Aug 1

 

FYI: Any Blue text is a link. Click to check it out!

Aug 1, 2020 Week: 31 Day: 214

86004:   H 92° \ L 58° \ Average Sky Cover: 20%

Wind:   6mph\Gusts:  6mph  Visibility:  10mi

Nearest lightning:  384mi.; Nearest active fire:  67mi. 

High Risk of Fire          

Record High: 92°[1977]   Record Low: 42°[1915]

Jul Averages: 79°\50° (9 days with rain)

 

Today’s  Quote

"A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him." -David Brinkley

 

Random Tidbits

In China, the Milky Way is called "The Silver River." The Romans called our galaxy the Milky Road because it reminded them of milk. The Greeks called it the Milky Circle. In fact, the word "galaxy" is from the Greek word for milk.

The Milky Way is a galaxy--a huge group of stars, gas, dust, and other matter held together in space by their mutual gravitational pull. The Milky Way is just one of billions of galaxies in the universe.

When a person sees the Milky Way at night, they are seeing only about 0.0000025 percent of the galaxy's hundreds of billions of stars.

 

A little humor

Did you know that Iceland is only one sea away from Ireland?

 

Observations This Month

American Adventures Month
American Artists Appreciation Month Link
American Indian Heritage Month Link  (See also November)
American History Essay Contest (8/1 - 12/15) 
Arrr-gust: International Pirate Month  Link
Black Business Month
Boomers Making A Difference Month
Bystander Awareness Month

 

Observations This Week

World Rope Skipping Week thru 8/3  Link
National Little League Baseball Week: Thru 23  Link   Cancelled due to COVID-19
Lollapalooza: Thru 8/2 (Virtual)
Quilt Odyssey Week: Thru 8/1 Cancelled due to COVID-19
World Lumberjack Championships: Thru 8/1  Cancelled due to COVID Gallup International Tribal Indian Powwow: 31-8/11 Link Canceled: Covid
Satchmo Week: 31-8/2 Cancelled due to COVID-19

International Clown Week: 1-7 Link
National Cleanse Your Skin Week: 1-7  Link
National Lemonade Days: 1-9 Link Moved from June due to COVID-19
National Minority Donor Awareness Week: 1-7
Simplify Your Life Week: 1-7
World Breastfeeding Week: 1-7 Link

 

Observations for Today

International Can-It-Forward Day  Link   (Mason Jars)
International Hangover Day

Lammas Day (Merry Loafmas)  Link
Lughnasa or Lughnasadh - 1 Link Link
Mead Day Link 
National Mahjong Day  Link
National Minority Donor Awareness Day
National Clown Day

National Disc Golf Day Link
National Girlfriend Day

National Jamaican Patty Day Link
National Mustard Day Link
National Play Outside Day Link 
National Raspberry Cream Pie Day

Respect For Parents
Rounds Resounding Day
Sandcastle Day 
Spider-Man Day 
Start Up Day Across America Link
US Air Force Day Link
World Lung Cancer Day
World Wide Web Day
World Scout Scarf Day

 

My Rambling Thoughts

Today is another scorcher. Turned on the swamp cooler before I headed out for my weekly shopping trip. It doesn’t look like any moisture either.

Disappointed that Congress failed to find help for the millions on unemployment. Food and housing insecurity are real. And pay in Congress just keeps coming.

AZ has the 2^nd lowest unemployment payments @$250/week. Our Governor says we have a balanced budget and that Congress must help AZ’s unemployed. It’s called passing the buck and I’m tired of it.

Happy Birthday to Colorado, the 38^th state in 1876. My mom always hung the Colorado flag on our porch on this day. Good memory.

 

Today’s Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of the page

I can only live where there is light,

but I die if the light shines on me.

What am I?

 

Historical Events

1774 – British scientist Joseph Priestley re-discovered oxygen (the gas), verifying the discovery of it by German-Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele.

1789 – The US Customs Service began.

1790 – The first U.S. Census took place; there were 3,929,326 people living here.

1794 – The Whiskey Rebellion Western. Pennsylvania farmers revolted, protesting the excise duty (tax) on stills and spirits distilled in the U.S.

