Tues Nov 30

This is Week 48 of 2010►Day 334 with 31 days remaining

Flagstaff Weather:
TODAY’S QUOTE—
All the really valuable things you own are things you can't photograph.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
Another chilly day here in Flag. It was 11° when I got up. I did run some errands today. Over the weekend I ran across an Advent Calendar. In my youth my brother and I always had one. Back in the day, you opened each door or window of a religious Christmas scene and found a small picture of something Christmas-y. Some were more religious than others. The funny part was my mom never knew what would be behind the door or window either. I recall lots of good memories and one that wasn’t so cool for little kids—it was bible verses for each day. Not that it wasn’t nice to read Bible verses; but we wanted pictures. Well times have certainly changed in the past 50 years. The ones I found are now neither religious nor healthy. The only pictures are Santa doing something. Then, when you open each window you get a piece of candy. The packaging still calls it an Advent calendar. I bought two and mailed one to my brother and his wife today. It won’t get there until the 3rd—as I wasn’t going to pay $26 for overnight mail. Since they are now in Miami Beach, I’m sure they will enjoy the Santa in the snow scene. I also got one for myself. So beginning on the 1st I will be opening a door or window each day until Christmas, and probably eating the candy.

I did learn a little more about the WikiLeaks thing today. It turns out to be a long and complicated maze. The military arrested a Marine soon after the first leaks were announced. He is one of 600,000 Americans who had access to all these files. Since 9-11 there has been a greater sharing of information within the Intelligence community. This was to help the various agencies work from the same information. It occurred when the Dept. of Homeland Security was established, placing many different agencies under one head. This 22 year old Marine had access and wanted the American citizens to see what was really going on within the Intelligence community. This kid had moved up one whole rank since joining the Marines. He used a flash drive to do this, while lip-synching to Lady Gaga, in case cameras were watching him. He was being paid a whopping $1642/month for his service. I am certainly not happy that these classified documents have been made public. I also get that sometimes, while working for the government, one reads things that are embarrassing to an official, to an agency, to a bureau. I get that he was trying to do a good thing—remember Daniel Ellsberg and his release of information about Viet Nam. In the current techno age, it is much easier to release information. The WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, is a 38 year old Australian who wants to open up governments. He has released documents from many governments and we are just hearing about it because now he is releasing our secrets. He has to live ‘on the run’ since he started releasing many documents back in the early 1990’s. I get his goal. The world would be a better place if governments didn’t keep secrets. The argument is that other governments won’t play fair. We will probably never know, because everyone has bought into that argument. The more I read about the goals, the less angry I am. Maybe his leaks will change some of the government to government dealings in our world. That would be a good thing. Only time will tell if these leaks bring about change.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1988 Soviets stop jamming Radio Liberty; 1st time in 38 years

∞ JEOPARDY PUZZLE—(SuperJeopardy Answers) from 1990 LITERATURE
He spent 5 years as a slave in north Africa before he began work on the first modern Spanish novel
Dublin Theatre formed from the Irish Literary Theatre founded by W.B. Yeats & Lady Gregory
Milan Kundera, a Czech, lived in France when he published “The Unbearable Lightness of” this
In some versions of the story, he was unable to look at the Holy Grail after his adulterous affair
The 3 sections that comprise Dante's “Divine Comedy”

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—
The Macy’s parade was first televised in New York in 1945, and that same year the Macy's parade began using the route that is still followed today.
***
Floats must travel through the Lincoln Tunnel to get to Manhattan for the parade. A 24 foot wide, 40 foot high float has to fold up to an 8 foot wide and 12 1/2 food high float in order to get through.
***
There was a helium shortage in 1958 that forced the balloons to be filled with air and hung from cranes instead of the traditional floating and bobbing.

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM
EVANS CITY, PA. — Emergency crews in Butler County were called to rescue the driver of a pickup truck that ended up stuck 30 feet off the ground in a tree.
Channel 4 Action News' Amber Nicotra reported police said Erin Dawn Bowser, 33, was driving westbound on Route 68 in Evans City.
Police said Bowser hit a car, a guardrail and a pole before bouncing over the rail and becoming stuck in a tree over Connoquenessing Creek.
"She was completely alert and as calm as can be for her situation. She was fine, she was talking clearly. She did an excellent job of not panicking when we were going off the ground," said rescue worker Ken Wagner.
Rescue crews used ropes and ladders to reach Bowser, who removed from the vehicle in a rescue basket and taken to Butler Hospital with minor injuries.
The rescue effort closed Route 68 for several hours Monday morning. The road reopened to traffic around 11:30 a.m.
Nicotra reported that Bowser, is facing several citations in connection with the wreck, including driving too fast for road conditions. Nicotra reported that police said Bowser told them the road was icy.

A LITTLE LAUGH
I was nervous the night my husband and I brought our three young sons to An upscale restaurant for the first time. My husband ordered a bottle Of wine with the meal. When the waitress brought it, our children became quiet as she began the ritual uncorking.
She poured a small Amount for me to taste, and then our six-year-old piped up, "Mom usually drinks a lot more than that!"

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

∞ UP CLOSE PICTURE
This is a close up of what object?
CALENDAR INFORMATION
♦ Weekly Observances ♦
--
♦ Today’s Observances ♦
Stay At Home Because You're Well Day
Cities for Life Day: Since 1786 to end the death penalty in countries
Computer Security Day
National Meth Awareness Day
Saint Andrew's Day: Patron Saint of Scotland: born: Latha Naomh Anndra
Barbados : Independence Day (1966 from UK)
Benin : National Day
Iran : Qadir Khom Festival: Muslim Holiday
Philippines : Andres Bonifacio Day/Heroes' Day (1863) [leader of 1896 revolt against Spain
Scotland: National Day
Yemen PDR : Independence Day (1967)
♫ One Hit Wonders—1965 ♫
Click on Song Title to see and hear the original
♦Today’s Births♦
ARTS
Richard Wagstaff Dick Clark, 81, longtime host of “American Bandstand,” entertainer, producer
1835 Samuel Clemens [Mark Twain], author (Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn)
Billy Idol, 55, singer, songwriter, born William Michael Albert Broad
David Mamet, 63, dramatist (American Buffalo, Glengary Glen Ross, Oleanna, Things Change)
1924 Allan Sherman parody singer/songwriter (Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah)
Noel Paul Stookey, 73, singer, songwriter (Peter, Paul and Mary)
***
1926 Richard Crenna, actor (Rambo, Summer Rental, Sand Pebbles)
Robert Guillaume, 83, actor (“Soap,” “Benson”)
1920 Virginia Mayo, actress (Out of the Blue, White Heat)
Sandra Oh, 40, actress (Under the Tuscan Sun, Sideways, “Grey’s Anatomy”), born Nepean, ON, Canada
Mandy Patinkin, 58, actor (Tony for Evita; Sunday in the Park with George, “Chicago Hope”)
Ben Stiller, 45, actor, director
Efrem Zimbalist Jr, 87, actor (77 Sunset Strip, FBI, Scruples)
ATHLETICS
Vincent Edward “Bo” Jackson, 48, former baseball player, former football player
1931 Bill Walsh, Pro Football Hall of Famer: Bengals, Chargers; football coach: Stanford, 49ers: Super Bowl XVI, XIX, XXIII
Paul Westphal, 60, NBA guard (Celtics, Suns)
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
Joan Ganz Cooney, 81, founder of the Children’s Television Workshop and creator of “Sesame Street,”
G. Gordon Liddy, 80, convicted Watergate coconspirator, radio talk show host
POLITICS
1924 Shirley Chisholm (D-Rep-NY), 1st black congresswoman/presidential candidate
1874 Sir Winston Churchill (C) British PM (1940-45, 1951-55, Nobel 1953)
1936 Abbie Hoffman, 1960s cultural revolutionary [Yippie]; one of the Chicago Eight; author: Revolution for the Hell of It, Steal this Book;
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1915 Henry Taube chemist (Nobel 1983)
♦Today’s Obituaries♦
Cleopatra, Egyptian queen, suicide @ 39 in 30BCE
Norman Cousins, editor (Saturday Review), heart failure @ 75 in 1990
Herbert B. Khaury Tiny Tim, singer with the falsetto warble and ukulele ("Tiptoe Through the Tulips" ), heart failure @ 64 in 1996
Marcello Malpighi, father of microscopic anatomy, apoplexy @ 66 in 1694
Herbert Manfred Zeppo Marx, comedic actor, cancer @ 78 in 1979
♦Today’s Events♦
ARTS
2004 Longtime Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings of Salt Lake City, Utah finally loses, leaving him withUS$2,520,700, television's biggest game show winnings.
ATHLETICS
1948 Baseball's Negro National League disbands
1956 Archie Moore was defeated by Floyd Patterson.
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1886 1st commercially successful AC electric power plant opens, Buffalo
1998 Exxon and Mobil sign a $73.7 billion USD agreement to merge, thus creating Exxon-Mobil, the world's largest company.
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1769 Gaspar de Portolá has led an expedition to explore parts of the central California coastline. While near San Jose Creek, a group of local Indians provides them with some food.
1836 The United States signs a treaty (7 stat. 527) with the Wahpaakootah, Susseton,and Upper Medawakanton tribes of Sioux Indians.
POLITICS (US)
1804 Impeachment trial of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase begins
POLITICS (International)
1782 Britain signs agreement recognizing US independence
1803 Spain cedes her claims to Louisiana Territory to France
1947 Day after UN decree for Israel, Jewish settlements attacked
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1954 In Sylacauga, Alabama, United States, the Hodges Meteorite crashes through a roof and hits a woman taking an afternoon nap in the only documented case of a human being hit by a rock from space.

