Do dandelions turn into white?

 After the yellow dandelion flower blooms,the petals dry out and fall off.The bracts(pointy leaves holding up the flower) fold backward,the puffy whiteball opens up.

A song from 1977 that I love

 Pipeline(1977)-song by Bruce Johnston.

Central America

 El Salvador is Central America's tiniest country.

Canadian Goose

 The Canadian Goose is also nicknamed The Hissing Cobra Chicken;it is a fierce warrior bird.Canadian geese crap all over the place.

Dandelion flowers turning white

 Q.What is the reason why dandelion flowers turn white?

Answer.The petals of the Dandelion flower are yellow.The fluffy white parts are the seeds.As the seeds grw,the petals die and fall off.

Dandelions

 Q.What is a dandelion called when it turns white?

Answer.Eventually,all those beautiful flowers turn into white globes of exposed seeds that are called ''puffballs''.

Canadian Jeopardy champion Mattea Roach

 Canadian Jeopardy champion Mattea Roach's father Phillip Roach had a sudden death in May 2023 after suffering from a brain aneurysm.He was only 57.How sad!

Quote from Norman Maclean

 Now nearly all those I loved and did not understand when I was young are dead,but I still reach out to them.Eventually,all things merge into one,and a river runs through it.The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time.On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops.Under the rocks are the words,and some of the words are theirs.-Norman Maclean,A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT.

Ultraprocessed foods

 Foods that have a lot of additives and dyes are ultraprocessed foods;we need to eat less ultraprocessed foods.

Artificial intelligence models

 Artificial intelligence models are very data-hungry.

Michael J.Fox's parents

 Actor Michael J.Fox's father retired in 1971 and died of a heart attack on January 6,1990.

                           Michael J.Fox's mother died in September 2022.

Quote on discipline

 Discipline is just doing the same thing the right way whether anyone's watching or not.-Michael J.Fox

Quote from Dorothea Dix

 The duties of a teacher are neither few nor small,but they elevate the mind and give energy to the character.-Dorothea Dix

Quote from Denis Johnson

 Write naked

Write from exile

Write in blood.-Denis Johnson

San Francisco

 Q.What is the longest street in San Francisco?

Answer.Mission street.

Bluebell plant

 All plants of the bluebell plant contain toxic glycosides that are poisonous to humans,dogs,horses and cattle.If any part of the plant is eaten,it can cause serious stomach upset ,and if consumed in large quantities,may be fatal.The bulbs are easily mistaken for spring onions or garlic.

Lupine

 Lupine,bluebonnets are poisonous.All parts,especially ripe seeds,are potentially toxic.

A very poisonous plant

 Oleander(Nerium oleander)is commonly planted in southern gardens.Oleander is one of the most poisonous plants you can grow due to the poison,oleandrin.This toxin damages the heart and will cause heart arrhythmia and even cause death.

Is delphinium poisonous?

 All parts of all larkspur species are poisonous,but new growth and the seeds contain the highest concentration of toxic substances.

Replacing shareholder capitalism

 Some people want to replace shareholder capitalism with stakeholder capitalism and want to see capitalism morph into a more benign form.

                       Some people want to attend a funeral for capitalism;they want to bury capitalism.

Climbers of Mount Everest

 Many climbers of Mount Everest die because of altitude sickness,oxygen deprivation,falling or by being caught in an avalanche.

Rubbing nails

 Rub nails over soap before gardening to block out mud and dirt.

Rush hour

 Rush hour isn't so rushed sometimes.

Borage

 Borage flower is also known as starflower.

Quote from Nelson Mandela

 There is no passion to be found playing small-in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.-Nelson Mandela

Wisteria flowers

 Plain wisteria flowers taste like lightly sweet lettuce,with hints of bitter grape and peas.(Wisteria is in the legume family,after all).You can also eat wisteria flowers raw in a salad or use them as a colorful garnish.

                           Wisteria flowers are edible and they make delicious drinks.The flowers of the wisteria are the only edible part of the plant and can be made into an aromatic wine.

                          The seeds and pods of wisteria however are very toxic.

Peony

 Peony flowers are edible.The petals taste lovely fresh in salads,or lightly cooked and sweetened.

Gladiolus

 Gladiolus flowers are edible.They are mild in taste(similar to lettuce),they're good in sweet or savoury dishes.

Freesia flowers

 Freesia  is great infused in a tisane with lemon juice and zest.

Three obscure songs from Tommy Sands that I like

 1.Cinderella(1963)-Tommy Sands

2.Bigger Than Texas-Tommy Sands

3.Doctor Heartache-Tommy Sands

Great cookbook from Prince Edward Island

 My PEI Cabbage Cookbook(2023)-book by Ann Thurlow.

