Thurs 5-27

≈Week 21 of 2010: 147 days this year… 218 days remain≈
≈ Something To Think About  
Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten.
--B.F. Skinner
≈ Random Fact    
Nancy Drew was created by a man, Edward Stratemeyer, who died only two weeks after the series debut in 1930. Carolyn Keene is a pen name for various ghostwriters who have written the books over the years. The first Carolyn Keene was Mildred Wirt Benson, who wrote 23 of the first 30 Nancy Drew books.
• Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1679 ►Habeaus Corpus Act (no false arrest & imprisonment) passes in UK
≈ Free Ramblings    
I am just about ready to say good bye to the place I have get my glasses. Some will remember they messed up my prescription about 6 months ago. At that time I was really upset with the young girl who just kept adjusting them, when I kept telling her there was something wrong. Finally I went to the ophthalmologist and found the lenses were wrong. Yesterday I went in to get a quick adjustment. My glasses were loose. I waited as another young girl finished up with an elderly lady who was buying three pairs of glasses. I sat down and showed the lady what was wrong. She bent the bows, bent the nose pieces and they appeared to be much tighter. This morning, about 10am, I realized that they were pinching my nose and checked and had two big dents in my nose that were getting bright red. I went back and got another young girl. She said the problem was nose pieces that were too small and the fact that wire frames are ‘almost impossible’ to adjust correctly. That is crap, since I have worn wire frames for at least 15 years and never had that problem. The bigger nose pieces had the glasses feel like they were sticking way out on my nose. She said I’d get used to it. I told her that I had prisms in the lenses and I was concerned that they were off a little. She took the glasses back to the guy who makes the glasses. He marked the prism and brought them out. I put them on and he said, “Do they feel like they are sticking out from your face?” When I told him yes, he moved the nose pieces a little and now I have glasses that fit again. I am not happy with having to go back, I am not happy with the incompetence. Mostly, this is the first business that I have dealt with that really makes me feel ‘old’. All the young ladies I have worked with seem to treat me like I am old man who really doesn’t know what he wants, doesn’t really know what is going on, and certainly they don’t want to waste time with me. I’m now keeping my eyes open for a new place to buy my glasses.
I saw a great news piece tonight that hardly makes me feel good, but certainly opened my eyes. It turns out that back in 1979 there was another oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The drilling was being done by the same company that is responsible for this one. This was a oil well drilled by Mexico. The spill began when the blow out failed and the rig caught fire. That spill sent out about ten thousand gallons a day. The company tried to put a cap on the well. That didn’t work. They put out a series of buoys to contain the oil. They sent planes to drop dispersant on the oil. They did all the same procedures that are being done today. It took three months to drill the relief well, just like today. The difference is that the 1979 spill was in 200 feet of water and less oil was being released into the open Gulf. The oil companies claim to have made huge technological advances since 1979 and are now drilling at over 5000 feet of water. The scary part is that their R&D people have not made any technological advances on what to do when everything doesn’t work according to plan. BP is following almost the exact same emergency measures, using the exact same type of technology some 31 years later. Turns out that, at the same time of the 1979 rig fire, the Alaskan Pipeline had to be shut down because of a leak. Today there was an oil leak on the Alaskan Pipe line that cut production down to 20%. Too bad our government never seems to learn from history. For more information, just Google ’1979 gulf oil spill’. Oh, Permex has morphed into Transocean between 1979 and 2010.
Flagstaff had a great weather day. We made it to 70°, there was only a light breeze. The sky remained fairly clear. Spring is here and I am luvin’ it.
≈ A Quick Smile…    
The district attorney was cross-examining the murderess on the witness stand.
"And so after you had poisoned the coffee and your husband sat at the breakfast table partaking of the fatal dosage, didn't you feel any qualms? Didn't you feel the slightest pity for him knowing that he was about to die and was wholly unconscious of it?"
"Yes," she answered. "Come to think of it...there was just a moment when I sort of felt sorry for him."
"And, when was that?"
"When he asked for the second cup."
≈ Puzzle 1    
A man is trapped in a room. The room has only two possible exits: two doors. Through the first door there is a room constructed from magnifying glass. The blazing hot sun instantly fries anything or anyone that enters. Through the second door there is a fire-breathing dragon. How does the man escape?
≈ Side Show Stories    
BEMIDJI, Minn. - A Minnesota couple said their son was born while his mother was behind the wheel of her car en route to the hospital. Amanda McBride, 29, said she left work at about 11:30 p.m. May 18 when she began feeling labor pains and picked up the child's father, Joseph Phillips, 33, on her way to North Country Regional Hospital in Bemidji, the Bemidji Pioneer reported. McBride said she had to drive the car because Phillips suffers seizures, but the couple said Phillips had to grab the wheel when McBride's water broke mid-drive.
"She yelled at me to grab the wheel," Phillips said. "And then, all of a sudden, I heard this little waaa (cry)." The mother, who has two older sons, said the birth was quick. "The baby just came right out," she said. "I was just sitting on the seat and he just slid out. It really wasn't bad at all."
The family made it to the hospital with McBride and baby still in the driver's seat and Phillips steering from the passenger side. The baby, Joseph Dominick Phillips, was found to be healthy and weighed 8 pounds, doctors said.
≈ Puzzle 2: Brain Food  
A certain crime is punishable if attempted but not punishable if committed. What is it?
≈ Calendar Information    
• Observance Weeks in May•
22-29
Cover the Uninsured Week
National Safe Boating Week
25-31
Week of Solidarity With The People of Non-Self-Governing Territories
26-30
International Whistler's Week
May 27–June 6
Largest annual festival of literature takes place: Hay-on-Wye, Powys, Wales.
• Today’s Observances—US/UN/World •
Body Painting Arts Festival
Cellophane Tape Day
• Today’s Observances—by country •
Afghánistán: Independence Day (1921 from UK)
Bolivia: Mother's Day or Día de la Madre
Guadeloupe, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin: Slavery Abolition Day since 1848
Nicaragua: Army Day
Nigeria: Children's Day
Turkey: Freedom & Constitution Day (1960, 1961)
• Today’s Number One Songs in…
For anyone interested, all these songs are available on iTunes.
"Music, once admitted to the soul, becomes a sort of spirit, and never dies." ~ Edward Bulwer-Lytton.
1924 ►It Ain't Gonna Rain No Mo'; Wendell Hall
1934 ►Cocktails for Two; Duke Ellington
1944 ►I Love You; Bing Crosby
1954 ►Wanted; Perry Como
1964 ►Love Me Do; The Beatles
1974 ►The Streak; Ray Stevens
1984 ►Let's Hear It for the Boy; Deniece Williams
• Today’s Happenings•
In The Arts
1933 ►Walt Disney's "3 Little Pigs" released
1995 ►Actor Christopher Reeve was thrown head first while riding his horse.
In Athletics
---
In Business or Education
1844 ►Samuel F.B. Morse completes 1st telegraph line
1895 ►British inventor Birt Acres patents film camera/projector
1936 ►The Cunard liner RMS Queen Mary leaves Southampton on her maiden voyage to New York
1937 ►Golden Gate Bridge, San Fransisco, dedicated 1943 ►The Ballpoint pen , is patented in America by Hungarian Laszlo Biro
In Politics
1607 ►Virginia has it's first significant battle between Indians and European settlers.
1703 ►St Petersburg (Leningrad) founded by Peter the Great
1941 ►The German battleship Bismarck is sunk in the Atlantic by the Royal Naval ships Dorsetshire and others


