5 Dec

 

5 December 2022

Daily Almanac for Flagstaff
Week 50 Day 339 \ Ave. Sky Cover 90% \ Visibility 10 miles Flagstaff Today 50° \33° 
Wind 6mph \ Gusts 12mph  Air Quality: Fair \Very Low Risk of fire \ Nearest active fire 132mi \ Nearest Lightning 1447mi
Dec Averages for Flagstaff: 43° \ 17° `
Overcast AGAIN

Today’s Quote 

Weekly Observations

Cookie Cutter Week: 1-7 Link
Clerc-Gallaudet Week: 3-10
National Hand Washing Awareness Week: 4-10 Link  
Recipe Greetings For The Holidays Week: 4-10 
Andisop (Meterological Fiddling): 5-24   Link
Older Driver Safety Awareness Week: 5-9 Link 
Computer Science Education Week: 5-11 Link

Daily Observations

AFL-CIO Day
Bathtub Party Day
Columbian International Day of The Reef  Link
Day of the Ninja
International Ninja Day Link  Photo Photo
International Volunteer Day for Economic & Social Development
Krampusnacht (Krampus Night)
National Blue Jeans Day
National Commute with your Baby Day
Sachertorte Day Link
World Soil Day Link

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

Another overcast day. Had some light rain overnight.

As I look at the many close elections, I need to remember that even when the expected Red Wave didn’t really happen, this country remains very politically divided. I hope that all the elected officials will spend time during their upcoming term trying to reunite our country.

I grew up with Advent calendars for December. Back then it was just a new picture every day. I gave my brother one that has a ‘prize’ behind each day. This morning, our local food bank printed one in the local paper. Each day it lists a need at the food bank and everyone is asked to place the item in a box and deliver the box on Dec. 21^st to the Food Bank. What a cool idea.

Have you ever heard of a coatimundi or coati? It is a relative of the racoon and much larger that the common squirrel. The coati is 13-27” from nose to base of tail and can weigh up to 17lbs. Over the past two years, more and more coatis have been spotted in Northern AZ...far from South and Central America, their home. This last week there have been several sightings within our city limits.  Local scientists are saying it is a result of climate change. They also pointed out that numerous bird species are stopping here and not migrating further south, due to climate change and our much milder winters.

Favorite Memes

Little known Native American History

Guess who invented popcorn

Popcorn has long been associated with the movies, or in recent years, the microwave, but although many of us may have wondered why popcorn pops, few of us have asked where popcorn actually came from. The indigenous people of the Americas first domesticated the strain of maize which produces popcorn thousands of years ago. In fact, popcorn artifacts dating back to 6.700 years ago were discovered in Peru. So the next time you grab a handful of your favorite snack, remember it's not just Orville Redenbacher you should be thanking. 

Slang Origins

1926: Giggle water

Meaning: an alcoholic beverage

The Prohibition era brought America some of the most clever ways to make, sell, and obtain alcohol, including marketing it as medicine or pretending to be a religious leader to take advantage of loopholes. It also marked the invention of some of the most fun slang for alcohol, including “giggle water,” which likely got its name from the laughter that occurs when some people drink.

Historical Events

1766 – In London, auctioneer James Christie held his first sale/auction.
1955 – The Montgomery Bus Boycott began, led by E.D. Nixon and Rosa Parks.
1955 – The American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations merged to form the AFL – CIO.
1865 – The 13th Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified, abolishing slavery in the United States.
1969 – ARPANET (the first true internet) grew from ARPA (the U.S. Department of Defense’s Advanced Research Projects Agency) when it connected to computer network nodes at four universities: the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) in Menlo Park, CA, U.C. Santa Barbara, and the University of Utah.
1948 – Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts premiered, the first major show of its kind.

Birthdays Today

@100 – Strom Thurmond, senator, 103rd Governor of South Carolina (d. 2003)
@92 – Don Robertson, American songwriter and Happy Whistler (d. 2015)
@87 – Little Richard (Richard Wayne Penniman), singer-songwriter, pianist (d. 2020)
“Gay people are the sweetest, kindest, most artistic, warmest, and most thoughtful people in the world. And since the beginning of time, all they’ve ever been is kicked.”– Little Richard
@85 – Fritz Lang, Austrian-American director, producer, screenwriter (d. 1976)
“There can be no understanding between the hand and the brain unless the heart acts as a mediator.”– Fritz Lang
@80 – Otto Preminger, Austrian-American actor, director, producer (d. 1986)
@79 – Martin Van Buren, American politician, 8th President (d. 1862)
75 – Jim Messina, American singer-songwriter
@65 – Walt Disney, American animator, director, producer, screenwriter, co-founder of The Walt Disney Company (d. 1966; cancer)…cremated not frozen
“If you can dream it, you can do it. Always remember that this whole thing was started with a dream and a mouse.”– Walt Disney
37 – Frankie Muniz, American actor
“Acting classes, I guess, are good and I would like to maybe sometime take one. But I would feel like I was learning someone else’s technique. I like mine.”– Frankie Muniz
@36 – George Armstrong Custer, American general (d. 1876; @ the Big Horn)
I would rather have a good education and no money than to have a fortune and be ignorant.”– George Armstrong Custer