National Senior Citizens Day

National Senior Citizens Day, August 21. Today we celebrate the people who are part of the fastest-growing demographic in the world. According to the traditional definition, a senior citizen is anyone older than 60 years of age, but this seems relatively young in today’s society. 

When it comes to new technologies, adults above the age of 55 represent 65% of all “early adopters.” This demographic is also the most politically engaged segment of the population. Almost 80% of all senior citizens vote in a presidential election, while the overall voter turnout is usually about 50%.

President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the first National Senior Citizens Day in 1988. In his explanation he wrote that, “Older citizens are reinforcing their historical roles as leaders and as links with our patrimony and sense of purpose as individuals and as a Nation.”

In honor of National Senior Citizens Day, spend time with your favorite relatives or make a commitment to volunteer at a retirement home. If you are a senior citizen yourself, share a few drinks and snacks with friends. Also, check for special promotions and giveaways at your favorite restaurants and shops.

Happy National Waffle Day Aug 24

 National Waffle Day commemorates the anniversary of the first waffle iron patent issued. On August 24, 1869, Cornelius Swarthout of Troy, New York received his patent for the waffle iron. Celebrate by savoring your favorite kind of waffle.

For longer than anyone can remember, waffles have been a sweet, toasty breakfast treat and a staple inside America’s freezers, restaurants, and recipe books. Maybe you enjoy waffles the old-fashioned way, with butter and maple syrup, or perhaps you like them decked out with chocolate chips, whipped cream, strawberries, and other decadent toppings. Or perhaps you have moved on to concepts like waffle sandwiches, waffle crepes, waffle pizzas, or chicken and waffles.

Food historians trace the waffle’s DNA back to ancient Greece, when cooks roasted flat cakes between two metal plates attached to a long wooden handle. Obelios, as the cakes were called, were not particularly sweet or decadent, but their design evolved over time as people began customizing the plates. In Medieval Europe, the Catholic Church made a large, unleavened wafer as a sort of companion to the communion wafer. These oublies (or “wafers,” derived from the Greek term) were typically made using grain flour and water, and would depict Biblical scenes, crosses, and other religious icons. They were often served after meals as a symbolic final blessing.

In the early 18th century, the English added a second "f" to form the word we know today: waffles. It wasn’t until waffles came to America, courtesy of the Dutch, that they were finally paired with maple syrup, a popular liquid sweetener that was cheaper and more widely available than granulated sugar, which had to be imported. As early as the 1740s, colonists in New Jersey and New York were having parties known as "wafel frolics." Thomas Jefferson, who loved waffles so much that he brought four waffle irons that he bought in Amsterdam, regularly served waffles at Monticello along with other shockingly modern foods like ice cream, French fries, and macaroni and cheese.

A few decades later, three brothers from California would revolutionize the waffle industry and breakfasts everywhere. In 1932, Frank, Anthony, and Samuel Dorsa started a food manufacturing company in their parents’ basement in San Jose. Their first breakthrough, Eggo Mayonnaise, so named because it used "100 percent fresh ranch eggs," became a local success, as did a waffle batter they sold to consumers and restaurants. The brothers also developed one of the first dry waffle mixes, which required just milk to create a rich, thick batter. The Dorsas were so successful that after just a few years they moved out of their parents’ basement and into an old potato chip factory, where they expanded into other categories like chips, noodles, and pretzel sticks.

Banana Facts

A banana plant only produces one bunch of bananas in its lifetime. Banana plants take about nine months to grow up and produce banana berry, and once the bananas have been harvested, the plant dies.

Bananas reproduce by suckers, which are small plants that grow at the root of the parent plant. Each stem grows 9 to 12 hands, which means that a single banana plant can produce up to 240 bananas.

Bananas are berries. Berry is actually a botanical term, not a common English one. Blackberries, mulberries, and raspberries are not berries, but bananas, pumpkins, avocados, and cucumbers are. 

Upload vs. Download Speed

 Internet speed tests let you find out how fast your connection is. These numbers are used in pricing your internet monthly fees. There are two numbers, “upload speed” and “download speed.” The download speed is how fast information comes to your connected device from the internet. Upload speed is how fast information goes from your connected device to the internet. Your download speed will always be higher. 

