March is Women's History Month
Donald Duck Day; K-9 Veterans Day
National Open an Umbrella Indoors Day
National Jewel Day; National Coconut Torte Day
National Good Samaritan Day; Check Your Batteries Day (see #12)
Today is The Start of Daylight Savings Time
via wikipedia
Rachel Louise Carson (1907-1964) was an American marine biologist and conservationist whose book Silent Spring and other writings are credited with advancing the global environmental movement.
Carson began her career as an aquatic biologist in the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, and became a full-time nature writer in the 1950s. Her widely praised 1951 bestseller The Sea Around Us won her a U.S. National Book Award,[2] recognition as a gifted writer, and financial security.
Her next book, The Edge of the Sea, and the reissued version of her first book, Under the Sea Wind, were also bestsellers. This sea trilogy explores the whole of ocean life from the shores to the depths.
Late in the 1950s, Carson turned her attention to conservation, especially some environmental problems that she believed were caused by synthetic pesticides. The result was the book Silent Spring (1962), which brought environmental concerns to an unprecedented share of the American people.
Although Silent Spring was met with fierce opposition by chemical companies, it spurred a reversal in national pesticide policy, which led to a nationwide ban on DDT and other pesticides, and it inspired a grassroots environmental movement that led to the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Carson was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Jimmy Carter.
1) Fear of sunlight is called photophobia.
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2) "Toddlers kill more people in America than terrorists." ~ Jimmy Dore
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3) Over 1 million people pass through Grand Central Station in New York City every single day.
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4) Teachers are revered and very well paid in Scandinavia. All 5 Scandinavian countries rank in the top 10 most literate countries.
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5) In 1969, "Midnight Cowboy" won the Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director John Schlesinger, and Best Adapted Screenplay to Waldo Salt
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6) Every year since 1962, 400,00 spectators have lined the shores of the Chicago River to watch them dye the river green in celebration of St. Patrick's Day. Don't worry, it's vegetable based dye.
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7) Seth Rogen and his wife Lauren funded every single project in Sonoma County on the website donorschoose(dot)org. It's a website that helps to bring classroom dreams to life. They chose Sonoma County because they got married there.
[Good choice! I've lived near, and shopped in Sonoma County, pretty much exclusively for 40+ years. NorCal is the best!]
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8) Although Jesse Jackson has decided to remain neutral in the Democratic Primary, Sanders did endorse Jesse Jackson for President, when he ran on the Rainbow Coalition ticket in 1988. Sanders, as mayor of Burlington, Vt., had endorsed Jackson “in the whitest state in the nation."
“Bernie endorsed me in ’88, and I won Vermont, at a time that it wasn’t a popular thing to do,” Jackson said. “I know why he’s so appealing.”
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9) CANNABIS WATCH
“Have you ever been at home, ran out of cannabis, and wished you could have it delivered on demand? And if you’ve already experienced that pleasure, have you ever wished you could do so 100 percent legally, so even your delivery person didn’t have to worry?
Well if you live in Seattle, that fantasy may soon be a reality. House Bill 2368 made its way to the House floor in January, and is still in review. Sponsored by State Representatives Christopher Hurst (D-Enumclaw) and Cary Condotta (R-East Wenatchee), the bill originally only allowed five cannabis retailers to offer delivery service.
But, seeing as that wouldn’t even come close to meeting local demands, Representative Hurst amended the bill to allow as many retailers to deliver as the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board is willing to license. And that’s not all Hurst is doing to help promote canna-business in Washington.
Hurst, along with several other State Representatives. Including Condotta, has sponsored another canna-business friendly bill. House Bill 2347 aims to reduce the excise tax on cannabis sales from its current 37 percent, to a more reasonable 25 percent.
Unfortunately, HB-2347’s deadline to pass the House Finance Committee by the Legislature’s was February 9, and the bill didn’t pass. Still, Hurst held out hope that it could be amended and eventually passed, but was unsure whether or not he’d follow-up on it.
So why is Hurst so passionate about creating a competitive business environment for our state’s cannabis producers, processors, and retailers? He explained why in a statement made to the North Kitsap Herald.
‘We can’t get there if we price ourselves so much higher than the illicit market,’ Hurst stated. ‘The criminals love the tax rate being high, because they don’t pay it, and it makes it so the legal people can’t compete with them.’
