Sunday

I was happy that Sonia Sotamayor was placed on the Supreme Court. It was historical. I didn’t realize how it affected so many. Last night on HBO, George Lopez, the Chicano comedian had a special. I remember him from his sitcom a few years back. He used the Sotamayor appointment as a starting place for his comedy. This was not sitcom comedy. His comedy reminded me of a Vegas show I once saw back in the day, with Florence Henderson—the Partridge Family Mom. Both used some pretty raw stuff. Both were shocking, partly because I was used to TV sitcom dialog. Anyway, one of George’s comments was along the lines that Latinos will soon no longer be a minority. He promised, on behalf of all Latinos, that when they are in power, they will treat the white minority with all the compassion and love the whites had given the Latinos. I sure hope he is wrong about how a white minority will be treated. Then again, we reap what we sow. It is so discouraging that so many of any powerful group do not understand that at any moment, their power can diminish or disappear.

I had to check my calendar today. Last night it dropped to 36°. We made it to 85° today with no wind. The temp is only to drop to 43° tonight. Hard to believe. I’m sure the nights will begin being a little more bearable soon.

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Random Facts…

Humans and dolphins are the only species that have sex for
pleasure.

A snail can have about 25,000 teeth.

The average human eats 8 spiders in their lifetime at night.



Crazy Stuff In The News…

Building a Risk-Free Society…A circus clown performing in Liverpool was ordered not to wear his classic oversized shoes because he could trip and injure someone.
BBC producers wielding a ‘telephone book-size’ set of safety precautions while making a recent adventure documentary, ordered Sir Robin Knox-Johnson—the first person to sail single-handedly and non-stop around the world—not to light a portable stove unless a ‘safety advisor’ supervised.

Month long events in August

Edinburgh Festival is an internationally famous arts festival that takes place during August National Immunization Awareness Month… National Psoriasis Awareness Month… Women's Small Business Month... National Back to School month…American Adventures Month…Golf Month…National Inventor’s Month…National Win with Civility Month…What will be your legacy Month

Week of Aug 9…

Assistant Dog Week
National Resurrect Romance Week

10 Aug…

222 days so far this year…143 days remain in 2009
National Duran Duran Appreciation Day
Smithsonian Day
S’Mores Day
*Ecuador: Independence Day—1810 from Spain
*Zambia: Youth Day

BIRTHS ON THIS DAY…

1874….. Herbert Clark Hoover West Branch, Iowa, (R) 31st Pres
1893….. Viscount Dunrossil Scotland, Gov Gen of Australia
1898….. Jack (John Joseph) Haley Actor: Wizard of Oz

1913….. Noah Beery Jr NYC, actor (Rockford Files)
1928….. Eddie Fisher Phila Pa, singe
……..….. Jimmy Dean (Seth Ward)Grammy Award-winning singer TV host sausage mogul
1947….. Ian Anderson Scotland, rocker (Jethro Tull-Bungle in the Jungle)
1960….. Antonio Banderas (José Antonio Domínguez Banderas) actor

Events on this day…

1519….. Magellan's 5 ship set sail to circumnavigate the Earth

1680….. The Pueblo Rebellion takes place in New Mexico under the leadership of a Tewa named Popé

1743….. Earliest recorded prize fighting rules formulated

1821….. Missouri admitted as 24th US state
1831….. William Driver, a ship's captain from Salem, Mass., is credited with coining the term "Old Glory" in reference to the American flag.
1833….. Chicago incorporates as a village of about 200
1846….. Congress charters the "nation's attic," the Smithsonian Institution
1866….. Transatlantic cable laid - Former Pres Buchanan communicates over it to Queen Victoria

1948….. Allen Funt's "Candid Camera" TV debut on ABC
1966….. Daylight meteor seen from Utah to Canada. Only known case of a meteor entering the Earth's atmosphere & leaving it again

2000….. The California State Legislature approved a bill to make March 31, …..the birthday of the late labor leader Cesar Chavez a holiday for state workers.




Word Ends Puzzle:

In each of these puzzles, a word starts and ends with the same letter. Can you figure out what the word is?
Example: _fric_ Solution: Africa

1. _arsni_
2. _aya_
3. _urpas_
4. _rus_
5. _omi_
6. _ido_
7. _ene__
8. ende_
9. _abe_
10. _allof_
_*Bonus: erami_

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Answers:
1. Parsnip

2. Kayak

3. Surpass

4. Trust

5. Comic

6. Widow

7. Tenet

8. Render

9. Label

10. Falloff

• Bonus: ceramic


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Saturday

The Red Flag Warning expired, and it was a beautiful day here. No wind, fire under control, and a high of only 75°. Since I was a little kid, I have always had a summer birdbath for our feathered friends. I grew up with the cement birdbath that was the thing back then. When I moved to AZ I got a plastic one, where you filled the base with dirt. Just before I left Tuba I got a metal one. I have never liked it. It rusts and every time it is filled, it has to be cleaned of the rust. Today I was out and about and found a hanging birdbath that can be converted to a standing one. It is great. Better yet, the birds love it. It is on a tree branch, with lots open area, so the birds feel safe. It is high off the ground. The metal one is still there, at ground level, but the birds seem to not like it…maybe it’s the cats that are around our area. The birds started drinking and bathing within two hours of me setting it up. While it is a metal basin, it is well treated so it won’t rust. Good for the birds and easier for me. I have about 10 different species that feed in my yard. A couple of different species of woodpeckers, a couple of blue jays, robins, finches, small sparrows, and some others I have no idea what they are. It gets pretty noisy around sunrise and sunset. The water in the new birdbath seems to bring them in a little earlier in the afternoon.

I also spent some time on my front area. It has been really hot, and kids like those frozen juice things that come in a plastic wrapping. Seems the kids love the juice, but haven’t learned what to do with the wrappers. So every so often I need to clean up the area. Yesterday’s wind certainly didn’t help. I learned in Tuba that while the wind blows, it always seems to blow more stuff into the yard that out of the yard. Not a big deal, but frustrating that the parents are not teaching their kids about what to do with wrappers.
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Random Facts…

If you are right handed, you will tend to chew your food on your right side. If you are left handed, you will tend to chew your food on your left side.

Facebook was originally named TheFaceBook and it was developed by Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg.

The sound of cracking knuckles is actually caused by bubbles of nitrogen being displaced.

Crazy Stuff In The News…

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. - An Oregon auto mechanic said he pulled a 3-foot diamondback rattlesnake out of a car belonging to a woman who complained about a strange hissing sound. Marvin Schenck, a 28-year veteran of auto service, said his friend and employer, Dave Prewitt, called him to his Klamath Falls home July 30 to examine his wife's Geo Tracker, after she complained it was making a strange hissing sound and said she noticed a "rope" dangling from the car's undercarriage, the Klamath Falls Herald & News reported. Schenck said he identified the problem when he caught a glimpse of the venomous snake slithering between engine components. "It didn't take too long to figure out that sticking our hands in any part wasn't a good idea," Schenck said. He said the snake was initially resistant to exiting the vehicle, but he was able to yank the animal out of the car when its tail fell to the ground in front of a tire. Schenck said he decapitated the agitated reptile with a shovel and removed the rattler for the Prewitts to keep as a memento.

