Sometimes we take our freedom for granted. Yet, in the 1700s, some courageous men and women fought for a common cause. Since the inception of this country, we have been blessed with a belief in freedom of speech, religion and the rights that all are equal.

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Rainbows, 4th of July, Presidential Trivia

4th of July Trivia:

Do you know which US president was born on July 4th and which three died on that date?  See Below.

After the Memorial service for Tim Russert, there was an incredibly beautiful rainbow that arched over the NBC news studio. With frequent thunderstorms during the summer, have you ever wondered how rainbows form?? To understand how they form, you need to understand that sunlight is a mixture of many colors. Thanks to the earth’s atmosphere, which bounces light waves around, the sun looks yellow and the sky looks blue. The colors in sunlight can be separated by using a prism; the simplest being the triangular bar of glass. Light waves going into it are bent. Each color in sunlight has a slightly different wavelength, and each wavelength or color is bent at a slightly different angle. Sunlight shining into the prism comes out as bands of colors ranging from red through all the colors to violet. This is called a spectrum.

Glass prisms aren’t the only things that bend light. Diamonds cut for jewelry break light up in such a way that colors flash out of the stones. Even drops of water can bend the light that falls on them in the right way. When sunlight passes through the air which is full of droplets of water, each of the billions of droplets act as a tiny prism, bending the light into separate colors.

Colorful rainbows can also be seen when the sun’s rays are passing through the waterfall. You an make your own rainbow with a garden hose. Stand with your back to the sun at a time of the day when the sun is low in the sky. Point the nozzle of the hose upward and turn on the fine spray. Rainbows can happen anywhere there is light and water droplets to bend the light. You won’t see a rainbow at Noon. The sun has to be at a 45 degree angle or less. Thus, the rainbow that fell over the NBC Washington D.C. studio was in late afternoon. Great timing.

The answer to the 4th quiz….  Calvin Coolidge was born (1872) on July 4th; Thomas Jefferson (1826), John Adams (1826) and James Monroe (1872) all died on that date.

Speaking of the 4th of July - have you clicked on our Home Page list of the 10 hottest 4th on record? Interestingly, they have  all occurred  since 2001. Hot, Hot, Hot.

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Yankee Ingenuity, Clothespins, Energy Savings

Frugal / Yankee Ingenuity - got to love how some people  can stretch a dollar. With less stretching at the pump, there are ways to get more for your money. Let’s take something simple (and cheap) like the wooden clothespin. Here are uses that you may not have considered:

Household

   Food bag closer - It costs $1.19 for a plastic closer in the store. But, a clothespin does the trick. It is actually a tighter devise and a fraction of the cost. And, during those hot, humid months, cereals, crackers and other bagged goodies stay fresh.

  Paper holders - good for keeping notes, receipts, monthly bills - any paper. It wind proofs the pile.

  Book markers - clip to the page where you stop reading.

  Clothes identifiers - print different names on the clothespins and use to clip to boots, mittens and shoes together.

Camping

  Clip clothespins to paper plates so they hold the plates down and won’t blow away.

  Clip wet towels, bathing suits, etc on thin tree branches.

  Use one to hold short matches when lighting candles, lanterns, or campfires.

  Use a clothespin as an emergency safety pin or hairclip.

Wooden clothespins cost about 7.5 cents each. They are often overlooked since most people don’t hang clothes on a line anymore. Speaking of that, during the summer have you considered a clothing rack to dry towels and sheets instead of an electric clothes dryer?? The sun does the trick and clothes smell fresher.

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Conserve Energy, Gasoline, Driving Tips, Save Money

When I drove to Villanova University in the early 1970s, I’d pay $.33 per gallon for fuel. With a 10 gallon tank in my 1971 Chevy Vega - I’d usually spend around $3.00 for a tank. With any luck, I’d spend $20 to drive the 440 miles to college. Oh, those were the days - cheap fuel for cheap cars.

Times they are a changing. Just a hint of a problem and oil prices shoot up. Americans can’t get enough gas to satisfy their needs. With growing economies in China, India and elsewhere, and oil prices will continue to climb. So, what to do. Our government has failed to implement any meaningful energy policies. So, you and I have to be smart about the fuel we consume and maybe do some things differently. Like a diet that works, once you get into a routine, it feels good.

