1 May 2023

Flagstaff Almanac

Week 18 Day 121	Ave. Sky Cover 5%\  Visibility 32miles	Flagstaff Today  75° \ 37°
Wind  9mph \   Gusts  11mph	Nearest active fire: 287mi	Nearest Lightning 910mi
Air Quality: Fair Extreme Risk of fire	May Averages: Flagstaff: 68° \ 34° May Average: 3 Days of moisture	Sunshine

Today’s Quote

Monthly Observations

Adopt A Horse Month ALS Awareness Month  Link American Cheese Month  Link  America's Wetlands Month  Link Apraxia Awareness Month   Link

APS Month Link Aramanth Month Link Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month Asthma Awareness Month Awareness of Medical Orphans Month

Weekly Observations

4/21-5/2	Festival of Ridvan (Baha'i)
4/30-5/7	Stewardship Week &Preservation Week (re: Libraries)
1-5	Air Quality Awareness Week Link  Construction Safety Week Link Goodwill Industries Week National Safety Stand Down Week (Constuction Falls) Link PTA Teacher Appreciation Week Teacher Appreciation Week

Daily Observations

Amtrak Day Batman Day Beltane Link Chocolate Parfait Day CSS Reboot Day Discuss Your Wage Day Executive Coaching Day Global Love Day Link Great Lakes Awareness Day Hug Your Cat Day International Doodle Dog Day Link Internat’l Guerilla Sunflower Gardening Day Link International Workers Day  Link  Link Keep Kids Alive! Drive 25 Day Law Day Lei Day (in Hawaii)

Loyalty Day Make a Book Day May Day May One Day Melanoma Monday  Mother Goose Day National Bubba Day National High Potassium Awareness Day National Purebred Dog Day Link New Homeowner's Day No Pants Day Religious Brothers Day Link School Principals' Day Silver Star Banner Day Link Skyscraper Day Space Day Stepmother's Day

Today’s Thoughts

Another nice spring day…no complaints.

I watched the White House Correspondence Dinner last night on CNN. I didn’t watch the hour of comments both before and after. I did watch the awards, the purpose, and the President and Roy Woods, Jr. do their thing. I was a good reminder of the importance of the first amendment and the necessity of humor during these troubled times.

For many decades since the opening of Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, there have been scheduled artificial floods to prevent the buildup of silt along the banks of the river. There will be another such artificial flood this month and a 4- year hiatus. It is a good conservation strategy.

Bill Maher interviewed Elon Musk on Bill’s weekly HBO program. Musk has had a lot of press lately. This was a chance to hear him.

Denver Nuggets are playing the Phx Suns in the next level of the championship games. Nuggets are ahead by one. Good matchup.

I headed over to the free dealership car wash…found out it is closed on Sunday. Guess I’ll wash it tomorrow.

Enjoy

 

Signs

Origins of State Names Indiana

The story behind why Indianans are called “Hoosiers” is a lot more uncertain than the state’s name as a whole. The name Indiana simply means “land of the Indians,” though how it got that name is a tumultuous story. After the French and Indian War, the state was owned by a Philadelphia trading company who named it after the Native Americans that originally had claim to the land. But a large portion of the land belonged to Virginia, and after years of legal dispute, Indiana was reabsorbed by the territory, no longer bearing an official name. It wasn’t until 1800, when Congress reassigned territory boundaries that the old name Indiana was restored, and this key region from America’s Heartland became what we know it as today.

Moon Facts

There will soon be people going to the Moon again

NASA is currently training astronauts for the next phase of Moon exploration known as the Artemis mission. The criteria and selection process for the next Moon visitors is strict, and new recruits will likely spend two and a half years in training, including time on the International Space Station, before qualifying for missions. The Artemis program, which will see crewed Moon landings, will not happen until after 2024. NASA hopes to establish a permanent base on the Moon in order to help facilitate a mission to Mars in the future.

Historic Events

• 1707 – The Act of Union, uniting England and Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain took effect.

• 1893 – The influential Columbian Exposition opened in Chicago.

• 1939 – Batman debuted in Detective Comics #27

• 1956 – The polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk was made available to the public.

• 1961 – Fidel Castro, proclaimed Cuba a socialist nation and abolished elections.

