Good morning, friends! It’s the Daily Dollop for Friday, August 17, 2018. Portland’s weather will be cool and comfortable, where you can take in a deep breath of sweet fresh air without jamming toasted forest particulates into your beleaguered alveoli, and walk a mile without succumbing to heatstroke. Our high today will be 78, our air quality is a steady-green good, and our sunrise at 6:13 AM and sunset 8:14 PM are just right for early morning runs and post-supper IPAs.
There’s respect all over the Internet today for the departed Aretha Franklin. Her music has zoomed to #1 on iTunes.
Let’s drop the pedal and go, says ODOT…the drive to charge tolls on Portland area freeways just shifted into high gear, as the Oregon Transportation Commission voted to apply for federal approval to begin tolling I-5 between SW Multnomah Blvd and N Going St., and on-205’s perennially choked Abernethy Bridge. Plus! They put in motion a study that could result in tolls on just about every highway in the Metro area. So send not for whom the bridge tolls..it tolls for thee!
The smog’s gone and the heat wave too, but we have one more episode of Carmaggeddon to deal with: the third and final ramp closure at the I-5/Banfield Interchange begins tonight at 10. The ramp from WB I-84 to SB I-5 shuts down for 10 days. It’ll reopen by Monday, August 27.
This could be exciting..PDX informs us that visiting military aircraft will be training with the Oregon Air National Guard for ten days starting today, which means an increase in military flight activity and noise, plus: some arrivals will use something called the “continuous descent overhead approach.” I don’t know exactly that is–sure didn’t do it in my traffic-reporting Cessna days–but it sounds dramatic!
Speaking of weaponry on display… the Pentagon says the $92 million military parade proposed for Veterans Day has been delayed at least until 2019.
Retired Admiral Bill McRaven, who oversaw the operation that killed Osama bin Laden, writes that he would “consider it an honor” to have his security clearance revoked, in solidarity with John Brennan.
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Ten days until school starts in Portland!
Portland Parks and Rec reminds us of a funny episode in our history, when they put up a “Post No Bills” sign along the Eastmoreland Golf Course…and a mocking public responded by blizzarding the place with photos of guys named Bill. Clinton, Murray, Shakespeare, Gates, the Science Guy, your Uncle Bill…on and on it went. Anyway. That little episode was exactly five years ago this week. People fussed a bit, but those were good times.
Happy birthday to my daughter Sandra! Mom of 1.67 sweet kidlets…wife of a very cool dude…Nurse…business owner…and her Daddy’s beloved…
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A woman in the UK found out why her left eyelid was dropping. There was a mummified contact lens in there from 28 years ago when she lost it during a badminton game.
Woodstock wrapped up this day in 1969. A better movie than experience, from what I hear from people who claim they were there.
Robert De Niro is 75 today. Yesterday’s New York Times crossword was all about that good fella.
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Pray tell… me something good?
–“Every teacher in a northern Kentucky school district was gifted $100 for school supplies by an anonymous donor”
–“Millions of Frequent Flier Miles Are Donated to Reunite Families Separated at Border”
–“Tuition Will Be Free for All N.Y.U. Medical School Students”
–“Passengers help deliver baby born on city bus in St. Paul”
–“Former refugee rocket science graduate stands with a sign looking for work … and the interview offers roll in”
And hey! Guess what? The link farm is UP! Check this out, for links to all of this week’s TMSG stories from the Daily Drip! Thank you to Tracy and the iHeartRadio web department!!
https://k103.iheart.com/featured/john-ericksons-daily-drip/
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It was so nice to ramble for miles in the hills yesterday afternoon. I was cursing away hornets while I drafted the DD on the deck, and looked up and saw a patch of a maple tree that had turned a brilliant yellow. A harbinger of the cool season to come, I asked, hopefully? “Dead limb, cracked in the heat,” said my sweetie, as she stalked the hornets with a swatter.
Have a very fine weekend. Putting some Aretha on my personal playlist this weekend.
Portland's Daily Drip 