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Flagstaff Almanac: Day: 143 / Week: 21
May Averages: 68° \ 34°Today: Average Sky Cover: 85%
H 61°… L 36°… Ave. humidity: 30%
Wind: ave: 8mph; Gusts: 13mph
Average High: 71° Record High: 83° (1983)
Average Low: 36° Record Low: 23° (1909)
Quote of the Day
Today’s
Historical Highlights
1218 - The
Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt.
1487 - Imposter
Lambert Simnel ceremony crowned as King Edward VI of Dublin1595 - Nomenclator of Leiden University Library appears, the first printed catalog of an institutional library.
1738 - John Wesley is converted, essentially launching the Methodist movement; the day is celebrated annually by Methodists as Aldersgate Day.
1798 - Irish Rebellion of 1798 led by the United Irishmen against British rule begins.
1830 - "Mary Had A Little Lamb" is published
1856 - Pottawatomie Massacre took place in Kansas
1862 - Westminster Bridge across Thames opens
1883 - Brooklyn Bridge opened by Pres Arthur & Gov Cleveland
1899 - 1st auto repair shop opens (Boston)
1921 - 1st parliament for Northern Ireland elected
1941 - Bismarck sinks British battle cruiser HMS Hood; 1,416 die, 3 survive
1944 - Icelandic voters sever all ties with Denmark
1951 - Racial segregation in Wash DC restaurants ruled illegal
1958 - Cuban President Batista opens offensive against Fidel Castro's rebellion
2004 - North Korea bans mobile phones.
♫
Today’s Birthdays: ♫
How many can you identify? Answers in Today’s Birthdays below
My Free
Rambling Thoughts
The overcast day had all of us hoping for some moisture. Alas, now
made it to the ground. But there was much less wind and the fire is not
spreading as fast as it has been…about 7500 acres. The news keeps saying things
are better; it is growing at a slower rate; it is now 5% contained; it has not
crossed the highway—which protects many homes. Late this afternoon the smoke
returned to our town. Another very smoky time that looks more like a yellow
eclipse than an overcast day. It is a strange time as the Forest service, in
the midst of the largest current fire in the US, it did not place open fire
restrictions in the rest of the forest over this long weekend. Many are saying
they don’t want to lose the $$$ from the campers coming to the forest. Whatever
the reason, it doesn’t make much sense. 600 firefighters will be spending their
weekend holiday fighting this human caused fire and working day and night to
prevent the fire from destroying people’s homes and businesses. Many will also be
working on leads to find the perp.
Way too many ‘close calls’ in the air this week. They are saying
that it is a small number compared to the number of flights. Great, as long as
one is not a passenger or crew on one of the ‘close calls’.
I really enjoy my iPad. I use it daily, in my living room,
especially during commercials when I am watching live TV. The one problem is
the internal speaker. It is less than pleasant to listen to very long. I bought
a Bluetooth small speaker. It is not connected to the iPad, but sits on a table
near the iPad. Great sound, easy to turn on and off as needed. Easy to
recharge. Should have gotten one months ago. A good $30 investment. Nothing
fancy, but good sound.
Shockwave: Seminole HS in OK has determined that Native students
can’t wear an eagle feather on their mortarboard. When I was at Pine Ridge, we
had a specific ceremony where the graduating Lakota students were presented
with an Eagle feather for their accomplishment. It is certainly a part of
Native history for many tribes. How any school in the US can prevent this is
beyond my comprehension. Eagle feathers are sacred and only awarded to those
who have made contributions to the tribe. When at a Pow Wow, if an eagle
feather falls off any regalia, the Pow Wow stops, a medicine man comes out and
blesses the feather before it is even picked up. This can take quite a long
time. I get that the school doesn’t want some crazy stuff at their graduation,
but to deny any Native American the ability to have an eagle feather on their mortarboard
is a complete dismissal of cultural identity.
Racism is NOT dead in the US.
Game Center (answers at the
end of post)
Brain
Teasers
Fill
in the words that are empty by using words that will connect with the previous
one.
EXAMPLE:
Towel, Rack. (You have the words Towel and Rack, but when put together it becomes
"Towel rack".)
Try to connect petting to guard.
