Monday 4-26

≈Week 18 of 2010: 116 days this year… 249 days remain≈

≈ Something To Think About 

Some people are so afraid to die that they never begin to live.

~Henry Van Dyke

≈ Random Fact   

Snickers is the best selling chocolate worldwide, raking in over $2 billion annually

• Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1937 ►The publisher of LIFE magazine just about passed out when he looked at his just-off-the-press publication and noticed that someone had forgotten to put the word “LIFE” in the upper left-hand corner! It was the only time that LIFE was nameless. Since hundreds of thousands of copies were already printed, the magazine hit the streets with no name on the cover! The reason? A picture of a rooster would have had an obscured comb if the logotype had been used in the upper left-hand corner as usual.

≈ Free Ramblings   

My brother and his wife are back from the big Annual North Carolina Designer Furniture Week. Laura had a private showing of her designs. Baker Furniture is very happy that she is one of their contracted designers. She does amazing things with her talent. Over the past few years she has been offered many opportunities to be on design shows on the various cable networks. Her designs are not for the budget minded and are not going to be for sale at your local furniture store. For anyone interested in seeing her inspired designs simply Google: Laura Kirar. You will not that like a fine restaurant, there are no prices. So why haven’t they done TV? It turns out that the designers don’t get paid that much and have to block out two or three months of time to the filming. The perk is exposure. Laura does great presentations, and would be great on TV. At present, few if any of her clients don’t do anything as pedestrian as watching TV. The design business is very creative, very exciting, and one hell of a lot of work. Her designs don’t just suddenly appear on a computer screen, nor do they suddenly become real pieces of art. She has to follow each piece from conception to final product. Her designs provide such great pleasure to their owners; it is worth all the work.

Education v Brainwashing…why do so many Americans believe that the Muslim faith is out to destroy America. Why do so many Middle Eastern Muslims believe the US is out to destroy their faith? Turns out, it has to do with education. Few Americans know anything about the Muslim faith. Few Middle Easterners know anything about America. So when either group hears someone who claims to know, that person is believed. Even if they do not know. In a recent study in Afghanistan, the majority in a college classroom believed that the CIA paid radicals for 9-11 so the US would have a reason to invade their country. These students also believed that the US goal is to destroy their religion. As with almost everything in this world, education is the answer. How to educate, without brainwashing, is the challenge. Sending Americans to the Muslim counties or sending Muslims from the Middle East to the US will help. The problem is that when they return to their homeland, many non-traveling locals will believe that have just sold out or have changed so much they are no longer believable. Somehow we have to find a solution. It happens on both sides.

Another nice, warm, spring day here in Flagstaff. We climbed to 68° fairly early and remained nice all day and into the evening. There was little wind and a great day to be outside. The kids were out in force most of the day, riding bikes, chasing each other around, and having a good time. Even moms with their toddlers found time to play a little today. I really hope this is the beginning of real spring…with no more windy cold days. I also want peace throughout the world and that will happen before mid-April is the end of snow in Flagstaff. Our next snow is due Wednesday, preceded by a windy Tuesday.

≈ A Quick Smile…   

She had been thinking about coloring her hair. One day while going through a magazine, she came across an ad for a hair coloring product featuring a beautiful young model with hair a shade that she liked.

Wanting a second opinion, she asked her husband, "How do you think this color would look on a face with a few wrinkles?"

He looked at the picture, crumbled it up, straightened it out and studied it again. "Just great, hon."

≈ NEW Puzzle   

The number next to the acronym helps solve what the acronym means... e.g. 365 DIAY = 365 days in a year, and 366 DIALY = 366 days in a leap year.

1. 9 PITSS

2. 10 YIAD

3. 11 PIAFT

4. 12 MIAY

≈ Side Show Stories

CHICAGO - Authorities in Illinois are searching for two women charged with stealing a woman's money under the pretense of cleansing it of evil spirits. Cook County authorities indicted Laura Santini, 61, and her daughter, Rosann, 35, on felony theft charges this week for scamming a Park Ridge woman out of $62,000, the Chicago Tribune reported Thursday. "They basically were able to convince the victim that some money she had gotten was cursed money and that somehow that curse had transferred to other money that she had," Chicago police Detective Milorad Sofrenovic said. "They told her that in order to be able to remove this curse, they needed to take this money physically to a shrine in Indiana and with prayers drive the curse from the money." Sofrenovic said the woman realized she had been scammed when she saw a "for rent" sign on the women's Chicago home. He said the women have not been seen in more than a year.

≈ Calendar Information   

• Observance Weeks in April•

24-30

National Scoop The Poop Week

26 to 5/2

Safe Kids Week—since 1988—to teach kids how to be safe

• 26 April Observances—US/UN/World •

Richter Scale Day—know how strong that earthquake was

National Pretzel Day: Publicity for the $550 million business

Bob Wills Day: King of Western Swing, born in Turkey, Texas

Hug An Australian Day

International Marconi Day: for the radio guy

World Intellectual Property Day

• 26 April Observances—by country •

Colombia:Vallenato Legend Festival: Music festival featuring the accordian

Guinea-Bissau, West Africa: Municipal Holiday

Tanzania : Union Day (1964)

•Number One Songs in…

For anyone interested, all these songs are available on iTunes.

1940 ►In the Mood; Glenn Miller

1950 ►'The Third Man' Theme; Anton Karas

1960 ►Stuck on You; Elvis Presley

1970 ►ABC; The Jackson 5

1980 ►Call Me; Blondie

• 26 April Happenings•

In The Arts

1932 ►Ed Wynn was heard on radio’s Texaco Star Theater for the first time.

In Athletics

1961 ►Roger Maris hits 1st of 61 homers in 1961

1988 ►NBA approves addition of 3rd referee in the 1988-89 season

1995 ►Coors Field, opens in Denver, Rockies beat Mets 11-9 in 14 innings

In Business or Education

1906 ►1st motion pictures shown in Hawaii

2002 ► An expelled student ( Robert Steinhäuser ) went on a shooting rampage at the Johann Gutenberg Gymnasium in Erfurt, Germany, killing 13 teachers, two students and a police officer

In Politics

1906 ►A law is passed which grants the President to pick the CHEROKEE Chief.

1913 ►Sun Yet San calls for revolt against President Yuan Shikai in China

1941 ►Potatoes rationed in Holland

1994 ►1st multi-racial election in South Africa begins [3 days] Dr Nomaza Paintin in New Zealand is 1st black South African to vote

2000 ►Vermont Gov. Howard Dean signed the nation's first bill allowing same-sex couples to form civil unions.

In Science/ Religion

1478 ►Easter is celebrated for the first time

1514 ►Copernicus makes his 1st observations of Saturn

1986 ►At 1:23 a.m. in Pripyat in the Ukraine when the Chernobyl atomic power station exploded.

