Jan 11

 

2021…at last

Jan 11, 2021  Week: 2  Day: 11	Local:  H 35°\ L 15°\Ave. Sky Cover: 10% Feels like 25°
Wind:   10mph\Gusts:  15mph	Today’s Ave. Temp.: H °\ L °
Nearest lightning:1470mi.; Active fire:59mi	Low Risk of Fire           Visibility:  10mi
Record: 63°[1990]   Record: -12°[1913]	Jan Averages: 44°/16° (4 days with moisture)

Today’s Quote

How beautiful the leaves grow old; how full of light and color are their last days.

- John Burroughs

Random Tidbits

Chess has a very long and distinguished history. It is believed to originate out of India during the Gupta empire, and subsequently made its way to the West in the 9th century. Today it is estimated 605 million people worldwide play chess.

There are 400 different possible positions after one move each. There are 72,084 different possible positions after two moves each. There are over 9 million different possible positions after three moves each. The number of distinct 40-move games in chess is far greater than the number of electrons in the observable universe.

A Little Humor

A side effect of quarantine, it is really hard to end phone calls. Twice today I almost said ‘OK I’ve got to run’ before realizing I had nowhere to go

True Things

Those cell phone towers are suspicious. Are they connecting phone calls? Or are they broadcasting subliminal microwave transmissions designed to brainwash the public into believing the government isn't really a race of alien lizard people in disguise? One man wasn't going to wait around to find out. When a crew of utility workers began working on a tower in his neighborhood he took hold of a Bobcat skid-steer, and then he took action.

The man is in custody after allegedly using a skid-steer in a confrontation with utility workers in Minnesota. The Meeker County Sheriff's Office reports that the 67-year-old used a skid-steer to threaten workers at a cell tower site, attempting to flip over equipment the utility workers were using, then threatening to overturn their work trucks.

Deputies responding to the report located the man while he was on his way back to his house. The perpetrator, who was believed to be under the influence of alcohol, was arrested and booked into the Meeker County Jail on pending charges of second-degree assault, disorderly conduct and DUI.

According to the sheriff's office, the man was "upset the workers were out there so he confronted them."

 

Interestng facts about AZ

Ø The world's largest solar telescope is located at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Sells, Arizona..

 

Ø Bisbee, Arizona is known as the Queen of the Copper Mines because during its mining heyday it produced nearly 25 percent of the world's copper and was the largest city in the Southwest between Saint Louis and San Francisco.

 

Ø Billy the Kid killed his first man, Windy Cahill, in Bonita, Arizona.

 

Weekly Observations

National Mocktail Week	10-16
Cuckoo Dancing Week	11-17

 

Today’s Observations

      Cigarettes Are Hazardous To Your Health Day

      Learn Your Name in Morse Code Day Link

      National Clean Off Your Desk Day 

      National Hot Toddy Day

      National Human Trafficking Awareness Day Link

      National Milk Day

      Plough Monday Link 

      Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friend's Day

 

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

A chilly day…wind makes it too cold for a walk.

Attention 2021: I have completed my free 10-day trial of the enhanced 2021 year. To be honest, I am not impressed. Please revert my app for 2021 back to the standard edition. I read all the tiny print, and the standard version has only good surprises; whereas the enhanced version simply states ‘surprises’ will be added throughout the year. I had the enhanced version of 2020, and at least 75% of the surprises were not good ones. Thank you and have a great 2021.

The NFL playoffs are in full swing. To be honest, I have no team in the playoffs and can’t get into any of the games. I’ve tried, but can’t.

I am hoping for a great week ahead, not that I have accepted the standard version of 2021.

Daily Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of the page

They fill me up and you empty me, almost every day; if you raise my arm, I work the opposite way. What am I?

Historical Events

1908 – The Grand Canyon National Monument was created.

1922 – Leonard Thompson (1908-35) was the first person to receive an injection of insulin as a treatment for diabetes.

1927 – Louis B. Mayer, head of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), announced the creation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, at a banquet in Los Angeles, California.

1935 – Amelia Earhart became the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to California.

1949 – It snowed in Los Angeles for the first time (that we know of)

1964 – US Surgeon General Dr. Luther Leonidas Terry, M.D., published the first governmental report saying that smoking may be hazardous to health.

1973 – Major League Baseball owners voted to approve of the American League adopting the designated hitter position.

1995 – The WB Television Network was launched.

2005 – The iPod Shuffle (1st generation) was released.

