In light of the terrible news coming out of New Orleans, did you know that hurricane names often get reused unless the storm causes major damage in which case it gets retired (at least for 10 years). NOAA has a list of names that have been retired.

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Ohhhhhh, that actually finally makes some sense. From straightdope.com (through digg.com )

Mainly to continue the tradition of making English as incomprehensible as possible, thereby keeping the spelling bee industry in business. (Believe me, there’s millions in it.) Colonel comes from Old Italian colonello, commander of a column of troops, which in turn derives from colonna, column. It wasn’t always spelled the Italian way, though. Four hundred years ago English followed the Spanish practice and spelled the word “coronel,” sensibly pronounced the way it looked. Eventually this was corrupted to ker-nel, still not bad considering we’re talking about the British, who pronounce “Featheringstonehaugh” “Fanshaw.”

But it couldn’t last. Some nameless busybody decided coronel ought to be spelled “colonel” to better reflect its Italian origin, doubtless out of the same misplaced love of precision that gave us 16-1/2 feet to the rod and 27 and 11/32 grains to the dram. It’s just the Anglo-Saxon way, I guess. How these people conquered an empire I’ll never know.

–CECIL ADAMS

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On this day in 1945 Japan surrendered to Allied forces, bringing World War II to a close. VJ day was then celebrated with a two day holiday starting on August 15th. According to the BBC from Augst 15, 1945:
  After days of rumour and speculation, US President Harry S Truman broke the good news at a press conference at the White House at 1900 yesterday.  He said the Japanese Government had agreed to comply in full with the Potsdam declaration which demands the unconditional surrender of Japan.  Supreme Commander General Douglas MacArthur will receive the official Japanese surrender, arrangements for which are now under way.  Later, in an address to a crowd that had gathered outside the White House President Truman said: “This is the day we have been waiting for since Pearl Harbor. This is the day when Fascism finally dies, as we always knew it would.”  But he warned that the task of creating a lasting peace still lay ahead.

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On this day in 1981 Ronald Reagan nominated Sandra Day O’Connor to the Supreme Court.

Many on the left are afraid that her resignation this week will allow Bush to pack the court with conservatives and change the direction of the court. That could be, but people on the left and right should remember O’Connor’s own history. Judges don’t always do what you expect of them. From Oyez.com :

Perhaps no other jurist could have come to the Supreme Court under greater expectations and scorn. When President Ronald Reagan nominated Sandra Day O’Connor in 1981 to be the first woman justice to sit on the Supreme Court, he did so out of an obligation to keep a campaign promise. O’Connor’s nomination was quick to draw criticism from both the political left and right. Conservatives derided her lack of federal judicial experience and claimed she was lacking in constitutional knowledge. They considered her a wasted nomination and suspected her position on abortion. Liberals, on the other hand, could not deny their satisfaction at seeing a woman on the High Court, but they were dismayed at O’Connor’s apparent lack of strong support for feminist issues. In time, however, O’Connor has come to answer all these criticisms. O’Connor has emerged from the shadow of Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist and the Court’s conservative bloc with her own brand of pragmatic and centrist-oriented conservatism. Even those liberals who branded her a “traitor” in her early years for compromising on abortion rights, now appreciate her efforts to keep the “pro-choice” message of Roe v. Wade (1973) alive. O’Connor’s success should come at no surprise. From her rural childhood to her career climb through a profession dominated by men, O’Connor often resorted to practical solutions as she worked within the system. This tendency to moderate, in turn, enhanced her importance in an often-splintered Court.

I have added a few designs (shown above) to my store including one showing Justice O’Connor’s resignation letter with the stamp “Mission Accomplished”. I am sure if I looked at all of the Justice’s decisions I would disagree with some, possibly many. But I believe she has been has often been a strong voice in helping the court tread a fine line between protecting individuals rights and national interests.

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On this day in 1946 the 1st Bikini was shown at a Paris fashion show. French engineer Louis Reard was trying to create some fun after the difficult years of World War II. He was looking for a name as explosive as his creation and named it after the Bikini atoll where the U.S. was testing the H-bomb. And you thought history was boring.

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