FYI:
Any blue text is a link. Click to check it
out!
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8.17.16
Week: 33 \ Day: 230
July
Averages: 80°\49°
86004
Today: H 84° \ L 52°
Average Sky Cover: 75%
Wind
ave: 5mph\Gusts: 10mph Visibility: 10 mi
Record
High: 88°[2002]
Record Low: 38°[1979]
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Quote
of the Day
The past always
looks better than it was. It’s only present because it isn’t here. ~Finley
Peter Dunne
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Observances
Today
Black Cat
Appreciation Day Link
I Love My Feet Day Link
Meaning of "Is" Day
National Medical Dosimetrist Day
◘◘◘
Independence
Day (Gabon-1960-from France)
Independence Day (Indonesia-1945-from Netherlands)
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Observances
This Week
National
Motorcycle Week: 14-20 Link
Feeding Pets of the Homeless Week: 14-20 Link
National Resurrect Romance Week:14-20
*National Aviation Week: 15-21 (Always week
of Orville Wright's Birthday on 19th)
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US
Historical Highlights for Today
1590 John
White returns to Roanoke, NC to find no trace of colonists he had left there 3
years earlier [or Aug 18, 1591]
1807 Robert
Fulton's steamboat Clermont begins 1st trip up Hudson River
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
1903 Joe
Pulitzer donates $1 million to Columbia University & begins the Pulitzer
Prizes in America
1933 Lou
Gehrig plays record 1,308th consecutive game
1939 "Wizard
of Oz" opens at Loew's Capitol Theater in NY
1959 7.1
quake strikes Yellowstone National Park-1 week after our family visit there
1961 Kennedy
administration establishes Alliance for Progress
1969 Hurricane
Camille strikes US coastline and kills 259 people (mainly in Alabama,
Mississippi, Louisiana)
1998 Monica
Lewinsky scandal: US President Bill Clinton admits in taped
testimony that he had an "improper physical relationship" with White
House intern Monica Lewinsky. On the same day he admits before the nation that
he "misled people" about his relationship.
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World
Historical Highlights for Today
1876 Wagner's
opera "Götterdämmerung" premieres in Bayreuth
1946 George
Orwell publishes "Animal Farm" in the United Kingdom
1956 One
of the largest demonstrations in South Africa's history, 20,000 women marched
to Pretoria's Union Buildings to present petition against carrying of passes by
women to the Prime Minister
1979 Monty
Python's "Life of Brian" directed by Terry Jones and starring Graham
Chapman and John Cleese premieres
1982 The
first Compact Discs (CDs) were released to the public in Germany.
1999 Mandate,
the largest union representing bar and retail workers, demands the Millennium
New Year’s Eve off for their workers
2012 Gay
pride events are banned for a century in Moscow
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My
Rambling Thoughts
Slowly things are coming
together. Stopped at the Verizon store today to find out why I couldn’t get
Icloud photos to show up. Seems everything has changed since the last time I
went on a trip. Now one goes to icloud.com, signs in, and everything is there.
Nice…Thanks Apple for explaining it this old tech guy…NOT!
Our trip down the Rhone
had many interesting stops and all the tours were included in the trip. Lots of
beautiful quaint towns, lots of catholic cathedrals and Basilicas, and wine and
red wine with every meal. Toured several vineyards. Always with someone holding
a tasting of at least 3 red wines and 3 white wines. One with a chocolate
tasting that matched the wine. I really don’t get all the fancy language, but
do know how to accept a bottle of wine with a meal. I much prefer white wines,
and if I like it I drink it, if not, I let it pass.
I was taken aback at the
churches. As I have traveled though many African 3rd world
countries, there is always a church, cathedral, or basilica. Inside these
beautiful churches there are always locals and travelers inside. There is
always a bank of votive candles for people to light for a loved one, who has
passed or who is sick. Throughout France at every candle lighting bank, there
was a sign, in English and French, that requested a 5€ donation to light a
candle. In the 3rd world countries there was a place to leave a coin
in the local currency. For me the 5€ donation seemed a bit steep. Even so, the
architecture was outstanding, and the stained glass windows were inspiring.
