Save Your Hearing Day is our yearly reminder to turn down the dial and to listen to the birds chirping outside our windows, for a change. Its originator is unknown, but bless our eardrums, he did us a great service, because how would we otherwise have been able to tell teenagers to turn off that noise?
Save Your Hearing Day is best celebrated in peaceful environments, with earmuffs, if need be. There’s a 60:60 rule that everybody should abide by on this day, which says you should listen to your MP3 at 60% of volume capacity for less than 60 minutes a day. It applies to concerts, as well. But if you simply couldn’t resist going to a live rock concert without wearing earplugs, then you should know you’ve been exposed to hours of decibel noise, the equivalent of listening to an ambulance siren for hundreds of minutes. A hearing detox consisting of 16 hours of auricular rest would do wonders for your eardrums, so have it on this day, because everybody else is.
St. Gaudens, Nat'l Historic site,
New Hampshire
thanks, patty
Word of the Day
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| Definition: | (noun) Distinctive and stylish elegance. | ||
| Synonyms: | dash, elan, flair, style | ||
| Usage: | He wooed her with the confident panache of a cavalry officer. | ||
History
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 | Younghusband was a British Army officer and explorer remembered for his travels in the Far East and Central Asia. In 1887, he journeyed from China to India, crossing the Gobi desert and the Mustagh Pass of the Karakorum range. In 1904, he led a military expedition that participated in the massacring of Tibetan troops and forced a treaty upon Tibet that opened it to Western trade. Apparently, he later regretted his role in these events. | ||
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 | Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley is widely known for its apple orchards, which begin to flower in late May or early June. The area's Apple Blossom Festival is a five-day celebration whose events are held throughout the 60 towns and villages of the Annapolis Valley. In addition to a children's parade, sporting events, tours to view the apple blossoms, apple pie baking and eating contests, and a cooking competition, the festival includes the crowning of "Queen Annapolisa," who is chosen from among 18 local princesses. | ||
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 | A woman, whose brother was killed in a traffic accident, has met the man who was given his face in a pioneering transplant operation. Footage from Channel 9's 60 Minutes program in Australia shows the moment Rebekah Aversano sees - and touches the face of her dead brother. | ||
1859 - In London, Big Ben went into operation.
1870 - E.J. DeSemdt patented asphalt.
1884 - Dr. John Harvey Kellogg patented "flaked cereal."
1907 - The first taxis arrived in New York City. They were the first in the United States.
1917 - The first jazz record, "Darktown Strutters' Ball," was released.
1929 - In Beverly, MA, the first U.S. born reindeer were born.
1955 - The U.S. Supreme Court ordered that all states must end racial segregation "with all deliberate speed."
1999 - VH1's "Behind the Music" began airing nightly. The premier show was "The Red Hot Chili Peppers: Behind the Music."
85 Today
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is 85 today.
Before becoming a cultural icon, Eastwood worked as a lifeguard, a caddy, and
a grocery clerk while growing up. He served as the nonpartisan mayor of Carmel–
by-the-Sea, California from 1986 to 1988.
a grocery clerk while growing up. He served as the nonpartisan mayor of Carmel–
by-the-Sea, California from 1986 to 1988.
Born Yesterday, 1908
Mel Blanc at KGW radio in Portland, Oregon
Melvin Jerome "Mel" Blanc (Blank) (May 30, 1908 – July 10, 1989)
Nicknamed The Man with a Thousand Voices, Mel Blanc brought life to lovable
cartoon characters such as Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Tweety Bird and Daffy Duck
as a voice actor. He changed the spelling of his last name after a rude comment
made by his high school teacher. Blanc began his radio career at the age of 19
when in 1927 he debuted as a voice actor on the KGW program The Hoot Owls in Portland, Oregon.
cartoon characters such as Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Tweety Bird and Daffy Duck
as a voice actor. He changed the spelling of his last name after a rude comment
made by his high school teacher. Blanc began his radio career at the age of 19
when in 1927 he debuted as a voice actor on the KGW program The Hoot Owls in Portland, Oregon.
