22 Aug

 

 
Daily Almanac for Flagstaff
Week 35 Day 234 \ Ave. Sky Cover 15% \ Visibility 10 miles Flagstaff Today 77° \52° 
Wind 2mph \ Gusts 7mph  Air Quality Moderate
Low Risk of fire \ Nearest active fire 28mi \ Nearest Lightning 5mi
Aug Averages for Flagstaff: 79° \ 50° (9days of moisture)

 

Today’s Quote

Weekly Observations

Thru Sep.5 National Marina Days (From Memorial Day to Labor Day)  Link

18-24 Minority Enterprise Development Week

18-9/6   Ride Sober or Get Pulled Over Link

21-27  Brake Safety Week Link

22-26  National Safe at Home Week

22-28   National Composites Week Link

Daily Observations

Be An Angel Day
National Bao Day Link
National Bring Your Cat To The Vet Day
National Surgical Oncologist Day Link
National Tooth Fairy Day  Link   Link  (Also February 28)
Never Bean Better Day Link
Pecan Torte Day
Surgical Oncologist Day
Southern Hemisphere Hoodie Hoo Day

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

Another sunny day, Some clouds coming over the mountain…maybe a little rain.

Europe is also suffering a drought. This has hurt a lot of agriculture. Also, lower water levels are uncovering many objects…just like Lake Mead. It is interesting to see all the lost stuff is being found.

79 Days until the midterm elections. AZ is a hot spot in the primaries with the election of a senator, governor, Secretary of State, and congressional representatives. Outside money and National parties are pouring a whole lot of money into ads. The ads that are pro-candidate are fine and expected. I have no problem with the candidate stating views, showing us family, or listing credentials, policy stands, etc. I do have a problem with the negative ads that attack a candidate. Just because you don’t agree with a candidate does not mean that the other candidate is the devil incarnate who will destroy the American way of life. When I see a negative ad, I do two things: first, I remember who paid for the ad and second, I will not vote for a candidate who approves of the ad. I spent too many years in Elementary Education dealing with bullies and the aftermath, I will not vote for them in my retirement.

Favorite Memes

	What was old is new again!

One Hit Wonders

  Zager and Evans: 'In The Year 2525'

Zager and Evans was named for its two members, Denny Zager and Rick Evans. "In The Year 2525" made it to the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100, but Zager and Evans disbanded just two years after the song was released in 1969. Denny Zager went on to form a company called Zager Guitar, which he still runs; Rick Evans died in 2018.

Historical Events

565 – Columba, an Irish missionary, reported seeing a monster in Loch Ness, Scotland.
1791 – Haitian Slave Revolution in Saint-Domingue began. It ended with the founding of the Republic of Haiti in 1804.
1831 – Nat Turner’s slave rebellion began just after midnight in Southampton County, Virginia, leading to the deaths of more than 50 whites and several hundred African Americans who were killed in retaliation for the uprising.
1851 – The first America’s Cup was won by the yacht ‘America’. America’s Cup is the oldest international sporting trophy.
1864 – Twelve nations signed the First Geneva Convention, establishing the rules of protection of the victims of armed conflicts.
1865 – The first patent for making liquid soap was granted to William Sheppard.
1902 – Cadillac Motor Company was founded.
1945 – The Vietnam Conflict began.
1989 –Nolan Ryan struck out Rickey Henderson to become the first Major League Baseball pitcher to record 5,000 strikeouts. He retired with 5,714 strikeouts.
2003 – Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore was suspended after refusing to comply with a federal court order to remove a rock inscribed with the Ten Commandments from the lobby of the Alabama Supreme Court building.
2004 The Edvard Munch Museum’s versions of ‘Madonna’ and ‘The Scream’ were stolen by masked men wielding firearms. The thieves forced the museum guards to lie down on the floor while they snapped the cable securing the paintings to the wall and escaped in a black Audi A6 station wagon, which police later found abandoned. Both paintings were recovered by the Oslo Police on August 31, 2006.
2007 – The Texas Rangers beat the Baltimore Orioles 30-3, the most runs scored by a team in modern MLB history.

