Like most people out there, you’re probably confused about what your baby weighed at birth. Well, you should be, because there’s only one day a year that anybody bothers to convert from dram to gram and from gram to grain, and that’s Weights and Measures Day.
We celebrate this day by taking children’s measurements, weighing the cats and checking that the king size bed matches the country’s guidelines. We also hold a moment of silence for those measurements that have become obsolete, such as the chalder or chaldron, the clove, the scruple, and as soon as that time is up, we proceed by making snotty remarks about the Indian candy, the Chinese catty and tan, the Japanese chin, the jupiter, the kip, and the slug, all valid measurements, as hilarious as they may sound to us. We then conclude by vigorously proclaiming the superiority of the metric or the imperial system, whichever of the two applies.
Word of the Day
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| Definition: | (adjective) Of very poor quality; unequivocally detestable. | ||
| Synonyms: | hateful, odious, deplorable | ||
| Usage: | The meal they were served was execrable from beginning to end, but they were too hungry to care. | ||
History
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 | Ranking among the great masters of the novel, Balzac was a French writer regarded as one of the founders of realism in literature. His magnum opus was a vast collection of novels and short stories collectively titled La Comédie humaine—The Human Comedy—which presents a panorama of the French society of his time, picturing in precise detail characters from every class and every profession. Balzac's work habits are legendary. | ||
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 | The citizens of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, like to think that their ancestors were the first to call for independence from the British when they adopted the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence on May 20, 1775. But historians now believe that the resolutions calling for independence were never actually presented there. Even though the Mecklenburg patriots may not have been the first to declare their independence from British rule, their actions represent an important step on the road to the American Revolution. | ||
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 | Millions of tiny spiders recently fell from the sky in Australia, alarming residents whose properties were suddenly covered with not only the creepy critters, but also mounds of their silky threads. But that's not where the frightful news ends: Experts say that such arachnid rains arent as uncommon as you might think. | ||
1506 - In Spain, Christopher Columbus died in poverty
1830 - The fountain pen was patented by H.D. Hyde.
1874 - Levi Strauss began marketing blue jeans with copper rivets.
1899 - Jacob German of New York City became the first driver to be arrested for speeding. The posted speed limit was 12 miles per hour.
1916 - Norman Rockwell’s first cover on "The Saturday Evening Post" appeared.
1927 - Charles Lindbergh took off from New York to cross the Atlantic for Paris aboard his airplane the "Spirit of St. Louis." The trip took 33 1/2 hours.
1932 - Amelia Earhart took off to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She became the first woman to achieve the feat.
1978 - Mavis Hutchinson, at age 53, became the first woman to run across America. It took Hutchinson 69 days to run the 3,000 miles.
1982 - TV’s "Barney Miller" was seen for the last time on ABC-TV.
1990 - The Hubble Space Telescope sent back its first photographs
1993 - The final episode of "Cheers" was aired on NBC-TV.
DAILY SQU-EEK
If You Were Born Today, May 20
You possess much strength of character, warmth, sensuality, and intuition. While grounded and steady overall, you have a flair for the dramatic. You are exceptionally self-aware, and spend your life learning, largely through intuition and observation. You are loving and kind, but seldom forget a slight. Famous people born today: Honore de Balzac, Cher, James Stewart, Dolly Madison.
| Picture of the day | |
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The 2013 Moore tornado as it approached the city of Moore, Oklahoma, on May 20, 2013. This EF5 tornado, with peak winds estimated at 210 mph (340 km/h) and a maximum width of 1.3 miles (2.1 km), killed 25 people and injured 377 others. Damages from the storm were estimated at $2 billion.
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Market Talk
Photograph by Brian Hammonds, National Geographic
While at the Noryangjin Fish Market in Seoul, South Korea, Brian Hammonds was drawn to the contrast of the blues in the displays and the reds and pinks worn by the women seen here. An elevated walkway at the front of the market allowed Hammond to capture the scene from above.
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Divergent Necklace | Free Knit Pattern | Jessie At Home
I love playing with colors, shapes and textures in my knitting. This free knit pattern is one result. Add Divergent to your spring wardrobe!
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Helena baby sweater - Summer 2008 - Knitty
Knitty is a free web-only knitting magazine with a sense of humor. Fun patterns, fabulous articles. Come and see for yourself!
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Graphic Stripes Pouf pattern by Bernat Design Studio
This bold striped pouf will add a fun touch to any room.
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Beachcomber Baby Blanket - KnitCulture.com
Right now I need two hands to count all the new babies on my knitting list. (Which means I’m also counting back nine months and thinking ‘yikes! I was at th...
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Stir Me Up Potholders pattern by MintyFresh
Make your kitchen an even more fun and inviting place to spend your time with these colorful spiraled potholders. Double thick and double sided, they’ll ea...
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RECIPE
CRUNCHY TURKEY TACOS
redbook
MAKE IT:
1. Spray a skillet with nonstick spray and bring it to medium-high heat on the stove. Drop in 1¼ lb lean ground turkey; break up turkey with a spatula and stir occasionally for about 8 minutes, until turkey is mostly cooked.
2. Add ¼ cup water and 2 tsp taco seasoning mix and mix well. Again, stir occasionally until water has evaporated and turkey is fully cooked, about 3 minutes.
3. Allow to cool slightly, then divvy up into 12 corn taco shells, about ¼ cup turkey mixture each. Garnish with extras like shredded lettuce and sliced avocado, if desired.
Two basic tacos: 258 cal, 12 g fat.
CROCKPOT RECIPE
stephanie o'dea
CrockPot Mahi Mahi With Asparagus, Broccoli, and Spinach
After digging through the freezer, I found a neglected package of frozen mahi mahi with some sort of lemon-pepper marinade.
