Jan 16

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

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Jan 16, 2018 Week: 03\ Day: 16

86004 Today: H 58° \ L 26° \ Average Sky Cover: 35% 

Wind ave.:   1mph\Gusts:  6mph Visibility: 10 mi

Record High: 60°[1974]   Record Low: -8°[1915]

Jan Averages: 50°\23°

Jan Records: H: 66° (1971) L: -30° (1937)

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Today’s Quote

Harper’s Index

4-Number of private debt-collection firms that the IRS plans to use to obtain overdue payments

1/18/2017-Date on which a US gov’t agency sued one of those firms for deceptive collection practices

$4,460,000-Amount of revenue the IRS lost the previous time it employed private debt collectors

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Observances This Week

11-17

Cuckoo Dancing Week

14-20

Healthy Weight Week

15-19

No Name Calling Week Link

Sugar Awareness Week

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Observances for Today

Appreciate a Dragon Day

Civil Service Day

Fig Newton Day Link  Link

National Nothing Day

Religious Freedom Day Link  

Rid The World of Fad Diets and Gimmicks Day 

Without A Scalpel Day Link  Link

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Today’s Significant US Historical Events

Today’s Significant International Historical Events 

1400’s                                          

1492 The first grammar of a modern language, Spanish, is presented to Queen Isabella.

1700’s                                          

1777 Vermont declares independence from New York

1800’s                                          

1847 John C. Fremont is appointed Governor of the new California Territory

1868 Refrigerator car patented by William Davis, a fish dealer in Detroit

1870 Virginia becomes 8th state readmitted to US after Civil War

1883 Pendleton Act creates basis of US Civil Service system

1897 John Dewey's essay "My Pedagogic Creed" appears in School Journal

1900’s                                          

1917 "Zimmermann Telegram" is sent from Germany to Mexico, stating in the event of the US entering World War I on the allied side, Mexico would be given Texas, Arizona and New Mexico. Intercepted by British intelligence and partially deciphered by the next day. It's release in March shifts US public opinion in favor of war against Germany.

1925 Leon Trotsky resigns as chairman of the Russian Revolutionary Military Council as he and Stalin battle for power in the aftermath of Lenin's death.

1938 1st jazz concert held at Carnegie Hall (Benny Goodman)

1939 Daily newspaper comic strip "Superman" debuts

1951 World's largest gas pipeline opens (Brownsville Texas, to 134th St, New York City)

1963 Khrushchev claims to have a 100-megaton nuclear bomb

1964 "Hello, Dolly!" opens at St James Theater NYC for 2,844 performances

1965 "Outer Limits" last airs on ABC-TV

1970 Buckminster Fuller receives the Gold Medal award from the American Institute of Architects

1974 "Jaws" by Peter Benchley is published by Doubleday

1979 Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi flees Iran for Egypt during the Iranian Revolution

1985 "Playboy" announces end of stapling centerfolds

1988 Jimmy "the Greek" Snyder fired from CBS for racial remarks

2000’s                                          

2001 US President Bill Clinton awards former President Theodore Roosevelt a posthumous Medal of Honor for his service in the Spanish-American War

2006 Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is sworn in as Liberia's new president. She becomes Africa's first female elected head of state.

2011 French politician Marine Le Pen becomes the leader of the National Front Party

2016 First ever flower grown in space - a zinnia aboard the International Space Station using NASA Veggie system

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My Rambling Thoughts

Beautiful MLK day. Sun comes out, high clouds disappear. Then clouds return and it’s overcast, then the sun comes out and clouds are gone. Crazy. Most of my neighbors seem to be at work…not everyone recognizes this holiday. Sad.

I have loved visiting Africa and seeing the wide variety of wild animals. Last night, CNN had a special about ‘Trophy hunting’ these amazing animals. It appeared to be fairly well balanced between trophy hunters and conservationists. I only watched the first hour, as I was too angry to watch more. African communities are doing what they can to stop poaching, allowing for legal hunts, setting up breeding farms for the most endangered species. Trophy hunting is really nothing but big bucks. Poaching is the same.

In my younger days, I did go deer and elk hunting and had success. I always hunted with Natives so there were different ‘rules’. Always showing respect which includes no celebrating right after a kill. Eating all of what is harvested. Giving some to those in need. Sharing with family members. Traditional prayers said before and after the kill.

