11-13-11


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

TODAY’s “Geez”                                                                                            .
1789 - Ben Franklin writes "Nothing . . . certain but death & taxes"
1843 - Mt Rainier in Washington State erupts
1933 - 1st modern sit-down strike, Hormel meat packers, Austin, MN
1942 - Minimum draft age lowered from 21 to 18
1946 - 1st artificial snow produced from a natural cloud, Mt Greylock, MA
1977 - Final Al Capp comic strip of "Li'l Abner" (1934-77)
1990 - The World Wide Web first began

♪♪ Happy Birthday To:♪♪                                                                   .                     

Free Rambling Thoughts                                                                              .
Still no moisture…still waiting…oh well.

I’m back on schedule…woke up about 6am feeling rested and ready to go. I ran some errands…not my favorite activity for a Saturday. I did make it to the post office to pick up my ‘on hold’ mail and mail by brother’s late b-day present. I needed a big bag to carry out the junk mail and bills. Turns out, when there is a holiday on Friday, the entire town comes to the post office on Saturday and many bring out of towners with them. The line was out into the lobby and bending a little. No need to get upset, there were three windows open and one more person was handling non-money transactions. The line moved along. I made some other quick stops and was done in no time.

While catching up on the news, I must say, the Penn State story disgusts me. As a Federal Employee working with kids we were required to report any suspected child abuse within 2 hours of suspecting it. If it was found that we didn’t do it, the penalty was the loss of the job. This was in effect since the late 1990’s. At times it caused way too much paperwork and meetings with authorities. In my career I only had three cases of true child abuse and dozens of reported suspected cases. When I see the results of non-reporting, I get it. How any adult could be allowed to continue the pedophilia on little kids for years at a school is beyond my comprehension.  Almost worse, IMHO, is the student reaction of rioting when their beloved coach was fired. They too are young and it appears that they acted without thinking the whole thing through. Paterno knew about the abuse and simply reported it to his superior and let it continue. Even after the pedophile was questioned on another incident and told not to shower with little boys in the campus shower, he continued to work with disadvantaged kids. The head coach may have followed the letter of the law, but from a moral standpoint, how could he sleep at night?  Sick and totally unacceptable.

Trivia Quiz…(answers at the end of post)                                                 .
1.     What is the northeastern most state of the USA?
2.    In which state is the Cumberland plateau?
3.    Where is the lowest point of the western hemisphere?
4.    What divides Alaska from the rest of the USA?
5.    The Missouri joins the Mississippi just north of which city?
6.    Where is Wayne State University?
7.    What was called Windy City by a New York newspaper editor?
8.    Mount Mitchell is the highest peak in which mountains?
9.    What is the world's second longest single span bridge?
10.  What is the largest city in Maryland?

Wuzzles…What concept or phrase do these suggest?                           .

NEW: Rules of Thumb                                                                          .
Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess
When you're playing blackjack, assume that any unseen card is an 8.

Hmmmmm                                                                                                       .
Percentage of applicants offered admission to Harvard this year: 6.2
Percentage of applicants accepted for employment at McDonald’s National Hiring Day: 6.2

Somewhat Useless Information                                                                     .
Veterans Day originated as "Armistice Day" on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and Nov. 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938.
In 1954, President Eisenhower officially changed the name of the holiday from Armistice Day to Veterans Day.
In 1968, the Uniform Holidays Bill was passed by Congress, which moved the celebration of Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October.
The Uniform Holidays Bill went into effect as law in 1971, but in 1975 President Ford returned Veterans Day to November 11, due to the important historical significance of the date.
Britain, France, Australia and Canada also commemorate the veterans of World Wars I and II on or near November 11th: Canada has Remembrance Day, while Britain has Remembrance Sunday (the second Sunday of November).
In Europe, Britain and the Commonwealth countries it is 4 common to observe two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. every November 11.

Yeah, It Really Happened                                                                               .            
CLEVELAND - An Ohio poll worker accused of head-butting and biting the nose of a voter turned himself into police, officials said.
Charges are pending against James N. Williams, 53, who allegedly assaulted Greg Flanagan, 49, Tuesday at a Cleveland polling place, The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer reported Thursday. Williams, an elections rover, was arguing with a campaign worker about the worker's distance from the polling place when Flanagan said he told Williams "he didn't have to be such an ass" to the campaign worker.
"He came after me and said, 'What did you say?' He head butted me. He bit my nose. He tried to bite it off," Flanagan said.
Polling location coordinator Andre Bell pulled Williams off Flanagan before Williams jumped into his car and drove off. Williams surrendered to Cuyahoga County sheriff's deputies Wednesday. Flanagan was treated at MetroHealth Medical Center for a "human bite," the hospital said.