ANSWERS
∞ JEOPARDY
He spent 5 years as a slave in North Africa before he began work on the first modern Spanish novel
Who was Cervantes?
Dublin Theatre formed from the Irish Literary Theatre founded by W.B. Yeats & Lady Gregory
What is The Abbey?
Milan Kundera, a Czech, lived in France when he published “The Unbearable Lightness of” this
What is Being?
In some versions of the story, he was unable to look at the Holy Grail after his adulterous affair
Who was Lancelot?
The 3 sections that comprise Dante's “Divine Comedy”
What are The Inferno, Il Purgatorio, Il Paradiso
∞ PICTURE
A straw hat
╬╦╦╦╩╩╩╬
Posted by No comments:

Mon Nov 29

This is Week 48 of 2010►Day 333 with 32 days remaining

Flagstaff Weather:
TODAY’S QUOTE—
Experience is what you get when you do not get what you want.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

I woke up this morning to about 2” of snow and it snowed on and off all day. Guess it’s time to get ready for winter. While we were in the 20’s most of the day, the wind chill was in the low teens. We need the moisture so this is a nice way to get it. It snows, most of it melts, it snows again. Gotta love Flagstaff.

I watched a Public TV special fund raiser today…Paul Stoockey and Peter Yarrow and others. It wasn’t the same as PP&M but was very enjoyable. They are still putting out good music, just using a variety of female singers. I’m a fan of folk music so I enjoyed it.

Broncos lost today, so I’m glad I didn’t get to see it. The Cards play tomorrow.

I did a about 4 loads of laundry today, so I’m caught up for a little while. Not a lot to do with all the snow. Even the birds were staying undercover today. They stopped by a couple of times, when the wind died down, but sure didn’t stay very long. I guess I only feed the smart birds.

Today is my friend Bob’s 80th birthday. He is having a big party up in Loveland, CO. I’ll call him tomorrow when things calm down a little. I forgot to call this morning, before the festivities began. I know he had a great day.

I need to learn more about how the US got involved in private contracting for the various war efforts. Our volunteer military has been sent to foreign countries to fight against locals. Much of the training of the military and police in these countries were being trained by private contractors. The National Police force is currently about 80% illiterate and about 25% are getting high while on duty and while being trained. Recent figures show that they make more money through bribes than they do as police officers. So many times, especially in third world countries, bribes are a way of life and getting a government job is the best way to get more bribes. Watching some training videos on 60 minutes reminded me of Asian culture. So many times the polite Asians will nod ‘yes’, say ‘yes’ and agree with Westerners just to avoid conflict. Once the Westerner has moved on, the Asian will continue to do whatever they were doing. It is just part of the culture. The Afghan police being trained in the video cuts had that same smile on their faces. When will we ever learn that we can’t enter a country and change the culture in less than a generation. If we learn nothing from the last decade + of war, I hope that it is soldiers fight wars and private contractors make money and little else. We need to acknowledge that many of the private contractors are really mercenaries. These contractors are doing their work for money and nothing else. Soldiers are taught that they are fighting for OUR country. We will never win a war with mercenaries because they by definition always offer their expertise to the highest bidder. It is so frustrating that our intelligence community believes in mercenaries. Our military doesn’t.

I am not a wikileaks fan. The latest ‘leaks’ simply show that what government officials say to the press and to the people is not what they say to each other. And many times it is not what they believe. It is going to take decades to rebuild any trust with many of our ‘friends’. The release is making public many of the behind the scene players in our foreign policy. It must be very difficult for our State Department personnel to find a way out of this latest release. I’m a fan of Mark Twain and agree that “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” Too many diplomats don’t believe that and it looks like they are stuck with their decision now. Diplomats now know that everything they put in writing is going to be made public someday soon. The entire diplomatic process is based on various degrees of trust. Many of our government leaders talk about the difficulty of dealing with N Korea or Iran or Cuba because we can’t trust the leadership. Ooops. Now in some cases we are the ones who can’t be trusted.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1877 Thomas Edison demonstrates the hand-cranked phonograph

∞ JEOPARDY PUZZLE—(SuperJeopardy Answers) from 1990--AFRICA
These little people who inhabit the Ituri Forest in Zaire may have been its first inhabitants
In 1962 the northern half of Ruanda-Urundi became Rwanda & the southern half became this nation
Explorers from this country claimed Mauritius in 1598 & named it for Prince Maurice of Nassau
Most of the Asians in this country live in Natal, where their ancestors worked on sugar plantations
Mozambique is a leading producer of this bean-shaped nut related to poison ivy

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—
Just under half of the notes printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing are $1 notes. In fiscal year 2009, the exact percentage was 42.3%.
***
Martha Washington is the only woman whose portrait has appeared on a U.S. currency note. It appeared on the face of the $1 Silver Certificate of 1886 and 1891, and the back of the $1 Silver Certificate of 1896.
***
No portraits of African Americans have appeared on paper money, but commemorative coins were issued in the 1940s bearing the images of George Washington Carver and Booker T. Washington, followed more recently by the release of a Jackie Robinson coin.

