Aug 17

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Aug 17, 2018 Week: 33\ Day: 229

86004 Today: H 78° \ L 55° \ Average Sky Cover: 60% 

Nearest Lightning:  55 miles away

Wind ave.:   1mph\Gusts:  12mph Visibility: 10 mi

Record High: 88°[2002]   Record Low: 38°[1979]

Aug Averages: 80°\49°

Today’s Quote

 We all require and want respect,

 man or woman, black or white.

 It's our basic human right.

   Aretha Franklin

Harper’s Index

 5

  Estimated percentage of US children who exhibit

  symptoms of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

Observances This Week

9-16

Elvis Week Link
National Hobo Week Link
National Scrabble Week  Link  

12-18

National Motorcycle Week Link 
Feeding Pets of the Homeless Week  Link  Link 
National Resurrect Romance Week
Weird Contest Week 

15-21

National Aviation Week  

16-26

Little League World Series

Observances for Today

Black Cat Appreciation Day Link   Link
Chinese Valentine's Day/Daughter's Day

I Love My Feet Day Link
Meaning of "Is" Day|
Men's Grooming Day Link 
National Nonprofit Day  Link
National Thriftshop Day Link

Today’s Significant US Historical Events

Today’s Significant International Historical Events 

1800’s                                         

1807 Robert Fulton's steamboat Clermont begins first trip up Hudson River

1846 Commodore Robert F Stockton, US Navy, annexes California

1858 1st bank in Hawaii opens

1870 1st ascent of Mt Rainier, Washington

1891 1st public bathhouse with showers opens in NYC (People's Bath)

1891 Electric self-starter for automobile patented

1900’s                                         

1903 Joe Pulitzer donates $1 million to Columbia University & begins the Pulitzer Prizes in America

1908 Bank of Italy (now Bank of America) opens new HQ at Clay & Montgomery, San Francisco

1933 Lou Gehrig plays record 1,308th consecutive game

1938 1st aircraft owned by US Forest Service in service (Oakland)

1945 Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta declare Indonesia (Dutch East Indies) independent from the Netherlands

1945 Korea is divided into North and South Korea along the 38th parallel

1946 George Orwell publishes "Animal Farm" in the United Kingdom

1950 Indonesia gains independence from Netherlands

1959 7.1 quake strikes Yellowstone National Park

1961 Kennedy administration establishes Alliance for Progress

1976 An earthquake & tsunami in the Philippines kills up to 8,000

1979 Monty Python's "Life of Brian" directed by Terry Jones, starring Graham Chapman & John Cleese premieres

1982 First Compact Discs (CDs) released to the public in Germany

1994 NY Central park reservoir officially named after Jackie Kennedy Onasis

1998 Monica Lewinsky scandal: US President Bill Clinton admits in taped testimony he had an "improper physical relationship" with the intern and on the same day admits before the nation he "misled people" about the relationship

2000’s                                         

2012 Gay pride events are banned for a century in Moscow

2016 American sweep in 100m women's hurdles at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics with Brianna Rollins taking gold ahead of Nia Ali & Kristi Castlin; 1st time US has swept medals in an Olympic women's track & field event

2017 Anti-immigrant One Nation party leader Pauline Hansen is widely criticized for wearing a burqa into the Australian parliament

2017 On This Day helps launch Borneo Dictionary, an online not for profit dictionary of indigenous Borneo languages with translations in English and Bahasa Malaysia

My Rambling Thoughts

Did some necessary shopping at Sam’s today. While there I saw an inexpensive ‘air fryer’ on one of those end displays. I had dinner at a friend’s place the other day and she used an air fryer. Food was good, so I’ll try one out. Growing up we had a deep fryer and it was used a lot. I miss some of that good old fried food. Maybe this will help with healthier food.

Rainfall here is up for the monsoon season, but still way way down for the year. Drought is awful.

Today remembers Floyd Westerman’s birthday. I have put several of his songs in the birthday section. If you haven’t heard of him, or haven’t listened to him for a few years, check it out.

I’ve never been a big fan of organized churches. I grew up going to a small Episcopal church. They had their share of ‘issues’. Sometimes groups would leave because they didn’t like the Priest. Other times the Priest would leave because powerful members didn’t like something he did. While working on the Rez, I saw lots of Church people going to very drastic measures to convince traditional people that their way was wrong. I also saw ‘churches’ pop up at people’s homes. Members of a known church would get upset, leave, and start their own ‘church’. Some of my staff would change these home ‘churches’ like others change their clothes. All to political for me. The latest information on the Catholic church only adds to my dissatisfaction…child rape is never OK; hiding child rape is NEVER OK. I believe those who harm children have a special place in Hell. Those who allow children to be harmed are headed to the same place.

