Pegasus's Daily News, etc.

[the flying reindeer]

28th anniversary of the Challenger disaster
Good afternoon my friends
It's a fairly decent day but cold. Temp is only 4ºF and the wind child less at +11ºF. Will this cold Arctic air never go away

Ready or not? The unprepared South has been slammed by the worst snow and ice in a generation with snow removal/ice prevention services practically non-existent. Schools from Texas to Florid and up to North Carolinaa were closed, hundreds of flights were scrapped and cities blew the dust off the few snowplows they have as the region hunkered down a miserable deep freeze. In New Bern, N.C., where the last 6-inch snowfall happened in 1989, forecasters said as much as 7 inches could come down. In Charleston, S.C., and Savannah, Ga., ice was the major threat — as much as a half-inch. Columbia, S.C., a city of 130,000 people with only eight snowplows, was expecting up to 4 inches of snow. The Johnson Space Center in Houston shut down for the day, while Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant declared a state of emergency for almost half the state’s counties. By Wednesday, forecasters said, the storm will bend up the East Coast, traveling as far north as Providence, R.I., before moving offshore by lunch. Up north, millions of people suffered today under another day of deep freeze. Subzero temperatures stretched from Montana to Pennsylvania. It was 11 below zero as the sun came up in Chicago, 8 below in Pittsburgh and 6 below in Cincinnati. And as that was not enough, the latest blast of frigid weather arrived just as a shortage of propane, the fuel used by 14 million Americans to heat their homes, reached critical proportion. Does anyone still believe in global warming?

Olympic Games: Anatoly Pakhomov, mayor of Sochi and Winter Olympics host, has warned gay visitors they must "respect Russian law" during their stay, adding that they must not "impose their habits on others." He insists that there are no gays living in his city. Many world leaders are expected to turn down an invite to the event in protest of Russia's anti-gay laws. Barack Obama decided against joining the American delegation and also stopped first lady Michelle Obama from attending. Instead, Obama opted to send openly gay tennis legend Billie Jean King, perhaps as an act of defiance. This lack of local tolerance threatens to overshadow the sporting action and cripple the nation's hopes of putting on a positive sporting event. It's hard to believe that a major nation in the 21sst century would still have this archaic attitude. How can it be the host to worldwide sporting events?


Thought for Today:
"The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man's determination."
--Tommy Lasorda (b.1927) American baseball manager (Los Angeles Dodgers),

Colortart bearded picata iris

Have a toasty Tuesday

[the flying reindeer]

National Puzzle Day
Good afternoon my friends.
Another fair day with the sun shining weakly, but not strong enough to overcome the Arctic cold. But poor Atlanta, Ga. People stuck in their cars on the highways for hours due to lack of preparation and/or planning by officials. They were warned about what was coming - the schools should not have opened not to mention government offices and businesses. So far, one woman has been killed, 130 injured and 1,254 accidents. It's a mess and everyone is blaming others and not taking any responsibility. Typical politicians.


It's nearly Super Bowl advertisement time. One of my all-time favorite ads are those with the Budweiser Clydesdales and Bud is coming through again with "Puppy Love". This time it involves young Clydesdale and a puppy growing up together. I can hardly wait to see it!!

A 300 year old Stradivarius violin, worth an est. $6 million, was stolen from the Milwaukee symphony concertmaster, Frank Almond. He was walking to his car after a performance by the symphony when a robber used a stun gun to drop his violin, snatched it and fled to a waiting vehicle. According to the symphony, Almond plays on a violin made by Antonio Stradivari from 1715, known as the "ex-Lipinski" and is valuable to a very small number of people and wouldn't be easily sold for what it is worth. Another secret collector? First the theft of Pope John Paul II's relic and now this rare violin. In case you don't know, Antonio Stradivari set up shop in Cremona, Italy, where he made violins, harps, guitars, violas and cellos. Before his death in 1737, Stradivari is thought to have made more than 1,100 instruments -- of which some 650 remain today -- according to the Smithsonian Institution. He is the world's most celebrated violin maker. His instruments are coveted by royalty, aristocracy, church dignitaries and top musicians because of the extraordinary sound they were capable of producing. Stradivari made his last violin in 1737 when he was 92.

I don't believe it!! Two Norwegian lawmakers have nominated National Security Agency (NSA) leaker Edward Snowden for the Nobel Peace Prize. Really? Snowden has "revealed the nature and technological prowess of modern surveillance," and by doing so has contributed to peace, said a joint statement by Bard Vegar Solhjell and Snorre Valen of the Socialist Left Party. According to the Norwegian Nobel Committee's rules, Solhjell and Valen are qualified, as national lawmakers, to make a nomination. They said,"His actions have in effect led to the reintroduction of trust and transparency as a leading principle in global security policies. Its value can't be overestimated." Snowden remains in Russia, where he was granted one year's asylum in June and Putin has said that he can stay past that time. In the United States, he faces charges of espionage and theft of government property over the leaking of sensational details of spy programs. I think it's disgraceful that he should even be considered for the prize. But then they are members of the Socialist Left, aren't they!!


Thought for Today:
"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man."
--George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Nobel Prize-winning Irish playwright

Orange poppy in memory of Sparkle

Have a wishful Wednesday

[the flying reindeer]

National Snow Sculpting Week
Good afternoon my friends
Another sunshiny winter day and it's warming up to normal winter temps. The Arctic cold has left, at least for now!

Atlanta is still littered with abandoned cars as it tries to find its way back to normal. At the same time, the Atlanta mayor and Georgia governor are busy trying to blame everyone else for the boondoggle that the city faced. Their favorite target has been the weather service. But that's difficult for Mayor Kasim Reed who assured people on Tuesday on Ttwitter - “Atlanta, we are ready for the snow.” He has finally admitted that authorities made a mistake by not staggering their orders for people to go home — schools first, then private businesses, then government employees. Instead, hundreds of thousands of people poured onto the interstates at the same time. But he stressed: “The highways are not the responsibility of the city.”(Making the freeway mess the state's fault). Gov. Nathan Deal infuriated meteorologists by calling the storm “unexpected” and saying that nobody “could have predicted “the degree and magnitude of the problem.” In fact, the National Weather Service issued a winter storm alert for Atlanta at 3:38 a.m. on Tuesday, 12 hours before the worst of the traffic set in. No one has heard from the school system as to why the schools were not closed for the day. Maybe they are laying low, hoping nobody remembers them.


