Jun 28

 

 

 

Jun 28, 2021   Week: 27    Day: 179

Visibility: 10 miles Ave. Sky Cover: 5%

Local: H 78°\ L 50°

Wind:  9mph/ Gusts:  15mph

EXTREME Risk of Fire:  Active fire:  22mi Nearest Lightning: 170mi.

Jun Averages: 70°/42° (1 day w/moisture)

 

Today’s Quote

 

We aim above the mark to hit the mark. Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

Random Tidbits

 

June's full Moon - typically the last full Moon of spring or the first of summer - is traditionally called the Strawberry Moon.

This name has been used by Algonquin, Ojibwe, Dakota, and Lakota peoples, among others, to mark the ripening of "June-bearing" strawberries that are ready to be gathered.

 

True Things

 

Weird Fashion

-- Crocs went on sale less than 20 years ago, but they're already experiencing a "renaissance," according to The Independent. And for the Spring 2022 season, Crocs are getting a crossover boost from luxury fashion house Balenciaga: New models feature a stiletto heel (which looks more like a Lego piece) under the traditional green or black perforated upper. The new model may cost as much as $1,000, but social media isn't on board. One tweet called them "an actual nightmare," and another commenter said she is "irrationally angry." [The Independent, 6/9/2021]

 

Idioms Origins

 

Bucket List

Bucket List actually originated with the 2007 movie, Bucket List. Two terminally ill strangers meet to fulfill each other list of things they want to do before they “Kick The Bucket”. The phrase ‘Bucket List’ is newer than the iPhone!

 

Weekly Observations

 

American Library Week	24-29
Tour de France Link	26- 7/18
National Prevention of Eye Injuries Awareness	27 -7/4
Windjammer Days Link	27-7/3
National Tire Safety Week Link	28-7/4

 

Today’s Observations

 

Ceviche Day Insurance Awareness Day International Body Piercing Day International Lightning Safety Day National Logistics Day Link Paul Bunyan Day Please Take My Children To Work Day   Tau Day  Link

 

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

 

Clear sky with a nice breeze. No complaints.

The Sun’s game last night was close throughout the last quarter…right up to the final buzzer. They pulled it off.

Cleared off my deck of all the pinecones and needles today. I like the shade from the huge, old evergreen just past my deck. However, there are a lot of dead branches that need to be trimmed by a professional. I just wish it didn’t have so many falling cones and needles. The trimming won’t help the needle-pinecone problems but will prevent dead branches from falling on my deck, the neighbor’s deck, and the back neighbors’ yards.

It looks like weeks and more probably months to figure out what happened to the Condo building in Florida. I hope they figure it out quickly to avoid future devastation. Tall buildings don’t just crumble in the US in 2021 with no explanation.

 

2 New Puzzles Everyday

Answer: bottom of the page

 

Ice3	Wrong                      Wrong  ≠ Right

 

 

Historical Events

 

1832 – The first American case of a cholera epidemic was reported in New York City.

1846 – Adolphe Sax patented the saxophone.

1895 – The US Court of Private Land Claims rules James Reavis’ claim to Barony of Arizona is “wholly fictitious and fraudulent.”

1914 – World War One (originally ‘The Great War’) began with the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand, in Sarajevo.

1926 – Mercedes-Benz was formed by Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz merging their two companies.

1964 – Malcolm X formed the Organization of Afro-American Unity.

1969 – Stonewall Riots began in New York City, marking the start of the Gay Rights Movement.

1997 – Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfield’s ear in the third round of their heavyweight rematch, earning a disqualification.

2009 – Stephen Hawking threw a party for time-travelers. He announced the party the day after it happened, and according to Hawking, no one came.

2011 Christine Lagarde becomes the 1st women to be elected head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)

2018 Power company uncovers Neolithic wooden trackway 2,300 years old in Suffolk, England. One of the largest archaeological digs in Europe at 16,000 square meters

2019 3,400 year old Bronze Age palace from the Mittani Empire uncovered on the banks of the Tigris River, due to lack of rainfall dropping the water level in the Mosul Dam reservoir

2020 50th anniversary of 1st Gay Pride march in New York City marked around the world

 

Birthdays Today

 

95 – Mel Brooks, director

@87 – John Wesley, English cleric and theologian (d. 1791)

@77 – Richard Rodgers, American playwright, composer (d. 1979; jaw cancer)

73 – Kathy Bates, American actress

@73 – Pat Morita, Japanese-American character actor (died in 2005)

@62 – Peter Paul Rubens, Flemish painter, diplomat (d. 1640; heart failure)

