Amnesty International Day May 28, 2017

DIANE'S CORNER ... Celebrate Amnesty Int'l Day

”To Deny People Their Human Rights Is To Challenge Their Very Humanity.”
~Nelson Mandela

Human rights have been a hot topic in local and international politics since the 1960’s. Whether fighting for the right to marry the person of our choice or to end abuses like child labor all over the globe, Amnesty International has been in the trenches trying to make the world a better place. Amnesty International Day works to promote human rights and raise awareness of their abuses and how our choices affect them every day.

Amnesty International was first established in the month of July 1961 in London. Peter Benenson, an English labor lawyer was inspired to establish this organization after learning of two Portuguese students being imprisoned for seven years after “having drunk a toast to liberty.” Together with Eric Baker of the Religious Society of Friends, and numerous other intelligentsia, including academics, writers, and lawyers, they composed an article called “The Forgotten Prisoners” that would see publication in The Observer in May of 1961. This led to an appeal which quickly grew into an organization that would work to change the world and see that everyone would be entitled to a set of basic human rights.

The tireless efforts of this organization have since been central to revealing violations of human rights and working to change government policy as relates to their protection. Their work wasn’t always popular, with its members being accused of everything from espionage (1980’s Russia) to protectors of the criminal element (the Moroccan Government). In truth, they are champions of the downtrodden and the oppressed and work every day to alleviate the struggles of people everywhere facing famine, the trials of war, and those seeking asylum.

Amnesty International has done a great deal of good work over the years, but the challenges it faces are never-ending, and new allies are needed with every passing year. 

Word of the Day

nerveless
Definition:	(adjective) Lacking strength or energy; spiritless; weak.
Synonyms:	feeble
Usage:	He was a weak, nerveless fool, devoid of energy and promptitude.

Idiom of the Day

be a different kettle of fish  — To be entirely different in scope or description from someone or something that was just being discussed.

History

NASA Announces Discovery of Ice Deposits on Mars (2002)

Launched in April 2001, the Mars Odyssey spacecraft was sent by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to look for evidence of water on Mars. A little over a year later, NASA announced that water had been detected there in the form of ice, suggesting the possibility of microbial life on the Red Planet. The Phoenix lander confirmed the presence of water in 2008. 

Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz (1807)

Agassiz was a Swiss-born naturalist and geologist. Noticing the presence of huge alpine boulders in areas of Switzerland where there are no glaciers, he hypothesized that glaciers had, at one time, been widespread in the area and had dragged the boulders there. This lent credence to his theory of a recent ice age. He was also a renowned teacher and did notable work with fossils. 

Big Singing

Big Singing in Benton, Kentucky, brings together more than 100 singers trained in the tradition of shape-note singing. Together they enjoy a communal picnic lunch and spend the day singing hymns written in an almost-extinct style of musical notation called shape notes. A book titled The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion increased the popularity of this kind of singing in 19th-century America. The Big Singing in Benton dates back to 1884; it is currently sponsored by the Society for the Preservation of Southern Harmony Singing.

Whales Reached Huge Size Only Recently

Blue whales are the biggest animals that have ever existed on Earth but they only recently* got that way. This is the extraordinary finding from a new study that examined the fossil record of baleens - the group of filter feeders to which the blues belong. 
READ MORE:

Whales reached huge size only recently - BBC News

1863 - The first black regiment left Boston to fight in the U.S. Civil War. 


1892 - The Sierra club was organized in San Francisco, CA. 


1929 - Warner Brothers debuted "On With The Show" in New York City. It was the first all-color-talking picture. 


1934 - The Dionne quintuplets were born near Callender, Ontario, to Oliva and Elzire Dionne. The babies were the first quintuplets to survive infancy. 


1953 - The Walt Disney film "Melody" premiered in the Paramount Theatre in Hollywood. The picture was the first 3-D cartoon. 


1955 - "Billboard" reported that "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" was the most popular song in the U.S. 


I remember stepping into my baby sitter's house and seeing her crying her eyes out for the first time ever. I asked, "why are you crying?" She was sooooo very upset to lose her baseball team.
1957 - National League club owners voted to allow the Brooklyn Dodgers to move to Los Angeles and that the New York Giants could move to San Francisco. 


1966 - The Beatles meet Bob Dylan


1979 - The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund held a news conference to announce plans for a memorial honoring those who served in the war. 


1998 - Dr. Susan Terebey discovered a planet outside of our solar system with the use of photos taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. 


1999 - In Milan, Italy, Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper" was put back on display after more than 20 years of restoration work. 


2015 - The Observatory at One World Trade Center officially opened. 

DAILY SQU-EEK

If You Were Born Today, May 28

You are a determined, independent, and possibly quite stubborn person. You possess common sense and great wit, and you come across in a straightforward way. As practical and logical as you can be, you are also very intuitive and attuned to the world of beauty and creativity. A strong desire to achieve security drives you. Famous people born today: Ian Fleming, Kylie Minogue, Gladys Knight, Rudolph Giuliani. (guess who once ran into Giuliani in a jewelry shop in Downtown Manhattan? Before he was Mayor! He was very friendly!)

READERS INFO
1.

