18 Jan

 

Flagstaff Today 45°: 22°  Week 3 Day 18 Air Quality: Fair Sunshine Wind 11 mph Gusts 16 mph Cold breeze Active Fire: 10miles away Risk of Fire: Low Nearest lightning: 2466 miles away Jan Averages: Temps: 44°\18° Moisture: 4 Days

Weekly Observations

International Snowmobile Safety & Awareness Week: 11-19 Link  Healthy Weight Week: 12-18 Home Office Safety & Security Week: 12-18   Idiom Week: 12-18

National Mocktail Week: 12-18 Sundance Film Festival: 16-26 National Fresh Squeezed Juice Week: 17-23 Week of Christian Unity: 18-25

Daily Observations

Bald Eagle Appreciation Days thru 20 Gourmet Coffee Day Maintenance Day National Peking Duck Day

National Use Your Gift Card Day  Link Pooh (Winnie The) Day Thesaurus Day Link Winnie The Pooh Day

Today’s Quote                                                               

 

Today’s Memes

Thoughts for the day

A little warmer today but still a cold wind.

A talked to my brother yesterday. He was diagnosed with diverticulitis during the summer. Over the  2 last week he has had a flared up so he went to the Dr. for some relief. Turns out the diverticulitis is being aggravated by salmonella. He has no idea what he ate/drank that long ago. He is hoping the antibiotic will get rid of the salmonella.

This is crazy. Many Tic Tok users are moving to Red Note to avoid the upcoming ban. Crazy because Red Note is also a Chinese owned app.

I’m wondering if a new special teams coach will help the Broncos next season. Right now I have no idea what it will do.

Mayan Culture of Mexico and beyond…

Their calendar did NOT predict the end of the world.

The Maya calendar is one of the most intricately and complexly designed mechanisms from their heyday. The Long Count calendar was impressive because it was one of the first to use zero as a placeholder. The calendar ended on Dec. 21, 2012, which caused some people to believe that that would be the end of the world. 

Of course, that was not the case. The date just happened to coincide with the end of a cycle of 5,125 years in the Long Count calendar.

Random Thoughts…

The names for the spacecraft from the ALIEN movie series (the Nostromo, Narcissus, and Sulaco) are derived from a 1904 Joseph Conrad novel.

Why do Americans choose from just two people to run for president and 50 for Miss America?

Microscopic algae, not trees, produce the majority of the oxygen we breathe.

Contrary to popular ideas given to us by movies/games, Thermal Vision does not work through a thin pane of glass.

No matter how large a number is, it is always closer to zero than infinity.

A group of Doves is called a Dule or Bevy or Cote or Dole or Paddling.

The word “laser” is an acronym. It’s short for Light Amplification by Simulated Emission of Radiation.

Origin of city nicknames…

Boston, Massachusetts: ‘Bean Town’

The association of Boston with beans dates back to the colonial period when baked beans, sweetened with molasses, were a common food in New England. This dish became particularly popular in Boston, partly due to the city's role in the molasses trade, which made the thick syrup readily available and affordable. The nickname was further solidified by a publicity stunt for Old Home Week in 1907, when a million stickers were printed featuring a pair of hands clasped around a bean pot. Pretty soon, postcards started appearing with slogans such as 'You don’t know beans until you’ve come to Boston', and the name simply stuck.

Historic Events

Click here for 18 Jan History

Birthdays

Karan Brar, 26 Movie Actor Jonathan Davis, 54 Metal Singer Kevin Costner, 70 Movie Actor Jason Segel, 45 TV Actor

@80 – Ray Dolby, American engineer, and businessman, founded Dolby Laboratories (d. 2013) @80 – Cary Grant (Archibald Alec Leach), English-American actor (d. 1986) @80 – Thomas A. Watson, American assistant to Alexander Graham Bell (d. 1934) @76 – Danny Kaye, American actor, singer, dancer (d. 1987; heart failure) @74 – A.A. Milne, English author, poet, and playwright (d. 1956) @70 – Daniel Webster, American lawyer, politician (d. 1852; cirrhosis) @65 – Oliver Hardy, American actor, and comedian, partner of Stan Laurel (d. 1957; strokes)

…The End for today…

               

17 Jan

 

Flagstaff Today 43°: 9°  Week 3 Day 17 Air Quality: Fair Sunshine Wind 6 mph Gusts 8 mph Active Fire: 132 miles away Risk of Fire: Moderate Nearest lightning: 1137 miles away Jan Averages: Temps: 44°\18° Moisture: 4 Days

Weekly Observations

Cuckoo Dancing Week: 11-17 International Snowmobile Safety and Awareness Week: 11-19 Link  Healthy Weight Week: 12-18 Home Office Safety and Security Week: 12-18

Idiom Week: 12-18 National Mocktail Week: 12-18 No Name Calling Week:  13-17 Link Sundance Film Festival: 16-26 Nat’l Fresh Squeezed Juice Week: 17-23

Daily Observations

Cable Car Day Customer Service Day Ditch Your New Year’s Resolutions Day Hat Day Hot Buttered Rum Day Hot Heads Chili Days thru 18 International Fetish Day

International Mentoring Day Link  Judgment Day Link Kid Inventors' Day National Bootleggers Day Popeye Day National Bootlegger’s Day National Rye Whiskey Day  Link

Today’s Quote                                                               

 

Today’s Memes

Thoughts for the day

Another cold night. Glad I don’t have to be outside or have a heater that needs wood or pellets.

Secretary of State Blinken’s final press conference was interrupted several times by rude people in the press room. He handled it well but should not have had to.

House leader Johnson lifted the ‘flag at half-staff’ for inauguration day. I’m disappointed with that decision.

After watching the committee listen to future Sec. of Defense Hegseth, I must speak up. During my time on the Rez, I had to deal with adults who were alcoholics. Sometimes they were parents, sometimes they were employees. I can’t count the number of times I heard: ‘I’ll quit drinking if I get another chance.’ It seldom, or ever, led to sobriety. Alcoholism is a disease that doesn’t disappear with a promise.

Mayan Culture of Mexico and beyond…

Their main crops are still prominent ingredients in Mexican cuisine.

The Maya people were expert farmers and created hundreds of recipes, many of which are still used in modern Mexican cooking. 

In fact, the top crops in the Mayan diet are some of the most popular ingredients in Mexican cuisine: cacao, papayas, pineapples, chili peppers, avocados, squash, beans and maize.

Random Thoughts…

All characters on The Simpsons have 4 fingers except for God, who has 5.

On the scale from absolute zero to absolute hot we are actually closer to zero. On a universal scale we are cold.

Origin of city nicknames…

Atlanta, Georgia: 'The City Too Busy to Hate’

‘Hotlanta’ may be a more familiar nickname due to the Allman Brothers’ 1971 hit, but many residents are prouder of their status as ‘The City Too Busy to Hate’. The epithet was coined in the 1960s during the tenure of mayor Ivan Allen, whose efforts to end segregation drew national attention. Mayor Allen was the only southern elected official to endorse the 1964 Civil Rights Bill and was instrumental in ending Jim Crow practices at City Hall. The nickname still resonates today, describing Atlanta’s ongoing commitment to progressive attitudes and inclusive policies.

Historic Events

Click here for 17 Jan History

Birthdays

Jim Carrey, 63 Movie Actor Steve Harvey, 68 Comedian Michelle Obama, 61 First Lady Zooey Deschanel, 45 TV Actress Kid Rock, 54 Rock Singer Robert F Kennedy Jr., 71 Lawyer Maury Povich, 86 TV Show Host

@99 – Betty White, American actress, game show panelist and television personality (d. 2021)   @93 – James Earl Jones, American actor (d. 2024)   @84 – Benjamin Franklin, American publisher, businessman, inventor and politician (d. 1790) @84 – Vidal Sassoon, English-American hairdresser and businessman (d. 2012)   @74 – Muhammad Ali (Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.), American boxer (d. 2016; sepsis) @65 – Shari Lewis, American actress, puppeteer/ventriloquist, and television host (d. 1998; multiple cancers)   @48 – Al Capone, American mob boss (d. 1947; heart failure/syphilis) @35 – Andy Kaufman, American actor and comedian (d. 1984; lung cancer)

…The End for today…

               

16 Jan

 

Flagstaff Today 37°: 9°  Week 3 Day 16 Air Quality: Fair Sunshine Wind 11 mph Gusts 23 mph Cold Wind Active Fire: 132 miles away Risk of Fire: Moderate Nearest lightning: 1082 miles away Jan Averages: Temps: 44°\18° Moisture: 4 Days

