1 Apr

 

Week 14  Day 92 Flag Today  51°/28° Wind 5mph Gusts 11mph Active Fire:  A miles away Risk of fire: Very Low  Nearest Lightning: 1005 miles away Air Quality: Fair Mostly Cloudy Snowy Apr. Averages: Temps: 60°\27° Moisture:  3 Days

Monthly Observations

Adopt A Ferret Month Adopt A Horse Month (4/26 - 5/31) Adopt A Greyhound Month Atlanta Food & Wine Month Arab American Heritage Month Link

ASPCA Month  Link  Link Alcohol Awareness Month Amateur Radio Month Autism Acceptance Month  Link Autism Awareness Month Link

Weekly Observations

11-4/8 Ramadan

1-7 APAWS Pooper Scooper  Week Golden Rule Week Laugh at Work Week Medication Safety Week Mule Days Testicular Cancer Awareness Week (aka Get A Grip Day!)   Link World Irish Dancing Week

Daily Observations

April Fools  or All Fools Day  Boomer Bonus Days  Dyngus Day Easter Monday Fun at Work Day International Energy Drink Day   Link (Red Bull) International Tatting Day   Link Library Snap Shot Day  Myles Day  National Fun Day  National Fun at Work Day

National IEP Writing Day Poetry & The Creative Mind Day  Reading is Funny Day  Sorry Charlie Day  Sourdough Bread Day St. Stupid Day   Link Take Down Tobacco Day   Link  (Formerly Kick Butts Day) Tater Day ( It's Sweet Potatoes)   Link  US Air Force Academy Day

Today’s Quote                                                        Today’s Meme

Today’s Thoughts

I woke up to 4” of snow on Easter Sunday. It is still snowing on and off. I talked to my brother and his wife on Easter. While I was watching the snow, they were getting ready for an Easter Brunch at their place for about 25 people. They really enjoy entertaining.

CU’s Women are in the Elite 8 at the Basketball Tourney. The men’s team lost in the 2^nd round.

I am getting so tired of cable TV. 1: the price keeps going up and so do the number of commercials on the major networks. 2: I’ve been hearing for decades that subscribers will ‘soon’ be able to their one package. 3. Yes, I have 100’s of channels but don’t watch 70% of them. 4. Many of the channels have very limited viewership but remain in the line-up. Ads can be skipped with the use of a DVR. On the other hand, Social Media is free and they say we have tons of ads so the site can make money. Ads can be deleted with one click. I don’t mind paying for a product, but Cable must come up with a better model for viewers.

Florida passed a law that prohibits under 16 year olds from having access to Social Media sites without parental permission. Great idea but almost impossible to navigate. Parents will have to put personal information about themselves and their child to the company. That information can be stolen and/or sold to anybody. Every time the child opens a website, that personal information is used to open the site. The public deserves better.

Terms with origins in rural America

Close but no cigar

To come "close but no cigar" refers to almost but not quite winning or succeeding. According to one theory, it dates to the 1800s when country fairs would hand out cigars as prizes to game winners. The phrase would be shouted out when a player came close to winning to attract an audience.

Native Cultures

"Buffalo Bill" Cody Worked Alongside Native Americans

William Frederick Cody (also referred to as "Buffalo Bill") did extensive work with Native Americans during his time in the American West. He made a name for himself with his time served as an Army scout, buffalo hunter, and popular traveling show.

Cody also raised awareness of Native Americans even further when he helped to create Buffalo Bill's Wild West - a popular traveling show. Quite a few notable Native Americans worked side-by-side with Buffalo Bill Cody - including Cheyenne, Lakota Sioux, and Arapaho.

Historical Myths many believe…

Thomas Edison Invented the Electric Light Bulb

Like many scientific inventions and discoveries, Thomas Edison is widely credited with inventing the light bulb in 1879, yet he couldn’t have done so without the contributions and previous inventions of his colleagues and fellow scientists. Humphry Davy and Warren de la Rue had made significant advancements in electrical illumination before Edison even began his work.

Historic Events

Þ    1891 – The Wrigley (Chewing Gum) Company was founded in Chicago, Illinois.

Þ    1976 – Apple Inc. was formed by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne in Cupertino, California 12 days later, Ronald sold his 10% share of the new company back to Jobs and Wozniak for $800. “What can I say? You make a decision based on your understanding of the circumstances, and you live with it.”

Þ    1997 – Comet Hale-Bopp was seen passing at perihelion.

Birthdays with some quotes

85 – Ali MacGraw (Elizabeth Alice MacGraw), American actress “I’m learning how to live in the present and be grateful for what’s working rather than looking for the ‘what’s not working’ piece.” 80 – Jimmy Cliff (James Chambers), Jamaican singer and musician 74 – Samuel Alito, Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court “The First Amendment, I think, is the jewel of our Constitution.” 72 – Annette O’Toole, American actress 63 – Susan Boyle, Scottish singer 51 – Rachel Maddow, American journalist and author 44 – Bijou Phillips, American actress and model “I can’t change the world. I have to fix me.” 29 – Logan Paul, American Youtuber

@92 – Jane Powell, American actress, singer, and dancer (d. 2021) @84 – Debbie Reynolds, American actress (d. 2021) @83 – Otto von Bismarck, German lawyer and politician, 1st Chancellor of the German Empire (d. 1898) “Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others.” @47 – Lon Chaney, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1930; lung cancer) “My whole career has been devoted to keeping people from knowing me.”

