Thousands of rubber duckies

Were loosed on the Chicago River as a fundraiser Saturday

August 12, 2023

for Special Olympics in Chicago and Illinois.

This is an annual tradition

Apple Festival - Niles, Michigan annual fall homecoming/harvest event

 Friday Sept. 29, 2023

Saturday September 30, 2023

Sunday October 1, 2023

most if not all events are at Apple Festival Grounds

17th street at Lake Street (near High School

as well as Niles Airport)

Happy 850th birthday -- Tower of Pisa

 Foundation stone laid in 1173 A.D.

started to lean in 1275 a.d.

story about long history in CNN feature online article

https://www.cnn.com/travel/leaning-tower-of-pisa-850-years-birthday/index.html

August 26 (NBC sports programming) - for cable-less viewers

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (ranked #13 in Top 25 Pre-season)

versus

Navy Midshipmen

1:30 p.m. (start) Eastern

from Sports stadium, Dublin, Ireland

Notre Dame's Men's FB Team - ranked in Coaches Pre-Season Poll (August 2023)

ND Ranked in Coaches' Poll #13 

https://www.abc57.com/news/notre-dame-ranked-13th-in-pre-season-coaches-poll

The "independent" team will meet up with 3 other 

top 25 teams

in September, October, & November 2023;

The first 2 scheduled are night games, beginning at 7:30 p.m.

UPDATE (Mid-August 2023) The Ohio State Univ. Team #3

in pre-season College FB Rankngs

https://www.si.com/fannation/college/cfb-hq/ncaa-football-rankings/college-football-rankings-ap-top-25-preseason-poll-2023-revealed

#13 Notre Dame hosts OSU (#4) at South Bend, IN - Sept. 23

#13 Notre Dame will also host USC (#6) at S. Bend. - Oct. 14.

Nov. 4, 2023 Notre Dame travels to Clemson (#9). This game

start-time is TBD (to be determined).

Shakespeare plays - banned in Florida by administrators + Governor

NPR reports that "Romeo and Juliet" implies pre-marital sex and will

not be allowed to be used in its entirety by teachers and student-readers.

Also, the children's picture (AND TANGO MAKES THREE) is

fully banned for its coverage of a same-sex penguin couple that 

raise an abandoned egg / chick.

http://www.npr.org

New National Monument - +1 million acres

 NPR coverage of POTUS Joe Biden visit to Grand Canyon

He met with tribal nations and conservationists Tuesday 8/8/2023

https://www.npr.org/2023/08/08/1192622716/biden-national-monument-grand-canyon-arizona