Feb 4

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

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Feb 4, 2018 Week: 06\ Day: 35

86004 Today: H 58° \ L 30° \ Average Sky Cover: 5% 

Wind ave.:   7mph\Gusts:  13mph Visibility: 10 mi

Record High: 64°[1953]   Record Low: -22°[1922]

Feb Averages: 46°\19°

Feb Records: H: 71° (1986) L: -23° (1985)

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Today’s Quote

Wisdom is oftentimes nearer when we stoop

than when we soar.

  William Wordsworth

Harper’s Index

22- Estimated number of additional congressional seats Republicans 

       won last year because of gerrymandering

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Observances This Week

1- 4
US Nationals Snow Sculpting Days

1-5

US Snow Sculpting Week

1-7

African Heritage & Health Week
Women's Heart Week

2-4
Cordova Ice Worm Day Link

2-8

Publicity for Profit Week

3-9

Dump Your Significant Jerk Week

4-10

Burn Awareness Week Link 
Children's Authors & Illustrators Week

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Observances for Today

Create a Vacuum Day

Facebook's Birthday-2004
Liberace Day
Medjoola Date Day
Popcorn Day  Link
Stuffed Mushroom Day

Superbowl Sunday
Thank a Mailman Day

Quacker Day
USO Day
World Cancer Day Link

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Today’s Significant US Historical Events

Today’s Significant International Historical Events 

1700’s                                          

1789 1st US electoral college chooses George Washington as President and John Adams as Vice-President

1800’s                                          

1844 World's oldest known Bible, "The Codex Sinaiticus" (Sinai Bible), is discovered or stolen in Egypt by Constantin von Tischendorf

1849 University of Wisconsin begins in 1 room with 20 students

1861 Confederate constitutional convention meets for 1st time; Jefferson Davis elected President of Confederacy (US Civil War)

1865 Hawaiian Board of Education formed

1866 Mary Baker Eddy (Christian Science) cures her injuries by opening a bible

1880 Black Donnelly massacre in Biddulph, Ontario. Irish immigrants James (63), Johannah (56), John (32), Thomas (25) and Bridget (21) Donnelly murdered at home by members of the Vigilance Committee

1887 Interstate Commerce Act authorizes federal regulation of railroads

1900’s                                          

1924 1st Winter Olympic games close at Chamonix, France

1941 United Service Organization (USO) founded

1948 Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) declares independence from UK

1957 1st electric portable typewriter placed on sale (Syracuse NY)

1967 "Wild Thing" hits #20 on the pop singles chart by Senator Bobby

1970 "Patton" directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and starring George C. Scott premieres in New York (Academy Awards Best Picture 1971)

1971 British car maker Rolls Royce declared itself bankrupt

1973 An International inspection team is sent to Vietnam to observe progress on the Paris truce agreement

1974 Patricia Hearst (19), daughter of publisher Randolph Hearst, kidnapped by Symbionese Liberation Army

1976 12th Winter Olympic games opens in Innsbruck, Austria

1985 20 countries (but not US) sign UN treaty outlawing torture

1987 US President Reagan's veto of Clean Water Act is overridden by Congress

1997 US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright announces she just discovered that her grandparents were Jewish

2000’s                                          

2003 The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is officially renamed Serbia and Montenegro and adopts a new constitution.

2004 Mark Zuckerberg launches Facebook from his Harvard dormitory room

2014 Same-sex marriage is legalized in Scotland

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My Rambling Thoughts

Our discussion group meets tonight. We’ll be talking about Pax Americana…the US domination of social, economic, political since WWII. The readings were about events that suggest the demise of Pax Americana. Should be an informative, interesting and frankly a little frightening. Lots of readings so not a whole lot else to do today.

One of the points of these articles was the perceived failure of the American political institutions by many in this country.

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Birthdays Today

@-  indicates age at death

90’s

@92- Rosa Parks,

American civil rights activist who refused to give up her seat

on a bus to a white passenger,

born in Tuskegee, Alabama

(d. 2005)

@90- Clyde William Tombaugh,

American astronomer (discovered Pluto in Flagstaff, AZ)

(d. 1997)

80’s

@85- Betty Friedan,

American feminist and writer (Feminine Mystique),

born in Peoria, Illinois

(d. 2006)

70’s

78- John Schuck,

American actor (McMillan & Wife, Holmes & Yoyo),

born in Boston

@77- George A. Romero,

director of horror films…zombies

lung cancer (d. 2017)

@77- Ida Lupino,

Anglo-American actress (Adventures of Sherlock Holmes)

director (The Hitch-Hiker),

born in London, England colon cancer

(d. 1995)

@73- Robert Coote,

British actor (The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Scaramouche),

born in London, England

in his sleep (d. 1982)

@72- Charles A Lindbergh,

pilot (1st to fly solo across Atlantic),

born in Detroit,

lymphoma (d. 1974)

