"ATTACK" OF THE CICADAS HAS BEGUN

They've been asleep under ground for 17 years and now it's time for their return to the world above them. They are the Cicada bug and they'll be returning by the millions if not the billions from Georgia to Connecticut.

Their ear perching song and red eyes will soon be on tree branches to house sides. Here are some facts about our 17 year visitors and why you really have nothing to worry about.

1. There will be hundreds of millions of them
The insects themselves aren't very big — adults tend to be a little larger than a quarter. And while they don't sting or bite, there will be hundreds of millions — perhaps billions — of them. A single Brood II female lays as many as 600 eggs before she dies. According to John Cooley, a research scientist at the University of Connecticut, Brood II cicadas tend to form denser clouds than other varieties: Clusters can range from tens of thousands to 1.5 million per acre.

2. They won't be around for very long
When soil temperatures reach a balmy 64 degrees in in late May or early June, nymphs will start emerging from underground, "boiling out of the ground" as if "from some horror movie," reports The New York Times. Then, for the first time since 1996, they'll climb up trees, shed their skin, and transform into loud, obnoxious adults looking to procreate. Thankfully, the whole cycle only lasts 6 weeks, and we won't see the cicadas again until 2030.

3. They're actually great for plant lifeWhen a female squirts her eggs on twigs and shrubs, they form thick clusters that strip trees of excess branches. "This does little permanent damage to trees; some small branches may be broken," notes The Times"But the end result is often the same as that from pruning — healthier plants." 

4. They don't taste badCicadas are arthropods, meaning they're related to shrimp and lobsters. (Something to bear in mind if you have shellfish allergies.) The bugs have something of a long culinary history, especially in the Southwest:

Ashlee Horne of Nashville likes her cicadas sautéed in butter and garlic. Jenna Jadin of Washington, D.C., bakes them into banana bread, chocolate-chip cookies, and rhubarb pie. Others like them dipped in chocolate for a sweet, crunchy snack.

According to one blogger, they taste "crispy and crunchy, with a nutty, almondlike flavor," and are best eaten before the nymphs form their hard exoskeleton. A cicada swarm once even rescued the Onondaga Indians of New York from famine.

However, The Humane Society warns against letting dogs and other pets gorge on yards full of the bugs, as their hard exteriors could present a choking hazard. An ingredient found naturally in their shells (chitin) can also cause constipation and vomiting when digested in large amounts.

 5. Bob Dylan wrote a song about themIt's called "Day of the Locust." The inspiration came in 1970, during an especially loud, sleepless night of buzzing in Princeton, N.J. It may be the best song ever written about noisy insects

Some Snow Facts

What a winter it's been so far! It seems it's been snowstorm after snowstorm as the white stuff piles up and there seems nowhere to put it. As you look around at the snow here are some interesting facts about the snowman DNA so next time you see a snowflake falling you'll understand it a little better and either like it a little more or hate it like never before.:

The average snowflake falls at a speed of 3.1 miles per hour.For it to snow the tops of the clouds must be below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

At the center of each and every snowflake is a speck of dust or volcanic ash.

Snowflakes aren't always white because if there is a lot of coal dust in the air the snowfall will appear gray.
In Prince Edward Island, Canada, where the soil is red clay, snowflakes ofter look pink because dust from the soil is often blown in the air and it is absorbed into the clouds which the snow comes from.

The largest snowflakes ever recorded fell in Montana and averaged 15 inches in diameter.

People buy more cookies, cake and candy than any other food when a blizzard is forecast.

A blizzard occurs when viability is below 1/4 mile. The wind speed must be above 35 miles per hour and these conditions must last at least 3 hours. If any of these conditions are not met the storm can not be called a blizzard.

One in five people take the day off when heavy snow falls.

Snow is white because it's crystalline structure reflects white light in all directions. Ice is more dense so it appears clear.

In the Great Blizzard of 1888, snowfalls of 40-50 inches fell in parts of NY, NJ, CT and MA and produced wind drifts of more than 50 feet high. Railroads were shut down and people were confined to their houses for more than a week.

When treating hypothermia, the extremities (arms and legs) should NOT be warmed first because this will drive cold blood to the heart which can lead to heart failure.


Some Pictures of the Blizzard Of 1888 (NYC and CT)

Groundhog's Day

I went to my car this morning. The temperature out side was a bone chilling 18 degrees. As I sat inside the vehicle I waiting patiently for the heater to show me the slightest sign of warmth. I then climbed back out of my icebox like car to perform a morning ritual. I had to scrape the ice and frost off the windshield of my car. As I scraped away, I looked around. I saw the snow on the ground. I saw the lifeless trees with the shine of ice hanging from them. The freezing cold around me stung what little skin was exposed to the elements. This is February in Connecticut and we are in the dead center of winter.

