If happiness lives in
your soul, a smile will adorn your face.
My soul keeps me
smiling, especially on a Happy Friday!
Feb 3, 2017
World Cancer Day
Saturday,
February 4 is World Cancer Day 2017. The day is celebrated to
raise awareness of all types of cancer and to encourage the
prevention and treatment of cancer. The idea is to become aware
and push for actions that will reduce premature deaths, improve
quality of life, and increase cancer survival rates. More info
here http://www.worldcancerday.org/faq
National Lame Duck Day
On February 6 National Lame Duck Day recognizes the
ratification of the 20th Amendment on February 6, 1933 to the
United States Constitution, or the Lame Duck Amendment.
The term 'lame duck' originated as a description of stock brokers in 1700s England who could not pay off their debts. The term later carried over to businessmen who, while known to be bankrupt, would continue to do business.
The official record of the United States Congress of January 14, 1863 read, "In no event ... could [the Court of Claims] be justly obnoxious to the charge of being a receptacle of 'lame ducks' or broken down politicians." In politics a lame duck is a person currently holding a political office who has either: lost a re-election bid, chose not to seek another term, was prevented from running for re-election due to a term limit, or the office held has been eliminated.
Prior to the ratification of the 20th Amendment to the United States Constitution there was, for Congress a 13 month delay between election day and the day the newly elected officials took office. In the case of a lame duck, this was a 13 month notice his or her job was terminating, crippling his or her influence. Hence the lame or injured duck. The 20th Amendment shortened this period from 13 months to 2 months and changed the dates for the beginning of the new Congress to January 3 and when the newly elected president took office from March 4th to January 20th.
During a lame duck session, members of Congress are no longer accountable to their constituents. It is possible for their focus to switch to more personal gain instead of acting on behalf of their constituents with an eye toward re-election. Lame duck Congresses have declared war, impeached a president, censured a senator, and passed the Homeland Security Act among other actions. Lame duck Presidents have pardoned many criminals, issued executive orders, confiscated land to create national parks, declared areas to be newly opened or newly restricted from drilling for oil, created additional federal judges, executive clemency for family members, and more.
Jimmy Carter's administration published more than 10,000 pages of new rules between Election Day and Ronald Reagan's Inauguration Day. When President George W. Bush took office in 2001, his administration acted to block the implementation of 90 final rules that were issued in the final months of the Clinton administration, but that had not yet gone into effect.
Incidentally, unlike the United States Congress, there is no 'lame duck session of Parliament in most Commonwealth countries between the general election and swearing in of elected officials.
The term 'lame duck' originated as a description of stock brokers in 1700s England who could not pay off their debts. The term later carried over to businessmen who, while known to be bankrupt, would continue to do business.
The official record of the United States Congress of January 14, 1863 read, "In no event ... could [the Court of Claims] be justly obnoxious to the charge of being a receptacle of 'lame ducks' or broken down politicians." In politics a lame duck is a person currently holding a political office who has either: lost a re-election bid, chose not to seek another term, was prevented from running for re-election due to a term limit, or the office held has been eliminated.
Prior to the ratification of the 20th Amendment to the United States Constitution there was, for Congress a 13 month delay between election day and the day the newly elected officials took office. In the case of a lame duck, this was a 13 month notice his or her job was terminating, crippling his or her influence. Hence the lame or injured duck. The 20th Amendment shortened this period from 13 months to 2 months and changed the dates for the beginning of the new Congress to January 3 and when the newly elected president took office from March 4th to January 20th.
During a lame duck session, members of Congress are no longer accountable to their constituents. It is possible for their focus to switch to more personal gain instead of acting on behalf of their constituents with an eye toward re-election. Lame duck Congresses have declared war, impeached a president, censured a senator, and passed the Homeland Security Act among other actions. Lame duck Presidents have pardoned many criminals, issued executive orders, confiscated land to create national parks, declared areas to be newly opened or newly restricted from drilling for oil, created additional federal judges, executive clemency for family members, and more.
Jimmy Carter's administration published more than 10,000 pages of new rules between Election Day and Ronald Reagan's Inauguration Day. When President George W. Bush took office in 2001, his administration acted to block the implementation of 90 final rules that were issued in the final months of the Clinton administration, but that had not yet gone into effect.
Incidentally, unlike the United States Congress, there is no 'lame duck session of Parliament in most Commonwealth countries between the general election and swearing in of elected officials.
