2-2-14


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Flagstaff Almanac:
Week: 06 / Day: 033   
Today: L 16°…H 36°… Ave. humidity: 69%
Wind: ave:   10mph; Gusts:  17mph  
Average Low: 18° Record Low:  -14° (1922)
Average High: 44° Record High:  62° (1976)

Quote of the Day
 
Today’s Historical Highlights
1653 - New Amsterdam becomes a city (later renamed New York)
1802 - 1st leopard exhibited in US, Boston (admission 25 cents)
1848 - Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends Mexican War
1887 - In Punxsutawney, PA the first Groundhog Day is observed
1887 - Law passed which will prohibit the use of Indian languages in schools.
1922 - James Joyce's "Ulysses" published in Paris
1935 - Lie detector 1st used in court (Portage WI)
1950 - 1st broadcast of "What's My Line," on CBS-TV
1955 - 1st presidential news conference on network TV-Eisenhower 
1971 - Idi Amin ousts Milton Obote to become dictator of Uganda
1986 - Dalai Lama meets Pope John Paul II in India

♫  Today’s Birthdays: ♫   
How many can you identify? Answers in Today’s Birthdays
 
My Free Rambling Thoughts   
Got another ½” of snow during the night, but had a fairly sunny day.  Melting is happening, and with only a little to melt, it won’t take long. I did need to sweep off my sidewalk but so easy, sadly a pretty dry snow.  Called for hair cut and found my stylist has left the place. I know she will call when she gets a new job, but sadly I can’t wait, so I’ll be getting a cut tomorrow, before the game.
 
Should be a good game tomorrow and think I will just watch it here at home…getting too old for all the crowds that will be around town. Still will enjoy it. Usually get a call before the game with someone wanting to stop by and watch…I’ll see this year.
 
With all the crazy news about NJ, it seems the Super Bowl people knew this was really a NY Super Bowl. The Giants play in NJ at the stadium where the game is happening, NYC seems to be having all the pre-game publicity and I would assume most of the dollars promoting the game. Since everything, except the game, is happening in NYC most of the fans are staying in NYC, most of the coverage is taking place in NY. Maybe this is one more reason that NJ has its reputation.
Game  Center (answers at the end of post)
Brain Teasers
A woman depended on a public telephone to make her calls, but it was usually out of order. Each day she reported this to the phone company, but nothing was done. Finally she came up with a fib that she told the phone company. The phone was fixed the next day. What did she tell them?
Lifestyle  Substance:     
Found on You Tube with some relevance to today

Suggested New State Mottos:
  • Ohio: At Least We're Not Michigan
  • Vermont: Yep

Remembering TV’s great shows:
"Law & Order" In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate but equally important groups. And Dick Wolf's franchise has been represented by five series, including the flagship (which ran for 20 seasons!) and the still-going-strong-after-15-years "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."
Phrases Shakespeare invented:
dog will have his day: Hamlet Act 5 Scene 1
Words Shakespeare invented
FrugalDefinition: Careful about spending money or using things when you do not need to
Origin: From the Latin "frugi," meaning "useful, proper, worthy, honest."
Quote: "Chid I for that at frugal Nature's frame?" - Much Ado About Nothing
OK Then…
 
Harper’s Index 
  • Annual budget of the office of NYC Public Advocate: $2,333,333
  • Amount the city is spending on a runoff election to decide the Democratic nominee for the position: $13,000,000

