INSPIRATION OF THE DAY

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Thursday, July 9, 2009
Alaska Flag Day Celebration

Alaska Flag Day is established on July 9 of each year to honor the creation of the design of the official flag of the state by Benny Benson and its importance as a symbol of the state. Alaska Flag Day may be observed by suitable observances and exercises by civic groups and the public.

Holidays Around the World

	Argentina	Independence Day
	Canada	Nanavut Day (NU) [Regional]
	Palau	Constitution Day

Today's Birthdays

Born	Age	Name	Profession
1925	84	Guru Dutt	Bollywood director, producer and actor
1925	84	Charles E. Wicks	Professor, co-author of Fundamentals of Momentum ,Heat and Mass Transfer
1926	83	Ben Roy Mottelson	American-born physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
1927	82	Ed Ames	American singer and actor
1927	82	Red Kelly	Canadian ice hockey player
1928	81	Federico Bahamontes	Spanish cyclist
1929	80	Jesse McReynolds	American singer and mandolinist
1930	79	Buddy Bregman	American musical arranger and conductor
1932	77	Donald Rumsfeld	13th & 21st United States Secretary of Defense
1933	76	Oliver Sacks	British neurologist and author
1934	75	Michael Graves	American architect
1936	73	Floyd Abrams	First Amendment attorney and advocate
1936	73	André Pronovost	French Canadian ice hockey player
1936	73	Richard Wilson	Scottish actor and director
1937	72	David Hockney	English artist
1938	71	Brian Dennehy	American actor
1942	67	Richard Roundtree	American actor
1942	67	Edy Williams	American actress
1943	66	John Casper	astronaut
1945	64	Dean R. Koontz	American author
1946	63	Natasha Pyne	English actress
1947	62	Haruomi Hosono	Japanese musician
1947	62	O.J. Simpson	American football player and actor
1948	61	Hassan Wirajuda	Indonesian current foreign minister
1949	60	Jesse Duplantis	Evangelist, Author and Inspirational Speaker
1950	59	Viktor Yanukovych	Prime Minister of Ukraine
1951	58	Chris Cooper	American actor
1952	57	John Tesh	American composer
1953	56	Thomas Ligotti	American author
1953	56	Margie Gillis	Canadian dancer and choreographer
1955	54	Fred Norris	American radio personality
1955	54	Jimmy Smits	American actor
1955	54	Willie Wilson	American baseball player
1955	54	Steve Coppell	English football player and manager
1956	53	Marc Almond	British singer
1956	53	Tom Hanks	American actor
1957	52	Kelly McGillis	American actress
1957	52	Tim Kring	American writer and producer
1957	52	Paul Merton	British comedian
1959	50	Jim Kerr	Scottish singer (Simple Minds)
1959	50	Kevin Nash	American professional wrestler
1959	50	Clive Stafford Smith	British human-rights lawyer
1960	49	Marc Mero	American professional wrestler
1964	45	Courtney Love	American musician
1964	45	Gianluca Vialli	Italian football player
1965	44	Frank Bello	American musician (Anthrax)
1965	44	David O'Hara	Irish-Scottish actor
1966	43	Pamela Adlon	American voice actress
1967	42	Gunnar Axén	Swedish politician
1968	41	Paolo Di Canio	Italian football player
1968	41	Lars Gyllenhaal	Swedish author
1968	41	Eduardo Santamarina	Mexican actor
1969	40	Jason Kearton	Australian former footballer
1969	40	Mark Lui	Hong Kong composer and producer
1970	39	Trent Green	American footballer
1970	39	Masami Tsuda	Japanese manga author
1971	38	Marc Andreessen	American software developer
1971	38	Dani Behr	Model & TV Presenter
1971	38	Scott Grimes	American actor
1973	36	Kelly Holcomb	American football player
1973	36	Enrique Murciano	American actor
1974	35	Nikola Sarcevic	Swedish bassist and singer (Millencolin)
1974	35	Sian Berry	British politician
1974	35	Gary Kelly	Irish football player
1975	34	Jack White	American musician (The White Stripes)
1975	34	Shelton Benjamin	American professional wrestler
1975	34	Craig Quinnell	Welsh rugby player
1975	34	Isaac Brock	American musician
1975	34	Nathaniel Marston	American actor
1976	33	Fred Savage	American actor
1976	33	Jochem Uytdehaage	Dutch speed skater
1978	31	Linda Park	Korean-born actress
1978	31	Mark Medlock	German singer
1978	31	Kara Goucher	American Athlete
1979	30	Ella Koon	Hong Kong singer and actress
1979	30	Suzanne Stokes	American model, (Playmate of the Month February 2000)
1981	28	Rutger Smith	Dutch athlete
1982	27	Ashly DelGrosso	American ballroom dancer
1982	27	Alecko Eskandarian	Armenian-American footballer
1982	27	Maggie Ma	Canadian actress
1982	27	Sakon Yamamoto	Japanese race-car driver
1982	27	Andrew St. John	American actor
1983	26	Lucia Micarelli	American musician
1983	26	Marco Dapper	American actor and model
1984	25	Jacob Hoggard	singer of Canadian band Hedley (band)
1985	24	Paweł Korzeniowski	Polish swimmer
1985	24	Ashley Young	English footballer
1986	23	Kiely Williams	American singer and actress
1986	23	Dominic Cervi	American football player
1986	23	Simon Dumont	American freestyle skier
1990	19	Rafael Pereira da Silva	Brazilian footballer
1990	19	Fábio Pereira da Silva	Brazilian footballer
1991	18	Spencer Elden	Baby/Model on Nirvana (band)'s Nevermind album
1991	18	Mitchel Musso	American actor
1995	14	Georgie Henley	English actress

