Saturday August 21

This is Week 33 of 2010►Day 233 with 132 days left.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

I assisted Martha in mailing some 30 odd books today. She has been selling her bookstore inventory on Amazon for a couple of years. My part, the easy part, was to carry two of those white Post Office carry boxes from her car to the PO line. A very easy job. She had to find the books, put them in the envelope, address the envelope, put on all the right tags. She knows all the PO people really well as she does this almost daily. Right now she is limited to lifting five pounds at a time. I haven’t been in the old downtown Post Office for many years. They still have the old combination mailboxes; they have painted and fixed up the look of the post office. The entire post office is now government grey, which makes it look very retro.

Every city in the US is suffering from high unemployment, some more than others. No matter where you live, construction is suffering more than many other sectors. Today’s news taught us that the various construction unions are against building the mosque. They are already saying that their members will not build the mosque. They can tell their members that, the members don’t have to build it…but if they refuse to work on that mosque and are therefore unemployed, are the eligible for unemployment payments? The other item that many seem to ignore is that right now, and for the last 30 years, there has been a mosque on the very site. Politics and religion should not mix.

Since this is the holiest month of the Muslim year, Ramadan, that has to have something to do with all this hype and also the hype about Obama and his religion. Ramadan is only a month, and maybe, after the sliver of the moon is seen, this will all die down. During the Christian Christmas season we hear about the separation of church and state, the display of Christian symbols in government buildings and in public spaces. As soon as the Christmas season ends, the concern seems to be put on the back burner until the next year. Maybe the same will happen with the Muslim issues some seem to have.

Thankfully, the last escapee and his fiancé have been recaptured. While there was an international search, they were right here in Arizona, camping out in the mountains in South-Eastern Arizona. The capture was uneventful and everyone can rest better now. As the facts of their escape continue to be released one has to wonder if private prisons are really the best way to protect our citizens. There seems to have been very little state oversight and lots of cost cutting measures, like not insuring that the border fence actually had a working alarm system that didn’t accidently go off some 30 times a day or insuring that the changing of the guard didn’t leave the outside unguarded for anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes at each changing. Hopefully things will change.

Flagstaff was nice today. No rain, and it was 82° with very little breeze. I enjoyed a short morning walk. It was a little warm this afternoon on the deck, but certainly not unbearable.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY

H. L. Mencken –American journalist and satirist: For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1987 Clayton Lonetree, 1st marine court-martialed for spying, convicted served 9 years and received dishonorable discharge.

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION on Samuel Clemens

§The preface to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn contains the following warning: "PERSONS attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot."

§Mark Twain published his first book, The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County , in 1867. The book contained 27 previously released pieces written during Twain's years as a newspaper writer in Nevada and California.

§Prior to adopting Mark Twain as his pen name, Clemens wrote under the pseudonym Thomas Jefferson Snodgrass for three humorous pieces he contributed to the Keokuk Post.

§During the execution of their elaborate plan to help Jim escape, Tom neglected to tell Huck and Jim that Jim was already a free man. Old Miss Watson had died two months previously and, ashamed that she had ever intended to sell Jim, set him free in her will.

§Mark Twain received an honorary doctorate from Oxford University in 1907.

GREY MATTER PUZZLE 1—Jeopardy Answers: Toys and Games

Number of pockets on a pool table

Color that always has opening move in chess

Versions of this board game take place in London, Madrid, & Atlantic City

Binney & Smith makes them in 64 colors

She's been a teenage fashion model for over 25 years

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM

CHRISTINA LAKE, British Columbia — Police who uncovered two marijuana fields near the U.S.-Canada border had to tread carefully: 13 black bears were wandering around the crops.

The fields of about 2,300 plants were found near Christina Lake, just a few miles (kilometers) from the border.

Royal Candian Mounted Police Cpl. Dan Moskaluk says that when police arrived in the area two weeks ago, they discovered the bears and cautiously went about making the seizure.

He says the bears were docile and obviously were used to humans. They could be put down if they are too habituated to people.

The property's two owners were arrested on charges of production and possession of a controlled substance.

It's unclear if they used the bears to guard the pot fields or just liked having them as pets.

A LITTLE LAUGH

A New York retail clerk was suffering from aching feet.

"It's all those years of standing," his doctor declared.

"You need a vacation. Go to Miami, soak your feet in the ocean and you'll feel better."

When the man got to Florida, he went into a hardware store, bought two large buckets and headed for the beach.

"How much for two buckets of that seawater?" he asked the lifeguard.

"A dollar a bucket," the fellow replied with a straight face.

The clerk paid him, filled his buckets, went to his hotel room and soaked his feet. They felt so much better he decided to repeat the treatment that afternoon. Again he handed the lifeguard two dollars. The young man took the money and said, "Help yourself."

The clerk started for the water, then stopped in amazement. The tide was out. "Wow," he said, turning to the lifeguard. "Some business you got here!"

GREY MATTER PUZZLE 2--Riddle

Ten birds are sitting on a power line. A neighbor comes outside with a shotgun, annoyed at the birds sitting there. He shoots his gun and kills one bird. How many are left?

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

How to paint the Mona Lisa: Click Here

GREY MATTER PICTURE

This is a close up of what object?

SOME CALENDAR INFORMATION

♦ Weekly Observances ♦

15-21: National Aviation Week

……….Weird Contest Week

♦ Today’s Observances ♦

Hug Your Boss Day

National Homeless Animals Day

National Spumoni Day

Poet's Day

Senior Citizen's Day

(World) Daffodil Day

Morocco: King Mohammed VI's Birthday

Philippines: Ninoy Aquino Day

♦ Hit Songs on this date ♦

My Wild Irish Rose   Albert Campbell   1899 (not the original but still good) Click Here!

Singin' in the Rain    Cliff Edwards ("Ukelele Ike")   1929

Some Enchanted Evening    Perry Como     1949

The Three Bells     The Browns     1959 Click Here!

