3-18-11 Friday


TODAY’s HOLY MACKEREL: 1818 Congress approves 1st pensions for government service 
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MY FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
Always the linguist. The power plant complex that has the world wondering ‘what next?’ is named: 福島第一 or Fukushima Daiichi. Translating it: ‘Fuku’ means luck or good fortune, ‘shima’ means island, and ‘Daiichi’ means first or big. Other translations say ‘fuku’ means beautiful. So we have a beautiful or lucky island that is first or big. Rather ironic.
Finally, some sanity out of the AZ state legislature. Five bills came up for a vote in the Senate and all were defeated: 1-No services for illegals at hospitals 2-Illegals who attend schools are reported 3-Harsher penalties for businesses that hire illegals 4-No automatic citizenship for kids born in US to illegals 5-No vehicle registration without providing proof of citizenship. This is even more amazing since the Republicans control both houses in AZ. One of my senators—Jack Jackson, Jr.—who is a Navajo introduced an amendment to two of the bills stating ‘that applies them retroactively to deny Arizona citizenship to anyone who is not an descendent of an original occupant of what is now the United States prior to October 12, 1492.’ Good sense of humor and his point was made. His amendments were defeated before the bills came up for a vote.
March Madness has begun. The planners added 4 more teams this year, so that there wouldn’t be the cries from a school that they should have been included. Of course, when they announced the now 68 teams, a couple of schools felt that they should have been included and gave examples of why they should be in. I say go back to 64 and ignore the cries. The other thing that happened is that it is now possible to see every one of the games on TV cable. That is pretty cool. I don’t have a favorite this year, but did catch the highlights of today’s games. Even this early there were some close games. So for the next few weeks, basketball will be that game of the day.
We had our weekly lunch today. Mary is heading to Chicago next week, after spending about 5 days with her grandkids in Phoenix. Cheryl is busy trying to figure out how to keep the JW’s away from her door. She never lets the lady inside, but lets her talk at the front door. She says the lady reads her parts of the Bible and then says a prayer before leaving. It is odd to hear her tell these stories because she is usually very forthright about her opinions. We had lunch at OG and just had the soup/salad/breadsticks so I could still enjoy my Irish dinner here at home. Nothing like Corned Beef, cabbage and soda bread on St. Patrick’s Day. This year’s soda bread was much better than last years. Don’t know why, but it is soooooooo good.
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DID YOU KNOW THAT…
Adding vinegar to your final rinse water when washing your hair, will help to remove any remaining oils.
Heat a bowl of water and lemon slices in your microwave for 30 seconds to a minute; then wipe out the oven. Stains will be easier to remove and old food odors neutralized.
SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION…ST. Patrick’s Day
Also called a “seamroy,” the shamrock was sacred in Ireland, marking the rebirth of Spring. But as the English began taking over Ireland and enforcing strict language and religious laws, the shamrock became a symbol for national pride for the Irish people, who would wear it on their
clothes in opposition to English rule.

Traditional music was used by the Irish to celebrate their heritage and language during the English rule. It worked so well that Queen Elizabeth even outlawed Irish music, and put musicians and pipers in big trouble.
 
The original Irish name for the leprechaun is “lobaircin,” which means “small-bodied fellow.” Today’s common representation of a cheerful, jolly leprechaun and symbol of St. Patrick’s Day is purely an American concoction, started by a Walt Disney movie in 1959. Traditionally, they’re the small, cranky, and scheming clan of the Celtic fairies, whose job it was to repair the shoes of the other fairies.
The traditional meal of St. Patrick's Day used to be Irish bacon (otherwise known as “Canadian” or “back” bacon). Corned beef became the norm when Irish immigrants living on New York City’s Lower East Side could no longer afford the more expensive customary meat.
 
Legend has it that God visited St. Patrick in a dream, telling him to flee to the coast where he would find a ship that would bring him back to Britain, which he did and became a Catholic priest upon his return. In 432, God called to him again and told him to bring his teachings to Ireland. After thirty years there, he died on March 17, 461, and remains the most admired figure in the Irish
Catholic Church.
 
