Friday Dec 31


TODAY’S QUOTEs—Henry David Thoreau

Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.

Public opinion is a weak tyrant compared with our own private opinion. What a man thinks of himself, that is which determines, or rather indicates, his fate.

Mark Twain
If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1921 Last San Francisco fire horses retired

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FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
Interesting afternoon at the local hospital. First to pre-op clerk who looks me up in her Apple IIe and finds that I have been there before. It’s been two years since I was there so she has to reverify all my information—that’s OK. We decided that I should spend the night in the hospital when they do the surgery, since I am about 6 miles from the hospital, live alone, and probably couldn’t drive there if I had a breathing problem. Julie, my nurse for the appt re-asked all the questions I had just answered. I ask if the computers were connected…nope. I asked her why the “III” after my name didn’t show up on my bracelet. She called and looked at me and said, it has to match your insurance card. I pulled it out and surprise, the card has the “III”. She called in someone else who took my card and ‘fixed’ my name…we’ll see. Then it’s off to tests. I should mention that it has been snowing all day and while all the places were ‘open’, only one person was at each stop so I had some waits. First was EKG. Easy but my chest is closely related to a chimpanzee and he said he could shave me, but it would take another 30 minutes. No shave…a bunch of tape all over. The EKG took all of 30 seconds. He ripped off all the tape and took a few hairs from each piece of tape. Off to the lab for blood tests. No one there. Some poor guy came in after me and looked to be in substantial pain so I headed for radiology across the hall. Chest Xray went well. The radiologist mentioned he was all alone, since the wimps had already left. He was about 45 and had two arms filled with very colorful tattoos, that were sagging a little and he was far from being ripped. Then back to the lab. Again one lady. She was very nice, a Navajo living in Doney Park…and the only one who stayed due to the snow. I was teasing her and told her she couldn’t find anything ‘bad’ in the blood. She shook the tube she had just taken and said “Well Charlie, you have the best looking blood I have seen this month.” Then I was out of the hospital. I had been told to stop taking my daily baby aspirin, but when I got home, Julie called and said I should keep taking it because I have a stent. Whatever. So I guess I’m good to go get trimmed in a couple of weeks. Whoopee!!!

The HOA has kept our drive and sidewalks mostly clean. It took some time to get the 8+” of snow off my Xterra. It has a luggage rack on top that really adds to the overall look of any Xterra. The problem is when it snows. Brushing snow out of the luggage rack is impossible, so when I start driving it flies out. This snow is very light and fluffy so it’s no big deal. However, some of the snow still turns to ice on the roof and in the next days will have chunks of ice sliding around on the roof, making a lot of noise. The first speed bump will loosen the ice from the roof, but the bars on the luggage rack won’t let it fall off. While all the roads are fairly clear, traffic was moving about 20mph—not a problem for me as I am retired and am seldom in a hurry to get anywhere. I stopped at the drive up ATM for some cash and it was frozen solid. So I had to get out of the vehicle and walk up to another ATM. With the wind, my phone told me the wind chill was -2. Maybe—the moisture in my nose did NOT freeze, so it wasn’t really cold.

∞ JEOPARDY PUZZLE—(SuperJeopardy Answers) from 1990 DESIGN
…answers at bottom…
→A schapslote is a German-painted decoration using enamel of this color on glass
→Juniper trees are sometimes used to build chests known by the name of this other wood
→The Griffin originated as a design in this "land between two rivers"
→This group of buildings formed the Great Fortified Palace of the Moorish kings of Spain
→Two of the 3 classical orders of columns developed by the Greeks

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM: WARMINSTER, Pa. (pop: 32,000)
What was the reason two Warminster men fired a hail of rifle bullets at a shopping center, scattering fearful supermarket employees, early Tuesday morning?
The pair felt like shooting, particularly at streetlights, and didn't think anyone would be around when they fired about 40 rounds shortly after 5 a.m., police said.
"Chalk it up to doing something really stupid," said Warminster police Chief S. Michael Murphy.
An investigation revealed that Joseph B. Carr, 21, and James W. Pearson, 23, were not targeting people or businesses at Warminster Towne Center on Street Road near Norristown Road.
"They were both shocked that people would be in the shopping center at that hour," said Murphy.
The shots were fired shortly after 5 a.m., striking the ShopRite in an area where employees had been standing and also hitting a nearby Sovereign Bank.
The supermarket workers ran for cover. Bank windows were shot out, but no employees were present. While Carr and Pearson face felony charges, they are not accused of attempted homicide, despite the shots striking near people, police said. "There were other charges you could look at given the close proximity to the people, but with most of those charges you have to show some kind of intent," said Murphy.
"We couldn't draw that conclusion based on the investigation."
Carr and Pearson used a .22-caliber rifle with a scope and silencer to fire the shots. The rifle is described as being used for recreational shooting, initial firearms training and pest control.
Carr and Pearson were jailed in Bucks County Prison in lieu of 10 percent of $500,000 bail.
Charges against them include conspiracy, criminal mischief, discharging a firearm into an occupied structure and recklessly endangering another person.
In July Pearson was sentenced to five years probation on explosives-related charges for a February incident in which a bomb squad from Philadelphia police was dispatched to handle homemade bombs Pearson had made.
A police officer caught Pearson with the home-brewed ordnance, made of carbon dioxide cartridges and explosive powder, at a parking lot frequently used by fishermen on Mill Road near the Neshaminy Creek in Warwick.
Police discovered the explosives in Pearson's jacket, his car and, later, in his room at his Warminster home.

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—
Sports shooters, especially those who use indoor small-bore rifle ranges, risk lead absorption and intoxication.
Recreational skiers can easily reach speeds of up to 40 mph, which can lead to injuries similar to those seen in car accidents.
…
Male testicles create 10 million new sperm cells every day, enough to repopulate the entire world in just 6 months.
All humans exist as a single cell organism for a half hour at conception.

A LITTLE LAUGH
This is a fool proof Best Friend Test. If you don't believe it, just try this-
Put your dog and your spouse in the trunk of the car for an hour.
When you open the trunk, who is really happy to see you?
…
I spent 20 minutes explaining life insurance options to one of our employees. After reviewing the different plans and monthly deductions, he decided to max out, choosing $100,000 worth of life insurance.
But he had one last question.
"Now," he said, "what do I have to do to collect the money?"

