Aug 9

 

2023

Flagstaff Almanac

Week 32 Day 221 Ave. Sky Cover 30%\ Visibility  20mi. Flagstaff Today  79° \ 54° 
Wind  8mph \ Gusts  18mph  Nearest active fire: 15miles Risk of fire: High Nearest Lightning:  75mi
Air Quality: Fair           Moisture Days this month: 5 days Sunshine 
August Averages: Temps 79° \ 50° Moisture 9 Days   

Today’s Quote

Weekly Observations

4-13
Sturgis Rally Link 
6-12
Assistance Dog Week:   Link Link
Knights of Columbus Family Week:  
National Button Week:   Link 
National Farmers' Market Week:  Link Link 
National Health Center Week:  Link 
International Psychic Week:  
International Psychic   Week Link                                                                                                                                                                                                         
Stop on Red Week
Stop on Red Week Link
7-11
Psychic Week
7-12
Fiddlers Week
7-13
National Bargain Hunting Week
National Exercise With Your Child Week
Safe + Sound Week Link
World Karaoke Championships Link
8-17
Elvis Week

Daily Observations

Book Lovers Day  Link International Coworking Day Link International Day of The World's Indigenous People

Rice Pudding Day Veep Day

Today’s Thoughts

Looking good for a monsoon rain sometime today.

Last night had some very loud thunder and a nice monsoon rain after dark.

There is a large fire near Payson, about 115 miles south of Flagstaff. That fire places two scout camps in SET status. Hope those young people stay safe.

This is the most insane thing I have heard of for a long time. A company is now selling Junior AR-15. A company in Illinois makes the real gun, shooting .22 calliber bullets in a rifle for toddlers. For a mere $389 your child can get it. If you question this, check out Snopes.

Enjoy

 

History you may not have learned in school…

The 1969 Stonewall Uprising was the start of the LGBTQ rights movement.

On July 28, 1969, police in New York City raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay club, reportedly because the club was serving liquor without a license. During that time, police often violently raided clubs and bars that they thought provided safe harbor for LGBTQ+ people, according to History.com.

In the early morning hours of June 28, police beat patrons of Stonewall with their nightsticks and drew their guns, but the patrons fought back. The raid led to a days-long violent uprising and protest, becoming one of the key historic markers for the start of the LGBTQ rights movement. Stonewall is still a club in New York City, though now it's also designated a national monument.

Hoax proved wrong…

Cuban missile crisis

The American discovery of Soviet ballistic missile deployment in Cuba nearly escalated into a full-scale nuclear war. The Russians claimed that they were only sending defensive weapons to Cuba. But missile sites in the country were later photographed camouflaged, which convinced the Kennedy administration that Russian leader Nikita Khrushchev harbored more sinister intentions.

Random Trivia…

Before alarm clocks and way before smartphone alarms, there were people called knocker-uppers who would literally knock on people’s windows to wake them up in time for work. Up until the 1970s, knocker-uppers used a long stick, soft hammers, rattles or even pea shooters to reach their clients’ windows!

Historic Events

  §  1173 Construction of the Tower of Pisa begins, and it takes two centuries to complete

§  1483 Opening of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican

§  1803 1st horses arrive in Hawaii

§  1848 US Barnburners (anti-slavery) party merges with Free Soil Party nominating Martin Van Buren for president

§  1893 1st US bowling magazine, Gut Holz, published in New York

§  1930 Animated character Betty Boop debuts in Max Fleischer's cartoon "Dizzy Dishes"

§  1934 4th Women's World Games (track & field competition for women) is conducted over 3-days at the White City Stadium in London, England

§  1944 Smokey Bear debuts as spokesman for fire prevention for US Forest Service (named after NYC fireman Smokey Joe Martin)

§  1945 US drops second atomic bomb "Fat Man" on Nagasaki, Japan, destroying part of the city

§  1961 James Benton Parsons is 1st African American to be nominated to a US Federal District Court

§  1965 Singapore separates from the Federation of Malaysia and gains its independence

  §  2017 Giant inflatable chicken resembling US President Donald Trump placed outside US White House as a political protest

