Monday 4-5

5 April 2010~~Week 15 of 2010: 95 days this year…270 days remain

‡ Scottish Proverbs 

Never show your teeth unless you can bite

Danger and delight grow on one stalk.

• Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1966 ►Timothy Leary spoke at New York’s Town Hall and compared LSD to a microscope saying that the drug “is to psychology what the microscope is to biology”

‡ Free Ramblings   

We had a very windy Easter in Flagstaff. We made it to 60° but the 40mph gusts and steady winds of about 30mph made it a day to stay inside. I’m sure this changed a lot of Easter Picnic plans. I didn’t have any big plans for Easter so things were pretty normal around here.

I watched a news story today on two companies who own ‘genes’. Very scary stuff. They discover the DNA gene that cause some inherited disease—in one case breast cancer—and then they can patent that gene. This means that they are the only company that can test for the gene. Thus they can charge whatever they want for the test. Amazing. The Federal Government Patent Office says that I am carrying around genes that are owned by someone else. I hope that company doesn’t plan a recall of all the genes they own.

Another earthquake. While it was in Mexico, it was felt around California and Arizona. No one I know in Flagstaff felt it, but there was a news report that someone in Winslow did feel it. A little hard to believe. In this time of instant communication, when a quake hits, the first thing that goes is communications. Also in big quakes are water and electricity. The news media notifies the world of the earthquake within minutes. It takes many hours for more information. We know there was a quake, but we don’t know the damage. Without electricity, we are lost. News crews have to drive to the site, and upon arriving, may not be able to broadcast. When that happens, news footage must be driven back to a place with electricity. I know that is how we got news for decades, it just seems so strange in this electronic age we can be returned to early 1900’s in a moment.

‡ A Quick Smile…Will Rogers’ One-liners   

~Never slap a man who's chewing tobacco.

~Never kick a cow chip on a hot day.

~There are two theories to arguing with a woman...Neither works.

~Never miss a good chance to shut up.

~Always drink upstream from the herd.

~If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.

~The quickest way to double your money is to fold it and put it back into your pocket.

~There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves.

~Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.

~If you're riding' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there.

~Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier'n puttin' it back.

~After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.

‡ Random Fact   

A camel's hump stores fat that the camel uses for energy when food is scarce not water

‡ Puzzle   

State Mottos: Name the state with this motto

1 Under God the people rule

2. All For Our Country

3 Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem, By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty

4 With God, all things are possible

5 In God We Trust

‡ Side Show Stories   

ORANGEBURG, S.C. - Police in South Carolina said a would-be thief attempted to use fishing line and hooks to angle for bank deposit bags in a bank's night drop slot. Capt. Ed Conner of the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety said First Citizens Bank employees retrieved the bags March 26 morning and discovered a hook embedded in one of the bags with fishing line dangling from the hook, The (Orangeburg, S.C.) Times and Democrat reported. The employees found two other hooks and putty, believed to have been used as a weight, in the deposit box. Police said bank security footage shows someone outside the facility at about 4:30 a.m. "It's under investigation," Conner said. "We'll be looking at the evidence to see if we can put a face with the image on video." He said the would-be thief picked the wrong method for the crime. "The security mechanisms at the bank's night deposit drop...it's impossible for someone to retrieve a bag," Conner told The Times and Democrat. "In other words, you can't go fishing for a night deposit bag."

‡ Calendar Information   

• Observance Weeks in April•

1-7

International Pooper-Scooper Week

Laugh at Work Week

Golden Rule Week

Medication Safety Week

Testicular Cancer Awareness Week

4-10

Hate Week: taken from George Orwell’s 1984

Hilo, HI. Hula Festival: Cultural event honoring King David Kalakaua, culminates with the world’s largest hula competition

National Blue Ribbon Week: to raise awareness of the annual 3.2 million abused children

National Public Health Week

National Work Zone Safety Awareness Week

National Week of the Ocean: to raise awareness of the ocean’s role on our planet

5-10

Explore Your Career Options

5-11

National Networking Week

National Women's Nutrition Week

• 4 April Observances—US/UN/World •

Go For Broke Day

National Deep Dish Pizza Day

White House Easter Egg Roll

•4 April Observances—by country •

China: Cold Food Festival: Legend to celebrate food that is consumed cold.

Iceland : 1st Day of Summer

South Korea : Arbor Day

Taiwan : Death of Chiang Kai-shek/Tomb Sweeping Day (1975)

•Number One Songs in…

1951 ►Mockingbird Hill -Patti Page

1959 ►When It’s Springtime in Alaska (It’s Forty Below) - Johnny Horton

1967 ►Happy Together - The Turtles

1983 ►Billy Jean - Michael Jackson

1991 ►Two of a Kind, Workin’ on a Full House - Garth Brooks

•4 April Happenings•

In The Arts

1987 ►Fox Broadcasting Co. made its prime-time TV debut

In Athletics

1896 ►1st modern Olympic Games officially open in Athens

1973 ►NFL adopts jersey numbering system (ie quarterbacks, 1-19)

In Business or Education

1887 ►Anne Sullivan teaches "water" to Helen Keller

1922 ►KOB-AM in Albuquerque NM begins radio transmissions

1923 ►Firestone Company puts their inflatable tires into production

In Politics

1614 ►Indian princess Pocahontas marries English colonist John Rolfe

1621 ►Mayflower sails from Plymouth on a return trip to England

1768 ►1st US Chamber of Commerce forms (New York NY)

In Science/Religion

2348 -BC ►Noah's ark grounded, Mount Ararat (calculated date)

• 3 April Births •

Artists and Composers

Robert [Albert] Bloch, 1917, sci-fi author (Hugo, Psycho)

Arthur Hailey, 1920, author: Airport, The Final Diagnosis

Thomas Hobbes, 1588, England, philosopher (Leviathan)

Alexander Muir, 1830, Lesmahagow Scotland, poet (The Maple Leaf Forever)

Georg Gottfried Wagner, 1698, composer

Athletes

Matt Bonner, 1980, NBA basketball player (Spurs)

Entertainers

Eric Burdon, 69, England, rocker (Animals)

Bette (Ruth Elizabeth) Davis, 1908, famous eyes (Of Human Bondage, Jezebel)

Max Gail, 67, actor (“Barney Miller: Det. Stan Wojciehowicz)

Frank Gorshin, 1934, Pittsburgh PA, impressionist/actor (Riddler-Batman)

Robert Q Lewis, 1921, TV host (Masquerade Party)

(Eldred) Gregory Peck, 1916, actor (To Kill a Mockingbird, MacArthur)

Gale Storm (Josephine Cottle), 1922, singer: Ivory Tower, actress: My Little Margie

Spencer (Bonaventure) Tracy, 1900, actor (Father's Little Dividend, Adam's Rib)

Tony Williams, 1928, singer (Platters)

Business, Education Leaders

Booker T(aliaferro) Washington, 1856, pioneer educator (1st black on US stamp)

Political Leaders

Colin Luther Powell, 73, former US Secretary of State, general, former Chairman US Joint Chiefs of Staff

Scientists /Religious Leaders

Joseph Lister, 1827, British surgeon, inventor: Listerine mouthwash; President of the Royal Society [1895 to 1900]

Dr. Judith A. Resnik, 1949, electrical engineer, astronaut

•3 April Obits •

Robert Raikes, 1811, Anglican founder of Sunday Schools, @ 75

Howard Hughes, 1976, reclusive billionaire, @ 72

Sam Walton, 1992, Billionaire CEO (Wal-Mart), cancer @ 74

Allen Ginsberg, 1997, beat poet, @ 80

‡ ANSWERS to puzzle

1 South Dakota: Under God the people rule

2. Nevada: All For Our Country

3. Massachusetts: Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem, By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty

4 Ohio: With God, all things are possible

5 Florida: In God We Trust

‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡

Easter Sunday 4-4

4 April 2010~~Week 15 of 2010: 94 days this year…271 days remain

‡ Scottish Proverbs 

He goes long barefoot that waits for dead men's shoes.

