World’s Worst Driver October 16, 2007

The front tomorrow will bring some rain but probably not as much as you would like…you’ve heard me say that before. But, its a start. Thursday, a better system comes through and that holds more promise for some good rain. Severe threat is possible but I wouldn’t head to the cellar just yet. Early next week, at this point there is another front that looks more formidable and certainly bears watching. In between the weekend looks great though the warm-up on Sunday could be rather dramatic.

On This Date In History: On this date in 1966 in McKinney, Texas a 75 year old driver drove on the wrong side of the road 4 times, had four hit and runs, was responsible for 6 traffic accidents and he received 10….only 10…traffic tickets. Here’s the kicker….he managed to do all of this in just 20 minutes. No truth to the rumor if the man answered to Magoo.

I’m not sure if even Geico would take his call.

On this date in 1964 on the Bonneville Salt flats, Craig Breedlove was credited for setting a record, though its not the one he was after. He was attempting to set the land speed record but his jet powered car parachutes malfunctioned. After quickly accelerating to well over 500 mph, he began to skid….as he decelerated….he skidded some more…and some more until he finally came to a halt in a ditch. Breedlove was the not so proud record holder of the world’s longest skid mark of nearly 6 miles. While his ego was no doubt bruised, Breedlove came back to become the first man to travel on land at over 600 mph a year later.

I’m not sure if Geico would take his call either.

On this date in 1997, Andy Green set the land speed record and in the process became the first man to break the sound barrier on land when he sped along at Mach 1.06 on the Black Rock Desert.

I doubt if Geico talked to him either.

Oh….for those of you who have trouble getting a driver’s license, let alone insurance, take heart. In this month in 1978 Fannie Turner of Little Rock showed that perseverance pays off as she passed her written drivers test….on her 104th attempt.

As one of my greatest professors always urged: Press On!

Rain Is Coming and The Bull Moose October 15, 2007

First off, feel free to add your opinion or set me straight regarding the previous post concerning the Nobel Peace Prize. Its the one with the kid in the dunce cap because, while I understand the rationale, I still don’t get it and have water pollution in my craw.

Tuesday we will have our best chance for a decent general rainfall in quite some time. Late Sunday night, one model claimed .17″ of rain for Tuesday but another says 1.20″. It will probably end up somewhere in between if not toward the higher end. Moisture is streaming up from the South and the front is kicking off big storms in the Southern Plains with high winds and big ole hail…half dollar size in some cases. Not too much concern for strong storms here because of the timing but its worth watching.

On This Date In History: Teddy Roosevelt on this date in 1912 proved that he indeed was the Bull Moose. Even though TR had the support of most the the rank and file Republicans, over the summer he did not gain the Republican nomination for President. TR had supported his Vice-President, William Howard Taft, for President in 1908 and Taft won. But Taft did not carry on many of his initiatives, including getting tough on big business. So its not surprising that the elites who actually ran the Republican Party engineered a victory for Taft over Teddy at the convention. Undaunted, Roosevelt ran as a candidate in the Progressive Party, better known as the Bull Moose Party. In the general election, he would nearly double the number of votes that Taft received but, he split the ticket leaving Democrat Woodrow Wilson to win as a minority President.

Anyway, TR was on a campaign swing in Milwaukee. Prior to making his stump speech, he was greeting the crowd when a man at very close ranged fired his .32 caliber pistol at the former President’s chest. The bullet did not hit his heart only because it was slowed by the case for his glasses and his folded up speech in the breast pocket of his heavy coat. Nevertheless, the bullet was lodged in his body. That was not enough to deter the old Rough Rider. Super Teddy pulled the bloody, bullet riddled script of his speech from his pocket, held it in the air and told the crowd, “you see, it takes more than one bullet to kill a Bull Moose!”

The crowd went wild and Roosevelt stood on the podium for over an hour as he delivered his speech and then went to the hospital.

Gunman John Shrank said the reason why he shot TR was because “any man looking for a third term ought to be shot.” Maybe the guy liked George Washington and didn’t want his precedent ignored. Maybe he was a traditionalist. Or maybe he was nuts. One thing for certain: It’s a good think for Teddy’s cousin, Franklin, that Shrank wasn’t around in the 1940′s. But you know what, maybe Congress thought it wasn’t such a bad idea so, following FDR’s death, they amended the Constitution to limit a President’s to two terms.

I don’t get it October 13, 2007

Weather will be fantastic for the weekend. Snow White and I rowed again today and I almost got run over by two boats and almost swamped twice. I went home and pulled the covers over my head.

On This Date in History: Normally I’d tell you all about Columbus discovering the New World on this date in 1492. Or maybe I’d tell you about the conscientious objector who received the Medal of Honor on this date in 1945.

