Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Elephants ~ German Potato Salad ~ Nan (Cipolla) Onion ~ John Boyko ~ D-Day

  

Good 48º cloudy morning. 

 

Yesterday morning we had quite a bit of rain. Then it left and we had skies showing some blue and we had fluffy clouds....

In the afternoon we got some tremendous winds! We topped at 74º.

 

 

Picture of the Day

 

 

Interesting about elephants.......

 

 

Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognized: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are an informal grouping within the subfamily Elephantinae of the order Proboscidea; extinct members include the mastodons. Elephantinae also contains several extinct groups, including the mammoths and straight-tusked elephants. African elephants have larger ears and concave backs, whereas Asian elephants have smaller ears, and convex or level backs. The distinctive features of all elephants include a long proboscis called a trunk, tusks, large ear flaps, massive legs, and tough but sensitive skin. The trunk is used for breathing, bringing food and water to the mouth, and grasping objects. Tusks, which are derived from the incisor teeth, serve both as weapons and as tools for moving objects and digging. The large ear flaps assist in maintaining a constant body temperature as well as in communication. The pillar-like legs carry their great weight.

 

Elephants are scattered throughout sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia and are found in different habitats, including savannahs, forests, deserts, and marshes. They are herbivorous, and they stay near water when it is accessible. They are considered to be keystone species, due to their impact on their environments. Elephants have a fission–fusion society, in which multiple family groups come together to socialize. Females (cows) tend to live in family groups, which can consist of one female with her calves or several related females with offspring. The groups, which do not include bulls, are usually led by the oldest cow, known as the matriarch.

 

Males (bulls) leave their family groups when they reach puberty and may live alone or with other males. Adult bulls mostly interact with family groups when looking for a mate. They enter a state of increased testosterone and aggression known as musth, which helps them gain dominance over other males as well as reproductive success. Calves are the center of attention in their family groups and rely on their mothers for as long as three years. Elephants can live up to 70 years in the wild. They communicate by touch, sight, smell, and sound; elephants use infra-sound, and seismic communication over long distances. Elephant intelligence has been compared with that of primates and cetaceans. They appear to have self-awareness, and appear to show empathy for dying and dead family members.

 

African bush elephants and Asian elephants are listed as endangered and African forest elephants as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). One of the biggest threats to elephant populations is the ivory trade, as the animals are poached for their ivory tusks. Other threats to wild elephants include habitat destruction and conflicts with local people. Elephants are used as working animals in Asia. In the past, they were used in war; today, they are often controversially put on display in zoos, or exploited for entertainment in circuses. Elephants are highly recognizable and have been featured in art, folklore, religion, literature, and popular culture.

 

The word "elephant" is based on the Latin elephas (genitive elephantis) ("elephant"), which is the Latinised form of the Greek ἐλέφας (elephas) (genitive ἐλέφαντος (elephantos), probably from a non-Indo-European language, likely Phoenician. It is attested in Mycenaean Greek as e-re-pa (genitive e-re-pa-to) in Linear B syllabic script. As in Mycenaean Greek, Homer used the Greek word to mean ivory, but after the time of Herodotus, it also referred to the animal. The word "elephant" appears in Middle English as olyfaunt (c.1300) and was borrowed from Old French oliphant (12th century).

 

Elephants are the largest living terrestrial animals. African bush elephants are the largest species, with males being 10 ft 0 in – 11 ft 0 in. tall at the shoulder with a body mass of 5.7–7.6 short tons and females standing 8 ft 1 in – 8 ft 11 in. tall at the shoulder with a body mass of 2.9–3.9 short tons. Male Asian elephants are usually about 8 ft 7 in – 9 ft 6 in. tall at the shoulder and 3.9–5.1 short tons whereas females are 7 ft 6 in – 8 ft 3 in. tall at the shoulder and 2.5–3.4 short tons. African forest elephants are the smallest species, with males usually being around 6 ft 10 in – 7 ft 7 in. tall at the shoulder and 1.9–2.5 short tons. Male African bush elephants are typically 23% taller than females, whereas male Asian elephants are only around 15% taller than females.

