Mar 26

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Mar. 26, 2020 Week: 13 Day: 86

86004: H 59° \ L 35° \ Average Sky Cover: 70%

Wind: 8mph\Gusts: 15mph Visibility: 10 mi

Nearest lightning: 2046mi.; Nearest active fire: 489mi.

Record High: 73°[1988] Record Low: -8°[1902]

Mar. Averages: 53°\19° (6 days with moisture)

Today’s Quote

"If life were predictable it would cease to be life, and be without flavor." -Eleanor Roosevelt

Random Tidbits

The most popular first name in the world is Muhammad!

Tablecloths were originally meant to be served as towels with which dinner guests could wipe their hands and faces after eating!

Tourists visiting Iceland should know that tipping at a restaurant is considered an insult!

Observations This Week

Orthodox Lent: 2-4/10National Cherry Blossom Festival: 20-4/12 Link  

International Dark Sky Week: 19-26  Link
Internat'l Week of Solidarity with People's Struggling Against Racism & Discrimination: 21-27Health Information Professionals Week: 22-28 Link
International Phace Syndrome Awareness Week: 22-28  National Agriculture Week: 22-28
National Cleaning Week: 22-28
National Protocol Officer's Week: 22-28
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Week: 24-30
National Medical Cannabis Week:  25-28  Link
National Physicians Week: 25-31  Link
International Listening Association Week: 26-28

Observations for Today

Legal Assistants Day
Live Long And Prosper DayMake Up Your Own Holiday Day

National Nougat Day

Purple Day Link
Spinach Day

My Rambling Thoughts

Weather can't decide. Cloudy wins out for a few hours, then the sun is shining. It's decently warm, but the wind ruins that warmth. Only a short walk around the neighborhood. I hate wind.

I have a retired friend from my Tuba days who lives in Holbrook. Her son called because she wanted to shop at Sam's in Flag today, and her adult children were not successful in trying to convince her it wasn't a good idea. So they called her former boss/friend. After a little thought, I suggested that she make a list, ride along, wait in the vehicle while one of the adult children go in and grab what she needs. I stressed hand sanitizer before and after shopping. Everyone agreed it was a good idea. I know Navajo women and my bet is that she goes into the store, shakes hands with anyone she knows, and leaves...and that she will be just fine.

I got a text msg this morning reminding me of a dental appointment for my bridge on Apr. 8. Turns out the office is closed, and when you call you leave a message. About 3 minutes after I left the message, they called back and I said I wanted to postpone until this Covid-19 thing was over. She said that's good because we are only seeing patients in pain until this is over. I've waited 4 months for the extracted tooth area to heal and regrow bone, so a few more weeks doesn't matter. However, the hole where the tooth was for so many years, now is a food trap and a not something I enjoy.

Today’s Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of the page

When young, I am sweet in the sun.

When middle-aged, I make you gay.

When old, I am valued more than ever.

Historical Events

1169 - Saladin became the emir of Egypt.

1812 - A political cartoon in the Boston Gazette coined the term "gerrymander" (named after Governor Elbridge Gerry) to describe oddly shaped electoral districts designed to help incumbents win reelection.

1895 - The Phantoscope, an early motion picture projector that enlarged film images for viewing by large groups, was patented (#536,569) by Charles Francis Jenkins and Thomas Armat.

1916 - Robert Stroud (The Birdman of Alcatraz) stabbed and killed a prison guard in Leavenworth Kansas. He was sentenced to Alcatraz for the murder.

1920 - This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald was published.

1930 - The Book of Mormon was published in Palmyra, New York.

1953 - Dr. Jonas Salk announced that he had successfully tested a vaccine against poliomyelitis, the virus that causes polio.

1955 - # 1 Hit: Bill Hayes - The Ballad Of Davy Crockett

1964 - Broadway Show - Funny Girl (Musical) opened

1977 - #1 Hit: Daryl Hall and John Oates - Rich Girl

1994 Bonnie Blair skates world record 500 m ladies (38.99 sec)

1997 - After the 1995 discovery of the comet Hale-Bopp, 39 members of the 'Heaven's Gate' cult committed suicide to more quickly join the aliens on the 'other side' of the comet.

