Today is Sunday, July 30 and there are only 154 days until New Year’s Eve.  That should give you enough time to get to Times Square and stake out a good spot to watch the ball drop (preferably near a bathroom).Today we celebrate the birthdays of Emily Bronte, Sid Kroft and Peter Bogdanovich.  On this day in 1729 the city of Baltimore was founded, in 1836 the first newspaper in English was published in Hawaii and in 1956 the US motto “In God We Trust” was authorized.  In France it is Marseillaise Day, in Thailand it is Asalha Puja, in Virginia it is Crater Day and in the US it is National Cheesecake Day.

As I mentioned, this is the day that the motto “In God We Trust” was authorized.  The phrase appears to have originated in “The Star Spangled Banner.”  The fourth stanza includes the phrase, “And this be our motto: ‘In God is our trust.’”  In 1861 The Reverend MR Watkinson petitioned the Treasury Department to add a statement recognizing “Almighty God in some form in our coins.”

Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase acted on the proposal and ultimately selected the phrase, “In God We Trust” for coins.  The motto disappeared from the five-cent coin in 1883.  In 1908, Congress made it mandatory that the phrase be printed on all coins.

The 84^th Congress passed a joint resolution “declaring IN GOD WE TRUST the national motto of the United States.”  The law was signed by President Eisenhower on July 30, 1956.  So now you can use that information to dazzle your friends.

I am sitting here writing this after having driven 11 or so hours home from North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  Why is it that after having been sitting in the car for 11 hours, the first thing you want to do when you come into the house is sit down and … but I digress.  I had been down there with Barbara and some of her family and friends.  Each year they spend a week there and we drove down last Saturday.  It was a nice experience.  I had the opportunity to meet some of her friends and to spend time getting to know everyone better.  One of the things I found interesting was that there were a number of people walking the beach looking for shark teeth.  In New Jersey, when we walk the beach, we look for body parts and hospital refuse.

I enjoyed sitting on the beach there.  The house they rented was oceanfront, so we had the convenience of being able to walk to and from the house without a long trek or having to cross streets.  I also got the chance to actually swim in the ocean.  The water temperature was great and it was nice to be able to swim without body parts getting numb.  Being close to the beach also made it easier to go out in the morning and walk.  

I will admit that I was a bit unkind during one walk.  The person involved didn’t hear me, fortunately.  As we were walking along one morning, I saw a young woman sitting on the beach letting the waves come up and wash over her.  She was a bit on the big side, the kind of person I crudely refer to as a land whale, and I suggested to Barbara that we try and roll her back into the water so she could survive.  During the week, I had the opportunity to see other “beached” ones.  I thought about reporting them to a life guard, but was pretty sure he would not see the humor.

On our trip down, we had an opportunity to stop at a fast food place to obtain sustenance.  We were hungry and it was one of the few places that didn’t take us too far from our route.  Just before we got out of the car I noted that the outside temperature, according to my dashboard, was 94.  When we got into the restaurant, we discovered that the AC was not working and it was oppressive in there.  We ordered our food, sat down, ate and got out of there quicker than I have ever done before.  You know it was hot in there when 94 outside, with a slight breeze was refreshing.

Travelling through one state I noticed signs that said, “Speed Limits Enforced By Aircraft.”  I was doing the speed limit and cars were going by me all the time.  I kept waiting for a missile to hit one of them or at least see a car hit by a strafing run, but no-o-o-o-o!  There is nothing worse than having expectations of seeing cars being shot at by airplanes for speeding and then not even seeing them get pulled over and ticketed.  What a letdown!

This week our fact tells us that it is illegal for men to wear strapless dresses in Miami, Florida.  Why?  And why only in Miami?  What happens if you are at a party in another town and happen to pass through Miami on the way home?  I think men should be allowed to wear whatever kind of dress they want.  I am sure that there are people in Miami who are wearing outfits that don’t look good on them, but no one is passing legislation to prevent women from wearing tube tops. 

Whatever you are wearing, don’t forget to have some cheesecake today.

Today is July 23 and there are only 155 days until Christmas, so start shopping and forgetting where you put everything.  Today we remember the birthdays of Haile Selassie, Calvert De Forest and Pee Wee Reese.  On this day in 1852 the first interment was held in US National Cemetery in the Presidio, in 1904 the ice cream cone was created by Charles Menches and in 1958 the first four women were named to the peerage in the House of Lords.  In Egypt, Libya, Ethiopia and Oman it is  National Day and in the US it is National Vanilla Ice Cream Day.

