Dec 13

 

‘Tis the Season

FYI: Any Blue text is a link. Click to check it out!

Dec 13, 2020  Week: 51 Day: 348     

Local:  H 35°\ L 13°\Average Sky Cover: 90%

Wind:   3mph\Gusts:  9mph                       

Nearest lightning:  1269mi.; Active fire:  59mi

Very Low Risk of Fire          

Visibility:  10mi

Record: 67°[2010]   Record: -19°[1931]              

Nov Averages: 44°/\17° (5 days with moisture)

 

Today’s  Quote

We make a living by what we get,

but we make a life by what we give.

Winston Churchill

 

Random Tidbits

 At 1,626,000 sq meters, Angkor Wat is the largest religious monument ever constructed. The entire ancient city was built with 5 to 10 million stone blocks, more than all the pyramids of Egypt combined

 

A little humor

So…Cats spend two thirds of their lives sleeping- & the other third making viral videos

 

Carpenters are only in it for them shelves.

 

True Things

A Canadian YouTuber earned a Guinness World Record by taking his engineering skills to a galaxy far, far away, and building the world's first retractable proto-lightsaber.

James Hobson said he and his team at Hacksmith Industries were inspired by the Star Wars films to create their own version of a retractable plasma lightsaber.

The lightsaber has a hilt designed to resemble those used by the Jedi Knights, but is attached to tanks of liquid propane gas and oxygen gas to create the high level of heat required to make the plasma beam. The "blade" can be extended and retracted with the push of a button.

The innovation earned Hobson a Guinness World Record for creating the world's first retractable proto-lightsaber. The video shared by Guinness shows Hobson using the lightsaber to cut though objects including a Stormtrooper mannequin and various metals.

 

Observations This Week

Human Rights Week:…………………………………..

10-17

Gluten-free Baking Week:……………………………

12-18  

Cookie Exchange Week:………………………………

13-17 

 

 

Observations for Today

Ice Cream Day

International Children's Day

Monkey Day

National Guard Birthday Link

National Popcorn String Day

Violin Day

 

My Rambling Thoughts

It is overcast and raining on and off. The wind makes it feel like the mid-20’s. If we must have a chill, the least we want is a lot of moisture to go with it. A good day to enjoy Netflix.

Our newly elected Mayor is in trouble with the city council before he is even sworn in. He posted on FB that the swearing in would be virtual, due to Covid. The council sez that such a change must be brought before the Council before it can be done. They met virtually to discuss. The council decided it was up to each council member if they wished to be sworn in virtually or at city hall with proper Covid protocols. The newly elected Mayor apologized for the ‘miscommunication’. Our mayor has extraordinarily little power without Council approval. It has been that way forever and every new mayor quickly learns that lesson. Unfortunately, new mayors never seem to remember that until it hits him/her in the face.

I just got a notice that police have been called to a local park, that is adjacent to the National Forest. It seems a guy is bowhunting within city limits. Crazy!

I am very enthused that Project Warp Speed has brought us a vaccine to stop the virus. A big thank you to all the science people who found a way to work with the government to make it happen. Now if everyone will get the vaccine, wear masks and keep a 6’ distance, we will beat this. Trump really helped pull this one off.

 

Today’s Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of the page

You are a cyclist in a cross-country race. Just before the crossing finish line, you overtake the person in second place. In what place did you finish?

 

Historical Events

1545 – The Council of Trent began; it was the planning of responding to the Protestant Movement, by the Catholic Church.

1636 – The Massachusetts Bay Colony organized militia regiments to defend the colony against the Pequot Indians. It is considered the founding of the United States National Guard.

1769 – Dartmouth College was founded by Reverend Eleazar Wheelock.

1920 – League of Nations established the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

1928 – The clip-on tie was invented in Clinton, Iowa

1928 – George Gershwin’s An American In Paris premiered in Carnegie Hall, with Walter Damrosch conducting the New York Philharmonic.

1947 – Maine Turnpike (I-95) opened.

1962 – Relay I, the first U.S. communications satellite was launched.

2000 – Al Gore conceded the presidential election to George W. Bush. A later investigation, counting the pivotal Florida votes, indicated that Bush did win the election, by a few hundred votes.

2003 – Saddam Hussein was captured near his hometown of Tikrit, Iraq.

