6-9-11

TODAY’s “Geez”:

·        1930 - Chicago Tribune reporter Jake Lingle is killed during rush hour at the Illinois Central train station by the Leo Vincent Brothers, allegedly over a $100,000 USD gambling debt owed to Al Capone

Free Rambling Thoughts…

I went to a lunch presentation by my financial advisor. It was an update on one of my investments. Good information, nice to see people I only see at these things. Things are coming back, slowly. This investment is a global investment and in real estate. The prices for real estate remain low, so the group is still buying it.

Just as I was sitting down to the computer, I looked out my window and saw a bunch of smoke to the NE of my place. FB quickly confirmed the fires. Then the planes started coming in like bombers. The fire is about 8 miles from downtown Flagstaff and about 5 miles from my home. Then the scanner said there were 7-9 fires in the area. Very strange, for sure. This is on forest service land but several homes were evacuated. After about 2 hours, it seems that everything is under control and no more evacuations will be needed. Now the scanner is talking ‘clean up’. Such frightening times for everyone in bone dry AZ.

Trivia Quiz…(answers at the end of post)

1.      Which lingerie company did Jane Russell work for in the 1970s?

2.      Why was Buddy Ebsen forced to quit his role as the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz?

3.      What was Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy's first film together?

4.      Which actress said, "I'm as pure as driven slush?"

5.      In which film did James Cagney say "You dirty double-crossing rat".

6.      Who said, "All I need to make a comedy is a park, a policeman and a pretty girl?"

7.      What drink did Garbo ask for in her first talkie?

8.      Who was "the man you love to hate?"

9.      Which famous character was played by Butterfly McQueen in Gone With the Wind?

10.   In which sport did John Kelly compete in the 1920 Olympics?

11.   On which 30s screen legend was Cat woman in Batman based?

12.   In what year did David Lean die?

Zoom-ed in Picture…Can you Identify what this is? (Answer at end of post)

Hmmmmm…

Ø  Amount the US economy loses for each murder committed, according to an Iowa State University study: $17,000,000

Somewhat Useless Information…

·        In his famous 1492 voyage, Columbus rationed pickles to his sailors to keep them from getting scurvy. He even grew cucumbers during a pit stop in Haiti to restock for the rest of the voyage.

·        The majority of pickle factories in America ferment their pickles in outdoor vats without lids (leaving them subject to insects and bird droppings). But there's a reason. According to food scientists, the sun's direct rays prevent yeast and mold from growing in the brine.

·        The Department of Agriculture estimates that the average American eats 8.5 lbs of pickles a year. In America, dill pickles are twice as popular as the sweet variety.

Yeah, It Really Happened…

CANFIELD, Ohio - The principal of an Ohio high school said this year's graduating class of 282 students includes 10 sets of twins and one set of triplets. Principal John Tullio of Canfield High School in Canfield, Ohio, said the students, the largest group of multiples he can recall in a single graduating class, have all been in the Canfield school system since kindergarten and are scheduled to graduate June 12, The Youngstown (Ohio) Vindicator reported Wednesday. "I think it's really unique that out of 282 graduates we have so many sets of twins," Tullio said. "In fact, we have a photo of some of them from kindergarten that we're putting in the yearbook." The multiples don't end with the class of 2011 -- the class of 2012 currently has three sets of twins enrolled in the school while the class of 2013 has one set and the class of 2014 has eight sets of twins.

Guffaw…or at least smile…

Some Boy Scouts from the city were on a camping trip. The mosquitoes were so fierce, the boys had to hide under their blankets to avoid being bitten. Then one of them saw some lightning bugs and said to his friend, "We might as well give up. They're coming after us with flashlights.