Month long events in August

Edinburgh Festival is an internationally famous arts festival that takes place during August National Immunization Awareness Month… National Psoriasis Awareness Month… Women's Small Business Month... National Back to School month…American Adventures Month…Golf Month…National Inventor’s Month…National Win with Civility Month…What will be your legacy Month

Week of Aug 9…

Assistant Dog Week
National Resurrect Romance Week

9 Aug…

221 days so far this year…144 days remain in 2009

International Day of the World’s Indigenous People
Veep Day—since 1974—commerates Constitutional Succession
*Singapore: National Day—since 1965
*Canada: National Peacekeepers’ Day
*Japan: Nagasaki Memorial Day--1945

BIRTHS ON THIS DAY…

1593….. Izaak Walton England, biographer/fisherman/writer (Compleat Angler)

1819….. William Thomas Green Morton dentist, used ether (HOF 1920)
1896….. Jean Piaget Switzerland, pioneer developmental psychologist, zoologist

1901….. Charles Farrell Cape Cod Mass, actor (Vern-My Little Margie)
1928….. Bob Cousy Basketball Hall of Famer
1930….. Betty Boop animation
1938….. Rod Laver Australia, tennis ace
1942….. David Steinberg Winnipeg Canada, comedian
1943….. Ken Norton Boxing Hall of Fame
1963….. Whitney Houston Grammy Award-winning singer
1968….. Gillian Anderson actress: The X Files

Events on this day…

378….. In the battle of Adrianople, Gothic horsemen destroy the attacking Roman forces led by Emperor Valens. The Goths kill an estimated 20,000 of the 30,000 Romans, including Valens.

1638….. Jonas Bronck of Holland becomes 1st European settler in the Bronx

1803….. 1st horses arrive in Hawaii
1814….. The Treaty of Fort Jackson (7 stat.120) officially ends the Creek War
1854….. Henry David Thoreau publishes "Walden"
1859….. Nathan Ames of Saugus, MA patented the escalator
1870….. The British Parliament passes the Married Women's Property Act

1910….. Alva J. Fisher of Chicago, IL received a patent for the electric washing machine.
1936….. Jesse Owens wins 4th gold medal of Berlin Olympics
1945….. US drops 2nd atomic bomb "Fat Man" on Japan destroys part of Nagasaki
1956….. South African women demonstrate against pass laws
1969….. Cult leader Charles Manson and his disciples committed one of Los Angeles’ most heinous crimes
1971….. The British government in Northern Ireland begins the practice, known as internment, of imprisoning suspected antigovernment guerrillas without trial.
1974….. Richard Nixon resigns presidency, VP Gerald Ford becomes 38th pres
1988….. Just 1 day after 8/8/88 NY's daily number is 888


Word Ends Puzzle:

In each of these puzzles, a word starts and ends with the same letter. Can you figure out what the word is?

Example: _fric_ Solution: Africa

1. _rom_
2. _rou_
3. _ooda_
4. _hrif_
5. _regan__
6. _ypis_
7. _apto_
8. _umm_
9. _verd_
10. _otato_
*Bonus: _ardia_


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Answers:
1. Aroma
2. Trout
3. Doodad
4. Thrift
5. Oregano
6. Typist
7. Raptor
8. Yummy
9. Overdo
10. Rotator
*Bonus: Cardiac


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Friday

For the past few days, Flagstaff has been under a ‘Red Flag’ warning. It didn’t mean much until about 3am this morning when the winds really picked up. I had to close the bedroom window, so as not to be blown away. ‘Red Flag’, for those of you not in a high wind/low humidity forest area—it means there is a good chance that any fires will spread very quickly due to the low humidity and high winds. All day we have had gusts to 50mph and steady winds at about 25mph. A lightning caused small fire that started about a week ago increased from inactive to very active in the ponderosa pines just outside Flagstaff city limits. Lots of smoke, firefighters and hot shots I’m sure. For now, it is in an area that is not populated. I’m ready for the wind to let up for a while. That will mean that the smoke will just stay, but it will give the firefighters time to control the fire.

I’m ready for a nice weekend. School starts next week here in Flagstaff, so the many kids who run, yell, scream, and chase, will be back in school. The neighborhood will quiet down during the day. The kids are good most of the time, but some days get to be a little much. They are as ready for school as their parents and neighbors. The older kids, who serve as babysitters, have already returned to athletic practices, leaving the younger ones pretty much unsupervised while outside. We don’t have any lawns or grassy areas here, so kids play in the parking area. I don’t blame them. The nearest park is too far for them to walk to, so they don’t really have a choice. Pavement and parked cars do not lead to the best play area.
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Random Facts…

Percentage of Americans in 2006 who believed that U.S. Muslims should have to carry special I.D.: 39

Percentage of U.S. Muslims who believe that “you can get ahead with hard work in America”: 71
Percentage of Americans as a whole who believe this: 64

Crazy Stuff In The News…

In April, the NH House of Representatives debated a controversial bill to outlaw discrimination against transgender people. The bill passed by one vote. Coincidently April 8 was the state’s Tartan Day, and by tradition, male law markers of Scottish ancestry wore kilts to work. Thus, some opponents of giving greater protection to men who wear skirts were men who were wearing kilts at the vote. The NH Senate later defeated the bill.

Month long events in August

Edinburgh Festival is an internationally famous arts festival that takes place during August National Immunization Awareness Month… National Psoriasis Awareness Month… Women's Small Business Month... National Back to School month…American Adventures Month…Golf Month…National Inventor’s Month…National Win with Civility Month…What will be your legacy Month

Week of Aug 8…

Elvis Week

8 Aug…

220 days so far this year…145 days remain in 2009

National Garage Sale Day
Eleanor Roosevelt Day
Happiness Happens Day
Odie Day---Garfield’s pal
*Taiwan: Father’s Day [In Mandarin, /ba ba/ means both father and 8-8,Aug 8]
*Sweden: Flag Day
*Nepal: Tij Day—Women’s Holiday
*Afghanistan: Independence Day [1919]

BIRTHS ON THIS DAY…

1763….. Charles Bulfinch Boston Mass, 1st US pro architect (Mass State House)

1879….. Emiliano Zapata Mexican revolutionary, peasant leader
1884….. Sara Teasdale US, poet (1st Pulitzer Prize-1918-"Love Songs")
1896….. Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Wash DC, writer (The Yearling)

1901….. Dr Ernest O Lawrence Canton SC, inventor (Cyclotron-Nobel 1939)
1918….. Rory Calhoun LA Calif, actor
1923….. Esther Williams Inglewood Cal, actress/swimme
1930….. Andy Warhol artist/movie produce1932 Mel Tillis country singer
1937….. Dustin Hoffman LA, actor
1938….. Connie Stevens Brooklyn, singer/actress

Events on this day…

422….. Maya King Casper is born, according to some sources. Eventually, he rules over Palenque, Mexico.

