2-14-11 Monday

TODAY’s HOLY MACKEREL: 1924 IBM Corporation founded by Thomas Watson: don’t miss Jeopardy with the computer Watson 3 days, beginning today.

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MY FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS
♥ H A P P Y V A L E N T I N E ‘ S D A Y ♥ to all. ♫ Happy 99th to ARIZONA ♫
I am doing nothing different with this blog, yet some days it loads, other days it doesn’t. I use a Word Template and add the pictures at the end in Blogger. I’ve been doing this for almost 2 years and suddenly, when I hit the publish button everything is gone, or almost everything is gone. I have switched browsers from IE to Chrome and the same thing happens. If this continues, I may try opening a new blog. I do have to do all the Bold and Italic stuff in Blogger, and hate doing all that several times to get it to publish. Oh well, no one to complain to, since the blog is free. There are lots of free blog sites on the web but not all allow pictures. Time will tell what I do.

This was a great spring day—as we hit 61° and I spent time on the deck. I haven’t figured out why I don’t have a lot of birds this winter. One guess is the snow from last winter scared them away. Whatever the reason, I still have plenty of food for them so they are welcome back anytime. I sure hope more deck-days continue…so much better than cold wind. Sitting out there started the juices flowing to plant, water, and enjoy some flora. The only hope I have is that the two squirrels who think they own the entire area behind the building is their home. They attempt to eat the bird seed and suet, but I have that pretty well solved.

I just caught a piece about Laughing Yoga. The link is below under Found on You Tube. It all started in Mumbai, India by one man and has quickly become a world- wide phenom. There are no centers in Flagstaff yet, but we sure could use some. One Indian in the piece suggested that this may be the cheapest healthcare program in the world.

The news keeps talking about the Obama budget that will make deep cuts. I doubt that. The Tea Party Reps have said they too have big cuts. Of course the cuts from both sides will be different and through our compromise system, most won’t happen. I’m sure big business will continue to make profits, not hire new employees, give their executives huge bonus payments and even better golden parachutes when they leave. The Tea Party has proposed cuts in abortion—which the Feds don’t pay for anyway and cuts in unemployment. Nothing about new jobs. Nothing about balancing the budget from the top money makers. What a mess. No one will be happy when the two budgets are introduced, few will be happy with the compromises, and until more people have jobs, more people have good health care at a reasonable price, and we stop buying our allies, things will just plug along with no one happy, some really pissed off, and a very few somewhat happy.
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DID YOU KNOW THAT…
>Steep 8 tea bags in a foot tub until water is dark and no longer hot, then soak feet for 20 minutes. Tea has anti-bacterial properties that kill odor-causing bacteria.
>Laundry hampers can get a sour or musty smell. Ensure yours stays fresh by poking several holes in a box of baking soda and placing it at the bottom of the hamper. It will eliminate moisture as it soaks up odors.

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION… Fortune Cookies
>Some sources claim that David Jung, founder of Los Angeles' Hong Kong Noodle Company, created the fortune cookie in 1916, possibly to brighten up the survivors of World War I with the happy messages contained inside.
>Others say the fortune cookie was invented Japanese immigrant Makoto Hagiwara in 1914. Hagiwara was a gardener who designed the famous Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park.
>In 1993, San Francisco's Court of Historical Review held a mock "trial" to settle the matter of the fortune cookie's origins. The court backed Hagiwara's claim, ruling that the honor belonged to San Francisco.
>Fortune cookies became common in Chinese restaurants after World War II. Desserts were not traditionally part of Chinese cuisine, and the cookies thus offered Americans something familiar with an exotic flair.
>Early fortunes featured Biblical sayings, or aphorisms from Confucius, Aesop, or Ben Franklin.
>Fortune cookies were originally made by hand using chopsticks. In 1964, Edward Louie of San Francisco's Lotus Fortune Cookie Company, automated the process by creating a machine that folds the dough and slips in the fortune.
>Now, the world's largest fortune cookie manufacturer, Wonton Food Inc. of Long Island City, Queens ships out 60 million cookies a month.

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM…NEW YORK
- New York's Bronx Zoo said it is offering Valentine's gift-givers the opportunity to name Madagascar hissing cockroaches after their sweeties. The zoo said people can pay $10 to have their Valentine's name given to a roach in the Madagascar! Exhibit with an accompanying e-card informing the recipient of the naming gift, the New York Daily News reported Thursday. "Nothing says forever like a cockroach," zoo director Jim Breheny said.
"They are resourceful, resilient and have been around for hundreds of millions of years." The Bronx Zoo's Valentine's festivities also include an online "Courtship Quiz," available at www.bronxzoo.com, for humans to compare their courtship styles to those found in the animal kingdom.

A LITTLE LAUGH…
An old man made it shakily through the door to Joe Conforte's Mustang Ranch, outside Reno, Nevada. The receptionist stared at him.
"You gotta be in the wrong place," she exclaimed. "What are you looking for?"
"Ain't this the famous Mustang Ranch? Ain't this where you got forty-five girls ready-n-able?"
The receptionist looked perplexed. "Ready for what?"
"I want a girl," the old man rasped. "I wanna get some action."
"How old are you, Pop?" she asked.
"Ninety-two," he replied.
"Ninety-two? Pop, you've HAD it!"
"Oh," said the old man, a little disconcerted as his trembling fingers reached for his wallet. "How much do I owe you?"

Top 10 In The World

CLOSEUP PICTURE…
Can you identify this close up picture?

