Feb 26

FYI: Click on any blue text for a link to more information!

Today’s  Historical  Highlights

1834 - 1st US interstate crime compact (NY-NJ) ratified

1848 - Marx & Engels publish "Communist Manifesto"

1919 - Acadia National Park forms (as Lafayette N P), Maine

1929 - Pres Calvin Coolidge establishes Grand Teton National Park

1930 - 1st red & green traffic lights installed (Manhattan NYC)

1979 - Last total eclipse of Sun in 20th century for continental US

♪Happy Birthday To: ♪                     

  Returns tomorrow

Free Rambling Thoughts   

Posting is early today, as tonight our discussion group meets. We will be discussing the implications of the cartels on the entire US-Mexico-Central America diplomacy. It should be an interesting discussion. Flag was pretty windy today, and today it was a much cooler wind. Not necessary to be out and about, so I stayed home and did some cleaning.  Oh, and a lot of reading for the discussion group. Not a bad day at all.

Game   Center   (answers at the end of post)

Brain Game

NPR Sunday Puzzle

Every answer is the name of a famous person. The person's last name is a plural noun that is part of a category. The clues are the person's first name and the category of the last name. The player gives the full name of the person. For example, if the clues are "Britney" and "weapons," the answer is "Britney Spears," because spears are weapons.

1.      Joyce relatives:

2.      Jonathan seasons:

3.      Joan waterways:

4.      Mel waterways:

5.      Beverly window parts:

6.      Jeremy golf clubs:

7.      Tiger gold clubs:

8.      Naomi electric units:

9.      Alicia piano parts:

10.   Bert city areas:

11.   George injuries:

12.   Stevie injuries:

13.   Jeff engineering projects:

14.   Phil metals:

15.   Hugh football terms:

Wuzzles  What concept or phrase do these suggest?

Lifestyle  Substance     

Planet Earth—Orkney Islands

Returns tomorrow

Found on You Tube         

Returns tomorrow

Harper’s Index         

Estimated percentage change in the abuse of anti-anxiety drugs in the US since 9/11: +176

Joke-of-the-day

USEFUL WORK PHRASES1. Thank you. We're all refreshed and challenged by your unique point of view. 2. The fact that no one understands you doesn't mean you're an artist. 3. I don't know what your problem is, but I'll bet it's hard to pronounce. 4. Any connection between your reality and mine is purely coincidental. 5. I have plenty of talent and vision. I just don't care. 6. I like you. You remind me of when I was young and stupid.7. What am I? Flypaper for freaks!? 8. I'm not being rude. You're just insignificant. 9. I'm already visualizing the duct tape over your mouth. 10. I will always cherish the initial misconceptions I had about you. 11. It's a thankless job, but I've got a lot of Karma to burn off. 12. Yes, I am an agent of Satan, but my duties are largely ceremonial. 13. No, my powers can only be used for good. 14. How about never? Is never good for you? 15. I'm really easy to get along with once you people learn to worship me. 16. You sound reasonable. Time to up my medication. 17. I'll try being nicer if you'll try being smarter. 18. I'm out of my mind, but feel free to leave a message .
19. I don't work here. I'm a consultant. 20. Who me? I just wander from room to room. 21. My toys! My toys! I can't do this job without my toys! 22. It might look like I'm doing nothing, but at the cellular level I'm really quite busy. 23. At least I have a positive attitude about my destructive habits. 24. You are validating my inherent mistrust of strangers. 25. I see you've set aside this special time to humiliate yourself in public. 26. Someday, we'll look back on this, laugh nervously, and change the subject.

Rules of Thumb   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

Cute names for restaurants suggest that the owners aren't serious about food.

Somewhat Useless Information    

Originally introduced in 1929 by Frank and Ethel Mars, the Snickers bar was named after their family horse.  The original Snickers bars were sold for a nickel and consisted primarily of chocolate, peanuts and caramel.

The Butterfinger candy bar was invented by the Curtiss Candy Company of Chicago in 1923. 

Heath bars were included in U.S. soldiers' rations during World War II because they had been found to have a very long shelf life. 

The Kit Kat bar was originally introduced in the UK as "Rowntree's Chocolate Crisp" in 1935. Two years later, it was renamed "KitKat." 

