Friday, June 15, 2007

Friday-Sunday, June 15-17, 2007

The Five Second Rule...

By now I think everyone in the free world has seen how the five second rule works. In case you haven't seen television, heard radio, picked up a paper or gone on-line in the last few weeks, here's a recap: Two Connecticut College student researchers dropped food on the floor and discovered that no bacteria attached to foods on the floor for five seconds or less. It's safe to wipe that food off, kiss it to God, and eat it. Even some foods on the floor up to 30 seconds are safe to eat, bacteria-free...

They discovered that most food is safe for up to a minute. That's when apple slices picked up bacteria. They even tested it on Skittles which didn't pick up bacteria for five minutes. Skittles could probably survive a nuclear attack. What do they make that stuff out of? Back to the test. By swabbing their dropped test foods at various intervals, Molly Goettsche and Nicole Moin determined that the general rule should be: 1) Dry or solid foods can be eaten for up to one minute, and 2) Wet foods are safe for 30 seconds...

I haven't been able to get this five second rule out of my mind. It's become like humming a song that you hate, all week long. I keep coming up with their test and the un-scientific test conducted by David Hasselhoff. I hate to do this to you, but here's the short version of the Hasselhoff test that proved if you're drunk enough the five second rule no longer applies: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82-FJyniP7A ...

Ten Timeline Memories:
1. 1864] The burial ground of heroes: An order to establish a military burial ground was signed by Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. The land will become Arlington National Cemetery...

2. 1904] Death by fire: More than 1,000 die when fire erupts aboard the steamboat General Slocum in New York City's East River...

3. 1911] Debuted on this date: The Computing-Tabulating-Recording Co. is incorporated in the state of New York. That company was later renamed IBM (International Business Machines Corp.)...1948] WPIX-TV, channel 11 begins broadcasting in New York City...1969] "Hee Haw" debuts on CBS-TV hosted by Buck Owens and Roy Clark. Johnny Cash occasionally appeared on it too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJ743EhpK80 ...1973] "American Graffiti" Where were you in '62? premieres in New York City...

4. 1938] Diamond Dust: Reds pitcher Johnny Vander Meer spoils Ebbets Field's 1st night game by pitching his second consecutive no-hitter. This record will never be broken. To be broken, a pitcher would have to throw 3 consecutive no-hitters...1976] Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn kills proposed deals that would have A's owner Charlie Finley send Vida Blue to the Yankees and Joe Rudi and Rollie Fingers to the Red Sox. Finley was dumping salaries...1977] The Mets do the unthinkable, trading Tom Seaver to Cincinnati for Pat Zachry, Steve Henderson, Doug Flynn and Dan Norman. The Mets will eventually get Seaver back in time for the 1983 season...

5. 1984] Title bouts: Thomas "Hitman" Hearns wins one of 5 crowns he would wear with a 2nd round KO of superwelterweight champ Roberto Duran...1987] Michael Spinks wins the heavyweight title with a TKO of Long Island's Gerry Cooney...

6. 1992] Spelling Bee loser: VP Dan Quayle puts on a dunce cap and sits in the corner after spelling "p-o-t-a-t-o-e" for potato. The Trenton (NJ) elementary school then spells Quayle's name: "s-t-u-p-i-d"...

7. 1994] "First Cut is the Deepest": The Giants cut quarterback Phil Simms...

8. 1995] "If the glove don't fit": During the O.J. Simpson trial, Johnnie Cochran hands O.J. the murder gloves, Simpson struggles getting them on. Case over. Simpson will walk...

9. 2003] Guilty as charged: A jury in Houston convicts accounting firm Arthur Andersen of obstruction of justice...

10. 2005] Autopsy results: The autopsy on Terri Schiavo backs the contention of her husband Michael, that she was in a persistent vegetative state...

