Photos of lobsters can be found at
many sites on the net with captions calling the crustaceans
biologically immortal. A 2007 news story that reported that
lobsters do not show typical signs of senescence, the process of
growing older. The report said that lobsters do not age the way
other living creatures do, because they do not lower their
reproductive ability, slow their metabolism, or decrease in
strength.
It is true that lobsters continue reproducing, and growing until
the end. Like most decapod crustaceans, which also include
crayfish and shrimp, they have indeterminate growth. That means
they do not reach a set size limit in their lifetimes, continuing
to grow until they die. Previous research has suggested that the
biggest European lobster males in the wild live an average of 31
years, and the females an average of 54 years.
According to the Animal Aging and Longevity Database, other
organisms with negligible aging includes: Rougheye rockfish – 205
years, Painted turtle – 61 years, Blanding's turtle – 77 years,
Eastern box turtle – 138 years, and Red sea urchin – 200 years,
among others.
Nov 27, 2015
Nov 20, 2015
Happy Friday
If you have only one choice, choose happiness.
I always choose to be happy, especially when celebrating a Happy Friday!
I always choose to be happy, especially when celebrating a Happy Friday!
Whats in a Name
A 16-week-old turkey is
called a fryer. A five to seven month old turkey is called a
young roaster. A group of turkeys is
technically called a “rafter”, though they are often incorrectly
referred to as a “gobble” or a “flock.”
Turkeys and Bowling
Late
eighteenth and early nineteenth century prizes given out
during bowling
tournaments were often food items, such as a basket filled
with various grocery items, a large ham, etc. Around
Thanksgiving in the United States, turkeys became common
prizes. At some point, one tournament decided to give away a
turkey to people who managed to bowl three strikes in a row. This practice spread and eventually
embedded itself in common bowling vernacular,
long after giving away actual turkeys stopped.
Back then, bowling three strikes in a row was extremely difficult to do, because they did not have the beautiful lanes we have now. Also, bowling pins were setup by hand and not always uniform, bowling balls were not well balanced, and people running the tournaments would often use tricks to make the pins more difficult to knock down.
Because it is more common to hit three strikes or more in a row today, new names have been developed. Six consecutive strikes is a Wild Turkey and nine consecutive strikes is a Golden Turkey.
Back then, bowling three strikes in a row was extremely difficult to do, because they did not have the beautiful lanes we have now. Also, bowling pins were setup by hand and not always uniform, bowling balls were not well balanced, and people running the tournaments would often use tricks to make the pins more difficult to knock down.
Because it is more common to hit three strikes or more in a row today, new names have been developed. Six consecutive strikes is a Wild Turkey and nine consecutive strikes is a Golden Turkey.
Earliest Thanksgiving Celebrations
Scholars agree that the first Plymouth
Thanksgiving, which lasted for three days, occurred in the fall of
1621 with 90 Native Americans and 50 white settlers in attendance.
It was based on English harvest festivals. The Wampanoag men may
have been trying to negotiate a peace agreement. They brought five
deer to the feast, which probably also included cod, goose, dried
corn, and fruit.
There is no historical record of turkey or pumpkin pie. The first feast was not repeated, so it was not the beginning of a tradition and the colonists did not call the day Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving was a religious holiday and they would go to church and thank God for a specific event, such as the winning of a battle. On such a religious day, the types of recreational activities the pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians participated in during the 1621 harvest feast, such as dancing, singing secular songs, and playing games would not have been allowed. That feast was a secular celebration, so it never would have been considered a thanksgiving in the colonists minds.
There is no historical record of turkey or pumpkin pie. The first feast was not repeated, so it was not the beginning of a tradition and the colonists did not call the day Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving was a religious holiday and they would go to church and thank God for a specific event, such as the winning of a battle. On such a religious day, the types of recreational activities the pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians participated in during the 1621 harvest feast, such as dancing, singing secular songs, and playing games would not have been allowed. That feast was a secular celebration, so it never would have been considered a thanksgiving in the colonists minds.
Pilgrims, Colonists, and Puritans
The word pilgrim was
never used by the actual people it describes. It is a myth that
pilgrims wore only black and white clothing and had buckles on
their hats, garments, and shoes.
The Church of England Separatists living in Plymouth during the 1600s were much more colorful than story books portray. Black and white were commonly worn only on Sunday and formal occasions and women typically dressed in red, earthy green, brown, blue, violet, and gray, while men wore clothing in white, beige, black, earthy green, and brown. Buckles did not come into fashion until late in the seventeenth century.
Colonists (pilgrims and puritans) did not live in log cabins. The log cabin did not appear in America until late in the seventeenth century, when it was introduced by Germans and Swedes. Log cabins were virtually unknown in England at the time the Pilgrims arrived in America. Pilgrims lived in wood clapboard houses made from sawed lumber.