2007 Author J. K. Rowling finishes the 7th and last Harry Potter novel in room 552 of the Balmoral Hotel, Edinburgh

2018 In China's first significant #MeToo moment Beihang University in Beijing fires a professor for sexual misconduct

2018 US President Donald Trump causes worldwide controversy when it is reported he called African countries "shitholes" during immigration meeting

2020 Diego the giant 100 year old tortoise retires to the Galapagos islands after his high libido is credited with saving his species

Birthdays Today

@102 – Albert Hofmann, Swiss chemist, academic, discoverer of LSD (d. 2008)

@85 – James Paget, English surgeon, pathologist (d.1899)

@82 – David L. Wolper, American director, producer (d. 2010)

75 – Naomi Judd, American singer-songwriter actress

@58 – Darryl Dawkins, basketball player, coach (d. 2015; heart attack)

50 – Mary J. Blige, American singer-songwriter

@47 – Alexander Hamilton, 1st Secretary of the Treasury (d. 1804; lost duel)

37 – Matt Mullenweg, American web developer, co-created WordPress

Puzzle Answer

A mailbox.

 

Jan 10

 

2021…at last

Jan 10, 2021  Week: 2  Day: 10	Local:  H 35°\ L 16°\Ave. Sky Cover: 25%
Wind:  8 mph\Gusts:  13mph	Today’s Ave. Temp.: H 42°\ L 17°
Nearest lightning:  954mi.; Active fire:  59mi	Moderate Risk of Fire           Visibility:  10mi
Record: 65°[1990]   Record: -15°[1937]	Jan Averages: 44°/16° (4 days with moisture)

Today’s Quote

Nature never deceives us; it is we who deceive ourselves.

-Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Random Tidbits

Deadly Plant:

Venus flytrap

With the ability to clamp shut in a half-second, the Venus flytrap's reaction time seems fit for the animal kingdom. Insects need to touch two of the flytrap's hairs consecutively in order for the plant to react, but the precise mechanism that shuts the trap remains unclear.

 

Angel Trumpet:

The droopy, gorgeous angel trumpet, native to regions of South America, packs a powerful punch of toxins, containing atropine, hyoscyamine, and scopolamine.

A Little Humor

Just found out there is no popcorn in popcorn shrimp. Guess there is no reason to try pot roast.

True Things

The old 'pet rat in a restaurant' ploy

Security camera footage from a British restaurant recorded the moment a man set his pet rat on the ground in an attempt to scam a free meal. Christopher Baker, 28, pleaded guilty to a charge of fraud by false representation after he released his pet rat at the Borneo Bistro in Sunderland, England, and demanded a refund for his meal. Kevin Smith, the restaurant's owner, said he reviewed security footage after noticing the black and white rat seemed suspiciously clean and tame. "Mr. Smith perhaps smelled a rat at this particular point and he retrieved the rat from the floor. It was a black and white rat, very calm. It did not appear to be wild at all. Acorn Pest Control attended and they said it appeared to be a pet," prosecutor Lee Poppett said. "Mr. Smith viewed the CCTV and saw the defendant fiddling in his pocket. He waited until a family moved from the table next to him and retrieved what appeared to be a rat from his pocket and dropped it on the floor. He then jumped out of his seat." Smith had harsh words for Baker after the trial. "He is just the scum of the earth," Smith told the Sunderland Echo. "I find it unbelievable that someone could be willing to go to those lengths for a free meal."

Interestng facts about AZ

          Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, two of the most prominent movie stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, were married on March 18, 1939, in Kingman, Arizona.

          Covering 18,608 sq. miles, Coconino County is the second largest county by land area in the 48 contiguous United States. (San Bernardino County in California is the largest)

Weekly Observations

Elvis' Birthday Celebration Week International Consumer Electronics Show National Soccer Coaches of America Week	6-10
National Mocktail Week	10-16

 

Today’s Observations

Bittersweet Chocolate Day

Cut Your Energy Costs Day

Houseplant Appreciation Day

League of Nations Day
National Cut Your Energy Costs Day
National Oysters Rockefeller Day  Link
National Sunday Supper Day Link  

Peculiar People Day

 

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

Weekend has started off a little chilly. Wind isn’t helping.

I was disappointed when the Bed, Bath, & Beyond closed here. They were the only ‘gadget’ store we had. This morning I read that the pandemic has forced them to close 44 other stores around the country. Sad.

It’s been 10 years since 6 were killed and a dozen others, including Rep. Gabby  Gifford, of Tucson, happened at a campaign rally for her. Now the crazies have attacked our capitol. So very disturbing.

