9/24/13


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Almanac: Flagstaff:  Week: 39/ Day: 267   
Today: H 72°…L 31°…Ave. humidity:  50%
Wind: ave:   2mph; Gusts:  6mph  
Average High: 71°  Record High: 86° (1944)
Average Low: 39°  Record Low: 25° (1970)

Quote of the Day



Today’s Historical Highlights
"60 Minutes" premieres on CBS-TV…1968
"Munsters" premieres on TV…1964
6-person Supreme Court created, John Jay the 1st Chief Justice…1789
90 Russian diplomats expelled from Britain for spying…1971
Books by Japanese authors or about Japan are suspended by Chinese bookstores…2012
Carl Lewis runs world record 100m (9.92 sec)…1988
Dutch attack San Juan, Puerto Rico…1625
Honda Motor Company is founded…1948
Jackie Joyner-Kersee of USA sets heptathlon woman's record (7,291)…1988
Mildred Gillars (Axis Sally) pleads innocent in Wash DC…1948
National League for Democracy formed by Aung San Suu Kyi to fight against 
    Myanmar government…1994
Periodic Great White Spot observed on Saturn…1990
Pres Eisenhower suffers a heart attack on vacation in Denver…1955
Tennis great Bjorn Borg retires at 26…1982
Trial of "Chicago 8" (protesters at Dem Natl Conv) begins…1969
US Attorney General Office is created…1789
US Congress creates Post Office…1789

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



My Free Rambling Thoughts   
It is Monday, and after a very windy day yesterday, I woke up to calmness. Nice, until I looked outside and found frost on everything. I wasn’t expecting that and I guess the weather service wasn’t either. When I turned on my computer there was an alert sent at 3:21a saying to expect freezing temps before sunrise. Really, they couldn’t figure this out a tad earlier. Anyway, we all survived and there is another freezing alert for tonight. These much cooler temps are going to make moving into fall much easier.  Tomorrow I have to pack up the deck stuff for the winter. About 8a this morning a team showed up and cleaned out the back area behind our units. This is the first time since I moved in that I haven’t had to do it. It looks much better and we can actually see all the way down to the end fence. Guess the HOA isn’t all bad, just uninformed.
 
Sep 24 in South Africa is Barbecue (Braai) Day: Heritage Day: Shaka Day. There was an interesting discussion on my FB page today regarding this national holiday by some friends in South Africa. Back in the day, Shaka Day was to remember the greatest Zulu chief who helped unite the many Zulu tribes. Then during Apartheid, it became heritage day so the Dutch could also celebrate their heritage, and recently it change to Barbecue Day. Lots of South Africans of all races like to have their BBQ and Braai is Afrikaans for grill when previously used over only a wood fire. Part of the conversation was a Zulu upset that his greatest leader’s holiday was not a BBQ with little thought of the great Zulu chief. Some Afrikaans were saying that it is a great day to recall all the great leaders of their nation and to embrace the variety of cultures in South Africa. Some younger people were saying it is a good day to get with family and friends and have good food and beer. I was glad I was able to watch this conversation unfold and find that another country has a variety of opinions about a National holiday…much like our country around Columbus Day. [It should be noted that spring has just arrived in South Africa].
 
There is a former Marine of Iraqi descent… Amir Mirzai Hekmati…who has been in prison in Iraq as an American Spy. He was born and raised here…actually being born in Flagstaff…and after leaving the Marines, told his parents, both college professors, he wanted to visit the family he never knew in Iraq. Things went well until the final night. Following a party he disappeared then a few months later showed up on Iraqi TV saying he was an American Spy. His parents, who now live on the east coast, are working for his release. I’m sure I’ve heard the story but CNN just did a story, mentioning he was born in Flag. He did sneak out a letter that got to the State Department where he says he is not a spy, was forced to say that and wants to be released, but does not want to be involved in a spy exchange because he is innocent.

