Dec 30

 

‘Tis Still the Season

Dec 30, 2020  Week: 53 Day: 364	Local:  H 35°\ L 14°\Ave. Sky Cover:75%
Wind:  7mph\Gusts: 12mph	Nearest lightning:1939mi.;Activefire: 59mi
Very Low Risk of Fire	Visibility:  10mi
Record: 62°[2016]  Record: -16°1911]	Nov Averages: 44°/\17° (5 days with moisture)

 

Today’s Quote

If not me, who? And if not now, when?

Mikhail Gorbachev

 

Random Tidbits

Red wines are red because fermentation extracts color from the grape skins. White wines are not fermented with the skins present.

It takes about 2.5 pounds of grapes to make a bottle of wine. About 800 gallons of wine are produced from one acre in a vineyard.

 

A little humor

-If you've never tried blindfolded archery.. you don't know what you're missing!

Q: What should you do before criticizing Pac-Man?

WAKA WAKA WAKA mile in his shoes.

 

True Things

 The two largest planets in our solar system are coming closer together than they have been since the Middle Ages, and it's happening just in time for Christmas -- hence the nickname of the "Christmas Star." While it's not an actual star, the two planets will certainly make a bright splash in the night sky. Beginning on the night of December 21, the winter solstice, Jupiter and Saturn will appear so closely aligned in our sky that they will look like a double planet. "Alignments between these two planets are rather rare, but this conjunction is exceptionally rare because of how close the planets will appear to one another," said astronomer Patrick Hartigan of Rice University in Houston. "You'd have to go all the way back to 1226 to see a closer alignment between these objects visible in the night sky. Between December 16 and 25, they will become even cozier. Look for the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction low in the western sky for about an hour after sunset each evening during this time.

 

Observations This Week

Christmas Bird Count Week Link…………………	14-1/5
It's About Time Week……………………………….	25-31
Kwanzaa…………………………………………………..	26-1/1

 

 

Observations for Today

Bacon Day Link  Link
Bicarbonate of Soda Day

Falling Needles Family Fest Day

National Bacon Day

National Bicarbonate of Soda Day

 

My Rambling Thoughts

I woke up to about an 1” of snow and cloudy sky. It ure isn’t warming up much.

I mentioned the incredible time I had at the hacienda. I neglected to mention that the greenery means it is a wet area. There were mosquitos. I usually don’t get bitten much but this visit I did get some itchy bites on my wrists and ankles. I’ll survive.

This morning I updated the Focus Website. No major changes, but you are welcome to check it out.  

‘The last mile’ refers to getting product to end-users. While Operation Warp Speed as done a great job with developing and making the vaccine. They have done less well with ‘the last mile’. Well duh, the vaccine is of little value if people are not getting injected with it. Not surprised, but I am disappointed. I expected better. The US is doing one million shots in a week. To stop Covid, it must be one million A DAY for several months. Remember, each current vaccine needs two doses.

Sadly, I read today that the Navajo Nation lockdown will continue until Jan. 11. That means everything closes at 8p and opens at 9a, except on weekends when nothing is open from Friday at 5p until Monday at 9a. People are to be in their own homes until 5a on Monday. As the news says ‘the goalpost just keeps moving.’

 

Today’s Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of the page

A man left home running. He ran a distance and then turned left, ran the same distance and turned left again, ran the same distance and turned left again. When he got home, there were two masked men. Who were they?

 

Historical Events

1610 – Countess Elizabeth Bathory, who had tortured and killed possibly hundreds of young girls for over a dozen years, was captured. She believed eating flesh and bathing in their blood would keep her youthful.

1816 – The Treaty of St. Louis between the United States and the united Ottawa, Ojibwa, and Potawatomi Indian tribes was proclaimed.

1825 – The Treaty of St. Louis between the United States and the Shawnee Nation was proclaimed.

1916 – Russian Mystic and political advisor Rasputin was murdered. He was a family friend and confidant of Russia’s Czar Nicholas II and Czarina Alexandra.

1922- Russia, Belorussia, Ukraine, and the Transcaucasian Federation formed the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics).

1948 – Broadway Show – Kiss Me, Kate (Musical) December 30, 1948. It was based on Shakespeare’s play The Taming of the Shrew.

1951 – The Roy Rogers TV Show debuted on NBC.

1968 – The Gonzaga ’68 bootleg was recorded at a western Washington State gym. The music was of the opening act, Vanilla Fudge, and was one of the earliest performances by Led Zeppelin. They were locally advertised as ‘Len Zefflin.’

1993 – Israel and Vatican City establish diplomatic relations.

2011 -If you happened to be in Samoa at the end of 2011, you never experienced December 30, 2011. The country decided to change time zones, thus switching sides of the international date line and skipping December 30th altogether.

2016 -Last day Indians are able to deposit in banks 500 and 1,000 rupee notes which were scrapped only 50 days earlier in an anti-corruption measure

 

Birthdays Today

83	Paul Stookey, folk singer-songwriter
@77	Bert Parks, actor, beauty pageant host	(d. 1992; lung cancer)
@79	Bo Diddley[Ellas McDaniel (born Ellas Otha Bates], singer-songwriter, guitarist	(d. 2008; heart failure)
78	Michael Nesmith, singer-songwriter, Monkee
@73	Simon Guggenheim, businessman	(d. 1941)
@72	Skeeter Davis, American singer-songwriter	(d. 2004; breast cancer)
@70	Rudyard Kipling, Indian-English author	(d. 1936; hemorrhage)
@66	Davy Jones, English singer-songwriter, actor, Monkee	(d. 2012; heart attack)
67	Meredith Vieira, journalist
61	Tracey Ullman, English-American actress
59	Sean Hannity, radio and television host
@55	Del Shannon, American singer-songwriter	(d. 1990; suicide)
45	Tiger Woods, golfer
35	LeBron James, Basketball superstar

 

Puzzle Answer

The catcher and the umpire.

Continue to Enjoy the Holiday Season