Birthdays Today

@94 – Honor Blackman, English actress and republican (d. 2020)
@91 – Ray Bradbury, American science fiction writer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
“Looking back over a lifetime, you see that love was the answer to everything.”– Ray Bradbury
@83+/- – John Lee Hooker, American singer-songwriter, guitarist (d. 2001)
” Poor people have the blues because they’re poor and hungry. Rich people can’t sleep at night because they’re trying to hold on to their money and everything they have.”– John Lee Hooker
@80 – Valerie Harper, American actress (d. 2019)
” I don’t think of dying, I think of being here now.”– Valerie Harper
@78 – Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr., American general (d. 2012; pneumonia)
@73 – Dorothy Parker, American poet, critic, and satirist (d. 1967; heart attack)
“If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to.”– Dorothy Parker
59 – Tori Amos, American singer-songwriter
56 – GZA [Gary Earl Grice], American rapper
” Hip-Hop is my vehicle to scientific and universal enlightenment.”– GZA
@55 – Claude Debussy, French pianist, composer (d. 1918; long illness)
“Music is the silence between the notes.”– Claude Debussy
55 – Rich Lowry, American writer, magazine editor (National Review)
52 – Giada De Laurentiis, Italian-American chef, and author
49 – Kristen Wiig, American comedic actress
44 – James Corden, English actor, and television presenter

 

21 Aug

 

 
Daily Almanac for Flagstaff
Week 35 Day 233 \ Ave. Sky Cover 25% \ Visibility 10 miles Flagstaff Today 75° \52° 
Wind 9mph \ Gusts 14mph  Air Quality Moderate
Moderate Risk of fire \ Nearest active fire 28mi \ Nearest Lightning 84mi
Aug Averages for Flagstaff: 79° \ 50° (9days of moisture)

 

Today’s Quote

Weekly Observations

Thru Sep.5 National Marina Days (From Memorial Day to Labor Day)  Link

15-21 US Amateur Golf Week

18-24 Minority Enterprise Development Week

18-9/6   Ride Sober or Get Pulled Over Link

21-27  Brake Safety Week Link

Daily Observations

Brazilian Blow-out Day Link
Internat’l Day of Remembrance & Tribute To The Victims of Terrorism
Internet Self-care Day  Link
National Spumoni Day Link
Poet's Day
Senior Citizen's Day
Spumoni Day

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

First day in a week that there is no rain expected. Nice day to enjoy.

I got a call from Ellie last night. It seems that the Focus Travel Club is no longer working. I did some checking, and it seems that Weebly, the internet provider, without notifying its users that the site fees have changed dramatically. Since Ellie is retiring Focus Travel Club after the Portugal trip, she decided not to pay any more for the site. She is sending out an email to explain the whole thing and how to contact her. I have been the Focus Travel Club webmaster for about 3 years and have enjoyed doing it. I will miss putting up all the information. It is hard to say goodbye to such a great travel group. In my opinion, there are way too many tech people out there who have decided that part of their job is to make more money by finding new ways to charge customers.

I order two scripts from Caremark, which has much cheaper prices than local pharmacies. At the pharmacy each one is about $120/90 days…at Caremark each one is $40/90 days. Part of that is because I have Federal BC as my insurer. Both scripts need to be refrigerated. I ordered refills on Wed. This morning I got an email that the script was delivered by UPS last night at 6:45. I was home; it was not delivered. I checked outside again. No box. I called Caremark and they said they would send a new box on Monday…at no charge. Then I called the local UPS to see if they might have it. I was calling an 888 number, so I knew it was not here in Flag. The guy took my information and said I’d be on hold about 2 minutes while he checked. About 35 minutes later he came back on the line and said that the ‘office’ was very busy and he would call me back in an hour. That was at 9a. At 11:30 the UPS truck pulled up. I met the guy at the door and asked him why I got the delivered text. He said he didn’t know and was just a relief driver. My guess is that last night the driver just scanned the box and left it in the truck until this morning where another driver had to deliver it. Since I never got a call back, that’s the story I’m going with.

