10/5/13


FYI: Any blue text is a link. Click to check it out!
Almanac: Flagstaff:  Week: 40/ Day: 277   
Today: H 53°…L 30°…Ave. humidity: 55%
Wind: ave:   10mph; Gusts:  22mph  
Average High: 68° Record High:  80° (1991)
Average Low: 35° Record Low:  14° (1969)

Quote of the Day



Today’s Historical Highlights
"Meet the Press" premieres on radio…1945
1st Little Orphan Annie-strip appears in NYC Daily News…1924
1st Presidential address televised from White House- Harry Truman…1947
Chief Joseph surrenders, ending Nez Perce War…1877
City of Anaheim was founded…1857
Foundation of Concepción, Chile…1550
French Revolution: Christianity is disestablished in France…1793
London Sunday Times reports Israel is stocking nuclear arms…1986
Monty Python's Flying Circus begins airing on BBC…1969
PBS becomes a network…1970
Tom Ridge resigns as Governor of PA to become Homeland Security Advisor…2001

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



My Free Rambling Thoughts   
Well the wind blew in some much lower temperatures. Amazing how a 10° drop feels after so many nice days.
 
Who is to blame for the shutdown? According to some idiot Congressman at the WWII memorial, it is the park rangers who should be ashamed. And this guy voted against the budget. After everything he said to this park ranger hit the internet, now he says what he meant was that the Park Service should be ashamed for closing the memorial. Now Obama has cancelled his trip to several international conferences that are working on trade agreements so he can deal with the children in Congress. Lots of world leaders must be shaking their heads. Who is to blame? Every elected official…including the local ones who are not demanding that the Congress approve a budget.  
 
Getting tired of all the news on the shutdown. Seems none of the major news channels want to cover much more than the politics. I am glad to hear the stories that the cops pay status in the DC shooting. Important enough to protect our politicians, just not important enough to be paid. I still a little concerned that killing the woman was necessary, but I’ve never been in a situation like that, so shouldn’t be pointing fingers.
Game  Center (answers at the end of post)
Brain Teasers
Below are 3 pairs of words. Find the words that fit in the middle of each pair of words to create two new words, one front-ended and one back-ended.
Example: EVER - ______ - HORN   Answer: EVER - GREEN - HORN
1. GRAND - _________ - OUT 2. QUARTER - ___________ - MIND 3. HAIR - _______________ - FIRE

Lifestyle  Substance:     
Found on You Tube with some relevance to today

Hmmmm…Fearsome Phobias
If you have an irrational fear of... Eyes, opening one's
You're suffering from... Optophobia Greek opt ‘eyes’ 
If you have an irrational fear of... Failure
You're suffering from... Kakorrhaphiophobia Kako- bad, evil
Interesting Disney



Harper’s Index    
  • Net amount contributed to Medicare by immigrants between 2002 and 2009: $115,000,000,000
  • Net amount drawn out by native-born citizens over the same period: $28,000,000,000

Unusual Fact of the Day
Two of America's greatest national symbols were made overseas: The Liberty Bell was cast in England and the Statue of Liberty was crafted in France.


