DIANE'S CORNER ...

Celebrate World Asthma Day

Millions of people all over the world suffer from Asthma, and if you’ve ever met one who suffers from it then you’re familiar with the pssst psst sound of the inhalers that make a relatively normal day to day life possible for them. World Asthma Day is dedicated to raising awareness about this pernicious disease and seeks to bring awareness and advanced asthma care to sufferers throughout the world.

History of World Asthma Day

World Asthma Day was initially established in 1998 by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA). While almost all of us are familiar with the sound and visual of an inhaler for Asthma being used, not all of us are aware of the actual nature, cause, and that there are multiple types of asthma out there. The truth of the matter is asthma isn’t entirely understood, what is known is that there are multiple factors at play in the complex chemistry that creates an asthma sufferer. These include genetic interactions and elements in the environment that can change both the severity and how likely it is to respond to treatment.

The known aggravators of asthma are many and include everything from allergens, air pollution, and other chemicals that can appear in the environment that irritate the lungs. In high enough concentrations these factors can cause serious asthma attacks in sufferers and aggravate cases that are otherwise mild.

Asthma is incredibly prevalent in those areas that suffer from low air quality as a result, and those areas also tend to be those that house low-income and minority communities. As such these already disadvantaged individuals are the highest sufferers of this pernicious disease. An added factor is psychological stress, and again this element is particularly high in those living on the edge of poverty, increasing its occurrence there further.

Image result for So that people will point and scream â€œLook at that S-car go!â€

Why’d the snail get a giant letter S painted on his new Porsche?
So that people will point and scream “Look at that S-car go!”

Word of the Day

moribund

MEANING:

adjective:
1. Nearing death.
2. Stagnant; lacking vigor or vitality.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Latin moribundus (dying), from mori (to die). Ultimately from the Indo-European root mer- (to rub away or to harm), which also gave us morse, mordant, amaranth, morbid, mortal, mortgage, nightmare, premorse, morbidezza, ambrosia, and amaranthine. Earliest documented use: 1721.

USAGE:

“But even as all things are dying, one event can steer
The moribund toward more abundant cheer.”
Roy Zimmerman; Christma-Hanu-Rama-Ka-Dona-Kwanzaa; 2006.

Idiom of the Day

Raring to go -

Meaning - Being very eager and enthusiastic about the idea of doing something.

Example - My kids wish to see the animals. They are raring to go to the zoo.

This Day in History

1833 - Composer Johannes Brahms was born.

1824 - Beethoven's Ninth Symphony was performed for the first time.

1847 - The AMA (American Medical Association) was organized in Philadelphia, PA.

1912 - The first airplane equipped with a machine gun flew over College Park, MD.

1940 - Winston Churchill became British Prime Minister.

1945 - Baseball owner Branch Rickey announced the organization of the United States Negro Baseball League. There were 6 teams.

1945 - Germany signed unconditional surrender ending World War II. It would take effect the next day.

1946 - Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corp. was founded. The company was later renamed Sony.

1958 - Howard Johnson set an aircraft altitude record in F-104.

1968 - Reginald Dwight decided to change his name to Elton John.

1975 - U.S. President Ford declared an end to the Vietnam War.

1982 - Diana Ross received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1987 - Shelley Long, as Diane Chambers, made her last appearance as a regular on the TV show "Cheers."

1994 - The Edvard Munch painting "The Scream" was recovered after being stolen 3 months earlier from an Oslo Museum. This version of "The Scream", one of four different versions, was painted on paper.

1998 - Leeza Gibbons received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

2003 - Roger Moore collapsed during a matinee performance of the Broadway comedy "The Play What I Wrote." He finished the show after a 10-minute break. He was fitted with a pacemaker the following day.

DAILY SQU-EEK

If You Were Born Today, May 7

You are an earthy yet artistic person with a strong appreciation of nature, music, and the arts. You are charming and personable in a quiet way, and also very loving, although you easily withhold your concern and care if you feel someone is not giving you the proper respect. Moodiness and indecisiveness are strong possibilities with this birthday, as are great talents and sensitivity. Famous people born today:

1748 Olympe de Gouges [Marie Gouze], French playwright and revolutionary (Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen), born in Montauban, France (d. 1793)

1812 Robert Browning, English poet (Pied Piper), born in London, England (d. 1889)

1840 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Russian composer of the late-Romantic period (1812 Overture, Swan Lake), born in Votkinsk, Russia (d. 1893)

1861 Rabindranath Tagore, Indian philosopher, poet, writer (Nobel Prize for Literature 1913), born in Calcutta, British India (d. 1941)

1901 Gary Cooper, American actor (Sgt York, High Noon), born in Helena, Montana (d. 1961)

1909 Edwin Land, American inventor of instant photography and co-founder of the Polaroid Corporation, born in Bridgeport, Connecticut (d. 1991)

1919 Eva Perón [Evita], Argentine First Lady (1946-52) actress, suffragette, unionist and humanitarian who was inspiration for A.L. Webber's musical "Evita", born in Los Toldos, Argentina (d. 1952)

1950 Tim Russert, American television journalist and host of NBC's Meet the Press, born in Buffalo, New York (d. 2008)

READERS INFO

1.

1840 -

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (May 7, 1840 – November 6, 1893)

Tchaikovsky is famous for composing "The Nutcracker" ballet, as well as numerous symphonies, concertos, operas, ballets, and chamber-music pieces. He’s remembered as one of classical music’s most popular composers. He began taking piano lessons when he was five and was able to read music at the same level as his first piano teacher in only three years.

2.

1945 -

Germany signed unconditional surrender ending World War II on this day in 1945. It would take effect the next day.

3.

Vegas Uncork'd 2019

May 9 - 12, 2019 | Las Vegas, NV

Celebrity chefs, innovative mixologists and expert sommeliers join forces to offer guests a sensory experience for the ages. Presented by Bon Appétit Magazine, Vegas Uncork’d is the ultimate wine and food experience, consisting of over a dozen unique events taking place at a variety of upscale venues over a four-day period. Guests can enjoy tastings featuring over 100 wines and 60 participating restaurants, try their luck in a blackjack tournament and attend wine seminars to hone their sommelier skills.

further information: Vegas Uncork'd

4.

Great American Book Festival 2019

May 10 - 11, 2019 | Rapid City, SD

Main Street Square|512 Main St, Rapid City

This dynamic is a two-day event literary event includes the GABfest Writers’ Conference & GABfest Lit Walk. All events are FREE and open to the public with the exception of Agent Pitch Sessions which are fee-based and require registration in advance. GABfest Writers’ Conference GABfest Lit Walk Great American Book Festival Authors from around the globe are in attendance at the festival.

further information: Great American Book Festival

Pictures of the day

Pancuran Tujuh (Indonesian for 'Seven Springs') is a hot spring located on the slopes of Mount Slamet in the Banyumas Regency of Indonesia's Central Java province. Local people believe that the hot spring and its sulfuric waters contain healing properties. According to legend, the springs were discovered by a man named Syekh Maulana Maghribi. Sailing to Gresik on Java to spread Islam, he and a follower spotted a strange light. The legend then tells that they followed the light, landing at Pemalang and continuing overland, but Maghribi fell ill with a strange skin condition and received a vision that he had to climb the southern mountains to treat it. Finding Pancuran Tujuh, he treated himself by bathing in the waters.

THREE JETMEN GO FOR A CRUISE
WITH THE FRENCH ACROBATIC PATROL