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’…  Laughter Yoga on Discovery Channel

♫ Rock Anthems ♫
Click on Song Title to see and hear
♪… 1. We Will Rock You - Queen
♪… 2. My Generation - The Who
♪… 3. Rockin' in the Free World - Neil Young
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DAYBOOK INFORMATION
¤…THIS WEEK…¤
7-14 ► Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week ♥ Publicity for Profit Week ♥ Risk Awareness Week ♥ Love Makes the World Go Round; But, Laughter Keeps Us From Getting Dizzy Week ♥ World Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Week
10-16 ► Celebration of Love Week ♥ Children of Alcoholics Week
12-15 ► Random Acts of Kindness Week
13-19 ► International Flirting Week ♥ National Secondhand Wardrobe Week ♥ PTA Take Your Family To School Week
14-21 ► Alzheimer’s and Dementia Awareness Week ♥ Love a Mench Week ♥ National Condom Week: ♥ National Nestbox Week ♥ NCCDP Alzheimer's & Dementia Staff Education Week ♥ International Friendship Week ♥ National Conference on Education

¤…TODAY IS…¤
Ferris Wheel Day
National Heart to Heart Day
Clean Out Your Computer Day
League of Women Voters Day
Library Lovers Day
National Condom Day
National Donor Day
Quirky Alone Day
Race Relations Day
Valentine’s Day
World Marriage Day
Denmark: Gaekkebrev/Fjörtende Februar-gift exchanges by school kids
Mexico: Day of National Mourning (Vincent Guerrero-1831)
US: Arizona: 1912 Admission Day: 48th state: Countdown to Centennial begins
US: Oregon: 1859 Admission Day: 33rd state

Today’s Births...

○ AUTHORS/COMPOSERS
Carl Bernstein, 67, journalist, author (All the President’s Men with Bob Woodward)
1881 William John Gruffydd Welsh poet/scholar (Ynys yr Hud)
1856 Frank Harris English journalist/writer (My Life & Loves)
○ ATHLETES
Drew Bledsoe, 39, former football (Patriots, Bills, Cowboys)
1913 Woody (Wayne) Hayes College Football Hall of Famer: Ohio State head coach for 33 years
○ BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1913 Jimmy Hoffa Teamsters leader who disappeared in 1975
1864 Robert E Park US sociologist (human ecology, marginal man)
○ ENTERTAINERS (ACTORS/SINGERS/…)
1894 Jack Benny [Benjamin Kubelski], actor, comedian "Oh! Rochester!"
Hugh Downs, 90, broadcaster (“Today,” “20/20”)
Florence Henderson, 77, singer, actress (“The Brady Bunch”)
1946 Gregory Hines dancer, actor: Renaissance Man, Tap, The Cotton Club
1929 Vic Morrow actor (Combat, Roots, Twilight Zone the Movie)
1905 Thelma Ritter actress (Miracle on 34th Street)
Teller, 63, magician (Penn and Teller), born Raymond Joseph Teller
○ POLITICIANS
Michael Bloomberg, 69, Mayor of New York City
○ SCIENCE & RELIGION
1760 Richard Allen 1st black ordained by Methodist-Episcopal church
1859 George Washington Gale Ferris engineer/inventor (Ferris Wheel)
1838 Margaret Knight inventor, "the female Thomas Edison"
1858 Joseph Thomson Scotish geologist (Thomson's gazelle)

Today’s Obits…
1780 William Blackstone English lawyer, gout @ 56
1571 Benvenuto Cellini Italian sculptor/metalsmith/author (Perseus), @ 70
1779 James Cook British explorer, murdered by natives in fracas with Hawaiians @ 50
1996 Eva Hart Titanic survivor@ 90
1988 Frederick Loewe US composer (My Fair Lady), @ 84

Today’s Events…
○ ARTS
1967 Aretha Franklin records "Respect"
○ ATHLETICS
1951 Sugar Ray Robinson defeats Jake LaMotta & takes middleweight title
1952 6th Winter Olympics games opens in Oslo, Norway
1980 13th Winter Olympics games open in Lake Placid NY
○ BUSINESS & EDUCATION
1794 1st US textile machinery patent granted, to James Davenport, Philadelphia PA
1803 Apple parer patented by Moses Coats, Downington PA
1889 1st trainload of fruit (oranges) leaves Los Angeles for the east
1919 United Parcel Service forms
1941 1,000,000th vehicle traverses the New York Midtown Tunnel
○ INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
1776 The first Spanish arrive at what eventually becomes Needles, California.
1873 Congress creates the office of Indian Inspector. The initial three inspectors are appointed by the President for four year terms. They inspect the operations of Indian Officers in the field.
1969 The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe of the Flathead Reservation enact a resolution prohibiting the hunting or killing of Mountain Sheep.
○ POLITICS (International)
1778 "Stars & Stripes" arrives in foreign port for 1st time (France)
1946 Bank of England nationalized
1949 1st session of Knesset opens in Jerusalem
1956 Khrushchev denounces Stalin at USSR Communist Party Conference
○ POLITICS (US)
1848 James K Polk became 1st President photographed in office (Matthew Brady)
1899 US Congress begins using voting machines
1903 US Dept of Commerce & Labor established
1929 St Valentine's Day Massacre in Chicago IL, 7 gangsters killed
1962 1st lady Jacqueline Kennedy conducts White House tour on TV
○ SCIENCE & RELIGION
1349 2,000 Jews burned at the stake in Strasbourg France
1872 1st state bird refuge authorized (Lake Merritt CA)
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ANSWERS
Close Up Picture…
Hair brush

