On 15th September we celebrate Greenpeace Day, so this is the time to release your inner activist and get passionate about the environment. The now internationally renowned campaign organisation for ecological issues was originally founded by a group of 17 activists in Vancouver protesting against off shore nuclear testing in Alaska on this date in 1971.
Since then, Greenpeace has achieved an abundance of victories over eco-crimes, as well as making an enormous contribution to raising awareness of environmental issues across the globe. They constantly strive for their vision of a society which recognizes the Earth as an essential life support system whose resources are not infinite and must be protected and cared for. Their campaigns range from raising awareness of the receding ice of the Arctic to protecting the oceans and rain forests to working towards nuclear disarmament.
Be inspired by Greenpeace today: sign petitions and encourage others to do the same, be green in the home and out and about by switching off unnecessary light bulbs and throwing that empty wrapper on the street in the bin. Think bigger and look into volunteering and helping raise awareness for Greenpeace issues. Finally let Greenpeace Day act as a reminder that as the anthropologist Margaret Mead once put it: ‘Never doubt that a … group of committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has’.
Word of the Day
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| Definition: | (noun) A small vehicle with four wheels in which a baby or child is pushed around. | ||
| Synonyms: | stroller, baby buggy, pram, pushchair, go-cart, pusher, carriage | ||
| Usage: | Charlotte is quite spoiled; each of her dolls has its own perambulator, parasol, and wardrobe. | ||
History
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| When real estate developers call in a team of archaeologists to survey the land prior to breaking ground, they're hoping for a routine, ho-hum report.That's not what they got at a planned mall construction site near Redmond, Washington. | |||
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1858 - The first mail service begins to the Pacific Coast of the U.S. under government contract. Coaches from the Butterfield Overland Mail Company took 12 days to make the journey between Tipton, MO and San Francisco, CA.
1903 - Country singer Roy Acuff was born. He was the first living artist to be elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovered the antibiotic penicillin in the mold Penicillium notatum.
1949 - "The Lone Ranger" premiered on ABC. Clayton Moore was the Lone Ranger and Jay Silverheels was Tonto.
(jay silverheels lived in my neighborhood in brooklyn when i was growing up. his garage had a dynamic native painting of figures dancing)
1955 - Betty Robbins became the first woman cantor.
1982 - The first issue of "USA Today" was published.
1997 - The domain name "google.com" was registered.
1998 - Reba McEntire received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
2003 - In Independence, MO, the birthplace of Ginger Rogers was designated a local landmark. The move by the Independence City Council qualified the home for historic preservation.
DAILY SQU-EEK
If You Were Born Today, September 15
Artistic talent is strong with this birthday. As grounded as you are, every now and again you face deep changes that force you to let go and then reinvent yourself. Your experiences in life bring greater awareness and heightened intuition. You have strong sex appeal and are highly attracted to romantic relationships. People are drawn to you for advice, help, and comfort. Your intuition is well-developed, and so is your imagination, which seems to know no bounds. You're a bit of a maverick. Although sensitive, you are not afraid to do your own thing. Famous people born today: Chelsea Staub, William Howard Taft, Agatha Christie, Tom Hardy, Tommy Lee Jones, Oliver Stone.
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,_Queen_of_Hungary.jpg) |
Mary of Hungary (1505–1558) was queen of Hungary and Bohemia as the wife of King Louis II. After their short, childless marriage ended with Louis' death, Mary's brother Ferdinand I came to power and made her regent – and later governor – of the Netherlands. She created unity between the provinces and was an enthusiastic patron of literature, music, and hunting.
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Featherweights
Photograph by Paul Nicklen, National Geographic
At Canada’s western edge, beach combing wolves swim between islands, eating whatever the sea serves up. Relatives babysit youngsters such as these at rendezvous sites, and their parents bring them food until they’re old enough to hunt—and beach comb—with the pack. Coastal wolves can get as much as 90 percent of their food from the sea.
knit
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Part-Time Angel pattern by Frankie Brown
A knitted angel that fits in the palm of your hand. She comes complete with clothes and her wings fasten on to her dress with a safety pin so that she can re...
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knit
knit
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In Bloom Pullover pattern by Yarnspirations
Cozy pullover with a pretty rose detail on the front and back.
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knit
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Embossed Diamonds Afghan
Bigger is better, right? Everything about this free knit afghan pattern is oversize! Pretty raised diamonds in long chains that end in flamboyant tassels com...
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knit, 4 - 8 yrs, sweater and legwarmer
crochet
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Crochet Cap Blaise pattern by Teresa Richardson
There are different stopping points provided with the written and video instructions.
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crochet, 0 - 3 mths
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Crochet baby hexagon jacket pattern by Soledad Z
Size: 0-3 months
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crochet
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PFC31 Bathroom Rug Free Crochet Pattern pattern by Pat...
Pretty bath rug, made in 100% Cotton double knitting (worsted weight) easy to follow instructions, written in UK and USA format. Matches toilet roll cover...
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crochet
crochet
RECIPES
CROCKPOT RECIPES
stephanie o'dea
CrockPot Chicken Nuggets Recipe
The Ingredients.
--4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
--4 T butter or olive oil (I used butter)
--4 eggs
--1 cup breadcrumbs, or a mixture of cracker, cereal, tortilla chip, etc. crumbs.
--1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
--1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
--1 T flax seed meal (optional---I threw it in. They'll never know.)
The Directions.
I used 6 chicken breast halves, and layered the cut up pieces in a 6 quart Smart Set Crock-Pot.
Make sure the chicken is fully thawed. Cut into child-size pieces. I found that the smaller pieces I made cooked better than the larger ones. The larger ones also didn't get crispy on top---stick to about 2 inch pieces.
