5 Dec

 

 

Dec. Averages: Temps: 43°\20° Moisture:4 Days moisture 0.7” Flagstaff Today 35°: 14° Week 49 Day 339 Wind: 5 mph Gusts 10 mph                    Nearest lightning: 809 miles away Active Fire: 213 miles away Risk of Fire: Very Low Air Quality: Moderate Sunshine

 

Monthly Observations

Operation Santa Paws (1-17) Safe Toys and Gifts Month Spiritual Literacy Month Take a New Year's Resolution to Stop Smoking (TANYRSS)

Weekly Observations

1-5 Older Driver Safety Awareness Week Link  1-7 Cookie Cutter Week Link

3-10 Clerc-Gallaudet Week 4-24 Andisop (Meterological Fiddling Link

 

Daily Observations

AFL-CIO Day Link (1955) Bartender Appreciation Day Link  Link  Link ] Bathtub Party Day Link Columbian International Day of The Reef  Link Faux Fur Friday (First Friday) International Ninja Day Link  Photo Photo

International Volunteer Day for Economic & Social Development Krampusnacht Link National Repeal Day Link National Salesperson Day Sachertorte Day Link World Soil Day Link

Today’s Quotes                                                             

Today’s Memes

 

My Thoughts for the day

A day filled with sunshine, still cold.

I’m debating a trip to Mexico for Christmas. I talked to my brother today and the people who were going to rent the hacienda for Christmas had fizzled out, so there was room. With only one direct airline available, United, from Phoenix to Merida I still have a 4-hour layover in Houston. I’ll debate it for a few days.

During the 1^st Trump term and more prevalent in the second term, I keep hearing ‘misinformation’ and ‘disinformation’. I almost never hear ‘lie’. I checked ye olde dictionary for help. The understanding is that both words mean incorrect information. Add Mis- and it means without malice.  Add Dis- and it means with malice. I’ll be paying closer attention now as I better understand the difference.

I am baffled how the leadership of our country can continue to see one bad person and then make a blanket negative comment to include all that ethnicity to be just like that one bad person. In my years on earth, I have read about numerous serial killers here in the US. I never thought ‘Well, that’s how all ___ people are. I guess many don’t have the education I was fortunate to achieve. 

Wild West Myths that never happened…NEW

The West Was a Lawless Free-for-All

The idea of a lawless frontier is one of the most enduring myths. In truth, most communities quickly established rules, elected officials, and enforced order, according to David Graham on Medium.

Writers and storytellers often exaggerated chaos to dramatize the frontier. In reality, settlers valued stability and worked hard to create it. Many towns even had newspapers and civic groups that reinforced community order. 

Cities that changed their names…NEW

Constantinople → Istanbul (Turkey)

Few names carry as much weight as Constantinople. For centuries, it was the jewel of empires (first Byzantine, then Ottoman) where Europe and Asia touched across water and history. But after the Ottoman Empire fell and the Republic of Turkey was born in 1923, a new era needed a new identity. “Istanbul,” already the name locals used in everyday speech, became official in 1930.
The change marked more than modernity; it signaled cultural independence. The domes of Hagia Sophia and the call to prayer still filled the skyline, but now they belonged to a city that had reclaimed its own name. 

Random Thoughts…

Normally, you empty your drink from the top, but when you use a straw, you empty it from the bottom.

You’ve never actually seen a full movie because you’re always blinking. 

If a fly loses its wings, is it now called a walk?

Watermelon candy is often green, but with real watermelon, we never eat the green part

Historic Events

Returns tomorrow

Birthdays

José Carreras(79 years old) Spanish opera tenor (I Lombardi, Three Tenors), born in Barcelona, Spain ***************************************** Jim Plunkett (78 years old), American College Football Hall of Fame quarterback (Heisman Trophy 1970, Stanford; Super Bowl 1980, 84 LA/Oakland Raiders), born in San Jose, California ***************************************** Lisa Marie(57 years old) American actress (Mars Attacks!) and model, born in New Brunswick, New Jersey ***************************************** Margaret Cho (57 years old), American actress and comedienne (Face/Off), born in San Francisco, California **************************************** Frankie Muniz (40 years old), American actor (Malcolm in the Middle), born in Wood-Ridge, New Jersey

