World Soil Day - December 5, 2019

DIANE'S CORNER ... 

Celebrate World Soil Day

One annual celebration you might be forgiven for not participating in (or even knowing about) is World Soil Day. Yes, soil—as in that sticky brown stuff that gets walked all over your prized cream carpets. Sadly, it is our ignorance about the importance of soil and the degree to which we take advantage of all that it offers that have led to a drastic reduction in its quality the world over.

These are precisely the problems World Soil Day aims to battle, as few things could be more important to us, the inhabitants of Planet Earth, who could never hope to survive without the land.

Soil is one without a doubt of the most significant parts of the ecosystem, contributing to our food, water and energy and playing an important part in reducing the impact of climate change. For all of these reasons, it’s high time World Soil Day became known to more people than just scientists concerned about the welfare of our planet.

History of World Soil Day

In 2002, the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) made a resolution proposing the 5th of December be World Soil Day in order to celebrate the importance of soil as a critical component of the natural system and as a vital contributor to human well-being. 2015 was also declared to be the Internationals Year of Soils in hopes of raising as much awareness as possible about the enormous role soil plays in food security. Unsurprisingly, so far it’s mostly been the global community of 60,000 or so soil scientists who have been the ones celebrating the day the most. The chances of us ordinary folk exchanging ‘Happy Soil Day’ cards in the near future remain minimal, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn to appreciate the important roles that soil plays in our lives (even if it is darn hard to scrub off the carpet when your nearest and dearest feline friends leave muddy footprints on their way to the kitchen).

thanks, Shelley, New York Food Correspondent

Joke of the Day

thanks, Valerie, Canadian Correspondent

Calling the Doctor
A distraught senior citizen phoned her doctor’s office.

"Is it true," she wanted to know, "that the medication you prescribed has to be taken for the rest of my life?"

"Yes, I’m afraid so," the doctor told her.

There was a moment of silence before the senior lady replied:-

"I’m wondering, then, just how serious is my condition because this prescription is marked:-
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‘NO REFILLS.

Word of the Day

worricow

MEANING:

noun: A hobgoblin, scarecrow, or a person of frightening appearance.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Scottish, from worry (to harass) + cow (hobgoblin). Earliest documented use: 1711.

USAGE:

“Our world seems to be disinfected of all such ‘superstitious’ numina as ‘witches, warlocks, and worricows’.”
Carl Jung; Man and His Symbols; Doubleday; 1964.

Idiom of the Day

HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD

To be completely right or correct about something
I think Lucy hit the nail on the head when she said there’s no such thing as an ideal school. There are pros and cons to all of them.

This Day in History

1766 - James Christie, founder of the famous auctioneers, held his first sale in London.

1776 - In Williamsburg, VA, at the College of William and Mary the first scholastic fraternity in America, Phi Beta Kappa, was organized.


1782 - The first native U.S. president, Martin Van Buren, was born in Kinderhook, NY.


1791 - Composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died in Vienna, Austria, at the age of 35.


1848 - U.S. President Polk triggered the Gold Rush of '49 by confirming the fact that gold had been discovered in California.


1876 - The Stillson wrench was patented by D.C. Stillson. The device was the first practical pipe wrench.


1908 - At the University of Pittsburgh, numerals were first used on football uniforms worn by college football players.


1933 - Prohibition came to an end when Utah became the 36th state to ratify the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.


1978 - The American space probe Pioneer Venus I, orbiting Venus, began beaming back its first information and picture of the planet.


1980 - John Lennon gave his last interview. It was with Jonathan Cott of Rolling Stone.


2010 - NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft became the longest-operating spacecraft ever sent to Mars. The Odyssey entered orbit around Mars on October 23, 2001.



DAILY SQU-EEK

If You Were Born Today, December 5

You are a true visionary with the intelligence and creativity to back it up. You are truly ahead of your time. You are resourceful and very quick to take care of the things that need to be done. Freedom-loving always, you don't appreciate being confined or stereotyped whatsoever. You are very sharp and witty, sometimes surprising others with your astute perceptions and quips. You value loyalty in others most. You can sometimes be a little hard on others, as you do expect honesty and integrity and become quite impatient with anything less. Famous people born today:

1443 Julius II, Italian Pope (1503-13) and patron of Michelangelo, Bramante and Raphael, born in Albisola, Republic of Genoa (d. 1513)

1782 Martin Van Buren, 8th US President (Democrat: 1837-41), born in Kinderhook, New York (d. 1862)

1901 Walt [Walter Elias] Disney, American animator, (Mickey Mouse), producer and co-founder of Walt Disney Co., born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1966)

1903 Cecil Frank Powell, English physicist who discovered pion (pi-meson), a subatomic particle (Nobel 1950), born in Tonbridge, England (d. 1969)

1975 Ronnie O'Sullivan, British snooker player (5-time world champion), born in Wordsley, England

thanks, Heide

READERS INFO

1.

