Thursday

January 28, 2010--Week 4 of 2010: 28 days this year…337 remain

» Quote Times Two «                       .

"When seeking love give nothing, Having found love give all."~ unknown

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage - to move in the opposite direction and contemplate a wholesale change in thought and attitude." ~E.F. Schumacher, Economist

» Free Ramblings «                          .

"Well, gosh, we all had to bring our birth certificates to show we were who we said we were, and we were the age we said we were, to play football in youth sports," said Hayworth, who is currently challenging John McCain (R-AZ) in Arizona's Senate primary. "Shouldn't we know exactly that anyone who wants to run for public office is a natural born citizen of the United States, and is who they say they are?"—JD Haworth.

Hey, JD, read the US Constitution…the only two offices that require a natural born citizen are President and Vice President. It’s too bad that McCain’s rival is a friggin’ Birther. I’m sure that if someone calls JD on this quote, he will simply say that either he was misquoted, or that he meant something else. That’s his problem, he doesn’t know of what he speaks. JD’s run is becoming National fodder, since he is running in a primary against the most recent Presidential loser.

Obama is giving his State of the Union speech tonight. I’ll be listening. More on that, I’m sure tomorrow.

Today is Data Privacy Day. I must say we need to do more than just talk about it, but insure that it happens. With the overwhelming amount of data available through the internet, there has to be something to insure that the information is accurate. Part of this blog recalls births, deaths, and events that have occurred throughout history. I do this because being reminded of these things helps me keep my mind active. I also like recalling these tidbits, sometimes because I lived at that time, others I had learned sometime but kinda forgotten. Many times I learn something I didn’t ever know. I have searched out sites that give me the information to share. What continues to astound me is the number of mistakes that are out there. I realize that some information may not be readily verifiable, so I try hard to have at least two sites showing the information before I post it. If internet web masters can’t get simple dates right, what other information out there is totally wrong? That is something we have to ask every time we log on.

Flag had some heavy snow flurries for about an hour this morning. The weather service issued a bulletin saying to expect up to 8” of snow. The snow melted as it fell, the sky cleared. Hopefully we won’t get any more from this storm. My ice cave is still holding on, the icicles continue to grow. We still have plenty left from the last storm. One interesting observance today, while these heavy flurries were falling, our parking lot had a small river of water running down the middle of the road. Guess that means the snow is melting. It only dropped to 22° last night, so it warmed up to our high of 38° fairly early. This helped a little in melting the snow piles. Another 45 days like this, and our record snow fall will finally be melted.

»Side Show Stories—Darwin Awards 2010 «.

The Darwin Awards commemorate those who improve our gene pool... by removing themselves from it.

Another more runner up…

When his 38 caliber revolver failed to fire at his intended victim during a hold-up in Long Beach, California, would-be robber James Elliot did something that can only inspire wonder. He peered down the barrel and tried the trigger again. This time it worked.

»Random Fact «                              .

A one-minute kiss burns 26 calories.

» Interesting Statistics «                   .

*Note: I realize that statistics can be made to say just about anything.

~ Between 1997 and 2003, there was a 25% increase in the number of businesses in AZ. Too bad that is the latest data.

» Puzzle «                                          .

A list of words is given. To solve the puzzle, think of a single word that goes with each to form a compound word or word pair that functions as a compound word. For example, if the given words are volley, field, and bearing, the the answer would be ball, because the word ball can be added to each of the other words to form volleyball, ball field, and ball bearing. Answers are at the end of blog.

1. butter, maid, run

2. hot, strong, arrow

3. sore, witness, buck

» Calendar Information «                  .     

☼ 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 ☼

Sundance Film Festival: 21-31

National Cowboy Poetry Gathering Week: 23-30

World Leprosy Week: 23-29

National Nurse Anesthetists Week: 24-30

National Medical Group Practice Week: 25-29

☼ 27 January Observances—US/UN/World ☼

National Kazoo Day

Clash Day

Rattlesnake Round-Up Day

☼27 January Observances—by country ☼

Rwanda : Democracy Day (1961)

US: Canada: 27 European Nations: Data Privacy Day—to raise awareness of the importance of data privacy

☼ Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1918…US food administrator Hoover calls for "wheatless" & "meatless" days for war effort

☼ Born on this day ☼

     » The Arts

Alan Alda (Alphonso D’Abruzzo), 74, actor (Paper Lion, The Four Seasons, “M*A*S*H”), director

Sabine Baring-Gould, in 1834 , Anglican clergyman and author, "Onward, Christian Soldiers"

John Barclay in 1582, Scottish satirist/poet

Barbi Benton [Klein], 60, Playboy model/actress (Hee Haw)

Acker (Bernard) Bilk, 81, British clarinetist, composer: Stranger on the Shore

"Sidonie Gabrielle" Colette in 1873, novelist (Cheri, Gigi)

Sarah McLachlan, 42, Canadian singer

Claes Oldenburg, 81, Swedish artist, sculptor

Jackson Pollock in 1912 (Cody WY), abstract artist (Lavender Mist)

Artur Rubinstein in 1887, American pianist

Susan Sontag in 1933, essayist/novelist/film director

Elijah Wood, 29, actor (the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Ice Storm)
     »Athletics

Dwight Stone, 46, NFL receiver/running back (Panthers, Packers)

     »Business, Education, Politics

Henry VII, in 1457, 1st Tudor king of England

Nicolas Sarkozy, 55, President of France

Sir Henry Morton Stanley in 1841, explorer: leader of African expedition to find the missing missionary, David Livingstone: “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” said Mr. Stanley

    »Science/Religion

William Seward Burroughs in 1855, inventor (recording adding machine)

☼Today’s Obits ☼

Charlemagne in 0814, German emperor/Roman Emperor (800-814), @ 71

Henry VIII in 1547 King of England (1509-47), compiications of gout @ 55

Sir Francis Drake in 1595 English navigator/pirate, dysentery @ about 50

Peter I "the Great" Romanov in 1725 czar of Russia, gangrene @ 52

John Banner in 1973 actor (Schultz-Hogan's Heroes), hemorrhage @ 62 on birthday

Philip H Burton in 1995 Welsh producer/Richard Burton's teacher, @ 80

Jimmy Durante in 1980, comedian, @ 86

Challenger Astronauts in 1986: Gregory B. Jarvis, payload specialist @ 42; Christa McAuliffe teacher, @ 38; Ronald E McNair @ 36; Ellison S Onizuka, Major USAF @ 40; Dr Judith Arlene Resnik @37; Francis R Scobee, USAF/@ 47; Michael J Smith Commander USN @ 41

