Wedmesday 1-5-11



HOLY MACKEREL: 1998 Ice storm knocks out electricity in Québec & Ontario

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MY FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
A quick dental cleaning this morning started off my day. The rest of the day went well with my clean teeth. I do like my dentist, but can’t help thinking there is a racket in all this somehow. The hygienist always seems to find an area that I am not flossing enough. The racket I see is that every time, it is a different spot. I brush the same way every day, I floss the same way every day. It’s like she isn’t doing her job unless she finds something new for me to work on. I guess I should be happy that I have all my teeth.

I am still amazed at the actions of the Admiral in the Navy and his videos of a few years ago. He has been relieved of his command. Seems to me some others should also be in trouble—his boss who did nothing at the time. Then there are the kids that were on the ship and saw the videos. I understand that these men and women were deployed to a war zone. I get that they needed some laughter to break the tension. DADT was still in force, so I am sure that out of the 6000 sailors on the ship, a few must have been gay. They were the brunt of the humor of the video. I get that the male sailors in their late teens and early 20’s have a high testosterone level. Two former male sailors on the boat have said that the public just didn’t get the ‘navy culture’. They do not think that anything should have been done about the raunchy videos. One female from the ship has come forward and said that she too does not think he should lose his command. Her comment on the lesbian shower scene of the video was that water is precious on a deployed ship and the leadership does everything it can to cut down on water use during shower time. She believes the lesbian shower scene; with two women washing each other was an attempt to show that shower water should not be wasted. Right!

The Navajo sense of humor can be brutal. It can be very honest. It can be very hurtful. Much of the humor can be about a person’s physical characteristics. I spent untold hours with Navajo staff members, non Navajo staff and Navajo students at every school I worked at listening to how that humor hurt individuals. While I usually did talk to the person who started the difficult humor, I was unable to break a centuries old form of cultural humor. I was fortunate that at most schools I had a Navajo counselor who could be used to help a little. They too had trouble stopping it, and usually spent most of their time with the victim so they could deal with it. I never saw much of this humor as appropriate. I was a visitor on the rez and had a hard time with walking the line between educating children and not destroying the culture. I did do formal reprimands on a couple of staff members who just would not stop their inappropriate humor. One accepted the punishment and really tried to change. The other made a big deal about it. When she lost her appeal, she simply quit her job. Of course her venom didn’t stop after she left. She bounced around through several Bureau schools before she left education.

These experiences remind me of the boat story. The military does have its own culture. It is difficult to understand from the outside. That doesn’t make it right. Humor should make us laugh. I believe that can be accomplished without hurting someone. I also believe that it says a lot about a culture by what is done to make someone laugh. The military needs to change. Young kids should not be laughing at raunchy humor from their elders. It somehow makes it more acceptable. I have heard and told many a raunchy joke. I would have never told it to my parents. My parents, even in their later years, still never told my brother or me a really raunchy joke. It has to do with respect. The military leaders should have respect for themselves and for ALL those they command.
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∞ JEOPARDY PUZZLE—(Super-Jeopardy Answers) from 1990 STARTS WITH “S”
…answers at bottom…
→A close-fitting dress usually with a straight skirt & no belt, or a case for a blade
→Not a table for serving lunch, it's 2 large ad placards linked by straps & worn over the shoulders
→In printing, a fine line finishing off the main stroke of a letter
→The center of our galaxy lies in this constellation between Scorpio & Capricorn
→This term that means “without knee breeches” was applied to some ill-clad French revolutionaries

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM-- JACKSONVILLE, FL
Police in Florida said they followed a trail of debris from a credit union to a suspect in a front-end loader carrying an ATM ripped from the building. Jacksonville police said they responded to a burglar alarm about 3:50 a.m. Monday and discovered the Vystar Credit Union structure had been demolished and an ATM was missing, The (Jacksonville) Florida Times-Union reported Wednesday. Investigators followed a trail of debris to a Caterpillar front-end loader attempting to turn from a highway onto a bike trail. They said the driver of the loader kept going despite police turning on their lights then put the heavy machine into reverse and headed straight for a patrol car. The police car evaded the machine and it again fled away, but stopped after about 500 feet and police arrested Robert Anderson, 31.
Police said the ATM was severely damaged but its cash cartridge remained intact. Anderson was jailed on charges of burglary in excess of $1,000 and aggravated assault.

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—
• Water dissolves more substances than any other liquid. Wherever it travels, water carries chemicals, minerals, and nutrients with it.
• Pure water (solely hydrogen and oxygen atoms) has a neutral pH of 7, which is neither acidic nor basic.

A LITTLE LAUGH
The new Supermarket near our house has an automatic water mister to keep the produce fresh. Just before it goes on, you hear the sound of distant thunder and the smell of fresh rain.
When you approach the milk cases, you hear cows mooing and witness the scent of fresh hay.
When you approach the egg case, you hear hens cluck and cackle and the air is filled with the pleasing aroma of bacon and eggs frying.
The veggie department features the smell of fresh buttered corn.
I don't buy toilet paper there anymore.

GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS—Unusual Skill
→Ashrita Furman of Jamaica, New York, USA set a pogo stick jumping distance record of 37.18 km (23.11 miles) in 12 hours 27 min on June 22, 1997 at Queensborough Community College Track, New York, USA.
→The greatest distance walked by a person continuously balancing a milk bottle on the head is 130.3 km (80.96 miles) by Ashrita Furman of New York, USA, around Victory Field track, Forest Park, Queens, on April 22-23, 1998. It took him 23 hours 35 minutes to complete the walk.
→The longest recorded duration for balancing on one foot is 76 hr 40 min by Arulanantham Suresh Joachim (Sri Lanka) at Vihara Maha Devi Park Open Air Stadium, Sri Lanka, from May 22-25, 1997.
→The longest journey on a lawnmower is 23,487.5 km (14,594.5 miles) in 260 consecutive days by America's Gary Hatter. Hatter started his drive through Portland, Maine, on May 31, 2000 and passed through all 48 continuous US states as well as Canada and Mexico before arriving in Daytona Beach, Florida, on February 14, 2001.
→The record for the longest lecture marathon lasted for 120 hours and was achieved by Jayasimha Ravirala (India) who lectured on personality development concepts at FAPCCI Hall, Hyderabad, India, from 24 March to 29 March 2007.
→The longest reading aloud marathon by a team lasted 224 hours and was completed by Milton Nan, Silvina Carbone, Carlos Antón, Edit Díaz, Yolanda Baptista and Natalie Dantaz (all Uruguay) at Mac Center Shopping, Paysandú, Uruguay between September 13-22, 2007.

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’
A letter to a friend regarding the 12 days of Christmas gifts. The accent really makes the letters enjoyable.

