Dec 16

 

‘Tis the Season

FYI: Any Green text is a link. Click to check it out!

Dec 16, 2020  Week: 51 Day: 351	Local:  H 33°\ L 15°\Average Sky Cover: 5%
Wind:   6mph\Gusts:  10mph	Nearest lightning:  1537mi.; Active fire:  59mi
Low Risk of Fire	Visibility:  10mi
Record: 63°[1958]   Record: -18°[1971]	Nov Averages: 44°/\17° (5 days with moisture)

 

Today’s  Quote

Nobody cares how much you know,

until they know how much you care.

Theodore Roosevelt

 

Random Tidbits

According to Smithsonian magazine, each strand of brown Sargassum marine algae can grow to be the length of a school bus. When they become matted together in the water, the masses - or "forests" - of algae can be as large as several football fields. The seaweed is not only impressively long and large, but also provides the perfect place for a diverse collection of animals to live - not unlike an actual rainforest!

 

A little humor

Q: What do you call an average ogre? Mediogre.

 

Superman ruins a lot of button down shirts

 

Observations This Week

Human Rights Week:…………………………………..	10-17
Gluten-free Baking Week:……………………………	12-18
Cookie Exchange Week:………………………………	13-17
Christmas Bird Count Week Link…………………	14-1/5
Halcyon Days……………………………………………..	14-28
Posadas……………………………………………………..	16-24

 

 

Observations for Today

Barbie and Barney Backlash Day
Free Shipping Day  Link  
National Chocolate Covered Anything Day

National Chocolate-covered Anything Day  Link
National Re-gifting Day  Link
Wright Brothers Day
Zionism Day

 

My Rambling Thoughts

Still chilly around here. Can’t complain…it is December.

So maybe the Electoral College vote will bring the end to this political turmoil. I’m not holding my breath. A group of fake Electors made a fake facsimile of the vote sheet for AZ and sent it in. Because they did it before the Electoral College met, they claim their vote was first and should count. Because of this, the real Electors had to meet at an undisclosed location to do their voting. Crazy.

The Hunter Biden probe will continue to be in the news, especially on Fox/Newsmax. If he did something wrong, punish him. If not, drop it.

It is interesting…when Pfizer came out with the little blue pill for men, very few asked about where it was from, what were the side effects, and millions of men got it prescribed. Now they have a life saving vaccine and tons of people are asking questions because they are suddenly FDA experts.

Getting into the Christmas spirit is a lot harder this year for everyone. No Christmas gift exchange with friends. No nice meals with friends. But I know this too will pass and hopefully the true spirit of Christmas will last into 2021.

 

Today’s Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of the page

I come in different shapes and sizes. Parts of me are curved, other parts are straight. You can put me anywhere you like, but there is only one right place for me. What am I?

 

Historical Events

1707 (Eruption) The last recorded eruption of Mount Fuji in Japan.

1777 – Virginia became the first state to ratify the Articles of Confederation.

1811 (Earthquake) An 8.6 magnitude earthquake hit the United States, the largest in our history. The area affected included: Missouri, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Arkansas. Amazingly, no people were killed.

1835 – Great Fire of New York City. Over 600 buildings were destroyed.

1884 – The first US patent (#309,219) was issued for an automatic liquid vending machine to William H. Fruen of Minneapolis, MN. People could get a measured amount of a liquid for coin payment.

1893 – Czech composer Antonin Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 in E Minor From the New World was performed at Carnegie Hall. The music had African roots, and the piece greatly influenced the American musical landscape for the next century.

1912 -The world’s first stamp to depict an airplane was issued in the US, available at Post Offices on January 1, 1912.

1968 -Second Vatican Council: Officially revoked of the 1492 Edict of Expulsion of Jews from Spain.

