25 Feb

 

25 February 2023

Daily Almanac for Flagstaff
Week 8 Day 56 \ Ave. Sky Cover 5% \ Visibility 16 miles Flagstaff Today 50° \23°  Wind 3mph \ Gusts 7mph 
Air Quality: Fair \Very Low Risk of fire \ Nearest active fire 251mi \ Nearest Lightning 2459mi
Feb. Averages for Flagstaff: 47° \ 19° \5 Days of moisture
Sunshine

Today’s Quote

 

Weekly Observations

  18-25 
  National FFA Week Link 
  19-26  
  National Sauna Week Link   
  19-25 
  Bird Health Awareness Week Link  
  Build A Better Trade Show Image Week
  National Eating Disorders Awareness Week
  National Engineers Week
  National Justice for Animals Week
  Build A Better Trade Show Image Week
  National Eating Disorders Awareness Week
  National Engineers Week
  National Justice for Animals Week Link  Link
  Through With The Chew Link
  22-25
  American Birkenbreiner Race
  22-4/8
  Lent 

Daily Observations

International Sword Swallowers Day
National Chili Day
National Chocolate Covered Peanuts Day
National Clam Chowder Day
Paczki Day
Open That Bottle Night Pancake Day
Rubber Ducky Day Link 

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

 Sunshine and nice weather. I had lunch with Faith and Andy. Good food, good conversation.

Local schools are still having another snow day…that is 10 so far this school year.  

When does equity become illegal? The Biden administration is promising 'equity' in its hiring. Some on the far right say this is blatant discrimination against 'White' people. I hope this is straightened out quickly and does not carry on forever.

Enjoy…

Facts…

The Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers once combined to form the Steagles

At one point in history, Pennsylvania’s two National Football League teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles, combine to form one super team. This occurred in the 1943 season. Both teams had lost many of their players to military service during World War II, and the league allowed them to combine so that they had enough players to field one team. This team was called the Steagles, a clever combination of the Eagles and the Steelers. It only lasted one season. 

Slang Origins

Cruisin' for a bruisin'

The '50s had their own version of "a face that's just begging to be punched."

Trivia…

Antartica is the world's largest desert

The term 'desert' does not just refer to endless sand and a glaring hot sun. There are various subtypes, and all of them involve an extreme temperature and a barren landscape. One subtype of desert is the polar desert, an area devoid of life where there is ice instead of sand and freezing cold winds instead of boiling hot temperatures. This makes Antarctica a polar desert, and at over 5.5 million square miles, it also takes the title of the largest desert in the world, beating out the Sahara desert for the top spot.

90% of the world's population live in the northern hemisphere

9 out of every 10 people live in the Northern hemisphere. In total, that means approximately 6.6 billion people out a total human population of 7.3 billion live above the equator. There is actually much more liveable land in the northern hemisphere, with the completely inhospitable Antarctica taking up a large portion of the Southern Hemisphere’s landmass. While 90 percent of the population lives in the northern hemisphere, most of it is not very north. The majority of the world’s population lives only 20 to 40 degrees north of the Equator.

Historical Events

1791 – The First National Bank of the United States was chartered in Philadelphia.
1919 – Oregon became the first US state to levy a gasoline tax by placing 1 cent tax on every gallon of gas.
1964 – Cassius Clay became heavyweight boxing champion of the world. He won the title 3 times and defended it 9 times.
1967 – Gene Kelly starred in Jack and the Beanstalk on NBC (produced by Hanna-Barbara) it was the first TV special to combine live-action and animation.

Birthdays Today

88 – Sally Jessy Raphael, American journalist, talk show host
@78 – Her bert ‘Zeppo’ Marx, American comedian and Brother (d. 1979)
@78 – Jim Backus, American actor (d. 1989; Parkinson’s)
@78 – Tommy Newsom, American saxophonist, bandleader (d. 2007; cancer)
@78 – Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Frech painter (d. 1919)
@77 – Bobby Riggs, American tennis player (d. 1995; prostate cancer)
74 – Jack Handey, American author
@71 – John Foster Dulles, American statesman (d. 1959; colon cancer)
@58 – George Harrison, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer (d. 2001; cancer)
@58 – George Harrison, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer (d. 2001; cancer)
You can be standing right in front of the truth and not necessarily see it, and people only get it when they’re ready to get it.– George Harrison
57 – Téa Leoni, American actress
52 – Sean Astin, American actor
@48 – Enrico Caruso, Italian-American tenor (d. 1921; peritonitis)
I suffer so much in this life. That is what they [the audience] are feeling when I sing, that is why they cry. People who felt nothing in this life cannot sing.– Enrico Caruso
48 – Chelsea Handler, American comedian and talk show host
37 – Jameela Jamil, American actress