♫ T O P T V T H E M E S O N G S OF ALL TIME♫
Click on Song Title to see and hear
This wonderfully soulful song does an excellent job of portraying the celebratory mood of a couple who have finally found great success and a better life for themselves. George and Wheezie were often showing a rather grumpy attitude towards each other, but underneath it all, it was easy to believe their theme song let you know how happy they really were together
Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street? This question has been asked over 4000 times, and it doesn't look like it will be ending any time soon. Sesame Street is working on its 36th season, and in a case of if it isn't broke, don't fix it, the theme hasn't been tinkered with. The song itself is simple and inviting, with a jingle that can mesmerize small children. But unlike other shows, I can't think of any parent that wouldn't allow their child to visitSesame Street after hearing this theme song
Sonny Curtis, best known for penning the MTMS theme song, "Love Is All Around" had a rich history of writing hit songs prior to being immortalized as a theme song legend. Curtis played guitar in Buddy Holly's early band The Three Tunes (he was also a brief member of The Crickets, as well) and cut his teeth not only writing songs, but notable commercial jingles of the day, as well. Built around a whispering guitar lick and swooning orchestration, the song is a positive little ditty that seems to have been cast from Mary's distinctively upbeat smile. Oh yeah, the kitten meow at the end is priceless
IGN readers will likely remember this as the theme from the old arcade game Spy Hunter, but before Midway re-popularized it, the "Theme From Peter Gunn" served as one of the most iconic songs of the Sixties. Of course, having Henry Mancini write your TV show's opening music is always a good choice
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DAYBOOK INFORMATION
‡…THIS WEEK…‡
Celebration of Life Week: Diet Resolution Week: Silent Record Week: 1-7
National Lose Weight/Feel Great Week: 1-8
Someday We'll Laugh About This Week: 2-8
New Year's Resolutions Week: 3-9
Women's Self Empowerment Week: 5-9
‡…TODAY IS…‡
Bean Day to celebrate beans—esp the baked kind
Bird Day: since 1905: to celebrate wild birds and to understand that tropical birds are not considered domesticated and should not be pets
Western Christianity: The Twelfth day of Christmas ( Twelve drummers drumming symbolize the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostles Creed.
…and the Twelfth Night of Christmas (as an end to the celebrations and preparing for Epiphany )
England: Glastonbury Thorn Day: a bifloral (blooms 2x’s a year) marking the winter arrival of Christianity to England
‡…Today’s Births…‡
• AUTHORS
1923 Robert L Bernstein publisher (Random House)
1918 Jeanne Dixon psychic (Gift of Prophecy)
Umberto Eco, 78, author (In the Name of the Rose)
W.D. Snodgrass, 84, poet: Heart’s Needle, The Fuhrer Bunker, The Complete Cycle, April Inventory
• ATHLETES
Sean Dockery, 28, basketball player Duke, International Basketball Leaghue
Mike Grier, 36, ice hockey (Oilers, Sabres, Capitals, Sharks)
• BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1769 Jean Baptiste Say French economist (Political Economics)
• ENTERTAINERS (ACTORS/SINGERS/…)
Robert Duvall, 79, actor (A Civil Action, The Godfather)
Carrie Ann Inaba, 42, choreographer, television personality (“Dancing with the Stars”)
January Jones, 32, actress (“Mad Men”)
Diane Keaton, 64, actress (Something’s Gotta Give, Looking for Mr Goodbar, Reds, Oscar for Annie Hall)
1923 Sam Phillips musician/record company founder (Sun)
1914 George Reeves [George Lescher Bessolo], actor (Superman)
Charlie Rose, 68, newscaster, television host
• POLITICIANS
1876 Konrad Adenauer chancellor of Germany (1949)
1779 Stephen Decatur U.S. naval officer: “Our country right or wrong.”
Walter Frederick (Fritz) Mondale, 82, 42nd vice president of the US, former senator
Ed Rendell, 66, Governor of Pennsylvania
• SCIENCE & RELIGION
1874 Joseph Erlanger doctor (shock therapy-Nobel 1944)
1811 Cyrus Hamlin educator/missionary (established Robert College, Turkey)
1895 Jeannette (Ridlon) Piccard balloon pilot: 1st American woman to be free balloon pilot
1779 Zebulon Montgomery Pike explorer (Pike's Peak)
1794 Edmund Ruffin agriculturist: one of the originators of crop rotation and fertilization; publisher: Farmer’s Register; Confederate soldier: fired first shot on Fort Sumter in American Civil War
‡…Today’s Obituaries…‡
1807 Michel Adanson French biologist (Plant classes), @ 79
1998 Sonny Bono (Representative-R-CA)/singer (Sonny & Cher), skiing @ 62
1943 George Washington Carver famous black American agricultural scientist @ 81
1982 Hans Conried actor (Bullwinkle Show, Make Room for Daddy), heart attack @ 64
1963 Rogers Hornsby baseball player, heart ailment @ 66
1990 Arthur Kennedy actor (Air Force), brain tumor @ 76
1971 Sonny Liston World Champ heavyweight boxer (1962-64), heart failure/drugs? @ 36
1988 "Pistol Pete" Mavarich NBAer (Atlanta), heart attack @ 40
1860 St John Nepomucene Neumann 1st male US saint, started 1st Catholic school in US, stroke @ 46
1994 Thomas P "Tip" O'Neill (MA)/Speaker of House (1977-86), @ 81
‡…Today’s Events…‡
• ARTS
1927 Fox Studios exhibits Movietone
1945 Pepe LePew debuts in Warner Bros cartoon "Odor-able Kitty"
1959 "Bozo the Clown" live children's show premieres on TV
1981 "Nightline" with Ted Koppel extended from 20 minutes to 30 minutes
• ATHLETICS
1934 National & American baseball leagues select a uniform ball
1951 Babe Didrikson-Zaharias wins LPGA Ponte Vedra Beach Women's Golf Open
1957 Dodgers' Jackie Robinson retires rather than be traded to New York Giants
1993 Mike Ditka was dismissed as Chicago Bears head coach after 32 years as a player and coach
• BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1887 1st US school of librarianship opens at Columbia University
1940 FCC hears 1st transmission of FM radio with clear, static-free signal
• INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1806 Sacajawea tells Lewis and Clark she wants to see a dead whale washed up on the beach in Oregon.
1834 Kiowa Indians record this as the night the stars fell
1852 One in a series of treaties with California Indians is signed today at Temecula. The treaty is to set aside land and to protect the San Luis Rey Indians from Europeans.
• POLITICS (US)
1781 British naval expedition led by Benedict Arnold burns Richmond VA
1804 Ohio legislature passes 1st laws restricting free blacks movement
1925 First female governor Mrs. Nellie Tayloe Ross in the U.S. took office in Wyoming
1961 US breaks diplomatic relations with Cuba
1968 Dr Benjamin Spock indicted for conspiring to violate draft law
• POLITICS (International)
1911 Portuguese expel Jesuits
1919 National Socialist Party (Nazi) forms as German Farmers Party
• SCIENCE & RELIGION
1896 German physicist Wilhelm Roentgen's discovers x-rays
1905 Charles Perrine announces discovery of Jupiter's 7th satellite, Elara
1982 Arkansas judge rules against obligatory teaching of creation
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ANSWERS
∞ JEOPARDY
→A close-fitting dress usually with a straight skirt & no belt, or a case for a blade
What is a ‘sheath’?
→Not a table for serving lunch, it's 2 large ad placards linked by straps & worn over the shoulders
What is a ‘sandwich board’?
→In printing, a fine line finishing off the main stroke of a letter
What is a ‘serif’?
→The center of our galaxy lies in this constellation between Scorpio & Capricorn
What is ‘Sagitarius’?
→This term that means “without knee breeches” was applied to some ill-clad French revolutionaries
What is ‘san-culottes‘?
THAT'S ALL FOR NOW
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Tuesday 1-4-11



HOLY MACKEREL: 1863 Four wheeled roller skates patented by James Plimpton of NY

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MY FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
I spent much of the mid day running errands. Hit WalMart, Sam’s, and Home Depot. I found just about everything I was looking for, and some things I wasn’t looking for. The hardest part of the trip was getting the stuff into the house over the ice in the parking lot.

I guess it is time to hold on…the Republican’s sound ready to undo much of Obama’s legislation and do not want to raise the debt limit. From what I understand, not raising the debt limit will place the US in default on its debts to other countries. If the other countries act like the banks in our country, that means they will demand immediate payment in full. I’m sure that most of their banter is little more than hype. The other thing that sounds odd is that every new Representative that was interviewed on major news channels says that we have to cut spending. I agree. However, when asked a follow up as to what spending needs to be cut, not one person was able to say what they would vote to cut. I think everyone knows that we have to cut spending since we are not bringing in that much money. Somebody has to say what should be cut. Here’s hoping someone steps up with a good plan.

