3 Dec

 

 

Flag Today  49°/18°   Week 48  Day 338 Air Quality: Fair Sunshine Wind 2 mph Gusts 4 mph   Active Fire: 1027 miles away Risk of fire: High Nearest Lightning: 2202 miles away Dec. Averages: Temps: 45°\18° Moisture:  5 Days

Monthly Observations

Take a New Year's Resolution to Stop Smoking (TANYRSS) (12/18 - 2/12) } Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome Month  Link

Universal Human Rights Month Link Worldwide Food Service Safety Month Youngsters on The Air Month  Link

Weekly Observations

1-7 Cookie Cutter WeekLink National Hand Washing Awareness Week Link  Recipe Greetings For The Holidays Week

2-6 Older Driver Safety Awareness Week Link  3-10 Clerc-Gallaudet Week

Daily Observations

Be A Blessing Day Disability Day E-Discovery Day Giving Tuesday Link (The day after Cyber Monday) International Baboon Day  International Day of Persons With Disabilities

International Spirit of the Game Day Let’s Hug Day Make A Gift Day National Green Bean Casserole Day  World Trick Shot Day

Today’s Quote                                                       

 

Today’s Meme

 

Thoughts for the day

A nice cool day. Not a cloud in the sky.

I had an appointment with my PCP this morning to check my A1C.  It was back in the normal range. That means no change in meds. Good news for sure. I have been more careful about my diet and more walking if I have a cheat day.

The AZ Cards lost to the by Vikings by 1 point. Tough loss. Sending good vibes to the Broncos for tonight’s game.

I watched the Disney Holiday Spectacular last night. It sure put me in the Holiday mood.

Presidential Pardons: After years of saying he would not pardon his son, he did it anyway. I get it…it was a strange case and probably would not have been in court had it not been Biden’s son. Now is the time to pardon Leonard Peltier, AIM member in prison. He is 80 and deserves to be with his family. He claims he did not kill the FBI agent at Wounded Knee and many believe he was just the fall guy for a murder when the government couldn’t find the killer.

Trivia Time

 

Christmas Traditions

Ugly Christmas Sweaters

To celebrate this joyous season, many people gleefully don hideous knitwear adorned with ribbons, sequins, bows, and lights. In the past, the trend was embraced solely by grandmas, teachers, and fashion-challenged parents, but in the last decade or so, the ugly sweater has gone mainstream. We may have Canada to blame for that: According to the Ugly Christmas Sweater Party Book, the ugly sweater party trend can be traced to a 2001 gathering in Vancouver.

 

Leaving Milk and Cookies for Santa

When we plunk a few Oreos or chocolate chip cookies on a plate for St. Nick, accompanied by a cold glass of milk, we’re actually participating in a tradition that some scholars date back to ancient Norse mythology. According to legend, Odin had an eight-legged horse named Sleipnir. Kids would leave treats for Sleipnir, hoping that Odin would favor them with gifts in return. The practice became popular again in the U.S. during the Great Depression, when parents tried to impress upon kids the importance of being grateful for anything they were lucky enough to receive for Christmas.

 

Random Thoughts…

·                  Truman Capote – Real Name: Truman Streckfus Persons Streckfus

·                  Always and Never are two words to always remember never to use.

·                  The Beatles album cover for HELP does not spell out HELP in flag semaphore. It is NUVJ because the photographer thought it looked better.

·                  The eleven points of the maple leaf of the Canadian flag have no special significance: the number and arrangement of the points were chosen after wind tunnel tests and the chosen pattern is the least blurred under high winds.

·                  The term “junkie” comes from the fact that heroin users in the early 1900s would collect (often steal) and sell scrap metal to pay for their heroin.

 

Ancient Roman Life

Ancient Meals and Methods

Ancient Roman cuisine was a mix of cereals, vegetables, fruits, and legumes tailored to societal status. Commoners mainly consumed staples like bread, beans, lentils, peas, and vegetables. Meat, a luxury for the wealthy, included hares, snails, and birds, with beef less favored. Seafood was diverse, reflecting Rome’s expansion and trade. Cooking primarily involved boiling and frying, particularly in olive oil, with sauces and spices enhancing flavors. Garum, a fermented fish sauce, was particularly popular.

Wine was central to Roman dining, often diluted with water. Posca, watered-down wine with spices, was common among soldiers and the lower classes. Fruits like apples, figs, and grapes were integral and often preserved. The diet evolved over time, incorporating new ingredients as Rome expanded​​​​​​.

Historic Events

1818 – Illinois became the 21st US state.

1910 – The neon light was displayed for the first time at the Paris Motor Show at the Grand Palace. The lamp was developed by French inventor Georges Claude. Advertising neon signs started showing up in 1913, notably at the Paris Opera House. The most famous neon sign is probably the Las Vegas sign.

1919 – The Quebec Bridge over the Saint Lawrence River between Sainte-Foy (near Quebec City) and Lévis, Quebec opened.

1922 – The first public Technicolor motion picture film, The Toll of the Sea, was released at the Rialto Theatre, in New York City.

1927 – Putting Pants on Philip, the first Laurel and Hardy film, was released.

1976 – An assassination attempt was made on Bob Marley. Shot twice, he quickly recovered.

1984 – The Bhopal-Union Carbide disaster in India killed over 4,000 people, and injured hundreds of thousands.

1992 – The Greek oil tanker the Aegean Sea, carrying 80,000 tons of crude oil, ran aground in a storm while approaching A Coruna, Spain, spilling most of the oil.

1997 – 121 countries signed the treaty prohibiting the manufacture and deployment of anti-personnel land mines in Ottawa, Canada. Notable exceptions were: The United States, the People’s Republic of China, and Russia.

