FYI: Any blue text is a link. Click to check it out!
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12.21.16 Week: 51
\ Day: 356
December Averages:
44°\17°
86004 Today: H 47° \ L 15°
Average Sky Cover: 20%
Wind ave: 4mph\Gusts:
9mph Visibility: 10 mi
Record High: 61°[1969]
Record Low: -6°[1967]
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Quote of the Day
Where the senses
fail us, reason must step in.
~Galileo Galilei
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Observances
Today
Ann & Samantha Day (Summer & Winter Solstices. Also
June 21) Link
Celebrate Short Fiction Day (Always on Winter Solstice)
Chanukah (Jewish)
Celebrate Short Fiction Day (Always on Winter Solstice)
Chanukah (Jewish)
Crossword Puzzle Day
Forefathers Day
Free Shipping Day Link (3rd Thursday at Participating Retailers)
Global Orgasm Day Link (Always on Winter Solstice and Summer Solstice)
Humbug Day
International Dalek Remembrance Day Link
Look on the Bright Side Day
Forefathers Day
Free Shipping Day Link (3rd Thursday at Participating Retailers)
Global Orgasm Day Link (Always on Winter Solstice and Summer Solstice)
Humbug Day
International Dalek Remembrance Day Link
Look on the Bright Side Day
National
Flashlight Day (Shortest Day of The Year)
National Homeless Persons' Remembrance Day Link
National Re-gifting Day Link
Phileas Fogg Win A Wager Day
Short Girl Appreciation Day (Shortest day of the year)
World Peace Day/Winter Solstice
Winter Solstice - the shortest day of the year 11:28 AM EST
Yalda
Yule
National Homeless Persons' Remembrance Day Link
National Re-gifting Day Link
Phileas Fogg Win A Wager Day
Short Girl Appreciation Day (Shortest day of the year)
World Peace Day/Winter Solstice
Winter Solstice - the shortest day of the year 11:28 AM EST
Yalda
Yule
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Observances This
Week
14-1/5 Christmas Bird Count Week Link
14-28 Halcyon Days (Always 7 days before and 7 days after the Winter
Solstice)
16-24 Las Posadas (Mexico 12/16-24)
17-23 Saturnalia: ancient Roman
festival honoring Saturn, God of Agriculture
18-24 Gluten-free Baking Week Link
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Today’s Significant
US Historical Events
▼ Today’s Significant International Historical Events
▼1598 Battle of
Curalaba: the Mapuche people led by Pelentaru revolt and inflict a major defeat
on Spanish troops in southern Chile
1620 103 Mayflower pilgrims land at Plymouth Rock
[OS=Dec 11]
1784 John Jay becomes
1st US Secretary of State (foreign affairs)
1829 1st stone
arch railroad bridge in US dedicated, Baltimore
1849 1st US
skating club formed (Philadelphia)
▼1898 French
Scientists Pierre and Marie Curie discover radium
1909 1st junior high school established (Berkeley
California)
1913 1st crossword puzzle (with 32 clues) printed
in NY World
1919 J. Edgar Hoover deports
anarchists/feminist Emma Goldman to Russia
1929 1st group hospital insurance plan offered (Dallas Tx)
1932 Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers, 1st joint movie (Flying Down to Rio)
1933 Fox Films signs Shirley Temple, 5, to a
studio contract
1937 The first full-length animated feature film
and the earliest in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series,
"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", premieres at the Carthay Circle
Theatre
1956 Martin Luther King Jr. and others sit in
the new integrated bus
1959 Tom Landry accepts coaching job with
Dallas Cowboys (stays until 1988)
1962 US & Cuba accord, releases Bay of Pigs
captive
1968 Apollo 8 (Borman, Lovell & Anders) 1st
manned Moon voyage
▼1991 Soviet
Union formally dissolves as 11 of 12 republics sign treaty forming Commonwealth
of Independent States
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My Rambling
Thoughts
Getting last minute trip stuff done. Getting excited too.
Media made such a big deal about the Electoral College, then when it
voted, the lead story on CNN started out with ‘Now that the ceremonial
Electoral College votes are calculated…’ Come on, we knew it was ceremonial for
decades. Election Day is the big day, but this year, they made EC Day the big
day, but it wasn’t…as they finally admitted, it was ceremonial. Now let’s move
on. The new President has a lot of work to do trying to bring us back to a
unified country.
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Brain Teasers
(answers at the end of post)
Eye Rhymes 5
Language brain teasers are those that involve the English language. You
need to think about and manipulate words and letters.