Honky Tonk Women     The Rolling Stones     1969

My Sharona     The Knack     1979

♦ Today’s Births ♦

• The Arts

William "Count" Basie, jazz pianist…born 1906…Red Bank, NJ

Jackie DeShannon, 66, singer, songwriter…born Hazel, KY

Friz Freleng, animator (Bugs Bunny-Emmy 1982) …born 1906…Kansas City, MO

Harold Reid, 71, bass singer: The Statler Brothers …born Staunton, VA

Kenny Rogers, 72, singer…born Houston, TX

~~~

Kim Cattrall, 54, actress (“Sex and the City,” Mannequin)…born Liverpool, England

Hayden Panettiere, 21, actress (“Heroes,”)…born Palisades, NY

Nancy Kulp, actress (Jane-Beverly Hillbillies) …born 1921… Harrisburg Pa

• Athletics

Usain Bolt, 24, Olympic track and field athlete…born Trelawny, Jamaica

Wilt (Wilton) Chamberlain, Basketball Hall of Famer: NBA MVP Award: Philadelphia Warriors [1960], Philadelphia 76ers…born 1936…Philadelphia, PA

Archie Griffin, 56, football: Heisman Trophy winner: Bengals…born …Columbus, OH

James Robert (Jim) McMahon, 51, football (BYU, Bears, Chargers, Eagles, Vikings, Cardinals, Browns, Packers)…born Jersey City, NJ

Chris Schenkel, sportscaster: CBS Sports; ABC Sports…born 1923… Bippus, IN

• Business & Education

Steve Case, 52, founder of America Online…born Oahu, HI

Harry Smith, 59 , TV host (CBS Morning Show) …born Lansing, IL

• Politics

Princess Margaret Rose, Countess of Snowdon; sister of England’s Queen Elizabeth II …born 1930… Glamis Castle, Scotland

• Science/Religion

Hubert Gautier, engineer, wrote 1st book on bridge building…born 1660… Nîmes, France

♦ Today’s Obituaries ♦

Benigno S Aquino Jr, Philippines opposition leader, killed in Manila @ 51 in 1982

Robert Moog, American pioneer of electronic music @ 71 in 2005

♦ Today’s Events ♦

• The Arts

1911 The Mona Lisa is stolen by a Louvre employee.

• Athletics

1929 The Chicago Cardinals became the first professional football team to go out of town for training camp

1975 Rick & Paul Reuschel become 1st brothers to pitch a combined shut out (Cubs)

• Business & Education

1841 John Hampson patents venetian blind

1888 William Burroughs of St. Louis, MO patented his adding machine

1912 Arthur R. Eldred of Oceanside, NY is the first to reach the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank in the Boy Scouts of America program.

• Indigenous People

1680 Pueblo Indians took possession of Santa Fe‚ from Spanish

1689 Frenchmen convince local Indians to attack British Fort Charles in Maine. Several settlers are killed in the fighting.

• Politics (US)

1831 Nat Turner slave revolt kills 55 (Southampton County, Virginia)

1858 1st Lincoln-Douglas debate (Illinois)

1959 Hawaii becomes 50th US state

• Politics (International)

1689 The Battle of Dunkeld in Scotland.

1950 The United Nations moved into its new permanent facilities in New York City -- on land donated by the Rockefeller family

1991 Coup attempt against Mikhail Gorbachev collapses

• Science / Religion

1986 Carbon dioxide gas erupts from volcanic Lake Nyos in Cameroon, killing up to 1,800 people within a 20-kilometer range.

2007 Hurricane Dean makes its first landfall in Costa Maya, Mexico with winds at 165 mph (266 km/h). Dean is the first storm since Hurricane Andrew to make landfall as a Category 5.

GREY MATTER ANSWERS

↔ 1

Number of pockets on a pool table: what is six?

Color that always has opening move in chess: What is white?

Versions of this board game take place in London, Madrid, & Atlantic City: What is Monopoly?

Binney & Smith makes them in 64 colors: What are Crayons?

She's been a teenage fashion model for over 25 years: Who is Barbie?

↔ 2

One. The one he shot. The other nine were scared off by the sound of the shot gun.

↔ Picture

A bicycle seat

TODAY’S NATIONAL PARK PHOTO SHOTS

Yosemite, 4th National Park as of October 1, 1890: Yosemite has towering cliffs, waterfalls, and sequoias in a diverse area of geology and hydrology. Half Dome and El Capitan rise from the central glacier-formed Yosemite Valley, as does Yosemite Falls, North America's tallest waterfall. Three Giant Sequoia groves and vast wilderness are home to diverse wildlife.

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Friday August 20

This is Week 33 of 2010►Day 232 with 133 days left.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

My car radio is set to NPR-talk. Whenever I am out and about I am listening to one of their many shows. I have listened to many stories over the years where I get to the place I am going, park, and sit in the car to hear the rest of the story. NPR calls it a ‘driveway story’ as you listen to the rest of the story in your driveway before going into the house. Today there was program on ‘bed bugs’. I had just seen a 60 minutes story on them. I parked at the restaurant, and was late to our lunch, to hear the program. I am usually not a real paranoid person. My upcoming trip may change my mind. It turns out it is not a NY problem, but a worldwide problem. I heard specific instructions of things to look for at a hotel room before putting your suitcase in the room. The same is true for any hospital, any dormitory, any apartment complex, any nursing home, for anywhere one is going to sleep. These little freaky creatures are found in every hotel chain, no matter what you pay. How do they get into your bed? Obviously they are brought in by previous people or from the housekeeping staff or from your neighbors. No, it is not mean people or crazy people carrying around a jar of them to leave behind. The other place mentioned is your local clothing store. Somebody buys a piece of clothing, takes it home, throws it on a bed or chair, while they prepare to try it on. They put it on and it doesn’t fit or isn’t the right color. They take it back to the store and get something else. Well, if they have bed bugs, the little critters crawl on the new clothing and are now off to a new home. Why are bed bugs making such a comeback? All the chemicals that kill them have been banned to all but professional exterminators. I guess that mom was right when she vacuumed and turned the cushions on the couch on a regular basis. I’m expecting nightmares tonight. Thanks NPR for another great driveway story.

We had a really good lunch and conversation today. I only briefly mentioned my new knowledge of bed bugs as it wasn’t really good for mealtime conversation. Mary and hubby Michael went to Sedona for a break. Of course she found and bought a nice bracelet. They didn’t continue to Phoenix—their original plan—as it was just too hot. Cheryl has been working on her home repair list, by having her handyman come in to make the list shorter. Cheryl is headed for some surgery in November and gets to go through all the pre-test maze. She did her first EKG this morning and returns in a couple of weeks for the stress test. The doc asked her how fast she could walk. She said it depended on how badly she wanted to get where she was walking to. The doc and the nurse just cracked up.

Two local stories caught my eye today. The head of the Dept. of Corrections released a report on the recent private prison escapes. Everything in the escape points to poor management and poor oversight. Lots of private and state government jobs are now on the line. Our non-elected governor is more interested in the press she gets by arresting illegals than keeping the convicted criminals inside the prison. The other story showed that the state has been caught ‘embellishing’ the figures regarding kidnappings in Arizona. The state figures show that there was almost one kidnapping every day in AZ in 2008 and this has allowed our state to get millions in Federal funding—mostly from Homeland Security—to decrease the numbers. AZ took the money, the figures remained fairly stable. Phoenix had the highest kidnapping rate in the US. Now the revised figures show that during that time period, there were 38 kidnappings. Those figures have affected every homeowner or land owner in the state with higher insurance premiums and possibly lower property values. I sure hope heads roll on that too.

FYI: I am not one of the nearly 20% of Americans who believe that Obama is a Muslim. The story will not die. The pollsters keep asking. The more they ask, the more people who start to believe it. I guess 20% is a small group. There are 6% of people who believe we never landed on the moon.

There was no rain in Flag today. We reached 80° with a nice breeze to keep it tolerable. Nice to be outside, nice day for a walk. Flagstaff is a great place to live.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY

Thomas Fuller (1608-1661), Clergyman, historian: A quiet conscience sleeps in thunder.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1986 Mail carrier Patrick Sherrill, Edmond Ok, shot 14 fellow workers dead—thus ‘going postal'

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION about The Bard

~Shakespeare, one of literature's greatest figures, never attended any university.

~With 1,787 lines and 14,369 words, The Comedy of Errors is Shakespeare's shortest play. The shortest of his tragedies (with 1993 lines) is Macbeth.

~In 1582, at the age of eighteen, William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway who was seven or eight years older than the young playwright.

~Shakespeare is said to have played the Ghost in the original production of Hamlet.

~None of Shakespeare's original manuscripts have survived, due partly perhaps to the fact that they were written, many of them hastily, strictly for stage performance.

GREY MATTER PUZZLE 1—Jeopardy Answers

Christmas, Easter, or Bermuda, for example

Europe's only wild monkeys live on this "rock"

1/3 the size of U.S., this royal kingdom has no rivers or lakes but lots of oil

Largest country entirely in Europe

Clocks in Lima, Peru, read the same as in this U.S. time zone

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM

VIENNA — No kangaroos in Austria? Wrong! The search is on for a missing marsupial in the Alpine republic.

Sumsi disappeared from a private zoo in the southern village of Preding about two months ago and is keeping locals busy by popping up and then quickly getting away again.

Tourists to Austria can buy T-shirts with the slogan "No kangaroos in Austria" because this European country is sometimes confused with Australia, where the marsupials are native.

Recently, local firefighters sealed off a corn field after a Sumsi sighting — but to no avail. Not even a feeding station set up by kangaroo-crazy kids has done the trick.

Zoo operator Magrid Brauchart said Thursday she's convinced the five-year-old male was stolen and worries her charge could get hurt.

A LITTLE LAUGH

A young man I know, who recently became law clerk to a prominent New Jersey judge, was asked to prepare a suggested opinion in an important case. After working on the assignment for some time, he proudly handed in a 23-page document.

When he got it back, he found a terse comment in the judge's handwriting on page 7: "Stop romancing—propose already."

GREY MATTER PUZZLE 2--Riddle

You are in a room with 3 monkeys. One monkey has a banana, one has a stick, and one has nothing. Who is the smartest primate?

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

Overture of 1812 Finale: Click Here!

GREY MATTER PICTURE

This is a close up of what object?

SOME CALENDAR INFORMATION

♦ Weekly Observances ♦

15-21: National Aviation Week

……….Weird Contest Week

♦ Today’s Observances ♦

National Radio Day

Men's Grooming Day

Virtual World's Day

Estonia: Restoration of Independence Day, re-declaration of the independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

Nepal: Father's Day

Hungary: Constitution Day (1949)

Senegal: Independence Day (1960 from Mali Federation)

♦ Hit Songs on this date ♦

Rock-A-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody Al Jolson 1918

A Tisket, A Tasket Ella Fitzgerald with Chick Webb 1938

Little Star The Elegants 1958

People Got to Be Free The Rascals 1968

Grease Frankie Valli 1978

Roll with It Steve Winwood 1988

♦ Today’s Births ♦

• The Arts

Isaac Lee Hayes Jr., composer (Shaft) … born 1942…Covington, TN

Robert Plant, 62, singer (Led Zeppelin), born Bromwich, England

Salvatore Quasimodo, poet/critic/translator (Nobel 1959) … born 1901… Modica, Sicily

Alan Reed, original voice of Fred Flintstone…born 1907…NYC, NY

Jim (James Travis) Reeves, first big country-crossover artist… born 1923… Galloway, Panola County, TX

Al Roker, 56, television personality (“Today Show”), born Brooklyn, NY

Jacqueline Susann, author: The Valley of the Dolls, The Love Machine… born 1918…Philadelphia, PA