61 – John Elway, Bronco

55 – John Cusack, American actor

50 – Elon Musk, South African-born American businessman

@42 – Gilda Radner, American comedic actress (d. 1989; ovarian cancer)

35 – Kellie Pickler, American singer-songwriter

 

Puzzles Answer

 

Ice cube                                                                    two wrongs don’t make a right

 

 

Jun 27

 

 

 

Jun 27, 2021   Week: 27    Day: 178

Visibility: 10 miles Ave. Sky Cover: 35%

Local: H 77°\ L 52°

Wind:  4mph/ Gusts:  9mph

High Risk of Fire:  Active fire:  22mi Nearest Lightning: 105mi.

Jun Averages: 70°/42° (1 day w/moisture)

 

Today’s Quote

 

Don't forget to love yourself. Soren Kierkegaard

 

Random Tidbits

 

Astronomers and scientists use the date of the June Solstice to mark the beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere and winter in the Southern Hemisphere. For meteorologists, on the other hand, summer began almost three weeks ago, on June 1.

The 'dog days of summer' refer to the weeks between July 3 and August 11 and are named after the Dog Star (Sirius) in the Canis Major constellation. The ancient Greeks blamed Sirius for the hot temperatures, drought, discomfort, and sickness that occurred during the summer.

 

True Things

 

Cliche Come to Life

Wendi Dale Hird, 56, was arrested at her home in Largo, Florida, late on Feb. 28 after throwing her cat in her 73-year-old male roommate's face, causing the cat to scratch him, according to arrest records. Police say she then struck the man in the face. Hird was charged with domestic battery on a person over the age of 65, reported The Smoking Gun. (Bonus: Hird was arrested in 2018 for allegedly battering the same man, described in court documents as a platonic roommate, but was not prosecuted.) [The Smoking Gun, 3/2/2021]

 

Weekly Observations

 

National Insect Week National Pollinator Week Link	21-27
American Library Week	24-29
Watermelon Thump Seed Spitting Week Link	24-27
Water Ski Days	25-27
Tour de France Link	26- 7/18
National Prevention of Eye Injuries Awareness	27 -7/4
Windjammer Days Link	27-7/3

 

Today’s Observations

 

America's Kids Day  Celebrate Joy Day Link Decide To Be Married Day Descendants Day  Fast of Tammuz  Link "Happy Birthday To You" Day Helen Keller Day Industrial Workers of The World Day Log Cabin Day  Micro-, Small-, And Medium-Sized Enterprises Day National HIV Testing Day Link National Onion Day Link National Orange Blossom Day National Sun Glasses Day Link PTSD Awareness Day Link

 

Idioms Origins

 

Bombshell

Before 1933, the term was used strictly a wartime exclusive. Jean Harlow was in a 1931 film, Platinum Blonde, where she picked up the nickname Bombshell, then starred in a movie called Bombshell in 1933. Jean Harlow was the first Bombshell sex symbol.

 

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

 

Hoping for more moisture today after our 15-minute shower yesterday. Looks like a decent chance. It is also very pleasant outside.

UFA’s [unidentified aerial phenomena] …UFOs for most of us…have been in the news a lot lately. Many are claiming they have been around a long time, but the stigma of reporting such led to people thinking the person was bonkers. The military didn’t help as they have kept any reports sealed. Now the military is releasing more and more reports. In the most recent release of sightings in the last few months…of the 145 incidents only one was explained as a deflating balloon. While the other 144 have no detectable means of propulsion, no identifying markings, and basically a belief that they are not by the US or                                 our allies or our adversaries. They are also not seen as hostile. These new reports are leading to many theories of their origin. Some say ‘outer space’, others say ‘under the sea’, others say ‘from inside the earth’, and still others believe they are from ‘other planets within our solar system’. A few weeks ago those of us in Flagstaff looked into the sky and saw a grouping of lights move slowly across the night sky. These UFAs turned out to be one of the many space objects orbiting the earth. We need scientists to really study these phenomena with no judgement about the viewers mental health.

The experts are saying that the condo collapse in Florida had ‘moved’ during a study in the 1990s. No one knows if that was the cause, but it seems that the engineers that are telling us this should also mention what other buildings they studied during that time and how much those buildings moved. It is hard to believe they only studied one building and then that one building collapsed years later.

