8-31-11

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

§    TODAY’s “Geez”

·        1907 - Britain & Russia sign treaty with Afghanistan, Persia & Tibet

·        1955 - 1st sun-powered automobile demonstrated, Chicago, Ill 

·        1935 - FDR signs an act prohibiting export of US arms to belligerents

§     Free Rambling Thoughts…

            oops, yesterday's picture was a felt tip pen

A fairly warm day but a slight breeze made it bearable. No moisture fell from the sky.

                 ·         

Just when we thought Irene hadn’t been as bad as predicted…now we find that many towns that are stranded in Vermont. It wasn’t by sea water, but by rivers. Roads are gone, bridges are gone, and highways are gone. Many of these towns are small—like less than 800 people. Scary. From my point of view, the Republicans and others don’t want to add funding to FEMA. This is money to get food, water, electricity, and medications to these people, to repair Federal roads and bridges. This is different than rebuilding houses and stores in flood plains. A visiting wedding party of 60 is stranded in a town of 120 local residents that has no running water, no electricity, and no sewage treatment. The Tea Party is saying if more money is given to FEMA there has to be equal cuts in other programs. That will take months. What are these people to do while waiting? Enough politics, more statemenship.

This was a quiet day for me. I enjoyed just being lazy.

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

1.      English writer P G Wodehouse took out citizenship in which country?

2.      Who took Heaven to No 1 in the 1980s?

3.      Which American novelist wrote For Whom the Bell Tolls?

4.      Which state was the scene of Helen Kimble's murder in The Fugitive?

5.      How many people were first arrested in the Watergate building?

6.      What was the first name of Le Carre's spy Smiley?

7.      Who won a Booker Prize for Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha?

8.      What is the capital of Saskatchewan?

9.      Who had a big 50s No 1 with Come Softly To Me?

10.   On which man-made waterway does Detroit stand?

11.   At what number Stigwood Avenue did The Cosby Show's Huxtables live?

12.   What does the name of the receptionist in TVs Moonlighting, played by Allyce Beasley?

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

§     Hmmmmm…

·        Amount the Defense Department spent last year on military bands: $317,000,000

§     Somewhat Useless Information…

·        J. Edgar Hoover got the idea for his "Ten Most Wanted Criminals" list from a friend, a fashion designer who had invented the survey called "Ten Best Dressed Women."

·        The Stetson hat was the brainchild of Philadelphia hatmaker named John Batterson Stetson. He had traveled West seeking a cure for tuberculosis, and when he returned to Philadelphia he began making hats suited to the needs of the western cowboy.

·        Dentures in 19th century Britain were made out of teeth that had been extracted from the dead of the Waterloo battle. Teeth from the dead of the American Civil War were also shipped to Britain, where they were put into dentures.

·        The blue blazer is named for a British naval ship, the HMS Blazer. The captain of this ship made his crewmen dress in identical blue jackets, and they soon became a fad.

·        The first button factory in the United States was established in 1800 in Waterbury, Connecticut.

·        The pashmina shawls of Kashmir are made from the wispy chin and belly hair of Himalayan goats. Since the goats themselves are inaccessible, the hair is gathered in strands and tufts from bushes in which it has become caught.

§     Yeah, It Really Happened…

NASCAR fans got an eyeful over the weekend in Bristol, Tenn., when they spotted a man streaking across a busy parking lot near the track.

Police said they arrested Joshua Greene, 27, from Parkersburg, W.Va., for streaking through the lot off Route 394 Saturday afternoon.

"I'm walking up through here and here he comes, back up and stops in front of the band waving and spinning in circles and stuff," explained Tim Lee, a witness, to WCYB-TV.

Police gave chase and caught Greene in a nearby neighborhood.

The incident got even stranger when police officers found Greene's car. In it, officers said, they discovered Greene's girlfriend and a furry companion.

"With that we also found that he and a companion were in possession of a raccoon," said Bristol Police Capt. Matt Austin.

Police called in the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency to take the masked animal into custody.

"They said his girlfriend rescued it from a park, but as far as where it actually came from, we couldn't really say for sure," Austin said.

Greene is facing charges of public intoxication, indecent exposure and possible additional charges from the wildlife agency.

