Jan 4, 2012

FYI: Click on any blue text for a link to more information!

Today’s  Historical  Highlights

1863 - 4 wheeled roller skates patented by James Plimpton of NY

1884 - Last sighting of an eastern cougar (Ontario)

1915 - 1st elected Jewish governor, Moses Alexander, takes office in Idaho

1958 - Sputnik 1 reenters atmosphere & burns up

1975 - Ice thickness measured at 4776 m [15,669 ', 3.49 "], Wilkes Land, Antarctica

1995 - Newt Gingrich (R) becomes speaker of the House

♫Happy Birthday To: ♫                     

 

Free Rambling Thoughts   

Greg stopped by after school today and we worked on his T-Shirt design. It was enjoyable, and will be a great T-shirt once it is done. It’s the architectural drawing of a cataract boat. Very cool.

Getting ready to head to Merida…I leave the 5^th. Should be a fun trip…and warm??? I sure hope so.

It looked like it was going to be cold today, waking to an overcast sky…but just a nice day. Ran some errands, got the toilet fixed, and the maintenance guy said it was an ‘easy job’. Maybe for him.

Game   Center   (answers at the end of post)

NEW—Brain Game

NPR Sunday Puzzle

Every answer is a made up two-word phrase in which the two words look like they should rhyme, but they don't. For example, given the clue "desires trousers," the answer would be "wants pants."

1.     Listens to grizzlies:

2.     Exhibits cattle:

3.     Holds tightly stinging insects:

4.     Provides mates for husbands:

5.     Outlaws graceful birds:

6.     Wheels out Barbies:

7.     Cuts plumbing items in two:

8.     Takes the rough edges off magician sticks:

9.     Interrupts series of wins:

10.  Is a pedicurist:

Wuzzles  What concept or phrase do these suggest?

Lifestyle  Substance      

AZ Centennial is in days: Did you know?…

• Arizona is a right-to-work state. The law states no person shall be denied the opportunity to obtain or retain employment because of non-membership in a labor organization.
• Arizona leads the nation in copper production.
• Arizona is home of the Grand Canyon National Park.

Found on You Tube         

DANCE OF 1000 HANDS...

Read the paragraph below before you watch the videoThere is an awesome dance, called the Thousand-Hand Guanyin, which is making the rounds across the net. Considering the tight coordination required, their accomplishment is nothing short of amazing, even if they were not all deaf. Yes, you read correctly. All 21 of the dancers are deaf-mutes. Relying only on signals from trainers at the four corners of the stage, these extraordinary dancers deliver a visual spectacle that is at once intricate and stirring. Its first major international debut was in Athens at the closing ceremonies for the 2004 Paralympics. ad long been in the repertoire of the Chinese Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe and had traveled to more than 40 countries. Its lead dancer is 29 year old Tai Lihua, who has a BA from the Hubei Fine Arts Institute. The video was recorded in Beijing during the Spring Festival this year. 

Harper’s Index         

• Opening weekend box office draw in Hong Kong of Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy, a 3D prono movie: $1,660,031
• For Iron Man 2: $1,529,782

Joke-of-the-day

Why is 6 afraid of 7?

Because 7,8,9.

Old-er people in the News

Helen Koton said she didn't hear any warning signals before the bridge started opening with her nearly halfway across. She said she was able to grab the railing. "I was holding onto the railing and I went up in the air," Koton later told WSVN-TV in Miami.

As the bridge rose to its full height, shocked motorists got out of their cars and told the bridge attendant, who lowered the span after several minutes. "Finally, I came down. When I came down, I fell on my face," she told the Fox affiliate. "So I bruised my forehead and my nose."

Those were the only injuries she suffered, and she was released after treatment at Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood. Koton, a winter resident, also lives in Massachusetts.

Rules of Thumb   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

• The distance between an alligator's eyes in inches is its length in feet.

Somewhat Useless Information   

• Virginia Dare was the first child born in the American colonies, on August 18th, 1587, on what is now Roanoke Island, North Carolina.
• Anne Bradstreet was the first published American woman writer (1650). Her published work was called The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America.
• In 1762, Ann Franklin became the first woman to hold the title of newspaper editor, "The Newport Mercury" in Newport, RI.
• Edward Smith was the first indicted bank robbed in the U.S. In 1831, he was sentenced to five years hard labor on the rock pile at Sing Sing Prison.
• Mary Walker was the first (and only) woman to receive the US Medal of Honor, in 1865. She was a Civil War surgeon. Her medal was rescinded in 1916, however, when the Army purged its files to cut down on what they thought were "unwarranted" issues. It wasn't re-instated until 1976.
• In 1892, Annie Moore became the first immigrant to pass through Ellis Island. She was 15 years old and from County Cork, Ireland.