Unusual Fact of the Day
The arcade game Space Invaders was so popular in Japan that it actually created a coin shortage.
Joke-of-the-day
Did you hear about the farmer who wanted to buy a thousand hens, but didn't have the money...so...He put them on a layaway plan!  
Rules of Thumb:   
Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess
CHOOSING A CANOE PADDLE
To check a canoe paddle for size, stand it on the ground in front of you. The handle should come to the height of your chin if you plan to paddle from the bow of the canoe; it should come to the height of your eye if you plan to paddle from the stern.
Yeah, It Really Happened
TUEBINGEN, Germany - Our brains slow as we age not because of cognitive decline but because the have so much more experience to wade through, European researchers say. While it has long been assumed age leads to a steady deterioration of brain function, researchers at the University of Tuebingen in Germany suggest older brains may take longer to process ever increasing amounts of knowledge, a process that may be misidentified as declining capacity. Because most standard cognitive measures may confuse increased knowledge for declining capacity, such measures are flawed, the researchers said. Led by Michael Ramscar, the research team used computers, programmed to act as though they were humans, to "read" a certain amount each day, learning new things along the way. When a computer was allowed to "read" just a limited amount, its performance on cognitive tests resembled that of a young adult. However, when the same computer was exposed to an amount of data which represented a lifetime of experiences, its performance looked like that of an older adult. It was slower -- not because its processing capacity had declined, but because increased "experience" gave it more data to process, and that processing takes time. "What does this finding mean for our understanding of our aging minds, for example older adults' increased difficulties with word recall? These are traditionally thought to reveal how our memory for words deteriorates with age, but Big Data adds a twist to this idea," Ramscar said. The study has been published in the journal Topics in Cognitive Science.  
Somewhat Useless Information   
  • Lemon mint is the common name of the plant that is botanically known as Monarda citriodora. Representing the mint family it bears alternative names of Purple horse mint or Lemon beebalm.
  • The plant is noted by its citrus scent when broken and showy purple blooms that attract bees and hummingbirds. Sometimes, particularly late in the summer season, the lemon mint's aroma resembles oregano more than lemon. It thrives in prairies, along road sides and other sunny locations from California to Florida, and from Nebraska to Texas. Namely in these places one can enjoy the plant’s outstanding blankets of summer blossoms.
  • Lemon mint is sometimes used for making various kinds of the herbal teas.

Calendar Information        
Happening This Week:
☼1-7☼
African Heritage & Health Week
Solo Diners Eat Out Weekend
Women's Heart Week
☼2-8☼
Boy Scout Anniversary Week
Children's Authors & Illustrators Week
Dump Your Significant Jerk Week
International Coaching Week
Just Say No to PowerPoint Week
Publicity for Profit Week

Today Is                                                                      
·        Ayn Rand Day
·        Candelmas: Feast of the Purification of the Virgin
·        Crepe Day: French Candelmas
·        Dump Your Significant Jerk Day
·        Groundhog Day
·        Groundhog Job Shadow Day
·        Hedgehog Day
·        Imbolic: also called (Saint) Brighid's Day: halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox 
·        Marmot Day
·        National Girls & Women in Sports Day
·        Sled Dog Day
·        Super Bowl XLVIII
·        Popcorn Day
·        World Play Your Ukulele Day
·        World Wetlands Day

Today’s Events through History  
1829 - Madman Jonathan Martin sets York Cathedral on fire
1852 - 1st British public men's toilet opens (Fleet St London)
1932 - Al Capone sent to prison (Atlanta, Georgia)
1948 - President Harry Truman urges congress to adopt a civil rights program
1973 - "Midnight Special" rock music show debuts on NBC-TV

Today’s Birthdays                                                           
Elaine Stritch, Broadway actress is 89
Tom Smothers, comedian (Smother Brother Show, Serial) is 77
Graham Nash, guitarist (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young-Southern Cross) is 72
Christie Brinkley, [Ex-Mrs Billy Joel], model/actress (SI, Vacation) is 60
Shakira [Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll], pop singer is 37

Remembered for being born today
1817 - John Glover, English chemist (sulfuric acid)
1882 - James Joyce, Ireland, novelist/poet (Dubliners, Ulysses, Finnigan's Wake)
1903 - Frank McGrath, actor (Wagon Train)
1905 - Ayn Rand, Russian-born American writer and philosopher (Atlas Shrugged, 
     The Fountainhead)
1927 - Stan Getz, jazz tenor saxophonist (Benny Goodman, Jimmy Dorsey)
1947 - Farrah Fawcett, actress (Charley's Angels, Burning Bed)

Today’s Historical Obits                                                           
Max Schmeling, German boxer (World Heavyweight Champion), 2005, @99
Bertrand Russell, philosopher, British MP, 1970, @ 97
Gene Kelly, actor/dancer (Singing in the Rain), 1996, @83
Boris Karloff, [Pratt], British actor (Frankenstein), 1969, @81
Bert Parks, [Jacobson], TV host (Miss America), cancer, 1992, @77
Owen Tudor, Welsh founder of the Tudor dynasty of England, 1461, @61
Sid Vicious, [John Simon Ritchie], bassist (Sex Pistols), OD, 1979, @21