Music Memories:

  • 1956] How do you do: 15-year old John Lennon and 13-year old Paul McCartney meet for the 1st time when John and his Quarrymen perform at a church dinner in Liverpool. We don't have that on video but we do have music by the Quarrymen and photo stills: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSMlk8lINrE...

  • 1958] On "The Ed Sullivan Show": "Twilight Time" - The Platters. This is a video clip of the group on French TV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpdaga8cCxU ...

  • 1963] Released on this date: "Surf City" - Jan and Dean...

  • 1963] #1 on this date: "Sukiyaki" - Kyu Sakamoto, becomes the 1st Japanese record to go to #1 in America...
    [To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in each timeline]...

Commentary...

Bob Sherwood shares this radio memory with us re: my mention of Gary Puckett and the Union Gap from a previous MPR: "Robert L. Collins who was then doing evenings at KCBQ in San Diego (following the one-of-a-kind Lee "Baby" Simms) came out of a stop-set and the jingle with "and here's Mother Puckett's baby boy Gary with"...(into 'Young Girl'). I managed to get myself back on the highway after some struggle with an out-of control rental car". That reminds me of a moving company back east called 'Mother Truckers'. Incidentally I worked with Robert L. Collins at WALT in Tampa. Bob Collins as he was later known became one of the biggest personalities on Chicago radio until his fatal plane crash a few years ago...


"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":


Neil Patrick Harris (34), Leah Remini (37), Courteney Cox Arquette (43), Helen Hunt (44), Wade Boggs (49), Jim Belushi (53), Air Supply's Russell Hitchcock (58) and former N.Y. Gov. Mario Cuomo (75)...


Timeline Countdown: 2 days until Father's Day, 6 days until Summer and 19 days until July 4th......


Saturday, June 16, 2007...


10 Timeline Memories:

  1. 1883] Ladies Day: The New York Giants admit all ladies to the game free, creating the 1st "Ladies Day"...
  2. 1910] Daddy's Day: The first Father's Day is celebrated in Spokane (WA)...
  3. 1893] 'Buy me some peanuts and...": R.W. Rueckheim invents Cracker Jack which if dropped on the floor can be picked up and eaten within a century...
  4. 1932] Debuted on this date: It's a Forrrrrd: The Ford Motor Company is incorporated...1947] The 1st network newscast, "News From Washington" is broadcast on the Dumont Television Network...1952] "Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl" is published in the U.S...1952] "My Little Margie" starring Gale Storm debuts on CBS-TV for a 3-year run...1960] Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" premieres in New York City...
  5. 1961] Dancing to freedom: Soviet ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev defects to the west while his troupe is in Paris...
  6. 1967] 1st Pop Music festival: The First Annual Monterrey International Pop Music Festival draws a quarter of a million fans, watching the debut of Jimi Hendrix and 32 other acts including the Mamas & Papas, Simon & Garfunkel, Janis Joplin & Buffalo Springfield...1970] The second Pop Music festival: Woodstock Ventures, the sponsors of the original 'Woodstock', announce a loss of more than $1.2 million on the 1969 festival...
  7. 1978] Diamond Dust: Tom Seaver, now a member of the Cincinnati Reds, no-hits the Cardinals 4-0. Sure, now he does it...1978] The Yankees' Ron Guidry strikes out 18 California Angels. This game marked the beginning of fans applauding when a pitcher has 2 strikes on a batter...1981] The Chicago Tribune buys the Chicago Cubs from the P.K. Wrigley Chewing Gum Company for $20.5 million. Wrigley throws in a lifetime supply of gum for every employee of the Chicago Tribune but doesn't guarantee to double the pleasure of Cub fans...
  8. 1987] Free as a bird: A jury in New York acquits Bernhard Goetz of attempted murder in the subway shooting of 4 youths who he said were about to rob him. He is convicted of illegal possession of a weapon. Goetz ran for public office in Manhattan a couple of years ago (on the Vigilante Party ticket-not)...
  9. 1996] "Happy Trails": The legendary 'Voice of the Yankees', Mel Allen, dies at age 83. Mel had open heart surgery several years earlier and had been in poor health...
  10. 2000] Wedding Bells: Federal regulators approve the merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE Corp., creating the nation's largest local phone company: Verizon...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Phil Mickelson (37), Laurie Metcalf (52), Roberto (no mas) Duran (56), Derek Sanderson (61), Joan Van Ark (64), Eddie Levert (65) an original member of the O'Jays who are on board the "Love Train": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QySvIS5WHDY , Lamont Dozier (66) and Erich "Love Story" Segal (70)...Let's keep that love theme going with a clip from "Love Story" and the Andy Williams hit in the background: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A1KZKksGKE ...