2014 A civil rights protest march in Washington, D.C. takes place, against the police killing of unarmed black men

2017 Prehistoric bones of a penguin as tall as a human (1.77m) found on Otago beach, New Zealand, reported in "Nature Communications"

2018 US Senate passes non-binding "war powers resolution" against long-term ally Saudi Arabia

2018 Apple announces new $1 billion campus in Austin, Texas and expansion in other US cities

 

Birthdays Today

95 – Dick Van Dyke, American actor, singer, and dancer

91 – Christopher Plummer, Canadian actor

79 – John Davidson, American actor, and game show host

@77 – Richard D. Zanuck, American film producer (d. 2012; heart attack)

72 – Jeff ‘Skunk’ Baxter, American guitarist,

72 – Ted Nugent, American singer-songwriter

70 – Wendy Malick, American actress

@63 – Mary Todd Lincoln, 16th First Lady (d. 1882; stroke)

63 – Steve Buscemi, actor

53 – Jamie Foxx, American actor, and comedian

32 – Rickie Fowler, Navajo PGA golfer

31 – Taylor Swift, American singer-songwriter

 

Puzzle Answer

2nd place. If you pass the person in second, you take second place, and they become third.

 

Enjoy the Holiday

Dec 12

 

‘Tis the Season

FYI: Any Green text is a link. Click to check it out!

Dec 12, 2020  Week: 50 Day: 347   

Local:  H 48°\ L 26°\Average Sky Cover: 25%

Wind:   9mph\Gusts:  18mph                       

Nearest lightning: 1136mi.; Active fire:  59mi

High Risk of Fire          

Visibility:  10mi

Record: 64°[1921]   Record: -16°[1921]              

Nov Averages: 44°/\17° (5 days with moisture)

 

Today’s  Quote

He who defends everything defends nothing.

Frederick the Great

 

Random Tidbits

Princeton researchers Ernest Wever and Charles Bray took out a cat's skull and most of its brain to connect the animal to electricity. When they spoke into the cat's ear, the sound could be heard through a phone receiver in another room. The twisted experiment paved the way for cochlear implant developments.

***

Listening to classical music while you study can improve memory retention and reduce stress, known as the “Mozart effect”.

***

A group of Scorpions is called a Bed or Nest.

 

A little humor

Q: Why didn't the toilet paper cross the street?  Because it got stuck in the crack?  
***
Q: What does a barista wear? A cap & chinos. 

 

True Things

The mayor of Oudenburg, Belgium, said it was not the city's intention that new Christmas decorations it installed resemble an iconic part of the male anatomy. City officials had set out to create lighted columns that looked like candles, the Daily Mail reported, but decided to do something different and placed blue spheres on top instead of flames. "I only realized (they looked phallic) when they were illuminated," Mayor Anthony Dumarey said. "I see the funny side of it myself (and) I see no reason to remove or replace them ... we will have the country's most talked-about Christmas lights this year."

 

Observations This Week

Computer Science Education Week:…………….

(Always week with 12/9. Birthday of Admiral Grace Murray Hopper.)

6-12  Link

Human Rights Week:…………………………………..

10-17

Gluten-free Baking Week:……………………………

12-18  

 

 

Observations for Today

Gingerbread House Day
International Day of Neutrality
International Universal Health Coverage Day
National Ambrosia Day

National 12-hour Fresh Breath Day
National Ding-a-Ling Day  Link
National Cocoa Day  
Link
National Lost Day 
Link
Our Lady of Guadelupe 
Link
Poinsettia Day

Worldwide Candle Lighting Day (The Compassionate Friends) Link 
World Choral Day 
 Link

 

My Rambling Thoughts

I needed my down vest when I went out to do my weekly grocery shopping. Quick trip to Fry’s and found some nice in-store sales. Glad I went early as the wind is really picking up and it is a cold wind. I have a collection of 4 masks that I wear whenever I’m out in public. I rotate them each trip. Today I washed them and spayed them with Lysol so I’ll be ready the next time I head out.

AZ, like so many other states, is suffering from the virus. In Phoenix, ICU beds are almost full. In 2019 a 101-year-old hospital closed due to lack of patients. Now, thankfully, that hospital is being reopened as a ‘last resort’ for Corvid patients. It will have 235 beds to assist with this mess. The only problem is finding health workers for the place.

The Senate has always been terribly slow in making any changes. 2020 is no different. Wait to the last minute to do less than necessary. It’s how our government has worked most of my life. I’m not happy about it, but it is what it is.

A number of re-elected Republicans have signed on to the lawsuit that claims that Trump won and that election was fraudulent. I must ask why none of those Representatives have not resigned since they were elected in a fraudulent election. Shouldn’t they stand up for the constitution, like their oath, and if the election was fraudulent, they didn’t really win. Hmmm.

This is the time to reflect. I am so happy that I had a great career on the Rez. I am even happier that I am retired and don’t have to be concerned about being at work everyday with Covid in the air. I miss going out and about, I miss traveling, but I am convinced it will all return.

