Monday 3-22

♣ 22 March 2010~~Week 12 of 2010: 81 days this year…284 remain ♣

♣ Two Quotes to think about…Today ♣

"The picture of health requires a happy frame of mind."

~unknown

"I was born to a woman I never knew and raised by another who took in orphans. I do not know my background, my lineage, my biological or cultural heritage. But when I meet someone new, I treat them with respect.... For after all, they could be my people."

~James Michener, Author

♣ Free Ramblings ♣

It looks like some fairly extensive health care plan will pass tonight. The process has been eye-opening to how this democracy operates. It is messy, it is wrought with lies, emotion, and sometimes anger. It is so hard to believe that these elected officials are really speaking for their individual districts. Our Rep has been interviewed by all the major news outlets because she remained on the fence for so long. She won her last election with 56% of the vote, her opponent got 40%. Now they say her seat may in danger. Yeah, it might be, because she has been a fence sitter and has voted against several big bills that passed. With a 16% win in 2008, she should have been less afraid of her opponents and more concerned about those who voted for her. As I watched some of the C-Span coverage, I must say, the concept of ‘unanimous consent to revise and add to my remarks’ were messy. This means that they will not say anything right now but will put their written comments into the record. No one will hear any more than they are for or against the bill. By revising and adding to their remarks, they will be able to campaign with words they never uttered but their constituents will be lead to believe they said them in front of the members of the House. Crazy. Another messy thing in this process is the number of times the man or women with the gavel had to pound that gavel to remind our elected reps that someone was talking and that there was to be no aisle conversations going on. Not even a Kindergarten classroom would have to be reminded so many times of manners. For those who didn’t watch this process, this was not representatives talking or shouting, or calling out to prevent the speaker from being heard, this was simply groups of people standing around talking to each other and not listening to the speaker. The final thing that surprised me was the fact that the House members, some 435 people, did not spend the day inside the room. Both sides babbled on for most of the day and into the night, about how important this bill really was. Yet, throughout the day, there were seldom more than 50 Representatives in the chamber at a time. At voting times, everyone came in during the 30 minute vote, sat down, logged into the ballot, voted, logged out, and left the chamber. These Reps had already made up their minds, they knew how they were going to vote, and appeared not to want to hear what their fellow Reps had to say. Disgusting.

Outside this chamber, protesters were carrying signs, chanting, and yelling. We are democracy and all that is fine and good. However, some of the protesters had few manners either. A Black leader heard a protester yell out the N-word as he passed, another was spat on as he entered the building, and a gay Rep was greeted with a gay slur inside the building. None of these Reps pressed charges against these protesters. How very sad.

My brother’s wife’s paternal grandfather passed last night. I only saw Carl a couple of times, but he was such a kind and generous man, he made quite an impression. He was 90+ when he passed quietly in his sleep at a hospital. He had fallen, again, a couple of days ago. His wife passed about 5 years ago, and up until two years ago he was still bowling twice a week, and traveling to tournaments every month throughout Illinois. Carl was at one of the Christmas dinners. He so reminded me of my own grandfather. He was spry, enjoyed opening his Christmas presents of t-shirts, socks, and other ‘essentials’ After that each grandchild—all adults were called over to him, one by one chronologically, to get his/her ‘envelope’. At our house, Papa always put the ‘envelope’ on the tree. Both Carl, and my grandfather, had done that since anyone could remember. For those of you who didn’t have this tradition, the ‘envelope’ was crisp new bills, with no card or any handwritten note. A kiss on his cheek or a hug and a few words about ‘you shouldn’t have’ was all either wanted. Carl made his way to the dinner table last Christmas with the aid of a walker. He sat at the head of the table, of course. Before we ate, he stood up, the room quickly became silent, and he offered the blessing. He thanked God for his many years, his wonderful children, and his and their good lives. His kind words touched everyone. His life, his generosity, his kindness will be missed by all who knew him.

The sun shone brightly on our town today. We made it to 60° as more and more of the winter snow disappears. A nice day to spend some time outside. A nice day to enjoy spring. A great day to forget about the blizzards, the ice dams, the road chemicals, and to start looking for new spring growth to be brightening our area. Finally and none too soon.

♣Random Fact: ♣

Giraffes breed throughout the year. Males go from female herd to female herd seeking prospective mates. They zero in on females in heat, often feeding beside them and occasionally tangling necks. Fourteen to 15 months after mating takes place, females give birth to a single calf (rarely two).

***

Female giraffes travel in loosely structured herds, as do young males. However, older males are usually solitary, spending their days seeking female herds containing prospective mates. Males sometimes fight, using their 25-pound heads, nine-inch horns, and strong necks. These battles rarely result in injury.

***

During their first few weeks, calves stay close to their mothers; soon after, they join a group of young called a creche. Baby giraffes are born six feet tall, taller than the average person. They can grow an inch a day and just about double their height in one year.

♣Side Show Stories—♣

ST. LUCIE, Fla. - Florida authorities said an 80-year-old man was arrested for attacking his neighbors' door with a garden hoe because he thought they stole his cookies. The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office said the St. Lucie residents called 911 Sunday and reported they were awakened by a "loud banging at the door" that turned out to be neighbor Gene Edward Chambers hitting the door with a garden hoe, TCPalm.com reported Thursday. Chambers told a deputy who arrived at the scene that he first knocked on the door then fetched the garden hoe when there was no answer. He accused his neighbors of sneaking into his house during the night and stealing seven boxes of "Little Debbie Oatmeal Cookies." A deputy who searched Chambers' home for signs of theft found five boxes of the snacks and a Wal-Mart receipt from the previous day confirming he had purchased five boxes. "Chambers was mistaken thinking he had bought seven boxes," deputies wrote in a report.

Chambers was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of criminal mischief. The neighbors' door, which deputies valued at $200, was "damaged beyond repair," the report said.

♣ A quick smile ♣

Law of Mechanical Repair

After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch and you’ll have to pee.

Law of Gravity

Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.

Law of Probability

The probability of being watched is directly proportional to the stupidity of your act.

Law of Random Numbers

If you dial a wrong number, you never get a busy signal and someone always answers.

♣ Puzzle ♣

Each of these phrases is the anagram of a recent celebrity. Rearrange the letters to identify the celeb.

1 Slovenly Steel Star

2 Pay Mr. Clean-Cut

3 Imagined Hot

4 Cool Energy, Ego

♣ Calendar Information ♣

• March’s Month Long Observances •

BIRTHSTONE: aquamarine and bloodstone (courage) FLOWER: Narcissus [daffodil, jonquil] (vanity)

National Cheerleading Safety Month • National Clean Up Your IRS Act Month • National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month • National Craft Month • National Ethics Awareness Month •National Eye Donor Month • National Frozen Food Month • National Multiple Sclerosis Education & Awareness Month •National Kidney Month• National Nutrition Month • National Social Work Month • National Umbrella Month • National Women's History Month • Optimism Month • Play The Recorder Month • Poison Prevention Awareness Month • Red Cross Month • Save Your Vision Month • Sing With Your Child Month • Small Press Month •Spiritual Wellness Month • Women's History Month • Workplace Eye Health and Safety Month • Youth Art Month

• Observance Weeks in March•

16-22

•National Inhalant and Poisons Awareness Week

19-27

National Bubble (blowers) Week

21-27

•Consider Christianity Week •Passion Week •Week of Solidarity with People's Struggling Against Racism & Discrimination

22-28

•World Folk Tales & Fables Week

• 21 March Observances—US/UN/World •

National Goof-off Day

As Young As You Feel Day

International Day of The Seal

World Day for Water (aka World Water Day)

•21 March Observances—by country •

Jordan, Lebanon : Arab League Day (1945)

Puerto Rico : Emancipation Day (1873) freeing slaves (I know it's part of US!)

