Aug 7

 

August 2023

Flagstaff Almanac

Week 32 Day 219 Ave. Sky Cover 5%\ Visibility  27mi. Flagstaff Today  85° \ 48° 
Wind  9mph \ Gusts  15mph  Nearest active fire: 17miles Risk of fire: Extreme Nearest Lightning:  389mi
Air Quality: Moderate   Moisture Days this month: 5 days
August Averages: Temps 79° \ 50° Moisture 9 Days

Sunshine 

Today’s Quote

 

Weekly Observations

1-7 Happiness Happens Week Link International Clown Week Link National Cleanse Your Skin Week  Link National Minority Donor Awareness Week Simplify Your Life Week World Breastfeeding Week Link 4-7 Rock for Life WeekLink 4-13 Sturgis Rally Link  World Karaoke Championships Link

6-12 Assistance Dog Week   Link Link Knights of Columbus Family Week   National Button Week   Link  National Farmers' Market Week  Link Link  National Health Center Week  Link  International Psychic Week   International Psychic Week  Link                                                                                                                                                                                                           Stop on Red Week Stop on Red Week Link 7-11 Psychic Week 7-12 Fiddlers Week 7-13 National Bargain Hunting Week National Exercise With Your Child Week Safe + Sound Week Link

Daily Observations

Assistance Dog Day  Link Link   Lighthouse Day  Link Particularly Preposterous Packaging Day Link Picnic Day Link  Lighthouse Day  Link Particularly Preposterous Packaging Day Link Picnic Day Link

Professional Speakers Day Purple Heart Day Raspberries & Cream Day U.S. Postal Inspection Service Day

Today’s Thoughts

 Nice day…hoping for some clouds and moisture.

The almost century old PAC12 is rapidly crumbling. Only 4 teams remain. Sad to see.

 The US women’s soccer team has been eliminated from the World Cup. They had hoped for a 4^th win. The team had a lot of young players and will be back for sure.

I don’t think the courts will see the Trump trials as ‘Free Speech’ issues. There is just too much evidence. Trump lawyer is saying ‘ask’ is not criminal, just Free Speech.

Enjoy

 

History you may not have learned in school…

The U.S. government poisoned alcohol during Prohibition to deter people from drinking

During Prohibition in the U.S., federal officials ordered industrial alcohol manufacturers to "denature" their products with chemicals like kerosene, iodine, and chloroform, which not only made the alcohol taste worse than it already did, but it also often made it deadly. Around 1927, the Treasury Department also told manufacturers to add more methyl alcohol to their product, so that it comprised 10 percent of the total products, according to Slate.

Once Prohibition ended in 1933, some estimates accuse the government of being responsible for the deaths of 10,000 people through its alcohol poisoning program.

Hoax proved wrong…

Downhill career

A cancer survivor and hero to many, American road racing cyclist Lance Armstrong became the subject of persistent doping allegations after winning the 1999 Tour de France. For years he denied any involvement in doping. But in 2013, he confessed. As a result, he was stripped of all his achievements from August 1998 onwards, including his seven Tour de France titles.

Random Trivia…

Ferrets, dogs, and monkeys were the most popular pets in the Roman Empire. Instead of cats, Ancient Romans used ferrets to hunt mice and rats. They used dogs as guards and monkeys as entertainment.

Historic Events

>        1420 Construction begins on the dome of Florence Cathedral, designed by Renaissance architect Filippo Brunelleschi
>        1588 English set alight eight fireships, with pitch, brimstone, gunpowder and tar, and cast them downwind towards the closely anchored vessels of the Spanish Armada, scattering the armada
>        1620 Astronomer Johannes Kepler's mother arrested for witchcraft
>        1782 Commander of the Continental Army, George Washington, creates two Honorary Badges of Distinction and a Badge of Military Merit (now the Purple Heart). First time military awards are presented to common soldiers.
>        1927 Peace Bridge between US and Canada dedicated
>        1934 US Court of Appeals upheld lower court ruling striking down government's attempt to ban controversial James Joyce novel "Ulysses"
>        1946 1st US commemorative coin of an African American, Booker T. Washington (half dollar)
>        947 Thor Heyerdahl and the crew of the Kon-Tiki crash into a reef in the Tuamotu Islands, French Polynesia after 101 days crossing the Pacific Ocean
>        1964 US Congress approves Gulf of Tonkin resolution granting US President Lyndon Johnson authority to assist any Southeast Asian facing "communist aggression"; he uses it to openly bring US into Vietnam conflict

