Apr 30


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

♪Happy Birthday To: ♪ 

Today’s  Historical  Highlights
711 - Islamic conquest of Hispania: Moorish troops led by Tariq ibn-Ziyad land at Gibraltar to begin their invasion of the Iberian Peninsula (Al-Andalus)
1492 - Columbus is given royal commission to equip his fleet
1808 - 1st practical typewriter finished by Italian Pellegrini Turri
1857 - San Jose State University forms
1860 - Navaho attack Fort Defiance (Canby)
1861 - President Lincoln ordered Federal Troops to evacuate Indian Territory
1889 - 1st US national holiday, on centennial of Washington's inauguration
1904 - Ice cream cone makes its debut
1947 - Boulder Dam renamed in honor of Herbert Hoover1961 - Premier Fidel Castro of Cuba receives Lenin-Peace Prize
1988 - World Exposition, Expo 88 opens in Brisbane Australia
 
Free Rambling Thoughts   
My next door neighbor stopped by this morning about 8a. There are 4 twenty-something guys living there. Their living room is a pool table and trophies. They have people stop by during the evening for pool. They are never loud, never get rowdy. Last night they had some friends over and went upstairs about 1a. They didn’t lock the front door and this morning two lady visitors came downstairs to discover their purses were missing. They wanted to know if I had heard or seen anything. I hadn’t, but that is scary. Local cops came and took statements but we are not a CSI town, in fact the cop didn’t even walk around the area or knock on any doors. The guess is that someone just opened the door, took the purses and split A year ago I got in the habit of dead bolting the front door when I was home, as well as when I was gone. I started that because my front door is difficult to close tightly, and I was talking to a different neighbor who told me they had left for the weekend and came home to find the front door open. They found nothing missing and realized they just hadn’t closed the door completely when leaving. Back then I got up one morning and found after a big wind, my front door was open…I hadn’t closed it tightly…thus I began using the dead bolt every time. Even small towns have a few jerks.

It was a great day weather wise here in Flag. Enjoyed being outside.

Game   Center   (answers at the end of post)
Brain Game—A close up picture of what?

NPR Sunday Puzzle
You are given two clues. The first answer is a word that starts with the sound T. Change this to a D, and phonetically you'll get a new word that answers the second clue. For example, if the clue is "to work hard" and "author Conan _______," the answer would be "toil" and "Doyle."
1.      Ink for a printer & giver:
2.     A heavy weight & poet who wrote ‘Death be not proud’:
3.     Traveling group of actors & to sag:
4.     Tooth build up & a tiny fish:
5.     A force applied to a wheel & a nerd:
6.     Easily offended & area overseen by a nobleman:
7.     What you might watch TV on & a small supermarket:
8.     Popular food fish & woe for farmers:
9.     Difficult & rear end:
10.  Pants & people who have nodded off:
11.    A certain poison & realm:

Riddle of the day
Almost everyone sees me without noticing me, For what is beyond is what he or she seeks.

Anagram: unscramble—numbers represent the number of letters in each answer word

Lifestyle  Substance     
Harper’s Index         
Minimum number of times Newt Gingrich has seen The Hangover: 7
Found on You Tube 
Planet Earth—

Joke-of-the-day
A helicopter carrying passengers suddenly looses engine power and the aircraft begins to decent. The pilot safely performs an emergency landing in water, and tells the passengers to remain seated and to keep the doors closed, stating that in emergency situations, the aircraft is designed to stay afloat for 30 minutes, giving rescuers time to get to them. Just then a man gets out if his seat and runs over to open the door. The pilots screams at him, "Didn't you hear what I said, the aircraft is designed to stay afloat as long as the doors remain closed?!".
"Of course I heard you", the man replied, "but it's also designed to fly, and look how good that one worked out!!"
Rules of Thumb   
Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess
If the children are wild, it's going to rain or snow within 24 hours. This is a better barometer than the weather man.
Yeah, It Really Happened
WROCLAW, Poland - A Polish rapper had a giant sculpture of a dog's feces installed in a patch of grass to remind residents to pick up after their pets. Lukasz Rostkowski, 30, aka L.U.C, had the bronze statue installed on a patch of grass Tuesday next to Dominican Square in the southwestern city of Wroclaw, Polskie Radio reported Thursday. Rostkowski told the Gazeta Wyborcza he hopes the statue will serve as a reminder to locals to clean up after their dogs. "Every year, dog messes pop up quicker than snowdrops," the rapper said. "Our action is a bit of fun."      

