Feb 8

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

Today’s  Historical  Highlights

1837 - 1st VP chosen by Senate, Richard Johnson (Van Buren admin)

1861 - Confederate States of America organizes in Montgomery, Ala

1896 - Western Conference forms of Midwestern U, later renamed Big 10 Conf

1926 - Walt Disney Studios forms

1929 - KOY-AM in Phoenix Arizona begins radio transmissions

1960 - Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom issued an Order-in-Council, stating that she and her family would be known as the House of Windsor, and that her descendants will take the name "Mountbatten-Windsor"

1973 - Senate names 7 members to investigate Watergate scandal

1989 - 5 cm of snow falls in outskirts of Los Angeles

♪Happy Birthday To: ♪                     

 

Free Rambling Thoughts   

I met with my financial advisor today to get all my income tax information. Happily or sadly I had a lot of capital gains…that means a higher tax bill. I still don’t have all the 1099’s and K-1’s, etc. to do the taxes, but am ready when they come. Then I picked up my mail, and lo and behold…a check from the Dr. who owed me money. It’s has been 6 weeks, just as promised. He didn’t include interest for keeping my money so long. Oh, well. Live and Learn, as they say. It has been cool and overcast most of the day, but not cold enough for snow, I guess. The forecast says ‘showers’ tomorrow. I’m ready.

Game   Center   (answers at the end of post)

Brain Game

NPR Sunday Puzzle

Every answer is a six-letter word, name or phrase in which the first five letters read backward and forward the same. In other words, if you drop the last letter, what's left will be a palindrome.

1.     Place to park a car:

2.     Title for a French married lady:

3.     University name in Chicago and New Orleans:

4.     High school course in Gov’t:

5.     Maker of Corolla:

6.     Brand of athletic shoe:

7.     Mount where Noah landed:

8.     Exausts, depletes [2 words]:

Wuzzles  What concept or phrase do these suggest?

Lifestyle  Substance     

AZ Centennial – Feb 14:  Did you know?…

How did Scottsdale, AZ get its name?In the early 1880s, U.S. Army Chaplain, Winfield Scott, who was lured in to help promote Phoenix and the surrounding area, was impressed with the region and paid the paltry sum of $2.50 an acre for a 640-acre (2.6 km2) stretch of land where the city is now located. Winfield's brother, George Washington Scott, became the first resident of the town, which was then known as Orangedale. The Scott brothers were known as adept farmers, capable of cultivating citrus fruits, figs, potatoes, peanuts and almonds in the desert town. Scott was known to have encouraged others to create a desert farming community in the region. The town's name was changed to Scottsdale in 1894.

How did Sedona, AZ get its name?Sedona is named after Sedona Arabelle Miller Schnebly (1877–1950), the wife of the city's first postmaster, who was celebrated for her hospitality and industriousness.

How did Tempe, AZ get its name?The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece.

Daffynitions: :-)

BACHELOR — A guy who never finds out how many faults he has
CANNIBAL — Someone who is fed up with people

Found on You Tube         

James Dean-Rebel Without a Cause

Harper’s Index         

Amount paid at a Texas auction for the vanity license plate “FREEDOM”: $2,500

Joke-of-the-day

A Cajun named, Jean Paul, moved to Texas and bought a donkey from an old farmer named Ben for $100. The farmer agreed to deliver the donkey the next day.

The next day, Ben drove up and said, "Sorry, but I have some bad news.  The donkey died."

 "Well, then, just give me the money back," said Jean Paul

 "Can't do that. I went and spent it already." Replied Ben

 "OK, then. Just unload the donkey," said Jean Paul.

 "What ya going to do with him?" asked Ben.

 "I'm going to raffle him off," said Jean Paul.

 "You can't raffle off a dead donkey!" uttered Ben.

 "Sure can. Watch me. I just won't tell that he's dead," said Jean Paul.

