Sep 4

 

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

Sep 4, 2020  Week: 36  Day: 248                     Local:   H 85° \ L 52° \ Average Sky Cover: 5%

Wind:   3mph\Gusts:  6mph                              Nearest lightning:  741mi.; active fire:  90mi. 

Extreme Risk of Fire                                        Visibility:  10mi

Record: 90°[1945]   Record: 27°[1961]                  Sep Averages: 74°\42° (5 days with rain)

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Today’s  Quote

The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are ransformed.

Carl Jung 

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Random Tidbits

 Between 1,800 and 2,000 Americans are reported missing every day. This includes both children and adults. But many of those reports are later cancelled.

When a child goes missing, the first 3 hours are the most crucial in finding the child safely. Approximately 76 percent of abducted children who are murdered are dead within three hours of the abduction.

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A little humor

"Disorder in the Court" True statements from court records

  

ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual?

WITNESS: He was about medium height and had a beard.

ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female?

WITNESS: Unless the circus was in town I'm going with male.

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State Name Origins

Both North and South Dakota get their name from the Sioux word for "friend" or "ally," though there is no definitive proof for this origin.

The name "Tennessee" may have come from Creek and Cherokee words, but it is uncertain where the Volunteer State got its name. Spanish explorer Juan Pardo first recorded the name in 1567 as he and his soldiers passed through a Cherokee village called "Tanasqui."

"Texas" comes from the Native American Caddo word "teyshas," which means "friends" or "allies." Some Native American people like the Caddo or the Hasinais used the word as a greeting. In time, the word came to refer to the area north of the Rio Grande and east of New Mexico.

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True Things

 A team of football players was at the right place at the right time when they came across a woman dangling off the side of a Utah cliff by her hair.

In a tug-of-war style, the Dixie State University athletes set up a rescue operation with ropes at the Sugarloaf in St. George after a man accompanying the woman asked for help.

Video footage, captured by the team's coach Loni Fangupo, shows two men and one woman pulling the rescuee to safety, who soon called for water, while the players stood by waiting for some sign she was OK.

The woman became trapped after her hair got entangled with her equipment while descending down the vertical cliff.

The players said they were in the area gathering at the "Dixie Rock" as they do every year during their fall camp.

"The gentleman she was with asked for some help and we jumped right to it, I think anybody would step up and do the same thing," head football coach Paul Peterson told the outlet. "We had plenty of muscle to be able to get her up pretty quickly."

Peterson said the woman might have been dangling for about 45 minutes before being rescued.

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Observations This Month

Library Card Sign-up Month
(World) Leukemia and Lymphoma Awareness Month Link
Million Minute Family Challenge (September-December)
Mold Awareness Month
National Americana Month  Link
National Bake & Decorate Month
National Be A Food Hero Month
National Campus Safety Awareness Month Link
National Cheese Month  Link
National Chicken Month Link
National Child Awareness Month Link
National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month Link
National Chiari Awareness Month  Link  Link
National Coupon Month
National Disease Literacy Month Link
National DNA, Geonomics & Stem Cell Education Month
National Food Safety Education Month  Link
National Family Meals Month Link
National Fruit and Veggies Month (Also June)
National Guide Dog Month Link
National Head Lice Prevention Month
National Hispanic Heritage Month (9/15-10/15)
National Home Furnishings Month
National Honey Month Link
National Infant Mortality Awareness Month Link
National Mulled Cider Month Link
National Mushroom Month Link 
National Organic Harvest Month Link
National Osteopathic Medicine Month Link
National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month (Gov't)
National Passport Awareness Month  Link

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Observations This Week

Chuckwagon Races: Thru 9/6 
National Sweet Corn Week: Thru 9/5
US Open Tennis Championships: Thru 9/13
International Enthusiasm Week: 1-7
National Nutrition Week: 1-7 (UNICEF-India) Link
Self-University Week: 1-7 Link
Golden Onion Week: 3-7 
National Go-Kart Week: 3-6  Link
Sweet Corn Week: 3-7
Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over: 4-8 Link 

