★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
July 3rd, 2014

★~  Today’s Quote: “The summer morn is bright and fresh, the birds are darting by
As if they loved to breast the breeze that sweeps the cool clear sky.”- William C. Bryant

★~ Dog Days of Summer:

[youtube]http://youtu.be/pkPNa4DBFHI[/youtube]

The official “Dog Days” of summer begin on July 3 and end on August 11. So how did this time frame earn its canine nickname? It turns out the phrase has nothing to do with the poor pooches who are forever seeking shade in the July heat, and everything to do with the nighttime sky.

Sirius, the Dog Star, is the brightest star in the sky. The ancient Greeks noticed that in the summer months, Sirius rose and set with the Sun, and they theorized that it was the bright, glowing Dog Star that was adding extra heat to the Earth in July and August.

★~ Stay Out of the Sun Day:

Along with the stifling heat, July also brings a scorching sun. The Mayo Clinic reports “melanoma rates among young women are eight-times higher than they were 40 years ago.” Stay Out of the Sun Day is a reminder to keep safe by protecting ourselves from the sun’s rays with hat and quality sunscreen.

★~ Compliment your Mirror Day:

Stand in front of your mirror, with your eyes closed. Put a smile on your face…a BIG smile. Now, open your eyes. Isn’t the picture of the person in your mirror absolutely stunning?!?

★~ Eat Beans Day!

Vegans, Vegetarians, Flexitarians, and fans of legumes, today we celebrate “Eat Beans Day,” in your honor! Pass the Bacon and Bean, please.

Did you know . . .

* The use of legumes as a basic dietary staple can be traced back more than 20,000 years.

* Ten thousand-year-old lentil remains have been uncovered on the banks of the Euphrates River.

* Chickpeas have been found in Bronze Age deposits in Jericho and Babylon.

I like Bush canned beans best but here are few more recipes. . .

Spicy Crock Pot Pinto Bean Chili
Ground Beef and Garbanzo Bean Casserole

★~ Today in History: 

♥~ 1775 – George Washington took command of the Continental Army of the colonies

♥~ 1819 –  The first bank in the U.S. opened in New York City. Business was brisk with $2,807 deposited in The Bank for Savings. In today’s dollars that deposit was about $66,048.14.

♥~ 1863 – Four score and eight years later, the Battle of Gettysburg ended on July 3rd, with the Army of the Potomac defeating Confederate forces under Gen. Robert E. Lee.

♥~ 1890 – Idaho, joined the union and became our 43rd United State.   The official state bird is the mountain bluebird; the state flower is the syringa … or lilac, to the non-botanists among us.

♥~ 1922 – Readers were introduced to Fruit Garden and Home magazine. In two years, the publication would be renamed Better Homes and Gardens.

♥~ 1953 – Harry Belafonte was shown with actress Janet Leigh and film star Tony Curtis on the cover of Ebony magazine. It was the first time a black person and two Caucasians were seen together on a U.S. magazine cover.

♥~ 1971 –  American singer, songwriter and poet, Jim Morrison of The Doors was found dead in a bathtub in Paris, France, the cause of death was given as a heart attack. He co-wrote some of the group’s biggest hits, including ‘Light My Fire’, ‘Love Me Two Times’, and ‘Love Her Madly.’ On the 25th anniversary of his death an estimated 15,000 fans gathered at Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, France to pay their respects.

★~ Born Today: 

♥~ 1883 – Franz Kafka a German-language writer of novels and short stories, regarded by critics as one of the most influential authors of the 20th century. Google celebrates Kafka 130 birthday with a doodle.

♥~ 1878 – George M. Cohan wrote about being “born on the Fourth of July” in the song “Yankee Doodle Dandy.” But official records show that he was born on July 3rd, 1878.

♥~ 1914 – Don Haggerty actor: Sands of Iwo Jim, The Asphalt Jungle, Angels in the Outfield, The Narrow Margin, Legend of the Wild, The Resurrection of Zachary Wheeler, Hell Is for Heroes, Fight for the Title, Mobs, Inc., Naked Alibi; died Aug 19, 1988

♥~ 1962 – Tom Cruise (Thomas Cruise Mapother IV),Mission: Impossible series, A Few Good Men, The Firm, Days of Thunder, Born on the Fourth of July, Cocktail, Top Gun, Rain Man, The Color of Money, Taps, Interview with a Vampire, Jerry Maguire, Eyes Wide Shut, Mission: Impossible II, Collateral, War of the Worlds.

★~ Good to Know: If you like to read…

Last year, Random House decided to give away Dan Brown’s bestselling novel, The Da Vinci Code, for free for one week. The eBook freebie ran on the 10-year anniversary of The Da Vinci Code, and a few weeks before the release of Brown’s new book, Inferno.
Why did Random House give away a national bestselling eBook that usually retails for $9.99? The promotion was very deliberate, with the goal of hooking new readers on Brown’s thrillers and drumming up interest for Inferno. In fact, the eBook included the prologue and first chapter of Inferno.

However, millions of readers, including avid Brown fans, were not aware of the week-long giveaway. Enter BookBub. BookBub is a daily email service that alerts readers to limited time promotions of free or deeply discounted eBooks across a variety of platforms. BookBub notified nearly 1 million readers of the free Da Vinci Code deal last spring, and many took advantage.

“It’s the Groupon of books,” Dominique Raccah, the publisher of Sourcebooks, told The New York Times about deal sites like BookBub. “For the consumer, it’s new, it’s interesting. It’s a deal and there isn’t much risk. And it works.”

Publishers and authors discount eBooks for several reasons. For example, in the case of The Da Vinci Code, Random House wanted to prime the pump for the new release of Inferno. Publishers and authors also run free or discounted eBooks to hook readers on a series, or build a following for a new author.

“It makes it almost irresistible,” Liz Perl, Simon & Schuster’s senior vice president explained to the The New York Times. “We’re lowering the bar for you to sample somebody new.”

White their are other book give-away sites,  BookBub is unique in that it does not list every single free eBook on the market. Instead, BookBub’s expert editorial team selectively curates only the best eBooks to be featured in their email and on their website.

In most cases, the deals can be purchased for any eReading device, including Kindle, iPad, Nook, Kobo, Sony and Android. Additionally, BookBub allows readers to select which genres they would like to receive, so each email is matched to subscriber preferences. With over 2 million readers already using BookBub’s service, it’s clear that this type of promotional concept is one that resonates with both publishers and readers alike.

To find out more about the service, go to www.bookbub.com. I signed up and so far the e-mails have been helpful and aren’t followed by a lot of spam.

#

It looks like it is going to be a beautiful day in Chicago. Currently the skies are blue and the temps are cool. I’m waiting for Beulah the Swiss Mountain puppy to arrive. I’m so happy to see this family again! They lost their first Swissie Louisa to cancer about three years ago and I’ve missed them and can’t wait to meet the new pup.

Cole is feeling a little better. He just caught a nasty virus that took him down and out. Hopefully, by tomorrow he’ll be back to his old self. My sweet Mom suggested her dear boy might be hungry for Panera’s cheddar and broccoli soup last night around 7pm when she called…of-course he heard the suggestion and was immediately craving the soup. Sure, Panera Bread is a 3 mile drive and it was raining, but one look into those glassy eyes and I was on my way. He needs me, he really needs me. As my sweet mother ‘splained to me….You can commit almost any crime and be paroled, but being a Mom it’s a forever gig. And that makes me happy in an unexplainable Mom sort of way!

Have a wonderful day. And don’t miss our last Odd Random Review! 

Odd Loves Company!