December 13, 2025

14 Dec

 

 

 

 


 

Dec. Averages: Temps: 43°\20° Moisture:4 Days moisture 0.7”

Flagstaff Today 60°: 30° Week 51 Day 348

Wind: 4 mph Gusts 7 mph                    Nearest lightning: 975 miles away

Active Fire: 213 miles away Risk of Fire: High

Air Quality: Moderate Sunshine

 

 

 


Weekly Observations

4-24

Andisop (Meterological Fiddling Link

8-14

Computer Science Education Week Link ) 10-17

Human Rights Week

 

11-1/1/26

Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over Link 

14-22

Chanukah
14-1/5/26

Christmas Bird Count Week Link 
14-20

Gluten-free Baking Week
14-28

Halcyon Days


Daily Observations

Chanukah begins
Martyred Intellectuals Day 
Link
Monkey Day 
Link
U.S. Park Police Day

Yoga Day Link
Worldwide Candle Lighting Day
(The Compassionate FriendsLink 
World Choral Day
 Link 

Today’s Quotes                                                             


 

Today’s Memes

 



My Thoughts for the day

Clear deep blue sky. Nice!

One of the key Republican beliefs for decades has been smaller government. Trump seemed to believe that until recently. He is ready to go to shut down the Dept. of Education and turn oversight and the rest to the various states. As a retired educator I don’t agree with this plan, as I remember the days before the Dept. of Education when states could decide not to fund integration, not serve Special Needs students, and place restrictions on what history and what science could be taught in schools. Now Trump is saying that the states should not control AI and that the only way to control AI’s advances is through the Federal Government. I just don’t understand the difference. I think the Feds should have oversite on AI.

I had a craving for egg salad this morning, so I did the work and just made a great egg salad sandwich. Tastes very good.

Wild West Myths that never happened…

Saloons Were Always Rowdy and Violent

Movies depict saloons as chaotic places filled with brawls, poker cheats, and shootouts. While saloons did serve alcohol, gambling, and entertainment, most were far tamer than fiction suggests.

Many saloons were simply social hubs where locals gathered to relax after long workdays. They hosted dances, meetings, and even church services in some cases. Violence did happen, but it wasn’t the nightly spectacle we imagine.

Rowdiness was most common in boomtowns during gold rushes, where transient populations created instability. In more established communities, saloons were controlled and often family-run businesses. These establishments were central to social life, not just scenes of chaos. 

Cities that changed their names…

Salisbury → Harare (Zimbabwe)

In 1980, Zimbabwe gained independence after nearly a century of British colonial rule. Two years later, its capital shed the name “Salisbury” and became “Harare,” honoring a local Shona chief who once ruled the region. The new name was more than a gesture; it was the birth certificate of a free nation. Where colonial boulevards once bore imperial names, new streets now celebrate African heroes.
Harare became not just a capital but a declaration of ownership; a city finally calling itself by its own language.
 

Random Thoughts…



Historic Events

1798 - David Wilkinson of Rhode Island patented the nut and bolt machine.

1900 - Professor Max Planck of Berlin University revealed his revolutionary Quantum Theory.
1903 - Orville Wright made the first attempt at powered flight. The engine stalled during take-off and the plane was damaged in the attempt. Three days later, after repairs were made, the modern aviation age was born when the plane stayed aloft for 12 seconds and flew 102 feet.
1911 - Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen became the first man to reach the South Pole. He reached the destination 35 days ahead of Captain Robert F. Scott.
1946 - The U.N. General Assembly voted to establish the United Nation's headquarters in New York City.
1962 - The U.S. space probe Mariner II approached Venus. It transmitted information about the planet's atmosphere and surface temperature.
1981 - Israel annexed the Golan Heights, seized from Syria in war in 1967.
1985 - Wilma Mankiller became the first woman to lead a major American Indian tribe as she formally took office as principal chief of the Cherokee Nation of OKlahoma.
1986 - The experimental aircraft Voyager, piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, took off from California on the first non-stop, non-refueled flight around the world. The trip took nine days to complete.
1993 - A judge in Colorado struck down the state's voter-approved Amendment Two prohibiting gay rights laws, calling it unconstitutional.
1997 - Cuban President Fidel Castro declared Christmas 1997 an official holiday to ensure the success of Pope John Paul II's upcoming visit to Cuba.
2000 - It was announced that American businessman Edmond Pope would be released from a Russian prison for humanitarian reasons. Pope had been sentenced to 20 years in prison after his conviction on espionage charges.
2001 - The first commercial export, since 1963, of U.S. food to Cuba began. The 24,000 metric tons for corn were being sent to replenish what was lost when Hurricane Michelle struck on November 4.
2013 - The Chinese spacecraft Chang'e 3 became the first spacecraft to "soft"-land on the Moon since 1976. It was only the third robotic rover to land on the moon.

Birthdays

Frank Allen, (82 years old)English rock vocalist (Searchers - "Needles & Pins"), born in Hayes, Middlesex, England

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

James Comey(65 years old)

American lawyer and former FBI director, born in Yonkers, New York

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Miranda Hart(53 years old)

English comedian and actress (Miranda), born in London, England

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Vanessa Hudgens(37 years old)

 American singer and actress (High School Musical, The Princess Switch), born in Salinas, California

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Tori Kelly(33 years old)

American pop and gospel singer-songwriter ("Dear No One", "Nobody Love"), born in Wildomar, California

 

 

Nostradamus(d.1566; @62)

French astrologist and prophet (Les Propheties), born in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Tycho Brahe(d.1601; @54)

Danish astronomer who set new standards for astronomical observations, born in Knudstrup, Scania, Denmark

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Jimmy Doolittle(d.1993; @96)

American air force general who conducted the raid on Tokyo in 1942, born in Alameda, California

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Frances Bavier, American Emmy Award-winning stage and screen actress (The Andy Griffith Show & Mayberry, RFD - "Aunt Bee"), born in New York City (d. 1989; @86)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 (Moritz) "Morey" Amsterdam, American comedian, cellist, vaudevillian, and actor (The Dick Van Dyke Show - "Buddy"; This Is Burlesque), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1996; @87)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Spike Jones [Lindley Armstrong Jones], American bandleader ("Der Fueher's Face", "Cocktails For Two"), born in Long Beach, California (d. 1965; @53, emphysema)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Don Hewitt, American CBS news executive producer (60 Minutes), born in New York City (d. 2009; @86)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Charlie Rich, American country-politan vocalist ("Behind Closed Doors"; "The Most Beautiful Girl"), born in Colt, Arkansas (d. 1995; @62, embolism)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Lee Remick, American actress (Days of Wine and Roses;, Long Hot Summer), born in Quincy, Massachusetts (d. 1991; @55, kidney cancer)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Patty Duke(d.2016; @69, sepsis)

American Academy and Emmy awarding actress (The Miracle Worker; The Patty Duke Show), and mental health advocate, mother of Sean Astin, born in New York City

 

…The End for today…

           

No comments:

Post a Comment