Apr 1

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Apr 1, 2019 Week: 14 \ Day: 91

86004:   H 50° \ L 25° \ Average Sky Cover: 15% 

Wind:   4mph\Gusts:  11mph Visibility: 10 mi

Nearest wildfire:  515mi. Nearest lightning:  862mi

Record High: 74°[2011]   Record Low: 2°[1970]

Mar Averages: 59°\28° (3 days with rain)

Today’s Quote

Money brings some happiness.

But after a certain point, it just brings more money.

-- Neil Simon+

Random Tidbits

Only 12 people have been on the moon: the astronauts on the Apollo missions from 1969 to 1972.

The six Apollo crews came back to Earth with a total of 850 pounds (385 kg) of the moon.

Moon dust is said to smell like spent gunpowder.

Observances This Month

Adopt A Ferret Month
Adopt A Greyhound Month Link
Atlanta Food & Wine Month
Arab American Heritage Month Link
ASPCA Month  Link  Link
Alcohol Awareness Month
Amateur Radio Month
Autism Acceptance Month Link  Link
Autism Awareness Month Link
Black Women's History Month Link
Cancer Control Month
Car Care Month
Celebrate Diversity Month
Child Abuse Prevention Month
(International) Cesarean Awareness Month Link
Community Spirit Days
Confederate History Month
Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness Month  Link
Couple Appreciation Month

Observances This Week

Money Smart Week: 3/30-4/6

Nano Days: 3/30-4/7

International Dark Sky Week: 31-4/7

National Cherry Blossom Festival: 3/20-4/14

Lent: 3/6-4/20

Explore Your Career Options: 1-6
APAWS Pooper Scooper  Week: 1-7
Golden Rule Week: 1-7
Laugh at Work Week: 1-7
Medication Safety Week: 1-7
Mule Day: 1-7
Testicular Cancer Awareness Week: 1-7  Link 

Observances for Today

April Fool's Day or All Fools Day
Atheist Day Link
Boomer Bonus Days
International Fun at Work Day

International Tatting Day Link
Library Snap Shot Day
Mule Day  Link
Myles Day
National Soylent Green Day

National Sourdough Bread Day

Poetry & The Creative Mind Day
Reading is Funny Day
Sorry Charlie Day
St. Stupid Day Link
Tater Day ( It's Sweet Potatoes)  Link 
US Air force Academy Day

My Rambling Thoughts

It’s a nice day, but a tad windy for my taste, which is keeping the temperatures a bit lower than I like. No open windows today.

Enjoy your April Fool’s Day. Our newspaper always has a great prank story about locals on this day. Since it’s on Monday this year, no story because our local paper doesn’t print on Monday.

Van Jones, CNN, had a great program on white nationalism last night. One of his points was a fundamental similarity between White Nationalists and ISIS. Both recruit young men who are under-educated, have feelings of non-worth, and are looking for meaning in life. The only answer to stop either appears to be through education. So, it’s time to get busy and improve education throughout the world. Says this retired educator.

PUZZLE OF THE DAY

Answer at the bottom of this page

You are on an island in the middle of a lake. The lake is in a remote part of the country and there has never been a bridge connecting the island to the mainland. Every day a tractor and wagon give hay rides around the island. Puzzled as to how the tractor had gotten onto the island, you ask around and find out that the tractor was not transported to the island by boat or by air. Nor was it built on the island. Explain how the tractor got there?

