Tuesday, December 31, 2013

PIX OF THE DAY


AROUND THE GLOBE


MAN'S BEST FRIEND


A guide dog jumped onto New York City subway tracks and began licking his blind owner, who had fainted and fallen in front of an oncoming train. The two survived when they ducked down and the train passed over them.

MOTHER NATURE IN 2013




PEOPLE BEING PEOPLE


An Indiana man installed 86 Christmas trees inside his home and decorated them with more than 52,000 lights, which heat his house to about 85 degrees. “We love Christmas,” said Brandon Smith. “There’s no denying that.”

MORE MONEY

Global wealth has doubled since 2000 to $241 trillion, according to a report by Credit Suisse, and is projected to increase by another 40 percent by the year 2018.

TheDailyBeast.com

IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE THROUGH ROTARY

By Bill Pollard, past governor of District 7600 (Virginia, USA), and member of the Rotary Club of Churchland, Virginia
One of my favorite things about the holiday season is watching It’s a Wonderful Life. The movie shares with us two important messages: the importance of friends and the positive impact each of us makes on the lives of others. (click below to read more)

CHATTIN' IT UP




TIME TO SKETCH

SNAPSHOT


TODAY IN HISTORY

December 31
1775 George Washington orders recruiting officers to accept free blacks into the army.
1852 The richest year of the gold rush ends with $81.3 million in gold produced.
1862 Union General William Rosecrans' army repels two Confederate attacks at the Battle of Murfreesboro (Stone's River).
1910 John B. Moisant and Arch Hoxsey, two of America's foremost aviators, die in separate plane crashes.
1911 Helene Dutrieu wins the Femina aviation cup in Etampes. She sets a distance record for women at 158 miles.
1915 The Germans torpedo the British liner Persia without any warning killing 335 passengers.
1923 The Sahara is crossed by an automobile for the first time.
1930 Brewery heir Adolphus Busch is kidnapped.
1941 General MacArthur reports that U.S. lines in Manila have been pushed back by the Japanese.
1942 After five months of battle, Emperor Hirohito allows the Japanese commanders at Guadalcanal to retreat.
1944 Hungary declares war on Germany.
1965 California becomes the largest state in population.
1977 Cambodia breaks relations with Vietnam.
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AND I QUOTE


"No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar." Abraham Lincoln

Monday, December 30, 2013

PIX OF THE DAY


AROUND THE GLOBE


MOTHER NATURE IN 2013





HEATING A SMALL SPACE WITH TEA CANDLES

HAPPY NEW YEAR, SEE YOU ON JANUARY 2nd





THEY SHOULD KNOW BETTER

Forty-six percent of financial advisers in the U.S. do not have a retirement plan for themselves, a poll by the Financial Planning Association has found, and 75 percent have no succession plan for their firm.

WSJ.com

GAINS AGAINST POLIO IN 2013

When Julia Yank and a team of Rotary members and health workers entered Kaduna, Nigeria, to immunize children against polio they expected to encounter some tough situations. They found one in a mother of three who stubbornly refused to have her children vaccinated.
"She argued with us for over 15 minutes," says Yank, a member of the Rotary Club of St. Clair County Sunset in O'Fallon, Illinois, USA. After the team explained to her the importance of what they were doing, she finally agreed to allow her children to be immunized. (click below to read more)

TODAY IN HISTORY

December 30
1460 The Duke of York is defeated and killed by Lancastrians at the Battle of Wakefield.
1803 The United States takes possession of the Louisiana area from France at New Orleans with a simple ceremony, the simultaneous lowering and raising of the national flags.
1861 Banks in the United States suspend the practice of redeeming paper money for metal currency, a practice that would continue until 1879.
1862 The draft of the Emancipation Proclamation is finished and circulated among President Abraham Lincoln's cabinet for comment.
1905 Governor Frank Steunenberg of Idaho is killed by an assassin's bomb.
1922 Soviet Russia is renamed the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
1932 The Soviet Union bars food handouts for housewives under 36 years of age. They must now work to eat.
1947 Romania's King Michael is forced to abdicate by Soviet-backed Communists. Communists now control all of Eastern Europe.
1965 Ferdinand E. Marcos is sworn in as the Philippine Republic's sixth president.
1972 After two weeks of heavy bombing raids on North Vietnam, President Nixon halts the air offensive and agrees to resume peace negotiations with Hanoi representative Le Duc Tho.
1976 Governor Carey of New York pardons seven inmates, closing the book on the Attica uprising.
2006 Saddam Hussein, former Iraq dictator, is executed by hanging for crimes committed against his own people during his rule.
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TRIVIA Q & A

What is the name of the device used to measure your feet at a shoe store?
(click below for the answer)

THE FIRST WORD

hayseed

PRONUNCIATION:
(HAY-seed) 

MEANING:
noun: An unsophisticated person who comes from a rural area.