 

Today’s Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of the page

Ruby and Lewis are expecting…triplets. They already know what they will name their children, but aren’t sharing the names until the children are born. For now, all they will say is:

All three babies are boys

The names have 6 letters are and anagrams of one another.

Their names include both the parents’ initials but none of the other letters in their parents’ first names:

What are the children’s names?

 

Historical Events

1787 – Pennsylvania became the second state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

1917 – Father Edward J. Flanagan founded Boy’s Town in Omaha, Nebraska.

1925 – The Mo-Tel of San Luis Obispo, California (between Los Angeles to San Francisco) opened as the first motel. The word Motel is a combination of the words ‘Motorist’ and ‘Hotel.’

1953 – Chuck Yeager established the speed record (Mach 2.5) record flying a Bell X-1A, a slightly larger, but a much-modified version of the Bell X-1

1967 – Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner, starring Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier, and Katharine Houghton, opened in theaters.

1980 – Leonardo da Vinci’s Leicester Codex was sold to Armand Hammer for $5.12 million. Bill Gates later bought it from the Hammer Estate for 30.8 million in 1994.

1989 – 69-year-old Leona Helmsley, the “Queen of Mean”, received a four-year prison sentence, along with750 hours of community service, and a $7.1 million tax fraud fine in New York.

2000 US Supreme Court releases its decision in Bush v. Gore, settling the recount dispute in Florida's 2000 presidential election in George W. Bush's favor and thus handing him the presidency

2003 – Keiko the Orca (or killer whale), star of the Free Willy movies died in his home of Taknes fjord, in Norway.

2012 – 12/12/12/ The Concert for (Hurricane) Sandy Relief took place at Madison Square Garden.

2014 Over 200 pro-democracy activists arrested in Hong Kong

2018 China built 88 out of world's 143 skyscrapers in 2018 more than any country ever (buildings over 200 meters/656 ft)

2019 Deepest point on land on earth identified under Denman Glacier, east Antarctica at 3.5km (11,500ft) below sea level

 

Birthdays Today

97 – Bob Barker, American game show host

@88 – Ed Koch, 105th Mayor of New York City (d. 2013)

83 – Connie Francis, American singer, and actress

@82 – Frank Sinatra, American singer, and actor (d. 1998)

@80 – Edvard Munch, Norwegian painter, and illustrator (d. 1944)

80 – Dionne Warwick, singer

@79 – Edward G. Robinson, American actor (d. 1973; bladder cancere)

68 – Cathy Rigby, American gymnast

63 – Sheila E. (Sheila Cecelia Escovedo), American singer-songwriter and drummer

45 – Mayim Bialik, American actress, PhD in neuroscience

@22 – Otto Warmbier, American student imprisoned in North Korea (d. 2017)

 

Puzzle Answer

Arnold, Roland, Ronald

Enjoy the Holiday

Dec 11

‘Tis the Season

FYI: Any Green text is a link. Click to check it out!

Dec 11, 2020  Week: 50 Day: 346   

Local:  H 40°\ L 25°\Average Sky Cover: 90%

Wind:   0mph\Gusts:  0mph                       

Nearest lightning:  165mi.; Active fire:  59mi

Low Risk of Fire          

Visibility:  10mi

Record: 68°[1950]   Record: -11°[1961]              

Nov Averages: 44°/\17° (5 days with moisture)

 

Today’s  Quote

Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise.

Seek what they sought.

Matsuo Basho

 

Random Tidbits

The countdown Fritz Lang used to create suspense in the rocket launch scene of his 1929 silent film 'Frau im Mond' didn't just change film history - it also inspired NASA to use countdowns before its own blastoffs. It's not exactly a race against the clock though. NASA can feel free to pause the clock to check mechanical difficulties.  

 

A little humor

Q: Where do you find a turtle with no legs? Anywhere you put him

Two cheese trucks smashed into each other. Debris (the brie) was everywhere.

 

True Things

Charlene Stanton passes a book donation box in the Roxbury Park neighborhood of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, on her daily walks, and told WTAJ on Nov. 18 that lately she's become concerned about the bags of raw meat she regularly sees left hanging on the side of the box. She has seen both fresh and frozen meat left at the box, and someone keeps taking them, which alarms her "because so many ... illnesses could be caused by leaving meat out unrefrigerated." Officials suggest donating food to a food bank, rather than leaving it at a book collection site.

 

Observations This Week

Andisop (Meterological Fiddling)………….

5-24  Link

National Hand Washing Awareness Week…

5-11 Link  

Recipe Greetings For The Holidays Week… 

5-11

Older Driver Safety Awareness Week…….. 