Jerry Siegel in 1996 comic book writer (Superman), @ 81

William Butler Yeats in 1939 Irish poet (Nobel), @ 73

☼What happened on this day? ☼

     » The Arts

1878…Yale Daily News published, 1st college daily newspaper

1902…The Carnegie Institution was established in Washington DC

1973…"Barnaby Jones" premieres on CBS TV

1978…"Fantasy Island" starring Ricardo Montalban premieres on ABC TV

     »Athletics

1934…1st US ski tow (rope) begins operation (Woodstock VT)

1958…Dodger catcher Roy Campanella is paralyzed in an automobile wreck

1969…Barbara Jo Rubin becomes 1st woman jockey to win in North America

1990…Super Bowl XXIV San Francisco 49ers beat Denver Broncos

     »Business, Education, Politics

1547…9-year-old Edward VI succeeds Henry VIII as king of England

1858…John Brown organized raid on Arsenal at Harper's Ferry

1899…American Social Science Association incorporated by Congress

1914…Beverly Hills, California, is incorporated

1928…Christopher Hornsrud chosen PM of Norway at age 101

1932…1st US state unemployment insurance act enacted-Wisconsin

1935…Iceland becomes 1st country to legalize abortion

1937…Testing of the Rolls Royce had begun; sale begins after WWII

1949…UN Security council condemns Dutch aggression in Indonesia

     »Science/Religion

1613…Galileo may have unknowingly viewed undiscovered planet Neptune

1807…London's Pall Mall is 1st street lit by gaslight

1986…25th Space Shuttle (51L)-Challenger 10 explodes 73 seconds after liftoff

» Number One Songs in…

1956…Memories are Made of This - Dean Martin

1964…There! I’ve Said It Again - Bobby Vinton

1972…American Pie - Don McLean

1980…Do that to Me One More Time - The Captain & Tennille

» ANSWERS to puzzle «

1. MILK: buttermilk, milkmaid, milk run

2. HEAD: hot head, headstrong, arrowhead

3. EYE: eyesore, eye witness, buckeye

Wednesday

January 27, 2010--Week 4 of 2010: 27 days this year…338 remain

» Quote Times Two « 

"A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval." ~ Mark Twain, humorist

“Example moves the world more than doctrine.” ~ Henry Miller, Author

» Free Ramblings «

OMG, Arizona needs to hold on to its political hat. Our former nemesis in our old congressional district is going to run for the Republican Party’s nomination for the US Senate. J D Hayworth is a conservative’s conservative. He has been out of office for some time, since the new districts were formed after the last census. He has been a host of a Phoenix Radio Talk Show for, I guess, almost a decade. Now he wants McCain’s seat. He says John is too liberal for our state, and while John has done a lot for the state, it’s time for him to come back to AZ. He was on a Phoenix TV informational show this morning, wearing an open shirt. I just saw an interview on National News with him. This time he was wearing a suit and tie. I can’t vote in the Republican Primary, so time will tell. I just have to hope that the Dems will find a person who can beat him, or John. The way I see it, if John wins the primary, he wins in November. If JD wins the primary, the race will be wide open and no knows who will win. Neither AZ nor our nation needs another super conservative in Washington.

Still no one has showed up to get the snow off our roof. It is melting, but still looks pretty precarious. My friend has been stuck for 6 days, but finally found someone to get her dug out today…Good news for sure. The 42° helped melt the snow, and allow the icicles to grow even longer and thicker. We only went to 12° last night. It was nice to be able to be outside, but still nowhere to walk safely around here. I slipped on some ice picking up the paper from my front area. No real damage, felt stupid, slightly twisted one knee on the way down, but some icy-hot is fixing that. Good thing the snow is so deep, as I was able to fall into a snow bank, and then slide down to the sidewalk. Winter Wonderland it isn’t.

»Side Show Stories—Darwin Awards 2010 «

The Darwin Awards commemorate those who improve our gene pool... by removing themselves from it.

THE WINNER!!!: ( Arkansas Democrat Gazette): Two local men were injured when their pickup truck left the road and struck a tree near Cotton Patch on State Highway 38 early Monday. Woodruff County deputy Dovey Snyder reported the accident shortly after midnight Monday. Thurston Poole, 33, of Des Arc, and Billy Ray Wallis, 38, of Little Rock, were returning to Des Arc after a frog catching trip. On an overcast Sunday night, Pooles pickup truck headlights malfunctioned. The two men concluded that the headlight fuse on the older-model truck had burned out. As a replacement fuse was not available, Wallis noticed that the 22 caliber bullets from his pistol fit perfectly into the fuse box next to the steering- wheel column. Upon inserting the bullet the headlights again began to operate properly, and the two men proceeded on eastbound toward the White River Bridge. After traveling approximately 20 miles, and just before crossing the river, the bullet apparently overheated, discharged, and struck Poole in the testicles. The vehicle swerved sharply right, exiting the pavement, and striking a tree. Poole suffered only minor cuts and abrasions from the accident but will require extensive surgery to repair the damage to his testicles, which will never operate as intended. Wallis sustained a broken clavicle and was treated and released. "Thank God we weren't on that bridge when Thurston shot his n**s off, or we might both be dead," stated Wallis. "I've been a trooper for 10 years in this part of the world, but this is a first for me. I can't believe that those two would admit how this accident happened," said Snyder. Upon being notified of the wreck, Lavinia (Poole 's wife), asked how many frogs the boys had caught and did anyone get them from the truck. Priorities, after all!! Though Poole and Wallis did not die as a result of their misadventure as normally required by Darwin Award Official Rules, it can be argued that Poole did, in fact, effectively remove himself from the gene pool.

