"As a well-spent day
brings happy sleep, so life well used brings happy death."
~Leonardo Da Vinci
Happy days are always well-spent days, especially on a Happy
Friday!
May 19, 2017
21 Gun Salute
The origin of gun salutes is usually attributed to soldiers or
other armed types demonstrated peaceful intentions by placing
their weapons in a position that rendered them ineffective. As
cannons and small arms came into use, a good way to render them
ineffective and demonstrating peaceful intentions, was to fire
them, as reloading was a real pain. At sea, seven shots became
the norm, probably because of superstition and mysticism about
the number seven. On land, with a less limited supply of
gunpowder, they could fire three guns for every one shot from a
ship, so a salute from a ship of seven guns would be answered by
a salute from the shore batteries of 21 guns. When gunpowder
technology and storage improved, ships at sea adopted the salute
of 21 guns.
There is a complex protocol for salutes. Twenty one guns are only used to salute a national flag, the sovereign or chief of state of a foreign nation, a member of a reigning royal family, and anyone who has ever been elected President of the US. A vice-president, speaker of the house, American or foreign ambassador, a premier or prime minister (unless sovereign), chief justice, cabinet member, state governor, secretary or ranking general of a branch of the armed forces, and president pro tem of the senate all receive 19 gun salutes on entering. Generals, admirals, the assistant secretary of defense, and chairpersons of House committees receive 17. There are 15, 13, and 11 gun salutes for people of descending rank, both military and civilian.
For a full-honor funeral at Arlington, a President gets 21 guns. A secretary of defense, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, or other military officer given command over multiple branches of the service receives 19. Seventeen guns are fired for a four-star general, 15 for a three-star, 13 for a two-star, and 11 for a one-star.
There is a complex protocol for salutes. Twenty one guns are only used to salute a national flag, the sovereign or chief of state of a foreign nation, a member of a reigning royal family, and anyone who has ever been elected President of the US. A vice-president, speaker of the house, American or foreign ambassador, a premier or prime minister (unless sovereign), chief justice, cabinet member, state governor, secretary or ranking general of a branch of the armed forces, and president pro tem of the senate all receive 19 gun salutes on entering. Generals, admirals, the assistant secretary of defense, and chairpersons of House committees receive 17. There are 15, 13, and 11 gun salutes for people of descending rank, both military and civilian.
For a full-honor funeral at Arlington, a President gets 21 guns. A secretary of defense, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, or other military officer given command over multiple branches of the service receives 19. Seventeen guns are fired for a four-star general, 15 for a three-star, 13 for a two-star, and 11 for a one-star.
Taco Bell Beef
Taco Bell 'meat' is made up of 36 percent beef. The other 64
percent includes: water, isolated oat product, wheat oats, soy
lecithin, maltodrextrin, anti-dusting agent, autolyzed yeast
extract, modified corn starch and sodium phosphate, as well as
beef and seasonings.
Two Amazing Costco Facts
Costco sells over 100 million hot dogs a year,
according to the Daily Meal. That is more than all the major
league baseball parks combined sell in an entire season. I
also think they are better dogs than sold in many of the
stadiums, and they are cheaper.
It is also one of the largest pizza chains in the US.
It is also one of the largest pizza chains in the US.
Natural Foods
Natural is a broad term used to describe products that are
minimally processed, and free of synthetic dyes, coloring,
flavorings and preservatives. Products labeled “natural” can
still contain fructose corn syrup and GMOs. The term is largely
unregulated by the USDA. Even meat, poultry, and egg products
can still have antibiotics and growth hormones, and can be fed
on GMO feed. The US FDA has not developed a definition for use
of the term natural or its derivatives.
The USDA says, claims indicating that a product is natural food, such as “natural chili” or “chili - a natural product” would be unacceptable for a product containing beet powder which artificially colors the finished product. However, “all natural ingredients” might be an acceptable claim for such a product.
The UK FSA guidance states: "The term ‘natural’ without qualification should be used ... to describe single foods, of a traditional nature, to which nothing has been added and which have been subjected only to such processing as to render them suitable for human consumption."
Natural or all natural labels are more marketing than fact based. Naturally, this is all unnatural label mumbo jumbo that means little, but makes us feel good.
The USDA says, claims indicating that a product is natural food, such as “natural chili” or “chili - a natural product” would be unacceptable for a product containing beet powder which artificially colors the finished product. However, “all natural ingredients” might be an acceptable claim for such a product.
