May 27

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

Today’s  Historical  Highlights

1850: Mormon Temple in Nauvoo Illinois destroyed by tornado

1895: British inventor Birt Acres patents film camera/projector

1930: Richard Drew invents masking tape

1943: US forbid racial discrimination in war industry

1951: Chinese Communists force Dalai Lama to surrender his army to Beijing

1961: 1st black light is sold

♪Happy Birthday To: ♪ 

 

Free Rambling Thoughts   

Another day of strong winds. Such is the way of spring in Northern AZ. The temps, along with the wind made it hard to be outside very much. Glad I didn’t have to do any errands and could stay around the house most of the day.

I have changed some of the games on this blog…hope you enjoy the new ones. We all have to keep our brains changing and trying new things.

So frustrated that the nation’s news and weather people can’t correctly pronounce the latest hurricane—Beryl. It was my mother’s name and for 89 years she had to put up with people mispronouncing it. Every broadcast I have seen or heard calls it …it is pronounced . I guess none of them took a gem course in their education. Frustrated.

Just before Memorial Day, the military right is scaring us that the possible cuts in military spending at the end of the year will end America’s super power status. Really?!?. The times have changed. At times we are like the British who were fighting us during the Revolutionary War. The British insisted on wearing fancy uniforms and marching into battle in lines—the troops they were fighting hid behind trees and didn’t wear fancy uniforms. We continue to try and fight a traditional war when we are actually fighting terrorists. The US military budget was about $711 billion in 2010. The next nearest country, China, spent about $140billion. On average the top countries spend about 2.2% of their GDP. The US spends 4.7%. China spends 2.2%. The cuts that were approved by Congress will not end our status as a super power. It will simply mean that the military establishment has to be more frugal in its spending. It’s about time.

Game   Center: (answers at the end of post)

Brain Game—A close up picture of what?

NPR Sunday Puzzle

Common Ground: given two things, name what they have in common. Each answer has six letters. For example, given "typewriter" and "Christmas gift," the answer is "ribbon."

1.      A nose; San Francisco Bay:

2.     A credit card; a skunk:

3.     A jack in the box; a year:

4.     A compass; a phonograph:

5.     A kangaroo; a pool table:

6.     A soon to be bride; a bathroom:

7.     Laundromat; a hardware store:

8.     A temperature; a college graduate:

9.     A door; a CB user:

10.  A railway station; a beer pub:

11.    A baseball game; a cake mixing bowl:

12.   A ship; TV news program:

What is the word or phrase?

sta4nce

3x3 Word Boxes

The answer to 1 across is the same word as the answer to 1 down; 2 across is the same as 2 down; etc. Can you solve these Word Boxes? Each answer is 3 letters.

1.    Bound paper stack
2.   What’s in the hole?
3.   Study [Noun]

Lifestyle  Substance     

***NEW***  Summer Songs of the 1960’s

Hey Jude, The Beatles 1968 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (9 weeks)

(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, Rolling Stones 1965 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (4 weeks)

Light My Fire, The Doors   1967 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (3 weeks)

Good Vibrations, The Beach Boys 1966 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (1 week)

Harper’s Index         

Percentage of Chinese and Americans, respectively, who struggled to pay for food in 2011: 6, 19

Found on You Tube 

Body Painting Film

This is an art film!       

Planet Earth—

Joke-of-the-day

After drinking, Men talk unnecessarily, Become emotional, drive badly, stop thinking, fight for nothing Women can do all these without drinking!

Rules of Thumb   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

The harder the cheese, the longer it will keep.

