8/29/13


FYI: Any blue text is a link. Click to check it out!
Almanac: Flagstaff:  Week: 35/ Day: 241   
Today: H 76°…L 48°
Wind: ave:   8mph; Gusts:  20mph  
Ave. humidity:  83%
Record Low: 33° (1920)    
Record High: 89° (1948)
Average Low: 47°    
Average High: 78°    

Quote of the Day



Today’s Historical Highlights
15,000 American troops liberating Paris march down Champs Elysees…1944
1st Olympics in US are held (St Louis); 3rd modern Olympic Games…1904
Air Force Academy opens in Colorado Springs, CO…1958
Chop suey invented in NYC by chef of visiting Chinese Ambassador…1896
Edmond Hoyle published his "Short Treatise" on the card game whist…1742
Ishi, considered last Native American to make contact with European Americans, 
     emerges from the wilderness of northeastern California…1911
Last 36 remaining inhabitants of St Kilda are voluntarily evacuated to other parts 
     of Scotland…1930
NATO launches Operation Deliberate Force against Bosnian Serb forces…1995
US Bureau of Engraving & Printing begins operation…1862
Walt Disney's "Mary Poppins" released…1964

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



My Free Rambling Thoughts   
Another sunny day in Flagstaff. A few clouds, but sun most of the day. No rain today, for a change and that was nice. Everything is so green and wet around here…just like the olden days when I went to grad school during the summer here in the 70’s. Haven’t seen it like this is a long, long time.
 
I listened to and/or watched the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington. I must say, it was really quite moving. It took me back to the days when, in my youth, I thought we could end discrimination based on race, or looks. It was nice to feel that there is hope. I wasn’t around any Blacks until I got to college and only a few non-whites (Japanese and Mexican). I heard the horror stories of what was going on in other parts of the county and didn’t really understand how people could feel/act that way to another human being. Sadly, when I started working on the Rez I saw it first hand and still didn’t understand it. I still don’t. In my life I have met racists of every color. Luckily for me, there have only been a few. I never understood their feelings, but then again, didn’t spend a lot of time with them. There are too many good people in this world to waste my time and energy on people who are racist.
 
I have read and heard some very provocative articles about what the US should do about Syria It is disturbing to see so many people being killed over there, but many in that country blame outside intervention of their problems and there certainly is a history of US intervention that has not turned out positive. Until we have a plan that attacks the right people, we should just hold off.
Game  Center (answers at the end of post)
Brain Teasers
1: flawed 2: not flawed 1: flawed 3: not flawed 1: flawed 4: not flawed 1: flawed 5: not flawed
Lifestyle  Substance:     
Found on You Tube with some relevance to today

Hmmmm…Fearsome Phobias
If you have an irrational fear of... Automobiles
You're suffering from... Motorphobia, ochophobia
If you have an irrational fear of... Automobiles (riding in)
You're suffering from... Amaxophobia
It is Illegal…
Donut Holes May Not Be Sold In Nebraska
Privileges granted to people in the U.S. (and many western nations) for being Christian…
It is easy to find stores that carry items that enable you to practice your faith and celebrate religious holidays.
Ok, then?



Harper’s Index    
  • Number of ploughshare tortices found in a suitcase at a Thai airport in March: 54
  • Estimated world population of ploughshare tortoises: 400

