Monday Open Thread; August 7 is Assyrian Martyrs Day

August 7 is the 219th day of the year. There are 146 days left.

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Today's number is 7

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7 is a prime (the 4th prime)

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999,999/7 = 142,857. Any fraction consisting of an integer divided by 7 will have a repeating decimal consisting of those digits in that order starting at a different, determinable digit unless the numerator is an even multiple of 999,999 or 7. For example, 1/7 = 0.142857142857..., 2/7 = 0.285714285714..., 3/7 = 0.42857142857....

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The short-cut is to multiply 0.142857 by the remainder of the long division, and then repeat that decimal component. Thus, the fractional part of 11/7 is 4/7 = 4 x 0.148257 repeated, generating 0.571428571428571428 etc.

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This arithmetic oddity was something of a pain for accountants in days of yore because the shortest depreciable life to generate the maximum investment tax credit was 7 years. As a result, 7 was a very popular useful life and the computation of 150% and 200% declining balance depreciation would involve using a rate of either 1.5 x 1/7 or 2 x 1/7.

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7 is the most likely result from rolling 2 regular 6 sided dice. 7 is neutral pH 7 is Nitrogen

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Old No. 7 is                                                                                          

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There were 7 wonders

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There are 7 days in a week, 7 colors in the rainbow, 7 seas, 7 continents, 7 Dwarves, Rome's 7 hills, the Plieades, and                                                                                                

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There were Seven Samurai                                                                                  

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and hence

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And the magnificent Lotus 7 & super 7.      

By Brian Snelson from Hockley, Essex, England (Lotus 7) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Oh yeah, 7 Spanish Angels

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Seven is and has been a magik and magikal number in a lot of cultures and religions. I'm just going to take a pass on all of it.

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The sole exception is that the Seventh Son is present throughout the US blues and folk genres. Right Willie?

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Title 7 of the US Code is AGRICULTURE.

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7 BCE was the Year of the Consulship of Nero and Piso Emperor Cheng of Han and his royal consort Zhao Hede died

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7 CE was the Year of the Consulship of Metellus and Nerva. Caesar Augustus was emperor and appointed Publius Quinctilius Varus (yep, that Varus) governor of Germania. Varus almost immediately created a lot of dissension among the various and sundry German tribes, just as he had pissed off the residents of Syria and Judea when stationed in those outposts. This would bite him in the ass in 9 CE at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest where some of said German tribes annihilated him and his 3 legions. The Romans did, much later, recover their 3 "Eagles", but never again had a 17th, 18th or 19th legion.

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On this day in:

1420 -- Construction started on the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore 1679 -- The brigantine Le Griffon, became the first ship to sail on the upper Gret Lakes 1909 -- Alice Huyler Ramsey, became the first woman to drive a car across the continent (NY to SF) 1933 -- The Iraqi government slaughtered over 3,000 Assyrians in the village of Simele. 1942 -- The Battle of Guadalcanal started 1944 -- IBM dedicated the first program-controlled calculator, The Harvard Mark I. 1947 -- The Kon-Tiki, smashed into a reef at Raroia in the Tuamotu Islands 1955 -- Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering (Sony)sold its first transistor radio 1962 -- Frances Oldham Kelsey received the U.S. President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service 1964 -- Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, inspiring the later, similar, Iraq WMD con job 1978 -- Jimmy Carter declared a federal emergency at Love Canal 1990 -- American soldiers arrived in Saudi Arabia to wage the Gulf war. 1998 -- US embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya were bombed, killing about 212 people 2008 -- The War over South Ossetia's seccession began.

Born this day in: 1560 -- Elizabeth Bathory, infamous serial killer 1844 -- Auguste Michel-Levy, geologist 1890 -- Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, author and activist, prominent Wobbly, founding member of the ACLU, and much more 1904 -- Ralph Bunche, political scientist, Nobel winner and more 1913 -- George Van Eps, guitarist 1921 -- Manitas de Plata, flamenco guitarist (gypsy flamenco) 1925 -- Felice Bryant, co-authored a lot of music for Everly Brothers, also CW 1933 -- Jerry Pournelle, Sci-Fi author 1935 -- Rahsaan Roland Kirk, jazz multi-instrumentalist 1942 -- Garrison Keillor, author, humorist, radio host 1942 -- B. J. Thomas, singer 1942 -- Caetano Veloso, singer, composer, activist and guitarist 1947 -- Sofia Rotaru, singer and songwriter 1965 -- Raul Malo, singer, songwriter and guitarist (Mavericks) 1966 -- Jimmy Wales, try Wikipedia

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Died this day in:

1834 -- Joseph Marie Jacquard, weaver, inventer of Jacquard Loom 1938 -- Konstantin Stanislavski, an actor with awesome technique 2004 -- Colin Bibby, ornithologist 2005 -- Peter Jennings, journalist 2009 -- Mike Seeger, folk singer 2015 -- Frances Oldham Kelsey, pharmacologist

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Holidays, Holy Days, Festivals, Feast Days and such:                                           Assyrian Martyrs Day

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Alice Huyler Ramsey Gulf of Tonkin Resolution? Elizabeth Gurley Flynn George Van Eps Mantas de Plata Felice Bryant Rahsaan Roland Kirk B. J. Thomas Caetano Veloso Sofia Rotaru Raul Malo Colin Bibby Mike Seeger

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Alice Huyler Ramsey

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Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

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Elizabeth Gurley Flynn

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George Van Eps on his 7 string guitar

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Mantas de Plata

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Felice Bryant

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Rahsaan Roland Kirk

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B. J. Thomas

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Caetano Veloso

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Sofia Rotaru

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Raul Malo

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Colin Bibby

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Mike Seeger

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Bonus:

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Crossposted from http://caucus99percent.com