Thursday July 8

This is Week 27 of 2010, Day 190 with 175 days left. It is Day 81 of the BP Mess.

FREE RAMBLING THOUGHTS

I’m not sure why this summer’s monsoon seems to be just teasing us. I have watched summer monsoons in Flagstaff since the 70’s. It has never been like the monsoons in other parts of the world. When I came to AZ and they talked about ‘monsoon’ I kinda thought of India with the heavy torrential rains that both brought life and took life in that country. Well, AZ monsoons aren’t really torrential. During the monsoon season we do have hard, heavy thunderstorms with lots of thunder and lightning. Those that live in very low lying areas do have flash floods. Flag and Phoenix and other AZ roads will flood when the drainage system can’t handle the debris that is swept into the drainage system. Our monsoons do not turn our desert into Shangri-La with green hanging vines on the trees. It turns out that the word ‘monsoon’ has more to do with the seasonal shift in wind direction which usually leads to instability in the upper atmosphere. That instability leads to more moisture than at other times of the year. Our Flagstaff monsoon usually brings a buildup of huge dark clouds in the afternoon, followed by thunder, lightning, and hard rain for less than an hour. Everything gets wet; there is substantial runoff since the rain comes so fast, everything cools off a lot. Then the sun comes out and we wait a day or two for more ‘monsoons’. For the past few days we have had the cloud buildup. Several times we could smell the rain, but none of it is making down to the ground. All the Phoenix weather gurus are saying that the rains are coming. We are ready. Bring them on. Last winter was a record setting year for amount of snow and time the snow stayed on the ground. I keep hoping that we will have record monsoons. I hoping for a record in the number of days it really actually rains. I am sure hoping that we don’t have record flash floods. It would be very nice to have afternoon rain showers every day and that they have time to soak in. Too much? Probably.

BP must believe that Americans are dumb. Today they announced that the leaking oil should be stopped on July 27 when the relief well will reach the leaking well. Amazingly July 27 is also the day they release their quarterly reports to their investors. This has to be more than a coincidence. Today they are feet away from the well. I know it takes some extra prep to do those final few feet so the disaster doesn’t become worse. For the past 80 days they have been prepping for this day. BP is also facing a deadline to put another cap on the well. This cap has to measure the actual amount of oil gushing out. BP doesn’t want that cap to be used, because then everyone would find out that their estimates have been off by as much as a power of 10. Without measuring the outflow, BP can say just about anything they want. Just plug the damn hole.

Flag was hot today. My deck reached 94° this afternoon. We had a 30% chance of showers, but that didn’t happen. Our HOA decided this would be a good day to clean up the area of pine needles. There were four or five guys out with rakes cleaning up the entire area—including the areas right by our homes. I have a small electric blower and have done some clean up but these guys really go into it. Of course they only did the front areas—where tenants and visitors see it daily. The ten feet between my deck and the property line fence still have several inches of needles. No one every walks around back there, so I guess it’s my job to clean that up. If it is cool tomorrow morning I’ll get out there and do something—again.

HOLY MACKEREL: On this date in 1953 ►1st helicopter passenger service (NYC)  

MY QUOTE FOR THE DAY

Thomas Carlyle: Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragement, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak.

SOMEWHAT USELESS INFORMATION

The Washington Monument, completed in 1884, stands just over 555 feet and is made of marble, granite, and sandstone. Built to honor George Washington, the Washington Monument is the tallest stone structure in the world. The largest Egyptian Pyramid is 468 feet.

***

President Franklin D. Roosevelt believed that Thomas Jefferson deserved a memorial, along with Washington and Lincoln. The domed, white-marble structure is surrounded by twenty-six columns with a 19-foot-tall bronze statue of Thomas Jefferson featured in the center. Construction began in 1938 and was finished in 1943.

***

Inspired by the designs of Greek temples, the Lincoln Memorial features 36 columns representing the number of states in the union at the time of Lincoln's death. The famous seated statue of Lincoln was carved from 28 blocks of white Georgia marble.

GREY MATTER PUZZLE 1

Below are words or phrases grouped in pairs. There is a different word that fits in the middle of each set that can be defined by both sides. Your task is to find those words.

Example: Flower ________ Stood Answer: Rose

1. Enclosure for animals - __________ - Writing instrument

2. Male sheep - __________ - Collide into something

3. To shove one thing inside another - __________ - A collection of miscellaneous items

4. Not specific or definite - __________ - Military officer of very high rank

UNUSUAL NEWS ITEM

NEW YORK - A New York judge ordered a couple to divide their home with a wall but an attorney for one half of the couple says they already live "like there was a wall." Pinchs and Nechama Gold, an Orthodox Jewish couple, have been married for 21 years but Nechama Gold says her husband verbally abuses her and their five children, the New York Post reported. Judge Eric Prus Thursday ordered the Golds to divide their 3,000-square-foot home in two while the divorce proceeds -- giving them two weeks to decided where to put the wall or leaving it up to the court to make the decision, the newspaper said. Abe Konstam, an attorney for Pinchs Gold, told the Post: "They've been living like there was a wall up for two years now. This just helps them completely avoid each other." Pinchs Gold alleges his wife has exiled him from their bedroom and he has had to sleep in the dining room for two years, the newspaper said. After the judge directed the couple to put up a wall in the house, Nechama Gold's lawyer, Brian Perskin, said: "It's a large house, so I think we can come up with some sort of agreement. But she wants him out." Pinchs has come up with a plan that would give his wife and their children about 700 more square feet than he would get, the Post reported.

