Jan 28, 2012

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

Today’s  Historical  Highlights

1099 - 1st Crusaders begins siege of Hosn-el-Akrad Syria

1754 - Horace Walpole, in a letter to Horace Mann, coins the word serendipity

1887 - In a snowstorm at Fort Keogh, Montana, the world's largest snowflakes are reported, being 15 inches (38 cm) wide and 8 inches (20 cm) thick

1915 - US Pres Wilson refuses to prohibit immigration of illiterates

1932 - Japan occupies Shanghai

1935 - Iceland becomes 1st country to legalize abortion

2011 - Hundreds of thousands of protesters fill the Egyptian's streets against the Mubarak regime in demonstrations referred to as the "Friday of Anger"

♫Happy Birthday To: ♫                     

Free Rambling Thoughts   

Another good day in Flag. I was out and about this morning, got lots done, and enjoyed seeing the Peaks. On top of that, we should have a nice weekend, weather wise.

Getting ready for our Discussion group tomorrow night. We are discussing the Oceans. Should be a lively discussion. I have to admit I am fairly ignorant on the subject, but others will enlighten me, I’m sure.

Game   Center   (answers at the end of post)

Brain Game

NPR Sunday Puzzle

You are given categories and must name items within those categories that begin with the letters G, A, M, U and T. For example, given the category "girls' names," possible answers would be Gloria, Amelia, Martha, Ursula and Theresa.

1.     Presidential first names: George, Andrew, Martin, Ulysses, Thomas

2.     Countries in Africa: Gabon, Algeria (Angola), Mali, Uganda, Tanzania,  

3.     Blood relatives: grandfather, aunt, mother, uncle, twin (third cousin)

4.     Musical instruments: guitar, accordion, mandolin, ukulele, tuba

5.     Things to pack in a suitcase: gloves, aspirin, mouthwash, underwear, t-shirt

Wuzzles  What concept or phrase do these suggest?

Lifestyle  Substance     

AZ Centennial is in 18 days:  Did you know?…

• The Hopi Indians of Arizona are noted for growing their multicolored corn.
• Barry Goldwater, a famous public official, senator, and presidential candidate was born in Phoenix.
• In 1939 architect Frank Lloyd Wright's studio, Taliesin West, was built near Phoenix.

Found on You Tube         

Frank Lloyd Wright Taliesin West

Harper’s Index         

Percentage of America’s college students who attend a for-profit schools: 1/10

Joke-of-the-day

While living in Denver the weatherman said, expect 10 to 12 inches of snow tonight so park on the right side of the road so we can plow the left side. Willie’s wife ran out and parked on the right side. The next week the forecast called for another 10 to 12 inches of snow, but this time he said park on the left side. So Willie’s wife ran out and parked the car on the left side of the road. The following week he said 16 inches of snow expected park, the lights went out and all our power was lost. Willie’s wife said, my goodness, now I don’t know where to park the car. “Why don’t you just leave it in the garage!” Willie said.

Planet Earth

Rules of Thumb   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

Aircraft carriers get six inches to the gallon.

Somewhat Useless Information   

• The rubber band was patented in England on March 17, 1845 by Stephen Perry and his corporation, the Messers Perry and Co, Rubber Manufacturers of London.
• While other rubber products may use synthetic rubber, most rubber bands are primarily manufactured using natural rubber because of its superior elasticity. Natural rubber originates from the sap of the rubber tree. Natural rubber is made from latex which is acquired by tapping into the bark layers of the rubber tree.

Yeah, It Really Happened                 

New York City-- A glaring misspelling on a street sign outside a Manhattan high school has been fixed.
The painted pavement on Stanton Street outside Marta Valle High School had read "SHCOOL X-NG."Utility workers used heavy machinery to ground up the wrongly placed "H'' and "C'' in the sign on Tuesday.   
The correction was made a day after the New York Post reported the spelling error.   
The words were created with industrial "textured tape'' that permanently sticks to the asphalt.   
Con Ed told the Post that the error occurred when a contractor ripped up the street for utility work and replaced the existing markings.   
It said the mistake outside the East Village building that houses three schools had been there since July 2010.Initially, neighbors told the Post it had been placed there over the summer.  

