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HERE’S THE BLAST!

Reading Time: 6 minutes 50 seconds

There can be no real freedom without the freedom to fail.

— Eric Hoffer

THE CONSERVATIVE CALENDAR

Forecast from the KIVA Weather Station: Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 92F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.

Today is Tuesday, July 20th, the 201st day of 2021. There are 164 days left in the year. It is National Moon Day, National Fortune Cookie Day, and International Chess Day.

This Day in History

In 1871, British Columbia joined the confederation of Canada.

In 1903, the Ford Motor Company shipped its first automobile.

In 1940, California opened its first freeway, the Arroyo Seco Parkway.

In 1944, Adolf Hitler survived an assassination attempt led by German Army Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg.

In 1960, the Polaris missile was successfully launched from a submarine for the first time.

In 1969, Apollo 11’s crew successfully made the first manned landing on the Moon. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first humans to walk on the Moon six and a half hours later.

In 1976, the Viking 1 lander successfully touched down on Mars.

In 1977, the Central Intelligence Agency released documents under the Freedom of Information Act revealing that it had engaged in mind-control experiments.

In 1997, the fully restored USS Constitution (“Old Ironsides”) celebrated its 200th birthday by setting sail for the first time in 116 years.

In 2017, O. J. Simpson was granted parole after serving nine years of a 33-year sentence for armed robbery in Las Vegas.

This Day in Music History

In 1963, Jan and Dean’s “Surf City” went to No. 1.

In 1965, Bob Dylan released “Like A Rolling Stone.”

In 1970, the Carpenters appeared on The Dating Game, where they performed “(They Long to Be) Close to You.” Each selected from three suitors, but neither actually went on dates.

In 1975, Steven Van Zandt made his first appearance in concert with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.

In 1986, the biopic Sid and Nancy premiered. Gary Oldman played Sid and Chloe Webb played Nancy.

Today’s Birthdays

Singer-songwriter Kim Carnes is 76. Guitarist Carlos Santana is 74. Actor Josh Holloway is 52. Actress Sandra Oh is 50. Actor Omar Epps is 48. Actress Judy Greer is 46. Model Gisele Bündchen is 41. Actor John Francis Daley is 36. Dancer, actress, and singer Julianne Hough is 33.

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TOP 10 LINKS: NEWS, COMMENTARY, RESEARCH, AUDIO, AND VIDEO

1. Las Cruces City Council approves vaccination verification rules for attending meetings

2. New Mexico to make gas stations liable for selling fuel to intoxicated drivers

3. State police: There’s been a ‘significant increase’ of law enforcement shootings in NM

4. Jeff Bezos’ flight is an ego trip, yes, but it sets the stage for so much more

5. New poll shows 64% of Americans not confident Kamala Harris is ready to be president

6. Police Killed Ashli Babbitt Too

7. Biden Administration Admits To Helping Control What You’re Allowed To Know

8. A Closer Look at Trump’s Lawsuit Against Twitter

9. Cuban-Born Actress Maria Conchita Alonso Slams Biden Administration for Helping Regime, Abandoning Cubans

10. The US must stop supporting ‘forever presidents’ in Africa

MAINSTREAM U.S. NEWS BRIEFING

(Bolded for your attention / analyses)

Firefighter, paramedics wounded in deadly Arizona shootings

TUCSON — Authorities on Monday identified a suspect accused of fatally shooting one person and wounding four others, including firefighters and paramedics, during a house fire in Tucson. Police say 35-year-old Leslie Stephen Scarlett remained in extremely critical condition at a local hospital. Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus says the suspect was wounded in an exchange of gunfire with a police officer on Sunday. According to the Arizona Department of Corrections, Scarlett has a criminal history that includes a 2007 conviction for an attempted armed robbery. He was sentenced to six years and was released in August 2013.

Searchers rescued after helicopter crash; hiker also found

RENO — A Navy helicopter crew looking for a hiker missing in some California mountains east of Yosemite National Park survived after they crashed near the tallest peak in Nevada. Both the searchers and the hiker were rescued over the weekend. The four-member helicopter crew escaped injury but had to spend Friday night in the rugged wilderness before being rescued Saturday from a ridge along the California-Nevada line. The Navy is investigating the cause of the crash. The hiker, Oklahoma University professor Ronald Bolen, was found in good condition after being reported missing last week on a trail.

Families of last victims in condo say waiting is agony

FORT LAUDERDALE — Two close friends and former New Yorkers are among the last of the missing as the South Florida condo search stretches into a fourth week. Estelle Hedaya was the life of the party and loved travel and fashion. She lived on the sixth floor and quickly connected with fellow former New Yorker Linda March, an adventurous traveler who was renting the penthouse. The close friends are still missing, along with Anastasia Gromova. The 24-year-old was about to leave for Japan to teach English. She went to the Surfside condo with a friend for one last hurrah. The other two staying in Gromova’s unit were found days ago.

