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Thursday, August 25, 2022

Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Aspirin History ~ Rice and Asparagus Casserole ~  National Park Service Founders Day ~ National Whiskey Sour Day


  

Good 60º clear sunny morning. 
 
Yesterday we topped at 103º.
 
 
Picture of the Day
 

 
 
Interesting about aspirin..........

Aspirin, also known as acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), is a medication used to reduce painfever, and/or inflammation. Specific inflammatory conditions which aspirin is used to treat include Kawasaki diseasepericarditis, and rheumatic fever.

 

Aspirin is also used long-term to help prevent further heart attacks, ischaemic strokes, and blood clots in people at high risk. For pain or fever, effects typically begin within 30 minutes. Aspirin is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) and works similarly to other NSAIDs but also suppresses the normal functioning of platelets.

 
precursor to aspirin found in leaves from the willow tree (genus Salix) has been used for its health effects for at least 2,400 years. In 1853, chemist Charles Frédéric Gerhardt treated the medicine sodium salicylate with acetyl chloride to produce acetylsalicylic acid for the first time. Over the next 50 years, other chemists established the chemical structure and devised more efficient production methods.
 
The use of willow bark dates back to the time of Hippocrates when people were advised to chew on the bark to reduce fever and inflammation. The bark contains salicin, a chemical related to aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid). In fact, salicylic acid became one of the first synthetically made drugs, leading to the development of aspirin. A number of studies have demonstrated that this plant is as effective as aspirin at reducing pain and inflammation. While willow bark may be the mother of aspirin, it serves as a gentle alternative with fewer side effects.

In 1897, scientists at the Bayer company began studying acetylsalicylic acid as a less-irritating replacement medication for common salicylate medicines. By 1899, Bayer had named it "Aspirin" and sold it around the world.

 


Aspirin's popularity grew over the first half of the 20th century, leading to competition between many brands and formulations. The word Aspirin was Bayer's brand name; however, their rights to the trademark were lost or sold in many countries. The name is ultimately a blend of the prefix a(cetyl) + spir Spiraea, the meadow sweet plant genus from which the acetylsalicylic acid was originally derived at Bayer + -in, the common chemical suffix.

 

Medicines made from willow and other salicylate-rich plants appear in clay tablets from ancient Sumer as well as the Ebers Papyrus from ancient Egypt. Hippocrates referred to the use of salicylic tea to reduce fevers around 400 BC, and willow bark preparations were part of the pharmacopoeia of Western medicine in classical antiquity and the Middle Ages. Willow bark extract became recognized for its specific effects on fever, pain, and inflammation in the mid-eighteenth century. By the nineteenth century, pharmacists were experimenting with and prescribing a variety of chemicals related to salicylic acid, the active component of willow extract.

 

In 1853, chemist Charles Frédéric Gerhardt treated sodium salicylate with acetyl chloride to produce acetylsalicylic acid for the first time; in the second half of the 19th century, other academic chemists established the compound's chemical structure and devised more efficient methods of synthesis. In 1897, scientists at the drug and dye firm Bayer began investigating acetylsalicylic acid as a less-irritating replacement for standard common salicylate medicines, and identified a new way to synthesize it. By 1899, Bayer had dubbed this drug Aspirin and was selling it globally. The word Aspirin was Bayer's brand name, rather than the generic name of the drug; however, Bayer's rights to the trademark were lost or sold in many countries. Aspirin's popularity grew over the first half of the 20th century leading to fierce competition with the proliferation of aspirin brands and products.

 

Aspirin's popularity declined after the development of acetaminophen/paracetamol in 1956 and ibuprofen in 1962. In the 1960s and 1970s, John Vane and others discovered the basic mechanism of aspirin's effects, while clinical trials and other studies from the 1960s to the 1980s established aspirin's efficacy as an anti-clotting agent that reduces the risk of clotting diseases. The initial large studies on the use of low-dose aspirin to prevent heart attacks that were published in the 1970s and 1980s helped spur reform in clinical research ethics and guidelines for human subject research and US federal law, and are often cited as examples of clinical trials that included only men, but from which people drew general conclusions that did not hold true for women.

 

Aspirin sales revived considerably in the last decades of the 20th century, and remain strong in the 21st century with widespread use as a preventive treatment for heart attacks and strokes.

 
If you want to read a whole lot more about aspirin, go here:
 
 
 
 
From Mr. Food
 

Here's a casserole side dish that tastes rich enough to serve for the holidays, or when you've got company coming over. Our Rice and Asparagus Casserole is creamy, cheesy, and full of fresh asparagus. It's an unforgettable side dish!

 

  • 1 pound fresh asparagus, cleaned, trimmed, and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 3 cups cooked rice, cooled
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided

 

  1. Preheat oven to 350º. Coat  a 8-inch-square baking pan with cooking spray
     
  2. In a large pot of boiling water, cook asparagus until tender-crisp, about 5 minutes.
     
  3. In a medium-sized bowl, combine rice, salt, onion powder, cayenne pepper, sour cream, milk, and 1-1/2 cups of cheese.
     
  4. Spoon half of rice mixture into prepared baking pan. Arrange three-quarters of asparagus on top, then spoon remaining rice mixture over asparagus. Top with remaining asparagus.
     
