9-4-11

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

TODAY’s “Geez”

1682 - English astronomer Edmund Halley sees his namesake comet

1885 - 1st cafeteria opens (NYC)

1888 - George Eastman patents 1st roll-film camera & registers "Kodak"

1964 - Longest bridge in Europe opens (Scottish Forth Road Bridge)

1972 - US swimmer Mark Spitz becomes 1st athlete to win 7 Olympic gold medals

Free Rambling Thoughts…

Njoying the Labor Day weekend. Got to the county fair about 10 and left about 1:30. That was more than enough. The Independent Celts were outstanding. They really changed their presentation and added a Celtic Dance group. A Hopi dance group came right before them, and they too were good. They didn’t have a big audience, but as soon as the pipes started up, there was a good sized audience. The pipes and drums really bring people around. It was cloudy during their performance and thankfully no rain. I am always amazed by the various booths at our little fair. I’m sure many of them are on a county fair ‘circuit’ and just travel around with their unique little part of Americana. I’m sure they have some great stories to tell. The strangest one was the Kent Family Circus. Mom, Dad, and three kids doing circus and magic acts. A ten year old was an escape artist and not bad. I saw him later as a tight rope walker. One never knows what you will see. I forgot my sun block so I’m a little red, but nothing serious.

It is fairly quiet here on St. Nicholas. Many of the families with kids have headed out for the long weekend. That must be a good sign that the economy is improving a little. It also means that there aren’t a lot of toddlers running and chasing each other up and down the sidewalk.

Trivia Quiz…(answers at the end of post)

1.      What were ladies asked not to wear at Prince Edward's UK wedding?

2.      Who was Prime Minister of Afghanistan from 1993 to 1994?

3.      Which year marked the bi-centenary of Kentucky joining the Union?

4.      In what year did the US death toll in Vietnam first exceed that in Korea?

5.      Which convenience food did Joel Cheek develop?

6.      Which controversial book contained the line, "You can't ravish a tin of sardines?"

7.      Which book did Mark Chapman read while waiting to be arrested after the murder of John Lennon?

8.      What did the M stand for in J M Barrie's name?

9.      By what name is Emmanuel Rudnitsky more widely known?

10.   What is Meg Ryan's real name?

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

Hmmmmm…

• Percentage of the GDP that will be taken as federal revenue this year: 14.8
• Last year in which the percentage was this low: 1950

Somewhat Useless Information…

• While studying at the Academy of Ancient Art in the Medici Palace, Michelangelo was struck with a mallet by his rival, Torregiano, crushing his nose and disfiguring him for life.
• In 1508, Pope Julius II compelled Michelangelo to undertake the fresco decoration of the Sistine Chapel, the ceiling of which is a vault 150 feet in length by 50 feet in breadth. This gigantic work, executed entirely by the master's own hand in about 4 or 5 years, is unquestionably the most stupendous single achievement of modern art.
• In 1505 Michelangelo was asked to design the tomb of Pope Julius II. Although the original conception was to include almost 80 oversized figures, the final plans were reduced dramatically. Michelangelo made only one figure for the tomb, Moses, his last major sculpture. He made the statue from a block of marble that had been deemed unworkable by earlier sculptors, and his final product is remarkable for the sense of anguish which it portrays.

Yeah, It Really Happened…

WASILLA, Alaska - A 76-year-old Kansas man who claims to be the world's oldest practicing sword swallower put on a show for residents of an Alaska senior center. Jimmy Ball, who has been swallowing swords for crowds since he was 12 years old, said he took time out from his Alaska vacation to swallow two swords and a stretched-out coat hanger for residents of the Wasilla Senior Center, KTUU-TV, Anchorage, Alaska, reported Thursday.

"I love doing it and I love the people," Ball said after his performance. The senior center visitors said they were grateful for the entertainment.

"Something different for the people here and they all enjoyed it," resident Carl Tinley said.

Guffaw…or at least smile…

A man whose wife was pregnant couldn't bear to be in the delivery room at the time of the birth. So he thought he'd ring up later to see if it had come yet.

He rang up and the nurse said "it's a girl but there’s another one on the way" he rang again later and the nurse said "it's another girl but there's another coming"  he rang once more and the nurse said " it's a boy but there's another coming"

He couldn't stand it anymore so he went to the pub and got drunk.