I have noticed something on a number of occasions that has me puzzled.  I haven’t mentioned it before (at least not that I remember), but it has been a constant question of mine.  Why do people who work in doctors’ offices and hospitals wear their scrubs out in public?  It was always my understanding that the purpose of scrubs was to give medical personnel something to wear at work that was clean and not contaminated by being outside of the hospital or office.  It also allowed them to change out of the scrubs into street clothes so they did not bring “work” home with them or expose the public to whatever they had been exposed to during the day.

Apparently, somewhere along the line, it occurred to hospitals and medical offices that if they let people wear scrubs to and from work, they would not have to provide a place for them to change and lockers for their clothing.  Further, the people would then be responsible for having to clean their own scrubs.  It is interesting that the safety and welfare of the public are not important if they cause an inconvenience for business.  Personally, I try to stay clear of people in scrubs out in public.  Chances are they are not contagious, but why take a chance and then wake up one morning with weird skin lesions and your hair falling out.

Recently, we were in a large store where you can usually see some unusual sights.  I don’t want to mention any names, but I am sure you know where I mean.  As we were walking around, shopping, I noticed a young man who seemed to have some kind of affliction that made it hard for him to walk.  I noticed him several times, but could not see him well enough to be able to determine what his issue was.  Finally, as we were checking out, I got a chance to see and then no longer had any sympathy for him.  His problem was caused by wearing flip flops and socks.  At least now I know his problem was not physical.

Barbara’s granddaughters are nearing the end of their visit and as part of their experience, we went to the Statue of Liberty.  We had a good visit, but I am amazed at the number of people who do not have the vaguest idea of how to function in public.  When I am out and in a large crowd of people, I always move to the side of the path if I need to stop for any reason.  I cannot believe the number of people who have not mastered that concept.  There were literally thousands of people there and then there was a man who wanted to get pictures of his family with the statue in the background.  Most of the people there simply lined up the shot, took it and moved on so that they wouldn’t block the path.  Not this guy!  First he got them into the grouping that he  wanted and then he moved  back and lay down on the path to take the shot.  This created some interesting reactions.  I think at least one person thought he had fallen.  Because he was lying down a few people did not see him and almost walked on him.  Still others,
again because they did not see him, walked through the shot and he had to try again and again.  There are a number of reasons why I would not lie down on that path.  Taking a picture is just one of them.

You may have noticed that I used the word literally earlier.  Having my two grandsons around and having Barbara’s granddaughters visiting, I have noticed that the word “literally” is used all the time.  For example, my earlier sentence could have been stated as “there were thousand …” but I felt it necessary to add the word literally.  I can not really explain why I did, but I imagine part of it is because I hear it used so often by everyone that I have succumbed to the trend.  I am going to try not to add the word when it is not really needed from now on.  I am going to watch what I write and say and try to avoid using superfluous language.  I will not be influenced by trends and I will be careful how I speak, literally.

This week our fact tells us that if you put a bee in a film canister for two hours, it will go blind and leave behind its weight in honey.  Let’s address this in order.  First, why would you put a bee in a film canister in the first place?  More importantly, in this day of digital cameras, how many people even have a film canister?  Next, how do you know the bee is blind?  When I was a kid I was told certain things would make me blind.  I have to wear glasses, but I am not blind.  I would like to see the eye chart used to test the sight of a bee.  As to leaving behind its weight in honey, one would have to assume you knew how much the bee weighed going into the canister so you could verify that part.

Frankly, I would just as soon go have some vanilla ice cream and leave the bees alone.

Today is July 16 and there are only 118 days until my birthday.  I only mention it because I don’t want it to sneak up on you.  Today we remember the birthdays of Giuseppe Piazzi, Orville Redenbacher and Pinchas Zuckerman.  On this day in 1439 kissing was banned in England, in 1945 the first atomic bomb was detonated at Trinity Site, Alamogordo, New Mexico and in 1990 the Empire State Building caught fire, no fatalities.  In Bolivia it is La Paz Day, in Washington, DC it is District of Columbia Day and in the US it is National Corn Fritter Day and National Ice Cream Day.

I have noticed an interesting thing lately.  There is an intersection that I go through on a regular basis, sometimes going straight and sometimes turning left.  It is when I am going straight that I generally notice this and not just at this intersection.  When the left turn arrow turns green, the cars going straight (yes even I have done it) start to go and then realize they still have a red light, so they stop.  I guess it is some kind of reflex thing. Your eye sees green and you start to go.  What makes it interesting is that when they finally get the green light, they don’t go right away (no, I don’t do that).  I guess they are afraid that the light is trying to trick them again.  Usually you have to beep to get them going.  I have said this before, but when you are at a red light, your only responsibility is to wait for the green light and then go.  If you start to go on the arrow, okay, no big deal.  If you are so ready to go, why don’t you move when the light is actually green?  Just wondering.