♣ Number One Songs in…

1945► Accentuate the Positive - Johnny Mercer

1953► Doggie in the Window - Patti Page

1961► Dedicated to the One I Love - The Shirelles

1969► Only the Lonely - Sonny James

1977► Fly like an Eagle - Steve Miller

1985► Material Girl - Madonna

• Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1794► Congress bans US vessels from supplying slaves to other countries

• Born on this day •

…The Arts

Authors, Artists and Composers

Louis D L'Amour, 1908, author

Marcel Marceau (Mangel), 1923, mime

Stephen Sondheim, 80, composer (A Little Night Music, score for West Side Story)

James Patterson, 63, author (Kiss the Girls, Along Came a Spider)

Sir Anthony Van Dyck, 1599, Flemish painter

Entertainers in Cinema, Music, Theater, and TV

George Benson, 67, singer, guitarist (“On Broadway,” “Give Me the Night”)

Jeremy Clyde, 1944, rocker (Chad & Jeremy-Yesterday's Gone)

Chico [Leonard] Marx, 1887, comedian (Marx Brothers)

Karl Malden (Mladen Sekulovich), 1912, actor

Ross Martin (Martin Rosenblatt), 1920,actor: The Wild Wild West

Matthew Modine, 51, actor (Full Metal Jacket, “And the Band Played On”)

William Shatner, 79, actor (“Star Trek,” “Boston Legal”), author (Tek novels)

Andrew Lloyd Webber, 62, composer (Cats, Phantom of the Opera)

Reese Witherspoon, 34, actress (Oscar for Walk the Line)

Roger Whittaker, 1936, (Nairobi Kenya), country singer

…Athletes

Robert Quinlan (Bob) Costas, 58, sportscaster

Cristen Powell, 31, race car driver

…Business, Education

Allen Neuharth, 86, founder of USA Today

…Politics

Orrin Grant Hatch, 76, US Senator (R, Utah)

…Science/Religion

F W A Argelander, 1799, Prussian cataloguer of 324,188 stars

Pat Robertson (Marion Gordon Robinson), 80, television evangelist

Adam Sedgwick, 1785, British geologist

•Today’s Obits •

J W Goethe writer, 1832@ 82

Asa Smith Bushnell Jr, 1975, Secretary of US Olympics (1945-65), @ 75

Karl Wallenda, 1978, falls to death walking high-wire in Puerto Rico, @ 73

•What Happened on this Day •

…The Arts

--

…Athletics

1997► Tara Lipinski, age 14 years and 10 months, becomes the youngest champion of the women's world figure skating competition.

…Business, Education.

1933► President Roosevelt signed the bill which legalized the sale of 3.2 percent beer and wine.

1990► Microsoft Windows 3.0 was released

…Politics

1630► 1st colonial legislation prohibiting gambling enacted (Boston)

1790► Thomas Jefferson becomes the 1st US Secretary of State

1882► Edmunds Act adopted by US to suppress polygamy in the territories

…Science/Religion

1457► Gutenberg Bible became the 1st printed book

1733► Joseph Priestly invents carbonated water (seltzer)

1841► Cornstarch patented (Orlando Jones)

1946► 1st US rocket to leave the Earth's atmosphere (50 miles up)

1993► Intel introduces Pentium-processor (80586) 64 bits-60 MHz-100+ MIPS

1997► Comet Hale-Bopp Closest Approach to Earth

♣ANSWERS to puzzle ♣

1 Sylvester Stallone: Slovenly Steel Star

2 Paul McCartney: Pay Mr. Clean-Cut

3 Heidi Montag: Imagined Hot

4 George Clooney: Cool Energy, Ego

♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣

Sunday 3-21

♣ 21 March 2010~~Week 12 of 2010: 80 days this year…285 remain ♣

♣ Two Quotes to think about…Today ♣

"If freedom could be had for the wishing, everyone would be free, but an unfaltering attachment to freedom, rising above all difficulties and based on facts, not appearances, is rarely found in men, and that is why those who do possess that attachment are considered virtually superhuman."

~ Carlos Buonapartos (Napoleon' father)

“One should rather die than be betrayed. There is no deceit in death. It delivers precisely what it has promised. Betrayal, though...betrayal is the willful slaughter of hope.”

~ Steven Dietz, playwright

♣ Free Ramblings ♣

I didn’t mention that last night we had a visitor to our Discussions group. She is a friend of one of your members and happens to be a Republican running for the state legislator in Carefree. Following our discussion of the Persian Gulf, she asked our group some questions. Since none of us are voters in her district, she said she just wanted some input. She gave us some very scary figures about the position we are in regarding the state budget. I did take some notes on her questions, since she was claiming to be a ‘centrist’ in the Republican Party. I tried for a couple of hours to verify some of her information. The state of Arizona doesn’t make it easy to find her information. Maybe that’s why we are in such a financial mess. Several of her questions were about education. What are our ideas of how to educate the bottom 10% of students? What about the top 10%? It was interesting to find that within our group most of the group thinks higher education when they hear the word education. Most of the group stated that public education in K-12 was unable to meet their needs when they were in school, and most had taken alternative routes for themselves and for their children. Even the candidate has chosen alternative education for her children and she was the only one who raised her children in Arizona. Her way of ‘fixing’ education in Arizona is to have one school district in Arizona, one curriculum, and one test that is not ‘dummy-downed’. Her belief is that these changes will allow everyone to get the same education. I will try to follow her campaign. While her answers are not my idea of good education, I must say, her question about how to educate the top and bottom 10% really has me thinking. My education battles back in the day to help the top 10% and the bottom 10% by not teaching with the shotgun approach were brought back to mind.

We only got to 47° today, and there was a definite chill in the air all day. Not a lot of snow melted, and I didn’t spend a lot of time outside. Amazing how a few degrees can make such a difference for our comfort. Tomorrow promises to be much warmer and a return to spring like weather. I hope everyone was able to enjoy the equinox today. I for one am really looking forward to longer days.

♣Random Fact: ♣

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

♣Side Show Stories—♣

NEW YORK - New York police said they were trying to learn why officers have visited an elderly couple's home more than 50 times seeking suspects the couple had never met. Walter Martin, 83, and his wife, Rose, 82, said police have knocked on their door up to 75 times since 2002 and each time said they were seeking a suspect or key witness in crimes including robbery, murder and rape, the New York Daily News reported. "Our identity theft squad is investigating the matter," police spokesman Ed Mullen said. The Martins said they had never heard of any of the suspects until police came to their door. "I'm really worried," Rose Martin said. "How could so many people get my address and how could cops be coming from so many different precincts?"

♣ A quick smile ♣

Speedy Morris was the basketball coach at LaSalle and they were having a pretty good season. One morning, he was shaving and the phone rang. His wife answered it and called out to him that Sports Illustrated wanted to talk to him. Coach Morris was excited that his team was apparently about to receive national recognition in this famous sports magazine. As a matter of fact, he was so excited that he cut himself with his razor.

Covered with blood and shaving lather and running downstairs to the phone, he tripped and fell down the stairs. Finally, bleeding and bruised, he made it to the phone and breathlessly said, "Hello"?

The voice on the other end asked, "Is this Speedy Morris"?

"Yes, yes!" he replied excitedly.

Then the voice continued, "Mr. Morris, for just seventy-five cents an issue, we can give you a one-year subscription to Sports Illustrated."

♣ Puzzle ♣

Each of these phrases is the anagram of a recent celebrity. Rearrange the letters to identify the celeb.

1 Wonder Trash

2 A Lewd Loony

3 Not Top Brains

4 Fine in Torn Jeans

♣ Calendar Information ♣

• March’s Month Long Observances •

BIRTHSTONE: aquamarine and bloodstone (courage) FLOWER: Narcissus [daffodil, jonquil] (vanity)

National Cheerleading Safety Month • National Clean Up Your IRS Act Month • National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month • National Craft Month • National Ethics Awareness Month •National Eye Donor Month • National Frozen Food Month • National Multiple Sclerosis Education & Awareness Month •National Kidney Month• National Nutrition Month • National Social Work Month • National Umbrella Month • National Women's History Month • Optimism Month • Play The Recorder Month • Poison Prevention Awareness Month • Red Cross Month • Save Your Vision Month • Sing With Your Child Month • Small Press Month •Spiritual Wellness Month • Women's History Month • Workplace Eye Health and Safety Month • Youth Art Month

• Observance Weeks in March•

6-21

•Iditarod Race

14-21

•National Toad Hollow Week

15-21

•Act Happy Week •American Chocolate Week •International Brain Awareness Week •Wellderly Week: To recognize Senior Citizens who don’t act their age

16-22

•National Inhalant and Poisons Awareness Week

19-27

National Bubble (blowers) Week

21-27

•Consider Christianity Week •Passion Week •Week of Solidarity with People's Struggling Against Racism & Discrimination

• 21 March Observances—US/UN/World •

Fragrance Day

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination Memory Day

National Common Courtesy Day

Spring Fairy Fun Day

World Down Syndrome Day

Iowa : Bird Day

National Agriculture Day (1981)

World Poetry Day (UNESCO)

•21 March Observances—by country •

Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq : Nawroz (Persian New Year)

Arab World: Mother's Day

Australia: Harmony Day: to honor cultural diversity

México : Benito P Juarez' Birthday (1806)

Namibia : Independence Day (1990 from South Africa)

South Africa: Human Rights Day (1960: Sharpeville Massacre, SA police killed 70 Blacks, outlaws ANC)

♣ Number One Songs in…

1944►They Took the Stars Out of Heaven - Floyd Tillman

1952►(When You Feel like You’re in Love) Don’t Just Stand There - Carl Smith

1960►He’ll Have to Go - Jim Reeves

1968►Simon Says - 1910 Fruitgum Co.