Pilgrims and Puritans were two different groups. The Pilgrims came over on the Mayflower and lived in Plymouth. The Puritans, arrived a decade later, settled in Boston, and came to America strictly in search of religious freedom. They did not welcome dissent.
Puritans considered the Pilgrims incurable utopians. While both shared the belief that the Church of England had become corrupt, only the Pilgrims believed it was beyond redemption. They therefore chose the path of Separatism. Puritans held out the hope the church would reform.
Puritans welcomed laughter and upper class dressed in bright colors, but lower classes dressed in dark clothes. The anti-liquor and anti-sex attitudes usually attributed to the Puritans are a nineteenth-century addition to the views of early settlers in New England.
The Church of England Separatists living in Plymouth during the 1600s were much more colorful than story books portray. Black and white were commonly worn only on Sunday and formal occasions and women typically dressed in red, earthy green, brown, blue, violet, and gray, while men wore clothing in white, beige, black, earthy green, and brown. Buckles did not come into fashion until late in the seventeenth century.
Colonists (pilgrims and puritans) did not live in log cabins. The log cabin did not appear in America until late in the seventeenth century, when it was introduced by Germans and Swedes. Log cabins were virtually unknown in England at the time the Pilgrims arrived in America. Pilgrims lived in wood clapboard houses made from sawed lumber.
Pilgrims and Puritans were two different groups. The Pilgrims came over on the Mayflower and lived in Plymouth. The Puritans, arrived a decade later, settled in Boston, and came to America strictly in search of religious freedom. They did not welcome dissent.
Puritans considered the Pilgrims incurable utopians. While both shared the belief that the Church of England had become corrupt, only the Pilgrims believed it was beyond redemption. They therefore chose the path of Separatism. Puritans held out the hope the church would reform.
Puritans welcomed laughter and upper class dressed in bright colors, but lower classes dressed in dark clothes. The anti-liquor and anti-sex attitudes usually attributed to the Puritans are a nineteenth-century addition to the views of early settlers in New England.
Annual Turkey Pardon
President Truman received two
turkeys in December 1948 from the poultry industry and began the
tradition of the president receiving turkeys from a business,
rather than random folks. However, Truman did not pardon either of
them. He said the birds would make for a tasty Christmas dinner.
In 1963, John F. Kennedy was presented with a turkey and remarked, "Let's keep him going." A Washington Post article about the comment was first to use the words "reprieve" and "pardon" to describe the fate of the turkey. So, JFK began the modern turkey pardon tradition.
In 1963, John F. Kennedy was presented with a turkey and remarked, "Let's keep him going." A Washington Post article about the comment was first to use the words "reprieve" and "pardon" to describe the fate of the turkey. So, JFK began the modern turkey pardon tradition.
Origin of Bowl Games
During 1916, the Roses Association
decided to sponsor a football tournament between WSU (then called
The State College of Washington) and Brown. This game was held at
Tournament Park in Pasadena, as were subsequent annual matches.
Fast-forward five years and they needed a larger stadium to play the game as attendance outgrew that venue. Myron Hunt was commissioned to design a stadium for this purpose which was named Rose Bowl. The Rose Bowl was modeled after the design of Yale’s stadium, Yale Bowl, which resembled a bowl. This tournament sponsored by the Roses Association then was named the “Rose Bowl,” after the stadium.
As other universities with football teams saw the money making opportunities and promotional value of these tournament games, they began creating their own 'bowl' games, even though many of these games were not played in bowl shaped stadiums.
The NFL borrowed this terminology when it created the Pro Bowl in 1951. In 1970, the AFL and NFL merged and they created a championship game called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game. Once the merger was completed two years later, the championship game was re-branded the Super Bowl, using the college naming convention. The third match-up, was named Super Bowl III and also set the tradition of using Roman numerals for the Super Bowl.
Fast-forward five years and they needed a larger stadium to play the game as attendance outgrew that venue. Myron Hunt was commissioned to design a stadium for this purpose which was named Rose Bowl. The Rose Bowl was modeled after the design of Yale’s stadium, Yale Bowl, which resembled a bowl. This tournament sponsored by the Roses Association then was named the “Rose Bowl,” after the stadium.
As other universities with football teams saw the money making opportunities and promotional value of these tournament games, they began creating their own 'bowl' games, even though many of these games were not played in bowl shaped stadiums.
The NFL borrowed this terminology when it created the Pro Bowl in 1951. In 1970, the AFL and NFL merged and they created a championship game called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game. Once the merger was completed two years later, the championship game was re-branded the Super Bowl, using the college naming convention. The third match-up, was named Super Bowl III and also set the tradition of using Roman numerals for the Super Bowl.
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