• 26 April Births •

Artists, Writers, and Composers

Jet Li, 47, former martial arts champion, actor (The Forbidden Kingdom, Hero, Kiss of the Dragon), , born Li Lian Jie in Beijing, China

Athletes

Donna De Varona, 63, Olympic Hall of Famer: 400-meter individual swimming medley

Ryan Yarborough, 1971, NFL wide receiver (Ravens, Jets)

Entertainers

Gracie Allen, 1906, Mrs George Burns, comedienne

William "Count" Basie, 1904, jazz pianist

Carol Burnett, 74, actress. comedienne

Duane Eddy, 72, musician

Kevin James, 45, actor (“The King of Queens”)

Boyd Matson, 63, TV host/correspondent (National Geographic Explorer)
Ma Rainey [Gertrude Pridgett], 1886, "Mother of the Blues", blues singer

Bobby Rydell, 68, singer (“Wild One,” “Volare”)

Tom Welling, 33, actor (“Smallville”)

Business, Education Leaders

I[eoh] M[ing] Pei, 1917, in Canton China, architect (1961 Brunner Prize)

Erminnie Adelle Platt, 1836, ethnologist (Iriquois-English Dictionary)

Political Leaders

Esek Hopkins, 1718, 1st commander-in-chief (US Navy)

Scientists /Religious Leaders

John James Audubon, 1785, in Haiti, bird watcher/artist

Frederick Law Olmsted, 1822, architect/writer (designed Central Park)

Charles Francis Richter, 1900, seismologist: invented the Richter scale

• 26 April Obits •

Lucille Ball, 1989, comedienne/actress (I Love Lucy), massive heart attack @ 78

William "Count" Basie, 1984, jazz piano great, dies on 80th birthday

John Wilkes Booth, 1865, assassin, shot @ 27

[William] Broderick Crawford, 1986, actor (Highway Patrol), @ 74

Gypsy Rose Lee [Rose Louise Hovick], 1970, stripper/actress cancer @ 56

Charles J Sax, 1865, Belgian inventor (saxophone), @ 74

≈ ANSWERS to puzzle   

1. 9 PITSS =9 Planets in the solar system

2. 10 YIAD = 10 years in a decade

3. 11 PIAFT =11 Players in a football team

4. 12 MIAY = 12 months in a year

  ≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈ 

Sunday 4-25

25 April 2010~~Week 18 of 2010: 115 days this year… 250 days remain

‡ Something To Think About 

If you board the wrong train, it is no use running along the corridor in the other direction.

~Dietrich Bonhoeffer

• Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1967 ►Colorado Governor John Love signed the first law legalizing abortion in the United States.

‡ Free Ramblings   

I remember laughing a few years back when a lady from Albuquerque, NM called Atlanta, Georgia to get tickets for the upcoming Olympics. It made International news because she was told that she had to call her country’s Embassy to get tickets. That poor operator didn’t know that New Mexico was part of the United States. Well, no one is laughing in AZ, now that AZ has decided that it is above Federal Law. First was the bill that said any candidate for President of the United States will have to provide the AZ Secretary of State with proof they are an American citizen. Failure to do so will mean the name is not on the ballot. Guess the legislature didn’t read the US Constitution. Now our local police must arrest anyone they think is an illegal alien. Immigration reform is needed, no doubt about that. For an individual state to take on that clearly Federal responsibility is costly. Costly as we lose tourists—just like we did when the legislature would not approve an MLK holiday after two being approved by the voters in two separate elections. Costly for the state in the number of lawsuits that will be filed and lost for this stupid law. Costly to the citizens as local law enforcement to determine citizenship—rather than stopping crime. Costly to the many legal immigrants who how to be sure they always have their immigration papers on them. If a legal immigrant doesn’t have the proper paperwork on their person, they can be arrested, fined $5,000, and get six months in our already full county jails. The bill doesn’t provide money for training, increased officers, or increased jail cells. That is now the city’s or county’s responsibility. The state is broke, the cities are broke, and the counties are broke. Since the state is broke, they simply pass a law that has to be paid for by the city or county governments in our state.

Many Hispanics have been in Arizona for many generations. Until we became a state in 1912, much of AZ had been part of Mexico. Many of these families have worked hard to be sure their children know their heritage, their language, and their beliefs. Now this is going to be a problem for those children. They are American citizens—born and raised, just like their parents and grandparents, and back even farther. They may speak English with an accent. They may dress differently. Now, if stopped for an illegal lane change, they must prove they are citizens or be arrested. I have a few legal Hispanic friends. If we are traveling somewhere and get stopped, the person has to prove citizenship. If s/he can’t do that, I go to jail too. How racist to have to ask a friend, before traveling, if they have their papers. I hope this law is quickly proven unconstitutional so we can all go back to living without fear in our state. Finally, I know quite a few full blooded Natives who have Spanish-sounding surnames. They too, will probably have to prove citizenship or go to jail.

It is hard to believe it was snowing yesterday. Today our thermometer climbed to 65° and it was a great day to be outside. I have been feeding the birds with seed and suet the entire winter. I have two seed feeders and two suet cages. Yesterday I noticed a squirrel climbing around in the tree. I don’t know if this is the same squirrel I had last year, but a squirrel, none the less. I had to position the feeders so the squirrel couldn’t get to them. Squirrels care very clever when it come to getting food. They can hang upside down, reach astounding lengths, and do a sneak attack from above, below or on any side of the food source. This morning I was out checking the feeders and both suet cages were hanging open and empty. Both had almost new cakes in the cages. Looking on the ground below I saw one of the cakes. Squirrels!!! Greedy, hungry, destructive little rodents. What I can’t figure out is what happened to the other suet cake? What animal would take the whole cake and haul it away without breaking it up? There is no trail of crumbs, one cake intact, the other vanished. I’m pretty sure it isn’t kids, because they to would have broken it up a little. Another mystery in Flagstaff. For those of you still interested, no new news on our missing asst. city editor. Nothing on line or in the paper. Strange, and the mystery continues.

‡ A Quick Smile…   

My job is in the Aerospace Industry, and it's always been a challenge to explain just what kind of work I do.

At one gathering, I tried several unsuccessful attempted explanations before deciding to be as generic as possible. When the subject came up while I was talking with a group of guys, I replied simply, "Defense Contractor."

The men nodded, and as the conversation went on, I silently declared victory to myself. Then, one of them turned to me and asked, "So, what do you put up mainly? Chain-link?"

‡ Random Facts   

1970’s: Love Canal, New York, chemical companies could legally dump their waste products into the canal scientists found that the drinking water contained excessive levels of 82 industrial chemicals, 7 of which were thought to cause cancer.

1979: the worst accident in U.S. nuclear-reactor history occurred at the Three Mile Island power station, near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

1984: an explosion in the Union Carbide chemical plant in Bhopal, India, released a deadly gas, methyl isocyanate, which is used to make pesticides—2500 killed and 100,000 injured.

1986: the reactor blew at the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, ripping open the core, blowing the roof off the building, starting more than 30 fires, and allowing radioactive material to leak into the air.

1989: 11.2 million gallons of crude oil spilled into Prince William Sound from the tanker Exxon Valdez

2005: in Jilin City, China, a series of explosions in a petrochemical plant killed six people, injured at least 70, and forced over 10,000 residents to evacuate.

‡ Puzzle   

Heteronyms are words that are spelled identically but have different meanings when pronounced differently. For example: Lead, pronounced LEED, means to guide. However, lead, pronounced LED, means a metallic element.

