For “Summary Saturday”, News, some new, some old:
Royal baby: Why George Alexander Louis?
“The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's first baby has been named George Alexander Louis. But what's in the name?
It is a partial victory for the old maxim, "the bookmakers are never wrong". George was the rock-solid favourite for boys' names for a while, backed all the way down to 2/1. Alexander and Louis were both not far behind.
A cynic might point out that before we knew it was a boy, Alexandra - the Queen's first middle name - had been the favourite.
Of the three names, it is the significance of the third that is most obvious. Louis immediately makes one think of Louis Mountbatten, uncle of Prince Philip and last viceroy of India, who was killed by the IRA in a bomb attack on his yacht.
His father Prince Louis of Battenberg was Prince William's great-great-grandfather. Louis is also one of William's middle names. And, of course, the name of 17 kings of France (or 18 or 19, depending how you count).
If Louis honours one side of the Royal Family, George clearly resonates with the other.”
A familiar name among British kings... George III, George V and George VI
More at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23444082
“Palace officials said the royals are "delighted to announce" their son's name, adding that the baby, who is third-in-line to the throne, will be known as His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge.” More at: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-207_162-57595288/royal-baby-name-revealed-george-alexander-louis/
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From me: I was trying to remember how many royal babies I have read about in all my years. The Queen’s, her sister Princess Margaret’s, Prince Charles, Princess Anne’s, Prince Andrew’s, Prince Edward’s, and now the new baby. Quite a few, at least a baker’s dozen.
Everyone prays for a good life for the new wee one.
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Oil giant, developer George Mitchell dies at 94, July 26, 2013
“George Mitchell, Texas oil man, real estate developer, and one of Houston's wealthiest businessmen, died Friday at his home in Galveston, a spokeswoman said. He was 94.
The son of a poor Greek immigrant, Mitchell had an uncanny knack for finding oil.
During his career, he participated in drilling some 8,000 wells, including more than 1,000 wildcats.
He was a pioneer in the technology of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling, using it to tap oil and gas in the Barnett Shale of North Texas in the 1980s and 1990s. The process launched a revolution in U.S. energy, and prompted international environmental debate.
Mitchell Energy & Development, the company he built and later sold for $3.1 billion, was responsible for more than 200 oil and 350 natural gas discoveries.
While Mitchell's long and colorful career made him a billionaire, friends and colleagues said he always stayed grounded.
The oil billionaire and creator of The Woodlands was often seen casually strolling through the downtown tunnels at lunchtime. He was also known to meet friends at a Galveston grocery store for coffee and conversation in the deli. Though he lived primarily in The Woodlands, the master-planned community he created in the 1970s, Mitchell spent much of his time on his hometown island. Mitchell was born in Galveston on May 21, 1919.” More at: http://www.chron.com/news/article/Oil-giant-developer-George-Mitchell-dies-at-94-4688832.php By Nancy Sarnoff
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Fukushima Plant Admits Radioactive Water Leaked To Sea
“Experts suspect leak has been continuous since March 2011 earthquake and tsunami
A worker carries out radiation screening last year on a bus for a media tour at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The plant's operator had previously denied contaminated water reached the sea, despite spikes in radiation levels in underground and sea water samples taken at the plant. (Tomohiro/Reuters)
Operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. had previously denied contaminated water reached the sea, despite spikes in radiation levels in underground and sea water samples taken at the plant. Japan's nuclear watchdog said two weeks ago a leak was highly suspected, ordering TEPCO to examine the problem.” More at: http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2013/07/22/japan-fukushima-nuclear-radioactive-leak.html
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Tongass National Forest: Conservationists Express Outrage over Industrial-Scale Timber Plan
Tongass National Forest.
Juneau, AK — “Forrest Cole, supervisor of the Tongass National Forest in Juneau, Alaska has announced his Record of Decision regarding the Big Thorne timber project. Read the Forest Service’s briefing paper.
Members of the conservation community expressed outrage over this decision. The agency is proposing to log 123 million board feet, making Big Thorne far and away the largest old-growth timber project in the Tongass National Forest, or any other national forest, in many years.” More at: http://ak.audubon.org/newsroom/press-releases/2013/conservationists-express-outrage-over-huge-industrial-scale-timber-proj
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The Drugging of Our Children
“The ‘Drugging of Our Children’ documentary details the devastating consequences of the excessive medicating of US children, with a focus on children who have been given the diagnosis of ADHD
Drugs prescribed for ADHD are "class 2" narcotics, regulated by the Drug Enforcement Agency as a controlled substance because they can lead to dependence, heart attack, stroke, seizures and stunted growth; other mind-altering drugs commonly prescribed to kids can cause aggressive and violent behavior, suicide and more.
The long-term effects of medicating children with mind-altering drugs during their key formative years are largely unknown, but likely devastating.
The diagnosis of mental illness in children is far from an exact science; in many cases a child is labeled with a “disorder” such as ADHD based on subjective observations of behaviors that nearly all children exhibit at some time (such as excessive fidgeting or difficulty waiting his or her turn).
Behavioral problems in children – including what might appear to be serious mental disorders – are very frequently related to improper diet, emotional upset and exposure to toxins; these underlying issues should be resolved before suppressing symptoms with medications.”