Here are 20 ways you can maximize your mileage and get the most miles for your money. Click below:

http://www.farmersalmanac.com/home_garden/a/20-ways-to-save-gas

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Oil Prices, Simple Life, Conserve Energy
Over the 191-year history of the Farmers’ Almanac, we have seen the good, the bad and the ugly. There have been Civil Wars, World Wars, depressions, recessions, and lots of great times in between. When you are in the midst of turmoil, it is hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
 
Our current predicament is not necessarily about oil prices,  but about a world that is populated with 7 billion people, and the  growing demand for limited resources. We have lived so long in a cheap energy, highly disposable world that it is hard to imagine some of the economic hardships that we are now facing. But in facing these new shortages and economic challenges, we have to realize that maybe some of our habits, collectively and individually have to change.

The Farmers’ Almanac has long championed the “simple life”. But, what does that mean to you?  Obviously, the idea of a simple life does NOT mean going back to the horse and buggy days. Rather, it is about  becoming less wasteful and more resourceful. It may be as simple as becoming green conscious and reorganizing our complex lives.
 
The Farmers’ Almanac has always advocated the simple theory of “Waste not, want not.” For almost two hundred years, the Almanac has shared thrifty tips on way to stretch your income at the grocery store, how to reuse materials and household items and ways to fix things rather than throw them away and buy new. The new edition is no different.

The 2009 Farmers’ Almanac is at the printers. It will be in stores later this summer. This edition will be packed with useful ideas on how to be green, how to conserve energy, save water and much more. We will be taking pre-orders for this edition very soon here on our site. Stay tuned for details.

Our partners at Farmers’ Almanac Television have rich programming that deals with this information in a very visual and entertaining way. Be sure to check out our videos online for a sampling of this inspiring, resourceful show.

Life may never be “simple”, but there are proven ways to make it a lot easier. If you found ways to conserve and simplify your life and want to share them with others, drop  me a note at pgeiger@farmersalmanac.com.
 

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Lightning, Safety Tips, Fatalities, Storms

Here is an updated list of the lightning fatalities through June 21st. Based on 30-year averages, in the United States, about 1 person is killed by lightning every other day from now through the end of August. Sunday marked the start of Lightning Safety Awareness Week in the United States.

Here is a list and map of fatalities available on NOAA’s lightning Safety web site. While there will be a slight lag, especially over weekends, they try to keep the list as up to date as possible. A number of dangerous thunderstorms have hit New England this past weekend and they are common in most parts of the US. http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/fatalities.htm

How do you stay safe?? In 2006 a teenager was killed in Maine playing soccer. The sky was clear overhead but a stray bolt of lightning from a storm 10 miles away struck her. So, here are a couple links from our Farmers’ Almanac and FATV files. They discuss the severity of storms and ways to “play it safe”.

http://www.farmersalmanac.com/weather/a/when-lightning-danger

http::/www.farmersalmanac.com/weather/a/lightning_kills_play_it_safe

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Pests, Mouse, Mouse trap

Here is a common question this time of the year.

Q. got a little mouse that appears at night and I cannot get him.  Any suggestions??? Tried over the counter things, but the little bugger is smart.

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Full Moon, Strawberry Full Moon, Tim Russert

Full Moons during the warmer months are  particularly enjoyable.  More often than winter Full Moons, we can be outdoors and enjoy the Moon’s glow and  appearance. Tonight, we can observe the Strawberry Full Moon which arrives at 1:30pm EDT. While this is the time at which the Moon is completely full.  it really remains full for about 24 hours.

Why not celebrate this Strawberry Full Moon while night fishing, walking or just talking with friends. Better still , why not celebrate by eating some fresh strawberries.

On a more solemn note,  I have been following the attention America is paying to Tim Russert. While I never met Tim, I admired his work. Both Sandi and I are frequently  interviewed regarding the Farmers’ Almanac. I have been on national and local programs all over the country. From my perspective, Tim was the best interviewer in the business. He prepared for every guest and for every segment he was on the air. His delivery was firm but fair. If you prepared as well as he did, you “survived”.