Olympic Games: Russian anti-terror officials identified the two suicide bombers who killed 34 people in the city of Volgograd in December, as international fears grow about security surrounding the Sochi Winter Olympics. In Dagestan, they also detained two suspected accomplices, who they believe transported the bombers to the city of Volgograd. On Jan. 6, a four-minute video emerged on-line and likened the Olympics to those hosted by Adolf Hitler in Germany in 1936 and warned again of terror at Sochi., In the meantime, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said that the US has made arrangements, if needed, to extract the 10,000 American athletes and spectators expected to attend the games.

I just read an article of a mafia killing in southern Italy by 'Ndrangheta -- one of the most powerful organized crime syndicates in the world. One of the victims was a 3-year-old who was shot in the head, along with his grandfather and his grandfather's 27-year-old companion. This is essentially why I never watched The Sopranos or saw The Godfather movies. I do not want to see anything that in anyway, shape, or form exploits these monsters. There's nothing I can do to prevent this kind of atrocity, but boycott anything that has to do with any mafia family, real or imaginary.

Thought for Today:
"If you look for the bad in people expecting to find it, you surely will."
--Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) 16th US president (1861-65)

Come away with me bicolor bearded iris

Have a thrilling Thursday

[the flying reindeer]

Inspire Your Heart with the Arts Day
Good afternoon my friends.
It's been lightly snowing off an on but the temp is 27ºF (feels like 17ºF) and is a definite improvement over the past week. We may even hit 30+ºF today!!

Oh, wow!! Masterpieces from the art collection of the reclusive copper heiress Huguette Clark, hidden away like their owner for nearly a century, began a world tour today, going to London, Hong Kong, Tokyo and New York. Christie's will auction the works in New York in May and June. First, four Impressionist paintings will be sold that include a Monet from his "Water Lilies" series with an estimated value of $25 million to $35 million. This Monet has not been seen in public since the heiress bought it in 1930. Her three paintings by Renoir will also be sold: "Girls Playing Battledore and Shuttlecock," "Chrysanthemums," and "Woman with Umbrella." Together the Renoir trio is estimated to be worth $16.5 million to $25.5 million. Then on June 18, more than 400 objects collected by Clark and her parents will receive their own spotlight at a sale at Christie's. They include paintings, a Stradivarius violin, rare books, European furniture and decorative arts like Chinese works of art and English silverware.

It's the 50th anniversary of the chicken wing as a favorite snack food. Frank Bellissimo, founder of the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, NY, is credited with the creation of the popular Buffalo-style wing and Americas have been flocking to it ever since. According to the National Chicken Council, some 1.25 billion wings will be consumed during this Sunday's Super Bowl (20 million more wings than last year). That's enough to put 572 wings on every seat in each NFL stadium! I think I'll order some from KFC to munch on while watching Denver beat Seattle.


Thought for Today:
"The conventional view serves to protect us from the painful job of thinking."
--John Kenneth Galbraith (1908-2006) Novell-Prize winning economist & diplomat

Gentian [Lat. Gentiana] in memory of Sparkle

Happy TGIF

[the flying reindeer]

National Black History Month
Good afternoon my friends
Well, it's somewhat warmer today (35ºF) but gloomy. It still might snow. <<sigh>>

Speaking of the weather. It doesn't look like England is having it easy either, as a record rainfall has left parts of the country under water. The figures for January 1-28 show that southeast and central southern England had more than twice the usual amount of rain., while southwest England and south Wales had their fifth wettest January since records began in 1910. The torrential rain has left villages on the Somerset Levels, a low-lying area of southwest England, under water for almost a month. Military planners have been sent in to work with local authorities and a 24-hour pumping operation is now running to try to drain off the excess water from the Somerset Levels. The Environment Agency has warned that high tides and gale force winds could bring more flooding in some coastal areas, and nine severe flood warnings are in place. Maybe the English could try and build one of the new Noah's Ark scholars have discovered and see it it works. The government doesn't seem to be doing much to help.

Christie Update: The old "What did he know and when did he know it" is putting pressure on Gov. Christie. A former official said that New Jersey's governor knew about the George Washington Bridge closure when it happened — an accusation Christie denies. The new allegation is in a letter to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, from a lawyer for David Wildstein — the Port Authority official who last September actually ordered the closing of two of three local access lanes from Fort Lee, N.J., to the George Washington Bridge, one of the busiest bridges in the world. Wildstein's lawyer says "evidence exists tying Mr. Christie to having knowledge of the lane closures, during the period when the lanes were closed, contrary to what the Governor stated publicly in a two-hour press conference." Things seem to be getting more and more murky in regard to the governor's knowledge of what was going on.

In North Sumatra, Indonesia, the volcano Mount Sinabung has erupted again, killing at least 14. The victims were hit by hot ash clouds and were all found in Sukameriah, a village close to the volcano's crater, Now, why would people live close to an erupting volcano's crater? The volcano has been active since last September and spewed ash columns 2,000 meters high sending hot ash clouds down its slope. I feel sorry that people died but talk about "courting danger".


Thought for Today:
"Hold fast to your dreams, for without them life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly."
--Langston Hughes (1902-1967) African-American writer, poet and essayist,

Coming about amoena bearded iris

Have a safe Saturday

[the flying reindeer]

R.I.P. Maximilian Schell, 1961 Oscar-winning Austrian actor (Judgment at Nuremburg), died at age 83 at a clinic in Innsbruck from a "sudden and serious illness. His survivors include Iva Mihanovic, a German-Croatian operatic soprano, whom he married in August, and a daughter, Nastassja Schell, from his first marriage. His Oscar-winning sister Maria Schell died in 2005.

One of the best known foreign actors in US films, Schell starred on stage and screen on both sides of the Atlantic after growing up in Switzerland, where his Catholic family, including his actress-sister Maria, settled after Germany's 1938 annexation of Austria. He was nominated for two more Oscars for his acting, in 1976 for best actor for The Man in the Glass Booth, a drama inspired by the trial in Israel of the Holocaust criminal Adolf Eichmann, and in 1978 as best supporting actor for Julia, based on a Lillian Hellman story about the underground in Nazi Germany. Schell won the 1993 Golden Globe for best performance by an actor in a supporting role in a series, mini-series or made-for-TV movie for playing Lenin in Stalin.

In the late 1960s, Mr. Schell became a director, and two of his films — The Pedestrian (1973), about a German businessman’s wartime past, and Marlene(1984), a documentary about his “Nuremberg” co-star Marlene Dietrich — received Oscar nominations. A concert pianist in private life, he also went on to direct opera, including Der Rosenkavalier for the Los Angeles Opera in 2005. He made his stage debut in Germany in 1952 and performed three plays on Broadway, beginning with Interlock (1958), starring Rosemary Harris; followed by A Patriot for Me (1969), in which Tommy Lee Jones made his Broadway debut; and ending with a stage version of Judgment (2001).