1. a line; a fight

2. to injure; coiled up

3. to deny; garbage

‡ Side Show Stories   

GURGAON, India - A retired British couple in India say they are being persecuted by neighbors complaining about the donkey sanctuary they created at their home. Residents of Gurgaon said Bob Harrison, 67, and his wife, Jean, 69, are harming their neighborhood with the smells and sounds from the donkeys on their property, The Daily Telegraph (Britain) reported Thursday. "The neighbors have complained to the municipal commissioner about the noise and the smell and they say it's attracting the pigs. But there is a leaking sewage pipe at the back of the houses and the pigs love it," Bob Harrison said. The Harrisons, who said they are trying to find new homes for the four donkeys on their property before they vacation in Britain for the summer, said they believe their neighbors are persecuting them for being British. The municipal commissioner's office said it is offering the Harrisons a nearby plot of land to build a new donkey shelter away from their neighbors.

‡ Calendar Information   

• Observance Weeks in April•

19-25

Astronomy Week

Consumer Awareness Week

Fish Fry Week

National Inspirational News Week

Police Officers Who Gave Their Lives In The Line of Duty Week

National Paperboard Packaging Week

National Window Safety Week

Turnoff Week

23-25

National Dream Hotline: Call to have your dreams interpreted. Sponsored by the School of Metaphysics in MO

National & Global Youth Service Days

National Dance Week

National Pie Week

24-30

National Scoop The Poop Week

• 25 April Observances—US/UN/World •

National Zucchini Bread Day

DNA Day-since 2003 when the double helix was discovered

20-Something Service Day: only for the young 

Malaria Awareness Day

National Pet Parent's Day for those who have recognize pets are part of the family

Mother, Father Deaf Day to recognize the contribution of deaf parents to their hearing children

Red Hat Society Day

• 25 April Observances—by country •

Australia, Nauru, New Zealand, Solomon Is, Tonga, W Samoa : ANZAC Day (1915 for WWI heros)

Azores : Portugal's Day (1974)

Egypt: Sinai's Liberation Day (1979)

Faroe Islands: (near Netherlands) Flag Day

Italy : Liberation Day

Portugal : Revolution Day (1974)

Swaziland : Flag Day

•Number One Songs in…

For anyone interested, all these songs are available on iTunes.

1940 ►In the Mood; Glenn Miller

1950 ►'The Third Man' Theme; Anton Karas

1960 ►Stuck on You; Elvis Presley

1970 ►ABC; The Jackson 5

1980 ►Call Me; Blondie

• 25 April Happenings•

In The Arts

1939 ►DC Comics publishes its second major superhero in Detective Comics #27; he is Batman, one of the most popular comic book superheroes of all time.

In Athletics

1981 ►Seattle Mariners manager Maury Wills is suspended for 2 games after ordering Seattle's grounds crew to enlarge batter's boxes by one foot

In Business or Education

1859 ►Ground broken for Suez Canal

In Politics

1792 ►Guillotine 1st used, executes highwayman Nicolas J Pelletier

1862 ►Battle of New Orleans LA - US Admiral Farragut occupies New Orleans

1898 ►US declares war on Spain over Cuba

1901 ►New York becomes 1st state requiring auto license plates ($1 fee)

1933 ►US & Canada drop Gold Standard

1935 ►An immense fire ruined Oregon's state capitol Building in Salem

1959 ►The St. Lawrence Seaway opened to traffic

In Science/ Religion

1684 ►Patent granted for the thimble

1938 ►1st use of seeing eye dog

1990 ►Hubble space telescope is placed into orbit by shuttle Discovery

1994 ►14" of snow in Southern California

• 25 April Births •

Artists, Writers, and Composers

J. Anthony Lukas, 1933, Pulitzer Prize-winning author: Common Ground: A Turbulent Decade in the Lives of Three American Families

Flannery O'Connor, 1925, short story writer

Athletes

Meadow George “Meadowlark” Lemon III, 78, Hall of Fame basketball player

Walt Wesley, 65, NBA star (Cavaliers, Bucks, Lakers)

Entertainers

Hank Azaria, 46, actor (“Huff,” The Birdcage, many voices on “The Simpsons”)

Ella Fitzgerald, 1918, jazz singer

Al Pacino, 70, actor (Oscar for Scent of a Woman; Dog Day Afternoon, Godfather movies)

Talia Shire, 64, actress (the Godfather movies, the Rocky movies)

Renee Zellweger, 41, actress (Oscar for Cold Mountain; Miss Potter, Chicago, Bridget Jones’s Diary)

Business, Education Leaders

Edward R. (Roscoe) Murrow, 1908, newsman: You are There, Person to Person; former head U.S. Information Agency

Political Leaders

William J. Brennan Jr., 1906, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court: authored more than 1,200 opinions, including many landmarks: free press [New York Times v. Sullivan], women’s rights [Frontiero v. Richardson], reapportionment [Baker v. Carr], civil rights [Cooper v. Aaron, Green v. County School Board]

Oliver Cromwell, 1599, Puritan lord protector of England

Jon Kyl, 68, US Senator (R, Arizona)

Scientists /Religious Leaders

Charles Ferdinand Dowd, 1825, US, standardized time zones

Guglielmo Marconi, 1874, ‘Father of Radio’: inventor: 1909 Nobel Laureate in Physics: wireless telegraphy [the transmission of Morse Code over electromagnetic energy]

• 25 April Obits •

George Sanders, 1972, actor (Mr Freeze-Batman, Ivanhoe), suicide @ 65

Art Fleming, 1995, game show host (Jeopardy), @ 74

Ginger Rogers, 1995, actress/dancer (Top Hat, Stage Door), @ 83

John Lorne Campbell, 1996, folklorist, @ 90

‡ ANSWERS to puzzle   

1. Row ROH- a line; ROUW- a fight

2. Wound WOOND- to injure; WOWND- coiled up

3. Refuse reFUSE- to deny; REFFyoos- garbage

   ‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡   

Saturday 4-24

24 April 2010~~Week 17 of 2010: 114 days this year… 251 days remain

‡ Something To Think About

First they came for the Communists, but I was not a Communist so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Socialists and the Trade Unionists, but I was neither, so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew so I did not speak out. And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me.

--Dietrich Bonhoeffer—Luthern Minister hanged in Nazi Germany

• Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1984 ►Apple released the Apple IIc portable computer costing $1,295

‡ Free Ramblings

Tonight is another Great Decisions Group. We meet about 10 times a year, and have decided to try and finish up by May so we can send in our comments on this year’s topics. Keeps me hoppin’. Tonight is on the Great Recession and its implications. I must say, I read the five articles and after the first couple of paragraphs of each one it was just blah, blah, blah. I’m hoping the rest of the group will be a little less bored, and able to understand this stuff in plain ol’ English. I do know all the words in the articles and don’t need a dictionary to read it, but it is just plain boring.

Our retirement group met at a little restaurant on the South Side of Flag. Great food. Good conversation. So many unique individuals wander around South San Francisco St. It’s almost like a step back into the late 1960’s. Living on the East side, I forget that this part of Flagstaff even exists. It’s nice to see. The owner of the restaurant is a friend of Mary’s and she treated us very well. They don’t have a big lunch crowd but it was steady with people in and out.

I listened to non-elected Governor Brewer as she signed SB1070. Not in the mood. Trouble is already brewing and she is just living on another planet.

We are still in Winter-Spring with snow coming and going every few hours. We only got to 42° but it was not a nice day outside.