1976►December 1963 (Oh, What a Night) - The Four Seasons

1984►Girls Just Want to Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper

• Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1980►President Carter told U.S. Olympic athletes that the U.S. will be boycotting the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow

• Born on this day •

…The Arts

Authors, Artists and Composers

Johann Sebastian Bach, 1685, (Eisenach Germany) composer

Charlotte Bronte, 1816, novelist/poet

Phyllis McGinley, 1905, Pulitzer prize-winning poet

Entertainers in Cinema, Music, Theater, and TV

Matthew Broderick, 48, actor (Godzilla, Inspector Gadget, Election; stage: The Producers)

Timothy Dalton, 64, actor (James Bond movies, Cleopatra, Centennial), (Colwyn Bay, Wales)

Kevin Federline, 32, dancer

Al Freeman, Jr, 76, actor (A Patch of Blue; Roots: The Next Generations)

Rosie O’Donnell, 48, actress (A League of Their Own), host (“The Rosie O’Donnell Show”)

…Athletes

Howard Cosell, 1918, sportscaster

Adrian Peterson, 25, football player, Vikings.

…Business, Education

Julio Gallo, 1910, vintner

Forrest Mars Sr., 1904, American candymake

Florenz Ziegfeld, 1869, producer Ziegfeld Follies

…Politics

István Gyulai, 1943, Hungarian General Secretary of the IAAF

…Science/Religion

Jean-Baptiste-Joseph Fourier, 1768, mathematician/Egyptologist

James Jesse Strang,1813, crowned king of the Mormons [1850-1856]

•Today’s Obits •

Sir Michael Redgrave, 1985,actor (Goodbye Mr Chips, Mr Arkadin), @ 77

(Clarence Leonidas ) Leo Fender, 1991, inventor (Fender guitar), @ 82

John Ireland, 1992, actor (Rawhide), leukemia @ 78

•What Happened on this Day •

…The Arts

1859 Scottish National Gallery opens in Edinburgh

1939 : Kate Smith records the patriotic song "God Bless America."

…Athletics

--

…Business, Education.

1788► Fire destroyed 856 buildings in New Orleans LA

1868► The first club for professional women, Sorosos, was formed in New York City

1983► Only known typo on Time Magazine cover (control=contol), all recalled

…Politics

1824► Fire at Cairo ammunitions dump kills 4,000 horses

1866► Congress authorizes national soldiers' homes

1883►CHIRICAHUA APACHEs are raiding American locations then returning to Mexico. On this date, Chato, Bonito and Chihuahua raid a mining town near Tombstone. This is just the pretext General George Crook needs to mount a raid into Mexico to find the APACHEs.

1891► A Hatfield marries a McCoy, ends long feud in West Virginia; it started with an accusation of pig-stealing & lasted 20 years

1935► Persia officially renamed Iran

1963► Alcatraz federal penitentiary known as "The Rock" closes

1965► Martin Luther King Jr begins march from Selma to Montgomery AL

1972► US Supreme Court rules states can't require 1-year residency to vote

…Science/Religion

1844► Origin of Bahá'í Era-Bahá'í calendar starts here (Bahá 1, 1)

♣ANSWERS to puzzle ♣

1 Howard Stern: Wonder Trash

2 Woody Allen: A Lewd Loony

3 Rob Pattinson: Not Top Brains

4 Jennifer Aniston: Fine in Torn Jeans

♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣

Saturday 3-20

♣ 20 March 2010~~Week 11 of 2010: 79 days this year…286 remain ♣
♣ Two Quotes to think about…Today ♣
We live by admiration, hope and love.
-- William Wordsworth
Wisdom is the supreme part of happiness.
--Sophocles
♣Spring Equinox Special ♣
On March 20, 2010, at precisely 4:32 P.M. AZ time (March 20, 17:32 Universal Time), the Sun will cross directly over the Earth's equator. This moment is known as the vernal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. For the Southern Hemisphere, this is the moment of the autumnal equinox. Translated literally, equinox means "equal night." Because the Sun is positioned above the equator, day and night are about equal in length all over the world during the equinoxes. These moments occur because of the 23.4 degree tilt of the Earth's axis. Because of the tilt, we receive the Sun's rays most directly in the summer. In the winter, when we are tilted away from the Sun, the rays pass through the atmosphere at a greater slant, bringing lower temperatures.

The spring equinox date is significant in Christianity because Easter always falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. It is also probably no coincidence that early Egyptians built the Great Sphinx so that it points directly toward the rising Sun on the day of the vernal equinox. The first day of spring also marks the beginning of Nowruz, the Persian New Year. The celebration lasts 13 days and is rooted in the 3,000-year-old tradition of Zorastrianism.
♣ Free Ramblings ♣
Tonight was our Great Discussions group. We discussed the current and twentieth century Persian Gulf. It is such a complicated issue four really good articles and a three hour discussion only touches the surface of this iceberg. Our discussion was led by a member who lived in the Persian Gulf for several years and works with Persian Gulf students at NAU. This is certainly a very complicated issue that can’t be solved quickly. One issue I hadn’t considered was the Bush campaign in Iraq was at least partially based on the theory that anti-American hatred prevailed throughout most of the Persian Gulf and that the Taliban and Al-Qaida beliefs were permeating the entire area. Many have said that the Saudi’s are our friends. It appears that is not true, but the Saudi’s don’t fight with us because we don’t interfere with their repressive monarchy. Historically, but certainly not morally, we have allowed their kingdom to function. Historically, but certainly not morally, we have decided other countries in the region should move closer to our beliefs and if they don’t, we put sanctions on their people and if that doesn’t work we invade. Our discussions, while heated at times, are so valuable.

Our Flag weather was very unpredictable today. At 6:30, it really looked like we might have another snow storm. Turned out that was not in the cards. It warmed up to about 55° and turned into a nice day. Living in Arizona, one never knows what the weather will be. I know that many say that about their local weather, but here, it is true. LOL
♣Random Fact: ♣
Forest fires move faster uphill than downhill.
♣Side Show Stories—♣
GLASGOW, Scotland - A Scottish charity says it is holding classes on proper sleep habits for teenagers in a bid to boost the students' energy during the school day. Jane Ansell, director of charity Sleep Scotland, said the classes are being offered at Glasgow schools and officials hope the trial run will help develop a program to be offered at schools across the country, The Daily Telegraph reported. Ansell said sleep deprivation has been linked to increased risks of depression and obesity. "You wouldn't send somebody to school without having the right amount of food, so why would you send them without enough sleep?" she said. The charity said the teenagers are being taught to avoid TV late at night and keep to a strict schedule allowing for at least nine hours of sleep per night.
♣ A quick smile ♣
At a wedding ceremony that I was performing, I raised my hand to give the final blessing.
The bride misunderstood my gesture and surprised me with a high-five.
Not wanting to exclude the groom, I offered him a high-five, too.
I was finally able to get my blessing in, amid the laughter of the guests.
♣ Puzzle ♣
Each of these phrases is the anagram of a recent celebrity. Rearrange the letters to identify the celeb.
1 Friendly Jeers
2 Enforce Madly
3 Presbyterians
4 Inane Bronco
♣ Calendar Information ♣
• March’s Month Long Observances •
BIRTHSTONE: aquamarine and bloodstone (courage) FLOWER: Narcissus [daffodil, jonquil] (vanity)
National Cheerleading Safety Month • National Clean Up Your IRS Act Month • National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month • National Craft Month • National Ethics Awareness Month •National Eye Donor Month • National Frozen Food Month • National Multiple Sclerosis Education & Awareness Month •National Kidney Month• National Nutrition Month • National Social Work Month • National Umbrella Month • National Women's History Month • Optimism Month • Play The Recorder Month • Poison Prevention Awareness Month • Red Cross Month • Save Your Vision Month • Sing With Your Child Month • Small Press Month •Spiritual Wellness Month • Women's History Month • Workplace Eye Health and Safety Month • Youth Art Month
• Observance Weeks in March•
6-21
•Iditarod Race
14-20
•Campfire USA Birthday Week •National Poison Prevention Week •Nat’l Agriculture Week •Nat’l Animal Poison Prevention Week
14-21
•National Toad Hollow Week
15-21
•Act Happy Week •American Chocolate Week •International Brain Awareness Week •Wellderly Week: To recognize Senior Citizens who don’t act their age
16-22
•National Inhalant and Poisons Awareness Week
19-27
National Bubble (blowers) Week
• 18 March Observances—US/UN/World •
Great American Meat Out Day since 1985
Kiss Your Fiancé Day
National Jump Out! Day: get out your jump rope and exercise
Proposal Day
National Agriculture Day
National Quilting Day
Snowman Burning Day
Vernal Equinox (Spring)
Won't You Be My Neighbor Day
Corn Dog Day
Maple Syrup Day
•18 March Observances—by country •
Canada: Festival Of Extraterrestrial Abductions Day
Iran : Oil Nationalization Day since 1951
Tunisia : Independence Day (1956 from France)
International Day of the Francophonie: to recognize the French language and culture around the world
International Astrology Day
Japan: Shunbun no Hi: national holiday in to welcome spring
World Storytelling Day, a global celebration of the art of oral storytelling.
♣ Number One Songs in…
1951►If - Perry Como
1959►Venus - Frankie Avalon
1967►Penny Lane - The Beatles
1975►Black Water - The Doobie Brothers
1983►Billy Jean - Michael Jackson
• Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1852►Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin" published (Boston) 
• Born on this day •
…The Arts
Authors, Artists and Composers
Eugen Herrigel, 1885, (Germany) philosopher/early pioneer of Zen in Europe
Spike Lee, 53, director, producer, writer, actor
Carl Reiner, 88, actor (“The Dick Van Dyke Show,” “Your Show of Shows”), writer, director
Entertainers in Cinema, Music, Theater, and TV
Jack Barry, 1918, game show emcee (Joker's Wild)
Holly Hunter, 52, actress
William Hurt, 60, actor (The Accidental Tourist, Broadcast News)
Werner Klemperer, 1920, (Cologne Germany) actor (Colonel Klink-Hogan's Heroes)
Hal (Harold Lipshitz) Linden, 79, actor (“Barney Miller”)
Ozzie (Oswald George) Nelson,1906, bandleader, actor
Sir Michael Redgrave, 1908, (Bristol England), actor
…Athletes
Robert Gordon (Bobby) Orr, 62, Hall of Fame hockey player
Patrick James (Pat) Riley, 65, basketball coach and former player
…Business, Education
Ned Buntline ( Edward Zane Carroll Judson), 1823, American publisher of dime novels
…Politics
John D Erlichman, 1925, Politician (Watergate conspirator)
Brian Mulroney, 71, Canadian statesman and 18th prime minister of Canada
…Science/Religion
Mr [Fred McFeely] Rogers, 1928, minister, children's television host (Mr Roger's Neighborhood)
B.F. (Burrhus Frederic) Skinner, 1904, psychologist: behaviorism
•Today’s Obits •
Sir Issac Newton, 1727, English physicist/astronomer, @ 84
Lajos Kossuth, 1894, Hungarian freedom fighter/president (1849) @ 91
Giuseppe [Joe] Zangara, 1933, electrocuted for assassination attempt on FDR @ 33
Dr Andrew E Douglass, 1962, Dendrochronologer (Study of Tree Rings) @ 96
Sidney Kingsley, 1995, US playwright (Pulitzer prize 1934), @ 88
•What Happened on this Day •
…The Arts
1852►Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin" published (Boston)
1935►"Your Hit Parade" made its debut on radio
…Athletics
--
…Business, Education.
1602►United Dutch East Indian Company (VOC) forms
1886►1st AC power plant in US begins commercial operation, Massachusetts
1891►The first computing scale company was incorporated in Dayton, OH
1954►1st newspaper vending machine used (Columbia Pennsylvania)
…Politics
1864►800 NAVAJOs, mostly women, children and old men, begin the 300 mile march to Fort Sumner and the Bosque Redondo Reservation, in east-central New Mexico. The group would pick up 146 additional NAVAJOs during the march. A powerful snow storm strikes the ill-equipped marchers during the trip. By the time they reach the new reservation, 110 NAVAJOs will have perished.
1942►General MacArthur vows, "I shall return"
…Science/Religion
1987►The Food and Drug Administration approved the sale of ( azidothymidine ) AZT, a drug shown to prolong the lives of some AIDS patients.
♣ANSWERS to puzzle ♣
1 Jerry Seinfeld: Friendly Jeers
2. Corey Feldman: Enforce Madly
3. Britney Spears: Presbyterians
4. Conan O'Brien: Inane Bronco
♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣

Friday 3-19

♣ 19 March 2010~~Week 11 of 2010: 78 days this year…287 remain ♣

♣ Two Quotes to think about…Today ♣

"I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I can do no other, so help me God. Amen."

~Martin Luther: reformer

"We know that change is rarely a smooth process. It can be intimidating and chaotic. In fact, transition has the potential to either launch an organization to the next level, or dump it into the deepest pit. That’s why wise leaders look out for change, then manage it, and lead their people through it."

~ John Maxwell: Evangelical author

♣ Free Ramblings ♣

Our Congressional Rep finally came out yesterday morning stating that she would be voting FOR the Health Care Reform Bill. It took her way to long to join the team. I think she is way too interested in getting re-elected than supporting the views of those who elected her. A sad scenario indeed. I understand we had many conservatives here in AZ. I understand there are a whole bunch of conservatives living in her district. Doesn’t matter, she ran on a platform of change and has been stepping back from that position since her plane first landed in DC. Just as I was grateful of her announced vote, she also came out for a bill that will allow gun ownership of just about any kind of gun one wants, including an assault rifle. Arizona recently became an open carry state, meaning that you can walk around with a visible gun attached for all to see. You can even take the gun with you into a restaurant or the Grand Canyon. Now Annie wants it to be OK to do this with an assault rifle? Yep! I had to fly about two weeks after 911 from Phoenix to San Diego. I must say, seeing the armed National Guard walking through both airports did not necessarily make me feel any safer. I support the military, I just don’t feel safer when I see them ‘protecting me’ in my own backyard. I did wonder what I would do, in those airports, if there was suddenly assault weapon fire there. Would I drop to the floor?, try to run to get behind something?, stop and raise my hands?, or just get shot? Luckily for me and the thousands of other travelers throughout the entire country, we never had to find out what we would do. I was also uncomfortable in Egypt when I saw so many ‘tourist police’ walking around with guns to protect the tourists. After talking to those police who stayed with us during the day, I found out they were basically just young men who had good shooting skills but had never used their gun anywhere except on a shooting range. I still didn’t feel safe, but maybe a tiny bit relieved, knowing they had never used the guns in a real life situation.

The other day I heard an interesting interview regarding the use of the term conservative. Not too long ago it was seen as word that came from ‘to conserve’. That meant not to waste, to save, to manage natural resources. No longer, it seems, at least in politics. Now to declare one a conservative means more about saying no to change and returning to better times some decades ago. The problem of course is that most people have selective memory about previous times. It seems the only way to explain change to many conservatives is do some homework to show that while one may think that the days of decades ago were better than today is to use some history. Like when liberal Clinton left office, we had a huge surplus of money in the bank ($120 billion). It was the Bush II who spent all we had and so much more leaving us with a deficit of about $420 billion. Hmmm.

We had another great spring day here in our tiny mountain community. Yes, we still have some piles of dirty snow around town, but it is slowly disappearing. My pile is down to about three feet. Today we made it to 63° and it only dropped to 28° last night. It is so nice to be able to open windows for part of the day without having the furnace turn on.

♣Random Fact: ♣

In the movie Pulp Fiction, in every scene where there is a clock the time is 4:20 which is a code for drugs in America.

♣Side Show Stories—♣

MVUTJINI, Swaziland - A Swaziland woman said she followed through with a court order allowing her to remove all of her possessions from her ex-husband's house, including the roof. Busisiwe Ginindza of Mvutjini said she and local police officers went to the house Thursday and executed the order from Manzini Magistrate's Court to remove everything she owned from the home she used to share with his husband, The Swazi Observer reported. Ginindza, whose repossessed belongings include the roof of the house, said her husband kicked her out in July and would not allow her to take any of her belongings, despite the fact that most of the items in the house were purchased with her money. "I left my 14-year old son with him, but lately he has not been able to go to school because his father locked him out of the house," Ginindza said of her estranged husband, Sikelela Dlamini.

♣ A quick smile ♣

When my wife and I went up to New England a couple of years ago we decided to stay in one of those quaint little inns. The clerk at the inn asked me if we wanted a room with a shower or a tub.

"What's the difference?" I asked.

"Well, sir, in a tub, you can sit down."

♣ Puzzle ♣

Each of these phrases is the anagram of a recent celebrity. Rearrange the letters to identify the celeb.

1 Perky, Arty

2 I Warm Billions

3 Big Melons

4 Old West Action

♣ Calendar Information ♣

• March’s Month Long Observances •

BIRTHSTONE: aquamarine and bloodstone (courage) FLOWER: Narcissus [daffodil, jonquil] (vanity)

National Cheerleading Safety Month • National Clean Up Your IRS Act Month • National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month • National Craft Month • National Ethics Awareness Month •National Eye Donor Month • National Frozen Food Month • National Multiple Sclerosis Education & Awareness Month •National Kidney Month• National Nutrition Month • National Social Work Month • National Umbrella Month • National Women's History Month • Optimism Month • Play The Recorder Month • Poison Prevention Awareness Month • Red Cross Month • Save Your Vision Month • Sing With Your Child Month • Small Press Month •Spiritual Wellness Month • Women's History Month • Workplace Eye Health and Safety Month • Youth Art Month

• Observance Weeks in March•

6-21

   •Iditarod Race

14-20

   •Campfire USA Birthday Week •National Poison Prevention Week •Nat’l Agriculture Week •Nat’l Animal Poison Prevention Week

14-21

   •National Toad Hollow Week

15-19

   •Wildlife Week

15-21

   •Act Happy Week •American Chocolate Week •International Brain Awareness Week •Wellderly Week: To recognize Senior Citizens who don’t act their age