R.I.P. Maximilian Schell, who, sfter decades of stardom, evolved into an international character actor — distinguished, gray-bearded and perhaps a bit world-weary -- but is another star lost.

[the flying reindeer]

Groundhog Day
Good afternoon my friends.
It looks like we're back to the days of overcast skies with temps in the mid 30s. <<sigh>> I really wish the sun would peek through all the clouds once or twice - a reminder of things to come.

.It's Super Bowl Sunday and so I've nothing I really want to say except GO BRONCOS!!Of course, this means that the Seahawks will probably win!


Thought for Today:
"Censorship, like charity, should begin at home; but, unlike charity, it should end there."
--Clare Booth Luce (1903-1987) American writer (The Women) & diplomat

Ranunculus in memory of Sparkle

Have a stunning Super Bowl Sunday

[the flying reindeer]

R.I.P. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Oscar-winning actor (2006 Capote), was found dead at age 46 in his New York City apartment from apparent overdose of heroin. He was found in his bathtub with the syringe still in his arm. He is survived by a son (Cooper, 10) and two daughters (Tallulah 7, and Willa, 5) with his longtime partner, costume designer Mimi O’Donnell.

He was a versatile actor in both theater and on the big screen. He earned three Tony nominations, three supporting actor Academy Award nominations (including 2012's The Master), and won a best actor Oscar for 2005's Capote. He was most recently seen as Plutarch Heavensbee in the Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire. He was a member of New York's LAByrinth Theater Company, whose other members include Ethan Hawke, Bobby Cannavale and acclaimed playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis. Hoffman worked as a director as well, earning Drama Desk Award nominations for his direction of Guirgis's Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train and Our Lady of 121st Street.

In late May, Hoffman finished a 10-day stint in a rehab program for a drug problem that included snorting heroin. He had undergone treatment for drug addiction in the past, and spoke in interviews about “falling off the wagon” last year after remaining clean for 23 years. I wonder what led him back to drug use after so many years clean?
.R.I.P. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Oscar-winning actor, who will be sadly missed dying much too young,

[the flying reindeer]

Four Chaplains Memorial Day
Good afternoon my friends
It's mostly cloudy today and it looks like we're missing the big snowstorm once again. That's fine by me. Let New York City and New England have it all.

The Super Bowl blowout was disappointing to any but Seahawk fans. I turned it off at halftime. And what happened to the "famous" Super Bowl ads? They matched the game - boring - a bunch were ads that have been running all year. Not much new here. All in all, a waste of my time.

It's hard to believe that the opening ceremonies for the Sochi Olympics will be Friday. And reports say that hotels are without doors, ticket systems don't work and buildings are incomplete. But this isn't the first Olympics that such reports were made beforehand and everything was fine. This will be the first Russian Olympics that the US will participate in. The only other one was a victim of the Cold War and when Russia boycotted our Los Angeles games, we did the same with Moscow's. So I cuse that's an improvement.



Eyeing Dinner I found this bald eagle watching a flock of geese at Seneca Lake State park. Photo by Shelly Lannon

Iced Shallows The eastern shore of Seneca Lake as viewed in the afternoon is frozen with a rough ice that has also encased docks. Photo by Tom Jackson
Thought for Today:
"People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use."
--Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) Danish philosopher

Coming storm bearded iris

Have a "mod" Monday

[the flying reindeer]

Boy Scout Anniversary Week
Good afternoon my friends.
For once my area isn't escaping the general bad weather of the northeast BUT although the snow is falling hard enough to obscure my view of the far side of the road, there's no wind. And the traffic seems to be going along at normal speed.

.CVS has decided to stop selling tobacco products at its more than 7,600 retail pharmacies. It will be interesting to see if others will follow its examples. Also - will it affect CVS sales beyond the drop in tobacco figures. People who buy cigarettes, do buy other things on impulse, you know.

.Winter has come back in full force in New York where the governor has declared a state of emergency. More snow, more cold, more misery in what's proving to be a wet, wild and nasty winter. And the forecast doesn't contain any relief. Snowy, icy conditions are expected from eastern Missouri into the Mid-Atlantic states and New England. Up to 2 inches of snow per hour may fall around Boston, with as much as a foot of snow predicted in parts of Massachusetts. Here in New York, salt reserves are getting low. Transportation regulators have waived rest rules for salt-truck drivers to get remaining salt stockpiles moved to where they are needed, especially New York City and Long Island. It's not unusual or unprecedented, Radley Horton, a climate scientist with Columbia University, but climate change may be affected by the loss of Arctic ice. "There's always going to be variability," Horton said. "There's always going to be these waves in the jet stream. But it does seem, according to some research, as we lose that sea ice in the Arctic, one possible surprise could be more cold air spilling south, more warm air going north." And more suffering these Arctic cold winters!!


Thought for Today:
"Doubt is the father of invention."
--Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) Italian natural philosopher, astronomer and mathematician

Rape [Lat. Brassica napus] in memory of Sparkle

Have warming Wednesday

[the flying reindeer]

National Girls and Women in Sports Day
Good afternoon my friends
We got about 6 inches of snow yesterday and now it's back to cloudy and cold. <<sigh>> I'm really getting tired of this cold with temps in the single digits day after day. I guess I shouldn't complain too much. Western New York hasn't suffered as much as the east coast and the rest of the country. Now I'm feeling guilty!!

The Sochi Olympics opening ceremony is tonight (NBC, 8 p.m. EST) and I'll definitely be watching it. I hope to watch the Alpine skiing (downhill, slalom), bobsledding, figure skating, ski jumping, speed skating and hockey. Maybe even <<gasp>>curling! Now if I could just find a TV schedule of the games so I could plan ahead. In the meantime, journalists are on track for a complaining gold medal in Sochi. In the past 24 hours alone, more than 26,000 tweets have been sent using the hashtag #SochiProblems and the Twitter account @sochiproblems has more than 53,000 followers as it retweets some of the stories and photos; however, the NBC contingent is housed at the Marriott in total comfort.

.A disturbing, frightening, shudder-inducing 18-foot Burmese python has been found in Florida by a water-quality maintenance crew. It seems that workers often run across the invasive snakes as part of their daily routine of inspecting and maintaining canals, pump stations and the like, according to agency spokesman Randy Smith. Snakes this size in Florida have no predators (except man) and eat anything, including alligators. The pythons are wreaking havoc with the south Florida ecosystem where they are killing rabbits, raccoons, opossums, bobcats and other native species. Last year the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission held a contest to see who could capture and kill as many as possible. Hunters turned in 68 of them, the longest reaching 14 feet.