The speeds are shared by all your devices, so if you have two computers and three TVs that share, things could slow down. If you are streaming video, it is recommended to have at least 8 mbps for multiple devices watching HD content. If you are watching 4K content, you will need 25 mbps for one device or 40 mbps for multiple devices.

WD-40 For Bugs

For insect spray, it works equally well on roaches and squeaky hinges. Yellow jackets and other wasp's favorite places to build nests is under eaves. Spray some WD-40 under all the eaves of your house. It will block the wasps from building their nests there. 

Grapefruit Origin

The grapefruit first appeared after 1693 when Captain Shaddock transported some pomelo (non-hybrid, citrus fruit native to Southeast Asia) seeds to the West Indies and planted them close to some orange trees. The pomelo and orange later cross-pollinated to create the grapefruit.

Europeans learned of this citrus fruit in 1750 when Reverend Griffith Hughes encountered one. Hughes was so surprised with the discovery that he named the grapefruit “the forbidden fruit.” That was the name until 1814 when John Lunan called it the grapefruit, because grapefruits resembled the smaller and unrelated grapes when they were still growing.

The grapefruit reached the United States in 1823, but was mistaken for the pomelo. It was only determined to be a distinct fruit in 1837. However, botanists were still confused about its origin. It wasn’t until 1948 that they discovered it was a hybrid of the pomelo and the orange. 

Happy Friday

“Unhappy is he who depends on success to be happy,” ~Alex Dias Ribeiro

If you are happy, you are already a success, especially on a Happy Friday! 

August 8: National Happiness Happens Day

 Created by the Secret Society of Happy People in 1999 as Admit You’re Happy Day, this unofficial holiday encourages people to be open about their happiness and to share it with others. The holiday is based on the premise that happiness is unlimited and contagious and that sharing one's happiness and can bring a lot of joy in other people's lives. In 2000, the Society expanded the celebration of happiness and declared August as Happiness Happens Month.

Do something nice for yourself - after all, happiness starts at home. Make someone else happy by doing something nice for them. It can be something as simple as giving up your seat on the bus to someone else or a more elaborate gesture like volunteering your time and money to a charity of your choice. Studies have found that volunteering doesn't only help people bring joy in their lives, but can also help them live longer.

Participate in a HappyThon - a social media campaign run by the Secret Society of Happy People that encourages people to send happy, joyful, and uplifting messages to people around the world.

Incidentally, In 2012, the United Nations (UN) declared March 20 to be observed as the International Day of Happiness

August 9: National Book Lovers Day

 For most book lovers, every day is a day to celebrate reading. Many of my books will make you happy and you can extend Happiness day. Today is the day to exalt book lovers of all shapes, sizes, covers, and word counts. Diphthongs are not allowed while social distancing is observed.

Top 5 Reasons to Laugh

Having a good laugh makes your brain release endorphins and really does change your mood for the better.

By gently exercising the body, through the laughter and the breathing and the gentle movements one performs while going through the routine.

It helps to prevent you from getting sick as well as helping to improve a number of conditions, like hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, depression, arthritis, allergies, asthma, bronchitis, back ache, fibromyalgia, headaches, cancer, and many more.

Laughter creates a positive energy which helps you to connect with people and attract friends.

It creates a positive mental state which is beneficial when times are rough.

Research is ongoing regarding the potential health benefits of laughter. Still to be proven is if the sense of humor and positive attitude behind laughter are also helpful.

When we laugh, we increase our pulse rate and blood pressure, and the effects may be similar to exercise. Researchers have estimated that laughing for 10 to 15 minutes burns 50 calories. Other studies suggest laughter improves blood flow, immune responses, and blood sugar levels.

Research looking at the connection between mind and body suggests that repeated doses of laughter, and even anticipation of laughter, can lead to positive physical changes.

In a paper presented at the American Physiological Society, they found that the hormones beta-endorphins (which elevate mood) and human growth hormone (which builds immunity) increased by 27% and 87 % respectively in patients exposed to "mirthful laughter."

