11 Jan

 

11 January 2023

Daily Almanac for Flagstaff
Week 2 Day 11 \ Ave. Sky Cover 50% \ Visibility 17 miles Flagstaff Today 52° \23°  Wind 5mph \ Gusts 10mph 
Air Quality: Fair \Very Low Risk of fire \ Nearest active fire 325mi \ Nearest Lightning 273mi
Jan Averages for Flagstaff: 44° \ 16° \5 Days of moisture
High clouds

Today’s Quote

 

Weekly Observations

6-Feb 21
Carnival Season
7-14
National Personal Trainer Awareness Week
8-14
Home Office Safety and Security Week  
National Mocktail Week
11-17
Cuckoo Dancing Week
11-20
Take A Friend Snowmobiling Week Link

Daily Observations

Cigarettes Are Hazardous To Your Health Day
Girl Hug Boy Day
Learn Your Name in Morse Code Day Link
National Hot Toddy Day
National Milk Day
Secret Pal Day
Stomp in a Puddle and Splash Your Friends Day (weather permitting)
National Human Trafficking Awareness Day Link
World Sketchnote Day Link

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

A fast-moving storm is headed my way. They say it will be gone by noon tomorrow and leave an inch of so of the white stuff. I am patiently waiting.

I was glad to see that the House approved its rules for this session without too much hassle.

Just as things were calming down, Biden’s VP office discovered classified documents and notified the National Archives. After that, the media broke the story. Now some Republicans are out there wondering why the FBI didn’t raid Biden’s old office, how long the current President should be allowed to remain in office, and how soon he can be impeached. I am patiently waiting.

Great news that Damar Hamlin is back in Buffalo just one week after the incident. Thanks to all who assisted in his quick recovery.

Last summer I was following the trek of BearSun as he walked from LA to NYC to raise money for mental health, \Autism, cancer, the environment, and the disabled community. He has returned to Flagstaff to donate his moccasins to the Museum of Northern AZ. Very cool.

Just after I finished yesterday’s blog, the AZ Cardinals announced the firing of the Head Coach and General Manager. Probably the right move after a pathetic season.  

Today the Navajo Nation inaugurated a new President (Buu Nygren) and the first ever female VP (Richelle Montoya). President Nygren is the youngest President for the Navajo Nation, elected at 35 years old. Congrats.

Waterfalls around the world

Facts…

In 1900, about a third of vehicles were electric.

For centuries, getting around by horse and cart was the standard mode of transportation. By the 1800s, however, these hay-powered haulers were causing problems on busy city streets. As more people moved into cities, the number of horses dramatically increased, and with so many equines on the roads — New York City had around 150,000 horses in 1890 — came public health concerns over disease and mountains of manure. Horse travel, frankly put, was relatively dirty in comparison to making way by horseless carriage, aka the first electric vehicles. Marketed as clean, quiet, and easy to drive, early electric cars, which resembled traditional carriages, became so popular that by 1900 they accounted for around one-third of all automotive vehicles on roadways. 

Slang Origins

1962: Chrome dome

Meaning: a bald person

The hippie movement encouraged men in the movement to wear their hair long or in afros. “Chrome dome” became an insult for those not in the movement, especially those serving in the Vietnam War, who had to get their hair buzzed short to meet military requirements.

Historical Events

1759 – First American life insurance company incorporated, founded by the Presbyterian Synod of Philadelphia.

1908 – Grand Canyon National Monument was created. It became a National park in 1919.

1964 – Surgeon General of the United States Dr. Luther Terry, M.D., publishes the landmark report Smoking and Health: Report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General of the United States saying that smoking may be hazardous to health, sparking national and worldwide anti-smoking efforts.