Gov Brewer also took office today. As expected she promised to balance our budget during her term. She says she will lay out her plan later. Typical politician. She has been in office for two years, has cut just about everything and we don’t have a balanced budget. The ‘fix-it fairy’ hasn’t visited Jan yet, and from what I understand, doesn’t have a visit planned anytime soon.

Slowly Flag is warming up. Some snow actually melted today—not a lot, but some is better than none. Hopefully it will melt before the next storm comes in later in the week. I must say that there is at least one strip mall owner who has no concept of weather in Flagstaff. Last year two stores had to close for almost a year because the flat roof caved in during our snowstorm. They are open again, still with a flat roof that the owner says is much stronger. Of course that is what he said when one of the roofs collapsed three years ago. In the same strip mall the pipes at Michael’s froze and burst at the entrance so it closed the store for a few days. Some customers and employees got very wet in the cold weather. Several homes and stores also had burst pipes as it was in the negative teens for several nights. Gotta love Flg in the winter.

As I start a new year of this blog some things I should point out. I cut and paste most of the information below. I have always been a believer in remembering history—and I find it interesting to see when people were born, died, and when historical events took place. I have always been a teacher and think Jeopardy and other puzzles help keep the ol grey matter working. The jokes and trivia usually make me smile which is also good for health. I have been a music lover since my youth and enjoy having tunes get in my head again. The odd news section reminds me that not everything in this world has to be serious—although some of the weird news can be down right scary. The Quote of the Day is the ESL teacher still alive and well in me. While I have some regular readers I also use this as a journal of my life. I started the Calendar thing when I was a supervisor and included it in my daily announcements so that teachers, who hardly have time to research that kind of stuff, would be able to share some of it with their class. Each day the teachers had a quick teaching moment of something that happened on that day. No one ever used it all, but most teachers used at least one item each day—something that struck them for a teachable moment. I still enjoy doing it. I have all the cut and paste part down to about 45 minutes each day. The journal part takes about 30 minutes. The layout changes each month, just like my old bulletin boards...LOL. Hope you enjoy.
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∞ JEOPARDY PUZZLE—(Super-Jeopardy Answers) from 1990 NURSERY RHYMES
…answers at bottom…
→Gardener described as “quite contrary”
→Weapon the farmer's wife wielded in her attack on 3 blind mice
→While you “ring-a-ring o'roses”, you've got a pocketful of these flowers
→In “rock-a-bye baby” this is when “the cradle will rock”
→A compendium of nursery rhyme character quotes would include this one under Horner, Little Jack

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM— BEEBE, AR
Preliminary autopsies on 17 of the up to 5,000 blackbirds that fell on this town indicate they died of blunt trauma to their organs, the state's top veterinarian told NBC News on Monday.
Their stomachs were empty, which rules out poison, Dr. George Badley said, and they died in midair, not on impact with the ground. That evidence, and the fact that the red-winged blackbirds fly in close flocks, suggests they suffered some massive midair collision, he added. That lends weight to theories that they were startled by something.
Earlier Monday, the estimated number of dead birds was raised to between 4,000 and 5,000, up sharply from the initial estimate of 1,000.
Keith Stephens, a spokesman for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, provided the new numbers.
Residents of the small town of Beebe awoke Saturday to find thousands of dead blackbirds littering a 1.5-square-mile area. The birds inexplicably dropped dead, landing on homes, cars and lawns.
Violent weather rumbled over much of the state Friday, including a tornado that killed three people in Cincinnati, Ark. Lightning could have killed the birds directly or startled them to the point that they became confused. Hail also has been known to knock birds from the sky.
The director of Cornell University's ornithology lab in Ithaca, N.Y., said the most likely suspect is violent weather. It's probable that thousands of birds were asleep, roosting in a single tree, when a "washing machine-type thunderstorm" sucked them up into the air, disoriented them, and even fatally soaked and chilled them.
"Bad weather can occasionally catch flocks off guard, blow them off a roost, and they get hurled up suddenly into this thundercloud," lab director John Fitzpatrick said.
"Every dog and cat in the neighborhood that night was able to get a fresh snack that night," Rowe said.
Mike Robertson, the mayor in Beebe, said the last dead bird was removed about 11 a.m. Sunday in the town about 40 miles northeast of Little Rock. A dozen workers hired by the city to do the cleanup wore environmental-protection suits for the task. Robertson said the workers wore the suits as a matter of routine and not out of fear that the birds might be contaminated.
"It started at 7 a.m., picking up birds on the street, in the yards, been run over. It's just a mess," Beebe Street Department supervisor Milton McCullar told WISC-TV.

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—New Years
→In 1942 and 1943, the glowing Ball was temporarily retired due to the wartime "dimout" of lights in New York City. The crowds who still gathered in Times Square in those years greeted the New Year with a minute of silence followed by chimes ringing out from sound trucks parked at the base of the Times Tower.
→The actual notion of a ball "dropping" to signal the passage of time dates back long before New Year's Eve was ever celebrated in Times Square. The first "time-ball" was installed atop England's Royal Observatory at Greenwich in 1833. This ball would drop at one o'clock every afternoon, allowing the captains of nearby ships to precisely set their chronometers (a vital navigational instrument).
→For 2011, Waterford Crystal has designed 288 new “Let There Be Love” crystal triangles featuring a romantic pattern that blends a modern cascade of hearts with diamond cutting. The triangles are emblazoned with last year's "Let There Be Courage" design of a ribbon medal defining the triumph of courage over adversity; and 1,152 triangles sparkle with the "Let There Be Joy" design of an angel with arms uplifted welcoming the New Year.

A LITTLE LAUGH
Pauly walks into a bar and says "Bartender, one round for everyone, on me!" The bartender says, "Well, Pauly, seems you're in a really good mood tonight, eh?"
Pauly says, "Oh, you can bet on it! I just got hired by the city to go around and remove all the money from parking meters. I start on Monday!"
The bartender congratulates the man and proceeds to pour the round.
Monday evening arrives. Pauly comes back into the bar and says "Bartender, TWO rounds for everyone, on me!"
The bartender says, "Well now! If you're so happy just over having this new job, I can just imagine how happy you'll be when you get your paycheck!"
Pauly looks at the bartender with a confused look on his face, pulls out quite a handful of quarters from his pocket, and says "You mean they'll PAY me on top of it?"

GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS—Unusual Skill
→The record for the fastest lunge mile is 27 min 4 sec and was set by Geoffrey Gray (USA) at the Santa Barbara City College track in Santa Barbara, California, USA, on 16 August 2008.
→Jackie Bibby (USA), aka The Texas Snake Man, sat in a bathtub with 87 snakes on 5 November 2007 in Dublin, Texas, USA for 45 minutes as part of GWR Day.
→The most live rattlesnakes held in the mouth by their tails without any assistance is 10 by Jackie Bibby (USA) for 10 seconds as part of Guinness World Records day on 9 November 2006 in New York City, USA.
→The record for the greatest distance on a static cycle in one hour was is 65.48 km (40.69 miles) and was achieved by Holden Comeau (USA) from the New York Sports Clubs/Cadence Cycling Team, during Saints & Spinners - The 24-Hour Spin Party and Benefit at Grand Central Terminal, New York, NY, USA, on 18 January 2008.
→The longest time to hold your breath underwater is 18 min 32.59 sec and was achieved by Karoline Mariechen Meyer (Brazil) at the Racer Academy swimming pool, Florianopolis, Brazil, on 10 July 2009.

