Mar 21st

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

Today’s  Historical  Highlights

1824 - Fire at Cairo ammunitions dump kills 4,000 horses

1866 - Congress authorizes national soldiers' homes

1883 – Chiricahua Apache are raiding American locations then returning to Mexico. Chato, Bonito and Chihuahua raid a mining town near Tombstone. This is just the pretext General George Crook needs to mount a raid into Mexico to find the Apache.

1925 - Edinburgh's Murreyfield Stadium officially opens

1935 - Persia officially renamed Iran

1947 - Pres Truman signs Executive Order 9835 requiring all federal employees to have allegiance to the United States

1951 - Julius & Ethel Rosenberg convicted of espionage

1970 - The first Earth Day proclamation is issued by San Francisco Mayor Joseph Alioto.

1975 - Ethiopia ends monarchy after 3000 years

1980 - President Jimmy Carter announces US boycott of Moscow Olympics

1983 - Only known typo on Time Magazine cover (control=contol), all recalled

♪Happy Birthday To: ♪                     

 

Free Rambling Thoughts   

A beautiful sunny, cool day here in Flag. I was out and about for a couple of hours and while needing a jacket, enjoyed the day.

 My roof still has amazing, bending icicles. The bending is from the wind we experienced during the storm. Nice too look out my office window through them. Enjoy these taken from the second story office window!

Frightening earthquake outside Mexico City. A friend from my brother’s b-day party works in the city. Sure hope he is OK. Damage doesn’t seem bad, but lots of frightened people.

Game   Center   (answers at the end of post)

Brain Game

NPR Sunday Puzzle

Each clue is a list of three things. The answer is what they all have in common. For example, if the clues are: "a college graduate, a thermometer and longitude," the answer would be "degrees." Hint: Every answer, like "degrees," is a seven-letter plural.

1.      A kite, a marionette, an orchestra:

2.      Pool table, kangaroo, pants: pockets

3.      A word, the Post office, school’s top athlete:

4.      A disc jockey, a hospital, an ex-con:

5.      A credit card, the calvary, an ion:

6.      A jack in the box, a stream, a mattress:

7.      April, a bride to be, a locker room:

8.      A candy store, An octopus, a line at a side show:

9.      A porch, a computer, suntan lotion:

10.   The Parthenon, spreadsheet, a newspaper:

11.   A cigarette, a swimming pool, a coffee maker:

12.   Ping pong, a canoe, a fraternity member:

Wuzzles  What concept or phrase do these suggest?

Lifestyle  Substance     

Planet Earth—

Found on You Tube         

vida de Benito Juarez (Spanish Only)

Harper’s Index         

Number of times the average British male will fall in love, according to a recent study: 3

Joke-of-the-day

While taking a routine vandalism report at an elementary school, the policeman was interrupted by a 6 year-old looking up and down his uniform, she asked. “Are you a policeman?”

“Yes,” he answered and continued writing the report.

“My mother said if I ever needed help I should ask the police. Is that right?”

“Yes, that’s right, the policeman told her.

“Well, then,” the little girl said as she extended her foot toward him, “would you please tie my shoe?”

Rules of Thumb   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

A standard spherical soft contact lens will correct astigmatism up to one diopter and it is much cheaper than a toric one.

Somewhat Useless Information   

The game of jacks started out as dibstones and was played using pebbles or even sheep's knuckles. When a player captured a piece, he would call out "I've got dibs!" which led to the contemporary usage of the expression.The world's largest croquet complex is located in West Palm Beach, Florida, and covers 10 acres.The jump rope game Double Dutch is as old as the craft of rope making. In ancient Egypt and China, rope makers walked backward, twisting the various strands of rope into uniformity, while runners jumped and dodged their way across the cluttered floors supplying the spinners with hemp.Badminton originated as a child's game in India called "battledore and shuttlecock." When British soldiers took the game back with them to the UK, it became a favorite of the Duke of Beaufort and eventually took on the name of his country estate, Badminton.Hopscotch was created as a training exercise for soldiers during the Roman Empire. In order to improve their footwork, they had to traverse a 100-foot-long course in full armor.In the 14th century, billiards - or the precursor to it - was played on outdoor lawns. Eventually, folks got tired of bending over, so they moved the game indoors and reduced it to the size of a tabletop. The green felt cover is a nod to the sport's outdoor origins.

