Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Fireworks History ~ Zingy Gazpacho ~ National Hydration Day

  

Good 49º clear sky morning. 

 

 

Yesterday we had a lot of white puffy clouds and we topped at 95º.

 

Picture of the Day

 

 

 

Interesting about fireworks...........

 

Fireworks are a class of low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large number of devices in an outdoor setting. Such displays are the focal point of many cultural and religious celebrations.

 

Most fireworks consist of a paper or pasteboard tube or casing filled with the combustible material, often pyrotechnic stars. A number of these tubes or cases may be combined so as to make when kindled, a great variety of sparkling shapes, often variously colored. A skyrocket is a common form of firework, although the first skyrockets were used in warfare. The aerial shell, however, is the backbone of today's commercial aerial display, and a smaller version for consumer use is known as the festival ball in the United States.

 

Fireworks were originally invented in China. China remains the largest manufacturer and exporter of fireworks in the world.

 

The earliest fireworks came from China during the Song dynasty (960–1279). Fireworks were used to accompany many festivities. The art and science of firework making has developed into an independent profession. In China, pyrotechnicians were respected for their knowledge of complex techniques in mounting firework displays.

 

During the Han dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD), people threw bamboo stems into a fire to produce an explosion with a loud sound. In later times, gunpowder packed into small containers was used to mimic the sounds of burning bamboo. Exploding bamboo stems and gunpowder firecrackers were interchangeably known as baozhu (爆竹) or baogan (爆竿). It was during the Song dynasty that people manufactured the first firecrackers comprising tubes made from rolled sheets of paper containing gunpowder and a fuse. They also strung these firecrackers together into large clusters, known as bian (lit. "whip") or bianpao (lit. "whip cannon"), so the firecrackers could be set off one by one in close sequence. By the 12th and possibly the 11th century, the term baozhang (爆仗) was used to specifically refer to gunpowder firecrackers.

 

Colored fireworks were developed from earlier (possibly Han dynasty or soon thereafter) Chinese application of chemical substances to create colored smoke and fire. Such application appears in the Huolongjing (14th century) and Wubeizhi (preface of 1621, printed 1628), which describes recipes, several of which used low-nitrate gunpowder, to create military signal smokes with various colors. In the Wubei Huolongjing (武備火龍經; Ming, completed after 1628), two formulas appears for firework-like signals, the sanzhangju (三丈菊) and baizhanglian (百丈蓮), that produces silver sparkles in the smoke. In the Huoxilüe (火戲略; 1753) by Zhao Xuemin (趙學敏), there are several recipes with low-nitrate gunpowder and other chemical substances to tint flames and smoke. These included, for instance, arsenical sulphide for yellow, copper acetate (verdigris) for green, lead carbonate for lilac-white, and mercurous chloride (calomel) for white. The Chinese pyrotechnics were described by the French author Antoine Caillot (1818): "It is certain that the variety of colors which the Chinese have the secret of giving to flame is the greatest mystery of their fireworks." Similarly, the English geographer Sir John Barrow (ca. 1797) wrote "The diversity of colours indeed with which the Chinese have the secret of cloathing fire seems to be the chief merit of their pyrotechny."

 

Fireworks were produced in Europe by the 14th century, becoming popular by the 17th century. Lev Izmailov, ambassador of Peter the Great, once reported from China: "They make such fireworks that no one in Europe has ever seen." In 1758, the Jesuit missionary Pierre Nicolas le Chéron d'Incarville, living in Beijing, wrote about the methods and composition of Chinese fireworks to the Paris Academy of Sciences, which published the account five years later. Amédée-François Frézier published his revised work Traité des feux d'artice pour le spectacle (Treatise on Fireworks) in 1747 (originally 1706), covering the recreational and ceremonial uses of fireworks, rather than their military uses. Music for the Royal Fireworks was composed by George Frideric Handel in 1749 to celebrate the Peace treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, which had been declared the previous year.

 

"Prior to the nineteenth century and the advent of modern chemistry they [fireworks] must have been relatively dull and unexciting." Bertholet in 1786 discovered that oxidations with potassium chlorate resulted in a violet emission. Subsequent developments revealed that oxidations with the chlorates of barium, strontium, copper, and sodium result in intense emission of bright colors. The isolation of metallic magnesium and aluminium marked another breakthrough as these metals burn with an intense silvery light.

