Monday Dec 13




TODAY’S QUOTE—Larry Wilde, The Merry Book of Christmas

Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

One would think that two football teams with the same record, no matter how bad, would provide a good football game. One would be wrong. The Cards played the Broncos this afternoon—both are 3-9. The Cards were on their worst losing streak in their AZ history. That ended for them. Denver played sloppy football. I watched the AZ coach’s show last night and he kept saying that the Cards still were a good team and were positive their losing streak would end soon. I sort of chuckled. The Cards really rookie QB, who has played about 8 plays all year, started today. Broncos have more work to do than I thought. Final score was 43-13 and Denver had 7 turnovers.

While I was bitchin about the US test scores I never mentioned the science scores. They weren’t any better. We came in 23rd. These countries beat us: Shanghai-China, Finland, Hong Kong-China, Singapore, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Canada, Estonia, Australia, Netherlands, Liechtenstein, Germany, Chinese Taipei, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Slovenia, Macao-China, Poland, Ireland, Belgium, and Hungary. Obviously our students were not prepared to take this test. Our American education systems cannot even get its act together enough to have one country-wide test to find out what our students know. It is all about business and nothing about education. Another big issue not discussed in the media or in the education community is that here in the US we test every single student who can hold a pencil and fill in a test bubble. Other countries don’t do that. They track their students early and only test the best and brightest. Our system says that every student 5-18 has the right to a free education. I certainly agree with that premise. However; the education needs to be to prepare the child for life. Some children are early bloomers and others are late bloomers and sadly some never really bloom. Forcing a late bloomer to sit in a class and fail every day is not the answer. Forcing an early bloomer to be bored in class everyday is not the answer. While these test scores are dismal, I must remember that some of the countries only tested their top 10-20%. In many of the countries, the lowest students are not even students. It is too bad our politicians and the media can’t get that. I’m not sure how our country could only test the top kids for these international tests but it sure would show that we are still very competitive. Finally there is the self-fulfilling prophecy—if you believe you are smart or attractive or rich, you probably will be, if you believe you are dumb or not attractive or poor you probably will be. We thrive on the anecdotal stories of people who prove the self-fulfilling prophecy wrong. I have been guilty of that in the past about myself. As our politicians, our educators, our media constantly harp on how poorly we do on tests, nothing will change and we will continue doing poorly on these tests.

It was another great fall day here. I can’t believe our cold spell of a few weeks ago had me believing this would be a long, tough, cold winter. The birds seemed to have freaked out too. My feeders seem to just be sitting there full. My hot tub neighbor has had lots of work done in her back yard with lots of pounding, drilling, and other noises. Maybe that is keeping the birds away.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1983 Detroit and Denver played for 3 hours, 11 minutes in pro basketball. The Pistons finally won, 186-183, in triple overtime. NBA single-game records were set for most points by two teams; by one team; assists; and field goals And, Kiki Vandeweghe of the Denver Nuggets had a career-high night with 51 points.

∞ JEOPARDY PUZZLE—(SuperJeopardy Answers) from 1990 STATE CAPITALS
►When Houston became Texas' capital in 1842, this city kept the archives & forced a move back to it
►It's named for a Maine general's daughter
►Listing the states alphabetically, this is the capital of the state at the top of the list
►These 2 capitals both end in "-polis"
►State capital closest to Philadelphia

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—Beethoven
Beethoven’s earliest music instructions were the piano lessons his father started to give him when he was four or five years old. Beethoven performed in public by the age of seven, and was quickly recognized as a brilliant musical talent.
►◄
During his lifetime, Beethoven wrote nine symphonies, seven concertos, 17 string quartets, 32 piano sonatas, and 10 sonatas for violin and piano.
►◄
There were three major periods of Beethoven’s musical life. The second period, sometimes called the “Heroic” period, lasted from 1803 to 1814 and is named for the tremendous works that express struggle and heroism. His famous Fifth Symphony was one of the many pieces of music written during this period.

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM: POCATELLO, ID
An Idaho sheriff said his "pride is fractured" but he is not otherwise seriously injured after accidentally shooting himself in the hand. Bannock County Sheriff Lorin Nielsen said he was outside of his Pocatello home admiring a gun he received as a gift from a cousin when he placed his hand on top of the barrel to try putting the hammer back down, KIFI-TV, Idaho Falls, Idaho, reported. Nielsen said his thumb slipped and the gun went off, discharging a bullet through the fleshy part of his hand near his little finger. The sheriff said the bullet did not hit any ligaments or tendons. "I can say I shot the sheriff," Nielsen joked. He was treated for the injury at a local hospital. "My pride is fractured, but my hand is fine," he said.

A LITTLE LAUGH
I was on my way out of the house to meet with a cantankerous client, and I was dreading it. The look on my face must have given me away because my five-year-old daughter asked what was wrong.
"I'm going to meet a mean woman who always yells at Daddy," I told her.
"Oh," she said. "Say hi to Mom."

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

DAYBOOK INFORMATION
♦ THIS WEEK ♦
10-17: Human Rights Week
♦ TODAY IS… ♦
Ice Cream and Violins Day
Malta: Republic Day
Upper Volta: National Day
Scandinavia: Saint Lucy's Day (some regions of Italy (e.g. Sicily, Veneto and Trentino), and Malta)
Saint Lucia: National Day

