Tuesday October 26

This is Week 43 of 2010►Day 299 with 66 days left.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

A new week begins with clouds, wind, more wind, and cooler temperatures; did I mention wind? Something is in the air, and I think it is going to snow real soon. My Blue Spruce is filled with brown ponderosa pine needles, as is my deck, my sidewalk, and our parking area. I am ready for a nice snowstorm, so that is not the bad part. The wind, as usual, is my problem. I keep telling myself that the wind is simply changing the weather, but that doesn’t work. The wind puts me on edge, keeps me on edge, and makes the day difficult. It will stop and the sooner the better.

A few months ago, I went to my dentist and the office manager, who had been there since I started going there—3 dentists ago—was not there. She had always been friendly, a little quirky, and after the first visit, always called me by name. I was told that she had retired. This seemed off at the time, since this is a small office with only one dentist and since she had been there forever, I would assume she would remain to train a new manager. They have a new manager, but she is a ‘manager’ who is not nearly as friendly and outgoing as the other lady. At some point I had given the other lady a business card so she could watch my trip videos. Well, this weekend, I found a message she left me on MySpace soon after she left. I sent her a friend request on FB, since I hardly ever go to MySpace anymore. She responded almost immediately. Turns out she didn’t ‘retire’ but had been ‘fired.’ I don’t have any of the details, but I am disappointed with my dentist’s explanation. A retirement, even when it is a forced one, there are cards, there is a party, and there are well wishers. Even patients are usually given an opportunity to sign a card, or some other way of wishing the person a happy future. Firing someone carries none of those benefits. Firing is tough, and I get that. There are many euphemisms for the act—let go, removed, … I know that patient’s don’t need to know the nitty-gritty, but honesty would have made me more comfortable. As a FB friend I’m sure I will hear the story, someday. We never met outside her workplace, and I don’t see any reason for that to change. But I am happy to know that she is doing well.

As I left my physician’s office last Friday, there were three cop cars outside the nearby bank. I later learned that the branch had been robbed while I was in the Drs. Office, less than a block away. Today another bank was robbed, this one a branch of my bank in East Flagstaff. The cops believe it may have been the same person at both banks. The downtown bank is in a mixed commercial/residential area of older expensive homes. There did not appear to be any cops roaming the neighborhood. The second bank is in a commercial district with low income housing and mobile home parks bordering the bank’s property. The local paper’s website mentioned that the police were in the area and walking the nearby area for suspicious behavior. I just found it odd that they didn’t do that in the ‘better’ neighborhood of the first robbery. Hmmmm.

Typhoon Megi hit Taiwan hard. It hit in an area we had been close to just a few weeks earlier. We were not on the mountain highway that collapsed, but we were within a few kilometers of it. So sad.

Flag…H—49°; L—29°; RH—71%; and 15mph wind with gusts to 35mph.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY—Samuel Ullman

Nobody grows old merely by living a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1964 Rolling Stones appear on the Ed Sullivan Show

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—Firsts

→The first woman to hold the title of newspaper editor was Ann Franklin in 1762. She worked for The Newport Mercury in Newport, R.I.

→In 1779, Margaret Corbin was the first woman to be awarded a disability pension by US Congress. She fought in the Revolutionary War.

→On August 18, 1587, Virginia Dare was the first child born in the American colonies, on what is now Roanoke Island, North Carolina.

→Although thousands of patents had previously been issued, Samuel Hopkins was the first when numbering started. He patented a process in 1790 for making potash and pearl ashes.

→The first parachute jump was performed by Andre-Jacques Garnerin in 1797. He dropped from a balloon, about 6,500 ft. over Monceau Park in Paris in a 23-ft.-diameter parachute made of white canvas with a basket attached.

→In 1799, Count de Grisley was the first magician to perform the trick of sawing a woman in half.

GREY MATTER PUZZLE 1—Jeopardy Answers (1984 games) Travel

$200-This necessary document cost $10 in 1980, and was $35 in 1984

$400-Non-sexist name for a stewardess

$600-A vaccination is no longer required since this disease is eradicated

$800-Tags for luggage headed for this airport appropriately read "LAX"

$1000-Ship passengers are greeted & dunked by King Neptune 1st time they cross this

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM

SYDNEY - Three people are on trial in Australia for allegedly telling people they'd been cursed then luring them to "prayer sessions" that involved sex, officials say. Tony Golossian, 62, Arthur Psichogios, 40, and his wife, Frances Psichogios, 39 have pleaded not guilty to charges, The (Sydney) Daily Telegraph reported Thursday.

Crown prosecutor Sarah Huggett said victims were told curses had been put on them and that to remove the curses they had to attend "prayer sessions" where they were blindfolded and sex took place. The women also received phone calls from "demonic voices," Huggett alleged. The fiancé of one of the victims also received similar calls telling him not to marry the woman, calls Hugget said were designed to isolate her. The man testified he broke up with his fiancée after the phone calls told him she was sleeping around, the jury in the black magic sex trial heard.

A LITTLE LAUGH

At a wedding I recently attended, the priest called for a moment of silence to remember the faithful dead...

As the church grew quiet, a little boy sitting in front of me turned to his father and said excitedly, "Dad, you have some of their albums!"

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

Typhoon Megi news report from Taipei: Click Here to View!

GREY MATTER PICTURE

This is a close up of what object?

SOME CALENDAR INFORMATION

¤ Weekly Observances ¤

24-31: Disarmament Week ^ Give Wildlife a Break Week ^ Pastoral Care Week ^ Peace, Friendship and Good Will Week ^ Prescription Errors Education & Awareness Week ^ International Magic Week ^ National Respiratory Care Week

27-11/3: World Hearing Aid Awareness Week

¤ Today’s Observances ¤

Worldwide Howl At The Moon Night

Austria: National Day (celebrates the anniversary of the Declaration of Neutrality in 1955)

Nauru: Angam Day (small Pacific Island): population has been threatened numerous times and this day celebrates the survival of the population)

Benin; Rwanda: Armed Forces Day

South Vietnam: Constitution & Republic Day (1955, 1956)

Switzerland: Flag Day

¤ Hit Songs on this date ¤

1893...Daisy Bell (A Bicycle Built for Two) / Dan Quinn

1903...Good-Bye, Eliza Jane / Arthur Collins

1913...Last Night Was the End of the World / Henry Burr Click Here to View!

1923...Yes! We Have No Bananas / Sam Lanin Click Here to View!

1933...The Last Round-Up / George Olsen Click Here to View!

1943…Pistol Packin' Mama / Al Dexter http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uESJlJAj7g

1953…St. George and the Dragonet / Stan Freberg Click Here to View!

1963…Sugar Shack / Jimmy Gilmer & the Fireballs Click Here to View!

1973…Midnight Train to Georgia / Gladys Knight & the Pips Click Here to View!

1983…Islands in the Stream / Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton Click Here to View!