1834 – Slavery was abolished in the British Empire with the Slavery Abolition Act.

1876 – Colorado became the 38th state.

1916 – Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was established.

1943 – The Oak Ridge (Tennessee) Atomic Plant was started.

1944 – Anne Frank made the last entry in her diary.

1946 – In Athens, Tennessee, battle-hardened WWII veterans won a shootout with highly corrupt police deputies who were manipulating ballots and illegally holding ex-GIs in the county jail.

1952 – The extinction of the San Benedicto Rock Wren, a previously unendangered species, can be traced almost to the minute on the morning of August 1st when a volcanic eruption covered their entire island.

1957 – The United States and Canada formed the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). Due to a wrong phone number Sears ad misprint, a child called to check on where Santa was that evening (December 24), and NORAD has been tracking Santa every Christmas Eve, since its inception.

1961- Six Flags Over Texas, the first park in the Six Flags chain opened in Arlington, Texas.

1966 – China’s Cultural Revolution began, with purging (killing) the remnants of capitalist and traditional elements from Chinese society, and to re-impose Maoist thought as the dominant ideology within the Party. About 1.5 million people were ‘purged’.

1980 – Vigdis Finnbogadottir was elected President of Iceland, the world’s first democratically elected female head of state.

1980 – Cinemax launched

1981 – MTV network debuted on cable television, actually playing music videos 24 hours a day. The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star” was the first video shown, followed by Pat Benatar’s “You Better Run”.

1987 In New Zealand, the Maori Language Act comes into force, making te reo Māori an official language of New Zealand; it can now be used in some legal proceedings

1999 Petronas Towers officially opened in Kuala Lumpur as the world's tallest building by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad at 451.9 m (1483 ft)

2018 Swedish crown jewels stolen in heist from Strängnäs Cathedral, Stockholm

 

Birthdays Today

@75 – Dom DeLuise, American actor (d. 2009; kidney failure)

73 – Avi Arad, Israeli-American producer, founded Marvel Studios

@72 – Herman Melville, American novelist, short story writer, (d. 1891)

@71 – Yves Saint Laurent, Algerian-French fashion designer, co-founded Yves Saint Laurent (d. 2008; brain cancer)

@68 – William Clark, American explorer, of Lewis & Clark (d. 1838)

@63 – Claudius, Roman emperor (d. 54; poisoned)

@63 – Francis Scott Key, American author, and poet (d. 1843; pleurisy)

@57 – Taylor Negron, American actor (d. 2015; liver cancer)

57 – Coolio, American rapper

@53 – Jerry Garcia, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1995; heart attack)

41 – Jason Momoa, American actor

 

Puzzle Answer

Shadow

 

Jul 31

☆     ☆     ☆     ☆     ☆     ☆     ☆     ☆     ☆     ☆     ☆     ☆     ☆

FYI: Any Blue text is a link. Click to check it out!

Jul 31, 2020 Week: 31 Day: 213

86004:   H 90° \ L 59° \ Average Sky Cover: 5%

Wind:   8mph\Gusts:  8mph  Visibility:  10mi

Nearest lightning:  450mi.; Nearest active fire:  67mi. 

High Risk of Fire          

Record High: 91°[1977]   Record Low: 43°[1997]

Jul Averages: 82°\52° (8 days with rain)

 

Today’s  Quote

"If you set your goals ridiculously high and it's a failure,

you will fail above everyone else's success."

-James Cameron

 

Random Tidbits

Today, large fish species are one-fifth to one-half as big as they used to be. Why? Fishing has been removing large individuals from those species' gene pools for hundreds of years.

Mercury is not allowed on a flight. Even a small amount of mercury can seriously damage aluminum, which is what most planes are made from. Airplanes that are exposed to mercury are usually quarantined.

 

Remember these movie quotes?

