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Almanac: Week: 49 \ Day: 336
December
Averages: 44°\17°
86004 Today: H 52°\L 23°
Ave. humidity: 40% Average Sky Cover: 75%
Wind ave: 3mph\Gusts: 11mph
Ave. High: 46° Record
High: 62° (1946)
Ave. Low: 18° Record
Low: -5° (1991)
Holiday Observances
Today:
National Day (United Arab Emirates-1971- Commemorating the
formation of the united federation of the seven emirates and gaining of
Independence from United Kingdom)
¤ ¤
Giving
Tuesday
International
Day for the Abolition of Slavery Day
National Fritters Day
National
Mutt Day
Special
Education Day
Observances This
Week:
1-7
• • • • • • •
Quote of
the Day
Historical
Highlights for Today
1409 - The University of Leipzig opens
1620 - English language newspaper
"Namloos" begins publishing in Amsterdam
1761 - Land grants
for Indian lands in British territories must have Crown's approval.
1804 - Napoleon Bonaparte is crowned emperor
of France in Paris
1812 - James Madison re-elected president of
US, E Gerry vice-pres
1816 - First savings bank in US opens (Philadelphia
Savings Fund Society)
1823 - James Monroe declares "Monroe
Doctrine", foreign policy on Latin America
1840 - William Henry Harrison elected the 9th
President
1845 - Manifest Destiny: US President James K. Polk announces to Congress that the United States should aggressively expand into the West.
1845 - Manifest Destiny: US President James K. Polk announces to Congress that the United States should aggressively expand into the West.
1867 - British author Charles Dickens gives
his 1st public reading in the US-NYC
1899 - US & Germany agree to divide Samoa
between them
1927 - First Model A Fords sold, for $385 .
1929 - First skull of Peking man found, 50 km out
of Peking at Tsjoe Koe Tien
1952 – 1st human
birth televised to public (KOA-TV Denver, Colo)
1961 - Fidel Castro declares he's a Marxist,
& will lead Cuba to Communism
• • • • • • •
♫
Birthdays Today: ♫
How many can you identify? Answers below in Birthday’s Today
My
Rambling Thoughts
A day of surprises. First I was awakened last night by a 4.7
earthquake—thought someone was in the room shaking the bed. Thought it was a
dream and didn’t find out till this morning what really happened. No reported
damage from the quake that was between Flag and Sedona. There were also two
man-caused wildfires…one on the summit on US89 and one on US180 on the way to
the Grand Canyon. Both closed the highways for some time. Scary dry around
here.
Then, I picked up my mail and found a dental bill for $404, after
I had already paid $93. Called and told the receptionist my dismay and shock. I
let her know that the dentist had always conferred with me regarding charges
this high. Also told her I didn’t think the new hygienist should have done the
scaling without first telling me she was doing it and an approximate cost and
that a real dentist should have met with me before doing this. I told her I
didn’t like the behavior of the new hygienist as she scared me when she was
talking about problems as though they were ‘new’ when in fact the dentist and I
were ‘watching’ them. She agreed and then checked the billing. Turns out the
billing company had charged AZ-BC, not FED-BC, thus no payout…since I don’t
have AZ-BC. She said the magic computer now said that I would owe $33, not
$404. I told her I would expect a corrected billing before I paid. She agreed.
She said she would speak to the Dentist and hygienist about the other issues. I
said that was fine, but not to use my name, since she will probably be in my
mouth again and this really pertains to all patients. She agreed. I’ll see on
my next visit.
• • • • • • •
Brain
Teasers
(answers at the end of post)
What
does the following rebus represent?
LAUG SIDE HTER
LAUG SIDE HTER
Found on
You Tube with some relevance to today
OK Then…
• • • • • • •
Paraphernalia
4 the Brain:
Actor
Facts…
¤ When he was 7, Vin Diesel and some friends broke into a New York
theater with intentions to vandalize it. Instead of calling the police, the
theater’s artistic director handed them scripts and offered them parts in the
upcoming show. This became Diesel’s first acting role.
¤ Johnny Depp travels with his Capt. Jack Sparrow costume to make
impromptu visits to sick kids in hospitals.
December
Holiday Facts
*Christmas-Christian
¤ The “true love” mentioned in the song “Twelve Days of Christmas”
does not refer to a romantic couple, but the Catholic Church’s code for God.
The person who receives the gifts represents someone who has accepted that
code. For example, the “partridge in a pear tree” represents Christ. The “two
turtledoves” represent the Old and New Testaments.
¤ Most of Santa’s reindeer have male-sounding names, such as
Blitzen, Comet, and Cupid. However, male reindeers shed their antlers around
Christmas, so the reindeer pulling Santa’s sleigh are likely not male, but
female or castrati.
*Hanukkah-Jewish
Hannukah
celebration dates
Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days and nights, starting on the
25th in the month of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar. Since the Hebrew calendar
is lunar rather than solar, Hanukkah falls on a different day each year,
anywhere from November to early January on the standard calendar.
