Saturday, October 30

This is Week 43 of 2010►Day 303 with 62 days left.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

OK, so I slept with a monitor on my finger all night. Results: my breathing and pulse slows down when I am sleeping. The doctor said I am within the normal range, so we simply await the results from a blood test I took last week. That will determine if I need to do a sleep apnea test. The test I took last night was inconclusive regarding that issue. Slower than normal range would have said apnea, but since they were in the normal range, it didn’t decide. I guess that is good.

About a week ago France was put on a terror alert possibly because of their proposed law to outlaw the burqa. At about the same time the TSA announced that they were changing their pat down rules, which began today. The new pat down means that if a passenger is ‘lucky’ enough to ‘selected’ for a pat down, the TSA will now pat down with their open palm. Previously they were using the back of their open hand. [Sidenote: I had one of the old pat downs in Chicago a couple of years ago. I found that overly intrusive. My pat down, because I changed my flight after the airport closed due to weather, had the TSA guy taking his hands way to high into my crotch. Now those hands will be with the palm side instead of the back of the hand. ] Then late last night all the news stations broke into programming to tell us of a ‘credible threat’ with cargo planes coming into the US. Throughout the entire day we learned that terrorists had put ‘at least’ two potential remote controlled bombs on cargo flights from Yemen to the US. The two packages were being sent to Jewish Synagogues in Chicago.

First of all, where the heck is Yemen and what are they doing with terrorists? Yemen used to be a huge civilization. Now it is 23 ½ million people with a median age of 17.9 years old. The Ancient Greeks called the Yemen region “fortunate Arabia” or “happy Arabia” because of their mild climate, adequate rainfall, and their spice trade—including frankincense and myrrh. They were a wealthy and prosperous Semite area. Over the centuries they never united and were conquered by various groups, with the British coming in during the 19th century. Basically a civil war in 1994 united several groups. Since then they have had radical groups trying to un-unite the country. While the government of Yemen is pro-West, it is a very weak government. I learned today that the US has done an unknown number of ‘drone attacks’ from ships off the Yemen coast which are aimed at destroying terrorists. We know that innocents are always going to be injured or killed in these attacks.

Looking at a map, Yemen is closer to the US than Dubai. For some reason cargo planes go from Yemen to Dubai then to the US or Europe. I get ‘globalization’ and I get that UPS, FedEx, and others have planes coming from all over the world to the US and Europe. Just never really thought about very much. But I guess this is another downside to globalization.

I am very glad that our government is working so hard to stop attacks from radical terrorists. Since the 9-11 attacks we have stopped many attacks, and today seems to be another success story. I am slowly, very slowly, beginning to realize that we will have to stay vigilant for a very long time. While I am not looking forward to more security, more hassles when I fly, I will continue to fly, probably continue to bitch about the hassle, but might feel a little safer knowing that people are out there who are trying to stop terrorists. We are now paying the price of our forefathers in this country and our friend’s forefathers who thought that they should colonize other people and try to make them just like us. It was wrong then, it is wrong today. Those conquered people have not forgotten what happened in the ancient past, the modern past and even the present. It doesn’t look like they will get amnesia anytime soon.

Flag was windy again today. The birds continue to clean out the feeder during the day. They hide out during the windy parts of the day, but return as soon as the wind subsides and chow down like it could be their last meal.

Flag…H—67°; L—38°; RH—54%; and 25mph wind gusts most of the afternoon.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY—General Sir Archibald Wavell

The elementary principle of all deception is to attract the enemy's attention to what you wish him to see and to distract his attention from what you so not wish him to see.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1925 If you put everything into it except the kitchen sink, you’d have the TV transmitter that beamed TV to London for the first time. To build the transmitter, John Baird used a tea chest, a biscuit box, darning needles, piano wire, motorcycle lamp lenses, old electric motors, cardboard scanning discs and glue, string and sealing wax.

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—Eyes

→The muscle that lets your eye blink is the fastest muscle in your body - it allows you to blink five times a second.

→On average, people blink 15,000 times a day. That’s about 10 times per minute, or more than five million times a year.

→Women blink more than men.

→Jean-Dominique Bauby, a French journalist suffering from “locked-in” syndrome, wrote the book “The Driving Bell and the Butterfly” by blinking his left eyelid – the only part of his body that could move.

→Some bird species, usually flightless birds, have only a lower eyelid, whereas pigeons use upper and lower lids to blink. Fish and insects do not have eyelids – their eyes are protected by a hardened lens.

→Carrots really do help your eyes. Vitamin A is known to prevent “night blindness,” and carrots are loaded with Vitamin A.

→Carrots were first cultivated in 500 BC in the Mediterranean regions. The first carrots were purple, white, and yellow. They were introduced in Europe in the 1600s.

GREY MATTER PUZZLE 1—Jeopardy Answers (1984 games) Numbers Please

$100-An unlucky Friday or a baker's dozen

$200-Number of stars on American flag raised at Iwo Jima

$300-Square inches in a square foot

$400-Total of trombones & cornets in "The Music Man" tune

$500-Age range of an octogenarian

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — Two suspects face multiple charges after North Carolina police said they left notes thanking the homeowners for the $5,000 worth of electronics gear and food they stole. Fayetteville police spokesman Dan Grubb said Friday the pair left one note on a white paper napkin saying simply, "Thanks." Grubb said a second message etched into a wall Wednesday morning said the same thing, and added: "We love the stuff we got."

Police charged Dajuan Marquis Avant and Darrell Sturdivant Jr. with breaking and entering, larceny, and other charges.

Both 19-year-olds are from Fayetteville. It was not known if either had an attorney.

The homeowners told The Fayetteville Observer the stolen loot included a box of corn dogs, frozen chicken and beer.

A LITTLE LAUGH

A collector of rare books ran into an acquaintance who told him he had just thrown away an old Bible that he found in a dusty, old box. He happened to mention that Guten-somebody-or-other had printed it.

"Not Gutenberg?" gasped the collector.

"Yes, that was it!"

"You idiot! You've thrown away one of the first books ever printed. A copy recently sold at auction for half a million dollars!"

"Oh, I don't think this book would have been worth anything close to that much," replied the man. "It was scribbled all over in the margins by some clown named Martin Luther."

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

Sound of Music is 45 years old: Here is the original Edelweiss: Click Here to View!

And here is the theme song: Click Here to View!

And who can forget this one: Click Here to View!

GREY MATTER PICTURE

This is a close up of what object?

SOME CALENDAR INFORMATION

¤ Weekly Observances ¤

24-31: Disarmament Week ^ Give Wildlife a Break Week ^ Pastoral Care Week ^ Peace, Friendship and Good Will Week ^ Prescription Errors Education & Awareness Week ^ International Magic Week ^ National Respiratory Care Week

27-11/3: World Hearing Aid Awareness Week

¤ Today’s Observances ¤

National Candy Corn Day

Checklist Day

Recreate A Great Funeral Day

Devil's Night

Haunted Refrigerator Night

National Forgiveness Day

International Bandanna Day

Former Soviet republics, except Ukraine: Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Political Repressions

¤ Hit Songs on this date ¤

1897...There's a Little Star Shining for You / Dan Quinn (original not available)

1907...Harrigan / Billy Murray Click Here to View!