‡ A Quick Smile…

According to my mother, she and Dad decided to start a family soon after he became an officer in the Air Force. When months went by without success, they consulted the base physician, who chose to examine Mom right then and there.

"Please disrobe," he told her.

"With him in the room??" she yelled, pointing to my father.

Turning to Dad, the doctor said, "Captain, I think I found the problem."

‡ Random Fact

In 1962, Silent Spring by aquatic biologist Rachel Carson exposes the harm caused by insecticides such as DDT. The book leads to the development of safer insecticides and to a ban on the sale of DDT within the United States. More significantly, it heightens the awareness of ordinary people, who demand new legislation aimed at protecting the environment—a word that enters common parlance around this time.

‡ Puzzle

Heteronyms are words that are spelled identically but have different meanings when pronounced differently. For example: Lead, pronounced LEED, means to guide. However, lead, pronounced LED, means a metallic element.

1. to shut; near

2. to show a movie; a task

3. to put it down again, such as a carpet; a race by teams; to pass along, such as information

‡ Side Show Stories

JAYWICK, England - A British man banned from driving for four years for drunkenly driving a battery-powered Barbie toy car admitted he had acted like "a twit." Paul Hutton, 40, said he found the toy car, designed for 3-to-5-year-olds, abandoned about a year ago and he has been working on it at his Jaywick, England, home for about a year with his 17-year-old son, the Colchester Gazette reported.

Hutton said he had been drinking while working on the toy the day of his arrest and decided to take it for a spin. "The police pulled up and asked if I was all right," Hutton said. "I'd had a few drinks but I felt fine. I hadn't spoken to anyone all day -- then I found out I couldn't talk. "I was very surprised to get done for drink-driving, but I was a twit to say the least," he said. Hutton was sentenced to a 12-month conditional discharge. His driver's license was suspended for three years. The Barbie car runs on a 12-volt battery and has a top speed of about 4 mph.

‡ Calendar Information

• Observance Weeks in April•

18-24

Administrative Professionals Week

Cleaning For A Reason Week

Coin Week

National Crime Victims Rights Week

National Volunteer Week

Sky Awareness Week

19-25

Astronomy Week

Consumer Awareness Week

Fish Fry Week

National Inspirational News Week

Police Officers Who Gave Their Lives In The Line of Duty Week

National Paperboard Packaging Week

National Window Safety Week

Turnoff Week

23-25

National Dream Hotline: Call to have your dreams interpreted. Sponsored by the School of Metaphysics in MO

National & Global Youth Service Days

National Dance Week

National Pie Week

24-30

National Scoop The Poop Week

• 24 April Observances—US/UN/World •

National Pigs In A Blanket Day

Astronomy Day

Bulldogs are Beautiful Day

Interstate Mullet Toss Days

National Go Birding Day

National Rebuilding Day Sense of Smell Day

World Tai Chi & Qigong Day

• 24 April Observances—by country •

Armenia : Armenian Martyrs' Day (1915)

Australia: Kapyong Day, a day of remembrance for Korean War veteran

The Gambia: Republic Day

Niger: Concord Day, commemorating the 1995 peace accord ending the Tuareg Rebellion

Nepal: Democracy Day, commemorating the reinstitution of parliament in 2006

•Number One Songs in…

For anyone interested, all these songs are available on iTunes.

1948► Mañana (Is Soon Enough for Me); Peggy Lee

1958► Witch Doctor; David Seville [The Chipmunks]

1968► Honey; Bobby Goldsboro

1978► Night Fever; The Bee Gees

1988► Where Do Broken Hearts Go; Whitney Houston

• 24 April Happenings•

In The Arts

--

In Athletics

1974 ►NFL grants franchise to Tampa Bay Bucaneers

In Business or Education

1704 ►"Boston News-Letter", 1st successful newspaper in US, is established

1865 ►Fire alarm & police telegraph system put into operation (San Francisco)

1888 ►Eastman Kodak forms

1985 ►There were a reported 832,602 millionaires in the United States on this day

In Politics

1754 ►DELAWARE Chief Teedyuscung will lead a group of 70 Christian Indians out of the village of Gnadenhuetten today. They will leave to live in the village of Wyoming, Pennsylvania.

1800 ►Library of Congress is established with $5,000 allocation

1833 ►Patent granted for 1st soda fountain to Jacob Evert & George Dulty

1897 ►1st reporter, William Price (Washington Star), is assigned to White House

1898 ►Spain declares war on the United States after rejecting America's ultimatum to withdraw from Cuba

1916 ►The Easter uprising begins when some 1,600 militant Irish republicans who are members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood seize several key sites in Dublin

1968 ►Students at Columbia University in New York City begin a week long occupation of several campus buildings

In Science/ Religion

1990 ►The Space Shuttle Discovery launched the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit.

• 24 April Births •

Artists, Writers, and Composers

Robert Penn Warren, 1905, 1st US poet laureate (All the King's Men)

Athletes

Vince Ferragamo, 54, NFL/CFL quarterback (Los Angeles Rams, Montréal Alouettes)

Entertainers

Cedric the Entertainer, 46, comedian, actor (Street Kings, Barber-shop, Be Cool), born Cedric Kyle

Kelly Clarkson, 28, singer

Shirley MacLaine, 76, author, actress (Oscar for Terms of Endearment; The Turning Point, Being There)

Michael O’Keefe, 55, actor

Barbra Streisand, 68, singer, actress (Oscar for Funny Girl; The Way We Were, Yentl), director (Prince of Tides)

Business, Education Leaders

Robert Bailey Thomas, 1766, founder, editor: The Farmer’s Almanac

Political Leaders

Richard M. Daley, 68, Mayor of Chicago

Scientists /Religious Leaders

John Graunt, 1620, statistician, founder of science of demography

• 24 April Obits •

Vladimir M Komarov, 1967, cosmonaut (Voshkod I), is 1st to die in space, aboard Soyuz 1 @ 40

Wallis Warfield Simpson (Duchess of Windsor) ,1986, dies @ 90

Pat Paulsen, 1997, comedian (Smothers Brothers Show), cancer @ 69

‡ ANSWERS to puzzle

1. Close CLOZE- to shut; CLOS- near

2. Project proJEKT- to show a movie; PRAHjekt- a task

3. Relay reeLAY- to put it down again, such as a carpet; REElay- a race by teams; rihLAY- to pass along, such as information

‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡

Friday 4-23

23 April 2010~~Week 17 of 2010: 113 days this year… 252 days remain

‡ Something To Think About 

If you do a good job for others, you heal yourself at the same time, because a dose of joy is a spiritual cure.

~Dietrich Bonhoeffer (German Lutheran Pastor)

• Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1953 ►KTAR (now KPNX) TV channel 12 in Phoenix AZ (NBC) begins broadcasting

‡ Free Ramblings    

Flagstaff is in the middle of a mystery. Very few are talking. The mystery—where in the world is the Asst. City Editor of the local paper? All that has been put out to the public is that he left for work on Monday, but never arrived. He has not been seen or heard from since. This information was released by a Phoenix news site and the local paper—where he works-- put nothing on its web site. I learned of this last night on Facebook. Today’s print edition of the Daily Sun had a Police Log story but no photo and the same information from the Phx site.. Finally this afternoon the local police released a photo of Larry and a photo of his vehicle. Facebook is keeping us up to date. It did come over the NAU news station last night, and tonight they ran the picture. This all is very strange. He has been in the Flagstaff News scene for years. The newspaper must realize that this silence is only making it more difficult to find him. They run lots of ‘missing persons’ stories in the Police Log. Most have a photo and some kind of story—‘last seen leaving home after argument with…”, or ‘on medication for…”, or ‘may appear agitated…’. Seldom does a man in his mid 40’s simply disappear. As far as I am concerned, this lack of information is not helping Larry or his family. Rumors in Flagstaff are running repent: on an undercover story, left his wife, uses drugs, fight with boss, kidnapped, and on and on. The truth will come out and many in Flag are hoping it has a good outcome. Larry has provided us with great in-depth news and many people hope, whatever is happening that he is safe.