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

Thanks to my friend Wes for this: Awesome People

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DAYBOOK INFORMATION
♦ THIS WEEK ♦
25-31 It's About Time Week
26-1/1 Kwanzaa
♦ TODAY IS… ♦
Kwanzaa: NIA (NEE-ah) is the fifth day of Kwanzaa and it means "purpose". A pledge to build and develop communities, schools and families. A pledge to provide a strong communal foundation from which children can develop into strong and productive people.
Leap Second Time Adjustment Day
Make Up Your Mind Day
New Years Eve
No Interruptions Day
Universal Hour of Peace Day
Unlucky Day
World Peace Meditation Day
Western Christianity: The seventh day of Christmas (seven swans a-swimming represent the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: from Isaiah 11:2-3—Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, Fear of the Lord)
Azerbaijan: Solidarity Day
Austria: Imperial Ball
Benin: Feed Yourself Day
Congo: National Day
Indians at Mitla, Oaxaca : Noche de Pedimento/Wishing Night (My brother and sister-in-law are there to join in)
Japan: Omisoka Day/Grand Purification
Lebanon: Evacuation Day (1946)
Mauritania: People's Party Day
Scotland: Hogmanay Day Learn More
Scottish Gaelic Òg-Mhadainn/h-òg-mhaidne ('new morning')
Irish Gaelic: "theacht meán oíche" ('the arrival of midnight', pronounced 'heacht meawn eehe')
Gaelic: ochd meadhan oidhche ('eighth midnight' (eighth night from Christmas))
Manx: word Hop-tu-Naa (31 October) - the Old Gaelic new year
♫ Academy Awards Best Original Song ♫
Click on Song Title to see and hear
♪…2001 "If I Didn't Have You" — Monsters, Inc
♪…2002 "Lose Yourself" — 8 Mile
♪…2003 "Into the West" — The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
♪…2004 "Al otro lado del río" — The Motorcycle Diaries
♦Today’s Births♦
AUTHORS
Diane Halfin von Furstenberg, 65, fashion designer, author
ATHLETES
Émilie Le Pennec, 23, French gymnast
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
Dawood Ibrahim, 55, Indian crime boss
His Grace the Most Reverend Dr. Pius Alick Mvundla Ncube, 64, Zimbabwean human rights advocate
ENTERTAINERS (ACTORS/SINGERS/…)
1922 Rex Allen cowboy singer, born in Wilcox AZ
1914 Pat Brady actor (Roy Rogers Show)
1943 John Denver [Henry John Deutschendorf Jr] singer/songwriter/actor (Rocky Mountain High, Thank God I'm a Country Boy, Oh God!)
1930 Odetta [Holmes Felious Gordon] folk singer/actress (Sanctuary)
Sir Anthony Hopkins, 73, actor (Oscar for The Silence of the Lambs
Val Kilmer, 51, actor (Batman Forever, The Doors, Heat)
Ben Kingsley(Krishna Bhanji), 67, actor (Oscar for Gandhi )
Tim Matheson, 62, actor (Animal House)
Bebe Neuwirth, 52, actress (“Cheers,” “Frasier”)
1943 Pete Quaife musician: bass: group: The Kinks: You Really Got Me
Donna Summer (LaDonna Andrea Gaines). 62, singer
POLITICIANS
1738 Charles Lord Cornwallis solider/statesman "fire when ready Gridley"
1880 George C Marshall authored Marshall Plan (Nobel 1953)
1825 Francis Trowbridge Sherman Brigadier-General (Union volunteers)
1720 [Bonnie Prince] Charles Edward Stuart English pretender to throne
1908 Simon Wiesenthal Polish/Austrian nazi hunter (Wiesenthal Center)
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1864 Robert G Aitken US astronomer (Binary Stars)
♦Today’s Obituaries♦
1972 Roberto Clemente Pittsburgh Pirate slugger, plane crash @ 38
1997 Floyd Cramer pianist (Nashville Sound), cancer @ 64
1802 Francis Lewis Welsh/US merchant/signer (Declaration of Independence), @ 89
1985 Rick Nelson singer/actor (Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet), plane crash @ 45
1966 Chief Nipo Strongheart Yakima actor, authored the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, @ 75
1993 Thomas J Watson Jr president of IBM (1956-71)/diplomat, @ 79
♦Today’s Events♦
ARTS
1907 For the 1st time a ball drops at Times Square to signal the new year
1947 Roy Rogers, ‘the King of the Cowboys’, and Dale Evans were hitched in marriage.
1961 1st performance of the Beach Boys
1995 Cartoonist Bill Watterson ends his "Calvin & Hobbes" comic strip after a decade of laughs
ATHLETICS
1950 Willie Shoemaker and Joe Culmone, both 19 years of age, became the first jockeys to ride 388 winners in a single year.
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1600 British East India Company chartered
1896 25th auto built in US
1981 CNN Headline News debuts
1997 Microsoft buys Hotmail E-mail service
2004 Official opening of Taipei 101, the tallest skyscraper at that time in the world, standing at a height of 509 metres (1,670 ft). (very cool...but I still think it sounds like a college class)
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1794 After agreeing to a peace with the United States on November 7th, the Cherokee and Chickamaugans, and the U.S. will exchange prisoners, this will effectively end the Chickamauga War
POLITICS (US)
1852 Future President & Mrs Rutherford B Hayes marry
1970 Congress authorizes the Eisenhower dollar coin
POLITICS (International)
1564 Willem van Orange demands freedom of conscience/religion
1923 BBC begins using Big Ben chime ID
1942 Potatoes rationed in Holland
1958 International Geophyscial Year ends
1958 Cuban dictator Batista flees
1999 Control of Panamá Canal reverts to Panamá
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1492 100,000 Jews expelled from Sicily
1744 James Bradley announces discovery of Earth's motion of nutation (wobble)
1841 Alabama becomes 1st state to license dental surgeons
1861 22,990 mm (75.42 feet) of rain falls in Cherrapunji Assam, India in 1861, world record
1911 Marie Curie receives her 2nd Nobel Prize

►◄      ►◄      ►◄
ANSWERS
∞ JEOPARDY
→A schapslote is a German-painted decoration using enamel of this color on glass
What is Black?
→Juniper trees are sometimes used to build chests known by the name of this other wood
What is Cedar?
→The Griffin originated as a design in this "land between two rivers"
What is Mesopotamia?
→This group of buildings formed the Great Fortified Palace of the Moorish kings of Spain
What is Alhambra?
→Two of the 3 classical orders of columns developed by the Greeks
What are ‘Ionic’, ‘Doric’, ‘Corinthian’
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Thursday Dec 30


TODAY’S QUOTE—Buddha

Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1980 The Selective Service System sent a warning to Mickey Mouse at Disneyland in Anaheim, California: Register for the draft or else! The Selective Service said that Mickey was in violation of registration compliance. Of course, Mickey, age 52 at the time, sent in his registration card proving that he’s a World War II veteran.

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FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
I did get all the Christmas decorations packed away for another year. I was able to get rid of some stuff and cut the number of boxes by one. Of course, as always, after everything was packed, stacked, covered I discovered a few ornaments that had decided they would rather be hiding than be on the tree. They are now sitting on top of the boxes until I am sure everything is found. I really picked a good day to do all this since we had 45+mph winds most of the day, with snow trying really hard to hit the ground, but ended up spending much of their life in the air being slammed in every direction. Roads are not bad as we only got about 6” to stick. The weatherman says maybe 2’ by tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow I go in for my pre-op conference. They said they would be open, no matter how much snow there is. I get an EKG and a lung x-ray to be sure they can do it. The doctor told me I would be out the same day, as long as my throat didn’t swell shut. The paperwork says I’m there for 23 hours. I’m sure that is so the hospital stay doesn’t start into day two. I will find out tomorrow what will actually happen. While I am not a big fan of staying in the hospital I wouldn’t mind overnight. Living alone makes life a little more difficult when it comes to things like this. I hate to have to stay at a friend’s house or have a friend stay with me at my house. I hate being dependant on any person. The surgery isn’t until the first week in January so I do have time to be extra nice to someone if I have to go home after the cutting is over.

I have a couple of New Year’s resolutions. First, I am not going to diet. Second, I’m not going to spend less time on the computer. Third, I’m going to continue to have a ‘glass half full’ philosophy on most things. Fourth, I’m going to continue to listen to the TV while I do other things around the house. Fifth, I’m going to travel outside the US. I figure these are resolutions I can keep. They are realistic. They don’t take too much work. I hope everyone who makes resolutions will be able to keep them.

∞ JEOPARDY PUZZLE—(SuperJeopardy Answers) from 1990 GEOMETRY
…answers at bottom…
→A single straight line forms an angle of this many degrees
→In a right triangle, the side opposite the right angle is called this
→To determine the area of a circle, you multiply pi X this
→Two or more circles that share the same center are said to be this
→An oblique angle is one that is either acute or this

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM
When a woman has twins with two different fathers, it is called heteropaternal superfecundation - and may not be quite as rare as once thought. Three HS cases were found in a parentage test database of 39,000 records. The frequency of HS among dizygotic twins whose parents were involved in paternity suits is 2.4%.
A Croatian woman who slept with two men at the same time has given birth to twins with two different fathers. The 23-year-old student, who has been named only as M B, gave birth to non-identical twins in Zagreb seven months ago. However, she has revealed that DNA testing has shown the children have different fathers.
She told daily Jutarnji List, "I was shocked at getting pregnant and even more surprised when doctors told me that my two sons had different fathers." Doctors have said twins being born to different fathers is extremely rare.

