17 Apr

 

17 April 2023

Daily Almanac for Flagstaff
Week 16 Day 107 \ Ave. Sky Cover 5% \ Visibility 27 miles Flagstaff Today 68° \27°  Wind 8mph \ Gusts 19mph 
Air Quality: Moderate \ High Risk of fire \ Nearest active fire 264mi \ Nearest Lightning 884mi
Apr. Averages for Flagstaff: 60° \ 27° \3 Days of moisture
Sunshine

Today’s Quote

Weekly Observations

3/22-4/20  Consider Christianity Week
                          International Phace Syndrome Awareness Week
                          National Cleaning Week

15-22      International Dark Sky Week

15-21     Money Smart Week

              National Volunteer Week

16-22     Animal Cruelty/Human Violence Awareness Week

              Chemists Celebrate Earth Week

              National Paperboard Packaging Week

              National Pet ID Week  

              Numismatic Week (National Coin Week)

16-23      Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week

17-21     Undergraduate Research Week

     National Work Zone Safety Awareness Week

Daily Observations

Herbalist Day
Bat Appreciation Day (Emerge from Hibernation)
Blah! Blah! Blah! Day
Boston Marathon (126th)
Cheese Ball Day
Ellis Island Family History Day
Ford Mustang Day
Herbalist Day
International Haiku Poetry Day Link
Malbec World Day  Link
National Crawfish Day Link
National Stress Awareness Day  
Nothing Like A Dame Day
World Hemophilia Day  Link

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

Great spring day. Great day for a walk.

The sports world is entangled in a mess. Who should win out…Trans people vs Title IX? I guess I am really old school. Title IX changed sports for all schools and adulthood. It was designed to level the playing field and money spent on sports to be more equitable. Now some who were born male but identify as female are saying they should be allowed to compete in women’s sports. I hope the sports world finds a solution to this dilemma. I’m reminded that a loud voice does not always offer the best solution.

The Kennedy dynasty is in the news. Robert Jr., an all-anti-vaccine guy, is running for President. Many in the family say they support Biden. Time will tell.  

AZ legislature is insane. The AZ School for the Deaf and Blind has been around since 1912. It has always been on an every 10-year renewal by the legislature. The Freedom Caucus of AZ, the far-right members, wanted it to be renewed every 2 years. Pro-school advocates said that would severely hinder recruiting teachers who would not to work at a place that might be closed by the legislature so often. Finally, the sides agreed to a review every four years. This is not a pro-education stance. It is sad that so many anti-education legislators are voted into office in AZ.

Enjoy…

 

Geography…

Holland and the Netherlands Are Two Separate Things

Holland and the Netherlands tend to be used interchangeably when talking about the specific country in Western Europe — but they’re not at all the same. The Netherlands is a country with 12 provinces, including the regions of North Holland and South Holland.

Calling the Netherlands “Holland” would basically be like referring to the United States as Texas or New York. 

Moon Facts…

The Moon is rich in natural resources and could be mined for gold, platinum, rare earth metals and possibly even water. Particularly exciting for the future of space travel is the way in which the water can be split into its hydrogen and oxygen components and liquefied to make rocket fuel. This would allow longer voyages to use the Moon as a kind of refueling station.

Beauty in our 50 states…

1. California

Yes, it has issues. Lots of ‘em. But how many beautiful things do you know that don’t? For a moment, let’s drop the talk of climate change and traffic and talk for a minute about how California has EVERY SINGLE KIND OF BEAUTY you could possibly want. Start in the south with the expansive, natural beaches set against towering cliffs. Then move inland to the moon-like desertscapes in the Mojave. There’s the drive along the PCH and Big Sur, leading in the wine country of the Central Coast and up into San Francisco, a city that owes its aesthetic to cliffside views and curlicues of fog. Oh, and lest we forget Yosemite National Park. Or Redwood National Park. Or Death Valley National Park. Or any of the many underrated national parks. Or the wine country that stretches from Napa Valley in the north to Temecula in the south. Look, the Golden State isn’t for everybody—but as far as sheer diversity of natural beauty is concerned, nothing else comes close. You can see why, once upon a time, people crossed expansive grasslands and steep mountains and punishing deserts only to arrive in California and say to themselves, the trip was worth it after all.Want more Thrillist?

Historical Events

v 1521 – The trial of Martin Luther over his teachings began during the assembly of the Diet of Worms.
v 1961 – The Bay of Pigs Invasion
v 2014 – NASA’s Kepler space telescope confirms the discovery of the first Earth-size planet, Kepler-186f.

Birthdays Today

@78 – Thornton Wilder, American novelist, playwright (d. 1975; heart failure)
@77 – Rod Steiger, American character actor (d. 2002; pneumonia)
“The first thing that you should do when you win an Oscar is thank God. The second thing you should do is forget it. The third thing you should do is call your agent and tell him you need a job.”– Rod Steiger
@76 – Don Kirshner, American songwriter, producer (d. 2011; heart failure)
@75 – J.P. Morgan, American banker and financier, founded J.P. Morgan & Co. (d. 1913)
“A man always has two reasons for doing anything: a good reason and the real reason.”– J.P. Morgan
72 – Olivia Hussey, Argentinian-English actress
@68 – Harry Reasoner, American TV Journalist (d. 1991; blood clot)
@63 – William Holden (William Franklin Beedle Jr.), American actor (d. 1981; fall)
@61 – Roddy Piper (Roderick George Toombs), Canadian wrestler, actor (d. 2015; hypertension)
“I’m so quick, I could spit in the wind, duck, and let it hit the old lady behind me.”– Roddy Piper
51 – Jennifer Garner, American actress
49 – Victoria Beckham, English singer and fashion designer
“I was never a natural. I got there in the end because I did believe that if you work hard enough, then you can achieve a lot.”– Victoria Beckham