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Observations for Today

Bring Your Manners To Work Day  
Cow Chip Throwing Days-through 5  Link Cancelled due to COVID-19
Eat an Extra Dessert Day

National College Colors Day Link

National Food Bank Day  Link  
National Lazy Mom's Day  
National Macadamia Nut Day

National Wildlife Day Link 

Newspaper Carrier Day

Stand Up To Cancer Day Link 

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My Rambling Thoughts

Another warm day. Not complaining. As I was driving to my appointment, I noticed several trees that have already changed color. Guess the trees figured out it was September, even though it is still warm.

NAU, our local University, released some interesting numbers for fall. Enrollment is down 5% over last year. Revenue is down $78million and after staff layoffs there are 700 fewer classes being offered. Sounds drastic.

It has been a while since the detention of children at the border has been in the news. That doesn’t mean it hasn’t continued. In the past few months, the US has detained hundreds of children in hotels in AZ and TX. These children are held at the hotels, never see a lawyer, and then deported, usually without their parents, back to their home country. The government claims this is happening because of Covid19…the disease the President claims is under control. The children can’t go outside, are not allowed to disclose their location when they get their one call a day to family. Those holding the children are not Federal employees but are untrained sub-contractors. Because the children get 3 ‘hot’ meals a day + snacks, the government is not concerned. Hotels are making big bucks. Major chain hotels are involved, but claim their individual properties are franchises. Therefore, it is difficult for the corporate office to dictate what the franchise can do. I find this disgusting.

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Today’s Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of the page

I live in a never-ending sea of sand while I protect triangles that point to the stars. I’m not a woman, lion, or eagle. I’m all three.

Who am I?

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Historical Events

1682 – English astronomer Edmund Halley discovered the comet now named after him.

1781 – The city of Los Angeles was founded.

1833 – Barney Flaherty (age 10) was hired by the New York Sun as America’s first newsboy.

1888 – George Eastman patented his 1st roll-film camera and registered the “Kodak” name.

1893 – Beatrix Potter created Peter Rabbit when writing a letter to a friend dated today.

1900 – “Typhoid Mary” Mallon was a cook who was ‘patient zero’ for a series of Typhoid Fever outbreaks in the early 1900s. She claimed to have never been sick herself.

1951 – President Truman’s address at the signing of the Japanese Peace Treaty (WW II) was broadcast.

1957 – Nine black students attempted to enter Little Rock Central High School but were blocked by the Arkansas National Guard. The next day, President Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered the 1,200-man 101st Airborne Battle Group of the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to escort the nine students into the school.

1957 – Ford introduced “The Edsel” automobile – one of the biggest business flops in history.

1972 – Mark Spitz won his seventh gold medal in the 1972 Munich Olympics.

1972 Thieves steal 18 paintings from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in what was at the time the largest art theft in North America.

1998 Google is formally incorporated by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, two students at Stanford University

2016 Mother Teresa canonized by Pope Francis in a ceremony at the Vatican

2017 Nobel Peace laureate Malala Yousafzai criticizes Suu Kyi's lack of response to the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar

2017 US President Donald Trump announces Dreamers program, The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca) will be stopped

2018 F.B.I. announces they have recovered Dorothy's ruby red slippers from "The Wizard of Oz", stolen 13 years ago

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Birthdays Today

@90 – Paul Harvey, American radio host ‘Good Day!’ (d. 2009)

@83 – William Lyons, English businessman, co-founded Jaguar Cars (d. 1985)

@80 – Lewis Howard Latimer, American inventor (d. 1928)

62 – ‘Dr. Drew’ Pinsky, American radio and television host

39 – Beyonce [Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter], singer

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Puzzle Answer

The Sphinx…I was fortunate enough to see the Sphinx a little over a decade ago on my trip to Egypt with Focus Travel and HLO tours.