The UK FSA guidance states: "The term ‘natural’ without qualification should be used ... to describe single foods, of a traditional nature, to which nothing has been added and which have been subjected only to such processing as to render them suitable for human consumption."
Natural or all natural labels are more marketing than fact based. Naturally, this is all unnatural label mumbo jumbo that means little, but makes us feel good.
Divorce Rate
Just read that 67% of second marriages and 73% of third
marriages end in divorce. The average divorce rate for first
marriages is about 41% in the United States, and the divorce
rate figures have been declining.
YouTube Tips
Here are a few YouTube keyboard shortcuts to increase your
viewing pleasure.
K = pause or play
J = rewind 10 seconds
L = fast forward 10 seconds
M = turn off the sound
Number 0 = jump to the start of the video
Numbers 1 to 9 = jump to between 10% and 90% of the way through the video.
Find your favorite artist’s page - type # + the artist’s name (without spaces) in the search bar.
To use theater or full screen mode, click on the small rectangle or the open box next to it in the lower right corner of the video.
To change the speed of a video, click on the gear symbol in the lower right corner of any video.
K = pause or play
J = rewind 10 seconds
L = fast forward 10 seconds
M = turn off the sound
Number 0 = jump to the start of the video
Numbers 1 to 9 = jump to between 10% and 90% of the way through the video.
Find your favorite artist’s page - type # + the artist’s name (without spaces) in the search bar.
To use theater or full screen mode, click on the small rectangle or the open box next to it in the lower right corner of the video.
To change the speed of a video, click on the gear symbol in the lower right corner of any video.
Thomas Edison Phonograph
This was written during 1877 about his
phonograph. The same might be said about social apps and smart
phones today.
“He has been addicted to electricity for many years,” the phonograph, with its ability to record speech, “will eventually destroy all confidence between man and man.”
Another paper of the time outlined ways phonographic technology might go wrong: greedy thieves might trick elderly millionaires into vocally amending their wills; sketchy neighbors might use opera recordings to lure women out of their homes; and wives might frighten their husbands out of sleep by playing a tape that yells “POLICE! FIRE!” over and over again. Editorial fear-mongering has not changed much during the past 140 years.
“He has been addicted to electricity for many years,” the phonograph, with its ability to record speech, “will eventually destroy all confidence between man and man.”
Another paper of the time outlined ways phonographic technology might go wrong: greedy thieves might trick elderly millionaires into vocally amending their wills; sketchy neighbors might use opera recordings to lure women out of their homes; and wives might frighten their husbands out of sleep by playing a tape that yells “POLICE! FIRE!” over and over again. Editorial fear-mongering has not changed much during the past 140 years.
What is DLNA
TVs and many devices usually include DLNA as one of the
features. For most of us, it is unimportant and we do not even
know what it means. Since it is a standard, manufacturers and
stores to not use it as a selling point, because almost all
devices have the feature.
DLNA stands for Digital Living Network Alliance, the trade group founded by Sony in 2003 to define the interoperability guidelines.
It separates multimedia devices into 10 certified classes subdivided into three broad categories: Home Network Devices (PCs, TVs, AV receivers, game consoles), Mobile Handheld Devices (smartphones, tablets, digital cameras), and Home Infrastructure Devices (routers and hubs). All DLNA-certified devices use Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) to discover and talk to each other on the network.
DLNA stands for Digital Living Network Alliance, the trade group founded by Sony in 2003 to define the interoperability guidelines.
It separates multimedia devices into 10 certified classes subdivided into three broad categories: Home Network Devices (PCs, TVs, AV receivers, game consoles), Mobile Handheld Devices (smartphones, tablets, digital cameras), and Home Infrastructure Devices (routers and hubs). All DLNA-certified devices use Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) to discover and talk to each other on the network.
May 12, 2017
Happy Friday
Family and friends are not our whole life, but make our lives
whole.
Family and friends always make my life whole, especially on a Happy Friday!
Family and friends always make my life whole, especially on a Happy Friday!
National Limerick Day
It is observed annually on May 12 and celebrates the
birthday of English artist, illustrator, author, and poet Edward
Lear. He is known mostly for his literary nonsense in poetry,
prose, and limericks.
