Monday Dec 6

This is Week 49 of 2010►Day 340 with 25 days remaining

19 Days until Christmas
Flagstaff Weather:

TODAY’S QUOTE—Charles Dickens
I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

I usually use Weatherbug.com to get my weather information. On occasion I check it against either AOL or MSN, especially when the numbers look strange. All three sites claim to get their packets of information from Pulliam Airport—our local airport that is about 6 miles from downtown. I do check my own digital weather thermometer during the day, like before I go outside or when I get back and am surprised by how warm, or cold it was. Well when I sat down tonight, Weatherbug said that our high was 76°. I checked to be sure I was still on Flag, and even hit refresh. I had been outside several times today and there ain’t no way that it ever got close to that. Both AOL and MSN had 56° so I took those—the highest my digital showed was 57°. Some computer somewhere sure posted the wrong temperature. AND some human was asleep at the wheel.

I was all set to decorate the tree this afternoon, but some friends stopped by and we watched the Broncos and the Cards lose. The Cards are such an embarrassment this year. They seem to have two good plays in a row, then five bad plays in a row. Most NFL teams can beat a team with that profile. I have to wonder who I will be following into the Super Bowl. Certainly not Denver or Phoenix—at least this year.

60 minutes did a great interview with Mark Z—the guru behind Facebook. He reminds me of my geek cousin who helped develop some of the first lasers while still in high school. He talks just like Bob did a few decades ago. I really believe that he is a good guy who really believes that social networking is here to stay and that he will be in the lead. We will see their next big change Monday morning when there will be a whole new profile page. Interesting. I think FB is a good way to keep up with people of similar interests, though I don’t add a bunch of strangers to increase my friend count. I certainly don’t expect to make face-to-face friends after they are found on FB. But then, I’m not 20-something anymore either. I also don’t give out much personal info on the site. My emails go to an account without using my name, The email I receive at that address is not important stuff and is not linked to any other email address. Anyway, the FB phenom is not going to go away anytime soon.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1956 A violent water polo match between Hungary and the USSR takes place during the 1956 Summer Olympics inMelbourne, against the backdrop of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution.

∞ JEOPARDY PUZZLE—(SuperJeopardy Answers) from 1990 BIOLOGY

↨Class of animals so named because they have an aquatic larval stage & terrestrial adult lives

↨The development of this part of the egg contributed to the evolution of life on land

↨In the lab, you put something in an autoclave to do this to it

↨In humans it separates the thoracic cavity from the abdominal cavity

↨The Savi's pygmy variety of this animal is said to be the world's smallest mammal

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—Skee-ball Part 2

☼In 1935 the rights to Skee-Ball were purchased by the Wurlitzer Corporation, which in 1945 sold them to the Philadelphia Toboggan Company, an amusement park ride manufacturer. In 1977 the Philadelphia Toboggan Company set up Skee-Ball, Inc. to market the game, now located in Chalfont, Pennsylvania.

☼ 5 Skee-Ball went state-of-the-art in 1974 when electronic alleys were introduced to the market. Later additions such as sound effects and musical selections increase the game's popularity even further.

☼In 2005, Brewskeeball.com created the first Skee-Ball based league in New York City. On February 12-14, 2010, Brewskee-Ball hosted the first-ever Brewskee-Ball National Championship at Full Circle Bar.

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM

GAINESVILLE, FL-- A University of Florida student said he searched his name on Google and found authorities were using his picture to represent a similarly named convict. Zachary Garcia, a student at the Gainesville school, said an online search for his name brought up his picture associated with a Polk County Sheriff's Office report of a murder convict named Zachery Garcia, who spells his first name with an "e" rather than an "a," WTSP-TV, Tampa, Fla., reported Thursday. "I was just very shocked to find my picture and the article saying that I was convicted of a felony murder charge," the student said, "and I was just very shocked and angry that someone put my name up there and said I did something I didn't do." "Everybody makes mistakes," Garcia said. "I work at Publix and I might get somebody's sub (order) wrong. But for somebody to get (the photo of a suspect) wrong ... it's not a sandwich, it's somebody's life you're playing with."

A LITTLE LAUGH

The phone rang. It was a salesman from a mortgage refinance company. "Do you have a second mortgage on your home?"

"No," I replied.

"Would you like to consolidate all your debts?"

"I really don't have any," I said.

"How about freeing up cash for home improvements?" he tried.

"I don't need any. I just recently had some done and paid cash," I parried.

There was a brief silence, and then he asked, "Are you looking for a husband?"

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

Interesting interview with Aunt Bee

CALENDAR INFORMATION

♦ Weekly Observances ♦

1-7: Cookie Cutter Week ¤ Tolerance Week ¤ Recipe Greetings For The Holidays Week

1-9: Chanukah (Hanukkah)

5-10: Clerc-Gallaudet Week

6-12: National Handwashing Awareness Week

♦ Today’s Observances ♦

National Gazpacho Day: to remind all of this Spanish summer vegetable soup, served cold

Microwave Oven Day

Mitten Tree Day

Muharram 1 (Begins at sundown - Islamic New Year)

Miner's Day: since 2009 to recognize the accomplishments of US miners

National Pawnbrokers Day

Saint Nicholas Day

Bahrain: Ruler's Ascension Day

Canada: National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women

Finland: Independence Day (from Russia in 1917)

Spain: Constitution Day (since 1978)

♫ University Fight Songs ♫

Click on Song Title to see and hear

University of Colorado

Colorado State University

University of Northern Colorado

♦Today’s Births♦

ARTS

Dave Brubeck, 90, jazz musician

1896 Ira Gershwin, lyricist ('S Wonderful, I Got Rhythm)

1886 Joyce (Alfred) Kilmer, poet: Trees; killed in action in WWI

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1906 Agnes Moorehead, actress (Endora-Bewitched)

1924 Wally (Wallace Maynard) Cox, actor: Mr. Peepers

JoBeth Williams, 57, actress (The Ponder Heart, The Big Chill)

ATHLETICS

1913 Eleanor Holm, 100 meter backstroke swimmer (Olympics-gold-1932)

1903 ‘Poosh ’Em Up’ Tony (Anthony Michael) Lazzeri, Baseball Hall of Famer: Yankees [World Series: 1926-1928, 1932, 1936, 1937/all-star: 1933/A.L. single game record: 11 RBI’s: May 24, 1936], Cubs [World Series: 1938], Dodgers, Giants

BUSINESS & EDUCATION

1792 Abraham J van de Aa, lexicographer (Biographic Dictionary)

1822 John Eberhard, built 1st large-scale pencil factory in US

Craig Newmark, 58, founder of craigslist

POLITICS

1732 Warren Hastings, 1st Governor-General of India (1773-84)

1608 George Monck/Monk English general/Governor of Scotland

SCIENCE & RELIGION

1911 Alfred James Broomhall, Methodist missionary

1918 Harold Horace Hopkins, inventor (Endoscope)

♦Today’s Obituaries♦

Don Ameche actor (Cocoon), prostate cancer @ 85 in 1993

Frances Bavier actress (Aunt Bee-Andy Griffith Show) cancer @ 86 in 1989

Marie Jeanne Becu comtesse du Barry mistress of Louis XV, beheaded @ 50 in 1793

Joseph Black Scottish medical/chemist/physicist, @ 71 in 1799

Jean-Baptiste Siméon Chardin French still life painter, @ 80 in 1779

Eliot Daniel composer (I Love Lucy theme), @ 89 in 1997

Jefferson Davis President of Confederate States of America (1861-5), @ 81 in 1889

