May 8

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

♪Happy Birthday To: ♪ 

                   

Today’s  Historical  Highlights

1541: Hernando de Soto discovers Mississippi River

1792: British Capt George Vancouver sights, names Mt Rainier, Wash

1792: US establishes military draft

1877: 1st Westminster Dog Show held

1899: The Irish Literary Theatre in Dublin opens

1921: Sweden abolished capital punishment

1952: Mad Magazine debuts

1958: VP Nixon is shoved, stoned, booed & spat upon by protesters in Peru

1967: Muhammad Ali is indicted for refusing induction in US Army

1971: Joe Frazier beats Muhammad Ali at Madison Sq Garden

1994: Pres Clinton announces US will no longer repatriate boat people

 

Free Rambling Thoughts   

An interesting Monday. I ran errands early this morning and found a couple of b-day presents for a friend. A good day to out, but the smell from Purina was overwhelming near the stores I was visiting. Then this afternoon everything clouded up and it looks like snow…but it is not cold enough. Strange indeed.

I was just watching CNN and several Republican Congressional candidates from the southern part of America are campaigning with a line that Obama’s  birth certificate is a forgery and ‘that where there is smoke, there is fire.’ I still can’t understand why these racists, who refuse to accept a bi-racial Black President of the US, are even on the news. There are lots of crazies everywhere who don’t get on the news.

Game   Center   (answers at the end of post)

Brain Game—A close up picture of what?

NPR Sunday Puzzle

Complete a two-word phrase with a word that starts with the third and fourth letters of the word given to you. For example, given "baseball," the answer would be "season," which starts with S-E, the third and fourth letters in "baseball."

1.      Postage:

2.     Clerical:

3.     Liberty:

4.     Straight:

5.     Second:

6.     Short:

7.     Silent:

8.     Estate:

9.     Intelligence:

10.  Pythagorean:

Riddle of the day

What walks all day on its head?

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

Lifestyle  Substance     

Harper’s Index         

Chances that a member of a US corporation’s compensation committee is someone the CEO considers a friend: 1 in 3

Found on You Tube 

VE-day 8th May 1945        

Planet Earth—

Joke-of-the-day

Confusius say: "man who run behind car get exhausted"..."man who run in front of car get tired"

Rules of Thumb   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

If you get rid of the 20 percent of your customers who cause 80 percent of your headaches, your profit will increase by 30 percent.

Yeah, It Really Happened

 NEW YORK — Russians prefer their Lay's potato chips dusted in caviar and crab flavors. The Chinese like their Oreos stuffed with mango and orange cream. And in Spain, Kellogg's All-Bran cereal is served floating in hot coffee instead of cold milk.Growth in the snack food industry has been virtually flat in the U.S. for the past two years, according to market research firm Euromonitor. Meanwhile, combined sales in China, Brazil and Russia — three major developing markets — rose 15 percent in 2010 and 11 percent last year to $17 billion. That's half the size of the U.S. market but it's growing.

              

Somewhat Useless Information   

• Elektro, the world's first humanoid robot, debuted in 1939. Built by Westinghouse, the seven-foot-tall walking machine "spoke" more than 700 words. Elektro later appeared in the 1960 B movie Sex Kittens Go to College.
• Leonardo da Vinci drew up plans for an armored humanoid machine in 1495. Engineer Mark Rosheim has created a functional miniature version for NASA to help colonize Mars.

Calendar Information        

…Happening This Week:

6-12

Anxiety & Depression Awareness Week

Be Kind To Animals Week

Dystonia Awareness Week

Children's Mental Health Week

Choose Privacy Week

Drinking Water Week

Flexible Work Arrangement Week

Goodwill Industries Week

International Wildlife Film Week

Kids Win Week

NAOSH Week

National Alcohol & Drug Related Birth Defects Awareness Week National

National Family Week

National Hug Holiday Week

National Nurses Day and Week

National Occupational Safety & Health Day

National Pet Week

National Raisin Week

National Wildflower Week

North American Occupational Safety & Health Week

PTA Teacher Appreciation Week

7-13

Children's Book Week

Dating and Life Coach Recognition Week

National Correctional Officer's Week

National Stuttering Awareness Week

Teacher Appreciation Week

Work At Home Moms Week

Today Is                                                                      

Have A Coke Day

National Teacher Day

No Socks Day

Red Cross / Red Crescent Day

Stay up All Night

Time of Remembrance & Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives During the Second World War