  5. Bake 30 minutes. Sprinkle remaining cheese over top and bake and additional 5 minutes.
 
 
 
Historically this date......
1933 – The Diexi earthquake strikes Mao CountySichuan, China and kills 9,000 people.
...9,000!!!!!
 
 
1944 – World War II: Paris is liberated by the Allies.
 
 
1989 – Voyager 2 spacecraft makes its closest approach to Neptune, the outermost planet in the Solar System.
 
 
 
And births this date include....
1913 – Don DeFore, American actor (d. 1993)
... "Thorny" in Ozzie & Harriet and "Mr. B" in Hazel.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsmnrSQ_F6qmxEXWe6WxzwRLnUY6Tj_2BbIfhwwS4_O2L7TyjrT6IDcbegBpqzxKVgctKFus03-1ellq4YGd4ZI4H8K7RJsRENSCuFB6Uke0UqHu72jDDVs6X6O0JwUlX-z86syvGxmvwz/s1600/thornyMA29057360-0007.jpg


1916 – Van Johnson, American actor (d. 2008)
.... one thing I remember about him is that he always, always, wore red socks!
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2SyHX9xMdSyLGBQUkhKO34ebsSeS4XAqG1gsHwDsCSCqDlbtdIpJ7PX-G8rBM9peF_eUux4rGEIzufmyquc6I8StfCb9Ie62OtrpPaIWutxmWWs1FwWPq5vQfHkq_zfPM0-pREzf0e_xF/s1600/vanMA29057360-0008.jpghttps://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWdFYGi_bKxIXKuRFWrOLnVXi31QFBPPPBEEXirxQJz267NSW_SqnWmvKNmB5OlaCKVtFuI3uNYhH2im67ce2EbEENlGOQrihux9_EQmvE7EjpUbBPR1iqz5nImhGYtJVnxgHhFOHchwm_/s1600/van2MA29057360-0009.jpg
 

1930 – Sir Thomas Sean Connery, Scottish actor (d.2020)
 
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF6z1DqBdX6bDYQ-4zDyVtFOmQVUWDvTdb8aqpXG7LFnoE-_wlnEck-YkI_6FaAwukj7Xoh02X3W_nh_cNHuFirG4B_ddO9iIC23qKXyd6w6lZbnT9i8eTGvL6oUr0lHir1h1Dk0NRBqIA/s1600/seanMA29057360-0011.jpghttps://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgStbOU9EalEJS0tYr5opAS_LBKWIAfkzVKkd1Ock8POI8_gmgOz5Tea5buuFTJL5GSr3kR1xMrmbvgRTExM2301Y7Jx0uh88upX-jG1GbAZUMwPOQbhh-gPcdsMaAB_KBcpAf7WDxQgm1Z/s1600/sean2MA29057360-0012.jpg
 
 
1933 – Tom Skerritt, American actor
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT5rcMdoxcs5tdEDULcyf6aYiLVkJ__agiiQZfsRr6RX-diJ2XA_CceRKo6rXsSblfQQYzr9dWAKyW2C2l9iV6btmsUhO0fMJfdBJOkfEg8aB0u7Vlit431_Iu-F8-JUGI7sFR-uQLzWzo/s1600/tomMA29057360-0013.jpghttps://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCQFW4PVFF47VUCGfhC7qlrtziAJBVaYxxq7BgYQnp2t07JYOtJWLk4D6hs1kUNOeU_3WVoT91zz6uCrqmSA78QVdBdKqABk3ME39P5A7eGouRK7wKcBsIotVwhYl0A19F9Ydqb5ltaBbk/s1600/tom2MA29057360-0014.jpg


 
1949 – Gene Simmons, Israeli-born musician (Kiss) Interesting read about his life...
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg43FBtJWjOQldoEvw5KYFp9NRzSLEyNh8GdEPhPNSbPRhZvrc39VudgR0bBD9GbFP29FGdmKvDzEMZ2YCgJfwdJA6xbg7ccaoELMW6ac7aOCWsvvaR3qLNadjAiTmOiEbuQwZIO4S6mnvy/s1600/gene2MA29057360-0015.jpghttps://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMc4T95yCBtu7uCEBMJR6MXP6yBnA18Q8KtffgWNf1e3AxyBU-eNIBOvzRTgQdVox3m3aGASE8sygWqXnimo43DMMD0big4dGmbJbpzUNIYTUvLETKG738nM54ookLIl0RG-42BYp3aHJc/s1600/geneMA29057360-0016.jpg
 
 
 
1958 – Tim Burton, American film director
 
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGwU3d33be67Qsr-0R7ANzk94Jl8LSHmru2Uh7gg8f4PnM28ToPULSWmA4GaayhUxe4QX6_OiTOnjCef9sscUfGJrM-NqI4j7o3lRqR4rL87ZmUYlzIUOGXPkgzr58zSaWZ2QpuhdI_d2q/s1600/timMA29057360-0018.jpg
 
