Aug 12

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Aug. 12, 2019 Week: 33  Day: 224

86004:   H 78° \ L 52° \ Average Sky Cover: 40% 

Nearest wildfire:  99mi. Nearest lightning:  87mi

Wind:   8mph\Gusts:  8mph

Visibility: 10 mi

Record High: 91°[1980]   Record Low: 36°[1900]

Aug Averages: 79°\50° (9 day with rain)

Today’s Quote

Act as if what you do makes a difference.

It does.

William James

Random Tidbits

Kate Middleton is an eighth cousin seven times removed to the first U.S. President George Washington and a thirteenth cousin once removed from American World War II hero General George Patton.

"England Swings (Like a Pendulum Do)" is a 1965 country music song written and performed by Roger Miller. The title refers to Swinging London, a popular term for the progressive youth-centric cultural scene in London at the time.

Observances This Week

9-13

Perseid Meteor Showers

11-17

National Motorcycle Week Link
Feeding Pets of the Homeless Week  Link  Link 
National Resurrect Romance Week
Weird Contest Week

Observances for Today

Home Sewing Machine Day

IBM PC Day
International Youth Day
Middle Child Day

Milkman Day Link 
National Julienne Fries Day

Vinyl Record Day
World Elephant Day Link

My Rambling Thoughts

Yesterday I spent the afternoon with a friend and former boss who is recovering from femur/hip replacement surgery. He broke his femur about 3 years ago and it never healed well and he had lots of pain. This should fix the pain, eventually. Andy retired a few years ago and lives here in Flag. His family said he always liked visitors at the rehab hospital. When I arrived his aunt, uncle, son, wife, and nephew were already there. Then two nieces arrived. The best part of the visit, other than that he was doing fine, was sharing stories with his family. It so reminded me of my many years on Navajo. Lots of jokes, laughing, silence, more jokes, for 3+ hours. His aunt even brought some Navajo herbal medicine to heal him. I’m sure they all stayed longer, but I told him I would come back Monday, when everyone was working. That even brought some laughs. Great day!

On Friday I called the HOA about the pine needles…again. No answer yet. I did spend part of the morning on my deck, reading the Sunday paper + ads. Always disappointed to read about a place I have visited, today it is the mess in Hong Kong. Focus had a great time there, and seeing the demonstrations at the air terminal is difficult to see. It’s a nice day and I enjoyed just sitting there, reading the paper and listening to my music on my new ear buds.

I wish our lawmakers would do something to stop the gun violence. Background checks will help. Stopping assault weapons sales will help. No one in this great nation should fear going to a concert, a theater, a mall, or a nightclub, and most of all a school and thinking they might get shot or killed.

Today’s Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of this page

Every night I’m told what to do,

and each morning I do what I’m told.

But I still don’t escape your scold.

Historical Events

30 BC - Cleopatra VII Philopator, the last ruler of the Egyptian Ptolemaic dynasty, committed suicide, by means of an asp bite.

1851 - Isaac Singer was granted a patent (#8,294) for his sewing machine.

1877 - Asaph Hall discovered the Mars moon Deimos.

1883 - The last quagga, a kind of zebra, died at the Artis Magistra zoo in Amsterdam, Netherlands. In 1984, the quagga was the first extinct animal to have its DNA analyzed.

1901 - The Indianapolis Motor Speedway opened.

1960 - Echo 1A, NASA's first successful communications satellite, was launched.

1977 - The first free flight of the Space Shuttle Enterprise.

1978 - #1 Hit August 12, 1978 - August 25, 1978: Commodores - Three Times a Lady

1981 - The IBM Personal Computer was released.

1985 - Japan Airlines Flight 123 crashed into Osutaka ridge in Gunma Prefecture, Japan, killing 520, becoming the worst single-plane air disaster.

1989 - #1 Hit August 12, 1989 - September 1, 1989: Richard Marx - Right Here Waiting

1990 - Sue, the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton found to date, was discovered by paleontologist Sue Hendrickson in South Dakota.

1994 - Major League Baseball players went on strike, forcing the cancellation of the 1994 World Series.

2000 - #1 Hit August 12, 2000 - August 25, 2000: Sisq - Incomplete

Birthdays Today

Cantinflas,

[Mario Fortino Alfonso Moreno Reyes],

Mexican film actor  (1993 @81)

George Hamilton, tanned actor (80)

Joe Besser, character actor (d. 1988 @80)

Cecil B. DeMille (1959 @77: heart attacks)

Mark Knopfler, British songwriter, singer (Dire Straits) (70)

Peter Krause, actor (Six Feet Under) (54)

Miss Cleo

[Youree Dell Harris],

Telephone psychic (d. 2016 @53 colon cancer)

Pete Sampras, Tennis star (48)

Yvette Nicole Brown, actress (48)

Casey Affleck, actor, director (44)

Puzzle answer:

This answer is ALARM CLOCK.