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM
ATHENS, GA - Police in Georgia said a man attempted to steal several deodorant sticks from a pharmacy that was struck by a similar crime a week earlier. Athens-Clarke County police said the man was caught on a security camera fleeing the store Friday with nine sticks of deodorant in four varieties stuffed into his cargo pants, the Athens Banner-Herald reported Monday. Police said the incident took place exactly one week after employees stopped a woman from stealing 12 deodorant sticks from the shelves. Police were searching for the latest thief.

A LITTLE LAUGH
After I asked for a half-pound trout fillet at my supermarket's seafood counter, the clerk picked one out of a pile and set it on the scale. It weighed precisely eight ounces.
Impressed, I asked, "How did you know?"
Looking pleased with himself, he declared, "I'm psychotic."

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

∞ UP CLOSE PICTURE
This is a close up of what object?
CALENDAR INFORMATION
♦ Weekly Observances ♦
--
♦ Today’s Observances ♦
Square Dance Day
Cyber Monday
Electronic Greetings Day
Albania: Liberation Day (1944 from Nazi)
Liberia: President William Tubman's Birthday: Father of Modern Liberia
UN: International Day of Solidarity With The Palestinian People
♫ One Hit Wonders—1960’s ♫
Click on Song Title to see and hear the original
1964 Have I The Right? The Honeycombs (note the female drummer)
♦Today’s Births♦
ARTS
1832 Louisa May Alcott, author (Little Women)
1918 Madeleine L’Engle, author: A Wrinkle in Time
1898 C.S. (Clive Staples) Lewis, Christian novelist, columnist, author: Chronicles of Narnia, Out of the Silent Planet
Chuck Mangione, 70, musician, composer (Grammy for “Bella-via”)
Dr David Reuben, 77, writer (Everything You Wanted to Know about Sex)
Garry Shandling, 61, comedian (“The Larry Sanders Show”)
1907 Merle Travis, country singer (16 Tons)
***
Don Cheadle, 46, actor (Talk to Me, Hotel Rwanda, Crash, Ocean’s Eleven)
Diane Ladd, 78, actress (Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Ramblin’ Rose), born Rose Diane Ladner
Howie Mandel, 55, actor, comedian, game show host (“Deal or No Deal”)
ATHLETICS
Don January, 81, pro golfer (1976 Vardon Trophy)
Vincent Edward (Vin) Scully, 83, sportscaster
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1818 George Brown, Canadian publisher (Toronto Globe), PM (L) (1858)
POLITICS
Jacques Rene Chirac, 78, former President of France
Janet Napolitano, 53, US Secretary of Homeland Security, former Governor of Arizona
1811 Wendell Phillips women's suffrage/antislavery/prison reformer
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1803 Christian Doppler discovered Doppler Effect (color shift)
1849 Sir Ambrose Fleming inventor (diode)
♦Today’s Obituaries♦
Ralph Bellamy, actor, @ 87 in 1991
Cary Grant, actor, @ 82 in 1986
Rav Aaron Kotler, Orthodox Talmudic scholar @ 71 in 1962
Maria Theresa, leader of Austria (last of House of Hasburg), edema @ 63 in 1780
Giacomo Puccini, Italian composer, cancer/heart attack @ 66 in 1924
Howard Pyle (Gov-AZ, 1951-55), @ 81 in 1987
Natalie Wood, actress, drowns @ 43 in 1981
♦Today’s Events♦
ARTS
1825 Rossini’s Barber of Seville was presented in New York City. It was the first Italian opera to be presented in the United States.
ATHLETICS
1962 Major-league baseball decided to return to playing only one All-Star Game a year beginning in 1963. There had been two games each year since 1959.
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1901 East 182nd Street in the Bronx is paved & opened
1933 1st state liquor stores authorized (Pennsylvania)
1967 US Secretary of Defense McNamara becomes President of the World Bank
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1691 The Abenaki sign a peace treaty with the British and agree to keep the British aware of the movements of the French in the area.
1864 Colorado militia kills 150 peaceful Cheyenne Indians
POLITICS (US)
1887 US receives rights to Pearl Harbor, on Oahu, Hawaii
POLITICS (International)
1952 President-elect Eisenhower visits Korea to assess the war
1994 The city of Seoul celebrated its 600th anniversary as the capital of Korea.
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1950 National Council of the Church of Christ in US established
1961 Mercury-Atlas 5 carries a chimp (Enos) to orbit
1964 Roman Catholic Church in US replaces Latin with English
ANSWERS
∞ JEOPARDY
These little people who inhabit the Ituri Forest in Zaire may have been its first inhabitants
Who are the Pygmy?
In 1962 the northern half of Ruanda-Urundi became Rwanda & the southern half became this nation
What is Burundi?
Explorers from this country claimed Mauritius in 1598 & named it for Prince Maurice of Nassau
What is Netherlands?
Most of the Asians in this country live in Natal, where their ancestors worked on sugar plantations
What is South Africa?
Mozambique is a leading producer of this bean-shaped nut related to poison ivy
What is the cashew?
∞ PICTURE
A compass
╬╦╦╦╩╩╩╬
Posted by No comments:

Sun Nov 28

This is Week 48 of 2010►Day 332 with 33 days remaining

Flagstaff Weather:
TODAY’S QUOTE—Benjamin Disraeli
How much easier it is to be critical than to be correct.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
I had a day of rest today. I didn’t feel like going out in the wind and chilly temps, and since I had no real reason to go anywhere, I didn’t. I caught up on some emails; I cleaned a little, read some magazines, and fed the birds. That was it. It is nice to have a day like this every so often.

As we move into the last days of 2010 many language people review the year to talk about how our language changed during the past year. The Global Language Monitor says these words had new prominence in our English vocabulary:

1. Spillcam — The BP Spillcam instantly beamed the immensity of the Gulf Spill around the world to the dismay of environmentalists, BP’s PR staff and the President.
2. Vuvuzela — Brightly colored plastic horns that first came to prominence at the South African World Cup.
3. The Narrative – Though used at least since The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass in 1845, ‘The Narrative’ has recently been gaining traction in the political arena, virtually replacing the need for a party’s platform. (Cf. to ‘truthily’.)
4. Refudiate — Conflation of “refute” and “repudiate” (un)officially coined by Sarah Palin.
5. Guido and Guidette — Hey! All things Jersey are hot, capish? (Actually, capisci in standard Italian.)
6. Deficit – A growing and possibly intractable problem for the economies of most of the developed world.
7. Snowmagedden (and ‘Snowpocalypse’) — Portmanteau words linking ‘snow’ with ‘apocalypse’ and ‘armageddon’, used to describe the record snowfalls in the US East Coast and Northern Europe last winter.
8. 3-D – Three-dimensional (as in movies) is buffo box office this year, but 3-D is being used in new ways generally describing ‘robustness’ in products (such as toothpaste).
9. Shellacking – President Obama’s description of the ‘old-fashioned thumpin’ in George W. Bush’s words, that Democrats received in the 2010 US Mid-term elections.
10. Simplexity – The paradox of simplifying complex ideas in order to make them easier to understand, the process of which only adds to their complexity.

