Aug 22

 

2023

Flagstaff Almanac
Week 34 Day 234 Ave. Sky Cover 90%\ Visibility  15mi. Flagstaff Today  68° \ 58° 
Wind  2mph \ Gusts  4mph  Nearest active fire: 16miles Risk of fire: Very Low Nearest Lightning:  143mi
Air Quality: Fair           Moisture Days this month: 7 days Overcast
August Averages: Temps 79° \ 50° Moisture 9 Days   

Today’s Quote

Weekly Observations

16-9/4
Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over Link
18-24
Minority Enterprise Development Week
20-26
Brake Safety Week Link
World Water Week Link
World Princess Week Link 
21-25
21-25
National Safe at Home Week
21-27
National Composites Week Link

Daily Observations

Be An Angel Day Bao Day Internat’l Day Commemorating The Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief National Bao Day Link National Bring Your Cat To The Vet Day National Surgical Oncologist Day Link

National Tooth Fairy Day  Link   Link  Never Bean Better Day  Never Bean Better Day Link Pecan Torte Day Southern Hemisphere Hoodie Hoo Day  Link Surgical Oncologist Day Tooth Fairy Day World Plant Milk Day Link

Today’s Thoughts

It’s a rainy summer day, remnants of Hurricane Hilary.

It rained most of last night, mostly gentle rain with about an hour of heavy rain. I headed out to get some distilled water for my CPAP. The light rain stopped just as I pulled into the store parking lot.

The news media is stuck on the Georgia indictment of 19…watching to see if Trump is treated differently than the other 18 suspects. I guess it is important.

Enjoy

Unique National Treasures for the US …

Katherine Johnson

A mathematics genius, Katherine Johnson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015 at age 97. The longtime NASA researcher and analyst recently got more recognition when Taraji P. Henson played her (she was the “girl” John Glenn asked to provide calculations for his Friendship 7 mission) in the movie Hidden Figures.

Random Trivia…

Between the 11th and 19th centuries, a number of Buddhist monks successfully mummified themselves. They adopted a practice called Sokushinbutsu in which they gradually weaned themselves off food and water and essentially starved themselves to death over the course of a thousand days. It was believed that by successfully mummifying themselves, the monks would achieve true enlightenment.

Historic Events

• 1851 – The first America’s Cup was won by the yacht ‘America’. America’s Cup is the oldest international sporting trophy.
• 1864 – Twelve nations signed the First Geneva Convention, establishing the rules of protection of the victims of armed conflicts.
• 1945 – The Vietnam Conflict began.
• 1989 – 1989 – Nolan Ryan struck out Rickey Henderson to become the first Major League Baseball pitcher to record 5,000 strikeouts. He retired with 5,714 strikeouts.

Birthdays with some quotes

@94 – Honor Blackman, English actress and republican (d. 2020)
@91 – Ray Bradbury, American science fiction writer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
“Looking back over a lifetime, you see that love was the answer to everything.”
” You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.”
@88 – John Lee Hooker, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2001)
” Poor people have the blues because they’re poor and hungry. Rich people can’t sleep at night because they’re trying to hold on to their money and everything they have.”
@87 – Jerry Iger, American cartoonist, co-founded Eisner & Iger (d. 1990)
@80 – Valerie Harper, American actress (d. 2019)
” I don’t think of dying, I think of being here now.”
@78 – Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr., American general (d. 2012)
@75 – Cindy Williams, TV actor (d. 2023)
78 – David Chase, American director, producer, and screenwriter
@73 – George Herriman, American cartoonist, Krazy Kat (d. 1944)
@73 – Dorothy Parker, American poet, critic, and satirist (d. 1967)
“If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to.”
“I hate writing. I love having written.”
56 – Ty Burrell, TV actor
@55 – Claude Debussy, French pianist, and composer (d. 1918; bedridden)
“Music is the silence between the notes.”
55 – Rich Lowry, American writer and magazine editor (National Review)
53 – Giada De Laurentiis, Italian-American chef, and author
50 – Kristen Wiig, American comedic actress
45 – James Corden, English actor, and television presenter
28 – Dua Lipa, English singer-songwriter

…The End for today…

 

 

2023

Flagstaff Almanac

Week 34 Day 223 Ave. Sky Cover 75%\ Visibility  15mi. Flagstaff Today  78° \ 57a° 
Wind  6mph \ Gusts  11mph  Nearest active fire: 16miles Risk of fire: Moderate Nearest Lightning:  271mi
Air Quality: Moderate   Moisture Days this month: 6 days Cloudy 
August Averages: Temps 79° \ 50° Moisture 9 Days   