~~~

Shirley Booth, actress (Hazel-Hazel, A Touch of Grace) … born 1907…NYC, NY

• Athletics

Donald (Don) King, 79, boxing promoter, born Cleveland, OH

Graig Nettles, 66, 3rd baseman (Yankees, Padres, Indians) … born San Diego, CA

• Business & Education

Connie Chung, 64, journalist, born Constance Yu-Hwa at Washington, DC

• Politics

Benjamin Harrison, 23rd Pres… born 1833…North Bend, OH

Bernardo O’Higgins Riquelme, leader of Chile: ‘Liberator of Chile’… born 1778… Chillán, Chile

• Science/Religion

Hideki Shirakawa, 74, Japanese chemist, Nobel Prize laureate for Chemistry…born Tokyo, Japan

♦ Today’s Obituaries ♦

Charles Floyd, only fatality of the Lewis & Clark Expedition, colic or ruptured appendix @ 22 in 1804

Vilhjalmur Stefansson, Arctic explorer, @ 82 in 1961

Leon Trotsky, Bolshevik Marxist leader, ice picked by Frank Jackson @ 61 in 1940

♦ Today’s Events ♦

• The Arts

1882 Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture debuts in Moscow.

• Athletics

1939 1st black bowling league formed (National Bowling Assoc)

1945 Tommy Brown of Brooklyn Dodgers, became the youngest player (17 years, 8 months and 14 days old) to hit a home run in a major-league ball game.

2000 Tiger Woods won the 82nd PGA Championship in Louisville, becoming the first player since Ben Hogan in 1953 to win three majors (Masters, U.S. Open, British Open) in one year.

• Business & Education

1896 Dial telephone patented

• Indigenous People

1789 Juan de Ugalde is Commanding General of all Spanish forces in Coahuila, Nuevo León, Nuevo Santander, and Texas. He starts a major expedition against the Apache.

1789 An "Act Providing for the Expenses Which May Attend Negotiations or Treaties with the Indian Tribes, and the Appointment of Commissioners for Managing the Same" is approved by the United States.

1794 Gen Mad Anthony Wayne routes Indians at Fallen Timbers, Ohio

• Politics (US)

1865 Pres Johnson proclaims an end to "insurrection" in Tx

1866 Pres Andrew Johnson formally declares Civil War over

1942 Dim-out regulations implemented in SF

• Politics (International)

1741 Alaska was discovered by Danish navigator Vitus Jonas Bering

• Science / Religion

1912 Plant Quarantine Act goes into effect

1980 Reinhold Messner of Italy is 1st to solo ascent Mt Everest

GREY MATTER ANSWERS

↔ 1

Christmas, Easter, or Bermuda, for example: What are islands?

Europe's only wild monkeys live on this "rock": What is Gibraltar?

1/3 the size of U.S., this royal kingdom has no rivers or lakes but lots of oil: What is Saudi Arabia?

Largest country entirely in Europe: What is France?

Clocks in Lima, Peru, read the same as in this U.S. time zone: What is Eastern Time Zone?

↔ 2

You are.

↔ Picture

A Snoopy doll

TODAY’S NATIONAL PARK PHOTO SHOTS

Kings Canyon Nat’l Park, California, since October 1, 1890, 3rd Park Home to several Giant sequoia groves and the General Grant Tree, the world's second largest, this park also has part of the Kings River, site of the granite Kings Canyon, and San Joaquin River, as well as the Boyden Cave

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Thursday August 19

This is Week 33 of 2010►Day 231 with 134 days left.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

I’m a little frustrated with my blog site. I wasn’t able to post my blog last night. I tried and tired, a total of seven times last night and this morning. I do the blog on Word and then paste it into the blog. I’ve been doing that since I started this site. Last night, it pasted just fine, but wouldn’t post. Then I tried taking out the pictures. Still wouldn’t post. The only that changed in my process was the site has a new way to add pictures. Of course this site is free and therefore has no help line. If it keeps happening, I guess I will have to find another free one. I so enjoy doing this blog, for myself and for others. I really learn a lot by finding all these sites with information, and that keeps the brain cells working. Since I like to use my brain, and don’t want any cells to die off from non-use, I’ll keep the blog going.

