...CONTINUED HOT CONDITIONS WITH HEAT INDICES AROUND 105...

Plan your trip Local Radar Detailed Forecast

Today: Partly cloudy with a 50 % chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 90s. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph. Heat index readings 103 to 107.

Tonight: Partly cloudy. A 20 % chance of showers and thunderstorms in the evening. Lows in the mid 70s. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph.

Scattered showers and thunderstorms will develop over western sections by late morning affecting the East Coast by late afternoon and early evening. The stronger storms will produce strong gusty winds and frequent lightning strikes. Due to a slow storm motion locally heavy rainfall will occur.

The combination of hot temperatures and high humidities will produce heat indices around 105 degrees this afternoon. Individuals who mustbe outside are reminded to drink plenty of fluids.

Forecast Details: ridge to the south and trough to the north will produce a southwest-west flow today. Precipitable waters around 2 inches and a slow moving East Coast seabreeze will produce scattered storms closer to the East Coast than previous days. Light wind profile will cause a slow cell motion producing locally heavy rainfall. Upper ridge will shift further south this weekend as troughing amplifies along the East Coast. Surface front will sag south to just north of the area increasing surface convergence over southeast Georgia and the rain chances through Sunday as moisture and instability remain high. Maximum temperatures will remain above normal given southwest surface winds.

Today's Pollen Levels: 6.3 Medium (on a scale to 12); Predominate Pollen: Grass.

For additional information visit the National Weather Service in Jacksonville website on the internet at http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jax/

Here in the “Sunshine State” on this day in 1906 The Everglades Land and Sugar Company sent a 40-man crew into the muck lands west of Dania to begin ditching operations in preparation for sugar planting.

“Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.”

“If 'pro' is the opposite of 'con' what is the opposite of 'progress'?”

...CONTINUED HOT CONDITIONS WITH HEAT INDICES AROUND 105...

Plan your trip Local Radar Detailed Forecast

Today: Partly cloudy with a 40 % chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 90s. South winds 5 to 10 mph. Heat index readings 99 to 103.

Tonight: Partly cloudy. A chance of showers and thunderstorms in the evening then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after midnight. Lows in the mid 70s. South winds 5 mph in the evening becoming light. Chance of rain 30 %.

Scattered showers and thunderstorms will develop by the afternoon with the greatest coverage over interior areas of northeast Florida. Greatest threats with storms will be gusty winds and frequent lightning. Due to slow storm motion, locally heavy rainfall will be possible in storms.

The combination of hot temperatures and high humidities will produce heat indices around 105 degrees this afternoon. Individuals who must be outside are reminded to drink plenty of fluids.

Forecast Details: upper high northwest of of the area has shifted west to central Texas and weakened. TUTT low is located just east of the Bahamas. 00z KJAX sounding showed middle-level subsidence inversion has further weakened. Skies are clear across the area early this morning with temperatures ranging from the middle to upper 70s. Instability will increase over the next 48 hours as upper trough digs over the east Seaboard of the US and allows weak surface front to move southeast into south Georgia by early Saturday.

Dominant forcing for convection this afternoon will be seabreeze convergence over the interior. For Friday and Saturday shortwave energy from the northwest will enhance thunderstorm activity. Increasing southwest low-level flow will focus convection more toward east zones as Atlantic and Gulf seabreezes collide. Storm motion will be very slow during the short term with speeds averaging near 5 kts. Precipitation water values will increase through the period as well with values approaching 2.5 inches by Saturday. Locally heavy rainfall will be possible.

Today's Pollen Levels: 6.3 Medium (on a scale to 12); Predominate Pollen: Grass.

For additional information visit the National Weather Service in Jacksonville website on the internet at http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jax/

The Alachua County Health Department (ACHD) has detected mosquito borne diseases in the County. “Our sentinel surveillance system indicates that disease transmission is occurring,” stated Anthony Dennis, Environmental Health Director at the ACHD. “Taking a few simple steps can drastically reduce the chances of contracting a mosquito-borne illness."

Symptoms of West Nile virus (WNV) infection and Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) may include headache, fever, fatigue, dizziness, weakness, and confusion. Physicians should contact ACHD if they suspect an individual may have a mosquito-borne illness. Florida Department of Health (FDOH) laboratories provide testing services for physicians treating patients with clinical signs of mosquito-borne diseases.

The ACHD continues to advise citizens to remain diligent in protecting themselves from mosquito bites by following the “5 D’s”, which include:

• Drainage – Check around your home to rid the area of standing water, which is where mosquitoes can lay their eggs.
• DEET – When the potential exists for exposure to mosquitoes, repellents containing DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide, or N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide) are recommended. Picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus are other repellent options.
• Dress – Wear clothing that covers most of your skin.
• Dusk and Dawn – Avoid being outdoors when mosquitoes are most active.

