Fibromyalgia Awareness Day - May 12, 2020

DIANE'S CORNER ... 

Celebrate Fibromyalgia Awareness Day

Fibromyalgia is an immobilizing, difficult to manage, and not widely known disease which affects many men and women worldwide. Because of this, Fibromyalgia Awareness Day helps to further inform people who may not yet understand the extent of what it does and can do to those who experience it. 

It’s a disease that is about seven times as likely to affect women than men, and although it usually is seen in people between the ages of 30 and 50, it can appear in sufferers of any age, whether elderly or child. This, in particular, captures the attention of a wide range of people, and it gives the reality that it can, indeed, affect anyone at any time. 

Fibromyalgia is a difficult disease to diagnose – there isn’t a specific set of testing which can find and diagnose it, and the symptoms that sufferers experience are often attributed to other diseases before Fibromyalgia is accurately identified. 

Fibromyalgia Awareness Day is all about raising awareness for this disease and supporting further research into eventually finding a cure. Those who already suffer from the disease are undisputed fighters, and the more people who understand what Fibromyalgia can and will do, the better chance we have of discovering a way to make their lives better. 

History of Fibromyalgia Awareness Day 

Awareness and funding are the keys to battling the enigma that is Fibromyalgia, and this day was created for just that. 

Each year, observers of this day get together and take part in fundraising events, charity runs, tea parties – anything to get the conversation going. Typically, these events are run because someone has a relative or friend who suffers from this disease. But you do not need to know someone personally affected by Fibromyalgia to make a difference. 

Symptoms of Fibromyalgia may include heightening skin sensitivity – especially to pain, muscle stiffness, some difficulties sleeping, problems with memory and concentration, extreme tiredness, and headaches. 

These symptoms are not uncommon in other diseases – and some sufferers don’t even experience all these symptoms – so it’s easy to see what makes Fibromyalgia so tricky to diagnose. If we knew more about Fibromyalgia, could you imagine how much we could improve the lives of those who it affects? It would help recognize patterns better and even catch it earlier, leading to improved treatment.

There is no cure for Fibromyalgia, so at the moment, the only option for sufferers is to have several treatments. For example, medication such as painkillers and antidepressants are often prescribed. 

Sufferers may also find that lifestyle changes may help, and there’s plenty of support groups available via healthcare services keen to offer support. Furthermore, while support groups are not always suitable for everybody, doctors will advise personal treatment plans, such as diaries and similar support options, to help people cope with such changes in their lifestyle.

U.S.A.

An Asian giant hornet from Japan, dubbed the "Murder Hornet," is held on a pin by Sven Spichiger, an entomologist with the Washington state Dept. of Agriculture.

Joke of the Day

TWO WEEKS VACATION

“That’s a great place to work!” shouted my 16-year-old brother after coming home from the first day of his first job.

“I get two weeks paid vacation.”

“I’m so glad,” said my mother.

“Yeah,” added John. “I can’t wait to find out where they send me.

GREECE

A man wearing a mask during a rally in Athens organized by artists, musicians and actors to ask for help from the Greek government for financial losses due to the lockdown. 

Word of the Day

al desko

MEANING:

adverb: At one’s desk.

ETYMOLOGY:

Patterned after alfresco, from desk, from Latin desca (desk), from discus (disk), from Greek diskos (disk). Earliest documented use: 1981.

USAGE:

“He works in the financial sector, an all-male workplace except for two secretaries, and they all eat lunch al desko.”
Emma Woolf; The Ministry of Thin; Soft Skull Press; 2014.

TURKEY

The fountain at Sultanahmet Square is empty during a weekend lockdown in Istanbul.

Idiom of the Day

25. Strike while the iron is hot

Meaning: When you have a good opportunity, go for it.

SCOTLAND

Olympic rower Polly Swann training at home during the coronavirus lockdown in Edinburgh.

This Day in History

1870 - Manitoba entered the Confederation as a Canadian province.

1888 - Charles Sherrill of the Yale track team became the first runner to use the crouching start for a fast break in a foot race.

1926 - The airship Norge became the first vessel to fly over the North Pole.

1937 - Britain's King George VI was crowned at Westminster Abbey.

1965 - "Satisfaction" was recorded by the Rolling Stones.

1970 - Ernie Banks, of the Chicago Cubs, hit his 500th home run.

1977 - "Hotel California" earned a gold record for the Eagles.

1978 - The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that they would no longer exclusively name hurricanes after women.

2002 - Former U.S. President Carter arrived in Cuba for a visit with Fidel Castro. It was the first time a U.S. head of state, in or out of office, had gone to the island since Castro's 1959 revolution.

thanks, Amy

BANGLADESH

Muslim devotees offer prayers at the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Dhaka.