UPDATE: Three have been arrested in Wisconsin for the theft of a Stradivarius violin, but the instrument is still missing. There is a $100,000 reward for information about the priceless violin (est. at $6 million). "Clearly, we want to indicate that it's perhaps in their best interests to recognize that ... this is not something that can easily be disposed of at some future date. It'll never be valuable for a thief. It's only valuable for a collector. It's only valuable to a collector if it can be played, and it can't be played if it's known to be stolen," Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn said. I think the police chief may be wrong in his assessment. There are collectors who are secretive and want to possess just for the sake of "owning" a rare and valuable object.


Thought for Today:
"Anything one man can imagine, other men can make real."
--Jules Verne (1828-1905) French author whose writings laid much of the foundation of modern science fiction.

Celsius dwarf bearded iris
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Have a truly blemish-free Thursday

[the flying reindeer]

Laugh and Get Rich Day
Good afternoon my friends
Well, the sun is shining but it isn't doing much to warm things up - 13°F that feels like 5°. According to the extended forecast, the temps won't reach the 30s until Wednesday or Thursday!!

Sochi Olympics: The US wins the first Sochi gold medal with Sage Kotsenburg in slopestyle. Coming into the slopestyle competition, all the talk was about Canadian domination, American Shaun White's withdrawal and triple corks. American Sage Kotsenburg put an end to that when he won the first-ever gold medal for the new snowboarding slopestyle discipline without performing a triple cork (whatever that is). So congrats to Sage Kotsenburg!! This morning I've been watching the figure skating team competition. After the first round, the Russians are in 1st, Canadians in2nd and the US in 3rd. Italy and Japan round out the top 5 (only 5 teams go into the freestyle round)..

Another case of why we shouldn't have capital punishment..Two New York men have been freed due to DNA evidence after decades in prison for a triple murder/ Imagine more than two decades in Attica's maximum security prison among NY's toughest criminals,. Add to that the fact that you're accused of killing your mother, your sister and your cousin and know you're innocent. But at least the two were still alive. I wonder how many have been killed legally who were also innocent? Or does anyone care? Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord. Strange how a supposedly Christian country can be so adamant about the death penalty.


Thought for Today:
"Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does."
--Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) French existentialist philosopher and writer,

Come away with me bicolor bearded iris
Happy weekend all

[the flying reindeer]

World Marriage Day
Good afternoon my friends.
It's been an overcast day with a temp hovering around 22°F. At least it isn't snowing!! I'm very, very, very tired of this weather.

Sochi Olympics: Russia has won the first gold medal for team skating with Canada getting silver and the USA bronze. If you are a fan of figure skating this was a fun event and kind of a prelude of expectations for the more traditional individual skating events. I think that the US will take gold in ice dancing, but nothing else is sure. Maybe a medal in the women's skate, otherwise, don't be surprised if the US is shut out. As far as slopestyle snowboarding, American snowboarder Jamie Anderson won the women's event to match the US gold in the men's slopestyle.
.

.Denmark's Copenhagen zoo has euthanized a 2-year-old healthy male giraffe and fed the remains to the zoo's lions. This happened after several zoos offered to take the giraffe and were refused. According to Bengt Holst, scientific director at the zoo, "I do not understand the outrage -- we are all used to on a current basis of animals being culled in the wild, ..We have to ensure a safe healthy population for the future, and you can only have a healthy population if you control and coordinate your breeding efforts." I could see that could happen with the zoo's own herd of giraffes, but if they sent him to another zoo, it would add to that zoo's genes. There is something cold and unfeeling about this. They are more concerned with scientific research than the welfare of the animals. The carcass was used partly for research and partly to feed carnivores at the zoo -- lions, tigers, and leopards. "In this case we would never throw away 200 kilograms of meat," Holst said.
.
.In the area of "It's about time", the US government says it will recognize same-sex marriages as equal to traditional unions in all federal matters. Attorney General Eric Holder said the Justice Department will issue a memo Monday that recognizes same-sex marriages "to the greatest extent possible under the law," including bankruptcies, prison visits and survivor benefits. Another case of ruling by executive order when you can't get along with Congress. It feels nice to be able to say "I agree" to something our federal government does.
.

Thought for Today:
"Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine."
--George Gordon, Lord Byron (1788-1824) English Romantic poet

Easter rose in memory of Sparkle
Have a swell Sunday

[the flying reindeer]

Umbrella Day
Good afternoon my friends
It's turning out to be a fair day with the sun nicely shining on the newly fallen whie snow. We may even reach 30F today!! I really hope so.

Sochi Olympics: The Dutch are reasserting their dominance in speed skating They just got all three medals in the men's 500m with twin brothers winning the gold and bronze medals. This is the first time a Dutchman has won this gold medal and yesterday they dominated the men's 5,000-meter event, as they claimed all three medals. Dutch skater Sven Kramer also set a new Olympic record in the event with a time of 6:10.76.

A record-setting New York cockfighting bust uncovers 3,000 birds with 70 people taken into custody and nine felony arrests by the state's Organized Crime Task Force with the help of NY State Police, the Homeland Security Department and the Ulster County sheriff's office. It spanned two boroughs (a Queens cockfight and a Brooklyn pet shop) and an upstate Ulster County poultry farm. Cockfighting contraband -- including artificial spurs, candle wax, medical adhesive tape and syringes used to inject performance-enhancing drugs into the roosters was also confiscated. Un-be-lieve-able!! I am constantly amazed at how much abuse of animals there is in this country To take pleasure, and bet on, two animals forced to fight each other for no other reason sickens me, whether it's two dogs or two roosters.


Thought for Today:
"We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are."
--Anaïs Nin (1903-1977) French-born American author

Coming about bearded iris
Have a nice Monday

[the flying reindeer]

R.I.P. Shirley Temple Black, child movie star and diplomat, died at age 85 at her Woodside, Calif. , home from natural causes. She is survived by her children, Susan, Charlie Jr., and Lori, her granddaughter Teresa and her great-granddaughters Lily and Emma.

A talented and ultra-adorable entertainer, Shirley Temple was America's top box-office draw from 1935 to 1938, a record no other child star has come near. She beat out such grown-ups as Clark Gable, Bing Crosby, Robert Taylor, Gary Cooper and Joan Crawford. As an actress, she was precocious, bouncy and adorable with a head of curly hair, tap-dancing through songs like "On The Good Ship Lollipop." As Ambassador Shirley Temple Black, she was soft-spoken and earnest in postings in Czechoslovakia and Ghana, out to disprove concerns that her previous career made her a diplomatic lightweight.

