Feb 24

 

 

Feb 24, 2021     Week: 8    Day:  55                           Visibility: 10 miles

Local: H 55°\ L 24°\Ave. Sky Cover: 5%                   Wind:  7mph/ Gusts:  11mph

Nearest Lightning: mi.   1687                                     Moderate Risk of Fire:  Active fire:  264mi

Record: °[. ]  Record: °[. ] 

Feb. Averages: 47°/19° (5 days with moisture)            

Today’s Quote

We need 4 hugs a day for survival.

We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance.

We need 12 hugs a day for growth.

~Virginia Satir

Random Tidbits

If you have ever been in college, chances are you have pulled an "all-nighter" at some point in your academic career, but you may not know that cramming all night reduces your ability to retain information by up to 40 percent. Enter the power of the nap.

A power nap is magical. It's the most effective way to wake up and refresh your mind when you're feeling tired and sluggish.

A Little Humor

What type of fruit do twins prefer? Pears

Weekly Observations

Bird Health Awareness Week Link   Build A Better Trade Show Image Week  National Eating Disorders Awareness Week National Engineers Week National Invasive Species Awareness Week Link National Justice for Animals Week  Link  Link	21-27
Lent [Christian]	17-4/3
National FFA Week Link	20-27
International Petroleum Week  Link	23-25

 

Today’s Observations

Forget Me Not Day  Link  
Inconvenience Yourself Day  
National Dance Day
National Tortilla Chip Day

National Trading Card Day

Pink Shirt Day Link 
Twin Peaks Day

World Bartender Day Link Cancelled

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

Nice weather = Nice Walk.

I updated the Focus Site and now the pricing for the Canadian Rail Trip is correct.

I somehow missed my computer’s spell check. I know the candidate for AG is Merrick Garland. The brainless spell check made his name Eric yesterday.

The more audio and video from Perseverance on Mars the more entranced I am becoming. I must say, much of terrain looks a lot like much of the Navajo Reservation. Some geek added a picture of a trading post to the shot, so everyone would see the comparison. Just cute.

Text to 911 implemented in our mountain town. A user can send a text message to “9-1-1” and it will be routed to the dispatch center. Officials recommend the service who are hearing and speech impaired, when a person is in a dangerous situation and calling would make it worse, or you tried to call 9-1-1, but can’t get reception. Very cool.

I was reading an article about cultural differences the other day. One of the premises was: some cultures believe people are born with rights while other cultures people are born with obligations. Those obligations include taking care of others, taking care of earth, and taking care for future generations. When members of two different cultures meet, it is important to recognize the differences and find a way to live together. In the history of civilization, many times the culture that believes in Rights decide to destroy the cultures that believe in Obligations. It doesn’t have to be that way.

Daily Puzzle

Answer: bottom of the page

What has no hands but might knock on your door, and if it does you better open up?

Historical Events

1582 – The Gregorian Calendar, which most of the world uses today, was introduced.

1863 – Arizona was organized as a United States territory.

1920 – Nancy Astor became the first woman to speak in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.

1938 – Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) had bought the rights to adapt L. Frank Baum’s beloved children’s novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, as reported by Variety magazine.

1938 – DuPont began commercial production of the first nylon toothbrush bristles for the so-called “Miracle Tuft Toothbrush.”

1970 – The National Public Radio was founded in the US.

1981- The engagement of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer was announced.

1982 – The U.S. Supreme Court voted 8-0 to overturn the $200,000 settlement awarded to the Reverend Jerry Falwell for his emotional distress at being parodied in Hustler, a pornographic magazine. Basically, the Supreme Court ruled that you can mock public figures.

1989 – Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa and offers a $3 million bounty for the death of Salman Rushdie, author of The Satanic Verses.

1993- Michael Jackson received the Grammy Legend award which was presented to him by his sister Janet at the 35th annual Grammy Awards.

1999 The State of Arizona executes Karl LaGrand, a German national involved in an armed robbery, in spite of Germany's legal action to attempt to save him.

