DIANE'S CORNER ..

Celebrate Veganuary Month

Veganuary Month is a month-long celebration of all things vegan and was created to encourage non-vegans to try out the lifestyle. Often referred to as a lifestyle and not a diet, vegans who practice veganism aim to reduce the suffering of animals, help the planet and improve global health by not eating any animal products, such as meat, dairy, or eggs and also by abstaining from contributing to animal exploitation such as honey production, the creation of leather goods and the industrial farming of animals.

Although to be vegan you really need to omit all animal products and not just those in your food, Veganuary Month focuses on changing people’s diets, allowing participants to move onto avoiding animal products in other lifestyle products more gradually.

What do vegans eat?

It’s a common misconception that veganism involves just eating salad and grass. Although the diet does center around plant-based foods and for optimum health you should still try to eat a good portion of fruits and veggies, there are now thousands of alternative vegan versions of animal products, including cheese, meat, milk, and eggs, meaning that vegans can continue to eat all the things they love such as pizza, burgers, mac and cheese and ice-cream without eating animal products. Even restaurants have come to realize that there’s big money in the vegan market and many now offer exclusive vegan menus meaning that you don’t need to sacrifice taste or experience to follow a vegan diet.

What products do vegans avoid?

Aside from avoiding animal-foods, vegans also try to avoid buying or using products that contain animal ingredients, materials that have been derived from animals or products that have been tested on animals.

This includes things like wool that has come from sheep, silk from silkworms, leather from cows and honey from bees but there are thousands of animal-derived ingredients out there that go into products such as makeup, hand cream, clothing, and detergent, that you wouldn’t necessarily know came from animal origin.

This includes things such as lanolin (a grease extracted from sheep wool) gelatine (unless stated as vegetarian is derived from animal bones) and cochineal (a red dye derived from beetle shells!) Once you start looking, you’ll be surprised how many products contain animal-derived ingredients and how many are still tested on animals.

Joke of the Day

thanks, Frances

A Horse goes into a bar and the bartender says
"Hey buddy, Why the Long Face"

Word of the Day

juberous

MEANING:
adjective: Doubtful; undecided; hesitating.

ETYMOLOGY:
An alteration of dubious. Earliest documented use: 1871.]

USAGE:
“The most commonly cited justifications are docket pressure and overburdened prosecutors and judges, Goodwin said. I am juberous of these assertions.”
Erin Beck; Federal Judge Rejects Drug Plea; Charleston Gazette-Mail (West Virginia); Jun 27, 2017.

“Makes me feel a little juberous, though, knowin’ he might be around here somewhere.”
Jetta Carleton; The Moonflower Vine; HarperCollins; 2009.

Idiom of the Day

What does 'Any Tom, Dick or Harry' mean?

If something could be done by any Tom, Dick or Harry, it could be done by anyone

Social Distancing

This Day in History

1773 - The first public museum in America was established in Charleston, SC.

1896 - At Davidson College, several students took x-ray photographs. They created the first X-ray photographs to be made in America.

1908 - A wireless message was sent long-distance for the first time from the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

1915 - The U.S. Congress established the Rocky Mountain National Park

1928 - Vladimir Horowitz debuted as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

1932 - Hattie W. Caraway became the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate.

1949 - "Kukla, Fran and Ollie", the Chicago-based children’s show, made its national debut on NBC-TV.

1959 - Berry Gordy borrowed $800 to found the Motown record empire.

1971 - "All In the Family" debuted on CBS-TV.

1986 - Space shuttle Columbia blasted off with a crew that included the first Hispanic-American in space, Dr. Franklin R. Chang-Diaz.

1999 - Mark McGwire's 70th home run ball was sold at auction in New York for $3 million to an anonymous bidder.

2006 - The U.S. Mint began shipping new 5-cent coins to the 12 regional Federal Reserve Banks. The coin has an image of Thomas Jefferson taken from a 1800 Rembrandt Peale portrait in which the president is looking forward. Since 1909, when presidents were first depicted on circulating coins, all presidents had been shown in profile.

thanks, Karen

DAILY SQU-EEK

If You Were Born Today, January 12
You have a strong character with a contrary streak, but overall, you are charming and intriguing. While responsible and basically security-minded, you can also be quirky and rebellious. You are very partnership-oriented, always in mind that things are better shared, even the smallest things and simplest of activities. It is not that you are dependent exactly--in fact, you have a decidedly independent streak--it's more that you truly enjoy good company. Famous people born today:
1628 Charles Perrault, French author and fairy tale writer (Tales of Mother Goose), born in Paris, France (d. 1703)

1910 Luise Rainer, German-American actress and 1st actor to win multiple Academy Awards (The Great Ziegfeld 1936, The Good Earth 1937), born in Düsseldorf, Germany (d. 2014)

1918 Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Indian guru who developed Transcendental Meditation, born in Jabalpur, India (d. 2008)

1930 Tim Horton, Canadian ice hockey player & co-founder of Tim Hortons, born in Cochrane, Ontario (d. 1974)

1944 Joe Frazier, American boxer (Olympic gold heavyweight 1964; undisputed world heavyweight champion 1970-73), born in Beaufort, South Carolina (d. 2011)

1949 Haruki Murakami, Japanese writer (Norwegian Wood), born in Kyoto, Japan

1954 Howard Stern, American radio personality & "Radio's Bad Boy" (WKRK, WYSP, WJFK), born in Queens, New York

1964 Jeff Bezos, American entrepreneur and founder of Amazon, born in Albuquerque, New Mexico

1968 Heather Mills, English model, activist and writer (Out on a Limb), born in Aldershot, Hampshire

1974 Melanie Chisholm, English singer "Sporty Spice" (Spice Girls), born in Whiston, England

thanks, Kris

READERS INFO
1.
(Not So) Totally Useless Facts of The Day:
Snails take the longest naps, some lasting as long as three years.

