8-24-11

All Blue text is a link…be sure and click on it for more information!

‡     TODAY’s “Geez”:

¬ 1912 - NYC ticker tape parade for Jim Thorpe & victorious US Olympians

¬     79 - Mt Vesuvius erupts, buries Pompeii & Herculaneum, 15,000 die

‡     Free Rambling Thoughts…

Alas, hot, and only a sprinkle of rain.

I did some housecleaning today. Not my favorite pastime. But it does have to be done. I am working on this blog and listening to the city council meeting. An interesting turnout…many speaking about the Peaks issue and the recently filed Hopi law suit. One thing to remember is that Flagstaff is the only city in the US allowing ‘reclaimed’ water to make artificial snow. I’m not sure where Vail, Aspen, The White Mountains and others get their water for artificial snow, but it is not ‘reclaimed’ water.  The Peaks is #16 on the agenda so it will be a while before the council talks about it. Right now each speaker is limited, as always to 3 minutes.

My sister-in-law was busy working on a project this morning in her NYC office. On FB she posted a picture of color swatches she was choosing for her new collection. Very impressive and her MT adventure is playing a role in her selections…a back to natural color thing. A few minutes after she posted that, she posted that she too felt the earthquake. She was OK, but amazed that a quake in VA could be felt in NYC. Me too, especially since it was only a 5.8 or 5.9—which is not considered that strong.

Throughout the day I heard more, learning that West Coast earthquakes are ‘different’ than East Coast earthquakes. For some reason I still don’t understand very well, the East Coast ones are felt over a larger area than West Coast ones. I also saw many maps of the number of nuclear power generating plants in the US. I had no idea there were that many plants. Of course, when there is an earthquake, we all wonder what it will do if any nuclear plants nearby. This time, no plants were damaged. What about next time?

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

1.      What does the F stand for in FBI?

2.      Tony Curtis was in which of the armed services in WWII?

3.      Which state is called the Volunteer State?

4.      How did Greta Gustafson become better known as an actress?

5.      Albertville and Lillehammer were two 90s venues for which event?

6.      The US declared war on which country after the bombing of Pearl Harbor?

7.      Where do the Super Bowl winning Cowboys come from?

8.      Kirk Douglas was in which of the armed services in WWII?

9.      What sport is the winner of the Harry Vardon trophy playing?

10.   Which shoe company did Michael Jordan famously promote?

11.   Which musical instrument did Pablo Casals play?

12.   In horse racing, which Triple Crown race is held on Long Island?

13.   In which country was the AIDS virus first recognized?

14.   Scott Hamilton won Olympic gold for the USA on what surface?

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

‡     Hmmmmm…

¬ Estimated number of feet eastward that Japan’s main island was moved by March’s earthquake: 8

‡     Somewhat Useless Information…

¬ Tomatoes first grew as wild, cherry-size berries in the South American Andes, but the fruit, as we know it today, was developed in Mexico where it was known as tomatil and traveled to Europe by boat with the returning conquistadors.

~*~

A tomato is 94% water

‡     Yeah, It Really Happened…

THESSALONIKI, Greece — It took an undercover operation, but Greek police have blown a hole in a ring of alleged crooks who had cornered the doughnut market in a beach resort.

It started with complaints that two Bulgarian men and a former Greek wrestling champion were using violence to choke off the trade by other doughnut vendors on Paliouri beach in the Halkidiki peninsula near Thessaloniki.

So an undercover officer posed as a doughnut seller, police said Tuesday, and he was attacked, leading to the arrest of the three aggressive doughnut sellers.

As a result, they have been charged with blackmail and fraud. They also were charged with food safety violations after police found they had stashed their product in an abandoned hotel that was open to the elements and used by bathers as a toilet.

‡     Guffaw…or at least smile…

Two bachelors, Larry and Frank were out to dinner. The conversation drifted from office, sports to politics and then to cooking.

“I got a cook book once” said Larry. “But I couldn’t do anything with it.”

“Too much fancy stuff in it, huh?” asked Frank.

“You said it, Larry replied, nodding. “Every one of those recipes began the same way: “Take a clean plate…”

‡     Searchin’ “You Tube” I found…

Eagle Catches Salmon

Note: This site has many unique videos that are worth a look. Thanks to my friend Martha for showing me this site.

