"We do not remember days, we remember moments."
I always remember and cherish every moment of every Happy
Friday!
Mar 28, 2014
Why Grass
Approximately 80% of all homes in the United
States have grass lawns. Lawns are a $40 billion per year industry
and 3 billion man-hours are spent mowing lawns. A variety of factors
caused grass lawns to become more popular.
The Industrial Revolution resulted in the first lawn mower, originally developed by Edwin Budding in 1830. Doing away with scythes and back-breaking labor meant that trimmed grass lawns were more accessible to the average person.
Frederick Law Olmstead, who designed Central Park in New York, also designed suburbs where each house had its own little lawn. This further popularized the idea that houses should have grass lawns.
About that time, the games of golf, lawn bowling, and other sports were becoming popular in North America. As people worked less hours and had more time to themselves, there was time to play golf, or to tend a lush, green lawn.
Next to grass at a major league baseball field is a strip of dirt located in front of the home run fence. This dirt trail is known as the warning track. Outfielders use the warning track as a warning that they are nearing the fence when chasing a fly ball.
The Industrial Revolution resulted in the first lawn mower, originally developed by Edwin Budding in 1830. Doing away with scythes and back-breaking labor meant that trimmed grass lawns were more accessible to the average person.
Frederick Law Olmstead, who designed Central Park in New York, also designed suburbs where each house had its own little lawn. This further popularized the idea that houses should have grass lawns.
About that time, the games of golf, lawn bowling, and other sports were becoming popular in North America. As people worked less hours and had more time to themselves, there was time to play golf, or to tend a lush, green lawn.
Next to grass at a major league baseball field is a strip of dirt located in front of the home run fence. This dirt trail is known as the warning track. Outfielders use the warning track as a warning that they are nearing the fence when chasing a fly ball.
Wordology, Perfect Storm
It is actually a
cliché
and will not go away as most
clichés
usually do. One would naturally think a perfect storm is
about weather, but it is seldom used to discuss weather. In fact, it
was used for a few hundred years before a Texas weather bureau first
used in 1936: "The weather bureau describes the disturbance as ‘the
perfect storm’ of its type. Seven factors were involved in the chain
of circumstances that led to the flood."
A meteorologist with the National Weather Service said "I haven't used it once after 30 years in the Weather Service and am proud to say I've never used 'Storm of the Century,' either." Major weeknight network newscasts (NBC, ABC, CBS) used it a total of 32 times in the past year; USA Today used it 22 times, and the New York Times used it 57 times, all discussing non-weather related items.
Current usage describes a perfect storm as a confluence of circumstances that tend to exaggerate a situation, such as:
May was another perfect-storm month for the NBA.
A strong showing by Tiger Woods was a perfect storm of scoring conditions.
Budget cuts led to a perfect storm of unintended consequences.
The confluence of the Internet, TiVo, cable TV, and DVDs, means we are looking at a perfect storm.
The economic disaster was caused by a perfect storm of real-estate headaches.
About the recently fired Catholic bishop - ‘Bishop Bling’ was a perfect storm.
At the end of the day, I guess a perfect storm is better than using 'at the end of the day'.
A meteorologist with the National Weather Service said "I haven't used it once after 30 years in the Weather Service and am proud to say I've never used 'Storm of the Century,' either." Major weeknight network newscasts (NBC, ABC, CBS) used it a total of 32 times in the past year; USA Today used it 22 times, and the New York Times used it 57 times, all discussing non-weather related items.
Current usage describes a perfect storm as a confluence of circumstances that tend to exaggerate a situation, such as:
May was another perfect-storm month for the NBA.
A strong showing by Tiger Woods was a perfect storm of scoring conditions.
Budget cuts led to a perfect storm of unintended consequences.
The confluence of the Internet, TiVo, cable TV, and DVDs, means we are looking at a perfect storm.
The economic disaster was caused by a perfect storm of real-estate headaches.
About the recently fired Catholic bishop - ‘Bishop Bling’ was a perfect storm.
At the end of the day, I guess a perfect storm is better than using 'at the end of the day'.
Sunglasses Facts
If you get a really good pair of
sunglasses it will certainly be to your benefit. Ophthalmologists
have explained that if you get a cheap pair that does not protect
you from UVA and UVB, you might as well not wear sunglasses.
Normally if you are looking toward a bright light, your eyes will
squint to protect you, but if you are wearing sunglasses, your eyes
will open further to allow in more light. One researcher used a
meter to test random sunglasses that he bought from vendors in New
York and found that some of them did not live up to the protection
claims on the glasses. Caveat Emptor.
More Salt Facts
Salt is a terrific flavor enhancer, helping
to reduce bitterness and acidity, and bringing out other flavors in
the food.
Adding salt to bread dough controls the action of the yeast and improves the flavor. Bread made without salt will have a coarser texture and a blander flavor than bread made with salt.
Try sprinkling salt on citrus fruit, melons, tomatoes, and even in wine to enhance flavor.
Adding a little salt balances the flavor of sweets like cakes, cookies, and candies.
Boiling eggs in salted water makes them easier to peel.
Adding a pinch of salt (preferably non-iodized) to cream or egg whites before they are whipped increases their volume and serves as a stabilizer.
Salt is a mineral, so it can be stored indefinitely without going stale. It won't taste any fresher if you grind it with a salt mill.
Salt has been used for millennia as a preservative for meats, fish, cheese, and other foods. It works by absorbing moisture from the cells of bacteria and mold through osmosis, which kills them or leaves them unable to reproduce.
Salting slices of eggplants helps draw out the bitter juices.