Chief: Bomb squad caused Los Angeles fireworks explosion

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles police chief says a catastrophic fireworks explosion that injured 17 people and rocked a neighborhood last month was likely caused by miscalculations from bomb technicians. Chief Michel Moore said Monday that the bomb squad grossly miscalculated the explosive weight of homemade fireworks when they detonated them in a containment chamber. He said five bomb squad members have been removed from field duties as the investigation continues. They could face discipline. The bomb technicians estimated the weight of the explosives and a counter-charge to be about 16.5 pounds in a standard measurement. Authorities who reviewed the remains after the blast calculated the weight was more than 42 pounds. The chamber's maximum capacity is 25 pounds.

Phelps to work as NBC commentator, correspondent at Olympics

STAMFORD, Conn. — Michael Phelps will be part of NBC’s Olympics coverage as a correspondent and swimming commentator. Phelps will call selected swimming events with Dan Hicks and Rowdy Gaines and contribute features as a correspondent during primetime coverage. Phelps won the most medals and gold medals in Olympic history, swimming in five Games from 2000-2016. He did some work for NBC during its coverage of last month’s U.S. swimming trials.

MAINSTREAM GLOBAL NEWS BRIEFING

(Bolded for your attention / analyses)

German officials defend their actions on devastating floods

BERLIN — German officials defended their actions ahead of last week’s devastating floods that caught many towns by surprise and left 196 people dead in Western Europe, but they conceded that lessons still need to be learned from the disaster. As floodwaters receded Monday, authorities continued a search for more victims and intensified efforts to clean up a sodden swath of western Germany, eastern Belgium and the Netherlands. Weather officials had forecast the downpours that led to even small rivers swelling at vast speed, but warnings of potentially catastrophic damage didn’t appear to have found their way to many in the affected areas.

Nicaragua marks 1979 revolution date with opponents jailed

MANAGUA — The Nicaraguan government has organized rallies and festivities to mark the anniversary of the July 19, 1979, revolution that overthrew dictator Anastasio Somoza. But with most opposition leaders jailed, many Nicaraguans say President Daniel Ortega himself is acting much like Somoza. The anniversary Monday was marred by the fact that several of the leading revolutionaries who fought alongside Ortega in 1979 have now been jailed by him. Ortega is seeking a fourth consecutive term in Nov. 7 elections, and almost all potential rivals have been detained. Ortega’s wife and Vice President Rosario Murillo said, “Thank God for this revolution.”

Leftist rural teacher declared president-elect in Peru

LIMA — A rural teacher-turned-political novice has became the winner of Peru’s presidential election after the country’s longest electoral count in 40 years. Pedro Castillo’s supporters included Peru’s poor and rural citizens. He defeated politician Keiko Fujimori by just 44,000 votes. Electoral authorities on Monday released the final official results more than a month after the runoff election took place in the South American nation. Castillo popularized the phrase “No more poor in a rich country.” Peru is the world’s second-largest copper producer but its poverty level has increased to almost one-third of the population, eliminating the gains of a decade.

Syria reports Israeli airstrikes in northern Aleppo province

DAMASCUS — A Syrian military official says Israel has carried out an aerial attack in Syria’s northern Aleppo province, but targets were not immediately identified. The official is quoted on official state media as saying Syrian air defenses which shot down most of the missiles late Monday. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights is a war monitoring group that has activists on the ground in Syria. It says the Israeli strikes targeted weapons depots that belong to Iranian-backed militia operating in Aleppo’s Safira region. Israel has launched hundreds of strikes against Iran-linked military targets in Syria, saying it won’t tolerate Iranian entrenchment on its northern frontier.

Olympic sponsor Toyota pulls Games-related TV ads in Japan

TOKYO — Toyota won’t be airing any Olympic-themed advertisements on Japanese television during the Tokyo Games despite being one of the IOC’s top corporate sponsors. The extraordinary decision by the country’s top automaker underlines how polarizing the Games have become in Japan as COVID-19 infections rise ahead of Friday’s opening ceremony. Being a corporate sponsor for the Olympics is usually all about using the games as a platform to enhance the brand. But being linked with a pandemic-era Games may be viewed by some as a potential marketing problem. Toyota signed on as a worldwide Olympic sponsor in 2015 in an eight-year deal reportedly worth nearly $1 billion.

‘ROCK OF TALK’ QUESTIONS OF THE DAY FOR OUR COMMUNITY (PLEASE ANSWER IN COMMENTS)

1. Will mankind return to the Moon within the next decade?

2. Ever owned a Ford?

3. Is law enforcement in New Mexico trigger-happy?

4. Will Bezos make it to space today?

5. Is six years enough for armed robbery?

6. Do you know how to play chess?

7. Will Kamala Harris ever be president?

8. Why do Central and South Americans so frequently embrace communism?

9. Ever been to British Columbia?

10. What is Aleppo?

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