28 Sep

 

 

Daily Almanac for Flagstaff
Week 40 Day 271 \ Ave. Sky Cover 15% \ Visibility 10 miles Flagstaff Today 73° \45° 
Wind 8mph \ Gusts 12mph  Air Quality
Moderate Risk of fire \ Nearest active fire 28mi \ Nearest Lightning 25mi
Sep Averages for Flagstaff: 74° \ 42° (5days of moisture)

 

Today’s Quote

 

Weekly Observations

19-30 International Women's Commerce Days

25-10/1  Banned Books Week National Chimney Safety Week  National Fall Foliage Week   National Keep Kids Creative Week  Remember to Register to Vote Week  Sea Otter Awareness Week    World Hearing Aid Awareness Week

Daily Observations

Ask a Stupid Question Day
Drink Beer Day
Good Neighbor Day
Strawberry Cream Pie Day
Confucius Day
Fast of Gedalya [Jewish]
Fish Tank Floorshow Night
International Day for Universal Access To Information
International Right To Know Day Link
National Drink Beer Day Link
National Good Neighbor Day  
Women's Health & Fitness Day Link 
World Rabies Day

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

A nice fall day. May have some monsoon rain later today or tomorrow.

Hurricane Ian is headed to Florida. It is the reason Artemis is postponed again because of the hurricane this time.

Dart hit its asteroid object. Great pictures for sure. Now the wait is on to see if it worked.

In football the Pro Bowl has been around forever. Now it is being replaced by the Pro Bowl Games that will take place a week before each Super Bowl. Guess the NFL wants an even bigger audience.

I had never heard of the Jones Act. It was passed in 1920 to protect shipping companies from competition from other countries competition. Over a hundred years later it continues to hurt Puerto Rico relief efforts. The Act states that ships that fly a foreign flag must have a waiver to land in America. Today, while thousands for Puerto Rico Americans do not have electricity or running water, there is 300,000 barrels of diesel from Texas sitting in a Puerto Rico harbor, unable to unload the much needed cargo because the ship is flying a foreign flag. Wake up again Congress and fix this yesterday.

Favorite Memes

Superstitions

Blessing a Sneeze

It’s become a reflex to bless someone after they sneeze. Little do you know; you could be saving them from damnation. This custom originated with an old superstition that a person’s soul separated from their body when they sneezed. Saying “Bless you” was a way to keep the devil from swooping in to steal their soul before they recovered. 

US Facts

Ancient rivers

Three of the five oldest rivers in the world are in the United States. They are the New, the Susquehanna, and the French Broad Rivers.

Historical Events

1066 – William the Conqueror landed in England, beginning the Norman conquest.
1850 – Flogging (whipping) in the Navy and Merchant Marines was abolished by the US.
1941 – Ted Williams achieved a .406 batting average for the season, and was the last MLB player to bat .400 or better.
1951 – CBS unsuccessfully launched their own color televisions; a different system became popular later.
1951 – The science-fiction classic film, The Day the Earth Stood Still, was released.
1963 – Tennessee Tuxedo cartoon debuted on CBS.
1980 – Carl Sagan’s 13 part Cosmos premiered on PBS.
2006 – The City Council of Reykjavik and neighboring municipalities agreed to turn off all the city lights in the capital area for half an hour, while a renowned astronomer talked about the stars and the constellations on national radio.

Birthdays Today

@89 – William S. Paley, American broadcaster, founded CBS (d. 1990)
“White lies always introduce others of a darker complexion.”– William S. Paley
88 – Brigitte Bardot, French actress
@76 – Ben E. King, American singer-songwriter (d. 2015)
“I still think my whole career was accidental. I didn’t pursue it. I feel like I’m cheating sometimes.”– Ben E. King
@73 – Ed Sullivan, American television host (d. 1974; cancer)
@71ish – Confucius, Chinese teacher, and philosopher (d. 479 BC)
“A man is great not because he hasn’t failed; a man is great because failure hasn’t stopped him.”– Confucius
“A great man is hard on himself; a small man is hard on others.”– Confucius
@70 – Al Capp, American author, and illustrator (d. 1979; emphysema)
“Success is following the pattern of life one enjoys most.”– Al Capp
55 – Mira Sorvino, American actress
54 – Naomi Watts, English-Australian actress
@39 – Sean Levert, American R&B singer-songwriter (d. 2008; Sarcoidosis)
35 – Hilary Duff, American actress, Lizzie McGuire
“Be bold before you get stuck not being bold.”– Hilary Duff

 

27 Sep

 

 

