A smile is a light in the window to your soul.
With Autumn's diminishing daylight, it is time to smile and
light up a Happy Friday!
Sep 26, 2014
Acronyms and Initialisms
Although many believe both are
acronyms, there is a difference. An acronym is a pronounceable word
that is formed using the first letters of the words in a phrase
(sometimes, other parts of the words are also used). Some common
acronyms include NASA (National Aeronautical and Space
Administration), scuba (Self-Contained Underwater Breathing
Apparatus), and laser (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of
Radiation). WYSIWYG - What You See Is What You Get RAM - Random
Access Memory NAFTA - North American Free Trade Agreement WASP -
White Anglo Saxon Protestant.
An initialism is formed using the first letters of the words in a phrase -- it is pronounced like a series of letters, not like a word. Some common initialisms include UFO )Unidentified Flying Object) and LOL (Laugh Out Loud). IMHO - In My Humble Opinion.
ROTC - Reserve Officers Training Corps is used both as an acronym and initialism.
An initialism is formed using the first letters of the words in a phrase -- it is pronounced like a series of letters, not like a word. Some common initialisms include UFO )Unidentified Flying Object) and LOL (Laugh Out Loud). IMHO - In My Humble Opinion.
ROTC - Reserve Officers Training Corps is used both as an acronym and initialism.
Ig Nobel Awards
The awards ceremony is traditionally closed with the words: "If you didn't win a prize, and especially if you did, better luck next year!"
The "Stinker" is the official mascot of the Ig Nobel Awards.
The Physics prize went to a team that measured the amount of friction between a shoe and a banana skin and then a banana skin and the floor, when a person steps on a banana skin that is on the floor.
The Neuroscience prize went to a team that attempted to dissect the inner workings of the brains of people who see Jesus in their toast.
The Economics prize went to the Italian government's National Institute of Statistics, for taking the lead in fulfilling the European Union mandate for each country to increase the official size of its national economy by including revenues from prostitution, illegal drug sales, smuggling, and all other unlawful financial transactions between willing participants.
The Biology prize went to a team that discovered when dogs poop and pee, they tend to align their body axis with Earth's north-south geomagnetic field lines.
The Public Health prize went to a team that investigated whether it is mentally hazardous for a human being to own a cat.
The Arctic Science prize went to a team that observed how reindeer behave upon seeing humans disguised as polar bears.
The Medicine prize went to a team that was able to treat "uncontrollable" nosebleeds using strips of cured pork. A team at the Detroit, Michigan Medical Center decided to try the folk remedy as a last resort after failed attempts to stop an uncontrollable nosebleed in a 4-year-old who suffers from Glanzmann thrombasthenia, a rare condition in which blood does not properly clot. They stuffed strips of cured pork into the child’s nostrils twice, and the hemorrhaging ceased. They reported the clotting factors in pork and the high level of salt pulls in a lot of fluid from the nose. Ah, they may never stop finding new uses for bacon.
Love Your Teeth Day
A bit late on this. To increase
awareness of the importance of dental care, the Chinese government
designated September 20 as national “Love Your Teeth Day.” This day
involves promotions from dentists to attract clients, as well as
information meant to encourage people to see a dentist and take
better care to avoid cavities in the future. The campaign has been
running for decades and has been successful in getting more people
to the dentist.
What's in a Name, Avocado
The original name for avocado is
Ahuacatl, an Aztec word which means testicle. The avocado tree is
originated from Central America and Mexico. The plant is cultivated
in countries with very warm or hot climates. The fruit, when
ripened, is very tasty and is used in many savory dishes. It can
also be used as an aphrodisiac to stimulate the sex drive.
The fruit consists 67% fat and mostly made up of oleic acid and monounsaturated fat. An oil is extracted from the fat found in this fruit, and can be used in cosmetics, lubricants, and cooking oil. Avocado oil is also used in the manufacturing of numerous skin-care products.
The fruit consists 67% fat and mostly made up of oleic acid and monounsaturated fat. An oil is extracted from the fat found in this fruit, and can be used in cosmetics, lubricants, and cooking oil. Avocado oil is also used in the manufacturing of numerous skin-care products.
Read Newspapers Online
I am not a fan of paying for
information that should be free on the web, but sometimes there are
exceptions. For instance, it you are away from home and wish to keep
up with local news, there are ways to get your paper online. Another
time might be to look up family historical information that may have
been in the paper. Here are a few sites that provide online issues
of printed copies.
Newseum – You can find and download front pages of more than 800 newspapers from around the world and it is updated daily. The collection includes small-town and local newspapers as well as globally-distributed big papers. It also maintains an archive of newspaper front pages belonging to dates of significant importance, for example, September 11.
Press Display – Like Newseum, but for a fee, this is where you can find current and past issues of hundreds of newspapers and magazines in full-color, full-page format. Individual issues cost 99¢ each and you may also download them to your PC or mobile device for offline reading.
NewspaperARCHIVE – Billed as the world’s largest online archive of historical newspapers published from 1753 on. You can browse newspaper issues by date or find articles that match a particular phrase. NewspaperARCHIVE costs $9.99 a month if you subscribe for a year.
Boston Globe – All issues of The Boston Globe newspaper printed since 1924 are available online. You can access all news articles printed since 1979 for free while the older articles are available at $2.95 for a single article.
Times Machine – This site has archived editions of The New York Times from 1851 through 1922. The issues are identical to the original newspapers, and include all pages including advertisements.
Times Archive – The Times daily paper from the UK offers digital archives of issues from 1785 to 1985 on its website. All pages of the papers are completely scanned, and organized with an index of topics. You can read the articles highlighted on their front page for free while specific papers and articles are available for £4.95/day.