« AND THAT’S ALL FOR NOW »

2-13-11--oops again

TODAY’s HOLY MACKEREL: 1981 Longest sentence published by New York Times-1286 words


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MY FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

We did have a very interesting discussion last night. This area is strategic to Russia, Iran, Turkey, and therefore the US. An interesting question with regards to the US presence in helping several countries, all former part of the USSR, join NATO was discussed. How would the US react if Russia or Iran became involved in the politics of Mexico, Central America, Cuba? How is the US intervention in the Caucasus area any different? This is a very fine line for sure. At the present time neither Russia nor Iran have the ability to get involved outside their own area, but as we know, that can change. If it does, they will not have short memories. We all need to learn more and watch the changing events in this area. Pipelines in the area furnish gas and oil to Russia, Turkey and Iran. If those pipelines are slowed or cut off or if there is a stop to the building of several new pipelines, things will change. All three nations will have to get fuel from somewhere and that most certainly will have an impact on the US. The US has been talking about freedom from foreign oil since the days of President Ford. Special interests, big business, and others have done much work behind the scenes to keep us dependant of foreign fuel. It has almost become a joke when a President makes the obligatory speech to say how the US has to cut down our dependence of foreign fuel. So fascinating and so frightening. I will be leading the next discussion on the Horn of Africa.

My trip to Ethiopia is also on my mind. This is not a Muslim country and about 64% of the country is Christian. It does have its radicals, like every country in the world. The State Department advises Americans to be vigilant, not spend time anywhere without security and to be aware of their surroundings. The ‘vigilant’ and ‘be aware’ sounds much like what Homeland Security tells all Americans while living in the US. I have trust in Hamdy that he won’t take us to an area that is unsafe. I know he is following all the developments in Africa. I too will be watching and following any events from Ethiopia. The country has so many things to see, so much to learn. I learned today that Ethiopia’s etymology is from the Greek for ‘burnt face’. I also learned that several of the surrounding countries are not safe for American travelers. None of the border areas are part of our trip. We will be spending our time throughout central Ethiopia. So unless there is a big change in that area, all is good for our trip in late October.

I also am still following Egyptian news. It is so amazing to watch people of all ages who have discovered freedom, many for the first time in their lives. The last couple of weeks have been extraordinary over there. The real work now begins. I feel that the most important part of freedom is realizing that with that new freedom comes responsibility. I was lucky to learn that early. When I moved out of my parent’s home and left the state, I learned about bills, monthly payments, the importance of reading before signing, and a whole lot more. I also knew that I had a safety net back in Colorado, if necessary. The new found freedom in Egypt has all the pitfalls I had but they don’t have a safety net. This will make it much harder for them. I fear that their safety net is only there if they do what the holders of the net want. No matter which countries offer them assistance that assistance may suddenly disappear as quickly as it was offered. I hope the people of Egypt and able to remain non-violent during the long process ahead.

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DID YOU KNOW THAT…

Put a couple of drops of lavender or peppermint essential oil on a cool light bulb to help repel bugs.

When you're pressing a large item like a tablecloth or bedspread, slide a table or large cardboard box under the narrow end of the board. That way, you can lay the fabric over it as you go, so it stays flat and doesn't wrinkle.

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION… Opera Part II

After an opera, it is appropriate to yell bravo for a man and brava for a woman. If you want to cheer for two or more singers, use the plural form, which is bravi. If the group consists only of women, yell brave (BRAH-vay).

Opera’s origins are typically traced to the dramas of ancient Greece, though the Egyptians had been performing the Heb-Sed (or Feast of the Tail) for 2,000 years previously. The Heb-Sed evolved into Passion Plays in which the Egyptians acted out stories from Egypt’s glorious past set to music and singing.

The first public opera house (San Cassiano) opened in Venice in 1637 where “the father of opera,” Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643), shifted the emphasis from a more dialogue-based opera to a more musical opera. Monteverdi helped place Venice as the opera capital of the world.

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM… River FALLS, WI

-- Police in Wisconsin said a manager at a cookie factory is facing charges after a shot he took
at birds in the rafters missed and hit an employee. River Falls police said the 29-year-old manager at the Best Maid factory was firing birdshot at the birds in the rafters of the factory Dec. 14 and a poorly aimed shot struck a 28-year-old employee in the back of the head, the River Falls Journal reported Thursday. Investigators said the victim felt a sensation like a bee sting and removed a small piece of lead from above his ear. The manager is believed not to have realized the shot struck the employee. The manager, whose name was not released, is now facing a charge of
injury by negligent handling of a dangerous weapon, police said.

A LITTLE LAUGH…

After I prosecuted a man for killing a bird out of season with his slingshot, the court clerk suggested setting up a date for him to return with both the money for the fine and proof of community service.
 "That way," she said innocently, "you can kill two birds with one stone."

Top 10 In The World…Rivers

CLOSEUP PICTURE…

Can you identify this close up picture

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’…

Seasons of love from RENT the movie

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8iTeDl_Wug

♫ Rock Anthems ♫

Click on Song Title to see and hear

♪…  4. All You Need Is Love - The Beatles http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4p8qxGbpOk

♪… 5. We Are the Champions - Queen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04854XqcfCY

♪…  6. Born in the U.S.A. - Bruce Springsteen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIekamBDiAw

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DAYBOOK INFORMATION

¤…THIS WEEK…¤

7-14 ► Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week ♥  Publicity for Profit Week ♥ Risk Awareness Week ♥ Love Makes the World Go Round; But, Laughter Keeps Us From Getting Dizzy Week ♥ World Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Week
10-16 ► Celebration of Love Week ♥ Children of Alcoholics Week
12-15 ► Random Acts of Kindness Week
¤…TODAY IS…¤

Dream Your Sweet Day
Employee Legal Awareness Day

Get A Different Name Day

Grammy Awards Day

Madly In Love With Me Day

Man Day

US: St Augustine FL : Fiesta de Menendez : 1565 landing by Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles and founding of city

Today’s Births...