Unusual Fact of the Day
The Statue of Liberty was named "Liberty Enlightening the World" by its sculptor Frederic Bartholdi, who fashioned the statue's likeness after his mother.
Joke-of-the-day
A young boy enters a barber shop and the barber whispers to his customer, “This is the dumbest kid in the world. Watch while I prove it to you.” The barber puts a dollar bill in one hand and two quarters in the other, then calls the boy over and asks, “Which do you want, son?” The boy takes the quarters and leaves. “What did I tell you?” said the barber. “That kid never learns!” Later, when the customer leaves, he sees the same young boy coming out of the ice cream store. “Hey, son! May I ask you a question? Why did you take the quarters instead of the dollar bill?” The boy licked his cone and replied, “Because the day I take the dollar, the game is over!”  
Rules of Thumb:   
Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess
RUNNING A RESTAURANT
When they're unhappy at a restaurant, the French call the headwaiter and abuse him in front of everyone. The English call the manager and abuse him quietly and with dignity. The Americans don't say a thing. They just never come back, nor do their friends.    
Yeah, It Really Happened
TOKYO - Amid a solar power boom in Japan, there are concerns the country's electrical grids cannot support proposed projects.
Last July, the Japanese government introduced a feed-in tariff scheme for renewable energy to help offset the loss of nuclear power in the aftermath of the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster, which led to the idling of nearly all of the nation's 50 reactors amid safety concerns.
While the feed-in tariff applies to wind and geothermal power, solar power can be developed more cheaply and does not require time-consuming environmental assessments as do wind farms.
Figures from Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry indicate 11,012 megawatts of non-residential photovoltaic projects were approved since the start of the FIT policy and the beginning of this year.
A recent report by IHS Inc. said Japan's solar power market is forecast to reach $19.8 billion this year, surpassing Germany, which was the biggest market from 2009 to 2012.
The FIT scheme authorizes the Trade Ministry to give "special consideration to the profits of renewable energy suppliers" for the first three years of the new tariff to promote the scheme, a report Wednesday in National Geographic's news portal said.
But the FIT scheme also includes provisions that allow utilities to restrict or deny access to the grids to ensure the stability of the electricity supply.
In a survey by the Japan Renewable Energy Foundation of companies involved in solar projects, 20 percent of the respondents said they were denied access by local utilities because of overcapacity and 37 percent said they would experience limits on the amount of electricity the utilities could accept.
In April, regional utility Hokkaido Electric Power said its transmission system, onto which large solar systems are interconnected, had received four times as many applications as it could manage.
While this situation has yet to occur in other parts of Japan, experts say the country's electricity system will need to be revamped soon if the solar boom continues.
Softbank's 180,000-plus megawatt project to build three large solar power plants in the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido is currently on hold because Hokkaido Electric Power has not decided which applicants it will allow to connect to the grid. 
"The government needs to show what direction it wants to take the nation's energy policy," Hiroaki Fujii, executive deputy president of SB Energy, Softbank's group company that operates its renewable energy business, was quoted as saying by National Geographic.
"Only then can the utilities make plans about future investment and the operators think about profitability and draw up business plans."  
Somewhat Useless Information   
  • The first Starbucks sold 8oz. cups of coffee. Over the years, they have dropped the 8oz. size and have added 12oz., 16oz., 24oz. and 30oz.
  • One Grande coffee (320 milligrams of caffeine) has four times the amount of caffeine than Red Bull.
  • Starbucks uses over 93 million gallons of milk per year, which is enough to fill 155 Olympic sized swimming pools.
  • Santa Fe Springs California wins the prize for the most stores within a 25-mile radius with a total of 560!
  • There are more calories in the Starbucks cinnamon chip scone than in a McDonald's Quarter Pounder.
  • There are 87,000 different drink combinations available at Starbucks.

