Founded : December 2000 Created By : Esther Aquino and Joseph Garcia
DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF ESPERANZA AQUINO
Founded : December 2000 Created By : Esther Aquino and Joseph Garcia
DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF ESPERANZA AQUINO
July 21st, 2005
In Today's Edition
It is with a heavy heart that I must tell you that Julio Roman passed away Tuesday morning. Julio had been ill for quite some time.
Although I was never close to him in my adult years, I do have a fond memory of him. As a child I remember him taking all us "boys" to the park and and hitting fly balls to us. He loved his baseball and his Dodgers. I can still hear him shouting "Dirty Duke!" when one of us made a great catch.
The wake for Julio Roman is from 7pm to 10pm Thursday night at Stanley Dickey Mortuary, 8030 Mango, Fontana, CA 92336.
Burial is Friday at Oak Park Cemetery, 410 Sycamore Ave., Claremont, CA .
Our deepest condolences go out to Joseph, his brothers, sister and extended family.
Born on July 21st
Jon Lovitz (1957)
Robin Williams (1952)
Cat Stevens (1948)
Kenneth Starr (1946)
Norman Jewison (1926)
Don Knotts (1924)
Kay Starr (1922)
Isaac Stern (1920)
Marshall McLuhan (1911)
Ernest Hemingway (1899)
July 23rd
Jay Contreras' birthday
Jay and Lisa Contreras' Anniversary
July 24th
Joe and Rose Villalba's Anniversary
Not All Bad
A group of senior citizens were exchanging notes about their ailments.
"My arm is so weak I can hardly hold this coffee cup."
"Yes, I know. My cataracts are so bad I can't see to pour the coffee."
"I can't turn my head because of the arthritis in my neck."
"My blood pressure pills make my dizzy."
"I guess that's the price we pay for getting old."
"Well, it's not all bad. We should be thankful that we can still drive."
Today's useless fact - What is the origin of the custom of knocking on wood for luck?
A few possibilities are repeated fairly consistently in the links of the Superstitions category. The explanation we prefer is the ancient belief that spirits either dwelled in or guarded trees. We prefer this because many cultures around the world show evidence of tree worship dating back thousands of years.
Greeks worshipped the oak as it was sacred to Zeus, Celts believed in tree spirits, and both believed touching sacred trees would bring good fortune. Irish lore holds that "touching wood" is a way to thank the leprechauns for a bit of luck. Pagans also held similar beliefs of protective tree spirits. Chinese and Koreans thought the spirits of mothers who died in childbirth remained in nearby trees.
Another explanation points to the wooden Christian cross as the origin of "good luck," although this is likely a Christian adaptation of earlier pagan practices.
A Jewish version traces the origin to the Spanish Inquisition of the 15th century. At the time, persecuted Jews fled to synagogues built of wood, and they devised a coded knock to gain admission. Since this practice spared countless lives, it became common to "knock on wood" for good luck.
The Buzzword for July 21st
jeep \JEEP\ noun
What does it mean?
: a small general-purpose motor vehicle with four-wheel drive
used by the U.S. Army in World War II
How do you use it?
Lauren thought it was goofy that her grandfather drove a jeep
during World War II until she learned that he met General
Eisenhower and drove him to a meeting.
Are you a word wiz?
The word "jeep" probably originated with the initials "g.p.,"
which meant "general purpose." But "jeep" might not have become
so popular if it had not also been a name. Which name do you
think helped to popularize "jeep"?
A. the Jeep Joint, a famous dance club in Chicago
B. Eugene the Jeep, a character in a comic strip
C. Jimmy Jeep, a well-known comedian
D. Edgar Jeep, a mechanic who raced jeeps
Answer:
In March 1936, comic strip artist Elzie Segar introduced into
his "Popeye" comic strip "Eugene the Jeep," a friendly little
animal that made the sound "jeep." For the next year, Eugene had many
adventures with Popeye and his girlfriend, Olive Oyl. In 1937 work began
on the development of an all-purpose vehicle for the military. When
this vehicle was ready for use, it was called "g.p." for "general
purpose." The popularity of Eugene the Jeep seems to have encouraged people to
start pronouncing and spelling "g.p." as "jeep," and that became the
vehicle's name thereafter.
Today's Jigsaw Puzzle
CLICK HERE
Tomatoes
That's all for this week. Remember who loves you.
Have a safe and pleasant weekend.
The following is what appeared in Wednesday's edition.
In Today's Edition
Esther and Al have embarked on a joint venture. Before you get out your Sunday best and anticipate getting your invitation, no, it's not that kind of joint venture. I'll let her explain it to you.