For more information on mosquito borne illnesses, visit the ACHD website at www.AlachuaCountyHealth.com, the FDOH Web site at www.myfloridaEH.com, the Center for Disease Control website www.cdc.gov or contact the ACHD at (352) 334-7930.

The goal of the Alachua County Health Department is to promote, protect, maintain, and improve the health and safety of all citizens and visitors.

In conjunction with the Girls Softball World Series, which will take place August 7-14, merchants in downtown High Springs are hosting events, activities, and free giveaways in honor of the first Girls Softball World Series to come to Florida!

Activities include:
• $100 Chance Drawing & free giveaways all day at participating merchants

In the evening, 6-8pm:
• Kid’s Activities on the Corner, Main Street
• Music outside at Music Junction, Railroad Avenue
• Art Coop Reception, Main Street
• Archery Activities along Railroad Avenue with the Easton Archery Center

The first Friday of every month, downtown High Springs is buzzing with live music, activities for children at the kids corner downtown, and shops open late! Each month has a unique theme and features different activities and free giveaways at participating local businesses. Prizes given away each month include a $100 cash chance drawing, gift certificates to a variety of local restaurants and businesses, as well as vacation giveaways!

ACSO attends Sweet Dreams Touch A Truck Day

I'm not sure what kind of trucks, but this sounds like fun for the kids...

August 14: 10:00am to 4:30pm at the Alachua County Fair Grounds.

Admission is FREE but you will want to have some cash Handy There will be lots of cool kids activities and food!

A portion of the proceeds from this event will be donated to the SW Gainesville Relay for Life, an American Cancer Society Fundraiser!!

I personaly didn't claw my way up the food chain to eat veggies, but I like veggies and from my vegetarian friends have learned many tastey ways to serve them...

Here in Gainesville there are many oppurtunities to sample vegitarian fare as there are BBQ places. Here's one way...

What:Veg4Life Potluck
When:6:30 p.m. Saturday
Where:Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 4225 N.W. 34th St.
Cost:$1 plus a vegetarian or vegan dish that serves 6-8 people. Also, bring a serving utensil, plate, silverware, cup, napkin and beverage.
Information:Find out more about the monthly potluck and vegetarian and vegan recipes at http://www.veg4lifegainesville.com.

For a detailed article on the Gainesville vegitarian scene follow this link.

http://fwix.com/gainesville/share/417c5562c0/gainesville_area_has_plenty_of_options_for_growing_number_of_vegetarians

On this day in 1842 The Armed Occupation Act was passed by Congress. Each settler who would settle and cultivate five acres or more of land in eastern and southern Florida for a period of five years would receive 160 acres of land and one year’s rations from the Federal government. Settlers were expected also to provide militia service, if needed, to control the activities of the warring Seminole Indians. This was the prelude to the official declaration of the end of the Second Seminole War on August 14, 1842.

In 1944 ceremonies were held at the Underwater Demolition Training facility in Ft. Pierce to celebrate the 154th anniversary of the U.S. Coast Guard.

In 1984 the Cypriot freighter, Wellwood, rammed Molasses Reef, the only living coral reef in continental United States’ waters, and destroyed 19,000 square feet of living coral. Stuck on the reef for 12 days, additional sections of the reef were destroyed when tugs worked to free her from her perch.

“Fools rush in where fools have been before. “

...CONTINUED HOT CONDITIONS WITH HEAT INDICES 105 TO 109...

Plan your trip Local Radar Detailed Forecast

Today: Mostly sunny early in the morning then becoming partly cloudy. A 40 % chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the mid 90s. East winds 5 to 10 mph. Heat index readings 103 to 107.

Tonight: Partly cloudy. A 20 % chance of showers and thunderstorms in the evening. Lows in the lower 70s. Southeast winds 5 mph in the evening becoming light.

Forecast Details: sprawling upper high remains parked over Arkansas. 00z KJAX sounding showed subsidence inversion at 650mb. Mostly clear skies prevail across most of the area with temperatures ranging from the middle to upper 70s.

Upper high pressure is still prognosticated to weaken and retrograde during the next 48 hours. This will allow subsidence inversion to weaken. Flow in the middle and upper levels will become lighter as well and this will lead to more uniform distribution of thunderstorms during the afternoons and evenings. Convection will be almost entirely forced by seabreezes and boundary interactions. Due to the weak atmospheric flow locally heavy rainfall will be possible.

Temperatures and relative humidity values will combine to produce heat indices of 105 to 109 again over the next couple of days.

Today's Pollen Levels: 5.9 Medium (on a scale to 12); Predominate Pollen: Grass.

Did you know that... The United States was treated to a magnificent aurora borealis on this date in 1882. The aurora was visible from Oregon to Maine, and down to Florida.