Spoonerisms:
  • "The Lord is a shoving leopard", or "Come into the arms of the shoving leopard" (Loving shepherd)
  • "It is kisstomary to cuss the bride" (...customary to kiss the bride)
  • "Mardon me padam, this pie is occupewed. Can I sew you to another sheet?" (Pardon me, madam, this pew is occupied. Can I show you to another seat?)
  • "You have hissed all my mystery lectures, and were caught fighting a liar in the quad. Having tasted two worms, you will leave by the next town drain" (You have missed all my history lectures, and were caught lighting a fire in the quad. Having wasted two terms, you will leave by the next down train)
  • He supposedly remarked to one lady, during a college reception, "You'll soon be had as a matter of course" (You'll soon be mad as a Hatter of course)
  • "Let us glaze our rasses to the queer old Dean" (...raise our glasses to the dear old queen. Note: Alternatively, "Let us glaze our arses"; presumably to be a spoonerism the letter r is placed at the beginning of "arses" but when spoken the r's in "our" and "rasses" are nearly indistinguishable, thus producing the alternative, more humorous "glaze our arses.")
  • "We'll have the hags flung out" (...flags hung out)
  • "a half-warmed fish" (A half-formed wish)
  • "Is the bean dizzy?" (Is the Dean busy?)
  • "Go and shake a tower" (Go and take a shower)
  • "a well-boiled icicle" (A well-oiled bicycle)
  • "I've lost my signifying glass". (Later): "Oh, well, it doesn't magnify."
  • "This vast display of cattleships and bruisers". (This vast display of battleships and cruisers)
  • "Such Bulgarians should be vanished...". (Such vulgarians should be banished)
  • "He was killed by a blushing crow". (He was killed by a crushing blow)

Calendar Information        
Happening This Week:
25-31
Be Kind To Humankind Week
National Safe at Home Week

Today Is                                                                      
·        According to Hoyle Day
·        Individual Rights Day
·        International Day Against Nuclear Tests
·        More Herbs, Less Salt Day
·        National Sarcoidosis Awareness Day
·        National Whiskey Sour Day

Today’s Events through History  
1st white-indian lacrosse game in Montreal, Indians win…1844
Arizonian is 1st vessel to arrive in SF via Panama Canal…1914
Black Panthers confront cops in Phila (1 cop killed)…1970
Congress creates US Naval reserve…1916
Final TV episode of "Fugitive"…1967
Goodyear tire company is founded…1898
Intl Olympic Committee votes admission to West Germany & Japan in '52…1950
Joe Pepitone quits Yanks after being fined $500 for leaving the bench…1969
Michael Faraday demonstrates 1st electric transformer…1831
New Jersey Legislature forms 1st Indian reservation It is primarily for the Lenni Lenape…1758
Seismic sea waves created by Krakatoa create rise in English Channel 32 hrs after
      explosion…1883
Strom Thurmond (Sen-D-SC) ends 24 hr filibuster against civil rights…1957

Today’s Birthdays                                                           
Richard Attenborough, England, actor/director (Gandhi, Young Winston) is 90
James Brady, press secretary (wounded during Reagan assassin attempt) is 73
Elliott Gould, actor (M*A*S*H, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice) is 75
Robin Leach, London England, TV host (Life Styles of Rich & Famous) is 72
John McCain, Senator; Arizona is 77

Remembered for being born today
Mr. Blackwell, American fashion critic [1922-2008]
Ingrid Bergman, Stockholm, actress (Casablanca, Cactus Flower) [1915-1982]
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., Cambridge MA, physician/author (Old Ironsides) [1809-1894]
Michael Jackson, recording artist and King of Pop (Thriller, Bad) [1958-2009]
Charles F Kettering, inventor (auto self-starter) [1878-1958]
John Locke, English empiricist philosopher; disproved substance [1632-1704]
Charlie "Bird" Parker, US jazz saxophonist [1920-1955]
Barry Sullivan, actor (Duffy's Tavern, Man Called X, Tall Man) [1912-1994]
Dinah Washington, Chicago, singer (What a Difference a Day Makes) [1924-1963]

Today’s Historical Obits                                                           
David Abercrombie, Abercrombie & Fitch founder…1931…at 64
Ingrid Bergman, Swedish actress (Anastasia, Gaslight)…breast cancer
     …1982…on 67th birthday
John the Baptist, beheaded…29
Edmond Hoyle, games expert…1769…at 96ish
Richard Jewell, 1996 Centennial Olympic Park bombing…heart disease…2007…at 44
Lee Marvin, actor (Cat Ballou, Gorky Park)…heart attack…1987…at 63
William Archibald Spooner, English writer (Spoonerisms)…1930…at 89
Lowell Thomas, newscaster (High Adventure)…1981…at 89
Brigham Young, 2nd president of Mormon Church…peritonitis…1877…at 76