Oh boy, headlines are talking about a possible government shutdown on Friday. Of course, if there is a shut-down, Congress will still get paid. And government employees who are sent home will, when the budget passes, get pay for the work days of the shutdown. All that happens is that the government employees stop processing all paperwork and the backlog simply becomes a little longer. Stupidity in action.

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Birthdays Today

@-  indicates age at death

90’s

@90- Carl Karcher,

founded the Carl's Jr. hamburger chain

(d. 2008)

80’s

@87- Frank Zamboni,

American inventor

(d. 1988)

70’s

@78- Andre Michelin,

French industrialist, tire manufacturer (Michelin)

publisher of the Michelin Guide,

born in Paris

(d. 1931)

@76- Ethel Merman,

American stage and screen actress (Anything Goes, Call Me Madam),

born in Queens,

brain cancer  (d. 1984)

74- Jim Stafford,  

singer (Spiders & Snakes, My Girl Bill)

born in Eloise, Fla

@72- Fulgencio Batista,

Dictator and President of Cuba (1933-44, 1952-59),

born in Banes, Cuba

heart attack (d. 1973)

@71- Susan Sontag,

American author/film director (Benefactor, 1966 Pol Award),

born in NYC

leukemia (d. 2004)

70- John Carpenter,

American film director (Halloween, The Thing),

born in Carthage, NY

60’s

68- Debbie Allen,

dancer/actress (3 Girls 3, Lydia-Fame),

born in Houston, Texas

50’s

59- Sade

R&B Nigerian born English singer

@53- Dian Fossey,

American zoologist (Gorillas in the Mist),

born in San Francisco,

murdered in her camp (d. 1985)

40’s

@44- Edith Frank,

mother of Holocaust diarist Anne Frank, born in Aachen, Germany

starved in concentration camp (d. 1945)

44- Kate Moss,

English model,

born in Croydon, England

 

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Historical Obits Today

90’s

@94-2013 Pauline Phillips,

American advice columnist

80’s

@89-2014 Russell Johnson,

American television and film actor,

"The Professor" on Gilligan's Island

@89-1957 Arturo Toscanini,

Italian US conductor (NBC)

@82-2017 Eugene Cernan,

American NASA astronaut (12th person on the moon)

70’s

@71-2007 Ron Carey,

American actor (Barney Miller),

stroke

@71-1906 Marshall Field,

American entrepreneur and the founder of Marshall Field and Company,

pneumonia

50’s

@56-1794 Edward Gibbon,

English historian (The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire),

peritonitis

@52-1972 David Seville (Ross Bagdasarian Sr.),

singer (Alvin & Chipmunks),

heart attack

40’s

@47-1752 Francis Blomefield,

English topographer

smallpox

@46-1979 Ted Cassidy,

actor (Lurch-Addams Family),

complications after heart surgery

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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 contains mistakes and sadly once 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…☼☼☼☼

Jan 15

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

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Jan 15, 2018 Week: 03\ Day: 15

86004 Today: H 48° \ L 22° \ Average Sky Cover: 5% 

Wind ave.:   10mph\Gusts:  16mph Visibility: 10 mi

Record High: 65°[1943]   Record Low: -12°[1937]

Jan Averages: 50°\23°

Jan Records: H: 66° (1971) L: -30° (1937)

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Today’s Quote

The earth has received the embrace of the sun and

we shall see the results of that love.

  Sitting Bull

Harper’s Index

21 Percentage of American vacationers who are taking on 

     debt to finance their trips this summer 

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Observances This Week

11-17

Cuckoo Dancing Week

14-20

Healthy Weight Week

15-19

No Name Calling Week Link

Sugar Awareness Week

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Observances for Today

Alpha Kappa Alpha Day

Blue Monday Link Link

Humanitarian Day 

Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday

National Crowd Feed Day 

National Day of Service Link

National Hat Day

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Today’s Significant US Historical Events

Today’s Significant International Historical Events 

1500’s                                          

1535 Henry VIII declares himself head of the Church in England

1559 Elizabeth I crowned Queen of England in Westminster Abbey

1800’s                                          

1844 University of Notre Dame receives its charter in Indiana

1846 Russian writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky's first novel "Poor Folk" is published in the St Petersburg Collection almanac

