Aug 11

 

2023

Flagstaff Almanac

Week 32 Day 223 Ave. Sky Cover 40%\ Visibility  15mi. Flagstaff Today  \  
Wind  6mph \ Gusts  14mph  Nearest active fire: amiles Risk of fire: Moderate Nearest Lightning:  23mi
Air Quality: Fair           Moisture Days this month: 6 days Sunny 
August Averages: Temps 79° \ 50° Moisture 9 Days   

Today’s Quote

Weekly Observations

4-13
Sturgis Rally Link 
6-12
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:  
International Psychic Week:  Link                                                                                                                                                                                                         
Stop on Red 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
10-13
National Hobo Week Link

Daily Observations

Global Kinetic Sand Day  Link
Ingersoll Day
Middle Child Day
National Align Your Teeth Day  Link
National Hip Hop Day Link

National Sons and Daughters Day 
Popsicle Day Link
Presidential Joke Day
Raspberry Bombe Day
Shop Online For Groceries Day 

Son and Daughter Day

Today’s Thoughts

 Nice weather day.

Last night brought several nice monsoons with thunder and lightning. The evening monsoon lasted almost an hour of female rain.

Andy is back from Provo. His brother is back in Blanding. Faith, Andy and I had a nice lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant. Good conversation, good food, good time.

The local mall is about 2 miles from my place. This morning a bear was seen wandering the parking lot.

Enjoy



 

Statue of Liberty …New

1. The Statue of Liberty was not a gift from France to America.

We have all heard the shorthand that implies that the statue was exchanged government to government. In fact, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, a mid-career statue maker, decided to pitch a country he had never visited before on his vision to build a massive lighthouse in the shape of a woman. In his diaries and letters, he described his journey to all corners of America, from Niagara Falls to Washington, D.C., from Chicago to Los Angeles, to explore this exotic land and drum up support.

When no significant government funding emerged, he contrived every possible fundraising strategy himself. He put on spectacles of wonder in Paris, charged visitors admission to watch the statue’s construction in a dusty workshop, sold souvenirs, and petitioned the French government to let him run a national lottery.

In the end it was Joseph Pulitzer, the American newspaper magnate, who helped him finish the job by printing the names of every person who donated even a penny to the cause. This strategy rapidly boosted the circulation of Pulitzer’s newspaper when readers bought a copy simply to see their names in the paper—a brilliant marketing strategy.

Hoax proved wrong…

Titus Oates

In 1678, Anglican Titus Oates fabricated and pretended to uncover a supposed Catholic conspiracy to assassinate King Charles II. This fueled widespread anti-Catholic sentiment across the land. Charles' successor, King James, had Oates tried, convicted, and jailed for perjury. However, he was eventually pardoned by William III and even ended up receiving a pension.

Random Trivia…

As Saint Lawrence was roasted on a gridiron by the prefect of Rome during the persecution of Christians, legend says he cheerfully declared: "I'm well done on this side. Turn me over!" Because of this, he derives his patronage of cooks, chefs, and comedians.

Historic Events

§  1860 US's 1st successful silver mill (Virginia City, Nevada)

§  1885 $100,000 raised in US for pedestal for Statue of Liberty

§  1909 SOS 1st used by an American ship, Arapahoe, off Cape Hatteras, NC

§  1964 "A Hard Days Night" a musical comedy film featuring the Beatles released in the US

§  1970 Two Royal Ulster Constabulary officers are killed by the Irish Republican Army when they set off a booby trap bomb planted in a car near Crossmaglen, County Armagh

§  1976 Race riot in Cape Town, South Africa; 17 die

§  1984 A British 1-2 in the 1,500m at the Los Angeles Olympics with Sebastian Coe edging teammate Steve Cram to become the only man to successfully defend his Olympic 1,500m title

§  1984 Carl Lewis duplicates Jesse Owens' 1936 feat, winning his 4th Olympic gold medal as part of the US 4 x 100m relay team; world record (37.83)

§  1988 Al-Qaeda formed at a meeting between Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri and Dr Fadl in Peshawar, Pakistan

§  2013 Usain Bolt of Jamaica records best time of the year (9.77s) to edge out American Justin Gatlin and win 100m at the World Athletics Championships in Moscow, Russia

Birthdays with some quotes

@73 – Jerry Falwell, American minister and television host (d. 2007; heart failure)

@70 – Alex Haley, American historian and author (d. 1992; heart attack)

” Nobody can do for little children what grandparents do. Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of little children.”

73 – Steve Wozniak, American computer scientist, and programmer, co-founded Apple Inc.

” The easier it is to do something, the harder it is to change the way you do it.”70 – Hulk Hogan (Terry Bollea), American wrestler

57 – Viola Davis, actor

56 – Joe Rogan, American actor, comedian, and television host

40 – Chris Hemsworth, Australian actor

” I feel like I’m ready for any dangerous situation that might come my way, provided I have a hammer on me.”

…The End for today…

 

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Flagstaff, Arizona, United States
I retired in '06--at the ripe old age of 57. I enjoy blogging, photography, traveling, and living life to it's fullest.