He's the slave of all slaves who serve's none but himself

• Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1964 ►The Beatles set an all-time record on the Top 100 chart of Billboard magazine this day. All five of the top songs were by the British rock group.

‡ Free Ramblings   

I was watching the news when a crawl came across the screen about a murder in South Africa. After the news was over, I was at the computer learning about the AWB and its dead leader. The AWB is a very far right group of Afrikaans that may make up 5% of the Afrikaans in South Africa. The Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (Afrikaner Resistance Movement) wants a separate white state, Boerestaat, within South Africa. Their 69 year old leader was killed in his bed today by two workers on his farm. They were upset over not receiving pay for work they claimed they had done. The AWB flag and logo is three black sevens forming a triskelion with lots of red and white. There are many visual similarities to the Nazi flag. Since my trip to South Africa I knew there had to be Afrikaans who were not behind the end of apartheid, but I had no idea they were so organized. With the World Cup starting on June 11, this killing may or may not become world news. Right now it seems to be a killing of a farmer by two dissatisfied workers. If it comes out that it was more about AWB beliefs, I fear this will become much more news that will not help the healing process.

There were two very good basketball games in the NCAA playoffs. Butler beat Michigan State, Duke is beating West Va. at half-time. Monday’s game should be very good. Should be a great way to start the week.

Flag made it to 58° today and was only 28° last night. Sounds like it should have been a great day outside. Oh, I didn’t mention the 30mph winds that blew around most of the day. It finally calmed down about 3pm so I could be out on the deck a little while.

‡ A Quick Smile   

An elderly Italian man who lived on the outskirts of Rimini, Italy, went to the local church for confession. When the priest slid open the panel in the confessional, the man said:

"Father.. During World War II, a beautiful Jewish woman from our neighborhood knocked urgently on my door and asked me to hide her from the Nazis. So I hid her in my attic."

The priest replied: "That was a wonderful thing you did, and you have no need to confess that."

"There is more to tell, Father.. She started to repay me with sexual favors. This happened several times a week, and sometimes twice on Sundays."

The priest said, "That was a long time ago and by doing what you did, you placed the two of you in great danger, but two people under those circumstances can easily succumb to the weakness of the flesh. However, if you are truly sorry for your actions, you are indeed forgiven."

"Thank you, Father. That's a great load off my mind. I do have one more question."

"And what is that?" asked the priest.

"Should I tell her the war is over?'

‡ Random Fact   

Scientists say that Einstein’s brain was 15% wider than the average human brain

‡Easter Trivia

Easter probably derives its name from Eostre, an Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring. A month corresponding to April had been named "Eostremonat," or Eostre's month, leading to "Easter" becoming applied to the Christian holiday that usually took place within it.

***

In Medieval Europe, eggs were forbidden during Lent. Eggs laid during that time were often boiled or otherwise preserved. Eggs were thus a mainstay of Easter meals, and a prized Easter gift for children and servants.

***

Hares and rabbits have long been symbols of fertility. The inclusion of the hare into Easter customs appears to have originated in Germany, where tales were told of an "Easter hare" who laid eggs for children to find. German immigrants to America -- particularly Pennsylvania -- brought the tradition with them and spread it to a wider public. They also baked cakes for Easter in the shape of hares, and may have pioneered the practice of making chocolate bunnies and eggs.

***

Hot cross buns were among the earliest Easter treats, made by European monks and given to the poor during Lent.

***

Pretzels were originally associated with Easter. The twists of a pretzel were thought to resemble arms crossed in prayer.

***

Around 1885, Russian jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé took the decoration of eggs to new heights. He volunteered to create a jewelry egg for Czar Alexander III to give his wife, Marie. Fabergé kept the egg a secret, but delighted the royal family with an ordinary looking "egg," but with tiny surprises made of gold, enamel, and precious gems inside.

***

After their baptisms, early Christians wore white robes all through Easter week to indicate their new lives. Those had already been baptized wore new clothes instead to symbolize their sharing a new life with Christ. In Medieval Europe, churchgoers would take a walk after Easter Mass, led by a crucifix or the Easter candle. Today these walks endure as Easter Parades.

‡ Puzzle   

State Mottos: Name the state with this motto

1 Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain,

2 Oro y plata, Gold and silver

3 Wisdom, justice, and moderation,

4 Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice, If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look around you

5 Regnat populus, The people rule

‡ Side Show Stories   

ORLANDO, Fla. - A Florida juvenile court judge went too far when he found a woman in contempt because her cellphone rang in the courtroom, an appeals court ruled. The appeals panel in Daytona said Michelle McRoy's ringing phone was "annoying" but that does not justify a finding of contempt, The Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel reported. The court said Circuit Judge Anthony Johnson provided no evidence for his contempt finding and an order that McRoy's phone should be confiscated. "Contempt is an act tending to embarrass, hinder, or obstruct the court in the administration of justice, or to lessen the court's authority or dignity," the appeals court wrote in an opinion released Wednesday. "Contempt does not exist just because a judge feels aggrieved or vexed." McRoy said she allowed her sister to use the phone outside the courtroom and forgot to check when she returned it whether it was turned off. She was in the Orange County courtroom last year because a juvenile relative was appearing in court. She told the newspaper the judge "just went off" without giving her a chance to explain what happened. She said she hopes to get the phone back.

‡ Calendar Information   

• Observance Weeks in April•

1-7

International Pooper-Scooper Week

Laugh at Work Week

Golden Rule Week

Medication Safety Week

Testicular Cancer Awareness Week

2-4

Alcohol-Free Weekend

4-10

Hate Week: taken from George Orwell’s 1984

Hilo, HI. Hula Festival: Cultural event honoring King David Kalakaua, culminates with the world’s largest hula competition

National Blue Ribbon Week: to raise awareness of the annual 3.2 million abused children

National Public Health Week

National Work Zone Safety Awareness Week

National Week of the Ocean: to raise awareness of the ocean’s role on our planet

• 4 April Observances—US/UN/World •

Tell-A-Lie Day

Easter

International Day for Mine Awareness & Assistance in Mine Action

Victims of Violence Wholly Day: Befriend a victim of violence and do something nice for that person

World Rat Day

•4 April Observances—by country •

Hungary : Liberation Day (1945 from Nazi Germany)

Senegal : National Day (1960 from France)

•Number One Songs in…

1950 ►Long Gone Lonesome Blues - Hank Williams

1958 ►He’s Got the Whole World (In His Hands) - Laurie London

1966 ►(You’re My) Soul and Inspiration - The Righteous Brothers

1974 ►Sunshine on My Shoulders - John Denver

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

•4 April Happenings•

In The Arts

1859 ►Daniel Emmett introduced I Wish I was in Dixie’s Land (later named Dixie) in New York City. Just two years later, the song became the Civil War song of the Confederacy.