Our non-elected governor has not signed or vetoed that immigration bill that remains in the National News. She isn’t talking about the bill. She did come out today to say that she is putting a couple of truckloads of money to make the border safer and asking Obama to do the same. On the noon news we learned that about 1500 high school students walked out of 5 high schools in Phoenix and marched to the capital building. Their message was simple: veto SB 1050. All peaceful, and from what we were told, started by one simple Twitter message. Some of the students walked 10+ miles along busy streets to get to the rally. The police were on the route, and thankfully there were no incidents. Protests continue and the Veto group always outnumbers the Sign group. I learned early this morning that our non-elected governor’s Facebook page was running 100-1 in favor of her signing the bill. I asked her to be my friend so I could comment. She hasn’t accepted my request yet, so I can’t give her my opinion on that page. She probably was too busy today to see my request…yeah, like she actually reads Facebook.

Today’s weather in Flag was as strange as the above news stories. More wind. More snow. A little sunshine. A 30-minute ‘white-out’ about 4pm. Blue sky and very bright sunlight about 4:30 on the snow that had just fallen. We were far from warm with a high 38° and the 30mph winds made it feel even colder.

‡ A Quick Smile…   

A group of foreign dignitaries is visiting Israel. At the end of the tour, they are taken to see the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. They look at the tomb and read the following inscription:

ABRAHAM SCHWARTZ BORN 5694 DIED 5733 A GOOD MAN AND A GREAT FURRIER.

The visitors are incredulous. They ask the guide, "How can this be an unknown soldier if the grave has his name?"

Their host responds, "Sure, as a soldier he was unknown, but as a furrier -- he was the best!"

‡ Random Fact   

Between 1901-1909, Theodore Roosevelt is the "conservation president." During his administration, more than 225 million acres of land became part of the U.S. Forest Service, and approximately 50 wildlife refuges and 150 national forests were created.

‡ Puzzle    

Heteronyms are words that are spelled identically but have different meanings when pronounced differently. For example: Lead, pronounced LEED, means to guide. However, lead, pronounced LED, means a metallic element.

1. pastime; remake

2. one who sews; place for human waste

3. to divide into groups; not joined together

‡ Side Show Stories   

NEW YORK - A New York library said George Washington, the first president of the United States, owes $300,000 in late fees for two books he never returned. The New York Society Library said President Washington visited the facility Oct. 5, 1789, and borrowed international relations treatise "Law of Nations" and Vol. 12 of the British Parliament transcript series "Commons Debates," the New York Daily News reported Monday. Officials said the books, which were due Nov. 2 of that same year, have been compiling late fees of a few pennies a day ever since.

"We're not actively pursuing the overdue fines," head librarian Mark Bartlett joked. "But we would be very happy if we were able to get the books back."

‡ Calendar Information   

• Observance Weeks in April•

18-24

Administrative Professionals Week

Cleaning For A Reason Week

Coin Week

National Crime Victims Rights Week

National Volunteer Week

Sky Awareness Week

19-25

Astronomy Week

Consumer Awareness Week

Fish Fry Week

National Inspirational News Week

Police Officers Who Gave Their Lives In The Line of Duty Week

National Paperboard Packaging Week

National Window Safety Week

Turnoff Week

23-25

National Dream Hotline: Call to have your dreams interpreted. Sponsored by the School of Metaphysics in MO

National & Global Youth Service Days

National Dance Week

National Pie Week

• 23 April Observances—US/UN/World •

Read Me Day: the message of every book

Talk Like Shakespeare Day

World Book & Copyright Day

World Laboratory Animal Day

• 23 April Observances—by country •

Bermuda : Peppercorn Day

Canada: Book Day

Conch Republic, Key West, Florida: Independence Day (Florida Tourist thing)

Spain: Castile and León Day (since 1521—identifies two regions of Spain)

Turkey : National Sovereignty Day/Children's Day

•Number One Songs in…

1926 I'm Sitting on Top of the World Al Jolson

1946 I'm a Big Girl Now Sammy Kaye

1956 Heartbreak Hotel Elvis Presley

1966 (You're My) Soul and Inspiration The Righteous Brothers

1976 Disco Lady Johnnie Taylor

1996 Because You Loved Me Celine Dion

• 23 April Happenings•

In The Arts

1984 ►Singer Marvin Gaye was shot to death by his father at age 45.

In Athletics

1921 ►Charles Paddock set a record time in the 300-meter track event by posting a time of 33.2 seconds

1963 ►Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds got his first hit in the major leagues.

In Business or Education

1985 ►The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, GA, made a showy, glitzy announcement--New Coke. Lasted less than 6 months.

In Politics

1014 ►King Brian Boru of Ireland beats Danes at Battle of Clontarf

1701 ►William Penn will sign a treaty of friendship at Philadelphia with representatives of the SUSQUAHANNA, SHAWNEE, GANAWESE, and the IROQUOIS. All parties will agree to act peaceably with each other. The treaty will be known as the "Articles of Agreement".

1900 ►1st known occurrence of word "hillbillie" (New York Journal)

1918 ►National Urban League forms

1968 ►1st decimal coins issued in Britain (5 & 10 pence)

In Science/ Religion

1348 ►1st English order of knighthood founded (Order of the Garter)

1962 ►1st US satellite to reach the moon launched

1984 ►AIDS-virus identified (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome)

• 23 April Births •

Artists, Writers, and Composers

Margaret Kennedy, 1896, novelist: The Constant Nymph

Michael Moore, 56, author, film-maker

William Shakespeare, 1564, Stratford-on-Avon England, bard

Athletes

Bud Wilkinson, 1916, college football coach (Oklahoma)

Entertainers

Valerie Bertinelli, 50, actress (“One Day at a Time)

John Cena, 33, professional wrestler

Sandra Dee [Alexandra Zuck], 1944, actress (Gidget)

Joyce Dewitt, 61, actress (“Three’s Company”)

Jan Hooks, 53, actress (“Saturday Night Live,” “Designing Women”)

Lee Majors, 70, actor (“The Six Million Dollar Man,” “The Fall Guy”)

Roy Orbison, 1936, rocker (Oh Pretty Woman, Only The Lonely)

Dev Patel, 20, actor (Slumdog Millionaire), born Harrow, England

Ray Peterson, 1935, singer: Tell Laura I Love Her

Duncan Renaldo, 1904, Spain, actor (Cisco Kid)

Herve Villechaize, 1943, France, "Da Plane! Da Plane!" (Fantasy Island)

