Almanacs “The Almanac - OfficialWire” plus 4 more |
- The Almanac - OfficialWire
- Daily almanac - Columbus Dispatch
- North Central Massachusetts Community Calendar - Sentinel & Enterprise
- Municipalities ready for winter weather - Sentinel & Enterprise
- Almanac: Fewer pheasants, hunters in southwest part of state - Minneapolis Star Tribune
| Posted: 29 Nov 2009 03:13 AM PST
| 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 Sagittarius. They include Austrian physicist Christian Doppler in 1803; author Louisa May Alcott ("Little Women") in 1832; Chinese Empress Dowager Tz'u Hsi in 1835; English electrical engineer John Fleming, who devised the radio tube-diode, in 1849; film choreographer Busby Berkeley in 1895; Irish novelist C.S. Lewis in 1898; actress Diane Ladd and former French President Jacques Chirac, both in 1932 (age 77); musician/composer Chuck Mangione in 1940 (age 69); comedians Garry Shandling in 1949 (age 60) and Howie Mandel in 1955 (age 54); filmmaker Joel Coen in 1954 (age 55); and actors Cathy Moriarty in 1960 (age 49), Kim Delaney in 1961 (age 48) and Andrew McCarthy in 1962 (age 47). -0- On this date in history: In 1877, Thomas Edison demonstrated his invention, a hand-cranked phonograph that recorded sound on grooved metal cylinders. Edison shouted verses of "Mary Had a Little Lamb" into the machine, which played back his voice. In 1890, the first Army-Navy football game was played with Navy winning 24-0. In 1929, U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Richard Byrd and three crewmen became the first people to fly over the South Pole. In 1947, despite strong Arab opposition, the United Nations voted for the partition of Palestine and the creation of the independent Jewish state of Israel. In 1963, U.S. President Lyndon Johnson appointed the Warren Commission to investigate the assassination of U.S. President John Kennedy. In 1986, movie icon Cary Grant died of a stroke at the age of 82. In 1988, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev told a landmark Supreme Soviet session that the country's system of government needed radical change. In 1989, Romanian Olympic gymnastic hero Nadia Comaneci fled to Hungary. She eventually reached the United States. In 1990, the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution authorizing "all necessary means," including military force, against Iraq if it did not withdraw from Kuwait by Jan. 15, 1991. In 1991, a dust storm in Coalinga, Calif., triggered a massive pileup by more than 250 vehicles on Interstate 5, killing 15 people and injuring more than 100. In 1992, blacks killed four whites and wounded 17 more in an unusual attack at a South African golf club. The attack was thought to be the first by blacks against white civilians since the 1990 legalization of anti-apartheid groups. In 1994, voters in Norway rejected a proposal to join the European Union. In 2001, George Harrison, lead guitarist of the Beatles, died of cancer. He was 58. In 2003, Iraqi insurgents killed seven members of Spain's National Intelligence Center and two Japanese diplomats in a series of attacks apparently aimed at non-American foreigners. Also in 2003, plans by Britain, France and Germany to give the European Union a military planning arm, independent of NATO, won backing from the rest of the bloc. In 2005, Louisiana's Department of Health and Hospitals reported 1,086 bodies were recovered in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Also in 2005, a Vatican policy paper said men who recognize homosexuality as a "transitory problem" can be allowed to pursue ordination to become Roman Catholic priests. In 2006, U.S. investigators heavily criticized security at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico after classified documents were removed from the building. In 2007, an Islamic court found a British teacher working in Sudan guilty of inciting religious hatred by allowing her class of 7-year-olds to name a Teddy bear "Mohammed." Gillian Gibbons, 54, was sentenced to 15 days in prison and deportation while street mobs demanded her execution. In 2008, Thailand officials said tens of thousands of tourists were stranded in Bangkok by a rebel group's takeover and closing of the city's two commercial airports. Also in 2008, a cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe worsened, authorities said. The United Nations pegged the death toll at more than 400 with almost 10,000 cases reported. -0- A thought for the day: Helmuth von Moltke wrote, "A war, even the most victorious, is a national misfortune."
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| Daily almanac - Columbus Dispatch Posted: 29 Nov 2009 03:49 AM PST
| Today is Sunday, Nov. 29, the 333rd day of 2009. There are 32 days left in the year.
