Nov 23

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Nov. 23, 2019 Week: 47  Day: 237

86004:   H 45° \ L 13° \ Average Sky Cover: 15%

Nearest active fire:  929mi.  Nearest lightning:  219mi

Wind:   1mph\Gusts:  2mph  Visibility: 10 mi

Record High: 69°[1954]   Record Low: -4°[1931]

Nov. Averages: 53°\23° (3 days with moisture)

Today’s Quote

“A lie doesn’t become truth,

wrong doesn’t become right,

and evil doesn’t become good

just because it’s accepted by a majority.”

~ Rick Warren

Random Tidbits

Under the 70 years of Russian communist rule, historians estimate anywhere from 12.5 to 20 million or more Russians died from execution, famine, and imprisonment.

Russia is the 4th largest consumer of alcohol per capita in the world after Moldova, Czech Republic, and Hungary. Russians drink about 5 gallons of pure alcohol per year.

Observances This Week

19-26

National Farm-City Week

21-28

International Games Week
Church/State Separation Week
GERD Awareness Week Link
National Bible Week
National Family Week
National Game & Puzzle Week
World Karaoke Championships Link

23-28

Better Conversation Week

Observances for Today

Doctor Who Day
Eat a Cranberry Day

Fibonacci Day Link
International Image Consultant Day
National Adoption Day

National Cashew Day

National Espresso Day Link
National Survivors of Suicide Day Link  Link
Old Clem's Night  Link

My Rambling Thoughts

This last storm brought us about 4” of snow, with most melted by the intermittent rain. A decent amount of moisture, so no complaints.

It is so hard to watch the Hong Kong mess. I was there a few years ago, and it is an amazing city.

The US-Mexico border is certainly a hot topic with most politicians since Trump took over. What many politicians don’t seem to remember is that these are human beings trying to make a better life for themselves and their families. I don’t want drugs to be brought across the border. I don’t want murderers, rapists, or smugglers crossing the border. On my recent drive to Denver, NPR had a story about a man and his son who crossed the border, applied for asylum from the gang violence in their home country. They were sent back across the border with a pile of papers to stay in the Mexico border town until a court date was set. Turns out the American border agents take their shoelaces off their shoes, release that days ‘catch’ at 1p everyday to walk back across a legal border crossing. They are then in a very seedy area. The two were kidnapped, along with others by a cartel. The cartel then called the sister of the father, who lives in NYC, demanding $8000 each to release them. After many days she scraped together a total of $2400 and sent it to the bank in Mexico the cartel told her to. The two were released, without their paperwork, given a secret password, in case they were kidnapped again, and dropped of at a seedy bus station in the same town. The father said he believed that in the van after the kidnapping just drove around and around for several hours and took them to a holding house in that same town. The father then decided to return to his home country, rather than trying to get his paperwork again. This is a common story since Trump decided to send them back to wait for a court date. This is not the America I grew up and have lived in.

I’ve talked about replacing my mattress for almost a year. Today became the day I did something…mostly because of the great sleep I had at the Marriott in Loveland. There are two stores in town that sell and deliver mattresses. I headed out this morning to look. Turns out, full size mattresses are not that popular. The first store had two nice mattresses, one was $1500, the other was $1300 without a foundation, that could be set up on the 14^th of December. I have always had and innerspring mattress with box springs. I learned that a foundation is the new term for box springs. The other store was much more what I wanted. I got an innerspring hybrid mattress, foundation, and delivery on Dec. 7 for $750. Happy I found one, not overjoyed that I have to wait until the 7^th, but I’ve slept on my current mattress for about 20 years, so 2 more weeks isn’t really that big a deal. It gives me time to rearrange my back room, remove the cheap futon I have for a guest bed, and get ready to set up the upstairs bed in the back room. The one I have in my bedroom is fine for a guest for a night or two, just not for every night.

Today’s Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of this page

In a textile factory, 5 machines take exactly 5 minutes to make 5 shirts. How many minutes will it take 100 machines to produce 100 shirts?

Historical Events

1644 - John Milton published Areopagitica, a pamphlet decrying censorship.

1874 - A paper by Ferdinand Braun was published in the Annalen der Physik und Chemie describing his discovery of the electrical rectifier effect, the first semi-conductor.

1889 - Debut of the first jukebox, the 'nickel-in-the-slot phonograph', at the Palais Royale Saloon, San Francisco. It could only be loaded with one cylinder (song) at a time.

1897 - The patent (#594,114) for a hand-cranked pencil sharpener was granted to John Lee Love of Fall River, Massachusetts.

1924 - Edwin Hubble's discovery that the Andromeda Nebula was actually another island universe (galaxy) far outside of our own was first published in The New York Times.

1936 - Originally started in 1883, Life magazine was shifted into a picture magazine by Time magazine's Henry R Luce. Prior to that is was a humor and general interest magazine.

1963 - #1 Hit: Dale & Grace - I'm Leaving It Up to You

1963 - The first episode of the BBC's Doctor Who premiered. 'Doctor Who' is not his name - we don't know it. He is simply 'The Doctor.'

1969 - The Rolling Stones made their final appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, singing featured the songs Gimme Shelter,Love In Vain and Honky Tonk Woman.

1974 - #1 Hit: Billy Swan - I Can Help

1975 - NBC joined Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (in progress) at the conclusion of an overtime NFL game. Kids missed about 45 minutes of the film.

1980 (Earthquake) Conza, Italy - estimated 3,000 people were killed.

1982 - Terms of Endearment was released in US theaters.

1991 - #1 Hit: Michael Bolton - When A Man Loves A Woman

1991 - Freddie Mercury confirmed that he has AIDS the day before he died.

1992 - The first 'smartphone', the IBM Simon, was introduced at COMDEX in Las Vegas, Nevada.

1993 - The Food Network made its debut.

2002 - The Miss World contest was forced to relocate to London from Abuja after riots by Islamic extremists opposed to the contest left more than 100 people dead and hundreds injured in Nigeria.

2005 Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, is elected president of Liberia, the first woman to lead an African country

2014 Republicans condemn US President Obama's use of executive powers to force through immigration reform

2015 - Blue Origin’s New Shepard space vehicle became the first rocket to successfully fly to space and then return to Earth for a controlled, vertical landing.

Birthdays Today

@81 – Boris Karloff, English actor

(died in 1969)

@75 – Harpo Marx, American comedian and musician

(died in 1964; heart failure)

69 - Charles Schumer, American Politician

@65 – Franklin Pierce, American general, lawyer, and

politician, 14th President of the United States

(died in 1869; cirrhosis)

65 - Bruce Hornsby, American singer/ songwriter

59 - Robin Roberts, American journalist

53 - Steve Harvey, American comedian and show host

49 - Zoë Ball, English radio and television host

35 - Lucas Grabeel, American actor

32 - Nicole Polizzi (aka Snooki), American reality TV star

27 – Miley Cyrus, American Singer/Songwriter and actress

@21 - Henry McCarty (aka Billy The Kid), American outlaw

(died in 1881; shot)

Puzzle answer:

5 minutes. It takes each machine 5 minutes to make a shirt, so if you have all 100 machines running at the same time, they’ll produce the 100 shirts in 5 minutes.