V E Day World

à

Liberation Day (Czech Republic-1945 at end of WWII)
Liberation Day (Slovakia-1945 at end of WWII)
Victory Day (France-1945 at end of WWII)
Yom Ha'Zikkaron (Israel - Remembrance Day from all wars)

Today’s Other Events                                                             

1500’s

1521: Parliament of Worms installs edict against Marten Luther

1600’s

1660: English parliament declares Charles Stuart to be King Charles II of England

1700’s

1725: In one of the last battles of Lovewell’s or Father Rasle’s War, Pigwacket Indians defeat a British army under Captain John Lovewell at Fryeburg, Maine.

1784: Only known deaths by hailstones in US (Winnsborough SC)

1800’s

1820: The Mi’kmaq Acadia First Nation reserve of Gold River is established in Nova Scotia. The Shubenacadie First Nation reserve of Indian Brook #14 is also set up.

1846: 1st major battle of Mexican War fought at Palo Alto Texas

1900’s

1914: Paramount Pictures is formed

1946: The Estonian school girls Aili Jõgi and Ageeda Paavel blow up the Soviet memorial that preceded the Bronze Soldier in Tallinn

1958: Pres Eisenhower orders National Guard out of Central HS, Little Rock

1961: 1st practical sea water conversion plant-Freeport Texas

1963: "Dr No" premieres in US

1966: Only HR ever hit out of Baltimore's Memorial Park (Frank Robinson)

1968: Jim (Catfish) Hunter of Oakland pitches perfect game vs Twins (4-0)

1976: The rollercoaster Revolution (roller coaster), the first steel coaster with a vertical flip, opens at Six Flags Magic Mountain

1980: World Health Organization announced smallpox had been eradicated

2000’s

2005: The new Canadian War Museum opens, in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of V-E Day

2007: A new Northern Ireland Executive is formed under the leadership of Ian Paisley of the Democratic Unionist Party as First Minister and Martin McGuinness of Sinn Féin as Deputy First Minister

2010: The last piece of Yankee Stadium falls in the Bronx, New York, marking the end of the two year demolition process

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

In their 80’s

David Attenborough, producer/TV host /scientist is 86

Don Rickles, comedian (Don Rickles Show, CPO Sharkey) will be 86

In their 70’s

Dennis DeConcini, (Sen-D-AZ, 1977-1995 ) is 75

Toni Tennille, American singer (Captain and Tennille Love Will Keep Us Together)is 72

à

In their 50’s

Alex Van Halen, Amsterdam The Netherlands, Dutch drummer (Van Halen) is 59  

à

In their 30’s

Enrique Iglesias, Spanish singer-songwriter and King of Latin Pop (Bailamos, Hero) will be 37

Remembered for being born on this day

Peter Benchley, NYC, novelist (Jaws, The Deep), in 1940

Edward Gibbon, England, historian (Decline & Fall of Roman Empire) in 1737

Thomas Hancock, founded British rubber industry in 1786

Miguel Hidalgo y Castilla, father of Mexican independence in 1753

Ricky Nelson, NJ, rock star (Hello Mary Lou , It's Late, Garden Party) in 1940

Fulton J Sheen, El Paso Ill, bishop (Life is Worth Living) in 1895

Today’s Obits                                                           

Peggy Cass, American actress and comedian dies of heart failure in 1999 at 74

Joe DiMaggio, American baseball player dies in 1999 at 84

Millard Fillmore, 13th president (1850-53), dies of stroke in 1874 at 74

Harold Lloyd, US comic/actor (Safety Last), dies of cancer in 1971 at 77

William Howard Taft, 27th US pres (1909-13)/Chief Justice, dies in 1930 at 72

Answers                                                                                                                                            

Brain Game: Close Up Picture

Riddle of the day

A nail in a horseshoe

NPR Sunday Puzzle

1.      Postage: stamp

2.     Clerical: error

3.     Liberty: bell

4.     Straight: razor

5.     Second: coming, cousin

6.     Short: order

7.     Silent: letter

8.     Estate: tax

9.     Intelligence: test

10.  Pythagorean: theorem

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  ☺

May 7

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

♪Happy Birthday To: ♪ 

Today’s  Historical  Highlights

See below

 