Guffaw…or at least smile                                                                               .
An old man was tired from riding his bike, and decided to hitchhike. A guy in his red Corvette pulled up to give him a lift. When the old man brought out his bike that he had leaned up against a tree, the driver said, "I have no room for your bike in my car, but I'd like to help you in some way seeing you standing here in the hot sun."
After a few seconds of thought, the driver said, "I know what we can do. I have a rope behind my seat. I'll tie one end of it to the rear end of my car and the other end to the front your bike. You ride your bike, and I'll give you this whistle. If I go too fast for you, just blow your whistle and I'll slow down."
The old guy agreed to it. So off he went down the highway with the old man and his bike in tow. A little ways down the road, a young lady in a bright yellow corvette pulls up next to them. She gives the guy in the red Vette the High Sign, meaning "you want a drag?" Off they go down the highway, 100 plus MPH, the old man blowing his whistle like crazy. They zipped by a Highway Patrol cop sitting under a tree. The cop knew he couldn't catch them, so he called ahead to his fellow cop down the road to intercept.
"Car number 2, this is car number 1."
"Go head number 1, what'cha got for me?"
“I got a red and yellow Vettes come down your way doing hundred plus, can you intercept?"
"Ten-four, Is there anything else?"
"Yeah, you wouldn't believe this, but there is an old guy riding a bicycle blowing his whistle trying to pass."

Searchin’ “You Tube” I found                                                                        .     

Fantasia - Mickey The Sorcerer's Apprentice


Daybook Information                                                                                    .
…Happening This Week:
7-13
Dear Santa Letter Week
National Young Reader's Week
Pursuit of Happiness Week
World Kindness Week
13-19 American Education Week
Geography Awareness Week
National Hunger & Homeless Awareness Week
National Global Entrepreneurship Week
TODAY IS                                                                                                         .
National Indian Pudding Day: a delicious baked custard made with molasses, cornmeal, milk, butter, spices, eggs, and sometimes apples
International Tongue Twister Day: According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the most difficult tongue twister in the English language is: “The sixth sick sheikh's sixth sheep's sick.”  
World Kindness Day
~*~
UK: Remembrance Sunday

Today’s Events                                                                                                .
ARTS
1830 - Oliver Wendell Holmes publishes "Old Ironsides"
1921 - "Sheik," starring Rudolph Valentino, is released
1940 - Walt Disney's "Fantasia" released
1960 - Sammy Davis Jr marries Swedish actress May Britt
ATHLETICS
1973 - Oakland A's Reggie Jackson wins AL MVP unanimously
1982 - A boxing match held in Las Vegas, Nevada ends when Ray Mancini defeats Duk Koo Kim. Kim's death on November 17 led to significant changes in the sport.
BUSINESS
1895 - 1st shipment of canned pineapple from Hawaii
EDUCATION
1868 - American Philological [the study of language in written historical sources] Association organized in NY
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1747: According to some reports, a conference regarding alliances is held for the next four days between representatives of the British in Pennsylvania and the Miami, Shawnee and "Six Nations" tribes.
1833: Just before sunrise, there is a phenomenal meteor shower, which is seen all over North America. This event is recorded on Kiowa picture calendars as the most significant event of the year.
POLITICS [International]
1002 - English king Ethelred II launches massacre of Danish settlers
1715 - Battle at Sheriffmuir: English army beats Scottish earl of Mar
POLITICS [US]
1851 - The Denny Party lands at Alki Point, the first settlers of what would become Seattle, Washington
1865 - US issues 1st gold certificates
1970 - VP Spiro Agnew calls TV executives "impudent snobs"
1982 - Vietnam War Memorial dedicated in Washington DC
RELIGION
1938 - America's 1st saint, Mother Frances Cabrini, beatified
SCIENCE
1841 - James Braid first sees a demonstration of animal magnetism, which leads to his study of the subject he eventually calls hypnosis
1996 - Joel Armengaud discovers 2^1398269 - 1 (35th known Mersenne prime)