Yeah, It Really Happened

 Tokyo, Japan: Mao Sugiyama, a 22-year-old Japanese artist, had his penis and testicles surgically removed in order to live as an "asexual", that is without gender. But then he decided, in order to raise awareness about sexual minorities and to raise funds to help pay for the surgery, that he was going to cook his own genitals and served them to five paying diners in Tokyo.
Diners paid 20,000 yen ($251.42 USD) for the plate with a portion of genitals. The meal was prepared under the supervision of a certified cook and diners were required to sign a waiver indemnifying Sugiyama and event organizers.Steps were taken so the act met all relevant laws, including a ban on organ sales, processing of medical waste and even food sanitation requirements.The genitals were braised and served with mushrooms and a parsley garnish.Sugiyama said he received questions from some women and men asking 'Will there be a next time? Please host it again.' Apparently, the meal did not leave a bad taste in the diners' mouths.
But there is only one set of male organ," he tweeted. "I have no plan for the next time."                

Somewhat Useless Information   

The Code of Hammurabi is the earliest known example of a ruler publicly proclaiming to his people an entire set of laws, in an orderly arrangement, so that all of men might read and known what was required of them. Hammurabi was a ruler of ancient Babylon, probably from around 1795 B.C. to about 1750 B.C.

The Battle of Wavre was the last battle of the Napoleonic Wars. It took place on June 18 and 19, 1815, between Prussian and French forces

The world's first postage stamp, the Penny Black, which featured a portrait of Queen Victoria, was introduced by Great Britain in1840.

For AZ centennial celebration: town names

• Hackberry, AZ: an unincorporated community in Mohave County, former mining town founded in 1874, Hackberry takes its name from thehackberry tree common to the area, became a ghost town in 1973, 1992, travelling artist Bob Waldmire re-opened the Hackberry General Store

• Hereford, AZ: an unincorporated community in Cochise County, population of theid 6,537, community was named after B.J. Hereford, who was a friend of the town's founder, The area is known for its wildlife and outdoor activities. Hundreds of birds and butterflies migrate through this area year round.

• Hotevilla, AZ: also known asThird Mesa, Navajo County, on the Hopi Reservation, population is 767, total area of 11.9 square miles (31 km2), first settled by the "hostiles", a group of Hopi residents who were forced out of nearby Oraibi in the 1906, The racial makeup of the CDP was 95.96% Native American, 3.78% White, and 0.26% from two or more races. 1.04% of the population is Hispanic or Latino of any race 

• Hualapai, AZ: (pronounced Wal-lah-pie) means “People of the Tall Pines.”, The reservation encompasses about one million acres along 108 miles of the Grand Canyon and Colorado River, occupying part of three northern Arizona counties: Coconino, Yavapai, and Mohave , population of the Hualapai Reservation is about 1,621

Calendar Information        

…Happening This Week:

21-27

Recreational Water Illness and Injury Prevention Week

National Medical Transcription Week

National Backyard Games Week

Week of Solidarity With The People of Non-Self-Governing Territories Old-Time Player Piano Week

27-6/2

Hurricane Preparedness Week

Black Single Parents Week

Today Is                                                                      

Body Painting Arts

Festival Cellophane Tape Day

Indianapolis 500

National Wig Out Day

Today’s Other Events                                                             

1500’s

1529: 30 Jews of Posing Hungary, charged with blood ritual, burned at stake

1600’s

1607: Virginia has its first significant battle between Indians and European settlers

1679: Habeas Corpus Act (no false arrest & imprisonment) passes in UK

1700’s

1703: St Petersburg (Leningrad) founded by Peter the Great

1800’s

1813: Americans capture Ft George, Canada

1847: The Oregon Country publication "The Spectator" has an article by its editor, George L. Curry. He blames much of the problems with the local Indians on their use of alcohol. He asks for better enforcement of the laws prohibiting the sale of "intoxicants" to Indians

1896: Tornado hit St Louis, killing 255 & leaving thousands homeless

1900’s

1930: The 1,046-foot (319-meter) Chrysler Building in New York City, the tallest man-made structure at the time, opens to the public

1933: Walt Disney's "3 Little Pigs" released

1942: Hitler orders 10,000 Czechs murdered

1949: Russian stop train traffic West-Berlin

1964: "From Russia With Love" premieres in US

1967: Australians vote in favor of a constitutional referendum granting the Australian government the power to make laws to benefit Indigenous Australians and to count them in the national census

