6-21-13

FYI: Any blue text is a link. Click to check it out!

Almanac: Flagstaff:  Week: 25/ Day: 172   Today: H 79°…L 44°

Wind: ave:   21mph; Gusts: 36 mph  Ave. humidity:  16%

·        Red Flag Warning

Ave low	Ave high	Record low	Record high
43°	80°	28° (1975)	93° (1936)

Quote of the Day

Today’s Historical Highlights

1st Ferris wheel premieres (Chicago's Columbian Exposition)…1893

33 1/3 RPM LP record introduced and 78's planned to be phased out …1948

7.7 Earthquake with 100s of aftershocks hits Iran; about 50,000 die…1990

Britain celebrates golden jubilee of Queen Victoria…1887

E W Scripps founded United Press…1907

Great fire in Moscow…1547

Guam becomes a territory of US…1898

Halifax, Nova Scotia, is founded…1749

Pope Paul VI (Giovanni Battista Montini) succeeds John XXIII…1963

Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren resigns…1968

US Constitution goes into effect as NH is 9th to ratify…1788

♫  Today’s Birthdays: ♫   

How many can you identify?…answers in Today’s Birthdays

My Free Rambling Thoughts   

There were at least 4 small wildfires in the Flagstaff area today…all quickly contained. There is still a fire at Grand Canyon and a really big one near Prescott. It is very dry with no moisture in the near future. We are used to this but it sure gets old really fast. The beautiful blue sky sure is nice…not a cloud to be seen.

 

My brother and his wife are in Merida and her sister, dad, and two kids just arrived from Chicago for a visit. They are posting some great pictures. Great weather down there, beautiful pool. Great way to spend the summer break.

Game  Center (answers at the end of post)

Brain Teasers

What does this Rebus represent?

Cockroach Ant Spider
Rabbit

Lifestyle  Substance:     

Found on You Tube with some relevance to today

• Boom! Boom! - John Lee Hooker

• What's My Line? Judy Holliday (1953)

• Mission Impossible - Lalo Schifrin live Prague Proms

Hmmmm

Half the people you know are below average.

Ok, then?

Harper’s Index    

Portion of its annual budget that the state of Texas gives back in tax incentives to corportations: 1/2  

Picture of the Day: Iran

Unusual Fact of the Day

Before the Stooges took off, Moe worked as a licensed realtor in the late 1920s.

Joke-of-the-day

Government Philosophy: If it ain't broke, fix it 'till it is.  

Rules of Thumb:   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

LAUNCHING FIREWORKS

 When you're launching fireworks, make sure the audience stands five steps back for every ounce of propellant in the missile.    

Yeah, It Really Happened

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - A Swedish woman who tried to get out a prison sentence by faking terminal cancer will serve an additional two months, authorities said. The Court of Appeals in southern Sweden said the 46-year-old woman had been sentenced to prison for aggravated fraud and produced a medical certificate saying she was dying of cancer in an attempt to get out of the sentence, The Local.se and the Swedish news agency TT reported Monday. The certificate was accepted by the Swedish Prison and Probation Service, but the ruse was discovered by the Social Insurance Agency. Doctors said the certificate was not very convincing. "You don't write that someone has three- to six months to live and you don't use the words 'sick with cancer,'" a doctor told the Metro newspaper. The woman told the court she made the fake certificate because she was worried about prison life. "I've never been to prison before and I didn't know what I had in store for me there," the woman said. The court added two months to the woman's sentence for the forgery charge.  

Somewhat Useless Information   

• What is the difference between "e.g." and "i.e."?

• The abbreviation e.g. stands for the Latin exempli gratia, or "for the sake of example." It means exactly that; a series of examples. The abbreviation i.e. stands for id est, or "that is," and explains the subject you have mentioned.

• What is the difference between et al and et cetera? 

• The Latin phrase et al, short for et alia (and other things) and et alii (and other people), is more specific than et cetera (and the rest). Only et al can refer to people.

