Nov 28

 

‘Tis the Season

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Nov 28, 2020  Week: 48 Day: 333	Local:  H 39°\ L 20°\Average Sky Cover: 5%
Wind:   8mph\Gusts:  13mph	Nearest lightning:  887mi.; active fire:  59mi
Moderate Risk of Fire	Visibility:  10mi
Record: 68°[1968]   Record: -3°[1905]	Nov Averages: 53°\23° (3 days with moisture)

 

Today’s  Quote

Well, there's not a day goes by when

I don't get up and say thank you to somebody.

Rod Stewart

 

Random Tidbits

Thanksgiving Eve is the largest 'bar night' of the year. Not only do towns see an increase in population (mostly college students heading home to see their families for the vacation) but there's a built-in hangover day on Thanksgiving--complete with lots of comfort food. It also comes without the high price-tag of nights like New Years Eve where more places charge higher cover fees to take part in the revelry.

Many people trace the origins of the modern Thanksgiving Day to the harvest celebration that the Pilgrims held in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621. However, their first true thanksgiving was in 1623, when they gave thanks for rain that ended a drought. These early thanksgivings took the form of a special church service, rather than a feast.  

 

A little humor

If you're sitting in public and a stranger takes the seat next to you, just stare straight ahead and say, "Did you bring the money?"

 

True Things

Four Radnor Township college students who ordered fake IDs from China made a cringe-worthy blunder. Police said an 18-year-old college student named Dean ordered a box of fake IDs and had them shipped to his campus address. What the student probably didn't think about was he shared the same name with a dean at his school. The package was delivered to the administrator, who open the box and found eight realistic-looking IDs, one complete with the student's real name. "You can't make this up," Radnor Police Superintendent William Colarulo told the Philadelphia Inquirer. Police linked the fake IDs to four 18-year-old men but would not identify the men or the college. Local schools include Villanova University, Cbrini College, Eastern University and Valley Forge Military Academy and College. Police tracked the package to Guangzhou, China, and said it is part of a larger problem with fraudulent identification. The cards are easy to get and can be used for far more than sneaking into bars. There are many people who use these to commit forgery or credit card fraud," police Lt. Chris Flanagan said. The students are not facing criminal charges but have been referred to their parents and may face school sanctions.

 

Observations This Week

Nat’l Seat Belt Reinforcement Week: 9-29 Link	Church/State Separation Week: 22-28   GERD Awareness Week: 22-28  Link
Nat’l Bible Week: 22-29  Nat’l Family Week: 22-28	Nat’l Game & Puzzle Week: 22-28
American Sand Sculpting Competition: 19-28/Link  Cancelled in 2020.	Better Conversation Week: 23-28

 

Observations for Today

Electronic Greeting Card Day
International Aura Awareness Day

Make Your Own Head Day

National French Toast Day

Red Planet Day

Rockerfeller Christmas Tree Lighting

Small Business Saturday

 

My Rambling Thoughts

I had a quiet Thanksgiving, but it was nice. Turkey turned out great, as did the fixins I prepared. Had good conversations with some friends, also not socializing in person. In Navajo, Thanksgiving is called Keshmish Yazhi’ which translates to ‘Little Christmas’. For many Natives attending Boarding School, this was the first time they could go home after arriving in August.

I had planned to stay home on Black Friday, but this morning I really wanted a couple of the Home Depot Poinsettia that are only $1.98 each. When I got home after that quick trip, I put away all the fall decorations and placed the two plants on my electric fireplace mantle.

SCOTUS ruled against Gov. Cuomo on the number allowed at religious services due to Covid. Catholics and Jews had filed a lawsuit saying it was contrary to the Constitution. I certainly hope that services do not become super-spreaders that will cause harm to many. I am not a lawyer, nor do I wish to be, but I do know that a Pardon by the President means the offender is guilty and is receiving a pardon for that action.

I’ve been reading about Newsmax, a conservative TV news program. They are gaining lots of viewers after Trump got mad at Fox. Turns out it is one of the channels from my cable provider. After the hoopla, I checked it out for a little while at various times over the last three days. It certainly seems to have only conservative guests, it is a big Trump supporter, and seems to ridicule anything or anyone that doesn’t agree with their position. I guess everyone likes to hear and see what they like which explains the Cartoon Network and other cable channels.  

 

Today’s Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of the page

What is seen in the middle of March and April that can’t be seen at the beginning or end of either month?

 

Historical Events

1660 – The Royal Society, a scientific academy, was founded at Gresham College, London.

1717 – Blackbeard attacked a French merchant vessel called La Concorde, which he captured and renamed as the Queen Anne’s Revenge.

1895 – America’s first auto race started: 6 cars, 55 miles, the winner averaged 7 MPH, from Chicago’s Jackson Park to Evanston, Illinois.

1925 – The Grand Ole Opry made its (weekly) radio debut on station WSM, in Nashville, Tennessee.

1907 – In Haverhill, Massachusetts, scrap-metal dealer Louis B. Mayer opened his first movie theater, The Orpheum. It was a renovated 600 seat burlesque house.

1922 – The first skywriting in the US was demonstrated over Times Square, New York City, by Capt. Cyril Turner of the Royal Air Force. Flying at 10,000 feet, he wrote letters in white smoke a half-mile high: Hello, U.S.A. Call Vanderbilt 7200. It was an advertisement for the American Tobacco Company.

1934 – Infamous bank robber George “Baby Face” Nelson was killed by FBI agents near Barrington, Illinois.

1948 – The Polaroid Land Camera went on sale, at a Boston department store. The 40 series, model 95 roll film camera sold for $89.75.

1975 – As the World Turns and The Edge of Night aired their last ‘live’ episodes, switching to pre-recorded programs.

1994 – Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer died of injuries received after he was attacked by other prisoners while cleaning a prison toilet. Or maybe one other prisoner. ‘Nobody saw nothin’, it was reported.

1995 – President Bill Clinton ended the federal 55 mph speed limit that began in 1974, as an energy-saving measure.

2001 – Enron Corporation, once the world’s largest energy trader, covering major electricity, natural gas, communications, pulp, and paper, and with over 20,000 employees, essentially went out of business.

2012, not a single murder, shooting, stabbing, or other incidents of violent crime in NYC was reported for an entire day.

2016 "Hamilton" sets new record for most money earned in a week on Broadway - $3.3 million

2019 Zimbabwe on the brink of man-made starvation according to the UN

2019 European parliament declares a climate emergency

 

Birthdays Today

91 – Berry Gordy, Jr., American songwriter and producer (founded Motown Records)

84 – Gary Hart, American lawyer, and politician

77 – Randy Newman, American Singer/Songwriter, and composer

@70 – Hope Lange, American actress (d. 2003; intestinal infection)

@69 – William Blake, English poet (d.1827)

68 – S. Epatha Merkerson, American actress (Law and Order)

61 – Judd Nelson, American actor (The Breakfast Club)

58 – Jon Stewart, American comedian, and TV host

@39 – Anna Nicole Smith, model, actress, television personality (d. 2007)

 

Puzzle Answer

The letter “R.”

Enjoy the Holiday