It is no wonder that well educated foreign guests have such a hard time understanding our ever changing language. As we enter a new decade there will be many more a comin’.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1922 Capt Cyril Turner (RAF) gave 1st skywriting exhibition (NYC). Turner spelled out "Hello USA. Call Vanderbilt 7200." 47,000 called

∞ JEOPARDY PUZZLE—(SuperJeopardy Answers) from 1990-CELEBRITIES
To avoid being confuse with B. Bel Geddes, she signs autographs as “J.R.'s Real Mother”
This founder of the National Review debuted as a harpsichordist with the Phoenix Symphony in 1989
This leading actress' first film with Michael Douglas was “Romancing the Stone”
She also played the offstage voice of Annie Sullivan's brother in the play “The Miracle Worker”
She said of “Laura”, “People remember me less for my acting job than as the girl in the portrait”

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—
Macy's employees staged the first parade in 1924 - it was so successful that they decided to make it an annual event.
***
The first character balloon to make an appearance at the parade was Felix the Cat in 1927. In 1934 Macy's worked with Disney for the first time to create the original Mickey Mouse balloon.
***
The only interruption in the parade's history was from 1942-44. Macy's gave their parade balloons to the war effort since rubber was so scarce.

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM
SAN CLEMENTE, CA - A California wave rider set a world record by surfing for 26 consecutive hours, his employer said. Surf gear maker Michael Figueroa said his employee, Bill Laity, 37, of San Clemente, broke the previous Guinness World Record of 24 hours by surfing for a full 26 consecutive hours off the Huntington Beach Pier with 5 minute breaks per hour, The Orange County (Calif.) Register reported Monday. Figueroa said Laity braved wind and rain during his attempt, which ended Sunday at 9:26 a.m. The attempt is being submitted to Guinness.

A LITTLE LAUGH
How not to become a member of senior management:
During a meeting, our bosses held a contest to name a new project. As members of the management team read through the entries, our CEO picked one out and asked, "Who knows what a phoenix is?"
A junior manager answered, "It's a bird in Harry Potter."

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’
∞ UP CLOSE PICTURE
This is a close up of what object?
CALENDAR INFORMATION
♦ Weekly Observances ♦
21-28: National Bible Week, National Family Week, National Game & Puzzle Week, National Teens Don't Text and Drive Week, Better Conversation Week, Church/State Separation Week
♦ Today’s Observances ♦
Pins And Needles Day: Originally to celebrate the opening of the pro-labor play “Pins and Needles” in 1937, now about being ‘anxious’
Advent: Western Christian Festival: Latin means ‘coming’: in preparation of birth of Jesus
Eid-Al-Adha: Islam Festival of Sacrifice—recalling Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael
Albania: Independence Day (1912 from Ottoman Empire)
Burundi: Republic Day (1966 as Tutsi PM overthrew monarchy): 4th poorest nation in world: ave. income: $401/yr
Chad: Republic Day (1996)
Mauritania: Independence Day (1960 from France)
Panama, Canal Zone: Independence Day (1821 from Spain; remained under Columbia)
US: Massachusetts: John F. Kennedy Day
♫ One Hit Wonders—1963 ♫
Click on Song Title to see and hear the original
♦Today’s Births♦
ARTS
1757 William Blake, English poet/painter (Songs of Innocence & Experience)
1628 John Bunyan, English cleric/author (Pilgrim's Progress)
1820 Friedrich Engels, German social philosopher; Marx's collaborator
Randy Newman, 67, singer, songwriter (“Short People”), composer (film scores for Ragtime, The Natural)
Paul Shaffer, 61, bandleader (“Late Night with David Letterman”), comedian
Jon Stewart, 48, writer, comedian (“The Daily Show”), born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz
***
1923 Gloria Grahame, (Hallward), Academy Award-winning actress: The Bad and the Beautiful [1952]; Oklahoma!, It’s a Wonderful Life
S. Epatha Merkerson, 58, actress (“Law & Order,” Lackawanna Blues)
Judd Nelson, 51, actor (The Breakfast Club, St. Elmo’s Fire, “Suddenly Susan”)
ATHLETICS
1942 - Paul Warfield, Pro Football Hall of Famer: Dolphins: Super Bowl: VI, VII, VIII; Browns
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1866 Henry Bacon, architect (Lincoln Memorial)
Berry Gordy, Jr, 81, record and motion picture executive (cofounder of Motown)
1967 - Anna Nicole Smith, model: Playboy Playmate [May 1992], Playmate of the Year [1993]; actress
POLITICS
Gary Hart, 72, former US Senator, former presidential candidate, born Gary Hartpence
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1908 Claude Levi-Strauss, Belgian social anthropologist (Structure Anthro) 1805 John Stephens, US archeologist; founded study of Central America
♦Today’s Obituaries♦
Dwight Davis, donator of the Davis cup, @ 66 in 1945
Choh Hao Li, bio-chemist prof (isolated growth hormones), @ 74 in 1987
James A Naismith, creator of basketball, hemorrhage @ 78 in 1939
Rosalind Russell, actress, breast cancer @ 69 in 1976
Shinran親鸞, founder of Japan's True Pure Land Buddhist sect, @ 89 in 1262
Wasfi Tal وصفي التل, Jordan's PM, assassinated by Black September in Cairo @ 52 in 1971
Queen Mother Wilhelmina of Netherlands, @ 82 in 1962
♦Today’s Events♦
ARTS
1932 Groucho Marx performed on radio for the first time
1948 "Hopalong Cassidy" premiers on TV
1988 Picasso's "Acrobat & Harlequin" sells for $38.46 million

ATHLETICS
1895 America's 1st auto race starts; 6 cars, 55 miles, winner averages 7 MPH
1925 Famed NHL goalie Georges Vezina collapses in a game & dies of TB 4months later
1981 Bear Bryant wins his 315th game to out distance Alonzo Stagg & become college football's winningest coach
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1942 Coffee rationing began in the United States, lasting through the end of World War II.
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1729 The Natchez are very upset with the new commander at Fort Rosalie. Commander Etcheparre Chepart is incapable of command. The Natchez attack and destroy the fort, and begin a revolt in the area. Approximately 200 whites are killed in the attack on the fort, which begins today. This is called The Fourth War with the Natchez, by the French. Chepart is killed while hiding in his garden. Chepart has received a warning of the impending attack from Natchez Sun (Queen) Stung Arm; but, he refused to believe it.
1745 The old frontier settlement of Saratoga, New York is near modern Schuylerville. 220 Indians, and 400 French attack the settlement. Most of the town, and the fort, is burned, 100 settlers are captured, and another thirty are killed during the fighting.
POLITICS (US)
1853 Olympia established as capital of Washington Territory
1861 Confederate congress officially admits Missouri to the CSA
1963 U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson announced in a televised address that Cape Canaveral would be renamed Cape Kennedy
POLITICS (International)
1795 US pays $800,000 & a frigate as tribute to Algiers & Tunis
1943 FDR, Churchill & Stalin met at Tehran to map out strategy
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1520 Ferdinand Magellan begins crossing Pacific Ocean
ANSWERS
∞ JEOPARDY
To avoid being confuse with B. Bel Geddes, she signs autographs as “J.R.'s Real Mother”
Who is Mary Martin?
This founder of the National Review debuted as a harpsichordist with the Phoenix Symphony in 1989
Who is William F. Buckley?
This leading actress' first film with Michael Douglas was “Romancing the Stone”
Who is Kathleen Turner?
She also played the offstage voice of Annie Sullivan's brother in the play “The Miracle Worker”
Who is Patty Duke?
She said of “Laura”, “People remember me less for my acting job than as the girl in the portrait”
Who is Gene Tierney?
∞ PICTURE
Center of a DVD case
╬╦╦╦╩╩╩╬
Posted by No comments:

Sat Nov 27

This is Week 47 of 2010►Day 331 with 34 days remaining

Flagstaff Weather:
TODAY’S QUOTE—Vince Lombardi
The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
Black Friday has become Electronics Friday. I am well set up with TVs, radios, mp3 player, computer stuff, cameras,… I did go out about 9am to see what was out there. I found Home Depot to be the best stop. I got LED lights, a poinsettia and a few new decorations for amazing prices. While there I stopped at World Market and found some more bargains. The mall and the attached strip mall had fairly full parking lots, but the stores had plenty of service people and shopping was not the hassle I had expected. The good news for them is that people were buying. Everyone was buying the loss leaders—the items that were being sold very cheaply—but every cart seemed to have other stuff too and that is why the stores do the loss leaders. I didn’t go to Best Buy, but they too looked pretty busy. All the Christmas stuff and music did put me into the Christmas mood, so sometime this weekend I will be putting away all the Fall decorations and turning the inside and outside into my own little winter wonderland. I can’t forget last Christmas, when all my outdoor lights stayed outside until almost May, due to the snow piles. I refused to dig through the ice to take the lights off the bushes or stand a ladder on the ice to remove the lights on the porch. Maybe this year will be a little easier.

Obama got elbowed during a basketball scrimmage this morning. He ended up getting 12 stitches in his lip. I’m waiting for Faux news to say something outrageous. Most all of the news commentators are on a break and by Monday it will probably not be news. I’m sure someone will see this common basketball injury as additional proof that his financial policies will fail. Heal quickly Mr. President.

Thankfully the N/S Korea mess has not led to any more gunfire. I did see on middle aged Korean man who was moving off the island after his house was destroyed by the bombing earlier this week. He told the American news reporter in Korean, “All you reporters are welcome to stay here as long as you like. I’m protecting my family and leaving. Maybe they won’t bomb you.” Such a tough time for those living there. The US and our allies are moving forward with our ‘war games’ nearby. I have to wonder what would happen if Iran or China or N Korea decided to have ‘war games’ a few hundred miles from Hawaii or Guam? Would we see that as a threat? If the other side said they were not planning any attack, but just checking to see if their ships could sail in the water near Hawaii, would we trust or believe them?

HOLY MACKEREL: 1945 C.A.R.E. (Cooperative for American Relief Everywhere) was founded

JEOPARDY PUZZLE—(SuperJeopardy Answers) from 1990 9-LETTER WORDS
It can mean to ponder on a subject or to purchase with the expectation of profit
A public officer who keeps the peace, or a British policeman of the lowest order
Semantics is the study of a word's meaning, this is the study of a word's history
The name of this children's game can serve as a verb meaning “to leap from place to place”
In ancient Greece, a politician who championed the masses; now it's one who plays on people's emotions

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—
The first TV commercial showed a Bulova watch ticking onscreen for exactly 60 seconds.
***
In the original version of Cinderella the slipper was made out of fur, not glass.
***
In Mel Brooks' "Silent Movie," mime Marcel Marceau is the only person who has a speaking role.

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM
SPARTANBURG, SC (AP) -- Some people lay flowers or notes at gravesites. A woman in South Carolina left a handgun.
Police in the northwestern county of Spartanburg say a 28-year-old woman who hadn't been feeling well consulted a spiritual adviser, who told her she needed to return something that was given to her to cleanse her soul.
So the woman left a .45-caliber handgun in a box at a man's grave at Good Shepherd Memorial Gardens. She told police the man had given her the weapon about 12 years ago and she hoped by returning it that she would feel better.
After police discovered the gun, the woman told them she wanted it destroyed.
Police are storing the gun at the sheriff's office. No charges have been filed.

A LITTLE LAUGH
I've never understood why women love cats. Cats are independent, they don't listen, they don't come in when you call, they like to stay out all night, and when they're home they like to be left alone and sleep. In other words, every quality that women hate in a man, they love in a cat.

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’
For those who see Bruce Lee is a cardboard movie icon, check this out. He would be 70 today

UP CLOSE PICTURE
This is a close up of what object?
CALENDAR INFORMATION
♦ Weekly Observances ♦
19-25:National Farm-City Week
21-28: National Bible Week, National Family Week, National Game & Puzzle Week, National Teens Don't Text and Drive Week, Better Conversation Week, Church/State Separation Week
♦ Today’s Observances ♦
Pins And Needles Day
National Native American Heritage Day
International Aura Awareness Day
National Day of Listening
Yawm Arafat: Islamic Festival—day 9 of Hajj at the plain of Arafat, near Mecca, to remember others in prayer
Burma: National Day
Cuba: Martyrs' Day
India, Sri Lanka: Maaveerar Day—Hero’s Day to the Tamil People
Israel: Weizmann Day—birthday of Chaim Weizmann, Israel’s first President
♫ One Hit Wonders—1960’s ♫
Click on Song Title to see and hear the original
♦Today’s Births♦
╥ THE ARTS
1942 Jimi Hendrix, rock guitarist (Jimi Hendrix Experience-Purple Haze Along the Watchtower )
1912 David Merrick, Broadway producer (Hello Dolly)
1944 Eddie Rabbitt, country singer (I Love a Rainy Night)
Gail Henion Sheehy, 73, author (Passages)
1917 "Buffalo" Bob Smith, TV host (Howdy Doody) Smith on What's My Line
^^^
Robin Givens, 46, actress (“Head of the Class,” A Rage in Harlem)
1940 Bruce Lee (Lee Jun Fan), actor: martial arts cult star
Jaleel White, 34, actor (Steve Urkel : “Family Matters”)
╥ ATHLETICS
Jimmy Rollins, 32, baseball (Phillies)
Nick Van Exel, 39, basketball (Lakers, Nuggets, Mavericks, Warriors, Blazers, Spurs)
╥ BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1874 Charles A Beard, American historian (American Continentalism)
Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, 53, JFK's daughter
╥ POLITICS
1874 Chaim Weizmann, Israeli statesman (1st President)
╥ SCIENCE & RELIGION
1857 Sir Charles Scott Sherrington, 1932 Nobel Laureate in Medicine & Physiology; coined "neuron" and "synapse"
♦Today’s Obituaries♦
John Carradine, actor, @ 82 in 1988
Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus), Latin poet & satirist, @ 57 in 8BCE
Baby Face Nelson (Lester Joseph Gillis), bank robber, murderer, shot by FBI agents @ 25 in 1934
Eugene O'Neill, playwright, alcoholism / Parkinson’s @ 65 in 1953
♦Today’s Events♦
╥ THE ARTS
1967 Beatles release "Magical Mystery Tour"
╥ ATHLETICS
1870 NY Times dubs baseball "The National Game"
1960 Gordie Howe becomes 1st NHLer to score 1,000 points
1961 Gordie Howe becomes 1st to play in 1,000 NHL games
╥ BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1779 The College of Pennsylvania became the University of Pennsylvania and the first legally recognized university in America.
1839 American Statistical Association organizes in Boston
╥ INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1817 US soldiers attack Florida Indian village, beginning Seminole War
1915 Private Albert Mountain Horse is buried in Fort Macleod, Alberta. He is the only Blood Indian to go to the front lines in World War One. He dies due to exposure to poison gas on the battlefield.
╥ POLITICS (US)
1926 Restoration of Williamsburg, Virginia, begins
╥ POLITICS (International)
1815 Cracow (Poland) declared a free republic
1985 Republic of Ireland gains consultative role in Northern Ireland
╥ SCIENCE & RELIGION
1895 Alfred Nobel establishes Nobel Prize
1951 1st rocket to intercept an airplane, White Sands, NM
1970 Pope Paul VI wounded in chest during a visit to Philippines by a dagger-wielding Bolivian painter disguised as a priest
ANSWERS
∞ JEOPARDY
It can mean to ponder on a subject or to purchase with the expectation of profit
What is speculate?
A public officer who keeps the peace, or a British policeman of the lowest order
What is a constable?
Semantics is the study of a word's meaning, this is the study of a word's history
What is etymology?
The name of this children's game can serve as a verb meaning “to leap from place to place”
What is hopscotch?
In ancient Greece, a politician who championed the masses; now it's one who plays on people's emotions
What is a demagouge?
∞ PICTURE
An ink jet printer cartridge
╬╦╦╦╩╩╩╬
Posted by No comments:

Fri Nov 26

This is Week 47 of 2010►Day 330 with 35 days remaining
Flagstaff Weather:
TODAY’S QUOTE—Brian G. Jett
You can determine how confident people are by listening to what they don't say about themselves

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
I had another great Thanksgiving with some great people. My cranberry sauce and pies were a big hit. The smoked turkey was my favorite. But I ate way too much regular turkey, dressing, southern mac and cheese, … The conversation was great too. Mary, a friend of Martha’s, had decorated the tree and Martha also had her amazing collection of Scottish nutcrackers displayed. A friend of Mary’s plays the Jews Harp and brought quite a collection of them to see and hear. I had heard the Jews Harp before but never seen one. It is an Asian musical instrument that has spread around the world; it is used extensively in Turkey; it has no particular connection to Jewish people or Judism. Guess I need to do some more investigation. I always thought it was like a harmonica. Turns out each Jews Harp is tuned to a specific note and in competition several are connected together with some kind of clamp to that one person can play several different notes. I always felt a little odd saying Jew’s Harp and thought it might be some colloquial semi-slur. That too is wrong. While the name was probably a mispronunciation of one of several words somewhere in the 1500’s its English name became Jew ’s harp. Whatever, it is a cool instrument and I was happy to learn about them. Martha’s Thanksgiving’s are always enjoyable, entertaining, and eclectic. Very cool.

It was a cold day and nice to be able to spend the afternoon in a warm cabin in the beautiful piñon forest.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1864 Charles L. Dodgson, whose pen name was Lewis Carroll, sent a handwritten manuscript to Alice Liddel. The manuscript was titled Alice’s Adventures Underground. It was an early Christmas present to the 12-year-old girl. Later, the manuscript was renamed Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.

JEOPARDY PUZZLE—(SuperJeopardy Answers) from 1990-PALACES
This city's Potala Palace was home to Dalai Lamas for over 300 years
This palace facing St. James Park was built for John Sheffield in 1703
A palace in Florence has a mural featuring portraits of this ruling family
Al-Nadwa Palace in Amman is home to this King
Mary, Queen of Scots, bathed in wine in a small building near this palace

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—
When threatened, the hairy frog, or 'horror frog,' intentionally breaks its own bones to produce claws that protrude from its toe pads.
If cornered, some horned lizards species can shoot their potently foul blood from their eye sockets up to six feet.

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM
Reuters: A German retiree who wanted to seal off the entrance to his cellar ended up bricking himself into it, a police spokesman told Reuters Thursday.
The senior from Jena told police he only became aware of the mistake once his handiwork was complete, which police described as "pretty stupid" in a statement.
After camping out in the cellar for several days he resolved to free himself by knocking down a wall, but chose to demolish his neighbor's wall rather than the one he had just put up.
The man had been at loggerheads with his neighbors for some time and they informed the police when they heard drilling noises.
The police were waiting for the retiree when he made his great escape and have now launched an enquiry.

A LITTLE LAUGH
Having grown up just outside New York City, I barely knew a cow from an ear of corn. Until, that is, I married a smalltown Ohio girl. While I was in seminary school, I had a temporary assignment at a church in a rural community. The day of my first sermon, I tried very hard to fit in. Maybe too hard.
With my wife sitting in the first pew, I began my discourse: "I never saw a cow until I met my wife."

Bonus Little Laugh:
"A group of economists unveiled a new plan to reduce the deficit by $6 trillion in the next 10 years. The first step of the plan is to look at all our spending over the past five years, determine what's unnecessary...and then ask China for $6 trillion." -Jimmy Fallon

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’
UP CLOSE PICTURE
This is a close up of what object?
CALENDAR INFORMATION
♦ Weekly Observances ♦
19-25:National Farm-City Week
21-28: National Bible Week, National Family Week, National Game & Puzzle Week, National Teens Don't Text and Drive Week, Better Conversation Week, Church/State Separation Week
♦ Today’s Observances ♦
Lebanon (اَلْجُمْهُورِيَّة اَللُّبْنَانِيَّة): Independence Day (from France--1941)
Mongolia: Independence Day (from China—1921)
US: Black Friday—the day that kicks off the Holiday shopping season and move many stores from the red to the black on their balance sheets.
♫ One Hit Wonders—1960’s ♫
Click on Song Title to see and hear the original
♦Today’s Births♦
╥ THE ARTS
1933 Robert Goulet, singer/actor (Camelot, Naked Gun 2)
Richard (Rich) Caruthers Little, 72, impressionist
1912 Eric Sevareid, newscaster
1922 Charles M Schulz, cartoonist (Peanuts)
Tina Turner, 72, singer, born Anna Mae Bullock
╥ ATHLETICS
Shannon Dunn, 38, Olympic snowboarder
Shawn Kemp, 41, basketball (Sonics, Cavaliers, Trail Blazers, Magic)
╥ BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1876 Willis Haviland Carrier, developed air-conditioning equipment
1607 John Harvard, English clergyman/scholar, major benefactor to Harvard University (library & half his estate)
╥ POLITICS
1792 Sarah Moore Grimk‚ American antislavery, women's rights advocate
╥ SCIENCE & RELIGION
1894 Norbert Wiener, US, mathematician/defined cybernetics
1937 Boris Yegorov cosmonaut (Voskhod 1)
♦Today’s Obituaries♦
Robert Coote, actor (Timmy-Rogues, Theodore-Nero Wolfe), @ 73 in 1982
Benjamin Sherman Scatman Crothers, actor (Louie-Chico & the Man), cancer @ 76 in 1986
Albert DiSalvo, Boston strangler, stabbed in prison @ 42 in 1973
Tommy Dorsey, Swing bandleader, choked in sleep @ 51 in 1956
James Naismith, Basketball inventor, brain hemorrhage @ 78 in 1939
Sojourner Truth, abolitionist, women's rights advocate @ 86 in 1883
♦Today’s Events♦
╥ THE ARTS
1922 “Toll of the Sea” debuts as the first general release film to use two-tone Technicolor (“The Gulf Between” was the first film to do so but it was not widely distributed).
╥ ATHLETICS
1917 The National Hockey League is formed, with the Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators,Quebec Bulldogs, and Toronto Arenas as its first teams.
╥ BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1716 1st lion exhibited in America (Boston)
1832 1st streetcar railway in America starts operating (NYC) (12cent fare--$2.55 in 2010 $)
1867 The refrigerated railroad car was patented by J.B. Sutherland of Detroit, Michigan
1991 Condoms are handed out to thousands of NY High School students
╥ INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
 411 Maya King Siyaj Chan K'awill II (Stormy Sky) ascends the Tikal throne in Guatemala.
1835 Charley Emathla is killed. Emathla signs the agreement at Fort Gibson in Indian Territory (present day Oklahoma) committing the Seminoles to their removal from Florida. He is in favor of the removal. He is killed by Seminoles who are against the treaty or leaving Florida. Many believe that he is killed by Chief Osceola.
╥ POLITICS (US)
1789 1st national thanksgiving—in 1863 Lincoln declared it a Nat’l Holiday
1973 Rose Mary Woods, U.S. President Richard Nixon’s personal secretary, told a federal court she had accidentally erased over eighteen minutes of a ‘Watergate tape’
1975 Lynette ‘Squeaky’ Fromme, Manson-family devotee, was found guilty by a federal jury of trying to assassinate U.S. President Gerald Ford.
╥ POLITICS (International)
1703 Bristol England damaged by hurricane, Royal Navy loses 15 warships
1778 Capt Cook discovers Maui (Sandwich Islands)
1983 Heathrow Airport, robbed of 6,800 gold bars worth $38.7 million
╥ SCIENCE & RELIGION
1885 1st meteor photograph
1922 The tomb of the Boy King, Tutankhamen, was discovered in Egypt by Lord Carnarvon of England and Howard Carter of the United States.

