Optical Yellow

Back in 1480, Louis XI of France made use of his crown by forbidding the filling of tennis balls with chalk, dirt, sand or sawdust and they should be made of good leather and well filled with wool. Others of the time were made of animal furs, animal intestines, human hair and many other odd substances, but the standards were being set way back for Kings Tennis or as it is called today, "Real Tennis". Lawn tennis was introduced in the 1870's where the court size was standardized, lawns in place and a vulcanized rubber ball was used.

Eventually control of the standards for tennis were removed from the French Crown and are now governed by the International Tennis Federation (ITF). There appears to be more regulations for tennis balls than for importing Panda Bears (that's another story for another day).

Anyway, what this is really all about is the color of tennis balls. For my childhood, the balls were a white cream color when new and came four to a sleeve. They eventually became pressurized and in metal cans with a pop-lid of only three. In 1972 the color of "Optic Yellow" was introduced. Why? The tennis ball received it major make-over for the sole purpose of making the balls more visible on TV!

About two years ago we started seeing this color on items other than tennis balls. First it was construction safety vests, then shirts, joggers apparel, police clothing, bike riders, bathing suits and now ladies underwear. Why ladies undergarments? I have no idea. I was doing some research but could not come up with an actual person responsible for the tennis ball color change but I am curious, is that individual responsible for the return of this color for other uses?

Farewell Spirit

Back in 2003, NASA launch two separate Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity each to land on opposite sides of Mars for a 90 day mission to explore the surface for signs of water and life. Spirit landed on the surface in January 2004 in what became a historic 2,190+ day mission.

Shortly after midnight NASA sent one last message to the Mars Rover Spirit. After getting stuck in a sand pit last year, slowly Spirit was slipping into a cold Mars winter. With hope of the spring sun and warmth recharging the solar batteries NASA began to realize the inevitable.

"There's a sadness that we have to say goodbye to Spirit," says project Manager John Callas of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which runs the twin rovers. But "we have to remember the great accomplishments and the blessings that we have received of having this rover for so long.

Opportunity is still up and running and there are no plans at this time to end its mission.

We Survived!

An earlier time in history right here in Connecticut there was a sudden alarm of doomsday, "The Dark Day", May 19th, 1780. As noted in the historical records; In Hartford the House of Representatives were meeting when at midday the day became so dark, members "Fell on their knees and clamored for adjournment".

"I am against adjournment. The Day of Judgement is either approaching, or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for adjournment. If it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. I wish therefore, that candles may be brought".

Candles were brought forth and the House continued its business that day, and for many more days right up to today!

It's Time!

According to Family Radio evangelist Harold Camping (an engineer by training), "The rapture will come upon us on May 21, 2011". This is the same man who had predicted that the World was coming to an end in September 1994. According to some 'experts' the rapture is a five month long process which I have still not been able to fully understand. Perhaps that is how long it will take for all the sorting.

On Judgment Day, May 21, 2011, this five-month period of horrible torment will begin for all the inhabitants of the earth (does include all living creatures since they too are life and inhabit the earth?). God will raise up all the dead that have ever died from their graves. Earthquakes will ravage the whole world as the earth will no longer conceal its dead. People who died as saved individuals will experience the resurrection of their bodies and immediately leave this world to forever be with the Lord. Those who died unsaved will be raised up as well, but only to have their lifeless bodies scattered about the face of all the earth. Death will be everywhere. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Now all of this terrible news for some, wonderful news for others is quite confusing and leaves many more questions than options without even bringing into consideration ones own religion or beliefs. So I will leave you to your own thoughts and look forward to the morning of May 22, 2011 being a normal day with the possibility of sunshine and warm temperatures so I can get some yard work taken care of without a bunch of dead bodies to clean up first.

A Sad Day

In 1916 Nathan Handwerker opened his original Coney Island hot-dog stand. Murray, his son after returning from fighting in WWII helped his parents open locations in Times Square and Long Island. Murray passed this past Saturday in Florida; he was 89 years old. This only proves that a healthy diet of Nathan's Famous leads to a long and happy life.

Murray took over as Chairman in the early 1970's and rapidly grew the company into franchise deals across the country. Soon after the brand started showing up in supermarkets. His passion was still always the original stand at Surf and Stillwell Avenues. His favorite hot-dog? A plain frank on a roll.

Exploding Melons

You just can't make this stuff up!

With so many folks in the Good Ol' USA complaining about things made in China, guess what? A lot of our produce also comes from China.

According to the BBC, farmers in the Jiansu province have reported the destruction of a substantial watermelon asset. Over 20 farming families in the province have planted melons. The melons are literally exploding after being given an overdose of growth accelerator forchlorfenuron creating fields filled with land mines.