1971- Vijay Diwas (Victory Day): East Pakistan's independence (as Bangladesh) from Pakistan is recognized internationally after India's army occupies Dacca, and 93,000 West Pakistani troops surrender

1978- Ronald Reagan denounces President Jimmy Carter's recognition of People's Republic of China

1997- US President Bill Clinton names his Labrador retriever "Buddy"

2009 -Ben Bernanke, Chair of the US Federal Reserve is named Time's Person of the Year for rescuing the global economy from the Great Recession

 

Birthdays Today

@90 – Arthur C. Clarke, British science fiction writer (d. 2008)

79 – Lesley Stahl, American journalist

@76 – Margaret Mead, American anthropologist and author (d. 1978; cancer)

@73 – Noël Coward, English actor, playwright, composer (d. 1973; heart disease)

57 – Benjamin Bratt, American actor

@56 – Ludwig van Beethoven, composer (d. 1827; liver disease)

@41 – Jane Austen, novelist (d. 1817; long illness)

 

Puzzle Answer

A puzzle piece.

Enjoy the Holiday

Dec 15

 

‘Tis the Season

FYI: Any Green text is a link. Click to check it out!

Dec 15, 2020  Week: 51 Day: 350	Local:  H 43°\ L 16°\Average Sky Cover: 5%
Wind:   6mph\Gusts:  15mph	Nearest lightning:  1491mi.; Active fire:  59mi
Moderate Risk of Fire	Visibility:  10mi
Record: 63°[1929]   Record: -14°[1939]	Nov Averages: 44°/\17° (5 days with moisture)

 

Today’s  Quote

A gem cannot be polished without friction,

nor a man perfected without trials.

Lucius Annaeus Seneca

 

Random Tidbits

When most people think of rainforests, they picture massive jungles filled with trees and critters. However, somewhere in the Sargasso Sea sits the so-called "floating rainforest" that consists not of dense vegetation on land, but of seaweed under water.

 

A little humor

All my passwords are protected by amnesia.

 

True Things

A mysterious monolith was found outside a Texas shopping center, just days after similar discoveries in Utah, Romania and California. Visitors to The Substation shopping center in El Paso snapped photos of the silver-colored metal structure spotted next to the road. The monolith's origins were unknown. The structure appeared in the wake of similar monoliths that were discovered -- and subsequently removed -- in Utah, Romania and California. It was unclear whether El Paso city officials would have the monolith removed.

 

Observations This Week

Human Rights Week:…………………………………..	10-17
Gluten-free Baking Week:……………………………	12-18
Cookie Exchange Week:………………………………	13-17
Christmas Bird Count Week Link…………………	14-1/5
Halcyon Days……………………………………………..	14-28

 

 

Observations for Today

Bill of Rights Day

Cat Herders Day  Link
Chocolate Covered Anything Day
International Tea Day  Link
National Cupcake Day 
National Gingerbread Latte Day
National Lemon Cupcake Day

National Wear Your Pearls Day Link
Pythagorean Theorem Day
Zamenhof Day (Esperato Literature Day) Link

 

My Rambling Thoughts

I ran over to Kohl’s for my last Christmas shopping. I went early, only saw 2 customers and a bunch of salespeople. I found just what I needed for the in-laws who will be visiting from NYC in Mexico.

I was happy to see that both the Broncos and the Cards won yesterday. I watched the Cards but had to see internet updates for the Broncos game.

There are more than enough jerks in the world and way too many media outlets that push their crazy ideas. Surprised to see the WSJ publishing some crazy guy’s idea that Dr. Jill Biden is not really a Dr. because her Doctorate…and her two Master’s…are not in Medicine but in Education. Tiny, illiterate mind at work. Turns out the Greeks were the first to use the Doctor term and first used it to recognize great educators. Oops.

Hackers are still at work. Some, associated with ‘cozy bear’, have hacked into the Commerce Dept. and the Treasury Dept. ‘Cozy Bear’ has been tracked to the Russian Federation Gov’t. I’m glad they were caught. I’m glad it somehow leaked out, so we all know to be aware.

Who would have ever thought that CNN and others would send video crews to almost every state to show the Electoral College voting? While I’m not watching every second, it is a very good Civics lesson for all to see in action. Not expecting any surprises. While the results end the election process, according to the US Constitution, I don’t expect this to be the end in the media.

