Apr 30

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Apr. 30, 2020 Week: 18 Day: 121

86004: H 78° \ L 46° \ Average Sky Cover: 5%

Wind: 5mph\Gusts: 10mph Visibility: 10 mi

Nearest lightning: 823mi.; Nearest active fire: 129mi.

Record High: 78°[1981] Record Low: 10°[1967]

Apr. Averages: 60°\27° (3 days with moisture)

Today’s Quote

"If you look at what you have in life,

you'll always have more.

If you look at what you don't have in life,

you'll never have enough."

-Oprah Winfrey

Random Tidbits

The largest tree by volume

The world's largest tree is a stately giant sequoia known as General Sherman in California's Sequoia National Park. This majestic arboreal master is about 52,500 cubic feet in volume.

Most Dangerous Animals

Elephants: 100 deaths per year. Elephants have the largest brains of the animal kingdom.

Have a smile

A friend sent these to me

My friend just told me that his beloved Swedish car was stolen today.
It was quite a Saab story.

What do you call a baby monkey?

A chimp off the old block.

Observations This Week

Festival of Ridvan: 19-5/1
International Mariachi Week: 22-29 Link
Ramadan: 23-5/23

National Scoop The Poop Week: 24-30
World Immunization Week: 24-30
National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW): 26-5/3 Link
Preservation Week:26-5/2  Link (re: Libraries)Stewardship Week: 26-5/3 
National Playground Safety Week: 27-5/1 Link

Observations for Today

Adopt A Shelter Pet Day

Animal Advocacy Day

Honesty Day

National Oatmeal Cookie Day

National Raisin Day

My Rambling Thoughts

Andy called this morning and his neighbor wanted to help with the gutter. So the three of us got it done in about 2 hours. The neighbor is retired Army and three made the job very simple. Glad I could help. Hardest part was putting the ladder up around the air conditioner and the satellite dish.

Throughout my working career my health insurance was always through my employer. I was lucky because I had the same main employer...the Federal Government...for my 36 year career. Most workers are not so lucky. Many employers don't even offer a healthcare plan. Unions, in the past, fought for coverage for their members. Many who have coverage have to change providers if they change jobs. Since the virus arrived on our shores, 9.2 million working Americans have lost their coverage, because they lost their jobs when the country shut down. Now they don't have a job and they don't have health coverage if they get sick. The lesson I learned: the way Americans get health coverage has to change now.

When I sent to a new school I knew that 'When in Rome, do as the Romans.' Every school was I detailed to had a strong school culture. I had to learn that culture and work within that culture in order to keep the school operating. It is sad that the VP of the United States has never learned that valuable lesson. While visiting the Mayo clinic and sick patients, he should have worn a mask...for the health of the patients, the front-line workers, and for himself...and as a message to all Americans that this is serious. I have no understanding of his actions.

Today’s Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of the page

Returns tomorrow

Historical Events

In Celtic tradition, the night of April 30 was thought of as the darkest of the year, when witches flew to frighten, spawning evil throughout the land. In response, people pounded on kettles, slammed doors, cracked whips, rang church bells and made all the noise they could to scare off the corruption they imagined to be moving on the moist air.

They lit bonfires and torches and witch- proofed their houses with spring boughs. Such vigils were kept throughout the night until the rising of the May-dawn.

1789 - In New York City, George Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the United States.

1803 - The Louisiana Purchase from France, for 15 million dollars, also included much (if not all of) of Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wyoming.

1812 - The Territory of Orleans became the 18th U.S. state under the name Louisiana.

1894 - Antarctic iceberg fragment was sighted at a latitude 26.50 degrees south, approximately parallel to to Rio de Janeiro, the nearest to the equator that an Antarctic iceberg that has been seen.

1900 - Casey Jones died in a train wreck in Vaughan, Mississippi, while trying to make up time on the Cannonball Express.

1900 - Hawaii became a territory of the United States, with Sanford B. Dole as governor.

1927 - Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford were the first celebrities to leave their footprints in concrete at Grauman's Chinese Theater, in Hollywood.

1939 - The New York World's fair opened at Flushing Meadow Park in Queens.

1948 - The Land Rover, a British-made all-terrain vehicle, debuted at an auto show in Amsterdam.

1989 - CNBC, the first NBC cable channel and the first financial cable channel, began transmitting.

1992- A Time Capsule was put in the ground in front of the Nickelodeon Building. However, on the same exact day 13 years later, Nickelodeon's studios closed. It's now underneath the entrance to the Nickelodeon Resort. It will be opened April 30th, 2042.

1993 - Tennis star Monica Seles was stabbed by Gunter Parchein Hamburg, Germany.

1997 - During the 'Puppy' episode of Ellen it was revealed that the main/title character (Ellen DeGeneres) was gay.

2009 Chrysler automobile company files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

2013 Willem-Alexander becomes the first male Monarch of Netherlands in 123 years, following the abdication of his mother, Queen Beatrix

2019 New type of dementia identified and named limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (Late) after misdiagnosed as Alzheimer's disease

Birthdays Today

94-Actress, Cloris Leachman

@89-Alice B. Toklas (d. 1967)

@66-Actress, Jill Clayburgh ( d.2010; leukemia)

59-Basketball player, Isiah Thomas

38-Actress, Kirsten Dunst

@35-Musician, Johnny Horton (d.1960; auto accident)