Aug 13

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Aug. 13, 2019 Week: 33  Day: 225

86004:   H 78° \ L 51° \ Average Sky Cover: 30% 

Nearest wildfire:  99mi. Nearest lightning:  219mi

Wind:   12mph\Gusts:  21mph

Visibility: 10 mi

Record High: 90°[2002]   Record Low: 39°[1999]

Aug Averages: 79°\50° (9 day with rain)

Today’s Quote

That's why people listen to music or look at paintings.

To get in touch with that wholeness.

Corita Kent

Random Tidbits

With the ubiquitousness of the Internet it is easy to forget that once upon a time the recording and passing on of knowledge was a monumentally important, even sacred task and books were frequently more valuable than gold. Now, many books aren't even worth the paper they are printed on, but those rare examples of historic publications in antiquity that are still in good condition can fetch kingly prices. Some of the most expensive books ever sold at auction are...

Traite Des Arbres Fruitiers

The "Treatise on Fruit Trees" is a five volume set written in 1750. It contains illustrations and descriptions of sixteen different varieties of fruit trees. With a 2006 purchase price of $4.5 million, it has the distinction of being the most expensive book about fruit trees ever sold.

The Gutenberg Bible

There are 48 Gutenberg Bibles left of the original 180 believed to have been produced. They were printed in 1456 and were the first books produced with moveable type. A copy sold in 1987 for $4.9 million at Christie's New York.

Observances This Week

9-13

Perseid Meteor Showers

11-17

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

12-18

US Amateur Golf Week

Observances for Today

International Lefthander's Day  Link

National Filet Mignon Day

My Rambling Thoughts

It’s Monday…I had an early Dr. Visit. All is good. The Dr. is from China and told me she was worried that my blood issues might interfere with my recent visitor. She was happy to hear all went well. She was very happy I enjoyed my visit, and told of growing up in Beijing when the only transportation was bicycle or public transit. She visited a few years ago and said she had culture shock with all the positive changes that have taken place. Great stories and a positive health visit.

Ten weeks of protests in Hong Kong. I keep trying to imagine what the closed airport must be like. We traveled about an hour from our hotel to the airport a few years ago. Now they are saying that people in the airport must leave the airport walking, as no transportation is permitted. WOW! And that there are 5000+ demonstrators in the airport. Walking the road out of an airport with luggage would be daunting under any circumstances, but with that many protestors and cops…No Thanks.

Weather here is great. Sunshine, a few clouds, nice temps, and light wind. Almost a perfect day.

I’m sure conspiracy theories have been around as long as humankind. The new twist is for the President of the US to repeat them, instead of reading them in the tabloid world. Many of us wonder how Epstein could have committed suicide while in jail. Turns out lots of prisoners commit suicide while being held for heinous crimes. Hopefully the investigation will provide transparency to the conditions of jails and prisons and what measures really work to prevent any prisoner from taking their own life in custody. The victims, their families, and the perp’s family need closure and that never comes with a suicide.

Today’s Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of this page

If you throw me from the window,

I will leave a grieving wife.

Bring me back but in the door,

And you’ll see someone giving life.

What am I?

Historical Events

1521 - Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes captured Aztec leader Tlatoani Cuauhtémoc and conquered the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan.

1868 (Earthquake & Tsunami) Arica, Chile

1898 - Carl Gustav Witt discovered 433 Eros, the first near-Earth asteroid to be seen.

1918 - Opha Mae Johnson was the first woman to enlist in the United States Marine Corps.

1942 - Walt Disney's fifth full-length animated film, Bambi, was released in theaters.

1961 - East Germany closed the border between the eastern and western sectors of Berlin with the Berlin Wall.

1965 - Jefferson Airplane made their first professional appearance at the Matrix Club in San Francisco.

1966 - #1 Hit August 13, 1966 - September 2, 1966: The Lovin' Spoonful - Summer in the City

1969 - The Apollo 11 astronauts were released from a three-week quarantine to enjoy a ticker tape parade in New York, New York.

