DIANE'S CORNER ...

Celebrate Bubble Bath Day

That first bath, bubbles rising up around us in a scent that would soon become associated with warmth, comfort, and safety. It started with the love of a mother’s hands, and in time we began to pamper ourselves.

Rich bubbles, beautiful candles, quiet music, and a little time to ourselves have all been the hallmark of the bubble bath. Bubble Bath Day reminds us of these little luxuries, and to take time out of our day to treat ourselves to a little special TLC.

History of Bubble Bath Day

Bubble Baths have been popular for as long as baths with surfactant-based soap have been a thing. There are multiple practical uses for them, ranging from the unexpected to the curiously unthought of. Bubble baths have been renowned for their ability to soothe and relax, but this doesn’t actually address the more interesting reasons behind their popularity.

You see, bubbles have the ability to help remove and prevent the nasty ring that forms around your bath-tub, leaving you, and your tub, that much cleaner. Additionally, it can effectively preserve the modesty of one in a bath as the bubbles obscure vision. Additionally, the bubbles act as an insulator, preserving the heat of the bath and allowing you to luxuriate in it even longer.

Bubble baths in general, speaking of the substance one puts in ones bath to cause the bubbles, are often pleasantly scented, and many of them are combined with ingredients that serve to help moisturize the skin and relax the bather.

thanks for the pun pics, Barbara

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Joke of the Day

thanks, Helen

Image result for Who Wants To Be A Millionaire

My wife and I were watching Who Wants To Be A Millionaire while we were in bed. I turned to her and said, 'Do you want to have sex?'

'No,' she answered.

I then said,'Is that your final answer?'

She didn't even look at me this time, simply saying, 'Yes..'

So I said, "Then I'd like to phone a friend."

And that's when the fight started...

Word of the Day

splanchnic

MEANING:

adjective: Of or relating to the internal organs or viscera.

ETYMOLOGY:

From splanchnicus, from Greek splankhnikos, from splankhna (entrails). Earliest documented use: 1694.

USAGE:

“I discovered that the splanchnic nerve is actually three nerves and all control the visceral functions in various manners.”
Isaac Asimov; Robot Visions; Roc; 1990.

Idiom of the Day

LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG

To reveal a secret by accidentTheir engagement was meant to be a secret, but Adam let the cat out of the bag!

This Day in History

1642 - Astronomer Galileo Galilei died in Arcetri, Italy.

1856 - Borax (hydrated sodium borate) was discovered by Dr. John Veatch.

1886 - The Severn Railway Tunnel, Britain's longest, was opened.

1889 - The tabulating machine was patented by Dr. Herman Hollerith. His firm, Tabulating Machine Company, later became International Business Machines Corporation (IBM).

1906 - Arthur Rubinstein made his debut at Carnegie Hall in New York City

1925 - Russian composer Igor Stravinsky appeared in his first American concert. He conducted the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in a program of his own compositions.

1957 - Jackie Robinson announced his retirement from major league baseball in an article that appeared in "LOOK" magazine.

1958 - Bobby Fisher, at the age of 14, won the United States Chess Championship for the first time.

1962 - Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa was exhibited in America for the first time at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. The next day the exhibit opened to the public.

1975 - Ella Grasso became the governor of Connecticut. She was the first woman to become a governor of a state without a husband preceding her in the governor’s chair.

1981 - "Elvis Presley Day" was declared in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, North & South Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

1992 - U.S. President George H.W. Bush collapsed during a state dinner in Tokyo. White House officials said Bush was suffering from stomach flu.

1994 - Tonya Harding won the ladies' U.S. Figure Skating Championship in Detroit, MI, a day after Nancy Kerrigan dropped out because of a clubbing attack that injured her right knee. The U.S. Figure Skating Association later took the title from Harding because of her involvement in the attack.

1997 - Mister Rogers received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1998 - Ramzi Yousef was sentenced to life in prison for his role of mastermind behind the World Trade Center bombing in New York.

2009 - In Egypt, archeologists entered a 4,300 year old pyramid and discovered the mummy of Queen Sesheshet.

thanks, Riley

DAILY SQU-EEK

If You Were Born Today, January 8

You are a person who marches to the beat of your own drum, but yet you respect rules and order. Nobody can push you to do much of anything, as you don’t feel right unless you are acting on intuition. There is a spiritual or otherworldly quality to you, and you are highly creative when you are able to tap into and embrace your talents. Highly unusual yet intriguing, you are a helpful, somewhat wilful, and hardworking soul. Famous people born today: Nicolas Cage, Jann Wenner, Katie Couric, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, Charles Addams. Famous people born today:

1804 George Childress, Lawyer, statesman (author of Texas Declaration of Independence), born in Nashville, Tennessee (d. 1841)

1823 Alfred Russel Wallace, British naturalist, explorer and co-discoverer of evolution through natural selection, born in Usk, Monmouthshire, Wales (d. 1913)

1912 José Ferrer, Puerto Rican actor and director (Blood Tide, Dune), born in San Juan, Puerto Rico (d. 1992)

1935 Elvis Presley, American singer and King of Rock and Roll (Blue Suede Shoes, Hounddog), born in Tupelo Mississippi (d. 1977)

1942 Stephen Hawking, English physicist (Black Holes & Baby Universes), born in Oxford, England (d. 2018)

1947 David Bowie [David Robert Jones], English singer-songwriter (Major Tom, Ziggy Stardust), born in London, England (d. 2016)

READERS INFO

1.

