21Apr

 

21 April 2023

Daily Almanac for Flagstaff
Week 16 Day 111 \ Ave. Sky Cover 5% \ Visibility 24 miles Flagstaff Today 60° \21°  Wind 12mph \ Gusts 20mph 
Air Quality: Moderate  \ High Risk of fire \ Nearest active fire 325mi \ Nearest Lightning 788mi
Apr. Averages for Flagstaff: 60° \ 27° \3 Days of moisture
Sunshine

Today’s Quote

 

Weekly Observations

15-22      International Dark Sky Week

15-21      Money Smart Week

               National Volunteer Week

16-22     Animal Cruelty/Human Violence Awareness Week

              Chemists Celebrate Earth Week

              National Paperboard Packaging Week

              National Pet ID Week  

              Numismatic Week (National Coin Week)

16-23      Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week

17-21     Undergraduate Research Week

     National Work Zone Safety Awareness Week

18-24      Cleaning For A Reason Week

      Consumer Awareness Week

      Police Officers Gave Their Lives In The Line of Duty

19-23      International Mariachi Week

20-23    Fiddler's Frolic

21-5/2    Festival of Ridvan (Baha'i)

Daily Observations

Bulldogs are Beautiful Day  Link  Link
Chocolate-Covered Cashew Truffle Day
Eid-Al-Fitr-22 (Begins at Sundown)
International Hemp Day Link
Kindergarten Day
National Chocolate-Covered Cashews Day Link
National Clean Out Your Medicine Cabinet Day Link 
National Pet CBD Day 
National Pet CBD Day Link
National Surprise Drug Test Day Link 
National Rendering Day 
National Rendering Day Link
National Yellow Bat Day  Link
Record Store Day
World Creativity and Innovation Day

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

Another breezy day.

Headed over to Sam’s to get regular stuff. Stopped at Andy & Faith’s to put out their trash. They are back in Phx with Andy’s brother.

We are having our discussion group on Saturday. The topic is War Crimes. One of our group is back in the hospital at least through the weekend. Hopefully Maggie recovers quickly.

There is a tribal issue in AZ. It has been going on for over a year. A van drives into a tribal community, finds someone who is drunk, and offers a ride to a rehab center. Both men and women have disappeared.  Most are never seen again. A few have been found on the streets of Phoenix. Tribal, city, state police have few leads. It is time for the FBI to get involved. The biggest fear of the missing is that they have been trafficked somewhere.

The latest Space-X unmanned Starship was destroyed by Space-X soon after launch, after it started spiraling out-of-control. A scary scenario.  

Enjoy… 

Toys Remembered…

Candy Land

Candy Land is one of the top-selling children’s board games of all time, wIth an average of one million games sold a year.

Players began traveling through the Peppermint Stick Forest and the Molasses Swamp in 1948, when retired schoolteacher Eleanor Abbott invented Candy Land in the polio ward of a San Diego, California, hospital. Abbott’s hand-crafted game became a welcome distraction for the sick children during their most difficult moments. 

Moon Facts…

There are quakes on the Moon

Apollo 11, the first spaceflight that allowed people to land on the Moon, also provided important evidence about lunar make-up and seismology. Powered by solar cells, instruments placed on the lunar surface in 1969 collected data about the strength, duration, and direction of seismic activity or quakes on the Moon and relayed the information back to Earth.

State Names Origins…

Arkansas
The name Arkansas acknowledges both the original Native American inhabitants as well as the first Europeans to land in the area. The region was once home to the Quapaws, who were referred to as the Arkansas, or “south wind,” by the Alngonquian-speaking Natives of the Ohio Valley. 1673 saw the arrival of French explorers; this group was later honored in 1881, as it was declared the state’s official spelling should be Arkansas (not “Arkansaw”) in a nod to the dialect of those early French explorers. Though French influence later dissipated throughout the region, their legacy remains. The French term “Aux Arc” — which named a 1700s-era trading post — is believed to have inspired the naming of the extraordinary Ozark mountain range in northern Arkansas, which is one of America’s most striking natural wonders.