An hour later he was really nervous. He was dialing the hospital, hands shaking, and accidently dialed the sports line. he asked " how many did we get mate" the person said "198 all out.... and the last one was a duck"

Searchin’ “You Tube” I found…

Studebaker Commercial (1950)

1962 Studebaker Lark with Mr.Ed

Zsa Zsa Gabor in a Studebaker Lark Commercial 1963

Daybook Information…

…Happening This Week:

1-7 

Self-University Week 

1-10 

International Enthusiasm Week 

4-10 

National Historically Black Colleges & Universities Week:  

National Waffle Week Suicide Prevention Week

TODAY IS

• Newspaper Carrier Day
• International Drive Your Studebaker Day
• Oatmeal Day

~*~

• Curacao: Animals' Day  

Today’s Events:

IN ARTS

1893 - English author Beatrix Potter 1st tells the story of Peter Rabbit

IN ATHLETICS

1941 - NY Yankees, win earliest AL pennent (full season)

1988 - Phoenix Cardinals play 1st regular-season NFL game

IN BUSINESS

1807 - Robert Fulton begins operating his steamboat

1833 - 1st newsboy hired (Barney Flaherty, 10 years old-NY Sun)

1866 - 1st Hawaiian daily newspaper published

1882 - 1st district lit by electricity (NY's Pearl Street Station)

IN EDUCATION

--

FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

1854 - A peace treaty is signed with the Modocs of Tule Lake. They are out of supplies, by this time. The fighting started on August 18, 1854

1886 - Apache Chief Geronimo surrenders ending last major US-Indian war

IN INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

1609 - Navigator Henry Hudson discovers island of Manhattan

IN RELIGION

1571 - Catholic coup in Scotland

1813 - 1st US religious newspaper (Religious Remembrancer (Christian Observer))

IN SCIENCE

1933 - 1st airplane to exceed 300 mph (483 kph), JR Wendell, Glenview, Il

IN US POLITICS

1781 - Los Angeles founded by 44 in Bahia de las Fumas, (Valley of Smokes)

1950 - 1st helicopter rescue of American pilot behind enemy lines

1961 - US authorizes Agency for International Development

ARTISTS:  AUTHORS:  COMPOSERS

1908 - Richard Wright, American author (Native Son, Uncle Tom's Children)

ATHLETES

Mike Piazza, catcher (LA Dodgers) turns 43

Tom Watson, golfer (British Open 1975, 77, 80, 82, 83) turns 62

ENTERTAINERS (ACTORS/SINGERS…)

1895 - Nigel Bruce, British/US actor (Dr Watson-Sherlock Holmes)

Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs, actor (Freddie-Welcome Back Kotter) turns 58

Beyonce Knowles, singer turns 30

Ione Skye, actor turns 41

Damon Wayans, comedian, actor turns 51

1928 - Dick York, actor (Darrin-Bewitched, Inherit the Wind)

ENTREPRENEUR & EDUCATORS

1918 - Paul Harvey, news commentator (Rest of the story)

1810 - Donald McKay, US naval architect, built fastest clipper ships

POLITICIANS

1803 - Sarah Childress Polk, 1st lady (1845-1849)

SCIENTISTS / THEOLOGISTS

--

Today’s Obits:

1974 - Creighton W Abrams, US general/army staff chief (Vietnam), dies of surgery complications at 59

1960 - Alfred E Green, director (Copacabana), dies after long illness at 71

2006 - Steve Irwin, Australian naturalist and television personality dies by stingray sting at 44

1965 - Albert Schweitzer, German/French missionary (Nobel 1954), dies at 90

1991 - Dottie West, country singer (Here Comes my Baby), dies in auto accidnet at 58

ANSWERS:

Trivia Quiz

1.      What were ladies asked not to wear at Prince Edward's UK wedding?

a.      Hats

2.      Who was Prime Minister of Afghanistan from 1993 to 1994?

a.      Gulbuddin Hematyar

3.      Which year marked the bi-centenary of Kentucky joining the Union?

a.      1992

4.      In what year did the US death toll in Vietnam first exceed that in Korea?

a.      1969

5.      Which convenience food did Joel Cheek develop?

a.      Instant coffee

6.      Which controversial book contained the line, "You can't ravish a tin of sardines?"

a.      Lady Chatterley's Lover

7.      Which book did Mark Chapman read while waiting to be arrested after the murder of John Lennon?

a.      The Catcher in the Rye

8.      What did the M stand for in J M Barrie's name?

a.      Matthew

9.      By what name is Emmanuel Rudnitsky more widely known?

a.      Man Ray

10.   What is Meg Ryan's real name?

a.      Margaret Hyra

Close Up Picture

Sewing Machine

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     §

9-03-11

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

TODAY’s “Geez”

