It's National Dog Day (not Hot Dog Day, mind you.)

I have no problem with a holiday celebrating pets. National Dog Day reminds potential dog owners to adopt their dogs from shelters, rather than buying from pet stores.



But why isn't it celebrated during the dog days of summer?


Neil Armstrong, 82, the first man to walk on the moon, died from complications of recent heart surgery, yesterday.



The family also left the world with this advice:

    For those who may ask what they can do to honor Neil, we have a simple request. Honor his example of service, accomplishment and modesty, and the next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink.


Charmin is sponsoring National Toilet Paper Day today:

According to the online Toilet Paper Encyclopedia:

*   69 % of people name toilet paper as the 20th Century "convenience" most taken for granted.
*   49 % choose toilet paper as their "necessity" if stranded on a deserted island.
*   72 % of people hang the roll with sheets going 'over' not under.
*   Wiping your nose is the second most common use for toilet paper. The first is obvious.
*   In public restrooms, it takes an average of 71 people to use one entire roll.

The day is actually based on a real event.



The Chinese took a break from inventing everything else and found time to create TP on this date in 580 AD. They were far too serious to be messing around with any old orgies not to note the correct date.


Today is the Feast of The Transverberation of St. Teresa of Avila (again, find an old lady saying her rosary in church to explain it to you.)

If you find yourself in Rome, run, do not walk, to see the Santa Maria della Vittoria Church. It houses one of the most amazing statues - The Ecstasy of St. Teresa by Bernini.



The statues depict a moment described by Saint Teresa of Avila in her autobiography, where she had the vivid vision of an angel piercing her heart with a golden shaft, over and over again, causing her both immense joy and pain. The flowing robes and contorted posture abandon classical restraint and repose to depict a more passionate, almost voluptuous trance.

Such is my obsession with religion.


August 26, 1953 -
Considered to be one of the great science fiction films of the 1950s, George Pal's The War of the Worlds was released on this date.



Cecil B. DeMille was due to direct the film when the rights were originally purchased in 1925 and Alfred Hitchcock was to direct a proposed version in the 1930s. Cecil B. DeMille's personal choice to produce the film after Alfred Hitchcock declined to direct the film was George Pal, who was renowned for his Puppetoon animation technique and two earlier live-action sci-fi films: Destination Moon and When Worlds Collide.


Today in History:
August 21, 1498 -
A statue was commissioned for the tomb in St. Peters of the French cardinal Jean de Billheres (who was a representative in Rome), on this date.



Michelangelo (23 at the time) won the commission to make the Pieta.


August 26, 1743 -
Antoine Laurent Lavoisier was born on this date. Dr. Lavoisier discovered oxygen but not on this date; he was usually too busy celebrating his birthday.



The discovery was a great boon to science, as it enabled Breathing, without which many subsequent scientific advances would have been impossible.


August 26, 1883 -



Krakatoa erupted, between Java and Sumatra. The two-day eruption and related tidal waves killed 36,000 people and destroyed two thirds of the island. (Yeah, yeah, I know, Krakatoa is West of Java.)



On a lighter note, "Krakatoa" sounds like "cracked a toe, huh?" and can be used in many humorous puns.


August 26, 1920 -
US Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby certified ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment.

American women win the right to vote as the 19th Amendment to the U-S Constitution takes effect on this date .



Most women opposed the amendment, on the grounds that they had suffered enough already, but it passed anyway since only men could vote.


August 26, 1957 -
The first Edsel, named Edsel for Henry Ford's son, Edsel Bryant Ford, made by the Ford Motor Company rolls off the assembly line on this date.



110,847 of the cars are built before Ford pulls the plug due to lack of sales.


A message for those readers down in Florida - make sure you stock up on supply for the impending storm, Hurricane Isaac - buy your alcohol in convenient gallon sized jugs. Also, flood waters may contain raw sewage. DO NOT use in your cocktails. Drink everything neat.


If you're interested - I've gotten around to posting another Desert Island Disc conversation with one of my friends (sorry for the delay.)



And so it goes.