Yeah, It Really Happened                 

MSNBC” You would think a drug runner would know better than to get into a car with a personalized license plate with the letters S-M-U-G-G-L-E-R. Or that she would think twice before booking a room at the Smuggler's Inn, a mere sprint from the Canadian border.
Homeland Security agents received a tip in December about a cocaine deal at a Pizza Hut in Bellingham, Wash., the SeattlePI.com reported, citing recently released court documents. They set up surveillance at the Pizza Hut and watched as a GMC Yukon with a driver and two passengers pulled in. The license plate read SMUGGLER.Agents followed the SUV to the Smuggler’s Inn, pulled it over and found, in a wrapped box, nine bricks of cocaine weighing just under 24 pounds, the P-I reported.One of the passengers, Jasmin Klair, 20, admitted that the illicit cargo was hers and agreed to cooperate with law enforcement officials, according to court documents. She explained to agents that she had been told to book at a bottom-floor room facing Canada at the Smuggler’s Inn, a bed and breakfast with rooms named "Al Capone" and "DB Cooper." Klair wanted the "Captain's Room," about 150 feet from the border.While agents interviewed her, she started receiving text messages from two men who had given her the job, the Vancouver Sun reported. Authorities prevailed on her to beckon the two men to the Smuggler’s Inn.They arrived within minutes, the Sun reported, and made a run for it when police ordered them to stop.One of the two men, Narminder Kaler, allegedly told agents that he would have received $2,000 for the deal, according to the Sun. He sorely needed it, he is alleged to have said, to pay off a $325,000 debt for losing 115 pounds of marijuana a year and a half ago.Klair, 20, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to conspiring to distribute cocaine, the P-I reported. She will be sentenced on May 29. Kaler and Gurjit Sandhu are in jail and face similar charges, according to the P-I.

Calendar Information        

…Happening This Week:

18-24

National Animal Poison Prevention Week

National Inhalant and Poisons Awareness Week

19-25

Act Happy Week

American Chocolate Week

Wellderly Week

21-25

YoYo and Skill Toys Week

Today Is                                                                      

Fragrance Day

Kick Butts Day

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

Memory Day

National Common Courtesy Day

Spring Fairy Fun Day

World Downs Syndrome Day

Australia: Canberra Day (commemorates Canberra’s official founding in 1913 and highlights a major festival in the territory)
Namibia:  Independence Day (1990 from South Africa)
South Africa: Human Rights Day

Today’s Other Events                                                             

1300’s

1349 - 3,000 Jews killed in Black Death riots in Efurt Germany

> 

1600’s

1697 - Czar Peter the Great begins tour through West-Europe

1700’s

1788 - Fire destroyed 856 buildings in New Orleans Louisiana

1800’s

1841: According to government documents, 220 "Tallahassee Seminole" prisoners will board a boat in Tampa Bay, today. They are being sent to the Indian Territory. Fifteen of the Indians will die in transit.

1900’s

1924 - 1st foreign language course broadcast on US radio (WJZ, NYC)

1951 - 2,900,000 US soldiers in Korea

1962 - A bear becomes the 1st creature to be ejected at supersonic speeds

1968 - "Royals" chosen as the name of new KC AL franchise

1968 - Israeli forces cross Jordan River to attack PLO bases

1972 - US Supreme Court rules states can't require 1-yr residency to vote

1979 - Egyptian Parliament unanimously approve peace treaty with Israel

1984 - Part of Central Park is named Strawberry Fields honoring John Lennon

2000’s

2002 - In Pakistan, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh along with three other suspects are charged with murder for their part in the kidnapping and killing of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.

2004 - In Malaysia, the 11th Federal and State elections are held, returning the ruling coalition Barisan Nasional to power with an increased majority.

2006 - Immigrant workers constructing the Burj Dubayy in Dubai, The United Arab Emirates and a new terminal of Dubai International Airport join together and riot, causing $1M in damage.

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

> 

In their 60’s

Timothy Dalton, actor North Wales, (James Bond-Living Daylights) is 68

In their 50’s

Matthew Broderick, actor (War Games, Biloxi Blues) is 50 

Rosie O'Donnell, talk show host is 50

Gary Oldman, actor  is 54

> 

In their 30’s

Kevin Federline, American dancer/hip hop artist is 34

Remembered for being born on this day

Johann Sebastian Bach, Eisenach Germany, composer (Mattheus-Passion) in 1685

James Coco, actor (Man of La Mancha, Murder by Death) in 1929

Jean-Baptiste-Joseph Fourier, mathematician/Egyptologist in 1768

Benito Pablo Juarez, Oaxaca Mexico, president of Mexico (1858-72) in 1806

John D Rockefeller III, billionaire philanthropist (oil) in 1906

Today’s Obits                                                           

Macdonald Carey, actor (Days of Our Lives), dies of cancer at 81 in 1994

Thomas Cranmer, archbishop of Canterbury, burned at stake at 66 in 1556

Dean Paul Martin, actor (Billy-Misfits of Science), dies in National Guard training flight  at 35 in 1987