♫ Academy Awards Best Original Song ♫
Click on Song Title to see and hear
♦Today’s Births♦
ARTS
1922 Rex Allen, singing cowboy actor (I Dream of Jeannie) Wilcox AZ
John Davidson, 69, singer, actor, former television host
1899 Harold Guinzburg publisher (founder of Literary Guild)
1903 Carlos Montoya , guitarist (Suite Flamenco 1966) Rare Video of Carlos Montoya Madrid Spain
Ted Nugent, 61, singer (“Cat Scratch Fever”)
Richard D. Darryl Zanuck, 76, producer: Jaws, The Sting
►◄ Actors
Steve Buscemi, 52, actor (Ghost World, Fargo, Reservoir Dogs)
Jamie Foxx, 43, actor (Oscar for Ray; Jarhead, Collateral)
1910 Van Heflin, actor (Great Adventure, Madame Bovary)
Christopher Plummer, 81, actor (Emmy for “The Moneychangers”; The Sound of Music, Dolores Claiborne)
Taylor Swift, 21, country singer
Dick Van Dyke, 85, Emmy Award-winning actor/comedian
ATHLETICS
Carl (Daniel) ‘Oisk’ Erskine, 84, baseball: pitcher: Dodgers (Brooklyn & LA)
1913 Archie Moore light-heavyweight boxing champion (1952-60)
Lemar Parrish, 63, football: Bengals, Redskins, Buffalo Bills
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1902 Talcott Parsons US sociologist
POLITICS
1818 Mary Todd Lincoln 1st lady (1861-65)
1920 George P Schultz US Secretary of State (1982-89)
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1835 Phillips Brooks Episcopal bishop/composer (Little Town of Bethlehem)
♦Today’s Obituaries♦
Samuel Gompers organizer (American Federation of Labor), @ 74 in 1924
Tim Moore actor (Kingfish-Amos 'n' Andy), TB @ 70 in 1958
Grandma [Anna M] Moses US painter, @ 101 in 1961
♦Today’s Events♦
ARTS
1843 "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens published, 6,000 copies sold
1924 KOA-AM in Denver CO begins radio transmissions still operating with same call letters
1969 Arlo Guthrie releases "Alice's Restaurant"
1975 1st time Saturday Night Live uses a time delay (Richard Pryor hosts)
ATHLETICS
1989 Walter Davis (Denver) ends NBA free throw streak of 53 games
1991 Ricky Pierce (Seattle) ends NBA free throw streak of 75 games
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1759 1st music store in America opens (Philadelphia)
1769 Dartmouth College in New Hampshire received its charter
1903 Italo Marcioni patents the ice cream cone (New Jersey)
1928 Clip-on tie designed
1950 James Dean (the sausage guy) begins his career with an appearance in a Pepsi commercial
1978 Susan B Anthony dollar, 1st US coin to honor a woman, issued
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1801 Treaty negotiations at Fort Adams, Mississippi, between the Choctaw and the United States, the U.S. agrees to provide training in the spinning of cotton and spinning wheels.
POLITICS (US)
1966 1st US bombing of Hanoi
POLITICS (International)
1577 Sir Francis Drake sets sail from England to go around the world
1642 New Zealand discovered by Dutch navigator Abel Tasman
1920 League of nations establishes International Court of Justice in The Hague
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1545 Pope Paul III opens Council of Trente (19th ecumenical council)
1809 The first abdominal surgical procedure was performed -- in Danville, Kentucky. The patient was Jane Todd Crawford and the operation was performed without the aid of an anesthetic.
1903 Wright Brothers make 1st flight at Kittyhawk

ANSWERS
∞ JEOPARDY
►When Houston became Texas' capital in 1842, this city kept the archives & forced a move back to it
What is Austin?
►It's named for a Maine general's daughter
What is Augusta?
►Listing the states alphabetically, this is the capital of the state at the top of the list
What is Montgomery, Alabama?
►These 2 capitals both end in "-polis"
What are Indianapolis and Annapolis?
►State capital closest to Philadelphia
What is Trenton, NJ?

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Sun 12-12

TODAY’S QUOTE—~Charles Dickens

I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
We had another great warm day here in Flagstaff. So glad I am not in the parts of the country that are dealing with blizzards. I’m hoping that it is not going to be bad in Chicago in less than two weeks. It’s hard to want a white Christmas without it snowing as I travel to Chicago. Several friends had asked why I don’t drive to Chicago. Well, look at the weather map. Having grown up in Colorado and spending a winter in SD, I realize that it can be great weather one day, and a blizzard the next. One winter on the way to Denver, I the highway I was on was closed just outside a small town. It was about 9pm when I found out. I turned around went back to the town. Back then a motel room ran about $25/night. The 1950’s motel, run by a nice retired couple, had a room. said there rooms were $75/night. I didn’t want to backtrack some 50+ miles, so I took it. I had to park quite a distance from the room door, because of the snow. I was cold and wet when I got to the room. It had a wall heater that hadn’t been on since the hotel was built. I turned it on high, got into the shower, which thankfully had hot water. As soon as I had dried off, I jumped into the bed. I woke up about 2a and the room was warm, but not hot. I turned down the furnace and returned to the bed. The next morning the sun was shining and the highway was open by 8am. The hotel was full and I’m sure that sweet old couple prayed for snow every night so they could stay open. This was a last ditch hotel and I’m sure that in good weather, no one stayed there. When I went to turn in my key, they didn’t even have coffee in the lobby. That was fine in my 20’s. I’m not up for that kind of adventure now.

Things are falling into place for Christmas. A couple of friends have invited me to their Christmas Open Houses, lunch with friends are almost set, gifts are ready to be wrapped. This is very strange for me, as I’m usually still doing major shopping just before I leave.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1937 The Federal Communications Commission was a bit upset with NBC radio. The FCC scolded the radio network for a skit that starred Mae West. The satirical routine was based on the biblical tale of Adam and Eve and, well, it got a bit out of hand. So, following its scolding by the FCC, NBC banned Miss West from its airwaves for 15 years.

∞ JEOPARDY PUZZLE—(SuperJeopardy Answers) FOREIGN WORDS & PHRASES
►Ubermensch, as both Nietzsche & Clark Kent could tell you
►RSVP is an abbreviation of this French expression
►Greek word also used in English which means purging from guilt or defilement
►We associate "auto da fe" with the Spanish Inquisition, but the expression, which means this, is Portuguese
►Russian for "comrade", it came into greater use after the Bolshevik Revolution

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—
→Protein is rare in some parts of Kenya, so natives drink cow's blood for nourishment instead.
→In the fifth century, it was believed that castration cured the plague.

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM: NEW YORK
A New York greeting card designer said she has found success with her business model, which includes in-store pole dances. Jill-Anne, owner of Jill-Anne's on the Lower East Side, said she has been performing in the store for the past two months and any customers who spend at least $50 on her hand-made greeting cards get a personal pole dance, the New York Daily News reported Thursday. "I always swore to myself I would always have fun at work. I have a wonderful time with my company, but I also need mini breaks and since I don't have a water cooler or the Starbucks around the corner, I have my pole," she said.
"Seventy-five percent of the people, when I'm poling, in my store who walk by are women who smile and clap, so it's not a male lust thing. It's empowering women thing as well," Jill-Anne said.

