2 Jan

 

2 January 2023

Daily Almanac for Flagstaff
Week 1 Day 2 \ Ave. Sky Cover 95% \ Visibility 1 mile Flagstaff Today 42° \26°  Wind 9mph \ Gusts 121mph 
Air Quality: Fair \Very Low Risk of fire \ Nearest active fire 386mi \ Nearest Lightning 155mi
Jan Averages for Flagstaff: 44° \ 16° \5 Days of moisture
Raining/Snowing

Today’s Quote

 

Monthly Observations

Financial Wellness Month
Get A Balanced Life Month
Get Organized Month
Ginuary Link  Link
International Brain Teaser Month
International Change Your Stars Month Link
International Child-Centered Divorce Month
International Creativity Month
International New Years Resolutions Month for Businesses
International Quality of Life Month
International Wayfinding Month
International Wealth Mentality Month
Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month Link
Manuary
Menudo Month  Link

Weekly Observations

Dec 14-Jan 5 
Christmas Bird Count Week: Link 
1-7
Diet Resolution Week 
National Folic Acid Awareness Week   Link
Dating & Life Coaches Recognition Week
National Lose Weight/Feel Great Week
Silent Record Week
2-8
International Consumer Electronics Show
Someday We'll Laugh About This Week

Daily Observations

55-MPH Speed Limit Day
Divorce Monday Link 
Handsel Day 
Handsel Day Link 
Happy Mew Year for Cats Day
National Buffet Day 
Happy Mew Year for Cats Day
National Buffet Day Link
National Cream Puff Day
National Motivation and Inspiration Day Link
National Personal Trainer Awareness Day
National Science Fiction Day  Link
National "Thank God It's Monday" Day
National Weigh-In Day   
Pet Travel and Safety Day
Rose Bowl Game
Stop Spam Day Link
Tournament of Roses Parade Day
World Introvert Day  Link

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

I woke up to 2023 to find lots of rain, occasional snow…but none sticking. Weather guy still says to expect about 6” later today. I’ll wait and see.

The Cards are lost to the Falcons by one. Broncos lost to the Chiefs by 3at half-time by a field goal. I watched the Cards and followed the Broncos on the internet machine. Both teams are having terrible seasons.

I went to be about 10 last night, but my phone woke me around midnight with people wishing me a Happy New Year. My brother and I conversed on What’s App around 9:00pm. They were at a party, and he said the ‘after-party’ would be at their place later. Their parties are always exciting with a wide variety of guests, great food, amazing conversations, and a fantastic wait staff. They really enjoy entertaining.  

Sunrises around the world

A few more New Year’s traditions

  Burning Scarecrows in Ecuador

Perhaps the eeriest tradition out there, locals in this South American country burn scarecrows, or effigies, to dispel any bad vibes from the past year. Sometimes, they are dressed to resemble people that they dislike and are then burned as a symbol of “forgiving and forgetting”. Families make their scarecrows together as a fun bonding activity and the atmosphere is light-hearted — even if the effigies look terrifying. The scarecrows are often accompanied by photographs or messages of negative things that represent the past year. Besides the fires, every city in Ecuador throws high-energy parties with music, drinks and dancing late into the night. Whether you’re visiting picturesque Quito or bustling Guayaquil, you’re sure to have the most unique New Year’s Eve celebration yet.

Circle Obsessed in the Philippines

In this Southeast Asian country they are obsessed with all things round on New Year’s Eve. Circular objects are thought to be sacred and to bring good fortune to your household in the new year. Coins in pockets, polka-dotted clothes and round foods like grapes and oranges are all examples of things you will find in every household during this holiday. There is much more to see here than just coins and grapes. Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, is home to beautiful Spanish colonial architecture and an awesome fireworks show on New Year’s Eve that you won’t want to miss.

A Fiery Night in Scotland

Don’t visit Scotland for New Year’s Eve if you aren’t ready for some heat. Join the locals for Hogmanay, a traditional celebration that incorporates fire into the festivities. Larger cities like Edinburgh have torchlight processions where locals march together in the streets to bring in the new year. However, the real thrill happens at midnight in the city of Stonehaven. Here, Scots dressed in kilts wave poles with fireballs around while they parade through streets filled with spectators. They use the fire as a means to purify the new year. The spectacle ends in the scenic town center near the harbor when they toss their fire sticks into the sea. Visit a castle, have a drink and watch the sparks fly in one of these beautiful Scottish towns.