 A month later Ben met up with the Cajun and asked, "What happened with that dead donkey?"

 "I raffled him off, I did. I sold 500-hunderd tickets at two dollars apiece and made a profit of $898," said Jean Paul.

"Didn't anyone complain?" inquired Ben.

"Just the guy who won. So I gave him his two dollars back,” said Jean Paul.

Planet Earth

Rules of Thumb   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

You can blow most tree stumps out of the ground if you use one stick of dynamite for every four inches of stump diameter. Trees with tap roots take less.

Somewhat Useless Information  
In last year's ads, commercials that did not feature celebrities as a main point did 9.2% better than those which did.

Ads with animals did substantially better than ads with celebrities, performing 21% better.

Just 5 of the ten least effective ads last year that featured celebrities were Groupon's ad featuring Timothy Hutton, Lipton's ad featuring rapper Eminem, GoDaddy.com's ad featuring Joan Rivers, SalesForce.com's ad starring Will.I.Am and Stella Artois' commercial featuring Adrian Brody.

Automotive brands such as Chevy, Ford and Dodge are typically one of the most effective advertisers. Last year, Volkswagen's "The Force" ad was the top automotive ad being 10% more effective than the average ad.

Internet brands, statistically, have never fared well. Half of the top 10 least effective Super Bowl ads featured dot.com names.

The major theme of last year's game was "Made In America." Half of the top ten ads featured companies such as Dodge, Ford and Chevy.

Yeah, It Really Happened                 

SAN FRANCISCO, Colombia -- A farmer hopes his hen's enormous egg will make it into the record books.The farmer's daughter got a real surprise recently when she found the egg weighing 8.6 ounces, or about four times the normal weight of an egg.The farmer, Hernando Niño, from the Cudinmarca region north of Bogata, says he plans to contact Guinness World Records as he's never seen in his 20 years of farming anything like what his 5-year-old hen, named Franciscana, laid."The egg will stay in a glass case for people to see and so it is preserved," Niño said.

Calendar Information        

…Happening This Week:

5-11

Boy Scout Anniversary Week

Children's Authors & Illustrators Week

Jump Your Significant Jerk Week

Freelance Writers Appreciation Week

International Coaching Week

Just Say No to PowerPoint Week

Publicity for Profit Week

World Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Week

Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week

International Networking Week

International Friendship Week

National Green Week

National School Counseling Week

7-14

Have A Heart for A Chained Dog Week

Risk Awareness Week

Love Makes the World Go Round; But, Laughter Keeps Us From Getting Dizzy Week

Getting Dizzy Week

Today Is                                                                      

Boy Scout Anniversary Day

Kite Flying Day

Laugh and Get Rich Day

Opera Day

<*>

Japan: Needle Mass (Ha-ri-ku-yo -: women gather their old and broken needles and take them to their temples to offer a prayer of thanks for their hard work.)

Slovenia: Culture Day

US: New Mexico: Extraterrestrial Culture Day

Today’s Other Events                                                             

1500’s

1575 - University Leiden founded, and given the motto "Praesidium Libertatis": Bastion of Freedom, the oldest university in the Netherlands

1600’s

1690 - French & Indian troops set Schenectady settlement NY on fire

1693 - William & Mary college is 2nd college chartered in US

1700’s

1735 - 1st opera in US "Flora," opens in Charleston, SC

1800’s

1837: During the 2nd Seminole War today there will be a battle between Seminole and American forces on the bank of Lake Monroe, near modern day Sanford, Florida. The Americans will be led by Colonel Alexander Fanning. Over 600 Seminole, led by Chiefs Philip and Wildcat, will participate in the fighting, which begins with a Seminole attack before dawn. Both sides will lose a considerable number of men. The deciding factor in the battle will be the arrival of a steam ship with a cannon. Fort Monroe was built on the site of the battle.

