambling Thoughts   

We got some sunshine today, and some rain and then some more rain. Nice to see the sun again.

 

I talked to Bob this morning, and he has a summer cold, but is excited about our trip to Cuba.  There is a possibility that his daughter and her boy friend from Chicago are going on the same trip. That would be nice if it works out.

 

We are all remembering 9-11 today. I was at work and remember heading for the dorm to watch it on the internet…the only place on campus that had news. My brother and his wife lived in Manhattan at the time, and I was unable to get through to them, but my dear Mom had gotten a call that they were OK and pretty far from the actual mess. It was two more days before we heard from them again. Sadly they lost friends in the attack. About 11a we got the call that we had to close the school and get all the kids home. We were a government installation and at that time, since the Pentagon had been hit, all government facilities were closed. It was a hassle to get them home…especially the dorm students, but we did it, as always, with few problems. Then we all went home, learning that we none of us were ‘essential’ employees. The only one allowed to stay on the campus, until 5pm was the principal. I watched the TV and saw the updating along with the endless replays of the actual hits. While we all knew that this was unprecedented, I doubt that any of us realized how much the world changed that day.  We have basically been at war since that day. This is a day to remember who attacked us, what we did, and what we are doing. And for Michelle Bachmann, it was NOT the Muslim Brotherhood…even when she says it was while visiting Egypt. Our President is speaking tonight and is expected to keep up the case for a military response to the chemical weapons in Syria. Thankfully, it looks like other options are working their way through diplomatic channels. It the threats of military action have led to this peaceful end to the chemical weapons, great. I am just war weary, as are most of the American people. A nation a war is not the nation I want this generation to grow up with.  The world is saying that there has to be action…but only the US and France [former colonist of Syria] are saying that should be military.

Game  Center (answers at the end of post)

Brain Teasers

To some I am considered a doctor, and to many, my title is abbreviated. I was also once a soldier who fought for many years.  After many battles, I have at last retired and have found other things to do. Who am I?

Lifestyle  Substance:     

Found on You Tube with some relevance to today

• Jessica Tandy 1989 interview

• Peter Tosh - Mystic man

• Jimmie Davis You Are My Sunshine

• 1975 CYO Indoor Meet, Liquori v Prefontaine

• Buckingham Palace Bombed (1940)

Hmmmm…Fearsome Phobias

If you have an irrational fear of... Children
You're suffering from... Pediophobia Greek paidion 'little child'

If you have an irrational fear of... China (or the Chinese)
You're suffering from... Sinophobia Late Latin Sinae "China"

It is Illegal…

Women Must Obtain Written Permission from Their Husbands to Wear False Teeth In Vermont

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

You will not be penalized (socially or otherwise) for not knowing other people’s religious customs.

Ok, then?

Harper’s Index    

• Portion of Arab youth who say they are ‘more proud to be an Arab’ since the Arab Spring: 9/10

• Who think their own governments have become more transparent in that time: 1/2

Unusual Fact of the Day

In 1777, Morocco became the first country to seek diplomatic relations with the United States.

Animals with the strongest jaws…

Grizzly Bear 1200 psi

This North American subspecies of the brown bear is known for its incredible size and aggression. Despite their large size, the grizzly can run up to 56 km/h. Grizzlies mostly feed on berries and nuts but do hunt. In Yellowstone National Park they have been observed and filmed hunting wild game.

The grizzly is considered more aggressive than other bears. It is theorized that because of their size, grizzly bears are unable to climb trees so they have evolved this defense mechanism to ward off prey. It is probably this same evolutionary road which gave the bear its powerful jaws, helping it defend itself from wolves and other intruders. They can weigh from 600 to 1000 pounds. They can be a danger to humans if surprised or if with cubs, but very rarely, if ever, go after humans for food.

Joke-of-the-day

Mrs. Smith, I ain’t got no crayons. Young man, you mean, I don’t have any crayons. You don’t have any crayons. We don’t have any crayons. They don’t have any crayons.
Do you see what I’m getting at? I think so. What happened to all the crayons?

Rules of Thumb:   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

OUTRUNNING A CROCODILE

 Zigzag to outrun a crocodile.    