 

 

24 Feb

24 February 2023

Daily Almanac for Flagstaff
Week 8 Day 55 \ Ave. Sky Cover 90% \ Visibility 2 miles Flagstaff Today 39° \20°  Wind 13mph \ Gusts -mph 
Air Quality: Fair \Very Low Moderate High Extreme Risk of fire \ Nearest active fire 249mi \ Nearest Lightning 2758mi
Feb. Averages for Flagstaff: 47° \ 19° \5 Days of moisture
Snowing

Today’s Quote

Weekly Observations

  18-25 
  National FFA Week Link 
  19-26  
  National Sauna Week Link   
  19-25 
  Bird Health Awareness Week Link  
  Build A Better Trade Show Image Week
  National Eating Disorders Awareness Week
  National Engineers Week
  National Justice for Animals Week
  Build A Better Trade Show Image Week
  National Eating Disorders Awareness Week
  National Engineers Week
  National Justice for Animals Week Link  Link
  Through With The Chew Link
  22-25
  American Birkenbreiner Race
  22-4/8
  Lent 

Daily Observations

Forget Me Not Day  Link 
Inconvenience Yourself Day
National Trading Card Day
Skip The Straw Day  Link 
Tartar Sauce Day  Link 
Twin Peaks Day
World Bartender Day Link 

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

And the winter storm continues. About 6” yesterday and today it is still snowing.  I am getting very tired of my mantra ‘The forest needs moisture’. I went out this morning and cleared off my vehicle, drove around the parking area, drove back to my parking space and played ‘in and out’ a few times to compress the snow where I park.

I sent an email to our presenter yesterday about Saturday’s discussion group. I suggested that we play ‘wait and see’ then notify our group in an email on Saturday at noon regarding the storm and our meeting. The presenter emailed back and said that parking would be an issue at her place due to the snow berms left after every snowfall. So today I notified the group that the meeting was postponed until April.  Hopefully we will be able to meet in March.

The morning paper had a big article about road closures in our neck of the woods. Over 300 miles of Northern AZ highways have been closed during this storm…some from snowfall, some from wind, and many by blowing snow. This is not a time to be traveling in our area. The main local roads are fine, when the snow stops. Side streets remain slick.

Enjoy…

Facts…

The names of four countries include the word “Guinea.”

It’s not unusual for cities to share names, but it happens less frequently with countries. Yet four nations — three of which are in Africa — use the word “Guinea” in their titles: Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, and Papua New Guinea. How is it possible to have so many countries using the same word? It has to do with the colonization of Western Africa. The exact origin of the word “Guinea” is unknown, though some linguists believe the term comes from the Portuguese word “Guiné,” which appeared around the mid-1400s to describe a region south of the Senegal River along Africa’s western coast. A competing theory suggests that the name comes from Djenné, an ancient city in modern Mali that was an important stop along the trans-Saharan gold trading route; it’s possible “Djenné” transformed into “Genawah,” which was then used to describe all people in Western Africa.

By the late 1880s, many European countries had laid claim to African land in a race historians call the “Scramble for Africa.” Spain, France, and Portugal (among other powers) all shared control of the Guinea region in Western Africa; the area was divided, and land generally identified by its controlling country. However, the names we know today wouldn’t emerge until well into the 20th century, when each nation broke away from European control. French Guinea retained the name Guinea after gaining independence in 1958, Spanish Guinea became Equatorial Guinea in 1963, and Portuguese Guinea took on the name Guinea-Bissau (referencing its capital city Bissau) in 1974.

