~★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
March 22, 2012

★~ Today’s Quote:  It is a happy talent to know how to play.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

★~ Goof-Off-Day: 

Embrace the Ferris Bueller approach to life! Check in with your inner adolescent, and reconnect to a wonderful, carefree, and thrilling spirit that nourishes your soul. It’s a beautiful thing to throw a little caution to the wind, goof off, act young at heart, and play hooky from life every now and then. The school-skipping, life-living character in the film put it best when he observed, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Goof-off today! (Or someday very soon.)

★~ Coq Au Vin Day: (also on May 29)

Coq au vin is a French dish that literally means “rooster in wine.” The meal is made of braised chicken, red wine, mushrooms, and garlic; and it boasts a long history, with legends tracing it back to Julius Caesar and, later, Napoleon. In spite of its early beginnings, Coq au vin did not become popular until the early twentieth century. It’s not a dish easy did to whip together, so I suggest making reservations and going out. However, if you would like to give it a try, why not try it with Julia Childs’ recipe. If at first you do not succeed, don’t worry—this dish is celebrated again on May 29.

★~ A special Bon Voyage:

A very special Bon Voyage Day to our favorite El Morno Aussie who will embark on a five-week travel adventure to Paris; Lucerne in Switzerland; Salzburg and Vienna in Austria; Venice, Rome, and Florence (side trip to Cinque Terre and San Gimignano) in Italy; Monte Carlo in Monaco; Barcelona in Spain; and Nice and Montpellier in France,  finishing off in Paris for a few extra days.

Those of us that have followed Antoinette as she scheduled, planned, puzzled, packed, and re-packed for this trip are almost as excited for her as if we were going ourselves. We have all been armchair travel coaches, and now the trip is about to begin. Armed with her perfectly packed suitcase (did you pack your roller brush Antoinette?) and new camera,  our saucy Aussie is expected to return home with a plethora of pictures to share and a suitcase with wrinkled clothes filled with memories and perhaps a pair or two or three of new shoes!

★~ Today in History:

♥~ 1767 – Joseph Priestly invented carbonated water as he created the first drinkable man-made glass of soda water on this day in Leeds, England.

♥~ 1914 – The world’s first airline began operations in St. Petersburg, Florida: The St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line.

♥~ 1948 – The Voice of Firestone was the first commercial radio program to be carried simultaneously on both AM and FM radio stations.

♥~ 1972 – The U.S. Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse (a.k.a. the Shafer Commission) urged an end to criminal penalties for the private possession and use of marijuana.

♥~ 2007 – Dorie-Ann Kahale and her five daughters moved from a homeless shelter to a mansion, courtesy of billionaire Genshiro Kawamoto. The Japanese real estate mogul handed over eight of his multimillion-dollar homes in Hawaii to low-income Native Hawaiian families.

♥~ 2012 – World Water Day –  The purpose of this day is to raise awareness about the state of sustainable freshwater resources around the world. More than 880 million people on the planet do not have access to safe drinking water, and the amount of water we need to drink and to produce food, goods, and services continues to grow. The United Nations General Assembly announced the first World Water Day in 1993. Every year on March 22 thousands of participants attend the World Water Forum to discuss the important issues.

★~Born Today:

♥~ 1908 – Louis L’Amour novelist (Westerns): The Iron Marshal, The Quick and the Dead, Down the Long Hills, The Shadow Riders, The Daybreakers, Sackett, The Broken Gun, Utah Blaine, Kilkenny; died Jun 10, 1988

♥~ 1931 – William Shatner Emmy Award-winning actor: The Practice [2004], Boston Legal [2005]; Star Trek, Rescue 9-1-1, T.J. Hooker

♥~ 1947 – James Patterson mystery author: Alex Cross, Michael Bennett, Women’s Murder Club, Maximum Ride, Daniel X, Witch & Wizard series; many stand-alone thrillers, nonfiction and romance novels

♥~ 1948 – Andrew Lloyd Webber composer: Jesus Christ Superstar, Hair, Cats, Phantom of the Opera

♥~ 1976 – Reese Witherspoon Academy Award-winning actress: Walk the Line [2005]; Freeway, Pleasantville, Cruel Intentions, American Psycho, Legally Blonde, Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde, The Importance of Being Earnest

★~ Did You Know: 

♥~  Over 1.5 billion people do not have access to clean, safe water.

♥~ Almost 4 million people die each year from water related diseases. 43% of water related deaths are due to diarrhea.

♥~ In Sub-Saharan Africa women spend on average 16 hours a week collecting water.

♥~ A typical individual in the United States uses 500 liters of water each day. Over 1 billion people use less than 6 liters of water per day. A typical individual in Gambia uses just 4.5 liters of water a day.

♥~ It takes about 300 liters of water to make the paper for just one Sunday newspaper.

♥~ The recommended daily water requirement for sanitation, bathing, cooking and consumption is approximately 50 litters per person per day.

♥~ It takes over 11,000 liters of water to produce a pound of coffee.

♥~ A five minute shower in an American household will use more water than a person living in a developing world slum will use in a whole day

♥~  Global sales of bottled water account for over $60-$80 billion each year.

♥~ Want to know how much water you’re using? Calculate your water footprint.

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These days, while I am home without a car, your comments are especially meaningful. So if you have a Morno moment, leave a comment and let me know what it’s like out there in the real world these days. Odd Loves Company!  Click here for an updated  on our latest car adventures.

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