Leadbelly [Huddie William Ledbetter] blues singer, diabetes @ 64 in 1949

Claude [Oscar] Monet French painter (impressionist), @ 86 in 1926

Roy Orbison US Rock singer (Pretty Woman, Only the Lonely), heart attack @ 52 in 1988

Giovanni Pacini Italian composer, @ 71 in 1867

Burr Tillstrom puppeteer (Kukla Fran & Ollie), @ 68 in 1985

♦Today’s Events♦

ARTS

1732 1st play in American colonies acted by professional players, New York NY [George Farquhar's comedy The Recruiting Officer]

1994 Maltese Falcon auctioned for $398,590

ATHLETICS

1956 Aged 14, swimmer Sandra Morgan becomes the youngest Australian to win an Olympic gold medal.

BUSINESS & EDUCATION

1768 1st edition of "Encyclopedia Brittanica" published (Scotland)

1876 City of Anaheim incorporated for 2nd time

1933 Ban on James Joyce' "Ulysses" in US, lifted

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

1830 President Jackson supports CHEROKEE removal.

1862 President Lincoln orders hanging of 39 Santee Sioux Indians

POLITICS (US)

1849 Harriet Tubman escapes from slavery in Maryland

1865 13th Amendment is ratified, abolishing slavery

1904 Theodore Roosevelt confirms Monroe-doctrine (Roosevelt Corollary)

1923 1st presidential address broadcast on radio (President Calvin Coolidge)

1973 Gerald Ford sworn-in as 1st unelected Vice-President, succeeds Spiro T Agnew

POLITICS (International)

1534 Quito, Ecuador founded by Spanish

1648 Pride's Purge: Thomas Pride prevents 96 Presbyterians from sitting in English parliament

1912 China votes for universal human rights

1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty signed; Ireland receives dominion status; partition creates Northern Ireland

1922 1st constitution of Irish Free State comes into operation

1929 Turkey introduces female suffrage

1982 Bomb attack on Londonderry, North Ireland disco, 17 killed

1988 Nelson Mandela is transferred to Victor Vester Prison, Capetown

SCIENCE & RELIGION

1825 President John Adams suggests establishment of a US observatory

1947 The Everglades National Park in Florida is dedicated by President Truman.

1967 Adrian Kantrowitz performed the first human heart transplant in the United States.

1984 Martina Navratilova’s 74-game winning streak over 11+ months came to an end.

ANSWERS

∞ JEOPARDY

Class of animals so named because they have an aquatic larval stage & terrestrial adult lives

What are amphibians?

The development of this part of the egg contributed to the evolution of life on land

What is the shell?

In the lab, you put something in an autoclave to do this to it

What is sterilize it?

In humans it separates the thoracic cavity from the abdominal cavity

What is the diaphragm?

The Savi's pygmy variety of this animal is said to be the world's smallest mammal

What is a shrew?

Sunday Dec 5

This is Week 49 of 2010►Day 339 with 26 days remaining

20 Days until Christmas
Flagstaff Weather:

TODAY’S QUOTE—Marjorie Holmes
At Christmas, all roads lead home.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

Today I broke a Family Christmas Tradition. Every year, for as long as I can remember, my mother would do all the Christmas decorations in one day. She was a lady of style and the thought of neighbors, friends, or the Fuller Brush Man arriving at our house with it only partially decorated was so strong, that we would start about 9am and finish about 3pm. My dad would be outside stringing lights and my mom, brother and I would be inside putting up the decorations and moving a few pieces of furniture so everything would work. There were always a few new decorations, bought the day after Christmas the year before. We only decorated the living room and dining room. As the years went by, there were special guest towels and a candle in the bathroom. She did the same thing when she moved to her independent living apartment. When she moved into the Care Facility, whichever son arrived first, usually me, would help her decorate her room. Today I put up the tree. I had bought a lighted tree a couple of years ago, the day after Christmas. It takes some work to make it look good. In the past I have done that and decorated the living room. This year I took more time with the lighted tree and that was all I did. The tree does look nice, even without decorations. That will come tomorrow. I still have some of our family decorations, now vintage. My brother got the 1950’s Santa head tree topper and the 1960’s angel tree topper complete with a half globe mirror ball that had a small bulb and a plastic disk that made the half-globe mirror twinkle when the bulb got warm. Every year I look for a good tree topper, but have been unsuccessful in finding one that has the simplicity and beauty of either of those family ones. I must say, it doesn’t feel like Christmas yet, but it is getting there.

A few days ago I got two DVD’s from other Focus travelers. The travelers always have a ‘picture party’ after the people have a chance to get their pictures organized. When Ellie started Focus, the picture party was exactly that, everyone brought a stack of prints, passed them around, shared some with everyone. Now, with everyone using digital cameras some people were kind enough to make DVD’s for everyone. Those who were there also copied pictures onto their flash drives. We may be an old-er group of travelers, but we stay up on technology. Wioma has been the one hold out. Up until Malaysia she carried rolls of film with her. She is the one who travels the most. While most of us take one trip a year or maybe two in a year once in a while, Wioma takes a trip every month. She goes on a trip, spends a week or so at home, and is off again. Her husband passed quite a few years ago, they had no kids, and she said she is going to enjoy herself. She has a couple of traveling friends, but none of them can keep up with her all the time. Anyway, Wioma shocked everyone when she had a digital camera on the Malaysia trip. She is now thinking about buying a computer—her first. She is quite an unusual lady. She is fun to travel with and always has some good stories. I took the time today to look thorough the pictures. While we were all on the same trip, we took a lot of different pictures. It was nice to see the trip through two other people’s eyes. I think I’m going to make a couple of new slideshows out of them, as it is much easier to watch them that way instead of downloading the pictures. It will keep me busy, but also gives me a chance to relive the trip.