1985 ►Britain agrees to return Hong Kong to China in 1997
In Science/ Religion
1850 ►Mormon Temple in Nauvoo IL destroyed by tornado
1930 ►Richard Drew invents masking tape
1961 ►1st black light is sold
• Today’s Births •
Artists, Writers, and Composers
Rachel Louise Carson biologist/ecologist/writer (Silent Spring) , born 1907 Springdale, PA
Isadora Duncan, dancer: revolutionized the concept of dance, born 1878 San Francisco, CA
Herman Wouk, 95, writer (Marjorie Morningstar, The Winds of War), born New York, NY
Athletes
Sam Snead Hot Springs VA, PGA golfer (Masters 1949, 52, 54/PGA-1963, 65, 67, 70, 72, 73) , born 1912 Ashwood, VA
Entertainers
Todd Bridges, 45, actor (“Diff’rent Strokes”), born San Francisco, CA
Louis Gossett, Jr, 74, actor (Emmy for “Roots”; Oscar for An Officer and a Gentleman), born Brooklyn, NY
Christopher Lee, 88, actor (The Lord of the Rings films, Dracula, The Mummy), born London, England
Lee Ann Meriwether, 75, actress (“Barnaby Jones,” “Batman”), former Miss America (’55), born Los Angeles, CA
Vincent Price, horror actor, born 1911 St Louis MO
Business, Education Persons
Cornelius Vanderbilt millionaire (B & O railroad), born 1794 Staten Island, New York
Political Persons
Amelia Jenks Bloomer, women’s rights advocate; newspaper publisher: The Lily; social reformer; temperance advocate; led cause for more sensible dress for women: bloomer panties named after her, born 1818 Cortland County, New York
Christopher J. Dodd, 66, US Senator (D, Connecticut), born Willimantic, CT
"Wild Bill" Hickok [James Butler] cowboy/scout, born 1837 Homer, Illinois
Hubert Humphrey, Senator-MN; 38th Vice President, born 1911 Wallace, South Dakota
Henry Kissinger, 87, former Secretary of State, author, born Fuerth, Germany
Scientists /Religious Persons
Karl Bühler, German linguist and psychologist, born 1879 – Meckesheim Germany
• Today’s Obits •
Jean Caulvin [John Calvin] French priest/church reformer, fever @ 54 in 1564
Archibald Campbell Chief of Clan Campbell, beheaded for high treason @ 53 in 1661
Jawaharlal Nehru the founder of modern India and prime minister, @ 74 in 1964
≈ ANSWERS to Puzzle 1    
He waits until night time and then goes through the first door.
≈ ANSWERS to Brain Food  
Suicide or Coup d'etat
≈ Something you might enjoy…  
In 2005, YouTube changed the internet forever. It is now available in 22 languages. Check out this one…
Here is a plane view of Golden Gate Bridge that opened today in 1937. Click HERE!
   ≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈  
Posted by No comments:

Wed 5-26

≈Week 21 of 2010: 146 days this year… 219 days remain≈
≈ Something To Think About  
"Time is the most precious element of human existence. The successful person knows how to put energy into time and how to draw success from time."
~Denis Waitley
≈ Random Facts on recycling    
~Recycling plastic saves twice as much energy as burning it in an incinerator.
~Since 1978, the weight of a soda bottle has been reduced by 29 percent.
~Around 45% of the paper Americans use each year is recovered for recycling.
• Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1948 ►The National Party of the Dutch Afrikaners headed by Daniel François Malan who had been campaigning on the policy of implementing full scale apartheid came to power and begin the policy of apartheid.
≈ Free Ramblings
We had a great weather day today. Very little wind for a change. I’m going to have to wash my windows pretty soon. The second story windows are the problem. I’ll get to them sometime this week.
I am starting to have a very hard time watching the oil spill. Disaster was used the second week, catastrophe was used the second week. The media has rapidly run out of adjectives to describe this mess. This is week four and the pictures and stories just get worse. BP has let America down. The Federal regulatory Agencies have let the country down. Today, there was a memorial service for those who died on the rig. Relatives talked about how they knew it was dangerous, but it paid really well. That is the same story I heard from relatives of the recent mining disaster. [Reality Check: while the families say their relatives were paid well on the oil drilling rig, it turns out the average salary for a manager of the rig is about $75K, and the workers make about $60K. While the families of the miners say their relatives were well paid, the average salary for a mine worker in West VA is about $68K.] Then I saw the newsman who put on a hazardous waste suit and dove into Gulf. His pictures, from the surface to about 20 feet, were frightening to say the least. He didn’t go any deeper because it was too dangerous—water pressure, not oil. In my little world, in the high desert of AZ, it seems to me that all deep well drilling in the oceans should be halted, until each company can prove that they can handle the worst case scenario. I find it hard to believe that BP is the only deep well driller who doesn’t have worst case scenario plans. What do I know? I live in a desert.
When I was teaching in Tuba, in the late 70’s some of my former students would stop by to say high. I remember one kid who had graduated from high school and got a job at the Kayenta mine—a surface mining operation. He had done well in school but didn’t want to go to college. He like an outside job and didn’t like paperwork. We talked about salary, and at that time he was making more than I did, almost twice as much. He was happy, I was happy. We all have different priorities. Another student visited another time; he was a high up in the air welder. He too was making almost double my salary. He was happy doing what he did. Talk about long term goals with either student was difficult. Asking if they planned to be mining or welding at 50 or 60 was impossible for them to envision. Looking back, it was hard for me to imagine what I would be doing at 50 or 60 too.
We do need to make many work environments safer. I don’t believe that anyone should have a career where the records show that they are really putting their life on the line every day because the company they work for is more interested in profit than safety. Miners and oil drillers are just two careers that could be made much safer, if the owners didn’t need an outrageous profit each year.
What a great weather day. I was able to clean up my deck after way too many days of high winds. I was able to take a nice walk this afternoon. My deck got up to 67° and it was nice. Several neighbors have moved out during this month. The unit next to mine has a new tenant. I haven’t met her yet, but her dad saw me outside and asked me few questions about the unit. She is a 20-something girl. Today she and her boyfriend were outside as I was dumping my trash. The young girl looks like a young professional who might have just graduated from college. The boyfriend is full out Goth. He’s got the tats, the black fingernails, the body jewelry, and the light skin with dyed black hair. I’m sure I’ll get to know them, but I’m sure I looked as strange to them as they looked to me. We spoke about the nice weather, but that was it.
≈ A Quick Smile…    
I was sound asleep when the telephone jarred me awake.
"Hi!" It was my peppy mother-in-law. She proceeded to rattle on about the busy day she had ahead and all the things that awaited her the rest of the week.
"Mom," I interrupted. "It's five in the morning."
"Really? What are you doing up so early?"
≈ Puzzle 1    
When you behead a word, you remove the first letter and still have a valid word. You will be given clues for the two words, longer word first.
Example: Begin -> Sour, acidic Answer: The words are Start and Tart.

