7-28-15

FYI: Any blue text is a link. Click to check it out!
Almanac: Week: 31 \ Day: 209
July Averages: 82°\50°
86004 Today: H 83° \ L 51° Average Sky Cover: 0% 
Wind ave:   7mph\Gusts:  29mph
Ave. High: 82° Record High: 93° (1947) Ave. Low: 51° Record Low: 36° (1913)
§ § § § §
Observances Today:
National Chili Dog Day
National Milk Chocolate Day
World Hepatitis Day

Independence Day (Peru-1821-from Peru)
¤ ¤
Observances This Week:
AFRMA Fancy Rat & Mouse Week ->8/1 
¤ ¤
Quote of the Day 

¤ ¤
US Historical Highlights for Today
1868 - 14th Amendment ratified by states, grants citizenship to ex-slaves
1896 - City of Miami incorporated
1899 - Tucson businessmen subscribed $1,100 toward the cost of a wagon road to Globe. The shortest road then in use required 48 hours to make the trip between the two towns.
1900 - Hamburger created by Louis Lassing in Connecticut
1914 - Foxtrot 1st danced at New Amsterdam Roof Garden (NYC, by Harry Fox)
1917 - Silent Parade organized by James Weldon Johnson of 10,000 African-American march on 5th Ave (NYC) protesting against lynching
1926 - US & Panamanian pact about safeguard of Panama Canal
1933 - 1st singing telegram delivered (to Rudy Vallee), NYC
1943 - Pres FDR announces end of coffee rationing in US
1951 - "Kiss Me, Kate" closes at New Century Theater NYC after 1077 perfs
1954 - "On the Waterfront", directed by Elia Kazan starring Marlon Brando and Eva Marie Saint, is released (Best Picture 1955)
1965 - LBJ sends 50,000 more soldiers to Vietnam (total of 125,000)
1977 - 1st oil through the TransAlaska Pipeline System reach Valdez, Alaska
1990 - Blackout hits Chicago
¤ ¤
World Historical Highlights for Today
1586 - Sir Thomas Harriot introduces potatoes to Europe on return to England
1717 - Prussian king Frederik Willem I gives compulsory education to 5-12 yrs
1794 - French Revolution figure Robespierre & 22 other leaders of "the Terror" guillotined to thunderous cheers in Paris
1851 - Total solar eclipse captured on a daguerreotype photograph
1858 - First use of fingerprints as a means of identification is made by Sir William James Herschel of the Indian Civil Service
1928 - 9th Olympic Games open in Amsterdam
1976 - 8.2 & 7.4 earthquake devastate Tangsha, China (240-750,000 die)
2005 - The Provisional Irish Republican Army call an end to their thirty year armed campaign in Northern Ireland.
§ § § § §
Birthdays Today:
How many can you identify? Answers below in Birthdays Today 

§ § § § §
My Rambling Thoughts
Today was windy. Blew the clouds right out of the sky.
Went in for a blood draw before I see my PCP next week. Tech puts on that band, then reads the order. Oops, can’t use a band for one of the tests…uric acid. Feels the other arm and can’t find the vein. Gets another tech and asks her too look. She looks and shows her where it is. The 1st tech then pokes me…no blood comes out. She pulls the needle and leaves. Third tech comes in, finds the vein, draws the blood and sends me on my way. Crazy.
I get the annual bill for my local newspaper. A few years ago it was $100/yr. Last year was $210. This bill is for $275. I go on line to pay at the paper website. It won’t let me do that. I call to get a better deal. Of course all the business stuff takes place somewhere in the Midwest. Wait time is 15 minutes. Finally a human. She plays with her magic computer and says I can get it for $210. I give her my credit card then ask why the bill is so high.  Her answer is accounting must have made an error. I tell her this is two years in a row. Then she says the cheapest rate is NOT the annual subscription, but putting my account on auto-pay every month. That way they can raise the monthly rate at any time and they aren’t stuck letting me get the paper at a lower rate. I told her I would consider that next year…the difference was only $3 right now. My conclusion is that the local paper, like almost every business these days wants the most control over the $$line, and forget the individual customer’s longevity with them.  