I really don’t like to shop on the weekend. But I got an email loyalty coupon from World Market that gave me 25% off almost anything in their store. I headed over there, dealt with the traffic and the shoppers and picked up several Christmas gifts. It was worth the trip. They always have unique items that make nice gifts and for me, they were 25% off. When I came out of the store, our clear sky was turning ominous over Mt. Elden. I snapped a few pictures and headed home. No snow in the forecast, but it sure looked like it in the sky.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1929 1st US nudist organization (American League for Physical Culture, NY)

1955 Historic bus boycott begins in Montgomery AL by Rosa Parks

∞ JEOPARDY PUZZLE—(SuperJeopardy Answers) from 1990 FILM FACTS

►Richard Pryor co-wrote this Western with Mel Brooks; its original title was "Black Bart"

►Kevin Costner starred in this 1989 film based on the novel "Shoeless Joe"

►"Tonight Show" exec. producer who directed "Bedtime for Bonzo" & "Bonzo Goes to College"

►The first film Jimmy Stewart made after serving as a WWII bomber pilot was this holiday classic

►Elizabeth Taylor found passion on a plantation before it was pulverized by pachyderms in this 1954 film

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—Skee Ball

☼The game of Skee-Ball was invented in 1909 by J. Dickinson Este in the city of Philadelphia. In 1914, the first Skee-Ball Alleys were sold and distributed to the outdoor amusement industry market by Maurice Piesen.

☼The game originally had a 36-foot lane which was too large for most arcades, and meant that only those who were rather strong could play the game well. In 1928, the size of the alley was reduced by more than half – to 14 feet.

☼The first national Skee-Ball tournament was held in an Atlantic City, New Jersey arcade in 1932.

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM

LOS ANGELES - Inspectors in Los Angeles say "Operation Spiderman" ended with the arrest of a German man who allegedly mailed hundreds of live tarantulas to the United States. Sven Koppler, 37, Watchberg, Germany, was picked up shortly after arriving in Los Angeles to meet with an association, the U.S. attorney's office announced Friday. Koppler was charged with violating animal-smuggling laws and ordered to appear in federal court Friday afternoon. Prosecutors said in a written statement that Koppler allegedly twice shipped boxes packed with between 250 and 300 live spiders from Germany to Los Angeles. The discovery of one of the shipments during a routine inspection of international mail sparked the undercover operation dubbed "Operation Spiderman." Postal inspectors and agents of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service posed as buyers and had Koppel mail them five boxes holding dozens of tarantulas. Among the spiders were several Mexican red-kneed tarantulas, a species that is protected under international law, the statement said.

A LITTLE LAUGH

While hiking in the mountains one day I came across a gorgeous gorge that I thought was an echo canyon. I shouted, "Hello there." But the response sounded to me like, "Hello where?"

I tried again. "How do you do?"

A moment later the report came back sounding like, "How do I do what?"

Baffled and amused I decided to give it the ultimate test. "You're not really an echo canyon, are you?"

The response from the big ditch confirmed my suspicions. "Brilliant deduction, Einstein."

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

Three Tenors—My Way

∞ UP CLOSE PICTURE

Will return when I find some new ones.

CALENDAR INFORMATION

♦ Weekly Observances ♦

1-7: Cookie Cutter Week ¤ Tolerance Week ¤ Recipe Greetings For The Holidays Week

1-9: Chanukah (Hanukkah)

5-10: Clerc-Gallaudet Week: to recognize two greats in educating the deaf

♦ Today’s Observances ♦

Bathtub Party Day

Day of the Ninja: Day to honor the feudal Japanese Assassins and Spies: only pop culture, especially Western Pop Culture do ninjas wear black. The historic ninjas were dressed as civilians

Austria: Krampuslauf (the evil St. Nicholas who punishes the bad children)

Belgium, Czech Republic, Slovakia, the Netherlands, Hungary, Romania and the UK: Saint Nicholas Eve (in preparation for Saint Nicholas Day)

Haiti: Discovery Day (by Westerners in 1492)

Lebanon: Arbor Day

Thailand: King's Birthday

USSR: Constitution Day (1936)

UN: International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development

United States: Repeal Day (end of Prohibition 1933)

♫ University Fight Songs ♫

Click on Song Title to see and hear

Northern Arizona University

Arizona State University

University of Arizona

♦Today’s Births♦

ARTS

José Carreras, 64, Spanish opera singer, one of the “Three Tenors”

Joan Didion, 76, author, journalist (The Year of Magical Thinking, The White Album)

1901 Walter Elias Disney, animator (Mickey Mouse)

Chad Mitchell, 74, singer The Marvelous Toy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXlNyeEbP6g

Little Richard, 75, singer, born Richard Penniman

1905 Otto Preminger, Austrian director/producer (Laura, Exodus)

1830 Christina Rossetti, London, poet (Winter Rain, Passing Away)

Calvin Trillin, 75, author (American Stories, Remembering Denny)

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Margaret Cho, 42, actress, comedienne

Frankie Muniz, 25, actor (“Malcolm in the Middle,” My Dog Skip)

ATHLETICS

Pablo Morales, 46, Olympic Gold Medalist: swimmer [1984, 1992]; holds men’s world record for 100 meter butterfly

1870 Bill Pickett, rodeo cowboy: first to bulldog - wrestle a running steer to the ground

Jim Plunkett, 63, football: (Raiders quarterback: Super Bowl: XV, XVIII; Heisman Trophy winner: Stanford [1970]; Patriots Rookie of the Year [1971], 49ers)

BUSINESS & EDUCATION

1894 Phillip K. Wrigley, corporate executive: Wrigley Gum

POLITICS

1839 George Armstrong Custer, Major General (Union volunteers, of Little Big Horn fame)

1902 [Steve James] Strom Thurmond, Senator-SC

1782 Martin Van Buren, 8th President (1837-41)

SCIENCE & RELIGION

1901 Werner Heisenberg, German physicist/discovered uncertainty (Nobel 1932)

♦Today’s Obituaries♦

Alexandre Dumas, writer (The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo), @ 68 in 1870

Joseph Jefferson "Shoeless Joe" Jackson, of baseball's black sox scandal, heart attack @ 64 in 1951

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, composer, dies in Vienna, rheumatic fever @ 35 in 1791

Phillis Wheatley, 1st important black poet in America, in childbirth @29 in 1784

♦Today’s Events♦

ARTS

1854 Aaron Allen of Boston patents folding theater chair

1974 "Monty Python's Flying Circus" final episode airs on BBC

ATHLETICS

1908 1st football uniform numerals used (University of Pittsburgh)

BUSINESS & EDUCATION

1766 London auctioneers Christie's hold their 1st sale

1776 Phi Beta Kappa, 1st American scholastic fraternity (William & Mary College), is founded

1848 President Polk triggers Gold Rush of '49, confirms California gold discovery

1868 1st American bicycle college opens (New York)

1879 1st automatic telephone switching system patented

1893 1st electric car (built in Toronto) could go 15 miles between charges

1955 American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations merged

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

1835 Members of the Georgia Guard will arrest CHEROKEE Principal Chief John Ross at his home. Also arrested in historian John Howard Payne. Payne, the author of the song "Home, Sweet Home", was writing a history of the CHEROKEE people. They are be arrested so they will not be able to attend the "New Echota Treaty" conference.