16-22

   •National Inhalant and Poisons Awareness Week

19-27

   National Bubble (blowers) Week

• 19 March Observances—US/UN/World •

Poultry Day

National Chocolate Caramel Day

Operation Iraqi Freedom Day

Swallows Return to San Juan Capistrano Day

•19 March Observances—by country •

Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Italy: Father's Day

Australia : Canberra Day

• "meeting place" in the old Ngunnawal language, named the Australian capital in 1908

Italy, Spain, Canary Island : St Joseph Day (Virgin Mary’s husband)

♣ Number One Songs in…

1950►Chatanoogie Shoe Shine Boy - Red Foley

1958►Don’t/I Beg of You - Elvis Presley

1966►The Ballad of the Green Berets - SSgt Barry Sadler

1974►Sunshine on My Shoulders - John Denver

1982►I Love Rock ’N Roll - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts

• Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1831►1st US bank robbery (City Bank, New York/$245,000)
• Born on this day •

     …The Arts

Authors, Artists and Composers

Philip Roth, 77, author (The Great American Novel, Portnoy’s Complaint)

Tobias Smollett, 1721, Scottish writer, baptized

Entertainers in Cinema, Music, Theater, and TV

Ursula Andress, 74, actress (Dr. No, What’s New Pussycat?), (Bern, Switzerland)

Glenn Close, 63, actress (“Damages,” The Big Chill, Fatal Attraction; stage: Sunset Boulevard)

Jackie "Moms" Mabley, 1894, comedienne

Patrick McGoohan, 1928, actor: Secret Agent

Bruce Willis, 55, actor (Sin City, The Sixth Sense, Die Hard), (Idar-Oberstein, West Germany)

     …Athletes

Richie (Don Richard) ‘Whitey’ Ashburn, 1927, Baseball Hall of Famer: Phillies
J Jay Berwanger, 1914, 1st Heisman Trophy winner (1935)

     …Business, Education

Lord Vestey, 69, British food magnate/billionaire (Union International)

     …Politics

William Jennings Bryan, 1860, "The Great Commoner" orator/statesman

Wyatt Earp, 1848, frontiersman, lawman, gunfighter: gunfight at O.K. Corral

Adolf Eichmann, 1906, (Ruhr, Germany), Nazi Gestapo officer

Earl Warren, 1891, Governor-CA/14th supreme court chief justice

     …Science/Religion

Sir Richard Burton, 1821, explorer/translator (Arabian Nights)

David Livingstone, 1813, Scotish explorer (found by Stanley in Africa)

•Today’s Obits •

Edgar Rice Burroughs, 1950, sci-fi author (Tarzan of the Apes), @ 74

Anne Klien, 1974, fashion designer, breast cancer @ 51

Rene-Robert Cavelier La Salle, 1687, French explorer (Louisiana), murdered in what is now Texas @ 43

•What Happened on this Day •

     …The Arts

1928►"Amos & Andy" debuts on radio

1951►Herman Wouk's "Caine Mutiny" is published

1953►The Academy Awards was televised for the first time with Bob Hope host.

     …Athletics

1997►Major League Baseball announces 5 year/$50M deal with Pepsi

…Business, Education.

1985►IBM announced that it was planning to stop making the PCjr consumer-oriented computer.

     …Politics

1644►200 members of Peking imperial family/court commit suicide

1918►Congress authorizes time zones & approves daylight saving time

1979►House of Representatives begins live TV broadcasts via C-SPAN

1996►Winnie Mandela divorces Nelson after 38 years of marrage

2001►California officials order the first of a further two days of rolling blackouts.

2003►President George W. Bush addresses the nation via live television and announces that Operation Iraqi Freedom has begun

     …Science/Religion

1915►Pluto photographed for 1st time (although unknown at the time)

♣ANSWERS to puzzle ♣

1. Katy Perry: Perky, Arty (singer)

2. Robin Williams: I Warm Billions

3. Mel Gibson: Big Melons

4 Clint Eastwood: Old West Action

♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣

Thursday 3-18

♣ 18 March 2010~~Week 11 of 2010: 77 days this year…288 remain ♣

♣ Two Quotes to think about…Today ♣

“Dreams do not vanish, so long as people do not abandon them.“

--Phantom F. Harlock: fictional anime Japanese character

“It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow.”

--Robert H. Goddard: Physicist who made first liquid rocket fuel

♣ Free Ramblings ♣

I had lunch with traveling Mary today. Her pictures of Hawaii forced me to realize that the whole world is not covered in snow right now. They had a great vacation, once they made it to the big island. Plane trouble allowed them the opportunity to make a stop in San Francisco, rather than flying from Phoenix to Hawaii directly. I looked at the map and still don’t understand why Frisco, but that’s where they spent a few too many hours. This took one whole day off their vacation. They should have landed in Hawaii about noon and didn’t make it till midnight. The airline is giving them a $100 voucher for future flights. This doesn’t make up for the missed beach time, but is certainly better than anything I would have expected. I’m not into traveling to tourist sites like Hawaii, but I must say, the 85° temps, the swimming and snorkeling in the ocean, and the volcano experience is intriguing. However, Mary and group went to one place to snorkel at 6:30am, for the sunrise and all. When they left about 9:00 in the morning, there were 13 bus loads of Asian tourists standing in line, waiting to get into the venue. Maybe I will make it to Hawaii someday, but don’t think I will do it will be in the near future.

While we were having lunch, some former Tuba teachers came in. Sheila, who left many years ago, and Esther, may boss’ wife, come in with three or four other ladies. Turns out it was Esther’s birthday. I’ve known her professionally for about 40 years, and did not know that she was born on St. Patrick’s Day. This was a big one for her, 65. So we wished her a happy one and moved on.

It was a beautiful spring day again. This is turning into a great spring. When I got back from lunch it was 65° outside. I cleaned off my deck that had almost an inch of pine needles and small branches from the last few storms. I really need to clean the concrete and this winter’s long lasting snow allowed the pine needles and branches to leave dirt on the concrete, and then soak into the concrete or something. I think I’ll wait until I know there will be no more snow before I tackle that job—probably in July. I enjoy afternoons and breakfasts on the deck when the weather is nice, so I guess I just won’t look at the dirty concrete.

♣Random Fact: ♣

A Boeing 747 airliner holds 57,285 gallons of fuel.

♣Side Show Stories—♣

Studying the experimentally induced intoxicated behavior of ants in 1888, naturalist John Lubbock noticed that the insects that had too much to drink were picked up by nest mates and carried home. Conversely, drunken strangers were summarily tossed in a ditch.

♣New Puzzle ♣

Each of these phrases is the anagram of a recent celebrity. Rearrange the letters to identify the celeb.

1 Woken Obscenely

2 I'm a Jerk, But Listen

3 Major Menaces

4 Bald, Bony

♣ Calendar Information ♣

• March’s Month Long Observances •

BIRTHSTONE: aquamarine and bloodstone (courage) FLOWER: Narcissus [daffodil, jonquil] (vanity)

National Cheerleading Safety Month • National Clean Up Your IRS Act Month • National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month • National Craft Month • National Ethics Awareness Month •National Eye Donor Month • National Frozen Food Month • National Multiple Sclerosis Education & Awareness Month •National Kidney Month• National Nutrition Month • National Social Work Month • National Umbrella Month • National Women's History Month • Optimism Month • Play The Recorder Month • Poison Prevention Awareness Month • Red Cross Month • Save Your Vision Month • Sing With Your Child Month • Small Press Month •Spiritual Wellness Month • Women's History Month • Workplace Eye Health and Safety Month • Youth Art Month

• Observance Weeks in March•

6-21

•Iditarod Race

14-20

•Campfire USA Birthday Week •National Poison Prevention Week •Nat’l Agriculture Week •Nat’l Animal Poison Prevention Week

14-21

•National Toad Hollow Week

15-19

•Wildlife Week

15-21

•Act Happy Week •American Chocolate Week •International Brain Awareness Week •Wellderly Week: To recognize Senior Citizens who don’t act their age

16-22

•National Inhalant and Poisons Awareness Week

• 18 March Observances—US/UN/World •

Supreme Sacrifice Day

• To remember all who gave the supreme sacrifice for others…fireman, policemen, soldiers, and all others

Absolutely Incredible Kid Day

• Email or write a kid you know and tell them how incredible they are

Awkward Moments Day

• Everyone has them, today look back on some you have had and hopefully be able to laugh

Companies That Care Day

• If you know a company that cares about its employees, its customers, the community—let them know by supporting their business

National Biodiesel Day

• To honor Rudolf Diesel

Peanut Festival: Wilmington NC

•18 March Observances—by country •

Aruba and Haiti : Flag Day/National Holiday

Haiti : University Day

Ireland : Sheelah's Day

• In the eighteenth century, William Hone reported the celebrations surrounding Sheelah (a mysterious figure who has been identified by variously as the wife, mother, or other relative of St. Patrick) noting that, the people of the day "are not so anxious to determine who 'Sheelah' was, as they are earnest in her celebration

