Viruses – whether those which affect living organisms, or computer viruses – are clever little things. Sure, they’re annoying, and it’s frustrating that even with all of our protective measures, we still get infected. Virus Appreciation Day is your chance to think about viruses philosophically, and to take a moment to consider how sophisticated, amazing and important viruses are!
Word of the Day
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| Definition: | (noun) A poem similar to a rondeau, having 13 or 14 lines with two rhymes throughout. The first and second lines reappear in the middle and at the end, although sometimes only the first line appears at the end. | ||
| Synonyms: | rondeau | ||
| Usage: | Her poetry club issued a new challenge every week; last week, everyone had to write a funny rondel about chewing gum. | ||
bobbie, 20 years old, the conure parrot, thanks sheri
History
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 | In 1994, Simpson, a former football star, was charged with the murder of his estranged wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. His trial was a media-saturated event that highlighted racial tensions in America and resulted in his acquittal in 1995. In 1997, a civil jury levied a $33.5 million wrongful-death award against him in a suit brought by the victims' families. | ||
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 | After beginning his career writing plays, Wolfe turned to novels, many of which are thinly veiled autobiographies. His writing habits, influenced by excessive drinking, were haphazard and undisciplined. In his The Story of a Novel, Wolfe describes how editor Maxwell Perkins helped him turn the chaotic manuscripts for his first two books into publishable works. | ||
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 | Unity Day celebrates the reunification of East and West Germany that took place on October 3, 1990. In setting the date of the official reunification, West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl wanted to honor the historic events of November 1989, in which the government of East Germany resigned and thousands of citizens scaled the Berlin Wall and began to demolish it, but did not want to overshadow other important November observances. German Unity Day is observed with speeches, marches, and public events, including the government's official Unity Day celebration street festival. | ||
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 | Four and a half months after a Russian launch failure destroyed a $300 million Mexican communications satellite, a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket boosted a second, equally costly relay station into space Friday to provide high speed data, video and cellular services across Mexico. | ||
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1863 - U.S. President Lincoln declared that the last Thursday of November would be recognized as Thanksgiving Day.
1893 - The motor-driven vacuum cleaner was patented by J.S. Thurman.
1906 - W.T. Grant opened a 25-cent department store.
1922 - Rebecca L. Felton became the first female to hold office of U.S. Senator. She was appointed by Governor Thomas W. Hardwick of Georgia to fill a vacancy.
1945 - Elvis Presley appeared in a talent show at the age of 10. It was his first public appearance. He won 2nd place and $5.
1951 - CBS-TV aired the first coast-to-coast telecast of a prizefight. Dave Sands defeated Carl Olson at Soldier Field in Chicago.
1954 - "Father Knows Best" began airing on CBS-TV.
1955 - "The Mickey Mouse Club" premiered on ABC-TV
1961 - "The Dick Van Dyke Show" debuted on CBS-TV.
1992 - Sinead O'Connor tore a picture of the pope during her appearance on "Saturday Night Live."
DAILY SQU-EEK
If You Were Born Today, October 3
Others are drawn to your lighthearted, essentially happy and hopeful personality. However, you're not without an "edge", and when you want something, you have tremendous stamina to draw upon. Your relationships are extremely important to you, and you can be impulsive in love, following your heart rather than pure logic. You crave security and stability, however, and your family and home life are vital to your sense of peace and happiness. Balance is what you seek, and you strive to be as fair as possible in your dealings with others. Famous people born today: Thomas Wolfe, Gore Vidal, Chubby Checker, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Tommy Lee, Gwen Stefani, Neve Campbell, Ashlee Simpson.
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The Point Cabrillo Light is a lighthouse in northernCalifornia, United States, between Point Arena andCape Mendocino, just south of the community of Caspar. It is part of the California state park system as Point Cabrillo Light Station State Historic Park. Completed in 1909, the lighthouse was manned by the United States Coast Guard from 1939 until it was automated in 1973. Beginning in 1996, the station was restored to the state it would have been in in the 1930s.
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High Hoops
Photograph by Calla Kessler
At the edge of a field full of expectant festivalgoers, a fire performer practices her hoop routine before her performance at the Lantern Fest in Omaha, Nebraska. Calla Kessler, who submitted this photo to the 2015 National Geographic Photo Contest, met the performer and her group “by chance” and was intrigued. “After getting to know them a bit,” she writes, “I asked if I could photograph their practice and stayed with them until dark.”
thanks, helen
knit, HALLOWEEN
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Flower Princess Tiara and Wand Knitting Pattern | Red He...
Step 1. Choose your size One Size Size of Tiara and Wand depend on measurements of purchased foam wand and visor.
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knit
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Just Crafty Enough – Project: Knit Fish
So, you may remember a couple Iron Craft challenges ago I knit up an octopus and a starfish.
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Preview by Yahoo
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knit, 1-2 yrs
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FREE KNITTING PATTERN: Little Wave Pinafore/Cardig...
Little Wave Pinafore/Cardigan **Pattern and all pictures are copyrighted. No resell, no distribution in any forms. All rights reserved by Daknit.Com (pleas...