HIGHLIGHTS IN HISTORY • On Nov. 29, 1961, Enos the chimp was launched from Cape Canaveral aboard the Mercury-Atlas 5 spacecraft, which orbited Earth twice before returning. • In 1967, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara announced he was leaving the Johnson administration to become president of the World Bank. • In 1989, the communist-run Parliament in Czechoslovakia ended the party's 40-year monopoly on power. • In 2001, George Harrison, the "quiet Beatle," died at age 58 in Los Angeles, following a battle with cancer. • Ten years ago: Protestant and Roman Catholic adversaries formed a Northern Ireland government designed to bring together every branch of opinion within the bitterly divided society. • Five years ago: President George W. Bush picked Carlos Gutierrez, the chief executive officer of cereal giant Kellogg, to be commerce secretary. • One year ago: Indian commandos killed the last remaining gunmen holed up at a Mumbai hotel, ending a 60-hour rampage through India's financial capital by suspected Pakistani-based militants that killed 166 people. THOUGHT FOR TODAY "The tragedy of love is indifference."
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| North Central Massachusetts Community Calendar - Sentinel & Enterprise Posted: 29 Nov 2009 03:27 AM PST Sunday, Nov. 29 Dance2Swing: Swingin' Sundays at Leominster Elks, 134 North Main St. Featuring The Velvet Elvis Band. Doors open at 6 p.m. with a Beginner Friendly Group Swing Dance Lesson at 6:30, followed by the swing dance at 7:30 p.m. For information, visit www.Dance2Swing.com or call 978-263-7220. Admission is $12. Hanging of the Greens: Pilgrim Congregational Church, 26 West St., Leominster, will celebrate the beginning of Advent with a special service that reveals the religious significance of centuries of Christmas customs at 9:30 a.m. As this is a family service with adults and children participating, there will be no Sunday School classes. Childcare for age infant to two years will be available. For information call 978-534-5164. Kids' Poetry Reading: The Rabbit Hole bookstore, 805 Main St., Fitchburg, again presents "Free Poetry Readings for Kids 12 and Under" from 1 p.m. Bring in a favorite poem to read out loud, or we will give your child a poem to read. If you write poems, all the better. Moms, Dads, and family members are welcome to read also and must accompany a child to this event. For information, call 978-345-0040 or e-mail info@therabbitholeusa.com. Concert: A concert of Advent and Christmas sacred music featuring some of the area's finest singers and instrumentalists will be held in St. Cecilia's Church, 180 Mechanic St., Leominster at 3 p.m. Tickets are $10 and may be purchased in advance at St. Cecilia's rectory Monday thru Friday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., or may be purchased at the door on the day of the concert; doors will open at 2 p.m. For more information, please call 978-537-6541.Editor Visit: The Rabbit Hole will host Sally Cragin, editor of the new edition of Llewellyn's 2010 Herbal Almanac at 2 p.m. For information, call 978-345-0040 or e-mail info@therabbitholeusa.com. Monday, Nov. 30 Line Dance Lessons: Monday nights at the American Legion, 200 Daniels St., Fitchburg. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. Beginner-level lessons start at 6:30. Intermediate-level lessons begin at 7:40. $10 per person. For information, call 978-502-1024. Wednesday, Dec. 2 Dropped Stitch Club: Ready to start knitting again? Looking for a new pattern or project? Spend time at the Dropped Stitch Club at the Ashby Free Public Library. Beginners and experienced knitters welcome to join. Meetings are every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. LoveLight Memorial: Each year, HealthAlliance Home Health & Hospice hosts a tree-lighting ceremony to announce the start of its annual LoveLight Tree fundraising campaign. A tribute gift helps deliver comfort, compassion and emotional support to people who are at the end of their life, and to their family members on hospice care. The LoveLight memorial celebration starts at 6 p.m. at HealthAlliance Home Health & Hospice, 25 Tucker Drive, Leominster. Lights are $10 each or three for $25. For information on LoveLight, contact Jeannine Pothier, development assistant, at 978-466-2258. CoolTalk Christmas Party: All are invited to the Third Annual CoolTalk Christmas Party, at 2 p.m., at Monument Grill in Leominster. No tickets, just come by and have a good time and bring a guest. Hosted by Mike Cooley. Thursday, Dec. 3 Holding Shopping Night: Sacred Heart School in Gardner will be hosting Holiday Shopping Night from 4 to 8 p.m. at the school, 53 Lynde St. All are welcome, refreshments available. Vendors may call 978-632-7740 for information about table