Somewhat Useless Information   
Interesting headlines:
  • Red Tape Holds Up New Bridge.
  • Hollywood Countenances Plastic Surgery Failures
  • Man Threatens Suicide by Jumping Off Cliff; Is It A Bluff?
  • Genius Toddler Spells Disaster for Parents
  • Paranormal Books Fly Off Shelves
  • Catch oral cancer while it's still treatable!
  • Slain Wife Expected to Die
  • This child is trying!
  • Children Improve After Poisoning

Calendar Information        
…Happening This Week:
19-5/4
Kentucky Derby Week
20-29 
National Dance Week
21-28
Money Smart Week
Administrative Professionals Week
National Crime Victims Rights Week
National Playground Safety Week
Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week
Preservation Week
Sky Awareness Week
Week of The Young Child
(Spring) Astronomy Week
Safe Kids Week
24-30
National Scoop The Poop Week:
Fiddler's Frolic
Gathering of the Nations PowWow
National Dream Hotline
National Pie Championships

Today Is                                                                      
Bugs Bunny Day
Díá De Los Niños / Díá De Los Libros Day
Hairstylist Appreciation Day
Louisiana Purchase Day
National Go Birding Day
World Healing Day
National Honesty Day
National Rebuilding Day: to help communities in need
National Take Back (Prescription Drugs) Day
Walpurgis Night: traditional spring festival on 30 April or 1 May in large parts of Central and Northern Europe. It is often celebrated with dancing and with bonfires. It is exactly six months from All Hallows' Eve.
World Healing Day
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USA: Louisiana: Admission Day (1812-18th state)
USA: Spank Out Day: to give widespread attention to the need to end corporal punishment of children and to promote non-violent ways of teaching children appropriate behavior

Today’s Other Events                                                             
Before 1000CE
311 - Emperor Galerius legal recognizes Christians in the Roman Empire unifies the entire Eastern Roman Empire under his rule.
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1300’s
1349 - Jewish community at Radolszell Germany, exterminated
1400’s
1483 - Orbital calculations suggest that on this day, Pluto moved inside Neptune's orbit until July 23, 1503
1492 - Spain announces it will expels all Jews
1500’s
1563 - Jews are expelled from France by order of Charles VI
1600’s
1661 - Tsjeng Tsj'eng-Kung begins siege of Dutch fort Zeelandia, Formosa
1700’s
1789 - George Washington inaugurated as 1st president of US
1800’s
1803 - US doubles in size through Louisiana Purchase ($15 million)
1859 - Charles Dickens' "A Tale Of Two Cities" is first published in literary periodical All the Year Round, continues in weekly installments until Nov 26
1864 - New York becomes 1st state to charge a hunting license fee
1871 - Apaches in Arizona surrender to white & Mexican adventurers; 144 die
1871 - The Camp Grant Massacre takes place in Arizona Territory
1889 - George Washington Bridge linking NYC & NJ opens
1900’s
1900 - USA annexes Hawaii
1900 - Casey Jones dies in a train wreck in Vaughn, Mississippi, while trying to make up time on the Cannonball Express
1941 - Spread of Judaism begins in Croatia
1945 - "Arthur Godfrey Time" begins a 27 year run on CBS radio/ ends on this date in 1972
1952 - Mr Potato Head is 1st toy advertised on television
1970 - US troops invade Cambodia
1973 - Nixon announces resignation of Haldeman, Ehrlichman, et al
1975 - Last US helicopter leaves US embassy grounds, Saigon surrenders 1980 - Beatrix, Wilhelmina Armgard, crowned queen of Netherlands
1995 - After 120 years the last 15 A & S dept stores close
1997 - 42 million watch "Ellen" admit she is gay
1997 - Big Ben stops at 12:11 PM for 54 minutes
2000’s
2004 - U.S. media release graphic photos of American soldiers abusing and sexually humiliating Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison
2009 - Chrysler automobile company files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
2009 - The United Kingdom formally ends combat operations in Iraq

