Feb 4

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

Today’s  Historical  Highlights

1783 - Worst quake in 8 years kills some 50,000 (Calabria, Italy)

1789 - 1st electoral college chooses Washington & Adams as Pres & VP

1849 - University of Wisconsin begins in 1 room with 20 students

1861 - Confederate constitutional convention meets for 1st time, Montgomery Ala, Ga, Fla, La, Miss & SC elect Jefferson Davis pres of Confederacy

1941 - United Service Organization (USO) founded

1971 - National Guard mobilized to quell rioting in Wilmington NC

1972 - Sen Strom Thurmond suggests John Lennon be deported

1987 - Pres Reagan's veto of Clean Water Act is overridden by Congress

♪Happy Birthday To: ♪                     

 

Free Rambling Thoughts   

A good day to hang out at home and do some cleaning. I awoke to a small covering of snow and some chilly temperatures—20°. It didn’t snow much, then the sun tried to come out and by sunset the sky had high clouds and some blue sky. 

I was able to finish my bed headboard and footboard. Looks good.

I’m ready for the big game on Sunday. Got the snacks, and may or may not have a few people show up. Doesn’t really matter, either way, I’ll enjoy the game. 

Our possible Ireland trip has now moved to early August. Bob sez there are openings and they are looking for a single to join in. We’ll see if it works out.

Game   Center   (answers at the end of post)

Brain Game

NPR Sunday Puzzle

Each answer is a familiar two-word phrase containing the consecutive letters G-E-L. For example, given the clue "where a university student may study," the answer would be "college library." The first word ends with ‘ge’ and the second word start with ‘l’.

1.     Theater direction for an actor in a play:

2.     Where a student might listen to a tape in Spanish or French:

3.     Company that makes money available to home buyers at interest:

4.     What an editor and art director prepare for a magazine:

5.     Director of Star Wars:

6.     65 years old for a commercial pilot:

7.     One who hangs out at a piano bar:

8.     What people rent for household items they don’t have room for:

9.     Bit of greenery in cole slaw:

10.  Illumination for front of horse drawn vehicle:

11.  Car built by Chrysler in 60’s 70’s 80’s:

12.  Anti theft device for traveler:

13.  Grand Marnier for example:

14.  It blinks red on a telephone in a hotel room:

Wuzzles  What concept or phrase do these suggest?

Lifestyle  Substance     

AZ Centennial – Feb 14:  Did you know?…

How did Yuma get its name?While Arizona was still a part of the Territory of New Mexico, that portion which is now Yuma County was part of the vast extent of Dona Ana county. A name proposed for this section when Sylvester Mowry was making a map of Arizona in 1860 was Castle Dome County, doubtless for the famous Castle Dome mining district. However, when Yuma County was created by act of the first Arizona territorial legislature on November 8, 1864, it was decided to name the new county for its chief Indian inhabitants, the Yuma tribe.

How did AZ get its name?The name Arizona comes from the Papago “ali-shonak” meaning “small spring.” The name became popular following the discovery of rich lodes of silver “so pure you could cut it with a knife,” some 25 miles southwest of present-day Nogales in 1736. The word was ultimately corrupted into “Arizona.”

How did Payson get its name?Payson was named for Senator Louis Payson, who helped establish a post office here in 1884. Earlier names included, Long Valley, Big Valley, Green Valley and Union Park. In 1882 the first building, a stockade, was created.

New:  Daffynitions: :-)

RELIGION — Where you find prophets and non-profits

YAWN: An honest opinion openly expressed

Found on You Tube         

Cowboy Poets

Harper’s Index         

Percentage of Americans who say they would vote for a well-qualified homosexual candidate for president: 67

For a well-qualified atheist: 49

Joke-of-the-day

An 85-year-old widow went on a blind date with a 90-year-old man. When she returned to her daughter's house later that night, she seemed upset. 

"What happened, Mother?" the daughter asked. 

"I had to slap his face three times!" "You mean he got fresh?" "No," she answered. "I thought he was dead!"

Planet Earth

Rules of Thumb   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

Love at first sight? Only with a lot of luck. You can't really know whether you even like someone until you've had 30 hours of productive conversation. Be wary of the one who only invites you to places where you can't chat, like movies, plays and concerts.

Somewhat Useless Information   

• True Black Widow spiders have the most potent spider venom, which can cause swellings up to 6 in.