In a world of 24 hour news and budget cuts, most reporters don’t (can’t) prepare the way they should. There is no one quite like Russert. NBC and  Meet the Press  will carve out a new personality and life will go on.  But, as life goes on, let us not forget a great man who shared talents, fair play and family values with his audience. God Bless you Tim!

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Fujita Tornado Damage Scale, Winds, Tornado Season

My heart goes out to all the victims of tornadoes this Spring.  We indicated in our publication that it would be an active season, but tornadoes are among the most ferocious storms. They are somewhat arbitrary as to where they land and the damage they leave behind.

The storm that hit the Boy Scouts in Iowa captures all of our hearts. When we lose a young person, we lose their potential. Reading about the four boys makes us even sadder for what might have been. This was a Category 3 tornado which makes me wonder how powerful are tornadoes and what is the rating system. Here is the system as presented by NOAA

Fujita Tornado Damage Scale

Developed in 1971 by T. Theodore Fujita of the University of Chicago

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SCALE	WIND ESTIMATE *** (MPH)	TYPICAL DAMAGE
F0	< 73	Light damage. Some damage to chimneys; branches broken off trees; shallow-rooted trees pushed over; sign boards damaged.
F1	73-112	Moderate damage. Peels surface off roofs; mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned; moving autos blown off roads.
F2	113-157	Considerable damage. Roofs torn off frame houses; mobile homes demolished; boxcars overturned; large trees snapped or uprooted; light-object missiles generated; cars lifted off ground.
F3	158-206	Severe damage. Roofs and some walls torn off well-constructed houses; trains overturned; most trees in forest uprooted; heavy cars lifted off the ground and thrown.
F4	207-260	Devastating damage. Well-constructed houses leveled; structures with weak foundations blown away some distance; cars thrown and large missiles generated.
F5	261-318	Incredible damage. Strong frame houses leveled off foundations and swept away; automobile-sized missiles fly through the air in excess of 100 meters (109 yds); trees debarked; incredible phenomena will occur.

*** IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT F-SCALE WINDS: Do not use F-scale winds literally. These precise wind speed numbers are actually guesses and have never been scientifically verified. Different wind speeds may cause similar-looking damage from place to place — even from building to building. Without a thorough engineering analysis of tornado damage in any event, the actual wind speeds needed to cause that damage are unknown. The Enhanced F-scale will be implemented February 2007.

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Superstitions, Friday the 13th, Triakaidekaphobia, Father’s Day

All the best this weekend to our fathers. Your day  was the idea of Sonora  Dodd of Spokane, Washington. Sonora, one of 6 children, wanted to pay tribute to her father, who after the death of her mother, raised Sonora and her five siblings on his own.

After listening to a sermon on Mother’s day in 1910, Sonora approached the speaker in regards to a similar holiday that would honor fathers. On June 6, 1910, during the meeting of local ministers at Spokane’s YMCA building, Mrs. Dodd presented a petition that requested the third Sunday be set aside as a national  Father’s Day. The ministers endorsed the petition, and soon it gained the attention of many national figures including President Woodrow Wilson. In 1914 Congress endorsed Father’s Day. Finally,  in 1971, a proclamation by President Richard Nixon established Father’s Day as an annual national observance.

How do you feel about the number 13?? Like it or not, today is Friday the 13th. A fear of the number thirteen is called triskaidekaphobia. Fear of Friday the 13th is referred to as paraskevidekatriaphobia. Whatever you call it or however you pronounce it, there are many superstitious types who dread 13. Have you ever sat at a table that held 13? Do any towns have a thirteenth street? Most buildings eliminate the 13th floor. Few communities have a house number 13.

The Greek word triakaidekaphobia means tris = three, kia = and, deka = ten. In ancient Rome there was a Thirteenth Club that defied the superstition by holding dinner for 13 members on the 13th of each month. There are a number of theories about how the fear of 13 started. One reason is that the standard fee for a hangman was 13 pence.

President Franklin Roosevelt would often invite his assistant, Grace Tully, to a lunch or dinner, if last minute changes resulted in only thirteen guests. Roosevelt wasn’t superstitious but he felt others might be. So, are you superstitious or do you throw caution to the wind on Friday the 13th?? Try out your luck today