National Limerick Day also celebrates the limerick poem, a very short, humorous, nonsense poem. Within a limerick, there are five lines. The first two lines rhyme with the fifth line and the third and fourth line rhyme together. The first, second, and fifth lines must have seven to ten syllables while rhyming and having the same verbal rhythm. The third and fourth lines only have to have five to seven syllables, and have to rhyme with each other and have the same rhythm. The limerick also has a particular rhythm which is officially described as anapestic trimeter
A limerick example of a nursery rhyme.
“Hickory, dickory, dock,
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one,
And down he run,
Hickory, dickory, dock.”
There once was a man named Lodge,
who had seat belts installed in his Dodge.
When his date was strapped in,
He committed a sin,
without ever leaving the garage.
National Limerick Day also celebrates the limerick poem, a very short, humorous, nonsense poem. Within a limerick, there are five lines. The first two lines rhyme with the fifth line and the third and fourth line rhyme together. The first, second, and fifth lines must have seven to ten syllables while rhyming and having the same verbal rhythm. The third and fourth lines only have to have five to seven syllables, and have to rhyme with each other and have the same rhythm. The limerick also has a particular rhythm which is officially described as anapestic trimeter
A limerick example of a nursery rhyme.
“Hickory, dickory, dock,
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one,
And down he run,
Hickory, dickory, dock.”
There once was a man named Lodge,
who had seat belts installed in his Dodge.
When his date was strapped in,
He committed a sin,
without ever leaving the garage.
A
bather whose clothing was strewed
By winds that left her quite nude
Saw a man come along
And unless I am wrong
You expected this line to be lewd.
By winds that left her quite nude
Saw a man come along
And unless I am wrong
You expected this line to be lewd.
Mother's Day
In the US, Mother's Day is celebrated May
14. In the UK, Mothering Day was celebrated March 26, where it
is always celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent, three weeks
before Easter Sunday.
Anna Jarvis had originally conceived of Mother's Day as a day of personal celebration between mothers and families. During 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a measure officially establishing the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day in the US. It wasn’t to celebrate all mothers. It was to celebrate the best mother you have ever known, your mother.
The day took off in Britain when a vicar's daughter, Constance Smith was inspired by a newspaper report of Jarvis' campaign and began a push for the day to be officially marked in England. Smith founded the Mothering Sunday Movement and even wrote a booklet, "The Revival of Mothering Sunday" in 1920. Interestingly, neither Smith nor Jarvis became mother’s themselves.
The French celebrate Mother's Day on the last Sunday in May. Mother’s Day in Spain is celebrated on December 8th.
Anna Jarvis had originally conceived of Mother's Day as a day of personal celebration between mothers and families. During 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a measure officially establishing the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day in the US. It wasn’t to celebrate all mothers. It was to celebrate the best mother you have ever known, your mother.
The day took off in Britain when a vicar's daughter, Constance Smith was inspired by a newspaper report of Jarvis' campaign and began a push for the day to be officially marked in England. Smith founded the Mothering Sunday Movement and even wrote a booklet, "The Revival of Mothering Sunday" in 1920. Interestingly, neither Smith nor Jarvis became mother’s themselves.
The French celebrate Mother's Day on the last Sunday in May. Mother’s Day in Spain is celebrated on December 8th.
Wordology, Donnybrook
A donnybrook is a free-for-all or brawl and is usually a public quarrel or dispute. Usage of the word stems from history of a place in Ireland. The word donnybrook comes from Domhnach Broc, meaning 'The Church of Saint Broc'. A donnybrook is larger than a fight, but smaller than a brouhaha or hubbub.
The Donnybrook Fair was an annual eight to fourteen day event held in Donnybrook, Ireland from the 1200s to the mid 1800s. The fair was legendary for the vast quantities of liquor consumed, the number of hasty marriages performed during the week following it, and for the frequent brawls that erupted throughout it. From the 1790s on there were campaigns against the drunken brawl the fair had become. The event was abolished in 1855, but not before its name had become a generic term for a free-for-all.
Incidentally, there is an annual Donnybrook Fair held in Walsh, Ontario, Canada named after the Dublin fair.
The Donnybrook Fair was an annual eight to fourteen day event held in Donnybrook, Ireland from the 1200s to the mid 1800s. The fair was legendary for the vast quantities of liquor consumed, the number of hasty marriages performed during the week following it, and for the frequent brawls that erupted throughout it. From the 1790s on there were campaigns against the drunken brawl the fair had become. The event was abolished in 1855, but not before its name had become a generic term for a free-for-all.
Incidentally, there is an annual Donnybrook Fair held in Walsh, Ontario, Canada named after the Dublin fair.
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