Rain Sound by Clapping

Loved this!  What an incredibly creative idea and I loved how they interpreted the sound of rain.

The second link is the same as above except it goes on to present the whole song done by this choir.  VERY creative and incredible to interpretation.  Perpetual Jazzile is the name of this group and the song is Africa.

Royal Wedding Spoof

In light of ALL the hype, pomp and circumstance of the upcoming royal nuptials I found this link and thought it was worth sharing as it spoofs the upcoming royal wedding.

Normally I would be the first to highly congratulate a couple for their decision to commit their lives together before God and man but this event is a bit over-the-top.  One reason is that of course, it is a royal wedding and the future heir to the throne should come from this relationship but what is troubling is that they have lived together for many years already and it seems a bit ridiculous to me for the "leader" of the church (the King or Queen of England) to have chosen to live is such disregard of the Holy Book (the Bible) he will be responsible to uphold.  Now I am not saying I am looking for perfection from a monarch or from anyone but CHOOSING to live this lifestyle was not an accident or an incidental, it was clearly a choice and seems a bit odd in the least.

I pray they will love each other dearly and have a great marriage.  She is adorable and her life is about to be thrown to the press and I pray they will make it.

Being Smart with a Smart Phone

Many people are NOT aware of how much personal information they have on their smart phones and what they are doing with that information with a simple upload of a photo.  These smart phones pose privacy risks and can even endanger your children if the information is picked up by the wrong people.

There are threats out there in technology that are real and are so advanced that the police don't even know how to keep up with the changing digital world.  With a simple photo uploaded to the Internet, a stalker can gain data from your image and then using another free-ware or soft-ware can map where the photo was taken.  They can even do a series of images and know your daily stops, donut shop, school, bedroom, church - where ever you take a photo and then post it with these tracking devices turned on.

First thing you want to do is to go to your phone "settings", locations services and then "turn off" geo settings and tracking from your camera.  Secondly, you want to set your privacy settings on social network sites to "block" or "private" to just the people you allow.  Third, many new cameras also have geo-tracking.  If you are taking photos of your children and don't want these images to be tracked, turn the tracking device off.

Simple steps to keep your family safe from unwanted predators!

to "86" something...

So today, a friend posted to her Facebook wall a link and then posted to "86" a certain part of the post.  Well, this caused my mind to wonder and you know where that went...to further investigation.  I was challenged to understand this "strange" term, it's meanings and more importantly, it's origin.  Well, did I find a PLETHORA of information.  Seems there is NO consensus on WHERE this actually originated but there sure are a lot of opinions on the matter.  I thought I would share some of the highlights with you here!

First off, this is an American Expression (British people are not prone to this vernacular).  So, to start this discussion we have to get a few things right...it really is NOT ok to say, "eight-six" it is correct to say "eighty-six".  I know there are a few who think it is ok to use 8-6 in their vocabulary but it simply is NOT from what I have found to be true in my limited investigation on the matter.  86 is the term and that is the way is should be used....eighty-six!

Vague terms:
It can mean to simply get rid of something, toss it. "I'm about to 86 this piece of junk..." or someone...like firing from a job, "they 86'd me!"  Webster's suggests it was probably rhyming slang for 'nix and it first appeared in 1967 slang: to refuse to serve (a customer); also: to get rid of: THROW OUT.

In a Restaurant:

• In the kitchen when they are out of an item an announcement could be shouted, "86 on the Key Lime Pie".  This would mean that there is no more Key Lime pie for the day.
• The waiter may come to the customer and say, "The soup of the day is 86'd.  We're out."
• A fair amount of people believe the origin came from the days of the soda fountain.  86 was the password indicating they were out of an item as they had 85 flavors available.
• Some same 98 was used as code to say "the manager" was on the prowl so watch yourself!
• Another popular explanation comes from the New York City restaurant called Delmonico's.  This was a very popular place and one of their most popular items was the steak on the menu, and you guessed it, it was item 86 on their menu.  Because the steak was often sold out it became shorthand for being out of an item.
• I read that it really was originated with the soup kitchens and breadlines of the Great Depression.  The standard cauldron would hold 85 cups of soup so that the person who was 86 would get no soup!
• There is also the tale about the famous New York City restaurant called 21.  It seems that they had 85 tables here to seat patrons so when someone "undesirable" came to get a table, they would tell them they would be sent to the 86th one...which of course did not exist!

In the Bar:

• A bartender can "86" someone out of the bar because they have already had too much to drink.
• It could be said to not sell to that customer, "86 the guy in the booth".
• Interesting on this topic of bars, the New York State Liquor Code defines the circumstances in which a bar patron should be refused alcohol or, you guessed it, "86'ed".
• One of the most popular origins for this expression come from Chumley's (a famous 1900's New York speakeasy located at 86 Bedford St.)  During Prohibition, the entrance through an interior adjoining courtyard was used; for it was both discreet and private.  As per the New York tradition, cops were on Chumley's payroll and when they were about to raid the joint, they would call ahead.  The bartender would then give the command "86 everybody," which meant that everyone was to leave out the Bedford Street entrance because the cops would be coming in through the courtyard!  To this day there today at the same location with still no sign and entrance through the courtyard.
• Can't have an explanation without a cowboy tale, now can we?  Seems some take this expression way back to the Old West when most whiskey was 100 proof; they reserved bottles of 86 proof for the ladies.  Now if a cowboy got too rowdy, he would get the 86 proof served to him and this was considered in the least embarrassing so he would usually leave.

