April 19

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Apr. 19, 2020 Week: 17 Day: 110

86004: H 61° \ L 30° \ Average Sky Cover: 65%

Wind: 7mph\Gusts: 9mph Visibility: 10 mi

Nearest lightning: 225mi.; Nearest active fire: 346mi.

Record High: 77°[1989] Record Low: 10°[1917]

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

Today’s Quote

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize

how close they were to success when they gave up."

-Thomas A. Edison

Random Tidbits

Most Chinese Food. All across America, Chinese buffets offer endless arrays of beautiful, deep-fried, grease-soaked food. General Tso's chicken, chop suey, egg rolls, chow mein, fortune cookies.

What do all these dishes have in common? They were all invented in America. Chinese people typically eat rice with vegetables and maybe a little meat. And it's not battered or fried, and it's certainly not filled with cheese. That's all American.

Have a smile

A friend sent these to me

Question: What did the fisherman say to the magician?
Answer: Pick a Cod any Cod 

Observations This Week

Oral, Head, Neck Cancer Awareness Week: 13-19 Link
Global Youth Service Days: 17-19 
National Dance Week: 17-26 LinkCANCELLED due to COVID-19.
Cleaning For A Reason Week: 18-24
Consumer Awareness Week: 18-23
Just Pray No! Worldwide Weekend of Prayer and Fasting: 18-19  Link
National Park Week: 18-26  Link
Police Officers Who Gave Their Lives In The Line of Duty Week: 18-23
Animal Cruelty/Human Violence Awareness Week: 19-25 Link 
Bedbug Awareness Week: 19-25
Chemists Celebrate Earth Week: 19-25
Festival of Ridvan: 19-5/1
Fibroid Awareness Week: 19-25
Medical Laboratory Professionals Week: 19-25Link
National Coin Week: 19-25
National Crime Victims Rights Week: 19-25 Link
National Infertility Awareness Week: 19-25 Link
National Library Week: 19-25National Paperboard Packaging Week: 19-25
National Pet ID Week: 19-25 Link  Link
National Princess Week: 19-25 Link
National Volunteer Week: 19-25
Sky Awareness Week: 19-25
Spring Astronomy Week: 19-25 

Observations for Today

Bicycle Day Link
Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Action Day  Link
John Parker Day
National Garlic Day Link
National Hanging Out Day
National Poker Day  Link
National Rice Ball Day

Oklahoma City Bombing Commemoration Day

My Rambling Thoughts

A little cloudy, just took a short walk. Hoping for moisture.

I read an article about H2N2 work visas. People working on an H2N2 can only work for the company that hired them. That way, say Microsoft finds a programmer in India and hires them, Microsoft gets the H2N2 visa and the person can't get here and then go to work for Apple. Now during the pandemic, turns out many medical personnel are also here on H2N2 visas. There is no legal way for these people to go to an area where there expertise is most needed. Congress needs to fix this. And turns out many EMT's and other medical people do not get any medical insurance coverage or paid sick leave from their employer.

While protesters have been blocking traffic to stop some governor's stay-at-home orders, Trump said yesterday the protesters seem 'very responsible'. And then tweeted to free those states. What is going on?

My traveling buddy from Focus sent me a great video of George W Bush warning America of a pandemic that was possible during his administration. It had good guidelines as to what we should do before and during a pandemic. Too bad many Americans, including our President, don't recall his great advice.

I have noticed that I have been preparing a lot of comfort food from my youth. In the last two weeks I have made Mom's Beef and Noodles, Dad's chili; and today it's Mom's meatloaf. I'll do chocolate chip cookies but have to get some stuff the next time I shop.

Today’s Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of the page

If you wrote all of the numbers from 300 to 400 on a piece of paper, how many times would you have written the number 3?

Historical Events

1775 - The American Revolution began in Lexington, Massachusetts.

1892 -The first Duryea automobile was operated by pioneer manufacturer Charles E. Duryea in Springfield, Massachusetts.

1897 - The first Boston Marathon was held.

1919 - Leslie Irvin made the first successful voluntary free-fall parachute jump using a self-contained parachute.

1927 - Mae West is sentenced to ten days in jail for obscenity for her play Sex in New York. She served eight days with two days off for good behavior.

