Mar 24, 2013


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Flagstaff Almanac:  Week: 13/ Day: 83   Today: H 46°…L 27°
Averages: H  52° L 25° Records: H 67°(1990)…L -1°(1973)
Wind: ave:   10mph; Gusts:  32mph  Ave. humidity:  33%

Quote of the Day

Today’s Historical Highlights
1st religious services telecast in US►1930 
African Union deploys 5,000 strong force with the aim of catching or killing
     warlord Joseph Kony►2012
Jonesboro massacre: Two students, ages 11 and 13, fire upon teachers and
     students at Westside Middle School in Jonesboro, Arkansas; five people are dead
     and ten are wounded►1998
King James I, of England, decides the Indians of Virginia must be educated; directs
     the Anglican church to collect funds to build churches and schools►1617
Planet Pluto named►1930
US appeals court rules novel, "Lady Chatterly's Lover," not obscene►1960
Worst US oil spill, Exxon's Valdez spills 11.3 mil gallons off Alaska►1989

♪  ♪   Happy Birthday To: ♪. ♪   
How many can you identify?…answers in Today’s Birthdays

Free Rambling Thoughts   
Not exactly a nice spring day…a little chilly and wind to boot. A few degrees too cold to enjoy much time outside.
 
Getting ready today for our discussion group tonight. We are discussing Iran. I sure leaned a lot with the readings for the discussion. Persia had such an amazing history. Like so many places in the world, governments have tried with much success in turning another country in to a ‘less than human’ place. One of the biggest stumbling blocks is that both the West and the Islamic regime of Iran have told their people such horrific stories about the other side, talking is only a throwing of words between governments with both sides viewing any substantial talks being a sign of weakness against a horrific enemy. To add to this the West allowed the Iranian shah to rule the country with money and support while the Shah devastated the civilian population for decades. Not much hope in the near future for any thawing of relations with the Iranian regime. On the Iranian side one big question: How can we survive if we do not have nuclear weapons with all these countries against us? On the Western side: How can we allow such a violent government have nuclear weapons? Should be an interesting discussion.
Game  Center (answers at the end of post)
Brain Teasers
What is this rebus?
PinnAcLeS

Lifestyle  Substance:     
Found on You Tube with some relevance to today

from Cracked.com
Band Names
Limp Bizkit
The story: 
Rumor has it that the name comes from the title of the masturbation game, "limp biscuit," in which a group of, no doubt, highly intelligent scholars stand around a biscuit and masturbate onto it. The last guy to ejaculate has to eat it. So in a metaphorical way, the American public has been losing this game every time Limp Bizkit released an album.
Why it's ridiculous: 
Following the naming convention of its mentor band Korn, Limp Bizkit intentionally misspelled their band name, because that's phat with the kids. Fred Durst was apparently operating under the impression that naming his band after a game in which a bunch of lonely white teenagers stand around jacking off in front of each other was just a little too intellectually haughty, and decided to "dumb it down a little" for us proles. Oh, and it's pretty much never a good idea to describe your hard rock band as "limp."
Hootie and the Blowfish
The story:
The band is named for two of singer Darius Rucker's college choir friends, nicknamed "Hootie" and "the Blowfish" because one looked like an owl and the other like a blowfish. Interesting note: That choir was named Darius the Black Guy & The Two Ugliest Dudes on Campus.
Why it's ridiculous:
In a word: "hootie." In four: "hootie," "and," "the" and "blowfish." We now know from scientific studies performed in 1998 at Cambridge that there isn't a single aspect of Hootie and the Blowfish's name that doesn't invite you, the listener, on a subconscious simian level, to punch each of them in the face until they agree to change it.
Ok, then?