Quote from Steve Allen

 Ours is a government of checks and balances.The Mafia and crooked businessmen make out checks, and the politicians and other compromised officials improve their bank balances.-Steve Allen

Overproduction of foods

 There is an overproduction of food at Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks in the U.S in 2022.We must stop overproducing food.

           A new law in New York city in May 2023 forces the containerisation of waste in an effort to control the burgeoning rat population.There will probably be no more black garbage bags piled high outside restaurants.

New York city

 There are more than a million buildings in New York city in April 2023.

Quote from David Remnick

 The Communist Party apparatus was the most gigantic mafia the world has ever known.-David Remnick

Quote from Stephen Holmes

 There is no rule of law until the Mafia needs lawyers.-Stephen Holmes

Quote from Claire Balding

 Fitting in is boring.But it takes you nearly  your whole life to work that out.-Claire Balding(born 1971),British broadcaster and journalist.

Quote from Marlon Brando

 Mafia is the best example of capitalism we have.-Marlon Brando

Quote on guilt

 Guilt is the mafia of the mind.-Robert Mandel

People

 Some people are so backwoods and bumpkinish.

Two forgotten songs from Tommy Sands that I like

 1.Soda Pop Pop-Tommy Sands.

2.Blue Ribbon Baby-Tommy Sands

GPS tracking

 GPS tracking must be made mandatory on all garbage trucks in Canada,we must install rear-facing cameras on trucks and upgrade video surveillance in landfills.

An old song from Tommy Sands that I like

 A Young Man's Fancy-song by Tommy Sands.

Quote from Arnold Bennett

 The chief beauty about time is that you cannot waste it in advance.The next year,the next day,the next hour are lying ready for you,as perfect,as unspoiled,as if you had never wasted or misapplied a single moment in all your life.You can turn over a new leaf every hour if you choose.-Arnold Bennett

Two old songs from Tommy Sands that I like

 1.Ring My Phone(1957)-Tommy Sands.

2.Ring A Ding Ding(1957)-Tommy Sands

Another obscure song from Tommy Roe that I like

 Liftle Hollywood Girl-song by Tommy Roe.

Anna Sacks,the famous trashwalker

 Anna Sacks is a famous trashwalker in New York city.She documents her finds of vintage clothing,art,food and other reusable stuff from the trash on social media.She is a famous garbage-diving influencer who deserves more kudos for her great works.

                           She rightly argues we must stop overproduction of food like bagels,doughnuts,bread,etc.40% of food in the U.S was wasted in 2022.

An obscure song from Tommy Sands that I like

 Hawaiian Rock-song by Tommy Sands.

An obscure song from Tommy Roe that I like

 Blue Ghost-song by Tommy Roe.

Two old songs from Tommy Sands that I like

 1.Crazy Cause I Love You-Tommy Sands.

3.Worryin' Kind-Tommy Sands.

Quote from Lucy Larcom

 No one can feel more gratefully the charm of noble scenery,or the refreshment of escape into the unspoiled solitudes of nature,than the laborer at some clo in-door employment.-Lucy Larcom

Quote from Alan Casden

 Never compromise your principles,even if it leads to difficulties in the short term.-Alan Casden

Lawns

 The lawn is a biodiversity killer.

Quote from Jane Jacobs

 It may be romantic to search for the salves of society's ills in slow-moving rustic surroundings,or among innocent,unspoiled provincials,if such exist,but it is a waste of time.-Jane Jacobs

Quote from Paul Dirac

 Your knowledge is far more important than your degree.-Paul Dirac

Quote from Edith Head

 I have yet to see one completely unspoiled star,except for Lassie.-Edith Head

Quote from Clinton Lee Scott

 From the east comes the sun,bringing a new and unspoiled day,-Clinton Lee Scott

Quote on attachment

 Attachment is the great fabricator of illusions;reality can be attained only by someone who is detached.-Simone Weil

Quote on Hawaii

 A typical battlefield of  this struggle is Hawaii,America's most deceptively beautiful state.For most residents and visitors,it seems an unspoiled island paradise.In actuality it is a killing field of biological diversity.-Edward O.Wilson

Quote from William Gibson

 The future is already here.It's just not evenly distributed yet.-William Gibson

Burmese pythons

 Florida has a python problem;Florida has about 1,50,000 Burmese pythons in April 2023.

                   Burmese pythons have become the apex predator of  the Everglades.

                   Burmese pythons eat white-tailed deer,rabbits and foxes.They also eat songbirds.A thriving and abounding population of marsh hares has more or less been wiped out by Burmese pythons.Burmese pythons have also  been known to eat 6-foot alligators.These pythons are found in high concentration in the Everglades.