• The females can live up to five years, while a male's lifespan is much shorter. The female, on occasion, eats the male after mating. This has been observed in the wild only with the southern black widow species.

• The female hangs belly upward and rarely leaves the web.

• Many spiders of the genus Steatoda are often mistaken for widow spiders, and are known as false black widows. Their poison can be painful, but not necessarily fatal.

• In 2006, Jason Fricker from Dorchester spent three days in a hospital after being bit three times on the chest and stomach when a false black widow fell down the front of his shirt.

• Margaret Rudin made headlines in 1995 as "the black widow" in the shooting death of her fifth husband. Prosecutors said she killed him to get a 60 percent share of his $11 million fortune.

Yeah, It Really Happened                 

NEW YORK: Police are looking for two men, one of whom is bald, caught on surveillance cameras stealing Rogaine from a CVS Pharmacy on Long Island.Authorities say the men walked into the CVS in Sayville on Dec. 17, placed three boxes of Rogaine in a gift bag and left without paying.

The stolen Rogaine is worth about $150.Suffolk County Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest.

Calendar Information        

…Happening This Week:

1-5

Catholic Schools Week
Meat WeekIntimate Apparel Week

National Cowboy Poetry Gathering Week

International Hoof Care Week

1-7

International Snow Sculpting Week

Solo Diners Eat Out Weekend 

Women's Heart Week

Today Is                                                                      

American Dental Association Give Kids a Smile Program

Create A Vacuum Day
Ice Cream For Breakfast Day
Laura Ingalls Wilder Day
Liberace Day
USO Day
World Cancer Day

Sri Lanka: Independence Day (1948 from UK)

Canada: Winterlude (Celebration of winter in Ottawa)

Today’s Other Events                                                             

1100’s

1194 - Richard I Lion Hearted pays Leopold O Fenrik VI's ransom of 100,000

1500’s

1508 - Maximilian I assumes imperial title without being crowned

1600’s

1699 - 350 rebellious Streltsi executed in Moscow

1700’s

1703 - In Edo (now Tokyo), 46 of the Forty-Seven Ronin commit seppuku (ritual suicide) as recompense for avenging their master's death

1787 - Shays' Rebellion (of debt-ridden Massachusetts farmers) fails

1797 - Earthquake in Quito, Ecuador kills 41,000

1800’s

1846 - Mormons leave Nauvoo, Mo for settlement in west

1865 - Hawaiian Board of Education formed

1865 - Robert E Lee is named commander-in-chief of Confederate Army

1895 - 1st rolling lift bridge opens, Chicago

1899 - Revolt against US occupation of Philippines Philippine-American War begins

1900’s

1913 - National Institute of Arts & Letters founded

1924 - 1st Winter Olympic games close at Chamonix France

1938 - "Our Town," by Thornton Wilder opens on Broadway

1939 - Glenn Cunningham (top miler) says 4-min mile beyond human effort

1945 - FDR, Churchill & Stalin meet at Yalta

1952 - 1st black executive of a major TV station (Jackie Robinson-WNBC NY)

1957 - 1st electric portable typewriter placed on sale (Syracuse NY)

1968 - Bowie Kuhn replaces William Eckert as 5th commissioner of baseball

1969 - John Madden is named head coach of NFL's Oakland Raiders

1969 - Yassar Arafats takes over as chairman of PLO

1976 - 12th Winter Olympic games opens in Innsbruck, Austria

1977 - Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours"  released

1984 - Frank Aquilera sets world frisbee distance record (168m) Las Vegas

1998 - Bill Gates gets a pie thrown in his face in Brussels Belgium

2000’s

2003 - The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is officially renamed to Serbia and Montenegro and adopts a new constitution.

