DIANE'S CORNER ... Celebrate

Uncommon Instrument Awareness Day

It’s easy to play any musical instrument: all you have to do is touch the right key at the right time and the instrument will play itself.
Johann Sebastian Bach

Well Mr. Bach, what if the instrument you’re working with doesn’t have keys? There are all sorts of instruments in the world, and most of them have keys or strings of some sort. But there are drums that lack both, and instruments like the Theremin that is uniquely bizarre in that to play the instrument, you do not touch the instrument. Uncommon Instrument Awareness Day encourages you to broaden your idea of what an instrument is.

History of Uncommon Instrument Awareness Day

The history of Uncommon Instrument Awareness Day is really just the history of the many types of instruments in the world today, and the less commonly known producers of that music. There are hundreds of instruments you’ve likely never heard of, things like the contrabass balalaika, easily the least unusual of the instruments you can research. It has a large triangular body and is either played with the fingers or leather plectrums.

Another odd type of instrument is the American Fotoplayer, a specific form of player piano that was designed to play out the sound effects during the 19th centuries silent movies. One of our personal favorite unique forms of instruments is the armonica, also known as the ‘bowl organ’ or ‘hydrocrystalophone’. It is an instrument comprised of glass bowls of varying sizes that produce different notes when friction is applied. Think of it as an automated crystal wine glass player. These are just some of the amazing Uncommon Instruments that you can learn about, and they come from a long history of musical tradition in various parts of the world.

thanks for these Uniquely Amazing Photos, Valerie, Canadian Correspondent

Word of the Day

teknonymy or tecnonymy

MEANING:

noun: The custom of naming a parent after their child.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Greek teknon (child) + -onym (name). Earliest documented use: 1888.

NOTES:

If you have ever called your spouse Billy’s Dad or Billy’s Mom, you have practiced teknonymy. When we refer to a parent as a senior, as in Bush Sr. (or, to get fancy, Bush père), we are also doing a kind of teknonymy. It’s just that in some cultures teknonymy is practiced more formally and a parent is renamed after the birth of the first child. There are many reasons for using teknonymy. In some cultures, it’s considered taboo to call certain relations by name (as in the usage example below). Sometimes, it’s convenience. You may not know or remember the names of your child’s friends’ parents, for example, so you resort to teknonymy.

USAGE:

“Indeed, the taboo against using personal names is so strong, and the urge to teknonymy so strong, that the child in question can be imaginary. Sim cites with disapproval the example of a young housewife on a TV gameshow being asked to introduce to the audience the gentleman standing besides her. Her reply [meant] ‘This is my husband (the father of our as-yet-unconceived child)’.”
Ho-min Sohn; Korean Language in Culture and Society; University of Hawaii Press; 2006.

Idiom of the Day

Top dog -

Meaning - Very successful group, company, person, country etc.

Example - The economic survey proved that they are the top dogs of the IT industry.

This Day in History

1790 - The first U.S. patent was issued to Samuel Hopkins for his process for making potash and pearl ashes. The substance was used in fertilizer.

1792 - The cornerstone of the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia, PA, was laid. It was the first building to be used only as a U.S. government building.

1845 - The French Army introduced the saxophone to its military band. The musical instrument was the invention of Adolphe Sax of Belgium.

1928 - MGM’s Leo the lion roared for the first time. He introduced MGM’s first talking picture, "White Shadows on the South Seas."

1932 - Enzo Ferrari retired from racing. In 1950 he launched a series of cars under his name.

1948 - U.S. President Truman helped dedicate New York International Airport (later John F. Kennedy International Airport) at Idlewild Field.

1955 - Marilyn Bell of Toronto, Canada, at age 17, became the youngest person to swim the English Channel.

1989 - The Game Boy handheld video game device was released in the U.S.

1995 - Selena's "Dreaming of You" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard chart. It was her first English album. Selena became the first Latin artist to debut at No. 1.