1969: Walt Disney World construction begins

1981: John Hinckley attempts suicide by overdosing on Tylenol

1997: 1st all female (20 British women) team reaches North Pole

1997: Marv Albert pleads innocent to charges of sexual assault

1999: The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague, Netherlands indicts Slobodan Milošević and four others for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Kosovo

2000’s

2006: The May 2006 Java earthquake strikes at 5:53:58 AM local time (22:53:58 UTC May 26) devastating Bantul and the city of Yogyakarta killing over 6,600 people

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

Remembered for being born on this day

Rachel Louise Carson, biologist/ecologist/writer (Silent Spring) in 1907

Kam Fong, Honolulu Hawaii, actor (Hawaii Five-0) in 1919

"Wild Bill" Hickok, [James Butler], cowboy/scout in 1837

Tony Hillerman, American writer best known for his Navajo Tribal Police mystery novels in 1925

Hubert Humphrey, (Sen-D-Minn) 38th VP (1965-69), 1968 Pres candidate in 1911

Ibn Khaldun, Tunis, Arab historian/sociologist (Muqaddimah)in 1332

Sam Snead, Hot Springs VA, PGA golfer (PGA-1963, 65, 67, 70, 72, 73) in 1912

Cornelius Vanderbilt, millionaire (B & O railroad) in 1974

Herman Wouk, NYC, novelist (Caine Mutiny, Winds of War) in 1915

In their 90’s

Christopher Lee, London England, actor (Hound of Baskervilles) is 90

In their 80’s

Henry Kissinger, Secretary of State (1973-77)/Nobel Peace Prize (1973) is 89

In their 70’s

Louis Gossett Jr, Bkln NY, actor (Officer & Gentleman, Deep)is 76

Ramsey Lewis, Chicago, pop jazz artist (Hang on Sloopy) is 77

Lee Meriwether, LA California, Miss America (Time Tunnel,  Barnaby Jones) is 77

In their 60’s

Pete Sears, bassist (Jefferson Starship) is 64

In their 50’s

Cynthia McFadden, American television anchor is 56

In their 40’s

Todd Bridges, SF CA, actor (Diff'rent Strokes, Fish) is 47

In their 30’s

André 3000 (André Lauren Benjamin), American musician (OutKast)is 37

Today’s Obits                                                           

Tony "Big Tuna" Accardo, mobster (St Valentines Day), dies in 1992 at 86

Jeremiah Carlton, laziest man in history, heir to a large fortune at 19 went to bed & stayed there for next 70 yrs, dies in 1790 at 89

Jeff Conaway, American actor dies of sepsis (OD) in 2011 at 60

Robert Koch, German bacteriologist (TB, Cholera, Nobel), dies of heart attack in 1910 at 66

Jawaharial Nehru, Independent India's 1st PM, dies of heart attack in 1964 at 74 Margaret Pole the Blessed, duchess of Salisbury, beheaded for treason after 11 blows in 1541 at 67

Robert L Ripley, cartoonist (Believe It or Not), dies of heart attack in 1949 at 55

Answers                                                                                                                                            

Brain Game: Close Up Picture

What is the word or phrase?

For instance [four in stance]

NPR Sunday Puzzle1.      A nose; San Francisco Bay: bridge2.     A credit card; a skunk: stripe3.     A jack in the box; a year: spring4.     A compass; a phonograph: needle5.     A kangaroo; a pool table: pocket6.     A soon to be bride; a bathroom: shower7.     Laundromat; a hardware store: washer8.     A temperature; a college graduate: degree9.     A door; a CB user: handle10.  A railway station; a beer pub: porter11.    A baseball game; a cake mixing bowl: batter12.   A ship; TV news program: anchor

3x3 boxes

PAD

ACE

DEN

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  ☺

May 26

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

Today’s  Historical  Highlights

1637: 1st battle of Pequot at New Haven Ct kills 500 Natives

1798: British kill about 500 Irish insurgents at the Battle of Tara

1805: Lewis & Clark 1st see Rocky Mountains

1911: 1st Indianapolis 500 auto race is run1963: Organization of African Unity forms