2006 - A stampede occurs in the ULTRA Stadium near Manila killing 71

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

In their 80’s

Conrad Bain, Canadian actor (Maude, Diff'rent Strokes) is 89

In their 70’s

John Schuck, comedian (McMillan & Wife) is 72

Gary Conway, actor (Burke's Law, Land of the Giants) is 75 

In their 60’s

James Danforth "Dan" Quayle, (Sen-R-Ind, 44th Vice President) is 65

Alice Cooper, [Vincent Furnier], , rocker (School's Out) is 64

In their 50’s

Clint Black, country singer is 50

In their 30’s

Oscar De La Hoya, US boxer (Olympic Gold 92, held Super Welterweight, light welterweight, light weight, super fly weight, middle weight titles) is 39

Remembered for being born on this day

Dru Drury, English entomologist in 1725

Eddie Foy Jr, actor (Eddie-Fair Exchange) in 1905

Betty Friedan, feminist writer (Feminine Mystique) in 1921

Charles A Lindbergh, pilot (1st fly solo across Atlantic) in 1902

Ida Lupino, actress (Adventures of Sherlock Holmes) in 1914

Rosa Lee Parks, civil rights activist (bus protestor) in 1913

Clyde William Tombaugh, US, astronomer (discovered Pluto) in 1906

Cairine Ray Wilson, 1st female Canadian senator (appointed) in 1885

Today’s Obits                                                           

Carl Albert, 54th Speaker of the United States House of Rep. dies at 92 in 2000

Robert Blair, Scottish poet (Grave), dies at 46 in 1746

Kenneth "Jethro" Burns, country singer (Homer & Jethro), dies of prostate cancer at 69 in 1989

Liberace, pianist (Liberace Show, Evil Chandell-Batman), dies of AIDS at 67 in 1987

Answers                                                                                                                                            

Brain Game

NPR Sunday Puzzle

1.     Theater direction for an actor in a play: stage left

2.     Where a student might listen to a tape in Spanish or French: language lab

3.     Company that makes money available to home buyers at interest: mortgage lender

4.     What an editor and art director prepare for a magazine: page layout

5.     Director of Star Wars: George Lucas

6.     65 years old for a commercial pilot: age limit

7.     One who hangs out at a piano bar: lounge lizard

8.     What people rent for household items they don’t have room for: storage locker

9.     Bit of greenery in cole slaw: cabbage leaf

10.  Illumination for front of horse drawn vehicle: carriage lamp

11.  Car built by Chrysler in 60’s 70’s 80’s: Dodge Lancer

12.  Anti theft device for traveler: luggage lock

13.  Grand Marnier for example: orange liqueur

14.  It blinks red on a telephone in a hotel room: message light

Wuzzle

• Greyhound
• Sunday afternoon
• Tightwad

 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  ☺

Feb 3

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

Today’s  Historical  Highlights

1870 - 15th Amendment (Black suffrage) passed

1913 - 16th Amendment, federal income tax, ratified

1941 - Supreme Court upheld Federal Wage & Hour law, sets min wages & max hrs

1993 - Federal trial of 4 police officers charged with civil rights violations in videotaped beating of Rodney King begins

♪Happy Birthday To: ♪                     

Free Rambling Thoughts   

A very strange weather day. Early this morning it was chilly but OK. Headed out and about around 10:30 and dark clouds from the west were heading for Flagstaff. As we left our lunch, it was really snowing hard on the west side of town. Got home to light snow but none sticking. The rest of the afternoon and early evening it was on and off with light snow. Still none sticking. At sunset, the sun was shining for about 10 minutes, then it was snowing again, then it became overcast again. StRaNgE indeed.

 We had a good lunch at a local Greek place. The menu has a flaming cheese appetizer. We have seen it several times…the waitress and an assistant come to the table, pour something on the plate, light it, big flames—about 18” high, then after the fire goes out and they put the hot cheese plate on your table with some Greek bread. It was really good, and I’ll be having it again. For lunch we had a Greek salad, chicken on a skewer, and oven roasted potatoes in a lemon oil and herb topping…excellent. Cheryl is headed for CA on Saturday…her grandson is having his pacemaker moved to its permanent position. She’ll be babysitting her granddaughter. A little scary for the family, but the doctors say it is not a big deal. Mary is headed for Phx tomorrow for some pre-Super Bowl parties, but will be back in Flg for the big game. I’ll be in Flg for the game. Bob called and we are still working on the Ireland trip…I still won’t pay the single price, so we’ll see. Since FB made it so easy to post pictures, lots of my ‘friends’ are posting cute messages about life. I really enjoy them.  For example: “It’s OK not to agree with me…I can’t force you to be right”, or “Learn from the past, then get the hell out of there” or “Smile and let everyone know you are stronger today than you were yesterday.” I could go on, but won’t.

Today's links include some great vintage clips  hope you enjoy them. 

