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Almanac: Week: 52 \ Day: 1
December
Averages: 44°\17°
86004
Today: H 23°\L 17° wind
chill drops temps 10°
Ave. humidity: 95% Average Sky Cover: 100%
Wind
ave: 5mph\Gusts: 25mph
Ave. High: 42° Record High: 61°
(1981)
Ave. Low: 16° Record Low: -21° (1919)
Observances
Today:
Independence
Day- Cameroon- 1960-from France
Independence
Day-Haiti- 1804- from France
Independence
Day- Sudan- 1956-from Egype & UK
Independence
Day-Yucatan-1846-from Mexico
<>
Commitment
Day
Copyright
Law Day
Ellis
Island Day
Euro
Day-2002-12 countries with same currency
First Foot Day-Scotland- quaaltagh- 1st visitor in house brings
good fortune
Global
Family Day
Mummer's
Parade
New
Year’s Day
Polar
Bear Plunge or Swim Day- (Cony Island NY)
Rose
Bowl Game
Tournament
of Roses Parade Day
Z Day
Observances This
Week:
1-7
New
Year's Resolutions Week
Celebration of Life Week
Diet Resolution Week
Silent Record Week
January Observances:
Bath Safety Month
Be Kind to Food Servers
Month
Birth Defects Month
Book Blitz Month
California Dried Plum Digestive Month
Celebration of Life Month
Cervical Health Awareness Month
Financial Wellness Month
Get A Balanced Life Month
Get Organized Month
International Brain Teaser Month
International Change Your Stars Month
International Child-Centered Divorce Awareness Month
International Creativity Month
International New Year’s Resolutions Month for Businesses
International Quality of Life Month
International Wayfinding Month
International Wealth Mentality Month
Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month
National Be On-Purpose Month
National Braille Literacy Month
National Clean Up Your Computer Month
National Codependency Awareness Month
National Glaucoma Awareness Month
National Hot Tea Month
National Mail Order Gardening Month
National Mentoring Month
National Personal Self-Defense Awareness Month
National Personal Trainer
Awareness Month
National Polka Music Month
National Poverty in America Awareness Month
National Radon Action Month
National Skating Month
National Slavery and Human
Trafficking Prevention Month
National Stalking Awareness Month
National Volunteer Blood Donor Month
Oatmeal Month
Rising Star Month
Self-help Group Awareness Month
Self-Love Month
Shape Up US Month
Teen Driving Awareness Month
Train Your Dog Month
Thyroid Awareness Month
Unchain A Dog Month
Walk Your Dog Month
Worldwide Rising Star Month
« »
Quote of
the Day
Historical
Highlights for Today
1 - Origin of Christian Era
404 - Last gladiator competition in Rome
630 - The Prophet Muhammad sets out toward Mecca with
the army that captures it bloodlessly
1600 - Scotland begins its numbered year on January
1 instead of 25 March
1758 - The International Commission on Zoological
Nomenclature establish the "starting point" for standardized species names
across the animal kingdom. This naming system is based on the binomial
nomenclature laid out in Carolus Linnaeus 10th edition of Systema
Naturae.
1785 - "Daily Universal Register" (Times
of London) publishes 1st issue
1788 - Quakers in Pennsylvania emancipate their
slaves
1801 - The Irish Parliament votes to join the
Kingdom of Great Britain, forming the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland
1818 - Official reopening of the White House
1818
- Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein; or, The
Modern Prometheus" is published anonymously by the small London publishing
house of Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones
1842 - 1st illustrated weekly magazine in US
publishes 1st issue, NYC
1852 - 1st US public bath opens, in NYC
1874 - New York City annexes the Bronx
1880 - Building of Panama Canal, begins
1881 - Dr John H Watson is introduced to Sherlock
Holmes
1886 - 1st
Tournament of Roses (Pasadena California)
1892 - Ellis Island becomes reception center for
new immigrants
1896 - Wilhelm Röntgen announces his discovery
of x-rays
1898
- Brooklyn merges with NY to form present City
of NY
1950 - Ho Chi Minh begins offensive against
French troops in Indo China
1960 - Johnny Cash plays first of many free
concerts behind bars
1962 - United States Navy SEALs established.
