Tuesday

Special Olympics lost its founder today with the passing of Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Her work for the mentally retarded will live a long time. The ideals that she believed were more than admirable. I was peripherally involved in Special Olympics on the Rez. There were several problems we encountered. The first were the staff who felt it was wrong to ‘label’ students and then parade them. The second was determining who qualified. As the laws changed, and more and more students could qualify for Special Education, there were questions about which students should participate. Those students who didn’t ‘look’ a certain way, or didn’t ‘act’ a certain way might be questioned about participation. Finally, it was the students themselves. Some gung-ho Special Education Directors felt that every special education student should participate. Many of the students didn’t want to be identified that way. Mrs. Shriver grew up when her mentally retarded sister was ‘hidden’. I grew up when Down’s Syndrome children were put in institutions. Today, those institutions are closed. Families aren’t hiding their children. This is partially due to the work of Special Olympics and the belief that every child has something to offer society. Thank You Eunice for standing up for what is right.

Obama had a good town hall meeting. He stopped some of the rumors. He answered the questions. People showed respect to him, or at least to his office. The Senators and Reps that are holding town hall meetings are not faring as well. In so many meetings, including our own Representative here in AZ, elected officials are not being able to hold a meeting. How can we learn if we don’t listen? Where is the servility? All the Representatives were just elected or re-elected nine months ago. What happened? The country voted for change. Now a very vocal minority is saying they don’t want change. That is their right. I just hope it doesn’t prove to be influential is this issue.

We were surprised last night when the low was only 50°. Windows could have stayed wide open, oh well. We made it to the low 80’s today with no wind, and few clouds. Tonight should be just like last night. Cool, not cold, summer nights have returned. Great.


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Random Facts…

By raising your legs slowly and laying on your back, you can't sink in quicksand.



Crazy Stuff In The News…

THREE RIVERS, Mich. - A 26-year-old Michigan man was arrested for allegedly barking at a police dog, authorities said. The Three Rivers Police Department said in the statement that, Anija, a police K-9, had been left in a patrol car by its handler and the officer returned to find the suspect had started “to torment the police dog by barking and shouting at the animal,” the Kalamazoo (Mich.) Gazette reported Thursday. The shouting caused the canine to become “excited and very aggressive,” the report said. The man was arrested on suspicion of harassing a police animal and also faces a disorderly conduct charge. The suspect was released after posting bond.

Month long events in August

Edinburgh Festival is an internationally famous arts festival that takes place during August National Immunization Awareness Month… National Psoriasis Awareness Month… Women's Small Business Month... National Back to School month…American Adventures Month…Golf Month…National Inventor’s Month…National Win with Civility Month…What will be your legacy Month

Week of Aug 9…

Assistant Dog Week
National Resurrect Romance Week

12 Aug…

224 days so far this year…141 days remain in 2009
Vinyl Record Day
International Youth Day
Sewing Machine Day
*UK: Glorius Twelfth--Peak of Perseid Meteor Shower


BIRTHS ON THIS DAY…

1753….. Thomas Bewick England, artist (British Birds, Aesop's Fables)
1762….. George IV king of England
1781….. Robert Mills US, architect (Washington Monument)

1849….. Abbott Thayer artist: created camouflage pattern for military
1876….. Mary Roberts Rinehart mystery writer (Miss Pinkerton)
1881….. Cecil B deMille Mass, directed God (10 Commandments)

1910….. Jane Wyatt Emmy Award-winning actress
1911….. Cantinflas (Mario Moreno Reyes) comic actor
1925….. Ross McWhirter author (Guinness Book of World Records)
1929….. Buck Owens Sherman Texas, country singer
1931….. William Goldman author (Lord of the Flies-Nobel 1983)
1932….. Porter Wagoner country singer
1971….. Pete Sampras tennis champion

Events on this day…

1332….. Battle of Dupplin Moor; Scottish dynastic battle

1508….. Ponce de Le¢n arrives in Puerto Rico

1851….. Isaac Singer receives a U.S. patent for his sewing machine.
1865….. Joseph Lister became the first doctor to use disinfectant during surgery. Hmm. Joseph Lister. Yep. Same Joseph Lister as the one whose name is on those bottles of Listerine mouthwash.
1888….. Bertha, wife of inventor Karl Benz, makes 1st motor tour

1915….. "Of Human Bondage," by William Somerset Maugham, published
1972….. Last American combat ground troops leave Vietnam
1981….. IBM launches its first personal computer, which uses the Microsoft operating system MS-DOS.




Word Ends Puzzle:

In each of these puzzles, a word starts and ends with the same letter. Can you figure out what the word is?
Example: _fric_ Solution: Africa

1. _ _rac_
2. _rai_
3. _ras_
4. _oca_
5. _pne_
6. _infol_
7. _arge_
8. _lini_
9. _aure_
10. _hipsa_
• Bonus: _ngor_

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Answers:
1. Tract
2. Trait
3. Erase
4. Local
5. Apnea
6. Kinfolk
7. Target
8. Clinic
9. Laurel
10. Whipsaw
• Bonus: angora


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