Calendar Information        

…Happening This Week:

20-30

Sundance Film Festival

Today Is                                                                      

Clash Day
Data Privacy Day
Fun at Work DayNational Kazoo Day National
Rattle Snake Round-Up Day
Seed Swap Day
Thank A Plugin Developer Day

Today’s Other Events                                                             

1000’s

1077 - German king Henry IV petitions Pope Gregory VII for forgiveness; Gregory VII pardons him

1500’s

1521 - The Diet of Worms begins, lasting until May 25

1700’s

1724 - The Russian Academy of Sciences was founded in St. Petersburg by Peter the Great

1800’s

1807 - London's Pall Mall is 1st street lit by gaslight

1813 - Pride and Prejudice is first published in the United Kingdom

1851 - Northwestern University (Chicago) chartered

1878 - 1st telephone exchange (New Haven, CT) George W Coy hired as 1st full-time telephone operator

1878 - Yale Daily News published, 1st college daily newspaper

1900’s

1918 - Trotsky becomes leader of Reds

1932 - 1st US state unemployment insurance act enacted (Wisconsin)

1934 - 1st US ski tow (rope) begins operation (Woodstock Vermont)

1949 - UN Security council convicts Dutch aggression in Indonesia

1953 - J Fred Muggs (the chimp) joins NBC's "Today Show"

1958 - Dodger catcher Roy Campanella is paralyzed in an automobile wreck

1958 - The Lego company patented their design of Lego bricks, still compatible with bricks produced today.

1961 - Republic of Rwanda proclaimed

1973 - "Barnaby Jones" premieres on CBS TV

1978 -  "Fantasy Island" starring Ricardo Montalban premieres on ABC TV

1985 - Charity single "We Are the World" is recorded by supergroup USA for Africa

1986 - Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members

1990 - Superbowl XXIV: SF 49ers beat Denver Broncos, 55-10 MVP: Joe Montana

1996 - Superbowl XXX: Dallas Cowboys beat Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-17 MVP: Larry Brown 

2000’s

2010 - Five murderers of President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman of Bangladesh are hanged.

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

In their 30’s

Nick Carter, singer (Backstreet Boys) is 32

Elijah Wood, actor is 31

In their 40’s

Sarah McLachlan, folk singer (Fumbling Towards Ecstasy) is 44

In their 60’s

Barbi Benton, [Klein], Playboy model (Hee Haw, Sugar Time!) is 62

Susan Howard, actress (Donna-Dallas, Petrocelli) is 68

In their 70’s

Alan Alda, actor, director is 76

In their 80’s

Acker Bilk, clarinetist ( Stranger on the Shore) is 83

Remembered for being born on this day

Saint Thomas Aquinas in 1225

John Barclay, Scottish satirist/poet (Euphormio's Satyricon) in 1582

John Baskerville, English printer (typeface inventor) in 1706

Lionel KP "Buster" Crabb, British diver (WW II-George Medal) in 1909 [not the actor]

Jackson Pollock, Cody Wyoming, expressionist painter (Lavender Mist) in 1912

Robert Stroud, American convict, the Birdman of Alcatraz in 1890

Today’s Obits                                                           

Crew of Space Shuttle Challenger: Christa McAuliffe, astronaut [37], Ellison S Onizuka, Mjr USAF [40], Francis R Scobee, USAF [46], Judith Arlene Resnik [36], Michael J Smith, Cmdr USN [40], Ronald E McNair. Physicist  [35],  Greg Jarvis, payload specialist [41] in 1986

John Banner, actor (Schultz-Hogan's Heroes), dies on 63rd birthday of hemorrhage in 1973

Charlemagne, German emperor/Roman Emperor (800-814), dies of pleurisy at 71 in 814