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’
I remember teachers asking us to predict what life would be like in 2000. We had flying cars, space vacations, no homework, and other things. Well it turns out way back in 1931 some visionaries were asked what life would be like in 2011.

♫ T O P T V T H E M E S O N G S OF ALL TIME♫
Click on Song Title to see and hear
Sure, Law and Order has its own theme, but the true embodiment of law and order will always be Joe Friday. Often referred to as the "Dragnet March," the theme music to this cop show about the most straight arrow cop imaginable had a triumphant tone to it that let you know that no matter what, Friday was gonna get the bad guy. -
TV shows like The Addams Family just aren't made anymore, and themes like this aren't, either. The show is about a morbid family of monsters, and the theme is just as quirky and eclectic as the characters. "They're creepy and they're spooky… altogether ooky." This one earns points not only for making up the word "ooky," but using it in a sentence, too.
If this song doesn't make you want to sport an enormous blond 'fro, nothing will. Beginning with the lyrics, "Believe it or not, I'm walking on air," it is the perfect theme for a show about a regular guy who blunders his way into becoming a reluctant superhero. "Who could it be? Believe it or not, it's just me."
Simple and jazzy, this instrumental tune immediately sets the tone for a unique and entertaining comedy. From the opening high flute notes to the flourish at the end, the theme stays refreshingly original and memorable, even now, 28 years after its debut
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DAYBOOK INFORMATION
‡…THIS WEEK…‡
Celebration of Life Week: Diet Resolution Week: Silent Record Week: 1-7
National Lose Weight/Feel Great Week: 1-8
Someday We'll Laugh About This Week: 2-8
New Year's Resolutions Week: 3-9
‡…TODAY IS…‡
Trivia Day
Humiliation Day
Dimpled Chad Day
World Hypnotism Day
Western Christianity: The eleventh day of Christmas. (Eleven pipers piping represent the eleven faithful Apostles: Matthew 10:2-4: Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot. Mathias was not an original Apostle, but replaced Judas Iscariot)
Angola: Day of the Fallen against the Colonial Repression Myanmar/Burma: Independence Day (1948 from UK)
Nigeria: Ogoni Day (Movement for the Survival of the Indigenous Ogoni People: about 500K living today)
Sri Lanka: Tamil Thai Pongal Day: Pongal is a dish of sweet concoction of rice, moong dal, jaggery and milk. This festival is celebrated by one and all as it is non-relevance to any particular religious faith-- the expression of jubilation over life's renewal.
US: Utah : Admission Day (1896: 45th State)
Zaïre: Martyrs' Day
‡…Today’s Births…‡
• AUTHORS
1878 Alfred Edgar Coppard English writer (Black Dogs & Other Stories)
1785 Jacob Ludwig Carl Grimm German librarian (fairy tale collector)
• ATHLETES
Garrison Hearst, 40, football: Univ. of Georgia RB, Cardinals, Bengals, 49ers
1935 Floyd Patterson heavyweight boxing champion [1956-1959]
Donald Francis (Don) Shula, 80, Hall of Fame football coach
• BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1809 Louis Braille French developer (reading system for blind)
1813 Sir Isaac Pitman inventor (shorthand)
• ENTERTAINERS (ACTORS/SINGERS/…)
Dyan Cannon, 73, actress (Heaven Can Wait, Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice)
Dave Foley, 48, actor (“NewsRadio”)
1838 General Tom Thumb (Charles Stratton) entertainer: world’s most famous little person
1914 Jane Wyman actress, 1st Mrs Ron Reagan, (Magnificent Obsession)
• POLITICIANS
1896 Everett McKinley Dirkson (Senator-IL)
• SCIENCE & RELIGION
1797 Wilhelm Beer German amateur astronomer (constructed 1st Moon map)
‡…Today’s Obituaries…‡
1752 Gabriel Cramer Swiss mathematician (paradox of Cramer), overwork & fall @ 47
1965 T S Eliot poet (Washed Country), emphysema @ 76
1997 Harry B Helmsley owner (Empire State Building), @ 87
1821 Elizabeth Ann Seton 1st native-born American saint. TB @ 46
1877 Cornelius Vanderbilt US robber baron, @ 82
‡…Today’s Events…‡
• ARTS
1984 "Night Court" starring Harry Anderson premieres
• ATHLETICS
1920 1st Black baseball league, National Negro Baseball League, organizes
1991 Fu Mingxia, a 12-year-old from China, became the youngest world champion in the history of any aquatic event. Mingxia won the women’s 10-metre platform title at the World Swimming Championships in Perth, Australia.
• BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1754 Columbia University founded, as Kings College (New York City NY)
1962 1st automated (unmanned) subway train (New York City NY)
• INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1818 After the fighting in Fowltown, on the Flint River in Georgia opposite Ft. Scott on 11/21/1817, most of the Creeks have abandoned the village. Today, forces under Andrew Jackson occupy the village. They will methodically destroy it to keep the "Red Stick" Creeks from returning.
1874 Eskiminzin of the Aravaipa Apache, survivor of Camp Grant massacre and arrested as a "military precaution", escapes from San Carlos with many of his band. He will return in 4 months because most of his people are sick and hungry.
• POLITICS (US)
1725 Benjamin Franklin arrives in London
1893 US President Harrison grants amnesty to Mormon polygamy
1896 Following Mormon abandonment of polygamy, Utah admitted as 45th state
1904 Supreme Court rules Puerto Ricans cannot be denied admission to US
1944 Ralph Bunche appointed 1st Negro official in US State Department
1965 LBJ's "Great Society" State of the Union Address
1971 Congressional Black Caucus organizes
1995 Newt Gingrich (R) becomes speaker of the House
1999 Minnesota inaugurated pro wrestler Jesse Ventura as its 38th governor. The only Reform Party candidate to ever win statewide office
• POLITICS (International)
1493 Columbus left new world on return from 1st voyage
• SCIENCE & RELIGION
1570 Spanish viceroy Alva banishes Zutphen City's only physician, Joost Sweiter, "because he is a Jew"
1884 Last sighting of an eastern cougar (Ontario)
1885 Dr. William Grant of Davenport, IA performed the first successful appendectomy
1975 Ice thickness measured at 4776 m (15669 ' and 3.49 "), Wilkes Land, Antarctica
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ANSWERS
∞ JEOPARDY
→Gardener described as “quite contrary”
Who was Mary Mary?
→Weapon the farmer's wife wielded in her attack on 3 blind mice
What is a carving knife?
→While you “ring-a-ring o'roses”, you've got a pocketful of these flowers
What are posies?
→In “rock-a-bye baby” this is when “the cradle will rock”
What is ‘when the wind blows’?
→A compendium of nursery rhyme character quotes would include this one under Horner, Little Jack
What is ‘What a good boy I am’?
THAT'S ALL FOR NOW
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Monday 1-3-11



HOLY MACKEREL: 1876 1st free kindergarten in US opens in Florence MA


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MY FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
It was a cold day outside. I am ready for at least a couple of warm days. Roads are good, snow still isn’t melting.

For an old-er guy I am so naïve sometimes. The Admiral on the USS Enterprise is being investigated for making an anti-gay video and showed it to the entire 5000 on board. It should be noted this was in 2005-06..when Bush was in office. At some point, after the video he became the top guy on the ship. What I find amazing is that his boss at the time saw the video and the guy was still promoted. What an unnecessary mess.

