It’s Element-ary, Number Fifty-Five!

This month we move on to the next of the carbon elements: flerovium. Flerovium is a relatively new element (discovered in 1998) and is made by getting plutonium to bond with calcium nuclei. This element breaks down quickly, rarely lasting 60 seconds, and while currently assigned to the carbon family, flerovium could quite easily be considered a noble gas.

fleroviuim – discovered in 1998.

Symbol: Fl
Atomic number: 114
Atomic weight: 289.19
Density: 14 g/cm³
Melting point: 70°C (160°F) — estimated
Boiling point: 150°C (300°F) — estimated
Color: dull dark gray
Standard state: solid at 25°C (77°F)
Classification: metallic

Source: The Complete Periodic Table: Elements with Style, by Adrian Dingle and Dan Green.

Ancient History, Number 66!

By “ancient history,” I will be referencing events from March 30th that occurred pre-1491 (i.e., before “Columbus sailed the ocean blue”).  Note: most of these will be from the medieval world (476 AD – 1491 AD) as many earlier events don’t always have specific dates.

• Moses ben Maimone (or Maimonides), celebrated Jewish philosopher, jurist, and physician, born in Cordoba, Spain. (1135 AD)
• Pope Clement III (Pailo Scolari) dies. (1191 AD)
• Cardinal Hyacinth Bob is elected as Pope Celestine III following the death of Pope Clement III. (1191 AD)
• Pope Innocent III again excommunicates the Holy Roman Emperor Otto IV, who has returned to Germany to defeat the rebellion against him there. (1211 AD)
• the French garrison in Palermo, Sicily, is massacred by the local inhabitants in the “Sicilian Vespers.” The revolt spread, leading to Charles of Anjou, King of Sicily, losing the island and the people offering the crown to King Pedro III of Aragon, as Manfred of Sicily’s heir. (1282 AD)
• King Edward I of England takes the town of Berwick as he begins his campaign to subdue Scotland. (1296 AD)
• James, heir to the throne of Scotland and later James I, is captured by the English at sea while on his way to France. (1406 AD)
• Mehmed II the Conqueror, Ottoman sultan 1444-46 and 1451-81, an outstanding military commander, son of Murad II, who captured Constantinople (modern Istanbul, Turkey) in 1453 and expanded the empire in Anatolia and the Balkans, born in Edirne, Persia. (1432 AD)

Source: Volume 1 of the Chronology of World History: Prehistory — AD 1491: The Ancient and Medieval World.

Fun Fact Friday, Number 379!

The category for today’s trivial imponderable is “food.”  Do you know . . . what is sweetbread?

Hint: it is not bread. No, sweetbread refers to either the thymus or pancreas of a young animal (usually a calf, but sometimes a lamb or pig).

Source: Sorry, Wrong Answer: Trivia Questions That Even Know-It-Alls Get Wrong, by Dr. Rod L. Evans.

Presidential Censure!

On March 28th, 1834, then President, Andrew Jackson, became the first President to be censured by Congress for his handling of the Bank of the United States matter.

Some other famous “firsts” that occurred on March 28th throughout history include:

• the first Federal dry docks (Boston, MA, and Norfolk, VA, 1827)
• the first Supreme Court Justice who was Catholic (Roger Brooke Taney, 1836)
• the first child labor law enacted by a state that restricted the age of the worker (Pennsylvania, 1848)
• the first environmental protection law enacted by a state in connection with advertising (New York, 1865)
• the first radio fax patents (Cornelius D. Ehret, 1905)
• the first microfilm reading device (Bradley Allen Fiske, Fiskeoscope, 1922)
• the first photographer to receive the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation award (Edward Weston, 1937)
• the first national curling championship (Hibbing Curling Club, Hibbing, Minnesota, 1957)
• the first bilingual report of a congressional committee (Needs of the Hispanic Elderly, hearing before the Select Committee on Aging, House of Representatives, Ninety-Fifth Congress, second session, 1978)
• the first nuclear power plant to sustain a major accident (Three Mile Island, Middleton, PA, 1979)

Source: Famous First Facts, by Joseph Nathan Kane, Steven Anzovin, and Janet Podell.

Small Bear!

Here is an Inuit stone carving of a small bear that I acquired several years ago. The artist is Towatuga Sagouk and this beautiful carving is from green soapstone with tinges of tan/brown. He is a really cute fellow that graces one of my living room table tops. It is amazing how much detail and character can be revealed in even the smallest of sculptures. This one is smaller than my closed fist. Towatuga comes from a family of prominent Inuit artists: his father: Mannumi Shaqu, his sister: Sita Saila, and his brother: Enook Manomie; they are all gifted artists in their own rights.

Amazing Adjectives, Number 129!

From former French effacle, from Latin effabilis, meaning “capable of being expressed.” As exemplified in The Highly Selective Dictionary of Golden Adjectives for the Extraordinarily Literate:

“I was stunned to find her effable when she received the horrible news.”

effable

\ ef–uh-buhl \, adjective;

1. utterable; expressible.

Source: The Highly Selective Dictionary of Golden Adjectives for the Extraordinarily Literate by Eugene Ehrlich and http://www.dictionary.com

College Basketball 2024, Sweet Sixteen!

March Madness is in full swing and we are through the first weekend where the field has been whittled down from the original 68 teams to the “Sweet Sixteen.” The Spartans led off the entire tournament (1st game for the field of 64) and led from wire to wire against the higher seed (#8), Mississippi State. Their shots were falling and their defense was effective. And, despite double digits in turnovers, won by 18 points. Great start for the Spartans. But as luck would have it, the Spartans were unable to sustain themselves against the #1 seed, North Carolina, on Saturday and Michigan State’s season is over. Time will tell how the 2025 season will shake out, with graduations and the transfer portal, but hope remains high for another great season next year.

