sIrius ePistle

Famous First Words: CHARLES THE SECOND, by the grace of God...Charter of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

Welcome to the Dog Days of Summer:  So far, I've taught them "let me out" and "feed me".  But I'm still working on "get out of my chair".

..........Comes the light and I wanna go home.........Steve Lawrence  .....Banana Boat Song

For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.  --Nelson Mandela

It is a cool (72°F) Friday  morning.  The sky has slowly covered itself in layers of phyllo thin clouds until all the blue is hidden behind white.  There is no breeze and the 95% relative humidity makes breathing a sport.  Birds are out in numbers largely unseen but heard in surround sound; tweets and cheeps and songs waft from every tree and half the utility wires.  Puck is hard at work warning the dog that walks by at this time each morning with his person: Do not come into this yard.  Yesterday's rain has left the ground slightly muddy but the aroma of damp soil is gone, replaced with the smell foliage and tea roses.  We linger a little sensing that day will eventually become too hot for the yard.  But coffee calls and so we come indoors and drink sweetened decaf and write to you.  Ahhhh.

Hope your weekend is the coolest ever, ePistliers.

Canine Music Appreciation: Can we skip the "knick-knack paddy whack" crap this time and just get to the good part?

..........Now every day I wonder why.........Steve Lawrence  .....Footsteps

Trivia Questions: Happy Birthday, Ferdinand Adolf Heinrich August Graf von Zeppelin and the airship you rode in on

* Any idea where the eponymous hometown of the noble Zepelin family is?

** How about Ferdinand's relationship to the US Civil War?

*** When and/or where (or how did it go, for that matter) was the first Zeppelin launched?

**** Do you know what the Apache Zeppelin is?

***** How did Led Zeppelin get its name?

Fake Library Statistic of the Week: 15% of librarians have sighed so deeply that they've passed out.  https://www.facebook.com/FakeLibStats/?fref=ts

Moonbeam: I believe that every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation, every possession, a duty.  --John D. Rockefeller

Mary's Rottweiler, Barkley, went to psychoanalysis for years before anyone realized the doctor's couch was the only one on which Barkley was allowed.

..........Birds singing in the sycamore tree..........Steve Lawrence .....Dream a Little Dream of Me

Something to Think About of the Week: Let’s be honest, unless you are a high guru or priestess, concentration and mental calming is going to be difficult to start up on their own.  Like the witches of olden days, a concoction or ointment is a great way to put your mind into focus. Herbal infusions of mint, lavender, chamomile, aloe vera, and rose are the summer secret to begin cooling down.  More

Big Hello: Terve - Finnish (Finland)

Week of the Week: Nude Recreation Week (July 4-10) - The other day I came across a lapel button from the American Association For Nude Recreation; it was extolling the virtues of nudism.  I just want to know, where would a nudist "put" such a pin?

Science Fiction Convention of the Week: Leviosa (Las Vegas July 7-10): A Magical Harry Potter Convention. 

    

Quote of the Week: I am safe and have been captured by Jupiter.  --Juno Spacecraft  ~~dr of oh shared:  When Galileo discovered Jupiter had moons each was named for one of Jupiter's mistresses.  In an hour the Juno spacecraft, named for his wife, will arrive.  A joke scientists have setup over 400 years.

A Fire Hydrant is a device with H₂O on the inside and K₉P on the outside.

..........And now at last I know.........Steve Lawrence  .....Long Before I Knew You

^ Zepelin is a small community outside the town of Bützow in Mecklenburg (northern), Germany.

Almanac: It is Friday, July 8, 2016.  The moon will be first quarter on Monday and is in Virgo.  It is Liberty Bell Day, Math 2.0 Day, SCUD Day (Savor the Comic, Unplug the Drama), Taos Pueblo Pow Wow, and Wayne Chicken Days.  Because this is the second Friday it is also Collector Car Appreciation Day.

Among those born on this day were Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin (1838), John D. Rockefeller (1839), Alec Waugh (1898), George W. Romney (1907), Nelson A. Rockefeller (1908), Walter Kerr (1913), Billy Eckstine (1914), Charles Hard Townes (1915), Faye Emerson (1917), Nelson Mandela (1918), Marty Feldman (1933), Steve Lawrence (1935), Kim Darby (1948), Anjelica Huston (1951), and Jonathan Segal (1953).