(Not So) Totally Useless Facts of The Day:

There are four desert types that make up about a fifth of the Earth’s surface.

The four types are: Subtropical, Coastal, Cold, and Polar.

Part of the film watching experience are the movie trailers or previews that are shown. 

But why are they called trailers when they are shown before the movie? That’s because once upon a time these preview clips were shown AFTER the movie, hence the name “trailer”.

For the past 10 years, the U.S. Secret Service has exclusively used the Belgian Malinois on its canine force. 

These elite breed of dogs are known for being agile and effective at detecting explosives. They can often be seen patrolling just outside the White House gates, sniffing their way through the throngs of visitors, protesters and joggers passing by. They can run 25 miles per hour and have a
bite that applies hundreds of pounds of pressure per square inch. A Belgian Malinois dog named “Cairo” accompanied Navy SEALs on the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

2.

1974 -

The final episode of Monty Pythons Flying Circus aired on BBC TV. The show always started there show by saying, “And Now for something completely different.” 

3.

Mobile Symphony Orchestra Christmas Concert 2019

Dec 14 - 15, 2019 | Mobile, AL

Mobile Symphony Orchestra|257 Dauphin St

New Christmas show packed with great music, Irish dancers, holiday fun and a few surprises.

further information: Concert Calendar & Tickets

4.

Puget Sound Revels: The Christmas Revels 2019

Dec 14 - 18, 2019 | Tacoma, WA 

Rialto Theater|310 S 9th St

Puget Sound Revels: The Christmas Revels in Tacoma, Washington, is a seasonal performance series that features productions with traditional dance, acting and musical performances inspired by other cultures. The engagement rotates themes yearly, and past productions have featured the Appalachian and French Canadian regions as well as Elizabethan and Medieval eras.

further information: Puget Sound Revels

5.

Lights All Night 2019

Dec 27 - 29, 2019 | Dallas, TX

Go out with a bang at Lights All Night, Texas’ longest-running end-of-the-year party. There’s no better way to celebrate the end of another spectacular year than with dancing with your closest friends to the most incredible music. Trust us: With beats this good, you won’t want to stop dancing.

further information: Lights All Night 2019

Pictures of the day

The Hunting of the Snark is a nonsense poem written by English writer Lewis Carroll between 1874 and 1876. The poem describes a ship with a crew of ten trying to find the Snark, an animal which may turn out to be a highly dangerous Boojum. Among the hunters is a lace-making beaver, and a butcher, whose only skill is in butchering beavers. This picture, the third of Henry Holiday's original illustrations for the poem, accompanies the following stanza:

Yet still, ever after that sorrowful day,
Whenever the Butcher was by,
The Beaver kept looking the opposite way,
And appeared unaccountably shy.

It's Banksy

So you already know that's not snow..

knit
thanks, Cindy

Restful

knit
thanks, Eve

Two Pom Hat

knit ... Christmas

Advent Calendar Gift Pockets

knit ... Christmas

A Very Danger Christmas Collection

knit

thanks, Sylvia

GIRL FRIEND COWL

IN THE ROUND:

Measure the head and note (e.g. 22"). Using the plainer yarn and needles of your choice (the pattern would be lost with a fuzzy variegated yarn), cast on enough stitches to add another 25% to 50% in length, depending on if you want a tighter (28") or looser (33") fit. Try it around your neck to be sure.

Attach, then knit ROWS in the following pattern:

P2, K1, P2, K1, P2, K1, P2 for 1 row each.

Rib 1 (K1, P1) for 8 rows

Repeat until you have the length you want.

BO.

TWO NEEDLE KNITTING

Measure the depth of the cowl and CO the number of stiches to achieve the number needed to complete the following pastern across:

Row 1: *P2, K1, P2, K1, P2, K1, P2, K8*

Row 2: *K2, P1, K2, P1, K2, P1, K2, P8*

BO and sew ends together.