Yeah, It Really Happened                 

LOS ANGELES - Transportation Security Administration workers at Los Angeles International Airport serenaded travelers with holiday classics and other tunes. The TSA Chorus entertained passengers at Terminal 4's American Airlines gates Tuesday with seasonal fare as well as tunes including "America the Beautiful" and "I Believe I Can Fly," the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.

 "I love lifting spirits," TSA worker Ernest Perez III said. "And there is no better way to do this than with music." The chorus said they will be performing again Thursday, this time in the publicly accessible area of the Tom Bradley Terminal.

Calendar Information        

…Happening This Week:

1-7

• Celebration of Life Week
• Diet Resolution Week
• Silent Record Week
• National Lose Weight/Feel Great Week
• Someday We'll Laugh About This Week
• New Year's Resolutions Week

Today Is                                                                      

• Dimpled Chad Day
• Humiliation Day
• Pop Music Chart Day
• Tom Thumb Day
• Trivia Day
• World Braille Day
• World Hypnotism Day
•  Utah: Admission Day (45^th state: 1896)
• Myanmar: Independence Day (1948: from UK—as Burma)

Today’s Other Events                                                             

Before 1000CE

46 BC - Titus Labienus defeats Julius Caesar in the Battle of Ruspina

1400’s

1493 - Columbus left new world on return from 1st voyage

1600’s

1698 - Most of the Palace of Whitehall in London, the main residence of the English monarchs, is destroyed by fire

1700’s

1725 - Benjamin Franklin arrives in London 

1754 - Columbia University founded, as Kings College

1800’s

1847 - Samuel Colt sells his first revolver pistol to the United States government

1885 - Dr W W Grant of Iowa, performs 1st appendectomy (on Mary Gartside, 22)

1887 - Thomas Stevens is 1st man to bicycle around the world (SF-SF)

1900’s

1904 - Supreme Court rules Puerto Ricans cannot be denied admission to US

1925 - French psychologist Emil Coué brings his self-esteem therapy to US "Every day in every way I am getting better & better"

1965 - LBJ's "Great Society" State of the Union Address

1971 - Congressional Black Caucus organizes

1982 - Bryant Gumbel became co-host of NBC's "Today Show"

1984 - "Night Court" starring Harry Anderson premieres on NBC TV

1989 - US F-14s shoot down 2 Libyan jet fighters over Mediterranean

1998 - A massive ice storm hits eastern Canada and the northeastern United States, continuing through January 10 and causing widespread destruction

2000’s

2004 - Spirit, a NASA Mars Rover, lands successfully on Mars at 04:35 UTC

2007 - The 110th United States Congress convenes, electing Nancy Pelosi as the first female Speaker of the House in U.S. history

2010’s

2010 - The Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building is officially opened

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

In their 40’s

Dave Foley, comedian, actor is 49

In their 50’s

Joe Kleine, NBA center (Phoenix Suns, Chicago Bulls) is 50

In their 70’s

Dyan Cannon, actor, Mrs Cary Grant (Heaven Can Wait) is 75

Gao Xingjian, Chinese-born French novelist and dramatist, Nobel laureate is 72

Remembered for being born on this day

Louis Braille, French developer (reading system for blind) in 1809

Everett Dirksen, American politician (Sen-Ill) in 1896

Jakob Grimm, German philologist and folklorist in 1785

C. L. R. James, writer and journalist in 1901

Isaac Newton, English physicist, mathematician and astronomer in 1643

Floyd Patterson, heavyweight champ (1956-59, 1960-62) (Oly-gold-1952) in 1935

Isaac Pitman, British inventor (stenographic shorthand) in 1813

Maureen Reagan, President’s daughter in 1941

Charles Stratton, [General Tom Thumb] in 1838

Today’s Obits                                                           

Waverley John Anderson, Scot, viscount/governor of Bengal, dies at 75 in 1958

Peggy Bacon, author/illustrator (Off With Their Heads), dies at 91 in 1987

Les Brown, American bandleader dies at 89 in 2001

Iron Eyes Cody (Espera Oscar de Corti), Native American actor dies at 95 in 1999

T S Eliot, poet (Washed Country), Nobel laureate dies of Emphysema at 76 in 1965

Harry B Helmsley, owner (Empire State Building), dies at 87 in 1997

Gerry Rafferty, British musician and songwriter (Baker Street) dies of liver failure (alcoholism) at 64 in 2011

