Apr 8

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Apr 8, 2018 Week: 15\ Day: 98

86004 Today: H 77° \ L 44° \ Average Sky Cover: 35% 

Nearest Lightning:  728 miles away

Wind ave.:   14mph\Gusts:  35mph Visibility: 10 mi

Record High: 78°[1989]   Record Low: 14°[1999]

Apr Averages: 58°\27°

Today’s Quote

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth.

   Mark Twain

Harper’s Index

47

            Percentage of US Latinos who would

support a law criminalizing offensive speech

about white people

26

            Of US Whites

More Observances This Month

Frog Month Link
Genocide and Human Rights Awareness Month  Link
Global Astronomy Month
Global Child Nutrition Month Link

Observances This Week

4-10

Hate Week

5-8

Mule Day
The Masters Tournament

7-8

Just Pray No! Worldwide Weekend of Prayer and Fasting

7-13

National Dental Hygienest Week Link

7-15

National Robotics Week Link

8-14

Animal Control Officer Appreciation Week Link
National Dog Bite Prevention Week Link
National Crime Victims Rights Week  Link
National Public Safety Telecommunicators (911 Operators) Week
National Student Employment Week Link
Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week Link
Pan American Week
Undergraduate Research Week  Link  

Observances for Today

All is Ours Day

Buddah Day (Historical Birth Date)  Link 
Draw a Picture of a Bird Day Link
International Roma Day
National Dog Fighting Awareness Day
Trading Cards For Grown-ups Day Link
Zoo Lover's Day

Today’s Significant US Historical Events

✪ Today’s Significant International Historical Events 

1000’s                                          

✪1093 The new Winchester Cathedral is dedicated by bishop Walkelin

1700’s                                          

1730 1st Jewish congregation in US forms synagogue, "Shearith Israel, NYC"

✪1766 1st fire escape patented, wicker basket on a pulley & chain

1800’s                                          

✪1820 The famous ancient Greek statue, Venus de Milo is discovered on the Aegean island of Melos

1879 Milk sold in glass bottles for 1st time

✪1886 William Ewart Gladstone introduces the first Irish Home Rule Bill into the British House of Commons.

1893 The Critic reports that ice cream soda is America's national drink

1900’s                                          

1913 17th amendment, requiring direct election of US senators, ratified

1935 Works Progress Administration approved by Congress

1943 U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt, in an attempt to check inflation, freezes wages and prices, prohibits workers from changing jobs unless the war effort would be aided thereby, and bars rate increases to common carriers and public utilities.

1963 35th Academy Awards: "Lawrence of Arabia", Anne Bancroft & Gregory Peck win

1966 Time publishes its "Is God Dead" issue - its first issue without an image

✪1979 People's Republic of China joins IOC

✪1985 India files suit against Union Carbide over Bhopal disaster

1986 Clint Eastwood elected mayor of Carmel, California. Makes his day.

2000’s                                          

2000 Nineteen US Marines are killed when a V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft crashes near Marana, Arizona

✪2004 Darfur conflict: The Humanitarian Ceasefire Agreement is signed by the Sudanese government and two rebel groups

✪2017 Fifth day of protests by thousands in Caracas, Venezuela against the government

My Rambling Thoughts

Drove over to get my taxes. We had agreed on Sat. @ 12:30. I even got a text message, but the time had changed to 12:15. No problem. I get there and she can’t find my appointment. I pull up the text message and discover they changed the date to the 9^th as well as the time. Oh, well. Computers and input people do what they want. I’m just getting to be the old fart who does as he is told without complaint.

A spring day here….and that means strong winds. Anyone interested is buying some of our wind? These 35mph gusts are no fun.

Massive changes have occurred in this great country since 45 took over. I am not happy about most of the changes, since they change people’s lives and not for the better. National Guard troops have returned to the southern AZ border and the Texas border. That should stop all the people who overstay their VISAs. And illegal border crossing is the lowest it has been in decades. Heard from the head of Texas National Guard that their soldiers are ready, but will have to be rotated out to get more training on border crossing….seems they are well trained for disasters but not trained for illegal border crossers. Hmmm, wonder where the training money will come from? And who has the expertise? Seems like 45 has pretty much disqualified any who really know.

Birthdays Today

@-  indicates age at death

90’s

@93- Betty [Bloomer] Ford,

US 1st lady (1974-77) and

founder of the Betty Ford Center clinic,

born in Chicago, Illinois

(d. 2011)

80’s

@87- Mary Pickford [Gladys Smith],

Canadian actress (Poor Little Rich Girl),

born in Toronto, Ontario

(d. 1979)

@86- John Gavin [Juan Vincent Apablasa Jr],

American actor (Imitation of Life, Psycho), and

US Ambassador to Mexico (1981–86),

born in Los Angeles

(d. 2018)

60’s

@64- Joan Sebastian (José Manuel Figueroa Figueroa),

popular Mexican singer

bone cancer (d. 2015)

50’s

58- John Schneider,

actor (Dukes of Hazzard)

@57- Sonja Henie,

Norwegian ice skater (Olympic gold 1928,32,36) and

actress (My Lucky Star),

born in Oslo, Norway

leukemia (d. 1969)

55- Julian Lennon,

singer (Too Late for Goodbyes) and

son of John,

born in Liverpool, England

50- Patricia Arquette,

actress (Boyhood, True Romance),

born in NYC

40’s

@47- Juan Ponce de León,

Spanish explorer and conquistador 

searched for the fountain of youth and

the first European to discover Florida,

born in Santervás de Campos, Castile, Spain

poisoned arrow from locals (d. 1521)

41- Sara Shepherd,

author (Pretty Little Liars)

30’s

@38- Chris Kyle,

Navy SEAL sniper (160 kills),

shot by friend (d. 2013)

Historical Obits Today

90’s

@96-1993 Marian Anderson,

American contralto and celebrated singer

(My Lord, What a Morning)

@91-1973 Pablo Picasso,

Spanish painter (The Young Ladies of Avignon, Guernica)

80’s

@88-1981 Omar Bradley,

last US 5-star general, (Normandy)

@87-2013 Margaret Thatcher,

British Prime Minister (1979 - 1990)

70’s

@70-2013 Annette Funicello,

American singer and actress (Mickey Mouse Club),

multiple sclerosis complications

50’s

@50-1861 Elisha Otis,

American founder of the Otis Elevator Company and

inventor of a safety device that prevents elevators from

falling if the hoisting cable fails,

diphtheria

40’s

@49-1997 Laura Nyro,

singer, ovarian cancer

Disclaimer: All opinions are mine…feel free to agree or disagree.

All ‘data’ info is from the internet sites and is usually checked with at least one other source, but I have learned that every site contains mistakes and sadly once the information is out there, many sites simply copy it and is therefore difficult to verify. Also for events occurring before the Gregorian calendar was adopted [1582] the dates may not be totally accurate.

☼☼☼☼…And That Is All for Now…☼☼☼☼