A LITTLE LAUGH
An attorney I know once drafted wills for an elderly husband and wife who had been somewhat apprehensive about discussing death. When they arrived to sign the documents, he ushered the couple into his office.
"Now," he said to them, "which one of you wants to go first?"

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

DAYBOOK INFORMATION
♦ THIS WEEK ♦
6-12: National Hand Washing Awareness Week
10-17: Human Rights Week
♦ TODAY IS… ♦
National Ding-A-Ling Day
Worldwide Candle Lighting Day
Poinsettia Day
Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe
El Salvador: Day of the Indians
Kenya: Independence Day/Jamhuri Day (1963)
Russia: Constitution Day
Turkmenistan: Neutrality Day (since 1995)
US Pennsylvania : Ratification Day (1787)
♫ Academy Awards Best Original Song ♫
Click on Song Title to see and hear
1948 "Buttons and Bows" — The Paleface with Jane Russell, Bob Hope and Roy Rogers
♦Today’s Births♦
ARTS
Bob Barker, 87, television personality, game show host
1821 Gustave Flaubert author: Madame Bovary
…singers
Sheila E (Sheila Escovedo), 51, singer, percussion musician
Connie Francis, 72, singer
1915 Frank (Francis Albert) Sinatra singer, Chairman of the Board Day
Dionne Warwick, 69, singer
…actors
1893 Edward G. Robinson (Emmanuel Goldenberg) actor: Soylent Green, MacKenna’s Gold, Key Largo, Double Indemnity, Kid Galahad, Barbary Coast, Little Caesar…
Honor Blackman, 83, actress: Goldfinger
ATHLETICS
Tracy Ann Austin, 48, former tennis player
Rey Mysterio, Jr, 36, professional wrestler, born Óscar Gutiérrez Rubio
1913 Jesse Owens US, track star (4 golds 1936), spoiled Hitler's Olympics
Cathy Rigby, 58, former Olympic gymnast
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1859 Edward Bradley horse owner (1st to own 4 Kentucky Derby winners)
1906 William C Pahlmann interior decorator (4 Season restaurant, New York NY)
POLITICS
Edward Irwin Koch, 86, former mayor of New York City
1806 Stand Watie Indian Chief: Cherokee; signer of the Treaty of Echota; brigadier general: 1st Cherokee regiment for the Confederate Army during the U.S. Civil War
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1838 Sherburne W Burnham US, astronomer (binary stars)
1866 Alfred Werner Swiss chemist (Nobel 1913)
♦Today’s Obituaries♦
Tallulah Bankhead actress (All Star Revue), pneumonia @ 65 in 1968
Peter Boyle, American actor @ 71 in 2006
Robert Browning English poet (Ring & Book...), @ 77 in 1889
2002 – Dee Brown (Dorris Alexander "Dee" Brown), American author (Bury My Heart @ Wounded Knee and 15 other books) @ 94 in 2002
Jack [John Joseph Edward] Cassidy actor (Oscar-He & She, Eiger Sanction), fire @ 49 in 1976
Michel Chasles French mathematician (geometry), @ 83 in 1880
Van Johnson, American actor @ 92 in 2008
Ike Turner, American singer, former husband of Tina Turner cocaine overdose @ 76 in 2007
♦Today’s Events♦
ARTS
1792 In Vienna, Ludwig van Beethoven (21) receives 1st lesson in music composition from Franz Joseph Haydn
1913 "Mona Lisa", recovered after being stolen from the Louvre Museum in 1911
1937 NBC & RCA sends 1st mobile-TV vans onto the streets of New York
1961 Former big band singer (with Kay Kyser) Mike Douglas began a variety TV show from Cleveland.
1969 "Hello Dolly" with Barbra Streisand premieres
ATHLETICS
1968 Arthur Ashe becomes 1st black to be ranked #1 in tennis
1969 Bill Toomey (track and field) achieves world record-score (8417 points)
1976 QB Joe Namath's last game as a New York Jet
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1858 1st Canadian coins circulated (1¢, 5¢, 10¢ & 20¢)
1878 Joseph Pulitzer begins publishing "St Louis Dispatch"
1900 Charles M. Schwab formed the United States Steel Corporation; bringing together John Pierpont Morgan and Andrew Carnegie
1917 Reverend Edward Flanagan founds Boys Town outside Omaha NE
1946 Tide detergent introduced
1980 US's copyright law amended to include computer programs
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1729 The Yazpp Indians will attack French Fort St. Pierre in southern Louisiana. The Yazoo have joined the Natchez in their fight against the French. They will kill all 17 of the soldiers at the fort. They give the women and children to the Chickasaws as slaves.
POLITICS (US)
1787 Pennsylvania ratifed Constitution as the second of the United States of America.
1870 Joseph Rainey (South Carolina) became 1st black sworn into House of Representatives
POLITICS (International)
1822 México officially recognized as an independent nation by US
1913 Hebrew language officially used to teach in Palestinian schools
1997 Carlos the Jackal, "professional revolutionary" goes on trial in Paris
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1777 Reverend Benjamin Russen executed at Tyburn, England for rape
1871 Jules Janssen discovers dark lines in solar corona spectrum
1899 George F Grant of Boston )first black graduate of Harvard College, and a dentist) patents the wooden golf tee
ANSWERS
∞ JEOPARDY
►Ubermensch, as both Nietzsche & Clark Kent could tell you
Who is ‘superman’?
►RSVP is an abbreviation of this French expression
What is ‘respondez s’il vous plaît’?
►Greek word also used in English which means purging from guilt or defilement
What is ‘catharsis’?
►We associate "auto da fe" with the Spanish Inquisition, but the expression, which means this, is
Portuguese
What is ‘act of faith’?
►Russian for "comrade", it came into greater use after the Bolshevik Revolution
What is ‘tovarich’?

