Today Is... 📆

GregRedd · April 3, 2021, 6:29am

It is Saturday, 03 April 2021
(W13/D93/272 rem) We are 25.2% done with 2021 already. A quarter of the year has passed in a flash.

Today is: Chocolate Mousse Day

After a few serious days of observance and reflection, I feel today is a good day to lighten things up, and have a good celebration day. Luckily our American friends are constantly celebrating food, so we do have one today to enjoy with them: it’s Chocolate Mousse Day!

(After tiramisu, chocolate mousse is my second favourite dessert, so today definitely works for me )

In French, the word Mousse means ‘foam’, and this is an apt description of this dessert, being light and frothy, or creamy and thick, it all depends on how you prepare this scrumptious treat.

Though the origins of this delicacy are largely unknown, it is known that it was a popular dish in the 18th century in France. However the first written record of its appearance is actually from an exposition in New York City in 1892.

The recipes first started appearing in a “Housekeepers Column” in the 1897 edition of the Boston globe. The recipe actually produced a dish with far more in common with chocolate pudding, instead of the more familiar foamy treat of this day. It wasn’t until egg whites were introduced to the recipe, parted from the yellow yolks. It was an art form to create the mousse, as it was necessary to hand whip it at a consistent pace for a long period of time, it wasn’t until the electric mixer was involved that it became common to produce the proper consistency.

There are many recipes for a chocolate mousse, all of them introducing different combinations of flavorings and toppings, all in the attempt to produce the perfect mousse flavor and consistency. The first step of creating the perfect chocolate mousse is of course utilizing the best possible chocolate available to you.

There are many ways to celebrate this day, among them being serving chocolate mousse to your family, or bringing them into the office. A challenge can be laid out to those co-workers to bring in their favorite chocolate mousse, whether it’s an old family recipe, or one from their favorite confectionary shop.

There are those who claim that the perfect rendition of a chocolate mousse is based in its simplicity. The very basis of most French Cuisine is to create a panoply of flavors using only the most basic of flavors and techniques. The most basic of chocolate mousse recipes has just five ingredients, and is presented below.

Classic French Chocolate Mousse

300 grams of chocolate (dark chocolate is preferred)
6 large eggs
50 grams of butter, plus a bit.
50 grams of sugar
A pinch of salt

The recipe is remarkably simple on the surface, but the importance lies in processing it exactly. You first need to melt the chocolate with butter in a double boiler, waiting until the top presents with a silky shine. While this is going on, you’ll need to whip the egg whites with the salt, and then add the egg yolks with the sugar, and complete the mix with the chocolate, whipping all the while. After this you’ll need to place it in the fridge for 6 hours.

This is the most basic recipe for chocolate mousse, and from here on out it takes little more than your innovation to produce a special blend all your own.

There are so many directions you can go, though you must be careful to maintain a proper balance of ingredients to keep the consistency. Vanilla extract is a popular additive, as are various rich dark alcohols such as rum.

Try my classic French recipe, or head online to see what other variations are possible. And share the results of your efforts with us please - what works, what doesn’t.

Have a fantastic, chocolate mousse filled day!

Beo · April 3, 2021, 6:42am

We have made a chocolate cake instead, does that count?

GregRedd · April 3, 2021, 6:48am

Nope, sorry. We’ve already had Chocolate Cake Day back in January. If it ain’t Chocolate Mousse today it doesn’t count. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying there’s anything bad about homemade chocolate cake - err, yum!! Enjoy the heck out of that cake. You just can’t legitimately claim to have observed Chocolate Mousse Day.

GregRedd · April 4, 2021, 6:15am

Good morning!

It is Sunday, 04 April 2021
(W13/D94/271 rem)

Today is: Walk Around Things Day

Here’s an interesting observance day, that I am struggling to find the origins of… Walk Around Things Day.

This day has two different perspectives, one is taking the literal meaning of the day, i.e., walking around the things that stands as an obstacle, for an example instead of walking through a park bench or a mud puddle, you can walk around them to avoid distraction and to have a peaceful walk. It just means to walk around for some exercise.