My landlord calls about my lease renewal. I mention that I have a leaky faucet in the kitchen. He says he’ll contact a plumber. Less than 5 minutes later the plumber calls to set up an appointment. Asks if I will be home between 2 and 4 today. Yep, she’ll send the guy over. At 1:58 the guy calls, he is sitting outside but can’t figure out which unit I am. He fixes the leak, tells me I will need a new faucet in the future and leaves in less than an hour. Amazing.

SMH at the Republican Presidential candidates. Since Trump is leading, they have all taken on his strategy…one comparing Obama to Hitler. Another called John Kerry, the Sec. of State, Pontius Pilot. Really?!? This is total insanity and in my view anti-American.
§ § § § §
Brain Teasers
(answers at the end of post)
In forests I'm leafy
In deserts I'm like sand
You'll find it hard to see me
Even if I'm in your hand

§ § § § §
Found on You Tube with some relevance to today
§ § § § §
…Cool Facts…
The first guy to win Who Wants To Be A Millionaire (USA) used none of his lifelines until the final question, where he called his dad. During the call, he told his dad he didn't need any help on the final question, but he just wanted to let him know that he was about to win $1,000,000.

While pumpkins are typically orange, they can also be green, white, red, gray, and even blue.
¤ ¤
…Flagstaff, AZ History…
100 YEARS AGO-1915
Water is running a foot deep over the wagon road in Clarkdale, and a cloudburst filled the river at Camp Verde, catching Board of Supervisors Chairman William Steven, who was in his auto when it floated in this climatic explosion of rising water.
0.49” of rain fell Tuesday night and the warmest temperature came to 84 degrees.
¤ ¤
…Harper’s Index…
41 – days of solitary confinement a SC prisoner was assigned in 2012 for threatening a prison employee.
37 – years of solitary confinement he was assigned in 2013 for posting on Facebook.
¤ ¤
…Instagram Photo of the Day… 

natgeoPhotograph by Jonathan Rashad(@jonathanrashad) | By traveling the river's length from its source near Lake Tana in the Ethiopian Highlands to Egypt's distant Nile Delta, we hope to build up a comprehensive picture of how dam construction, climate change, and population growth are affecting one of Africa's greatest waterways. Ethiopia's Blue Nile Falls in some of their glory. The rainy season is young and a channel dug to feed an adjacent hydro plant has sapped them of much of their power.
¤ ¤
… Life Lessons…
3. Listen to others before you speak.
A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp. They rub it and a Genie comes out. The Genie says, 'I'll give each of you just one wish..'

'Me first! Me first!' says the admin clerk. 'I want to be in the Bahamas, driving a speedboat, without a care in the world.' Poof! She's gone.

'Me next! Me next!' says the sales rep. 'I want to be in Hawaii , relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina Coladas, and the love of my life.' Poof! He's gone.

'OK, you're up,' the Genie says to the manager. The manager says, 'I want those two back in the office after lunch.'
Moral of the story: Always let your boss have the first say.
¤ ¤
…USA Facts…
There is a basketball court on the top floor of the U.S. Supreme Court Building. It’s known as the “highest court in the land.”

American school children rank 25th in math and 21st in science out of the top 30 developed countries, but ranked 1st in confidence that they outperformed everyone else.
¤ ¤
…Unusual Fact of the Day…
Since weightlessness causes the spine to expand and straighten, astronauts may measure up to two inches taller in space than they do on Earth.
§ § § § §
2 jokes for the day
One day a boy asked his grandpa "grandpa make a frog sound"
The grandfather asked why?
The boy said, "Grandma says when you croak we are going to Hawaii”

¤ ¤
A rapist, a gangster and a murderer are in the same car...
Who is driving the car?
A police officer!      