1847 1st Swedish magazine in US, Skandinavia, published in NYC

1861 Steam elevator patented by Elisha Otis

1863 1st US newspaper printed on wood-pulp paper, Boston Morning Journal

1870 Donkey first used as symbol of Democratic Party, in Harper's Weekly

1882 1st US ski club forms (Berlin NH)

1895 Tchaikovsky's ballet "Swan Lake" premieres, St Petersburg

1900’s                                          

1902 Abdulaziz Ibn Saud leads 40 men over the walls of Riyadh and takes the city, marking the beginning of the Third Saudi State

1907 Gold dental inlays first described by William Taggart, who invented them

1919 Great Molasses Flood; 2 million gallons of molasses flood Boston Massachusetts, drowning 21, injuring 150

1927 The Tennessee Supreme Court overturns (on a technicality) John T Scopes' guilty verdict for teaching evolution — but the law itself remains in force

1943 World's largest office building, the Pentagon is completed

1944 European Advisory Commission decides to divide Germany

1947 The brutalized corpse of Elizabeth Short ("The Black Dahlia") found in Leimert Park, Los Angeles

1951 Supreme Court rule "clear & present danger" of incitement to riot is not protected speech & can be a cause for arrest

1962 Coco the Clown [Nicolai Poliakoff] is the subject of the BBC TV programme "This is Your Life"

1967 Super Bowl I: Green Bay Packers beat KC Chiefs, 35-10 in LA Super Bowl MVP: Bart Starr, Green Bay, QB

1971 Aswan Dam official opens in Egypt

1971 George Harrison releases "My Sweet Lord"

1973 US President Richard Nixon suspends all US offensive action in N Vietnam

1974 "Happy Days" begins an 11 year run on ABC

1975 Space Mountain opens at Disneyland

1977 Coneheads debut on "Saturday Night Live"

1988 Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder makes racist remarks about black athletes

1997 Diana, Princess of Wales, calls for an international ban on landmines, angering ministers in the UK

2000’s                                          

2011 Wikipedia the free internet encyclopedia turns 10 years old

2016 American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan unveils newest exhibit replica skeleton of a Titanosaur dinosaur (found 2010 Argentina), largest known dinosaur at 70 tons, 37m

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My Rambling Thoughts

Enjoying a quiet Sunday…TV and some football. I’ll be at home tomorrow as I make a real effort not to shop on Federal holidays. The merchants need a day off too to remember why it is a Federal holiday.

Sunday morning news shows spent a lot of time on 45’s racist comments. Seems that many African nations are asking or demanding an apology. Good for them. Thanks to the reporters who have pulled out the facts about immigration and showing that a bigot’s comment is not fact. Lots of immigrants from Africa are as educated as Americans, earn higher degrees here than the average American.

With all the technology available, it sure would be nice to have a ‘Truth’ app. Type in the statement and find out if it is true in real time. Google helps a lot but it can take hours or days for the statement to show up. Snopes also does OK, but again, weeks or months for it to show up. By the time Google or Snopes gives us the factual information, the lie has encircled the globe many times. I want an app that says ‘LIE’ and maybe even has a loud siren that goes off.

Speaking of sirens…sure glad I wasn’t in Hawaii when the alert went out that ballistic missile was headed their way. I grew up with various sirens that would test our readiness during the sixties. (one for look for cover; one for take cover immediately; and I guess one for It’s too late.) We did duck and cover at school. When living in Tuba City, we had a fire alarm that went off every night at 9pm as a curfew for those under a certain age. When I first moved there, it reminded me of the childhood sirens and would send a chill through my body. After a few weeks, I didn’t even hear it anymore as it didn’t apply to me. I only heard it when it went off more than once…as that was for the volunteer fire department that there was a real fire somewhere.  