ANSWERS
∞ JEOPARDY
This city's Potala Palace was home to Dalai Lamas for over 300 years
What is Lhasa?
This palace facing St. James Park was built for John Sheffield in 1703
What is Buckingham Palace?
A palace in Florence has a mural featuring portraits of this ruling family
Who are the Medici Family?
Al-Nadwa Palace in Amman is home to this King
Who is King Hussein?
Mary, Queen of Scots, bathed in wine in a small building near this palace
What is Holyrood?
∞ PICTURE
SpongeBob, or at least a guy in a SpongeBob costume
╬╦╦╦╩╩╩╬
Posted by No comments:

Thanksgiving 2010


This is Week 47 of 2010►Day 329 with 36 days remaining
Flagstaff Weather:

TODAY’S QUOTE—Unknown
Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box.”

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
It looks like Flag is having a cold, white Thanksgiving. If not, it is probably too late to thaw a turkey. I sure hope everyone is ready for Thanksgiving. For 35 years I went to Thanksgiving dinner on the Rez. We had a great meal with turkey and all the fixins. I always brought a huge fruit salad with coconut, whipped cream—the real stuff, and a whole bunch of Maraschino cherries on top. My Montana Aunt had made it frequently on the ranch. I tried to use fresh fruit, but that isn’t always possible at the end of November. When I retired, I started going to Thanksgiving with some friends in Flagstaff. Thanks to the Pillsbury Dough Boy, I found that I could bake a pie which doesn’t require making the crust. I have tried to make pie crust, but I am missing the pie crust genes. I’m sure it takes at least a few genes, since I am probably missing some other ones and seem to do quite well with my life. Today I made a blueberry pie and a pumpkin one. After sticking them in the oven, I always wonder why I don’t do this more often. Laying out the already rolled out crust is simple. Making the fresh pie filling is simple. Pouring the filling into the piecrust is easy. Even putting another premade crust on top of the blueberry filling and doing something called crimping is not all that hard. Changing the heat on the oven isn’t even hard. Then timing the pies baking time is fairly easy. Then the timer rings and the blueberry pie is perfect. The pumpkin pie is still very soupy. Now I remember why I don’t make pumpkin pies. Set the timer for 10 minutes more and check it. Then 7 more minutes and check it. Then 5 more minutes and check it. Then 5 more minutes and it is almost done. Five more minutes and it is ready. All that time I have to stay near the oven, just to check to be sure it isn’t done. I am much to ADD to stay in one place for that long and much too paranoid to leave the kitchen. We have dryers for our clothes that automatically know when the clothes are dry and cools down to prevent wrinkles or something and then shuts off. Why hasn’t someone invented an oven that knows when the pie is done and just shuts off and cools down the pie? I’m sure it would be a big seller for working people. Throw the unbaked pie in the oven, push a few buttons, go to work and come home to find a nicely baked pie in the oven ready to eat. If they can make an oven that cleans itself—through very high heat, they should be able to make one with a blower that cools everything down slowly. Maybe they will have one next Christmas.

Holy crap. What a mess in Korea. Who is the leader of North Korea—the father or the son? Why did the decide to send missiles into S. Korea? Why is S. Korea so understanding when the N. Koreans haven’t apologized? Sumthin big is a brewing over there. There is more here than what the US Media is reporting. There sure is a lot of posturing on both sides. The really scary part is that the western world is siding with S. Korea and making their own line in the sand. Of course, China hasn’t stepped in yet. I keep being haunted by the Chinese Internet business man that said America talks and talks and does nothing, China just does it. He was talking about business and financial issues, but he could have just as easily been talking about global politics. S Korea provides our big box stores with lots of merchandise. N. Korea provides us with little information and lots of headaches. I sure hope that somebody, from somewhere, will be able to sit down with involved parties and work out a sensible dialogue with real solutions. Maybe that person will find out who is leading N Korea and that the leader is not really crazy. LOL--just heard a clip of a radio show where Sara Palin was talking about our North Korean Allies. She did change to South Korea a couple of sentences later, but never said her slip happened. My guess, her handleres were holding up signs with the word SOUTH.

The Media loses again. For the last few weeks there have been many too many stories about National Opt Out Day. Well, today was the day, and less than 1% of those flying joined in. I do not want to be patted down but more importantly I don’t want to be blown up when I am on a plane. I did hear that some were suggesting that the Opt Out leadership should be charged with terrorism. Had their plan worked, I might have agreed. Completely or almost completely closing down an airport so they could do pat downs would have led to way too much chaos. Stressed passengers are not a happy lot to begin with. Airport officials seemed to have several back up plans if the thing had panned out…now that is good security. My brother and his wife flew to Miami yesterday, with their cat. All went well, no long lines, no hassle at security. Everyone I know who has already flown say they were just fine with security. I need to keep remembering that we don’t have to live in fear.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1894 A group of nineteen Hopi "hostiles" are placed under arrest by the army for interfering with "friendly" Hopi Indian activities on their Arizona reservation. The nineteen prisoners will be held in Alcatraz prison in California from January 3, 1895 to August 7, 1895

JEOPARDY PUZZLE—(SuperJeopardy Answers) from 1990 AMERICAN REVOLUTION
During the winter of 1777, Washington reorganized his army at this site
At the end of the Revolution currency was so worthless, "not worth" 1 of these became a common phrase
The Battle of Bunker Hill occurred on this hill
This brother of explorer William Clark used his own money to feed & pay his soldiers
The Americans took nearly 6,000 prisoners at this N.Y. State battle, called a turning point in the war

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—
Fred and Wilma Flintstone, on the animated cartoon series The Flintstones (1960-1966), were the first couple to be seen together sharing a bed on prime time TV.
***
The first video aired on MTV was "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles in 1981. ***
***
Donald Duck comics were banned from Finland because he doesn't wear pants.

