2-1-14

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Flagstaff Almanac:

Week: 05 / Day: 032   

Today: L 32°…H 41°… Ave. humidity: 48%

Wind: ave:   16mph; Gusts:  37mph  

Average Low: 17° Record Low:  -23° (1985)

Average High: 44° Record High:  60° (2003)

FEBRURARY HISTORICAL DATA

Ave Low: 19°; Ave High: 46°; Record Low -23° (1985); Record High: 71° (1986)

Quote of the Day

 

Today’s Historical Highlights

1587 - Queen Elizabeth I of England signs death warrant for Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots

1789 - Chinese troops driven out of Vietnam capital Thang Long

1790 - Supreme Court convenes for 1st time (NYC)

1861 - Texas becomes the 7th state to secede from the United States.

1865 - 13th amendment approved (National Freedom Day)

1898 - 1st auto insurance policy in US issued, by Travelers Insurance Co

1906 - 1st federal penitentiary building completed, Leavenworth, Kansas

1917 - By Executive Order, the PAPAGO Indian Reservation in established in Arizona.

1920 - 1st commercial armored car introduced (St Paul Minn)

1935 - 1st "March of Time" newsreel premieres at the Capitol

1948 - Federation of Malaysia forms from 9 sultanates

1951 - 1st telecast of atomic explosion

1953 - "You Are There" with Walter Cronkite premieres on CBS television

1959 - Texas Instruments requests patent of IC (Integrated Circuit)

1968 - Famous photo: Saigon police chief executes a Viet Cong officer with a 

             pistol shot to head

1972 - Kuala Lumpur becomes a city by a royal charter

1976 - "Rich Man, Poor Man" mini-series premieres on ABC TV

1991 - President F W de Klerk, says he would repeal all apartheid laws

2003 - Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates during reentry

2004 - Janet Jackson's breast is exposed during the half-time show of Super Bowl XXXVIII

2009 - Super Bowl XLIII: Pittsburgh Steelers beat Arizona Cardinals, 27-23

♫  Today’s Birthdays: ♫   

How many can you identify? Answers in Today’s Birthdays

My Free Rambling Thoughts   

What a great day…started out with an amazing sunrise, followed by some rain, then about an inch of snow then some sunshine. The weather service says we got some moisture before midnight so just tied the dry record, but now we have moisture in our drought ridden forest. It’s amazing how even this little bit of moisture can change the mood of the town.

 

Did some major cleaning in my bedroom today…amazing how much dust and stuff ends up in that room. All I do is sleep in there, and change clothes…how can that much of a mess happen. I must have someone who comes in while I’m not here to mess it up.

 

One of my neighbors always has relatives visiting from California. I’m sitting in my office and three carloads of Californians just pulled into the parking lot. About 6 kids jumped out and started running around snapping pictures on their phones…obviously the first time some had seen snow…very cool.

Game  Center (answers at the end of post)

Brain Teasers

Listed below are clues that refer to 2 different words. The sound of these words, put together, make a different compound word. Also, just to make things even trickier, when you figure out the words, you might need to switch them around to find the compound word.
Ex. A piece of bread used for making some sandwiches shaped as the fifth letter of the alphabet. (Bun + E = Bunny)
Can you figure out all the compound words?

1. A relation's short sleep. 2. The talker was the opposite of quiet. 3. A cube-shaped vehicle. 4. Spade's situation.

Lifestyle  Substance:     

Found on You Tube with some relevance to today

• Everly Brothers- "All I Have To Do Is Dream

• Hedda Hopper on What's My Line?

• Langston Hughes reads his poem, "Dreams"

• March of Time Newsreel "Atomic Power"

• News for the Hard of Hearing Saturday Night Live

• Rich Man Poor Man Opening

• The Best of Buster Keaton

Suggested New State Mottos:

• North Carolina: Tobacco Is A Vegetable

• Utah: Our Jesus Is Better Than Your Jesus

Remembering TV’s great shows:

"The Honeymooners" Ralph's get-rich-quick schemes may never have worked, but Jackie Gleason found a comedy gold mine in the realistic struggles of the Brooklyn bus driver, his long-suffering wife, Alice, and his dim-bulb BFF, Ed Norton.