1579….. Cornerstone is laid for Tycho Brahe's Uraniborg observatory
1588….. The Spanish Armada, a fleet of 130 huge ships, met defeat at the hands of English

1609….. Venetian senate examines Galileo Galilei's telescope
1699….. The Tohome Indians live along the Gulf Coast in Alabama and Mississippi. In Biloxi, they formally establish peaceful relations with the French.

1815….. After his final defeat at Waterloo, Napoleon leaves for his forced exile on the remote south Atlantic island of Saint Helen
1844….. Brigham Young chosen Mormon Church head following Joseph Smith death
1861….. William Bateson, originator of term "genetics"
1864 Red Cross Anniversary
1876….. Thomas Edison patents mimeograph
1890….. Daughters of the American Revolution organizes

1923….. Benny Goodman was 14 years old as he began his professional career as a clarinet player
1945….. Pres Harry S Truman signs UN Charter
1963….. Kingsmen release "Louie, Louie," radio stations label it obscene
…..….... Seven million dollars was stolen in Britain’s Great Train Robbery
1974….. Richard Nixon Announces his resignation
1976….. In Harrisburg, Philadelphia ten thousand legionnaires who attended a convention from July 21-24 were in a panic after the outbreak of a mystery disease among their ranks.
1988….. South Africa declares cease-fire in Angola








Word Fragment Puzzle
—New Puzzle Type tomorrow—Watch for it.

In each of these puzzles, a word fragment is given, and you must think of an English word that contains the fragment -- that is, you must form a word by adding letters to the beginning and/or the end of the fragment. You may not add letters to the middle of the fragment, nor may you rearrange the letters given. Multiple solutions are given for several word fragments (although we omitted most alternate solutions that rely on variations of the same word). To solve the puzzles, however, you only need to find one word for each fragment.

1. hibia [1]
2. talou [1]
3. feep [1]
4. ptr [3]
5. ffra [2]
6. hh [2]
7. vv [3]
8. kk [3]
9. higg [1]
10. ghfa [2]
• Bonus: perl [1]

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Answers:

1. amphibian
2. cantaloupe
3. coffeepot
4. comptroller temptress uptrend
5. diffract suffrage
6. highhanded withhold
7. revved revving savvy
8. bookkeeper jackknife knickknack
9. chigger
10. highfalutin thoroughfare
*Bonus superlative


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Thursday

Now that our Representatives are back in their homes, they are holding town hall meetings. Many are being lambasted by people who interrupt their meetings with yelling. Health Care is a big issue in this country. It is a bigger issue for the older portion of the population than it is the younger ones. As we get older, our health becomes a bigger issue to our daily lives. As we get older, the idea of big change is harder to accept. There is so much information out there about the changes proposed in several bills, it is basically impossible for the average citizen to understand. Some are playing on that. I’ve heard people suggest that the current bills will require the elderly to give up their plans. I have heard that the government will determine if a patient is worth the money needed for care. I have heard that Medicare benefits will be cut drastically. I have even heard way too many saying that the government has no business in Health Care. Most of these people add that no law should change Medicare.

I guess Fear has always worked in this country. Whenever many can’t get a handle of something, the fear mongers come out. Look at the Native Americans, the Japanese during WWII, The NRA and it’s ‘pry it out of my cold dead hand’ campaigns. I fully understand that an issue this important must be discussed. I just am getting tired of all the drama of the worst case scenarios. I wish many of these people would have been able to be as loud when we invaded Iraq and did all those ‘worst case scenario’ things. I also know that all these scare tactics will fall by the wayside when our elected representatives vote on a final bill. Until then, I guess I will let the democratic process play out.

Congratulations to Justice Sotamayor.

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Random Fact…


The deepest hole ever made in the world is in Texas. It is as deep as 20 empire state buildings but only 3 inches wide.

The Interstate System requires that one-mile in every five must be straight. These straight sections are usable as airstrips in times of war or other emergencies.

The water of Angel Falls (the World's highest) in Venezuela drops 3,212 feet. It is 15 times higher than Niagara Falls.

Crazy Stuff In The News…

A man and a woman in their early 30s were arrested after they stripped naked and began having sex in front of tourists on the lawn of Britain’s Windsor Castle. The queen was in residence, but her living quarters are at the opposite end of the castle, and she missed the spectacle.

Month long events in August

Edinburgh Festival is an internationally famous arts festival that takes place during August National Immunization Awareness Month… National Psoriasis Awareness Month… Women's Small Business Month... National Back to School month…American Adventures Month…Golf Month…National Inventor’s Month…National Win with Civility Month…What will be your legacy Month

Week of Aug 6…

Hobo Week

7 Aug…

219 days so far this year…146 days remain in 2009
Purple Heart Day
Professional Speakers Day
Lighthouse Day
*Columbia: Battle of Boyaca Day
*Cote d’Ivoire [Ivory Coast]: Republic Day [1960]
*Kiribati [Pacific Island Nation]: Youth Day

BIRTHS ON THIS DAY…

1598…..Georg Stiernhielm "father of Swedish poetry" (Hercules)

1779…..Carl Ritter cofounder of modern science of geography

1876…..Mata Hari (Gertrud Margarete Zelle) dancer/courtesan/spy (WW I)
1885…..Billie Burke Washington DC, actress (Glinda-The Wizard of Oz)
1886…..Louis Hazeltine inventor (neutrodyne circuit, making radio possible)

1903…..Louis Leakey anthropologist
1904…..Ralph J Bunche a founder & UN diplomat
1926…..Stan Freberg LA Calif, satirist
1942…..B.J. Thomas singer Raindrops …)
…….…..Garrison Keillor PBS radio personality
1960…..-David Duchovny actor: The X-Files

Events on this day…

1670…..Apache or Navajos attack the ancient Zuni Pueblo of Hawikuh. They burn the church, and kill the resident missionary.

1782…..George Washington creates Order of the Purple Heart

1820…..1st potatoes planted in Hawaii
1882 .....Hatfields of south WV & McCoys of east Ky feud
1888…..Theophilus Van Kannel of Philadelphia went around and around with the U.S. Patent Office for a time, but, finally, got a patent for the revolving door

1928 …..The U.S. dollar began to shrink. New bills, one third smaller than previous bucks, were issued by the U.S. Treasury Department.
1934…..The United States Court of Appeals rules that James Joyce's novel "Ulysses" is not obscene and may be brought into the U.S.
1947…..In a re-creation of a possible prehistoric migration, Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl lands his balsa raft, the Kon-Tiki, on a Polynesian island after a journey from Peru.
1970…..1st computer chess tournament
1984…..Japan beats US for olympic gold medal in baseball



Word Fragment Puzzle

In each of these puzzles, a word fragment is given, and you must think of an English word that contains the fragment -- that is, you must form a word by adding letters to the beginning and/or the end of the fragment. You may not add letters to the middle of the fragment, nor may you rearrange the letters given. Multiple solutions are given for several word fragments (although we omitted most alternate solutions that rely on variations of the same word). To solve the puzzles, however, you only need to find one word for each fragment.