1. Female parent -> Not one already mentioned; alternate
…Hint—the shorter word starts with O

2. Several; large indefinite number -> One; some indefinite number
…Hint—the shorter word starts with A

3. A story's lesson -> Relating to the mouth; using speech
…Hint—the shorter word starts with O

4. Face disguise -> To request
…Hint—the shorter word starts with A

5. Trough for animal food -> Wrath; strong displeasure
…Hint—the shorter word starts with A

6. Sparse, poor quality -> Showing keen interest
…Hint—the shorter word starts with E

7. Symbolic team figure -> Necktie or scarf with broad ends
…Hint—the shorter word starts with A

8. Anything that belongs to a group -> Glowing wood fragment
…Hint—the shorter word starts with E

≈ Side Show Stories    
New City, N.Y. (AP) --It wasn't quite man-bites-dog, but there were men and there were dogs and there was biting. A sheriff's office said Monday that one man bit another during a fight over a couple of dogs at a park in suburban New York City. Rockland County sheriff's Capt. William Barbera said two dog owners got into it Sunday night. One didn't like the way their pets were playing at a dog park in New City, about 30 miles north of New York.
Barbera said that a third man tried to break up the fight and that one of the combatants bit him on the wrist. He said that no one has been arrested but that the case is still being investigated.
≈ Puzzle 2: Brain Food  
No sooner spoken than broken. What is it?
≈ Calendar Information    
• Observance Weeks in May•
22-29
Cover the Uninsured Week
National Safe Boating Week
25-31
Week of Solidarity with the People of Non-Self-Governing Territories
26-30
International Whistler's Week
• Today’s Observances—US/UN/World •
National Senior Health & Fitness Day
• Today’s Observances—by country •
Guyana: Independence Day
Denmark: Crown Prince's Birthday (since 1966)
Georgia: Independence Day, commemorate the day of the First Republic in 1918.
Poland: Mother's Day
• Today’s Number One Songs in…
For anyone interested, all these songs are available on iTunes.
"Music, once admitted to the soul, becomes a sort of spirit, and never dies." ~ Edward Bulwer-Lytton.
1943 ►That Old Black Magic; Glenn Miller
1953 ►The Song from Moulin Rouge (Where Is Your Heart); Percy Faith
1963 ►It's My Party; Lesley Gore
1973 ►Frankenstein; The Edgar Winter Group
1983 ►Flashdance ... What a Feeling; Irene Cara
• Today’s Happenings•
In The Arts
1897 ►The vampire novel Dracula, by Irish writer Bram Stoker, goes on sale in London bookshops
1913 ►Actors’ Equity Association was organized in New York City.
1969 ►John & Yoko begin their 2nd bed-in (Queen Elizabeth Hotel, Montréal)
In Athletics
1977 ►George Willig climbs the South Tower of New York City's World Trade Center.
In Business or Education
1957 ►The religious program "The Fourth R" aired for the last time over NBC television. Produced by several different religious organizations, this short-lived series aired on Sunday mornings.
In Politics
1540 ►The "Lady of Cofitachequi" has been taken with the de Soto expedition, against her will. With a large quantity of the pearls that de Soto's men took from her village, she escapes.
1830 ►The Indian Removal Act is passed by the U.S. Congress; it is signed into law by President Andrew Jackson two days later.
1868 ►President Andrew Johnson avoids impeachment by 1 vote
1922 ►Lenin suffers a stroke
1938 ►House Committee on Un-American Activities begins work
1943 ►1st president of a black country to visit US (Edwin Barclay, Liberia)
In Science/ Religion
1805 ►Lewis & Clark 1st see Rocky Mountains
1975 ►Secretary of State Henry Kissinger today outlined a trillion dollar program to save oil consuming nations from being held hostage by the world’s oil producing nations including the increased use of Nuclear Power and funding to find alternative forms of energy. This is in response to the oil producing nations saying a sixth increase in oil prices can be expected later this year
• Today’s Births •
Artists, Writers, and Composers
Miles Davis, jazz trumpeter/pioneered cool jazz , born in 1926 Alton IL
Lenny Kravitz, 46, singer, musician, songwriter, born New York, NY
Athletes
Zola Budd, 44, track star, born in Bloemfontein South Africa
Brent Musburger, 71, sportscaster, born Portland, OR
Entertainers
James Arness, 87, actor (“Gunsmoke,” “How the West Was Won”), born James Aurness at Minneapolis, MN
Al Jolson [Asa Yoelson] jazz singer/silent film actor, born in 1886 Seredžius,Lithuania
Peggy Lee (Norma Delores Egstrom) singer: Fever, born in 1920 Jamestown, North Dakota
Stevie[Stephanie Lynn] Nicks, 62, singer (Fleetwood Mac), songwriter, born Phoenix, AZ
Jay Silverheels (Harold J. Smith) actor (Tonto-Lone Ranger) , born in 1912 Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation, near Brantford, Ontario, Canada
Philip Michael Thomas, 61, actor (“Miami Vice,” Hair), born Los Angeles, CA
John "Duke" Wayne [Marion Michael Morrison], actor, born in 1907 Winterset IA
Hank Williams, Jr, 61, singer, born Shreveport, LA
Business, Education Persons
--
Political Persons
Mary queen of Great Britain/North Ireland [Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes], born in 1867 Kensington Palace, London
Scientists /Religious Persons
Sally K. Ride, 59, astronaut, first American woman in space, born Los Angeles, CA
• Today’s Obits •
Édouard Michelin, managing partner and co-chief executive of the Michelin Group, drowning @ 43 in 2006
≈ ANSWERS to Puzzle 1    
1. Mother -> Other
2. Many -> Any
3. Moral -> Oral
4. Mask -> Ask
5. Manger -> Anger
6. Meager -> Eager
7. Mascot -> Ascot
8. Member -> Ember
≈ ANSWERS to Brain Food  
Silence or a secret
≈ Something you might enjoy…  
In 2005, YouTube changed the internet forever. It is now available in 22 languages. Check out this one…
There are Mac people and there are PC people. Here is a parody of Microsoft. Enjoy.

   ≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈  
Posted by No comments:

Tues 5-25

≈Week 21 of 2010: 145 days this year…220 days remain≈
≈ Something To Think About  
“Life is uncharted territory. It reveals its story one moment at a time.”
~Leo Buscaglia
≈ Random Facts on Recycling    
~It takes glass one million years to decompose, which means it can be recycled almost an infinite amount of times.
~The first real recycling program was introduced in New York City in the 1890s.
~One tree can filter up to 60 pounds of pollutants from the air each year.
• Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1986 ►Approximately Seven million Americans joined hands hoping to raise more than $50 million to fight hunger and homelessness in "Hands Across America
≈ Free Ramblings    
I went to a retirement lunch this afternoon. It was nice to see the ol’ Tuba people who made it in from Tuba. John had completed 35 years with the Bureau, his Navajo wife is getting close to retirement. We shared stories, caught up on some local TC news, and had a good time. As I talk with Navajo’s who are nearing retirement, I realize more and more why they don’t retire. Our generation is the first generation of Navajo teachers. Most grew up in a boarding school and were the first in their family to graduate from high school. Their parents encouraged them to go to college. They got tribal and Federal scholarships and almost all Navajo teachers in my generation were the first to get college degrees. Being first with a degree can be a great thing—as it was for me and many more. Being first can be a burden—how can you ever repay for your education? So many of the teachers today are not the first in the family to graduate. They don’t have that internal drive or that responsibility. Times change. The old guard retires and soon the new guard will become the old guard.
Finally!!! At about noon today we found out that our Mayor will remain as it has been. Sara won by some 200 votes in the final count with over 12,000 votes cast. Again, I say, this is far from a mandate and much fence mending is needed. Our town is deeply divided on local issues, as well as state and national issues. This may not be a bad thing, but for our town to move into the future, the city government must work together with all the people. We all must all be open to compromise. Heels are dug in deep, beliefs are strong. Everyone will have to be able to compromise. This is a very tall order for our town.

BE SURE AND CHECK OUT THE VIDEOS AT THE END OF THE BLOG!

We had our usual wind again today, not as bad as it has been, but wind none the less. If the snow fell last night, I missed it. We made it to 55° but the 20mph gusts did not help make it a great weather day. I did learn that Tuba has had worse winds than Flag this spring. It’s a good thing that students are in the new school buildings and only have to go outside for a short walk to the library or dining room.
≈ A Quick Smile…    
Our dog suddenly began barking almost every night at around 3 a.m.
Irritated and sleepy, my husband, Larry, searched the back yard for what might have disturbed this otherwise peaceful animal.
For three days he found nothing amiss. When the dog woke up the neighborhood a fourth night at 3 a.m. with frantic barking Larry finally snuck around the house through the alley only to discover our quiet neighbor, the last man you'd suspect of wrongdoing, throwing pebbles over the fence at the dog.
My husband demanded to know what he was doing.
"My mother-in-law is visiting" the embarrassed neighbor explained. "If she gets awakened in the middle of the night one more time she says she'll leave."
≈ Puzzle 1    
Based on the clue in parentheses, find a four-letter word that can be inserted backwards into the blank to complete a longer word.
Example: di____ve (a defeat) Answer: dissolve ("A defeat" gives you LOSS, which is placed backwards in the blank: di_SSOL_ve.)