‘The voters, when they passed 502, didn’t say that they wanted more people smoking marijuana or people to smoke more marijuana,’ Hurst went on. ‘What they said was they wanted a stabilized, well-regulated market and, fundamentally, you don’t get there if the price is so high that you’re keeping organized crime in business.’
Hurst is somewhat of an unlikely advocate for cannabis. Back in 2010, Hurst voted no on HB-177, which called for the decriminalization of cannabis. During that time, he stated that he couldn’t in good conscience, pass a bill that conflicted with Federal law. Whatever his reason for changing his mind, legal cannabis supporters all over the state should be grateful that he did. Especially those trying to make money legally.”
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10) 85% of Tampons Contain Monsanto’s ‘Cancer Causing’ Glyphosate
“Glyphosate, a widely popular herbicide that has been linked to cancer by the World Health Organization’s cancer research arm, was detected in 85 percent of cotton hygiene products tested in a preliminary study from researchers at the University of La Plata in Argentina.
Sixty-two percent of the samples also tested positive for AMPA (or aminomethylphosphonic acid), a derivative of glyphosate.
According to Revolution News, the samples—which included gauze, swabs, wipes and feminine care products such as tampons and sanitary pads—were purchased from local supermarkets and pharmacies in the La Plata area.
The findings were presented in October 2015, at the third national congress of Doctors of Fumigated Towns in Buenos Aires.
‘Eighty-five percent of all samples tested positive for glyphosate and 62 percent for AMPA, which is the environmental metabolite, but in the case of cotton and sterile cotton gauze the figure was 100 percent,’ Dr. Damian Marino, the study’s head researcher, told the Télam news agency (via RT).
‘In terms of concentrations, what we saw is that in raw cotton AMPA dominates (39 parts per billion, or PPB, and 13 PPB of glyphosate), while the gauze is absent of AMPA, but contained glyphosate at 17 PPB,’ said Dr. Marino.
The findings were presented last week at the third national congress of Doctors of Fumigated Towns in Buenos Aires.
‘Eighty-five percent of all samples tested positive for glyphosate and 62 percent for AMPA, which is the environmental metabolite, but in the case of cotton and sterile cotton gauze the figure was 100 percent,’ Dr. Damian Marino, the study’s head researcher, told the Télam news agency (via RT).
‘In terms of concentrations, what we saw is that in raw cotton AMPA dominates (39 parts per billion, or PPB, and 13 PPB of glyphosate), while the gauze is absent of AMPA, but contained glyphosate at 17 PPB,’ said Dr. Marino.
Dr. Medardo Avila Vazquez, president of the congress, said (via RT) that the result of this research is ‘very serious when you use cotton or gauze to heal wounds or for personal hygiene uses, thinking they are sterilized products, and the results show that they are contaminated with a probably carcinogenic substance.
Most of the cotton production in the country is GM [genetically modified] cotton that is resistant to glyphosate. It is sprayed when the bud is open and the glyphosate is condensed and goes straight into the product.’
Glyphosate is the key ingredient in biotech giant Monsanto’s Roundup, the most popular weedkiller in the U.S. “Roundup Ready” cotton, soy and corn crops have been genetically modified to withstand application of the herbicide.
In fact, farmers sprayed 2.6 billion pounds of Monsanto’s glyphosate herbicide on U.S. agricultural land between 1992 and 2012, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
In 2015, the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that adoption of genetically modified-varieties, including those with herbicide tolerance, insect resistance or stacked traits, accounted for 94 percent of the nation’s cotton acreage.
Monsanto maintains the safety of their product, citing its approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which “classified the carcinogenicity potential of glyphosate as Category E: ‘evidence of non-carcinogenicity for humans.’
Monsanto is also demanding a retraction of the World Health Organization’s classification of glyphosate as a possible carcinogen.
This is not the first time that the chemical makeup of feminine care products has been put under the lens. A 2013 report by Women’s Voices for the Earth detailed how the feminine care industry sells products containing unregulated and potentially harmful chemicals, including preservatives, pesticides, fragrances and dyes.”
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11) On this day in 1942 the U.S. Army launched the K-9 Corps
The Quartermaster Corps (QMC) of the United States Army begins training dogs for the newly established War Dog Program, or “K-9 Corps.” on March 13, 1942.