Harper’s Index    
Average number of days a US vet waits for a response to a claim filed with the VA: 260
Picture of the Day: Dine’ Land [Navajo]

Unusual Fact of the Day
The highest-ranking, longest-serving U.S. officers earn over $16,000 each month. New recruits, on the other hand, earn less than $16,000 annually.
Joke-of-the-day
A middle-aged woman had a heart attack and was taken to the hospital. While on the operating table, she had a near death experience.
Seeing God, she asked, "Is my time up?"
God said, "No, you have another 43 years, two months and eight days to live." Upon recovery, the woman decided to stay in the hospital and have a face-lift, liposuction and tummy tuck. Since she had so much more time to live, she figured she might as well look even nicer. After her last operation, she was released from the hospital. While crossing the street on her way home, an ambulance killed her.
Arriving in front of God, she demanded,
"I thought you said I had another 40 years? Why didn't you pull me out of the path of that ambulance?" God replied, "Girl, I didn't recognize you”
Rules of Thumb:   
Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess
CHOOSING A BARBER
 Between two barbers in a shop, choose the one with the worst haircut. They cut each other's hair.   
Yeah, It Really Happened
PITTSBURGH - American Eagle Outfitters, based in Pittsburgh, said a fake ad for spray-on skinny jeans was a way of having "fun with our fans." Bob Holobinko, vice president of brand marketing, said the company has been pleased with the response to the YouTube video for the fake "Skinny Skinny Jeans" product, KNBC-TV, Los Angeles, reported Friday. The video, which depicts young people wearing spray-painted jeans, had been viewed more than 420,000 times as of Friday afternoon. "We wanted to have fun with our fans," Holobinko told NBC's "Today" show. "And the response has been incredible."  
Somewhat Useless Information   
 Our Lifetime in Numbers
Life expectancy – 78.5 years or 2,475,576,000 seconds Words Spoken in Lifetime - 123,205,750 Friendships – 1,700   Baths – 7,163  Dreams – 104,390 Beef and Veal consumed – 4.5 cows per person Chickens consumed – 1,201 per person Potatoes consumed – 5130 pounds Chocolate – 10,354 bars Baked Beans – 845 cans Farts – 35,815 liters of wind Soap – 656 bars  Toothpaste – 276 tubes Deodorant – 272 cans Shampoo – 198 bottles Beer – 10,351 pints Wine – 1,694 bottles Vomit produced – 149 liters Sex – 4,239 times Holidays - 59 trips

Calendar Information        
Happening This Week:
18-24
Act Happy Week
American Chocolate Week
Flood Awareness Week
Wellderly Week
Wildlife Week
World Folktales & Fables Week
21-27
Week of Solidarity with People's Struggling Against Racism & Discrimination
24-30 
Tsunami Awareness Week
Pediatric Nurse Practioner Week
National Protocol Officer's Week
National Cleaning Week
Termite Awareness Week

Today Is                                                                      
Houdini Day
National Chocolate Covered Raisins Day
Palm Sunday
World Tuberculosis Day

Today’s Events through History  
1st seagoing oil drill rig placed in service►1955
ABC's nightly Iran Hostage crisis program renamed "Nightline"►1980
Elvis Presley joins the army (serial number 53310761) ►1958
Kennedy half-dollar issued 1976 - Argentine Pres Isabel Peron deposed by country's military►1964
Metropolitan Life Insurance Co forms 1898 - 1st automobile sold►1868
Mormon Joseph Smith beaten, tarred & feathered in Ohio►1832
Roger Williams is granted a charter to colonize Rhode Island►1664
Three Dozen SIOUX make off with 30 horses belonging to CROW scouts, at Fort Custer,
     in south-central Montana. Captain John Mix, and 44 soldiers from Troop C, Second 
     Cavalry, cover 65 miles in 11 hours to catch the SIOUX. During a skirmish, 
     16 of the stolen horses are recovered►1880

Today’s Birthdays                                                           
In their 70’s
Bob Mackie, Monterey Parks California, designer (Streisand, Cher) is 73

In their 60’s
Tommy Hilfiger, fashion designer is 62

In their 50’s
Star Jones, attorney/TV hostess (NBC, Inside Edition) is 51

In their 30’s
Peyton Manning, Colt’s football player is 37

Remembered for being born today
Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, San Jose CA, actor (Keystone comedies) [1887-1933]
Fanny Crosby, American hymnist [1820-1915]
Thomas E Dewey, 1st Catholic Pres candidate 1944, 1948 (R) [1902-1971]
Norman Fell, actor (Mr Roper-3's Company, The End, Graduate) [1924-1998]
Harry Houdini, [Erich Weiss], Budapest, magician/escape artist [1824-1926]
John Wesley Powell, US, geologist/explorer/ethnologist [1834-1902]
Dorothy Stratton, organizer (SPARS-women's branch of US Coast Guard) [1899-2006]

