Aug 30

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Aug. 30, 2019 Week: 35  Day: 242

86004:   H 81° \ L 53° \ Average Sky Cover: 85% 

Nearest wildfire:  27mi.  Nearest lightning:  2mi

Wind:   2mph\Gusts:  4mph  Visibility: 10 mi

Record High: 90°[1948]   Record Low: 36°[1975]

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

Today’s Quote

A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep.

Saul Bellow

Random Tidbits

The American Dietetic Association (ADA) concludes that a vegetarian or vegan diet is healthier than one that includes meat. They note that vegetarians have lower body mass indices, lower rates of death from heart disease, lower blood cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, lower rates of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and less prostate and colon cancer.

There are several types of vegetarians. The strictest type is vegans. Vegans avoid not only meat but also all animal products. There is a debate within the vegan community about whether honey is appropriate for a vegan diet. For example, the Vegan Society and the American Vegan Society do not consider honey appropriate because it comes from an animal.

Observances This Week

24-9/1

Chuckwagon Races: 24-9/1 

25-31

Be Kind To Humankind Week
World Water Week  Link
National Composites Week Link
National Safe at Home Week

29-9/2

National Sweet Corn Week

Observances for Today

Cow Chip Throwing days: thru31

Frankenstein Day

International Cabernet Sauvignon Day  Link

International Day of The Victims of Enforced Disappearances Link

International Whale Shark Day 

Muharram (at Sundown )  (Islamic New Year) 

National College Colors Day  Link

National Grief Awareness Day  Link

National Holistic Pet Day

National Toasted Marshmallow Day  Link

My Rambling Thoughts

Yesterday I took my friend/former boss Andy to his PT and got a free lunch for my trouble. Nice. Didn’t get home until about 3:30 and didn’t have time to write, partly because we had a huge long thunderstorm and I didn’t want my computer on.

Today it was lunch with our retirement group. Nice lunch at a Flagstaff Diner that I hadn’t been to since the mid 1970’s. New furniture, same model train running, really good home cooked food. Can’t believe I hadn’t been there in so long. Must admit it was a common stop after a Saturday night out on the town.

Another big storm is hitting right now, but not as much lightning. We need the moisture from both storms. Yesterday’s had minimal flooding around town and the Jersey barriers and sandbags did a good job. Hopefully that works today too. Just got an alert on my phone that there is a small lightning caused fire near the road to the local ski area. Fireman there have it under control.

Our guide through Ireland a few years back mentioned how easy it was to go from N. Ireland and Ireland…”you just keep driving”. He reminded us that before and during The Troubles, it was a complicated, time-consuming process. Sadly it looks like the Brexit thing is going to take Ireland/N. Ireland borders back to the former way. Sad.

Today’s Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of this page

I have cities, but no houses. I have mountains, but no trees. I have water, but no fish. What am I?

This riddle aims to confuse you and get you to focus on the things that are missing: the houses, trees, and fish. You might guess you need to think about something inanimate.

Historical Events

1835 - Melbourne, Australia was founded.

1836 - The city of Houston, named after former General Sam Houston, was founded by Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allen.

1945 - Hong Kong was liberated from Japan by British Armed Forces.

1963 - The Moscow to Washington hotline between the leaders of the U.S.A. and the Soviet Union went into operation.

1967 - Thurgood Marshall was confirmed as the first African American Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

1975 - #1: KC and the Sunshine Band - Get Down Tonight

1980 - #1 Hit: Christopher Cross - Sailing

1983 - Lt. Col. Guion S. Bluford, JR was the first African American in space aboard the space shuttle Challenger.

1984 - The Space Shuttle Discovery took off on its maiden voyage.

1986 - #1: Steve Winwood - Higher Love

1993- David Letterman premiered his late night talk show on CBS.

1997 -#1:  Boyz II Men - 4 Seasons of Loneliness

1999- Countess Vaughn left the series Moesha for her own spinoff series The Parkers with Monique. She was the first African-American comedienne to receive a spin-off TV show.

2003 - While being towed across the Barents Sea, the de-commissioned Russian submarine K-159 sank, taking nine of her crew and 800 kg of spent nuclear fuel with her.

Birthdays Today

Warren Buffett, billionaire entrepreneur (89)

Ted Williams, baseball Hall of Fame

(d. 2002 @ 83)

Fred MacMurray, actor

(d. 1991 @83)

Robert Crumb, cartoonist (76)

Lewis Black, social critic, comedian (71)

Mary Shelly, Novelist [Frankenstein]

(d. 1851 @53; brain tumor)

Frederique Van Der Wal, Victoria Secret Model (52)

Michael Michele, actor [TV series: ER] (52)

Cameron Diaz, actor, writer (47)

Lisa Ling, journalist, TV personality (46)

Puzzle answer:

A map