1752 - US adopts Gregorian calendar (becomes Sept 14)

1838 - Frederick Douglass escapes from slavery disguised as a sailor

1917 - 1st night bombing of London by German fighter planes

1934 - Tunisia began its move for independence

1938 - 1940 Olympic site changed from Tokyo Japan to Helsinki Finland 

1940 - US gives Britain 50 destroyers in exchange for Newfoundland base lease

1986 - Astros & Cubs use a record 53 players in an 18 inning game

Free Rambling Thoughts…

A whole lot cooler today…can fall be in the air? We had lots of clouds but no moisture. A nice day to spend some time outside. So I did.

Someone made a post on my FB site with a picture of one of the guides I had in Africa. He was the guide who helped pull out a stuck vehicle while a leopard watch on. An amazing guy who was crawling over vehicles and then under vehicles to attach the chain, while we just sat in the non-stuck jeep, watching. We had been told many times that none of the Big 5 will attack our jeeps, but if we are away from the jeep or our arms or legs are outside the jeep, any of the Big 5 will attack. Anyway, it seems he was burning some brush a month ago and somehow got burned over 30% of his body, he was in the ICU for 5 days and has had numerous surgeries to remove the most badly burned skin on his legs and arms. He is going to OK and should be going home in about two weeks. Then he will have many weeks of recovery and probably some more surgeries. He had not posted on his FB page, but his family and friends did post a lot. I didn’t get any of those posts on my page until one friend of his tagged his photo. Then I went to his page and found the whole story. What an ordeal for a young man.

I decided to go the County Fair tomorrow so I could see the bagpipers do their thing. I’ll check out the rest of the fair before and after their noon performance. Should be a good Saturday.

I was happy that the Broncos were playing the Cardinals last night, as it was on TV. Then the game started, the text messaging started and the Broncos played like they hadn’t ever seen a football. Oh, well. It was pre-season. But I certainly didn’t need all the ribbing from the Tuba people.

Trivia Quiz…(answers at the end of post)

1.      In square miles, how big is Lake Ontario?

2.      How old would Otis Redding have been had he lived to the end of the 20th century?

3.      Stephens College is in which state?

4.      John F. Kennedy was one of how many children?

5.      What is Fidel Castro's real last name?

6.      Where is the world's largest soccer stadium?

7.      Who wrote that the female of the species is more deadly that the male?

8.      Jeffrey Hunter was the lead in the original pilot for which successful series?

9.      Who was Herbert Hoover's Vice President?

10.   Which veteran rock musician said, "If I had my time again I would like to take up archaeology?"

11.   What was Van Halen's first album after Dave Lee Roth left?

12.   Which was the last US battalion to leave Vietnam?

13.   What was the only hit single by Jaggerz?

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

Hmmmmm…

2800 ‘behavior-detention officers in TSA have flagged 288,000 people for examination.

Percentage of those that led to an arrest: .07 or 201 individuals

Somewhat Useless Information…

·        The chicken, Gallus gallus domesticus, is a domestic subspecies of the red junglefowl, a member of the pheasant family that is native to Asia.

·        Chickens are omnivores. They'll eat seeds and insects but also larger prey like small mice and lizards.

·        Baby chickens are chicks. Female chickens are pullets until they're old enough to lay eggs and become hens. Male chickens are called roosters, cocks or cockerels, depending on the country you're in.

·        A rooster announces to a flock of chickens that he's found food with a "took, took, took." But the hens don't pay attention if they already know that there is food around.

·        Roosters perform a little dance called 'tidbitting' in which they make sounds (food calls) and move their head up and down, picking up and dropping a bit of food. Researchers have found that females prefer males that often perform tidbitting and have larger, brighter combs on top of their heads.

·        A female chicken will mate with many different males but if she decides, after the deed is done, that she doesn't want a particular rooster's offspring and can eject his sperm. This occurs most often when the male is lower in the pecking order.

Yeah, It Really Happened…

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — This summer's Las Conchas fire in New Mexico scorched tribal lands, threatened one of the nation's premier nuclear facilities and pushed bears into nearby cities. But it somehow spared more than 9,000 marijuana plants in a remote area of Bandelier National Monument.