*Kwanza-African-American
The
Number Seven
There are 7 Principles and 7 Primary Symbols that emphasize a
unique set of values and ideals during the 7 days of Kwanzaa… also spelled with
7 letters.
Flagstaff,
AZ History…
From 1889
The Supervisors of this city have appointed Morris Goldwater as a
committee of one to confer with the Supervisors of Gila County for the hiring
of engineers to survey the boundary of the two counties and definitely define
them.
Flagstaff’s
Iconic 50…
Buffalo
Park
Buffalo Park was a wildlife park in Flagstaff, Arizona that
operated during the 1960s. The attraction featured more than 200 animals and a
Wild West setting.
In January 1963 Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce president Jim Potter
proposed to the Flagstaff City Council a plan to create a wildlife park -
similar to Yellowstone National Park - that would showcase buffalo, elk, and
other animals in a natural setting.
Potter suggested locating the park on a city-owned tract of land
atop McMillan Heights Mesa, known today simply as McMillan Mesa. The council
approved the plan and agreed to a five-year lease to the park. The council also
committed to build a road and provide water for what soon was called Buffalo
Park.
Despite a successful first summer, Buffalo Park soon ran into
financial difficulties. It was doomed by the heavy snows of 1967-68, and by
1969, the park was closed. The animals still there escaped on a number of
occasions, trampling nearby lawns and gardens. On one occasion, several of the
buffalo wandered down to Sechrist School to graze.
In 1973, the Flagstaff City Council banned a proposed reroute of
Highway 180 through the park and dedicated the site as a recreational park. The
council later rescinded the ban, opening the possibility of paved roads running
through the site. However, in 1986 Flagstaff residents voted to restore the
ban, protecting Buffalo Park and ensuring that people could continue to
exercise where buffaloes once roamed.
Harper’s
Index…
Number of tank cars of crude oil transported by US railways in
2008: 9000
In 2013: 400,000
Rules of
Thumb…
CROSSED
ARMS
Crossing your arms
will make you appear less open to be approached.
Unusual
Fact of the Day…
The
sailfish (the fastest swimming fish, clocked at 68 mph) is faster than the
cheetah (the fastest land animal, clocked at 62 mph).
• • • • • • •
Joke-of-the-day
An old man goes to the Wizard to ask him if he
can remove a curse he has been living with for the last 50 years.
The wizard says, “Maybe, but you will have to
tell me the exact words that were used to put the course on you.”
The old man says without hesitation, “I now
pronounce you man and wife.”
Yep, It
Really Happened
Jorge Navarro Jr. of Oak Lawn, IL was in a sticky situation none
of us want to be in.
The 23-year-old was pulled over by police around 2:40 a.m. Sunday for a traffic stop. Maybe he couldn't afford the ticket, or maybe he was nervous about something else, like the open alcohol container he had in his vehicle, but for whatever reason he struck upon a daring but moronic plan.
Right in the middle of the traffic stop, court records state that Navarro called 911 and said he heard eight gunshots and that a man had been shot and was lying on the ground a few blocks south of his location.
"Several officers drove to the scene with their emergency lights on," according to court records.
When questioned, Navarro said he had phoned in the fake shooting to get out of the traffic violations.
Despite the distraction, Navarro received tickets for illegal transportation of an open alcohol container, speeding, no seat belt, driving without lights and improper lane usage, plus a felony charge for making the bogus 911 call.
The 23-year-old was pulled over by police around 2:40 a.m. Sunday for a traffic stop. Maybe he couldn't afford the ticket, or maybe he was nervous about something else, like the open alcohol container he had in his vehicle, but for whatever reason he struck upon a daring but moronic plan.
Right in the middle of the traffic stop, court records state that Navarro called 911 and said he heard eight gunshots and that a man had been shot and was lying on the ground a few blocks south of his location.
"Several officers drove to the scene with their emergency lights on," according to court records.
When questioned, Navarro said he had phoned in the fake shooting to get out of the traffic violations.
Despite the distraction, Navarro received tickets for illegal transportation of an open alcohol container, speeding, no seat belt, driving without lights and improper lane usage, plus a felony charge for making the bogus 911 call.
Somewhat
Useless Information
¤
Although it is now known as the biggest shopping day in the US, the term
"Black Friday" originally referred to very different events. In the
US, the first time the term was used was on 24 September 1869, when two speculators,
Jay Gould and James Fisk, tried to corner the gold market on the New York Stock
Exchange. When the government stepped in to correct the distortion by flooding
the market with gold, prices plummeted and many investors lost sizable
fortunes.
¤ Going shopping?: Not if you're a plumber. Black Friday is the busiest day of the year for them, according to Roto-Rooter, the nation's largest plumbing service. After all, someone has to clean up after household guests who "overwhelm the system."
¤ Canadian department store Eaton's held the first "Santa Claus parade" on December 2, 1905. Once Santa appeared at the end of the parade, the signal was that the holiday season - and thus, holiday shopping, had begun. US department stores such as Macy's took inspiration from the parade, and started sponsoring similar efforts across the country. In 1924, New York saw the first Macy's parade featuring animals from Central Park Zoo and run by the store's employees.