Searchin’ “You Tube” I found…

Returns tomorrow

Daybook Information…

…Happening This Week:

4-11

·        International Clothesline Week

·        National Headache Awareness Week

·        National Sun Safety Week

·        National Tire Safety Week

·        (World) Dystonia Awareness Week

6-12

·        National Automotive Service Professionals Week

·        National Business Etiquette Week

·        World Menopause Week

Ø   

TODAY IS

Donald Duck Day

Today’s Events:

…  IN ARTS

1931 - 1st showing of a Donald Duck cartoon

1958 - "Purple People Eater http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9H_cI_WCnE " by Sheb Wooley hits #1

1970 - Bob Dylan given honorary Doctorate of Music at Princeton U

1980 - Comedian Richard Pryor suffers burns from free basing cocaine

…  IN ATHLETICS

1945 - Following an 8-7 win over the Phils, Brooklyn manager Leo Durocher is arrested on a complaint by a fan that Durocher slugged him

1960 - ABC & AFL sign a 5 year contract

1973 - Secretariat becomes 1st Triple Crown winner in 25 years by winning horse racing's Belmont Stakes

1985 - 39th NBA Championship: LA Lakers beat Boston Celtics, 4 games to 2

… IN BUSINESS & EDUCATION

1534 - Jacques Cartier 1st sails into mouth of St Lawrence River

1650 - The Harvard Corporation, the more powerful of the two administrative boards of Harvard, is established. It is the first legal corporation in the Americas

1790 - 1st book copyrighted under constitution, "Philadelphia Spelling Book"

1802 - US Academy at West Point founded

1822 - Charles Graham patents false teeth

1868 - 1st meeting of Board of Regents, University of California

1902 - 1st Automat restaurant opens (818 Chestnut St, Phila)

1923 - Brinks unveils 1st armored security vans

1977 - 50th National Spelling Bee: John Paola wins spelling cambist

…  FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

1870 - Washington: Pres Grant meets with Sioux chief Red Cloud

…  IN INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

  68 - Roman Emperor Nero commits suicide, imploring his secretary Epaphroditos to slit his throat to evade a Senate-imposed death by flogging

1529 - Zurich declares war on Catholic kantons

1898 - China leases Hong Kong's new territories to Britain for 99 years

1940 - General Charles de Gaulle's 1st meeting with Winston Churchill

1940 - Norway surrenders to Germany during WW II

1977 - Silver jubilee of Queen Elizabeth celebrated with fireworks

…  IN SCIENCE & RELIGION

1549 - Book of Common Prayer is adopted by the Church of England

1856 - 500 Mormons leave Iowa City, Iowa and head west for Salt Lake City, Utah carrying all their possessions in two-wheeled handcarts

1928 - Charles Kingsford-Smith & Charles Ulm are 1st to fly across the Pacific when they end their flight from California to Brisbane

…  IN US POLITICS

1628 - 1st deportation from what is now US, Thomas Morton from Mass

1732 - Royal charter for Georgia granted to James Oglethorpe

1772 - 1st naval attack of Revolutionary War takes place in Providence, RI

1943 - "Pay-as-you-go" (withholding) US income tax deductions authorized

1949 - Mrs Georgia Neese Clark of Kansas becomes 1st woman treasurer of US

1963 - Equal Pay Act enacted

1969 - Warren Burger confirmed as US Chief Justice

 … ARTISTS:  AUTHORS:  COMPOSERS…

1922 - George Axelrod, playwright (Breakfast at Tiffany, Bus Stop)

1930 - Lin[wood] [Vrooman] Carter, US, sci-fi author (Thongor of Lemuria)

Joe [William] Haldeman, US, sci-fi author (Hugo, Nebula, Worlds Apart) turns 68

1915 - Les Paul,  guitarist/inventor (Les Paul guitar)

1891 - Cole Porter, composer/lyricist (Anything Goes, Kiss Me Kate)

…ATHLETES

1882 - Bobby Kerr, Canadian sprinter

Wayman Tisdale, NBA center/forward (Phoenix Suns) turns 47

Bill Virdon, 2nd baseman (St Louis Cards)/mgr (NY Yankees) turns 80

Dick Vitale, US, sportscaster (ESPN, ABC "Oh Baby!") turns 71

…ENTERTAINERS (ACTORS/SINGERS…)

1908 - Robert Cummings, actor (Love that Bob, Dial M For Murder)