Game   Center   (answers at the end of post)

Brain Game

NPR Sunday Puzzle

For each category given, name things that fall under it that begin with the letters in "G.I. Joe." For example, given the category "large," the answers could be "gigantic," "immense," "jumbo," "oversized" and "enormous."

1. Books of the bible:
2. Animals in a zoo:
3. Spaces in monopoly:
4. Islands:
5. Characters in Shakespeare:

Wuzzles  What concept or phrase do these suggest?

Lifestyle  Substance     

AZ Centennial – Feb 14:  Did you know?…

How these towns got their name?Globe: the fact seems to be that the name came from the Globe Mine. The Maricopa Book of Mines shows that the Globe Ledge was recorded on September 19, 1873. The first settlement in the newly opened mining area was at the Ramboz Mine. Here the Globe Mining District was organized in November 1875 in the Globe Hills.
Snowflake: Snowflake is a town in Navajo County, Arizona, United States. It was founded in 1878 by Erastus Snow and William Jordan Flake, Mormon pioneers and colonizers
Tuba City: The name of the town honors Tuuvi, a Hopi headman from Oraibi who converted to Mormonism. The Navajo name for? Tuba City, Tó Naneesdizí translates as "tangled waters", which probably refers to the many springs below the surface of the ground which are the source of several reservoirs.

New:  Daffynitions: :-)

SECRET — News you tell to one person at a time

SKELETON: A bunch of bones with the person scraped off

POLITICS — Where truth lies

Found on You Tube         

The Day The Music Died

Harper’s Index         

Percentage of American who believe China has passed or will pass the US as the world’s leading superpower: 46

Percentage of Chinese who do: 63

Joke-of-the-day

The manager of a large office asked a new employee to come into his office. "What is your name?," was the first thing the manager asked.
"John," the new guy replied.
The manager scowled. "Look, I don't know what kind of a namby-pamby place you worked at before, but I don't call anyone by their first name! It breeds familiarity and that leads to a breakdown in authority," he said. "I refer to my employees by their last name only - Smith, Jones, Baker - that's all. Now that we got that straight, what is your last name?"
The new guy sighed and said, "Darling. My name is John Darling."
The manager said, "Okay, John, the next thing I want to tell you..." 

Planet Earth

Rules of Thumb   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

Children don't need huge servings of food. Start with one tablespoon of each item per year of age.

Somewhat Useless Information   

The Conquistadors that conquered South America and Mexico during the 1500's came from Spain bringing horses and early guns known as Arquebus'; neither of which had yet reached the Americas.

Before they were demolished, the Incas of South America made the grave mistake of underestimating the Conquistadors, who's 150 or so explorers were dwarfed by 80,000 Inca warriors. The Inca chief considered them fools for wearing cooking pots on their heads (actually steel helmets).

Yeah, It Really Happened                 

SEATLE - An Occupy Seattle protester who held a ceremony to wed a 107-year-old building said she was protesting the gentrification of the neighborhood. Babylonia Aivaz said she donned a puffy dress and married the abandoned building at 10th and Union Sunday as a protest against gentrification in the area, Seattlepi.com reported Tuesday. However, gay-themed magazine Instinct took issue with Aivaz characterizing the wedding as a "gay marriage." "Okay, we gotta ask: Why is this like 'gay marriage' (as she likes to call it)? Because, we'll marry horses and dogs and oxen next? Why didn't she take her loony idea about marrying a building and just call it marriage?" the magazine's editors wrote.

Calendar Information        

…Happening This Week:

1-5

Catholic Schools Week

Meat WeekIntimate Apparel Week

National Cowboy Poetry Gathering WeekInternational Hoof Care Week

1-7

International Snow Sculpting Week

Solo Diners Eat Out Weekend 

Women's Heart Week

Today Is                                                                      

Bubble Gum Day
Cordova Ice Worm Day: An Alaska thing

Four Chaplains Memorial Day : died during WWII after giving life jackets to others

Give Kids A Smile Day

The Day The Music Died :1959, a small-plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, killed three American rock and roll pioneers: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson

Wear Red Day: to fight heart disease 

Japan: Bean Throwing Festival (in the city of Setsubun)

Mozambique: Heroes' Day

Today’s Other Events                                                             

1300’s

1377 - Mass execution of population of Cesena Italy

1600’s

1690 - 1st paper money in America issued (colony of Mass)

