Jul 13

  

Daily Almanac for Flagstaff
Week 29 Day 194 \ Ave. Sky Cover 15% \ Visibility 10 miles Flagstaff Today 88° \56° 
Wind 8mph \ Gusts 12mph  Air Quality Fair
Extreme Risk of fire \ Nearest active fire 9mi \ Nearest Lightning 60mi
Jul Averages for Flagstaff: 82° \ 51° (8 days of moisture)

 

Today’s Quote

Weekly Observations

Thru Sep.5 National Marina Days (From Memorial Day to Labor Day)  Link

1-24 Tour de France Link

7-14 Running of The Bulls (Spain)

7-17  Tug-of-War Days

10-16   Family Golf Week: Link National Vodka Week Link    National Theraputic Recreation Week Link   National Cancer Survivor Sibling Week  Link   Operation Safe Driver Week  Link

10-17  Sports Cliché Week Link

13-19   Hemp History Week Link

13-16   National Ventriloquism Week  Link

Daily Observations

Embrace Your Geekiness Day
Gruntled Workers Day
National Beef Tallow Day
National French Fries Day
National Nitrogen Ice Cream Day
World Cup Soccer Day (Anniversary Observance)

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

Another very warm day. It is summer after all.

The newest telescope is giving us great pictures of the Universe. I don’t understand how a picture can show the universe from a billion years ago, but that is what they say it is.

The National Park Service is doing an amazing job of trying to save the Sequoias from yet another very dangerous wildfire. They are not only wrapping trees so they won’t burn, they also have set up a water sprinkler system that is trying to keep these monstrous trees wet. I sure hoping it is works.

Today’s hearings are certainly eye-opening. Our democracy is strong.

Favorite Memes

Popular International Destinations

6. Rome, Italy

Rome wasn't built in a day--and you'll need much more than a day to take in this timeless city. The city is a real-life collage of piazzas, open-air markets, and astonishing historic sites.

5. Crete, Greece

The birthplace of both the king of the Olympian gods and of modern European civilization, Crete is a Mediterranean jewel. It’s rich with archaeological and mythological history that’s reflected in its ancient ruins and cultural attractions.

4. Bali, Indonesia

Bali is a living postcard, an Indonesian paradise that feels like a fantasy. Soak up the sun on a stretch of fine white sand, or commune with the tropical creatures as you dive along coral ridges or the colorful wreck of a WWII war ship.

Trivia

A story came out recently which claims that the right amount of stress can actually increase our productivity.

Stress causes an area in our brain to create neodrenaline, which eases the communication between the different parts of our brain. As long as we have the right amount of the chemical, stress can push us to perform better.

However, stress has also been called "the silent killer" and can lead to heart disease, high blood pressure, chest pain, and an irregular heartbeat.

Scientists suggest that stress is part of the evolutionary drive because it has enabled humans to survive. Specifically, stress temporarily increases awareness and improves physical performance.

Stress also causes capillaries to close, which restricts bleeding if a flesh wound should occur, and makes the blood "stickier," in preparation for an injury. Such a reaction, however, also increases the probability of developing a blood clot.   

Historical Events

·           1700 Treaty of Constantinople establishes peace after Russo-Turkish war
·           1787 Congress establishes Northwest Territory (excludes slavery)
·           1832 Source of Mississippi River discovered by American geographer Henry Schoolcraft
·           1837 Queen Victoria is 1st monarch to live in present Buckingham Palace
·           1865 P. T. Barnum's museum burns down
·           1868 Oscar J Dunn, former slave, installed as Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana
·           1917 Vision of Virgin Mary appears to children of Fatima, Portugal
·           1923 American explorer Roy Chapman Andrews discovers the first recognised dinosaur eggs, in the Gobi Desert, Mongolia
·           1943 Greatest tank battle in history ends with Russia's defeat of Germany at Kursk, almost 6,000 tanks take part, 2,900 lost by Germany
·           1969 North Ireland loyalist Ian Paisley addresses a crowd at Loughgall, County Antrim, and is reported to have said: "I am anti-Roman Catholic, but God being my judge, I love the poor dupes who are ground down under that system."
·           1984 The last sitting of an all-white Parliament in South Africa
·           2008 Brewing company InBev announces deal to buy American brewer Anheuser-Busch for almost $52 billion
·           2013 #BlackLivesMatter created in response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman on trial for the murder of Trayvon Martin

Birthdays Today

88 --Wole Soyinka, Nigerian playwright and poet (Road, Kongi's Harvest-Nobel 1986), born in Abeokuta, near Ibadan, Nigeria
82-- Patrick Stewart, actor
80-- Harrison Ford, actor
78--  Ernő Rubik, Hungarian inventor (Rubik's cube), born in Budapest, Hungary
52--x  Ken Jeong, actor

 

Jul 12

 

 

