Enjoy your day.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
"College study finds Oreo cookies are as addictive as drugs"
"If you’ve ever been unable to stop yourself from eating too many
Oreo cookies it may not be your fault--a new college study says one of America’s favorite desserts is just as addictive as drugs in lab rats.
"The study
by students at Connecticut College found that when the rats ate Oreos
they formed an equally strong association with the cookies as when other
rats were injected with cocaine or morphine."Additionally, researchers found eating the cookies activated even more neurons in the rats’ brain 'pleasure centers' than the addictive drugs.
“'Our research supports the theory that high-fat/ high-sugar foods stimulate the brain in the same way that drugs do,' Neuroscience Professor Joseph Schroeder said in a school press release. 'It may explain why some people can’t resist these foods despite the fact that they know they are bad for them.'
"The student behind the study says she wanted to explore how foods with high fat and sugar content contribute to obesity in low-income communities, and that the results are troubling.
“'Even though we associate significant health hazards in taking drugs like cocaine and morphine, high-fat/ high-sugar foods may present even more of a danger because of their accessibility and affordability,' Jamie Honohun said.
"On a lighter note, Honohun says they also got a surprise when watching the rats eat the Oreos.
“'They would break it open and eat the middle first,' she said."
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/10/15/college-study-finds-oreo-cookies-are-as-addictive-as-drugs/
The Oreos made me do it, your honor.
My First Comet ISON Pic!
I finally managed to drag myself out of bed early this morning and try to photograph Comet ISON. I tried Sunday morning from my place in Tucson, but the light pollution was too much. This morning I drove out east to get away from the city lights.
My usual place is at the the end of Speedway and technically part of Saguaro National Park. When I got there, the parking lot was blocked off with barricades due to the government shutdown. Fortunately, there was plenty of room at the side of the road to set up...I figured I shouldn't get arrested as long as I don't cross the barricades.
Comet ISON is conveniently situated near Mars and the bright star Regulus in the constellation of Leo. I knew that if I got Regulus and Mars in my frame, I should have ISON as well. It's nice to have bright, easy to find guide stars. I set up my Canon 60D on my iOptron SkyTracker and tried a variety of exposures and settings. Here is the one I have done the most work with so far.
Bright blue Regulus is on the right, orange Mars in the middle, and the faint Comet ISON to the upper left. I know others have gotten better pics, but they have all used telescopes...now I have just shown ISON is in the reach of a digital SLR!
ISON is still fairly faint, but is coming closer to the Sun and will continue to brighten. How bright is a good question, but naked eye visibility seems a safe bet within the next month. ISON passes closest to the Sun on November 28th...less than a million miles from its surface! If ISON survives this close pass, it could be very bright in early December as the gases sublimate and it forms a very long tail. Of course that is a big if.
There has been speculation it could be "as bright as the Moon" and visible during the day. Let's put the kabash on this...IF it gets that bright, ISON will be VERY close to the Sun in the sky and hence very difficult, even dangerous to try and spot. I wouldn't even recommend trying unless you really know what you are doing.
The Zodiacal light was easily visible as well, but I didn't get a good pic of it. Before leaving, I turned my camera to the Orion Nebula, set the shutter for 30 seconds and let it rip. I think the resulting picture was well worth the extra minute.
Again I am pleasantly surprised at how much you can do with an off the shelf camera and setup and fairly modest skills (I am working on the skills...need to learn more Lightroom and Photoshop!)
The next few days are a good time to try for ISON as it is still close to Mars. I may try again this week before the Moon starts moving into the morning sky. Keep an eye on ISON...I can't wait to see how it looks at its best!