• May 1 is Law Day, begun in 1958. “A national day set aside to celebrate the rule of law. Law Day underscores how law and the legal process have contributed to the freedoms that all Americans share.”

Birthdays with some quotes

@93 – Mary ‘Mother Jones’, Irish-American labor leader (d. 1930)
@92 – Louis Nye, American comedic actor (d. 2005)
@90 – Glenn Ford, Canadian-American actor (d. 2006)
@85 – Jack Paar, American comedian, author and talk show host (d. 2004)
“Looking back, my life so far seems like one long obstacle race, with me as its chief obstacle.”– Jack Paar
84 – Judy Collins, American singer-songwriter
“I look in the mirror through the eyes of the child that was me.”– Judy Collins
@79 – Kate Smith, American singer and actress (d. 1986; diabetic complications)
“It has been said that genius is only the power of making continuous effort. The line between failure and success is so fine that we scarcely know when we pass it. We are told that there is no failure, except in no longer trying – no defeat, except from within, no really insurmountable barrier save our own weakness of purpose.”– Kate Smith
78 – Rita Coolidge, American singer-songwriter
“Too often, the opportunity knocks, but by the time you push back the chain, push back the bolt, unhook the two locks and shut off the burglar alarm, it’s too late.”– Rita Coolidge
56 – Tim McGraw, American singer-songwriter
“We all take different paths in life, but no matter where we go, we take a little of each other everywhere.”– Tim McGraw
@51 – Calamity Jane (Martha Jane Cannary), American frontierswoman, professional scout (d. 1903; bowel issues)
51 – Julie Benz, American actress

 
 

  

30 Apr

 

April 2023

Daily Almanac for Flagstaff

Week 18 Day 120	Ave. Sky Cover 5%\ Visibility  31miles	Flagstaff Today  73° \ 31°
Wind  4mph \ Gusts  7mph	Nearest active fire: 287 miles	Nearest Lightning 913mi
Air Quality: Moderate High Risk of fire	Apr. Averages: Flagstaff: 60° \ 27°Apr. Average: 3 Days of moisture	Sunshine

Today’s Quote

 

Weekly Observations

21-5/2	Festival of Ridvan (Baha'i)
22-30	National Park Week Administrative Professionals Week
24-30	National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) National Scoop The Poop Week Spring Astronomy Week World Immunization Week
28-30	Interstate Mullet Toss National Dream Hotline National & Global Youth Service Days
30-5/7	Stewardship Week Preservation Week (re: Libraries)

 

Daily Observations

Adopt A Shelter Pet Day Link  Link
Animal Advocacy Day
Beltane
Blue Sunday Link 
Bugs Bunny Day
Deaf Parents Day
Dia De Los Nios/Dia De Los Libros Day
Bugs Bunny Day
Deaf Parents Day
Dia De Los Nios/Dia De Los Libros Day
Hairstylist Appreciation Day
Honesty Day
International Jazz Day Link  
Mahjong Day
Mr. Potato Head Day National Pet Parent's Day   
Mahjong Day
Mr. Potato Head Day National Pet Parent's Day   Link   Link
National Animal Advocacy Day
National Bubble Tea Day  Link
National First Ladies Day Link
National Honesty Day
National Military Brats Day  Link
National PrepareAthon Day Link
National Raisin Day
Oatmeal Cookie Day
Pet Tech CPR Day
Pinhole Photography Day  Link 
Spank Out Day - USA
Walpurgis Night
Spank Out Day - USA
Walpurgis Night

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

A very nice spring day. It’s over 70° so doors and windows are open.

I headed out to get gas…prices just keep going up. Must be why Sam’s had no long lines at the gas pump. There was a line at the car wash, so I’ll wait until tomorrow.

I continue to shake my head in disbelief…Marjorie Taylor Green, at hearing with AFT head regarding Covid procedures to the head of AFT that she was not a mother, because she had not given birth, but adopted her child. Sickening. At another hearing she pointed out to a stunned audience that during the last ice age there were no tax raises to help solve the ice age problems. She failed to mention that during the last ice age, humans had not yet formed governments or countries. Did the constituents in her district get together and say, ‘Let’s elect the dumbest candidate so everyone will know we have the dumbest and no one else should try to find one dumber?’  

