Mar 23, 2013


FYI: Any blue text is a link. Click to check it out!
Flagstaff Almanac:  Week: 12/ Day: 82   Today: H   56°L 23°
Averages: H  52° L 24° Records: H 68°(2004)L -1°(1952)
Wind: ave:   16mph; Gusts:  33mph  Ave. humidity:  43%

Quote of the Day

Today’s Historical Highlights
1st dated edition of Maimonides "Mishneh Torah" published1490
1st recorded use of "OK" [oll korrect] (Boston's Morning Post)1839
1st telephone installed in White House1929
English pretender to the throne James III lands at Firth of Forth1708
Pres Harrison opens Oklahoma for white colonization1889
University of California founded (Oakland California)1868
US move native-born of Japanese ancestry into detention centers1942
     Happy Birthday To: ♪. ♪   
How many can you identify?…answers in Today’s Birthdays

Free Rambling Thoughts   
A good time at the Home Show followed by a good lunch. Home Show always has interesting people who are selling stuff. This year seemed to have a lot more young [under 30] people at the ‘how have you lived without this’ booths. Also a lot of retirement age people selling at those booths. I couldn’t help but wonder if the seniors at these booths were doing it—for years and years and loved it, supplementing their retirement, or just needed to do it to make bill payments. Still a lot of cool stuff, and a few ideas for my place.
 
I have long wondered how we can fight in two wars at the same time without having some kind of ‘rationing’ or discomfort for all Americans…like during WWII. I think I am beginning to understand. When WWII ended, the GI’s were offered many benefits toward education for their and housing when they returned. Today, combatants must wait up to a year to get desperately needed services because the VA is prepared to help them. I get that the WWII vets were drafted, and today’s vets volunteered. But I also get that many who are returning would not have survived during WWII. The families who have a family member die in combat get a one-time payment for burial. Wounded vets are a ‘many times-many payments’ deal. That is where the $$$ for the war should be going. How can these crazy war mongers in Congress and the Administration not spend long nights making bills that will provide the necessary treatment for our military? I have some friends who were in VietNam. At first I had a hard time understanding the whole PTSD thing, but when I saw a friend curl up in a corner when some fireworks were set off on the 4th of July in Tuba, I suddenly got it. I then had two PTSD maintenance workers in Pine Ridge with it. It is very serious and they needed lifelong help. Then there are physically mutilated who need help with mechanisms as well as mental help to deal with their injury. War is never cheap and today’s wars are even more expensive than the bombs. I find it a National disgrace that our last few presidents and the last few congresses have done very little to help these vets. Yes, they are given parades and salutes, and handshakes at airports upon returning…but then they are out in the cruel world to deal with their physical and mental injuries.  No wonder so many end up divorced, homeless, and suicidal. A congressional or presidential investigation into the VA is long overdue.
Game  Center (answers at the end of post)
Brain Teasers
Each sentence below contains a word that can be anagrammed to answer or describe the sentence.
Example: Craft that might tip in the ocean. Answer: Canoe (Anagram of ocean)
1. Bit of brush 2. Opposite of unite 3. Writings of a steno 4. They affix without paste 5. Having less reason for fears 6. Animal that may need a shoer
Excerpted from an old Reader's Digest
Lifestyle  Substance:     
Found on You Tube with some relevance to today

from Cracked.com
Def Leppard
The story: 
Singer Joe Elliott thought of the name Deaf Leopard while he was in school (presumably while failing something). The spelling was later changed so the band didn't become confused with punk bands (who are known for their flawless spelling).
Why it's ridiculous: 
Putting aside '80s metal bands' fascination with animals for a minute (White Tiger, Whitesnake, Great White, Jackyl, Ratt) unless you're a Mozart-level talent, there's simply no excuse for including a word in your band's name that means you can't hear sounds.
Goo Goo Dolls
The story: The band found the name in an issue of True Detective Magazine after a club owner balked at their original name, the Sex Maggots.

Why it's ridiculous: 
Say it out loud. There's your reason. But not only does the name sound like something an infant would gargle, it doesn't come anywhere near to complimenting the band's sound (neither does the Sex Maggots, for that matter). Sure it might have seemed like an ironic name back when you guys were young and confident, but now you're on adult contemporary radio, and your name reminds people of the gurgling mess in the back seat that brought their youth to an abrupt end. ROCK!
Ok, then?