○   AUTHORS/COMPOSERS/ARTISTS

1892 Grant Wood US, painter (American Gothic) 

○   ATHLETES

1918 Patty Berg LPGA golfer (1938 US Amateur, 1943, 1955 AP Sports Woman of the Year) 

Randy Moss, 34, football (Vikings)

○   BUSINESS & EDUCATION

1766 Thomas Malthus economist/demographer/population expert (Law of Malthus) 

○   ENTERTAINERS (ACTORS/SINGERS/…)

Stockard Channing, 67, actress (Six Degrees of Separation, The House of Blue Leaves, “The West Wing”)
1919 Tennessee Ernie Ford country singer/actor (pea picker) 

Peter Gabriel, 61, singer, songwriter

Kim Novak, 78, actress (Bell, Book and Candle; Vertigo), born Marilyn Novak
George Segal, 77, actor (A Touch of Class, “Just Shoot Me”)
Jerry Springer, 67, television host (“The Jerry Springer Show”)
Peter Tork, 67, singer, actor (“The Monkees”), born Peter Thorkelson 

○   POLITICIANS
1885 Elizabeth Virginia "Bess" Truman 1st lady (1945-53) 

○   SCIENCE & RELIGION

1805 Peter G L Dirichlet number theorist/analyst 

1875 Kanouse quintuplets 1st quintuplets in US, born to Edna Kanouse 

Chuck Yeager, 88, pilot who broke sound barrier

Today’s Obits…

1998 Jo Clayton author, (Cancer Died, Drums of Chaos), cancer @ 58 

1542 Catherine Howard queen of England/5th wife of Henry VIII, beheaded @ 17

1980 David Janssen [Meyer], actor (Fugitive, Harry O), heart attack @ 49 

Today’s Events…

○   ARTS

1867 Johann Strauss' "Blue Danube" waltz premieres in Vienna 

1996 Rock musical "Rent", by Jonathan Larson, opens off-Broadway 

○   ATHLETICS

1976 Dorothy Hamill wins Olympics figure-skating gold, Innsbruck, Austria 

1990 Larry Bird (Celtics) ends NBA free throw streak of 71 games 

○   BUSINESS & EDUCATION

1601 John Lancaster leads 1st East India Company voyage from London 

1635 Oldest US public institution, Boston Latin School founded 

1693 College of William & Mary opens 

1795 1st state university in US opens, University of North Carolina 

1799 1st US law regulating insurance passed, by Massachusetts 

1866 Jesse James holds up his 1st bank, Liberty MO ($15,000) 

1959 Barbie doll goes on sale 

○   INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

1743 Schaghticook sachem Mahwee is baptized in New York. He will be the first of his tribe to do so.

1879 According to Army reports, Victoria, and twenty-two Warm Springs Apache Indians, surrender to Lieutenant Charles Merritt, of the Ninth Cavalry, at Ojo Caliente, New Mexico. The Apaches lived in Mexico for years eluding the Army's attempts to move them to the San Carlos Reservation on September 2, 1877.

○   POLITICS (International)

1692 – Massacre of Glencoe: About 78 Macdonalds at Glen Coe, Scotland are killed early in the morning for not promptly pledging allegiance to the new king, William of Orange.
1982 Río Negro massacre in Guatemala.

1990 German reunification: An agreement is reached on a two-stage plan to reunite Germany.
○   POLITICS (US)

1957 Southern Christian Leadership Conference organizes in New Orleans 

○   SCIENCE & RELIGION

1633 Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei arrived in Rome for trial before Inquisition for professing belief that earth revolves around the Sun 

1832 1st appearance of cholera at London 

1858 Sir Richard Burton & John Speake explore Lake Tanganyika, Africa 

1924 King Tut's tomb opened 

1955 Israel acquires 4 of 7 Dead Sea scrolls 

2-12-11

TODAY’s HOLY MACKEREL: 1950 Albert Einstein warns against hydrogen bomb

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MY FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

Our Great Decisions group meets tonight. I am looking forward to seeing everybody. We haven’t met since early summer, so we are off and running. Tonight’s discussion is about the Caucusus—that region around Turkey, Russia, Iran with 12 independent countries most of which were part of the USSR. Each ethnic group has a long history, the average age in most of the countries is only 22.7 years old. They have little to make them world powers, but are important for the movement of gas and oil to surrounding countries. They tried democracy when the Russian Empire fell in 1917, but were quickly pulled into the USSR. Then in 1991, they had their second chance. Some have moved toward democracy, others haven’t. It should be an interesting discussion.

Because of the discussion, I’m not going to do some of the regular stuff. I’ve been busy reading and researching the area.

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DID YOU KNOW THAT…

--To remove hard-water and lime build-up in a teapot or kettle, pour in two cups of vinegar and bring to a boil. Let simmer for about 10 minutes, then rinse well.

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION…Measurement

--One cup is equal to 8 fluid ounces or 16 table spoons, and a quart is 2 pints or 4 cups.

--Fahrenheit to Celsius: Subtract 32 degrees to adjust for the offset in the Fahrenheit scale. Multiply the result by 5/9.