Free Rambling Thoughts   

When my Sunday paper hadn’t arrived by 8a, I called the paper. When it wasn’t here by 11a I called again. About noon the paper delivery guy called. I already know he is disabled, and he called to tell me that his knee was really hurting and he would deliver it later this afternoon. About 3p my phone rang and the guy was sitting outside the house, in his vehicle, awaiting my arrival to get the paper. I went out and listened to him bitch about how big the paper was, and how tomorrow it will be so small and how the newspaper staff should keep the paper the same size every day. Then he handed me the paper with no apology. I thanked him, but was upset. I do feel some empathy for him—the whole ‘there but for the grace…’ but I also pay for a service, and I tip quite well. Thankfully this doesn’t happen very often, so I just blew it off.

Our discussion group had a little stumbling block when the moderator was prepared to talk of the wrong article, one we had done previously. We did have a good discussion with some new points since he hadn’t been at the previous presentation. He works at NAU and had just returned from Dubai and Saudi Arabia on a recruitment trip for new students. According to him, in most countries there is a whole industry that helps, for a charge, students find foreign universities—mostly in the US, Canada, and the UK. He is very limited on his travels and only meets with students of the particular company that invited him to the country. He does have evenings free and parts of the day…prayer time..to see the city. The problem is all the shops and tourist spots close during prayers. I also learned that many Arab countries will not allow tourists into their country if they have an Israeli stamp in their passport. To combat this, Israel will simply stamp a piece of paper and place it inside your passport and it is taken back when you leave Israel.

Game   Center   (answers at the end of post)

Brain Game—A close up picture of what?

NPR Sunday Puzzle

You are given clues to two words, each with two syllables. The vowel sound in the first syllable of the first word is a long A. Change that vowel to a short I, and phonetically you will get a new word that answers the second clue. For example, given "president after Polk" and "part of a boat," the answer would be "Taylor" and "Tiller."

1.      William Penn, for example; more astute:

2.     Occurring every 24 hours; Lulu:

3.     A worker who makes bread; to argue:

4.     Heavy; clever:

5.     Tasty; 1920’s car, informally:

6.     Procrastinator’s word; trash:

7.     To rouse from sleep; a witch:

8.     A watch brand: a person who is deranged and does bad things:

9.     Banality; quiet:

10.  City in Italy; part of baby bottles:

Riddle of the day

What is it that you can keep after giving it to someone else?

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

Lifestyle  Substance     

Harper’s Index         

Percentage of Republicans who say the current economic order ‘favors a very small portion of the rich’: 62

Percentage increase in total congressional new worth since 2008: 24

Found on You Tube 

Johnny Unitas       

Planet Earth—

Joke-of-the-day

Little Johnny was not paying attention in class so the math teacher called on him and said, “Johnny! What are 5, 2, 28 and 40?”
Little Johnny quickly replied, “NBC, CBS, HBO, and Cartoon Network!”

Rules of Thumb   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

The materials for a mass-produced electronic device should cost about 10 percent of the retail price of the finished product.

Yeah, It Really Happened

PALATKA, Fla. - A pair of Florida mud-bogging enthusiasts married at the same mud pit where the groom proposed a year ago. Kodie Umphenour, 24, and Carina Pasco, 31, were wed Saturday at the Hog Waller Mud Bog & ATV mud pit in Putnam County in a ceremony described on the invitations as "Our Big Ol' Muddy Redneck Wedding," The St. Augustine Record reported Wednesday.
The wedding was preceded by several minutes of mud tossing among guests and independent visitors to the mud pit. ATV riders were asked to silence their engines during the ceremony. The wedding blended the families of Umphenour, who has two children, and Pasco, who has four.
Umphenour said the wedding doubled as a honeymoon. "I've got to get back to work Monday," he said. "This is our honeymoon."     

