- Humpday
Wave Goodbye to "Snorky"
Happy HumpDay!!
Happy HumpDay!
Happy HumpDay! We are halfway through one of the most patriotic weeks American's have had in years with the 4th of July this Thursday, and a potential Women's World Cup championship for the incredible US Squad. This HumpDay may be easier knowing that it is a shortened work week but, use that extra free time to make yourself smarter with this week's HumpDay newsletter. If you need some more reading material, check out the HumpDay website at HumpDayNewsletter.com and follow the official HumpDay Instagram!
Alcohol
If you go to a bar and do your best James Bond impression by ordering a martini shaken, not stirred, be sure that the bartender gives you an odd number of olives to garnish your drink, otherwise you may run into a string of bad luck.
Bar lore states that a martini, and most other cocktails, must be served with an odd number of garnishes because having an even number is considered bad luck. This bar top superstition is prevalent in other aspects of our daily life as well. For instance, it is bad luck to give a girl an even number of flowers (so much for that dozen roses you sent to your crush).
The origin of this superstition comes from Jewish lore warning people against owning things in even numbers. The ancient Jewish custom says that even numbered food and household items can invite demons into your home and bring horrible misfortune.
It isn’t exactly clear why even numbers carry such an ominous connotation but its better to be safe than sorry. Move to a house on the odd side of the street, avoid twins at all costs, and only shoot three pointers in basketball.
Astronomy
The 4th of July holiday is almost here, and thousands of coastal residents will be flocking to the beaches to soak up the sun. Some of those beach goers may even take out a boogie or surf board and shred some knar in the rolling ocean waves but, what they may not appreciate is astronomical effort it takes to make those tasty waves.
Some may know (and others may not) that the oceans tides are affected by the moon, which is true, but the process in which the moon creates tides is mind-blowing. The process begins with the most common force on earth, gravity. Gravity is a force that brings two masses together (so when you jump in the air, gravity is the force that brings your mass and the mass of the earth back together. Gravity affects all masses in the known universe although the further two masses are apart, the weaker the force of gravity is.
The earth and the moon are two huge masses and they are relatively close to each other, so gravity tries to pull them together. As the moon moves around the earth, gravity pulls the earth closer but since the earth is so massive, it stays still. The oceans of the earth are less massive than the land so as the moon rotates around the earth it attracts ocean water toward it (kind of like using a magnet to move a paper clip).
The moon’s attractive force causes ocean water to pool on the side of the earth closest to the moon (and on the opposite side from the moon for reasons to complicated for a weekly newsletter). That collection of water is what we know as high tide, when the ocean is at its highest. Since the moon rotates around the earth and the earth rotates itself, the high tides move around the earth throughout the day.
On land, we can’t perceive the movement of the earth and moon but we can witness the oceans rise and fall as the day goes by. The constant motion of the moon and earth causes the waves that we see from the shore.
Next time that you catch a wave or look out at the ocean from the shore, take a minute to appreciate the cosmic dance that caused the waves we know and love.
Kelly Slater Surfing Highlights
History
Al Capone is one of the most notorious gangsters in history. Nicknamed “Scarface” Capone ran the Chicago mob during the height of prohibition and lead a rampant and audacious crime spree which included bootlegging, extortion and murder. His gang practically controlled the city of Chicago in the mid-1930’s and Capone as the gang’s leader was the most powerful mobster in the world. Tragically, the once rich and deadly mob boss spent the twilight of his life sickly and delirious.
Al Capone’s first job in his teenage years was as a bouncer at a Chicago nightclub. While working late nights as a bouncer, Capone would regularly spend evenings with the prostitutes who hung around at the bar. One such encounter caused Capone to contract Syphilis which is a curable venereal disease that if left untreated can have devastating effects on the body and even cause death. Al Capone was too embarrassed to tell doctors that he had contracted a disease from a prostitute, so he hid it for most of his life.
Syphilis has three main stages, first, an initial rash that lasts about two weeks, second, a much larger full body rash, and lastly a slow infection that penetrates vital organs in the body and cause death. The third and final stage does not display any symptoms for years and years until the infected person one day starts experiencing organ failure.
Capone thought that the disease had passed after the first two rashes cleared up and never sought further treatment. On October 17th, 1931 Al Capone was arrested for tax evasion (they could never pin other crimes on him) and eventually he was sent to Alcatraz prison in San Francisco. While in prison, the side effects of the third and final stage of syphilis began to show.
While in prison, the syphilis caused his brain to deteriorate and his mental capabilities were greatly diminished. At this point he was said to have an extremely low IQ and would act childish to the guards and nurses of the prison. A former prison guard once said that Capone insisted that all of the guards call him by the nickname that he had given himself “Snorky”. Capone would pretend not to hear someone unless they called him “Snorky”.
Al Capone was eventually release on “good behavior” because his physical and mental state has deteriorated to the point where he could no longer take care of himself. The FBI and other gangsters could never take Al Capone down but in the end the STD that he caught as a teen became his downfall. “Snorky” Capone died at the age of 48.
This Week in History
On this week in 1881, President James A. Garfield was shot by an assassin named Charles Guiteau in a railroad station near Washington D.C. President Garfield was known for eliminating corruption in Washington by preventing officials from handing out jobs to their friends and family members. He stood by his word by refusing his supporter Charles Guiteau’s request to be appointed as the ambassador to Paris. Guiteau became enraged that Garfield wouldn’t hook him up with an ambassadorship so he took his revenge and shot Garfield. Garfield died due to an infection he contracted while doctors extracted the bullet.
Help grow HumpDay! by sharing with your friends & family! Subscribe Today