Birthdays with some quotes

@96 – P. L. Travers, Australian-English author (d. 1996)
@86 – Daniel Keyes, American short story writer, and novelist (d. 2014)
” There are a lot of people who will give money or materials, but very few who will give time and affection.”
79 – Sam Elliott, American actor
“I think anytime you can affect people in general, in a positive way, then you’re a lucky individual.”
@70 – Ken Norton, American boxer (d. 2013; strokes)
66 – Melanie Griffith, American actress
64 – Michael Kors, American fashion designer
” I think the older I get, the more I realize that the ultimate luxury is time.”
58 – Hoda Kotb, American journalist and television personality
” There are two types of people: The ones who give you 50 reasons it can’t be done … and the ones who just do it.”
55 – Gillian Anderson, actress
55 – Eric Bana (Eric Banadinović), Australian actor
55 – McG (Joseph McGinty Nichol), American director, and producer
53 – Chris Cuomo, American lawyer, and journalist
@48 – Whitney Houston, American singer-songwriter and actress (d. 2012; drowned in bathtub/drugs)
47 – Jessica Capshaw, American actress
38 – Anna Kendrick, American actress
” Sometimes I think, I need to think before I speak. And then other times I think, I shouldn’t leave the house or interact with people ever.”

…The End for today…

 

Aug 8

 

August 2023

Flagstaff Almanac

Week 32 Day 220 Ave. Sky Cover 20%\ Visibility  17mi. Flagstaff Today  82° \ 57° 
Wind  8mph \ Gusts  20mph  Nearest active fire: amiles Risk of fire: High Nearest Lightning:  27mi
Air Quality: Fair           Moisture Days this month: 5 days Sunshine
August Averages: Temps 79° \ 50° Moisture 9 Days    

Today’s Quote

 

Weekly Observations

4-13
Sturgis Rally Link 
6-12
Assistance Dog Week:   Link Link
Knights of Columbus Family Week  
National Button Week:   Link 
National Farmers' Market Week:  Link Link 
National Health Center Week:  Link 
International Psychic Week:  

Stop on Red Week Link

7-11
Psychic Week
7-12
Fiddlers Week
7-13
National Bargain Hunting Week
National Exercise With Your Child Week
Safe + Sound Week Link
World Karaoke Championships Link
8-17
Elvis Week

Daily Observations

CBD Day Dalek Day Link  Digital Nomad Day Dollar Day Frozen Custard Day Happiness Happens Day International Cat Day  Link   Link The Date to Create Happiness Happens Day  Link International Female Orgasm Day Link

International Infinity Day Link National CBD Day  Link National Fried Chicken & Waffles Day Link  National Pickleball Day Link National Spam Musubi Day Link Link Odie Day (Garfield's pal) Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Night  Link Wear Your Mother's Jewelry Day

Today’s Thoughts

Another nice summer day.

China and Russia are holding joint naval training exercises…America is aware and slightly concerned.

What’s going on with Religious Charter Schools getting government funding. First, I have had problems with Charter Schools since their inception…teachers do not have to be state certified to teach, same for administrators…they have control over whom they serve, like not admitting special needs or non-English speaking students…and the list goes on. Now Oklahoma has approved a Catholic school to open a Charter school that will be exempt from certain state criteria, as the school can refuse to enroll LGBT students, not to admit who have 2 moms or 2 dads. They would be allowed to teach Catholic religious beliefs in every class. I’m wondering how long it will be before a Jewish or Islamic group decides to set up their school in Oklahoma? This sure doesn’t sound like separation of church and state.

Enjoy

 

History you may not have learned in school…

Iceland's parliament is the oldest in history (like, really, really old).

Iceland's parliament, the Icelandic Alþingi (also written as the Althingi), is the oldest in history. It was first established in 930 AD. Pretty cool, except not everyone agrees that it's the oldest. The Isle of Man, an island in the Irish Sea between England and Ireland, also claims that its parliament, The High Court of Tynwald, is the oldest in the world. It is more than 1,000 years old, according to its website, with "an unbroken resistance."

That last part might be why the Isle of Man believes its parliament is the oldest — Iceland's parliament has sort of disbanded and then reformed and taken on different names and functions over the years.

Hoax proved wrong…

Enigma and the Ultra Team

In June 1941, British mathematician Alan Turing cracked the Nazi Enigma code, which had been used to coordinate German U-boat attacks on vulnerable Allied North Atlantic shipping convoys. From then on, Ultra, the top-secret Allied intelligence project, fed the unsuspecting Germans a slew of disinformation to keep the enemy off their trail.