Birthdays Today

@102 – Albert Hofmann, Swiss chemist and academic, discoverer of LSD (d. 2008)
@84 – James Paget, English surgeon and pathologist (d. 1899)
@89 – Carroll Shelby, American race car driver, engineer, and businessman (d. 2012)
I’m not going to take this defeatist attitude and listen to all this crap anymore from all these people who have nothing except doomsday to predict.– Carroll Shelby
@82 – David L. Wolper, American director and producer (d. 2010)
@76 – Naomi Judd, American singer-songwriter and actress (d. 2022; suicide)
@65 – Abraham Joshua Heschel, Jewish theologians (d. 1972)
There is a realm of time where the goal is not to have but to be, not to own but to give, not to control but to share, not to subdue but to be in accord. Life goes wrong when the control of space, the acquisition of things of space, becomes our sole concern.– Abraham Joshua Heschel
@58 – Darryl Dawkins, American basketball player, coach (d. 2015; heart attack)
52 – Mary J. Blige, American singer-songwriter
@49 – Alexander Hamilton, 1st United States Secretary of the Treasury (d. 1804; lost duel)
The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for among old parchments or musty records. They are written, as with a sunbeam, in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of the divinity itself; and can never be erased or obscured by mortal power.– Alexander Hamilton
39 – Matt Mullenweg, American web developer, co-created WordPress
36 – Scotty Cranmer, American Professional BMX rider
I learned my lesson after seeing what guys like TJ Lavin, Ty Pinney, Stephen Murray and Mikey went through. And honestly, I feel like I’m disrespecting them by not wearing a helmet while riding at this level. I wish kids would start appreciating life and realize how everything can change in that one split second just because you’re not going to wear a helmet.– Scotty Cranmer

 

10 Jan

10 January 2023
Daily Almanac for Flagstaff
Week 2 Day 10 \ Ave. Sky Cover 15% \ Visibility 19 miles Flagstaff Today 52° \25°  Wind 2mph \ Gusts 3mph 
Air Quality: Moderate \Low Risk of fire \ Nearest active fire 313mi \ Nearest Lightning 1001mi
Jan Averages for Flagstaff: 44° \ 16° \5 Days of moisture
Sunshine

Today’s Quote

Weekly Observations

6-Feb 21
Carnival Season
7-14
National Personal Trainer Awareness Week
8-14
Home Office Safety and Security Week  
National Mocktail Week

Daily Observations

Houseplant Appreciation Day Link 
League of Nations Day
National Bittersweet Chocolate Day
National Booch (Kombucha) Day 
League of Nations Day
National Bittersweet Chocolate Day
National Booch (Kombucha) Day Link
National Cut Your Energy Costs Day
National Oysters Rockefeller Day  Link
National Poetry at Work Day
National Shop For Travel Day  Link
Peculiar People Day
Save The Eagles Day

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

Starting a new week with a nice winter day.

The Broncos ended their season with a win over the Chargers. The Cards ended their season with another loss, this time to the 49ers. I am expecting coaching changes in the near future.

Brazil is experiencing vote denial and is more violent that what happened here in the states. It is sad to see.  What has happened to democracies that when a candidate loses, they lick their wounds and move on?

Biden visited the border in El Paso, but the far right still isn’t happy. Now they are claiming the area was cleared before the President arrived.

Waterfalls around the world

Facts…

It’s not just the immense scale of the reef that makes the Great Barrier Reef visible to astronauts in space. The contrast between the dark blue of the deeper parts of the ocean and the light turquoise of the lagoons on the other side of the reef makes it relatively straightforward to identify with the naked eye. But the pictures taken from space are valued for more than their aesthetic appeal. The MERIS sensor used on the Envisat satellite mission was a useful tool in mapping the extent of coral bleaching, the term given to stressed coral which has rid itself of algae.

Scientists are continually studying the Great Barrier Reef, but the discovery of a 1,640-foot-tall reef off the North Queensland coast was an exceptional find, the largest discovery in more than a century. By comparison, the Empire State Building measures 1,454 feet from sidewalk to tip. Researchers from the Schmidt Ocean Institute in California were using an underwater robot to create a 3D map of the seafloor when they made the discovery. The submarine landform, which is about a mile wide, is right off the northern tip of the Great Barrier Reef. 

Slang Origins

1960: Groovy

Meaning: hip, trendy; marvelous or excellent

Occasionally, a slang word is born that defines a generation, and groovy is one of them. It started as jazz slang in the 1930s, referring to the grooves in a record, before exploding in popularity during the 1960s and ‘70s during the hippie movement. Today, the word has become the relic of another era, a catch-all used to describe anything that comes from the decade, even baby names.

Historical Events

1776 – “Common Sense” by Thomas Paine was published.
1870 – John D. Rockefeller incorporates Standard Oil.
1878 – The first (Susan B. Anthony Woman) Woman’s Suffrage Amendment was offerd to congress by Senator Arlen A. Sargent of California.
1927 – Fritz Lang’s futuristic film Metropolis was released in Germany.
1946 – The United Nations’ General Assembly (51 countries) met for the first time in London.