‡     Daybook Information…

…Happening This Week:

19-28: Little League Baseball World Series

22-26: National Safe at Home Week

‡     TODAY IS

¬ Knife Day: to learn some basic Knife Safety Tips

¬ Vesuvius Day

¬ Pluto Demoted Day 2006

¬ National Waffle Day

~*~

¬ Liberia: Flag Day (1967)

¬ Ukraine: Independence Day (1991)

‡     Today’s Events:

·        IN ARTS

1847 - Charlotte Bronte finishes manuscript of "Jane Eyre"

·        IN ATHLETICS

1963 - 1st 200 meter freestyle swam under 2 minutes (Don Schollander 1:58)

1981 - American Charles Chapman is 1st black to swim English Channel

1993 - Padres scores 14 in 1st vs Cardinals

·        IN BUSINESS

1456 - The printing of the Gutenberg Bible is completed

1853 - 1st potato chips prepared by Chef George Crum (Saratoga Springs NY)

·        IN EDUCATION

--

·        FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

1818 - The Quapaw Indians sign a treaty (7 stat. 176) at St. Louis covering lands along the Arkansas and Red Rivers

1835 - The United States signs a treaty (7 Stat., 474.) with the Choctaw,Comanche, Creek (Muscogee), Cherokee, Osage, Quapaw, Seneca andWitchita at Camp Holmes "on the eastern border of the Grand Prairie, near the Canadian River

·        IN INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

1909 - Workers start pouring concrete for Panama Canal

·        IN RELIGION

1349 - 6,000 Jews, blamed for the Plague, are killed in Mainz Jews of Cologne Germany set themselves on fire to avoid baptism

1662 - Act of Uniformity requires English to accept Book of Common Prayer

·        IN SCIENCE

2006 - The International Astronomical Union (IAU) redefines the term "planet" such that Pluto is considered a Dwarf Planet.

·        IN US POLITICS

1950 - Edith Sampson named 1st black US delegate to UN

1959 - Hiram L Fong sworn in as 1st Chinese-American senator while Daniel K Inouye sworn in as 1st Japanese-American Rep (Both from Hawaii)

·        ARTISTS:  AUTHORS:  COMPOSERS

1924 - Louis Teicher, pianist (Ferante & Teicher-Exodus)

·        ATHLETES

1890 - Duke Kahanamoku, Hawaii, swimmer (Olympics-3 gold/2 silver-12, 20, 24)

Vince McMahon, American professional wrestling promoter turns 66

Kurt Miller, pitcher (Florida Marlins)turns 39

Reggie Miller, NBA guard (Ind Pacers, Oly-gold-96) turns 46

Cal Ripken, shortstop (Balt Orioles, game streak) turns 51

·        ENTERTAINERS (ACTORS/SINGERS…)

David Chappelle, comedian turns 38

Steve Guttenberg, actor (Police Academy, Short Circuit) turns 53

1912 - Durward Kirby, TV announcer (Garry Moore Show)

Marlee Matlin, actor (deaf) turns 46

Mason Williams, writer (Smother Brothers Hour) turns 73

·        ENTREPRENEUR & EDUCATORS

--

·        POLITICIANS

                 Mike Huckabee, American politician, Governor/Presidential candidate turns 56

1880 - Miles W L Killearn of Killearn, Scotish baron/diplomat

·        SCIENTISTS / THEOLOGISTS

1895 - Richard Cardinal Cushing, archbishop of Boston

‡     Today’s Obits:

1680 - Thomas Blood, Irish-born thief of the British crown jewels dies at 62

1923 - Kate Douglas Wiggin, author (US kindergarten movement), dies of pneumonia at 66

1958 - Paul Henry, Northern Irish artist dies at 82

1995 - Gary Crosby, singer/actor (Operation Bikini, Mardi Gras), dies of lung cancer at 61

‡     ANSWERS:

Trivia Quiz

1.      What does the F stand for in FBI?

a.      Federal

2.      Tony Curtis was in which of the armed services in WWII?

a.      Navy

3.      Which state is called the volunteer State?

a.      Tennessee

4.      How did Greta Gustafson become better known as an actress?

a.      Greta Garbo

5.      Albertville and Lillehammer were two 90s venues for which event?

a.      Winter Olympics

6.      The US declared war on which country after the bombing of Pearl Harbor?

a.      Japan

7.      Where do the Super Bowl winning Cowboys come from?

a.      Dallas

8.      Kirk Douglas was in which of the armed services in WWII?

a.      Navy

9.      What sport is the winner of the Harry Vardon trophy playing?

a.      Golf

10.   Which shoe company did Michael Jordan famously promote?

a.      Nike

11.   Which musical instrument did Pablo Casals play?

a.      Cello

12.   In horse racing, which triple Crown race is held on Long Island?

a.      Belmont

13.   In which country was the AIDS virus first recognized?

a.      USA

14.   Scott Hamilton won Olympic gold for the USA on what surface?

a.     Ice

Close Up Picture

Disclaimer: All opinions are mine…feel free to agree or disagree. All ‘data’ info is from the internet sites and is usually checked with at least one other source, but I have learned that every site has mistakes and sadly once out the information is out there, many sites simply copy it and is therefore difficult to verify. Also for events occurring before the Gregorian calendar was adopted [1582] may not be totally accurate.

‡     AND THAT’S ALL FOR NOW     ‡

8-23-11

All Blue text is a link…be sure and click on it for more information!

‡     TODAY’s “Geez”:

¬ 1889 - 1st ship-to-shore wireless message received in US (SF) 1975 - Ethiopian junta under Mengistu Haile

¬ 1904 - Automobile tire chain patented

¬ 1939 - John Cobb (Britain) drives 365.85 MPH (593.48 KPH) at Bonneville Flats

¬ 1987 - 15-years old boy hijacks KLM B737, demands $1 billion

¬ 1996 - Osama bin Laden issues message entitled 'A declaration of war against the Americans occupying the land of the two holy places.'

¬ 2005 - Hurricane Katrina forms over the Bahamas, later becomes a category 5 hurricane

‡     Free Rambling Thoughts…

I had a very productive day…and on a Monday no less. It started by running some errands, then I worked on the brochure for the boat. Turns out I actually finished Draft One of it. Things are coming along well…if not just a little slow. Now I just hope that Greg will add some ideas to the entire concept. So hard sometimes to read someone else’s mind.

I had never heard of a ‘J-1’ visa until today. It allows foreigners to come to the US as an exchange visitor—meaning that you can have an educational and cultural visit. Many students come to the US on these exchange programs. Yesterday about 200 J-1 visa visitors protested their work conditions. It seems that they had jobs at a plant that made Hershey candy. They worked for minimum wage, 8 hours a day. The company that hired them, not Hershey, provided them with housing. The problem, the housing was required, was a shabby dormitory with little privacy, and cost them $400/month taken from their paycheck. Their long repetitive work was done with security cameras watching, and if they didn’t work fast enough, they were threatened with being fired. That would then make them ‘illegal’. They complained that they had back pain, hand pain, and a medical student said he could no longer hold a pen to write his name, let alone be the surgeon he dreamed of being. These visitors were on a cultural exchange and left countries where they were college students. They had paid up to $6,000US to get this great cultural experience. Many did not have enough money to return home. This is not the exchange I want foreigners to have of our country. I can only hope that the government gets in gear and stops this type of exploitation.

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

1.      In which 20th-century decade was Barbie's boyfriend Ken first made?

2.      In which decade was Madonna born?

3.      Which initials did rapper Hammer lose?

4.      Who plays against the USA in golf's Walker Cup?

5.      Who had a huge 70s No 1 with Shadow Dancing?

6.      In Canada what is the NHL?

7.      Marlon Brando was born in which decade of the century?

8.      Who did Elton John originally duet with on Don't Go Breaking My Heart?

9.      Martina Navratilova has been on the winning side in the Federation Cup for which two countries?

10.   The cause of what color fever was discovered in 1900?

11.   Which actor is the dad of Jamie Lee Curtis?

12.   In football, where do the Chargers come from?

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

‡     Hmmmmm…

¬ Chance that a woman undergoing in-vitro fertilization in Israel becomes pregnant: 1 in 5

¬ Chance if she is subjected, before fertilization, to ‘medcal clowning’:  1 in 3

‡     Somewhat Useless Information…

¬ F. Scott Fitzgerald went to Princeton and used the school as the setting for his first novel, This Side of Paradise. He died while eating a Hershey chocolate bar and reading a football article in the Princeton Alumni Weekly.