With melons being a new crop which gave big profits to farmers in China last year, many first time growers jumped on the hay wagon, planting their overdosed melon seeds looking to rake in big profits. No so, with over 45 hecters of melons having been planted in the province, families have been running for cover as the fruits began exploding in the fields.

National Eat What You Want Day

After spending more time than I cared to, I can not find the origin of "National Eat What You Want Day". No one seems to be stepping forward to lay claim to starting it. No one seems to agree on when it was first celebrated or where it all started. I checked with Hallmark, but since they have yet to design a card for this event they preferred to issue a "No Comment".

So rather than dwell on who, what, when, where and how, how about putting some thought into these few facts for this day in history:

1972 - Capt. Robert Gray discovers the Columbia River

1816 - The American Bible Society is formed in NYC

1858 - Minnesota becomes the 32nd US State

1910 - Glacier National Park in Montana is established

1951 - Jay Forrester patents the computer core memory

So eat if you must, but be thoughtful of your health and I am sure that whoever is responsible for "Eat What You Want Day" is probably now a member of Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers!

Apollo 16 Returns

On this day in 1972 the crew of Apollo 16 returned to earth after lainching on April 16th.

John Young, Misson Commander,

Thomas Mattingly, Command Module Pilot,

Charles Duke, Jr. Lunar Module Pilot (Charles was scheduled for Apollo 13 but was replaced by his back-up because he was exposed to measles).

Broken Screen

They say (don't know who they are) that if you stare at the center of the screen image long enough the broken edges will become repaired. I think I need to bring this to my eye doctor and see (yes intended) what is wrong with my glasses.

American Civil War

This being the beginning of the 150 th anniversary of the American Civil War, there are many remembrances, reenactments, dedications and other activities planned to recognize this very important period of American History. Above is a painting of note for Connecticut residents; The battle of Wyse Fork, fought in the Carolina's March 7 to 10th 1865 when the 15th Connecticut surrendered to the forces of Commander Braxton Bragg. Yes the Union did end up winning the battle but Connecticut lost the day. Most of the Northern States are not partaking in any events with Vermont and Connecticut having the most activities in the North.

If you search around, the Southern States who lost the conflict have the most events planned through the time period. I hear this is a very nice time of the year to be traveling down South!

Lexington

"The Red Coats are Coming!"

"The British are coming!"

Never happened.

For one, every colonist in the America's was British. No one ever denied it.

Did the Colonists set out a conflict, no. Did the British? No.

The sole purpose of the expedition of leaving Boston in the cover of dark was for the British to secure powder and military weapons from the colonists.

Paul Revere

Here we are visiting the Lexington and Concord area of Massachusetts catching up a bit on our Revolutionary War Period of American history.

After spending over three years studying the American Civil War, visiting battle fields and museums all along the East Coast, it is refreshing to find ones self in a new time of our country. As always, forget everything you ever learned in school about American History. More on that to follow. We have a busy weekend lined up with lots to do and have found ourselves having to stay in hotels. But right not, off to Fenway for Red Sox Opening Weekend.

The Future of Wines

"In the French Culture, a glass bottle with a natural cork is engraved in our genes" says Pascal Fernandez, a wine grower in the Languedoc region of France. "Plastic bottles are difficult for me". And this being said because one of the top clients for the Pepiex Coopeerative, Hugh Kevin & Robert are forcing the growers and wine producers of the region to bottle 75,000 bottles of wine for Asda. And this should be no surprise, Asda is a subsidary of ....WalMart!

Pascal and the other sixteen members of the cooperative gathered at Les Celliers Jean d'Alibert and said that they must overcome cultural taboos and adapt to new consumer demands if they are to survive. "We've had a crisis for the last seven years, prices dropped every year until they hit 2004 prices. It is a little better now but I do not know how long it will last", Pascal says.

Many growers in his region have given up on growing wine grapes with over 37,000 acres of vines being torn up. It appears that throughout France long time wine grape families are encourage their children not to follow in their footsteps.

"A lot of wine trade is a one-night stand relationship" Said Robert Joseph. "We are trying to create an enduring relationship - consumer to distributor to producer to growers. We are in the most brutally capitalistic part of the wine business. We never own the wine," he says.

By the way, the cost of the plastic bottle to the producers? Exactly the same as the glass bottles, absolutely no savings to them at all.

Woodstock, New York

Well, we were on our way to Woodstock........ We picked up our beloved Safari last Saturday from George who repaired the two damaged panels from the falling ice chunks. Sandi spent the week cleaning and vacuuming while I got all the systems back on line; gas lines cleaned and checked for leaks, tanks filled, water lines purged, pump set, hot water heater cleaned, furnace cleaned, shopping lists put together and so ready to go camping! Surprise! It is currently snowing in Woodstock and will continue to do so through tomorrow with up to 12" of snow on the ground before it ends. So the camping season for us is now on hold for another two weeks. Next weekend - Fenway, here we come. Unless it snows.