Strawberry Music Festival 2017

May 25-28, 2017

Nevada County Fairgrounds

11228 McCourtney Rd 

Grass Valley, CA

Held at the most beautiful fairgrounds in California, Strawberry Music Festival takes over the Nevada County Fairground every Memorial Day for four days of family fun and entertainment. This park, which is set in the Sierra Nevada foothills, offers the perfect environment for camping and performances by some of the top Americana and bluegrass artists. The festival also offers children's programming, workshops and activities for all ages.

further information: Strawberry Music Festival | Family Friendly Festival in Northern California

2.

K-Fest International Food Festival​ 2017

May 25-28, 2017 

Eastern States Exposition 

1305 Memorial Ave

West Springfield, MA 

The International Food Festival hosted by The Kielbasa Festival, LLC, is a veritable smorgasbord held over Memorial Day weekend each year. Also known as K-Fest, this celebration began as a homage to the Polish sausage known as Kielbasa and has grown to celebrate the delicious foods of over 50 nations. Besides all the delectable eats, there are plenty of games (including, of course, eating contests), live music, parades, and carnival rides.

further information: The K Fest, an Event in West Springfield, Massachusetts

3.

SummerStage Tulsa 2017

May 25 - Jun 25, 2017 | Tulsa, OK

SummerStage Tulsa is a performance festival that takes place at Tulsa Performing Arts Center.

further information: SummerStage Tulsa 2017 - Tulsa, OK Events



Pictures of the day


Hawksmoor Towers at All Souls College, a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. All Souls is one of the wealthiest colleges in Oxford, with a financial endowment of £286.4m (2014), but only ranks nineteenth among Oxford colleges with respect to total income. The college has no undergraduate members; each year, recent graduate and postgraduate students at Oxford are eligible to apply for Examination Fellowships through a competitive examination and an interview.

THIS BONSAI MASTER'S GREATEST WORK OF ART IS A LOVING TRIBUTE TO HIS GRANDKIDS

Goshin (Japanese: “protector of the spirit”) is a bonsai created by Bonsai Master John Yoshio Naka. It is a forest planting of eleven Foemina junipers (Juniperus chinensis), the earliest of which Naka began training into bonsai in 1948.

knit

Cables & Waves

Download this pattern 

knit

Sirdar The Citrus Monkeys

knit

Butterfly Garden Socks

knit
thanks, Linda

Three Cherries Dishcloth pattern by Judith Prindle

knit
thanks, Marcy

Heirloom Bunny Blanket pattern by Stacylynn Cottle

crochet

Little Angel Sweater

crochet

thanks, Phyllis

Lilac Lace Shoulderette

				Lilac Lace Shoulderette - Talking Crochet Newsletter - J... Welcome to the July 30, 2013 issue of Talking Crochet Newsletter! Enjoy making this free crochet pattern!
				View on www.crochet-world.com	Preview by Yahoo

crochet

thanks, Sharon

Mandala Madness pattern by Helen Shrimpton

crochet

Festival Fancy Vintage Top

crochet

Market Day pattern

				170-1 Market Day pattern by DROPS design DROPS 170-1
				View on www.ravelry.com	Preview by Yahoo

RECIPE

thanks, Anita

Garlic Spiral Bread Rolls

CROCKPOT RECIPE
thanks, Dana

Slow Cooker Texas Trash Beef and Bean Dip

SWEETS
thanks, Shelley

Lattice-Top Strawberry Pie Recipe

CRAFTS
thanks, Kris

Cat Face Pillow DIY!

CHILDREN'S CORNER ... no sew knots cat toy

catster

Quick toys made from household items are a big hit with my cats. Spend hours knitting a set of mice? They won’t touch them. Spend 10 minutes knotting together T-shirt fabric scraps? They’re all over them! 

Cut up five or six lengths of T-shirt. You won’t need to hem them since the jersey knit fabric of T-shirts doesn’t unravel when cut — it just curls. Knot one of the lengths around the others to form a pom-pom and you’ve got yourself a quick, cheap and easy cat toy with plenty of fabric leftover to make others. Just make sure the knot is tight and secure — nobody wants to go to the vet because Fluffy swallowed a piece of his toy.

PUZZLE

Porcelain Dog Jigsaw Puzzle



WORD SEARCH

adore allow bail barn become bicker blends bosom

capture climb clinic crease crumple cuddle

deer delete deviant draft drink elapse eliminate

flame flour grease here lover lure mops

name overthrow peal plait prince real room rotate

score smile sown spread tiara tide under

QUOTE







CLEVER

thanks, Barbara

Great cooking tips-even if you don't cook.

Just in case you're planning to do a little cooking...     

To keep potatoes from budding,  place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.	Buy mashed potato mix. Keeps in the cupboard for up to a year.
When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking tin, use a bit of dry cake  mix instead and there won't be any  white mess on the outside of the cake.	Go to the bakery!  Hell, they'll even decorate it for you!
Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting  in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks.	Celery?  Never heard of it!
Cure for headaches: take a lime,   cut it in half and rub it on your forehead.  The throbbing will go away.	Take a lime, mix it with tequila,  chill and drink! All your pains go away!
Don't throw out all that leftover wine.  Freeze into ice cubes for future use  in casseroles and sauces.	Left over wine???????

EYE OPENER
thanks, Patty

The Top 10 Oldest Living Trees in the World

ilovenature

http://www.ilovenature.world/i-love-nature-news/2016/3/29/the-top-10-oldest-living-trees-in-the-world-who-else-would-like-to-see-them-all