1914 ►The first known serialized moving picture opened in New York City. The Perils of Pauline starred Pearl White.

In Athletics

1974 ►Hank Aaron ties Babe Ruth's home-run record by hitting his 714th

In Business or Education

1973 ►New York's World Trade Center The twin towers of the World Trade Center rising 1,350 feet above Manhattan officially became the world's tallest building.

In Politics

1660 ►English King Charles II ends Declaration of Breda (freedom of religion)

1818 ►Congress decided US flag is 13 red & white stripes & 20 stars

1850 ►City of Los Angeles incorporated

1879 ►According to Army files, a group of Indians stole almost 30 horses from Countryman's ranch, on the Yellowstone River. Local citizens and "friendly" CROW Indians pursued them. They would be found on April 22, 1879.

1912 ►Chinese republic proclaimed in Tibet

1949 ►The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is established by 12 Western nations: the United States, Great Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Iceland, Canada, and Portugal

1958 ►1st march against nuclear weapons (Aldermaston England)

1966 ►Pirate Radio Scotland changes name to Radio Ireland

1981 ►Henry Cisneros becomes 1st Mexican-American mayor (San Antonio)

In Science/Religion

1896 ►Announcement of Gold in the Yukon

1932 ►Vitamin C 1st isolated, C C King, University of Pittsburgh

1947 ►Largest group of sunspots on record

• 3 April Births •

Artists and Composers

Maya Angelou (Marguerite Ann Johnson), 82, poet, author (I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings)

Kitty Kelley, 68, author (Jackie Oh!, Nancy Reagan)

Margaret Oliphant, 1828, Scotland, novelist/biographer (Beleaguered City)

Athletes

Carlos Reyes, 41, pitcher (Oakland A's)

Entertainers

David Blaine, 37, magician

Robert Downey, Jr, 45, actor

Steve Gatlin, 59, country singer (Gatlin Brothers)

Luke Halpin, 61, actor (Sandy Ricks-Flipper-TV)

Cloris Leachman, 84, actress (Phyllis, Dancing with the Stars)

Craig T. Nelson, 64, actor (“Coach,” “The District”)

Anthony Perkins , 1932 , actor (Psycho)

Muddy Waters (McKinley Morganfield), 1915, blues singer, guitarist

Business, Education Leaders

Bijan, 66, Iran, mens apparel designer (Beverly Hills, New York, London)

Charles Funk , 1881, Encylopediest (Funk & Wagnalls)

Arthur Murray (Moses Teichman) , 1895, dancer: Arthur Murray Dance Studios

John Cameron Swayze , 1906, newscaster (Timex, Hindenberg)

Political Leaders

Dorothea Dix, 1802, aroused interest in treatment of mental inmates

Bob Stump, 83,(Representative -AZ)

Scientists /Religious Leaders

Zénobe Théophile Gramme, 1826, inventor (electric motor)

Linus Yale, 1821, inventor: Yale Infallible Bank Lock and cylinder lock

•3 April Obits •

Alfred Mosher Butts, 1993, US architect/game maker (Scrabble), @ 93

Oliver Goldsmith, 1774,Irish poet (She Stoops to Conquer), kidney failure @ 46

William Henry Harrison, 1841, becomes 1st US President to die in office, common cold @ 68

Reverend Martin Luther King Jr, 1968, civil rights leader, assassinated @ 39

John Napier, 1617, Scottish mathematician/inventor (logarithms), gout @ 67

Adam Clayton Powell Jr, 1972, (Representative-Democrat-NY), prostitutes @ 63

Jason Robards Sr, 1963, actor (Acapulco), heart attack @70

Gloria Swanson, 1983, actress (Airport 1975), heart ailment @ 84

‡ ANSWERS to puzzle   

1 Iowa: Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain,

2 Montana: Oro y plata, Gold and silver

3 Georgia: Wisdom, justice, and moderation,

4 Michigan: Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice, If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look around you

5 Arkansas: Regnat populus, The people rule

‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡

Saturday 4-3

3 April 2010~~Week 14 of 2010: 93 days this year…272 days remain

‡ Scottish Proverbs 

Money is flat and was meant to be piled up.

A light purse makes a heavy heart.

• Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1860 ►The Pony Express a new faster mail service using riders on a horseback relay instead of the traditional stagecoaches begins service between St. Joseph, Mo., and Sacramento, Calif. The Pony Express reduced the time for mail to travel from the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to around ten days. After only 1 year in March 1861 after suffering large losses and not gaining the mail contract The Pony Express Company ceased trading.

‡ Free Ramblings   

Holy Week for Christians is drawing to a close. I have always been enticed by the pageantry of this time of year. I was raised Episcopalian, or as my mom said ‘back-door Catholic’. We always had our services in English, didn’t HAVE to go to confession, Knelt, stood, sat at various times during the Communion service. We recognized that the Pope was a good man, but certainly not infallible. For Holy days our church had incense, lots of candles, some bells, and the priest wore very colorful garb. In my youth we hung out with a family that was catholic and very good friends. My mom, at one time, had been nearly engaged to marry the husband. He was the man who introduced my mother and father. Their family consisted of eight kids, several of whom were adopted. One of the girls carries my mother’s name. My mother was ‘Beryl’, hardly a common name. Anyway, on Good Friday Beryl and Marie would load up the ten kids and we would spend much of the day visiting the various Catholic churches throughout the Denver area. We would enter each church or cathedral and say a prayer. I was always more interested in the beauty of the church, the stained glass windows, the huge wooden alters, and the quiet, Gothic organ music that was being played by an organist for Good Friday. We did this for years and stopped about the time I was 12. Flagstaff does have some old churches, but I don’t celebrate Good Friday by doing the traveling to churches things. The hypocrisy of so many churches and their congregations has turned me off to that kind of organized religion, but I will always have fond memories of those Good Friday excursions.

My mind has gotten quite a case of Spring Fever. Now I just have to wait for the rest of the world to have Spring. I want to spend more time outside, but don’t enjoy the wind and snow. I want to move all the furniture into a new set up in my house. I just haven’t figured out how I want to change it. I have so much stuff, I really just need to get rid of some of it. However, each ‘thing’ has such good memories I haven’t been able to part with it. Of course, something will hit me one of these days and I will be able to make the change. I stopped by Home Depot today and while we still have snow on the ground, their garden center is filled with spring flowers. This didn’t help my spring fever one bit. I know it is way too early for planting, but I sure don’t want to plant now and watch them freeze.

We did have a nice day today. We made it to 47° and there was very little wind. I am ready for much warmer temperatures, the ability to open the house and have fresh mountain air in the house.

‡ A Quick Smile   

A young man excitedly tells his mother he's fallen in love and going to get married. He says, "Just for fun, Ma, I'm going to bring over 3 women and you try and guess which one I'm going to marry."