In each sentence below, two words are incomplete. The two words end in
the same three letters, so they look like they should rhyme, but they don't.
See if you can figure out the missing letters in each sentence.
Example: One symptom of bronchitis is a ro___ co___. (The two words are: rough & cough.)
1. When you g___ up, I will let you climb the ship's p___.
2. Do you want to be a ri___ swimmer or an ocean di___?
3. The strongest oarsman in the boat is a po___ ro___.
4. The cheap tickets didn't al___ them to go be___ deck.
Example: One symptom of bronchitis is a ro___ co___. (The two words are: rough & cough.)
1. When you g___ up, I will let you climb the ship's p___.
2. Do you want to be a ri___ swimmer or an ocean di___?
3. The strongest oarsman in the boat is a po___ ro___.
4. The cheap tickets didn't al___ them to go be___ deck.
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Today’s Trivia
Hive
(answers at the end of post)
What famous snack company is legally barred from calling its popular
offering "chips"?
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…Harper’s Index…
44→Percentage of
Canadian marijuana users who believe that the drug has no effect on their
ability of safely drive a car
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2 jokes for the
day
A young American tourist goes on a guided tour of a creepy old castle.
At the end of the tour, the guide asks her how she enjoyed it. She admits to
being a bit worried about seeing a ghost in some of the dark, cob-web filled,
rooms and passages.
"Don't worry," says the guide. "I've never seen a ghost all the time I've been here."
"How long is that?" asks the girl.
"About three hundred years."
"Don't worry," says the guide. "I've never seen a ghost all the time I've been here."
"How long is that?" asks the girl.
"About three hundred years."
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On their 25th wedding anniversary, a husband took his wife out to
dinner. Their teenage daughters said they'd have dessert waiting for them when
they returned.
After the couple got home, they saw that the dining room table was beautifully set with china, crystal and candles, and there was a note that read: "Your dessert is in the refrigerator. We are staying with friends, so go ahead and do something we wouldn't do!"
"I suppose," the husband responded, "we could vacuum."
After the couple got home, they saw that the dining room table was beautifully set with china, crystal and candles, and there was a note that read: "Your dessert is in the refrigerator. We are staying with friends, so go ahead and do something we wouldn't do!"
"I suppose," the husband responded, "we could vacuum."
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Somewhat Useless
Information
China is the world's largest producer of tea. In 2009, China produced
1,359,000 tonnes; India was second with 979,000 tonnes.
Britain is the second-largest nation of tea drinkers per capita. Ireland is the first.
The United Kingdom drinks about 165 million cups of tea a day, or 62 billion cups per year.
Britain is the second-largest nation of tea drinkers per capita. Ireland is the first.
The United Kingdom drinks about 165 million cups of tea a day, or 62 billion cups per year.
The United States invented both the tea bag and iced tea in 1904. Many
tea lovers consider the tea bag as one of the worst inventions of the 20th
century. Tea brewed with loose tea is generally considered to be richer than
tea made from bags.
The most expensive tea in the world is a rare Chinese tea called Tieguanyin, which is around $1,500/lb. The tea is named after the Buddhist deity Guan Yin (Iron Goddess of Mercy). It is an oolong tea.
Historically, tea has been viewed as a health drink. Recent studies suggest that tea, especially green tea, helps reduce some forms of cancer, helps bad breath, reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, reduces blood pressure, helps with weight control, kills bacteria and virus, acts as an anti-inflammatory, and has neuroprotective power.
The most expensive tea in the world is a rare Chinese tea called Tieguanyin, which is around $1,500/lb. The tea is named after the Buddhist deity Guan Yin (Iron Goddess of Mercy). It is an oolong tea.
Historically, tea has been viewed as a health drink. Recent studies suggest that tea, especially green tea, helps reduce some forms of cancer, helps bad breath, reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, reduces blood pressure, helps with weight control, kills bacteria and virus, acts as an anti-inflammatory, and has neuroprotective power.
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Origin of Some
Christmas Traditions
X-mas
While some rather ignorant groups in the Americas believe that the
abbreviation “x-mas” is an attempt by the “dirty liberals” to “keep the Christ
out of Christmas”, the true origins have a strong basis in Christianity. In the
abbreviation, the X stands for the Greek letter Chi, the first letter of the
Greek word for Christ. Jesus’ name has also been abbreviated as XP, a
combination of the first and second letters of the Greek word for Christ. From
XP comes the labarum, a holy symbol in Orthodox Christianity that represents
Jesus.