 

United States

In the United States, the laws governing fireworks vary widely from state to state, or from county to county. Federal, state, and local authorities govern the use of display fireworks in the United States. At the federal level, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) regulates consumer fireworks through the Federal Hazardous Substances Act (FHSA). The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) sets forth a set of codes that give the minimum standards of display fireworks use and safety in the U.S. Both state and local jurisdictions can further add restrictions on the use and safety requirements of display fireworks. There are currently 46 states in the United States in which fireworks are legal for consumer use.

 

America's earliest settlers brought their enthusiasm for fireworks to the United States. Fireworks and black ash were used to celebrate important events long before the American Revolutionary War. The very first celebration of Independence Day was in 1777, six years before Americans knew whether or not the new nation would survive the war; fireworks were a part of all festivities. In 1789, George Washington's inauguration was accompanied by a fireworks display. George Marshall was an American naval hero during the War of 1812 and other campaigns. He was a Master Gunner and pyrotechnics specialist who wrote Marshall's Practical Marine Gunnery in 1822. The book outlines chemical formulas for the composition of fireworks. This early fascination with fireworks' noise and color continues today with fireworks displays commonly included in Independence Day celebrations.

 

In 2004, Disneyland, in 

Anaheim, California, pioneered the commercial use of aerial fireworks launched with compressed air rather than gunpowder. The display shell explodes in the air using an electronic timer. The advantages of compressed air launch are a reduction in fumes, and much greater accuracy in height and timing. The Walt Disney Company is now the largest consumer of fireworks in the world.

 

 

From Mr. Food

 

For a summer-perfect soup with a little kick to it, try this recipe for Zingy Gazpacho. It's a cold soup that's made with plenty of veggies and a whole jar of picante sauce. You can even make it ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for those summer days when you just don't feel like doing much of anything!

 

 

• 3 cups vegetable juice
• 1 jar (16 ounces) picante sauce
• 1 medium-sized tomato, diced
• 1/2 a medium-sized green bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 a medium-sized cucumber, diced
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 cup sour cream (optional)

 

1. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the sour cream; mix well. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours, or until ready to serve.
   
   
2. Serve each bowl topped with a dollop of sour cream, if desired.

 

***If you want to give this some real zing, start off with a spicy-style vegetable juice and top with a bit of fresh ground pepper.

 

 

 

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

1914 – Mexican Revolution: Pancho Villa takes Zacatecas from Victoriano Huerta.

1917 – In a game against the Washington Senators, Boston Red Sox pitcher Ernie Shore retires 26 batters in a row after replacing Babe Ruth, who had been ejected for punching the umpire.

1940 – World War II: German leader Adolf Hitler surveys newly defeated Paris in now occupied France.

1942 – World War II: the first selections for the gas chamber at Auschwitz take place on a train full of Jews from Paris.

..........unbelievably horribly sickening!

1982 – Chinese American Vincent Chin is beaten to death in Highland Park, Michigan, by two auto workers who had mistaken him for Japanese and who were angry about the success of Japanese auto companies.

1985 – A terrorist bomb aboard Air India flight 182 brings the Boeing 747 down off the coast of Ireland killing all 329 aboard.

 

And births this date include...

1929 – June Carter Cash, American singer (d. 2003)

 

1957 – Frances McDormand, American actress

....ah yes, Fargo!

 

 

 

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

xo Sue Mom Bobo

The games get intense under the hot summer sun. On June 23rd, National Hydration Day reminds us to replace fluids lost in the heat of battle.

The human body contains more than 60 percent water. Maintaining that balance while training is a challenge. And doing it during the summer months is a practice that must be consistent. Becoming overheated or dehydrated can lead to heatstroke and possibly death.

There are ways to help prevent dehydration. Being hydrated before a workout even begins is essential. If you are under-hydrated before you start, it is hard to catch up once the sweating starts. Drink plenty of fluids throughout the training. Fluids can include sports drinks that contain electrolytes (Magnesium, Calcium, Sodium, and Potassium) to replenish the essential minerals the body loses through perspiration.

For some sports, there is also a product like FuelGard™ Mouthgard and Electrolyte Tablets, which has the dual duty of protecting the athlete as well as providing essential electrolytes for maintaining hydration balance while the athlete trains.

After the workout, you will need to continue replenishing fluids.

HOW TO OBSERVE 

Whether you are an athlete or not, stay hydrated on these hot summer days.