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Saturday Dec 11



TODAY’S QUOTE—Richard Lamm, former Gov of CO
Christmas is a time when kids tell Santa what they want and adults pay for it. Deficits are when adults tell the government what they want and their kids pay for it

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
Santa’s elves were really out today. I don’t go to the mall very much anymore. But Penny’s, Dillards, and Sears are there and at this time of year the mall is filled with seasonal kiosks. I basically was able to finish my shopping. When I was in Borneo, on the ship, I learned this very strange game with pebbles and cups. It is a two player game and the object is to take turns in getting all your pebbles into your house. It starts off fast, slows down, then can really get going. There is a definite strategy and not a lot of rules to remember. The TV commentator taught it to us and four of us really really got into it. I was not the champion but sure had a good time playing. It is called Mancala and has been played in various forms in Africa and Asia for centuries. The oldest remnants of the game pieces have been found in Ethiopia. While I was in Botswana I saw people playing it on small tables outside their homes. They got really loud when playing, as did the audience watching. On the ship, we were a little more refrained, but only had one Native playing. A kiosk had an inexpensive set—like chess the board and pebbles can run from $10 to thousands, depending on what the pebble are made of and what the board is made of. The sales guy wanted to know where I learned to play. He had learned in Japan. He was surprised it was played in Malaysia and Africa too. I’ll give it to my brother and his wife and keep a set for myself. Like any good kiosk he had games, games, games and hundreds of calendars. So he became a one-stop shop for me. Then there was the crazy Israeli lady who was selling skin products from the Dead Sea. I am usually pretty good at avoiding the aggressive kiosk salesperson, but somehow fell into her trap. Before I knew what was happening, she was rubbing some stone on one of my fingernails. Suddenly she was removing the dirt and pollution from the top of the nail. In about 15 seconds she wiped the fingernail and it was all shiny. Just what I wanted, a shiny fingernail. And then she told me that it would be that way for two weeks with this magic stone. Whee. She tried to get me to buy a bunch of lotions and sea salt cleaners for a mere $59, off from the regular $90. I told her my wife would come back and get what she wanted. She was way too aggressive and way to inquisitive and won’t ever have my business, no matter how important it is to do all that crap with my skin, finger and toenails. I’ve lived six decades without it, and don’t plan to start using it now. I also stopped at the Verizon kiosk and almost bought an Android phone. Before my Blackberry the idea was to keep getting smaller and smaller phones. Now they seem to be getting bigger. The Android is thinner but a little taller than my Blackberry. I’ll probably get one as soon as all my Elf shopping is finished, assuming that my middle finger fingernail isn’t still shiny.

It was a good shopping trip and when I got home, I made piles of the gifts for each person getting something. Now the job of wrapping awaits.

Back during my time at Shonto, we had a full hour lunch hour. The dorm aides came to the school at 12N and took all the students, then at 1pm they brought them all back to the school. Many of the ladies would rush home to watch some soap opera. Then they would discuss the events after school before we all went home. What is happening in DC right now reminds me of those days. The Congress has a full plate before Christmas. Just when one thinks that a bill will finally get a vote, it is pulled and everyone is told it is strategy. I am tired of the games. We need START passed, we need the DREAM act passed, we need the government bill passed so the government can keep operating, we need DADT voted on—and hopefully passed. There aren’t many days left. Stop the Soap Opera, vote and let the cards fall where they may. Waiting for the new Congress will only mean another year of no action while the new members get their footing. They all talked big about how to fix the country, but we can already see the returning people won’t let that happen—from either party.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1932 San Francisco's coldest day (27ºF) - snow falls

∞ JEOPARDY PUZZLE—(SuperJeopardy Answers) from 1990 LANDMARKS
☼The president of Venezuela has his offices in the Miraflores Palace in this city
☼This historic New York fort overlooks both Lake George & Lake Champlain
☼To honor W. Churchill, London's Church of St. Mary the Virgin was moved stone by stone to this Mo. Town
☼The Cappella della Sacra Sindone was built in the 17th century to house this relic
☼The famous Oracle of Delphi was located on the lower slope of this sacred Greek mountain

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—
In the movie "A Christmas Story," when Flick's tongue sticks to the flagpole, a hidden suction tube was used to safely create the illusion that his tongue had frozen to the metal.
<>
In the movie "Elf," the costumes for the elves were modeled after those used in the 1964 television special "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer."
<>
In Mexico, wearing red underwear on New Year's Eve is said to bring new love in the upcoming year.

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM  WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. —
A camel and its rider are unhurt after toppling onto audience members during a rehearsal for a costumed Christmas pageant at a South Florida church.
The camel named Lula Bell walked down the aisle and was supposed to stop and kneel. Instead, the animal balked and then stumbled sideways. It fell onto several pews and the rider was also tossed into the audience.
No one was injured during the Thursday night rehearsal at the First Baptist Church of West Palm Beach. But the pastor organizing the pageant says the camel won't be in any shows.
The camel was on loan from Animals in Motion, a Florida company that trains and transports animals for movies, shows and parties.

A LITTLE LAUGH
When it comes to wine I'm very particular about what I buy. There are two things I look for before making my selection.
First, the word "Wine" must appear somewhere on the label. This is something I insist on.
Second, I look for a sign nearby that says "On Sale."
Follow these two rules and you won't go far wrong.

