21 Dec

 

21 December 2022

Daily Almanac for Flagstaff
Week 52 Day 355 \ Ave. Sky Cover 95% \ Visibility 21 miles Flagstaff Today 44° \16° 
Wind 3mph \ Gusts 4mph  Air Quality: Good \Low Risk of fire \ Nearest active fire 346mi \ Nearest Lightning 1311mi
Dec Averages for Flagstaff: 43° \ 17° `
Overcast

Today’s Quote

Weekly Observations

Andisop (Meteorological Fiddling): 5-24   Link
Christmas Bird Count Week: 14-1/5 Link 
Halcyon Days: 14-28 
Halcyon Days: 14-28 
Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over: 15 - 1/1/23  Link 
Posadas: 16-24
Saturnalia: 17-23
Chanukah: 18-26
Gluten-free Baking Week: 18-24  Link 
Cookie Exchange Week: 19-23  

Daily Observations

Ann & Samantha Day    Link
Celebrate Short Fiction Day 
Crossword Puzzle Day
Forefathers Day
Global Orgasm Day 
Humbug Day
International Dalek Remembrance Day Link
Make Music Day in Winter  Link  
National Flashlight Day 
National Flashlight Day (Shortest Day of The Year)
National Homeless Persons' Remembrance Day Link
Phileas Fogg Win A Wager Day
Short Film Day  Link
Short Girl Appreciation Day 
Shorts Day 
World Peace Day/Winter Solstice
Winter (Winter Solstice)  4:48 pm EST
Yule

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

Overcast, but no moisture in the forecast. Hmmm

Title 42 was a Trump/Covid era rule that said immigrants had to wait in Mexico. It was scheduled to end this week, but Chief Justice Roberts prevented it ending. Now we wait.

As it gets colder, it is hard to understand why Russia continues to bomb sites that provide heat and electricity to the people of Ukraine.  The war simply rages on.

Why aren’t homeless shelters in the news? If our little mountain town is typical, there are 1-3 incidents at our local shelters. Fights are common…male on male, female on female, or male/female. Alcohol and/or drug intoxication are common. The police are involved daily at one of the several shelters. Ambulances are called involved at least once a week. Some of our shelters allow intoxicated individuals, others…usually church based, do not allow intoxicated individuals. Our tax dollars help support the homeless shelters. Many on the street need mental health services. Many are afraid of shelters because they see them as dangerous…due to the incidents of theft and or fights. There must be a better way to service these individuals.

Favorite Memes

If…

•          If a drummer comes out of retirement, will there be repercussions? 

Slang Origins

1943: Eager beaver

Meaning: an enthusiastic person who performs their duties and volunteers for more

Eager beaver most likely stems from the animal's industrious nature, building dams and houses for shelter. It was widely used in the U.S. armed forces during WWII, most notably by the Air Force, to describe someone eager to impress their superiors and take on undesirable tasks.

Mysteries…

WHO WAS JACK THE RIPPER?

In 1888, Jack the Ripper killed at least five women in London, mutilating their bodies. A number of letters, supposedly from the Ripper, were sent to police taunting officers' efforts to find the Ripper. (Whether any of them were actually written by the Ripper is a matter of debate among scholars.) The name "Jack the Ripper" comes from these letters.

Needless to say, the Ripper was never found, and over the years, dozens of people have been brought up as possible candidates. In his 2012 book ""Jack The Ripper: The Hand Of A Woman," John Morris suggests that a woman named Lizzie Williams was the Ripper, although other Ripper experts cast doubt on it. It appears unlikely that the true identity of the Ripper will ever be known for sure.

Historical Events

1620 – The Pilgrims reached Plymouth.
1937 – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the world’s first full-length animated feature, premiered at the Carthay Circle Theatre.
1988 – Pan American Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland. Two hundred fifty-nine people on board the New York-bound Boeing 747 were killed, along with 11 people on the ground were killed.
1970- Elvis Presley Met with US President Richard Nixon. The photograph of them shaking hands is the most requested reproduction from the US National Archives.

Birthdays Today

@92 – Werner von Trapp, Austrian-American singer (d. 2007)
@87 – Jack Russell, English dog breeder (d. 1883)
@85 – Joe Paterno, American Penn State football coach (d. 2012)
“Believe deep down in your heart that you’re destined to do great things.”– Joe Paterno
@82 – Paul Winchell, American actor, ventriloquist (d. 2005)
87 – Phil Donahue, American talk show host
85 – Jane Fonda, American actress
@76 – Benjamin Disraeli, politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1881; gout)
“All of us encounter, at least once in our life, some individual who utters words that make us think forever. There are men whose phrases are oracles; who condense in one sentence the secrets of life; who blurt out an aphorism that forms a character or illustrates an existence.”
– Benjamin Disraeli
@74 – Joseph Stalin, Russian politician (d. 1953; stroke)
“A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic.”– Joseph Stalin 74 – Samuel L. Jackson, American actor
68 – Chris Evert, American tennis player
“If you’re a champion, you have to have it in your heart.”– Chris Evert 67 – Jane Kaczmarek, American actress
65 – Ray Romano, American comedian
57 – Andy Dick, American comedian
56 – Kiefer Sutherland, actor
@52 – Frank Zappa, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer (d. 1993; cancer)
“Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.”– Frank Zappa
45 – Emmanuel Macron, French politician
@38 – Florence Griffith Joyner, American sprinter (d. 1998; seizure while sleeping)
“Conventional is not for me. I like things that are uniquely Flo. I like being different.”
– Florence Griffith Joyner