Game  Center (answers at the end of post)
Brain Teasers
In each group below, the three words end in the same three letters, so they look like they should rhyme, but they don't. See if you can figure out the missing letters in each group.
Example: plo___, tho___, to___ would be plough, though, tough.
1. eng___, f___, mar___ 2. c___, car___, s___ 3. ag___, g___, h___

Lifestyle  Substance:     
Found on You Tube with some relevance to today

Hmmmm…Fearsome Phobias
If you have an irrational fear of... Deformity
You're suffering from... Dysmorphophobia: Greek: dys (bad) + morphe (form)
If you have an irrational fear of... Demons, spirits, goblins, etc.You're suffering from... Demonophobia
Privileges granted to people in the U.S. (and many western nations) for being Christian…
Disclosing your faith to an adoption agency will not likely prevent you from being able to adopt children.
Interesting Disney



Harper’s Index    
Volts of electricity delivered by anti-rape lingerie developed by three students in India: 3,800,000
Unusual Fact of the Day
At more than 3.3 million square miles, the Sahara Desert is as large as the world's next 20 largest hot deserts combined.


Joke-of-the-day
A mechanic was removing a cylinder head from the engine of a Harley Davidson motorcycle when he spotted a well-known heart surgeon in his shop. The mechanic shouted across the garage, "Hey, Doc, can I ask you a question?"
The surgeon a bit surprised, walked over to the mechanic working on the motorcycle. The mechanic straightened up, wiped his hands on a rag and asked, "So Doc, look at this engine. I open its heart, take the valves out, fix 'em, put 'em back in, and when I finish, it works just like new. So how come I get such a small salary and you get the really big bucks, when you and I are doing basically the same work?"
The surgeon paused, smiled and leaned over, and whispered to the mechanic... "Try doing it with the engine running"  
Rules of Thumb:   
Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess
MAKE IT EASY TO BUY
Make it as easy as possible for people to buy your product or service. Busy customer service phones, limited hours of operation, deposit requirements, etc. all stand in the way of sales.    
Yeah, It Really Happened
NEW DELHI - India's solar sector is awaiting the official launch of the second phase of the country's Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission. Obstacles to the launch include controversy over the domestic content rules, possible rules regarding the import of cheap modules, budget problems and the country's upcoming national elections scheduled for May 2014, PV Magazine reported Monday. The first phase of the National Solar Mission, which began in 2010, had a target of 1,000 megawatts of grid-connected solar power projects by 2013. With a current total of 1,759.43 MW connected to the grid, the country already has exceeded that target. For Phase II, India aims to have an additional 10,000 MW of solar power capacity by 2017, starting with 750 MW. Draft guidelines for the second phase were issued in December 2012. Under those guidelines, 75 percent of the first 750 MW are to be built with local content. "We want to encourage [the] domestic industry also," Farooq Abdullah, India's minister of New and Renewable Energy, was quoted as saying in June by The Hindu in reference to the local content requirement. While bidding for projects for Phase II was to have begun that month, a specific date still has not been set. Despite the uncertainty of the launch of Phase II, the outlook for India's solar sector remains positive. The 7th Renewable Energy India Expo, which concluded Saturday, experienced nearly a 10 percent increase in visitor and exhibitor numbers compared to last year. "We have much better business prospects in 2013 compared to last year," Giancarlo Chiapparoli, business development manager for India for Italian inverter manufacturer Bonfiglioli, was quoted as saying by PV Magazine. Chiapparoli expects 400 MW of sales in India this year. The company also aims to start a manufacturing plant in India in November. Depreciation of the Indian rupee has been a concern for companies importing high-end photovoltaic panels. "There has been a lot of uncertainty over solar power companies and negativity had set in. But now there are projects in the pipeline and activity for players across the board will go up," Madhavan Nampoothiri, director of RESolve Energy Consultants, an energy consultancy firm, was quoted as saying by the Times of India. The launch of Phase II of the Solar Mission depends on when India's Cabinet approves a document submitted by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. If approval is not granted before the pre-election "model code of conduct" kicks in, then the government must seek permission from the Election Commission for the launch, Tarun Kapur, joint secretary of the ministry said at the expo. Meanwhile, the government of Indian state Tamil Nadu is close to signing power purchase agreements for 700 MW of solar power by the end of October.  
Somewhat Useless Information   
  •  
    • There is no fixed time period for the season of Autumn - it shifts from year to year because the earth's orbit is not perfect. Although most people are not aware of it, the first day and last day of autumn generally shift about 24 hours every year. 
  • The beginning of Fall generally falls between September 21 and September 23 depending on the year. This day is known as the fall equinox. On this day the amount of sun and the amount of night are equal, which is the same as the Spring equinox.
  • Plants use sunlight to create nutrients and feed themselves, keeping their green color. As the days become shorter and plants get less sunshine, they stop producing those nutrients and display a different color. Yellow and oranges sit below the green all the time and red and brown are made from wastes and nutrients trapped in them.
  • There are only two days of the year when you can stand an egg on its end - the autumn and spring equinox. To do this, place an egg on a hard, flat surface on its largest end. Carefully pull your hands away and it should remain upright.
  • Americans call this season 'fall', and the British call it 'autumn'. Both words date from around the same period in the 16th century. Before these terms came into use, this period was called 'harvest'.
  • The pumpkin is a member of the gourd family, which is native to the Western Hemisphere. There is evidence to support that the natives of Mexico were eating gourds as early as 5500 BC.