I have a two story townhouse. I have one vacuum to clean the place. I have carpeting in all the rooms except the kitchen and bathrooms. I don’t think I am lazy, well, maybe a little. I am not very good at carrying the vacuum up and down the stairs. When I decide to use it upstairs, it just stays upstairs for a week or so, until I need to really really vacuum downstairs. I grew up in a house with a fully finished basement. My very frugal parents had two vacuums. The ‘good’ one was upstairs, and a smaller rolling canister type was downstairs. While at the local Wal-mart I found had all kinds of stuff for college student dorm rooms, and all that stuff was at good prices. Over the years, I have always made certain purchases during the ‘back to school’ days. First some items are only available at the beginning of the new school year. Second the prices on ‘essentials’ are usually pretty good. As I wandered the aisles, I found a vacuum at a good price. It is not a ‘good’ vacuum, but certainly works for the upstairs. So now my upstairs and downstairs can stay better vacuumed—at least that’s the plan.

Somehow today must have been “hard of hearing older couples day” at Wal-mart. Every couple of aisles there would be an older woman walking ahead of her husband who was dutifully pushing the cart. One might be at the beginning of the aisle, the other about half way down the aisle as they carried on their conversation. “Do you see flyswatters?”, “No, do we need one?”; “I don’t see any fly spray, either—hey ask that guy in the blue shirt where they are”; before the poor man can ask--“HEY, WHY DOESN’T WALMART HAVE ANY FLY SWATTERS?”; “They are on the next aisle, right by the bug spray, m’am.” “Well, they should be right here, that makes more sense.” I heard similar conversations on the candy aisle and the garden center. With all the sales on back to school stuff, I really expected to see lots of young people, or parents with kids. Not today, today it was us older folks trying to find stuff. Sometimes I wish I didn’t have snow white hair, since I don’t feel like I am that old.

Mark this day...it’s been a long time, but finally all the combat troops have left Iraq. I know there are still lots of troops there, but they are not ‘combat’ troops. I still recall the Friday night when the first ‘shock and awe’ bombings started. I was headed for dinner in Rapid City. At that time, we didn’t know, at least in SD, if there would be retaliation from one or more of the world powers. I remember calling my brother and then my mom to tell them what I was doing, and where I would be the next week—it was the beginning of spring break. I seldom called on a Friday, and seldom told either one exactly where I was going. I had enough concern, that, just in case something happened, they would have some idea of where I was, and I would know where they would be. I also remember feeling a little insecure, being miles from my home in Tuba. If there was going to be a war on our soil, I wanted to be home. Thankfully, America’s soil was not part of the war. The innocent people of most of Iraq have been living in a war zone all this time. They only have electricity a few hours a day, they still don’t have safe, open schools, they don’t have safe roads to travel on, they don’t have jobs. I have to wonder exactly what has been accomplished these past eight years. Many troops are still in danger in Afghanistan. These Iraq combat troops will spend a few weeks in Kuwait, then back to the American soil. Obama and Military Complex have gotten us out of fighting in Iraq. A day to celebrate.

Flagstaff was really nice today. It rained on and off last night, but was dry today. We did have clouds, but no rain. We made it to 77° this afternoon and had a nice breeze most of the afternoon. It kept the air moving and while we had 65% humidity, it wasn’t nearly as sticky as yesterday. More thunderstorms are in the forecast for the rest of the week.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY

G.K. Chesterton[English philosopher]: I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1607 English settlers officially found "the other" English colony on North America. Unlike Jamestown, Popham is settled by just men and boys. Popham, northeast of modern Portland, Maine, is established on the bluffs overlooking the spot where the Kennebec River flows into the ocean. The colony lasts only a little over one year. The colony’s second leader returns to England, taking the settlers with him, when he inherits a sizeable estate in England.

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION on Politics

~In 1903, Mary Harris Jones organized the famous "March of the Mill Children" to demand an end of child labor. Mother Jones (as she came to be called) and several dozen children, some of them crippled by machinery in the textile mills, marched from Philadelphia to President Theodore Roosevelt's summer home on Long Island.

~In 1958, Mao Zedong, chairman of the central government council of the newly established People's Republic of China, announced a new economic program "The Great Leap Forward" aimed at quickly increasing industrial and agricultural production and revitalizing all sectors of the ailing Chinese economy.

~In 1928, Herbert Hoover ran for President of the United States with the campaign slogan "A chicken in every pot and a car in every garage".

~ In 2003, as part of a Republican protest against France's opposition to the war on Iraq, both french fries and french toast were officially renamed "freedom fries" and "freedom toast" in the U.S. House of Representatives' cafeteria.

~ During the Russo-Japanese War, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt offered to serve as mediator. He summoned representatives of the warring countries to Portsmouth, New Hampshire in the summer of 1905 to discuss their differences, and the war came to a close shortly thereafter. A year later, in recognition of his role as a peacemaker, Roosevelt was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He was the first American to receive the prestigious award.

GREY MATTER PUZZLE 1—Jeopardy Answers

Self-luminous gaseous body, or Hollywood "celeb"

The evening or morning "star" is really this planet

Planet once thought unique, it no longer runs "rings" around its neighbors

Launched Oct. 4th, 1957, it was Earth's 1st artificial satellite

Only planet to have seasons similar to Earth's

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM

LONDON (Hollywood Reporter) - A cold front passed over the BBC News channel late Tuesday as the show's weatherman flipped the bird to his news anchor.

Simon McCoy, linking to the weather, perhaps with a hint of sarcasm, told viewers the weather was coming up, and would of course be "100% accurate and provide all the detail you could possible want."

At that stage, the cameras cut to Tomasz Schafernaker and his middle-finger salute as McCoy's female co-host gasped. But it didn't stop there as the fast-acting weatherman, realizing he was on screen, swiftly pretended to rub his face in much the same way a cheeky school kid might do when caught in the act.

The camera quickly cut back to a composed McCoy, who simply stated: "Every now and then there's always one mistake, that was it."

The BBC immediately apologized. "Tomasz was not aware that he was on air, and whilst the gesture was only shown for a second, it was not acceptable," a spokesman said.

The weatherman later wrote on his website: "Prior to a live weather bulletin, I made a gesture off camera joking with my fellow presenters and without warning the camera went live to the weather studio ... I am very sorry for any offence that might have been caused by my actions."

The weatherman began presenting on BBC Southeast Today in 2001 before joining national BBC outlets in 2006. It's not the first time he's apologized. Back in 2007 he described the Western Isles and the west Highlands in Scotland as "nowheresville" during a live weather broadcast.

A LITTLE LAUGH

The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be ending a work email with the phrase "Regards" again.

