This is Week 25 of 2010, Day 176 with 189 days left. It is Day 67 of the BP Mess.
Free Rambling Thoughts
Fire Update: I was eating lunch with our retirement group when I noticed a new huge plume of smoke coming from our fire. Checked on my phone and quickly found it was a planned back burn. Sure glad the internet is always there. The fire is now at 14,300 acres of old forest, it is 40% contained, and the cost of fighting the fire is approaching $3 million. That doesn’t include the cost of lost tourism, lost business, or residents who moved to motels during the evacuation. I talked to my evacuated friends and they are home and doing fine. They stayed at a local motel, since it gave them handicapped access and a big bed. Maggie is doing well from her heart surgery but the handicapped access made it easier for her to get to the room, and to shower. Turns out that this was not their first evacuation from their various homes. They had to evacuate when in OK when it was feared a dam would break, again in CA for a fire, and once in Canada following a big rainstorm. I have never had to evacuate myself, but did have to evacuate a dorm one night when a flood was possible in Tuba. Evacuations are not a walk in the park—even with a plan. I’m glad everything has gone so well.
Cheryl is busy getting ready for her Alaskan cruise. So cool to take her two oldest grandkids on their first cruise. Sure hope she has a great time. Mary is heading for a memorial service for one of her husband’s closest friends. Then they are off to the Oregon coast for a family reunion. Mary went to catholic school K-12 with a close knit group of friends. They will also be having a 50 year reunion for graduation from one of the schools—Jr. High, I think. She has tracked down a bunch of the people, which is no easy task, and the reunion should be interesting to say the least.
A reminder about Obama’s moratorium on oil drilling in the Gulf. There are 3600 wells in the Gulf that are currently supplying oil to our country. The moratorium is only for 32 deep water drilling operations in the gulf. These are the home of future oil wells. Right now, they are just being drilled. The disaster has to do with drilling, not pumping oil. All the current drilling is being done by various companies. These drillers admitted to congress that the entire industry does have a boiler plate plan to deal with a drilling disaster. All the plans talk about how to deal with the walrus. Obama is not against oil wells. In fact, he isn’t even against drilling for oil. He simply is stopping all deep water drilling at only 32 sites until their safety procedures can be reviewed and problems fixed, a six month process. This is why the cost of gasoline hasn’t skyrocketed since the spill. Nothing has happened to the producing wells. So the judge that stopped the moratorium, the politicians who are cheering that the moratorium has ended, the media that shows all the stories of empty docks, stalled rigs, and workers are talking about 32 drilling operations. All those drilling operations use basically the same safety procedures. What will happen if the drilling continues and a couple more fail like the one everyone is dealing with right now?
We had a scorcher today. My deck showed 93° this afternoon. The NWS says we are at 10% humidity. Like they say, “It’s a dry heat.” The sky would have been a deep blue all day, had it not been for the huge plume of smoke on the NW quadrant of the sky. We sure need the monsoon.
Holy Mackerel: On this date in 1938 ►Problems with Native American Indian Businesses using The Swastika which is an Indian symbol of good luck and predates the modern world including the use of the swastika buy the Nazi Party in Germany is causing those Indian businesses to stop displaying the sign due to people believing it stands for the Nazis.
My Quote For The Day
Lord Chesterfield: Arbitrary power has seldom...been introduced in any country at once. It must be introduced by slow degrees, and as it were step by step.
Somewhat Useless Information
A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out.
Grey Matter Puzzle 1
What is unusual about this following long sentence?
Dennis, Nell, Edna, Leon, Nedra, Anita, Rolf, Nora, Alice, Carol, Leo, Jane, Reed, Dena, Dale, Basil, Rae, Penny, Lana, Dave, Denny, Lena, Ida, Bernadette, Ben, Ray, Lila, Nina, Jo, Ira, Mara, Sara, Mario, Jan, Ina, Lily, Arne, Bette, Dan, Reba, Diane, Lynn, Ed, Eva, Dana, Lynne, Pearl, Isabel, Ada, Ned, Dee, Rena, Joel, Lora, Cecil, Aaron, Flora, Tina, Arden, Noel and Ellen sinned.
Unusual News Item
CHARLESTON, S.C. - A South Carolina town is considering a measure that would add singing, whistling and hollering to a law banning annoying sounds on public streets.
The Sullivan Island Town Council's proposed law, which may be ratified in July, would make it illegal to sing, yell, shout, whistle, hoot or holler on public streets if it is annoying nearby people, particularly between the hours of 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., The Post and Courier, Charleston, S.C., reported. Town Administrator Andy Benke said the wording of the proposed law came from an ordinance in North Charleston, S.C. The town code already bans crying, calling, shouting and using musical instruments if they are deemed annoying by people nearby.
A Little Laff
As we get older we sometimes begin to doubt our ability to "make a difference" in the world. It is at these times that our hopes are boosted by the remarkable achievements of other "seniors" who have found the courage to take on challenges that would make many many of us wither.