POLITICS (US)

1831 Former President John Quincy Adams takes his seat as member of House of Representatives

POLITICS (International)

1952 London smog of 1952 - worst smog in London ever, 4,000+ die

1979 Ireland premier Jack Lynch resigns

SCIENCE & RELIGION

1456 Earthquake strikes Naples; about 35,000 die

1932 German physicist Albert Einstein granted a visa

1876 First practical pipe wrench, the fabulous Stillson wrench was patented by D.C. Stillson

ANSWERS

∞ JEOPARDY

Richard Pryor co-wrote this Western with Mel Brooks; its original title was "Black Bart"

What is ‘Blazing Saddles’?

Kevin Costner starred in this 1989 film based on the novel "Shoeless Joe"

What was ‘Field of Dreams’?

"Tonight Show" exec. producer who directed "Bedtime for Bonzo" & "Bonzo Goes to College"

Who was (Freddy) De Cordova?

The first film Jimmy Stewart made after serving as a WWII bomber pilot was this holiday classic

What was ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’?

Elizabeth Taylor found passion on a plantation before it was pulverized by pachyderms in this 1954 film

What was ‘Elephant Walk’?



Saturday Dec 4

This is Week 48 of 2010►Day 338 with 27 days remaining
21 Days until Christmas
Flagstaff Weather:

TODAY’S QUOTE—Thomas Bailey Aldrich
To keep the heart unwrinkled, to be hopeful, kindly, cheerful, reverent--that is to triumph over old age.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

We had a great weather day here in Flag. I spent some time outside walking and that was nice, since I haven’t done that for several days because of the cold weather.

I am so glad that I haven’t had to trudge through the Medicare hassles, yet. Just like the Open Season in the government plans, this is Open Season for Medicare. A friend stopped by with a stack of proposals for Part something or other. I guess I better start trying to learn a little more. I was basically no help to her. One hassle is that I have never really studied Health Insurance policy. When I was in college I signed up for BCBS as a students on campus. When I got my first job after college, I just kept BCBS. It has been good to me. Much better in the past when I didn’t visit a lot of physicians. Still good while I visit an array of doctors. I still consider health insurance as a backup in case I get sick. Something to help me pay the bills. Well, now that I have to see more than my primary care physician, a dentist and an ophthalmologist once or twice a year, I need to start figuring out how this whole system works. My government program changes in a few years when I become eligible for Medicare. I can keep BCBS as my secondary and at a much lower cost. Guessing what will happen to one’s health in the future is a daunting task. One seems to be guessing how to pay the least amount of money for the most coverage of what health issues are expected to have in the next year. Had I known that I would need two crowns in one year, I could have gotten dental insurance and probably saved a bunch of bucks. Since I didn’t know what year this would be, I could have paid several years of insurance and not needed it. If I got the dental insurance, had no problems, and therefore dropped it, I would have paid for useless insurance and then the high cost of the crowns. It will be a journey I am not looking forward to.

If you really want something you have to fight for it. I heard that as I was growing up. Fight did not mean physical brawling, it meant something like working hard. As Americans we take our freedoms pretty seriously. We work hard to keep them. Sometimes we leave our borders to help others work for those freedoms. We have been in Afghanistan for a decade, with the stated goal of giving the people a democracy. Today, one of the top Afghan military leaders said that he wants his country to have a democracy, but believes it will take time—at least another decade—to get there. It doesn’t sound to me like many of the Afghans want to have a democracy and many are not willing to work for it. Sadly, many third world countries have fallen into a cycle of poverty, corruption, and the ‘poor me’ syndrome. Without a leadership that believes in democracy and a voice of the people that believe in democracy, it will never happen. Democracy by definition can’t be forced on people who don’t want it. As the world power for democracy, we did not learn the lesson of previous nation’s troops in Afghanistan. We somehow decided that we could do it where others failed. I don’t have a lot of faith that this will change by 2012—our current pull out date or by 2022, the new date from the Afghanistan military leader. Another saying I grew up with was: When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging. Also: There is a point when you have to stop throwing good money after bad.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1843 Manila paper (made from sails, canvas & rope) patented, Massachusetts 

∞ JEOPARDY PUZZLE—(SuperJeopardy Answers) from 1990 THE QUEEN'S ENGLISH

►A telephone in use isn't busy, it's this

►When an English mummy wants an English daddy to change baby's diaper, she asks him to change this

►A leg break bowler may deliver a flipper in this sport

►A doctor's office, whether or not operations are performed there

►If you bridged the Atlantic & wanted to borrow a wrench, ask for one of these

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—

The largest bill ever printed was the $100,000 bill; it was actually a Gold Certificate issued in 1934. These notes were used for transactions between Federal Reserve banks and were not circulated among the general public. President Woodrow Wilson was depicted on the bill.

***

The so-called "all-seeing eye" that sits atop the pyramid on dollar bills was included as a reflection of divine providence. This was not the only option that was considered to fulfill that desired theme. A depiction of the Children of Israel in the Wilderness was also discussed as a possibility.

***

Our so-called "paper currency" is actually not paper, but is made of cotton/linen material. It consists of a 75% cotton/25% linen blend with silk fibers running through it.

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM

LONDON — As Arctic blizzards swept across southeast England, stranding hundreds in their cars and bringing motorways to a virtual halt in whiteout conditions, Kent police received a strange call on their emergency number.

"I haven't been out to check on him for five hours but I went outside for a fag (cigarette) and he's gone," said the female caller.

When the operator asked who had gone she replied: "My snowman. I thought that with it being icy and there not being anybody about he'd be safe.

"It ain't a nice road, but you don't expect anybody to nick your snowman," she added.

Police were most definitely not amused.

"This call could have cost someone's life if there was a genuine emergency and they couldn't get through. It was completely irresponsible,' said Chief Inspector Simon Black.

A transcript of the call was released by the force to highlight what they said was misuse of the emergency number 999 system.

A LITTLE LAUGH

A wealthy man had a falling out with his two sons. It was serious enough that he decided to change his will.

At his lawyer's office, he threw his will on the table and said, "This needs an heircut."

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

Marcel Marceau Clip

∞ UP CLOSE PICTURE

This is a close up of what object?

CALENDAR INFORMATION

♦ Weekly Observances ♦

1-7: Cookie Cutter Week ¤ Tolerance Week ¤ Recipe Greetings For The Holidays Week

1-9: Chanukah (Hanukkah)

♦ Today’s Observances ♦

Wear Brown Shoes Day

National Cookie Day

National Dice Day

Skywarn Recognition Day; Nat’l Weather Service and Ham Operators cooperation since 1999

Coats and Toys for Kids Day

India: Navy Day

Italy: Navy Day

México: Day of the Artisans

Thailand: Thai Environment Day

Tonga: Proclamation Day

♫ One Hit Wonders—1968 ♫

Click on Song Title to see and hear the original

In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida ►Iron Butterfly

Angel of the Morning ►Merrilee Rush & The Turnabouts

Fire ►The Crazy World of Arthur Brown

Naturally Stoned ►The Avant-Garde

Summertime Blues ► Blue Cheer

♦Today’s Births♦

ARTS

1835 Samuel Butler, English author (Erewhom, Way of All Flesh)

Freddy Cannon [Picariello], 71, rocker (Palisades Park)