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM
FAYETTEVILLE, NC — A North Carolina man faced criminal charges after police say he posed as a health professional and got involved with patients at a hospital emergency room.
Daniel Ray Stewart, 24, was charged with three misdemeanor counts of impersonating a doctor, multiple media organizations reported Wednesday.
Stewart posed as a visiting medical resident seeking training and camped out in the emergency room of Cape Fear Valley Medical Center. Stewart said he was at it for two weeks in October before a physician assistant noticed he was not wearing a badge in the emergency department.
"There was no direct patient care involved," Stewart said. "If something was wrong, (the hospital) should've let me know ... instead of going to the police."
The hospital said Stewart was shadowing doctors and nurses and was never alone with a patient. Stewart is "a troubled young man with a history of impersonation, or similar activity," hospital spokesman Vince Benbenek said in a statement.
Stewart said he has a medical degree from the University of Tennessee, but the school has no record of him being enrolled, the Fayetteville Observer reported.
"My job is to observe and be a helping hand if needed and to further medical assessment," Stewart told WTVD-TV.
Police spokesman Lt. Chris Davis declined to discuss the case.
The hospital has launched an internal investigation to determine how many patients Stewart may have come in contact with.

A LITTLE LAUGH
Sitting in the first row of coach class during a lengthy flight, my wife and I were able to hear a flight attendant as he pushed a wine cart down the aisle in the first-class section. "Would you care for chardonnay or burgundy?" he asked the high-paying passengers.
A few minutes later the attendant opened the curtain between the two sections, offered wine to one final first-class patron, then wheeled the same cart forward to our aisle.
"Excuse me," he said, looking down at us, "would you care for a glass of wine? We have white and red."

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’—Just for Thanksgiving!

UP CLOSE PICTURE
This is a close up of what object?
CALENDAR INFORMATION
♦ Weekly Observances ♦
19-25:National Farm-City Week
21-28: National Bible Week, National Family Week, National Game & Puzzle Week, National Teens Don't Text and Drive Week, Better Conversation Week, Church/State Separation Week
♦ Today’s Observances ♦
National Parfait Day
International Day For the Elimination of Violence Against Women Day
Shopping Reminder Day
Bosnia and Herzegovina: National Day
Indonesia: Teacher's Day or Hari Guru
Surinam: Independence Day (1975 from Neterlands)
Thailand: Vajiravudh Day (Phra Bat Somdet Phra Poramentharamaha Vajiravudh Phra Mongkut Klao Chao Yu Hua was sixth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, ruling from 1910 until his death in 1925: known for efforts to create and promote Siamese nationalism)
UK: University of Oxford: OXmas (Christmas in Oxford. As the Oxford academic term finishes around the first of December, the OXmas season is approximately a month earlier than Christmas, but shares all the same festivities and traditions.)
US: Thanksgiving Day
US: Turkey-free Thanksgiving
♫ One Hit Wonders—19__’s ♫
Click on Song Title to see and hear the original
♦Today’s Births♦
╥ THE ARTS
Amy Grant, 50, Christian singer
Percy Sledge, 70, singer: When a Man Loves a Woman…

Christina Applegate, 39, actress (Anchorman, “Samantha Who?,” “Married … with Children”)
Jill Hennessy, 41, actress (“Crossing Jordan,” “Law & Order”)
1925 Jeffrey Hunter, actor (Christopher Pike-Star Trek Cage)
John Larroquette, 63, actor (Emmy for “Night Court”)
1920 Ricardo Montalban, actor (Fantasy Island, Star Trek II, Naked Gun)
╥ ATHLETICS
Cris Carter, 45, football (Eagles, Vikings, Dolphins)
Bucky Dent, 59, baseball player and manager, born Russell Earl O’Dey (White Sox, Yankees, Royals, Rangers)
1914 Joe DiMaggio, Yankee Clipper (56 game hitting streak)
Joe Jackson Gibbs, 70, Hall of Fame football coach, sportscaster, 3 super bowl wins
Bernie Joseph Kosar Jr, 47, football (Browns, Cowboys, Dolphins)
╥ BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1835 Andrew Carnegie, steel industrialist/library builder
1960 John F Kennedy Jr, lawyer, son of JFK
1893 Robert Ripley, illustrator (Believe it or Not)
╥ POLITICS
1846 Carrie Nation, scourge of barkeepers & drinkers
Ben Stein, 66, actor, journalist, former speechwriter
╥ SCIENCE & RELIGION
1881 Pope John XXIII [Angelo Roncalli], Bergamo Italy, 261st pope (1958-63)
♦Today’s Obituaries♦
Jack Albertson, actor (Chico & the Man), @ 74 in 1981
Robert Coote, character actor, heart attack @ 73 in 1982
Thomas A Hendricks, 21st VP, in his sleep @ 66, 8 months after taking office in 1885
U Thant, UN Secretary-General (1961-72), cancer @ 65, in 1974
♦Today’s Events♦
╥ THE ARTS
1949 Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer appeared on the music charts and became THE musical hit of the Christmas season. Although Gene Autry’s rendition is the most popular, 80 different versions of the song have been recorded, with nearly 20,000,000 copies sold.
╥ ATHLETICS
1961 NBA's Bob Cousy becomes 2nd player to score 15,000 points
╥ BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1715 This was a big day for one Thomas Masters, who became the first American to be granted an English patent. Tom was the first to master the fine art of cleaning and curing Indian corn.
1834 Delmonico's, one of NY's finest restaurants, provides a meal of soup, steak, coffee & half a pie for 12 cents
1837 William Crompton of Taunton, MA patented the silk, power loom.
1884 Swiss-born scientist John B. Meyenberg of St. Louis, MO came up with a nifty idea that earned him a patent this day: evaporated milk—a necessary ingredient for Pumpkin Pie
1912 American College of Surgeons incorporates
╥ INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1712 The Commander in Chief of the Carolinas' militia, Colonel Pollock meets with Chief Tom Blunt. The Chief did not participate in the original attacks of the Tuscarora War.
╥ POLITICS (US)
1894 Greenback (Independent) Party organizes in Indianapolis
1957 President Eisenhower suffers a mild stroke, impairing his speech
1963 JFK laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery
╥ POLITICS (International)
1841 35 Amistad survivors return to Africa
1990 Lech Walesa wins in Poland's 1st popular election
1999 Five-year-old Elian Gonzalez was found clinging to an inner tube off the coast near Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
╥ SCIENCE & RELIGION
1357 Charles IV issues letter of protection of Jews of Strasbourg Alsace
1766 Pope Clement XIII warns On the dangers of anti-Christian writings
1867 Alfred Nobel invents dynamite
1984 William Schroeder became the second recipient of an artificial heart, undergoing surgery at Louisville’s Humana Hospital.

ANSWERS
∞ JEOPARDY
During the winter of 1777, Washington reorganized his army at this site
What is Valley Forge?
At the end of the Revolution currency was so worthless, "not worth" 1 of these became a common phrase
What is ‘not worth a Continental’?
The Battle of Bunker Hill occurred on this hill
What is Breed’s Hill?
This brother of explorer William Clark used his own money to feed & pay his soldiers
Who was George Rogers Clark?
The Americans took nearly 6,000 prisoners at this N.Y. State battle, called a turning point in the war
What is Battle of Saratoga?
∞ PICTURE
Lava Rock
╬╦╦╦╩╩╩╬
Posted by No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Followers

Total Pageviews

Blog Archive

About Me

My photo
Flagstaff, Arizona, United States
I retired in '06--at the ripe old age of 57. I enjoy blogging, photography, traveling, and living life to it's fullest.