Obama Stimulus Plan

President Obamas newest Stimulus package was the firing of 110 Tomahawk Cruise Missiles in an attempt to spread democracy in the world. I hope his plan works because I don't see where we need to be involved in every civil war in any given location on the earth. However, very good news for the employees of Raytheon Systems Company located in Arizona. Currently the state has been hit very hard in the recession (? - depression) and this will be a big boost to the company. At an average cost to the Navy FOB Dock, of $569,000.00 per unit I am sure Raytheon will be expecting a new purchase order form the Navy (you and I) for $62,590,000.00. Now that is a stimulus package to be proud of! Of course the cost per missile does not include delivery to the firing base/ship, technical support, updates, deployment nor launching costs. So the civil war in Lybia is costing the US Tax Payer how much? I am sure we will never be told. Imagine if we were able to use all that money here in the US to help upgrade our own economy?

Gas Station Rip-Off

There is little question that oil prices have been unstable and today they hit their highest futures cost since September 2009, $106.64. This is for oil deliveries in April. Isn't it amazing that what will cost more to purchase then refine in April is costing you and I more today? According to the Connecticut State Attorney's Office, gas stations are allowed to charge per gallon what ever they feel the market will pay! WOW. So they blame the unrest in the Middle East, specifically Lybia. By the way, only 2% of all imported crude into the United States comes from Lybia.

According to the Oil Price Information Service the new national average for regular unleaded gasoline $3.471 per gallon. Where? Sign me up! And what about Diesel? According to the State of Connecticut OLR Research Report in a study conducted by Daniel Duffy; January 1995 gas - $1.23 vs. diesel $1.10 per gallon. July 2001 gas - $1.68 vs. diesel $1.52. July 2006 - gas $3.15 vs. diesel $2.93 per gallon. Today diesel is an avergae of 12% more per gallon, no wonder bananas are now $0.89 per pound!

Working in India

With all the talk about losing jobs to India, mostly customer and technical support, I am not sure why anyone would want to be a supervisor or boss in India.

Over the past several months it has become a very common occurance

for unhappy employees, laid off workers and local work group managers

to actually physicaly attack and kill their bosses.

If I were a director or manager of an American company I would begin

implementing immediate plans to bring those jobs back to America!

This is truely not a country to be sending American jobs to.

No English You Say?

No wonder no one speaks English in the United State of America any more.


Most of the country is actually owned by others and not us!

Here are the top TEN Share-holders if you wish;

those who we owe gold debt to-

1- Mainland China - $891.6 Billion

2 - Japan - $883.6 Billion

3 - United Kingdom - $541.3 Billion

4 - Oil Exporters - $218 Billion

5 - Brazil - $180.8 Billion

6 - Caribbean Banking Centers - $155.6 Billion

7 - Hong Kong - $138.2 Billion

8 - Canada - $134.6 Billion

9 - Taiwan - $131.9 Billion

10 - Russia - $106.2 Billion

Now if you or I had outstanding balances in some Caribbean bank the IRS would have us in jail. If Canada wanted to collect on it's holdings the economic value equals the states of Main, Vermont and New Hampshire. Brazil? Ouch.... how much a year do we send them in economic aid? And China holds 20% of our national debt? That is equal to the Rocky Mountains all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Just to pay off that debt, every single American would have to pay $2,970.00!

Groundhog Day

Groundhog Day 2011, Please. Punxsutawney Phil emerged just after dawn to make his 125th annual weather forecast; Spring is just around the corner. Not too sure if I would base the winter season ending too soon on a rodent who is 125 years plus old! I referrer to my Farmer's Almanac for such important matters.

I would really hope that there is some better way to forecast than if there is a shadow or not. And by the way, who is it that determines if a shadow is seen? From what little I have learned of this great event, the decision is actually made buy a committee prior to the fateful morning of the rodent's prediction, or so they say.

Snow .. Snow .. Snow

Looks like we are far far away from the beginning of our 2011 Camping Season. With this much snow on the ground, 3 more inches today and then another 6 to 9 inches tonight, we may never see our beloved Airstream again. But then again, it is New England.

We haven't had a good ol' NE winter in a long time.

As published in the Farmer's Almanac:

For the coming year Old Man Winter will exhibit a "split personality". The Eastern third of the country, New England down to Florida and as far West as the lower Ohio River and Mississippi River Valley, will experience colder-than-normal winter temperatures. Across New England, where relatively balmy temperatures prevailed during the winter 2009-2010, the upcoming winter will be the equivalent of a cold slap in the face, as we forecast much colder-than-normal temperatures.

So, there you have it. Now we will just have to wait and see what happens February 2nd!