Random Trivia…

Tablecloths were originally designed to be used as one big, communal napkin. When they were first invented, guests were meant to wipe off their hands and faces on a tablecloth after a messy dinner party.

Historic Events

  §  1303 Crete earthquake strikes with estimated magnitude of 8, triggering a major tsunami that damaged the Lighthouse of Alexandria and swept ships 2 miles inland in Egypt
§  1508 Spaniard Juan Ponce de León founds Caparra the first European settlement in Puerto Rico
§  1576 Cornerstone laid for Tycho Brahe's observatory in Uraniborg, Denmark, will become the world's then most advanced research institution
§  1786 US Congress unanimously chooses the dollar as the monetary unit for the United States of America
§  1844 Brigham Young chosen as head of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints following the death of Joseph Smith
§  1945 President Harry Truman signs the United Nations Charter
§  1960 "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" hits #1
§  1973 US Vice President Spiro Agnew says reports he took kickbacks are "damned lies" from government contracts in Maryland. Vowed not to resign.
§  1974 US President Richard Nixon announces he will resign at 12pm the next day
§  1984 Carl Lewis wins 3rd gold medal of the Los Angeles Olympics joining Kirk Baptiste and Thomas Jefferson in an American sweep of the 200m
§  1992 The original US 'Dream Team' wins the basketball gold at the Barcelona Olympics 117-85 over Croatia; features superstars Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing
   §  2004 John Elway is inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Birthdays with some quotes

@91 – Dino De Laurentiis, Italian actor, and producer (d. 2010)
“My philosophy is very simple. To feel young, you must work as long as you can.”
@91 – Esther Williams, American swimmer, and actress (d. 2013)
“What the public expects and what is healthy for an individual are two very different things.”@91 – Richard Anderson, American actor (d. 2017)
88 – Donald P. Bellisario, American director, producer and screenwriter
86 – Dustin Hoffman, American actor
” Depressed, anxious, sad, frightened? Yes. But I’ve never been bored.”
@85 – Mel Tillis, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2017)
85 – Connie Stevens (Concetta Rosalie Ann Ingoli), American actress
76 – Larry Wilcox, American actor
74 – Keith Carradine, American actor
@71 – Bob Smith, the American physician, and surgeon co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous (d. 1950)
71 – Robin Quivers, American radio host/personality
” It’s essential that a part of you not grow up. Childhood wonder gives us our spark and beauty.”
61 – Kool Moe Dee, American Hip Hop musician
50 – Scott Stapp, American singer-songwriter
47 – JC Chasez, American singer
42 – Roger Federer, tennis champ
25 – Shawn Mendes, singer

 

…The End for today…

 

Aug 7

 

August 2023

Flagstaff Almanac

Week 32 Day 219 Ave. Sky Cover 5%\ Visibility  27mi. Flagstaff Today  85° \ 48° 
Wind  9mph \ Gusts  15mph  Nearest active fire: 17miles Risk of fire: Extreme Nearest Lightning:  389mi
Air Quality: Moderate   Moisture Days this month: 5 days
August Averages: Temps 79° \ 50° Moisture 9 Days

Sunshine 

Today’s Quote

 

Weekly Observations

1-7 Happiness Happens Week Link International Clown Week Link National Cleanse Your Skin Week  Link National Minority Donor Awareness Week Simplify Your Life Week World Breastfeeding Week Link 4-7 Rock for Life WeekLink 4-13 Sturgis Rally Link  World Karaoke Championships Link

6-12 Assistance Dog Week   Link Link Knights of Columbus Family Week   National Button Week   Link  National Farmers' Market Week  Link Link  National Health Center Week  Link  International Psychic Week   International Psychic Week  Link                                                                                                                                                                                                           Stop on Red Week Stop on Red Week Link 7-11 Psychic Week 7-12 Fiddlers Week 7-13 National Bargain Hunting Week National Exercise With Your Child Week Safe + Sound Week Link

Daily Observations

Assistance Dog Day  Link Link   Lighthouse Day  Link Particularly Preposterous Packaging Day Link Picnic Day Link  Lighthouse Day  Link Particularly Preposterous Packaging Day Link Picnic Day Link

Professional Speakers Day Purple Heart Day Raspberries & Cream Day U.S. Postal Inspection Service Day

Today’s Thoughts

 Nice day…hoping for some clouds and moisture.