Just found out that a buddy of mine from San Carlos is the new Tribal Vice Chair. John and I went to summer grad school. He used a school I were I was working for part of his doctoral thesis. He has been the superintendent of the local public school system for over 25 years and always had higher goals. Guess I better reconnect. I just read his inauguration speech from the on-line paper in San Carlos. Technology is amazing. I’m still searching for pics but I know they have to be out there somewhere. I also found that the tribe in on facebook. John’s thesis had to do with using technology of the day to improve education. It’s amazing how far we have come since those days.

I have a busy week ahead—for a retired guy anyway. Dental cleaning, regular doctor visit, and my throat trimming thing. New Year, new deductibles, might as well get it out of the way early. I’m sure I will have a big deductible bill when this is done. No one seems to be able to tell me how much the surgery will be, but BC has approved me so I guess they will be paying most of it. Can’t really get all bothered as it seems that it has to be done to prevent big problems later. I’ve lived with the ‘extra soft tissue’ for quite a while but the surgeon says I shouldn’t be dealing with it.

I am hoping to have our retirement lunch sometime this week since we haven’t gotten together since just before Christmas and we all have stories to share. What with travel, and then the cold and snowy weather none of us felt like trying to meet. Mary lives on a tertiary street, meaning that the snowplows save her road for late plowing. Cheryl has to drive about 30 miles on I-40 which is famous for closing during bad weather and last week was no exception. It would open for a time, close, re-open and re-close. They also had a lot of ‘slide offs’ in both directions. While we like to get together, none of wants to deal with that. It was hard enough for Mary when she commuted for 20+ years to Tuba. I am so glad that now I don’t really mind being at home for two or three days without driving around town. A quick trip to Safeway—about a mile away—is all I really need to do and could even survive without that trip. I do get cabin fever after three days and have to get into town if just to walk around a little. I still have two Christmas wind socks outside. There is about two feet of snow under them and they are basically frozen solid. I’ll get to them if it ever warms up enough—or they will just hang out there wishing everyone a Merry Christmas until May.

This latest storm and the extreme cold did allow me time to do all my laundry. I usually wait until I have used up all my whites before I go through the hassle of soaking them. It is much easier to do the largest load possible than to do several small loads. The same is true for sweaters. I did break down and used the dryer on low/fluff for the sweaters as I didn’t want to have them trying to dry on my fold out wooden rack. It takes about a day and a half on the rack and I have to flip them a couple of times. The dryer worked OK as they were still a little damp when I took them out. Boring, I know.
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∞ JEOPARDY PUZZLE—(Super-Jeopardy Answers) from 1990 WORLD GEOGRAPHY USA
…answers at bottom… Note: I just read that there have been over 6000 episodes of Jeopardy since it started. That’s over 360,000 questions…Awesome.
→Running from April 1860 to October 1861, it lost the mail only once
→A new Orleans park near Basin Street is named for this late trumpeter
→Among official state nicknames there isn't a “later” state, but there is a “Sooner” state, this one
→Now known as this, in the 17th century this island was owned by a man named Isaac Bedloe
→Thomas McKean of Delaware was the last to sign this & may have done it as late as 1781

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM— LAKE WORTH, FL
Florida firefighters said a man caused heavy damage to his home when he tried and failed to smoke a bee colony out of his house. Capt. Don DeLucia, spokesman for Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue, said Mario Go of Lake Worth was trying to smoke the bees out of a column supporting a second-story balcony Tuesday and accidentally set the house on fire, The Palm Beach Post reported. DeLucia said the fire caused about $50,000 worth of damage but no one was injured. He said the fire failed to drive away the bees.

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—New Years
→The first-ever celebration of New Year's Eve in Times Square happened in 1904, the same year that the city's first subway line opened. The NYE bash commemorated the official opening of the new headquarters of The New York Times. The newspaper's owner, German Jewish immigrant Alfred Ochs, had successfully lobbied the city to rename Longacre Square, the district surrounding his paper's new home, in honor of the famous publication.
→The Times Tower was the focus of Ochs' elaborate celebration which featured an all-day street festival culminating in a fireworks display set off from the base of the tower. At midnight, the over 200,000 attendees joyfully rang in the new year with sounds of cheering, rattles and noisemakers. The night was such a rousing success that Times Square instantly replaced Lower Manhattan's Trinity Church as "the" place in New York City to ring in the new year.
→When the city banned the fireworks display two years later, Ochs arranged to have a large, illuminated seven-hundred-pound iron and wood ball lowered from the tower flagpole precisely at midnight to signal the end of 1907 and the beginning of 1908. The original ball was built by a young immigrant metalworker named Jacob Starr, and for most of the twentieth century the company he founded, sign maker Artkraft Strauss, was responsible for lowering the ball.

A LITTLE LAUGH
Every December it was the same excruciating tradition. Our family would get up at the crack of dawn, go to a Christmas tree farm and tromp across acres of snow in search of the perfect tree. Hours later our feet would be freezing, but Mom would press on, convinced the tree of her dreams was "just up ahead."
One year I snapped. "Mom, face it. The perfect tree doesn't exist. It's like looking for a man. Just be satisfied if you can find one that isn't dead and doesn't have too many bald spots."

GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS—Unusual Skill
→Kevin Fast (Canada) pulled a CC-177 Globemaster III aircraft, weighing 188.83 tons (416,299 lb), a distance of 8.8 m (28 ft 10.46 in) at Canadian Forces Base in Trenton, Ontario, Canada, on 17 September 2009.
→The longest duration a person has hung from Roman rings (gymnastic double rings) is 32.84 sec achieved by Tyler Yamauchi (USA) at the University of Illinois in Champaign, Illinois, USA, on 7 December 2008.
→ England's John Evans balanced a 159.6 kg (352 lb) Mini Cooper vehicle on his head for 33 seconds at The London Studios, UK on May 24, 1999. Dangling cars from his head is all in a day's work for professional 'Head Balancer' Evans. He's balanced people, books and beers, but the car's by far the most deadly trick - a strong wind and it could be the end of the road for John. John's a gigantic guy. He's 2 meters (6’ 5”) tall and weighs in at 155.7 kg (343 lb). But it's his 60.9cm (24-inch) neck that's the only part of his body strong enough to take such immense weights. So the slightest slip, trip or nudge could send him tumbling to a crushing death, as his arms wouldn't be able to cope with the load!
→The heaviest weight lifted using only the ear is 73 kg (160 lb 15 oz) by Zafar Gill (Pakistan), who lifted gym weights hanging from a clamp attached to his right ear in Lahore, Pakistan, on 3 January 2009.
→The most push-ups using the backs of the hands in one hour is 1,940 and was set by Paddy Doyle (UK) at Stamina's Boxing Self Defense Gym in Erin Go Bragh Sports Centre, Birmingham, UK, on November 8, 2007.