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—
↑Approximately 500 meteorites hit the Earth a year.
↑The Andromeda galaxy is on a collision course with our galaxy, speeding at 720,000 mph. The catastrophic clash will likely occur in 3 billion years. Hmmm..Guess I better start packing.

A LITTLE LAUGH
An office technician got a call from a computer user. The user told the tech that her computer was not working. She described the problem and the tech concluded that her computer needed to be brought in and serviced.
He told her, "Unplug the power cord and bring it up here and I'll fix it for you."
About ten minutes later she showed up at his door... with the electrical cord in her right hand.

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’
►◄ ►◄ ►◄
DAYBOOK INFORMATION
♦ THIS WEEK ♦
25-31 It's About Time Week
26-1/1 Kwanzaa
♦ TODAY IS… ♦
Day Of Enormous Changes At The Last Minute
National Bicarbonate Of Soda Day
Falling Needles Family Fest Day: Recycle your tree before all the needles fall
Western Christianity: The sixth day of Christmas. (6 geese a laying: for the 6 days of creation)
Kwanzaa: Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics): To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.
Iran: Birthday of Iman Reza
Philippiines: Rizal Day (anniversary of his death) (1896)
♫ Academy Awards Best Original Song ♫
Click on Song Title to see and hear
♦Today’s Births♦
AUTHORS
1865 Rudyard Kipling, English writer, Nobel laureate
ATHLETES
Sanford (Sandy) Koufax, 75, Hall of Fame baseball Dodgers
LeBron James, 26, basketball: Cavaliers, Heat
1942 Jim ‘Bo’ Nance football: Boston Patriots full back NCAA Heavyweight Wrestling Champion [1963, 1965]
1941 Mel Renfro College & Pro Football Hall of Famer: Dallas Cowboys defensive back
Eldrick “Tiger” Woods, 35, golfer
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
Matt Lauer, 53, news anchor (“Today”)
Sean Hannity, 49, journalist, talk show host
ENTERTAINERS (ACTORS/SINGERS/…)
1931 Skeeter Davis [Mary Penick] Dry Ridge KY, singer (End of the World)
1928 Bo Diddley [Ellas Bates] rock 'n' roll pioneer
Davy Jones, 64, actor, singer (The Monkees)
1928 Jack Lord actor (Steve McGarrett-Hawaii 5-0, God's Little Acre)
Michael Nesmith, 68, singer, songwriter (The Monkees)
1914 Bert Parks [Jacobson] Atlanta GA, TV host (Miss America)
1939 Del Shannon [Charles Westover] rocker (Runaway)
1937 [Noel] Paul Stookey,73 , singer/musician/comedian (Peter, Paul, & Mary)
Tracey Ullman, 51, actress, singer (“The Tracey Ullman Show,” I Love You to Death
Meredith Vieira, 59, television journalist, cohost (“Today Show,” “The View”)
POLITICIANS
1884 Hideki Tojo Prime Minister of Japan; WWII war criminal
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1879 Sri Ramana Maharshi Hindu philosopher/yogi (Maharshi Research Institute)
♦Today’s Obituaries♦
1894 Amelia Jenks Bloomer suffragist (Bloomers named for her), @ 76
1832 Colonel Abijah Hammond owned large portion of Greenwich Village
1992 Ling-Ling 1st panda China gave US, @ 23 More on Pandas
1979 Richard Rodgers composer (Rogers & Hammerstein), dies at 77
♦Today’s Events♦
ARTS
1809 Wearing masks at balls forbidden in Boston
1879 Gilbert & Sullivan's "Pirates of Penzance" premieres
1954 James Arness made his dramatic TV debut on the Lux Video Theatre in The Chase. (The Gunsmoke series didn’t begin for Arness until the fall of 1955.)
ATHLETICS
1978 Ohio State dismisses Woody Hayes as its football coach
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1817 1st coffee planted in Hawaii (Kona)
1873 American Metrological Society forms (New York NY) weights, measures & money
1927 Japan dedicates 1st subway in the Orient (route under 2 miles long)
1940 California's 1st freeway (Arroyo Seco Parkway) opens between LA and Pasadena
1985 IBM-PC DOS Version 3.2 released 1993 Vatican recognizes Israel
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1835 After gold discovery in Georgia, Cherokees are forced to move across Mississippi River
1847 During the CAYUSE War, Col. Gilliam, and 160 men, are attacked by some Indians near Wailatpu. The Indians lose 20 warriors, and lots of supplies.
POLITICS (US)
1853 Gadsden Purchase - 45,000 square miles (120,000 km) by Gila River from México for $10 million; Area is now southern Arizona & New Mexico
1918 John E Hoover decides to be called J Edgar Hoover
1963 Congress authorizes the Kennedy half dollar
POLITICS (International)
1906 Iran becomes a constitutional monarchy
1972 President Nixon halts bombing of North Vietnam & announces peace talks
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1703 Tokyo hit by Earthquake; about 37,000 die
1959 The George Washington, 1st ballistic missile sub commissioned
1973 1st picture of a comet from space (Comet Kohoutek-Skylab)

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ANSWERS
∞ JEOPARDY
→A single straight line forms an angle of this many degrees
What is 180?
→In a right triangle, the side opposite the right angle is called this
What is the hypotenuse?
→To determine the area of a circle, you multiply pi X this
What is the radius squared?
→2 or more circles that share the same center are said to be this
What are concentric?
→An oblique angle is one that is either acute or this
What is obtuse?
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Wednesday Dec 28



TODAY’S QUOTE—Aristotle

Men acquire a particular quality by constantly acting in a particular way.

BONUS QUOTE--Mahatama Gandhi
Faith is not something to grasp, it is a state to grow into.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1989 Riots break-out after Hong Kong decides to forcibly repatriate Vietnamese refugees.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
Even though there is not a cloud in the sky, the weatherman says snow tonight…and cold temps till next week. We should be having highs in the 20’s with anywhere from 6”-20” of snow by Thursday night. Maybe we are the 5th snowiest city in the US. Only time will tell how accurate the ol’ weather bureau really is. I am so glad that I don’t have to deal with the latest East Coast storm. Thankfully my brother and sister-in-law don’t have too either.

I ran some errands this morning and the sun was a shinin’ and there was little wind. So I got stuff done quickly. I guess I was ‘in the zone’ at WalMart as Jeannie was standing in the same aisle and I didn’t even see her till she said something to me. She had a great Christmas down in Phoenix. She and the grandkids went with Sue to ‘Zoo lights’ which was nice with the ‘warm’ Phoenix weather.

Whatever the weather tomorrow, I will be taking down the Christmas decorations. It is certainly time. It will give me much more room in my living room and in the back room where I store everything. I didn’t put out all my outdoor lights for fear of snow. Each of the last 4 years, they have been covered until May. So this year, no lights and no snow covering. Is there a lesson here? I really wish that all the decorations were somehow inflatable for the holidays, and could just be deflated for storage. It’s an idea. I guess I could become a better packer.

OMG. President Obama was talking with the owners of the Philadelphia Eagles about their plans for a ‘greener’ stadium. He started the conversation with thanking the owners for giving Michael Vick a second chance after such a major downfall. Faux News and Conservatives are outraged. Of course, when Bush II signed federal legislation that set up second chances for felony convicts no one spoke out. Nor did anyone get really upset when Bush II commuted the sentence for his political crony—Scooter Libby. Sure hope this stops in 2011. Both Presidents did say that the crimes were wrong. Bush decided that the trial and guilty verdict were enough to free him from prison. Obama just thanked the Eagles for giving Vick a second chance. Apples and oranges in my book.