Calendar Information        
Happening This Week:
22nd-29th
Banned Books Week
Deaf Awareness Week
International Women's E-Commerce Days
National Dog Week
National Keep Kids Creative Week
Remember to Register to Vote Week
Sea Otter Awareness Week
Tolkien Week

Today Is                                                                      
·        Family Health and Fitness Day
·        Festival Of Latest Novelties
·        Fish Amnesty Day
·        National Voter Registration Day
·        National Woman Road Warrior Day
·        Punctuation Day
·        R.E.A.D. in America Day
·         
·        Cambodia Constitutional Declaration Day (1993)
·        Guinea-Bissau Independence Day (1973 from Portugal)
·        US: PA Dutch: Schwenkfelder Thanksgiving to honor founder
·        South Africa: Barbecue (Braai) Day: Heritage Day: Shaka Day

Today’s Events through History  
1st autopsy & coroner's jury verdict is recorded in state of Maryland…1657
2500 fans see Babe Ruth's farewell Yankee appearance at Yankee Stadium…1934
Black Friday; Wall St panic after Gould & Fisk attempt to corner gold…1869
Boston, Massachusetts opens its airport…1924
CompuServe began operation as 1st computer information service…1979
Eisenhower orders US troops to desegregate Little Rock schools…1957
Fastest English Channel crossing by a relay team set (15h 30m)…1985
King Louis XIV expels all Jews from French possessions in America…1683
Patricia Hearst sentenced to 7 years for 1974 bank robbery…1976
Tonight Show premieres on NBC (Johnny takes over 8 years later)…1954

Today’s Birthdays                                                           
Gerry Marsden, rock vocalist (Gerry & Pacemakers-Ferry crossed Mersey) is 71
Lou Dobbs, Fox News journalist is 68
"Mean" Joe Greene, NFL tackle (Pittsburgh Steelers), Coke spokesman is 67
Anson Williams, actor ("Potsie" Weber-Happy Days.) is 64
Joseph P Kennedy II, (Rep-D-Massachusetts) is 61
Kevin Sorbo, actor (Hercules Legendary Journeys, Kull The Conqueror) is 55
Morgan Hamm, American gymnast-1 Olympic medal is 31
Paul Hamm, American gymnast-3 Olympic medals is 31

Remembered for being born today
Horace Walpole, British horror writer (Castle of Otranto) [1717-1797]
F Scott Fitzgerald, author (Great Gatsby) [1896-1940]
Ham Fisher, American cartoonist (Joe Palooka) [1900-1955]
Jim Henson, muppeteer (Sesame Street, Muppet Show) [1936-1990]
Linda Eastman McCartney, photographer and musician (Wings-Ram) [1941-1998]
Jim McKay, sportscaster (ABC's Wide World of Sports) [1921-2008]

Today’s Historical Obits                                                           
Theodore Geisel, children’s author (Dr. Seuss)…1991…@87
Sumner Welles, US diplomat (Good Neighbor Policy)…1961…@68

Brain Teasers
1. engine, fine, marine 2. cafe, carafe, safe 3. agave, gave, have
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  §
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Flagstaff, Arizona, United States
I retired in '06--at the ripe old age of 57. I enjoy blogging, photography, traveling, and living life to it's fullest.