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Sep 3

 

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

Sep 3, 2020  Week: 36  Day: 247                    Local:   H 81° \ L 47° \ Average Sky Cover: 5%

Wind:   2mph\Gusts:  5mph                              Nearest lightning:  602mi.; active fire:  132mi. 

Extreme Risk of Fire                                        Visibility:  10mi

Record: 91°[1948]   Record: 34°[1973]                 Sep Averages: 74°\42° (5 days with rain)

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Today’s  Quote

Often it does seem a pity that Noah and his party

did not miss the boat.

Mark Twain

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Random Tidbits

 The word left in English comes from the Anglo-Saxon word lyft, which means weak or broken. The Oxford English Dictionary defines left-handed as meaning crippled, defective, awkward, clumsy, inapt, characterized by underhanded dealings, ambiguous, doubtful, questionable, ill-omened, inauspicious, and illegitimate.

Even the word "dexterity" shows a right-handed bias. The term dexter means "right" and refers to being "right-handed" on both sides.

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A little humor

"Disorder in the Court" True statements from court records

  

ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?

WITNESS: By death.

ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?

WITNESS: Take a guess.

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State Name Origins

The origin of Rhode Island's name harks back to the Old World. The first mention of Rhode Island in writing was by Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano in the early 16th century. He referred to an island near the mouth of Narragansett Bay that he compared to the Island of Rhodes in the Mediterranean. Still, others connect the name to 17th century Dutch explorer Adriaen Block, who called it "Roodt Eylandt," meaning "red island" because of its red clay.

South Carolina, derived from the Latin word for Charles (Carolus), was named by King Charles II of England to honor his father, King Charles I in the 17th century. Carolina would eventually be divided into two colonies, North and South Carolina, in 1712.

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True Things

 Shoplifting can be a real hassle. Especially carrying all of that tantalizing loot out of the store. And what if you want to shoplift something bulky? Like lawn equipment? You're not going to fit that under an overcoat. One enterprising woman in Alabama solved those little inconveniences by doing the most obvious thing.

Police say 42-year-old Gwendolyn Braswell was behind the wheel of a Pontiac Sunfire that drove into a Home Depot Friday morning. The bizarre incident was recorded by surveillance cameras inside the store.

Police today identified Braswell as the suspect and asked the public for help in determining her whereabouts. Braswell is facing multiple charges, including burglary, criminal mischief, and theft.

It is believed that Braswell had first staged merchandise in the store before returning to pick up the goods (a leaf blower and a dehumidifier). That's some good planning right there.

After backing in through the store's front sliding doors--which were clipped by the Pontiac--Braswell navigated her way down an aisle, but not before plowing into a display and scattering customers.

Investigators connected Braswell to the brazen heist thanks to witnesses who took down the Pontiac's license plate and recorded video. Police say Braswell used the vehicle without the owner's permission.

Braswell's rap sheet includes a burglary conviction and an arrest for possession of narcotics and drug paraphernalia.

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Observations This Month

Happy Healthy Cat Month Link Link
Histiocytosis Awareness Month Link
Hunger Action Month  Link  Link
Intergeneration Month
International  or National Guide Dogs Month Link  Link
International People Skills Month
International Self-Awareness Month Link  
International Speak Out Month
International Strategic Thinking Month
International Square Dancing Month
International Women's Friendship Month Link
ITP Awareness Month Link

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Observations This Week

Chuckwagon Races: Thru 9/6 
National Sweet Corn Week: Thru 9/5
US Open Tennis Championships: Thru 9/13
International Enthusiasm Week: 1-7
National Nutrition Week: 1-7 (UNICEF-India) Link
Self-University Week: 1-7 Link
Golden Onion Week: 3-7 
National Go-Kart Week: 3-6  Link
Sweet Corn Week: 3-7

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Observations for Today

National Baby Back Ribs Day

National Day of Prayer for Victims of Hurricane Harvey  Link
National Welsh Rarebit Day

Skyscraper Day Link

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My Rambling Thoughts

It has been a while since I have had a cloudless day. Nice for a change. It is warm but cool enough at night to keep the windows just cracked about an inch.

