3-3-14

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Flagstaff Almanac: Day: 062   / Week: 10  

Today: L 31°…H 41°… Ave. humidity: 91%

     Wind: ave:   7mph; Gusts:  10mph  

     Average Low: 21° Record Low:  -9° (1915)

    Average High: 48° Record High:  66° (1910)

Quote of the Day

 

Today’s Historical Highlights

1284 - Statute of Rhuddlan incorporated the Principality of Wales into England

1634 - 1st tavern in Boston opens (Samuel Cole)

1791 - 1st internal revenue act (taxing distilled spirits & carriages)

1791 - Congress establishes US Mint

1812 - US passes 1st foreign aid bill (aids Venezuela earthquake vicitims)

1819 - United States starts its Indian "civilization" program.

1820 - Missouri Compromise passes, allowing slavery in Missouri

1837 - US President Andrew Jackson & Congress recognizes Republic of Texas

1845 - 1st time, US Senate overrides presidential (Tyler) veto

1877 - Rutherford B Hayes is sworn in as the 19th president

1885 - American Telephone & Telegraph (AT&T) incorporates

1885 - Congress passes Indian Appropriations Act (Indians wards of fed government)

1887 - Anne Sullivan begins teaching 6 year old blind-deaf Helen Keller

1900 - US Steel Corporation organizes

1931 - "Star Spangled Banner" officially becomes US national anthem

1933 - Mount Rushmore dedicated

1933 - NYC premiere of "King Kong"

1955 - Elvis Presley made his 1st TV appearance

2005 - Steve Fossett becomes the 1st person to fly an airplane around the world solo without any stops without refueling

♫  Today’s Birthdays: ♫   

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

 

My Free Rambling Thoughts   

Well, we got about an inch of precip which is really nice. We are still way down for annual precip, but every bit helps. It wasn’t that warm today, the snow from last night turned into a dusting instead of the couple of inches predicted. The dusting was gone as the sun rose.

 

Still no email from the crazy bank, so if it isn’t here by tomorrow morning, it is back to the phones to see what is going on. The last voice communication from my local banker said that the company would have the check on Monday…but I really don’t see how that is possible, since it wasn’t released until late on Friday…unless this was all just some kind of sick hoop jumping exercise.

 

I am still wondering what to do about the conversation my bank manager had with Juan. She identified herself to me as the Bank Manager, but to him as being from ‘a retail store’. I asked her about that and she said that because my branch deals basically with small business and personal accounts they are called a ‘retail store’ meaning that they don’t deal with huge corporations. WTF? She went on to explain that different parts of Chase deal with different parts of the financial world because of banking regulations. Maybe someday I’ll walk into my local branch and find they are selling organic cucumbers or designer clothes, maybe they will just be selling cash…today’s special…$500 in cash for only $520 to our customers…$540 for non-customers.

Game  Center (answers at the end of post)

Brain Teasers

I could be on the river or in the desert I could be in the swamp or a sparkling city I am rather rectangular and can make lots of noise I have bright lights and pictures too They bring their cups and buckets and feed me well They want me all to themselves quite greedily When finally I am full and can take no more I am suddenly everyone's new best friend What am I?

Lifestyle  Substance:     

Found on You Tube with some relevance to today

• Carlos Montoya plays Bulerias

• James Doohan Tribute

• Kong climbs The Empire State Building ( King Kong 1933 )

• Samantha Goes Swimming - Without a pool!

• Tribute to William Frawley

Remembering TV’s great shows

"Modern Family"--This nontraditional TV clan is a contemporary favorite for a good reason: They're a riot.

Look back at History

September 11, 2001

The current global generation’s “JFK moment” took place on a Tuesday morning, when Islamic extremists indoctrinated (brainwashed) by Osama bin Laden hijacked 4 commercial passenger jets and deliberately flew them into major American landmarks. Their sole intent was indiscriminate mass murder, for the purpose of causing as much physical, emotional, mental, psychological and financial harm on America as they possibly could. Their motives were, and still are, convoluted, complicated, and completely spurious. America is not the Great Satan some in the Middle East have made it out to be.

The plane crashes instigated a decade-long, ongoing “war on terror,” and played a substantial role in the global economic downturn. These crimes’ most important aspect on American, and in this case global, history is a permanent end to “hijackings for ransom.” Ransoms are what the innocent passengers in the four planes expected would be demanded, requiring the planes to land peacefully, and then boarded by military force. This why no one fought back against the terrorists until word reached the fourth plane that three others had been hijacked and deliberately turned into weapons.