The other figurative and metaphorical meaning for the day is that to walk around the problems that stand in your way. Sometimes it is better to neglect issues than to deal with them. In that way you be in peace and happiness. You can avoid unnecessary arguments, uncomfortable situations, conditions which are not under your control, etc. Many of life’s problems are not worth fighting for so just walk around them. But be careful that from what kind of problems you walk away.

Literally, one would not walk through a puddle of water or mud; one would walk around it. One would not walk under a ladder or over broken glass, one would walk around both.

Figuratively, one would “walk-around” avoiding certain problems or potential problems. One would also “walk-around” avoiding arguments, certain situations, or unwanted or uncomfortable conversations.

Another possible intent of this day could very well be to walk around things such as a neighborhood, park, or the shopping mall. While we’re walking around we might also walk around obstacles or structures we come across during our stroll. In a park, we might find a fountain or swingset to walk around. At the mall, benches and planters interrupt our easy stride. Of course, at home, we have all sorts of things that we walk around willingly. Sometimes the reason we walk around these items is pure avoidance like laundry or clutter. We might also walk around a sleeping pet.

There are many days and affirmations that are about meeting your challenges head on, and those are powerful and valid tactics. This day reminds us that sometimes you have to pick your battles, and sometimes the best way to deal with a situation is by simply not dealing with it at all. You must be careful what you choose to walk around though, what you may be walking around isn’t the problem, but the path of wisdom!

Have a great Sunday walking around things! (Except if you’re on an Easter Egg Hunt - then definitely don’t walk around things!)

Today is also Easter Sunday, also called Pascha or Resurrection Sunday, a Christian festival and holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third day after his burial following his crucifixion by the Romans at Calvary c. 30 AD. Many Christians worldwide celebrate Easter with special church services, music, candlelight, flowers and the ringing of church bells. Large Easter processions are normally held in some countries such as the Philippines and Spain, but sadly, COVID-19 has curtailed many of this years celebrations. Many Christians view Easter as the greatest feast of the Church year. It is a day of joy and celebration to commemorate that Jesus Christ is risen, according to Christian belief.

Beo · April 4, 2021, 7:34am

Happy Easter Sunday everyone.

GregRedd · April 5, 2021, 6:01am

Good morning!

It is Monday, 05 April 2021
(W14/D95/270 rem)

Today is: Star Trek First Contact Day

Today is the day we will make First Contact with the Vulcans, see their split-fingered salute for the first time, and hear the words “Live long and prosper” for the first time. “Will make…” because according to the Star Trek timeline, the momentous event only takes place in 2063.

First Contact Day is the holiday celebrated by all good people of the galaxy in tribute to the flight of the Phoenix and the pivotal first interaction between humans and Vulcans. The event took place — or will take place, depending on how you look at it — on 5 April 2063.

That evening, a Vulcan survey ship, the T’Plana-Hath, landed in Bozeman, Montana, after tracking the warp signature of the Phoenix, a spacecraft that represented mankind’s first successful attempt at achieving warp drive.

And, of course, moments later on that same day, a robed Vulcan, flashing the split-fingered Vulcan salute, greeted Dr. Zefram Cochrane, creator of warp drive and pilot of the Phoenix. Thus, First Contact was made, setting in motion a chain of events that led to the formation of the United Federation of Planets.

According to Star Trek “history”, on that day in 2063, Zefram Cochrane first took a flight at speeds in excess of Warp 1 in the Phoenix, alerting the Vulcan race to their entrance into the interstellar community and initiating the first contact. Some 300 years later it was commemorated as First Contact Day, and the celebration went on from there. Star Trek: First Contact Day commemorates this particular day in real life, in earth time, and fans all over the world have the opportunity to get together to celebrate the most pivotal moment in Star Trek human history!

