Down Syndrome Awareness Day - January 7, 2020

DIANE'S CORNER ... 

Celebrate Down Syndrome Awareness Day

People with Down syndrome can do anything. They just do it at their own pace. Give them a chance, and you will be rewarded beyond your greatest expectations.

Madeline Stuart

Down Syndrome is one of the most common disorders but also one of the most misunderstood. With one in 800 children being born with Down Syndrome each year, many outside of those statistics cannot comprehend what it is like to have a child with the disorder or be a person with it. That’s why Down Syndrome Awareness Month is here to change that.

History of Down Syndrome Awareness Day

Down Syndrome Awareness Month is all about helping people understand what Down Syndrome is and how people with Down Syndrome experience the world. According to the main website, this month celebration is about teaching people that perceive Down Syndrome as a disability that it is not what defines them as people. Since the late 90’s, people have been spreading advocacy, awareness and inclusion through events all over the United States. Because Down Syndrome is one of the most common disabilities, many who don’t know what it is like only see them for what disability they have. With this holiday, it is about changing that for the better.

Organizations such as Ups with Downs and the National Association for Down Syndrome have been advocating this holiday as a way to teach people about Down Syndrome and tell stories of people all over the world what their experiences are. Each of these organizations help raise money for education programs, hoping to create a positive impact with each event. Down Syndrome, while it can be misunderstood, can create change when people know what it is and know how to interact. Thus, this holiday aims to change the way people view those with Down Syndrome by changing the bias of what a mental/genetic disability is.

Joke of the Day

A BITE ON MY NECK

Patient: Doctor I think I've been bitten by a vampire.

Doctor: Drink this water.

Patient: Will this make me feel better?

Doctor: No, but I'll be able to see leaks and know where the vampire bit you.

Word of the Day

exemplum

MEANING:

noun:
1. An example or model.
2. An anecdote used to illustrate a moral truth or support an argument.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Latin exemplum (example), from eximere (to take out), from ex- (out) + emere (to take). Ultimately from the Indo-European root em- (to take or distribute), which also gave us example, sample, assume, consume, prompt, ransom, vintage, redeem, diriment, subsume, and peremptory. Earliest documented use: 1482.

USAGE:

“His own life became in some ways an exemplum of classical standards, through the elegance of the book-lined rooms that he inhabited and the impeccable decorum of his clothes.”
Professor David Watkin (obituary); The Times (London, UK); Sep 10, 2018.

Idiom of the Day

LET SOMEONE OFF THE HOOK

To avoid being punished for something or to avoid doing something
It was my turn to do the washing-up, but mum let me off the hook because I wasn’t feeling well.

This Day in History

1610 - Galileo Galilei sighted four of Jupiter's moons. He named them Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.

1785 - French aeronaut/balloonist Jean-Pierre Blanchard successfully made the first air-crossing of the English Channel from the English coast to France.


1887 - Thomas Stevens completed the first worldwide bicycle trip. He started his trip in April 1884. Stevens and his bike traveled 13,500 miles in almost three years time.


1894 - W.K. Dickson received a patent for motion picture film.


1896 - The "Fannie Farmer Cookbook" was published.


1904 - The distress signal "CQD" was established. Two years later "SOS" became the radio distress signal because it was quicker to send by wireless radio.


1924 - George Gershwin completed "Rhapsody in Blue" at the age of 26.


1927 - In Hinckley IL, the Harlem Globetrotters played their first game.


1954 - The Duoscopic TV receiver was unveiled this day. The TV set allowed the watching of two different shows at the same time.


1955 - Marian Anderson became the first African-American to sing at New York's Metropolitan Opera.


1990 - The Leaning Tower of Pisa was closed to the public. The accelerated rate of "leaning" raised fears for the safety of its visitors.


1997 - The Spice Girls debut single "Wannabe" was released in the United States.



DAILY SQU-EEK

If You Were Born Today, January 7

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: 

1800 Millard Fillmore, 13th US President (Whig: 1850-53), born in Moravia, New York (d. 1874)

1928 William Peter Blatty, American scriptwriter and author of The Exorcist, born in NYC, New York (d. 2017)

1964 Nicolas Cage, American actor (Moonstruck, Racing with the Moon), born in Long Beach, California

1985 Lewis Hamilton, English auto racer (World Formula 1 Drivers Champion 2008, 14-15, 17-19), born in Stevenage, England

READERS INFO

1.

(Not So) Totally Useless Facts of The Day:

The human brain can do many fascinating things. One thing it can not do is create faces. 

The faces in your dreams are not figments of your imagination. They are actual people that you have seen at some point in your life. Your mind stores them away until they make an appearance in your dreams.

Tim Allen overcame his imprisonment for drug dealing as a young man to become a popular stand-up comedian. 

He found sitcom success as Tim "The Toolman" Taylor in Home Improvement in 1991, fueling a successful Hollywood
career. Allen has been highly praised for his voice performance as Buzz Lightyear in Pixar's Toy Story franchise. Along with Sheriff Woody, he is one of the two lead characters in all four Toy Story movies. Buzz Lightyear's name was in honor of Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, the second person to walk on the Moon.

A cruciverbalists is someone that constructs or enjoys solving crosswords puzzles. Arthur Wynne was a Liverpool journalist that invented the first crossword puzzle. 

It was published in The New York World in 1913. His puzzle was first called a “Word-Cross” and was designed as a diamond shape. A few weeks after the first "Word-Cross" appeared, the name of the puzzle was changed to
"Cross-Word" as a result of a typesetting error. Although Wynne’s invention was initially greeted with skepticism, by the 1920s it had established itself as a popular pastime, entertaining and frustrating generations of cruciverbalists.

2.

1954 -

TODAY: In 1954, the first public demonstration of a machine translation system – the Georgetown-IBM experiment – is held in New York at the head office of IBM.