1. ngue [3]
2. peec [1]
3. cuto [4]
4. tesse [3]
5. oribu [1]
6. tatis [1]
7. rigu[1]
8. iang[1]
9. ssaf[1]
10. poch[1]
• Bonus: albe[3]

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Answers:

1. harangue meringue tongue
2. speech
3. cutoff cutout executor prosecutor
4. delicatessen quintessential tessellate
5. moribund
6. statistics
7. intrigue
8. triangle
9. sassafras
10. epoch
*Bonus: albeit coralberry halberd

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Wednesday

Our monsoon came with a vengeance this afternoon. It was almost 90° when the very loud thunder hit. That was followed quickly by a lack of power, at least for a couple of seconds. That was followed by the clouds opening and dropping a ton of rain for about 15 minutes. By the end of the storm it was 70°. What an afternoon. The cool breeze sure feels good.

My trip to the tax man was wasted today. I got there about 10:30. There were three people working at computers. After a five minute wait, a guy called me over to his desk. I showed him my notice and told him I had called the Colorado people and the letter had something to do with a partnership. He said he didn’t do partnerships, but would check to see if the boss was available. The boss was in a back room. He came out and said the boss was busy and I needed to make an appointment. Remembering they are only open on Wed and Sat, I said fine. When on Saturday? Oh, the boss doesn’t work on Saturday. So I now have an appointment for next Wednesday. This is not a good way to work with a long time customer, but we will see what happens next Wednesday.

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Random Fact…

SPAIN literally means 'the land of rabbits.'

St. Paul, Minnesota, was originally called Pig's Eye after a man named Pierre 'Pig's Eye' Parrant who set up the first business there.

Chances that a road is unpaved in the U.S.A: 1%, in Canada: 75%.
Male monkeys lose the hair on their heads in the same way men do.

Crazy Stuff In The News…

East St. Louis, Il, policeman Kristopher Weston apprehended a murder suspect about 20 minutes after the crime, which was such a nice piece of police work that the mayor called Weston before the city council to commend him. Five minutes after Weston left the room, the council got to regular business, the first order was to approve a list of police and firefighter layoffs due to budget shortfalls. Weston was on the list due to low seniority.

Month long events in August

Edinburgh Festival is an internationally famous arts festival that takes place during August National Immunization Awareness Month… National Psoriasis Awareness Month… Women's Small Business Month... National Back to School month…American Adventures Month…Golf Month…National Inventor’s Month…National Win with Civility Month…What will be your legacy Month

Week of Aug 6…

Hobo Week

6 Aug…

218 days so far this year…147 days remain in 2009
National End Halitosis Day
Hiroshima Day
*Bolivia: Independence Day--1825
*Jamaica: Independence Day--1962
*Japan: Toro Nagashi—floating lanterns ceremony for Hiroshima victims

BIRTHS ON THIS DAY…

1809…..Alfred Lord Tennyson poet laureate of England
1881…..Sir Alexander Fleming cashed in on penicillin (Nobel 1954)
…..Leo Carrillo actor: The Cisco Kid
…..Louella Parsons (Oettinger) gossip columnist
1892…..Hoot (Edmund Richard) Gibson actor

1911…..Lucille Ball Jamestown NY, comedienne/actress
1917…..Robert Mitchum Bridgeport Ct, actor
1927…..Andy Warhol pop artist
1944…..Swoosie Kurtz actress
1965…..David Robinson NBA center
1976…..Soleil Moon Frye actress


Events on this day…

1806…..Holy Roman Empire ends; it was neither holy, Roman, nor an empire
1890…..1st use of electric chair in US, John Hart, in NY for murder

1926…..NY's Gertrude Ederle becomes 1st woman to swim the English Channel
1948…..Bob Mathias, US, wins decathlon at London Olympics
1965…..Federal Voting Rights Act guarantees black voting rights

Word Fragment Puzzle

In each of these puzzles, a word fragment is given, and you must think of an English word that contains the fragment -- that is, you must form a word by adding letters to the beginning and/or the end of the fragment. You may not add letters to the middle of the fragment, nor may you rearrange the letters given. Multiple solutions are given for several word fragments (although we omitted most alternate solutions that rely on variations of the same word). To solve the puzzles, however, you only need to find one word for each fragment.

1. nmit [1]
2. lutat [1]
3. icet [1]
4. rrela [1]
5. icni [1]
6. ersat [2]
7. ffro [2]
8. laman [1]
9. feg [2]
10. topl [3]
*Bonus: cipl [3]

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Answers:
1. enmity
2. salutation
3. nicety
4. correlation
5. picnic
6. conversation versatile
7. affront saffron
8. salamander
9. lifeguard safeguard
10. cytoplasm protoplasm stoplight
*Bonus: discipline participle principle

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Tuesday

America and the world learned today that ‘talking works’. The two American journalists who have been held in North Korea were released today. While I am sure there was some behind the scenes work, Former President Clinton met with the North Korean leadership and the two ladies were released. Yes, it gave North Korea some photo ops. Everyone in DC is saying he went as a private citizen. This visit sure worked better than the ‘Axis of Evil’ we lived with for 8 long years. There can be no talks with another country if we give them such scary names. In another story, Arizona—home of Barry Goldwater, John McCain, and Jon Kyle, a recent Gallup Poll shows that we are no longer a Republican stronghold. We are now a toss-up state.

I helped my friend Martha set up here new digital camera to work on her laptop today. She got a great Canon camera, and, surprisingly, everything loaded easily onto her Mac laptop. It is so amazing what digital cameras can do these days. There is a learning curve, but it sure does some great stuff. I also got a free lunch out of my work…that was cool. My four year old digital camera is now an antique. I may have to upgrade before I go to Africa. The one thing I will miss is that none of the current cameras have a view finder. You have to look at the screen. I’m an old fashioned guy who never uses the screen on my digital camera. I don’t feel ‘right’ just holding the camera away from my face. My screen is small and hard to see in bright sunlight. But it looks like all that stuff has been improved. So I guess I’ll start looking around. The new HD cameras are the thing, but it seems to be hard to find the right memory cards. Sam’s was selling a really cool 14 meg HD camera but didn’t sell the memory cards. I’m sure the cards are around, but why would any store sell a camera and not sell the much needed memory cards? The cards that come with the camera hold very few pics and at 14 meg, they probably hold even less pics. Maybe the cards will become more available in a few months.

We had another hot day today, and again no rain. And we got the smoke of the prescribed burns. I cleaned up my deck again today. It has been so hot, and the wind and rain have done some messing up of the deck. I have a huge Ponderosa Pine right off the deck. It is taller than my two story townhouse. Sticks, needles, and pine cones are always falling onto the deck. The tree does provide shade from above, but with a price. I have had three small deck planters for two years. They hang on the railing. The heat is just too much for anything I grow in them. This year I put two tub planters at the front area and the three on the deck. The front planters are doing great, as long as I water them every day. The deck planters got watered daily. I even used a water spray bottle every day. Just wouldn’t work. I planted three different times with those 6 pack colorful flowers. They lasted about three weeks, then no matter what I did, they just shriveled up. So today, I tossed the whole mess. Nothing looks worse to me than planters filled with dead and or dying foliage. The deck looks a little bare, but I will work on it.