There are approximately 36.5 million U.S. residents who claim Irish ancestry. This number is more than eight times the population of Ireland itself (4.5 million)
PUZZLE:   Trivia Quiz […answers at bottom…]
1. What animal eats, rests and sleeps on it's back?
2. Zymase and Glucose combine to form what drug?
3. What dinosaur's name translates as 'roof lizard'?
4. Lack of vitamin B1 causes what condition?
5. In proportion to it's size which animal has the largest eye?
6. The Campbell-Stokes recorder measures what, with a glass ball?
7. Dr. C. W. Long was the first to use which anesthetic in 1842?
8. Samuel Hahnermann developed what type of therapy?
9. Which part of the human body contains the most gold?
10. An isoneph on a map joins places of equal what?
UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM:
Chattanooga TN-A  security guard who apparently wanted to play police officer pulled over the wrong person Tuesday, according to Dalton police.
James Dale Smith, 58, an employee of J.J.K. Security in Chattanooga, turned on his strobe light and tried to stop a car on Shugart Road shortly before 10 p.m. Tuesday, police spokesman Bruce Frazier said in a news release.
What Smith didn’t know was the car was an undercover vehicle and the driver a Dalton Police Department detective.
On Wednesday, Smith was charged with impersonating a law enforcement officer and impersonating a public officer or employee, Frazier said.
When the detective saw the strobe, he radioed for a marked police car and continued driving. Smith, driving a white Crown Victoria with a “Police Interceptor” icon on the back and white strobe lights mounted along with police-style radio antennas, pulled up on the driver’s side of the unmarked car and started to nudge his car toward it, Frazier said.
That’s when Smith apparently recognized the driver, Frazier said. He turned off his strobe and pulled into a RaceTrac station, while the detective followed him and turned on his own blue lights.
He told the detective he wasn’t trying to pull the car over, but he told investigators later that he thought the car was going too fast, Frazier said.
Smith was wearing clothing similar to a police training uniform, a dark polo shirt with 511-style cargo khaki pants and black boots. He wore a Glock pistol in a belt holster, along with a spare ammunition magazine and handcuffs in a holster. He also had his security badge on his belt.
Frazier said police don’t have any reports of Smith attempting to pull anyone else over.
A LITTLE LAUGH:
As the woman was instructing the new maid on the great care required in handling certain valuable household objects. She pointed to the dining room and said with great satisfaction, "That table goes back to Louis the Fourteenth."
"Oh, that's nothing," the maid interjected. "My whole living-room set goes back to Sears the fifteenth."
Top 10 In The World: returns tomorrow
CLOSEUP PICTURE: Can you identify this close up picture?
FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’:
♫ Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ♫
Neil Diamond: inducted 2011
Click on Song Title to see and hear it.
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DAYBOOK INFORMATION
►THIS WEEK◄
13-19► Campfire USA Birthday Week  ♣  Wildlife Week  ♣  International Brain Awareness Week  ♣  National Money Week  ♣
18-20► American Crossword Puzzle Weekend  ♣  Sherlock Holmes Weekend ♣
►TODAY IS◄
Awkward Moments Day
Forgive Mom and Dad Day
National Biodiesel Day
Supreme Sacrifice Day: recognizes the ultimate sacrifice made by some for the good of others. (Soldiers, Firefighters, Police, EMTs…)
♣ ♣ ♣ ♣
Masons: De Molay Day (1314) 
Aruba: Flag Day
Haiti: University Day 
Ireland: Sheelah's Day 
Mongolia: Men and Soldiers Day 
Turkey: Gallipoli Memorial Day 
■…AUTHORS/COMPOSERS/ARTISTS
1927 George Plimpton author: Paper Lion, Shadow Box actor
1932 John Updike writer: The Witches of Eastwicke, Rabbit Run
■…ATHLETES
Bonnie Blair, 47, Olympic speed skater
1952 Mike Webster ‘Iron Mike’: Football Hall of Famer: Steelers; played more seasons [15] and more games [220] than any player in Steelers’ history
■…BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1877 Edgar Cayce, American psychic
■…ENTERTAINERS (ACTORS/SINGERS)
1911 Smiley Burnette  cowboy actor (Charlie-Petticoat Junction) 
Irene Cara, 52, singer (“Fame,” “The Dream”)
Kevin Dobson, 67, actor (“Kojak,” “Knots Landing”)
1925 Peter Graves actor (James Phelps-Mission Impossible, Fury) 
1886 Edward Everett Horton  actor/narrator (Bullwinkle Show) 
