15 Jan

 

January 2023

Daily Almanac for Flagstaff
Week 3 Day 15 \ Ave. Sky Cover 30% \ Visibility 19 miles Flagstaff Today 52° \29°  Wind 3mph \ Gusts 14mph 
Air Quality: \Very Low Risk of fire \ Nearest active fire 599mi \ Nearest Lightning 552mi
Jan Averages for Flagstaff: 44° \ 16° \5 Days of moisture
Sunshine with clouds building

Today’s Quote

 

Weekly Observations

14-22
International Snowmobile Safety and Awareness Week
15-21
Healthy Weight Week
Hunt for Happiness Week
Idiom Week
National Activity Professionals Week
Sugar Awareness Week

Daily Observations

Alpha Kappa Alpha Day
Bald Eagle Appreciation Days

Humanitarian Day
National Bagel Day  Link 
National Fresh Squeezed Juice Day
National Hat Day
National Sanctity of Human Life Day (or Pro-Life Day) Link
Strawberry Ice Cream Day 
Thank Your Mentor Day Link
World Religion Day Link 
World Snow Day Link

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

I’m ready for the upcoming storm. Now the weather guy is saying a foot of snow tonight…with during the day Sunday and Monday. I’m hoping it will be less than predicted, but still wet. Only time will tell.

I was happy to read that Coconino County, AZ, where I live, is the prettiest county in AZ. The same article said that Larimer County, CO is the prettiest in Colorado. I’m guessing because of the Grand Canyon in AZ, and Estes Park NP is Colorado.

A local reporter did a video walk-thru of the newly opened state run Veteran’s Home. It was approved years ago, then just as construction was to begin, Covid stopped everything. It is a very nice facility for our Vets. Good job.

Kari Lake, the losing Republican MAGA candidate for Governor here in AZ made an interesting press release recently. She believes that if she is not made Governor, America will turn into Venezuela.  That brought me to tears…from laughing.

I worked at a grocery store during my high school and college days. I have never had trouble finding things at a store…until now. The newly developed Walmart makes little sense to me. I only shop for some stuff there, but every time I go in…about every 2 weeks, I have to find someone or just not search. I can’t figure out the reasoning behind certain items being placed where they are. For example, distilled water, for my CPAP, is in the infant section and not with all the other waters. Lemon juice bottles are now with cranberry juice. The salad topping of dried fruits and candied nuts in individual packets are no longer with either the salad dressing or the fresh produce. It is all beyond me.

The Big 5 of Africa…lions, leopards, elephants, African buffalo, & rhinoceroses

Facts…

Human eyes actually produce three types of tears, all with different purposes. Basal tears help to clean and lubricate the eyes, while reflex tears are a response to our environment (they appear when we cut onions). Emotional tears are the only kind we have some control over, and they have a slightly different chemical composition with more protein that may help them better stick to our faces — confirming to others that we’re truly happy, or just sat through a two-hour tearjerker.

Many researchers once thought that only humans exhibited glee through laughter, though a 2021 study from UCLA found that more than 65 different animal groups may also laugh, or at least exhibit what researchers called “vocal play behavior,” when feeling playful. Some of the chuckling critters include ones you might expect, such as primates and dogs, along with a few unusual contenders, such as foxes, seals, and mongooses. However, laughter across the animal kingdom doesn’t always sound the same as human giggles. Take, for example, rats, who researchers believe may enjoy being tickled, though their laughs are inaudible to humans thanks to their high frequency, and can only be heard with the help of specialty microphones. 

Slang Origins

1965: Flower power

Meaning: the use of peaceful protest to advocate against war

Coined by Beat poet and activist Allen Ginsberg, “flower power” became the hallmark of the hippie generation's anti-Vietnam war advocacy. The philosophy “make love, not war” led the hippies' counter-cultural movement to join with other leftist protests across the country.

UNESCO sites…

Quito Was the First City to Be Named a UNESCO World Heritage Site

A select few cities and towns are so full of cultural experiences and landmarks that their entire area has been named a World Heritage Site. Quito, the capital city of Ecuador, is one such cultural treasure. Part of the first group to be named World Heritage Sites in 1978, the city was founded in the 16th century on Incan ruins, and it remains one of the best-preserved and least-altered historic cities in South America. The art and architecture of the “Baroque School of Quito” — with Spanish, Italian, Moorish, Flemish, and indigenous influences — is present in monasteries and churches across the city. The checkerboard cobblestone streets still preserve the original layout dating back to 1734, despite numerous earthquakes over the centuries.

Historical Events

1559 – Elizabeth I was crowned Queen of England in Westminster Abbey, London
1947 – The body of Elizabeth Short was found in Los Angeles. The killer was never found. #BlackDahliaMystery
1967 – The inaugural Super Bowl was simulcast on CBS and NBC.
1943 – The construction of The Pentagon in Washington DC was completed.
2001 – Wikipedia went online.

Birthdays Today

96 – Phyllis Coates, American actress (Lois Lane on original Superman)
@95 – Edward Teller, Hungarian-American physicist (d.2003)
@80 – John O’Connor, American cardinal (d.2000)
72 – Charo, pop singer
66 – Mario Van Peebles, America actor
@64 – Gene Krupa, American drummer, composer, actor (d.1973; cancer)
56 – Lisa Lisa (Lisa Velez ), American R&B singer
55 – Chad Lowe, America actor
@51 (baptized) – Molière (Jean-Baptiste Poquelin), French actor and playwright (d.1673; TB)
Those whose conduct gives room for talk
Are always the first to attack their neighbors.~ Molière
44 – Drew Brees, American football player
42 – Pitbull (Armando Christian Pérez), American rapper and producer
In any country when you throw something in somebody’s face, it’s disrespectful.– Pitbull
39 – Ben Shapiro, American author, commentator
35 – Skrillex (Sonny John Moore), American DJ, producer
@39 – Martin Luther King, Jr., American minister and activist, Nobel Prize laureate (d.1968)
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.– Martin Luther King, Jr.
19 – Grace VanderWaal, American singer-songwriter