1999 - The 'Melissa worm' infected Microsoft word processing and e-mail systems.

2015 Richard III of England (1452-1485) is reburied at Leicester Cathedral in England, after being discovered under a carpark in Leicester in 2012

2017 Anti-corruption protests in Russia result in hundreds arrested including opposition leader Alexei Navalny

2018 E-commence group Alibaba Group and US car maker Ford unveil a car vending machine without sales people 5 stories high in Guangzhou, China

2019 Stolen Pablo Picasso painting "Buste de Femme" (Dora Maar) (1938) recovered after 20 years by Dutch art detective

2019 Michelle Obama's biography "Becoming" sells over 10 million copies according to its publisher Bertelsmann

Birthdays Today

86-Alan Arkin, actor, director

@83-Leonard Nimoy, actor (d. 2015)

80-Nancy Pelosi, politician

80-James Caan, actor

76-Diana Ross, singer

71-Vicki Lawrence, actress, singer

71-Steven Tyler, Rock singer

70-Martin Short, comedian

60-Jennifer Grey, actress

52-Kenny Chesney, country singer

35-Keira Knightly, actor

Puzzle Answer:

Wine

Mar 25

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Mar. 25, 2020 Week: 13 Day: 86

86004: H 56° \ L 32° \ Average Sky Cover: 5%

Wind: 5mph\Gusts: 9mph Visibility: 10 mi

Nearest lightning: 430mi.; Nearest active fire: 542mi.

Record High: 72°[1988] Record Low: 1°[1913]

Mar. Averages: 53°\19° (6 days with moisture)

Today’s Quote

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.

Don't be trapped by dogma –

which is living with the results

of other people's thinking." -Steve Jobs

Random Tidbits

There are no clocks in Las Vegas gambling casinos!

There is one slot machine in Las Vegas for every eight inhabitants!

***

Every day 20 banks are robbed. The average take is $2,500!

Observations This Week

Orthodox Lent: 2-4/10National Cherry Blossom Festival: 20-4/12 Link  

International Dark Sky Week: 19-26  Link
Internat'l Week of Solidarity with People's Struggling Against Racism & Discrimination: 21-27Health Information Professionals Week: 22-28 Link
International Phace Syndrome Awareness Week: 22-28  National Agriculture Week: 22-28
National Cleaning Week: 22-28 (Last Week)
National Protocol Officer's Week: 22-28
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Week: 24-30National Medical Cannabis Week:  25-28  Link

Observations for Today

Feast of the Annunciation

International Day of Remembrance of The Victims of Slavery and The Transatlantic
International Day of The Unborn Child  Link
International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members  Link
Little Red Wagon Day    Link

Manatee Appreciation Day 
National Day of Celebration of Greek & American Democracy
National Medal of Honor DayNational / World Agriculture Day

Old New Year's Day

Pecan Day

Tolkien Reading Day

Vaffeldagen (Waffle Day) Link
Whole Grain Sampling Day

My Rambling Thoughts

I've been waiting, and it's here...a full day of full sunshine. Nice walk, but pollen count is high and I got a touch of allergies. Great day for a nice long walk in sunshine.

I am disappointed, as millions are staying home, the internet is swamped with fake Covid-19 information and fake products. It's reported that scammers are even going door-to-door with free test kits that cost to have evaluated but results never come back. Everyone should know that there are no vaccines yet. No combination of prescription drugs have been approved by the FDA for this virus. The best information is at the government site. Don't waste time and money on any cures.

Andy, my former boss, called and I learned that the BIE has approved internet learning so all the teachers can put their lessons on line, and students can do their work from home. The Bureau is working on increasing tablets and internet connections. And teachers will still get regular pay during this difficult time. All BIE schools are doing sack breakfasts and sack lunches for any child 5-18 and bus drivers are delivering them on their routes twice a day.