GREY MATTER PUZZLE 2--Riddle

Fred and Wanda are found dead in a pool of water with shards of glass around them. In the background lurks a cat. What happened?

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

Returns tomorrow

GREY MATTER PICTURE

This is a close up of what object?

SOME CALENDAR INFORMATION

♦ Weekly Observances ♦

10-16: Elvis Week

15-21: National Aviation Week

……….Weird Contest Week

♦ Today’s Observances ♦

National Aviation Day (since 1939)

"Black Cow" Root Beer Float Day

National Medical Dosimetrist Day : operates radiation oncology treatment machines

Potato Day: to honor and enjoy a variety of potatoes

World Humanitarian Day

Afghanistan: Independence Day, commemorates the Treaty of Rawalpindi in 1919, granting independence from Britain.

Ethiopia: Buhe (Eastern Orthodox celebration of the Transfiguration of Christ

♦ Hit Songs on this date ♦

Me and My Shadow "Whispering" Jack Smith   1927

Satan Takes a Holiday Tommy Dorsey              1937

Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette) Tex Williams   1947

Teddy Bear Elvis Presley                1957

All You Need Is Love The Beatles   1967

Best of My Love The Emotions       1977

Who's That Girl Madonna               1987

♦ Today’s Births ♦

• The Arts

Ginger [Peter] Baker, 71, drummer (Cream-White Room) …born Lewisham, South London

James Gould Cozzens, novelist (1949 Pulitzer-Guard of Honor) …born 1903…Chicago, IL

John Dryden, 1st poet laureate of England (Absalom & Achitophel)…born 1631… Aldwincle, Thrapston, Northamptonshire, England

John Kane, Scottish-born US primitivist painter (Self-Portrait) …born 1860… West Calder, Scotland

Ring Lardner Jr. (Ringgold Wilmer Lardner, Jr.), Academy Award-winning screenwriter: Woman of the Year [1942], MASH [1970]; A Star Is Born [1937] …born 1915…Chicago, IL

