10 Aug

 

Flagstaff Today 90°: 51° Week 33 Day 222 Wind 6 mph Gusts 15 mph Active Fire: 82 miles away Risk of Fire: Extreme Nearest lightning: 350 miles away Air Quality: Fair Sunshine Aug. Averages: Temps: 79°\50° Moisture: 9 Day

Weekly Observations

Sturgis Rally: 1-10 Link  National Bargain Hunting Week: 4-10  Elvis Week: 8-16 Link

Assistance Dog Week: 10-16 National Resurrect Romance Week: 10-16 Weird Contest Week: 10-16

Daily Observations

Agent Orange Awareness Day Link Bagel Day  Link  Global Sleep Under The Stars Night  Lazy Day Nat’l Duran Duran Appreciation Day National Shapewear Day Link

Paul Bunyan Day Link Link  Skyscraper Appreciation Day  Link Smithsonian Day S'mores Day Link The Spirit of '45 Day Link    World Lion Day

Today’s Quotes                                                             

Today’s Memes

 

Thoughts for the day

It’s Saturday, so I changed linens and did some grocery shopping.

There have been 6 IRS heads since Trump took office. Hmmm.

Trump is suggesting he should have a say in the upcoming Olympics in LA. This is a bad move. The Olympics is about the athletes and has no room for politicians.

I remember studying ‘gerrymandering’ from Miss Steinmeyer, my 9^th grade Civics teacher. Both parties have used it thinking it will help their party win more votes. Our constitution expects the people to vote for the candidates of their choice. A few years ago, Arizona set up a nonpartisan board to draw the voting districts. It is much better than having politicians draw those lines. It’s too bad that many states have not adopted this procedure. I doubt the political mess right now wouldn’t be happening with nonpartisan boards. I believe that the founders would be horrified to see how gerrymandering is destroying our trust in our democracy.

Myths from Medieval Times

Peasants Worked Less Than We Do

The modern perception of Medieval peasants is that they worked constantly from day to night. In reality, peasants had less vigorous work schedules than we do today. History professor Julier Schor said that the tempo of Middle Age life was slow, with workers even stopping to take naps.

Thirteenth-century laborers often had 25 weeks off every year. In contrast, the average American has 16 days off annually. Although the work was still demanding, English peasants had around 1/3 of the year off, including religious holidays.

Accomplishments Wrongly Attributed to Famous People

Al Capone's Downfall

The end of Al Capone’s criminal empire has often been romanticized through the efforts of Elliot Ness and his Untouchables. Still, Revenue Investigator Frank Wilson, prosecutor George E.Q. Johnson, and Judge James Wilkerson did the real work.

Capone wasn’t convicted for his violent crimes but instead fell to charges of tax evasion. Wilson uncovered crucial evidence in a gang ledger, allowing Johnson to press charges. Although Capone initially agreed to a plea deal, Judge Wilkerson refused it and opted for a trial.

Capone even attempted to bribe jurors, but Wilkerson switched the jury at the last minute, ensuring a fair verdict. The final blow came when the judge sentenced Capone to 11 years in prison, the longest term for tax evasion in US history.

Random Thoughts…

A group of Fungi is called a colony.

A clean tie attracts the soup of the day.

The Caesar Salad was invented in Tijuana, Mexico in the 1920s.

The entire cast was male on the set of 1982’s “The Thing”.

Blackbeard (the Pirate) – Real Name: Edward Teach

The French word for “cheese” is “Fromage.” Cheese is made by aging milk. Cheese comes “from age.”

A group of Cockroaches is called an Intrusion.

A pentad is a five year period. A decade is ten years long.

Historic Events

Click here for 10 Aug history

Birthdays

83 – Betsey Johnson, American fashion designer 78 – Ian Anderson, Scottish-English singer-songwriter 75 – Patti Austin, American singer-songwriter 66 – Rosanna Arquette, American actress 65 – Antonio Banderas, Spanish actor 63 – Suzanne Collins, American author 60 – Claudia Christian, American actress 54 – Justin Theroux, American actor 53 – Angie Harmon, American actress 46 – JoAnna Garcia, American actress 28 – Kylie Jenner, American television personality

@90 – John W. Galbreath, American businessman, philanthropist, founded Darby Dan Farm (d. 1988) @90 – Herbert Hoover, American politician, 31st President of the United States (d. 1964) @87 – Al Alberts, American pop singer, and composer, The Four Aces (d. 2009) @83 – Jay Cooke, American financier, founded Jay Cooke & Company (d. 1905) @82 – Tom Laughlin, American actor, director, producer, screenwriter (d. 2013) @82 – Eddie Fisher, American singer, actor (d. 2010)   @81 – Jimmy Dean, American singer, actor, businessman, founder of Jimmy Dean Food Company (d. 2010) @80 – Norma Shearer, Canadian-American actress (d. 1983) @80 – Jack Haley, American actor, singer (d. 1979)   @78 – Ronnie Spector, American singer (d. 2022; cancer) @78 – Charles Darrow, American game designer, created Monopoly (d. 1967) @58 – William Willett, English inventor, founded British Summer Time (d. 1915; influenza)

…The End for today…