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

DAYBOOK INFORMATION
♦ THIS WEEK ♦
6-12: National Handwashing Awareness Week
10-17: Human Rights Week
♦ TODAY IS… ♦
Day of The Horse
International Mountain Day
International Shareware Day
National Noodle Ring Day
UNICEF Birthday since 1946
Geneva Switzerland : Scaling Day/Escalade (1602, 1816)
US: Indiana: Admission Day (1816—19th state)
Upper Volta: Republic Day (1958)
Wales: Remembrance Day of Llywelyn II (Llywelyn ap Gruffydd or Llywelyn Ein Llyw Olaf which means Llwelyn Our Last Leader)
♫ Academy Awards Best Original Song—1940’s ♫
Click on Song Title to see and hear
♦Today’s Births♦
ARTS
1904 Marjorie (Henderson) Buell cartoonist: Little Lulu
Mos Def, 37, rapper, actor (16 Blocks, The Italian Job), born Dante Terrell Smith
David Gates, 70, singer (Bread), songwriter ’Goodbye Girl’
Brenda Lee, 66, singer, born Brenda Mae Tarpley
1918 Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Russian writer (Cancer Ward, Nobel 1970)
1849 Ellen Key Swedendish theory/author/feminist (Courageous Woman)
1926 Willie Mae ‘Big Mama’ Thornton blues singer: pre-Elvis version of Hound Dog
<>
Teri Garr, 61, actress (Young Frankenstein, Tootsie, The Black Stallion)
Rita Moreno, 79, singer, actress (Oscar for West Side Story; Tony for The Ritz)
ATHLETICS
1976 Shareef Abdur-Rahim, basketball (Grizzlies, Trail Blazers, Hawks, Kings)
1969 Viswanathan Anand, Indian chess grandmaster, current World Chess Champion
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1889 Walter Knott, American farmer, Knott’s Berry Farm
POLITICS
Tom Hayden, 70, journalist, activist, politician
John F. Kerry, 67, US Senator (D, Massachusetts), born Denver, CO
1882 Fiorello LaGuardia ‘Little Flower’: politician: NYC mayor
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1781 Sir David Brewster Scottish physicist/inventor (kaleidoscope)
1863 Annie Jump Cannon astronomer: discovered five stars
1843 Robert Koch German bacteriologist (TB, cholera, Nobel 1905)
1475 Leo X [Giovanni de' Medici] Italy, Pope (1513-21)
♦Today’s Obituaries♦
Sam Cooke singer (You Send Me, Sad Moon), slain @ 33 in 1964
Robert Q Lewis comic/TV panel member (RQL Show), emphysema @ 70 in 1991
Robert Shelton (Shapiro) journalist, @ 69 in 1995
♦Today’s Events♦
ARTS
1882 The Bijou Theatre in Boston, MA became the first theatre to be lighted by electricity.
ATHLETICS
1951 Joe Dimaggio announces his baseball retirement
1981 Muhammad Ali's 61st & last fight, losing to Trevor Berbick
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1919 Boll weevil monument dedicated in Enterprise AL
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1620 103 Mayflower pilgrims land at Plymouth Rock
1753 French, under Legardeur de Saint-Pierre, are at Fort le Boeuf on French Creek, near present day Waterford, in northwestern Pennsylvania. Major George Washington arrives today delivering a message from Virginia Governor Dinwiddie. The message says the French are trespassing, and to leave.
1833 Captain Page and almost 700 Choctaws reach their destination at Fort Towson, in eastern Indian Territory. The others in the group had split off and gone to Fort Smith.
POLITICS (US)
1906 US President Roosevelt attacks abuses in the Congo
POLITICS (International)
1792 France's King Louis XVI went on trial, accused of treason
1931 British Statute of Westminster gives complete legislative independence to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, Newfoundland
1941 Japanese attack Wake Island (only failed WWII-landing)
1961 Adolf Eichmann is found guilty of war crimes, in Israel
1967 People's front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) established
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1719 1st recorded display of Aurora Borealis in US (New England)
1844 1st dental use of nitrous oxide, Hartford CT
1972 Astronauts Cernan & Harrison become 11th & 12th on the Moon
1992 Nor'easter storm hits New York, doing $650 million+ worth of damage

ANSWERS
∞ JEOPARDY
☼The president of Venezuela has his offices in the Miraflores Palace in this city
What is Caracus?
☼This historic New York fort overlooks both Lake George & Lake Champlain
What is Ticonderoga?
☼To honor W. Churchill, London's Church of St. Mary the Virgin was moved stone by stone to this Mo. Town
What is Fulton?
☼The Cappella della Sacra Sindone was built in the 17th century to house this relic
What is the Shroud of Terin?
☼The famous Oracle of Delphi was located on the lower slope of this sacred Greek mountain
What is Mount Parnassus?
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Friday Dec 10

TODAY’S QUOTE—Eric Sevareid

Christmas is a necessity. There has to be at least one day of the year to remind us that we're here for something else besides ourselves.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
Our retirement group had lunch at Little America today. It was the first resort hotel in Flagstaff, back in the day. Our AZTESOL group used their conference facilities many times. Over the years it has met with competition. It is still very nice. The old coffee shop is gone. The buffet lunch is gone. We did have a nice menu lunch though. I still need to go back over there at night, as they have one of Flagstaff’s best light displays. They have always had a high end gift shop and with the coffee shop gone, the gift shop is a little larger. It has always had a western theme with cowboy, wildlife, and Native items. Sadly, they have dropped most of their Native items for clearly marked ‘made in China’ items. Why any high end tourist would want to buy cheap imitations is beyond me. Somehow I don’t think the plastic dream catchers with blue plastic beads are going to do their job.

I was concerned when I saw how the US stood up in reading to other countries. Now for the math scores—we are 31st and 19 points below the average score. The children of these nations scored higher than our students, in order of scores: Shanghai-China , Singapore, Hong Kong-China, Republic of Korea, Chinese Taipei, Finland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland , Japan, Canada, Netherlands, Macao-China, New Zealand, Belgium, Australia, Germany, Estonia, Iceland, Denmark, Slovenia, Norway, Slovak Republic, France, Austria, Poland, Sweden, Czech Republic, United Kingdom, Hungary, and Luxembourg. The one upside to all this is that since the American schools are not teaching geography and very little history, most of the American kids couldn’t find most of these nations on a globe. Even more disturbing, many teachers and other adults can’t find them either. As we move more and more to computers for our information, our social networking, our shopping, and other daily events do we not know that all this stuff is based on complex series of 1’s and 0’s? Our governor just announced that there will be even bigger cuts in education during her term.

This healthcare mess is hitting AZ very hard. Our governor announced today that many of the AHCCCS patients are being denied transplants due to the cost of the transplants. First, AHCCCS is the AZ form of Medicaid. While the voluntary Medicaid program was first developed in 1965, it was not available across all states until 1982 when good ol’ AZ finally set up AHCCCS system—which is ironically pronounced ‘access’. Our governor’s reasoning for stopping transplants is that ‘these procedures are expensive and voluntary…and are available in Cadillac health care programs. To be eligible for AHCCCS I would have to have an income of $903 or less/month; a married couple would have to have an income less than $1215/month; and a family would add $300 per child to the $1215/month. The AHCCCS participants are living in poverty and it doesn’t seem to me that any of them could afford any insurance, let alone a Cadillac plan. Many ACHHHS patients are on transplant lists. I have always been a ‘quality over quantity’ of life person. Spending $200 or $200K to give a patient another few months bed ridden does not make sense to me. However, to give a person another 5-10 years of active living does make sense. Worse yet for the transplant denied patients is that while they are living productive lives, they had been told they would be getting the needed transplant. Then with the swipe of a pen, they were told they were no longer eligible. One poor man had gotten a call that a liver was available. He headed for the hospital, and while his family was arriving, he was being prepped for surgery. It was then, and only then, that the hospital bean counter came in with the list of forms and told him that he would need to cough up $250K because AHCCS had just informed her that the patient was no longer eligible for the AHCCCS payments. He didn’t have the money, so he got dressed and went home. I’m sure the rest of the story will be that he will be billed for prep work and that AHCCCS will not pay, since no surgery actually took place. Where is the humanity?

