Mostly about my backyard chickens. (Boring, I know), but there are a lot of us out here. Mine are only kept as pampered pets. I could eat a neighbor's chicken, but not MINE. There may be a comment on current events only if I get riled up enough. And there will always be a cartoon or a joke to cheer us. I promise to try my very best to respond to comments. Now I have to figure out how this blogger thingy works....
If you have a pet cat at home or have seen some cat in
other places that jumps, you would have noticed that the cat lands on
its feet. This happens consistently all the time. This is something
remarkable because you would expect the cat to injure itself at least a
few times because of the fall, but it never happens and this is probably
why it is said that the cat has nine lives. So how and why cats land on
their feet is an interesting question.
One of the major reasons is that the cat has a lot more vertebra than
a human and so the cat is able to twist its back much more than any
human could ever do. This has made it possible for the cat to twist
itself immediately and right its position to be able to land on its
feet. The backbones are also very flexible and this is another reason
for the cat to be able to twist itself and correct its position. This
ability of the cat to correct the position it is in to be able to land
on its feet at all times is called as the righting reflex.
Another reason for the cat to be able to correct its position in mid
air and land on its feet is that it has a well developed vestibular
system. This is the one that identifies the position of the body and
tries to correct the body position. This system identifies that the cat
is not in a right position and allows the cat to right itself before the
fall is completed.
Another important reason for the cat to fall on the feet and walk
away unharmed is that the cats have a very small body when compared to
many other animals. The cat is also quite light and so it is able to
flatten itself when it is falling. When the cat flattens itself with the
leg hanging down, it becomes like a parachute and so it is able to land
lightly on its feet and this prevents injury to the cat during falls
from great heights.
Though cats are able to land on their feet all the time, you should
be careful with them as there are times when the cat is sick and it may
not be having a quick reflex. This can make the cat to not be able to
right itself leading to injury or even death.
Maxine Sullivan (May 13, 1911 – April 7, 1987), born Marietta Williams in Homestead, Pennsylvania, was an Americanjazz vocalist and performer.
As a vocalist, Maxine Sullivan was active for half a century, from
the mid-1930s to just before her death in 1987. She is best known for
her 1937 recording of a swing version of the Scottishfolk song "Loch Lomond".
Throughout her career, Sullivan also appeared as a performer on film as
well as on stage. A precursor to better-known later vocalists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Sarah Vaughan, Maxine Sullivan is considered one of the best jazz vocalists of the 1930s.
Career
Sullivan began her music career singing in her uncle's band, The Red
Hot Peppers, in her native Pennsylvania, in which she occasionally
played the flugelhorn and the valve trombone, in addition to singing. In the mid-1930s she was discovered by Gladys Mosier (then working in Ina Ray Hutton's big band). Mosier introduced her to Claude Thornhill, which led to her first recordings made in June 1937. Shortly thereafter, Sullivan became a featured vocalist at the Onyx Club in New York. During this period, she began forming a professional and close personal relationship with bassistJohn Kirby, who became her second husband in 1938.
Sullivan in 1947
Early sessions with Kirby in 1937 yielded a hit recording of a swing version of the Scottishfolk song "Loch Lomond" featuring Sullivan on vocals.
This early success "branded" Sullivan's style, leading her to sing
similar swing arrangements of traditional folk tunes mostly arranged by
pianist Claude Thornhill, such as "If I Had a Ribbon Bow" and "I Dream of Jeanie". Her early popularity also led to a brief appearance in the movie Going Places with Louis Armstrong.
In 1940, Sullivan and Kirby were featured on the radio program Flow Gently Sweet Rhythm, making them the first black jazz stars to have their own weekly radio series. During the 1940s Sullivan then performed with a wide range of bands, including her husband's sextet
and groups headed by Teddy Wilson, Benny Carter, and Jimmie Lunceford.
Sullivan performed at many of New York's hottest jazz spots such as the Ruban Bleu, the Village Vanguard, the Blue Angel, and the Penthouse. In 1949, Sullivan appeared on the short-lived CBS Television series Uptown Jubilee, and in 1953 starred in the play, Take a Giant Step.
In 1956, Sullivan shifted from her earlier style and recorded the album A Tribute to Andy Razaf;
originally on the Period record label, the album featured Sullivan's
interpretations of a dozen tunes featuring Razaf's lyrics. The album
also highlighted the music of Fats Waller, including versions of "Keepin' Out of Mischief Now", "How Can You Face Me?", "My Fate Is in Your Hands", "Honeysuckle Rose", "Ain't Misbehavin'", and "Blue Turning Grey Over You". Sullivan was joined by a sextet that was reminiscent of John Kirby's group of 15 years prior, including trumpeter Charlie Shavers and clarinetist Buster Bailey.
From 1958 Sullivan worked as a nurse before resuming her musical
career in 1966, performing in jazz festivals alongside her fourth
husband Cliff Jackson,
who can be heard on the 1966 live recording of Sullivan's performance
at the Manassas Jazz Festival. Sullivan continued to perform throughout
the 1970s and made a string of recordings during the 1980s, despite
being over 70 years old. She was nominated for the 1979 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical (won by Carlin Glynn) for her role in My Old Friends, and participated in the film biography Maxine Sullivan: Love to Be in Love, shortly before her death.
Personal life
Sullivan married four times; her second husband was the band leader
John Kirby (married 1938, divorced 1941), while her fourth husband, whom
she married in 1950, was the stride pianist Cliff Jackson, who died in
1970. She had two children, Orville Williams (b. 1928) and Paula Morris (b. 1945).
Death
Maxine Sullivan died aged 75 in 1987 in New York after suffering a seizure. She was posthumously inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1998.
Pretty little angel eyes, Pretty little angel eyes, Pretty little angel, Pretty little angel, Pretty little, pretty little, pretty little angel.
Pretty little little little angel eyes.
Angel eyes, I really love you so, Angel eyes, I'll never let you go, Because I love you, my darling angel eyes.
Pretty little little little angel eyes.
Angel eyes, you are so good to me, And when I'm in your arms, it feels so heavenly, You know I love you, my darling angel eyes.
I know you were sent from, heaven above, To fill my life with your wonderful love, I know we will be happy for eternity, Cause I know-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow that our life is real.
Angel eyes, I really love you so, Angel eyes, I'll never let you go Because I love you, my darling angel eyes.
Pretty little angel eyes, Pretty little angel eyes, Pretty little angel, Pretty little angel Pretty little, pretty little, pretty little angel.
Angel eyes, I really love you so, Angel eyes, I'll never let you go, Because I love you, my darling angel eyes.
The horrible heat and humidity has finally ended here in Joisey (for a while, anyway) and we can turn that darn A/C off! The weatherman has promised sunny days with high temps only in the 70's. I'm going to take a few days off and enjoy being able to sit on the deck and catch up on my book reading and finally get caught up visiting my favorite blogs. Might even attack that pile of sewing that needs to get done!
Charlie and the gang are going to enjoy running around the yard because all of them know that if they see me on the deck, they get to escape the pen.
They have been real troopers through the heat wave, so I bought them a special treat:
As always, thank you for stopping by and spending some time with us here in Coopville!
The chambered nautilus lives in tropical waters extending
from the Andaman Sea east to Fiji and from southern Japan to the Great
Barrier Reef. This animal usually lives where the slopes of coral reefs
descend into deep waters. During the day, it resides in dark cool waters
at depths from 900 to 2,000 feet and ascends to shallower waters (300
to 500 feet deep) at night to feed.
Physical description
Chocolatey-brown zebra stripes adorn the nautilus's smooth,
white shell. It expands its living space as it grows, adding internal
chambers in a perfect logarithmic spiral coated in mother of pearl. The
body is situated in the last chamber, and about 90 slim tentacles and a
large eye peer out. The tentacles, which bear little anatomical
resemblance to the suckered tentacles of squid, function mainly in
smelling and manipulating food. When imperiled by predators, the
nautilus withdraws into its armor and seals the door with a tough,
leathery hood.
Life span
The nautilus has an unusually long life span for a
cephalopod. It takes several years to reach sexual maturity and may live
more than 15 years.
Predators
Octopus, sharks, triggerfish, and turtles can penetrate the nautilus shell.
Prey
At night, nautiluses ascend to shallower waters to scavenge
for hermit crabs, fish, and the exoskeletons of molting crustaceans.
They locate food by smelling the ocean currents for traces of dead or
dying prey.
Reproduction
Nautiluses will reproduce annually once they've reached
sexual maturity. Four modified, fused tentacles form the male sexual
organ, the spadix. The spadix passes sperm to the female during mating,
which can last up to 24 hours. The female fertilizes about a dozen eggs
and deposits them one at a time or in small groups throughout the year.
The eggs measure more than an inch in length, making them among the
largest of invertebrate eggs. They have an exceptionally long incubation
time, ranging from nine months to over a year. No one has ever seen
nautilus eggs in the wild so little is known about the environment in
which they are laid.
Status
The nautilus's graceful shell has made it an attractive commodity for the commercial shell trade, and Nautilus pompilius
is the most commonly sold species. Traders from Indonesia, Fiji, and
the Philippines capture nautiluses using baited traps. Conservation
concerns have been raised due to nautiluses' slow rate of reproduction.
In Indonesia, it is illegal to export nautiluses.
Did you know...
Nautiluses first appeared about 500 million years ago during
the Cambrian Explosion—they were jet-propelling themselves through
ancient seas 265 million years before dinosaurs inhabited the Earth.
Nautiluses are described as living fossils because they have remained
virtually unchanged for millions of years. The horseshoe crab, which has
been around for 300 million years, is another example of a living
fossil.
It's over in the blink of an eye. Well, OK, 50.6 seconds to be exact
-- but what an exhilarating not-quite-a-minute. It's Kingda Ka,
the record-shattering rocket coaster that New Jersey's Six Flags Great Adventure
unleashed in 2005. When it debuted, it took top honors as the fastest
and tallest coaster on the planet. Since then, it has elicited scads of
screams, abundant adrenaline spikes, hordes of horrific gasps, and at
least a few wet undergarments.
Let's examine this wild coaster and engineering marvel, starting with its wildly impressive stats:
Type of coaster: Hydraulic launch rocket coaster
Height: 456 feet (world's tallest in 2005)
Top speed: 128 mph (world's fastest in 2005)
Coaster elements: 456-foot tall top hat tower, with 90-degree ascent and descent
129-foot second hill designed to provide free-floating airtime.
Ride time: 50.6 seconds
Minimum height requirement: 54 inches
Is It Still the Fastest and the Tallest?
When
it first launched, Kingda Ka took the tallest and fastest coaster
trophies from rival Cedar Point and its essentially similar Top Thrill Dragster. It held both records for many years, but another coaster, Formula Rossa at Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi,
has since bested Kingda Ka in the speed department. It is still the
fastest coaster in the United States and the second fastest coaster on
the world. You can see how the speed demons rate in my updated listing
of the world's 10 fastest roller coasters.
As of 2014, Kingda Ka is still holding on to its height record.
Kingda
Ka (Swahili for "Omigod, what a ride!" Just kidding.) uses a hydraulic
launch to blast off horizontally and reach 128 mph -- yeah, you read
that right, 128 freakin' mph -- in 3.5 seconds. How in the world does it
accomplish this amazing feat? You can get the lowdown in my article, "Kingda Huh? How Kingda Ka Works."
To
meet huge demand, the rocket coaster accommodates four trains and has
two loading platforms in its station. Manufactured by Swiss ride
manufacturer Intamin, the thrill machine uses an over-the-shoulder
safety restraint system.
Like Ohio's Dragster, Kingda Ka climbs a
top-hat tower at 90 degrees. In this case, the apex of the tower reaches
a staggering 456 feet, or 36 feet taller than Cedar Point's former
champ. We're talking over 45 stories in the air. Riders don't have much
time to either appreciate the view or get freaked out, however. The
trains crest the tower and plummet 418 feet straight down the other side
before entering into a 270-degree vertical spiral.
Kingda Ka uses some of its incredible height and speed to deliver a hint of airtime.
After the top hat, it climbs a 129-foot tall hill designed to induce
weightlessness. Then, after the proverbial blink of an eye, it's back to
the station. (Come to think of it, it's likely that there isn't any eye-blinking going on among passengers while experiencing Kingda Ka's all-out assault.)
They usually sit in opposite trees waiting for the squirrels to come down out their nests.
They are very, very patient and will stay there until they catch breakfast!
Not a good photo, but you jut make out the hummingbird on top of the yellow plastic flower on the right. This one is irredesent green and comes for a drink severl times a day.
However, I think that Laverne's fluffy butt is still the best picture!
The Charts were an American doo-wop group of the 1950s, most famous for their recording "Deserie".
The group formed as The Thrilltones in Harlem, New York
in 1956, and comprised teenagers Joe Grier (lead), Stephen Brown (first
tenor), Glenmore Jackson (second tenor), Leroy Binns (baritone), and
Ross Buford (bass). They acquired a manager, Les Cooper, who had previously been a member of various R&B groups, and who changed their name to The Charts.
They were signed to the Everlast label, owned by Bobby Robinson's
brother Danny, who released their first single "Deserie" in May 1957.
The song's authorship was credited to Cooper and Johnson, although
singer Joe Grier later claimed that he had written the song along with
the group's other material. The record was #3 on the national R&B
charts, and was later featured on many compilations of doo-wop classics.
After a few more singles for Everlast, the original Charts disbanded
in 1958 when Grier went into the service. On his return, he took up the
saxophone, and featured on the 1962 instrumental hit by Les Cooper and
his group the Soul Rockers, "Wiggle Wobble" (# 22 pop, # 12 R&B).
Brown and Binns kept the group's name going for several years with
new members. They released an updated version of "Deserie" in 1967,
retitled "Desiree", and continued touring and appearing at doowop
revival concerts with various versions of The Charts until around 1983.
Binns continued to perform with later versions of The Coasters and The Del Vikings.
Union Pacific 844 is a 4-8-4 "Northern" type steam locomotive built by the American Locomotive Company in December of 1944 for the Union Pacific Railroad. Constructed as a member of the FEF-3class
of 4-8-4's, the 844 was the last steam locomotive delivered to Union
Pacific. Originally built for high-speed passenger work the 844, along
with the other FEF class Northern's, was pressed into a variety of
dual-service work. While commercial Union Pacific steam operations ended
in the late 1950's, the 844 was retained by the railroad for special
activities. Today, it is one of UP's oldest serving locomotives and is the only steam locomotive never retired by a North AmericanClass I railroad.[2]
No. 844 was one of ten locomotives that were ordered by Union Pacific in 1944 and designated as class FEF-3.
The FEF-3 class represented the epitome of dual-service steam
locomotive development; funds and research were being concentrated into
the development of diesel-electric
locomotives. Designed to burn coal, they were converted to run on fuel
oil. Like the earlier FEF-2 class, FEF-3 locomotives were designed as
passenger engines. They pulled such trains as the Overland Limited, Los Angeles Limited, Portland Rose and Challenger.
Union Pacific 844 hauling the Pony Express in 1949.
From 1957 to 1959, UP 844 was reassigned to freight service in
Nebraska when diesel-electric locomotives took over passenger service.
Union Pacific 844 on display in 2009.
Saved from scrapping in 1960, 844 was chosen for restoration and is now used on company and public excursion trains, along with revenue freight during ferry moves.
Built and designed in a joint-effort between the Union Pacific and
ALCO, the 844 and the rest of the FEF-3 class could safely handle
120 mph. On one occasion, one of the engines of the FEF-3 class pulled a
1,000-ton passenger train at a 100 mph. All FEF classes were considered
by the Union Pacific to be capable of producing between 4,000 and 5,000
drawbar horsepower.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Union Pacific 844
UP 844 at Painted Rocks, Nevada, on September 15, 2009
Union Pacific 4014, or UP 4014, is a four-cylinder articulated4-8-8-4Big Boy-typesteam locomotive owned by Union Pacific Railroad. 4014 was retired from service on July 21, 1959 and donated to the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society in Pomona on December 1961. The locomotive reached its destination in January 1962 and was displayed in Fairplex until November 2013. Union Pacific 4014 is currently in Union Pacific's Steam Shop in Cheyenne, Wyoming,
undergoing extensive restoration work which is intended to return the
engine to operational status. When 4014 officially returns to service,
it will displace UP 3985 as the largest, heaviest and most powerful operational steam locomotive in the world.
History
UP 4014 was one of 25 4-8-8-4 class locomotives developed by Union Pacific and Alco to overcome issues with the preceding 4-6-6-4
Challenger class locomotives. It was determined that the goals that
Union Pacific had set for its new class of locomotive could be achieved
by making several changes to the existing Challenger design, including
enlarging the firebox to approximately 235 by 96 inches (5.97 m
× 2.44 m) (about 155 sq ft or 14.4 m2), lengthening the
boiler, adding four driving wheels and reducing the size of the driving
wheels from 69 to 68 in (1,753 to 1,727 mm).
The Big Boys are articulated, like the Mallet locomotive
design. They were designed for stability at 80 miles per hour
(130 km/h). They were built with a wide margin of reliability and
safety, as they normally operated well below that speed in freight
service. Peak horsepower was reached at about 35 mph (56 km/h); optimal
tractive effort, at about 10 mph (16 km/h). The locomotive without the
tender was the longest engine body of any reciprocating steam locomotive
in the world.
Alco delivered No. 4014 to Union Pacific in December 1941 and it was fully retired on December 7, 1961. 4014 traveled 1,031,205 miles (1,659,564 km) for Union Pacific during its 20 years in service.
The last revenue train hauled by a Big Boy (No. 4015) ended its run in the evening of July 21, 1959. 4014 completed its last run earlier the same day at 1:50 in the morning. Most were stored operational until 1961, and four remained in operational condition at Green River, Wyoming until 1962. Their duties were assumed by diesel locomotives and gas turbine-electric locomotives (GTELs). Of the 25 built, 8 were preserved at various locations around the United States.
4014 was donated by Union Pacific to the Southern California chapter of
the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society in 1961. It did not reach
its destination of Pomona until January 8, 1962.
Union Pacific "Big Boy" Number 4014 on static display at the RailGiants Train Museum in Pomona, California, United States
The
Wheelharp is a groundbreaking keyboard musical instrument that gives
the player the ability to orchestrate a full chromatic scale of
sixty-one (61) actual bowed strings at one’s own fingertips, almost like
having a real chamber string orchestra at hand.
With an exotic profile and stunning rosette appointments, the
Wheelharp’s appearance is equally as breathtaking as its audible
character. It is currently available in a Radial Model (curved keyboard)
with a five-octave range.
It utilizes a patented action and bridge to translate the player’s
subtle fingerings into a range of bowing intensities, and comes equipped
with a damper system and electronic pickup system, allowing individuals
to sculpt astonishingly beautiful and complex sounds. For musicians,
composers, and studios that seek to create the natural sound of
classical string instruments while avoiding the frequently sterile
quality of digital string synthesizers and samples, or for those looking
to foray into new sonic territory, the Wheelharp presents a truly
exciting opportunity.
- See more at: http://antiquitymusic.com/wheelharp#sthash.HGD933yx.dpuf
The
Wheelharp is a groundbreaking keyboard musical instrument that gives
the player the ability to orchestrate a full chromatic scale of
sixty-one (61) actual bowed strings at one’s own fingertips, almost like
having a real chamber string orchestra at hand.
With an exotic profile and stunning rosette appointments, the
Wheelharp’s appearance is equally as breathtaking as its audible
character. It is currently available in a Radial Model (curved keyboard)
with a five-octave range.
It utilizes a patented action and bridge to translate the player’s
subtle fingerings into a range of bowing intensities, and comes equipped
with a damper system and electronic pickup system, allowing individuals
to sculpt astonishingly beautiful and complex sounds. For musicians,
composers, and studios that seek to create the natural sound of
classical string instruments while avoiding the frequently sterile
quality of digital string synthesizers and samples, or for those looking
to foray into new sonic territory, the Wheelharp presents a truly
exciting opportunity.
- See more at: http://antiquitymusic.com/wheelharp#sthash.HGD933yx.dpuf
Antiquity Music presents the extraordinarily beautiful Wheelharp at NAMM
Jon Jones & Sons and Antiquity Music have debuted an
intriguing vintage-looking new instrument called the Wheelharp at NAMM
Image Gallery (7 images)
As Jon Jones was regulating his hurdy gurdy
back in 2001, he began toying with the idea of creating a
mechanically-bowed instrument with a full-scale chromatic keyboard. He
went on to build two working models before hooking up with Antiquity
Music's founder Mitchell Manger to work on improving the design. After a
few more revisions, a stunning pre-production Wheelharp was premiered
at the Winter NAMM Show in Anaheim (CA) last week.
The Wheelharp is being made in two different flavors, one
with a curved (radial) keyboard and the other with a flat (linear)
keyboard. Each will be available in three different octave ranges – a
37-string, 3-octave version, a 4-octave unit with 49 strings (shown
below), and a model that spans five octaves and has 61 strings. It has a
beautiful Victorian period-look oak body with rosette appointments, a
laminated maple pinblock and a cast aluminum pulley.
At the press of a key, the instrument's patent-pending action moves the respective string toward a rotating, rosin-edged wheel spinning inside the barrel
of the Wheelharp, where it's essentially bowed by the wheel. The
mechanism is claimed capable of translating the player's subtle
fingerings into a range of bowing intensities.
The left pedal activates and controls Wheelharp's full
damper system, and the speed of the motor that turns the wheel is
controlled via the right pedal. According to Antiquity Music, swells and
decrescendos can be brought into play by the player varying the wheel
speed and key depth.
There's an electromagnetic pickup system above the
strings and a piezo pickup mounted to the soundboard. An optional
microphone pickup system is available, too, and two 0.25-inch audio jack
outputs allow for onward powered amplification. It runs on 110 -
120-volt AC power.
Jones has now entered into an agreement with the boutique
vintage and antique musical instrument retailer, making Antiquity Music
the exclusive manufacturer and distributor of the Wheelharp. Production
is set to start in June and each unit will be hand-made to order.
Introductory pricing starts at US$9,900 for either a
radial or linear 3-octave model, rising to $10,900 for the 4-octave
version and finally topped off by the 5-octave Wheelharp at $11,900.
There's also an optional ATA road case available for $1,450.
The short demonstration video below shows the Wheelharp in action. Update June 5, 2013: Antiquity Music has now turned to Kickstarter to bring the Wheelharp to market.
Source: Antiquity Music
The gang is miserable. Laverne chases and bites Maude and Sophia and they get all flustered and start to squawk. Charlie hears them and then he get upset and chases all of them around. Then they are all upset. Only Shirley doesn't care. She sits in her dirt bath hole and sleeps most of the day.
In the afternoon, clouds started to form:
They were getting pretty big and we could hear a rumble of thunder is the distance.