Calendar Information        

Happening This Week:

16-22

Meet A Mate Week
Old Time Fiddlers Week
Universal Father's Week

Today Is                                                                      

·        Atheists Solidarity Day

·        Baby Boomers Recognition Day

·        Cuckoo Warning Day if you hear a cuckoo on June 21st you will have a wet summer

·        Go Skateboarding Day

·        National Daylight Appreciation Day

·        National Flip Flop Day

·        Summer Solstice (Summer)

·        Take Your Dog To Work Day

·        Ugliest Dog Day

·        World Handshake Day

·        World Humanist Day

^^

·        Greenland: National Day (1983; from Denmark)

Today’s Events through History  

1st Protestant Episcopal parish in America established, Jamestown…1607

3 civil rights workers-Michael H Schwerner Andrew Goodman & James E 

     Chaney-disappeared after release from a Mississippi jail…1964

CHATOT Tribe have a mission established for them today west of the 

     Apalachicola River…1674

F W Woolworth opens 1st store (failed almost immediately)…1879

Montreal, New France (today primarily Quebec), a black slave known by the 

     French name of Marie-Joseph Angélique, having been convicted of the 

     arson that destroyed much of the city, is tortured and hanged by the French 

     authorities in a public ceremony that involved her disgrace and the amputation 

     of a hand…1734

Non-hostile Indians along the lower Rogue River, and at Fort Orford, in southwestern 

     Oregon, are put on a boat to be moved to a new reservation between the Pacific 

     Ocean, and the Wallamet River: Grande Ronde Reservation…1856

Pluto's newly discovered moons are officially named Nix & Hydra…2006

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

In their 80’s

Bernie Kopell, NYC, actor (Love Boat, Get Smart, That Girl) is 80

Lalo [Boris] Schifrin, Buenos Aires Argentina, composer is 81

In their 60’s

Meredith Baxter-Birney, actress (Family Ties, Bridget Loves Bernie) is 66

Michael Gross, Chicago Ill, actor (Family Ties, FBI murders) is 66

  

In their 30’s

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, is 31

Remembered for being born today

Daniel Carter Beard, US, organized 1st Boy Scout troop [1850-1941]

Judy Holliday, comedienne/actress (Born Yesterday, Adam's Rib) [1921-1965]

Increase Mather, New England Puritan minister [1639-1723]

Jane Russell, full-figured actress (Outlaw) [1921-2011]

Jean Paul Sartre, existentialist/writer (Le Mur, Nobel 1964; declined) [1905-1980]

Maureen Stapleton, actress (Airport, Coccoon, Plaza Suite) [1925-2006]

Today’s Historical Obits                                                           

John Lee Hooker, Blues musician…2001…at 83

Carroll O'Connor, actor (Archie Bunker)…heart attack…2001…at 76

Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, Mexican general (took Alamo)…1876…at 82

Achmed Sukarno, 1st president of Indonesia (1945-67)…1970…at 68

Leon Uris, writer (Exodus)…renal failure…2003…at 78

Answer: Brain Teasers

Bugs Bunny

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  §

6-20-13

FYI: Any blue text is a link. Click to check it out!

Almanac: Flagstaff:  Week: 25/ Day: 171   Today: H 79°…L 46°

Wind: ave:   23mph; Gusts:  37mph  Ave. humidity:  18%

* Red Flag Warning

Ave low	Ave high	Record low	Record high
43°	80°	30° (1979)	92° (1936)

Quote of the Day

Today’s Historical Highlights

"Krazy Kat" comic strip by George Herriman debuts in NY Journal…1910

1st bank chartered in US (National Bank of Davenport Iowa)…1863

Central Intelligence Agency Act, passes…1949

Congress approves Great Seal of US & eagle as it's symbol…1782

Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) founded…1943

Jesse Owens of US sets 100 meter record at 10.2…1936

NAACP incorporates (NY)…1911

Nelson Mandela lands in NYC to begin a tour of US…1990

Pres Andrew Johnson announces purchase of Alaska…1867

Queen Victoria at 18 ascends British throne; ruled for 63 years ending in 1901…1837

