Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Almanacs “The Almanac - Nov. 17 - Post Chronicle” plus 3 more

Almanacs “The Almanac - Nov. 17 - Post Chronicle” plus 3 more

The Almanac - Nov. 17 - Post Chronicle

Posted: 17 Nov 2009 04:46 AM PST

Today is Tuesday, Nov. 17, the 321st day of 2009 with 44 to follow.

The moon is waxing. 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 King Louis XVIII of France in 1755; German astronomer and mathematician August Mobius in 1790; social reformer Grace Abbott in 1878; British army Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery in 1887; drama teacher/actor Lee Strasberg in 1901; actor Rock Hudson in 1925; balladeer Gordon Lightfoot in 1938 (age 71); film director Martin Scorsese in 1942 (age 67); model/actress Lauren Hutton in 1943 (age 66); actor/director Danny DeVito and "Saturday Night Live" producer Lorne Michaels in 1944 (age 65); actress Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio in 1958 (age 51), and model/actor RuPaul in 1960 (age 49).

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On this date in history:

In 1734, John Peter Zenger, who founded America's first regularly published newspaper, was arrested for allegedly libeling the colonial governor of New York.

In 1800, the U.S. Congress convened in Washington for the first time.

In 1869, the Suez Canal in Egypt was opened, linking the Red Sea and the Mediterranean.

In 1881, Samuel Gompers organized the forerunner of the American Federation of Labor.

In 1969, strategic arms limitation talks began between the United States and the Soviet Union in Helsinki, Finland.

In 1989, riot police in Prague, Czechoslovakia, stormed into a crowd of more than 20,000 pro-democracy demonstrators, beating people with truncheons and firing tear gas.

In 1992, an appeals court in Washington ruled the Watergate tapes and Nixon presidential papers rightfully belonged to U.S. President Richard Nixon when he left office in 1974.

In 1993, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Also in 1993, Nigeria Defense Minister Sani Abacha announced he had dissolved the government and declared himself the nation's ruler.

In 1997, 60 people were killed when six Islamic militants opened fire on a group of tourists at Luxor, Egypt.

In 2002, the first thorough examination of many of President John F. Kennedy's medical records found he was in far greater pain and taking many more medications than the public knew at the time.

In 2003, accused Washington sniper John Muhammad was convicted of capital murder by a jury in Virginia Beach, Va. The state sought the death penalty.

In 2004, President Vladimir Putin announced Russia was developing a new missile system.

Also in 2004, Pakistani authorities announced an Islamic militant wanted in connection with the killing of U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl had been killed in a shootout with police.

In 2005, U.S. Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania, a decorated Vietnam veteran and ranking Democrat on the Defense Appropriations Committee who supported the 2003 invasion, called for immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.

In 2006, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved marketing of silicone gel-filled breast implants, ending a 14-year moratorium on the devices.

In 2007, at least 30 bodies wrapped in black plastic and dead for some time were found in a mass grave a Sunni neighborhood in Baghdad.

In 2008, a 7.5-magnitude earthquake off the Indonesian island of Sulawesi killed four people, leveled hundreds of homes and triggered a tsunami warning.

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A thought for the day: As Jane Ace put it, "Time wounds all heels." (c) UPI

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Rose Oaks sprawling trails reveal animal habitat - Oakland Press

Posted: 17 Nov 2009 03:49 AM PST

By JONATHAN SCHECHTER
Special to The Oakland Press

Rose Oaks County Park straddles a cross section of 623 acres of wooded hills, valuable wetlands, meadows and small glacial lakes in northwestern Oakland County.

This park is far from developed. In addition to 3.7 miles of good hiking trails, you will find a parking lot, a small information kiosk and one Porta-John. That's about it in the way of improvements and amenities. But this park has a secret that gave me a soggy foot and left me smiling and exuberant. 

A pair of engineers is clandestinely racing cold weather and first ice to complete a construction project. And they are working without a building permit, mostly at night and are working in a wetland. Public hearing held: no way!

My GPS toting fellow outdoor writer hiking companion and I discovered their headquarters quite by chance as we trekked up a rather steep and totally scenic hill on the west side of Richardson Lake and looked northeast. There it was: a rustic lodge sporting a new domed environmental friendly roof. Although the engineers were not to be seen as we zigzagged around the lake — with my companion double checking the park map with her GPS coordinators  — we suddenly found ourselves squishing and splashing and laughing though shallow water near the southeast corner of the lake. Would the county build an underwater trail?

Nope.  But beavers that found a slice of giant rodent heaven at Rose Oaks (beavers are the largest member of the rodent family) created a gently curving dam of mud and sticks near a natural drainage point to raise the lake level. With the flow blocked, about 75 feet of trail became a soggy byway, but the trade off for our minor inconvenience added to our hiking adventure on the wilder side and afforded an unparalleled look at the skills of the beaver. Higher water meant easier access to food sources: mostly aspen trees. And higher water assured the lodge would be sheltered from humans and coyotes as they settle in for the winter with a stash of tree limbs in their underwater pantry.  