I had it for lunch with a bunch of fresh veggies; it hit the spot, it didn't heat or stink up the house, and I had enough good-for-me-food floating around inside to go for a proper run.
The Ingredients.
--16 of mahi mahi or other favorite fish
--> ours was seasoned already. If you have unflavored fish, rub with some olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, chili flakes, or other seasoning blend that you really enjoy.
--fresh somewhat-soft vegetables. I use broccoli, asparagus, and spinach.
--a touch of water, or lemon juice (about 2T)
The Directions.
Wash all your veggies, and put damp into the crockpot. Top with your fish. I squeezed the marinade out of the fish, because it seemed awfully oily.
I added 2T of water to the crockpot and cooked on LOW for approximately 2-3 hours. Mahi Mahi is pretty thick; if you are using thinner fish (such as tilapia) check after 90 minutes.
The Verdict.
I was very happy that I made this and ate it for lunch. I sort of forget about lunch a lot, and grab whatever is lying around, or pick at leftovers. I've also noticed the kids are more inclined to try new foods in the middle of the day, before the 4 o'clock crankies hit. My three-year-old ate this with me, and my six-year-old had it as an after school snack. The stars must have been in proper alignment or something, because there wasn't any fuss about having fish and vegetables as a snack. I don't expect a repeat of that performance any time soon, but I am happy that it occurred!
CRAFT
How to Make Thumbtack Vase Fillers
These gorgeous vase fillers are created from styrofoam balls, thumb tacks, and spray paint. Brilliant!
CHILDREN'S CORNER ... craft
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Come Together Kids: Mini Marshmallow Shooters (or Po...
A few months ago, when I was first introduced to Pinterest, I came across this idea from Real Simple. I thought it looked like something the kids would enjo...
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QUOTE
PUZZLE
Jack Russel R Jigsaw Puzzle
Jack Russel R Jigsaw Puzzle, 67 Piece Classic. Jack Russel dog looking to the right, white and brown on
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A DOG NAMED RIPLEY & VAMPIRE CAT: 3 ANIMALS WITH AMAZING STORIES
HERE ARE THREE VERY DIFFERENT STORIES OF AMAZING ANIMALS FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT!
We know weird from shrunken heads to glow-in-the-dark plants, there’s not much left out there to surprise us. And yet, it happens all the time!
Here are three very different stories of amazing animals that when we heard about them, we said, “We’ll just have to see it to believe it!” And we did. We saw each and every one of these amazing animals and can confirm that they–and their incredible stories–are indeed real.
MEET THE DOG NAMED RIPLEY
Abandoned and alone, this purebred poodle was in such an unbelievably horrific condition when My Heart’s Desire Animal Rescue in Louisiana found him that they named him Ripley after Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
We were surprised and humbled by the attribution…but that’s not the whole story.
Ripley’s full-circle transformation is the most amazing part of this story.
When the animal rescue found him, Ripley was a homeless dog with nothing but a ditch to curl up in.
“You would have never believed there was a dog under there. He didn’t even look like a dog. He looked like elephant man. All you could see was his snout.”
-Shelter co-director Tracy Lapeyrouse on Ripley’s initial condition
Ripley’s fur was so wildly overgrown and twisted that he couldn’t see. What’s more? He couldn’t even get up and walk!
“You would have never believed there was a dog under there”
When we heard about Ripley’s serious predicament, we knew we needed to help.
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! sent the animal rescue a donation to help them and we gave a gift card to Ripley’s new family. We wanted to make sure this unbelievable dog would have an unbelievable life.
At the My Heart’s Desire Animal Rescue, Ripley was freed from a whopping two pounds and eight ounces of matted fur on his little five-pound body.
Ripley was then washed and fed.
Lapeyrouse says this was a rare experience for him:“He’s physically never felt the sensation of touch. When you touch him you can tell it’s been a very, very long time since he’s been physically touched.”
All of that care and attention lead to this amazing transformation that you just had to see to believe!
HERE’S ANOTHER DOG WITH A VERY DIFFERENT KIND OF UNBELIEVABLE STORY.
One of the oddest cases of a dog eating something they shouldn’t.
This dog’s story starts with socks—a ridiculous amount of socks. How many socks?
This is what all those socks look like sprawled out.
43 and a half socks to be exact.
It’s a pretty big feat for any dog to eat all those socks. We had a hard time believing they all fit inside him at one time!
It’s a pretty big feat for any dog to eat all those socks. We had a hard time believing they all fit inside him at one time!
But it’s true; we even have the veterinarian’s photo-imaging to confirm it.
Fortunately, this dog was taken into the veterinarian in time. All those socks could have caused catastrophic damage. Instead, this dog was put under, cut open and un-stuffed.
The dog lived. The socks did not.
THE VAMPIRE CAT, OR, VAMPIRE CAT LAZARUS!
Lazarus was found as a mere kitten wandering the streets of Johnson City, Tennessee.
The kitten had, by conventional standards, a rather disfigured face. A cleft palate left this kitten looking like a vampire. With no upper lip, with bottom fangs that protrude and a seemingly non-existent nose, this kitten’s fate was uncertain.
Lazarus, the Vampire Cat
But then, in a fortunate turn of events, the vampire cat was brought in by a woman named Cindy Chambers.
Cindy, also considered disabled by society’s standards, started using the cat as a therapy animal. Together, they help change people’s perceptions about animals and humans with disabilities.
How To Say Coffee in Italian: caffè
CLEVER
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thanks, patty
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24 Beautiful Photo Portraits of Dogs By Alicja Zmyslowsk...
Here are some of the most stunning photos of dogs I’ve ever seen. The “secret” behind these gorgeous shots is that they’re all snapped by the same, very ta...
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Gotta remember that wooden spoon trick!
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