Joke-of-the-day
A frustrated father told a work colleague: “When I was a youngster, I was disciplined by being sent to my room without supper. But in my son’s room, he has his own color TV, computer, games console, cell phone and CD player.”
“So what do you do?”
The father replied: “I send him to my room!”
Rules of Thumb:   
Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess
ANKLE INJURIES
If the patient arrives at a hospital hopping on their good foot, the bad ankle is almost certainly not broken.   
Yeah, It Really Happened
LONDON, Ontario - A cheerleading coach at the University of Western Ontario in Canada said the team's captain was ticketed for leading a street-side cheer during homecoming. Coach David Tracey said team captain Max Gow led a cheer routine in the street in a student neighborhood in London while walking to Saturday's homecoming game, the QMI Agency reported Monday. Tracey said police approached as three male cheerleaders were throwing a female cheerleader into the air. The officers told them they could not perform the routine in the street and Gow was issued a $136 ticket.
"It's homecoming. Are we not supposed to generate spirit? We're the cheerleading team for goodness sake," Tracey said.
The ticket said Gow was "causing a nuisance in the street by conducting a cheerleading performance." A police spokeswoman said she could not comment on the ticket until speaking with the issuing officer. Tracey said the street was already filled with people when the cheerleaders started performing. "If were truly blocking the street and tying up traffic and causing some kind of public disturbance then maybe I'd almost understand it, but not in this scenario," Tracey said.
Somewhat Useless Information   
  • Pickles have been around since ancient times, although there is some disagreement as to when exactly in history people started eating them. Some believe the first pickle was created in Mesopotamia in 2400 B.C.E. Others believe it was as early as 2030 B.C.E.
  • Cleopatra ate pickles because she believed they were one of the things that helped her stay beautiful.
  • Explorers like Christopher Columbus and Amerigo Vespucci used pickles to help prevent scurvy amongst the crews of their ships. 
  • H.J. Heinz used pins shaped like pickles to draw customers to his booth at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. 
  • The U.S. government commandeered 40% of all pickles made in the U.S. during WWII so that they could be used in rations for the soldiers.
  • Several famous people throughout history are reported to have been or to be pickle fans including Queen Elizabeth I, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Bill Cosby, Fran Drescher, and Ed Koch.


Calendar Information        
Happening This Week:
1-7
Universal Children's Week
World Dairy Expo
3-10
No Salt Week
4-7
Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
National Storytelling Weekend
4-10
World Space Week
5-6
Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend 