Queen Latifah (Dana Owens), 41, singer, actress
1941 Wilson Pickett singer: In the Midnight Hour, Land of 1000 Dances, Funky Broadway, Mustang Sally
Charley Pride, 73, singer, former minor league baseball player
Vanessa Williams, 48, singer, actress, ousted Miss America 
1947 B.J. (Barrie James) Wilson musician: drummer: group: Procol Harum: Whiter Shade of Pale
■…POLITICIANS
1782 John Calhoun U.S. Vice President under John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson [1825-1832]; the first VP to resign office
1837 Grover (Stephen) Cleveland 22nd [1885-1889] & 24th [1893-1897] U.S. President; only one to serve 2 nonconsecutive terms
Frederik Willem de Klerk, 75, former president of South Africa
■…SCIENCE & RELIGION
1907 John Zachary Young, British biologist 
Today’s Obits:
1978 Faith Baldwin US author (They Who Love), @ 84 
1965 Farouk I last King of Egypt (1936-52), after typical large meal @ 45 
1980 Erich Fromm German/US psychoanalyst, @ 79 
1997 Willem de Kooning (abstract artist) dead Alzheimer's @ 92 
Today’s Events:
■…ARTS
1902 Enrico Caruso becomes 1st well-known performer to make a record 
1982 Singer Teddy Pendergrass' spinal cord severed in a car accident 
1990 Largest Art robbery in the history (Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston), where 12 paintings valued at $100 million are stolen 
■…ATHLETICS
1953 Major-league baseball announced the first team relocation since 1903. The Boston Braves told of their plans to move west to Milwaukee, WI. 
1959 Bill Sharman of the Boston Celtics began what was to be the longest string of successful consecutive free throws (56 in a row) to set a new National Basketball Association record.
■…BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1881 [PT] Barnum & [James A] Bailey's Greatest Show on Earth opens (Madison Square Garden) 
1931  Schick, Inc., the razor company, displayed the first electric shaver -- in Stamford, CT.
1961 Poppin' Fresh Pillsbury Dough Boy introduced 
1970 Mail service paralyzed by 1st major postal strike 
■…INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1871 Indians make several sorties on a government wagon trail, near Fort Dodge, in southwestern Kansas. Three citizens are killed, while 5 Indians are wounded in the fighting.
1877 More Indians visit Col.Nelson Miles, the see if he will negotiate on surrender terms. Miles informs the large group of Chiefs, his terms have not changed, with the exception that they can surrender at an alternative agency than originally stated. Miles also informs them he will wait no longer for a reply. If the Indians do not surrender soon, his troops will be deployed against them soon. Little Hawk, Crazy Horse's uncle agrees to bring the Indians into Miles' camp or one of the agencies. Nine important Indians remain with Miles as hostages, as a sign of good faith.
■…POLITICS (International)
1229 German emperor Frederick II crowns himself king of Jerusalem 
1532 English parliament bans payments by English church to Rome 
1582 Prince Willem of Orange injured in attack at Antwerp 
1949 NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) ratified 
■…POLITICS (US)
1543 Hernan de Soto observes 1st recorded flood in America (Mississippi River) 
1766 British Parliament reinstitutes the Stamp Act 
1911 North Dakota enacts a hail insurance law 
1977 Vietnam hands over MIA to US 
■…SCIENCE & RELIGION
1870 1st US National Wildlife Preserve (Lake Meritt in Oakland CA) 
1899 Phoebe, a moon of Saturn is discovered by Pickering 
1919 Order of DeMolay is established in Kansas City 
1930 Pluto discovered by Clyde Tombaugh (US) 
1952 1st plastic lens for cataract patients fitted (Philadelphia) 
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ANSWERS:
Quiz
1. What animal eats, rests and sleeps on it's back? Sea Otter 2. Zymase and Glucose combine to form what drug? Alcohol 3. What dinosaur's name translates as 'roof lizard'? Stegosaurus
4. Lack of vitamin B1 causes what condition? Beri Beri 5. In proportion to it's size which animal has the largest eye? Cat 6. The Campbell-Stokes recorder measures what, with a glass ball? Sunshine 7. Dr. C. W. Long was the first to use which anesthetic in 1842? Ether
8. Samuel Hahnermann developed what type of therapy? Homeopathy
9. Which part of the human body contains the most gold? Toenails
10. An isoneph on a map joins places of equal what? Average Cloud Cover 
Close Up Picture
Fuel tanker
________AND THAT’S ALL FOR NOW________
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3-17-11 Thursday--St. Patrick's Day