1997 - South Park aired for the first time on Comedy Central.

2013 - Google Incorporated suffered an outage for five minutes. All of its services, including Google Search, YouTube and Google Drive, experienced this outage. During that brief time window, the world's Internet traffic dropped by 40%.

Birthdays Today

Fidel Castro, leader of Cuba

 (d. 2016 @90)

Alfred Hitchcock, director

(d. 1980 @80)

Don Ho, Hawaiian singer

(d. 2007 @76: heart failure)

Annie Oakley [Phoebe Ann Mosey], trick shooter

(d. 1926 @66: anemia)

Danny Bonaduce, actor (60)

Koji Kondo, sound director: Nintendo (58)

John Slattery, actor (Mad Men), director (57)

Puzzle answer:

The answer is THE LETTER N.

Aug 12

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Aug. 12, 2019 Week: 33  Day: 224

86004:   H 78° \ L 52° \ Average Sky Cover: 40% 

Nearest wildfire:  99mi. Nearest lightning:  87mi

Wind:   8mph\Gusts:  8mph

Visibility: 10 mi

Record High: 91°[1980]   Record Low: 36°[1900]

Aug Averages: 79°\50° (9 day with rain)

Today’s Quote

Act as if what you do makes a difference.

It does.

William James

Random Tidbits

Kate Middleton is an eighth cousin seven times removed to the first U.S. President George Washington and a thirteenth cousin once removed from American World War II hero General George Patton.

"England Swings (Like a Pendulum Do)" is a 1965 country music song written and performed by Roger Miller. The title refers to Swinging London, a popular term for the progressive youth-centric cultural scene in London at the time.

Observances This Week

9-13

Perseid Meteor Showers

11-17

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

Observances for Today

Home Sewing Machine Day

IBM PC Day
International Youth Day
Middle Child Day

Milkman Day Link 
National Julienne Fries Day

Vinyl Record Day
World Elephant Day Link

My Rambling Thoughts

Yesterday I spent the afternoon with a friend and former boss who is recovering from femur/hip replacement surgery. He broke his femur about 3 years ago and it never healed well and he had lots of pain. This should fix the pain, eventually. Andy retired a few years ago and lives here in Flag. His family said he always liked visitors at the rehab hospital. When I arrived his aunt, uncle, son, wife, and nephew were already there. Then two nieces arrived. The best part of the visit, other than that he was doing fine, was sharing stories with his family. It so reminded me of my many years on Navajo. Lots of jokes, laughing, silence, more jokes, for 3+ hours. His aunt even brought some Navajo herbal medicine to heal him. I’m sure they all stayed longer, but I told him I would come back Monday, when everyone was working. That even brought some laughs. Great day!

On Friday I called the HOA about the pine needles…again. No answer yet. I did spend part of the morning on my deck, reading the Sunday paper + ads. Always disappointed to read about a place I have visited, today it is the mess in Hong Kong. Focus had a great time there, and seeing the demonstrations at the air terminal is difficult to see. It’s a nice day and I enjoyed just sitting there, reading the paper and listening to my music on my new ear buds.

I wish our lawmakers would do something to stop the gun violence. Background checks will help. Stopping assault weapons sales will help. No one in this great nation should fear going to a concert, a theater, a mall, or a nightclub, and most of all a school and thinking they might get shot or killed.

Today’s Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of this page

Every night I’m told what to do,

and each morning I do what I’m told.

But I still don’t escape your scold.

Historical Events

30 BC - Cleopatra VII Philopator, the last ruler of the Egyptian Ptolemaic dynasty, committed suicide, by means of an asp bite.

1851 - Isaac Singer was granted a patent (#8,294) for his sewing machine.

1877 - Asaph Hall discovered the Mars moon Deimos.