70- Alice Cooper, [Vincent Furnier], 

rocker (School's Out),

born in Detroit

50’s

@58 Nigel Bruce,

British actor (Rebecca, Suspicion, Sherlock Holmes),

born in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico  

heart attack (d. 1953)

56- Clint Black,

American country vocalist (Killin' Time, A Better Man),

born in Long Branch, NJ

40’s

45- Oscar De La Hoya,

boxer

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Historical Obits Today

80’s

@87-2005 Raiford "Ossie" Davis,

American actor, director, author, and civil rights activist

(Purlie Victorious, Do the Right Thing, Hot Stuff,

Man Called Adam)

@85-2006 Betty Friedan,

American writer and feminist, on her birthday

@80-1974 Satyendra Nath Bose,

Indian physicist ( Bose–Einstein statistics)

70’s

@79-1961 Piet[er] L Kramer,

influential Dutch architect (Amsterdam School)

60’s

@69-1989 Kenneth "Jethro" Burns,

country singer (Homer & Jethro),

prostate cancer

@67-1987 Liberace,

pianist (Liberace Show, Evil Chandell-Batman),

AIDS

@66-1975 Louis Jordan,

American musician, songwriter and bandleader (Caldonia),

 heart attack 

@63-1880 James Donnelly,

Irish-Canadian patriarch of the "Black

Donnellys", 

murdered (Black Donnelly massacre)

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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…☼☼☼☼

Feb 3

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

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Feb 3, 2018 Week: 05\ Day: 34

86004 Today: H 61° \ L 29° \ Average Sky Cover: 5% 

Wind ave.:   8mph\Gusts:  17mph Visibility: 10 mi

Record High: 64°[1953]   Record Low: -22°[1922]

Feb Averages: 46°\19°

Feb Records: H: 71° (1986) L: -23° (1985)

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Today’s Quote

Never bend your head. Always hold it high.

Look the world straight in the eye.

  Helen Keller

Harper’s Index

3/5- Portion of likely US voters who think most members of Congress would sell votes for campaign contributions or cash

3/10- Who think it’s very likely their own member of Congress has done so

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Observances This Week

1- 3

Catholic Schools Week
National School Choice Week Link
Meat Week

1- 4
US Nationals Snow Sculpting Days

1-5

US Snow Sculpting Week

1-7

African Heritage & Health Week
Women's Heart Week

2-4
Cordova Ice Worm Day Link

2-8

Publicity for Profit Week

3-9

Dump Your Significant Jerk Week

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Observances for Today

Barber Day
Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day 

Feed the Birds Day

Four Chaplains Memorial Day
Ice Cream For Breakfast Day  Link
National Missing Person's Day  Link
National Women's Physicians Day  Link
Take Your Child To The Library Day
The Day the Music Died 

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Today’s Significant US Historical Events

Today’s Significant International Historical Events 

1700’s                                          

1743 Philadelphia establishes a "pesthouse" to quarantine immigrants

1800’s                                          

1807 A British military force, under Brigadier-General Sir Samuel Auchmuty captures

        the city of Montevideo in the Battle of Montevideo, then part of the Spanish 

        Empire now capital of Uruguay (Napoleonic Wars)

1809 Territory of Illinois organizes (including present-day Wisconsin)

1815 World's first commercial cheese factory established, in Switzerland

1834 Wake Forest University is established in North Carolina

1863 Samuel Clemens first uses the pen name Mark Twain in a Virginia City 

         newspaper, the "Territorial Enterprise"

1870 US state of Iowa ratifies the 15th Amendment of the United States Constitution

         allowing suffrage for all races & color

1876 Albert Spalding with $800 starts sporting goods co, manufacturing 1st official

         baseball, tennis ball, basketball, golf ball, & football

1882 Circus owner PT Barnum buys his world-famous elephant Jumbo

1887 To avoid disputed national elections, the US Congress creates Electoral Count

         Act

1900’s                                          

1908 Supreme Court rules a union boycott violates Sherman Antitrust Act

1918 Twin Peaks Tunnel for streetcars begins service in San Francisco, at 11,920

         feet one of world's longest

1928 Paleoanthropologist Davidson Black reports his findings on the ancient human

        fossils found at Zhoukoudian, China in the journal Nature and declares them to

        be a new species he names 'Sinanthropus pekinensis' (now known as 'Homo

        erectus')

1931 Arkansas legislature passes motion to pray for soul of H L Mencken after he

         calls state "apex of moronia"

1943 4 chaplains drown after giving up their life jackets to others

1948 Dick Button becomes 1st world figure skating champion from US

1953 J Fred Muggs, a chimpanzee, becomes a regular on NBC's Today Show

1959 "The Day the Music Died" plane crash kills musicians Buddy Holly, Richie 

         Valens, J. P. Richardson and pilot near Clear Lake Iowa

1960 British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan makes his famous "wind of change" 

        speech in Africa, against the apartheid regime, angering South African 

        politicians

1960 "La Dolce Vita" directed by Federico Fellini and starring Marcello Mastroianni

         and Anita Ekberg has its film premiere in Italy

1962 US President John F. Kennedy bans all trade with Cuba except for food &

         drugs

1966 1st soft landing on Moon (Soviet Luna 9)