Yellow for Luck in Colombia

Historic Cartagena on Colombia’s Caribbean coast is a beautiful choice for New Year’s Eve — complete with palm trees, white beaches, fireworks and bright yellow underwear. If you’re traveling to a country in Central or South America for the holiday, be sure to pack your brightly colored undergarments. In many of these countries, like Colombia, wearing red or yellow undergarments on New Year’s Eve can increase your chances of finding love or luck in the new year. Yellow is by far the most popular color choice, and if you forget yours, don’t worry — they even sell them on the streets before the holiday.

Slang Origins

1952: The Reds

Meaning: Communist

The Cold War between the USSR and USA defined the second half of the 20th century. During the early 1950s, the conflict heated up as the Cuban Missile Crisis stoked rampant fears of nuclear confrontation. Communists became “the Reds,” so-called for the red flag of the USSR and red star of Communism. The nickname grew in popularity alongside animosity between the two groups.

Mysteries…

IS THERE A CITY OF ATLANTIS?

Writing in the fourth century B.C., the Greek philosopher Plato told a story of a land named Atlantis that existed in the Atlantic Ocean and supposedly conquered much of Europe and Africa in prehistoric times. In the story, the prehistoric Athenians strike back against Atlantis in a conflict that ends with Atlantis vanishing beneath the waves.

 

While no serious scholar believes that this story is literally true, some have speculated that the legend could have been inspired, in part, by real events that happened in Greek history. One possibility is that the Minoan civilization (as it's now called), which flourished on the island of Crete until about 1400 B.C., could have inspired the story of Atlantis. Although Crete is in the Mediterranean, and not the Atlantic, Minoan settlements suffered considerable damage during the eruption of Thera, a volcano in Greece.

Additionally, archaeologists found that the Minoans were eventually overcome (or forced to join with) a group of people called the Mycenaeans, who were based on mainland Greece. It's unlikely that this debate will ever be fully settled.

What was Jesus really like?

The earliest surviving gospels date to the second century, almost 100 years after the life of Jesus (although recently, it was announced that a possible first-century fragment had been found).

The lack of surviving first-century texts about Jesus leave biblical scholars with a number of questions. When were the gospels written? How many of the stories actually took place? What was Jesus like in real life? Archaeological investigations of Nazareth, Jesus' hometown, reveal more about the environment where he grew up. More recently, scientists discovered a first-century house that, centuries after Jesus' time, was venerated as being the house that Jesus grew up in, but whether it was actually Jesus' house is unknown.

Although new research will provide more insight, scholars think it's unlikely they will ever fully know what Jesus was really like.

Historical Events

1959 – Luna 1, the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Moon and to orbit the Sun, was launched by the Soviet Union.
1974 – 55 MPH speed limit was imposed by the Richard Nixon administration.
2008 – Oil reached $100 per barrel for the first time.

Birthdays Today

@89 – Barry Goldwater, AZ Senator, businessman, author (d. 1998)
@82 – Dan Rostenkowski, American politician (d. 2010)
83 – Jim Bakker, American televangelist
@78 – Martha Carey Thomas, American suffragette, educator (d. 1935)
76 – Jack Hanna, American zoologist, author
The world is the true classroom. The most rewarding and important type of learning is through experience, seeing something with our own eyes.– Jack Hanna
@72 – Isaac Asimov, Science Fiction writer (d. 1992; kidney failure/HIV transfusion)
How often do people speak of art and science as though they were two entirely different things, with no interconnection…That is all wrong. The true artist is quite rational as well as imaginative and knows what he is doing; if he does not, his art suffers. The true scientist is quite imaginative as well as rational, and sometimes leaps to solutions where reason can follow only slowly; if he does not, his science suffers.– Isaac Asimov
@56 – Roger Miller, American singer-songwriter, musician, actor (d. 1992; cancer)
56 – Tia Carrere, American actress
Beauty lasts five minutes. Maybe longer if you have a good plastic surgeon.– Tia Carrere
55 – Cuba Gooding, Jr., American actor and producer
Don’t let people disrespect you. My mom says don’t open the door to the devil. Surround yourself with positive people.– Cuba Gooding, Jr.
54 – Christy Turlington, American model
52 – Taye Diggs, actor
48 – Dax Shepard. American actor
46 – Brian Boucher, American ice hockey player, sportscaster
Obviously (positive) results are what we’re looking for. To me, the process is what’s more important. I think if we take care of the process then the results will come.– Brian Boucher
40 – Kate Bosworth, American actress