1 June

 

1 June 2023

Flagstaff Almanac
Week 22 Day 152 Ave. Sky Cover 5%\ Visibility  26mi. Flagstaff Today  73° \ 35° 
Wind  7mph \ Gusts  19mph  Nearest active fire: 23miles Nearest Lightning:  163mi
Air Quality: Fair
Risk of fire: Extreme June Averages: Flagstaff: 80° \ 43° June Average: 1 Day of moisture
Sunshine

Today’s Quote

Monthly Observations

Adopt-A-Cat Month Link  Link
Adopt A Shelter Cat Month
African-American Music Appreciation Month Link
Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month Link
Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome Awareness Month (APS) Link
Audiobook Appreciation Month
Beautiful in Your Skin Month Link
California Avocado Month  Link
Cancer From The Sun Month
Caribbean-American Heritage Month
Cataract Awareness Month
Celibacy Awareness Month 
Child Vision Awareness Month
Children's Awareness Month

Weekly Observations

5/22-6/4  National Seat Belt Reinforcement Week Link
5/28-6/3 Black Single Parents Week
5/28-6/4 National African Violet Week
5/29-9/4 National Marina Days (From Memorial Day to Labor Day)  Link
5/30-6/1 Scripps Spelling Bee Finals
1-4         Great American Brass Band Week  Link 

Daily Observations

Baby Boomers Recognition Day
CNN Day
Dare Day
Flip A Coin Day
Global Day of Parents Link
Hazelnut Cake Day
Heimlich Maneuver Day
International IGBO Day
International Table Top Day ? Link
Meterological Summer (Temperature)
National Dare Day  Link  
National Go Barefoot Day Link Link
National Nailpolish Day  Link
National Olive Day  Link
National Pen Pal Day  Link
National Toilet Paper Wedding Dress Day
Oscar The Grouch Day Link
Say Something Nice Day Link
Stand For Children Day Link
Superman's Birthday  (Comic Book) 
World Milk Day  Link

World Narcissistic Abuse Day  Link

World Reef Awareness Day Link

Today’s Thoughts

 My vehicle was covered with golden pollen again this morning. Still having a runny nose and sinus drainage. Not fun.

About 8:30 this morning a group from some roofing company arrived and moved all the pine needles from the gutters. It looked like they were also checking the roofs for damage. Happy to have clean gutters.

I read an article that Rosalyn Carter, 95-years-old, has developed dementia and still helps out with care for her 98-year-old husband, Jimmy Carter. A sad ending for such a nice couple.

Enjoy

 

History revisited…

Nintendo Was Founded When Jack The Ripper Was Still On The Loose

To many, Nintendo is a modern video game company that brought us classics like Mario, Zelda, and the impressive Nintendo Switch, but that's not what it started as.

Initially, Nintendo made playing cards for a game called hanafuda. The company was founded back in 1889, a time when the notorious Jack the Ripper was still wreaking havoc in London. Today, the identity of the serial killer remains unknown, with the remains of the victim known as "The Pinchin Steet Torso" being discovered just weeks after Nintendo opened its doors.

Historic Events

• 1792 – Kentucky became the 15th US state.
• 1796 – Tennessee became the 16th US state.
• 1812 – US President James Madison asked Congress to declare war on the United Kingdom, starting the War of 1812.
• 1938 – Superman debuted in Action Comics #1
• 2009 – General Motors filed for bankruptcy

