5 days so far this year…360 days remain in 2010
►Provocative Quote
"The attacker must vanquish; the defender need only survive."
~unknown
►Free Ramblings
The country I learned about today: it has a 40% unemployment rate, it currently has 23 million people but has the highest birth rate in the world with women having an average of six children, it is about the size of California, it is a Presidential republic with a bicameral legislature, almost 20% of the population lives on less than $1.75US/day, the current country, divided for centuries, became united in the 1990’s, 46% of the population is under 15 years old and 2.7% is over 65, almost 175,000 refugees have moved in—leaving their native country’s turmoil, there are 3 doctors/10,000 people and 6.1 hospital beds per 10,000 people with a life expectancy of 63.7 years, and while compulsory education is the law, the literacy rate is 35% for females and 67% for males.
As we close down our Embassy in Yemen, I realized that I knew nothing about the country and probably could not find it on a map of Africa. It is no wonder that Yemen is another hide out and a recruiting stronghold for terrorists. Youth are always looking for something better, especially when they are living in poverty. Promises sound so good. Action sounds better. It is very easy to paint a world of black and white, with no grays. It is much easier to get youth to fight for a better world for themselves and their families. Yemaen has all the necessary criteria.
As the US and other countries attempt to destroy terrorists in one or two countries, of course the terrorists are going to look for greener pastures. They are terrorist, not idiots. Our foreign policy makers need to stop being shocked when terrorist cells pop up in poverty stricken countries; we need to be there first offering education, and support. The Underwear Bomber, living in the US, born in Nigeria, and trained in Yemen, has shown us again, that youth can sure be vulnerable to radical teachings.
I ran into an old friend today. We had a nice visit in the aisle at Target. His daughter was on a T-ball team I coached back in the 70’s. She is visiting from Mexico. She and her husband moved there last year. They have a house about 45 min from Mexico City. Turns out, it is violent and scary down there just like the newspapers say. She says daytime is fine, but can’t go out after dark. Her in-laws live there and are not in good health, thus their move from the Sunnyside neighborhood to a more dangerous place. Dad is still working for Coco County as a Youth Detention Officer. He is 57 and eligible to retire. He figures the cuts in our state budget will force him out and he will get a better deal. Good luck with that.
Flagstaff had good weather today. We made it to 48° under a clear sky and little breeze. A good day to be out and about. Last night remained in the double digits—only dropped to 16°. Spring must be just around the corner.
►Quotes from Values.com—LIVE LIFE
“Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first.”
~Ernestine Ulmer - Writer
►Unusual News
WARREN, Mich. - Police in Michigan said a man with a 5-inch knife lodged in his chest walked into a restaurant, called 911, ordered coffee and sat down to wait for paramedics. Warren police said the 52-year-old man told the 911 operator he had been stabbed in Warren and walked half a mile to Bray's Hamburgers in Hazel Park to use the telephone, WDIV-TV, Detroit, reported Tuesday. Restaurant employees said the man then sat down and ordered a coffee while waiting for the ambulance. "It was like out of a movie," said George Mirdita, an employee at the restaurant. "It kind of freaked us all out here. Then, the customers realized it and they were all turning their heads in disgust." Police said the man, who told officers he was stabbed by a mugger for refusing to hand over money, was treated for his injury and is expected to make a full recovery.
►Random Fact
Jellyfish are 94-98% water
§ Interesting Statistics
*Note: I realize that statistics can be made to say just about anything.
~19% more US households planted gardens in 2009 than in 2008.
~62% of gardeners say the economic situation figured into their planting.
§ January Month Long Observances
Birthstone: Garnet …Flower: Carnation
Book Blitz Month * Bath Safety Month * Birth Defects Month * California Dried Plum Digestive Month * Celebration of Life Month * Cervical Cancer Screening Month * Financial Wellness Month * High Tech Month * International Creativity Month * International Quality of Life Month * International Wayfinding Month * International Wealth Mentality Month * National Be On-Purpose Month * National Bird Feeding Month * National Clean Up Your Computer Month * National Get Organized Month * National Glaucoma Awareness Month * National Hot Tea Month * National Mail Order Gardening Month * National Mentoring Month * National Personal Self-Defense Awareness Month * National Poverty in America Awareness Month * National Radon Action Month * National Skating Month * National Soup Month * National Volunteer Blood Donor Month * Oatmeal Month * Rising Star Month * Self-help Group Awareness Month * Senior Women’s Travel Month * Shape Up US Month * Thyroid Awareness Month
§ Observance Weeks in January
Celebration of Life Week: 1-7
Diet Resolution Week: 1-7
National Lose Weight/Feel Great Week: 1-8
Someday We'll Laugh About This Week: 2-9
Home Office Safety and Security Week: 3-9
Women's Self Empowerment Week: 4-10
§ 5 January Observances—US/UN/World
International Migratory Bird Day (since 1905)
Bean Day: to celebrate the bean in your diet
§ 5 January Observances—by country
Glastonbury, Somerset England: Glastonbury Thorn Day According to tradition, following the crucifixion of Jesus, St Joseph of Arimathea was driven from his home and began a journey of conversion. He traveled to Glastonbury in an attempt to bring Christianity to the Britons. Joseph was the owner of the tomb in which Jesus Christ's body lay from Good Friday till the third day, Easter.
Upon their arrival and tired from the journey, he and his 12 companions laid down to rest. As he did so, he thrust his staff into the hill. When he woke up, the staff had taken root and begun to grow. It flowers every Christmas and every spring. This became the site of the Glastonbury Abbey.
It is said that the original thorn was cut down by a Puritan soldier in 1653 and was blinded when struck in the eye by a splinter.
► Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1825---Alexandre Dumas pare fights his 1st duel; his pants fall down
►Who was born on this day?
~ The Arts
Robert L Bernstein in 1923 - publisher (Random House
Jeanne Dixon in 1918 - psychic (Gift of Prophecy)
Robert Duvall in 1931 - Academy Award-winning actor
Diane Keaton in 1946 - actress
Marilyn Manson [Brian Hugh Warner] in 1969 - singer/musician
George Reeves [George Lescher Bessolo], in 1914 - actor (Superman)
~Athletics
Walter Davis in 1931 - running high jumper (Olympics-gold-1952)
Alex (Alexander) English in 1954 - Basketball Hall of Fame (Bucks, Pacers, Nuggets, Mavericks)
~Business, Education, Politics
Stephen Decatur in 1779 - U.S. naval officer: “Our country right or wrong.”
Walter Fritz Mondale in 1928 - 42nd Vice President
Zebulon Montgomery Pike in 1779 - explorer (Pike's Peak)
~Science/Religion
DeWitt B Brace in 1859 - inventor (spectrophotometer) measures light waves
Joseph Erlanger in 1874 - doctor (shock therapy-Nobel 1944)
Kathleen Kenyon in 1906 - 1st person to place date on remains of Jericho
►Who Died on this day?
Sonny Bono in 1998 (Representative-CA)/singer - skiing @ 62
Max Born German/British physicist in 1970 (Nobel 1954), @ 87
George Washington Carver in 1943 agricultural scientist @ 81
Hans Conried in 1982 actor (Bullwinkle Show, Make Room for Daddy) –heart disease @ 64
Calvin Coolidge in 1933 30th President – heart attack @ 60
"Pistol Pete" Mavarich in 1988 NBA- heart attack @ 40
St John Nepomucene Neumann in 1860 1st male US saint, stroke @ 48
Thomas P "Tip" O'Neill in 1994 Speaker of House @ 81
►What happened on this day?
1776---Assembly of New Hampshire adopts its 1st state constitution
1834---Kiowa Indians record this as the night the stars fell
1852---One in a series of treaties with California Indians is signed today at Temecula. The treaty is to set aside land and to protect the San Luis Rey Indians from Europeans.
1896---German physicist Wilhelm Roentgen's discovers x-rays
1905---National Association of Audubon Society incorporates
1919---National Socialist Party (Nazi) forms as German Farmers Party
1933---Work is started on The Golden Gate Bridge across the San Francisco Bay
1940---The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) got its very first demonstration of FM radio.
1945---Kamikaze or Suicide Bombers begin attacks At Okinawa, they sank 30 ships and killed almost 5,000 Americans.
1968---Dr Benjamin Spock indicted for conspiring to violate draft law
1975---The Broadway premiere of The Wiz
1993--The Liberian registered tanker MV Braer carrying 85,000 tons of crude oil has run aground in hurricane force winds off the Shetland Islands and large amounts of crude oil are spilling into the North Sea which could cause an ecological disaster in the area.
►Rhyme & Reason Puzzle
Answer the following clue in two rhyming words (e.g. an obese feline is a fat cat) If only one number is given, the answer is a word featuring internal rhyme (e.g. voodoo)
1. a hug during the close on-field football conference (6,6):
2. inept (5,3):
3. regal head-dress for the circus funny man (5,5):
4. colleague-anxiety (4,4):
5. altitude of the flying toy (4,6):
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ANSWERS
1. a hug during the close on-field football conference (6,6): huddle cuddle
2. inept (5,3): skill nil
3. regal head-dress for the circus funny man (5,5): clown crown
4. colleague-anxiety (4,4): peer fear
5. altitude of the flying toy (4,6): kite height
Monday
4 days so far this year…361 days remain in 2010
►Provocative Quote
"The best way to keep your friends is not to give them away."
~Wilson Mizner, playwright
►Free Ramblings
Elephants in Africa are being slaughtered by poachers. Every place we stayed in Botswana and South Africa had camo-ed out armed guards who spent their days and nights walking the area, looking for poachers. The poachers want nothing but the ivory. They kill the elephant, remove the tusks, and leave the rest. All of that was very disturbing. I just watched an amazing story on 60 Minutes about elephant communication. Many are studying the sounds they make. It was obvious in Africa that the elephants are very social and it is not surprising that their noises were really communication. What was fascinating in the 60 Minutes story is that it has just been learned, within the last 5 years, that there is a whole range of sub-vocalization that we never knew about. The largest land mammal, like the whale, communicate through sounds that humans cannot hear. Fascinating study. It will take decades for us to figure out this new communication. A group from Cornell has already started an Elephant Dictionary for the sounds we can hear. Now they are using technology to add the sounds we can’t hear to this dictionary. Man knows so little about the animals we share this planet with. Science continues to learn more and more, while others look only at the profit motive.
While my football teams were both getting wiped out, I worked on the ice on my front sidewalk. Slowly I am getting through it. It is all drippings off the roof, which freeze and make a thick hump that even ice-melt can’t break up easily. I also made it to the car wash to get the chemicals off the paint on my ride. So I am just about ready for the next snow storm. A clean car and a clean sidewalk should do the trick. The weatherman doesn’t predict any snow for the next seven days. We will have to see if my clean car will change all that weather forecast stuff.
It did drop to 9° last night, and only warmed up to 40° today. The 20mph breeze kept it a little cooler than I like, but not enough to keep me inside.
►Quotes from Values.com—LIVE LIFE
“A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.”
~Maya Angelou Poet, Dancer, Producer, Playwright, Director, Author
►Unusual News
BOSTON - A Boston mother said her frustration at her 14-year-old son's late night video game playing led her to call police emergency for help in speaking to him. Angela Mejia, 49, said she has been concerned about the amount of time her son spends playing games in the violent "Grand Theft Auto" series and her frustration reached a head when she found him playing at 2:30 a.m. Saturday, hours after he had been instructed to go to bed, the Boston Herald reported. "I woke up in the middle of the night and saw the light on in his bedroom," she said. Mejia said she and her son engaged in an argument that culminated with her unplugging his PlayStation and calling 911. "I called (police) because if you don't respect your mother, what are you going to do in your life?" she said. The mother said police officers responded and were able to convince her son to call it a night. "They (police) were just like, 'Chill out. Go to bed,'" the boy said.
►Random Fact When young and impoverished, Pablo Picasso kept warm by burning his own paintings.
§ Interesting Statistics
*Note: I realize that statistics can be made to say just about anything.
~30 states in the US have laws that require children to pay for the medical care of indigent parents.
~At least 2 states have Nursing Homes that have used these laws to sue children for non-paying residents.
§ January Month Long Observances Birthstone: Garnet …Flower: Carnation
Book Blitz Month * Bath Safety Month * Birth Defects Month * California Dried Plum Digestive Month * Celebration of Life Month * Cervical Cancer Screening Month * Financial Wellness Month * High Tech Month * International Creativity Month * International Quality of Life Month * International Wayfinding Month * International Wealth Mentality Month * National Be On-Purpose Month * National Bird Feeding Month * National Clean Up Your Computer Month * National Get Organized Month * National Glaucoma Awareness Month * National Hot Tea Month * National Mail Order Gardening Month * National Mentoring Month * National Personal Self-Defense Awareness Month * National Poverty in America Awareness Month * National Radon Action Month * National Skating Month * National Soup Month * National Volunteer Blood Donor Month * Oatmeal Month * Rising Star Month * Self-help Group Awareness Month * Senior Women’s Travel Month * Shape Up US Month * Thyroid Awareness Month
§ Observance Weeks in JanuaryCelebration of Life Week: 1-7
Diet Resolution Week: 1-7
National Lose Weight/Feel Great Week: 1-8
Someday We'll Laugh About This Week: 2-9
Home Office Safety and Security Week: 3-9
Women's Self Empowerment Week: 4-10
§ 3 January Observances—US/UN/WorldTrivia Day and Humiliation Day
Dimpled Chad Day
Pop Music Chart Day
“Thank God It's Monday" Day
Utah: Admission Day (1896)
World Braille Day
World Hypnotism Day
§ 3 January Observances—by country
Burma (Myanmar): Independence Day (from UK-1948)
Sri Lanka: Tamil Thai Pongal Day: To give thanks to farmers, farm animals and the spirits of nature for a fruitful year.