1917...Over There / Peerless Quartet Click Here to View!

1927...Charmaine! / Guy Lombardo (original not available)

1937...You Can't Stop Me from Dreaming / Teddy Wilson (original not available)

1947…Near You / Francis Craig Click Here to View!

1957…Treat Me Nice / Elvis Presley Click Here to View!

1967…To Sir, with Love / Lulu Click Here to View!

1977…You Light Up My Life / Debby Boone Click Here to View!

1987…Bad / Michael Jackson Click Here to View!

¤ Today’s Births ¤

╬ THE ARTS

Feodor Mikhailovich Dostoevski, Russian novelist & short-story writer, born in 1821

Ezra Pound, poet (Cantos), born in 1885

Grace Slick, 71, singer (Jefferson Airplane)

♦♦actors♦♦

Ruth Gordon, actress (Rosemary's Baby, Harold & Maude), born in 1896

Dick Gautier, 73, actor (Bye Bye Birdie, “Here We Go Again”)

Harry Hamlin, 59, actor (“LA Law,” “Studs Lonigan”)

Henry Winkler, 65, actor (“Happy Days”), director, children’s author

╬ ATHLETICS

Charles Atlas (Angelo Siciliano), 97 lb weakling to body builder, born in 1893

Robert A. Caro, 75, author (three-volume biography of Lyndon B. Johnson)

Diego Armando Maradona, 50, former soccer player

Dick Vermeil, 74, football coach (Rams, Bruins, Chiefs, Eagles)

Ted Williams, baseball hitter (AL MVP '46, '49; Trip Crown '42, '47), born in 1918

╬ BUSINESS & EDUCATION

Fred Friendly, broadcast journalist; TV producer: CBS, PBS, born in 1915

╬ POLITICS

John Adams, 2nd pres (1797-1801), born in 1735

Francisco Madero, Mexican revolutionary, president (1911-13), born in 1873

╬ SCIENCE & RELIGION

Robert Lee Gibson, 64, USN/ast (STS 41B, 61C, 27), astronaut

¤ Today’s Obituaries ¤

Henry Dunant, Swiss founder of the Red Cross, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize @ 82 in 1910

Robert Goulet, American entertainer @ 74 in 20007

Kirby Grant Hoon Jr., actor (Sky King), auto accident @ 74, in 1985

William Shea (Shea Stadium namesake), @ 84 in 1991

Washoe, 1st chimpanzee trained in American Sign Language @ 42 in 2007

¤ Today’s Events ¤

╬ THE ARTS

1938 Orson Welles panics a nation with broadcast of "War of the Worlds"

1972 A command performance was given for the Queen of England by Elton John.

╬ ATHLETICS

1919 Baseball league presidents call for abolishment of the spitball

╬ BUSINESS & EDUCATION

1888 1st ballpoint pen patented

╬ INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

1763 Pontiac will inform Major Henry Gladwin, Commander at Fort Detroit, that he wants peace, and to end the fighting.

1804 The Mandans like Lewis & Clark's men's dancing.

╬ POLITICS (US)

1864 Helena, Montana's capital, founded

1945 US government announces end of shoe rationing

1954 Defense Department announces elimination of all segregated regiments

╬ POLITICS (International)

1953 Gen. George C. Marshall won the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his contributions to the economic rehabilitation of Europe after WWII, the so-called Marshall Plan.

1961 Soviet Party Congress unanimously approves a resolution removing Josef Stalin's body from Lenin's tomb in Red Square

╬ SCIENCE & RELIGION

1952 Dr. Albert Schweitzer, missionary surgeon and founder of Lambaréné leper Hospital in République du Gabon, won the Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work. Schweitzer donated his prize to the hospital.

1986 Discover magazine reported that almost 43 million tons of dust settle on the United States each year.

GREY MATTER ANSWERS

↔ 1 Jeopardy

$100-An unlucky Friday or a baker's dozen: What is 13?

$200-Number of stars on American flag raised at Iwo Jima: What is 48?

$300-Square inches in a square foot: What is 144?

$400-Total of trombones & cornets in "The Music Man" tune: What is 186? (76 +110)

$500-Age range of an octogenarian: What is 80-89?

↔ PICTURE

credit card scanner

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Friday October 29

This is Week 43 of 2010►Day 302 with 63 days left.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

We had our weekly lunch today. Good food at Red Lobster, good conversation, good time. Cheryl starts her pre-op diet next week, so we are going out for one last lunch on Tuesday next week. This is really a big deal for Cheryl and all her friends. She won’t be eating a lunch for a long, very long time. So I guess we will come up with something else to do. She is doing gastric bypass which is expected to get her off insulin, something she has been on since her youth. Mary is headed to Phoenix for the Halloween weekend for time with two of her grandkids. It should be interesting since her son’s in-laws will be there too and they are Bush supporters even today. Mary’s 98 year old mom was moved to hospice about 2 months ago, since an x-ray showed a brain tumor. Well, they moved her out of hospice this week, saying that she is showing no physical signs of problems and has more energy than her care takers. The medical community does not have all the answers.

We had a great weather day today. As usual, Cheryl arrived for lunch before I did, Mary got there right on time. Cheryl and I were the first two diners at Red Lobster. They always have someone open the door to welcome diners, usually as soon as you step onto the sidewalk with the door about 30 feet away. It actually is nice. Today, we were the only two cars in the parking lot and we had not one, not two, but three servers open the door and welcome us. We told them we were waiting for one more and it was too nice a day not to stay outside. They all went back inside. When Mary got there about ten minutes later, she was still walking in the parking lot when the doors swung open again. They had a decent lunch crowd and we stayed about two hours. We were the last of the lunch crowd to leave. I’m sure these college students figured that these three old people had nothing else to do but sit around and talk and wondering what we could possibly talk about for that long. When they have worked as long as we did, they will understand.

Flag…H—61°; L—33°; RH—53%; and no breeze. We will continue to have partly cloudy days through Halloween and if things hold up, it won’t be too cold. That is good for the little kids who are out trick or treating and good for those of us who give out candy. I like to give out candy, I like to decorate, and I like to put on a costume. I have a lot more fun when it is dry and not too cold.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY—Rabrindranath Tagore

He who wants to do good knocks at the gate: he who loves finds the door open.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1945 1st ball point pen goes on sale, 57 years after it was patented The pens sold for $12.50 ($149 in 2010 dollars) and racked up a tidy profit of $500,000 ( $5.9 million in 2010 dollars) in the first month!

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—taxi

→The right to be hired by the public to provide taxi service was first given to the watermen of London in the twelfth century. They would take people across the river Thames to all the royal palaces and large mansions that fronted it. Destinations included the Tower of London, Palace of Westminster, Lambeth Palace, Richmond Palace, Hampton Court and Windsor Castle.

→The name "taxi" is derived from the taximeter, the instrument invented to measure the distance traveled (or the time taken) to determine an accurate fare. So it wasn't called that in the twelfth century.