1985 - US's 1st mandatory seat belt law goes into
effect (NY)
« »
♫
Birthdays Today: ♫
How many can you identify? Answers below in Birthday’s Today
My
Rambling Thoughts
Happy New Year to all. 2015 is going to be G-R-R-R-E-A-T!
I had the most outstanding Christmas week with my brother, his
wife, and Micho-their Chihuahua. They have a hacienda in Subin, a small town of
about 650 people. Christmas Eve we went to the local church, which is right
next to their property. The Nativity Scene with children carrying in all the
figures. Lots of Carols, then a procession outside right to the gate of my
brother’s hacienda. Even had a lantern up in the sky. Then everyone returned to
the church, touched and/or kissed the figurines as they re-entered the church.
Then the kids went outside to break a piñata. Really nice. We went to lots of
holiday get-togethers with their friends in Merida. Awesome people and great
food and conversation. Clair, our flute playing friend was with us for two
days. A totally amazing week.
The flight home took 21 hours, due to delays and a missed
connection. Not pleasant but certainly bearable. My only rant is that I took
four flights total. One flight was delayed for 45 minutes because there was no
crew. Another was delayed an hour because a stewardess was missing…but my
connection from Houston to Phoenix left on time…I missed it by less than one
minute…and I was flying the same airline, and they knew our Merida flight was delayed an hour because
of fog. The airline knew where I was, and I even went sock-footed to the gate,
so I wouldn’t waste time redressing after TSA. Still they left without me. It
was like ‘oh well, we got your $$$ and we can rebook you—so be happy’.
It has been snowing all day, sometimes hard, sometimes lightly. A
beautiful winter wonderland…with about 6” of powder and still coming down.
NICE!
« »
Brain
Teasers
(answers at the end of post)
Below
you will find five uncommon titles to five well-known Alfred Hitchcock movies.
How many can you decipher?
1. Unstable Personality
2. The Pelicans, Crows, and Penguins
3. To Apprehend a Criminal
4. The Male Who Perceived Everything
5. Dizziness with a Sensation of Motion
Found on
You Tube with some relevance to today
« »
Paraphernalia
4 the Brain:
**NEW**50’s
Inventions…
1950
The first credit card (Diners) invented by Ralph Schneider.
**NEW**Education
Fact…
People with poor mathematical skills aren't necessarily bad at
math because they are 'ungifted'. There is a phenomena called 'Math Anxiety'
that makes people perform worse, sometimes leading to math avoidance, which
leads to lesser knowledge and consequently more math anxiety.
Flagstaff,
AZ History…
75 YEARS
AGO
Hot school lunches will become available on the 1st of December.
This is underwritten by the local Red Cross and is expected to cost about $65
per month. Mrs. Dan Miller, President of the coordinating council.
Flagstaff’s
Iconic 50…
Mount
Elden
…is located in central Coconino County northeast of Flagstaff, and
takes its name from one of the region's earliest Anglo settlers, John
Elden, who, along with his family, established a homestead on the mountain’s
lower slopes and grazed sheep on the open grasslands below during the late 19th
century.
The mountain’s exposed, rocky slopes are a dominant feature from
almost any part of the city of Flagstaff, rising steeply nearly 2,400 feet
(730 m) to an elevation of 9,301 feet (2,835 m). Much of the
vegetation on the southern and southeastern slopes of the mountain was
destroyed by the human caused Radio Fire in 1977 which burned 4,600 acres
(1,900 ha).
Despite its rugged appearance, steep relief, and nearly 15
square miles (40 km2) of surface area, Mount Elden is
easily accessible via an extensive, well-developed road and non-motorized trail system
that is part of the Coconino National Forest.
Harper’s
Index…
15:
Percentage by which a black drug misdemeanor defendant in
Manhattan is more likely than a white one to be sent to prison
Rules of
Thumb…
PLANTING
OUTDOORS
When Irises bloom,
put peppers, cucumbers, and eggplant outdoors.