Timeline Countdown: 1 day until Father's Day, 5 days until Summer and 18 days until July 4th...

...

Sunday, June 17, 2007...Father's Day

Thanks mostly to Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd of Creston, Washington, we have Father's Day. Spokane was the first city in America to celebrate dad on Sunday, June 16, 1910. William Jennings Bryan supported a drive to pay tribute to dads annually. Calvin Coolidge recommended it as a national holiday but it wasn't until 1966 that Lyndon Johnson designated the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day. I hope all you dads are as proud of their children as I am. If you don't have any, enjoy the day with your dad and if he's no longer with you, honor his memory...Happy Father's Day...

Ten Timeline Memories:

  1. 1775] Hunker at Bunker: The Battle of Bunker Hill is waged near Boston during the Revolutionary War...
  2. 1885] Lady Liberty arrives: The Statue of Liberty arrives in New York Harbor aboard the French ship Isere...
  3. 1894] Polio arrives: The 1st poliomyelitis epidemic breaks out in Rutland (VT)...
  4. 1941] 1st TV CP: WNBT-TV (now WNBC), channel 4 in New York City is granted the 1st construction permit to operate a commercial TV station in this country...
  5. 1950] "I left my heart in San Francisco and my liver in Kansas City": Dr. Richard H. Lawler performs the 1st kidney transplant in a 45-minute operation in Chicago. Unfortunately the good doctor was replacing a spleen at the time...
  6. 1960] Teddy Ballgame: Ted Williams hits a two-run shot to help the Red Sox beat the Indians 3-1. That home run gives Williams 500 as the 'Splendid Splinter" becomes only the 4th player with 500 homers...
  7. 1962] U.S. Open: 22-year old Jack Nicklaus wins the U.S. Open by 3 strokes defeating Arnold Palmer who could get no closer that 1 stroke of the 'Golden Bear'...
  8. 1972] The beginning of the end: President Richard Nixon's downfall begins with the arrest of 5 burglars inside Democratic national headquarters in Washington, D.C.'s Watergate complex...
  9. 1994] "This is A.C., I got O.J. in the car": After leading the LAPD on a chase which was more like a crawl, through Southern California, O.J. Simpson is arrested and charged with the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman...
  10. 2005] Guilty as charged: Dennis Kozlowski, former Tyco CEO is convicted of misappropriating Tyco's corporate funds, among other charges. Kozlowski is serving 8 to 25 years in upstate New York...

Music Memories:

  • 1967] Released on this date: "Carrie Ann" - The Hollies - Here's the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlt9I8N0z8Q ...1972] "Brandy" - Looking Glass...
  • 1967] Live from Central Park: Barbra Steisand performs at a free concert...
  • 1972] #1 on this date: "The Candy Man" - Sammy Davis Jr...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Venus Williams (27), Greg Kinnear (44), Thomas Haden Church (46), Joe Piscopo (56), Barry Manilow (61) - This is one of Barry's most underrated songs, "Weekend in New England": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stTuNPuI9Dc , tennis journalist Bud Collins (78)...

Timeline Countdown: Today is Father's Day, 4 days until Summer and 17 days until July 4th...