First Contact is an important part of the introduction of a species into the galactic community and is handled very carefully by the extant species of StarFleet. Generally speaking, it has been found to be beneficial to privately approach the scientists and other intellectuals of the target species with the belief that they’ll be ready to accept the existence of off-world species. The approach is generally timed for when the species is about to enter the galactic community by engaging in their first faster-than-light travel.

The first step to celebrating this day is getting out Star Trek: First Contact and giving it a fresh watch. This 1996 film was the 8th in the Star Trek film series, and the second to star the beloved cast from the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, it’s the film that contains the iconic scene.

Fans interested in learning more about First Contact and First Contact Day should be sure to also check out the TOS episode “Metamorphosis,” with Glenn Corbett portraying Cochrane; the TNG film First Contact, with James Cromwell in the role (which he reprised briefly on Enterprise); the books First Contact (the novelization of the feature) and First Frontier; and the Voyager episode “Homestead,” in which Neelix and Naomi Wildman oversee a party celebrating the 315th anniversary of First Contact Day, complete with an old-school jukebox, helpings of Cochrane’s favorite food (cheese pierogies), and the sight and sounds of a stoic, reluctant Tuvokgiving the Vulcan salute and uttering those immortal words, “Live long and prosper.”

Be sure to also visit the official Star Trek site’s dedicated First Contact pages to see other ways to mark the occasion:

https://intl.startrek.com/shows/star-trek-viii-first-contact

Live long, prosper, and have a marvellous Monday!

GregRedd · April 6, 2021, 4:10am

Good morning!

It is Tuesday, 06 April 2021
(W14/D96/269 rem)

Today is: New Beer’s Eve

For lovers of all brews everywhere, the years of 1920 to 1933 were incredibly sad times. This was the period of the Prohibition in the United States, where any and all forms of alcohol were verboten.

Thankfully in 1933, the United States government came to their senses, and President Roosevelt decided that this frothy brew should once again flow freely in the taverns and bars of the country.

On this date in 1933, people lined up around the block at the doors of their favorite public house to prepare to imbibe the first legal brews in 13 years.

Ever since that night, this day has been referred to as ‘New Beer’s Eve’, a precursor of ‘New Beers Day’. It was said that at 12:01 on 1933, Roosevelt stated “I think this would be a good time for a beer.” For such an auspicious patron, Anheuser-Busch pulled out all the stops, delivering the beer with their Clydesdale draw carriage directly to the Commander in Chief.

The first 24 hours of the end of the prohibition saw an estimated 1.5 million gallons of beer consumed.

This is a great time to set up a party, bringing in an abundance of different types of brews and calling in New Beer Day with an abundance of craft beers and the like. Seeing how it’s only this year’s New Beer’s Eve once, it just makes sense to go a little out of well-travelled waters for it.

There are micro-breweries popping up all over, so the opportunity to try a local brew for the first time is popping up every day. Nothing better than celebrating the end of the prohibition by trying out a beer that may never have existed if it had not!

But that doesn’t mean you should spend a small fortune on it, most microbreweries produce beers at a very reasonable rate. While there are higher priced beers on the market, there is nothing saying that they are in fact of superior quality. Some of the most delicious beers on the market are bottom shelf mostly unknown micro-brews. So go for a rarely experienced beer, but don’t get a new mortgage on your house to make it happen.

There are many good suds to be tried this time of year, and it’s a great time to run beer scout for the craft beers that are out there. You can take this opportunity to introduce friends and family, and even fellow beer drinkers to your favorite beverage. There are beers with different qualities that have light fruity qualities, and others with the dark rich body of Guinness.

Setting up a party with your friends to get together for a beer tasting is a great way to celebrate this holiday. Your craft brew deprived friends will thank you! Just make sure there’s designated drivers and Uber vehicles available for all!

It’s been a long time since the prohibition, and the world is full of the amazing achievements of brewers reveling in the new freedom beer drinkers have been given because of it.

Cheers! Prost! Salute! Slainte! Have a top-shelf Tuesday!