When Trump was first elected and was posting on Twitter, I signed up for an account. During his second year as President, I deleted my account. It was boring, it was not factual, and if he tweeted just about anything, it would be seen on other social media and/or the news.  I am not upset that Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram deleted his accounts. Suddenly the far-right is screaming about the 1^st amendment and Free Speech. That is hogwash. The first amendment does not allow anyone to yell ‘fire’ in a theater. It was not the government that banned him, it was a private enterprise.

A police officer at the Capitol died of injuries he suffered during the siege. Congress lowered their flag to half-staff; the White House did not lower their flag. Disgusting. He was the 4^th on-duty death of a capitol police in this nation’s history.

The Flagstaff Unified School District just announced the ‘grab and go’ meals for students will now include Breakfast, Lunch, and DINNER. Good move. The AIA [Arizona Interscholastic Assoc] has announced there will be no winter sports due to Corvid. I certainly feel for all the senior athletes who will miss out on their senior year and possible scholarship offers. This could destroy low-income student’s chance to get a college education.

I have enjoyed Jeopardy! Since I was a kid. Last night was the last one with Alex. I was a good show and Alex was terrific.

 

Daily Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of the page

What kind of running means walking?

Historical Events

1863 – London’s Metropolitan, the world’s first underground passenger railway, opened.

1870 – John D. Rockefeller incorporates Standard Oil. It is now part of ExxonMobil.

1899 – The US patent (#617592) was issued for an “Electric Device,” invented by David Misell, which was manufactured as the first tubular “Flash Light” by Conrad Hubert at his American Electrical Novelty and Manufacturing Company.

1901 – The first major discovery of oil in Texas was made at Spindletop, near Beaumont.

1920 – The League of Nations was established.

1946 – The United Nations General Assembly met for the 1st time in London.

1949 – The 7-inch ’45’ PRM record was introduced, by RCA. The blue-colored vinyl played a promo in English on one side and Spanish on the other.

1990 – Time Warner was formed by the merger of Time Inc. and Warner Communications.

1999 – The Sopranos debuted on HBO

2006 – The Apple iMac was released.

2001 The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge will not be designated as a national monument, the White House announces; a move environmentalist groups had been pressing for to prevent oil drilling

2018 Jeff Bezos becomes the second man worth over $100 billion as his wealth hits $106 billion due to a rise in Amazon's share price

2019 Canadian astronomers report fast radio bursts (FRBs) of probable extragalactic origin, one repeating six times at the CHIME observatory, British Columbia

2019 Oceans warming faster than previous thought due to fossil fuel burning, according to data published in journal "Science"

Birthdays Today

@83 – Ray Bolger, American actor (d. 1987)

@83 – Max Roach, American drummer and composer (d. 2007)

82 – David Horowitz, American activist and author

@79 – Roy E. Disney, American businessman (d. 2009; stomach cancer)

76 – Rod Stewart, English singer-songwriter

@73 – Scott McKenzie, singer-songwriter (d. 2012; Guillain–Barré syndrome)

71 – George Foreman, boxer, and entrepreneur

68 – Pat Benatar, American singer-songwriter

@66 – Charles Phillip Ingalls, the father of Laura Ingalls Wilder (d. 1902)

@37 – Sal Mineo, American actor (d. 1976; stabbed)

40 – Jared Kushner, American businessman and political figure

Puzzle Answer

Running out of gas.

 

Jan 9

 

2021…at last

Jan 9, 2021  Week: 1  Day: 9	Local:  H 52°\ L 20°\Ave. Sky Cover: 50%
Wind:   6mph\Gusts:  2mph	Today’s Ave. Temp.: H 42°\ L 17°
Nearest lightning:  1469mi.; Active fire:  59mi	Moderate Risk of Fire           Visibility:  10mi
Record: 61°[1996]   Record: -9°[1937]	Jan Averages: 44°/16° (4 days with moisture)

Today’s Quote

Remember that children, marriages, and flower gardens reflect the kind of care they get.

-H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Random Tidbits

Deadly Plant:

White snakeroot

Every part of this perennial plant contains tremetol, an unsaturated alcohol that can cause muscle tremors in livestock before killing them.

Monkshood

The vibrant purple plant, commonly found in backyard gardens, is loaded with the poisonous alkaloid aconite, which tends to cause asphyxiation.

Common Bladderwort

This aquatic meat eater relies on several submerged bladders to capture prey such as tadpoles and small crustaceans. An unsuspecting passerby will brush against an external bristle-trigger, causing the bladders to spring open and capture it. Once inside, the victim dies of suffocation or starvation and then decays into a liquid that is sucked up by cells on the walls of the bladder.

A Little Humor

-Trail mix? You mean M&M's with obstacles

-Bad Spellers Of The World- Untie!