A LITTLE LAUGH

There was a burning building with a redhead, a brunette, and a blonde at the top. The firemen are yelling to the redhead to jump into a blanket and she jumps off the building and right as she was about to safely hit the blanket they moved it and she dies. They yell to the brunette to jump but she says,"No I saw what you did to the redhead"! They shout we don't like redheads! So the brunette jumps and sure enough they move the blanket and she dies. Then they shout to the blonde to jump off into the blanket. But the blonde says,"no I saw what you did to them"! They shout we don't like them! The blonde then says, "I don't trust you guys, put the blanket on the ground and step back!"

GREY MATTER PUZZLE 2

These words can all have a letter added and then be rearranged to make a new 5-letter word. The letters added spell a 9-letter word. What are the new words?

HERB

BANG

KEEN

SUIT

QUAD

WHEY

CELL

TOIL

WILD

Hint: In order the added letters spell TELESCOPE.

FOUND ON YOU TUBE

York Minster Cathedral: Click Here!

GREY MATTER PICTURE

This is a close up of what common object?

SOME CALENDAR INFORMATION

► Weekly Observances ◄

4-10: Freedom Week AND Be Nice To New Jersey Week

► Today’s Observances ◄

National POW/MIA Recognition Day

National Sugar Cookie Day

Argentina: Independence Day (1816)

Morocco: Youth Day/King Hassan II's Birthday

► Hit Songs on this date ◄

Chi-Baba Chi-Baba (My Bambino Go to Sleep): Perry Como in 1947

Teddy Bear: Elvis Presley in 1957

Windy: The Association in 1967

Undercover Angel: Alan O'Day in 1977

Alone: Heart in 1987

► Born today ◄

…The Arts

Dame Barbara Cartland, romance novelist featuring virginal heroines born in 1901 Birmingham, England

Ann Radcliffe, author: The Italian, The Mysteries of Udolpho, The Romance of the Forest born in 1764 London England

+++

Ed Ames, 83, actor (Mingo-Daniel Boone) singer, born in Malden, MA

Brian Dennehy, 72, actor (Tony for Long Day’s Journey into Night), born Bridgeport, CT

Vince Edwards, actor (Ben Casey, Matt Lincoln) born in 1928 Brooklyn, NY

Tom Hanks, 54, actor (Saving Private Ryan, Cast Away; Oscars for Philadelphia, Forrest Gump), born Concord, CA

Lee Hazlewood, country singer/songwriter (Summer Wine, Jackson) born in 1929 Mannford, OK

Courtney Love, 45, singer, actress (The People vs Larry Flynt), born San Francisco, CA

Richard Roundtree, 68, actor (Shaft, Roots) born in New Rochelle NY

Fred Savage, 34, actor (“The Wonder Years,” “Working,” The Princess Bride), born Highland Park, IL

Jimmy Smits, 55, actor (Glitz, “LA Law,” “NYPD Blue”), born New York, NY

John Tesh, 58, television host (“Entertainment Tonight”), composer, born Garden City, NY

…Athletics

Orenthal James (O.J.) Simpson, 63, former sportscaster and actor, Hall of Fame football player, probable murder, currently in prison for armed robbery, born San Francisco, CA

…Business & Education

Elias Howe, invented sewing machine born in 1819 Spencer, MA

…Politics

Lindsey Graham, 55, US Senator (R, South Carolina), born Pickens County, SC

…Science / Religion

Mathilde Krim, 84, geneticist, philanthropist, born Como, Italy

► Obituaries today ◄

Howard Duff, actor, heart attack @ 76 in 1990

Harry Heilmann, baseball hall of famer outfielder (Tigers, Reds), cancer @ 56 in 1951

Zachary Taylor, 12th pres of US, gastroenteritis @ 66 in White House served 16 mo, in 1850

Barbara Woodhouse, dog trainer, stroke @ 78 in 1988

► Events ◄

…The Arts

1800 ►Mt Vernon Gardens becomes site of 1st summer theatre in US

1956 ►Dick Clark's 1st appearance as host of American Bandstand

1984 ►A 760-year-old wing of York Minster, the largest medieval cathedral in Britain, was gutted by a fierce fire started by lightning

1995 ►The Grateful Dead played their last concert including the lead guitarist Jerry Garcia , at Soldier Field in Chicago.

…Athletics

1922 ►Johnny Weissmuller became the first to swim the 100-meters freestyle in less than a minute

1989 ►1st time Wimbeldon has both men & women's final on same day, Boris Becker beats Stefan Edberg & Steffi Graf beats Martina Navratilova

1991 ►South Africa is readmitted into the Olympics after 20 years due to apartheid policy

…Business & Education

1872 ►Doughnut cutter patented by John Blondel, Thomaston, Me

1878 ►Corncob pipe patented (Henry Tibbe)

…Indigenous People

1716 ►The Mission of Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe is established for the Nacanish and Nocogdoche Indians in what becomes Texas.

…Politics (US)

1868 ►1st black cabinet member in SC (Francis L Cardozo-sect of state)

…Politics (outside US)

1915 ►Germany surrenders South West Africa to Union of South Africa

1941 ►British cryptologists break the secret code ( Enigma ) used by the German army to direct ground-to-air operations on the Eastern front.

…Science / Religion

1595 ►Johannes Kepler inscribes geometric solid construction of universe

GREY MATTER ANSWERS

…1

1. Enclosure for animals - Pen - Writing instrument

2. Male sheep - Ram - Collide into something

3. To shove one thing inside another - Stuff - A collection of miscellaneous items

4. Not specific or definite - General - Military officer of very high rank

…2

BERTH, BEGAN, KNEEL, SUITE, SQUAD, CHEWY, CELLO, PILOT, WIELD. The added letters spell TELESCOPE.

…Photo

Three button computer mouse

TODAY’S PHOTO SHOT

Great Summer Cool Off

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