June 7, 2012

We really needed all this rain. Happy grass, plants, & trees. The Hosta & Texas Lilac sure needed this ... talk about great timing for planting them. I'm personally not minding the cooler temps, either. I spent most of yesterday clearing out my AOL email, it had gotten really backed up. I managed to get it down into the 600s before I ran out of time & had to wrap it up for the night. I did get a lot of good pics (military pics, the cars of Wal-Mart, etc.) & great recipes stored though, so it was fun & productive. LCFD maintenance Tuesday night.

Bible says out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. The words that you use give hints about who you really are.

Does potting soil become unusable after a couple of years?

Flip flops can be stored on their side to maximize space. If you have a shoe cubby of some kind you can likely fit multiple flip flops in each slot to save lots of space.

How did Volkswagen pay tribute to Grateful Dead front man Jerry Garcia following his demise in 1995?

Kill unwanted grass & weeds growing in sidewalk cracks or on driveways by spraying them with full-strength white vinegar. It's a natural alternative to using harsh lawn chemicals. Just be careful not to spray the vinegar on desirable vegetation.

North Americans don't engage in casual touching, but Latin Americans & southern Europeans often do. If a native jabs you with his finger to make a point or touches your arm in conversation, don't be offended.

Orchids: What do the terms "monopodial" & "sympodial" mean?

They refer to how orchids grow & develop their bloom; in general, there are 2 ways this happens. They sympodial orchid develops new flowers & leaves from the most recently formed rhizome, a horizontal-growing ground stem. In most species, once this area has matured & sent up its blooms, it doesn't do so again. If you look at an orchid with sympodial growth, it's often possible to trace the developement of the rhizome from its oldest to its newest part. The Cattleya & Paphiopedilum are sympodial orchids.

Instead of developing a separate new horizontal growth each season, the monopodial orchid develops along a single vertical stem that continues to increase in height over the years. This type develops its new leaves at the top, from its growing tip. The flowers develop from the area at the base of the upper leaves. The Vanda & Phalaenopsis are monopodial orchids.

Pride & Prejudice:

In this retelling of Jane Austen's novel set in 19th-century England, Mrs. Bennet (Brenda Blethyn) is all atwitter in hopes of marrying her daughters to prosperous gentlemen callers, especially when a wealthy bachelor moves nearby. Headstrong daughter Elizabeth (Keira Knightley) meets her match in Mr. Darcy, but misinterprets Darcy's honorable intentions and jeopardizes her chance at love. Donald Sutherland, Judi Dench and Jena Malone co-star.

Reagan becomes governor of California (1966):

A former actor named Ronald Reagan is elected governor of California on this day in 1966. Reagan's tenure as the Golden State's governor gave him credibility as a political leader, paving the way for his victory in the 1980 presidential election.

Reagan was born in Illinois and worked as a construction worker, lifeguard and radio announcer before becoming an actor. His first stint at political leadership was as president of the Screen Actors' Guild from 1947 to 1952. Originally a Democrat, Reagan had grown dissatisfied with New Deal policies and in 1960 switched to the Republican Party. Reagan then started putting his Hollywood fame to work campaigning for Republican candidates. Eventually, Reagan's charisma and popularity as an actor and a rousing speech he delivered in support of presidential candidate Barry Goldwater in 1964 convinced the California Republican Party to back him for governor in 1966.

Reagan served two terms as governor of California from 1966 to 1975, presiding over the tumultuous Vietnam War protest era of the late 1960s and early 1970s. In 1969, he called out National Guard troops to quell a protest on the University of California at Berkeley campus saying, "If it takes a bloodbath, let's get it over with, no more appeasement." His first two presidential campaigns, in 1968 and 1976, failed, but his stature as a national player in politics rose with both attempts. In 1980, he successfully challenged embattled Democratic incumbent Jimmy Carter for the presidency, and ushered in an era of New Conservatism in American politics.

Reagan was the first actor to be elected president after two centuries dominated by lawyers and soldiers and the only California governor to hold the office. He served as the 40th president for two terms between 1981 and 1989.

Star & Planet Finder:

Star & Planet Finder guides you to see stars, planets, constellations and satellites in the sky.
Simply choose a planet from the list, and move your device according to the pointer display, the pointer represents the planet.
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REVIEWS:
"Sanderson - I have dabbled with astronomy for 30 years, star maps, celestial co-ordinates, Patrick moores year book but this app renders them all obsolete. It makes locating stars and planets Childs play!"
"I am amazed! - I love this app! It does exactly as promised. Got a telescope for Christmas and hated not know what I was looking at or where to find what I wanted to look at. This app made stargazing a million times better for me and my kids!"
"I was thrilled when the cross hairs appeared on screen and Guided me to the planet that I had selected from the list. And that was only the free app!I highly recommend this app for anyone who is curious about the stars above. Well worth the purchase I say."
"Tech at it's best! - Awesome program. Any astronomer knows the computational power needed for these algorithms. And the iPhone sensors are up to the task. Unique. Buy it."
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FEATURES:
- Augmented Reality display - guides you to the chosen star
- Compass, GPS, accelerometer, camera and clock aware
- All 7 planets including Sun and Moon
- All 88 constellations for $0.99 !
- The 300 brightest stars for $0.99 !
- The 150 Brightest Satellites for $0.99 !
- Full Augmented Reality display
- Automatic time sync
- Moon phase display
- Planets information: description, mass, diameter, range
- Constellations Maps
- Satellite tracking map
- Great for astronomy fans

Suffrage:

1: A vote given in deciding a disputed question or in electing a person to office. 2: The right of voting; also : the exercise of such right.

The book details many of the women, some well-known & some virtually unknown, who helped to promote the cause of women's suffrage.

Why would a 17th-century writer warn people that a chapel was only for "private or secret suffrages"? Because since the 14th century, "suffrage" has been used to mean "prayer" (especially a prayer requesting divine help or intercession). So how did "suffrage" come too mean "a vote" or "the right to vote"? To answer that, we must look to the word's Latin ancestor, suffragium, which can be translated as "vote," "support," or "prayer." That term produced descendants in a number of languages, & English picked up its senses of "suffrage" from 2 different places. We took the "prayer" sense from a Middle French suffragium offspring that emphasized the word's spiritual aspects, & we adopted the "voting" sense directly from the original Latin.

Superstores:

Load up on mega-size products without paying mega-size prices.

What is a brown crimini mushroom known as when it is fully matured and opened?

A portobello mushroom. Brown criminis are juvenile portobellos.

Which of the following are Pixar films?

Robots, Cars, Finding Nemo, Coraline, Ice Age, Up, Toy Story, Shark Tale.

Cars, Finding Nemo, Up, & Toy Story.

Which tree is the heaviest, 2nd heaviest, & 3rd heaviest?

A. Red oak

B. Hickory

C. Black walnut

BAC. Andrew Jackson, the 7th U.S. president, was nicknamed "Old Hickory." Tough cookie.

Which war began 1st, 2nd, & 3rd?

A. Spanish-American War

B. Mexican American War

C. Philippine American War

Your friends cross the street to avoid you ... it's time to stop dieting.