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Random Fact…

Siberia contains more than 25% of the world's forests.

The actual smallest sovereign entity in the world is the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (S.M.O.M.). It is located in the city of Rome, Italy, has an area of two tennis courts, and as of 2001 has a population of 80, 20 less people than the Vatican. It is a sovereign entity under international law, just as the Vatican is.

In the Sahara Desert, there is a town named Tidikelt, which did not receive a drop of rain for ten years. Technically though, the driest place on Earth is in the valleys of the Antarctic near Ross Island. There has been no rainfall there for two million years.

Crazy Stuff In The News…
After 3 years of providing worker-training grants to a San Francisco-area multi-media coalition that includes a maker of sexualized torture videos, the California Employment Training Panel cut off funding, claiming that it had not realized the nature of what the outfit called “Kink.com” does. The coalition protested the panel’s decision, point out that Kink is a law abiding, tax-paying entity that employs 100 local people and keeps California video “competitive in the international marketplace” by training employees in video editing, Photoshop, and other multimedia skills. A typical Kink.com production may feature paid, consenting women bound, gagged and supposedly electrically shocked.

Month long events in August

Edinburgh Festival is an internationally famous arts festival that takes place during August National Immunization Awareness Month… National Psoriasis Awareness Month… Women's Small Business Month... National Back to School month…American Adventures Month…Golf Month…National Inventor’s Month…National Win with Civility Month…What will be your legacy Month

Week of Aug 5…

Intimate Apparel Market Week

5 Aug…

217 days so far this year…148 days remain in 2009
National Underwear Day
International Beer Day
*Croatia: Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day [1995]


BIRTHS ON THIS DAY…

1604…..John Eliot "Apostle to Indians," Bible translator
1624…..William Jamestown Va, 1st black child born in English America

1850…..Guy de Maupassant author
1860…..Joseph Carey Merrick "Elephant Man"
1876…..Mary R Beard Indianapolis, historian (Woman as a Force in History)
1899…..Conrad Aiken US, poet/short story writer/critic (Selected Poems)

1906…..John Huston Nevada Mo, director/writer (African Queen, Chinatown)
1920…..Selma Diamond London Ontario, comedienne
1930…..Neil Armstrong Ohio, X-15 pilot, 1st Moonwalker
1940…..Roman Gabriel College Football Hall of Famer: quarterback
1944…..Loni Anderson St Paul Minn, actress
1962…..Patrick Ewing basketball

Events on this day…

695…..Forces under Maya King Jasaw Chan K'awiil I (Sky Rain) defeat an army from Calakmul under Maya King Yich'aak K'ak' (Fiery Claw).

1305…..Sir William Wallace, who led the Scottish resistance to an English invasion in 1298, is captured near Glasgow.

1583…..Gilbert claims Newfoundland (1st English colony in North America)

1846…..Oregon country divided between US & Britain at 49th parallel
1861…..US Army abolishes flogging
1884…..Cornerstone for Statue of Liberty laid on Bedloe's Island (NYC)

1923…..1st American to swim the English Channel (Henry Sullivan)
1924…..The comic strip Little Orphan Annie debuted in the New York Daily News
1957….."American Bandstand," goes on network TV
1962…..1st quasar located by radio
…..Movie star Marilyn Monroe is found dead of a barbiturate overdose at her home in Los Angeles.
1967…..1st time an AFL team beats an NFL team, Broncos beats Detroit 13-7
1972…..Moody Blues release "Nights in White Satin"
1981…..Pres Regan fires 11,500 air traffic controllers who struck 2 days ago
1983 …..AT&T is broken down into seven regional companies ( often called Baby Bells )


Word Fragment Puzzle

In each of these puzzles, a word fragment is given, and you must think of an English word that contains the fragment -- that is, you must form a word by adding letters to the beginning and/or the end of the fragment. You may not add letters to the middle of the fragment, nor may you rearrange the letters given. Multiple solutions are given for several word fragments (although we omitted most alternate solutions that rely on variations of the same word). To solve the puzzles, however, you only need to find one word for each fragment.

1. zzw [1]
2. zv [1]
3. guta [1]
4. momet[1]
5. rtoi [2]
6. wnt [3]
7. thora [2]
8. ptil [2]
9. rolo [6]
10. ffa [6]
*Bonus: maes

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Answers:
1. buzzword
2. rendezvous
3. orangutan
4. thermometer
5. repertoire tortoise
6. downtown downtrodden downturn
7. plethora thorax
8. reptile septillion
9. astrology hydrology meteorology numerology prologue prolong
10. affable affair buffalo efface guffaw offal
*bonus: maestro

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Monday

I was off on my tax diatribe yesterday. It had to do with one of my Propane Investments in Colorado. Not for me to worry about though. I use H&R to do my complicated taxes, and I pay for “Peace of Mind”, meaning that if they screw up, they pay the penalty. I have to pay the tax, but I would have had to pay that anyway. Living in a small town, H&R is only open 2 days a week here during non-tax season. So I have to wait until Wednesday to drop the bad news on them. I still don’t know who made the mistake, but whoever, I have Peace of Mind that I will pay my necessary tax and no more.

I know that summer is tourist time here in Flag. I had to run some errands on the west side of town. Between the construction projects and the tourists, the time to get across town is longer than usual. I really didn’t expect it on Monday morning, but it was there. I was able to use the freeway to get back home, and that was not crowded. I try to plan my trips so I don’t have to back track. Sometimes this means driving through downtown.

I got invited to a hamburger BBQ for this Saturday. Unfortunately it is in Denver. It will be for those of us going to Africa. While these people are great, I’m not up for a 10 hour drive to get there, and a 10 hour drive to get back. I did find out that my roommate will be Hamdy. The guy who might have been my roommate backed out. First it was Hamdy, then this other guy, then back to Hamdy. It will be a great trip. Only 12 of us are going. I already know five and they are great to travel with.

It was hot again today—90° on my deck. To add to this, no rain but lots of smoke from prescribed burns. What a strange day. Being outside was not pleasant. Guess this is one of the joys of living in a very large National Forest.

I mentioned a few weeks ago that my next door neighbors had set up a pool table in the living room. I should now rephrase that, my neighbors have set up a pool hall next door to me. From about 5pm every day until who knows when, cars come and go. People play a few games, more come, some leave. They are not loud or any bother. It’s just that my other neighbors have not been this gregarious. My office is upstairs and I can look out the window and see all the traffic. I woke up about 3am last night. Unusual for me. I couldn’t get back to sleep so I walked downstairs to get some water. They weren’t loud, but they were still playing. Ah, to be young again.

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Random Fact…

In the 1500’s, houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs)lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying "It's raining cats and dogs."

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.

Shaving cream will reduce the fogging on your bathroom mirror. Smear some on the mirror, wipe it off, the mirror will have less fog during a hot shower.

