Aug 8

 

☼☼☼

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

Aug 8, 2020 Week: 32 Day: 221

86004:   H 82° \ L 52° \ Average Sky Cover:5 %

Wind:   21mph\Gusts:  27mph  Visibility:  10mi

Nearest lightning:  154mi.; Nearest active fire:  59mi. 

High Risk of Fire          

Record High: 90°[1980]   Record Low: 35°[2009]

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

☼☼☼

Today’s  Quote

"I never dreamed about success, I worked for it."

-Estee Lauder

☼☼☼

Random Tidbits

 The first human to journey into outer space was Russian Soviet pilot and cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. His Vostok spacecraft completed an orbit of the Earth on 12 April 1961.

Since then humankind has visited the moon and built permanent stations in space, but space travel remains a dangerous, challenging and expensive endeavor.

☼☼☼

A little humor

It’s so hot in Arizona,

cows are giving evaporated milk

and the trees are whistling for dogs.

 

Etc. = End of Thinking Capacity

☼☼☼

NEW! State Name Origins

The name "Alaska" comes from the Aleut word "Alyeska" which means "great land." The Aleuts are the indigenous people of the Aleutian Islands and western Alaska.

☼☼☼

Observations This Week

National Lemonade Days: 1-9 Link Moved from June due to COVID-19
National Exercise With Your Child Week: 2-8
Knights of Columbus Family Week: 2-8  
National Button Week: 2-8 Link
National Farmers' Market Week: 2-8  Link 
National Health Center Week: 2-8 Link  
Single Working Women's Week: 2-8  Link
Stop on Red Week: 2-8 Link
National Bargain Hunting Week: 3-9  
Old Fiddlers' Week: 3-8
PGA Championships: 3-9 Link Moved from May due to COVID-19
North American Organic Brewers Days: 4-8 Link   Moved from June.
Numismatic Week (World's Fair of Money): 4-8
National Hobo Week: 6-9 Link
International Tree Climbing Days: 7-9 Link
Sturgis Rally: 7-16 Link 
Elvis Week: 8-16 Link

☼☼☼

Observations for Today

Artichoke Day Link  Moved from May due to COVID-19
Dalek Day Link 
Global Sleep Under The Stars Night  Link
International Beer Day

International Cat Day  Link   Link
International Hangover Day  Link 
The Date to Create
Happiness Happens Day
Middle Child Day 
National Bowling Day Link 
National CBD Day  Link
National Clown Day

National Fried Chicken & Waffles Day
National Frozen Custard Day

National Garage Sale Day 
National Zucchini Day

Odie Day (Garfield's pal)
Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Night
Wear Your Mother's Jewelry Day

☼☼☼

My Rambling Thoughts

A nice day with wind. No sand.

A few weeks ago, I read that the Sturgis Rally had been canceled for this year. Oops, it was on the news and despite Covid, it is going ahead. Looks like it is all about $$$ as masks and social distancing are not required. I have an San Carlos Apache friend who attends every year…but not this year. I attended when I was detailed up there in Pine Ridge. It is an experience for sure.

Summer = construction. This week they were replacing a major sewer line in Oak Creek, near Sedona. The old line was ruptured and spilled 20,000 gallons of raw sewage into the recreational river. They cleaned up and a 48 hours later the water was back to being safe for swimming.

The NY Attorney General filed a case to close-down the NRA for fraud and mishandling of funds by the CEO. Many on the NRA side say it is just political. Time will tell.

If anyone wants my opinion, I am all for the Presidential debates. The more the better. The first one should be held before any early voting in any state begins. As Captain Picard on Star Trek would say: Make it so.

Becoming an American Citizen has never been easy and usually takes many years. The administration has just placed another hurdle: Beginning on Oct. 2 the application fee goes up 80% to $1160. That is just to apply, no refunds. And this doesn’t include lawyer fees, test preparation costs.

☼☼☼

Today’s Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of the page

Jessica just turned 13 years old. Her father Chris is 40 years old.

How many years ago was Chris four times as old as Jessica?

☼☼☼

Historical Events

1508 Spaniard Juan Ponce de León founds Caparra the first European settlement in Puerto Rico

1576 Cornerstone laid for Tycho Brahe's observatory in Uraniborg, Denmark, at the time world's most advanced research institution

1709 1st known ascent in hot-air balloon, Bartolomeu de Gusmao (indoors)

1844 Brigham Young chosen as head of Mormon Church (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) following the death of Joseph Smith

1854 Smith & Wesson patents metal bullet cartridges

1876 Thomas Edison is granted the patent for Autographic Printing (US Patent 180,857)

1898 Will Kellogg invents Corn Flakes

1929 German airship Graf Zeppelin begins a round-the-world flight

1945 President Harry Truman signs the United Nations Charter

1945 US, USSR, Britain and France sign Treaty of London which sets down procedures for the Nuremberg war trials of Nazi leaders

1950 Florence Chadwick swims English Channel (13:23)

1955 Fidel Castro forms the "26th of July Movement", a Cuban vanguard revolutionary organization

1973 US Vice President Spiro Agnew says reports he took kickbacks are "damned lies" from government contracts in Maryland. Vowed not to resign.

2007 Carlos Slim overtakes Bill Gates as world's richest person with estimated net worth of US$59 billion, according to "Fortune"

2018 Australia's most populous state New South Wales declared 100% in drought

☼☼☼

Birthdays Today

82 Dustin Hoffman, actor

@80 Charles Bulfinch, 1st US pro architect (Mass State House), born in Boston

@71 "Dr. Bob" Smith, physician, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, (d. 1950; cancer)

@62 Rudi Gernreich, designer (1st women's topless swimsuit, miniskirt) (d. 1985; lung cancer)

62 Deborah Norville, news anchor (Today Show, Inside Edition)

@53 John Ker, Scottish spy (d. 1726; in debtor’s prison)

@48 Sara Teasdale, American poet (1st Pulitzer Prize-1918-"Love Songs") (d. 1933; suicide)

@39 Emiliano Zapata, Mexican revolutionary, peasant leader (d. 1919; shot)

39 Roger Federer, tennis star

☼☼☼

Puzzle Answer

Four years ago.  Jessica was nine and Chris was 36, nine times four is 36.

☼☼☼