Pocahontas, Native American, daughter of Powhatan dies in England at 21 or 22 in 1617

Dack Rambo, actor (Jack Ewing-Dallas), dies from AIDs at 52 in 1994

Michael Redgrave, actor (Goodbye Mr Chips, Mr Arkadin), dies at 77 in 1985

Answers                                                                                                                                            

Brain Game

NPR Sunday Puzzle

1.      A kite, a marionette, an orchestra:

a.      strings

2.      Pool table, kangaroo, pants:

a.      pockets

3.      A word, the Post office, school’s top athlete:

a.      letters

4.      A disc jockey, a hospital, an ex-con:

a.      records

5.      A credit card, the calvary, an ion:

a.      charges

6.      A jack in the box, a stream, a mattress:

a.      springs

7.      April, a bride to be, a locker room:

a.      showers

8.      A candy store, An octopus, a line at a side show:

a.      suckers

9.      A porch, a computer, suntan lotion:

a.      screens

10.   The Parthenon, spreadsheet, a newspaper:

a.      columns

11.   A cigarette, a swimming pool, a coffee maker:

a.      filters

12.   Ping pong, a canoe, a fraternity member:

a.      paddles

Wuzzle

• tenants
• much ado about nothing
• bib overalls 

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  ☺

Mar 20--1st day of Spring

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

Today’s  Historical  Highlights

1616 - Walter Raleigh released from Tower of London to seek gold in Guyana

1816 - US Supreme Court affirms its right to review state court decisions

1852 - Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin" published (Boston)

1864 800 Navajo, mostly women, children and old men, begin the 300 mile march to Fort Sumner and the Bosque Redondo Reservation, in east-central New Mexico. The group would pick up 146 additional NAVAJOs during the march. A powerful snow storm strikes the ill-equipped marchers during the trip. By the time they reach the new reservation, 110 Navajo will have perished.

1934 - Female Babe Didrickson pitches hitless inning for Phila A's in exhibition game against Brooklyn Dodgers

1942 - Gen MacArthur vows, "I shall return"

1954 - 1st newspaper vending machine used (Columbia Pennsylvania)

1969 - Beatle John Lennon marries Yoko Ono in Gibraltar

1984 - Senate rejects amendment to permit spoken prayer in public schools

1990 - LA Lakers retires Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's #33

2006 - Cyclone Larry makes landfall in eastern Australia, destroying most of the country's banana crop

♪Happy Birthday To: ♪                     

 

Free Rambling Thoughts   

Turned out to be a great day…sun came out, snow stopped after dropping about 29”, and I have great neighbors.  There are about 9 townhouse units in our building. Our parking is right in front of the units. The HOA shovels the sidewalks and clears the parking lot very well. The only problem is that if a parking space is empty, they pile up the show against the sidewalk. With any storm, since our units basically face East, the snow just never melts. One of our neighbors is a construction guy. This morning, while I was cleaning off my ride for the third time, he was out there with a small front end tractor, removing the piles of snow against our sidewalks. He stopped and said he was tired of waiting two or more months for it to melt. I agreed and thanked him, then I took off to run some errands. When I got back he had cleared ALL the snow form all the parking spaces on our side. Very cool.

 Back at Christmas, my brother and his wife were going to a Chicago nail salon for a mani-pedi. I was with them, and decided I would try it. In my entire life, I had never done it. We actually went to two salons, since the first was not very well ventilated. Had I been alone, I would have thought they were all like that. The second salon was nice. I had a nice chat with a 20 something Vietnamese girl who cut my toenails, massaged my feet and calves, and then did my hands. My feet felt really good as did my hands. I decided today, I would try it again. I went to the mall, for a haircut, and stopped at the nail salon. A very nice older Chinese woman did it.  Again, my feet and hands are great. This is so much better than trying to cut my own toenails. I’m not like my retirement group ladies who get one every month but after about 3 months it is nice. Who knew? And yes, it is a little embarrassing for an old guy to sit there, but the massage chair lets me get over that real fast. Then I stopped at the hair salon and only had to wait about 10 minutes for my haircut. Not many people were at the mall so it was a good day all the way around. As I was leaving the all about 12:30, both the hair salon and the nail place were packed.