1956 - American actress Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier of Monaco.

1975 - India's first satellite, Aryabhata, was launched.

1982 - NASA announced that the first black astronaut would be Guion S. Bluford, Jr., and the first woman astronaut would be Sally K. Ride.

1985 - Two hundred ATF and FBI agents laid siege to the compound of the neo-Nazi survivalist group The Covenant, The Sword, and the Arm of the Lord in Arkansas.

1993 - At Mount Carmel in Waco, Texas, the FBI launched a tear-gas assault on the Branch Davidian compound, ending with a fire that killed 81 members, including 22 children.

1994 Rodney King awarded $3,800,000 compensation for his police beating

1995 - A massive truck bomb exploded outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, killing 168 people.

2005 Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger elected Pope Benedict XVI on the second day of the Papal conclave.

2011 Fidel Castro resigns from the Communist Party of Cuba's central committee after 45 years of holding the title.

2018 Miguel Diaz-Canel is elected Cuba's new president after former president Raúl Castro steps down

Birthdays Today

@91-Actor, Hugh O'Brian (d. 2016)

74-Actor, Tim Curry

@74-Boxer, Mohammad Ali [Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.] (d.2006)

@66-Actor, Dudley Moore (d.2002; pneumonia)

@54-FBI Agent, Eliot Ness (d. 1957; heart attack)

42-Actor, James Franco (1978)

41-Actress, Kate Hudson (1979)

39-Actor, Hayden Christensen (1981)

@34-Actress, Jayne Mansfield (d.1967; auto accident)

33-Tennis player, Maria Sharapova (1987)

Puzzle Answer:

120 (100 threes in the hundreds place + 10 threes in the tens place + 10 threes in the ones place)

Apr 18

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Apr. 18, 2020 Week: 16 Day: 109

86004: H 66° \ L 33° \ Average Sky Cover: 50%

Wind: 4mph\Gusts: 12mph Visibility: 10 mi

Nearest lightning: 1715mi.; Nearest active fire: 131mi.

Record High: 79°[1989] Record Low: 15°[2013]

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

Today’s Quote

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all."

-Helen Keller

Random Tidbits

Dolphins typically do not live alone, but rather in schools or pods. They have a complex social structure. Unlike most wild animals, dolphins spend a lot of time enjoying sex and foreplay that is not determined by being 'in season' or the urge to procreate.

While most wild animals avoid contact with humans, wild dolphins are known to play and associate with humans, especially children. Sadly, dolphin's most dangerous enemy is also humans.

Observations This Week

National Dog Bite Prevention Week:12-18 Link 
National Public Safety Telecommunicators (911 Operators) Week: 12-18 
National Student Employment Week: 12-18 Link
Orthodox Holy Week: 12-18
Pan American Week: 12-18 
World Hula Week: 12-18 
Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week: 13-19 Link
Global Youth Service Days: 17-19 
National Dance Week: 17-26 Link CANCELLED due to COVID-19.
Cleaning For A Reason Week: 18-24
Consumer Awareness Week: 18-23
Just Pray No! Worldwide Weekend of Prayer and Fasting: 18-19  Link
National Park Week: 18-26  Link
Police Officers Who Gave Their Lives In The Line of Duty Week: 18-23

Observations for Today

Adult Autism Day
Auctioneers Day
Husband Appreciation Day
International Raw Milk Cheese Appreciation Day

International Day for Monuments and Sites   Link
International Juggler's Day

National Animal Crackers Day

National Columnists' Day   Link
National Ask An Atheist Day
Pet Owners Independence Day Link  Link
Record Store Day
World Amateur Radio Day Link
World Circus Day

My Rambling Thoughts

Nice day for a walk...so I did it.

More data about the virus is coming out everyday. Today I found that AZ peak resources use is Apr. 22; peak deaths will occur Apr. 23. CO had peak resources use on Apr 8 with peak deaths Apr. 8. NM has peak use on Apr. 21 with peak deaths on Apr. 22. So the new guidelines leave AZ waiting for quite a while. Colorado may begin reopening a lot sooner.

Then I also read this: When you read that the curve is flattening you can start lifting restrictions now is like saying the parachute slowed the rate of descent, so now you can take it off.