Today’s Historical Obits                                                           
Robert Culp, American actor►heart attack►2010►at 79
Sam Jaffe, actor (Dr Zorba-Ben Casey) ►cancer►1984►at 93
William Leddra, last Quaker hanged in Boston►1661
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, US poet (Song of Hiawatha) ►peritonitis►1882►at 75
Elizabeth I Tudor, [Virgin Queen], of England and Ireland►unremovable melancholy►1603►at 69
Jules Verne, sci-fi author (Around the World in 80 Days) ►diabetes►1905►at 77

Answer: Brain Teasers
Friends in high places. The word is "pinnacles", which is another word for high places. The capitalized letters spell "pals", another word for friends. The pals are in the pinnacles!
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  §
Posted by No comments:

Mar 23, 2013


FYI: Any blue text is a link. Click to check it out!
Flagstaff Almanac:  Week: 12/ Day: 82   Today: H   56°…L 23°
Averages: H  52° L 24° Records: H 68°(2004)…L -1°(1952)
Wind: ave:   16mph; Gusts:  33mph  Ave. humidity:  43%

Quote of the Day

Today’s Historical Highlights
1st dated edition of Maimonides "Mishneh Torah" published►1490
1st recorded use of "OK" [oll korrect] (Boston's Morning Post) ►1839
1st telephone installed in White House►1929
English pretender to the throne James III lands at Firth of Forth►1708
Pres Harrison opens Oklahoma for white colonization►1889
University of California founded (Oakland California) ►1868
US move native-born of Japanese ancestry into detention centers►1942
♪  ♪   Happy Birthday To: ♪. ♪   
How many can you identify?…answers in Today’s Birthdays

Free Rambling Thoughts   
A good time at the Home Show followed by a good lunch. Home Show always has interesting people who are selling stuff. This year seemed to have a lot more young [under 30] people at the ‘how have you lived without this’ booths. Also a lot of retirement age people selling at those booths. I couldn’t help but wonder if the seniors at these booths were doing it—for years and years and loved it, supplementing their retirement, or just needed to do it to make bill payments. Still a lot of cool stuff, and a few ideas for my place.
 
I have long wondered how we can fight in two wars at the same time without having some kind of ‘rationing’ or discomfort for all Americans…like during WWII. I think I am beginning to understand. When WWII ended, the GI’s were offered many benefits toward education for their and housing when they returned. Today, combatants must wait up to a year to get desperately needed services because the VA is prepared to help them. I get that the WWII vets were drafted, and today’s vets volunteered. But I also get that many who are returning would not have survived during WWII. The families who have a family member die in combat get a one-time payment for burial. Wounded vets are a ‘many times-many payments’ deal. That is where the $$$ for the war should be going. How can these crazy war mongers in Congress and the Administration not spend long nights making bills that will provide the necessary treatment for our military? I have some friends who were in VietNam. At first I had a hard time understanding the whole PTSD thing, but when I saw a friend curl up in a corner when some fireworks were set off on the 4th of July in Tuba, I suddenly got it. I then had two PTSD maintenance workers in Pine Ridge with it. It is very serious and they needed lifelong help. Then there are physically mutilated who need help with mechanisms as well as mental help to deal with their injury. War is never cheap and today’s wars are even more expensive than the bombs. I find it a National disgrace that our last few presidents and the last few congresses have done very little to help these vets. Yes, they are given parades and salutes, and handshakes at airports upon returning…but then they are out in the cruel world to deal with their physical and mental injuries.  No wonder so many end up divorced, homeless, and suicidal. A congressional or presidential investigation into the VA is long overdue.
Game  Center (answers at the end of post)
Brain Teasers
Each sentence below contains a word that can be anagrammed to answer or describe the sentence.
Example: Craft that might tip in the ocean. Answer: Canoe (Anagram of ocean)
1. Bit of brush 2. Opposite of unite 3. Writings of a steno 4. They affix without paste 5. Having less reason for fears 6. Animal that may need a shoer
Excerpted from an old Reader's Digest
Lifestyle  Substance:     
Found on You Tube with some relevance to today