As we traveled up the
Rhone, sometimes we would do a tour, get on a bus and catch up with our ship at
the next town. We also knew that a great lunch and a great lunch awaited us on
the ship. Service was superb, even though the men were always served after all
the women at the table were served. Every dinner had an appetizer, a soup, an entrée,
a cheese board, and dessert. And of course red and white wine just kept
flowing. If we had a long tour and had lunch in some town, the same was true
for lunch.
The on board entertainment
after dinner was good. The crew worked very hard to make it a hassle free
experience while always smiling and laughing. Our maître d' on the ship was
right out of Monty Python. He was Portuguese and made the meals very interesting.
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Brain
Teasers
(answers at the end of
post)
Curtail 4
Language brain teasers are those that involve
the English language. You need to think about and manipulate words and letters.
When you curtail a word,
you remove the last letter and still have a valid word. You will be given clues
for the two words, longer word first.
Example: Begin -> Heavenly body
Answer: The words are Start and Star.
1. Position; observe -> Compete
2. Introductory textbook -> First in rank
3. School subject -> Floor covering
4. Written composition -> Show displeasure
5. Make again -> A colour
6. What person (objective) -> What person (subjective)
7. Close together; slow to learn -> Lairs
8. Therefore -> Unit of energy
Bonus: Take the eight curtailed letters and form a one-word anagram; you will
find an assignment.
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Today’s
Trivia Hive
(answers at the end of
post)
How many U.S. presidents
served in World War II?
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…Harper’s
Index…
14-Number of states that offer public
universities financial incentives to produce graduates in STEM fields.
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2
jokes for the day
Meet Me For Lunch
The teacher of the earth
science class was lecturing on map reading.
After explaining about latitude, longitude, degrees, and minutes the teacher
asked, "Suppose I asked you to meet me for lunch at 23 degrees, 4 minutes
north latitude and 45 degrees, 15 minutes east longitude . . .?"
After a confused silence, a voice volunteered, "I guess you'd be eating
alone."
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The Young Executive
A young executive was
leaving the office late one evening when he found the CEO standing in front of
a shredder with a piece of paper in his hand.
"Listen," said the CEO, "this is a very sensitive and important
document here, and my secretary has gone for the night. Can you make this thing
work for me?"
"Certainly," said the young executive. He turned the machine on,
inserted the paper, and pressed the start button.
"Excellent, excellent!" said the CEO, as his paper disappeared inside
the machine. "I just need one copy..."
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Yep,
It Really Happened
-------- Woman Run Over
by Her Own Car --------*
A Washington state driver's dashcam recorded the moment a woman got out of her
car at a red light and was run over by her own vehicle. The footage recorded by
David Alger's dashboard camera at the red light to get out of the Costco
parking lot in Burlington shows a woman driving a white vehicle ahead of Alger.
The video shows another driver pull up beside the woman and signal her that her
gas cap is loose. "She just went to pick up the gas cap and realized the
car was moving, so she went back to jump back into the car and grab the
steering wheel," Alger said. "And as she grabbed the steering wheel
with the car still moving forward, I would imagine the wheel turned to the left
and that's when she was dragged underneath the left rear tire and run over.
Both legs. Went right up over her buttock and over both legs." Alger, who
is seen running to help the woman, said she insisted she was uninjured.
"She wanted to take off after the vehicle and run through the intersection
and I said, 'Whoa, hold on here. How are you, let me help you, hold on to me.'
And she said, 'I'm fine. There's nothing wrong with me I'm fine,'" he
said. Alger said the woman drove away after being checked out by police and
paramedics.
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Somewhat
Useless Information
On the Ryukyu Islands in
the Pacific, during an assault on a jagged escarpment 400 feet high, the 1st
Battalion suffered approximately 75 casualties and were driven back to the
beach. Private First Class Desmond Doss refused to seek cover and remained in
the fire-swept area with the many stricken, carrying all 75 casualties
one-by-one to the edge of the escarpment and there lowering them on a
rope-supported litter down the face of the cliff to friendly hands.
***
The Medal of Honor is the
highest award for valor in action against an enemy force which can be bestowed
upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States.