But instead, I have a question as to how Al Gore got the Nobel Peace Prize on this date in 2007. Not physics or chemistry, but peace. I don’t get it. I can guess that its because the peace prize is necessarily political and other categories not so much…though I suppose literature could be. Some say its because global warming is supposed to disrupt political and societal changes that could cause a war. But I don’t get that either.

Feel free to chime in and enlighten me.

Still think he should have efforted against water pollution instead.

Old Neighbor and New Friends October 12, 2007

The weather is going pretty much exactly as we said it would since last weekend. Cool, some pesky clouds then lots of sunshine for the weekend with warmer afternoons, especially on Sunday.

New Friends: Well, they aren’t really new because I’ve met them before but they are new enough. They are the folks from a group that meets monthly at Vernon Baptist Church in Vernon, IN and Snow White and I had a wonderful time today visiting. Wanda Smock and her crew are just exceptionally nice and so hospitable. Wanda had me try out the Persimmon Pudding and I’m glad she did. As usual, my talk ran long and I diverged from the program I had in mind. But, I hope the audience enjoyed it as much as we did. And by the way, if you’ve never been to Vernon, stop by. Its a pretty little town South of….you guessed it…North Vernon. Great people and some really really cool old houses and buildings.

On This Date In History: My old neighbor, Walter Cunningham, on this date in 1968 was part of the Apollo 7 crew that launched and marked America’s return to manned spaceflight following the fire that killed the Apollo 1 crew about a year and a half earlier. Cunningham and his family lived around the corner from us. I went to his house a few times as he had a son named Brian who went to my school. I never saw Brians father at home, though I did see him when he visited our school once.

When I was a kid, I knew everything about the space program. Came in handy years later in bar contests, fraternity bets and trivia pursuit. But here is one that got by me. I found several sources that say the reason my neighbor Cunningham, Mercury veteran Wally Schirra and Donn Eisle never flew after their successful Apollo 7 flight was because they were secretly banned. You can search for yourself but I can tell you that from what I have been able to find, all three definitely had head colds. They became cranky. Sources also all say that they became argumentative with NASA during the flight. One source, which I have not been able to duplicate, said the three were feeling so badly that they didn’t put their helmets on during re-entry. In any event, NASA was not happy with back talking Astronauts and secretly grounded them. The funny thing is how that little tidbit seems to be lost to history and documentary coverage. It makes me wonder what else NASA has hidden away in an attempt to keep up the good image. Whatever it is, I bet present day NASA officials long for the old public relations men and for a more cooperative media.

Anyway, the saga was a shame, especially for Schirra. See, as one of the original 7 Astronauts, it seems likely he would have gotten a shot at the moon like Alan Shepherd. But boys and girls take this lesson to heart. No matter how big or successful you are, if you are unkind and don’t play well with others, then there is a good possibility that you will eventually suffer consequences.

Maybe if NASA had Rodney King on staff at the time, he could have encouraged the Astronauts to just get along. Years later, I bet they did in fact wish they had.

Nattering Nabobs of Negativism October 11, 2007

I told you it was going to get much cooler. Clouds will be around on Thursday and will be a bit difficult at times on Friday but the weekend looks fantastic. Toward 70 on Saturday and upper 70′s on Sunday. Sounds like good rowing weather to me.

On This Date in History: Vice-President Spiro T. Agnew resigned on this date in 1973 after pleading guilty to income tax evasion. It had been discovered that Agnew, as Maryland Governor and Vice-President, had been accepting bribes. He plead guilty to the tax charge in exchange for corruption charges not being filed. But I suppose the income tax charge was similar to Al Capone in that Capone was convicted of not declaring income from his illegal alcohol operations. They couldn’t nail him on the booze racket and they couldn’t tie him to murder so they got him for not paying tax on money earned, which they could tie to him. Well, Agnew plead guilty to not paying taxes on bribes!

Agnew was famous for his interesting phrases. When he attacked the media for coverage he didn’t like, he called the writers “nattering nabobs of negativism.” I’ve never figured out what is a nattering nabob. Other less famous, but equally compelling terms were, “pusillanimous pussyfoots”, and “hopeless, hysterical hypochondriacs of history”.

Here are some little known facts about Spiro T. Agnew. Agnew was a World War II veteran who was awarded the Bronze Star for his action in France and Germany. Prior to the war, he spent 3 years studying Chemistry at Johns Hopkins. After the war he attended the Baltimore School of Law at night while working as a grocer and insurance salesman by day. Maryland was a heavily Democratic state but the Republican Agnew won election as Governor in 1966. Agnew had served as Baltimore County Executive and won election largely because he was against segregation while the Democrat candidate refused to support the desegregation movement. And finally, he wasn’t born as Spiro T. Agnew. His name was Spiros Anagnostopoulos and his father Theodore immigrated from Greece in 1897. I’m not sure why he changed his name. Maybe Agnew was easier for voters to remember and pronounce than Anagnostopoulos.

