11-22-11

FYI: Blue text is a link… click on any blue text for more information!

Today’s “Geez”                                                                  .

1842 - Mount St Helens in Washington, erupts

1924 - England orders Egyptians out of Sudan

1927 - 1st snowmobile patent granted to Carl Eliason (Sayner, WI)

1930 - 1st Irish Sweepstake run

1969 - Isolation of single gene announced by scientists at Harvard U

1972 - US ends 22 year travel ban to China

1977 - First three nodes of the ARPAnet are connected, in what would eventually become the Internet.

1995 - Toy Story is released as the first feature-length film created completely using computer-generated imagery.

♪♪ Happy Birthday To:♪♪                                     

 

Free Rambling Thoughts                                                   

I went grocery shopping for Thanksgiving this morning. A good time, as not many others were at the store. Got what I need for fresh blueberry pie. I will make it on Wednesday. Thank you to Pillsbury for the great already made to unfold pie crust.  If I had to make the crust, I wouldn’t make the pie. I never learned how to roll it out correctly.

My friend Martha recently had her book published. It is her long journey of finding her birth parents. Today there was a good article and two pictures on the front page of our local paper. Nice. Check out her website. Her book is very interesting and a fast read. There is a link on the homepage for the news article. She found siblings as well as her mom. I helped her get the web site up and running and am even mentioned in the book. Back in the day I went with her when she met her mom here in Flagstaff. So happy that she got her story out for everyone to enjoy and learn from.

It rained on and off all day today. That rain kept it cool most of the day. Warm weather won’t return till after Turkey day. We may even have some snow on Thanksgiving but the weather guy says it will be just a dusting. We’ll see.

No big surprise, but the Super Committee failed. They admitted it today. Why can’t they help their country? I always wondered how it was possible for the Great Depression to happen. Sadly I think I am living something very close to those days. What a mess. Don’t they realize that their lack of leadership is hurting every American?

Pepper spray on students having a sit down demonstration? Come on UC-Davis…we expect more from you and your police. Violence is never the answer to a peaceful demonstration…we learned that in the 60’s.

NPR Sunday Puzzle…(answers at the end of post)                            .

On-Air Challenge: Every answer is the name of a college or university. You must identify the schools from their anagrams. For example: "ICER." The answer: "RICE."

1.     Moyer…

2.     Hamster…

3.     Gelcoat…

4.     To meander…

5.     Lead up…

6.     Dialect…

7.     Water scenes…

8.     Earth worms…

Wuzzles…What concept or phrase do these suggest?                       .

Rules of Thumb                                                              .

• Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess
• The normal resting pulse rate for humans is about equal to the external temperatures they find most comfortable measured in degrees Fahrenheit: 68 to 72.

Hmmmmm                                                                      .

Minimum number of goos and gull-chasing falcons laid off by JFK Airport last year: 15

Somewhat Useless Information                                               .

• Large amounts of licorice were found in King Tut's tomb. Licorice, famed for its medicinal qualities as well as its taste, was a favorite of the pharaoh (and of many since).
• The Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortés brought home chocolate after conquering the Aztecs. Chocolate was said to be the favorite drink of the Aztec emperor Montezuma II.
• Only one ingredient is used to make cotton candy. Ordinary granulated sugar is melted down before a special machine spins it into a lightweight web.
• In the early 1800s spruce sap became the first popular chewing gum. Modern gum has its origins in chicle, the sap of the tropical sapodilla tree, first used in gum in the 1860s.
• The Pez dispenser was intended to resemble a cigarette lighter. Invented in Austria in 1927, Pez was originally a candy marketed at adults who were trying to stop smoking. The plastic heads were a later addition.
• There are eight colors in a roll of NECCO wafers: pink (wintergreen); orange (orange); yellow (lemon); green (lime); purple (clove); brown (chocolate); black (licorice); and white (cinnamon).

Yeah, It Really Happened                                            .            

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - A man caused more than $2,000 in damage to a Charlotte, N.C., hotel after discovering he had run out of toilet paper in his room, police say. Police say between late Sunday and early Monday at the Charlottetown Manor, Dereck MacDonald, 43, became very upset upon discovering he ran out of toilet paper, The Charlotte Observer reported. MacDonald allegedly walked into a vacant room at the hotel and clogged the toilet, causing water damage to the room, a police report states. "The suspect then went back to his room and damaged additional property by physical force," the report says. MacDonald reportedly caused more than $2,000 in damage in the two rooms combined. Police arrested the man and charged him with injury to personal property.

