~★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
July 14, 2013

★~ Today‘s Quote:  Not all the Greek runners in the original Olympics were totally naked. Some wore shoes. – Mark Twain

★~ Bastille Day:

Bastille Day is a national holiday in France. It is  similar to the fourth of July in the United States. The French simple call it le 14 Juillet.

The Bastille was a stronghold built in Paris in the 14th century. In fact, the word “bastille” means “fortress” in French. During his reign, Louis XVI used it as a prison and the structure became a symbol of his power. In 1789, rioters stormed the Bastille and proceeded to demolish it. It was an act of rebellion and marked the beginning of the French Revolution.

Uncork a bottle of French wine and celebrate France.

★~ National Nude Day:

National Nude Day (also referred to as International Nude Day as it has gone global) originated in New Zealand when former rugby star and TV presenter Marc Ellis dared people to streak in front of Prime Minister Helen Clark. So if you missed World Naturist Day (June 19), World Naked Bike Ride Day (June 11), or World Naked Gardening Day (May 14), now is your chance to celebrate au natural!

If you would like to plan a vacation at naked resort….Click for a list a of the best resorts. 

★~ Pandemonium Day:

Today IS National Nude Day, so we’re already halfway to complete pandemonium. Now let’s see what we can do to really shake things up. Dance party in the streets? Driving golf carts through the mall? A herd of pandas running amok? PANDAmonium. Speaking of Pandamonium  the San Diego Zoo Struggles To Keep Rising Panda Population Under Control.

★~ Macaroni Day:

Macaroni and cheese is one of the most popular meals in the United States. In 1802, President Thomas Jefferson introduced it to the White House and ever since, it has been a hit with American families. In 1937, Kraft Foods decided to add it to grocery store shelves to help the American mom prepare meals for her family. Macaroni tastes great, is easy to make, and if your kids are bored, they can pour out a bowl of uncooked Macaroni and make beautiful necklaces!

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

★~ National Grand Marnier Day:

What better way to toast Bastille Day than with a snifter of Grand Marnier. This grand dame of liqueurs is the creation of the Lapostolle family who, in 1827, founded a distillery to produce liqueurs in the chateau country of France.

Most often, it is consumed as a digestif at the end of a filling meal, but it also used in mixed cocktails and baked desserts.  The French dessert called Crêpes Suzette is actually ” Crêpes au Grand Marnier,” and is flambéed in Grand Marnier.

★~ Today in History:

♥~ 1789 – The French celebrate today as the day they began their revolution against royalty. by storming the Bastille prison in Paris.

♥~ 1913 – Gerald Ford – He was born Leslie King Jr., but when his parents divorced and his mother remarried, Leslie was renamed after his stepfather:  Gerald Ford.  Ford had the shortest term of any U.S. president who did not die in office (less than three years), but he lived longer than any other president, until age 93.

♥~ 1927 – John Chancellor – NBC News anchor.  Chancellor began anchoring “NBC Nightly News” in 1970, when Chet Huntley retired from “The Huntley-Brinkley Report.”  He’s credited with originating the idea of using color-coded maps on network news coverage of presidential elections, starting in 1976, when NBC used blue to mark states won by Gerald Ford, and red for states won by Jimmy Carter.

♥~ 1972 – The temperature rose to 128 degrees in Death Valley, California. What was the highest temperature ever in Death Valley?134 degrees on July 10, 1913.

♥~ 2010 – Violet (78) and Allen Large (75), who lived in a modest home in Lower Turo, Nova Scotia, Canada, scooped the Lotto 649 jackpot winning .2 million. In the months that followed, they gave most of their winnings away to charity.

★~ Born Today:

♥~1862 – Gustav Klimt – Austrian symbolist painter whose work was a cause of controversy for its celebration of sexuality, but which is now counted among the most expensive artworks in the world.. His most famous painting is The Kiss (1907-08), which reflected his fascination with eroticism. Reputedly the father of 14 illegitimate children, Klimt died from a stroke after contracting Spanish flu during the 1918 pandemic.

♥~ 1910 – William Hanna was the co-creator of animated characters Tom and Jerry, Yogi Bear, Snagglepuss and Magilla Gorilla. With partner Joe Barbera, he won seven Academy Awards for his Tom and Jerry cartoon shorts, and eight other works were nominated. The Hanna-Barbera team created the first animated TV sitcom for adults, The Flintstones (1960), and such favorites as The Jetsons and Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?

♥ ~ 1918 – Ingmar Bergman Academy Award-winning director: Through a Glass Darkly [1961]; The Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries, Cries and Whispers, Fanny and Alexander; died July 30, 2007

♥~ 1960 – Actress Jane Lynch actress: “Glee,” “The Cleveland Show,” The 40-Year-Old Virgin, born Dolton, IL.