Harold Schlumberg is such a person, read his story: I've often been asked, "What do you old folks do now that you're retired? Well...I'm fortunate to have a chemical engineering background, and one of the things I enjoy most is turning beer, wine, and margaritas into urine."
Grey Matter Puzzle 2
As a whole, I am both safe and secure.
Behead me, and I become a place of meeting.
Behead me again, and I am the partner of ready.
Restore me, and I become the domain of beasts.
What am I?
My You Tube Site of the Day
It’s Log Cabin Day. Here are some authentic old cabins Click Here!
Grey Matter Picture--This is a close up of what common object?
Use this to make things smooth.
Some Calendar Info
► Weekly Observances ◄
20-26: Carpenter Ant Awareness Week and National Mosquito Control Awareness Week
24-27: Watermelon Seed Spitting Week
► Today’s Observances ◄
Log Cabin Day
National Catfish Day
Take Your Dog To Work Day
Gibraltar : Spring Bank Holiday
Mozambique : Independence Day (1975 from Portugal)
Virginia : Ratification Day (1788)
Philippines: Arbor Day
► Hit Songs on this date ◄
Taking a Chance on Love Benny Goodman in 1943
The Song from Moulin Rouge (Where Is Your Heart) Percy Faith in 1953
Sukiyaki Kyu Sakamoto in 1963
Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth) George Harrison in 1973
Flashdance ... What a Feeling Irene Cara in 1983
► Born today ◄
…The Arts
Robert Henri (Robert Henry Cozad ), 1865, US painter, leader of the Ashcan school (realistic portraits of poor NY neighborhoods), born in Cincinnati, OH
Rose O’Neill, 1874, illustrator, author, doll designer [Kewpie doll] , born in Wilkes-Barre, PA
George Orwell (Eric Arthur Blair), 1903, satirist/author (Animal Farm, 1984), born in Motihari, Bihar, Bengal Presidency, British India
+++
Ricky Gervais, 49, actor, comedian (“The Office” [UK version]), born Reading, Berkshire, England
June Lockhart, 85, actress (“Lassie,” “Lost in Space”), born New York, NY
Sidney Lumet, 86, director (12 Angry Men, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, Network), born Philadelphia, PA
George Michael, 47, singer (Wham!), born Radlett, England
Carly Simon, 65, singer (“You’re So Vain,” “Nobody Does It Better”), songwriter, born New York, NY
Jimmie Walker, 62, actor, comedian (“Good Times”), born New York, NY
…Athletics
Dikembe Mutombo, 44, basketball player, Nuggets, Hawks, 76ers, Nets, Knicks, Rockets born Kinshasa, Zaire
…Business & Education
Lauren Bush, 26, American model & designer, born in Houston, TX
…Politics
Sonia Sotomayor, 56, Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court, born the Bronx, NY
…Science / Religion
J. Hans D. Jensen, 1907, German physicist, Nobel laureate, born in Hamburg Germany
► Obituaries today ◄
George Armstrong Custer, U.S. Army officer battlefield death @ 37 in 1876
Farrah Fawcett, American actress, cancer @ 62 in 2009
Michael Jackson, American singer, pop icon and humanitarian, OD @ 51 in 2009
Lester Maddox, American businessman, one-time segregationist and Governor of Georgia @ 88 in 2003
Stanford White, Architect, shot dead atop Madison Square Garden which he designed by Harry Thaw jealous husband of Evelyn Nesbit @ 53 in 1906
► Events ◄
…The Arts
1951 ►The first commercial color television show was transmitted by the Columbia Broadcasting System CBS
…Athletics
1983 ►Udo Beyer of East Germany sets record for shot put, 22.22 m
…Business & Education
1929 ►Pres Hoover authorizes building of Boulder Dam (Hoover Dam)
1947 ►The Diary of Anne Frank is published.
…Politics (US)
1844 ►John Tyler took Julia Gardiner as his bride, thus becoming the first U.S. President to marry while in office.
1876 ►Custer & 7th Cavalry wiped out by Sioux & Cheyenne at Little Big Horn
One side of the story: Click Here!
Another side of the story: Click Here!
1981 ►Supreme Court upholds male-only draft registration, constitutional
1989 ►1st US postmark dedicated to Lesbian & Gay Pride (Stonewall, NYC)
…Politics (outside US)
1943 ►Major General Dwight D. Eisenhower takes command as Supreme Allied Commander in Europe
…Science / Religion
1672 ►1st recorded monthly Quaker meeting in US held, Sandwich, Mass 1868 FL, AL, LA, GA, NC & SC readmitted to US
1953 ►86° F in Anchorage Alaska
1990 ►120° F in Phoenix Arizona
Grey Matter Answers
…1
It is one long palindrome! A palindrome is something that can be read the same backwards and forwards.
…2
A stable
Grey Matter Photo
a sander
Today’s Photo Shot
The Shultz fire is plaguing Flagstaff. Here is a quick timelapse of what happened.
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