Brain Teasers
No one is perfect.
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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8/28/13


FYI: Any blue text is a link. Click to check it out!
Almanac: Flagstaff:  Week: 35/ Day: 240   
Today: H 69°…L 53°
Wind: ave:   8mph; Gusts:  25mph  
Ave. humidity:  89%
Record Low: 36° (1978)    
Record High: 88° (1944)
Average Low: 47°    
Average High: 78°    

Quote of the Day

Today’s Historical Highlights
Bob Dylan booed for playing electric guitar at a concert in New York's Forest Hills…1965
Henry Hudson, discovers & explores Delaware Bay…1609
Hurricane Katrina hammers New Orleans …2005
Martin Luther King Jr's "I have a dream speech" at Lincoln Memorial…1963
Mitt Romney is officially nominated as Republican Party's candidate…2012
Oldest non-Native city in the US, St Augustine Fla, established…1565
Pharmacists John Lea & William Perrins manufactures Worcester Sauce…1837
Police & anti-war demonstrators clash at Chicago's Dem Natl Convention…1968
Toyota Motors becomes an independent company…1937
United Parcel Service begins service, in Seattle…1907

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



My Free Rambling Thoughts   
Turned on my computer and found these alerts: A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT and A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT. It has been a wet rainy day, again. The Flash Flood watch has been on since yesterday, but the Thuderstorm warning was just for this afternoon. They were right about that, it was a loud and hefty storm.
 
Verizon and Apple Tech support need more training…soon. All the crap I did yesterday was for naught. Turns out, the ‘Do Not Disturb’ function only works if you have clicked the little button on the top of the phone that locks the phone. I get that the lock prevents that old problem of pocket dialing and I usually use it, but it turns out I don’t always use it….until today anyway. The lady called me back today and said she had one more test…she had me lock the phone, then called me and amazing, it worked. Sure seems that since each of the techs had me check the setting and then called me immediately, at least one would have asked if I had locked the ‘smart’ thing. Now I know…I really am a fairly quick learner and could have been told that on the first call. Another good thing is that I updated the software on a 2 month old phone.  Doesn’t seem that Apple should have done that many changes in such a short time, but that’s why they are billionaires and I am merely a lowly retired civil servant.
 
Little confused, again. Congress is busy working in their home districts or somewhere else in the world. Syria seems to be poisoning its own citizens. All the ‘when in doubt drop a bomb’ politicians are busy screaming ‘now is the time’. But I thought that before the US could do that, it needed Congress to vote. Seems that al the very least, Congress should be heading back to Washington, just in case a vote is needed. Even if a vote isn’t needed, I would think that they would want some high level briefings on what is going on. Or maybe this congress believes that ‘ignorance is bliss’ on foreign affairs when they have had 40 votes to stop Obamacare and still haven’t succeeded. One must have one’s priorities. The past few decades have had Presidents who struck first and then had Congressional approval, so there is a precedent, but this President has always believed in talking before acting. This is a great time for him to show his moral fiber and call congress into session…today. There can be debate and we’ll see what happens.
Game  Center (answers at the end of post)
Brain Teasers
How can you make the following equation correct without changing it at all?
8 + 8 = 91

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

Hmmmm…Fearsome Phobias
If you have an irrational fear of... Ants
You're suffering from... Myrmecophobia
If you have an irrational fear of... Atomic energy (or nuclear weapons)
You're suffering from... Nucleomitophobia
It is Illegal…
It Is Illegal To Sleep On Top Of A Refrigerator Outdoors In Pennsylvania
Privileges granted to people in the U.S. (and many western nations) for being Christian…
Music and television programs pertaining to your religion’s holidays are readily accessible.
Ok, then?