GREY MATTER PUZZLE 1—Jeopardy Answers (1984 games)-Food

$100-When you step on these, they let out a little "wine"

$200-Satanic term for food prepared with strong seasoning, as of eggs or ham

$300-French term for meat served in its own juice

$400-Found in rye bread, these seeds are also flavoring of kummel liqueur

$500-The thymus & pancreas of young calves are sources of this meat

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM

CHENNAI, INDIA — A Sri Lankan man swallowed more than 2,000 diamonds packed in several condoms but was arrested while attempting to smuggle them through an Indian airport, according to local media reports. Mohammed Shakif, 43, of Galle, Sri Lanka, is accused of attempting to smuggle 2,060 diamonds worth up to about $670,000 through Chennai airport. He was intercepted by suburban police acting on a tip Tuesday, BNO News Service reported. Shakif was taken to the police station and later to a hospital where an X-ray of his stomach was taken. Shakif then confessed that he had been hired to smuggle the stones.

“Even during questioning, he could not sit comfortably and when questioned, he told the police that he was suffering from piles,” said Suburban Police commissioner SR Jangid, BNO reported.

Shakif was given bananas to eat. The diamonds were then collected.

A LITTLE LAUGH

Stationed in Okinawa, Japan, my son and his wife were expecting their first baby. I was elated when he called me at work all the way from Japan with the news of my grandchild's birth. I took down all the statistics and turned to relate it all to my co-workers.

"I'm a grandmother!" I declared. "It's a baby girl, and she weighs five pounds."

"When was she born?" someone asked.

Recalling the date my son told me, I stopped, looked at the calendar, and said in amazement, Tomorrow!"

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

Halloween Prank: Click Here to View!

Great South Africa Choir: Click Here to View! Be sure and check out other videos by this group…just amazing.

GREY MATTER PICTURE

This is a close up of what object?

SOME CALENDAR INFORMATION

¤ Weekly Observances ¤

24-31: Disarmament Week ^ Give Wildlife a Break Week ^ Pastoral Care Week ^ Peace, Friendship and Good Will Week ^ Prescription Errors Education & Awareness Week ^ International Magic Week ^ National Respiratory Care Week

27-11/3: World Hearing Aid Awareness Week

¤ Today’s Observances ¤

Hermit Day

Frankenstein Friday

World Psoriasis Day

Cambodia: Coronation Day

Cyprus: National Day

Turkey: Republic Day or Cumhuriyet Bayramı

¤ Hit Songs on this date ¤

1896...On the Benches in the Park / George J. Gaskin (Original not available)

1906...Love Me and the World Is Mine / Albert Campbell Click Here to View!

1916...Ireland Must Be Heaven, for My Mother Came from There / Charles Harrison (Original not available)

1926...Baby Face / Jan Garber Click Here to View!

1936...The Way You Look To-night / Fred Astaire Click Here to View!

1946…Rumors Are Flying / Frankie Carle Click Here to View!

1956…Love Me Tender / Elvis Presley Click Here to View!

1966…96 Tears / ? & the Mysterians Click Here to View! *

1976…If You Leave Me Now / Chicago Click Here to View!

1986…True Colors / Cyndi Lauper Click Here to View!

* was originally titled "Too Many Tears" then changed to "69 Tears" and finally recorded as "96 Tears" when the label said "69 Tears" was too suggestive!

¤ Today’s Births ¤

╬ THE ARTS

Ralph Bakshi, 72, writer, director, animator: Hey Good Lookin’, Heavy Traffic, Fritz the Cat, Wizards, Streetfight; director, animator: The Lord of the Rings; writer, director: Fire and Ice; director: Cool World

James Boswell, Samuel Johnson's Scottish biographer, born in 1740

Fanny Brice, singing comedienne (Ziegeld Follies, Baby Snooks), born in 1891

Randy Jackson, 49, singer (Jackson 5), born Steven Randall Jackson

♦♦actors♦♦

Bela Lugosi, horror actor (Dracula, Body Snatcher), born in 1884

Richard Dreyfuss, 63, actor (Mr Holland’s Opus, Jaws; Oscar for The Goodbye Girl)

Kate Jackson, 62, actress (“Charlie’s Angels,” “Scarecrow and Mrs King”)

Melba Moore, 65, singer, actress

Winona Ryder, 39, actress (Girl, Interrupted; Little Women), born Winona Horowitz

╬ ATHLETICS

Pete (Peter Gerard) Richert, 71, baseball: pitcher: Dodgers, Senators [all-star: 1965, 1966], Orioles [World Series: 1969, 1970, 1971], Phillies, Cardinals

╬ BUSINESS & EDUCATION

--

╬ POLITICS

Paul Joseph Goebbels, Nazi propagandist, born in 1897

╬ SCIENCE & RELIGION

Narcisa de Jesús Martillo, an Ecuadorian saint born in 1832

José Ulises Macías Salcedo, 70, Catholic bishop in Mexico

¤ Today’s Obituaries ¤

Duane Allman, of Allman Brothers Band, motorcycle accident @ 24 in 1971

Leon Czolcosz, assassin of President McKinley, executed @ 28 in 1901

Louis B Mayer, MGM producer, leukemia @ 71 in 1957

Joseph Pulitzer, American newspaperman, heart disease @ 64 in 1911

Sir Walter Raleigh, conqueror, explorer, and politician, beheaded @ 66 in 1618

¤ Today’s Events ¤

╬ THE ARTS

1787 The opera "Don Giovanni" is produced (Prague)

1958 Russian poet Boris Pasternak refused the Nobel Prize in Literature. He was forced to decline the honor because of protests in his home country. (for his notable achievement in both contemporary poetry and the field of the great Russian narrative tradition.)

╬ ATHLETICS

1960 Muhammad Ali's (Cassius Clay's) 1st professional fight, beats Tunney Hunsaker in 6

1987 Thomas Hearns wins unprecedented 4th different weight boxing title

╬ BUSINESS & EDUCATION

1682 William Penn lands in what will become Pennsylvania

1811 1st Ohio River steamboat leaves Pittsburgh for New Orleans

1942 Alaska highway completed

1956 Chet Huntley & David Brinkley, NBC News, team up

╬ INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

1712 Settlers in Portsmouth, New Hampshire hold a conference to advise belligerent Indians that "Queen Anne's War" is over, and the fighting should stop. It would take almost 9 months before a local treaty would be signed.

1832 The Piankashaw, and Wea Indians will conclude a treaty at Castor Hill, William Clark's home. They will receive land in Kansas, in exchange for their lands in Illinois, and Missouri.

╬ POLITICS (US)

1894 1st election of the Hawaiian Republic

1929 "Black Tuesday," Stock Market crashes triggers "Great Depression"

1966 National Organization of Women founded

╬ POLITICS (International)

1863 Intl Comm of the Red Cross founded (Nobel 1917, 1944, 1963)

1942 16,000 Jews killed in Pinsk Russia

╬ SCIENCE & RELIGION

1998 The space shuttle Discovery blasted off, returning 77-year-old U.S. Senator John Glenn to space some 36 years after he became the first American in orbit.