PUZZLE: Who Wants To Be a Millionaire […answers at bottom…]

Returns tomorrow

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM…

Returns tomorrow

A LITTLE LAUGH…

Even with a thousand games, dolls and crafts to choose from, my customer at the toy store still couldn't find a thing for her grandson.

"Maybe a video or something educational?" I asked.

"No, that's not it," she said.

We wandered the aisles until something caught her eye: a laser gun with flashing lights and 15 different high-pitched sounds.

"This is perfect," she said, beaming. "My daughter-in-law will hate it."

Top 10 Famous People Who Didn’t Actually Exist…

Returns tomorrow

CLOSEUP PICTURE…

Can you identify this close up picture

Returns tomorrow

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

returns tomorrow

♫ Rock Anthems ♫

Click on Song Title to see and hear

Returns tomorrow

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DAYBOOK INFORMATION

¤…THIS WEEK…¤

6-12 ► Dump Your Significant Jerk Week ♥ Freelance Writers Appreciation Week ♥ International Coaching Week ♥ Jell-O Week

7-14 ► Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week ♥ Publicity for Profit Week ♥ Risk Awareness Week ♥ Love Makes the World Go Round; But, Laughter Keeps Us From Getting Dizzy Week ♥ World Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Week

10-16 ► Celebration of Love Week ♥ Children of Alcoholics Week

12-15 ► Random Acts of Kindness Week

¤…TODAY IS…¤

Paul Bunyan Day    ♥   Darwin Day    ♥  

Daytona Pole Day: Qualifying for the Memorial Day Race

Lincoln's Birthday    ♥     National Freedom to Marry Day    ♥      National Plum Pudding Day

NAACP Day: created in 1909

Oglethorpe Day: 1733 landing and founding of Georgai

Red Hand Day (to learn about the use of child soldiers around the world)

Safetypup Day: To remind everyone of Child Safety, since 1955

Burma: Union Day (1947)

Today’s Births

○ AUTHORS/COMPOSERS

Judy Blume, 73, author (Blubber, Superfudge)

1898 Leroy "Roy" Harris composer (When Johnny Comes Marching Home)

○ ATHLETES

Joseph Henry (Joe) Garagiola, 85, sportscaster, former baseball player

William Felton (Bill) Russell, 77, Hall of Fame basketball player and former coach

○ BUSINESS & EDUCATION

--

○ ENTERTAINERS (ACTORS/SINGERS/…)

Maud Adams, 66, actress (Killer Force, Octopussy)

Joe Don Baker, 75, actor (Charlie Varrick, Cool Hand Luke)

Josh Brolin, 43, actor (Milk, No Country for Old Men)

1915 Lorne Greene of Ottawa Canada, actor (Bonanza, Battlestar Galactica)

Arsenio Hall, 56, comedian, actor (Coming to America

1904 Ted Mack of Denver CO, TV host (Original Amateur Hour)

1919 Forrest Tucker actor: Sands of Iwo Jima, The Yearling, Thunder Run, F Troop

○ POLITICIANS

1775 Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams wife of John Quincy Adams

1893 Omar Bradley General of Army WWII "The GI General"

1809 Abraham Lincoln 16th President (1861-65)

Arlen Specter, 81, former US Senator (D, Pennsylvania),

1588 John Winthrop English attorney/puritan/1st Governor of Massachusetts

○ SCIENCE & RELIGION

1809 Charles Darwin discovered evolution (Origin of species)

1663 Dr Cotton Mather witchcraft authority

Today’s Obits

1983 Eubie Blake ragtime-composer/pianist (Memories of You), @ 100

1982 Victor Jory of Dawson City Yukon Territory Canada, actor (Adventures of Tom Sawyer, 1st Lady, Jigsaw), @ 79

2000 Tom Landry, Dallas Cowboy coach, leukemia @ 75

1976 Sal Mineo actor (Exodus, Rebel Without a Cause), stabbed @ 37

1947 Sidney Toler actor (Charlie Chan, Dark Alibi), @ 72

1942 Grant Wood US painter (American Gothic), liver cancer @ 50

Today’s Events…

○ ARTS

--

○ ATHLETICS

1879 1st artificial ice rink in North America (Madison Square Garden, NYC)

1994 The XVIIth Winter Olympic Games opened in Lillehammer, Norway

○ BUSINESS & EDUCATION

1908 New York to Paris auto race (via Alaska & Siberia) begins in New York NY; George Schuster wins after 88 days behind the wheel

○ INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

1825 Creek Indian treaty signed; Tribal chiefs agree to turn over all their land in Georgia to the government & migrate west by Sept 1, 1826

1806 A Clatsop gives Lewis and Clark three dogs to replace a stolen elk.

○ POLITICS (International)

--

○ POLITICS (US)

1973 The State of Ohio went metric, becoming the first in the U.S. to post metric distance signs along Interstate 71

○ SCIENCE & RELIGION

1502 Granada Moslems forced to convert to Catholicism

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ANSWERS

Millionaire ANSWERS…

Returns tomorrow

Picture…

Returns tomorrow

« AND THAT’S ALL FOR NOW »

2-11-11

TODAY’s HOLY MACKEREL: 1990 Nelson Mandela (political prisoner-27 years) freed in South Africa

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MY FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

I still haven’t figured out why I couldn’t post my blog yesterday. Hopefully today will go better. I have made a few changes in how I post, and maybe that will help…or maybe the blogger server will just start working again. If not I will get really serious tomorrow about fixing it. I know a little bit and was able to figure out there was a problem before I even tried to post…but just kept hoping that it would heal itself.