Daily Almanac for Flagstaff
Week 29 Day 193 \ Ave. Sky Cover 50% \ Visibility 10 miles Flagstaff Today 88° \58° 
Wind 5mph \ Gusts 12mph  Air Quality
High Risk of fire \ Nearest active fire 9mi \ Nearest Lightning 73mi
Jul Averages for Flagstaff: 82° \ 51° (8 days of moisture)

 

Today’s Quote

Weekly Observations

Thru Sep.5 National Marina Days (From Memorial Day to Labor Day)  Link

1-24 Tour de France  Link

7-14 Running of The Bulls (Spain)

7-17  Tug-of-War Days

10-16   Family Golf Week Link National Vodka Week Link    National Theraputic Recreation Week Link   National Cancer Survivor Sibling Week  Link   Operation Safe Driver Week  Link

10-17  Sports Cliché Week Link

Daily Observations

Different Colored Eyes Day
Etch A Sketch Day
National Eat Your Jell-O Day
National Pecan Pie Day
New Conversations Day
Night of Nights (Maritime Radio) 
Orangemen’s Day
Paper Bag Day
Simplicity Day

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

A very warm day…with hopes for Monsoon.

I’ve been getting Verizon text messages offering upgrades to 5G. I went to the Verizon store this morning. It was not a good experience. I had to wait 10 minutes before someone showed up to check me in…then she said it would be a 45-minute wait with only 3 people ahead of me. I was finally called. Before starting she had to see my ID…to be sure I was who I said I was. She wanted me to upgrade to ‘unlimited’ but could only give me a ballpark figure of how much it would cost. She could only give a ballpark figure for the cost of a phone. Then the kicker…Flagstaff only has 5G on the NAU campus, but should be thinking about putting up more towers sometime soon. I decided not to upgrade.

I just read the Condoleezza Rice in joining the Bronco’s new ownership and that she is a DU graduate. Nice!

I got a call for Andy this morning. He has tested positive for Covid. He is doing OK and Faith is still negative. He is quarantined until Saturday. They had to cancel their camping trip with the grandson because of this. It is good he was up-to-date on his vaccines and that he didn’t get sick on their Alaskan cruise.

Favorite Memes

Popular International Destinations

9. Paris, France

Lingering over pain au chocolat in a sidewalk café, relaxing after a day of strolling along the Seine and marveling at icons like the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe… the perfect Paris experience combines leisure and liveliness

8. Istanbul, Turkey

Over the centuries, many cultures have added their mark to this prized piece of land. Today, you can experience those influences firsthand by exploring Istanbul’s mahalles (neighborhoods).

7. Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

As a well-known destination for both spring breakers and A-list travelers in need of a getaway, Cabo San Lucas has definite vacation cred.

Trivia

The number of people on earth has grown from one billion to over eight and a half billion in the last 200 years! The global population reached 7.9 million in 2021 and is expected to continue to grow.

1804 – 1 billion people

1927 – 2 billion people

1960 – 3 billion people

1974 – 4 billion people

1987 – 5 billion people

1999 – 6 billion people

2012 – 7 billion people

This dramatic growth has been driven largely by increasing numbers of people surviving to reproductive age and has been accompanied by major changes in fertility rates, increasing urbanization, and accelerating migration. The recent past has seen enormous changes in fertility rates and life expectancy. In the early 1970s, women had on average 4.5 children each; by 2015, total fertility for the world had fallen to below 2.5 children per woman. Meanwhile, average global lifespans have risen, from 64.6 years in the early 1990s to 72.6 years in 2019. (UN) 

Historical Events

·           927 – Æthelstan, King of England, secured a pledge from Constantine II of Scotland that the latter would not ally with Viking kings, beginning the process of unifying Great Britain. This is considered by most historians to the closest thing that England has to a foundation date.
·           1862 – The United States Congress authorizes the US Medal of Honor, the highest and most prestigious personal military decoration
·           1920 – The Panama Canal was formally dedicated, although it had the first ship passed through several years earlier.
·           1930 – Bobby Jones won the first “Grand Slam of Golf” – US Open, British Open, British Amateur, US Amateur.
·           1962 – The Rolling Stones performed together live for the first time, at London’s Marquee Club.
·           1970 – The US patent (#105,338) for an improved process to produce celluloid, the first synthetic plastic, was awarded to John Wesley Hyatt, Jr.

Birthdays Today

@93 – Milton Berle, American comedian and actor (d. 2002)
85 – Bill Cosby, American actor, comedian, felon
74 – Richard Simmons, American fitness trainer
71 – Cheryl Ladd, American actress
64 – J. D. Hayworth, American politician and radio host
@55 – Julius Caesar, Roman politician and general (d. 44 BC)
@44 – Henry David Thoreau, American essayist, poet, philosopher (d. 1862; TB)
44 – Topher Grace, American actor
44 – Michelle Rodriguez, American actress
32 – Rachel Brosnahan, American actress
25 – Malala Yousafzai, civil rights leader