28 Feb

 

 

Week 9  Day 59   Flag Today  53°/27° Sky cover:  5% Wind 7mph Gusts 17mph Active Fire:  440miles away Risk of fire: Low  Nearest Lightning:  1599 miles away Air Quality: Fair Sunshine Feb. Daily Averages: Temps: 47°\19° Moisture:  5 Days

 

Weekly Observations

14-3/28 Lent 25-3/2  Telecommuter Appreciation Week 26-3/3  National Invasive Species Awareness Week Link

27-29  International Energy Week Link 27-29  International Petroleum Week Link

Daily Observations

Floral Design Day   Link Global Scouse Day  Link Inconvenience Yourself Day   National Chocolate Soufflé Day National Public Sleeping Day  Link National Science Day

National Tooth Fairy Day   Link   Link  Pink Shirt Day   Pink Shirt Day  Link  Public Sleeping Day Rare Disease Day Tartar Sauce Day

Today’s Quote                                                Today’s Meme

Today’s Thoughts

Seventy-five years ago today, in the small town of Brush, CO my birthmother gave birth to me. Within a day, I was put up for adoption and taken to Denver for adoption. On Mar. 12 of that year, I was taken home by adoptive parents in Denver, CO. They raised me and when I was 2 years and 8 months old, my parents adopted my brother and brought him home. I was raised by great parents and will continue to have a wonderful life.

This morning at 7:00am a worker rang my doorbell. I came downstairs from my office and asked me to move my vehicle. I told him it was a permit only parking space. He said they were removing a tree from behind the other building and need to park their trailer for the branches from the tree. He said they would be gone by noon. I moved my vehicle. I went out about 9am to do some shopping. I returned about 11:00 and parked. They were just finishing up and were gone by 11:45 and I moved my vehicle back to its normal parking space. All good.

UNESCO sites in America…

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Carlsbad Caverns National Park is in New Mexico. It's been a site since 1995. The area is home to more than 118 caves that formed when sulfuric acid dissolved the limestone in the area.

America’s Top Attractions

1920s: Knott's Berry Farm, Buena Park, California

It’s hard to imagine this bustling theme park as a humble fruit stand, but that’s where it all began. The Knott family arrived in Buena Park in 1920 to farm at Knott’s Berry Place, as it was known. They opened a berry stand followed by a chicken restaurant, which people flocked to from far and wide. In 1940, Walter Knott built a ghost town to entertain the hungry hordes. It was the first themed area of what became known as Knott’s Berry Farm in 1947.

Historical Facts about Native Americans…

How The Sequoia Tree Got Its Name

Sequoia trees are some of the most majestic in the United States, but some may wonder how they got their name.

These large trees were named after the Cherokee leader Sequoyah. He is best known for creating a new alphabet for his people to use. This made reading and writing in the Cherokee language possible.

Historic Events

1844 – The USS Princeton exploded while demonstrating a gun, killing five people, and injuring many more.

1947 – The 228 Incident in Taiwan resulted in protests and rioting. Between 10,000 and 20,000 people were killed.

1983 – The final episode of M*A*S*H aired, and 77% of all television owners in the US watched.

