Mar 8

 

 

Mar 8, 2021    Week: 19    Day: 67                 Visibility: 10 miles

Local: H 63°\ L 35°\Ave. Sky Cover: 209%     Wind:  9mph/ Gusts:  10mph

Nearest Lightning: 1376mi.                               High Risk of Fire:  Active fire:  428mi

Record: 67°[1989]  Record: -4°[1969]               Mar. Averages: 53°/23° (6 days with moisture)            

Today’s Quote

With color one obtains an energy that seems to stem from witchcraft.

~Henri Matisse

Random Tidbits

The two circular drawings on the reverse of the dollar bill are actually parts of the two-sided Great Seal of the United States. Although we don't see the entire seal outside of our wallets too often, the notion of having a great seal is actually as old as the country itself. The Continental Congress passed a resolution on July 4, 1776, to create a committee to design a great seal for the fledgling nation.

A Little Humor

What does a golfer do on his day off?

Putter around!

Weekly Observations

Lent [Christian]	Thru 4/3
Celebrate Your Name Week Girl Scout Week Link  National Dental Assistants Recognition Week Link National Procrastination Week National Schools Social Work Week Link  National Words Matter Week No More Week Link Read an E-Book Week Link Save Your Vision Week Link Termite Awareness Week Women in Construction Week  Link  Words Matter Wek	7-13
Women of Aviation Worldwide Week	7-14

 

Today’s Observations

Be Nasty Day

Fun Facts About Names Day  Link  
Day for Women's Rights & International Peace
Girls Write Now Day
International (Working) Women's Day Link
International Working Women's Day
National Proofreading Day
National Peanut Cluster Day Link
National Retro Video Game Day  Link
Proofreading Day

Volunteers of America Day

 

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

It looks like it will be cloudy and windy for the next few days. I took a walk around the neighborhood before the wind picked up. After getting home I did two loads of laundry. I’ll put them away when the 2^nd drier load finishes.

I watched some of the Sunday morning talk shows. Some guests said the Covid relief bill will save America from ruin, while others say this is the beginning of the end of civilization as we know it. Not real helpful. Guess time will tell.

Looking forward to an uneventful week ahead.

Daily Puzzle

Answer: bottom of the page

A girl meets a lion and unicorn in the forest. The lion lies every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and the other days he speaks the truth. The unicorn lies on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and the other days of the week he speaks the truth. “Yesterday I was lying,” the lion told the girl. “So was I,” said the unicorn. What day is it?

Historical Events

1618 – Johannes Kepler formulated his Third Law of Planetary Motion.

1669 – Mount Etna, on the island of Sicily, began erupting and over the next several weeks killed over 20,000 people.

1755 – Thomas Paine, published African Slavery in America – the first article in the American colonies calling for the emancipation of slaves and the abolition of slavery.

1817 – The New York Stock Exchange was founded.

1950 – The ‘Volkswagen Type 2’, known as the VW Bus, was produced for the first time.

1971 – Muhammad Ali lost to Heavyweight Champion Joe Frazier in the “Fight of the Century” at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

1978 – The first radio episode of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams, was broadcast.

1983 – President Ronald Reagan labels the Soviet Union an ‘evil empire.’

2020 America registers 521 cases of COVID-19 with 21 deaths across 33 states

Birthdays Today

@93 – Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., American lawyer and jurist (d. 1935)

76 – Micky Dolenz, American singer-songwriter and actor

74 – Randy Meisner, singer-songwriter and bass player [Eagles]

@67 – Lynn Redgrave, English-American actress, singer (d. 2010; breast cancer)

61 -- Lester Holt, journalist

45 – Freddie Prinze Jr., American actor

44 – James Van Der Beek, American actor

Puzzle Answer

Thursday. The only day they both tell the truth is Sunday; but today can’t be Sunday because the lion also tells the truth on Saturday (yesterday). Going day by day, the only day one of them is lying and one of them is telling the truth with those two statements is Thursday.