Ogden Nash , humorous poet (I'm a Stranger Here Myself) …born 1902…Rye NY

Gene Roddenberry, executive producer (Star Trek) …born 1921…El Paso, TX

~~~

Adam Arkin, 54, actor (“Chicago Hope,” “Northern Exposure”), born…Brooklyn, NY

Gerald McRaney, 62, actor (“Simon & Simon,” “Major Dad”), born…Collins, MS

Diana Muldaur, 72, actress (“Star Trek: The Next Generation,” “LA Law,” The Swimmer), born…New York, NY

Matthew Perry, 41, actor (“Friends,” Fools Rush In), born…Williamstown, MA

Jill St. John (Jill Oppenheim), 70, actress (Diamonds Are Forever)…born at Los Angeles, CA

Kyra Sedgwick, 45, actress (“The Closer,” Phenomenon, Born on the Fourth of July)…born New York, NY

John Stamos, 47, actor (“ER,” “Full House”)…born Los Angeles, CA

• Athletics

Dr Renee Richards, 76, trans-sexual tennis player…born NYC, NY

Cindy Nelson, 55, former alpine skier, born…Lutsen, MN

Bobby (Robert Clinton) Richardson, 75, baseball: NY Yankees…born Sumter, SC

Willie Shoemaker, jockey (In 1956 he won $2 million) …born 1931…Fabens, TX

• Business & Education

Coco (Gabrielle Bonheur) Chanel, fashion designer; perfume creator…born 1883…Saumur, France

Malcolm Forbes, publisher (Forbes Magazine) …born 1919… Englewood, NJ

Seth Thomas, pioneer in mass production of clocks…born 1785…Walcott, CN

• Politics

William Jefferson Clinton, 64, 42nd president of the US, born…Hope, AK

Mary Elizabeth Aitcheson Tipper Gore, 62, ex-wife of Al Gore, 45th vice president of the US, advocate for the homeless, mental health and children’s causes, born…Washington, DC

Fred Thompson, 68, former US Senator (R, Tennessee), actor (“Law & Order,” In the Line of Fire)…born Sheffield, AL

• Science/Religion

Philo T Farnsworth, inventor (electronic TV) …born 1906…Beaver, UT

Orville Wright, aviator…born 1871…Dayton, OH

♦ Today’s Obituaries ♦

Octavian [Augustus] Roman general, @ 75 in 14BC

Kerstin Hesselgren, 1st woman in Swedish parliament, @ 90 in 1962

Julius (Groucho) Marx, comedian (Marx Bros), @ 86 in 1977

♦ Today’s Events ♦

• The Arts

1964 The Beatles began their first North American concert tour. They would visit 26 cities.

• Athletics

1909 1st race at the Indianapolis 500 Speedway

1957 NY Giants vote to move their franchise to SF in 1958

• Business & Education

1848 The first report of the California gold strike was published in the New York Herald newspaper.

• Indigenous People

1854 A Miniconjou Sioux, named High Forehead, kills a sickly cow near Fort Laramie, in southeastern Wyoming. The cow's owner complains to the fort's commander. A brash Brevet Second Lieutenant John L. Grattan, and thirty volunteers leave the fort to find the Sioux involved. Grattan goes to Conquering Bear's Brule Sioux camp near Ash Hollow, and demands the Indian who shot the cow. Grattan makes numerous threats to the Sioux, but they won't hand over High Forehead. During the parlay, a shot rings out, and Grattan's artillery gunners open fire on the camp. Conquering Bear tries to get both sides to stop shooting, but he is hit by an artillery round. Eventually, all but one of Grattan's men are killed in the fighting.

• Politics (US)

1812 US warship Constitution defeats British warship Guerriere

1940 The new Civil Aeronautics Administration awarded honorary license #1 to Orville Wright 1954 Ralph J Bunche named undersecretary of UN

• Politics (International)

1099 Crusaders beat Saracens in Battle of Ascalon

1942 1,000 Canadian & British soldiers killed raiding Dieppe, France

1960 Francis Gary Powers convicted of spying by USSR (U-2 incident)

1989 Tadeusz Mazowiecki, elected 1st non-communmist president of Poland

• Science / Religion

1787 W Herschel discovers Enceladus, a moon of Saturn

1856 Gail Borden of Brooklyn, NY patented his process for condensed milk

1960 The Russians sent two dogs (Strelka (meaning "Little Arrow") , Belka (meaning "Squirrel"), into earth orbit in a satellite. They were the first to survive, and later one of Strelka’s pups, born after the flight was given to JFK

GREY MATTER ANSWERS

↔ 1

Self-luminous gaseous body, or Hollywood "celeb": What is a star?

The evening or morning "star" is really this planet: What is Venus?

Planet once thought unique, it no longer runs "rings" around its neighbors: What is Saturn?

Launched Oct. 4th, 1957, it was Earth's 1st artificial satellite: What is Sputnik?

Only planet to have seasons similar to Earth's: What is Mars?

↔ 2

Fred and Wanda are fish, and the cat knocked down their fish bowl.

↔ Picture

A child’s block

TODAY’S NATIONAL PARK PHOTO SHOTS

Sequoia National Park—2nd National Park as of September 25, 1890-- protects the Giant Forest, which has the world's largest tree, General Sherman, as well as four of the next nine. It also has over 240 caves, the tallest mountain in the lower 48, Mount Whitney, and the granite dome Moro Rock in California.

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Repost of 8-18

Sorry all, can't get anything to post. Back tomorrow

Tuesday August 17

This is Week 33 of 2010►Day 229 with 136 days left.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

A great Monday. My friend Martha had her back surgery today. She has been in pain for so long, and she finally found the Spinal Institute in Scottsdale that did the procedure. She has been tested, poked, prodded, scanned and tested some more for about three months. It seems that it was worth it. She was operated on at noon and was at her motel room about five hours later. It’s amazing what lasers can do these days. So glad that she will be pain free and even will be able to march in her pipe band and be able to travel to Ireland in December without her carry-on filled with pain meds.

Obama is a president, like most who preceded him, is not making decisions based on polls. While I wish he was a little more behind getting out of Afghanistan I am still happy that he reminded us that Freedom of Religion is just that. Many of his distracters are very upset about his statements on the Mosque in NYC. Other countries must be very confused by our form of government. Few countries allow the crazies to speak out so loudly and so often against their elected leader without a coup attempted.

I was out and about this afternoon. Parts of Flag had a real downpour; here we had a little rain with lots of thunder. My deck climbed to 80° before the rain set in. Then it dropped quickly to a nice 72°, with lots of grey sky.

I have always enjoyed visiting our National Parks. Our National Park System is really ‘America’s Best Idea’. For the next few weeks I will be highlighting one of the National Parks in the Photo of the Day. I’m starting with Yellowstone, the first National Park, and highlighting them by the date they become National Parks.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY

Barry Goldwater: I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1980 – 8 month old Azaria Chamberlain disappears, probably taken by a dingo, leading to what was then the most publicized trial in Australian history.

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION about Lunch boxes

~The lunch pail, an early ancestor of the lunchbox, was just a sturdy metal pail with a snug top. Some had originally been made to hold lard.

~Beginning in the late 1800s some tobacco companies sold products in tins that were designed to be reused as lunchboxes. These tins, which might have one or two handles, came in a variety of colors and sometimes featured elaborate artwork.

~Manufacturers soon realized that they could sell lunchboxes made especially for children, and these colorful boxes debuted around 1900. A number of children's lunchboxes appeared in the following decades, including a 1935 model featuring Mickey Mouse.

~Lunchboxes really became popular after World War II when the Aladdin company in Nashville, Tenn., began making lunchboxes that featured movie and television heroes. In 1950 Aladdin issued a Hopalong Cassidy lunchbox, which was available in red or blue and included a matching thermos.

~Roy Rogers teamed up with the Thermos company for a groundbreaking 1953 lunchbox which featured brilliant colors and full-color lithography on every side.

~In 1957 Aladdin introduced the "dome-top" box, which offered more space for lunchbox art and a shape that had creative potential. Disney's dome-top "Schoolbus" lunchbox became the best-selling lunchbox of all time. In 1962 Aladdin again made history when it began making lunchboxes with embossed designs that gave a three-dimensional effect.

GREY MATTER PUZZLE 1—Jeopardy Answers—Foreign Phrases

In Germany, said before a toast & after a sneeze

American equivalent to English "the bonnet on a lorry"

From French, it literally means "a pen name

The vidi, in "Veni, vidi, vici"

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM

GREEN TREE, PA- A suburban Pittsburgh man who dresses as a canine for conventions and parties is asking a judge to let him change his legal name to Boomer the Dog. Gary Guy Mathews, 44, of Green Tree, told Allegheny County Common Pleas Court Judge Robert Folino during Tuesday's hearing that he is involved with "furries," a movement of people who dress in animal costumes that has an annual convention in Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.

Mathews told the judge his name and costume are based on the main character from "Here's Boomer," a short-lived NBC series about a stray mutt that rescues humans from danger. Mathews said many of his friends already call him Boomer and his parents had even warmed to the moniker before they died. Folino, whose ruling is due this week, said he may reject the request if he determines it "causes confusion in the community" or raises the "likelihood of unintended consequences."

A LITTLE LAUGH

As a jet was flying over Arizona on a clear day, the copilot was providing his passengers with a running commentary about landmarks over the PA system.

"Coming up on the right, you can see the Meteor Crater, which is a major tourist attraction in northern Arizona. It was formed when a lump of nickel and iron, roughly 150 feet in diameter and weighing 300,000 tons, struck the earth 50,000 years ago at about 40,000 miles an hour, scattering white-hot debris for miles in every direction. The hole measures nearly a mile across and is 570 feet deep."

The lady sitting next to me exclaimed: "Wow, look! It just missed the highway!"

GREY MATTER PUZZLE 2--Riddle

Imagine you are in a bungalow (a house with only 1 floor) and everything is white...

1.What color are the floors?

2.What color are the walls?

3.What color are the carpets?

4.What color are the Stairs?

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

Retro lunch boxes: Click Here!

GREY MATTER PICTURE

This is a close up of what object?

SOME CALENDAR INFORMATION

♦ Weekly Observances ♦

15-21: National Aviation Week

……….Weird Contest Week

♦ Today’s Observances ♦

National Thrift Shop Day

Argentina: San Martin Day (1850)

India: Janmashtami: a Hindu festival celebrating the birth of Lord Krishna, an avatar of the Hindu deity Vishnu.

Indonesia (from Japan/Netherlands-1945), Gabon (from France-1960) : Independence Day

♦ Hit Songs on this date ♦

The Star-Spangled Banner Prince's Orchestra   1916

To Each His Own Eddy Howard   1946

Hound Dog/Don't Be Cruel Elvis Presley 1956

Summer in the City The Lovin' Spoonful   1966

Don't Go Breaking My Heart   Elton John & Kiki Dee   1976

Papa, Don't Preach Madonna   1986

♦ Today’s Births ♦

• The Arts

Belinda Carlisle, 52, singer (The Go-Go’s)…born Hollywood, CA

~~~

Robert De Niro, 67, actor (Oscars for Raging Bull, The Godfather Part II; Taxi Driver)…born New York, NY

Maureen O’Hara, 90, actress (Miracle on 34th Street, The Hunch-back of Notre Dame)…born Dublin, Ireland

Sean Penn, 50, actor (Oscars for Mystic River and Milk; Dead Man Walking)…born Santa Monica, CA

Mae (Mary Jane) West, actress (Go up & see her sometime) …born 1892…Bushwick, NY

• Athletics

Christian Laettner, 41, basketball player( Timberwolves, Hawks,Pistons, Mavericks, Wizards,Heat)…born Angola, NY

Guillermo Vilas, 58, former tennis player…born Mar del Plata, Argentina

• Business & Education

Samuel Goldwyn (Schmuel Gelbfisz), movie pioneer: the ‘G’ of MGM…born 1879…Warsaw, Poland

• Politics

Davy Crockett, frontiersman/adventurer/politician…born 1786…Greene County, TN

Marcus Garvey, began back-to-Africa movement among US blacks…born 1887… St. Ann's Bay, Jamaica

Francis Gary Powers, US spy (USSR captures him in 1959 U-2 incident)…born 1929…Jenkins, KY