Yeah, It Really Happened                
MADISON, Wis. - Police in Madison, Wis., said they arrested a man who claimed to have been sent by Denny's corporate offices and made himself a meal in the kitchen. Police said James Summers, 52, of Madison entered the restaurant around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday and told workers he had been sent by the corporate office and was immediately taking over the position of general manager, WISC-TV, Madison, reported Thursday. Workers said Summers began making himself a cheeseburger and fries in the restaurant's kitchen while the current manager phoned her supervisors. The manager called 911 when she confirmed Summers had not been sent by the company and he was arrested while walking near the Denny's. Summers told police the incident must have been the result of a paperwork mix-up, but officers said they confirmed he had not been sent by Denny's officials. Police said Summers was also carrying a stun gun and did not have a permit. He was arrested on charges of fraud, possession of an electric weapon, disorderly conduct and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Calendar Information        

…Happening This Week:

26-3/3

National Eating Disorders Awareness Week

National Secondhand Wardrobe Week

Telecommuter Appreciation Week

Peace Corps Week

Today Is                                                                      

Academy Awards Night

Daytona 500

For Pete's Sake Day

Levi Strauss Day

National Personal Chef's Day

National Pistachio Day

Open That Bottle Night

Anniversary - Grand Canyon National Park 1919

Kuwait: Liberation Day

Today’s Other Events                                                             

1600’s

1616 - Spanish Inquisition delivers injunction to Galileo

1800’s

1860 - The Wiyots lived on the upper California coast between the Little River and the Bear River. An annual ceremony lasting over a week is held in the village of Tutulwat on an island in the river in what is now Eureka, California. By Wiyot tradition, everyone is welcome at the ceremony, including whites. Tonight after the ceremonies are finished, a group of men from Eureka sneak into the village and attack the participants. Several other nearby villages are also attacked. An estimated eighty to 100 Indians are killed in the sneak attack. An annual vigil is now held on a nearby island to commemorate the event.

1885 - Congress of Berlin, gives Congo to Belgium & Nigeria to England

1891 - 1st buffalo purchased for Golden Gate Park

1893 - 2 Clydesdale horses set record by pulling 48 tons on a sledge

1900’s

1914 - HMHS Britannic, sister to the Titanic, is launched at Harland & Wolff, Belfast

1916 - Mutual signs Charlie Chaplin to a film contract

1938 - 1st passenger ship equipped with radar

1941 - Vichy-France makes religious education in school mandatory

1952 - PM Winston Churchill announces Britain has its own atomic bomb

1962 - US Supreme court disallows race separation on public transportation

1971 - Secretary-General U Thant signs United Nations proclamation of the vernal equinox as Earth Day

1983 - Michael Jackson's "Thriller" album goes to #1 & stays #1 for 37 weeks

1984 - Rev Jesse Jackson acknowledges that he called NYC, "Hymietown"

1998 - Oprah Winfrey beats Texas cattlemen in beef trial

2000’s

2001 - The Taliban destroy two giant Buddha statues in Bamyan, Afghanistan

2004 - The United States lifts a ban on travel to Libya, ending travel restrictions to the nation that had lasted for 23 years

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

In their 80’s

Tom Kennedy, quiz host (You Don't Say, Name That Tune) is 85

Antione "Fats" Domino, rhythm & blues pianist (Blueberry Hill) is 84

In their 60’s

Mitch Ryder, rocker (& Detroit Wheels-Devil With the Blue Dress) is 67

In their 40’s

Mark Dacascos, actor, martial artist is 48

Remembered for being born on this day

Johnny Cash, Kingsland Ark, country singer (I Hear the Train Coming) in 1932

William F "Buffalo Bill" Cody, killed 4000 buffaloes in 1846

Herbert Henry Dow, pioneer in US chemical industry (Dow Chemical) in 1866Jackie Gleason, actor, comedian in 1916

William Frawley,  actor (Fred Mertz-I Love Lucy, Bub-My 3 Sons) in 1887

Victor Hugo, France, author (Hunchback of Notre Dame, Les Miserables) in 1802

Betty Hutton, Battle Creek Mich, actress (Greatest Show on Earth) in 1921

Tony Randall, [Leonard Rosenberg], actor (Felix-Odd Couple) in 1920

Levi Strauss, German-born clothing designer in 1829

Today’s Obits                                                           

Lou Costello, actor (Abbott & Costello), dies at 52 in 1959

David Doyle, actor (Charlie's Angels), dies at 67 in 1997

Richard J Gatling, US inventor (Gatling Gun), dies at 84 in 1903

Answers                                                                                                                                            

Brain Game

Yesterday’s answer: Gorged, I hide grog.