Birthdays with some quotes

@88 – Stan Freberg, American puppeteer and voice actor (d. 2015)
“You can make sounds and music out of pretty much anything with a little imagination and putting your mind to it!”
@85 – Billie Burke, American actress, and singer (d. 1970)
” Age is of no importance unless you are a cheese.”
81 – Garrison Keillor, American humorist, and radio host
” You get old and you realize there are no answers, just stories.”
@78 – B.J. Thomas, American singer (d. 2021; lung cancer)
@74 – Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, American author, and activist (d. 1964)
68 – Wayne Knight, American actor
“Whatever road you’ve been given, enjoy that road.”
63 – David Duchovny, American actor
57 – Jimmy Wales, American businessman, co-founder of Wikipedia
” I’m a big advocate of freedom: freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of thought.”52 – Rachel York, American actress
48 – Charlize Theron, Actress
46 – Samantha Ronson, English DJ
@41 – Mata Hari (Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod), Dutch dancer, and spy (d. 1917; executed)
” I am a woman who enjoys herself very much; sometimes I lose, sometimes I win.”
41 – Abbie Cornish, Australian actress

 

…The End for today…

 

Aug 6

 

August 2023

Flagstaff Almanac

Week 31 Day 218 Ave. Sky Cover 5%\ Visibility  28mi. Flagstaff Today  85° \ 50° 
Wind  5mph \ Gusts  10mph  Nearest active fire: 17miles Risk of fire: Extreme Nearest Lightning:  393mi
Air Quality: Fair           Moisture Days this month: 5 days
August Averages: Temps 79° \ 50° Moisture 9 Days
Sunshine 

Today’s Quote

 

Weekly Observations

28-8-6 World Police and Fire Games 1-7 Happiness Happens Week Link International Clown Week Link National Cleanse Your Skin Week  Link National Minority Donor Awareness Week Simplify Your Life Week World Breastfeeding Week Link 4-6 Tall Timber Days 4-7 Rock for Life Week Link

4-13 Sturgis Rally Link  5-6 Satchmo Days Link  6-12 Assistance Dog Week:   Link Link Knights of Columbus Family Week   National Button Week:   Link  National Farmers' Market Week:  Link Link  National Health Center Week:  Link  International Psychic Week:  Link                                                                                                                                                                                                          Stop on Red Week Link

 

Daily Observations

Fresh Breath Day Root Beer Float Day Wiggle Your Toes Day American Family Day  Link   Friendship Day Link  Hiroshima Day

National Doll Day Link  National Fresh Breath (Halitosis)Day National Kids' Day  Link National Psychic Day  Link  Link   National Root Beer Float Day  Link  Sister's Day

Today’s Thoughts

 A warm summer day…just like it should be.

It sure is a lazy weekend. I changed linen, cleaned two bathrooms. That’s enough for the entire weekend.

Enjoy

 

History you may not have learned in school…

Harriet Tubman was the first woman to lead a raid during the Civil War

Harriet Tubman is well known as the woman who fled slavery and then helped lead other enslaved people to freedom through the Underground Railroad. But that's not all she did: On June 2, 1863, during the Civil War, she also led the Combahee Ferry Raid under Union Colonel James Montgomery, according to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. She was the first woman to lead a major military operation in the U.S. During that operation, she and 150 African American Union soldiers rescued more than 700 enslaved people.

Hoax proved wrong…

Piltdown Man

In 1912, amateur archaeologist Charles Dawson and Arthur Smith Woodward, a geologist at the British Natural History Museum in London, announced the unearthing of the remains of skull fragments and a jawbone of a previously unknown early human from a gravel pit near Piltdown, England. Dawson claimed he had found the "missing link" between ape and man. In fact, the bones were stained to resemble ancient fossils, and the teeth, probably from an orangutan or chimpanzee, were filed down to appear human.

Random Trivia…

In Ancient Greece, they believed redheads became vampires after death! This was partly because redheaded people are very pale-skinned and sensitive to sunlight—unlike the Mediterranean Greeks, who had olive skin and dark features.