Chris Hillman, 68, musician (the Byrds, the Desert Rose Band)

1934 Wink [Winston Conrad] Martindale, TV game show host; singer Remember this?

1944 Dennis Wilson, drummer/vocalist (Beach Boys

* * *

Max Baer, Jr, 73, actor (“The Beverly Hillbillies”), producer (Ode to Billy Joe)

Tyra Banks, 37, model, actress, talk show host

Jeff Bridges, 61, actor (The Contender, Starman, The Last Picture Show)

1934 Victor French, actor: Choices, Little House on the Prairie

Marisa Tomei, 46, actress (In the Bedroom, Oscar for My Cousin Vinny)

ATHLETICS

1930 Harvey (Edward) Kuenn, baseball: Tigers [American League Rookie of the Year: 1953/all-star: 1953-1959], Indians [all-star: 1960], Giants [World Series: 1962], Cubs, Phillies; manager: Brewers: American League Manager of the Year [1982]

BUSINESS & EDUCATION

1822 Frances Crabbe, British feminist founded Anti-Vivisection Society to end animal testing on products

1858 Chester Greenwood, inventor: ear muffs

Charles Keating, 87, district attorney (Los Angeles CA); finance fiasco

POLITICS

1912 Pappy (Gregory) Boyington, aviator: USMC: commanding officer of WWII Black Sheep Squadron

SCIENCE & RELIGION

1584 John Cotton, Puritan clergyman in Massachusetts Bay colony

1908 A D Hershey, biologist, worked with bacteriophages (Nobel 1969)

♦Today’s Obituaries♦

[Auguste-]Maurice Barrès French writer/parliament leader, heart attack @ 61 in 1923

Jakob Kaplan French head rabbi (1955-81), @ 99 in 1994

Bert Lahr [Irving Lahrheim] US comic (Wizard of Oz), cancer @ 72 in 1967

Margaret Landon US author (Anna & the King of Siam), @ 90 in 1993

Itzhak Rabin (יִצְחָק רַבִּין ) PM of Israel (1968-73), assassinated @ 73 in 1995

Shunryu Suzuki (祥岳俊隆) Zen teacher, founder of San Francisco Zen Center, @ 67 in 1971 "Our tendency is to be interested in something that is growing in the garden, not in the bare soil itself. But if you want to have a good harvest, the most important thing is to make the soil rich and cultivate it well."

Frank V Zappa music/composer (Mothers of Invention), cancer @ 52 in 1993

♦Today’s Events♦

ARTS

1955 As part of an NBC-TV special, mime artist Marcel Marceau appeared on television for the first time

1981 "Falcon Crest" premieres on CBS-TV

ATHLETICS

1947 USSR joins International Amateur Athletic Union

1977 NFL's 5,000th game, Cincinnati beats Kansas City 27-7

1997 NBA suspends Latrell Sprewell for 1 year for attacking his coach

BUSINESS & EDUCATION

1791 Britain's Observer, oldest Sunday newspaper in world, 1st published

1932 “Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. North and South America and all the ships at sea. Let’s go to press!” The Walter Winchell Show, later The Jergens Journal and still later, Kaiser-Frazer News, was first heard on the NBC Blue network.

1952 Killer fogs begin in London England, "Smog" becomes a word

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

1598 Spanish and ACOMA forces engage in a fight.

2000 Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson signed an agreement which returns to the NORTHER UTEs approximately 85,000 acres of land in Utah. The land had been appropriated by the U.S. Congress taken from them eighty-four years ago.

POLITICS (US)

1933 FDR creates Federal Alcohol Control Administration

POLITICS (International)

1655 Middelburg Netherlands forbids building of synagogue

1745 Bonnie Prince Charles reaches Derby

1941 Nazi ordinances places Jews of Poland outside protection of courts

1991 Muslim Shiites release last US hostage Terry Anderson (held 6½ years)

SCIENCE & RELIGION

1563 Council of Trent holds last session, after 18 years

1843 Manila paper (made from sails, canvas & rope) patented, Massachusetts

1864 Romanian Jews are forbidden to practice law

1930 Vatican approves rhythm method for birth control

ANSWERS

∞ JEOPARDY

A telephone in use isn't busy, it's this

What is engaged?

When an English mummy wants an English daddy to change baby's diaper, she asks him to change this

What is a nappy? (or napkin)

A leg break bowler may deliver a flipper in this sport

What is cricket?

A doctor's office, whether or not operations are performed there

What is surgery?

If you bridged the Atlantic & wanted to borrow a wrench, ask for one of these

What is a spanner?

∞ PICTURE

A staple remover

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Friday Dec 3

This is Week 48 of 2010►Day 337 with 28 days remaining
23 Days until Christmas
Flagstaff Weather:

TODAY’S QUOTE—Eleanor Roosevelt
Do what you feel in your heart to be right, for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do and damned if you don't.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

I got a call from my brother today, the Advent calendar arrived. I am happy that each small piece of chocolate is embossed with something Christmas-y and it looks like each one will be different. He said he had just thought about getting one last week, probably about the same time I got them. There are no coincidences and brothers—biological or adopted—have a special bond. He mentioned that his Thanksgiving felt very strange, sitting on a deck, with palm trees all around and a full feast on the deck. I reminded him that those south of the equator celebrate Christmas in the middle of the summer. That too must be very strange. I listen to old-er people saying they move because they are just tired of the snow and the cold. I certainly hope I never reach that conclusion. While my mom was in the Care Facility, there were many people who still loved the beauty of a white Christmas. It was understood that they didn’t want to be out in the cold, but really liked looking out the huge picture windows throughout the building and seeing a winter Christmas scene.

I really hate to carry around all those store discount cards. Many times I forget to get it out or forget I even have one. Today my problem was solved. There’s an app for that. My Blackberry can pull up the barcode so that all I have to do is swipe my phone and it’s done. I always have my phone with me, since I also use it to make my shopping lists. It is amazing that just a few years ago a phone was for making phone calls. Now it does so much more. I was using my new app at Safeway today, and the lady behind me saw it and wanted it. While we were standing in line, she downloaded it and was ready to save, save, save. I have friends who have three to ten of those tiny cards on their key ring. I tried that but the keys were too heavy and probably didn’t do the ignition on my ride any good. For those wanting the app, you need a smartphone. Go to your app store and find CardStar. It’s free and sure is convenient.

The House, still run by Democrats, showed the world that Ethics still means Ethics in their house of government. An 80 year old Democrat with 40 years in the House had to stand before his peers and be censured. It is very humiliating and something like only 25 others have been censured in the history of our country. I sure hope that people realize this is a big deal and that it was done, in part to show that our government works—slowly for sure, but eventually. Certainly this is a baby step in moving our government forward, but 2 years ago Nancy said her congress would come down hard on ethic violations. Now we know they will.