2008 Fidel Castro retires as the President of Cuba due to ill health after nearly fifty years

2013 Raúl Castro is elected to a second term as the President of Cuba.

2014 Pope Francis creates a second Secretariat with the power to audit any Vatican agency at any time.

2014 A 4.4 billion-year-old Crystal is discovered to be the oldest known fragment from the earth's crust.

2020 US President Donald Trump begins a 2 day trip to India meeting Indian PM Narendra Modi.

2020 Scientists identify the first animal that doesn't need oxygen to breathe - a tiny parasite living in salmon tissue, reported in journal PNAS

Birthdays Today

@94 – Abe Vigoda, American character actor (d. 2016)

@74 – Homer Winslow, American illustrator (d. 1910)

@73 – Wilhelm Grimm, German anthropologist, author (d. 1859; infection)

@73 – James Farentino, American actor (d. 2012; long illness)

71 – George Thorogood, American singer-songwriter

70 – Debra Jo Rupp, American actress [That 70’s Show]

@56 – Steve Jobs, businessman, co-founded Apple Inc., Pixar (d. 2011; cancer)

65 – Paula Zahn, American journalist

63 – Sammy Kershaw, American singer-songwriter

55 – Billy Zane, American actor

44 – Floyd Mayweather, Jr., American boxer

Puzzle Answer

Opportunity

 

Jan 23

 

 

Feb 23, 2021     Week: 8    Day:  54                           Visibility: 10 miles

Local: H 50°\ L 22°\Ave. Sky Cover: 5%                   Wind:  8mph/ Gusts:  14mph

Nearest Lightning: 3411mi.                                         Moderate Risk of Fire:  Active fire:  145mi

Record: 66°[1946]  Record: -6°[1960] 

Feb. Averages: 47°/19° (5 days with moisture)            

Today’s Quote

To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides.

~David Viscott

A Little Humor

A guy goes into a hardware store and picks up a can of bug spray and asks the clerk "Is this good for wasps?" he asked the clerk

"No, it will kill them."

True Things

Scientists unveil first clone of endangered ferret

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced the successful cloning of a black-footed ferret -- the first time an endangered U.S. animal has been cloned. The FWS said the female ferret, dubbed Elizabeth Ann, was cloned from the frozen cells of Willa, a black-footed ferret who lived more than 30 years ago. Black-footed ferrets were declared extinct in 1979, but two years later a small population was found living on a Wyoming farmer's property. Officials said all black-footed ferrets alive today are descended from seven individuals. Officials said Elizabeth Ann will become part of a breeding program and will add some genetic diversity to the species. "Without an appropriate amount of genetic diversity, a species often becomes more susceptible to diseases and genetic abnormalities," the agency said in a statement. The FWS said scientists are aiming to create more black-footed ferret clones in the coming months.

Weekly Observations

Bird Health Awareness Week Link   Build A Better Trade Show Image Week  National Eating Disorders Awareness Week National Engineers Week National Invasive Species Awareness Week Link National Justice for Animals Week  Link  Link	21-27
Lent [Christian]	17-4/3
National FFA Week Link	20-27
International Petroleum Week  Link	23-25

 

Today’s Observations

Curling is Cool Day
Diesel Engine Day
International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day

Iwo Jima Day (Flag Raised)
Museum Advocacy Day: 22-23  Link 
National Banana Bread Day

National Tile Day  Link
Rationalization Day

Single Tasking Day
Tennis Day

Tootsie Roll Day  Link
World Spay Day USA 

World Understanding and Peace Day

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

This week is starting off with great weather. Lots of sunshine, blue sky. Great Day!

I watched part of the Attorney General conformation hearing of Eric Garland. Sounds like a good guy to me.

The local paper had a great article about Ava, the Avalanche Dog for our local ski resort. Not sure of her breed but know for sure she isn’t a St. Bernard. She is in her 7^th year of search and rescue. Very cool.

NAU, our local University, has picked its next President, a guy from NY. He has said his priority is communication with community members and organizations. I guess he did his homework as this is the top priority according to our local paper. The current president had a priority of increasing student population so she could get a raise from the Board of Regents.

AOC [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez], the Rep from NY, has raised over $4million for the citizens of Texas during this disaster. Everyday she raises more. The Senator from Texas, Mr. Cruz, takes a vacation to Cancun. I’m reminded that actions speak louder than words.

Daily Puzzle

Answer: bottom of the page

My life is often a volume of grief, your help is needed to turn a new leaf. Stiff is my spine, and my body is pale, but I’m always ready to tell a tale. What am I?

Historical Events

1455 – Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western book printed with movable type. Ironically, if there were newspapers at the time, we could be more confident about the date.

1792 – The Humane Society of Massachusetts was incorporated.

1836 – The Siege of the Alamo (prelude to the Battle of the Alamo) began in San Antonio, Texas.

1896 – The Tootsie Roll was introduced by Leo Hirshfield, in New York.

1903 – Cuba leased Guantanamo Bay to the United States “in perpetuity”.

1905 – Chicago attorney Paul Harris and three other businessmen met for lunch to form the Rotary Club, the world’s first service club.