The mother agrees.

The next day, he brings three beautiful women into the house and sits them down on the couch and they chat for a while. He then says, "Okay, Ma, guess which one I'm going to marry."

She immediately replies, "The one in the middle."

"That's amazing, Ma. You're right. How did you know?"

"I don't like her."

‡ Random Fact   

The Great Pyramid at Giza in Egypt, constructed around 2500 B.C., was the tallest building in the world until the Eiffel Tower was erected in 1889.

‡ Puzzle   

State Mottos: Name the state with this motto

1 North to the future

2 Ad astra per aspera: To the stars through difficulties

3 By valor and arms

4 Crescit eundo: It grows as it goes

5 Hope

‡ Side Show Stories   

KINGSPORT, Tenn. - Police in Kingston, Tenn., said a man charged with running naked through a grocery story told officers he did it because he was bored. A police report said Daniel Lee, 22, of Church Hill, admitted to walking into the IGA grocery store Friday about 9 p.m. "wearing only a rubber mask," The Kingsport Times-News reported Tuesday. Lee fled the store but employees were able to detain his alleged accomplice, Katelyn Trent, 18, who said she was his girlfriend. The suspect was tracked to a nearby Hardee's, where employees said he came inside dressed in only an orange hoodie and started begging for clothes before hiding in a bathroom. "Daniel advised me that he did run through the IGA nude because he was bored and didn't have anything to do," an officer wrote in the report. Lee was charged with indecent exposure and booked into the Kingsport jail. No charges had been filed against Trent.

‡ Calendar Information   

• Observance Weeks in April•

1-7

International Pooper-Scooper Week

Laugh at Work Week

Golden Rule Week

Medication Safety Week

Testicular Cancer Awareness Week

2-4

Alcohol-Free Weekend

• 1 April Observances—US/UN/World •

Don't Go To Work Unless It's Fun Day

Pony Express Day

Tangible Karma Day

New York: Tweed Day: for birthday of William March “Boss” Tweed, corrupt political boss

•3 April Observances—by country •

Scotland: Edinburgh International Science Festival

•Number One Songs in…

1949 ►Cruising Down the River - The Russ Morgan Orchestra

1957 ►Little Darlin’ - The Diamonds

1965 ►Stop! In the Name of Love - The Supremes

1973 ►Killing Me Softly with His Song - Roberta Flack

1981 ►Texas Women - Hank Williams, Jr.

•3 April Happenings•

In The Arts

1942 ►People Are Funny was first heard this day on NBC radio Art Linkletter took over the popular program in 1943

1953 ►TV Guide was published for the first time

In Athletics

1923 ►2 "Black Sox" sue White Sox (unsuccessfully) for back salary

1948 ►1st US figure skating championships held
In Business or Education

1776 ►Harvard College conferred the first honorary Doctor of Laws degree to George Washington

1848 ►Thomas Douglas becomes 1st San Francisco public teacher

In Politics

1790 ►Revenue Marine Service (US Coast Guard), created

1918 ►House of Representatives accepts American Creed written by William Tyler

I believe in the United States of America, as a government of the people, by the people, for the people; whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed; a democracy in a republic; a sovereign Nation of many sovereign States; a perfect union, one and inseparable; established upon those principles of freedom, equality, justice, and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes.

I therefore believe it is my duty to my country to love it, to support its Constitution, to obey its laws, to respect its flag, and to defend it against all enemies.

1968 ►Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "mountaintop" speech to a rally of striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tenn

1996 ►Theodore John Kaczynski is arrested by the FBI accused of being the Unabomber

In Science/Religion

1829 ►James Carrington of Wallingford, CT patented the coffee mill

1910 ►Highest mountain in North America, Alaska's Mount McKinley climbed

1933 ►1st airplane flight over Mount Everest

1974 ►148 tornadoes hit North America from Georgia to Canada within 16 hours

• 3 April Births •

Artists and Composers

Don Gibson, 1928 , songwriter: I Can’t Stop Loving You, singer: Oh Lonesome Me

George Herbert, 1593, English metaphysical poet (5 Mystical Songs)

Washington Irving, 1783, American writer (Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Rip Van Winkle)

Athletes

Picabo Street, 39, Olympic skier

Entertainers

Alec Baldwin, 52, actor (“30 Rock

Jan Berry, 1941, rock vocalist (Jan & Dean)

Marlon Brando, 1924 , Academy Award-winning actor

Doris Day, 86, actress, singer

George Jessel, 1898 , comedian, actor

Marsha Mason, 68, actress (The Goodbye Girl, Cinderella Liberty)

Eddie Murphy, 49, comedian (“Saturday Night Live”), actor

Wayne Newton, 68, singer

Tony Orlando, 66, singer with Dawn

David Hyde Pierce, 51, actor (Fraser)

Dooley Wilson, 1894, actor (Sam-Casablanca)

Business, Education Leaders

Russel Wright, 1904, American industrial designer

Political Leaders

John Hanson, 1715, 1st US President under Articles of Confederation

Helmut Kohl, 80, Chancellor: Federal Republic of Germany

Scientists /Religious Leaders

Jane Goodall (Baroness Van Lawick-Goodall), 76, anthropologist known for study of chimpanzees

Virgil Grissom , 1926, Lieutenant Colonel USAF/astronaut (Merc 4, Gemini 3)

•3 April Obits •

Graham Greene, 1991, British writer (3rd Man, Our man in Havana), @ 86

Jesse James, 1882, outlaw, shot dead @ 34

Sarah Vaughan, 1990, jazz singer, lung cancer @ 66

‡ ANSWERS to puzzle

1 Alaska: North to the future

2 Kansas: Ad astra per aspera To the stars through difficulties

3 Mississippi: By valor and arms

4 New Mexico: Crescit eundo: It grows as it goes

5 Rhode Island: Hope

‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡

Friday 4-2

2 April 2010~~Week 14 of 2010: 92 days this year…273 days remain

‡ Scottish Proverbs 

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant. (So said Robert Louis Stevenson)

He has licked the butter aff my bread.

• Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1877 ►1st Easter egg roll held on White House lawn

‡ Free Ramblings   

I made it through today with no major pranks. Martha called early this morning to tell me her fairly new printer would not get rid of its ‘paper jam’ announcement and would not print anything. We tried for about 30 minutes to fix it through IM’s. Luckily she uses it on her laptop, so she came by this afternoon with laptop, printer, and necessary cords in hand. Modern technology makes our lives so much easier when it works. When it doesn’t work it is very frustrating. Computers and printers can’t be ‘taken apart’ to see what might be wrong. You are at the mercy of techs who, for a price, will either walk you through a checklist or have you bring it to them. Most times they are also lost, and simply suggest you buy a new whatever. Of course there is no trade in value for a computer or printer that doesn’t work. The printer was only a couple of years old and should not be in end-of-life care. Anyway, I too searched for som small piece of paper that might be blocking the printer. No luck. Then I tried a can of air to blow out anything that might be blocking the paper path. I was very happy that this worked. I was almost out of ideas. As usual, I still don’t know why it didn’t work, then it did work.
One of the retired Line Officers from BIA is having an Albuquerque get together at the end of the month for all the retirees. Haven’t decided if I will go, but will see what happens. Many of the higher-ups stayed in Albuquerque after they retired and I don’t look forward to the five hour drive for dinner. It would be nice to see some of the people though.
The local media prank this year was a joint effort by the mayor’s office, the local NPR station, the local university, and the local newspaper—with all announcing that as part of the necessary budget cuts, the ordinance that has us shoveling our sidewalks would now include the street too. Such a coordinated prank does deserve some kudos. The University even stated it was offering classes on snow shoveling techniques for the elderly and one on business strategies of a snow removal business. Finally the non-elected governor jumped in with a plan to double the annual snow fall in Flagstaff by cloud seeding.
We did wake up to a few inches of snow, and that was no joke. It was mostly melted by noon. We climbed to 40° and had blue sky with some wind throughout the day. It even spit some snow a couple of times with the mostly blue sky. Spring in Flag…you never know what will happen from one minute to the next.