On July eighth Rhode Island was granted a charter (1663), the first US passport was issued (1796), Blount became the first impeached senator (TN, 1797), the Liberty Bell cracked - again (1835), registration of trademarks was authorized (1870), the Wall Street Journal began publishing (1889), the American Psychological Association was organized (1892), William Jennings Bryan gave his "cross of gold" speech (1896), the first Ziegfeld Follies was staged (1907), Billie Jean King swept Wimbeldon (singles, doubles & mixed, 1967), Hyderdahl on the reed raft Ra II, landed in Barbados (57 days from Morocco, 1969), Sabra Starr finished the world longest recorded belly dance (1977), and NASA establishes Safety, Reliability Maintain & Quality Assurance (1986).

Tonight's Sky: Jupiter shines in the upper southeast. Look for Sigma Scorpii, magnitude 4.0, to Jupiter's upper left. July Planets: Dawn: Mercury / Evening: Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter / Night: Uranus and Neptune.

This Week: Saturday, July 9 - Bald Is In Day and Body Painting Day

Sunday, July 10 - Don't Step on a Bee Day and Piña Colada Day

Night Sky - July 10: Take a look at Saturn in the south this evening, above the reddish star Antares, the “heart” of Scorpius, the Scorpion. Saturn is the brighter of the two as they cross due south at 10 o’clock. Farther to their right is Mars, less stunning than a month ago, but still wonderfully bright.

Monday, July 11 - Cheer Up the Lonely Day and International Town Criers Day

Night Sky, July 11:  Alpha Capricornids Meteor Shower. (5 meteors/hour). 

Tuesday, July 12 - Simplicity Day and Night of Nights

Night Sky, July 12: The constellation Sagittarius is found due south at midnight.  It is shaped like a teapot, its spout to the right, and is often called the “Teapot in Sagittarius”. The picture was imagined as an archer to the Greeks, aiming an arrow at Scorpio, seen to the right of the teapot.

Wednesday, July 13 - Gruntled Workers Day and Embrace Your Geekness Day

Night Sky, July 13: As Jupiter sinks lower in the western skies each evening, look above the brilliant planet for a moderately bright star. This is Denebola, derived from the Arabic name meaning the “tail of the Lion”. This is the end star of Leo, a relatively young star at 300 million years, almost twice as massive as the Sun, and emitting 15 times more light.

Thursday, July 14 - International Nude Day and Shark Awareness Day

My dog winks at me sometimes...I always wink back in case it's some sort of code.

..........Look up toward the heavens each night.........Steve Lawrence  .....Fraulein

^^ In 1863 Zeppelin acted as an observer for the Union's Army of the Potomac in the American Civil War. During the Battle of Fredericksburg he launched a balloon with a soldier aboard.

Funniest Thing I Heard of the Week: David Tennant (The 10th Dr. Who) reads insulting tweets aimed at Donald Drumpf who mistook Scotland for England during his recent visit there on Samantha Bee's Full Frontal.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zvNu3qgjno ~~Also a cameo of Peter Capaldi as the 12th doctor.

Digression of the Week:  Doctors (Dr. Who that is) are counted...Tom Baker was the 4th doctor, during the time of the 9th doctor ... but Bond (, James Bond) is just the people who played him.  Sean Connery was the first Bond,  George Lazenby played Bond in only one film.

Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: When they asked me what my religion was I said I was non-delusional.  Submitted by ra of ks

Moonbeam: Half of the world is composed of idiots, the other half of people clever enough to take indecent advantage of them.  --Walter Kerr

Late Night Snacks: Nancy Grace is leaving Headline News in October. The network announced she will be replaced by an especially loud leaf blower.  --Conan O'Brien / Last year, two NFL players lost fingers setting off fireworks. That's not a joke. A player for the Buccaneers and a player for the Giants blew their fingers off, which is awful. But it's a good reminder, if you go play with fireworks, play soccer.  --Jimmy Kimmel / There's a thing called the Euro Cup soccer tournament. It's happening right now in France. And yesterday, Iceland, the tiniest nation in the tournament, beat powerhouse England 2-1. This is the worst thing to happen to England in four days.  --Stephen Colbert

"To solve the problem of organizing world peace we must establish world law and order."  --Arthur Henderson

Stop complaining that we don't have flying cars yet; dogs are still waiting for color TV.

..........I read it in a book.........Steve Lawrence  .....Fabulous

^^^ On July 2, 1900, Zeppelin made the first flight with the LZ 1 over Lake Constance.   The airship rose from the ground and remained in the air for 20 minutes, but was damaged on landing.