Unusual
Fact of the Day…
Platform
shoes didn’t just look ridiculous in the 1970s; they looked equally silly in
15th-century Europe when they were known as "chopines." The
fashionable footwear was so toweringly high (up to 30 inches!) that ladies
couldn’t walk around in them for fear of falling.
« »
Joke-of-the-day
Teacher to a student: "Can you think of a
solution to end unemployment?"
"Yes, sir! I'd put all the men on one island and the women on
another."
"And what would they be doing then?"
"Building boats!"
Yep, It
Really Happened
WHITLEY
BAY, England (UPI)
A man who admitted stealing a tablet computer from a charity store
and returning it eight days later because he couldn't get it to work was fined.
Christopher Hooson, 33, was recorded by CCTV cameras taking the Android tablet
from the window display at the Jonny Kennedy store in Whitley Bay, England.
Store workers recognized him from the footage when he came back eight days
later to return the tablet, which prosecutors said he was unable to work
because he did not have the necessary "equipment." Prosecutor Lynne
Russell said the tablet taken during the Nov. 11 theft was valued at about $78.
"He was taken to the police station. He admitted taking the item. He said
he saw it in the window and thought it would be cheap or free, as it was in a
charity shop, so took it," Russell said. "He took it and realized it
didn't work without further equipment, so returned it to the shop." Hooson
initially told the court the theft was an accident. "I didn't intend to
steal it. I forgot I had it in my bag, so I returned it when I noticed."
Hooson, who admitted his version of events "sounds ridiculous,"
eventually admitted during questioning by District Judge Bernard Begley that
his story was not true. "It's not very nice to steal from a charity shop.
At least some sense eventually returned to you and you returned the item.
However, it is a particularly mean offense," Begley said. Hooson was fined
$117. He was also ordered to pay $132 in court costs and a $31 victim
surcharge. A man who admitted stealing a tablet computer from a charity store
and returning it eight days later because he couldn't get it to work was fined.
Christopher Hooson, 33, was recorded by CCTV cameras taking the Android tablet
from the window display at the Jonny Kennedy store in Whitley Bay, England.
Store workers recognized him from the footage when he came back eight days
later to return the tablet, which prosecutors said he was unable to work
because he did not have the necessary "equipment." Prosecutor Lynne
Russell said the tablet taken during the Nov. 11 theft was valued at about $78.
"He was taken to the police station. He admitted taking the item. He said
he saw it in the window and thought it would be cheap or free, as it was in a
charity shop, so took it," Russell said. "He took it and realized it
didn't work without further equipment, so returned it to the shop." Hooson
initially told the court the theft was an accident. "I didn't intend to
steal it. I forgot I had it in my bag, so I returned it when I noticed."
Hooson, who admitted his version of events "sounds ridiculous,"
eventually admitted during questioning by District Judge Bernard Begley that
his story was not true. "It's not very nice to steal from a charity shop.
At least some sense eventually returned to you and you returned the item.
However, it is a particularly mean offense," Begley said. Hooson was fined
$117. He was also ordered to pay $132 in court costs and a $31 victim
surcharge.
**NEW** Gizmos
STATE
COLLEGE, Pa. (UPI)
Staring at electronic devices before bed could be ruining people's
sleep, according to a new study.
The devices, like iPhones or e-readers, emit a light that can confuses the
body. "Electronic devices emit light that is short-wavelength-enriched
light, which has a higher concentration of blue light -- with a peak around 450
nm -- than natural light," said Anne-Marie Chang, assistant professor of
biobehavioral health, Penn State. "This is different from natural light in
composition, having a greater impact on sleep and circadian rhythms."
The researchers looked at 12 adults for two weeks and compared the nights they
went to bed with a book to the nights they went to bed with an e-reader. They
monitored melatonin levels, quality of sleep and how alert they felt when they
woke up. They found when the participants used the e-readers before bed it took
10 minutes longer to fall asleep, and they fell into deep sleep for shorter
periods of time during the night than when they didn't use an electronic device
before bed.
"Our most surprising finding was that individuals using the e-reader would
be more tired and take longer to become alert the next morning," said
Chang. "This has real consequences for daytime functioning, and these
effects might be worse in the real world as opposed to the controlled
environment we used."
The study was published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences.