¬ Katharine Lee Bates, an English professor at Wellesley, wrote the words to "America the Beautiful" after being inspired during a climb to the top of Pikes Peak in 1893.

¬ The first people to witness a striptease were Parisian students who watched a model disrobe at the Bal des Quatre Arts on February 9, 1893. However, she was escorted out and fined 100 francs by a court. The students went crazy and began tearing apart the Latin Quarter - the army had to be called out to calm the riot.

¬ Marcel Duchamp, artist and great chess player, spent his honeymoon contemplating chess problems. One night his bride glued the chess pieces to the board. They were divorced three weeks later.

¬ Cary Grant was expelled from school at the age of 14 for attempting to sneak into the girls' bathroom. He then ran away to join a troupe of traveling acrobats.

¬ When he was president, Calvin Coolidge never turned down an invitation to a social gathering although he never seemed to enjoy himself. When someone finally asked him why he went to the parties, he replied, "Got to eat somewhere."

‡     Yeah, It Really Happened…

Maimi: Local airport officials were on high alert Monday after reports that a suspicious white powder was found on a New York flight that had just arrived at Hollywood-Fort Lauderdale International Airport, NBC Miami reports.

But all a hazardous materials team found on the plane was the remnants of a bag of marijuana, officials said.

At around 9 a.m., the crew on Spirit Airlines Flight 705 called authorities to report that they had discovered a "suspicious item" onboard, said Greg Meyer, spokesman for the airport.

The flight was arriving from New York, and passengers were cleared off the plane as a HAZMAT team investigated.

Instead of a dangerous material, officials found weed, said Broward Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Veda Coleman-Wright.

Not surprisingly, none of the passengers claimed the marijuana, so no one was arrested, she said.

Spirit Airlines said all passengers continued on to their connecting flights as scheduled.

‡     Guffaw…or at least smile…

Man: Is this seat empty?

Woman: Yes, and this one will be if you sit down.

~*~

A man died and his wife phoned the newspaper to place an obituary. She called the obituary department and said, "This is what I want to print: Bernie is dead." The man at the newspaper said, "But for $25 you are allowed to print six words." The woman answered, "OK. Then print: Bernie is dead. Toyota for sale."

‡     Searchin’ “You Tube” I found…

Barbara Eden discusses her favorite "I Dream of Jeannie" episodes

‡     Daybook Information…

…Happening This Week:

19-28: Little League Baseball World Series

22-26: National Safe at Home Week

‡     TODAY IS

¬ Day For The Remembrance of The Slave Trade & Its Abolition

¬ National Spongecake Day

¬ Ride the Wind Day

¬ Valentino Day

‡     Today’s Events:

·        IN ARTS

1919 - "Gasoline Alley" cartoon strip premieres in Chicago Tribune

1995 - Larry Hagman receives a liver transplant

·        IN ATHLETICS

1992 - Dennis Eckersley, who previously set record for most consecutive saves (40), is 1st pitcher to record 40 saves in 4 different seasons

·        IN BUSINESS

1617 - 1st one-way streets open (London)

·        IN EDUCATION

1838 - Mt Holyoke Female Seminary (South Hadley, Mass) 1st graduating class

·        FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

1732 -The beginning of a peace conference held in Philadelphia with the local Indians. Attending the meeting are several Iroquois Chiefs, including Onondaga Chief Shikellamy

1876 - "Treaty 6 Between Her Majesty The Queen and The Plain and Wood Cree Indians and Other Tribes of Indians at Fort Carlton, Fort Pitt and Battle River with Adhesions" is signed in Canada

·        IN INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

1305 - William Wallace, Scottish patriot, is executed for high treason by Edward I of England