1978: 1st legal gambling casino opens in Atlantic City

2002: The Mars Odyssey finds signs of large ice deposits on the planet Mars

♪Happy Birthday To: ♪ 

 

Free Rambling Thoughts   

Another windy day. A small brush fire in Flag, on a main road…quickly extinguished. It’s all part of being in the desert. I was out and about this morning, before the wind really picked up. The weatherman says the wind will continue through the long weekend. Many Phx people will be headed this way for a cool weekend…sure hope they understand the fire danger.

After lunch yesterday we stopped by a new store that has many many cool things. It is advertized as a feed and tack store, but is a clothing store, a hardware store, and lots more. Anyway, I bought two of those 50’s pink flamingos. It’s a joke from our house in Wheat Ridge, where two pink flamingos moved mysteriously from house to house during the summer. They would show up, be taken back to the owners and then wander off again. Makes me smile when I see them by my fountain.

Game   Center   (answers at the end of post)

Brain Game—A close up picture of what?

NPR Sunday Puzzle

Every answer is a familiar two-word phrase in which the first word starts with CA and the second word starts with W. For example, given "a glass opening in a wall that is attached by hinges," the answer is "casement window."

1.      It melts and drips from a flame:

2.     Covering for a Snickers bar or M&M’s:

3.     What a moat surrounds:

4.     Cabernet or other product from Napa Valley:

5.     Person making a large floor covering:

6.     Removal of money from a bank:

7.     Part of a surrey that rolls:

8.     Seltzer:

9.     Luxury timepiece originally made by 19^th c French jeweler:

10.  T-shirt, shorts, and sandals for example:

11.    One who might try to get you take 3 balls for a dollar:

12.   Classic quote ’one who must be above suspicion’:

13.   Telephone feature that allows you to speak to one person while another is on hold:

14.   Business with soap and big brushes:

15.   Cry of eagerness for a future event:

Riddle of the day

You throw away the outside and cook the inside. Then you eat the outside and throw away the inside. What did you eat?

Anagram: unscramble—numbers represent the number of letters in each answer word

Lifestyle  Substance     

Harper’s Index         

Percentage of Chinese and Americans, respectfully, who struggled to pay for food in 2008: 16:9

Found on You Tube 

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue 50th Anniversary        

Planet Earth—

Joke-of-the-day

A pregnant woman gets into a car accident and falls into a deep coma.
Asleep for nearly six months, she wakes up and sees that she is no longer pregnant. Frantically, she asks the doctor about her baby.
 The doctor replies, "Ma'am, you had twins! A boy and a girl. The babies are fine. Your brother came in and named them."
The woman thinks to herself, "Oh no, not my brother -- he's an idiot!" Expecting the worst, she asks the doctor, "Well, what's the girl's name?"
 "Denise," the doctor says.
 The new mother thinks, "Wow, that's not a bad name! Guess I was wrong about my brother. I like Denise!" Then she asks the doctor, "What's the boy's name?"
 The doctor replies, DeNephew. 

Rules of Thumb   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

Soaking in a hot tub adds two to three pints of perspiration per hour per person to the water.

Yeah, It Really Happened

MIAMI - Administrators at a Florida school said police were on hand to make sure their prom did not intermingle with a porn convention going on at the same venue. Gwen Zaldivar, the activities director for Miami Beach Senior High School, said extra security steps were taken when administrators discovered the prom held during the weekend would be sharing the Miami Beach Convention Center with the Exxxotica Expo pornography convention, WFOR-TV, Miami, reported Monday.
"We ... hired police officers," Zaldivar said. "We [worked] with the Miami Beach Convention Center to make sure they have their security in place as well."
Zaldivar said police, security workers and teachers stood guard at the venue to ensure the two events did not intermingle. School officials said their choices of prom venues were limited.
"We do not hold our proms in venues such as hotels for the safety of our children and to discourage drinking," Zaldivar said. "Therefore this was the only available location and it's easy to control the students are safe."                 