Samuel Morse patents his telegraph…1840

Start of "King Philip's war…1675

University of Oxford receives its charter…1214

US & USSR agree to set up "Hot Line"…1963

♫  Today’s Birthdays: ♫   

How many can you identify?…answers in Today’s Birthdays

My Free Rambling Thoughts   

An interesting day with my financial issues. I called and spoke to the VP of the company. I let him know that I had not heard from their lawyer, or anyone else after being told that I would get a call back. He did some checking and called me back. The guy who should have called me back was off yesterday and he admitted that I should have gotten a call stating that. He also said he was not in the loop regarding any identity theft issues. He did say the company would assist me if there was any identity theft regarding my information. Then I got a call from the lawyer who apologized about not calling…saying she was in meetings all day yesterday. She said that the company is aware of my former financial advisor’s story, but that there are always several sides to a story. Hmmm. Then the lawyer asked me why my financial advisor hadn’t secured the records. Turns out that all the financial company did was severe ties with both the employees…and that the paper records still belong to the owner of the local company. She also said that the owners of the local company had signed statements to keep the records confidential. That when a local broker leaves one company, 99% of the people simply sign up with a new company and have their clients move to the new company. As independent brokers they ‘own’ their files, not the bigger company. Hmmmmm. I had called the local office and left a message, expecting a call from the assistant yesterday. The lawyer said they too had tried to contact her yesterday without success but weren’t worried because she might have been busy or on vacation. I called the office again this morning and the assistant answered the phone..with her name, not the company’s usual greeting. She said she was just getting ready to call me…I asked how it was going for finding a local branch manager and she said it had only been a week and she was hoping to hear something later this week. While I am still happy with the previous business with this company, I am beginning to understand why people keep their money in a mattress. With all the ‘tracking’ that takes place today in the cyber world, and all the news about identity theft, it sure makes one take pause. I have been assured that the big company will call me when they have more information, but was reminded that they have policies and that they have to follow very specific steps and it could take time. So right now I’m on hold…but much less stressed.

 

Forest fires:  the one near Prescott is still uncontained, and a new one near the Grand Canyon. And the Marble Canyon Historic Store burned down last night. The Prescott fire is man caused…the others are under investigation. I stopped many a time at the Marble Canyon store on the way to Lee’s Ferry for a day of fishing. Sure a lot of questions about that fire…starting in the middle of the night, just after or just before a burglar alarm was set off.

Game  Center (answers at the end of post)

Brain Teasers

My first three letters are a term in golf, While my second, third, and fourth are drawings. My first four are less than a whole, And all of me is a celebration. What am I?

Lifestyle  Substance:     

Found on You Tube with some relevance to today

• Audie Murphy What's My Line on 3 July, 1955

• AARP TV: Artist LeRoy Neiman

• Chet Atkins - "Snowbird" 1978

• Paul Muldoon: 'I read books on unlikely subjects'

Hmmmm

Eagles may soar, but weasels aren't sucked into jet engines.

Ok, then?

Harper’s Index    

• Potion of likely voters who identified themselves as Tea Party members in 2010: 24

• In 2012: 8

Picture of the Day: Iran

Unusual Fact of the Day

The Wright Brothers’ first successful flight on December 17, 1903 covered a distance of about 120 feet—shorter than the wingspan of a modern 747.

Joke-of-the-day

Down South, Bubba called his attorney and asked, "Is it true they're suin' the cigarette companies for causing people to get cancer?

"Yes, Bubba, sure is true,” responded the lawyer.

"And now someone's suin' them fast food restaurants for making 'em fat and cloggin' their hearts with all them burgers and fries, is that true mister lawyer?"

"Sure is Bubba. But why you asking?"

"Cause what I want to know is, I was thinkin' can I sue Budweiser for all them ugly women I've slept with?"

Rules of Thumb:   

Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess

PRODUCING CHAMPAGNE

 The amount of champagne a winery sells in three years is the amount it should have in its cellars to be properly stocked.    

Yeah, It Really Happened

SEATTLE - A Seattle man said a thief apparently squeezed through his home's 15-inch-by-10-inch doggie door to steal a haul of electronics. The Ballard neighborhood man, who asked to be identified only as Joel, said the thief apparently squeezed through the backyard door for his dog, Macy, while no one was home on a recent afternoon, KOMO-TV, Seattle, reported Monday.

Joel said police couldn't find any sign of forced entry and determined the dog door was the most likely mode of entry. "They didn't come through any of the windows or doors, and so the dog door is the only other opening in the house," Joel said.

"It's not big -- so it has to be somebody relatively small and willing to scrunch through the hole."

"They had taken our laptops and our iPad and Kindle and some jewelry," the homeowner said of the thief or thieves. Police were investigating the incident.  

Somewhat Useless Information   

•  
The names of various forms of pasta all have meanings - whether descriptive, humorous, or even pedantic. For example, the term spaghetti is derived from the Italian word spago, or "string."