Martin Van Buren(d.1862; @79) 8th President of the United States (Democrat: 1837-41), born in Kinderhook, New York ***************************************** George Armstrong Custer (d.1876 @36, killed at Little Big Horn Battle) United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars, born in New Rumley, Ohio ***************************************** Clyde Cessna, American aviator and airplane manufacturer, born in Hawthorne, Louisiana (d. 1954 @74) ***************************************** Walt Disney(d.1966 @65, cancer) American animator (Mickey Mouse), producer and co-founder of the Walt Disney Company, born in Chicago, Illinois ***************************************** Strom Thurmond(d.2003 @100) American politician (Senator-D/R-SC), longest-ever filibuster against Civil Rights Act, born in Edgefield, South Carolina ***************************************** Otto Preminger, Austro-Hungarian-American theatre and film director, producer (Laura,; Advise & Consent; Anatomy of A Murder), and actor (Stalag 17), born in Wiznitz, Austria-Hungary (d. 1986; @80) ***************************************** Little Richard [Richard Wayne Penniman](d.2020; @87) American rock 'n' roll pioneer, piano player, singer-songwriter ("Tutti Frutti", "Lucille"), and sometime preacher, born in Macon, Georgia

…The End for today…

           

4 Dec

 

 

Dec. Averages: Temps: 43°\20° Moisture: 4 Days moisture 0.7” Flagstaff Today 32°: 18° Week 49 Day 338 Wind: 5 mph Gusts 7 mph                    Nearest lightning: 1139 miles away Active Fire: 213 miles away Risk of Fire: Very Low Air Quality: Fair Overcast Intermittent Snow

 

Monthly Observations

National Impaired Driving Prevention Month National Pear Month  National Tie Month National Write A Business Plan Month

Weekly Observations

1-5 Older Driver Safety Awareness Week Link  1-7 Cookie Cutter Week Link

3-10 Clerc-Gallaudet Week 4-24 Andisop (Meterological Fiddling) Link

Daily Observations

Alpha Phi Alpha Day International Cabernet Franc Day Link International Cheetah Day Link International Day of Banks National Cookie Day Link

National Dice Day National Dystychiphobia Awareness Day  Link National Sock Day  Link World Wildlife Conservation Day Link

Today’s Quotes                                                             

 

Today’s Memes

 

My Thoughts for the day

I woke up to light snowfall this morning. It has been snowing intermittently all day. It melts as soon as it hits the street or the sidewalks. Nice!

Yesterday was a day of nostalgia. Faith called and said she and Andy were taking some crafts, some homemade knitted hats, and gloves to a couple of teachers at Tuba Boarding for Christmas presents for kids. I joined them as Andy drove us to the school. I visited with Susan, my secretary, Iva, the Business Manager, Roz, the counselor among others. They all now have pure white hair. Faith did her deliveries while Andy and I got a tour from Don. During the tour, Don told us that he was retiring on Dec. 19, after 27 years with the Bureau. It was quite the shock. I always saw him as the ‘delegating principal’ which he did very well. When I saw how successful the school, staff, and students are, it was clear that his leadership had done very well. Things will certainly change after Don, but he leaves the school in great shape for the future. Once a T-Bird, Always a T-Bird.

After our visit, we stopped at Cameron where I had beef stew and frybread. Another event that brought back many memories of eating there and being served by some of my former students. Today, it was one of Faith’s former students who served us. Very cool.

It is disappointing that the Trump Administration completely ignored World AIDS Day on Dec. 1. Ignoring the 40+ year observance is simply disgusting.

Some in the House are pushing the Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025. It would end all dual citizenship in the US. Over my working years and then in my travel days I have known many who have dual-citizenship. The people I knew/know where hard working, educated people. Why would anyone take away their US citizenship? 

History that is not true…

Pirates regularly buried their treasure

There are only a handful of real-life examples of pirates stowing ill-gotten gains underground, and in none of these cases did ‘X’ mark the spot. English privateer and royal favorite Sir Francis Drake buried tons of booty on the Panama coast in 1573, but he left armed guards at the site and quickly returned – no map required.