Business, Education Leaders

--

Political Leaders

Shirley Temple Black, 82, former ambassador to Ghana, child actress

James Buchanan, 1791, 15th U.S. President

Bernadette Devlin (McAliskey), 63, Irish civil rights leader

Stephen Arnold Douglas [Little Giant], 1813, US Senator (Lincoln debates)

Timothy McVeigh, 1968, American terrorist

Scientists /Religious Leaders

Virgil I [Gus] Grissom, 1926, astronaut (Liberty Bell 7, Gemini 3)

• 23 April Obits •

Howard Cosell, 1995, sportscaster (Monday Night Football), @ 77

Buster Crabbe, 1983, US swimmer (Olympics-gold-1932)/actor, heart attack @ 76

Otto Preminger, 1986, director (Advise & Consent, Anatomy of Murder), @ 79

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedram, 1616, Spanish writer (Don Quixote), @ 69

William Shakespeare, 1616, English author, on his 52nd birthday

Pamela Lyndon Travers, 1996, writer (Mary Poppins), @ 96

William Wordsworth, 1850, poet, @ 80

‡ ANSWERS to puzzle   

1. Recreation rek-ree-Ashun- pastime; REEcreeAshun- remake

2. Sewer SOwer- one who sews; SOOwer- place for human waste

3. Separate SEPerATE- to divide into groups; SEPret- not joined together

   ‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡   

Thursday 4-22

22 April 2010~~Week 17 of 2010: 112 days this year… 253 days remain

‡ Something To Think About 

Give me the money that has been spent in war & I will clothe every man, woman, & child.

~Charles Sumner (1811-1874) MA orator and lawyer

• Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1864 ►US mints 2¢ coin (1st appearance of "In God We Trust") AND 1955 ►Congress orders all US coins bear motto "In God We Trust"

‡ Free Ramblings   

Look at your calendar. It is APRIL. It should be spring. Everything should be turning green. Flowers (from bulbs) should be popping out of the ground. Today was not a pleasant day outside. I woke up to strong winds and almost horizontal rain. Hard rain…the Navajo call it a Male rain. Then it was graupel, those little tiny little snowballs or hail pellets. Then it was rain again. Then finally, to make the day complete we had thundersnow. Watching the snow fall while listening to the thunder was interesting. All this time the wind was blowing at about 40 mph. About 3pm the wind calmed down and we had tiny, tiny snowflakes falling to the ground. Then the wind picked up. The snow started again. Our high today was 48° and that came just after midnight, during one of the rain showers. We did get two hundredths of an inch of moisture today, so that is good. Some of the ground does still have some snow on the ground, but the streets are just wet. Flagstaff certainly is a destination for all seasons—all in one day.

My travel buddy Bob called today and we talked about our trip to Hadrian’s Wall. He has been checking it out and found a friend of a friend who lives in that part of the UK. Turns out the driest month is May, and that July—when we were thinking of going—is the best time for black flies. So glad he found that out. I didn’t have a lot of trouble with the midges in Scotland, though they did keep us inside on late afternoon we had planned a patio happy hour. I survived the flying bugs in South Africa because the rainy season was just around the corner and they hadn’t returned. I am happy we won’t be dealing with that in the UK. On top of that, I am now excited about the trip. Traveling during the driest month means that we probably won’t have rain every day. I spent almost three weeks in Scotland during their driest month and we had two days of rain that messed up our trip plans. One of those days was at Culloden, and that was still a great time—even though I was soaked from the knees down. The other was Edinburgh and the Tattoo. We saw the whole show, in a downpour and I remember thinking about how sad it was to see those uniforms, made of wool, being soaked. We were a few rows up and weren’t able to get the wet-wool smell, but those performers must have felt like they were at sheep camp. The idea of walking 6-8 miles in rain did not excite me. Now I am ready. At least I am pretty sure it won’t be raining all day every day we are there. I will be checking the weather during May of this year at the towns we are going to visit, just to be sure.

A little good news came from Phoenix today. The non-elected governor didn’t sign the archaic immigration bill. Her office did note in a press release that she had received a little of 1000 emails asking her to sign the bill, and 12,000 emails asking that she veto the bill. I’m glad my email was included in that number. She wants to become an elected governor in November. This may help her decide what to do. I am not expecting a response from her office, but at least she knows where I stand. Better than that, I now know that at least 13,000 people in Arizona express their opinion to the governor using an electronic device. I am not alone.

I don’t use Twitter. I don’t tweet. Just not my thing. I did think about it a few months ago but never did it. Now I am pleased with that decision. Last week the Library of Congress announced that they are archiving all the tweets of all the people who have used that program. Something about letting another generation learn about our lives. 140 character messages are not like a previous generation’s telegrams. Back then, each word cost money, so many telegrams were carefully thought out to get the message to another without spending a fortune. Tweets are free. For the few I have read, or heard about, the required very little, if any, thought. Telegrams were read by a few people—the sender, the operator who sent it, the operator who received it, and the recipient. Tweets can be read by just about anybody with a computer. Now tweeters find out that their little messages will be available at the Library of Congress for a very long time. Scary, very scary. The lesson here must have something to do with those very long complicated privacy policy statements one has to agree to before the software will work. I’m still having a hard time believing that the Twitter policy said anything like we will be giving all your tweets to the Library of Congress for permanent archiving. Live and Learn.

‡ A Quick Smile…   

Mary was married to a something of a chauvinist. They both worked full time, but he never did anything around the house and certainly....not any housework. That, he declared, was 'woman's work.'

One evening Mary arrived home from work to find the children bathed, a load of wash in the washing machine and another in the dryer, dinner on the stove and a beautifully set table, complete with flowers. She was astonished, and she immediately wanted to know what was going on.

It turned out that her husband Charley had read a magazine article that suggested working wives would be more romantically inclined if they weren't so tired from having to do all the housework in addition to holding down a full-time job. The next day, she couldn't wait to tell her friends in the office. "How did it work out?" they asked.

"Well, it was a great dinner," Mary said. "Charley even cleaned up, helped the kids with their homework, folded the laundry and put everything away."

"But what about afterward?" her friends wanted to know.

"Oh, that part didn't work out," Mary said. "Charley was too tired."

‡ Random Fact

Your thumb is the same length as your nose

‡ Puzzle   

Heteronyms are words that are spelled identically but have different meanings when pronounced differently. For example: Lead, pronounced LEED, means to guide. However, lead, pronounced LED, means a metallic element.

1. to leave ; arid region

2. an elementary book; preparatory coat of paint

3. a string instrument; a fish

‡ Side Show Stories   

Diamond Springs, California: California Highway Patrol office was briefly evacuated earlier this month when investigators became concerned that an arrestee might have been carrying a

concealed explosive device.

When officers collared Steven Ferrini on a drug charge, a search of the 60-year-old suspect turned up "a suspicious wire, with an on/off switch" in his pants pocket. So they called in El Dorado County's "explosive ordinance disposal" team and evacuated "all unnecessary personnel" from the office.

The wire was found to extend from the pants pocket to the subject's anus and was connected to a vibrator. The bomb squad "rendered the device safe" and determined it was not dangerous.