Johnny Depp actor, director turns 48

Michael J. Fox actor turns 50

Jon Lord, England, keyboardist ( Deep Purple-Hush , White Snake) turns 70

Jackie Masoncomedian (World According to Me, Chicken Soup) turns 75

Natalie Portman actor turns 30

Joe Santos, American actor turns 80

… ENTREPRENEUR & EDUCATORS

▬

…POLITICIANS

▬

…SCIENTISTS / THEOLOGISTS

1812 - Johann G Galle, German astronomer (discovered Neptune)

1900 - Fred Waring, musician/conductor/inventor (Waring Blender)

Today’s Obits:

1834 - William Carey, one of the founders of the Baptist Missionary Society dies at 72

1870 - Charles Dickens, English writer (David Copperfield), dies after stroke at 58

1997 - Reid Shelton, actor (Daddy Warbucks-Annie), dies of stroke at 71

ANSWERS:

Trivia Quiz

1.      Which lingerie company did Jane Russell work for in the 1970s?

                Playtex

2.      Why was Buddy Ebsen forced to quit his role as the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz?

               He was allergic to the make-up

3.      What was Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy's first film together?

               Woman of the Year

4.      Which actress said, "I'm as pure as driven slush?"

                 Tallulah Bankhead

5.      In which film did James Cagney say "You dirty double-crossing rat".

                  Blonde Crazy

6.      Who said, "All I need to make a comedy is a park, a policeman and a pretty girl?"

                  Charlie Chaplin

7.      What drink did Garbo ask for in her first talkie?

                  Whisky with ginger ale on the side

8.      Who was "the man you love to hate?"

                   Erich Von Stroheim

9.      Which famous character was played by Butterfly McQueen in Gone With the Wind?

                    Prissy

10.   In which sport did John Kelly compete in the 1920 Olympics?

                  Rowing

11.   On which 30s screen legend was Cat woman in Batman based?

                Jean Harlow

12.   In what year did David Lean die?

        1991

Close Up Picture

…AND THAT’S ALL FOR NOW

6-8-11

Ø  TODAY’s “Geez”:

·        1937 - World's largest flower blooms in NY Botanical Garden, 12' calla lily

·        1978 - 51st National Spelling Bee: Peg McCarthy wins spelling deification

Ø  Free Rambling Thoughts…

I got my cars regular maintenance today. They said two hours so I walked over to the nearby mall. I came back after about 90 minutes. It took from 9:30-1:00 which is ‘slightly’ more than the 2 hours promised. I didn’t have a lot to do this morning, so I wasn’t freakin’, but I did let them know that had I known it was 3-1/2 hours I would have used their shuttle service and gone home. The guy apologized but didn’t even have an excuse. Like all dealerships, they always have the upper hand.

More southern AZ evacuations, bigger fire, one still at zero containment. We in Northern AZ are counting our blessings at this time.

After learning that 247 people on the Terrorist Watch List were able to legally buy guns and pass the required back ground check, a bill was introduced that would require anyone on the Terrorist Watch List could not legally buy a gun. It was defeated by the Republican majority in the House. Then today an American Al Qaeda spokesperson put out a brand new two hour video on what the terrorists are doing. Blah, Blah, Blah..and to the members in the US, you can buy guns at your local gun show with no background check so what are you waiting for?, blah blah, blah. We are living in very crazy times when we allow this to happen.

Ø  Trivia Quiz…(answers at the end of post)

1.      On which ship did President Nixon welcome the astronauts back from the Moon?

2.      Which scientist located Pluto?

3.      In what year was Hale Bopp first seen?

4.      Which three astronauts died during a launch pad rehearsal in 1967

5.      What is Neil Armstrong's middle name?

6.      What was the name of the Japanese Moon orbiter launched in 1990?

7.      Which cosmonaut returned to Earth in 1996 after spending a record-breaking 438 days in space?

8.      Who was the second Soviet cosmonaut?

9.      What was the nationality of the journalist who accompanied a docking mission to MIR in 1990?

10.   How long did Sergei Krikalyev spend on Mir in the early 90s?

11.   What was the role of Rocco Petrone in the Apollo XI project?

12.   Who was the first woman to captain a space shuttle crew?

13.   How many orbits of the Moon were there on the first manned orbit?

Ø  Zoom-ed in Picture…Can you Identify what this is? (Answer at end of post)

Ø  Hmmmmm…

·        Portion of single or widowed Americans over 65 who receive all their income from Social Security: ¼

Ø  Somewhat Useless Information…

·        In the Pacific Islands, natives pickle their foods in holes in the ground lined with banana leaves, and use them as food reserves in case of storms. The pickles are so valuable that they've become part of the courting process, helping a man prove he'll be able to provide for a woman.

