Oct 26, 2012

FYI: Any blue text is a link. Click to check it out!

Flagstaff Almanac:  

Week: 43/ Day:    

Today: High   56°…Low 22°

Records: High   78°(1959)…Low 11°(1975)

Averages: High  59° Low 29°

Wind: average:   9mph; Gusts:  17mph

Today’s average humidity:  50%

Quote of the Day:

Today’s Historical  Highlights:

"Doonesbury" comic strip debuts in 28 newspapers—1970

"Federalist Papers" published, calls for ratification of Constitution—1787

1st edition of "Village Voice" (NYC) published—1955

1st section of NY subway opens, after 4 years of work,—1900

1st use of "getaway car" occurs after holding up a shop in Paris—1901

Anwar Sadat became 1st Egyptian president to officially visit US—1975

Cedar Fire, the second-largest fire in California history, kills 15 people, 

     consumes 250,000 acres (1,000 km²), and destroys 2,200 homes 

     around San Diego—2003

Chevrolet unveils V-8 engine—1954

Football Association forms in England, standardizing soccer—1863

Last natural case of smallpox was discovered in Merca district, Somalia. 

     The WHO and the CDC consider this date the anniversary of the eradication 

      of smallpox, the most spectacular success of vaccination—1977

Margaret Sanger arrested for obscenity (advocating birth control) —1916

Minute Men organized in colonies—1774

Pony Express ends—1861

President Nixon released 1st White House tapes on Watergate scandal—1973

Rolling Stones appear on Ed Sullivan Show—1964

United States passes the USA PATRIOT Act into law—2001

Walt Disney's 1st television program, "Disneyland," premieres on ABC—1954

Woolwich Tunnel under Thames opens—1912

Worldwide Red Cross organized in Geneva—1863

♪  ♪   Happy Birthday To: ♪. ♪   

How many can you identify?…answers in Today’s Birthdays

Free Rambling Thoughts:   

I made some changes in some of the information that is in this blog. I got tired of the web site that just never seemed to work. I also got tired of the Guinness World Record Page. So now there is new uses for everyday items and old sayings explained. Enjoy the change!

 

We had a great lunch today. Lots of good conversation. Mary is headed to Phoenix to look at a second home. We are all tired of the stupidity of the campaigns for just about every race…tired of the robo-calls, tired of the glossy flyers that tear down the opponent, tired of the polls. Rachael Maddow showed a plausible scenario where the Electoral College is tied.  That would be a worst case scenario for our country as it would take weeks to name a President and VP. One of Mary’s friends from California brought his daughter to see the NAU campus. Mary tagged along. She had some amazing stories about the new and interesting programs on campus. Turns out that with NAU’s 4 year plan where your tuition remains stable for 4 years makes going to NAU and paying out of state tuition is less expensive than paying instate tuition in California.  

 

Got a call from my brother that his birthday present finally arrived. He really likes the Hubble Universe Book I sent him. He and his wife had just watched a program on the Hubble a couple of weeks ago and were amazed at what it has discovered. Amazing.

Game  Center: (answers at the end of post)

Anagram Sentences:

What are the missing words?

The sudden shout ____ the bird from its ____ to our waiting ____ .

Lifestyle  Substance:     

Unusual Uses for Everyday Things: Tennis Balls

• Protect Your Floors—Protect your precious floors by capping chair legs, walker feet*, and pirate pegs that might need to consistently slide or tap across your floor.
• Laundry—make a GREAT replacement for dryer sheets with regard to fluffification. Static prevention and scent, not so much.
• Remove Floor Scuff Marks—To remove those scuff marks, just put a tennis ball on a stick. Rubbed vigorously on top of a scuff mark, tennis balls act as an eraser. 

Old Saying Explained:

ACHILLES HEEL—In Greek mythology Thetis dipped her son Achilles in the mythical River Styx. Anyone who was immersed in the river became invulnerable. However Thetis held Achilles by his heel. Since her hand covered this part of his body the water did not touch it and so it remained vulnerable. Achilles was eventually killed when Paris of Troy fired an arrow at him and it hit his heel.

Ok, then?

Commercial Jingles you may remember:

Mounds and Almond Joy

Read This Headline Carefully!!