More at: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/07/20/drugging-children.aspx
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From me: This is Jay’s problem, he was given drugs like Ritalin when he was a child, and then never could adjust to the feeling of ‘normal’. Now his brain thinks that he has to drink or take something to ‘feel right’.
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Victories and Setbacks in the Fight to End Use of Mercury Fillings in Dentistry
“Mercury is a potent heavy metal toxin that can poison your brain, central nervous system and kidneys. Children and fetuses, whose brains are still developing, are most at risk, but anyone can be adversely impacted.
It’s considered such a potent toxic pollutant that just one drop of mercury in a lake would poison the lake to the extent that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would ban fishing in it.
Yet, unbelievably, they let you carry around a mouthful of this toxic metal and would have you believe it somehow loses its capacity to do harm once it’s put into your teeth.
Amalgams have been banned in several countries, including Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Russia, and largely in Japan.
The average person in the US has eight mercury fillings, falsely referred to as “silver” fillings. This misleading label, named “silver” after the color of the material, opposed to the actual ingredients, has been purposely used to keep you in the dark about the composition of the fillings. Clearly, this is no small problem and calls for urgent action.”
http://www.change.org/petitions/dentsply-stop-making-mercury-dental-fillings
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Trivia
“The first man to appear without a woman on the cover of "Ladies Home Journal" was Robert Redford in October, 1980 — after the magazine had been published for 97 years.”
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On This Day:
First jet makes test flight, Jul 27, 1949:
“On this day in 1949, the world's first jet-propelled airliner, the British De Havilland Comet, makes its maiden test-flight in England. The jet engine would ultimately revolutionize the airline industry, shrinking air travel time in half by enabling planes to climb faster and fly higher.
In 1939, an experimental jet-powered plane debuted in Germany. During World War II, Germany was the first country to use jet fighters. De Havilland also designed fighter planes during the war years. He was knighted for his contributions to aviation in 1944.
Following the war, De Havilland turned his focus to commercial jets, developing the Comet and the Ghost jet engine. After its July 1949 test flight, the Comet underwent three more years of testing and training flights. Then, on May 2, 1952, the British Overseas Aircraft Corporation (BOAC) began the world's first commercial jet service with the 44-seat Comet 1A, flying paying passengers from London to Johannesburg. The Comet was capable of traveling 480 miles per hour, a record speed at the time.
However, the initial commercial service was short-lived, and due to a series of fatal crashes in 1953 and 1954, the entire fleet was grounded. Investigators eventually determined that the planes had experienced metal fatigue resulting from the need to repeatedly pressurize and depressurize. Four years later, De Havilland debuted an improved and recertified Comet, but in the meantime, American airline manufacturers Boeing and Douglas had each introduced faster, more efficient jets of their own and become the dominant forces in the industry. By the early 1980s, most Comets used by commercial airlines had been taken out of service.”
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House begins impeachment of Nixon, Jul 27, 1974:
“On this day in 1974, the House Judiciary Committee recommends that America's 37th president, Richard M. Nixon, be impeached and removed from office. The impeachment proceedings resulted from a series of political scandals involving the Nixon administration that came to be collectively known as Watergate.
On August 5, Nixon complied with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling requiring that he provide transcripts of the missing tapes, and the new evidence clearly implicated him in a cover up of the Watergate break-in. On August 8, Nixon announced his resignation, becoming the first president in U.S. history to voluntarily leave office. After departing the White House on August 9, Nixon was succeeded by Vice President Gerald Ford, who, in a controversial move, pardoned Nixon on September 8, 1974, making it impossible for the former president to be prosecuted for any crimes he might have committed while in office. Only two other presidents in U.S. history have been impeached: Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998”
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Yesterday:
I woke up about 4.00am, and couldn’t go back to sleep I was so excited. The contractors were coming to build the front porch roof extension.
Ray and I worked on the cedar skirting on the back of the house again. We put the chop saw on a big board across the little red black wagon, and trucked it to the back yard. So I measured and cut, while Ray stayed down on a kneeling pad to unscrew the old boards, and screw on the new ones. As that area is sloped, some of the longer boards at one place, could have the bad end cut off and recycled at shorter places.
This picture was taken from my front door.
The contractor and his helpers put up the framework for the roof extension. This time it is built all square and straight, not like when Jay did it. Now it needs to be painted white. As soon as it comes in, we will put translucent polycarbonate roofing on it. Then it will be shady, but not dark on the front entrance porch, my living room and the screen porch.
Next week, Ray and I will take down the mess that Jay built over my screen porch, and the contractors will come back to rebuild it, and replace the soffit on my front porch.
It was a busy, tiring day.
2 comments:
I think that is just Jay's excuse. My nephew took Ritalin from about 10 till just before he got married and he doesn't drink, take drugs, smoke or have any addictive tendencies.
Thank you for your comment, Sandra.
It wasn't Jay that told me, it was his mother, so maybe that is her excuse. But Jay was put on it at a very early age, so that might make a difference. When he was taken off Ritalin, he took to sniffing, gas, glue, paint, or anything, just to feel different from 'normal'.
My son was on Ritalin for three weeks, then refused to take it as he said it slowed him down.
That was the best three weeks that the Willis School District and I ever had!!
He is still hyper at 44 years old, and can't stay focused on anything for very long.
Happy Trails, Penny
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