• Science/Religion

Frederick Russell, developed 1st successful typhoid fever vaccine…born 1870…Auburn,

♦ Today’s Obituaries ♦

Pearl Bailey, broadway actress/singer, heart attack @ 72 in 1990

Ira Gershwin, lyricist, dies in Beverly Hills, Cal, @ 86 in 1983

Rudolph Hess, Nazi, @ 93, after 46 years in Spandau Prison in 1987

Jose Francisco de San Martin, South American revolutionary hero, @72 in 1850

Vivian Vance, actress (Ethel Mertz-I Love Lucy), @ 72 in 1979

♦ Today’s Events ♦

• The Arts

1959 Kind of Blue by Miles Davis, the much acclaimed and highly influential best selling jazz recording of all time, is released

• Athletics

1933 Lou Gehrig breaks record by playing in his 1,308th straight game

• Business & Education

1807 Robert Fulton's steamboat Clermont begins 1st trip up Hudson River

1858 1st bank in Hawaii opens

• Indigenous People

1755 Almost 400 Indians attack John Kilburn’s stockade at Walpole, Connecticut. Some sources say the Indians are led by King Philip. After a day of fighting, the Indians withdraw.

1765 Pontiac and the British sign a treaty

1862 The Lakota (Sioux) Dakota War of 1862 begins in Minnesota as Lakota warriors attack white settlements along the Minnesota River.

• Politics (US)

1846 US takes Los Angeles

• Politics (International)

1815 Napoleon arrived at Saint Helena for the beginning of his exile.

1960 Francis Gary Powers U-2 spy trial opens in Moscow

1961 Building of the Berlin Wall begins

• Science / Religion

1787 Jews are granted permission in Budapest Hungary to pray in groups

1870 1st ascent of Mt Rainier, Washington

1915 Charles F. Kettering of Detroit, MI patented the electric, automobile self-starter

GREY MATTER ANSWERS

↔ 1

In Germany, said before a toast & after a sneeze: What is gesundheit?

American equivalent to English "the bonnet on a lorry": What is the hood of a truck?

From French, it literally means "a pen name”: What is a nom de plume?

The vidi, in "Veni, vidi, vici": what is I saw?

↔ 2

1. White!!

2. White!!

3. White!!

4. There is no stairs its a bungalow (a house with only 1 floor!!!)

↔ Picture

The tail of an airplane

TODAY’S NATIONAL PARK PHOTO SHOTS

Yellowstone National Park, the first, as of March 1, 1872: Situated on the Yellowstone Caldera, the first national park in the world has vast geothermal areas such as hot springs and geysers, the best-known being Old Faithful and Grand Prismatic Spring. The yellow-hued Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River has numerous waterfalls, and four mountain ranges run through the park. There are almost 60 mammal species, including the gray wolf, grizzly bear, lynx,bison, and elk.

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Monday August 16

This is Week 33 of 2010►Day 228 with 137 days left.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

Sunday is my day of ‘staying informed’. Not that I am not informed on other days, but Sunday seems to review so much of the past week and set the tone for the new week. I start off with Christine Amanpour. She is Persian (Iran)/English and comes from a wealthy family that moved to the US while she was young at the time of the Revolution. She is now on ABC after many years with CNN. Then it’s Candy Crowley on CNN. She is new on the scene but does some great interviews. One of my favorites is Fareed Zakaria, an Indian/American born in Mumbai with a degree from Yale. His international background and his belief that his show should educate its listeners make for really stimulating interviews. My last ‘can’t miss’ show is 60 minutes. The local Sunday paper rounds out my ‘news day’. Technology has certainly made it easier to be informed regarding world issues while living in a small mountain town. I still have to be very careful not to take one interview or one story and believe it. Even these great interviewers sometimes have a hidden agenda and it can come out by the kinds of questions asked or by what is left on the cutting room floor.

I was happy to see that the local paper editor answered some of his most received email issues today. He answered the paper’s stand on the use of the term ‘street alcoholic’ regarding two recent deaths in Flagstaff. He feels that the community needs to know this information. He didn’t say how many arrests are needed to get the label, nor did he mention how many convictions are needed. He believes it’s a ‘one-just-knows’ thing. He believes that the public’s need to know is greater than the family concerns. I couldn’t disagree more, but he did address the issue, made his point, and now we all know.

I took an early morning walk, leaving about 6am. It was one of my ‘fast’ walks—meaning I covered a little over a mile in about 15 minutes. I know I’m not going to be in SI for these walks, but they are a great way to start the day.

Flagstaff was a little warm today. My deck thermometer was at 89° around 3pm. While it was clear most of the day, this afternoon brought in some big billowy clouds with flat bottoms. I was sure hoping they would bust loose with rain, but no such thing was in the cards for today. Our humidity was 43% and the forecast says there is a good chance for thunderstorms most of next week. Maybe them those monsoon things aren’t over yet. The Forest Service and the County are working hard to deal with the devastation of the fire. Money to clear fallen trees; money to replant and protect the replants; money to open up drainage areas so they drain and not flood are all in full swing.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY

Stephen Colbert: Fake news executives are nicer than real news executives, though real news executives are funnier than fake news executives.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1984 The U.S. Jaycees voted to admit women to full membership in the organization

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION about the Stock Market

~Wall Street was laid out behind a 12-foot-high wood stockade across lower Manhattan in 1685. The stockade was built to protect the Dutch settlers from British and Native American attacks.

~The Massachusetts Investors Trust was the first official mutual fund, created on March 21st, 1924. The Wellington Fund, created in 1928, was the first mutual fund to include stocks and bonds.

~The NYSE was originally organized at the Tontine Coffee House, located at the northwest corner of Wall and Water Streets, at 82 Wall Street. Business was transacted there until 1817.

~The longest period in which the exchange was closed occurred during WW1, when the NYSE was closed for four and a half months starting July 31st, 1914.

~The NASDAQ was created in 1971 and was the first electronic stock exchange, focusing on the trading of OTC stocks. NASDAQ stands for “National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation.”

~The Dow Jones Industrial Average was created by Dow Jones & Company in 1896. There are thirty companies on the DJIA, with the list constantly being revised. 3M Co., Alcoa Inc., American Express Co., AT&T, Bank of America, Boeing Co., Caterpillar Inc., Chevron, Cisco Systems, Coca-Cola Co., E.I. DuPont de Nemours, Exxon Mobil Corp., General Electric Co., Hewlett-Packard Co., Home Depot Inc., Honeywell International Inc., Intel Corp., International Business Machines Corp., Johnson & Johnson, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Kraft Foods, McDonald's Corp., Merck & Co. Inc., Microsoft Corp., Pfizer Inc., Procter & Gamble Co., Travelers Corp., United Technologies Corp., Verizon Communications Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Walt Disney Co.

GREY MATTER PUZZLE 1—Jeopardy Answers--Automobiles

He'd build you a Model T "in any color, so long as it was black"

This toy company builds more cars than Ford, G.M. & Chrysler combined

Powered by this, the Stanley Special won in Daytona in 1907 at 197 MPH

In Japan it's called "rasshu awa"; in L.A, 4 to 6 P.M.