1927 – Federal Radio Commission (FRC, later replaced by the Federal Communications Commission, FCC) which was to regulate the use of radio frequencies in the United States was established.

1941 – Plutonium was first produced and isolated by Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg

1945 – During the Battle for Iwo Jima, U.S. Marines from the 3rd Platoon, E Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Regiment of the 5th Division take the crest of Mount Suribachi, the island’s highest peak, and raised the U.S. flag. The photo would later become world-famous as well as win a Pulitzer Prize.

1947 – The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) was founded.

1954 – The first mass inoculation of children against polio with Jonas Salk’s vaccine began in Pittsburgh, PA.

1955 – First meeting of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO).

1975 – There was an energy crisis in the US in 1975, so daylight savings time started two months early – Feb 23rd instead of April.

1978 -Both Barbra Streisand’s Love Theme from A Star Is Born (Evergreen) and Debby Boone’s You Light Up My Life were awarded the Best Song Grammy – the first and only tie in that category in Grammy history.

1987 – The light from Supernova 1987A, in the Large Magellanic Cloud, reached the Earth.

1991 – Operation Desert Storm began in Iraq.

2005 – The Apple iPod mini (2nd generation) was released.

2010 Unknown criminals pour more than 2.5 million litres of diesel oil and other hydrocarbons into the river Lambro, in Northern Italy, causing an environmental disaster.

2018 Study suggests earliest European Paleolithic artwork in Spain made by Neanderthals not humans in "Science Journal"

2020 China's Supreme Leader Xi Jinping describes the country's COVID-19 outbreak as the China's largest health emergency since 1949

Birthdays Today

@95 – W.E.B. Du Bois, American sociologist, historian, activist (d. 1963)

@79 – Peter Fonda, American actor (d. 2019; lung cancer)

70 – Ed “Too Tall” Jones, American football player

42 – [Sarah Elizabeth] S.E. Cupp, American journalist, author

38 – Emily Blunt, English actress

27 – Dakota Fanning, American actress

Puzzle Answer

A book

 

Feb 22

 

 

Feb 22, 2021     Week: 8    Day:  53                           Visibility: 10 miles

Local: H 41°\ L 14°\Ave. Sky Cover: 5%                   Wind:  8mph/ Gusts:  13mph

Nearest Lightning:3397 mi.                                         Low Risk of Fire:  Active fire:  280mi

Record: 64°[2002]  Record: -10°[1955] 

Feb. Averages: 47°/19° (5 days with moisture)            

Today’s Quote

Love is an act of endless forgiveness, a tender look which becomes a habit.

~Peter Ustinov

Random Tidbits

Amalie Materna, who played Brunnhilde during Wagner's lifetime (1876), may be the first proverbial "fat lady".

A Little Humor

Why can’t you play cards on a rowboat?

Because you're sitting on the deck.

True Things

Man breaks record for opening cans with mouth

An Ontario man broke a Guinness World Record -- but not any teeth -- when he used his jaws to bite open 24 full beverage cans in 1 minute. Chucky Mady, 32, an mixed martial arts fighter from Windsor, was recorded on video using his powerful jaws to rip the tops off the cans, causing soda to spray all over him and the surrounding area. "I've been doing it for years -- I started when I was 16," Mady said. "Just messing around. Party tricks." Mady said it was several years later before he decided to take on the world record. "One day, I was watching Guinness World Records Gone Wild on TV. There was this guy, Ryan Stock, who was doing it. His record was 11 cans in 1 minute, and I was like: 'I can do that.'" Guinness confirmed Mady set the new record at 24 cans.

Presidential Trivia

Long, long before becoming president or even senator, Obama worked a summer job at a Baskin-Robbins. Sounds sweet, but the former president said it actually made him dislike ice cream. Instead, he prefers chocolate-peanut protein bars or caramels.

Donald Trump made several TV cameos in the'90s.

These days, most of us are used to seeing Donald Trump on our screens. But he's no newbie to television: In addition to The Apprentice, Trump appeared in a slew of television shows and movies in the'90s, including Home Alone, The Nanny, and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

Weekly Observations

Bird Health Awareness Week Link   Build A Better Trade Show Image Week  National Eating Disorders Awareness Week National Engineers Week National Invasive Species Awareness Week Link National Justice for Animals Week  Link  Link	21-27
Lent [Christian]	17-4/3
National FFA Week Link	20-27

 

Today’s Observations

Be Humble Day

For The Love of Mike Day
George Washington's Birthday

International World Thinking Day

Museum Advocacy Day: 22-23  Link 
National Cook a Sweet Potato Day

National Cupcake Day (Canada) Link  
National Margarita Day Link
National Wildlife Day Link  
Play More Cards Day Link 
Recreational Sports and Fitness Day

Shrove Monday
Single Tasking Day

Tex Avery Day Link
Walking the Dog Day

Woolworth's Day [founded in 1879]
World Thinking Day Link

 

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

Cold front has moved out…nice sunny day…a good day for a long walk! So nice to enjoy the outdoors.