Daily Almanac for Flagstaff
Week 40 Day 270 \ Ave. Sky Cover 30% \ Visibility 10 miles Flagstaff Today 73° \40° 
Wind 4mph \ Gusts 7mph  Air Quality  Moderate
High Risk of fire \ Nearest active fire 102mi \ Nearest Lightning 104mi
Sep Averages for Flagstaff: 74° \ 42° (5days of moisture)

 

Today’s Quote

 

Weekly Observations

19-30 International Women's Commerce Days

25-10/1  Banned Books Week National Chimney Safety Week  National Fall Foliage Week   National Keep Kids Creative Week  Remember to Register to Vote Week  Sea Otter Awareness Week World Hearing Aid Awareness Week

Daily Observations

Ancestor Appreciation Day
Chocolate Milk Day
Corned Beef Hash Day
Crush A Can Day  Link
Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day   Link
Google's Birthday
National Scarf Day  Link
National Woman Road Warrior Day 
Rabi'-al-Awwal Link [Islamic holiday]
Saint Vincent De Paul Feast Day
World Tourism Day

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

Fall is here. Morning lows just keep getting lower.

Yesterday the AZ Cards lost…Broncos beat the 49ers is a good game.

Hurricane Ian is causing pre-havoc on much of Florida. I hope my friends and readers in Florida are all doing well. Anytime there is a mandatory evacuation notice, residents are worried.

After Roe v Wade was overturned, AZ went to court. Now an 1864 Abortion Law is being enforced in AZ. It was 1912 when AZ became a state. I find this unbelievable. Reminds me of an early flight I took from Denver to Phoenix, in the early 1970’s. As we were landing at the tiny airport in Phoenix, the captain said: “…we will be landing in about 15 minutes. Fasten your seatbelts and set your clocks back ten years.”

The last time a meteor hit near Flagstaff was about 50,000 years ago. That fear has not been on my list of fears…even after seeing several movies that was about asteroids crashing into our planet. Tonight, the US will attempt to change the orbit of a small moon that is attached gravitationally to an asteroid far from the earth’s orbit. If it succeeds, all is good. If it fails, more testing will be done.  There will be live camera on the probe and should be interesting to watch, until the screen goes black, and scientists know it was a hit. Then in a couple of days they will be able if they changed the orbit of the tiny moon. They are expecting a 10 minute change in the orbit. WOW!

Favorite Memes

Superstitions

Black Cat Crossing Your Path

Many cultures throughout history regarded all cats as good luck omens, but black kitties got a bad rap in the Middle Ages when they were associated with witchcraft and actually viewed as demons. That demon thing snowballed into an idea that if a black cat crossed your path, they were blocking your connection to God and path to heaven. 

US Facts

Alaska and Rhode Island

Although Alaska is 429 times larger than the state of Rhode Island, it has a significantly lower population.

Historical Events

1540 – Pope Paul III approved the charter for the Society of Jesus (Jesuits).
1888 – The first letter from Jack The Ripper was received by London’s Central News Agency.
1903 – The Wreck of the Old 97, a real-life American rail disaster that became the subject of a popular dirge.
1905 – Albert Einstein’s paper “Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy Content?”, introducing the equation E=mc² was published.
1908 – Model T #0001 came out of Henry Ford’s car factory today.
1912 – W C Handy published The Memphis Blues, the first Blues Song
1937- The first Santa Claus training school opened in Albion, New York.
1962 – Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring was published.
1964 – The Warren Report, regarding the assassination of JFK was released.
1998 Google launched its li’l Search Engine.

Birthdays Today

@95 – Jayne Meadows, American actress (d. 2015)
“There is only one secret. To love what you are doing.”– Jayne Meadows @85 – Wilford Brimley, American actor (d. 2020)
@81 – Samuel Adams, American philosopher, 4th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1803)
“It is in the interest of tyrants to reduce the people to ignorance and vice. For they cannot live in any country where virtue and knowledge prevail.”– Samuel Adams
@80 – Harry Blackstone, Sr., American magician (d. 1965)
@75 – Don Cornelius, American television host (Soul Train) (d. 2012; suicide)
“I always felt a love for music, but I never got my nerve up enough to try a musical instrument in school.”– Don Cornelius
@74 – Meat Loaf [Marvin Lee Aday], American singer-songwriter (d. 2022; Covid)
64 – Shaun Cassidy, American actor
@62 – Greg Morris, American actor (d. 1996; brain tumor)
50 – Gwyneth Paltrow, American actress
48 – Carrie Brownstein, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress
“I will say, as a woman when you put a mustache on, you find out a lot of things about yourself.”– Carrie Brownstein
40 – Lil Wayne, American rapper
38 – Avril Lavigne, Canadian singer-songwriter

 

26 Sep

 

 