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Preview by Yahoo
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knit
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knit bow pattern: moss stitch bow headband
this knit bow pattern will show you how to knit a bow headband in the moss stitch (aka seed stitch) pattern. originally, i created this bow a while back for a fr...
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Preview by Yahoo
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thanks, sally - israeli soldier
crochet, HALLOWEEN
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Halloween Top Hat Crochet Pattern | Red Heart
Step 1. Choose your size One Size Hat measures 7" (18 cm) tall and 10" wide (18 x 5.5 cm).
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crochet
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The Slanted Life
A free crochet pattern for lovely watermelon shoes!!! I absolutely love seeing little ones in watermelon outfits in the summer time! I have made my share ...
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Preview by Yahoo
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crochet
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Preview by Yahoo
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crochet
crochet
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Preview by Yahoo
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thanks, heide
RECIPE
Sweet Potato Cupcakes with Toasted Marshmallow Frosting
Ingredients
2 medium sweet potatoes
1 ½ cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
¾ tsp ginger
¼ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 cup sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pierce sweet potatoes with a fork and wrap in tin foil. Roast for 40-50 minutes ofr until soft. Let cool.
Cut potatoes in half and scoop out flesh. Place in a food processor fitted with a blade and pulse until smooth.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Add pureed sweet potatoes, sugar and oil to a large bowl. Beat on medium-high speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Add vanilla. Add flour mixture in batches; beat just until blended.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line and grease muffin tins. Fill muffin trays until 3/4 full.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out cool. Allow to cool.
Make frosting.
Pipe frosting in a swirl on top of each cupcake. Using a hand-held blow torch, gently drag the torch across the frosting, toasting the frosting until just lightly brown.
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thanks, susan
Please join me in remembering a great icon of the entertainment community...
The Pillsbury Doughboy died yesterday in Minneapolis of a yeast infection and traumatic complications from repeated pokes in the belly. He was 71.
Doughboy was buried in a lightly greased coffin. Dozens of celebrities turned out to pay their respects, including Mrs.Butterworth, Hungry Jack, the California Raisins, Betty Crocker, the
Hostess Twinkies, and Captain Crunch. The gravesite was piled high with flours. Aunt Jemima delivered the eulogy and lovingly described Doughboy as a man who never knew how much he was kneaded.
Born and bread in Minnesota, Doughboy rose quickly in show business, but his later life was filled with turnovers. He was not regarded as a very smart cookie, wasting much of his dough on half-baked schemes. Despite being a little flaky at times, he still was a crusty old man and served as a positive roll model for millions.
Doughboy is survived by his wife, Play Dough, three children: John Dough, Jane Dough, and Dosey Dough, plus they had one in the oven. He is also survived by his elderly father, Pop Tart.
The funeral was held at 3:50 for about 20 min.
CROCKPOT RECIPE
stephanie o;dea
CrockPot Halibut in White Sauce with Broccolini
I made a halibut in white sauce for Sunday lunch. It was good!! I really don't think I'll go back to the stove top or oven---it's just too easy in the crockpot and I can not get over the no-fish-smell.The Ingredients.
24 ounces halibut (or other white fish like tilapia or fillet of sole)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (we are gluten free, so I used a GF flour mix)
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup white wine (or you can use chicken broth)
2/3 cup milk (mine was fat free)
2 lemons, 1 juiced, 1 for garnish-
aluminum foil
The Directions.
Microwave butter in a glass bowl, and whisk in the flour. In a separate bowl, combine the milk and the white wine. Slowly add the flour mixture to the milk and wine, stirring the whole time. Squeeze in the lemon. If you dump the cold milk and wine into the flour mixture too quickly, the flour and butter will separate again, and the butter will harden and create weird gloppy lumps that will float to the surface.
Ask me how I know this...
Add the sugar to the sauce mixture. Lay out a length of foil onto your kitchen countertop and place the fish into the middle. Spoon the sauce on top. fold the foil over and crimp the edges. Rinse the brocollini under cold water and place that into a separate length of foil, then fold over the foil to make a separate fully enclosed packet. Place this on top of the fish.
Cover your slow cooker and cook on high for about 2 hours, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.
The Verdict.
I liked this, and did add a bit of salt and some extra lemon at the table. Although I cooked the brocollini separately, I do think if you wanted to just do one packet you'd be fine to throw everything into the same foil.
Fish in the crockpot is WONDERFUL!
thanks, shelley
CRAFTS
sweater pumpkins ' TM
A How-To Tutorial
create your own version of Deb Kennedy’s original design,
created and first shared here on Hummadeedledee in 2007!
created and first shared here on Hummadeedledee in 2007!
Supplies:
old long-sleeved sweaters (adult size)
twine or string
sharp scissors
LOTS of heavy rubber bands (2 per pumpkin)
Cotton wool or polyfill stuffing
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Cut the arms off of the sweaters, then cut the arms in half across the middle. (If you leave them whole, you'll have larger, more elongated pumpkin/squash shapes.) Turn all of the cut pieces inside out, and set aside.