I get that this is a new virus, and that things change daily. I'm just tired of the whole mess.

Our retirement group did a 3-way today...a 3-way phone call...not as good as our lunches, but we caught up quite nicely.

The Rez is having another weekend lockdown...tonight at 5p until Monday at 5a. Stores closed, can only be in your home or yard. Police giving out $1000 fine for violators. A friend from Tuba has his 30-year-old nephew staying with him. The nephew's ex lost her grandmother to Covid19. He was asked to be a pall bearer. Only 5 could attend the burial service. My friend tried to talk him out of doing it, to no avail. The nephew wore a mask and gloves, came home, took his clothes off outside then put them in the washer while he showered. Hopefully he didn't bring the virus back. Very scary times.

Today’s Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of the page

Without it, I am dead.

If I am not, then then I am behind.

What am I?

Historical Events

1506 - The cornerstone of the current St. Peter's Basilica was laid.

1738 - Real Academia de la Historia ("Royal Academy of History") was founded in Madrid, Spain.

1775 - Paul Revere's Ride took place. He probably said "The Regulars are coming out" rather subtly since there were British Troops everywhere.

1846 - The first US Patent (#4,464) for a telegraph ticker that would print letters of the alphabet was issued to R.E. House of New York City.

1902 - Quetzaltenango, the second largest city of Guatemala, was destroyed by an earthquake.

1906 (Earthquake) At 5:13 AM, an earthquake estimated at close to 8.0 on the Richter scale strikes San Francisco, California.

1909 - Joan of Arc was beatified by the Catholic Church, the first step towrds sainthood. Pope Benedict XV canonized Joan on May 16, 1920.

1923 - Yankee Stadium, 'The House that Ruth Built', opened.

1924 - Simon & Schuster published the first crossword puzzle book.

1925 - The first Woman's World's Fair in US was officially opened in Chicago, Illinois, by First Lady Mrs Calvin Coolidge.

1930 - BBC reported there was no news, and then played out with piano music.

1966 - James M. Schlatter applied for a Patent (#3,492,131) for Peptide Sweetening Agents, an invention which eventually led led to the marketing of aspartame under the name NutraSweet

1983 - The Disney Channel began as a cable channel

1983 - A suicide bomber destroyed the United States embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, killing 63 people.

1989 - In the People's Republic of China (PRC), student protests grew until the Chinese government eventually suppressed them in June, during what came to be known as the Tienanmen Square Massacre.

2012 - Dick Clark, host of American Bandstand and New Year's Rockin' Eve died.

2014 - 16 people were killed in an avalanche on Mount Everest.

 Irish Journalist Lyra McKee shot to death covering riots in Derry, Northern Ireland with dissident republican group the New IRA claiming responsibility

Birthdays Today

@94-Actress, Barbara Hale (d. 2017)

@80-Lawyer, Clarence Darrow (1857)

75-Actress, Hayley Mills

59-Actress, Jane Leeves

57-TV host, Conan O'Brien

44-Actress, Melissa Joan Hart

41-Reality TV star, Kourtney Kardashian

@39-Murderess, Lucretia Borgia (d.1519 following child birth)

36-Actress, America Ferrera

Puzzle Answer:

Ahead

Apr 17

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Apr. 17, 2020 Week: 16 Day: 108

86004: H 63° \ L 29° \ Average Sky Cover: 5%

Wind: 7mph\Gusts: 16mph Visibility: 10 mi

Nearest lightning: 316mi.; Nearest active fire: 407mi.

Record High: 77°[1946] Record Low: 15°[2009]

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

Today’s Quote

“Think what a better world it would be if we all,
the whole world, had cookies and milk
about three o’clock every afternoon
and then lay down on our blankets for a nap.”
~ Barbara Jordan

Random Tidbits

Unlike a fish, which moves its tail from side to side, a dolphin swims by moving its tail (made up of flukes) up and down. And a dolphin carries more oxygen in its blood than a fish and can swim longer than a fish...hence, dolphins are better adapted to the sea than are any fish.

The smallest dolphin is the Hector or Maui Dolphin, of which only 150 are left today.

