May 11

 

 
Daily Almanac for Flagstaff
Week 20 Day: 131 \ Ave. sky cover: 10% \ Visibility: 10 miles Flagstaff Today 67° \40° 
Wind: 9mph \ Gusts: 16mph
Extreme risk of fire \ Nearest active fire: 12mi \ nearest Lightning: 661mi
May Averages for Flagstaff: 68° \ 34°  (3 days of moisture)
 

Today’s Quote

Weekly Observations

3-11  (World) Dystonia Awareness Week Link

6-12  National Nurses Day and Week: Link  Link

6-15 National Public Gardens Week  Link

8-14   Food Allergy Awareness Week  Link National Nursing Home Week National Return To Work Week   National Women's Health Week  Tick Awareness Week

8-15 Reading is Fundamental Week  Link   Salvation Army Week   Salvation Army Week   Work At Home Moms Week

9-13   Economic Development Week  Link National Etiquette Week

9-15  National Hospital Week  Link National Stuttering Awareness Week

10-12   Community Health Improvement Week (CHI) Link Display Week Link

10-16 Universal Family Week

Daily Observations

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

Yet another day of wind, fire warnings, and sun.  It surely is May in Flagstaff.

I got to the pedicure place 10 minutes after they opened. I did check the internet to be sure they weren’t cleaning due to violations. It wasn’t that…they brought in all new lounge chairs for pedis. The most comfortable chairs with a great massage at the touch of a button. The chair also has a magical footrest, so that when she is working on one foot, she can raise part of the footrest to rest your ankle. Very cool.  Happy camper with better feet.

Yesterday I was talking with a friend from Tuba. We began reminiscing about people we knew back in the day…wondering where they were. I suggested Google to find them. A few hours later my friend called back and had spoken to Joe, a teacher from Shonto. Joe came to Shonto from NYC. He had just graduated from Columbia. He arrived in Flagstaff by train and a Shonto employee picked him up and brought him to the school…75 miles away. Joe had never driven a car. He quickly made friends with many of us. He left Shonto a year after I did and went to law school, became a lawyer, then a judge, married a Crow lady from Montana. He came through Navajoland and stopped by Red Lake where I was working. I called Joe this morning. We had a great conversation. He is finally retiring in June…at 73. Amazing how memories flowed back while talking to him after 50+ years.

Lake Mead is close to Las Vegas, NV. A second body has been discovered after the lake level has dropped by record amounts. The local sheriff believes more bodies will turn up, mostly from the early ‘gangster days’ of Vegas. I’m sure this will bring out lots of stories.

There is a major baby formula shortage in the US. It is being blamed on a supply chain issue due to Covid. Stores throughout the country are limiting how much formula a customer can buy. This can become very serious, and solutions need to be found yesterday. How can the richest country in the world not be able to provide formula for its babies? I hope the anti-abortion people join to help find a solution.

Favorite Memes

 

Safest Cities in the World

5. Osaka, Japan

If safety is your top priority when you’re traveling, Japan is a great choice. Osaka is the second Japanese city to make our list of safest cities in the world. The city of roughly 2.6 million shares some similar characteristics with Tokyo. Osaka is home to a wealthy population, is considered to be the second safest city in the world in terms of violent crime (just behind Singapore), and has an excellent health care system ensuring its residents are well cared for. To clarify: safe doesn’t mean boring. Osaka’s got a happenin’ nightlife and stylish restaurant scene that rivals the likes of Paris and New York City.

6. Munich, Germany

Party at the biggest beer festival in the world, learn something at a world-class museum, and admire ancient architecture in Munich all without a care in the world. This German city is ranked as one of the safest cities for tourists to visit. Solo female travelers can feel especially comfortable in Munich and the risk of being mugged or scammed is very low. Additionally, airport security is tight – just be patient and remember it’s for your own protection!

7. Reykjavik, Iceland

The land of the Northern Lights is a super popular travel destination for those who crave a unique holiday. Even better, traveling around the scenic Icelandic capital is hassle and worry-free thanks to the Reykjavik’s safety rating. There are literally no “bad areas” in the city and homelessness, drugs, and crime are essentially non-existent. Reykjavik is an easy country for new travelers to explore as there is very, very little chance of being ripped off by dishonest locals or being pickpocketed or mugged.

State Trivia

Michigan: Colon is the magic capital of the world

A village in St Joseph County with a population of just 1,173, Colon is the self-proclaimed magic capital of the world. There's a four-day Magic Festival, typically held in August, a magic-orientated history museum, Magician's Walk of Fame (the only one in the world) and the Colon Lakeside Cemetery is the final resting place of no fewer than 28 magicians.

Minnesota: it has a very long shoreline

It might be the Midwest, but it's also The Land of 10,000 Lakes (actually, 14,444). If you define shoreline by including lakes, rivers, and streams, then Minnesota's total shoreline stretches 183 miles (294.5km). What's really surprising though, is that it's more than California, Hawaii and Florida all combined – their total reaches just 169 miles (272km).

Mississippi: it's responsible for the original Teddy Bear

Named after President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt, the story of the original Teddy Bear begins in Mississippi. The State Governor Andrew H. Longino had invited Roosevelt to go bear hunting near Onward, Mississippi, but Roosevelt was the only hunter in the group who hadn't spotted a bear during the trip. His assistants found and tied a black bear to a tree and summoned Roosevelt to shoot him, however, he saw it as extremely unsportsmanlike and refused. When news of it spread, The Washington Post published a cartoon depicting the event and having seen the cartoon, Brooklyn candy shop owner Morris Michtom started selling stuffed toy bears called Teddy's Bear.

Historical Events

Ø    868 – The first known dated printed book was the Diamond Sutra, a Buddhist scripture. A citation included: “printed on 11 May 868, by Wang Chieh, for free general distribution”.
Ø    1811 – The famous Siamese twins, Chang and Eng, were born of Chinese parents in Siam (now Thailand).
Ø    1846 – President James K. Polk requested a Declaration of War against Mexico, starting the Mexican-American War.
Ø    1858 – Minnesota was admitted as the 32nd state of the United States
Ø    1910 -Glacier National Park was established in Montana.
Ø    1942 – Go Down, Moses by William Faulkner, was published
Ø    1947 – B.F. Goodrich Co. announced the development of tubeless tires.
Ø    1949 – The first Polaroid cameras were sold for $89.95.
Ø    1960 -Adolf Eichmann was captured by the Mossad in Argentina.
Ø    The 1970 Lubbock tornado killed 26 people and causes $250 million in damage.
Ø    1980 – Bob Marley died from lung cancer
Ø    1997 – IBM’s supercomputer Deep Blue defeated chess champion, Garry Kasparov.

Birthdays Today

@101 – Irving Berlin, Belarusian-American pianist and composer (d. 1989)

89 – Louis Farrakhan, American religious leader

@84 – Salvador Dalí, Spanish artist (d. 1989)

81 – Eric Burdon, English musician

@74 – Phil Silvers, American comedic actor (d. 1985)

@62 – Chang Bunker and Eng Bunker, Siamese Twins (d. 1874)

@45 – Natasha Richardson, actor (d. 2009; skiing accident)

34 – Blac Chyna (Angela Renée White), model

@31 – Cory Monteith, Canadian actor and singer (d. 2013; OD)

23 – Sabrina Carpenter, American singer, actress