The terrorists had no intention of ransoming innocent people, but were resigned to what they were taught would be a glorious martyrdom, by killing American citizens. The fourth plane was probably destined for the U. S. Capitol building in Washington, D. C., but the nation’s last line of defense succeeded in saving the icon and a worse loss of life, at the cost of its passengers’ own martyrdom.

Today, the entire world can rest assured that never again will an American airplane be overtaken by anyone for any reason, because no terrorist of any culture or motive can ever again be trusted not to kill himself and innocent bystanders for the goal of entering Heaven. Terrorists can no longer be reasoned with, and thus, the global war against splinter cell terrorism is, from the morning of 9/11/2001 until its end, one of attrition. The terrorists will not stop until there are no terrorists. And now the civilized world knows it.

Lexiophiles Delights

. The batteries were given out free of charge.
 . A dentist and a manicurist married. They fought tooth and nail.

Ancient Sports

Fisherman Jousting--Culture: Egyptian

The game of choice for the poor and lower-class fisherman of the Nile River, fisherman jousting was exactly what it sounds like. Two teams of boatmen would square off, utilizing their hands or feet to knock the other team off balance and send them careening into the water. Papyrus boats, propelled by poles which would also be used to defeat the other team, were the stage for the contests, some of which were believed to have been impromptu games designed to settle territorial disputes.

Generally a very violent sport, fisherman jousting often ended in the deaths of a large number of the participants. Hippos and crocodiles roamed the waters, ready to maim the contestants who fell overboard. In addition, swimming was not as universally practiced as it is today, and many of the fishermen drowned simply because they didn’t know how to swim.

Some scholars believe there may have been a religious aspect to some of the fights as well, with murals depicting competing boats filled with offerings. The boatmen appear to be racing to be the first to honor the gods, with combat coming into play during a close race.

OK Then…

 

Harper’s Index 

Percentage of Pentagon background checks sampled by the GAO that were processed with insufficient information: 87

Unusual Fact of the Day

Also called the Mexican Hairless Dog, the Xoloitzcuintli breed was used by Aztecs for companionship, and occasionally for lunch. Prized for their body heat (hence the lack of fur), Xolos are still used in Mexico as nature’s hot water bottles.

Joke-of-the-day

You see a gorgeous girl at a party.

You go up to her and say, "I am very rich. Marry me!"

 That's Direct Marketing.

<>

You’re at a party with a bunch of friends and see a gorgeous girl.

One of your friends goes up to her and pointing at you and says,

"He's very rich. Marry him."

That's Advertising.

<>

You see a gorgeous girl at a party.

You go up to her and get her telephone number.

The next day you call and say, "Hi, I’m very rich. Marry me."

That's Telemarketing.

<>

You're at a party and see a gorgeous girl.

You get up and straighten your tie; you walk up to her and pour her a drink.

You open the door for her; pick up her bag after she drops it, offer her a ride, and then say,

"By the way, I'm very rich. Will you marry me?"

That's Public Relations.

<>

You're at a party and see a gorgeous girl.

She walks up to you and says, "You are very rich."

That's Brand Recognition.

<>

You see a gorgeous girl at a party.

You go up to her and say, "I'm rich. Marry me"

She gives you a nice hard slap on your face.

That's Customer Feedback!!!!

Rules of Thumb:   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

FEEDING LARGE GROUPS

Three tofu buckets of chopped vegetables will feed 100 people.    

Yeah, It Really Happened

Norway's prison system is regarded as among the most inmate-friendly in the world, but convicted mass murderer Anders Breivik is still not impressed. Breivik, serving 21 years for the 2011 bomb-and-gun attacks that killed 77 people, may already enjoy amenities unheard of for a comparable American murderer, but he sent wardens 12 demands in November, including an upgrade of his manual typewriter and his PlayStation 2 (to a PS3, with better access to game selection). He also demanded that his weekly government "allowance" (equivalent of $49) be doubled, and said if the "torture" of his living conditions is not relieved, he would be forced into a hunger strike. (Breivik threatened a similar strike in 2012, citing "inhumane" conditions such as cold coffee, lack of skin moisturizer and insufficient butter for his bread.) [Los Angeles Times, 2-18-2014] [BBC News, 11-9-2012]  

Somewhat Useless Information   

• “The Guardian”, the British national daily newspaper, founded in 1821 and was known as The Manchester Guardian until 1959. The Guardian started developing the online publication in 1994-1995 and in 1996-1998 it started hosting sites for jobs, certain sports, and news events.The Guardian Unlimited was launched as a unified whole in January 1999 and by March 2001 it had over 2.4 million unique users, making it the most popular UK newspaper website!