Many schools in AZ are doing the same. I'm sure every district in the US has a plan. Good to see that they realize schools are so much more than just classroom learning.

Today’s Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of the page

One is to three as three is to five and five is to four and four is the magic number.

What is the pattern?

Historical Events

421 - The city of Venice was founded.

1655 - Saturn's largest moon, Titan, was discovered by Christiaan Huygens.

1807 - The Slave Trade Act became law, abolishing the slave trade in the British Empire.

1811 - Percy Bysshe Shelley was expelled from the University of Oxford for publishing the pamphlet The Necessity of Atheism.

1911 - The Triangle Shirtwaist Company factory burned in New York City, killing 145 workers. The disaster helped bring forth more laws and regulations protecting employees.

1957 - United States Customs seized copies of Allen Ginsberg's poem 'Howl' on grounds of obscenity.

1967 - #1 Hit: The Turtles - Happy Together

1972 - #1 Hit: America - A Horse with No Name

1982 - Cagney & Lacey premiered on CBS

1984 - Television Special Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever introduced Michael Jackson's 'moonwalk' during his performance of "Billie Jean."

1990 - The Happy Land nightclub fire was an arson fire that killed 87 people in The Bronx, New York City.

1995 - WikiWikiWeb, the world's first wiki, and part of the Portland Pattern Repository, was published online by Ward Cunningham.

2001 - Bjork wore her now-famous 'swan dress' to the Oscars.

2002 - The Bachelor premiered on ABC

2018 North Korean leader Kim Jong un begins surprise trip to Beijing by train to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping

2019 Apple introduces new TV streaming platform Apple TV+, news service Apple News+ and an Apple credit card at star-studded event featuring Oprah

2019 NASA cancels a planned historic all-female spacewalk because it doesn't have enough spacesuits to fit women

Birthdays Today

86-Gloria Steinem, feminist

73-Elton John -'Reginald Kenneth Dwight', singer

@76-Aretha Franklin, singer (d. 2018; cancer)

@64-Simone Signoret, French actor (d. 1985; cancer)

55-Sarah Jessica Parker, actor

58-Marcia Cross, actor

38-Danica Patrick, race car driver

Puzzle Answer:

One has three letters in the word three has five letters in it five has four letters and four has four letters in it (if you try more numbers they will always come back to the number four: so four is the magic number)

Mar 24

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Mar. 24, 2020 Week: 13 Day: 85

86004: H 56° \ L 27° \ Average Sky Cover: 80%

Wind: 8mph\Gusts: 17mph Visibility: 10 mi

Nearest lightning: 7mi.; Nearest active fire: 11mi.

Record High: 70°[1956] Record Low: 0°[1904]

Mar. Averages: 53°\19° (6 days with moisture)

Today’s Quote

"The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing."

-Walt Disney

Random Tidbits

• Should there be a crash, Prince Charles and Prince William never travel on the same airplane as a precaution!
• Your body is creating and killing 15 million red blood cells per second!
• The king of hearts is the only king without a mustache on a standard playing card!

Observations This Week

Orthodox Lent: 2-4/10National Cherry Blossom Festival: 20-4/12

International Dark Sky Week: 19-26 Link
Internat'l Week of Solidarity with People's Struggling Against Racism & Discrimination: 21-27Health Information Professionals Week: 22-28 Link
International Phace Syndrome Awareness Week: 22-28  National Agriculture Week: 22-28
National Cleaning Week: 22-28
National Protocol Officer's Week: 22-28 Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Week: 24-30

Observations for Today

American Diabetes Association Alert Day

Chocolate Covered Raisins Day

My Rambling Thoughts

Another week of social distancing begins. This is not my idea of a great retirement, but I am doing it, for self-protection and for protecting others from this crazy virus.

I talked to my retirement friend Mary this morning. Her daughter lives in Portland and went to the family beach house with her kids and husband for their social distancing. Turns out, with Portland shutting down, many beaches closed with lots of kids on spring break, the beach about 100 yards from their house is filled with spring breakers. So the kids are parking at the closed gate, climbing private fences, walking through people's private property to get to the closed beach. Her daughter said any social distancing at the beach is about 3”. This is not good news for any of us.