 

Mar 7

 

 

Mar 7, 2021    Week: 19    Day: 66                 Visibility: 10 miles

Local: H 57°\ L 26°\Ave. Sky Cover: 5%         Wind:  6mph/ Gusts:  12mph

Nearest Lightning: 1959mi.                                Moderate Risk of Fire:  Active fire:  441mi

Record: 66°[1972]  Record: -1°[1945]               Mar. Averages: 53°/23° (6 days with moisture)            

Today’s Quote

Love possesses not nor will it be possessed, for love is sufficient unto love.

~Khalil Gibran

Random Tidbits

The Great Seal of the United States

In his 1988 campy horror film 'They Live' John Carpenter revealed the subliminal message written on every dollar bill: 'This is your God'. While that movie was a not so subtle jab at consumerism, the truth remains that the mighty greenback has dominated the global economy for decades, but have you ever really looked at the design of the ubiquitous U.S. dollar? There are some odd things going on there. But what does it mean?

A Little Humor

A baseball walks into Wimbledon. The announcer yells Hey- we don't serve your kind here.

…

Knock, knock----Who's There?----Butter----Butter who?

I butter not tell you----it's a secret!

Weekly Observations

Lent [Christian]	Thru 4/3
Hearing Awareness Week Link LGBT Health Awareness Week Link National Cheerleading Week Nat’l Write A Letter of Appreciation Week National Ghostwriters Week National Invest in a Veteran Week  Link National Pet Sitters Week Link Return the Borrowed Books Week Telecommuter Appreciation Week Universal Human Beings Week Link Will Eisner Week   Link World Hearing Awareness Week Link	1-7
International Festival of Owls Week	5-7
Celebrate Your Name Week Girl Scout Week Link  National Dental Assistants Recognition Week Link National Procrastination Week National Schools Social Work Week Link  National Words Matter Week No More Week Link Read an E-Book Week Link Save Your Vision Week Link Termite Awareness Week Women in Construction Week  Link  Words Matter Week	7-13
Women of Aviation Worldwide Week	7-14

 

Today’s Observations

Alexander Graham Bell Day

Daughters' and Sons' Day  
Girl Scout Sunday Link
Namesake Day 

National Be Heard Day
National Cereal Day Link
National Crown Roast of Pork Day

National Flapjacks Day  Link

 

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

A nice warm spring day so I took a nice walk in the forest.

AZ has joined the growing group of states that are lessening restrictions. Our governor is dropping limited occupancy rules. I hope this works out well.

The relief package finally passed the Senate, so now it goes back to the House to approve the changes. I am really confused…again. The Republicans in both chambers said it was too expensive and unnecessary. According to the news the Dems changed so things to make it more agreeable. The news is still saying it is a $1.9 trillion bill. If the Dems gave in on things like the length of the unemployment extra pay, then why didn’t the total cost of the bill go down. I understand that everyone, including elected people and reporters have trouble understanding really big numbers. It just seems to me that really big number should be reported as a smaller really big number.

 

Daily Puzzle

Answer: bottom of the page

You are at a fork in the road in which one direction leads to the City of Lies (where everyone always lies) and the other to the City of Truth (where everyone always tells the truth). There’s a person at the fork who lives in one of the cities, but you’re not sure which one. What question could you ask the person to find out which road leads to the City of Truth?

Historical Events

1897 – Dr. John Kellogg served the world’s first cornflakes to his patients at a mental hospital in Battle Creek, Michigan.

1911 – Willis S. Farnsworth Patented (#985,990) the first coin-operated locker.

1933 The board game Monopoly was created and trademarked by Charles Darrow in Atlantic City.

1955 – Phyllis Diller made her comedy stand-up debut at the Purple Onion in San Francisco, CA.

March 7, 1955 – Peter Pan aired live as part of NBC’s Producer’s Showcase.

1983 – TNN (The Nashville Network) began broadcasting.