Harper’s Index    
  • Percentage of Canadians who believe in global warming: 98
  • Of Americans who do: 70
  • Of Republicans: 48
  • Percentage of Republicans who believe in demonic possession: 68

Picture of the Day: Mammals of the Sea

Unusual Fact of the Day
The first Ford Mustangs, built in 1964, were nothing more than Ford Falcons with different exterior sheet metal.
Joke-of-the-day
Six guys were playing poker when Smith loses $500 on a single hand, clutches his chest and drops dead at the table. Showing respect for their fallen comrade, the other five complete their playing time standing up. Roberts looks around and asks, "Now, who is going to tell the wife?" They draw straws. Rippington, who is always a loser, picks the short one. They tell him to be discreet, be gentle, don't make a bad situation any worse than it is. "Gentlemen! Discreet? I'm the most discreet man you will ever meet. Discretion is my middle name, leave it to me." Rippington walks over to the Smith house, knocks on the door, the wife answers, and asks what he wants. Rippington says, "Your husband just lost $500 playing cards." She hollers, "TELL HIM TO DROP DEAD!" Rippington says, "I'll tell him.  
Rules of Thumb:   
Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess
SHINING UP YOUR HORSE
 A horse with a dull coat needs more corn in its diet.    
Yeah, It Really Happened
GREENSBURG, Pa. — Fifty-two bottles of well-aged whiskey disappeared between his lips, police said, and now it's time for a western Pennsylvania man to settle up.
John Saunders, the former live-in caretaker of a Pittsburgh-area mansion, faces criminal charges for allegedly drinking more than $100,000 worth of the owner's whiskey.
Owner Patricia Hill found nine cases of whiskey hidden in the walls and stairwell of the century-old Georgian mansion built by coal and coke industrialist J.P. Brennan after she bought it in 2012. The Old Farm Pure Rye Whiskey was produced in the early 1900s by the nearby West Overton Distilling Co.
"My guess is that Mr. Brennan ordered 10 cases . pre-Prohibition," said Hill, a New Yorker who bought the house to convert it into a bed-and-breakfast. "I was told by his family that family members used to greet him at the door each day with a shot of whiskey."
Scottdale police told The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review ( ) that Saunders drank dozens of bottles whiskey valued at $102,400 by a New York auction house.
Saunders, 62, of Irwin, was charged with receiving stolen property and theft. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.
Hill told police Chief Barry Pritts she stored the whiskey in the original cases, which contained 12 bottles each. After Saunders moved out, Hill said she discovered last March that the bottles in four cases were empty.
Saunders initially denied drinking the whiskey when questioned by police, but Pritts said a DNA linked him to three of the empty bottles.
Somewhat Useless Information   
  • The English word "handcuff" is a corruption of the Anglo-Saxon word handcops, an obsolete word meaning "to fetter".
  • In February 2008, an eight-year-old boy in New Hampshire had to be freed by firefighters after getting stuck in a pair of handcuffs he found in his mother's bedroom.
  • For over 15 years TUFF-TIES, plastic disposable handcuffs, have been used and approved internationally by the Military and over 3,000 federal, state, county, local police agencies, and security forces in all types of arrest and restraint situations.
  • A standard pair of modern handcuffs weighs no more than 15 oz and the minimum opening of the bracelet is 2 inches. The maximum overall length of the handcuffs is 9.4 in (24 cm).
  • Jean Merola, a 75-year-old grandmother of eight, was arrested for disorderly conduct after she refused an officer's orders to move her car while she waited for the coffee and fries she ordered at the drive-through window. Merola was handcuffed behind her back and put in the cruiser.
  • In 1910, Houdini published the book Handcuff Secrets to discourage hack imitators. In the book, he wrote, "you can open the majority of the old-time cuffs with a shoestring. By simply making a loop in the string, you can lasso the end of the screw in the lock and yank the bolt back, and so open the cuff in as clean a manner as if opened with the original key."