It's cloudy and looks like a storm is brewing, so my walk was short. Expecting something to happen any minute. Hardly a relaxing walk. Cold rain started about 15 minutes after I got home. Didn't last long, but dropped the temp....oops, now it is snowing. Ten minutes later, it's raining agan.

I think this social distancing thing would be easier if the sun would shine all day. Makes for better walks.

Today’s Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of the page

Your dad tells you that he will pay you $6.00 an hour for the 6 seconds that you take to wash your hands before dinner. [This was before Covid-19]
How much did you make for washing your hands?

Historical Events

1707 - The Acts of Union 1707 was signed, officially uniting the Kingdoms and parliaments of England and Scotland to create the Kingdom of Great Britain.

1765 - The Kingdom of Great Britain passed the Quartering Act, which required homes in the Thirteen Colonies to house British troops.

1882 - Robert Koch announced the discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium responsible for tuberculosis.

1940 - The first religious service was shown on NBC in New York. The first was a Protestant Easter Service, and a Catholic Mass was shown after that.

1955 - Tennessee Williams' play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof opened in New York.

1956 - #1 Hit: Les Baxter - Poor People Of Paris

March 24, 1958 Elvis Presley was inducted into the US Army, serial #53310761.

1973 - #1 Hit: The O'Jays - Love Train

1989 - The Exxon Valdez, captained by Joseph Jeffrey Hazelwood, hit Prince William Sound, spilling 11,000,000 gallons of Alaskan crude oil.

2005 - PlayStation Portable released, Video Game Console

2005 - The Office premiered on NBC

2006 - Hannah Montana premiered on The Disney Channel.

2011 - Broadway Show -The Book of Mormon (Musical) opened

2012 African Union deploys 5,000 strong force with the aim of catching or killing warlord Joseph Kony

2015 The Opportunity rover becomes the first to complete a Martian marathon

2017 US President Donald Trump and Republican party forced to pull their attempt to repeal Obamacare after internal opposition

2018 Tens of thousands attend 'March for Our Lives' rallies held in Washington D.C. and around the world to protest gun violence

Birthdays Today

81-Bob Mackie, designer

69-Tommy Hilfiger, fashion designer

58-Star Jones Reynolds, lawyer, TV personality)

@52-Harry Houdini [Erik Weisz], magician (d. 1926; peritonitis)

@50-Steve McQueen, actor (d. 1980; cancer)

47-Jim Parsons, actor (Big Bang Theory)

44-Peyton Manning, NFL

Puzzle Answer:

1 cent

Mar 23

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Mar. 23, 2020 Week: 13 Day: 83

86004: H 59° \ L 31° \ Average Sky Cover: 65%

Wind: 6mph\Gusts: 10mph Visibility: 10 mi

Nearest lightning: 589mi.; Nearest active fire: 131mi.

Record High: 67°[1990] Record Low: -1°[1973]

Mar. Averages: 53°\19° (6 days with moisture)

Today’s Quote

"The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling,

but in rising every time we fall." -Nelson Mandela

Random Tidbits

Saturday mail delivery in Canada was eliminated by Canada Post on February 1, 1969!

In Tokyo, a bicycle is faster than a car for most trips of less than 50 minutes!

There are 18 different animal shapes in the Animal Crackers cookie zoo!

Observations This Week

Orthodox Lent: 2-4/10International Dark Sky Week: 19-26  Link
National Cherry Blossom Festival: 20-4/12 Link  
Internat'l Week of Solidarity with People's Struggling Against Racism & Discrimination: 21-27Health Information Professionals Week: 22-28 Link
International Phace Syndrome Awareness Week: 22-28  National Agriculture Week: 22-28
National Cleaning Week: 22-28 (Last Week)
National Protocol Officer's Week: 22-28 

Observations for Today

National Puppy Day    Link    Link
National Chia Day  Link    Link
National Chip and Dip Day

National Tamale Day
Near Miss DayMelba Toast Day

OK Day  Link
World Meteorological Day

My Rambling Thoughts

High clouds but warm enough for a short walk. The nearby church parking lot was empty when it is usually filled with Sunday services. The church sign had a web address for the service.