Jimmy Durante, NYC, comedian (Jimmy Durante Show), dies at 86 in 1980

Henry VIII, King of England (1509-47), dies of obesity at 55 in 1547

Peter I "the Great" Romanov, czar of Russia, dies of uremia at 52 in 1725

William Butler Yeats, Irish poet (Nobel), dies in France at 73 in 1939

Answers                                                                                                                                            

Brain Game

NPR Sunday Puzzle

Other correct answers are acceptable

1.     Presidential first names: George, Andrew, Martin, Ulysses, Thomas

2.     Countries in Africa: Gabon, Algeria (Angola), Mali, Uganda, Tanzania,  

3.     Blood relatives: grandfather, aunt, mother, uncle, twin (third cousin)

4.     Musical instruments: guitar, accordion, mandolin, ukulele, tuba

5.     Things to pack in a suitcase: gloves, aspirin, mouthwash, underwear, t-shirt

Wuzzle

• Sleepless night
• Tiptoe through the tulips
• A little bit behind schedule

 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 27, 2012

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

Today’s  Historical  Highlights

1825 - U.S. Congress approves Indian Territory (in what is present-day Oklahoma), clearing the way for forced relocation of the Eastern Indians on the "Trail of Tears."

1924 - Lenin placed in Mausoleum in Red Square

1948 - 1st locomotive to carry 1,000,000 pounds (450,000 kg) operates

1961 - "Sing Along with Mitch" [Miller] premieres on NBC TV

♫Happy Birthday To: ♫                     

Free Rambling Thoughts   

A really good lunch…but not at the hamburger joint…The place was a little too loud for the ladies taste. I’ll try it later. We went to a nearby restaurant, Busters, and had a great lunch, along with good conversation, and some of the best service I’ve had in a long time. The Soup of the Day was ‘mushroom and barley’ which sounded a little odd, but it was actually very good. It was in a beef broth with lots of mushrooms, some fresh veggies, and barley….Yummmmmmy.

It was a nice day to be out and about. We could actually stand outside, in the sun, without a jacket while we waited for one in our party to arrive. I did have on a long sleeve shirt, but it was very nice. I made a couple of stops after lunch, and again, nice to walk across the various parking lots without freezing. The high clouds made one of the best sunsets in a long time….bright orange clouds with a light blue background. Flag is a great place to live.

Game   Center   (answers at the end of post)

Brain Game

NPR Sunday Puzzle

Every answer is a familiar, two-word phrase with the initials I-D. For example: "A fake gem for a ring." The answer is "Imitation Diamond."

1.     July 4th:

2.     Theory as alternative to evolution:

3.     Cause of anemia:

4.     Water, oil, vinegar, spices for salad:

5.     Cocaine, heroin:

6.     Classic song ‘to fight the unbearable sorrow’:

7.     Plastic girl you have to blow up:

8.     Lawyer’s plead to avoid death penalty:

9.     Person who chooses fabric, accessories for a room:

10.  It is approximately 180° longitude:

11.  Something dug to carry water to crops:

12.  Things listed on IRS forms to lower taxes:

Wuzzles  What concept or phrase do these suggest?

Lifestyle  Substance     

AZ Centennial is in 19 days:  Did you know?…

• The battleship USS Arizona was named in honor of the state. It was commissioned in 1913 and launched in 1915 from the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
• World War II brought many military personnel to train at Luke and Thunderbird fields in Glendale.
• Rising to a height of 12,643 feet, Mount Humphreys north of Flagstaff is the state's highest mountain
• Arizona, among all the states, has the largest percentage of its land set aside and designated as Indian lands

Found on You Tube         

75 mph wind on Mt. Humphreys
Top of Mt. Humphreys

Harper’s Index         

Percentage of US college grades that are ‘A’: 43

Joke-of-the-day

A man placed some flowers on the grave of his departed mother and started back for his car, parked on the cemetery road. His attention was diverted to a man kneeling at a grave.The man seemed to be praying with profound intensity, and kept repeating, "Why did you die? Why did you die?"The first man approached him and said, "Sir, I don't want to interfere with your private grief, but this demonstration of hurt and pain is more than I've ever seen before. For whom do you mourn so deeply? Your Child? A parent? Who, may I ask, lies in that grave?"The mourner answered, "My wife's first husband! ... Why did you die? Why did you die?"

Planet Earth

Rules of Thumb   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

A spark needs 25,000 volts for every inch of air it has to jump.

Somewhat Useless Information   

• Bamboo is the fastest-growing woody plant on the Earth, growing as fast as 47.6 inches in a 24-hour period.
• Many bamboos only flower at intervals as long as 60 or 120 years, and the flowering occurs simultaneously with all plants in the population. Subsequently, the plants produce flowers, which then produce seeds, and then die off. A new crop requires ten years to grow to full maturity.
• Some of the world's top inventors found uses for bamboo. Thomas Edison tried over 100 varieties of bamboo for the filament in his first electric bulb, and the only one that worked was the Kyoto bamboo. Also, the needle in Alexander Graham Bell's first phonograph was made of bamboo.
• Research in China's Qinling Mountains showed giant pandas can consume, on average, 40 pounds of fresh bamboo leaves per day.
• The shakuhachi, a Japanese end-blown flute, was traditionally made from bamboo. It means "1.8 feet," referring to its size, and was used in classic Japanese music often associated with Zen Buddhism or meditation.
• Because the bamboo is made up of more water than normal trees, it releases 35% more oxygen than trees.

Yeah, It Really Happened                
PARIS - A French presidential hopeful said he witnessed allied troops landing in Normandy but the event happened 17 years before he was born. The problem with the account Herve Morin delivered to supporters in Nice was that the invasion took place in 1944 and he wasn't born until 1961, France 24 reported Tuesday."You, some among you with gray hair, witnessed the storming of the Provence beach," Morin told supporters. "I saw the landing of the allied troops in Normandy." Morin's blooper made him the talk of the micro-blogging site Twitter.
Comments used the hashtag #MorinMcFly in a reference to the time traveling Marty McFly played by Michael J Fox in the "Back To The Future" movies, The Local reported. "Herve Morin will be seeing President Abraham Lincoln today for a working meeting" joked one tweeter. Morin registers only 1 percent in opinion polls and some members of his own New Centre party want him to quit the presidential race and back President Nicholas Sarkozy, the report said.

Calendar Information        

…Happening This Week:

20-30

Sundance Film Festival

21-27

World Leprosy WeekNational Activity Professionals WeekKid Film FestivalNational Nurse Anesthetists WeekClean Out Your Inbox WeekNational Handwriting Analysis WeekNational Medical Group Practice WeekNational Nuclear Science WeekNo Name Calling WeekNational Take Back Your Time Week

Today Is                                                                      

Auschwitz Liberation Day
Fun at Work Day
Holocaust Memorial Day [1945 liberated by Russia]
International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust
Mozart DayNational Pre-school Fitness Day
Punch the Clock Day
Thomas Crapper Day
Viet Nam Peace Day

Today’s Other Events                                                             

1300’s

1302 - Dante becomes a Florentine political exile

1500’s

1556 - Willem of Orange becomes knight of Guilder Flies

1600’s

1662 - 1st American lime kiln begins operation (Providence RI)

1700’s

1710 - Czar Peter the Great sets 1st Russian state budget

1785 - 1st US state university chartered, Athens Georgia

1800’s

1823 - Pres Monroe appoints 1st US ambassadors to South America

1870 - After accepting 15th amendment, VA is readmitted to Union

1880 - Thomas Edison patents electric incandescent lamp

1888 - National Geographic Society organizes (Wash DC)

1900’s

1915 - US Marines occupy Haiti

1918 - "Tarzan of the Apes," 1st Tarzan film, premieres at Broadway Theater

1926 - US Senate agrees to join World Court

1944 - Leningrad liberated from Germany in 880 days with 600,000 killed

1945 - Nazi occupiers forbid food transport to West (The Netherlands)