1883 - The last quagga, a kind of zebra, died at the Artis Magistra zoo in Amsterdam, Netherlands. In 1984, the quagga was the first extinct animal to have its DNA analyzed.

1901 - The Indianapolis Motor Speedway opened.

1960 - Echo 1A, NASA's first successful communications satellite, was launched.

1977 - The first free flight of the Space Shuttle Enterprise.

1978 - #1 Hit August 12, 1978 - August 25, 1978: Commodores - Three Times a Lady

1981 - The IBM Personal Computer was released.

1985 - Japan Airlines Flight 123 crashed into Osutaka ridge in Gunma Prefecture, Japan, killing 520, becoming the worst single-plane air disaster.

1989 - #1 Hit August 12, 1989 - September 1, 1989: Richard Marx - Right Here Waiting

1990 - Sue, the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton found to date, was discovered by paleontologist Sue Hendrickson in South Dakota.

1994 - Major League Baseball players went on strike, forcing the cancellation of the 1994 World Series.

2000 - #1 Hit August 12, 2000 - August 25, 2000: Sisq - Incomplete

Birthdays Today

Cantinflas,

[Mario Fortino Alfonso Moreno Reyes],

Mexican film actor  (1993 @81)

George Hamilton, tanned actor (80)

Joe Besser, character actor (d. 1988 @80)

Cecil B. DeMille (1959 @77: heart attacks)

Mark Knopfler, British songwriter, singer (Dire Straits) (70)

Peter Krause, actor (Six Feet Under) (54)

Miss Cleo

[Youree Dell Harris],

Telephone psychic (d. 2016 @53 colon cancer)

Pete Sampras, Tennis star (48)

Yvette Nicole Brown, actress (48)

Casey Affleck, actor, director (44)

Puzzle answer:

This answer is ALARM CLOCK.

Auig 10

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Aug. 10, 2019 Week: 32 \ Day: 222

86004:   H 77° \ L 54° \ Average Sky Cover: 50% 

Nearest wildfire:  99mi. Nearest lightning:  13.8mi

Wind:   5mph\Gusts:  9mph

Visibility: 10 mi

Record High: 89°[1980]   Record Low: 35°[2009]

Aug Averages: 79°\50° (9 day with rain)

Today’s Quote

However much you knock at nature's door,

she will never answer you in comprehensible words.

Ivan Turgenev

Random Tidbits

There is only a 21-mile gap between England and France, and the countries are connected by the Channel Tunnel, which opened in 1994. It is the world's second longest underground tunnel; Japan's Seikan Tunnel is the first.

The UK's most remote pub is the Old Forge on Inverie, Scotland. It is 107 miles (172 km) from the nearest city, Inverness, and has no road access.

Observances This Week

2-11

Gallup International Tribal Indian Powwow Link
Sturgis Rally Link

4-10

Assistance Dog Week  Link  Link  
Exercise With Your Child Week
Knights of Columbus Family Week
National Button Week Link
National Farmers' Market Week Link 
National Fraud Awareness Week Link   
National Health Center Week Link  
National Psychic Week Link  Link   
Single Working Women's Week Link
Stop on Red Week Link

5-11

National Bargain Hunting Week
Old Fiddlers' Week
Numismatic Week (World's Fair of Money)

8-11

National Hobo Week  Link

9-11

International Tree Climbing Days  Link

9-13

Perseid Meteor Showers

Observances for Today

Kool-Aid Day-thru 11 Link  

Lazy Day

Middle Child Day
National Bowling Day Link
National Banana Split Day

National Duran Duran Appreciation Day
National Garage Sale Day
National Shapewear Day Link
National S’mores Day

Paul Bunyan Day Link Link 
Skyscraper Appreciation Day  Link
Shop Online For Groceries Day: 9 
Smithsonian Day (1846)
Tisha B'Av
World Lion Day

My Rambling Thoughts

Friday is going well. Did one load of laundry, did my weekly grocery shopping and was back home by 11a. Found some nice sales on various groceries.