Today’s Significant Historical Events

1700’s

1748 Ruins of Pompeii rediscovered by Spaniard Rocque Joaquin

de Alcubierre

1778 New Orleans businessman Oliver Pollock creates the "$"

symbol

1800’s

1850 San Francisco County government established

1853 Cincinnati becomes 1st US city to employ fulltime

professional firefighters

1863 1st wartime conscription law in US goes into effect

1889 1st dishwashing machine marketed (Chicago)

1891 The Wrigley Company is founded in Chicago, Illinois.

1900’s

1905 "SOS" first adopted as a morse distress signal (· · · – – – · · ·)

by German government

1924 The Royal Canadian Air Force is formed.

1925 Hebrew University, Jerusalem dedicated

1927 1st automatic record changer introduced by His Master's

Voice

1929 Morehouse College, Spellman College & Atlanta University

affiliate

1938 Nescafé introduces their flagship brand in Switzerland

1939 US recognizes Franco government in Spain at end of

Spanish civil war. Pope Pius XII congratulates

Generalissimo Franco's victory in Spain

1940 Filipino President Quezon officially authorizes the printing

and publication of the grammar and dictionary prepared by

the Institute of the National Language.

1942 Mexico changes from 3 time zones to 2

1945 Battle of Okinawa: US ground forces invade Okinawa during

World War II in the largest amphibious assault of the Pacific

 theatre

1952 Big Bang theory proposed in Physical Review by Alpher,

Bethe & Gamow

1954 US Air Force Academy established

1960 1st weather satellite launched (TIROS 1)

1966 1st world festival of black art (Dakar Senegal)

1967 The United States Department of Transportation begins

operation.

1976 Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs found Apple Computer in the

garage of Jobs' parents house in Cupertino, California

1979 Iran proclaimed an Islamic Republic following fall of Shah

1982 US formally transfers Canal Zone to Panama

1991 US Supreme Court rules jurors cannot be barred from

serving due to race

1992 World's 7 wealthiest nations agree on $24B aid for former

USSR

2000’s

2001 Former president of Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

Slobodan Milošević surrenders to police special forces, to

be tried on charges of war crimes.

2002 The Netherlands legalizes euthanasia, becoming the first

nation in the world to do so.

2004 Google introduces Gmail: the launch is met with skepticism

because of the launch date.

2013 The world’s first smelling TV screen is unveiled in Japan

Birthdays Today

1875 Edgar Wallace,

(d. 1932: @56-double pneumonia)

English novelist, playwright and journalist (The Terror, The Four Just Men) who created King Kong, born in Greenwich, England

1883 Leonidas "Lon" Chaney,

(d. 1930: @47-throat hemmorage) (d. 1992:@87)

American actor nicknamed "the man of a 1000 faces" (High Noon, Phantom of the Opera), born in Colorado Springs, Colorado

1905 Clara "Mother" Hale,

(d. 1992:@87)

US social worker (Hale House)

1932 Debbie Reynolds,

(d. 2016:  @84)

American actress (Kathy Selden-Singin' in the Rain, The Unsinkable Molly Brown), born in El Paso, Texas

1932 Gordon Jump,

(d. 2003: @71-respritory failure)

American actor (Arthur Carlson-WKRP, Growing Pains), born in Dayton, Ohio

1933 Stan Weston,

(d. 2017: @84)

US toy licensing agent, had concept for G.I. Joe, born in Brooklyn, New York

1940 Wangari Maathai,

(d. 2011: @71-cancer)

Kenyan environmentalist and political activist, founder of the Green Belt Movement, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (2004) and Indira Gandhi Peace Prize (2006), born in Ihithe village, Kenya

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80’s

80- Ali MacGraw,

actress (Love Story, Goodbye Columbus)

born in Pound Ridge NY

50’s

57-Susan Boyle,

UK singer

40s

46- Rachel Maddow,

American radio personality and political analyst

Historical Obits Today

70’s

@74-2018 Steven Bochco,

American television showrunner, producer, and writer (Murder in the First, Hill St Blues, LA Law, St Elsewhere, NYPD Blue),

dies of leukemia

50’s

@58-2004 Carrie Snodgress,

American actress (Diary of Mad Housewife),

dies of heart failure

40’s

@48-1917 Scott Joplin,

American ragtime composer (The Entertainer, Maple Leaf Rag),

dies of syphilitic dementia

@45-1950 Charles R. Drew,

American physician and surgeon who pioneered blood plasma

research and developed the blood bank concept,

dies in a car crash

@44-1984 Marvin Gaye,

American singer (Sexual Healing),

shot to death by his father Marvin Gaye Sr in LA

Puzzle answer:

It was driven over in winter, when the lake was frozen.