Calendar Information        
Happening This Week:
17-23
Campfire USA Birthday Week
Consider Christianity Week
Health Information Professionals Week

National Animal Poison Prevention Week
National Inhalant and Poisons Awareness Week

Root Canal Awareness Week

18-24
Act Happy Week
American Chocolate Week

Flood Awareness Week
Wellderly Week
Wildlife Week
World Folktales & Fables Week
21-27
Week of Solidarity with People's Struggling Against Racism & Discrimination

Today Is                                                                       
Corn Dog Day
Liberty Day
National Puppy Day
Near Miss Day 1989 when asteroid came within 500,000 miles of earth
OK Day
UN World Meteorological Day
~Pakistan: Republic Day (1956; became Islamic)

Today’s Events through History  
Dame Nellie Melba, reveals secret of her now famous toast1901
Dixie Cup invented 1922 - 1st airplane lands at the US Capitol in Washington, DC1912
Evel Knievel breaks 93 bones after successfully clearing 35 cars1972
Patrick Henry proclaims "Give me liberty or give me death"1775
Sir Alexander Cuming will hold a conference with 300 CHEROKEE Chiefs. 
     Using threats and gifts, Cuming will get the CHEROKEEs to agree to 
     acknowledge King George II of England as their sovereign1730
Streetcar patented (E A Gardner of Phila)1858
US army sells last homing pigeons1957
Wayne Gretzky sets NHL record with 802 goals scored1994

Today’s Birthdays                                                           
In their 80’s
Roger Bannister, England, 1st to run a 4 minute mile is 84

In their 60’s
Chaka Khan, [Stevens], Great Lakes Il, rocker (Rufus-I am Every Woman) is 60

In their 50’s
Moses Malone, NBA center (Atlanta Hawks, Milw Bucks, Phila '76ers) is 58

In their 40’s
Jason Kidd, NBA guard (Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks) is 40

In their 30’s
Perez Hilton, American television personality and blogger is 35

Remembered for being born today
Joan Crawford, [Lucille Le Sueur], Texas, actress (Mildred Pierce) [1905-1977]
Werner von Braun, Wirsitz Germany, rocket expert (I Aim at the Stars) [1912-1977]

Today’s Historical Obits                                                           
Rafqa Pietra Choboq Ar-Rayès (Saint Rebecca) Lebanese saint1914at 82
Barney Clark, 1st artifical heart recipient, dies after 112 days1983at 62
Peter Lorre, actor (Casino Royale)stroke1964at 59
Elizabeth Taylor, English-American actressheart failure2011at 79 

Answer: Brain Teasers
1. Shrub 2. Untie 3. Notes 4. Tapes 5. Safer 6. Horse
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 22, 2013


FYI: Any blue text is a link. Click to check it out!
Flagstaff Almanac:  Week: 12/ Day: 81   Today: H 61°L 32°
Averages: H  52° L 24° Records: H 70°(2004)L 5°(1948)
Wind: ave:   11mph; Gusts:  26mph  Ave. humidity:  54%

Quote of the Day

Today’s Historical Highlights
1st colonial legislation prohibiting gambling enacted (Boston)1630
1st US rocket to leave the Earth's atmosphere (50 miles up)1946
Anchorage jury finds Capt Hazelwood innocent of Valdez oil spill1990
Comet Hale-Bopp Closest Approach1997
Edmunds Act adopted by the US to suppress polygamy, 1300 men later imprisoned1882 
Illinois becomes 1st state to require sexual equality in employment1872
US confirms its troops used chemical warfare against the Vietcong1965

     Happy Birthday To: ♪. ♪   
How many can you identify?…answers in Today’s Birthdays

Free Rambling Thoughts   
Great spring day…slight breeze and gusts were few and far between. The HOA had workers hear about 8a blowing the dust, dirt and pine needles from the parking lot. Lots of dust…actually surprised me and the road didn’t look that dirty, but the dust clouds they were making with their blowers showed that there was lots of dust. They were nice enough to clean the driving areas and then blow the dust that landed on cars off the vehicles. Soon they will be trimming and cleaning up our front areas of pine needles.
 
Our country does not seem to be run by congress anymore…it is run by lobbyists. The ban on assault weapons has been pulled. The latest figures show that the vast majority of American adults want an assault weapon ban. The NRA lobby, which currently represents about 2% of the adult population and the gun manufacturing industry have convinced the congressional leadership that a ban on assault weapons will destroy America as we know it. It is time that the gun violence in America ends through legislation. I am still in shock that the Democratic leadership would at least not have this voted on so all American citizens would know who voted to allow assault weapons and large magazines remain part of our great country.
 