Harper’s Index    
Portion of those caught in possession of drugs by the US Border Patrol who are US citizens: 3/4
Unusual Fact of the Day
The United States' first satellite, the Explorer I, weighed only 31 lbs.
Joke-of-the-day
There was some upset at Margaret Thatcher’s funeral when the decorations were being prepared. More specifically over the drawing pins used to put them up. The upset was caused because a cheap Polish imported brand was used; people said the organizers should have supported British businesses. Apparently some people were so upset they threatened to go on hunger strike. I thought we'd seen the end of the Pole Tacks Diets.  
Rules of Thumb:   
Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess
CHOOSING AN ARROW
To quickly estimate the arrow length best for you, hold the end of a yardstick against your breast bone with your hands together stretched in front of you. Read the arrow length where your fingertips touch the yardstick.   
Yeah, It Really Happened
A pair of enterprising thieves took a car wash to the cleaners: They used a powerful shop vacuum to suck quarters out of a coin-operated machine, police said.
The duo drew the suspicion of a passing police officer and failed to make a clean getaway.
"They had a good plan. They were enterprising. If they were successful they could have returned night after night," said Sgt. Gary Young. "More often thieves just use a crowbar. They get an A for effort but an F for execution."
Todd Herburg, 53, and Scott Luker, 55, were arrested on suspicion of burglary.
More charges are pending. What gave the men away was a crude attempt at altering their vehicle's license plates. They used a piece of black electrical tape to change a 'D' to a 'B' Young said.
The bandits were at work for about 12 minutes, sucking coins out of the coin dispensary of a stand-alone vacuum cleaner at the car wash. They used their own shop vacuum to do the work, he said. It was powered by an inverter rigged inside their Jeep SUV to produce household current.
Police haven't counted their stash of quarters yet, but the coin-operated machine probably held no more than $30.
Somewhat Useless Information   
  • The smallest fish in the world are the pygmy goby and the Luzon goby, from the Philippines, which are only one-half-inch long when they are full grown.
  • The 14-foot-long narwhal is a whale whose tooth can reach up to eight feet long!
  • Chimpanzees use tools more than any other animal except man.
  • Elephants purr like cats do, as a means of communication.
  • The mandrill baboon has a red nose, blue cheeks, and an orange beard!
  • Hummingbirds flap their wings between 50 and 70 times a second!


Calendar Information        
Happening This Week:
25-31
Be Kind To Humankind Week
National Safe at Home Week

Today Is                                                                      
·        Crackers Over The Keyboard Day
·        Dream Day Quest and Jubilee
·        Race Your Mouse Around the Icons Day
·        Radio Commercials Day
^^^
·        US: Tennessee: Family Day

Today’s Events through History  
1st known photograph of a tornado is made near Howard SD…1884
Geomagnetic storm causes the Aurora Borealis to shine so brightly that it is seen 
     clearly over parts of USA, Europe, and even as far afield as Japan…1859
John Hinckley Jr pleads innocent in attempt to kill Pres Reagan…1981

Today’s Birthdays                                                           
Jason Priestley, actor (Brandon-Beverly Hills 90210) is 44
Le Ann Rimes, country singer (Blue, Holiday in Your Heart) is 31
Emma Samms, soap actress is 53
David Soul, actor (Starsky and Hutch) is 70
Shania Twain, Canadian singer (You're Still the One) is 48

Remembered for being born today
Charles Boyer, French actor [1899-1978]
Ben Gazzara, actor (Run for Your Life, QB VII) [1930-2012]
Jack Kirby, cartoonist (X-Men, Spiderman, Hulk, Capt America) [1917-1994]
Nancy Kulp, actress (Miss Hathaway-Beverly Hillbillies) [1921-1991]
Rokie Roker, actress (Helen-Jeffersons) [1929-1995]
Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton, 1st American Catholic saint (1975) [1774-1821]
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Frankfurt, social philosopher (Faust) [1749-1832]

Today’s Historical Obits                                                           
Alexander Carlyle, Scottish church leader (Moderator of the General 
     Assembly)…1805…at 83
Augustine of Hippo, North African saint and theologian (Belijdenissen)…430…at 75

Brain Teasers
Look at it upside down. 16 = 8 + 8.
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.