1887 - Dawes Act passed (Indians living apart from tribe granted citizenship) the President of the United States to survey Native American tribal land and divide it into individual allotments

1895 - Tchaikovsky/Petipa's "Swan Lake," premieres in Petersburg

1898 - John Ames Sherman patents 1st envelope folding & gumming mach (Mass)

1900’s

1910 - The Boy Scouts of America is incorporated by William D. Boyce

1918 -  "Stars & Stripes," weekly US armed forces newspaper, 1st published as weekly

1928 - Scottish inventor J Blaird demonstrates color-TV

1942 - Congress advises FDR that, Americans of Japanese descent should be locked up en masse so they wouldn't oppose the US war effort

1948 - 5th Winter Olympic games close at St Moritz, Switzerland

1967 - Peter (Asher) & Gordon (Waller) discontinue their singing partnership

1969 - Last edition of Saturday Evening Post

1975 - 1800 Unification church couples' wed in Korea

1978 - Proceedings of the United States Senate are broadcast on radio for the first time

1983 - Wayne Gretzky sets NHL all star record of 4 goals in 1 period

1983 - Champion thoroughbred Shergar kidnapped in Ireland; never found Lloyds of London pays $10.6 million insurance

1984 - 14th Winter Olympic games opens in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia

1992 - 16th Winter Olympic games opens in Albertville, France

1996 - The massive Internet collaboration "24 Hours in Cyberspace" takes place

2000’s

2002 - XIX Winter Olympics opens in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

2008 - Nebraska bans electric chair as sole execution method

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

In their 70’s

Ted Koppel, American journalist (ABC Nightline) is 72

Jack Larson, actor (Jimmy Olsen-Superman) is 79

Nick Nolte, actor (Teachers, 48 Hrs, Rich Man Poor Man) is 71

In their 60’s

Brooke Adams, actor is 63

In their 50’s

John Grisham, writer (Client, Firm, Pelican Brief) is 57

Mary Steenburgen, actor is 59

In their 30’s

Seth Green, actor is 38

Remembered for being born on this day

Elizabeth Bishop, US poet (North & South)/Pulitzer Prize (1956) in 1911

Samuel Butler, English poet/satirist (Hudibras) (baptized) in 1612

Gary Coleman, American actor (Arnold-Diff'rent Strokes) in 1966

James Dean, stage/film actor (Giant, Rebel Without a Cause) in 1931

Dame Edith Evans, British actress in 1888

Jack Lemmon, actor (Days of Wine & Roses, Missing) in 1925

Audrey Meadows, American actress in 1922

Alejandro Rey, Argentinean actor (Carlos-Flying Nun) in 1930

Charlie Ruggles, actor (Ruggles, Aesop-Bullwinkle Show) in 1886

John Ruskin, writer/critic/artist/Gothic Revivalist (Prerafaelite) in 1819

William Tecumseh Sherman, Major General (Union Army) in 1820

Lana Turner, actress (Survivors, Falcon Crest) in 1920

Today’s Obits                                                           

William Fulbright, US politician, dies at 89 in 1995

Max Liebermann, Ger impressionist painter/graphic artist, dies at 87 in 1935

Connie Mack, baseball manager (Phila A's, 1901-50), dies at 93 in 1956

Marvin Miller, actor (Michael Anthony-Millionaire), dies of heart attack at 71 in 1985

Del Shannon, rock vocalist (Runaway), shoots self at 50 in 1990

Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots (1560-87), beheaded at 44  in 1587

Answers                                                                                                                                            

Brain Game

NPR Sunday Puzzle

1. Place to park a car: garage
2. Title for a French married lady: Madame
3. University name in Chicago and New Orleans: Loyola
4. High school course in Gov’t: civics
5. Maker of Corolla: Toyota
6. Brand of athletic shoe: Adidas
7. Mount where Noah landed: Ararat
8. Exausts, depletes: uses up

Wuzzle

• Be on time

• Scrambled eggs

• Two years overseas 

 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 7

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

Today’s  Historical  Highlights

1839 - Henry Clay declares in Senate "I had rather be right than president"