Officials said no arrests have been made in the sophisticated growing operation in the park's backcountry. But authorities said Friday they were looking for at least two suspects. They estimate the plants were 6 to 10 feet tall had a street value of around $10 million.

"It was a lot larger than we anticipated," BNM Superintendent Jason Lott said. "It (was) much bigger and more sophisticated than we ever expected."

The marijuana operation had an irrigation system and a possible evacuation route for those overseeing the plants, Lott said. Temporary housing structures, trash and food caches were also found nearby.

The pot was discovered in rugged terrain during an Aug. 23 helicopter flight surveying a flash flood, Lott said. That flooding was caused when monsoonal rains fell on the charred area of the monument, where soil and rocks had been loosened by the fire, the largest in New Mexico history.

Local and federal law enforcement agencies raided the area early Thursday morning. No one was captured, but investigators say at least two men were seen at the grow site earlier in the week.

The Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office and the New Mexico National Guard both lent helicopters to the operation and a National Guard Blackhawk helicopter airlifted the marijuana out, the National Park Service said. Most of it was transported to an undisclosed location for proper disposal and some was retained for testing as evidence.

Officials said Thursday's bust was the first marijuana growing operation detected in Bandelier National Monument, which features centuries-old dwellings carved into canyon walls by ancestors of the Native American pueblos that surround the area.

The Las Conchas fire burned more than 244 square miles over 36 days in the mountains surrounding the town of Los Alamos and the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Guffaw…or at least smile…

Investigators at a major research institute have discovered the heaviest element known to science. This startling new discovery has been tentatively named Administratium (Ad).

The new element has no protons or electrons, thus having an atomic number of 0. It does, however, have 1 neutron, 125 assistant neutrons, 75 vice neutrons, and 111 assistant vice neutrons, for an atomic mass of 312. These 312 particles are held together by a force called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons. Since it has no electrons, Administratium is inert.

However, it can be detected as it impedes every reaction with which it came into contact.

According to the discoverers, a minute amount of Administratium causes one reaction to take over four days to complete when it would normally take less than a second. Administratium has a normal half-life of approximately three years; it does not decay, but instead undergoes a reorganization in which a portion of the assistant neutrons, vice neutrons, and assistant vice neutrons exchange places. In fact, an Administratium sample's mass will actually increase over time, since with each reorganization some of the morons inevitably become neutrons, forming new isotopes. This characteristic of moron promotion leads some scientists to speculate that Administratium is formed whenever morons reach a certain concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as the "Critical Morass".

Searchin’ “You Tube” I found…

Woody Guthrie-This Land Is Your Land

When serpents bargain for the right to squirm-read by e e cummings

Daybook Information…

…Happening This Week:

1-7 

Self-University Week 

1-10 

International Enthusiasm Week 

TODAY IS

Skyscraper Day

~*~

Qatar--Independence Day (1971 from British)

San Marino--National Day (since 301-- oldest surviving sovereign state and constitutional republic in the world)

Today’s Events:

IN ARTS

1951 - TV soap opera "Search for Tomorrow" debuts on CBS

1967 - Final episode of "What's My Line?," hosted by John Charles Daly

1977 - Last broadcast of "Mary Tyler Moore Show" on NBC-TV

IN ATHLETICS

1881 - 1st US Men’s Tennis: Richard D Sears beats William E Glyn (6:0 6:3 6:2)

1895 - 1st pro football game played, Latrobe beats Jeanette 12-0 (Penn)

1902 - Pittsburgh Pirates, win earliest pennant (full season)

1904 - St Louis Olympics closes

1925 - 1st international handball match held

1965 - Preparing a move to Anaheim, Angels change their name from LA to CA

IN BUSINESS

1833 - NY Sun begins publishing (1st US daily newspaper)

1912 - World's 1st cannery opens in England to supply food to the navy

IN EDUCATION

--

FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

523: Maya King Ahkal Mo' Naab' II is born. Eventually, he rules over Palenque, Mexico

1855 - Indian Wars: In Nebraska, 700 soldiers under American General William S. Harney avenge the Grattan Massacre by attacking a Sioux village, killing 100 men, women, and children.

1680: Don Antonio de Otermin is the Governor of the province which contains modern Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Pueblo Indians staged a revolt in August. Otermin enters Isleta Pueblo and discovers it is abondoned.