1541 - French explorer Jacques Cartier lands near Quebec City in his third voyage to Canada

1944 - Romania liberated from Nazi occupation 

1975 - Communists take over Laos

·        IN RELIGION

1555 - Calvinists are granted rights in the Netherlands

1796 - African Methodist Episcopal Church incorporated

·        IN SCIENCE

  79 - Mount Vesuvius begins stirring, on the feast day of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire

1924 - Mars' closest approach to Earth since 10th century

1960 - World's largest frog (3.3 kg) caught (Equatorial Guinea) (7.25 lbs)

·        IN US POLITICS

1850 - 1st national women's rights convention convenes in Worcester Mass

·        ARTISTS:  AUTHORS:  COMPOSERS

1849 - William Ernest Henley, British poet, critic, and editor): 1875 poem "Invictus" :

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

·        ATHLETES

Sonny Jurgensen, NFL quarterback (Wash Redskins)/sportscaster turns 77

1911 - Elizabeth "Betty" Robinson, US 100m sprinter (Olympic-gold-1928)

Rik Smits, NBA center (Indiana Pacers) turns 45

·        ENTERTAINERS (ACTORS/SINGERS…)

Barbara Eden, actor turns 77

1912 - Gene Kelly, dancer/actor (An American in Paris, Going My Way)

Shelley Long, actor turns 62

Lee Majors, actor ($6,000,000 Man, The Fall Guy) turns 71

Vera Miles, actor turns 81

Jay Mohr, actor, comedian turns 41

1947 - Keith Moon, English rock drummer (Who-I'm A Boy )

1900 - Malvina Reynolds, American folk singer/songwriter: Little Boxes

Mark Russell, political satirist /pianist (Real People) turns 79

Rick Springfield, Australia, (General Hospital, Jessie's Girl) turns 62

1917 - Tex Williams, American singer

·        ENTREPRENEUR & EDUCATORS

1852 - Arnold Toynbee, English economist and social reformer

·        POLITICIANS

1754 - Louis XVI, Versailles, king of France (1774-93) eventually guillotined

Queen Noor, American born Queen of Jordan turns 60

·        SCIENTISTS / THEOLOGISTS

--

‡     Today’s Obits:

1977 - Sebastian Cabot, actor (Giles French-Family Affair), dies after stroke at 59

1962 - Hoot Gibson, silent screen cowboy actor (Last Outlaw), dies of cancer at 70

1960 - Oscar Hammerstein II, Broadway librettist, dies of stomach cancer at 65

1723 - Increase Mather, New England Puritan minister dies at 84

2005 - Brock Peters, Afro-American actor dies at 78

1926 - Rudolph Valentino, silent movie idol (Sheik), dies of peritonitis at 31

1305 - William Wallace, Scottish patriot, hanged, disemboweled & beheaded

‡     ANSWERS:

Trivia Quiz

In which 20th-century decade was Barbie's boyfriend Ken first made?

 60s

In which decade was Madonna born?

 50s

Which initials did rapper Hammer lose?

 M C: for being a Master of Ceremony at clubs..given name: Chelvathev Chelvasekaram

Who plays against the USA in golf's Walker Cup?

 Great Britain

Who had a huge 70s No 1 with Shadow Dancing?

 Andy Gibb

In Canada what is the NHL?

 National Hockey League

Marlon Brando was born in which decade of the century?

 20s

Who did Elton John originally duet with on Don't Go Breaking My Heart?

 Kiki Dee

Martina Navratilova has been on the winning side in the Federation Cup for which two countries?

 Czechoslovakia & USA

The cause of what color fever was discovered in 1900?

 Yellow

Which actor was the dad of Jamie Lee Curtis?

 Tony Curtis

In football, where do the Chargers come from?

San Diego

Close Up Picture

Disclaimer: All opinions are mine…feel free to agree or disagree. All ‘data’ info is from the internet sites and is usually checked with at least one other source, but I have learned that every site has mistakes and sadly once out the information is out there, many sites simply copy it and is therefore difficult to verify. Also for events occurring before the Gregorian calendar was adopted [1582] may not be totally accurate.

‡     AND THAT’S ALL FOR NOW     ‡