TODAY’s HOLY MACKEREL: 1969 Golda Meir, US school teacher, becomes Israel's 4th Prime Minister

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MY FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
H A P P Y S T. P A T T Y ‘ S D A Y ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣

Another windy day didn’t keep me inside. I was able to run errands without much hassle. Home Depot has brought in its spring flowers, but I know it is much too early to even think about that. We are getting a new store at the mall extension. It’s called Tuesday Morning. Not sure what they sell yet. As I drove by the workers are putting up shelving. Such a strange name for a store.

The Japanese government keeps its people updated with information from the company that is in charge of the nuclear plants. They are learning, just like we learned with BP, that information is never ‘full disclosure’ and over the years has been less than truthful with its safety reports. I so wish the legislatures across the country that are calling for less government oversight would open their eyes and see what is happening. All the business models look at the bottom line and little more. Government regulations and oversight are to protect the citizens. Our government didn’t do that with Wall Street. Our government didn’t do that with off shore drilling. Now we see that the Japanese government didn’t do that with their nuclear energy. Yet the legislatures in Phx and other state capitals and in DC continue to say that the business model in democracy says that they need tax breaks, they need deregulation, and everything will be fine. Hmmm. Doesn’t look that way from where I am sitting. The government agencies in charge of oversight have dropped the ball. In this world’s latest disasters, the governments involved had to get their information from the business that in charge of the disaster. That is crazy. From where I sit, the only thing that will come from less regulation and oversight is more and more disasters—financial and environmental.
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DID YOU KNOW THAT…
Plastic Bags from the supermarket or Target (it’s best to avoid using plastic, try carrying a reusable bag with you to the store next time) Have you noticed that printed on the Target plastic bags are ideas on how to reuse that bag? It’s very helpful! You can use these bags to line your small bathroom garbage cans, to carry when you walk your dog to pick up doggie poop or to use as a trash bag in your car.

Save time removing silk from the cobs by holding the ear under running water, then brushing back and forth with a clean toothbrush.

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION… Pizza Part II
The world's most extravagant pizza can be found at Nino's Bellisima in New York City. The 12 inch pizza, topped with caviar, lobster, creme fraiche and chives, sells for $1000.

Ninety-three percent of Americans eat pizza at least once a month.

More pizza is consumed during the week of the Super Bowl than any other time of the year.

PUZZLE: Trivia Quiz […answers at bottom…]
1. What do Millionaires, Metropolitans, Black Hawks and Silver Seven have in common?
2. Methacrylate resin is used to make what?
3. What do you add to vegetables to make the dish salmagundi?
4. What is the capital of Sicily?
5. In 1925, bookies went on strike against what?
6. What was Cuisine Minceur designed for?
7. Who would use a swozzle?
8. What type of animal is a vmi-vmi?
9. What instrument does Grumpy play in Disney's Snow White?
10. Author P.G. Woodhouse used which London Club?

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM:
AP-Silvio Berlusconi has inspired a restaurant in Poland to create a "bunga bunga" pizza — a concoction as spicy and wild as the Italian leader's alleged sex parties.
Topped with anchovies, figs, prosciutto and a lot of black pepper, the pizza at the Warsaw pizzeria, A Modo Mio, has been a hot seller since owner Walter Busalacchi put in on the menu several weeks ago.
The Italian-Polish chef said Wednesday he created the pizza to "laugh about what is going on in Italy." Berlusconi goes on trial in Milan next month on charges he paid for sex with a minor.
He has denied wrongdoing and maintained his parties were dignified.
The pizza's flavor is heightened by figs and black pepper, words with sexual connotations in Italian and Polish slang, respectively.

A LITTLE LAUGH:
A preacher of the old school was describing the events of Judgement Day and, of course, he used Biblical phraseology whenever he could.
"Oh, my friends," he intoned, "imagine the suffering of the sinners as they find themselves cast into the outer darkness, removed from the presence of the Lord and given to eternal flames. My friends, at such a time there will be weeping, wailing and a great gnashing of teeth!"
At this point, one of the elders of the congregation interrupted to say, "But Reverend, what if one of those hopeless sinners has no teeth?"
The preacher crashed his fist on the pulpit, "My friends, the Lord is not put out by details. Rest assured... teeth will be provided!"