♣ Number One Songs in…

1949•Far Away Places - Margaret Whiting

1957•Young Love - Tab Hunter

1965•Eight Days a Week - The Beatles

1973•Killing Me Softly with His Song - Roberta Flack

1981•9 to 5 - Dolly Parton

1989•From a Jack to a King - Ricky Van Shelton

• Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1870•1st US National Wildlife Preserve (Lake Meritt in Oakland CA)

• Born on this day •

     …The Arts

Authors, Artists and Composers

John Kander, 83, composer (Cabaret, Chicago)

Raphael, 1483, painter (Sistine Madonna)

Nicolai Andreevich Rimski-Korsakov, 1844, (Russia), composer (Flight of the Bumble Bee, Scheherazade)

John Updike, 1932, poet/novelist

Eric Woolfson, 1945, (Glasgow Scotland), composer/musician (Alan Parsons Project)

Entertainers in Cinema, Music, Theater, and TV

(Lester Alvin) Smiley Burnette, 1911, cowboy actor (Charlie-Petticoat Junction)

Kevin Dobson, 66, actor (“Kojak,” “Knots Landing”)

Peter Graves (Aurness), 2010, actor (“Mission: Impossible,” “The Winds of War”)

John Hartman, 50, rock drummer (Doobie Brothers)

Edward Everett Horton, 1886, actor/narrator (Bullwinkle Show)

Queen Latifah (Dana Owens), 40, rap artist, actress (Bringing Down the House, Chicago)

Wilson Pickett, 1941, R&B singer

Charley Pride, 72, singer, former minor league baseball player

Vanessa Williams, 47, singer, actress (“Ugly Betty,” Bye, Bye Birdie; Kiss of the Spider Woman) 1st Miss America who was Black

     …Athletes

Bonnie Blair, 46, Olympic gold medal speed skater

     …Business, Education

--

     …Politics

John Caldwell Calhoun, 1782, Andrew Jackson's Vice President

[Arthur] Neville Chamberlain, 1869, British Prime Minister (C, 1937-40)

[Stephen] Grover Cleveland, 1837, 22nd & 24th President

Frederik Willem de Klerk, 74, former president of South Africa

     …Science/Religion

John Paul II [Karol Wojtyla], 1920, Poland, Pope

Mark Van Thillo, 49, (Wilrijk, Belgium), co-captain (Biosphere 2 in Oracle, AZ)

•Today’s Obits •

Willem de Kooning, 1997, abstract artist Alzheimer's @ 92

Jacques De Molay, 1314, the last grand master of Order of Knights of Templar, burned at stake @ 64 or 74

Farouk I, 1965, last King of Egypt (1936-52), possible poisoning while in exile @ 45

Ivan IV the terrible, 1584, Russian tsar (1547-84), heart attack @ 53

Robert Walpole, 1745, 1st English premier (1722-42), @ 68

•What Happened on this Day •

     …The Arts

1902•Enrico Caruso becomes 1st well-known performer to make a record

     …Athletics

1892•Lord Stanley proposes silver challenge cup for hockey (Stanley Cup)

1982•Singer Teddy Pendergrass' spinal cord severed in a car accident

1989•Investor group led by George W Bush & Edward W Rose purchases controlling interest of Texas Rangers 1965: A Soviet cosmonaut known as Lt. Col. Alexei Leonov exited the spacecraft Voskshod II for a short “spin” 1922: Mohandas K. Gandhi a British educated lawyer, was sentenced to prison in India for civil disobedience

     …Business, Education.

1834•1st railroad tunnel in US completed, in Pennsylvania (275 meter long)

1881•[PT] Barnum & [James A] Bailey's Greatest Show on Earth opens (Madison Square Garden)

1931•Schick, Inc., the razor company, displayed the first electric shaver

1961•Poppin' Fresh Pillsbury Dough Boy introduced

     …Politics

1582•Prince Willem of Orange injured in attack at Antwerp

1673•Lord Berkley sells his half of New Jersey to the Quakers

1818•Congress approves 1st pensions for government service

1911•North Dakota enacts a hail insurance law

1963•Supreme Court's Miranda Decision: defendants must have lawyers (AZ case)

1970•Mail service paralyzed by 1st major postal strike

1977•US restricts citizens from visiting Cuba, Vietnam, N Korea & Cambodia

     …Science/Religion

1813•David Melville of Newport, Rhode Island patented the gas streetlight

1919•Order of DeMolay is established in Kansas City

♣ANSWERS to puzzle ♣

1 Beyonce Knowles: Woken Obscenely

2 Justin Timberlake: I'm a Jerk, But Listen

3 James Cameron: Major Menaces

4 Bob Dylan: Bald, Bony

♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣

Wednesday 3-17 St. Patrick's Day

♣ 17 March 2010~~Week 11 of 2010: 76 days this year…289 remain ♣

ST. PATRICK’S DAY

♣ Two Quotes to think about…Today ♣

"The Irish seem to have more fire about them than the Scots."

- Actor Sean Connery

"Though the pen is mightier than the sword, the sword speaks louder and stronger at any given moment."

- Leonard Wibberley, Irish author of comic novel "The Mouse That Roared"

Bonus Quotes for all my Irish friends and relatives…

"I had that stubborn streak, the Irish in me I guess."

- Gregory Peck"

"The immigrant's heart marches to the beat of two quite different drums, one from the old homeland and the other from the new. The immigrant has to bridge these two worlds, living comfortably in the new and bringing the best of his or her ancient identity and heritage to bear on life in an adopted homeland."

- Irish President McAleese

"Every action of our lives touches on some chord that will vibrate in eternity."

- Sean O'Casey

♣ Free Ramblings ♣

I had a great lunch with two former colleagues today. They are on spring break from Tuba. Good to see them both. John is retiring at the end of the school year. Maree is going to stick it out a few years, she says. I shared a couple of travel stories, and caught them up on Mary’s and Cheryl’s travels. After we had talked quite a while, Maree said she might do just one more year. They have three daughters and a slew of grandkids, and both enjoying being around the grandkids. I kept reminding Maree that when she does get ready to retire, the grandkids will be waiting. I also called her “Betty” a couple of times, on purpose. Betty was a teacher at Tuba who entered Tuba in 1985, saying she would retire in a few years. She finally did in 2008. Betty had to be well into her 70’s when she finally forgot to sign her contract within the time limit, and thus was forced to retire. Both John and Maree got the joke. John is excited about retirement. Maree needs to realize that there is a great life waiting after retirement. One of their daughters will graduate a year from now as a nurse, one is still in college and the other one is happy.

The Texas School Board is making headlines as they debate social studies books content. A conservative group on the board is trying to give American History a more ‘conservative and truthful’ view of our history. Few non-educators realize that when a state as large as Texas tells book publishers the events to emphasize and the events to not emphasize the book publishers listen. Smaller states buy the same textbooks used in Texas. Smaller states just don’t buy enough books. So as Texas sets their standards, other states wait to see what is done there to write their standards. So what happens in Texas is important to most other states. California wields the same power. So, these guys have some interesting ideas: equal time for Abe Lincoln and Jefferson Davis, cutting out all references to recent 3rd party movement (Nader, Perot), teaching that Title IX (equal sports for male and females) and affirmative action had “unintended consequences”, Thomas Jefferson won’t get much mention as a Founding Father and in his place will be information of St. Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin, and Robert Blackstone, and a heavy emphasis on the Founding Fathers strict had adherence to strict Christian beliefs. This is Texas, the classrooms that still hear the term Civil War and War of Northern Aggression used to talk about the same war. Over in DC, there is talk about changing NCLB—No Child Left Behind--when it comes up for refunding. The current administration is talking about a National Curriculum. This will allow, according to them, all students will be taught and tested over the same material. This idea has been around for decades. Our Founding Fathers wanted the business of education kept at the local level. The local boards would determine curriculum, staff, buildings, length of day and year. Since the Feds go into education back in the late 1950’s, they have wielded more and more control over the schools. The one area they haven’t invaded is the curriculum. They still allow each state to set standards, develop tests, and measure student progress. While I am not happy about the Texas mess, I am not sure that the Feds, in all their wisdom, need to be setting National Curriculum. Education needs to be Obama’s next big push.

We had another great day of blue sky, warm temps (52°), lots of melting snow, and only a slight breeze. Can this really be Spring? I’m certainly ready.

Happy St. Patrick’s day to all.

♣Random Fact: ♣

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

♣Side Show Stories—♣

Stockholm, Sweeden: Fredrick Federley, a member of the Swedish Parliament, said he has always campaigned as someone who does not take gifts from those he is responsible for regulating, but he was called out by the newspaper Aftonbladet in February for having accepted a free travel holiday from an airline. Federley denied that "he" accepted the trip. He reminded reporters that he is a notorious, flamboyant cross-dresser, and thus that it was his alter-ego "Ursula" who received the free holiday.

♣New Puzzle ♣

Each of these phrases is the anagram of a celebrity's name. Rearrange the letters to identify the celeb.