GREY MATTER ANSWERS

↔ 1 Jeopardy

$100-When you step on these, they let out a little "wine": What are grapes?

$200-Satanic term for food prepared with strong seasoning, as of eggs or ham: What is ‘deviled’?

$300-French term for meat served in its own juice: What is ‘au jus’?

$400-Found in rye bread, these seeds are also flavoring of kummel liqueur: What are caraway seeds?

$500-The thymus & pancreas of young calves are sources of this meat: What are sweetbreads?

↔ PICTURE

A cloth doll's face

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Thursday October 28

This is Week 43 of 2010►Day 301 with 64 days left.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

I finally got a call back from the people dong my overnight oximetery test. They will drop off a monitor tomorrow afternoon. It is not what I thought it would be. It is simply that thing they clip on your finger in the hospital to see the oxygen content in my blood. Hmmm. That should be easy. Depending on the results, the mask, at a sleep center, will be next. My doctor is known throughout the medical community for being very thorough. He always takes baby steps when diagnosing. It takes a lot longer, but in the end has worked out well.

I guess the candidates are not reading my blog or if they are, they are not listening to a guy who retired young and is enjoying his life. The attack ads are continuing. One good thing I saw today was Arnold “hasta la vista, baby” Schwarzenegger. He is the Republican governor married to a Kennedy. He is leaving the governorship because of term limits. He really chided congress today for not fighting the big oil companies. He believes they are simply afraid of big oil. He believes they are not working for the people who elected them, but working for people who will keep them in office. He was touting his administration’s record on clean energy. I have to agree that lobbyists from big corporations have much on congress in their pocket. In my younger days…much younger days…I remember both political parties opening up the ‘smoke-filled back rooms’ of the political conventions so that the real chosen delegates would be holding open meetings and open voting so that we could see who was being nominated. I am not so naive to believe that there aren’t still backroom deals made every day. However the work of lobbyists seems to be controlling our government. There are 11 lobbyists per senator and 27 lobbyists per representative. These lobbyists have to be register to do their work. They have a lot of power. They have one agenda—to promote their employer’s agenda. They certainly have way too much influence in Washington. I guess I really believed that this was the time of change two years ago. I am not giving up, but sure am disappointed.

A few months after my retirement I helped Martha sell Celtic supplies at a festival in Arkansas. It was a great trip and I met lots of nice people on the small Lyon College campus. Yesterday they had a fire that destroyed the dining hall. Thankfully no one was hurt and the Batesville community has stepped up to help the students find a place to eat. For those who ever lived on a college campus, the dining hall was always a place to meet people, study, and have good discussions. The food is never that good as it is hard to provide home cooked meals for hundreds of students. What a very tragic event for any school.

We had a typical fall day in Flag. Thankfully no wind. Cooler temps prevail. My bird feeders are quite busy all day. There are birds in the trees, birds on all the feeders, and occasionally some aggressive bickering over which bird will eat first. I’m sure they realize that it is time to head out and they are just loading up for the long flight to wherever. It has been a good bird season. Those who stay will have food all winter, but staying warm will be a problem.

Flag…H—52°; L—28°; RH—30%; and 5mph breeze.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY—Joseph Addison

There is not a more pleasing exercise of the mind than gratitude. It is accompanied with such an inward satisfaction that the duty is sufficiently rewarded by the performance.

HOLY MACKEREL: Remember the days…

1946 - Our favorite flying cowboy was heard on ABC radio for the first time. Sky King starred Jack Lester, then Earl Nightingale, and finally, Roy Engel, as Sky. Beryl Vaughn played Sky’s niece Penny; Jack Bivens was Chipper and Cliff Soubier was the foreman. Sky King was sponsored by Mars candy.

1980 Annette Funicello, Cubby O’Brien, Tommy Cole, Sherry Alberoni and Dickie Dodd joined other Mouseketeers wearing black ears and white shirts on a sound stage in Burbank, CA. They were celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Mickey Mouse Club. While we’re celebrating the Mickey Mouse Club, do you remember the five special events each week? There was Fun with Music Day on Monday, Guest Star Day on Tuesday, Anything Can Happen Day on Wednesday, Circus Day on Thursday and Talent Roundup Day on Friday. “Y? Because we LIKE you!”

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—

→From January 26, 1887 to March 31, 1889, a total of 18,038 pieces of wrought iron were joined together to create the Eiffel Tower.

→It took Leo Tolstoy six years to write "War & Peace"

GREY MATTER PUZZLE 1—Jeopardy Answers (1984 games)

$100-Central Africa's short people

$200-S. Africa's form of segregation

$300-Tanganyika & Zanzibar joined to form this country

$400-Africa's largest fresh-water lake, it's main source of the Nile

$500-Kenyatta was leader of this bloody movement to end British rule in Kenya

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM

Mymamar: Almost by definition, species unknown to science are often tough to track down. But researchers seeking out a new species of primate in northern Myanmar were assured by locals that the monkeys aren't hard to find at all. You just have to wait for it to rain.

The new species, a previously unknown type of snub-nosed monkey dubbed Rhinopithecus strykeri, has a nose so upturned that the animals sneeze audibly when it rains. To avoid inhaling water, the monkeys supposedly sit with their heads tucked between their knees on drizzly days, according to local hunters.

The discovery, reported on Tuesday in the American Journal of Primatology, was made by biologists from the Myanmar Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Association and primatologists from Fauna and Flora International and the People Resources and Biodiversity Foundation.

The research team was working on a survey of gibbons in northeastern Myanmar in early 2010 when villagers told them about a monkey with an odd nose and prominent lips. Based on the descriptions, the researchers suspected the locals were seeing snub-nosed monkeys, threatened primates previously found only in China and Vietnam.

Intrigued, the team investigated further, surveying field sites and interviewing local villagers. The monkeys were well-known in the area, with villagers in 25 of 33 locations reporting monkey sightings. Several hunters provided skulls and hides from the monkeys, which have now been placed in museum collections in Switzerland and Myanmar.

After studying the specimens, the researchers realized they had a new species on their hands. The monkeys are about 21 inches (55 centimeters) long from upturned nose to rump, but their 30-inch (78-centimeter) tails more than double their length. Their fur is black with white ear tufts. Except for their white mustaches, the monkeys' faces are bare and pink.

The villagers in the area call the monkeys “myuk na tok te” or “mey nwoah,” both names meaning "monkey with an upturned nose," the researchers write. The monkeys themselves live in a mountainous area separated from other species by two rivers. Their range is probably no more than 167 square miles (270 square kilometers), and they likely number no more than 330. That makes the newly discovered monkey critically endangered by International Union for Conservation of Nature standards.

The monkeys are especially threatened by planned dam construction and logging roads in their habitat, the researchers report.

A LITTLE LAUGH

When my friend spotted a blind man and his guide dog at a crosswalk, she stopped her car and waved them on.

"Uh, Cynthia," I said, "he can't see you."

"I know that," she said indignantly. "I'm waving the dog on."

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

Mickey Mouse Club—the original: Click Here to View!

GREY MATTER PICTURE

This is a close up of what object?