Elizabeth Ann Seton, 1st native-born American saint, dies of TB at 46 in 1821

Answers                                                                                                                                            

Brain Game

NPR Sunday Puzzle

1.     Listens to grizzlies: hears bears

2.     Exhibits cattle: shows cows

3.     Holds tightly stinging insects: clasps wasps

4.     Provides mates for husbands: gives wives

5.     Outlaws graceful birds: bans swans

6.     Wheels out Barbies: rolls dolls

7.     Cuts plumbing items in two: halves valves

8.     Takes the rough edges off magician sticks: sands wands

9.     Interrupts series of wins: breaks streaks

10.  Is a pedicurist: does toes

Wuzzle

• Bermuda Triangle
• High employee turnover
• Upward mobility

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 Is All for Now  ☺

Jan 3 2012

FYI: Click on any blue text for a link to more information!

Today’s  Historical  Highlights

1496 - Leonardo da Vinci unsuccessfully tests a flying machine

1825 - Scottish factory owner Robert Owen buys 30,000 acres in Indiana as site for New Harmony utopian community

1861 - Delaware legislature rejects proposal to join Confederacy

1899 - The first known use of the word automobile, was seen in an editorial in The New York Times

1924 - British Egyptologist Howard Carter finds sarcophagus of Tutankhamen

1961 - US breaks diplomatic relations with Cuba

1988 - Margaret Thatcher becomes longest-serving British PM this century

♫Happy Birthday To: ♫                     

 

Free Rambling Thoughts   

What a great day it was…it started off with opening a DVD from my trip to Ethiopia. Al and Nancy did an amazing job. Watching the video was just like taking the trip all over again. They had some great video and really blended it very well. The still shots were also amazing. I am always enthralled at how different people in the group went to the same places I did, but put a different spin on what they saw. Then I looked at Focus Travel for 2013 and there is a trip to Uganda—to see the gorilla in January, 2013. I called and thankfully I’m in. I took the last spot. Just like so many things these days, number of permits is extremely limited and 14 is all our group can hold. Next I got a call from Greg, the river runner, and he wants me to help him with some computer stuff so he can design a T-shirt for the ‘Sandra’. There is a company that does T-shirts and other stuff print-on-demand. It will be great for his clients and river running friends. Then I caught up on the newspaper…and low and behold, the weather service has decided that the Flagstaff bad drought of over 10 years has ended…with the last two years well above the ‘drought’ determination. We are not yet a rain forest by any means, but Flagstaff and a small strip along our Mogollon Rim is no longer ‘abnormally dry’ or ‘exceptionally dry’. We are still very dry, but the worst seems to be over. That is good news for all of us. A great way to being 2012!!!

In crazy stuff…I got another bill from a Dr. who assisted in January throat surgery. I got the first bill in October after the insurance paid. I paid the bill electronically. In November, they sent me a nasty letter. I called and they said they hadn’t been paid. I checked and it showed paid. Then last week I got another bill. I really started researching and discovered that they were actually paid twice…on the same day at exactly the same time. The bank can’ help..since I didn’t catch it sooner…and I get that.  Somehow either I hit pay twice, or something else happened. By now the two checks for $17.55 have been cashed. So now they owe me $17.55. They were closed today, but just wait until tomorrow…I left a message on their answering machine. This is so stupid, I never saw the assistant, unless I saw him after the versed and before I was alert again. He just has a crappy billing service.

Game   Center   (answers at the end of post)

NEW—Brain Game

NPR Sunday Puzzle

Every answer is a familiar two-word phrase, name or title containing the consecutive letters I-N-D, as in "independent." For example, given the clue "19th-century British prime minister," the answer would be "Benjamin Disraeli."