• Pasta in brodo is simply translated as "pasta in broth" while the term pasta asciutta translates literally to the "dry" pasta, the kind of pasta which is not designed for broth - spaghetti, vermicelli, rigatoni, lasagne, etc.

• Records indicate that the Chinese were eating pasta as early as 5,000 BC.

• On September 13, 2007, Italian consumer groups called a one-day strike against buying pasta in protest of the increasing costs that had seen its price rise by almost 20%.

• When Thomas Jefferson was the U.S. Ambassador to France, he once dined in Naples, Italy and fell in love with a certain dish. He immediately ordered crates of "macaroni" as well as a pasta-making machine and shipped them to the states. 

• The average person in Italy consumes more than 51 pounds of pasta every year as opposed to the average North American who eats about 15.5 in that same time.

Calendar Information        

Happening This Week:

13-20

Nursing Assistants Week
16-22

Meet A Mate Week
Old Time Fiddlers Week
Universal Father's Week

Today Is                                                                      

·        American Eagle Day raising awareness for protecting the Bald Eagle

·        Ann & Samantha Day [Ann Frank and Samantha Smith]

·        Dump The Pump Day encourages people to ride public transportation

·        Ice Cream Soda Day

·        Recess At Work Day

·        World Refugee Day

^^

·        Argentina: Flag Day

·        US: West Virginia: Admission Day (1863/35th)

Today’s Events through History  

"Ruddle's Station Massacre."British Captain Henry Bird and 850 Indians attack Ruddle's

      Station, Kentucky. Three hundred settlers have taken refuge in the station. Bird's 

     forces have a cannon, and the settlers soon realize they are outmatched. They 

     agree to surrender. When they settlers open the gate, the warriors rush in and start 

     killing them. Before Bird could intercede, over 200 people will be killed…1780

Britain grants 2nd Lord Baltimore rights to Chesapeake Bay area…1632

England issues its 1st stamp, 1P Queen Victoria…1837

Germans & Romans beat Atiila the Hun at Catalarinische Fields…451

Jews are expelled from Brazil by order of regent Don Henrique…1567

New Quebec (Chubb) Crater discovered in northern Quebec (3½ km dia)…1943

OJ Simpson arraigned on murder of Nicole Simpson & Ronald Goldman…1994

Pres Harry Truman vetoes Taft-Hartley Act…1947

Sacking of Baltimore: the Irish village of Baltimore is attacked by Algerian pirates…1631

Supreme Court upholds a law that made it illegal for private clubs to discriminate 

     against women & minorities…1988

Today’s Birthdays                                                           

In their 80’s

Danny Aiello, NYC, actor (Moonstruck, Radio Days) is 80

Olympia Dukakis, actress (Moonstruck, Cemetery Club) is 82

Martin Landau, actor (Mission Impossible, Space 1999, Ed Wood) is 85

In their 60’s

John Goodman, actor (Dan Conner-Roseanne, Babe) is 61

Paul Muldoon, Northern Irish poet is 62

Lionel Richie, singer (Commodores, Hello, Penny Lover) is 64

In their 40’s

Nicole Kidman, Honolulu Hawaii, actress (Dead Calm, Far & Away) is 46

Remembered for being born today

Chet Atkins, guitarist (Me & My Guitar) [1924-2001]

Errol Flynn, Hobart Tasmania, actor (Captain Blood, Robin Hood) [1909-1959]

Lillian Hellman, playwright (Toys in the Attic, Little Foxes) [1905-1984]

George Hickes, English linguistic (Old German Philology) [1642-1715]

Audie Murphy, most decorated WW II hero/actor (Destry, Joe Butterfly) [1925-1971]

Jacques Offenbach, Cologne, French composer (Tales of Hoffmann) [1819-1880]

Today’s Historical Obits                                                           

Gordon Jones, actor (Mike the Cop-Abbott & Costello)…heart attack…1963…at 52

Jack Kilby, electrical engineer [integrated circuit] and Nobel laureate…2005…at 81

LeRoy Neiman, American painter…2012…at 91

Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, gangster…shot…1947…at 41

Bob Stump, AZ politician…myelodysplasia…2003…at 76

Estelle Winwood, TV/screen actress…1984…at 101

Answer: Brain Teasers

Party

Par is the maximum number of strokes you should need to hit the ball in the hole. Art can be drawings, sculptures, or anything of the sort. Part is not a whole thing, so it is not a whole. A party is a celebration.

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  §