DAILY SQU-EEK
If You Were Born Today, May 31
Your clever mind and strength of character are traits that others tend to notice first, and that earn you respect. You are an engaging conversationalist, offering unique perspective on whatever topic is on the table. You are very capable and determined, and have a distinct traditional side to your personality. Famous people born today: Walt Whitman, Clint Eastwood, Joe Namath, Lea Thompson, Brooke Shields, Colin Farrell.
| Picture of the day | |
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Compound eyes on a blue bottle fly. Unlike simple eyes, which have a single concave photoreceptive surface, compound eyes consist of a number of individual lenses (called ommatidia) laid out on a convex surface; this means that they point in slightly different directions. Compound eyes provide a wide field of view and can detect fast movement, but have low resolution.
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The Power of Few
Photograph by Stefane Berube, National Geographic
“The night before this photo, we tried all day to get a good photo of the endangered white rhino,” writes Stefane Berube, who captured this shot at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary in Uganda. “Skulking through the grass carefully, trying to stay 30 feet away to be safe, didn't provide me the photo I was hoping for. In the morning, however, I woke up to all three rhinos grazing in front of me.” Berube used a 50mm lens rather than a wide-angle lens or telephoto “because of its sharpness and similarity to how our eyes perceive depth in real life.”
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Chick-in-an-Egg
Early spring, with its skipping lambs and bobbing daffodils, is certainly a good time for whimsy. And Easter, with its symbol-rich traditions, is definitely a ...
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Knitted Cat Tunnel pattern by Clarice Asquith
Not so much a knitting pattern, rather a description of my project in stages. It is suitable for the beginner knitter, as it only requires knowledge of a few knitti...
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crochet
Caribbean Skirt
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RECIPE
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Simple Cauliflower Soup Recipe | SimplyRecipes.com
Simple and easy cauliflower soup with just cauliflower, butter, salt, olive oil, and chives.
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CROCKPOT RECIPE
stephanie o'dea
CrockPot Strawberry Jam Recipe
I made jam in the crockpot, and it's delicious. The above photo was taken out in the grass because the inside photos came out really dark and the jam looked brown.
Making jam in your crockpot is super easy, and super sticky. Keep a container of wipies near by---the stick seems to spread.
The Ingredients.
--4 pounds of fresh strawberries
--3 cups of sugar
--1-2 boxes (1.75 oz) of pectin
The Directions.
Wash all of the strawberries, and cut out the stem. Quarter them and throw into your crockpot. I gave all of the strawberry leaves and stems to the guinea pigs and they were so excited they did back flips.
Use a potato masher to squish the strawberries and to create some liquid. We didn't have a potato masher so my helper used the hand mixer attachments.
Add the sugar and pectin and smash some more.
Cover and cook on low for a hundred million years.
Or 10-12 hours; same thing. I used one box of pectin because that is what I bought. After about 10 hours, if your berries are still not jelling the way that you'd like them to, add another 1/2 box to a full box. You can test the "jell" by putting a small amount in the freezer for about 5 minutes.
I don't have enough Little House on the Prairie in me to fuss with proper jarring, so I used a well-washed jelly jar and made tupperwares to give away to family. Keep your jam in the freezer if you'd like it to top toast and sandwiches, or in the refrigerator for more of a syrup or ice-cream topping.
The Verdict.
YUM! This is very good.
PUZZLE
CHILDREN'S CORNER .. coloring
CRAFT
Water Bottle Bracelets
By: Heidi Borchers
Go green with this recycled craft ideas. Faux Felted Water Bottle Bracelets are a fun and sophisticated way to reuse old plastic water bottles.
Materials:
- Plastic Water Bottle
- Masking tape (tape width determines width of bracelet)
- Double sided tape
- Felt
- Glue (I used Aleene’s No Sew Glue)
- Beads
- Scissors
- Craft knife
- Toothpick
Instructions:
- To create bracelets, place the masking tape onto the plastic water bottle, evenly and straight with a small space in between each.
