National Winnie the Pooh Day, Thesaurus Day, Peking Duck Day

~★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
January 18, 2013

Still winter

 ★~ Today’s Quote: “Well,” said Pooh, “what I like best,” and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn’t know what it was called.”  ~ A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

★~ National Winnie the Pooh Day:

winnie-the-pooh

Today is the birthday of beloved children’s author A.A. Milne and has also become known as Winnie the Pooh Day. . .

“Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. It is, as far as he knows, the only way of coming downstairs …” Though he was “Edward Bear” in those opening lines, Christopher Robin soon nicknamed his stuffed friend “Winnie the Pooh,” as he was known ever-after.

A. A Milne died in 1956, his son Christopher Robin in 1996. But Pooh lives on. You can even visit him – the original stuffed bear that started it all is on display at the New York Public Library.

★~ Thesaurus Day: 

thesaurus

Peter Mark Roget, the author of Roget’s Thesaurus, was born on this day in 1779. In 1840, Roget retired from a successful career in medicine and spent the rest of his life working on “Roget’s Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases.” He published his dictionary of synonyms in 1852. Since then, it has never been out of print!

Roget’s original treasure (thesaurus is Latin for treasure) trove of information included 15,000 words organized into six primary categories—existence, relation, quantity, number, and time. Today the book boasts over 230,000 words, but it is still organized by ideas and concepts as opposed to alphabetically.

★~ Peking Duck Day:

Peking Duck

Peking Duck is a delectable dish that originated in Beijing, China during the Imperial Era. It became one of the main dishes on the court menus of the Ming Dynasty in the 1500s and is now considered one of China’s national foods.

Peking Duck is made with a specific breed of duck—the Imperial Peking. It is typically roasted in a brick oven, which causes the skin to become crispy. Peking Duck can be eaten with pancakes, spring onions, and either hoisin sauce or sweet bean sauce.

To celebrate National Peking Duck Day, visit a Chinese restaurant and enjoy a traditionally prepared Peking Duck or, if you are feeling adventurous, try cooking one at home!

★~ Today In History:

♥~  1896 – The x-ray machine was exhibited (in New York City) for the first time. To see the machine, one had to pay a 25¢ admission charge. The x-ray machine was invent in November 1895, by Wilhelm Röntgen a German physicist.

♥~ 1950 – The federal tax on oleo margarine was repealed! Oh Happy Parkay!

♥~  1973 – Pink Floyd began recording Dark Side of the Moon, which would become the longest-charting record in Billboard magazine’s history. It remained on the album chart for more than 14 years – until mid-1988 – selling over five-million copies.

♥~  2006 – The couple who conspired to extort money from Wendy’s restaurants by planting a severed finger in a bowl of chili and then suing the restaurant was sentenced to prison. Anna Ayala, 40, who said she bit into the digit, was sentenced to nine years. Her husband, Jaime Plascencia, 44, who obtained the finger from a co-worker who lost it in a workplace accident, was sentenced to more than 12 years.

★~ Trending Today:

Aaron Swartz

♥~  Aaron Swartz’s Suicide Triggers Response from Top U.S. Lawmakers

♥~ In light of all the recent football incidents –we wonder why this video isn’t trending.

♥~ Conrad Bain, Father on ‘Diff’rent Strokes’, Dies at 89

★~ Born Today:

Rogets-Thesaurus

♥~ 1779 – Peter Roget lexicographer: the man behind the thesaurus; inventor: log-log slide rule

♥~ 1882 – A.A. (Alan Alexander) Milne author: Winnie the Pooh, When We Were Very Young, Now We Are Six, The House at Pooh Corner; died Jan 31, 1956

♥~ 1904 – Cary Grant (Archibald Alexander Leach) actor: Hollywood heartthrob for 30+ years: She Done Him Wrong, Bringing Up Baby, The Philadelphia Story, Arsenic and Old Lace, To Catch a Thief, North by Northwest; never said, “Judy, Judy, Judy.”; died Nov 29, 1986

♥~ 1913 – Danny Kaye (David Daniel Kaminski) comedian, dancer, singer, actor: Up In Arms, Hans Christian Anderson, White Christmas, The Danny Kaye Show; UNICEF ambassador; broadcaster: partner in Kaye/Smith Broadcasting: KJR AM/FM, Seattle, KJRB, Spokane; died Mar 3, 1987

♥~ 1955 – Kevin Costner actor: Field of Dreams, JFK, The Bodyguard, The Untouchables, Waterworld, The Postman, Thirteen Days; Academy Award- winning director: Dances with Wolves [1990]; builder of controversial entertainment complex on sacred Lakota Indian land in Black Hills of South Dakota

★~ Did You Know. This chart by Dan Meth suggests treatment for the undiagnosed mental illnesses of the residents of the Hundred-Acre Wood. Soon enough, Tigger will be selling his prescriptions to all of Christopher Robin’s friends.

winnie-the-pooh

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Do you have a favorite character from the Pooh books?  Eeyore, Tigger, Owl, Rabbit, Kanga, Roo, Piglet, Pooh and Christopher Robbin. I like Tigger because he is bouncy.

TGIF!

6 thoughts on “National Winnie the Pooh Day, Thesaurus Day, Peking Duck Day

  1. My neighborhood Chinese place makes a great Peking Duck. It is my favorite dish. My favorite Pooh character? I guess, Owl. I’m very wise and I wear glasses. Heartbreaking story about Arron, no matter what you believe.

    TGIF, I’m ready for the weekend!

    • Owl..yes I can see a resemblance in your ramblings and of-course the glasses are an excellent touch.
      Why not offer to order Sunday night dinner from the local Chinese place??? I bet that would make your sis smile. But offer early before she shops and plans… Just sayin’.

  2. Good Morno!

    Chinese food sounds so good! I’m Pooh. I like to eat. I have always been a fan of Kevin Costner. He is at the top of my celebrity list.
    I like the new trending section of Odd. Interesting. Arron what a loss, I’m certain if he stuck around the legal batter would have worked out and he would have gone on to contribute so much more. I’m so sorry he felt suicide was his only option. Prayers for his parents.
    As for the football teams… ND better take a hard look at itself. Love the school, love football but keeping ALL students physically and emotional should be a top priority of any school.
    FRIDAY. YAY. Have a great day.

    • Morno…Sheesh…now I want Peking Duck.
      Arron is such a sad loss. If only someone could have helped him understand that his troubles would pass.
      TGIF! Hope you have a great day.

  3. I always liked Roo and Rabbit — Eyeore just depressed me, Piglet annoyed me, and Pooh was often just too slow-witted!
    I remember that story about the couple who found a finger at Wendy’s — hard to believe it was that long ago! I found it challenging to eat at Wendy’s for a long time thereafter, too.
    Sad video. I suppose some would say we reap what we sow, and that we can’t keep portraying football players as little gods. For schools to cover up things like sexual assaults (and yes, dead girlfriends who never existed) is just plain WRONG!

    • Roo and Rabbit are both good choices….Creative and attentive.
      Re. the video… I would encourage you to think about writing a letter or blog post…you love ND, Football, and are a practicing Catholic. Even if you wait until after May to write it.

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