You could use this pattern to make a matching panta (skier's head band) as well; just use an elastic CO and BO on the band measured to fit the head.

Knit Pattern of the Day: 

thanks, Valerie, Canadian Correspondent

Knitted Baby Jacket

crochet
thanks, Tara

Stone Creek Scarf

crochet ... Christmas
thanks, Kay

Kirby Christmas decoration

crochet

Textured Waves Rug

crochet

Frolic Scarf pattern by Kath Baena

crochet ... Christmas

in easy Spanish

{ Un Arbolito de Navidad... }

RECIPE

thanks, Shelley, New York Food Correspondent

Tomato Soup Recipe

CROCKPOT RECIPE
thanks, Iris

Slow Cooker Italian Meatballs Recipe

SWEETS ... Christmas

thanks, Sandy

Egg Nog Muffins - 2 ingredients

rachaelrayshow

Ingredients

2 cups egg nog 

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F.   Fill a 12-cup muffin tin with paper inserts. In a glass measuring container, measure 2 cups of egg nog and whisk in 1 1/2 cups of self-rising flour.   Pour muffin batter into prepared tins and bake for 18 minutes until golden. 

thanks, Valerie, Canadian Correspondent

ADULT COLORING

CRAFTS ... Chanukah

A thrifty way to make a menorah is to save wine bottles, then spray paint them gold to use as candle holders. Although the shamash candle isn't visibly lower or higher than the other eight candles in this example, the menorah is positioned in a windowsill, which is a traditional spot to put one.

CHILDREN'S CORNER ... Christmas

thanks, Kitty

Cornflour Clay

PUZZLE

Tropical Fish Blues Jigsaw Puzzle



WORD SEARCH

abuse ages assist awful betray better coast confidential

dream drink dust energy flight found freak

group limit listen locate month more nation

peel place plant production purchase rates real refuse retreat river

stock sunbeam sunk system tear tempo tight tread

SUDOKU ... hard

solution:

QUOTE

thanks, Joan

CLEVER 

Crystal Christmas Decorations!

STEM newcastle

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… for this Christmas Special, we’re making beautiful decorations for your Christmas tree using science!

Step 1

Mould your pipe cleaners into the desired shape, we chose to make a Christmas tree out of green pipe-cleaners, and a snowflake out of white pipe-cleaners

Step 2

Carefully fill a large container with boiling water then add the salt bit by bit, stirring continuously, until the water is saturated.

This means that the salt stops dissolving and instead sits at the bottom of the water, as the water can no longer hold any more salt crystals.

Step 3

Tie one long piece of string around your decorations in a row

Step 4

Dip the decorations in the water, and suspend over the container (as shown in the picture)

 

Step 5

This next part will take some patience!

Over the next 24 to 48 hours, watch as the crystals develop around the fibres of the pipe-cleaners, and see your beautifully festive decorations develop!

Step 6

Tie a piece of string around the top of your decoration and hang on your tree!

The Science

Salt crystals are formed due to ionic bonding, meaning they form a specific pattern which is always a square shape. When salt is dissolved into water, the water molecules separate the salt molecules. This means that even when it looks like the salt has disappeared in the water, it is actually there all along.  This happens especially well in hot water, as the heat means the water can hold many more salt molecules than cold water. As the water cools and evaporates, the salt crystals bond again as the water can no longer hold all the salt. The crystals stick to the pipe-cleaners because as the water evaporates, it takes some of the salt with it which clings to our suspended decorations, leaving beautiful crystal ornaments!

thanks, Helen

EYE OPENER 

12 Baking Mistakes You Might Be Making with Your Christmas Cookies

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

Once a man has tasted freedom he will never be content to be a slave. That is why I believe that this frightfulness we see everywhere today is only temporary. Tomorrow will be better for as long as America keeps alive the ideals of freedom and a better life. -Walt Disney, entrepreneur and animator (5 Dec 1901-1966)

OPTICAL ILLUSION

I will never get enough of 3D art. Even though I know that this isn’t a little man trying to sneak around the corner of a book, I really can’t help but think this is a little man trying to sneak around the corner of a book!

Considering I can barely get halfway through the game board in a game of Pictionary, these things will never not impress me.