Anyway, it appears that old Spiro was a pretty good guy and a war hero…though I don’t think too many historiographical references get to that part because politicians who take bribes tend not to be remembered too fondly.

Banned in Boston October 10, 2007

One of Snow White’s relatives is in town and he asked me tonight what happened to all of the rain and thunderstorms for today and the cold weather. I asked him if we watched our channel and he said no and I told him, that’s what he gets. He didn’t read my blog either. If he had watched Newschannel 32 or viewed this here page, he would have known that there never was much in the way of rain expected and the coolest air will be here for Thursday and Friday. It will also be cooler on Wednesday but, you know what….following the morning clouds, Tuesday was pretty doggone nice…very southern California. But its October and it won’t last. Bottom line…nothing has changed, that is unless you are Snow White’s relative because for him the forecast changed a bunch because he was watching the wrong channel. Don’t make the same mistake as a tourist.

On This Date in History: Speaking of traveling, on this date in 1635, Roger Williams was asked to leave the Massachusetts Colony. Williams was a dissident who was making noise opposing government punishment of religious dissent and the confiscation of Indian land. So, Williams wandered off and began his own settlement where involvement of government in religion was not a part of the plan. Some of the first Jews and Quakers in the new world settled in this land that Williams thought was part of Providence. So much so he called the settlement Providence and later the surrounding area became the Rhode Island Colony. Williams went on to found the first Baptist Church in the colonies, which should not be surprising because the Baptists of Colonial America were a real pain in the side for the Crown. What is rather odd is that Boston is usually thought of the birthplace of rebellion and the home of the Sons of Liberty and that sort of thing, yet, a man who pushed hard for religious freedom was banned, not just from Boston, but the entire colony. This outcast then went on to establish a colony that reflected the government/religion stance taken by many of the founding fathers.

Blame For the Cow and the Wife October 9, 2007

It may be just a blur to many of you but Governor Fletcher is well aware what may happen when its exceedingly dry in October. The Governor has issued a decree that bans outdoor fires until further notice. Perhaps the Governor knows that On This Date In History in 1871, Chicago burned. The fire began near the home of Patrick and Catherine O’Leary’s home at 137 De Kovan Street. Now, the truth is that no one knows how it started. I’ve read some analysts who claim a comet is responsible. I’m sure they probably looked for evidence behind the grassy knoll. Anyway, it doesn’t matter what the truth is because Mrs. O’Leary’s cow got credit in song and lore for kicking over a lantern that started a small fire that quickly grew. The true mystery is why Mrs. O’Leary got blamed for owning the cow and not Mr. O’Leary.

Anyway, it was exceedingly dry in Chicago which goes to show that hot and dry condition in October are not exclusive to the modern global warming time. It also shows what fire can do in dry conditions as it burned for 3 days. Firefighters from Nebraska and Kansas responded and it must have been fueled by pretty good southwesterly winds because the O’Leary’s home was in the Southwestern part of the city and within 90 minutes it was racing out of control toward the city’s center. Upwards of 300 people were killed and 18,000 buildings were razed. If it were some ominous comet whatever message it was supposed to be sending was ignored because by 1893, the city had grown to nearly 1.5 million people, or about 5 times as many as had been on hand for the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.

Let’s hope we don’t have the Great Louisville Fire of 2007. I wonder whom would get blamed if that happened? Anyway, a front will charge through early Tuesday morning. We’ll have some rain but not enough to make you happy, the plants happy nor for the Governor to allow you to make a campfire. But, it’s better than nothing and the air behind it will be decided cooler for the rest of the week into next weekend.

Fresh Out of Ideas….Fall Is Coming October 7, 2007

I can’t find anything worthwhile today. Nothing happened that appealed to me on this date in history. Texas lost to Oklahoma so now I have to listen to Matt Milosevich and his Sooner references for the foreseeable future. My fantasy football team is getting hammered again. My arms are sore from rowing. My stomach muscles hurt from carrying the scull. The only thing to report is that this endless summer is coming to an end. A front on Tuesday morning will bring some rain, though not as much as we need. Leave your ark in the boathouse. I suspect we will see clouds for Tuesday and Wednesday as this is similar to a winter time storm, though most of the energy will be well north. So with clouds, highs in the 60′s for the latter half of the week will be the story. If it weren’t for the clouds, our lows in the mid to upper 40′s would be chillier. We set a record high on Saturday. We set an all-time October high on Sunday at the airport. But remember, they moved the official site from the National Weather Service site a couple of years ago. So the high at the airport of 93 is somewhat misleading(again). The NWS high was 89, which is probably closer to what you had in your backyard. Nevertheless, Monday will again be near record territory and then the front should bring an end to this 90′s nonsense until next year.