Nigeria: Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP): Indigenous Tribe in their struggle for ethnic and environmental rights mainly against Shell Oil in the 1990’s.
Zaïre: Martyrs' Day: Honoring Martyrs of Independence from Belgium in 1960.
► Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1915…1st elected Jewish Governor, Moses Alexander, takes office in Idaho ►Who was born on this day?
~ The Arts
Charles Stratton [General Tom Thumb] in 1838-3’ dwarf with PT Barnum
Jesse [Marc Weidenfeld] White in 1917-actor (Maytag Repairman)
Jane Wyman (Sarah Fulks) in 1914 – actress; 1st Mrs. Ronald Regan
~Athletics
Tito (Rigoberto Peat) Fuentes in 1944 - baseball: Giants, Padres, Tigers, Athletics
Joe Kleine in 1962 - NBA center (Suns, Bulls)
Floyd Patterson in 1935 - heavyweight champ (gold-1952)
Don Shula in 1930 - winningest NFL coach (Colts, Dolphins)
~Business, Education, Politics
Louis Braille in 1809 in France - developer (reading system for blind)
Everett (McKinley) Dirksen in 1896 - politician
Jacob Ludwig Carl Grimm in 1785-librarian (fairy tale collector)
Sir Isaac Pitman in 1813 - inventor (shorthand)
J Danforth Quayle in 1947 - 44th Vice President
~Science/Religion
Wilhelm Beer in 1797-amateur astronomer (constructed 1st Moon map)
►Who Died on this day?
Caligula in 0041 murdered @ 29
Albert Camus in 1960 French author (Stranger), auto accident @ 46
T S Eliot in 1965 poet @ 76
Elizabeth Ann Seton in 1821 1st native-born American saint, TB @ 47
Cornelius Vanderbilt in 1877 US robber baron, @ 82
►What happened on this day?
1493…Columbus left new world on return from 1st voyage
1884…Last sighting of an eastern cougar (Ontario)
1887…Thomas Stevens is 1st man to bicycle around the world (San Francisco-San Francisco); 21,700km
1893…US President Harrison grants amnesty to Mormon polygamy
1896…Following Mormon abandonment of polygamy, Utah admitted as 45th state
1925…French psychologist Emil Coué brings his self-esteem therapy to US "Every day in every way I am getting better & better"
1936…Billboard magazine publishes its 1st music hit parade
1944…Ralph Bunche appointed 1st Negro official in US State Department
1965…LBJ's "Great Society" State of the Union Address
1995…Newt Gingrich (R) becomes speaker of the House
1999…Minnesota inaugurated pro wrestler Jesse Ventura as its 38th governor.
2007…Nancy Pelosi is elected as the first female Speaker of the United States Congress in U.S. history.
►Rhyme & Reason PuzzleAnswer the following clue in two rhyming words (e.g. an obese feline is a fat cat) If only one number is given, the answer is a word featuring internal rhyme (e.g. voodoo)
1. post-secondary learning and lore (7,9):
2. hipper leader (6,5):
3. big credit card bill (5,6):
4. consummation of college fees (7,8):
5. glowing piece of wood in the fireplace during the 12th month (8,5):
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ANSWERS1. post-secondary learning and lore (7,9): college knowledge
2. hipper leader (6,5): cooler ruler
3. big credit card bill (5,6): large charge
4. consummation of college fees (7,8): tuition fruition
5. glowing piece of wood in the fireplace during the 12th month (8,5): December ember
Sunday
3 days so far this year…362 days remain in 2010
►Provocative Quote
"The best prophet of the future is the past."
~Lord George Gordon Byron
►Free Ramblings
2. Sputnik vs. Apollo? (5,4):
3. constructed a canopy for your boat (5,4):
4. anger on the twelve-person judicial panel (4,4):
5. pessimistic hypothesis (6,6):
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ANSWERS
1. bring acclaim, or bring down the house (5,8): cause applause
2. Sputnik vs. Apollo? (5,4): space race
3. constructed a canopy for your boat (5,4): built tilt
4. anger on the twelve-person judicial panel (4,4): jury fury
5. pessimistic hypothesis (6,6): dreary theory
►Provocative Quote
"The best prophet of the future is the past."
~Lord George Gordon Byron
►Free Ramblings
What a great day here in Flagstaff. We made it to 54° according to the weather service, but I only showed 49° on this side of town. Still, a very pleasant day. Since there was basically no breeze, I could spend some time outside, without having to be bundled. It was very nice to be able to enjoy the sunshine, something I have hardly seen since before Christmas. Now it is time to deal with the ice on the sidewalk. I think the warmth is all a trick, since we will be dropping to about 7° tonight. Winter can be so confusing.
►Quotes from Values.com—LIVE LIFE
“One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying.”
~Joan of Arc
►Unusual News
MISSOULA, Mont. - Authorities in Montana said a groom will have to walk down the aisle with a monitoring bracelet due to allegations of misconduct at his bachelor party. Missoula police said Jordan B. Iddings, 24, will have to wear the bracelet as a condition of his release from jail while awaiting trial on charges of assault on a peace officer, a felony, and misdemeanor counts of sexual assault, disorderly conduct and assault. Iddings and five other men participating in his bachelor party were arrested Nov. 19.
Iddings allegedly groped a woman at a bar and punched her in the face when she slapped him. The men moved to another bar, where they were refused service for fighting with bartenders, and police approached them while they were shouting profanities outside of the business, investigators allege. Iddings allegedly head-butted an officer during his arrest. Lance Lovell, Iddings' attorney, said his client has been granted permission to travel to Alaska next month to work on a fishing boat until his April trial. However, he will have to wear the monitoring bracelet at all times during his release and submit to random drug and alcohol tests. Ryan Schnabl, a co-defendant in the case, was barred from contact with Iddings, but was granted permission to attend his wedding, which is scheduled for Saturday.
►Random Fact
A cat’s ability to see well at night is due to its taptum, a membrane that reflects the light from the back of the cat’s eye. It’s also what causes the weird “glowing” effect in the dark.
§ Interesting Statistics
*Note: I realize that statistics can be made to say just about anything. The average human has one breast and one testicle. ~Des McHale; Torture numbers, and they'll confess to anything. ~Gregg Easterbrook; Statistics can be made to prove anything - even the truth. ~Author Unknown
~40% of China’s stimulus spending will go toward infrastructure projects
~12.5% of US stimulus spending will go toward infrastructure projects.
§ January Month Long Observances
Birthstone: Garnet …Flower: Carnation
Book Blitz Month * Bath Safety Month * Birth Defects Month * California Dried Plum Digestive Month * Celebration of Life Month * Cervical Cancer Screening Month * Financial Wellness Month * High Tech Month * International Creativity Month * International Quality of Life Month * International Wayfinding Month * International Wealth Mentality Month * National Be On-Purpose Month * National Bird Feeding Month * National Clean Up Your Computer Month * National Get Organized Month * National Glaucoma Awareness Month * National Hot Tea Month * National Mail Order Gardening Month * National Mentoring Month * National Personal Self-Defense Awareness Month * National Poverty in America Awareness Month * National Radon Action Month * National Skating Month * National Soup Month * National Volunteer Blood Donor Month * Oatmeal Month * Rising Star Month * Self-help Group Awareness Month * Senior Women’s Travel Month * Shape Up US Month * Thyroid Awareness Month
§ Observance Weeks in January
Celebration of Life Week: 1-7
Diet Resolution Week: 1-7
National Lose Weight/Feel Great Week: 1-8
Someday We'll Laugh About This Week: 2-9
Home Office Safety and Security Week: 3-9
§ 3 January Observances—US/UN/World
Festival of Sleep Day—to catch up on sleep missed during the holidays
Alaska : Admission Day (1959)
J.R.R. Tolkien Day
National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day
§ 3 January Observances—by country
No big observances listed anywhere I could find.
► Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1921…The Studebaker Corporation has decided to no longer manufacture farm wagons. This company had been making these wagons since the year 1852. In 1902, the company had begun producing electric cars and then in 1904 they started producing gas-powered vehicles.
►Who was born on this day?
~ The Arts
Mel (Columcille) Gibson in 1956 -Academy Award-winning director; actor
Victoria Principal in 1950 -actress: Dallas
Stephen Stills in 1945 -singer/songwriter/guitarist
J.R.R. (John Ronald Reuel) Tolkien in 1892 -writer
~Athletics
Darren Daulton in 1962 -catcher (Phillies)
Bobby Hull in 1939 –Canadian hockey player
Eli Manning in 1981 –American football player
~Business, Education, Politics
Cicero in 106 B.C -Roman statesman
Grace Coolidge in 1879 –First Lady of the United States
~Science/Religion
Lucretia Coffin Mott in 1793 -teacher/minister/abolitionist/feminist
►Who Died on this day?
Josiah Wedgwood in 1795 British, ceramic craftsman woodworker @ 64
Jack Ruby in 1967 assassin who killed assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, lung cancer @ 55
Conrad Hilton in 1979 US founder (Hilton Hotels), @ 91
►What happened on this day?
1431…Joan of Arc handed over to the bishop
1521…Martin Luther excommunicated by Roman Catholic Church
1847…California town of Yerba Buena renamed San Francisco
1871…Henry W. Bradley patented oleomargarine
1872…1st patent list issued by US Patent Office
1888…Marvin C. Stone patented the drinking straw
1924…British Egyptologist Howard Carter finds sarcophagus of Tutankhamen
1938…Franklin Delano Roosevelt himself a victim of polio, founds the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, which was later renamed the March of Dimes Foundation.
1952…"Dragnet" with Jack Webb premieres on NBC TV
1958…Edmund Hillary reaches South Pole overland
1967…Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys is indicted for draft evasion
1977…Apple Computer incorporated
►Rhyme & Reason Puzzle
Answer the following clue in two rhyming words (e.g. an obese feline is a fat cat) If only one number is given, the answer is a word featuring internal rhyme (e.g. voodoo)
1. bring acclaim, or bring down the house (5,8): 2. Sputnik vs. Apollo? (5,4):
3. constructed a canopy for your boat (5,4):
4. anger on the twelve-person judicial panel (4,4):
5. pessimistic hypothesis (6,6):
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ANSWERS
1. bring acclaim, or bring down the house (5,8): cause applause
2. Sputnik vs. Apollo? (5,4): space race
3. constructed a canopy for your boat (5,4): built tilt
4. anger on the twelve-person judicial panel (4,4): jury fury
5. pessimistic hypothesis (6,6): dreary theory
Saturday
2 days so far this year…363 days remain in 2010
►Provocative Quote
" The first thing I do in the morning is brush my teeth and sharpen my tongue."
~Dorothy Parker
►Free Ramblings
Birthstone: Garnet …Flower: Carnation
Book Blitz Month * Bath Safety Month * Birth Defects Month * California Dried Plum Digestive Month * Celebration of Life Month * Cervical Cancer Screening Month * Financial Wellness Month * High Tech Month * International Creativity Month * International Quality of Life Month * International Wayfinding Month * International Wealth Mentality Month * National Be On-Purpose Month * National Bird Feeding Month * National Clean Up Your Computer Month * National Get Organized Month * National Glaucoma Awareness Month * National Hot Tea Month * National Mail Order Gardening Month * National Mentoring Month * National Personal Self-Defense Awareness Month * National Poverty in America Awareness Month * National Radon Action Month * National Skating Month * National Soup Month * National Volunteer Blood Donor Month * Oatmeal Month * Rising Star Month * Self-help Group Awareness Month * Senior Women’s Travel Month * Shape Up US Month * Thyroid Awareness Month
§ Observance Weeks in January
Celebration of Life Week: 1-7
Diet Resolution Week: 1-7
National Lose Weight/Feel Great Week: 1-8
Someday We'll Laugh About This Week: 2-9
§ 2 January Observances—US/UN/World
Earth at Perihelion: N. Hemisphere closest to the sun
Happy Mew Year for Cats Day
55-MPH Speed Limit Day: (1974-1987)
Run Up the Flagpole & See if Anybody Salutes It Day
Georgia : Constitution Ratification Day (1788)
§ 2 January Observances—by country
Haiti : Ancestor/Hero's Day
Japan : Kakizome: ‘first writing’: Traditionally, kakizome was performed using ink rubbed with the first water drawn from the well on New Year's Day. Then on Jan. 2, seated facing a favorable direction, people would write Chinese poetry containing auspicious words and phrases such as long life, spring, or perennial youth. These poems were then often burned.
Japan : Shigoto Hajime-Begin Work Day [beginning of the work year]
Spain : Granada Day: End of Muslim Rule in Spain in 1492
Switzerland : Berchtold's Tag, founding of Berne
► Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1966…1st Jewish child born in Spain since 1492 expulsion
►Who was born on this day?
~ The Arts
Isaac Asimov in 1920 Russian scientist/writer (I Robot)
Kate Bosworth in 1983 actress
Dabney Coleman in 1932 actor
Philip Freneau in 1752 Poet of the American Revolution
Cuba Gooding Jr in 1968 actor
Henry Kingsley in 1830 English/Australian writer
Roger Miller in 1936 country singer (King of the Road, Dang Me)
Robert Nathan in 1894 poet, novelist (Portrait of Jennie)
Sally Rand (Helen Gould Beck) in 1903 dancer, stripper: inventor of the fan dance
~Athletics
Calvin Hill in 1947 NFL running back (Cowboys)
~Business, Education, Politics
Robert Marshall in 1901 founder (Wilderness Society)
Dan Rostenkowski in 1928 House Ways & Means Committee chair
Helen Herron Taft in 1861 1st lady
~Science/Religion
Jim Bakker in 1939 televangelist, philanderer
►Who Died on this day?
Dick Powell in 1963 actor/director (Dick Powell Theater), lymphoma @ 58
Tex Ritter in 1974 country singer, heart attack @ 67
Alan Hale Jr in 1990 actor (Skipper Jonas Grumby-Gilligan's Island), cancer @ 71
►What happened on this day?