Historical Events

  v    753 BC – Romulus and his twin brother Remus founded Rome.
v 1918 – ‘Red Baron’ Manfred von Richthofen was shot down and killed during the battle of Somme.
v April 21, 2011 – The day Skynet became self-aware and attacked the human race. Terminator, Film.
v 1934 – The “Surgeon’s Photograph“, the most famous photo allegedly showing the Loch Ness Monster, was published in the Daily Mail.
v 1962 – The Seattle World’s Fair (Century 21 Exposition) opened.‘

Birthdays Today

@96 – Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and her other realms
91 – Elaine May, American comedic actress
@86 – Anthony Quinn, Mexican-American actor (d. 2001)
76 – Iggy Pop, American singer-songwriter and actor
“When it comes to art, money is an unimportant detail. It just happens to be a huge unimportant detail.”– Iggy Pop
@76 – John Muir, Scottish-American environmentalist, author (d. 1914; pneumonia)
“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.”– John Muir
74 – Patti LuPone, American actress and singer
“I know what it means to have a leading part, and I know what it means to have a featured part.”– Patti LuPone
65 – Andie MacDowell, American model and actress
65 – Michael Zarnock, American author
@64 – Alistair MacLean, Scottish novelist. screenwriter (d. 1987; heart failure)
64 – Tim Jacobus, American illustrator, painter
@56 – Max Weber, German sociologist (d. 1920’ Spanish Flu)
53 – Nicole Sullivan, American comedic actress
“Once you’re able to look like an idiot and be OK with it, it opens up your potential.”– Nicole Sullivan
44 – James McAvoy, Scottish actor
“The minute you start to strategize too much, the more you start to think you’re in control of your own fate. And you’re not, really.”– James McAvoy

 
 

20 Apr

 

April 2023

Daily Almanac for Flagstaff
Week 16 Day 110 \ Ave. Sky Cover 5% \ Visibility 28 miles Flagstaff Today 61° \24°  Wind 11mph \ Gusts 20mph 
Air Quality: Moderate \ High Risk of fire \ Nearest active fire 4252mi \ Nearest Lightning 875mi
Apr. Averages for Flagstaff: 60° \ 27° \3 Days of moisture
Sunshine

Today’s Quote

 

Weekly Observations

3/22-4/20  Consider Christianity Week
                          International Phace Syndrome Awareness Week
                          National Cleaning Week

15-22     International Dark Sky Week

15-21     Money Smart Week

              National Volunteer Week

16-22     Animal Cruelty/Human Violence Awareness Week

              Chemists Celebrate Earth Week

              National Paperboard Packaging Week

              National Pet ID Week  

              Numismatic Week (National Coin Week)

16-23      Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week

17-21     Undergraduate Research Week

     National Work Zone Safety Awareness Week

18-24     Cleaning For A Reason Week

     Consumer Awareness Week

     Police Officers Gave Their Lives In The Line of Duty

19-23    International Mariachi Week

20-23    Fiddler's Frolic

Daily Observations

4/20 Day
Chinese Language Day Link
Food Day
Get to Know Your Customers Day
High Five Day Link 
International Cli-Fi Day
Look-Alike Day
Lima Bean Respect Day
National Cheddar Fries Day Link
National D.A.R.E. Day Link   
National Pot Smokers Day or National Weed Day Link  Link

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Day
Teach Your Children To Save Day
Volunteer Recognition Day

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

Spring = Wind. Otherwise, a good day.

For all the states passing anti-abortion laws, the new laws should include that the state is required to provide assistance to any woman denied an abortion and that should include services to the child until the child is either 18 or 21.  In addition, an abortion should be always be available if the woman’s life in in danger, is due to rape, or the child will be born with an issue that will quickly lead to death of the infant.

National Geographic has a new mini-series…Secrets of the Elephant…starts Friday evening. I saw some previews and already have the DVR set to record the mini-series. The previews were enticing. Check it out.

When a journalist makes an incorrect statement in a story, the publisher admits the error and issues a retraction. How long should we wait for Fox News’ retraction regarding their election denial rhetoric…to keep up with professional journalists?

Enjoy…

 

Toys Remembered…NEW

Slinky

As the famous jingle goes: “What walks down stairs, alone or in pairs, and makes a slink-ity sound? A spring, a spring, a marvelous thing! Everyone knows it's Slinky.” But did you know the beloved toy was created by accident?

In 1943, while stationed at a Philadelphia shipyard, U.S. Naval engineer Richard T. James was searching for a way to use springs to help sensitive equipment hold up in turbulent seas. One day, Richard knocked a spring off a shelf and watched as it gracefully “stepped” from a stack of books to a table and then to the floor, where it landed upright. James told the story to his wife, Betty, who wondered if the industrial spring could be transformed into a toy. 