Top 10 In The World:

CLOSEUP PICTURE: Can you identify this close up picture?

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’:

♫ Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ♫
Click on Song Title to see and hear it.
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DAYBOOK INFORMATION
►THIS WEEK◄
13-19► Campfire USA Birthday Week ♣ Wildlife Week ♣ International Brain Awareness Week ♣ National Money Week ♣
►TODAY IS◄
Absolutely Incredible Kid Day
Campfire Girls Day
St. Patrick's Day
Submarine Day
World Maritime Day
♣ ♣ ♣ ♣
Jewish holiday: Ta'Anit Ester (Fast of Esther)
Ireland: National Day
Us: Boston MA: Evacuation Day (1776)

■…AUTHORS/COMPOSERS/ARTISTS
1903 Marquis (William) Childs Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist [1969]: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
■…ATHLETES
Daniel Ray (Danny) Ainge, 52, basketball coach, basketball player: Celtics, Kings, Trail Blazers, Suns
1917 Hank (Henry John) Sauer baseball: Reds, Cubs Cardinals, Giants,
■…BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1804 James Bridger scout/fur trader/mountain man
■…ENTERTAINERS (ACTORS/SINGERS)
1919 Nat "King" Cole (Nathaniel Adams Coles) singer (Unforgettable, Mona Lisa)
Patrick Duffy, 62, actor (“Step by Step,” “Dallas”)
1895 Shemp Howard [Samuel Horwitz] comedian/actor (3 Stooges)
Rob Lowe, 47, actor (“Brothers & Sisters,” “The West Wing”)
1938 Rudolf Nureyev (Rudolf Hametovich Nureyev) Russian ballet dancer: defected to U.S. [1961]
Kurt Russell, 60, actor (Backdraft, Elvis)
Gary Sinise, 56, actor (Forrest Gump, Apollo 13, “CSI: New York”)
1899 Gloria Swanson actress
■…POLITICIANS
1777 Roger Brooke Taney 5th Chief Justice (Dred Scott decision)
■…SCIENCE & RELIGION
1874 Stephen Samuel Wise US, president of Zionist Organization of America
Today’s Obits:
1956 Fred Allen comedian (Colgate Comedy Hour, Fred Allen Radio Show), heart attack @ 61
1993 Helen Hayes actress (Airport), congestive heart failure @ 92
0461 St Patrick patron St of Ireland, dies in Saul (according to legend)@ 74?

The beautiful prayer of St Patrick, popularly known as "St Patrick's Breast-Plate", is supposed to have been composed by him in preparation for this victory over Paganism. The following is a literal translation from the old Irish text:

I bind to myself today The strong virtue of the Invocation of the Trinity: I believe the Trinity in the Unity The Creator of the Universe.

I bind to myself today The virtue of the Incarnation of Christ with His Baptism, The virtue of His crucifixion with His burial, The virtue of His Resurrection with His Ascension, The virtue of His coming on the Judgment Day.

I bind to myself today The virtue of the love of seraphim, In the obedience of angels, In the hope of resurrection unto reward, In prayers of Patriarchs, In predictions of Prophets, In preaching of Apostles, In faith of Confessors, In purity of holy Virgins, In deeds of righteous men.

I bind to myself today The power of Heaven, The light of the sun, The brightness of the moon, The splendor of fire, The flashing of lightning, The swiftness of wind, The depth of sea, The stability of earth, The compactness of rocks.

