Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Blackboard History ~ Whiskey Cake ~ Judi Patz ~ Save the Eagles Day

  

Good 32º morning. 

 

 

Yesterday the rain on and off........It rained hard and then it got windy and sunny. Lots of changes. We topped at 61º.

 

 

Picture of the Day...funny street names

 

 

Interesting

 

 

A blackboard (also known as a chalkboard) is a reusable writing surface on which text or drawings are made with sticks of calcium sulphate or calcium carbonate, known, when used for this purpose, as chalk. Blackboards were originally made of smooth, thin sheets of black or dark grey slate stone.

 

A blackboard can simply be a board painted with a dark matte paint (usually black, occasionally dark green). Matte black plastic sign material (known as closed-cell PVC foamboard) is also used to create custom chalkboard art. Blackboards on an A-frame are used by restaurants and bars to advertise daily specials.

 

A more modern variation consists of a coiled sheet of plastic drawn across two parallel rollers, which can be scrolled to create additional writing space while saving what has been written. The highest grade blackboards are made of a rougher version porcelain enameled steel (black, green, blue or sometimes other colors). Porcelain is very hard wearing, and blackboards made of porcelain usually last 10–20 years in intensive use.

 

Lecture theaters may contain a number of blackboards in a grid arrangement. The lecturer then moves boards into reach for writing and then moves them out of reach, allowing a large amount of material to be shown simultaneously.

 

The chalk marks can be easily wiped off with a damp cloth, a sponge or a special blackboard eraser usually consisting of a block of wood covered by a felt pad. However, chalk marks made on some types of wet blackboard can be difficult to remove. Blackboard manufacturers often advise that a new or newly resurfaced blackboard be completely covered using the side of a stick of chalk and then that chalk brushed off as normal to prepare it for use.

 

^{Sticks of processed "chalk" are produced especially for use with blackboards in white and also in various colours. White chalk sticks are made mainly from calcium carbonate derived from mineral chalk rock or limestone, while coloured or pastel chalks are made from calcium sulphate in its dihydrate form, CaSO₄·2H₂O, derived from gypsum. Chalk sticks containing calcium carbonate typically contain 40–60% of CaCO₃ (calcite).}

 

The writing slate was in use in Indian schools as mentioned in Alberuni's Indica (Tarikh Al-Hind), written in the early 11th century:

They use black tablets for the children in the schools, and write upon them along the long side, not the broadside, writing with a white material from the left to the right.

The first classroom uses of large blackboards are difficult to date, but they were used for music education and composition in Europe as far back as the 16th century. The term "blackboard" is attested in English from the mid-18th century; the Oxford English Dictionary provides a citation from 1739, to write "with Chalk on a black-Board". The first attested use of chalk on blackboard in the United States dates to September 21, 1801, in a lecture course in mathematics given by George Baron. James Pillans has been credited with the invention of coloured chalk (1814); he had a recipe with ground chalk, dyes and porridge.

 

The use of blackboard did change methods of education and testing, as found in the Conic Sections Rebellion of 1830 in Yale. Manufacturing of slate blackboards began by the 1840s. Green porcelain enamel surface, was first used in 1930, and as this type of boards became popular, the word "chalkboard" appeared. In the US green porcelain enameled boards started to appear at schools in 1950s.

 

 

From Mr. Food

 

They say that whiskey cake was a favorite of George Washington's. Once you try our easy version of Whiskey Cake, it'll surely become a favorite of yours, too!

 

 

• 1 (18.25-ounce) package yellow cake mix, batter prepared according to package directions
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup whiskey

 

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Coat a Bundt pan with cooking spray.
    
2. In a small bowl, combine raisins, pecans, and flour; mix until raisins and pecans are thoroughly coated then stir them into the cake batter.
    
3. Pour batter into Bundt pan and bake 32 to 35 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
    
4. In a small saucepan, combine butter, sugar, and whiskey, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat; let boil 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
    
5. Using a fork, poke holes in top of cake and pour syrup over cake.
    
6. Let cool in pan about 15 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool completely before cutting

 

 

Special birthday today, Judi Patz, wife of Dan Patz (LASD ret). HAPPY BIRTHDAY JUDI!! xo

 

 

 

 

Historically this date..........

 

1870 – John D. Rockefeller incorporates Standard Oil.

2005 – A mudslide occurs in La Conchita, California, killing 10 people, injuring many more and closing U.S. Route 101, the main coastal corridor between San Francisco and Los Angeles, for 10 days.

 

And births this date include...

 

1904 – Ray Bolger, American actor and dancer (d. 1987)

 

 

1939 – Sal Mineo, American actor (d. 1976)

First major actor to come out as homosexual. Stabbed to death at age 37.

 

 

 

 

1943 – Jim Croce, American singer (d. 1973)

Killed in a plane crash at age 30.

 

 

 

1944 – Frank Sinatra, Jr., American singer (d.2016)

 

1945 – Rod Stewart, Scottish singer

 

In May 2000, Stewart was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, for which he underwent surgery in the same month. It had been previously reported he suffered from a benign vocal cord nodule. Besides being a major health scare, the resulting surgery also threatened his voice, and he had to re-learn how to sing. Since then he has been active in raising funds for The City of Hope Foundation charity to find cures for all forms of cancer, especially those affecting children.

 

Stewart is known for his liaisons with women and has eight children, by five different mothers

 

 

 

All I know. Nuff said. Have a good Tuesday. Ciao.

xo Sue Mom Bobo

 

 

Each year on January 10th, Save the Eagles Day reminds us of the majestic raptors that soar above the Earth – whether they’re well populated or endangered. Due to the work of scientists and the public, the bald eagle was removed from this list in June 2007. Poaching, pesticides, and other dangers continue to threaten eagle populations.

While the day started as a way to save a specific pair of bald eagles and to raise awareness about the species, the observance has grown to encompass all species of eagles. Approximately species of eagles populate the world. Most of the species are found in Eurasia and Africa. North, Central, and South America and Australia only account for about 14 species. However, no eagles are found in Hawaii. The most common species in North America are the bald and golden eagles.

Eagles are powerful birds of prey. An eagle’s sharp sense of sight paired with powerful muscles, piercing talons, and beak, make them primed for the hunt. They are also monogamous, mating for life.

HOW TO OBSERVE 

Learn more about eagles. Watch documentaries or read about them. Visit an aviary or a bird sanctuary. We’ve provided a couple of books to review, too. Participate in preservation and conservation in your area.

• The Eagle Watchers: Observing and Conserving Raptors Around the World  by Todd E. Katzner
• Eagles by Melissa Gish

SAVE THE EAGLES DAY HISTORY

Save the Eagles Day originated in the Village of Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, in 2015 as an effort to save a pair of nesting bald eagles. Late in 2014, Skymark Development Corp of Paramus brought a study forth arguing that a landfill near where the eagles nested posed health risks. The nesting pair, fondly named Alice and Al, had nested along Overpeck Creek since at least 2011. When the developer proposed a solution that included removing the tree the eagles’ nested in, the community and the Bergen County Audubon Society organized Save the Eagles Day on January 10, 2015.

Eventually, an agreement was formed to preserve an area of the land as an eagle park. Alice and Al would continue to live out their days in Ridgefield Park and fly over the residents there.