For additional information visit the National Weather Service in Jacksonville website on the internet at http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jax/

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100803.html

(click on image to enlarge)

We lost one of the greats:Morrie Robert Yohai, better known as "Mr. Cheez Doodles." He was born in Harlem in 1920, "one of four children of Robert and Mary Habib Yohai, Jewish immigrants from Turkey," reports the NYT.

During his career, he became vice president of the division of Borden that made Cracker Jacks. "One of his duties, he said, was sitting around a table with other executives and choosing which tiny toys would be stuffed into Cracker Jack boxes."

Later in life, Mr. Yohai studied Torah and Jewish mysticism. He died on July 27 of cancer, at age 90.

This is really funny, an english as second language course teaching you how to cuss like a “merican” (not for young ears or at work)...

Want to be a real life spaceman,er spaceperson, I know I did, and still would if offerd the chance, one legged fat astronaut, could happen, well check this out...

http://gizmodo.com/5602707/how-to-be-an-astronaut-a-beginners-guide

Want to be a real life spaceman,er spaceperson, I know I did, and still would if offerd the chance, one legged fat astronaut, could happen, well check this out...

http://gizmodo.com/5602707/how-to-be-an-astronaut-a-beginners-guide

Aug. 3, 1977: The TRS-80 Is Bad, and That Ain’t Trash Talk

By John C Abell

1977:In a New York City news conference Tandy Corp of Texas announces that it will manufacture the first mass-produced personal computer. The TRS-80, lovingly called the “Trash 80”, would be an early rock star in the PC era and give the flagging Radio Shack franchise bragging rights as “biggest name in little computers.”

The TRS-80 was a desktop machine, woefully underpowered by today’s standards — 4 KB of RAM, (expandable to 16 KB!), a 12-inch monitor, a built-in cassette-based data recorder and BASIC interpreter. Oh, yes, it came with Blackjack and Backgammon.

But the Model I was a staggering success in its day, a time when your choice was either building your own computer from a kit or buying something for thousands of dollars. The Model I was yours for $600 ($2,160 in today’s coin), and all you had to do was plug it in, although it did require three separate AC outlets to power everything up.

This was the dawn of the personal computing age, and nobody quite knew what the rage would be, or even why. There wasn’t much your average non-techie could do or would want to with a computer. And yet, there was something in the air.

HP, IBM and Wang had personal computers out in the early 1970s. The Apple I and II were on the market. Commodore introduced the first self-contained computer earlier in the year and would years later introduce the Commodore 64, the best-selling single personal computer model of all time.

All of this set the table for Tandy, a 50-year-old firm which had only two years before it would shed all its non-core holdings to become exclusively an electronics company.

Radio Shack thought it would sell 600 to 1,000 Model I TRS-80’s in the first year. After all, it was the most expensive item Radio Shack stocked. Buyers had to pre-order, and put down a $100 deposit. But they took 10,000 orders in the first month. Instead of the weeks Tandy thought they’d need to start fulfilling orders, it took months to deliver the first machines. The company sold more than 200,000 units in four years...

Read More http://www.wired.com/thisdayintech/2010/08/0803trs-80-computer-launch#ixzz0vXvlGnj1

Here's one for you local Ansel Adams types ...

The City of Gainesville, Florida invites individual photographers to enter the Second Annual Gainesville Photography Contest: Gainesville in Motion. Your photo could be featured in the City of Gainesville's Citizen's Report and be featured in an exhibition at the Hippodrome Theater. Gainesville's Mayor Craig Lowe will reveal the grand prize winner at the Annual State of the City Address this January! Don't miss the opportunity to showcase your talent! No need to be a professional, any individual can enter....

For details check out...

http://www.cityofgainesville.org/GOVERNMENT/CityDepartmentsAM/CommunicationsOffice/PhotoContest/tabid/335/Default.aspx/

On this day in 1763 Spain transfers title to Florida to Britain in exchange for the return of the City of Havana, Cuba, which had been captured when Spain allied itself with France in the French and Indian War. Britain controlled Florida from 1763 until 1783, when it again became a Spanish possession at the end of the American Revolution.

In 1958 the first successful test of the 85-foot tall Atlas missile from Cape Canaveral.The success of this test launch accelerates the American Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) program.

“Today's public figures can no longer write their own speeches or books, and there is some evidence that they can't read them either. “

“He attacked everything in life with a mix of extraordinary genius and naive incompetence, and it was often difficult to tell which was which. “

"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better"

...CONTINUED HOT CONDITIONS WITH HEAT INDICES 105 TO 109...

Plan your trip Local Radar Detailed Forecast

Today: Partly cloudy. A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the morning, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the mid 90s. Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50 %. Heat index readings 103 to 107.

Tonight: Partly cloudy in the evening then clearing. Patchy fog after midnight. Lows in the lower 70s. East winds 5 mph in the evening becoming light.