Birthdays with some quotes

@93 – Linus Carl Pauling, American chemist and biochemist (d. 1994)
“Science cannot be stopped. Man will gather knowledge no matter what the consequences- and we cannot predict what they will be. Science will go on- whether we are pessimistic, or are optimistic, as I am. I know that great, interesting, and valuable discoveries can be made and will be made… But I know also that still more interesting discoveries will be made that I have not the imagination to describe- and I am awaiting them, full of curiosity and enthusiasm.”
@90 – Gavin MacLeod, American actor (d. 2021)
@89 – Charles Durning, American actor (d. 2012)
85 – Tommy Tune, American actor, singer, dancer, and director
84 – Mario Andretti, Italian-American race car driver, Twin
@80 – Aldo Andretti, Italian-American race car driver, Twin (d. 2020)
76 – Bernadette Peters, American actress and singer
71 – Paul Krugman, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
“In our country, learned ignorance is on the rise.”
@67 – Gilbert Gottfried, American comedian and actor (d. 2022 heart disease)
67 – John Turturro, American actor
@66 – Charles Aaron ‘Bubba Smith’, American football player and actor (d. 2011; OD)
63 – Rae Dawn Chong, Canadian-American actress
@62 – Zero Mostel, American actor and comedian (d. 1977; aneurysm)
“The freedom of any society varies proportionately with the volume of its laughter.”
@59 – Michel de Montaigne, French Renaissance writer (d. 1592; quinsy)
“Of all our infirmities, the most savage is to despise our being.”
51 – Eric Lindros, Canadian ice hockey player
48 – Ali Larter, American actress
47 – Jason Aldean, American singer-songwriter
47 – Karolína Kurková, Czech model
@41 – Benjamin ‘Bugsy’ Siegel, American gangster (d. 1947; shot)
“Las Vegas turns women into men and men into idiots.”
@27 – Brian Jones, Rolling Stones guitarist, (d. 1969; death by misadventure)

…The End for today…

               

27 Feb

 

 

Week 9  Day 58   Flag Today  59°/37° Sky cover:  80% Wind 8mph Gusts 12mph Active Fire:  348 miles away Risk of fire: Moderate  Nearest Lightning:  284 miles away Air Quality: Fair Overcast Feb. Daily Averages: Temps: 47°\19° Moisture:  5 Days

 

Weekly Observations

14-3/28 Lent 25-3/2  Telecommuter Appreciation Week

26-3/3  National Invasive Species Awareness Week Link 27-29  International Energy Week Link

Daily Observations

African Travel Day Anosomia Awareness Day  Link Digital Learning Day International Polar Bear Day Link National Kahlua Day  Link National Protein Day

National Retro Day Link National Strawberry Day No-Brainer Day World NGO Day   Link World Spay Day USA

Today’s Quote                                                Today’s Meme

Today’s Thoughts

It’s an overcast day with showers expected later this afternoon. Only light snow with little staying on the ground.

I have a pet peeve: Phone apps that stop working and you must sign in to get them to work. When I sign in and click ‘remember my sign-in’ I expect to do just that. I use store apps when shopping, an app that lets me start my vehicle from inside…very handy when it is cold and other apps that give discounts. There is little technology that is more frustrating than to be standing in line, click on the app, and not be able to use it because your passwords are in a book at my house. I keep a list of passwords on my phone of the most common ones that require a log-in. But sometimes I must wait to get home and remember to log in with my password book in hand. Frustrating for sure.

Algiers has just opened a new mosque. It looks very nice. It was funded by the Chinese and has the world’s highest minaret at 869 feet. I saw pictures on Facebook.

UNESCO sites in America…

UNESCO World Heritage Sites are places around the world that have important significance to people. When a place is designated a UNESCO Site, it's considered a place for the people. The country, location, or purpose doesn't matter. It's a place all people can go and visit and see the history. There are UNESCO Sites in America, as well as many other countries.

While the United States doesn't have as many sites as some other countries, it does have several worth visiting if you're ever in the area. Check them out below.

 

How Many UNESCO Sites Are There in America?

You might expect a large country like the United States to have a large number of UNESCO Sites, but it really doesn't. There are only 25 sites in the United States.

The main reason that there are so few is that most of them are nature sites. While America has a long history, a lot of the buildings and structures by people who originally lived on the land were lost or taken down. So there aren't as many cultural sites to list, unlike places like Italy.

America’s Top Attractions

1920s: Lincoln Memorial, Washington DC

Built in honor of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th US president, the Neo-classical commemorative monument was opened to the public in 1922. Located at the western end of the National Mall, the structure swiftly became one of the capital’s most famous and imposing sights. It was also the site of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963 and is an important symbol of the American civil rights movement.

Historical Facts about Native Americans…

The Huge Significance Of Feathers

Oftentimes, Native Americans wear feathered headdresses as part of their clothing. Not only do these headdresses look beautiful, but they also have a deeper meaning behind them.