As a child actress, she became a national institution, and her raging popularity spawned look-alike dolls, dresses and dozens of other Shirley Temple novelties as she became one of the first stars to enjoy the fruits of the growing marketing mentality. In 1934 she appeared in the film Stand Up and Cheer!, and her song and dance number in "Baby Take a Bow" stole the show. Other movies in that year included Little Miss Marker and Bright Eyes- which featured her signature song "On the Good Ship Lollipop" - and in 1935 she received a special Oscar for her "outstanding contribution to screen entertainment." She made some 40 feature films, including The Little Colonel, Poor Little Rich Girl, Heidi and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, in 10 years, starring with big-name actors like Randolph Scott, Lionel Barrymore and Jimmy Durante. Her child career came to an end at age 12. She tried a few roles as a teenager - including opposite future President Ronald Reagan in That Hagen Girl - but retired from the screen in 1949 at age 21. In 2005, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Screen Actors Guild.

In the early 1950's, she became interested in politics andin 1972 helped to raise funds for Richard Nixon's re-election campaign. She was later named to the US' delegation to the United Nations - and found that her childhood popularity was an asset in her new career. In 1974, Pres. Ford appointed Black ambassador to Ghana. Two years later, he made her chief of protocol and for the next decade she trained newly appointment ambassadors at the request of the State Department. In 1989, Pre. Bush made Black ambassador to Prague - a sensitive Eastern European post normally reserved for career diplomats.
R.I.P. Shirley Temple Black, legendary child movie star and diplomat

[the flying reindeer]

Satisfied Staying Single Day
Good afternoon my friends.
It's cold (so what else is new?) but sunny, which is a teaser. I think I could almost prefer gloomy. Wait for things to warm up some before the sun makes an appearance.

Sochi Olympics: Am I the only one to find most of the new women's Olympic sports boring? They just finished women's ski jumping and I just couldn't watch. Am also not a fan of the snowboarding events. I may watch the thing that Shaun White does - I forget what it's called, but that's about all. I'm looking forward to the start of men's hockey. I watched the American women's last game which was never a contest, the U winning 9-0. Are the US & Canada the only country's that take women's hockey seriously? I did enjoy watching the pairs figure skating short program (Russia is currently 1st and 3rd with the US somewhere far below). Maybe the day's selection will get better.

.Oh, Wow!! In a joint Italian-U.S. anti-Mafia crackdown on drug trafficking, undercover agents prevented smuggling of some 1,000 pounds of pure cocaine worth $1 billion, breaking up a major trans-Atlantic ring with the arrest of 24 people. Undercover agents and wire taps offered more evidence that the Calabria-based 'Ndrangheta had overtaken its Sicilian cousin, the Cosa Nostra, and was trying to make inroads in the States by forging ties with one of the traditional New York mob families, the Gambinos. "The 'Ndrangheta were determined to move deadly narcotics across international boundaries, attempting to build a bridge of criminality and corruption to stretch from South America to Italy and back to New York," said assistant US attorney Marshall Miller. It looks like we have dodged a very dangerous bullet.
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.Well, what do you know?? House Republicans will move to pass a clean extension of the debt ceiling on Thursday, acceding to Democrats’ demands that nothing be attached to the debt bill. The new proposal would authorize new borrowing for about a year, through March of 2015. Someone in the GO finally saw the light which says ?Compromise" and you can get things done.
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Thought for Today:
"Good fortune is what happens when opportunity meets with planning."
--Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931) American inventor and businessman

Strawflower in memory of Sparkle
Have a tumult-free Tuesday

[the flying reindeer]

Darwin Day
Good afternoon my friends
It is COLD today, even if the sun is shining. Whatever happened to global warming?

Sochi Olympics: The US women's hockey team finally met a worthy opponent - Canada. And lost to them 3-2 - now why doesn't that surprise me? I figured that this would be a close game and that the US wouldn't be ready after the cupcakes they had played. And so it tuned out, but somehow it's fitting. Canada should be the US at its national game.

138th annual ]Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show: The wire fox terrier Sky has won this years Best in Show and looked every inch the winner. The ginger-and-white dog defeated six others – whittled down from more than 2,800 dogs for the prize, which brings no money but a trophy, a large ribbon, fame and a steak lunch at Sardi’s. It's the 14th time the breed has won best in show here.

Another massive sinkhole. This time in Bowling Green, Ky. And it swallowed eight vintage cars on display at the National Corvette Museum. Museum officials said no one was in the museum at the time of the collapse, which triggered an alarm system early Wednesday morning. The sinkhole appeared to be about twenty feet deep, and opened up under a domed section of the museum where the cars had been displayed on pedestals.


Thought for Today:
"Summer afternoon - Summer afternoon... the two most beautiful words in the English language."
--Henry James (1843-1916) American author

Coming storm bicolor bearded iris
Have a warming Wednesday

[the flying reindeer]

Get a Different Name Day
Good afternoon my friends.
It's an overcast day with a threat of snow but nothing like the coastal areas are experiencing. We're only going to get the very fringe of the storm, for which I'm very thankful. That's one of the strange points about this winter's weather. Usually, our storms come from off the Great Lakes through Buffalo, making Buffalo a high snowfall city, but not this year. And Syracuse usually gets between 10-12 feet of snow, but they haven't gotten anywhere near that. This worries me because it's the winter snow that replenishes the aquifer and fills the lakes and streams. We may be in for water problems this summer.

Sochi Olympics: Finally, men's hockey has begun and the US had a big 7+1 opening win over Slovakia with Paul Stastny scoring twice during a six-goal barrage in the 2nd period. That turned what was expected to be a tough matchup into a laughter. They answered any lingering questions about their offensive abilities and their aptitude on the big Olympic ice by decimating a Slovak roster studded with NHL players. Next up on Saturday is Alex Ovechkin and the Russians. BTW in the medal count we are tied with the Netherlands in 2nd place (12), Norway's first (13) while Canada and Russia are tied for 3rd (10).

