1. Welcome to August 2022. It happened overnight and today is the first of five August Mondays. There are 22 Mondays remaining in the year. We are on the downslide.
2. With the passing of my favorite month of the year, it is time to begin planning for the dark season while still enjoying the fading light as the next month's vernal equinox approaches.
Sunflowers in PA
North of Scranton on I-81
July 31, 2022
3. Driving to and from Central New York this weekend, I noticed the flowers at the rest areas. The summer flowers were visually stimulating and provided a brief relief from the highway stretching out in front of me with traffic consisting of a lot of trucks.
4. Sadness at the passing of Nichelle Nichols, Lt Uhura (Star Trek). She helped to change the face of television and our country.
5. The green hills of Upstate New York make driving a pleasure. Around every corner and turn there is more natural beauty to enjoy when driving during the Summer and Autumn. I do not enjoy the drive during the Winter, however.
6. For those who live in Maryland, I have renamed Route 100 as the Maryland Racetrack. I am continually amazed at how fast some drive. I believe I have been passed by people speeding over 100 MPH on the 55 MPH road.
7. Today in History. On August 1, 1943, 177 B-24 bombers take off from an Allied base in Libya, bound for the oil-producing city Ploiești, Romania, nicknamed “Hitler’s gas station.” The daring raid, known as Operation Tidal Wave, resulted in five men being awarded the Medal of Honor—three of them posthumously—but failed to strike the fatal blow its planners had intended.
Operation Tidal Wave began ominously, with an overloaded bomber crashing shortly after takeoff and another plunging into the Adriatic Sea. 167 of the original 177 bombers made it to Ploiești, whose oil fields and refineries provided the Germans with over 8.5 million tons of oil per year. Whereas most Allied bombing in World War II was carried out from a high altitude, the bombers that raided Ploiești flew exceptionally low in order to evade the Germans’ radar. The bombers lost the element of surprise, however, when one group veered off on the wrong direction, forcing the others to break radio silence in order to direct them back on course. This unplanned adjustment also led to the bombers approaching from the south, where the Nazis had concentrated their anti-aircraft batteries.
Pelosi expected to visit Taiwan, Taiwanese and US officials say - CNN
Northern California wildfire exploded in size over the weekend - CNN
Democrats' climate and health initiative back on the table this week - CNN
First Ukraine Grain Shipment Departs Since Invasion - The Wall Street Journal
People Start Buying More Essentials at Dollar Stores - The Wall Street Journal
Europe’s Energy Crisis Threatens to Slow Green Transition - The Wall Street Journal
Inflation spurs U.S. consumers to spend more on credit cards - Reuters
As Pelosi begins Asia tour, China warns against visiting Taiwan - Reuters
U.S. considers crackdown on memory chip makers in China - Reuters
-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD
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