1987 – Mike Tyson defeated James “Bonecrusher” Smith to unify the WBA and WBC heavyweight titles.

2009 – The Kepler space observatory was launched.

2011 – Charlie Sheen was officially fired from Two and a Half Men.

2013 UN Security Council approves further North Korean sanctions for its nuclear testing.

2017 Malta's famous landmark the Azure Window collapses into the sea after a storm.

Birthdays Today

87 – Willard Scott, American television personality

83 – Janet Guthrie, American professional race car driver

80 – Michael Eisner, American businessman

@79 – John Herschel, English mathematician, astronomer (d. 1871)

69 – Lynn Swann, American football player

65 – Bryan Cranston, American actor

@62 – Maurice Ravel, French pianist, composer, and conductor (d.1937; tumor)

57 – Wanda Sykes, American comedian and actress

51 – Rachel Weisz, English-American actress

47 – Jenna Fischer, American actress

41 – Laura Prepon, American actress

Puzzle Answer

“Which direction do you live?” Someone from the City of Lies will lie and point to the City of Truth; someone from the City of Truth would tell the truth and also point to the City of Truth.

 

Mar 6

 

 

Mar 6, 2021    Week: 9    Day:65                 |     Visibility: 10 miles

Local: H 52°\ L 30°\Ave. Sky Cover: 5%         Wind:  14mph/ Gusts:  27mph

Nearest Lightning: 938mi.                                 Moderate Risk of Fire:  Active fire:  434mi

Record:68° [1910]  Record: -2°[1935 ]             Mar. Averages: 53°/23° (6 days with moisture)            

Today’s Quote

A cloudy day is no match for a sunny disposition.

~William Arthur Ward

Random Tidbits

Unless you're a real science geek, chances are you never knew these elements even existed. Nonetheless, many of them form the foundations of modern life.

Dysprosium (Dy)

Dysprosium (atomic number 66), is named after the ancient Greek dysprositos, meaning "hard to get," appropriately enough. The soft, metallic substance is in big demand for electric motors, especially those in electric vehicles and wind turbines, which has earned dysprosium a place on the U.S. Department of Energy's list of critical materials for the green economy.

A Little Humor

Who is the bees favorite singer? Sting!

And Now This.....

A llama walked up to a mirror and immediately started ejecting saliva all over the place it was his spitting image.

Monthly Observations

 

Transgender Month of Action for Healthcare Equality Link Trisomy Awareness Month Link Vascular Abnormalities Awareness Month Women's History Month: Link Workplace Eye Wellness Month Worldwide Home Schooling Awareness Month Youth Art Month

 

Weekly Observations

Lent [Christian]	Thru 4/3
National Pasty Week Cancelled	Thru 3/6
Hearing Awareness Week Link LGBT Health Awareness Week Link National Cheerleading Week Nat’l Write A Letter of Appreciation Week National Ghostwriters Week National Invest in a Veteran Week  Link National Pet Sitters Week Link Return the Borrowed Books Week Telecommuter Appreciation Week Universal Human Beings Week Link Will Eisner Week   Link World Hearing Awareness Week Link	1-7
International Festival of Owls Week	5-7

 

Today’s Observations

America's Cup - 36th Finals begins
Day of The Dude Link
Dentist's Day

Dress Day
Genealogy Day  Link 
Iditarod: begins 
National Day of Unplugging: 5-6  Link    
National Dentist's Day Link
National Dress Day  Link
National Frozen Food Day Link 
National Oreo Day Link

National Play Outside Day Link 
Sock Monkey Day  
Sofia Kovalevskaya Math Day Link

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

A nice day with blue sky. A little too much wind for me. I headed out early to do my weekly grocery shopping. Now I’m ready for the weekend.

The Pope is in Iraq. He is a brave man. I certainly would like to see the country and its rich history but will wait until there is peace for a couple of years. I hope his visit a complete success.

