18 Jan

 

January 2023

Daily Almanac for Flagstaff
Week 3 Day 18 \ Ave. Sky Cover 85% \ Visibility 9 miles Flagstaff Today 42° \20°  Wind 5mph \ Gusts 16mph 
Air Quality: Fair \Very Low Moderate High Extreme Risk of fire \ Nearest active fire 570mi \ Nearest Lightning 2984mi
Jan Averages for Flagstaff: 44° \ 16° \5 Days of moisture
More Snow

Today’s Quote

 

Weekly Observations

14-22
International Snowmobile Safety and Awareness Week
15-21
Healthy Weight Week
Hunt For Happiness Week
Idiom Week
National Activity Professionals Week
Sugar Awareness Week
16-20
No Name Calling Week Link
17-23
National Fresh Squeezed Juice Week
18-25
Week of Christian Unity
National Soccer Coaches of America Week

Daily Observations

Gourmet Coffee Day
Hot Heads Chili Days
Maintenance Day
National Disc Jockey Day Link  or Link 
National Peking Duck Day
Thesaurus Day 
National Peking Duck Day
Thesaurus Day Link
Winnie The Pooh Day

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

The snow just keeps piling up. It has been many a decade since my place has had this much snow. It is going to keep coming until Wednesday evening…then a new storm comes in Friday. This moisture is great for the forest and hopefully for the lakes nearby. I cleared off my vehicle…AGAIN! I don’t need to go anywhere and it will take some time to dig it out when I do have to move it. I’m sure we are close to 30” and still building more.

I was ready to make my Mom’s meatloaf last night. Discovered I didn’t have any Campbell’s Tomato soup, so I added Ragu Spaghetti sauce. It added some nice flavor. Will probably do it again.  

And now it begins…working to impeach Secretary of Homeland Security. Shaking my head.

The Big 5 of Africa…lions, leopards, elephants, African buffalo, & rhinoceroses

Facts…

Year Colorado’s Great Sand Dunes became a national monument (later a national park)
1932
Approximate size (in acres) of Great Sand Dunes National Park
150,000
Tons of sand and gravel used globally each year, mostly for construction and manufacturing
50 billion
Year sci-fi novel “Dune” was released, followed by film adaptations in 1984 and 2021
1965
Bing Crosby’s 1942 recording “The Singing Sands of Alamosa” was inspired by the Great Sand Dunes’ song. 

Slang Origins

1968: Can you dig it?

Meaning: Do you understand?

The African American slang of the 1930s continued to be a source of inspiration even 30 years later. It traces its roots to the more literal use of “digging,” getting below the surface of the ground to the metaphoric knowledge beneath. The Monkees used the phrase as a song title in their 1968 feature film “Head,” marking the term's transition past jazz and into the thriving rock 'n' roll scene.

UNESCO sites…

Taos Pueblo Features the Oldest Continuously Inhabited Structures in the U.S.

The oral history of the Taos Pueblo in New Mexico and its people is still largely unknown, but ancient ruins indicate that the pueblo has existed for almost 1,000 years, and the main structures were most likely constructed between 1000 and 1450. The pueblo is the only living Native American community that is designated both as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a National Historic Landmark. Taos Pueblo is made entirely of adobe with walls that are several feet thick. The exteriors of the buildings are maintained through regular re-plastering with thin layers of mud, while interior walls are coated with thin layers of white earth to keep them clean and bright.

Historical Events

1788 – The first elements of the First Fleet carrying 736 convicts from Great Britain to Australia arrived at Botany Bay.
1967 – Albert DeSalvo, the “Boston Strangler”, was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
1993 – Martin Luther King Jr. Day was officially observed for the first time in all 50 states.

Birthdays Today

82 – Bobby Goldsboro, American singer-songwriter
@80 – Thomas A. Watson, American assistant to Alexander Graham Bell (d. 1934)
@80 – Ray Dolby, American engineer, businessman, founded Dolby Laboratories (d. 2013)
@65 – Oliver Hardy, American actor, comedian, partner of Stan Laurel (d. 1957; strokes)
If you must make a noise, make it quietly.– Oliver Hardy
@82 – Cary Grant, English-American actor (d. 1986)
I pretended to be somebody I wanted to be until finally, I became that person. Or he became me.– Cary Grant
@76 – Danny Kaye, American actor, singer, and dancer (d. 1987; heart failure)
Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can.– Danny Kaye
@74 – A.A. Milne, English author, poet, and playwright (d. 1956)
Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.– A.A. Milne
@70 – Daniel Webster, American lawyer, politician (d. 1852; cirrhosis)
68 – Kevin Costner, American actor, director, and producer
54 – Jesse L. Martin, American actor, singer
@50 – David Ruffin, American singer (The Temptations) (d. 1991; OD)
43 – Jason Segal, American actor

 

17 Jna

 

17 January 2023

Daily Almanac for Flagstaff
Week 3 Day 17 \ Ave. Sky Cover 95% \ Visibility 1 mile Flagstaff Today 45° \25°  Wind 4mph \ Gusts 9mph 
Air Quality: Fair \Very Low Moderate High Extreme Risk of fire \ Nearest active fire 563mi \ Nearest Lightning 1138mi
Jan Averages for Flagstaff: 44° \ 16° \5 Days of moisture
Still snowing

Today’s Quote

 

Weekly Observations

14-22
International Snowmobile Safety and Awareness Week
15-21
Healthy Weight Week
Hunt For Happiness Week
Idiom Week
National Activity Professionals Week
Sugar Awareness Week
16-20
No Name Calling Week Link
17-23
National Fresh Squeezed Juice Week

Daily Observations

Cable Car Day
Customer Service Day
Ditch Your New Year’s Resolutions Day
Hot Buttered Rum Day
Hot Heads Chili Day
Kid Inventors’ Day
International Mentoring Day  Link  
Judgment Day
Kid Inventors' Day
National Bootleggers Day
National Rye Whiskey Day  Link
Popeye Day
World Scotch Pie Day  Link

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

It is still snowing. My area is now at more than 2 feet and still getting deeper. It’s been over a decade since we have had this much snow. Schools are closed today for MLK and are closed tomorrow for snow. I’m sure glad I’m retired and don’t have to go anywhere.