In Chicago my brother and I had ‘brother time’ while Laura had ‘sister time’. We went a saw the new True Grit. So different than the John Wayne movie of the late 60’s. The two really can’t be compared. The new movie follows the 1968 serial novel by Charles Portis--first published in Saturday Evening Post--much more closely than the older version. The dialogue was very unexpected for me. I can’t really explain it, it was not vulgar or nasty but sounded a little like Western King James dialogue. Gotta see it to understand what I’m talking about. Laura and her sister spent the time at a spa. I’m sure they enjoyed their time together as much as I did.

Everyone I know can look back over their family history and find that in some ways it was dysfunctional. On the surface it is not readily apparent, but as you get to know the person, you find that the hidden dysfunction stories come out in conversation. I am so fortunate that my parents, my brother and I never became estranged. Maybe it’s because we were in a ‘small’ family. Laura has not been so fortunate. She isn’t estranged from anyone in the family, but her parents and some of the siblings are. This makes life a little difficult at times. Sons not talking to mom or daughters not talking to dad is hard on everyone. It is especially difficult when there is a family tragedy. Those who believe that ‘time heals all wounds’ are probably correct. The problem is of course how much time. I wasn’t there when the various riffs occurred so I don’t get it. I just know that everyone involved is placed in difficult situations, always being asked to take sides, always walking on egg shells to avoid being dragged in. Nothing I can do but listen and wonder in my mind how this is part of love.

∞ JEOPARDY PUZZLE—(SuperJeopardy Answers) from 1990 PLANTS
∞Indican, a colorless substance in this plant, turns blue in air & is used as a dye
∞The plantain is a species of this fruit
∞Among the most primitive plants with chlorophyll, it is the main plant life in both seawater & freshwater
∞Carrots are root vegetables while potatoes are examples of these underground stems
∞This cactus can grow to 50' tall & the white flower that grows on top is Arizona's state flower

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM HADDONFIELD, N.J.
A New Jersey collector said he bought a rare Honus Wagner baseball card from an order of Baltimore nuns after an auction winner reneged on a $220,000 bid. Nicholas DePace, 57, a Haddonfield cardiologist who owns one of the most valuable sports memorabilia collections in the country, said he was contacted by auction officials Monday after the original high bidder backed out of paying the School Sisters of Notre Dame for the card, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
DePace, who said he originally stopped bidding on the card when the price became too high, said he changed his mind when he heard proceeds from the sale were destined for the order's ministries in 30 countries. "This is the most famous Honus Wagner card now because it's going to help thousands of people, and that's more than any other Honus Wagner card has ever done," DePace said.

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—This and That
December 26 was traditionally known as St. Stephen’s Day, after the first Christian martyr. It is now more commonly known as Boxing Day. This expression came about because money was collected in alms-boxes placed in churches during the festive season. This money was then distributed to the poor and needy after Christmas.
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AD is short for Anno Domini, or “Year of our Lord,” as proclaimed by the Roman Catholic Church. Some non-Christians prefer the alternative designation “CE” for “Common Era."
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Kwanzaa is a cultural festival during which African Americans celebrate and reflect upon their heritage as the products of two worlds. It begins 26th December and lasts for seven days. Kwanzaa was founded in 1966 by Dr. Maulana “Ron” Karenga, a college professor and African American leader.
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Chanukah, or Hanukkah, lasts for eight days, beginning the 25th of the Hebrew month Kislev (November-December). It celebrates the victory of Judah the Maccabee over the Syrian tyrant Antiochus over 2100 years ago.
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Evergreens and trees were cherished at solstice as a natural symbol of rebirth and life amid winter whiteness. The annual Tree Festival is still celebrated among nature-based faiths such as Wicca. This tree festival was eventually adopted as use for the Christmas tree.
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The oldest written reference of a festival to mark the return of the sun is made to the Mesopotamians. They held a 12-day festival to help the god Marduk tame the monsters of chaos for one more year. There are hundreds of megalithic structures throughout Europe and sacred sites in the Americas, Asia, Indonesia, and the Middle East are oriented to the solstices and the equinoxes.

A LITTLE LAUGH
En route to Hawaii, I noticed one of my passengers in the coach section of the airplane dialing her cell phone.
"Excuse me. That can't be on during the flight," I reminded her. "Besides, we're over the ocean—you won't get a signal out here."
"That's okay," she said. "I'm just calling my daughter. She's sitting up in first class."

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

DAYBOOK INFORMATION
♦ THIS WEEK ♦
25-31 It's About Time Week
26-1/1 Kwanzaa
♦ TODAY IS… ♦
Antepenultimate Day: Last second day of the year or coming before the next to the last in a series.
3rd Day of Kwanza: Ujima (ooh-GEE-mah) is the third day of Kwanzaa and means "collective work and responsibility". On this day we celebrate working together in the community to help others. For Ujima, we pledge to rebuild our communities and to help our people solve our own problems by working together to do it.
Pepper Pot Day: Hot soup served to the Continental Army
Tick Tock Day
Western Christianity: The fifth day of Christmas (Five Golden Rings: First 5 books of Old Testament that explained the fall from grace of man: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy )
Gabon : President's Birthday
Ireland: Constitution Day (1937)
US: Texas : Admission Day (28th state: 1845)
♫ Academy Awards Best Original Song ♫
Click on Song Title to see and hear
♦Today’s Births♦
ARTS
1876 Pablo Casals Spanish cellist/conductor/composer
Paula Poundstone, 51, comedienne
►ACTORS◄
Ted Danson, 63, actor (“Cheers,” “Becker,” Three Men and a Baby)
Marianne Faithfull, 64, singer, actress
Jude Law, 38, actor (Closer, Cold Mountain, The Talented Mr Ripley)
Mary Tyler Moore, 74, actress (two Emmys for “The Dick Van Dyke Show”; three Emmys for “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”; Ordinary People)
Jon Voight, 72, actor (“24”; Oscar for Coming Home; Midnight Cowboy, Deliverance
Andy Wachowski, 43, filmmaker with brother Larry Wachowski (The Matrix)
ATHLETICS
--
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1921 Robert C. Baker Inventor of the chicken nugget
Thomas Edwin (Tom) Jarriel, 76, broadcast journalist
POLITICS
1917 Tom Bradley (Mayor-LA) (1973-93)
1809 William Ewart Gladstone (Liberal) British PM (1868-74, '80-86, '92-94)
1808 Andrew Johnson 17th President (1865-69)
1879 Billy Mitchell aviation hero general (WWI)
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1800 Charles Goodyear inventor (vulcanization process for rubber)
1776 Charles Macintosh Scotish inventor patented waterproof fabric
♦Today’s Obituaries♦
1170 Thomas Beckett archbishop, assassinated by 4 knights of King Henry II
1890 Big Foot Sioux Indian chief, @ Wounded Knee
♦Today’s Events♦
ARTS
1967 Star Trek's "The Trouble With Tribbles" 1st airs
1982 Bob Marley postage stamp issued in Jamaica
ATHLETICS
1862 Bowling ball invented
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1851 1st Young Men's Christian Association chapter opened (Boston)
1972 Life magazine ceases publication
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1830 Nine local missionaries, issue a proclamation defending the Cherokees against the actions of Georgia. Georgia is trying to remove the Cherokee from their lands, in New Echota, today. Eventually. Georgia will pass a law sentencing anyone living in Cherokee territory to 4 years of hard labor, if they have not sworn allegiance to Georgia.
1890 Wounded Knee Battle or Massacre (depending on which version you read)
POLITICS (US)
1778 3,500 British soldiers capture Savannah, Georgia without firing a shot.
1813 British burn Buffalo New York during the War of 1812
1848 Gas lights 1st installed at White House (Polk's administration)
1852 Emma Snodgrass arrested in Boston for wearing pants
POLITICS (International)
1911 Sun Yat-sen becomes the provisional President of the Republic of China
1922 Revised Netherlands Law proclaims suffrage
1949 Hungary nationalized its industries
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1782 1st nautical almanac in US published by Samuel Stearns, Boston
1952 First transistorized hearing aid was offered for sale by Sonotone Corporation on this day.
1997 Hong Kong begins to kill all the nation's 1.25 million chickens to stop the spread of a potentially deadly influenza strain.