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

♫ T O P T V T H E M E S O N G S OF ALL TIME♫
Click on Song Title to see and hear
Hawaii has always provided the iconic locale for some of television's greatest moments. Just think about Hawaii Five-0, The Brady Bunch Go To Hawaii, and of course Magnum P.I.. Crafted by Ian Freebairn-Smith (the man responsible for the Airwolf theme, as well) went for a borderline funk-lite-cum-sweeping instrumental vibe with this instrumental ditty that utilizes plenty of cascading chicka-chicka guitar and swooning strings to create a memorable sonic romp.-SA
♪… 21. Three's Company  Note: no video of the actual opening is available.
Don Nicholl and Joe Raposo bucked the instrumental funk trend of the mid-to-late '70s, opting instead for a more updated take on the Broadway oriented vocal song for their theme to this classic sexcapade. Then again the duo's choice shouldn't come as much of a surprise since Nicholl produced shows like All In The Familyand The Jeffersons, both of which relied on similar show tune oriented theme songs, and Raposo had worked prior on Sesame Street. Resonating with a somewhat cheesy lounge act vibe, the song features wah-wah guitar, tambourine, and plenty of rich orchestration making it the perfect number to perform at a Vegas karaoke spot, should you feel so inclined.-SA
Ah, Mayberry… where have towns like you gone? The whistling, happy theme of The Andy Griffith Show perfectly introduces the wholesome family entertainment to come. Plus, it's the only TV show theme to heavily feature whistling, and whistling is cool.
If you do not immediately see the three pairs of feet that comprise the My Three Sons opening graphic upon hearing this song, you probably have never seen TV Land. This upbeat theme song to the long-running sit-com evokes feelings of cocktail parties and wool and Fred McMurray's fatherly face
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DAYBOOK INFORMATION
‡…THIS WEEK…‡
Celebration of Life Week: Diet Resolution Week: Silent Record Week: 1-7
National Lose Weight/Feel Great Week: 1-8
Someday We'll Laugh About This Week: 2-8
New Year's Resolutions Week: 3-9
‡…TODAY IS…‡
Festival of Sleep Day
Drinking Straw Day
Earth at Perihelion
J.R.R. Tolkien Day: his birthday
Memento Mori "Remember You Die" Day
National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day
"Thank God It's Monday" Day
Western Christianity: The tenth day of Christmas (The ten lords a-leaping are the Ten Commandments. Check Exodus 20:2–17 or Deuteronomy 5:6–21 if you can’t list them all)
France: St. Genevieve Feast Day (protected Paris by Attila the Hun invasion through fasting and prayer)
Hakozaki Shrine, Fukuoka, Japan: Tamaseseri Festival (Imagine a kind of religious handball match. The ball is 30cm (1ft) in diameter and made of solid wood. The teams line up in loin cloths after purification at Hakozaki Hachiman Shrine. One team represents the land and the other the sea. If the land wins, there will be a good harvest. If the sea wins, there will be a good catch.)
Russia: Passport Presentation (16 yr olds become eligible for passport)
Scotland : Handsel Monday: small tips and gifts of money that it was customary to give at the beginning of the first working week of a new year
US: Alaska: Admission Day (1959: 49th state)
‡…Today’s Births…‡
• AUTHORS
Joan Walsh Anglund, 84, author, illustrator of children’s books (Crocus in the Snow, Bedtime Book)1803 Douglas William Jerrold English author/playwright/wit (Punch Magazine)
1892 John Ronald Reuel Tolkien South African philologist/writer (Lord of Rings)
• ATHLETES
Robert Marvin (Bobby) Hull, 71, Hall of Fame hockey (Black Hawks, Jets, Whalers)
Eli Manning (Elisha Nelson Manning), 29, football (Giants)
• BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1887 Helen Parkhurst US educator (Education on the Dalton plan)
1624 William Tucker 1st Black child born in America
• ENTERTAINERS (ACTORS/SINGERS/…)
1909 Victor Borge [Borge Rosenbaum], Danish pianist/comedian
1916 Betty Furness actress/consumer activist (Studio 1)
Mel Gibson, 54, actor (Braveheart, Lethal Weapon), director (The Passion of the Christ)
1905 Ray Milland Welsh actor (Lost Weekend-Academy Award 1945)
1898 ZaSu Pitts actress (Life With Father, Dames)
Victoria Principal, 60, actress (“Dallas”)
Robert Loggia, 80, actor (An Officer and a Gentleman, Scarface)
Stephen Stills, 65, musician, songwriter
1922 Bill Travers producer, director, actor: Born Free
• POLITICIANS
1901 Ngo Dinh Diem President/Dictator of South Vietnam (1955-63)
106BC-Marcus Tullius Cicero Roman statesman/author (Academica)
• SCIENCE & RELIGION
1810 Antoine T d'Abbadie French explorer (Ethiopia)
1840 Father Joseph Damien de Veuster Belgium, helped lepers in Hawaii
‡…Today’s Obituaries…‡
1992 Dame Judith Anderson actress (Star Trek 3, Laura, Rebecca), pneumonia @ 93
1875 George Bizet composer (Carmen) heart attack @ 36
1543 Juan Cabrillo conqueror of Central America, discoverer of California, gangrene @ 44
1979 Conrad Hilton US founder (Hilton Hotels), @ 91
1967 Jack Ruby assassin who killed assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, lung cancer @ 55
1795 Josiah Wedgwood British ceramic craftsman/woodworker, inventor of modern marketing, specifically direct mail, money-back guarantees, traveling salesmen, self-service, free delivery, buy one get one free, and illustrated catalogues, bad tooth @ 64
‡…Today’s Events…‡
• ARTS
1967 Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys is indicted for draft evasion
1987 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducts 1st female artist Aretha Franklin
• ATHLETICS
1962 Ground is broken for the Houston Astrodome
• BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1825 Scottish factory owner Robert Owen buys 30,000 acres in Indiana as site for New Harmony utopian community
1825 The first engineering college in the U.S., Rensselaer School
1831 1st US building & loan association organized, Frankford PA
1847 California town of Yerba Buena renamed San Francisco
1890 1st US college-level dairy school opens at University of Wisconsin
1977 Apple Computer incorporated
• INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1541 de Soto visits the main Chickasaw town. He wants to visit Caluca, and he gets guides and interpreters from the Chickasaw.
1879 U.S.Army Captain Henry Wessells at Fort Robinson, in northwestern Nebraska, receives orders from General Sheridan and Secretary of the Interior Carl Schurz which states that Dull Knife and his Cheyennes return to their reservation.
• POLITICS (US)
1852 1st Chinese arrive in Hawaii
1939 Gene Cox becomes 1st girl page in US House of Representatives
1947 1st opening session of Congress to be televised
• POLITICS (International)
1925 Mussolini dissolves Italian parliament/becomes dictator
1941 Canada & US acquire air bases in Newfoundland (99 year lease)
1961 US breaks diplomatic relations with Cuba
1984 Syria frees captured US pilot after appeal from Jesse Jackson
1988 Margaret Thatcher becomes longest-serving British PM this century
• SCIENCE & RELIGION
1871 Oleomargarine patented by Henry Bradley, Binghamton NY
1888 Marvin C. Stone of Washington, DC patented the drinking straw
1958 Edmund Hillary reaches South Pole overland
1962 Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro
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ANSWERS
∞ JEOPARDY
→Running from April 1860 to October 1861, it lost the mail only once
What was the Pony Express? (19 months of operation, 616,000 miles, 34,753 letters)
→A New Orleans Park near Basin Street is named for this late trumpeter
Who is Louis Armstrong?
→Among official state nicknames there isn't a “later” state, but there is a “Sooner” state, this one
What is Oklahoma?
→Now known as this, in the 17th century this island was owned by a man named Isaac Bedloe
What is Liberty Island? (Home of the Statue of Liberty, it was first called Oyster Island, the Bedloe’s Island, and finally Liberty Island. In 1800 it became Federal Land. Prior to that both NY and NJ claimed it. It was used for smallpox quarantine and as a fort before Lady Liberty arrived in 1884 and unveiled in 1887).
→Thomas McKean of Delaware was the last to sign this & may have done it as late as 1781
What was the Declaration of Independence?
That's All For N ow
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Sunday 1-2-11



HOLY MACKEREL: 1903 President T Roosevelt shuts down post office in Indianola MI, for refusing to accept its appointed postmistress because she was black

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MY FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
So this is 2011. Hmmm. It was cold (-10) when I got up. I hope this isn’t the trend. The snow isn’t melting, but no new snow is piling up either. The wind makes it feel pretty cold. Spent the day with watching parades and ball games.