‡ A Quick Smile   

Two snowmen are standing in a field. One says to the other : "Funny, I smell carrots too".

‡ Random Fact   

The average cat sleeps about 2/3 of the day

‡ Puzzle   

State Mottos: Name the state with this motto

1 Audemus jura nostra defendere: We dare defend our rights

2 *Justitia Omnibus: Justice for All

3 Ua mau ke ea o ka ʻāina i ka pono: The life of the land is perpetuated by righteousness.

4 Dirigo: I lead

5 All For Our Country

* not a state, but run by Feds

‡ Side Show Stories   

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - A Canadian commercial income tax preparation service in Vancouver was tidying up Monday after an enraged customer caused more than $10,000 damage. Constable Lindsey Houghton told reporters the unidentified 52-year-old man showed up at the business Sunday afternoon claiming the company had made a mistake on a past income tax filing, although at a different location. He was apparently unhappy with the staff's response to his complaint and began throwing furniture around the office, The (Vancouver) Province said. He then began sliding his arms across desks, sending computers and monitors crashing to the floor, Houghton said. As police officers arrived to arrest the man, they saw him trying to use an interior stand-up sign to smash the front window, the report said.

"Everyone would agree that income tax time can be stressul," Houghton said.

‡ Calendar Information   

• Observance Weeks in April•

1-7

International Pooper-Scooper Week

Laugh at Work Week

Golden Rule Week

Medication Safety Week

Testicular Cancer Awareness Week

2-4

Alcohol-Free Weekend

• 2 April Observances—US/UN/World •

National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day

Good Friday for Christians

Hospital Admitting Clerks Day

International Children's Book Day

Reconciliation Day: to patch up family, friend relationships

World Autism Day

Massachusetts : Student Government Day

•2 April Observances—by country •

Argentina: officially Day of the War Veteran and the Fallen in the Malvinas War (Día del Veterano de Guerra y de los Caídos en la Guerra de las Malvinas) since 1982 when Argentina took control of Falkland Islands

Chad : Creation of Union of Central African States (1968)

Iran: Nature Day

Qatar: Independence Day (1970 from Britian)

•Number One Songs in…

1948 ►Now is the Hour - Bing Crosby

1956 ►Heartbreak Hotel - Elvis Presley

1964 ►Twist and Shout - The Beatles

1972 ►Mother and Child Reunion - Paul Simon

1980 ►Call Me – Blondie

1988 ►Love Will Find Its Way to You - Reba McEntire

•Happenings on this Day •

In The Arts

1902 ►1st motion picture theater opens (Los Angeles CA)

In Athletics

1985 ►The NCAA Rules Committee adopted the 45-second shot clock

1987 ►Doc Gooden undergoes cocaine rehabilitation

In Business or Education

1792 ►Congress establishes Philadelphia mint

1889 ►Charles Hall patented aluminum

1975 ►A 3 day National Conference on Indian Water Rights is convened today in Washington,D.C. Representatives from almost 200 tribes will attend the meeting.

1978 ►Velcro was 1st put on the market

In Politics

1513 ►Explorer Juan Ponce de León claims Florida for Spain

1987 ►Congress passed laws which allowed each state to increase the speed limit on rural roads from 55mph to 65mp

In Science/Religion

1979 ►The world’s first anthrax epidemic begins in Ekaterinburg, Russia

• 2 April Births •

Artists and Composers

Hans Christian Andersen, 1805, Denmark, author of 150 fairy tales

Frédéric-Auguste Bertholdi, 1834, France, sculptor (Statue of Liberty)

Sir Alec Guinness [de Cuffe], 1914, English thespian

Entertainers in Cinema, Music, Theater, and TV

Buddy Ebsen, 1908, actor (Beverly Hillbillies, Barnaby Jones)

Marvin P Gaye Jr, 1939, singer

Emmylou Harris, 63, singer

Linda Hunt, 65, actress

Christopher Meloni, 49, actor (Runaway Bride, “Law & Order: SVU,

Leon Russell, 69, musician

Jack Webb, 1920, actor (Joe Friday-Dragnet)

Athletes

Bill Romanowski, 44, NFL linebacker (Eagles, Broncos-Superbowl 32)

Reggie (Carl Reginald) Smith, 65 baseball (Red Sox)

Don Sutton, 45, Baseball Hall of Famer: pitcher

Business, Education Leaders

Walter Chrysler, 1875, founded Chrysler car company

Camille Paglia, 63, literature professor and literary and cultural critic

Political Leaders

Charlemagne, 742, 1st Holy Roman emperor

Scientists /Religious Leaders

Bhagwan Swaminarayan, 1781, religious leader

•2 April Obits •

Nathan Birnbaum, 1937, Austria philosopher (Zionism), @ 72

Pope John Paul II (Karol Józef Wojtyła ), 2005, 264th Roman Catholic Pope @ 85

Georges Pompidou, 1974, French President, lymphoma @ 62

Tomoyuki Tanaka, producer (Godzilla), stroke @ 86

‡ ANSWERS to puzzle

1 Alabama: Audemus jura nostra defendere: We dare defend our rights

2 District of Columbia: Justitia Omnibus Justice for All

3 Hawaii: Ua mau ke ea o ka ʻāina i ka pono: The life of the land is perpetuated by righteousness.

4. Maine: Dirigo I lead

5. Nevada: All For Our Country

‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡  

Thursday 4-1

1 April 2010~~Week 14 of 2010: 91 days this year…274 remain

‡ Scottish Proverbs 

Better the day, the better deed

Fools make feasts and wise men eat them, the wise make jests and fools repeat them