That budget report that came out last week on how to get our country out of debt has some big plans. They too suggest a freeze on civilian employee salaries. They also suggested a 10% cut in retirement payments and having the retirees pay 10-20% more of their share of health benefits. They also want the retirement age to get Social Security to be 70. Of course the Social Security thing won’t start until the current 20 year olds reach 70. The change for Federal Employees would start as soon as a bill is passed. Federal retirees are a small number of Americans so this will be hard to alter. Way too many think that we were underworked, overpaid, and don’t deserve what we get. Many Federal workers groups have already started a campaign to stop this rather unfair change. As I have said before, I am willing to pay my fair share to help out the country in this troubled time, but I don’t want to have to pay more than my fair share. If all American retirees had to take a 10% cut in their benefits or suddenly had to pay 10-20% more in their share of health benefits, then I say go for it. It would not be easy, but everyone would be treated fairly. Just like the GM worker, I didn’t have a lot to say about how money was allocated while I worked. As a retiree I only have my vote. I’m concerned that the new congress will see these retiree cuts as a way to show the American public that they are cutting government waste. Time and time alone will see how this all develops.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1557 1st Covenant of Scottish Protestants form

∞ JEOPARDY PUZZLE(SuperJeopardy Answers) from 1990 MYTHOLOGICAL WOMEN

►Slain by Achilles, Penthesilea was queen of these warrior women

►These terrible goddesses of punishment had eyes that wept tears of blood

►Phaedra who fell in love with her stepson Hippolytus, was the daughter of this king of Crete

►This 6-headed sea monster that ate sailors lived in a cave opposite the whirlpool Charybdis

►Zeus arranged for her to spend part of the year with her mother, Demeter, the rest with her husband, Hades

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 45 million turkeys are cooked and eaten in the U.S. at Thanksgiving—that's one sixth of all turkeys sold in the U.S. each year.

***

The cranberry got its name because the pale pink blossoms on the plant resembled a crane’s head and neck. The name craneberry stuck, eventually becoming cranberry.

***

The average age of the Mayflower passenger was 32. The oldest Mayflower passenger was 64.

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM

BROOKFIELD, WI — Two Wisconsin couch potatoes hope to wedge their way onto the Snuggie's sofa with an adult onesie.

Tyler Galganski and Dave Hibler are selling fleece, footless onesies with hoods called the "Forever Lazy" out of Hibler's parents' basement.

The 26-year-old Galganski and 25-year-old Hibler have released a long-form commercial that echoes the Snuggie ads, including cheering fans wearing the item as an alternative to a blanket.

Anne Flynn, who works for the company that produces the Snuggie, said there's room on their couch but they are still five or 10 steps ahead of competitors.

Hibler and Galganski say they have sold more than 10,000 of the pajamas in about a year and a half. The Snuggie maker says it has sold more than 20 million over the last two years.

A LITTLE LAUGH

Although I had arrived 20 minutes early for my one o'clock doctor's appointment, I watched patient after patient disappear into the various rooms. Now, I know things happen, and that more serious issues are typically dealt with first, so I was able to accept that those coming in after me were seen first, But when I was still sitting in the waiting room 1 1/2 hours later, I'd had enough and had become pretty irate.

Fortunately, as I got up and went to the receptionist, I calmed down enough to handle it without anger.

Instead I calmly said, "I know my son's appointment was for one o'clock. Can you tell me if that was a.m. or p.m.?"

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

8 Days of Hanukkah Interesting ? !

∞ UP CLOSE PICTURE

This is a close up of what object?

CALENDAR INFORMATION

♦ Weekly Observances ♦

1-7: Cookie Cutter Week ¤ Tolerance Week ¤ Recipe Greetings For The Holidays Week

1-9: Chanukah (Hanukkah)

♦ Today’s Observances ♦

Heart Transplant Day (1967)

UN International Day of the Basque language

UN International Day of the Disabled Person

National Roof-Over-Your-Head Day

India: Advocate's Day (to honor Rajendra Prasad, a Lawyer & India’s 1st President)

US: Illinois : Admission Day (1818—21st state)

♫ One Hit Wonders—1967-68 ♫

Click on Song Title to see and hear the original

1967 Green Tambourine►Lemon Pipers

1967 I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night►The Electric Prunes

1967 Next Plane to London►The Rose Garden

1968 You Keep Me Hangin' On►Vanilla Fudge

1968 MacArthur Park►Richard Harris

♦Today’s Births♦

ARTS

1857 Joseph Conrad Poland, novelist (Lord Jim, Heart of Darkness)

Ferlin Husky, 83, singer Great Song

Jaye P. Morgan, 78, singer That’s All I Want From You

1897 Kate O'Brien Irish writer (Without My Cloak)

Ozzy Osbourne, 62, singer, songwriter (first lead singer for Black Sabbath): Reality Show star

Andy Williams, 80, singer Moon River

1755 Gilbert Stuart US, portrait painter (painted Washington)

***

Brendan Fraser, 42, actor (Mummy, The Quiet American)

Daryl Hannah, 49, actress (Splash, Grumpy Old Men)

Julianne Moore, 49, actress (Children of Men, The Hours, Far from Heaven)

ATHLETICS

Bucky Lasek, 38, skateboarder

Rick Ravon Mears, 59, former auto racer

Katarina Witt, 45, Olympic figure skater

BUSINESS & EDUCATION

1753 Samuel Crompton English inventor (mule-jenny spinning machine)

1795 Sir Rowland Hill introduced 1st adhesive postage stamp (1840)

POLITICS

1887 Naruhiko, Prince Higashikuni of Japan

1884 Rajendra Prasad, first President of India

1963 Terri Schiavo, American right to die figure

SCIENCE & RELIGION

1838 Cleveland Abbe, meteorologist: first U.S. Weather Bureau meteorologist

1924 John Backus inventor (FORTRAN computer language)

1888 Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog, Polish-born Chief Rabbi of Ireland and of Israel

1483 Nicolaus von Amsdorf German reformation theologist

♦Today’s Obituaries♦

John Carroll (priest), first Roman Catholic archbishop in the U.S. @ 80 in 1815

Madeline Kahn, American actress, ovarian cancer @ 57 in 1999

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, French impressionist painter, heart attack @ 78 in 1919

Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish writer, cerebral hemorrhage @ 44 in 1894

St Francis Xavier, Jesuit missionary to the East, fever @ 46 in 1552

♦Today’s Events♦

ARTS

1947 Tennessee Williams play "A Streetcar Named Desire" premieres in New York NY

1950 Paul Harvey begins his national radio broadcast

ATHLETICS

1938 AAU's decides to continue linear measuring system over metric

1956 Wilt Chamberlain's 1st collegiate basketball game (scores 52)

BUSINESS & EDUCATION

1586 Sir Thomas Herriot introduces potatoes to England, from Colombia

1931 Alka Seltzer goes on sale

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

1598 Zaldivar "discovers" ACOMA.

1837 Accompanied by CHEROKEE mediators, Mikanopy, and 30 other SEMINOLE leaders arrive at Fort Mellon, near St.Augustine, Florida, today, under a flag of truce, to discuss peace. The CHEROKEE mediators were there with the approval of the Secretary of War. General Thomas Jesup, much to the shame of the CHEROKEEs, takes the SEMINOLEs hostage. Jesup hopes to force the SEMINOLEs to surrender by holding their leaders as prisoners.