The first round games (Thursday and Friday) — upsets (wins by a lower seed) indicated in bold.

The West Regional
North Carolina (#1 seed) defeated Wagner (#16 seed).
Arizona (#2 seed) defeated Long Beach State University (#15 seed).
Baylor (#3 seed) defeated Colgate (#14 seed).
Alabama (#4 seed) defeated Charleston (#13 seed).
Grand Canyon (#12 seed) defeated Saint Mary’s (#5 seed).
Clemson (#6 seed) defeated New Mexico (#11 seed).
Dayton (#7 seed) defeated Nevada (#10 seed) by three (3) points.
Michigan State (#9 seed) defeated Mississippi State (#8).

The East Regional
UConn (#1 seed) defeated Stetson (#16 seed).
Iowa State (#2 seed) defeated South Dakota State (#15 seed).
Illinois (#3 seed) defeated Morehead State (#14 seed).
Yale (#13 seed) defeated Auburn (#4 seed) by two (2) points.
San Diego State (#5 seed) defeated University of Alabama Birmingham (#12 seed) by four (4) points.
Duquesne (#11 seed) defeated Brigham Young (#6 seed). by four (4) points.
Washington State (#7 seed) defeated Drake (#10 seed) by five (5) points.
Northwestern (#9 seed) defeated Florida Atlantic (#8 seed) in overtime.

The South Regional
Houston (#1 seed) defeated Longwood (#16 seed).
Marquette (#2 seed) defeated Western Kentucky (#15 seed).
Oakland (#14 seed) defeating Kentucky (#3 seed) by four (4) points.
Duke (#4 seed) defeated Vermont (#13 seed).
James Madison (#12 seed) defeated Wisconsin (#5 seed).
North Carolina State (#11 seed) defeating Texas Tech (#6 seed).
Colorado (#10 seed) defeated Florida (#7 seed) by two (2) points.
Texas A&M (#9 seed) defeated Nebraska (#8 seed).

The Midwest Regional
Purdue (#1 seed) defeated Grambling (#16 seed).
Tennessee (#2 seed) defeated St. Peter’s (#15 seed).
Creighton (#3 seed) defeated Akron (#14 seed).
Kansas (#4 seed) defeated Samford (#13 seed) by four (4) points.
Gonzaga (#5 seed) defeated McNeese (#12 seed).
Oregon (#11 seed) defeated South Carolina (#6 seed).
Texas (#7 seed) defeated Colorado State (#10 seed).
Utah State (#8 seed) defeated Texas Christian University (#9 seed).

The second round games (Saturday and Sunday) — upsets (wins by a lower seed) indicated in bold.

The West Regional (three of the top-four seed advanced)
North Carolina (#1 seed) defeated Michigan State (#9 seed).
Arizona (#2 seed) defeated Dayton (#7 seed).
Alabama (#4 seed) defeated Grand Canyon (#12 seed).
Clemson (#6 seed) defeated Baylor (#3 seed).

The East Regional (three of the top-four seeds advanced)
UConn (#1 seed) defeated Northwestern (#9 seed).
Iowa State (#2 seed) defeated Washington State (#7 seed).
Illinois (#3 seed) defeated Duquesne (#11 seed).
San Diego State (#5 seed) defeated Yale (#13 seed).

The South Regional (three of the top-four seeds advanced)
Houston (#1 seed) defeated Texas A&M (#9 seed) by five (5) points in overtime.
Marquette (#2 seed) defeated Colorado (#10 seed) by four (4) points.
Duke (#4 seed) defeated James Madison (#12 seed).
North Carolina State (#11 seed) defeated Oakland (#14 seed).

The Midwest Regional (three of the top-four seeds advanced)
Purdue (#1 seed) defeated Utah State (#8 seed).
Tennessee (#2 seed) defeated Texas (#7 seed).
Creighton (#3 seed) defeated Oregon (#11 seed).
Gonzaga (#5 seed) defeated Kansas (#4 seed).

Good luck one and all in next weekends games.

A Person in Spain!

Here is a cute little limerick by N.M. Bodecker. Enjoy!

An indignant young person in Spain,
Looked out at a gray, grimy rain
And cried: “Will you clear!
Who told you to come here?
You horrible Old English Rain.”

Source: A Bundle of Birdbrains…Lots of Limericks (selected by Myra Cohn Livingston)

Bacon Brittle!

I love peanut brittle, so when I found this recipe for bacon brittle, well, it was a no brainer that I would have to give this recipe a try. And it is not too bad at all.

Bacon Brittle

Ingredients
8 ounces of bacon, cooked
1 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of water
1/4 cup of butter
3 Tablespoons of light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
Course sea salt (optional)

Directions
1. Chop the bacon into small bits, roughly 1/4″ pieces.

2. Butter a rimmed baking sheet (or line it with parchment).

3. In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar, water, butter, and syrup. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring occasionally until the mixture reaches 300 degrees F (about 10-15 mintues).

4. Remove from the heat and stir in the baking soda, then the bacon bits. Immediately pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Use a large spoon to quickly spread the brittle into a thin, even layer. (You can lightly oil the spoon to keep the brittle from sticking.) Sprinkle the brittle with sea salt, if desired.

5. Allow the brittle to cool completely, then break it into pieces and store in an airtight container.

Fun Fact Friday, Number 378!

Today’s real fact (courtesy of http://www.snapple.com) is about squirrels.   Did you know that . . .

• squirrels lose more than half of the nuts they hide? (Real Facts, #937)

Source: http://www.snapple.com/real-facts