~★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
August 11, 2012

★~ Today’s Quote:  “I have realized; it is during the times I am far outside my element that I experience myself the most. That I see and feel who I really am, the most! I think that’s what a comet is like, you see, a comet is born in the outer realms of the universe! But it’s only when it ventures too close to our sun or to other stars that it releases the blazing “tail” behind it and shoots brazen through the heavens! And meteors become sucked into our atmosphere before they burst like firecrackers and realize that they’re shooting stars! That’s why I enjoy taking myself out of my own element, my own comfort zone, and hurling myself out into the unknown. Because it’s during those scary moments, those unsure steps taken, that I am able to see that I’m like a comet hitting a new atmosphere: suddenly I illuminate magnificently and fire dusts begin to fall off of me! I discover a smile I didn’t know I had, I uncover a feeling that I didn’t know existed in me… I see myself. I’m a shooting star. A meteor shower. But I’m not going to die out. I guess I’m more like a comet then. I’m just going to keep on coming back.” C. Joybell

★~ Perseid meteor shower:

This is the weekend of the peak of the annual Perseid meteor shower and most meteor forecasts predict the annual “shooting star” display will be at its best during the overnight hours of late Saturday (Aug. 11) into the early Sunday. The Perseid meteor shower occurs each year in late July and early August when the Earth passes through the dusty remains of the comet Swift-Tuttle. In the night sky, the meteor shower appears to radiate out of the constellation Perseus, hence, its name: Perseid meteor shower. Perseid Meteor Shower 2012: Annual ‘Shooting Star’ Show To Hit Night Sky This Weekend 

★~ Presidential Joke Day:

Presidential Joke Day is a holiday to commemorate the fact that presidents sometimes have a sense of humor.

The holiday began in 1984, when Ronald Reagan made a joke during a sound check for a radio broadcast. “My fellow Americans,” he said, “I’m pleased to tell you today that I’ve signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes.”

Reagan was not aware, however, that his feed was live. And unfortunately, not everyone got the joke. Soviet officials got word of the broadcast and put the military on high alert.

Once the threat of nuclear war had abated, Americans found the situation hilarious, and decided to memorialize Reagan’s famous quip by instituting National Presidential Joke Day on August 11th. Here are a few presidential knee slappers to start the day with….

Ronald Reagan: “I hope you’re all Republicans.” —Speaking to surgeons as he entered the operating room following a 1981 assassination attempt

George W Bush: “We’re studying safe levels for arsenic in drinking water. To base our decision on sound science, the scientists told us we needed to test the water glasses of about 3,000 people. Thank you for participating.” —At the 2001 Radio-Television Correspondents’ Association dinner

Barack Obama: ”There are few things in life harder to find and more important to keep than love. Well, love and a birth certificate.”

John F. Kennedy: “I just received the following wire from my generous Daddy: Dear Jack, Don’t buy a single vote more than is necessary. I’ll be damned if I’m going to pay for a landslide. Addressing complaints that his father’s money was buying the primary for him.

Teddy Roosevelt: When they call the roll in the Senate, the Senators do not know whether to answer ‘present’ or ‘not guilty.’”

★~ National Raspberry Tart Day:

Ah, the tart—Today we are celebrating the perfect combination of crispy crust, creamy filling, and Raspberries. Tarts were first introduced during the Middle Ages. Though fruit-topped tarts are sweet and decadent, many salty varieties also exist. For example, in France, many of these open-faced pies are made with eggs, cheeses, meats and vegetables. These savory tarts are similar to quiches. Whether filled with Raspberry, chocolate or goat cheese—tarts are delicious! To celebrate National Raspberry Tart Day, head to your local bakery to pick up one or if you are in the mood…make your own raspberry tart! But what every you do don’t steal one of the Queens!

★~ Today in History:

♥~ 2012 – Last Day Of The Dog Days Of Summer- The “dog days of summer” fall between July 3 through August 11. Those days are the 20 days before and 20 days after the “Dog” star Sirius rises and falls in conjunction with the sun. Sirius is the brightest star in the constellations Canis Major (Great Dog) The ancient Romans believed heat from the star Sirius added to the heat of the sun, creating a stretch of hot and sultry weather and coined the term-Dog Days of Summer.

♥~ 1874 – Harry S. Parmelee of New Haven, CT gave us reason to relax and cool off on this hot summer day. Mr. Parmelee received a patent for the sprinkler head.♥~ 1856 – Anthony Haas patented the accordion.

♥~ 1896 – Harvey Hubbell of Bridgeport, CT received a patent for the pull-chain, electric-light socket! Pull the chain, the light goes on. Pull it again, the light goes off. Pull it again and the chain comes off…

♥~ 1994 – The Iowa State Fair, opening in Des Moines, unveiled a life-size statue of singer Garth Brooks, sculpted from 250 pounds of butter.

♥~ 2006 – Jamie Gold, 36-year-old former Hollywood talent agent, won the $12-million grand prize in the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, NV.

★~ Born Today:

♥~ 1921 – Alex Haley Pulitzer Prize-winning author: Roots [1977]; The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Queen; died Feb 10, 1992

♥~ 1925 – Mike Douglas (Dowd) TV host: The Mike Douglas Show; singer: The Men in My Little Girl’s Life; The Music Show, Kay Kyser’s Kollege of Musical Knowledge; died Aug 11, 2006

♥~ 1949 – Eric Carmen musician: bass, keyboards, songwriter, singer: group: The Raspberries: Go All the Way; solo: All By Myself, Never Gonna Fall in Love, Almost Paradise, Again, Hungry Eyes,Make Me Lose Control.

♥~ 1953 – Hulk Hogan (Terry Bollea) wrestler, actor: Mr. Nanny, Suburban Commando, Thunder in Paradise

★~ Did You Know: Olympic Defectors:

♥~1948  Summer Olympics: London: Marie Provaznikova, a Czech who was President of the International Gymnastics Federation, was the first person to defect from the Olympics. Czechoslovakia had recently become a satellite of the Soviet Union, and Provaznikova knew her country wouldn’t be the same. She darted to the United States, where she later taught gymnastics. Provaznikova lived in the U.S. until 1991, dying at age 101.

♥~1956 Summer Olympics: Melbourne: Hungary flew 83 athletes to Melbourne, Australia. While their plane took off, the streets of Budapest cracked with the sound of gunfire: Hungarians were revolting against Soviet rule. By the time the Games were over, the Soviets had crushed the opposition. When the team heard the news, only 38 athletes decided to ride the plane back home. Most of the other athletes defected to America and settled in California.

♥~1980 Summer Olympics: Moscow: The road to Moscow was paved with deserters, primarily because the USSR had invaded Afghanistan in 1979. Many Afghani athletes feared going to Moscow and jumped ship to avoid it. A month before the games, seven members of the basketball team fled to Pakistan. A day before the Olympic flight, seven wrestlers also left for Pakistan. Five more players defected during the games, some fleeing to America, others to West Germany.

♥~1984 Summer Olympics: Los Angeles: A San Diego newspaper hired Romanian sportswriter Vladimir Moraru as a translator. When the games finished, Moraru decided that he liked the San Diego sun. The Romanian writer asked for, and received, political asylum.

♥~2012 Summer Olympic: London: Earlier this week, seven of Cameroon’s athletes disappeared from London’s Olympic Village. The week before, three runners from Sudan’s Olympic training squad filed for asylum in Britain.

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Full Speed ahead this Morno. . .Campers to check in, breakfast to make,  house guests to have fun with….

Have a super Saturday!