¤ ¤
Yep, It Really Happened
Not sure what the fascination is with combining weddings with animals. I have seen doves released after a ceremony. I have seen dogs used as ring bearers. I have even been to a lakeside reception at a country club that was populated with swans. But based upon this bizarre wedding story from Canada, I think horses is where you should really draw the line. 

A groom suffered injuries at his wedding ceremony after a drugged out horse threw him off its back. A video shows a man feeding the horse marijuana an hour before it acted strangely at the wedding ceremony. 
The groom suffered scratches after being thrown onto the grass by the horse named Misty.
Horse handler Zsa Zsa Stiasny, said that the behavior was uncommon for Misty, as it has been to many weddings and it never caused a disturbance. Stiasny believes that the incident could have been caused by the marijuana in its system. 
Of course. Nobody likes to be sat on when they are high. What they should have done is fed the horse a bucket of beer. Because nothing is more entertaining than a vomiting horse at your wedding reception.

¤ ¤
Somewhat Useless Information
Ferrets belong to the weasel (Mustelidae) family. Besides weasels and ferrets, this group of animals also includes minks, otters, and badgers as well as polecats and sables.

Like all members of the weasel family, ferrets are closely related to skunks and, like skunks, they can emit an odorous smell when excited or afraid. Consequently, many ferret owners decide to have their ferrets de-scented.


The word "ferret" is from the Latin fur, meaning "little thief." Indeed, one of the ferret's favorite activities is stealing and hiding things.

There are several populations of feral ferrets throughout the world. The most notable and destructive population lives in New Zealand. They were initially imported from England from 1879 to 1883 to help control the rabbit population. When that population was under control, the hybrids began eating New Zealand's native birds which, until that time, had no natural predators.

§ § § § §
Birthdays Today
84 - Darryl Hickman, actor (Human Comedy, Tea & Sympathy)
70 - Jim Davis, Marion Indiana, cartoonist (Garfield)
69 - Linda Kelsey, Minneapolis, actress (Billie-Lou Grant, Kate-Day by Day)
68 - Sally Struther, Portland Oregon, actress (Gloria-All in the Family)
67 - Georgia Engel, Wash DC, actress (Georgette-Mary Tyler Moore Show)
42 - Elizabeth Berkley, Mich, actress (Saved by the Bell, DWTS)
¤ ¤
Born this day…Died in __@__
David Brown, film producer ("The Sting", "Jaws", "Cocoon")-2010@93
Rudy Vallee, Vt, singer (Vagabond Dreams, My Time Is Your Time)-1986@84
Ballington Booth, Officer in The Salvation Army and co-founder of Volunteers of America-1940@83
Joe E Brown, Holgate Ohio, comedian (Buck Circus Hour)-1983@81
Marcel Duchamp, French sculptor\painter (Nude Descending a Staircase)-1968@81
Beatrix Potter, England, children's author\illustrator ("The Tale of Peter Rabbit")-1943@77
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, NY, American 1st Lady-1994@64
Hugo Chávez, President of Venezuela-2013@58
§ § § § §
Historical Obits Today
Eileen Breenan, American actress-2013@80
Margot Adler, American journalist, endometrial cancer-2014@68
Johann Sebastian Bach, German composer (Art of the Fugue), stroke-1750@65
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi, Italian composer, infection-1741@63
Thomas Cromwell, King Henry VIII's chief minister, executed-1740@54ish
Cyrano de Bergerac, French dramatist/novelist, injury?-1655@36
Maximilien Robespierre, Fr revolutionary/avocat (1781), guillotined-1794@36
§ § § § §
Brain Teasers Answers
A chameleon!
§ § § § §
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§

No comments:

Post a Comment

Followers

Total Pageviews

Blog Archive

About Me

My photo
Flagstaff, Arizona, United States
I retired in '06--at the ripe old age of 57. I enjoy blogging, photography, traveling, and living life to it's fullest.