MONDAY POTPOURRI

So what is happening today?  Nothing much of import:  National Bow Tie Day, National Cherry Turnover Day, National Red Wine Day, International Read Comics Day, National Thoughtful Day, National Bridge Remembrance Day and National Power Rangers Day.  All sanction by an organization called National Day Calendar. 

How does one get a national day?  Well, Hasbro/Saban jointly with NDC, just declared August 28 to be National Power Rangers Day.  Has thus been annually celebrated yearly since 2018.  So how do you celebrate this day?  Fans are encouraged to share memories and cosplay the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, which premiered in 1993. 

But what is National Day Calendar?  It was created in 2013 by Marlo Anderson, the so-called Guru of Geek, from his perch as podcaster of the Tech Ranch.  Must have been popular, for a million people visited his site that first year, and 10 million are expected to ping-in this year.  He said this hobby has become a major distraction to normal business hours.

How can you add a national day?  Just register with the National Day Calendar website.  Anderson gets 18,000 applications/year, and has a committee that approves about 30/year.  So the odds are low.  His advice?  CELEBRATE EVERY DAY!  Click HERE on any day, and get the scoop of what day that is.  Sort of like April Fools Day everyday.

More seriously, about Godfather Trump and his co-conspirators, Judge Tanya Chutkan today set March 4, 2024 to be the trial date for his attempted January 6 coup.  This just happens to be the day before Super Tuesday.  Rachel Maddow will be be very prominent that Monday next year.  To quote NBC News:

Trump posted on Truth Social that he would appeal the trial date decision, saying it comes "smack in the middle of Crooked Joe Biden’s Political Opponent’s campaign against him. Election Interference! " But orders setting trial dates are not appealable, according to NBC News legal analyst Chuck Rosenberg. The trial start date could still move due to other litigation in the case, however.

To give equal time to Biden, the New York Times reported this morning that one of his foci will be to reduce medical costs during the the upcoming presidential campaign.  Why?

The underlying reason for Biden’s push is that Americans pay more for medical care than the citizens of any other county. There are several causes, but many experts believe that the main factor is simply that the U.S. government doesn’t prevent drug companies, hospitals and insurers from charging high prices. An influential 2003 article in an academic journal made this argument bluntly in its headline: “It’s the prices, stupid.” These high prices translate into higher profits for health care companies.

Now on to ocean storms again.  There are two in the vicinity of the USA.  That fearsome one to the right in the Atlantic is Hurricane Franklin, now at 145 MPH.  However, he will move further east away from North America.

The more deadly one is Tropical Storm Idalia, to become a hurricane later today, and possibly strengthen into as high as a Category 3 when making landfall over Florida on Wednesday.

There are three active ocean storms in the West Pacific.  The one I've been watching, Typhoon Damrey, did attain hurricane strength yesterday, but has weakened to 50 MPH today, and is turning away from Japan.  The potentially bad one is Category 3 Typhoon Saola, which today re-strengthened up to 115 MPH.  The projection is for the eye to skirt south of Taiwan and weaken into a Category 2, then to a 1 before making perhaps a direct hit over Hong Kong as a tropical storm.  But you never know for sure at this point.

Right behind Saola is Tropical Storm Haikui, which is projected to strengthen into a typhoon on Wednesday, gaining strength into a Category 2 on Thursday, moving between Taiwan and Okinawa, then possibly heading in the general direction of Shanghai, making landfall over China this weekend.

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