Saturday

January 23, 2010--Week 3 of 2010: 23 days this year…342 remain

►Provocative Quote                 .

"Beware the man who can't be bothered with details."

~ unknown

►Free Ramblings                    .

Officially they are saying we have 45” of snow so far, with more still coming. They must be under a tree. We have close to five feet over here. The winter wonderland took a strange turn last night with a rain storm in much of the city. Rain melts snow, so that was good. We only got minimal rain here, didn’t melt anything, just made a layer of slush on top of the powder. It has snowed on and off all day, mostly on. Our non-elected governor did declare the entire state a disaster area. Lots of scary flooding down south.

Our little mountain town is still shut down. We are dependent on tourists, and both interstates are still closed. Winter means skiing up here for many…but the ski area has been closed for two days. Whoever heard of a ski area closing because of too much snow? Well it is because the ‘tourist town’ that offers skiing as a major winter draw, doesn’t have adequate roads to get to the ski area.

Another draw for Flagstaff has always been stores. Being a border town to the Rez, many living on the Rez come to Flag to do basic shopping. Builders have always wanted to build at the least possible cost. This mountain town is not very forward thinking. Many of our stores were built with flat roofs. In a mountain town that gets snow. Yes it is cheaper, in the short run. In 2008, during a snow storm, nothing like this one, collapsed a roof on a huge bookstore. They moved across town for a year while it was fixed. Then last night, in the same shopping strip, the roof on two other stores collapsed. Several other flat roofed stores had to close as water leaks and ‘bulging ceilings’ suggested they too would collapse. My pharmacy closed, WalMart closed. Dillards closed. And the list goes on.

While everyone is hearing how ‘building codes’ were absent in Haiti, causing horrendous damage from an unpredictable earthquake, Flagstaff is losing buildings from a very predictable event—snow in winter. Builders who have come to Flagstaff have convinced the ‘building code’ people that a flat roof is safe and cuts construction costs. Some builders have been so brazen as to say that requiring a pitched roof will place prohibitive costs and that future businesses who will rent the buildings simply won’t come. With another possible foot of snow due tonight and tomorrow, I wonder, how many more roofs will collapse? Building owners are scrambling to find day workers to shovel the flat roofs. These cheap laborers are the only hope of saving the building’s roof.

While I look around at the snow piling up, bitchin’ about the lack of planning, getting cabin fever, I have to say we have running water, heat, electricity (99% of the time), food, and transportation if necessary. I am watching ‘Hope for Haiti Now’ as I type this. Our huge winter storm will pass, the snow will melt, and things will get back to normal within a week or so. Not so lucky down in Haiti. And yet, so many down there hold out hope for a better life.

►Quotes from Values.com—TEACHING BY EXAMPLE .

“Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example.”

Mark Twain [Samuel Clemens]: Author, Humorist

►Side Show Stories—Darwin Awards 2010              .

The Darwin Awards commemorate those who improve our gene pool... by removing themselves from it.

(UPI, Toronto ): Police said a lawyer demonstrating the safety of windows in a downtown Toronto skyscraper crashed through a pane with his shoulder and plunged 24 floors to his death. A police spokesman said Garry Hoy, 39, fell into the courtyard of the Toronto Dominion Bank Tower early Friday evening as he was explaining the strength of the buildings' windows to visiting law students.. Hoy previously has conducted demonstrations of window strength according to police reports. Peter Lawson, managing partner of the firm Holden Day Wilson, told the Toronto Sun newspaper that Hoy was "one of the best and brightest" (ed note:????) members of the 200-man association.

►Random Fact                       .

Pennsylvania is misspelled on the Liberty Bell.

§ Interesting Statistics

*Note: I realize that statistics can be made to say just about anything.

~ 45% of Arizonians say the regularly attend a self-defined cultural event.

§ January Month Long Observances

Birthstone: Garnet …Flower: Carnation

Book Blitz Month * Bath Safety Month * Birth Defects Month * California Dried Plum Digestive Month * Celebration of Life Month * Cervical Cancer Screening Month * Financial Wellness Month * High Tech Month * International Creativity Month * International Quality of Life Month * International Wayfinding Month * International Wealth Mentality Month * National Be On-Purpose Month * National Bird Feeding Month * National Clean Up Your Computer Month * National Get Organized Month * National Glaucoma Awareness Month * National Hot Tea Month * National Mail Order Gardening Month * National Mentoring Month * National Personal Self-Defense Awareness Month * National Poverty in America Awareness Month * National Radon Action Month * National Skating Month * National Soup Month * National Volunteer Blood Donor Month * Oatmeal Month * Rising Star Month * Self-help Group Awareness Month * Senior Women’s Travel Month * Shape Up US Month * Thyroid Awareness Month

§ Observance Weeks in January

National Fresh Squeezed Juice Week: 18-23

International Printing Week: 17-23

National Handwriting Analysis Week: 17-23

Healthy Weight Week: 17-23

Hunt For Happiness Week: 17-23

National Activity Professional Week: 17-23 to recognize all those gym people.