Today’s Birthdays                                                           
In their 80’s
Cloris Leachman, Des Moines Iowa, actress (Last Picture Show, Phyllis) is 86
In their 70’s
Gary Collins, Venice California, actor (6th Sense, Home Show) is 74
Willie Nelson, Abbott Texas, country singer (On the Road Again) is 79
In their 60’s
Perry King, TV actor is 64
Bobby Vee, Fargo ND, (Devil or Angel, Night has a Thousand Eyes) is 69
In their 50’s
Isiah Thomas, NBA forward (Detroit Piston; 1990 NBA playoff MVP) is 51
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In their 30’s
Kirsten Dunst, American actress (Interview with the Vampire, Spider-Man) is 30
Under 30 years old
Molloko, SD Zoo, 1st California condor chick conceived in captivity is 24

Remembered for being born on this day
Eve Arden, Mill Valley California, actress (Connie-Our Miss Brooks) in 1908
Jill Clayburgh, NYC, actress (Unmarried Woman, Semi-Tough) in 1944
Juliana, Queen of Netherlands (1948-80) in 1909
Al Lewis, actor (Leo-Car 54, Grandpa-Munsters) in 1910
David Thompson, English/Canadian explorer (Columbia River) in 1770
Alice B. Toklas, American companion of Gertrude Stein in 1877

Today’s Obits                                                           
Eva Braun, mistress/wife of Hitler, commits suicide in 1945 at 33
Luis Sanchez Cerro, Pres of Peru, assassinated in 1933 at 43
Adolph Hitler, German dictator (1936-45), commits suicide in 1945 at 56
John Luther (Casey) Jones, dies in Cannonball Express train wreck in 1900 at 37
Sergio Leone, Italian director (Good, Bad & Ugly), dies of heart attack in 1989 at 60
Robert Plot, British naturalist in 1696 at 56
Tom Poston, American actor dies in 2007 at 85
Inger Stevens, actress (Katy-Farmer's Daughter), commits suicide in 1970 at 35
Muddy Waters, US blues singer/guitarist (Mad Love), dies of heart failure in 1983 at 70
Beatrice Potter Webb, British writer (My Apprenticeship), dies in 1943 at 85

Answers                                                                                                                                            
Brain Game: Close Up Picture

Riddle of the day
A window

NPR Sunday Puzzle
1.      Ink for a printer & giver:
a.     toner, donor
2.     A heavy weight & poet who wrote ‘Death be not proud’:
a.     ton; Donne
3.     Traveling group of actors & to sag:
a.     troop; droop
4.     Tooth build up & a tiny fish:
a.     tarter; darter
5.     A force applied to a wheel & a nerd:
a.     torque; dork
6.     Easily offended & area overseen by a nobleman:
a.     touchy; duchy
7.     What you might watch TV on & a small supermarket:
a.     tele; deli
8.     Popular food fish & woe for farmers:
a.     trout; drought
9.     Difficult & rear end:
a.     tough; duff
10.  Pants & people who have nodded off:
a.     trousers; dowsers
11.    A certain poison & realm:
a.     ptomaine; domain  

Anagrams

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  ☺

Apr 29


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

♪Happy Birthday To: ♪ 

Today’s  Historical  Highlights
1813 - Rubber is patented
1852 - 1st edition of Peter Roget's Thesaurus published
1861 - Maryland's House of Delegates votes against seceding from Union
1901 - Anti Semitic riot in Budapest
1927 - Construction of Spirit of St Louis is completed
1961 - ABC's "Wide World of Sports”, debuts
1975 - Ethiopia nationalizes all ground/earth
1990 - Wrecking cranes began tearing down Berlin Wall at Brandenburg Gate
2004 - Oldsmobile builds its final car ending 107 years of production
 
Free Rambling Thoughts   
Nice day to enjoy Flag’s great weather. A little cloudy to start but the afternoon was terrific.

Last week I connected on FB with my college roommate. Last night he called. We talked for about an hour…very nice. He lost his wife of 38 years to brain cancer last year. Thankfully she was only sick for about a month. High school sweetheart and married right after college graduation. They have three kids and now he has 4 grandkids. Dealing with life’s tough blow well. He is not ready for retirement, and in his case I get that. His job has kept him going and his kids and grandkids have become very close.

Game   Center   (answers at the end of post)
Brain Game—A close up picture of what?