I bind to myself today God's Power to guide me, God's Might to uphold me, God's Wisdom to teach me, God's Eye to watch over me, God's Ear to hear me, God's Word to give me speech, God's Hand to guide me, God's Way to lie before me, God's Shield to shelter me, God's Host to secure me, Against the snares of demons, Against the seductions of vices.
Today’s Events:
■…Saint Patrick…
0432 St Patrick, a bishop, is carried off to Ireland as a slave
1753 1st official St Patrick's Day
1756 St Patrick's Day 1st celebrated in NYC at Crown & Thistle Tavern
1762 1st St Patrick's Day parade in NYC
■…ARTS
1941 The National Gallery of Art was officially opened by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt
■…ATHLETICS
1907 America’s first bowling tournament for ladies began in St. Louis, MO
■…BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1845 Bristol man, Henry Jones, patents self-rising flour
1854 1st park land purchased by a US city, Worcester MA
1868 Postage stamp canceling machine patent issued
■…INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1775 The "Sycamore Shoals" Treaty: the Transylvania Company, headed by North Carolina Judge Richard Henderson, will purchase most of western and central Kentucky, and north central Tennessee from the Cherokees.
1854 Kickapoo Indians have determined that 2 men of their tribe, Thunder (Piawataka), and Polecat (Chekaquah), killed Colonel Jesse Stem on February 12, 1854. Thunder is captured by the Kickapoos. While they are taking him to a nearby fort, a fight breaks out, and Thunder is killed
1876 General Crook destroy Cheyennes & Oglala-Sioux Indian camps
■…POLITICS (International)
1521 Ferdinand Magellan discovers the Philippines
1961 South Africa leaves British Commonwealth
■…POLITICS (US)
1836 Texas abolishes slavery
1905 Eleanor Roosevelt marries FDR in New York
1906 President Theodore Roosevelt uses term "muckraker"
■…SCIENCE & RELIGION
1963 Elizabeth Ann Seton of New York beatified (canonized in 1975)
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ANSWERS:
Quiz
1. What do Millionaires, Metropolitans, Black Hawks and Silver Seven have in common?
Stanley Cup winners in ice hockey
2. Methacrylate resin is used to make what? Prosthetic eyes
3. What do you add to vegetables to make the dish salmagundi? . Duck or Chicken
4. What is the capital of Sicily? Palermo
5. In 1925, bookies went on strike against what? Betting Tax
6. What was Cuisine Minceur designed for? Slimmers (Fine cooking)
7. Who would use a swozzle? Punch and Judy
8. What type of animal is a vmi-vmi? Very small pig
9. What instrument does Grumpy play in Disney's Snow White? Organ
10. Author P.G. Woodhouse used which London Club? Drones
Close Up Picture
duh...

________AND THAT’S ALL FOR NOW________

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3-16-11 Wednesday


TODAY’s HOLY MACKEREL: 1861 Arizona Territory votes to leave the Union

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MY FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

The best laid plans…go awry. About 3am I awoke with a swollen tongue. I got up and took my pills, but was too late to stop the pesky angioedema. At 5am my tongue was really swollen. I tried sleeping, but kept waking up. I got up about 7am and called Tuba to tell them I wouldn’t be making the trip. As I was talking with my very heavy lisp, they understood. I felt really bad about not being there. I went back to bed and tried to sleep until the swelling went down. I got up about 9am and was still pretty swollen. Even drinking OJ was a task. By noon the meds kicked in and I was almost back to normal. These episodes are a real pain. This is the first time I was unable to do what I wanted, and needed to do. I kept telling myself that I could go to the dinner after the funeral, but this time I was wiped out and decided it wasn’t a good idea to drive for a little over an hour to get there. : - (
I am not a scientist. Never had a desire to become one. I have never really understood how electricity is made or where it comes from. I lived close to Lake Powell when I was on the rez. When the facility first opened, self-guided tours were set up to let the public see what was going on inside the dam. It was a great tour, and I took it several times. Then as the terrorist idea came the people running the dam cut out much of the tour. There was a fear that terrorists would sneak in bombs. The first group they were afraid of was the environmental terrorists who hated the idea of the whole dam blocking the Colorado River. Then it was foreign terrorists. Even when the dam tour was open, I saw big huge loud machines that I was told were making electricity for California and others. I, like many others, just believed that all that noise was ‘making electricity’. I have even less knowledge of nuclear power production. I saw the movies like China Syndrome and others that showed the dangers—sort of. I certainly read about Chernobyl and Three Mile Island. All I got out of that was that making electricity with nuclear plants was great until there was a problem. Then it was a huge disaster. Now that I am retired and have time to learn more about things that don’t have anything to with my career, I am learning how dangerous this really is. People have never been told the truth about the dangers. Just like the Oil spill of last year, the scientists of the world are not sure what to do with a disaster of this size. It is becoming clear that there are no plans ever for the worst case scenario. Japan was ready for earthquakes, they were ready for a tsunami, but they weren’t ready for a big earthquake or a huge tsunami. And they certainly were not ready for both at the same time.