1602…Spanish forces in Ireland surrender to the English at Kinsdale
1839…1st photo of the Moon (French photographer Louis Daguerre)
1842…The first wire suspension bridge was opened to traffic -- in Fairmount, Pennsylvania
1890…Alice Sanger becomes 1st female White House staffer
1903…President T Roosevelt shuts down post office in Indianola MI, for refusing to accept its appointed postmistress because she was black
1919…Anti-British uprising in Ireland
1929…US & Canada agree to preserve Niagara Falls
1938…Book publisher Simon and Schuster founded
1941…The Andrew Sisters Recorded a song called “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”. 1971…A fatal stampede took the lives of 66 fans after a soccer game at the Ibrox Park stadium in Glasgow, Scotland.
1985…Egyptian President Mubarak re-appoints Coptic pope Shenuda III
1995…Most distant galaxy yet discovered found by scientists using Keck telescope in Hawaii (estimated 15 billion light years away)
►Rhyme & Reason Puzzle
Answer the following clue in two rhyming words (e.g. an obese feline is a fat cat) If only one number is given, the answer is a word featuring internal rhyme (e.g. voodoo)
1.smooth wood (4,4):
2. cracked mandible (3,4):
3. issue a request to be supplied with a frame (5,6): order border
4. Margaret's gams (4,4):
5. fatter food tester (6,7):
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ANSWERS
1.smooth wood (4,4): fine pine
2. cracked mandible (3,4): jaw flaw
3. issue a request to be supplied with a frame (5,6): order border
4. Margaret's gams (4,4): Pegs legs
5. fatter food tester (6,7): ampler sampler
►Provocative Quote
" The first thing I do in the morning is brush my teeth and sharpen my tongue."
~Dorothy Parker
►Free Ramblings
Last night dropped to 6°. About 11pm it was 15° so I decided not to trek downtown to watch the pine cone drop. I have watched it in decent weather, and even once in a very cold snow storm where you almost couldn’t see the ball. I guess all went well without me.
We did warm up to 42° this first day of the decade, so I did venture out for a while. My ride is in real need of a wash, but I didn’t do it today. The chemical crap that keeps our main roads clear, also keeps our vehicles very dirty.
I did get all the Christmas stuff down and stored today. The only thing left to put away is the big red bow that was on the front door. Sometime while I was gone, it blew off and is now buried in the snow below my window. I can see a piece of it, but the snow is really ice so I’ll have to wait till the snow melts to salvage it. It may be ruined already, but trying to get it out of the ice would seal the deal.
The local paper listed the Big Stories of the Decade for Flagstaff. Somehow, my moving to this place didn’t make the list. The big construction was building an overpass in East Flag. When I came to Flag in 1971, they were talking about building it. Finally in 2008 it was completed. The Super Wal-Mart planned in 2002, when the economy was good, has been changed so many times, it is now a regular Wal-Mart and ground breaking should be sometime in this new decade. Flagstaff isn’t known for swift action. The local government works on the philosophy that if you wait long enough the issue will just go away. So when the Mayor ‘cleaned up’ a downtown hang out for teenagers this summer, the city was in shock. But then, kids can’t vote. Maybe that’s why the School Board is messing with closing schools. The district’s poor planning will mess up a lot of kids for next year, or the next. The board moves slowly too.
►Quotes from Values.com—LIVE LIFE
“Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be.”
~Grandma [Anna Mary Robertson] Moses; Artist
►Unusual News…
LONDON - A London scientist has authored a paper arguing angels as classically depicted, mostly-human forms with wings, would be unable to fly. Professor Roger Wotton of University College London wrote in his paper, which was published by the school's Opticon magazine, that human-appearing angels with feathered bird-like wings would not be able to use the wings for flight, The Daily Telegraph reported. "Even a cursory examination of the evidence in representational arts shows that angels and cherubs cannot take off and cannot use powered flight," Wotton wrote.
"And even if they used gliding flight, they would need to be exposed to very high wind velocities at take off -- such high winds that they would be blown away and have no need for wings." Wotton's paper also took aim at fantasy depictions of fairies with the wings of butterflies. "The distortion of the thorax needed for flight in fairies with butterfly wings would be exceedingly uncomfortable," the paper read. Hmmm…scientists have also proven that the bumble bee can’t fly.
►Random Fact
~The most commonly sung song for English-speakers on New Year's eve, Auld Lang Syne is an old Scottish song that was first published by the poet Robert Burns in the 1796 edition of the book, Scots Musical Museum. Auld Lang Syne literally translates as "old long since" and means "times gone by."
~Canadian Bandleader Guy Lombardo popularized Auld Lang Syne and turned it into a New Year's Eve tradition. Lombardo played the song at midnight at a New Year's Eve party at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City in 1929, and a tradition was born. After that, Lombardo's version of the song was played every New Year's eve from the 1930s until 1976 at the Waldorf Astoria. Lombardo was planning on New Year’s Eve playing for a long time, but died in Nov, 1977.
§ January Trivial Pursuits
~2010 is the UN Year of Biodiversity
~January is named after Janus (Ianuarius), the god of the doorway
~Finland: the month is called tammikuu, meaning month of the oak, but the original meaning was the month of the heart of winter, as tammi has initially meant axis or core.
~Czechoslovakia: this month is called leden, meaning ice month
~Ukraine: it is called січень meaning cutting or slicing perhaps referring to the wind.
§ January Month Long Observances Birthstone: Garnet …Flower: Carnation
Book Blitz Month * Bath Safety Month * Birth Defects Month * California Dried Plum Digestive Month * Celebration of Life Month * Cervical Cancer Screening Month * Financial Wellness Month * High Tech Month * International Creativity Month * International Quality of Life Month * International Wayfinding Month * International Wealth Mentality Month * National Be On-Purpose Month * National Bird Feeding Month * National Clean Up Your Computer Month * National Get Organized Month * National Glaucoma Awareness Month * National Hot Tea Month * National Mail Order Gardening Month * National Mentoring Month * National Personal Self-Defense Awareness Month * National Poverty in America Awareness Month * National Radon Action Month * National Skating Month * National Soup Month * National Volunteer Blood Donor Month * Oatmeal Month * Rising Star Month * Self-help Group Awareness Month * Senior Women’s Travel Month * Shape Up US Month * Thyroid Awareness Month
§ Observance Weeks in January
Celebration of Life Week: 1-7
Diet Resolution Week: 1-7
National Lose Weight/Feel Great Week: 1-8
Someday We'll Laugh About This Week: 2-9
§ 2 January Observances—US/UN/World
Earth at Perihelion: N. Hemisphere closest to the sun
Happy Mew Year for Cats Day
55-MPH Speed Limit Day: (1974-1987)
Run Up the Flagpole & See if Anybody Salutes It Day
Georgia : Constitution Ratification Day (1788)
§ 2 January Observances—by country
Haiti : Ancestor/Hero's Day
Japan : Kakizome: ‘first writing’: Traditionally, kakizome was performed using ink rubbed with the first water drawn from the well on New Year's Day. Then on Jan. 2, seated facing a favorable direction, people would write Chinese poetry containing auspicious words and phrases such as long life, spring, or perennial youth. These poems were then often burned.
Japan : Shigoto Hajime-Begin Work Day [beginning of the work year]
Spain : Granada Day: End of Muslim Rule in Spain in 1492
Switzerland : Berchtold's Tag, founding of Berne
► Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1966…1st Jewish child born in Spain since 1492 expulsion
►Who was born on this day?
~ The Arts
Isaac Asimov in 1920 Russian scientist/writer (I Robot)
Kate Bosworth in 1983 actress
Dabney Coleman in 1932 actor
Philip Freneau in 1752 Poet of the American Revolution
Cuba Gooding Jr in 1968 actor
Henry Kingsley in 1830 English/Australian writer
Roger Miller in 1936 country singer (King of the Road, Dang Me)
Robert Nathan in 1894 poet, novelist (Portrait of Jennie)
Sally Rand (Helen Gould Beck) in 1903 dancer, stripper: inventor of the fan dance
~Athletics
Calvin Hill in 1947 NFL running back (Cowboys)
~Business, Education, Politics
Robert Marshall in 1901 founder (Wilderness Society)
Dan Rostenkowski in 1928 House Ways & Means Committee chair
Helen Herron Taft in 1861 1st lady
~Science/Religion
Jim Bakker in 1939 televangelist, philanderer
►Who Died on this day?
Dick Powell in 1963 actor/director (Dick Powell Theater), lymphoma @ 58
Tex Ritter in 1974 country singer, heart attack @ 67
Alan Hale Jr in 1990 actor (Skipper Jonas Grumby-Gilligan's Island), cancer @ 71
►What happened on this day?
1602…Spanish forces in Ireland surrender to the English at Kinsdale
1839…1st photo of the Moon (French photographer Louis Daguerre)
1842…The first wire suspension bridge was opened to traffic -- in Fairmount, Pennsylvania
1890…Alice Sanger becomes 1st female White House staffer
1903…President T Roosevelt shuts down post office in Indianola MI, for refusing to accept its appointed postmistress because she was black
1919…Anti-British uprising in Ireland
1929…US & Canada agree to preserve Niagara Falls
1938…Book publisher Simon and Schuster founded
1941…The Andrew Sisters Recorded a song called “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”. 1971…A fatal stampede took the lives of 66 fans after a soccer game at the Ibrox Park stadium in Glasgow, Scotland.
1985…Egyptian President Mubarak re-appoints Coptic pope Shenuda III
1995…Most distant galaxy yet discovered found by scientists using Keck telescope in Hawaii (estimated 15 billion light years away)
►Rhyme & Reason Puzzle
Answer the following clue in two rhyming words (e.g. an obese feline is a fat cat) If only one number is given, the answer is a word featuring internal rhyme (e.g. voodoo)
1.smooth wood (4,4):
2. cracked mandible (3,4):
3. issue a request to be supplied with a frame (5,6): order border
4. Margaret's gams (4,4):
5. fatter food tester (6,7):
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ANSWERS
1.smooth wood (4,4): fine pine
2. cracked mandible (3,4): jaw flaw
3. issue a request to be supplied with a frame (5,6): order border
4. Margaret's gams (4,4): Pegs legs
5. fatter food tester (6,7): ampler sampler
Fri-New Years Day
1 day so far this year…364 days remain in 2010
►Provocative Quote
"The hardest thing to do is to disguise your feelings when sending a large crowd of visiting relatives home."
~Unknown
►Free Ramblings
►Quotes from Values.com—LIVE LIFE
“Find out who you are and do it on purpose.”
~Dolly Parton: Singer Songwriter, Actress, Author, Philanthropist
►Unusual News
§ January Trivial Pursuits
Kwanzaa: (26-1/1)
Celebration of Life Week: 1-7
Diet Resolution Week: 1-7
National Lose Weight/Feel Great Week: 1-8
§ 1 January Observances—US/UN/World
New Years Day
New Year's Dishonor List Day: Words removed from vocabulary due to overuse, misuse, or uselessness.
Every Horses’ Birthday—all US race horses become a year older today
Alabama : Mobile Carnival
Pasadena CA : Tournament of Roses Parade
Philadelphia : Mummers' Parade
§ 1 January Observances—by country
Cameroon : Independence Day (from France: 1960)
Cuba : Revolution Day
Greece: Saint Basil's Day—kindness and generosity to poor.
Haiti : Independence Day (from France: 1804)
Japan : New Year (year = AD + 660)
Mozambique : Universal Fraternity
Sudan : Independence Day (from UK:1956)
Western Samoa : Independence Day (from New Zealand: 1962)
Taiwan : Foundation of the Republic
► Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1847…Michigan is 1st state to abolish capital punishment
►Who was born on this day?
~ The Arts
Dana Andrews in 1909 actor
Javier Cugat [Mingall de Brue y Deulofeo] in 1900 Spain, bandleader (married Charo)
Tom Dugan Dublin Ireland, in 1889 actor (Circus Clown, Drag, Skyway)
E M Forster in 1879 London England, novelist (Howard's End, Passage to India)
Country Joe McDonald in 1942 rock guitarist/vocalist (& the Fish)
JD [Jerome David]Salinger in 1919 novelist
~Athletics
Jack Kiefer in 1940 PGA golfer
Derrick Thomas in 1967 NFL linebacker (Chiefs)
~Business, Education, Politics
J Edgar Hoover in 1895 Director of US FBI
Elizabeth Griscom (Betsy) Ross in 1752 flag maker
Barry Goldwater in 1909 (Senator -AZ/Presidential candidate (R) 1964)
Paul Revere in 1735 silversmith/US patriot
~Science/Religion
►Who Died on this day?
Hank Williams in 1953 country singer—heart failure/drugs/alcohol @ 29
Maurice A Chevalier in 1972 French actor (Can Can, Gigi), @ 83
Cesar Romero in 1994 US actor (Joker-Batman), @ 86
►What happened on this day?
404…Last gladiator competition in Rome
1651…Charles II Stuart crowned king of Scotland
1701…Great Britain & Ireland union is in effect, creating United Kingdom
1772…1st traveler's checks issued (London)
1788…Quakers in Pennsylvania emancipate their slaves
1805…Lewis & Clark attend a party with the local Indians.
1818…Official reopening of the White House
1847…Michigan is 1st state to abolish capital punishment
1853…1st practical fire engine (horse-drawn) in US enters service
1862…1st US income tax (3% of incomes > $600, 5% of incomes > $10,000)
1863…Emancipation Proclamation (ending slavery) issued by Lincoln
1880…Building of Panamá Canal, begins
1886…1st Tournament of Roses, Pasadena CA
1899…Cuba liberated from Spain by US (National Day) (US occupies till 1902)
1901…The Commonwealth of Australia was proclaimed
1902…1st Rose Bowl game (Pasadena CA) (University of Michigan-49, Stanford-0)
1928…1st US air-conditioned office building opens, San Antonio
1934…Alcatraz officially becomes a federal prison
1934…Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (US bank guarantor) effective
1935 1st Sugar Bowl & 1st Orange Bowl
1948…1st color newsreel filmed, Pasadena CA
1958…European Economic Community (Common Market) starts operation
1977…1st woman formally ordained an Episcopal priest (Jacqueline Means)
2000…“Y2K Crisis” doesn’t materialize.
►Rhyme & Reason Puzzle
Answer the following clue in two rhyming words (e.g. an obese feline is a fat cat) If only one number is given, the answer is a word featuring internal rhyme (e.g. voodoo)
1. much of the movie Titanic was filmed on a ___ ___ (3,3):
2. giving refuge for a fugitive (9,6):
3. purchases a skyscraper (4,8):
4. concealed the cephalopod (3,5):
5. death notice appearing in first month (7,8):
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ANSWERS
1. much of the movie Titanic was filmed on a ___ ___ (3,3): wet set
2. giving refuge for a fugitive (9,6): providing hiding
3. purchases a skyscraper (4,8): buys highrise
4. concealed the cephalopod (3,5): hid squid
5. death notice appearing in first month (7,8): January obituary
►Provocative Quote
"The hardest thing to do is to disguise your feelings when sending a large crowd of visiting relatives home."
~Unknown
Happy New Year To All. While 09 was not very bad for me, it was for many of my friends. I, for one, am glad to see it go. I sure hope the new decade brings sanity back to our country, our state, and our town.
What’s up with College Football. I want to return to the days of New Year’s Day Bowls…all football all day, and then it’s over. One of the big things in the first decade was to encourage kids and not prepare them for real life. Don’t let kids fail. Now almost any football player in a college can add a Bowl Game to his resume. This year there are 34 end of season bowls. Cities, towns, companies, all want to get the money. What parent and family wouldn’t travel across the country during the holidays to watch their son play in a Bowl? Travel dollars, hotel dollars, vendor dollars, advertising dollars. I just don’t get how playing in these bowls really enhance one’s resume: Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl, R+L Carriers Bowl MAACO Bowl S.D. County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl, Sheraton Hawaii Bowl, Little Caesars Bowl, Meineke Car Care Bowl, Emerald Bowl, Gaylord Hotels Bowl, Music City EagleBank Bowl, Champs Sports Bowl, Roady's Humanitarian Bowl, Pacific Life Holiday Bowl, Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, Brut Bowl, Sun Insight Bowl, Chick-fil-A Bowl, Konica Minolta Gator Bowl, Papajohns.com Bowl, Valero Alamo Bowl, GMAC Bowl. I can see it now: “My football career included playing in the ’09 MAACO Bowl, where I was named MVP. Our Po-dunk University Badgers beat Po-dunk College Hogs 3-0. That experience prepared me to be become a good candidate for your Assistant Intern in Design and Production.”
Bring back the Big Bowls: Orange, Cotton, Sugar, Rose, Fiesta and dump the rest. I can live with the National Championship Game, but they sure need a better way of picking the two teams.
►Quotes from Values.com—LIVE LIFE
“Find out who you are and do it on purpose.”
~Dolly Parton: Singer Songwriter, Actress, Author, Philanthropist
►Unusual News
Toronto, Canada - A gas station attendant had no trouble identifying a robber for police, even though the man had worn a pair of women's panties over his head as a disguise. The thief, who later admitted that his mind was clouded by intoxicants, had stuck his face through one of the leg-holes so he could see.
►Random Fact The first time the New Year was celebrated on January 1st was in Rome in 153 B.C. The new year was moved from March to January because that was the beginning of the civil year, the month that the two newly elected Roman consuls—the highest officials in the Roman republic—began their one-year tenure.
§ January Trivial Pursuits
~2010 is the UN Year of Biodiversity
~On New Year's Day, people in certain countries gather on beaches and run into the water to celebrate the new year. Canada, Ireland, United Kingdom, United States and Australia are the most popular countries for this.
~In Pennsylvania and Ohio, mostly in or near Pennsylvania "Dutch" (Deitch/German) areas, it is common to celebrate New Year's Day with a meal of pork, sauerkraut, and mashed potatoes.
~In the Philippines, people light fireworks, loud firecrackers, booming sound system, bamboo canons as well as make a lot of noise with the belief that the noises would scare evil spirits away and prevent them from bringing bad luck to the coming new year.
~In New York City, the 11,875-pound (5,386-kg), 12-foot-diameter (3.7-m) Times Square Ball located high above Times Square is lowered starting at 11:59:00 p.m
~In Scotland, there are many special customs associated with the New Year. These are a part of the Scottish celebration Hogmanay, the Scots name for the New Year.
~In Russia the New Year is greeted by fireworks and drinking champagne. The New Year is considered a family celebration, with lavish dinner tables and gifts.
~In South Korea, the most popular way of celebrating New Year's Day is to travel to Jung dong jin, the place on the peninsula where the Sun can first be seen each day.
~In Wales, Calennig is celebrated, with celebrations attracting thousands of people in the capital, Cardiff.
~In Greece, families and relatives switch off the lights at midnight, then celebrate by cutting the "vassilopita" (Basil's pie) which usually contains one coin or equivalent, whoever wins expects luck for the whole year
§ December Month Long Observances
Birthstone: Garnet …Flower: Carnation
Book Blitz Month * Bath Safety Month * Birth Defects Month * California Dried Plum Digestive Month * Celebration of Life Month * Cervical Cancer Screening Month * Financial Wellness Month * High Tech Month * International Creativity Month * International Quality of Life Month * International Wayfinding Month * International Wealth Mentality Month * National Be On-Purpose Month * National Bird Feeding Month * National Clean Up Your Computer Month * National Get Organized Month * National Glaucoma Awareness Month * National Hot Tea Month * National Mail Order Gardening Month * National Mentoring Month * National Personal Self-Defense Awareness Month * National Poverty in America Awareness Month * National Radon Action Month * National Skating Month * National Soup Month * National Volunteer Blood Donor Month * Oatmeal Month * Rising Star Month * Self-help Group Awareness Month * Senior Women’s Travel Month * Shape Up US Month * Thyroid Awareness Month
§ Observance Weeks in JanuaryKwanzaa: (26-1/1)
Celebration of Life Week: 1-7
Diet Resolution Week: 1-7
National Lose Weight/Feel Great Week: 1-8
§ 1 January Observances—US/UN/World
New Years Day
New Year's Dishonor List Day: Words removed from vocabulary due to overuse, misuse, or uselessness.
Every Horses’ Birthday—all US race horses become a year older today
Alabama : Mobile Carnival
Pasadena CA : Tournament of Roses Parade
Philadelphia : Mummers' Parade
§ 1 January Observances—by country
Cameroon : Independence Day (from France: 1960)
Cuba : Revolution Day
Greece: Saint Basil's Day—kindness and generosity to poor.
Haiti : Independence Day (from France: 1804)
Japan : New Year (year = AD + 660)
Mozambique : Universal Fraternity
Sudan : Independence Day (from UK:1956)
Western Samoa : Independence Day (from New Zealand: 1962)
Taiwan : Foundation of the Republic
► Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1847…Michigan is 1st state to abolish capital punishment
►Who was born on this day?
~ The Arts
Dana Andrews in 1909 actor
Javier Cugat [Mingall de Brue y Deulofeo] in 1900 Spain, bandleader (married Charo)
Tom Dugan Dublin Ireland, in 1889 actor (Circus Clown, Drag, Skyway)
E M Forster in 1879 London England, novelist (Howard's End, Passage to India)
Country Joe McDonald in 1942 rock guitarist/vocalist (& the Fish)
JD [Jerome David]Salinger in 1919 novelist
~Athletics
Jack Kiefer in 1940 PGA golfer
Derrick Thomas in 1967 NFL linebacker (Chiefs)
~Business, Education, Politics
J Edgar Hoover in 1895 Director of US FBI
Elizabeth Griscom (Betsy) Ross in 1752 flag maker
Barry Goldwater in 1909 (Senator -AZ/Presidential candidate (R) 1964)
Paul Revere in 1735 silversmith/US patriot
~Science/Religion
►Who Died on this day?
Hank Williams in 1953 country singer—heart failure/drugs/alcohol @ 29
Maurice A Chevalier in 1972 French actor (Can Can, Gigi), @ 83
Cesar Romero in 1994 US actor (Joker-Batman), @ 86
►What happened on this day?
404…Last gladiator competition in Rome
1651…Charles II Stuart crowned king of Scotland
1701…Great Britain & Ireland union is in effect, creating United Kingdom
1772…1st traveler's checks issued (London)
1788…Quakers in Pennsylvania emancipate their slaves
1805…Lewis & Clark attend a party with the local Indians.
1818…Official reopening of the White House
1847…Michigan is 1st state to abolish capital punishment
1853…1st practical fire engine (horse-drawn) in US enters service
1862…1st US income tax (3% of incomes > $600, 5% of incomes > $10,000)
1863…Emancipation Proclamation (ending slavery) issued by Lincoln
1880…Building of Panamá Canal, begins
1886…1st Tournament of Roses, Pasadena CA
1899…Cuba liberated from Spain by US (National Day) (US occupies till 1902)
1901…The Commonwealth of Australia was proclaimed
1902…1st Rose Bowl game (Pasadena CA) (University of Michigan-49, Stanford-0)
1928…1st US air-conditioned office building opens, San Antonio
1934…Alcatraz officially becomes a federal prison
1934…Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (US bank guarantor) effective
1935 1st Sugar Bowl & 1st Orange Bowl
1948…1st color newsreel filmed, Pasadena CA
1958…European Economic Community (Common Market) starts operation
1977…1st woman formally ordained an Episcopal priest (Jacqueline Means)
2000…“Y2K Crisis” doesn’t materialize.
►Rhyme & Reason Puzzle
Answer the following clue in two rhyming words (e.g. an obese feline is a fat cat) If only one number is given, the answer is a word featuring internal rhyme (e.g. voodoo)
1. much of the movie Titanic was filmed on a ___ ___ (3,3):
2. giving refuge for a fugitive (9,6):
3. purchases a skyscraper (4,8):
4. concealed the cephalopod (3,5):
5. death notice appearing in first month (7,8):
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1. much of the movie Titanic was filmed on a ___ ___ (3,3): wet set
2. giving refuge for a fugitive (9,6): providing hiding
3. purchases a skyscraper (4,8): buys highrise
4. concealed the cephalopod (3,5): hid squid
5. death notice appearing in first month (7,8): January obituary
Thursday
365 days so far this year…0 days remain in 2009 and in the first decade of the 21st century
►Provocative Quote
"He who you wakes up and finds himself a success hasn`t been asleep."
~Unknown
►Free Ramblings
± Unusual News…
§ December Month Long Observances
Birthstone: Blue Topaz…Flower of the Month: Narcissus
Colorectal Cancer Education and Awareness Month + Hi Neighbor Month + National Write A Business Plan Month + National Tie Month + Rising Star Month + Safe Toys and Gifts Month + Spiritual Literacy Month + Stress Free Family Holiday Month + Universal Human Rights Month + Read A New Book Month+ World Aids Month
§ Observance Weeks in December
It's About Time Week (25-31)
Kwanzaa: (26-1/1)
§ 31 December Observances
Unlucky Day
First Nights-- to foster the public's appreciation of visual and performing arts through an innovative, diverse and high quality New Year's Eve program which provides a shared cultural experience, accessible and affordable to all.
Leap Second Time Adjustment Day
Make Up Your Mind Day
New Years Eve
No Interruptions Day
-Austria : Imperial Ball in Vienna
-Benin : Feed Yourself Day
-Republic of Congo : National Day (from France—1960)
-Indians at Mitla, Oaxaca : Noche de Pedimento/Wishing Night
-Japan : Omisoka Day/Grand Purification
-Lebanon : Evacuation Day (1946)
-Mauritania : People's Party Day
-Scotland : Hogmanay Day
-World : New Year's Eve/Watch Night
§ Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1890…Ellis Island (New York NY) opens as a US immigration depot—Annie Moore, Irish girl, first to pass through.
§ Births On This Day
~ The Arts
Rex Allen in 1922 Wilcox AZ, cowboy singer
John Denver [Henry John Deutschendorf Jr] in 1943 singer/ songwriter/actor
Diane von Furstenberg in 1946 fashion designer
Sir Anthony Hopkins in 1937 Academy Award-winning actor
Val [Edward] Kilmer in 1959 actor
Ben Kingsley (Krishna Bhanji) in 1943 actor (Ghandi)
Henri Matisse in 1869 impressionist painter (Odalisque)
Bebe Neuwirth in 1959 actress (Lilith-Cheers)
Odetta (Holmes Felious Gordon) in 1930 blues/folk singer, musician, songwriter
Jason Robards Sr in 1892 actor
Donna Summer in 1948 disco singer
~Athletics
Rocky Graziano in 1921 New York NY, boxer
~Business, Education, Politics
Charles Lord Cornwallis in 1738 solider/statesman "fire when ready Gridley"
Sidney Greenbaum in 1929 grammarian
George C Marshall in 1880 authored Marshall Plan (Nobel 1953)
[Bonnie Prince] Charles Edward Stuart in 1720 English pretender to throne
Simon Wiesenthal in 1908 Polish/Austrian Nazi hunter (Wiesenthal Center)
~Science/Religion
Robert G Aitken in 1864 US astronomer (Binary Stars)
§ In Remembrance
Roberto Clemente in 1972 Pittsburgh Pirate slugger, plane crash @ 38
Floyd Cramer in 1997 pianist (Nashville Sound), cancer @ 64
Rick Nelson singer/actor in 1985 (Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet), plane crash @ 45
§ Historical Events On This Day
1687…1st Huguenots depart France to Cape of Good Hope
1783…Import of African slaves banned by all of the Northern states
1879…Cornerstone laid for Honolulu's Iolani Palace (only royal palace in US)
1907…For the 1st time a ball drops at Times Square to signal the new year
1911…Marie Curie receives her 2nd Nobel Prize
1924…Edwin Hubble announces existence of distant galactic systems
1945…Ratification of UN Charter completed
1946…President Truman officially proclaims end of WWII
1961…1st performance of Beach Boys
1962…"Match Game" debuts on NBC with host Gene Rayburn
1981…CNN Headline News debuts
1999…Control of Panamá Canal reverts to Panamá
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§ Rhyme & Reason
Answer the following clue in two rhyming words (e.g. an obese feline is a fat cat) If only one number is given, the answer is a word featuring internal rhyme (e.g. voodoo)
1. stray over there (6,6):
2. Southern sprite (5,4):
3. Southern sprite (5,4):
4. hamburger (6,5):
5. blithe drama (3,4):
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ANSWERS
1. stray over there (6,6): wander yonder
2. Southern sprite (5,4): Dixie Pixie
3. Southern sprite (5,4): cordate plate
4. hamburger (6,5): ground round
5. blithe drama (3,4): gay play
►Provocative Quote
"He who you wakes up and finds himself a success hasn`t been asleep."
~Unknown
►Free Ramblings
This decade is quickly drawing to a close. I’m ready to welcome in a new decade. When I was in Elementary School we used to try and guess what it would be like in 2000. We sure got some things wrong. We don’t have our own ‘car/plane’ that leads to know traffic problems. We don’t have robots running around doing the housework. We don’t have cities on the moon or any of the planets. We don’t even get to ‘vacation’ anywhere outside the planet. We are still fighting wars with our fellow man. We are unable to drop the notion of race as a category. We didn’t even think about computers. We thought the ‘transistor’ was incredible and would rule technology for our entire lives. We did get some things right. The main one being Dick Tracy’s Wristwatch communicator. As we leave the first decade, about 80% of Americans own a cell phone. Most of those cell phones do a whole lot more than dial a number.
That young ‘radicalized’ Muslim who tried to blow up the plane was a crazy. I’m sure glad I was not in a decision making role on Christmas Eve. The bombing did take place on the eve of one of Christianity’s most holy days. Monday morning conservative quarterbacks are raging on with ‘what if…’ politics. I am glad that Obama didn’t assume the worst. That’s what the terrorists like. It did take Bush three plane crashes before he grounded flights. It took him six days to decide that we all have to remove our shoes after the shoe bomber and at the time the shoe misfired, he didn’t stop any planes from flying. So many conservatives have such short memories.
My New Year’s Wish is that Obama be allowed to run this country. We need to unite behind our President. We elected him. We clearly stated we wanted change. No more Birthers. No more blatant racism, no more obscure or hidden racism. It is time to remember that united we stand, divided we fall. For the new decade, let us speak through our votes. Let’s go back to real boring news reports that are not filtered to fit a particular viewpoint. Those news readers and news commentators that must inject a particular point of view should have to have a banner running across the screen that states ‘this is commentary and should not be confused with news.’ For the radio guys, there should be a voice over every few minutes stating the same thing. Way too many watchers or listeners hear the drivel and think it is news.
One last thing I would like to see no more in the new decade: 99.9% of the reality shows. People don’t need their 15 minutes of fame by being on TV. Susan Boyle proved that and she continues to prove it.
We made it all the way to 27° today. It snowed on and off most of the day. It is not really building up that much. We got about 3” so far, and streets are clear. We dropped to 20° last night, so not much snow has melted. The weather people say we will see the sun tomorrow, but then, that’s what they said yesterday. Maybe they meant, “for about 12 hours today, it will be light outside and that light is from the sun…so you are seeing the sun’s light.” We sure didn’t see the ball of fire in the sky today. December 31st marks the second full moon of December 2009…a blue moon…thus the phrase “once in a blue moon.”
╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣
± Quotes from Values.com—LIVE LIFE╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣
“Have regular hours for work and play; make each day both useful and pleasant, and prove that you understand the worth of time by employing it well. Then youth will be delightful, old age will bring few regrets, and life will become a beautiful success.”
~Louisa May Alcott Novelist± Unusual News…
LONDON - British supermarkets say sales of premium toilet paper are spiking during the holiday season as people stock up on the soft stuff to impress guests. Store chain Sainsbury's said quilted, patterned and extra-thick toilet rolls accounted for 24 percent of overall toilet paper sales during the second week of November and increased to 35 percent during the second week of December, The Daily Telegraph reported Monday. Meanwhile, Asda said quilted toilet paper sales at its stores across Britain have increased by a factor of four in the past two weeks. Officials at the stores said they have also seen increases in sales of goods including Earl Grey tea and filter coffee at the expense of their cheaper counterparts on the shelves. "Embracing the inner 'snob' and 'keeping up with the Jones' syndrome is a trait often associated with the British," Asda spokeswoman Jennifer England said. "We've seen a distinct trend in shoppers trading up at this time of year."
± Random Fact The earliest recording of a New Year celebration is believed to have been in Mesopotamia, c. 2000 B.C. and was celebrated around the time of the vernal equinox, in mid-March. The early Roman calendar designated March 1 as the New Year. The calendar had just ten months, beginning with March.
╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣§ December Month Long Observances
Birthstone: Blue Topaz…Flower of the Month: Narcissus
Colorectal Cancer Education and Awareness Month + Hi Neighbor Month + National Write A Business Plan Month + National Tie Month + Rising Star Month + Safe Toys and Gifts Month + Spiritual Literacy Month + Stress Free Family Holiday Month + Universal Human Rights Month + Read A New Book Month+ World Aids Month
§ Observance Weeks in December
It's About Time Week (25-31)
Kwanzaa: (26-1/1)
§ 31 December Observances
Unlucky Day
First Nights-- to foster the public's appreciation of visual and performing arts through an innovative, diverse and high quality New Year's Eve program which provides a shared cultural experience, accessible and affordable to all.
Leap Second Time Adjustment Day
Make Up Your Mind Day
New Years Eve
No Interruptions Day
-Austria : Imperial Ball in Vienna
-Benin : Feed Yourself Day
-Republic of Congo : National Day (from France—1960)
-Indians at Mitla, Oaxaca : Noche de Pedimento/Wishing Night
-Japan : Omisoka Day/Grand Purification
-Lebanon : Evacuation Day (1946)
-Mauritania : People's Party Day
-Scotland : Hogmanay Day
-World : New Year's Eve/Watch Night
Kwanzaa: Today is Kuumba (Creativity): To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.
╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣§ Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1890…Ellis Island (New York NY) opens as a US immigration depot—Annie Moore, Irish girl, first to pass through.
§ Births On This Day
~ The Arts
Rex Allen in 1922 Wilcox AZ, cowboy singer
John Denver [Henry John Deutschendorf Jr] in 1943 singer/ songwriter/actor
Diane von Furstenberg in 1946 fashion designer
Sir Anthony Hopkins in 1937 Academy Award-winning actor
Val [Edward] Kilmer in 1959 actor
Ben Kingsley (Krishna Bhanji) in 1943 actor (Ghandi)
Henri Matisse in 1869 impressionist painter (Odalisque)
Bebe Neuwirth in 1959 actress (Lilith-Cheers)
Odetta (Holmes Felious Gordon) in 1930 blues/folk singer, musician, songwriter
Jason Robards Sr in 1892 actor
Donna Summer in 1948 disco singer
~Athletics
Rocky Graziano in 1921 New York NY, boxer
~Business, Education, Politics
Charles Lord Cornwallis in 1738 solider/statesman "fire when ready Gridley"
Sidney Greenbaum in 1929 grammarian
George C Marshall in 1880 authored Marshall Plan (Nobel 1953)
[Bonnie Prince] Charles Edward Stuart in 1720 English pretender to throne
Simon Wiesenthal in 1908 Polish/Austrian Nazi hunter (Wiesenthal Center)
~Science/Religion
Robert G Aitken in 1864 US astronomer (Binary Stars)
§ In Remembrance
Roberto Clemente in 1972 Pittsburgh Pirate slugger, plane crash @ 38
Floyd Cramer in 1997 pianist (Nashville Sound), cancer @ 64
Rick Nelson singer/actor in 1985 (Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet), plane crash @ 45
§ Historical Events On This Day
1687…1st Huguenots depart France to Cape of Good Hope
1783…Import of African slaves banned by all of the Northern states
1879…Cornerstone laid for Honolulu's Iolani Palace (only royal palace in US)
1907…For the 1st time a ball drops at Times Square to signal the new year
1911…Marie Curie receives her 2nd Nobel Prize
1924…Edwin Hubble announces existence of distant galactic systems
1945…Ratification of UN Charter completed
1946…President Truman officially proclaims end of WWII
1961…1st performance of Beach Boys
1962…"Match Game" debuts on NBC with host Gene Rayburn
1981…CNN Headline News debuts
1999…Control of Panamá Canal reverts to Panamá
╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣
§ Rhyme & Reason
Answer the following clue in two rhyming words (e.g. an obese feline is a fat cat) If only one number is given, the answer is a word featuring internal rhyme (e.g. voodoo)
1. stray over there (6,6):
2. Southern sprite (5,4):
3. Southern sprite (5,4):
4. hamburger (6,5):
5. blithe drama (3,4):
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ANSWERS
1. stray over there (6,6): wander yonder
2. Southern sprite (5,4): Dixie Pixie
3. Southern sprite (5,4): cordate plate
4. hamburger (6,5): ground round
5. blithe drama (3,4): gay play
Wednesday
364 days so far this year…1 day remains in 2009 and in the first decade of the 21st century
►Provocative Quote
"The light of a hundred stars doesn't equal the light of the moon."
~Unknown
►Free Ramblings
What a decade the double aught has been. We have been changed. Some will say, more than any other decade in memory.
Here is a far from complete list of words and phrases we heard during this decade—sometimes too often:
iPod: “Let’s Roll”: “Yes We Can”: 9/11: Abu Ghraib: Armstrong Wins 7th: Bailout: Blogging: Supreme Court says Bush Beats Gore: Carbon Footprint: Chads: China Emerges: Climate Change: Dot com bubble bursts: Economy Skids: Evil: Embedded Reporters: Enron: Facebook v My Space: Gas Prices Set Record--again: Google becomes Superstar: HDTV: Green: Ground Zero: H1N1: You Tube: Jan Brewer: Health Care: Housing bubbles burst: Hubble: Gay Marriage: Janet Napolitano: Katrina: Landing on the Hudson: Michael Jackson: Illegals: Mars Rover: Obama Wins: Palin: Pluto demoted: Randy Pausch's Last Lecture: Saddham Hussein: Texting: Sex Scandals in House, Senate and White House: Sexting: SmartPhone: Social Networking: Sotomayor: Steroids in Sports: Susan Boyle: Swine Flu: TARP: Truthiness: Tsunamis: Twitter: Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan: WMD: Y2K
As we head for Twenty-ten or Two Thousand Ten, the world will continue to change. Words and phrases we have never heard will enter our vocabulary and daily life. Let’s hope the words of the second decade bring us all compassion, peace, and most of all—a better world.
I live in an area of Flagstaff that is officially called Christmas Tree Estates. It includes the 60+ unit townhouse complex and about twelve blocks of manufactured homes. The local paper reported that a murder took place here on Christmas Eve. The cops say it was a drug deal gone bad. Hmmm. Of course, the news media will not release the exact address so I just have to hope it wasn’t too close to my place. Usually the paper does print something like “in the 500 block of Elm…” I am getting very curious as to why the just printed the neighborhood instead of a street name. Maybe I’m just paranoid, but there has to be more to this murder than is being printed. I don’t recognize the name of the 20-something victim that was in the paper and they never printed the name of the ‘person of interest.’ So, in a small town, sometimes you just gotta be there at the right time to know what is going on.
Our high of 35° sure didn’t feel like that with the 25mph wind gusts. The 18° last night wasn’t any too warm either. We did see the sun for a little while this morning, then the snow started. While not a lot is sticking yet, it has been heavy tiny flakes at times. Tomorrow looks like more of the same. ╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣
± Quotes from Values.com—LIVE LIFE
“Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got a hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.”
~George Bernard Shaw Playwright, Nobel Prize Winner
± Unusual News…
???
± Random Fact
The surface area of an average-sized brick is 79 cm squared.
╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣
§ December Month Long Observances
Birthstone: Blue Topaz…Flower of the Month: Narcissus
Colorectal Cancer Education and Awareness Month + Hi Neighbor Month + National Write A Business Plan Month + National Tie Month + Rising Star Month + Safe Toys and Gifts Month + Spiritual Literacy Month + Stress Free Family Holiday Month + Universal Human Rights Month + Read A New Book Month+ World Aids Month
§ Observance Weeks in December
It's About Time Week (25-31)
Kwanzaa: (26-1/1)
§ 29 December Observances
Festival Of Enormous Changes At The Last Minute
National Bicarbonate Of Soda Day
Falling Needles Family Fest Day—gather friends and family around the tree and watch the needles fall. Then recycle the tree.
Kwanzaa: Today is Nia (Purpose): To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
-Bolivia, Chile, El Salvador: Bank Holiday
-Iran : Birthday of Imam Reza(765)—a Shi’ite who attempted to unite with Sunnis.
-Philippines : Rizal Day (anniversary of José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda death in1896): Martyr during Spanish Occupation
╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣
§ Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1986 : Canaries have been made redundant from British Coal Mines and are being replaced by modern carbon monoxide detectors.
§ Births On This Day
~ The Arts
Skeeter Davis [Mary Penick] in 1931 singer (End of the World)
Bo Diddley (Otha Ellas Bates McDaniel) in 1928 rock 'n' roll pioneer
John Hartford in 1937 Grammy Award-winning songwriter: Gentle on My Mind John Hillerman in 1932 actor (Magnum PI)
[David] Davy Jones in 1945 singer/actor (Monkees)
Rudyard Kipling in 1865 (Bombay) author (Jungle Book, Gunga Din-Nobel 1907)
Matt Lauer in 1957 TV host
Jack Lord (John Joseph Patrick Ryan) in 1920 actor (Hawaii 5-0, Stoney Burke)
Michael Nesmith in 1942 rocker/actor (Monkees)
Bert Parks [Jacobson] in 1914 TV host (Miss America)
Del Shannon (Charles Westover) in 1939 singer: Runaway
[Noel] Paul Stookey in 1937 singer/musician/comedian (Peter, Paul, & Mary)
Tracey Ullman in 1959 comedienne singer/actress
~Athletics
Ben Johnson in 1961 100 meter runner, steroids
Sandy (Sanford Braun) Koufax in 1935 Dodger pitcher
(Eldrick)Tiger Woods in 1975 golfer
~Business, Education, Politics
Simon Guggenheim in 1867 philanthropist
Hideki Tojo in 1884 PM-Japan; WWII war criminal, hanged
~Science/Religion
Helge Ingstad in1899 Norwegian explorer
§ In Remembrance
Galeazzo Alessi Italian architect (Palazza Marino, Milan), in 1572 @ 60
Colonel Abijah Hammond owned large portion of Greenwich Village In 1832 @75
Ling-Ling 1st panda China gave US, in 1992 @ 23
Richard Rodgers composer (Rogers & Hammerstein) in 1979 @ 77
§ Historical Events On This Day
1731…1st US music concert (Peter Pelham's great room in Boston)
1817…1st coffee planted in Hawaii (Kona)
1853…Gadsden Purchase - 45,000 square miles (120,000 km) by Gila River from México for $10 million; Area is now southern Arizona & New Mexico
1873…American Metrological Society forms (New York NY) weights, measures & money
1879…Gilbert & Sullivan's "Pirates of Penzance" premieres
1906…Iran becomes a constitutional monarchy
1918…John E Hoover decides to be called J Edgar Hoover
1922…Vladimir Lenin the Russian revolutionary who created Leninism, an extension of Marxist theory proclaims the establishment of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
1940…California's 1st freeway (Arroyo Seco Parkway) opens
1963…"Let's Make A Deal" debuts on NBC-TV
1972…President Nixon halts bombing of North Vietnam & announces peace talks
1993…Vatican recognizes Israel and vice versa
╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣
§ Rhyme & Reason
Answer the following clue in two rhyming words (e.g. an obese feline is a fat cat) If only one number is given, the answer is a word featuring internal rhyme (e.g. voodoo)
1. porcine journal (3,3) :
2. fright caused by a loud and strident sound (5,5):
3. conch toppled (5,4):
4. cherish the naval officer (5,9):
5. premiere boniface (8,4):
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Scroll down for answers
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ANSWERS
1. porcine journal (3,3) : Hog log
2. fright caused by a loud and strident sound (5,5): blare scare
3. conch toppled (5,4): shell fell
4. cherish the naval officer (5,9): adore commodore
5. premiere boniface (8,4): foremost host
►Provocative Quote
"The light of a hundred stars doesn't equal the light of the moon."
~Unknown
►Free Ramblings
What a decade the double aught has been. We have been changed. Some will say, more than any other decade in memory.
Here is a far from complete list of words and phrases we heard during this decade—sometimes too often:
iPod: “Let’s Roll”: “Yes We Can”: 9/11: Abu Ghraib: Armstrong Wins 7th: Bailout: Blogging: Supreme Court says Bush Beats Gore: Carbon Footprint: Chads: China Emerges: Climate Change: Dot com bubble bursts: Economy Skids: Evil: Embedded Reporters: Enron: Facebook v My Space: Gas Prices Set Record--again: Google becomes Superstar: HDTV: Green: Ground Zero: H1N1: You Tube: Jan Brewer: Health Care: Housing bubbles burst: Hubble: Gay Marriage: Janet Napolitano: Katrina: Landing on the Hudson: Michael Jackson: Illegals: Mars Rover: Obama Wins: Palin: Pluto demoted: Randy Pausch's Last Lecture: Saddham Hussein: Texting: Sex Scandals in House, Senate and White House: Sexting: SmartPhone: Social Networking: Sotomayor: Steroids in Sports: Susan Boyle: Swine Flu: TARP: Truthiness: Tsunamis: Twitter: Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan: WMD: Y2K
As we head for Twenty-ten or Two Thousand Ten, the world will continue to change. Words and phrases we have never heard will enter our vocabulary and daily life. Let’s hope the words of the second decade bring us all compassion, peace, and most of all—a better world.
I live in an area of Flagstaff that is officially called Christmas Tree Estates. It includes the 60+ unit townhouse complex and about twelve blocks of manufactured homes. The local paper reported that a murder took place here on Christmas Eve. The cops say it was a drug deal gone bad. Hmmm. Of course, the news media will not release the exact address so I just have to hope it wasn’t too close to my place. Usually the paper does print something like “in the 500 block of Elm…” I am getting very curious as to why the just printed the neighborhood instead of a street name. Maybe I’m just paranoid, but there has to be more to this murder than is being printed. I don’t recognize the name of the 20-something victim that was in the paper and they never printed the name of the ‘person of interest.’ So, in a small town, sometimes you just gotta be there at the right time to know what is going on.
Our high of 35° sure didn’t feel like that with the 25mph wind gusts. The 18° last night wasn’t any too warm either. We did see the sun for a little while this morning, then the snow started. While not a lot is sticking yet, it has been heavy tiny flakes at times. Tomorrow looks like more of the same. ╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣
± Quotes from Values.com—LIVE LIFE
“Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got a hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.”
~George Bernard Shaw Playwright, Nobel Prize Winner
± Unusual News…
???
± Random Fact
The surface area of an average-sized brick is 79 cm squared.
╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣
§ December Month Long Observances
Birthstone: Blue Topaz…Flower of the Month: Narcissus
Colorectal Cancer Education and Awareness Month + Hi Neighbor Month + National Write A Business Plan Month + National Tie Month + Rising Star Month + Safe Toys and Gifts Month + Spiritual Literacy Month + Stress Free Family Holiday Month + Universal Human Rights Month + Read A New Book Month+ World Aids Month
§ Observance Weeks in December
It's About Time Week (25-31)
Kwanzaa: (26-1/1)
§ 29 December Observances
Festival Of Enormous Changes At The Last Minute
National Bicarbonate Of Soda Day
Falling Needles Family Fest Day—gather friends and family around the tree and watch the needles fall. Then recycle the tree.
Kwanzaa: Today is Nia (Purpose): To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
-Bolivia, Chile, El Salvador: Bank Holiday
-Iran : Birthday of Imam Reza(765)—a Shi’ite who attempted to unite with Sunnis.
-Philippines : Rizal Day (anniversary of José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda death in1896): Martyr during Spanish Occupation
╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣
§ Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1986 : Canaries have been made redundant from British Coal Mines and are being replaced by modern carbon monoxide detectors.
§ Births On This Day
~ The Arts
Skeeter Davis [Mary Penick] in 1931 singer (End of the World)
Bo Diddley (Otha Ellas Bates McDaniel) in 1928 rock 'n' roll pioneer
John Hartford in 1937 Grammy Award-winning songwriter: Gentle on My Mind John Hillerman in 1932 actor (Magnum PI)
[David] Davy Jones in 1945 singer/actor (Monkees)
Rudyard Kipling in 1865 (Bombay) author (Jungle Book, Gunga Din-Nobel 1907)
Matt Lauer in 1957 TV host
Jack Lord (John Joseph Patrick Ryan) in 1920 actor (Hawaii 5-0, Stoney Burke)
Michael Nesmith in 1942 rocker/actor (Monkees)
Bert Parks [Jacobson] in 1914 TV host (Miss America)
Del Shannon (Charles Westover) in 1939 singer: Runaway
[Noel] Paul Stookey in 1937 singer/musician/comedian (Peter, Paul, & Mary)
Tracey Ullman in 1959 comedienne singer/actress
~Athletics
Ben Johnson in 1961 100 meter runner, steroids
Sandy (Sanford Braun) Koufax in 1935 Dodger pitcher
(Eldrick)Tiger Woods in 1975 golfer
~Business, Education, Politics
Simon Guggenheim in 1867 philanthropist
Hideki Tojo in 1884 PM-Japan; WWII war criminal, hanged
~Science/Religion
Helge Ingstad in1899 Norwegian explorer
§ In Remembrance
Galeazzo Alessi Italian architect (Palazza Marino, Milan), in 1572 @ 60
Colonel Abijah Hammond owned large portion of Greenwich Village In 1832 @75
Ling-Ling 1st panda China gave US, in 1992 @ 23
Richard Rodgers composer (Rogers & Hammerstein) in 1979 @ 77
§ Historical Events On This Day
1731…1st US music concert (Peter Pelham's great room in Boston)
1817…1st coffee planted in Hawaii (Kona)
1853…Gadsden Purchase - 45,000 square miles (120,000 km) by Gila River from México for $10 million; Area is now southern Arizona & New Mexico
1873…American Metrological Society forms (New York NY) weights, measures & money
1879…Gilbert & Sullivan's "Pirates of Penzance" premieres
1906…Iran becomes a constitutional monarchy
1918…John E Hoover decides to be called J Edgar Hoover
1922…Vladimir Lenin the Russian revolutionary who created Leninism, an extension of Marxist theory proclaims the establishment of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
1940…California's 1st freeway (Arroyo Seco Parkway) opens
1963…"Let's Make A Deal" debuts on NBC-TV
1972…President Nixon halts bombing of North Vietnam & announces peace talks
1993…Vatican recognizes Israel and vice versa
╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣
§ Rhyme & Reason
Answer the following clue in two rhyming words (e.g. an obese feline is a fat cat) If only one number is given, the answer is a word featuring internal rhyme (e.g. voodoo)
1. porcine journal (3,3) :
2. fright caused by a loud and strident sound (5,5):
3. conch toppled (5,4):
4. cherish the naval officer (5,9):
5. premiere boniface (8,4):
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Scroll down for answers
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^
ANSWERS
1. porcine journal (3,3) : Hog log
2. fright caused by a loud and strident sound (5,5): blare scare
3. conch toppled (5,4): shell fell
4. cherish the naval officer (5,9): adore commodore
5. premiere boniface (8,4): foremost host
Tuesday
363 days so far this year…2 days remain in 2009 and in the first decade of the 21st century
►Provocative Quote
"The minute a man is convinced that he is interesting, he isn`t."
~Unknown
►Free Ramblings
I hope everyone had a great Christmas, I know I did. I left Flagstaff with a new blanket of snow—about 8”. The plane took off on time and I was off and running. After Phx, I got to Vegas. Had a three hour wait, because Chicago had bad weather. Instead of getting in at 6p, I got in at 9:30. A little tired, but glad to see the relatives. On Christmas Eve the eating began early and continued though Christmas Day. Spend Christmas Eve with my sister-in-laws sister, her husband and a three year old girl and a five year old boy. As Chase, the boy, said “We have to open presents on Christmas Eve so there will be enough room for Santa to leave his presents.” My sister-in-laws parents and aunt made sure I got presents too. Very kind and thoughtful to be remembered.
During the five days in Chicago, it rained, it snowed, I never saw the sun, and it was cold. Even when it wasn’t snowing or raining, the air was wet, which made if feel much colder than it was. We did go sledding with the little kids. Then the adults had a snow ball fight. A great time.
I figured getting back to AZ would be difficult. I had been though Chicago security last year. That year I went through what I thought was too invasive. So this year I thought I was ready. Got to the airport early, and prepared myself. The Security line was only about 10 minutes. I only had carry-on luggage. I received an eco friendly aluminum water bottle and a flashlight that had a long bendable part so you can see around corners. The bottle was on top in the bag and the flashlight was not. The flashlight was still in its packaging that could not be opened without a sharp object. I figured the bottle would freak them out. Nope, it was the flashlight. They had to open the bag, do the explosive wipe thing and basically empty the bag. However, the whole process took about 3 minutes, the TSA people were very courteous, kind, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent (boy scouts). I didn’t even get patted down or anything. I really think that somebody in DC has told TSA they need to respect the passengers. That’s very nice. At the Vegas gate, we met a very officious gate person. She stopped five people and took their luggage away because she visually determined it was too big. Several people were making connections and had not had a problem on the previous flight. Our flight had enough empty seats that there was plenty of room in the overheads. When passengers questioned her visual inspection as to size, she had a great answer: “I guess the other gate person didn’t do his/her job. I’m just doing mine.” Overall, the overzealous security was not as bad as I had expected. A good day of travel.
╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣
± Quotes from Values.com—LIVE LIFE
“You only live once - but if you work it right, once is enough.”
~Joe E. Lewis Comedian, Singer
± Unusual Criminals…
Washington D.C. - A convict broke out of jail in Washington D.C., then a few days later accompanied his girlfriend to her trial for robbery. At lunch, he went out for a sandwich. She needed to see him, and thus had him paged.
Police officers recognized his name and arrested him as he returned to the courthouse in a car he had stolen over the lunch hour.
± Random Fact
Kansas state law requires pedestrians crossing the highways at night to wear tail lights.
╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣
§ December Month Long Observances
Birthstone: Blue Topaz…Flower of the Month: Narcissus
Colorectal Cancer Education and Awareness Month + Hi Neighbor Month + National Write A Business Plan Month + National Tie Month + Rising Star Month + Safe Toys and Gifts Month + Spiritual Literacy Month + Stress Free Family Holiday Month + Universal Human Rights Month + Read A New Book Month+ World Aids Month
§ Observance Weeks in December
It's About Time Week (25-31)
Kwanzaa: (26-1/1)
§ 29 December Observances
Pepper Pot Day: Pepper Pot Day commemorates the creation of this thick spicy soup, served to the Continental Army during the cold, harsh winter of 1777-1778. George Washington asked his army's chef to prepare a meal for the army, that would both warm them, and boost their moral. The chef found scraps of tripe, small bits of meat and some peppercorn. He mixed this in with some other ingredients, and created Pepper Pot soup, also known as "Philadelphia Pepper Pot soup”. The hot, and somewhat spicy soup, was well received by the troops. It was called "the soup that won the war”.
National Chocolate Day
Tick Tock Day—to realize there is still time in 09 to get things done.
Texas: Admission Day (1945)
Kwanzaa: Today is Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics): To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.
╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣
§ Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1862…Bowling ball invented
§ Births On This Day
~ The Arts
Pablo Casals in 1876 cellist/conductor/composer
Ted Danson in 1947 (raised in Flagstaff) actor: Cheers
Marianne Faithfull in 1946 singer: As Tears Go By
Tom Jarriel in 1934 newscaster
Jude Law in 1972 actor
Mary Tyler Moore in 1936 Emmy Award-winning actress
Paula Poundstone in 1959 comedienne
Jon Voight in 1938 actor
~Athletics
James Darling in 1974 NFL Eagles
Tom Knight in 1974 Cardinals
Malcolm Seabron in 1972 NFL Oilers
~Business, Education, Politics
Archibald Alison in 1792 Scottish historian (History of Europe)
Tom Bradley in 1917 (Mayor-Los Angeles)
Andrew Johnson in 1808 17th President
William Ewart Gladstone in 1809 British PM
~Science/Religion
Charles Goodyear in 1800 inventor (vulcanization process for rubber)
Charles Macintosh in 1776 (Scotland) patented waterproof fabric
§ In Remembrance
Thomas Becket archbishop, assassinated by 4 knights of King Henry II in 1170 @ 52
[Maurice] Harold Macmillan British PM (1957-63), in 1986 @ 92
Spotted Elk (Heȟáka Glešká or Hupah Glešká) aka Big Foot Sioux Indian chief, dies in 1890 at Wounded Knee Massacre @ 64
§ Historical Events On This Day
1782…1st nautical almanac in US published by Samuel Stearns, Boston
1813…British burn Buffalo New York during the War of 1812
1848…President James Polk turned on the first gas light at the White House.
1851…1st Young Men's Christian Association chapter opened (Boston)
1867…1st telegraph ticker used by a brokerage house, Groesbeck & Company, New York
1913…1st movie serial, "Adventures of Kathlyn" premieres in Chicago IL
1937…Ireland adopts constitution (Irish Free State becomes Eire)
1948…US State Department announces work on placing objects into Earth orbit
1952…1st transistorized hearing aid offered for sale (Elmsford NY)
1967…Star Trek's "The Trouble With Tribbles" 1st airs
1972…Life magazine ceases publication
1975…A terrorist bomb is exploded in the main terminal of New York's LaGuardia Airport, killing 11 people.
1982…Bob Marley postage stamp issued in Jamaica
1983…US announces withdrawal from UNESCO
1989…Wayne Gretzky & Martina Navratilova are named athletes of the decade by the Associated Press
1997…Hong Kong begins slaughtering all its chickens to prevent bird flu
╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣
§ Rhyme & Reason
Answer the following clue in two rhyming words (e.g. an obese feline is a fat cat) If only one number is given, the answer is a word featuring internal rhyme (e.g. voodoo)
1. Lassie's testimony (4,5):
2. stray over there (6,6):
3. make certain that all 52 cards are there (5,4):
4. infrared vision, or what carrots enhance? (5,5):
5. letter bucket (4,4):
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ANSWERS
1. Lassie's testimony (4,5): woof proof
2. stray over there (6,6): wander yonder
3. make certain that all 52 cards are there (5,4): check deck
4. infrared vision, or what carrots enhance? (5,5): night sight
5. letter bucket (4,4): mail pail
►Provocative Quote
"The minute a man is convinced that he is interesting, he isn`t."
~Unknown
►Free Ramblings
I hope everyone had a great Christmas, I know I did. I left Flagstaff with a new blanket of snow—about 8”. The plane took off on time and I was off and running. After Phx, I got to Vegas. Had a three hour wait, because Chicago had bad weather. Instead of getting in at 6p, I got in at 9:30. A little tired, but glad to see the relatives. On Christmas Eve the eating began early and continued though Christmas Day. Spend Christmas Eve with my sister-in-laws sister, her husband and a three year old girl and a five year old boy. As Chase, the boy, said “We have to open presents on Christmas Eve so there will be enough room for Santa to leave his presents.” My sister-in-laws parents and aunt made sure I got presents too. Very kind and thoughtful to be remembered.
During the five days in Chicago, it rained, it snowed, I never saw the sun, and it was cold. Even when it wasn’t snowing or raining, the air was wet, which made if feel much colder than it was. We did go sledding with the little kids. Then the adults had a snow ball fight. A great time.
I figured getting back to AZ would be difficult. I had been though Chicago security last year. That year I went through what I thought was too invasive. So this year I thought I was ready. Got to the airport early, and prepared myself. The Security line was only about 10 minutes. I only had carry-on luggage. I received an eco friendly aluminum water bottle and a flashlight that had a long bendable part so you can see around corners. The bottle was on top in the bag and the flashlight was not. The flashlight was still in its packaging that could not be opened without a sharp object. I figured the bottle would freak them out. Nope, it was the flashlight. They had to open the bag, do the explosive wipe thing and basically empty the bag. However, the whole process took about 3 minutes, the TSA people were very courteous, kind, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent (boy scouts). I didn’t even get patted down or anything. I really think that somebody in DC has told TSA they need to respect the passengers. That’s very nice. At the Vegas gate, we met a very officious gate person. She stopped five people and took their luggage away because she visually determined it was too big. Several people were making connections and had not had a problem on the previous flight. Our flight had enough empty seats that there was plenty of room in the overheads. When passengers questioned her visual inspection as to size, she had a great answer: “I guess the other gate person didn’t do his/her job. I’m just doing mine.” Overall, the overzealous security was not as bad as I had expected. A good day of travel.
╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣
± Quotes from Values.com—LIVE LIFE
“You only live once - but if you work it right, once is enough.”
~Joe E. Lewis Comedian, Singer
± Unusual Criminals…
Washington D.C. - A convict broke out of jail in Washington D.C., then a few days later accompanied his girlfriend to her trial for robbery. At lunch, he went out for a sandwich. She needed to see him, and thus had him paged.
Police officers recognized his name and arrested him as he returned to the courthouse in a car he had stolen over the lunch hour.
± Random Fact
Kansas state law requires pedestrians crossing the highways at night to wear tail lights.
╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣
§ December Month Long Observances
Birthstone: Blue Topaz…Flower of the Month: Narcissus
Colorectal Cancer Education and Awareness Month + Hi Neighbor Month + National Write A Business Plan Month + National Tie Month + Rising Star Month + Safe Toys and Gifts Month + Spiritual Literacy Month + Stress Free Family Holiday Month + Universal Human Rights Month + Read A New Book Month+ World Aids Month
§ Observance Weeks in December
It's About Time Week (25-31)
Kwanzaa: (26-1/1)
§ 29 December Observances
Pepper Pot Day: Pepper Pot Day commemorates the creation of this thick spicy soup, served to the Continental Army during the cold, harsh winter of 1777-1778. George Washington asked his army's chef to prepare a meal for the army, that would both warm them, and boost their moral. The chef found scraps of tripe, small bits of meat and some peppercorn. He mixed this in with some other ingredients, and created Pepper Pot soup, also known as "Philadelphia Pepper Pot soup”. The hot, and somewhat spicy soup, was well received by the troops. It was called "the soup that won the war”.
National Chocolate Day
Tick Tock Day—to realize there is still time in 09 to get things done.
Texas: Admission Day (1945)
Kwanzaa: Today is Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics): To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.
╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣
§ Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1862…Bowling ball invented
§ Births On This Day
~ The Arts
Pablo Casals in 1876 cellist/conductor/composer
Ted Danson in 1947 (raised in Flagstaff) actor: Cheers
Marianne Faithfull in 1946 singer: As Tears Go By
Tom Jarriel in 1934 newscaster
Jude Law in 1972 actor
Mary Tyler Moore in 1936 Emmy Award-winning actress
Paula Poundstone in 1959 comedienne
Jon Voight in 1938 actor
~Athletics
James Darling in 1974 NFL Eagles
Tom Knight in 1974 Cardinals
Malcolm Seabron in 1972 NFL Oilers
~Business, Education, Politics
Archibald Alison in 1792 Scottish historian (History of Europe)
Tom Bradley in 1917 (Mayor-Los Angeles)
Andrew Johnson in 1808 17th President
William Ewart Gladstone in 1809 British PM
~Science/Religion
Charles Goodyear in 1800 inventor (vulcanization process for rubber)
Charles Macintosh in 1776 (Scotland) patented waterproof fabric
§ In Remembrance
Thomas Becket archbishop, assassinated by 4 knights of King Henry II in 1170 @ 52
[Maurice] Harold Macmillan British PM (1957-63), in 1986 @ 92
Spotted Elk (Heȟáka Glešká or Hupah Glešká) aka Big Foot Sioux Indian chief, dies in 1890 at Wounded Knee Massacre @ 64
§ Historical Events On This Day
1782…1st nautical almanac in US published by Samuel Stearns, Boston
1813…British burn Buffalo New York during the War of 1812
1848…President James Polk turned on the first gas light at the White House.
1851…1st Young Men's Christian Association chapter opened (Boston)
1867…1st telegraph ticker used by a brokerage house, Groesbeck & Company, New York
1913…1st movie serial, "Adventures of Kathlyn" premieres in Chicago IL
1937…Ireland adopts constitution (Irish Free State becomes Eire)
1948…US State Department announces work on placing objects into Earth orbit
1952…1st transistorized hearing aid offered for sale (Elmsford NY)
1967…Star Trek's "The Trouble With Tribbles" 1st airs
1972…Life magazine ceases publication
1975…A terrorist bomb is exploded in the main terminal of New York's LaGuardia Airport, killing 11 people.
1982…Bob Marley postage stamp issued in Jamaica
1983…US announces withdrawal from UNESCO
1989…Wayne Gretzky & Martina Navratilova are named athletes of the decade by the Associated Press
1997…Hong Kong begins slaughtering all its chickens to prevent bird flu
╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣
§ Rhyme & Reason
Answer the following clue in two rhyming words (e.g. an obese feline is a fat cat) If only one number is given, the answer is a word featuring internal rhyme (e.g. voodoo)
1. Lassie's testimony (4,5):
2. stray over there (6,6):
3. make certain that all 52 cards are there (5,4):
4. infrared vision, or what carrots enhance? (5,5):
5. letter bucket (4,4):
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ANSWERS
1. Lassie's testimony (4,5): woof proof
2. stray over there (6,6): wander yonder
3. make certain that all 52 cards are there (5,4): check deck
4. infrared vision, or what carrots enhance? (5,5): night sight
5. letter bucket (4,4): mail pail
Wednesday
02 shopping days remain until Christmas
357 days so far this year…8 days remain in 2009
►Provocative Quote
"There is always someone worse off than yourself."
~Unknown
►Free Ramblings
Have a great Holiday Season. I’m packed and ready to go. Only problem is the snow. But I know I will make it. I’ll be back on the 28th or 29th with more stuff to read.
I saw Invictus today. I’m quite sure I was certainly more moved than many, since I have just returned from there. Mandela is a very powerful human being. What he accomplished in his homeland is unbelievable. The movie, through the metaphor of Rugby, unites a nation. His work is far from done, but he made movement that will be remembered for centruries. Here is the poem, written in 1857 by English Poet Wm Ernest Henley:
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
Tax update. I got to my appointment early, and the tax guy was there. We called CO tax office. He worked his way through the most complicated and slow speaking menu I have ever heard. Finally found the one we needed. Then the recorded voice talked about how state budget cuts had cut the tax office by 75% and wait time would be long. They also said that there would be just dead air. Guess the budget cut even cut out the music. We heard the plea to use the internet for your questions or continue to hold. It took about 15 minutes to get Dave—a real human—to pick up the phone. He had trouble typing in my account, but after three tries, he got it. Then he said that the office is understaffed due to budget cuts and that they are three to four months behind in working on problems like mine. He checked and they did have our letter, but only for 07 and not for 06 or 08. It was one friggin’ letter for all three. He said the that while the office was short staffed, the computer kept on sending out letters with, I guess, no human help. He gave us a 60 day extension before my account was turned over to collections. He said that might not be enough time, but that was all he could do. If I hadn’t heard from them in 60 days I should call back and get another extension. Failure to call, and wait to talk to a human would mean the account would go directly to collections. He also doubted that my case would be resolved in that timeframe since they are short staffed. Sure am glad I am retired and have the time to play the Bureaucratic Games.
Weather? In a Mountain Community? At Christmas time? I-40W closed about 4:30, stranding many headed home to Parks and Williams. Of course there will be snow. Of course travelers will have a difficult time. Of course friends will be called upon for help. Why should 2009 draw to a close with anything else? Last night was not that cold. I think the low was about 25° but my web source says it was 29°. Today was chilly—only made it to 34°. About 10am it was snowing with large flakes while the sun was trying really hard to break through the cloud cover. It snowed on and off most of the rest of the day. It started coming down fairly hard about 4pm. By 6pm we had a good 6” of snow. It continues to come down on and off. Sure hope the plane can make it out tomorrow morning.
╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣
± Quotes from Values.com—HOPE
“The flower that follows the sun does so even in cloudy days.”