In a bowl, mix the melted butter or oil with the egg. Blend up the cracker and cereal crumbs to make a fine bread crumb mixture and pour into a pie plate.
Spray your crockpot with cooking spray. I did not. You really should.
Dip each piece of chicken in the egg mixture, and then toss in the crumbs. Put a layer of battered chicken pieces in the bottom of the crock. When the bottom is full, add a piece of aluminum foil. Poke tiny holes in the foil to allow steam to escape. I found that the layer I did with the most holes worked the best, and the layer I skimped on resulted in soggy topping. The holes are important.
I made 4 layers with 6 cut-up chicken breast halves.
Cover your crock, but vent the lid with a wooden spoon or chopstick. Cook on high for 2-4 hours. After cooking, we both left our crockpots on warm for a few hours before eating.
The Verdict.
These were really good. I had a few in the middle that were soggy that I ate, and gave the kids the ones that were crunchier. I was impressed with the topping, and the kids didn't freak out, so they must have been okay too. My eldest daughter thought they were store bought until her sister said that we made them in the crockpot.
My kids now emphasize in the crockpot! when describing food which cracks me up.
CRAFTS
CAT NIP TOY
design love fest
let’s face it, cat toys can be real ugly. and if you are going to have pet toys laying all around the house, they might as well look attractive, right? here are some cat nip creations that natalie put together for us!
what you’ll need:• Felt
• Embroidery Thread
• Cat Nip
• Batting
• Dowel Rod
• Riff Raff (ribbons, pom palms, metallic yarn…try to think like a cat)
the steps:• make yourself a diamond pattern by drawing 2 equilateral triangle (ie, the same length on all 3 sides) that measure 2.5 inches on each edge.
• cut several diamonds out of felt, you will need 2 diamonds for every toy.
• pin two of the edges together as shown in the photo below.
• starting at one point hand stitch along the edge and continue around each side, as you move along the edge the toy will begin to take on a three dimensional shape.
• when you get to the final edge fill the toy with equal parts batting and catnip (you can use a small funnel to get catnip inside if you like)
• continue to stitch the toy up on it’s final edge and then go around a second time so that both sides of the toy are sewn shut, tie closed when you return to your starting point.
for the fancy stick:
• attach the end of the remaining length of thread to a dowel rod if desired. we wrapped the thread around the end of the dowel and glued a piece of felt around it for extra strength.
• tie your little bits of riff raff to the string for added pizazz and cat enticement.
• if you want to go the extra mile you can glue scraps of felt to the dowel to create a colorful handle.
(as with all pet toys, please don’t allow your pet to play unsupervised)
ta da! you’re cat will love you even more, if that’s possible.
CHILDREN'S CORNER ... coloring
PUZZLE
Hero Landmine-Sniffing Rats Are Saving Human Lives in Africa
By Sumitra
Rats are normally classified as vermin, but they can be heroes too. Proving the fact is APOPO, a Belgian NGO that trains African giant pouched rats to sniff out landmines and tuberculosis infections. Since 2006, these ‘hero rats’ have been working on minefields in Mozambique, clearing the country of over 13,000 landmines, thus reclaiming over 11 million square meters of land. They’ve also accurately analyzed over a quarter of a million blood samples for TB infections.
Bart Weetjens, founder of APOPO, first came up with the idea of training sniffer rats a couple of decades ago, when he was a student at the University of Antwerp. He used to keep pet rodents as a boy, so he knew that they were “very trainable, sociable, and intelligent creatures.” So when he read an article about gerbils being taught to recognise the scent of explosives, it got him thinking.
Weetjens wanted to use his experience of dealing with rodents to find a locally-sourced resolution to the problem of landmines. “I was looking for an appropriate solution that communities at the bottom of the pyramid could use, independent from expensive foreign know-how and technology,” he said. So he placed himself in the situation of the people affected by the problem, and looked at the resources they had at hand.
"Welcome" in Arabic (Middle East, North Africa) - Merhaba
QUOTE
CLEVER
Tie yarn around a paint roller for an awesome effect
EYE OPENER
Acts of Kindness (61-80 out of 105)
(61. Sticks and stones...will wake a baby up.
62. Thanks #603.
63. You are the BEST!
64. Dear Pot Smokers...
65. Aww, thanks Nancy.
66. Two high school kids were eating at Denny's restaurant and decided to run out without paying. Their server discovered this and started crying, frantically looking for the money. It was going to come out of her paycheck. That's when a kind stranger paid her bill like this.
67. A good samaritan saw a car slam into another car and drive off... but, before it did, they grabbed its license plate number. Then, they left this helpful note on the car that was the victim of the hit and run:
68. A delivery man was involved in a collision, so these police officers delivered the pizza for him.
69. These Lowe's employees fixed this veteran's wheelchair when it broke in the store.
70. A firefighter made sure this little kitten was okay.
71. These little notes were left around a high school, making someone's day a bit brighter.
72. Why thank you. :)
73. Random business cards made people see themselves in a more positive light.
74. These students gathered to mourn the loss of one student's mother to cancer.
75. This tourist brightened a little girl's day when he handed her a flower.
76. During a flood, this man risked his life to save these kittens.
77. A child had the idea to install a refrigerator where people could leave food for those who need it.
78. They saw this puppy was in danger and didn't hesitate to help out
79. This Subway decided to help feed the hungry.
80. These customers defended a cashier, and were unexpectedly rewarded.
Coastal wolves--who'd have thought!
ReplyDeleteLove the notes!!!! I needed that today Diane! Hugs
ReplyDelete