Today’s Quote

 

Weekly Observations

16-9/4
Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over Link
18-24
Minority Enterprise Development Week
20-26
Brake Safety Week Link
World Water Week Link
World Princess Week Link 
21-25
21-25
National Safe at Home Week
21-27
National Composites Week Link

Daily Observations

Brazilian Blow-out Day Link Internat’l Day of Remembrance and Tribute To The Victims of Terrorism Internet Self-care Day  National Spumoni Day Link Poet's Day Senior Citizen's Day Spumoni Day

Today’s Thoughts

Cloudy from Hurricane Hilary. No measurable moisture yesterday. Looks like there might be some later today. Our little mountain town is on the border of getting lots of moisture. It is cooler today, so that is nice.

Spain won the Women’s World Cup for the first time. Bravo!

Yesterday in pre-season play, Broncos lost to 49er’s, Cards lost to Chiefs. Not a great day for my teams.

Enjoy

 

Unique National Treasures for the US …

A Prairie Home Companion

Chris Thile, the 36-year-old host of A Prairie Home Companion, says that 2.6 million weekly listeners—himself included—think of the long-running public radio show made famous by Garrison Keillor as an American treasure.

“It’s a place for us to take our cares and woes and hold them out at arm’s length for examination and even celebration,” he says of the 43-year-old show. “It brings us together and makes us feel more alive.”

Thile, a Grammy-winning mandolin virtuoso who made a splash with the trio Nickel Creek and the band Punch Brothers before taking the helm at APHC last year, says the show’s purpose is to mirror the American experience and to help people find common ground.

“What I hope the show does—this is what it did for me—is to offer the opportunity to connect with the country at large every Saturday,” he says.

Random Trivia…

14 years before the infamous Titanic sank, author Morgan Robertson wrote the novella Futility. It was about the large unsinkable ship "Titan" hitting an iceberg in the Northern Atlantic. What’s even weirder is the Titanic and the fictional Titan did not have enough lifeboats for the thousands of passengers on board—coincidence?

Historic Events

• 1911 – The Mona Lisa was stolen by Vincenzo Peruggia, a Louvre employee. It was returned to the Louvre on January 4, 1914. Peruggia served six months in prison for the crime.
• 1939 – 5 young African-Americans were denied library cards at the Alexandria, VA Library and arrested after sitting down and reading books. The civil disobedience was one of the earliest in the American Civil Rights Movement.
• 1961 – Motown released what would be its first #1 hit, Please Mr. Postman by The Marvelettes.
• 1986 – The Lake Nyos, Cameroon disaster resulted in the deaths of 1800 people when a volcano suddenly burst with a wave of carbon dioxide.

Birthdays with some quotes

@85 – William Murdoch, Scottish engineer, and inventor, created gas-powered lighting (d. 1839)
@82 – Blossom Rock, American actress (d. 1978)
@79 – William James ‘Count’ Basie, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (d. 1984; cancer)
“Learn to deal with the valleys and the hills will take care of themselves.”
” If you play a tune and a person don’t tap their feet, don’t play the tune.”
@63 – Wilt Chamberlain, American basketball player and coach (d. 1999; heart disease)
“It is said that good things come to those who wait. I believe that good things come to those who work.”
@81 – Kenny Rogers, American singer-songwriter and actor (d. 2020)
” I’ve always said music should make you laugh, make you cry or make you think.”
82 – Jackie DeShannon (Sharon Lee Myers), American singer-songwriter
@74 – Hugh Wilson, American actor, director and screenwriter (d. 2018; lung cancer)
67 – Kim Cattrall, English-Canadian actress
@57 – Stephen Hillenburg, marine biologist, animator, SpongeBob Squarepants (d. 2018; ALS)
56 – Carrie-Anne Moss, Canadian actress
44 – Kelis Rogers, American singer-songwriter
” As a child, I’d help my mum cook, and it was ridiculous – she had the correct gadget or utensil for everything. ‘Stop! Don’t use that, I have exactly the right utensil.’ After I left home, I survived on cup-a-meals and never saw myself as being like her. Now I’ve become her.”
36 – Usain Bolt, runner
35 – Kacey Musgraves, American singer-songwriter
34 – Hayden Panettiere, American actress 

…The End for today…

 

Aug 20

 

2023

Flagstaff Almanac

Week 34 Day 231  Ave. Sky Cover 60%\ Visibility  23mi. Flagstaff Today  76° \ 57° 

