#172 January 14: How long do you have/need to refer to a company by both its new and “former” name? Such as how long must we day X, formerly known as Twitter, or the rocker formerly known as Prince? I read several articles and none were definitive. One Reddit poster suggested it would take about 5 years, but I realize that that is just his opinion. The best article I read, didn’t really say but noted that X is not as unique as Twitter and Tweets and therefore may never really catch on. It also noted that twitter.com remains the company primary domain name, so until Musk fully commits, the public probably won’t either.
or NOT!!!#173 January 15: It seems the British have gotten their knickers in a wad over Michelle Francl’s new book on the science of making tea: Steeped, The Chemistry of Making Tea. In her book she suggests that a pinch of salt and preheating the milk makes a smoother, less bitter tea. Even the British and American Embassies weighed in on the controversies, with the American Embassy “apologizing” and saying that “adding salt to Britian’s national drink is not official US policy and never will be.” Then acknowledging that staff at the Embassy will continue to make tea the proper way – by microwaving it! A tempest in a tea pot for sure. While I have a proper tea kettle, I’ll admit to (right now!) drinking microwaved tea, especially when I’m making just one cup! I do plan to try the pinch of salt in my Earl Grey, which I do find bitter sometimes.
#174 January 16: An article in today’s paper reported on self check outs and loyalty to the shop. The researchers found that if a customer has ½ dozen or less items, they don’t mind, and often prefer the self check out. But as the number of items approaches 20, customers prefer using a store clerk and if they had a real person, expressed more loyalty toward the store. Self check outs now represent about 38% of checkout lanes in grocery stores and that number is expected to grow because while, customers don’t particularly like them, they produce less overhead, though they account for the increased risk of theft. Costco has removed self-checkouts in many stores where Wegmans (known for customer service) is adding more. I prefer human interaction and enjoy day dreaming about the party the person in front of me at the grocery must be planning.
#175 January 18: David has been warned to avoid
“BLT’s” for about 3 months following his massive back surgery. Not the sandwich, but bending, lifting, and
twisting. As a result, I’ve become his
go-to when getting dressed: particularly
putting on socks and shoes. Having
raised 2 kids, and worked with hundreds more, I didn’t think this would be too
hard. Wrong. It is much harder to put wool socks on big
feet than little feet, even little squirming feet! We found a tool for him to use, and at first, he was reluctant but has not gotten the hang of it.
#176 January 19: When I was a child, my aunt held the superstition that breaking a mirror would earn you 7 years of bad luck and I was always watched, and cautioned to be careful when handling her beautiful silver-handled mirror on her dresser to check the back of my hair. Why 7 years? I just read an article that it was an ancient Roman idea that the body replenishes itself every seven years, meaning that was enough time to lift a curse.
#177 January 20: So now I had to check: does the body replenish itself every 7 years? According to healthline.com – White blood
cells only live about 13 days and red blood cells live about 120 days. Liver cells live 18 months and cells in the
brain stay alive throughout a person’s life.
So much for old Romans!
#178 January 21: What is the most-watched TV event in US History? My first guess was right even though it occurred 55 years ago: the Apollo Moon Landing. I can remember even before that during the Mercury Projects, teachers would bring portable TVs to school so that we could watch the blasts off and hear Walter Kronkite describe the orbits, take-offs, and splashdowns. Back in the dark ages when I was in elementary school, classrooms did not have TVs only movie projectors checked out of the library and the ubiquitous loudspeaker!!
#179 January 22: Just like my beloved Aunt
Ellen, (see #176), I must admit I perpetuated old wives' tales with my
children. They would get frightened when
they got the hiccups and I would assure them it just meant they were growing. So…
why do we hiccup? According to WebMd, it
is an irritation of the diaphragm caused by eating too much or too quickly,
feeling nervous or excited, drinking carbonated beverages, stress, a sudden
change in temperature, or swallowing air while sucking on candy or chewing gum. Darn, that takes the fun out of it.
#180 January 23: An urban legend debunked! When I got married it was a tradition to shower the newlywed couple with rice as they left for their honeymoon. Then suddenly in the 80’s it was thought to be ecologically unwise because it made birds sick, causing bird’s stomachs to swell. First, birds do not eat a hefty amount of dried rice and grains are broken up in their gizzards, making it impossible for their stomachs to expand unnaturally. Bring on the rice, and other signs of fertility!! Lol
I am now halfway through my
birthday challenge!!