»Random Fact «

About half of all Americans are on a diet at any given time.

» Interesting Statistics «

*Note: I realize that statistics can be made to say just about anything.

~ The AZ Gross State Product grew by 8.7% to 215.7 billion in 2005 making it the fastest growing economy in the US. Sorry to say “Not any more”.

» Puzzle «
A list of words is given. To solve the puzzle, think of a single word that goes with each to form a compound word or word pair that functions as a compound word. For example, if the given words are volley, field, and bearing, the the answer would be ball, because the word ball can be added to each of the other words to form volleyball, ball field, and ball bearing. Answers are at the end of blog.

1. back, crawl, work

2. read, child, water

3. blue, lands, roots

» Calendar Information «

☼ 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 ☼

Sundance Film Festival: 21-31

National Cowboy Poetry Gathering Week: 23-30

World Leprosy Week: 23-29

National Nurse Anesthetists Week: 24-30

National Medical Group Practice Week: 25-29

☼ 27 January Observances—US/UN/World ☼

Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day

Holocaust Memorial Day

Viet Nam Peace Day (1973)

☼27 January Observances—by country ☼

Denmark: Auschwitzdag (Auschwitz Day; commemoration day for the victims of the Holocaust and other genocide)

International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust

Monaco and Corsica: day of Saint Devota, martyred patron saint

Serbia: St. Sava Day, lawgiver and Serbian Orthodox Monastery builder

Viet Nam: Peace Day (1973)

☼ Holy Mackerel:☼ On this day in 1967…Apollo I electrical fire kills three US Astronauts in pre-flight testing.

☼ Born on this day ☼

     » The Arts

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1756 (Austria), musical prodigy/composer

Lewis Carroll [Charles Lutwidge Dodgson], in 1832 author (Alice in Wonderland)

Troy Donahue in 1936, actor

Lyle Russell Cedric ‘Skitch’ Henderson in 1918 (Birmingham England), orchestra leader (Tonight Show)

Jerome Kern in 1885, the father of the American musical: composer

Tracy Lawrence, 42, country singer

     »Athletics

(Anthony) Cris Collinsworth, 51, sportscaster

Art Rooney in 1901, NFL team owner (Pittsburgh Steelers)

     »Business, Education, Politics

Mohamed Al Fayed in 1933, (Egypt), CEO (Harrods)

Mairead Corrigan, 66, (Belfast, Northern Ireland), pacifist, Nobel Peace Prize winner

Samuel Gompers in 1850, labor union leader: 1st president of the American Federation of Labor [AFL]

William Randolph Hearst Jr, in 1908, newspaper publisher

John G. Roberts, Jr, 55, Chief Justice of the US

Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1859, German emperor

     »Science/Religion

Hyman G Rickover in 1900, US Admiral (father of modern nuclear navy)

Mikhail Baryshnikov, 62, in Latvia, ballet dancer, actor

☼Today’s Obits ☼

John James Audubon in 1851, conservationist (Audubon Society), senility @ 65

Roger B Chaffee astronaut, in 1967 @ 31 in Apollo I fire

Virgil I (Gus) Grissom astronaut, in 1967 @ 41 in Apollo I fire

Edward Higgins White II Lieutenant-Colonel USAF/astronaut (Gemini 4), in 1967 @ 36 in Apollo I fire

Mahalia Jackson in 1972, gospel singer (He Got the Whole World), diabetes @ 60

Paul "Bear" Bryant ,in 1983, US football coach (Alabama), heart attack @ 69

L Ron Hubbard, in 1986, novelist/founder (Church of Scientology), dies at 74

Andre "the Giant" Roussimoff in 1993 WWF wrestler, heart attack @ 49

☼What happened on this day? ☼

     » The Arts

1961…"Sing Along with Mitch" [Miller] premieres on NBC TV

1968 …Otis Redding’s (Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay was released on this day, seven weeks after the singer’s death.

1976…"Laverne & Shirley" spin-off from "Happy Days" premieres on ABC TV

1984…Michael Jackson is burned during filming for Pepsi commercial

     »Athletics

1984…Carl Lewis bettered his own two-year-old record by 9-1/4 inches when he set a new, world indoor record with a long-jump mark of 28 feet, 10-1/4 inches

1989…Kevin Johnson (Suns) begins NBA free throw streak of 57 games

     »Business, Education, Politics

1710…Czar Peter the Great sets 1st Russian state budget

1785…1st US state university chartered, Athens GA

1870. ..1st sorority (Kappa Alpha Theta) (DePauw University in Greencastle IN)

1926…US Senate agrees to join World Court

1944…Leningrad liberated from Germany in 880 days with 600,000 killed

1964…Margaret Chase Smith (Senator-R-ME) tries for Republican Presidential bid

1967…The Outer Space Treaty which banned the placing of nuclear weapons or any other weapons of mass destruction in orbit of Earth is signed by 60 countries

     »Science/Religion

1926…John Logie Baird, gives the first public demonstration of a television system in London. The BBC started the first public broadcasts in London in 1936. Regular television broadcasts began in the United States in 1939.

1948…1st tape recorder sold

» Number One Songs in…

1947…For Sentimental Reasons - Nat King Cole

1955…Mr. Sandman - The Chordettes

1963…Walk Right In - The Rooftop Singers

1971…Knock Three Times - Dawn

1979…Y.M.C.A. - Village People

» ANSWERS to puzzle «

1. SPACE: backspace, crawlspace, workspace

2. PROOF: proofread, childproof, waterproof

3. GRASS: bluegrass, grasslands, grassroots

Tuesday

January 26, 2010--Week 4 of 2010: 26 days this year…339 remain

►Provocative Quote                  .
"You're smart when you only believe half of what you hear, Wise is when you know which half to believe "

~ unknown

►Free Ramblings                      .

The sun shone all day and melted about 1% of the snow we have. My friend is still stuck at home. The icicles continue to grow on the front and back of my townhouse roof, and the ice cave shows no impression of leaving the roof soon. A friend in NC sent me a note that their recent ice storm had tree branches snapping and that it sounded like gun fire. Another friend in Iowa lost many branches in an ice storm there. Suddenly our snow storm was not so bad after all.