One of our Focus Travelers lives in Broomfield. When I saw the news report of debris falling from that Hawaii-bound United flight I texted her. Thankfully, it was not her area of Broomfield. It was good to hear there were no injuries on the flight or on the ground. NTSB will eventually figure out what happened, so it won’t happen again.

I am glad I don’t live in Texas right now. First, they get hit with snow and ice. Then the power and water infrastructure fail. Now the power company has raised the I’m glad I don’t live in Texas. The snow and ice devastated many. Then the power and water infrastructure failed. Just as power was being restored the cost of a megawatt of electricity was raised. In December, a megawatt cost about $50 and the average home paid about $125/month. The cost is February is reported to be $9000/megawatt. No wonder Ted and his family took a vacation in Cancun and left their dog in their cold house with food and water. I’m at a loss for words.

Daily Puzzle

Answer: bottom of the page

I weaken all men for hours each day. I show you strange visions while you are away. I take you by night, by day take you back. None suffer to have me, but do from my lack. What am I?

Historical Events

1620 – Popcorn was introduced to the English colonists by an Indian named Quadequina.

1651 – St. Peter’s Flood (I): A storm surge flooded the Frisian (Germany/Netherlands) coast, drowning 15,000 people.

1759 – Today is the day that middle class 27-year-old George Washington married a rich widow (also 27) Martha Dandridge Curtis, and became a wealthy man (he was already a war hero).

1819 – Spanish minister Don Luis de Onis and U.S. Secretary of State John Quincy Adams signed the Florida Purchase Treaty, giving the United States control of all of Florida.

1853 – Washington University in St. Louis was founded as Eliot Seminary.

1855 – Pennsylvania State University was founded in State College, Pennsylvania (as the Farmers’ High School of Pennsylvania)

1872 – The Prohibition Party held its first national convention in Columbus, Ohio, nominating James Black as its presidential nominee.

1879 – The first F.W. Woolworth’s Five& Dime opened in Utica, NY. It became the first chain store.

1893 – The Record of a Sneeze was filmed by Thomas Edison. It was the first film ‘close up‘.

1956 – Elvis Presley debuted on the music charts with Heartbreak Hotel.

1980 – The ‘Miracle on Ice’ – The US Men’s Hockey Team won a 4-3 victory over the Soviet Union at the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. Two days later, the Americans went on to beat Finland and take home the gold medal.

2006 – iTunes sold its BILLIONTH music download. 16-year-old Alex Ostrovsky of West Bloomfield bought “Speed of Sound” by Coldplay. He later got a phone call from Steve Jobs and won a lot of iPod and Mac stuff.

2006 – At least six men staged Britain’s biggest bank robbery ever stealing the equivalent of 92 million American dollars from a security depot in Tonbridge, Kent.

2017 US President Donald Trump overturns Obama directive on Transgender rights to use toilets.

2018 Neanderthals not humans were the first artists on Earth, producing red cave paintings 65,000 years ago in Spain, according to new research published in "Science".

Birthdays Today

@91 – Robert Young, actor [Father Knows Best] (d. 1998)

@89 – Sheldon Leonard, American actor, director and producer (d. 1997)

@83 – Robert Baden-Powell, British founder of the boy Scouts (and Girl Guides) (d. 1941)

@82 – Rembrandt Peale, American painter (d. 1860)

@77 – Edward ‘Ted’ Kennedy, American politician (d. 2009; brain cancer)

71 – Julius Erving, American basketball player and sportscaster

@67 – George Washington, American patriot, general and politician, 1st President of the United States (d. 1799; from medical bleeding)

@58 – Edna St. Vincent Millay (aka Nancy Boyd), American poet, playwright (d. 1950; heart attack)

46 – Drew Barrymore, American actress, director, producer and screenwriter

@44 – Steve Irwin, Australian zoologist and television host (d. 2006; stingray)

@22 – Robert Wadlow, American, tallest man ever recorded at 8 feet, 11.1 inches tall (d. 1940; autoimmune disease)

Puzzle Answer

Sleep