I’ll see if I can’t come up with something better next time. I’m still perturbed at the lack of attention to water pollution and I’ve put my tin-foil hat away so I’m not re-visiting chemtrails.

Maybe you have something to add.

Tecumseh’s Curse! October 6, 2007

Summer continues to hang on…and you know what, if it weren’t for the lack of rain and making for a crummy fall-leaf season…it’s really not a bad deal. Its better than it being 42 degrees and raining. Regardless of what anything thinks, dislikes or likes, it is what it is and that is temperatures near record territory which is around 90 and fairly uncomfortable humidity. Front comes through and brings relief…not super chilly but seasonal..and in the transition on Tuesday we get rain. In other words, the forecast is holding fast.

On This Date in History: The great Indian Chief Tecumseh was killed at the battle of the Thames River near Ontario, Canada in 1813. Tecumseh had been working with the French during the War of 1812. Tecumseh had been carrying on a war for some time trying to unite the Indian nations against the colonies. In 1811, he was defeated by the army of William Henry Harrison at Tippecanoe in Indiana. He escaped that scrape but when Harrison caught up with him again in Canada, Tecumseh met his demise. But legend has it, that as he died, Tecumseh put a curse on the White man. That’s Tecumseh’s portrait above. Looks like a pretty tough fellow.

Harrison in 1840 won the election for President. He ran with John Tyler with the slogan, “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too!” Harrison walked down Pennsylvania Avenue in March of 1841 for his inauguration parade. It was very very cold…I believe it was well below zero. Harrison then gave a 3 hour speech. No word on if any of the audience froze to death or were bored to death. But Harrison developed pneumonia and died in a month. Tecumseh got his revenge…and then continued to do so. Every President thereafter who was elected in a year that ended in zero, died in office. Harrison 1840-pneumonia. Lincoln 1860-assassination. Garfield 1880-assassination. McKinley 1900-assassination. Harding 1920-a gastro condition. FDR 1940-stroke. Kennedy 1960-assassination…..and then came Reagan. He was shot and nearly killed but the Gipper defeated Tecumseh, served out his term and got elected to a second. Its no wonder he charged ahead with confidence against the Soviet Union. I mean, what’s a few communists when you’ve already taken down a 140 year old curse?

The Light (or sound) of a Communist Moon October 5, 2007

From the headline one might suspect I am about to reveal a communist plot regarding our weather. Fear not, it is not the case. But, as the Red Scare waned in 1959, Louisville recorded on this date its highest October temperature of 92 degrees. We may not break that record through the weekend but we will certainly get close. Front still on schedule for Tuesday bringing a chance for general rain with more seasonal temperatures to follow. As previously noted in another posting, it is very interesting that the top four years for 90 degree temperatures were all in the 1950′s. I don’t think anyone made any movies at that time claiming to know the reason, though there were a lot of nuclear tests going on….and there were charges running amok in the McCarthy hearings….maybe I spoke too soon about this hot and dry summer!

On This Date In History: Speaking of the Red Scare…on this date in 1957, many Americans were quaking in their boots. The Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first artificial satellite. It was a small metal sphere with a few antennae sticking out. It weighed about 157 pounds and emitted a radio beeping sound heard by millions around the earth as news readers announced the feat. The frightful thing about the development in many Americans’ minds was that the Soviets had proven they could launch an intercontinental ballistic missile. If they could deliver a metal sphere into space, then it was plausible they could deliver an atomic warhead into Uncle Sam’s back yard. Sputnik came to be known as a “baby moon” because, like the moon, it was a satellite of the earth and both had spherical shapes. That led many Americans to fear that the Soviets would gain a strategic edge in outer space development….perhaps build space platforms or a base on the moon from which they could make sneak attacks on the USA by dropping bombs from above. There’s a great line from The Right Stuff in which Lyndon Johnson says, “I for one do not intend to go to bed at night by the light of a communist moon!” The US Army launched Explorer I on January 31, 1958 as Americas first artificial satellite.

The Eisenhower Administration decided it was time to get serious and so on October 1, 1958 the President announced the creation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to bring all space efforts under one umbrella. President Kennedy made it a national goal to put a man on the moon by the end of the 1960′s. He made no mention of it but most Americans thought the idea was to beat the Soviets to the moon. We did and that was that….we also got Tang, Teflon, mini-computers, microwave ovens and other things but not Velcro. That was invented by a Swiss Mountain climber in the 1940′s and 1950′s…it took him a while to develop it. I think he got his inspiration from his dog getting grass burrs in his coat following a mountain walk.