Back to the dentist as my temporary came off Friday, for the second time. Boring! I hope this one stays on until the permanent one arrives.

I had a great lunch with Cheryl today. Mary couldn’t make it as she was waiting for a new windshield to be installed. As we were leaving, we met our former principal and his wife. Both of them are doing fine. Jerry was very sunburned from shoveling them out of their place in Doney Park. He has always been an outdoor guy, but he really looked like he had been spring skiing without sun block. All this snow makes for blindingly bright days.

Flagstaff is trying to consolidate schools to save money. Brings about lots of anger. The newest proposal puts Leupp Public school in the mix. Leupp, like Tuba has a public school and a Bureau school. In Tuba, both schools had different missions. While both believed in education, their means were different. I’m sure it’s the same in Leupp. Closing Leupp Public won’t help Leupp, anymore than any of the other proposed school closing will help their neighborhood community. The biggest difference is that those students who want to remain Public school students will have to take a one hour bus ride, one-way to get to school. The board member who suggested the closure stated that ‘we are in the business of education, not transportation’. Sounds like he feels that the Leupp students can just find another school, outside the district. He better look at the entitlement program dollars that the district gets because they have Leupp. Without Leupp, all of the district will suffer. Somehow it seems that included in this proposal is that Leupp is about 30 minutes from Flagstaff and somehow those parents won’t be very vocal.

We made it to 41° today, which was really nice. Last night’s low of 4° was not that nice. When it gets that cold, it takes forever to warm up and start the snow melting process.

►Quotes from Values.com—TEACHING BY EXAMPLE .

“No legacy is so rich as honesty.”

~William Shakespeare [All's Well that Ends Well", Act 3 scene 5]

►Side Show Stories—Darwin Awards 2010               .

The Darwin Awards commemorate those who improve our gene pool... by removing themselves from it.

(Reuters, Mississauga, Ontario ): A man cleaning a bird feeder on the balcony of his condominium apartment in this Toronto suburb slipped and fell 23 stories to his death. Stefan Macko, 55, was standing on a wheelchair when the accident occurred, said Inspector Darcy Honer of the Peel Regional Police. "It appears that the chair moved, and he went over the balcony," Honer said.

►Random Fact                                                   .

Frowning burns more calories than smiling.

§ Interesting Statistics
*Note: I realize that statistics can be made to say just about anything.

~ AZ uses about 7.2 million gallons of fuel each day.

~Maricopa County uses about 4.8 million gallons of that each day.

§ 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

Sundance Film Festival: 21-31

National Cowboy Poetry Gathering Week: 23-30

World Leprosy Week: 23-29

National Nurse Anesthetists Week: 24-30

National Medical Group Practice Week: 25-29

§ 26 January Observances—US/UN/World

Lotus 1-2-3 Day—computer program

National Peanut Brittle Day

National Speak Up and Succeed Day

Arkansas : General Douglas MacArthur Day

Michigan : Admission Day (1837)

§26 January Observances—by country

Australia: Australia Day—British arrival in 1788 (known as Invasion Day by indigenous people)

Dominican Republic: Duarte's Day/Dia de Duarte (Juan Pablo Duarte y Díez was freedom fighter to end Haiti’s control of Dominican Republic)

India: Republic Day (1950)

§ Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1918…US food administrator Hoover calls for "wheatless" & "meatless" days for war effort

§Born on this day

     ~ The Arts

Anita Baker, 52, singer

Derek Bond in 1920, Glasgow Scotland, actor (Nicholas Nickleby)

Zara Cully in 1892, actress (Mother Jefferson-The Jeffersons)

Ellen DeGeneres, 52, comedienne, actress, talk show host

Scott Glenn, 68, actor (The Right Stuff, Silverado)

William Hopper in 1915, actor (Paul Drake-Perry Mason)

Eartha Kitt in 1928, singer/actress (Catwoman-Batman)

Paul Newman in 1925 - Academy Award-winning actor

Gene Siskel in 1946 movie critic (Siskel & Ebert)

Eddie Van Halen, 55, in Nijmegen, Netherlands - guitarist

     ~Athletics

Wayne Gretzky, 49, Hall of Fame hockey player

Robert George (Bob) Uecker, 75, sportscaster, former baseball player, actor (“Mr Belvedere”)

     ~Business, Education, Politics

Angela Davis, 66, political activist

Julia Dent Grant in 1826 - 1st lady of U.S., wife of 18th President Ulysses S. Grant

Sean MacBride in 1904, Dublin Ireland, statesman/Amnesty International co-founder (Nobel '74)

     ~Science/Religion

Father George Harold Clements, 78, Roman Catholic priest, civil rights leader

§Obits for this day

Abner Doubleday in 1893, credited with inventing baseball, on 74th birthday

William K Wrigley in 1932, owner (Wrigley Gum, Chicago Cubs), dies

Charles "Lucky" Luciano in 1962 NY Mafia gangster, @ 65

Edward G Robinson [Goldenberg], in 1973, actor (Little Caesar), @ 79

Nelson Rockefeller in 1979, former Vice President & 4 time Governor of NY, @70

Paul "Bear" Bryant in 1983, college football coach, @ 69

José Ferrer in 1992 Puerto Rican actor/director (Cyrano de Bergerac), @ 80

Shinichi Suzuki in 1998, music teacher (Suzuki Method), @ 99

§What happened on this day?

     ~ The Arts

1926…Television 1st demonstrated (John L Baird, London)

1979…"The Dukes of Hazzard" premieres on CBS

     ~Athletics

1913…Jim Thorpe relinquishes his 1912 Olympic medals for being a pro, returned to family 60 years later.

     ~Business, Education, Politics

1784…Ben Franklin wrote to his daughter to tell her that he was unhappy that the bald eagle had been chosen as the national bird of the United States

1838…Tennessee becomes 1st state to prohibit alcohol

1841…Hong Kong proclaimed a sovereign territory of Britain

1850…1st German-language daily newspaper in US published, New York City NY

1871…US income tax repealed

1905…World's largest diamond, the 3,106-carat Cullinan, is found in South Africa

1915…Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado established

1954…Ground breaking begins on Disneyland

1992…Americans with Disabilities Act went into effect

1965…Hindi becomes the official language of India.

