12 Dec

 

 

Dec. Averages: Temps: 43°\20° Moisture:4 Days moisture 0.7” Flagstaff Today 63°: 34° Week 50 Day 346 Wind: 2 mph Gusts 5 mph                    Nearest lightning: 1261 miles away Active Fire: 213 miles away Risk of Fire: Moderate Air Quality: Moderate Sunshine

 

 

 

 

Weekly Observations

4-24 Andisop (Meterological Fiddling Link 7-13 National Hand Washing Awareness Week Link  Recipe Greetings For The Holidays Week

8-14 Computer Science Education Week Link ) 10-17 Human Rights Week 11-1/1/26 Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over Link

Daily Observations

Gingerbread House Day International Day of Heavy Metal Music Link  International Day of Neutrality Internat'l Universal Health Coverage Day National 12-hour Fresh Breath Day National Ding-a-Ling Day Link

National Cocoa Day  Link National Lost Day Link Official Lost & Found Day  Our Lady of Guadelupe Link Poinsettia Day Link

Today’s Quotes                                                             

 

Today’s Memes

 

My Thoughts for the day

Another very nice fall day.

Andy, Faith, and I had lunch at our favorite Chinese place. Great conversation, great food, and a nice time. I also got in invite for Christmas dinner at the Tah’s place.  Very nice.

The US has seized a tanker that was carrying Venezuelan oil. Is Trump looking for a war with Venezuela? I think he wants them to respond, so he can attack. Sad.

My financial advisor explained the changes to my accounts. I’m all good with the changes and it looks like I will make more money with the new accounts. That would be a nice thing in these crazy financial times. 

Wild West Myths that never happened…

Cowboys Were Mostly White

Popular images depict cowboys as white men, but the reality was far more diverse. African American, Mexican, and Native American cowboys made up a significant portion of the workforce.

Many former enslaved people became cowhands after the Civil War, while Mexican vaqueros had been shaping cowboy culture long before the U.S. frontier expanded. Their skills in roping, riding, and ranching heavily influenced cowboy traditions.

This diversity is often erased in popular culture, but the cowboy identity was far from a single-race occupation. Contributions from many backgrounds created the cowboy image we recognize today. 

Cities that changed their names…

Edo → Tokyo (Japan

When Emperor Meiji moved his court east in 1868, he didn’t just relocate the capital; he renamed the future. The old city of Edo, a samurai stronghold, became “Tokyo,” meaning “Eastern Capital.” It was symbolic of a country turning toward modernization after centuries of isolation. The change mirrored Japan’s transformation from feudal to industrial, from inward to outward-looking.
It’s hard to imagine the megacity by any other name. Tokyo became the shorthand for progress itself; an idea as much as a place. 

Random Thoughts…

§  How is it possible for our heart to love and break for someone so many times before becoming complete and ready to regenerate and give fresh love?

§  Self-love is a rare thing. Others will be unable to love me unless I love me.

§  Do soulmates exist, and if so, do they exist in multiples?

§  The person who knows how to love and isn’t afraid to show it is more powerful than the person who acts cold. 

Historic Events

1792 - In Vienna, 22-year-old Ludwig van Beethoven received one of his first lessons in music composition from Franz Joseph Haydn.
1800 - Washington, DC, was established as the capital of the United States.
1896 - Guglielmo Marconi gave the first public demonstration of radio at Toynbee Hall, London.
1900 - Charles M. Schwab formed the United States Steel Corporation.
1912 - The Mother's Day International Association was incorporated with the purpose of furthering meaningful observations of Mother's Day.
1946 - A United Nations committee voted to accept a six-block tract of Manhattan real estate to be the site of the UN's headquarters. The land was offered as a gift by John D. Rockefeller Jr.
1951 - The U.S. Navy Department announced that the world's first nuclear powered submarine would become the sixth ship to bear the name Nautilus.
1963 - Kenya gained its independence from Britain.
1975 - Sara Jane Moore pled guilty to a charge of trying to kill U.S. President Ford in San Francisco the previous September.
1989 - Leona Helmsley was fined $7 million and sentenced to four years in prison for tax evasion.
2002 - North Korea announced that it would reactivate a nuclear power plant that U.S. officials believed was being used to develop weapons.