Well over a million dogs served on both sides during World War I, carrying messages along the complex network of trenches and providing some measure of psychological comfort to the soldiers.
The most famous dog to emerge from the war was Rin Tin Tin, an abandoned puppy of German war dogs found in France in 1918 and taken to the United States, where he made his film debut in the 1922 silent film The Man from Hell’s River. As the first bona fide animal movie star, Rin Tin Tin made the little-known German Shepherd breed famous across the country.
In the United States, the practice of training dogs for military purposes was largely abandoned after World War I. When the country entered World War II in December 1941, the American Kennel Association and a group called Dogs for Defense began a movement to mobilize dog owners to donate healthy and capable animals to the Quartermaster Corps of the U.S. Army. Training began in March 1942, and that fall the QMC was given the task of training dogs for the U.S. Navy, Marines and Coast Guard as well.
The K-9 Corps initially accepted over 30 breeds of dogs, but the list was soon narrowed to seven: German Shepherds, Belgian sheep dogs, Doberman Pinschers, collies, Siberian Huskies, Malumutes and Eskimo dogs. Members of the K-9 Corps were trained for a total of 8 to 12 weeks.
After basic obedience training, they were sent through one of four specialized programs to prepare them for work as sentry dogs, scout or patrol dogs, messenger dogs or mine-detection dogs. In active combat duty, scout dogs proved especially essential by alerting patrols to the approach of the enemy and preventing surprise attacks.
The top canine hero of World War II was Chips, a German Shepherd who served with the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division. Trained as a sentry dog, Chips broke away from his handlers and attacked an enemy machine gun nest in Italy, forcing the entire crew to surrender. The wounded Chips was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star and the Purple Heart–all of which were later revoked due to an Army policy preventing official commendation of animals.
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12) 9 Inventions Edison Did Not Make
"’Keep on the lookout for novel ideas that others have used successfully. Your idea has to be original only in its adaptation to the problem you’re working on’ – Thomas Edison
Much of what the public knows about America’s most celebrated inventor is riddled with misconceptions. Among other things, the shrewed businessman Thomas Alva Edison, did not invent the light bulb. Following is a list of inventions that are often attributed to Edison, but were in fact not his making.
1. The Electric Bulb or Incandescent Lamp
Ask any child who invented the light bulb, and the answer is likely to be "Thomas Edison". Contrary to what schools have taught for years, the American icon, Thomas Edison, neither invented the light bulb, nor held the first patent to the modern design of the light bulb. In reality, light bulbs used as electric lights existed 50 years prior to Thomas Edison’s 1879 patent date. In fact, Edison lost all patent rights to the light bulb both in Britain and the United States.
The first practical electric chair was invented by Harold P. Brown. Brown was an employee of Thomas Edison, hired for the purpose of researching electrocution and for the development of the electric chair. Since Brown worked for Edison, and Edison promoted Brown’s work, the development of the electric chair is often erroneously credited to Edison himself. Furthermore, Brown’s design was based on George Westinghouse’s alternating current (AC), which was then just emerging as the rival to Edison’s less transport-efficient direct current (DC), which was further along in commercial development.
As with the Electric chair, the invention of the movie camera should accurately be attributed to William Dickson, an Edison employee. Edison had absolutely no concept of how the movie industry would take off. Interestingly, even before Edison’s work on movies, the basic idea had already been developed by a British photographer named Eadward Muybridge. He wanted to prove that when a horse ran, all four of its legs could be up in the air at once. By taking several photos very fast, Muybridge proved his point.
In the early 1880s, Nikola Tesla invented the AC generator, which allowed electricity to be transmitted over greater distances than could be done with DC power, which required a generator every few miles. Edison was making good money off of DC power, and didn’t want to change, or worse, have someone else move in on his turf. Not surprisingly, Tesla and Edison had a long standing feud over this and many other inventions[1] . Edison did not invent the first electrical power station. Ultimately, though, he did improve the designs of existing generators and regulators to create the first commercially successful power station capable of delivering affordable power for electric lighting.