Richard soon took that idea and designed a machine to coil 80-feet of wire into a 2-inch spiral, which Betty named “Slinky,” inspired by the flowing movement and distinct sound of the spring in motion.

The toy was introduced during the 1945 Christmas season at a Gimbels department store in Philadelphia. Priced at $1, the Slinky was an immediate hit, with 400 Slinkys selling out in just 90 minutes. 

Moon Facts…

The Moon probably broke off of Earth.

Scientists have long theorized that the Moon is actually a piece of planet Earth that broke off billions of years ago after a massive collision with another celestial body. Modern chemical analysis and physics theory seem to support the idea.

State Names Origins…

Arizona
There are competing theories as to how the Grand Canyon State got its name. Some scholars believe it originated with the native Pima people, who called the region Al Shon (meaning “place of little spring”), a term that was later adopted by Spanish explorers as Arizonac. Other historians believe the name originated with explorers from the Spanish Basque region, specifically the phrase artiz onak which translates to “the good oak tree.” The latter theory is especially apt, given Arizona is home to species of oak trees that are native to the Sonoran Desert region. These trees remain leafy for most of the year and add an element of unique natural beauty to the state’s desert environment.

Historical Events

  v 1836 – The US Congress created the Wisconsin Territory.
v 1898 – President William McKinley signed a joint resolution to Congress for a declaration of war against Spain, beginning the Spanish–American War.
v 1946 – The League of Nations officially dissolved, giving most of its power to the United Nations.

Birthdays Today

@94 – Lionel Hampton, American vibraphone player, pianist, bandleader(d. 2002)
@92 – Mother Angelica (Rita Antoinette Rizzo), American nun, broadcaster (d. 2016)
“Simply believing in the existence of God is not exactly what I would call a commitment. After all, even the devil believes that God exists. Believing has to change the way we live.”– Mother Angelica
86 – George Takei, American actor
“If you have to make laws to hurt a group of people just to prove your morals and faith, then you have no true morals or faith to prove.”– George Takei
82 – Ryan O’Neal, American actor
@77 – Harold Lloyd, American comedic actor, producer (d. 1971; prostate cancer)
74 – Veronica Cartwright, English-American actress
59 – Crispin Glover, American character actor
@56 – Adolf Hitler, Austrian born politician, Führer of Nazi Germany (d. 1945; suicide)
@54 – Luther Vandross, American singer-songwriter, producer (d. 2005; heart attack)
“I’m not the type of writer that has 400 songs in a suitcase someplace on the shelf. I’m sort of a rise-to-the-occasion-type of a writer, so when I know I’m going to record, I get in the mood to write.”– Luther Vandross
53 – Shemar Moore, actor
51 – Carmen Electra, American model and actress
“One of the big misconceptions about me is that I walk around in mini-skirts and high heels twenty-four seven and go to the gym in heels.”– Carmen Electra
40 – Miranda Kerr, Australian model
34 – Carlos Valdes, Colombian American actor
25 – Felix Mallard, Australian-American actor

 
 

19 Apr

 

April 2023

Daily Almanac for Flagstaff
Week 16 Day 109 \ Ave. Sky Cover 5% \ Visibility 26 miles Flagstaff Today 65° \34°  Wind 13mph \ Gusts 30mph 
Air Quality: Moderate \ Extreme Risk of fire \ Nearest active fire 413mi \ Nearest Lightning 388mi
Apr. Averages for Flagstaff: 60° \ 27° \3 Days of moisture
Sunshine

Today’s Quote

 

Weekly Observations

3/22-4/20  Consider Christianity Week
                         International Phace Syndrome Awareness Week
                          National Cleaning Week

15-22      International Dark Sky Week

15-21     Money Smart Week

              National Volunteer Week

16-22     Animal Cruelty/Human Violence Awareness Week

              Chemists Celebrate Earth Week

              National Paperboard Packaging Week

              National Pet ID Week  

              Numismatic Week (National Coin Week)

16-23      Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week

17-21     Undergraduate Research Week

     National Work Zone Safety Awareness Week

18-24     Cleaning For A Reason Week

     Consumer Awareness Week

     Police Officers Gave Their Lives In The Line of Duty

19-23    International Mariachi Week

Daily Observations

Amaretto Day
Banana Day Link 
Bicycle Day Link
Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Action Day  Link
Garlic Day 
John Parker Day
National Garlic Day Link
National Hanging Out Day
National High Five Day
National Poker Day  Link
National Stress Awareness Day
Oklahoma City Bombing Commemoration Day

My Sometimes-Long-Winded Thoughts

Wind gusts are increasing at an hourly rate. Spring in the high desert.