Still Other Ideas:

• Some think is has to do with a grave as they were dug 6 feet deep by 8 feet long therefore the item put in there would be dead or 86'd.  (This seems to not be a reason I would gravitate toward because I would think you would read this 8-6 and not 86'ed as we have established earlier!)
• How about this one...the streetcar line that operated on First Avenue on the east side of Manhattan ran from 14th Street to 86th.  As the Northbound car came to a stop, the motorman called out, "Eight-six.  End of the line.  All out!"
• The British merchant shipping standard crew was 85, so the 86'th would be left out.  (Again, this conflicts with above information as this was not a British slang from my readings!)
• Soldiers in America often refer to their missing soldier buddies as 86'd.  The missing in action (MIA'S) would be 86'd as this was being AWOL and in violation of the code from the UCMJ Sub Chapter X Article 86.
• One of the last reasons I found for this slang had to do with "offing" someone with the roots having to do with military action.  Another location said that it was not with the military but with the Mafia!  They would travel the distance of 86 miles out and 6 feet under meaning when a person was killed by the mafia they would be forced to dig his own grave many miles away from civilization; or the possibility of a simple variation of the slang term deep six which as the identical meaning.  It is simply meant to describe the approximate depth of water (6 fathers, 11 meters) needed for a burial at sea.  The term came into popular use among soldiers and veterans to describe missing solders then as 86's (see above).
• Finally, in you have ever seen the movie An Affair to Remember or Sleepless in Seattle you would be familiar with the scene where they are to meet on the top of the Empire State Building. All the elevators would go to the 86th floor and everyone would have to leave the elevator.  Well these movies have a positive twist to the top of the building but it was also known for a dark side; this public outdoor observatory was also the site of more than 30 suicides.  The building opened in 1931, apparently a few years before the term became popular - 86'ed.

So as you can see, there are MANY ideas to the origin and many times suggested on when it was coined.  Really don't know but I sure like a few of the ideas!

The B Vitamins...

I have a friend who is SO knowledgeable about vitamins and what does what that she has spurred me on to do my own investigations.  In my quest to understand more and learn about the importance of what each one does I found some interesting information and I wanted to share it will all of you.

I know most of you have heard the words thiamin, niacin, and maybe even riboflavin but what you may not realize is that these common names are the names of vitamins that each of us need daily.  You possibly haven't made the connection that when you say folic acid you are also talking about Vitamin B9; they are one and the same.  Here is the association between the two names.

Thiamin is a water soluble vitamin also known as Vitamin B1

Riboflavin is also a water-soluable vitamin aka Vitamin B2

Niacin, you guess it; Vitamin B3

Pyridoxine is called Vitamin B6

Folic Acid is Vitamin B9

Cobalamin is Vitamin B12

and Pantothenic Acid

Vitamin B1 (thiamin)

DOES: Coverts food into energy (breaks down carbohydrates into the simple sugar glucose) and aids the function of the heart, cardiovascular system, brain and nervous system. It is absorbed through the intestines.

DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS: these are rare but can often occur in alcoholics (the alcohol interferes with the absorption of thiamin through the intestine).

FOUND IN: whole-grain cereals, bread, red meat, egg yolks, green leafy vegetables, legumes, sweet corn, brown rice, berries and yeast.

Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)

DOES: works with other B vitamins to promote healthy growth and tissue repair and helps release energy from carbohydrates and the breakdown of fats and proteins.  Helps with healthy skin, the mucus membranes, the cornea, the nerve sheaths and red blood cell production.

DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS: skin disorders, anemia, light-senstive eyes and inflammation of soft tissue lining around mouth and nose.

FOUND IN: whole-grain products, milk, meat, eggs, cheese and peas.

Vitamin B3 (niacin)

DOES: Releases energy from carbohydrates, metabolism of food, produces healthy nerves, skin and digestive system.

DEFICIENCY: disease called pellagra.

FOUND IN: meat, fish, brewer's yeast, milk, eggs, legumes, potatoes and peanuts.

Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)
DOES: Important for maintaining healthy brain function, formation of red blood cells, breakdown of protein and synthesis of antibodies in support of immune system and is essential in the breakdown of carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS: sink disorders, disruption of the nervous system, confusion, poor coordination and insomnia.

FOUND IN: liver, meat, brown rice, fish, butter, wheat germ, whole grain cereals, and soybeans.

Vitamin B9 (folic acid)

DOES: interacts with B12 for the synthesis of DNA.  It breaks down proteins and aides in the formation of hemoglobin.  It is produced by a bacteria in the stomach and intestines.

DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS: anemia, poor growth and irritation of the mouth.  It is common in alcoholics, the elderly and people who are malnourished.

FOUND IN: yeast, liver, poultry, pork, shellfish, green vegetables, beans/legumes, citrus fruits/juices, and whole grain cereals.

Vitamin B12 (cobalamin)
DOES: Important for metabolism in the processing of carbohydrates, proteins and fats, formation of red blood cells and maintenance of central nervous system including the brain and spinal cord.  It is stored in the liver.  It can be consumed in large doses because excess is excreted by the body or stored in the liver for use when supplies are scarce.  Stores can last up to one year!

DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS: include tiredness, being irritable, finding it hard to concentrate, difficulty remembering things, mouth irritations, anemia and in extreme cases, psychosis or depression. Many believe that B12 helps normalize the body’s internal sleep timers, so if you find yourself sleeping often and waking up tired, a vitamin B12 deficiency may be the cause.

FOUND IN: liver (from almost any animal), meat, egg yolks, poultry, milk and cereal.  The BEST sources are found in these top ten list:  1) clams, oysters and mussels.   2) liver.   3) caviar (fish eggs).   4) octopus.   5) fish.   6) crab and lobster.   7) beef.   8) lamb (mutton).   9) cheese (swiss has the most!)   10) eggs (yolks).

Pantothenic Acid

DOES: used in the breakdown of carbohydrates, lipids and some amino acids.  It is produced by bacteria in the intestines.

FOUND IN: meats, legumes and whole-grain cereals.