 

…The End for today…

               

31 Mar

 

 

Week 13  Day 91 Flag Today  59°/31° Wind 24mph Gusts 11mph Active Fire:  251 miles away Risk of fire: Very Low  Nearest Lightning:  1881 miles away Air Quality: Fair Sunshine Windy Mar. Averages: Temps: 53°\23° Moisture:  6 Days

Weekly Observations

11-4/8 Ramadan

25-31  National Farm Workers Awareness Week Link National Physicians Week Link

Daily Observations

Anesthesia Tech Day  Link Bunsen Burner Day Cesar Chavez Day  Link Clams on the Half Shell Day Easter International Hug A Medielvalist Day International Transgender Day of Visibility   Link National Crayon Day  Link Link National "She's Funny That Way" Day

Oranges and Lemons Day Pascha Plum Pudding Day  Link (Note Eaten on Easter. But, if eaten on 12/25 it's Christmas Pudding Day.) Prom Day  Link Starbucks Day Tater Day Terri's Day   Link World Backup Day

Today’s Quote                                                         Today’s Meme

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all."  — Oscar Wilde

Today’s Thoughts

It’s a windy day, with snow expected late tonight. Out like a lion for sure. A winter storm warning is in effect with 2-4” of snow expected.

Busy week at my brother’s hacienda. They rescued 9 puppies and by Friday, 5 had been adopted. Very cool.

Baltimore bridge collapse will be in clean-up mode for quite a while. Safety is the key issue. It is hard to imagine how difficult it will be in the cold, rough waters of March.

Terms with origins in rural America

Upper hand

The phrase "upper hand" comes from determining which team bats first in playground baseball games. Opposing team captains would grasp a bat, starting at the bottom, and alternate their hands until reaching the top. The player holding the bat at the top had the upper hand.

Native Cultures

Quite A Few English Words Originated From Native American Language

You have likely used quite a few different words that have roots in the Native American culture and language. For instance, the terms "tomahawk", "moccasin", "skunk" and "pecan" all derive from the Algonquian language.

Even the word "tobacco" was first introduced to the English through the indigenous people of the Caribbean. This is just another example of the lasting integration of diverse cultures that most American citizens still do not fully grasp without doing the research for themselves.

Historical Myths many believe…

The Mummies of Ancient Egypt Were Cursed

The idea that disturbing the tombs of ancient Egypt brought misfortune is entirely false. When archaeologists opened King Tut’s tomb in 1922, several excavators and even the team’s benefactor, Lord Craven, died shortly afterward. This was due to coincidence and the stagnant, undisturbed air in the tomb, which contained molds and bacteria new to modern times.

Historic Events

Ë 1492 – Queen Isabella of Castile issued The Alhambra Decree, ordering her 150,000 Jewish and Muslim subjects to convert to Christianity or face expulsion.

Ë 1889 – Eiffel Tower was dedicated, opening later that year.

o   The Eiffel Tower was the centerpiece for the Paris World’s Fair in 1889.

o   The four corners are pointed North, South, East and West

o   It is the most photographed object on Instagram

o   They discovered Cosmic Rays at the Eiffel Tower.

o   Today it has 8 elevators and two restaurants

o   They still have a post office, near the gift shop, with its own special postmark!

o   They paint it every few years, in 2018, they used 60 Tons of paint.

o   At 986 feet, the Eiffel Tower was nearly double the height of the world’s previous tallest structure, the 555-foot Washington Monument.
It held the title until the 1,046-foot Chrysler Building was built in New York in 1930.

o   The lights on the tower were put up in 1985, and they are copyrighted.
Under European Copyright Law, people can’t sell or publish photographs of the tower,
or even post them on social media without permission.

Ë 1918 – Daylight saving time goes into effect in the United States for the first time.

Ë 1992 – The USS Missouri, the last active United States Navy battleship, was decommissioned in Long Beach, California.

Birthdays with some quotes

90 – Richard Chamberlain, American actor 90 – Shirley Jones, American actress and singer 89 – Herb Alpert, American singer-songwriter, trumpet player, and producer 85 – Walter E. Williams, American economist and academic (d. 2020) “Prior to capitalism, the way people amassed great wealth was by looting, plundering and enslaving their fellow man. Capitalism made it possible to become wealthy by serving your fellow man.” 81 – Christopher Walken, American actor “I got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell.” 76 – Al Gore, American politician, 45th Vice President of the United States and Nobel Prize laureate 76 – Rhea Perlman, American actress 69 – Angus Young, Scottish-Australian guitarist and songwriter, AC/DC “The best AC/DC cover I’ve heard? There was an all-girl cover band in America, the Hell’s Belles.” 52 – Ewan McGregor, Scottish-Australian movie actor

@88 – Gordie Howe, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2016) @78 – Liz Claiborne, Belgian-American fashion designer, founded Liz Claiborne Inc. (d. 2007; rare cancer) @77 – Joseph Haydn, Austrian pianist and composer (d. 1809; arteriosclerosis) @68 – Jack Johnson, American boxer (d. 1946; car crash) @66 – Cesar Chavez, American labor union leader and activist (d. 1993; natural causes) “When the man who feeds the world by toiling in the fields is himself deprived of the basic rights of feeding, sheltering, and caring for his own family, the whole community of man is sick.” @53 – René Descartes, French mathematician, philosopher (d. 1650; pleurisy) “We do not describe the world we see, we see the world we can describe.”

 

…The End for today…