Guffaw…or at least smile                                                   .

Sitting on the side of the highway waiting to catch speeding drivers, a State Police Officer sees a car puttering along at 22 MPH. He thinks to himself, this driver is just as dangerous as a speeder!" So he turns on his lights and pulls the driver over. Approaching the car, he notices that there are five old ladies -- two in the front seat and three in the back -- wide eyed and white as ghosts.

The driver, obviously confused, says to him, Officer, I don't understand, I was doing exactly the speed limit! What seems to be the problem? "Ma'am," the officer replies, you weren't speeding, but you should know that driving slower than the speed limit can also be a danger to other drivers.

Slower than the speed limit? No sir, I was doing the speed limit exactly... Twenty-two miles an hour! "The old woman says a bit proudly.

The State Police officer, trying to contain a chuckle explains to her that ‘22" was the route number, not the speed limit. A bit embarrassed, the woman grinned and thanked the officer for pointing out her error. But before I let you go, Ma'am, I have to ask... Is everyone in this car OK? These women seem awfully shaken and they haven't muttered a single peep this whole time, "the officer asks.

Oh, they'll be all right in a minute officer. We just got off Route 119."

Searchin’ “You Tube” I found                                                .     

 Mae West - Interview with Dick Cavett

Shemp Gets Poisoned

Daybook Information                                                        .

…Happening This Week:

18-24

National Farm-City Week 

20-26 

Better Conversation Week

Church/State Separation Week

National Bible Week

National Family Week

National Game & Puzzle Week

Today Is                                                             

Humane Society Anniversary Day [1954]

Sagittarius Begins

Start Your Own Country Day

~*~

Lebanon: Independence Day (1943 from France)

Today’s Events                                                               .

Arts

1928 - "Bolero" by Maurice Ravel, 1st performed publicly (Paris)

1934 - "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" 1st heard on Eddie Cantor's show

1957 - Simon & Garfunkel appear on "American Bandstand" as "Tom & Jerry"

1968 - 1st interracial TV kiss (Star Trek-Kirk & Uhura )

1976 - Comic strip "Cathy," by Cathy Guisewhite, debuts

Athletes

1945 - Jim Benton, Cleveland end, gains 303 yards (NFL record)

1956 - 16th modern Olympic games opens in Melbourne

Business

1906 - Intl Radio Telecommunications Com adopts "SOS" as new call for help

Education

1984 - Fred Rogers of PBS "Mr Rogers Neighborhood" presents a sweater to Smithsonian Institution

Indigenous People

1752: The "Mick Mack" of Nova Scotia sign a treaty with the British.

1812: Potawatomi Chief Winamac is killed in fighting with Captain Logan (Spemicalawba). One of two Potawatomi Chiefs with the same name, he is a principle leader in the attacks on Forts Dearborn and Wayne in 1812. The other Winamac is pro-American.

Politics [International]

1497 - Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama rounds Cape of Good Hope

1942 - Hitler orders Rommel’s African corps to fight to last man

2005 - Angela Merkel becomes the first female Chancellor of Germany.

Politics [US]

1718 - Off the coast of North Carolina, British pirate Edward Teach (best known as "Blackbeard") is killed in battle with a boarding party led by Lieutenant Robert Maynard

1963 - Lyndon Baines Johnson sworn in as the 36th US president following JFK’s assassination in Dallas

1985 - Largest swearing-in ceremony, 38,648 immigrants become US citizens

Religion

1930 - Elijah Muhammad forms Nation of Islam in Detroit

Science

1910 - Arthur Knight patents steel shaft golf clubs

1932 - Pump patented that computes quantity & price delivered

1989 - Conjunction of Venus, Mars, Uranus, Neptune, Saturn & Moon

Today’s Birthdays                                                          .