Today’s Birthdays                                                                                          .
ARTISTS:  (AUTHORS, COMPOSERS,…)
1850 - Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish author (Treasure Island)
ATHLETES
Vinny Testaverde, NFL quarterback (Cleve Browns, Baltimore Ravens) is 48
ENTERTAINERS (ACTORS/SINGERS…)
Gerard Butler, actor is 42
Whoopi Goldberg, comedian, TV host is 56
Jimmy Kimmel, TV host is 44
1932 - Richard Mulligan, actor (Soap, Empty's Nest, Big Bus)
Christopher Noth, actor is 57
Subliminal, Israeli rapper and producer is 32
Steve Zahn, actor is 44
ENTREPRENEURS & EDUCATORS
--
POLITICIAL FIGURES
--
SCIENTISTS & THEOLOGISTS
1831 - James Maxwell, Scottish physicist (Treatise on Electricity)

Today’s Obits                                                                 .
1779 - Thomas Chippendale, English furniture maker, dies at 61
2005 - Vine Deloria, Jr., Native American author, theologian, historian, and activist dies at 72
1460 - Henry the Navigator, prince of Portugal, dies at 66
1093 - Malcolm III MacDuncan, king of Scotland, dies in battle
1868 - Gioachino (Antonio) Rossini, composer (Barber of Seville), dies at 76
1983 - "Alvin" Junior Samples, country singer (Hee Haw), dies at 56
1974 - Karen Silkwood, killed in a car crash under suspicious circumstances

ANSWERS                                                                            
Trivia Quiz
What is the northeastern most state of the USA?
A: Maine.
In which state is the Cumberland plateau?
A: Alabama.
Where is the lowest point of the western hemisphere?
A: Death Valley, California.
What divides Alaska from the rest of the USA?
A: British Columbia.
The Missouri joins the Mississippi just north of which city?
A: St. Louis.
Where is Wayne State University?
A: Detroit.
What was called Windy City by a New York newspaper editor?
A: Chicago.
Mount Mitchell is the highest peak in which mountains?
A: Blue Ridge Mountains.
What is the world's second longest single span bridge?
A: Golden Gate Bridge.
What is the largest city in Maryland?
A: Baltimore.

Wuzzle
Rough seas
Separate checks
Elevator out of order

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] the dates may not be totally accurate.
§     AND THAT’S ALL FOR NOW     §

11-12-11


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

TODAY’s “Geez”                                                                                            .
  • 1847 - Sir James Young Simpson, a British physician, is the first to use chloroform as an anesthetic
  • 1933 - 1st known photo of Loch Ness monster (or whatever) is taken
  • 1936 - 1st TV Gardening show
  • 1945 - Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Cordell Hull (establishing UN)
  • 1946 - 1st "autobank" (banking by car) forms (Chicago)
  • 1775 - General Washington forbids recruiting officers enlisting blacks

 ♪♪ Happy Birthday To:♪♪                                                                   .                     

Free Rambling Thoughts                                                                              .
A very cloudy day…trying real hard to snow or rain, but alas…nada, zilch, none. I took off early today, just in case, to run necessary errands. I left early partially because I thought it was going to snow and partially because it is Vets Day and lots of people are off work. I missed the crowds at all my stops, so that was good. Weather guy still saying we will get about an inch of snow this weekend.

I’m still not back into the right sleep cycle, but tonight should solve that. I woke up at 3a and finally I got back to sleep. Then I woke again at 5am and gave up on getting back to sleep. I didn’t take any naps today—just fought it off. Tonight should get me back on track.

I did download my Ethiopia pictures and started my blog. Still have to download the videos. I spent time from 6am to 8:30am to catch up on lots of email that was just piling up. Lots of good wishes from friends who knew I was traveling. One piece of sad news, Mary’s 99 year old mom passed while I was gone. She was only in Hospice for about 3 weeks and seems to have passed peacefully. It is always hard to lose a parent. The first one is usually a shocker while the second one is much harder when you realize that you are an orphan. I found that helping my mom after my dad’s passing helped our family grieve. My brother and I were there to help each other when our mom passed, but there was no one to care for. It is something we all have to go through and until one goes through it, they don’t really understand the loneliness when both are gone. As my friends go through this life changing experience, I am reminded of the passing of my parents…and can really understand.