Hey Guys,
Just want to let you know that Al and I have opened a store on eBay featuring his hand-made jewelry. This is a start to what we hope will become bigger and greater things. As more merchandise arrives, we will expand the categories to include other items.
Please visit our store by following this link:
http://stores.ebay.com/Ramirez-Gemstone-Jewelry
If you should happen to see anything that tickles your fancy, please do not hesitate to inquire or purchase (that's even better!).
Should you have any questions, please contact us at either:
Esther neendogg@msn.com
Born on July 20th
Chris Cornell (1964)
Carlos Santana (1947)
Kim Carnes (1946)
Diana Rigg (1938)
Natalie Wood (1938)
Chuck Daly (1933)
Sir Edmund Hillary (1919)
Social Security
A retired gentleman went to the social security office to apply for Social Security.
The woman behind the counter asked him for his driver's license to verify his age. He looked in his pockets and realized he had left his wallet at home. He told the woman that he was very sorry but he seemed to have left his wallet at home. "I will have to go home and come back later." The woman says, "Unbutton your shirt." So he opens his shirt revealing curly silver hair. She says, "That silver hair on your chest is proof enough for me" and she processed his Social Security application.
When he gets home, the man excitedly tells his wife about his experience at the social security office. She says, "You should have dropped your pants. You might have gotten disability too."
Today's useless fact - What is the bestselling beer in the world?
We chugged down the rest of our beer (root beer, that is -- we are at work after all), wiped the foam from our mouths, and turned to the links in the Beer category to answer your question.
The links confirmed that the King of Beers, Budweiser, came by its nickname honestly. Yes, it's true -- that rather bland brew Budweiser wears the crown of bestselling beer in the world. Until recently, it also held the title of bestselling beer in America. But Bud was recently dethroned in the United States by its brother, Bud Light.
Budweiser's maker, Anheuser-Busch, is the largest brewer in the world and has a corner on about 50% of the U.S. beer market. The company sells beer under a number of other labels, including Busch (of course), but also Michelob, Red Wolf, and O'Doul's. The company also holds an interest in two microbreweries, Redhook and Widmer Brothers.
So although Anheuser-Busch has conquered the world beer market and Budweiser may be the King of Beers, true beer lovers usually give the crown to a less mass-marketed brew.
The Buzzword for July 20th
aback \uh-BACK\ adverb
What does it mean?
: by surprise : unawares
How do you use it?
My entire family was taken aback by the news that, just one
week before his wedding, cousin Daryl decided to elope with
his fiance instead.
Are you a word wiz?
"Aback" is a great word to add to your vocabulary, but you
need to use it properly. Which sentence below uses "aback"
correctly?
A. Her aback leg itched underneath the cast.
B. How aback James felt when he heard his dog ran away.
C. Mrs. Terry was taken aback by her neighbor's generosity.
D. We took the aback way, away from the road and through the
woods.
Answer:
"Aback" is an adverb. In modern English it usually modifies a
form of the verb "take," as in response C, where Mrs. Terry
was clearly surprised by her neighbor's generosity. Answers A
and D use "aback" as an adjective, and Answer B gives "aback"
the wrong meaning, so they're clearly incorrect. By the way,
the word "back" would be a better choice for sentence D
today, but back in the year 1000, you might have used "aback"
as a synonym of "back" (although "aback" hasn't been used that
way since at least the 1800s).
Today's Jigsaw Puzzle
CLICK HERE
That's all for today. Tune in tomorrow for more stuff.
The following is what appeared in Tuesday's edition.
In Today's Edition
Follow your dream.
Unless it's the one where you're at work in your underwear during a fire drill.
Born on July 19th
Anthony Edwards (1962)
Brian May (1947)
Vikki Carr (1941)
George McGovern (1922)
Lizzie Borden (1860)
Edgar Degas (1834)
Ask Jonah
A little girl was talking to her teacher about whales. The teacher said it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human because even though it was a very large mammal its throat was very small. The little girl stated that Jonah was swallowed by a whale. Irritated, the teacher reiterated that a whale could not swallow a human; it was physically impossible.
The little girl said, "When I get to heaven I will ask Jonah".
The teacher asked, "What if Jonah went to hell?"The little girl replied, "Then you ask him".
Yessir, Yasser!
Today's useless fact - Is a starfish really a fish?
True fish are vertebrates and belong to the Chordata phylum of the animal kingdom. This group encompasses most of the animals we are familiar with, such as mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians, as well as humans.
Here's what we learned after visiting the the links in the Lukol Starfish category: starfish, or sea stars as they are sometimes called, are invertebrates, meaning they have no backbone. These spineless (and we mean that in the best possible way) creatures belong to the spiny-skinned phylum of animals known as Echinodermata and the class Asteroidea.