DAILY SQU-EEK

If You Were Born Today, May 12:

Personable, friendly, caring, and charming, you are a thoughtful person and can put yourself into almost anyone’s shoes. Funny and witty, you have a true way with words and can be quite excellent at writing, promotion, advertising, and the like. You are also good at managing money and coming up with money-making ideas. You are versatile, yet stable and secure. Famous people born today: 

1820 Florence Nightingale, British nurse (Crimean War), born in Florence, Italy (d. 1910)

1907 Katharine Hepburn, American actress (Adam's Rib, On Golden Pond), born in Hartford, Connecticut (d. 2003)

1918 Julius Rosenberg, 1st US civilian executed for espionage, born in NYC, New York (d. 1953)

1924 Tony Hancock, English comedian and actor (Hancock's Half Hour), born in Birmingham, England (d. 1968)

1925 Yogi Berra [Lawrence Peter Berra], American baseball catcher, coach and manager (NY Yankees, Mets), born in St. Louis Missouri (d. 2015)

1956 Homer Simpson, fictional character from the long running television show "The Simpsons", born in Springfield


1981 Rami Malek, American actor (Bohemian Rhapsody), born in Los Angeles, California

thanks, Ruth

READERS INFO

1.

(Not So) Totally Useless Facts of The Day:

In 1954 Carl Brashear became the first African-American U.S. Navy diver. After an injury he suffered while on active duty, he became the first amputee (of any race) to be re-certified as a Navy diver. In 1970 Brashear accomplished his life-long goal. He became the first African-American U.S. Navy Master Diver. His real life story was the inspiration for the 2000 film Men Of Honor.

Aerosmith made more money from "Guitar Hero" than from any of their albums.

The ancient Egyptians had 12 months of exactly 30 days each, with five days of partying at the end of the year to bring the total to 365.

2.

1937 -

The coronation of King George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth took place at Westminster Abbey in London. Edward VIII's coronation was originally planned for that date, but he abdicated the throne prior to his coronation in order to marry American Wallis Simpson who was in the process of divorcing her second husband. When Edward VIII abdicated on Dec. 11, 1936, his brother Prince Albert became King George VI and the coronation preparations changed to the new king. King George VI's mother, the Dowager Queen Mary, and his daughters Princess Elizabeth (now Queen Elizabeth II) and Princess Margaret were among the many in attendance for the event, which was also broadcast over radio and filmed. George VI reigned until his death in 1952, after which, his daughter Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II.

3.

Coronavirus Style by Sylvia, CAN DO Correspondent

My grandma was born in Breathitt County, Kentucky - the meanest county in the East, from what I heard. She got out of there, and being one big, strong woman, wound up building Chryslers in Indiana during the Depression. She was what used to be called a man-hater, but a great singer, and was always in the local paper for her talent. She was also DAR and Colonial Dames, but could she ever be MEAN!!! When she was mad, her language could make a sailor wither (and my dad was US Navy).As a result of her making my mother do all the cooking with what she taught her, I grew up with a lot of fried potatoes in bacon grease (with onions and Velveeta to make it gourmet) and Kentucky fried cabbage, which was just cabbage fried in bacon grease with salt and pepper. For me, comfort food, except I treat myself to these sides on occasion instead of weekly, and I use good cheddar instead of Velveeta. We hid behind lampposts on the monthly burnt-pork liver nights until Mother found us, and took our whippings when we could not finish her liver. Even Dad looked unhappy on those nights. But to be fair, she often would make a coffee cake for breakfast made from the recipe on the side of the Bisquick box, with margarine with nuts on top, a wonderful change from oft rubberized eggs Dad would cook on the weekend, sometimes loaded with so much thyme or shrimp we would cry.

Needless to say, I taught myself how to cook at an early age with the help of Mary Alden's Cookbook For Children, the Snow White Cookbook, and the Better Homes and Gardens Junior Cookbook. The adults laughed at me, but they couldn't stop me, and my brother stopped laughing when his family stayed with us for a few days and he realized I was a better cook than his wife. I served his family piles of Jerk Chicken and made a gift to him of my grill press.
His wife cheerfully gave me a recipe for the best coffee cake I ever tasted, though her kids told me she kept ruining it whenever she made it herself. She laughed about how she could make something right the first time, then never again. Here it is! ***Cream Cheese & Raspberry Coffee Cake Beat until fluffy: 8 oz. cream cheese, softened 1 c. sugar 1/2 c. butter, softened Add half of the following dry ingredients, then wet, beating well; then add the rest: 1-3/4 c. flour 1 t. baking powder 1/2 t. baking soda 1/4 t. salt 2 eggs 1/4 c. milk 1/2 t. vanilla Spread in a prepared 13" x 9" pan. Dot with 8 portions of: 1/2 c. seedless raspberry jam With a knife, swirl into the batter. Bake at 300 degrees for 40 minutes, or until a straw comes out clean and the top edge of the cake has pulled away from the sides of the pan. Sift powdered sugar on top. Gives 24 dainty servings. But you will be hard pressed to be dainty in this case...piggy'd be more like it.