1.     A ceremony performed by native American to end a drought:

2.     Beauty is only this:

3.     Roosevelt’s given names:

4.     Title character in a Chas Dicken’s mystery:

5.     Fast Food Franchise that sells baked goods and coffee:

6.     Action star in ‘Fast and Furious’ and ‘XXX’ :

7.     A RR station:

8.     Coke, Pepsi, etc sold at a fast food restaurant:

9.     Made by Pepsi:

10.  Clevaland’s leading newspaper:

11.  Duke Ellington Jazz Standard:

12.  Person who interrupts news to his advantage:

13.  Departure of scientists and intellectuals from one country to abroad:

14.  An entrée:

15.  A book in which you look up ‘anno domini ‘or ‘e pluribus unum’:

Wuzzles  What concept or phrase do these suggest?

Lifestyle  Substance      

AZ Centennial is in days: Did you know?…

Found on You Tube         

• Amazing panorama shot of the Flagstaff pine cone drop 2012

Harper’s Index         

• Portion of all 800-numbers held by one Philadelphia company that redirects calls to phone-sex lines: 1/4

Joke-of-the-day

Teacher: Now, Sam, tell me frankly do you say prayers before eating?

 Sam: No sir, I don't have to, my mom is a good cook.

--BONUS—

Little Johnny's kindergarten class was on a field trip to their local police station where they saw pictures tacked to a bulletin board of the 10 most wanted criminals. One of the youngsters pointed to a picture and asked if it really was the photo of a wanted person.

'Yes,' said the policeman. 'The detectives want very badly to capture him.

 'Little Johnny asked, 'Why didn't you keep him when you took his picture?’

Old-er people in the News

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (AP) -- A 70-year-old woman survived a nine-story fall from a condominium tower Wednesday when she landed on a canopy, officials said.

Gloria Jummati was cleaning her balcony at Coral Ridge Towers when she fell and landed on a first-floor canopy, according to the Fort Lauderdale Fire-Rescue. Jummati was alert and talking when rescuers arrived.

She was transported to Broward General Medical Center with a broken arm and other non-life-threatening injuries, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported.

Rules of Thumb   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

• If a politician mentions "special interests," he or she is discussing something, someone or some group with whom they disagree. On the contrary, the term "public interest" signals something with which they are in complete agreement.

Somewhat Useless Information   

• Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison were all 27 years old when they died.
• Little Jackie Paper was the name of Puff the Magic Dragon's human friend.
• Mickey Mouse is known as 'Topolino' in Italy.
• In 1987 Playtex premiered the first US TV commercials with real lingerie models displaying their bras and underwear on national television.
• In the movie Casablanca Rick never says "Play it again, Sam." He says: "You played it for her, you can play it for me. Play it!". Ilsa says "Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By"'.
• MTV (Music Television) made its debut at 12:01 a.m. on August 1, 1981 The first music-video shown on the rock-video cable channel was, appropriately, "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles. MTV's original five veejays were Martha Quinn, Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, J.J. Jackson and Alan Hunter.

Yeah, It Really Happened                 

LONDON - A British TV listings said "a temporarily overzealous profanity checker" censored innocuous program titles, including changing the film "Hancock" to "HanC**k." Virgin Media said the titles were fixed after visitors to the listings Web site noticed "Hancock" had been changed along with the children's show "Dick and Dom," which became "D**k and Dom," and the panel game "Never Mind the Buzzcocks," which was listed as "Never Mind the BuzzC**ks,"

The Sun reported Tuesday. The Web site even changed the name of soccer team Arsenal to "A***nal," the British tabloid said. A Virgin Media representative said the changes were the work of an employee described as "a temporarily overzealous profanity checker."

Calendar Information        

…Happening This Week:

1-7

• Celebration of Life Week
• Diet Resolution Week
• Silent Record Week
• National Lose Weight/Feel Great Week
• Someday We'll Laugh About This Week
• New Year's Resolutions Week

Today Is                                                                      

• Congress Assembles Day
• Drinking Straw Day
• Earth at Perihelion
• Festival of Sleep Day
• J.R.R. Tolkien Day
• Memento Mori :"Remember You Will Die" Day
• National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day
• National Thank God Its Monday! Day
•  Alaska : Admission Day (1959 as 49^th state)
• Russia : Passport Presentation  Day