How many Bowl Games does it take say there are too many. I grew up with 4 major Bowl Games: Rose, Cotton, Orange, and Sugar. Most of the rest were considered ‘toilet’ bowls—at least until one of my teams played.

Back then there was no National Championship so we never knew who was really #1. Then the NCAA made a rotating Championship Bowl. As I read the results of the Championship game, it seems that many believe we still don’t know which team is #1. Anyway, I am still having a problem with my old Bowls which now have Corporate Names—anyway to make a few bucks. For those interested, there are 4 major Bowl games with the Nat’l Championship rotating between the Rose, Fiesta, Orange and Sugar Bowls. Then there are the minor bowls. There are 30 of them including: ‘Beef-o-Brady’ Bowl, Military Bowl, Poinsettia Bowl, Meineke Car Care Bowl, Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, Humanitarian Bowl, Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl, and many more. Back in my college days I thought the games were about football. In my senior year my college played in the Orange Bowl. Lots of hype, lots of excitement; it was great. Today the colleges/universities make money on bowl games. They probably did back in the day which explains why there were/are so many bowls. The payout for one of the major bowl games is $18million with each team getting about 49% and the Bowl must keep the rest. Winning or losing has nothing to do with the payout—it’s all about the prestige. The teams at the New Orleans Bowl split a meager $325K. By the end of Bowl Season the college/universities across our country will be receiving a total of $390million dollars. That is amazing. Of course, none of the players get any of that money and without the players there wouldn’t be any game. The only thing the players get is a gift bag which cannot exceed $500 in value—as per NCAA rules.

On NPR I heard that the Duke Basketball team had a 92% GSR (graduation success rate—a 6 year average of team members who graduate with a degree). This rate is very high according to the story. I guess so, because GSR for teams playing in last year’s football bowls is all over the map. Notre Dame football players have a GSR of 96% while 3 schools (Hawaii, Florida International, South Florida) were at the bottom of the list with a GSR of 46%. NCAA is talking about new rules that would keep school with low GSR’s out of Bowl games. I guess I’m an old school guy who thought that going to college was a big deal and meant that you were there for an education. While not everyone who goes to college graduates, it seems to me that schools with less than 50% of their athletes graduating needs to reevaluate what ‘winning’ and ‘losing’ really means.
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∞ JEOPARDY PUZZLE—(Super-Jeopardy Answers) from 1990 WORLD GEOGRAPHY
…answers at bottom…
→This country's deserts include the Gibson, Great Sandy & Great Victoria
→Jamestown is the capital of this British island where Napoleon died
→In population, it's the largest city in South America
→Found mostly in the Soviet Union, this belt of grassland runs 5,000 miles from Hungary to Manchuria
→Iona is part of this Scottish island group

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM--TORONTO
A Toronto Maple Leafs’ fan was ejected from a game, and then arrested, after becoming the latest to throw waffles onto the ice to protest the team's poor play. Toronto police charged Joseph Robb, 31, of Oakville with mischief after he allegedly threw several waffles and an Eggo box onto the ice during the third period of Monday night's loss to the Atlanta Thrashers, the Toronto Star reported. Robb was banned from all three Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment arenas, officials said. A man first threw a handful of waffles onto the ice after the team's Dec. 9 loss against the Philadelphia Flyers and a Twitter user who identified himself as Jack M. took responsibility and threatened to strike again. Using the handle "EGGO_BOMBER," he tweeted the Leafs "need to wake up and eat some breakfast." The Leafs (12-17-4) have lost three straight games and five of their last seven, and are in last place in the Northeast Division, 12 points behind first-place Montreal.

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—calendars
→The early Roman calendar designated March 1 as the New Year. The calendar had just ten months, beginning with March. September through December, our ninth through twelfth months, were originally positioned as the seventh through tenth months (septem is Latin for "seven," octo is "eight," novem is "nine," and decem is "ten."
→The month of January did not even exist until around 700 B.C., when the second king of Rome, Numa Pontilius, added the months of January and February.
→The new year was moved from March to January in Rome in 153 B.C. because that was the beginning of the civil year, the month that the two newly elected Roman consuls—the highest officials in the Roman republic—began their one-year tenure.
→In 46 B.C. Julius Caesar introduced a new, solar-based calendar that was a vast improvement on the ancient Roman calendar. The Julian calendar decreed that the New Year would occur with January 1, and within the Roman world, January 1 became the consistently observed start of the new year.
→In medieval Europe, however, the celebrations accompanying the new year were considered pagan and unchristian like, and in 567 the Council of Tours abolished January 1 as the beginning of the year. At various times and in various places throughout medieval Christian Europe, the new year was celebrated on Dec. 25, the birth of Jesus; March 1; March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation; and Easter.
→In 1582, the Gregorian calendar reform restored January 1 as new year's day. Although most Catholic countries adopted the Gregorian calendar almost immediately, it was only gradually adopted among Protestant countries.

A LITTLE LAUGH
Tarzan and Jane were expecting their fourth child and were pretty strapped for cash, so Tarzan decided to go into the used-crocodile business. Monday morning he got up early, shaved, put on his best loin cloth, swung down to the river, and spent the whole day fighting, haggling over and hassling with cranky crocs.
As dusk fell, a wan Tarzan swung back to the tree house and demanded, "Quick, Jane, a martini!" Tossing it back he barked, "Another, Jane, make it a double!" Gulping it down, he held out his glass again. "One more, Jane."
"Aw, honey, don't you think you're overdoing it a bit?" she chided gently.
"You don't understand, Jane... it's a jungle out there."

GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS—Unusual Skill
→Michel Lotito (aka Monsieur Mangetout) from Grenoble, France, has been eating metal and glass since 1959. Gastroenterologists have described his ability to consume 900 g (2 lb) of metal per day as "unique". Mangetout - Michel's nickname - literally translates as "eats everything". Michel says bananas and hard-boiled eggs make him sick.
→Ken Edwards of Glossop, Derbyshire, England ate 36 cockroaches in one minute on the set of The Big Breakfast, London, England on March 5, 2001.
Ken is a retired rat catcher and part-time entertainer who first took to the stage at age 18, but his talent for carrying out bizarre stage acts was unveiled on the British TV show Over The Top when he was 39. Ken's 47 rats-down-the-trouser trick caused such a stir that he became a celebrity overnight! His friends and family are now used to his freaky acts and Ken says, "If I were to actually do something normal then they would react!"
→The record for the most sheep shorn manually with scissors/handblade in 8 hours is 50 by János Marton of Hungary. Marton completed his challenge, without any breaks, on April 26, 2003 at Hódmezovásárhely Animal Husbandry Show, Hódmezovásárhely, Hungary.
→The most books typed backwards and in their original languages using a computer with four blank keyboards and without looking at the screen is 68 (3,663,324 words, 20,680,060 characters , 24,154 pages, 266,741 paragraphs, 516,498 lines) and was achieved by Michele Santelia (Italia), in Campobasso, Italia, on 16 June 2009. His last book typed backwards is the Life of Abraham Lincoln composed of 956 pages, 160,311 words, 919,124 characters, 2,810 paragraphs and 16,944 lines. Michele Santelia started typing the ‘Life of Abraham Lincoln’ backwards on 20 January 2009 and he finished it on 16 June 2009 and he is planning to honor the US President Barack Obama with his most recent work. With the addition of the Life of Abraham Lincoln the tower of books written backwards measures now 4.19 m (13 ft 9 in).
→A team sponsored by the Sunday Times has set a new record for driving a car through the narrowest gap. In a 2006 Vauxhall Astra VXR, driver Terry Grant (UK) drove on two wheels through a gap 68 cm (26.77 in) wider than the height of the car, at the Santa Pod Raceway, Wellingborough, UK, on 17 October 2006.