ANSWERS
∞ JEOPARDY
∞Indican, a colorless substance in this plant, turns blue in air & is used as a dye
What is Indigo? Learn More Here!
∞The plantain is a species of this fruit
What is a banana?
∞Among the most primitive plants with chlorophyll, it is the main plant life in both seawater & freshwater
What is Algea?
∞Carrots are root vegetables while potatoes are examples of these underground stems
What are tubers?
∞This cactus can grow to 50' tall & the white flower that grows on top is Arizona's state flower
What is Saguaro?

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Tuesday Dec. 28

TODAY’S QUOTE—Justice Hugo L. Black

The Press was protected so that it could bare the secrets of the government and inform the people. Only a free and unrestrained press can effectively expose deception in government. And paramount among the responsibilities of a free press is the duty to prevent any part of the government from deceiving the people.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1943 Stalin deports all inhabitants of Kalmukkie, Russia--about 70,000 killed

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
I had a really nice time with my brother’s in-laws last week. Laura’s sister has two kids—one seven, one three. The boy, 7, listened to his little sister when she said ‘cut my hair’. When we arrived Sky had flowing blond locks, but by the next day she had a very cute pixie cut. Sky’s mom couldn’t see the humor so we don’t have pics between the long and short hair. Too bad. My brother and I always opened our presents on Christmas morning. It was a very orderly process. Each person got a present, opened it, thanked the giver, if present, and waited for everyone to finish their first present. Then came the second, third… always with the wait. When we were young, Santa always left a couple of presents unwrapped. We went to Laura’s father’s house for a delicious early dinner and the opening of presents with adults and 8 kids. The kids could just not be slowed down as paper, ribbon, and presents were flying around the living room. It was total chaos for about 30 minutes. All the moms were trying to figure out who gave which child what. The kids certainly didn’t know and I’m sure some relatives will be getting very generic thank you notes. You know: “Thank you very much for the Christmas present. I really wanted it and will like it for months to come.” Hopefully everyone will just be happy to get a thank you note. The other thing I will say about my Chicago relatives, they love to eat. We had two big meals every day we were there at a different house. This was my third year and now I am really part of the family. It was kinda hard to leave, knowing I won’t see them again for a year.

I didn’t see the sun for a week and was really looking forward to AZ, to see the sun. I left the hotel at 3:00 this morning, got to Phoenix about 8a and Flag about 10a. Sadly neither Chicago, Phoenix, nor Flagstaff was going to let me see the sun. Flag kinda cleared this afternoon, but even then not very sunny. The positive part of this was that Chicago never got below 30° the whole time we were there. It did not get much warmer than 35°, but we just had light snow and very little wind, so I ain’t complainin’.

I learned to use my Android phone while in Chicago. It even has GPS with oral driving directions. I still have some more learning ahead, but now feel comfortable making calls, sending and receiving texts and emails, using the calendar, Facebook and playing a few games. My much younger brother said he want one, but my the end or the trip he said he also getting a ‘dumb’ cell phone too, just for phone calls. Ah, technology.

Richard & Laura are with friends in Mexico City for the New Year, and then in mid January he goes for a job interview in VietNam. He will be working out of either New York or Miami as he finds vendors for the high end furniture line. Speaking of high end, we went to an open house in Chicago at the home of a friend of Laura had gone to the Art Institute with. They both design furniture. It was a beautiful home, and they showed us four hickory chairs they had just received from a Georgia farmer who made chairs in his spare time (Folk Architecture?). Each chair had been much more expensive, but they got them for $750 each since they bought four. They were hickory chairs with a woven seat much like rattan. They were very nice…just not my price range…ever.

∞ JEOPARDY PUZZLE—(SuperJeopardy Answers) from 1990 MUSICAL THEATRE
§Last name shared by musical theatre greats Moss & Lawrence
§The original cast album of this Broadway musical features a rose & a mask on the cover
§The title character of this comical 1956 musical almost marries Apassionata Von Climax
§1-word title of the 1980 musical which featured the following:
When the pills the doctor gave you turn your cold to the grippe /
When a stitch to save nine others comes apart with a rip /
When the rats invade your attic and start leaving your ship /
Follow my tip /
Come away on a trip /
Just join the circus...
§Gertrude Lawrence was the "lady" in the title of this 1941 musical about psychoanalysis

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM WIGAN, England 
A British man participating in the World Pie Eating Championship set a world record by downing a saucer-sized meat pie in only 23.91 seconds. Organizers of the competition said Neil Collier, 42, bested the previous record of 35.86 seconds, set by former champion Barry Rigby, 37, at Tuesday's contest at Harry's Bar in Wigan, England, The Guardian reported Wednesday. "He just seemed to open his throat and down it went," organizer Tony Callaghan said. "He's from Bolton, mind, which is crying shame for a Wiganer to have to say, but he's certainly learned how to eat pies somewhere. Probably in Wigan." Official Iain Macauley said Collier narrowly avoided disqualification by starting to eat his pie only a fraction of a second after the starting signal was given.

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—
∞ Sports shooters, especially those who use indoor small-bore rifle ranges, risk lead absorption and intoxication.
∞ Recreational skiers can easily reach speeds of up to 40 mph, which can lead to injuries similar to those seen in car accidents.

A LITTLE LAUGH
Flashlights used by my National Guard unit can withstand almost anything. And to prove it, they come with a lifetime warranty.
Nevertheless, nothing is indestructible, which is why the warranty also cautions, "Void with shark bites, bear attacks and children under the age of five."

