Dec 4

FYI: Any blue text is a link. Click to check it out!

Dec. 4, 2019 Week: 49  Day:338

86004:   H 50° \ L 30° \ Average Sky Cover: 80%

Nearest active fire:  347mi.  Nearest lightning:  1563mi

Wind:   4mph\Gusts:  5mph  Visibility: 10 mi

Record High: 67°[1965]   Record Low: -4°[1955]

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

Today’s Quote

“Conflict cannot survive without your participation.”

~ Wayne Dyer

Random Tidbits

The "thumbs-up" sign means "good" to Westerners, "one" to Italians, "five" to Japanese, and "up yours" in Greece. In Iran, it represents a penis.

Observances This Week

Thru 12/4

American Sand Sculpting Competition Link

1-7

Cookie Cutter Week Link
National Hand Washing Awareness Week Link  
Recipe Greetings For The Holidays Week
Older Driver Safety Awareness Week  Link  

3-10

Clerc-Gallaudet Week Link

3-24

Andisop (Meterological Fiddling  Link

Observances for Today

National Cookie Day

National Cookie Day Link

National Dice Day

National Package Protection Day Link 

National Sock Day  Link

Rockerfeller Christmas Tree Lighting

Santas' List Day

Special Kids Day Link  

Wear Brown Shoes Day_

World Trick Shot Day 

World Wildlife Conservation Day Link

My Rambling Thoughts

Had a nice lunch at a new location for a great pizza place. Caught up on all the Thanksgiving stories. Big piece of pizza and a huge salad and a drink for $8. Not bad. They had two restrooms, each with a sign that said ‘whoever’ with the typical outline for man, woman, child. Cute.

Looks like another storm is headed this way. A small one with only a couple of inches of snow and some not-so-cold temps. I’m ready, as it should arrive Thursday or Friday.

One more Dem has dropped out, let’s see that leaves only a couple thousand. Interesting spat live with France (Macron) & US (Trump) at NATO. Nothing ever changes.

Today’s Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of this page

Name the most recent year in which New Year's came before Christmas.

Last Year       This Year       Next Year       Every Year   

Historical Events

1674 - In what is now Chicago, Father Jacques Marquette founded a mission on the shores of Lake Michigan to minister to the Illiniwek Indians.

1791 - The first edition of The Observer, the world's first Sunday newspaper, was published in London.

1875 - New York City politician Boss Tweed escaped from prison.

1881 - The Los Angeles Times began publication.

1915 Henry Ford's peace ship, Oscar II, sails for Europe 'to get the boys out of the trenches by Christmas'

1917 - "Shell Shock" was introduced as psychological trauma for war veterans.

1921 - The first Virginia Rappe manslaughter trial against Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle ended in a hung jury. (It was a horrible accident that also ended his career.)

1933 FDR creates Federal Alcohol Control Administration

1943 - Major League Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis announced that any club was free to employ black players.

1945 - The Senate approved the participation of the United States in the UN. The United Nations began several weeks earlier, on October 24, 1945.

1952 - Starting today, and over the course of the next several days, Smog (severe air pollution) killed over 4,000 people in London.

1954 - #1 Hit: The Chordettes - Mr. Sandman

1956 - The Million Dollar Quartet (Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash) got together at Sun Studio. The recordings were released in 1981 and 1990.

1961 Museum of Modern Art hangs Matisse's Le Bateau upside down for 47 days

1961 The female contraceptive 'pill' becomes available on the National Health Service in Britain

1965 - #1 Hit: The Byrds - Turn! Turn! Turn!

1971 - #1 Hit: Sly and the Family Stone - Family Affair

1971 - A fire broke out at the Montreux Casino during a Frank Zappa concert; this event was the inspiration for Deep Purple's iconic rock anthem Smoke on the Water

1973 - NASA's Pioneer 10 reached Jupiter.

1977 Jean-Bédel Bokassa crowns himself Emperor of the Central African Empire in a lavish ceremony costing US$20 million - one third of the nation's budget

1980 - Led Zeppelin officially disbanded, following the death of drummer John Bonham on September 25th.

1981 - Falcon Crest premiered on CBS.

1981 - Reds premiered in theaters. Warren Beatty wrote, directed and starred in the film.

1981 Reagan Executive Order on Intelligence (No 12333) that allows CIA to engage in domestic counter-intelligence

1991 - Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) ceased operations.

1992 Somali Civil War: President George H. W. Bush orders 28,000 US troops to Somalia

2009 - American Amanda Knox was convicted of murdering her British roommate, Meredith Kercher, in Italy. (it was later overturned)

2010 - #1 Hit: Rihanna - Only Girl (In the World)

2014 - Peter Pan Live! aired on NBC.

2017 US Supreme Court allows President Trump's travel ban to come into effect for 6 mostly Muslim countries

2018 French President Emmanuel Macron drops controversial rise in fuel tax after three weeks of mass protests

Birthdays Today

@90 - Charles Keating, American lawyer and financier

(died in 2014)

@79 - Claude Renoir, French cinematographer

(died in 1993)

86 – Winston ‘Wink’ Martindale, American game show host

82 - Max Baer, Jr., American actor (The Beverly Hillbillies)

83 - Freddy Cannon, American singer (Palisades Park)

70 - Jeff Bridges, American actor

55 - Marisa Tomei, American actress

53 - Fred Armisen, American actor and musician

50 - Jay Z , Shawn Corey Carter American rapper, producer,

co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records

46 - Tyra Banks, American model and producer

@39 - Dennis Wilson, American singer-songwriter,

drummer, cofounder of Beach Boys

(died in 1983; drowning)

Puzzle answer:

This Year