Nov 30, 2010
Medical Myth
Contrary to the myth, fingernails and hair do not continue to grow after death. What does happen is that the cuticles and skin shrink after death, making it appear as if the nails and hair were lengthening.
Rickets Returns
More than 20% of children tested for bone problems by an orthopedic surgeon in Southampton, England showed signs of rickets. This is a disease which causes bowed legs as well stunted growth and comes from too little vitamin D, basically too little sunlight. The reason this is happening is because dermatologists have made us so afraid of the sun and because children are just sitting inside all day playing on the internet. The doctor in the piece said that his results were "very reminiscent of 17th Century England".
Free Books, Pictures, and Videos
There are many free text books at Wikibooks and pictures and videos on the Wikimedia Commons.
Detroit Lions Started Thanksgiving Football
In 1934, radio executive G.A. Richards bought the Portsmouth, Ohio Spartans NFL team, moved them to Detroit, and renamed them the Lions. Unfortunately for him, nobody in Detroit cared much for watching the Lions. Despite winning all their games but one before Thanksgiving, having several stars of the day, and one super star in Earl “Dutch” Clark, the average turn out for each game was only around 12,000 people.
At the time, it was fairly traditional for various football programs in high schools and colleges to hold particularly significant games on Thanksgiving. So Richards decided to try to bring this same tradition to the NFL, convincing the NFL to allow the Lions and the defending World Champion Chicago Bears to play for the Western Division championship on Thanksgiving.
Richards then used his considerable influence in radio to convince NBC that they should broadcast this game on the radio all across the United States, something that had never been done before for an NFL game. The game ended up being a huge success, being played at the University of Detroit Stadium in front of a sold out crowd of 26,000 fans and broadcast across the nation on over 94 different radio stations. In the end, the Bears won 19-16, but the game was such a success, as far as ratings and fan turn-out went, that Richards fought to be allowed to continue having the Lions play on Thanksgiving going forward and to continue to have that games broadcast out on the radio nationwide.
* The Dallas Cowboys have played their traditional Thanksgiving Day game since 1966, missing games in 1975 and 1977.
* The first televised Thanksgiving Day game was in 1956 the Green Bay Packers with the Lions losing 24-20.
* In order to appease fans of other teams who also wanted their favorite team to take part in Thanksgiving NFL games, in 2006, the NFL instituted a third game, on top of the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboy traditional games. This third game has no fixed teams, as in the previous two.
At the time, it was fairly traditional for various football programs in high schools and colleges to hold particularly significant games on Thanksgiving. So Richards decided to try to bring this same tradition to the NFL, convincing the NFL to allow the Lions and the defending World Champion Chicago Bears to play for the Western Division championship on Thanksgiving.
Richards then used his considerable influence in radio to convince NBC that they should broadcast this game on the radio all across the United States, something that had never been done before for an NFL game. The game ended up being a huge success, being played at the University of Detroit Stadium in front of a sold out crowd of 26,000 fans and broadcast across the nation on over 94 different radio stations. In the end, the Bears won 19-16, but the game was such a success, as far as ratings and fan turn-out went, that Richards fought to be allowed to continue having the Lions play on Thanksgiving going forward and to continue to have that games broadcast out on the radio nationwide.
* The Dallas Cowboys have played their traditional Thanksgiving Day game since 1966, missing games in 1975 and 1977.
* The first televised Thanksgiving Day game was in 1956 the Green Bay Packers with the Lions losing 24-20.
* In order to appease fans of other teams who also wanted their favorite team to take part in Thanksgiving NFL games, in 2006, the NFL instituted a third game, on top of the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboy traditional games. This third game has no fixed teams, as in the previous two.
Nov 27, 2010
Happy Friday
If you want to touch the past touch a rock.
If you want to touch the present touch a rose.
If you want to touch the future touch a life.
I am holding a rock in one hand, a rose in the other, and plan to touch another Happy Friday!
If you want to touch the present touch a rose.
If you want to touch the future touch a life.
I am holding a rock in one hand, a rose in the other, and plan to touch another Happy Friday!
Thanksgiving
It is hard to find the actual 'first thanksgiving' in the US. Of course Texas, never one to miss an opportunity, claims to be first with the story of the first Thanksgiving feast celebrated in 1598 in El Paso, Texas by Don Juan de Oñate – 22 years before the English colonial Thanksgiving.
By early March 1598, Oñate's expedition of 500 people, including soldiers, colonists, wives and children and 7,000 head of livestock, was ready to cross the treacherous Chihuahuan Desert. Almost from the beginning of the 50-day march, nature challenged the Spaniards. First, seven consecutive days of rain made travel miserable. Then the hardship was reversed, and the travelers suffered greatly from the dry weather. On one occasion, a chance rain shower saved the parched colonists.
Finally, for the last five days of the march before reaching the Rio Grande, the expedition ran out of both food and water, forcing the men, women and children to seek roots and other scarce desert vegetation to eat. Both animals and humans almost went mad with thirst before the party reached water. Two horses drank until their stomachs burst, and two others drowned in the river in their haste to consume as much water as possible.
The Rio Grande was the salvation of the expedition, however. After recuperating for 10 days, Oñate ordered a day of thanksgiving for the survival of the expedition. Included in the event was a feast, supplied with game by the Spaniards and with fish by the natives of the region. A mass was said by the Franciscan missionaries traveling with the expedition. And finally, Oñate read La Toma -- the taking -- declaring the land drained by the Great River to be the possession of King Philip II of Spain.
Some historians call this one of the truly important dates in the history of the continent, marking the beginning of Spanish colonization in the American Southwest.
There's no doubt that today's Thanksgiving tradition is New England born and bred. It's not a single tradition, however, but a combination of traditions, according to a researcher for Plimoth Plantation Inc., which operates a model 17th century village at Plymouth, Mass., who says today's celebration is a cross between a British harvest festival and a special day of religious thanksgiving, both originally observed by pilgrims in New England.
In 1621, just months after their arrival from England, residents of Plymouth celebrated a harvest festival, which was indistinguishable from those observed throughout Britain at the time. It was a secular event with feasting and games. The only religious observance was the saying of grace before the meal.
Two years later, the governor of Plymouth colony called for a special day of religious thanksgiving for the end of a drought that plagued the colony. This was an extra day of prayer and religious observance. Special days of religious thanksgiving were called throughout the colonial period.
Connecticut is given credit for initially adopting an annual day of general thanksgiving. The first for which a proclamation exists was called for Sept. 18, 1639, although some may have been held earlier. Another on record was held in 1644, and from 1649 onward, these special days of general thanksgiving were held annually.
Massachusetts Bay Colony began annual observances in 1660.
Several other states also claim the first thanksgiving. Puritans who arrived to establish Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630 observed a special day of prayer that is often called the 'first Thanksgiving'. Even earlier in Florida, a small colony of French Huguenots living near present-day Jacksonville noted a special thanksgiving prayer. The colony soon was wiped out by the Spanish.
Maine stakes its claim to the first Thanksgiving on the basis of a service held by colonists on August 9, 1607, to give thanks for a safe voyage.
Virginians are convinced their ancestors celebrated the first Thanksgiving when Jamestown settlers in 1610 held a service of thanksgiving for their survival of a harsh winter.
By early March 1598, Oñate's expedition of 500 people, including soldiers, colonists, wives and children and 7,000 head of livestock, was ready to cross the treacherous Chihuahuan Desert. Almost from the beginning of the 50-day march, nature challenged the Spaniards. First, seven consecutive days of rain made travel miserable. Then the hardship was reversed, and the travelers suffered greatly from the dry weather. On one occasion, a chance rain shower saved the parched colonists.
Finally, for the last five days of the march before reaching the Rio Grande, the expedition ran out of both food and water, forcing the men, women and children to seek roots and other scarce desert vegetation to eat. Both animals and humans almost went mad with thirst before the party reached water. Two horses drank until their stomachs burst, and two others drowned in the river in their haste to consume as much water as possible.