Today Is                                                                      
·        Balloons Around the World Day
·        Cephalopod Awareness Day
·        Inter-American Water Day
·        World Card Making Day
·        World Teachers Day
~~~~
·        Portugal: Republic Day (1910)

Today’s Events through History  
1st documented recovery meeting of Narcotics Anonymous is held…1953
Hollywood Black Friday: 6month strike by set decorators is a bloody riot at Warner 
     Brothers' studios…1945
Italian troops occupy Tripoli…1911
Mass demonstrations lead to resignation of Serbian strongman Slobodan 
    Milošević-Bulldozer Revolution…2000
Most of Calcutta destroyed by cyclone (approx 60,000 die)…1864
World War I first aerial combat resulting in a kill…1914

Today’s Birthdays                                                           
Bill Dana, comedian/actor (Jose Jimenez) is 89
Steve Miller, rocker (Abracadabra, Space Cowboy) is 70
Daniel Baldwin, actor, producer and director is 53
Guy Pearce, actor and musician is 46
Kate Winslet, actress (Titanic) is 38

Remembered for being born today
Jonathan Edwards, theologian/philosopher (Original Sin) [1703-1758]
Chester A. Arthur, 21st American President [1829-1886]
Larry Fine, [Laurence Feinberg], PA, comedian (3 Stooges) [1902-1975]
Allen Ludden, TV host (Password) [1917-1981]
Ray Kroc, fast food entrepreneur (MacDonalds) 1902-1984]
Gail Davis, actress (Annie Oakley) [1925-1997]
Jeff Conaway, actor (Bobby-Taxi, Loving) [1950-2011]

Today’s Historical Obits                                                           
Mike Mansfield, Senator MT…2001…@98
Rodney Dangerfield, comedian…2004…@82
Jacques Offenbach, German-born composer…gout…1880…@61
Steve Jobs, co-founder/CEO of Apple… pancreatic cancer…2011…@56
Tecumseh, Shawnee-chief/English Gen…in Battle of Thames…1813…@45

Brain Teasers
1. GRAND - STAND - OUT 2. QUARTER - MASTER - MIND 3. HAIR - BRUSH - FIRE
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  §
Posted by No comments:

10/4/13


FYI: Any blue text is a link. Click to check it out!
Almanac: Flagstaff:  Week: 40/ Day: 277   
Today: H 65°…L 37°…Ave. humidity: 52%
Wind: ave:   25mph; Gusts:  42mph  
Average High: 68° Record High:  83° (1947)
Average Low: 35° Record Low:  15° (1908)

Quote of the Day



Today’s Historical Highlights
1st American volunteer firemen established …1648
1st complete English-language Bible (the Matthew Bible) is printed…1537
1st issue of Esquire magazine…1933
1st meeting of the Boys' Brigade in Glasgow, Scotland…1883
1st public elevator (London's Earl's Court Metro Station) …1911
1st time, entire World Series broadcast over radio (WJZ & WGY) …1922
Agriculture Secretary Earl Butz resigns due to telling a racial joke…1976
Dick Tracy comic strip by Chester Gould debuts…1931
Dinosaur National Monument in Colorado & Utah is established…1915
Orient Express' 1st run, linking Turkey to Europe by rail…1883
University of California founded in Los Angeles…1880
US government closes down due to budget problems…1984
USSR launches Sputnik I, 1st artificial Earth satellite…1957

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



My Free Rambling Thoughts   
Great Mexican lunch today. Cheryl had a great trip to CA, Mary had a good time in Phoenix last weekend. I didn’t spend a lot of time outside, since the wind is a real pain. Thankfully it isn’t a cold wind and it doesn’t contain sand.

I finally reached a point where I needed to do some research on the Tea Party to see who they are and who they represent. Since this caucus is holding the American government hostage and hurting so many Americans around the country. Here is a great map showing the Caucus members districts. So few with so much perceived power. Scary. This is more of squeaky wheel gets the grease than what the American people want.

Our local homeless shelter is in need of $20K to open, as usual, for the winter on Oct. 15. This is a good worthwhile organization that is in great need of some leadership. Why do they suddenly need $20K as our winter approaches? The local paper says that there are several reasons: discourse within the ranks of management last year that has now been solved, the opening of a women’s shelter last year, a mix up in an agreement with Goodwill for the use of their showering facilities, missing a deadline for a block grant, and unexpected lower funding of grants they have. The city may have the needed emergency funding and I agree that the shelter needs to open on time. However, before the city gives any money, it seems to me that there needs to be a whole lot more oversight of how the funding is used. I knew someone who was working at the shelter during the discourse last year. The people showing up at the shelter are usually very dirty and in need of clean clothes and a shower at the very least before they can even eat in the shelter. Many of the people are in dire need of mental health services before they can get back on their feet. The hearts of the volunteers at the shelter are huge and do everything possible to help people, sometimes from people who don’t want help. To prevent any more needless hypothermia deaths this winter, I think two things need to happen. First, the shelter should have more oversight of their spending and second, the local paper should start a new daily ‘box’ on the front page that shows how many people were at the shelter the night before, how many were turned away due to lack of space or unable to meet the shelter’s basic requirements. Let the people of Flagstaff know that this is a real problem that we have to deal with. Then the citizens will realize how we need to deal with this issue.
Game  Center (answers at the end of post)
Brain Teasers
What is the next letter in this fairy tale sequence? G, D, S, B, H, S, ??
Lifestyle  Substance:     
Found on You Tube with some relevance to today

Hmmmm…Fearsome Phobias
If you have an irrational fear of... Excrement
You're suffering from... Coprophobia Greek kopros 'dung'
If you have an irrational fear of... Eyes
You're suffering from... Ommatophobia Greek omma 'eye'
Interesting Disney



Harper’s Index    
  • Percentage of global GDP, adjusted for purchasing power, produced by developing economies in 1980: 31
  • Today: 50

Unusual Fact of the Day
In all of Shakespeare's works, only one word starts with an "X" - Xanthippe, Socrates wife. He uses her name in The Taming of the Shrew.


Joke-of-the-day
A man and a woman are eating in a restaurant. Suddenly, the woman got something stuck in her throat, causing her to choke. The man rushes outside, cuts a limb off a tree and whacks the woman across the back with it, dislodging the object in her throat. The headline in the paper read "Man gives woman the hemlock maneuver"
Rules of Thumb:   
Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess
DESIGNING ROCKET FUELS
A rule of thumb is that for every ten-percent increase in efficiency for rocket fuel, the payload of the rocket can double.   
Yeah, It Really Happened
FAIRBANKS, Alaska - Thousands of dinosaur tracks found in a remote area on the Yukon River are "evidence of an extinct ecosystem," University of Alaska researchers say. The tracks were discovered by a team from the university's Museum of the North in Fairbanks after a 500-mile boat trip, the university said last week. Earth Sciences Curator Pat Druckenmiller said the tracks were left by a diverse group of dinosaurs, both carnivores and herbivores. "We found a great diversity of dinosaur types, evidence of an extinct ecosystem we never knew existed," Druckenmiller said. Paul McCarthy of the department of geology and geophysics said he has seen dinosaur footprints elsewhere in Alaska. But those were not as numerous. "We found dinosaur footprints by the scores on literally every outcrop we stopped at," he said. McCarthy said the tracks in the Yukon are probably 25 million to 30 million years older than those in Denali National Park, hundreds of miles to the south. The species that have been identified are also different from earlier finds in Alaska.
Somewhat Useless Information   
  • Starting in 1976, the United States Federal Government has shut down on 18 occasions. The first was in 1976 when President Gerald Ford vetoed a funding bill for the United States Department of Labor and the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, leading to a partial government shutdown. The most recent (excluding the last couple days) was in 1995-1996 when Republicans demanded that President Clinton propose a budget with the seven-year timetable using Congressional Budget Office numbers, rather than Clinton's Office of Management and Budget numbers. However, Clinton refused.
  • Congress faces a big deadline on raising the debt ceiling on October 17. Without the ability to borrow money, the federal government won't have some of the money it needs to pay the bills it delays during a shutdown. However, if you have a bond or contract with the federal government you will be paid.


Calendar Information        
Happening This Week:
1-7
Universal Children's Week
World Dairy Expo
3-10
No Salt Week
4-7
Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
National Storytelling Weekend
4-10
World Space Week

Today Is                                                                      
·        Blessing of The Animals Day 
·        Improve Your Office Day
·        Lee's National Denim Day
·        National Diversity Day
·        National Taco Day
·        Ten-Four Day
·        Vodka Day
·        World Animal Day
·        World Smile Day
~~~~
·        Lesotho (Formerly Basutoland): Independence Day (1966 from UK)
·        Sweden: Kanelbullens Dag (Cinnamon Roll Day)