                    The Florida government is offering bounties to kill Burmese pythons  and encourage manufacturers to make shoes,wallets,belts,laptop cases and bags from them.

A tangled relationship

 At age 52,Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman married 18 year-old Mandy Smith,though they divorced after only a year.Then,Billy's son Stefan married Mandy's  mother,making Bill the father-in-law of his ex mother-in-law,and the step-grandfather of his former wife.

Scabiosa

 Scabiosa is also known as 'pincushion flower.'

A song from Terri Clark that I love

 Northern Girl-song by Terri Clark.

Quote from Eloise Ristad

 If we allow ourselves to become authorities, we tend to lock ourselves into the corner we label "right", and forget that every corner has its own share of rightness.-Eloise Ristad,A SOPRANO ON OUR HEAD.

Interesting tweet on AI

 We don't need AI to make art.We need AI to write emails and clean the house and deliver the groceries so humans can make more art.-SJ Sindhu@SJSindhu

Avenue Pierre de Coubertin

 Avenue Pierre de Coubertin in the eastern part of Montreal was formerly called Boyce street.

Human beings

 Human beings are primarily a visuocentric species;we interpret the world primarily with our vision and sight.

Sound travel

 Sound travels much better under water;shipping lanes are incredibly noisy.

          Underwater noise pollution is very high.

Quote from Mario Quintana

 Don't waste your time chasing butterflies.Mend your garden,and the butterflies will come.-Mario Quintana

Why wetlands are vital

 Wetlands occupy only 6% of the earth's surface.Wetlands hold twice as much as carbon as forests,but they are being destroyed at an alarming rate.

                                       The future of our planet depends on wetlands.

Savoury omelette I had on Saturday,May 13,2023

 On Saturday,May 13,2023,I made a savory two-egg omelette with onion salt,stir-fried fiddleheads and tomatoes.

Virtue of wetlands

 Rock expanses,wetlands and lakes serve as fire breaks during wildfires.We must preserve our wetlands from development for the sake of a healthier environment.

The largest cemetery in Canada

 Notre Dame Des Neiges in Montreal is the largest cemetery in Canada in 2023.

Koalas

 Koalas can sleep 19 or 20 hours a day.

Famous blogger commits suicide

 Heather Armstrong,'The Queen of Mommy Bloggers' has died in May 2023 at the young age of 47;she died by suicide.How sad and tragic!

                       Heather Armstrong was hospitalised for post-partum depression after her first child was born.

A delicious omelette that I made

 On Thursday,May 11,2023,I made a delicious two-egg omelette with salt,stir-fried fiddleheads and mushrooms.The fiddlehead fern season in Montreal is short.

An obscure,little-known song from Elvis Presley that I love

 How Would You Like To Be(1962)-song by Elvis Presley.

Quote from Eloise Ristad

 Life has lots of genuine-sounding simulated answers waiting to be snatched up by gullible takers.-Eloise Ristad,A SOPRANO ON OUR HEAD.

Freakout

 Some people take sips from a freakout juice.

Squirrels

 Some people refer to squirrels as tree rats.

A song from Teresa Brewer that I love

 Heavenly Love-song by Teresa Brewer.

Another song from Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark that I love

 So In Love-song by Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark.

How to make vegetables sweeter

 The higher the levels of calcium in the soil the sweeter the vegetables will taste.

Vinyl siding

 Firefighters call vinyl siding 'solidified gasoline.'

Quote from Eloise Ristad

 As we talked,we realized that we actually improvise everything we do,from the way we walk down the street to the way we prepare a meal.Can you imagine speaking without improvising?Yet the word improvisation terrifies most people,musician and non-musician alike.-Eloise Ristad

A song from David Wilcox that I love

 Do The Bearcat-song by David Wilcox

Quote from Christopher Hitchens

 Those who are determined to be 'offended' will discover a provocation somewhere.

                         We cannot possibly adjust enough to please the fanatics,and it is degrading to make the attempt.-Christopher Hitchens

Great quote from Eloise Ristad

 Often we mistake knowledge for truth and forget that the sun shines on truth from different directions and casts a different shadow each time.When we look only at high noon,we miss a lot.If we mistake the shadow for truth itself,we delude ourselves.Our understanding must shine from ever-new directions.-Eloise Ristad,A SOPRANO ON OUR HEAD.

Great song from the eighties that I love

 If You Leave-song by Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark

Quote on freedom

 I'll tell you what freedom is to me.No fear.-Nina Simone

Quote from Bell Hooks

 No one is healed in isolation.-Bell Hooks

Flowers that are poisonous

 Several flowers such as azaleas,buttercups,daffodils,delphiniums and wisteria,just to name a few,are poisonous and inedible.