Crazy Stuff In The News…

The Washington Supreme Court ruled that Seattle, WA had for two years improperly charged water customers for servicing hydrants when the city should have covered the service from general tax funds and it ordered refunds to customers an average $45. However, Seattle then discovered it had insufficient general funds to pay for the hydrant service and thus imposed a water surcharge of $59 per customer. The most likely reason the surcharge was higher is that the City had to pay $4.2 million to the attorneys who filed the account-shuffling lawsuit.

Month long events in August
Edinburgh Festival is an internationally famous arts festival that takes place during August... National Immunization Awareness Month… National Psoriasis Awareness Month… Women's Small Business Month... National Back to School month…American Adventures Month…Golf Month…National Inventor’s Month…National Win with Civility Month…What will be your legacy Month

Week of Aug 3…

Sturgis Bike Week
Psychic Week
Exhibitor Appreciation Week

4 Aug…

216 days so far this year…149 days remain in 2009
Coast Guard Day
National Chocolate Chip Day
National Night Out
*Republic of Upper Volta / Bourkina Fasso (National Day) 1984
*Norway Peer Gynt Festival Days

BIRTHS ON THIS DAY…

1755…..Nicolas-Jacque Conte inventor (modern pencil)
1792…..Percy Bysshe Shelley England, romantic poet

1832…..Gaspar N£¤ez de Arce Spain, poet "Spanish Tennyson"

1900…..Elizabeth Britain's Queen Mother
1901…..Louis Armstrong New Orleans, Jazz musician & bandleader
1909…..Glenn Cunningham US middle distance runner in the 1930's
1955…..Billy Bob Thornton Hot Springs, Ark. actor,
1958…..Mary Decker Tabb Slaney NJ, Olympic track star
1961…..Barack Obama Hawaii, 44th U.S. President
1962…..Roger Clemens Dayton Ohio, Boston Red Sox pitcher


Events on this day…

1693…..Dom Perignon invents champagne

1735…..A jury finds John Peter Zenger, publisher of the New York Weekly Journal, not guilty of seditious libel. The case marks the first victory for American freedom of the press

1821…..The Saturday Evening Post was published as a weekly for the first time.
1830…..Plans for the city of Chicago laid out
1892…..Sunday school teacher Lizzie Borden arrested in Fall River, Mass

1916…..US agrees to buy Virgin Islands from Denmark for $25 million
1944…..The Nazi Gestapo captures 15-year-old Jewish diarist Anne Frank and her family in a sealed-off area of an Amsterdam warehouse
1964…..Civil rights workers Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman & James Chaney found buried inside an earthen dam in Mississippi
1988 Congress votes $20K to each Japanese-American interned in WW II


Word Fragment Puzzle

In each of these puzzles, a word fragment is given, and you must think of an English word that contains the fragment -- that is, you must form a word by adding letters to the beginning and/or the end of the fragment. You may not add letters to the middle of the fragment, nor may you rearrange the letters given. Multiple solutions are given for several word fragments (although we omitted most alternate solutions that rely on variations of the same word). To solve the puzzles, however, you only need to find one word for each fragment.

1. htg [1]
2. tht [2]
3. relso [1]
4. thsa [1]
5. rotr [2]
6. ksk [1]
7. achc [1]
8. fj [1]
9. ofre [1]
10. eref [4]
*Bonus: xpu [3]
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Answers:
1. Nightgown
2. Bathtub breathtaking
3. quarrelsome
4. soothsayer
5. protract protrude
6. buckskin
7. beachcomb
8. fjord
9. proofread
10. aftereffect dereference bereft therefore
*Bonus: expulsion expunge expurgate

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Sunday

I always seem to get ‘important’ mail on Saturday. One of two days in the week that one can’t deal with the ‘important’ message. Yesterday was one of those days and it’s driving me crazy. I got a ‘delinquency notice’ from the State of Colorado for taxes not paid in 2006, 2007, and 2008. The total delinquency with all the ‘penalties’ is almost $1000. I know it’s a mistake. Some low level bureaucrat who can’t figure out tax bills. I had to deal with the State of MA a couple of year ago. With them, it took three phone calls from me and two from my tax service to determine I didn’t owe anything. That bill was only $700. First the bill showed $100, but turned out that was just the penalty. Their mistake, but only got a letter saying my tax delinquency had been removed. This one is probably on my mom’s estate. We had a joint checking account so I could pay her bills. I called the bank right after the funeral. The bank had already removed her name. God only knows how they knew she passed, since no one at the bank came to the service or sent a sympathy card. Anyway when I got the bank’s ‘interest earned’ form, all the interest for the year was under my name. At my request, the bank sent out two forms—my mom‘s estate paid the taxes on the interest until she passed. Then I paid the taxes after that. I figure that when I paid my share of the interest, somebody checked and found out that my name was the only name on the account at the bank. Without checking the history, someone assumed I just hadn’t claimed the tax for the two previous years. It will probably take quite a bit of time to educate whomever. I am also convinced that the economic crisis has something to do with this. Get every penny they can to keep the state of Colorado running. Don’t waste time or money on research of the problem, as that is the tax payers responsibility. I’ll find out tomorrow what is going on. This is one of the few times I am happy that AZ doesn’t have Daylight time, as I can start off someone’s week very early for them. Of course, the call is on my dime, since they don’t have an 800 number.

My deck was 90° today, and we didn’t get any rain. We did have a few promising clouds, but none of them delivered on the promise. So it was just hot most of the afternoon. While it seemed hot, Phoenix had yet another extreme heat warning and they hit 113°.

For many years, before Interstate 40, Williams, AZ was the gateway to the Grand Canyon. It was on Rt. 66 and played the Grand Canyon thing to the hilt. I-40 took a big chunk of the tourist business. Then the town started pushing its Grand Canyon Railroad trip. A steam engine that takes you to the Grand Canyon, on a beautiful ride on an old train, and a hold up is thrown in as a free bonus. As tourist dollars are drying up, the train is dropping the number of trips per day. Well, then Williams talked about having an amusement park with a wild west theme to keep tourists around. It didn’t pan out, yet. The $500 million to $1 billion price tag didn’t get any bites. Now some guy is going to put in a wild animal park. Part of it will be seen by vehicle, another part will be seen by walking. Williams is all excited about the jobs and tourists it will bring. I’m not sure it will be the cash cow that they are expecting. But then, I’m not a businessman.

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Random Fact…

In a recent survey, Americans revealed that banana was their favorite smell.

If you have three quarters, four dimes, and four pennies, you have $1.19. You also have the largest amount of money in coins without being able to make change for a dollar.

Mark Twain was born on a day in 1835 when Halley's Comet came into view. When he died in 1910, Halley's Comet was in view again.


Crazy Stuff In The News…

InformationAgePrayer.com is a website that offers, for people too busy to speak to God themselves, a daily service of invocations (using voice-synthesizing software) for Catholics, Protestants, Jews, or Muslims. Starting each day ‘reciting’ the Lords Prayer (or the Islamic Fajr) is $3.95/month. Hail Marys are 70 cents a day for 10. A Complete Rosary Package is $49.95/month. Each prayer is voiced individually, according to a report of LiveScience.com, with the subscriber’s name on the screen. For Muslim prayers, the computer’s speakers point toward Mecca.