I watched two interesting movies on PPV this past week. One was the remake of Red Dawn, that now has the N. Koreans invading the US. As in the original, it’s young kids that save the country. Then I watched Zero Dark Thirty about the killing of Osama. The latter was an ‘edge of your seat’ movie, even when you know the ending. Both movies were well done.  
Game  Center (answers at the end of post)
Brain Teasers
Decapitate me and all becomes equal. Then truncate me and I become second. Cut me front and back and I become two less than I started.
What am I?
Lifestyle  Substance:     
Found on You Tube with some relevance to today

from Cracked.com
Ridiculous Band Names in Rock History
Smashing Pumpkins
The story:
More of a cautionary tale than anything else, bandmates Billy Corgan and co. reportedly dashed the name off quickly so they could get on with their lives, not realizing they'd be fielding lame pumpkin-based jokes about it for the rest of their lives.

Why it's ridiculous:
According to a November 1993 Washington Post interview with bass player D'arcy Wretzky, even the band thinks Smashing Pumpkins "is a stupid name, a dumb bad joke and a bad idea," which should tell you something. These days, they claim the name doesn't even have anything to do with pummeling squash fruit, in that "smashing" was meant to imply "great" (as in the British slang), like that somehow makes it less stupid. It'd be like accidentally crapping yourself on a bus, then telling everyone it's okay, because you meant to.

Stone Temple Pilots
The story:
One of the band members thought the logo on the STP car treatment spray bottles was cool. So yes, in case you were wondering: a lot of thought went into this.

Why it's ridiculous:
Most of the band members seemed to think titling songs "Kitchenware & Candy Bars" and getting addicted to heroin was a fantastic idea, too. Evidence suggests they might not be the guys to turn to for well-reasoned decisions. The mental image of four guys flying around ancient Aztec temples matches up better with a psychedelic rock band, not a bunch of rockers penning songs like "Meatplow" and "Sex-Type Thing."

Ok, then?
from 1951

Harper’s Index    
Percentage of characters shown on US TV who are gay, lesbian, or bisexual: 4.4
Picture of the Day: Mammals of the Sea

Unusual Fact of the Day
In Argentina, you can get your caffeine fix with yerba maté. Made from dried holly leaves, the beverage stimulant is so popular that the average Argentine drinks 11 pounds of the stuff a year. 
Joke-of-the-day
Married couples, both 60 years old, were celebrating their 35th anniversary. During their party, a fairy appeared to congratulate them and grant them each one a wish. The wife wanted to travel around the world. The fairy waved her wand and poof -- the wife had tickets in her hand for a world cruise. Next, the fairy asked the husband what he wanted. He said, "I wish I had a wife 30 years younger than me." So the fairy picked up her wand and poof -- the husband was 90.  
Rules of Thumb:   
Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess
BUILDING A CHURCH
 A church needs 1 acre for every 100 people.
 Yeah, It Really Happened
 As the Proverb says, the guilty flee where one pursueth. This was certainly true for a thief who anonymously returned $800 he stole from a store in western Michigan.
What is so bizarre about that? He stole the money 30 years ago.
The thief sent a note and $1,200 in $100 bills to the Barry County sheriff's department in Hastings. The writer admitted breaking into the Middle Mart about 30 years ago.
In a letter packed with emotion and spelling errors, the writer asks for 'help in locating a man' to whom the writer owes the money.
"I did a very bad thing that I am shamed of and have lived with this guilt," the writer said. "I can't begin to say how sorry I am but have lived with this guilt too long. If you do find him, please tell him that I was a foolish stupid man when I did that and I am sorrie."
The $1,200 includes some interest, although the stolen $800 would be worth about $1,800 today. But it's the thought that counts.
Undersheriff Bob Baker said the letter and cash came as quite a surprise.
"This doesn't happen every day," Baker said.
Somewhat Useless Information   
  • Henry Ford called the Model T the "universal car," a low-cost, reliable vehicle that could be maintained easily and could successfully travel the poor roads of the era. By 1916, 55% of all cars were Ford Model T's.
  • Ford owned a controversial anti-Semitic newspaper, The Dearborn Independent, an offensive publication which damaged Ford's reputation. Hitler believed that Henry Ford was a perfect example for what all Germans should become.
  • As most people know, Ford produced the first assembly line for automobiles. He supposedly got the idea from a process that was used to slaughter pigs.
  • Though it owns a portfolio of British brands - Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo - UAW Ford does not consider them American cars.
  • Henry Ford was especially fond of Thomas Edison, and on Edison's deathbed, he demanded Edison's son catch his final breath in a test tube. The test tube can still be found today in Henry Ford Museum.
  • Mahatma Gandhi never visited the U.S., but he had many American fans and followers. One of his more unusual admirers was Henry Ford. Gandhi sent him an autographed charkha (spinning wheel) through a journalist emissary.