The vaccine rollout seems to be ahead of schedule. That’s good. I still have some time before my second dose, but it’s all good.

The Senate has been slowed on passing the relief bill when a Republican used a rule that the entire 680+ page bill must be read orally into the record. Sure glad I am not the reader.

Daily Puzzle

Answer: bottom of the page

This “burning rope” problem is a classic logic puzzle. You have two ropes that each take an hour to burn but burn at inconsistent rates. How can you measure 45 minutes? (You can light one or both ropes at one or both ends at the same time.)

Historical Events

1836 – The Battle (and fall) of the Alamo took place.

1857 – The Supreme Court of the United States ruled in the Dred Scott v. Sandford case. It stated that anyone brought into the United States as a slave, or their descendants could never be a United States citizen. The court of public opinion disagreed very vocally a few years later.

1899 – Bayer registered Aspirin as a trademark. Aspirin is considered by many to be the first wonder drug.

1930 – General Foods put the first individually packaged frozen foods – “Birds Eye Frosted Foods” on sale in Springfield, Massachusetts.

1943 – Norman Rockwell published Freedom from Want in The Saturday Evening Post with a matching essay by Carlos Bulosan as part of the ‘Four Freedoms Series.’

1950 – Silly Putty was introduced as a toy by Peter Hodgson. It was invented in 1943 by James Wright in an effort to make synthetic rubber.

1953 – James Watson and Francis Crick submitted to ‘Nature’ magazine their first article on the structure of DNA. It was published in the April 25th, 1953 issue.

1964 – Nation of Islam’s Elijah Muhammad officially gave boxing champion Cassius Clay the name of Muhammad Ali.

1981 – Walter Cronkite resigned as the main anchorman of The CBS Evening News

1983 – Country Music Television (CMT) began.

1985 – The song We Are the World was released.

1992 – The Michelangelo computer virus began to affect computers.

2001 – Napster began to block the transfer of copyrighted material over its peer-to-peer network. In July 2001, Napster shut down its entire network.

2015 US State Department charges 2 Vietnamese and a Canadian citizen with cyber-fraud, for stealing 1 billion email addresses for spam

2017 US President Donald Trump signs his second executive order barring travelers from 6 mostly Muslim countries for 90 days but leaves out Iraq

2018 World's oldest message in a bottle found in Western Australia, thrown from German ship Paula 132 years ago (12 June 1886)

2018 Pope Francis announces that murdered Salvadorean Archbishop Óscar Romero will be made a saint

2018 Forbes names Amazon founder Jeff Bezos the world's richest person for the first time at $112 billion, Bill Gates no. 2

2019 Facebook head Mark Zuckerberg reveals plans to turn the social media platform into a more "privacy-focused platform."

Birthdays Today

95 – Alan Greenspan, American economist

@88 – Michelangelo, Italian painter, sculptor (d. 1564)

@86 – Ed McMahon, comedian, game show host, announcer (d. 2009)

74 – John Stossel, American journalist, author

@70 – Bob Wills, Western swing musician, songwriter, bandleader (d. 1975)

58 – D.L. Hughley, American actor

@55 – Elizabeth Barrett Browning, English poet (d. 1861; long illness)

@52 – Lou Costello, American actor and comedian (d. 1959; cardiac arrest)

49 – Shaquille O’Neal, American basketball player

@36 – Cyrano de Bergerac, French author and playwright (d. 1655; killed?)

 

Puzzle Answer

Because they both burn inconsistently, you can’t just light one end of a rope and wait until it’s 75 percent of the way through. But this is what you can do: Light the first rope at both ends, and light the other rope at one end, all at the same time. The first rope will take 30 minutes to burn (even if one side burns faster than the other, it still takes 30 minutes). The moment the first rope goes out, light the other end of the second rope. Because the time elapsed of the second rope burning was 30 minutes, the remaining rope will also take 30 minutes; lighting it from both ends will cut that in half to 15 minutes, giving you 45 minutes all together.