~Robert Leighton Preacher, Bishop, Academic
± Unusual Snow Facts…
-The largest piece of ice to fall to earth was an ice block 6 meters (20 ft) across that fell in Scotland on 13 August 1849.
-The largest snowflakes in the world fell across Fort Keogh in Montana (USA) on 28 January 1887. Guinness Record: 15” in diameter.
-Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is the only permanent snowcap within sight of the equator.
-A single snowstorm can drop 40 million tons of snow, carrying the energy equivalent to 120 atom bombs.
-The most measured snow produced in a single snowstorm is 4.8 meters (15.75ft) at Mt Shasta Ski Bowl, California (USA) between 13 and 19 February 1959.
± Random Fact
A 41-gun salute is the traditional salute to a royal birth in Great Britain.
╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣
§ December Month Long Observances
Birthstone: Blue Topaz…Flower of the Month: Narcissus
Colorectal Cancer Education and Awareness Month + Hi Neighbor Month + National Write A Business Plan Month + National Tie Month + Rising Star Month + Safe Toys and Gifts Month + Spiritual Literacy Month + Stress Free Family Holiday Month + Universal Human Rights Month + Read A New Book Month+ World Aids Month
§ Observance Weeks in December
Saturnalia: Roman Festival of Tomfoolery (Dec 17th-23rd)
Halcyon Days (Dec 14th-28th)
§ 21 December Observances
Festivus—yeah the Seinfeld Holiday from TV
Roots Day: Celebrate Genealogy (Not associated with the TV movie or book)
-Egypt : Victory Day (Suez Crisis—1956 Fr & Br troops withdraw)
-Japan – The Emperor's Birthday – Birthday of Akihito, the current Emperor of Japan (b. 1933)
-Sweden – Birthday of Queen Silvia, an official flag day (b.1943)
-Oaxaca, Mexico – Noche de Rabanos ( Night of the Radishes) where Nativity is represented through artwork with radishes.
-HumanLight : for Secular humanism (American) – observed—“Vision of a Good Future”
╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣
§ Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1938…Margaret Hamilton's Wicked Witch of the West costume catches fire in filming of "Wizard of Oz"; she is severely burned and off the film for over one month
-And in 1944…A six foot Greek statue from 510 B.C. was found in good condition by a farmer who was plowing. It was hidden from German soldiers by putting it in an Athens museum.
§ Births On This Day
~ The Arts
Bob Barker in 1923 TV host (Price is Right)
Ronald Bushy in 1945 rocker (Iron Butterfly-In A Gadda Da Vida)
José Greco in 1918 (Italy) flamenco dancer
Tim Hardin in 1941 singer (If I Were a Carpenter)
Floyd Kalber in 1924 newscaster: NBC-TV News
Susan Lucci in 1949 actress (All My Children)
Harriet Monroe in 1860 poet/editor of Poetry magazine
Samuel Smiles in 1812 Scottish author
~Athletics
Paul Hornung in 1935 football: Packers (the Golden Boy)
~Business, Education, Politics
Sir Richard Arkwright in 1732 inventor (spinning frame)
Jean-François Champollion in 1790 deciphered Egyptian hieroglyphics
Zindzi Mandela in 1960 daughter of Nelson & Winnie Mandela
~Science/Religion
Joseph Smith Jr in 1805 founder of Mormonism
§ In Remembrance
Benito Lynch Irish/Argentine writer (Palo Verde), @ 66 in 1951
Charlie Ruggles actor (Ruggles, Aesop-Bullwinkle Show), @ 84 in 1970
James Vance & Raymond Belknap commit suicide, sparking their families to sue rock group Judas Priest for subliminal messages—case dismissed in 1985
Jack Webb actor (Joe Friday-Dragnet), heart attack @ 62 in 1982
§ Historical Events On This Day
1751…France sets plan to tax clergymen
1776…Thomas Paine writes "These are the times that try men's souls"
1779…Benedict Arnold court-martialed for improper conduct
1823…"Visit from St Nicholas" by C Moore published in Troy (New York) Sentinel
1852…1st Chinese theater in US, Celestial John, opens in San Francisco
1867…1st self-made millionairess (Sarah Breedlove-hair straightener)
1888…Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh cuts off his left ear
1912…1st "Keystone Kops" film premiers
1912…Aswan Dam I in Nile begins operation
1920…Ireland divided into 2 parts, each with its own parliament
1922…BBC Radio began daily newscasts
1946…University of Tennessee refuses to play Duquesne University, because they may use a black player in their basketball game
1947…Bell Labs demonstrates the world’s first Transistor Radio
1961…Fidel Castro announces Cuba will release 1,113 prisoners from failed 1961 Bay of Pigs Invasion for $62 million worth of food & medical supplies
1968…82 members of US intelligence ship 'Pueblo' released by North Korea
1987…Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, serving a life sentence for attempted assassination of President Gerald R Ford escapes from Alderson Prison
1997 … Carlos the Jackal, aka Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, was convicted in France of the murder of two French agents and a Lebanese informant in 1975
╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣╣
§ Rhyme & Reason
Answer the following clue in two rhyming words (e.g. an obese feline is a fat cat) If only one number is given, the answer is a word featuring internal rhyme (e.g. voodoo)
1. primitive nutrition (5,4):
2. any which way (6-7):
3. flagging automobile tooter (4,4):
4. followers of “Servant of the Bones” author (5,4):
5. small stain (4,5):
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ANSWERS
1. primitive nutrition (5,4): crude food
2. any which way (6-7): helter-skelter
3. flagging automobile tooter (4,4): worn horn
4. followers of “Servant of the Bones” author (5,4): Anne’s fans (Anne Rice)
5. small stain (4,5): mere smear
357 days so far this year…8 days remain in 2009
►Provocative Quote
"There is always someone worse off than yourself."
~Unknown
►Free Ramblings
Have a great Holiday Season. I’m packed and ready to go. Only problem is the snow. But I know I will make it. I’ll be back on the 28th or 29th with more stuff to read.
I saw Invictus today. I’m quite sure I was certainly more moved than many, since I have just returned from there. Mandela is a very powerful human being. What he accomplished in his homeland is unbelievable. The movie, through the metaphor of Rugby, unites a nation. His work is far from done, but he made movement that will be remembered for centruries. Here is the poem, written in 1857 by English Poet Wm Ernest Henley:
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
Tax update. I got to my appointment early, and the tax guy was there. We called CO tax office. He worked his way through the most complicated and slow speaking menu I have ever heard. Finally found the one we needed. Then the recorded voice talked about how state budget cuts had cut the tax office by 75% and wait time would be long. They also said that there would be just dead air. Guess the budget cut even cut out the music. We heard the plea to use the internet for your questions or continue to hold. It took about 15 minutes to get Dave—a real human—to pick up the phone. He had trouble typing in my account, but after three tries, he got it. Then he said that the office is understaffed due to budget cuts and that they are three to four months behind in working on problems like mine. He checked and they did have our letter, but only for 07 and not for 06 or 08. It was one friggin’ letter for all three. He said the that while the office was short staffed, the computer kept on sending out letters with, I guess, no human help. He gave us a 60 day extension before my account was turned over to collections. He said that might not be enough time, but that was all he could do. If I hadn’t heard from them in 60 days I should call back and get another extension. Failure to call, and wait to talk to a human would mean the account would go directly to collections. He also doubted that my case would be resolved in that timeframe since they are short staffed. Sure am glad I am retired and have the time to play the Bureaucratic Games.
Weather? In a Mountain Community? At Christmas time? I-40W closed about 4:30, stranding many headed home to Parks and Williams. Of course there will be snow. Of course travelers will have a difficult time. Of course friends will be called upon for help. Why should 2009 draw to a close with anything else? Last night was not that cold. I think the low was about 25° but my web source says it was 29°. Today was chilly—only made it to 34°. About 10am it was snowing with large flakes while the sun was trying really hard to break through the cloud cover. It snowed on and off most of the rest of the day. It started coming down fairly hard about 4pm. By 6pm we had a good 6” of snow. It continues to come down on and off. Sure hope the plane can make it out tomorrow morning.
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± Quotes from Values.com—HOPE
“The flower that follows the sun does so even in cloudy days.”
~Robert Leighton Preacher, Bishop, Academic
± Unusual Snow Facts…
-The largest piece of ice to fall to earth was an ice block 6 meters (20 ft) across that fell in Scotland on 13 August 1849.
-The largest snowflakes in the world fell across Fort Keogh in Montana (USA) on 28 January 1887. Guinness Record: 15” in diameter.
-Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is the only permanent snowcap within sight of the equator.
-A single snowstorm can drop 40 million tons of snow, carrying the energy equivalent to 120 atom bombs.
-The most measured snow produced in a single snowstorm is 4.8 meters (15.75ft) at Mt Shasta Ski Bowl, California (USA) between 13 and 19 February 1959.
± Random Fact
A 41-gun salute is the traditional salute to a royal birth in Great Britain.
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§ December Month Long Observances
Birthstone: Blue Topaz…Flower of the Month: Narcissus
Colorectal Cancer Education and Awareness Month + Hi Neighbor Month + National Write A Business Plan Month + National Tie Month + Rising Star Month + Safe Toys and Gifts Month + Spiritual Literacy Month + Stress Free Family Holiday Month + Universal Human Rights Month + Read A New Book Month+ World Aids Month
§ Observance Weeks in December
Saturnalia: Roman Festival of Tomfoolery (Dec 17th-23rd)
Halcyon Days (Dec 14th-28th)
§ 21 December Observances
Festivus—yeah the Seinfeld Holiday from TV
Roots Day: Celebrate Genealogy (Not associated with the TV movie or book)
-Egypt : Victory Day (Suez Crisis—1956 Fr & Br troops withdraw)
-Japan – The Emperor's Birthday – Birthday of Akihito, the current Emperor of Japan (b. 1933)
-Sweden – Birthday of Queen Silvia, an official flag day (b.1943)
-Oaxaca, Mexico – Noche de Rabanos ( Night of the Radishes) where Nativity is represented through artwork with radishes.
-HumanLight : for Secular humanism (American) – observed—“Vision of a Good Future”
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§ Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1938…Margaret Hamilton's Wicked Witch of the West costume catches fire in filming of "Wizard of Oz"; she is severely burned and off the film for over one month
-And in 1944…A six foot Greek statue from 510 B.C. was found in good condition by a farmer who was plowing. It was hidden from German soldiers by putting it in an Athens museum.
§ Births On This Day
~ The Arts
Bob Barker in 1923 TV host (Price is Right)
Ronald Bushy in 1945 rocker (Iron Butterfly-In A Gadda Da Vida)
José Greco in 1918 (Italy) flamenco dancer
Tim Hardin in 1941 singer (If I Were a Carpenter)
Floyd Kalber in 1924 newscaster: NBC-TV News
Susan Lucci in 1949 actress (All My Children)
Harriet Monroe in 1860 poet/editor of Poetry magazine
Samuel Smiles in 1812 Scottish author
~Athletics
Paul Hornung in 1935 football: Packers (the Golden Boy)
~Business, Education, Politics
Sir Richard Arkwright in 1732 inventor (spinning frame)
Jean-François Champollion in 1790 deciphered Egyptian hieroglyphics
Zindzi Mandela in 1960 daughter of Nelson & Winnie Mandela
~Science/Religion
Joseph Smith Jr in 1805 founder of Mormonism
§ In Remembrance
Benito Lynch Irish/Argentine writer (Palo Verde), @ 66 in 1951
Charlie Ruggles actor (Ruggles, Aesop-Bullwinkle Show), @ 84 in 1970
James Vance & Raymond Belknap commit suicide, sparking their families to sue rock group Judas Priest for subliminal messages—case dismissed in 1985
Jack Webb actor (Joe Friday-Dragnet), heart attack @ 62 in 1982
§ Historical Events On This Day
1751…France sets plan to tax clergymen
1776…Thomas Paine writes "These are the times that try men's souls"
1779…Benedict Arnold court-martialed for improper conduct
1823…"Visit from St Nicholas" by C Moore published in Troy (New York) Sentinel
1852…1st Chinese theater in US, Celestial John, opens in San Francisco
1867…1st self-made millionairess (Sarah Breedlove-hair straightener)
1888…Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh cuts off his left ear
1912…1st "Keystone Kops" film premiers
1912…Aswan Dam I in Nile begins operation
1920…Ireland divided into 2 parts, each with its own parliament
1922…BBC Radio began daily newscasts
1946…University of Tennessee refuses to play Duquesne University, because they may use a black player in their basketball game
1947…Bell Labs demonstrates the world’s first Transistor Radio
1961…Fidel Castro announces Cuba will release 1,113 prisoners from failed 1961 Bay of Pigs Invasion for $62 million worth of food & medical supplies
1968…82 members of US intelligence ship 'Pueblo' released by North Korea
1987…Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, serving a life sentence for attempted assassination of President Gerald R Ford escapes from Alderson Prison
1997 … Carlos the Jackal, aka Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, was convicted in France of the murder of two French agents and a Lebanese informant in 1975
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§ Rhyme & Reason
Answer the following clue in two rhyming words (e.g. an obese feline is a fat cat) If only one number is given, the answer is a word featuring internal rhyme (e.g. voodoo)
1. primitive nutrition (5,4):
2. any which way (6-7):
3. flagging automobile tooter (4,4):
4. followers of “Servant of the Bones” author (5,4):
5. small stain (4,5):
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ANSWERS
1. primitive nutrition (5,4): crude food
2. any which way (6-7): helter-skelter
3. flagging automobile tooter (4,4): worn horn
4. followers of “Servant of the Bones” author (5,4): Anne’s fans (Anne Rice)
5. small stain (4,5): mere smear
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About Me
- Retired, Not Dead
- Flagstaff, Arizona, United States
- I retired in '06--at the ripe old age of 57. I enjoy blogging, photography, traveling, and living life to it's fullest.