1999 - The spacecraft Lunar Prospect crashed into the moon. It was a mission to detect frozen water on the moon's surface. The craft had been launched on January 6, 1998.

thanks, Heide

DAILY SQU-EEK

If You Were Born Today, July 31

You have a real flair with people. You are passionate and ardent, and you work hard towards success in life. A natural leader, your charisma attracts others, and your creativity knows few bounds. You are success-oriented, but your warmth keeps you from being hardened or overly practical. You don't like to beat around the bush, but you are also sensitive to others' feelings so that your manner is considered charming rather than abrupt. You are more than willing to work on your relationships, and you tend to attract serious, older, or hard-working partners. Famous people born today:

1803 John Ericsson, Swedish-American inventor (screw propeller, rotating turret), born in Långban, Sweden

1912 Milton Friedman, American economist (Nobel Prize Economics 1976), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2006)

1932 Ted Cassidy, American actor (Lurch-Addams Family), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 1979)

1965 J. K. Rowling, English writer (Harry Potter novels), born in Yate, Gloucestershire

READERS INFO

1.

(Not So) Totally Useless Fact of The Day:

A “contronym” is a word that’s its own opposite.

For example: if you seed the lawn you add seeds, but if you seed a tomato you remove them.

2.

1944 -

TODAY: In 1944, writer and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is born.

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Dodge City Days 2019

Jul 25 - Aug 4, 2019 | Dodge City, KS

Established in 1960, Dodge City Days is a ten-day celebration of Kansas’ western history and heritage. The festival features family-friendly attractions like a car show, parade, delicious barbecue and a variety of arts and crafts booths. Drawing a crowd of more than 100,000 attendees, the festival boasts the title of being the second largest event of its kind throughout the state.

further information: Dodge City Days

4.

Media Dining Under the Stars 2019

May 1 - Sept 27, 2019 | Media, PA

Along West State Street between Jackson and Orange Streets|W State St & S Olive St

There’s nothing romantic about being stuffed in a dingy restaurant populated with sweaty diners. The City of Love inspires this festival in Media, Pennsylvania, by situating the dinner table under the night sky. Lit by shiny stars rather than wax candles, guests will dine in style with the area’s many restaurants.

further information: Dining Under The Stars

5.

Caldwell Farmers Market 2019

May 21 - Sept 17, 2019 | Caldwell, ID

Indian Creek Park at Blaine and Kimball next to TVCC|I-84BL & S Kimball Ave

Image result for Caldwell Farmers Market 2019 May 2019 Dates Unconfirmed | Caldwell, ID

During winter, you’re wary of produce at local supermarkets because you don’t know where it comes from. When spring rolls around, the Caldwell Farmers Market is a godsend. For the freshest, locally grown products in Idaho, head to the Farmers Market every Wednesday evening throughout spring and summer. You’ll stumble upon colorful produce and enjoy toe-tapping tunes from a local live music act.

further information: Caldwell Farmers Market

Pictures of the day

A computer-generated animation showing the cardiac cycle, which is the performance of the human heart from the ending of one heartbeat to the beginning of the next. It consists of two periods: one during which the heart muscle relaxes and refills with blood, called diastole, followed by a period of robust contraction and pumping of blood, known as systole. After emptying, the heart immediately relaxes and expands to receive another influx of blood returning from the lungs and other systems of the body, before again contracting to pump blood to the lungs and those systems. A normally performing heart must be fully expanded before it can efficiently pump again. Assuming a healthy heart and a typical rate of 70 to 75 beats per minute, each cardiac cycle or heartbeat takes about 0.8 seconds to complete.

DAILY ROUTINE

2nd people The Amazing Winners of the 2019 National Geographic Travel Photo Contest

This photo was taken at a public park at Choi Hung House in Hong Kong. When I visited during the afternoon, it was very crowded with many young people taking pictures and playing basketball. But when I visited at sunrise, it was quiet and a different place. [The area] is [designated] for neighborhood residents in the early morning, and there was a sacred atmosphere. I felt divinity when I saw an old man doing tai chi in the sun.