           

Somewhat Useless Information   

Female horse winners at the Kentucky Derby: Regret became the first to do it in 1915. She was followed by Genuine Risk in 1980 and Winning Colors in 1988Nixon attended the 1968 Derby won by Forward PassOnly three horses have ever run the Kentucky Derby in less than two minutes: Monarchos, Secretariat and Sham

Calendar Information        

…Happening This Week:

1-7

Bread Pudding Recipe Exchange Week

Update Your References Week

6-12

Anxiety & Depression Awareness Week

Be Kind To Animals Week

Dystonia Awareness Week

Children's Mental Health Week

Choose Privacy Week

Drinking Water Week

Flexible Work Arrangement Week

Goodwill Industries Week

International Wildlife Film Week

Kids Win Week

NAOSH Week

National Alcohol & Drug Related Birth Defects Awareness Week National

National Family Week

National Hug Holiday Week

National Nurses Day and Week

National Occupational Safety & Health Day

National Pet Week

National Raisin Week

National Wildflower Week

North American Occupational Safety & Health Week

PTA Teacher Appreciation Week

7-13

Children's Book Week

Dating and Life Coach Recognition Week

National Correctional Officer's Week

National Stuttering Awareness Week

Teacher Appreciation Week

Work At Home Moms Week

Today Is                                                                      

Accountant's Day or Accounting Day

Beaufort Scale Day  A scale of wind velocity ranging from 0 (calm) to 12 (hurricane)

International Tuba Day

Melanoma Monday

Mother Ocean Day
National Babysitters Day
National Homebrew Day
National Roast Leg of Lamb Day

Paste Up Day like they used to do with newspapers

Spring Astronomy Day
World Fair Trade Day

Today’s Other Events                                                             

See yesterday’s list. I missed all events by one day. Oops

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

In their 80’s

Pete V Domenici, (Sen-R-NM, 1973- ) is 80

à

In their 40’s

Traci Lords, actress, producer, singer is 44

Remembered for being born on this day

Anne Baxter, Mich City Ind, actr (Myra-Marcus Welby, Victoria-Hotel) in 1923

Teresa Brewer, Toledo Ohio, singer (Cotton Fields ) in 1931

Robert Browning, London England, poet (Pied Piper) in 1812

Johannes Brahms, Hamburg Germany, composer in 1833

Totie Fields, American comedienne in 1930

George "Gabby" Hayes, Wellesvile NY, actor in 1885

Robert Hegyes, NJ, actor (Underground Aces, Welcome Back Kotter)in 1951

Darren McGavin, Spokane Wash, actor (Night Stalker, Tribes, Turk 182) in 1922

Eva Peron-Duarte [Evita], Argentina, 1st lady/actress, in 1919

Tim Russert, Buffalo NY,American television journalist and host of NBC’s Meet the Press in 1950

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Votkinsk, Russia, composer (1812 Overture , Swan Lake) in 1840

Josip Broz Tito, WW II partisan, leader of Yugoslavia (1943-80) in 1892

Johnny Unitas, NFL QB (Balt Colts, San Diego); one of the greats in 1933

Today’s Obits                                                           

Dawn Addams, actress (Alan Young Show, Star Maidens), dies of cancer in 1985 at 54

Eddie Rabbitt, American musician (I LOVE A RAINY NIGHT) dies of lung cancer in 1998 at 56

Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., American actor, WWII hero dies in 2000 at 90

Sir James George Frazer, Scottish anthropologist dies in 1941 at 87

William Buell Sprague, American clergyman and author dies in 1876 at 81

Alfred G Vanderbilt, US millionaire, dies aboard Lusitania in 1915 at 37

Correction from yesterday: Henry David Thoreau died in 1862

Answers                                                                                                                                            

Brain Game: Close Up Picture

Riddle of the day

Your word

NPR Sunday Puzzle

1.      William Penn, for example; more astute: Quaker, quicker

2.     Occurring every 24 hours; Lulu: daily; dilly

3.     A worker who makes bread; to argue: baker, bicker

4.     Heavy; clever: weighty; witty

5.     Tasty; 1920’s car, informally: flavor; flivver

6.     Procrastinator’s word; trash: later; liter

7.     To rouse from sleep; a witch: waken; wiccan

8.     A watch brand: a person who is deranged and does bad things: Seiko; sick-o

9.     Banality; quiet: staleness; stillness

10.  City in Italy; part of baby bottles: Naples; nipples

  

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  ☺