SOME CALENDAR INFORMATION

¤ Weekly Observances ¤

24-31: Disarmament Week ^ Give Wildlife a Break Week ^ Pastoral Care Week ^ Peace, Friendship and Good Will Week ^ Prescription Errors Education & Awareness Week ^ International Magic Week ^ National Respiratory Care Week

27-11/3: World Hearing Aid Awareness Week

¤ Today’s Observances ¤

Plush Animal Lover's Day

National Chocolate Day

Day of International Concern About Young People and Gun Violence

Cuba: Loss of Major Camila Cienfuegas

Czechoslovakia: Foundation of the Republic Day (1918 from Austria-Hungary)

Greece, Cyprus: Ochi Day [Οχ Epeteios tou]: Anniversary of No: to commemorate Greek Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas' (in power from August 4, 1936, until January 29, 1941) rejection of the ultimatum made by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini in 1940

¤ Hit Songs on this date ¤

1895...The Little Lost Child / Dan Quinn Click Here to View!

1905...In My Merry Oldsmobile / Billy Murray Click Here to View!

1915...Hello, Frisco! / Olive Kline & Reinald Werrenrath (original not available)

1925...Oh, How I Miss You Tonight / The Cavaliers [Ben Selvin] (original not available)

1935...You Are My Lucky Star / Eddy Duchin Click Here to View!

1945…Till the End of Time / Perry Como Click Here to View!

1955…Autumn Leaves / Roger Williams Click Here to View!

1965…Yesterday / The Beatles Click Here to View!

1975…Island Girl / Elton John Click Here to View!

1985…Part-Time Lover / Stevie Wonder Click Here to View!

¤ Today’s Births ¤

╬ THE ARTS

Michael (John) Crichton, writer: Jurassic Park, Twister, Rising Sun, The Great Train Robbery, The Terminal Man, Disclosure, The Great Impostor, The Secret of Canta Victoria,Congo; director: Runaway, Coma, Westworld, The Great Train Robbery, born in 1942

Charlie Daniels, 74, musician, singer, songwriter (“Devil Went Down to Georgia”)

Wayne Fontana, 65, rocker (Groovy Kind of Love with Mindbenders)

Edith Head, fashion designer (MGM), born in 1907

Brad Paisley, 38, country singer

Evelyn Waugh, author (Brideshead Revisited), born in 1903

♦♦actors♦♦

Jane Alexander, 71, actress (The Great White Hope, Kramer vs Kramer), former chair of the National Endowment for the Arts

Dennis Franz, 66, actor (“Hill Street Blues,” “NYPD Blue”)

Elsa Lanchester, actress, born in 1902

Joaquin Phoenix, 36, actor

Annie Potts, 58, actress (“Designing Women

Andy Richter, 44, actor, former cohost (“Late Night with Conan O’Brien”)

Julia Roberts, 43, actress (Oscar for Erin Brockovich

╬ ATHLETICS

Jim Beatty, 76, track runner (1st sub 4 minute indoor mile)

Terrell Davis, 38, football (Broncos)

William Bruce Jenner, 61, sportscaster, Olympic gold medal decathlete

Bowie Kuhn, baseball commissioner (1969-1984), born in 1926

╬ BUSINESS & EDUCATION

Bill Gates, 55, former computer software executive (Microsoft), philanthropist

╬ POLITICS

Anna Elizabeth Dickinson, orator (Joan of Arc of the Civil War), born in 1842

╬ SCIENCE & RELIGION

Dr Jonas Salk, medical researcher, made polio a fear of the past, born in 1914

¤ Today’s Obituaries ¤

Abigail Adams, First Lady of the United States @ 74 in 1818

Walther Bauersfeld, 1919 inventor (1st modern projection planetarium) @ 80 in 1959

John Locke, English philosopher @ 72 in 1704

Richard Smalley, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate, cancer @ 62 in 2005

Charlotte Turner Smith, British poet and novelist, gout @ 57 in 1806

Porter Wagoner, American country singer @ 80 in 2007

¤ Today’s Events ¤

╬ THE ARTS

See above Holy Mackerel.

╬ ATHLETICS

1900 After over 5 months the Paris Olympic games close

1973 Secretariat raced into history by winning the Canadian International Stakes in Toronto. It was the last race won ... and run ... by the magnificent thoroughbred.

1989 The Oakland Athletics beat the San Francisco Giants 9-6 to complete a four-game sweep of the World Series, the first World Series sweep since 1976.

╬ BUSINESS & EDUCATION

1636 Harvard University (Boston) established

1929 1st child born in aircraft, Miami, Fl

1965 Gateway Arch (630' (190m) high) completed in St Louis, Missouri

╬ INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

1815 (7 stat.137) The KANSA Indians conclude a treaty today at St. Louis.

1865 The UPPER YANKTONAI SIOUX (14 stat.743) & the OGLALA SIOUX (7 stat.747) sign treaties today with the United States

╬ POLITICS (US)

1919 Volstead Act passed by Congress, start prohibition over Wilson's veto

╬ POLITICS (International)

1948 Flag of Israel is adopted

1962 Khrushchev orders withdrawal of missiles from Cuba, ending crisis

╬ SCIENCE & RELIGION

1793 Eli Whitney applies for a patent on the cotton gin

1904 Fingerprinting was first used by the St. Louis Police Department

1971 England becomes 6th nation to have a satellite (Prospero) in orbit

GREY MATTER ANSWERS

↔ 1 Jeopardy

$100-Central Africa's short people: Who are the Pygmies?

$200-S. Africa's form of segregation: What is Apartheid?

$300-Tanganyika & Zanzibar joined to form this country: What is Tanzania?

$400-Africa's largest fresh-water lake, it's main source of the Nile: What is Lake Victoria?

$500-Kenyatta was leader of this bloody movement to end British rule in Kenya: Who are Mau Maus?

↔ PICTURE

A tower fan or heater

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Wednesday October 27

This is Week 43 of 2010►Day 300 with 65 days left.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

I listen to NPR a lot. I have encountered many ‘driveway moments’—that’s when you are listening to an NPR program and get to your destination and sit in the vehicle until the story ends. Today was one of those days. I was listening to an ‘intellectual’ who was talking about the trend in the country to call opponents an elitist. I heard a word that so explains my feelings of politics in this decade. The word was ‘entertainmentization’ of the news media. That explains so much. We no longer have a news cast anywhere that simply reports the news. Everything has to have an entertainment value with the news. The big news organizations are afraid that if the viewers are entertained, they won’t watch. The politicians are no longer talking about the issue, they are making fancy, eye-catching, entertaining commercials that say little more than the other guy sucks and if the other guy is elected, America as we know it will be gone forever. I am ready to go back to the time when the news department and the entertainment department were separate and really never talked to each other. I want news without bias or opinion or entertainment. I am smart enough to decide on my own. If I want to be entertained, I will do that, too. I realize that this is a big word and will never make it into the everyday vocabulary, but it sure says a lot about what is happening.

