I was very lazy today. I stayed up way to late watching movies last night. The movies were good, but I wasn’t worth much most of the day. I’ve always been one of those who has a scheduled bed time—around 11 and who get up around 6. When I stay up until 3, I still wake up at 6 but don’t operate very well. I knew this would happen, but did it anyway. The movies were good and I really didn’t have a lot to do today anyway.

President Obama continues to be full of surprises. At a press conference the other day he answered a question on the professor arrested for disorderly conduct. I was surprised when he said the police acted ‘stupidly’. Instead of Health Care—the purpose of the press conference—being in the headlines, it was this comment. He did preface his comments that he didn’t know all the facts and that the professor was a friend of his. Even so, I was surprised by his comment. The last time we had such a eloquent speaking President I was in grade school. Today, Obama went to the Press Room at the White House and told the press that he had talked to his friend, and to the officer involved. Both, he said seem to be good people. Both seem to have overreacted to the situation. He said that he wanted people to have an open dialogue regarding race relations in this country. He also said he could have chosen his words more carefully. Then he invited the Prof and the Cop to the White House for a beer. Good for him. Our President is human. Our President misspeaks. Our President is able to admit a mistake. Our President works to straighten out misconceptions. This is one of the good changes he brings to our country.

We all have to remember that many of the ‘radio voices’ on the far right have to have ratings to stay on the air. This may be why they don’t want this story to die. They also don’t want the birth certificate issue to die. They seem to make so many outrageous statements. These ‘voices’ are seldom if ever held accountable. Obama is not afraid of accountability. Obama is not afraid to bring change. He still has my support.

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Random Fact
There are more chickens than people in the world.

July is…

…Air Conditioning Appreciation Month…Blueberries Month…Cell Phone Courtesy Month…Family Reunion Month…Herbal/Prescription Awareness Month…Nat’l Doghouse Repair Month…Nat’l Grilling, Nat’l Hot Dog, Nat’l Horseradish, and Nat’l Ice Cream Month…Smart Irrigation Month…Social Wellness Month…Tour de France Month…Women’s Motorcycle Month…

Week of July 23
Lumberjack Week—for the real ones, not the NAU ones

July 25—206 days so far this year…159 days remain in 2009

National Day of the Cowboy
*Inca: Ilyap’a Festival [God of Weather]
*Puerto Rico: Constitution Day [1952]
*Sussex, England: Ebernoe [Sheep] Horn Fair & Festival—since 16th c.


BIRTHS ON THIS DAY…
1884
Davidson Black Canada, doctor of anatomy (identified Peking Man)
1894
Walter Brennan Swampscott Mass, actror (Real McCoys, At Gun Point)

1920
Rosalind Franklin British physical chemist whose groundbreaking research led to the discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA
1924
Estelle Getty NYC, actress (Sophia Petrillo-Golden Girls)
1927
Midge Decter St Paul Minn, anti woman's lib (Liberated Woman and Other Americans)
1954
Walter Payton NFL running back (Chicago Bears)
1967
Matt LeBlanc actor: Friends

IT HAPPENED ON THIS DAY…

1729
North Carolina becomes royal colony
1775
Maryland issues currency depicting George III trampling Magna Carta

1866
US Grant named 1st general of Army
1868
Territory of Wyoming created
1871
Carrousel patented by Wilhelm Schneider, Davenport, Iowa
1895
Pierre Curie marries fellow chemist Marie Sklodowska.

1917
The exotic dancer Mata Hari is sentenced to execution by firing squad by a French court for spying on Germany's behalf during World War I.
1965
Bob Dylan appeared on stage at the Newport Jazz Festival with an electric guitar—starts Folk-Rock Era.
1978
Lesley Brown gave birth to the world's first test tube baby ( in-vitro fertilization ), Louise, delivered by caesarean section in Oldham, England.
1983
1st nonhuman primate (baboon) conceived in a lab dish, San Antonio
1992
25th Olympic Summer games opens in Barcelona, Spain
1999
American cyclist Lance Armstrong wins the Tour de France, bicycle racing's top event, less than three years after being diagnosed with testicular cancer.

Word Puzzle from NPR Sunday Puzzler…1987

Rearrange the letter in each word to make a new word starting with V.
EX: SAVE
Answers: VASE

1. EVEN
2. IVAN
3. RIVAL
4. DIVAN
5. CAVEAT
6. LOVELY
7. IRVING
8. DEVOTE
9. COVERT
10. LATVIAN
• Bonus: OBSERVE

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Answers:
1. VEER
2. VAIN
3. VIRAL
4. VIAND
5. VACATE
6. VOLLEY
7. VIRGIN
8. VETOED
9. VECTOR
10. VALIANT
* Bonus: VERBOSE
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