A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....08-11-04...The Dog Days of Summer

Mama_Bear

[Mama_Bear]

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day

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A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in need; and congratulate those deserving. We strive to keep our threads entertaining, fun, and pleasing to look at, and often have guest writers contribute an essay or a profile of another FReeper.

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~ Billie, Mama_Bear, dutchess, Aquamarine ~

The Dog Days of Summer are almost behind us. For some it will be a reason to celebrate, for others (like me) it is a time to lament the passing of the summer season.

"While the dog days have made many us feel like we're swaddled in fur, the period is actually named after Sirius, the Dog Star. Sirius rises with the sun when summer is at its hottest. The dog days traditionally run from July 3 to August 11.

The ancients believed extra heat generated by Sirius in conjunction with the sun caused this sizzling spell of weather. Sirius is the brightest star at night, after all.

But Sirius, which is found in the Canis Major (big dog) constellation, is some 50 trillion miles (80 trillion kilometers) from Earth—too far away to influence temperatures here.

In Roman times the dog days—or dies caniculares in Latin—were associated with intolerable heat, lethargy, disease, and, appropriately enough, mad dogs." James Owen for National Geographic News July 16, 2004

What was the highest summer temperature ever recorded in the United States?

A - 114 degrees Fahrenheit
B - 124 degrees F.
C - 134 degrees F.
D - 144 degrees F.

Answer >>> C - The highest temperature ever recorded in the U.S. was in California's Death Valley. The temperature reached 134 degrees. The hottest record on Earth took place in El Aisisa, Libya. That temp was 136F.

When does summer officially start in the Northern Hemisphere?

A - June 19th
B - June 21st
C - June 22nd
D - It varies

Answer >>> D - It varies. The summer solstice doesn't always occur on June 21. In 1896, summer began on June 20. It won't begin on that same date again until 2012.

It's not just the heat. It really is the humidity! When the thermometer reads 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and the humidity stands at 60%, how hot do you really feel, according to the National Weather Service's heat index?

A - 116 degrees F.
B - 126 degrees F.
C - 136 degrees F.
D - 146 degress F.

Answer >>> C - According the heat index, 100 degrees F at 60% relative humidity will warm the human body as much as heat at 136 degrees F at 0% humidity. When the Heat Index gets above 90 then it's time to take some precautions. About 175 people die in this country every year due to excessive heat.

What is the official definition of a heat wave?

A - Two or more days of 90+ degree weather.
B - Three or more days of 90+ degree weather.
C - Any period of unusually hot weather.
D - A period of 48 consecutive hours when the air temperature is 15% or more above normal.
E - There is no "official" definition.

Answer >>> E - There is no universal "official" definition. The National Weather service has set no temperature or duration to define a heat wave. The American Heritage dictionary defines a heat wave as, "a period of unusually hot weather."

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 08-09-04 Military Monday 08-10-04 God Bless the USA ~ Lift Every Voice (Rerun)

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[humblegunner]

No worries, we Texans test out all the hurricanes for you northerners.

If it didn't frag us, it won't frag you.

[Gabz]

I'm an optimist..........I'm looking forward to being in DC in January!

I know so many more FReepers now than I did in January 2001.

[Gabz]

I wish it would storm more often here. Did you know that it doesn't rain in California? Well, at least not in the summer.

It's not supposed to rain in the summer on the Eastern Shore of Virginia either - but the very last thing on earth I want right now is more rain - and they are calling for more starting Friday......actually we were under a severe storm warning until about an hour ago - but luckily nothing happened.

[Pippin]

ALRIGHT! :o)

[Lakeside]

It was sure fun to watch but I was never comfortable driving out on the ice to get there. I was never THAT native! More than one ice fisher's pick-up landed on the bottom of the lake 'cause it crossed a patch of thin ice. And to add insult to injury the owner was responsible for getting it back out again and paying fines for polluting!

Oh, and along with da Packers ya gotta showcase da best quarterback of all time--Bret Favre. That, and we *never* mention that state to the west of us that starts with an M....