1882 - Last bare knuckle champion John L Sullivan KOs Paddy Ryan

1936 - A flag is authorized for Vice President

1976 - World's largest telescope (600 cm) begins operation (USSR)

1991 - The IRA launches a mortar attack on 10 Downing Street during a cabinet meeting

♪Happy Birthday To: ♪                     

 

Free Rambling Thoughts   

Monday…a little chilly. I was out and about early to run some errands. Even had to scrape my windshield. I usually wait until the Mother Nature melts the frost, but decided to get things done early this morning. Got things done and got home before noon, so it all worked out. I heard an interesting story on CNN…about local currency. It seems that some towns are printing their own ‘money’ so that it will stay in the local community. Merchants in the area agree to accept the money. I’ve seen this stuff before…the difference this time…the conservatives are suggesting that this is a ‘safe’ money, since the American Dollar is in trouble. Really? The merchants are basing the cost of their goods on the American Dollar. None of these merchants are saying “It’s $2.50US or $1.54 local currency.” It’s crazy. I thought we all agreed that our country used one currency. Hmmmm! It’s getting very scary in Syria. One of our discussion group people lived there for a couple of years. So sad to see the government killing its own people. The government has banned all outside reporters, the US Embassy is closed and empty, the UN is not interested in stepping in.
 I enjoyed the Super Bowl…glad the Giant’s won. Enjoyed Madonna’s half time show, and didn’t see MIA’s finger gesture. Clint’s ad was interesting…I agreed that the country is getting better. Now the Conservatives are mad at the Auto Industry in Detroit for making the ad…saying it was ‘political’ and pro-Obama. Crazy. Eastwood is a Republican..and fairly conservative…but the ad is Pro-America. I must say the funny ads of previous years were not around this year. Kinda missed those.

Lots of links today. The Iniut Conference gives an interesting perspective, but is a long. Sinatra singing 'New York, New York' is classic, as is Crosby's 'Swing on a Star'. And who doesn't like 'Blazing Saddles', 'The ramp', and 'Pinochhio??

Game   Center   (answers at the end of post)

Brain Game

NPR Sunday Puzzle

Every answer is the name of a country. For each word given, take two consecutive letters in that word and change them to one letter to name a country. For example, in the word CUBIC, you would change IC into an A to spell CUBA.

1.     Apemen:

2.     Indict:

3.     Gibbon:

4.     Strain:

5.     Chinup:

6.     Tongue:

7.     Sudden:

8.     Neural:

9.     Avatar:

10.  Nipper:

11.  Finance:

12.  Cypress:

13.  Believe:

14.  Doorway:

15.  Malachi:

16.  Canasta:

17.  Mainland:

Wuzzles  What concept or phrase do these suggest?

Lifestyle  Substance     

AZ Centennial – Feb 14:  Did you know?…

How did Goodyear, AZ get its name?

Goodyear was established in 1917 with the purchase of 16,000 acres (65 km2) of land by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company to cultivate cotton for vehicle tire threads. Goodyear became a town in November 1946 and reached city status in 1985.

How did Jerome, AZ get its name?

A mining town named Jerome was established on the side of Cleopatra Hill in 1883. It was named for Eugene Murray Jerome, a New York investor who owned the mineral rights and financed mining there.

Daffynitions: :-)

HYPOCHONDRIACc — Someone who won’t let well enough alone

TOMORROW: One of today's greatest labor saving devices

Found on You Tube         

International Snow Sculpture Championships

Harper’s Index         

Percentage of the $46 billion allocated by TARP to help homeowners refinance that has been used for that purpose: 4.3

Joke-of-the-day

The boss wondered why one of his most valued employees was absent but had not phoned in sick one day. Needing to have an urgent problem with one of the main computers resolved, he dialled the employee's home phone number and was greeted with a child's whisper. ' Hello ? '

'Is your daddy home?' he asked.