Wind  7mph \ Gusts  15mph  Nearest active fire: 16miles Risk of fire: Moderate Nearest Lightning:  324mi

Air Quality:      Moisture Days this month: 7 days Mostly cloudy 

August Averages: Temps 79° \ 50° Moisture 9 Days   

Today’s Quote

 

Weekly Observations

14-20
US Amateur Golf Week
16-9/4
Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over Link
18-24
Minority Enterprise Development Week
20-26
Brake Safety Week Link
World Water Week Link
World Princess Week Link 

Daily Observations

Bacon Lovers Day Chocolate Pecan Pie Day International Day of Medical Transporters Link

Lemonade Day National Accessible Air Travel Day Link National Radio Day  Link World Mosquito Day  Link

Today’s Thoughts

Cloudy today, hoping for some monsoon later.

Cleaned my bedroom and bathroom this morning. That’s enough work for today.

There is getting to lotws of sword rattling in Europe. Belarus says it would use nuclear weapons in case there is ‘aggression.’ Calm down everybody.

Enjoy

 

Statue of Liberty …

10. Suffragettes protested the unveiling of the statue.

When it was unveiled in October 1886, women’s rights groups lamented that an enormous female figure would stand in New York harbor representing liberty, when most American women had no liberty to vote.

Only two women attended the actual unveiling on what is now known as Liberty Island: Bartholdi’s wife, and the 13-year-old daughter of Ferdinand de Lesseps, the French engineer who had designed the Suez Canal. The wives of the American Committee members were forced to watch the proceedings from a navy vessel off the island. Suffragettes chartered a boat to circle the island during the unveiling. They blasted protest speeches, but those could not be heard over the din of steam whistles and cannon blasts in the harbor.

Random Trivia…

King Henry VIII of England had servants who were called "Grooms of Stool," whose job was to wipe his bottom after he went to the bathroom. During his reign, he had all of those four such people knighted.

Historic Events

• 1920 – The first(?) commercial radio station, 8MK (now WWJ), began operating in Detroit.
• 1920 – The National Football League was organized as the American Professional Football Conference in Canton, Ohio.
• 1986 – In Edmond, Oklahoma, U.S. Postal employee Patrick Sherrill shot and killed14 of his co-workers, injured 6 more, and then committed suicide. It was the initial example of “going postal”.

Birthdays with some quotes

92 – Don King, American boxing promoter
” If you want to sell a steak, you can’t just have the sizzle, you gotta have sauce.”
88 – Ron Paul, American politician, and physician
77 – Connie Chung, American journalist
75 – Robert Plant, English singer-songwriter
69 – Al Roker, American news anchor, and television personality
“No, I’ve never thought that I was gay. And that’s not something you think. It’s something you know.”@67 – Benjamin Harrison, American politician, 23rd President of the United States (d. 1901)
@65 – Isaac Hayes, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2008; stroke)
” I don’t sit back and count up what I’ve done. There’s just always something else to do. There’s always a challenge ahead.”
61 – James Marsters, American actor
58 – KRS-One (Lawrence "Kris" Parker), American rapper and producer
” Educate yourself make your world view bigger, visualize wealth, and put yourself in the picture.”
@38 – Dimebag Darrell (Darrell Lance Abbott), American guitarist, songwriter (d. 2004; murdered)
53 – Fred Durst, American singer-songwriter
49 – Misha Collins, American actor
” Don’t pressure yourself. Don’t worry about what others think you should do or what the societal “norm” is. Do what moves you and makes you smile and the good will follow.
@46 – H.P. Lovecraft, American short story writer, editor, novelist (d. 1937; suicide)
“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.”
@40 – Jim Reeves, American singer-songwriter (d. 1964; private plane crash)
40 – Andrew Garfield, American-English actor
31 – Demi Lovato, American singer-songwriter and actress
“Never be ashamed of what you feel. You have the right to feel any emotion that you want, and to do what makes you happy. That’s my life motto.”
 

