7 December 12020

288,072   deaths here in the United States from the pandemic, and the American president is obsessing over an election he lost a month back. Pitiful.

7 December 12020 is International Civil Aviation Day. In addition it is a Bridge Public Holiday (Argentina), Spitak Remembrance Day (Armenia), Eve of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Colombia), Armed Forces Flag Day (India), The Feast of St. Ambrose (Milan), Flag Base Day (Scientology), Western Province Day (Solomon Islands), Constitution Day holiday (Spain), National Heroes Day (East Timor), a day off for the Anniversary of the Coronation of King Tupou I (Tonga), and National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day (United States). (In case you’re wondering—I was—a bridge public holiday is an extra day off between two others—say a holiday and a weekend—used to create four day holidays and the like. Argentina plans to phase them out soon.)

The day’s saint is Ambrose of Milan, famous in the western church for his opposition to Arianism, his advocacy of synagogue-burning, and his never reading aloud. Notable people born on this date include novelist Willa Cather, astronomer Gerard Kuiper, sf writer Leigh Brackett and musician Tom Waits. On this day in history (in 11995) the space probe Galileo reached the planet Jupiter (or rather its vicinity) and began its mission of investigating its atmosphere, magnetosphere, rings, and other bodies orbiting it. I thought I had more to say, but I’m running out of time if I want to get anything posted before the day ends.