We had our weekly lunch today. A slice of pizza and great minestrone soup was really good. The restaurant advertises that everything is organic, the service is great. An old-er gentleman was eating in the table next to us. When his cell phone rang, he got up, walked outside and came back in when he was finished. It was a little windy and chilly outside but he did it anyway. I wanted to tip him. Few things are more annoying than a phone call when eating. It is just that kind of restaurant—good food, good wait staff, and polite customers. Cheryl has lost 65 pounds and feeling better. Everything is kicking in and she is off insulin again. She was able to enjoy most of her soup and even a couple bites of pizza. That is so good for her. Mary and Cheryl both shared some cute grandkid stories.

Hot damn, AZ is back in the news. Big news, Jon Kyl announced that he will not run for Senate in 2012. He is the second highest ranking Republican in the US Senate. He has always been too conservative for my liking, but doubt if little will change in AZ as there are many conservatives waiting in line. Then our Governor filed a counter-suit against the Federal government. This suit is retaliation for the Federal suit against SB1070—our horrific anti-immigration bill. She says that no tax-payer dollars are being used in the suit. Of course, there is time being spent by many who are State employees. So we stay in the news and seldom in a good way.

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DID YOU KNOW THAT…

--  Tomato ketchup can make your copper gleam better than an expensive polish. Simply mix ketchup and water in equal parts. Apply it to your copper with a soft cloth and wipe off.

--  An ordinary coffee filter can make your windows sparkle better than a cloth or paper town. After you have cleaned your windows in your usual way simply wipe the window with a coffee filter. Cloth or paper towels with leave lint streaks on the glass, while a coffee filter will absorb left over moisture and will leave nothing but shine.

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION… Opera

--The term “opera” comes from the Latin opus, or “work.” The term “soap opera” was first recorded in 1939 as a derogatory term for daytime radio shows that were sponsored by soap manufacturers.

--During the seventeenth century, women were not allowed to sing onstage, not even in a chorus. Castrated males, or castrati, would sing the soprano/mezzo/alto parts. The first of the great castrati was Baldassare Ferri (1610-1680).

--When Charles Gounod’s (1818-1893) opera Faust wasn’t selling tickets, the producer gave away tickets for the first three performances to people out of town and declared the performances were sold out. Wondering what all the fuss was about, the public began buying tickets, and Faust became a hit.

PUZZLE: Who Wants To Be a Millionaire […answers at bottom…]

1. Twinkle, twinkle, little ____ , How I wonder what you are.

Diamond      shell       tooth      star

2. When something unexpected happens you might say, 'that's the way the cookie' what?

cries     tastes       crumbles       tangos

3. Finish the ad slogan from the commercial in which Mean Joe Greene gives his football jersey to a kid: 'Have a coke and a ______.'

smile     smoke      hotdog        grimmace

4. Who wrote, 'Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit?’

Paul Theroux     Henry David Thoreau      F. Scott Fitzgerald       John Muir

5. The HMV logo features Nipper the dog and the phrase 'his master's ______'

fibula      pillow      larynx      voice

6. What is Madonna's record label?

Gaucho     Maverick       Pampas       Cowgirl

7. Where would you find spotted dick?

in a brewery     in the ocean       on a dessert menu       on the body

8. According to a turn-of-the-century US Department of Agriculture report, how much would food, clothing, shelter and other necessities cost for a child born in Y2K through 17 years of age?

$1,000,000     $630,125        $165,630       $516,360

9. Einstein said, 'God does not play _____.'

by the rules     poker      dice      backgammon

10. What former president wrote the children's book, 'The Little Baby Snoogle-Fleejer?'

Gerald Ford      Jimmy Carter       George Bush       Ronald Reagan

11. What is the only moon in the solar system with an atmosphere?

Titania       Triton        Umbriel       Titan

12. What is a solecism?

ungrammatical usage or breach of good manners      two eclipses of the sun in one month

floor plan of a Christian church        witty remark or dirty trick

13. The term 'Uncle Sam' originated with a real person who was a supplier and inspector of military rations during what war?

Korean War      Civil War        War of 1812        World War I

14. In what Shakespeare play do you find the line, 'All the world's a stage...'?

Twelfth Night      Much Ado About Nothing       As You Like It        A Midsummer Night's Dream

15. Victoria Woodhull, the first woman to run for president of the U.S., was editor, along with her sister, of the magazine 'Woodhull and Claflins Weekly' in the late 1800s. They were the first to publish an English translation of what?

Communist Manifesto      Ulysses        Lolita        Mein Kampf

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM… MINNEAPOLIS, MN

— A nurse who was supposed to sedate a patient before surgery instead took most of the painkillers for herself and told the patient to "man up" — giving him such a small dose of medication that he was writhing in pain on the operating table, according to criminal charges.

Sarah May Casareto, 33, was charged Wednesday with one count of theft of a controlled substance, a felony. She allegedly told officers she was addicted to pain medications.

According to the complaint, a man, identified only by his initials, went to Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis on Nov. 8 to have kidney stones surgically removed. Part of the procedure involves inserting a tube into the patient's back and down into the kidney.

Before the surgery, a doctor told the patient he wouldn't feel pain. Patients are normally heavily sedated or asleep during the procedure.

But Casareto, a nurse anesthetist, allegedly told the man "you're gonna have to man up here and take some of the pain because we can't give you a lot of medication," the complaint said.