‡ Calendar Information   

• Observance Weeks in April•

18-24

Administrative Professionals Week

Cleaning For A Reason Week

Coin Week

National Crime Victims Rights Week

National Volunteer Week

Sky Awareness Week

19-25

Astronomy Week

Consumer Awareness Week

Fish Fry Week

National Inspirational News Week

Police Officers Who Gave Their Lives In The Line of Duty Week

National Paperboard Packaging Week

National Window Safety Week

Turnoff Week

• 22 April Observances—US/UN/World •

National Jelly Bean Day

Chemists Celebrate The Earth Day

Earth Day—since 1970

Take Our Daughters & Sons to Work Day

Nebraska : Arbor Day, where they created it (1872)

Oklahoma : Oklahoma Day (1889)

• 22 April Observances—by country •

Brazil: Discovery Day (Pedro Álvares Cabral became the first European to land in Brazil in 1500 )

Spain, US : Queen Isabella Day

USSR : Lenin's Birthday (1870)

•Number One Songs in…

1945 ►My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time; Les Brown

1955 ►The Ballad of Davy Crockett; Bill Hayes

1965 ►Game of Love; Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders

1975 ►(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song; B.J. Thomas

1985 ►We Are the World; USA for Africa

• 22 April Happenings•

In The Arts

1978 ►'The Blues Brothers' (Dan Akroyd and John Belushi) make their first appearance on Saturday Night Live

1994 ►In Denmark the largest lollipop, weighing 3,011 pounds is made

In Athletics

1981 ►Dodgers rookie Fernando Valenzuela tosses his 3rd shutout in 4 starts

1988 ►Women are allowed to compete in the Little 500 bicycle race in Bloomington IN, for the 1st time

In Business or Education

1964 ►The 1964-1965 New York World's Fair opens for its first season.

2000 The Big Number Change takes place in the United Kingdom allowing new telephone exchanges

In Politics

1526 ►1st slave revolt occurs in South Carolina

1793 ►President George Washington attends opening of Rickett's, 1st circus in US

1889 ►The Oklahoma land rush begins.

1915 ►1st military use of poison gas (chlorine, by Germany) in WWI

1951 ►Ticker-tape parade for General MacArthur in NYC

1993 ►Holocaust Memorial Museum opens in Washington D.C.

2000 ►The six year old Elian Gonzalez is taken by a swat team from other Cuban relatives in Miami.

In Science/ Religion

1969 ►1st human eye transplant performed

1970 ►The first Earth Day was observed -- with the purpose of reclaiming the purity of the air we breathe, the water we drink and the environment we live in

1979 ►The Albert Einstein Memorial is unveiled at The National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC.

• 22 April Births •

Artists, Writers, and Composers

Henry Fielding, 1707, author: The History of Tom Jones

Immanuel Kant, 1724, Konigsberg Germany, philosopher

Athletes

Spencer Haywood, 61, NBA star (Supersonics, Knicks, Olympics-gold-1968)

Entertainers

Eddie Albert [Heimberger], 1908, actor (Oliver-Green Acres)

Glen Campbell, 75, singer (“Gentle on My Mind)

Peter Frampton, 60, singer

Hal March (Mendelson), 1920, TV emcee: The $64,000 Question

Jason Miller, 1939, Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning playwright

Jack Nicholson, 74, actor (Oscars for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Terms of Endearment and As Good as It Gets)

Charlotte Rae, 84, actress (“Diff’rent Strokes)

Aaron Spelling, 1923, TV executive producer (Charlie's Angels, Melrose Place, Dynasty, Love Boat, Starsky and Hutch, Mod Squad)

Ryan Stiles, 51, actor (“The Drew Carey Show)

John Waters, 64, filmmaker (Pink Flamingoes)

Business, Education Leaders

Eleazar Wheelock, 1711, American founder of Dartmouth College

Political Leaders

Henry Clay, 1777, the great compromiser

Nikolai Lenin [Vladimir Ilich Ulyanov], 1870, Bolshevik/USSR revolutionist

Scientists /Religious Leaders

J[ulius] Robert Oppenheimer, 1904, head of Manhattan (A-bomb) Project

• 22 April Obits •

Frederick Henry Royce, 1933, motorcar pioneer @ 70 (last words: "I wish I had spent more time in the office.")

Jane Froman, 1980, singer (Jane Froman's USA Canteen), heart attack @ 72

Ansel Adams, 1984, US photographer, @ 82

Huey Newton, 1989, Black Panther leader, shot dead @ 47

Cesar Chavez, 1993, US farm worker (United Farm Workers), in his sleep @ 66

Richard Milhous Nixon, 1994, 37th US President, stroke @ 81

Erma Bombeck, 1996, AZ humorist (Grass is Greener over the Septic Tank), kidney disease @ 69

‡ ANSWERS to puzzle   

1. Desert dihZURT- to leave ; DEZert- arid region

2. Primer PRIHMer- an elementary book; PRYmer- the preparatory coat of paint

3. Bass BASE- a string instrument; (rhymes with mass)- a fish

  ‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡   

Wednesday 4-21

21 April 2010~~Week 17 of 2010: 111 days this year…254 days remain

‡ Something To Think About 

The influence of repetition on crowds is comprehensible when the power is seen which it exercises on the most enlightened minds. This power is due to the fact that the repeated statement is embedded in the long run in those profound regions of our unconscious selves in which the motives of our actions are forged.

~Gustave Le Bon in The Crowd, published in 1897

• Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1869 ►Donehogawa (Ely Samuel Parker) is appointed as the first Indian to be Commissioner of Indian Affairs. Donehogawa, a SENECA IROQUOIS, was trained as a lawyer and a civil engineer. Unable to find work in the white world, Donehogawa contacts his old friend Ulysses Grant. Grant makes him an aide, and they work together through much of the Civil War. Because of his excellent penmanship, Donehogawa draws up the surrender papers for Lee to sign at Appomattox. Promoted to Brigadier General, Ely Parker worked to settle many conflicts between whites and Indians. After Grant becomes President, he will be appointed as Indian Commissioner

‡ Free Ramblings   

Arizona is in the National news again…we all await the signing or vetoing of the toughest immigration laws in the country. This new law would require law enforcement to verify citizenship, if the officer feels there is a question of citizenship. Over 30% of Arizonians are of Hispanic or Latino decent. All of those citizens would have to carry proof of citizenship or live in fear of being arrested if stopped by the police. Many communities in the Arizona have stated that their law enforcement responsibilities do not include assuring citizenship. If our non-elected governor decides to sign this archaic bill, all of law enforcement will face hefty fines—up to $5000 if an illegal alien is stopped and not reported to the Feds. Many Natives also live in Arizona, and will probably have to prove citizenship as well. I am aware of the illegal problem in Arizona. This is not the answer. The Phoenix capitol looked like the 1960’s with peaceful demonstrations since last night. Today people chained themselves to the doors and were promptly arrested. Many believe that if the non-elected governor signs the bills, it will spend years in courts. Last week our state joined several others to sue the Feds regarding the Healthcare reform bill. In other legislation today they have given the AZ Secretary of State the responsibility of determining that each Presidential candidate was born in the US, and if the proof doesn’t meet the AZ Secretary of States’ criteria the candidate will not be on our ballot. We here in Arizona like to make our own laws, and don’t really care that much about Federal law. The politicians tell us we are broke, can’t pay for education, can’t pay for state parks, can’t pay for law enforcement…but we seem to have a bottomless pit of money to pay for endless lawsuits for laws that almost everyone knows will not work.