Petting
Z_
_A_ _ _ _ _
C_ _ _ _ _ _ _
Guard
Lifestyle Substance:
Found on
You Tube with some relevance to today
OK Then…Aerial View of our Fire
Harper’s
Index
Percentage
increase in the number of reported anti-Muslim hate crimes in the UK over the
past year: 100
Unusual
Fact of the Day
When cranberries are ripe, they bounce
like a rubber ball.
Top 5
Most Educated Movie Stars in Hollywood…
#3 - Ashley
Judd
Ashley Judd has been nominated for two Golden Globes -- for her
work in "De-Lovely" and "Norma Jean & Marilyn"—and is
most well-known for playing tough women in crime thrillers such as
"Heat" and "Kiss the Girls." Like Franco, however, Judd's
not just a pretty face. She studied at the University of Kentucky, where she
majored in French and pursued four minors: cultural anthropology, art history,
theater and women's studies. She was also Phi Beta Kappa and a member of the
sorority Kappa Kappa Gamma. In 2010 she graduated from Harvard with a master's
degree in public administration, which she hopes to use to help charities and
nonprofits.
Travel
Destination Info…
9) Turkey
- $21.3 billion
Some people might be surprised that Turkey is ranked 9th with
$21.3 dollars being spent in the country in 2009 by international tourists but
tourism is big in Turkey and the country is a popular tourist destination due
to its beaches along the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas as well as the great
historical sites located here. Istanbul is full of hotels and great sites like
the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque.
Top 5
Poorest Countries…
3 - Zimbabwe
Landlocked Zimbabwe's $516 per
capita PPP gross national product makes it the third least affluent nation.
This African country, rich in natural resources, underwent a turbulent decade
that included war and ineffective economic policies. Primarily an agrarian
economy, Zimbabwe experiences frequent droughts, which play havoc with its
ability to meet its own food needs and produce cash crops such as grain and tobacco.
Mining copper, gold, coal and diamonds offers potential for job creation and
economic expansion.
Joke-of-the-day
The children had all been
photographed, and the teacher was trying to persuade them each to buy a copy of
the group picture. "Just think how nice it will be to look at it when you
are all grown up and say, "There's Jennifer; she's a lawyer,' or “That’s
Michael, he's a doctor.'"
A small voice at the back of the room rang out, "And there's the teacher. She's dead."
A small voice at the back of the room rang out, "And there's the teacher. She's dead."
Rules of
Thumb:
CHOOSING A MATE
When choosing a
mate, consider not only what kind of spouse he or she will make, but also what
kind of ex-spouse he or she will be.
Yeah, It
Really Happened
WUHAN, China (UPI) - In the mammalian race to food snobbery,
whales are at the back of the pack. They don't even know what umami is.
They're likely rather adept, however, at determining the salt
content of a given food item. Salt, after all, is the only thing whales can
taste.
According to a new study, evolutionary gene mutations among
cetacean ancestors -- which include whales and dolphins -- have rendered four
of five taste bud types useless, destroying their ability to taste sweet,
bitter, umami (savory) and sour. Almost all other vertebrates have the full
array of functioning taste sensors.
Researchers made their discovery while sequencing the genomes of
15 species, including baleen whales, like bowheads and minkes, as well toothed
species, like bottlenose dolphins and sperm whales.
"The loss of bitter taste is a complete surprise, because
natural toxins typically taste bitter," explained zoologist Huabin Zhao of
Wuhan University in China, the study's lead researcher.
The study was published earlier this month in journal Genome
Biology and Evolution.
The fact that most whale species swallow their food whole may at
least partially explain the loss of taste buds, as flavors are mostly released
when food is chewed. Mutations often infiltrate the genetic code after certain
traits become useless.
But the retention of salty taste receptors, scientists say, may
help whales maintain proper sodium levels and blood pressure.
Still, if the price of a strengthened sense of salt is the the
inability to taste dangerous substances, it's a cost that sometimes proves
perilous.
Packs of killer whales have unknowingly swum into the middle of
oil spills, and dolphins have died after eating fish filled with algal toxins.
Somewhat
Useless Information
Did
you know that before the sinking of Titanic in 1912 there was no system in
place to track icebergs to guard ships against collisions? Observing and
monitoring icebergs was developed around the 20′s and 30′s.