 Today

NPR Sunday Puzzle

1.      Joyce relatives:

a.      Brothers

2.      Jonathan seasons:

a.      Winters

3.      Joan waterways:

a.      Rivers

4.      Mel waterways:

a.      Brooks

5.      Beverly window parts:

a.      Sills

6.      Jeremy golf clubs:

a.      Irons

7.      Tiger gold clubs:

a.      Woods

8.      Naomi electric units:

a.      Watts

9.      Alicia piano parts:

a.      Keys

10.   Bert city areas:

a.      Parks

11.   George injuries:

a.      Burns

12.   Stevie injuries:

a.      Nicks

13.   Jeff engineering projects:

a.      Bridges

14.   Phil metals:

a.      Silvers

15.   Hugh football terms:

a.      Downs

Wuzzle

• Heavens above
• Just between you and me
• Bending over backwards for you

Disclaimer: All opinions are mine…feel free to agree or disagree.

All ‘data’ info is from the internet sites and is usually checked with at least one other source, but I have learned that every site has mistakes and sadly once out the information is out there, many sites simply copy it and is therefore difficult to verify. Also for events occurring before the Gregorian calendar was adopted [1582] the dates may not be totally accurate.

☺    And That Is All for Now  ☺

Feb 25

FYI: Click on any blue text for a link to more information!

Today’s  Historical  Highlights

1793 - 1st cabinet meeting (At George Washington's home)

1837 - 1st US electric printing press patented by Thomas Davenport

1859 - 1st use of "insanity plea" to prove innocence

1862 - Paper currency (greenbacks) introduced in US by Pres Abraham Lincoln

1901 - US Steel Corp organized under J P Morgan

1913 - 16th Amendment ratified, authorizing income tax

1956 - Khrushchev denounces Stalin at 20th Soviet Party Conference

1964 - Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay) TKOs Sonny Liston in 7 for heavyweight title

1986 - Corazon Aquino becomes president of Philippines, Marcos flees

♪Happy Birthday To: ♪                     

 

Free Rambling Thoughts   

The Flagstaff Celtic community is abuzz with news of an upcoming concert. The three world class top pipers are coming to America to tour Route 66. They will be playing in Flagstaff in mid-April. Very exciting to say the least. To top that off, the local Southwest Skye Pipe and Drums will be on stage too. The excitement of old Route 66 is still alive and well in Europe. Reminds me of the three Finnish guys I met on a plane who were celebrating their 50^th birthdays by taking motorcycles from Chicago to LA.

 Tomorrow night is our discussion group. We will be discussing Mexico. Should be an interesting discussion. Here in the SW, Mexico has some very bizarre rumors and fears shared daily from people who don’t know. Mexico is so much more than drugs, cartels, and illegals slipping across the border. Yes, these are problems, but not as bad as the politicians make them sound.

Game   Center   (answers at the end of post)

Brain Game

NPR Sunday Puzzle

Each clue is a word that contains the letter "I" inside. Rearrange the letters to get a new word that starts with the letter "I." For example, if the clue is "Susie," the answer would be "issue."

1.     Coin:

2.     Aide:

3.     Annie:

4.     Runic:

5.     Bedim:

6.     Sunlit:

7.     Renoir:

8.     Cinema:

9.     Stifle:

10.  Region:

11.  Umpire:

12.  Excitation:

Wuzzles  What concept or phrase do these suggest?