Artists: [Authors, Composers]

1899 - Hoagy Carmichael, actor/songwriter

1888 - Tarzan, of the Apes, according to Edgar Rice Burroughs' novel

Athletes

Boris Becker, West Germany, tennis player (Wimbledon 1985, 86, 89) is 44

Billie Jean King, American tennis pro (Wimbledon 1968, 72, 73, 75) is 68

Entertainers [Actors, Singers…]

Jamie Lee Curtis, actor is 53

1921 - Rodney Dangerfield, [John Cohen], comedian (Caddyshack)

Richard Kind, actor is 55

Mark Ruffalo, actor is 44

Floyd Sneed, Calgary, original drummer (Three Dog Night- Joy to the World) is 68

Steve Van Zandt, actor, musician is 61

Robert Vaughn, actor (Hans Solo) is 79

Entrepreneurs & Educators

1898 - Wiley Post, aviator/parachutist (crashed in Alaska)

Political Figures

1890 - Charles de Gaulle, President of France (1958-69)

Scientists & Theologists

1643 - René R Cavelier sieur de La Salle, French explorer

Today’s Obits                                                            .

2001 - Mary Kay Ash, American businesswoman, founded Mary Kay Cosmetics dies at 86

1993 - Bill Bixby, actor (My Favorite Martian), dies from cancer at 59

1986 - Scatman Crothers, actor (Shining, Zapped), dies at 76

1896 - George Washington Gale Ferris, inventor (Ferris wheel), dies of typhoid fever at 37

1943 - Lorenz Hart, lyricist, dies of pneumonia at 48

1955 - Shemp Howard, actor (3 Stooges), dies of heart attack at 60

1963 - Aldous L Huxley, English author (Brave New World), dies on death bed with LSD help at 69

1963 - John F Kennedy, 35th president of the United States (1961-63), assassinated at 46

1963 - C[live] S[taples] Lewis, [Hamilton], author (The Chronicles of Narnia), dies of renal failure at 64

1916 - Jack London, author, dies of uremic poisoning at 40

1963 - J. D. Tippit, Dallas Police Officer killed in line of duty at 39

1980 - Mae West, actress (She Done Him Wrong), dies in Hollywood at 87

1875 - Henry Wilson, 18^th Vice President of the United States dies of stroke at 63

Answers                                                                .                                                                           

NPR Sunday Puzzle

1.     Moyer…Emery

2.     Hamster…Amherst

3.     Gelcoat…Colgate

4.     To meander…Notre Dame

5.     Lead up…dePaul

6.     Dialect…citadel

7.     Water scenes…Case Western

8.     Earth worms…Swarthmore

Wuzzle

All alone

It’s left up to me

Stretch the truth

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     §

11-21-11

FYI: Blue text is a link… click on any blue text for more information!

Today’s “Geez”                                                                  .

1794 - Honolulu Harbor discovered

1871 - The 1st human cannonball, Emilio Onra, is shot

1906 - China prohibits opium trade

1953 - Authorities at the British Natural History Museum announce that the "Piltdown Man" skull, held to be one of the most famous fossil skulls in the world, was a hoax.

1973 - Pres Nixon's attorney, J Fred Buzhardt, reveals presence of 18½ minute gap in a White House tape recording related to Watergate

♪♪ Happy Birthday To:♪♪                               .                     

 

Free Rambling Thoughts                                                     

A little chilly and some light rain kept me inside this day. Weather guy says more ‘frozen mix’ on Monday and on Thursday. Not to be a wasted day, I spent time with my Ethiopian photos. I now have two movies that need music…the new one is called ‘Faces of Ethiopia’ and is close ups and semi-close ups of the people. I guess National Geographic had that part right…much of the real beauty of the country is the people. They will be up and on line in a few more days. It is nice to spend the afternoon just recalling the trip.

Next week is another monetary week. Deadlines will come, deadlines will pass. We will remain on the brink. The Super committee has announced that it probably won’t meet any of its directives. Great. We need statesmen and stateswomen NOW. The Norquist pledge to never raise taxes on anybody is crazy. Times change, circumstances change, the world changes. It’s time for change.

NEW! NPR Sunday Puzzle…(answers at the end of post)                     .

In a chosen category, name something else in the same category in which the last two letters of Will's word are the first two letters of the answer. Example: for TUBA, the answer might be BASSOON, because TUBA is a musical instrument ending in BA, and BA is the start of BASSOON.