1. dis____s (horse movement) HINT: answer a synonym of deforms
2. mi____ce (high mountains) HINT: answer a synonym of lose
3. l____ion (a Mexican food) HINT: answer a synonym of venue
4. s____ing (food skin) HINT: answer a synonym of abed
≈ Side Show Stories    
STOCKHOLM, (AP) A maritime expert says a 12-foot (3.65-meter) Giant Oarfish - the world's largest bony fish - has been found in Swedish waters for the first time in 130 years. Also known as the "King of Herrings," the dead fish was picked up by a west coast resident who found it floating near the shore over the weekend. It was handed over to The House of the Sea aquarium in the town of Lysekil, where expert Roger Jansson says it's being kept pending a decision on what to do with it.
Johansson said Wednesday the Giant Oarfish can grow up to 36 feet (11 meters), and is believed to live in deep waters. He says the last recorded discovery in Sweden was in 1879.
≈ Puzzle 2: Brain Food  
What can run but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, has a head but never weeps, has a bed but never sleeps?
≈ Calendar Information    
• Observance Weeks in May•
22-29
Cover the Uninsured Week
National Safe Boating Week
• Today’s Observances—US/UN/World •
National Tap Dance Day
Cookie Monster's Birthday
National Missing Children's Day since 1983
National Tap Dance Day
Nerd Pride Day or Geek Pride Day since 1978, with release of Star Wars
• Today’s Observances—by country •
Argentina : Day of the May Revolution/National Day (1810)
Chad, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Zambia : African Freedom/Unity Day
Jordan : Independence Day/Arab Renaissance Day (1946 from UK)
Libya, Sudan : Sudan National Day/May Revolution Day (since 1969 with end of conflict)
• Today’s Number One Songs in…
For anyone interested, all these songs are available on iTunes.
"Music, once admitted to the soul, becomes a sort of spirit, and never dies." ~ Edward Bulwer-Lytton.
1942 ►Tangerine; Jimmy Dorsey
1952 ►Blue Tango; Leroy Anderson
1962 ►Stranger on the Shore; Mr. Acker Bilk
1972 ►Oh Girl; The Chi-Lites
1982 ►Ebony and Ivory; Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder
• Today’s Happenings•
In The Arts
1878 ►Gilbert & Sullivans opera "HMS Pinafore" premieres in London
1895 ►Oscar Wilde sentenced to 2 years hard labor for being a sodomite
1927 ►The Movietone News was shown for the first time at the Sam Harris Theatre in New York City.
In Athletics
1922 ►Babe Ruth suspended 1 day & fined $200 for throwing dirt on an umpire
In Business or Education
1953 ►1st non-commercial educational television station-Houston TX
1968 ►Gateway Arch in St Louis dedicated
In Politics
1776 ►The United States Congress resolves that it would be "highly expedient" if they can engage Indians to fight on their side of the Revolutionary War.
1787 ►Constitutional convention opens at Philadelphia, George Washington presiding
In Science/ Religion
1784 ►Jews are expelled from Warsaw by Marshall Mniszek
1945 ►Arther C Clark proposes relay satellites in geosynchronous orbit
• Today’s Births •
Artists, Writers, and Composers
Ralph Waldo Emerson US, essayist/philosopher, born in 1803 Boston, Massachusetts
Athletes
Bill Sharman, 84, Basketball Hall of Famer: Celtics, coach: NBA Coach of the Year: Lakers, Lakers General Manager & President, born in Abilene, Texas
Gene Tunney world heavyweight boxing champion (1926-30), born in 1898 New York City
Entertainers
Claude Akins Nelson GA, actor (BJ & Bear), born in 1918 Nelson, Georgia
Tom T. Hall, 74, singer (“P.S. I Love You”), songwriter (“Harper Valley PTA”), born Olive Hill, KY
Lauryn Hill, 35, singer, actress (Sister Act 2), born South Orange, NJ
Jamie Kennedy, 40, actor (“JKX: The Jamie Kennedy Experiment,” Malibu’s Most Wanted), born Upper Darby, PA
Mike Myers, 47, comedian, actor (“Saturday Night Live,” Wayne’s World, Austin Powers films), born Scarsborough, ON, Canada
Bill ‘Bojangles’ (Luther) Robinson vaudeville dancer, born in 1878 Richmond, VA
Beverly Sills [Belle "Bubbles" Miriam Silverman], soprano, born in 1929 Brooklyn NY
Leslie Uggams, 67, actress (Tony for Hallelujah, Baby!; “Sing Along with Mitch,” Roots), singer, born New York, NY
Business, Education Persons
Bennett Cerf publisher (founded Random House) panelist (What's My Line) , born in 1898 New York City
Philip Murray founded Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), born in 1886 Blantyre, Scotland
John Raleigh Mott organizer (YMCA, Nobel 1946), born in 1865 Livingston Manor, New York
Political Persons
Josip Broz Tito, leader of Yugoslavia, born in 1892 Kumrovec, Austria-Hungary (now Croatia)
Scientists /Religious Persons
Igor Sikorsky developed a working helicopter, born in 1889 Kiev, Russian Empire(present day Ukraine)
• Today’s Obits •
Madame C J Walker cosmetics for Negroes manufacturer, 1st woman self made millionaire, hypertension @ 51 in 1919
Vic Tayback actor (Mel-Alice), heart attack @ 60 in 1990
Nancy Walker actress (Ida Morgenstein-Rhoda), cancer @ 71 in 1992
Buck dog (Married with Children), @ 13 in 1996
≈ ANSWERS to Puzzle 1    
1. distorts (TROT - dis_TORT_s)
2. misplace (ALPS - mi_SPLA_ce)
3. location (TACO - l_OCAT_ion)
4. sleeping (PEEL - s_LEEP_ing)
≈ ANSWERS to Brain Food  
A river.
≈ Something you might enjoy…  
In 2005, YouTube changed the internet forever. It is now available in 22 languages. Check out this one…
These songs have been around for a few years. Sharon Burch is a Navajo Singer. The first one is sung in English and Navajo. The second one is only in Navajo. The young students at Tuba enjoyed listening to and learning these songs. Enjoy!



   ≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈  
Posted by No comments:

Mon 5-24

≈Week 21 of 2010: 144 days this year… 221 days remain≈
≈ Something To Think About  
“The privacy and dignity of our citizens [are] being whittled away by sometimes imperceptible steps. Taken individually, each step may be of little consequence. But when viewed as a whole, there begins to emerge a society quite unlike any we have seen -- a society in which government may intrude into the secret regions of a [person's] life.”
~Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas (on court 1939-1975)
≈ Random Fact    
Red wine will spoil if exposed to light; hence tinted bottles.
• Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1982 ►Baby Boy Samane South Africa, son of Christina, heaviest known viable baby (22 lbs 8 oz/10.2 kg)
≈ Free Ramblings    
I had a busy day…at least busy thinking. One of my favorite daily emails is from Kim Komando. She sends out computer information on just about every subject. She has been on a kick about privacy issues, partly because of the Facebook changes, but also on how advertisers use your information. I spent a couple of hours on the web searching for me. I was happy to find that there ain’t that much about me out there. Kim had given me several less popular free search engines. First I found that there a lot of Charles Frazier’s out there. My middle initial is ‘S’ but I found that ‘E’, ‘R’, and ‘W’ popped up with one or more of my old addresses or phone numbers. I found this just another reason not to believe much of what you find on the internet. Finally, I am proud of the fact that I am named after my father and grandfather—making me the third. When I put my full name in the search, there is nothing, nada, zilch. This will help me rest well, knowing that my personal information is not out there for people to steal. As I believed, before the searches today, I figured the privacy issue was much more hype and fear than factual. This doesn’t mean I’m going to start being less prudent, it just means that my prudence has paid off. I feel a little left out of pop culture tonight. From what I hear, millions will be watching the final episode of Lost. I’ve heard this will be the biggest series finale of the decade. OK. I do watch a lot of TV. I have my favorites and work hard to make sure that I either see the show every week, or record it when I am not home. I did watch the first three or four Lost episodes when it first started back in ’04. Just never got into it. I heard they hype every year, but just couldn’t get it, so as millions watch the final episode I won’t be.
As if three days of high wind hasn’t been hard enough to live through, now we have snow in the forecast. Yeah, I know, it’s the end of May. The only good thing is that there isn’t going to be any accumulation. Just snowflakes falling from the sky and disappearing. We had steady winds of 30+ mph all night last night and all day today. As if that wasn’t enough, we had gusts that are called ‘strong gale’ meaning that the gusts are 47-54 mph. Just east of Flag the wind was ‘whole gale’ or 55-63 mph. My deck only got to 54° and the snow clouds started moving in early this evening. I will always take snow over wind. I will take just about anything over wind.
≈ A Quick Smile…    
Jimmy: 'Hey, Mike! How's your new pet fish doing? You told me he was really something special.'
Mike: 'To tell the truth, I'm really disappointed in him. The guy who sold him to me said I could teach him to sing like a bird.'
Jimmy: 'What? Let me get this straight... You bought a fish because you thought you could teach him to sing like a bird?'
Mike: 'Well, yeah. After all, you know, he's a parrot fish.'
Jimmy: 'Now listen, Mike, while you might be able to teach a parrot to sing, you're never going to get anywhere with a parrot fish.'
Mike: 'That's what you think! It just so happens this fish CAN sing. The thing is, he's terribly off-key and it's driving me crazy. Do you know how hard it is to tuna fish?'
≈ Puzzle 1       
With pointed fangs I sit and wait,
With piercing force I dole out fate,
Over bloodless victims proclaiming my might,
Eternally joining in a single bite.
What am I?
≈ Side Show Stories    
HORN LAKE, Tenn. - Officials in a Tennessee town said they are working on a new ordinance to ban locals from wearing their pants low enough to reveal underwear or bare backsides. Horn Lake Mayor Nat Baker and members of the board of aldermen said they have seen recent increases in men wearing their pants in the saggy fashion, leading them to seek a ban in the form of an ordinance, The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal reported. "There have been ordinances like this upheld across the country, and in talking with the city attorney, I think we can draw up something that can be upheld in court," Baker said. "They need to pull their pants back up to where they should be," Baker said. "It's getting out of hand." Officials did not reveal possible penalties for violations of the ban.
≈ Puzzle 2: Brain Food
The man who invented it doesn't want it. The man who bought it doesn't need it. The man who needs it doesn't know it. What is it?
≈ Calendar Information    
• Observance Weeks in May•
22-29
Cover the Uninsured Week
National Safe Boating Week
• Today’s Observances—US/UN/World •
National Escargot Day
Brother's Day
Morse Code Day
• Today’s Observances—by country •
Bulgaria : Education Day/Enlightenment & Culture Day
Ecuador : Battle of Pichincha (1822): Major turning point battle for independence
England : Victoria Day/Empire Day (1819)
Canada: Victoria Day
---Quebec: National Patriotes Day or Journée nationale des patriotes.
• Today’s Number One Songs in…
For anyone interested, all these songs are available on iTunes.
"Music, once admitted to the soul, becomes a sort of spirit, and never dies." ~ Edward Bulwer-Lytton.
1941 ►Amapola (Pretty Little Poppy); Jimmy Dorsey
1951 ►How High the Moon; Les Paul & Mary Ford
1961 ►Travelin' Man; Ricky Nelson
1971 ►Brown Sugar; The Rolling Stones
1981 ►Bette Davis Eyes; Kim Carnes
• Today’s Happenings•
In The Arts
1830 ►"Mary Had A Little Lamb" is written
In Athletics
1951 ►Willie Mays begins playing for the New York Giants
In Business or Education
1883 ►The Brooklyn Bridge, linking Brooklyn and Manhattan over the East River opens to traffic.
1931 ►1st air-conditioned train installed-B&O Railroad
1951 ►Racial segregation in Washington DC restaurants ruled illegal
1983 ►Supreme Court rules government can deny tax breaks to schools that racially discriminated against students
In Politics
1513 ►While exploring the Gulf Coast of Florida. Ponce de Leon encounters Calusa Indians near Charlotte harbor. In a fight with theCalusa, de Leon captures four warriors. 1921 ►1st parliament for Northern Ireland elected
1957 ►Anti American riots breakout in Taipei, Taiwan
In Science/ Religion
1689 ►English Parliament guarantees freedom of religion for Protestants
1738 ►Methodist Church is established
1844 ►Samuel F.B. Morse tapped out the message “What hath God wrought” in Morse Code.
1954 ►IBM announces vacuum tube "electronic" brain that could perform 10 million operations an hour
• Today’s Births •
Artists, Writers, and Composers
Bob Dylan, 69, composer, singer, born Robert Allen Zimmerman at Duluth, MN
Emanuel Leutze artist: Washington Crossing the Delaware born in 1816 Schwäbisch Gmünd,Württemberg (Germany)
Frank Oz, 66, director, puppeteer (Grover, Yoda), born Hereford, England
Athletes
Tony Jones, 44, NFL tackle (Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos-Superbowl 32) born in Royston, Georgia
Entertainers
Gary Burghoff, 67, actor (Emmy for “M*A*S*H”), born Bristol, CT
Dixie Carter actress (Designing Women, Edge of Night) born in 1939 McLemoresville, Tennessee
Rosanne Cash, country singer born in 1955 Memphis TN
Tommy Chong, 72, actor (Up in Smoke, The Corsican Brothers), born Edmonton, AB, Canada
Patti LaBelle, 66, singer (“Since I Don’t Have You”), born Patricia Louise Holte at Philadelphia, PA,
Priscilla Beaulieu Presley, 65, actress (“Dallas,” Naked Gun movies), born Brooklyn, NY
Business, Education Persons
Samuel I Newhouse US millionaire publisher (Parade, Vogue, Glamour) born in 1895
Political Persons
Coleman A Young civil rights leader (Mayor-D-Detroit) born in 1918 Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Scientists /Religious Persons
Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit physicist: developed system for cleaning mercury to keep it from sticking to glass; inventor: alcohol thermometer [1709], mercury thermometer [1714]; created measure of temperature which bears his name [1724] born in 1686 Danzig, (Polish: Gdańsk), Royal Prussia (now Poland)
• Today’s Obits •
David I King of Scotland, @ 68 in 1153
John Foster Dulles US Secretary of State (1953-59), @ 71 in 1959
Edward Kennedy ‘Duke’ Ellington composer/bandleader/pianist, cancer @ 75 in 1974
George Jessel US comedian/America's toastmaster general, heart attack @ 83 in 1981
Jane Porter novelist (Scottish Chiefs), @ 74 in 1850
Harold Wilson British PM (1964-70, 74-76), cancer at 79 in 1995
≈ ANSWERS to Puzzle 1
A Stapler
≈ ANSWERS to Brain Food
A coffin.
≈ Something you might enjoy…
In 2005, YouTube changed the internet forever. It is now available in 22 languages. Check out this one…
This is graduation time across the Navajo Reservation. Back in the 1970’s this song was played at many graduations. It brings back a lot of memories for me. I hope you enjoy it.
   ≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈  
Posted by No comments:

Sun 5-22

≈Week 21 of 2010: 143 days this year… 222 days remain≈
≈ Something To Think About  
Do not take thought for your persons or your properties, but first and chiefly to care about the greatest improvement of the soul.
~Socrates
≈ Random Fact    
The human heart beats over 100,000 times a day.
• Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1827 ►The first nursery school in the United States was established in New York City. The school was developed “to relieve parents of the laboring classes from the care of their children ... offering the children protection from weather, from idleness and contamination of evil example.”
≈ Free Ramblings    
Our discussion group was small last night, but very interesting none-the-less. Looking at how the Warsaw Pact and the former USSR have changed was fascinating. Since the election of Barack Obama many Americans are discovering that culture plays a very important role in our world. One’s culture frames so much of what one believes. It is difficult, if not impossible to remove cultural beliefs from an individual’s view of the world. It’s been a generation since the USSR broke apart. For two generations, the USSR government held so many under their thumb and did not allow for dissidence. Now these emerging nations are finding the difficulty of holding a country together when there are so many different cultures within the nation. This part of the world will show us that many future strifes will probably be energy based. We are in Iraq because of energy issues and these energy issues are not going away.
I thought it was windy yesterday…but that was nothing compared to today. The wind woke me several times during the night and kept blowing all day. We had a steady wind of 25mph with gusts up to 60mph throughout the day. It got to 65°, but I couldn’t open any windows. My deck is filled with pine needles. It got so bad this afternoon that I had to bring the bird feeders inside. They were swinging around so much that they were losing all their feed and I knew if I left them out they would be blown off their hangers and broken. Very few of my neighbors were outside. I they came out, it was only long enough to let the dog do its business. Our commons area is usually filled with kids on bikes, skateboards, footballs, softballs. Today, the commons area was deserted. The wind is not expected to let up until tomorrow night. I would head out of town, but it appears from the map that I would have to head out of the state to get away from this mess.
≈ A Quick Smile…    
An old man strode in to his doctors office and said, "Doc, my druggist said to tell you to change my prescription and to check the prescription you've been giving to Mrs. Smith."
"Oh, he did, did he?" the doctor shot back. "And since when does a druggist second guess a doctor's orders?"
The old man says, "Since he found out I've been on birth control pills since February."
≈ Puzzle 1    
And now for more in the tradition of the Vowel-less Knights: As a bonus, who said it first?
1. Mnds r lk prchts - th nl fnctn whn pn.
2. Bwr f smll xpnss, smll lk wll snk grt shp.
3. Prblms cnnt b slvd t th sm lvl f wrnss tht crtd thm.
≈ Side Show Stories    
GEORGETOWN, Ky. - Officials in Georgetown, Ky., said a deceased city council candidate received 1,002 votes in the primary election, despite signs notifying voters of her recent death. Georgetown officials said Vickie Moore, who died of a heart attack April 4 at age 54, received enough votes Tuesday to move on to November's general election for the council despite signs at polling places telling voters the candidate had died and her votes would not be officially counted, the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader reported. Election officials said Moore's name is being dropped and will be replaced in the general election by that of Antonio Barber Sr. Moore placed 13th out of 29 candidates in the primary. Locals theorized people may have voted for Moore as a tribute to her memory, to show dissatisfaction with the other candidates or because they did not notice the signs. "I think people voted to make a statement, or people were doing it in honor of her, to say 'she would have had my vote had she lived,'" said Scott Turner, president of the Georgetown Scott County Community Connections.
≈ Puzzle 2: Brain Food  
Give me food, and I will live; give me water, and I will die. What am I?
≈ Calendar Information    
• Observance Weeks in May•
17-23
EMS (Emergency Medical Services) Week
National Effectiveness Week
National Bike to Work Week
National Medical Transcription Week
National Backyard Games Week
22-29
Cover the Uninsured Week
National Safe Boating Week
• Today’s Observances—US/UN/World •
Penny Day
National Taffy Day
Neighbor Day
World Crohn's and Colitis Day
World Turtle Day
South Carolina : Ratification Day (1788)
• Today’s Observances—by country •
Bermuda: Empire Day
German Federal Republic: Republic Day (1949)
Jamaica: Labor Day
Rye, Sussex England: Mayoring Day
• Today’s Number One Songs in…
For anyone interested, all these songs are available on iTunes.
"Music, once admitted to the soul, becomes a sort of spirit, and never dies." ~ Edward Bulwer-Lytton.
1940 ►Tuxedo Junction; Glenn Miller
1950 ►'The Third Man' Theme; Anton Karas
1960 ►Cathy's Clown; The Everly Brothers
1970 ►American Woman/No Sugar Tonight; The Guess Who
1980 ►Call Me; Blondie
• Today’s Happenings•
In The Arts
1922 ►The first debate to be heard on radio was broadcast on WJH in Washington, DC. The two debaters argued about the topic of Daylight Saving Time
In Athletics
1962 ►The National Basketball Association agreed to plans to transfer the Philadelphia Warriors to San Francisco, CA. The team became the San Francisco Warriors (now the Golden State Warriors)
In Business or Education
1953 ►Schools 1st use Cliff's Notes
1977 ►South Moluccan militants armed with machine guns hold 105 children and six teachers hostage in a primary school in northern Holland
1990 ►Cost of rescuing savings & loan failures is put at up to $130 billion
In Politics
1929 ►A new gold rush is starting in Australia
1945 ►Winston Churchill resigns as British PM
In Science/ Religion
1430 ►Joan of Arc captured by Burgundians at Compiegne, who sell her to the British
1785 ►Benjamin Franklin announces his invention of bifocals
• Today’s Births •
Artists, Writers, and Composers
Mitch Albom, 52, journalist, author (Tuesdays with Morrie), born Passaic, NJ
Athletes
“Marvelous” Marvin Hagler, 56, former boxer, born Newark, NJ
Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov, 59, world chess champion, born in Zlatoust in the Urals region of the former Soviet Union
Entertainers
Barbara Barrie, 79, actress (“Suddenly Susan) , born Chicago, IL
Drew Carey 49, actor/comedian/game show host, Cleveland OH
Rosemary Clooney singer, born in 1928 Maysville, Kentucky
Joan Collins, 77, actress (“Dynasty”), born London, England
Scatman Crothers [Benjamin], actor, singer, musician, born in 1910 Terre Haute IN
Jewel Kilcher Murray, 36, singer, born Payson, UT
Artie Shaw [Arthur Jacob Arshawsky] New York NY, bandleader (Come'on my House), born in 1910 New York City
Business, Education Persons
Edward Hitchcock America's 1st professor of physical ed (Amherst College) , born in 1828 Deer-field, MA
Arabella Mansfield (Belle Aurelia Babb),first woman admitted to legal profession in U.S., born in 1846 Burlington, Iowa
Political Persons
--
Scientists /Religious Persons
Carolus Linnæus Swedish botanist/"Father of Taxonomy" (naming plants & animals), born in 1707 Småland, Sweden
Robert Moog inventor (the Moog Synthesizer), born in 1934 New York City
• Today’s Obits •
Clyde Barrow outlaw (Bonnie & Clyde), killed in police ambush in 1934 @ 24
Christopher Houston "Kit" Carson frontiersman, in 1881 aneurysm @ 59
William Kidd Scottish pirate, hanged at London's Execution Dock in 1701 @ 56
Jackie "Moms" Mabley comedienne (Amazing Grace), in 1975 @81
Bonnie Parker outlaw (Bonnie & Clyde), killed in police ambush in 1934 @ 25
John Davison Rockfeller industrialist, in 1937 @ 97 in Ormond Beach FL
≈ ANSWERS to Puzzle 1    
1. Minds are like parachutes - they only function when open.
Bonus: Thomas Dewar. Yep, the Scottish Whiskey Distiller.
2. Beware of small expenses, a small leak will sink a great ship.
Bonus: Benjamin Franklin.
3. Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created them.
Bonus: Albert Einstein.
≈ ANSWERS to Brain Food  
Fire.
≈ Something you might enjoy…
In 2005, YouTube changed the internet forever. It is now available in 22 languages. Check out this one…
Here are two ways to enjoy "Eye of the Tiger". One as an Irish Step Dance, the other on the bagpipes.


   ≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈  
Posted by No comments:

Sat 5-22

≈Week 20 of 2010: 142 days this year…223 days remain≈
≈ Something To Think About  
Democracy is not so much a form of government as a set of principles.
~Woodrow T. Wilson
≈ Random Fact    
The most popular first name in the world is Muhammad!
• Holy Mackerel: On this day in 2008 ►Eight women and three men, aged between 80 and 96, were burned to death when they were accused of being witches in the western Kisii district of Kenya 19 have now been arrested connection with the murders.
≈ Free Ramblings    
Tonight our discussion group is meeting on Europe’s Far East, that area that was much of the former USSR and now most are members of NATO. It should be an interesting discussion. It will mean that my blog may be less than normal.
Today, as promised, was very windy. It has been blowing constantly since last night. We did climb to a nice 74° but the 50mph gusts and steady 30mph winds made it a bad day to be outside.
≈ A Quick Smile…    
Dr. Smith asks his patient, "Which do you want first, the good news or the bad news?"
The patient replies, "Give me the good news."
Dr. Smith says, "You're about to have a disease named after you."
≈ Puzzle 1    
I have holes in my top and bottom, my left and right, and in the middle. But I still hold water. What am I?
≈ Side Show Stories    
LAS CRUCES, N.M. - City animal control officers have started removing hundreds of large, feral rats from inside a Las Cruces rental home. Animal shelter director Beth Vesco-Mock said the rats — some sickly and displaying evidence of fighting — are about the size of a four- to five-month-old kitten.
≈ Puzzle 2: Brain Food  
What phrase is represented by the following?
Look kool XtXhXeXrXoXaXdX
≈ Calendar Information    
• Observance Weeks in May•
16-22
National Dog Bite Prevention Week
National New Friends, Old Friends Week
National Transportation Week
World Trade Week
17-23
EMS (Emergency Medical Services) Week
National Effectiveness Week
National Bike to Work Week
National Medical Transcription Week
National Backyard Games Week
22-29
Cover the Uninsured Week
National Safe Boating Week
• Today’s Observances—US/UN/World •
Buy-A-Musical-Instrument Day
International Day for Biological Diversity
National Maritime Day
National Wig Out Day
• Today’s Observances—by country •
Haiti: National Sovereignty Day
Sri Lanka: Republic Day (1972)
Martinique: Abolition Day
Republic of Yemen: Unity Day or National Day, celebrate the unification of North and South Yemen 1990.
• Today’s Number One Songs in…
For anyone interested, all these songs are available on iTunes.
"Music, once admitted to the soul, becomes a sort of spirit, and never dies." ~ Edward Bulwer-Lytton.
1948 ►Nature Boy; King Cole
1958 ►All I Have to Do Is Dream; The Everly Brothers
1968 ►Tighten Up; Archie Bell & the Drells
1978 ►With a Little Luck; Paul McCartney & Wings
• Today’s Happenings•
In The Arts
--
In Athletics
--
In Business or Education
1570 ►1st atlas, with 70 maps, published
1900 Associated Press organizes in NYC as non-profit news cooperative
1961 ►1st revolving restaurant (Top Of The Space Needle in Seattle), opens
In Politics
1370 ►Jews are expelled/massacred from Brussels Belgium
1807 ►Former Vice President Aaron Burr is tried for treason in Richmond VA (acquitted)
1851 ►As one of the last conflicts in the "Mariposa Indian Wars" in California, a large group of Yosemite Indians are captured at Lake Tenaija.
1964 ►LBJ presents "Great Society"
1989 ►45,000 students have now occupied Tiananmen Square in Beijing for the 10th day protesting for the pro-democracy movement
1972 ►Ceylon changes it's name from Ceylon to Sri Lanka
In Science/ Religion
1943 ►1st jet fighter is tested
1947 ►1st US ballistic missile fired
• Today’s Births •
Artists, Writers, and Composers
Judith Crist, 88, critic, born New York, NY
Mary Cassatt artist: The Bath born 1844 Allegheny City, Pennsylvania
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author born 1859 Edinburgh, Scotland
Wilhelm Richard Wagner composer born 1813 Leipzig
Athletes
--
Entertainers
Richard Benjamin, 72, actor (Goodbye Columbus, Diary of a Mad Housewife, “He & She”), born New York, NY
Naomi Campbell, 40, model, born London, England
Lord Laurence Olivier actor (Rebecca, Hamlet, Jazz Singer) born 1907 Dorking, Surrey, England
Business, Education Persons
T Boone Pickens, 82, CEO (Shamrock, Mesa Petroleum Co) born Holdenville, OK
Political Persons
--
Scientists /Religious Persons
Albrecht Gräfe pioneer eye surgeon; founded modern ophthalmology born 1828 Finkenheerd, Brandenburg
• Today’s Obits •
1885 Victor(-Marie) Hugo French writer (Les Misérables), dies at 83
1967 [James Mercer] Langston Hughes US author (Tambourines to Glory), dies at 65
1988 Dennis Day tenor/comedian (Jack Benny Show, Danny Boy), dies at 71
≈ ANSWERS to Puzzle 1    
A sponge.
≈ ANSWERS to Brain Food  
Look both ways before crossing the road.*
*'Look' is spelled forwards and backwards (both ways) and it comes before the words 'the road' which has X's all through it ie. it has been 'crossed'.
≈ Something you might enjoy…  
In 2005, YouTube changed the internet forever. It is now available in 22 languages. Check out this one…
I have been ready for summer for the last few weeks. Back in 1969 this was a Janis Joplin hit about summertime.
   ≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈  
Posted by No comments:

Fri 5-21

≈Week 20 of 2010: days this year… days remain≈
≈ Something To Think About 
Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal.
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
≈ Random Fact    
Armadillos have four babies at a time and they are always all the same sex.
• Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1922 ►The cartoon, On the Road to Moscow, by Rollin Kirby, won a Pulitzer Prize. It was the first cartoon awarded the Pulitzer.
≈ Free Ramblings    
Our retirement group met for lunch at an old/new Chinese Restaurant. It has been around for years, I can’t remember when it wasn’t around. It closed about a year ago to remodel. Many were sure it would not re-open or if it did, it would no longer be a Chinese place. It re-opened recently, as a Chinese Restaurant. It is at least as good as it was before, if not better. A nice place to welcome back to Flagstaff. We had good food and good conversation. All of us are tired of the strong winds. Cheryl has her new raised flower bed planted—she is very confident that Williams won’t be having anymore snow this year. Mary and I are both not so sure and have not planted yet. Both Mary and Cheryl are busy making plans for their July trips. I’m holding off on making plans, since my trip isn’t until September.
A BIA friend and her husband are in Europe for a week. She notified all of us that she won’t be posting on Facebook—as she has for all her other trips. Her big concern is that someone will find out she is out of town—Albuquerque—and decide to rob her house. I find this a little reactionary to a fear that really isn’t there. They have a house in Albuquerque, a cabin in southern NM wilderness, and an apartment in DC. That alone would make me paranoid. For about five years I had a mobile home in Flagstaff and ‘quarters’ on the reservation. It did become a hassle, since it really cut down on my travel. I couldn’t see paying for a motel somewhere, and two homes. Just too cheap I guess. The other hassle was having to have two of just about everything. The mobile home meant that I didn’t have to live on campus when I earned my Masters. It allowed me to completely remove myself from my job on weekends and holidays. If I had work to do on the Rez, I could get up early Sunday morning and head back. If not, I could stay in Flag as long as I wanted on Sunday. I was never the person who wanted to get up at 4am to get to work, so I always went back to the Rez sometime Sunday. I guess my newly retired friend has some of those problems too. She is keeping us all informed of her travel through emails. I hope no one tells her how easy emails can be stolen, then she will have to send us all post cards.
Facebook with all its new privacy thing choices are sending people away from using it. Two of my geek emailers have become very frustrated by the changes. Both have sent out pages explaining the changes and how to protect your privacy. Neither has gone so far as to say ‘run quickly’ but today, one did offer other social networking sites that aren’t as complicated with their privacy selections. I have never heard of any of them. Time will tell if Facebook is going to fix this mess. One thing I have decided—I won’t be clicking LIKE for anything on Facebook except on someone’s post. I won’t be clicking on LIKE when the post is by a group, organization, or company as doing so may put my name on yet another list. The old “No such thing as a free lunch” is certainly true. Facebook seems to be carrying that to an extreme.
We had our warmest day of the year today…73° this afternoon on my deck. It was very nice. The house stayed cool, it was almost hot outside. Can it be true that spring has finally arrived? I sure hope so. Tomorrow may bring big winds again, but for today, Flag was a great place to be.
≈ A Quick Smile…    
When I asked my friend if she was planning to attend church, she just shook her head. "I haven't gone in a long time," she said. "Besides, it's too late for me. I've probably already broken all seven commandments."
≈ Puzzle 1    
Take the given words, and by moving a single letter from one word to the other, make a pair of synonyms, or near synonyms. For example, given: Boast - Hip, move the 's' from 'Boast' to 'Hip' creating two synonyms: Boat - Ship.
1. Pain - Nil
2. War - Zoned
3. Routing - Tip
4. Shot - Teaming
5. Right – Blight
≈ Side Show Stories    
HUNTINGTON, N.Y. - Workers at a New York state animal shelter said they were seeking people to donate erectile dysfunction pill Viagra to treat a dog's heart condition.
Employees at the Little Shelter Animal Rescue and Adoption Center in Huntington said Ingrid, a 6-year-old pit bull, requires two of the pills each day to treat a heart condition, WPIX-TV, New York, reported. The workers said they were asking for donations of the pills, which were originally developed as a potential heart medication, due to the $10 per pill cost for Ingrid.
≈ Puzzle 2: Brain Food  
What goes around the world but stays in a corner?
≈ Calendar Information    
• Observance Weeks in May•
16-22
National Dog Bite Prevention Week
National New Friends, Old Friends Week
National Transportation Week
World Trade Week
17-23
EMS (Emergency Medical Services) Week
National Effectiveness Week
National Bike to Work Week
National Medical Transcription Week
National Backyard Games Week
• Today’s Observances—US/UN/World •
American Red Cross Founder's Day—Clara Barton in 1881
I Need A Patch For That Day: It’s a geek thing
International Virtual Assistants Day
Lindbergh Flight Day (1927)
National Bike to Work Day
National Defense Transportation Day
National Memo Day
National Wait Staff Day
World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue & Development
• Today’s Observances—by country •
Colombia: Afro-Colombian Day
Chile: Battle of Inquique/Navy Day (1879)
Macedonia, Greece: Anastenarides Feast-dance barefoot on hot coals
Montenegro: Independence Day, honors the 2006 plebiscite that indicated that 55.5% of Montenegrins were in favor of becoming a sovereign nation. ()
Saint Helena Island: Saint Helena Day, celebrates the discovery by Portuguese navigator João da Nova. in 1502
• Today’s Number One Songs in…
For anyone interested, all these songs are available on iTunes.
"Music, once admitted to the soul, becomes a sort of spirit, and never dies." ~ Edward Bulwer-Lytton.
1946 ►The Gypsy; The Ink Spots
1956 ►Heartbreak Hotel; Elvis Presley
1966 ►Monday, Monday; The Mamas & the Papas
1976 ►Silly Love Songs; Paul McCartney & Wings
1986 ►Greatest Love of All; Whitney Houston
• Today’s Happenings•
In The Arts
1908 ►1st horror movie (Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde) premieres in Chicago
1945 ►Lauren Bacall & Humphrey Bogart wed
1992 ►Johnny Carson performed his last tonight show
In Athletics
2006 ►The Swedish ice hockey team Tre Kronor takes gold in the World Championship, becoming the first nation to hold both the World and Olympic titles separately in the same year.
In Business or Education
1602 ►Martha's Vineyard 1st sighted by non-Indigenous (Captain Bartholomew Gosnold)
1819 ►The first bicycles in the United States were called swift walkers and were seen for the first time on the streets of New York City
1914 ►Greyhound Bus Company begins in Minnesota
In Politics
1832 ►1st Democratic National Convention (Baltimore)
In Science/ Religion
1804 ►Lewis & Clark Expedition begins
1927 ►Charles Lindbergh landed in Paris, completing the first nonstop trans-Atlantic flight.
1932 ►Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to make a solo air crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, from Newfoundland to Ireland
1964 ►1st nuclear-powered lighthouse begins operations (Chesapeake Bay)
• Today’s Births •
Artists, Writers, and Composers
Heinz Holliger, 71, oboist, composer, conductor, born Langenthal, Switzerland
Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel kindergarten art teacher: her work was inspiration for the famous Hummel figurines, born in 1909 Massing, Bavaria
Alexander Pope poet (Rape of the Lock), born in 1688 London
Harold Robbins (Francis Kane) writer The Dream Merchants, born in 1916 New York City
Fats [Thomas Wright] Waller, jazz singer/composer (Ain't Misbehavin') , born in 1904 New York NY
Athletes
Beth Botsford, 29, 100 meter/200 meter backstroke (Olympics-gold-96), born in Baltimore MD
Entertainers
Raymond (William Stacy) Burr actor (Perry Mason, Ironsides) , born in 1917 New Westminster British Columbia Canada
Peggy Cass actress/TV panelist (To Tell the Truth , born in 1924 Boston MA
Dennis Day (Eugene Denis McNulty) Irish tenor/comedian (Jack Benny Show), born in 1917 New York NY
Judge Reinhold, 53, actor (Beverly Hills Cop), born Wilmington, DE
Leo Sayer, 62, (Gerard Hugh Sayer) singer, born in Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex
Mr T(Lawrence Tero or Tureaud), 58, actor (Rocky III, “The A-Team”), born  at Chicago, IL
The Notorious B.I.G. (Christopher Wallace) rapper, born in 1972 Brooklyn, NY
Business, Education Persons
Armand Hammer industrialist: Occidental Petroleum Co.; physician: donated millions to aid cancer research, born in 1898 Manhattan, NY
Political Persons
Al Franken, 59, US Senator (D, Minnesota), comedian, actor, writer (Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations), born New York, NY
Mary Robinson, 66, President of Republic of Ireland, born in Ballina, County Mayo, Ireland
Scientists /Religious Persons
Andrei Sakharov physicist, human rights worker (Nobel '75), born in 1921 Moscow
• Today’s Obits •
Jane Addams a founder of ACLU (Nobel 1973), complications of Pott’s Disease @ 65 in 1935
Hernando de Soto while searching for gold, near Mississippi River @ 46 in 1542
Rajiv Gandhi Indian Prime Minster (1984-91), assassinated @ 46 in 1991
Forsyth Hardy documentary film pioneer, @ 84 in 1994
Al "Lash" La Rue cowboy actor (Lash of the West), @ 78 in 1996
Alejandro Rey actor (Carlos-Flying Nun), lung cancer @ 57 in 1987
≈ ANSWERS to Puzzle 1    
1. Pin - Nail
2. Ward - Zone
3. Outing - Trip
4. Hot - Steaming
5. Bright - Light
≈ ANSWERS to Brain Food  
A stamp.
≈ Something you might enjoy…  
In 2005, YouTube changed the internet forever. It is now available in 22 languages. Check out this one…
Scotland is a beautiful place. This is about Edinburgh and is about 7 minutes.
   ≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈  
Posted by No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Followers

Total Pageviews

Blog Archive

About Me

My photo
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.