During surgery, the patient told doctors he was experiencing the worst pain, describing the feeling as "very long needles going through my skin and down into my kidney," the complaint said. The patient said he could feel someone holding him down, and heard one person ask about using restraints.

Meanwhile, hospital staff told police Casareto was distracted and disoriented, kept falling asleep, and was gesturing and talking loudly. One hospital technician told police the patient was screaming and moaning, and Casareto told him to "go to your beach . . . go to your happy place," the complaint said.

After the procedure, the technician found two syringes, with labels missing, in Casareto's pocket. A review of medial documents showed the patient only received about one-third of the Fentanyl he was supposed to get, while some of the drug was missing, the complaint said.

Hospital officials later found four empty syringes in Casareto's pocket and asked her to take a drug test. She refused, and resigned, the complaint said. Casareto did not immediately return a phone message left by The Associated Press. Abbott Northwestern spokeswoman Gloria O'Connell said she couldn't discuss current or former employees.

"Any time there is a suspicious situation, we investigate it," she said "We have policies and procedures in place to protect the safety of our patients, which is our primary concern."

A LITTLE LAUGH…

When she got flowers from her husband on Valentine's Day, my daughter's friend quickly opened the card. All it said was "No." What did that mean?

She called her husband, who said, "I didn't attach any message. The florist asked if I had a message and I said, 'No.'"

Top 10 Famous People Who Didn’t Actually Exist…

Thanks to urban legends, pranks, and the use of pseudonyms, there have been a number of people who managed to get famous without having to go through the hassle of actually existing. Some were used for shady marketing purposes, others served as tools for building hoaxes, and one was even responsible for encouraging early medieval expeditions into Asia. In each case, the air of mystery that surrounded them only helped to build up their false celebrity. Here are the top ten famous people who didn’t actually exist:

10. Masal Bugoluv

It seems that every few years, rumors arise about mysterious athletes in obscure countries whose talents are guaranteed to change the future of sports. One of the most recent examples concerned Masal Bugoluv, a supposed 16-year-old soccer prodigy from the small eastern European country of Moldova. News of the phenom first broke on soccer blogs and forums, where Bugoluv was described as a surgical striker who already played for the Moldovan national team. Soon enough, the mainstream soccer media—known the world over for their tendency to play fast and loose with the facts—had picked up on the story. The popular website Goal.com posted news about the player, and in early January of 2009, even the Times of London was on board, listing Bugoluv as “Moldova’s finest” and linking him with a possible move to the famous English club Arsenal. But the more the rumors about “Massi” began to heat up, they more they became suspect. After some background checking and research, a soccer blogger named Neil McDonnell was able to prove the truth: Masal Bugoluv didn’t exist. In fact, the whole media whirlwind was all a hoax allegedly perpetrated by an Irishman who was fed up with the glut of fake information circulated during soccer’s transfer season. In order to test just how unreliable media outlets were, he’d decided to invent his own player. With the help of fake Wikipedia articles, blog posts, and falsified reports from the Associated Press, he created a cult following for what turned out to be the greatest soccer player who never was.

CLOSEUP PICTURE…

Can you identify this close up picture

FOUND ON ‘YOU TUBE’

♫ Rock Anthems ♫

Click on Song Title to see and hear

♪… 7. Give Peace A Chance - John Lennon

♪… 8. Born to Be Wild - Steppenwolf

♪… 9. Rock Around The Clock - Bill Haley & His Comets

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DAYBOOK INFORMATION

¤…THIS WEEK…¤

6-12 ► Dump Your Significant Jerk Week ♥ Freelance Writers Appreciation Week ♥ International Coaching Week ♥ Jell-O Week

7-11 ► International Networking Week ♥ Just Say No to PowerPoint Week ♥ National Green Week ♥ National School Counseling Week

7-14 ► Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week ♥ Publicity for Profit Week ♥ Risk Awareness Week ♥ Love Makes the World Go Round; But, Laughter Keeps Us From Getting Dizzy Week ♥ World Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Week

10-16 ► Celebration of Love Week ♥ Children of Alcoholics Week

¤…TODAY IS…¤

Be Electrific Day      ♥     Day Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk Day    ♥     National Inventors Day

National Shut-in Visitation Day      ♥     Pro Sports Wives Day       ♥     Satisfied Staying Single Day

White Shirt Day: 1948 as a way to honor the men and women who participated in the 1937 Sitdown Strike

Cameroon: Youth Day

Japan : Empire Day Japan : Foundation Day (660 BC)-accession of Emperor Jimmu

Liberia : Armed Forces Day

US: Florida : Gasparilla Carnival-remembrance of pirates

Vatican City: Independence Anniversary (since 1929 Lateran Pacts that established Vatican City as independent of Italy)

Today’s Births

○ AUTHORS/COMPOSERS

1802 Lydia Maria Child author/abolitionist (Juvenile Miscellany)

1657 Bernard Fontenelle French scientist/writer (Plurality of Worlds)

1917 Sidney Sheldon author: Bloodline, The Doomsday Conspiracy, The Other Side of Midnight

○ ATHLETES

1909 Max Baer [The Livermore Larruper] heavyweight boxing champion (1934-35)/actor (The Prizefighter and the Lady)

○ BUSINESS & EDUCATION

Paul Bocuse, 85, chef

○ ENTERTAINERS (ACTORS/SINGERS/…)

Jennifer Aniston, 42, actress (“Friends,” The Good Girl)

Brandy, 32, singer, actress (“Cinderella,” “Moesha”)

