Red Rock On Air

TODAY IS: For Pete’s Sake Day — A world wonders: after all these years, who is Pete and why do we do or not do things for his sake?

BIRTHDAYS

Fats Domino-82
Greg Germann (Ally McBeal: Richard)-52
Robert Novak-79
Erykah Badu-39
Jonathan Cain (Journey)-60
Michael Bolton-57

TODAY IN HISTORY

1907 The U.S. Congress raises their pay to $7,500.
1909 The first cartoon is shown in a theater.
1919 President Woodrow Wilson signs a measure establishing Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona.
1929 President Coolidge signs a measure establishing Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.
1940 The U.S. Air Defense Command is created.
1951 The 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, limiting a president to two terms of office, is ratified.
1955 Billboard reports that the 45 rpm single format was outselling the 78s for the first time.
1977 The Eagles’ “Hotel California” is released.
1977 “New Kid in Town” by The Eagles peaks at No. 1.
1979 A total solar eclipse casts a moving shadow of 175 miles wide from Oregon to North Dakota before moving into Canada.
1997 A Grammy for Best Spoken Word or Nonmusical Album goes to “It Takes A Village.”
1998 Texas cattlemen lose an $11 million lawsuit against Oprah Winfrey.
2005 Jef Raskin, 61, the computer genius responsible for conceiving Apple’s groundbreaking Macintosh computer, dies.
2006 George Michael is arrested for suspected drug possession after he is found passed out over the steering wheel of his car at an intersection in central London.

6 MILES – 27 YEARS
Gill Smeathers received a package postmarked 4 November 1982, 27 years three months and two days overdue. It contained four secretarial certificates issued to her daughter Tracy, who now lives in Canada, from a course she took at Kettering Technical College.

CLOWNS IN THE NEWS
A Tampa man faces charges after a deputy spotted him walking in a clown mask. According to jail records, the man was arrested Tuesday and charged with wearing a mask or hood on a public road over the age of 16 and resisting arrest without violence. The man, who turned 19 on Wednesday, has been released from Hillsborough County Jail on $750 bond. The St. Petersburg Times reported that a deputy saw the man wearing a clown mask and bright wig as he walked down a street with two other people. The group fled when deputies tried to question them, but were later located.

Martina Oberle and her friend Bettina Blauch were wearing blonde wigs and with full clown make-up when they were photographed by a speed camera go 60 mph in a 45mph zone. “I saw the flash and thought: ‘S**t – that’s going to look strange to the police’,” said Martina, adding that once they realised they were in hot water they raised their spirits by partying even harder. She got a $100 fine.

NO CUSSING ZONE IN CA.
The California state Assembly has passed a resolution to make the first week of March “Cuss Free Week.” The state Senate is now considering the cussing ban. But Californians won’t have to worry about getting their mouths washed out with soap. There’s no punishment for cursing a blue streak during Cuss Free Week. Lawmakers say they just want to promote harmony in the Golden State.

NO PARENTS ALLOWED
Tomorrow is the last day of basketball games for the 5th-8th graders at the Southbridge, MASS. YMCA, And parents aren’t welcome. League organizers say parents have yelled at the refs and argued with each other. And now the parents have been banned from attending the games.

CHICKEN-STATE BIRD
A Georgia restaurant owner said he is spearheading a grassroots campaign to have the chicken replace the brown thrasher as official state bird. Chris Cunningham of Augusta, owner of eight Wife Saver restaurants in Georgia and South Carolina, said he first hatched his plan to raise the chicken’s status while observing brown thrashers with his wife, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. “I’ve got a lot of brown thrashers in my back yard; they’re all over the place,” Cunningham said. “My wife and I, we sit on the patio and have a cocktail and we were sitting there thinking, ‘what a waste.’ The brown thrasher is the state bird, and what’s it ever done for the state of Georgia?” The restaurateur said the brown thrasher “hasn’t done anything. It’s a pretty bird, nothing against the brown thrasher, but the chicken brings millions of dollars.”

AN OPEN LETTER TO PETS-posted low on the Fridge

Dear Dogs and Cats,

The dishes with the paw print are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw print in the middle of my plate of food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn’t help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years — canine or feline attendance is not required.

The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dog or cat’s butt. I cannot stress this enough!

USELESS TRIVIA

Your ‘funny bone’ isn’t a bone at all. It is part of the ulnar nerve found in the back of the elbow. When it is bumped, it causes a tingling or numb sensation in the forearm.

Hollywood actress Glenn Close has been a star since she hit the stage in 1974. Prior to that, one of her first jobs was touring Europe and the United States as a member of Up With People, a musical performance group.

You don’t want to be struck by lightening. It can be 54,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which is six times hotter than the sun. However, a lightening flash is only about one inch wide.

Mount Everest in the Himalaya range between Nepal and Tibet is the world’s highest peak at 29,029 feet. The mountain attracts thousands of climbers every year, and the first to reach the top was Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953. So far, the mountain has claimed the lives of 210 climbers who couldn’t manage the difficult conditions.