1.     Connecticut ------------------------------------ (States)

2.    Obama - ------------------------------------  (Presidents)

3.    Omega - ------------------------------------  (Greek letters)

4.    Atlanta - ------------------------------------  (State capitals)

5.    Genesis - ------------------------------------  (Bible Books)

6.    Gator ------------------------------------ --- (Bowls)

7.    Othello ------------------------------------  (Shakespeare Plays)

8.    Crow  ------------------------------------ (birds)

9.    National  ------------------------------------ (Car Rental Co)

10.  Peach  ------------------------------------ (fruit trees)

11.   Volvo  ------------------------------------ (car makers)

Wuzzles…What concept or phrase do these suggest?                        .

   

Rules of Thumb                                                            .

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

• You can figure that 1 out of every 40 to 60 people in a store is a shoplifter. Only 1 in every 200 shoplifters gets caught.

Hmmmmm                                                                   .

• Amount the Chinese government is paying to create the Robert Mugabe School of Intelligence in Zimbabwe: $98M

Somewhat Useless Information                                               .

• Mickey Mouse became an instant hit on November 18, 1928 with the release of 'Steamboat Willie', the first ever cartoon with synchronized sound.
• Walt Disney originally wanted to call Mickey 'Mortimer Mouse', and it was changed to 'Mickey Mouse' when Walt's wife Lillian said she felt that 'Mortimer' sounded too pompous.
• In 'Opry House', a video short released on March 28, 1929, Mickey started wearing white gloves. He went on to wear them in most of his subsequent appearances until today.
• Mickey became the first cartoon character to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on November 18, 1978, in honor of his 50th anniversary. The star is located on 6925 Hollywood Boulevard.
• Disney's product licensing business began in 1929, when Walt Disney accepted a deal with a stationery company for the right to imprint Mickey Mouse on school writing tablets.
• Mickey appeared in color for the first time in 'The Band Concert', which premiered on February 23, 1935.

Yeah, It Really Happened                                                 .            

LAKEWAY, Texas - A Texas man has been charged with felony theft and possession of a controlled substance after stealing and eating another man's goat.

Javier Aguirre, 27, was also being held by police for immigration reasons, the Austin (Texas) American-Statesman reported Wednesday. A Lakeway man reported his 245-pound, 7-month-old goat was stolen from its pen Nov. 8, an arrest affidavit stated. The victim told police a friend told him Aguirre took the $3,500 animal. Aguirre was already in police custody when detectives impounded his truck, finding blood and goat hair in the bed. The affidavit said Aguirre told police he took the goat, which he described as "very gentle, like a dog," butchered it and served it up as barbecue to people in a neighborhood near Lake Travis.

Guffaw…or at least smile                                                 

Things To Do In An Elevator

1) When there's only one other person in the elevator, tap them on the shoulder and then pretend it wasn't you.

2) Push the buttons and pretend they give you a shock. Smile, and go back for more.

3) Call the Psychic Hotline from your cell phone and ask if they know what floor your on.

4) Bring a camera and take pictures of everyone in the elevator.

5) Move your desk into the elevator and whenever anyone gets on, ask if they have an appointment.

6) Lay down the twister mat and ask people if they would like to play.

7) Leave a box in the corner, and when someone gets on, ask them if they can hear ticking.

8) Pretend you are a flight attendant and review emergency procedures and exits with the passengers.

9) When the doors close, announce to the others, "It's okay, don't panic, they open again!"

10) Grimace painfully while smacking your forehead and muttering, "Shut up, all of you, just shut up!"

11) Crack open your briefcase or purse, and while peering inside, ask, "Got enough air in there?"

12) Stand silently and motionless in the corner, facing the wall, without getting off.

13) Wear a puppet on your hand and use it to talk to the other passengers.

14) Listen to the elevator walls with your stethoscope.

15) Draw a little square on the floor with chalk and announce to the other passengers, "This is MY personal space!"

Searchin’ “You Tube” I found                                              .     

 Elevator Pranks

Daybook Information                                                        .

…Happening This Week:

18-24

National Farm-City Week 

20-26 

Better Conversation Week

Church/State Separation Week

National Bible Week

National Family Week

National Game & Puzzle Week

Today Is                                                                    .

• Alascattalo Day: a day to honor humor in general and Alaskan humor in particular, named after it's mascot, the Alascattalo, a genetic cross between a walrus and a moose.
• False Confessions Day
• World Hello Day
• World Television Day

~*~

• US: North Carolina: Ratification Day (1789-12^th state)

Today’s Events                                                               .