Birthdays Today

@91 – Jerry Wexler, American music producer (d.2008)
@87 – Philip Levine, American poet (d.2015)
@83 – Max Roach, American drummer and composer (d.2007)
@83 – Ray Bolger, American actor (d.1987)
I was brought up on the books of The Wizard of Oz and my mother told me that these were great philosophies. It was a very simple philosophy, that everybody had a heart, that everybody had a brain, that everybody had courage. These were the gifts that are given to you when you come on this earth, and if you use them properly, you reach the pot at the end of the rainbow. And that pot of gold was a home. And home isn’t just a house or an abode, its people, people who love you and that you love. That’s a home.– Ray Bolger
@83 – David Horowitz, American activist and author
@79 – Roy E. Disney, American businessman (d.2009; cancer)
It’s not hard to make decisions once you know what your values are.– Roy E. Disney
78 – Rod Stewart, English singer-songwriter
@75 – (John) Robinson Jeffers, American poet (d.1962)
75 – Donald Fagen, American singer-songwriter, musician
It’s great to know that our old stuff still sounds good to our fans, just as it’s wonderful to think that we’ve turned a few people on to jazz over the years.– Donald Fagen
74 – George Foreman, Boxer, Grill-guy
@73 – Scott McKenzie, American singer-songwriter (d.2012)
73 – Roy Blunt, American politician
@72 – Frank James, American criminal (d.1915)
I have been hunted for twenty-one years. I have literally lived in the saddle. I have never known a day of perfect peace.– Frank James
@72 – Frank Sinatra, Jr., American singer and actor (d.2016; heart attack)
70 – Pat Benatar, American singer-songwriter
You can’t change the past so don’t let it haunt you. You can change the future but first you’ve got to want to.– Pat Benatar
@66 – Charles Phillip Ingalls, the father of Laura Ingalls Wilder (d.1902; heart disease)
@63 – Johnnie Ray, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d.1990; liver disease)
@57 – Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich of Russia (d.1931)
@53 – Linda Lovelace, American actress (d.2002; auto accidnet)
50 – Félix Trinidad, Puerto Rican-American boxer
42 – Jared Kushner, American businessman political figure
@37 – Sal Mineo, American actor (d.1976; murdered)

  

9 Jan

 

9 January 2023

Daily Almanac for Flagstaff
Week 2 Day 9 \ Ave. Sky Cover 5% \ Visibility 17 miles Flagstaff Today 53° \21°  Wind 5mph \ Gusts 8mph 
Air Quality: FAIR \Low Risk of fire \ Nearest active fire 320mi \ Nearest Lightning 1197mi
Jan Averages for Flagstaff: 44° \ 16° \5 Days of moisture
Sunshine

Today’s Quote

Weekly Observations

6-9
Elvis' Birthday Celebration Week
6-Feb 21
Carnival Season
7-14
National Personal Trainer Awareness Week
8-14
Home Office Safety and Security Week  
National Mocktail Week

Daily Observations

Aviation in America Day
Balloon Ascension Day Link
International Choreographers Day
Law Enforcement Appreciation Day  Link  Link
National Apricot Day
National Cassoulet Day
National Clean Off Your Desk Day
National Nerd Word Day
National Static Electricity Day Link
No Pants Subway Ride Day Link
Panama's Martyr Day Link
Phi Beta Sigma Day
Play God Day Link 
Plough Monday 
Plough Monday Link
Poetry at Work Day
Static Electricity Day

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

A nice winter day. No complaints.

Later this afternoon the Broncos play the Chargers and the Cards play the 49er’s. Neither team had a decent season, but I’m still following both.

I’m wondering how the new Congress will establish the rules for this session of Congress. For the sanity of our country, I certainly hope it doesn’t take 15 roll call votes to decide on the rules.

After some late night TV, today I have decided it is officially a lazy day.  

Waterfalls around the world

Facts…

The Great Barrier Reef isn’t just home to coral — it’s made of it. Approximately three-quarters of the world’s coral species can be found here. There are two main types, hard coral and soft coral. It is the hard or stony corals (scleractinians) that are responsible for creating the reef itself. Made up of tiny polyps, each stony coral measures around one-tenth of an inch, but they band together to form colonies that consist of millions of individual polyps. The coral secretes calcium carbonate, which grows over the limestone remains of previous colonies. This slow and steady growth — less than two inches per year if conditions are ideal — eventually formed the structure of the Great Barrier Reef. The coral is precious, which is why visitors should never be tempted to break off a piece as a souvenir, no matter how small and insignificant it might seem.   