Birthdays with some quotes

89 – Pat Boone, American singer-songwriter
@86 – Andy Griffith, American actor (d. 2012)
“I firmly believe that in every situation, no matter how difficult, God extends grace greater than the hardship, and strength and peace of mind that can lead us to a place higher than where we were before.”– Andy Griffith
86 – Morgan Freeman, American actor and narrator
“Challenge yourself- it’s the only path which leads to growth.”– Morgan Freeman
@64 – Nelson Riddle, American composer, bandleader (d. 1985; cirrhosis)
50 – Heidi Klum, Model
49 – Alanis Morissette, Canadian-American singer-songwriter
42 – Amy Schumer, American comedic actress
42 – Brandi Carlile, American singer-songwriter
“I’m not sure I’ll ever be famous by anyone’s definition. I can only hope to be allowed by the audience to continue my life’s work.”– Brandi Carlile
@36 – Marilyn Monroe, American actress (d. 1962; OD)
“Cutting negative people from my life does not mean I hate them, it simply means I respect me.”– Marilyn Monroe
27 – Tom Holland, English actor
“The most important thing, in anything you do, is always trying your hardest because even if you try your hardest and it’s not as good as you’d hoped, you still have that sense of not letting yourself down.”– Tom Holland

 

 

31 May

31 May 2023

Flagstaff Almanac

Week 22 Day 151                        Ave. Sky Cover 5%\ Visibility 29mi.     Flagstaff Today  73° \ 38° 
Wind  10mph \ Gusts 16mph    Nearest active fire: 23miles                  Nearest Lightning:  338mi
Air Quality: Fair                          Risk of fire: Extreme                                Sunshine
May Averages: Flagstaff: 68° \ 34°                                                            May Average: 3 Days of moisture

Today’s Quote

Weekly Observations

22-6/4	National Seat Belt Reinforcement Week Link
25-31	Week of Solidarity With The People of Non-Self-Governing Territories
28-6/3	Black Single Parents Week
28-6/4	National African Violet Week
29-9/4	National Marina Days (From Memorial Day to Labor Day)  Link
5/30-6/1	Scripps Spelling Bee Finals

Daily Observations

Macaroon Day
National Smile Day  Link
Necrotizing Fasciitis Awareness Day:31  Link
National Senior Health & Fitness Day Link 
Save Your Hearing Day 
Save Your Hearing Day Link Link
What You Think Upon Grows Day
World No-Tobacco Day
World Otter Day
World Parrot Day 
What You Think Upon Grows Day
World No-Tobacco Day
World Otter Day
World Parrot Day Link

Today’s Thoughts

My newly shined car was covered with pollen this morning. I now have a silver/gold vehicle. I guess nature wants to let everyone know I graduated from the University of Colorado.

The pollen count is very high, and I have a very runny nose. Hope the OTC meds kick in soon. I don’t usually have allergies but today seems to be the day.

I was hoping the Celtics would be playing Denver in the championship. Oh well, Denver can beat the Heat.

Listening the Congress members, the ‘deal’ does not seem well received. It’s all politics. I hope they all put on their big boy/big girl pants and raise the darn debt ceiling. So tired to the games. 

Enjoy

Ocean Trivia

In contrast to bony fish, Chondrichthyes, such as sharks and rays, have skeletons made of Cartilage.

Note: The whale shark trivia the other day was also a Jeopardy! question last night.

Origins of State Names

Vermont

While many of the names on this list date back to pre-American independence, Vermont’s name was first documented just one year after the country’s creation. The words vert and mont translate to “green mountain,” as the state is home to the glorious Green Mountain range. On April 11, 1777, Philadelphia doctor and revolutionary Thomas Young became the first to use the name Vermont in print, writing, ““To the Inhabitants of Vermont, a Free and Independent State.” Young is believed to be the originator of the name, which was likely as much a tribute to his friend Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys militia as it was a description of the stunning scenery.

Virginia

Much like Maryland, yet another powerful and influential woman lends her name to the state of Virginia (and in turn, West Virginia, but we’ll get to that later). Virginia was named for Queen Elizabeth I of England, who was also known as the “Virgin Queen” for her reluctance to marry. In 1584, Elizabeth granted English explorer and soldier Walter Raleigh permission to start the colony, and he would go on to name the new land in her honor.