Generally presented to its recipient by the President of the United States of
America in the name of Congress.
***
There were no military
awards or medals at the beginning of the Civil War (1861-1865)
except for the Certificate of Merit which was awarded for the Mexican-American
War. Public Resolution Number 82 "to promote the efficiency of the
Navy" which included a provision for a Navy Medal of Valor was signed into
law by President Abraham Lincoln on December 21, 1861. A resolution for an Army
Medal of Honor was approved by Congress and signed into law on July 12, 1862.
***
The Medal of Honor has
been awarded to 3,496 different persons. Of the 19 men that have been awarded
the Medal of Honor twice, 14 received two separate medals for two separate
actions, while five received both the Navy and Army Medals of Honor for the
same action. As of June 2011, since the beginning of World War II, 851 Medals
of Honor have been awarded, 523 posthumously.
***
Mary Edwards Walker is the
only woman ever to receive the Medal of Honor. She volunteered with the Union
Army at the outbreak of the American Civil War and served as a surgeon. She was
captured by Confederate forces after crossing enemy lines to treat wounded
civilians and arrested as a spy. She was sent as a prisoner of war to Richmond,
Virginia, until released in a prisoner exchange. After the war she was approved
for the Medal of Honor for her efforts during the Civil War.
***
Recipients of the Medal of
Honor are afforded the following benefits for their extraordinary heroism: a
monthly $1,259 pension from the Department of Veterans Affairs, a 10-percent
increase in retired pay, special entitlements to air transportation, among
other benefits and privileges.
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Birthdays
Today
“[ ]” indicates age at
death
[95] Maureen O'Hara [FitzSimons],
Irish
actress and singer (Miracle on 34th St, The Quiet Man), Ranelagh, County Dublin
(d. 2015)
[91] Samuel Goldwyn [Shmuel
Gelbfisz],
Jewish
Polish American movie producer (MGM), born in Warsaw, Poland (d. 1974)
[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)
73- Robert De Niro,
actor
(Taxi Driver, Raging Bull), born in NYC, New York
[71]- Floyd Red Crow
Westerman,
Sioux
musician-actor, Marine (d. 2007)
[68] Ted Hughes,
Poet
(British Poet Laureate 1984-98), born in Mytholmroyd, Yorkshire (d. 1998)
58- Belinda Carlisle,
(GoGos
lead singer, Heaven on Earth), born in Hollywood, California
56- Sean Penn,
actor
(Fast Times at Ridgemont High), born in Santa Monica, California
[49] Davy Crockett,
American
frontiersman, adventurer and politician (Alamo), born in Greene County,
Tennessee (d. 1836)
[47] Francis Gary
Powers,
US
spy (USSR captures him in 1959 U-2 incident) [d1977]
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Historical
Obits Today
@93-1987 Rudolph
Hess,
Nazi
(46 years in Spandau Prison), commits suicide
@86-1983 Ira
Gershwin,
lyricist,
dies in Beverly Hills
@72-1990 Pearl
Bailey,
actress
(Landlord)/singer, heart attack
@72-1850 Jose de San
Martin,
South
American revolutionary hero and general
@67-1979 Vivian
Vance,
actress
(Ethel Mertz-I Love Lucy), dies of cancer
@49-1992 Tommy
Nutter,
fashion
designer (bell bottom pants), AIDs
@29-1940 Billy
Fiske,
US
RAF-pilot/2nd lieutenant and 1st American serviceman killed in action in World
War II
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Trivia
Hive Answers
7
There were seven
presidents who served in the military during World War II; Dwight Eisenhower,
John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Gerald Ford, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan
and George H.W. Bush. The last U.S. president to serve in the military was
George W. Bush who served with the Texas Air National Guard. In fact, most of
our former presidents have rocked gofasters including Abraham Lincoln, Teddy
Roosevelt and George Washington, obviously. Source: The U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs
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Brain
Teasers Answers
1. View -> Vie
2. Primer -> Prime
3. Math -> Mat
4. Book -> Boo
5. Redo -> Red
6. Whom -> Who
7. Dense -> Dens
8. Ergo -> Erg
Bonus: HOMEWORK
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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…☼☼☼☼
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