space. Fitchburg-Leominster Table Tennis Club: Located in the Leominster Veterans' Building, basement-rear at 100 West St., Leominster, this club meets Monday and Thursday evenings at 6:30 to 10 p.m. Fee is $5 per visit. Everyone is welcome. Book Fair and Story Times: Barnes & Noble, Watertower Plaza, 289 North Main St., Leominster, will host a Book Fair Fundraiser from 4 to 9 p.m. Story Times with Mayor Dean Mazzarella, Superintendent Nadine Binkley, Vice Principal Liz Medley and more. Kids enjoy crafts from 4 to 7 p.m. and patrons enjoy free gift wrap service. Fitchburg Youth Library First Thursday: You are invited to come celebrate Christmas Around the World. Girl Scout Megan will be leading the craft activities. Join us in the Garden Room of the Youth Library, Fitchburg Public Library, 610 Main St., from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. This program is free and open to all ages. No registration required. La Leche Meeting: La Leche League of Wachusett North will meet at 9:30 a.m. at the First Congregational Church of Gardner. Mother-to-mother support for pregnant and breastfeeding women. Children welcome. Contact April 978-660-6254 for information. Daughters of Isabella Luncheon: Jeanne d'Arc Circle #44 Daughters of Isabella will hold its annual Christmas Luncheon at the Old Mill Restaurant, Westminster at 11:30 a.m. Members are asked to bring an unwrapped gift for a man, woman or child which will be donated to charity. Please call Betty Baldarelli at 978-514-8882 for reservations. Thursday Bingo: The Leominster Knights of Columbus #406, 484 Lancaster St. (Route 117), hosts Bingo every Thursday night. Doors open at 4 p.m. Bingo starts at 6:30 p.m. Weekly V.I.P. Five Free Admissions. Prizes: $50. to $777. Pull Tab Tickets available as well as a 50/50 bonus scratch ticket raffle. Friday, Dec. 4 Christmas Bazaar: St. Mark's Church in Leominster holds its annual Christmas Bazaar from 5 to 8 p.m., snow or shine. There will be themed baskets, baked goods, attic treasures, a country store, crafts, Chinese auction, snack bar, homemade candy and a parcel post booth. Saturday, Dec. 5 The Nutcracker: Paula Meola Dance & Performing Arts of Sterling presents "The Nutcracker" at 2 p.m. at Montachusett Regional Vocational High School, Fitchburg. This "Nutcracker" is a unique performance created especially for children and the young at heart. Ticket sales from these performances help to fund free performances for 2,000 local school children each year. Tickets are $10 for children and seniors, $15 for adults. Call 978-422-6989 for ticket information or reservations, or visit www.paulameoladance.com. North Pole Breakfast: Crocker Elementary School, 200 Bigelow Drive, Fitchburg, will be having a North Pole Breakfast from 9 to 11 a.m. Adults $4, children $2. There will also be crafts, basket raffles, pictures with Santa, and a raffle for a video-game system. Gingerbread Fair: First Parish Unitarian Church of Hubbarston, on the Common, presents the Gingerbread Fair. Large Chinese auction, silent auction, raffles, baked goods, candy, dnitting, spices, naturals, quilt raffle, craft table, homemade jams and jellies. Homemade Swedish meatball luncheon. Christmas Bazaar: St. Mark's Church in Leominster continues its annual Christmas Bazaar from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., snow or shine. There will be themed baskets, baked goods, attic treasures, a country store, crafts, Chinese auction, snack bar, homemade candy and a parcel post booth. Pictures with Santa: The Friends of the Forbush Library, 118 Main St., Westminster, hosts "Pictures with Santa." Bake sale. Bring your own camera. Enjoy the fun and all are welcome. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Kendig Room. Nativity Around the World Exhibit: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the junction of routes 101 and 140 in Gardner, will be displaying Nativity sets from around the world from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. There will also be a children's nativity puppet show as well as a mini-musical production with showings at 6 and 7 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. All are welcome. Fitchburg Chowda Fest: Servings are from 12 to 2:30 p.m., with awards at 3 p.m. Open to the public. $5 each. All proceeds go to benefit the Fitchburg Senior Center. Animal Adoption Day: There will be an open house/adoption event at the Gardner Animal Control Facility, 899 W. Broadway from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This event is being organized to promote the many wonderful cats and dogs awaiting loving, forever homes and to raise money for their veterinary care. A scratch ticket basket and a gift card basket will be raffled off. Tickets are available now. There will be crafts and baked goods tables. Scratch tickets, gift cards and crafts donations are needed. All approved adoption applications submitted now thru Dec. 5 will be entered in a drawing for a free cat/kitten adoption or half-off a dog adoption. For information, call 978-630-4950 or e-mail gardner_adoptions@verizon.net. This content has passed through fivefilters.org. | ||