There is a TV show called The Con. It is narrated by Whoopie Goldberg and tells the story of recent big cons.  I recorded it on Monday evening and watched it this morning. I recommend the series…it is always interesting. The latest one was about a Malaysian guy named Jho Low, who embezzled several billion dollars with the help of others high in the Malaysian government. He is still on-the-run. Much of the billions was raised through Goldman Sachs and was to build infrastructure in Kuala Lumpur, but the project never moved beyond a few fences and signs. I remember when our guide in Kuala Lumpur told us they were a developing nation and wanted to soon be a developed nation. It won’t happen when politicians are so corrupt.

Favorite Memes

One Hit Wonders

  Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs: 'Stay'

First released by Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs in 1960, bands The Hollies and The Four Seasons and musician Jackson Browne would go on to release their own versions. The song saw new life when the popular 1987 film “Dirty Dancing” added the Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs version to the soundtrack.

Historical Events

1911 – The Mona Lisa was stolen by Vincenzo Peruggia, a Louvre employee. It was returned to the Louvre on January 4, 1914. Peruggia served six months in prison for the crime.

1939 – 5 young African-Americans were denied library cards at the Alexandria, VA Library and arrested after sitting down and reading books. The civil disobedience was one of the earliest in the American Civil Rights Movement.

1961 – Motown released what would be its first #1 hit, Please Mr. Postman by The Marvelettes.

1986 – The Lake Nyos, Cameroon disaster resulted in the deaths of 1800 people when a volcano suddenly burst with a wave of carbon dioxide. 

Birthdays Today

@85 – William Murdoch, Scottish engineer, inventor, created gas-powered lighting (d. 1839)
@82 – Blossom Rock, American actress (d. 1978)
@81 – Kenny Rogers, American singer-songwriter and actor (d. 2020)
” I’ve always said music should make you laugh, make you cry or make you think.”– Kenny Rogers
81 – Jackie DeShannon, American singer-songwriter
@79 – Count Basie, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (d. 1984)
“Learn to deal with the valleys and the hills will take care of themselves.”– Count Basie
66 – Kim Cattrall, English-Canadian actress
@63 – Wilt Chamberlain, American basketball player and coach (d. 1999; heart disease)
“It is said that good things come to those who wait. I believe that good things come to those who work.”– Wilt Chamberlain
@57 – Stephen Hillenburg, American marine biologist, animator [SpongeBob]
“You don’t want to work on a job where you’re looking at your watch.”– Stephen                            Hillenburg
43 – Kelis Rogers, American singer-songwriter
” As a child, I’d help my mum cook, and it was ridiculous – she had the correct gadget or utensil for everything. ‘Stop! Don’t use that, I have exactly the right utensil.’ After I left home, I survived on cup-a-meals and never saw myself as being like her. Now I’ve become her.” – Kelis
36 – Usain Bolt, Jamaican runner
34 – Kacey Musgraves, American singer-songwriter
32 – Hayden Panettiere, American actress

 

20 Aug

 

 
Daily Almanac for Flagstaff
Week 34 Day 232 \ Ave. Sky Cover 40% \ Visibility 10 miles Flagstaff Today 70° \52° 
Wind 3mph \ Gusts 12mph  Air Quality Fair
Very Low Risk of fire \ Nearest active fire 28mi \ Nearest Lightning 6mi
Aug Averages for Flagstaff: 79° \ 50° (9days of moisture)

 

Today’s Quote

 

Weekly Observations

Thru Sep.5 National Marina Days (From Memorial Day to Labor Day)  Link

14-20 National Motorcycle Week Link (2nd Week) Feeding Pets of the Homeless Week Link  Link   National Resurrect Romance Week National Resurrect Romance Week Weird Contest Week National Aviation Week

15-21 US Amateur Golf Week

16-20 Numismatic Week (World's Fair of Money)

18-24 Minority Enterprise Development Week

18-9/6   Ride Sober or Get Pulled Over Link

Daily Observations

Bacon Lovers Day
Chocolate Pecan Pie Day
Chef Appreciation Day
Clear the Shelters Day Link  
International Geocaching Day 
International Homeless Animals Day 
Lemonade Day
National Honey Bee Day Link  
National Radio Day  Link
World Mosquito Day  Link

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

Rain is headed this way…again today.