I’m scheduled for my annual resting cardio test tomorrow. I just got a call from that office saying that when I arrive tomorrow, I must call the office from the parking lot, as they have a Covid positive test. I trust this office, so I’ll see how it turns out. If I’m not comfortable, I’ll reschedule.

When I got up this morning, I checked my cable, still no On Demand. I called. The lady said she was sorry, sent another of the never-ending signals, then called back an hour later. Now she scheduled another visit to my home. I’m no longer upset, now I’m just laughing at the company’s incompetence. I have started a letter to their headquarters.

I have been reading about AI (Artificial Intelligence) and how it is used today. It is fascinating and frightening at the same time. The latest, found on a social media site, showed that AI can now generate a picture that looks like a profile picture, when in fact, the person doesn’t even exist. Then a fake profile is made, and they are off and running to scam people. As of now it takes very sophisticated software to detect the picture is fake. Not great news for sure.

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Today’s Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of the page

Kangaroo words:

Each of these words contains the letters—in order—of another word that means almost the same thing as the original word. For example the u, s, e, and d from the word accustomed for the word used.

1.     Applaud

2.     Barren

3.     Blossom

4.     Catacomb

5.     charisma

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Historical Events

1189 – Richard The Lion-Hearted was crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey.

1192 – King Richard settled peace with Muslim general Saladin, allowing Christian pilgrims and merchants access to Muslim-held Jerusalem.

1777 – At Cooch’s Bridge, in Newark Delaware, an early skirmish of the American Revolutionary War took place, where the Flag of the United States was flown in battle for the first time.

1783 – The Treaty of Paris officially ended the Revolutionary War.

1813 – Uncle Sam was seen for the first time, in Troy, New York.

1833 – The first issue of the New York Sun, New York’s first penny paper, was published.

1838 – Future abolitionist Frederick Douglass escaped from slavery.

1928 – Baseball Hall of Famer Ty Cobb got his 4,191st and last career hit.

1935 – 1st automobile to exceed 300 mph, Sir Malcolm Campbell (301.337 mph)

1944 – Anne Frank and her family were placed on the last transport train from the Westerbork transit camp to the Auschwitz concentration camp, and arrived three days later.

1950 – The Beetle Bailey, the comic strip, debuted.

1978 – John Paul I was elected as the 264th Pope. He died 33 days later.

1992 – Australia’s Naughtiest Home Videos was canceled 34 minutes into the program. Just about everyone involved was fired.

1995 – eBay was founded.

2004 – The Beslan school hostage crisis ended on its third day with the deaths of over 300 people, more than half of whom are children.

2008 – Sons of Anarchy premiered on FX

2015 Kentucky clerk in Rowan County jailed for refusing to issue marriage licences to gay couples

2017 1.4 ton WWII bomb defused in Frankfurt, Germany with 60,000 people evacuated

2019 Walmart says it will stop selling handguns and some ammunition and ask customers not to openly carry firearms in response to El Paso shootings

2019 Unknown text by John Locke “Reasons for tolerating Papists equally with others” (1667-68), an argument for religious toleration announced discovered at St John’s College, Annapolis

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Birthdays Today

@94 – Mort Walker, American cartoonist, Beetle Bailey (d. 2018)

@75 – Ferdinand Porsche, Austrian-German engineer, businessman, founded Porsche (d. 1951)

@74 – John Humphrey Noyes, American activist, founded the Oneida Community (d. 1886)

55 – Charlie Sheen, American actor

@45 – Marguerite Higgins, American journalist and author (d. 1966; bite from sandfly)

34 – Shawn White, Olympic snowboarder

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Puzzle Answer

1.     laud

2.     bare

3.     bloom

4.     tomb

5.     charm

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