1 I Am a Kind Shark

2 Enjoy Harm

3 Skull and Cobra

4 He's Grown Large 'n' Crazed

♣ Calendar Information ♣

• March’s Month Long Observances •

BIRTHSTONE: aquamarine and bloodstone (courage) FLOWER: Narcissus [daffodil, jonquil] (vanity)

National Cheerleading Safety Month • National Clean Up Your IRS Act Month • National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month • National Craft Month • National Ethics Awareness Month •National Eye Donor Month • National Frozen Food Month • National Multiple Sclerosis Education & Awareness Month •National Kidney Month• National Nutrition Month • National Social Work Month • National Umbrella Month • National Women's History Month • Optimism Month • Play The Recorder Month • Poison Prevention Awareness Month • Red Cross Month • Save Your Vision Month • Sing With Your Child Month • Small Press Month •Spiritual Wellness Month • Women's History Month • Workplace Eye Health and Safety Month • Youth Art Month

• Observance Weeks in March•

6-21

•Iditarod Race

14-20

•Campfire USA Birthday Week •National Poison Prevention Week •Nat’l Agriculture Week •Nat’l Animal Poison Prevention Week

14-21

•National Toad Hollow Week

15-19

•Wildlife Week

15-21

•Act Happy Week •American Chocolate Week •International Brain Awareness Week •Wellderly Week: To recognize Senior Citizens who don’t act their age

16-22

•National Inhalant and Poisons Awareness Week

• 16 March Observances—US/UN/World •

Submarine Day

• for the underwater vessel, not the sandwich. In 332 BC Aristotle first described it after talking to sailors of Alexander the Great.

Campfire Girls Day

• Founded on March 17, 1910, in Thetford, Vermont, by Luther Gulick M.D. and his wife Charlotte Vedder Gulick The organization changed its name in 1975 to Camp Fire Boys and Girls when membership eligibility was expanded to include boys. In 2001, the current name, Camp Fire USA, was adopted.

St. Patrick's (Feast) Day

• (Latin: Sanctus Patricius, Irish: Naomh Pádraig): Patron Saint of Ireland. Brought Christianity to Ireland…the story of the snakes may be a metaphor of converting many Druids—and their serpent symbolism--to Christianity. The shamrock, or three-leaf clover, was used by St. Patrick as a symbol of the trinity.
• Many US parades are held to celebrate the holiday. The longest-running of these are: Boston, Massachusetts, since 1737, New York City, since 1762, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, since 1771, Morristown, New Jersey, since 1780, New Orleans, Louisiana, since 1809, Buffalo, New York, since 1811, Savannah, Georgia, since 1813, Carbondale, Pennsylvania, since 1833, New Haven, Connecticut, since 1842, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, since 1843, Chicago, Illinois, since 1843, Saint Paul, Minnesota, since 1851, San Francisco, California, since 1852, Scranton, Pennsylvania, since 1862, Cleveland, Ohio, since 1867, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, since 1869, Kansas City, Missouri, since 1873, Butte, Montana, since 1882, Rolla, Missouri, since 1909
• Seattle and other cities paint the traffic stripe of their parade routes green. Chicago dyes its river green, Indianapolis also dyes its main canal green, Savannah dyes its downtown city fountains green. Missouri University of Science and Technology - St Pat's Board Alumni paint 12 city blocks kelly green with mops before the annual parade. In Jamestown, New York, the Chadakoin River (a small tributary that connects Conewango Creek with its source at Chautauqua Lake) is dyed green each year.
• In the Northeastern United States, peas are traditionally planted on Saint Patrick's Day.

Suffolk County, Massachusetts: Evacuation Day

• Holiday since 1876. In 1776 when British withdrew from Boston to Nova Scotia…1st victory of George Washington in Revolutionary War. State workers may lose holiday status in 2010 due to budget cuts. St. Patrick’s Day parades have been held annually in Boston since 1876

•16 March Observances—by country •

World : World Maritime Day—UN

Ireland, Newfoundland, Labrador, Montserrat, others : St Patrick's Day

♣ Number One Songs in…

1948•I’m Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover - The Art Moonie Orchestra

1956•Hot Diggity (Dog Ziggity Boom) - Perry Como

1964•I Want to Hold Your Hand - The Beatles

1972• Heart of Gold - Neil Young

1980•Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Queen

1988•Too Gone Too Long - Randy Travis

• Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1845•Rubber band patented by Stephen Perry of London
• Born on this day •

     …The Arts

Authors, Artists and Composers

Moncure Daniel Conway, 1832, clergyman/author/abolitionist (Life of Thomas Paine)

Paul Eliot Green, 1894, Pulitzer prize-winning playwright of symphonic drama: In Abraham’s Bosom [1926]

Alfred Newman, 1900, composer (Love is a Many Splendored Thing)

Rudolf Nureyev (Rudolf Hametovich Nureyev), 1938, Russian ballet dancer

Entertainers in Cinema, Music, Theater, and TV

Nat ‘King’ Cole (Nathaniel Adams Coles), 1919, jazz pianist, bandleader

Danny DeVito, 66, actor (Louie-Taxi)

Patrick Duffy, 61, actor (“Step by Step,” “Dallas”)

Shemp Howard [Samuel Horwitz], 1895, comedian/actor (3 Stooges)

Paul Kantner, 69, rock guitarist (Jefferson Airplane, Starship-White Rabbit)

Rob Lowe, 46, actor (“Brothers & Sisters,” “The West Wing”)

Gene Pitney, 1941, rock singer/ composer (Town without Pity, Liberty Valance)
Kurt Russell, 59, actor (Backdraft, Elvis)

John Sebastian, 66, singer (Loving Spoonful)

Gary Sinise, 55, stage and screen actor (Forrest Gump, Apollo 13, “CSI: New York”)

Gloria Swanson, 1899, actress

     …Athletes

Daniel Ray (Danny) Ainge, 51, basketball coach (Suns), former basketball & baseball player

Mia Hamm, 38, Selma AL, soccer forward (Olympics-96)

Bobby (Robert Tyre) Jones, 1902, World Golf and PGA Hall of Famer

      …Business, Education

Jim Bridger, 1804, frontiersman, trapper: 1st Caucasian to see the Great Salt Lake

      …Politics

Roger Brooke Taney, 1777, 5th Chief Justice (Dred Scott decision)

      …Science/Religion

Thomas Chalmers, 1780, 1st moderator (Free Church of Scotland)

•Today’s Obits •

St Patrick, 461, patron St of Ireland, @ 74 (according to Catholic Church)

Suzanna Salter, 1961, 1st US female mayor (Argonia, Kansas, )/temperance leader, @ 101

Kenneth Jameson, 1996, art educationalist, @ 83

•What Happened on this Day •

     …The Arts

1941•National Gallery of Art, Washington DC opens

     …Athletics

--

     …Business, Education.

1845•Bristol man, Henry Jones, patents self-raising flour

1931: Nevada Senate voted to legalize all forms of gambling in the state providing the impetus for the growth of Las Vegas.

1949•The first car with a Porsche badge is shown at International Automobile Show in Geneva

     …Politics

1521•Ferdinand Magellan discovers the Philippines

1836•Texas abolishes slavery

1854•1st park land purchased by a US city, Worcester MA

1868•Postage stamp canceling machine patent issued

1905•Eleanor Roosevelt marries FDR in New York

1906•President Theodore Roosevelt coined the word ‘muckrake’

1959•Dalai Lama flees Tibet for India

1969•Golda Meir, a Milwaukee high school teacher, becomes first female Prime Minister of Israel

1995•Sinn-Fein leader Gerry Adams visits White House

     …Science/Religion

0432•St Patrick, a bishop, is carried off to Ireland as a slave

1921•Dr Marie Stopes opens Britain's 1st birth control clinic (London)

1987•IBM releases PC-DOS version 3.3

♣ANSWERS to puzzle ♣

1 Kim Kardashian: I Am a Kind Shark

2 John Mayer: Enjoy Harm

3 Sandra Bullock: Skull and Cobra

4 Arnold Schwarzenegger: He's Grown Large n Crazed

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Tuesday 3-15

♣ 16 March 2010~~Week 11 of 2010: 75 days this year…290 remain ♣

♣ Two Quotes to think about…Today ♣

"He is truly wise who gains wisdom from another`s mishap."

~unknown

"The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself."

~Henry Miller

♣ Free Ramblings ♣

I learned today a tiny bit more about the Federal Health Care System. I guess I will have to start reading all those incomprehensible booklets they send out. I learned today that my deductible is $300/calendar year. I had called because one section of the EOB said that I could be billed by my doctor $97. Another part of the exact same EOB I did not owe my physician any charges. Well, after dealing with the lady, I learned I had not met my deductible, and even though it said I didn’t owe my doctor, I really did, because the I had not met my deductible. Talk about double talk. I learned that my co-pay is not part of that deductible nor are any dental procedures. I also learned that the $20 co-pay is for my Primary Care Physician, and it’s $30 for any specialist. It all seems so absurd. The co-pay goes up, the deductible goes up, and the monthly payments go up— all at a rate that is faster than the CPI. The average income rose 20% in the last decade, the health insurance premiums rose 155%.