Today’s Events through History  
"Leave It to Beaver," debuts on CBS…1957
New Orleans Tribune, 1st black daily newspaper, forms…1864

Today’s Birthdays                                                           
Leroy Van Dyke, country singer (Walk on By) is 84
Anne Rice, author (Interview with a Vampire) is 72
Roy Blount, Jr., humor writer is 72
Susan Sarandon, [Tomaling], actress (Bull Durham) is 67
Liev Schreiber, actor, producer, director, and screenwriter is 46
Alicia Silverstone, actress (Clueless, Batman Forever) is 37

Remembered for being born today
Richard Cromwell, lord protector of England [1626-1712]
Rutherford Birchard Hayes, 19th US pres [1822-1893]
Sidney Paget, British illustrator (Sherlock Holmes) [1860-1908]
Buster [Joseph F] Keaton, actor (Navigator, Steamboat Bill, Jr) [1895-1966]
Dottie West, country singer [1932-1991]
Jan Murray, comedian (Treasure Hunt, Who Killed Teddy Bear) [1916-2006]
Charlton Heston, Ill, actor (10 Commandments, Ben Hur, NRA) [1923-2008]

Today’s Historical Obits                                                           
Max Weber, Polish/Russ/US cubist painter…1961…@80
John Lowry, NYC builder (Radio City)…1962…@79
Al Smith, American politician…heart attack…1944…@70
Graham Chapman, comedian (Monty Python)…cancer…1989…@48
Anne Sexton, US poet (Pulitzer 1967)…suicide…1974…@45
Janis Joplin, rock singer (Down on Me)…overdose…1970…@27
Secretariat, race horse…1989…@19

Brain Teasers
D. These are the first letters of Disney's seven dwarfs: Grumpy, Dopey, Sneezy, Bashful, Happy, Sleepy, Doc
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  §
Posted by No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Followers

Total Pageviews

Blog Archive

About Me

My photo
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.