Trivia Quiz…(answers at the end of post)                                                 .
1.     Who was Nevada's capital city named after?
2.    Which lake is linked by anal to the St. Lawrence and Hudson rivers?
3.    Which mountain system stretches from Alabama to Quebec?
4.    Where are the headquarters of Coca Cola?
5.    Charleston is on which river?
6.    Which is the largest of the inlets on the Atlantic coast?
7.    Cleveland is on which of the Great Lakes?
8.    What is the third largest city of the USA?
9.    Denver is on which river?
10.  The Black Hills are composed of which rock?

Wuzzles…What concept or phrase do these suggest?                           .

NEW: Rules of Thumb                                                                          .
Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess
  • For men: The year you start growing dark hair on your chest is the year that the loss rate of your head hair exceeds its growth rate.

Hmmmmm                                                                                                       .
  • Percentage change in the number of US whites under the age of 18 in the past decade: -9.8
  • Blacks: -2.8
  • Hispanics: +38.8

Somewhat Useless Information                                                                     .
  • Fortune cookies, egg foo young, chow mein, and chop suey were all invented in the United States.
  • Fajitas are from the North American state of Texas, whereas hot dogs and hamburgers are thought to have come from Germany in some variation.

Yeah, It Really Happened                                                                               .            
SEATTLE - An anthropology graduate student in Seattle said he is studying Dumpster-diving culture to bring awareness to the amount of edible food that ends up as trash. University of Washington grad student David Giles, 31, an Australia native, said he has been vaulting into Dumpsters and scrounging for edibles as part of his thesis project, which he said he hopes will inspire people to donate leftover food to the hungry rather than throwing it out, The Seattle Times reported Friday.
"The first thing that hits you in the face is how good the stuff in the Dumpster is," Giles said. "It's thrown away because it's not profitable." Giles said his Dumpster-diving research has cut his monthly grocery bill down to $100 and he knows others who sustain themselves strictly on what they find in the trash. The graduate student said he plans to write a book about his experiences when he finishes his thesis next year.

Guffaw…or at least smile                                                                               .
An Antartian named Babbette finds herself in dire trouble. Her business has gone bust and she's in serious financial trouble. She's so desperate that she decides to ask God for help. She begins to pray... "God, please help me. I've lost my business and if I don't get some money, I'm going to lose my house as well. Please let me win the lotto."
Lotto night comes and somebody else wins it. Babbette again prays..."God, please let me win the lotto! I've lost my business, my house and I'm going to lose my car as well."
Lotto night comes and Babbette still has no luck.
Once again, she prays..."My God, why have you forsaken me?? I've lost my business, my house and my car. My children are starving. I don't often ask you for help and I have always been a good servant to you. PLEASE just let me win the lotto this one time so I can get my life back in order."
Suddenly there is a blinding flash of light as the heavens open and Babbette is confronted by the voice of God Himself: "Babbette, meet Me halfway on this. Buy a ticket."

Searchin’ “You Tube” I found                                                                        .     

Song of the South Original Clip


Daybook Information                                                                                    .
…Happening This Week:
6-12 
Health Information and Technology Week
International Fraud Awareness Week
National Nurse Practioners Week 
National Rad Tech Week
7-13
Dear Santa Letter Week 
National Young Reader's Week
Pursuit of Happiness Week
World Kindness Week 

TODAY IS                                                                                                         .
  • Birth of Baha'u'llah (Baha'i)
  • Domino Day National
  • Donor Sabbath Days
  • National Gaming Day-- Communities across the U.S. (and internationally!) are coming together in the spirit of play for the American Library Association’s 4th Annual National Gaming Day @ your library, sponsored by FamilyandPartyGames.com. This year’s event expects to draw more than 20,000 people at more than 1,200 libraries.
  • National Pizza With The Works Except Anchovies Day