I finally got all my videos of Malaysia, Taiwan, and Borneo uploaded on YouTube and was able to send out an email to all the Focus travelers and my long-time friends so they can see them. I got back quite a few positive responses today. Those made me feel good. When I travel and take pictures, I really get to travel a lot of times. These little movies bring back so many memories for me. I know that people who don’t take the trip might not enjoy them that much. I try to keep them short and add some music and keep the pictures moving across the screen. I remember my dear God Parents having us over to their house after they traveled and watching their slides of the trip. Some of those evenings were painful. The pictures were amazing, but the dialogue was never rehearsed ahead of time, and many times just rambled on and on and on. I try really hard to make mine move quickly and with modern technology, the viewer can always hit the pause button if they really want to study a picture. Anyway, all the work pays off, for me and for my friends and fellow travelers. Everyone can find five or ten minutes in their busy day to view them.

November 2nd can’t come any too soon for me. I am sick and tired of the negative ads. The ones that really upset me are the ones from the candidates that I support. Our current US Rep seems to think she is in a tough battle. Maybe she is. She just put out an ad against her opponent that makes little sense. Her opponent is a dentist and from all I can find has never held any public office, unless you count being President of the Northern AZ Dental Assoc. or President of the AZ Dental Assoc. I guess he was elected to those positions. Yet her endorsed campaign ad talks about how he has voted against a bunch of issues. Voted how is my only question. If a candidate wants my vote, then tell me what you will do to make our city, state, country, or world a better place. Don’t tell me how your opponent is a scumbag out to destroy everything sacred. It is time that everyone stand up and demand that politicians get out of the negative ad campaign business and tell us what they will do. The PACs and the candidates can take all their negative ad money and do something positive to improve our country.

Thankfully, the wind stopped today. It wasn’t a great weather day, but was certainly better than the last two. The bad weather news is that we should expect a dry winter, something we don’t need. Our beautiful forest is just recovering from a decade long drought, and we need snow, rain, and more snow this winter.

Flag…H—54°; L—27°; RH—58%; and 3mph breeze

QUOTE FOR THE DAY—William Blake

To see the world in a grain of sand, and to see heaven in a wild flower, hold infinity in the palm of your hands, and eternity in an hour.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1904 World's 1st subway, the IRT (Interborough Rapid Transit), opens in NYC

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—Old Time Candy

→’Just Born’ got its name when founder, Sam Born, proudly displayed in his store window an evolving line of daily-made candy, declaring them "just born".

→The HOT TAMALES(R) brand was introduced in 1950. Each chewy candy has only seven calories and zero grams of fat.

→Some theories about how MIKE AND IKE(R) was named include: as a result of a company-wide contest, after a 1937 song titled "Mike and Ike (The Twins)" and after a Vaudeville act "Mike and Ike, We're Just Alike".

→PEANUT CHEWS(R) were developed during World War I and used by the U.S. Military as a ration bar. The high energy, high protein recipe and unique taste made it popular with the troops. They were first sold in and around Philadelphia by the Goldenberg Candy Company.

→"Jimmies", the chocolate grains sprinkled on ice cream were invented at Just Born, and named after the employee who made them.

→Yellow and white PEEPS(R) chicks and bunnies came first, followed by pink, lavender, blue, green and orange.

GREY MATTER PUZZLE 1—Jeopardy Answers (1984) THE 20TH CENTURY

$200- Where Sally Ride took her famous ride

$400- Time barrier shattered by runner Roger Bannister in 1954

$600- In Dec., 1941, Representative Jeannette Rankin cast the only dissenting vote on this issue

$800- His masterpiece was painted as a protest against the bombing of the Spanish town "Guernica"

$1000- In 1939, this scientist wrote FDR a letter explaining that an atomic bomb could be built

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM

HAILSHAM, England - A British woman said she was lectured by a city official for feeding white bread to ducks instead of whole grain. Lisa Taplin, 34, of Hailsham, England, said she and her sons, Luke, 4, and Dylan, 2, were feeding the ducks at a local pond when a council warden approached and told her the white bread she was using was "unhealthy" for the water fowl, The Sun reported Thursday. Taplin said the warden told her giving the ducks white bread was "like feeding kids chips every day." "He said it would be better to bring whole meal, granary or bird seed. He walked off, leaving me feeling guilty," Taplin said. Nickey Caria, Hailsham's deputy town clerk, said the council warden was "right" to lecture the woman.

A LITTLE LAUGH

Once upon a time in their marriage, my Dad did something really stupid. My Mom chewed him out for it. He apologized, they made up.

However, from time to time, my mom mentions what he had done. "Honey," my Dad finally said one day, "why do you keep bringing that up? I thought your policy was 'forgive and forget.'"

"It is," she said. "I just don't want you to forget that I've forgiven and forgotten."

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

The word ‘jazz’ was first used today: here’s some good jazz: Click Here to View!

GREY MATTER PICTURE

This is a close up of what object?

SOME CALENDAR INFORMATION

¤ Weekly Observances ¤

24-31: Disarmament Week ^ Give Wildlife a Break Week ^ Pastoral Care Week ^ Peace, Friendship and Good Will Week ^ Prescription Errors Education & Awareness Week ^ International Magic Week ^ National Respiratory Care Week

27-11/3: World Hearing Aid Awareness Week

¤ Today’s Observances ¤

Sylvia Plath Day: birthday of the ‘confessional poet’

Cranky Co-workers Day

Cuba: Discovery Day (1492)

Iran: Imam Reza's Birthday

St Vincent Islands: Statehood Day (1969)

Turkmenistan: Independence Day, (from USSR in 1991)

US: Navy Day (1775)

¤ Hit Songs on this date ¤

1894...My Pearl Is a Bowery Girl / Dan Quinn (Original not available)

1904...Sweet Adeline (You're the Flower of My Heart) / Haydn Quartet (Original not available)

1914...Ballin' the Jack / Prince's Orchestra (Original not available)

1924...Memory Lane / Fred Waring's Pennsylvanians (Original not available)
1934...One Night of Love / Grace Moore Click Here to View!

1944…You Always Hurt the One You Love / The Mills Brothers Click Here to View!

1954…Hey There / Rosemary Clooney Click Here to View!

1964…Baby Love / The Supremes Click Here to View!

1974…You Haven't Done Nothin' / Stevie Wonder Click Here to View!

1984…I Just Called to Say I Love You / Stevie Wonder Click Here to View!

¤ Today’s Births ¤

╬ THE ARTS

Fred de Cordova, film/TV producer (The Tonight Show), born in 1910

Floyd Cramer, country pianist (Last Date, On the Rebound), born in 1933

(Melvin) Lee Greenwood, 67, CMA Male Vocalist of the Year [1983, 1984]

Simon LeBon, 52, singer (Duran Duran)

Fran Lebowitz, 60, essayist, humorist (Social Studies)

Niccolo Paganini, composer/violin virtuoso (Princess Lucca), born in 1782

Dylan Thomas, poet (Child's Christmas in Wales), born in 1914 Swansea, Wales

♦♦actors♦♦

Roberto Benigni, 58, actor, director (Oscar for Life Is Beautiful)

John Cleese, 71, actor, writer (“Monty Python’s Flying Circus,” A Fish Called Wanda)

Ruby Dee, 86, actress (“Ossie and Ruby,”

Nanette Fabray, 90, actress (Emmy for “Caesar’s Hour”; “One Day at a Time,” Our Gang comedies)

╬ ATHLETICS

--

╬ BUSINESS & EDUCATION

Emily Post, authority on social behavior, writer (Etiquette), born in 1872

╬ POLITICS

Terry Anderson, 63, news correspondent: kidnapped by Lebanese terrorists in Beirut [1985], released [1991],longest held hostage in American history.