Take the twine or yarn, and wrap it eight times around your elbow & thumb to make big loops. When done, cut it in half at your thumb so that you have one big long hank. It should be approximately 18 to 20 inches long.
Place one hank of twine inside of one cut sweater piece. Let about an inch poke out on the LARGE end of the sweater arm - the rest of the twine will hang out the narrow end.
Fold that inch of twine over the edge of the sweater,
then gather the end up and fasten it tightly with a rubber band.
Flip the whole thing right-side out, using the hank of twine to help.
Stuff the open end with cotton wool at the base, then with polyfill. Remember that lotsof stuffing will make your pumpkin rounder, and less stuffing will result in a flatter, 'squashed' look. Leave about an inch - or more if you prefer - of sweater 'cuff' unfilled at the top, to create the stem later.
Separate the hank of twine into eight single strands. Spread these out equidistantly around the rounded top. Evenly distribute the strands as you stretch them to the other end of the form.
Grasp the strands and the sweater 'cuff', twist them together, and wrap a rubber band around them several times - tightly.
Separate the strings into strands again, and then begin gently pulling each separate strand in a clockwise pattern. You'll have to pull each one twice or more to create enough tension to pouf out the sweater and form a pumpkin shape.
Help it along by pulling the fabric out a bit at the top & bottom edges, so that the ridges are more defined. Once the ridges are even, tie the strands together around the top, to hold them in place.
Roll the extra sweater fabric at the top into a 'stem'.
Using the loose ends of the twine strands, begin wrapping around the stem to completely cover the sweater fabric with twine. By putting tension on the twine as you wrap, you can cause the stem to bend in a natural curve – this works best with long, thin stems (Use a long length of sweater arm for this). Tie it off when done. Trim the sweater fabric close to the twine for a nice neat end.
You can also add embellishments to the stem –
such as snippets of lace, burlap, leaves, acorns, even vintage jewelry.
CHILDREN'S CORNER ... craft
Bird Seed Halloween Ornaments
Did you know that if you feed the birds during the Winter months, many of them will stick around?
With just a few simple ingredients that are available at Walmart, you can make these Halloween “Tweets” for your feathered friends.
- 4 cups Pennington Wild Bird Food {the Finch Blend works well because it appeals to a wide variety of birds}
- 3/4 cup Flour, all-purpose
- 3 tablespoons Corn syrup, light
- 1/2 cup Water
- Cookie Cutters
- Yarn
- Straw {not pictured}
In a large bowl add 3/4 cup flour
Add 3 tablespoon corn syrup and 1/2 cup water
Add 4 cups Pennington Wild Bird Food
Mix until well blended
Line your work surface with wax paper. Press the bird seed mixture into the cookie cutters. Use a straw to make a hole, be sure not to make the hole close to the top or the ornament will break.
Let dry 4-6 hours or overnight, turn them often to dry on both sides.
String the ornaments with the yarn and hang in the tree.
Or you can nestle them in between the branches. And watch your feathered friends enjoy!
PUZZLE
QUOTE
"Welcome" in Dakota [Sioux] (United States) - Hau koda
thanks, virg
CLEVER
braindropskeepfalling
Before you throw away those VHS tapes…
Useful and environmentally awesome.
Here are the seeds:
- Did a major cleanup of our bookshelves and tossed two garbage bags full of VHS tapes. Felt bad about discarding the plastic tapes and boxes, but research revealed that almost all recycling facilities reject them.
- Removed luncheon meat from packaging, put packaging into the recycling bin, and prepared to put the meat into a zipper bag. Realizing that this would waste more plastic, chose instead a reusable plastic food box.
- Tried to fit reusable plastic food box into fridge.
Need stackable, reusable, space-efficient food storage that doesn’t waste plastic.
Old VHS tape in plastic box
VHS tape and paper removed
NOTE: VHS boxes are usually made Plastics #5 Polypropylene (PP). Coincidentally, this is food-grade plastic. Because of its high heat tolerance, Polypropylene is approved for repeated use with food and beverage storage and unlikely to leach into food and drink, even when hot.
Polypropylene (PP#5) is approved for repeated use with food and beverage storage, even when hot.
Remove plastic sheet cover
Top rack of dishwasher
Line with food wrapping paper if desired, for easy cleaning
Et voilà!
Idea-Woman’s VHS Tape Box Recycled into Food Storage Container
Obviously these aren’t air or water tight, but I have been using them for a few days and haven’t noticed any drying out, nor fridge odors in the food.
thanks, patty
EYE OPENER
ARTIST HALLOWEEN COSTUMES
Here are some favorite artistic historical characters for you during this season of All Hallow’s Eve.
3. Girl with a Pearl Earring
4. Mona Lisa
5. Vanitas
6. Picasso’s Old Guitarist
6. Picasso’s Old Guitarist
7. Van Gogh
8. Birth of Venus
8. Birth of Venus
9. Georgia O’Keefe.
Something so confounding about that Israeli soldier.
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