Jan 4

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Jan. 4, 2020 Week: 1  Day:4

86004:   H 45° \ L 21° \ Average Sky Cover: 5%

Nearest lightning:  1297mi.; Nearest active fire:  309mi.  

Wind:   4mph\Gusts:  8mph  Visibility: 10 mi

Record High: 64°[1927]   Record Low: -22°[1971]

Jan. Averages: 43°\16° (22” days with snow)

Today’s Quote

Before God we are all equally wise - and equally foolish.

Albert Einstein

Random Tidbits

The subtle difference between sparkling wine and champagne is... none. The only difference is that authentic 'champagne' comes from the Champagne region of France. But as far as alcohol content, production, etc... it's the exact same stuff.

"Sabrage" is a term for opening a champagne bottle with an actual sword. It is only done in certain ceremonial occasions and the wielder uses the blunt side of the sword. It was made famous by Napoleon and his army when they celebrated victories in battle.

Observations this Month

National Be On-Purpose Month
National Braille Literacy Month Link
National Clean Up Your Computer Month
National Codependency Awareness Month Link
National Glaucoma Awareness Month
National Hot Tea Month
National Mail Order Gardening Month
National Mentoring Month  Link
National Personal Self-Defense Awareness Month
National Personal Trainer Awareness Month Link
National Polka Music Month Link  Link
National Poverty in America Awareness Month
National Radon Action Month
National Skating Month
National Soup Month Link
National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month Link
National Stalking Awareness Month Link
National Sunday Supper Month  Link
National Volunteer Blood Donor Month Link

Observations This Week

Diet Resolution Week: 1-7

New Year's Resolutions Week: 1-8 

Silent Record Week: 1-7

Someday We'll Laugh About This Week: 2-8

Observations for Today

Dimpled Chad Day
National Play Outside Day Link 
National Spaghetti Day

Pop Music Chart Day
Tom Thumb Day
Trivia Day

World Braille Day  Link
World Hypnotism Day  Link

My Rambling Thoughts

Slowly warming up…snow is finally actually melting. Two- foot icicles still dripping, but hanging in there.

I am so tired of looking at my phone to see what day it is. Ever since I got back from Mexico, I can’t seem to remember what day it is. Thanks, iPhone for helping this old guy out.

I got a call from one of my college roommates this morning. It’s his 71^st birthday and I had posted a note on FB. He is doing fine, finally enjoying his retirement, doing some traveling. Nice to hear from him.

I emailed Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club and Fry’s Grocery to see when I would be getting my W2 for 2019. I explained that I had only used the self-checkout all of 2019 and was hoping to get the W2 soon, and I included copies of receipts, so they would know I was serious. Strangely, no response yet. Guess I’ll give them to next week to respond.

Today’s Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of the page

Which is correct, 9 and 5 is 13 or 9 plus 5 is 13?

Historical Events

1674 - In what is now Chicago, Father Jacques Marquette founded a mission on the shores of Lake Michigan to minister to the Illiniwek Indians.

1791 - The first edition of The Observer, the world's first Sunday newspaper, was published in London.

1847 Manuscripts of Emily Brontë's "Wuthering Heights" and Anne Brontë's "Agnes Grey" sent to publisher T.C. Newby (published December 1847)

1875 - New York City politician Boss Tweed escaped from prison.

1881 - The Los Angeles Times began publication.

1917 - "Shell Shock" was introduced as psychological trauma for war veterans.

1943 - Major League Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis announced that any club was free to employ black players.

1944 Ralph Bunche appointed 1st African American official in US State Department

1945 - The Senate approved the participation of the United States in the UN. The United Nations began several weeks earlier, on October 24, 1945.

1952 - Starting today, and over the course of the next several days, Smog (severe air pollution) killed over 4,000 people in London.

1954 - The first Burger King (Insta Burger King) opened in Miami, Florida, owned by James McLamore and David Edgerton.

1956 - The Million Dollar Quartet (Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash) got together at Sun Studio. The recordings were released in 1981 and 1990.

1973 - NASA's Pioneer 10 reached Jupiter.

1980 - Led Zeppelin officially disbanded, following the death of drummer John Bonham on September 25th.

1991 - Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) ceased operations.

2007 The 110th United States Congress convenes and elects Nancy Pelosi as the 1st female Speaker of the House

 2009 - American Amanda Knox was convicted of murdering her British roommate, Meredith Kercher, in Italy

Birthdays Today

@90 - Charles Keating, American lawyer and financier (died in 2014)

@84 - Sir Isaac Newton, Physicist (d. 1727)

84 - Freddy Cannon, American singer

83 - Max Baer, Jr., American actor

71 - Jeff Bridges, American actor

@66 - Samuel Butler, British writer: Erewhon

        (died in 1902)

56-- Marisa Tomei, American actress

54 - Fred Armisen, American actor and musician

51 - Jay Z

       Shawn Corey Carter, American rapper, producer, co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records

47 - Tyra Banks, American model and producer

@39 - Dennis Wilson, American singer-songwriter, and drummer (died in 1983; drowned)

Puzzle Answer:

Neither, 9 and (plus) 5 is 14

Jan 3

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

Jan. 3, 2020 Week: 1  Day: 3

86004:   H 35° \ L 17° \ Average Sky Cover: 5%

Nearest lightning:  1050mi

Nearest active fire:  466mi.  

Wind:   7mph\Gusts:  14mph  Visibility: 10 mi

Record High: 62°[1918]   Record Low: 31°[2005]

Jan. Averages: 43°\16° (22” days with snow)

Today’s Quote

“A hundred times a day, I remind myself

that my inner and outer lives

are based on the labors of others,

living and dead,

and that I must exert myself

in order to give in the same measure

as I have received and am still receiving.”