Interesting…the FBI no-fly list is only for terrorists. There is not a list for misbehaving passengers who verbally or physically assault flight crews. Each airline can ban an unruly passenger from flying their airline. The unruly passenger just books a flight on another airline. I realize that every incident is different, but why isn’t there a board that reviews every incident and determines if the passenger should be banned for a specific period of time from one flight to no more flights ever that covers all airlines? Personally, when I start traveling again, I would feel better about the flight if I knew that unruly passengers knew they could be banned from flying on any airline if they misbehave.  

 

2 New Puzzles Everyday

Answer: bottom of the page

 

house

yad eht ni

 

 

Historical Events

 

91792 – Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn is coined as the first person to use the term “Canadian”, in an attempt to break up a fight between a group of English and French settlers at a polling station.

1844 – Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of the Mormons, and his brother Hyrum Smith were murdered by a mob at the Carthage, Illinois jail.

1895 – The inaugural run of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad’s Royal Blue from Washington, D.C., to New York City, the first American passenger train to use electric locomotives.

1898 – The first solo circumnavigation of the globe was completed by Joshua Slocum from Briar Island, Nova Scotia.

1949 – The first sci-fi TV show, Captain Video and His Video Rangers debuted.

1954 – The Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant, the Soviet Union’s first nuclear power station, began operation in Obninsk, near Moscow.

1976 – Air France Flight 139 (Tel Aviv-Athens-Paris) was hijacked en route to Paris by the PLO and redirected to Entebbe, Uganda.

1985 – US Route 66 was officially removed from the United States Highway System.

1990 Salman Rushdie, condemned to death by Iran, contributes $8600 to help their earthquake victims

1998 Opening of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia.

2001 Pope John Paul II beatifies 28 Ukrainian Greek Catholics, including 27 martyrs most of whom were killed by the Soviet secret police. Beatification takes place at the service in Lviv, western Ukraine during his first visit to this country.

2003 The United States National Do Not Call Registry, formed to combat unwanted telemarketing calls and administered by the Federal Trade Commission, enrolls almost three-quarters of a million phone numbers on its first day.

2016 US Supreme Court strikes down Texas law restricting abortion 5-3

2017 Mark Zuckerberg announces Facebook has reached 2 billion monthly users

2018 Democrat Representative Joseph Crowley is defeated in New York Primary election by liberal challenger Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

2019 US Supreme Court rules 2020 census cannot contain a question about citizenship in a 5-4 ruling

2019 US Supreme Court rules the Constitution doesn't prohibit partisan gerrymandering, allowing a ruling party to redraw electoral boundaries

 

Birthdays Today

 

@89 – Ross Perot, American businessman, politician (d. 2019)

@87 – Helen Keller, American author, academic, and activist (d. 1968)

@83 – John McIntire, American character actor[Wagom Train] (d. 1991)

72 – Vera Wang, American fashion designer

55 – J.J. Abrams, American director, producer, and screenwriter

46 – Tobey Maguire, American actor

 

Puzzles Answer

 

Green House                                                                       Back in the day

 

 

Jun 26

 

 

 

Jun 26, 2021   Week: 26    Day: 177

Visibility: 10 miles Ave. Sky Cover: 80%

Local: H 79°\ L 49°

Wind:  7mph/ Gusts:  14mph

High Risk of Fire:  Active fire:  22mi Nearest Lightning: 102mi.

Jun Averages: 70°/42° (1 day w/moisture)

 

Today’s Quote

 

Education is the movement from darkness to light. Allan Bloom

 

Random Tidbits

 

According to Forbes, the top 9 most hazardous summer injuries are caused by 1) playground equipment; 2) skateboards; 3) trampolines; 4) lawn mowers; 5) amusement attractions; 6) non-powder guns, BBs pellets; 7) beach, picnic, camping equipment; 8) barbeque grills, stoves, equipment; and 9) trimmers, small garden tools.

 

True Things

 

Devil's in the Details

Amazon released a new icon for its shopping app in January with what was supposed to look like a jagged piece of tape on a package above Amazon's smiling arrow logo but instead reminded some viewers of Adolf Hitler's mustache, CBS News reported. After Twitter users commented on the resemblance, Amazon tweaked the art and rolled out a more squared-off version in late February. [CBS News, 3/3/2021]

 

Weekly Observations

 

Animal Rights Awareness Week Link    Link Greencare For Troops Awareness Week National Play Catch Week  Old Time Fiddlers Week Link Carpenter Ant Awareness Week  Fish Are Friends, Not Food! Week Link   Lightning Safety Awareness Week Link  National Craft Spirits Week Link  National Mosquito Control Awareness Week Link   Universal Father's Week	20-26
Old Time Fiddlers Week	21-26
National Insect Week National Pollinator Week Link	21-27
American Library Week	24-29
World Hula Week Link	24-26
Watermelon Thump Seed Spitting Week Link	24-27
Water Ski Days	25-27
Tour de France Link	26- 7/18