·        Napoleon was also a big fan of pickle power. In fact, he put up the equivalent of $250,000 as a prize to whoever could figure out the best way to pickle and preserve foods for his troops.

·        During the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, H. J. Heinz used pickle-shaped pins to lure customers to his out of the way booth. By the end of the fair, he'd given out lots of free food, and over 1,000,000 pickle pins.

Ø  Yeah, It Really Happened…

COLUMBIA, Mo. — A public health official in central Missouri has asked an ice cream shop to cool it with the cicada ice cream, even though customers apparently can't get enough of it.

Sparky's Homemade Ice Cream in Columbia, Mo., sold out of its only batch of the insect-filled dessert within hours of its June 1 debut.

The Columbia Missourian says employees collected the cicadas in their backyards and removed most of the dead bugs' wings. They then boiled the bugs and covered them in brown sugar and milk chocolate. The base ice cream is brown sugar and butter flavor.

Gerry Worley, an environmental health chief with the Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health, says the agency's food code "doesn't directly address cicadas" and that he has advised against their use as an ingredient.

Ø  Guffaw…or at least smile…

Teacher: Why do we sometimes call the Middle Ages the Dark Ages?

Peter: Because they had so many knights.

Ø  Searchin’ “You Tube” I found…

 The Comedy of Stiller and Meara

Ø  Daybook Information…

…Happening This Week:

4-11

·        International Clothesline Week

·        National Headache Awareness Week

·        National Sun Safety Week

·        National Tire Safety Week

·        (World) Dystonia Awareness Week

6-12

·        National Automotive Service Professionals Week

·        National Business Etiquette Week

·        World Menopause Week

Ø  TODAY IS

Name Your Poison Day

Upsy Daisy Day

World Ocean Day

Ø  Today’s Events:

…  IN ARTS

1948 - "Milton Berle Show" premieres on NBC TV

1969 - "Smothers Brothers comedy Hour," last airs on CBS-TV

…  IN ATHLETICS

1921 - Babe Ruth arrested for speeding, fined $100, & held in jail until 4 PM

1962 - Jim Beatty runs world record 2 mile (8:29.8)

1968 - Don Drysdale pitches a record 58th consecutive scoreless inning

…  IN BUSINESS & EDUCATION

1786 - Commercially made ice cream 1st advertised (Mr Hall, NYC)

1829 - 1st UK municipal swimming pool outside of London, opens in Liverpool

1889 - Cable Cars begin service in LA

1896 - 1st car is stolen

1912 - Carl Laemmle incorporates Universal Pictures

…  FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

1871- When confronted at Fort Sill, in south-central Indian Territory, about knowing anything about the attack on the wagons loaded with corn on May 15th on the Butterfield trail, Satanta said he was the leader of the raid. Satanta tells the agent that Santak, Big Tree, and others were with him. General Sherman places the 3 Indians under arrest and handcuffed. While being transported back to Fort Richardson in north-central Texas, Satank manages to work free from his handcuffs. He then attacks a guard with a hidden knife. Satank grabs a rifle from another guard, but he is shot and killed by the remaining soldiers. His body will be thrown in a ditch, and the group will continue to Texas

…  IN INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

452 - Italy invaded by Attila the Hun

1949 - Siam changes name to Thailand

1960 - Argentine government demands release of Adolf Eichmann

1986 - Alleged Nazi Kurt Waldheim elected pres of Austria

…  IN SCIENCE & RELIGION

1783 - Laki Volcano in southern Iceland begins 8-month eruption

1869 - Ives W McGaffey of Chicago patents 1st vacuum cleaner 

1940 - Discovery of element 93, neptunium, announced

1959 - X-15 makes 1st unpowered flight, from a B-52 at 11,500 m

1988 - Nippon Airways announces that painting eyeballs on Jets cut bird collisions by 20%