     ~Science/Religion

1789…John Odell signs contract for £336 to build St Peter's church (Bronx)

1875…Electric dental drill is patented by George F Green

1961…1st woman "personal physician to President"-JG Travell

~ Number One Songs in…

1946… Let It Snow - Vaughn Monroe

1954…Stranger in Paradise - Tony Bennett

1962…The Twist - Chubby Checker

1970…Raindrop Keep Fallin’ on My Head - B.J. Thomas

1978…What a Difference You’ve Made in My Life - Ronnie Milsap

► Puzzle                               .

A list of words is given. To solve the puzzle, think of a single word that goes with each to form a compound word or word pair that functions as a compound word. For example, if the given words are volley, field, and bearing, the the answer would be ball, because the word ball can be added to each of the other words to form volleyball, ball field, and ball bearing.

1. corn, winner, sweet

2. top, inner, test

3. go, there, seen 

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ANSWERS

1. BREAD: cornbread, bread winner, sweet bread

2. TUBE: tube top, inner tube, test tube

3. FORE: forego, therefore, foreseen

Monday

January 25, 2010--Week 4 of 2010: 25 days this year…340 remain

►Provocative Quote                        .

"While forbidden fruit may be sweeter, it spoils faster."

~ unknown

►Free Ramblings                            .

Flag is cleaning up after our third worst storm in history. I heard today that the Shonto Prep Gym roof collapsed. I spent many hours in that gym as a teacher--assemblies, movies, graduations, volleyball and basketball games, wrestling matches. The gym had two beautiful murals on the side walls. I was acting principal one time when the local artist had finally received a contract to repair the murals. They were painted in the late 60’s and when I returned there in the late 80’s they needed some repair.

There has been very little news from the Rez about this huge storm…nothing new, seldom does AZ or Flagstaff news cover much. The Gallup Independent does a much better job of Rez news, but they only update their website on weekdays.

Another interesting story in the local paper: The paper will now post ‘breaking news’ on their web site, as soon as it is verified. Since we have no local TV station, and mostly non-existent local radio news, this is amazing. This sure is a step in the right direction for a local print paper. This storm was the first time they started this, and I found it very good and very informative. I hope this helps their print circulation too. I’m hoping that the local news program will start up again on the NAU channel. Since it is run by students, they only broadcast when school is in session. It hasn’t been on since mid-December and usually takes a couple of weeks of classes before the program returns to the airways. The students in the classes need to get some basic training every semester before they are ready for broadcast.

I am very happy that my parking area is cleared and that I don’t need ice climbing gear to get to my vehicle. A friend is still snow bound in Doney Park, just outside Flagstaff. I’m trying to find someone with a blade that can open up her road. Her closest neighbor on the road had the road cleared up to their gate, but refused to give my friend information so the plow guy could do the road to her house. I guess there are crappy neighbors everywhere.

We got up to 35° today, so there was some melting. The kids around here are having a lot of fun in the ten foot snow banks. We now have our own sledding area. Schools here have been closed since early last week, so the kids have lots of energy and I’m sure parents are happy that schools will be open Monday, and that the kids can now play outside much of the day. All in all, this storm was the 3rd worst in the city’s history and was only ½” short of being second. It will take weeks before we see earth again.

►Quotes from Values.com—TEACHING BY EXAMPLE .

“Listening is a magnetic and strange thing, a creative force. The friends who listen to us are the ones we move toward. When we are listened to, it creates us, makes us unfold and expand.”

~Dr. Karl Augustus Menninger; Psychiatrist

►Side Show Stories—Darwin Awards 2010              .

The Darwin Awards commemorate those who improve our gene pool... by removing themselves from it.

A cigarette lighter may have triggered a fatal explosion in Dunkirk, IN. A Jay County man, using a cigarette lighter to check the barrel of a muzzle loader, was killed Monday night when the weapon discharged in his face, sheriff’s investigators said. Gregory David Pryor, 19, died in his parents' rural Dunkirk home at about 11:30 PM. Investigators said Pryor was cleaning a 54-caliber muzzle-loader that had not been firing properly. He was using the lighter to look into the barrel when the gunpowder ignited.

►Random Fact                             .

Malcolm-Jamal Warner, of the Cosby Show, is named after Malcolm X and Jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal.

§ Interesting Statistics

*Note: I realize that statistics can be made to say just about anything.

~ The city of Flagstaff is 63.7 square miles.

~ in 2004 the largest employer in Flagstaff was NAU (4400), followed by the Flagstaff School District (1700).

§ 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

Sundance Film Festival: 21-31

National Cowboy Poetry Gathering Week: 23-30

World Leprosy Week: 23-29

National Nurse Anesthetists Week: 24-30

National Medical Group Practice Week: 25-29

§ 25 January Observances—US/UN/World

Opposite Day

Better Business Communication Day

Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day

Macintosh Computer Day

A Room of One's Own Day

§25 January Observances—by country

International: Burns Night—Burns suppers are held in many parts of the world around this date. (Originated in Scotland) Flagstaff Burns Dinner Feb 6.

International: Criminon Day: commemorates the 1970 founding of Criminon, a program which seeks to rehabilitate prisoners by disseminating free copies of Scientology-related materials such as The Way to Happiness. Highly controversial in CA, FL, dropped in NM.

Russia: Tatiana Day, celebrated as the Day of Russian Students since 1755, when Moscow University is founded.