I'm not the winter type of guy. Give me sun and the beach any day over the white, drifting snow. I'm not saying I don't like winter. I'm just saying that winter is far to long. This is the reason why February 2nd. is so important to me.

NATURE'S WEATHERMAN...

In a time of super radars and satellites that could read the year on a penny from outer space, our weather men have it all. The now attempt to predict the weather weeks in advance. They could tell us with near precession the amount of rain that will fall. The could warn us of advancing storms and wind speeds to a breeze that hasn't even started blowing yet. But on this day, February 2nd, it's not the weather man I turn to for the forecast, it's a furry little rodent named Punxsutawney Phil.

Punxsutawney Phil is aground hog that lives in the state of Pennsylvania. On this day, Phil emerges from his little home and walks outside. As legend has it, if Phil sees his shadow, we are in for at least 6 more weeks of winter. If Phil goes shadowless, that is a sign that spring is right around the corner.
Now I won't be the only one looking out for Phil's shadow, or lack of one. There will be literally millions of people waiting to hear if the dead of winter will soon be replaced with the colorful life of spring.

IT ALL STARTED HERE...

This strange custom of replacing our weather men with a groundhog started in the 18th century in Pennsylvania. It actual origins come from Europe where a badger decides the upcoming end to the harsh winter depending on it's shadow. The date chosen, February 2nd, is the date used by the Celtics as a seasonal turning point.

So on this date I'll keep my frozen fingers crossed in hope of a shadow and a early spring. So here's to Punxsutawney Phil and to putting away my windshield scraper and turning on my air conditioner instead of my car heater.
Now I don't hold much hope in a forecast from a brown, furry, bucked tooth animal but then again, that's kind of the description of some weather men.

Thanks to one of my favorite websites, listafterlist.com, here's a list of some other famous groundhogs.

Names of many other prognosticating groundhogs:

	Punxsutawney Phil found in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania
	Wiarton Willie found in Wiarton, Ontario
	Staten Island Chuck found in New York City, New York
	General Beauregard Lee, PhD found in Atlanta, Georgia
	Malverne Mel and Malverne Melissa found in Malverne, New York
	Brandon Bob of Brandon, Manitoba
	Balzac Billy of Balzac, Alberta
	Shubenacadie Sam of Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia
	Gary the Groundhog of Kleinburg, Ontario
	Spanish Joe of Spanish, Ontario
	Sir Walter Wally of Raleigh, North Carolina
	Pardon Me Pete of Tampa, Florida
	Jimmy the Groundhog of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin
	Octoraro Orphie of Quarryville, Pennsylvania

Gay Marriage and NJ

In a state that's known for it's dirty beaches, smelly air, over crowded highways and a reality TV show that portrays them as a bunch of dumb ass meatheads, now New Jersey could add at least 20 closed mind, bigot senators to the list which makes the garden state more and more less appealing.

Today the NJ state Senate denied gay people the right to marry, very much like the way this country's dark past denied blacks to marry whites, women to vote and black children to attend "white schools". This is one more example of how we didn't learn from our past. It's one more example of how hate and ignorance still runs through our country so deep that most of the civilized world sees it as one more reason this great country has lost it's legacy as the "land of the free".

After the vote was announced that the bill was defeated, the room broke into applause. To me that was a show of so much lack of respect to the many who held on to the dreams of marrying the ones that the love. It was a slap in the face.

I stated to a fellow blogger that the ONLY comfort I get from these "people" clapping on video because of the bills defeat is that in the future, when the world sees everyone as equal, they will look back at that video and portray these senators as part of the ignorant and bigots that held back people's rights in the early 21st century.

How To Keep Those Resolutions Alive.

Ok, we're five days into the new year. On day one, many of us have made "New Year's Resolutions". By day five, many of us have broken or didn't even start what we promised ourselves.

Now don't come down to hard on yourself. This is actually a common thing. A whopping 92% of people don't keep their New Year's resolutions. 45% of them fail by teh end of the first month of the new year.

I don't want you sitting there reading this and thinking the "new you" is doomed, because it's not. Here are a few helpful hints to make sure you're one of the 8% that successfully keep the promises they made to themselves.