5-11 Link

Computer Science Education Week:……….

(Always week with 12/9. Birthday of Admiral Grace Murray Hopper.)

6-12  Link

Human Rights Week:…………………………………

10-17

 

 

Observations for Today

Day Of The Horse 
Gingerbread Decorating Day  
Gingerbread House Day 
International Mountain Day
International Shareware Day
Kaleidoscope Day
Magnum P.I. Day
National App Day 
 Link
National Day of The Horse  
Link 
National “Have a Bagel” Day

Noodle Ring Day
National Sobriety Day Link
Official Lost and Found Day
UNICEF Birthday [1946]

 

My Rambling Thoughts

Woke up this morning to cloudy sky, dusting of snow. By 7a, the snow was gone and it was a a gentle female rain. It’s December…I’m at 7000’, how can there be rain? Even so, any moisture is appreciated.

I’m not happy about all the ads on FB, and now Instagram. I enjoy What’s App so I can talk to my brother in Mexico. They are all free and easy to use. Yes, Facebook now owns them all. These are social media sites…not news sites. If you don’t like that they censor some content, don’t use them. No one requires you to sign up. That being said, I don’t like that FB has bought some sites to prevent competition, but they are simply a business. A boycott might work if it is large enough. [Here in Flag, years ago, we had 5 different movie theater locations around town…most had two or three screens. Then Harkin’s came to town, and they had lower prices, more screens, and over about 3 years all the other theaters closed. Few, if any, in Flagstaff were happy about this change. However, now some 5 years later, anyone can go to one location with lots of parking and lots of screens. It is sad that there are no independent theater owners anymore here, but when the pandemic ends, we still have a great theater experience. It’s the same with FB.] Let someone else come up with a new social media site, and if they don’t want to sell to FB, then don’t sell.

I find it strange that many conservatives don’t want government involvement in much of anything, but when some conservatives decide FB is not being friendly to their ideas, that want government intervention.

 

Today’s Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of the page

A man pushes his car to a hotel and tells its owner that he is bankrupt. Why?

 

Historical Events

1769 – Venetian Blinds were patented in London by Edward Bevan in England.

1816 – Indiana became the 19th US state.

1844 – Dr. Horace Wells became the first person to have a tooth extracted after receiving an anesthetic (Nitrous Oxide) for the dental procedure, by Dr. John M. Riggs.

1882 – Boston’s Bijou Theater had its first performance, the first American playhouse lit with electricity.

1911 – In Stockholm, Sweden, Marie Curie became the first person to be awarded a second Nobel prize.

1936 – Britain’s King Edward VIII abdicated the throne in order to marry American divorcee Wallis Warfield Simpson.

1946 – The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) was founded.

1964 – Singer Sam Cooke was shot and killed by the motel manager of the Hacienda Motel, where he was staying.

1967 – The Concorde, a British/French venture; the world’s first supersonic airliner, was unveiled in Toulouse, France.

1968 – The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, featuring the Rolling Stones, Jethro Tull, the Who, Taj Mahal, Marianne Faithfull, and the Dirty Mac with Yoko Ono, was filmed in Wembley, London.

1972 – Apollo XVII astronauts Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt landed on the moon for the final Apollo mission.

1997 – More than 150 countries agreed at a global warming conference in Kyoto, Japan, to control the Earth’s global-warming “greenhouse gases.” (The Kyoto Protocol)

2008 – Bernie Madoff was arrested for bilking clients for at least hundreds of millions, and probably billions, of dollars.

2010 – The first customer delivery of a Nissan Leaf (an all-electric vehicle) was made at by a dealer at Petaluma, California.

 

Birthdays Today

89 – Rita Moreno, Puerto Rican-American actress, singer, and dancer

@89 – Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, novelist, political prisoner (d. 2008)

@86 – David Brewster, Scottish physicist, inventor of the Kaleidoscope

@76 – Tom Hayden, American politician (d. 2016; stroke)

80 – David Gates, American singer-songwriter

77 – John Kerry, American politician

76 – Brenda Lee, American singer-songwriter

71 – Teri Garr, American actress

66 – Jermaine Jackson, American singer-songwriter, Jackson 5

@64 – Fiorello La Guardia, New York politician (d. 1947; pancreatic cancer)

62 – Nikki Sixx (Frank Carlton Serafino Feranna Jr.), American bass player

53 – Mo’Nique (Monique Angela Hicks), American comedian

 

Puzzle Answer

He’s playing Monopoly.  

Enjoy the Holiday 

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Flagstaff, Arizona, United States
I retired in '06--at the ripe old age of 57. I enjoy blogging, photography, traveling, and living life to it's fullest.