Historic Events

• 1909 – The National Negro Committee, the forerunner to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), convened for the first time.
• 1911 – The RMS Titanic was launched in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
• 1971 – Observation of Memorial Day occurred on the last Monday in May for the first time.Previously, it was held on May 30.
• 2005 – Vanity Fair revealed that Mark Felt was Watergate’s “Deep Throat”.

Birthdays with some quotes

@95 – Norman Vincent Peale, American minister, author (d. 1993)
“A positive thinker does not refuse to recognize the negative; he refuses to dwell on it. Positive thinking is a form of thought which habitually looks for the best results from the worst conditions.”– Norman Vincent Peale
@85 – Don Ameche, American actor (d. 1993)
93 – Clint Eastwood, American actor, director
80 – Joe Namath, American football player
“When you have confidence, you can have a lot of fun. And when you have fun, you can do amazing things.”– Joe Namath
@72 – Walt Whitman, American poet, essayist, and journalist (d. 1892)
“Either define the moment or the moment will define you.”– Walt Whitman @70 – John Ringling, American entrepreneur, co-founder of Ringling Brothers Circus (d. 1936)
@65 – Genghis Khan, Emperor (d. 1227; fall from horse or shot during battle)
63 – Chris Elliott, American comedic actor
“People think that all cameramen do is point the camera at things, but it’s a heck of a lot more complicated than that.”– Chris Elliott
62 – Lea Thompson, American actress
“Howard the Duck! That’s a really interesting movie. I appreciate my career because I’ve had a lot of very interesting ups and downs, and most people… That movie is such a famous flop. In a land of a lot of flops, it’s kind of awesome to be in a really famous flop. I mean, it’s kind of a poster child for flops.– Lea Thompson
58 – Brooke Shields, American model and actress
“Have faith in your own thoughts.”– Brooke Shields @45 – Jim Hutton, actor (d.1979; liver cancer)
46 – Colin Farrell, Irish actor
“I know what the important things are in life. I know that just because I pretend to be someone else for two hours on the silver screen doesn’t make me a better person than the next man. So, I mind all those things. Simple things.”\– Colin Farrell
@32 – John Bonham, drummer (Led Zepplin) (d.1980; OD with vodka)

 
 

  

30 May

 

30 May 2023

Flagstaff Almanac

Week 22 Day 150	Ave. Sky Cover 5%\ Visibility  25mi.	Flagstaff Today  75° \ 38°
Wind  8mph \ Gusts  12mph	Nearest active fire: 23miles	Nearest Lightning:  514mi
Air Quality: Moderate Risk of fire: Extreme	May Averages: Flagstaff: 68° \ 34° May Average: 3 Days of moisture	Sunshine

Today’s Quote

 

Weekly Observations

22-6/4   National Seat Belt Reinforcement Week Link 24-30 Fleet Week 25-31 Week of Solidarity With The People of Non-Self-Governing Territories 28-6/3  Black Single Parents Week 28-6/4 National African Violet Week 29-9/4 National Marina Days (From Memorial Day to Labor Day)  Link 5/30-6/1 Scripps Spelling Bee Finals

Daily Observations

Indianapolis 500 Anniversary Loomis Day Macaroon Day Memorial Day (Traditional) Mint Julep Day My Bucket’s Got a Hole Day National Creativity Day  Link World MS Day (Multiple Sclerosis) Link

Today’s Thoughts

What a nice spring day.

I took my vehicle to the car wash, then came home and put a good coat of ceramic wax on the car, put Rain-X on the windows, and used Armor-All Protectant on the interior. It took about 2 hours to do all that, but the car looks showroom new again. Ready for the next monsoon season.

I’ve seen some amazing videos of the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy. For some unknown reasons the entire canal is florescent green. The world is awaiting the investigation findings. Who, what, and how is still unknown.

Last night was the annual PBS Memorial Concert in DC. Another great performance to America. I had 2A deferment during the Vietnam Conflict. Then in my sophomore year I got a high number in the birthday draw. Soon after graduation, the US had an all-volunteer military. They announced last night that the last 50 years has been an all-volunteer military. Time sure flies.