POLITICS (US)

1639 1st annulment by court decree passes

1775 1st official US flag raising (aboard naval vessel Alfred)

POLITICS (International)

1694 English parliamentary election set for every 3 years

SCIENCE & RELIGION

1621 Galileo perfects the telescope

1834 1st US dental society organized (New York)

1967 1st human heart transplant performed (Dr Christiaan Barnard, South Africa)

1984 2,000 die from Union Carbide poison gas emission in Bhopal, India

ANSWERS

∞ JEOPARDY

►Slain by Achilles, Penthesilea was queen of these warrior women

Who are the Amazons?

►These terrible goddesses of punishment had eyes that wept tears of blood

Who were the Furies?

►Phaedra who fell in love with her stepson Hippolytus, was the daughter of this king of Crete

Who was Minos?

►This 6-headed sea monster that ate sailors lived in a cave opposite the whirlpool Charybdis

Who was Scylla?

►Zeus arranged for her to spend part of the year with her mother, Demeter, the rest with her husband, Hades

Who was Persephone?

∞ PICTURE

An electrical outlet

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Thursday Dec 2

This is Week 48 of 2010►Day 336 with 29 days remaining

24 Days until Christmas
Flagstaff Weather:

TODAY’S QUOTE—William James
The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

Finally a nice day. I ran some errands this morning and it was actually nice outside. I was glad to see that as my errands required walking outside several times. Unfortunately I was not the only person who decided to hit a few stores today. Parking lots were fairly full and people seemed to be buying so that is good for the merchants. I haven’t gone shopping in Phoenix for several years and am hoping I don’t have to this year. I think it is a little too far to do a round trip in one day. I did it a lot when I was younger, but always spent the night. All the shopping malls are spread all around town and Phoenix is not known for its easy traffic routes. Driving is easy, except during rush hour.

I talked to Bob this afternoon. We are still set to go to Hadrian’s Wall sometime this spring. He is not a travel agent and has talked to a bunch of people into showing interest in the trip. I think things will change when he finally gets down to asking for money. I learned a long time ago that many people are all excited about going somewhere until they have to open their wallets. They never say they can’t afford the trip, but have some other reason. When I did trips for the Boarding School we had to get paperwork in five months before the trip. More than once I had a chaperone come in a few weeks before the trip and say they couldn’t go because that is the week that their auntie is having her toenails clipped that week and she was the only one who could take her to the appointment and care for her after the procedure. I got the close family thing and decided early that I didn’t want a chaperone on the trip who didn’t want to be there. So it became a battle with the Bureau to cancel one travel authorization—that was the easy part. Getting a new travel authorization was always the problem. The Bureau always had very strict rules and lots of questions to answer. Why did the person cancel? Why didn’t you know this any sooner? For the new person, explain, in detail, why this is being presented outside the established Bureau timeframe deadlines. What other alternatives have you tried so that you can stay within the guidelines? How will you prevent working outside the Bureau guidelines in the future? And on and on. I always played the game, got on my best ‘I am so unworthy, but it isn‘t about me, it is about the trip for the students’ face and always found someone who would help. Usually there was a payback involved. Don’t freak out, not a money payback, but a favor for them. Usually a promise that I would never do it again. I always made sure that those who helped got a card and picture from the students that thanked them for going above and beyond so they could have their trip. If I had a similar situation, I tried really hard to find another person to work with. It worked for me. Bob is not dealing with a bureaucracy and while the trip will be the more the merrier, a smaller number will work also. The last count was about 15, but we can certainly do it with 2.

I also talked to Ellie today. There is a trip to Tanzania and Kenya for the migration coming up and it will be Hamdy’s last trip. He is retiring, or so he says. He is such a worker; I doubt he will be ‘retired’ for very long. I know that he had a great business going before 9-11 and was actually turning down tours to Africa and the Middle East. The world changed for him on 9-11, He is Egyptian with dual citizenship. He lives the Muslim life as best he can in the US. He doesn’t hid the fact that his is Muslim, but I know he doesn’t try to convert people…after all, his wife is Jewish and both practice their religion. His business fell off a cliff when his American travelers were no longer interested in working with a Muslim travel agency. Many of his ‘friends’, both business and personal, suddenly didn’t trust him anymore. He, like all Americans, was horrified by the events of 9-11. No matter what he said or did, the trust was gone. A sad commentary on a portion of the American population. I suggested that part of the issue was also the American economy. He agreed that everyone in the travel business suffered when the stock market tanked. Anyway, it will be great to see the migration. I may even take the balloon ride over the herds.

HOLY MACKEREL:1927 1st Model A Fords sold, for $385 ($4715.64 in 2010)

∞ JEOPARDY PUZZLE—(SuperJeopardy Answers) from 1990 U.S. STATES

►Most say its name is Papago Indian for “little spring”, others say it's Spanish for “arid zone”

►The bald cypress, which grows in the swamps & bayous, is this state's official tree

►While Washington has no official state fish, these 2 states have chosen a salmon

►Mount Adams, Mount Jefferson & Mount Madison are in this New England state

►“The Peace Garden State”

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—

The germs on your fingers double after using the toilet, but 50 percent of men and 25 percent of women do not wash their hands afterward.

***

Washing your hands after you go to the bathroom can reduce the spread of diarrheal diseases by almost half.

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM

FLORENCE, AZ - A Pinal County Sheriff's deputy who was shot in the southern Arizona desert in April has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation into comments he allegedly made to a Valley news reporter. His attack was national news for days.

Phoenix New Times reporter Paul Rubin interviewed Deputy Louie Puroll for an article published November 25th , which contained statements from Puroll regarding meetings he has had with known Mexican drug cartel operatives. The deputy reportedly told Rubin the operatives "have approached him four or five times over the years wanting to do business."

The article also cites comments from Puroll regarding other shooting incidents he has been involved in that would make the April 30 shootout in the desert "seem like eating lunch at the Dairy Queen."

Earlier this year, Puroll told investigators he was following a group of smugglers carrying bales of marijuana on April 30 when he was ambushed by men firing AK-47 rifles. In what Puroll described as a running gunbattle, he said he was grazed by a bullet in the back. Investigators never found any suspects, raising doubts about Puroll's account of the shooting.

In an initial New Times article published in September , Rubin cited forensic experts who claimed Puroll's story "doesn't add up," and referred to the deputy as "Pinalcchio."

According to a PCSO spokesman, in his November interview with Rubin, Puroll allegedly referenced the previous article, stating a rancher friend offered to murder the journalist over the piece.

"Now that that's off (referring to a tape recorder used by Mr. Rubin), let me tell you something. You're lucky to be alive right now," Puroll allegedly told Rubin.

The investigation into Puroll's alleged comments will be handled by the Pinal County Sheriff's Office Professional Standards Unit.