§     Guffaw…or at least smile…

A middle-aged woman had a heart attack and was taken to the hospital. While on the operating table, she had a near death experience.

Seeing God, she asked, "Is my time up?"

God said, "No, you have another 43 years, two months and eight days to live." Upon recovery, the woman decided to stay in the hospital and have a face-lift, liposuction and tummy tuck. Since she had so much more time to live, she figured she might as well look even nicer. After her last operation, she was released from the hospital. While crossing the street on her way home, an ambulance killed her.

Arriving in front of God, she demanded, "I thought you said I had another 40 years? Why didn't you pull me out of the path of that ambulance?"

God replied, "Girl, I didn't recognize you”

§     Searchin’ “You Tube” I found…

                · The Inimitable P.G. Wodehouse

§     Daybook Information…

…Happening This Week:

25-31: Be Kind To Humankind Week

28-9/3: Minority Enterprise Development Week

§     TODAY IS

•                           Love Litigating Lawyers Day
•                  National Trail Mix Day

·        ~*~

•         Kazakhstan: Constitution Day (1995)
•         Moldova: National Language Day
•         Spain: La Tomatina Festival: throwing tomatoes at everyone
•         Trinidad,Tobago: Independence Day (1962 from UK)

§     Today’s Events:

·        IN ARTS

1955 - 1st microwave TV station operated (Lufkin, Tx)

2006 - Stolen on August 22, 2004, Edvard Munch's famous painting The Scream was recovered from a raid by Norwegian police

·        IN ATHLETICS

1881 - 1st US men's single tennis championships (Newport, RI)

1971 - Adrienne Beames runs female world record marathon (2:46:30)

1972 - Olga Korbut, USSR, wins Olympic gold medal in gymnastics

·        IN BUSINESS

--

·        IN EDUCATION

--

·        FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

1142 - With the aid of Hiawatha and Deganawidah, The Great Peacemaker, the Iroquois tribes establish the Confederation of the Haudenosaunee

·        IN INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

1745 - Bonnie Prince Charlie reaches Blair Castle Scotland

1994 - Northern Ireland Sinn Fein proclaims ceases-fire

·        IN RELIGION

1943 - Japanese occupiers intern Jewish Congregation of Sorabajo

·        IN SCIENCE

1887 - Thomas A Edison patents Kinetoscope, (produces moving pictures)

1968 - 12,000 die in 7.8 quake destroys 60,000 buildings in NE Iran

·        IN US POLITICS

1842 - US Naval Observatory authorized by an act of Congress

1965 - House of Reps joins Senate establish Dept of Housing & Urban Develop

1988 - 5-day power blackout of downtown Seattle begins

  

·        ARTISTS:  AUTHORS:  COMPOSERS

1918 - Alan Jay Lerner, lyricist composer (Lerner & Loewe-My Fair Lady)

Itzhak Perlman, Israeli violinist/polio victim (14 Grammys) turns 66

·        ATHLETES

1878 - Frank Jarvis, Olympic US runner 

·        ENTERTAINERS (ACTORS/SINGERS…)

1914 - Richard Basehart, actor (Voyage to Bottom of Sea)

1928 - James Coburn actor

Michael Erwin, TV actor turns 33

Richard Gere, actor turns 62

1903 - Arthur Godfrey, radio/TV host (Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scout)

1924 - Buddy [Leonard] Hackett, comedian (God's Little Acre, Music Man)

1897 - Frederic March, actor (Dr Jeckyll-Acad Awards 1932/1946)

Chris Tucker, actor, commedia turns 39

·        ENTREPRENEUR & EDUCATORS

1870 - Maria Montessori, Italian educator (spontaneous response)

Dan Rather, news anchor (CBS-TV) turns 80

1916 - Daniel Schorr, broadcast journalist (CBS)

·        POLITICIANS

                      12 - Caligula, [Gaius Caesar], 3rd Roman emperor 

1935 - Eldridge Cleaver, Black Panther turned Republican

1880 - Wilhelmina HPM, queen of the Netherlands

·        SCIENTISTS / THEOLOGISTS

--

§     Today’s Obits:

 651 - Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne, Irish bishop and missionary dies in chuch