Arizona Republican Congressman Paul Gosar on Sunday promoted an antisemitic website that denies the Holocaust, praises Adolf Hitler as “a man of valor” and features many admittedly false articles. He was a local dentist, then our congressman, then the district boundaries changed, thank goodness, and he ran in another district.

The anti-CRT efforts to restrict how race is taught have clashed with initiatives in several states, including South Dakota, Oklahoma, and New Mexico, to teach Native American history — which has often been left out of instruction — more accurately and fully. Anti-CRT is a cute catch-phrase but it is doing damage to the education of our youth.

As I was browsing the internet this morning, I was happy to see that the Discoverer website picked Flagstaff’s Heritage Square downtown as one of the country’s prettiest town squares in the US. It is a nice venue for sure. The only problem not mentioned in the article, is that parking anywhere within many blocks is expensive.

Dominion has settled its lawsuit against FOX news for $787.6 million, well shy of the $26 billion they had asked for. I guess the $$ talked and the principle was forgotten.

Enjoy…

Geography…

Egypt Isn’t Only Located in Africa

Sure, Egypt is part of the African continent, but it’s technically considered to be a transcontinental country.

While the Suez Canal divides Asia and Africa, there’s actually a small peninsula in Egypt that transcends the canal and toes the line between the two continents. 

Moon Facts…

The craters are always named after people

Ever wondered how the multitude of lunar craters get their names? Traditionally they have been named after scientists or philosophers, such as Copernicus, Archimedes or the Aristarchus crater shown here. The current guidelines for naming newly discovered craters is that they must be named after a scientist or explorer who has made important contributions to astronomy—and especially to the study of the Moon and our solar system—and has been deceased for at least three years. In addition, the name cannot be the same as any existing lunar location.

State Names Origins…

Alaska

Long before Russian explorers first landed in Alaska in 1741, the native Unangan people of the Aleutian Islands and the Sugpiaq people of the Alaska Peninsula called the region home. Those groups were collectively dubbed as the Aleut by the Russians, and it’s the Aleut language that we thank for Alaska’s name. Natives referred to the Alaska Peninsula and mainland as alaxsxag, a word that’s also sometimes spelled as alyeska. That word translates to “great land,” which is perhaps the most appropriate phrase to describe Alaska, as the state’s impressive breadth makes it larger than Texas, California, and Montana combined. This “great land” of the American northwest is also home to the largest national park in the United States, where you can witness Alaska’s ethereal and expansive beauty firsthand.

Historical Events

  v 1770 – Captain James Cook discovered the eastern coast of what is now Australia.
v 1987 – The Simpsons first appeared as a series of shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show,
v 1993 – The Branch Davidian Fire, caused by federal agents at Waco, killed 86 people.
v 1995 – The Oklahoma City Bombing

Birthdays Today

@91 – Hugh O’Brian, American actor (d. 2016)
77 – Tim Curry, English actor
“The dreams of youth are the regrets of maturity.”– Tim Curry
@72 – Roger Sherman, lawyer, politician, Founding Father (d. 1793; typhoid fever)
@66 – Dudley Moore, English comedic actor, pianist (d. 2002; brain cancer)
58 – Suge Knight, record producer, co-founded Death Row Records
“If you wanna cross somebody, then do that. Don’t act like it wasn’t you.”– Suge Knight
55 – Ashley Judd, American actress
@54 – Eliot Ness, American law enforcement agent (d. 1957; heart attack)
45 – James Franco, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
“I used to care about how I looked. Now I don’t care as much. Maybe it’s because I’m so handsome.”– James Franco
44 – Kate Hudson, American actress
“You don’t wear stuff for other people; you’ve got to wear it for yourself.”– Kate Hudson
35 – Maria Sharapova, Tennis start 
@34 – Jayne Mansfield, American actress (d. 1967)
“If you want the best things in life you have to earn them for yourself.”’– Jayne Mansfield