Another thing that puzzles me is the appearance of fast food sandwiches.  I watch the commercials on TV and immediately want to run out and get a sandwich.  They look so good.  The meat is juicy, the lettuce and tomato look fresh and delicious, the buns look so fluffy and delicious, I really want to get one of those sandwiches.  Having been to those various restaurants, I still want to get one of the sandwiches they show in the commercials.  The real thing looks nothing like the ones on TV.  The lettuce and tomato look like leftovers from a local salad bar.  The meat does not look juicy and, in some cases, does not look especially edible.  The bun looks like they sat a brick on top of it before they wrapped it.  It doesn’t look particularly fresh, nor does it in any way resemble the advertisement.

I sometimes wonder if anyone with the store has ever seen the commercials or has any idea of what the food is supposed to look like.  I imagine the franchise owner is content to have his stuff go out however it goes.  His thought is that as long as people keep coming back, there’s no problem.  The company bigwigs know how stuff looks on the commercials and figure that must be the way it actually looks.  They don’t know for sure because they don’t actually eat the stuff they sell.  They usually go to Subway.

The other day I saw something that I thought was amusing.  I was running an errand and I drove past a flat bed tow truck with a car on it.  The guy I assume was the driver was walking around and I thought he was checking to make sure everything was in order before driving off.  About 30 minutes later, I was on my way home and looking ahead, I saw that the tow truck was still there.  As I got closer, I saw that there was a second tow truck hooking up to the first one.  I don’t know about anyone else, but I thought it was funny.  I guess you had to be there.

I recently took my two grandsons to one of those places where you get all padded up and then go into a special area and shoot at people with pellet guns.  I could hear the boys in the other room and they sounded like they were having a ball.  While I was sitting there waiting for them to finish, a group of young men came in and were preparing to go in for their turn.  One kid in particular was quite proud of himself.  He wore camouflage pants, an olive drab t-shirt and strutted around preening.  He was carrying his weapon and was going through a series of poses, I guess trying to impress the old guy (me) with how cool he was.  I let him go for a while and then I got up to “stretch my legs” and turned so that he could see that I was wearing one of my Vietnam Veteran shirts.  He spotted the shirt, turned and walked off and I didn’t see him again.  I hope he found someone to impress in a different room.

I know that when you go down the shore, things are more relaxed and generally everyone takes things easy.  I agree with that attitude, to a point.  Barbara’s two granddaughters are visiting us so we took them and my two grandsons to spend some time on the boardwalk, going on rides, eating huge slices of pizza and eating other stuff that isn’t good for us.  We were getting ready to go home and I thought it might be a good idea to use the men’ room.  As I was leaving the room, I saw a kid come in and he was barefoot.  Yes I said barefoot – in a public restroom on the boardwalk!  One look at the wet floor in there and I wished I had worn boots.  This kid was barefoot walking in who knows what (actually I think we have a good idea of what he was walking in) and was totally oblivious.  It must be great to be young and stupid.

This week our fact tells us that it is illegal in Georgia to use profanity in the presence of a corpse.  It can’t be because they are afraid to offend the corpse, so I am at a loss as to why.  What if you are cursing about the cost of the funeral and the deceased just happens to be in the room?  Some day I hope they publish something giving the explanation behind these bizarre laws.

In the meantime, go get some ice cream and celebrate the day

 Today is Sunday, July 9 and there are only 169 days until Christmas.  Time to start playing Christmas music and planning the cookie baking schedule.  Today we remember the birthdays of Ann Ward Radcliffe, Elias Howe and Tom Hanks.  On this day in 1776 the Declaration of Independence was read aloud to General Washington’s troops in New York, in 1872 the doughnut cutter was patented by John Blondel and in 1956 Dick Clark made his first appearance as host of American Bandstand.  In Argentina it is Independence Day and in the US it is National POW/MIA Recognition Day and National Sugar Cookie Day.

This past week, we celebrated Independence Day.  At least some of us did.  I am finding that more and more towns are celebrating on other days.  Some hold their festivities on the weekend preceding July 4^th.  I am not completely sure why they do that.  Is there some benefit to doing it early or do they just want to have a celebration without actually recognizing the holiday?  One year I was driving to a friend’s house and caught a glimpse of the banner advertising their celebration.  Because I was driving and the wind was blowing, I could not read the whole banner, but noticed that the rain date was July 4.  I wondered how you could have a 4^th of July celebration and have the rain date be July 4.  My friend explained that it was because the actual celebration was June 30, the weekend before.