Lifestyle  Substance     

Planet Earth—Orkney Islands

Found on You Tube         

Palenque – Mexico

Harper’s Index         

Value of public-health benefits for every dollar spent on pollution control, according to the EPA: $30

Joke-of-the-day

A boy was teaching a girl arithmetic, he said it was his mission. He kissed her once; he kissed her twice and said, "Now that's addition."
In silent satisfaction, she sweetly gave the kisses back and said, "Now that's subtraction."
Then he kissed her, she kissed him, without an explanation. And both together smiled and said, "That's multiplication."
Then her Dad appeared upon the scene and made a quick decision. He kicked that boy three blocks away and said, "That's long division!"Rules of Thumb  
Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guessWhen attending a meeting, walk in with one thing in mind - what is your primary objective? Knowing what you want to get out of the meeting will help you keep discussion on-track and eliminate digression.

Somewhat Useless Information    

The term "zugzwang" is frequently used in chess. A player whose turn it is to move, but whose move would serve to worsen their position is said to be in zugzwang.Chess originated in India during the Gupta empire, where its early form in the 6th century was known as "caturanga," which translates to "four divisions of the military" (infantry, cavalry, elephants, and chariotry). In time, these pieces evolved into the modern pawn, knight, bishop, and rook, respectively.Diana Lanni, one of America's top ten female chess players, used chess to beat a drug addiction problem and suicidal tendencies.Marcel Duchamp, the renowned French artist, was also a chess player who competed in the 1924 world amateur championship, four French championships from 1924 to 1928, and four Olympiads from 1928 to 1933.The rook is named from an Arabic word rukh, meaning chariot. This reflects its ability to move quickly in straight lines, but not leap over obstacles. During the Middle Ages, when chariots were no longer in use, the rook was gradually modified to look more like the turret of a castle.The folding chess board was originally invented in 1125 by a chess-playing priest. Since the Church forbid priests to play chess, he hid his chess board by making one that looked simply like two books lying together.

Yeah, It Really Happened                 

As Facebook gets ready to go public, the eyes of the world will become even more focused on the Menlo Park-based social network.

That's just partly why Friday's report of an insurance advertisement on Facebook featuring the face of 9/11 terrorist Mohamed Atta is not the type of publicity the site wants ahead of its initial public offering.Atta's face reportedly appeared on the site as part of an ad selling car insurance.

The ad appeared on the right hand side of some users' profiles and it read "Important: Drivers in Texas Who Drive Less than 35 Miles a Day Read This."The text was alongside a Texas driver's license with Atta's picture on it, which was actually originally taken from his Florida's driver's license.The company behind the ad has since removed it and said it is conducting a full investigation as to how the image was used.A request for comment from Facebook was not immediately returned.Often times smaller advertisers on Facebook pick images randomly from the Internet to show in their graphic.But this is also not the first time Atta's face has appeared on the social network.

Two years ago Atta's image was reportedly used in another insurance ad, but it was not clear if it was by the same company.Atta was named as one of the terrorists who crashed planes into the World Trade Center in New York more than 10 years ago.

Calendar Information        

…Happening This Week:

19-25 

National Entrepreneurship Week

Brotherhood / Sisterhood Week

Build A Better Trade Show Image Week

National Engineers Week

National Pancake Week

National Justice for Animals Week

National Future Farmers of America Week

Read Me Week

Texas Cowboy Poetry Week

Today Is                   

International Sword Swallowers Day

Pistol Patent Day (Samuel Colt) 1836

Kuwait: National Day (1961 from UK and Iran)

Today’s Other Events                                                             

Before 1000CE

529 - Palenque Maya Lord Kan - Xul I ascends the throne according to the museum at Palenque, Mexico

1600’s

1634 - Irish captain Walter Devereaux kills duke Wallenstein

1700’s

1751 - 1st performing monkey exhibited in America, NYC (admission 1 cent)

1799 - Congress passes 1st federal quarantine legislation

1799 - Congress passes "An Act Making Appropriations for Defraying the Expenses Which May Arise in Carrying into Effect Certain Treaties Between the United States and Several Tribes or Nations of Indians."

