4-5-14

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Flagstaff Almanac: Day: 094   / Week: 14  

Today: L 20°…H 50°… Ave. humidity: 60%

     Wind: ave:   12mph; Gusts:  22mph  

     Average Low: 25° Record Low:  8° (1958)

    Average High: 55° Record High:  75° (1959)

Quote of the Day

 

Today’s Historical Highlights

456 - St. Patrick returns to Ireland as a missionary bishop.

1621 - Mayflower sails from Plymouth on a return trip to England

1722 - Jacob Roggeveen discovers Easter Island

1887 - Anne Sullivan teaches "water" to Helen Keller

1889 - Start of Sherlock Holmes' "Adventure of Copper Beeches" (BG)

1894 - Start of Sherlock Holmes' "Adventure of Empty House" (BG)

1895 - Start of Sherlock Holmes' "Adventure of 3 Students" (BG)

1922 - KOB-AM in Albuquerque NM begins radio transmissions

1923 - Firestone Co put their inflatable tires into production

1927 - Johnny Weissmuller set records in 100 & 200 m free style

1948 - WGN TV channel 9 in Chicago, IL (IND) begins broadcasting

1965 - Lava Lamp Day celebrated

1969 - Vietnam War: Massive antiwar demonstrations occur in many U.S. cities.

1974 - Then tallest building, World Trade Center opens in NYC (110 stories)

1987 - Fox TV network premieres showing Married With Children & Tracey Ullman

1993 - Construction begins on Cleveland's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

♫  Today’s Birthdays: ♫   

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

 

My Free Rambling Thoughts   

What a great adventure to Cuba. All the hype from Cuban Travel Services warning us of possible problems never occurred. We visited many neighborhoods, talked with the people from the neighborhoods, went to many local artists studios and talked to them. We saw many sites and enjoyed every minute of the trip. Surprises were all good. There are many vehicles in the country that are new…from China, Germany, S. Korea, Japan and the list goes on. All the pics we in the US see of people driving classic American cars are there…but…they are a club of privately owned cars that are used as taxis by visitors and locals for special occasions. Cuba is a very poor country. We saw no military driving around or walking the streets. There were beggars, but not at all aggressive. I think I was expecting spicy food, and again, I was wrong. Lots of roasted pork, beef, and fish, lots of rice and beans, lots of cabbage salad with tomato slices and green beans. I was able to stand in the warm water of the Bay of Pigs. Right about were the ill-fated invasion happened. Our bus was a real nice, newish Chinese bus with comfortable seats, air conditioning, and very clean. There are two different currencies in Cuba, one for the people, one for the tourists. We couldn’t use the people’s money, and they couldn’t use the tourist money. The two systems were set up so the government would know how much money was being spent by tourists. Before the fall of the Soviet Block in 1990, Cuba was a sugar economy, selling to the Soviet bloc. When that collapsed, they turned to tourism, which is now their money maker. Lots of Germans, French, Chinese, and others can visit without their government requiring the paperwork the US requires. With no diplomatic relations there is no embassy, but there is a tall building that houses US diplomatic teams right in Havana.  More tomorrow on the great time we had.

Game  Center (answers at the end of post)

Brain Teasers

I have given you a starting word (a clue). Your job is to fill in the blanks with a 4-letter word that matches the clue already given. This 4-letter word must complete the 7-letter word next to it. Have fun! 

1. Therefore = ? = V_ _ TI _ _ 2. Whirl = ? = A _ _ IR _ _ 3. Demeanour = ? = A _ B _ _ _ T 4. Shoestring = ? = G _ _ _ I _ R

Lifestyle  Substance:     

Found on You Tube with some relevance to today

• Bette Davis Interview

• Inherit The Wind - Spencer Tracy Speech

• Biography: Gregory Peck

• Douglas MacArthur Tribute - Old Soldiers Never Die

• TOWN WITHOUT PITY Gene Pitney

Books that Changed the World

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

When it comes to dystopian futures, the literary world is split between support for two incredible 20th century books: 1984 and Brave New World. Written by Aldous Huxley in 1931, Brave New World argues that technology and distraction will end up controlling humanity instead of authoritarian surveillance.

Banned from hundreds of American high schools due to its “negative” outlook on life, Brave New World warned millions of people of the possibility of technology taking over our lives almost 70 years before the Internet emerged.

Breakthroughs that Changed the World

The internal combustion engine, late 19th century
Turned air and fuel into power, eventually replacing the steam engine (No. 10)

OK Then…

 

Harper’s Index 

Estimated number of federally licensed US gun dealers and pawnbrokers that sell firearms illegally: 1719

Unusual Fact of the Day

Because he had bad eyesight, Harry Truman memorized the letters on the eye chart to get into the Army.

Joke-of-the-day

Did you hear about the two radio antennas that got married?

The wedding was terrible, but the reception was excellent!  

Rules of Thumb:   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

APPRAISING A RENTAL PROPERTYThe market value of a rental property is six times the gross rent.    