Theodore Roosevelt, 26th Pres (1901-09) (Nobel 1906), born in 1858

╬ SCIENCE & RELIGION

James Cook, captain/explorer, discovered Sandwich Islands, born in 1728

¤ Today’s Obituaries ¤

Morey Amsterdam, actor/comedian (Dick Van Dyke Show) @ 74 in 1996

Xavier Cugart, bandlander, heart failure @ 90, in 1990

S.B. Fuller, founder of Fuller products, @ 83 in 1988

Sammee Tong, actor (Bachelor Father, Mickey), suicide @ 63 in 1964

¤ Today’s Events ¤

╬ THE ARTS

1916 1st published reference to "jazz" appears (Variety)

1947 "You Bet Your Life", with Groucho Marx, premieres on ABC radio

1963 Peter, Paul and Mary were sitting pretty at #1 and #2 on the U.S. album chart with Peter, Paul and Mary and In the Wind.

╬ ATHLETICS

1991 Minn Twins beat Altanta Braves 1-0 in 10 to win the 8th World Series in 7 considered one of the best baseball games in history

╬ BUSINESS & EDUCATION

1795 Treaty of San Lorenzo, provides free navigation of Mississippi

1858 RH Macy & Co opens 1st store, (6th Ave-NYC) Gross receipts $1106

1997 The U.S. released a redesigned $50 bill. The new notes incorporated features to protect against counterfeiting and make U.S. currency more easily identifiable for people with low vision

╬ INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

1832 Today the Peoria, Lahokia, Michigamea, Tamaroa, and Kaskaskia Tribes will sign a treaty at Castor Hill, William Clark's home. They will swap their Illinois lands for land in Kansas.

╬ POLITICS (US)

1810 US annexes West Florida from Spain

1871 Boss Tweed (William Macy Tweed), Democratic leader of Tammany Hall, arrested after NY Times exposed his corruption

1969 Ralph Nader sets up a consumer organization known as Nader's Raiders

╬ POLITICS (International)

1978 Begin & Sadat win the Nobel Peace prize

1982 China announces its population at 1 billion people plus

╬ SCIENCE & RELIGION

1925 Water skis patented by Fred Waller

1938 DuPont announces its new synthetic fiber will be called "nylon"

GREY MATTER ANSWERS

↔ 1 Jeopardy

$200- Where Sally Ride took her famous ride: What is on the space shuttle?

$400- Time barrier shattered by runner Roger Bannister in 1954: What is the 4 minute mile?

$600- In Dec., 1941, Representative Jeannette Rankin cast the only dissenting vote on this issue: What was the Declaration of War after Pearl Harbor?

$800- His masterpiece was painted as a protest against the bombing of the Spanish town "Guernica": Who is Pablo Picasso?

$1000- In 1939, this scientist wrote FDR a letter explaining that an atomic bomb could be built: Who is Albert Einstein?

↔ PICTURE

A soap dispenser

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Tuesday October 26

This is Week 43 of 2010►Day 299 with 66 days left.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

A new week begins with clouds, wind, more wind, and cooler temperatures; did I mention wind? Something is in the air, and I think it is going to snow real soon. My Blue Spruce is filled with brown ponderosa pine needles, as is my deck, my sidewalk, and our parking area. I am ready for a nice snowstorm, so that is not the bad part. The wind, as usual, is my problem. I keep telling myself that the wind is simply changing the weather, but that doesn’t work. The wind puts me on edge, keeps me on edge, and makes the day difficult. It will stop and the sooner the better.

A few months ago, I went to my dentist and the office manager, who had been there since I started going there—3 dentists ago—was not there. She had always been friendly, a little quirky, and after the first visit, always called me by name. I was told that she had retired. This seemed off at the time, since this is a small office with only one dentist and since she had been there forever, I would assume she would remain to train a new manager. They have a new manager, but she is a ‘manager’ who is not nearly as friendly and outgoing as the other lady. At some point I had given the other lady a business card so she could watch my trip videos. Well, this weekend, I found a message she left me on MySpace soon after she left. I sent her a friend request on FB, since I hardly ever go to MySpace anymore. She responded almost immediately. Turns out she didn’t ‘retire’ but had been ‘fired.’ I don’t have any of the details, but I am disappointed with my dentist’s explanation. A retirement, even when it is a forced one, there are cards, there is a party, and there are well wishers. Even patients are usually given an opportunity to sign a card, or some other way of wishing the person a happy future. Firing someone carries none of those benefits. Firing is tough, and I get that. There are many euphemisms for the act—let go, removed, … I know that patient’s don’t need to know the nitty-gritty, but honesty would have made me more comfortable. As a FB friend I’m sure I will hear the story, someday. We never met outside her workplace, and I don’t see any reason for that to change. But I am happy to know that she is doing well.

As I left my physician’s office last Friday, there were three cop cars outside the nearby bank. I later learned that the branch had been robbed while I was in the Drs. Office, less than a block away. Today another bank was robbed, this one a branch of my bank in East Flagstaff. The cops believe it may have been the same person at both banks. The downtown bank is in a mixed commercial/residential area of older expensive homes. There did not appear to be any cops roaming the neighborhood. The second bank is in a commercial district with low income housing and mobile home parks bordering the bank’s property. The local paper’s website mentioned that the police were in the area and walking the nearby area for suspicious behavior. I just found it odd that they didn’t do that in the ‘better’ neighborhood of the first robbery. Hmmmm.

Typhoon Megi hit Taiwan hard. It hit in an area we had been close to just a few weeks earlier. We were not on the mountain highway that collapsed, but we were within a few kilometers of it. So sad.

Flag…H—49°; L—29°; RH—71%; and 15mph wind with gusts to 35mph.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY—Samuel Ullman

Nobody grows old merely by living a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1964 Rolling Stones appear on the Ed Sullivan Show

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—Firsts

→The first woman to hold the title of newspaper editor was Ann Franklin in 1762. She worked for The Newport Mercury in Newport, R.I.

→In 1779, Margaret Corbin was the first woman to be awarded a disability pension by US Congress. She fought in the Revolutionary War.

→On August 18, 1587, Virginia Dare was the first child born in the American colonies, on what is now Roanoke Island, North Carolina.

→Although thousands of patents had previously been issued, Samuel Hopkins was the first when numbering started. He patented a process in 1790 for making potash and pearl ashes.

→The first parachute jump was performed by Andre-Jacques Garnerin in 1797. He dropped from a balloon, about 6,500 ft. over Monceau Park in Paris in a 23-ft.-diameter parachute made of white canvas with a basket attached.

→In 1799, Count de Grisley was the first magician to perform the trick of sawing a woman in half.