Brain Teasers
She told them that people were making calls without having to pay.
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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2-1-14


FYI: Any blue text is a link. Click to check it out!
Flagstaff Almanac:
Week: 05 / Day: 032   
Today: L 32°…H 41°… Ave. humidity: 48%
Wind: ave:   16mph; Gusts:  37mph  
Average Low: 17° Record Low:  -23° (1985)
Average High: 44° Record High:  60° (2003)
FEBRURARY HISTORICAL DATA
Ave Low: 19°; Ave High: 46°; Record Low -23° (1985); Record High: 71° (1986)

Quote of the Day
 
Today’s Historical Highlights
1587 - Queen Elizabeth I of England signs death warrant for Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots
1789 - Chinese troops driven out of Vietnam capital Thang Long
1790 - Supreme Court convenes for 1st time (NYC)
1861 - Texas becomes the 7th state to secede from the United States.
1865 - 13th amendment approved (National Freedom Day)
1898 - 1st auto insurance policy in US issued, by Travelers Insurance Co
1906 - 1st federal penitentiary building completed, Leavenworth, Kansas
1917 - By Executive Order, the PAPAGO Indian Reservation in established in Arizona.
1920 - 1st commercial armored car introduced (St Paul Minn)
1935 - 1st "March of Time" newsreel premieres at the Capitol
1948 - Federation of Malaysia forms from 9 sultanates
1951 - 1st telecast of atomic explosion
1953 - "You Are There" with Walter Cronkite premieres on CBS television
1959 - Texas Instruments requests patent of IC (Integrated Circuit)
1968 - Famous photo: Saigon police chief executes a Viet Cong officer with a 
             pistol shot to head
1972 - Kuala Lumpur becomes a city by a royal charter
1976 - "Rich Man, Poor Man" mini-series premieres on ABC TV
1991 - President F W de Klerk, says he would repeal all apartheid laws
2003 - Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates during reentry
2004 - Janet Jackson's breast is exposed during the half-time show of Super Bowl XXXVIII
2009 - Super Bowl XLIII: Pittsburgh Steelers beat Arizona Cardinals, 27-23

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


My Free Rambling Thoughts   
What a great day…started out with an amazing sunrise, followed by some rain, then about an inch of snow then some sunshine. The weather service says we got some moisture before midnight so just tied the dry record, but now we have moisture in our drought ridden forest. It’s amazing how even this little bit of moisture can change the mood of the town.
 
Did some major cleaning in my bedroom today…amazing how much dust and stuff ends up in that room. All I do is sleep in there, and change clothes…how can that much of a mess happen. I must have someone who comes in while I’m not here to mess it up.
 
One of my neighbors always has relatives visiting from California. I’m sitting in my office and three carloads of Californians just pulled into the parking lot. About 6 kids jumped out and started running around snapping pictures on their phones…obviously the first time some had seen snow…very cool.
Game  Center (answers at the end of post)
Brain Teasers
Listed below are clues that refer to 2 different words. The sound of these words, put together, make a different compound word. Also, just to make things even trickier, when you figure out the words, you might need to switch them around to find the compound word.
Ex. A piece of bread used for making some sandwiches shaped as the fifth letter of the alphabet. (Bun + E = Bunny)
Can you figure out all the compound words?
1. A relation's short sleep. 2. The talker was the opposite of quiet. 3. A cube-shaped vehicle. 4. Spade's situation.

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

Suggested New State Mottos:
  • North Carolina: Tobacco Is A Vegetable
  • Utah: Our Jesus Is Better Than Your Jesus

Remembering TV’s great shows:
"The Honeymooners" Ralph's get-rich-quick schemes may never have worked, but Jackie Gleason found a comedy gold mine in the realistic struggles of the Brooklyn bus driver, his long-suffering wife, Alice, and his dim-bulb BFF, Ed Norton.
Phrases Shakespeare invented:
disgraceful conduct Henry VI Part 1 Scene 1
Words Shakespeare invented
GenerousDefinition: Freely giving or sharing money and other valuable things
Origin: From the Latin "generosus," meaning "of noble birth."
Quote: "Free me so far in your most generous thoughts / That I have shot mine arrow o'er the house / And hurt my brother." - Hamlet
OK Then…