Reprinted with permission from the Half-Astrophysicist Blog.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Highway 49
"Sweetheart, I'm gonna check the other side of the road for the Red-Necked Phalaropes" as I kissed Tender Heart, "Wish me luck!" I checked both ways before crossing the road that was blackened with fresh asphalt. The coast is clear.... I get to the other side and see some Baird's Sandpipers on the mudflats worthy to take pics of. VRROOOOOM!!!!!! My body starts to sway with a powerful gust of wind. My teeth get rattled. No doubt that my pic just got ruined. A tank truck carrying milk had just blasted trough! I look to the left to see another birder a hundred feet away from me shaking her head in disgust. She throws her arms up in acknowledgement to what has happened. We exchanged looks as if to say,"This is nuts!" I look down on the gravel on the shoulder-a dead Yellow Headed Blackbird. Obliviously roadkill. This is a typical scene on Highway 49.
Highway 49 is a 128 mile state highway that starts by the Quad Tech Co. off of U.S. 41 and runs east/west to Waupun before it takes a 90° turn north towards Wittenberg in Marathon Co. A portion of it goes through the northern tip of Horicon National Wildlife Refuge, one of Wisconsin's best birding spots. Here is where millions of migrating birds make their pit stop on their respective journeys.
The above picture of Hwy 49 (by the historical marker at Horicon) was taken (by someone else) before road construction took place over the last summer. It may look quiet in the photo, but looks can be deceiving. Tender Heart and I would take this bumpy route from U.S. 41 by Lomira, through the quiet town of Brownsville, to Horicon. Stopping along this 3 1/2 mile stretch of road before the Auto Tour and Trails is mandatory. Here is where the most of the waterfowl, shorebirds and many rarities can be seen. It would take us an hour or more just to drive slowly along the gravel shoulders to get a good view of everything. A birder's paradise!
Over the summer, the bone jarring, bumpy road underwent a facelift. Some brand spanking new asphalt was laid out from Lomira past Horicon Marsh and beyond... Coverts were replaced and added. A smooth ride. Sweet, or so I thought. A highway turned into a speedway! Miles of unstoppable roadway without snapping off the axles. To make matters worse, the road was widened and the gravel shoulders steeper. Now you are sitting there on a 45° angle while a semi buzzes inches close to the side mirrors. Sounds like fun, huh?
These developments caused a quite a stir among the birding community. Birders across the state complained loudly in Wisconsin Birding on Facebook. Not only we fear for our safety, but for the safety of the wildlife as well. There is a sign upon entering the marsh area that says "Give wildlife a brake!", but who reads signs these days? Some birders have petitioned against the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to have the speed limit lowered through the marsh. The WDOT, the only authority on speed limits on the major highways, would NOT budge! To me this is ridiculous! I fully understand that Highway 49 is a commercial route and birding is a low impact recreation. Going the town of Brownsville is 25 mph. Understandable it is a residential neighborhood and it's for safety's sake, why not give the birders and the wildlife the same opportunity? Would it kill the surrounding local businesses if a few minutes were added on to the driving time? Then again, time is money and who's going to make money of bunch of people with binoculars?
Honestly, I'd like to see the speed limit lowered to 35. Personally I don't that happening anytime soon, even with a community of wildlife lovers hovering down the necks of WDOT. I'm at a loss for a solution, but I'll guarantee that we will not stop birding there. It's in our blood.....
Below are some pics taken from that same stretch of road....
From top to bottom.... American White Pelicans, Great Egret, Lesser Yellowlegs, Gadwall
"Krokodil crosses over to U.S. from Russia"
My God. I didn't use intravenous drugs, but I knew people who did. Their world just got a little more hellish.
As for ". . . the hope is that these images are horrific enough to prevent people from using the drug," good luck with that. Normal people would never use it, but addicts don't give a damn about consequences.
"Wisconsin State Legislature : When Law Enforcement Takes a Life, Should they Judge Themselves?"
"WHEN LIVES ARE LOST DUE TO POLICE ACTION, SHOULD POLICE JUDGE THEMSELVES?"
"Please support Wisconsin Representatives Garey Bies (R) and Chris Taylor (D) in their efforts to protect civilians and law officers from unfair investigations. Their co-sponsored legislation is titled the 'Citizens and Law Enforcement Safety Act.' Bill #AB 409 .
"This is the first bill in the nation to ask for statewide, independent, and professional review of police-involved deaths.
"Both legislators have extensive backgrounds in law or law enforcement and together they have drafted a bill that requires an independent professional review of police-related fatalities.
"Whether a citizen perishes in a corrections facility, a police-related automobile accident or by use of deadly force, all aspects of police-related deaths would be reviewed by a panel of experienced law 'professionals' (not just police officers associated with the department involved). The panel would be appointed by a high-ranking elected official and possess the same level of objectivity as a grand jury.
"Nothing harms an officer's psyche more than a shooting death followed by a cloud of suspicion surrounding that officer's judgment or the integrity of the investigation. This Bill would help ensure that once cleared by an impartial investigation, an officer could move quickly beyond the incident."
Read more and/or sign the petition: http://www.change.org/petitions/wisconsin-state-legislature-when-law-enforcement-takes-a-life-should-they-judge-themselves?
Sunday, October 13, 2013
More Fall Colors!
I know I haven't kept up with my Fall pictures. I am sorry about that but I do have some really nice pictures here for you. I do enjoy going out to take the pictures so I can share them with you. I also heard on the news yesterday that this is just the start of the Fall colors. So here are some more pictures!
This picture was taken at Richard Bong State Recreational Area in Brighton Wi.
This picture was taken at Richard Bong State Recreational Area in Brighton Wi.
This picture was taken at Shoop Park in Racine Wi.
This picture was taken at Prichard Park in Racine Wi.
This picture was taken at Prichard Park in Racine Wi.
This picture was taken at the Root River in Racine Wi.
I know some of the pictures do not have any Fall colors yet that is why I am putting them on here to show you how they will be changing soon. Some of it depends on the weather and the way the sun shines on the trees. I hope you enjoy the pictures!
I know some of the pictures do not have any Fall colors yet that is why I am putting them on here to show you how they will be changing soon. Some of it depends on the weather and the way the sun shines on the trees. I hope you enjoy the pictures!
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Useless Information
Did you Know:
One of my
favorite candies is “Smarties”.
Smarties are
produced by Smarties Candy Company Union Township, Union County, New Jersey, and
produced by their Newmarket, Ontario, plant.
Certain times
of the year, such as Halloween, the US plant cannot produce enough for the candy
lovers here so they import them from their Canadian plant.
The only differences
between the two are the candies made in Canada it says “Made in Canada” under
the name Smarties on the wrapper
Welcome to the USA
My parents arrived in New York City
in 1949. My three-year-old sister was
with them. I didn’t exist yet. They were “DPs” (Displaced Persons), refugees
from World War II. In my parents’ case,
their homeland, Latvia,
had been invaded by the Germans, then the Russians ‘liberated’ it, but they
stayed there. The same fate befell the
other two Baltic States, Lithuania
and Estonia.
At war’s end, as an “Iron Curtain” drew down on my parents
in Riga, Latvia,
they had to make a decision: stay or go?
If they stayed, they would live under Communist rule. If they went, . . . ?
They left and ended up in a refugee camp in Berchtesgaden,
Germany. Yes, that’s
where Hitler’s retreat was, but that was up in the mountains. My parents lived in plain wood barracks. My sister was born there while they waited
for their opportunity to immigrate to another country. They almost were accepted by Australia,
but were finally offered a sponsorship into the United
States of America.
There were so many immigrants then that someone in the US
had to guarantee you a job and a place to live for a year in order for you to
get in. My parents were sponsored by a
family in Ohio. They were farmers. My father was a machinist and hated farm
work, but he put in a year. He had never
seen corn until the first time he fed it to the pigs. Thereafter, he called corn “pig food” and wouldn’t
eat it.
Friday, October 11, 2013
Four for Fridays
Hello everyone! It's the first thing in the morning, Four for Fridays! It has been a busy, busy, busy week and I'm getting behind in things. At I least I have some time this weekend to catch up. (I hope) Anyways, your questions....
1) If you could bring one thing back from the past to the present day, what would that be?
2) What is your favorite Disney movie?
3) If you were a police officer for a day, what would you do with your authority?
4) What event do you think signifies (or you identify with) the '90's?
Enjoy your weekend!
1) If you could bring one thing back from the past to the present day, what would that be?
2) What is your favorite Disney movie?
3) If you were a police officer for a day, what would you do with your authority?
4) What event do you think signifies (or you identify with) the '90's?
Enjoy your weekend!
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Caledonia Patch and Mt Pleasant -Sturtevant Patch to Close
 |
| Heather Asiyanbi |
"Farewell, Mount Pleasant-Sturtevant Patchers"
"Mount Pleasant-Sturtevant Patch is coming to an end on Oct. 15. What we created together was important and means more than you could ever know."
"Firefighters rescue man's penis from toaster - then warn people to start using 'common sense'"
"'Fifty Shades of Grey effect' has also seen 79 'victims' freed from handcuffs after sex games went wrong."
"Firefighters came to the rescue of a man in distress when he got his penis stuck in a toaster.
"It is unclear exactly what the humiliated gentleman had been up to, but fortunately London's finest arrived to extricate his manhood from the electrical device.
"Unbelievably, another adventurer rivalled his ridiculous antics by somehow getting his member lodged in a vacuum cleaner.
"And the ultra-professional London Fire Brigade staff have had to free 79 people from handcuffs in the last three years alone.
"These embarrassing incidents are just some of 1,300 involving people being trapped or stuck which have been attended by London Fire Brigade since 2010.
"Each rescue mission costs at least £290 to deal with, meaning they have set the taxpayer back at least £377,000 in total.
"Third Officer, Dave Brown, said: 'Some of the incidents our firefighters are called out could be prevented with a little common sense.
“'I don’t know whether it’s the Fifty Shades effect, but the number of incidents involving items like handcuffs seems to have gone up.
“'I’m sure most people will be Fifty Shades of red by the time our crews arrive to free them.
“'I’d like to remind everyone 999 is an emergency number and should only be used as such.
“'When firefighters are out attending to some of these avoidable incidents, someone else could be in real need of emergency assistance.'”
Read nore: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/firefighters-rescue-mans-penis-toaster-2346520
Oh. My. God. The toaster? Was it plugged in? How long before someone tries to make love to a garbage disposer?
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Relationships
A group of women were at
a seminar on how to live in a loving relationship with your husband.
The women were asked, "How many of you love your husband?"
All the women raised their hands.
Then they were asked, "When was the last time you told your husband you loved him?"
Some women answered today, a few yesterday, and some couldn't remember.
The women were then told to take out their
cell phones and text their husband: "I love you, sweetheart."
The women were then told to exchange
phones with another person, and to read aloud the text message they received,
in response.
Here are some of the replies:
Here are some of the replies:
1. Who the hell is this?
2. Eh, mother of my children, are you sick or what?
3. Yeah, and I love you too. What's up with you??
4. What now? Did you crash the car again?
5. I don't understand what you mean?
6. What the f*ck did you do now?
7. ?!?
8. Don't beat about the bush, just tell me how much you need?
9. Am I dreaming?
10. If you don't tell me who this message is actually for, someone will die.
11. I thought we agreed you wouldn't drink during the day.
12. Your mother is coming to stay with us, isn't she??
Dear Madame Zoltar
Hello, my autumn angels!
How are you? So sorry that I took
last week off. I had to do something,
but I can’t remember what. Even though
I’m psychic, my memory is getting bad. I
can see what’s coming, but not what’s gone.
The weather has been seasonably crisp. Good-bye summer 2013. Boo hoo.
More and more trees are changing color and losing their leaves. Nature’s beauty can be so stunning, yet so
transitory. Now’s the time for burning
bushes to burn their fierce red. Now’s
the time for jumping into piles of leaves.
Hooray, hooray! Our chivalric and magnanimous Green Bay
Packers defeated the whimpering Detroit Lions this Sunday past. This coming Sunday, the sublime and transcendent
Packers meet the lowly Baltimore Ravens.