- Using a craft knife, cut each bracelet apart in the open space area.
- Trim edges to the tape edge. The tape is the guide to the bracelet.
- Carefully remove the masking tape. Note: the tape can be reused if removed carefully.
- Place the double sided tape onto the plastic bracelet.
- Cut pieces of various sizes of two colors of felt. Each piece should be about 1/2” wider than bracelet width size. Pull tape off in a small area at a time. Place each precut piece of felt into the tape area, centering felt with about 1/4” over each edge.
- Using scissors trim the excess felt on edges of the bracelet. Cut along opposite edge.
- To make the flowers, cut small strips of felt 1/4” wide. The length of this strip will determine the size of the flower. For flowers shown I used approx. 8”. Place a small amount of glue on the end, and begin to roll this strip. Add small amounts of glue as you roll. When completely rolled, place glue on the end of the strip of felt to end flower.
- Using a toothpick, create an indentation in the center of the rolled felt flower. Place small amount of glue into the area and place small bead into the glue. Let glue dry. Glue flower onto prepared bracelet.
- Repeat to create additional flowers.
By: Heidi Borchers
Go green with this recycled craft ideas. Faux Felted Water Bottle Bracelets are a fun and sophisticated way to reuse old plastic water bottles.
Materials:
- Plastic Water Bottle
- Masking tape (tape width determines width of bracelet)
- Double sided tape
- Felt
- Glue (I used Aleene’s No Sew Glue)
- Beads
- Scissors
- Craft knife
- Toothpick
Instructions:
- To create bracelets, place the masking tape onto the plastic water bottle, evenly and straight with a small space in between each.
- Using a craft knife, cut each bracelet apart in the open space area.
- Trim edges to the tape edge. The tape is the guide to the bracelet.
- Carefully remove the masking tape. Note: the tape can be reused if removed carefully.
- Place the double sided tape onto the plastic bracelet.
- Cut pieces of various sizes of two colors of felt. Each piece should be about 1/2” wider than bracelet width size. Pull tape off in a small area at a time. Place each precut piece of felt into the tape area, centering felt with about 1/4” over each edge.
- Using scissors trim the excess felt on edges of the bracelet. Cut along opposite edge.
- To make the flowers, cut small strips of felt 1/4” wide. The length of this strip will determine the size of the flower. For flowers shown I used approx. 8”. Place a small amount of glue on the end, and begin to roll this strip. Add small amounts of glue as you roll. When completely rolled, place glue on the end of the strip of felt to end flower.
- Using a toothpick, create an indentation in the center of the rolled felt flower. Place small amount of glue into the area and place small bead into the glue. Let glue dry. Glue flower onto prepared bracelet.
- Repeat to create additional flowers.
QUOTE
Men Shower Themselves with Molten Iron During Fiery Chinese Celebration
By Spooky
Every year, during the Lantern Festival, the Chinese village of Nuanquan hosts one of the most spectacular pyrotechnics show in the world. Called Da Shuhua (Chinese for “tree flower) the tradition involves experienced blacksmiths showering themselves with molten iron.
Da Shuhua is believed to have originated over 300 years ago, when local blacksmiths came up with a unique alternative to fireworks. The rich would always celebrate New Year with fire crackers, but poor blacksmiths could not afford them, so they had to rely on themselves to find a cheaper alternative. Inspired by iron striking, the blacksmiths started melting iron at temperatures of around 1,000 degrees Celsius and throwing it at a large stone wall to create an effect similar to fireworks. In contact with the cold stone, the splashed molten iron would generate beautiful iron flowers that rained down on the brave blacksmiths.
"Good Morning" in Armenian [Western] (Armenia) - Pari luis
CLEVER
EYE OPENER
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5 Reasons I Want Weeds in My Garden
Buzz off, Monsanto! 5 Reasons I Want Weeds in My Garden. From free food and medicine to wildlife habitat, weeds are a natural part of a healthy garden.
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Cauliflower Soup sounds like just the thing--sprinkled heavily with some nice sharp cheddar!
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