 

Today’s Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of the page

A gunman hangs up his hat, turns around and walks 5000 meters, then turns around and shoots his gun, putting a hole right through his hat. How did he do it?

 

Historical Events

1827 – The city of Boston, Massachusetts, the School Committee voted to require, effective 1 Mar 1828, that public school students show that they had been vaccinated against smallpox prior to the school entrance. Certificates to the board of health were to be issued where necessary for free vaccination. This initiative came just three decades after Edward Jenner’s discovery of a method to immunize against smallpox. The state of Massachusetts passed the first school vaccination law in 1855, followed by New York (1862) and Connecticut (1872).

1836 – A fire destroyed the US Patent Office, erasing the records of most of the first 9,957 US patents’ records.

1890 – Native American Sitting Bull (Tatanka Iyotake) was shot and killed by Indian police over a political misunderstanding.

1933 – The Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution repealed the Eighteenth Amendment.

1939 – Gone with the Wind premiered at Loew’s Grand Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.

1944 – Bandleader Glenn Miller’s plane disappeared over the English Channel. One of the largest pop stars of his day, he was the first of many who died in an airplane mishap.

1970 – Soviet spacecraft Venera 7 successfully landed on Venus. It is the first successful soft landing on another planet.

1973 – The American Psychiatric Association voted 13-0 to remove homosexuality from its official list of psychiatric disorders.

1978 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter announced that the United States would recognize the People’s Republic of China and sever diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

1984 USSR launches Vega 1 for rendezvous with Halley's Comet

2001 The Leaning Tower of Pisa reopens after 11 years and $27,000,000 to fortify it, without fixing its famous lean

2013 China successfully lands its moon rover on the moon

2015 Mayor of Flint, Michigan declares state of emergency over contaminated water supplies amid calls for a criminal investigation

2018 Egyptian Archaeologists announce discovery of 4,400 year old tomb of Fifth Dynasty priest in Saqqara pyramid complex near Cairo

2019 Protests against India's new citizenship bill that excludes Muslims, erupt across major cities, killing at least five

 

Birthdays Today

@91 – Alexandre Eiffel, French engineer, Eiffel Tower (d. 1923)

@85 – Tim Conway, American comedian and actor (d. 2019)

@83 – J. Paul Getty, American-English businessman, founder of Getty Oil (d. 1976)

@78 – Uziel Gal, German/Israeli inventor of the Uzi submachine gun (d. 2002; cancer)

71 – Don Johnson, American actor

67 – J. M. DeMatteis, American author, comics [Justice League Inernat’l]

41 – Adam Brody, American actor

@30 – Nero [Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus], Roman emperor (d.68; suicide by attendant)

 

Puzzle Answer

He hung up the hat on his gun.

Enjoy the Holiday

Dec 14

 

‘Tis the Season

FYI: Any Green text is a link. Click to check it out!

Dec 14, 2020  Week: 51 Day: 349	Local:  H 36°\ L 19°\Average Sky Cover: 20%
Wind:   9mph\Gusts:  16mph	Nearest lightning: 983mi.; Active fire:  59mi
Moderate Risk of Fire	Visibility:  10mi
Record: 66°[1946]   Record: -14°[1962]	Nov Averages: 44°/\17° (5 days with moisture)

 

Today’s  Quote

We don't see things as they are,

we see them as we are.

Anais Nin

 

Random Tidbits

Dogs tend to make great guard animals, but they're not the only creatures that you can count on to watch your back. In fact, donkeys, dolphins, geese, ostriches, emus, llamas, and alpacas are also used as guard animals around the world - doing everything from protecting sheep to patrolling harbors for the U.S. Navy.  

 

A little humor

Q: Where do sheep go to get haircuts? The baa-baa shop!