In the meantime, the men's figure skating short program is going on today. Evgeni Plushenko, the decorated 31-year-old Russian who was favored to medal in this competition, has withdrawn due to injury. This was the 4th Olympics for the former world champion, European champion, a 2006 Olympic gold medalist, who won silver medals in 2010 and 2002. He had skated well in the team competition helping his team win gold.
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.First it was a Danish zoo and now its our own Yellowstone Park that wants to cull its buffalo herd, the nation's last purebred herd. Yellowstone biologists have determined that between 600 and 800 bison must be culled annually over the next several years to reduce the herd. Marty Zaluski, Montana state veterinarian and member of a federal, state and tribal team that oversees bison in and around Yellowstone, is advocating allowing hunting of the bison inside the park for the first time in its 142-year old history. The herd is all that remains of ancient bands that roamed in the tens of millions west of the Mississippi until systematic hunting cut their numbers to the fewer than 50 that found refuge in Yellowstone in the early 20th century. The problem is that winter snows force bison to seek food on the ranchlands of Montana and Wyoming, coming in conflict with ranching interests. I think that allowing hunters in the park, strictly supervised, would be preferable to outright slaughter.
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A natural gas pipeline owned by NiSource has exploded in Kentucky that has forced it to shut down its Columbia Gulf Transmission pipeline. Why should we care? The Columbia system is interconnected to virtually every major pipeline system operating in the Gulf Coast and interconnects with pipelines serving markets in the Midwest, Southeast and Northeast. "An explosion on a major pipeline from the Gulf Coast to the Northeast could send spot natural gas prices in the Northeast soaring," said Phil Flynn of Price Futures Group in Chicago. Just what we need - a possible raise in heating costs
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Thought for Today:
"A day without laughter is a day wasted."
--Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977) British comedian, producer, writer, film director and composer

Marigold (and friend) in memory of Sparkle
Happy Thursday everyone

[the flying reindeer]

Singles Awareness Day
Good afternoon my friends
It's been mostly cloudy today with a few brief snowfalls. The temp is a relatively toasty 29F but is slated for single digits again tonight. <<sigh>>

Sochi Olympics: The US men's hockey team has beaten the Russians in an 8-round shootout 3-2. T.J.Oshie, who was chosen for the U.S. men's hockey team with just such a situation in mind, scored 4 goals in O.T. including the winning goal. The St. Louis Blues forward, talking about his thought process before the winning shot, said. "Had to go back to the same move a couple times, but I was glad it ended when it did. I was running out of moves there." International rules allow the same player to take multiple shots after the first three rounds of a shootout, and US coach Dan Bylsma leaned on Oshie's array of slick shots and change-of-pace approaches to the net (Oshie scored on the Americans' first shot before taking the last five in a row, going 4 for 6). If you didn't watch the game this a.m., I highly recommend you watch the re-run later today. It was a grrrrreat game.


Thought for Today:
"The art of progress is to preserve order amid change and to preserve change amid order."
--Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947) British mathematician and philosopher,

Coming up roses bearded iris
Have a satisfying Saturday

[the flying reindeer]

World Whale Day
Good afternoon my friends.
We had some more snow yesterday and it's in the forecast for today. It seems llike this is a never-ending forecast. Only a month to go until spring. I wonder if there will be a forecast of snow for that day too?

Sochi Olympics: Today started with hockey - Russia vs Slovakia which Russia won, but since then it's been non-stop ice dancing short program. There's one group to go and the last team to skate will be Charlie White and Meryl Davis, the US World Champs. So if you haven't been watching, turn it on to catch the end.
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.More than 200 illegal miners were reported trapped in an abandoned gold shaft in a suburb just east of Johannesburg, South Africa. Emergency services were communicating with a group of about 30 miners trapped below the surface by fallen boulders at the old mine site in Benoni. Werner Vermaak of ER24 emergency services said, cv "It's an abandoned mine shaft in the middle of the public veld (open fields) ... it was not a blocked-off area," he said, adding that no injuries or casualties had been reported so far. The lure of gold is still strong so that illegal miners often live underground in dangerous conditions. There are even underground battles between rival groups.
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Thought for Today:
"At 18 our convictions are hills from which we look; At 45 they are caves in which we hide."
--F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) American author

Russian stonecrop in memory of Sparkle
Have a sentimental Sunday

[the flying reindeer]

My Way Day
Good afternoon my friends
We managed to escape more snow and so we are experiencing another sunny day. But - it's only 19F and so the cold goes on.

Sochi Olympics: Today the gold medal in figure skating's ice dancing will be decided. Hopefully, America's Davis and White will continue their domination. Earlier, the US women's hockey team won their semi-final game vs. Sweden (6-1) and await the winner of Canada vs. Switzerland. The US has medaled at every Winter Games since women's hockey was added in 1998, reaching the championship game in every Olympics except in 2006 when it lost to Sweden in the semi-finals game. Canada is the 3-time defending championship and the only loss on by the Americans at Sochi. Not since the inaugural tournament in Nagano have the Americans beaten Canada, losing in the championship game in 2002 and '10 and again in the preliminary round of the Sochi Games on Wednesday. So here we go again - maybe 3rd time's a charm?

UPDATE: Most of those trapped minters in South Africa are refusing to be rescued, fearing arrest because of their illegal mining activities. Initially, the rescuers removed the large boulder that was blocking the mine shaft and the 11 miners who surfaced were arrested. “They have sent down one of the miners to try and negotiate with the others to try and get them to come up,” said Werner Vermaak, a communications manager for ER24 a private, national, emergency medical care service that has staff on standby at the mine. Illegal mining for South Africa's gold and platinum is common but penalties if caught include fines and even prison time. Now that those miners are no longer trapped by the boulder, why should they come to the surface only to be arrested? Sounds like a stand-off to me.

A UN report says there is "abundant evidence" of crimes against humanity in North Korea, revealing a portrait of a brutal state "that does not have any parallel in the contemporary world," North Korean leaders employ murder, torture, slavery, sexual violence, mass starvation and other abuses as tools to prop up the state and terrorize "the population into submission," the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in North Korea said in its report. Unfortunately, there's not much the world can do aout it outside of going to war.


Thought for Today:
"What you cannot enforce, do not command."
[info][add][mail]--Sophocles (b.c. 496-406) Greek tragic dramatist

Company red bearded iris
Have a modish Monday

[the flying reindeer]

National Justice for Animals Week
Good afternoon my friends.
And winter continues, maybe somewhat warmer (temps in the 20s) and no new snow. On the other hand, there's another storm on its way. <<sigh>>

Sochi Olympics: American and 3-time defending Winter X Games champion David Wise who overcame bad weather conditions to win the first Olympic ski halfpipe race and doing it on his first run. That run held up as the weather grew worse and worse at Rosa Khutor Extreme Park..And then there is speed skating and the Dutch. In the longest individual speedskating event at the Winter Olympics, Jorrit Bergsma of the Netherlands set a new Olympic record and took home a gold medal in the 10,000-meter race. And two of his compatriots, Sven Kramer and Bob de Jong, won the silver and bronze medals for the Netherlands' 4th sweep of medals in speed skating. I guess that the story "Hans Brinker and the Silver Stakes" is more realistic than we knew.
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.What is going on in Ukraine? Yesterday nine died in a street battle that left the capital's square aflame over opposition to their president's policies favoring Russia over the European Union (EU). Thousands of demonstrators have packed Kiev's Independence Square since November when Pres. Yapukovych vetoed a trade deal with the EU in favor of dealing with Russia. And the US Embassy "advises all citizens to maintain a low profile and to remain indoors tonight/" I've been reading items about western Ukraine's protest of the governments turning oward Russia fro several months. Each time it seems to get a little more violent. And now this. What I would fear if I were a Ukrainians, is the government's request for Russian aid in quelling the opposition.
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Thought for Today:
"The point of living and of being an optimist, is to be foolish enough to believe the best is yet to come."
--Peter Ustinov (1921-2004) English actor and author

Dianthus chinensis in memory of Sparkle
Have a tidy Tuesday

[the flying reindeer]

International Tug-of-War Day
Good afternoon my friends
So far we've had no rain or snow or sleet etc. and the temp has reached into the 30s. But it's still overcast and subject to change at any minute. And its only a month until spring!!