| Municipalities ready for winter weather - Sentinel & Enterprise Posted: 29 Nov 2009 03:27 AM PST When it comes to plowing and sanding during snow and ice storms, Leominster Department of Public Works Director Patrick LaPointe follows the "three Ts" -- temperature, timing and traffic. Snow and ice removal done right can be cost-effective for a city or town, but the most immediate concern in a storm is public safety, LaPointe said. That means knowing the weather conditions and forecast, getting out on the roads at the best time and addressing the areas that have the least impact on traffic and road safety, he said. "We try to be as efficient as we can, but you've got to be sensitive to the driving public," LaPointe said, explaining residents want to leave their houses as soon as the snow stops. "The minute the last flakes fall they've got to be out right away." Cities and towns throughout Massachusetts are facing varying degrees of financial strain, and wintertime costs fluctuate greatly year to year, often putting public works departments in the red. Leominster's fiscal year 2010 budget has $300,000 allocated for snow and ice expenses and $100,000 allocated for snow and ice overtime for the DPW, LaPointe said. The Leominster DPW has already stocked up on salt and sand, and snow-removal machines are at the ready in case winter arrives early, LaPointe said. The city also contracts with private plow companies in addition to the 47 pieces of city-owned machinery, so the roads can be canvassed in a storm, he said. Last year, which included one week with three plow-necessary storms, the DPW started with the same amount, but LaPointe had to request $600,000 in additional money from the City Council.Leominster Mayor Dean J. Mazzarella has already asked councilors to approve spending "in excess of appropriations up to an amount to exceed $250,000" as a precautionary measure. The council's Finance Committee is considering the proposal. Mazzarella said the city's in a good financial position to take on the winter, but he places no stock in predictions about the season. "We could get slammed, or we could get one or two storms all winter," he said. "You never know." Mazzarella's request is routine, and is not an appropriation of money, Ward 4 Councilor and Finance Committee Chairman Robert Salvatelli said. It means the DPW would be able to spend money above its budgeted amount if it ran into a major storm or emergency later in the season. "We're at the point where we should be able to handle an average winter and be fine," Salvatelli said. Fitchburg has set aside $800,000 total for snow and ice removal this year, which includes about $400,000 in the regular budget, and additional money the city can use if necessary, Mayor Lisa Wong said. Snow and ice is one of the few accounts in which municipalities can legally spend beyond their budgeted amount, because the spending can be so varied from year to year. "We doubled it by having that debit ability, because we almost always have to use twice as much," Wong said. "We set aside that extra money right away." Fitchburg officials always look for bargains on items like salt and sand, which they get off the state bid list, and economize during storms by carefully planning out when to call in private plow companies as contractors, Wong said. "That way, we can ramp up or ramp down the effort depending on the need," she said. Fitchburg's hills are a big challenge during snow and ice storms, so extra caution has to be taken to make sure the streets are safe for travel, Wong said. "The plow crews that we have really know the hills, they have a really effective method for clearing the roads," she said. Snow plowing is a service residents demand of their city or town Salvatelli said. His son's father-in-law, a former longtime mayor in New York, once told him the quickest way to get voted out of office would be to not plow streets. "If you want to get the public really angry with you, don't plow," Salvatelli said. "You've got to keep those streets plowed so people can get to work, or they'll never forgive you." LaPointe said he's hoping the snow will hold off until after Christmas, because once it starts, snow tends not to stop piling up until springtime. "I'd like to get through Christmas before it gets too bad," he said. "If you get snow this early, it seems like winter goes on forever." Leominster City Council President Wayne Nickel said the city takes a "realistic" approach to