 

True Things

Scores of pesky black vultures are ruling the roost in one unlucky Pennsylvania town - harassing residents, wrecking homes and coating entire trees with their droppings. The birds, with wing spans up to five feet, have terrorized the town of Marietta in the past, but one resident reported that this year is the most extreme. Residents in the town, located on the Susquehanna River outside of Lancaster, have reported the birds have pecked at their roofs, porch furniture and garbage cans. Trees are also almost being completely covered with their white droppings. "I mean pure, pure white," one resident told a local paper. Deterrence options are limited as the black vulture is protected under federal law.

 

Observations This Week

Human Rights Week:…………………………………..	10-17
Gluten-free Baking Week:……………………………	12-18
Cookie Exchange Week:………………………………	13-17
Christmas Bird Count Week Link…………………	14-1/5
Halcyon Days……………………………………………..	14-28

 

 

Observations for Today

AKC Champtionships
Asarah B'Tevet
International Monkey Day Link or Link
National Biscuits and Gravy Day

National Bouillabaisse Day

Roast Chestnuts Day

U.K. National Postal Worker Day

Yoga Day Link

 

My Rambling Thoughts

It is still chilly after a cold night. And not enough snow to even cover the dirt. Next time, I guess.

As the sun set, my phone reported several fender benders from ‘black ice’ on most Flagstaff roads and both I-40 and I-17 as well as the highway to Tuba. Glad I didn’t have to be out for any reason.

I heard an interesting proposal from Chef José Andrés on CNN. He has been feeding people in disaster areas around the world for years. Since food is so important to human life, he believes there should be a Dept. of Food in the Executive Branch. This department could help the hungry and food insecure people in the country. I’m sure the Dept. of Agriculture would not give up it’s territory easily. But paying farmers to NOT grow crops and to throw away good crops to keep prices up makes no sense when people in our country are food insecure or hungry.

The Cards are playing well against the Giants. In the 4th Q Broncos are leading the Panthers. Hope they both win.

My trip to Mexico is just a week + 1 day away. I sure hope it remains a go.

 

Today’s Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of the page

He has married many women but has never been married. Who is he?

 

 

Historical Events

1656 – Imitation pearls were first manufactured by a Frenchman, named Jacquin.

1819 – Alabama became the 22nd US State.

1852 – Cullen Whipple, of Providence, R.I., patented (# 9477) his “Mechanism for Pointing and Threading Screw-Blanks in the Same Machine.” Prior to that screws were generally made with a flat tip. His machine made them pointy.

1900 – Max Planck demonstrated that energy can exhibit characteristics of physical matter, in certain situations, introducing quantum mechanics. Previously, the energy was considered a form only in wavelengths.

1902 – The Commercial Pacific Cable Company laid the first Pacific telegraph cable, from San Francisco to Honolulu.

1903 – The Wright brothers made their first attempt to fly with the Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. They got it to work on December 17th.

1911 – Norwegian Roald Amundsen became the first explorer to reach the South Pole.

1940 – Plutonium (Pu-238) was first isolated at Berkeley, California.

1964 – In Heart of Atlanta Motel v. the United States: The Supreme Court of the United States ruled that Congress can use the Constitution’s Commerce Clause to fight discrimination.

1986 – Voyager, the experimental aircraft piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, took off from Edwards Air Force Base in California on the first non-stop, non-refueled flight around the world, in nine days.

2012 – Adam Lanza entered the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut, and shot 26 people, and then himself. 20 children were killed in the attack.

2017 The Vatican announces it has rediscovered the lost last paintings of Raphael in Vatican Museum, painted in 1520

 

Birthdays Today

@86 – Don Hewitt, journalist, producer, creator of 60 Minutes (d. 2009)

71 – Cliff Williams, bassist, vocalist AC/DC

@69 – Patty Duke, American actress (d. 2016; sepsis)

@62 – Nostradamus [Michel de Nostredame], French astrologer, seer, and physician (d. 1566; gout/edema)

60 -- James Comey, American lawyer and former FBI director

32 – Vanessa Hudgens, American actress

 

Puzzle Answer

A member of the clergy.

Enjoy the Holiday