News of the week seems to be ‘words v deeds’. The immigration raid in Mississippi doesn’t seem to follow the administration words, just days after El Paso where ‘Mexicans’ were the target. Then there is Wal-Mart. There are no studies that show violent video games lead to violence in the real world. There are studies that show guns kill people. So Wal-Mart removes its displays of violent video games and has no plans to stop selling guns, saying it is to honor its employees who were injured in El Paso…modern day business practice.

I have discovered MorningSave.com. I have bought 4 items in the last month or so. All were exactly what I needed at a very good price…Wheeled med. Duffel bag for $20 (used it on Trans-Siberian, 600 count Queen Cotton sheets for $39, wireless ear buds for $19, and 5 lenses to attach to my phone camera for $20. All deliveries came USPS and were delivered earlier than expected. Nice to find a place that delivers quality product and a very reasonable price.

Cloudy enough here for some rain, but the weather guy says no rain today. Darn. Well the weather guy gets it wrong, having a nice little shower right now.

Social media really picks up on things. Since my recent trip I have been getting lots of FB news posts about Russia, learning about the flooding and fires, some festivals, and other stuff to see if I visit again. It’s not a nuisance, it is nice to see.

Today’s Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of this page

What’s black when you get it, red when you use it, and white when you’re all through with it?

Today’s Highlighted Historical Events

1519 - Ferdinand Magellan set sail from Seville, Spain to circumnavigate the globe.

1675 - The foundation stone of the Royal Greenwich Observatory in London, England was laid.

1846 - The Smithsonian Institution was chartered by the United States Congress.

1873 - Louvre Museum opened in France.

1932 - An 11 pound chondrite-type meteorite broke into several pieces and landed near the town of Archie in Cass County, Missouri.

1941 - The Mount Rushmore memorial was dedicated.

1948 - Candid Camera made its television debut, after being on radio for a year as Candid Microphone.

1949 - The US Department of War was replaced with the United States Department of Defense.

1959 - #1 Hit August 10, 1959 - August 23, 1959: Elvis Presley - A Big Hunk o' Love

1963 - #1 Hit August 10, 1963 - August 30, 1963: Little Stevie Wonder - Fingertips (pt. II)

1966 - The US Treasury Department discontinued printing the $2 bill due to lack of demand.

August 10, 1967 Birthday (fictional) Chris Gaines, Garth Brooks' alter ego

1959 - #1 Big Hunk a Love By Elvis Presley

1971 - The Society for American Baseball Research is founded in Cooperstown, New York.

1974 - #1 Hit August 10, 1974 - August 16, 1974: Roberta Flack - Feel Like Makin' Love

1977 - In Yonkers, New York, 24-year-old postal employee David Berkowitz (the "Son of Sam") was arrested for a series of killings in the New York City.

1981- Pete Rose broke Stan Musial's NL record by getting hit number 3,631.

1984 - Red Dawn, starring Patrick Swayze and Charlie Sheen, became the first-ever PG-13 movie to be released in theaters.

1985 - Michael Jackson paid $47.5 million for ATV Music, a catalog of the Beatles' songs, which included 251 songs written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, beating Paul McCartney's offer.

1986 - Broadway Show - Me and My Girl (Musical) August 10, 1986

1995 In the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols were indicted for the bombing. Michael Fortier pled guilty in a plea bargain for his testimony.

Highlighted Birthdays Today

Herbert Hoover, 31^st US President (d. 1964 @90)

Eddie Fisher, singer (d. 2010 @82)

Jimmy Dean (d.2010 @81)

Ronnie Spector, singer (The Ronettes) (76)

Ian Anderson, musician (Jethro Tull) (72)

Rosanna Arquette, actor, producer, director (60)

Antonio Banderas, actor (59)

Angie Harmon, actor (Law & Order) (47)

Lucas Till, actor (MacGyver) (29)

Puzzle answer:

The answer is CHARCOAL.