These animals generally have 5 or 6 arms, though the sunflower starfish, or Pycnopodia helianthoides, can have as many as 15-24 arms. Starfish are carnivores and move very slowly along the ocean floor, using their arms to shovel clams, oysters, and fish into their centrally located mouth. Starfish have no brain; a ring of nerve cells controls all of their functions. They are known for their legendary ability to regenerate a limb -- if they lose one of their arms, it will regrow. More colorful names for this unique creature include the five-fingered Jack or the Devil's hand.
The Buzzword for July 19th
allegory \AL-uh-gor-ee\ noun
What does it mean?
: a story in which the characters and events are symbols that
stand for truths about human life
How do you use it?
The medieval play "Everyman" is an allegory that has
characters with names like Knowledge, Beauty, Strength, and
Death.
Are you a word wiz?
"Allegory" comes from the Greek word "allegorein," meaning "to
speak figuratively." This word traces back to the root
"egorein." What do you think "egorein" means?
A. to pretend to be something else
B. to tell a story
C. to stand in a bent position
D. to speak publicly
Answer:
The truth is that D is the answer. "Egorein" means "to speak
publicly." Added to "allos," meaning "other," the resulting
word, "allegorein," means "to speak figuratively" -- that is,
to talk about something using words that usually are used to
refer to something else. "Allegory" is a broad term that
includes some other kinds of stories you've probably heard
of. Fables are allegories intended to teach a lesson and
involving animals that talk and act like people. Parables are
also allegories. They're short and simple stories that
illustrate a moral or spiritual truth.
Today's Jigsaw Puzzle
CLICK HERE
That's all for today. Tune in tomorrow for more stuff.
The following is what appeared in Monday's edition.
In Today's Edition
I was sort of told not to post this by one of the Grandfathers but I'm gonna do it anyway.
As most of you know, Erika and Dylan are expecting August 29th. They are registered at Babies R Us. If you're interested in giving the baby a gift here is the link to their Registry.
Born on July 18th
Martha Reeves (1941)
Hunter S. Thompson (1939)
Paul Verhoeven (1938)
Dick Button (1929)
John Glenn (1921)
Nelson Mandela (1918)
Harriet Nelson (1914)
Richard "Red" Skelton (1913)
Hume Cronyn (1911)
George "Machine Gun" Kelly (1895)
Light-Headed
A nurse at the hospital received a call from an anxious woman. "I'm diabetic, and I'm afraid I've had too much sugar today," she said.
"Are you light-headed?" the nurse asked.
"No," the caller answered, "I'm a brunette."
Today's useless fact - How much money goes unclaimed in state lotteries?
While we couldn't find an exact figure, some links in the US Lotteries category estimate that hundreds of millions of state lottery dollars go unclaimed every year. This seems entirely reasonable, considering the net amount of money involved. According to the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries, during the last fiscal year, U.S. lottery sales totaled $44.9 billion.
To pick one state (albeit a big one), Texas had $72 million dollars of unclaimed state lottery prize money. California had roughly $38 million. Florida governor Jeb Bush awarded a single unclaimed $30 million dollar ticket to his state's languishing education budget.
Where does all this unclaimed money go? Out of the 38 states that hold lotteries, 10 of them roll over all the money to the prize pool. Other states take percentages towards "state asset pools," such as education, transportation, or tax relief.
Over 57% of Americans played the lottery last year. The largest jackpot ever? On Christmas day 2002, Jack Whittaker of West Virginia won $314.9 million, to be paid out over 30 years. He elected to receive a lump sum payment of $170.5 million instead.
The Buzzword for July 18th
mull \MULL\ verb
What does it mean?
: to think about slowly and carefully : ponder
How do you use it?
I asked Grandpa if I could go boating with him, and after he
mulled it over for a bit, he finally said "yes."
Are you a word wiz?
After you've had a chance to mull it over, answer today's
quiz: what do you think the verb "mull" first meant when it
came into English?
A. to think about carefully
B. to boil with sweetened spices
C. to grind into a powder
D. to run at full speed with your eyes closed
Answer:
Your pondering paid off if you chose C! When "mull" first came
into English in the 15th century, it meant "to grind into a
powder" or "pulverize," from the Middle English root word,
"mul," meaning "dust." Grinding breaks up something into
smaller parts, and usually takes a long time, often from
working the same material over and over. So it's not hard to
see how "mull" eventually gained the extended sense of "to
think about slowly and carefully." What about Answer B? There
is another word "mull" that means "to stew with spices," but
it's not related to the "mull" we're featuring today.
Today's Jigsaw Puzzle
CLICK HERE
That's all for today. Tune in tomorrow for more stuff.