3.

Poe Museum Poe Birthday Bash 2020

Jan 18 - 19, 2020 | Richmond, VA

Poe Museum|1914 E Main St

Edgar Allan Poe was probably the only writer to make you squirm in horror during your high school days. Here's your chance to thank the morbidly poetic man at the Poe Museum Birthday Bash in Richmond, Virginia. You'll toast to his brilliant, twisted mind, eat a slice of creepy birthday cake with his face on it, discuss your favorite Poe stories and take a guided tour through the Poe Museum neighborhood.

further information: Poe's 211th Birthday Bash

4.

SPARKS Literary Festival 2020

Jan 26, 2020 | Saint John's, NL

Suncor Energy Hall|230 Elizabeth Ave

Organized by Memorial University’s Department of English, The SPARKS Literary Festival is an annual celebration of the written and spoken word in Newfoundland, Canada. The event features emerging and established Newfoundland writers across a variety of genres. Come enjoy live readings, informal discussions and participatory workshops throughout the day.

further information: SPARKS Literary Festival - 2020

5.

Cochise Cowboy Poetry & Music Gathering 2020

Feb 7 - 8, 2020 | Sierra Vista, AZ

Chili's Grill & Bar|4001 AZ-90

Cowboys have seen some crazy things during their time in the West. Sure, they can just let out a yee-haw and call it a day, but they've got a lot more to say through song. Over 40 artists from the US and Canada, including a legion of songwriting cowboys, will take the stage to sing stories about the history of Western culture. And you thought they were only good for riding horses and lassoing criminals.

further information: Cochise Cowboy Poetry and Music Gathering

Pictures of the day

Kifli or kipfel is a traditional yeast bread roll that is rolled and  formed into a crescent shape before baking. Crescent-shaped pastries are considered the oldest surviving pastry shape and  are believed to represent an ancient pagan tradition involving  offerings to the moon goddess, Selene. Pastries of similar  shape have been baked since at least the 10th century. Kifli  was likely traditionally baked in monasteries for Easter. It is a  common type of bread roll throughout much of central Europe and nearby countries, where it is called by various names. It is likely the inspiration for the French croissant, which has a  similar shape but is made with a different type of dough. This  picture shows five Serbian kifli made with spelt flour, filled with sheep cheese and topped with sesame seeds, baked for  Eastern Christmas, which falls on 7 January according to the  Julian calendar.

Germany

Rose hips on a shrub are covered with hoarfrost at sub-zero temperatures in the Swabian Alb. 

knit
thanks, Rae

Poncho Sweater with Centre Cable

knit
thanks, Martha

i love you in asl

knit

Papillion Choker and Wristlets

knit

Shawl

knit ... Valentine's Day

Berroco Buss

Knit Pattern of the Day: 

thanks, Valerie, Canadian Correspondent

Happy Hands Fingerless Mitts

crochet

thanks, Mindy

Cozy Fringed Cowl

crochet
thanks, Laura

The Hexagon Sweater Revisited

crochet

marshmallow baby blanket free pattern and video

crochet

Roll Neck Sweater

crochet ... Valentine's Day

Cable Heart Gift Bag

RECIPE

thanks, Shelley, New York Food Correspondent

Italian Weding Soup with Turkey Meatballs

CROCKPOT RECIPE

thanks, Julia

Slow Cooker Chicken Marsala

SWEETS

Snow Cones Recipe

Crushed Ice or Snow
1 pkg. flavored drink mix (flavor of your choice)

Mix drink mix with half as much water as the directions indicate. Chill 1 hour. Just before serving, crush some ice or pack snow into your cup. You can use either a snow cone maker or put some ice cubes in a plastic bag and pound with hammer. Pack ice chips into cups, pour chilled drink mix over the ice and serve. You can also use fruit juice boiled down to half with food coloring added:

• Apple juice: green or red food coloring
• Grape juice: purple food coloring

ADULT COLORING

CRAFTS ... Valentine's Day

thanks, Helen

You're Such a Deer Valentines Boxes

CHILDREN'S CORNER ... Valentine's Day

thanks, Lillian

Valentine's Day Pencil

PUZZLE

Piste Bully Jigsaw Puzzle



WORD SEARCH

along bland chance choose climax cloud

danger debut defense embassy farce ghost heat honest

laugh length letter light listen lizard lost lucky mercy munitions

night organ pare people perimeter pretty really road

shot star sudden total tote understand value young

SUDOKU ... hard

solution:

QUOTE

thanks, Stacy

CLEVER 

Razor Blade Efficiency

Your razor will last longer and work better if you clean it with baby oil.

EYE OPENER 

thanks, Valerie, Canadian Correspondent

I’m so excited to announce that I am participating in an amazing year-long project sponsored by Lion Brand Yarn called the Traveling Afghans.  The project starts in January 2020.

In conjunction with Lion Brand’s “My Life in Yarn” 2020 campaign, the Traveling Afghans will be a collaborative effort of 49 knit and crochet designers and bloggers from seven countries!

Over the course of one year, two afghans will be created....one knit and one crochet.

Each designer will publish the pattern instructions for their 10" square on their website for free so you can follow along with us and create your own knit or crochet afghan!

Traveling Afghan

Where can I find the patterns for each square?  The pattern instructions for a new 10" x 10" square will be released approximately every two weeks starting in early January 2020.  Each designer will post the instructions for FREE on their website.  Bookmark this page to check back for announcements of each pattern release and follow me on Instagram for updates!

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

There are years that ask questions and years that answer. -Zora Neale Hurston, folklorist and writer (7 Jan 1891-1960)

OPTICAL ILLUSION

How many horses can you find in this picture?

7 (including some partial horses - like horse's head and rear)