Enjoy…

 

Signs… 

Moon Facts…

The Moon does have some gravity

The weightlessness we see astronauts experience during space voyages might lead to the conclusion that there is no gravity in space, but in reality every massive object in space, including the Moon, does have some level of gravity. The Apollo mission astronauts were only able to walk on the Moon’s surface because of gravity, but the force is considerably less than it is on Earth. A person on the Moon would feel about 17% of the gravitational pull that they would normally experience on our planet.

State Names Origins…

Illinois

Spanning nearly 400-miles North to South, Illinois is home to a wide array of climates and cultures that make the state fascinating to learn about, but when it comes to its name, there’s a simple explanation. Illinois is a French pronunciation of the Illiniwek Native American tribe that French explorers Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette encountered upon arriving in 1673. The explorers believed the word to mean “the men,” but more recent studies of the language indicate it could mean "he speaks in the ordinary way." In 1818, when the territory was made a state, Congress confirmed the name. Nowadays the word Illinois is synonymous with the state’s great residents who have gone on to achieve profound success in the worlds of politics, art, music, and more.

Historical Events

v 1938 – The cartoon short Porky’s Hare Hunt debuted in movie theaters, introducing ‘Happy Rabbit’ (a prototype of Bugs Bunny).
v 1939 – The 1939/1940 New York World’s Fair opened.
v 1939 – Franklin Roosevelt became the first US President to appear on Television, while appearing at the New York World’s Fair.

Birthdays Today

@94 – Cloris Leachman, American actress (d. 2021)
“Why can’t we build orphanages next to homes for the elderly? If someone were sitting in a rocker, it wouldn’t be long before a kid will be in his lap.”– Cloris Leachman
@89 – Alice B. Toklas, American memoirist (d. 1967)
“But I don’t want nutrition. I want food!”– Alice B. Toklas
@82 – Eve Arden (Eunice Mary Quedens), American character actress (d. 1990)
@74 – Gary Collins, American actor, talk show host (d. 2012)
@73 – Bobby Vee, American singer-songwriter (d. 2016; dementia)
@66 – Jill Clayburgh, American actress (d. 2010; leukemia)
48 – Johnny Galecki, American actor
“People are complicated; you put two of them together and it’s generally a mess, but hopefully a beautiful mess.”– Johnny Galecki
41 – Kirsten Dunst, American actress
“I’ve seen ‘karma’ slap people in the face. You have to be good to people. It really does come around.”– Kirsten Dunst
38 – Gal Gadot, Israeli actress and model
32 – Travis Scott, American rapper, producer

 
 

29 Apr

 

29 April 2023

Daily Almanac for Flagstaff

Week 17 Day 119	Ave. Sky Cover 5%\ Visibility  31miles	Flagstaff Today  64° \ 38°
Wind  9mph \ Gusts  18mph	Nearest active fire: 88miles	Nearest Lightning 775mi
Air Quality: Fair High Risk of fire	Apr. Averages: Flagstaff: 60° \ 27° Apr. Average: 3 Days of moisture	Sunshine Wind

Today’s Quote

Weekly Observations

21-5/2    Festival of Ridvan (Baha'i)

22-29    National Dance Week

 22-30    National Park Week

              Administrative Professionals Week

23-29    Disability Book Week

Fibroid Awareness Week

National Infertility Awareness Week

National Karaoke Week

Medical Laboratory Professionals Week

National Crime Victims Rights Week

National Library Week

National Pediatric Transplant Week

National Princess Week

Mule Days

Sky Awareness Week

24-30    National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW)