Sheryl Crow, 49, singer, musician

1921 Eva Gabor Budapest Hungary, actress (Lisa-Green Acres, Gigi)

Taylor Lautner, 19, actor (Twilight)

Tina Louise, 77, actress (“Gilligan’s Island,” The Stepford Wives)

Sergio Mendes, 70, musician, bandleader

1922 Leslie Nielsen (Regina Sask), actor (Forbidden Planet, Naked Gun)

1940 Bobby "Boris" Pickett rocker (Monster Mash)

Burt Reynolds, 75, actor (Hooper, Deliverance, Cannonball Run, “Evening Shade”)

○ POLITICIANS

1921 Lloyd Bentsen (Senator-D-TX) (1988 Democratic Vice-Presidential nominee)

Sarah Palin, 47, 2008 vice-presidential candidate, former Governor of Alaska

1833 Melville Weston Fuller 8th chief justice

○ SCIENCE & RELIGION

1847 Thomas Alva Edison Milan OH, lit up your life (held 1200 patents)

1908 Vivian [Ernest] Fuchs geologist/explorer (British Antarctic Survey)

1821 Auguste Édouard Mariette French Egyptologist, (dug out Sphinx 12/16/42)

1800 William Henry Fox Talbot photographic pioneer

Today’s Obits

1976 Lee J Cobb actor (12 Angry Men, On the Waterfront), heart attack @ 64

1994 William Conrad actor (Cannon), heart attack @ 73

1650 René Descartes philosopher "I think therefore I am", pneumonia @ 53

1868 Léon Foucault discovered 1st physical proof of Earth's rotation MS @ 48

1554 Lady Jane Grey deposed Queen of England, beheaded after 9 day rule @ 17

1961 Patrice Lumumba 1st premier Congo, murdered @ 34

1899 George Morgan 1st English motorist to die in an motor accident

1997 Don Porter actor (Gidget), @ 84

1996 Bob Shaw science fiction writer, cancer @ 64

Today’s Events…

○ ARTS

1942 "Archie" comic book debuts

1960 Jack Paar walks off his TV show

○ ATHLETICS

1878 1st US bicycle club, Boston Bicycle Club, forms

1968 Peggy Fleming wins Olympics figure skating gold medal, Grenoble, France

1990 James "Buster" Douglas KOs Mike Tyson to win heavyweight boxing crown

○ BUSINESS & EDUCATION

1809 Robert Fulton patents the steamboat

1878 1st weekly Weather report published in UK

1958 Ruth Carol Taylor is 1st African-American woman hired as flight attendant

1987 British Airways begins trading stocks

○ INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

1715 The Tuscarora (Coree) Indians led by Tom Blount, sign a peace treaty with the English settlers in North Carolina.

1861 In Arizona, Lieutenant George Bascom has discovered the bodies of the six hostages that had been held by Cochise. The bodies are buried. Today, three of Cochise's relatives that Bascom held hostage, and 3Coyotero Apache prisoners are hung over the graves of the white hostages.

1978 The "longest walk" takes place to protest Indian treatment.

○ POLITICS (International)

1943 General Eisenhower selected to command the allied armies in Europe

1978 China lifts a ban on Aristotle, Shakespeare, & Dickens

○ POLITICS (US)

1861 US House unanimously passes resolution guaranteeing noninterference with slavery in any state

1895 Georgetown became part of Washington DC

1953 President Eisenhower refuses clemency appeal for Rosenberg couple

1963 CIA Domestic Operations Division created

1993 Janet Reno selected by Clinton as US Attorney General

○ SCIENCE & RELIGION

1837 American Physiological Society organizes in Boston

1858 1st apparition of Mary to 14-year-old Bernadette of Lourdes France

1970 Japan becomes 4th nation to put a satellite (Osumi) in orbit

1989 The Rev. Barbara C. Harris, 55, of Boston, was consecrated as the first female bishop in the 450-year history of the Anglican Church.

«« « « » » » »

ANSWERS

Millionaire ANSWERS…

1. Twinkle, twinkle, little ____ , How I wonder what you are. star

2. When something unexpected happens you might say, 'that's the way the cookie' what? crumbles

3. Finish the ad slogan from the commercial in which Mean Joe Greene gives his football jersey to a kid: 'Have a coke and a ______.' smile

4. Who wrote, 'Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit?'

Henry David Thoreau

5. The HMV logo features Nipper the dog and the phrase 'his master's ______' voice

6. What is Madonna's record label? Maverick

7. Where would you find spotted dick? on a dessert menu (Spotted dick is an English boiled pudding made with flour, butter and currants or raisins which give it 'spots'. Delicious with English custard.

8. According to a turn-of-the-century US Department of Agriculture report, how much would food,) clothing, shelter and other necessities cost for a child born in Y2K through 17 years of age? $165,630

9. Einstein said, 'God does not play _____.' dice

10. What former president wrote the children's book, 'The Little Baby Snoogle-Fleejer?'

Jimmy Carter (and illustrated by his daughter Amy)

11. What is the only moon in the solar system with an atmosphere? Titan

12. What is a solecism? ungrammatical usage or breach of good manners

13. The term 'Uncle Sam' originated with a real person who was a supplier and inspector of military rations during what war? War of 1812

14. In what Shakespeare play do you find the line, 'All the world's a stage...'? As You Like It

15. Victoria Woodhull, the first woman to run for president of the U.S., was editor, along with her sister, of the magazine 'Woodhull and Claflins Weekly' in the late 1800s. They were the first to publish an English translation of what? Communist Manifesto

Picture….

Ms Pac Man

« AND THAT’S ALL FOR NOW »