(Not So) Totally Useless Facts of The Day:

The Nobel Prize has been awarded to women 54 times between 1901 and 2019. The first woman to win a Nobel Prize was Marie Curie,

who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903 with her husband, Pierre Curie, and Henri Becquerel. Curie is also the only woman to have won multiple Nobel Prizes; in 1911, she received a second Nobel Prize, this time in Chemistry, in recognition of her work in radioactivity. Curie's daughter, Irène Joliot-Curie, won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1935, making the two the only mother-daughter pair to have won
Nobel Prizes.

The fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskevidekatriaphobia from the Greek words Paraskeví, meaning "Friday", and dekatreís, meaning "thirteen".

Shockingly, nearly 20 million Americans are affected by paraskevidekatriaphobia.
It’s also referred to as friggatriskaidekaphobia while being afraid of number 13 is called triskaidekaphobia. It's estimated that nearly $900 million is lost in business on this day because many people will not fly or do business as they normally would.

Stan Lee was a comic book writer best known for his work with Marvel Comics.

In the early 1960s, Lee was called upon to create a series for Marvel Comics that could compete with rival DC Comics. With artist Jack Kirby, Lee created the
superhero team of The Fantastic Four in 1961 and was soon responsible for creating beloved characters including Spider-Man, Iron Man, the X-Men, the Hulk, Black Panther, and Thor. Following his retirement from Marvel in the 1990s, he remained a public figurehead for the company, and frequently made cameo appearances in films and television shows based on Marvel characters.

2.

1935 -

Presley’s birthplace in Tupelo, Mississippi.

Young Elvis with parents Vernon and Gladys
Presley in 1938.

Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977)

Known as "The King of Rock n’ Roll," Elvis Presley rose to prominence in the late 1950s, becoming a legend in cultural history and the best-selling solo artist in the history of pop with such #1 singles as "Hound Dog," and "Jailhouse Rock." He appeared in over 30 movies, with his big screen debut coming in the 1956 film Love Me Tender, named after one of his many songs.

3.

1st Irish Theatre Festival 2020

Jan 7 - Feb 3, 2020 | New York, NY

The only festival in the world dedicated to Irish playwrights, the 1st Irish Theatre Festival showcases over 100 Irish writers on the stages of New York City. The rich history of the Irish community and their relationship with New York City is examined in four weeks of Irish theatre exploring everything from traditional Irish myths to contemporary tales of drama and humor followed by musical performances by Irish artists.

further information: 1st Irish Festival 2020 | Origin Theatre

4.

ACRA Wintersköl 2020

Jan 9 - 12, 2020 | Aspen, CO

There are certain restrictions when it comes to going fast. Think about last week's unjust speeding ticket or losing to your asthmatic father in a footrace. Skiing, however, is where you can attain breakneck speeds. This festival celebrates the cultural history of skiing in Aspen, dabbling in an assortment of snow sports that are integral to everyday life in the city. Prepare for a heart-racing weekend with an ice sculpture contest, open ice skating, a winter wonderland party hosting all kinds of activities and a dance night, just to start. There's a never-ending supply of snow here, meaning there's no shortage of fun to be had by the slopes.

further information: Wintersköl

5.

ACSC Chinese New Year Festival 2020

Jan 25, 2020 | Falls Church, VA

Luther Jackson Middle School|3020 Gallows Road

Image result for ACSC Chinese New Year Festival 2020 Jan 2020 Dates Unconfirmed | Falls Church, VA

Usher in the Lunar New Year at Asian Community Service Center’s Chinese New Year Festival. Taking place in February, this annual celebration is a chance to experience all the colorful sights and lively sounds of Chinese culture and heritage. The festival features live music and dance performances, a Dragon Parade, engaging activities for kids and delicious authentic cuisine. The event also offers meditation demonstrations, craft exhibitions, martial arts showcases and more.

further information: Chinese New Year Festival

Pictures of the day

Stephen Hawking (8 January 1942 – 14 March 2018) was an English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author. He was the director of research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology and previously the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge. His scientific works included a collaboration with Roger Penrose on gravitational singularity theorems in the framework of general relativity and the theoretical prediction that black holes emit radiation, often called Hawking radiation. He was the first to set out a theory of cosmology explained by a union of general relativity and quantum mechanics, and was a supporter of the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics. Hawking achieved commercial success with several works of popular science in which he discusses his own theories and cosmology in general, including his 1988 book A Brief History of Time. Hawking was diagnosed with a rare early-onset slow-progressing form of motor neurone disease (also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) that gradually paralysed him. He is pictured here in 2007 being rotated in mid-air while experiencing weightlessness in a reduced-gravity aircraft, a modified Boeing 727.

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