Adding salt to bread dough controls the action of the yeast and improves the flavor. Bread made without salt will have a coarser texture and a blander flavor than bread made with salt.
Try sprinkling salt on citrus fruit, melons, tomatoes, and even in wine to enhance flavor.
Adding a little salt balances the flavor of sweets like cakes, cookies, and candies.
Boiling eggs in salted water makes them easier to peel.
Adding a pinch of salt (preferably non-iodized) to cream or egg whites before they are whipped increases their volume and serves as a stabilizer.
Salt is a mineral, so it can be stored indefinitely without going stale. It won't taste any fresher if you grind it with a salt mill.
Salt has been used for millennia as a preservative for meats, fish, cheese, and other foods. It works by absorbing moisture from the cells of bacteria and mold through osmosis, which kills them or leaves them unable to reproduce.
Salting slices of eggplants helps draw out the bitter juices.
April Fool Prank
On April 1, 1974, Oliver Bickar climbed
into Mt. Edgecumbe, a volcano that had been dormant for around 9,000
years, and made it look like it was coming back to life. After four
years of planning, Bickar doused 100 tires in cooking oil and lit
them on fire inside Mt. Edgecumbe. He also spray painted "April
Fool" in 50 foot letters around the rim.
Five Microwave Facts
A common myth surrounding microwaves
is that you can not put metal in them. The walls of the microwave
are metal. You put metal in when you cook things like hot-pockets in
those sleeves they come with (lined with aluminum, which heats up
and browns the crust via convection). Some even come with a metal
rack for double deck cooking.
A microwave oven’s radiation does not cause cancer, because it is not ionizing radiation. Even mice that spent their whole lives exposed to low levels of microwaves at the same frequency as a microwave oven, showed no adverse effects from the microwaves.
Devices like your wireless router, GPS satellites, Bluetooth devices, and smart phones also likely operate using the same band as your microwave oven. This is also why when you run your microwave, you may notice those wireless devices stop working well when you get too close to the running microwave. Some fractions of the microwaves from the magnetron are escaping and interfering with the signal your devices are using. The amount is too miniscule to be noticed or felt if you stand in front.
There is nothing special about the material the window of your microwave is made of. It is typically just plastic or glass. What stops the microwaves from cooking you is the metal mesh that is on the inside of the plastic or glass. The holes in the mesh are smaller than the wavelengths of the electromagnetic radiation your microwave is producing. The microwaves bounce off and back into your microwave oven to heat the food.
Many microwavable foods have a recommendation that you let the food sit for a few minutes before eating it. This is because sometimes the food is very thick and the microwaves may not have managed to penetrate deeply and so the center may not be warm, but is surrounded by a very hot outer layer. By waiting a few minutes, it allows the hot part to warm the center and the overall temperature of the food evens out. This is also why when you click “defrost” on your microwave you hear it periodically kicking on and off. It heats the frozen object for a short period and then lets the heated part warm the inner part by convection.
A microwave oven’s radiation does not cause cancer, because it is not ionizing radiation. Even mice that spent their whole lives exposed to low levels of microwaves at the same frequency as a microwave oven, showed no adverse effects from the microwaves.
Devices like your wireless router, GPS satellites, Bluetooth devices, and smart phones also likely operate using the same band as your microwave oven. This is also why when you run your microwave, you may notice those wireless devices stop working well when you get too close to the running microwave. Some fractions of the microwaves from the magnetron are escaping and interfering with the signal your devices are using. The amount is too miniscule to be noticed or felt if you stand in front.
There is nothing special about the material the window of your microwave is made of. It is typically just plastic or glass. What stops the microwaves from cooking you is the metal mesh that is on the inside of the plastic or glass. The holes in the mesh are smaller than the wavelengths of the electromagnetic radiation your microwave is producing. The microwaves bounce off and back into your microwave oven to heat the food.
Many microwavable foods have a recommendation that you let the food sit for a few minutes before eating it. This is because sometimes the food is very thick and the microwaves may not have managed to penetrate deeply and so the center may not be warm, but is surrounded by a very hot outer layer. By waiting a few minutes, it allows the hot part to warm the center and the overall temperature of the food evens out. This is also why when you click “defrost” on your microwave you hear it periodically kicking on and off. It heats the frozen object for a short period and then lets the heated part warm the inner part by convection.
Writer's Worth
The top famous authors are worth much more
than we might expect. J.K. Rowling went from rags to riches and was
worth over 1 billion dollars in 2011. Other wealthy authors include
Danielle Steel ($610 million), Stephen King ($400 million), Tom
Clancy ($300 million), James Patterson ($250 million), John Grisham
($200 million), Barbara Taylor Bradford ($200 million), Nora Roberts
($150 million), Stephenie Meyer ($125 million), and Dan Brown ($100
million). That is something to write home about.
Happy Rhino Sounds
I know you have all wondered what a baby
rhino sounds like when it is having fun. Well, today is your lucky
day. Enjoy. LINK
Mar 21, 2014
Happy Friday
"It is chiefly through books that we enjoy the intercourse with superior minds."
It is chiefly through friendship that I enjoy intercourse with a Happy Friday!
It is chiefly through friendship that I enjoy intercourse with a Happy Friday!
Ah, Spring! Lake Superior State University in Michigan is
home to the annual tradition of burning a snowman to signal the beginning of
Spring. This year, it will need a really big fire.
LSSU is also the place where you can obtain a license to
hunt unicorns. LINK
There is a limit of one per month and you can find all the regulations HERE.
This university is also home to the annual banished words
list. The word with most nominations for 2014 is "selfie".
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