Newseum – You can find and download front pages of more than 800 newspapers from around the world and it is updated daily. The collection includes small-town and local newspapers as well as globally-distributed big papers. It also maintains an archive of newspaper front pages belonging to dates of significant importance, for example, September 11.
Press Display – Like Newseum, but for a fee, this is where you can find current and past issues of hundreds of newspapers and magazines in full-color, full-page format. Individual issues cost 99¢ each and you may also download them to your PC or mobile device for offline reading.
NewspaperARCHIVE – Billed as the world’s largest online archive of historical newspapers published from 1753 on. You can browse newspaper issues by date or find articles that match a particular phrase. NewspaperARCHIVE costs $9.99 a month if you subscribe for a year.
Boston Globe – All issues of The Boston Globe newspaper printed since 1924 are available online. You can access all news articles printed since 1979 for free while the older articles are available at $2.95 for a single article.
Times Machine – This site has archived editions of The New York Times from 1851 through 1922. The issues are identical to the original newspapers, and include all pages including advertisements.
Times Archive – The Times daily paper from the UK offers digital archives of issues from 1785 to 1985 on its website. All pages of the papers are completely scanned, and organized with an index of topics. You can read the articles highlighted on their front page for free while specific papers and articles are available for £4.95/day.
Fastening Tips
Have you ever wondered what type of glue
is the best to stick things together. Maybe you want to stick glass
to a brick, or ceramic to leather. The sole purpose of this site is
to help you stick things together. It might be very helpful. LINK
Capons, Chickens, Cockerels, Hens, and Roosters
A capon
is a rooster or cockerel that has been castrated. This culinary
practice existed in ancient China and Europe. Romans castrated
roosters to double their size. Capon meat is more moist, tender, and
flavorful than that of a cockerel or a hen and is less gamey
tasting.
Chickens are a domesticated fowl, bred primarily as a source of food, including meat and eggs. In the UK and Ireland adult male chickens over the age of 12 months are primarily known as cocks. In the US, Australia, and Canada they are more commonly called roosters. Males less than a year old are cockerels.
Hens are female chickens over a year old and younger females are called pullets. In the egg-laying industry, a pullet becomes a hen when she begins to lay eggs at 16 to 20 weeks of age. Chicken eggs vary in color depending on the hen, ranging from bright white to shades of brown, blue, green, and purple.
Here is a quick summary. Roosters generally crow and hens generally cluck. All capons, cockerals, hens, and roosters are chicken. All capons, cockerals, and roosters are male. All hens and pullets are female. All cocks are not chicken, but also the male of other species, such as cock sparrows. "Roosting" is the action of perching to sleep and is done by both chicken sexes.
During the course of the 2014 Super Bowl, American consumers devoured a total of 1.25 billion chicken wingettes and drumettes (the wing tips were sent to Asia). There is a chicken sound app for smartphones that can be used as a ringtone, or just to irritate those around you.
Chickens are a domesticated fowl, bred primarily as a source of food, including meat and eggs. In the UK and Ireland adult male chickens over the age of 12 months are primarily known as cocks. In the US, Australia, and Canada they are more commonly called roosters. Males less than a year old are cockerels.
Hens are female chickens over a year old and younger females are called pullets. In the egg-laying industry, a pullet becomes a hen when she begins to lay eggs at 16 to 20 weeks of age. Chicken eggs vary in color depending on the hen, ranging from bright white to shades of brown, blue, green, and purple.
Here is a quick summary. Roosters generally crow and hens generally cluck. All capons, cockerals, hens, and roosters are chicken. All capons, cockerals, and roosters are male. All hens and pullets are female. All cocks are not chicken, but also the male of other species, such as cock sparrows. "Roosting" is the action of perching to sleep and is done by both chicken sexes.
During the course of the 2014 Super Bowl, American consumers devoured a total of 1.25 billion chicken wingettes and drumettes (the wing tips were sent to Asia). There is a chicken sound app for smartphones that can be used as a ringtone, or just to irritate those around you.
Overweight Defined
During 1998, twenty nine million
Americans suddenly became overweight without gaining an ounce. The
US government announced new guidelines lowering the threshold of
what classifies a person as overweight.
Previously, if your body mass index (BMI) was less than 28 for men or 27 for women, you were considered 'normal'. Since then only BMIs of 25 or below are considered healthy. That was a reduction of about 20 pounds for the average male. BMI is a ratio of weight to height, and is considered an indicator of how much body fat a person has.
Previously, if your body mass index (BMI) was less than 28 for men or 27 for women, you were considered 'normal'. Since then only BMIs of 25 or below are considered healthy. That was a reduction of about 20 pounds for the average male. BMI is a ratio of weight to height, and is considered an indicator of how much body fat a person has.
Wordology, Goodbye
The customs of English speakers and many
English words are based on religion, often without most people being
aware of the fact. In this vein, our most common phrase to bid
someone farewell is “goodbye.” While it seems like a mundane,
secular word, goodbye is actually a contraction of the phrase “God
be with ye,” an expression that dates back to the 14th century.
Pabst Blue Ribbon
Speaking of goodbye, On September 19,
2014, Oasis Beverages announced it acquired the Pabst Brewing
Company. Pabst owns Pabst Blue Ribbon, Old Milwaukee, Schlitz,
Ballantine India Pale Ale, and Colt 45. Oasis has brewing operations
in Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan. Maybe they will change it
to Pabst red ribbon.
Sep 19, 2014
Happy Friday
Smile at a mirror and it smiles back. Smile at the world and it
smiles back.
Smile at everyone today and share a Happy Friday!
Smile at everyone today and share a Happy Friday!
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