GREY MATTER PUZZLE 1—Jeopardy Answers (1984 games) Travel

$200-This necessary document cost $10 in 1980, and was $35 in 1984

$400-Non-sexist name for a stewardess

$600-A vaccination is no longer required since this disease is eradicated

$800-Tags for luggage headed for this airport appropriately read "LAX"

$1000-Ship passengers are greeted & dunked by King Neptune 1st time they cross this

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM

SYDNEY - Three people are on trial in Australia for allegedly telling people they'd been cursed then luring them to "prayer sessions" that involved sex, officials say. Tony Golossian, 62, Arthur Psichogios, 40, and his wife, Frances Psichogios, 39 have pleaded not guilty to charges, The (Sydney) Daily Telegraph reported Thursday.

Crown prosecutor Sarah Huggett said victims were told curses had been put on them and that to remove the curses they had to attend "prayer sessions" where they were blindfolded and sex took place. The women also received phone calls from "demonic voices," Huggett alleged. The fiancé of one of the victims also received similar calls telling him not to marry the woman, calls Hugget said were designed to isolate her. The man testified he broke up with his fiancée after the phone calls told him she was sleeping around, the jury in the black magic sex trial heard.

A LITTLE LAUGH

At a wedding I recently attended, the priest called for a moment of silence to remember the faithful dead...

As the church grew quiet, a little boy sitting in front of me turned to his father and said excitedly, "Dad, you have some of their albums!"

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

Typhoon Megi news report from Taipei: Click Here to View!

GREY MATTER PICTURE

This is a close up of what object?

SOME CALENDAR INFORMATION

¤ Weekly Observances ¤

24-31: Disarmament Week ^ Give Wildlife a Break Week ^ Pastoral Care Week ^ Peace, Friendship and Good Will Week ^ Prescription Errors Education & Awareness Week ^ International Magic Week ^ National Respiratory Care Week

27-11/3: World Hearing Aid Awareness Week

¤ Today’s Observances ¤

Worldwide Howl At The Moon Night

Austria: National Day (celebrates the anniversary of the Declaration of Neutrality in 1955)

Nauru: Angam Day (small Pacific Island): population has been threatened numerous times and this day celebrates the survival of the population)

Benin; Rwanda: Armed Forces Day

South Vietnam: Constitution & Republic Day (1955, 1956)

Switzerland: Flag Day

¤ Hit Songs on this date ¤

1893...Daisy Bell (A Bicycle Built for Two) / Dan Quinn

1903...Good-Bye, Eliza Jane / Arthur Collins

1913...Last Night Was the End of the World / Henry Burr Click Here to View!

1923...Yes! We Have No Bananas / Sam Lanin Click Here to View!

1933...The Last Round-Up / George Olsen Click Here to View!

1943…Pistol Packin' Mama / Al Dexter http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uESJlJAj7g

1953…St. George and the Dragonet / Stan Freberg Click Here to View!

1963…Sugar Shack / Jimmy Gilmer & the Fireballs Click Here to View!

1973…Midnight Train to Georgia / Gladys Knight & the Pips Click Here to View!

1983…Islands in the Stream / Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton Click Here to View!

¤ Today’s Births ¤

╬ THE ARTS

John Arden, novelist/playwright (Left Handed Liberty), born in 1939

Felix the Cat, cartoon character, born in 1917

Pat Conroy, 65, writer (The Prince of Tides, The Lords of Discipline)

Mahalia Jackson, gospel singer (Whole World in his Hands), born in 1911

Keith Urban, 41, country singer, born Whangarei, New Zealand

♦♦actors♦♦

Jackie Coogan, actor (Uncle Fester-Addams Family), boron in 1914

Tom Cavanagh, 42, actor (“Ed”)

Dylan McDermott, 48, actor (“The Practice”)

Jaclyn Smith, 63, actress (“Charlie’s Angels”), former Breck Girl

╬ ATHLETICS

Sasha Cohen, 26, figure skater

╬ BUSINESS & EDUCATION

John S Knight, WV, publisher (Knight-Rider), born in 1894

C.W. (Charles William) Post, cereal mogul; founder of Post cereals and products: Grape Nuts, Post Toasties, Postum, born in 1854

Jeff Probst, 48, TV personality (“Survivor”)

Abby (Greene Aldrich) Rockefeller, philanthropist: cofounder of NY Museum of Modern Art, born in 1874

Pat Sajak, 64, game show host (“Wheel of Fortune”)

╬ POLITICS

Hillary Rodham Clinton, 63, US Secretary of State, former US Senator (D, New York), former First Lady

Leon Trotsky, Russian revolutionary (pres of 1st Soviet), born in 1879

Francois Mitterand, President of France [1981-1995], born in 1916

╬ SCIENCE & RELIGION

Paul Farmer, 51, American Anthropologist

¤ Today’s Obituaries ¤

Hoyt Axton, American actor and country music singer-songwriter, heart failure @ 61 in 1999

Tony Hillerman, American writer @ 83 in 2008

William Paley, CEO (CBS), heart attack @ 89, in 1990

¤ Today’s Events ¤

╬ THE ARTS

1955 The Village Voice was first published.

1970 "Doonesbury" comic strip debuts in 28 newspapers

╬ ATHLETICS

1985 On a poor call in 6th game, umpire Don Deckinger starts a string of events costing Cardinals the 82nd World Series to the Brewers

1988 Donald Trump bills Mike Tyson $2,000,000 for 4 month advisory service

╬ BUSINESS & EDUCATION

1785 The first Spanish jacks [male donkeys] imported to the United States arrived in Boston

1825 Erie Canal between Hudson River & Lake Erie opened

1858 The rotary motion-washing machine was patented by Hamilton E. Smith of Pittsburgh

╬ INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

1676 Nathaniel Bacon dies. Leader of the "Virginia Rebellion," as it was then called, began in earnest, in 1674, a group of so-called "freeholders" on the Virginia frontier demanded that Native Americans living on treaty-protected lands be driven out or killed

1972 Guided tours of Alcatraz (by Park Service) begin

╬ POLITICS (US)

1868 White terrorists kill several blacks in St Bernard Parish La

1876 President sends federal troops to SC

1881 Shootout at the OK corral, in Tombstone, Az

1916 Margaret Sanger arrested for obscenity (advocating birth control)

1941 US savings bonds go on sale

╬ POLITICS (International)

1955 Ngo Dinh Diem proclaims Vietnam a republic with himself as pres

1956 UN's International Atomic Energy Agency statute approved

╬ SCIENCE & RELIGION

1957 Vatican Radio begins broadcasting

1984 "Baby Fae" gets baboon heart transplant, lives 21 days

GREY MATTER ANSWERS

↔ 1 Jeopardy

$200-This necessary document cost $10 in 1980, and was $35 in 1984: What is a Passport?

$400-Non-sexist name for a stewardess: What is a flight attendant?

$600-A vaccination is no longer required since this disease is eradicated: What is smallpox?

$800-Tags for luggage headed for this airport appropriately read "LAX": What is Los Angeles International?

$1000-Ship passengers are greeted & dunked by King Neptune 1st time they cross this: What is the equator?

↔ PICTURE

A post rock / fence post

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