My Blackberry decided to mess up today. I took it to the Verizon store and after 30 minutes, told me to take it home and update the software. That took over 45 minutes and may or may not have fixed the problem I had. It seems to be working OK, but for some reason, I don’t think I fixed the problem. I have a calendar that shows upcoming appointments. I used to list three. Then it listed none. With the software update it is listing only one. When that appointment happens, I will find out if it really works. Technology is so fickle.

We made it to 61° today, but the 30+MPH winds this afternoon kept us feeling a whole lot cooler. The storm is a brewin’. Two or three days of snow is not going to make Flagstaff a nice spring town. The thundersnow is due Thursday.

‡ A Quick Smile…   

The following are some very funny spelling bloopers caught in local newspapers, publications and various emails. See if you can catch the goofs.

"Boxer Pups AKC, 1M, 1F, Bread for Health and Temperament." (e-mail)

"[Paris Hilton] was probably going through cocaine withdrawls." (Sunnyvale, Calif.)

"Our lunch menu [includes] a variety of hot entrees and tempting deserts." (Upper Saint Clair,Pa.)

"Vincent was a brawny Swiss ex-patriot." (San Jose, Calif.)

"...those who acquaint shopping with charity." (Simsbury, Conn.)

‡ Random Fact   

In 1849, the U.S. Department of the Interior is established. Among its duties (which are so diverse that it is nicknamed "the Department of Everything Else") is the management of public parklands. It is now the nation's main conservation agency.

‡ Puzzle   

Heteronyms are words that are spelled identically but have different meanings when pronounced differently. For example: Lead, pronounced LEED, means to guide. However, lead, pronounced LED, means a metallic element.

1. alcoholic drink; a purpose

2. a list; to write down

3. to rip; fluid in eye

‡ Side Show Stories   

SYDNEY - An Australian publisher is reprinting 7,000 cookbooks over a recipe for pasta with "salt and freshly ground black people."

Penguin Group Australia's head of publishing, Bob Sessions, acknowledged the proofreader for the Pasta Bible should have picked up the error, but called it nothing more than a "silly mistake."

The "Pasta Bible" recipe for spelt tagliatelle with sardines and prosciutto was supposed to call for black pepper.

"We're mortified that this has become an issue of any kind and why anyone would be offended, we don't know," he told The Sydney Morning Herald for a story printed Saturday.

"We've said to bookstores that if anyone is small-minded enough to complain about this ... silly mistake, we will happily replace (the book) for them."

The reprint will cost Penguin 20,000 Australian dollars ($18,500), but books already in stores will not be recalled because doing so would be "extremely hard," Sessions said.

‡ Calendar Information   

• Observance Weeks in April•

18-24

Administrative Professionals Week

Cleaning For A Reason Week

Coin Week

National Crime Victims Rights Week

National Volunteer Week

Sky Awareness Week

19-25

Astronomy Week

Consumer Awareness Week

Fish Fry Week

National Inspirational News Week

Police Officers Who Gave Their Lives In The Line of Duty Week

National Paperboard Packaging Week

National Window Safety Week

Turnoff Week

• 21 April Observances—US/UN/World •

Kindergarten Day: birthday of founder—see below

Administrative Professionals Day or Secretary's Day

National Chocolate-covered Cashews Day

Texas : San Jacinto Day (1836) gives Texas independence from Mexico

• 21 April Observances—by country •

Belize, Hong Kong, and others: Queen's Birthday

Brazil : Tiradentes Day/Día de Tiradentes/) Joaquim José da Silva Xavier, the dentist, fought for Brazil’s independence from Portugal. Hanged 4/21/1789)

Brazil: Brasilia Day (1960 became capital of Brazil: Today’s pop: 3.5 million)

Indonesia : Kartini Day (Raden Ajeng Kartini, heroine of women’s rights-born 4/21/1879)

Israel : Deliverance from Egypt

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

•Number One Songs in…

1982 I Love Rock 'n Roll; Joan Jett & the Blackhearts

1972 The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face; Roberta Flack

1962 Good Luck Charm; Elvis Presley

1952 Wheel of Fortune; Kay Starr

1942 Moonlight Cocktail; Glenn Miller

1921 O-H-I-O (O-My! O!); Al Jolson

• 21 April Happenings•

In The Arts

1997 ►Ashes of Timothy Leary & Gene Roddenberry launched into orbit

In Athletics

1982 ►Rollie Fingers of the Milwaukee Brewers becomes the first pitcher to record 300 saves.

In Business or Education

1828 ►Noah Webster publishes 1st American dictionary

1878 ►New York installs 1st firehouse pole

1952 ►BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation) begins 1st passenger service with jets (London-Rome route)

In Politics

753BC ►Traditional date of the foundation of Rome

1862 ►Congress establishes US Mint in Denver CO

1983► £1 coin introduced in United Kingdom

1989 ►100,000 students gather at Beijing's Tiananmen Square to commemorate Hu Yaobang the deposed reform-minded leader of the Chinese Communist Party and voice their discontent with China's authoritative communist government.

In Science/ Religion

1892 ►1st buffalo born in Golden Gate Park

1948 ►1st Polaroid camera is sold in US

1972 ►John Young & Charles Duke explore Moon (Apollo 16)

• 21 April Births •

Artists, Writers, and Composers

Charlotte Brontë, 1816, Tornton England, novelist (Jane Eyre)

Elaine May, 78, actress, writer, director

Athletes

Al (Alonza Benjamin) Bumbry (Bumbrey), 63, baseball: Orioles, Padres

Reg (Reginald Stephen "The Ruffian") Fleming, 1936, hockey: NHL: Canadiens, Blackhawks, Bruins, Rangers, Flyers, Sabres )

Antonio Ramiro "Tony" Romo, 30, football: Cowboys

Entertainers

Tony Danza, 59, actor (“Taxi,” “Who’s the Boss?”)

Charles Grodin, 75, actor (Midnight Run, Beethoven)

Iggy Pop (James Newell Osterberg, Jr), 63, singer,

Anthony Quinn, 1915, Chihuahua México, actor

Business, Education Leaders

Friedrich W A Fröbel, 1782, Germany, educator (founder: kindergarten)

Don Tyson, 80, founder, Tyson Foods

Political Leaders

Elizabeth II [Alexandra Mary Windsor II], 84, queen of England

Scientists /Religious Leaders

John Muir, 1838, US, naturalist (discovered glaciers in High Sierras)

• 21 April Obits •

Mark Twain [Samuel Langhorne Clemens], 1910, author(Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn), @ 74
François "Papa Doc" Duvalier, 1971, dictator of Haiti, used voodoo to kill 30,000, heart disease @ 64

John Maynerd Keynes, 1946, English economist (How to pay for the war?), open bisexual, heart attack @ 62
Gummo [Milton] Marx, 1977, US comic (Marx Brothers), @ 84
"Red Baron" [Manfred von Richtofen], 1918,shot down in WWI @ 25
Dimetrios Georgios Synodinos (Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder), 1996, oddsmaker/sportscaster (CBS), heart attack @ 76
‡ ANSWERS to puzzle

1. Sake SAHkey- alcoholic drink; SAYK- a purpose

2. Record RECKord- a list; reKORD- to write down

3. Tear TARE- to rip; TEER- fluid in eye

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