Today is Sunday, August 20 and there are only 127days until Christmas.  “Play that Christmas music white boy” (with apologies to Wild Cherry).  Today we remember the birthdays of Oliver Hazard Perry, Benjamin Harrison and Connie Chung.  On this day in 1866 President Andrew Johnson declared the Civil War over, in 1896 the dial telephone was patented and in 1960 USSR recovered two dogs; the first living organisms to return from space.  In Hungary it is Constitution Day, in Senegal it is Independence Day and in the US it is National Radio Day and National Chocolate Pecan Pie Day.

By now, I am pretty sure that everyone knows that tomorrow there will be a solar eclipse.  Those within the path of totality will see the complete eclipse; however everyone in North America, plus parts of South America, Africa, and Europe will see at least a partial solar eclipse.  This celestial event is a solar eclipse in which the moon passes between the sun and Earth and blocks all or part of the sun for up to about three hours, from beginning to end, as viewed from a given location.  For this eclipse, the longest period when the moon completely blocks the sun from any given location along the path will be about two minutes and 40 seconds.  The last time the contiguous U.S. saw a total eclipse was in 1979.

The sun is the most powerful source of energy in the solar system.  It’s the most energetic object for light-years in all directions (it’s literally a huge fusion reactor).  The energy it expels is so intense it can actually burn holes in your vision.  You never want to look directly at the sun without appropriate protection except during totality.  That could severely hurt your eyes.  However, there are many ways to safely view an eclipse of the sun including direct viewing – which requires some type of filtering device and indirect viewing where you project an image of the sun onto a screen.  Both methods should produce clear images of the partial phase of an eclipse.  Many of the TV stations will be carrying live coverage, so take advantage of that.  However you view it, be careful.

Okay, enough science.  As I mentioned last week, I recently drove to Cape Cod.  As we drove through New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts I noticed that all of these states had one thing in common.  They all had truck weighing stations and none of them were open.  Some of these places were obviously expensive facilities.  So why were none of them functioning?  There must have been a reason for them to be built, other than giving business to the construction companies involved, right?  I would like to believe that at least some of my tax dollars were being spent for something that had a purpose.

My understanding of the function of a weigh station is that it checks the weight of trailers to insure that they are not violating the weight restrictions for highways within the state.   In addition, driver logs are checked to be sure the truck is in a safe condition and that drivers have not exceeded the number of hours they can drive without resting.  They can also inspect the cargo to be sure the truck is hauling what it is supposed to be.  Any violations can result in large fines which can be revenue for the state.  Let me repeat that – violations can result in large fines which can be revenue for the state.  I would think the underscored words would have some meaning for the powers that be.

I remember a big article in the newspaper some months ago that bragged about a weigh station in my state that inspected a truck and found it was carrying a large amount of narcotics.  Great job!  So weigh stations provide a state with the potential for generating revenue and for seizing contraband.  Which of these things is the reason why they are never open?  I would think that you would want them open and functioning 24/7.  Otherwise it would simply be a matter of waiting until you know the station is closed and then you can take your truck full of drugs, driven by a guy who has exceeded his limit by several hours and is functioning on pills and coffee, and just drive right through the state (sorry about the run on, but I was on a roll).

I am constantly amazed that none of this has occurred to anyone before.  I cannot believe that I am the only one who has thought of this.  Can’t you just hear the discussion in the state senate?  “We are thinking of spending ten million dollars to put a truck weigh station on Interstate 95.  We anticipate that it will take two years to build and that it will be state of the art.  Of course that is a conservative estimate that does not take into account construction delays and cost overruns.”

“What will the operating hours of this station be?”

“We anticipate that it will be open Monday through Thursday from 9 AM to 2 PM.”

“At that rate it will probably never pay for itself.”

“Correct, but that is what tax hikes are for.”

“Good point.  Let’s give this project a green light.”

Insert a heavy sigh here.

This week our fact tells us that in hotels in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, every room is required to have two twin beds.  And the beds must always be a minimum of two feet apart when a couple rents a room for only one night.  And it is illegal to make love on the floor between the beds.  So many questions!  If the couple rents the room for more than one night can they push the beds together?  What exactly is it that they are trying to prevent?  Never mind illegal, why would you want to make love on the floor of a hotel room?  But, if you did want to, is it okay as long as you are not between the beds?  I think it would be simpler to just not stay in Sioux Falls!