I was reminded this morning about AZ’s role in MLK day becoming a federal holiday. Back in those dark political days, AZ was the last holdout state to vote for MLK day. This was after the governor was impeached and the NFL withdrew the Super Bowl from AZ. Glad it all worked out.

I didn’t realize the depth of the Russian oligarchs in Cyprus until last night’s 60 Minutes. Cyprus used to offer a Golden Passport, that was good throughout the European Union, for donations to the government. Many Russian oligarchs took advantage and were therefore able to bypass many of the sanctions that were being imposed on Russia and its citizens. In recent years Cyprus stopped the Golden Passport plan, but still has not really taken any of the billions the oligarchs have in real estate.   

The Big 5 of Africa…lions, leopards, elephants, African buffalo, & rhinoceroses

Facts…

Mars has more than 4,000 sand dune fields, so navigating the rugged off-Earth territory takes some spacecraft preparation. That’s why NASA has tested two Viking spacecraft at Colorado’s Great Sand Dunes National Park, where the robots experience extreme terrain and high temps.

Today, scientists believe sand dunes produce their songs in part because of avalanches. By nature, sand dunes shift as wind whips sand into new locations, and it’s likely the humming sound occurs when air pushes through millions of sand grains as they tumble into new positions. Even then, it takes a combination of weather conditions to create the silty harmonies; generally, sand must be extremely dry to emit sound.

Some of the world’s loudest sand dunes are found in China in the Badain Jaran Desert, reaching more than 1,600 feet tall and emitting sounds that peak at 105 decibels — the same volume as a music concert. In North America, the largest sand dunes are all found within Great Sand Dunes National Park in southern Colorado, reaching 741 feet at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, where scientists believe they have been singing their tune for nearly 12,000 years. 

Slang Origins

1967: Sock it to me

Meaning: give it to me

This phrase became popular thanks to its frequent use on the show “Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-in," which aired from 1968 to 1973. However, the year before the show aired, it also formed a foundational part of the chorus to Aretha Franklin’s cover of Otis Redding’s “Respect.” Franklin claimed in later interviews that she and her sister had come up with the term after hearing it used by girls in their neighborhood.

UNESCO sites…

The Ruins of the Largest Roman Temple Are in Modern-Day Lebanon

Situated in modern-day Lebanon, the ancient Phoenician city of Baalbek was later conquered by the Roman Empire. Here, you will find the ruins of the Roman Temple of Jupiter — the largest and most ornate temple in the history of the Roman Empire. The temple was dedicated during the reign of emperor Septimius Severus between 193 CE and 211 CE and is part of a larger temple complex in Baalbek. After the Roman Empire fell, the complex remained a place of holy pilgrimage. It survived through Christian and Muslim rule until the rise of the Ottoman Empire, when the city was largely abandoned and left to crumble.

Historical Events

1916 – The Professional Golfer’s Association of America was founded.
1929 – Popeye the Sailor first appeared in Thimble Theatre, Cartoon
1955 – The first nuclear powered submarine, The Nautilus, launched
1966 – The Palomares (Spain) Hydrogen accident took place, involving two US airplanes and four hydrogen bombs took place.

Birthdays Today

@99 – Betty White, American actress, game show panelist, television personality (d. 2022)
92 – James Earl Jones, American actor
@84 – Benjamin Franklin, publisher, businessman, inventor, politician (d. 1790)
Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.– Benjamin Franklin
@84 – Vidal Sassoon, English-American hairdresser and businessman (d. 2012)
The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.– Vidal Sassoon
84 – Maury Povich, American talk show host, producer
@81 – Eartha Kitt, actor, singer (d. 2008)
@74 – Muhammad Ali (Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.), boxer (d. 2016; septic shock)
68 – Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., American lawyer and radio host
If you want to be successful you have to jump, there’s no way around it. If you’re safe, you’ll never soar.– Steve Harvey
66 – Steve Harvey, American comedian, television personality and game show host
You are never too old to reinvent yourself.– Steve Harvey
@65 – Shari Lewis, American actress, puppeteer/ventriloquist, TV host (d. 1998; cancer)
Self esteem comes from doing something and accomplishing something.– Shari Lewis
61 – Jim Carrey, Canadian-American actor
59 – Michelle Obama, American lawyer, 46th First Lady of the United States
We have this window of opportunity; we have a chance to make something real happen. Something possible happen, to live beyond our fear – think about that, and help us. Help lift us up, help us fight this fight to change – transform – this country in a fundamental way. This chance won’t come around again.– Michelle Obama
54 – Tiësto (Tijs Michiel Verwest), Dutch DJ, producer
52 – Kid Rock, American singer-songwriter
@48 – Al Capone, American mob boss (d. 1947; cardiac arrest)
Vote early and vote often.– Al Capone
43 – Zooey Deschanel, American actress
My goal as an actor is always to be as truthful as possible, and to find the truth in the material I am representing. So I think that it’s the same with performing music. But in a way, performing your own music, it’s easier to find the truth in it, because it’s coming from yourself. There’s no translation needed.– Zooey Deschanel
@35 – Andy Kaufman, American actor and comedian (d. 1984; lung cancer)