Aside from the coral itself, the Great Barrier Reef is home to more than 1,500 species of fish. Perhaps the most curious is a scorpion fish called the Rhinopias agriloba. Occasionally found in the northern part of the reef, it appears to walk along the seafloor balancing on its fins. Approximately 4,000 species of mollusks and about 240 species of birds also live in the reef’s ecosystem. On top of this extraordinary roll call, you’ll find migrating whales, dolphins, dugongs, sea turtles, crustaceans, sponges, anemones, and other marine life, making the reef the most biodiverse UNESCO World Heritage Site in the world. Humans, too, are intrinsically linked to the reef: The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have forged a strong connection with the reef during their 60,000-year history, as evidenced by shell deposits, fish traps, and marine totems.

Snorkelers and divers at the Great Barrier Reef should familiarize themselves with some of its more dangerous inhabitants. The reef is home to 14 species of sea snakes, and some are more poisonous than any found on land. The venomous blue-ringed octopus should also be avoided. The octopus tucks itself into shells and won’t attack unless provoked, but a bite is usually fatal. Some types of jellyfish are another potential hazard. Species like the Carukia barnesi are known to cause Irukandji syndrome, which can result in severe lower back pain and muscle cramps. Meanwhile, the crown-of-thorns starfish can devastate the coral itself. It feeds on the coral, stripping a thin layer of tissue off its skeleton and irreparably damaging the fragile polyps.

One of the most breathtaking sights visitors can witness along the Great Barrier Reef is mass coral spawning. This annual event takes place once a year after a full moon and when the water reaches a particular temperature. Corals are hermaphrodites, meaning they’re neither male nor female, but both. Spawning occurs as they release eggs and sperm into the water at the same time, increasing the chance of fertilization. For up to a weeklong period, the water takes on the appearance of a subterranean blizzard each night, though the “snow” is red, orange, and yellow in addition to white. The fertilized eggs rise to the surface and float around for a while before sinking to the ocean floor. There, they start to bud and the coral begins to develop. 

Slang Origins

1959: Ring-a-ding

Meaning: wildly exciting; razzle-dazzle

This slang term was popularized by the Frank Sinatra song (and album), “Ring-A-Ding-Ding,” which describes the feeling of falling in love. The association of this term with women isn’t Sinatra’s invention, however. Cassell’s Dictionary of Slang notes that this was a term for a beautiful woman used during this time.

Historical Events

1768 – Philip Astley opened the world’s first modern circus, with the center ring.
1839 – The French Academy of Sciences announced the Daguerreotype photography process.
1861 – The American Civil War began when the steamer, Star of the West, was fired upon by the Confederates as it attempted to enter Charleston Harbor.

Birthdays Today

@91 – Judith Krantz, American novelist (d. 2019)
@88 – Carrie Lane Chapman, American Suffragette (d. 1947)
@85 – Bart Starr, American football player (d. 2019)
If you work harder than somebody else, chances are you’ll beat him though he has more talent than you.– Bart Starr
82 – Joan Baez, American singer-songwriter
You can’t decide how you’re going to die. Or when. What you can decide is how you’re going to live now.– Joan Baez
@81 – Richard Nixon, 37th President (d. 1994)
I would have made a good Pope.– Richard M. Nixon
@78 – Simone de Beauvoir, French author, philosopher (d. 1986; pneumonia)
I am incapable of conceiving infinity, and yet I do not accept infinity. I want this adventure that is the context of my life to go on without end.– Simone de Beauvoir
@72 – Chic Young, American cartoonist, Blondie comic strip (d. 1973; embolism)
@72 – Susannah York, English actress (d. 2011; cancer)
@70 – Bob Denver, American actor (d. 2005; pneumonia)
Nah, the Smithsonian doesn’t ask for anything back from Gilligan, … They haven’t dropped that low yet.– Bob Denver
79 – Jimmy Page, English guitarist
72 – Crystal Gayle, American singer-songwriter
68 – J.K. Simmons, American actor
@64 – Lee Van Cleef, American actor (d. 1989; heart attack)
56 – Dave Matthews, South African-American singer-songwriter
50 – Sean Paul, Jamaican rapper
45 – AJ McLean, American singer, Backstreet Boys
41 – Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (Kate Middleton)
34 – Nina Dobrev, Bulgarian-Canadian actress