Harper’s Index 
  • Minimum percentage of federal criminal defendants who qualify for court-appointed counsel: 80
  • Minimum number of furlough days federal public defenders have taken since spring as a result of sequestration cuts: 12,500
  • Estimated percentage by which the cost to the government reises when private attorneys must be appointed: 28.6

Unusual Fact of the Day
Mozart's "Ah! Vous Dirai-je, Maman" might well be his most popular melody — it's the tune used in both "The Alphabet Song" and "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."
Joke-of-the-day
One Sunday morning, Satan appeared before a small town congregation. Everyone started screaming and running for the front church door, trampling each other in a frantic effort to get away.
Soon, everyone was gone, except for an elderly gentleman who sat calmly. Satan walked up to the man and said, "Don't you know who I am?"
The man replied, "Yep, sure do."
Satan asked, "Aren't you going to run?"
"Nope, sure ain't," said the man.
Perturbed, Satan asked, "Why aren't you afraid of me?"
The man calmly replied, "Been married to your sister for over 48 years."
Rules of Thumb:   
Easy shortcuts to make an ‘educated’ guess
MAIL-ORDER SALES
The best months to sell something by mail are September, November, and January. Of those, September and January are best.    
Yeah, It Really Happened
Cheryl Crausewell said they were cleaning their home after it was toilet-papered as part of a teen prank. Unable to get rid of pesky pieces on a tree's branches, she lit once piece of paper with a lighter in hopes that it would burn off.
But she said the wind blew the flaming piece into the yard and set the grass ablaze.
"It just popped out into a little patch and we tried to put it out and it just kept going," she said.
There were no injuries reported but the home was destroyed. On the plus side the toilet paper was no longer a problem.  
Somewhat Useless Information   
  • There is a country in Europe where people face tax break in November so that they can save money for Christmas. Norwegians try to work as much as possible in November as all of their earnings are taxed half the regular amount. The purpose of this tradition is to have Norwegians save money just before Christmas and have a lovely Christmas and New Year’s Eve!
  • Did you know that our beloved animals, dolphins, sleep having one eye open due to their incapability of breathing  in the water for a long time?
  • Dolphins can’ t hold their breath more than 15-17 minutes, so they sleep by resting one half of the brain each time. This is called ‘unihemispheric sleep’. During this time the eye opposite the sleeping half of the brain is open, while the other is closed.
  • More than a century later Marie Curie’s research papers are still radioactive as along with her husband she used to live under laboratory conditions ionizing radiation. It is said that in a normal day she could carry polonium and radium in her coat’s pocket and store them in her desk drawer. Even after 100 years, her furniture, papers or books are still radioactive and in order for someone to access them he or she needs to wear protective clothing and sign a waiver of liability.

Calendar Information        
Happening This Month:
Adopt A Rescued Rabbit Month ☼ AMD/Low Vision Awareness Month ☼ American Heart Month
Avocado and Banana Month 
Bake for Family Fun Month ☼ Beat The Heat Month ☼ Beans (Dried and Fresh) Month 
Dog Training Education Month 
Exotic Vegetables and Star Fruit Month 
February is Fabulous Florida Strawberry Month ☼ From Africa to Virginia Month
Grapefruit Month 
International Boost Self-Esteem Month ☼ International Expect Success Month ☼ International Hoof-care Month ☼ International Prenatal Infection Prevention Month 
Jobs in Golf Month 
Library Lovers Month ☼ Love The Bus Month 
Marfan Syndrome Awareness Month ☼ Marijuana Awareness Month 
National African American History Month ☼ National African American Read-In  ☼ National Bird Feeding Month ☼ National Black History Month ☼ National Care About Your Indoor Air Month ☼ National Cherry Month ☼ National Condom Month ☼ National Children's Dental Health Month ☼ National Haiku Writing Month ☼ National Hot Breakfast Month ☼ National Laugh-Friendly Month ☼
National Mend A Broken Heart Month ☼ National Parent Leadership Month ☼ National Pet Dental Health Month ☼ National Prevent A Litter Month ☼ National Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month ☼ National Therapeutic Recreation Month ☼ National Time Management Month ☼ National Weddings Month ☼ National Women Inventors Month ☼ North American Inclusion Month (NAIM) 
Pet Dental Health Month ☼Plant the Seeds of Greatness Month ☼ Pull Your Sofa Off The Wall Month
Relationship Wellness Month ☼ Responsible Pet Owner's Month  ☼ Return Shopping Carts to the Supermarket Month
Spay/Neuter Awareness Month ☼ Spunky Old Broads Month ☼ Sweet Potato Month
Wise Health Care Consumer Month ☼ Worldwide Renaissance of the Heart Month
Youth Leadership Month