The tale of Captain Kidd (pictured) is slightly more swashbuckling, as he interred a vast hoard on an island near New York in 1699, but it was quickly retrieved by the British and used as evidence in the trial that saw Kidd hang. In general, pirates were not responsible savers, and the idea of setting aside loot as a subterranean rainy-day fund did not occur to the average marauder.

Buried treasure is a real historical phenomenon, but it necessitates being on dry land so pirates were not its main source. The sort of pirate seen at children's parties originates in the 1883 novel Treasure Island, and while pet parrots and Jolly Roger flags do have genuine precedent, treasure maps, eyepatches, peg legs, pirate slang, and walking the plank are all primarily fantasy.

And if you were to stumble across a long-lost pirate hoard, the so-called 'treasure' might disappoint you. Pirates looted anything they could sell – golden doubloons, yes, but also perishables like spices, sugar, rum, flour, and tobacco.

Myths people still believe about Native Americans…

Sports mascots represent Native Americans

The majority of Native Americans are opposed to the use of their images as mascots. Such mascots transform sophisticated cultures into stereotypical caricatures, which reinforces stereotypes. There is a shift in professional teams, yet lots of schools continue to utilize abusive Native visuals. 

Key takeaway

These myths make different cultures easy, legitimize injustices, and deny modern reality to Native peoples. It is essential to break them down with respect and accuracy. Native Americans are not the relics of the past, but living, breathing communities that exist in the modern world and preserve pre-European cultures. Hear Native voices and reconsider what you have been told. 

Random Thoughts…

If life were a video game, I wonder what kind of stats I’d have.

Flipping your middle finger is halfway to giving the peace sign. 

There are two E’s in bee, but they’re both silent.

 The only difference between relaxation and boredom is enjoyment.

 

Historic Events

Click here for 4 December history

Note: if you can’t see this, let me know. You Tube may require a password.

Birthdays

Jeff Bridges(76 years old) American actor (Stay Hungry, Against All Odds), born in Los Angeles, California ***************************************************** Marisa Tomei(61 years old) American actress (My Cousin Vinny, In the Bedroom, The Wrestler), born in Brooklyn, New York ***************************************************** Jay-Z(56 years old) American rapper and record producer (Reasonable Doubt; The Blueprint), born in Brooklyn, New York ***************************************************** Tyra Banks(52 years old) American supermodel and actress (Higher Learning; Fresh Prince of Bel Air), born in Inglewood, California

John Cotton, Puritan clergyman in Mass Bay colony, born in Derby, Derbyshire, Kingdom of England (d. 1652; @67) **************************************** Thomas Carlyle (d.1881@85) Scottish essayist and historian (The French Revolution), born in Ecclefechan, Scotland **************************************** Crazy Horse Tȟašúŋke Witkó[2] lit. 'His-Horse-Is-Crazy' (d.1877; @36 bayonet ) Oglala Sioux chief (Battle of the Little Bighorn), born in Fort Robinson, Nebraska **************************************** Chester Greenwood(d.1937; @67) American inventor (invented ear muffs at 15), born in Farmington, Maine **************************************** Francisco Franco(d.1975@82) Spanish general and dictator (1936-75), born in Ferrol, Galicia, Spain **************************************** Pappy Boyington(d.1988@ 75, lung cancer) American combat pilot and US Marine Corps fighter ace during World War II, born in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho **************************************** ·         Robert Adler, Austrian-American inventor (remote control for television), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 2007@93) **************************************** (Winston) "Wink" Martindale, American TV game show host (Tic-Tac-Dough; Gambit; Can You Top This), producer, and radio DJ, born in Jackson, Tennessee (d. 2025@91) **************************************** Victor French, American actor (Highway to Heaven; Little House on the Prairie; Carter Country; Get Smart - "44"), and director, born in Santa Barbara, California (d. 1989@54, lung cancer) **************************************** Dennis Wilson, American drummer and vocalist (The Beach Boys), born in Hawthorne, California (d. 1983@39; drowned while drunk)

…The End for today…