Sochi Olympics: Finland has eliminated the Russians in hockey!! For the 3rd straight Olympics Russia has not won any medal in the sport that they dominated for years - the "amateur" Red Army team. So now Sweden (#1 seed), who beat Slovenia, will meet in one semifinal game. The US will play the Czech Republic in their quarter final game at noon (NBCSN) with Canada playing Latvia (MSNBC) at the same time. I can hardly wait to watch it. But for the next two hours I'll be watching the women's figure skating short program. A great day for the Olympics.

Oh, BTW, Ted Ligety won the giant slalom , becoming the first American man to win two Olympic gold medals in Alpine skiing. Hi's first gold came in the combined at the 2006 Turin Games as a 21-year-old -- before he had ever won a World Cup race. The only other American to win two Olympic golds in Alpine skiing was Andrea Mead Lawrence, who took both the women's slalom and giant slalom at the 1952 Oslo Games!

UPDATE: In the Ukraine protests in Kiev's Independence Square there have been 25 killed, 241 injured so far. Naturally, Ukrainian Pres. Viktor Yanukovych is blaming opposition leaders for the deadly violence. The violence was the worst in nearly three months of anti-government protests that have paralyzed Ukraine's capital in a struggle over the identity of a nation divided in loyalties between Russia (government) and the West (opposition), and the worst in the country's post-Soviet history.


Some pics from NY's Finger Lakes region:

February Chill A beautiful but chilly day on Seneca Lake near Lake Shore Landing in Romulus. Photo by Diane W. Dersch

Lady Cardinal Pretty female cardinal in a Farmington backyard on Friday afternoon. Photo by Mike Sargent

Sunset Shine A strange sunset as seen at 6:26 pm on the border of Enfield and Ithaca. Sunset is getting later! Photo by Helene Schmidt

Thought for Today:
"Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence."
--John Adams (1735-1826), Founding Father and 2nd US President in "Argument in Defense of the Soldiers in the Boston Massacre Trials," December 1770

Concertina bearded iris
I hope you have a wow of a Wednesday

[the flying reindeer]

International Mother Language Day
Good afternoon my friends.
Today it was almost springlike = sunny with temps in the 40s!! I love it!!

Sochi Olympics: The 18-year-old American, Mikaela Shiffrin made Alpine skiing history as the youngest ever winner of an Olympic slalom gold medal The Vail, Co. native completed a full set of slalom honors -- Olympic and world championship gold medals and a season-long World Cup discipline title -- before her 19th birthday next month. Russia won Olympic gold in the 5,000-meter short track relay Friday, giving the short track star a record-tying eighth career medal and the Americans came in second. That ended the US medal drought in this Olympic speedskating. The long track team failed in 12 tries and we had been shutout in the first seven short track events. China came in third. BUT the US is leading all nations in the medal count with 27 medals earned - 9 gold, 7 silver and 11bronze equaling 27. Russia is second with 26 and Canada has 24.
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Finally, Canada did it again. Yesterday, the women's hockey team beat the US for the gold medal, today it beat the men in the semi-final game to meet Sweden in the gold medal game. The US will play Finland for the bronze medal.

.Warning - Be prepared for higher prices on your fruits and veggies this year. A federal agency said California farmers hit hard by a withering drought will receive no irrigation water this year from a sprawling system of rivers, canals and reservoirs across the parched state. A third of the country's fruits and vegetables are produced in California's midsection, which only received 20% of their normal water allowance last year, so they are already hurting. But all the water has to be preserved for people's use, the drought has become that severe. Maybe instead of more oil pipelines going across states, we should pipe water from one area of the country to another. And if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.
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Thought for Today:
"An intellectual snob is someone who can listen to the William Tell Overture and not think of The Lone Ranger."
--Dan Rather (b. 1931) television news anchor for CBS

Corydalis. [Lat. Corydalis] in memory of Sparkle
It's TGIF - Yaaaay!!

[the flying reindeer]

International Tongue Twister Day
Good afternoon my friends
It's another nice day here with temps in the low 40s. I wish that this would last until spring, but no such luck. The next spate of Arctic cold is on its way.

Sochi Olympics: .Well, the men's hockey team came to an inglorious end, losing to Finland 5-0 in the bronze medal game. That does it for me until the closing ceremonies tomorrow. Then it will be two years until the next Summer Olympics in Brazil.


UPDATE: In Ukraine, it has been a day of dramatic and fast-paced developments that saw the Parliament vote to remove Pres. Yanukovych from office and call for new elections.in spring. Also, former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko was released from prison. The vote came a day after Yanukovych signed a peace deal with the opposition intended to end days of bloody protests and fueling speculation he might heed calls for him to step down. However, speaking from Kharkly, a pro-Russian stronghold in eastern Ukraine, he took to the air and insisted he would not resign or leave the country. So what will Russia do? And if they try to use force to return Yanukovych to power, what well we do?


Pres. Obama will bestow the Medal of Honor on 24 vets denied them due to their ethnicity or color of their skin. Many of their fellow soldiers received this medal long ago, for doing similar things in similar places at similar times. But not these 24 men. Unfortunately, 21 of the new Medal of Honor recipients -- with last names including Garcia and Weinstein and Negron -- aren't alive to receive the award. All three of those still living received the Army's Distinguished Service Cross, so their heroics didn't go completely unrecognized.


Thought for Today:
"Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see."
--Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) German philosopher,

Conjuration bicolored bearded iris
Have a sunny Saturday

[the flying reindeer]

Curling Is Cool Day
Good afternoon my friends.
I can't believe it - another sunny day but there's still snow on the ground, albeit less than it was. A little over three weeks to the spring equinox, BUT we can have snow up until mid-April, so now celebrating just yet.