from Cracked.com
Def Leppard
The story: 
Singer Joe Elliott thought of the name Deaf Leopard while he was in school (presumably while failing something). The spelling was later changed so the band didn't become confused with punk bands (who are known for their flawless spelling).
Why it's ridiculous: 
Putting aside '80s metal bands' fascination with animals for a minute (White Tiger, Whitesnake, Great White, Jackyl, Ratt) unless you're a Mozart-level talent, there's simply no excuse for including a word in your band's name that means you can't hear sounds.
Goo Goo Dolls
The story: The band found the name in an issue of True Detective Magazine after a club owner balked at their original name, the Sex Maggots.

Why it's ridiculous: 
Say it out loud. There's your reason. But not only does the name sound like something an infant would gargle, it doesn't come anywhere near to complimenting the band's sound (neither does the Sex Maggots, for that matter). Sure it might have seemed like an ironic name back when you guys were young and confident, but now you're on adult contemporary radio, and your name reminds people of the gurgling mess in the back seat that brought their youth to an abrupt end. ROCK!
Ok, then?

Harper’s Index    
  • Percentage of Canadians who believe in global warming: 98
  • Of Americans who do: 70
  • Of Republicans: 48
  • Percentage of Republicans who believe in demonic possession: 68

Picture of the Day: Mammals of the Sea

Unusual Fact of the Day
The first Ford Mustangs, built in 1964, were nothing more than Ford Falcons with different exterior sheet metal.
Joke-of-the-day
Six guys were playing poker when Smith loses $500 on a single hand, clutches his chest and drops dead at the table. Showing respect for their fallen comrade, the other five complete their playing time standing up. Roberts looks around and asks, "Now, who is going to tell the wife?" They draw straws. Rippington, who is always a loser, picks the short one. They tell him to be discreet, be gentle, don't make a bad situation any worse than it is. "Gentlemen! Discreet? I'm the most discreet man you will ever meet. Discretion is my middle name, leave it to me." Rippington walks over to the Smith house, knocks on the door, the wife answers, and asks what he wants. Rippington says, "Your husband just lost $500 playing cards." She hollers, "TELL HIM TO DROP DEAD!" Rippington says, "I'll tell him.  
Rules of Thumb:   
Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess
SHINING UP YOUR HORSE
 A horse with a dull coat needs more corn in its diet.    
Yeah, It Really Happened
GREENSBURG, Pa. — Fifty-two bottles of well-aged whiskey disappeared between his lips, police said, and now it's time for a western Pennsylvania man to settle up.
John Saunders, the former live-in caretaker of a Pittsburgh-area mansion, faces criminal charges for allegedly drinking more than $100,000 worth of the owner's whiskey.
Owner Patricia Hill found nine cases of whiskey hidden in the walls and stairwell of the century-old Georgian mansion built by coal and coke industrialist J.P. Brennan after she bought it in 2012. The Old Farm Pure Rye Whiskey was produced in the early 1900s by the nearby West Overton Distilling Co.
"My guess is that Mr. Brennan ordered 10 cases . pre-Prohibition," said Hill, a New Yorker who bought the house to convert it into a bed-and-breakfast. "I was told by his family that family members used to greet him at the door each day with a shot of whiskey."
Scottdale police told The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review ( ) that Saunders drank dozens of bottles whiskey valued at $102,400 by a New York auction house.
Saunders, 62, of Irwin, was charged with receiving stolen property and theft. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.
Hill told police Chief Barry Pritts she stored the whiskey in the original cases, which contained 12 bottles each. After Saunders moved out, Hill said she discovered last March that the bottles in four cases were empty.
Saunders initially denied drinking the whiskey when questioned by police, but Pritts said a DNA linked him to three of the empty bottles.
Somewhat Useless Information   
  • The English word "handcuff" is a corruption of the Anglo-Saxon word handcops, an obsolete word meaning "to fetter".
  • In February 2008, an eight-year-old boy in New Hampshire had to be freed by firefighters after getting stuck in a pair of handcuffs he found in his mother's bedroom.
  • For over 15 years TUFF-TIES, plastic disposable handcuffs, have been used and approved internationally by the Military and over 3,000 federal, state, county, local police agencies, and security forces in all types of arrest and restraint situations.
  • A standard pair of modern handcuffs weighs no more than 15 oz and the minimum opening of the bracelet is 2 inches. The maximum overall length of the handcuffs is 9.4 in (24 cm).
  • Jean Merola, a 75-year-old grandmother of eight, was arrested for disorderly conduct after she refused an officer's orders to move her car while she waited for the coffee and fries she ordered at the drive-through window. Merola was handcuffed behind her back and put in the cruiser.
  • In 1910, Houdini published the book Handcuff Secrets to discourage hack imitators. In the book, he wrote, "you can open the majority of the old-time cuffs with a shoestring. By simply making a loop in the string, you can lasso the end of the screw in the lock and yank the bolt back, and so open the cuff in as clean a manner as if opened with the original key."