#181 January 24: London used to be a prominent
beer-brewing city and in 1814 had the largest brewery in the world. When the iron rings that held its massive wooden fermentation
tanks burst, it caused several other tanks to split open. All together 380,000 gallons of beer poured
into the street causing a wave 15 feet high. Because it was such a tragedy,
claiming 8 lives, the Great London Beer Flood was not celebrated, but was a
solemn occasion.
#182 January 25: When we were in The Netherlands we experienced bicycling on a wholly different level and had to learn to walk on the right side of the sidewalks to keep from being hit by cyclists. The Dutch even have a special way of getting out of cars to make sure the cyclists remain safe. It is called “the Dutch Reach” and Dutch drivers and car passengers are taught to open their car doors with their right hands (or hand furthest from the door). This forces the car passenger to turn their body and look to see if any bicycles are coming before opening the door. Some drivers even tie ribbons on their door handles as reminders.
#183 January 26: Here’s a trick question: How much does a 10-gallon hat hold? NOT 10 gallons (think about the 5-gallon bucket, double it… you really couldn’t wear 10 gallons on your head!) A 10-gallon hat could hold about 3 quarts or ¾ of a gallon. The term probably came from the Spanish phrase meaning “very handsome” – tan gallan – which was often used to describe cowboys riding off into the sunset and looking “fine”! Most cowboys wore bowlers because 10-gallon hats would catch the wind, and attract attention while hunting.
#184 January 27: Can wars be humorous? In an article entitled “The Strangest Wars in History,” I laughed at 2 of them. The Pig War began in 1859 when an American farmer shot a British pig (from Canada) that had wandered onto his land and was eating his potatoes. The Americans asked for military protection and the US 9th Infantry was sent to San Juan, the British sent 3 warships. But Admiral Robert Baynes , commander in chief of the British navy in the Pacific refused to engage any further, stating he would not “involve 2 great nations in a war over a squabble about a pig”. The only casualty of the war: the pig! The Whiskey War also saw no casualties. There is a chunk of rock in the Arctic called Hans Island. Both Denmark and Canada claim it. In 1984 Canadian solders landed on the rock planted a maple leaf flag and left a bottle of whiskey. The Danes response was to replace the flag and leave a bottle of schnapps. This continued for 50 years with regular exchanges of flags, notes, and booze. Unfortunately, they struck a deal over the uninhabited island in 2022 ending the war. More wars should be like these two!
#185 January 28: What is stored in a camel’s
hump? As a kid, you always imagined it
was water, but if you think of it, that doesn’t make sense. It is actually fat. And by storing it vertically in a hump,
instead of throughout the body, it helps the camel have a food store, and
dissipate excess heat more quickly.
Camels actually can store water in their 1st stomach,
allowing them to drink as much as 30 gallons of water in 13 minutes. With superpowered blood cells, they can absorb
the water and release it to their tissues.
#186 January 29: I knew the story of the Teddy Bear came from a story about Teddy Roosevelt refusing to shoot a captured bear when his “big game hunt” proved fruitless. I always thought it was out west somewhere, not in Mississippi. But it happened in Onward Mississippi. A century later a Mississippi teacher decided that the 100th anniversary should be celebrated by making the Teddy Bear the state toy of Mississippi. Only 2 grumpy state senators voted against it, so it passed, but not unanimously.
#187 January 30: There really was an Uncle Sam. I always thought it was just a poster to recruit soldiers. Uncle Sam was Samuel Wilson of Troy, New York. He supplied barrels of port and beef to hungry troops during the War of 1812. The barrels had U. S. stamped on them and Samuel liked to refer to himself as Uncle Sam. Cartoonists Tomas Nast and Joseph Keppler depicted the patriotic figure. While other stories have surfaced, Congress passed a resolution in 1961 recognizing Wilson as Uncle Sam’s namesake.
#188 January 31: We’ve gone to a few events at the Tryon Equestrian Center since it is on our way to Park’s Peak. It is evident that those that those who compete in these events are rich. The advertisements around the paddock include Jaguar and Rolex. I’ve often wondered how they transport all of the horses from around the world. I’m sure there are others, but I just read an article about “Air Horse One” a special Boing 727 cargo plane made just for horses. It has custom-built ramps and padded stalls to smooth rides. Also, some horses are allowed to bring along support “pets” such as goats to keep them company. Tickets exceed $5000 and most flights are non-stop to decrease the time the horses are in the air.
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