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Birthdays Today

@-  indicates age at death

90’s

@95- Edward Teller,

Hungarian-American physicist,

father of the Hydrogen bomb (Manhattan Project),

born in Budapest, Hungary

(d. 2003)

80’s

@85- Lloyd Bridges,

American comedic actor (Sea Hunt, Roots, Airplane!),

born in San Leandro

(d. 1998)

70’s

@79- Lewis M Terman,

psychologist (developed Stanford-Binet IQ test)

(d. 1956)

@77- Abdulaziz Ibn Saud,

Founder and first King of Saudi Arabia (1932-53),

born in Riyadh, Emirate of Nejd

(d. 1953)

60’s

@69- Aristotle Onassis,

rich shipping magnate respiratory failure

born in Greece

(d. 1975)

@67- Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud,

King of Saudi Arabia (1953-64),

born in Kuwait City

(d. 1969)

67- Charo [Maria Baeza],

Spanish-American actress, comedienne

flamenco guitarist (Chico and the Man, Love Boat),

born in Murcia

50’s

@52- Gamal Abdel Nasser,

President of Egypt (1954-1970)

heart attack (d. 1970)

@51- Molière [Jean-Baptiste Poquelin],

French playwright (The Misanthrope), born in Paris, Kingdom of France

TB (d. 1673)

30’s

39- Martin Luther King Jr.,

American clergyman and leader of the Civil Rights Movement (Nobel 1964),

born in Atlanta,

killed (d. 1968)

39- Drew Brees,

American football player (New Orleans Saints),

born in Austin, Texas

37- Pitbull [Armando Christian Perez],

American rapper,

born in Miami, Florida

Teen’s

@19- Joan of Arc,

Roman Catholic Saint and national heroine of France 

(legendary date),

born in Domrémy, duchy of Bar, France

burned at stake (d. 1431)

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Historical Obits Today

80’s

@83-1988 Seán MacBride,

Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army

founder of Amnesty International (Nobel 1974)

70’s

@79-1804 Dru Drury,

English entomologist

@73-2016 Dan Haggerty,

American actor (Grizzly Adams),

cancer

@72-1896 Matthew B Brady,

US photographer (Civil War),

complications of streetcar accident

60’s

@66- Charles Ponzi,

Italian con man (Ponzi scheme in the US),

lengthy poor health

50’s

@57-1915 Fannie Farmer,

American culinary figure and author

@52-1994 Harry Nilsson,

rock vocalist (Everybody's Talkin'),

heart attack

20’s

@22-1947 Elizabeth Short,

American victim in the Black Dahlia case,

murdered

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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 contains mistakes and sadly once 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…☼☼☼☼

Jan 14

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

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Jan 14, 2018 Week: 03\ Day: 14

86004 Today: H 48° \ L 17° \ Average Sky Cover: 5% 

Wind ave.:   7mph\Gusts:  15mph Visibility: 10 mi

Record High: 65°[1943]   Record Low: -15°[2007]

Jan Averages: 50°\23°

Jan Records: H: 66° (1971) L: -30° (1937)

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Today’s Quote

Harper’s Index

2  Factor by which recalled Bombay Sapphire gin in Canada was more alcoholic than advertised

1/5  Portion of the gin that was returned

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Observances This Week

Caesarean Section Day

International Kite Day 

Dress Up Your Pet Day Link 

National Sunday Supper Day Link 

No Pants Subway Ride Day? Link

Organize Your Home Day Link

Ratification Day

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Observances for Today

8-14

Dating & Life Coaches Recognition Week

11-17

Cuckoo Dancing Week

14-20

Healthy Weight Week

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Today’s Significant US Historical Events

Today’s Significant International Historical Events 

1500’s                                          

1526 Charles V and Francis I sign the Treaty of Madrid, forcing Francis to give up claims to Burgundy, Italy and Flanders

1600’s                                          

1690 Clarinet invented, in Nurnberg, Germany

1699 Massachusetts holds day of fasting for wrongly persecuting "witches"

1700’s                                          

1799 Eli Whitney receives government contract for 10,000 muskets

1900’s                                          

1943 World War II: Franklin D. Roosevelt travels from Miami to Morocco to meet with Winston Churchill, becoming the first American president to travel by airplane

1954 The Hudson Motor Car Company merges with Nash-Kelvinator Corporation forming the American Motors Corporation.

1956 Little Richard releases "Tutti Frutti"

1963 George Wallace sworn in as Governor of Alabama, his address states "segregation now; segregation tomorrow; segregation forever!"