Phrases Shakespeare invented:

disgraceful conduct Henry VI Part 1 Scene 1

Words Shakespeare invented

GenerousDefinition: Freely giving or sharing money and other valuable things
Origin: From the Latin "generosus," meaning "of noble birth."
Quote: "Free me so far in your most generous thoughts / That I have shot mine arrow o'er the house / And hurt my brother." - Hamlet

OK Then…

Harper’s Index 

• Minimum percentage of federal criminal defendants who qualify for court-appointed counsel: 80

• Minimum number of furlough days federal public defenders have taken since spring as a result of sequestration cuts: 12,500

• Estimated percentage by which the cost to the government reises when private attorneys must be appointed: 28.6

Unusual Fact of the Day

Mozart's "Ah! Vous Dirai-je, Maman" might well be his most popular melody — it's the tune used in both "The Alphabet Song" and "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."

Joke-of-the-day

One Sunday morning, Satan appeared before a small town congregation. Everyone started screaming and running for the front church door, trampling each other in a frantic effort to get away.

Soon, everyone was gone, except for an elderly gentleman who sat calmly. Satan walked up to the man and said, "Don't you know who I am?"

The man replied, "Yep, sure do."

Satan asked, "Aren't you going to run?"

"Nope, sure ain't," said the man.

Perturbed, Satan asked, "Why aren't you afraid of me?"

The man calmly replied, "Been married to your sister for over 48 years."

Rules of Thumb:   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

MAIL-ORDER SALES

The best months to sell something by mail are September, November, and January. Of those, September and January are best.    

Yeah, It Really Happened

Cheryl Crausewell said they were cleaning their home after it was toilet-papered as part of a teen prank. Unable to get rid of pesky pieces on a tree's branches, she lit once piece of paper with a lighter in hopes that it would burn off.

But she said the wind blew the flaming piece into the yard and set the grass ablaze.

"It just popped out into a little patch and we tried to put it out and it just kept going," she said.

There were no injuries reported but the home was destroyed. On the plus side the toilet paper was no longer a problem.  

Somewhat Useless Information   

• There is a country in Europe where people face tax break in November so that they can save money for Christmas. Norwegians try to work as much as possible in November as all of their earnings are taxed half the regular amount. The purpose of this tradition is to have Norwegians save money just before Christmas and have a lovely Christmas and New Year’s Eve!

• Did you know that our beloved animals, dolphins, sleep having one eye open due to their incapability of breathing  in the water for a long time?

• Dolphins can’ t hold their breath more than 15-17 minutes, so they sleep by resting one half of the brain each time. This is called ‘unihemispheric sleep’. During this time the eye opposite the sleeping half of the brain is open, while the other is closed.

• More than a century later Marie Curie’s research papers are still radioactive as along with her husband she used to live under laboratory conditions ionizing radiation. It is said that in a normal day she could carry polonium and radium in her coat’s pocket and store them in her desk drawer. Even after 100 years, her furniture, papers or books are still radioactive and in order for someone to access them he or she needs to wear protective clothing and sign a waiver of liability.

Calendar Information        

Happening This Month:

Adopt A Rescued Rabbit Month ☼ AMD/Low Vision Awareness Month ☼ American Heart Month
Avocado and Banana Month 
Bake for Family Fun Month ☼ Beat The Heat Month ☼ Beans (Dried and Fresh) Month 
Dog Training Education Month 
Exotic Vegetables and Star Fruit Month 
February is Fabulous Florida Strawberry Month ☼ From Africa to Virginia Month
Grapefruit Month 
International Boost Self-Esteem Month ☼ International Expect Success Month ☼ International Hoof-care Month ☼ International Prenatal Infection Prevention Month 
Jobs in Golf Month 
Library Lovers Month ☼ Love The Bus Month 
Marfan Syndrome Awareness Month ☼ Marijuana Awareness Month 
National African American History Month ☼ National African American Read-In  ☼ National Bird Feeding Month ☼ National Black History Month ☼ National Care About Your Indoor Air Month ☼ National Cherry Month ☼ National Condom Month ☼ National Children's Dental Health Month ☼ National Haiku Writing Month ☼ National Hot Breakfast Month ☼ National Laugh-Friendly Month ☼
National Mend A Broken Heart Month ☼ National Parent Leadership Month ☼ National Pet Dental Health Month ☼ National Prevent A Litter Month ☼ National Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month ☼ National Therapeutic Recreation Month ☼ National Time Management Month ☼ National Weddings Month ☼ National Women Inventors Month ☼ North American Inclusion Month (NAIM) 

