★ June 20, 2012 ★

Good morning, good afternoon, wherever you are, here's hoping you have a great day & HAPPY SUMMER! I would have finished everything yesterday IF a couple of items in the schedule were rearranged. Mowing looked good on paper but in reality, by the time I got to it, it was too late. It was after 10 & 1 of my neighbors would have called the S.O. because of the noise. SO ... I swapped a couple of things around on the Tuesday schedule & changed the times because it again looked great on paper, but reality was working out differently. The business meeting went well at the station last night, although I would have liked to have seen a better turnout. Saturday is Reddit Meetup Day @ Hidden Cove Park. :)

5 studies by the National Institutes on Health failed to prove that eating fat caused heart disease.

Coal mine explosion kills 111 in China (2002):

A gas explosion in a Chinese coal mine kills 111 workers on this day in 2002. Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of this tragic incident is that it was not unique. Poor safety regulations in China have long made mining there an extremely hazardous occupation.

In the first five years of the 21st century, there were five mining disasters in China that killed more than 100 people. On February 14, 2005, a gas explosion killed more than 200 people at the Sunjiawan mine in Liaoning province. Two months earlier, 166 people lost their lives, 141 by poison gas, at the Chenjiashen mine in Shanxi province. And just one month before that disaster, 148 workers were killed at the Daping mine in Henan. In 2004, approximately 6,300 people were killed in Chinese mines.

Most of these disasters are barely reported, even in the Chinese media, so little effort has been made to correct the problem. One recent mining accident in China that did receive coverage was the explosion at Muchonggou coal mine on September 27, 2000. More than 150 miners were trapped deep in the mine by an explosion. Food and water was sent down a long pipe to keep them alive while rescue efforts were made. However, it was to no avail; all the trapped miners died.

In some cases, the mining disasters have come soon after mines were shut down for safety reasons, but continued to operate illegally. In 1990, 56 miners died when a shaft collapsed and flooded in Chenxi. The Xishui mine was closed in November 2004 for safety problems. An explosion in the mine killed 46 workers and collapsed a nearby mine killing 19 more people.

China's worst-ever mining disaster happened in 1942, when 1,549 miners were killed in Manchuria, then under Japanese occupation.

Concierge:

Provides an array of services, from giving directions to making dinner reservations, particularly at luxury hotels.

Tip: None required for answering a question; $5-$10 (immediately, not upon checking out) for each special service; more for miraculous efforts like obtaining tickets to a sold-out show.

Doctrinaire:

Attempting to put into effect an abstract doctrine or theory with little or no regard for practical difficulties : dogmatic.

The newspaper editorial criticizes Capitol Hill for its doctrinaire approach to regulating illegal immigration.

"Doctrinaire" didn't start out as a negative word. In post-revolutionary France, a group who favored constitutional monarchy called themselves Doctrinaires. Doctrine in French, as in English, is a word for the principles on which a government is based; it's ultimately from Latin doctrina, meaning "teaching" or "instruction." But both ultraroyalists & revolutionists strongly derided any doctrine of reconciling royalty & representation as utterly impracticable, & they resented the Doctrinaires' influence over Louis XVIII. So doctrinaire became an adjective in French, & "there adhered to it some indescribable tincture of unpopularity which was totally indelible" (from Blanc's History of 10 years, 1830-40, translated by Walter K. Kelly in 1848). That tincture remained when English-speakers began using the adjective in the 1830s.

Houston, TX.:

Any city that hosts an annual Art Car Parade, where anything on wheels is turned into a rolling work of art, is a must-visit.

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Supply the common names for these widely used houseplants:

1. Hedera helix
2. Pelargonium x hortorum
3. Saxifraga stolonifera

The maker doesn't want it, they buyer doesn't use it, & the user doesn't see it. What is it?

There's a square fountain that has a tree growing at each corner. How would it be possible to double the size of the fountain, but still keep it square without cutting down any of the trees?
By turning the new square on an angle. Keep in mind that doubling the size does not mean twice the length & twice the width. This would increase the square footage by 4X.

Use google.com to save time. To find the weather search "weather in location." To track a package simply enter the tracking number without logging into UPS or FedEx. Or to check on a company's stock search "stocks ticker symbol."

Vertical Limit:

Trapped near the summit of K2, the world's second-highest mountain, Annie Garrett (Robin Tunney) radios to base camp for help. Brother Peter (Chris O'Donnell) hears Annie's message and assembles a team to save her and her group before they succumb to K2's unforgiving elements. But, as Annie lays injured in an icy cavern, the rescuers face several terrifying events that could end the rescue attempt -- and their lives.

What is the name of the company that gave us the Frisbee, the Hula Hoop, the SuperBall, and the Boogie Board?

Wham-O.

What is the top speed of Amtrak’s Acela Express, the fastest train in the U.S.?

When you bring your thriving jade plant indoors for the winter, you should stop watering it. True or false?

False. In summer the jade plant (a member of the genus Crassula; the most popular is Crassula argentea) is happiest with hot days, filtered sun, shelter at high noon, regular watering (as much as 2 times a week, depending on its size), & twice-monthly diluted feeding. But these needs begin to change in autumn, when fertilizing should be stopped & watering reduced severely - but not completely.

As winter progresses, a thorough watering should be administered once every 2 or 3 weeks or so, just before the leaves start showing signs of shriveling (as you pay attention to the plant & the soil, you'll develop a feel for this). In winter, too, the plant needs bright light, with a bit of sun if possible, but most important is a spot that's cool. Avoid a windowsill on top of a heater at all costs.

Which artist came 1st, 2nd, & 3rd?

A. Vincent van Gogh

B. Rembrandt

C. Leonardo da Vinci

Which of these are songs recorded (& popularized) by Frank Sinatra?

"White Christmas," "My Way," "Fly Me to the Moon," "That's Amore," "You Make Me Feel so Young," "Everybody Loves Somebody"

Which symbol of patriotism is the oldest, 2nd oldest, & 3rd oldest?

A. Pledge of Allegiance

B. "In God We Trust" motto

C. "The Star-Spangled Banner"

CAB. The lyrics for "The Star-Spangled Banner" were written in 1814, & it became the official national anthem in 1931.

You can make some serious summer cash if you look at yourself as a small-business owner & not someone's employee. A few years ago, I knew a couple of college guys who pooled their money & bought a pressure washer & some other equipment so start a business. They came to the house & washed & resealed our driveway. It took all day, but I paid them a few hundred dollars apiece for the job, & they walked away with pockets full of money. You'd have to flip a lot of burgers to match that!