  National Scoop The Poop Week

24-30   Spring Astronomy Week

            World Immunization Week

26-29    American Quilters Society Week

27-29    Gathering of the Nations Powwow

28-30   Interstate Mullet Toss

           National Dream Hotline

           National & Global Youth Service Days

Daily Observations

Bob Wills Day Link  
Dance Day
Eeyore's Birthday Day  Link
Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day Link
Independent Bookstore Day
International Dance Day Link
International Sculpture Day Link  
National Go Birding Day
National Herb Day
National Pool Opening Day 
National Go Birding Day
National Herb Day
National Pool Opening Day Link 
National Rebuilding Day  
National Sense of Smell Day 
National Rebuilding Day  
National Sense of Smell Day  Link 
National Take Back Day
National Take Back Day Link  (DEA)  
 "Peace" Rose Day  (The flower)
Pet Tech CPR Day
Shrimp Scampi Day
Spring Astronomy Day
World Healing Day 
 "Peace" Rose Day  (The flower)
Pet Tech CPR Day
Shrimp Scampi Day
Spring Astronomy Day
World Healing Day Link  
World Tai Chi & Qigong Day  
World Tai Chi & Qigong Day  Link  
World Veterinary Day 
World Wish Day Link
Zipper Day

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

 The wind has returned…a little cooler than yesterday.

A friend stopped by; we watched Netflix until almost 2am. Today is a very lazy day.

Former VP Pence testified to a grand jury as to his knowledge of  Jan 6. So many historic firsts dealing with Former President Trump. Wondering what the history books will say about Trump and his administration.

On the question of abortion, our country is returning to the mid-1800’s when much of today’s science was not known. Such a sad story.

Enjoy…

 

Signs…

 

Moon Facts…

A NASA scientist proposed detonating a nuclear bomb on the Moon.

After the first successful Apollo mission in 1969, one NASA scientist, Gary V. Latham, actually proposed an experiment to detonate a one- to five-kiloton nuclear bomb on the Moon as a way to study its interior. He posited that the Russians would assist in the plan, and that the potential radiation wouldn’t be a problem for life on Earth if the bomb went off on the far side of the Moon. Not surprisingly, his proposal was never seriously considered.

State Names Origins…

Idaho

While Idaho is very real, its name was entirely made up to begin with. In 1860, the name Idaho was proposed for the territory by George Willing, a mining lobbyist who claimed it was a Native American word meaning “gem of the mountains.” It turned out that Willing had actually made the name up; Congress found out about the fraud and rejected the name, instead naming it Colorado. But a few years later, in 1863, after the naming hoax fiasco had been forgotten, the mining territory was officially named Idaho after all. The story really makes you wonder how many place names we can owe to a curious imagination.

 

Historical Events

v 1770 – James Cook arrived in Australia, and named Botany Bay.
v 1945 – The Dachau concentration camp was liberated.
v 1968 – Hair, a hippie/counter-culture and sexual revolution musical, opened at the Biltmore Theatre on Broadway.
v 2011 – The wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton took place at Westminster Abbey in London.

Birthdays Today

@98 – Jack Williamson, American author, academic (d. 2006)
@95 – Celeste Holm, American actress, singer (d. 2012)
90 – Willie Nelson, American singer-songwriter
@88 – William Randolph Hearst, publisher, politician, founded Hearst Corporation (d. 1951)
“News is what people don’t want you to print. Everything thing else is ads.”– William Randolph Hearst
@87 – Emperor Shōwa Hirohito, Japanese emperor (d. 1989)
@81 – Rod McKuen, American singer-songwriter, poet (d. 2015)
“If I could do it over, I’d do better.”– Rod McKuen
@75 – Edward Kennedy ‘Duke’ Ellington, pianist, composer, bandleader (d. 1974; lung cancer)
“Put it this way: Jazz is a good barometer of freedom… In its beginnings, the United States of America spawned certain ideals of freedom and independence through which, eventually, jazz was evolved, and the music is so free that many people say it is the only unhampered, unhindered expression of complete freedom yet produced in this country.”– Duke Ellington
69 – Jerry Seinfeld, American comedian
68 – Kate Mulgrew, American actress
66 – Daniel Day-Lewis, British-Irish actor
“I didn’t like the idea of being foolish, but I learned pretty soon that it was essential to fail and be foolish.”– Daniel Day-Lewis
65 – Michelle Pfeiffer, American actress
53 – Andre Agassi, American tennis player
“If you don’t practice you don’t deserve to win.”– Andre Agassi
53 – Uma Thurman, American actress
@49 – Dale Earnhardt, American race car driver (d. 2001; Daytona crash)
27 – Katherine Langford, Australian actress
@24 – Tammi Terrell, American soul singer-songwriter (d. 1970; brain cancer)