Arts

1942 - Tweety Bird, aka Tweety Pie, debuts in "Tale of Two Kitties"

1980 - Dallas' "Who Shot JR?" episode (Kristen) gets a 53.3 rating (83 mill)

1981 - Olivia Newton-John's  "Physical," single goes #1 & stays for 10 weeks

Athletes

1956 - Don Newcombe, wins NL MVP & 1st-ever Cy Young Award

1971 - NY Rangers scores a NHL record 8 goals in 1 period

Business

1654 - Richard Johnson, a free black, granted 550 acres in Virginia

1935 - 1st commercial crossing of Pacific by plane (China Clipper)

1952 - 1st US postage stamp in 2 colors (rotary process) introduced

1980 - Fire at MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas kills 84

Education

1852 - Duke U, founded in 1838 as Union Institute chartered as Normal College

Indigenous People

1807 - Spanish trader Manuel Lisa builds Fort Raymond at the confluence of the Yellowstone and Bighorn Rivers.

1836 - A battle is fought on the Withlacoochee River in the Wahoo Swamp. American forces, with Indian allies, are led by General Richard Call. The Seminoles are led by Chiefs Osuchee and Yaholooche. After chasing the Seminoles across the river, the American forces call an end to their advance when they believe the river is too deep to cross in force. Creek David Moniac is killed in the battle of Wahoo Swamp, in central Florida, by Seminoles. Moniac graduated from West Point. Moniac is part of a force of almost 700 Creek warriors, and white soldiers.

Politics [International]

1492 - Pinta under Martin A Pinzon separates from Columbus's fleet

Politics [US]

1620 - Mayflower Compact signed by Pilgrims in Cape Cod

1946 - Harry Truman becomes 1st US president to travel in a submerged sub

1974 - Freedom of Information Act passed by Congress over Pres Ford's veto

1992 - Oregon Sen Bob Packwood issues apology for unwelcome sexual advances

Religion

--

Science

1871 - Moses F Gale patents a cigar lighter 

2004 - The island of Dominica is hit by the most destructive earthquake in its history.

Today’s Birthdays                                                            

Artists: [Authors, Composers]

1904 - Coleman Hawkins, virtually created tenor saxophone for jazz

Athletes

Ken Griffey Jr, centerfielder (Seattle Mariners, MVP 1997) is 42

Earl "the Pearl" Monroe, NBA Guard (NY Knicks, Balt Bullets)  is 67

1920 - Stan Musial, outfielder (St Louis Cardinal, 7 times NL bat champ)

Entertainers [Actors, Singers…]

Bjork, Iceland, singer (Like Someone in Love) is 46

Joseph Campanella, actor (Dr Steffen-The Nurses, Lou-Mannix) is 84

Goldie Hawn, actor is 66

Marlo Thomas, actor, fund raiser is 73

Entrepreneurs & Educators

1787 - Samuel Cunard, founder (1st regular Atlantic steamship line)

Political Figures

--

Scientists & Theologists

1785 - William Beaumont, surgeon (studied digestion)

Today’s Obits                                                            .

2005 - Alfred Anderson, last Scottish World War I (and Christmas Truce) veteran dies at 109

1959 - Max Baer, US, heavyweight boxing champ (1934), dies of double heart attacks at 49

1993 - Bill Bixby, actor (My Favorite Martian), dies of prostate cancer at 59

1941 - Juanita Spellini, first women executed in CA for 1^st degree murder at 52

1963 - Robert Stroud, "bird man of Alcatraz", dies at 73

1981 - Harry Von Zell, TV announcer (Burns & Allen), dies at 75

Answers                                                                .                                                                           

NPR Sunday Puzzle

1.     Conneticut - Utah (States)

2.    Obma - Madison (Presidents)

3.    Omega - gamma (Greek letters)

4.    Atlanta - Tallassee (State capitals)

5.    Genesis - Isaiah (Bible Books)

6.    Gator Orange (Bowls)

7.    Othello Loves Labors Lost (Shakespeare Plays)

8.    Crow Owl (birds)

9.    National Alamo (Car Rental Co)

10.  Peach cherry (fruit trees)

11.   Volvo Volkswagon (car makers)

Wuzzle

Backyard

Stardom

He's not in the theater

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     §