Almanacs “The Almanac - Nov. 16 - Post Chronicle” plus 3 more

The Almanac - Nov. 16 - Post Chronicle
Daily almanac - Columbus Dispatch
Get yourself, home ready Old Man Winter may be cranky - Tulsa World
The almanac - United Press International

Posted: 16 Nov 2009 04:40 AM PST

Today is Monday, Nov. 16, the 320th day of 2009 with 45 to follow.

The moon is new. The morning stars are Venus, Mars, Saturn and Mercury. The evening stars are Neptune, Jupiter and Uranus.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Scorpio. They include Tiberius, emperor of Rome, in 42 B.C.; composer W.C. Handy, known as the "Father of the Blues," in 1873; Broadway director and playwright George S. Kaufman in 1889; jazz guitarist and bandleader Eddie Condon in 1905; actors Burgess Meredith in 1909, Marg Helgenberger in 1958 (age 51) and Lisa Bonet in 1967 (age 42); and Olympic figure skater Oksana Baiul in 1977 (age 32).

-0-

On this date in history:

In 1892, the University of Chicago, a founding member of the Big 10 Conference, won its first football game, beating Illinois, 10-4.

In 1907, Oklahoma became the 46th state admitted to the union.

In 1933, the United States established diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union.

In 1984, the space shuttle Discovery returned to Earth with the first two satellites ever plucked from space.

In 1989, six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her teenage daughter were shot to death at their residence in San Salvador. Three years later, in 1991, U.S. House of Representatives Democrats reported that Salvadoran Defense Minister Gen. Rene Ponce had planned the killings.

In 1989, seven children were killed when a tornado struck an elementary school near Newburgh, N.Y.

In 1990, the Soviet Union indicated its approval of the use of military force to oust Iraq from Kuwait.

In 1997, 85 percent of voters in Hungary cast ballots in favor of joining NATO.

In 2001, a letter containing anthrax was found at the Capitol in Washington, addressed to Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.

Also in 2001, U.S. officials said a bomb had killed Muhammad Atef, one of Osama bin Laden's closest strategists who was believed to have helped plan the Sept. 11 attacks.

In 2003, powerful explosions rocked Baghdad, while electric power went out in broad sections of the city as U.S. troops attacked suspected insurgent hideouts.

In 2004, Margaret Hassan, the kidnapped Iraqi CARE director, was believed to have been killed after al-Jazeera television received a video of a woman's slaying. The act drew widespread condemnation from world leaders.

In 2005, a secret White House document is said to confirm reports that oil company executives met with White House officials when the Bush administration was fashioning its 2001 energy policy.

In 2006, a U.S. Army specialist became the first of five suspects to plead guilty in the rape of a young Iraqi teenager and the killing of her and her family.

Also in 2006, Turkey severed military ties with France over a century-old dispute involving the deaths of some 1.2 million Armenians.

In 2007, the United Nations warned global warming of 1-3 degrees Celsius would lead to a rise in sea levels that would swallow up island nations, decimate one-quarter or more of the world's species, cause famine in Africa and spark increasingly violent hurricanes.

In 2008, after nearly a year of negotiations with the United States, the Iraqi Cabinet agreed to withdrawal of U.S. combat troops by Dec. 31, 2011.

Also in 2008, wildfires aided by blasting winds and high temperatures forced 30,000 Southern California residents to flee their homes. Eleven people were injured, including four firefighters, and at least 600 homes were destroyed.

And, at least 23 workers were feared dead after a bridge being built collapsed in Indian-administered Kashmir, officials said.

-0-

A thought for the day: it was Henry Kissinger who said, "History knows no resting places and no plateaus." (c) UPI

This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

Daily almanac - Columbus Dispatch

Posted: 16 Nov 2009 03:07 AM PST

Today is Monday, Nov. 16, the 320th day of 2009. There are

45 days left in the year.

Highlights in History

• On Nov. 16, 1959, the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The Sound of Music, inspired by the story of the Trapp Family Singers, opened on Broadway with Mary Martin as Maria and Theodore Bikel as Capt. von Trapp.

• In 1776, British troops captured Fort Washington in New York during the American Revolution.

• In 1907, Oklahoma became the 46th state of the union.

• In 1933, the United States and the Soviet Union established diplomatic relations.

• In 1966, Dr. Samuel H. Sheppard was acquitted in his second trial of murdering his pregnant wife, Marilyn, in 1954.

• In 1989, six Jesuit priests, a housekeeper and her daughter were slain by army troops at the University of Central America Jose Simeon Canas in El Salvador.

• Ten years ago: Nathaniel Abraham, at 13 one of the youngest murder defendants in U.S. history, was convicted in Pontiac, Mich., of second-degree murder for shooting a stranger outside a convenience store with a rifle when he was 11. (He was released from juvenile detention at 21 in 2007. He was sentenced, however, in January 2009 to at least four years in prison for a drug-related conviction.)

• Five years ago: President George W. Bush picked National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice to be his new secretary of state.

• One year ago: Iraq's Cabinet overwhelmingly approved a security pact with the United States calling for American forces to remain in the country until 2012.

Thought for Today

"No matter how dull, or how mean, or how wise a man is, he feels that happiness is his indisputable right." -- Helen Keller, American author and lecturer (1880-1968)

Source: Associated Press

This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

Get yourself, home ready Old Man Winter may be cranky - Tulsa World

Posted: 16 Nov 2009 12:15 AM PST

Whether or not you are prepared for it, winter is blowing our way.

According to both the National Weather Service and the 2010 Farmers Almanac, Old Man Winter might be especially cranky this year. So before a blizzard unexpectedly hits, a few simple tasks can help to make sure your home is safe and snug.