Historic Events

·         1497 Italian explorer John Cabot returns to Bristol from North America (Newfoundland) - first European to do so since the Vikings
·         1675 Russian Tsar Alexis bans foreign hair styles to those below the nobility
·         1825 Bolivia gains independence from Peru (National Day)
·         1856 The Great Bell is cast for the Great Clock of Westminster, London (Big Ben)
·         1901 Kiowa land in Oklahoma is opened for white settlement, effectively dissolving the contiguous reservation
·         1926 American Gertrude Ederle (20) becomes 1st woman to swim English Channel in 14 hours, 39 minutes, a record for male or female
·         1945 Atomic bomb dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima by the US B-29 Superfortress "Enola Gay"
·         1952 St. Louis Browns veteran pitcher Satchel Paige, 46, becomes oldest pitcher to win a complete shutout, 1-0 v Detroit Tigers in 12 innings
 ·         1960 Chubby Checker performs his version of Hank Ballard's "The Twist" on "The Dick Clark Show", starting a worldwide dance craze
·         1965 US President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act prohibiting voting discrimination against minorities
·         1970 "Festival for Peace" concert held at Shea Stadium, NYC to mark 25th anniversary of Hiroshima bombing; performers include Janis Joplin, Paul Simon, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Steppenwolf, Miles Davis, Johnny Winter, Herbie Hancock, Dionne Warwick, John Sebastian, The Rascals, and the Broadway cast of "Hair"
·         1984 American athlete Carl Lewis wins long jump (8.54m), his second of 4 gold medals at Los Angeles Olympics

·         Birthdays with some quotes

@91 – Louella Parsons (Louella Rose Oettinge), American gossip columnist (d. 1972)
@64 – Susie Taylor, American writer and first African-American Army nurse (d. 1912)
@77 – Lucille Ball, American comedic actress and television producer (d. 1989; aneursym)
“One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn’t pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore your faith in yourself.”
@79 – Robert Mitchum, American actor (d. 1997; emphysema)
@73 – Alexander Fleming, Scottish biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1955; heart attack)
” One sometimes finds what one is not looking for. When I woke up just after dawn on Sept. 28, 1928, I certainly didn’t plan to revolutionize all medicine by discovering the world’s first antibiotic, or bacteria killer. But I guess that was exactly what I did.”
@73 – Norman Wexler, American screenwriter (d. 1999; heart attack)
@58 – Andy Warhol, Pop artist (d. 1958; cardiac arrhythmia)
“Everyone will be famous for 15 minutes.”
58 – David Robinson, American basketball player
“You’re always going to face criticism, you’re always going to face challenges, but those things are there to make you stronger and more committed.”
53 – M. Night Shyamalan, Indian-American director, and screenwriter
“You don’t get to celebrate yourself unless you risk being mocked or rejected. As an artist, you cannot play it safe. You just can’t.”
41 – Adrianne Curry, American model
@34 – Dutch Schultz, American gangster (d. 1935; shot)

 

…The End for today…

 

Aug 5

 

August 2023

Flagstaff Almanac

Week 31 Day 217 Ave. Sky Cover 5%\ Visibility  28mi. Flagstaff Today  82° \ 48° 
Wind  9mph \ Gusts  17mph  Nearest active fire: 17miles Risk of fire: Extreme Nearest Lightning:  330mi
Air Quality: Fair           Moisture Days this month: 3 days
August Averages: Temps 79° \ 50° Moisture 9 Days
Sunshine 

Today’s Quote

 

Monthly Observations

Read-A-Romance Month Romance Awareness Month Link Rye Month Link

Tomboy Tools Month Link What Will Be Your Legacy Month World Mutt-i-grees Rescue Month  Link

Weekly Observations

30-8/5 National Exercise With Your Child Week Single Working Women's Week 28-8-6 World Police and Fire Games 1-7 Happiness Happens Week Link International Clown Week Link National Cleanse Your Skin Week  Link National Minority Donor Awareness Week Simplify Your Life Week World Breastfeeding Week Link

4-6 Tall Timber Days 4-7 Rock for Life WeekLink 4-13 Sturgis Rally Link  5-6 Satchmo Days 5-6 Satchmo Days Link

Daily Observations

Chile Pepper Day International Hangover Day  Link  Mead Day Link  National Clown Day National Disc Golf Day  Link National Jamacian Patty Day Link  National Mustard Day Link National Oyster Day  Link National Play Outside Day Link

National Summit Day Link   National Electric Traffic Light Day  Link   Oyster Day Sandcastle Day Sleep Under The Stars Night Link  National Underwear Day Link Underwear Day Work Like a Dog Day

Today’s Thoughts

 Another warm sunny day.