Models of Ford, Chrysler, & Cadillac are all named for cities in this S. European country

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM

London-- A 13-year-old boy was struck by lightning — at 13:13 hours on Friday the 13th, according to reports. The teen was watching an air show at Lowestoft, England, when he was struck and was later treated for burns to his shoulder, the U.K.'s Mirror newspaper said. He is expected to fully recover.

Rex Clarke, leader of the St. John Ambulance team that treated the child, described what happened. "Suddenly there was this huge crack of lightning really close to the seafront and really loud thunder," he told the Mirror. "Seconds later we got a call someone had been hit. The boy was breathing and was conscious. He had a minor burn to his shoulder and was taken to hospital as a precaution. It could have been a lot worse," he said, adding: "It's all a bit strange that he was 13, and it happened at 13:13 on Friday the 13th."

A LITTLE LAUGH

While visiting Annapolis, a lady tourist noticed several students on their hands and knees assessing the courtyard with pencils and clipboards in hand.

"What are they doing?" she asked the tour guide.

"Each year," he replied with a grin, "the upperclassmen ask the freshmen how many bricks it took to finish paving this courtyard."

When they were out of earshot of the freshmen, the curious lady asked the guide: "So, what's the answer?"

The guide replied: "One."

GREY MATTER PUZZLE 2--Riddle

What belongs to you, yet people use it more than you do?

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

Walter Cronkite remembers the Stock Market Crash: Click Here!

GREY MATTER PICTURE

This is a close up of what object?

SOME CALENDAR INFORMATION

♦ Weekly Observances ♦

10-16: Elvis Week

15-21: National Aviation Week

……….Weird Contest Week

♦ Today’s Observances ♦

Joe Miller's Joke Day: English comic from early 1700’s

Cyprus: Independence Day (1960)

Dominican Republic: Restoration Day (1963)

Liechtenstein: Prince Franz-Josef II Day

Vermont: Bennington Battle Day (1777)

Kyoto, Japan: Gozan no Okuribi or Daimonji: Bonfires around the city allow the departed spirits to return to where they came from

Palau-de-Cerdagne, France: Xicolatada: Centuries old celebration where hot chocolate is given to people with hangovers.

♦ Hit Songs on this date ♦

Washington Post March Sousa's Band 1895 Click Here to Hear!

If You Knew Susie Eddie Cantor 1925

And Then Some Ozzie Nelson 1935

On the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Johnny Mercer 1945

Rock Around the Clock Bill Haley & His Comets 1955 Click Here to Hear!

I Got You Babe Sonny & Cher 1965 Click Here to Hear!

Jive Talkin' The Bee Gees 1975

Shout Tears for Fears 1985

♦ Today’s Births ♦

• The Arts

James Cameron, 56, director (Oscar for Titanic; True Lies)…born Kapuskasing, ON, Canada

Harold Foster, cartoonist (created "Prince Valiant")…born 1892… Halifax, Nova Scotia

Kathie Lee Gifford, 57, television personality, singer…born Paris, France

~~~

Steve Carell, 47, actor, comedian (“The Office,” “The Daily Show,” Get Smart, The 40-Year-Old Virgin)…born Acton, MA

Robert Culp, actor (I Spy, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice) …born 1930…Oakland, CA

Eydie Gorme (Edith Gormezano), 78, singer…born New York, NY

Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone, 52, singer, actress (Desperately Seeking Susan, Evita)…born Bay City, MI

Julie Newmar, 75, actress (Cat Woman on television’s “Batman,” Li’l Abner)…born Hollywood, CA

Fess Elisha Parker, Jr., actor, Disney films, Davy Crockett…born 1924…Fort Worth, TX

• Athletics

Frank Newton Gifford, 80, sportscaster, Hall of Fame football player, born Santa Monica, CA

Amos Alonzo Stagg, football pioneer, 1st all-American team; coach: developed wing-back principle, quick kick, onside kick, double flankers, pass-run option play, man in motion, inventor (tackling dummy)…born 1862… West Orange, NJ

• Business & Education

George Meany, labor leader: president of American Federation of Labor; merged the AFL with Congress of Industrial Organizations [CIO] …born 1984…Bronx, NY

Robert Ringling, circus master and Wagnerian Opera singer…born 1897…Boston, MA

• Politics

Menachem Begin, Israeli PM (1977-83, Nobel 1978) …born 1913… Brest, Russian Empire

• Science/Religion

Seán Brady, 71, Cardinal-Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland..born Drumcalpin. Ireland

Michael Harkin, 52, American anthropologist—ethnohistory of Indigenous people…born Bella Bella, British Columbia, Canada

♦ Today’s Obituaries ♦

Amanda Blake, actress (Gunsmoke), AIDS @ 60 in 1989

Norman Lockyer, editor of NATURE, discoverer of helium in Sun @ 84 in 1920

Duncan Phyfe, furniture maker. @ 86 in 1854

Elvis Presley, the King, heart ailment/drug overdose @ 42 in 1977

George Herman Babe Ruth, Baseball legend, pneumonia /cancer @ 53 in 1958

♦ Today’s Events ♦

• The Arts

1930 The first color sound cartoon, called Fiddlesticks, is made by Ub Iwerks.

1962 Pete Best replaced by Ringo Starr (Richard Starkey) as drummer for The Beatles.

1969 Day two of the Woodstock Festival.

• Athletics

1936 11th Olympic games close in Berlin

1954 Sports Illustrated publishes its 1st issue

1981 Highest score in World Cup soccer match (New Zealand-13, Fiji-0)

• Business & Education

1829 The first Siamese twins brought to the United States arrived in Boston, MA. Chang and Eng (Bunker) were 18 years old

1896 Gold discovered in the Klondike, found at Bonanza Creek, AK

1898 Roller coaster patented

1939 The famous vaudeville house, Hippodrome, in New York City, was used for the last time.

• Indigenous People

1851 One in a series of treaties with California Indians is signed at Reading's Ranch. The treaty is designed to reserve lands and to protect the Indians.

• Politics (US)

1863 Emancipation Proclamation signed

• Politics (International)

1819 Manchester Massacre; English police charge unemployed demonstrators

1858 Britain's Queen Victoria telegraphs President James Buchanan

1959 USSR introduces installment buying

• Science / Religion

1987 Thousands of people prayed and meditated for universal peace, as the much publicized Harmonic Convergence, the exact alignment of planets in the solar system, happened

1989 A solar flare from the Sun creates a geomagnetic storm that affects micro chips, leading to a halt of all trading on Toronto's stock market.

GREY MATTER ANSWERS

↔ 1

He'd build you a Model T "in any color, so long as it was black": who is Henry Ford?

This toy company builds more cars than Ford, G.M. & Chrysler combined: What is Mattel?

Powered by this, the Stanley Special won in Daytona in 1907 at 197 MPH: What is steam?

In Japan it's called "rasshu awa"; in L.A, 4 to 6 P.M.: What is Rush Hour?

Models of Ford, Chrysler, & Cadillac are all named for cities in this S. European country: What is Spain?

↔ 2

Your name.

↔ Picture

Toy train track

TODAY’S PHOTO SHOT

Solar Flare

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