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’
Trip to Bern, the Capital City of Switzerland

♫ T O P    T V    T H E M E    S O N G S   OF ALL TIME♫
Click on Song Title to see and hear, but first try humming a few bars
♪… 26. Happy Days
Originally using Bill Haley's 1955 rock anthem "Rock Around the Clock", Happy Days instantly likened itself to an audience of teenagers and adults looking for something retro and hip. But just like Chuck Cunningham, "Rock Around the Clock" was not meant to be. What came next was a song crafted by Norman Gimbel and Charles Fox, which would go on to be the theme song that everybody knows and cherishes. With a jukebox playing and a record spinning we groove to the beat of another 50's style rock song that would make everybody forget about the original
♪… 25. Dukes of Hazzard
The slow burn ballad style of this song was actually quite an amusing counterpoint to the silly antics and gratuitous T&A of the show that spawned it. The legendary Waylon Jennings performed this excellent opening credit theme that could easily exist away from the Dukes TV show as a genuine country classic
♪… 24. Beverly Hillbillies
Theme Songs just aren't made like this any longer. The Beverly Hillbillies theme song tells the whole back-story of the Clampetts, preparing you for whatever you may see in any episode, no matter how ridiculous. Plus it gives us the much needed slang for oil: Texas tea. Oh, and to cap it all off, Beverly Hillbillies even has an outgoing theme song, which thanks you for watching and invites y'all to come back…y'hear?
♪… 23. Batman
Even though the Batman films had their own themes, it was impossible to watch them and not think da-na-na-na-na-na-Batman! The Adam West show featured the amazing effort, a decidedly Sixties song that perfectly set up the campy comic capers that followed it. Easy to sing along to and impossible to forget, the Batman theme trumps all superhero theme songs, ever (sorry, Spidey). In fact, at this writing, it is difficult not to bust out with a "Batman!" that wakes the neighborhood.
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DAYBOOK INFORMATION
‡…THIS WEEK…‡
Celebration of Life Week: Diet Resolution Week: Silent Record Week: 1-7
National Lose Weight/Feel Great Week: 1-8
Someday We'll Laugh About This Week: 2-8
‡…TODAY IS…‡
Run Up the Flagpole and See if Anybody Salutes It Day
Happy Mew Year for Cats Day
National Motivation and Inspiration Day
55-MPH Speed Limit Day: 1974, set by Nixon
Western Christianity: The ninth day of Christmas (Nine ladies dancing are the nine fruits (attributes) of the Holy Spirit: Love, Joy , Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control)
Colombia: Blacks and Whites' Carnival (Carnaval de Negros y Blanco), celebrated until January 7. (celebrated in southern Columbia based on the need to express imagination, play, friendship and sharing the joy that around that time of the year revives.)
Haiti: Ancestors' Day
Japan: Kakizome ( the first calligraphy written at the beginning of a year, traditionally on January 2, performed using ink rubbed with the first water drawn from the well on New Year's Day. Seated facing a favourable direction, people would write Chinese poetry containing auspicious words and phrases such as long life, spring, or perennial youth. These poems were then often burned.)
Japan: Shigoto Hajime-Begin Work Day [beginning of the work year]
Spain: Granada Day (1492)
Switzerland: Berchtold's Tag, founding of Berne
US: Betsy Ross Day (1776)
US: Georgia: Ratification Day (1788)
‡…Today’s Births…‡
• AUTHORS
1920 Isaac Asimov Russian scientist/writer (I Robot, Foundation Trilogy)
1752 Philip Freneau poet of American Revolution (The American Village)
1894 Robert Nathan poet, novelist (Portrait of Jennie)
• ATHLETES
Brian Boucher, 33, hockey (Flyers, Sharks, Coyotes, Flames, Blackhawks, Blue Jackets)
• BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1857 Martha Carey Thomas educator/president (Bryn Mawr College)
1901 Robert Marshall founder (Wilderness Society)
• ENTERTAINERS (ACTORS/SINGERS/…)
Kate Bosworth, 27, actress (21, Superman Returns, Blue Crush)
Tia Carrere, 43, actress (Wayne’s World, True Lies)
Dabney Coleman, 79, actor (That Girl, Mary Hartman, Buffalo Bill, 9-5)
Cuba Gooding, Jr, 42, actor (Jerry Maguire, As Good as It Gets)
1936 Roger Miller country singer (King of the Road, Dang Me)
Wendy Phillips, 58, actress (“Big Love,” “Homefront”)
Ricky Van Shelton, 59, country singer (Wild-Eyed Dream)
• POLITICIANS
1861 Helen Herron Taft 1st lady
• SCIENCE & RELIGION
Jim Bakker (James Orsen), 71, former television evangelist
1822 Rudolph J E Clausius German physicist (thermodynamics)
1860 William C Mills museum curator (excavated Ohio Indian mounds)
‡…Today’s Obituaries…‡
1963 Dick Powell actor/director (Dick Powell Theater), lymphoma @ 58
1974 Tex Ritter country singer (5 Star Jubilee), heart attack @ 67 (his last song)
‡…Today’s Events…‡
• ARTS
1938 Book publisher Simon and Schuster founded
1941 The Andrews Sisters recorded Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy  on Decca Records.
1983 Garry Trudeau takes a 20-month break from writing "Doonesbury"
• ATHLETICS
1832 1st Curling club in US (Orchard Lake Curling Club) opens
1965 New York Jets sign quarterback Joe Namath
• BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1882 Because of anti-monopoly laws, Standard Oil is organized as a trust
1934 1st state liquor stores open, in Pennsylvania
1980 Officials of the Miss America Pageant announced that Bert Parks would not return as host
• INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1838 By today's date, 3538 Chickasaws have arrived in eastern Indian Territory at Fort Coffee.
1881 According to Army reports, Major George Ilges, and a force of 300 men, and 2 pieces of artillery, encounter a group of approximately 400 Poplar Camp Sioux from Montana on the Missouri River. The Sioux flee into the woods, but a few cannon rounds induces them to surrender. Ilges will capture over 300 Sioux, 200 horses, 69 guns of various type, and a sizable quantity of supplies. Eight Sioux will be killed in the fighting, and 60 will escape.
• POLITICS (US)
1776 1st revolutionary flag displayed
1913 National Woman's Party forms
• POLITICS (International)
1757 British troops occupy Calcutta India
1776 Austria ends interrogation torture
1919 Anti-British uprising in Ireland
1947 Mahatma Gandhi begins march for peace in East-Bengali
1966 1st Jewish child born in Spain since 1492 expulsion
• SCIENCE & RELIGION
1839 1st photo of the Moon (French photographer Louis Daguerre)
1872 Brigham Young, the 71-year-old leader of the Mormon Church, was arrested on a charge of bigamy. He had 25 wives.
1929 US & Canada agree to preserve Niagara Falls
1960 John Reynolds sets age of solar system at 4,950,000,000 years
1995 Most distant galaxy yet discovered found by scientists using Keck telescope in Hawaii (estimated 15 billion light years away)
►..◄……….►..◄……….►..◄
ANSWERS
∞ JEOPARDY
→This country's deserts include the Gibson, Great Sandy & Great Victoria
What is Australia?
→Jamestown is the capital of this British island where Napoleon died
What is St. Helena?
→In population, it's the largest city in South America
What is São Paulo, Brazil?
→Found mostly in the Soviet Union, this belt of grassland runs 5,000 miles from Hungary to Manchuria
What is the Steppes?
→Iona is part of this Scottish island group
What are the Hebrides?
That's All for Today
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Flagstaff, Arizona, United States
I retired in '06--at the ripe old age of 57. I enjoy blogging, photography, traveling, and living life to it's fullest.