An
iceberg has several shapes such as ‘dome’ (rounded top), ‘pinnacle’ (one or
more spires), ‘wedge’ (a steep edge on one side and a slope on the opposite
side), ‘dry-dock’ (eroded to form a slot or channel) and ‘blocky’ (steep,
vertical sides and a flat top).
Icebergs
range from 1 to 75 metres (3.3 to 246.1 ft) above sea level and 90% of it sits
under water!
][
There
are several claims on the originality of the fortune cookie. One is that of Los
Angeles and the other one is that of San Francisco.
Regarding
Los Angeles, it is said that David Jung, a Chinese immigrant living in Los
Angeles invented the cookie in 1918, as he wanted to offer it for free to the poor he saw wandering near
his shop. Each cookie had a strip of paper with an inspirational Bible
scripture on it, written for Jung by a Presbyterian minister.
Regarding
San Francisco, it is said that the fortune cookie was created by a Japanese
immigrant named Makoto Hagiwara, who was fired from his job by an anti-Japanese
mayor, but later a new mayor reinstated him. He created the fortune cookie in
1914 including a thank you note, as he was grateful to those who had stood by
him during his period of hardship.
][
Elephant,
Texas, America, take, immediately, connect, internet, house, Europe, useless,
president, summer, afternoon, letter. What’s the common letter in these words?
All
of these words contain ‘E’, which is the most commonly used letter in the
alphabet.
The
second most common letter is T. A, I, N, O, and S tie for third.
The
least used letter in the alphabet is Q.
Calendar
Information
This
Week’s Observances:
18-24
National Safe Boating Week
EMS (Emergency Medical Services) Week
National New Friends, Old Friends Week
World Trade Week
19-26
National Backyard Games Week
National Educational Bosses' Week
National Medical Transcription Week
International Coaching Week
Recreational Water Illness and Injury Prevention Week
22-25
Mudbug
Madness Week National Polka Weekend
Old-Time Player Piano Weekend
Today
Is
Amateur Radio Military Appreciation Day (ARMAD)
Brother's Day Hug Your Cat Day
International Jazz Day
Julia Pierpont Day—pushed for Decoration Day
Morse Code Day
National Escargot Day
][
Culture Day (Bulgaria)
Independence Day (Eritrea-1991-from Ethiopia)
Independence Day (Eritrea-1991-from Ethiopia)
Today’s Events through History
1689 - English
Parliament guarantees freedom of religion for Protestants
1930 - 1st
woman to fly from England to Australia solo, lands (Amy Johnson) 1958 - UP & International News Service merge into United Press International
1959 - Empire Day renamed Commonwealth Day in Great Britain
1980 - Iran rejects a call to World Court to release US hostages
1983 - Supreme Court rules government can deny tax breaks to schools that racially discriminated against students
Today’s
Birthdays
Tommy
Chong, Edmonton, Alberta, comedian/actor is 76
Bob
Dylan, [Robert Zimmerman], singer/songwriter is 73Gary Burghoff, Bristol CT, actor (Radar-M*A*S*H) is 71
Patti LaBelle, [Holt], singer (LaBelle-Lady Marmalade) is 70
Priscilla Presley, Brooklyn, actress (Jenna-Dallas, Naked Gun) is 69
Rosanne Cash, country singer (Seven Year Ache, I Wonder) is 59
Will Sasso, Canadian actor and comedian [Mad TV] is 39
Remembered
for being born today
1819-1901 - Victoria
Alexandrine, Queen of Great Britain
1918-1997 - Coleman
A Young, civil rights leader (Mayor-D-Detroit) Today’s Historical Obits
Dick Martin comedian (Laugh In), 2008, @86
Harold Wilson, British PM, cancer, 1995, @79 Duke Ellington, musician, cancer, 1974, @75
John Foster Dulles, US Secretary of State, cancer, 1959, @71
Vivian Liberto, first wife of Johnny Cash, lung cancer, 2005, @71
Brain
Teasers
Petting
ZooAnimal
Crossing
Guard
Disclaimer: All opinions are mine…feel free to agree or disagree.
All ‘data’ info is from the internet sites and is usually checked with at
least one other source, but I have learned that every site has mistakes and
sadly once out the information is out there, many sites simply copy it and is
therefore difficult to verify. Also for events occurring before the Gregorian
calendar was adopted [1582] the dates may not be totally accurate.
§ And That Is All for
Now §