Fluffy Eggs
A
friend of mine, Jeff Flanagan passed along this quick scrambled
egg tip. Instead of butter or spray for a pan coating, use a
little olive oil. Much fluffier eggs.
Bacon Up
Holy
Disaster - US bacon reserves hit 50-year low. Prices continue to
go up in a sizzle. The average price of bacon across America has
risen 14 percent since June of last year, according to the
Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Analysts are reporting an 18% increase in the wholesale price of pork, with the surge expected to have a continued rise on the price of bacon and sausages.
Pig farmers can't keep up with the world's sizzling appetite for those fatty, juicy, smoky strips of sheer eating pleasure. US Department of Agriculture, “Today’s pig farmers are setting historic records by producing more pigs than ever,” said Rich Deaton, president of the organization. “Yet our reserves are still depleting.”
Hog farmers export approximately 26 percent of total production, the Bacon Council said. China still produces almost four times the amount of pork as the US, so the US may need to reduce exporting in order to satisfy local demand or risk rising imports. Bottom line, eat more bacon now before the next increase.
Analysts are reporting an 18% increase in the wholesale price of pork, with the surge expected to have a continued rise on the price of bacon and sausages.
Pig farmers can't keep up with the world's sizzling appetite for those fatty, juicy, smoky strips of sheer eating pleasure. US Department of Agriculture, “Today’s pig farmers are setting historic records by producing more pigs than ever,” said Rich Deaton, president of the organization. “Yet our reserves are still depleting.”
Hog farmers export approximately 26 percent of total production, the Bacon Council said. China still produces almost four times the amount of pork as the US, so the US may need to reduce exporting in order to satisfy local demand or risk rising imports. Bottom line, eat more bacon now before the next increase.
Falconry Terms
Some common terms we use come from falconry. For instance, the
term, 'under your thumb’ comes from the falconry way of holding
the bird's talons under ones thumb to keep it from flying away.
A falcon is fitted with a small leather hood over the bird’s eyes and head to keep it from being distracted. From this we get the term ‘hoodwinked’.
Falconers regularly give their bird a small treat when landing on their hand. Each time the bird goes to find game, like rabbits, and returns it is given another treat. After a few sessions the bird is full and no longer wants to go hunt. It is said the bird is ‘fed up’.
A falcon is fitted with a small leather hood over the bird’s eyes and head to keep it from being distracted. From this we get the term ‘hoodwinked’.
Falconers regularly give their bird a small treat when landing on their hand. Each time the bird goes to find game, like rabbits, and returns it is given another treat. After a few sessions the bird is full and no longer wants to go hunt. It is said the bird is ‘fed up’.
Quick Conversion
If you want to quickly convert between miles and kilometers,
you can use the Fibonacci sequence to make a conversion with a
good degree of accuracy. The Fibonacci sequence, which is the
basis for the golden ratio (1.618), begins like this: 0, 1, 1,
2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144
Each number in the sequence after the first two is the sum of the previous two numbers. Look at any number in the sequence as a number of miles and the next number in the sequence is approximately that same distance in kilometers. For example, 55 miles equals about 89 kilometers. Conversely, 34 kilometers equals about 21 miles.
The conversion of miles to kilometers is 1.609. The small difference between that and 1.618 will cause higher numbers to not equal, but the numbers would need to be quite high to make a difference. When in your car, check your speedometer for a quick comparison.
Each number in the sequence after the first two is the sum of the previous two numbers. Look at any number in the sequence as a number of miles and the next number in the sequence is approximately that same distance in kilometers. For example, 55 miles equals about 89 kilometers. Conversely, 34 kilometers equals about 21 miles.
The conversion of miles to kilometers is 1.609. The small difference between that and 1.618 will cause higher numbers to not equal, but the numbers would need to be quite high to make a difference. When in your car, check your speedometer for a quick comparison.
Krispy Kreme Giveaway
Starting February 6 ending February 28, Krispy
Kreme will provide customers with a free original glazed
doughnut when they purchase a coffee in any size. No coupon is
required, and customers may take advantage of as many free
doughnuts as they can handle while the deal is valid.
The company is relaunching its coffee with a choice of two flavors: Smooth and Rich. The former is described as best for "subtle, easy drinking," while the latter is darker and comes with a "more bold experience."
The company is relaunching its coffee with a choice of two flavors: Smooth and Rich. The former is described as best for "subtle, easy drinking," while the latter is darker and comes with a "more bold experience."
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