"If the statements reported in the article written by Mr. Rubin are in fact proven accurate, the conduct of Deputy Puroll is not consistent with Pinal County Sheriff's Office policies nor do I approve of the way in which he represented our sworn profession," Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu said.

A LITTLE LAUGH

Helping me sort clothes into "save" and "give away" piles, my six-year-old daughter came across a garter belt. "What's this?" she asked.

"It's a garter belt," I said. Seeing that meant nothing to her, I added, "It's for holding up stockings."

"Ah," she said, carefully placing it in the "save" pile, "we'll use it next Christmas Eve."

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

St. Paul’s Cathedral, London Tour

Bells of St. Paul's Cathedral in London

Hark the Herald Angels by St. Paul’s Cathedral Choir

∞ UP CLOSE PICTURE

This is a close up of what object?

CALENDAR INFORMATION

♦ Weekly Observances ♦

1-7: Cookie Cutter Week ¤ Tolerance Week ¤ Recipe Greetings For The Holidays Week

1-9: Chanukah (Hanukkah)

♦ Today’s Observances ♦

National Fritters Day

International Day for the Abolition of Slavery Day

Special Education Day

Americas: Pan American Health Day

Cuba: Landing of Granma Expeditionaries (Castro arrives)

Laos: National Day (King Savang Vatthana abdicates 1975)

United Arab Emirates: Independence Day (1971 from UK) [UAE=Abu dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Wuwain, Ras al-Khaimah and Fujarirah]

♫ One Hit Wonders—1967 ♫

Click on Song Title to see and hear the original

1967 Come On Down To My Boat ► Every Mothers' Son

1967 Yellow Balloon ► The Yellow Balloon

1967 Let It Out (Let It All Hang Out) ► The Hombres

1967 For What It's Worth ► Buffalo Springfield

1967 An Open Letter To My Teenage Son ► Victor Lundberg

♦Today’s Births♦

ARTS

T. Coraghessan Boyle, 62, author (Riven Rock, The Tortilla Curtain)

1923 Maria M Callas, soprano (Carmen, Mademoiselle Award-1953)

1869 Jonas Cohn, German/English philosopher (Theory of the Dialects)

1885 Níkos Kazantazakís, Greek writer (Zorba, Last Temptation of Christ)

1859 Georges Seurat, French painter: Sunday Afternoon on the Island of Grand Jatte

ATHLETICS

Randy Gardner, 52, former figure skater, choreographer

Brian Habib, 46, NFL guard (Denver Broncos-Superbowl 32)

Monica Seles, 37, tennis player

Britney Spears, 29, singer

***

Dan Butler, 56, actor (Bulldog on “Frasier”)

Cathy Lee Crosby, 62, actress (“That’s Incredible,” Coach)

1922 Leo V Gordon, actor (Circus Boy, Enos, Winds of War)

Julie Harris, 85, actress (stage: winner of six Tony Awards; television: three Emmys

Lucy Liu, 43, actress (Lucky Number Slevin, Charlie’s Angels, “Ally McBeal”)

1914 Ray Walston, actor (South Pacific, My Favorite Martian, Damn Yankees)

BUSINESS & EDUCATION

1777 Henry Doeff, colonialist (wrote Dutch-Japanese dictionary)

1906 Peter Carl Goldmark, developed color TV & LP records

1915 Randolph Hearst, newspaper publisher

Stone Phillips, 56, anchor (“Dateline,” “20/20” )

1863 Charles Ringling, circus entrepreneur

POLITICS

1924 Alexander Haig Jr, US Secretary of State (1981-82)/general

Harry Reid, 71, US Senator (D, Nevada)

SCIENCE & RELIGION

1678 Nicolaas S Cruquius, Dutch hydraulic engineer (drained Haarlemmermeer)

1885 George Minot, physician, worked on anemia (Nobel 1934)

♦Today’s Obituaries♦

Desi Arnaz actor (Ricky Ricardo-I Love Lucy), lung cancer @ 69 in 1986

John Brown US abolitionist, hanged @ 59 in 1859

Aaron Copland composer (Fanfare for the Common Man), @ 90 in 1990

Robert Cummings actor (Love that Bob), kidney failure at 82 in 1990

Marty Feldman comedic actor (Young Frankenstein), heart attack @ 49 in 1982

Pablo Escobar Gaviria Colombian drug baron, shot @ 44 in 1993

Roxie Roker actress (Helen Willis-Jeffersons)/mother of Lenny Kravitz, breast cancer @ 66 in 1995

Marquis de Sade writer, @ 74 in 1814

Sabu Sabu actor (Jungle Book, Drums), heart attack @ 39 in 1963

Cardinal Francis Spellman archbishop of New York, @ 78 in 1967

♦Today’s Events♦

ARTS

1887 Charles Dickens' 1st public reading in US (New York NY)

1932 "Adventures of Charlie Chan" 1st heard on NBC-Blue radio network

ATHLETICS

1916 Baseballers who are injured now get full pay for duration of contract

1981 Fernando Valenzuela (Dodgers) wins National League Rookie of the Year

BUSINESS & EDUCATION

1816 1st savings bank in US opens (Philadelphia Savings Fund Society)

1901 King Camp Gillette begins selling safety razor blades

1927 1st Model A Fords sold, for $385 ($4715.64 in 2010)

1952 1st human birth televised to public (KOA-TV Denver CO)

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

1761 No land grants for Indian lands in British territories now be made without the Crown's approval.

POLITICS (US)

1823 President James Monroe declares his "Monroe Doctrine"

1954 US Senate censures Joe McCarthy (Senator-R-WI) for "conduct that tends to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute"

1970 Environmental Protection Agency begins (Director: William Ruckelshaus)

POLITICS (International)

1802 English sell Suriname to Dutch

1804 Napoleon Bonaparte crowned 1st emperor of France in Paris by Pope Pius VII

1899 US & Germany agree to divide Samoa between them

1978 Chanting "Allah is great", anti-Shah protesters poured through Tehran

1979 Crowds attack US embassy at Tripoli Libya

SCIENCE & RELIGION

1697 St Paul's Cathedral opens in London

1929 1st skull of Peking man found, 50 km out of Peking at Tsjoe Koe Tien

1942 1st controlled nuclear chain reaction (Enrico Fermi-University of Chicago)

1957 1st US full-scale atomic electric power plant-power generated, Shippingport PA

1963 1st Dutch rocket launched/reaches height of 10 km

ANSWERS

∞ JEOPARDY

►Most say its name is Papago Indian for “little spring”, others say it's Spanish for “arid zone”

What is Arizona?

►The bald cypress, which grows in the swamps & bayous, is this state's official tree

What is Louisiana?

►While Washington has no official state fish, these 2 states have chosen a salmon

What is Alaska and Oregon?

►Mount Adams, Mount Jefferson & Mount Madison are in this New England state

What is New Hampshire?

►“The Peace Garden State”

What is North Dakota?

∞ PICTURE

The top of a soda bottle

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