Beavers are not the only wildlife. Deer tracks and coyote scat were abundant, we found a great horned owl feather and had the accompaniment of blue jays and chickadees. The trail starts at the parking lot; the first few hundred feet are gravel, but from there it's all natural surfaces and on a dry day your feet crunch thick layers of oak leaves. Don't forget to grab a map from the map mailbox next to the kiosk or print one first on line! 

We stayed on the north side of the park, saving the bottom third for another day.  Mature oaks and cherry trees seem to march up the west side of the lake alongside you, claiming their ancient rights of possession of old farm land: a stone fireplace, rock piles and old fence rows told the story. Silky parachutes of milkweed were poised for airborne freedom in the meadow and old plantings of Scotch pine were rich with fall forest scent. We had a good time and thoroughly enjoyed the numerous vistas, some with wooden picnic benches.  Impressively large oaks and sassafras added to our hiking pleasure.

This park is great for nature lovers and hikers, but the maps, well; they are still a work in progress. As I fumbled around a bit trying to match my map to the trail markers, my companion realized it was more than just a problem of me being confused (again) or the maps not being to exact scale: the currently available pink trail maps include some errors, with a few trail markers misplaced on the diagram. And No. 11 seems to be suffering from chronic wanderlust fever, being at different locations on different maps. But if you get out there and get confused, don't worry: you won't get lost and we noticed at least some of the signposts on the trail had a more accurate version of the map.

Keep the lake in sight as you hike and you can't go wrong. You'll discover Rose Oaks County Park in Rose Township is full of solitude, beauty and adventure — magical things, patiently waiting to be discovered.

Jonathan Schechter's column on hiking in Oakland County appears on Sundays. Look for his Earth's Almanac blog on the Oakland Press website. E-mail: oaknature@aol.com.

 

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

Posted: 17 Nov 2009 02:16 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

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Crooked I: Tupac was touched by a higher power - PR Inside

Posted: 17 Nov 2009 12:28 AM PST

2009-11-17 09:24:30 - Crooked I does not get the just respect he is due. The Long Beach, California rapper is a beast on the mic and a street General of the West Coast. Lyrically, he is as sharp as anything on the rap playing field right now, despite his underdog status.
In recognizing his status, AllHipHop.com got Crooked I to give us his Top 5 Dead or Alive.

Crooked I:"Tupac was touched by a higher power'

Crooked I does not get the just respect he is due.

Just admit that fact.


The Long Beach, California rapper is a beast on the mic and a street General of the West Coast. Lyrically, he is as sharp as anything on the rap playing field right now, despite his underdog status.


In

recognizing his status, AllHipHop.com got Crooked I to give us his Top 5 Dead or Alive.


But, when he gave his list, we had to get him to expound on it, because it almost seems like Crook tried to cut corners on us.


AllHipHop.com: Let's get your top 5 Dead or Alive. I don't think anybody has publically heard your list before.


Crooked I: My Top 5 always changes. Unfortunately, some of my old school top 5 MC's get knocked down because some of the guys out now are doing a crazy job with the lyrics. Me, I don't go by record sales or by how many Phantoms or Bentleys that you've got.

I go by the structure of a song, how you put metaphors in line, and how you use your punch lines. If you use too many similes in one verse, I can't f**k with you. I have my own report card that I'll give to an MC. Right now, my Top 5 MC's – and everybody is going to think that this is some egotistical sh*t but it's not.


I am going to let Eminem and Jay-Z be tied for number one. Then in no particular order, every member of Slaughterhouse. Em and Jay are top and then Slaughterhouse (Royce Da 5' 9", Joe Budden, Crooked I and Joell Ortiz) is going to be 2, 3, 4 and 5. We'll be in no particular order because everybody has their strengths. I don't care – people can say that I'm just saying this because it's my group but f**k that sh*t! I am a student of Hip-Hop. I listen to what dudes say, how they say it, their cadence, their patterns, rhyme scheme, and rhyme flow. I study poetry – I'm an Almanac on this sh*t. I don't say that because it's my group. I don't think that anybody is f**king with the dudes in my group. Nobody except those two that I just named.


AllHipHop.com: Any particular reason why Eminem and Jay-Z are tied?


Crooked I: Those two dudes are the greatest breathing right now. I love Lil Wayne – I give that n***a credit beyond credit. To bump those two off though is going to be a task for anybody.


Eminem is a rhyming robot. He puts words together like he's a computer. These dudes don't even understand when it comes to him. He becomes a part of the beat when he raps. It's like his voice is an instrument and he's rhyming compound rhymes over and over – and he's killing it. He can also tell a story and do the psycho crazy sh*t. He can do choruses on his own! Eminem doesn't have to bring somebody in to the studio to do a hook for him – he can do a hit hook on his own.


The same thing with Jay – he can tell a story like no other. He understands rhyme flows, patters and schemes. If he has to do a "Jigga What" in double time, that's what it is. If he has to tell a story on "I Never Change" about the streets, it's going to be so on point that you can touch it. It's so real that you can feel it. When those two did "Renegade" together, I had them dead even. Those two are the best breathing.


I don't even put 2Pac on the list because he was something of a different nature. He's too big for any list. People don't understand that he was touched by a higher power.

www.tupacnation.net/forum/showthread.php?t=29675
www.tupacnation.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=127

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