• April’s Month Long Observances •

African American Women's Fitness Month☼Alcohol Awareness Month ☼Amateur Radio Month ☼Autism Awareness Month ☼Cancer Control Month ☼Car Care Month ☼Celebrate Diversity Month ☼Child Abuse Prevention Month☼(International) Cesarean Awareness Month ☼Couple Appreciation Month ☼Emotional Overeating Awareness Month ☼Fair Housing Month ☼Financial Literacy Month ☼ Frog Month ☼Global Child Nutrition Month ☼Grange Month ☼Holy Humor Month ☼Home Improvement Time ☼Informed Women Month ☼International Customer Loyalty Month ☼International Guitar Month ☼International Twit Award Month ☼IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) Month ☼Jazz Appreciation Month ☼Keep America Beautiful ☼Month of the Young Child ☼Month of the Military Child ☼National Arab-American History Month ☼National Child Abuse Prevention Month ☼National Card and Letter Writing Month ☼National Decorating Month ☼National DNA & Genomics & Stem Cell Education & Awareness Month ☼National Donate Life Month ☼National Garden Month ☼National Humor Month ☼National Kite Month ☼National Knuckles Down Month ☼National Landscape Architecture Month ☼National Occupational Therapy Month ☼National Parkinson's Awareness Month ☼National Pecan Month ☼National Poetry Month ☼Nationally Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) ☼National Sexual Assault Awareness Month ☼National Youth Sports Safety Month ☼Pharmacists War on Diabetes Month ☼Pet First Aid Awareness Month ☼Physical Wellness Month ☼Prevent Lyme in Dogs Month ☼Prevention of Animal Cruelty Month ☼Rosacea Awareness Month ☼School Library Media Month ☼Soy Foods Month ☼Straw Hat Month ☼Stress Awareness Month ☼Women's Eye Health & Safety Month ☼Workplace Conflict Awareness Month ☼World Habitat Awareness Month

• April Stuff •

BIRTHSTONE: Diamond (innocence) FLOWER: Daisy and Sweet Pea

April is the fourth month of the Gregorian Calendar, and was the second month in the Roman Calendar. Traditional entomology is from Latin for “To Open.” April may have some identity with Aphrodite. The Anglo-Saxons named it ‘Oster-monath’ or ‘Eostur-monath’ which has reference to Easter.

• Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1970 ►The AMC group introduced one of the first sub compact--Gremlin 
‡ Free Ramblings   

It is certainly time for April Fool’s Day. It seems to me so many politicians in our country and in Arizona have been doing April 1 Pranks most of this year. They never realized that the pranking was set aside for today. The first April Fool’s Day stated in 1760, right here in the good ol’ USA.

I have always enjoyed reading about successful pranks pulled on this day. Spending years in an Elementary School setting, I learned that kids do the usual pranks—your shoe is untied, there is a bug on your arm, etc. Here are some all time great pranks from around the world.

The Swiss Spaghetti Harvest: 1957: The respected BBC news show Panorama announced that thanks to a very mild winter and the virtual elimination of the dreaded spaghetti weevil, Swiss farmers were enjoying a bumper spaghetti crop.

Sidd Finch: 1985: Sports Illustrated published a story about a new rookie pitcher who planned to play for the Mets. His name was Sidd Finch, and he could reportedly throw a baseball at 168 mph with pinpoint accuracy. This was 65 mph faster than the previous record. Surprisingly, Sidd Finch had never even played the game before. Instead, he had mastered the "art of the pitch" in a Tibetan monastery under the guidance of the "great poet-saint Lama Milaraspa."

Instant Color TV: 1962: There was only one TV channel in Sweden, and it broadcast in black and white. The station's technical expert, Kjell Stensson, appeared on the news to announce that, thanks to a new technology, viewers could convert their existing sets to display color reception. All they had to do was pull a nylon stocking over their tv screen.

The Taco Liberty Bell: 1996: The Taco Bell Corporation announced it had bought the Liberty Bell and was renaming it the Taco Liberty Bell.

San Serriffe: 1977: The British newspaper The Guardian published a special seven-page supplement devoted to San Serriffe, a small republic said to consist of several semi-colon-shaped islands located in the Indian Ocean. A series of articles affectionately described the geography and culture of this obscure nation. Its two main islands were named Upper Caisse and Lower Caisse. Its capital was Bodoni, and its leader was General Pica.

Nixon for President: 1992: National Public Radio's Talk of the Nation program announced that Richard Nixon, in a surprise move, was running for President again. His new campaign slogan was, "I didn't do anything wrong, and I won't do it again."

Alabama Changes the Value of Pi :1998: The April issue of the New Mexicans for Science and Reason newsletter contained an article claiming that the Alabama state legislature had voted to change the value of the mathematical constant pi from 3.14159 to the 'Biblical value' of 3.0.

The Left-Handed Whopper: 1998: Burger King published a full page advertisement inUSA Today announcing the introduction of a new item to their menu: a "Left-Handed Whopper" specially designed for the 32 million left-handed Americans. According to the advertisement, the new whopper included the same ingredients as the original Whopper (lettuce, tomato, hamburger patty, etc.), but all the condiments were rotated 180 degrees for the benefit of their left-handed customers

New Species Discoveed: 1995: Discover Magazine reported that the highly respected wildlife biologist Dr. Aprile Pazzo had found a new species in Antarctica: the hotheaded naked ice borer. These fascinating creatures had bony plates on their heads that, fed by numerous blood vessels, could become burning hot, allowing the animals to bore through ice at high speeds. They used this ability to hunt penguins, melting the ice beneath the penguins and causing them to sink downwards into the resulting slush where the hotheads consumed them. After much research, Dr. Pazzo theorized that the hotheads might have been responsible for the mysterious disappearance of noted Antarctic explorer Philippe Poisson in 1837. "To the ice borers, he would have looked like a penguin," the article quoted her as saying.

Planetary Alignment Decreases Gravity: 1976: The British astronomer Patrick Moore announced on BBC Radio 2 that at 9:47 AM a once-in-a-lifetime astronomical event was going to occur that listeners could experience in their very own homes. The planet Pluto would pass behind Jupiter, temporarily causing a gravitational alignment that would counteract and lessen the Earth's own gravity. Moore told his listeners that if they jumped in the air at the exact moment that this planetary alignment occurred, they would experience a strange floating sensation.

Guinness Mean Time: 1998: Guinness issued a press release announcing that it had reached an agreement with the Old Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England to be the official beer sponsor of the Observatory's millennium celebration. According to this agreement, Greenwich Mean Time would be renamed Guinness Mean Time until the end of 1999. In addition, where the Observatory traditionally counted seconds in "pips," it would now count them in "pint drips."

Flagstaff was very windy today…again. There were steady winds of about 25mph with gusts to 55mph. Not a nice day to be around. All that wind blew in some very ominous grey clouds. We have been told expect about 2” of snow. Great spring weather.

‡ A Quick Smile   

DEAR DIARY DAY 1: All packed for the cruise ship - all my sexiest dresses and make-up... Really excited!

DEAR DIARY DAY 2: Entire day at sea, beautiful and saw whales and dolphins. Met the Captain today - seems a very nice man.

DEAR DIARY DAY 3: At the pool today. Also some shuffle boarding and hit golf balls off the deck. Captain invited me to join him at his table for dinner. Felt honored and had a wonderful time. He is very attractive and attentive.

DEAR DIARY DAY 4: Won $800.00 in the ship's casino. Captain asked me to have dinner with him in his own cabin. Had a luxurious meal complete with caviar and champagne. He asked me to stay the night but I declined. Told him I could not be unfaithful to my husband.

DEAR DIARY DAY 5: Pool again today, got sun burnt, and went inside to drink at piano bar for rest of day. Captain saw me, bought me several large drinks. He really is charming. Again asked me to visit his cabin for the night. Again I declined. He told me if I did not let him have his way with me he would sink the ship. I was shocked.

DEAR DIARY DAY 6: Today I saved 2,600 lives. Twice.