Birthdays Today

@-  indicates age at death

0’s

@95►Samuel Goldwyn [Shmuel Gelbfisz], Jewish Polish American movie producer (MGM), born in Warsaw, Poland (d. 1974)

@95►Maureen O'Hara [FitzSimons], Irish actress and singer (Miracle on 34th St, The Quiet Man), Ranelagh, County Dublin (d. 2015)

@90►Frederick Russell, developed 1st successful typhoid fever vaccine (d. 1960)

@87►Mae West, American actress and singer (She Done him Wrong), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1980)

75►Robert De Niro, American actor (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull), born in NYC, New York

@71►Floyd Red Crow Westerman (Kanghi Duta), Sioux musician-actor “Custer Died For Your Sins” “Where Were You When?” “Drums” “They Didn’t Listen” “Here Come The Antros” (d. 2007) leukemia

58►Sean Penn, actor (Fast Times at Ridgemont High), born in Santa Monica, California

@52►Marcus Garvey, began back-to-Africa movement among US African Americans (d. 1940) strokes

@49► Davy Crockett, American frontiersman, adventurer and politician, born in Greene County, Tennessee (d. 1836) at the Alamo

49►Donald E Wahlberg Jr, rocker (New Kids-Hangin' Tough), born in Boston, Massachusetts

@47-Francis Gary Powers, US spy (USSR captures him in 1959 U-2 incident) (d. 1977) helicopter crash

Historical Obits Today

90’s

@93-1987 Rudolf Hess, German Nazi official (Deputy Fuhrer who dramatically escaped to Britain in 1941, sentenced to life in Spandau Prison), commits suicide

70’s

@72-1990 Pearl Bailey, American actress and singer (Hello Dolly), heart attack

@72-1850 Jose de San Martin, South American revolutionary hero and general

@70-1979 Vivian Vance, American actress (Ethel Mertz-I Love Lucy), cancer

Disclaimer: All opinions are mine…feel free to agree or disagree.

All ‘data’ info is from the internet sites and is usually checked with at least one other source, but I have learned that every site contains mistakes and sadly once the information is out there, many sites simply copy it and is therefore difficult to verify. Also for events occurring before the Gregorian calendar was adopted [1582] the dates may not be totally accurate.

☼☼☼☼…And That Is All for Now…☼☼☼☼

Aug 16

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

Aug 16, 2018 Week: 33\ Day: 228

86004 Today: H 75° \ L 54° \ Average Sky Cover: 70% 

Nearest Lightning: 97 miles away

Wind ave.:   2mph\Gusts:  8mph Visibility: 10 mi

Record High: 89°[1939]   Record Low: 37°[1968]

Aug Averages: 80°\49°

Today’s Quote

   Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product.

   Eleanor Roosevelt

Harper’s Index

 0

  Number of the 20 largest German companies that are

  headquartered in the former East German

  2

  Rank of Germany in consumption of nonalcoholic beer

  1

  Of Iran

Observances This Week

9-16

Elvis Week Link
National Hobo Week Link
National Scrabble Week  Link  

12-18

National Motorcycle Week Link 
Feeding Pets of the Homeless Week  Link  Link 
National Resurrect Romance Week
Weird Contest Week 

15-21

National Aviation Week  

16-26

Little League World Series

Observances for Today

Joe Miller's Joke Day
National Airborne Day
National Rollercoaster Day Day
National Tell a Joke Day

Surveilance Day Link  Link

Today’s Significant US Historical Events

Today’s Significant International Historical Events 

1800’s                                         

1812 British forces under the command of Major General Sir Isaac Brock capture Fort Detroit with the help of Indigenous warriors led by Tecumseh

1861 US President Abraham Lincoln prohibits Union states from trading with Confederacy

1880 The French state commissions sculptor Auguste Rodin for a large sculpted doorway 'The Gates of Hell' for the proposed Musée des Arts Décoratifs

1894 Indian chiefs from the Sioux & Onondaga tribes met to urge their people to renounce Christianity & return to their old Indian faith

1896 Gold first discovered in Klondike, found at Bonanza Creek, Alaska by George Carmack

1900’s                                         

1930 The first color sound cartoon, called Fiddlesticks, is made by Ub Iwerks.

1934 US ends occupation of Haiti (been there since 1915)

1936 11th Olympic games closes in Berlin

1936 The Berlin Olympic equestrian competition concludes with Germany winning all 6 gold medals in an unprecedented team achievement

1954 "Sports Illustrated" magazine begins publishing

1969 Second day of the Woodstock rock festival in NY

1972 Morocco King Hassan II's B727 shot during failed coup attempt by General Mohamed Oufkir. Reportedly, King Hassan grabbed the radio and told the rebel pilots "Stop firing! The tyrant is dead!", fooling pilots to break off attack

1988 Mayor Koch says he plans to wipe out street-corner windshield washers

1989 A solar flare from the Sun creates a geomagnetic storm that affects micro chips, leading to a halt of all trading on Toronto's stock market.

