6 Jan

 

6 January 2023

Daily Almanac for Flagstaff
Week 1 Day 6 \ Ave. Sky Cover 50% \ Visibility 18 miles Flagstaff Today 51° \22°  Wind 2mph \ Gusts 5mph 
Air Quality: \ Very Low Risk of fire \ Nearest active fire 304mi \ Nearest Lightning 414mi
Jan Averages for Flagstaff: 44° \ 16° \5 Days of moisture
Mostly cloudy

Today’s Quote

 

Weekly Observations

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
3-6
No Tillage Week
6-9
Elvis' Birthday Celebration Week
6-Feb 21
Carnival Season

Daily Observations

Apple Tree Day
Armenian Christmas
Bald Eagle Appreciation Days
Bean Day
Cuddle Up Day
Epiphany
National Shortbread Day
National Smith Day
I Am A Mentor Day  Link
National Shortbread Day  Link
National Technology Day  Link
Take a Poet To Lunch Day 
Three Kings Day

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

The last storm is melting rapidly. It’s a good thing because a new storm expected tomorrow early morning.

I went in for a blood draw. I got there at 7:45a but had to wait until 9:00 because the ultrasound team was in a meeting. They were very apologetic. Nothing I can do to change it.

Vote #10 just announced…no speaker of the House yet. There is no end in sight. This circus is hurting the vast majority of Americans. Without a Speaker, no legislation can move forward. American enemies and probably some of our allies are not going to forget this fiasco.  

Waterfalls around the world

Facts…

Mount Kilimanjaro is one of the Seven Summits — the highest peaks on each continent, which form the basis of one of the world’s most prestigious mountaineering challenges. American businessman Richard D. Bass became the first person to summit all seven on April 30, 1985, when he conquered his seventh peak, Mount Everest. Climbers have been trying to reach the top of Mount Kilimanjaro since the late 19th century, and a German man named Hans Meyer and his Austrian climbing partner Ludwig Purtscheller made the first documented successful climb to the summit by a European. It was Meyer’s second attempt — two years before that record-breaking climb, a wall of ice prevented him from reaching the top. Together with local guide Yohani Kinyala Lauwo, the two climbers made history at Kilimanjaro’s summit on  October 6, 1889.

There’s no question that reaching the top of Mount Kilimanjaro is difficult, but the level of difficulty depends on the path you choose. There are seven routes to the top: Marangu, Machame, Lemosho, Shira, Rongai, Northern Circuit, and Umbwe. Marangu’s popularity stems from its relatively gentle gradient and the availability of accommodations on the trail. Lemosho is considered a much tougher climb, but many say that the scenery is better along the way. Umbwe is short at just 23 miles, but steep. On the other hand, the Northern Circuit covers 56 miles. If you are reasonably fit, Kilimanjaro is not as technical a climb as some of the world’s taller mountains, though you’ll still need to tackle a diverse range of environments — including forest, moorland, scree slopes, and rock faces — as you ascend.

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro typically takes between five and 10 days, though it’s often much quicker for elite athletes. In fact, the current record holder is Swiss-Ecuadorian climber Karl Egloff, who managed the round-trip journey to the summit in an incredible 6 hours and 42 minutes. However, racing to the top is not recommended — the risk of debilitating altitude sickness is significantly reduced for those who trek more carefully. And for most people, it’s no walk in the park. Many have failed in their attempts to reach the top, among them former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and tennis legend Martina Navratilova. 

Slang Origins

1956: Hinky

Meaning: questionable, suspicious, unreliable

“Hinky” is a word of rather hinky origin itself. Some believe it has roots in an African American slang word from the 1920s, while others claim it comes from gangster slang of the ‘20s and ‘30s. Others believe it may come from an old definition of the verb “hink.” No matter what is correct, it’s still in use today, and an interesting word to add to your lexicon.

Historical Events

1536 – The first European school of higher learning in the Americas, Colegio de Santa Cruz de Tlatelolco, was founded in Mexico City.
1941 – US President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered his Four Freedoms speech in the State of the Union address:
Freedom of speech     Freedom of worship     Freedom from want      Freedom from fear
1952 – The Hallmark Hall of Fame (Hallmark Television Playhouse) television anthology series premiered.

Birthdays Today

@89 – Carl Sandburg, American poet, historian (d. 1967)
Nothing happens unless first, we dream.– Carl Sandburg
@88 – Earl Scruggs, American banjo player, wrote Foggy Mountain Breakdown (d. 2012)
@87 – Loretta Young, American actress (d. 2000)
@80 – John DeLorean, engineer, , founded the DeLorean Motor Company (d. 2005)
@80 – Mickey Hargitay, Hungarian-American actor, and bodybuilder (d. 2006)
@79 – Danny Thomas, actor; founded St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (d. 1991; heart attack)
Success in life has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It’s what you do for others.– Danny Thomas
@60 – Tom Mix, American cowboy, and actor (d. 1940; auto accident)
@69 – Bonnie Franklin, American actress (d. 2013; cancer)
@60 – Syd Barrett, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2006; cancer)
If I’d stayed at college I would have become a teacher.– Syd Barrett
@64 – Malcolm Young, Scottish-Australian singer-songwriter, AC/DC (d. 2017)
68 – Rowan Atkinson, English comedic actor, Mr. Bean
The clear problem of the outlawing of insult is that too many things can be interpreted as such. Criticism, ridicule, sarcasm, merely stating an alternative point of view to the orthodoxy, can be interpreted as an insult.– Rowan Atkinson
63 – Nigella Lawson, English chef, author
54 – Norman Reedus, American actor
53 – Julie Chen, American television journalist
@48 – Kahlil Gibran, Lebanese-American poet, painter, philosopher (d. 1931; cirrhosis)
Progress lies not in enhancing what is, but in advancing toward what will be.– Khalil Gibran @45ish – Gertrude the Great (Saint Gertrude of Helfta), German saint (died ~ 1302)
39 – Kate McKinnon, American comedic actress
36 – Arin Hanson, American YouTube Celebrity
@31 – Sandy Denny, English folk-rock singer-songwriter (d 1978; from a fall)
@19 – Joan of Arc, French martyr, saint (d. 1431)
I am not afraid… I was born to do this.– Joan of Arc