NPR Sunday Puzzle
Every answer is a word, name or familiar phrase starting with K and ending with Y, as in "Kentucky." For example, given the clue "stereotypical fraternity blowout," the answer would be "keg party."
1.     President after Eisenhower:
2.     Home of the Chiefs and the Royals:
3.     In WWII graffiti, he was here:
4.     A person who kills all the fun:
5.     Money in the middle of a poker table:
6.     Ben ___:
7.     Bush’s opponent in 2004:
8.     Sound when something is destroyed by an explosion:

Riddle of the day
Not born, but from a Mother's body drawn, I hang until half of me is gone. I sleep in a cave until I grow old, then valued for my hardened gold. 

Anagram: unscramble—numbers represent the number of letters in each answer word

Lifestyle  Substance     
Harper’s Index         
Portion of adults under thirty who think Hollywood is a threat to their values: 1/3
Found on You Tube 
Royal wedding of William and Cate       
Planet Earth—

Joke-of-the-day
One day a boy asked his grandpa "grandpa make a frog sound"
The grandfather asked why?
 The boy said, "Grandma says when you croak we are going to Hawaii”
Rules of Thumb   
Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess
When the lights are on after six in the personnel department of a Silicon Valley company, look for layoffs within two weeks.
Yeah, It Really Happened
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Police in Florida said a man told them he fled the scene of an accident and went to a Walmart because he "had the runs." Gainesville police said Barnard Cato III was arrested Tuesday and charged with driving under the influence, hit and run and a felony count of leaving the scene of an accident involving injury after he struck another occupied vehicle and a few newspaper boxes around 7:15 a.m. Tuesday and left the scene, The Gainesville Sun reported Thursday. Police found Cato a few minutes later at a Walmart, where he told officers he did not realize he had hit the other vehicle and he "pulled into the next stop. ... I had the runs, I had to go," he said. Officers said Cato had a "strong odor of alcohol emanating from his breath and clothing" and his eyes were "bloodshot and watery." Cato declined to submit to a breathalyzer test.                 
Somewhat Useless Information   
The first rock ‘n’ roll song to hit #1 was "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley and His Comets. It held the top spot for 8 weeks.
"Baby One More Time" was Britney Spears' first hit. The album sold over 13 million copies in the US and rocketed Britney to super-stardom.
Madonna became known as "The Material Girl" after her hit single of the same name hit the charts in 1984. She hates it, claiming she would never have done the song if she knew the name would stick.

Calendar Information        
…Happening This Week:
19-5/4
Kentucky Derby Week
20-29 
National Dance Week
24-30
National Scoop The Poop Week:
Fiddler's Frolic

Gathering of the Nations PowWow
National Dream Hotline
National Pie Championships

Today Is                                                                      
Mother, Father Deaf Day
National Dance Day
National Dream Hotline
National Hairball Awareness Day
National Pet Parent's Day
"Peace" Rose Day
Pinhole Photography Day
Shrimp Scampi Day
Zipper Day National

Taiwan: Cheng Cheng Kung Landing Day (Commemorates landing in Taiwan in 1661 of Ming Dynasty loyalist Cheng Cheng Kung (Koxinga), who ousted Dutch colonists who had occupied Taiwan for 37 years)
Japan: Showa Day (
honors the birthday of the Showa Emperor (Hirohito), the reigning Emperor from 1926 to 1989)

Today’s Other Events                                                             
1400’s
1429 - Joan of Arc leads Orleans, France, to victory over English
1500’s
1553 - Flemish woman introduces practice of starching linen into England
>< 
1700’s
1700: Lemoyne d'Iberville today visits a Pascagoula village, one day's walk from the French post at Biloxi. The Pascagoula have been hit hard by disease brought by the Europeans. D'Iberville is impressed by the beauty of the Pascagoula women.
1800’s
1851 - One in a series of treaties with California Indians will be signed today at Camp Barbour. These treaties promise to set aside lands for the Indians and to protect them from Americans.
1862 - New Orleans fell to Union forces during Civil War
1882 - Lt. George Morgan, and 6 men from Troop K, 3rd Cavalry are ordered to arrest "Ute Jack", a Chief of the White River Ute. Jack has a knife and he resists. He is shot in the arm by a soldier. Escaping to a nearby teepee, Jack finds a rifle, and shoots the detachment sergeant. Major Julius Mason, 3rd Cavalry arrives, and according to Army reports, "measures are taken resulting in the capture and death of the Indian."
1900’s
1945 - 1st food drop by RAF above nazi-occupied Holland (operation Manna)
1957 - 1st military nuclear power plant dedicated, Fort Belvoir Va
1967 - Aretha Franklin releases "Respect"
1970 - 50,000 US & South Vietnamese troops invade Cambodia
1975 - Vietnam War: Operation Frequent Wind: The U.S. begins to evacuate US citizens from Saigon prior to an expected North Vietnamese takeover. U.S. involvement in the war comes to an end.
1986 - 800,000 books destroyed by fire in LA Central Library
1992 - Jury acquits LA police officers of beating Rodney King, riots begin
1995 - Longest sausage ever, at 2877 miles, made in Kitchener Ontario
2000’s
2002 - The United States is re-elected to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, one year after losing the seat it had held for 50 years
2005 - Syria completes withdrawal from Lebanon, ending 29 years of occupation
2011 - Wedding of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Kate Middleton