Ed Ames

Ed Ames (right)

Donald Rumsfeld

Michael Graves

Brian Dennehy

Richard Roundtree

O.J. Simpson

Chris Cooper

Jimmy Smits

Tom Hanks

Courtney Love

Gianluca Vialli

Paolo Di Canio

Eduardo Santamarina

Scott Grimes

Enrique Murciano

Shelton Benjamin

Nathaniel Marston

Fred Savage

Jochem Uytdehaage

Rutger Smith

Andrew St. John

Marco Dapper

Pawel Korzeniowski

Simon Dumont

Spencer Elden

This Week's Television Ratings

Nielsen Television Index Ranking Report

NETWORK PRIME HOUSEHOLDS AND PERSONS

Current Week

06/29/09 - 07/05/09

RANK PROGRAMS ORIG HH RATING (LIVE+SD) # OF PERSONS 2+ (LIVE+SD) (000)

1 AMERICA'S GOT TALENT-TUE NBC 7.6 13,145

2 AMERICA GOT TALENT-WED 9P NBC 6.9 11,440

3 NCIS CBS 6.8 10,827

4 MENTALIST, THE - TUESDAY CBS 6.7 10,545

5 MENTALIST, THE CBS 6.5 9,786

6 TWO AND A HALF MEN CBS 5.9 9,290

7 CSI CBS 5.5 8,236

7 CSI: NY CBS 5.5 8,201

9 48 HOURS MYSTERY TUESDAY CBS 5.4 8,020

9 60 MINUTES CBS 5.4 8,392

9 CRIMINAL MINDS CBS 5.4 8,043

9 CSI: MIAMI CBS 5.4 8,011

Cable Network Top 40 Ranking Report

06/29/09 - 07/05/09

HHLD P2+

RANK PROGRAMS NET Live+SD US AA% Live+SD AA(000)

1 HANNAH MONTANA DSNY 4.3 6,901

2 CLOSER, THE TNT 4 6,295

3 WWE ENTERTAINMENT (WWE RAW) USA 3.5 6,241

4 NASCAR POST RACE SHOW TNT 3.3 5,475

4 SONNY WITH A CHANCE DSNY 3.3 5,167

6 WWE ENTERTAINMENT (WWE RAW) USA 3.2 5,682

7 SPRINT CUP RACING/DAYTONA TNT 3.1 5,277

8 NCIS USA 2.9 4,406

9 HANNAH MONTANA DSNY 2.7 4,096

10 ARMY WIVES LIF 2.6 3,622

10 JONAS DSNY 2.6 4,034

Today ...

Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo
July 9-11, 2009
Vernal, Utah

Vernal's Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo traces its roots to 1932, when it started under the name of Blue Mountain Rodeo. Some 50 riders were anticipated in the event and a 50-piece band would give a concert daily. By its second year, the rodeo had become the Uintah Basin Rodeo and featured 65 rodeo events.

Bronc riding at the Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo in Vernal, Utah.After the rodeo, there were dances at the Imperial hall and boxing and wrestling bouts at the Uintah High gymnasium. In 1934, the rodeo made its first publicized charitable donations, with proceeds going to help finance the completion of the Ashley and Davis LDS ward chapels. The following year, the event cam to be known as the "Vernal Rodeo", with airplane stunts, wild bronc riding, roping, and horse races daily. Soon the rodeo was among the largest events in the area - even rivaling the Uintah Basin in Celebration, the region's longest-running annual event. "The Vernal Rodeo Committee can claim two triumphs," reported the September 17, 1936, 1936 Vernal Express. "The greatest first day crowd at any gathering in Vernal and the largest day crowd, equal to many gatherings at the UBIC." By 1935 the rodeo had started selecting rodeo royalty Enid Johnson, 19, of Vernal had to borrow a black cowboy hat and a pair of chaps to ride in the rodeo parade.

The rodeo was moved earlier in the year over time. By the end of the 1930's, it was scheduled early August and by the end of the 40's, rodeo events started as early as mid-July. The first rodeo under the lights was in 1948 with rodeo president Lawrence Siddoway and rodeo queen Nona Caldwell.

The rodeo was renamed over the years, first to the Vernal Professional Rodeo and later the Vernal Championship Rodeo before being renamed Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo in 1958.

Today the purse is over $70,000 dollars from the $6000.00 it began with and over 700 contestants come from around the world to participate in one of the largest rodeos in the Nation. Voted by it's contestants as one of the premier rodeos 8 times, the Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo still thrills many and brings back the nostalgia today.

This Nationally recognized event is totally run by volunteers. There are over 400 volunteers who work on the rodeo year round. The Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo Committee appreciates the support it receives from the Uintah Basin businesses and families. Without the support of so many in the community, this event would not be at the level of excellence it has become.

Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo

On This Day...

in 1995 ... The Grateful Dead played their last concert, at Soldier Field in Chicago. (Lead guitarist Jerry Garcia died the following month.)

Grateful Dead

Video

Rove Live: Who would you turn gay for?

Astronomy Picture of the Day

The Dark River to Antares
Credit & Copyright: Jason Jennings
click above image for a higher-resolution graphic

Connecting the Pipe Nebula to the colorful region near bright star Antares is a dark cloud dubbed the Dark River, flowing from the picture's left edge. Murky looking, the Dark River's appearance is caused by dust obscuring background starlight, although the dark nebula contains mostly hydrogen and molecular gas. Surrounded by dust, Antares, a red supergiant star, creates an unusual bright yellowish reflection nebula. Above it, bright blue double star Rho Ophiuchi is embedded in one of the more typical bluish reflection nebulae, while red emission nebulae are also scattered around the region. Globular star cluster M4 is just seen above and right of Antares, though it lies far behind the colorful clouds, at a distance of some 7,000 light-years. The Dark River itself is about 500 light years away. The colorful skyscape is a mosaic of telescopic images spanning nearly 10 degrees (20 Full Moons) across the sky in the constellation Scorpius.

Photo Of The Day

Photo of the Day
Tour de France

Fans hold a flag dedicated to seven-time Tour de France winner and Kazakh cycling team Astana (AST)'s Lance Armstrong of the United States as they wait for the riders on July 8, 2009 in the 196,5 km fifth stage of the 2009 Tour de France cycling race run between Le Cap d'Agde and Perpignan. (PATRICK HERTZOG, AFP/Getty Images / July 8, 2009)

The Front Page

Front Page
Anchorage Daily News - July 9, 2009