• Moscow, taken its name by the Moskva river, is the capital city and the most populous federal subject of Russia, as well as a major political, economic, cultural and scientific center in Russia and in Eurasia.

• Five things you may not know about Russia are the following:

1) Buying benzin from a petrol station costs around 0.60 Euros, which is among the cheapest in Eurasia.2) People spend 1.5 hours in the traffic jam every day.3) There are mainly three social classes i) the rich, ii) the low-middle class and  iii) the immigrants.4) When being in the centre of Moscow, you can go by train wherever there are no streets. There are nine train stations only in the centre.

5) The majority of Russians do not speak English.

 Calendar Information        

Happening This Week:
1-16

Iditarod Race
1-7

National Cheerleading Week
National Ghostwriters Week
National Write A Letter of Appreciation Week
Universal Human Beings Week 
Will Eisner Week
2-8

Celebrate Your Name Week
National Consumer Protection Week
National Invasive Species Awareness Week
National Pancake Week
National Pet Sitters Week
National Schools Social Work Week
National Severe Storm Preparedness Week
National Sleep Awareness Week
National Words Matter Week
Professional Pet Sitters Week
Read an E-Book Week
Return The Borrowed Books Week
Save Your Vision Week
Severe Weather Preparedness Week:
Telecommuter Appreciation Week

Women in Construction Week

3-7
Newspaper in Education Week
National School Breakfast Week
Share A Story - Shape A Future Week

3-9
Women of Aviation Worldwide Week

Today Is                                                                      

·        Fun Facts About Names Day

·        I Want You To Be Happy Day

·        National Anthem Day

·        NEA's Read Across America Day

·        Princess Day

·        What If Cats and Dogs Had Opposable Thumbs? Day

·        World Wildlife Day

• ·         

·        Admission Day (Florida-1845-27th)

·        Liberation Day (Bulgaria-1878-from Ottoman Empire)

·        Martyrs Day (Malawi)

·        World Book Day (UK and Ireland)

Today’s Events through History  

1746 - Bonnie Prince Charlie occupies Castle of Inverness

1865 - Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, & Abandoned Lands established-helps 

     destitute free blacks

1966 - Buffalo Springfield form (Steven Stills, Neil Young, et al)

1985 - "Moonlighting" with Cybill Shepard & Bruce Willis, premieres

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

Ed Marinaro, actor (Hill Street Blues) is 64

Herschel Walker, WFL/NFL running back (NJ Generals, Dallas Cowboys) is 52

Jackie Joyner-Kersee, heptathlon (Olympic-gold-88, 92) is 52

Tyler Florence, chef, Food Network personality, & cookbook author is 43

Jessica Biel, actress (Mary Camden in 7th Heaven) is 32

Remembered for being born today

1920 - James Doohan, Vancouver BC, actor (Montgomery Scott-Star Trek)

Today’s Historical Obits                                                           

William Frawley, actor (Fred Mertz-I Love Lucy), 1966, @ 89

Carlos Montoya, flamenco guitarist, 1993, @89

Fred Friendly, American broadcast executive, 1998, @82

Danny Kaye, comedian (Danny Kaye Show), hepatitis, 1987, @74

Robert Adam, Scottish architect (Syon House, Middlesex), 1792, @63

Lou Costello, comedian/actor (Abbott & Costello), heart attack, 1959,@52

Alice Pearce, comedienne (Gladys Kravitz-Bewitched), cancer, 1966, @52

Brain Teasers

I am a slot machine. In a casino, people carry their coins around in cups and buckets. True gamblers will feed the same machine for hours to hit the jackpot. When a slot machine is full or reaches its set level, it pays out. Everyone comes rushing over to see the machine paying the jackpot. Slot machines are usually shown or thought of having fruit in the window.

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  §