Calendar Information        
Happening This Week:
17-23
Campfire USA Birthday Week
Consider Christianity Week
Health Information Professionals Week
National Animal Poison Prevention Week
National Inhalant and Poisons Awareness Week
Root Canal Awareness Week
18-24
Act Happy Week
American Chocolate Week
Flood Awareness Week
Wellderly Week
Wildlife Week
World Folktales & Fables Week
21-27
Week of Solidarity with People's Struggling Against Racism & Discrimination

Today Is                                                                       
Corn Dog Day
Liberty Day
National Puppy Day
Near Miss Day 1989 when asteroid came within 500,000 miles of earth
OK Day
UN World Meteorological Day
~Pakistan: Republic Day (1956; became Islamic)

Today’s Events through History  
Dame Nellie Melba, reveals secret of her now famous toast►1901
Dixie Cup invented 1922 - 1st airplane lands at the US Capitol in Washington, DC►1912
Evel Knievel breaks 93 bones after successfully clearing 35 cars►1972
Patrick Henry proclaims "Give me liberty or give me death"►1775
Sir Alexander Cuming will hold a conference with 300 CHEROKEE Chiefs. 
     Using threats and gifts, Cuming will get the CHEROKEEs to agree to 
     acknowledge King George II of England as their sovereign►1730
Streetcar patented (E A Gardner of Phila) ►1858
US army sells last homing pigeons►1957
Wayne Gretzky sets NHL record with 802 goals scored►1994

Today’s Birthdays                                                           
In their 80’s
Roger Bannister, England, 1st to run a 4 minute mile is 84

In their 60’s
Chaka Khan, [Stevens], Great Lakes Il, rocker (Rufus-I am Every Woman) is 60

In their 50’s
Moses Malone, NBA center (Atlanta Hawks, Milw Bucks, Phila '76ers) is 58

In their 40’s
Jason Kidd, NBA guard (Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks) is 40

In their 30’s
Perez Hilton, American television personality and blogger is 35

Remembered for being born today
Joan Crawford, [Lucille Le Sueur], Texas, actress (Mildred Pierce) [1905-1977]
Werner von Braun, Wirsitz Germany, rocket expert (I Aim at the Stars) [1912-1977]

Today’s Historical Obits                                                           
Rafqa Pietra Choboq Ar-Rayès (Saint Rebecca) Lebanese saint►1914at 82
Barney Clark, 1st artifical heart recipient, dies after 112 days►1983►at 62
Peter Lorre, actor (Casino Royale) ►stroke►1964►at 59
Elizabeth Taylor, English-American actress►heart failure►2011►at 79 

Answer: Brain Teasers
1. Shrub 2. Untie 3. Notes 4. Tapes 5. Safer 6. Horse
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  §
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Flagstaff, Arizona, United States
I retired in '06--at the ripe old age of 57. I enjoy blogging, photography, traveling, and living life to it's fullest.