RIO

Rio's Christ the Redeemer statue is lit up as if wearing a protective mask amid the coronavirus pandemic. The message "Mask saves" is written in Portuguese.

Pictures of the day

Jules Massenet (12 May 1842 – 13 August 1912) was a  French composer of the Romantic era, best known for his  operas. Between 1867 and his death, he wrote more than  forty stage works in a wide variety of styles, from opéra  comique to grand depictions of classical myths, romantic  comedies and lyric dramas, as well as oratorios, cantatas  and ballets. Massenet had a good sense of the theatre and  of what would succeed with the Parisian public. Despite some  miscalculations, he produced a series of successes that made him the leading opera composer in France in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. By the time of his death, he was regarded as old-fashioned; his works, however, began to be favourably  reassessed during the mid-20th century, and many have since been staged and recorded. This photograph of Massenet was  taken by French photographer Eugène Pirou in 1875.

Bond of Brothers, New Zealand/UK. 

These two adult male lions, probably brothers, greeted each other by rubbing faces for 30 seconds before settling down. Most people never have the opportunity to witness such animal sentience.

WASHINGTON, DC

The National Nurses United set out 88 empty pairs of shoes representing nurses that they say have died from COVID-19 while demonstrating in Lafayette Park across from the White House in Washington. 

knit ... Father's Day
thanks, Ethel

RockBand Pot Holders pattern by Wendy Young
knit
thanks, Vivian

Boy Teen Doll

knit

Candy Cardigan
knit

Ephemeral Stream Socks

knit

Clerical Collar

FRANCE

The Golden Statue at Trocadero Square wears a protective mask near the Eiffel Tower with the message "Merci" (thank you) addressed to health workers as the lockout continues in Paris.

Crochet Pattern of the Day: 

thanks, Valerie, Canadian Correspondent

Everyday crop top

Softest Crochet Baby Washcloth

SOUTH KOREA

Rows of seats with pictures of fans before the start of regular season baseball game between the Hanwha Eagles and SK Wyverns in Incheon.

crochet
thanks, Lois

Coronavirus Amigurumi pattern by Claire Olivia

crochet
thanks, Millie

Hounds Tooth Tote pattern by Kathy Lashley

crochet

Elle Shawl

crochet

Simple Crochet Rug pattern by Kathy Lashley

crochet

Lovely Lace Vest

SOUTH KOREA

Stadium seats are empty as a part of precaution against coronavirus during a baseball game between the Hanwha Eagles and SK Wyverns in Incheon. 

RECIPE

thanks, Shelley, New York Food Correspondent

Weeknight Fried Rice Recipe

RUSSIA

An illuminated apartment in a building on the outskirts of Moscow during strict lockdown. 

CROCKPOT RECIPE
thanks, Marge

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

TURKEY

Face masked members of the Equestrian Gendarmerie Units patrol the beaches in Sariyer outside Istanbul.

SWEETS

thanks, Ida

Nannie's Hot Milk Cake

BOSNIA

A man wearing a face mask as seen through a bridge glass panel in Sarajevo.

ADULT COLORING

CHINA

A model walks the runway at the PJ+ collection show by Chinese designer Peng Jing during a spectator-free China Fashion Week in Beijing.

FUN

thanks, Lila

Can you spot the difference in the photo of the woman by the canal?

• Take a look at the right hand corner. The pipe spouting water into the canal was added.

IRAQ

Iraqi youths wearing protective face masks perform a somersault as they practice parkour in Najaf.

CRAFTS ... sewing

thanks, Claire

Simple Face Mask With Visor - Make It And Be Safer For It

CHILDREN'S CORNER ... Father's Day

thanks, Natalie

Homemade Six Pack of Treats for Dad!

PUZZLE

Wrought Lamp Jigsaw Puzzle




WORD SEARCH

adorn after award beauty daisy decency defense degree

fingers frock gender genial gneiss grist gritty held helpless

knock level lore lute mercy music near polite

resist sees seize shelf sign since slender sounds stately step

taper tense together transplant ullage wage

SUDOKU ... hard

solution:

QUOTE

thanks, Vicky

CLEVER 

thanks, Kay

Ways to Disinfect Clothes & Fight the Virus

EYE OPENER 

What you need to know before buying 

a Guinea pig 

by Tamara Labelle 

ExoticDirect.

-Before you buy your Guinea pig consider whether you’ll be able to provide all the care and attention it needs for the whole of its life. 

-Guinea pigs can live for up to eight years, meaning that small children may begin to lose interest as they grow up. 