As for Papua New Guinea, located thousands of miles to the east across the Indian Ocean, two explorers gave it its name. In 1526, Portuguese sailor Jorge de Meneses dubbed part of the island “ilhas dos Papuas,” from the Malay word papuwah (referencing the islanders’ curly hair), while Spanish explorer Yñigo Ortiz de Retez declared another portion New Guinea, believing its citizens resembled the people of Africa’s Guinea coast. 

Slang Origins

Beat feet

When you must get away fast, usually because you've done something wrong, it's time to beat feet the heck out of there. Just think of your feet like they're the hands of a jazz drummer.

Trivia…

A stretch of Route 66 in New Mexico will play the song "America The Beautiful" if driven properly

Just east of Albuquerque, New Mexico, there is a stretch of Route 66, one of the most famous highways in the world, that will play you a song if you drive it just right. First of all, you need to drive along the rumble strips on the side of the road. They are spaced out at just the right distance to play the song “America the Beautiful” if you drive along them at exactly 45 miles per hour.

Historical Events

1582 – Gregorian Calendar: Pope Gregory XIII issued a new, more accurate calendar that the Julian, which had been used for 1500 years.
1868 – Andrew Johnson became the first President of the United States to be impeached by the United States House of Representatives. He was later acquitted in the Senate.
1942 – In what may or may not have been a UFO attack, The Battle of Los Angeles lasted into the early hours of February 25. (probably not)
1980 – The United States Olympic Hockey team completed its Miracle on Ice by defeating Finland 4 – 2 to win the gold medal.

Birthdays Today

@95 – Richard Thorpe, American director, screenwriter (d. 1991)
@94 – Abe Vigoda, American character actor (d. 2016)
“I got the role because the producer thought I looked tired, but I looked tired because I had been jogging earlier that day.”– Abe Vigoda
@81 – Honus Wagner, American baseball player, coach, manager (d. 1955)
“I don’t want my picture in any cigarettes, but I also don’t want you to lose the ten dollars, so I’m enclosing my check for that sum.”– Honus Wagner, his baseball cards were later recalled, which makes his cards so rare.
@80 – Chester Nimitz, American admiral (d. 1966)
“God grant me the courage not to give up what I think is right even though I think it is hopeless.”– Chester W. Nimitz
78 – Barry Bostwick, American actor
76 – Rupert Holmes, English-American singer-songwriter
76 – George Thorogood [David Goldstein], American singer-songwriter
“I said if you want to be Keith Richards, you’ve got to listen to Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry. Then I thought, ‘What did Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry listen to?’  I said, ‘They listened to Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters.’ Well, who’d they listen to? They listened to Robert Johnson. I said, ‘Ok, we’ll start with that.'”– George Thorogood
@73 – Wilhelm Grimm, German anthropologist, author and Brother (d. 1859)
@74 – Homer Winslow, American illustrator (d. 1910)
@73 – James Farentino, American actor (d. 2012; long illness)
72 – Debra Jo Rupp, American actress
67 – Paula Zahn, American journalist
65 – Sammy Kershaw, American singer-songwriter
62 – Erna Solberg, Prime Minister of Norway
57 – Billy Zane, American actor
@56 – Steve Jobs, businessman, co-founded Apple Inc. & Pixar (d. 2011; tumor)
“We think basically you watch television to turn your brain off, and you work on your computer when you want to turn your brain on.”– Steve Jobs
46 – Floyd Mayweather, Jr., American boxer
“You hear certain things, negative things, all the time that aren’t true, but you never hear about the positive.”– Floyd Mayweather, Jr
34 – Trace Cyrus, American singer-songwriter

 

  

23 Feb

 

23 February 2023

Daily Almanac for Flagstaff
Week 8 Day 54 \ Ave. Sky Cover 90% \ Visibility 2 miles Flagstaff Today 41° \17°  Wind 9mph \ Gusts 30mph 
Air Quality: Moderate \Very Low Risk of fire \ Nearest active fire 249mi \ Nearest Lightning 1184mi
Feb. Averages for Flagstaff: 47° \ 19° \5 Days of moisture
Snowing & windy