Today’s Other Events                                                             

1400’s

1431 - Joan of Arc handed over to the bishop

1500’s

1521 - Martin Luther excommunicated by Pope Leo X from the Roman Catholic Church

1541 - On this date, de Soto visits the main Chickisaw town. He wants to visit Caluca, and he gets guides and interpreters from the Chickisaw 

1700’s

1780 - Danish national anthem Kong Kristian... 1st sung

1800’s

1847 - California town of Yerba Buena renamed San Francisco

1852 - 1st Chinese arrive in Hawaii

1871 - Oleomargarine patented by Henry Bradley, Binghamton, NY

1879 - U.S.Army Captain Henry Wessells at Fort Robinson, in northwestern Nebraska, receives orders from General Sheridan and Secretary of the Interior Carl Schurz which states that Dull Knife and his CHEYENNEs return to their reservation.

1888 - 1st wax drinking straw patented, by Marvin C Stone in Washington DC

1900’s

1918 - US employment service opens as a unit of Dept of Labor

1938 - March of Dimes established to fight polio

1939 - Gene Cox becomes 1st girl page in US House of Representatives

1944 - World War II: Top Ace Major Greg "Pappy" Boyington is shot down

1952 - "Dragnet" with Jack Webb premieres on NBC TV

1953 - Frances Bolton and her son, Oliver from Ohio, become the first mother and son to serve simultaneously in the U.S. Congress

1956 - A fire damages the top part of the Eiffel Tower

1967 - Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys is indicted for draft evasion

1977 - Apple Computers incorporate

1990 - Panama's leader Gen Manuel Noriega surrenders to US authorities

1991 - LA King Wayne Gretzky scores his 700th goal against NY Islanders

1997 - The People's Republic of China announces it will spend $27.7 billion USD to fight erosion and pollution in the Yangtze and Yellow river valleys

2000’s

2009 - Israeli ground forces invade Gaza

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

In their 30’s

• Eli Manning, American football player is 31

In their 40’s

• Cheryl Miller, basketball player (Olympic-gold-1984) is 48

In their 50’s

• Mel Gibson, actor is 56

In their 60’s

• John Paul Jones [John Baldwin], rock bassist (Led Zeppelin - Stairway to Heaven) is 66
• Stephen Stills, songwriter/guitarist (Cosby Stills & Nash) is 67

In their 80’s

• Robert Loggia, actor is 82  

Remembered for being born on this day

• Cicero, Roman statesman and philosopher in 106 BC
• Betty Furness, actress/journalist/consumer activist (Studio 1) in 1916
• Ray Milland, Welsh actor (Lost Weekend-Acad Award 1945) in 1905
• ZaSu Pitts, American actress in 1894
• John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, S Afr, philologist/writer (Lord of Rings) in 1892
• William Tucker, 1st Black child born in Americain 1624

Today’s Obits                                                           

• Juan Cabrillo, conqueror of Cen America, discoverer of CA, dies of gangrene at 45 in 1543
• Conrad Hilton, US founder (Hilton Hotels), dies at 91 in 1979
• Edgar Cayce, American psychic, dies of stroke at 67 in 1945
• Pat Hingle, American actor dies at 85 in 2009
• Jack Ruby, assassin who killed assassin Oswald, dies of pulmonary embolism at 55 in 1967

Answers                                                                                                                                            

Brain Game

NPR Sunday Puzzle

1.     A ceremony performed by native American to end a drought: rain dance

2.     Beauty is only this: skin deep

3.     Roosevelt’s given names: Franklin Delano

4.     Title character in a Chas Dicken’s mystery: Edwin Drew

5.     Fast Food Franchise that sells baked goods and coffee: Dunkin’ Donuts

6.     Action star in ‘Fast and Furious’ and ‘XXX’ : Vin Diesel

7.     A RR station: train depot

8.     Coke, Pepsi, etc sold at a fast food restaurant: fountain drink

9.     Made by Pepsi: Mountain Dew

10.  Clevaland’s leading newspaper: Plain Dealer

11.  Duke Ellington Jazz Standard: Satin Doll

12.  Person who interrupts news to his advantage: spin doctor

13.  Departure of scientists and intellectuals from one country to abroad: brain drain

14.  An entrée: main dish

15.  A book in which you look up ‘anno domini ‘or ‘e pluribus unum’: Latin dictionary

Wuzzle

• United States—I agree, a little lame
• Tuesday
• Upset stomach

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 Is All for Now  ☺