Uganda: 2nd Republic Day—since 1971 when Idi Amin took power

Wales: St. Dwynwen's Day – celebration of love Diwrnod Santes Dwynwen: Like Valentines Day

§ Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1877…Congress determines presidential election between Hayes- Tilden

§Born on this day

     ~ The Arts

Robert Burns in 1759 (Alloway Scotland) - poet

Dean Jones (79) - actor (Tea and Sympathy, The Love Bug, Beethoven)

Alicia Keys (29) - musician, singer

Dinah Manoff (52) - actress (“Soap,” “Empty Nest,” Tony Award for I Ought to Be in Pictures)

W. (William) Somerset Maugham in 1874 - author: Of Human Bondage

Edwin Newman (91) - journalist, author (“Comet,” A Civil Tongue)

Ana Ortiz (39) actress (“Ugly Betty” sister)

     ~Athletics

Vince Carter (33) - basketball player (Magic)

Steve Prefontaine in 1951 - 5K distance runner

Rodney Young in 1973 NFL safety (Giants)

     ~Business, Education, Politics

Benedict Arnold in 1741 - General /traitor

     ~Science/Religion

Robert Boyle in 1627 (Ireland) - physicist/chemist/author (experiments with color)

§Obits for this day

Al Capone in 1947 Chicago gangster, syphilis @ 48

Jeanne Dixon in 1997 psychic (Gift of Prophecy), heart attack @ 79
Tango Duke in 1978 @ 42; oldest known thoroughbred horse

Ava Gardner in 1990 actress, pneumonia @ 67

§What happened on this day?

     ~ The Arts

1858…Mendelssohn’s Wedding March was presented for the first time, as the daughter of Queen Victoria married the Crown Prince of Prussia.

1964…The Beatles get their first number one with "I Want To Hold Your Hand" on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

1985…"We are the World" is recorded

     ~Athletics

1924…1st Winter Olympic games open in Chamonix, France

1989…Michael Jordan scores his 10,000th NBA point in his 5th season

1998…Super Bowl XXXII Denver Broncos beat Green Bay Packers 31-24

     ~Business, Education, Politics

1533…England's King Henry VIII marries Anne Boleyn

1721…Czar Peter the Great ends Russian-orthodox patriarchy

1851…Sojourner Truth addresses 1st Black Women's Rights Convention (Akron)

1877…Congress determines presidential election between Hayes- Tilden

1993…Puerto Rico adds English as its 2nd official language

     ~Science/Religion

1799…1st US patent for a seeding machine, Eliakim Spooner, Vermont

1910…Children initiate idea of planting trees in Jerusalem

1955…Columbia University scientists develop an atomic clock accurate to within one second in 300 years

1974…South African surgeon Christiaan Barnard transplanted the first human heart without removal of the old one

~ Number One Songs in…
1945…Don’t Fence Me In - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
1953…Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes - Perry Como
1961…Exodus - Ferrante & Teicher

1969…I Heard It Through the Grapevine - Marvin Gaye

► Puzzle                                    .

A list of words is given. To solve the puzzle, think of a single word that goes with each to form a compound word or word pair that functions as a compound word. For example, if the given words are volley, field, and bearing, the the answer would be ball, because the word ball can be added to each of the other words to form volleyball, ball field, and ball bearing.

1. drop, off, stand

2. car, top, ice

3. key, wall, precious

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ANSWERS

1. KICK: drop kick, kick off, kickstand

2. BOX: box car, box top, ice box

3. STONE: keystone, stone wall, precious stone

Sunday

January 24, 2010--Week 3 of 2010: 24 days this year…341 remain

►Provocative Quote                        .

"Nothing beats reading a good book when there is work to do."

~ unknown

►Free Ramblings                            .

Owning a home must have advantages…just not for me. Flagstaff has got almost 5 feet of snow. Officially Flagstaff received 54” of snow. On the East side, where I live, it is closer to five feet. Much of it is powder, but after almost a week of snow and not so cool temperatures, some of it is getting slushy and heavy. This afternoon my doorbell rang and the nice lady at the door asked me to move my vehicle so the parking area could be cleared of snow. Everyone in our section complied quite quickly. After about an hour, we returned. We now had clear parking. However, the guy used a pick-‘em-up truck with a blade. So he just piled the snow, out of the driveway and into a pile about 5 feet high. It was hard packed ice with no entry left for our townhouses. I saw the lady standing in another area, and reminded her that our side of the complex gets very little sun shine in the winter, and that the pile won’t melt until May. She said she was aware of that and that tomorrow a front end loader would be here to remove that snow. Then about 6:00 tonight, the bell rang again, and the front end loader was here to do as much as possible in the dark. Those of us on this side also are getting concerned about the snow on the pitched roof. The icicles are about 2” wide and hang down a good two to three feet. It is windy, so the icicles are not straight, but curve in toward the house. Really quite beautiful. The snow pile on the roof also extends out from the roof about three feet, so from my upstairs office window, I look out to what looks a lot like an ice cave. Again, very impressive, since I don’t own the house, and don’t have to worry about the damage that may or may not occur.

The nice lady told me that they are concerned about the roof snow and are scouring the town for some company that can remove it. It seems that yesterday the City of Flagstaff issued a mandatory closure of any flat roofed businesses that have not cleared the snow. So all the snow removal companies are busy doing commerce buildings. Our mayor’s order came a tad late. The city run ice rink’s flat roof collapsed sometime Thursday night. Since the city does not have any alarm systems, the damage was not discovered until would-be skaters showed up about noon to find knee deep water rushing out the main entrance.

We live in a quiet little mountain town and seldom make state or national news. Once I got used to that, I have found many other ways to get local news. They usually work. Even the PBS station is helping out. They have two feeds—one that is news and talk, one that is classical music with news and a few other programs. The other is news and informational talk shows. The second feed has been disrupted by the storm, so they are broadcasting the news feed on the classical station. The local newspaper also updated their website and is doing a lot of breaking news.

We only got to 28° today, so no snow melt. Tonight will be 16°, so we will have more ice and less slush tomorrow.

►Quotes from Values.com—TEACHING BY EXAMPLE .

It is not so much the example of others we imitate as the reflection of ourselves in their eyes and the echo of ourselves in their words.”

~Eric Hoffer; Philosopher

►Side Show Stories—Darwin Awards 2010               .

The Darwin Awards commemorate those who improve our gene pool... by removing themselves from it.

(The News of the Weird): Michael Anderson Godwin made News of the Weird posthumously. He had spent several years awaiting South Carolina 's electric chair on a murder conviction before having his sentence reduced to life in prison. While sitting on a metal toilet in his cell attempting to fix his small TV set, he bit into a wire and was electrocuted.

►Random Fact                                                   .