1700’s

1743 - Philadelphia establishes a "pesthouse" to quarantine immigrants

1800’s

1834 - Wake Forest University is established

1847 - General Sterling Price reaches the fortified Taos Pueblo. Cannonade proves unfruitful, so Price retreats to the city of Taos

1882 - Circus owner PT Barnum buys his world famous elephant Jumbo

1900’s

1908 - Supreme Court rules a union boycott violates Sherman Antitrust Act

1919 - League of Nations 1st meeting (Paris)

1930 - William Howard Taft, resigns as chief justice for health reasons

1945 - Walt Disney's "3 Caballeros" released

1948 - Dick Button becomes 1st world figure skating champion from US

1951 - "Victor Borge Show," debuts on NBC TV

1964 - Black & Puerto Rican students boycott NYC public schools

1966 - 1st operational weather satellite, ESSA-1 launched US

1966 - 1st soft landing on Moon (Soviet Luna 9)

1971 - KTSC TV channel 8 in Pueblo-Colorado Spgs, CO (PBS) 1st broadcast

1972 - 11th Winter Olympic games opens in Sapporo, Japan (1st in Asia)

1973 - President Nixon signs Endangered Species Act into law

1990 - Jockey Billy Shoemaker (58), retires after 40,350 horse race

1998 - Stamps commemorating Princess Diana go on sale across Britain

1998 - US military plane clips cable car lines in northern Italy, kills 20

2000’s

2002 - Super Bowl XXXVI: New England Patriots beat St. Louis Rams, 20-17 MVP: Tom Brady

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

In their 90’s

Henry Heimlich, doctor/inventor (Heimlich maneuver) is 92

In their 80’s

Shelley Berman, comedian (Son of Blob, Love American Style) is 86

In their 70’s

Emile Griffith, US Virgin Islands professional boxer is 74

Fran Tarkenton, Richmond Va, NFL QB (NY Giants, Minnesota Vikings) is 72

In their 60’s

Blythe Danner, actor is 69

Morgan Fairchild, actor is 62

Bob Griese, NFL quarterback (Miami Dolphins, 1971 Player of Year) is 67

In their 50’s

Nathan Lane, actor (One of the Boys, Frankie & Johnnie) is 56

In their 40’s

Vlade Divac, Yugoslavian NBA center (Charlotte Hornets, LA Lakers) is 44

Remembered for being born on this day

Joey Bishop, [Gottlieb], Bronx, talk show host (Joey Bishop Show) in 1918

Charlie "Pretty Boy" Floyd, FBI Most Wanted criminal in 1904

Horace Greeley, editor ("Go west, young man") in 1811

James A Michener, writer (South Pacific, Hawaii, Space) in 1907

Norman Rockwell, US, artist/illustrator (Sat Evening Post covers) in 1894

Mr [Fred] Rogers, kid host (Mr Roger's Neighorhood) in 1928

Today’s Obits                                                            

Big Bopper, rocker, (Chantilly Lace) dies in plane crash at 28 in 1959

Buddy Holly, rocker (That'll be the Day), dies in a plane crash at 22 in 1959

Nancy Kulp, actress (Jane Hathaway-Beverly Hillbillies), dies of cancer at 69 in 1991

Al Lewis, American actor, Grandpa Munster dies at 82 in 2006

Frank Oppenheimer, American physicist of Manhattan Project—brother of Robert dies at 73  in 1985

Belle Starr, US female gangster, murdered at 40 in 1889

Richie Valens, rock vocalist (Donna), killed in plane crash at 17 in 1959

Woodrow Wilson, 28th US president (1913-21), dies after long illness at 67 in 1924

Answers                                                                                                                                            

Brain Game

Meg, assess a gem

NPR Sunday Puzzle

These are examples—certainly there are others:

1. Books of the bible: Genesis, Isaiah, Job, Obadiah, Exodus
2. Animals in a zoo: gorilla, iguana,  jaguar, orangutan, elephant
3. Spaces in monopoly: Go, Income Tax, jail, Oriental Place, Electric Company
4. Islands: Greenland, Iceland, Java, Orkney, Easter
5. Characters in Shakespeare: Guildenstern, Iago, Juliette, Othello, Edgar

Wuzzle

• A small fortune
• Split personality
• Inch by in c

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  ☺