• Stop the itching: Treat mosquito bites with apple cider vinegar…basil leaves…Preparation H hemorrhoidal ointment…tea tree oil…or refrigerated, dampened green-tea bags. Or apply crushed aspirin mixed with a little water…or aloe vera from a cut leaf or as a gel.
• Be alert to possible heat stroke victims: The condition comes on rapidly and can be fatal. Signs include hot, dry skin…no sweating…very fast pulse…confusion, clumsiness or other mental changes. First aid: Call 911. Sponge or spray the person’s entire body with cool—not cold—water. Apply ice packs to armpits, groin and neck. Give fluids
if the person can swallow.
• Take advantage of sales tax holidays: The Federation of Tax Administrators has a list of 14 states that have sales tax holidays in August. Go to TaxAdmin.org/sales-tax-holidays for information.
• Cheer for the world’s best athletes: TV coverage of Rio’s Summer Olympics begins with the opening ceremony on Friday, August 5. The full schedule is available at Rio2016.com/en/schedule-and-results.
• Lift your eyes to the skies: The Perseid meteor shower peaks after midnight on Friday, August 12. Look for bright, fast-moving shooting stars anywhere in the sky. Saturday, August 27: Jupiter and Venus will be spectacularly bright just after sunset.