On the inside

Clean out your coat closets

Get coats dry cleaned or pressed, and make sure your scarves, hats, gloves and galoshes are ready to be worn. Donate old coats to charity.

Dig out your blankets

And throws, afghans or other snuggly items and wash or dry clean them. A musty, dusty blanket is never a welcome start to winter.

Clear out

Before the holidays, clear out cabinets, closets and other storage areas. You'll likely accumulate more stuff and rather than adding to your stash, keep what you need and give away things you don't use.

Seal up

Make sure drafts don't get the better of your energy bill. Seal gaping drafts around windows and doors, and keep the thermostat at a constant level. Open the blinds or curtains on your windows to let the sun's heat warm you up.

On the outside

Drain and lube

It's time to gather up your summer lawn equipment and store it away. Also, remember to drain the gasoline and lube up your equipment so it'll be good to go next spring.

Strip it

Weather-strip or caulk your doors and windows

to seal holes and cracks. Many types of weather-stripping materials are available at the hardware or home improvement stores. Ask for advice from salespeople about your home. For more, visit tulsaworld.com/weatherstrip .

Clean out your gutters

Dirt, leaves, pine needles and plenty of gunk builds up fast. You don't want your gutters to be clogged in the event of an ice storm.

Mow and mulch

Cut your grass until the first frost, and mulch your leaves.

Kim Brown 581-8474
kim.brown@tulsaworld.com

This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

The almanac - United Press International

Posted: 16 Nov 2009 12:22 AM PST

Today is Sunday, Nov. 15, the 319th day of 2009 with 46 to follow.

The moon is waning. The morning stars are Venus, Mars and Saturn. The evening stars are Mercury, Neptune, Jupiter and Uranus.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Scorpio. They include British statesman William Pitt ("the elder") in 1708; British astronomer William Herschel, discoverer of the planet Uranus, in 1738; Nobel Prize-winning physiologist August Krogh of Denmark in 1874; artist Georgia O'Keeffe in 1887; jurist Felix Frankfurter in 1882; diplomat W. Averell Harriman and World War II German Gen. Erwin Rommel, both in 1891; Annunzio Mantovani, orchestra leader, in 1905; U.S. Air Force Gen. Curtis LeMay in 1906; TV personality and retired Judge Joseph Wapner in 1919 (age 90); actor Edward Asner in 1929 (age 80); pop singer Petula Clark in 1932 (age 77); actors Yaphet Kotto in 1937 (age 72) and Sam Waterston in 1940 (age 69); conductor Daniel Barenboim in 1942 (age 67); actress Beverly D'Angelo in 1951 (age 58); and musician Kevin Eubanks in 1957 (age 52).

-0-

On this date in history:

In 1864, Union Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman began his Civil War march from Atlanta to the sea.

In 1920, the first assembly of the League of Nations was called to order in Geneva, Switzerland.

In 1943, Heinrich Himmler ordered Gypsies be placed in Nazi concentration camps.

In 1960, Hollywood king Clark Gable, best remembered as Rhett Butler in "Gone With The Wind," died of a heart attack at the age of 59.

In 1969, 250,000 people demonstrated in Washington against the Vietnam War.

In 1984, 5-week-old Baby Fae died after her body rejected the baboon heart she had lived with for 20 days at California's Loma Linda University Medical Center.

In 1987, 27 people were killed when a Continental Airlines DC-9 jet crashed in a snowstorm during takeoff from Denver.

In 1989, tornadoes struck six Southern states, killing 17 people and injuring 463, causing at least $100 million in damage in Huntsville, Ala.

In 1990, members of the so-called Keating Five -- Sens. Alan Cranston, D-Calif.; Dennis DeConcini, D-Ariz.; John Glenn, D-Ohio; John McCain, R-Ariz.; and Donald Riegle, D-Mich. -- were accused of influence peddling on behalf of savings and loan kingpin Charles Keating.

In 2001, U.S. commandos were on the ground in southern Afghanistan in the search for al-Qaida leaders and more than 250 U.S. and British special force troops landed north of Kabul.

In 2002, the White House and the FBI backed off from a warning that al-Qaida was plotting "spectacular" attacks against the United States after critics latched onto it to show progress in the war on terror was faltering.

In 2004, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell submitted his resignation.

Also in 2004, facing the possibility of U.N. sanctions, Iran announced it would suspend its uranium enrichment program.

In 2005, the official death toll from Hurricane Katrina stood at 972 with more bodies found as Louisiana residents returned home more than a month after the search for victims officially ended.

In 2006, a minor tsunami created by an 8.1 earthquake off northern Japan struck Crescent City on the northern California coast, damaging docks and boats. No injuries were reported. A small tsunami also hit Japan's northern and eastern coasts.

In 2007, Cyclone Sidr, with winds of more than 150 miles an hour, slammed into the southwestern Bangladesh coast, killing a reported more than 3,400 people. Authorities said tens of thousands were injured and 1 million people were homeless.

In 2008, developing nations are reported using the Group of 20 summit in Washington as a chance to broaden their clout as Western economies fall into recession. With emerging economies likely to provide nearly 100 percent of the world's growth in the coming year, developing nations are affecting a power shift, The Washington Post reported.

Also in 2008, the first truckloads of food aid for starving Democratic Republic of Congo refugees reached camps in the country's war-torn northeast where some 50,000 people awaited food aid, officials said

-0-

A thought for the day: Nobel Prize-winning poet George Seferis said, "We have many monsters to destroy."

This content has passed through fivefilters.org.

Almanacs

Monday, November 16, 2009