About 2 months ago a new single mom with a pre-teen daughter moved in nearby. It was hard to miss their arrival. For three days various loaded pickups with the same flat bed trailer blocked the neighbor's vehicles for several hours twice a day. I saw them a couple of times after they moved in. I always said 'hi' but never got a response. Friday and Saturday, they moved out. They parked so that my neighbor's and I were trapped about 4 hours each day. Not a big deal, since most of us are staying home anyway. Since they were not very friendly, they won't be missed by me.

Have to get used to Sunday morning without the Sunday paper. I read it online, but it just isn't the same. Just keep telling myself, change is good.

Msg-ed with my brother in Mexico. All is good down there. It's 97° and cloudy. Such a hard life they have.

Stunned: The cases of Covid-19 on the Navajo Rez have been tied to a revival-type church meeting, where someone with Covid-19 attended the services, was seen coughing, and then the participants returned to various area of the Rez. Now cases are popping up in their communities. So sad.

Today’s Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of the page

A group of campers have been on vacation so long, that they've forgotten the day of the week. The following conversation ensues.

Darryl: What's the day? I don't think it is Thursday, Friday or Saturday.

Tracy: Well that doesn't narrow it down much. Yesterday was Sunday.

Melissa: Yesterday wasn't Sunday, tomorrow is Sunday.

Ben: The day after tomorrow is Saturday.

Adrienne: The day before yesterday was Thursday.

Susie: Tomorrow is Saturday.

David: I know that the day after tomorrow is not Friday.

If only one person's statement is true, what day of the week is it?

Historical Events

1775 - Patrick Henry delivered his 'Give me liberty, or give me death!' speech at St. John's Episcopal Church, in Richmond, Virginia.

1839 - The initials 'O.K.' were first published in The Boston Morning Post. Meant as an abbreviation for 'oll correct,' a popular slang misspelling of 'all correct' at the time.

1840 - John William Draper took the first successful photo of the Moon. Actually, a daguerreotype, a precursor of the photograph.

1857 - Elisha Otis's first elevator was installed at 488 Broadway New York City.

1956 - Pakistan became the first Islamic republic in the world.

1983 - President Ronald Reagan introduced the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) now called "Star Wars" to the American discussion.

1983 - Dr. Barney C. Clark, the first recipient of a permanent artificial heart, died at the University of Utah's Medical Center after 112 days with the device.

1998 - James Cameron's Titanic won 11 Academy Awards.

2001 - The Russian space station, Mir, ended 15 years in orbit by burning up entering Earth's atmosphere, mostly burning up in the atmosphere, and splashing into the Pacific Ocean.

2016 GPR investigation of Shakespeare's tomb at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford concludes the Bard's skull probably has been stolen

2019 Italy signs up to China's Belt and Road Initiative with deals signed in Rome between Italian Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio and Chinese President Xi Jinping

Birthdays Today

@88-Akira Kurosawa, Japanese film director (d. 1998)

@72-Joan Crawford, actor (d. 1977; heart attack)

61-Moses Malone, NBA player

63-Amanda Plummer, actor

47-Jason Kidd, NBA player/coach

43-Keri Russell, actor

66-Chaka Khan, R&B singer

Puzzle Answer:

It is Wednesday. If it was any other day of the week, more than one statement would be true. To solve the riddle, evaluate each person's statement and write down what day it could be according to the statement. David's statement indicates it could be any day of the week except for Wednesday. When you list the days that it could be according to everyone's statement, it turns out Wednesday is the day mentioned only one time. Darryl: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday Tracy: Monday Melissa: Saturday Ben: Thursday Adrienne: Saturday Susie: Friday David: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday