When you look in the
mirror, pretend you are a coloring book and paint a great big
smile on your face.
I always like to
paint on a smile, especially on a Happy Friday!
Mar 15, 2019
Happy St. Patrick's Day March 17
Here are a few facts and a few myths
debunked.
Although Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, he was actually born in Roman-occupied Britain in the fourth century to wealthy parents. His birth name was Maewyn Succat, but he changed it to Patricius after becoming a priest.
The young Maewyn was kidnapped and sold into slavery by Irish raiders who robbed his family home when he was only 16 years old.
St. Patrick did convert many pagans to Christianity, but the story of his driving all the snakes out of Ireland during his 40-day fast on a hilltop is not true. The legend of the snakes is likely a metaphor for St. Patrick’s having driven evil out of Ireland.
St. Patrick’s Day falls on the anniversary of Patrick’s death on March 17 in the fifth century. His followers in Ireland began to celebrate his feast day on that day during the ninth and tenth centuries, even though he was never formally canonized by a pope.
St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated all around the world.
Ireland’s prime minister gives the U.S. president an Irish cut-glass bowl filled with shamrocks, the three-leafed sprig that is one of the state’s emblems. The tradition dates back to 1952, when the first Irish ambassador to America, John Joseph Hearne, reportedly dropped off a box of shamrocks for Harry Truman
Members of the Order of St. Patrick actually used blue as their symbolic color. The shade: St. Patrick’s blue.
Leprechauns and St. Patrick’s Day really are not related, aside from the fact that they are both Irish. Leprechauns didn’t become a staple of Irish literature until many years after St. Patrick’s famed journey through Ireland. There are no female leprechauns.
Incidentally, until 1961, there were laws in Ireland that banned bars to be open on March 17. Since the holiday falls during the period of Lent in the heavily Catholic country, the idea of binge drinking seemed a bit immoral. Also, Éirinn go Brách, means roughly "Ireland Forever."
Although Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, he was actually born in Roman-occupied Britain in the fourth century to wealthy parents. His birth name was Maewyn Succat, but he changed it to Patricius after becoming a priest.
The young Maewyn was kidnapped and sold into slavery by Irish raiders who robbed his family home when he was only 16 years old.
St. Patrick did convert many pagans to Christianity, but the story of his driving all the snakes out of Ireland during his 40-day fast on a hilltop is not true. The legend of the snakes is likely a metaphor for St. Patrick’s having driven evil out of Ireland.
St. Patrick’s Day falls on the anniversary of Patrick’s death on March 17 in the fifth century. His followers in Ireland began to celebrate his feast day on that day during the ninth and tenth centuries, even though he was never formally canonized by a pope.
St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated all around the world.
Ireland’s prime minister gives the U.S. president an Irish cut-glass bowl filled with shamrocks, the three-leafed sprig that is one of the state’s emblems. The tradition dates back to 1952, when the first Irish ambassador to America, John Joseph Hearne, reportedly dropped off a box of shamrocks for Harry Truman
Members of the Order of St. Patrick actually used blue as their symbolic color. The shade: St. Patrick’s blue.
Leprechauns and St. Patrick’s Day really are not related, aside from the fact that they are both Irish. Leprechauns didn’t become a staple of Irish literature until many years after St. Patrick’s famed journey through Ireland. There are no female leprechauns.
Incidentally, until 1961, there were laws in Ireland that banned bars to be open on March 17. Since the holiday falls during the period of Lent in the heavily Catholic country, the idea of binge drinking seemed a bit immoral. Also, Éirinn go Brách, means roughly "Ireland Forever."
Spring is Here
March 20 is the first day of Spring in the US. During early
spring, the axis of the Earth is increasing its tilt relative to
the Sun, and the length of daylight rapidly increases for the
relevant hemisphere. The hemisphere begins to warm
significantly, causing new plant growth to "spring forth,"
giving the season its name.
Four Factoids
Van Gogh did not actually cut off his ear. He cut off a small
part of his lobe in a fight with Paul Gauguin.
Over 50% of bottled water is tap water, so saying bottled water is better is less than half correct.
About 60% of beef raised in the US is Angus breed, so saying this place has Angus beef is just for advertising not quality.
Poison Ivy is not contagious. You cannot get it from someone who has it, you need to come in contact with the plant or sap from the plant.