‡ Random Fact   

The great pyramids of Egypt now stand a full three miles south of the spot where they were originally built. That's how much the earth's surface has shifted in the last 4,500 years.

‡ Puzzle   

State Mottos: Name the state with this motto

1 Ditat Deus (God enriches)

2 Eureka (I have found it)

3 Esto perpetua (Let it be perpetual)

4 Live Free or Die

5 Liberty and union, now and forever, one and inseparable

‡ Side Show Stories   

SALT LAKE CITY - Police in Utah said a kitchen knife-wielding teenager whose attempt to rob a store failed ran off after asking a clerk not to call police or tell his mother. Salt Lake City police said teen brought items from the Maverik store to the counter and maneuvered to behind the counter while the clerk was ringing up the goods, KTVX-TV, Salt Lake City, reported. Police said the suspect attempted to hold a kitchen knife to the clerk's neck, but the worker turned around and knocked the teenager to the floor. The clerk told police the teenager pleaded with him before fleeing without the knife. "Don't call the cops, I will pay," the suspect was quoted as saying, "don't tell my mom." The worker told police the teenager fled the scene on foot.

‡ Calendar Information   

• Observance Weeks in April•

1-7

International Pooper-Scooper Week

Laugh at Work Week

Golden Rule Week

Medication Safety Week

Testicular Cancer Awareness Week

• 1 April Observances—US/UN/World •

One Cent Day

April Fools or All Fools Day

Boomer Bonus Day

International Tatting Day

National Fun Day

National Fun at Work Day

Poetry & The Creative Mind Day

Sorry Charlie Day St. Stupid Day

US Air force Academy Day

•1 April Observances—by country •

Burma : Bank Holiday

Christianity: Maundy Thursday: Holy Day: for feet washing

Iran: Islamic Republic Day

San Marino : National Day

Sri Lanka : Sinhal/Tamil New Year

Thailand: Civil Service Day

•Number One Songs in…

1955►The Ballad of Davy Crockett - Bill Hayes

1963►He’s So Fine - The Chiffons

1971►Me and Bobby McGee - Janis Joplin

1979►Sultans of Swing - Dire Straits

1987►Small Town Girl - Steve Wariner

•Happenings on this Day •

In The Arts

1966 ►1st world festival of black art (Dakar Senegal)

In Athletics

1938 ►Baseball Hall of Fame opens in Cooperstown NY

In Business or Education

1889 ►1st dishwashing machine marketed (Chicago)

1927 ►1st automatic record changer introduced by His Master's Voice

1946 ►Weight Watchers forms

1970 ►The AMC group introduced one of the first sub compact--Gremlin

1991 ►Iowa becomes one of the first states to allow riverboat gambling .

In Politics

1918 ►The Royal Air force is founded in England

1986 ►World oil prices dip below $10 a barrel

2003 ►Jessica Lynch is rescued from a hospital in Nasiriyah, Iraq

In Science/Religion

1748 ►Ruins of Pompeii found

1881 ►Anti-Jewish riots in Jerusalem

1960 ►The first U.S. weather satellite was launched. TIROS I

• 1 April Births •

Artists and Composers

Edward Austin Abbey, 1852, painter (Quest of the Holy Grail)

William Manchester, 1922, writer: The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur, 1880-1964, A World Lit Only by Fire: The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance Portrait of an Age

Sergei Vasilievitch Rachmaninov,1873, Novgorod Provine Russia, composer (Prelude in C# Minor)

Entertainers in Cinema, Music, Theater, and TV

Wallace Beery, 1886, actor

Lon Chaney, 1883, Colorado Springs CO, man of 1000 faces, actor

Gordon Jump, 1932, actor (Arthur Carlson-WKRP, Growing Pains)

Ali MacGraw, 71, actress (Goodbye, Columbus; Love Story)

Rachel Maddow, 37, political commentator

Jane Powell, (Suzanne Burce) 81, actress (Seven Brides for Seven Brothers)

Debbie Reynolds, 78, actress (Singin’ in the Rain, Mother)

Athletes

Libby Riddles, 54, first woman to win the 1,135-mile Iditarod Alaskan dogsled race

Business, Education Leaders

Sophonisba Breckenridge, 1866, scholar/teacher/social activist

Political Leaders

Samuel A. Alito, Jr, 60, Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court

Scientists /Religious Leaders

Abraham H Maslow, 1908, US psychologist (humanistic psychology)

•1 April Obits •

Scott Joplin, 1917, ragtime composer (Sting), dementia @ 48

Marvin Gaye, 1984, shot by his father @ 44

Martha Graham, 1991, choreographer, @ 96

‡ ANSWERS to puzzle

1 Ditat Deus God enriches: Arizona

2 Eureka I have found it: California

3 Esto perpetua Let it be perpetual: Idaho

4 Live Free or Die: New Hampshire

5 Liberty and union, now and forever, one and inseparable: North Dakota

‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡

Wednesday 3-31

31 March 2010~~Week 14 of 2010: 90 days this year…275 remain

‡ Scottish Proverbs

Be happy while you're living, for you're a long time dead

Learn young, learn fair; learn old, learn more.

‡ Free Ramblings  

Tax time is not my favorite time of year. It’s not even on my list of favorite things. I am not against paying my fair share. I, like many other Americans worked very hard for my money. When it comes to the tax code I am lost. My tax guy enjoys it. Good for him. He has done my taxes for years. I am still in negotiations with Colorado on why, as a non-resident, they want to collect tax on my total income. Yes, I do have an investment in CO and that investment pays tax to CO before I get any money and they file a tax report on the behalf of all the investors. Now the state of PA has sent me a tax bill. The bill is for 2006. I owned nothing in PA in 2006. I didn’t file a PA state tax form in 2006. They claim to have a tax form, but I know it isn’t mine. Today, as I started turned in my 2009 taxes, we spent an hour plus on the phone with these two bureaucratic offices. This is crazy. Every state in our great union is broke, or very close to it. I know that the leaders in each state have met with their bean counters and told them get as much money as they can. I also figure they send the bills, hoping that the receiver will just write a check and pay it. Three forms have been sent to CO since January to clear it up, and each bureaucrat has said that the form they request will fix the problem. It never does, so now we work on form number four. PA says I have to send them a letter requesting a copy of the form they say I sent to them. They don’t have a fax number, and only do business through the US Mail. Crazy. Really crazy.

Our promised high winds arrived today. The landscaping company came early this morning to do some spring clean-up. They did some work, but didn’t tackle my section, as we still have three foot high snow banks. Guess they will be back in July when the snow is all melted. We made it to 58° but the 35mph wind and the 45mph gusts made it a lot cooler. Now the weather guy says to expect another windy day tomorrow with snow starting in the evening. We are told to expect 2-4” in this storm. It will be gone by Easter.

‡ A Quick Smile  

Just before the funeral services, the undertaker came up to the very elderly widow and asked, "How old was your husband?"

"98," she replied, "Two years older than me."

"So, you're 96," the undertaker commented.

She responded, "Hardly worth going home, is it?"