…  IN US POLITICS

1789 - James Madison introduces a proposed Bill of Rights in the U.S. House of Representatives

1861 - People of Tennessee vote to succeed from Union

1915 - William Jennings Bryan quits as Secretary of State

1953 - Segregated lunch counters in DC forbidden by Supreme Court

1995 - Downed U.S. Air Force pilot Captain Scott O'Grady is rescued by U.S. Marines in Bosnia

… ARTISTS:  AUTHORS:  COMPOSERS…

1849 - Juliaan Dillens, Flemish sculptor (Anspach Monument)

1946 - Elizabeth A Lynn, US, sci-fi author (Watchtower, Red Hawk) turns 65

…ATHLETES

1917 - Byron R Whizzer White, Univ of CO/NFLer/Supreme Court Just (1962-93)

1967 - Kathryn Marshall, Dundee Scotland, LPGA golfer turns 44

Don Robinson, American baseball player turns 54

Troy Vincent, NFL cornerback (Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles) turns 41

…ENTERTAINERS (ACTORS/SINGERS…)

Kathy Baker actress turns 61

1918 - Robert Preston,  actor (Music Man 76 Trombones ,  Music Man "Ya Got Trouble" Mame, Last Starfighter)

Joan Rivers, [Molinsky],  comedienne (Late Show, Hollywood Sq) turns 78

Nancy Sinatra, singer ( Boots are Made for Walkin')  turns 71

Boz Scaggs, [William Royce], rocker (Steve Miller Band) turns 67

Jerry Stiller actor comedian turns 82

David Sutcliffe Canadian actor turns 42

Bonnie Tyler, singer (Total Eclipse of the Heart and Holding Out for a Hero) turns 58

Kanye West rapper turns 34

… ENTREPRENEUR & EDUCATORS

1867 - Frank Lloyd Wright, master builder (Guggenheim)

1896 - Samuel Gonard, chairman (International Red Cross)

…POLITICIANS

1925 - Barbara Pierce Bush, 1st lady (1989-93) turns 86

1943 - William Calley, American war criminal turns 68

…SCIENTISTS / THEOLOGISTS

1759 - Thomas Dunham Whitaker, UK topographer

Ø  Today’s Obits:

1874 - Cochise  [K'uu-ch'ish "oak" ] Apache leader dies of cancer at 69

1695 - Christian Huygens, inventor/astronomer (ring of Saturn), dies at 66

1975 - William F Jenkins, author (Time Tunnel, Land of Giants), dies at 78

 632 - Mohammed, prophet of Islam (Koran), dies (according to tradition) of fever at 63

1982 - [Leroy] Satchel Paige, US baseball pitcher, dies at 75

1809 - Thomas Paine, writer (Age of Reason, Common Sense), dies at 72

1871 – Satank [Set-ankeah, Sitting Bear], Kiowa chief/medicine man, shot to death at 71

1969 - Robert Taylor, actor (Death Valley Days), dies of lung cancer at 57

Ø  ANSWERS:

Trivia Quiz

1.      On which ship did President Nixon welcome the astronauts back from the Moon?

Hornet

2.      Which scientist located Pluto?

Clyde Tombaugh

3.      In what year was Hale Bopp first seen?

1995

4.      Which three astronauts died during a launch pad rehearsal in 1967

Gus Grissom, Ed White & Roger Chaffee

5.      What is Neil Armstrong's middle name?

Alden

6.      What was the name of the Japanese Moon orbiter launched in 1990?

Muses-A

7.      Which cosmonaut returned to Earth in 1996 after spending a record-breaking 438 days in space?

Polyakov

8.      Who was the second Soviet cosmonaut?

Titov

9.      What was the nationality of the journalist who accompanied a docking mission to MIR in 1990?

Japanese

10.   How long did Sergei Krikalyev spend on Mir in the early 90s?

Ten months

11.   What was the role of Rocco Petrone in the Apollo XI project?

Launch director

12.   Who was the first woman to captain a space shuttle crew?

Eileen Collins

13.   How many orbits of the Moon were there on the first manned orbit?

10

Close Up Picture

Ø  …AND THAT’S ALL FOR NOW