Those Representatives and Senators, sitting in DC, who think the Health Care system in our country is working just fine need to listen to their districts. It is now time to try something different.

I made a dumb phone mistake the other day. I usually don’t answer my phone without checking the Caller ID. Well I forgot to look, and it was one of those polls. I then didn’t hang up, but answered a few questions about my stand on the economy. That simple thing has come more calls each day than I can count. Today I answered the phone to tell the guy to take me off his list. He asked me if I was for or against a National Health Care plan. I answered yes, and he just hung up…no comment, no thank you, just a hang up. And I didn’t get a chance to tell them to delete my number. No wonder we can’t trust polls. A real fair poll would have asked me more questions.

Since I was about 15 I have shaved almost every day. My father used an electric shaver, and so that’s how I stated. It just didn’t do the job. I switched to a razor and foam at about 16. Back in those days, it was a single blade. Over the years, technology has increased the number of blades. I am now up to a Fusion 5 blade system. I really thought it was no better or worse than the old one blade system of my youth. Well, somehow I ran out of blades and had a couple of two blade disposable razors I sometimes use on trips. I must say, technology has certainly won out. I used one of the two blade shavers for three days. Never got a clean shave. I was also reminded of the days when I got nicks, something I had forgotten all about. Next time I run out of Fusion blades I will head for the store before attempting a shave, and I threw away the two remaining disposable razors, rather than continue to use up a ton of toilet paper on the nicks.

Flagstaff had a real nice outdoor day, and I took some advantage of that. We made it to 44°, and there was very little wind. Lots of snow melted. A nice day, reminding us all that Spring is just around the corner. And none too sooe.

♣Random Fact: ♣

In 21 states, Wal-Mart is the single largest employer.

♣Side Show Stories—♣

Greenwood, SC: At first, Rev. Fred Armfield's arrest for patronizing a prostitute in Greenwood, S.C., in January looked uncontroversial, with Armfield allegedly confessing that he had bargained Melinda "Truck Stop" Robinson down from $10 to $5 for oral sex. Several days later, however, Armfield formally disputed the arrest, calling himself a "descendant of the original Moro-Pithecus Disoch, Kenyapithecus and Afro Pithecus," a "living flesh and blood being with sovereign status," and someone who, based on his character and community standing, should not be prosecuted. Also, he claimed that any payment to "Truck Stop" with Federal Reserve Notes did not legally constitute a purchase since such notes are not lawful money.

♣ Puzzle ♣

Word Boxes are like miniature crossword puzzles, except that each word is filled in across AND down the grid. That is, the answer to 1 across is the same word as the answer to 1 down; 2 across is the same as 2 down; etc. Can you solve these Word Boxes? To solve: draw a square that has 5 X 5 sections.

1 instrument (HINT: P - - - -)

2 metal mass (HINT: - N - - -)

3 spy (HINT: - - E - -)

4 present occasion (HINT: - - - C -)

5 waterlogged mammal (HINT: - - - - R)

♣ Calendar Information ♣

• March’s Month Long Observances •

BIRTHSTONE: aquamarine and bloodstone (courage) FLOWER: Narcissus [daffodil, jonquil] (vanity)

National Cheerleading Safety Month • National Clean Up Your IRS Act Month • National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month • National Craft Month • National Ethics Awareness Month •National Eye Donor Month • National Frozen Food Month • National Multiple Sclerosis Education & Awareness Month •National Kidney Month• National Nutrition Month • National Social Work Month • National Umbrella Month • National Women's History Month • Optimism Month • Play The Recorder Month • Poison Prevention Awareness Month • Red Cross Month • Save Your Vision Month • Sing With Your Child Month • Small Press Month •Spiritual Wellness Month • Women's History Month • Workplace Eye Health and Safety Month • Youth Art Month

• Observance Weeks in March•

6-21

   •Iditarod Race

14-20

   •Campfire USA Birthday Week •National Poison Prevention Week •Nat’l Agriculture Week •Nat’l Animal Poison Prevention Week

14-21

   •National Toad Hollow Week

15-19

   •Wildlife Week

15-21

   •Act Happy Week •American Chocolate Week •International Brain Awareness Week •Wellderly Week: To recognize Senior Citizens who don’t act their age

16-22

   •National Inhalant and Poisons Awareness Week

• 16 March Observances—US/UN/World •

Curlew Day

• Long-billed Curlew arrives at the Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon, to partake in courtship rituals, mating, nesting, and raising young.

Freedom of Information Day

• the birthday of James Madison, who is widely regarded as the Father of the Constitution and as the foremost advocate for openness in government

Lips Appreciation Day

• to honor all lips, no matter the size, shape, or color--Pucker up.

St. Urho's Day

• •Fictional Finnish Saint of the Grasshopper. Actually a holiday stared in 1956 by a Minnesota Finnish store owner to take the spotlight away from the Irish. St. Urho was the man who chased grasshoppers into the sea with a pitchfork to save the grape harvest of Finland. People dress in green (for the grasshopper), and purple (for the wine). After waving pitchforks around everyone enjoys lots of wine.

•16 March Observances—by country •

Latvia: Latvian Legion Day from 1990-2000 to remember a group that are now believed to be part of the Nazi SS. Celebration was dropped as an official holiday in 1998.

Surinam : Holi Phagwah (Festival of Colors) Today believers cover themselves with colored powders and water.

♣ Number One Songs in…

1947•The Anniversary Song - Dinah Shore

1955•The Ballad of Davy Crockett - Bill Hayes

1963•Walk like a Man - The 4 Seasons

1971•Me and Bobby McGee - Janis Joplin

1979•I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor

• Holy Mackerel: 1915•The Federal Trade Commission began operation. The U.S. government appointed five commissioners to receive $10,000 each year to regulate commerce and prohibit unlawful trade.

• Born on this day •

     …The Arts

Authors, Artists and Composers

Alice Hoffman, 58, writer (Practical Magic, Aquamarine)

Entertainers in Cinema, Music, Theater, and TV

Bernardo Bertolucci, 69, filmmaker (Oscar for The Last Emperor; Last Tango in Paris)

Erik Estrada, 61, actor (“CHiPS”)

Jerry Lewis (Joseph Levitch), 84, comedian, actor (My Friend Irma), director (The Bellboy), fund raiser.

Jerry Jeff Walker (Paul Crosby), 68, country singer, guitarist: Mr. Bojangles

Chuck Woolery, 68, game show host (“Love Connection,” “Scrabble”)

Henny Youngman, 1906, (London England), comedian

     …Athletes

Levi Brown, 26, football player (Cardnials)

     …Business, Education

Andrew S Hallidie, 1836, inventor (cable car)

Norbert Rillieux, 1806, inventor (sugar refiner)

     …Politics

James Madison, 1751, 4th US President (1809-17)

Daniel Patrick Moynihan, 1927, U.S. Senator from New York

Patricia Nixon [Thelma Catherine], 1912, 1st lady

     …Science/Religion

Caroline Lucretia Herchel, 1750, (Germany), 1st modern woman astronomer

Georg Simon Ohm, 1787, physicist (discovered Ohm's Law)

•Today’s Obits •

Charles R Darwin, 1882, English naturalist (Origin of species), heart attack @ 73

Tammi Terrell, 1970, singer (Ain't No Mountain High Enough, You're All I Need), brain tumor @ 23

T-Bone Walker, 1975, blues guitarist (Funky Town, Well Done), pneumonia @ 64

Arthur Godfrey, 1983, TV host (Arthur Godrey Show), @ 79

Lord Lovat, Clan Fraser of Lovat, 1995, soldier/Landowner, @ 83

•What Happened on this Day •

     …The Arts

1827•1st US black newspaper, "Freedom's Journal" (New York NY), begins publishing

1850•The novel, The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, was published

1950•1st annual National Book Awards

     …Athletics

2007•The first three-way tie occurs on Jeopardy!—a mental sport!!!

     …Business, Education.

1968•General Motors produces its 100 millionth automobile, the Oldsmobile Toronado.

     …Politics

1190•Jews of York England commit mass suicide rather than submit to baptism

1322•The Battle of Boroughbridge takes place in the First War of Scottish Independence.

1802•Law signed to establish US Military Academy (West Point NY)

1830•London's re-organized police force (Scotland Yard) forms

1861•Arizona Territory votes to leave the Union

1934•Congress passes Migratory Bird Conservation Act

1935•Adolf Hitler violates the Treaty of Versailles by introducing compulsory military conscription in Germany
1968•My Lai massacre occurs (Vietnam War); 450 die

1985•Terry Anderson the Middle East correspondent for The Associated Press is is kidnapped in Beirut, Lebanon, by Islamic militants

     …Science/Religion

1802•US army Corps of Engineers established (2nd time)

1912•Mrs William Howard Taft plants 1st cherry tree in Washington DC

1926•Robert Goddard launches 1st liquid fuel rocket, goes 184' (56 meter)

♣ANSWERS to puzzle ♣

PIANO

INGOT

AGENT

NONCE

OTTER

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