GregRedd · April 7, 2021, 3:42am

Good morning!

It is Wednesday, 07 April 2021 my Dudes!
(W14/D97/268 rem)

Today is: World Health Day

World Health Day is celebrated every year on the founding day of the World Health Organization. Established in 1950, this event has a theme each year to draw attention to a current world health issue. The focus this year is on Equality in Healthcare.

The WHO puts together regional, local, and international events on this day related to that theme. Local governments also tend to jump on this band-wagon, after all, global health means everyone!

On this day you may take some extra steps to care for your health, consider getting a gym membership (and going!), starting a diet, or starting multi-vitamins!

Even better, get involved with the local events or organize one yourself! Spreading the news of health and threats to the same can be an excellent way to celebrate this holiday, and inform others of the important issue of global health. Themes throughout the years have varied, but always covered important issues of the day, covering everything from the Global Polio Eradication, staying active while aging, even road safety. All of these issues were deemed to be important enough to global health that they merited an occasion of their very own on this date.

The World Health Organization is an agency of the United Nations that focuses on the public health of the world at large. The WHO has a constitution that countries involved in the United Nations had an opportunity to sign, and unanimously did, agreeing to the tenets laid out within to promote the general health of the globe.

Through its efforts we have seen the eradication of small pox, and its focus then turned to communicable diseases, with a particular focus on tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.

Everyone needs to be concerned about the health of themselves and their community, and as such it’s a good time to turn your attention to this year’s theme.

By checking in at their website at http://www.who.int/campaigns/world-health-day/ you can find out what the current theme is, and find all sorts of plans and activities that will help you raise awareness about this important issue. You can keep up with it every year, and play a big part in helping to promote global health all around.

The World Health Organization has been involved in mobilizing many health efforts the world over. Describing what medicines are essential for public health, and which diseases to give a particular focus to. The movement to eradicate smallpox started in 1958, initiated by pressure from Viktor Zhdanov, the Deputy Minister of Health for the then USSR. In 1979, the WHO declared that smallpox had in fact been eradicated, making it the first disease in history to be eliminated by the dedicated efforts of humans.

As you can see, celebrating World Health Day is very important, and you can use it to organize fund-raisers to support local free clinics and other public health sources. Everyone can take a hand in improving the overall health of the world, just by starting with yourself, your family, and your community.

Blood banks are often taking volunteers to help out with their efforts, and the ability to have healthy, fresh blood on hand is central to saving many lives.

You can also take the task at home, by getting to know your environment and property, and eliminate all possible sources of standing water. Standing water is a breeding ground for insects such as mosquitos, who spread disease by consuming the blood of its hosts, and moving from victim to victim, spreading it as it goes.

So this year, take some time to spread the word about how you and your neighbors can improve the world’s health, on World Health Day!

Here’s hoping yours is a fine, fit, and healthy Wednesday all round, my Dudes!

GregRedd · April 7, 2021, 3:47am

Some of this years World Health Day themed images to share on social media to spread the theme of Equality in Healthcare:

Find more like this on this years’ campaign page:

murfle · April 7, 2021, 6:35am

#!/bin/bash
echo "Hello World"

SIGSTART · April 7, 2021, 8:07am

fn main() {
    println!("Hello World!");
}

GregRedd · April 8, 2021, 4:37am

Good morning!

It is Thursday, 08 April 2021
(W14/D98/267 rem)

Today is: Pygmy Hippo Day

They are mega cute, but they also need our help and protection, and that is why Pygmy Hippo Day is so important!

We are sure that you all know what a hippopotamus looks like. Well, a pygmy hippo is basically the smaller cousin of this species. There are only about 2,000 pygmy hippos left around the world, and this is why these animals need our protection. Most of the pygmy hippos that are left today are thought to be in Liberia. However, there are small numbers in the Ivory Coast, Guinea, and Sierra Leone.