Yeah, It Really Happened

POITIERS, France - One of the smallest frogs in the world has no middle ear or eardrum but can still hear the croaks of other frogs -- through its mouth, French researchers say. Scientists using X-rays said they've established Gardiner's frogs from the Seychelles islands are using their mouth cavity and tissue to transmit sound to their inner ears. Most frogs do not possess an outer ear like humans, but possess a middle ear with an eardrum located directly on the surface of the head. Incoming sound waves cause vibrations that are sent to the inner ear and then to the brain. "However, we know of frog species that croak like other frogs but do not have tympanic middle ears to listen to each other. This seems to be a contradiction," Renaud Boistel of the University of Poitiers said. X-ray images helped the researchers confirm the mouth of Gardiners's frogs acts as a resonator, or amplifier, for the frequencies emitted by this species, providing a pathway from the mouth through bones to the frogs' inner ear. "The combination of a mouth cavity and bone conduction allows Gardiner's frogs to perceive sound effectively without use of a tympanic middle ear," Boistel said.  

Somewhat Useless Information   

• There was only one code during World War II that was never broken by the enemy and was used by the US Army. Navajo soldiers, called Codetalkers, developed a radio code based on their native language. It was the only way US soldiers on the battlefield could be sure that messages were from there own side and not from Japanese imitators.

• Did you know that the word “typewriter” is the longest word in the English Language that can be spelled with the the top of the keyboard?

• You speak about 4,800 words a day.

• HIPPOPOTOMONSTROSESQUIPPEDALIOPHOBIA is the fear of long words.

• The holiday Boxing day was originally celebrated in England,for the servants to the rich people. After Christmas, the servants “boxed up” all the leftovers from the rich people and bring them home.

• A palindrome is a word that is spelled the same way from both ends. For example: racecar

Calendar Information        

Happening This Week:

8th-15th

International Housekeepers Week
National Assisted Living Week 
National Historically Black Colleges & Universities Week
Substitute Teacher Appreciation Week 

Suicide Prevention Week

9th-14^th

Line Dance Week

Today Is                                                                      

·        Libraries Remember Day

·        National Day of Service and Remembrance

·        National Hug Your Hound Day

·        No News Is Good News Day

·        Odd Day

·        Patriot Day

·        Remember Freedom Day

~~~~

·        Ethiopia: New Year's Day (Enkutatash or Ithiopian (Ethiopian) New Year is celebrated on September 11th according to the Western or Gregorian calendar. Ithiopia still follows the Orthodox Julian calendar which consists of 12 months of 30 days and a 13th month, Pagume, of five or six days, depending on whether or not it is a leap year. The Ithiopian calendar is seven years and eight months behind the Gregorian calendar, so September 2013 is Meskerem 2006 in Ithiopia.)

Today’s Events through History  

1st conference of the World Parliament of Religions is held…1893

1st newspaper cartoon strip…1875

Alexander Hamilton appointed 1st Secretary of Treasury…1789

Chile's President, Salvador Allende, deposed in a military coup…1973

Maya warriors from Naranjo attack Tuub'al…693

Santiago, Chile, is destroyed by indigenous warriors, lead by Michimalonko…1541

Spain leaves League of Nation due to Germany joining…1926

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

Brian De Palma, director/screenwriter is73

Lola Falana [Loletha Elayne], singer and actress (Golden Boy) is 71

Marty Liquori, US, runner (AAU 3 mile-1979 (13:14.7)) is 64

Kristy McNichol, actress (Buddy-Family, Barbara-Empty Nest) is 51

Harry Connick Jr, New Orleans, singer (We Are in Love) is 46

Remembered for being born today

Paul "Bear" Bryant, football coach (Alabama Crimson Tide) [1913-1983]

Jimmie Davis, singer and songwriter (You Are My Sunshine) [1899-2000]

Tom Landry, NFL player (NY Giants)/coach (Dallas Cowboys) [1924-2000]

David Herbert Lawrence (DH), writer (Lady Chatterley's Lover) (1885-1930)

Ferdinand Marcos, Philippines Pres (1917-1989)

O Henry, [William Sydney Porter], American short story writer (1862-1910)

James Thomson, songwriter (Rule Britannia) [1700-1748]

Today’s Historical Obits                                                           

Francis James Child, American ballad collector…1896…at 71

Kim Hunter, American actress…heart attack…2002…@ 79

Nikita Khrushchev, USSR leader…heart attack…1971…at 77

John Ritter, American actor… aortic aneurysm…@ 54

Chris Schenkel, sportscaster…2005…@ 82  

Jessica Tandy, actress (Driving Miss Daisy)…cancer…1994…at 85

Peter Tosh (Winston Hubert McIntosh), reggae singer…shot…1987…at 42

Johnny Unitas, American football player…heart attack…@ 69

Brain Teasers

I am a Vet.

A Veterinary doctor is commonly referred to as a 'Vet'.

The retired soldier is usually referred to as a 'Vet' (taken from the word, 'veteran').

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  §