Applesauce was the first food eatten in space by astronauts.

Hippopotamus milk is pink.
2.
1966 -

Batman, starring Adam West as Batman/Bruce Wayne, premiered on ABC. Bruce Wayne's butler, Alfred Pennyworth (Alan Napier), helped him conceal his identity and that of his ward's, Robin/Dick Grayson (Burt Ward), as superheroes. Whenever Gotham City was in danger, Commissioner Gordon (Neil Hamilton) would call the bat-phone or flash the bat signal into the sky for help. Batman and Robin protected the city from memorable villains such as The Joker (Cesar Romero), The Penguin (Burgess Meredith), The Catwoman (Julie Newmar and, later, Eartha Kitt) and The Riddler (Frank Gorshin). In a later season of the series, Batman was also aided by crime fighter Batgirl/Barbara Gordon (Yvonne Craig). The show was known for its comedic approach to crime fighting, including fight scenes that were interrupted with written exclamations like "Bam!", "Pow!" and "Zap!". Although the show started out with a "bang," its popularity quickly faded and it ended in March of 1968.

3.
Coronavirus Style by Sylvia, CAN DO Correspondent

Detoxification Baths

I enjoy taking these, so thought I would share some recipes with you. Just add one of the following to the tub, and ensure the salts are dissolved before stepping in! Don’t forget a final rinse with a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to every quart of clear rinse water, and follow up with a good body lotion.
Bath 1 – Quick & Easy:
1 c. apple cider or kambucha vinegar
1 c. Epsom salts
Bath 2 – Oxygenating:
2 c. hydrogen peroxide (3%)
1 T. ginger, powdered.
Bath 3 – With Detoxifying Body Mask:
1/2 c. Bentonite clay mixed with water for a body mask
1/2 c. Epsom salts
While standing in the tub full of the mineralized water, smooth the clay mask over your body. Sit on the edge of the tub for 20 minutes, then slip into the tub and wash it off.

Pictures of the Day

Ptyas mucosa, the Indian rat snake, is a common species of

colubrid snake found in parts of southern and southeastern Asia.

Growing to a length of 1.5 to 1.9 m (5 to 6 ft), they are very slender,

diurnal and semi-arboreal. They inhabit forest floors, wetlands, rice

paddies, and farmland, and are frequently found in urban areas

where rodents thrive. They are harmless to humans, but are fast-

moving and adept at catching the small mammals, birds, amphibians

and other reptiles on which they feed, subduing their prey by lying on

and suffocating them.

Siberian city of Omsk

A giant foot print following an early snowfall

knit
thanks, Leah

Destello Scarf

knit
thanks, Vivian

Rabbit and Bear

knit

Show Me Your Spots Cowl

knit

Nursery Basket

knit

Cable Clog Slippers

Crochet Patterns of the Day:

thanks, Valerie, Canadian Correspondent

Textured Twist Cabled Beanie & Slouch - Kids' Sizes

Mitered Mitts

crochet
thanks, Helen

Ballet Slippers

crochet
thanks, Sasha

Blooming Hand Towel

crochet

Jaxon

crochet

Monkey baby rattle

crochet

Crochet Baby Blanket Pattern from Daisy Cottage Designs

RECIPE

thanks, Shelley, New York Food Correspondent

Homemade Whole Grain Crackers Recipe

Quarantine Cooking Recipes

thanks, Debbie

Braised White Beans with Chard Recipe

CROCKPOT RECIPE

thanks, Jane

Slow Cooker Asian Top Round with Rice

VEGAN/ VEGETARIAN RECIPE

Both vegetarian and vegan diets may provide health benefits, including reduced body weight, lower cholesterol levels, and decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. However, it is important for vegetarians and vegans to ensure that they are meeting all of their nutritional requirements.

thanks, Alice

Breakfast Chimichangas

COPYCAT RECIPE

thanks, Jenny

Weight Watchers chocolate eclairs

RETRO

thanks, Ann

Oat & Coconut Icebox Cookies

SWEETS

thanks, Carol

Flourless Caramel Brownies

ADULT COLORING

FUN

thanks, Joan

answer:

CRAFTS

thanks, Claire

Soap dishes decorated with doilies

CHILDREN'S CORNER

thanks, Iris

Watercolor Ribbon Wand!

PUZZLE

Pink Hangers Jigsaw Puzzle

WORD SEARCH

aliens
allegiance
attraction

claim
close

evening

finest
fought

gamble
glisten

hallucination
hunger

insight

knowledge

land
lawyer
lice

manner
means
media

minute
most
mutiny

nail
notice

pens
public

request

scale
silence
sins
study

voice

weary
with

SUDOKU .. hard

answer:

ICE BREAKER ..

thanks, Kris

You can use 'ice breaker questions' to build a rapport, enabling strangers to engage in back and forth conversion. With a little practice and possibly a beer or two, you’ll be breaking more ice than the Titanic.

The Zombie Apocalypse Is Coming, Who Are 3 People You Want On Your Team?

QUOTE

thanks, Abby

CLEVER

thanks, Bonnie

Hubble explores the universe 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. That means it has observed some fascinating cosmic wonder every day of the year, including on your birthday.