 

Today’s Observations

 

ARRL (American Radio Relay League) Field Day -27 Link  626 Day (Lilo & Stitch)  Link Bar Code Day Beautician's Day Forgiveness Day Great American Backyard Campout  Harry Potter Day International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking International Day in Support of Victims of Torture National Canoe Day National Chocolate Pudding Day National Coconut Day  Link National Haskap Berry Day   Same Sex Marriage Day Summersgiving Link

 

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

 

Clouds are here and looks like rain. I sure hope so.

Hard to believe the collapse of the apartment building in Florida. When I first videos came in, I thought it was happening in a war zone. I really hope they find out the reason for this disaster. I was happy to see the US President contacting the officials in Florida to promise quick and sustained help in dealing with this.

Yesterday I commented on the officer killed in Arvada. Turns out my travel buddy Ed was in Olde Town doing business when it happened. Glad he is safe.

The fire south of Flagstaff is now at 36,000 acres and still slowly growing. Both Flagstaff and Williams (30 miles away) have cancelled the annual fireworks for the Independence Day holiday due to the condition of the forest.

Derrick Chauvin sentenced to basically 22.5 years in prison but will probably bne out in 15 years. Sad.

I updated the Focus website with information on the memorial for Marty. Be sure and check it out. For some unknown reason I couldn’t get on the website to edit it when I tried to sign in. I called Ellie and she hadn’t changed anything. I have the password and ID saved. After several more tries, I discovered that internet machine somehow changed the ID from a ‘.net’ address to a ‘.com’ address. I believe I fixed it, but am scratching my head how it changed, since I never, ever type more than one letter of the ID before the ID and password pop-up. Guess it was some demon or devil messing with me.  

Today, the 25^th, is Victory Day for the Lakota Sioux. This is the day they defeated Custer at the Little Big Horn.

 

2 New Puzzles Everyday

Answer: bottom of the page

 

goodbe           goodbe   true

cherry  3.14

 

 

Historical Events

 

1498 – The bristle toothbrush was invented in China.

1807 – Lightning struck a gunpowder factory in Luxembourg, killing more than 300 people.

1819 – The first US patent (#X003115) for a velocipede, a predecessor of the bicycle, was issued to William K. Clarkson Jr. of New York.

1870 – Christmas was declared a federal holiday in the United States.

1906 – 1906 French Grand Prix, the first Grand Prix motor racing event was held. Ferenc Szisz, driving for the Renault team, won the two-day event.

1926 – Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises novel was released.

1934 – President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Federal Credit Union Act, which established credit unions in the US.

1936 – The first flight of the Focke-Wulf Fw 61, the first working helicopter, in Berlin, Germany.

1945 – The United Nations Charter was signed, in San Francisco.

1963 – US President John F. Kennedy gave his “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech.

1974 – The Universal Product Code was scanned for the first time to sell a package of Wrigley’s chewing gum at the Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio.

1977 – Elvis Presley performed the final concert of his life in Indianapolis, Indiana.

1997 – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Communications Decency Act violated the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

2000 – The completion of a working draft reference DNA sequence of the human genome was announced at the White House by President Bill Clinton and representatives from the Human Genome Project (HGP).

2015 US Supreme Court rules 5-4 same-sex marriage is a legal right across all US states

2016 Panama Canal's third set of locks opens for commercial traffic, doubling the Canal’s capacity at an estimated cost of $5.25 billion

2018 US Supreme Court upholds President Trump's travel ban against mostly Muslim countries

2018 India is named the most dangerous country to be a women because of sexual violence and slave labor by the Thomson Reuters Foundation

2020 New York Times says Russia secretly offered bounties to Taliban-linked forces to kill US and coalition troops in Afghanistan

 

Birthdays Today

 

@87 – Colonel Tom Parker, Dutch-American talent manager (d. 1997)

@80 – Pearl S. Buck, novelist, writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1973)

@73 – Abner Doubleday, American general; probably didn’t invent baseball (d. 1893; heart failure)

@59 – Peter Lorre, Slovak-American actor (d. 1964; stroke)

51 – Sean Hayes, American actor

47 – Derek Jeter, American baseball player

29 – Jennette McCurdy, American actress

28 – Ariana Grande, singer, actor

 

Puzzles Answer

 

Too good to be true                                                                      Cherry pie