One-armed Man Applauds Kindness of Strangers

Campaign Buttons:

Flash Mobs:

Flash Mob at the Ohio Union

Harper’s Index:         

Number of companies listed on the NASDAQ in 1979 that had ‘.com’ in their name: 120

Today: 17

Unusual Fact of the Day:

In a 2004 episode of Sesame Street, Cookie Monster said that before he started eating cookies, his name was Sid.

Found on You Tube: 

• MAHALIA JACKSON=WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS

• Hoyt Axton - Boney Fingers

Joke-of-the-day:

It was the end of the school year, and a kindergarten teacher was receiving gifts from her pupils. The florist's son handed her a gift. She shook it, held it overhead, and said, "I bet I know what it is. Flowers." "That's right!" the boy said, "But, how did you know?" "Oh, just a wild guess," she said.

The next pupil was the sweet shop owner's daughter. The teacher held her gift overhead, shook it, and said, "I bet I can guess what it is. A box of sweets." "That's right, but how did you know?" asked the girl. "Oh, just a wild guess," said the teacher.

The next gift was from the son of the liquor storeowner. The teacher held the package overhead, but it was leaking. She touched a drop off the leakage with her finger and put it to her tongue. "Is it wine?" she asked. "No," the boy replied, with some excitement. The teacher repeated the process, tasting a larger drop of the leakage. "Is it champagne?" she asked. "No," the boy replied, with more excitement. The teacher took one more big taste before declaring, "I give up, what is it?" With great glee, the boy replied, "It's a puppy!" SURPRISE!

Rules of Thumb:   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

MAILING A LETTER…You can mail five sheets of paper with one first-class stamp.    

Yeah, It Really Happened

LYKENS, Pa. - A Pennsylvania man whose motor home was damaged by a rock-throwing vandal told police he believes Bigfoot is behind the crime. Pennsylvania State Police released a complaint Friday saying John Reed, 39, of Lykens, a member of the Lykens Valley Sasquatch Hunters, told troopers earlier this month he caught a glimpse of the late-night vandal and believes the perpetrator to be the legendary ape rumored to wander the wooded areas of North America, The (Harrisburg) Patriot-News reported Monday. "It wasn't a person. I didn't see any clothes or coat or anything like that," Reed said of the vandal responsible for smashing the windows and taillights of his 1973 Dodge Winnebago. "I don't think it was a bear. It didn't move like a bear." Dauphin County District Attorney Edward Marsico Jr. said his office would prosecute the Sasquatch if it is captured by authorities. "We have been searching for him for years," Marsico said with a laugh. "We would be glad to prosecute, assuming the elusive thing is captured."  

Somewhat Useless Information   

• While gold is currently around $1,700 an ounce, it reached an all-time high in 2011 of nearly $1,800 an ounce. Of course, gold has always been valuable not only as a material resource but also as a commodity. 

• Gold is the sixteenth most rare of the chemical elements. Though it is one of the rarest metals, gold was the first to be discovered by man.  

Calendar Information        

Happening This Week:

21-27

Bullying Bystanders Unite Week
Kids Care Week
National Character Counts Week 
National Chemistry Week 
National Forest Products Week 
National Friends of Libraries Week
National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week 
National Massage Therapy Week
National Respiratory Care Week 
National Save For Retirement Week
National School Bus Safety Week 

Pastoral Care Week
Red Ribbon Week
YWCA Week without Violence 2

24-30

Disarmament Week
International Magic Week

Peace, Friendship and Good Will Week
Prescription Errors Education & Awareness Week
World Hearing Aid Awareness Week

Today Is                                                                      

Mule Day

Frankenstein Friday
International Bandanna Day   
National Breadstix (Bread Sticks) Day  
National Pharmacy Buyer Day
Mule Day    (Historical, not celebration…honors the importation of the first Spanish Jacks to the US which were a gift from King Charles III of Spain delivered October 26, 785 in Boston.)
Perigean Spring Tides

Austria: National Day (birth of the 2nd Republic after WW II.)

Today’s Events through History  

1st American steeplechase horserace (Westchester, NY) —1869

1st European satellite launched, Esro 1, at Cape Kennedy—1968

Britain's House of Lords votes to end the right of hereditary peers to vote i

     n Britain's upper chamber of Parliament—1999

Earthquake strikes Constantinople, causing much damage and death—740

Georgia Colony reverses itself & rules slavery is legal—1749

Guided tours of Alcatraz (by Park Service) begin—1972

Mobs attack Jewish community of Cracow 1492 - Lead pencils 1st used—1407

Mother Teresa founds Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India—1950

Nikita Khrushchev sends note to JFK offering to withdraw his missiles from 

     Cuba if US closed its bases in Turkey offer is rejected—1962

PanAm flies 1st transatlantic jet trip-NY to Paris—1958

Pinckney's Treaty between Spain & US is signed, establishing southern boundary 

     of US & giving Americans right to send goods down Mississippi—1795

President Harry Truman increases minimum wage from 40 cents to 75 cents—1941

President Wilson's veto of Prohibition Enforcement Bill is overridden—1919

Rocky Marciano defeats Joe Louis at Madison Square Garden—1951

Spanish troops give Milan to France—1524

Thomas More appointed English Lord Chancellor—1529

US savings bonds go on sale –1949  

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

Under 30

Sasha Cohen, figure skater 3 time world champion, Silver in 2006 is 28

In their 50’s

Dylan McDermott , actor (Jersey Girl, Steel Magnolias) is 51

In their 60’s

Hillary Clinton (Rodham), First Lady (1993-2001), Senator (NY), Secretary of State is 65

Pat Sajak, Chicago, TV host (Wheel of Fortune, Pat Sajak Show) is 66

Jaclyn Smith, Houston Tx, actress (Kelly-Charlie's Angel, Nightkill) is 67

In their 70’s

Ralph Bakshi, animator (Lord of Rings, Fritz the Cat, Mighty Mouse) is 74

Remembered for being born today

Jackie Coogan, LA California, actor (Uncle Fester-Addams Family), (1914-1984)

Mahalia Jackson, New Orleans, gospel singer (Whole World in his Hands) (1911-1972)

C. W. Post, entrepreneur—breakfast cereals (1854-1914)

Don[ald] Siegel, Chicago IL, director (Escape from Alcatraz, Shootist) (1912-1991)

Today’s Historical Obits                                                           

Hoyt Axton, American actor and country music singer-songwriter—heart attack—1999—at 61

Juan Pantoja de la Cruz, Spanish royal painter—1608—at 56

Collodi, [Carlo Lorenzini], Italian writer (Pinocchio)—1890—at 63

Igor Sikorsky, Russian-American aviation pioneer and helicopter builder—1972—at 83

William Sprague, English co-founder of Charlestown, Mass—1675—at 66

Answer                                                                                                                                            

Anagram sentence

The sudden shout sent the bird from its nest to our waiting nets .

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  §

Oct 25, 2012

FYI: Any blue text is a link. Click to check it out!

Flagstaff Almanac:  

Week: 43/ Day: 299   

Today: High   58°…Low 36°

Records: High   79°(1959)…Low 9°(1975)

Averages: High  59° Low 29°

Wind: average:  18mph; Gusts:  41mph

Today’s average humidity:  65%

Quote of the Day:

Today’s Historical  Highlights:

"Little Orphan Annie" comic strip 1st published—1924
Baghdad bombings kills 155 and wounds at least 721—2009Charge of Light Brigade (Battle of Balaklava, Crimean War), 409 die—1854
Cuba nationalizes all remaining US businesses—1960
Erie Canal opens, linking Great Lakes & Atlantic Ocean—1825
International Red Cross ousted from South Africa—1986
Peace talks aimed at ending Korean War resumed in Panmunjom—1951
Tappan sells 1st microwave oven—1955
US invades Grenada, a country 1/2,000 its population (US Wins!) —1983
Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday & Clanton engage in "Shootout at OK Corral"—1881

♪  ♪   Happy Birthday To: ♪. ♪   

How many can you identify?…answers in Today’s Birthdays

Free Rambling Thoughts:   

The Post Office is pissing me off. When I mailed my brother his package they said it would be there on Monday. It’s Thursday and the package just left the New Jersey Sort Facility where it has been sitting since Monday. I called the PO here and was told that ‘media’ mail takes an average of 10 days. That’s not what they said when I mailed it. I asked about why the web site tracker says the package will be delivered the 21^st. The answer, “that’s just an average”. I can call back on the 27^th, if the package hasn’t been delivered. I knew that ‘media’ was slow, but when the nice lady said ‘5 days’ for $3.50 or Priority for $48.95 (3 days) I decided to go with ‘media’. I’m keeping my brother appraised, as he lives in a place where packages are just put on a table in the front lobby for pickup. If it sits there more than one day it usually disappears. I should have used Amazon, paid ½ the bookstore price and had them ship it. Live and Learn.