¤ Today’s Births ¤

╬ THE ARTS

John Arden, novelist/playwright (Left Handed Liberty), born in 1939

Felix the Cat, cartoon character, born in 1917

Pat Conroy, 65, writer (The Prince of Tides, The Lords of Discipline)

Mahalia Jackson, gospel singer (Whole World in his Hands), born in 1911

Keith Urban, 41, country singer, born Whangarei, New Zealand

♦♦actors♦♦

Jackie Coogan, actor (Uncle Fester-Addams Family), boron in 1914

Tom Cavanagh, 42, actor (“Ed”)

Dylan McDermott, 48, actor (“The Practice”)

Jaclyn Smith, 63, actress (“Charlie’s Angels”), former Breck Girl

╬ ATHLETICS

Sasha Cohen, 26, figure skater

╬ BUSINESS & EDUCATION

John S Knight, WV, publisher (Knight-Rider), born in 1894

C.W. (Charles William) Post, cereal mogul; founder of Post cereals and products: Grape Nuts, Post Toasties, Postum, born in 1854

Jeff Probst, 48, TV personality (“Survivor”)

Abby (Greene Aldrich) Rockefeller, philanthropist: cofounder of NY Museum of Modern Art, born in 1874

Pat Sajak, 64, game show host (“Wheel of Fortune”)

╬ POLITICS

Hillary Rodham Clinton, 63, US Secretary of State, former US Senator (D, New York), former First Lady

Leon Trotsky, Russian revolutionary (pres of 1st Soviet), born in 1879

Francois Mitterand, President of France [1981-1995], born in 1916

╬ SCIENCE & RELIGION

Paul Farmer, 51, American Anthropologist

¤ Today’s Obituaries ¤

Hoyt Axton, American actor and country music singer-songwriter, heart failure @ 61 in 1999

Tony Hillerman, American writer @ 83 in 2008

William Paley, CEO (CBS), heart attack @ 89, in 1990

¤ Today’s Events ¤

╬ THE ARTS

1955 The Village Voice was first published.

1970 "Doonesbury" comic strip debuts in 28 newspapers

╬ ATHLETICS

1985 On a poor call in 6th game, umpire Don Deckinger starts a string of events costing Cardinals the 82nd World Series to the Brewers

1988 Donald Trump bills Mike Tyson $2,000,000 for 4 month advisory service

╬ BUSINESS & EDUCATION

1785 The first Spanish jacks [male donkeys] imported to the United States arrived in Boston

1825 Erie Canal between Hudson River & Lake Erie opened

1858 The rotary motion-washing machine was patented by Hamilton E. Smith of Pittsburgh

╬ INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

1676 Nathaniel Bacon dies. Leader of the "Virginia Rebellion," as it was then called, began in earnest, in 1674, a group of so-called "freeholders" on the Virginia frontier demanded that Native Americans living on treaty-protected lands be driven out or killed

1972 Guided tours of Alcatraz (by Park Service) begin

╬ POLITICS (US)

1868 White terrorists kill several blacks in St Bernard Parish La

1876 President sends federal troops to SC

1881 Shootout at the OK corral, in Tombstone, Az

1916 Margaret Sanger arrested for obscenity (advocating birth control)

1941 US savings bonds go on sale

╬ POLITICS (International)

1955 Ngo Dinh Diem proclaims Vietnam a republic with himself as pres

1956 UN's International Atomic Energy Agency statute approved

╬ SCIENCE & RELIGION

1957 Vatican Radio begins broadcasting

1984 "Baby Fae" gets baboon heart transplant, lives 21 days

GREY MATTER ANSWERS

↔ 1 Jeopardy

$200-This necessary document cost $10 in 1980, and was $35 in 1984: What is a Passport?

$400-Non-sexist name for a stewardess: What is a flight attendant?

$600-A vaccination is no longer required since this disease is eradicated: What is smallpox?

$800-Tags for luggage headed for this airport appropriately read "LAX": What is Los Angeles International?

$1000-Ship passengers are greeted & dunked by King Neptune 1st time they cross this: What is the equator?

↔ PICTURE

A post rock / fence post

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Monday October 25

This is Week 43 of 2010►Day 298 with 67 days left.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

I finally got my act together this afternoon and opened a YouTube account. This account is seems to load faster and with better quality than FB, but I will find out as I add some of my older travel videos. I really enjoy the traveling and then making the videos to remember the trips. I have really made a splash on the world map. In July of 2006 when I retired I had been to a lot of places in the US and had made it to Mexico a couple of times. All but one of my Mexico trips was just to border towns. Some 40 years ago I did travel into central Mexico and over to Mazatlan, using busses and trains. Since my retirement I have gone to Scotland, the Orkney Islands, Egypt, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Taiwan and Malaysia—including Borneo. I still get confused about my last trip because we visited two countries—Taiwan and Malaysia. Borneo is one of the states of Malaysia, but requires a passport to get from KL to Kuching, so it is sorta part of Malaysia. In a few years the world will see if the current ‘One Malaysia’ concept takes hold. That concept seems to be coming from KL and has not yet been embraced by the rest of the country. I just read in the paper that even KL is having its problems…the government wants to build the world’s tallest building—again. They had the tallest building a few years back, the Dubai built one taller. KL want to be number one, but the population keeps looking at the cost, during this world wide recession. It will be interesting if the construction actually starts and if it does, if the world will then see Malaysia as a developed country. I’m still adding videos to my YouTube account, but I haven’t figured out how to give anyone the address so you can see what’s there. I’ll figure that out tomorrow.

Speaking of construction: Our rain and cooler temps have slowed down the endless road construction on I-40, I-17 and Route 66 within the city limits. What a pain. Then, after waiting five years, the opening of the new WalMart Semi-superstore has been pushed back at least a week. They have known for five years that the roads leading to the new store need to be widened, repaved, and fixed up. So, like any smart builder, they waited until the last couple of weeks to improve the road leading to the store. Now the weather has stopped the construction. Earlier last week there was a big article in the paper, showing all the new workers filling all the shelves with brand new items. Today they announced that the grocery section with perishable food will not be filled until the road is ready. Flagstaff voted to keep out really big box stores six years ago. That, along with the recession and change in business plans has made our new WalMart Semi-Superstore actually smaller than the one we have, but it will have a large grocery section. Had the city allowed the Superstore to come in six years ago, it would have been open, and cheaper prices with more selection would have helped all those in Flagstaff who are living on the edge of poverty would have many more selections. I understand the problems with the superstores, their carbon footprint, their overseas buying, their low wages and their poor employee benefit packages. In the past six years, WalMart has gotten better with everything but the overseas buying. In these tough economic times, those on the edge need all the help they can get. A job with WalMart or Sam’s might not be my cup of tea, but for many, it is a job and that is better than no job.

Our local paper ran a good piece on the ballot measures the state is voting on. I swear, AZ just doesn’t seem to get anything right the first or second or even the third time. We pass a proposition, then a few years later somebody decides it isn’t working the way they want, so they put another proposition on the ballot to ‘fix’ it. This year we have to vote on ten changes. We are voting to allow AZ to opt out of Obamacare. We are voting to add to our constitution that there will be no quotas in hiring or college admission—even though that is already on the books, just not in the constitution. We are voting to allow the swap of land so that there will be open space around military bases. (Sierra Club likes this one). We are voting to move the closing date to put a proposition on the ballot from July to May. We are voting to end the secret ballot elections when employees are planning to unionize. We are voting to allow physicians to prescribe up to 2 ½ ounces of marijuana every two weeks to patients in need. Finally we are voting to balance our state budget with two props: by ending money for open space and taking First Things First (early education) money. November 2nd is a big day for AZ…be sure and vote.

Broncos and Cards lost…nuff said.

Flag…H—55°; L—39°; RH—81%; and 10 mph breeze with gusts to 20mph. It was just a cloudy, windy day. Not a great day to be outside and since the sunset, it has gotten much more windy.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY—Alden Nowlan

The day the child realizes that all adults are imperfect, he becomes an adolescent; the day he forgives them, he becomes an adult; the day he forgives himself, he becomes wise.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1980 Proceedings on the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction conclude at The Hague.

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—Gifts for the President of the US

→George W. Bush received 300 pounds of raw lamb meat from the president of Argentina in 2003. The lamb was accepted by the Office of the President on behalf of the nation, and passed along to the General Services Administration. Most non-perishable gifts of state end up in presidential libraries or the National Archives.

→The president of Azerbaijan hired renowned carpet portrait artist Kamil Aliyev to design a gift for Bill Clinton in 1997. Aliyev's design featured the First Couple inside a heart-shaped medallion, the first double portrait he ever attempted. After Aliyev designed the carpet and dyed the yarn, 12 young women were hired to help complete the portrait in 10 weeks.

→In 1990, the president of Indonesia presented a Komodo dragon to President Bush. Bush donated the dragon, named Naga, to the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. Guess he didn't have room for such a pet in the White House. A Pakistani man by the name of S. Nabi Ahmed Rizvi presented President Nixon with a magnifying glass inside a plush blue velvet box, along with two snapshots of himself and two grains of rice. One grain of rice featured a portrait of Nixon as president; the other featured a portrait of a young Nixon in the Navy.

→What better way to show your president you admire him than by carving his likeness into a peach pit? R.J. McErlean’s memorable ode to JFK features a portrait of Kennedy and the inscription “President John F. Kennedy of the United States.” An eagle on a shield is carved on the left side of the pit, above a depiction of St. Christopher.

→Rutherford B. Hayes was once given a lemon carved to look like a pig, a gift that might have been meant as a jab at Hayes' wife Lucy. The first lady was nicknamed "Lemonade Lucy" because she banned alcoholic beverages at state functions. The unique gift later ended up in an exhibit at the Herbert Hoover presidential library titled, “Weird and Wonderful: Gifts Fit For a President.”

GREY MATTER PUZZLE 1—Jeopardy Answers (1984) The “Pits”

$200- Where Pirates steal bases

$400- Asphalt bog that tourists log in L.A.

$600- Poe's tale of torture in a Spanish castle

$800- B-movie fame as a fretful, flustered, worrisome spinster

$1000- Both cyanide & laetrile are an extract of them

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM

HYDRO, OK — An elderly Hydro man landed in jail after springing his prized pooch from the town kennel. Instead of paying a $100 fine for not having his poodle on a leash, 73-year-old Edwin Fry decided to bust Buddy Tough out, driving his lawnmower to the city pound Oct. 13 and breaking into the cage with bolt cutters.

As the pair escaped, police officer Chris Chancellor intercepted them.

Chancellor told The Oklahoman officers had received numerous complaints about Buddy Tough, who had been in the pound before. He said Fry had been told he could retrieve the dog and sort out the fine in court.

"I've been in law enforcement 20 years, and this is the first time I've known of anyone that has busted a dog out of jail," Chancellor told The Oklahoman.

Fry spent several days in jail, and faces a municipal charge of allowing an animal to run at-large.

Fry didn't deny the charges. He told The Oklahoman that he warned police to stay away from his dog unless they wanted to face his shotgun.

As for Buddy Tough, he was euthanized while Fry was in jail.

A LITTLE LAUGH

Our co-worker kept trying to get her mother to fly out for a visit. "No way am I getting on an airplane," was the inevitable answer.

"Look, Mom, when it's your time to go, it doesn't matter if you're on the ground or in the air."

"I know," said her mother. "I just don't want to be that far off the ground when it's the pilot's time to go."

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

For International Magic Week, here are some tricks: Click Here to View!

GREY MATTER PICTURE

This is a close up of what object?

SOME CALENDAR INFORMATION

¤ Weekly Observances ¤

24-31: Disarmament Week ^ Give Wildlife a Break Week ^ Pastoral Care Week ^ Peace, Friendship and Good Will Week ^ Prescription Errors Education & Awareness Week ^ International Magic Week ^ National Respiratory Care Week

27-11/3: World Hearing Aid Awareness Week

¤ Today’s Observances ¤

‘Be Punk For A Day’ Day

Sourest Day: for those who get lemons and can’t make lemonade

XTERRA World Championships

Grenada: Thanksgiving Day

Kazakhstan: Republic Day

Romania: Armed Forces Day

Taiwan: Restoration Day (1945)

Virgin Islands: Thanksgiving Day

¤ Hit Songs on this date ¤

1892...Michael Casey Taking the Census / Russell Hunting (Original not avaiable)

1902...The Mansion of Aching Hearts / Harry MacDonough (Original not available) 

1912...Waiting for the Robert E. Lee / Heidelberg Quintet Click Here to View!

1922...Mr. Gallagher and Mr. Shean / Gallagher & Shean Click Here to View!

1932...Please / Bing Crosby Click Here to View!

1942…White Christmas / Bing Crosby Click Here to View!

1952…I Went to Your Wedding / Patti Page Click Here to View!

1962…Monster Mash / Bobby "Boris" Pickett & the Crypt Kickers Click Here to View!

1972…My Ding-a-Ling / Chuck Berry Click Here to View!

1982…Who Can It Be Now? / Men at Work Click Here to View!

¤ Today’s Births ¤

╬ THE ARTS

Eduardo Barrios, Chilean novelist (The Love-Crazed Boy), born in 1884

Georges Bizet, French composer (Carmen), born in 1838

Midori Gotō (五嶋 みどり Gotō Midori?), 39, violinist

Minnie Pearl [Sarah Ophelia Colley], comedienne: “Howdee!” (Grand Old Opry, Hee-Haw), born in 1912

Pablo Picasso, Spain, artist (3 Dancers, Guernica). Born in 1881

Helen Reddy, 68, singer, songwriter (I Am Woman)

Johann Strauss (the younger), composer (Waltz King), born in 1825

Anne Tyler, 69, author (The Accidental Tourist, Breathing Lessons)

♦♦actors♦♦

Leo G. Carroll, actor: The Prize, The Parent Trap, North by Northwest, Father of the Bride, Forever Amber, Bahama Passage, Topper, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., Going My Way, born in 1886

Tony Franciosa (Anthony Papaleo), actor: A Hatful of Rain, Death Wish 2, The Drowning Pool, A Face in the Crowd, The Long Hot Summer, Stagecoach, The Name of the Game, Matt Helm, born in 1928

Marion Ross, 74, actress (“Happy Days,” The Evening Star)

╬ ATHLETICS

John Heisman, pioneering football coach/trophy namesake, born in 1869

Dan Issel, 62, Basketball Hall of Famer: Kentucky Colonels: Rookie of the Year [1970-71]; Denver Nuggets: player, head coach

Robert Montgomery (Bobby) Knight, 70, former college basketball coach and player

Pedro Martinez, 39, baseball (Dodgers, Expos, Red Sox, Mets, Phililes)

╬ BUSINESS & EDUCATION

--

╬ POLITICS

Philleo Nash, US Bureau of Indian Affairs (1961-67), born in 1909

╬ SCIENCE & RELIGION

Richard E Byrd, admiral/polar explorer (1926), born in 1888

¤ Today’s Obituaries ¤

Abebe Bikila, Ethiopian marathoner (Oly-gold 1960, 64), cerebral hemorrhage @ 46, in 1973

Geoffrey Chaucer, author, unknown causes/murder? @ 57, in 1400

Bill Graham, rock concert promoter (Filmore), helicopter crash @ 60, in 1991

Forrest Tucker, actor (O'Rourke-F Troop, Dusty Trail), emphysema @ 67, in 1986

¤ Today’s Events ¤

╬ THE ARTS

1962 Author John Steinbeck won the Nobel Prize for Literature “for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humour and keen social perception.”

╬ ATHLETICS

1973 Chris Wills wins 1st National hang-gliding championship

1990 Evander Hollyfield KOs James "Buster" Douglas for HW boxing title

╬ BUSINESS & EDUCATION

1870 Postcards 1st used in US

1955 The microwave oven was introduced in Mansfield, Ohio at the corporate headquarters of the Tappan Company

1960 1st electronic wrist watch (Bulova) placed on sale, NYC

╬ INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

1755 After the attack on the Penn's Creek village in Snyder County, Pennsylvania on October 16th, a group of men go to the area to bury the dead. The Delaware’s who attacked the village will also attack this group, killing several people in the process.

1805 The Cherokee sign a treaty today with Return Meigs on the Duck River covering land north of the Tennessee River in Kentucky and Middle Tennessee (7 stat. 93)

╬ POLITICS (US)

1764 John Adams marries Abigail Smith (marriage lasts 54 years)

1903 Senate begins investigating Teapot Dome scandals of Harding admin

╬ POLITICS (International)

1415 Battle of Agincourt, Welsh longbow defeats the armored knight

1854 The Light Brigade charges (Battle of Balaklava) (Crimean War)

1945 Japanese surrender Taiwan to Gen Chiang Kai-shek

1971 UN General Assembly admits Mainland China & expels Taiwan

1986 International Red Cross ousted from South Africa

╬ SCIENCE & RELIGION

1671 Giovanni Cassini discovers Iapetus, satellite of Saturn

1870 The first U.S. trademark was awarded -- to the Averill Chemical Paint Company

GREY MATTER ANSWERS

↔ 1 Jeopardy

$200- Where Pirates steal bases: Where is Pittsburg?

$400- Asphalt bog that tourists log in L.A.: What are the La Brea Tar Pits?

$600- Poe's tale of torture in a Spanish castle: What is the Pit and the Pendulum?

$800- B-movie fame as a fretful, flustered, worrisome spinster: Who is Zazu Pitts?

$1000- Both cyanide & laetrile are an extract of them: What are apricot pits?

↔ PICTURE

A stack of paper cups

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Sunday October 24

This is Week 43 of 2010►Day 297 with 68 days left.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

I watched a very strange Jack Hanna show this morning. You all probably know Jack either from Wild Kingdom or as the head of the Cincinnati Zoo. He has a Saturday morning show. As I was surfing, it popped up. He was on a safari in Africa. He was on the Shamwari Game Reserve, quite a distance from the place I had stayed. He had some great shots of elephants and leopards. This was a private game reserve, just like the ones I have visited. All the private reserves take very good care of the animals, of the roads and of the environment. They never ‘chase’ animals. They never leave the primitive roads for a ‘good photo shot’. They do their best not to interrupt a kill. While private reserves are the norm in South Africa now, they do their best to open up the bush to visitors while taking good care of the animals. I realize that the show was TV so there had to be something exciting. The strange part was how ‘scared’ this wildlife guru was acting. I get that being close to these animals is exciting as well as awesome. But why would you have viewers think that you were ‘scared’? It is so exciting and the guides are so well trained, ‘scared’ was not part of the agenda. Just TV I guess. The other thing I would have liked to see was the indigenous tracker who helped the team locate the animals. We only saw the Afrikaans guide, Jack and his companion. After my Pandaw filming experience I know how there was also a camera man, a sound man, the aforementioned tracker, and probably several locals with rifles in the bush—just in case. All in all, it was sure nice to see the animals, in the wild, again.

It was painful to see Haiti back in the news. The other day I had read that conditions were still pretty awful. Now the media has picked up that cholera is becoming epidemic near the capital and is expected to reach the capital soon. Cholera is deadly. It is a bacterium that thrives in the small intestine and untreated, leads to death. It usually comes from consuming bad water. Once it hits a population, it is very hard to contain. The best treatment is rehydration with safe water, something that is in very short supply in Haiti. Thankfully, it is not transmitted between humans. Haiti needs clean water now. I certainly hope that the greedy and the bureaucrats will not prevent or slow down the arrival of that water. I’m sure there will be medical teams and water from around the world in the news very soon. This should not have happened. Clean water should have always been available to prevent this. We saw many, many barges of bottled water being delivered right after the quake. It’s too bad it didn’t continue. Everyone is now paying the price.

Flag was cloudy almost all day. It was a real fall day. It rained again a couple of times but looked and felt like it could rain again at any minute. Thankfully, it was warm enough to allow the windows to be open most of the day without the furnace kicking in.

Flag…H—52°; L—35°; RH—81%; and 10 mph breeze with some rain. I was able to take two walks, but neither was very long, as they were both stopped by sprinkles that could have easily turned into rain.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY—Orlandi McGuire

In this day and age, some turn 18 and think they're a man or a woman and that's it, but that's just not true. You have to establish your manhood or your womanhood with actions.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1947 Walt Disney testifies to the House Un-American Activities Committee, naming Disney employees he believes to be communists.

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—

In 1923, These men were considered some of the world’s most successful of their days.

What became of them?

The president of the largest steel company, Charles Schwab, died a pauper.

The president of the largest gas company, Edward Hopson, went insane.

The president of the NYSE, Richard Whitney, was released from prison to die at home.

The greatest wheat speculator, Arthur Cooger, died abroad, penniless.

The president of the Bank of International Settlement, shot himself.

The Great Bear of Wall Street, Cosabee Livermore, also committed suicide.

However, the PGA Champion and the winner of the most important golf tournament, the US Open, was Gene Sarazen. He played golf until he was 92, and died in 1999 at the ripe old age of 95! He was *very* financially secure at the time of his death.

The moral: Forget work. Play golf!

GREY MATTER PUZZLE 1—Jeopardy Answers (1984)-Native Americans

$200- Device Indians smoked as sign of friendship

$400- They symbolize family trees of N.W. Indians

$600- To keep Indians out, Dutch settlers built a wall across this New Amsterdam street

$800- Runaway slaves used to hide with this tribe in Florida swamps

$1000-never asked, never answered

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM

SHARPES, FL — A suspicious package prompted police to close a highway in Brevard County Friday morning. What was found inside the package was a real surprise to authorities.

Canaveral Groves Boulevard near U.S. Highway 1 was closed while a bomb squad was called to investigate the incident at the Social Security building in Sharpes.

When a technician opened the box, two kittens emerged. Officials caught one kitten, but another was able to get away.

Deputies said they would take the kitten to the Humane Society.

A LITTLE LAUGH

My dear friend, a divorcee, never remarried, and her daughter wanted to know why.

"The men I know would bring too much heavy baggage to the marriage and I simply don't want to put up with it," she explained.

Taking her mother's hand in hers, my friend's daughter said sweetly, "I hate to break the news to you, Mom, but you're not exactly carry-on yourself."

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

Amazing Canadian First Nation Totems: Click Here To View

GREY MATTER PICTURE

This is a close up of what object?

SOME CALENDAR INFORMATION

¤ Weekly Observances ¤

18-24: Freedom From Bullies Week ^ Freedom of Speech Week ^ Medical Assistants Recognition Week ^ National Food Bank Week ^ National Infertility Awareness Week ^ National Massage Therapy Week ^ National Businesswomen's Week

24-31: Disarmament Week ^ Give Wildlife a Break Week ^ Pastoral Care Week ^ Peace, Friendship and Good Will Week ^ Prescription Errors Education & Awareness Week ^ International Magic Week ^ National Respiratory Care Week

27-11/3: World Hearing Aid Awareness Week

¤ Today’s Observances ¤

National Bologna Day

United Nations Day

World Development Information Day

Lung Health Day

Mother-in-Law Day

Zambia: Independence Day (1964 from UK)

¤ Hit Songs on this date ¤

1891...Turkey in the Straw / Billy Golden (not original, but good) Click Here to View!

1901...The Tale of the Bumble Bee / Harry MacDonough (not available) 

1911...Alexander's Ragtime Band / Arthur Collins & Byron Harlan Click Here to View!

1921...Song of India / Paul Whiteman Click Here to View!

1931...Good Night, Sweetheart / Wayne King Click Here to View!

1941…Piano Concerto in B Flat / Freddy Martin Click Here to View!

1951…Because of You / Tony Bennett (not original) Click Here to View!

1961…Runaround Sue / Dion Click Here to View!

1971…Maggie May/ Reason to Believe / Rod Stewart Click Here to View!

1981…Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do) / Christopher Cross Click Here to View!

¤ Today’s Births ¤

╬ THE ARTS

George Crumb, composer (Pulitzer 1968-Echoes of Time), born in 1929

Sarah Josepha Hale, author (Mary Had a Little Lamb), born in 1788

Moss Hart, Tony Award-winning director: My Fair Lady [1957], born in 1904

J.P. (Jiles Perry) Richardson, The Big Bopper: singer: Chantilly Lace, born in 1930

Bill Wyman (William George Perks), 74, musician, bass (Rolling Stones 1962-1992)

♦♦actors♦♦

Kevin Kline, 63, actor (Oscar for A Fish Called Wanda)

David Nelson, 74, actor (The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet)

B.D. (Bradley Darryl) Wong, 48, actor Law and Order

╬ ATHLETICS

Kweisi Mfume, 62, former NAACP president

Yelberton Abraham (Y.A.) Tittle, Jr, 84, Hall of Fame football: Colts, 49ers, Giants

╬ BUSINESS & EDUCATION

Chicago Mainbocher, uniform designer (Red Cross, Girl Scouts, Waves), born in 1890

╬ POLITICS

Belva Lockwood, women’s rights advocate, attorney, 1st woman formally nominated to run for president of the U.S , born in 1830

James Sherman, 27th U.S. Vice President [1909-1912], died in office, born in 1855

╬ SCIENCE & RELIGION

Antony van Leeuwenhoek, naturalist (Philosophical Transactions), born in 1632

¤ Today’s Obituaries ¤

Christian Dior, French designer, heart attack @ 52 in 1957

Jackie Robinson, baseball, Dodgers, heart attack @ 53 in 1972

Gene Roddenberry, Star Trek creator, heart attack @ 70 in 1991

Jessica Savitch, news anchor (NBC-TV), drowned after auto accident@ 35, in 1983

Jane Seymour, 3rd wife of Henry VIII/mother of Edward VI, postnatal complications @ 28, in 1537

¤ Today’s Events ¤

╬ THE ARTS

1897 The first regular comic strip was seen in The New York Journal American. The strip was The Yellow Kid.

╬ ATHLETICS

1959 Wilt ‘The Stilt’ Chamberlain launched a pro basketball record streak. Not only did he play in 799 consecutive games; he didn’t foul out in one of them.

╬ BUSINESS & EDUCATION

1929 "Black Thursday," beginning of stock market crash

1836 Alonzo D. Phillips, received a patent for the phosphorous friction safety match.

1939 Nylon stockings go on sale for 1st time (Wilmington Delaware)

1940 40 hour work week goes into effect (Fair Labor Standards of 1938)

1982 EPCOT (experimental prototype community of tomorrow) Center was dedicated by Disney Chairman, E. Cardon Walker at Walt Disney World, Florida

╬ INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

1785 U.S. representatives attempt to hold a treaty conference with the Creek. Few Indians will attend the meeting.

1801 Chickasaw Natchez Trace Treaty: A treaty will be endorsed today with the Chickasaw at Chickasaw Bluffs. The United States will get the right to make a road from the Mero District in Tennessee, to Natchez in Mississippi, for a payment of $700 in goods. Seventeen Indians will sign the treaty.

╬ POLITICS (US)

1871 Mob in LA hangs 18 Chinese

╬ POLITICS (International)

1795 3rd partition of Poland, between Austria, Prussia & Russia

1935 Italy invades Ethiopia

1945 United Nations Charter becomes effective

1973 Yom Kippur War ends, Israel 65 miles from Cairo, 26 from Damascus

1980 Polish government legalizes independent labor union Solidarity

╬ SCIENCE & RELIGION

1901 1st woman to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel (Anna Taylor)

1989 Rev Jim Bakker is sentenced to 50 years for fraud

GREY MATTER ANSWERS

↔ 1 Jeopardy

$200- Device Indians smoked as sign of friendship: What is a peace pipe?

$400- They symbolize family trees of N.W. Indians: What is a totem?

$600- To keep Indians out, Dutch settlers built a wall across this New Amsterdam street: What is Wall Street?

$800- Runaway slaves used to hide with this tribe in Florida swamps: Who are the Seminole?

$1000-never asked, never answered

↔ PICTURE

An oil/rock drilling bit

◄.► ◄.► ◄.►◄.►

Saturday October 23

This is Week 42 of 2010►Day 296 with 69 days left.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

I had some annual blood work done on Monday and went to the Dr. today for the results. One test showed that my blood was too thick, and another showed that I might have sleep apnea. I went to the hospital lab for a blood draw, and thankfully my thick blood is back down. Now I have to go do a sleep test. That should be a lot of fun…going to a clinic, hooking up wires, and sleeping. I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV, however, all this started when I returned from 3 ½ weeks in Borneo’s rainforest, at sea level. When I returned from nearly 100° temps with 100% humidity, I was back to night temps in the 30’s with about 40% humidity and a 14 hour time difference. Of course my body was a little confused. The sleep apnea thing is a little scary, but the doctor says that can be related to the thick blood too. I mentioned my problem with getting back into the right sleep pattern, which could be the travel or could be apnea. Hmm. Since Tuesday, I have been sleeping just fine, waking up at 6:30a, ready to go. I will see how this all plays out. For most of the day, I was fairly concerned—I’m too young, but when the blood thing came back and in 5 days is almost back to normal, and the fact that I see myself as fairly healthy, I am not nearly as concerned. I will get the tests, walk more for more exercise, and see what happens.

Blood drawing is always a hassle for me. My veins are deep and hard to find. There was a student who was going to draw my blood. She had trouble finding a vein, as do all people drawing blood. She decided not to poke me. The nurse checked me out—well she checked out my veins—and found a vein. We both tried to get the student to try, but to no avail. The nurse tried twice and couldn’t get any blood. By policy she had to get another nurse to do it. The new nurse was all of 5’2” and probably was drawing blood during the Truman administration. I tried joking with her, and while she was not mean, she certainly was not a go-getter. I heard lots of sighs, lots of ‘hmmmm’, and she checked my hand, my arm, my other hand, my other arm and finally with one big sigh, chose a vein in my arm. She used a syringe to pull my blood out—something I don’t recall ever happening before. Then she started filling up the vials with the blood from the syringe—three of them. Somehow she spilled some of my blood during the process. “Damn” was all I heard. I asked her if a clean-up crew was going to suddenly appear to clean up those two drops of blood. She smiled and said, “Nope, I made the mess, I have to clean it up.” After about a 20 minute wait, the first nurse came out to tell me that my count was good and they wouldn’t have to take anymore blood. I headed home, grateful.

I spent the afternoon finishing up some of my travel videos and started to download them. Then I found out that my Qwest DSL was uploading at about 85% of what I’m paying for. I don’t do much uploading—taking information from my computer and loading it to another site. Really the only time I do that lately has been with this blog. I haven’t noticed any problems in speed. However, today, the little bar that shows up when you are uploading said that my 7 minute movie would take ‘about 2hrs and 42 minutes’. I called Qwest and while speaking to a very nice lady in India or Pakistan, I was told that my upload speed was at 85%. She had me disconnect, unplug, reconnect, and plug in all the cords that have anything has to do with the telephone, computer, modem, etc. Since she was looking at my speed from India, I knew it had nothing to do with my computer—she was the one that told me I was at 85%. She decided that my connection server must be really busy and she would turn in a work request to move me to another server. This simple unplug and plug in one connection will take 24-48 hours. When I was working in Tuba, this issue took about 35 seconds. I asked her what I do, in 48 hours, if the speed is still slow. I had to ask the question at least 5 times during the conversation, and she finally said that if it is still slow in 48 hours to call them back. Well, duh. I have been thinking about putting my videos on YouTube, but that means getting yet another screen name and password. I really want to avoid that if possible. I really enjoy sharing my experiences and will find a way…hopefully sometime soon.

During all time at the hospital, Martha had called—my cell phone was in the car. Her jeep needed immediate care and needed a ride back home. We met up, and I took her home. It was good to know that I was not the only person in Flagstaff having problems. Her vehicle will be ready about the time I go back to see the doctor. She does have another vehicle, I don’t have an extra body.

Our wet weather continued throughout most of the day. It was always cloudy and showers came and went. I headed to my doctor’s appointment about 8:30 and didn’t take a jacket. By the time I got home at noon, I realized this was not one of my brightest choices. It was wet, it was cool, and it was definitely ‘light jacket’ weather. The bigger birds have emptied my bird feeders each day for the past two days. The finches must have already headed south as their food is not disappearing nearly as fast.

Flag…H—49°; L—36°; RH—93%; and 8 mph breeze with rain.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY—Pablo Picasso

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1897 1st frontier days rodeo celebration (Cheyenne, WY)

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—odd and ends

→Ducks are never male. The males of the species are called drakes. In a casino, however, ducks is a nickname for a pair of deuces.

→Shoemakers are commonly called cobblers but correctly speaking a cobbler is a shoe repairmen. A shoemaker is a cordwainer – they also made leather bottles and harnesses.

→The device at the intersection of two railroad tracks to permit the wheels and flanges on one track to cross or branch for the other is called a frog.

→In the early days of film making, people who worked on the sets were called movies. The films were called motion pictures.

→The little lump of flesh just forward of your ear canal is called a tragus – it also aids in capturing sounds that come from behind you.

→The ear-splitting sound produced by the high notes of a bagpipe is called a skirl.

GREY MATTER PUZZLE 1—Jeopardy Answers (1984 games)

$100-They "rush in where angels fear to tread"

$200-Some of the badges she can earn are: Horse Lover, Dabbler & Ms. Fix-it

$300-Hemingway wrote the book, Rogers & Parton sang the song: Click Here to Here Song!

$400-If the item is colored yellow & you use a red dye, the resulting color is this

$500-Filing an IRS form 4868 gets you a 4-month extension from this date

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM

LONDON — A new British nuclear-powered submarine was towed free after running aground off the coast of northwest Scotland on Friday.

HMS Astute, the first of a new class of nuclear-powered submarines that was undergoing sea trials, became snagged on rocks off the Isle of Skye in an embarrassing incident for the Royal Navy. The Navy had to wait for hours for high tide before tugs could tow the advanced submarine to deeper water. "Two tugs attached lines to her and pulled her free at high tide," a Royal Navy spokesman said.

The submarine will be closely examined for any damage, he said.

HMS Astute, commissioned into the Navy in August, is nuclear-powered but does not carry nuclear weapons. Britain's nuclear missiles are carried aboard four Vanguard-class submarines.

"This is not a nuclear incident," a Ministry of Defense spokesman said earlier. "There are no injuries to personnel and the submarine is watertight."

The submarine got stuck, for unknown reasons, during a routine exchange of crew members. "At some point she touched the rudder on the bottom and they weren't able to get her off immediately," a Navy spokesman said. "There are no nuclear issues, no environmental impact, no injuries to people -- potential damage to the rudder, that's about it," the spokesman said.

The submarine's skipper, Cmdr. Andy Coles, chose not to force the vessel off the rocks, the U.K. Daily Telegraph reported, as that might have damaged the hull which the newspaper said was fitted with "some of the most advanced acoustic tiles that make Astute virtually undetectable beneath the seas."

The Telegraph said the $1.88 billion HMS Astute was the "world's most advanced nuclear submarine." Its nuclear reactor will not need refueling during the sub's life time in service.

The design, development and manufacture of the first three Astute-class submarines cost $6.1 billion.

A LITTLE LAUGH

Although I knew our commanding officer hated doling out weekend passes, I thought I had a good reason.

"My wife is pregnant and I want to be with her," I told the C.O.

Much to my surprise he said, "Permission granted."

Inspired by my success, a fellow soldier also requested a weekend pass. His wife wasn't pregnant, so when the C.O. asked why he should grant him permission, my friend responded, "My wife is getting pregnant this weekend and I want to be with her."

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

Around the time your toddler reaches 18 months of age they'll begin learning words at an astonishing rate. This communication phenomenon is known as the language explosion. Click Here to View!

GREY MATTER PICTURE

This is a close up of what object?

SOME CALENDAR INFORMATION

¤ Weekly Observances ¤

17-23: Food and Drug Interaction Education and Awareness Week ^ Getting The World To Beat A Path To Your Door Week ^ International Credit Union Week ^ Teen Read Week ^ National Chemistry Week ^ National Hospital and Health-System Pharmacy Week ^ YWCA Week without Violence ^ National Character Counts Week ^ National Forest Products Week ^ National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week ^ National School Bus Safety Week

18-24: Freedom From Bullies Week ^ Freedom of Speech Week ^ Medical Assistants Recognition Week ^ National Food Bank Week ^ National Infertility Awareness Week ^ National Massage Therapy Week ^ National Businesswomen's Week

24-31: Disarmament Week ^ Give Wildlife a Break Week ^ Pastoral Care Week ^ Peace, Friendship and Good Will Week ^ Prescription Errors Education & Awareness Week ^ International Magic Week ^ National Respiratory Care Week

27-11/3: World Hearing Aid Awareness Week

¤ Today’s Observances ¤

National Mole Day: commemorates Avogadro's Number (6.02 x 10^23), which is a basic measuring unit in chemistry—Mole being short for Molecule.

Make A Difference Day
Hungary: National Day (since 1989--prior since 1956-Revolution Memorial Day)

Puerto Rico: Grito de Lares Day (1868)

Saudi Arabia: Unification Day (1932)

Republic of Macedonia: Day of the Macedonian Revolutionary Struggle (1893)

Thailand: Chulalongkorn Day (for death of King in 1910)

Wyoming: Frontier Day

¤ Hit Songs on this date ¤

1890...The Thunderer / U.S. Marine Band (not available)Click Here to View Update!

1900...Because / Haydn Quartet (not available)

1910...Every Little Moment / Harry MacDonough & Lucy Isabelle Marsh (not available)

1920...The Love Nest / Art Hickman Click Here To View!

1930...Body and Soul / Paul Whiteman (not available)

1940…Only Forever / Bing Crosby Click Here To View!

1950…Goodnight Irene / Gordon Jenkins & the Weavers Click Here To View!

1960…I Want to Be Wanted / Brenda Lee Click Here To View!

1970…I'll Be There / The Jackson 5 Click Here To View!

1980…Woman in Love / Barbra Streisand Click Here To View!

¤ Today’s Births ¤

╬ THE ARTS

John Coltrane, saxophonist (Round Midnight), born in 1926

Ray Charles, singer/pianist (Georgia), born in 1930

Euripides, Greek playwright (Trojan Women), born in 484BC

Ang Lee, 56, director (Oscars for Brokeback Mountain and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon)

♦♦♦♦♦♦

Paul Petersen, 65, actor (Jeff Stone-Donna Reed Show)

(Milton) ‘Gummo’ Marx, theatrical agent; vaudeville with his four brothers (Marx Brothers)

Alfred Matthew “Weird Al” Yankovic, 51, singer, satirist

Dwight Yoakam, 54, country singer, actor

╬ ATHLETICS

Douglas Richard (Doug) Flutie, 48, sportscaster, former football player (NFL, CFL & USFL)

Pelé, 70, former soccer player, born Edson Arantes do Nascimento

Juan “Chi-Chi” Rodriguez, 76, former golfer

Keith Van Horn, 35, basketball (Nets, 76er's, Nicks, Bucks, Mavericks) 

╬ BUSINESS & EDUCATION

Johnny Carson, Emmy Award-winning comedian, TV host

Nancy Grace, 52, talk show host

William H McGuffey, educator (McGuffey Readers), born in 1800

╬ POLITICS

Octavian (Augustus Ceasar), 1st Roman emperor (27 BC-14 AD), born in 63BC

Adlai Ewing Stevenson, 23rd Vice President of the U.S. [1893-1897], born in 1835

Victoria Chaflin Woodhull, feminist/reformer/free love/1st female presidential candidate, born in 1838

╬ SCIENCE & RELIGION

Samuel Morey, American inventor with 20 steamboat patents, born in 1762

Randy Pausch, American computer science professor, author “The Last Lecture”, born in 1960

¤ Today’s Obituaries ¤

Cliff Arquette, comedian "Charlie Weaver", stroke @ 68 in 1974

Sigmund Freud, created psychoanalysis, @ 83 in 1939

Al Jolson (Asa Yoelson), actor, singer, heart attack @ 64 in 1950

Urbain JJ Leverrier, codiscoverer of Neptune, @ 66 in 1877

¤ Today’s Events ¤

╬ THE ARTS

1958 Russian poet and novelist Boris Pasternak was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature (Dr. Zhivago), however, was forced to refuse the honor because of negative Soviet reaction.

1961 1st movie to become a TV series-How to Marry a Millionaire

1962 ABC's 1st color TV series-The Jetsons

╬ ATHLETICS

1845 1st baseball team, NY Knickerbockers organize, adopt rule code

1926 Gene Tunney defeats Jack Dempsey for world heavyweight boxing title

╬ BUSINESS & EDUCATION

1642 Harvard College in Cambridge, Mass, 1st commencement

╬ INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

1823 According to Cherokee records, Creek Chief William McIntosh, representing United States Indian commissioners, will attempt to bribe Cherokee leaders. For $12,000 McIntosh hopes that Chiefs John Ross and Charles Hicks, and Council Clerk Alexander McCoy will try to convince the Cherokees to cede lands to the United States. The Cherokee leaders will refuse the offer with a show of indignation.

╬ POLITICS (US)

1779 John Paul Jones' "Bon Homme Richard" defeats 'HMS Serepis'

1806 Lewis & Clark return to St Louis from the Pacific Northwest

1862 Lincoln's Emancipation is published in Northern Newspapers

1952 Richard Nixon makes his "Checker's" speech

╬ POLITICS (International)

1978 100,000 cheering Egyptians welcome Sadat home from Camp David summit

1983 Suicidal terrorists drove a truck loaded with TNT into the U.S. Marines headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon killing 240 U.S. personnel.

1990 Saddam Hussein says he will destroy Israel

╬ SCIENCE & RELIGION

1910 Blanche S. Scott became the first woman aviator. Blanche was known, not as an aviator, but an aviatrix

1938 Time capsule, to be opened in 6939, buried at World's Fair in NYC (capsule contained a woman's hat, man's pipe & 1,100' of microfilm)

GREY MATTER ANSWERS

↔ 1 Jeopardy

$100-They "rush in where angels fear to tread": What are Fools?

$200-Some of the badges she can earn are: Horse Lover, Dabbler & Ms. Fix-it: What is a Girl Scout?

$300-Hemingway wrote the book, Rogers & Parton sang the song: What is “Island in the Stream?”

$400-If the item is colored yellow & you use a red dye, the resulting color is this: What is orange?

$500-Filing an IRS form 4868 gets you a 4-month extension from this date: What is April 15?

↔ PICTURE

Top of a soda bottle

^ ^ ^ ^ ^

Friday, October 22

This is Week 42 of 2010►Day 295 with 70 days left.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

Our lunch group headed out to Cameron today for Navajo Tacos at the Cameron Restaurant. I haven’t been on that road for a long time and not much has changed. One new thing was the across the road highway sign at one of the bead stands. I’m sure it is there for ADOT highway messages and not for the bead stand. The bead stand was open, but the sign wasn’t lit so it makes one wonder. As we were paying our bill, a former student from TCBS took our money. She remembered us, but we couldn’t place her. We had a nice chat. Cheryl wanted to look for a beaded key chain and a lamp. The key chains were priced at $20 and the only discount she could get was 5% and she was reminded that she had to pay tax. We used to get those for $7-$10 from the people who came to the school. Back when we worked at the school, one could get a 30-50% discount on Cameron prices. I was never a Trading Post buyer and always preferred buying directly. Those days are long gone. In fact, the trading post concept is long gone. They have lots of non-Indian made stuff—properly marked, and stuff from many tribes. Walking though the store there was stuff from many Indian Nations. Most of the tourists buying there really don’t know that there even different tribes. They did have a Navajo lady weaving a huge rug. She was about 40, wearing jeans, and doing a nice job. I used to know all the weavers they had there, but didn’t recognize her. It rained most of the way up and back and the clouds were really spectacular. I didn’t see any Navajo Pottery but must say that the sand paintings have really become modern and intricate. A 6” x 6” sand painting was $150. The Taco was amazing…it’s been way too long since I had one. The restaurant was packed—we got there at noon—with mostly tourists. When we arrived the parking lot was fairly full, but there were no tourist busses. They really do a big business.

As I travel, I still have trouble being a tourist at a tourist destination store. I have known for years that Cameron offers tourist companies a cut of money spent when they stop their bus at the store and the driver always gets a free meal. They offer a tourist ‘discount’ of 5% to boost their sales. Well, as I travel outside the US, the same system is in play. In each country, we drive into a town or a city and stop at a small shop selling local items. Many times we are the only customers in the store. We are greeted, offered tea or soda, allowed to shop, ask questions, and haggle the price. Most of our stops have led to 40-50% price cut. Knowing how this all works, I’m sure they simply have outlandish prices and expect the haggling. It is hard to know if you are really getting a good deal—especially when you only go to one business. My philosophy for buying Indigenous items has always been—it is unique?, do I like it?, am I happy with the price?, am I buying from the maker? I have to answer yes to the first three questions or it is no sale. Buying from the maker is sometimes impossible, so I have to compromise and hope that the artisan gets a fair share. While I was in Taiwan and Malaysia, I didn’t buy very many items to bring home. Much of time, I really felt like I was at a flea market, with mass produced items. We were not visiting places that were really tourist destinations, especially for Americans. The markets were for locals, except for the pottery factory, where we saw the pottery being made, and I did buy several nice pieces. I also got a nice print at the Indigenous tribal resort. At both places I was able to buy and answer positively to all my questions.

As a single tax payer I have always felt that I pay more than my fair share. I have seldom been able to itemize my Federal taxes, so just get the standard deduction. Many of the Republicans are campaigning to reduce corporate taxes. Makes sense that the companies would then have more money to hire more people, have more money for stockholders, and all would be well again. But wait, it has come out that many large corporations, based in the US, operating under US law paid no net tax last year. Google paid none, Bank of America paid none, CITI paid none. I am sure there are many more. While the politicians babble about how the US 35% corporate tax rate--higher than any nation—is the reason for this recession, they want to cut the rate to about 12%, more in line with other developed nations. I’ll bet those other nations don’t have all the loopholes. If the tax rate is cut, and a huge corporation is already paying zero, does that mean that the government will have to give the corporation money to make up the difference? Before we give any big business a lower tax rate, let’s close the loopholes and make them pay their fair share.

Flag…H—50°; L—29°; RH—87%; and 10 mph It rained on and off most of the day. It was sure a day where a light jacket was needed when I was outside.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY—Albert Einstein

The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.

HOLY MACKEREL: 4004-BC Universe created at 8:00 PM, according to the 1650 pronouncement of Anglican archbishop James Ussher

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—Dragonflies

→Dragonflies have a very short lifespan. They usually only live for about a month or less. However, some dragonflies can exist for up to half a year.

→Dragonflies begin their lives in water, and because they have such a short lifespan, you will usually see them near water. Some dragonflies do wander off into forest and fields to search for food, but will return to the water to mate and lay eggs.

→Dragonflies are often hunted by spiders, snakes, birds, frogs and other animals. They are often eaten in mid-air by birds. They can also become the meals for spiders when they get trapped in a spider web.

→The majority of dragonflies have an average wingspan of about three to four inches. Some have a wingspan of about six inches long. Some of the smallest dragonflies have a wingspan of only 7/10 of an inch.

→Etymologists have discovered over 5,000 species of dragonflies. Some bug experts believe there may be as many as 6,500 types of dragonflies in the world.

→Dragonflies go through three separate stages in a process called incomplete metamorphosis.

Interesting video of the metamorphosis: Click Here to View!