‡ Random Fact  

Giant pandas have lived in the bamboo forests of China for millions years and have been honored by the Chinese for a very long time. Because the giant panda is considered a national treasure in China, it is protected by law so that it does not become extinct. The Chinese call giant pandas "large bear-cats." Giant pandas are also called panda bears and bamboo bears.

‡ Puzzle  

In each of these puzzles, a proverb is written with exactly one letter of each word replaced with another. Can you figure out what the original proverb is?

1 It nor I peony, is far I wound.

2 Dyad hen dell to taxes.

3 To onto otters at yon could hale teem no undo yon.

‡ Side Show Stories  

MALMO, Sweden - The warden of a Swedish jail said a prisoner received an official warning for using flatulence to express his discontent about his situation. Anders Eriksson, warden of the Kirseberg prison in Malmo, said guards filed numerous complaints against the 21-year-old prisoner, whose name was not reported, alleging "a series of concerted attacks" in the form of constant wind-breaking, Britain's The Daily Telegraph reported. "I have worked within the prisons and probation service since 1986 and I have never experienced a situation where behavior of this sort has led to punishment," Eriksson said in an interview with Sweden's Metro newspaper. Authorities said the prisoner offered an explanation for his behavior. "I had an upset stomach while I was playing cards but did not want to fart there. So I went over to the guards instead," he was quoted as saying. The prisoner was issued an official warning and could face punishment for any future attacks of intentional flatulence, Eriksson said.

‡ 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•

28-4/3

Root Canal Awareness Week

• 30 March Observances—US/UN/World •

Bunsen Burner Day

National Clams On The Half Shell Day

National "She's Funny That Way" Day

California, Texas, Arizona, Colorado, Michigan, New Mexico, Utah, and Wisconsin: César Chávez Day

•30 March Observances—by country •

Virgin Islands: Transfer Day (1917: Denmark signs over to US )

Malta : Republic Day/National Day (1974)

‡Number One Songs in…

1946 ►Personality - Johnny Mercer

1954 ►Answer Me, My Love - Nat ‘King’ Cole

1962 ►Johnny Angel - Shelley Fabares

1970 ►Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel

1978 ►Stayin’ Alive - Bee Gees

1986 ►R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. - John Cougar Mellencamp

•What Happened on this Day •

In The Arts

1909 ►Gustav Mahler conducts New York Philharmonic for his 1st time

1943 ►Rodgers & Hammerstein musical "Oklahoma!" opens on Broadway: original title: “Away We Go”

1945 ►Tennessee Williams' "Glass Menagerie" premieres in New York NY

In Athletics

1906 ►The Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (later National Collegiate Athletic Association) is established to set rules for amateur sports in the United States.

1995 ►1st game at Coors Stadium Colorado (replacement Rockies beat Yankees 4-1)

In Business or Education

1880 ►The first electric street lights ever installed by a municipality were turned on in beautiful Wabash, IN

1889 ►300 meter Eiffel Tower officially opens (commemorates French Revolution)

1963 ►Los Angeles ends streetcar service after 90 years

In Politics

1831 ►Québec & Montréal incorporated

1870 ►Thomas P Mundy became 1st black to vote in US (Perth Amboy NJ)

1877 ►In Arizona, parts of the White Mountain - San Carlos Reservation will be restored to public domain.

1918 ►1st daylight savings time in US goes into effect

1944 ►Hungary orders all Jews to wear yellow stars

1948 ►Congress passes Marshall Aid Act to rehabilitate war-torn Europe

1949 ►Newfoundland and Labrador entered the Canadian confederation as the 10th province
1953 ►Department of Health, Education & Welfare established

1954 ►US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs CO, established

1968 ►LBJ announces he will not seek re-election

1971 ►William L Calley Jr sentenced to life for My Lai Massacre

1980 ►President Jimmy Carter deregulates banking industry

In Science/Religion

1146 ►Bernard of Clairvaux preaches his famous sermon in a field at Vézelay, urging the necessity of a Second Crusade. Louis VII is present, and joins the Crusade.

• Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1959 ►Dalai Lama fled China & was granted political asylum in India

• Born on this day •

Artists and Composers

Liz Claiborne, 1929, Brussels Belgium, fashion designer

René Descartes, 1596, French philosopher

Franz Joseph Haydn, 1732, Austrian composer

John Jakes, 78, author (North and South, the Kent Family Chronicles)

Andrew Lang, 1844, Scottish author (The Blue Fairy Book)

Entertainers in Cinema, Music, Theater, and TV

Herb Alpert, 75, musician (Tijuana Brass)

Richard Chamberlain, 75, actor (“Dr. Kildare,” Shogun)

Lefty (William Orville) Frizzell, 1928, Country Music Hall of Famer

Shirley Jones, 76, actress (Oscar for Elmer Gantry; The Music Man, Oklahoma!, “The Partridge Family”)

Gabe Kaplan, 64, actor (“Welcome Back, Kotter”)

Edward Francis (Ed) Marinaro, 60, actor (“Hill Street Blues,” “Sisters”), former football player

Ewan McGregor, Crieff, Scotland, 39, actor (Miss Potter, The Island, Moulin Rouge, Trainspotting, Star Wars films)

Henry Morgan (Henry Lerner Von Ost), 1915, comedian/TV panelist (I've Got a Secret)

Rhea Perlman, 62, actress (“Cheers,” Carpool)

Christopher Ronald Walken, 67, actor (Hairspray, Catch Me If You Can, The Deer Hunter)

Angus Young, 54, Glasgow Scotland, rock guitarist (AC/DC-Highway to Hell)

Athletes

Gordon (Gordie) Howe, 82, Hall of Fame hockey player

Jack Johnson, 1878, 1st black heavyweight boxing champion

James Earl (Jimmy) Johnson, 72, Hall of Fame football player

Business, Education Leaders

Cesar Estrada Chavez, 1927, Yuma AZ, farm labor leader (United Farm Workers)

Political Leaders

Barney Frank, 70, (Representative-MA)

(Albert Arnold) Al Gore, 62, 45th vice president of the US

Arthur Griffith, 1872, Irish journalist, founder of Sinn Féin

Scientists /Religious Leaders

Sir Dugald Clerk, 1854, Scottish inventor (2-stroke motorcycle engine)

Robert Wilhelm Eberhard von Bunsen, 1811, German chemist (Bunsen Burner)

•Today’s Obits •

Edwin Alberian, 1997, TV celebrity (Clarabell), @ 76

Charlotte Brontë, 1855, English author (Jane Eyre), TB @ 38

John C. Calhoun, 1850, 7th VP, TB @ 68

John Donne, 1631, Metaphysical poet, cancer(?) @ 59

O'Kelly Isley, 1986, singer (Isley Brothers), heart attack @ 48

Brandon Lee, 1993, actor (Crow)/son of Bruce Lee, accidentally shot @ 28

Lillian "Miss" Miller, 1990, audience member (Merv Griffin, Tonight Show), @ 93

Knute Rockne, 1931, football player/coach, plane crash @ 43

Selena [Quintanilla Perez], 1995, Mexican Grammy winning singer, killed by a fan @ 24

‡ ANSWERS to puzzle

1 It nor I peony, is far I wound : In for a penny, in for a pound.

2 Dyad hen dell to taxes: Dead men tell no tales.

3 To onto otters at yon could hale teem no undo yon: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

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