The combination of hot temperatures and high humidities will continue to produce heat indices between 105 and 109 degrees this afternoon. Individuals who must be outside are reminded to drink plenty of fluids.

Scattered showers and thunderstorms will develop along both seabreezes by the afternoon with the greatest coverage of storms along the collision near the I-75 corridor late this afternoon and this evening. The main concerns will be excessive lightning and gusty winds.

Forecast Details: large upper high presently centered over south Arkansas with north to northeast flow across the area. After some late convection along the Atlantic and Gulf Coast seabreeze collision skies have cleared across most of the area. Temperatures at 2 am were mostly in the middle to upper 70s with some 80 degree readings along the Atlantic coast. Patchy fog had developed at a few sites.

Mostly diurnal thunderstorms will continue with northeast to east flow focusing most convection over interior and west areas each late afternoon and evening. Will need to watch for disturbances rounding the north periphery of the high as it slowly retrogrades over the next few days. However, flow aloft remains fairly zonal north of the high and this should shunt most disturbances north of the area. Lighter middle and upper level flow coupled with southwest low-level gradient on Thursday may allow more activity to reach east zones. Temperatures will remain above normal across most of the area. Warm temperatures coupled with high dew points will keep heat indices in the 105 to 108 degree range each afternoon.

Today's Pollen Levels: 5.5 Medium (on s a scale to 12); Predominate Pollen: Grass.

For additional information visit the National Weather Service in Jacksonville website on the internet at http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jax/

On this day in 1899 in St. Augustine, D.E. Thompson announced his purchase of The Daily Herald from Charles F. Hopkins and said it would be renamed on Sept. 1, 1899.

In 1904 dredging started today on the deepwater channel for the Port of Miami. Hundreds of workers were employed around the clock to complete this project.

In 1939 Today is the birthdate of the Florida Highway Patrol.

In 1942 Florida Caverns State Park at Marianna opened to the public today.

In 1962 Governor Farris Bryant called the Florida Legislature into special session to devise a new reapportionment plan for the state. This was in response to the Supreme Court decision in the case, Baker versus Carr, in 1962. The Supreme Court ruled that federal courts could consider challenges to state apportionment plans.

In 1981 Maria Marinello Korvick became the first Hispanic woman to serve as a circuit court judge in Florida when she assumed this office in Miami. Korvick had entered the United States as a Cuban refugee in 1961.

“When they call the roll in the Senate, the Senators do not know whether to answer 'Present' or 'Not guilty.' “

...HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FOR INLAND PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST FLORIDA THROUGH 7 PM TODAY...

Plan your trip Local Radar Detailed Forecast

Today: Becoming mostly cloudy. Chance of showers and thunderstorms in the morning, then showers and thunderstorms likely in the afternoon. Highs in the mid 90s. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60 %. Heat index readings 105 to 109.

Tonight: Partly cloudy. Chance of showers and thunderstorms in the evening then slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after midnight. Lows in the mid 70s. Southwest winds 5 mph in the evening becoming light. Chance of rain 40 %.

A Heat Advisory is in effect until 7 pm for inland portions of northeast Florida.

A potent upper level disturbance will rotate through this morning generating the greatest shower and thunderstorm coverage south ofthe I-10 corridor this afternoon. The main concerns with be excessive lightning and strong downburst winds along with very heavy rainfall. storm motion will be generally south to southeast around 5 to 10 mph.

An additional disturbance will move out of the tennessee valley and into the deep south late this evening and may bring an additional round of thunderstorms to the northern sections of the forecast area.

Forecast Details: morning soundings indicate the atmosphere is not as unstable as yesterday. This is due to large albeit weak mesoscale-high spawned from earlier convection coupled with a deep northwest flow regime with subtropical high anchored over the central United States. Numerical models indicate a thermal low will likely establish over south Georgia today as both sea-breezes propagate inland. The interaction of these sea-breezes, old outflow boundaries, unstable atmospheric conditions and an approaching middle-level shortwave trough will bring scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms to the local area. The best coverage will likely occur across northeast Florida due to placement of aforementioned shortwave trough this afternoon coupled with higher dewpoint values.

Forecast highs look reasonable for today with temperatures ranging from the lower 90s east of I-95 to mainly upper 90s west of this corridor. A heat advisory remains in effect until 7 PM for the northern Suwannee River valley in North Florida. As was the case yesterday showers and thunderstorms will bring welcome relief from the heat.

Wet Micro-bursts, lightning and heavy rainfall will remain the main concerns especially with precipitable waters above 2 inches. Cannot rule out small hail this afternoon given favorable flow regime although freezing level is above 15,000 ft and shear is marginal in the hail growth region.

Today's Pollen Levels: 4.1 Low Medium (on s a scale to 12); Predominate Pollen: Grass.

For additional information visit the National Weather Service in Jacksonville website on the internet at http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jax/