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

DAYBOOK INFORMATION
♦ THIS WEEK ♦
25-31It's About Time Week
26-1/1: Kwanzaa
♦ TODAY IS… ♦
National Chocolate Day
Card Playing Day
The 2nd Day of Kwanzaa
The 2nd day of a week long festival celebrating the African American people, their culture and their history. On the second day the black candle is again lit, as well as the farthest red candle on the left. This represents the 2nd principle of Kwanzaa – Kujichagulia (koo-jee-chah-goo-LEE-ah): Self-Determination
Iowa: Admission Day (1846: 29th state: The Hawkeye State)
Western Christianity: The fourth day of Christmas. (4 Calling Birds…for Mathew, Mark, Luke, John)
Nepál: King Birendra's Birthday
Canada, United Kingdom (except Scotland), Australia, New Zealand: Boxing Day: historical--to give to the poor; modern: to return gifts--both for 'boxing up items'
Thailand: King Taksin Memorial Day (1768-1782)
South Australia: Proclamation Day, celebration started on the day following Christmas. (since 1836: became British Province)
♫ Academy Awards Best Original Song ♫
Click on Song Title to see and hear
♦Today’s Births♦
ARTS
David Archuleta, 20, singer, television personality (“American Idol”)
John Legend, 32, R&B singer, born John Stephens
1924 Rod Serling writer/host (Twilight Zone, Night Gallery)
Edgar Winter, 64, singer, musician
►actors◄
1905 - Cliff Arquette (Charley Weaver) actor
Lou Jacobi, 97, actor (Irma La Douce)
Maggie Smith, 76, actress (Oscars for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, California Suite
Denzel Washington, 56, actor (The Hurricane, Malcolm X; Oscars for Training Day and Glory)
ATHLETICS
James Blake, 31, tennis player
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1895 Auguste and Louis Lumiere twin brothers opened 1st commercial cinema
POLITICS
1856 - Woodrow Wilson 28th U.S. President [1913-1921]: asked Congress to declare war on Germany [Apr 2, 1917]; president of Princeton University [1902-1910]; Governor of New Jersey [1911-1913]; married to Ellen Axson [three daughters], Edith Galt; nickname: Schoolmaster in Politics
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1828 Karl L Kahlbaum German psychiatrist (catatonie)
♦Today’s Obituaries♦
1945 Theodore Dreiser novelist (An American Tragedy), @ 74
1923 Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel engineer (Eiffel Tower), @ 91
1884 Gerben Colmjon Frisian linguist/publisher, @ 56
1694 Queen Mary II of England smallpox after 5 years of rule @ 32
1984 Sam Peckinpah director, cardiac arrest @ 59
♦Today’s Events♦
ARTS
1973 - Alexander Solzhenitsyn published first volume of his Gulag Archipelago in Paris.
1983 - The Beach Boys’ Dennis Wilson drowned in Marina Del Ray, California
ATHLETICS
1905 Intercollegiate Athletic Association of US founded (becomes NCAA in 1910)
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1732 1st known ad for "Poor Richard's Almanack" (Pennsylvania Gazette)
1849 M Jolly-Bellin discovers dry-cleaning, he accidentally upset lamp containing turpentine & oil on his clothing & sees cleaning effect
1869 William Finley Semple of Mt. Vernon, Ohio patented “the combination of rubber with other articles adapted to the formation of an acceptablechewing gum.”
1877 John Stevens applies for a patent on his flour rolling mill
1895 World's 1st movie theater opens in Paris
1912 - The first municipally-owned street cars took to the streets of San Francisco, California.
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1791 Cherokee Chief Bloody Fellow, and others, arrive in Philadelphia to meet with President Washington. The meeting will be delayed by Secretary of War Knox until the Cherokees have been outfitted in "more proper" clothing.
POLITICS (US)
1816 American Colonization Society organizes
POLITICS (International)
1065 Westminster Abbey opens in London
1850 Rangoon Burma destroyed by fire
1950 Chinese troops cross 38th Parallel, into South Korea
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1828 6.8 earthquake strikes Echigo Japan, 30,000 killed

ANSWERS
∞ JEOPARDY
§Last name shared by musical theatre greats Moss & Lawrence
What is Hart?
§The original cast album of this Broadway musical features a rose & a mask on the cover
What is ‘Phantom of the Opera’?
§The title character of this comical 1956 musical almost marries Apassionata Von Climax
What is ‘Lil Abner’?
§1-word title of the 1980 musical which featured the following:
What is ‘Barnum’?
§Gertrude Lawrence was the "lady" in the title of this 1941 musical about psychoanalysis
What is ‘Lady in the Dark’?

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Tuesday Dec 21

My blackberry gave up today...had to get a new phone. Learning the Android. Steep learning curve but nice.
This is my last blog until I get back from Chicago.
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL and
TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT.
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Monday December 20

TODAY’S QUOTE—Hamilton Wright Mabie
Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love!

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
Maggie, the hostess for the Christmas Cookie Open House really put out a spread. There must have been two dozen kinds of cookies. Talk about a sugar high. There were lots of people there and it was a very enjoyable afternoon. I met many of their neighbors who have had one hell of a summer with the fire and the flooding. Every house I drove by still has sandbags around their property and most have sandbags, ready for use around their front doors. Everyone of them, in separate conversations said that they had no idea that this could happen. Neither did the builders, or the insurance companies, or the county, or the forest service. Everyone dropped the ball for these poor people. Everyone was in good cheer, despite the flooding, and looking forward to a great new year.

Our congress is still not ready to deal with the immigration issue. The Dream Act failed. None of those who voted against it seem to have any idea what will work—they just seem to know that any idea proposed won’t work. ‘Ship them home’—against that. ‘Path to citizenship’—against that. ‘Make them all legal’—against that. ‘Close the border’—for that but don’t have a plan on how to do that. I am not looking forward to another year of no solutions with the immigration issue. McCain was right when he said yesterday was a sad day. It’s too bad his sadness was not about the immigration issue.

While the country is still suffering from high unemployment, it appears that things are on the mend. I believe that Obama had a lot to do with the positive change. I believe that those who oppose him are not really looking at the problems, only looking for re-election or high ratings for their ‘news’ shows. The idea that Faux news has given its on-air people certain phrases to use and certain phrases not to use when discussing just about every news item, is so 1984—the Orwell book, not that year.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1820 Missouri imposes a $1 bachelor tax on unmarried men between 21 & 50 ($15.15 in 2010$)

∞ JEOPARDY PUZZLE—(SuperJeopardy Answers) from 1990 CLASSICAL LITERATURE
∞The people Aeneas led to Italy to found Rome were the losers in this war
∞The Elder wrote natural history & the Younger, his nephew & adopted son, was known for his books of letters
∞Philosopher who was grossly caricatured in Aristophanes' "The Clouds"
∞This first Greek historian attempted to write a history of the world up to his own time
∞This Roman poet fought for Brutus before settling down to write his epodes & odes

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—
∞During the bloody thirty-eight-year reign of Henry VIII, an estimated 57,000 to 72,000 English subjects lost their heads.
∞After victory in battle, Vikings drank blood of vanquished enemies from human skulls, hence the Scandinavian toast, "Skol!"

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM: PURCELL, OK
An Oklahoma volunteer group said a skunk got into its storage facility and sprayed nearly 800 presents collected for children in low-income families. Peggy Christian with McClain County Operation Christmas said volunteers have been attempting to salvage as many of the smelly gifts as possible before the planned delivery run Friday, KOCO-TV, Oklahoma City, reported. "The ones laying out, they have been sprayed with Febreeze many, many times," Christian said. Christian said the volunteer group, which handed out 786 gifts in 2009, is accepting donations before 5 p.m. Thursday at the Purcell Multi-Purpose Center and after 5 p.m. at the Purcell Police Department. Christian told KOTV, Tulsa, Okla., support has been pouring in from the community since the incident with the skunk. "I've already had a lot of phone calls. People here locally that have called and said 'What can we do to help?'" she said.

A LITTLE LAUGH
A man goes into a restaurant, sits down at a table and an attractive young waitress comes for his order. He gives her a smile and says, "I want a quickie."
She turns red in the face and ahems, "Sir, I don't know what kind of restaurant you're used to eating in, but I can assure you you're not going to get a quickie here!"
"How disappointing," the man replied. "Could you ask the chef to make an exception?"
"He doesn't have anything to do with it!" says the waitress indignantly.
"Hmmm," do you know anywhere around here where I could get a quickie?"
"I'm SURE I don't know," answers the waitress loudly.
A patron from the next table leans over and taps the man on the shoulder, "I think it's pronounced QUICHE."