Today’s Quote 

Weekly Observations

  17-23 
  Great Backyard Bird Count Link
  18-25 
  National FFA Week Link 
  19-26  
  National Sauna Week Link   
  19-25 
  Bird Health Awareness Week Link  
  Build A Better Trade Show Image Week
  National Eating Disorders Awareness Week
  National Engineers Week
  National Justice for Animals Week
  Build A Better Trade Show Image Week
  National Eating Disorders Awareness Week
  National Engineers Week
  National Justice for Animals Week Link  Link
  Through With The Chew Link
  22-25
  American Birkenbreiner Race
  22-4/8
  Lent 

 

Daily Observations

Curling is Cool Day
Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day
Diesel Engine Day
Digital Learning Day
Discover Girl Day
Iwo Jima Day (Flag Raised)
International Toast Day Link 
Introduce A Girl to Engineering Day
National Banana Bread Day
National Chili Day    
Introduce A Girl to Engineering Day
National Banana Bread Day
National Chili Day    Link
National Dog Biscuit Day Link
National Tile Day  Link
Rationalization Day
Single Tasking Day
The Great American Spit Out Link
Tootsie Roll Day  Link
World Understanding and Peace Day

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

Predicted storm has arrived. Wind woke me from a deep sleep about 4am. So far about 4” of snow but it is still snowing. Local schools and colleges are all closed due to this storm.

The internet now effects every part of our lives. I was pleased so see that the Supreme Court justices, while questioning the internet cases before them, are moving slowly. It looks like their case decisions will be narrow in nature. That is most probably a smart move and good for the citizens.

Putin has suspended START treaty on nuclear weapons. I don’t see this as a good idea for anyone living on planet Earth. As we enter a new cold war, I hope everyone keeps calm heads.  

Enjoy…

Facts…

Former MLB player Harry Chiti was the first player ever traded for himself.

In 1962, a major league baseball player was traded for himself. Harry Chiti, playing for the Cleveland Indians at the time, was traded to the New York Mets. He was traded for another player “to be named at a later date”. That player ended up being Harry Chiti himself, who is traded back to the Cleveland Indians a mere 15 games later. Hopefully, he didn't get too comfortable playing for the New York Mets. 

Slang Origins

Germsville

In the '50s, when you got sick, you didn't "come down with something." You ended up on a one-way street to germsville (the doctor's office).

Trivia…

Canada has 60% of the world's lakes

Canada is largely considered one of the most beautiful countries in the world in terms of its natural resources, massive forests, and endless lakes. In fact, it has so many lakes that it actually contains over half of the lakes in the world. Canada has 60 percent of all lakes within its borders, to be precise. Many of these lakes are as small as they can be, but some, like the Great Lakes, are some of the largest in the world.

Historical Events

1893 – Rudolph Diesel received the German patent for his engine.
1945 – American Marines lifted the flag at Iwo Jima.
1991 – A ground war began in Iraq (Operation Desert Storm)
1997 – Scientists announced the first successful cloning of an animal, a lamb named Dolly.

Birthdays Today

@95 – W.E.B. Du Bois, American sociologist, historian, activist (d. 1963)
“The function of the university is not simply to teach bread-winning, or to furnish teachers for the public schools or to be a center of polite society; it is, above all, to be the organ of that fine adjustment between real life and the growing knowledge of life, an adjustment which forms the secret of civilization.”– W.E.B. Du Bois
85 – Paul Morrissey, American director producer
@79 – Peter Fonda, American actor (d. 2019; lung cancer)
“I’m always changing the words. A screenwriter writes for somebody to read, but we are paid to take it off the page, to make it spoken. People stammer, they stutter, they take pauses, they drop stuff. It must drive writers crazy. But I’m making the character real.”– Peter Fonda
72 – Ed “Too Tall” Jones, American football player
@59 – Victor Fleming, American director, cinematographer, producer (d. 1949; heart attack)
52 – Niecy Nash, American actress and producer
“I feel like love is the thing we were created for, yet it’s the place we struggle the most.”– Niecy Nash 52 – Melinda Messenger, English model, television host
44 – (Susan Elizabeth) S.E. Cupp, American journalist, author
42 – Josh Gad, American actor
40 – Aziz Ansari, TV actor, comedian
40 – Emily Blunt, English actress
“People quit on jobs. They quit on marriages. They quit on school. There’s an immediacy of this day and age that doesn’t lend itself to being committed to anything.”– Emily Blunt
29 – Dakota Fanning, American actress