Aug 8

 

August 2023

Flagstaff Almanac

Week 32 Day 220 Ave. Sky Cover 20%\ Visibility  17mi. Flagstaff Today  82° \ 57° 
Wind  8mph \ Gusts  20mph  Nearest active fire: amiles Risk of fire: High Nearest Lightning:  27mi
Air Quality: Fair           Moisture Days this month: 5 days Sunshine
August Averages: Temps 79° \ 50° Moisture 9 Days    

Today’s Quote

 

Weekly Observations

4-13
Sturgis Rally Link 
6-12
Assistance Dog Week:   Link Link
Knights of Columbus Family Week  
National Button Week:   Link 
National Farmers' Market Week:  Link Link 
National Health Center Week:  Link 
International Psychic Week:  

Stop on Red Week Link

7-11
Psychic Week
7-12
Fiddlers Week
7-13
National Bargain Hunting Week
National Exercise With Your Child Week
Safe + Sound Week Link
World Karaoke Championships Link
8-17
Elvis Week

Daily Observations

CBD Day Dalek Day Link  Digital Nomad Day Dollar Day Frozen Custard Day Happiness Happens Day International Cat Day  Link   Link The Date to Create Happiness Happens Day  Link International Female Orgasm Day Link

International Infinity Day Link National CBD Day  Link National Fried Chicken & Waffles Day Link  National Pickleball Day Link National Spam Musubi Day Link Link Odie Day (Garfield's pal) Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Night  Link Wear Your Mother's Jewelry Day

Today’s Thoughts

Another nice summer day.

China and Russia are holding joint naval training exercises…America is aware and slightly concerned.

What’s going on with Religious Charter Schools getting government funding. First, I have had problems with Charter Schools since their inception…teachers do not have to be state certified to teach, same for administrators…they have control over whom they serve, like not admitting special needs or non-English speaking students…and the list goes on. Now Oklahoma has approved a Catholic school to open a Charter school that will be exempt from certain state criteria, as the school can refuse to enroll LGBT students, not to admit who have 2 moms or 2 dads. They would be allowed to teach Catholic religious beliefs in every class. I’m wondering how long it will be before a Jewish or Islamic group decides to set up their school in Oklahoma? This sure doesn’t sound like separation of church and state.

Enjoy

 

History you may not have learned in school…

Iceland's parliament is the oldest in history (like, really, really old).

Iceland's parliament, the Icelandic Alþingi (also written as the Althingi), is the oldest in history. It was first established in 930 AD. Pretty cool, except not everyone agrees that it's the oldest. The Isle of Man, an island in the Irish Sea between England and Ireland, also claims that its parliament, The High Court of Tynwald, is the oldest in the world. It is more than 1,000 years old, according to its website, with "an unbroken resistance."

That last part might be why the Isle of Man believes its parliament is the oldest — Iceland's parliament has sort of disbanded and then reformed and taken on different names and functions over the years.

Hoax proved wrong…

Enigma and the Ultra Team

In June 1941, British mathematician Alan Turing cracked the Nazi Enigma code, which had been used to coordinate German U-boat attacks on vulnerable Allied North Atlantic shipping convoys. From then on, Ultra, the top-secret Allied intelligence project, fed the unsuspecting Germans a slew of disinformation to keep the enemy off their trail.

Random Trivia…

Tablecloths were originally designed to be used as one big, communal napkin. When they were first invented, guests were meant to wipe off their hands and faces on a tablecloth after a messy dinner party.

Historic Events

  §  1303 Crete earthquake strikes with estimated magnitude of 8, triggering a major tsunami that damaged the Lighthouse of Alexandria and swept ships 2 miles inland in Egypt
§  1508 Spaniard Juan Ponce de León founds Caparra the first European settlement in Puerto Rico
§  1576 Cornerstone laid for Tycho Brahe's observatory in Uraniborg, Denmark, will become the world's then most advanced research institution
§  1786 US Congress unanimously chooses the dollar as the monetary unit for the United States of America
§  1844 Brigham Young chosen as head of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints following the death of Joseph Smith
§  1945 President Harry Truman signs the United Nations Charter
§  1960 "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" hits #1
§  1973 US Vice President Spiro Agnew says reports he took kickbacks are "damned lies" from government contracts in Maryland. Vowed not to resign.
§  1974 US President Richard Nixon announces he will resign at 12pm the next day
§  1984 Carl Lewis wins 3rd gold medal of the Los Angeles Olympics joining Kirk Baptiste and Thomas Jefferson in an American sweep of the 200m
§  1992 The original US 'Dream Team' wins the basketball gold at the Barcelona Olympics 117-85 over Croatia; features superstars Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing
   §  2004 John Elway is inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Birthdays with some quotes

@91 – Dino De Laurentiis, Italian actor, and producer (d. 2010)
“My philosophy is very simple. To feel young, you must work as long as you can.”
@91 – Esther Williams, American swimmer, and actress (d. 2013)
“What the public expects and what is healthy for an individual are two very different things.”@91 – Richard Anderson, American actor (d. 2017)
88 – Donald P. Bellisario, American director, producer and screenwriter
86 – Dustin Hoffman, American actor
” Depressed, anxious, sad, frightened? Yes. But I’ve never been bored.”
@85 – Mel Tillis, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2017)
85 – Connie Stevens (Concetta Rosalie Ann Ingoli), American actress
76 – Larry Wilcox, American actor
74 – Keith Carradine, American actor
@71 – Bob Smith, the American physician, and surgeon co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous (d. 1950)
71 – Robin Quivers, American radio host/personality
” It’s essential that a part of you not grow up. Childhood wonder gives us our spark and beauty.”
61 – Kool Moe Dee, American Hip Hop musician
50 – Scott Stapp, American singer-songwriter
47 – JC Chasez, American singer
42 – Roger Federer, tennis champ
25 – Shawn Mendes, singer

 

…The End for today…