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

A break from traditional carols
David Letterman- Top Ten Christmas Carols 2009

DAYBOOK INFORMATION
♦ THIS WEEK ♦
14-28: Halcyon Days: The seven days where there are no winter storms
16-24: Posadas:
17-23: Saturnalia
19-25: Gluten-free Baking Week
♦ TODAY IS… ♦
Cathode-Ray Tube Day: used as older TV’s picture tube
Games Day
International Human Solidarity Day
Mudd Day: Dr. Samuel Mudd treated John Wilkes Booth and spent 4 years in jail for it.
♫ Academy Awards Best Original Song ♫
Click on Song Title to see and hear
1985 "Say You, Say Me" — White Nights
1986 "Take My Breath Away" — Top Gun
1987 "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" — Dirty Dancing
1988 "Let the River Run" — Working Girl
♦Today’s Births♦
ARTS
1895 - Susanne Langer philosopher; author: Philosophy in a New Key: A Study in the Symbolism of Reason, Rite, and Art
1926 - David Levine caricaturist: New York Review of Books; “Probably the greatest American caricaturist.” -- The New York Times
► ◄ Actors
1924 Charlie Callas comedian/actor (High Anxiety, Hysterical)
John Hillerman, 78, Emmy Award-winning actor: Magnum P.I. [1986-1987]
ATHLETICS
Royal Ivey, 29, basketball (Hawks, Bucks, 76ers)
David Wright, 28, baseball (Mets)
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1868 Harvey S Firestone Industrialist, where the rubber meets the road
William Julius Wilson, 75, sociologist, educator, writer (When Work Disappears)
POLITICS
1813 Samuel Jordan Kirkwood (Governor-IA)/US Secretary of Interior (1881-82)
Mahathir bin Mohamed, 85, Malaysia’s prime minister [May 15, 1983-Sep 29, 1994]
1720 Charles Edward Stuart [Bonnie Prince Charlie/Young Pretender]
SCIENCE & RELIGION
Uri Geller, 64, psychic, clairvoyant
1805 Thomas Graham father of colloid chemistry
1833 Dr Samuel A Mudd convicted of giving medical aid to John Wilkes Booth
♦Today’s Obituaries♦
Richard J Daley Chicago mayor @ 74 in 1976
Bobby Darin singer (Mack the Knife), heart failure @ 37 in 1973
Roy O Disney Brother of Walt, cerebral hemorrhage @ 78 in 1971
John Galle Flemish engraver/printer, @ 76 in 1676
James Hilton English author (Lost Horizon), liver cancer @ 54 in 1954
Max Robinson 1st black network (ABC) TV anchor, AIDS @ 49 in 1988
Dean Rusk US Secretary of State (1961-69), @ 85 in 1994
Sacagawea (Tsakakawias) Shoshone interpreter for Lewis & Clark @ 24 in 1812 or @ 96 in 1884 note: a very interesting history of Sacagawea
Carl Sagan scientist (Contact), pneumonia / cancer @ 62 in 1996
John Steinbeck author (Grapes of Wrath, Nobel 1962), heart disease @ 66 in 1968
♦Today’s Events♦
ARTS
1920 Bob Hope becomes an American citizen
ATHLETICS
1940 Connie Mack acquires controlling interest in the Athletics for $42,000
1957 Elvis Presley given draft notice to join US Army for National Service
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1790 1st successful US cotton mill to spin yarn (Pawtucket RI)
1928 1st international dogsled mail leaves Minot ME for Montréal, Québec
1945 Rationing of auto tires ends in US
1988 Animal rights terrorists fire-bomb Harrod's department store, London
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1803 New Orleans and tribal land becomes part of the United States (Louisiana Purchase).
POLITICS (US)
1669 1st jury trial in Delaware; Marcus Jacobson condemned for insurrection & sentenced to flogging, branding & slavery
1850 Hawaiian post office established
1860 South Carolina votes 169-0 for Ordinance of Secession, 1st state to secede
1919 US House of Representatives restricts immigration
     Immigration from a specific nation was limited to three percent of that nation’s population living
     in the United States, as reported in the 1910 Federal Census.
1989 US troops invade Panamá & oust Manuel Noriega, but don't catch him
POLITICS (International)
1192 Richard the Lionhearted captured in Vienna
1606 Virginia Company settlers leave London to establish Jamestown VA via Susan Constant, Godspeed and Discovery
1699 Peter the Great ordered Russian New Year changed-Sept 1 to Jan 1
1942 1st Japanese bombing of Calcutta
1963 Berlin Wall opens for 1st time to West Berliners
1963 Trial against 21 camp guards of Auschwitz begins
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1879 Tom Edison privately demonstrated incandescent light at Menlo Park
1880 New York's Broadway lit by electricity, becomes known as "Great White Way"
1900 Giacobini discovers a comet (will be 1st comet visited by spacecraft)

ANSWERS
∞ JEOPARDY
∞The people Aeneas led to Italy to found Rome were the losers in this war
What was the Trojan War?
∞The Elder wrote natural history & the Younger, his nephew & adopted son, was known for his books of letters
Who was Pliny?
∞Philosopher who was grossly caricatured in Aristophanes' "The Clouds"
Who was Socrates?
∞This first Greek historian attempted to write a history of the world up to his own time
Who was Herodotus?
∞This Roman poet fought for Brutus before settling down to write his epodes & odes
Who was Horace?
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Sunday Dec 19


TODAY’S QUOTE—Harlan Miller
I wish we could put up some of the Christmas spirit in jars and open a jar of it every month.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
It was a wet and windy day. I was just about to get ready for my last Christmas Open House before leaving for Chicago. Luckily I checked the invite and it is on Sunday. Messed up my schedule, but was not embarrassed by ringing the doorbell a day early. In years past they have always had it on Saturday, but since the host is also celebrating his 70th birthday, they moved it to his actual birthday. That is nice. That makes two of my friends who have reached 70 in 2010 and one who made 80.

Landmark legislation today. Back in 1778 the first soldier was kicked out of the army for performing an act of sodomy. During WWII soldiers had to take a psychological review and if they were found to be homosexual they were given a ‘blue’ discharge. In 1982 the DOD issued Directive 1332 that stated that homosexuality was clearly incompatible with military service. Pres. Clinton tried to get that directive overturned. He lost. His compromise was “Don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t pursue” and later ‘don’t harass was added. All of these laws and directives were aimed at ‘engaging in homosexual activities’. Our own Senator McCain had seemed a few years ago to come out with an anti-DADT belief. He stated on many occasions that he would follow the military leader’s desires with any change in the law. It turns out this was a political ploy. The military leaders said that things would work if gays were openly in the military; McCain demanded, and got, a survey of active military on their feelings. That alone was so anti-military. Since when do the military ask the soldiers about any directive? The soldiers said it didn’t matter. McCain continued to make excuses for not voting for what the military and the American people wanted. Even today, as the vote was taken in the Senate, John was up there spouting his current belief that this would end the world as we know it, and not for the better. The majority of senators said that DADT’s days were over. Thankfully people are beginning to see the difference between the LGBT community and predators. Ignorance has been dealt a much deserved severe blow.

“You don't have to be straight to be in the military; you just have to be able to shoot straight.” Barry Goldwater. I saw this posted several times on FB today. I was never a Barry-fan. While his quote sounds profound, coming from a very conservative political figure; I have to wonder if he would have pulled a John McCain when push came to shove. I guess I’m just getting a little cynical in my old-er age.

I had to run to the grocery store this afternoon and the store wasn’t overly busy, but the mall was packed. This sure looks like a great Christmas for the merchants. Of course they are having big sales, but believe me, they are still making money. That is good for them, good for their employees, and good for the country.

HOLY MACKEREL: 1904 The Dawson City (Yukon) hockey team begins 9 day walk to get a boat to Seattle to catch a train to Ottawa to play in the Stanley Cup on January 13 1905

∞ JEOPARDY PUZZLE—(SuperJeopardy Answers) from 1990 Literature
∞This encyclopedia originated as part of the Scottish Enlightenment of the 18th century
∞The girls who were part of "The Group", by Mary McCarthy, attended this college
∞As James Jones could tell you, this completes Kipling's line from "Gentlemen-Rankers", "Damned from..."
∞Her poem "I Never Saw A Moor" didn't refer to her missing a production of "Othello"
∞Among his "Mosses From An Old Manse" is "Rappachini's Daughter"

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION—Stamps
∞Bhutan, an Asian nation in the Himalayan Mountains, issued a group of postage stamps that were actually phonograph records. These stamps, issued in 1973, had native folk songs recorded on one side and could be played on a record player.
∞Sometime before 1883 advertising for various products was printed on the back of U.S. three-cent stamps.
∞In 1693, letters were held in front of a candle to determine the postage rate. The less the light shone through, the more costly the rate. This was known as candling.