The survivor stories are amazing. What I find more intriguing is the stories of those Japanese survivors who are now in their late 60’s or older who lived through the American bombing to end WWII and are now seeing this disaster. I did watch some news today and listened to these survivor’s stories. One elderly man told of being about 20 miles from Nagasaki on that horrible day, and then being in one of the small towns that was destroyed last week. At 80+ years old he has to start over—for a second time in his life. Yet he says is glad to be alive and will again find a way to survive. The other amazing story coming out of this disaster is the Power Plant workers who have stayed on to keep the disaster from getting worse. These people are really heroes. As things get worse, and more radiation is being emitted, they stay. They are wearing their protective suits, breathing filtered air, having to shower multiple times daily to wash off the radiation. Yet they stay to protect their fellow countrymen and the world. Many of the heroes who stayed at Chernobyl during that disaster were dead within three months from the radiation poisoning that they received for staying. I hope the same thing doesn’t happen to those at Fukushima.
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DID YOU KNOW THAT…
Chicken or turkey on your menu? Bypass birds that are labeled "enhanced."
That means they've been "plumped" --i.e., injected with broth and other flavors. While manufacturers claim the practice boosts taste, studies show the added liquid can account for as much as one-third of the package's weight, making it the priciest poultry around!

While vacuuming, wear an old fanny pack -- it's great for holding all the little things you find on the floor, such as paper clips, rubber bands and small toys.

Hiccups - Peanut Butter is a sure fire cure! Swallow a tablespoon of it and it prevents the esophagus from contracting.

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION…
There are over three billion pizzas purchased in the United States every year with another two billion being purchased around the world, and still another one billion frozen pizzas being sold each year.

The first pizzeria in the United States was opened by Gennaro Lombardi in 1895 in New York City.

Pepperoni is the most popular topping in the U.S. with over 60% of all orders having it, and in Europe, tuna is the most popular topping.

PUZZLE: Trivia Quiz […answers at bottom…] LITERATURE
1. Who wrote the poem, Kubla Khan?
2. Whose last unfinished novel was 'The Last Tycoon'?
3. What is the first name of Mr Toad in the book 'Toad of Toad Hall'?
4. Stephano and Trinculo are characters in which Shakespearean play?
5. Which Shakespeare character says "Blow winds and crack your cheeks"?
6. E. H. Shepherd illustrated which series of stories?
7. Who wrote 'The Rights of Man' and 'The Age of Reason'?
8. What was the subject of the first book printed in England?
9. Who wrote the 'Dune' series of science fiction novels?
10. Which Dickens novel features a character named Waxford Squears?

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM:
PHOENIX — An Arizona man has been sentenced to three years of probation for stabbing a man who refused to let him suck his blood.
Maricopa County Superior Court says 24-year-old Aaron Homer, of Chandler, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and was sentenced Monday.
The Arizona Republic reports 25-year-old Robert Maley once let his roommates suck his blood. But when Maley refused a second time on Oct. 4, he was stabbed.
Chandler police said Maley lived with Homer and his girlfriend.
Maley said the two men were into "vampire stuff."

A LITTLE LAUGH:
To get his mind off his losing streak at the racetrack, I took my friend horseback riding. Being a novice, he freaked when his mount took off.
"How do I stop?" he yelled.
"Bet on it!" I hollered back.

Top 10 In The World:

CLOSEUP PICTURE: Can you identify this close up picture?

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’: Call of the long billed curlew

♫ Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ♫
Click on Song Title to see and hear it.
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DAYBOOK INFORMATION
►THIS WEEK◄
13-19► Campfire USA Birthday Week ♣ Wildlife Week ♣ International Brain Awareness Week ♣ National Money Week ♣
►TODAY IS◄
Everything You Do Is Right Day
Curlew Day: Traditional arrival date for the long-billed curlew at the Umatilla (Oregon) National Wildlife Refuge
Freedom of Information Day
Goddard Day: for he first liquid propelled rocket flight in 1926
Lips Appreciation Day
St. Urho's Day: Saint who chased grasshoppers out of Finland.
Well-Elderly or Wellderly Day
♣ ♣ ♣ ♣
Latvia: Latvian Legion Day