~ Albert Einstein

Random Tidbits

About 1 million people gather in New York City's Times Square to watch the ball drop. The Times Square New Year's Eve ball drop came about because of a ban on fireworks. The first ball in 1907 was 700 pounds and was lit with 100 25-watt lights. Today, it is covered in 2,688 crystals, is lit by 32,000 LED lights, weighs 11,875 pounds and is 12 feet in diameter.

Many people ring in New Year's by popping open a bottle of champagne. Americans drink close to 360 million glasses of sparkling wine during this time. The bubbly stuff dates back to the 17th century, when the cork was invented.

Observations this Month

Financial Wellness Month
Get A Balanced Life Month
Get Organized Month
International Brain Teaser Month
International Change Your Stars Month Link
International Child-Centered Divorce Month
International Creativity Month
International New Years Resolutions Month for Businesses
International Quality of Life Month
International Wayfinding Month
International Wealth Mentality Month
Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month Link
Menudo Month  Link

Observations This Week

Diet Resolution Week: 1-7

New Year's Resolutions Week: 1-8 

Silent Record Week: 1-7

Someday We'll Laugh About This Week: 2-8

Observations for Today

Buffet Day Congress Assembles (Unless on weekend, then following Monday)
Drinking Straw Day
Festival of Sleep Day  Link
Fruitcake Toss Day

J.R.R. Tolkien Day
Memento Mori "Remember You Die" Day
National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day Link

National Cream Puff Day

Run up the Flagpole and See if Anyone Salutes Day

My Rambling Thoughts

Weatherman says the cold front will be gone tomorrow. Sure hope so, not happy about all this cold.

Flag is in the middle of a national forest. This means prescribed burns throughout most of the year. These fires produce smoke, that seems to settle in our town every night. One area is even named ‘Smokerise’. Flag is looking into a new ‘Air Curtain Incinerator’ to keep the forest healthy and reduce the smoke. The crews drop huge amounts of burn material into the machine and light it electronically. Air circulates at the top, preventing smoke from escaping. When it’s finished, the smoke has been burned, the air is clear, and the machine shuts down. Sounds like a great idea to me. They will be trying a few out during upcoming prescribed burns. More later.

The New Year is starting off a tad cold, but I have great expectations for the upcoming year. I’m not big on resolutions, but hope the world is better at the end than it is right now. I’ll try to do my part.

Today’s Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of the page

Count the number of the letter ‘o’ in the sentence below:

Over on fourth street, many children found lots of fun and lots of entertainment by climbing on the beautiful trees lining the street.

Historical Events

856 (Earthquake) Tunisia

1910 - The neon light was displayed for the first time at the Paris Motor Show at the Grand Palace. The lamp was developed by French inventor Georges Claude. Advertising neon signs started showing up in 1913, notably at the Paris Opera House. The most famous neon sign is probably the Las Vegas sign.

1919 - The Quebec Bridge over the Saint Lawrence River between Sainte-Foy (near Quebec City) and Lévis, Quebec opened.

1922 - The first public Technicolor motion picture film, The Toll of the Sea, was released at the Rialto Theatre, in New York City.

1947 - A Streetcar Named Desire opened on Broadway.

1960 - The musical Camelot debuted at the Majestic Theatre on Broadway.

1967 – 54-year-old Louis Washkansky received the first human heart transplant, led by Dr. Christian Barnard, at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. He lived for 18 days.

1976 - An assassination attempt was made on Bob Marley. Shot twice, he quickly recovered.

1979 - Eleven people were killed in a stampede at Cincinnati's Riverfront Coliseum prior to an appearance by The Who. "Festival Seating' was pretty much to blame - thousands of people has 'first come, first seated' tickets, and a sound check made many think the concert had already begun.

1984 - The Bhopal-Union Carbide disaster in India killed over 8,000 people, and injured hundreds of thousands.

1992 - The Greek oil tanker Aegean Sea, carrying 80,000 tons of crude oil, ran aground in a storm while approaching A Coruna, Spain, spilling most of the oil.

1994 - The Sony PlayStation was released in Japan.

1997 - 121 countries signed the treaty prohibiting manufacture and deployment of anti-personnel land mines in Ottawa, Canada. Notable exceptions were: The United States, People's Republic of China, and Russia.

1999 - The Mars Polar Lander crashed into the Martian surface.

2010 - The Black Swan was released in theaters.

2012 (Typhoon) At least 475 people were killed after Typhoon Bopha made landfall in the Philippines.

Birthdays Today

@91 – Victor Borge

            Børge Rosenbaum, Danish-American pianist

            conductor (died in 2000)

88 - Dabney Coleman, American actor

@87 - Lucretia Mott/Coffin, American woman's rights advocate (died in 1880)

@81 – J.R.R. Tolkien, English writer, poet, and philologist (died in 1973)

@79 – Ray Milland

       Alfred Reginald Jones, Welsh-American actor and

       director (died in 1986)

@77 – Glen A. Larson, American director, producer, and screenwriter, created Battlestar Galactica

      (died in 2014; cancer)

75 – Stephen Stills, American singer-songwriter

@63 – Cicero, Roman philosopher, lawyer, and politician (died in 43 BC)

@60 – Sergio Leone, Italian director, producer, and screenwriter

       (died in 1989; heart attack)

16- Greta Thunberg, Swedish Environmental activist

Puzzle Answer:

Nine