DIANE'S CORNER ...

Celebrate Western Monarch Day

Get out your tiara…wait no! It’s not that day. It is Western Monarch Day. It is a day to celebrate the Western Monarch butterfly. It travels from place to place but this day specifically we give thanks for their return to the central California coast. Why is this so important? It is important to watch and make sure that they do return. The monarch butterfly is facing a terrific decline in numbers.

Many conservation groups are calling for it to be protected as an endangered species and claim that the number of declines could be as high as 90%!

History of Western Monarch Day

The Monarch butterfly is a stunning mix of grace and beauty. With rich tones of gold, red, yellow and orange they fly across the landscape and take over the job of pollination. They somehow know when it is time to move. Their migration can be tracked from north and east to south and west, and then back again.

Amazingly each way of the migration takes four generations! Can you imagine? Taking into account how much they pollinate, and the fact that their migration takes such a toll on their population it is imperative to understand what their decline really means. Can you picture the toll when I say the decline of Monarch population is near 90%? Let me share a visual with you. Let’s talk people instead of insects. If we were to make a comparison, the loss to the butterfly would be as if all the people in the United States of America died except for those in Ohio and Florida. Stunning isn’t it?

With that picture in mind, can you now see why there is a Western Monarch Day? A day to bring awareness to this frightening decline? A day to find a way to make a difference!

Joke of the Day

WRONG NUMBER

You have $400 and your daughter calls and needs $250. Later on you son calls and needs $100.

What do you have left?

$400 and 2 missed calls!

Word of the Day

cavalcade

A cavalcade of miniature engines

MEANING:

noun:
1. A procession of riders on horses, vehicles, etc.
2. A noteworthy series of events.

ETYMOLOGY:

From French cavalcade (stampede, cavalcade), from Italian cavalcata (ride, cavalcade), from cavalcare (to ride on horseback), from Latin caballus (horse). Earliest documented use: 1591.

USAGE:

“Steve Bannon, Mr Trump’s former chief strategist and the architect of his presidential campaign, headlined a motley crew of far-right Republicans who offered a cavalcade of bilious, resentment-filled speeches promoting Mr Moore while pandering to Alabamians’ prickliness. ‘Nobody comes down here and tells Alabamians what to do,’ said Mr Bannon, a Virginian, speaking after a Texan and several Midwesterners.”
Roy Moore Is Defeated in Alabama’s Senate Election: Decency Wins; The Economist (London, UK); Dec 13, 2017.

Idiom of the Day

RAISE ONE’S GAME

To make an effort to improve at something or perform better
You’ll need to raise your game if you’re planning on beating Anna’s time in the half marathon.

This Day in History

1846 - "The Oregon Spectator", based in Oregon City, became the first newspaper published on the Pacific coast.

1861 - Samuel Goodale patented the moving picture peep show machine.

1881 - Phoenix, AZ, was incorporated.

1931 - Maxine Dunlap became the first woman licensed as a glider pilot.

1952 - In New York City, four signs were installed at 44th Street and Broadway in Times Square that told pedestrians "don't walk."

1972 - Bob Douglas became the first black man elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA.

1998 - Elton John and Stevie Wonder played at the White House.

2001 - It was announced the Kelly Ripa would be Regis Philbin's cohost. The show was renamed to "Live! With Regis and Kelly."

thanks, Mia

DAILY SQU-EEK

If You Were Born Today, February 5

You enjoy surprising people and whether you want to or not, you often remain a bit of an enigma to the people around you. You have a strongly intuitive side. Although you are actually quite accommodating and kind, you need to feel stirred and inspired in order to do something. You are following your own instincts and being true to your heart, and although it might seem like you are stubborn, you are also very original and honest. Famous people born today:

1723 John Witherspoon, Scottish-American president of the College of New Jersey who signed the Declaration of Independence, born in Gifford, Scotland (d. 1794)

1788 Robert "Bobbie" Peel, British Prime Minister (Tory/Conservative/Peelite: 1834-35; 1841-46), founder of the British Conservative Party and founder of the modern police force (Bobbies), born in Ramsbottom, England (d. 1850)

1900 Adlai Stevenson II, American politician, US ambassador to UN (1961-65), Governor of Illinois (1949-53) and Democratic presidential candidate (1952, 56), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 1965)

1914 William S. Burroughs, American writer (Naked Lunch, The Nova Trilogy) and visual artist, born in St. Louis, Missouri (d. 1997)

1915 Robert Hofstadter, American atomic physicist and Nobel laureate (electron scattering in atomic nuclei), born in NYC, New York (d. 1990)

1943 Nolan Bushnell, American electrical engineer (founded Atari, created Pong), born in Clearfield, Utah

1985 Cristiano Ronaldo, Portuguese soccer striker (4th to score in 4 World Cups, Real Madrid), born in Funchal, Portugal

1992 Neymar Jr., Brazilian soccer forward (world record transfer fee $263m FC Barcelona to PSG), born in Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo

READERS INFO

1.