1967 "Purple Haze" recorded by Jimi Hendrix

1972 11th Winter Olympic games opens in Sapporo, Japan (1st in Asia)

2000’s                                          

2009 Eric Holder becomes 82nd and 1st African American US Attorney General, 

         succeeding Michael Mukasey

2016 US President Barack Obama visits his first US mosque - the Islamic Society of

         Baltimore mosque in Maryland

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My Rambling Thoughts

Our retirement group had a great lunch at a hole-in-the-wall neighborhood Mexican restaurant. Two green chili pork enchiladas with rice and refried beans was a whopping $4.29. The place has been around for decades. They used to provide other restaurants with their tortillas and salsa. They still have a great carry-out business. Must have had a least 10 Latino people taking carry-out on our visit. Their salsa today was the only down side to the meal, as it was watery thin and didn’t stick to the chip. Otherwise, a great meal and certainly can’t be beat for the price. We will definitely be returning.

When I got back from a quick beginning of the month shopping trip for household essentials I was shocked and surprised. A couple of months ago the owner of the unit next to mine had a construction crew start building some wooden structure that was connected to the unit and completely blocked the alley. I called my owner, and his son had bought the unit in question and he knew nothing of what was going on but did say that his son had mentioned our HOA had contacted him about getting their permission. Then nothing. But today, the construction crew returned and removed all of the mess. I am overjoyed. Since it started no one could get into the alley which meant that the falling pine needles and cones could not be removed. That can be a real fire hazard, especially while the weather remains so dry. There is already a high fence at the far end of the alley, so we don’t have human visitors wandering around.

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Birthdays Today

@-  indicates age at death

90’s

@96- George Nissen,

American inventor (created the trampoline),

born in Blairstown, Iowa

(d. 2010)

80’s

@89- Elizabeth Blackwell,

English-American physician who was the first woman to

receive a medical degree in the United States,

born in Bristol, England

(d. 1910)

@89- Joey Bishop, [Gottlieb],

talk show host (Joey Bishop Show),

born in The Bronx

(d. 2007)

@84- Norman Rockwell,

American artist/illustrator (Sat Evening Post covers)

(d. 1978)

70’s

78- Fran Tarkenton, 

NFL quarterback (NY Giants, Minnesota Vikings),

born in Richmond, VA

75- Blythe Danner,

actress (Butterflies are Free),

born in Philadelphia

@73- Clarence Mulford, Ill,

western writer (Hopalong Cassidy)

following surgery (d. 1956)

60’s

68- Morgan Fairchild, [Patsy McClenny],

actress (Falcon Crest),

born in Dallas, Texas

62- Nathan Lane,

actor (One of the Boys, Frankie & Johnnie),

born in Jersey City, NJ

@61- Horace Greeley,

editor ("Go west, young man")

(d. 1849)

40’s

42- Isla Fisher,

Australian actress 

(Arrested Development, The Great Gatsby),

born in Muscat, Oman

@41±- Ferdinand Magellan,

Portuguese explorer,

born in Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Portugal

bamboo spear (d. 1521)

30’s

@38- Felix Mendelssohn [Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy],

German composer and pianist (Great Scherzos),

born in Hamburg, Germany

strokes (d. 1847)

34- Elizabeth Holmes,

American entrepreneur and CEO of Theranos

(youngest self-made female billionaire - Forbes 2014),

born in Washington, D.C.

@30- Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd,

gangster and FBI Most Wanted criminal

shot by FBI (D. 1934)

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Historical Obits Today

80’s

@82-2006 Al Lewis,

American actor (Grandpa in "The Munsters")

70’s

@72-1985 Frank Oppenheimer,

American physicist, UofCO

cancer

@70± 1468 Johannes Gutenberg,

German inventor (movable printing press)

@69-1996 Audrey Meadows,

actress (Alice-Honeymooners),

lung cancer

60’s

@69-1991 Nancy Kulp,

actress (Jane Hathaway-Beverly Hillbillies),

cancer

@67-1924 Woodrow Wilson,

28th US President (1913-21),

stroke

50’s

@59-1989 John Cassavetes,

American actor (Rosemary's Baby) and director,

cirrhosis

40’s

@40-1889 Belle Starr,

US female gangster,

murdered

20’s

@28-1959 Big Bopper,

rocker, plane crash

@22-1959 Buddy Holly,

rock and roll musician (That'll be the Day),

plane crash 

teen’s

@17-1959 Richie Valens,

American rock vocalist (Donna),

plane crash

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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…☼☼☼☼