Radio Free Europe is still broadcasting, now on radio, TV, and the internet. I remember its beginnings back in the early Cold War days. At that time there was some mistrust as it was started by the CIA. After that revelation, the Feds got out of RFE business, and an independent corporation was set up. In the latest budget, Congress gave $125million/year and has nothing to do with the broadcast content.  I’m happy that 60 Minutes cleared up RFE history.

Enjoy

Ocean Trivia

Sometimes called "rainforests of the sea," coral reefs form a type of underwater ecosystem that occupies less than 0.1% of the world's ocean area and provides a home for more than 25% of marine species.

Origins of State Names

Utah

From its crystal clear Great Salt Lake to the mountainous peaks that make the state distinct, Utah has a natural beauty as rich as its deep history. When Spanish settlers arrived in the area in the late 1500s, they encountered the Native American Ute tribe, from which the state takes its name. The meaning of this tribe’s name is “people of the mountains”; it’s also believed that this name could potentially have come from the Apache word for the tribe, yuttahih, which roughly translates to "those that are higher up.” Despite the association with the state’s elevation, in the Ute tribe’s language, their own name actually means “land of the sun.”

Historic Events

• 1842 – John Francis attempted to murder Queen Victoria as she drives down Constitution Hill in London.
• 1854 – The US territories of Kansas and Nebraska were established.
• 1911 – At the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the first Indianapolis 500 ended with Ray Harroun in his Marmon Wasp.
• 1975 – European Space Agency was established.

Birthdays with some quotes

@81 – Howard Hawks, American director, producer, screenwriter (d. 1977)
@81 – Mel Blanc, American voice actor (d. 1989)
“Today was tomorrow yesterday so don’t inhale.”– Mel Blanc
61 – Kevin Eastman, American author, illustrator (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
59 – Wynonna Judd, American singer-songwriter
“Sometimes all it takes is just a smile to change somebody’s weather.”– Wynonna Judd
48 – CeeLo Green, American singer-songwriter
@37 – Irving Thalberg, American screenwriter, producer (d. 1936; pneumonia)

 
 

 

Memorial Day 2023

 

Memorial Day 2023

Flagstaff Almanac

Week 22 Day 149	Ave. Sky Cover 5%\ Visibility  28mi.	Flagstaff Today  73° \ 37°
Wind  2mph \ Gusts  16mph	Nearest active fire: 23miles	Nearest Lightning:  331mi
Air Quality: Moderate Risk of fire: Extreme	May Averages: Flagstaff: 68° \ 34° May Average: 3 Days of moisture	Sunshine

Today’s Quote

Memorial Day this year is especially important as we are reminded almost daily of the great sacrifices that the men and women of the Armed Services make to defend our way of life. -Robin Hayes

Weekly Observations

22-6/4   National Seat Belt Reinforcement Week Link 24-30 Fleet Week 25-31 Week of Solidarity With The People of Non-Self-Governing Territories 26-29 Old-Time Player Piano Weekend  Link Mudbug Madness Days   National Polka Weekend Link  28-6/3  Black Single Parents Week 28-6/4 National African Violet Week 29-9/4 National Marina Days (From Memorial Day to Labor Day)  Link

Daily Observations

Ascension of Baha'U'llah Coq Au Vin Day Hamburger Day Link  International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers Learn About Composting Day Memorial Day (Observed) National 529 Day  Link National Alligator Day Prayer for Peace Memorial Day Put A Pillow On Your Fridge Day Link

Today’s Thoughts

A great weather day…again. No complaints

Memorial Day is an American holiday honoring the men and women who died while serving in the military. My parents knew it as Decoration Day. It began in the years following the Civil War and became a national holiday in 1971. It has come to mark the beginning of the summer season.