Game   Center   (answers at the end of post)

Brain Game

NPR Sunday Puzzle

This puzzle is called "test." Every answer is a familiar two-word phrase in which the first word starts with "T-E" and the second word starts with "S-T." For example, if the clue is "cut of beef that is often grilled or barbecued," the answer would be "tenderloin steak."

1.      Where shows are taped for broadcast:

2.      City thoroughfare between 9^th and 11^th:

3.      Construction material that has been heat treated to make it stronger:

4.      University in Nashville:

5.      Long time Alaska senator, defeated in ’08:

6.      A piece pounded into the ground to make a camp shelter:

7.      Sieve like device used to brew Peko or oolong:

8.      According to an old gas station slogan—You can trust the man who wears the ___:

9.      Dental procedure to align canine or molars:

10.   What Alaska and Hawaii had before 1959:

11.   A facility from which Morse code messages were once sent:

12.   Refusal of Union truck drivers to work:

Wuzzles  What concept or phrase do these suggest?

Lifestyle  Substance     

Planet Earth—

Found on You Tube         

The Ancient World in London - Spring Equinox at Stonehenge

Harper’s Index         

Minutes of television that the average British dog watches each day: 50

Joke-of-the-day

It was the first day of school, and the first grade teacher decided to see how much her students knew about math.

 “Steven, can you tell me what is 3 and 2?”

Steven said, “That’s when you should watch very, very carefully before you swing at the next pitch.”

Rules of Thumb   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

For capturing pythons, anacondas, boas and other large constrictors, it is wise to have one person for every 4 or 5 feet of snake.

Somewhat Useless Information   

Dolphins are Cetacenas. There are 32 species of ocean dolphins and 5 species of river dolphins.

Orcas grow up to 6.1 meters long and they are named as whales because their size, but they really belong to the toothed cetacean family just like dolphins do.

Yeah, It Really Happened                 

Miami: They wore orange – and got fired for it.

So say four former employees of the Elizabeth R. Wellborn P.A. law firm in Deerfield Beach who were terminated after they came to work in orange shirts on Friday, the company’s pay day, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

They said they’ve worn orange shirts on pay days for the past few months so they would look like a group when they went out afterward for happy hour, the newspaper reported. Janice Doble, 50, of Sunrise said she was looking forward to the gathering after a busy week.

“Orange happens to be my favorite color. My patio is orange," she told the paper. “My lipstick was orange today.”

Unfortunately for Doble and 13 other employees, an executive viewed things very differently. He told them that he understood there was a protest involving orange, and because they were all wearing the color, they were fired, the Sun Sentinel reported.

One person immediately denied being part of a protest and explained the happy hour connection, but after the law firm’s honchos discussed the matter outside the room, they returned and said everyone was fired, said Lou Erik Ambert, a litigation paralegal.

"There is no office policy against wearing orange shirts. We had no warning. We got no severance, no package, no nothing," said Ambert, 31, of Coconut Creek. "I feel so violated."

A spokeswoman for the firm said it had “no comment at this time,” according to the Sun Sentinel.

Calendar Information        

…Happening This Week:

18-24

National Animal Poison Prevention Week

National Inhalant and Poisons Awareness Week

19-25

Act Happy Week

American Chocolate Week

Wellderly Week

Today Is                                                                      

Alien Abduction Day

Atheist Pride Day

Bed-in For Peace Day

Corn Dog Day

Festival Of Extraterrestrial Abductions Day

First Day of Spring Ostara (Spring Equinox)

Great American Meat Out Day

Kiss Your Fiancée Day

National Agriculture Day  

National Jump Out! Day To encourage kids, and adults, to be more active

National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Proposal Day

Snowman Burning Day

Won't You Be My Neighbor Day

Persia (Iran): Now Ruz--(Persian New Year) Same day as the Vernal Equinox

Tunisia: Independence Day (1956 for France)

Today’s Other Events                                                             

Before 1000CE

141 - 6th recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet

> 

1300’s

1345 - Saturn/Jupiter/Mars-conjunction: thought "cause of plague epidemic"

> 

1600’s

1627 - France & Spain signs accord for fighting protestantism

1699: Continuing his exploration up the Mississippi River, today, French explorer Lemoyne d'Iberville will visit the village of the Houma Indians.