 

OMG, another Conservative candidate comes out with an outrageous statement…when a woman becomes pregnant during a rape “that’s something God intended.” That’s not the God I learned about in Sunday school. These conservatives seem to also believe in a Devil. Why, I have to wonder, don’t they say that a pregnancy from rape is an act of the devil? I also wonder how these candidates end up on a ballot.

Game  Center: (answers at the end of post)

Anagram Sentences:

What are the missing words?

The wolf and its ____ were quite ____ and ate ____ from our hands.

Lifestyle  Substance:     

Guinness World Records:

Chad Fell (USA) blew a bubblegum bubble with a diameter of 50.8 cm (20 in) without using his hands at the Double Springs High School, Winston County, Alabama, USA on 24 April 2004.

Ok, then?

Commercial Jingles you may remember:

Cracker Jack

Read This Headline Carefully!!

Puerto Rican Woman named Mistress of the Universe

Campaign Buttons:

Flash Mobs:

Denver Airport Holiday Flash Mob

Harper’s Index:         

Number of workdays it would take the average American to read the privacy policy of every website khe or she visits in a year: 30

Unusual Fact of the Day:

There really was a Captain Morgan. He was a Welsh pirate who later became the lieutenant governor of Jamaica.

Found on You Tube: 

• The Canterbury Tales Prologue in Middle English

• Roger Miller singing King Of The Road

• Top Twenty Pablo Picasso Paintings

Joke-of-the-day:

A lawyer died and arrived at the pearly gates. To his dismay, there were thousands of people ahead of him in line to see St. Peter. To his surprise, St. Peter left his desk at the gate and came down the long line to where the lawyer was, and greeted him warmly. Then St. Peter and one of his assistants took the lawyer by the hands and guided him up to the front of the line, and into a comfortable chair by his desk. The lawyer said, "I don't mind all this attention, but what makes me so special?" St. Peter replied, "Well, I've added up all the hours for which you billed your clients, and by my calculation you must be about 193 years old!"

Rules of Thumb:   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

 SELLING LOTTERY TICKETS…If you walk into a bar where a lot of people wear baseball caps, it's a good place to sell lottery tickets.   

Yeah, It Really Happened

LAHORE, Pakistan - Attendees at a Pakistani youth fair broke seven world records during the weekend. New global marks were set in most martial arts kicks in 3 minutes, plug wiring, fastest chess set up, cooking the most number of chapattis (bread), pulling a truck by a mustache and most football headers at the the Punjab Youth Festival in Lahore on Sunday, Geo News reported. On Saturday, attendees to the festival broke the record for most people singing a national anthem. Ahmad Amin Bodla broke the record for most kicks, while the record of chess setup was broken by Mehar Gul and Mohammad Mansha broke the chapatti making record. Noman Anjum set the world record in plug wiring and Mohammad Sadi set the world record of pulling a truck by a mustache. The record for football headers was set by Daniyal Gill and Qamar Zaman. A team from Guinness World Records was at the festival to verify the records.  

Somewhat Useless Information   

• The maximum speed limit you'll see on US highway signs depends on the state. In Iowa, New Mexico, and North and South Dakota, 75 mph is posted on some stretches of interstate highways. But in Hawaii, 60 mph is the maximum statewide, and in the District of Columbia, 55 mph is still the law.

• The criteria vary from state to state, but as a rule, each area works closely with the Department of Natural Resources to review reported automobile/deer accidents. A "Deer Crossing" sign is generally erected whenever a deer has been hit within the previous 12 months.

• Forty-nine states participate in the "Adopt a Highway" program. The lone holdout is Vermont, whose anti-billboard laws prohibit the necessary road adoption signage.

• In 2004, the Federal Highway Administration approved the use of a new font, Clearview, on federal road signs after tests showed that drivers found Clearview easier to read than the current Highway Gothic font.

• The large blue signs on freeways indicating that there's a Shell station or a McDonald's at the next exit are called "interstate logo boards." A business must meet strict criteria, such as restrooms, telephones, no cover charge, and so on, in order to get its name posted.

• The Federal Highway Administration has adopted certain shapes for the various types of road signs in hopes that drivers will recognize them reflexively. A round sign indicates a railroad crossing; a pentagon stands for a school crossing; and diamond-shaped signs alert us to a particular potential hazard.

Calendar Information        

Happening This Week:

21-27

Bullying Bystanders Unite Week
Kids Care Week
National Character Counts Week 
National Chemistry Week 
National Forest Products Week 
National Friends of Libraries Week
National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week 
National Massage Therapy Week
National Respiratory Care Week 
National Save For Retirement Week
National School Bus Safety Week 

Pastoral Care Week
Red Ribbon Week
YWCA Week without Violence 2

24-30

Disarmament Week
International Magic Week

Peace, Friendship and Good Will Week
Prescription Errors Education & Awareness Week
World Hearing Aid Awareness Week

Today Is                                                                       

Punk For A Day Day

Chucky, The Notorious Killer Doll Day

Sourest Day- Reserve the right to be grumpy, irritable and sour about 

      the world and everything in it

World Pasta Day  

~Taiwan- Retrocession Day (to commemorate the end of 50 years 

      of Japanese colonial rule of Taiwan in 1945)

Today’s Events through History  

110th member of UN admitted (Uganda) —1962
1st electronic wrist watch placed on sale, NYC—1960
1st scheduled transcontinental air service began—1930
1st trial against Nazi war criminals (Nuremberg) —1946
Air Force fires 1st ICBM—1974
Battle of Agincourt, Welsh longbow defeat armored knight—1415
Cherokee sign a treaty today with Return Meigs on the Duck River covering      land north of the Tennessee River in Kentucky and Middle Tennessee      (7 stat. 93) —1805Emperor Charles V bans wooden buildings in Amsterdam—1521
Fidel Castro, Cuba's President, announces that transactions using the       American Dollar will be banned by November 8—2004
Giovanni Cassini discovers Lapetus, satellite of Saturn—1671
Hepatitis virus is discovered—1984
John Adams marries Abigail Smith (marriage lasts 54 years) —1764
John Steinbeck awarded Nobel Prize in literature—1962
Postcards 1st used in US—1870
Rolling Stones release "Get Off of My Cloud"—1965
Windows XP first became available—2001

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

Under 30

Katy Perry, pop singer (I Kissed A Girl, Waking Up In Vegas is 28

In their 40’s

Tracy Nelson, California, American actress (Glitter, Square Pegs, Father Dowling) is 49

In their 70’s

Bobby Knight, college basketball coach (Indiana, Olympic-gold-1984) is 72

In their 80’s

Marion Ross, actress (Marion-Happy Days, Bkln Bridge) will be 84

Remembered for being born today

James Beattie, Scotland, poet/philosopher (Essay on Truth) (1735-1808)

Richard E Byrd, Virginia, admiral/polar explorer (1888-1957)

Leo G. Carroll, English actor (1892-1972)

John Francis Dodge, American automobile pioneer (1864-1920)

Tony [Anthony] Franciosa, [Papaleo], NYC, actor (Jeff-Name of the Game) (1928-1996)

Minnie Pearl, [Sarah Ophelia Colley], Tenn, (Grand Old Opry, Hee-Haw)(1912-1996)

Pablo Picasso, Malaga Spain, artist (3 Dancers, Guernica), (1881-1973)

Today’s Historical Obits                                                           

Lisa Blount, actress [An Officer and a Gentleman], producer—blood disease—2010—at 53

Geofrey Chaucer, author (Canterbury Tales)—unknown causes—1400—at 56 or 57

Caroline Lavinia Scott Harrison, 1st lady (1889-1892)—TB—1892—at 60

Roger Miller, country singer (King of the Road)—lung cancer—1992—at 56

Vincent Price, actor (Raven, Fly)—lung cancer—1993— at 82

Bobby Riggs, tennis star—prostate cancer—1995—at 77

Forrest Tucker, actor (O'Rourke-F Troop, Dusty Trail) emphysema—1986—at 67

Answers                                                                                                                                            

Anagram sentence

The wolf and its mate were quite tame and ate meat from our hands.

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  §