Native Americans consider feathers as part of their culture because they symbolize strength, freedom, power, and wisdom. Many of their feathers come from golden and bald eagles because they "soar close to heaven."

Historic Events

1827- Masked and costumed students danced through the streets of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the first of the city’s famous Mardi Gras celebrations.

1933 – Germany’s parliament building in Berlin, the Reichstag, was set on fire.

1951 – The 22nd Amendment to the Us Constitution was passed, limiting the tenure of holding the presidential office to two terms.

2006 – The African Burial Ground National Monument was established in Lower Manhattan, New York. Over 15,000 Africans, slave and free, were buried there from the 1690s through the 1790s.

Birthdays with some quotes

@96 – Marian Anderson, American singer and performer (d. 1993)

90 – Ralph Nader, American lawyer, politician, and activist

@89 – N Scott Momaday, Native American Novelist (d. 2024)

87 – Barbara Babcock, American actress

@83 – Peter De Vries, American journalist and author (d. 1993)

@80 – David Sarnoff, American businessman, founded RCA (d. 1971)

@79 – Elizabeth Taylor, English-American actress (d. 2011; heat failure)

“It is very strange that the years teach us patience – that the shorter our time, the greater our capacity for waiting.”

@75 – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American poet (d. 1882; peritonitis)

Tell me not, in mournful numbers,

“Life is but an empty dream!”

For the soul is dead that slumbers,

And things are not what they seem.

70 – Neal Schon, American rock guitarist and singer-songwriter

@66 – John Steinbeck, journalist, author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1968; heart disease)

“No one wants advice, only corroboration.”

“Our species is the only creative species, and it has only one creative instrument, the individual mind and spirit of a man. Nothing was ever created by two men. There are no good collaborations, whether in art, in music, in poetry, in mathematics, in philosophy. Once the miracle of creation has taken place, the group can build and extend it, but the group never invents anything. The preciousness lies in the lonely mind of a man.”

@65 – Constantine the Great, Roman emperor (d. 337)

“Thinking is the great enemy of perfection. The habit of profound reflection, I am compelled to say, is the most pernicious of all the habits formed by civilized man.”

62 – Adam Baldwin, American actor

@59 – Kevin Curran, American screenwriter, television producer (d. 2016; cancer)

53 – Sara Blakely, American businesswoman, founded Spanx

44 – Chelsea Clinton, American journalist and personality

43 – Josh Groban, American singer-songwriter

“There’s no half-singing in the shower, you’re either a rock star or an opera diva.”

41 – Kate Mara, American actress

…The End for today…

               

26 Feb

 

 

Week 9  Day 56 Flag Today  63°/28° Sky cover:  40% Wind 5mph Gusts 7mph Active Fire:  Amiles away Risk of fire: Moderate  Nearest Lightning:   940 miles away Air Quality: Fair Partly Cloudy Feb. Daily Averages: Temps: 47°\19° Moisture:  5 Days

 

Weekly Observations

14-3/28 Lent 25-3/2  Telecommuter Appreciation Week

26-3/3  National Invasive Species Awareness Week Link

Daily Observations

Carpe Diem Day For Pete's Sake Day  Link Letter To An Elder Day Levi Strauss Day Museum Advocacy Day -27  Link  National Cupcake Day (Canada)   National Cupcake Day (Canada)  Link  National Customized Wheel and Tire Day National Customized Wheel and Tire Day

National Personal Chef's Day  Link  National Pistachio Day National Pistachio Day National Set A Good Example Day  Link Personal Chef’s Day  Play More Cards Day  Link  Tell a Fairytale Day Thermos Bottle Day Tell a Fairytale Day Thermos Bottle Day World Pistachio Day   Link

Today’s Quote                                                Today’s Meme

Today’s Thoughts

Another nice winter day.