Pearls dissolve in vinegar.

§ Interesting Statistics

*Note: I realize that statistics can be made to say just about anything.

~ in 1997 almost 16% of electrical power in AZ was from renewable resources.

~ in 2007 about 7% of electrical power in AZ was from renewable resources.

§ 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

No Name Calling Week: 20-24

Sundance Film Festival: 21-31

National Cowboy Poetry Gathering Week: 23-30

World Leprosy Week: 23-29

National Nurse Anesthetists Week: 24-30

§ 24 January Observances—US/UN/World

Eskimo Pie Patent Day

Belly Laugh Day

National Compliment Day

§24 January Observances—by country

Aymara Indians, Bolivia : Alacitis Fair: Prayers to God of Prosperity

§ Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1902…Denmark sells Virgin Islands to USA

§Born on this day

     ~ The Arts

John Belushi in 1949 - comedian/actor

Ernest Borgnine (93) - actor (“McHale’s Navy,” Marty)

Neil Diamond (69) - singer, composer

Mark Goodson in 1913 - TV game-show producer (Goodson-Toddman)

Ed Helms (36) - writer, comedian (“The Daily Show”)

Doug Kershaw (74) -electric fiddle player

Aaron Neville (69) singer, songwriter

Yakov Smirnoff (59) (Ukraine), - comedian

Ray Stevens (Harold Ray Ragsdale) (71) - singer (Ahab the Arab, The Streak)

Maria Tallchief (85) - ballet dancer, Osage and Scots-Irish

Edith Wharton[-Jones] in 1862 - US, novelist (Ethan Frome, Age of Innocence, House of Mirth)

     ~Athletics

Mary Lou Retton (42) Olympic gold medal gymnast

     ~Business, Education, Politics

Shaun Donovan (44) - US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

     ~Science/Religion

Oral Roberts in 1918 – evangelist

§Obits for this day

Caligula [G C Germanicus] in 41, Roman emperor, assassinated @ 28

Winston Churchill in 1965 - PM of Britain @ 90

Larry Fine in 1975- actor (3 Stooges), @ 72

Gordon MacRae in 1986 -singer (Oklahoma, Carousel), cancer @ 64

L[aFayette] Ron[ald] Hubbard in 1986 author/founder of Scientology @ 74

George Gobel in 1991 comedian, heart attack @ 71

Thurgood Marshall in 1993 1st black supreme court justice @ 84

§What happened on this day?

     ~ The Arts

1986…43rd Golden Globes Whoopi Goldberg, Color Purple win

     ~Athletics

1999…The International Olympic Committee voted to expel six IOC members after charges that they had accepted money and other compensation from officials from cities bidding to host the Olympics. The cities included Sydney, Australia (2000 summer games) and Salt Lake City, Utah (2002 winter games).

     ~Business, Education, Politics

1639…Connecticut colony organizes under Fundamental Orders

1847…1,500 New Mexican Indians & Mexicans defeated by US Colonel Price

1848…James Marshall finds gold in Sutter's Mill in Coloma CA

1899…Rubber heel patented by Irishman Humphrey O'Sullivan

1902…Denmark sells Virgin Islands to USA

1923…Aztec Ruins National Monument, New Mexico established

1935…Krueger Brewing Company placed the first canned beer on sale

1945…Scottish 52nd Lowland division occupies Heinsberg

1980..In reaction to the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan, the United States had announced plans to sell military equipment to China.

2003…United States Department of Homeland Security officially began operating

     ~Science/Religion

1656…1st Jewish doctor in US, Jacob Lumbrozo, arrives in Maryland

1839…Charles Darwin elected member of Royal Society

~ Number One Songs in…

1952…Slowpoke - Pee Wee King

1960…Running Bear - Johnny Preston

1968…Judy in Disguise (With Glasses) - John Fred & His Playboy Band

1976…Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To) – Diana Ross

1984…Owner of a Lonely Heart - Yes

► Puzzle                                                            .

A list of words is given. To solve the puzzle, think of a single word that goes with each to form a compound word or word pair that functions as a compound word. For example, if the given words are volley, field, and bearing, the the answer would be ball, because the word ball can be added to each of the other words to form volleyball, ball field, and ball bearing.

1. light, hot, check

2. light, hot, back

3. wood, liquor, luck

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ANSWERS

1. SPOT: spotlight, hot spot, spot check

2. FLASH: flashlight, hot flash, flash back

3. HARD: hardwood, hard liquor, hard luck

Saturday

January 23, 2010--Week 3 of 2010: 23 days this year…342 remain

►Provocative Quote                 .

"Beware the man who can't be bothered with details."

~ unknown

►Free Ramblings                    .

Officially they are saying we have 45” of snow so far, with more still coming. They must be under a tree. We have close to five feet over here. The winter wonderland took a strange turn last night with a rain storm in much of the city. Rain melts snow, so that was good. We only got minimal rain here, didn’t melt anything, just made a layer of slush on top of the powder. It has snowed on and off all day, mostly on. Our non-elected governor did declare the entire state a disaster area. Lots of scary flooding down south.

Our little mountain town is still shut down. We are dependent on tourists, and both interstates are still closed. Winter means skiing up here for many…but the ski area has been closed for two days. Whoever heard of a ski area closing because of too much snow? Well it is because the ‘tourist town’ that offers skiing as a major winter draw, doesn’t have adequate roads to get to the ski area.

Another draw for Flagstaff has always been stores. Being a border town to the Rez, many living on the Rez come to Flag to do basic shopping. Builders have always wanted to build at the least possible cost. This mountain town is not very forward thinking. Many of our stores were built with flat roofs. In a mountain town that gets snow. Yes it is cheaper, in the short run. In 2008, during a snow storm, nothing like this one, collapsed a roof on a huge bookstore. They moved across town for a year while it was fixed. Then last night, in the same shopping strip, the roof on two other stores collapsed. Several other flat roofed stores had to close as water leaks and ‘bulging ceilings’ suggested they too would collapse. My pharmacy closed, WalMart closed. Dillards closed. And the list goes on.