' Yes ,' whispered the small voice.

‘May I talk with him?'

The child whispered, ' No .'

Surprised and wanting to talk with an adult, the boss asked, 'Is your Mummy there?'

' Yes '

'May I talk with her?' A gain the small voice whispered, ' No '

Hoping there was somebody with whom he could leave a message, the boss asked, 'Is anybody else there?'

' Yes , ' whispered the child, ' a policeman . '

Wondering what a cop would be doing at his employee's home, the boss asked, 'May I speak with the policeman?'

' No, he's busy , ' whispered the child.

'Busy doing what?'

' Talking to Daddy and Mummy and the Fireman , ' came the whispered answer.

Growing more worried as he heard a loud noise in the background through the earpiece on the phone, the boss asked, 'What is that noise?'

' A helicopter ' answered the whispering voice.

'What is going on there?' demanded the boss, now truly apprehensive. Again, whispering, the child answered,

'The search team just landed a helicopter '

Alarmed, concerned and a little frustrated the boss asked, 'What are they searching for?'

Still whispering, the young voice replied with a muffled giggle...

' ME . '

Planet Earth

Rules of Thumb   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

A wind that rustles leaves and that you can barely feel on your face is blowing from 4 to 7 miles an hour. A wind moving about 12 miles an hour will keep tree leaves in constant motion. This is the upper limit for most kite flying. If the wind is lifting loose paper off the ground and raising dust, it is too strong for the average kite.

Somewhat Useless Information   

75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated, (This likely applies to half the world's population). Dehydration contributes to headaches and fatigue, often mistaken for a lack of sleep.

One glass of water shuts down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters investigated in a University of Washington study. Preliminary research elsewhere indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.

Yeah, It Really Happened                 

CHICAGO -- Firefighters rescued a man who got stuck twice on elevators Sunday night in a downtown Chicago building.

The man called for help after getting trapped in an elevator at 65 East Monroe St. around 9:15 p.m., according to Battalion Chief Michael Gubricky.

Crews had trouble releasing the elevator, which was stuck between the 21st and 22nd floor, so they had to rescue him from another elevator parallel to the one that was stalled, said Gubricky.

Once firefighters placed the man on the second elevator, that one also became stuck.

After more than three hours, they all made it back down safely.

Calendar Information        

…Happening This Week:

1-7

International Snow Sculpting Week

Solo Diners Eat Out Weekend

Women's Heart Week
5-11

Boy Scout Anniversary Week

Children's Authors & Illustrators Week

Jump Your Significant Jerk Week

Freelance Writers Appreciation Week

International Coaching Week

Just Say No to PowerPoint Week

Publicity for Profit Week

World Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Week

Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week

International Networking Week

International Friendship Week

National Green Week

National School Counseling Week

7-14

Have A Heart for A Chained Dog Week

Risk Awareness Week

Love Makes the World Go Round; But, Laughter Keeps Us From Getting Dizzy Week

Getting Dizzy Week

Today Is                                                                      

African American Coaches Day

Ballet Day

Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Charles Dickens Day

Wave All Your Fingers At Your Neighbor's Day

<*>

Grenada: Independence Day (1974 from UK)

Today’s Other Events                                                             

1600’s

1639 - Academie Francaise begins Dictionary of French Language

1700’s

1795 - 11th Amendment to US Constitution ratified, affirms power of states

1800’s

1818 - 1st successful US educational magazine "Academician," begins (NYC)

1842 - Battle of Debre Tabor: Ras Ali Alula, Regent of the Emperor of Ethiopia defeats warlord Wube Haile Maryam of Semien

1861 - Convinced that they will get better treatment from a southern government than from the one in Washington, D. C., the Choctaw will announce their support of the Confederacy

1876 - The War Department authorizes General Sheridan to start operations against the Indians.