Somewhat Useless Information   

• John Travolta's shirt in Saturday Night Fever was specially designed so that it buttoned at the crotch.

• Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers of Chic were refused entrance to New York's legendary Studio 54 on New Year's Eve in 1977. They returned to Rodgers' apartment with a few bottles of champagne and began jamming. The riff they came up with evolved into "Le Freak," which went on to sell 13 million copies worldwide.

• Earlier records had sold a million copies, but Johnnie Taylor's number one hit, "Disco Lady," was the first single to be awarded a platinum single by the RIAA. This song was the first to sell a million copies after the RIAA first introduced the award in 1977.

• Victor Willis, the original police officer and lead singer of the Village People, was once married to Phylicia Rashad, who portrayed mother Clair Huxtable on TV's The Cosby Show.

• On July 12, 1979, the White Sox were forced to forfeit to the Tigers when Chicago DJ Steve Dahl's "Disco Demolition Night" promotion went awry. The previous night's game had attracted 15,000 fans, so stadium officials were unprepared for the 90,000 who showed up and swarmed the field between games.

• Record producer Tom Moulton was the brainchild behind extended remixes for disco songs, created so that folks could fully enjoy dancing to a song for more than three minutes. He came up with the concept of the 12-inch single, the first of which was Moment of Truth's
 "So Much for Love."

For AZ centennial celebration: town names

• Gadsden, AZ : in Yuma County, The population is 953, total area of 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²), The racial makeup of the CDP was 40.92% White, 3.57% Native American, 0.31%Asian, 0.21% Pacific Islander, 53.62% from other races, and 1.36% from two or more races. 93.81% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

• Gila Bend, AZ: founded in 1872, is a town in Maricopa County, is named for an approximately 90-degree bend in the Gila River, the population of the town is 2,055, The racial makeup of the town was 51.31% White, 1.31% Black or African American, 10.25% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 32.42% from other races, and 4.34% from two or more races. 52.63% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race., In 2010 Abengoa Solar secured a $1.45 BUSD loan guarantee to build a large 280 megawatt Concentrated Solar Power Plant in Gila Bend

• Gold Camp, AZ: (also known as Gold Canyon) in Pinal County, Land area: 22.3 square miles, The population was 6,029, The scenery photos from the beginning of "The Three Amigos" are from Gold Canyon, The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.20% White, 0.30% Black or African American, 0.66%Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 1.36% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. 3.53% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race..

• Gray Mountain, AZ: an unincorporated community in Coconino County on the Navajo Nation

Calendar Information        

…Happening This Week:

21-27

Recreational Water Illness and Injury Prevention Week

National Medical Transcription Week

National Backyard Games Week

Week of Solidarity With The People of Non-Self-Governing Territories Old-Time Player Piano Week

Today Is                                                                      

Amateur Radio Military Appreciation Day (ARMAD)

International Jazz Day

Julia Pierpont Day: is recognized by many historians for having originated Decoration Day 

Australia: Sorry Day (gives people the chance to come together and share the steps towards healing for the Stolen Generations, their families and communities. Stolen generations refer to Indigenous Australians who were forcibly removed from their families and communities.)

Guyana (formerly British Guiana) Independence 1966 from UK

Georgia: Independence Day (1918 from Transcaucasian Federation)

Today’s Other Events                                                             

1500’s

1540: The "Lady of Cofitachequi" has been taken with the de Soto expedition, against her will. With a large quantity of the pearls that de Soto's men took from her village, she escapes.