Month long events in August

Edinburgh Festival is an internationally famous arts festival that takes place during August National Immunization Awareness Month… National Psoriasis Awareness Month… Women's Small Business Month... National Back to School month…American Adventures Month…Golf Month…National Inventor’s Month…National Win with Civility Month…What will be your legacy Month

Week of Aug 3…

Sturgis Bike Week
Psychic Week
Exhibitor Appreciation Week

2 Aug…

215 days so far this year…150 days remain in 2009
Watermelon Day
*Niger: Independence Day—1960 from France
*Venezuela: Flag Day—since 2006

BIRTHS ON THIS DAY…

1851.....Lady Isabella Caroline Somerset temperance leader

1900.....John T Scopes Tennessee teacher convicted for teaching evolution
1905.....Dolores Del Rio Mexico, actress
1920…..P.D. James mystery writer (Cover Her Face)
1923…..Anne Klein fashion designer
1924…..Leon Uris US, novelist (Exodus, QB VII)
1926…..Tony Bennett Queens NY, singer
1940…..Martin Sheen actor
1941…..Martha Stewart cookbook author, TV Host
1952…..Jay North North Hollywood Calif, actor (Dennis the Menace)

Events on this day…

1492…..
Columbus sets sail from Palos, Spain for "Indies"

1678…..Robert LaSalle builds 1st ship in America, Griffon

1829….."William Tell," the final opera of Rossini, has premiers in Paris.
1882.….Congress passes 1st law restricting immigration

1921…..1st aerial cropdusting (Troy Ohio to kill caterpillars)
1936…..Sprinter Jesse Owens wins the first of his four gold medals in Berlin
1949…..Basketball Assoc of America & National Basketball League merge to form the NBA
1952…..15th Olympic games close in Helsinki Finland
1963…..Allan Sherman releases "Hello Mudda, Hello Fadda"
1975…..Louisiana Superdome is dedicated
1981…..Air Traffic Controllers (PATCO) begin their strike
1933…..The world-famous Mickey Mouse Watch was introduced.
1966…..Comedian Lenny Bruce died of a morphine overdose this day.


Word Fragment Puzzle

In each of these puzzles, a word fragment is given, and you must think of an English word that contains the fragment -- that is, you must form a word by adding letters to the beginning and/or the end of the fragment. You may not add letters to the middle of the fragment, nor may you rearrange the letters given. Multiple solutions are given for several word fragments (although we omitted most alternate solutions that rely on variations of the same word). To solve the puzzles, however, you only need to find one word for each fragment.

1. Ttre [2]
2. cerb [2]
3. mert [1]
4. nexh [1]
5. drob [1]
6. nves [1]
7. eue [1]
8. ipu [2]
9. gub [1]
10. cion [5]
*Bonus: ucra [2]
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Answers:

1. Buttress mattress
2. Acerbic exacerbate
3. summertime
4. inexhaustible
5. wardrobe
6. invest
7. queue
8. manipulate stipulate
9. lugubrious
10. aficionado conscionable coercion scion suspicion
*Bonus: bureaucrat lucrative
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Saturday

Retirement sure is good to my BIA friends, and others. One couple is out watching whales in an Alaska Cruise. Another is headed for St. Petersburg on another cruise. Two others are always taking off to see grandkids—one to CA, the other to Phx and Chicago. I only know one Tuba BIAer who is not enjoying her retirement. She is busy raising her three great-grandchildren. I do feel sorry for her, but she took on that responsibility while still working. We all have to make choices and then live with them. BIAers who are still working have one last day to enjoy summer break. Another year of work and another set of students starts on Monday. New programs and new forms abound. Since it is the BIA, many of the new forms do not replace old forms, they only add another couple. It seems like their summer just gets shorter and shorter.

Clouds with no rain here today. Only got to 83°, so it was a good day to be outside. I did take advantage of that with a nice walk. I must say I was glad that I wasn’t getting ready to return to work on Monday.

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Random Fact…
Chocolate only grows within 20 degrees of the equator.

PEZ candy comes from Austria where it originally tasted like peppermint.

In the 1500’s most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and they still smelled pretty good by June. However, since they were starting to smell...brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.

Still in the 1500’s baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water!"

The first city to reach a population of 1 million people was Rome, Italy in 133 B.C. There is a city called Rome on every continent.

Siberia contains more than 25% of the world's forests.

Crazy Stuff In The News…
RAINBOW, Calif. - A man who bought a historic Oceanside, Calif., home for $1 and moved it to his property in Rainbow, Calif., said he is now selling it for a lower price -- free. Hayden Perrine said he had originally planned to convert the house, which was built in 1889, into an extension of his home, but San Diego County permits and mandated restorations have made the project too expensive, KGTV, San Diego, reported. "To do everything they're asking me to do to this structure and put the foundation in to code and to secure it to the existing home, it would cost me about $60,000," Perrine said.
Perrine purchased the house for $1 from the city of Oceanside after it offered a number of homes for the price with the stipulation that purchasers move the homes at their own expense. He said the house is now listed on Craigslist as free. He said the purchaser will have to pay to move the house and conduct the county-mandated restorations.

Month long events in August

Edinburgh Festival is an internationally famous arts festival that takes place during August National Immunization Awareness Month… National Psoriasis Awareness Month… Women's Small Business Month... National Back to School month…American Adventures Month…Golf Month…National Inventor’s Month…National Win with Civility Month…What will be your legacy Month

Week of Aug 2…
National Fraud Awareness Week
National Clown Week
Single Working Mother’s Awareness Week

2 Aug…

214 days so far this year…151 days remain in 2009
Sister’s Day
Friendship Day
*Costa Rica: Our Lady of the Angels Day
*Macedonia: Republic Day [1944]/ St. Elijah Day [Summer Storms]
*Russia & Ukraine: Airborne Forces Day

BIRTHS ON THIS DAY…

1696…..Mahmud I Ottoman sultan, fought Austrians & Russians
1754…..Pierre Charles L'Enfant France, architect laid out Wash DC
1892…..Jack L. (Leonard) Warner (Eichelbaum) movie mogul: one of Hollywood’s famed Warner Brothers
1905…..Myrna Loy Montana, actress (Rebound, Emma)
1922…..Carroll O'Connor NYC, actor (All in the Family, Heat of the Night)
1924…..James Baldwin author: Go Tell It on the Mountain
1926…..Betsy Bloomingdale dept store mogul
1932…..Peter O'Toole Ireland, actor
1939…..Wes Craven author: A Nightmare on Elm Street

Events on this day…

1375,,,,,1st roller skating rink opens (London)

1492…..Jews are expelled from Spain by King Ferdinand & Queen Isabella

1622…..The first regular newspaper printed in England. Because of political restrictions, it covers mainly foreign news

1776…..Formal signing of the Declaration of Independence
1798…..British under Adm Horatio Nelson beat French at Battle of Nile

1819…..1st parachute jump in US
1858…..1st street mailboxes-Boston, Mass
1876…..Wild Bill Hickok is shot, his final hand, pairs of aces and eights, becomes known as the "dead man's hand."