Maybe I am old fashioned or just a traditionalist, but it seems to me that the 4^th of July should be celebrated on the 4^th of July.  The day, also known as Independence Day, has a significance.  The day was the day, despite what some people claim, that the United States declared its independence from Great Britain.  Independence was not declared the weekend before the 4^th and it was not declared on some other day that was convenient.  It was done on the 4^th. Celebrate on the 4^th! Now excuse me while I get down off my soap box.

Okay, now I am back on the floor.  When I was a kid, our town had a carnival during the day with games and stuff for kids to do.  We would all ride around with our bicycles decorated with red, white and blue crepe paper and streamers. We would have a barbecue and then head to the stadium.  In the early evening, there was always some kind of musical group that performed and then we had the fireworks.  The fireworks were always exciting.  There were some cheesy ground displays, like the chicken walking and laying an egg, but overall they were good.  Each time one went off, the display was followed by a loud boom.  I have noticed that you don’t always get that nowadays.  That was one of the things I enjoyed.  You would see the rocket go up, it would burst in a colorful display and then that boom would shake your insides.  That was the 4^th of July.

That is not how it is done now.  Some people still have a barbecue and there are a number of private displays that are set off in various neighborhoods.  Most people don’t do that much, because they celebrated the weekend before.  I went to our town fireworks the night before, so I stayed home and watched the New York display on TV.  What I found interesting were the people who were in the city to watch the show.  They would occasionally pan the crowd and some of the things people were wearing were interesting.  I saw a number of people with necklaces that looked like they were made of red, white and blue light bulbs.  There weren’t very many bulbs and they looked like they were homemade, but enough different people were wearing them so I am guessing they were being sold, inexpensively I hope, but I doubt it.

Another thing people were wearing were glasses that had flashing lights in the frames.  These were the type of thing that would prompt my older grandson to comment, “There goes a seizure waiting to happen.”  The most interesting adornment I saw was one made of red, white and blue ribbons and streamers.  Some of the ribbons had stars on them.  When I saw them all I could think of was that they looked like a patriotic Medusa.  Throughout the crowd people were using their phones to take pictures of the fireworks.  I would think that if you went to all the trouble to go to see the fireworks, you would at least watch them.  Viewing them on the little screen of your phone, after the fact, cannot compare to actually seeing them.  I realize that that is just the traditional me who longs for the big booms at the end, but I still would rather watch them as they happen.  I am back down from my soap box again.

My final statement on this is simple – celebrate in whatever way makes you happy, but do it on the 4^th, not the weekend before.

One other thing I wanted to mention has nothing to do with celebrating the holiday, but it was something I noticed watching the fireworks in town and at other times, too.  This is directed to men – please do not tuck in your t-shirts.  They are supposed to be casual and not tucked in.  It also looks like you are trying to look like your 85 year old grandfather.  Please don’t do it!  That is all I am going to say on the subject.

This week our fact tells us that in Maine, it is illegal to sell a car on Sunday unless it comes equipped with plumbing.  What kind of plumbing?  Why does it need plumbing on Sunday, but not the other six days of the week?  The worst part is that the people who come up with these laws are actually getting paid to create them.  If you could see me you would notice that I am scratching my head and I have a puzzled look on my face after reading this fact.

 Today is Sunday, July 2 and there are only 64 days until Labor Day.  Have you gotten your back-to-school supplies yet?  Today we remember the birthdays of Valentinian III, Walter Brennan and Debee Ashby.  On this day in 1776 the Continental Congress resolved “these United Colonies are and of right ought to be Free and Independent States”, in 1867 the first US elevated railroad began service, in NYC, and in 1964 President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act.  In Italy it is Corso de Palio, in Norway it is the King’s Birthday and in the US it is National Anisette Day.

Since it is July, it is time to learn some trivia about the month.  The seventh month of the Gregorian year is named in honor of Julius Caesar.  The month of July holds many celebrations. From Canada Day and Parent Day to Chocolate Day and Moon Day, there are many ways to participate.  In the United States, it is considered the month of one of its biggest celebrations, Independence Day.  The fine weather makes for an excellent time for vacations, travel and going down the shore.  Relaxing and enjoying National Hammock Day, fishing or attending reunions are just some of the summer diversions enjoyed during July.  This month is known for firsts. Louis Pasteur would test the first rabies vaccine in 1885 during the month of July, and Bikinis made their debut in 1948. Space travel took great strides, and Neil Armstrong put the first footprints on the moon.