Pet Dental Health Month ☼Plant the Seeds of Greatness Month ☼ Pull Your Sofa Off The Wall Month
Relationship Wellness Month ☼ Responsible Pet Owner's Month  ☼ Return Shopping Carts to the Supermarket Month
Spay/Neuter Awareness Month ☼ Spunky Old Broads Month ☼ Sweet Potato Month
Wise Health Care Consumer Month ☼ Worldwide Renaissance of the Heart Month
Youth Leadership Month

This Week:

☼1-7☼

African Heritage & Health WeekSolo Diners Eat Out Weekend Women's Heart Week

Today Is                                                                      

·        African-American Coaches Day

·        American Dental Association - Give Kids A Smile Day

·        Car Insurance Day

·        Change Your Password Day

·        Decorating With Candy Day

·        G.I. Joe Day

·        Hula in The Coola Day

·        Ice Cream For Breakfast Day

·        International Face & Body Art Day

·        Freedom Day

·        Robinson Crusoe Day

·        Serpent Day

·        Spunky Old Broads Day

·        Take Your Child To The Library Day

·        Working Naked Day

Today’s Events through History  

1840 - Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, 1st in US, incorporated

1893 - Thomas Edison completes world’s 1st movie studio (West Orange NJ)

1929 - 1st clean & jerk of 400 lbs (182 kg), Charles Rigoulet, 402½ lbs

1946 - Trygve Lie, a Norwegian socialist, becomes 1st Sec-Gen of UN

1965 - Peter Jennings, 26, becomes anchor of ABC's nightly news

1979 - Patricia Hearst is released from a SF prison for bank robbery

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

Don Everly, vocalist (Everly Bros-Wake Up Little Susie) is 77

Garrett Morris, actor (SNL, Martin, Carwash) is 77

Anthony LaPlagia, actor (Criminal Justice, Betsy's Wedding) is 56

Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis is 46

Pauly Shore, comedian (Totally Pauly, Encino Man) is 46

Brian Krause, actor (Return to Blue Lagoon, Charmed) is 45          

Remembered for being born today

1889 - Gertrude Caton-Thompson, British archaeologist (Zimbabwe, So Arabia)

1895 - John Ford, director (Stagecoach, Air Mail, Quiet Man)

1901 - Clark Gable, American actor (Gone With the Wind)

1902 - Langston Hughes, poet/translator (Weary Blues)

1918 - Muriel Spark, Edinburgh, novelist (Prime of Miss Jean Brodie)

1931 - Boris Yeltsin, Ural Mts USSR, president of Russian SSR

1938 - Sherman Hemsley, Phila, actor (All in the Family, Jeffersons, Amen)

1948 - Rick James (James Ambrose Johnson Jr), funk musician(Super Freak)

1965 - Brandon Lee, actor (Showdown in Little Tokyo)

Today’s Historical Obits                                                           

Ed Koch, American congressman and New York Mayor, 2013, @88

Hedda Hopper, [Elda Furry], US gossip columnist, 1966, @80

Jack Bailey, TV host (Queen for a Day), 1980, @72

Buster Keaton, [Joseph Francis], US comic (General), cancer, 1966, @69

Rene Descartes, philosopher "I think therefore I am", pneumonia, 1650, @53

Ilan Ramon - (Space Shuttle Columbia disaster) @48

David Brown - (Space Shuttle Columbia disaster) @46

Rick D. Husband - (Space Shuttle Columbia disaster) @45

Carlos I, King of Portugal (1889-1908), assassinated, 1908, @44

Michael P. Anderson - (Space Shuttle Columbia disaster) @43

Willie McCool - (Space Shuttle Columbia disaster) @41

Laurel Clark - (Space Shuttle Columbia disaster) @41
Kalpana Chawla - (Space Shuttle Columbia disaster) @40

Brain Teasers

1. Napkin (nap + kin) 2. Loudspeaker (loud + speaker) 3. Boxcar (box + car) 4. Suitcase (suit + case)

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  §