Mar 31

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Mar 31, 2019 Week: 14 \ Day: 90

86004:   H 50° \ L 23° \ Average Sky Cover: 5% 

Wind:   6mph\Gusts:  7mph Visibility: 10 mi

Nearest wildfire:  564mi. Nearest lightning:  1150mi

Record High: 73°[1966]   Record Low: 3°[1912]

Mar Averages: 51°\23° (6 days with rain)

Today’s Quote

A child tells in the street

what its father and mother say at home.

-- The Talmud

Random Tidbits

The moon's gravity has slowed the speed of Earth's rotation. Long ago, it was much faster and days were much shorter.

The same side of the moon always faces Earth because the moon takes the same length of time to rotate once as it does to travel all way around Earth.

Observances This Week

Lent: 6-4/20

National Cherry Blossom Festival: 20-4/14  

Money Smart Week: 30-4/6

NanoDays: 30-4/7

International Dark Sky Week: 31-4/7 

Observances for Today

Anesthesia Tech Day Link
Bunsen Burner Day
Cesar Chavez Day Link
International Hug A Medielvalist Day
International Transgender Day of Visibility  Link
Mothering Sunday Link
National Crayon Day Link Link
National Oysters on the Half Shell Day

National Clam Day

National Prom Day Link
National "She's Funny That Way" Day
Terri's Day  Link
World Backup Day

My Rambling Thoughts

Cooled off here a bit, so no walking outside today.

My 10+ year old AT&T phone has decided it doesn’t want to take messages anymore. It’s weird because when I get a call and I’m not answering, my phone says, ‘Please leave a message’, but the caller hears ‘This phone has not set up its mailbox feature’. So, I’ll head out and get a new phone with answering machine. Just not today.

Focus Travel Club site is updated. And more pics added to Facebook Focus site. I’m hoping Focus travelers post some good pics and stories on the FB page when a great group heads to Tulip Country. If you go to the FB page, be sure and like it near the top so you can go back to it easily.

Dear 45 with cc to Betsy DeVos:

Special Olympics is more than races and ribbons. The government grants have set up programs in over 6000 schools that have instituted athletic programs that have both special needs and non-special needs athletes on the same team. The grants have provided education at those schools that allow all students to learn more about each other, their strengths and weaknesses, and become friends. The events with special needs athletes competing against other special needs athletes is part of a different section of the organization and that section does not receive federal grants and is funded by private and corporate donations. Both of you need to become more educated before speaking.

PUZZLE OF THE DAY

Answer at the bottom of this page

Which type of cheese is made backwards?

Today’s Significant Historical Events

1700’s

1736 Bellevue Hospital founded in a New York City almshouse –

1st public hospital in the US

1800’s

1831 Quebec & Montreal incorporated

1880 1st town to claim to be completely illuminated by electric

lighting (Wabash, Indiana)

1889 Eiffel Tower officially opens in Paris. Built for the Exposition

Universelle, at 300m high it retains the record for the tallest

man made structure for 41 years.

1900’s

1906 Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States is

founded to set rules in amateur sports; becomes the

National Collegiate Athletic Association in 1910

1931 Brilliant Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne (43) is

killed with 7 others when light plane crashes on trip from

Kansas City to Los Angeles; record 105-12-5 @ .881

remains best ever

1943 Rodgers & Hammerstein's "Oklahoma!" premieres in NYC

1945 Tennessee Williams' "Glass Menagerie" premieres in NYC

1948 US Congress passes Marshall Aid Act to rehabilitate war-

torn Europe

1953 US Department of Health, Education & Welfare established

1968 US President Lyndon B. Johnson announces in an address

to the nation that he will not seek re-election

1968 US President Lyndon B. Johnson authorizes a troop surge in

Vietnam, bringing the total number of US soldiers to a peak

of 549,500

1969 "The New York Times" reviews "Slaughterhouse-Five" by

Kurt Vonnegut on its publication saying ""you'll either love it,

or push it back in the science-fiction corner"

1971 William Calley sentenced to life for Mi Lai Massacre,

released to house arrest one day later, by Pres. Nixon.