funding snow and ice removal, and said officials do the right thing by not depleting Leominster's free cash before the winter has wrapped up, leaving some wiggle room in case of a bad winter. "I think they're very efficient, especially considering how small the DPW is now and how much space they have to cover," he said. "They make good use of the outside contractors." Lunenburg DPW Director Jack Rodriquenz said Lunenburg officials and public works staff members have been "preparing for some time" for the coming winter. Lunenburg belongs to a consortium of 14 communities that buy sand and salt together, and Rodriquenz said the town is already stocked with materials to deal with the storms. The town has set aside $350,000 for snow and ice removal costs, up $50,000 from last year, a move intended to help the town avoid spending in deficit, Rodriquenz said. It's tough to say whether the region will have a bad winter or not, said Rodriquenz, who added he doesn't pay attention to predictions from places like the Old Farmer's Almanac, because technology has advanced to the point that people can have an adequate view of weather forecasts. "It all depends on who you talk to, whether we're going to have a bad winter or not," he said. "I'm just looking ahead two to three weeks." Lunenburg, which has miles of rural roads, can be tricky to manage in the bitterly cold days of winter, especially in the wooded areas, where melting is slower, Rodriguenz said. "We're always looking at expenses whether it's a good economy or not, but the bottom line is always public safety," he said. "I don't like overspending, but you have to respond." The Dec. 11, 2008, ice storm has left a lingering impression on the region, as it wreaked havoc on trees and power lines and then was followed by an encore of snowstorms in December, LaPointe said. Still, the winter had an average snowfall, about 84 inches, and only 11 "plowable" storms. An average for Leominster is 15 or 16 storms needing plow response. People in Lunenburg, one of the towns hit hardest by the ice storm, are approaching the storm's anniversary, and this winter, with apprehension, Rodriquenz said. "I think people have been scarred," he said. "As a town, we've been working to make sure we're better prepared for the next time, and we are better prepared ... We're all a little gun shy." Lunenburg's ice-storm damage lay under ice and snow for much of last winter, which featured bitterly cold temperatures in January and February, Rodriquenz said. "Once it started, it seemed like winter never let go," he said. This content has passed through fivefilters.org. | ||
| Almanac: Fewer pheasants, hunters in southwest part of state - Minneapolis Star Tribune Posted: 29 Nov 2009 01:54 AM PST You could call the hunter lucky -- or perhaps unlucky. Seems he was hunting on the ground in the woods near Plainview, Minn., when an arrow sliced through his blaze orange coat sleeve and shirts -- missing the flesh and blood. It's unknown who fired the arrow. Conservation officer Joel Heyn is investigating. Eyes wide openA deer hunter near Carlton in northeastern Minnesota was sitting on the ground near the edge of a field when he fell asleep. When he woke up, he reported being almost nose-to-nose with a black bear. Fearing for his life, he immediately shot the bear. The hunter called conservation officer Scott Staples, who investigated the incident and ended up giving the bear carcass to a local resident so it didn't go to waste. Did you know?• Dirk Peterson, DNR central region fisheries manager, is acting fisheries chief until a replacement is found for Ron Payer, who retired recently. • South Dakota is considering an emergency rule to increase its bag limits for pheasants. Under the proposal, the current three-bird daily pheasant limit would be increased to five, and the 15-bird pheasant possession limit would increase to 25. The emergency rule would take effect Dec. 5 and remain in place until the current pheasant season ends on Jan. 3. Officials will decide this week whether to make the change, spurred because the late harvest of crops has reduced hunting success. (See my blog at www.startribune.com/cluboutdoors for more.) • After getting a complaint from a group of hunters about people shooting from the roadway, conservation officer Randy Hanzal of Duluth put out a deer decoy to try to capture the culprits. "A short time later one of the original complainants was caught shooting at the decoy from within the road right-of-way himself," Hanzal reported. • A deer hunter near Brookston called a conservation officer to report he had mistakenly shot a cow moose, thinking it was a whitetail deer. Doug Smith • dsmith@startribune.com This content has passed through fivefilters.org. | ||
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