GREY MATTER PUZZLE 1—Jeopardy Answers (1984) World Leaders

$100-During '80s hostage crisis, dart boards bearing his face were a big seller

$200-Britain's first female P.M., her popularity soared after Falklands war

$300-Ronald Reagan was also president of this union

$400-D'Aubisson claimed Duarte fixed his election win in this country

$500-Olympic pullout was ordered by this successor to Andropov

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM

NEW RICHMOND, WI — Talk about a great gourd: Guinness World Records has confirmed that a massive pumpkin grown in Wisconsin is officially the world's heaviest.

The pumpkin grown this year by Chris Stevens of New Richmond tips the scales at 1,810.5 pounds. That's 85 pounds heavier than the previous record, a 1,725-pound pumpkin grown last year in Ohio.

Stevens' pumpkin has a circumference of 186.5 inches, or more than 15 feet. When turned on its side, the pumpkin is more than waist-high to an average-size person.

Stevens unveiled his pumpkin earlier this month at the Stillwater Harvest Fest in Minnesota. He said at the time his secret is a precise mixture of sunshine, rain, cow manure, fish emulsion and seaweed.

A LITTLE LAUGH

"I bet your girlfriend would love it if you bought her something." she suggested.

"I don't have a girlfriend," I answered.

"No girlfriend? Why not?"

"My wife won't let me."

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

Two of our guides were in Toastmasters. Here is the world winner: Click Here to View!

GREY MATTER PICTURE

This is a close up of what object?

Hint:  Think back to the 1990's

SOME CALENDAR INFORMATION

¤ Weekly Observances ¤

17-23: Food and Drug Interaction Education and Awareness Week ^ Getting The World To Beat A Path To Your Door Week ^ International Credit Union Week ^ Teen Read Week ^ National Chemistry Week ^ National Hospital and Health-System Pharmacy Week ^ YWCA Week without Violence ^ National Character Counts Week ^ National Forest Products Week ^ National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week ^ National School Bus Safety Week

18-24: Freedom From Bullies Week ^ Freedom of Speech Week ^ Medical Assistants Recognition Week ^ National Food Bank Week ^ National Infertility Awareness Week ^ National Massage Therapy Week ^ National Businesswomen's Week

24-31: Disarmament Week ^ Give Wildlife a Break Week ^ Pastoral Care Week ^ Peace, Friendship and Good Will Week ^ Prescription Errors Education & Awareness Week ^ International Magic Week ^ National Respiratory Care Week

27-11/3: World Hearing Aid Awareness Week

¤ Today’s Observances ¤

National Nut Day: To honor the people who are just a little crazy.

Caps Locks Day: Only used to show anger

International Stuttering Awareness Day

India, Mauritius, Singapore: Deepavali Day: Hindi celebration

Japan: Jidai Matsuri/Festival of the Eras (1895)

Puerto Rico: Veterans Day

Vatican City: National Day

¤ Hit Songs on this date ¤

1899...Curse of the Dreamer / Dan Quinn

1909...I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now / Henry Burr Click Here to View!

1919...I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles / Ben Selvin's Novelty Orchestra  Click Here to View!

1929...Tip Toe Through the Tulips / Nick Lucas Click Here to View!

1939...Over the Rainbow / Glenn Miller Click Here to View!

1949…That Lucky Old Sun / Frankie Laine Click Here to View!

1959…Mack the Knife / Bobby Darin Click Here to View!

1969…I Can't Get Next to You / The Temptations Click Here to View!

1979…Rise / Herb Alpert Click Here to View!

1989…Miss You Much / Janet Jackson Click Here to View!

¤ Today’s Births ¤

╬ THE ARTS

Jan De Bont, 67, director (Speed, Twister)

Franz Liszt, romantic composer/virtuoso pianist, born in 1811

Leslie West [Weinstein], rocker (Mountain-Mississippi Queen), born in 1945

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Sarah Bernhardt, silent film actress (Camille, Queen Elizabeth), born in 1845

Catherine Deneuve, 67, actress (Repulsion, Indochine), born Catherine Dorleac

Joan Fontaine (de Havilland), Academy Award-winning Actress: Suspicion [1941], born in 1917

Annette Funicello, 68, singer, actress (“Mickey Mouse Club,” Beach Party movies)

Jeff Goldblum, 58, actor (The Big Chill, The Fly, Jurassic Park)

Jerome Lester "Jerry" Horwitz Curly Howard, comedian, actor: The Three Stooges, born in 1903

Christopher Lloyd, 72, actor (“Taxi,” Back to the Future films)

Carlos Mencia, 43, comedian (“Mind of Mencia”)

╬ ATHLETICS

Brian Anthony Boitano, 47, Olympic gold medal figure skater

Ichiro Suzuki (鈴木 一朗, Suzuki Ichirō), 37, baseball player, born Kasugai, Japan

Harry (William) Walker, ‘Harry the Hat’: baseball: Cardinals Phillies, Cubs, Reds; manager: Astros, born in 1918

╬ BUSINESS & EDUCATION

Timothy Leary, Harvard prof, LSD taker, born in 1920

╬ POLITICS

Lynette Fromme, 62, American attempted assassin of Gerald Ford

╬ SCIENCE & RELIGION

George Beadle, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine [1958]: genetic research, born in 1903

Charles Glenn King, biochemist (discovered vitamin C), born in 1896

¤ Today’s Obituaries ¤

Red Barber, American sportscaster @ 82 in 1992

Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd shot dead by FBI @ 29 in 1934

Soupy Sales, American comedian and television personality, born Milton Supman @ 83 in 2009

¤ Today’s Events ¤

╬ THE ARTS

1883 Original Metropolitan Opera House (NYC) grand opening (Faust)

1964 Jean-Paul Sartre is awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, but turns down the honor.

╬ ATHLETICS

1975 World Football League disbands

1976 Rick Barry (SF), begins then longest NBA free throw streak of 60

1984 NFL quarterback Ken Stabler retires

╬ BUSINESS & EDUCATION

1746 Princeton University (NJ) received its charter

1924 Toastmasters International is founded.

1936 1st commercial flight from mainland to Hawaii

1938 1st Xerox copy made

1979 Walt Disney World's 100-millionth guest

╬ INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

1784 Richard Butler, Arthue Lee, and Oliver Walcott, representing the United States, and 12 Iroquois Indians sign a treaty today ceding much of their lands in New York, Pennsylvania, and west of the Ohio River, and reestablishing peace after the Revolutionary War. The treaty signed at Fort Stanwix, near modern Rome, New York, will be repudiated by most of the Iroquois.

1804 Lewis & Clark visit a SIOUX war party today.

╬ POLITICS (US)

1836 Sam Houston inaugurated as 1st elected pres of Republic of Texas

1928 Pres Hoover speaks of "American system of rugged individualism"

1962 U.S. President John F. Kennedy informed the world that the Soviet Union was building secret missile bases in Cuba

╬ POLITICS (International)

2007 Raid on Anuradhapura Air Force Base is carried out by 21 Tamil Tiger commandos. All except one died in this attack. Eight Sri Lankan Air Force planes are destroyed and 10 damaged.

2008 India launches its first unmanned lunar mission Chandrayaan-1.

╬ SCIENCE & RELIGION

1797 Andr‚-Jacques Garnerin makes 1st parachute jump from balloon (Paris)

1976 Red Dye No. 4 is banned by the US Food and Drug Administration after it is discovered that it causes tumorsin the bladders of dogs.

1978 Pope John Paul II was inaugurated as Universal Pastor of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the first non-Italian Pope since Adrian VI (1522-1523), the first Polish Pope, and the youngest Pope since Pius IX (1846-1878).

GREY MATTER ANSWERS

↔ 1 Jeopardy

$100-During '80s hostage crisis, dart boards bearing his face were a big seller: Who was Ayatollah Khomeini?

$200-Britain's first female P.M., her popularity soared after Falklands war: Who was Thatcher?

$300-Ronald Reagan was also president of this union: What is the Screen Actor's Guild?

$400-D'Aubisson claimed Duarte fixed his election win in this country: What is El Salvador?

$500-Olympic pullout was ordered by this successor to Andropov: Who is Chernenko?

↔ PICTURE

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