1909…..1st Lincoln head pennies minted
1939…..Hatch Act prohibits political activity by federal workers 1943….. PT 109, with JFK. on board, was rammed and sunk
1990 Iraq invades & occupies Kuwait


Word Fragment Puzzle

In each of these puzzles, a word fragment is given, and you must think of an English word that contains the fragment -- that is, you must form a word by adding letters to the beginning and/or the end of the fragment. You may not add letters to the middle of the fragment, nor may you rearrange the letters given. Multiple solutions are given for several word fragments (although we omitted most alternate solutions that rely on variations of the same word). To solve the puzzles, however, you only need to find one word for each fragment.

1. illili [1]
2. ghw [1]
3. nhu [4]
4. nhi [2]
5. nho [6]
6. ayg [1]
7. ehel [1]
8. ewil [1]
9. itn [1]
10. xub [1]
*Bonus: cd[1]
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Answers:
1. milliliter
2. highway
3. inhuman, inhumane, manhunt, unhurt
4. downhill. inhibit
5. buttonhole, greenhouse, inhospitable, manhole, pinhole, townhouse
6. playground
7. beheld
8. bewilder
9. witness
10. exuberant
* BONUS: anecdote
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Friday

The Cash for Clunkers Program is a really big success. You trade in your old gas guzzler and get $4500 from the government towards the purchase of a more fuel efficient vehicle. It started last week, and in less than a week, the $2 billion dollars is gone. That means about 225,000 people took advantage of it. If each one bought a $20K car, that just put $4.5 billion into the car industry. The one million was supposed to last until November. It was gone in a week. So Congress today proposed another $2 billion for the program. Some are calling this a great success. The $2 billion will come from other energy saving programs that aren’t off the ground yet. Maybe the recession has bottomed out. I personally can’t grasp any of the numbers. I do get the $4500. If I had a clunker, I would probably join in. I also get that the Flagstaff car dealers were complaining that the rebate web site kept crashing the last few days. It takes several hours for the dealership to do one rebate, with all the crashes. Now, the money is gone, unless Congress actually passes the latest bills.

The monsoon brought lots of thunder and lightning to our area, but didn’t drop any rain here. Probably dropped it around town in various places…thus the term isolated thunderstorms. I can’t complain, it never got over 80°. The traffic is building up for the weekend here. So many families heading toward Flag from the extreme heat of Phoenix. Just hope they spend lots of money to help our local economy.

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Random Fact…

The world's youngest parents were 8 and 9 and lived in China in 1910.

The term 'The Big Apple' was coined by touring jazz musicians of the 1930's who used the slang expression 'apple' for any town or city. Therefore, to play New York City is to play the big time - The Big Apple.

There are more Irish in New York City than in Dublin, Ireland; more Italians in New York City than in Rome, Italy; and more Jews in New York City than in Tel Aviv, Israel..

There are no natural lakes in the state of Ohio, every one is man made.

The smallest island with country status is Pitcairn in Polynesia , at just 1.75 sq. miles.

In the 1500’s they used to use urine to tan animal skins, so families used to all pee in a pot & then once a day it was taken & sold to the tannery.......if you had to do this to survive you were "Piss Poor" But worse than that were the really poor folk who couldn't even afford to buy a pot...........they "didn’t have a pot to piss in" and were the lowest of the low.

Crazy Stuff In The News…

SWANSEA, Wales - After stealing about $1,154 in liquor, two burglars decided to celebrate and got so drunk they fell asleep instead of escaping, police in Swansea, Wales, said. Burglars Keith Cullen and Paul Wiggins stacked up the stolen booze outside the store and then went in to have a drink. Police found them asleep in the store the next morning, The Sun newspaper reported. A Swansea prosecutor said closed circuit television recorded the entire theft of the Kuehne Nagle Drinks Logistics depot.
Police said Cullen turned up for his hearing at Swansea magistrates’ court so drunk he was prohibited from entering the building. Wiggins disappeared from the court.
Neither returned so both were tried in absentia. Cullen, 33, and Wiggins, 45, were convicted of burglary and theft and will be sentenced later.

August:

August is the eighth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. This month was originally named Sextilis in Latin, because it was the sixth month in the ancient Roman calendar, which started in March about 735 BC under Romulus. It became the eighth month either when January and February were added to the beginning of the year by King Numa Pompilius about 700 BC or when those two months were moved from the end to the beginning of the year by the decemvirs about 450 BC (Roman writers disagree). It was renamed in honor of Augustus in 8 BC because several of the most significant events in his rise to power, culminating in the fall of Alexandria, fell in this month. Lore claims August originally had 29 days in the Roman Republican calendar. Augustus took two days from February and gave it to August when Sextilis was renamed in his honor. August's flower is the gladiolus or poppy, and its birthstone is the peridot. In common years no other month starts on the same day of the week as August, though in leap years February starts on the same day. August is the only month without a major federal holiday in the United States.

Month long events in August

Edinburgh Festival is an internationally famous arts festival that takes place during August National Immunization Awareness Month… National Psoriasis Awareness Month… Women's Small Business Month... National Back to School month…American Adventures Month…Golf Month…National Inventor’s Month…National Win with Civility Month…What will be your legacy Month

Week of Aug 1…
World Breastfeeding Week…Simplify Your Life Week

1 Aug…
213 days so far this year…152 days remain in 2009
Respect Your Parent’s Day…Sweet Corn Day…World Wide Web Day…National Mustard Day

BIRTHS ON THIS DAY…
1744 Jean-Baptiste Lamarck believed in inheritance of acquired traits
1770 William Clark explorer: Lewis and Clark Expedition
1779 Francis Scott Key composer (Star-Spangled Banner)

1819 Herman Melville US, author (Moby Dick, Billy Budd)

1933 Dom DeLuise NY, comedian, actor (End, Cannonball Run, Fatso)
1936 Yves Saint-Laurent fashion designer (Opium, Obsession)
1942 Jerry Garcia SF, rocker (Grateful Dead)
1948 Cliff Branch football Univ of CO grad
1961 Bart Conner US, parallel bars gymnast

Events on this day…

1619 1st black Americans (20) land at Jamestown, Virginia

1774 Priestly discovers oxygen
1790 1st US census (population of 3,939,214)

1831 London Bridge opens
1869 1st voyage down Colorado River
1876 Colorado becomes 38th state

1944 13-year-old Anne Frank made the last entry in her diary
1953 Calif introduces sales tax (for education)
1960 Chubby Checker releases "The Twist"
1972 1st article exposing Watergate scandal (Bernstein-Woodward)
1982 Greg Louganis, US becomes 1st diver to score 700 in 11 dives

Puzzles return tomorrow…
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Flagstaff, Arizona, United States
I retired in '06--at the ripe old age of 57. I enjoy blogging, photography, traveling, and living life to it's fullest.