~*~
  • Mexico--Postman Day's

Today’s Events                                                                                                .
ARTS
1910 - 1st Movie stunt: man jumps into Hudson river from a burning balloon
1936 - Nobel for literature awarded to Eugene O'Neill "for the power, honesty and deep-felt emotions of his dramatic works, which embody an original concept of tragedy"
1946 - Walt Disney's "Song Of South" released
1969 - Author Alexander Solzhenitsyn expelled from Soviet Writers Union
ATHLETICS
1927 - Notre Dame's Fighting Irish changes blue jerseys for green
1969 - Minnesota's Harmon Killebrew is voted AL MVP
BUSINESS
1859 - Jules Leotard performs 1st Flying Trapeze circus act (Paris) He also designed garment that bears his name
1900 - World's Fair in Paris opens (50 million visitors)
1927 - 1st underwater tunnel, Holland Tunnel connecting NY to NJ opens
EDUCATION
--
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1794: A treaty (7 stat. 44) is concluded at Canandaigua (Konondaigua), New York, with the "Six Nations." The United States acknowledges the treaties signed by the Six Nations and New York. Boundaries are established. The Six Nations will not submit further land claims. A wagon trail is established from Fort Schlosser to Buffalo Creek on Lake Erie. The Indians receive $10,000 in goods now. The annuity agreed to in the treaty of April 3, 1792 is increased from $1500 to $4500 in goods. The treaty is signed by Thomas Pickering for the United States, and by fifty-nine Indians.
1865: Medicine Bottle and Little Shakopee, two of the leaders of the Santee Sioux uprising are executed at Pine Knob. They both had escaped to Canada, but officials there aided Americans in their kidnapping, and return to the United States
POLITICS [International]
1439 - Plymouth, England, becomes the first town incorporated by the English Parliament
1974 - South Africa suspended from UN General Assembly over racial policies
POLITICS [US]
1942 - In World War II, battle of Guadalcanal began
1954 - Ellis Island, immigration station in NY Harbor, closed
1968 - Supreme Court declares Arkansas law banning teaching evolution in public schools unconstitutional
1979 - US halts Iranian oil imports & freezes Iranian assets
RELIGION
1555 - The English Parliament re-establishes Catholicism
SCIENCE
1915 - Theodore W Richards is 1st American to win Nobel Prize in chemistry
1987 - Heavy snow closes schools from DC to Maine

Today’s Birthdays                                                                                          .
ARTISTS:  (AUTHORS, COMPOSERS,…)
1889 - DeWitt Wallace, publisher, founded Readers Digest (1921)
ATHLETES
Derek Bell, outfielder (Houston Astros) is 43
Nadia Comaneci, [Gheorghe], Romania, gymnast (1st 10/Olymp-gold-1976 ) is 50
Tonya Harding, figure skater (Oly-8th-1994/US Champ 1994) is 41
Al Michaels, sportscaster ( ABC Monday Night Football and Baseball) is 66
ENTERTAINERS (ACTORS/SINGERS…)
Ryan Gosling, actor is 31
Anne Hathaway, actor is 29
Brian Hyland, rocker (She Wore an Itsy Bitsy ... Bikini) is 68
1928 - Grace Kelly, actress (Rear Window)/Princess (Monaco)
Megan Mullally, actor [Will and Grace] is 53
David Schwimmer, actor is 45
1918 - Jo Stafford, singer (I'll Never Smile Again)
Neil Young, singer/songwriter (Cosby, Sills & Young) is 66
ENTREPRENEURS & EDUCATORS
1917 - Joseph Coors, CEO (Adolph Coors Co Brewery)
POLITICIAL FIGURES
1528 - Qi Jiguang, Chinese general 
1815 - Elizabeth Cady Stanton, suffragist (80 Years & More)
1866 - Sun Yat-sen, father of modern China (ROC & PRC) (traditional)
Charles Manson, [No Name Maddox], criminal (Tate-Labianco)  is 77
SCIENTISTS & THEOLOGISTS
--

Today’s Obits                                                                                   
1990 - Eve Arden, actress (Our Miss Brooks), dies at 82
2003 - Jonathan Brandis, American actor commits suicide at 27
1916 - Percival Lowell, American amateur astronomer, founder of Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona and pacifist dies after stroke at 61
2003 - Penny Singleton, American actress (Blondie Bumstead, voice of Jane Jetson) dies at 95

ANSWERS                                                                            
Trivia Quiz
Who was Nevada's capital city named after?
A: Kit Carson.
Which lake is linked by anal to the St. Lawrence and Hudson rivers?
A: Champlain.
Which mountain system stretches from Alabama to Quebec?
A: Appalachians.
Where are the headquarters of Coca Cola?
A: Atlanta.
Charleston is on which river?
A: Kanawaha.
Which is the largest of the inlets on the Atlantic coast?
A: Chesapeake Bay.
Cleveland is on which of the Great Lakes?
A: Erie.
What is the third largest city of the USA?
A: Chicago.
Denver is on which river?
A: South Platte.
The Black Hills are composed of which rock?
A: Granite.

Wuzzle
The following day
Envious
High rise

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] the dates may not be totally accurate.
§     AND THAT’S ALL FOR NOW     §

Followers

Total Pageviews

Blog Archive

About Me

My photo
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.