1600’s

1647: Massachusetts disallows priest access to colony

1647: Alse Young becomes the first person executed as a witch in the American colonies, when she is hanged in Hartford, Connecticut

1700’s

1728: According to some sources, a peace and friendship conference is held for two days between the representatives of the British in Pennsylvania and the Conestoga, Delaware, Potomac and Shawnee Indians

1800’s

1861: Postmaster General Blair announces end of postal connection with South

1864: Territory of Montana formed

1868: President Andrew Johnson avoids impeachment by 1 vote

1900’s

1908: At Masjed Soleyman (مسجد سليمان) in southwest Persia, the first major commercial oil strike in the Middle East is made. The rights to the resource are quickly acquired by the United Kingdom

1930: Supreme Court rules buying liquor does not violate the Constitution

1938: House on un-American Activities forms

1945: US drop fire bombs on Tokyo

1948: South Africa elects a nationalist government with apartheid policy

1966: Buddhist sets self on fire at US consulate in Hué South-Vietnam

1969: Apollo 10 astronauts returned to Earth

1972: Nixon & Brezhnev signs SALT accord

1984: Frisbee is kept aloft for 1,672 seconds in Philadelphia

1998: The United States Supreme Court rules that Ellis Island, the historic gateway for millions of immigrants, is mainly in the state of New Jersey, not New York.

2000’s

2004: The United States Army veteran Terry Nichols is found guilty of 161 state murder charges for helping carry out the Oklahoma City bombing

 2006: The May 2006 Java earthquake kills over 5,700 people, leaves 200,000 homeless

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

Remembered for being born on this day

James Arness, Minneapolis MN, actor (Matt Dillon-Gunsmoke, Thing) in 1923

Miles Davis, Alton, Illinois, American jazz musician, trumpeter and composer in 1926

Al Jolson, [Asa Yoelson], jazz singer/silent actor (Mamie, Swanee)in 1886

Peggy Lee, American singer (Fever) in 1920

Robert Morley, England, actor (High Road to China, African Queen) in 1908

Jay Silverheels (Harold J. Smith), Canadian Mohawk actor (Tonto-Lone Ranger) in 1912

John Wayne (Marion Mitchell Morrison), Winterset IA, actor (Green Berets, True Grit) in 1907

In their 60’s

Pam Grier, actress (Big Bird Cage, Tough Enough) is 63

Philip Michael Thomas, Columbus Ohio, actor (Miami Vice) is 63

Hank Williams Jr, Shreveport La, country singer (Honky Tonk) is 63 

In their 50’s

Bobcat Goldthwait, comedian (Police Academy)is 50

In their 40’s

Lenny Kravitz, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, actor and arranger is 48

Today’s Obits                                                           

George Brent, actor (Baby Face, Dark Victory, 42nd St), dies in 1979 at 80

Edsel Ford, owner (Ford Motor Company), dies of stomach cancer in 1943 at 49

Art Linkletter, Canadian-American radio and television personality dies in 2010 at 97

Ida McKinley, First Lady of the United States dies in 1907 at 59

Sydney Pollack, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter dies in 2008 of stomach cancer at 73

Jimmie Rodgers, country singer, dies in 1933 of TB at 35

Answers                                                                                                                                            

Brain Game: Close Up Picture

Riddle of the day

An ear of corn or a chicken

NPR Sunday Puzzle

1.      It melts and drips from a flame: candle wax

2.     Covering for a Snickers bar or M&M’s: candy wrapper

3.     What a moat surrounds: castle walls

4.     Cabernet or other product from Napa Valley: California wine

5.     Person making a large floor covering: carpet weaver

6.     Removal of money from a bank: cash withdrawal

7.     Part of a surrey that rolls: carriage wheel

8.     Seltzer: carbonated water

9.     Luxury timepiece originally made by 19^th c French jeweler: Cartier watch

10.  T-shirt, shorts, and sandals for example: casual wear

11.    One who might try to get you take 3 balls for a dollar: carnival worker

12.   Classic quote ’one who must be above suspicion’: Caesar’s wife

13.   Telephone feature that allows you to speak to one person while another is on hold: call waiting

14.   Business with soap and big brushes: car wash

15.   Cry of eagerness for a future event: can’t wait

Anagrams

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  ☺