 

To read a whole lot more about elephants, go here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephant

 

 

 

From Mr. Food

 

German Potato Salad isn't creamy like some of the traditional American potato salads you may be used to, but that doesn't mean it isn't as delicious! Our German Potato Salad has a sweet vinegary base and includes tasty ingredients like bacon, onion and fresh parsley.

 

• 4 pounds potatoes, peeled and sliced thin
• 8 slices bacon
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

 

1. In a large pot of boiling water, cook potatoes 10 to 15 minutes, or until fork-tender. Drain, place in a large bowl, and set aside.
   
   
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until browned and crisp, turning as needed. Remove from pan, crumble, and set aside.
   
   
3. Add oil and onion to bacon grease and cook 4 to 5 minutes, or until onion is soft. Stir in vinegar, water, sugar and salt; bring to a boil. Gently stir in potatoes and parsley.
   
   
4. Add half of bacon to potato mixture and heat until warmed through, stirring occasionally. Remove to a serving dish, sprinkle remaining bacon over top, and serve warm.

 

***The potatoes in German Potato Salad are usually sliced, rather than cubed, but you're the boss...make whatever shape your gang prefers.

 

 

 

Two special birthdays today.... 

Nan (Cipolla) Onion, wife of the infamous Mike, cousin to my travelin' pal Joan Petitclair(who gave me a guided tour of NY when we went on that cruise). HAPPY BIRTHDAY NAN!!! Cheers!!

 

And the other birthday is Johnny Boyko, former neighbor growing up in El Sereno on Stockbridge Avenue. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHNNY!!

 

 

Historically this date.....

1752 – A devastating fire destroys one-third of Moscow, including 18,000 homes.

 

1833 – The U.S. President Andrew Jackson becomes the first President to ride on a train.

 

1882 – More than 100,000 inhabitants of Bombay are killed as a cyclone in the Arabian Sea pushes huge waves into the harbor.

 

1889 – The Great Seattle fire destroys the entirety of downtown Seattle, Washington.

 

1918 – World War I: Battle of Belleau Wood – The U.S. Marine Corps suffers its worst single day's casualties while attempting to recapture the wood at Chateau-Thierry.

** My Dad was in the Navy in WWI and his ship went to Belleau Wood.

 

1944 – World War II: the Battle of Normandy begins. D-Day, code named Operation Overlord, commences with the landing of 155,000 Allied troops on the beaches ofNormandy in France. The allied soldiers quickly break through the Atlantic Wall and push inland in the largest amphibious military operation in history.

 

1981 – Bihar train disaster: a passenger train traveling between Mansi and Saharsa,India, jumps the tracks at a bridge crossing the Bagmati river. The government places the official death toll at 268 plus another 300 missing; however, it is generally believed that the actual figure is closer to 1,000 killed.

 

2005 – The United States Supreme Court upholds a federal law banning cannabis, including medical marijuana, in Gonzales v. Raich.

 

And births this date include...

1932 – David Scott, American astronaut

 

 

1956 – Björn Borg, Swedish tennis player

 

 

1967 – Paul Giamatti, American actor

 

 

 

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

xo Sue Mom Bobo

June 6, 1944, is known most commonly by the term D-Day. It refers to the landing of Allied forces on the beaches of Normandy, France staging one of the pivotal attacks against Germany during World War II.

The code name Operation Overlord became known as the beginning of the end of World War II. Following the Battle of Normandy, which began on June 6, 1944, along a 50 mile stretch of beaches, including Utah and Omaha Beach, the attack became known as D-Day. While there are many explanations for the name, one reason may be due to the military countdown to the designated day and hour of the assault. D represented Day and H represented Hour in the military.

The battle liberated Northern France with more than 160,000 Allied troops from Britain, the United States and Canada under the leadership of General Dwight Eisenhower. The troops manned more than 5,000 ships and 13,000 aircraft the day of the initial landing.

HOW TO OBSERVE 

World War II museums, memorials, and ceremonies will be honoring the American, British, and Canadian forces who landed along the 50 mile stretch of beaches that day over 75 years ago. Learn more about the Battle of Normandy by exploring World War II museums. Read books about the Battle of Normandy.

 

D-DAY HISTORY

The landing of troops on the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944, known around the world as D-Day, was given the name Operation Overlord. Leading up to the attack, plans of deception were carried out to mislead Germany.