¤ The city that first popularized the term was Philadelphia. Police officers, frustrated by the congestion caused by shoppers on the day, started referring to it derisively as "Black Friday". Unsurprisingly, retailers weren't happy 'to be associated with traffic and smog. So they tried to re-brand the day "Big Friday", according to a 1961 local Philadelphia paper.
¤ The phrase 'Black Friday' remained a Philadelphia quirk for a surprisingly long time. "You see it spreading a little bit to Trenton, New Jersey, which is close by, but it doesn't really start getting mentioned outside of Philadelphia until the 1980s," says linguist Benjamin Zimmer, executive editor of Vocabulary.com. "It didn't become widespread until the mid-90s."
¤ Beyond North America, as online shopping has grown, retailers like Amazon have looked to Cyber Monday, first heard of in 2005, to promote deals for shoppers across the globe. While in China, the recently launched 'Singles Day' prompted sales of two million bras in one hour, making a pile that would be three times higher than Mount Everest.
¤ Going shopping?: Not if you're a plumber. Black Friday is the busiest day of the year for them, according to Roto-Rooter, the nation's largest plumbing service. After all, someone has to clean up after household guests who "overwhelm the system."
¤ Canadian department store Eaton's held the first "Santa Claus parade" on December 2, 1905. Once Santa appeared at the end of the parade, the signal was that the holiday season - and thus, holiday shopping, had begun. US department stores such as Macy's took inspiration from the parade, and started sponsoring similar efforts across the country. In 1924, New York saw the first Macy's parade featuring animals from Central Park Zoo and run by the store's employees.
¤ The city that first popularized the term was Philadelphia. Police officers, frustrated by the congestion caused by shoppers on the day, started referring to it derisively as "Black Friday". Unsurprisingly, retailers weren't happy 'to be associated with traffic and smog. So they tried to re-brand the day "Big Friday", according to a 1961 local Philadelphia paper.
¤ The phrase 'Black Friday' remained a Philadelphia quirk for a surprisingly long time. "You see it spreading a little bit to Trenton, New Jersey, which is close by, but it doesn't really start getting mentioned outside of Philadelphia until the 1980s," says linguist Benjamin Zimmer, executive editor of Vocabulary.com. "It didn't become widespread until the mid-90s."
¤ Beyond North America, as online shopping has grown, retailers like Amazon have looked to Cyber Monday, first heard of in 2005, to promote deals for shoppers across the globe. While in China, the recently launched 'Singles Day' prompted sales of two million bras in one hour, making a pile that would be three times higher than Mount Everest.
• • • • • • •
Today’s Events
through History
1777 - British General Howe plots attack on
Washington's army for Dec 4
1932 - "Adventures of Charlie Chan" 1st
heard on NBC-Blue radio network
1939 - British Imperial Airways & British
Airways merge to form BOAC
1954 - US Senate censures Joeseph McCarthy
(Sen-R-Wisc) for "conduct that tends to bring Senate into dishonor &
disrepute"
• • • • • • •
Birthday’s
Today
Stone
Phillips, news host (NBC Dateline) is 60
Steven
Bauer, Havana, actor (Scarface) is 58
Lucy Liu, actress
is 46
Monica
Seles, tennis star (US Open 1992) is 41
Nelly
Furtado, Canadian singer and songwriter is 36
Britney
Spears, singer and pop star is 33
Remembered
for being born today
Georges
Seurat, post-impressionist painter (Grande Jatte), [1859-1891]
Charles
Ringling, American circus owner [1863-1926]
George
Minot, physician, worked on anemia (Nobel 1934) [1885-1950]
Russell
Lynes, editor of Harper's Magazine [1910-1991]
Alexander
Haig Jr, US Sec of State \General [1924-2010]
Julie
Harris, actress (5-Tony, 3-Emmy, Grammy) [1925-2013]
Gianni
Versace, Italy, fashion designer (Versace), [1946-1997]
• • • • • • •
Historical
Obits Today
Aaron
Copland, American composer (Billy the Kid), 1990, @90
Robert
Cummings, actor (Love that Bob), 1990, @80
Odetta,
American singer, heart disease, 2008, @77
Marquis
de Sade, French philosopher and writer (Justine), in prison, 1814, @ 74
John
Ringling, American circus owner, 1936, @70
Desi
Arnaz, actor (Ricky Ricardo-I Love Lucy), lung cancer, 1986, @69
Roxie
Roker, actress (Helen Willis-Jeffersons), breast cancer, 1995, @66
Hernán
Cortés, Spanish Conquistador defeated the Aztec Empire, pleurisy, 1547,
@61ish
John
Brown, US abolitionist (Harpers Ferry), hanged, 1859, @59
Marty
Feldman, comedian (Young Frankenstein), heart attack, 1982, @48
Francis
Xavier, Spanish Catholic missionary, fever, 1552, @46
Sabu Dastagir, actor
(Jungle Book), heart attack, 1963, @39
• • • • • • •
Brain Teasers Answers
Sidesplitting laughter!
• • • • • • •
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…§