2000’s                                         

2003 U.S. Representative from South Dakota Bill Janklow hits and kills a motorcyclist with his car at a rural intersection near Trent, South Dakota; he will eventually be convicted of manslaughter and will resign from Congress.

2008 Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt sets new world record of 9.69 seconds to win the coveted 100m gold medal at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics

2012 Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange is granted political asylum by Ecuador

2016 Wildfire breaks out in San Bernardino County, California, engulfing 15,000 acres, prompting evacuation of 82,000 people

2017 Over 100 Maasai houses destroyed in Tanzania by game park authorities as part of a border dispute near Serengeti National Park

My Rambling Thoughts

The monsoon continues. Last night was another hard-male rain with some lightning. Over an inch of rain in about 45 minutes. More expected today.

More deflection today. Put out a new shiny object for the press and the American people to ponder. Have to say, there is a procedure to remove someone’s security clearance. That procedure has worked for decades. Now 45 ‘don’t give no nevermind’ to the way things have worked, so he just does it himself…much like a dictator. This is not the first time 45 has discounted procedures and it won’t be the last. Starting to look like anyone in government who criticizes 45 will pay a big price and so does our country. Former senior officials can offer a lot to any administration. There have always been formers who have criticized a new administration, but this is far past that.

The whole distraction policy is getting very boring. The name calling and ridicule are not Presidential. I really need to change the channel from this reality TV show to something of substance.

Birthdays Today

@-  indicates age at death

80’s

@85- George Meany, labor leader (headed AFL-CIO), born in NYC, New York (d. 1980)

85- Julie Newmar, actress (Catwoman-Batman, Living Doll), born in Hollywood, California

@85- Fess Parker, actor (Davy Crockett, Old Yeller), born in Fort Worth Texas (d. 2010)

@84- Frank Gifford, American NFL halfback (NY Giants)/ABC sportscaster, born in Santa Monica, California (d. 2015)

@84- Eydie Gorme [Edithe Gormezano], American singer (Bossa Nova), born in The Bronx, New York (d. 2013)

70’s

@79- Robert Culp, American actor, screenwriter, voice actor, and director (I Spy, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice), born in Oakland, California (d. 2010) heart attack

@78- Menachem Begin, Israeli Prime Minister (1977-83, Nobel 1978), born in Brest, Belarus (d. 1992) heart attack

71- James Taylor, SC, rocker (Kool & The Gang-Joanna)

60’s

65- Kathie Lee Gifford, Paris Fla, hostess (Live with Regis & Kathie Lee)

64- James Cameron, Canadian film director and writer (Titanic, Avatar), born in Kapuskasing, Ontario

60- Madonna [Ciccone], American singer and actress (Like a Virgin), born in Bay City, Michigan

60- Angela Bassett, actress

50’s

56- Steve Carell, American actor and comedian (The Office), born in Concord, Massachusetts

40’s

@46- T. E. Lawrence [Lawrence of Arabia], British author, soldier and diplomat famous for his liaison role in Arabia during WWI, born in Tremadog, Caernarfonshire, Wales (d. 1935) motorcycle accident

Historical Obits Today

80’s

@89-2016 John McLaughlin, American TV commentator (McLaughlin Group) and Nixon aide

@88-2012 William Windom, American actor, (Murder She Wrote)

@88-1899 Robert Bunsen, German chemist who invented the Bunsen Burner

@85-1854 Duncan Phyfe, furniture maker, dies

@83-2004 Acquanetta [Mildred Davenport], American actress nicknamed "The Venezuelan Volcano" (Tarzan & Leopard Woman)

70’s

@75-80-2003 Idi Amin, Ugandan dictator (1971-79) who killed an estimated 100,000 to 500,000 people, kidney failure

@73-1956 Bela Lugosi, actor (Dracula), heart attack

60’s

@60-1989 Amanda Blake [Beverly Louise Neill], American actress (Gunsmoke), AIDS

50’s

@57-1888 John Pemberton, American pharmacist (inventor of Coca-Cola), stomach cancer

@53-1948 George Herman (Babe) Ruth, American Baseball Hall of Fame slugger, Esophageal cancer

40’s

@48-1949 Margaret Mitchell, American writer (Gone With the Wind), hit by car

@42-1977 Elvis Presley, American musician, the official cause of death being cardiac arrhythmia

Teens

@16-1991 Shamu the Whale, respiratory failure Orcas in the wild live to be 50-80 years old

Disclaimer: All opinions are mine…feel free to agree or disagree.

All ‘data’ info is from the internet sites and is usually checked with at least one other source, but I have learned that every site contains mistakes and sadly once the information is out there, many sites simply copy it and is therefore difficult to verify. Also for events occurring before the Gregorian calendar was adopted [1582] the dates may not be totally accurate.

☼☼☼☼…And That Is All for Now…☼☼☼☼