(Not So) Totally Useless Facts of The Day:

"Fool's gold" is a common nickname for pyrite. Pyrite may be shiny and brass colored, but any miner will tell you, it is not as good as gold.

Pyrite received that nickname because it is worth virtually nothing, but has an appearance that "fools" people into believing that it is gold. The nickname "fool's gold" has long been used by gold buyers and prospectors, who were amused by excited people who thought they had found gold. Pyrite contains sulfur and iron. During World War II
it was mined to produce sulfuric acid, an industrial chemical. Today, it is used in car batteries, appliances, jewelry, and machinery.

The glabella is a medical term given to the space on the human head that is located above the nose and between the eyebrows. This area of the head sits just over the frontal bone of the skull and works to connect the two structures
known as superciliary ridges.

The word glabella comes from the Latin word glabellus, which means smooth and hairless, and glaber, meaning bald, due to the lack of hair that is usually found in this area. If you have a unibrow, your glabella might be hidden!

The world’s largest gold bar weighs 250,000 grams or 551.155 lbs. The bar is currently located in Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. It’s worth is over $10 million.

2.

1948 -

Dick Button (figure skating)

and Gretchen Fraser (slalom)

won gold medals at the 1948 Winter Olympics. They were the first Americans to win Olympic gold medals in their respective sports. Button was also the first person to complete a double axel in competition (the single-axel jump was first performed in 1882 by Norwegian skater Axel Paulsen, for whom the maneuver is named).

The 1948 Winter Olympics were particularly important because they were the first Olympics to take place after World War II. Switzerland was selected as the host country due to its neutrality during the war. St. Moritz was the city chosen because it had previously hosted the Olympic Winter Games in 1928 and many of the venues already existed. The use of existing venues helped make it cheaper and easier to prepare for the games at a time when many countries were still recovering from the effects of the war. There were 28 countries at this Olympics, but Japan and Germany were excluded.

The United States won a total of nine medals (three gold, four silver and two bronze) during the 22 events. Interestingly, the United States picked up two of its silver medals in the same event when Robert Fitzgerald and Kenneth Bartholomew finished in a three-way tie for second place during the 500 meters speed skating contest. Besides Dick Button's gold medal, the United States also won a gold and a bronze medal in the four-man bobsled, a bronze medal in the two-man bobsled event, and John Heaton won a silver in the skeleton (riding face down on a "skeleton" bobsled down a steep frozen track) competition. Finally, Gretchen Fraser won a silver in combined skiing, in addition to her gold medal in slalom

3.

Amelia Island Book Festival 2020

Feb 13 - 15, 2020 | Fernandina Beach, FL

Located on scenic Amelia Island, the Amelia Island Book Festival encourages the promotion of literacy by inviting community members and guests to attend workshops and interact with the many authors who attend the event every year. Additionally, authors are placed in each one of Amelia Island's fifteen schools where they hold small-scale presentations and discuss their work with local children.

further information: Amelia Island Book Festival

Capricon 2020

Feb 13 - 16, 2020 | Wheeling, IL

The Westin Chicago North Shore|601 N Milwaukee Ave

Image result for Capricorn 2020 Feb 2020 Dates Unconfirmed | Wheeling, IL |

Capricon, Chicagoland’s premier science-fiction convention in Wheeling, Illinois, is a celebration of sci-fi and fantasy culture and art. The four-day event features literary works by Chicago authors, theatrical performances, musical sets, film screenings, gaming demos, exhibitors, anime, fan tables and dance parties.

further information: Capricon 2020

5.

Savannah Book Festival 2020

Feb 13 - 16, 2020 | Savannah, GA

As an avid reader of imaginative novels and attention-seeking Facebook statuses, you'll find many benefits of attending the Savannah Book Festival. A book worm like yourself will joyfully wiggle its way into a magical world of bestselling works, celebrity author appearances and the sweet smell produced from turning pages. Dab your finger with a lick of saliva, turn the page over and see a wealth of new content waiting to be discovered in Savannah, Georgia.

further information: The 2020 Savannah Book Festival

Pictures of the day