#1                               "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

Clark Gable                  Gone with the Wind            1939

 

Observations This Week

World Rope Skipping Week: 24-8/3  Link
National Little League Baseball Week: 25-8/23  Link   Cancelled due to COVID-19
Lollapalooza: 30-8/2 (Virtual)
Quilt Odyssey Week: 30-8/1 Cancelled due to COVID-19
World Lumberjack Championships: 30-8/1  Cancelled due to COVID-19
Gallop International Tribal Indian Powwow: 31-8/11 Link
Satchmo Week: 31-8/2 Cancelled due to COVID-19

 

Observations for Today

Eid-Al-Adha
Mutt's Day

National Avocado Day  Link
National Cotton Candy Day

National Get Narly Day Link  
National Mutt Day Link  
National Raspberry Cake Day

National Talk in An Elevator Day Link
System Administrator Appreciation Day Link  Link 
Uncommon Instruments Awareness Day  Link
World Ranger Day Link

 

My Rambling Thoughts

Internet was on and off most of yesterday…thus no posting.

Today will be a hot one, with no moisture in sight. We got a small amount yesterday.

Covid has cut the number of tourists around our mountain town. That means better driving conditions, and less revenue for the city to operate on. It is also the time of road construction. There are two ways to get to my place. That is it…two. Both take drivers to US89…al part of Route 66. A repaving project is doing its best to make that impossible with cones and only one lane each way. The only way to turn left off 89 is to drive 4 miles, turn around and drive back to the wanted street. To turn off 89 to get back in, it is a 1-mile drive past the turn, a U-turn, and then return. I have seen other paving projects on this stretch, and it has never been this complicated. Glad I do not have to leave that often. I have empathy for my neighbors who navigate this mess twice daily just to get to work.

The monsoon has helped lift some of the fire restrictions in the city and in the forest. I sure hope it is not too soon.

The Senate bill for Covid relief just happens to include millions to build a new FBI building that just happens to be very near Trump property with a hotel…and it will not extend pandemic food stamp eased regulations but does triple [to 100%] the business deduction for 3-maritini lunches. Of course.

I am wondering why Lindsey Graham’s latest political ad altered to skin tone of his opponent, so he appears to have much darker skin than he really has. I guess they accidently clicked on the wrong filter…computers can be so difficult. Yeah, right!

I watched the John Lewis final funeral celebration today. The speakers repeated the true message of his life to all of us. Very beneficial.

 

Today’s Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of the page

What word becomes shorter by adding two letters to it?

 

Historical Events

781 - The oldest recorded eruption of Mount Fuji in Japan.

1492 - Jews were expelled from Spain when the Alhambra Decree took effect.

1790 - The first US patent (X000001) as issued, to inventor Samuel Hopkins for a potash process.

1930 - The radio mystery program The Shadow aired for the first time.

1948 - Idlewild Field in New York, New York International Airport (now John F. Kennedy International Airport) was dedicated.

1961 - At Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, the first All-Star Game tie in Major League Baseball history happened, after the game was stopped in the ninth inning because of rain.

1989 - Game Boy released, Video game

1995 - The Walt Disney Company announced their plans to purchase both ABC and ESPN

2006 - Cuba's Fidel Castro handed over power to brother, Raul Castro.

2007 Operation Banner, the presence of the British Army in Northern Ireland, and longest-running British Army operation ever, comes to an end

2017 Anthony Scaramucci removed as White House Communications Director after less than 2 weeks

2018 Facebook discloses and removes Russian-linked network of sites attempting to interfere in American politics

2019 Russian President Vladimir Putin orders Russian army to help put out huge wildfires in Siberia covering three million hectares (7.4 million acres) after 700,000 people sign petition

 

Birthdays Today

@94 – Milton Friedman, economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2006)

@90 – Marion Talbot, influential American educator (d. 1948)

@79 – Fred Quimby, American animation producer [Tom & Jerry] (d. 1965)

@86 – Curt Gowdy, American sportscaster and actor (d. 2006)

62 – Mark Cuban, American businessman

58 – Wesley Snipes, actor

55 – J. K. Rowling, English author, film producer

54 – Dean Cain, American actor

42 – Zac Brown, American country singer-songwriter

 

Puzzle Answer

Short

☆    ☆     ☆     ☆     ☆     ☆     ☆     ☆     ☆     ☆     ☆     ☆     ☆