Somewhat
Useless Information
<>
The train in The Polar Express is based on the Pere Marquette 1225, a restored
steam locomotive located in Owosso, Michigan. In fact, many of the sound
effects of the film's train are recordings of the actual train. The Pere
Marquette 1225 often runs between Owosso and nearby Chesaning for rides during
festivals.
<> In Home Alone, the picture Kevin finds of "Buzz's
girlfriend" was a picture of a boy made up to look like a girl. Director
Chris Columbus thought it would be too cruel to make fun of a girl like that.
The boy that was used in the photo was the art director's son.
<> In Elf, the character Ming Ming is played by Peter Billingsley, who
starred as Ralphie Parker in the classic holiday film A Christmas Story.
<> For the infamous A Christmas Story scene in which Flick's tongue
sticks to the flagpole, a hidden suction tube was used to safely create the
illusion that his tongue had frozen to the metal.
<> The airport greeting footage at the beginning and end of Love Actually
is real. Richard Curtis had a team of cameramen film at Heathrow airport for a
week, and whenever they saw something that would fit in they asked the people
involved for permission to use the footage.
<> Thanks to Home Improvement and The Santa Clause Tim Allen had the No.
1 television series and movie at the box office for one week in November 1994.
He also had the No. 1 book on the best seller list, entitled Don't Stand Too
Close to a Naked Man.
« »
Today’s
Events through History
1893 - 1st US college extension courses for credit,
Univ of Chicago
1902 - 1st Rose Bowl game (Pasadena, California) (U
of Mich-49, Sanford-0)
1912 - The Republic of China is established
1916 - 1st football game in Rose Bowl (Washington
State-Brown)
1925 - Norway's capital Christiania changes
name to Oslo
1928 - 1st US air-conditioned office building
opens, San Antonio
1935 - 1st Sugar Bowl & 1st Orange Bowl
1958 - European Economic Community (Common Market)
starts operation
1968 - Evel Knievel fails in his attempt to
jump Caesar's Palace Fountain
1970 - Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR), an infantry
regiment of the British Army, comes into existence
1972 - International Book Year begins
1975 - International Women's Year begins
1979 - International Year of the Child begins
1981 - International Year for the Disabled begins
1987 - International Year of Shelter for Homeless
begins
1992 - International Space Year begins
1994 - International Year of Family
1999 - International Year of Elderly
« »
Birthday’s
Today
Ty Hardin, actor
(Riptide, Bronco) is 85
« »
Remembered
for being born today
Edmund
Burke, British author (Philosophy & Inquiry) 1729-1797 @68
Paul
Revere, silversmith/US patriot (British are coming) 1735-1818 @83
Betsy
Ross [Elizabeth Griscom], seamstress 1st American flag
1752-1836 @84
J. Edgar
Hoover, 1st Director of the FBI 1895-1972
@77
Xavier
Cugat, Barcelona Spain, bandleader 1900-1990 @90
Barry
Goldwater, (Sen-R-Az,)/Pres candidate (R), 1909-1998 @89
Dana
Andrews, actor (Battle of the Bulge, Laura), 1909-1992 @83
J[erome] D[avid] Salinger, novelist (Catcher in the Rye), 1919-2010-@91
Rocky
Graziano, boxer (Middleweight champ) 1919-1990-@71
« »
Historical
Obits Today
Helen
Wills Moody, American tennis player (31 Grand Slams), 1998 @92
Cesar
Romero, US actor (Joker-Batman), 1994, @86
Ray
Walston, actor (My Favorite Martian) 2001 @86
Patti
Page [Clara Ann Fowler], pop singer, 2013, @85
Maurice A
Chevalier, French actor (Can Can, Gigi), 1972, @83
Shirley
Chisholm, 1st African American Congresswoman\ presidential candidate,
2005, @80
Jacques
Cartier, French explorer (Canada), typhus, 1557, @65
Hank
Williams, country singer (Cold Cold Heart), hemorrhages, 1953, @29
« »
Brain Teasers Answers
1. Psycho
2. The Birds
3. To Catch a Thief
4. The Man Who Knew Too Much
5. Vertigo
« »
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 contains mistakes and sadly once 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…§