Sochi Olympics: The costliest Olympics ever are closing tonight with a spectacular show and Russia, surprise surprise, tops the medals table..The men's 4-man bobsled was one of the last set of medals to be won with Russia taking the gold, Latvia the silver and the US the bronze. With a 3-0 victory over Sweden in the men's hockey final, Canada claimed the last gold from the 98 medal events (Sweden silver, Finland bronze). See you in four years (2018) in South Korea's Pyeongchang.
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..UPDATE: In Ukraine, it looks like its parliament has taken control of the government, especially since the military has recognized it s the one in charge. Pres. Yanukovych, who fled to Donetsk, a city in eastern Ukraine, maintains that parliament's decisions are illegal, but has not made any apparent effort to stop them. Unfortunately,Ukraine is deeply divided between eastern regions that are largely pro-Russian and western areas that long for closer ties with the European Union. It was Prers. Yanukovych's shelving of an agreement with the EU in November set off the protests, that quickly expanded into grievances concerning corruption, human rights abuses and calls for Yanukovych's resignation. As of now, no one is sure just where Yanukovych is. He tried to take an airplane to Russia, but was stopped. Since then he has disappeared. So is he imprisoned or secretly fleeing to Russia by land?


Thought for Today:
"Nothing travels faster than the speed of light with the possible exception of bad news, which obeys its own special laws. "
--Douglas Adams (1952-2001) English humorist & science fiction novelist

seeds in memory of Sparkle
Have a superb Sunday

[the flying reindeer]

World Bartender Day
Good afternoon my friends
The temps have dropped into the 20s and the forecast is for snow. Neither of these appeal to me, but I'd rather have them than the polar vortex they say is on its way.

Cheers - McDonald's is contemplating extending the hours of its breakfast menu. It has long thought of serving breakfast throughout the day as it faces heightened competition and slumping sales. Of course, having competitors like Tim Horton's already serving breakfast until 5 p.m. doesn't mean anything in their calculations, right? I, for one, would welcome the change.

The US Supreme Court has declined to decide whether poker is a contest of skill or is instead a game of chance covered by a federal law directed at illegal gambling and three laws restricting gun ownership. (two laws banning ownership of guns by 18-21 year olds and a law against selling to out-of-state customers). With the first, a federal appeals court had ruled that whatever else the anti-gambling law included, anything that's illegal under state law remains so. In the case under consideration New York statutes, the appeals court said, cover poker - so the Supreme Court's refusal means that the appeals court ruling stands. The court also declined to wade into the politically volatile issue of gun control by leaving intact three court rulings rejecting challenges to federal and state laws, which is a loss for gun rights advocates, including the National Rifle Association, which was behind two of the challenges.


Thought for Today:
"I have long since come to believe that people never mean half of what they say, and that it is best to disregard their talk and judge only their actions."
Dorothy Day (1897-1980) American editor & reformer

Connection bearded amoena iris
Have a mostly merry Monday

[the flying reindeer]

Eating Disorders Awareness Week
Good afternoon my friends.
.It's been partly cloudy all day with temps around 19°F. And according to the weatherman, it's going to get colder AGAIN.

The US government is planning to spend millions to help Midwestern pastues to provide food for the nation's struggling honeybees. It seems that beekeepers bring hives to the Upper Midwest in the summer to gather nectar and pollen for food, than truck them in the spring to California and other states to pollinate everything from almonds to apples to avocadoes. Now we'll have to wait and see if this helps stop the decline in honeybees . Let's hope so or our agriculture and food supply may be in trouble.


Thought for Today:
"Violence among young people is an aspect of their desire to create. They don't know how to use their energy creatively so they do the opposite and destroy."
--Anthony Burgess (1917-1993) English novelist, critic and man of letters

Crocus in memory of Sparkle
Have a tidy Tuesday[/font]

[the flying reindeer]

World Pistachio Day
Good afternoon my friends
It'sa partly sunny today but COLD!! 13°F with 22 mph winds. It could have been worse if it had snowed - BLIZZARD!!

Wichita State defeated the Bradley Braves, 69-49 in the Missouri Valley Conference, becoming the first squad in college basketball history to win thirty straight games in the regular season. And unlike most NCAA teams, this group can shoot (the core of VanVleet, Early, and Baker make 35% or more of their threes, and the team overall is scoring .98 points per zone possession). So if Syracuse fans are looking forward to March Madness, be careful what you wish for - it's not the Shockers of Wichita.


My computer almost ate my daily bulletin, but luckily I saved as I went along. All I lost was my last item about the federal judge in Texas ruling on the constitutionality of the state's anti same-sex marriage law. He against it.

Thought for Today:
" Ultimately, the only power to which man should aspire is that which he exercises over himself.
--Elie Wiesel (b. 1928) Romanian-born Jewish-American professor, author and political activist.

Cool confidence reverse amoena bearded iris
Have a truly wonderful Wednesday

[the flying reindeer]

Polar Bear Day
Good afternoon my friends.
It's gotten colder with temp of 19°F and snow forecasted for the next 24 hours. On the other hand, it's only three weeks left to the vernal equinox.

UPDATE: Russia is reportedly shelter the former Ukraine president, while launching a massive military exercise involving 150,000 troops and scrambling jets to patrol its border. At the same time, pro-Russian gunmen stormed offices of Ukraine's strategic region, deepening the crisis for the new Ukrainian government even as it was being formed. Ukraine's new prime minister said the country's future lies in the European Union but with friendly relations with Russia. Oleksandr Turchynov, who stepped in as acting president after Yanukovych's flight, condemned the takeover of government buildings in Crimea as a "crime against the government of Ukraine." He warned that any move by Russian troops off of their base in Crimea "will be considered a military aggression.".Meanwhile, Ukraine's currency, the hryvnia, dropped further to a new record low of 11.25 to the U.S. dollar, a sign of the country's financial distress. One of the new government's first tasks will be to seek rescue loans from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund. The finance ministry has pegged the country's needs at $35 billion dollars for this year and next to pay salaries and debts and cover the large budget deficit. Things are looking increasingly ominous. I hope it doesn't come down to actual fighting between Russia and Ukraine.

Way off on a sheep ranch in Western Australia comes the oldest slice of Earth we know. Scientists in Nature Geoscience say they have dated an ancient crystal called a zircon to about 4.4 billion years, making it the earliest confirmed piece of the planet's crust. This crystal is a translucent red, Valley said, but glows blue when bombarded with electrons. At 400 micrometers long, its biggest dimension is just a tad larger than a house dust mite, or about four human hairs. "What we've learned is that the Earth cooled much more quickly that people had thought," John Valley, lead study author and professor in the Department of Geoscience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. said. And so, in the midst of chaotic human life, scientific study keeps on with ever interesting facts about the ancient history of our earth.


Thought for Today:
"Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections."
--Anonymous

Snapdragon [Lat. Antirrhinum] in memory of Sparkle
Have a thankful Thursday