★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
May 15, 2013

★~ Today’s Quote: ‎”When in doubt, make a fool of yourself. There is a microscopically thin line between being brilliantly creative and acting like the most gigantic idiot on Earth. So what the hell, leap.” ~ Cynthia Heimel

★~ Peace Officers Memorial Day:

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation which designated May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which it falls as National Police Week.

Today we honor federal, state and local officers killed or disabled in the line of duty. We take time, to think of those who lost their lives or have been injured while protecting our communities.  Flags will be flown at half-staff.

★~ Straw Hat Day:

The exact date of Straw Hat Day varies somewhat in the United States, but May 15th is often cited. Straw Hat Day is the unofficial start of summer and the official start of straw hat season if you are worried about when you could begin wearing yours. And perhaps you should be worried. According to Neil Steinberg’s book Hatless Jack, men have been murdered in living memory in the United States for the crime of wearing a hat out of season. Your felt hats should be put away until September 1, which makes perfect sense in most places as straw wears much cooler because it lets air circulate. And protection from the sun seems to be a better reason to wear a hat than winter’s 75% of your body’s heat loss occurs through your head rationale. So search your closet and find those Optimos and boaters!

★~ Chocolate Chip Day:

Chocolate chip morsels were invented at the Toll House Inn, when Ruth Wakefield added broken up chocolate pieces to add to her sugar cookie batter, and turned her cookies into an American classic! Thank Goodness for Mrs. Wakefield, my heavens,  where would be would be without chocolate chip!s? Chipless that is where!  A few chocolate chip delights…

Original Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip
Chocolate Chip Bars
Chocolate Chip Cheesecake-Swirl Cupcake

.★~ Today in History:

♥~ 1817~ Asylum for the Relief of Persons Deprived of the Use of Their Reason was founded in Philadelphia. It was it was the first private psychiatric hospital in the U.S. It is still in existence but is now called the Friends Hospital.

♥~ 1930 – Ellen Church became the first stewardess for an airline. Flying between San Francisco, California and Cheyenne, Wyoming on Boeing Air Transport (later known as United Air Lines).

♥~ 1940 – Nylon hose went on sale at stores throughout the country.

♥~ 1970 – Close to You, the Carpenter’s second album and the one that launched them to meteoric fame, was released by A&M Records. The title song, (They Long to Be) Close to You, became a pop music standard and the first of six million-sellers in a row for Karen and Richard. In all, The Carpenters would have 10 gold records for singles and a dozen top ten hits to their credit. The duo won Best New Artist honors at the Grammy Awards in 1970.

♥~ 1988 – Carrie, the musical adaption of Stephen King’s novel about a troubled teenager with telekinetic powers, closed in New York after a brief run. It was one of the most expensive flops in Broadway history, losing $8 million.

♥~ 2010 – 16-year-old Jessica Watson became the youngest person to sail around the globe solo, nonstop and unassisted. Watson cruised into Sydney Harbor, Australia in her pink, 34-foot (10m) yacht to a rock-star welcome of thousands.

★~Born Today:

♥~ 1856 – Lyman Frank Baum, The house began to pitch / The kitchen took a slich / It landed on the Wicked Witch in the middle of a ditch / Which was not a happy situation for the Wicked Witch! Who can remember where they were the first time they watched the Wizard of Oz?  Baum published Oz in 1900 and dedicated it, “To my good friend and comrade, My Wife.”  He adapted the book into a musical that became the basis the bases for the MGM musical, starring Judy Garland, Margaret Hamilton, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr, Frank Morgan, and Billy Burke among others.

♥~ 1935 – Utah Phillips, Labor organizer, folk singer, songwriter, storyteller, poet and self-described “Golden Voice of the Great Southwest”. He described the struggles of working people, labor unions and the power of direct action. He often promoted the Industrial Workers of the World in his music, actions, and words. His original songs include the often-covered “Green Rolling Hills of West Virginia” and “Rock salt and nails.”

★~ Good to Know:

♥~  127 law enforcement officers died in the line of duty in 2012, marking a 23 percent decline in fatalities from the year before, when 165 officers were killed.

♥~ Firearms-related fatalities totaled 49 in 2012, dropping 32 percent when compared to the 72 officers killed by gunfire in 2011. Ambush attacks were the leading circumstance of fatal shootings, followed by traffic stops or pursuits, drug related, and robberies (five).

♥~ The first women police officers were appointed in 1883 by the London Metropolitan Police.

♥~ American Sheriffs are elected because the original colonists from England detested the power of the King’s appointed Sheriffs. They decided that the power of the Chief Law Enforcement Officer in their new county should be controlled by the people.

♥~ The word SHERIFF is derived from two English words circa 1000 AD: 1) Shire, a political subdivision equivalent to American counties. 2) Reeves, a term denoting a trusted noble who assigned by the King to a particular Shire to be his representative in legal matters both criminal and civil. Hence the word; Shire-Reeves or Sheriffs

♥~ The word POLICE is derived from the Greek word Polis or city.

♥~ The first “police badges” were the coat of arms worn by knights. These coats of arms identified the knight and his allegiance to justice, chivalry and his royal leaders through being displayed on his shield. Much like the police of today who swear to protect and serve, knights from the medieval era were often sworn in and asked to “Protect the weak, defenseless, helpless, and fight for the general welfare of all.”

♥~ England’s Scotland Yard is named after the garden behind Sir Robert Peel’s original home and office. This is where he organized the first professional police force in London in 1829. Legend had it that a banished Scottish King, had once resided on what were now Peel’s grounds.

♥~ The first police department began in Boston. What began as the Boston “Night Watch” in 1635, turned into the first modern police department in 1838. the city of New York established the first modern, round the clock, paid police force in the U.S.

♥~ Wyatt Earp, when asked about his quick draw, replied that in a gun fight, a slow careful aim was far more important than speed.

♥~ Statistically, when shots are exchanged between a police officer and a suspect, fewer than 10% of the rounds hit either of the individuals.

♥~ Over 70% of the homicides in America each year are committed by individuals who were related to the victim, friends or an acquaintance.

♥~ The term Cops comes from the copper buttons that were used on most turn of the century police uniforms.

♥~ London’s Bobbies are named after Sir Robert Peel.

♥~ Louisiana currently has the most people incarcerated per capita, of any State.

♥~ During the past ten years, more incidents that resulted in police fatalities occurred on Thursday than any other day of the week. The fewest number of incidents occurred on Tuesday.

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Shout out to all the terrific policeman that I know and  Hey, be careful out there!

Odd Loves Company!