 
1961 – Billy Ray Cyrus, American singer, songwriter, actor and philanthropist
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjCbwIcWi43qJKhyphenhyphenT5BF6TQRYgswVxrOzFTkoAW3A-tIjebV7OAZXK96c9B8aLWUiHVgBxqIYXGP9BX8Hot5nnFzX9E3cBsLEKg4r6bxWQYeWbpT2hgtcp8E_Swq_4L-BWIiwQ3JICiDmc/s1600/billyMA29057360-0022.jpghttps://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7k0EhQW3qd4cyBntUQ25V-LE3sKnYA6qYihGevXKwuXEcCQXh3SRpCLDeWxx2l_dKyG4oZeYDN_DcDf-ntGgdRjQuJyQIjXHjjC_D-u3HULDOrMOuK_U5LbDWLzKV6vmyXBq4XvEtIBtC/s1600/billy2MA29057360-0023.jpg
 
 
 
1968 – Rachael Ray, American chef and television personality
 
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcd5cjev-gB6esj74ohoMBePIP_DavnZ5uN2UDxPm0HHIJMTdIXQ5oUI3ef5CJi1TqVUnaM-Mcj7V4-9qQ9ity-ydqU5a4qSHmW8ceTP420M9EayFAMQ0BeOQ3pLM5ROtu855F3jeJVeXb/s1600/rachael-rayMA29057360-0024.jpg
 
 
 
All I know. Nuff said. Have a good Thursday. Ciao.
xo Sue Mom Bobo

On this day in 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed what is now called the Organic Act. It established the National Park Service. As part of the Department of Interior, the National Park Service protects 400 areas in each of the 50 states, U.S. territories and the District of Columbia totaling 84 million acres.
National Park Service Founders Day recognizes the superior conservation and preservation efforts of the National Parks System. Whether enjoying scenic trails, open spaces, watersheds or recreational areas, the National Parks Service provides a natural outdoor resource accessible to every American. Hiking and biking trails entice us to explore. They also offer an outdoor experience like no other. These parks challenge us with more beauty and history that most of us can imagine.
 
A Trip Through Time
Not only does the National Park Service provide access to millions of acres of the most picturesque places in the country, but it also takes us back in time. Through historic trails, we walk in the footsteps of Harriet Tubman. A historic trail in Maryland takes us along the path of the Underground Railroad where Tubman led men and women away from slavery and to freedom. In Ohio, we explore the infancy of aviation in the United States.
As we travel through the beauty of the historic Natchez Trace, we’ll discover the intense and tragic histories that lay along the way. From Native Americans to European settlement and the Civil War, the Natchez Trace survived it all.
West of the Mississippi, ancient ruins and resurrected forts tell the stories of those who have gone before us. In rustic settings or an out-of-the-way oasis in New Mexico, rediscover the history of untold ages. After the arid West, head North and study the Klondike Gold Rush in Washington or the history of Columbia River, too.
Majestic beasts and glorious sunsets throughout the National Park Service entice visitors all year long. Some of these parks are in your own backyard, too! They are a mere stone’s throw away. Once you get started, you won’t want to stop. Make a list and keep going.

HOW TO OBSERVE

Celebrate by visiting one of the 400 management areas across the country. There’s one not far from each of us. There are several ways to get started, too!
The only National Park in Oregon is Crater Lake National Park....

Read about it here:
 
And today is also..........

On August 25th, people across the United States observe National Whiskey Sour Day.

Traditionally garnished with half an orange and a maraschino cherry, a whiskey sour is a mixed drink containing whiskey (often bourbon), lemon juice, and sugar. Whiskey sours are shaken then either served straight or over ice.

“Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is barely enough.” – Mark Twain

Alternatives to the traditional whiskey sour are the Boston sour and the Ward 8. The Boston sour adds a dash of egg white to the recipe. The Ward 8 uses either a Bourbon or rye whiskey base with both lemon and orange juices and grenadine syrup added for sweetness.

The first mention of a whiskey sour was in an 1870 Wisconsin newspaper.

  • After opening, a bottle of whiskey will remain good for five years.
  • An unopened bottle of whiskey can be kept for over 100 years and will still be fit to drink.
  • Both “Whisky” and “Whiskey” spellings are correct. Whisky is specific to Scotch Whisky, and Whiskey is Irish.
  • In 2004, Alabama named Conecuh Ridge Whiskey as its official state spirit.
  • According to legend, Jack Daniels ran away at the age of 6 and learned to make whiskey from a Lutheran minister.
 

HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL WHISKEY SOUR DAY

Celebrate by enjoying a whiskey sour! Invite a friend to join you. Don’t hesitate to try a twist on the whiskey sour. While you enjoy your cocktail, explore the history of whiskey, its production, and trade. We recommend:

  • The documentaries Straight Up and Scotch: The Golden Dram 
  • Whiskey Master Class by Lew Bryson
  • Whiskey Women: The Untold Story of How Women Saved Bourbon, Scotch and Irish Whiskey by Fred Minnick
  • Dead Distillers by Colin Spoelman and David Haskell

(Remember always to drink responsibly and never drink and drive.)

 

 

 

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