The almost century old PAC12 is rapidly crumbling. Only 4 teams remain. Sad to see.

 The US women’s soccer team has been eliminated from the World Cup. They had hoped for a 4^th win. The team had a lot of young players and will be back for sure.

I don’t think the courts will see the Trump trials as ‘Free Speech’ issues. There is just too much evidence. Trump lawyer is saying ‘ask’ is not criminal, just Free Speech.

Enjoy

 

History you may not have learned in school…

The U.S. government poisoned alcohol during Prohibition to deter people from drinking

During Prohibition in the U.S., federal officials ordered industrial alcohol manufacturers to "denature" their products with chemicals like kerosene, iodine, and chloroform, which not only made the alcohol taste worse than it already did, but it also often made it deadly. Around 1927, the Treasury Department also told manufacturers to add more methyl alcohol to their product, so that it comprised 10 percent of the total products, according to Slate.

Once Prohibition ended in 1933, some estimates accuse the government of being responsible for the deaths of 10,000 people through its alcohol poisoning program.

Hoax proved wrong…

Downhill career

A cancer survivor and hero to many, American road racing cyclist Lance Armstrong became the subject of persistent doping allegations after winning the 1999 Tour de France. For years he denied any involvement in doping. But in 2013, he confessed. As a result, he was stripped of all his achievements from August 1998 onwards, including his seven Tour de France titles.

Random Trivia…

Ferrets, dogs, and monkeys were the most popular pets in the Roman Empire. Instead of cats, Ancient Romans used ferrets to hunt mice and rats. They used dogs as guards and monkeys as entertainment.

Historic Events

>        1420 Construction begins on the dome of Florence Cathedral, designed by Renaissance architect Filippo Brunelleschi
>        1588 English set alight eight fireships, with pitch, brimstone, gunpowder and tar, and cast them downwind towards the closely anchored vessels of the Spanish Armada, scattering the armada
>        1620 Astronomer Johannes Kepler's mother arrested for witchcraft
>        1782 Commander of the Continental Army, George Washington, creates two Honorary Badges of Distinction and a Badge of Military Merit (now the Purple Heart). First time military awards are presented to common soldiers.
>        1927 Peace Bridge between US and Canada dedicated
>        1934 US Court of Appeals upheld lower court ruling striking down government's attempt to ban controversial James Joyce novel "Ulysses"
>        1946 1st US commemorative coin of an African American, Booker T. Washington (half dollar)
>        947 Thor Heyerdahl and the crew of the Kon-Tiki crash into a reef in the Tuamotu Islands, French Polynesia after 101 days crossing the Pacific Ocean
>        1964 US Congress approves Gulf of Tonkin resolution granting US President Lyndon Johnson authority to assist any Southeast Asian facing "communist aggression"; he uses it to openly bring US into Vietnam conflict

Birthdays with some quotes

@88 – Stan Freberg, American puppeteer and voice actor (d. 2015)
“You can make sounds and music out of pretty much anything with a little imagination and putting your mind to it!”
@85 – Billie Burke, American actress, and singer (d. 1970)
” Age is of no importance unless you are a cheese.”
81 – Garrison Keillor, American humorist, and radio host
” You get old and you realize there are no answers, just stories.”
@78 – B.J. Thomas, American singer (d. 2021; lung cancer)
@74 – Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, American author, and activist (d. 1964)
68 – Wayne Knight, American actor
“Whatever road you’ve been given, enjoy that road.”
63 – David Duchovny, American actor
57 – Jimmy Wales, American businessman, co-founder of Wikipedia
” I’m a big advocate of freedom: freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of thought.”52 – Rachel York, American actress
48 – Charlize Theron, Actress
46 – Samantha Ronson, English DJ
@41 – Mata Hari (Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod), Dutch dancer, and spy (d. 1917; executed)
” I am a woman who enjoys herself very much; sometimes I lose, sometimes I win.”
41 – Abbie Cornish, Australian actress

 

…The End for today…