1948 - 1st tape recorder sold

1964 - Margaret Chase Smith (Sen-R-Maine) tries for Republican Pres bid

1967 - Apollo 1 fire kills astronauts Grissom, White & Chaffee

1970 - Movie rating system modifies "M" rating to "PG"

1976 - "Laverne & Shirley" spinoff from "Happy Days" premieres on ABC TV

1983 - World's longest subaqueous tunnel (53.90 km) opens, Honshu-Hokkaid

1984 - Michael Jackson is burned during filming for Pepsi commercial

1989 - Kevin Johnson (Phoenix) begins NBA free throw streak of 57 games

1991 - Superbowl XXV: NY Giants beat Buffalo Bills, 20-19 MVP: Ottis Anderson

1992 - Pres candidate Bill Clinton (D) & Genifer Flowers accuse each other of lying over her assertion they had a 12-year affair

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

In their 40’s

Bridget Fonda, actor is 48

In their 50’s

Keith Olbermann, American news presenter is 53

Mimi Rogers, actor is 56

Richard Young, singer (Kentucky Headhunters-Davy Crockett ) is 57 [ Theme I grew up with]

Remembered for being born on this day

Abbas I, "the Great," shah of Persia (1587-1629) in 1556

Lewis Carroll, [Charles Lutwidge Dodgson], auth (Alice in Wonderland) in 1832

Soong Ching-ling, Chinese wife of Sun Yat-sen in 1893

Troy Donahue, actor (Surfside Six, Cockfighter, Hawaiian Eye) in 1936

Samuel Gompers, Dutch/US 1st president (American Federation of Labor) in 1850

William Randolph Hearst Jr, newspaper publisher (Hearst Publishing) in 1908

Skitch Henderson, Birmingham England, orchestra leader (Tonight Show) in 1918

Jerome Kern, Broadway composer (Showboat, Roberta) in 1885

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Austria, musical prodigy/composer (Figaro) in 1756

Joe Perry, AAFC/NFL Hall of Fame fullback (SF 49ers, Balt Colts) in 1927

Donna Reed, actor (From Here to Eternity, Wonderful Life) in 1921

Art Rooney, NFL team owner (Pittsburgh Steelers) in 1901

Sabu, [Dastagir], India, actor (Elephant Boy, Drum) in 1924

David Seville, [Ross Bagdasarian], Fresno California, (Alvin & Chipmunks) in 1919

Today’s Obits                                                           

Ali, the final Sunni Rashidun and first Shia Imam in 661

John James Audubon, conservationist (Audubon Society), dies at 65 in 1851

Mahalia Jackson, gospel singer (He Got the Whole World), dies of diabetes and heart failure at 60 in 1972  

L Ron Hubbard, novelist/founder (Church of Scientology), dies at 74 in 1986

Jack Paar, American television show host dies at 86 in 2004

Tige Andrews, American actor dies at 87 in 2007

John Updike, American Novelist dies at 77in 2009

J. D. Salinger, American novelist dies at 91 in 2010

Answers                                                                                                                                            

Brain Game

NPR Sunday Puzzle

1.     July 4th: Independence Day

2.     Theory as alternative to evolution: intelligent design

3.     Cause of anemia: iron deficiency

4.     Water, oil, vinegar, spices for salad: Italian dressing

5.     Cocaine, heroin: illegal drugs

6.     Classic song ‘to fight the unbearable sorrow’: Impossible Dream

7.     Plastic girl you have to blow up: inflatable doll

8.     Lawyer’s plead to avoid death penalty: insanity defense

9.     Person who chooses fabric, accessories for a room: interior designer

10.  It is approximately 180° longitude: International Dateline

11.  Something dug to carry water to crops: irrigation ditch

12.  Things listed on IRS forms to lower taxes: itemized deductions

Wuzzle

Upside down cake

Long underwear

White elephant

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  ☺