1891 - Great Blizzard of 1891 begins

1900’s

1904 - Baltimore catches fire (1500 buildings destroyed in 80 blocks)

1907 - The Mud March was the first large procession organized by the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS).

1914 - Charlie Chaplin debuts "The Tramp" in "Kid Auto Races at Venice"

1940 - Walt Disney's 2nd feature-length movie, "Pinocchio," premieres (NYC)

1943 - Shoe rationing begins in US (may purchase up to 3 more pairs in 1942)

1944 - Bing Crosby records "Swinging on a Star" for Decca Records

1949 - Joe DiMaggio becomes 1st $100,000/year baseball player (NY Yankees)

1962 - President Kennedy begins blockade of Cuba

1964 - Cassius Clay becomes a black Moslem & adopts the name Muhammad Ali

1974 - Mel Brooks' "Blazing Saddles" opens in movie theaters

1983 - 1st female secretary of transportation sworn-in (Elizabeth Dole)

1983 - The Iniut Circumpolar Conference is held at the United Nations

1985 - "New York, New York" became the official anthem of NYC

1998 - 18th Winter Olympic games open at Nagano Japan

2000’s

2009 - Bushfires in Victoria left 173 dead in the worst natural disaster in Australia's history

2010 - Super Bowl XLIV; New Orleans Saints defeated the Indianapolis Colts 31-17

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

In their 50’s

Miguel Ferrer, actor (Robocop; TV-Crossing Jordan) is 57

James Spader, actor (Endless Love, Wall St, Mannequin) is 52

Garth Brooks, country vocalist (No Fences, Double Live) is 50

Eddie Izzard, British actor and comedian is 50

In their 40’s

Chris Rock, comedian is 46

In their 30’s

Ashton Kutcher, actor is 34

Steve Nash, NBA guard (Phoenix Suns) is 38

Remembered for being born on this day

Eubie Blake, ragtime composer/pianist (Memories of You) in 1887

John Deere, pioneer manufacturer of agricultural implements in 1804

Charles Dickens, Englisk novelist (Oliver Twist, Tale of 2 Cities) in 1812

William Higgins, discoverer (nature of spiral nebulae) in 1824

Sinclair Lewis, novelist/social critic (Main Street, Nobel 1930) in 1885

Bernard Maybeck, US architect (Palace of Fine Arts, SF) in 1862

Thomas More, lawyer/lord chancellor of England/saint (Utopia) in 1478

Laura Ingalls Wilder, kid book author (Little House on Prairie) in 1867

Today’s Obits                                                           

Nick Adams, actor (Interns, Pillow Talk, FBI Story), ODs at 36 in 1968

Dale Evans, American actress and singer dies at 89 in 2001

Harvey Firestone, American manufacturer dies in his sleep at 70 in 1938

Doug Henning, Canadian magician dies of liver cancer at 53 in 2000

King Hussein of Jordan dies of lymphoma at 64 in 1999

"Red" McKenzie, blues-jazz singer (played comb-with-tissue-paper in 1948 ) dies of cirrhosis at 49

Ann Radcliffe (Ward), English poet/author of horror novels, dies during asthma attack at 58 in 1823

Nathan Wartels, publisher (Crown), dies of pneumonia at 88 in 1990

Answers                                                                                                                                            

Brain Game

NPR Sunday Puzzle

1.     Apemen: Yemen

2.     Indict: India

3.     Gibbon: Gabon

4.     Strain: Spain

5.     Chinup: China

6.     Tongue: Tonga

7.     Sudden: Sudan

8.     Neural: Nepal

9.     Avatar: Qatar

10.  Nipper: Niger

11.  Finance: France

12.  Cypress: Cyprus

13.  Believe: Belize

14.  Doorway: Norway

15.  Malachi: Malawi

16.  Canasta: Canada

17.  Mainland: Finland

Wuzzle

• A hole in one
• Split down the middle
• Fancy that

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  ☺