♥~ 1966 – Matthew Fox actor: Lost, A Token for Your Thoughts, Behind the Mask, If I Die Before I Wake, My Boyfriend’s Back, We Are Marshall

★~ Good to Know: Odd News

♥~ 4-YEAR-OLD MAYOR SEEKS RE-ELECTION: Dorset, Minnesota, has a population of 22 people. Those fine citizens are led by mayor Robert Tufts, known locally as Bobby, who became mayor last year when he was only three years old. During his tenure as mayor, Bobby helped to raise money for Ronald McDonald House charities. Bobby would like to be mayor for another year, but that’s not really up to the voters of the unincorporated village. Each year, a mayor is chosen by raffle. Bobby, as the incumbent, gets to draw the name this year. Raffle tickets are $1 each, so the odds of winning can be manipulated somewhat.

♥~ GIANT PURPLE CHICKEN STOLEN: Three men were arrested in Putnam County, Florida, for stealing a 9-foot-tall purple chicken. The 660-pound aluminum statue stood guard over a honey stand owned by David Biggers until last Monday, when a neighbor heard a commotion. He went outside and saw a pickup truck dragging the chicken down the street -with one of the perpetrators riding on it! Witnesses and video evidence led police to the chicken, which had sustained extensive damage. The chicken is valued at $2,300. Darrin Luke Edwards, Tyler Lee Jones, and James Joseph Smith were charged with grand theft. The owner of the chicken however says.  “It was just a stupid thing they did,” Biggers said, “and I’d hate to see the rest of their lives messed up with a felony.” He even suggests an appropriate punishment: They can work to pay to repair the purple chicken. And after that? “They can have the chicken,” he said.

♥~ TODDLER BUYS CAR ON EBAY: Sorella Stoute of Portland, Oregon, is 14 months old. While playing with her father’s phone, the toddler pushed enough buttons to open eBay and purchase a 1962 Austin Healey. Her father, Paul Stoute, only found out about the transaction when he got an email confirming the deal. Both parents went into a panic, but then realized that the vehicle was only $225, and the seller was fairly local. So they decided to just keep the car. Stoute is considering restoring it for Sorella’s 16th birthday. But he also installed facial recognition software on his phone.  Wouldn’t have been easier to just log off.

♥~ BEES FOIL CARJACKING IN STING OPERATION:  Pay attention; this one is complicated. Two guys in a Lexus in Craighall, South Africa, witnessed a BMW hitting a Peugot in a hit-and-run and then followed the perpetrator. When the two cars stopped, the Lexus passenger got out to take pictures for evidence. Three men got out of the BMW. One of them jumped into the Lexus and pointed a gun at the driver. The Lexus driver hit the gas pedal and backed the car swiftly into a wall. The wall collapsed, and thousands of enraged bees swarmed from their hive behind the wall and into the Lexus. The three men from the BMW, which was found to be a stolen car, were last seen running down the street, pulling their clothing off. Emergency services responded and treated the two men from the Lexus for bee stings. The Lexus was a total wreck, the Peugot was badly damaged, and the wall sustained an estimated $10,000 in damage.

♥~HOMELESS MAN UNDER HOUSE ARREST:  Domenico Codispoti was arrested for petty theft and drug charges in Milan, Italy, and was sentenced to two years of house arrest in 2006. But Codispoti is homeless, so the court did the best they could to carry out the sentence. Each night, Codispoti must be at the sidewalk at number 22 via Pisani, in his normal sleeping place by 9PM. He must stay in that spot until 7AM. Police patrols come by to make sure he is in his spot. If Codispoti leaves his assigned area, he will be arrested. This has happened a few times, such as the time he crossed the street to go to the bathroom. Each time he is sent to jail for a short time and released to more “house arrest” time. As it stands, Codispoti’s sentence will be up in 2014. Unless he crosses the street again.

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I am dying for a donut. If I don’t get one in the next 20 minutes I shall surely perish. It’s all my sweet mothers fault for saying the D word yesterday; she know how susceptible I am to suggestion about Donuts. I once ate 8 on the way to a dog show but the person I was with ate 12 on the way home, so that made me feel much better. Dog shows and Donuts, it’s a thing. I’d explain more, but I know you don’t want me to perish for the lack of a Donut so I’m off to the neighborhood Duncan Donuts to buy one glazed Donut. Maybe 2. A chocolate and a glazed donut. Maybe you should have a Donut with me!

Keep  good intentions that all our states stay peaceful over the acquittal of George Zimmerman. Chicago was a mess of fireworks last night when the verdict was announced. Hoping today cooler heads will prevail.

Wishing you a satisfying Sunday.

 

Late Offering. Thanks El Morno friend Julianne.

Bastille Day French Fries. And since these are oven-baked, you enjoy them guilt-free.

Ingredients
1. 2 pounds russet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into fries
2. 2-3 cups extra virgin olive oil
3. kosher or sea salt, to taste
4. 1 tablespoon parsley, minced
5. 1 clove garlic

Tip: To cut a potato into French fries, simply make long slices every half inch along the potato with a very sharp knife. Turn the potato on its side, and continue to slice in the same direction, making square, “stick”-shaped fries.