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEMS
∞In Wisconsin a postal carrier said he simply wanted to cheer up a woman on his rounds who seemed "stressed out" so he decided to deliver her mail naked.
He even told her he was going to do it. As a prank, I suppose. But whether she took him seriously or not, there was no doubting his sincerity when he showed up at her office wearing only a smile and his mail bag.
The 52-year-old was arrested for lewd and lascivious behavior several days later.

∞In Scarsdale, New York A woman named Nicola Briggs was minding her own business on the train when she noticed a man standing unusually close to her.
When she looked down she noticed he had his penis out and was trying to rub it up against her.
Instead of doing what a lot of women would do and just walk (or run) away, she called him out, loudly, and recruited the other passengers in the car to make sure he didn't leave until the police could be called.
In the ensuing minutes every single passenger with a camera phone was taking video of the dumb bastard. One of the videos which made it onto Youtube more than 800,000 hits before it was taken down. The 51-year-old Queens man, was sentenced to four months in jail for forcible touching. But the best part is that the woman was awarded a diamond necklace from the Professional Women of Westchester organization for standing up to the pervert.

A LITTLE LAUGH
We were eating at one of the trendier restaurants in town when my friend pointed to the menu and told the waitress, "I'll have the 24."
"Uh, Jim," I whispered, "that's the price, not the meal number."
"Oh," he said. "In that case give me the 12."

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’
It says Top 20 Christmas Songs of All Time but is talking about pop culture—still some memories!

DAYBOOK INFORMATION
♦ THIS WEEK ♦
14-28: Halcyon Days: The seven days where there are no winter storms
16-24: Posadas:
17-23: Saturnalia
19-25: Gluten-free Baking Week
♦ TODAY IS… ♦
Oatmeal Muffin Day
Day for South-South Cooperation (since 2003) Developing Nations promoting and implementing technical cooperation
Goa: Liberation day (1961 when Nehru defeated Portuguese in Goa )
Hawaii: Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop's Birthday (1831-last surviving heir of King Kamehameha I
♫ Academy Awards Best Original Song ♫
Click on Song Title to see and hear
Note: Never realized that this may have been the beginning of all those currently popular ‘impromptu mall happenings’
♦Today’s Births♦
ARTS
Lil’ Jimmy Dickens, 90, country singer (Grand Ole Opry)
1885 F S Flint translator/poet (imagist movement)
1901 Oliver [Hazard Perry] La Farge anthropologist/novelist (Laughing Boy)
1940 - Phil Ochs folk singer, songwriter
1944 - Zal Yanovsky musician: guitar, singer: group: The Lovin’ Spoonful: Do You Believe in Magic
► ◄ Actors
Jennifer Beals, 47, actress (“The L Word,” Flashdance)
Jake Gyllenhaal, 30, actor (Brokeback Mountain, Jarhead, Donnie Darko)
Alyssa Milano, 38, actress (“Charmed,” “Melrose Place”)
Tim Reid, 66, actor (“Frank’s Place,” “WKRP in Cincinnati”)
Cicely Tyson, 71, actress (Emmy for The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman; Sounder)
1946 Robert Urich actor: Spenser: for Hire
ATHLETICS
Kevin Edward McHale, 53, Hall of Fame basketball (Celtics)
1961 Reggie White football: Green Bay Packers DE
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1849 Henry Clay Frick built world's largest coke & steel operation
1894 Yoshida Isoya architect (modern sukiya style)
1836 Maria L Sanford pioneer educator (PTA)
1920 David Susskind TV host (Open End, David Susskind Show)
POLITICS
1906 Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev 1st Secretary of the Community Party/President of the USSR (1964-82)
1926 Jeanne Kirkpatrick US ambassador to UN
SCIENCE & RELIGION
Richard E. Leakey, 66, anthropologist
♦Today’s Obituaries♦
Alois Alzheimer German neurologist (first described Alzheimer's Disease), heart failure @ 51 in 1915
Michael Clarke drummer (Byrds), liver failure @ 49 in 1993
Mel Fisher underwater treasure hunter / film maker, bladder cancer @ 76 in 1998
Masaru Ibuka co-founder (Sony Corp), @ 89 in 1997
Marcello Vincenzo Domenico Mastroianni actor (8½, Assassin, Family Diary), pancreatic canter @ 72 in 1996
Raymond Massey actor (Dr Gillespie-Dr Kildaire), @ 87 in 1983
Robert A Millikan US physicist (Nobel 1923), heart attack @ 85 in 1953
Norman Thomas founder (ACLU)/Socialist Party (1926-55), @ 84 in 1968
♦Today’s Events♦
ARTS
1957 Meredith Willson’s The Music Man begins 1375 show run: Majestic Theatre NYC.
1971 CBS airs "Homecoming - A Christmas Story" (introducing the Waltons)
1971 Stanley Kubrick's X-rated "A Clockwork Orange" premieres
ATHLETICS
1987 Gari Kasparov becomes world chess champion
BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1854 Allen Wilson of Connecticut patents sewing machine to sew curving seams
1871 Albert L Jones (New York NY), patents corrugated paper
1918 Robert Ripley began his "Believe It or Not" column (New York Globe)
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1675 Narragansetts under Chief Canonchet battle with Plymouth Governor Josiah Winslow with 970 men from Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Plymouth. Statistics of the fight are: colonists lose 70-80 men, 150 wounded, Indians lose 600 dead, half of them warriors.
1813 A combined force of Indians warriors and British soldiers will attack, and capture Fort Niagara, in New York. The American defenders will sustain 60 fatalities and 350 will be captured. Later, the victorious Indians would also capture nearby Lewiston.
POLITICS (US)
1776 Thomas Paine published his 1st "American Crisis" essay, in which he wrote, "These are the times that try men's souls"
1777 Washington settles his troops at Valley Forge PA for the winter
1795 1st state appropriation of money for road building, Kentucky
1823 Georgia passes 1st US state birth registration law
1941 US Office of Censorship created to control info pertaining to WWII
POLITICS (International)
1788 Chinese troops occupy capital Thang Long Vietnam
1950 General Eisenhower named NATO commander
1950 Tibet's Dalai Lama flees Chinese invasion
SCIENCE & RELIGION
1891 1st Negro Catholic priest ordained in US, Charles Uncles, Baltimore
1928 1st autogiro (predecessor of helicopter) flight in US
1949 Luxury passenger ship Aquitania demolished in Garelock Scotland
1958 1st radio broadcast from space (recorded Christmas message by President Eisenhower: "To all mankind, America's wish for Peace on Earth & Good Will to Men Everywhere")
1972 Apollo 17 (last of Apollo Moon landing series) returns to Earth
2000 A volcano outside Mexico City spewed a fiery fountain of ash and rock in its most spectacular eruption in more than a millennium.

ANSWERS
∞ JEOPARDY
∞This encyclopedia originated as part of the Scottish Enlightenment of the 18th century
What is Encyclopedia Britannica?
∞The girls who were part of "The Group", by Mary McCarthy, attended this college
What is Vassar?
∞As James Jones could tell you, this completes Kipling's line from "Gentlemen-Rankers", "Damned from..."
What is ‘Here to Eternity’?
∞Her poem "I Never Saw A Moor" didn't refer to her missing a production of "Othello"
Who was Emily Dickinson?
∞Among his "Mosses From An Old Manse" is "Rappachini's Daughter"
Who is Nathaniel Hawthorne?
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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.