Dec 16

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Dec. , 2019 Week: 51  Day:

86004:   H 41° \ L 28° \ Average Sky Cover: 99%

snow flurries

Nearest lightning:  1920mi

Nearest active fire:  468mi.  

Wind:   4mph\Gusts:  9mph  Visibility: 10 mi

Record High: 63°[1958]   Record Low: -18°[1971]

Dec. Averages: 44°\17° (5 days with moisture)

Today’s Quote

“Old age is not as honorable as death,

but most people want it.”

Crow

~ Native American Proverb

Random Tidbits

An archaeologist discovered a 5,000-year-old brewery in China

Kicking back with a pint isn't as modern as you might think. In 2016, archaeologists in the Central Plain of China discovered "beer-making tool kits" in underground rooms that were built between 3400 and 2900 B.C. The equipment included funnels, pots, jugs, and a pottery stove. Scientists used the residue they found inside of the tools to deduce the 5,000-year-old beer recipe, which they published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciences.

Observances This Week

3-24

Andisop (Meterological Fiddling)  Link

10-17

Human Rights Week

14-1/5

Christmas Bird Count Week Link 

14-28

Halcyon Days 

(Always 7 days before and 7 days after the Winter Solstice)

15-21

Gluten-free Baking Week Link 

Observances for Today

Barbie and Barney Backlash Day
National Chocolate-covered Anything Day Link
Zionism Day

My Rambling Thoughts

Woke up to some clouds, now it is overcast and there are snow flurries. Looks pretty winter-y out there. Makes it a good day to organize Christmas presents for Mexico and get cards ready to mail to Chicago In-Laws. Forgot to pick up cash for the niece and nephew, but will do that tomorrow morning before mailing the cards.

My wish for the new year: Everybody, especially politicians, learn to get along. I am so tired of this bipolar world of politics. If we don’t unite soon, our country is destined to remain in turmoil until the election in November at the earliest. I really don’t want another year of this political chaos. Last night I watched a documentary on the Clinton impeachment. I was working 8-10 hours a day and only followed it with the Evening news. Lots more controversy than I remember. Now that I’m retired, I have way too much time at home when I listen to CNN. I’m going to break that habit when I get back from Mexico.

I finally got my mail hold in place with USPS. I couldn’t do squat on the site using IE, but when I switched to Chrome, everything worked fine. Crazy technology. All that is left now is notifying my bank so my cards will work, and hopefully getting some Pesos from the bank before I leave.

The Broncos game is only on my internet, it never looked so good for them. I can watch the Cards game, but don’t expect anything spectacular from them either.

Today’s Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of this page

What do you get if you divide 14 by 1/2 ?

Historical Events

1653 Parliamentarian General Oliver Cromwell appointed as Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland

1707 (Eruption) The last recorded eruption of Mount Fuji in Japan.

1777 - Virginia becomes the first state to ratify the Articles of Confederation.

1811 (Earthquake) An 8.6 magnitude earthquake hit the United States, the largest in our history. The area affected included: Missouri, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Arkansas. Amazingly, no people were killed.

1835 - Great Fire of New York City. Over 600 buildings were destroyed.

1884 - The first US patent (#309,219) was issued for an automatic liquid vending machine to William H. Fruen of Minneapolis, MN. People could get a measured amount of a liquid for coin payment.

1893 - Czech composer Antonin Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 in E Minor From the New World was performed at Carnegie Hall. The music had African roots, and the piece greatly influenced the American musical landscape for the next century.

1907 As a gesture of the US's new presence as a world power, President Theodore Roosevelt sends the 'Great White Fleet' on a round-the-world cruise, visiting ports internationally

1912 -The world's first stamp to depict an airplane was issued in the US, available at Post Offices on January 1, 1912.

1920 (Earthquake) Haiyuan County, Ningxia, China

1921 The Anglo-Irish Treaty, agreed to by the British Parliament and Sinn Fein, is ratified 1944 - Attacking the Allies in northern France through northwestern Belgium, Hitler's army started the Operation Mist (aka Ardennes Offensive or the Battle of the Bulge).

1946 French fashion designer Christian Dior and his backer Marcel Boussac found fashion house Christian Dior

1953 1st White House Press Conference (President Eisenhower & 161 reporters)

 1968 -Second Vatican Council: Officially revoked of the 1492 Edict of Expulsion of Jews from Spain.

1972 - #1 Hit: Billy Paul - Me and Mrs. Jones

1983 - Silkwood and Uncommon Valor debuted in theaters.

1988 - Rain Man, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Torch Song Trilogy were released in theaters.

2006 - #1 Hit: Beyonce - Irreplaceable

2009 Ben Bernanke, Chair of the US Federal Reserve is named Time's Person of the Year for rescuing the global economy from the Great Recession

2016 US State Department increases reward for information on Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to $25 million

Birthdays Today

@91 - Arthur C. Clarke, British science fiction writer (2001: Space Odyssey) (died in 2008)

78 - Lesley Stahl, American journalist

@76 - Margaret Mead, American anthropologist and author

     (died in 1978; pancreatic cancer)

@73 - Noël Coward, UK actor, playwright, and composer (died in 1973; heart failure)

73 - Benny Andersson, Swedish singer-songwriter, ABBA

@56 - Ludwig van Beethoven, composer

     (died in 1827; damaged liver)

@50 - Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII’s first wife

        (died in 1536)

58 - Shane Black, American actor, director, and

       Screenwriter

56 - Benjamin Bratt, American actor

@41 - Jane Austen, Novelist

       (died in 1817; Addison’s Disease)

38 - Krysten Ritter, American actress

Puzzle answer:

14/1 x 2/1 = 28/1 or 28.