1800’s

1836 - US Showman Phineas Taylor Barnum exhibits African American slave Joice Heth

1838 - London pedestrian walks 20 miles backward then forward in 8 hours

1839 - Seminoles & black allies shipped from Tampa Bay Florida, to West

1862 - Congress forms US Bureau of Engraving & Printing

1875 - Kiowa Indians under Lone Wolf (Guipago) surrender at Ft Sill

1885 - US Congress condemns barbed wire around government grounds

1900’s

1908 - 1st tunnel under Hudson River (railway tunnel) opens

1925 - Glacier Bay National Monument established in Alaska

1950 -  "Your Show of Shows" with Sid Caesar & Imogene Coca premieres on NBC Writers include Mel Brooks, Neil Simon & Woody Allen

1951 - 1st Pan American Games opens (Buenos Aires Argentina)

1952 - 6th Winter Olympic games close at Oslo, Norway

1954 - Abdul Nasser appointed Egyptian premier

1969 - Pension plan for baseball is agreed to

1982 - Final episode of "The Lawrence Welk Show" airs

1987 - Michael Jordan, scores Chicago Bull record 58 points in a game

1989 - Dallas Cowboys fire coach Tom Landry after a 29-year career

1991 - US, barracks in Dhahran Saudi Arabia, hit by scud missile, kills 28

2000’s

2011 - In the Irish general election, the Fianna Fáil-led government suffered the worst defeat of a sitting government since the formation of the Irish state in 1921

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

In their 70’s

Diane Baker, actress (Diary of Anne Frank, Marnie) is 74

Karen Grassle, American actress(Caroline-Little House on Prairie) is 70

Bob Schieffer, newscaster (CBS Weekend News) is 75

In their 60’s

Rick Flair, [Richard Fliehr], wrestling champ (NWA/WWF/WCW/AWA) is 62

Sally Jessy Raphael, American TV talk show host (Sally) is 69

In their 40’s

Carrot Top, [Scott Thompson], comedian (Amer Comedy Award-1994) is 47

In their 30’s

Chelsea Handler, TV host is 37

Remembered for being born on this day

Jim Backus, Cleve, actor (Mr Magoo, Thurston Howell III-Gilligan Is) in 1913

Anthony Burgess, essayist/novelist (Clockwork Orange) in 1917

Enrico Caruso, Naples Italy, operatic tenor (Faust) in 1873

Mary Coyle Chase, playwright (Harvey-Pulitzer Prize) in 1907

John Foster Dulles, US Secretary of State (1953-59) in 1888

George Harrison, rocker (Beatle/Travelling Willberries-My Sweet Lord) in 1943

[Herbert] Zeppo Marx, comedian/actor (Marx Brothers) in 1901

Tommy Newsom, musician/bandleader/saxophonist (Tonight Show) in 1929

Pierre Auguste Renoir, Limoges France, Impressionist painter/sculptor in 1841

Robert Lorimer "Bobby" Riggs, US tennis star (US Open 1939, 41) in 1918

Faron Young, country singer/actor ("He Stopped Loving Her Today", Daniel Boone) in 1932

Today’s Obits                                                           

James Coco, actor (Joe-Dumplings), dies of heart attack at 56 in 1987

Darren McGavin, American actor dies at 83 in 2006

Thomas Moore, writer (Utopia), dies at 72 in 1852

Elijah Muhammad, leader of Nation of Islam, dies in Chicago at 78 in 1975

Paul Julius von Reuter, founder of the news agency (Reuters), dies at 83 in 1899

Tennessee Williams, US playwright and writer (Streetcar Named Desire), chokes to death at 71 in 1983

Christopher Wren, England, astronomer/architect, dies at 90 in 1723

Answers                                                                                                                                            

Brain Game

NPR Sunday Puzzle

1.     Coin:

a.     icon

2.     Aide:

a.     idea

3.     Annie:

a.     inane

4.     Runic:

a.     incur

5.     Bedim:

a.     imbed

6.     Sunlit:

a.     insult

7.     Renoir:

a.     ironer

8.     Cinema:

a.     iceman

9.     Stifle:

a.     itself

10.  Region:

a.     ignore

11.  Umpire:

a.     impure

12.  Excitation:      

a.     intoxicate

Wuzzle

• A punch in the nose
• Pennies from heaven
• Self-centered

Disclaimer: All opinions are mine…feel free to agree or disagree.

All ‘data’ info is from the internet sites and is usually checked with at least one other source, but I have learned that every site has mistakes and sadly once out the information is out there, many sites simply copy it and is therefore difficult to verify. Also for events occurring before the Gregorian calendar was adopted [1582] the dates may not be totally accurate.

☺    And That Is All for Now  ☺