Weekly Observations

Cuckoo Dancing Week: 11-17 International Snowmobile Safety and Awareness Week: 11-19 Link  Healthy Weight Week: 12-18 Home Office Safety & Security Week: 12-18

Idiom Week: 12-18 National Mocktail Week: 12-18 No Name Calling Week:  13-17 Link Sundance Film Festival: 16-26 National Fresh Squeezed Juice Week: 17-23

Daily Observations

Appreciate A Dragon Day Civil Service Day Customer Service Day Ditch Your New Year’s Resolutions Day Fig Newton Day Link  Link Get to Know Your Customers Day Hot Buttered Rum Day Hot Heads Chili Day

Kid Inventors’ Day National Bootlegger’s Day National Nothing Day National Quinoa Day Religious Freedom Day Link  Without A Scalpel Day Link  Link Zeta Phi Beta Day

Today’s Quote                                                               

 

Today’s Memes

Thoughts for the day

Another cold morning. By noon it warmed up to a sweltering 37°.

I bundled up and headed out around 10 to get a pedicure. There was an 84-year-old man in the nearest chair. He looked at me and said “You always gotta take care of your feet. I know, I’m 84”. I told him I agreed. My feet and I do feel much better.

I knew it was a dry winter.

            Moisture from Dec 2 to Jan 15                        3 driest on record

            0.1” in 2024-25        0.02” in 2005-06                  0.11” in 1917-18

There is now a ceasefire in Gaza. Thanks to Qatar's leadership there is a long-term (42 day) ceasefire. Everyone involved hopes each of the phases hold.

Mayan Culture of Mexico and beyond…

They had an extensive library of written books.

Revisiting the Maya hieroglyphs, the Maya used their written language to fill books. Using strips of paper made from fig tree bark, the Maya created a vast library of books, including three codices that exist today. 

But hundreds of books were lost over time, either due to the humid climate of the region or the arrival of Europeans who burned the written texts. 

Random Thoughts…

The Soviet Union national ice hockey team participated nine times in the Winter Olympics and won seven gold medals, one silver medal and one bronze medal.

Biggest film of 1984: Ghostbusters (Comedy) earned ~ $242,000,000

Ray Charles – Real Name: Ray Charles Robinson

We invented the wheel, built the pyramids, discovered electricity and landed on the moon, but still haven’t found a way to stop accidentally biting the inside of your mouth when you least expect it.

I don’t think I’m a robot, but maybe that’s just part of my programming.

Woody Allen – Real Name: Allen Konigsberg

Because 1800 was not a leap year, John Adams served one fewer day as president than all other one-termers.

Lord Acton’s famous quote ‘Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.’ is immediately followed by ‘Great men are almost always bad men’.

A group of Asteroids is called a Belt.

Origin of city nicknames…

Chicago, Illinois: ‘Windy City’

‘Windy City’ could easily refer to the chill weather blowing in from Lake Michigan, but it most likely has a less obvious origin. In the late 19th century, Chicago regularly played host to major political conventions, and quickly gained a reputation for both its loquacious politicians and boastful citizens, who loved to proclaim their hometown’s status as the undisputed “Metropolis of the West”. In other words, it became known as, quite literally, a city of windbags, a derisive term which, over time, has been adopted with pride. 

Historic Events

Click here for 16 Jan History

Birthdays

Lin-Manuel Miranda, 45 Stage Actor Kate Moss, 51 Model Sade, 66 R&B Singer Debbie Allen, 75 TV Actress John Carpenter, 77 Director Joe Flacco, 40 Football Player

@78 – Andre Michelin, French industrialist, founder of Michelin Tire Company (d. 1931) @76 – Ethel Merman (Ethel Agnes Zimmermann), American actress and singer (d. 1984;  glioblastoma) @71 – Susan Sontag, American novelist, essayist, and critic (d. 2004; lung cancer) @64 – Dizzy Dean (Jay Hanna Dean), American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 1974; heart attack) @53 – Dian Fossey, Gorilla advocate (d. 1985; murdered) @22 – Aaliyah, American singer and actress (d. 2001; overloaded private plane crash)

…The End for today…