HOLY MACKEREL: 1936 King Edward VIII abdicates throne to marry Mrs Wallis Simpson, England replaces King Edward VIII stamp series

∞ JEOPARDY PUZZLE—(SuperJeopardy Answers) from 1990 "H"ISTORY
☼This Communist revolutionary founded the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945
☼Janos Kadar assumed power in this country after a revolt was suppressed by Soviet tanks
☼Although this British general opposed coercion in North America, he led troops at the Battle of Bunker Hill
☼In 29 A.D. lava from Mt. Vesuvius buried this city named for its mythical founder
☼This Medieval confederacy of N. German cities was formed to defend their mutual trading interests

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—
The first president to decorate the White House Christmas tree in the United States was Franklin Pierce.
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‘Hot cockles’ was a popular game at Christmas in medieval times. Players took turns striking a blindfolded player, who had to guess the name of the person delivering each blow.
<>
Child singer Jimmy Boyd was 12-years-old when he sang the Christmas favorite "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus."

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM
CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. — An alligator is taking the heat for sparking an apartment fire in Rhode Island.
Firefighters that responded to a Central Falls, R. I. home got more than they bargained for. Inside the second floor apartment was a three-foot alligator, a 10-foot Burmese python, two other 10-foot snakes, a smaller snake and a large iguana.
The tenant blamed the alligator for starting a small fire, claiming the reptile knocked over a small heating lamp.
“The alligator usually knocks it over, but it usually just shuts off. This time it didn’t shut off,” said Jesus Romero, the reptile owner.
The tenants who live below the animal house said they called 911 when they smelled smoke. They said they are angry about all the reptiles.
“We don’t live in South Africa. We live in Central Falls, Rhode Island, that shouldn’t even be taking place at all,” said Michelle Florez, a tenant.
“I won’t let them get out of the room. I make sure I take care of them,” said Romero.
Firefighters have confirmed the fire started when a heating lamp made contact with the alligator’s plastic kiddie pool.
The housing authority is now investigating whether it is legal for the animals to live there.

A LITTLE LAUGH
Every morning, I do a mad dash to drop off my son Tyler at day care so I can get to work on time. My impatience hit home one morning when he piped up from the back of the car, "Our car is really fast and everyone else's is slow because they're all idiots, right, Mom?"

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’ Returns tomorrow

DAYBOOK INFORMATION
♦ THIS WEEK ♦
5-10: Clerc-Gallaudet Week
6-12: National Handwashing Awareness Week
10-17: Human Rights Week
♦ TODAY IS… ♦
Dewey Decimal System Day
Festival for The Souls Of Dead Whales
Human Rights Day
International Animal Rights Day
National Salesperson Day
Nobel Prize Day (1896: obit of Alfred) 
World Freedom Day
Khmer Republic: Rights of Man Day
Thailand: Constitution Day (1932)
US: Mississippi (Ojibwa for ‘Great River’) : Admission Day (1817 as 20th state)
US: Wyoming: Wyoming Day (women's suffrage) (1869)
♫ Academy Awards Best Original Song ♫
Click on Song Title to see and hear
Note: some of these clips work up to the song but it will be there!
♦Today’s Births♦
ARTS
1830 Emily Dickinson, poet (Collected Poems)
1824 George MacDonald Scottish sci-fi author (Lilith, Princess & Curdie)
1903 - Mary Norton author: children’s books: Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Borrowers
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1928 - Dan Blocker actor: Bonanza
Kenneth Branagh, 50, actor (Shackleton), director (Hamlet, Henry V), born Belfast, Northern Ireland
Susan Dey, 58, model, actress (“The Partridge Family,” “LA Law,”)
1923 - Harold Gould actor: Romero, Dream Chasers, Seems Like Old Times, Kenny Rogers as the Gambler, The Sting, Rhoda, Under One Roof, The Golden Girls, Spencer,Singer & Sons, He & She, The Feather and Father Gang
Tommy Kirk, 69, actor: Pajama Party, Son of Flubber, The Absent-Minded Professor, The Swiss Family Robinson, The Shaggy Dog, Old Yeller, Bikini Beach
1914 Dorothy Lamour [Mary (Leta Dorothy Slaton) Kaumeyer], actress (Road to Bali, Greatest Show on Earth)
1941 - Tommy Rettig actor: Lassie
ATHLETICS
Steve (Steven) Renko, 66, baseball: pitcher: Expos, Cubs, White Sox, Athletics, Red Sox, Angels, Royals
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1851 Melville [Louis K] Dewey created Dewey Decimal System for libraries
1911 Chet Huntley, newscaster (NBC Huntley-Brinkley Report)
POLITICS
Rod Blagojevich, 54, former Governor of Illinois
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1894 Earnest Haenchen German new testament expert
♦Today’s Obituaries♦
Freeman "Amos" Gosden US radio actor (Amos 'n' Andy), @ 83 in 1982
Eugene McCarthy, U.S. Senator, Presidential candidate @ 89 in 2005
Alfred Nobel Swedish Nobel Prize ceremony on this date, @ 63 in 1896
Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor III, American comedian and actor cardiac arrest @ 65 in 2005
Otis Redding singer (Dock of Bay), plane crash @ 26 in 1967
Red Cloud (Maȟpíya Lúta)), Oglala Lakota (Sioux) Chief @ 87 in 1909
Otogaki Rengetsu zen nun/benefactress of Tessai, @ 84 in 1875
Damon Runyon US journalist/writer (Guys & Dolls), throat cancer @ 66 in 1946
Fulton J Sheen archbishop/religious broadcaster (Life is Worth Living), heart attack @ 84 in 1979
♦Today’s Events♦
Nobel Prizes Awarded today..a sampling only
1911 Marie Curie for Chemistry
1930 Sinclair Lewis Literature
1938 Enrico Fermi Physics
1938 Pearl S. Buck Literature
1948 T. S. Eliot Literature
1953 Winston Churchill Literature
1950 1st black American awarded Peace - Ralph J Bunche
1952 Albert Schweitzer Peace
1964 Dr Martin Luther King Jr Peace Prize
1966 Israeli Shmuel Yosef Agnon literature
1979 Mother Teresa Peace
1983 Danuta Walesa, wife of Lech Walesa, accepts his Peace Prize
1984 South African Bishop Desmond Tutu Peace
1986 Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel Peace
1994 Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres & Yasser Arafat Peace
2009 Barack Obama Peace
ARTS
1991 IM Pei receives $5 million for design of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
ATHLETICS
1810 The first interracial, title boxing bout was staged at Copthall Common in England. An American, Tom Molineaux, lost to Tom Cribb on a fluke punch. The fight went 40 rounds!
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1953 With an investment of $7,600, Hugh Hefner published the first Playboy magazine.
1986 Exxon announced the sale of its Manhattan landmark, the 53-story Exxon Building, to a Japanese real estate developer.
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1834 William Marshall, representing the United States, and Potawatoomi Indians will sign a treaty today at Tippecanoe. Six sections of land will be traded annual payments of $1000, and a small amount of supplies.
1836 The second part of the fifth group of "friendly" Creeks, approximately 1600 in number, arrive at Fort Gibson, in eastern Indian Territory. The total of both groups will be 2237.
POLITICS (US)
1971 William H Rehnquist confirmed as Supreme Court justice
POLITICS (International)
1941 Japanese troops overrun Guam
1948 UN General Assembly adopts Universal Declaration of Human Rights
1965 Dutch ends economic boycott of Rhodesia
1983 Raul Alfonsin inaugurated as Argentina's 1st civilian president
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1984 1st "planet" outside our solar system discovered
1995 Worst snowstorm in Buffalo history, 37.9" in 24 hours
ANSWERS
∞ JEOPARDY
☼This Communist revolutionary founded the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945
Who was Ho Chi Minh?
☼Janos Kadar assumed power in this country after a revolt was suppressed by Soviet tanks
What is Hungary?
☼Although this British general opposed coercion in North America, he led troops at the Battle of Bunker Hill
Who was (William) Howe?
☼In 29 A.D. lava from Mt. Vesuvius buried this city named for its mythical founder
What is Herculaneum?
☼This Medieval Confederacy of N. German cities was formed to defend their mutual trading interests
What is the Hanseatic League?
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Thursday Dec 9