ETYMOLOGY:
Alluding to a person with straw in his clothes or smelling of hayseed and regarded as a country bumpkin. Earliest documented use: 1577.

USAGE:
"A hayseed with a Midwestern twang, Carnegie arrived in New York in his 20s with the usual mix of big dreams and shallow pockets."
How to Succeed; Dale Carnegie; The Economist (London, UK); Nov 2, 2013.

Sunday, December 29, 2013

PIX OF THE DAY


AROUND THE GLOBE


WELL SAID


PEOPLE BEING PEOPLE


A jealous Walmart worker in Florida was charged with shooting a hole in his co-worker’s SUV, after she was named “employee of the month.” It’s now clear, said the sheriff, why the perpetrator “wasn’t chosen as employee of the month.”

WHERE DO I PUT MY NAME BADGE (FOR THE 1ST TIME)?




MAYBE NOT


China’s state-run Global Times newspaper claimed the country’s choking air pollution was good for national defense, because the smog would blind enemy missile- guidance systems and drones.

PEOPLE BEING PEOPLE


A Japanese man was arrested after going on a year-long burglary spree, stealing $185,000 worth of cash and jewelry in order to feed his 120 cats a gourmet diet. Mamoru Demizu, 48, told police he broke into homes at least 32 times so he could cater to his felines’ expensive tastes. “He would give them fresh fish and chicken, not cheap canned food,” said an officer. Demizu kept 20 cats in a warehouse, and fed 100 more neighborhood strays. “He said he felt happiest when he rubbed his cheek against cats,” said police.

AMERICAN TIME CAPSULE

IT'S LONELY OUT THERE

Even though car commuting is falling in 99 of the 100 largest U.S. metropolitan areas, more than eight in 10 working Americans drive to work, most of them alone.

TheAtlantic.com

2013 WEB GEMS


SNAPSHOT


CHARITY OF THE WEEK

Since 1979, Helping Hands Monkey Helpers (monkeyhelpers.org) has provided more than 150 highly trained capuchin monkeys free of charge to people with spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, and other physical impairments, enabling them to live more independent lives. The dexterous capuchins, which can live to be 40 years old, are trained for three to five years at a specialized facility. They help their owners with everyday tasks, such as scratching itches, turning book pages, retrieving dropped objects, and flipping light switches. Helping Hands carefully matches the monkeys to the recipients, making 10 to 12 placements each year. At the start of each placement, staff members provide extensive in-home coaching to ensure the comfort of the new owner and thereafter offer ongoing support.


The charity has earned a four-star overall rating from Charity Navigator, which rates not-for-profit organizations on the strength of their finances, their control of administrative and fundraising expenses, and the transparency of their operations. Four stars is the group’s highest rating.
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IN MEAT WE TRUST

By the 1960s, cattle-feeding was controlled by punch cards that mixed precise formulas of corn, plants, meat, vitamins and antibiotics.

By CHARLES R. MORRIS

In Meat We Trust
By Marilyn Ogle 
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 368 pages, $28)

In the depths of the Great Depression in rural Georgia, Jesse Jewell contemplated the ruin of his seed business—like many businessmen in that unhappy time, he had lots of inventory but only destitute customers. So he persuaded a local bank to finance a risky purchase of young chicks, which he distributed to local farmers along with seed and meticulous instructions on how to feed them. When the chickens reached market size, he brought them to Atlanta—some live, some slaughtered and packed in ice—sold them all, and paid off the farmers who raised them. (click below to read more)

TODAY IN HISTORY

December 29
 1170 Thomas Becket, the archbishop of Canterbury, is murdered in Canterbury Cathedral by four knights of Henry II.
 1607 Indian chief Powhatan spares John Smith's life after the pleas of his daughter Pocahontas.
 1778 British troops, attempting a new strategy to defeat the colonials in America, capture Savannah.
 1845 Texas (comprised of the present state of Texas and part of New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming) is admitted as the 28th state of the Union, with the provision that the area (389,166 square miles) should be divided into no more than five states "of convenient size."
 1849 Gas lighting is installed in the White House.
 1862 Union General William T. Sherman's troops try to gain the north side of Vicksburg in the Battle of Chickasaw Bluffs.
 1890 The last major conflict of the Indian wars takes place at Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota after Colonel James W. Forsyth of the 7th Cavalry tries to disarm Chief Big Foot and his followers.
 1914 The production of Belgian newspapers is halted to protest German censorship.
 1921 Sears Roebuck president Julius Rosenwald pledges $20 million of his personal fortune to help Sears through hard times.
 1926 Germany and Italy sign an arbitration treaty.
 1934 Japan formally denounces Washington Naval Treaty of 1922.
 1940 In a radio interview, President Roosevelt proclaims the United States to be the "arsenal of democracy."
 1940 London suffers its most devastating air raid when Germans firebomb the city on the evening of December 29.
 1948 Tito declares Yugoslavia will follow its own path to Communism.
 1956 President Dwight Eisenhower asks Congress for the authority to oppose Soviet aggression in the Middle East.
 1965 A Christmas truce is observed in Vietnam, while President Johnson tries to get the North Vietnamese to the bargaining table.
 1981 President Ronald Reagan curtails Soviet trade in reprisal for its hash policies on Poland.
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AND I QUOTE

"Life is like a card of games. The hand that is dealt you represents determinism; the way you play it is free will."