Another study found that laughter reduced three key stress hormones; cortisol, epinephrine, and dopac -- by 38 percent to 70 percent. Significantly high levels of those three hormones have long been linked to compromised immune systems.

Laughter promotes all kinds of good endorphins, which helps reduce pain and promotes deep breathing.

In another study, they found that the same anticipation of mirthful laughter reduced the levels of three detrimental stress hormones. Cortisol, adrenaline, and dopac, were reduced 39, 70, and 38%, respectively.

A group of 20 high-risk diabetic patients with hypertension and hyperlipidemia were divided into two groups: Group C (control) and Group L (laughter). Both groups were started on standard medications for diabetes and Group L viewed self-selected humor for 30 minutes in addition to the standard therapies.

The patients in the laughter group had lower epinephrine and norepinephrine levels by the second month, suggesting lower stress levels. They also increased HDL (good) cholesterol and had lower levels of inflammation.

At the end of one year, the laughter group HDL cholesterol had risen by 26 percent, and only 3 percent in the Group Control. Harmful C-reactive proteins decreased 66% in the laughter group vs. 26% for the control group.

The study suggests that the addition of an adjunct therapeutic laughter prescription to standard diabetes care may lower stress and inflammatory response and increase "good" cholesterol levels. The authors conclude that laughter may thus lower the risk of cardiovascular disease associated with diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome. 

Salty Milk

Add a pinch of salt to a gallon of milk  and it will make it last a bit longer. Store bought or fresh, it does not matter. Something about the salt preserves the milk and keeps it from spoiling as quickly.

Cold vs. Warm Milk

 In the United States, milk is sold and stored cold, but America is a bit of an outlier.

It comes down to different pasteurization methods. In the US and Canada, milk manufacturers make use of high-temperature short-time pasteurization, or HTST. Able to kill bacteria in large batches, HTST is efficient, but results in milk that expires relatively quickly - about seven to 10 days after opening. That is because the temperature used (about 161°F for 15 seconds) is enough to kill most bacteria, but some will proliferate if the milk hangs around long enough.

In Europe and other parts of the world, another technique called ultra-heat-treated pasteurization, or UHT, is used. Milk is exposed to higher temperatures of 284°F for three seconds, decimating virtually all the bacteria and making it shelf-stable for about six months if left unopened. Once opened, it has to be refrigerated. Because it is “cooked” at high heat and burns off some of the sugar, UHT milk also has a slightly different flavor.  

Pasteurization is named after Louis Pasteur, a French scientist in the 1860s who realized heating beer could kill bacteria. Decades later, German agricultural chemist Franz von Soxhlet applied the principle of high heat to milk, since dairy products had a nasty habit of harboring contaminants that could cause diphtheria or tuberculosis. HTST and UHT methods followed, and Europe picked up on the promise of UHT producing milk that would not spoil quickly.

The idea of purchasing milk in the middle of a grocery store, unrefrigerated, is something that does not fit with US food storage habits. While UHT milk is still sold in the US, it is primarily for portable cartons thrown in lunchboxes or for people who want to have milk on hand for a backpack.

Trip Insurance

Take photos before leaving for a trips to show proof that the oven dials all show off and the thermostat is turned off (or at least down or up depending on season. Also take a picture of the locked door and any other thing you may worry about as soon as you get in the car to go to the airport. The interesting thing is that you most likely will never look at the pictures, because you have the peace of mind knowing you took the picture. Also don't forget to take a picture of where you parked your car at the airport. Also:
Clean out the fridge,
Refrigerate produce,
Take out the trash,
Wipe down surfaces,
Make the bed and change the sheets,
Water plants and move them to cool areas, or setup a self watering system,
Stock up on ready made meals and coffee,
Hold your mail or ask a neighbor to get it,
Raise, lower, or turn off thermostats,

Toss fresh flowers. 

Labyrinth vs. Maze

 A maze is a complex branching puzzle that includes choices of path and direction, may have multiple entrances and exits, and dead ends. Mazes can be constructed with varying levels of difficulty and complexity.

A labyrinth has only a single non-branching path, which leads to the center then back out the same way, with only one entry/exit point.