TODAY’S QUOTE—Andy Rooney
One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don't clean it up too quickly.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
We had a great day to run errands. Now just if I could find some Christmas presents from my brother and his wife. Their professions require careful dressing and I learned years ago not to buy my brother any clothes. They eat out all the time, so kitchen stuff ain’t gonna work. Jewelry usually works for Laura, but haven’t found anything eye popping yet. Tomorrow I’ll hit Dillards and see if there is something there. My other problem is that when I am in a store, I seem to always find something I need and say that tomorrow I will find something for the relatives. Not the best plan. I’ve always been a Christmas Eve shopper, but the last two years I haven’t been able to do that. It is very hard to break old habits. I also have to pick up some small gifts for the in-laws—as last year they each gave me something and I was present-less for them except for a couple of bottles of wine that were last minute purchases as we headed for several dinners. They are all very nice people, but I don’t really know them, except that they really cook at Christmas time and decorate much more than I do. Getting gifts that travel well in a carry-on is also a challenge. Something will be found, by me, before I leave….I hope.

I was surprised when I did yesterday’s blog and realized it had been thirty years since John Lennon was assassinated. He was barely 40 years old. Listening to some of his last interviews he had really become a visionary. At 61 I still believe that we have to ‘give peace a chance’, that many times we must just ‘let it be’, and so much more. I also like ‘imagine’, even though many Christians find it blasphemy. I don’t get that, as I understand the meaning of the word ‘imagine’. He was such a force in music, he is still greatly missed. He sure was influential in my growth from a teenager to an adult and beyond.

Another thing I learned yesterday…Popeye was created by a guy named Elzie. That is a very unusual first name, and happens to be the name of my maternal grandfather. I remember asking him and asking his older brothers and sisters how he got his name. No one really seemed to know. He was born in the 1880’s on a farm in Iowa. Neither my brother or I had ever known anyone with that name, or even heard of anyone with that name. I did google it today and found out that it wasn’t a totally unique name. It was most popular in the 1900s decade when a whopping 71/1,000,000 had that name on their birth certificate. I tried about a dozen baby name databases. Some just said ‘no results’, others said ‘did you mean Elsie?’. He never said that he was teased with that name, or that he didn’t like the name. So the mystery continues, but now I know that his name was not as unique as I thought it was.

I wonder when the politicians who set the standards for American Education are going to realize that American is falling farther and farther behind in educating the leaders of tomorrow. The latest results show that in READING scores for US teenagers now place us at 15th in the world. Who has better reading scores? Shanghai-China, Republic of Korea, Finland, Hong Kong-China, Singapore, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, Australia, Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Switzerland, and Estonia. I guess the politicians aren’t concerned because all these countries are currently our friends. As long as Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and the other terrorist nations are not testing their students, everything is A-OK. We don’t need to be the best readers in the world. We just need to be sure our enemies are lower on the list. Besides, reading leads a population to think, to question, to draw conclusions based on facts, to recognize propaganda, and a long list of other odd traits that might bring about change.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1788 - George Washington sold his race horse, Magnolia, to Colonel Henry Lee. Washington reportedly got 5,000 acres of Kentucky farmland in the trade.

∞ JEOPARDY PUZZLE—(SuperJeopardy Answers) from 1990 LAKES
☼Fur trappers called this Great Lake the "Upper Lake" in French
☼Located in South America, it's the world's highest large navigable lake
☼The construction of this created Lake Nasser
☼A castle on this French-Swiss lake was made famous by the poem "The Prisoner of Chillon"
☼A part of Minnesota, the northernmost point in the lower 48 states, juts into this U.S.-Canadian lake

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—Middle Ages
►During most of the Middle Ages, few people, including kings and emperors, were able to read or write. The clergy were virtually the only ones who possessed these skills.
<>
►Brothels were under the protection of the community and the prostitutes formed guilds in German cities during the Middle Ages.