Yeah, It Really Happened

Although it would be preferable to never have to use it, motorists who get pulled over for drinking and driving can now rely on the "Oh Crap App" for help. The app, which was created by an Iowa law firm, is designed to "educate the public regarding their legal rights when being investigated for a criminal offense." The "DUI Defense App" also has "the emergency 'Oh Crap' button designed to be used in emergency situations where a person is being stopped or questioned by law enforcement." Pressing the button dispenses advice like "The less you say the better," and also starts a voice recorder to tape any potentially incriminating conversations. "One of the biggest mistakes people make is thinking that they know their rights," Bob Rehkemper, an attorney and co-creator of the smartphone app, told KCRG. "That initial interaction is documented and is recorded so it's not a matter of what somebody remembers, or he said, she said." Any conversations the app captures are uploaded to a secure server for later access. The app has been downloaded about 4,000 times already and is available for both Apple and Google smartphones. "People end up in positions, and their rights become very important to them, to their family members, to their children. That's the purpose of this app, to understand what they do, and what they don't have to do," Rehkemper said. (UPI)

Somewhat Useless Information   

• A tail is said to be the most primitive feature in vertebrates but why is it so useful for them and especially for the monkey? Monkeys have tails to be able to keep balance, as the longer a monkey’s tail is, the better its balance. Moreover,  tails enable them to keep hands and arms free when monkeys look for food in the trees or eat.

• Almost everybody used to play with Lego, the construction toys,  in childhood. ‘Lego’ was manufactured by The Lego Group, a privately held company based in Denmark in 1949 and there’s something remarkable in Lego bricks. The connective design for all LEGO bricks has not been changed since it was patented in 1958, which means that if someone has an original brick from 1958 and a brand new one, they would still be compatible!

• The world’s most expensive wedding cake was made in a bakery in England valued at £34 million (that’s about $52.7 million). The cake is decorated with 4,000 diamonds and was on display at the National Gay Wedding Show in Liverpool. For the history, the previous record-holder was a cake valued at $20 million, baked by Beverly Hills’ La Patisserie Artistique.

Calendar Information        

Happening This Week:
1-7

The APAWS Pooper Scooper  Week
Golden Rule Week
Laugh at Work Week
Medication Safety Week
Testicular Cancer Awareness Week

3-6

Mule Days
4-10

Hate Week
5-12

Money Smart Week
Bat Appreciation Week

Consider Christianity Week

Explore Your Career Options
National Animal Control Appreciation Week
National Blue Ribbon Week
National Public Health Week
National Volunteer Week
National Window Safety Week
Week of The Young Child

Today Is                                                                      

·        Every Day is Tag Day

·        International Pillow Fight Day

·        International Tabletop Day

·        National Deep Dish Pizza Day

·        National Love Our Children Day

·        Tangible Karma Day National

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·        National Tomb-Sweeping Day/Qing Ming Festival (China)

·        National Tomb-Sweeping Day (Taiwan)

Today’s Events through History  

1792 - George Washington casts 1st presidential veto

1874 - Johann Strauss Jr's opera "Die Fledermaus" premieres in Vienna

1902 - Glasgow, Scotland the Ibrox disaster-section of a grandstand collapses 

     killing 25 and injuring 517

1951 - Julius & Ethel Rosenberg, atomic spies, sentenced to death

1984 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar breaks Wilt Chamberlain's all-time career scoring 

     record of 31,419 points (31,421)

1999 - Two Libyans suspected of bringing down Pan Am flight 103 in 1988 

     handed over eventual trial in the Netherlands.

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

Colin Powell, Bronx, general/asst to president (Nat Sec Affairs) is 77

Michael Moriarty, actor (Bang the Drum Slowly, Q, Stuff) is 73

Max Gail, actor (Barney Miller, Whiz Kids, DC Cab) is 71

Remembered for being born today

1588-1679 - Thomas Hobbes, Westport England, philosopher (Leviathan)

1649-1721 - Elihu Yale, England, philanthropist founded Yale

1827-1912 - Joseph Lister, England, physician (founded aseptic surgery)

1856-1915 - Booker Taliaferro Washington, pioneer educator (1st black on US stamp)

1900-1967 - Spencer Tracy, actor (Father's Little Dividend, Adam's Rib)

1908-1909 - (Ruth Elizabeth) Bette Davis, actress (Of Human Bondage, Jezebel)

1916-2003 - Gregory Peck, actor (To Kill a Mockingbird, MacArthur)

1920-2004 - Arthur Hailey, Luton England, novelist (Hotel, Airport)

1921-1991 - Robert Q Lewis, TV host (Masquerade Party, Robert Q Lewis Show)

1922-2009 - Gale Storm, actr (My Little Margie, Gale Storm Show)

1949-1986 - Judith Arlene Resnik, , ast (STS 41D, 51L-Chal disaster)

Today’s Historical Obits                                                           

Charlton Heston, American Actor, 2008, @84

Douglas MacArthur, US general (Pacific theater-WW II), 1964, @84

Abe Fortas, Supreme court justice, heart attack, 1982, @71

Eutychius, Patriarch of Constantinople, 582, @70

Gene Pitney, American singer, heart attack, 2006, @66

Kurt Cobain, grunge rocker (Nirvana), suicide @ 27  

Brain Teasers

1. Therefore = ergo = V e r TI g o 2. Whirl = spin = A s p IR i n 3. Demeanour = mien = A m B i e n T 4. Shoestring = lace = G l a c I e R

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  §