This Week:
☼1-7☼
African Heritage & Health WeekSolo Diners Eat Out Weekend Women's Heart Week

Today Is                                                                      
·        African-American Coaches Day
·        American Dental Association - Give Kids A Smile Day
·        Car Insurance Day
·        Change Your Password Day
·        Decorating With Candy Day
·        G.I. Joe Day
·        Hula in The Coola Day
·        Ice Cream For Breakfast Day
·        International Face & Body Art Day
·        Freedom Day
·        Robinson Crusoe Day
·        Serpent Day
·        Spunky Old Broads Day
·        Take Your Child To The Library Day
·        Working Naked Day

Today’s Events through History  
1840 - Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, 1st in US, incorporated
1893 - Thomas Edison completes world’s 1st movie studio (West Orange NJ)
1929 - 1st clean & jerk of 400 lbs (182 kg), Charles Rigoulet, 402½ lbs
1946 - Trygve Lie, a Norwegian socialist, becomes 1st Sec-Gen of UN
1965 - Peter Jennings, 26, becomes anchor of ABC's nightly news
1979 - Patricia Hearst is released from a SF prison for bank robbery

Today’s Birthdays                                                           
Don Everly, vocalist (Everly Bros-Wake Up Little Susie) is 77
Garrett Morris, actor (SNL, Martin, Carwash) is 77
Anthony LaPlagia, actor (Criminal Justice, Betsy's Wedding) is 56
Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis is 46
Pauly Shore, comedian (Totally Pauly, Encino Man) is 46
Brian Krause, actor (Return to Blue Lagoon, Charmed) is 45          

Remembered for being born today
1889 - Gertrude Caton-Thompson, British archaeologist (Zimbabwe, So Arabia)
1895 - John Ford, director (Stagecoach, Air Mail, Quiet Man)
1901 - Clark Gable, American actor (Gone With the Wind)
1902 - Langston Hughes, poet/translator (Weary Blues)
1918 - Muriel Spark, Edinburgh, novelist (Prime of Miss Jean Brodie)
1931 - Boris Yeltsin, Ural Mts USSR, president of Russian SSR
1938 - Sherman Hemsley, Phila, actor (All in the Family, Jeffersons, Amen)
1948 - Rick James (James Ambrose Johnson Jr), funk musician(Super Freak)
1965 - Brandon Lee, actor (Showdown in Little Tokyo)

Today’s Historical Obits                                                           
Ed Koch, American congressman and New York Mayor, 2013, @88
Hedda Hopper, [Elda Furry], US gossip columnist, 1966, @80
Jack Bailey, TV host (Queen for a Day), 1980, @72
Buster Keaton, [Joseph Francis], US comic (General), cancer, 1966, @69
Rene Descartes, philosopher "I think therefore I am", pneumonia, 1650, @53
Ilan Ramon - (Space Shuttle Columbia disaster) @48
David Brown - (Space Shuttle Columbia disaster) @46
Rick D. Husband - (Space Shuttle Columbia disaster) @45
Carlos I, King of Portugal (1889-1908), assassinated, 1908, @44
Michael P. Anderson - (Space Shuttle Columbia disaster) @43
Willie McCool - (Space Shuttle Columbia disaster) @41
Laurel Clark - (Space Shuttle Columbia disaster) @41
Kalpana Chawla - (Space Shuttle Columbia disaster) @40

Brain Teasers
1. Napkin (nap + kin) 2. Loudspeaker (loud + speaker) 3. Boxcar (box + car) 4. Suitcase (suit + case)
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.