Aug 17

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Aug. 17, 2019 Week: 33  Day: 229

86004:   H 85° \ L 55° \ Average Sky Cover: 5% 

Nearest wildfire:  27mi. Nearest lightning:  303mi

Wind:   13mph\Gusts:  36mph

Visibility: 10 mi

Record High: 88°[2002]   Record Low: 38°[1979]

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

Today’s Quote

The question isn't who is going to let me;

it's who is going to stop me.

Ayn Rand

Random Tidbits

They may be creepy, they may be crawly, and in a very few instances they may even be deadly, but spiders are a widely diverse and fascinating species which is which is absolutely essential to a healthy ecosystem.

There are approximately 38,000 known species of spiders. Scientists believe there are probably as many more to be discovered.

Spiders are found on every continent except Antarctica.

Observances This Week

11-17

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

12-18

US Amateur Golf Week

14-18

Navajo Nation Code Talker’s Week

15-21

National Aviation Week

15-25

Little League World Series

Observances for Today

Baby Boomer's Recognition Day  Link 
Black Cat Appreciation Day Link   Link
Chef Appreciation Day Link  
Clear The Shelters Day  Link  
I Love My Feet Day Link
International Geocaching Day
International Homeless Animals Day  
Meaning of "Is" Day
National Honey Bee Day Link  
National Nonprofit Day  Link
National Thrift Shop Day Link
National Vanilla Custard Day

World Honey Bee Day Link   Link 

My Rambling Thoughts

A tad windy, but still a nice day here. I headed out early to do some grocery shopping. Accomplished is minimum time.

I’m slowly getting rid of ‘stuff’ in my office and spare bedroom. I have a habit of putting stuff in closets, on tables, and even on the floor in areas I don't 'live' in. They sit wherever I put them for long periods of time. I figure, someday I will need this. I’m trying to break that habit, but it ain’t easy. I have to be in the ‘throw-away’ mood for it to work, and that mood doesn’t come very often. I think it has now reached critical mass and I can get it done this weekend.

After having a Ni Ca battery taken from my luggage in China, a few weeks ago I bought another one. It has taken me all that time to figure out how to charge the thing. I used the cord provided and plugged it into a USB port on a power-strip. It wouldn’t charge. Off to the internet machine to figure out why. Turns out it has something to do with the amount of power in the port. Even plugging it into a phone charger with a USB port into the wall doesn’t work. The only way to recharge the darn thing is to plug it into my computer directly. Even with that it takes overnight to get a full charge. The good news is that a full charge will recharge my phone about 8 times, great for any trip.

Today’s Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of this page

A dead female body lies at the bottom of a multistory building. It looks as though she committed suicide by jumping from one of the floors.

When the detective arrives, he goes to the first floor of the building, opens the closed window, and flips a coin towards the floor. He goes to the second floor and does the exact same thing. He continues to do this until he gets to the top floor of the building.

When he comes back down, he states that it was a murder and not a suicide. How does he know that?

Historical Events

1807 - Robert Fulton's North River Steamboat left New York, New York, to Albany, New York, on the Hudson River, inaugurating the first commercial steamboat service in the world.

1896 - Bridget Driscoll was run over by a Benz car in the grounds of The Crystal Palace, London. She was the UK's first pedestrian motoring fatality.

1907 - Pike Place Market, in Seattle's historic district, opened.

1908 - Fantasmagorie was released by Émile Cohl. It is one of the earliest examples of traditional (hand-drawn) animation, and considered by film historians to be the first animated cartoon. Click here to see it

1953 - The first meeting of Narcotics Anonymous took place in Southern California.

1958 - Pioneer 0, America's first attempt at lunar orbit, is launched using the first Thor-Able rocket and failed.

1959 - Kind of Blue by Miles Davis, the best-selling jazz recording of all time, was released.

1968 - #1 Hit: Young Rascals - People Got to Be Free

1969 - Hurricane Camille (Category 5) hit the U.S. Gulf Coast, killing 256 people.

1974 - #1 Hit: Paper Lace - The Night Chicago Died

1977 - The Soviet icebreaker Arktika became the first surface ship to reach the North Pole.

1978 - Double Eagle II became the first balloon to cross the Atlantic Ocean when it landed in Miserey, France near Paris, 137 hours after leaving Presque Isle, Maine.

1998 - President Clinton admitted to having an "inappropriate" relationship with an intern, Monica Lewinsky.

2002 - #1 Hit: Nelly featuring Kelly Rowland - Dilemma

2005 - Weeds premiered on Showtime

2008 - American swimmer Michael Phelps became the first person to win eight gold medals in one Olympic Games.

Birthdays Today

Maureen O'Hara, actor, singer

(d. 2015 @95)

Mae West, actor

(d. 1980 @87)

Robert De Niro, actor (76)

Belinda Carlisle, lead singer [Go-Go’s] (61)

Sean Penn, actor (59)

Donnie Wahlberg. actor (50)

Davy Crockett, folk hero, frontiersman, politician

(d. 1836 @49, at the Alamo)

Puzzle answer:

She couldn’t have jumped from any of the floors because when the detective went to each floor, all of the windows were closed.