Sep 11, 2015

Poisonous vs. Venomous

If you bite it and you die, it is poisonous.
If it bites you and you die, it is venomous.

Cling Wrap Hack

Did you ever come across a bowl which plastic wrap never seems to cling to? Here is an easy fix, put your finger in water and run it across the outside surface and rim of the bowl. Plastic wrap has a substance much like gelatin that becomes sticky on contact with water and this quick trick takes advantage of that reaction.

Wordology, Justiciable, Moot, and Unripe

Justiciability is one of several criteria that the United States Supreme Court use to make a judgment. In order for an issue to be justiciable (liable to be tried in court) by a United States federal court, all of the following conditions must be met.
The parties must not be seeking an advisory opinion.

There must be an actual controversy between the parties, meaning that the parties cannot agree to a lawsuit where all parties seek the same particular judgment from the court (known as a friendly suit); the parties must each be seeking a different outcome.

The question must be neither unripe nor moot.
   An unripe question is one for which there is not yet at least a threatened injury to the plaintiff, or where all available judicial alternatives have not been exhausted.
   A moot question is one for which the potential for an injury to occur has ceased to exist, or where the injury has been removed.

Twinkies Facts

They were invented in 1932 by James Alexander Dewar. The first Twinkie held banana cream, though banana rationing during World War II forced the switch to vanilla cream, now the official Twinkie flavor.

Top Ten Books

From the New York Times 2015

41George W. Bush 
10% Happier Dan Harris 
13 Hours Mitchell Zuckoff 
America Dinesh D'Souza 
Blood Feud Edward Klein 
Capital in the Twenty-First Century Thomas Piketty 
David and Goliath Malcolm Gladwell 
Duty Robert M. Gates 
Flash Boys Michael Lewis 
Hard Choices Hillary Rodham Clinton 
Humans of New York Brandon Stanton 
Killing Patton Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard 
One Nation Ben Carson with Candy Carson 
The Future of the Mind Michio Kaku
Things That Matter Charles Krauthammer 
Thrive Arianna Huffington 
Uganda Be Kidding Me Chelsea Handler 
Unbroken Laura Hillenb
What If Randall Munroe 
Yes Please Amy Poehler 

Sep 4, 2015

Happy Friday

Life is like a book, it needs a good opener, compelling middle, and appropriate ending.

I always have a compelling day when celebrating a Happy Friday!

Happy International Bacon Day

International Bacon Day or Bacon Day is an unofficial observance held on the Saturday (Tomorrow, Sep 5, 2015) before Labor Day in the United States. Last year Bacon Day was celebrated in the US, Australia, Canada, South Africa, Switzerland, and the UK.

Some groups also celebrate National Bacon Day on December 30. Bacon day celebrations typically include social gatherings during which participants create and consume dishes containing large quantities of bacon, including bacon-themed breakfasts, lunches, dinners, desserts, and drinks. Yes, I unapologetically celebrate both, because bacon deserves more than one holiday per year.

Happy Labor Day

 Labor Day Labor Day is a US federal holiday and all government offices, schools and organizations and many businesses are closed. Labour Day in Canada is celebrated on the same day. It is traditionally the first Monday of September and was originally organized to celebrate various labor associations' strengths of and contributions to the United States economy. Usually, it is a day of rest in modern times. Many people mark Labor Day as the end of the summer season and a last chance to make trips or hold outdoor events. Why not have a Labor Day and Bacon Day party to celebrate both at the same time. I'll bring the bacon.

Wordology, Used and Used

These two words are a type of heteronym and homograph. They are spelled alike, but are pronounced different and have different meanings.

The first word is an adjective that means previously used or owned, such as a used car. It also means showing wear, as used clothes and utilized for a reason, as an often used tool.

The second definition means accustomed to, and is pronounced yoost, as in, I am not used to being accused.

Pablo Picasso's Real Name

Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name after Trinidad is Ruiz and the second or maternal family name is Picasso.)

What's in a Name, Haskell Library

It is a building straddling Vermont, US and Canada border. Step through the front door of the Haskell Library and you are in the United States. Walk across the carpeted floor to the circulation desk and you are in Canada, but if you sit on the couch, you are back in the United States.

The 106-year-old Romanesque building, which straddles the border, has enjoyed an informal immunity from border restrictions through the years.

Medical Errors

The thing we see cited among the top causes of death is medical errors, also known in the literature as “preventable adverse events.” That means when medical personnel do the wrong thing, or fail to do the right thing, or do the right thing, but do it wrong. This can often take the form of misdiagnosis, or miscommunication between various healthcare providers, or between providers and patient. Medical errors are the third leading cause of death in America.

John Tyler, President

The tenth US president, John Tyler (1841-1845) was the first US born president. He was born in March 29, 1790, in the State of Virginia, US. The treaty of Paris establishing USA as a new country was signed in September 3, 1783. Although the previous presidents were born in what is now the US, it was a British colony until that date.

V8 Juice Ingredients

The eight juices in V8 are tomato, spinach, celery, carrot, beet, lettuce, watercress, and parsley.