-If the Guinea pig is for you consider whether your future lifestyle is likely to change, impacting on the amount of time you have for your pet.

-Guinea pigs are social animals

-Good things come in packages. And in the case of Guinea pigs, two is the ideal number. A neutered male and female works best. 

-However, if this isn’t possible, two females will also work, but you’ll need to ensure both have a similar temperament to help avoid bullying. 

-Don’t be tempted to keep a Guinea pig and rabbit together, because not only will your Guinea pig get lonely – rabbits are very quiet and don’t communicate through squeaks. But rabbits often bully Guinea pigs. 

Insurance 

Should your Guinea pig become poorly, he/she may need a vet visit, so it’s a good idea to have pet insurance to cover the bills.

You may want to put money away instead, however this method doesn’t always work for everyone. Unexpected bills and commitments can take their toll on savings goals. For peace of mind,  ExoticDirect cover up to £2,000 in vet bills for each Guinea pig you insure. You can pay by Direct Debit, meaning once the policy is set up, you can forget about it. 

-Getting the diet right:

Lots of hay is the most important food. By eating this, your Guinea pig will grind his teeth down and help to keep his gut moving and working properly. 

Without adequate hay, your Guinea pig could develop overgrown teeth and gut stasis, a condition where the digestive system slows right down or stops moving. 

-Along with hay, pellets containing vitamin C are a good idea. As piggies don’t produce their own Vitamin C, it’s up to you to provide it. A lack of vitamin C can lead to scurvy. 

-You can also provide vitamin C by feeding vegetables rich in the vitamin, and the occasional piece of fruit. 

Fruit, although seemingly healthy, actually contains a high amount of sugar, which, you’ve guessed it, can be bad for your piggies teeth, as well as his waistline. So proceed with caution here. 

-Lots of space to play

Nobody likes being cooped up all day, and that goes for your Guinea pig too. Your piggy will need lots of room to run, stretch and play. If you’ve got more than one piggy, you’ll need enough space for all of them to behave just like Guinea pigs do. 

-He’ll also need to have a hutch large enough for all your piggies to sleep in. If outside the run or play area can be attached.

Inside or outside?

-Guinea pigs can be kept outside all year, however, extreme temperatures and weather conditions can pose problems. 

Too hot and your Guinea pig could get heatstroke and too cold and he’ll get chilled. The ideal temperature is between 18 – 23 degrees.

So whether your piggy is indoors or outside you’ll need to ensure his temperature is right and that he’s protected.

-If indoors, don’t put your Guinea pig near radiators or open windows. Your piggy’s home will also need to be somewhere quiet as they have sensitive hearing and can get startled easily. 

-You’ll need to keep other pets away from them as well. Guinea pigs are prey animals, and may be perceived as a target, or feel threatened by other pets.

-If outdoors avoid direct sunlight and draughts and ensure the hutch is weatherproofed. Don’t be tempted to put the hutch in the garage as car fumes will be toxic for your piggy. 

-Keeping things clean

-Your Guinea pig’s home and run will need to be cleaned regularly. Damp or wet hay can lead to problems like bumblefoot, a foot infection. Aim to use dust free hay, as dusty varieties can cause eye infections.

-Your Guinea pig will need regular grooming to prevent matted fur, especially if you have a long haired variety.

-You’ll also need to keep your Guinea pig’s bottom clean, particularly in warmer months, as this could attract blowflies.

-Flies can lay their eggs around your Guinea pig’s bottom, and the hatching maggots will burrow into your pet’s skin, causing extreme pain and discomfort. -Immediate vet attention is required, or your piggy could pass away. You can find a vet here.

-It’s not recommended to breed Guinea pigs unless you’ve got plenty of experience. So don’t be tempted by the thought of lots of baby Guinea pigs.

-Females are sexually mature by around one month of age, however, by around six to eight months of age they’re physically unable to give birth. This is because their pelvic bones fuse together.

-If you’re keeping the opposite sex together, ensure the male is neutered. 

-Guinea pigs will enjoy playing in tunnels, boxes with an entrance and exit, and balls. You can also make toys stuffed with hay for your Guinea pig to forage and play with.

-You can experiment with what your piggy likes to play with. But they always like to run around and explore. 

Insure your Guinea pig for £2,000 of vet fees with ExoticDirect. Insurance only available to UK residents. 

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

I never lose sight of the fact that just being is fun. -Katharine Hepburn, actress (12 May 1907-2003)

thanks, Heide

OPTICAL ILLUSION

When Hunter Culverhouse posted a photo of legs, the snapshot confused thousands on the internet. Some thought her limbs were splashed with white paint, and others saw very glossy, shiny legs.

The Internet Is Losing It Over This Photo of Shiny Legs

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