Over 50% of bottled water is tap water, so saying bottled water is better is less than half correct.
About 60% of beef raised in the US is Angus breed, so saying this place has Angus beef is just for advertising not quality.
Poison Ivy is not contagious. You cannot get it from someone who has it, you need to come in contact with the plant or sap from the plant.
Laughing and Calories
A study was commissioned by the comedy channel
GO LD (Go On Laugh Daily) in Great Britain. Researchers, led by
Helen Pilcher, PhD, looked into the number of calories burned by
intense laughing and compared it to the calorie burn of other
daily activities (strength training, running, and vacuuming).
They found that intense laughter by itself is its own workout. An hour of it can benefit you as much as a half hour of hitting it hard at the gym. Laughing burns calories, but it can also boost total energy expenditure by up to 20 percent. One hour of laughter burns up to 120 calories, about the same as 18 to 27 minutes of weight training, 15 to 20 minutes of walking, or 40 minutes’ vacuuming (unless you have a Roomba).
They found that intense laughter by itself is its own workout. An hour of it can benefit you as much as a half hour of hitting it hard at the gym. Laughing burns calories, but it can also boost total energy expenditure by up to 20 percent. One hour of laughter burns up to 120 calories, about the same as 18 to 27 minutes of weight training, 15 to 20 minutes of walking, or 40 minutes’ vacuuming (unless you have a Roomba).
Skipping Breakfast
In a new study published in the British Medical Journal,
researchers report that breakfast may have no impact on weight
loss at all. In the study, a team of researchers from Monash
University in Melbourne, Australia, analyzed 13 randomized
controlled trials during the past 28 years. Of the trials, seven
examined the effect of eating breakfast on weight change, and
ten examined the effect on energy intake.
One of the arguments against skipping breakfast, weight-loss experts say, is that you will feel hungrier throughout the day and be more likely to overeat. The new study’s first finding was that people do not feel hungrier after skipping breakfast and do not overeat the rest of the day. The researchers’ second finding was that eating breakfast does not prevent overeating later in the day. The researchers also found that breakfast skippers weighed about a pound less on average compared to people who ate breakfast.
One of the arguments against skipping breakfast, weight-loss experts say, is that you will feel hungrier throughout the day and be more likely to overeat. The new study’s first finding was that people do not feel hungrier after skipping breakfast and do not overeat the rest of the day. The researchers’ second finding was that eating breakfast does not prevent overeating later in the day. The researchers also found that breakfast skippers weighed about a pound less on average compared to people who ate breakfast.
Six Inventions from NASA
Everyone’s famous handheld vacuum comes courtesy of
NASA after the agency partnered with Black & Decker to build
battery-operated tools for collecting samples from the moon’s
surfaces during exploration. The device was so good at
collecting samples that it was quickly adopted for use in
hospitals, industry, and your home.
Transcend Brac-kets come from NASA and are a high technology orthodontic innovation in which individual translucent brackets, especially designed for each tooth, work in concert with a thin metal connecting wire to gradually reposition teeth, mouth and jaws into proper alignment. Intended to meet a need for an orthodontic appliance that was aesthetically appealing yet as clinically effective as plastic or metal braces, Transcend Brack-ets are made of a very hard, shatter-resistant alumina with high strength and maximum translucency. The translucency allows light to pass through the ceramic material to the tooth, thereby causing the bracket to appear tooth-colored. The brackets do not stain, discolor, deform or bend.
In an effort to lighten astronauts’ suits and equipment, NASA developed suits with blow rubber molding. Not only did the material shave the 30-pound suits by a third, but the fireproof material also became the cushioning gel used in the soles of athletic sneakers.
Speedo’s Aqualab Speedo now considerd the most efficient swimsuit yet: the LZR Racer was invented by NASA.
Martek, a bioscience company, partnered with NASA to develop a nutritional supplement to sustain astronauts during long-duration space flights. Coincidentally, the supplement was made, in part, of microalgae high in DHA and ARA, two fatty acids important for infant development. When the partnership was over, Martek made a spin-off of the supplement, now found in nearly 95 percent of infant formula.
Radiant barrier technology was developed by NASA over 40 years ago to normalize temperatures aboard spacecraft and stations, but it was not until 2004 that it found a use in homes. The barrier can be applied to increase the efficiency of home insulation, further reducing heating and cooling bills.