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM
LAS VEGAS,NV — It wasn't blue suede shoes but a pair of sneakers that led a San Francisco doctor dressed as Elvis Presley to a woman who passed out at a Las Vegas restaurant after a marathon.
Claudio Palma tells the Las Vegas Review-Journal he was dressed as the King after Sunday's Las Vegas Rock 'n' Roll half-marathon when he performed CPR and resuscitated another runner at the Burger Bar at Mandalay Place.
The 36-year-old was clad in a jumpsuit, sideburns and scarf for the race and may have looked like Presley, but in real life, he's an anesthesiologist.
Palma says paramedics then arrived, and the woman gave him a weird look. He said the patient kind of "freaked out" when she came to and he thinks that is because she didn't know why Elvis was kissing her. "She was giving me a weird look and telling me she was okay," Palma told the paper.
He says the incident wasn't the only heart-stopping one that day: Dr. Palma and his new wifeRhanee wed at a run-through chapel set up at Mile 2 of the race.

A LITTLE LAUGH
One day while out on our fishing boat, we heard a woman calling for help. Pointing frantically toward a sinking row boat, she shouted to us, "My husband can't swim!"
Although the water was up to his chest, the man remained a fisherman through and through: as we reached down to pull him aboard our boat, he lifted a large, still-struggling salmon in his hand, and yelled, "Take the fish!"

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

CALENDAR INFORMATION
♦ Weekly Observances ♦
1-9: Chanukah (Hanukkah)
5-10: Clerc-Gallaudet Week
6-12: National Handwashing Awareness Week
♦ Today’s Observances ♦
National Pastry Day
International Anti-corruption Day
Weary Willie Day: honoring Emmett Kelley born in 1898
Antigua and Barbuda: National Heroes Day, formerly V.C. Bird Day
Sweden and Finland: Anna's Day, (a Swedish name day, celebrating all people named Anna and marks the day to start the preparation process of the lutefisk to be consumed on Christmas Eve)
Tanzania: Independence Day/Republic Day (1961 from UK)
♫ University Fight Songs ♫
Click on Song Title to see and hear
♦Today’s Births♦
ARTS
1899 Jean de Brunhoff French children's book author (Babar the Elephant)
1922 Redd Foxx comedian (Sanford & Son, Redd Foxx Show)
1848 Joel Chandler Harris US journalist (created Uncle Remus stories)
1898 Emmett Kelly clown: Ringling Bros.: hobo, Weary Willie
1608 John Milton English poet/puritan (Paradise Lost)
ATHLETICS
Richard Marvin (Dick) Butkus, 68, Hall of Fame football (Bears), sportscaster, actor
Thomas O. Kite, Jr, 61, golfer
<>
Beau Lloyd Bridges III, 69, actor (“James Brady Story,” The Fabulous Baker Boys)
1911 [William] Broderick Crawford, actor (All the King's Men, Highway Patrol, Hunter, Liar's Moon)
Dame Judi Dench, 76, actress (Mrs Brown, Iris; Oscar for Shakespeare in Love)
Kirk Douglas, 94, actor (Champion, Lust for Life), author, born Issur Danielovitch Demsky
1909 Douglas Fairbanks Jr, actor (Ghost Story)
1902 Margaret Hamilton, actress (Wicked Witch-Wizard of Oz)
Felicity Huffman, 48, actress (Transamerica, “Desperate Housewives,” “Sports Night”)
Joe Lando, 49, actor (“Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman”)
Donny Osmond, 53, actor, singer
Dick Van Patten, 82, actor (“Eight Is Enough,” “Mama”)
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1886 Clarence Birdseye frozen vegatable king (Birdseye)
POLITICS
1594 Gustavus II Adolphus king who made Swedenden a major power (1611-32)
1906 Grace Hopper computer developer: COBOL; U.S. Naval officer: Rear Admiral, oldest naval officer on active duty [retired at age 79]
1912 Thomas P "Tip" O'Neill (Representative-MA 1977-86)/Speaker of the House
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1569 Martinus de Porres Peruvina saint (patron of social justice)
♦Today’s Obituaries♦
Ralph J Bunche UN delegate/Nobel Prize winner, lengthy illness @ 67 in 1971
Leon Jaworski Watergate special prosecutor dies @ 77 in 1982
Mary Douglas Nichol Leakey archaeologist/anthropologist, @ 83 in 1986
Malcom IV king of Scotland (1153-65), Paget’s disease @ 24 in 1165
Kim II Sung President of North Korea (1945-94), @ 82 in 1994
Anthonie "Antoon" van Dyck Flemish painter, @ 42 in 1641
Faron Young country singer, commits suicide @ 64 in 1996
♦Today’s Events♦
ARTS
1854 Lord Tennyson's poem, "Charge of the Light Brigade" published
1965 "A Charlie Brown Christmas" premieres
ATHLETICS
1851 1st Young Men's Christian Association in North America (Montréal)
1902 American League announces purchase of grounds for a stadium in New York
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1793 Noah Webster establishes New York's 1st daily newspaper, American Minerva
1878 Joseph Pulitzer buys St Louis Dispatch for $2,500
1953 General Electric announces all Communist employees will be fired
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1729 The NATCHEZ send 2 Indians to visit the TUNICAs today. The NATCHEZ want them to join them in a war against the French. The TUNICA will refuse.
POLITICS (US)
1941 1st US WWII bombing mission in the Far East, Luzon, Philippines
1983 Attorney General Edwin Meese says people go to soup kitchens "...because the food is free and that's easier than paying for it"
1994 Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders resigns after masturbation comments
POLITICS (International)
1212 Frederik II crowns himself Roman Catholic king
1941 China declares war on Japan, Germany & Italy
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1640 Settler Hugh Bewitt banished from Massachusetts colony when he declares himself to be free of original sin
1907 1st Christmas Seals sold (Wilmington DE post office)
ANSWERS
∞ JEOPARDY
☼Fur trappers called this Great Lake the "Upper Lake" in French
What is Lake Superior?
☼Located in South America, it's the world's highest large navigable lake
What is Lake Titicaca?
☼The construction of this created Lake Nasser
What is the Aswan Dam?
☼A castle on this French-Swiss lake was made famous by the poem "The Prisoner of Chillon"
What is Lake Geneva?
☼A part of Minnesota, the northernmost point in the lower 48 states, juts into this U.S.-Canadian lake
What is Lake of the Woods?
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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.