Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Panda Bears ~ Easy Corn Pudding ~ Dash ~ National V-J Day

  

Good 50º clear sunny morning. 

 

Yesterday we topped at 97º.

 

 

Picture of the Day.... dog and cat that match!

 

 

 

 

Interesting about panda bears.......

 

 Unlike their mainly carnivorous relatives, such as the grizzly and polar bear, the panda is said to be almost entirely vegetarian. The panda's diet consists almost exclusively (99%) of bamboo. However, the giant panda still has the digestive system of a carnivore and thus derives little energy and protein from the consumption of bamboo. To compensate for the limited energy level of its diet, the average panda eats as much as 40 pounds of bamboo shoots, stalks, and leaves every day. Given this massive diet, the giant panda defecates up to 40 times a day.

 

The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), also known as the panda bear (or simply the panda), is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its bold black-and-white coat and rotund body. The name "giant panda" is sometimes used to distinguish it from the red panda, a neighboring musteloid. Though it belongs to the order Carnivora, the giant panda is a folivore, with bamboo shoots and leaves making up more than 99% of its diet. Giant pandas in the wild occasionally eat other grasses, wild tubers, or even meat in the form of birds, rodents, or carrion. In captivity, they may receive honey, eggs, fish, yams, shrub leaves, oranges, or bananas along with specially prepared food.

 

The giant panda lives in a few mountain ranges in central China, mainly in Sichuan, and also in neighboring Shaanxi and Gansu. As a result of farming, deforestation, and other development, the giant panda has been driven out of the lowland areas where it once lived, and it is a conservation-reliant vulnerable species. A 2007 report showed 239 pandas living in captivity inside China and another 27 outside the country. By December 2014, 49 giant pandas lived in captivity outside China, living in 18 zoos in 13 countries. Wild population estimates vary; one estimate shows that there are about 1,590 individuals living in the wild, while a 2006 study via DNA analysis estimated that this figure could be as high as 2,000 to 3,000. Some reports also show that the number of giant pandas in the wild is on the rise. By March 2015, the wild giant panda population had increased to 1,864 individuals. In 2016, it was reclassified on the IUCN Red List from "endangered" to "vulnerable", affirming decade-long efforts to save the panda. In July 2021, Chinese authorities also reclassified the giant panda as vulnerable.

 

The giant panda has often served as China's national symbol, appeared on Chinese Gold Panda coins since 1982 and as one of the five Fuwa mascots of the 2008 Summer Olympics.

 

For many decades, the precise taxonomic classification of the giant panda was under debate because it shares characteristics with both bears and raccoons. However, molecular studies indicate the giant panda is a true bear, part of the family Ursidae. These studies show it diverged about 19 million years ago from the common ancestor of the Ursidae; it is the most basal member of this family and equidistant from all other extant bear species. The giant panda has been referred to as a living fossil.

 

To read a lot more about giant pandas, go here:

 

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

 

 

 

From Mr. Food

Corn pudding is a dish that's been around since the early days when settlers learned how to cook corn from the Native Americans. Today, it's still a side dish favorite that families love to change up and make their own. Our Easy Corn Pudding recipe is the shortcut way of making this classic dish, and it's very tasty!

 

• 2 (15-1/4-ounce) cans whole kernel corn, drained
• 2 (14-3/4-ounce) cans cream-style corn
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

 

1. Preheat oven to 350º.  Coat an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients; mix well. Spoon into baking dish.
3. Bake about 75 minutes, or until golden and set.

 

 

Historically this date......

1848 – Oregon Territory is organized by act of Congress.

1933 – Loggers cause a forest fire in the Coast Range of Oregon, later known as the first forest fire of the Tillamook Burn. It is extinguished on September 5, after destroying 240,000 acres.

1935 – United States Social Security Act passes, creating a government pension system for the retired.

1974 – The second Turkish invasion of Cyprus begins; 140,000 to 200,000 Greek Cypriots become refugees. Elsewhere, 126 Turkish Cypriots are massacred.

And births this date include....

1851 – Doc Holliday, American gambler and dentist (d. 1887)

1926 – Alice Ghostley, American actress (d. 2007)

1941 – Lynne Cheney, American political figure

....nice lady, great speaker!

1945 – Steve Martin, American actor and comedian

 

1959 – Magic Johnson, American basketball player

"My boy Maashick" has put on a couple of pounds since he went from the basketball to the microphone!

1969 – Tracy Caldwell, American astronaut

 

1987 – Tim Tebow, American football player and winner of 2007 Heisman trophy. Was quarterback for several teams and now playing major league baseball for the NY Mets!

 

 Yesterday my granddog Dash's family returned and came and picked him up....... he was fun and missed.... Brian and Jen and Tucker and Sami went on a week's trip to Belize. They enjoyed it a lot. 

 

 

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

xo Sue Mom Bobo

National V-J Day on August 14th commemorates the day in 1945 when news broke around the world the Imperial Government of Japan would surrender ending a long a grueling world war. In Europe, the date was August 15 due to the time zone, but regardless, the celebrations that broke out were no less zealous.

Since 1939, the entire world had been enduring the strife of war. The first rumblings began in 1937 but by the end of 1941, the United States would join the war they had vowed remain out of. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japan on December 7th, 1941, the United States declared war and fully supported all fronts.

Throughout the war effort, military personnel and civilians stood together to make the next 4 years a united effort. Victory in Japan and the rest of the globe was a final goal.

NATIONAL VJ DAY HISTORY

In the United States, President Harry S. Truman announced the victory in a press conference at the White House later that day. The peace treaty was officially signed on September 2, 1945. A year later on August 2nd, Truman signed a proclamation declaring August 14, 1946, as Victory Day.