Transcend Brac-kets come from NASA and are a high technology orthodontic innovation in which individual translucent brackets, especially designed for each tooth, work in concert with a thin metal connecting wire to gradually reposition teeth, mouth and jaws into proper alignment. Intended to meet a need for an orthodontic appliance that was aesthetically appealing yet as clinically effective as plastic or metal braces, Transcend Brack-ets are made of a very hard, shatter-resistant alumina with high strength and maximum translucency. The translucency allows light to pass through the ceramic material to the tooth, thereby causing the bracket to appear tooth-colored. The brackets do not stain, discolor, deform or bend.
In an effort to lighten astronauts’ suits and equipment, NASA developed suits with blow rubber molding. Not only did the material shave the 30-pound suits by a third, but the fireproof material also became the cushioning gel used in the soles of athletic sneakers.
Speedo’s Aqualab Speedo now considerd the most efficient swimsuit yet: the LZR Racer was invented by NASA.
Martek, a bioscience company, partnered with NASA to develop a nutritional supplement to sustain astronauts during long-duration space flights. Coincidentally, the supplement was made, in part, of microalgae high in DHA and ARA, two fatty acids important for infant development. When the partnership was over, Martek made a spin-off of the supplement, now found in nearly 95 percent of infant formula.
Radiant barrier technology was developed by NASA over 40 years ago to normalize temperatures aboard spacecraft and stations, but it was not until 2004 that it found a use in homes. The barrier can be applied to increase the efficiency of home insulation, further reducing heating and cooling bills.
Food Myth
To
minimize fat and calories, always remove the skin before cooking
chicken. Not true - the better way is to bake, broil, grill, or
roast poultry with the skin intact to preserve its natural
juices. Cook with the skin on and then remove before serving if
you prefer.
What's in a Name, Virgin
According to the company, Virgin was named to
reflect the experience Richard Branson and associates had when
starting the company. It was none, thus virgins.
Cell Phone Carrier Quality
RootMetrics gathered data on the four major
cell phone providers—Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile to
see which one had the best overall performance. They tested
call, data, and text reliability in all 50 states and across 125
of the most populated metropolitan markets. Sprint consistently
fell behind the other carriers in all metrics. Verizon came out
on top, T-Mobile took second place, and AT&T came in third.
In a similar study, J.D. Power collected data from over 30,000 customers on call quality, data quality, and texting for the major carriers in six regions. Sprint came in last in all of the regions except for the Southeast, where it tied for last with AT&T.
In a similar study, J.D. Power collected data from over 30,000 customers on call quality, data quality, and texting for the major carriers in six regions. Sprint came in last in all of the regions except for the Southeast, where it tied for last with AT&T.
International Happiness Day
Wednesday March 20 is International
Happiness Day. March 20 is the International Day of Happiness
and this year's theme is Happier Together, focusing on what we
have in common, rather than what divides us. Everyone wants to
be happy - and life is happier when we are together.
Mar 8, 2019
Happy Friday
"Everyone thinks of
changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself." ~Leo
Tolstoy
You do not need to change the world to be happy, especially on a Happy Friday!
You do not need to change the world to be happy, especially on a Happy Friday!
Daylight Saving
This
weekend, 2am Sunday, March 10 is the time we in the US again
ignore nature and wield our clock hour hands up and set them
forward by an hour. The majority of other countries that also
observe the futile effort to control time wait until March 31
this year.
Less than 40% of countries in the world are still trying trying to catch sunshine in a bottle and save it until the end of the day in this semi-annual ritualistic snub of nature. The smart 60% of countries have said, Meh.
Less than 40% of countries in the world are still trying trying to catch sunshine in a bottle and save it until the end of the day in this semi-annual ritualistic snub of nature. The smart 60% of countries have said, Meh.
Detroit Celebrates 313 Day
March 13 is the day Detroit celebrates its zip
code and celebrates the city with parties and fun. If you are
there on that day, tip one for me. Another excuse to have some
fun and have some Detroit style pizza at Buddy's, or a Coney
Island hot dog, or some great ham from Ham Heaven or Liles. If
you are at home, have some pop and chips (Vernor's soda and
Better Made Potato chips).
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