The Rio Grande was the salvation of the expedition, however. After recuperating for 10 days, Oñate ordered a day of thanksgiving for the survival of the expedition. Included in the event was a feast, supplied with game by the Spaniards and with fish by the natives of the region. A mass was said by the Franciscan missionaries traveling with the expedition. And finally, Oñate read La Toma -- the taking -- declaring the land drained by the Great River to be the possession of King Philip II of Spain.
Some historians call this one of the truly important dates in the history of the continent, marking the beginning of Spanish colonization in the American Southwest.
There's no doubt that today's Thanksgiving tradition is New England born and bred. It's not a single tradition, however, but a combination of traditions, according to a researcher for Plimoth Plantation Inc., which operates a model 17th century village at Plymouth, Mass., who says today's celebration is a cross between a British harvest festival and a special day of religious thanksgiving, both originally observed by pilgrims in New England.
In 1621, just months after their arrival from England, residents of Plymouth celebrated a harvest festival, which was indistinguishable from those observed throughout Britain at the time. It was a secular event with feasting and games. The only religious observance was the saying of grace before the meal.
Two years later, the governor of Plymouth colony called for a special day of religious thanksgiving for the end of a drought that plagued the colony. This was an extra day of prayer and religious observance. Special days of religious thanksgiving were called throughout the colonial period.
Connecticut is given credit for initially adopting an annual day of general thanksgiving. The first for which a proclamation exists was called for Sept. 18, 1639, although some may have been held earlier. Another on record was held in 1644, and from 1649 onward, these special days of general thanksgiving were held annually.
Massachusetts Bay Colony began annual observances in 1660.
Several other states also claim the first thanksgiving. Puritans who arrived to establish Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630 observed a special day of prayer that is often called the 'first Thanksgiving'. Even earlier in Florida, a small colony of French Huguenots living near present-day Jacksonville noted a special thanksgiving prayer. The colony soon was wiped out by the Spanish.
Maine stakes its claim to the first Thanksgiving on the basis of a service held by colonists on August 9, 1607, to give thanks for a safe voyage.
Virginians are convinced their ancestors celebrated the first Thanksgiving when Jamestown settlers in 1610 held a service of thanksgiving for their survival of a harsh winter.
Free Reverse Phone Number Lookup
Doing a reverse number lookup on Google is free and easy. You use Google's main search box and add the phrase "phonebook:" in front of the number. Sometimes it shows the address of the owner as well. Works for cell and home phones, as long as they are not unlisted.
Your search should look like this (no spaces) phonebook:xxx-xxx-xxxx
If you would like to remove yourself from Google's phonebook, do a reverse number lookup on yourself, and you'll see a link to remove your entry.
Your search should look like this (no spaces) phonebook:xxx-xxx-xxxx
If you would like to remove yourself from Google's phonebook, do a reverse number lookup on yourself, and you'll see a link to remove your entry.
Berkshire Hathaway
The sprawling holding company run by Warren Buffett was originally a textile manufacturer that took off in 1839. Buffett took control in 1962, though, and by 1967 he started to move outside of textiles into insurance and other sectors.
Nacho Facts
The invention of nachos is credited to Ignacio 'Nacho' Anaya in 1943. Then maître d’ at the Victory Club in Piedras Negras (across the border from Eagle Pass, Texas), Anaya improvised a dish of tortilla chips, melted cheese, and jalapeños for traveling U.S. Army wives who were hungry. Nachos were first introduced in Los Angeles in 1959.
A modified version of the dish, with permanently soft cheese and pre-made tortilla chips was marketed beginning in 1977, during sporting events at Arlington Stadium in Arlington, Texas. This version of nachos became known as "Ball Park Nachos" and during a Monday Night Football game, sportscaster Howard Cosell made a point of mentioning the dish in his broadcasts over the following weeks and introduced it to a whole new audience.
A modified version of the dish, with permanently soft cheese and pre-made tortilla chips was marketed beginning in 1977, during sporting events at Arlington Stadium in Arlington, Texas. This version of nachos became known as "Ball Park Nachos" and during a Monday Night Football game, sportscaster Howard Cosell made a point of mentioning the dish in his broadcasts over the following weeks and introduced it to a whole new audience.