They grow to only half the height of a hippopotamus, and they weigh less than a quarter of a full-sized hippo! So, this gives you an insight into how small they are. It is believed that they diverged from the common hippo more than ten million years ago.

Pygmy hippos spend the majority of their time in rivers and swamps so that they can feed on the leafy vegetation in the area and keep their skin wet. They mainly eat fallen fruits, shoots, leaves, and grass.

Pygmy Hippo Day was created to raise awareness about the species, which has been classified as an endangered. The Zoological Society of London deemed this to be the case, estimating that there are only roughly 2,000 of these species left in the wild today. This is a small number, and it is declining.

There are a number of reasons for the decline in the number of pygmy hippos today. This includes that they are being hunted for bushmeat and their natural habitats are being destroyed. There used to be a subspecies of pygmy hippos in Nigeria, but it is believed that these are now extinct, as there have not been any sightings for decades now.

The threat to this species is a very real one, and so it is important that we take note of Pygmy Hippo Day so that we can do everything in our power to protect these wild animals that need our help!

There are a lot of different ways that you can observe Pygmy Hippo Day. One of the best ways to do so is by spreading awareness about pygmy hippos and their declining numbers. The more people that you can reach about this, the better. After all, one of the greatest issues is that a lot of people do not know about this endangered species and the problems they face.

You can also spend some time getting behind animal charities that are dedicated to protecting this species. You may even decide that you would like to host a fundraising event so that you can raise money for pygmy hippos. From fun runs to bake sales, there are plenty of different options, and they will all make a big difference.

Help a little hippo if you can, and have an excellent Thursday!

murfle · April 8, 2021, 6:49am

DarthMol · April 8, 2021, 6:51am

In an age of fake news this advert is more relevant today than it was back then

GregRedd · April 9, 2021, 6:14am

Good morning!

It is Friday, 09 April 2021
(W14/D99/266 rem)

Today is: Unicorn Day

What mythological creature has been more beloved over the centuries than the unicorn? Symbols of purity and enchantment, unicorns are loved by both children and adults alike and are integral parts of many fairy tales and legends. For all the roles they’ve played in literature, cinematography, and art as a whole, unicorns more than deserve their own day!

Unicorns were mentioned as far back as antiquity—ancient Greek writers believed they lived in the faraway and exotic country of India, which was then largely unknown to Europeans. However, the unicorn was then thought to be a powerful, fierce animal that was not to be meddled with.

In the Middle Ages, the unicorn’s image was based greatly on Bible passages that were thought to speak of these animals, and unicorns slowly came to be seen as a symbol of strength, the purest kind of love, and the pets of virgin women. In fact, there is even a sculpture of the Virgin Mary holding a unicorn on her lap and patting it in Warsaw’s National Museum. Thus, unicorns have been appearing in works of literature for thousands of years.

The most prominent more modern examples include Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, and The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis. The whole immensely popular My Little Pony franchise is also based on unicorns.

Unicorn Day was created to celebrate these majestic creatures and help adults remember how much more fun life can be when we let a little magic in sometimes.

The best way to celebrate this day would be to find a fun, fanciful activity. How about inviting some friends over to bake colorful cupcakes you can then top with colorful icing and sprinkles?

Another activity that could be perfectly suited to this day would be sitting down to watch a good fantasy film, preferably one that includes unicorns, of course! It’s likely to have been a long time since you’ve watched The Chronicles of Narnia…

Unicorn Day is the perfect day to remember how tales of magic and enchantment influenced your imagination as a child.

May this Unicorn Day be just the right sort of magical Friday we all need right now!

GregRedd · April 9, 2021, 6:17am

And then, of course, there’s always Charlie the Unicorn to fall back on if all else fails… Not too sure how your youngsters would react to him though. May make them rethink their entire unicorn belief system.

murfle · April 9, 2021, 7:53am

Put a banana in your ear.

Wyvern · April 9, 2021, 8:10am

murfle · April 9, 2021, 8:16am

DarthMol · April 9, 2021, 8:24am

Time to bring out this gem from the eighties…