Mar 17

 

HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY

Mar 17, 2021   Week: 12    Day: 76                           Visibility: 10 miles

Local: H 45°\ L 19°                                                Ave. Sky Cover: 50%                      

Wind:  5mph/ Gusts:  7mph                                   Nearest Lightning:275mi.                                                          

Very Low Risk of Fire:  Active fire:  536mi

Record: 72°[2007]  Record:[1991]          Mar. Averages: 53°/23° (6 days with moisture)            

Today’s Quote

Drink is the curse of the land.

It makes you fight with your neighbor.

It makes you shoot at your landlord, and it makes you miss him.

Irish Saying

Random Tidbits

The Irish have observed the feast day of St. Patrick for centuries, usually by attending church in the morning and celebrating in the afternoon, but the global popularity of the festival is largely a result of the United States' adoption of it.

When a wave of Irish immigrants came to the U.S. in the 18th century, there were no shamrocks growing in New York or Boston or San Francisco. So, while they celebrated their heritage with parties and parades, they substituted the color green and images of the shamrock for the plant itself.

The three-leaf clover, a type of trefoil plant, has been considered the unofficial national flower of Ireland for centuries. Irish legend says that Saint Patrick used the shamrock as an educational symbol to explain the Holy Trinity to nonbelievers as he converted the Irish to Christianity in the fourth century. This folklore solidified in the public conscience in the centuries after Patrick's death (which is presumed to have happened on March 17).

A Little Something to Think About

If adults commit adultery, do infants commit infantry?

If pro and con are opposites, is congress the opposite of progress?

If olive oil is made from olives, corn oil from corn and vegetable oil from vegetables, what do they make baby oil from?

True Things

Evaluation Ordered for Accused Stuffed Doll Assailant

A judge ordered a psychological evaluation to help determine the competency of a Florida Man charged with having sexual contact with a pair of large stuffed animals at a Target store, court records show. Judge Cathy Ann McKyton appointed a psychologist to examine Cody Meader, 22, who has been charged with criminal mischief and exposure of sexual organs. A Target loss prevention officer told police that he watched as Meader took a stuffed unicorn to the children's bedding department, where he exposed himself and "took the unicorn and placed it against his penis and began a sexual motion." Meader, wearing shorts and a Star Wars t-shirt, then went to the front of the store and "picked up an Olaf snowman stuffed animal and began having sex with that." According to the Target worker's witness statement. "The subject finished having sex with the stuffed animal and ejaculated on it and then wiped it off." Upon being read his rights, Meader "admitted to doing 'stupid stuff' and admitted that he had 'nutted' on the Olaf stuffed animal," according to an arrest affidavit.

Weekly Observations

 

Lent [Christian]

Thru 4/3

Campfire USA Birthday Week

Teen Tech Week

14-20

Native American Awareness Week   Link

15-19

Act Happy Week 
International Brain Awareness Week Link
International Teach Music Week
National Fix A Leak Week
Link
Shakespeare Week 
Link

 

15-21

International Listening Association Week

17-20

 

Today’s Observations

 

Campfire Day
Corned Beef and Cabbage Day

Green Beer Day

National Irish Food Day

Small Business Development Day Link 
Submarine Day 

Saint Patrick's Day Link

 

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

My place got about 2” of new snow last night. I woke up to a clear sky which lasted until about 10am. Now it is very cloudy with a light snow is falling. This reminds me of one of my mother’s favorite platitudes: If you don’t like the weather, just wait 5 minutes.

Yo-Yo-Ma, the famous celloist, played for the volunteers while he was waiting after his shot. Very cool.

There are some Peraguine Falcons that nest just outside Flagstaff near the road to our local ski area. Annually the forest service stops rock-climbing in the area to protect the nests and the little ones. The hiking ban starts today and ends in mid-august.  Very cool.

As a retired Dept. of Interior employee, I was incredibly happy to see a Native American finally confirmed by the Senate late yesterday afternoon. When I stated working for the Bureau in 1971, I was surprised that there was not a Native heading the Department, not a Native heading our Bureau, and no natives in high decision-making positions. There were many discussions back then about why the Buffalo, the National Parks, and many forests were also part of the Department that oversaw everything to do with Native tribes.  Many younger people saw this as dehumanizing the tribes. Over the years, more and more Natives moved into leadership roles. I am happy that a Native is heading the Department, even though I am sure she will make some controversial decisions.

Daily Puzzle

Answer: bottom of the page

If five cats can catch five mice in five minutes, how long will it take one cat to catch one mouse?

Historical Events

461 – Saint Patrick died in Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland.

1762 – The first parade Saint Patrick (the patron saint of Ireland) was held by Irish soldiers serving in the British army in New York City.

1885 – The medical report of the deformities of Joseph Carey Merrick – The ‘Elephant Man’ – was presented to the Pathological Society of London by Dr. Frederick Treves.

1947 – First flight of the B-45 Tornado strategic bomber.

1958 – The United States launched the Vanguard 1 satellite.

1973 -After it was released, Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of The Moon album stayed on the Billboard 200 chart for 736 weeks, the most consecutive number of weeks any album was ever on the chart.

1980 – The Supreme Court concerning whether a patent could be issued for a genetically-engineered bacterium in the case of Diamond vs. Chakrabarty. On June 16th, they decided yes, it could be patented.

1901 – 11 years after his suicide, 71 paintings by Vincent van Gogh were shown at the Bernheim-Jeune gallery in Paris.

1958 – The US launched the Vanguard I satellite, from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

1992 – A referendum to end apartheid in South Africa was passed from 68.7% to 31.2%.

1995 Sinn-Fein leader Gerry Adams visits White House

1995 US approves 1st chicken pox vaccine, Varivax by Merck & Co

2001 OPEC decides to cut output by 4% or 1 million barrels per day, effective April 1

2014 The Republic of Crimea is declared

2016 Archaeologists announce the discovery of an 2,500 year old iron age warrior king burial ground, with 75 graves in Pocklington, Northern England

2020 Chad begins repaying a $100 million debt to Angola with cattle, as more than 1,000 cows arrive in Luanda

Birthdays Today

77 – John Sebastian, American singer-songwriter  (Lovin’ Spoonful)

72 – Patrick Duffy, American actor

70 – Kurt Russell, American actor

66 – Gary Sinise, American actor

@60 – Samuel ‘Shemp’ Howard, Stooge #4 (d. 1955; heart attack)

57 – Rob Lowe, American actor

@54 – Rudolf Nureyev, Russian-French dancer, choreographer (d. 1993; AIDS)

48 – Mia Hamm, American soccer player

@45 – Nat King Cole, American singer, pianist, television host (d. 1965; cancer)

Puzzle Answer

Answer: Five minutes. Using the information we know, it would take one cat 25 minutes to catch all five mice (5×5=25). Then working backward and dividing 25 by five, we get five minutes for one cat to catch each mouse.

 

Followers

Total Pageviews

Blog Archive

About Me

My photo
Flagstaff, Arizona, United States
I retired in '06--at the ripe old age of 57. I enjoy blogging, photography, traveling, and living life to it's fullest.