1688 - John Bunyan, preacher/novelist/author (Pilgrim's Progress) dies of fever at 59

1973 - John Ford, US director (Mary of Scotland, Stagecoach), dies at 78

1969 - Rocky Marciano, former heavyweight champ, dies in a plane crash at 45

1888 - Mary Ann Nicholls, a 42-year-old prostitute, was found stabbed to death in London, 1st of at least five murders by Jack the Ripper

2008 - Ike Pappas, American news correspondent dies at 75

1869 - Mary Ward, Irish scientist, first automobile fatality dies at 42

‡     ANSWERS:

Trivia Quiz

1.      English writer P G Wodehouse took out citizenship in which country?

a.      US

2.      Who took Heaven to No 1 in the 1980s?

a.      Bryan Adams

3.      Which American novelist wrote For Whom the Bell Tolls?

a.      Ernest Hemingway

4.      Which state was the scene of Helen Kimble's murder in The Fugitive?

a.      Indiana

5.      How many people were first arrested in the Watergate building?

a.      Five

6.      What was the first name of Le Carre's spy Smiley?

a.      George

7.      Who won a Booker Prize for Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha?

a.      Roddy Doyle

8.      What is the capital of Saskatchewan?

a.      Regina

9.      Who had a big 50s No 1 with Come Softly To Me?

a.      The Fleetwoods

10.   On which man-made waterway does Detroit stand?

a.      St. Lawrence Seaway

11.   At what number Stigwood Avenue did The Cosby Show's Huxtables live?

a.      10

12.   What does the name of the receptionist in TVs Moonlighting, played by Allyce Beasley?

a.      Miss Dipesto

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     §

8-30-11

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

§    TODAY’s “Geez”

            ·        1885 - 13,000 meteors seen in 1 hour near Andromeda

            ·        1914 - 1st German plane bombs above Paris, 2 killed

            ·        1928 - Jawaharlal Nehru requests independence of India

            ·        1967 - US Senate confirm Thurgood Marshall as 1st black justice

            ·        1979 - -Sept 13] Hurricane David, kills 1200 in Florida, Domincana & Dom Rep

            ·        1979 - 1st recorded occurrence--comet hits sun (energy=1 mil hydrogen bombs)

            ·        1979 - Pres Carter attacked by a rabbit on a canoe trip in Plains Ga

         ·        1990 - Ken Griffey & Ken Griffey Jr become 1st father & son to play on same team (Seattle Mariners)

           ·        1993 – 150,000,000 millionth visitor to Eiffel Tower

§     Free Rambling Thoughts…

So, Monday was a busy day…I ran some errands on the other side of town. I found some good sales and picked up some stuff I probably don’t need. NAU is back in seesion, so lots of dorm/apt stuff on sale…get those kids to spend money while they have it. One of the items I bought was a steam mop that was 1/3 off. I was surprised at the register…first because it came up $10 cheaper than the tag and second that immediately the little screen says ‘Do you want the extended warranty for $6?” I told the cashier, ‘no’, and he said ‘good.’ He was about my age and went on to say how many companies are lowering their prices—due to the bad economy—and then offer these basically worthless warranty deals. I know the warranty deals don’t usually pay off, but when a corporate worker shares his personal opinion, I really have to wonder how long he will keep his job.

                 ·         

I got an email from Gregg, the river guy, and he likes the brochure draft. He has been busy with the new school year. He is also doing a call in talk show on Thursday and wants me to ‘call in’. They will be talking about the Sandra, among other things to do in Flag. Should be fun.

                 ·         

The news had a lot about how the media and leaders overreacted to Irene. What is wrong with this country? They were bashed for not doing enough during Katrina…then when a 100 year storm heads to America’s largest city they basically do 25/7 coverage. The coverage did have me contacting my brother and sister-in-law more than usual and they contacting me more than usual. That is a good thing. It wasn’t as bad as predicted. That is a good thing. Today the news shows are showing some of the worst destruction and worst flooding. It was a big deal. Had there been less coverage and more damage, people would be crying about that.