No Name Calling Week: 20-24

Sundance Film Festival: 21-31

National Cowboy Poetry Gathering Week: 23-30

World Leprosy Week: 23-29

§ 22 January Observances—US/UN/World

National Handwriting Day

National Pie Day

Measure Your Feet Day

Snowplow Mailbox Hockey Day

§22 January Observances—by country

Luxembourg : Grand Duchess' Birthday

Pitcairn Island: Bounty Day, celebrating the burning of the Bounty in 1790,

§ Holy Mackerel: On this day in 1907 - Charles Curtis of Kansas began serving in the United States Senate. He was the first American Indian to become a U.S. Senator and later Vice President

§Born on this day

     ~ The Arts

Richard Dean Anderson (60) - actor (“MacGyver”),

John Barclay in 1582 - Scottish satirist/Latin poet (Argenis)

Gil Gerard (67) - actor (“Buck Rogers,”

Mariska Hargitay (46) - actress (“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”)

Rutger Hauer (66) (Netherlands)- actor (Blade Runner)

Edouard Manet in 1832 - artist: leader of the impressionist movement

Chita Rivera (Conchita del Rivero) (77) singer, actress

Randolph Scott in 1898 - actor (Last of the Mohicans, Western Union)

Tiffani-Amber Thiessen (36) actress

     ~Athletics

Eric Metcalf (42) - NFL receiver/running back (Falcons, Chargers)

     ~Business, Education, Politics

Princess Caroline (53) (Monte Carlo, Monaco)

John Hancock in 1737 - statesman and patriot

     ~Science/Religion

Gertrude Belle Elion in 1918 biochemist/drug researcher (Nobel 1988)

§Obits for this day

Paul Robeson in 1976 athlete/lawyer/singer, @ 77

Salvador Dalí in 1989 Spanish Surrealist painter, @ 84

Richard Berry in 1997 lyricist (Louie Louie), @ 61

§What happened on this day?

     ~ The Arts

1793…Humane Society of Philadelphia (first aid society) organized

1965…"The King Family Show" (musical variety) premieres on ABC TV

1977…Miniseries "Roots" premieres on ABC

1986…1st induction of Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame (Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Domino, Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis & Elvis Presley)

     ~Athletics

1879…National Archery Association formed, Crawfordsville IN

     ~Business, Education, Politics

1570…Earl of Moray, regent of Scotland, assassinated; civil war breaks out

1647…Scottish Presbyterians sell captured Charles I to English parliament

1933…20th amendment changes date of Presidential Inaugurations to 1/20

1964…24th Amendment ratified, barring poll tax in federal elections

1968…The U.S. ship Pueblo is seized by North Korean naval vessels and charged with spying

1973…US president, Richard Nixon, appears on national television to announce "peace with honour" in Vietnam.

2001…Five protesters set themselves on fire by pouring gasoline on themselves and setting light to themselves in Tiananmen Square

     ~Science/Religion

0638…Start of Islamic calendar

1789…Georgetown, 1st US Catholic college, founded

1930…Clyde Tombaugh photographs planet Pluto

~ Number One Songs in…

1951…Tennessee Waltz - Patti Page

1959…Smoke Gets in Your Eyes - The Platters

1967…I’m a Believer - The Monkees

1975…Mandy - Barry Manilow

1983…Down Under - Men at Work

► Puzzle                              .

A list of words is given. To solve the puzzle, think of a single word that goes with each to form a compound word or word pair that functions as a compound word. For example, if the given words are volley, field, and bearing, the the answer would be ball, because the word ball can be added to each of the other words to form volleyball, ball field, and ball bearing.

1. Big soil table

2. Made cuff left

3. Motion poke down

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Scroll down for answers

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ANSWERS

1. TOP: big top topsoil tabletop

2. HAND: handmade handcuff left-hand

3. SLOW: slow motion slowpoke slowdown