Calendar Information        
Happening This Week:
17-23
Campfire USA Birthday Week
Consider Christianity Week
Health Information Professionals Week

National Animal Poison Prevention Week
National Inhalant and Poisons Awareness Week

Root Canal Awareness Week

18-24
Act Happy Week
American Chocolate Week

Flood Awareness Week
Wellderly Week
Wildlife Week
World Folktales & Fables Week
21-27
Week of Solidarity with People's Struggling Against Racism & Discrimination

Today Is                                                                       
American Diabetes Association Alert Day
As Young As You Feel Day
Education and Sharing Day
International Day of The Seal
International Goof-off Day
World Day for Water (aka World Water Day)
~US: Puerto Rico: Emancipation Day (1873: ends slavery)
India: New Years Day: Ugadi (for Hindi)

Today’s Events through History  
1st American Indian (Powhattan) massacre of whites Jamestown Virginia, 347 slain1622
1st patent for lasers, granted to Arthur Schawlow & Charles Townes1960
Cornstarch patented1841
Gutenberg Bible became the 1st printed book1457
Largest protest in Quebec's history occurs in Montreal with over 200,000 people
     marching against government tuition hikes and for free access to
     post-secondary education2012
Massasoit, Quadequina, Samoset (a PEMAQUID), Squanto, and 60 warriors visit
     the Plymouth colony with great ceremony. They will freely give lands to
     the pilgrims1621
Religious dissident Anne Hutchinson expelled from Mass Bay Colony1638
Stamp Act passed; 1st direct British tax on colonists1765
The Emerald Buddha is moved with great ceremony to its current place
     in Wat Phra Kaew, Thailand1784

Today’s Birthdays                                                           
In their 80’s
Pat Robertson, televangelist (700 club, Pres candidate-R-1989) is 83
William Shatner, actor (Star Trek, T J Hooker) is 82
Stephen Sondheim, NC, lyricist (West Side Story, Company) is 83

In their 70’s
George Benson, jazz/blues singer/guitarist (Greatest Love of All) is 70
Jeremy Clyde, rocker (Chad & Jeremy-Yesterday's Gone) is 72
Roger Whittaker, Nairobi Kenya, country singer (Durham Town) is 77

In their 60’s
Bob Costas, sportscaster/talk show host (Later) is 61

In their 50’s
Matthew Modine, actor (Full Metal Jacket) is 54

In their 30’s
Reese Witherspoon, American actress is 37

Remembered for being born today
Randolph Caldecott, England, illustrator (Caldecott Medal namesake) [1846-1886]
Louis D L'Amour, Jamestown ND, author (Hondo, Jubal Sackett) [1908-1980]
Karl Malden, actor (Mike-Streets of SF, American Express)
Ross Martin, Grodek Poland, actor (Mr Lucky, Wild Wild West) [1920-1981]
Chico Marx, [Leonard Martin], NYC, comedian (Marx Brothers) [1887-1961]
Marcel Marceau, Strasbourg France, mime (Barbarella, Silent Movie) [1923-2007]
Anthony Van Dyck, Flemish painter [1599-1641]

Today’s Historical Obits                                                           
Walter Lantz, US cartoonist (Woody Woodpecker)1994at 93
Michael Todd, producer (Around the World in 80 Days)plane crash1958at 48
Karl Wallenda falls to death walking high-wire in PR1978at 73

Answer: Brain Teasers
The word Seven.
seven
even (equal) eve (2nd person, according to the Bible) v (Roman numeral five; two less than seven)

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.