                 ·         

Regarding the damage, many of these people didn’t have flood insurance…many because they live on or very near the rivers or ocean. Their choice. While I have empathy for those people, I’m not real sure what the Feds responsibility is in ‘fixing’ this. If the Corps of Engineers had built flood walls for a 100 year flood, many of those people would have been complaining that it ruined the ‘view’ or ‘would keep tourists away’. I don’t have any answers…but will say that the flooding in Flagstaff’s burn area is different, because the fire caused a new flood plain and the New Orleans mess happened when a series of dikes, built by the Feds. On needs to know history before condemning. If the flooding throughout the Eastern seaboard is due to Feds action, then they should pay.

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

1.      Who became George H. Bush's Secretary of State in 1989?

2.      What does the letter C stand for in the media organization CNN?

3.      Which Roman numeral does Alex Baldwin have after his name?

4.      Which member of The Monkees came from 'Tarzana, California?

5.      In which decade of the 20th century was Larry Hagman born?

6.      In which decade of the 20th century was Bonnie Bedelia born?

7.      Which comedienne starred in the first US TV show filmed before an audience?

8.      Which movie with Meryl Streep was based on the novel by Karen Blixen?

9.      What do we call what the British call stock car racing?

10.   Which Bond girl was played by Maud Adams?

11.   The Gold Coast has become known as what?

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

§     Hmmmmm…

             ·        Percentage of US population that served in the military during WWII: 8.6

             ·        Percentage today: 0.5

§     Somewhat Useless Information…

·        Benjamin "Bugsy" Seigel built the Flamingo hotel and casino in 1945, with a mob loan; however due to mismanagement it soon went over budget. Unable to get their money back, the top gangsters including Luciano and Lansky agreed to have him killed. On June 20, 1947, "Bugsy" Seigel was killed in his Los Angeles house.

·        Donnie Brasco, in reality Joe Pistone, spent five years undercover for the FBI between 1976 and 1981. His evidence resulted in more than 100 convictions and the near collapse of the Bonanno family in New York.

§     Yeah, It Really Happened…

TUCSON, Ariz. — Hospital officials say an 86-year-old Arizona man is lucky to be alive after he accidentally impaled himself with pruning shears.

University Medical Center said Monday that Leroy Luetscher of Green Valley was working in his yard on July 30 when he dropped a pair of pruning shears, which landed point-side down in the ground.

When Luetscher went to pick them up, he lost his balance and fell face-down on the handle. The handle penetrated his eye socket and went down into his neck, resting on the external carotid artery. Half the shears were left in his head, while the other half was sticking out.

Luetscher was rushed to the hospital, where surgeons removed the shears and rebuilt his orbital floor with metal mesh, saving his eye.

Doctors say Luetscher still has slight swelling in his eyelids and minor double vision but has otherwise recovered.

§     Guffaw…or at least smile…

A wife went to the police station with her next-door neighbor to report that her husband was missing. The policeman asked for a description.

She said, "He's 35 years old, 6 foot 4, has dark eyes, dark wavy hair, an athletic build, weighs 185 pounds, is soft-spoken, and is good to the children."

The next-door neighbor protested, "Your husband is 5 foot 4, chubby, bald, has a big mouth, and is mean to your children."

The wife replied, "Yes, but who wants HIM back?"

§     Searchin’ “You Tube” I found…

             ·         "Skier of the 20th Century" Jean Claude Killy

§     Daybook Information…

…Happening This Week:

25-31: Be Kind To Humankind Week

28-9/3: Minority Enterprise Development Week

§     TODAY IS

             ·        Frankenstein Day

            ·        National Holistic Pet Day: founded by Colleen Paige of Animal Miracle Foundation-- it is a preventative life style that embraces the WHOLE animal  

             ·        National Toasted Marshmallow Day

~*~

          ·        Turkey: Victory Day: Zafer Bayramı (commemorate the victory in the Battle of Dumlupınar, the final battle in the Turkish War of Independence--1922.)

§     Today’s Events:

              ·        IN ARTS

--

              ·        IN ATHLETICS

1922 - Babe Ruth is thrown out of a game for 5th time in one season

1965 - Casey Stengel announces his retirement after 55 years in baseball

              ·        IN BUSINESS

--

              ·        IN EDUCATION

--

              ·        FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

1645 - A peace treaty between the Dutch, led by Willem Kieft, and several local tribes is signed at Fort Orange, in modern Albany.

