Too Many Honorables? By Mary K. Mewborn

Too Many Honorables? By Mary K. Mewborn

Whether it is the roster of the Board of Governors of the Smithsonian Institution or the benefit committee of a typical Washington charity gala, there are always a number of names preceded by "Honorable,'' instead of the usual Mr., Mrs., Miss or Ms. How this came about in a country whose Constitution expressly forbids the granting of titles amuses some and irritates others. At the very least its widespread usage raises some eyebrows.

Traditionally the British use the "Hon.'' (originally abbreviated from "The Right Honorable Magnificence of Nobles''), to identify certain family members of hereditary barons and earls, i.e., their daughters, younger sons and the younger sons' wives. In America, however, such inherited titles were rare among the early colonists, and after independence there was no king to grant new ones.

That did not mean this country developed along totally egalitarian lines. Even in a democracy it was only natural that ways had to be found to distinguish the elite from the hoi polloi, the rulers from the ruled. The conferment of titles, although prevented by the Constitution, was effectively achieved by political success.

August 15, 2019 Morning

Good morning! Happy Thursday. Partly sunny and 63 degrees at the Elm Ave Park & Ride – CDTA. There is a north breeze at 5 mph. 🍃. The dew point is 57 degrees. A pretty decent morning. H

Today will have isolated showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Mostly sunny 🌞, with a high of 82 degrees at 3pm. One degree above normal, which is similar to a typical day around August 9th. Maximum dew point of 64 at 5pm. North wind around 5 mph becoming light and variable in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 20%. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. It was very sticky. The high last year was 88 degrees. The record high of 96 was set in 1959.

The sun will set at 7:56 pm with dusk around 8:27 pm, which is one minute and 29 seconds earlier than yesterday. 🌇 At sunset, look for rain 🌧 and thunderstorms 🌩 and temperatures around 78 degrees. The dew point will be 64 degrees. There will be a southeast breeze at 5 mph. Today will have 13 hours and 53 minutes of daytime, an increase of 2 minutes and 33 seconds over yesterday.

Tonight will be scattered showers and thunderstorms before midnight, then scattered showers between midnight and 1am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1am. Mostly cloudy 🌧, with a low of 62 degrees at 5am. Two degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 64 at 6pm. South wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2018, we had mostly clear skies in the evening, which became partly cloudy by the early hours of the morning. It was sticky. It got down to 69 degrees. The record low of 41 occurred back in 1972.

In 1969, the Woodstock Music Festival Opens on Max Yasgur’s dairy farm in Bethel, 🐮 much to the distaste of his neighbors and fellow community members. 🎶 Lots of mud in what was already a hay field to muddy and mucky to plant or harvest. 🌿 His farm, until it closed in around 1970 was the biggest dairy in Sullivan County, which granted isn’t the best dairy country.

On this day in 1970, President Richard Nixon completes the break from the gold standard by ending convertibility of the United States dollar into gold by foreign investors. 💰 The gold standard was a already broken by the 1930s, its not really sustainable to build a growing economy around a fixed asset. Depending on the levels of gold consumption and mining discovery though, especially in inflationary times, it can be a decent asset but it also can be really risky.

Not a particularly nice weekend on tap. 😞 Saturday, a chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 82. South wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Maximum dew point of 70 at 2pm. Sunday, a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 8am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 87. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Maximum dew point of 70 at 12pm. Typical average high for the weekend is 81 degrees.

The latest three day forecast for the weekend doesn’t sound that great but not a wash out and warm. ☀ I am still thinking I’ll take off Monday and make it a three day weekend so the Potholers. 🏊 I considered also taking Tuesday off but I think I want to save time for the autumn and if I camp more than three nights at one site I’ll have to get a permit.

Looking ahead, there are 7 weeks until Last Sunset After 7 PM 🌆 when the sun will be setting at 6:33 pm with dusk at 7:01 pm. On that day in 2018, we had partly sunny, patches of fog and temperatures between 65 and 50 degrees. Typically, the high temperature is 65 degrees. We hit a record high of 83 back in 1967.

Town Road