…The End for today…

 

Aug 19

 

2023

Flagstaff Almanac

Week 33 Day231  Ave. Sky Cover 50%\ Visibility  20mi. Flagstaff Today  78° \ 55° 
Wind  2mph \ Gusts  5mph  Nearest active fire: 16miles Risk of fire: Low Nearest Lightning:  145mi
Air Quality: Moderate   Moisture Days this month: 6 days Clouds
August Averages: Temps 79° \ 50° Moisture 9 Days   

Today’s Quote

 

Weekly Observations

13-19
Feeding Pets of the Homeless Week: Link  Link 
National Resurrect Romance Week:
Weird Contest Week:
National Aviation Week
14-20
National Resurrect Romance Week:
Weird Contest Week:
National Aviation Week
14-20
US Amateur Golf Week
15-19
Numismatic Week (World's Fair of Money)
16-9/4
Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over Link

Daily Observations

Aviation Day "Black Cow" Root Beer Float Day  Chef Appreciation Day   Clear The Shelters Day  Clear The Shelters Day Link  Coco Chanel Day International Geocaching Day International Homeless Animals Day  International Bow (Hair) Day  Coco Chanel Day International Geocaching Day International Homeless Animals Day  International Bow (Hair) Day Link

International Orangutan Day   Link National Honey Bee Day Link  Popsicle Day  Popsicle Day Link Potato Day Soft Ice Cream Day Talk Like Jar-Jar Binks Day  Link World Humanitarian Day Link  World Photo Day World Photo Day Link

Today’s Thoughts

 A nice monsoon last night.  More expected today.

I need a haircut and my barber now starts work at 1pm. Messes with my schedule, but really like the barber.

A scam has hit our mountain town. Housing is tight here. Scammers are renting properties through the internet. They post pics and address and rental cost. They ask for a deposit and first month’s rent. People pay over the internet. All communication stops. Sad.

A new study shows that the mysterious whale deaths on the east coast may be due to the wind turbine farms that are being built in the ocean. The sonar used to build the base for the turbine and messing with whales hearing. This prevents them from finding food, to be separated from the pod…especially young whales, or heading into land to get away from the sonar sound. Sad.

Enjoy

 

Statue of Liberty …

9. Thomas Edison once had plans to make the statue talk.

When Edison introduced the phonograph to the public in 1878, he told the newspapers that he was designing a “monster disc” for the interior of the Statue of Liberty that would allow the statue to deliver speeches that could be heard up to the northern part of Manhattan and across the bay. Thankfully, no one pursued that strange promise, which would have led to the odd experience of walking in New York and suddenly hearing the Statue of Liberty “talking.”

Random Trivia…

Roman Catholics in Bavaria founded a secret society in 1740 called the Order of the Pug. New members had to wear dog collars and scratch at the door to get in. This para-Masonic society was reportedly active until 1902!

Historic Events

• 1812 – American frigate USS Constitution defeated the British frigate HMS Guerriere off the coast of Nova Scotia, earning the nickname “Old Ironsides”.
• 1893 – Frank Wisner invented the Root Beer Float.
• 1934 – The first All-American Soap Box Derby was held in Dayton, Ohio.

Birthdays with some quotes

89 – Renée Richards, American tennis player, and ophthalmologist
@87 – Coco Chanel, French fashion designer, founded the Chanel Company (d. 1971)
“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”
83 – Jill St. John, American actress
@80 – Ginger Baker, English drummer, and songwriter (d. 2019)
“A really good band with a bad drummer is not a good band. A really bad band with a good drummer sounds better.”
@80 – Johnny Nash, American singer-songwriter (d. 2020)
77 – Bill Clinton, American lawyer, 42nd President of the United States
” We cannot build our own future without helping others to build theirs.”
@76 – Orville Wright, American engineer, and pilot, co-founded the Wright Company (d. 1948)
“If we worked on the assumption that what is accepted as true really is true, then there would be little hope for advance.”
76 – Gerald McRaney, American actor
@73 – Fred Thompson, American actor, and politician (d. 2015; lymphoma)
71 – Jonathan Frakes, American actor, and director
@70 – Malcolm Forbes, American publisher and politician (d. 1990; heart attack)
@70 – Gene Roddenberry, American screenwriter, producer, Star Trek (d. 1991; heart issues)
70 – Mary Matalin, American political consultant
@68 – Ogden Nash, American poet (d. 1971; Chron’s disease)
“Middle age is when you’ve met so many people that every new person you meet reminds you of someone else.”
67 – Adam Arkin, American actor
@64 – Philo Farnsworth, American inventor, invented the Television (d. 1971)
“There’s nothing on it worthwhile, and we’re not going to watch it in this household, and I don’t want it in your intellectual diet.” regarding television
60 – John Stamos, American actor
58 – Kyra Sedgwick, American actress
57 – Lee Ann Womack, American singer-songwriter
@41 – Nate Dogg, American rapper (d. 2011)
54 – Matthew Perry, American actor
35 – Veronica Roth, American author

…The End for today…