IN INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

1651 - Battle at Worcester-Oliver Cromwell destroys English royalists

2004 - The Beslan school massacre (Russia) ends in the deaths of approximately 344 people, mostly teachers and children

IN RELIGION

1189 - 30 Jews are massacred at King Richard I (lion hearted) coronation

1882 - French/Vietnamese/Chinese battle at Hanoi, 100s die

IN SCIENCE

1803 - English scientist John Dalton started using symbols to represent the atoms of different elements

IN US POLITICS

1783 - Treaty of Paris signed (ending US Revolutionary War)

1964 - Wilderness Act signed into law by President Lyndon B Johnson

1971 - Watergate team breaks into Daniel Ellsberg's doctor's office

ARTISTS:  AUTHORS:  COMPOSERS

Mort Walker, cartoonist (Beetle Bailey, Hi & Lois) turns 88

ATHLETES

Dick Motta, NBA coach (856 wins, Its not over 'til the fat lady sings) turns 80

Damon Stoudamire, NBA guard (U of AZ, Toronto Raptors) turns 38

Shaun White, American snowboarder turns 25

ENTERTAINERS (ACTORS/SINGERS…)

Eileen Brennan, actor turns 76

Mitzi Gaynor, actress/vocalist (Les Girls, South Pacific) turns 80

Al Jardine, guitarist/singer (founder Beach Boys-Surfin, In My Room) turns 69

Costas Mandylor, Australian-born actor turns 46

Valerie Perrine, model, actor turns 68

Charlie Sheen, actor turns 46

ENTREPRENEUR & EDUCATORS

1860 - Edward Albert Filene, merchant, established US credit union movement

1820 - George Hearst, American businessman and father of William Randolph Hearst 

1875 - Ferdinand Porsche, German car inventor (Porsche, Volkswagen)

1856 - Louis Henri Sullivan, father of modern US architecture

POLITICIANS

--

SCIENTISTS / THEOLOGISTS

1811 - John Humphrey Noyes, found Oneida Community (Perfectionists)

1710 - Abraham Trembley, Swiss naturalist 

Today’s Obits:

1991 - Frank Capra, director (It's a Wonderful Life), dies at 94

1658 - Oliver Cromwell, British general (1653-58)/Lord Protector, dies of septicemias at 59

1962 - e[dward] e cummings, US poet (Tulips & Chimneys), dies of hemorrhage at 67

1967 - Woody Guthrie, rocker, dies of Huntington's Chorea at 55

1970 - Vince Lombardi, football coach (Packers), dies of colon cancer at 57

1969 - Ho Chi Minh, [Nguyen Ta't-Tanh], N Vietnamese president, dies of heart failure at 79

1984 - Duncan Renaldo, actor (Cisco Kid), dies at 80

2005 - William Rehnquist, Chief Justice of the United States dies at 81

1420 - Robert Stewart, 1st Duke of Albany, regent of Scotland dies at about 80

1981 - Alec Waugh, English writer die at 83

ANSWERS:

Trivia Quiz

1.      In square miles, how big is Lake Ontario?

a.      7,550 (the smallest of the Great Lakes)

2.      How old would Otis Redding have been had he lived to the end of the 20th century?

a.      58

3.      Stephens College is in which state?

a.      Missouri

4.      John F. Kennedy was one of how many children?

a.      Nine: Patrick, John, Rosie, Kathleen, Eunice, Patricia, Robert, Jean, Edward

5.      What is Fidel Castro's real last name?

a.      Ruz: Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz

6.      Where is the world's largest soccer stadium?

a.      Rio De Janeiro, Brazil (the Maracana)—seats for 82,238

7.      Who wrote that the female of the species is more deadly that the male?

a.      Rudyard Kipling

8.      Jeffrey Hunter was the lead in the original pilot for which successful series?

a.      Star Trek

9.      Who was Herbert Hoover's Vice President?

a.      Charles Curtis: was English, Welsh, Scottish from father and French, Kaw, Osage, and Pottawatomie from his mother

10.   Which veteran rock musician said, "If I had my time again I would like to take up archaeology?"

a.      Bill Wyman: bass player Rolling Stones

11.   What was Van Halen's first album after Dave Lee Roth left?

a.      5150 (CA police code for mentally disturbed person)

12.   Which was the last US battalion to leave Vietnam?

a.      3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry

13.   What was the only hit single by Jaggerz?

a.      The Rapper

Close Up Picture

Fungus

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     §