I got an email from the billing company for Northern Arizona Radiology. It for an expensive procedure I had done on June 7^th. The bill said I owed $1250. I called them and they said there was a payment from Medicare, but not Blue Cross. I called Blue Cross, and they paid the entire $1250 on August 1. I called back the bill company. They could only say I would get a paper copy of the bill ‘sometime next week.’ They also claimed that they never received a payment from Blue Cross. Something tells me this is going to take one day short of forever to get fixed. I trust Blue Cross so I’m not freaking out.

Ellie called today to say that Canada cruise is all straightened out and is a go.

I am so tired of ‘Breaking News: Trump indicted. I fear this whole Trump story is going to mess up our 2024 election cycle.

Enjoy

 

History you may not have learned in school…

Women couldn't submit a credit application at a bank without a man until 1974.

Until 1974, when the Equal Credit Opportunity Act passed, banks required single, widowed, or divorced women to bring a man to cosign any credit application they submitted, regardless of how much money they made, according to The Guardian. Even worse: they would discount the value of a woman's income "when considering how much credit to grant, by as much as 50%."

The year after, First Women's Bank, the first commercial bank owned by a woman, opened in New York City. Women's rights activist Betty Friedan (pictured) had an account there, according to The Guardian.

Hoax proved wrong…

Loch Ness Monster

In 1934, a photograph of the so-called Loch Ness Monster published in the Daily Mail had much of the United Kingdom believing that a prehistoric creature lurked in the dark depths of one of Scotland’s most scenic lakes. But it was a clever hoax. The "monster" was nothing more than a toy submarine with a head and neck made from wood putty.

Random Trivia…

In 18th century England, pineapples were a status symbol. Those rich enough to own a pineapple would carry them around to signify their personal wealth and high-class status. In that day and age, everything from clothing to houseware was decorated with the tropical fruit.

Historic Events

§  1264 Anti-Jewish riots break out in Arnstadt Germany
§  1763 Pontiac's War: Battle of Bushy Run - British forces led by Henry Bouquet defeat Chief Pontiac's Indians at Bushy Run
§  1812 War of 1812: Tecumseh's Native American force ambushes Thomas Van Horne's 200 Americans at Brownstone Creek, causing them to flee and retreat
§  1864 Battle of Mobile Bay, won by the Union Army led by Rear Admiral David Farragut with the cry "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!" (US Civil War)
§  1884 Cornerstone for Statue of Liberty laid on Bedloe's Island (NYC)
§  1884 Cornerstone for Statue of Liberty laid on Bedloe's Island (NYC)
§  1914 1st electric traffic light installed in the USA on the corner of East 105th Street and Euclid Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio
§  1924 "Little Orphan Annie" comic strip by Harold Gray is 1st published in the New York Daily News
§  1936 American athlete Jesse Owens wins 200m in world record time (20.7s), his 3rd gold medal of the Berlin Olympics
§  1957 "American Bandstand" premieres on network TV (ABC)
§  1966 Martin Luther King Jr. stoned during Chicago march
§  1981 US President Ronald Reagan fires 11,500 striking air traffic controllers
§  2012 Jamaican sprint superstar Usain Bolt wins the 100m at the London Olympics in 9.63, besting the record he set in 2008 Olympics

Birthdays with some quotes

@84 – Conrad Aiken, American novelist, short story writer, critic, and poet (d. 1973)
@82 – Neil Armstrong, American astronaut (d. 2012)
78 – Loni Anderson, American actress
” Look up the definition of rejection in the dictionary, get really comfortable with it, and then maybe you can go into acting.”
61 – Patrick Ewing, Jamaican-American basketball player
” It’s the person who has done nothing who is sure nothing can be done.”
57 – James Gunn, American director, producer, and screenwriter
” One should be willing to throw away a dozen ideas to come up with a good one, just as one should throw away a dozen words to come up with the right one.”
34 – Jessica Nigri, American model and cosplayer

…The End for today…