Today’s Birthdays                                                           
In their 70’s
Rod Marvin McKuen, Oakland California, singer/composer ( My Friend the Sea) is 79
In their 60’s
Richard Kline, American actor and director is 68
Jim Ryun, US, 1500m runner/broke 4 minute mile (Olympic-silver-1968)  is 65
In their 50’s
Daniel Day-Lewis, England, actor (Last of the Mohicans, My Left Foot) is 55
Kate Mulgrew, Dubuque Iowa, actress (Capt Janeway-Star Trek Voyager) is 57
Michelle Pfeiffer, Midway City California, actress (Married to the Mob) is 54
Eve Plumb, Burbank, actress (Jan-Brady Bunch, I'm Gonna Get You Sucka) is 54
Jerry Seinfeld, comedian/actor (Jerry-Seinfeld) is 58
In their 40’s
Andre Agassi, Las Vegas Nev, tennis star (Oly-gold-96, US Open 1994) is 42
Uma Thurman, actress (Baron Munchausen, Pulp Fiction)is 42
Carnie Wilson, LA California, rock vocalist (Wilson Phillips-Hold On) is 44
Remembered for being born on this day
David Cox, English painter (Treatise on landscape painting) in 1783
Dale Earnhardt, American race car driver in 1951
 [Edward Kennedy], Duke Ellington, Wash DC, bandleader ( Take "A" Train) in 1899
William Randolph Hearst, publisher (SF Examiner, Seattle P-I) in 1863
Hirohito, Emperor of Japan (1926-89) in 1901
Celeste Holm, American actress (Gentleman's Agreement, All About Eve) in 1917
Tommy Noonan, WA, actor (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Promises Promises)
Ewan Roberts, Edinburgh Scotland, actor (Pvt Benjamin) in 1914
[Thomasina] Tammi Terrell, [Montgomery], singer ( Ain't No Mountain High Enough) in 1945
Zauditu, Emptress of Ethiopia in 1876

Today’s Obits                                                           
Charles-Julien Brianchon, math (Brianchon's theorem), dies in 1864 at 80
John Kenneth Galbraith, Canadian economist dies in 2008 at 96 in 2006
Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, British director (Psycho , Birds), dies at 80 in 1980
Albert Hofmann, Swiss chemist, known as the first to synthesize LSD dies in 2008 at 102
Anthony Mann, US director (El Cid, Last Frontier), dies in 1967 of heart attack  at 60
Gavrilo Princip, Bosnian murderer of arch duke Ferdinand, dies of TB in 1918 at 22

Answers                                                                                                                                            
Brain Game: Close Up Picture

Riddle of the day
Cheese

NPR Sunday Puzzle
1.     President after Eisenhower:
a.       Kennedy
2.     Home of the Chiefs and the Royals:
a.      Kansas City
3.     In WWII graffiti, he was here:
a.      Kilroy
4.     A person who kills all the fun:
a.      Killjoy
5.     Money in the middle of a poker table:
a.      kitty
6.     Ben ___:
a.      Kingsley
7.     Bush’s opponent in 2004:
a.      Kerry
8.     Sound when something is destroyed by an explosion:
a.      Kablooey

Anagrams

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  ☺

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Flagstaff, Arizona, United States
I retired in '06--at the ripe old age of 57. I enjoy blogging, photography, traveling, and living life to it's fullest.