Worthless Fact of the Week: Sabra Huber belly danced for 106 straight hours at the Visions, a go-go bar in Philadelphia. 

Weird Word of the Week: Obesogenic - tending to cause obesity. http://www.worldwidewords.org/turnsofphrase/tp-obe1.htm

Welcome Second Cousin of Funniest Thing I Read of the Week: Trust Me, You Can Dance.  --Vodka    --Subitted by pl of ks

Wacky Uses for Common Products: Slow a dog from shedding.  Pour one tablespoon Star Olive Oil on your dog's food while the dog is shedding.  http://www.wackyuses.com/wacky/star.html

What looks like a dog, eats dog food, lives in a doghouse and is very, very dangerous?  A pit bull with a machete.

...........No bells will be ringing, no telephone calls.........Steve Lawrence  .....A Room Without Windows

^^^^Apache Zeppelin is a web-based notebook that enables interactive data analytics.  https://zeppelin.apache.org/   ~~No, I don't know what that means either.

Word Shakespeare Made Up of the Week: Bedroom - a sleep chamber.  A Midsummer Night's Dream - Act II Scene II  (Lysander)

Fake Animal Fact of the Week: A turtle's flipper can exert more pressure-per-square-inch than a jackhammer.  https://fakeanimalfacts.wordpress.com/ ~~Because there are too many true animal facts.

Puck the Brave Episode of the Week: Here's our fearless Puck watching the Bird Feeders in the case of Everly's Birddog.

Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend.  Inside of the dog, it's too dark to read.

..........He stopped to tell the story.........Steve Lawrence  .....Pum Pa Lum

^^^^^ In May 1966, Moon and Who bassist John Entwistle recorded the instrumental "Beck's Bolero" with Page, John Paul Jones and Jeff Beck. The track came out well, and they tossed around the idea of forming a new band. Moon allegedly said the band would go over like a lead balloon. Page remembered the joke two years later when he created Zep.  Click here for alternative versions.

Month of the Week: July is National Honey Month.

Famous Kansans: Ann Dunham, the mother of Barack Obama, was born in Wichita in 1942.  http://www.biography.com/people/ann-dunham-434238

Today's Peace of History: Today's Peace of History, July 8, 1917:  The Women's Peace Crusade organized a protest against the first world war in Glasgow, Scotland.  Processions from two sides of the city, accompanied by bands and banners, wound their way toward the Glasgow Green where they merged into one demonstration of some 14,000 people.

Damn, they mowed the bathroom again.

..........Going to sit by your doorstep.........Steve Lawrence  .....Pretty Blue Eyes

Masthead of the Week:   fRiday ePistle July 8, 2016.  Online at: http://fridayepistle.blogspot.com/  From the heat. To the point.  Exclusive editor: Christine Smith.  1800 Goodell Ct. Lawrence, KS  66046

Moonbeam: Never forget that the most powerful force on earth is love.  --Nelson Rockefeller

Cost of War:

Tax dollars spent in Afghanistan: as of 7/7/16: $744,197,738,054

Tax dollars spent in Afghanistan: as of 6/31/16: $741,047,266,054

Tax dollars spent on the Iraq war since 2001 as of 7/7/16: $819,610,455,817.

Tax dollars spent on the Iraq war since 2001 as of 6/31/16: $819,590,086,097.

Tax dollars spent on Daesh conflict as of 7/7/16: $10,381,762,649.

Tax dollars spent on Daesh conflict as of 6/31/16: $10,274,626,177.

Tax dollars spent on the Pentagon Slush Fund as of 7/7/16: $123,960,448,873.

Tax dollars spent on the Pentagon Slush Fund as of 6/31/16: $123,364,319,744.

Tax dollars spent on all wars since 2001 as of 7/7/16: $1,698,813,465,974.

Tax dollars spent on all wars since 2001 as of 6/31/16: $1,697,357,908,671.

https://www.nationalpriorities.org/cost-of/:

The practice of forgiveness is our most important contribution to the healing of the world.  --Marianne Williamson

..........You're much too hard to resist.........Steve Lawrence  .....Go Away Little Girl

He loved baths so much they called him Shampoodle.

Famous Last Words: You shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold.  --William Jennings Bryan

May Peace rub your ears

And Joy scratch you belly

prairie mama

christine