Totally free in 1974

1980 President Jimmy Carter deregulates banking industry

1982 Rock group Doobie Brothers split up

1994 The Journal Nature reports the finding in Ethiopia of the first

complete Australopithecus afarensis skull

Birthdays Today

0’s

1596 René Descartes,

(d. 1650:@53: pneumonia)

French philosopher (he thought, therefore he was),

born in Descartes, Indre-et-Loire, France

1685 Johann Sebastian Bach,

(d. 1750:@65)

composer

1840 Benjamin Baker,

(d. 1907: @67)

English civil engineer who designed the bridge over the Firth of Forth, Scotland and the London underground,

born in Frome, England

1914 Octavio Paz

(d. 1998: @84),

Mexican writer/diplomat (Salamandra, Topoemas)

1915 Henry Morgan,

(d. 1994: @79-cancer)

American comedian and TV panelist (I've Got a Secret, Arena),

born in NYC, New York

1922 Patrick Magee [McGee],

(d.1982: @60-heart attack)

Northern Irish actor and director (A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon),

born in Armagh, Northern Ireland

1927 Cesar Chavez,

(d. 1993: @66-natural causes)

American farm labor leader (United Farm Workers),

born in Yuma, Arizona

1929 Liz Claiborne,

(d. 2007: @79-cancer)

American fashion designer, entrepreneur and

founder of Liz Claiborne Inc,

born in Brussels, Belgium

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80’s

84- Herb Alpert,

bandleader/trumpeter (Tijuana Brass)/

CEO (A & M)

70’s

79- Barney Frank,

(Rep-D-MA, 1981-2013)

77- Michael Savage

[Michael A Wiener],

American talk radio host and commentator,

born in The Bronx, New York

76- Christopher [Ronald] Walken,

American actor (The Deer Hunter, Brainstorm),

born in NYC, New York

74- Gabe Kaplan,

American comedian and actor (Welcome Back Kotter),

born in Brooklyn, New York

71- Al Gore,

American politician and environmentalist

(Vice President: 1993-2001),

born in Washington, D.C.

71- Rhea Perlman,

American actress (Zena in Taxi, Carla in Cheers),

born in Brooklyn, New York

60’s

69- Ed Marinaro,

American actor (Joe-Hill St Blues, Sonny-Laverne & Shirley),

born in NYC, New York

40’s

48- Ewan McGregor,

Scottish actor (Trainspotting, Star Wars Episodes I, II, III),

born in Perth, Scotland

Historical Obits Today

90’s

@92-1990 Lillian "Miss" Miller,

audience member (Merv Griffin, Tonight)

80’s

@84-1727 Isaac Newton,

English physicist/astronomer

70’s

@77-1998 Bella Abzug

"Battling Bella", American politician, feminist and activist

(Rep-D-NY, 1970-74),

dies of heart disease

@75-1913 J. P. Morgan, Sr. [John Pierpont],

American financier and philanthropist

(General Electric, Steel Corporation, AT&T),

dies in his sleep

60’s

@66-1980 Jesse Owens,

American athlete (4 Olympic gold 1936),

dies of lung cancer

40’s

@43-1931 Knute Rockne,

American College Football Hall of Fame receiver, coach,

(Notre Dame, 13 National titles),

dies in a plane crash

30’s

@38-1855 Charlotte Brontë,

English novelist (Jane Eyre),

dies of TB

Puzzle answer:

The answer is EDAM.