Jawaharial Nehru

Saturday, December 28, 2013

PIX OF THE DAY


AROUND THE GLOBE


FOR THOSE THAT HAVE EVERYTHING

Kalfin’s sterling silver pacifiers are nice too, but “if you want to spoil your baby a ridiculous amount,” ask for the diamond-encrusted model. “It’s probably one of the most expensive baby accessories out there.”
$50,000, kalfin.com.au
Source:
 TrendHunter.com

GOING UP

Global energy use will rise by 35 percent by 2040, Exxon estimates, with the fastest growth expected in natural gas. That increase, however, will fuel a doubling of world economic output, thanks to more efficient energy technology.

Houston Business Journal

OUT THE DOOR. SEASONS GREETINGS!




HOME ALONE


A passenger fell asleep on a flight to Houston, and awoke to find himself locked in a dark, empty airplane. “I mean, who shut the door?” said Tom Wagner after calling for help.

45TH ANNIVERSARY OF EARTHRISE

PREDICTING THE FUTURE...FROM THE 70'S

THE BETTER YOU LOOK...


Good-looking high school students get better grades, increasing their chances of going to college and being economically successful. (click below to read more)

YOUR NEXT HOME

Ketchum, Idaho: For snowbirds who like to ski, this condo in Sun Valley is ideally situated just a few blocks from the River Run ski lift. The two-story, three-bedroom penthouse has two fireplaces, exposed beams, and radiant floors. Outside there are two decks with views of Bald Mountain. $2,695,000.

TODAY IN HISTORY

December 28
1688 William of Orange makes a triumphant march into London as James II flees.
1694 George I of England gets divorced.
1846 Iowa is admitted as the 29th State of the Union.
1872 A U.S. Army force defeats a group of Apache warriors at Salt River Canyon, Arizona Territory, with 57 Indians killed but only one soldier.
1904 Farmers in Georgia burn two million bales of cotton to prop up falling prices.
1920 The United States resumes the deportation of communists and suspected communists.
1933 President Franklin D. Roosevelt states, "The definite policy of the United States, from now on, is one opposed to armed intervention."
1936 Benito Mussolini sends planes to Spain to support Francisco Franco's forces.
1938 France orders the doubling of forces in Somaliland; two warships are sent.
1946 The French declare martial law in Vietnam as a full-scale war appears inevitable.
1948 Premier Nokrashy Pasha of Egypt is assassinated by a member of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood because of his failure to achieve victory in the war against Israel.
1951 The United States pays $120,000 to free four fliers convicted of espionage in Hungary.
1965 The United States bars oil sales to Rhodesia.
1968 Israel attacks an airport in Beirut, destroying 13 planes.
1971 The U.S. Justice Department sues Mississippi officials for ignoring the voting ballots of blacks in that state.
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TRIVIA Q & A

Who was the only American in Monty Python’s Flying Circus?
(click below for the answer)

THE FIRST WORD

milksop

PRONUNCIATION:
(MILK-sop) 

MEANING:
noun: One who is timid or indecisive.

ETYMOLOGY:
A milksop is, literally, a piece of bread soaked in milk, a diet considered suitable for babies and the sick. A synonym of this term is milquetoast. Earliest documented use: 1390.

USAGE:
"This is for the milksop who does not want a mouse in the house but is too timid or pious to do anything about it."
Nicholas Lezard; Down and Out; New Statesman (London, UK); Mar 27, 2013.

Friday, December 27, 2013

PIX OF THE DAY


AROUND THE GLOBE


THERE'S NO MONEY IN SKINNY JEANS


America’s love of skinny jeans once threatened the integrity of the U.S. money supply, said Ylan Q. Mui in WashingtonPost.com. Since the late 1800s, U.S. currency has been printed on a unique, cotton-blend paper, and for decades the sole supplier of that paper, Boston-based Crane & Co., relied on recycled denim scraps from the garment industry to meet almost a third of its cotton needs. But that secure source was undermined in the 1990s, when the fashion world began blending spandex with denim to create stretchier, “curve-hugging” jeans. “Even a single fiber of spandex can ruin a batch of currency paper” by weakening the cotton, and by the early 2000s it was in “almost every pair of jeans.” The company had to start buying cotton directly from the source in order avoid giving a new meaning to the term “elastic money supply.”
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WHO WON THE CHRISTMAS 50-50? NO ONE