Our discussion group was very good last night. The presenter took us on a fact mission of the area from 2100BC up to today. Today’s situation has been going on since early times. The theme: Religious groups in conflict for power and conquest of land. Another similarity is that many times, an outside force determined who got what land after the conflict was over. When neither the winners nor the losers determine the path forward, it just doesn’t work.

My traveling friend, Ed, had sent me a set of notes from his trip to the Middle East a little over a decade ago. I shared the paper with the group. Everyone certainly enjoyed it and a couple asked if any of his travel experiences had been published. Maybe someday.

When I was shopping, I found Cadbury Easter Eggs are back for lent. They have been one of my favorites since I got some for Easter as a child.  They are still delicious. It is just not Lent without them.

If God wanted us to vote…

I have come to the conclusion that politics is too serious a matter to be left to the politicians. ~Charles de Gaulle~

Instead of giving a politician the keys to the city, it might be better to change the locks. 

~Doug Larson~

There ought to be one day -- just one -- when there is open season on Congressmen.

~Will Rogers~

America’s Top Attractions

1920s: Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California

This world-renowned amphitheater opened in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood in 1922. The first stage was a simple wooden platform with a canvas top and the audience were seated on wooden benches. An arched stage was built in 1926 with its distinctive shell shape first added in 1929. The 55-ton shell became an architectural icon. The 1930s saw jazz performances here for the first time and it went on to host the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holliday and The Beatles.

Historical Facts about Native Americans…

Many Places Across The U.S. Are Named After Native Americans

Several cities and states across America have names rooted in Native American languages. The state of Alabama is derived from the Choctaw words Alba and Amo, which mean vegetation and gatherer.

Arkansas was named after the Quapaw Native Americans who lived downstream from the Algonquian people. The Algonquian used the word "Arkansas" for "south wind."

Historic Events

1616 – Galileo Galilei was formally banned by the Roman Catholic Church from teaching or defending the view that the earth orbits the sun.

1829 – Levi Strauss was born. He never married, so, ironically, he didn’t get to pass his genes on to the next generation.

1848 – The Communist Manifesto, by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, was published.

1993 – The World Trade Center was the target of a bombing, injuring over 1,000 people and killing six more.

Birthdays with some quotes

@89 – Fats Domino, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2017)
@86 – Betty Hutton, American actress (d. 2007)
@84 – Tony Randall, American actor (d. 2004)
@83 – Victor Hugo, French author, poet, and playwright (d. 1885)
@79 – William Frawley, American actor and vaudevillian (d. 1966; heart attack)
@78 – Robert Novak, American journalist and author (d. 2009; brain cancer)
“Always love your country – but never trust your government!”
@73 – Levi Strauss, founded Levi Strauss & Co. (d. 1902)
@70 – Buffalo Bill (William Frederick Cody), soldier, showman and hunter (d. 1917)
“Every Indian outbreak that I have ever known has resulted from broken promises and broken treaties by the government.”
@71 – Johnny Cash, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (d. 2003)
I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down,
Livin’ in the hopeless, hungry side of town,
I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime,
But is there because he’s a victim of the times.
@72 – Robert Alda, American actor (d. 1986; stroke)
@71 – Jackie Gleason, American actor (d. 1987; liver cancer)
“If you have it and you know you have it, then you have it. If you have it and don’t know you have it, you don’t have it. If you don’t have it but you think you have it, then you have it.”
71 – Michael Bolton, American singer-songwriter
@67 – Theodore Sturgeon, American author (d. 1985; after asbestos exposure)
“Sure, ninety percent of science fiction is crud. That’s because ninety percent of everything is crud.”
53 – Erykah Badu, American singer-songwriter,
“The true division of humanity is between those who live in light and those who live in darkness. Our aim must be to diminish the number of the latter and increase the number of the former. That is why we demand education and knowledge.”
45 – Corinne Bailey Rae, English singer-songwriter
@29 – Christopher Marlowe, English playwright (d. 1593; stabbed in barroom brawl)
“I think a lot of people have lost respect for the individual, you know, the individual, the person who doesn’t conform.”

…The End for today…