The term X-mas has been used since the 16th century, though it gained
prominent usage in the 18th and 19th centuries. In the modern world, X has been
taken to be used as an abbreviation for any word with Christ or the “krys”
sound in it, even in words which have no etymological connection.
Chrysanthemum, for example, is sometime shortened to “xant” on florist’s signs,
and crystal has sometimes been abbreviated as “xtal”.
Stockings
Many people know of Saint Nicholas being the basis of Santa Claus, but
the practice of stocking-stuffing can be traced back to his charitable
donations in the 4th century. Nicholas believed that childhood should be savored
and enjoyed – but in a time where boys and girls younger than 10 had to work to
support their families, this wasn’t always possible.
He therefore gave what he could in homemade food, clothes, and
furniture. The bishop even gave out oranges, which would have been very rare
and expensive in Lycia, where he lived. The problem became where to leave these
gifts so that the children would find them. According to legends, he then saw
girls’ stockings hanging above the fireplace, and ol’ Saint Nick (to paraphrase)
thought “Why the hell not?”. From then on, children would hang stockings up
hoping that Saint Nicholas would visit them that night.
Beyond St. Nick, the practice can be traced back to Scandinavian
countries that still held their Pagan beliefs. Children would leave their shoes
full of carrots, straw, or other similar foods for Odin’s mythic horse,
Sleipnir. When Sleipnir ate the food, Odin would leave candy or other treats in
their place.
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Birthdays Today
§→ indicates age
at death
§→93- Sylvester ‘Pat’
Weaver, TV Executive (started Today show), born in Los Angeles [d2002]
§→91- Werner
von Trapp, member of the Trapp Family Singers (d. 2007)
§→88- Kurt
Waldheim, Austrian 4th Secretary-General of the United Nations (1972-81) and
9th President of Austria (1986-92), born in Sankt Andrä-Wördern, Austria (d.
2007)
§→82- Paul
Winchell, ventriloquist (Jerry Mahoney, Knucklehead Smith), born in NYC, [d2005]
§→85- Joe
Paterno, American college hall of football coach (Penn State) and Sports
Illustrated Sportsperson of 1986, born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2012)
§→85 Ed
Nelson, American actor (Peyton Place, A Long Came a Spider), born in New
Orleans, Louisiana, (d. 2014)
81- Phil
Donahue, TV talk show host (The Phil Donahue Show), born in Cleveland, Ohio
79- Jane Fonda,
actress (Barbarella, Klute), physically fit, born in NYC, New York
§→76- Benjamin Disraeli,
1st Earl of Beaconsfield, British Prime Minister (Tory: 1868, 1874-80) and
writer, born in London (d. 1881)
74- Hu Jintao,
General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China
(2002-12) and President of the People's Republic of China (2003-13), born in
Taizhou, Jiangsu
68- Samuel L. Jackson,
actor (Amos & Andrew, White Sand, Pulp Fiction), born in Washington, D.C.
62- [Christine] Chris Evert,
tennis champion (18 singles Gram Slams, 3 doubles titles), born in Fort
Lauderdale, Florida
59- Ray
Romano, American actor (Everybody Loves Raymond, Ice Age), born in Queens, New
York
§→52- Frank
Zappa, rocker (Mothers of Invention, Catholic Girls), born in Baltimore [d1993]
§→51- Thomas Becket, Cheapside, archbishop of
Canterbury (1162-1170), born in London, England (d. 1170)
§→51 Carl
Wilson, rock vocalist and guitarist (Beach Boys), born in Hawthorne California
(d. 1998)
51- Andy
Dick, actor (Matthew-Newsradio), born in Charleston, South Carolina
50-Kiefer Sutherland, canadian actor, director, producer
§→38- Florence
Griffith Joyner, runner (Olympic-3 gold-1988), born in Los Angeles [d1998]
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Historical Obits
Today
@66-2001 Dick Schaap,
American sports journalist, surgery complications
@60-1945 George
S. Patton, American WWII general (Sicily, Italy and Normandy) known as "Old
Blood & Guts", congestive heart failure
@54-1933 Knud J V Rasmussen, Danish Pole explorer (Thule), pneumonia/food
poisoning
@47-1974 Richard Long,
actor (Nanny & Professor), heart attacks
@44-1940 F.
Scott Fitzgerald, American author (Great Gatsby, Zelda), heart attack
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Brain Teasers
Answers
1. grow prow
2. river diver
3. power rower
4. allow below
2. river diver
3. power rower
4. allow below
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Trivia Hive Answers
Pringles…dehydrated potatoes, not ‘chips’ of potatoes
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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…☼☼☼☼