True Things

Tattoo gots man fired from Home Depot

A former Home Depot employee says the company fired him over a tattoo of his ex-girlfriend's name -- "Isis," a name derived from a fabled Egyptian goddess. The letters of the inner-lip tattoo are written in capitalized form -- "ISIS" -- giving it the exact spelling of an acronym used to reference the Islamic State, an army of Muslim extremists. "I honestly didn't know what the acronym meant until just recently," Kirk Soccorsco said. While working as a Home Depot tool demonstrator in Patchogue, N.Y., Soccorsco said, he overheard the term during a conversation and showed his tattoo to a co-worker. Home Depot and the Florida marketing firm that paid Soccorsco fired him soon after. Home Depot spokesman Stephen Holmes told reported that the termination was "a personnel matter and the decision wasn't just based on the tattoo." Soccorsco contends that he is not a terrorist and that he got the tattoo four years ago. He said he is no longer with the woman whose name is depicted. "I feel a little lost," he said. "It was a good-paying job." Soccorsco is reportedly considering legal action against Home Depot.

 

Interestng facts about AZ

Ø Out of all the states in the U.S., Arizona has the largest percentage of its land designated as Indian lands.

Ø The Five C's of Arizona's economy are: Cattle, Copper, Citrus, Cotton, and Climate.

Ø More copper is mined in Arizona than all the other states combined, and the Morenci Mine is the largest copper producer in all of North America.

Weekly Observations

National Personal Trainer Awareness Week [cancelled]	2-9
Home Office Safety and Security Week Link National Folic Acid Awareness Week Link Dating & Life Coaches Recognition Week National Lose Weight/Feel Great Week	3-9
Elvis' Birthday Celebration Week International Consumer Electronics Show National Soccer Coaches of America Week	6-10

 

Today’s Observations

 

Balloon Ascension Day Link
Eagle Day
International Choreographers Day

Law Enforcement Appreciation Day Link  Link
National Apricot Day

National Cassoulet Day
National Nerd Word Day

National Static Electricity Day Link
National Vision Board Day 
Panama's Martyr Day Link

Play God Day

Poetry at Work Day

Static Electricity Day
Word Nerd Day

 

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

While doing my weekly shopping, as I entered the grocery store, some guy with a mask was in the self-checkout area, yelling at employees. As I headed down an aisle, I could hear him say ‘Go ahead, call the police. I don’t work here.’ By the time I got ready to checkout, he was gone. Crazy people everywhere. I also stopped and picked up my CPAP supplies and at Walgreen’s Drive Thru for a medication with no problems or incidents.

It was so nice yesterday, I took a little time in the afternoon to wash the sliding glass door to my deck. Somehow, I didn’t wash it in the spring.

By now, everyone has seen pictures of the guy with face paint and horns and the Congress. I am not surprised that he is from AZ.

The next 11 days will be a test of the strength of our democracy. Will Congress impeach…again? Trump says he is not showing up for the inauguration, but will he anyway? Will Trump supporters try to disrupt the inauguration? Will the Capitol Police be ready this time? I can only wait and be glad I am not in charge of any part of it.

 

Daily Puzzle

Answer at the bottom of the page

B, E, J, Q, X, Y, and Z are the only letters not included among the first letters of a group of names. What is the name of the group?

Historical Events

1788 – Connecticut became the 5th state

1793 – Jean Pierre Blanchard made the first successful balloon flight in the United States, from Philadelphia, PA to Woodbury, NJ.

1905 – The Saint Petersburg Massacre. Palace Guards fired at some 150,000 unarmed protestors. Over 200 people were killed.

1956 – Abigail Van Buren’s “Dear Abby” column first appeared in newspaper syndication.

1984 – Wendy’s “Where’s The Beef” commercials with Clara Peller began

1997 – Antiques Roadshow debuted on PBS

2007 – Apple’s iPhone was unveiled.

2018 -- President Trump cancels program allowing 200,000 San Salvadoreans temporary status to live in the US

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)

@81 – Richard Nixon, American politician, 37th President (d. 1994)

80 – Joan Baez, American singer-songwriter

77 – Jimmy Page, English guitarist Led Zeppelin

@78 – Simone de Beauvoir, French author, philosopher (d. 1986; pneumonia)

@72 – Chic Young, American cartoonist, Blondie comic strip (d. 1973)

@70 – Bob Denver, American actor (d. 2005; surgery complications)

70 – Crystal Gayle, American singer-songwriter

65 – J.K. Simmons, American actor

@64 – Lee Van Cleef, American actor (d.1989; heart attack)

38 – Kate Middleton, Duchess

Puzzle Answer

The United States of America