The narwhal whale has a large ivory tusk (like a unicorn) which is often poached. The only remaining populations are in the Greenland Sea and Baffin Bay.

Observations This Week

Week of The Young Child: 11-17 Link
Animal Control Officer Appreciation Week: 12-18 Link 
National Dog Bite Prevention Week:12-18 Link 
National Public Safety Telecommunicators (911 Operators) Week: 12-18 
National Student Employment Week: 12-18 Link
Orthodox Holy Week: 12-18
Pan American Week: 12-18 
World Hula Week: 12-18 
National Occupational Health Nursing Week: 13-17 Link
Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week: 13-19 Link
Global Youth Service Days: 17-19 
National Dance Week: 17-26 Link CANCELLED due to COVID-19.

Observations for Today

Bat Appreciation Day  (Emerge from Hibernation)
Blah, Blah, Blah Day

Ellis Island Family History Day
Ford Mustang DayHaiku Poetry Day

Herbalist Day

International Haiku Poetry Day  Link
Malbec World Day  Link
National Cheeseball Day

National Clean Out Your Medicine Cabinet Day  Link 
National Crawfish Day  Link

National Donate Life (Blue and Green) Day 
Nothing Like A Dame DayPet Owners Independence Day

World Hemophilia Day

World Malbec Day

My Rambling Thoughts

Got ready early. Arrived at the grocery store at 6am, got my fresh fruits, milk, bread, veggies. Home by 7a. I didn't really 'shop' as I had my list, knew where everything was. Headed to what I needed, grabbed what I needed, and moved on. Not a lot of shoppers, but every aisle had one other person. FYI: It is harder to move quickly wearing gloves and a face mask.

It's been over a month since I had 'shopped'...like walking slowly down an aisle, looking for new items and sale items. My current way of getting what I need is much less expensive than 'shopping'...and much more boring.

I just don't get the people who are protesting by blocking roads, especially to hospitals to show their dissatisfaction of the current stay-at-home orders. I also don't get the flat earthers.

Today’s Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of the page

What number comes next in the following sequence? 2 4 8 10 20 _

Historical Events

1397 - Geoffrey Chaucer told The Canterbury Tales for the first time at the court of Richard II.

1815 (Volcano) Tambora volcano in Indonesia killed almost 100,000 people.

1861 - The first oil well fire occurred at the Little and Merrick well at Oil Creek, near Rouseville, Pennsylvania, killing 19 people.

1897 - A UFO supposedly crashed into a farm owned by J.S. Proctor in Aurora, Texas.

1906 - San Francisco was hit by a disastrous earthquake, with an estimated magnitude of 7.8.

1907 - The Ellis Island immigration center in New York processed 11,747 people, more than on any other day.

1960 - Singer Eddie Cochran died, and Gene Vincent was injured in a UK car accident.

1961 - The unsuccessful Bay of Pigs invasion began.

1964 - Geraldine 'Jerrie' Mock landed in Columbus, Ohio, becoming the first woman to complete a solo airplane flight around the world.

1964 - The Ford Mustang as introduced to the North American market.

1969 Sirhan Sirhan is convicted of assassinating US Senator Robert F. Kennedy

1979 - The worst attended MLB game occurred in Oakland on 4/17/1979 - Only 250 people showed up.

2001 A letter between Gale Norton and Jeb Bush is released, stating that the Bush administration has decided to go ahead with plans to auction 6 million acres of potentially oil-and-gas-rich seabed in the Gulf of Mexico

2009 Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark becomes the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the first woman to lead the organization

2011 - Game of Thrones premiered on HBO

2012 The 8th century St. Cuthbert Gospel, Europe's oldest intact book, is purchased by the British Library for 9 million pounds

2014 - NASA's Kepler confirmed the discovery of the first Earth-size planet in the habitable zone of another star.

Birthdays Today

83-Animated character, Daffy Duck (1937)

@75-American banker/CEO, J.P. Morgan (d. 1913)

@68-Newscaster, Harry Reasoner (d. 1991; blood clot)

61-Actor, Sean Bean (1959)

48-Actress, Jennifer Garner (1972)

46-Musician, Victoria Beckham (1974)

Puzzle Answer:

22 (the sequence alternates +2, x2)