2012 (Typhoon) At least 475 people were killed after Typhoon Bopha made landfall in the Philippines.

 

Birthdays

Ozzy Osbourne, 76 Metal Singer Jake T. Austin, 30 TV Actor Brendan Fraser, 56 Movie Actor Julianne Moore, 64 Movie Actress Holly Marie Combs, 51 TV Actress Daryl Hannah, 64, American actress

@86 – Bobby Allison, American race car driver (d. 2024) @84 – Andy Williams, American singer (d. 2012) @72 – Gilbert Stuart, American painter, unfinished George Washington (d. 1828) @66 – Joseph Conrad, Polish writer (d.1924)

…The End for today…

               

2 Dec

 

 

Flag Today  47°/17°   Week 48  Day 337   Air Quality: Fair Sunshine Wind - mph Gusts 6 mph Active Fire: 151 miles away Risk of fire: High   Nearest Lightning: 1171 miles away Dec. Averages: Temps: 45°\18° Moisture:  5 Days

Monthly Observations

National Drunk & Drugged Driving (3D) Prevention Month National Impaired Driving Prevention Month National Pear Month  Link National Tie Month

National Write A Business Plan Month Operation Santa Paws (1-17) Safe Toys and Gifts Month Spiritual Literacy Month

Weekly Observations

1-7 Cookie Cutter WeekLink National Hand Washing Awareness Week Link  Recipe Greetings For The Holidays Week 2-6 Older Driver Safety Awareness Week Link

11/27-12/3 National Deal Week

Daily Observations

Cyber Monday (Monday after Thanksgiving) Earmuff Day or Chester Greenwood Day Link  International Day for the Abolition of Slavery Day National Fritters Day National Mutt Day Link

Play Basketball Day Popping Corn Day Safety Razor Day Special Education Day World Day of Futures

Today’s Quote                                                       

 

Today’s Meme

 

Thoughts for the day

A nice but cool day.

When I retired and moved to Flag, I moved into a 2-story townhouse. I soon got tired of hauling the vacuum up and down the stairs. I soon bought a vacuum for the downstairs, keeping the family Hoover for the upstairs. The downstairs vacuum started having problems about a month ago. Yesterday, I was reading an ad from Best Buy. There was a $200 Shark for only $99. I picked it up and it does a get job. The old vacuum was dropped off at Savers.

Trump continues to let everyone know what he is doing on Day One. I remain calm and will deal with the issues he does on Jan. 20. After a career in civil service, I know it is a big bureaucracy. Some belt tightening needs to be done. However, much of the bureaucracy helps the American people, so changes need to be surgical.

Trivia Time

 

Christmas Traditions

The Colors Red and Green

As with many other old Christmas traditions, there’s no hard-and-fast event that deemed red and green the Official Colors of Christmas™. But there are theories—the green may have derived from the evergreen tradition that dates to before Christianity, and the red may be from holly berries. While they’re winter-hardy, just like evergreens, they also have a religious implication: The red berries have been associated with the blood of Christ.

Random Thoughts…

·      US President #35 John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1961-1963) John was the youngest man elected to the office (he was 43). With the assassination of President McKinley, Roosevelt, 42, became the youngest president in the nation’s history.

·      White-Tailed Sea Eagles went extinct in Scotland in 1916 due to hunting and egg collecting. In 1975 a breeding pair from Norway were re-introduced and by 2006 the 200th Sea Eagle egg hatched on the Isle of Skye.

·      Elvis Presley’s Elvis’ Christmas Album is the best-selling Christmas album of all time with 10 million copies shipped since its release in 1957.

Ancient Roman Life

Life of a female slave

In ancient Rome, female slaves faced a particularly harrowing existence marked by exploitation and a lack of autonomy. Beyond the general hardships endured by all slaves, such as grueling labor and harsh punishments, women in bondage were often subjected to additional layers of abuse and degradation. Many were bought specifically for their masters’ physical gratification, a tragic exploitation that stripped them of their autonomy and consent. This coital slavery wasn’t just a private affair; it extended to public brothels, where countless female slaves were forced to service numerous clients daily.

In addition to physical exploitation, female slaves also performed various roles in Roman households and society. They worked as maids, cooks, and nurses, often facing the dual burden of labor and intimate physical abuse. Their artistic talents, whether in music, dance, or other forms of entertainment, were exploited for the pleasure of their masters, turning their skills into instruments of their subjugation.

Historic Events

1697 – St Paul’s Cathedral was consecrated in London.

1763 – Dedication of the Touro Synagogue, in Newport, Rhode Island.

1804 – At Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor of the French.

1823 – US President James Monroe introduced the Monroe Doctrine.

1901 – King Camp Gillette patented (US #775134A) his safety razor.

1927 – The Ford Motor Company unveiled its second mass production model, the Ford Model A as its new automobile.

1954 – The US Senate voted to condemn Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy for what it called “conduct that tends to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute.” He was looking for communists within the government.

1970 – The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), proposed by President Richard Nixon, began operating. William Ruckelshaus was the first director.

1971 – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) formed as a federation from the seven emirates of Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm al-Quwain.

2001 – Enron filed for bankruptcy.

Birthdays

Britney Spears, 42 Pop Singer Aaron Rodgers, 40 Football Player Lucy Liu, 55 Movie Actress

@85 – Alexander Haig, American politician, 59th United States Secretary of State (d. 2010) @78 – Willie Brown, American football player (d. 2019; cancer) @55 – William Cooper, politician, founded Cooperstown, New York (d. 1809) @53 – Maria Callas, American singer (d. 1977; heart attack) @50 – Gianni Versace, Italian fashion designer, founder of Versace (d. 1997; shot) @31 – Georges Seurat, French painter (D. 1891; meningitis)

…The End for today…