■…AUTHORS/COMPOSERS/ARTISTS
Alice Hoffman, 59, writer (Practical Magic, Aquamarine)
1839 René François Armand Sully Prudhomme French poet, 1st Nobel winner (1901)
■…ATHLETES
Todd Heap, 31, football (Ravens), born Mesa, AZ
■…BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1916 Tsutomu Yamaguchi, Japanese Businessman, and Survivor of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Atomic Bombings
■…ENTERTAINERS (ACTORS/SINGERS)
Bernardo Bertolucci, 70, filmmaker (Oscar for The Last Emperor; Last Tango in Paris)
Erik Estrada, 62, actor (“CHiPS,” Honey Boy)
Jerry Lewis, 85, comedian, actor (The Family Jewels, The Nutty Professor, The Bellboy), director, philanthropist
Chuck Woolery, 69, game show host (“Love Connection,” “Scrabble”)
1906 Henny (Henry) Youngman comedian: “Take my wife ... please.”
■…POLITICIANS
1751 James Madison 4th US President (1809-17)
1927 Daniel Patrick Moynihan U.S. Senator from New York
1912 Patricia Nixon [Thelma Catherine] 1st lady (1969-74)
■…SCIENCE & RELIGION
1774 Matthew Flinders English navigator/cartographer (coast Australia)
1750 Caroline Lucretia Herchel, 1st modern woman astronomer in Hanover, Germany
1787 Georg Simon Ohm physicist (discovered Ohm's Law: I=v/r)
1849 Reverend James E Smith became father at 100 with woman 64 years younger
Today’s Obits:
1971 Thomas E Dewey US Presidential candidate (R 1944, 48), cancer @ 68
1983 Arthur Godfrey TV host (Arthur Godrey Show), @79
1995 Lord Lovat [Shimi]: Clan Fraser of Lovat soldier/Landowner, @ 83
1975 T-Bone Walker blues guitarist (Funky Town, Well Done), pneumonia @ 64
Today’s Events:
■…ARTS
1850 Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Scarlet Letter" published
1950 1st annual National Book Awards
1991 7 members of Reba McEntire's band are killed in a plane crash
■…ATHLETICS
1991 New Jersey Net coach Bill Fitch is 4th coach to win 800 NBA games
1997 New Jersey Devils' Dave Andreychuk is 26th NHL to score 500 goals
■…BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1968 General Motors produces its 100 millionth automobile, the Oldsmobile Toronado.
1985 Associated Press newsman Terry Anderson is taken hostage in Beirut. He is released on December 4, 1991.
■…INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1621 Samoset, a Mohegan, meets the Pilgrims.
1830 After some "politicking", Greenwood le Flore is elected as Chief of the Choctaw Nation, during a "rump" council, today. Previously, there were 3 regional Chiefs. Le Flore is in favor of selling the Choctaw lands, and moving to Indian Territory.
■…POLITICS (International)
1900 Sir Arthur Evans finds old city of Knossus
1977 US President Carter pleads for Palestinian homeland
■…POLITICS (US)
1802 Law signed to establish US Military Academy (West Point NY)
1802 US army Corps of Engineers established (2nd time)
1915 Federal Trade Commission organizes
1934 Congress passes Migratory Bird Conservation Act
1941 National Gallery of Art opens in Washington DC
1988 Federal grand jury indicts Marine Lt. Col. Oliver L. North & Navy Vice Adm. John M. Poindexter in Iran-Contra affair
■…SCIENCE & RELIGION
1345 Holy spirit glides above fire; "the miracle of Amsterdam" (legend)
1882 The U.S. Senate approved a treaty allowing the United States to join the Red Cross.
_________________________________________________________________
ANSWERS:
Quiz
1. Who wrote the poem, Kubla Khan? Samuel Taylor Coleridge
2. Whose last unfinished novel was 'The Last Tycoon'? F Scott Fitzgerald
3. What is the first name of Mr Toad in the book 'Toad of Toad Hall'? Thaddeus
4. Stephano and Trinculo are characters in which Shakespearean play? The Tempest
5. Which Shakespeare character says "Blow winds and crack your cheeks"? King Lear
6. E. H. Shepherd illustrated which series of stories? Winnie the Pooh
7. Who wrote 'The Rights of Man' and 'The Age of Reason'? Thomas Paine
8. What was the subject of the first book printed in England? Chess
9. Who wrote the 'Dune' series of science fiction novels? Frank Herbert
10. Which Dickens novel features a character named Waxford Squears? Nicholas Nickleby
Close Up Picture
Grab-a-Prize

________AND THAT’S ALL FOR NOW________

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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.