1967 Sonny & Cher release single "Beat Goes On"

1979 US President Jimmy Carter proposes Martin Luther King's birthday be a holiday

1981 US Federal Communications Commission frees stations to air as many commercials an hour as they wish

1985 Martina Navratilova is 3rd to win 100 tennis tournaments (Connors & Evert)

1989 1,000 Muslims burn Salman Rushdies' "Satanic Verses" in Bradford, England

1995 Mexico pledges profits from state-owned Pemex's $7-billion-per-year oil revenues in an effort to secure US congressional approval of loan guarantees; President Clinton approves a $20-billion U.S. aid package for Mexico

2000’s                                          

2004 The national flag of Georgia, the so-called "five cross flag" restored to official use after a hiatus of some 500 years

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My Rambling Thoughts

Stayed busy yesterday helping out a friend. Running around town looking for an auto part. Success.

A little cleaning today. Not too much, cause it’s the weekend.

Still trying to comprehend 45’s comment about other countries. This man does not represent my views. I have made 6 trips to Africa, mostly to 3^rd world countries. While there was a lot of poverty, the people in every country were kind, friendly, and willing to share their culture with our group. Only someone who visits with a closed mind would not be able to see their beauty. I doubt that 45 has truly traveled outside the US. Traveling is so much more than visiting a place…it’s eating their food, seeing their sites, and listening to their stories. What a sad excuse for a leader.

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Birthdays Today

@-  indicates age at death

100’s

@100- Hal Roach,

early film director and producer (1 Million BC)

(d. 1992)

90’s

@92- Andy Rooney,

CBS news correspondent (60 Minutes),

born in Albany, NY

@90- Albert Schweitzer,

doctor/humanitarian/organist (Nobel 1954)

(d. 1965)

80’s

80- Jack Jones,

singer (Love Boat Theme),

born in Los Angeles

70’s

@77- Mark Goodson, A

merican game show producer

pancreatic cancer (d. 1992)

77- Faye Dunaway,

American actress (Chinatown, Bonnie & Clyde),

born in Bascom, Florida

@75- Julian Bond,

American civil rights leader and politician (D-Ga),

born in Nashville

vascular disease (d. 2015)

75- Holland Taylor,

actress (Bossom Buddies, Camilla-Naked Truth),

born in Philadelphia

74- Nina Totenberg,

American journalist NPR

70- Carl Weathers,

actor (Apollo Creed-Rocky)

born in New Orleans

60’s

@65- Guy Williams,

American actor (Zorro, Lost in Space),

born in NYC,

found in Argentina hotel (d. 1989)

@60- Benedict Arnold,

US general turned traitor (American Revolutionary War),

born in Norwich, CT

dropsy (d. 1801)

50’s

@58- William Bendix,

American actor (Lifeboat, Babe Ruth Story, Life of Riley),

born in NYC,

stomach ailment (d. 1964)

54- Shepard Smith,

American news anchor

@53- Mark Antony [Marcus Antonius],

Roman Politician and General (Battle of Actium), born in Rome suicide

suicide (d. 30 BC)

50- LL Cool J,

American rapper (Bigger & Deffer), actor

born in Bay Shore, New York

40’s

49- Dave Grohl,

drummer (Nirvana, Foo Fighters)

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Historical Obits Today

80’s

@89-2013 Conrad Bain,

Canadian-born American actor

@88-2009 Ricardo Montalbán,

Mexican actor (How the West Was Won, Fantasy Island)

@85-2006 Shelley Winters,

American actress (Lolita, A Place in the Sun, A Patch of Blue

& Poseidon Adventure)

@85-1742 Edmond Halley,

English mathematician and astronomer (Halley's comet),

[NS=Jan 25]

@81-1984 Ray Kroc,

American fast food entrepreneur (McDonald's) and

owner of baseball's San Diego Padres

@81-1978 Blossom Rock [Edith Marie Blossom MacDonald],

American actress (Grandmamma-Addams Family)

70’s

@73-1977 Anaïs Nin,

French author

cancer

60’s

@69-2016 Alan Rickman,

English actor (Die Hard, Harry Potter franchise),

cancer

@65-1898 Lewis Carroll,

English writer (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland),

influenza

@60-1977 Peter Finch,

actor (Network, The Nun's Story, Judith),

heart attack

0’s

@57-1957 Humphrey Bogart,

American actor (Casablanca, Caine Mutiny),

cancer of the esophagus

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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 contains mistakes and sadly once 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…☼☼☼☼