Now on to more important things.  Tuesday is Independence Day, the 4^th of July.  Here is your information on that holiday.  During the American Revolution, the legal separation of the Thirteen Colonies from Great Britain in 1776 actually occurred on July 2, when the Second Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution of independence that had been proposed in June by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia declaring the United States independent from Great Britain rule.  After voting for independence, Congress turned its attention to the Declaration of Independence, a statement explaining the decision, which had been prepared by a Committee of Five, with Thomas Jefferson as its principal author. Congress debated and revised the wording of the Declaration, finally approving it two days later on July 4.  That should fill the trivia file for now.

I really do not have much for you all this week.  I could go on about the same dumb commercials, but you have probably heard enough of that.  I could talk about the strange and interesting people I have seen when down the shore, but even that becomes boring after a time.  I could discuss the numerous land whales I have sighted, but even that becomes tiresome after a while.  I promise to get out and try to find entertaining things to discuss this week.  I plan on going to a couple 4^th of July events, so hopefully I will come across something to talk about for next week.

This week our fact tells us that in Tulsa, Oklahoma it is against the law to open a soda bottle without the supervision of a licensed engineer.  I was so amazed by this that I checked and it is a law that is currently on the books.  I am guessing it is not enforced, but would, again, love to know what brought this about.  Are people in Tulsa that inept or is there a plethora of engineers and they need to find something for them to do?  I imagine it would be easier to go with canned soda and avoid all the hoopla of finding an engineer who is available.  They must be hard to come by on holidays.  I have been unable to find out if this law applies to beer also.

I hope to have you tune in next week and, in the meantime, have a safe and happy 4^th of July!

Today is Sunday, July 2 and there are only 64 days until Labor Day.  Have you gotten your back-to-school supplies yet?  Today we remember the birthdays of Valentinian III, Walter Brennan and Debee Ashby.  On this day in 1776 the Continental Congress resolved “these United Colonies are and of right ought to be Free and Independent States”, in 1867 the first US elevated railroad began service, in NYC, and in 1964 President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act.  In Italy it is Corso de Palio, in Norway it is the King’s Birthday and in the US it is National Anisette Day.

Since it is July, it is time to learn some trivia about the month.  The seventh month of the Gregorian year is named in honor of Julius Caesar.  The month of July holds many celebrations. From Canada Day and Parent Day to Chocolate Day and Moon Day, there are many ways to participate.  In the United States, it is considered the month of one of its biggest celebrations, Independence Day.  The fine weather makes for an excellent time for vacations, travel and going down the shore.  Relaxing and enjoying National Hammock Day, fishing or attending reunions are just some of the summer diversions enjoyed during July.  This month is known for firsts. Louis Pasteur would test the first rabies vaccine in 1885 during the month of July, and Bikinis made their debut in 1948. Space travel took great strides, and Neil Armstrong put the first footprints on the moon.

Now on to more important things.  Tuesday is Independence Day, the 4^th of July.  Here is your information on that holiday.  During the American Revolution, the legal separation of the Thirteen Colonies from Great Britain in 1776 actually occurred on July 2, when the Second Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution of independence that had been proposed in June by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia declaring the United States independent from Great Britain rule.  After voting for independence, Congress turned its attention to the Declaration of Independence, a statement explaining this decision, which had been prepared by a Committee of Five, with Thomas Jefferson as its principal author. Congress debated and revised the wording of the Declaration, finally approving it two days later on July 4.  That should fill the trivia file for now.

I really do not have much for you all this week.  I could go on about the same dumb commercials, but you have probably heard enough of that.  I could talk about the strange and interesting people I have seen when down the shore, but even that becomes boring after a time.  I could discuss the numerous land whales I have sighted, but even that becomes tiresome after a while.  I promise to get out and try to find entertaining things to discuss this week.  I plan on going to a couple 4^th of July events, so hopefully I will come across something to talk about for next week.

This week our fact tells us that in Tulsa, Oklahoma it is against the law to open a soda bottle without the supervision of a licensed engineer.  I was so amazed by this that I checked and it is a law that is currently on the books.  I am guessing it is not enforced, but would, again, love to know what brought this about.  Are people in Tulsa that inept or is there a plethora of engineers and they need to find something for them to do?  I imagine it would be easier to go with canned soda and avoid all the hoopla of finding an engineer who is available.  They must be hard to come by on holidays.  I have been unable to find out if this law applies to beer also.

I hope to have you tune in next week and, in the meantime, have a safe and happy 4^th of July!