Birthdays

Dionne Warwick(85 years old) 1940 American singer ("I Say a Little Prayer"; "Do You Know The Way to San Jose"; "That's What Friends Are For"), born in East Orange, New Jersey ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Cathy Rigby (McCoy) (73 years old), American gymnast (Olympics, 1968 & 1972), stage actress (Peter Pan), and sports commentator, born in Long Beach, California ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Sheila E. [Escovedo] (68 years old), American singer, drummer and percussionist (Krush Grove; Holly Rock; Ringo's All-Starr Band, 2001-06), born in Oakland, California ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Tracy Austin(63 years old) 1962 American tennis player (US Open 1979, 81; Tour Finals 1980; Federation Cup 1978, 79, 80) and broadcaster (NBC, USA Network, 7 Network, Tennis Channel), born in Palos Verdes Peninsula, California ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Mayim Bialik (50 years old), American actress (The Big Bang Theory), born in San Diego, California

John Jay(d.1829 @83) US statesman and 1st US Chief Justice, born in New York City ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Gustave Flaubert(d.1880 @58, stroke) French novelist (Madame Bovary), born in Rouen, France ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Edvard Munch(d.1944 @80) Norwegian painter and print maker (The Scream), born in Ådalsbruk, Løten, Norway ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Edward G. Robinson [Goldenberg], Romanian actor (Double Indemnity, The Stranger, The Ten Commandments), born in Bucharest, Romania (d. 1973; @79, cancer) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Frank Sinatra(d.1998 @ 82) American singer ("Strangers in the Night"; "My Way"; "The Summer Wind") and actor (From Here to Eternity; Guys and Dolls, The Manchurian Candidate), known as the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", born in Hoboken, New Jersey ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Bob Barker(d. 2023; @99) American TV game show host (The Price is Right, 1972-2007; Truth or Consequences, 1956-75), actor (Happy Gilmore), and animal rights activist, born in Darrington, Washington ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Bob Pettit(93 years old) American Basketball Hall of Fame forward (NBA MVP 1956, 59), born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Connie Francis [Concetta Franconero], American singer ("Where the Boys Are", "Who's Sorry Now?"), and actress, born in Newark, New Jersey (d. 2025 @87)

…The End for today…

           

11 Dec

 

Dec. Averages: Temps: 43°\20° Moisture:4 Days moisture 0.7” Flagstaff Today 56°: 35° Week 50 Day 345 Wind: 9 mph Gusts 15 mph                    Nearest lightning: 1525 miles away Active Fire: 74 miles away Risk of Fire: Moderate Air Quality: Fair Moderate Partly Mostly Cloudy Overcast Smoky Red Flag Warning Sunshine

 

 

 

Weekly Observations

4-24 Andisop (Meterological Fiddling Link 7-13 National Hand Washing Awareness Week Link  Recipe Greetings For The Holidays Week

8-14 Computer Science Education Week Link ) 10-17 Human Rights Week 11-1/1/26 Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over Link

Daily Observations

International Mountain Day Kaleidoscope Day Magnum P.I. Day National App Day Cancelled.

National Sobriety Day Cancelled. National Stretching Day Link UNICEF Birthday

Today’s Quotes                                                             

 

Today’s Memes

 

My Thoughts for the day

An unusually warm day for December. Nice!

Sec. Rubio has returned to the State Department the Times New Roman font for all State Dept. information. He somehow determined that the Microsoft default Calibri font to too woke. I’m sure that anyone receiving information from the State Department will feel much better about this change. Hmmm.

Here’s some Flagstaff information that shows why I enjoy living here:

Ø  Average annual days of sunshine: 266 days

Ø  Average annual snowfall: 108.8”

Ø  Average temperatures in summer: High 73°, Low 53°

Ø  Average temperatures in winter: High 49°, Low 20°

I had a nice visit with my brother in Mexico. I have decided not to go there for Christmas. This late, tickets are about $1500, the plane will be crowded, weather and/or cancellations are always concerning, and it will all work out. He will be in Colorado in late October, so I will visit him then. It was a difficult decision, but it will be fine. 

Wild West Myths that never happened…

Everyone Lived in Small Frontier Towns

Frontier towns are central to the Wild West myth, but not everyone lived in them, as shared by Petticoats & Pistols. Many settlers lived on isolated homesteads or ranches, sometimes miles from the nearest neighbor.

Cities like San Francisco, Denver, and Dallas grew rapidly during the 19th century, offering urban lifestyles alongside the frontier experience. These cities had theaters, newspapers, and cultural institutions that rivaled those in the East.

A one-street dusty town may be the image we picture, but settlement patterns were much more diverse. Urban centers played just as important a role in shaping the West. 

Cities that changed their names…

Calcutta → Kolkata (India)

In 2001, another Indian city reclaimed its voice. “Calcutta,” once the capital of British India, had carried a foreign pronunciation for too long. Changing it to “Kolkata,” closer to how Bengalis have always said it, was a subtle correction (a linguistic homecoming). The sound shift was small, but it felt like respect.
The city of poets, revolutionaries, and street vendors didn’t become different overnight, but its name finally echoed in its own rhythm, the same cadence that fills its crowded trams and poetry readings. 