Nacho World Record
Volunteers from the Northstar Church, Frisco, TX in July, 2010, made 3,556 pounds of nachos in a 48-by-4-foot trough. It is in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Nov 23, 2010
Keds
Tires and sneakers are both made of rubber and fabric, so it was only a matter of time before tire companies got into the shoe business. In 1892, Goodyear manufactured a rubber-and-canvas sneaker. The company decided on the name Peds, but someone else already held the trademark. So, Goodyear used the name Keds. The rest of the world started calling them “sneakers,” after an ad man remarked the shoes’ soles were quiet on most surfaces. In England, they call them trainers.
Book of Bacon
Just came across these five Baconic Laws from the Holy Book of Bacon. These were part of the salty scrolls translated by a scholarly team of the Bacon Baron and Lord Bacon of Sizzlingham, their work was studiously overseen by his holiness the Bacon Bishop of Porkland.
1 Thou shalt not consider Bacon on the same level as any other food, as it is above all.
2 Thou shalt not consume imitation Bacon.
3 Thou shalt not stop pursuing Baconlightenment until it is reached.
4 Thou shalt not forget to consume Bacon for ten days.
5 Thou shalt spread the word of Bacon to all.
Sounds like they need to be taken seriously.
1 Thou shalt not consider Bacon on the same level as any other food, as it is above all.
2 Thou shalt not consume imitation Bacon.
3 Thou shalt not stop pursuing Baconlightenment until it is reached.
4 Thou shalt not forget to consume Bacon for ten days.
5 Thou shalt spread the word of Bacon to all.
Sounds like they need to be taken seriously.
Holiday Bacon Pumpkin Pie
The recipe calls for adding seven pieces of bacon into the pumpkin mixture before baking, then crumbling a few pieces on the top after it comes out of the oven. An alternative filling is Rhubarb, one of my favorites. Mmmm!
White Chocolate is Not Chocolate
This tidbit came up in a recent conversation and Jeff Flanagan suggested it might be a good topic for Friday Thoughts. In order to be labeled chocolate (as defined in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration) a product must also contain cocoa solids from chocolate liquor. Chocolate liquor is not real alcohol, but is the thick liquid produced when fermented, dried, and roasted cocoa beans are shelled, then ground. The chocolate liquor is the key ingredient in all of the chocolates on the market, except for white chocolate.
When the chocolate liquor is pressed, the fat can be removed from it. This fat is called cocoa butter, and it is the primary ingredient in white chocolate. In plain chocolate, the cocoa butter is re-blended with the cocoa solids from the separation process in order to make unsweetened chocolate. It may also be sweetened and blended with additional ingredients such as milk to make the chocolate confection we commonly eat.
However, with white chocolate the cocoa butter is not reunited with the cocoa powder. Instead, sugar and milk are added to create the final treat. Also, since the caffeine in chocolate is in the cocoa solids and not the cocoa butter, white chocolate does not contain any caffeine.
Since white chocolate labels are not standardized, some manufacturers market products that do not even contain cocoa butter as white chocolate. Usually, these contain vegetable oil and taste different.
The cocoa butter used to make white chocolate is a very stable fat and has a long lifespan without spoiling. It contains several natural antioxidants and it has a shelf life of several years. It is also used in other products, such as soaps, moisturizers, and other skin care products.
When the chocolate liquor is pressed, the fat can be removed from it. This fat is called cocoa butter, and it is the primary ingredient in white chocolate. In plain chocolate, the cocoa butter is re-blended with the cocoa solids from the separation process in order to make unsweetened chocolate. It may also be sweetened and blended with additional ingredients such as milk to make the chocolate confection we commonly eat.
However, with white chocolate the cocoa butter is not reunited with the cocoa powder. Instead, sugar and milk are added to create the final treat. Also, since the caffeine in chocolate is in the cocoa solids and not the cocoa butter, white chocolate does not contain any caffeine.
Since white chocolate labels are not standardized, some manufacturers market products that do not even contain cocoa butter as white chocolate. Usually, these contain vegetable oil and taste different.
The cocoa butter used to make white chocolate is a very stable fat and has a long lifespan without spoiling. It contains several natural antioxidants and it has a shelf life of several years. It is also used in other products, such as soaps, moisturizers, and other skin care products.
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