1690 - A combined force of British, Yamassee and Yuchi Indians attack the Spanish mission of San Juan de Guacara in northern Florida.

              ·        IN INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

1146 - European leaders outlaw crossbow intending to ending war for all time

1835 - Melbourne, Australia is founded

1963 - Hotline between U.S. and Soviet leaders goes into operation

              ·        IN RELIGION

--

             ·        IN SCIENCE

1901 - Hubert Cecil Booth patents vacuum cleaner

             ·        IN US POLITICS

1682 - William Penn left England to sail to New World

1776 - US army evacuates Long Island/falls back to Manhattan, NYC

1836 - The city of Houston is founded by Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allen

1850 - Honolulu, Hawaii becomes a city

1956 - White mob prevents enrollment of blacks at Mansfield HS, Texas

1961 - J B Parsons is 1st African American judge of a US District Court

         ·        ARTISTS:  AUTHORS:  COMPOSERS

1797 - Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, English author (Frankenstein)

         ·        ATHLETES

Jose Herrera, Dominican Rep, outfielder (Oakland A's) turns 39

Jean-Claude Killy, French alpine skier (Olympic-Gold-1968) turns 69

1944 - Tug McGraw, American baseball player

Andy Roddick, tennis turns 29

         ·        ENTERTAINERS (ACTORS/SINGERS…)

1909 - [Rose] Joan Blondell, actress (Real McCoys, Here Come the Brides)

1898 - Shirley Booth, American actress

Timothy Bottoms actor (Paper Chase, East of Eden) turns 60

Michael Chiklis actor (Commish, The Shield, movie: Fantastic Four) turns 47

Lewis Black, comedian turns 63

Cameron Diaz, actor, model turns 39

Peggy Lipton, actor (MOD Squad, Twin Peaks) turns 64

1907 - Fred MacMurray, actor (Caine Mutiny, My 3 Sons)

1896 - Raymond Massey, Canadian actor (Dr Gillespie-Dr Kildare)

1935 - John Phillips, singer/guitarist (Mama & Papas-California Dreaming)

1919 - Kitty Wells, country singer (Grand Ole Opry)

           ·        ENTREPRENEUR & EDUCATORS

1927 - Geoffrey Beene, dress designer (8 Coty Awards)

Warren Buffett, American entrepreneur turns 81

     ·        POLITICIANS

          1893 - Huey P Long, (Gov/Sen-La)

           ·        SCIENTISTS / THEOLOGISTS

580 - Mohammed, Arabic prophet/founder (Islam)

1912 - Edward M Purcell, US physicist (Nobel in Physics 1952)

1931 - John Leonard Swigert Jr, astronaut (Apollo 13)

§     Today’s Obits:

2003 - Charles Bronson, American actor dies at 82

1961 - Charles Coburn, actor (Heaven Can Wait, Idiot's Delight), dies at 84

1938 - Max Factor, make-up artist and cosmetic manufacturer dies following extortion attempt in Paris at 61

1723 - Anton van Leeuwenhoek, Dutch tradesman and scientist dies at 91

1930 - William H Taft, 27th US President (1909-13), dies at 72

‡     ANSWERS:

Trivia Quiz

1.      Who became George H. Bush's Secretary of State in 1989?

a.      James Baker

2.      What does the letter C stand for in the media organization CNN?

a.      Cable (News Network)

3.      Which Roman numeral does Alex Baldwin have after his name?

a.      III

4.      Which member of The Monkees came from 'Tarzana, California?

a.      Mickey Dolenz

5.      In which decade of the 20th century was Larry Hagman born?

a.      1930s

6.      In which decade of the 20th century was Bonnie Bedelia born?

a.      1950s (Die Hard and Presumed Innocent; NBC series: Parenthood)

7.      Which comedienne starred in the first US TV show filmed before an audience?

a.      Lucille Ball

8.      Which movie with Meryl Streep was based on the novel by Karen Blixen?

a.      Out of Africa

9.      What do we call what the British call stock car racing?

a.      Demolition Derbies

10.   Which Bond girl was played by Maud Adams?

a.      Octopussy

11.   The Gold Coast has become known as what?

a.      Ghana

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     §