Daily Almanac for Flagstaff
Week 40 Day 269 \ Ave. Sky Cover 5% \ Visibility 10 miles Flagstaff Today 72° \40° 
Wind 10mph \ Gusts 12mph  Air Quality Fair
High Risk of fire \ Nearest active fire 132mi \ Nearest Lightning 371mi
Sep Averages for Flagstaff: 74° \ 42° (5days of moisture)
 

Today’s Quote

 

Weekly Observations

19-30 International Women's Commerce Days

25-10/1  Banned Books Week National Chimney Safety Week  National Fall Foliage Week   National Keep Kids Creative Week  Remember to Register to Vote Week  Sea Otter Awareness Week: 25-10/1   World Hearing Aid Awareness Week

Daily Observations

Astronomy Day
Compliance Officer Day  Link
Family Day  (4th Monday)
Forget-Me-Not Day Link  
Gold Star Mother's and Family Day
Happy Daughters Day   Link
Internat’l Day For The Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons
Johnny Appleseed Day Link
Love Note Day
National Dumpling Day Link
Pancake Day
Shamu the Whale Day
Situational Awareness Day  Link
World Contraception Day Link

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

Nice Fall day.

Yesterday was busy. A friend needed a ride to Holbrook to pick up her vehicle. Then it was off to Buffalo Park to help some other friends at the astronomy exhibit.  Then an artist friend came to town, and we met at a local for restaurant for pie and catching up. Redwing was trying to ship one of his paintings, a 6’ x 4’traditional ceremony piece. He must come back Monday, as the shipping place couldn’t handle it until then. It was a great day, but I was exhausted by the end of the day.

This morning I flipped my mattress, as the season’s changed. That meant washing the mattress pad and the summer quilt. All done and I now have a great fall quilt on my bed.

It is a football day. Broncos v 49ers tonight on my TV, Cards play Rams this afternoon. I’ll be watching.

I listened to Fareed on CNN this morning while I was busy in the bedroom. It was one of his better programs. He interviewed a leader of S. Korea and had a good discussion about their relationship with N. Korea, China, and Taiwan. It is all so intertwined. Then he had several guests talking about the current unrest in Iran around the young lady who died after being jailed, and then dying in jail, for wearing the hijab incorrectly. Women in Iran are protesting by burning their hijab in public. It is a very tense situation that could expand. Scary.

Favorite Memes

Superstitions

 Breaking a Mirror

Ancient Romans believed that mirrors held pieces of your soul. This, coupled with the myth that our body “renews” itself every seven years fueled the superstition that breaking a mirror means you are damning your soul to seven years of bad luck.

US Facts

Do-gooders

Americans were found to be the group of people most likely to assist a stranger, according to the World Giving Index.

Historical Events

1580 – Francis Drake completed his circumnavigation of the Earth.
1789 – George Washington appointed Thomas Jefferson the first United States Secretary of State.
1957 – West Side Story debuted on Broadway
1960 – The first televised Presidential Debate took place between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon.
1960 – Longest speech in UN history at 4 hours and 29 minutes, was given by Cuba’s Fidel Castro.
1962 – The Beverly Hillbillies premiered on CBS.
1969 – Abbey Road, the last album by The Beatles, was released.
1990 – The Motion Picture Association of America announced a new rating of NC-17 to apply to adult films, replacing the “X” rating.
2011 – On September 26th, 2011 Mikey Welsh posted on Twitter, “Dreamt I died in Chicago next weekend (heart attack in my sleep). Need to write my will today” followed by, “Correction – the weekend after next”. He died October 8th, 2011 from a heart attack in his sleep in a hotel room. In Chicago.

Birthdays Today

@96 – Jack LaLanne, American fitness expert (d. 2011)
“There is no fountain of youth, What you put into your body is what you get out of it. You would not feed your dog a coffee and doughnut for breakfast followed by a cigarette. You will kill the damn dog.”– Jack LaLanne
 @79 – George Raft, American actor (d. 1980’ emphysema)
@76 – T.S. Eliot, English poet, playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1965; emphysema)
“Everyone gets the experience. Some get the lesson.”– T. S. Eliot
@74 – Julie London, American singer, and actress (d. 2000; lung cancer)
@73 – Olivia Newton-John, singer (d. 1845; cancer)
@70 – Johnny Appleseed, American gardener, and environmentalist (d. 1845)
“Do not worry at being worried; but accept worry peacefully. Difficult but not impossible.”– Johnny Appleseed
@57 – Marty Robbins, American singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1982; heart disease)
64 – Jim Caviezel, American actor
60 – Melissa Sue Anderson, American-Canadian actress
40 – Serena Williams, tennis champ
@38 – George Gershwin, American pianist, and composer (d. 1937; glioblastoma)
“Life is a lot like jazz. It’s best when you improvise.”– George Gershwin