Random Thoughts…

What would we do if we didn’t have love? We would no longer be beings who feel and live for love, but rather a basic and quiet existence.

 

It is better to be alone and content within the four walls of your head than to be subjected to someone’s contempt simply because you are afraid of loneliness.

 

Love just happens and provides you an answer rather than asking you a question.

 

Is there a reason for everything, or is it just a coincidence? 

Historic Events

1719 - The first recorded sighting of the aurora borealis took place in New England.
1792 - France's King Louis XVI went before the Convention, which had replaced the National Assembly, to face charges of treason. He was convicted and condemned and was sent to the guillotine the following January.
1816 - Indiana was admitted to the Union as the 19th American state.
1844 - Dr. Horace Wells became the first person to have a tooth extracted after receiving an anesthetic for the dental procedure. Nitrous Oxide, or laughing gas, was the anesthetic.
1894 - The world's first motor show opened in Paris with nine exhibitors.
1936 - Britain's King Edward VIII abdicated in order to marry American Wallis Warfield Simpson. He became the Duke of Windsor.
1946 - The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) was established by the U.N. General Assembly. The fund provides relief to children in countries devastated by war.
1951 - Joe DiMaggio (New York Yankees) announced his retirement from major league baseball. DiMaggio only played for the Yankees during his 13-year career.
1980 - U.S. President Jimmy Carter signed into law legislation creating $1.6 billion environmental "superfund" that would be used to pay for cleaning up chemical spills and toxic waste dumps.
1986 - The government of South Africa expanded its media restrictions by imposing prior censorship and banning coverage of a wide range of peaceful anti-apartheid protests.
1991 - Salman Rushdie, under an Islamic death sentence for blasphemy, made his first public appearance since 1989 in New York, at a dinner marking the 200th anniversary of the First Amendment (which guarantees freedom of speech in the U.S.).
1997 - More than 150 countries agreed at a global warming conference in Kyoto, Japan, to control the Earth's "greenhouse gases."
1998 - Majority Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee pushed through three articles of impeachment against U.S. President Clinton.
2001 - Ted Turner purchased 12,000 acres in Nebraska for Bison ranches.

Birthdays

Rita Moreno(94 years old) 1931 Puerto Rican singer, dancer and actress (West Side Story), born in Humacao, Puerto Rico ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 1940 Donna Mills (85 years old, American actress (Knots Landing, Incident), born in Chicago, Illinois ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ John Kerry(82 years old) US Secretary of State (2013-17) and 2004 presidential nominee of the Democratic Party, born in Aurora, Colorado ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 1954 Jermaine Jackson (71 years old, American singer (Jackson 5 - "ABC"; solo - "Let's Get Serious"), born in Gary, Indiana ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Nikki Sixx(67 years old) 1958 Jr.], American rock bassist and songwriter (Mötley Crüe - "Girls, Girls, Girls"), born in San Jose, California ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 1967 Mo'Nique [Monique Hicks] (58 years old, American comedian and actress (Precious), born in Baltimore, Maryland ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Yalitza Aparicio(32 years old) 1993 Mexican actress (Roma), born in Tlaxiaco, Mexico ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Hailee Steinfeld(20 years old) 1996 American actress (True Grit (2010); Pitch Perfect films), and singer ("Starving"), born in Los Angeles, California

George Mason(d.1792; @66) American statesman (Bill of Rights) and founding father, born in Fairfax County, Colony of Virginia ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Hector Berlioz(d. 1869; @66, Chron’s) French composer (Symphonie fantastique), born in La Côte-Saint-André, France ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Robert Koch(d. 1910; @66, heart attack) German pioneering bacteriologist (TB, cholera, Nobel Prize 1905), born in Clausthal, Hanover ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Fiorello La Guardia(d.1947; @64, cancer) American politician and Mayor of New York City (Republican: 1933-45), born in New York City ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Walter Knott(d.1981; @91) American farmer who created the Knott's Berry Farm amusement park in California and introduced the boysenberry to America, born in San Bernardino, California ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Carlo Ponti, Italian film producer (Marriage Italian Style, Doctor Zhivago), born in Magenta, Lombardy (d. 2007; @94) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn(d.2008; @89) Russian writer (Cancer Ward, Nobel Prize for Literature 1970), born in Kislovodsk, Russia ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton, American rhythm-and-blues singer and songwriter (Hound Dog, Ball & Chain, Stronger than Dirt), born in Ariton, Alabama (d. 1984; @57, liver failure) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Ferdinand A. Porsche, German car designer (Porsche 911), born in Stuttgart, Germany (d. 2012; @76)

…The End for today…