NATIONAL HYDRATION DAY HISTORY

SafeTGard Corporation founded National Hydration Day in honor of football Coach Victor Hawkins (September 1, 1964 – June 23, 2012) who invented a mouthguard that releases electrolytes to keep his players hydrated during games and practices. This day honors Coach Hawkins’ contributions to athlete health, safety, and success. SafeTGard Corporation founded the day in 2016 to increase awareness of the importance of proper hydration to athletes everywhere.

On June 21, 2016, the Registrar at National Day Calendar proclaimed the day to be observed on June 23rd, annually.

Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Black Pepper ~ Summers Best Slaw ~ National Kissing Day

  

Good 44º clear morning. 

 

 

Yesterday we topped at 88º.

 

 

Picture of the Day....feather cloud formation

 

 

Interesting about pepper.....

 

 

Black pepper (Piper nigrum) is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit (the peppercorn), which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about 0.20 inches in diameter (fresh and fully mature), dark red, and contains a stone which encloses a single pepper seed. Peppercorns and the ground pepper derived from them may be described simply as pepper, or more precisely as black pepper (cooked and dried unripe fruit), green pepper (dried unripe fruit), or white pepper (ripe fruit seeds).

 

Black pepper is native to the Malabar Coast of India, and the Malabar pepper is extensively cultivated there and in other tropical regions.

 

Ground, dried, and cooked peppercorns have been used since antiquity, both for flavor and as a traditional medicine. Black pepper is the world's most traded spice, and is one of the most common spices added to cuisines around the world. Its spiciness is due to the chemical compound piperine, which is a different kind of spicy from the capsaicin characteristic of chili peppers. It is ubiquitous in the Western world as a seasoning, and is often paired with salt and available on dining tables in shakers or mills.

 

Black pepper

Black pepper is produced from the still-green, unripe drupe of the pepper plant. The drupes are cooked briefly in hot water, both to clean them and to prepare them for drying. The heat ruptures cell walls in the pepper, speeding the work of browning enzymes during drying. The drupes dry in the sun or by machine for several days, during which the pepper skin around the seed shrinks and darkens into a thin, wrinkled black layer. Once dry, the spice is called black peppercorn. On some estates, the berries are separated from the stem by hand and then sun-dried without boiling.

 

After the peppercorns are dried, pepper spirit and oil can be extracted from the berries by crushing them. Pepper spirit is used in many medicinal and beauty products. Pepper oil is also used as an ayurvedic massage oil and in certain beauty and herbal treatments.

 

^{The pepper plant is a perennial woody vine growing up to 13 ft in height on supporting trees, poles, or trellises. It is a spreading vine, rooting readily where trailing stems touch the ground. The leaves are alternate, entire, 2.0 to 3.9 inches long and 1.2 to 2.4 inches across. The flowers are small, produced on pendulous spikes 1.6 to 3.1 inches long at the leaf nodes, the spikes lengthening up to 2.8 to 5.9 inches as the fruit matures.}

 

 

Production and trade

Black pepper production, 2020

Country	Production (tonnes)
Vietnam	270,192
Brazil	114,749
Indonesia	89,041
India	66,000
Sri Lanka	43,557
China	33,348
Malaysia	30,804
World	747,644
Source: FAOSTAT of the United Nations

In 2020, Vietnam was the world's largest producer and exporter of black peppercorns, producing 270,192 tonnes or 36% of the world total (table). 

Other major producers were Brazil, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, China, and Malaysia. Global pepper production varies annually according to crop management, disease, and weather. Peppercorns are among the most widely traded spice in the world, accounting for 20% of all spice imports.

 

History

Black pepper is native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, and has been known to Indian cooking since at least 2000 BCE. J. Innes Miller notes that while pepper was grown in southern Thailand and in Malaysia, its most important source was India, particularly the Malabar Coast, in what is now the state of Kerala. The lost ancient port city of Muziris in Kerala, famous for exporting black pepper and various other spices, gets mentioned in a number of classical historical sources for its trade with Roman Empire, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Levant, and Yemen. Peppercorns were a much-prized trade good, often referred to as "black gold" and used as a form of commodity money. The legacy of this trade remains in some Western legal systems that recognize the term "peppercorn rent" as a token payment for something that is, essentially, a gift.

 

The ancient history of black pepper is often interlinked with (and confused with) that of long pepper, the dried fruit of closely related Piper longum. The Romans knew of both and often referred to either as just piper. In fact, the popularity of long pepper did not entirely decline until the discovery of the New World and of chili peppers. Chili peppers—some of which, when dried, are similar in shape and taste to long pepper—were easier to grow in a variety of locations more convenient to Europe. Before the 16th century, pepper was being grown in Java, Sunda, Sumatra, Madagascar, Malaysia, and everywhere in Southeast Asia. These areas traded mainly with China, or used the pepper locally. Ports in the Malabar area also served as a stop-off point for much of the trade in other spices from farther east in the Indian Ocean.