1.) Don't put to many pebbles in your basket.
One of the biggest mistakes people make when thinking of resolutions is that they make to many. Think about it people. You're changing something about you. One thing is tough enough so why would you want to make six or seven? Keep the number low so you could really work on it. Choose something really important about you that you want to change. Don't set the goals to high and plan it out.

2.) Keep your big mouth opened.
Tell your close friends and family about your goals. Yap away about it to your wife, husband, co-worker or neighbor. This way you'll have people keeping an eye on you and asking you about how you're coming along. After all, you always want to look like a winner in the eyes of people.

3. If you hit a bump in the road, keep going.
Many people slip up on their resolutions and just give up afterwards. If you mess up, just pick yourself up, dust yourself off and keep at it. Just get back on track. One bump doesn't spoil the ride.

4. Rewards are awesome.
If you're trying to save money and you pass on buying that $400 hand bag then go out and celebrate by joining a friend for a quick lunch. Trust me, it's a lot cheeper then some over priced, pretty now but ugly in a year, handbad. If you're trying to lose weight and you lose a few pounds then go out and buy something that you could wear or something that makes you feel good. NO, I'm not talking a triple layered brownie with ice cream. I'm talking maybe something for the shower or a massage. You get my point.

5. Break the habit by making it a habit.
Now that my sound a little confusing but it's not. Research shows that it takes 21 days for a new activity to become a habit, such as exercising. It takes six months for it to become part of your life style and personality. Now the bad habit you are trying to lose probably was with you a lot longer then six months so this isn't a lot of time to hold in there so go for it.

I hope these little pieces of information help out in your quest to keep your goals. I wish you all the best luck. Drop me a comment on your resolutions and how you're keeping up.

Peace out.

Happy New Year 2010

Top 5 Stories Of The Decade

The year was 1999 and we were on the threshold of a new millennium. People were panic stricken over the theory that the world's computers would crash when the year 2000 rolled in. President Bill Clinton assured us that the world would be safe and as the ball dropped at midnight on Time Square in New York City, we all would find out the Y2K wouldn't come.

This was the beginning of the 21st century. The world celebrated. Jobs were plentiful. Gas prices averaged $1.09 a gallon and the World Trade Center held the title of the tallest building in New York City.

As quickly as the new century rolled in the world would prove to change just as fast. Here is my list of the top events that shaped this decade and our every day lives.

5.) Hurricane Katrina: August 29, 2005. When hurricane Katrina, a category 3 hurricane, struck New Orleans, no one was prepared to what was to come. The intense rains and winds from the storm breached the levees which held back water from from flooding the city which sat below sea level. In the end, over 1,800 lives were lost, 200,000 homes were destroyed, 1,000,000 people were homeless and over 1,000,000,000 dollars in damage was done. What was most shocking in this disaster was the lack of response of President Bush and our federal government, which took days to send help to save the drowning city and it's dying residence.

4.) President Barack Obama: On January 20, 2009, the United States Of America swore in the first African-American President. This would be a major turning point in a history of racism and prejudice toward blacks in our country.

3.) The Iraq War: It began on March 20, 2003 with the invasion of Iraq by multinational forces led by the United States which believed that Iraq possessed "Weapons Of Mass Destruction". This would later prove to be misinformation from government sources. The Iraqi government, which proved to be inhumanly cruel to it's civilians would soon be over thrown. It's President President Hussein would be executed after being found guilty of crimes against humanity and the war would continue because of beliefs of Iraq's ties to terrorist groups which threatened out nation and the world. As of December 26, 2009 nearly 5 thousand American soldiers lives were lost, over 100 thousand civilian died and nearly 800 billion dollars was spent on the war

2. The Recession: It began in December 2007 when our nation's banks began to fail in part of loans that couldn't be paid back. Soon businesses began to close, homes were foreclosed and the unemployment rate shot through the ceiling hitting a high of 11.8 %.

1. The Terrorist Attacks Of September 11, 2001: On a bright and sunny Tuesday morning in September, terrorist would hijack 4 airliners on east coast of the United States. Two of these planes would be used as missiles and fly straight into The World Trade Center buildings in New York City causing the buildings to collapse on the streets below. In Washington, DC, the third plane would crash into the Pentagon Building, destroying a portion of the structure. The fourth plane, United Flight 93 would target Washington, DC but would never reach it's destination. After learning the hijackers' plan to crash the plane into a building in Washington, the planes passengers would rise up and storm the hijackers moments before the plane would crash in a field in Pennsylvania. A total of 2,976 people would lose their lives on this day.

It's almost amazing the we survived the first 10 years of the 21st century. Let us all hope that the next 10 go more smoothly.