“Quoth the raven, ‘Nevermore!’” I believe that refers to their chances
against our majestic Pack.
Unfortunately, my Screaming Psychics in the Irregular Football
League are currently in last place. On
the other hand, the Orbliterators are in first place and remain unbeaten. Speaking of this, I know, Mr. OrbsCorbs, that
is you telephoning me after each of your wins and yelling, “Booyah!” One more time, turkey, and you’re in for an
unpleasant surprise.
I keep reading and seeing stories about the latest scandal
swirling around Mr. Mayor Dickert: the possible sale of a Native American
burial mound. Talk about some bad
joojoo, even I won’t mess with Native American curses. Those are some mightily ticked off
spirits. You would be, too, if your land
and way of life were stolen from you. I
have no advice for Mr. Mayor because he never asks for it. He’s now claiming to be part Native American
himself. Which part, I wonder? Is it for sale?
The federal government is shut down because of bickering
over the Affordable Care Act. This has a
detrimental impact upon untold areas of government and society, rippling out to
the furthest reaches. Who are these
people in Washington, DC? Today, Congress has an 11% approval rating: http://www.gallup.com/poll/165281/congress-job-approval-falls-amid-gov-shutdown.aspx It doesn’t seem to faze them in the
least. I don’t understand the people who
do these things.
Here’s a prank in a coffee shop involving
“telekinesis.” Boo!
Oh my. And I thought
I had some bad days. How can she
repeatedly scream like that? (By the
way, why do YouTube videos now start silent?
They used to start with the sound on.
Now I have to turn it on.)
Thank you, my dears, for reading my blog today. “You are the sunshine of my life.” Shine on, my friends. Feel the Irregular love. It makes me tingly and shivery.
The government shut down, but will it ever shut up? Find out: madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com
Enjoy the weather while we have it. Soon comes you-know-what. That makes me shudder. Be kind to each other and help those in need. I love you all. Tachydidaxy!
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Life
Life
Perhaps the most profound philosophy in recent times:
"Life is like a penis - simple, relaxed and hanging free, it's women who make it hard."
Perhaps the most profound philosophy in recent times:
"Life is like a penis - simple, relaxed and hanging free, it's women who make it hard."
Monday, October 7, 2013
"New $100 Bill Touts Added Security Features"
It said that half of all $100 bills are not in the US. That's because the drug cartels have them.
Useless Information
Did you Know:
It all started
in a small drive-in restaurant in San Bernardino, California in the late
1940′s. The restaurant was owned by the two brothers Richard and Maurice
McDonald’s.
In 1963 McDonald’s sold one million hamburgers per day and the same year hamburger number 1 billion was served.
Today McDonald’s has more than 31,000 restaurants worldwide. They serve 47 million customers daily. Revenue of around $24 billion.
As a note:
Even though the McDonald’s Brother had a great franchise concept they had no ambition to take the franchise nationwide. Ray Kroc, a local sales man saw the potential in the franchise and was the driving force to make McDonalds what it is today.
It all started
in a small drive-in restaurant in San Bernardino, California in the late
1940′s. The restaurant was owned by the two brothers Richard and Maurice
McDonald’s.In 1963 McDonald’s sold one million hamburgers per day and the same year hamburger number 1 billion was served.
Today McDonald’s has more than 31,000 restaurants worldwide. They serve 47 million customers daily. Revenue of around $24 billion.
As a note:
Even though the McDonald’s Brother had a great franchise concept they had no ambition to take the franchise nationwide. Ray Kroc, a local sales man saw the potential in the franchise and was the driving force to make McDonalds what it is today.
Warren Zevon - "Lawyers, Guns & Money"
This is a partial repost: http://www.jtirregulars.com/2011/09/early-labor-day-musical-double-feature.html
I personally met the Werewolf of London in the hallway outside of a Zevon concert. I was pouting/having a cigarette and he was waiting to make his appearance.
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