While everyone is hearing how ‘building codes’ were absent in Haiti, causing horrendous damage from an unpredictable earthquake, Flagstaff is losing buildings from a very predictable event—snow in winter. Builders who have come to Flagstaff have convinced the ‘building code’ people that a flat roof is safe and cuts construction costs. Some builders have been so brazen as to say that requiring a pitched roof will place prohibitive costs and that future businesses who will rent the buildings simply won’t come. With another possible foot of snow due tonight and tomorrow, I wonder, how many more roofs will collapse? Building owners are scrambling to find day workers to shovel the flat roofs. These cheap laborers are the only hope of saving the building’s roof.

While I look around at the snow piling up, bitchin’ about the lack of planning, getting cabin fever, I have to say we have running water, heat, electricity (99% of the time), food, and transportation if necessary. I am watching ‘Hope for Haiti Now’ as I type this. Our huge winter storm will pass, the snow will melt, and things will get back to normal within a week or so. Not so lucky down in Haiti. And yet, so many down there hold out hope for a better life.

►Quotes from Values.com—TEACHING BY EXAMPLE .

“Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example.”

Mark Twain [Samuel Clemens]: Author, Humorist

►Side Show Stories—Darwin Awards 2010              .

The Darwin Awards commemorate those who improve our gene pool... by removing themselves from it.

(UPI, Toronto ): Police said a lawyer demonstrating the safety of windows in a downtown Toronto skyscraper crashed through a pane with his shoulder and plunged 24 floors to his death. A police spokesman said Garry Hoy, 39, fell into the courtyard of the Toronto Dominion Bank Tower early Friday evening as he was explaining the strength of the buildings' windows to visiting law students.. Hoy previously has conducted demonstrations of window strength according to police reports. Peter Lawson, managing partner of the firm Holden Day Wilson, told the Toronto Sun newspaper that Hoy was "one of the best and brightest" (ed note:????) members of the 200-man association.

►Random Fact                       .

Pennsylvania is misspelled on the Liberty Bell.

§ Interesting Statistics

*Note: I realize that statistics can be made to say just about anything.

~ 45% of Arizonians say the regularly attend a self-defined cultural event.

§ 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

National Fresh Squeezed Juice Week: 18-23

International Printing Week: 17-23

National Handwriting Analysis Week: 17-23

Healthy Weight Week: 17-23

Hunt For Happiness Week: 17-23

National Activity Professional Week: 17-23 to recognize all those gym people.

No Name Calling Week: 20-24

Sundance Film Festival: 21-31

National Cowboy Poetry Gathering Week: 23-30

World Leprosy Week: 23-29

§ 22 January Observances—US/UN/World

National Handwriting Day

National Pie Day

Measure Your Feet Day

Snowplow Mailbox Hockey Day

§22 January Observances—by country

Luxembourg : Grand Duchess' Birthday

Pitcairn Island: Bounty Day, celebrating the burning of the Bounty in 1790,

§ Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1907 - Charles Curtis of Kansas began serving in the United States Senate. He was the first American Indian to become a U.S. Senator and later Vice President

§Born on this day

     ~ The Arts

Richard Dean Anderson (60) - actor (“MacGyver”),

John Barclay in 1582 - Scottish satirist/Latin poet (Argenis)

Gil Gerard (67) - actor (“Buck Rogers,”

Mariska Hargitay (46) - actress (“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”)

Rutger Hauer (66) (Netherlands)- actor (Blade Runner)

Edouard Manet in 1832 - artist: leader of the impressionist movement

Chita Rivera (Conchita del Rivero) (77) singer, actress

Randolph Scott in 1898 - actor (Last of the Mohicans, Western Union)

Tiffani-Amber Thiessen (36) actress

     ~Athletics

Eric Metcalf (42) - NFL receiver/running back (Falcons, Chargers)

     ~Business, Education, Politics

Princess Caroline (53) (Monte Carlo, Monaco)

John Hancock in 1737 - statesman and patriot

     ~Science/Religion

Gertrude Belle Elion in 1918 biochemist/drug researcher (Nobel 1988)

§Obits for this day

Paul Robeson in 1976 athlete/lawyer/singer, @ 77

Salvador Dalí in 1989 Spanish Surrealist painter, @ 84

Richard Berry in 1997 lyricist (Louie Louie), @ 61

§What happened on this day?

     ~ The Arts

1793…Humane Society of Philadelphia (first aid society) organized

1965…"The King Family Show" (musical variety) premieres on ABC TV

1977…Miniseries "Roots" premieres on ABC

1986…1st induction of Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame (Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Domino, Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis & Elvis Presley)

     ~Athletics

1879…National Archery Association formed, Crawfordsville IN

     ~Business, Education, Politics

1570…Earl of Moray, regent of Scotland, assassinated; civil war breaks out

1647…Scottish Presbyterians sell captured Charles I to English parliament

1933…20th amendment changes date of Presidential Inaugurations to 1/20

1964…24th Amendment ratified, barring poll tax in federal elections

1968…The U.S. ship Pueblo is seized by North Korean naval vessels and charged with spying

1973…US president, Richard Nixon, appears on national television to announce "peace with honour" in Vietnam.

2001…Five protesters set themselves on fire by pouring gasoline on themselves and setting light to themselves in Tiananmen Square

     ~Science/Religion

0638…Start of Islamic calendar

1789…Georgetown, 1st US Catholic college, founded

1930…Clyde Tombaugh photographs planet Pluto

~ Number One Songs in…

1951…Tennessee Waltz - Patti Page

1959…Smoke Gets in Your Eyes - The Platters

1967…I’m a Believer - The Monkees

1975…Mandy - Barry Manilow

1983…Down Under - Men at Work

► Puzzle                              .

A list of words is given. To solve the puzzle, think of a single word that goes with each to form a compound word or word pair that functions as a compound word. For example, if the given words are volley, field, and bearing, the the answer would be ball, because the word ball can be added to each of the other words to form volleyball, ball field, and ball bearing.

1. Big soil table

2. Made cuff left

3. Motion poke down

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ANSWERS

1. TOP: big top topsoil tabletop

2. HAND: handmade handcuff left-hand

3. SLOW: slow motion slowpoke slowdown