[LadyX]

How about a bit of visual relief
from the Dog Days?

~ ~ The wonderful variety of God's Light Shows ~ ~

[humblegunner]

It rained in Houston for two weeks straight last month.
We were saved from landslides by the fact that while we are indeed
a swamp, we are at least a level swamp. The ditch (bayou) handled the influx.

[Lakeside]

LOL! (Note to self: never stand next to LadyX in a thunderstorm...)

[Texagirl4W]

I was born and raised in a small town in south Louisiana. My family had a bomb shelter and we spent many nights there. I can remember in 1964 we were 4 generations. My grandmother was 79 and my niece was 5 days old.

It looks like the two storms out there now will miss Louisiana. I pray it won't be severe, wherever it goes.

[LadyX]

"I, too, must deny calamity heck powers."

**LadyX has truly scary thought - could we be related, Darks?!!"*

[LadyX]

"My family had a bomb shelter and we spent many nights there. I can remember in 1964 we were 4 generations."

What most here do not realize is that there were *many* TRUE BOMB SHELTERS in America in the early 60's because of the Cold War and the threat of Atomic Warfare with Russia.

Our children literally held *routine* practices at their schools like those for fire drills, with "bomb drills."
They had to get to the most protected spot near them, usually under desks and tables.

They otherwise were used for storms and tornados or any threatening weather situation - or for invasion by hostile persons of any variety.

Wouldn't one in South Louisiana be subject to flooding, though - or was it very heavily reinforced above ground?

[Lakeside]

Howdy Texagirl! I grew up in Houston and New Orleans and road out several hurricanes when I WISH we had a bomb shelter.

LadyX, I had no idea you were in AK in '64!! I was a mere 10 years old and living in Houston but I'll *never* forget the Anchorage quake & tsunami. The pictures of the devastation were unbelievable and I was glad I lived faaaar away from it.

[Darksheare]

It's possible.
I have relatives who have no idea I exist.
*chuckle*

[Gabz]

I'm not even going to comment.......................

[Darksheare]

My old Middle School had abomb shelter in it's basement.
The doors to it were extremely thick, and had been welded shut at some point mid-80's.


Speaking of storms.
Last night a cracker of a lightning storm stomped teh snot out of my area.
Struck a gas main switching station [above ground kind] and made it leak, and zapped a telephone pole or three thus making the pole mini-transformers leak oil.
This was at 2:47 this morning.
The leak was found and fixed quickly, it's a two foot wide main I am told, and the transformer blew up around 11:18, half hour after the leak was fixed on the gas main.
I don't expect that to be in the paper, the local paper doesn't report any actual news.

[Lakeside]

I was one of those kids who had to go through those silly drills of duck under desk and cover. As young as I was during the Cuban Missile crisis & subsequent Cold War I knew that if Houston were hit by an atomic bomb those drills would be pretty much useless. It made the teachers feel better,tho. :-)

[Gabz]

"level swamp" .....same here - but only because of all the rain that is not being handled by the ditches and creeks. The highest points around here are the railroad beds - and an awful lot of that got washed away last week because of the rain.

My husband used to live in Houston and so I have heard the stories about what happens with the weather there. He worked construction at the time and has some VERY interestig pictures of the aftermath of Hurricane Alicia.

[Lakeside]

G'night all. Must leave early in the morning for a dr.s appt. in Atlanta. "See" ya'll when I get back tomorrow.

[Mama_Bear]

If you haven't already featured Alaska here you may want to work on that one next since it's so hot in Fresno. Would make you feel cooler just looking for pictures to illustrate with.

You know, I had thought about that. Photos of glaciers and snowy vistas probably would have a cooling effect. I think I am going to do Colorado next, then maybe Alaska.

Maggie, you have such wonderful stories and recollections of your time there. I would love to have your input and suggestions on what to cover in my Alaska presentation. Hint, hint. ;-)

[Gabz]

I remember the bomb shelters in the schools in NYC - and the weekly air raid drills we had.