1700’s

1760 - Great Fire of Boston destroys 349 buildings

1800’s

1815 - Napoleon enters Paris after escape from Elba, begins 100-day rule

1886 - 1st AC power plant in US begins commercial operation, Mass

1897 - 1st known intercollegiate basketball game, Yale beats Penn 32-10

1900’s

1911 - National Squash Tennis Association forms (NYC)

1933 - Dachau, 1st concentration camp, completed

1935 - "Your Hit Parade" made its debut on radio

1952 - Final ratification of peace treaty restoring sovereignty to Japan

1956 - Union workers ended a 156-day strike at Westinghouse Electric Corp

1967 - Supremes release "The Happening"

1968 - LBJ signs a bill removing gold backing from US paper money

1976 - Patricia Hearst convicted of armed robbery

1982 - Joan Jett & Blackhearts' "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" goes #1 for 7 wks

1988 - David Henry Hwang's "M. Butterfly," premieres in NYC

1991 - Supreme Court rules unanimously employers can't exclude women from jobs where exposure to toxic chemicals could potentially damage fetus

1994 - El Salvador's 1st pres election following 12-year-old civil war

1996 - Erik & Lyle Menendez found guilty of killing their parents

1996 - UK admits humans can catch CJD (Mad Cow Disease)

2000’s

2003 - Invasion of Iraq by American and British led coalition begins without United Nations support and in defiance of world opinion

2006 - Over 150 Chadian soldiers are killed in eastern Chad by members of the rebel UFDC. The rebel movement sought to overthrow Chadian president Idriss Deby

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

In their 90’s

Carl Reiner, Bronx, comedian (2000 Year Old Man , Dick Van Dyke Show) is 90

> 

In their 70’s

Hal Linden, [Harold Lipshitz], actor (Barney Miller , Blacke's Magic) is 75

In their 60’s

Bobby Orr, Parry Sound, Ontario, HOF NHL defenseman (Boston Bruins) is 64

Pat Riley, Schenectady NY, NBA coach (Lakers, Knicks, Heat) is 67

In their 50’s

Holly Hunter, actor (Broadcast News, The Piano) is 54

Spike Lee [Shelton Jackson Lee], Atlanta, Florida, American film director (Mo Better Blues, Jungle Fever, Malcolm X) is 55

Remembered for being born on this day

Jack Barry, Lindenhurst NY, game show emcee (Joker's Wild) in 1918

Balthasar Bekker, Frisian theologist (Examiner of Comets) in 1634

John D Erlichman, Politician (Nixon aide, Watergate) in 1925

Henrik Ibsen, Norway, playwright (Peer Gynt, Hedda Gabler) in 1828

Werner Klemperer, Cologne Germany, actor (Col Klink -Hogan's Heroes) in 1920

Ozzie Nelson, Jersey City NJ, actor (Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet ) in 1906

Michael Redgrave, Bristol England, actor (Browning Version, Lady Vanishes) in 1908

Jerry Reed, Atlanta GA, singer/actor (Bat 21, Smokey & the Bandit)  in 1937

Fred Rogers, Latrobe PA, children TV host (Mr Rogers' Neighborhood) in 1928

Today’s Obits                                                           

Liz Carpenter, American feminist writer dies at 89 in 2010

Grace Hefner, mother of Hugh Hefner (Playboy), dies at 101 in 1997

Chet Huntley, newscaster (NBC Huntley-Brinkley Report), dies of lung cancer at 62 in 1974

Stewart Udall, American politician, environmentalist dies at 90 in 2010

Giuseppe [Joe] Zangara, electrocuted for assassination attempt on FDR at 33 in 1933

Answers                                                                                                                                            

Brain Game

NPR Sunday Puzzle

Oops, yesterday’s #3 answers should have read

Mite, race, mini: ter:

a.      termite, terrace, termini

1.      Where shows are taped for broadcast:

a.      television studio

2.      City thoroughfare between 9^th and 11^th:

a.      tenth street

3.      Construction material that has been heat treated to make it stronger:

a.      tempered steel

4.      University in Nashville:

a.      Tennessee State

5.      Long time Alaska senator, defeated in ’08:

a.      Ted Stevens

6.      A piece pounded into the ground to make a camp shelter:

a.       tent stake

7.      Sieve like device used to brew Peko or oolong:

a.      tea strainer

8.      According to an old gas station slogan—You can trust the man who wears the ____:

a.      Texaco Star

9.      Dental procedure to align canine or molars:

a.      teeth straightening

10.   What Alaska and Hawaii had before 1959:

a.      territorial status

11.   A facility from which Morse code messages were once sent:

a.      telegraph station

12.   Refusal of Union truck drivers to work:

a.      Teamster’s strike

13.   Lying:

a.      telling stories

Wuzzle

Zeros

Terminals

Cleaning up after the kids

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  ☺