 

 

From Mr. Food

 

This is the perfect coleslaw recipe to bring to a family shindig or backyard bash, 'cause it goes along with everything! Summer's Best Slaw features the delicious combo of a sweet and savory dressing and crunchy, flavorful summer peppers.

 

 

• 1 (16-ounce) package shredded coleslaw mix
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed, finely diced
• 1 cup Italian dressing
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar

 

1. In a large bowl, combine coleslaw mix, celery, bell peppers, and jalapeno pepper.
    
2. In a small bowl, whisk together Italian dressing and brown sugar until sugar is dissolved; pour over coleslaw mixture, tossing to coat completely.

 

 

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

1944 – U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs into law the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known as the G.I. Bill.

 

2003 – The largest hailstone ever recorded falls in Aurora, Nebraska

 

2009 – Washington Metro train collision: Two Metro trains collide in Washington, D.C., USA, killing 9 and injuring over 80.

 

2009 – Eastman Kodak Company announces that it will discontinue sales of the Kodachrome Color Film, concluding its 74-year run as a photography icon.

 

 

And births this date include...

1903 – John Dillinger, American bank robber (d. 1934)

 

 

 

1919 – Gower Champion, American dancer and choreographer (d. 1980)

 

I took adagio ballet from his wife's, (Marge Champion) dad, Ernest Belcher. Marge and I have the same birthday... different years though!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1936 – Kris Kristofferson, American singer and actor

 

 

 

 

 

1949 – Lindsay Wagner, American actress

 

1952 – Graham Greene, Canadian actor

'Kicking Bird' in Dances With Wolves.

 

 

 

 

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

xo Sue Mom Bobo

We won’t limit you or time you on this affectionate holiday. National Kissing Day on June 22nd encourages us to pucker up for a smooch. Whether the kiss comes from your significant other, your children or pets, share the love!

The kiss has been a part of our culture for thousands of years. The reasons we kiss vary, too. While affection and attraction may be the most common reason for kissing, the kiss has also been used as a greeting. In some cultures, kissing a cheek may date back to Christian rituals. In Ireland, the custom of kissing the Blarney Stone has existed for centuries and is said to bestow the kisser with the gift of eloquence and persuasiveness. Another medieval tradition that hopefully has been extinguished is the practice of kissing the feet or royalty or those in power. A similar act of kissing includes kissing the ring of someone to show fealty.

Which leads to hand-kissing. While this gesture suggests loyalty to someone, it has a friendlier connotation than that of kissing feet. For some, it’s a sign of respect and affection.

But National Kissing Day offers more than a history lesson. It encourages us to reconnect and draw closer to our loved ones. Whether it’s a peck on the cheek or a passionate kiss, when we receive one from someone we love, kissing brings joy. Kissing triggers the release of endorphins which in turn tells our brain it’s happy. When we kiss, our anxiety is reduced and our blood pressure lowers, too. Maybe those boo-boo kisses from mom carry some real power.

HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL KISSING DAY

Celebrate the power of a kiss. Pull your partner into a passionate kiss or practice your kissing style with them. You can also:

• Watch movies with great kissing. We suggest Cinema Paradiso directed by Giuseppe Tornatore.
• Time yourself. Can you beat the longest kissing record in the world? Ekkachai and Laksana Tiranat currently hold the record at 58 hours, 35 minutes, and 58 seconds. Sure hope they used long-lasting breath mint!
• Share a story about your first kiss.
• Not all kisses go well. Share stories of kisses gone wrong. That includes those accidental kisses.
• What’s your favorite on-screen kiss? Is it from the Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Body Guard, or Crazy, Stupid Love?

NATIONAL KISSING DAY HISTORY

While researching the history of National Kissing Day, we did not find a source for June 22nd. However, several events took place around that date starting in 2002. An episode of the United Kingdom soap opera Hollyoak aired on June 25, 2002. The episode featured characters Ellie and Ben who set a record for the longest film kiss. Actors Sarah Baxendale and Marcus Patrick kissed for three minutes and fifteen seconds in a kissing contest hosted for National Kissing Day. While they may have been celebrating the holiday in England that takes place on July 6, it’s still an impressive feat. However, other records have been set since, including some long-lasting kisses on episodes of The Bachelor.