The HOA finally cleaned up the pine needles in the back area and the gutters early this morning. My landlord had called on Tuesday to tell me that the HOA was sending out roof inspectors sometime this week or next. I mentioned the pine needle problem and that if I call the HOA they don’t care because I am not an owner. Fine, he called; it is fixed.

In the past five years I have leaned more about how our government operates and does not operate than I ever wanted to know. The Mar-A-Lago incident has taught me much. The judge may release some parts of the search warrant, after the DOJ gets to do redactions. If he disagrees with the redactions, he can un-redact and release. This will take time, but will, in the end will be within the law.

All the political talk has taken the Ukraine situation on the back burner on most news networks. Now that the largest nuclear power plant in Europe is in danger, it is back in the headlines. Now there is a fear of radiation leakage, and the UN is hoping the Russian troops will withdraw from the nuclear site and let the world rest a little easier. Time will tell.

Favorite Memes

One Hit Wonders

  The Tornados: 'Telstar'

Fresh-faced, clean-cut British band, the Tornados, had a hit with this instrumental song produced by legendary producer Joe Meek. “Telstar” was named after an experimental communications satellite launched into space in 1962, which seemed fitting given the space-like quality to the song that would be lumped with other songs of the same ilk known as “space rock.”

Historical Events

1000 – The foundation of the Hungarian state by Saint Stephen.
1858 – Charles Darwin first published his theory of evolution through natural selection in The Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London
1882 – Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture debuted in Moscow, Russia.
1910 – The Great Fire of 1910 burned 3 Million acres in Washinton, Idaho, and Montana.
1920 – The first(?) commercial radio station, 8MK (now WWJ), began operating in Detroit.
1920 – The National Football League was organized as the American Professional Football Conference in Canton, Ohio.
1938 – Lou Gehrig hits his 23rd career grand slam, a record that stood until
2013 years when it was broken by Alex Rodriguez.
1986 – In Edmond, Oklahoma, U.S. Postal employee Patrick Sherrill shot and killed14 of his co-workers, injured 6 more, and then committed suicide. It was the initial example of “going postal”.
1998 – The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that Quebec cannot legally secede from Canada without the federal government’s approval.
2014 – 72 people were killed in Japan’s Hiroshima prefecture by a series of landslides that were caused by a (typical) months’ worth of rain that fell in a single day.

Birthdays Today

91 – Don King, American boxing promoter
” If you want to sell a steak, you can’t just have the sizzle, you gotta have sauce.”– Don King
87 – Ron Paul, American politician, and physician
76 – Connie Chung, American journalist
74 – Robert Plant, English singer-songwriter
“No, I’ve never thought that I was gay. And that’s not something you think. It’s something you know.”– Robert Plant
68 – Al Roker, American news anchor, and television personality
@67 – Benjamin Harrison, American politician, 23rd President (d. 1901; pneumonia)
@65 – Isaac Hayes, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2008)
” I don’t sit back and count up what I’ve done. There’s just always something else to do. There’s always a challenge ahead.” – Isaac Hayes
60 – James Marsters, American actor
57 – KRS-One [Lawrence "Kris" Parker], American rapper, producer
” Educate yourself make your world view bigger, visualize wealth, and put yourself in the picture.”– KRS-One
52 – Fred Durst, American singer-songwriter
@46 – H.P. Lovecraft, American short story writer, editor, novelist (d. 1937; cancer)
“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” – H.P. Lovecraft
@40 – Jim Reeves, American singer-songwriter (d. 1964; private plane crash)
39 – Andrew Garfield, American-English actor
29 – Demi Lovato, American singer-songwriter and actress
“Never be ashamed of what you feel. You have the right to feel any emotion that you want, and to do what makes you happy. That’s my life motto.”– Demi Lovato