I see lots of posts on Facebook that I ‘like’ or that make me laugh or I enjoy and I want the person who posted it to know I enjoyed it. I thought it showed appreciation without having to say anything. Yesterday I was in a very good mood and liked a lot of posts. Suddenly I was told by Facebook that I was restricted for 24 hours for ‘something’. All I had done was ‘like’ too many posts. I took some minutes to review community standards and found another site where people talk about community standards. It was there I learned that Facebook will restrict its members posts if there are too many emoji responses within a timeframe. The guess is that this is to prevent bots that are not real people from turning a post viral. There must be a better way to prevent bots from the Facebook site. Guess I’ll change my strategy to make the machine happy. I would complain to Facebook, but it is free, and they can have whatever rules, no matter how ridiculous. Algorithm 1, Me 0.

Our local daily newspaper, the AZ Daily Sun, has been published since 1898 as the Coconino Sun and since 1946 as the Daily Sun. Flag has grown a lot since those days. Our population is at a little over 75,000. When I arrived here in 1971 it was about 42,000. The price of the paper has gone up so that a paper subscription is about $300/year. I switched to the e-edition a few years ago. They had gone from printing 7 days a week to 6 days a week with no Monday paper. Today, the e-edition said that in mid-June the print paper would be going to 3 days a week and home delivery would be through the mail. It is a sad commentary for a university town.

Enjoy

Ocean Trivia

The largest species of shark, the Whale shark, is named after another large sea-dweller, and the species can reach lengths as large as 60 feet.

Origins of State Names

Texas

Texans have that sweet southern charm, so it’s fitting that its name translates to “friends or allies.” Spanish explorers encountered the Native American Caddo tribe in present-day Texas in the 1540s, and are believed to have interpreted their word teyshas as the tribe name, recording it as Teyas or Tejas. While the errors were corrected and the usage stopped over time, the name eventually lived on. “Friendship” has even been the Texas state motto since 1930, so if you don’t have a pal from Texas already then be sure to find yourself one.

Historic Events

• 1886 – John Pemberton placed his first advertisement for Coca-Cola, in The Atlanta Journal.
• 1919 – Albert Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity was tested (and later confirmed) by Arthur Eddington and Andrew Claude de la Cherois Crommelin.
• 1953 – Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa of Nepal, became the first explorers to reach the summit of Mount Everest, which is at 29,035 feet above sea level.
• 2004 – The National World War II Memorial was dedicated in Washington, D.C.

Birthdays with some quotes

@100 – Leslie Townes “Bob” Hope, English-American actor, singer, producer (d. 2003)
“No one party can fool all of the people all of the time; that’s why we have two parties.”– Bob Hope @71  – Tenzing Norgay, Mountain climber (d. 1986; stroke)
67 – LaToya Jackson, entertainer
70 – Danny Elfman, American singer-songwriter
“… you hear the beginning of a melody, you should kind of know it’s going to lead down this path. It should start feeling like a friend, like familiar.”– Danny Elfman
65 – Annette Bening, American actress
@63 – Patrick Henry, American lawyer, politician, 1st Governor of Virginia (d. 1799; intestinal disease)
“United we stand, divided we fall. Let us not split into factions which must destroy that union upon which our existence hangs.”– Patrick Henry
@62 – G.K. Chesterton, English essayist, poet, playwright (Father Brown)(d. 1936; heart failure)
“The truth is that it is only by believing in God that we can ever criticize the Government. Once abolish the God, and the Government becomes the God.”– Gilbert K. Chesterton
“A society is in decay, final or transitional when common sense really becomes uncommon.”– Gilbert K. Chesterton
47 – Daniel Tosh, American comedian
“They say money doesn’t buy happiness. That phrase should end with ‘just kidding’.”– Daniel Tosh
@46 – John F. Kennedy, 35^th President (d. 1963; assassinated)
48 – Mel B (Melanie Janine Brown), English singer-songwriter
“You never can expect what people’s reactions are going to be. You can only hope that everyone feels the way that you do.”– Melanie Brown
34 – Riley Keough, American model