5. X-Ray Photographs (fluoroscope)
In 1887, Nikola Tesla, not Edison, was among the first to investiage the nature of X-Ray’s using designs based on the Cathode Ray Tube. Eight years later, Thomas Edison began investigating materials’ ability to fluoresce when exposed to x-rays. The fluoroscope he developed became the standard for medical X-ray examinations. Nevertheless, Edison dropped X-ray research around 1903 after the death of Clarence Madison Dally, one of his glassblowers. Dally had a habit of testing X-ray tubes on his hands, and acquired a cancer in them so tenacious that both arms were amputated in a futile attempt to save his life.
What invention made Edison the most money? The alkaline storage battery. Ironically, though, Edison did not invent the first storage battery, but combined new materials to create a storage battery suitable for practical use. By the time he perfected the alkaline storage battery, electric-powered cars had lost out in the competition with gas-powered cars that could be driven far greater distances. A failure as the motive force for automobiles, the alkaline storage battery was ultimately a great commercial success as the power source for train lights, marine appliances, and miners’ lamps. Prior to this invention, miners used candles or small oil lamps attached to their hard hats as their light source.
In 1887, Nikola Tesla, not Edison, was among the first to investiage the nature of X-Ray’s using designs based on the Cathode Ray Tube. Eight years later, Thomas Edison began investigating materials’ ability to fluoresce when exposed to x-rays. The fluoroscope he developed became the standard for medical X-ray examinations. Nevertheless, Edison dropped X-ray research around 1903 after the death of Clarence Madison Dally, one of his glassblowers. Dally had a habit of testing X-ray tubes on his hands, and acquired a cancer in them so tenacious that both arms were amputated in a futile attempt to save his life.
Although Edison claimed to have invented wax paper, he did not. Waxed paper was invented by Gustave Le Gray in 1851. Used for hand-colouration, it allowed the colour from the back of the photograph to be seen from the front. The wax paper revolutionized photography and also became a commercially successful household product for, among other things, wrapping food.
The telegraph had been invented while Edison was still a child. Due to his partial deafness, Edison learned the art of telegraph at an early age. And later on, spent a considerable time devising inventions that relied on the telegraph system, such as the stock ticker. Nevertheless, he did not invent the telegraph. To his credit, he did invent the first duplex and multiplex telegraphy systems, enabling telegraphs to send and receive messages at the same time over the same wire.
Thomas Edison himself did not invent major breakthroughs. He often took credit for the ideas and inventions of others and most of his patents were little more than improvements on already existing products. He was an astute businessman, and as such, had greater impact on innovating existing products than inventing new ones. To quote himself,’I always invent to obtain money to go on inventing.’"
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*NOTE* - Please understand that I do not claim to be a “journalist”. I am only passing on bits of information, which others have researched, that drift through my awareness, on any given day. I watch, read and listen to any number of different news and entertainment sources, and it’s more than anyone could possibly intake and retain in a day, so I created this little daily “cheat sheet” for myself, so that I could remember all these oddball facts. Then I decided to share these tidbits, and thus was born the Daily TILT. I do this for fun. I hope you enjoy it.
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[Snarky comments by me are usually in brackets like this].
All photos by me unless credited otherwise.
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**NOTE: I purposely do not include links or photos in the TILT. The idea is to not have one story be highlighted above all the others. And sometimes links can be stressful. I, myself, sometimes get conflicted when presented with too many choices, so I thought I'd save you the trouble of having to make any of those types of decisions for a few minutes, while you read the Link-Free TILT!
I encourage you to further research any story that interests you, though. They are easy to Google.
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***My Daily Sources are usually one of the following: Democracy Now, The Daily Kos, Thom Hartmann, care2, Mother Jones, David Pakman, Ring of Fire, Jim Hightower, Alternet, Bill Press, Wired UK, John Fugelsang, Lee Camp, Bill Maher, The Huffington Post, The Daily Show, TYT Network, todayifoundout, Truthout, DIGG, Think Progress, Politico, Salon, Star Kelley, Friends of the Earth, Talk Media News, NRDC, Pirate Television, The Upworthiest, The Chase, The View, Soul Pancake, The Petition Site, Bioneers, TechKnow, The Daily Beast, PPP, YouTube and occasionally, MSNBC.
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As Thom Hartmann always says, "Democracy is NOT a spectator sport. TAG, you're it!"