Flowers that are edible

 Flowers that are edible-Rose,Borage,Lavender,Pansy,Violet,Dandelion,Hibiscus,Daylily,Calendula,Marigold,Chives,Cornflower,Carnation,German Chamomile,Daisy,Honeysuckle,Chrysanthemum,Fennel,Squash blossoms,Dianthus.

Black-eyed Susan vine

 Thunbergia alata,commonly called black-eyed susan vine,is a herbaceous perennial.

Germany

 Germany's national flower is the cornflower.

Quote from George MacDonald

 Afterwards,I learned that the best way to manage some kinds of painful thoughts,is to dare them to do their worst;to let them lie and gnaw at your heart till they are tired and you still have a residue of life they cannot kill.-George MacDonald

Quote from James Baldwin

 The longer I live,the more deeply I learn that love-whether we call it friendship or family or romance is the work of mirroring and magnifying each other's light.-James Baldwin,NOTHING PERSONAL.

Quote from Eloise Ristad

 When we give ourselves permission to fail,we,at the same time,give ourselves permission to excel.-Eloise Ristad

Jerry Springer changed the entertainment industry

 Talk show host Jerry Springer changed the entertainment landscape with his tabloid talk show famous for capitalising on confrontation.Springer was a television ringmaster.Jerry Springer died of pancreatic cancer in April 2023 at the age of 79.

                              Viewers couldn't get enough of his show.

                               Jerry Springer was born in an underground bomb shelter in London in 1944;his Jewish family fled the Nazis and later moved to America.Jerry Springer went to law school and later became the mayor of Cincinnati but resigned after a prostitution scandal.

                                He then reinvented himself as a news anchor and after that launched a talk show that vaulted him into stardom.

A song from 1962 that I like

 Some People(1962)-song by Carol Deene.

Ohio students shot to death in 1968

 On May 4,1968,28 Ohio National Guardsmen fired approximatively 67 rounds over a period of 13 seconds,killing these 4 unarmed students:Allison B.Krause,William K.Schroeder,Jeffrey G.Miller and Sandra L.Scheuer.

Quote on building a business

 Building a business is like building a home.If the foundation rests on an unstable setting or is constructed with subpar materials,it doesn't matter if the rest of the home is perfect.It will never be a joy to the owner.-Thomas J.Stanley

Unsolved murder

 In 1978 Hogan Hero's star Bob Crane was found murdered in his apartment in the Winfield Place Apartments in Scottsdale,Arizona.As of April 2023,the murder still remains unsolved.

Quote from Jen Lancaster

 You know what?We need a recession in this country,because that would finally weed out all the subnormal,underdeveloped,stupefied,puerile people in this workforce.-Jen Lancaster

Quote from Mark Batterson

 Our normal is so subnormal that normal seems radical.To the first-century disciples,normal and radical were synonyms.We've turned them into antonyms.-Mark Batterson

Quote from Ayn Rand

 We can ignore reality,but we cannot ignore the consequences of ignoring reality.-Ayn Rand

Arabic adage

He who knows the most suffers the most.-Arabic adage

Quote from Amy Tan

 If you think that just because you're really popular  you're a better person,it could be a real crash when you find the popularity goes down.-Amy Tan

Quote from Parker Posey

 Imagine if every airport would blast Brian Eno.I bet going through security wouldn't be as difficult.-Parker Posey

Quote from Tim Dorsey

 Something else that separates me from society:super-positive perspective!Where normal  people would whine about subpar accommodations,I choose to view it as upscale camping.-Tim Dorsey

Quote from Christopher Hitchens

 An individual deficient in the sense of humor represents more of a challenge to our idea of the human than a person of subnormal intelligence.-Christopher Hitchens

Quote from Gore Vidal

 There is something about the state putting the power to bully into the hands of subnormal,sadistic apes that makes my blood boil.-Gore Vidal

Painful legacy in Jamaica

 There is a painful legacy of slavery in Jamaica and deeply entrenched poverty.Many Jamaicans in 2022 can't wait to cut ties with the colonial past  and sever ties with the British monarchy.

                           Jamaica's beautiful beaches belie ugly truths.Generations of black people toiled on British-owned sugar plantations in Jamaica.No wonder many Jamaicans want to axe the British monarchy.

Hyenas

 Hyenas have pretty strong bite force;they can eat through bone.Hyenas have formidable teeth.

                          Hyenas usually attack prey from the behind.If hyenas kill a warthog or porcupine it is by attacking it as a group,not one on one.

                              Warthogs generally steer clear of hyenas because hyenas see them as a tasty snack.Wart hogs have razor-sharp tusks in the front and can defend themselves from most predators.

Quote from Charles Bukowski

 Stop insisting on clearing your head -clear your fucking heart instead.-Charles Bukowski

Quote from Ernest Hemmingway

 You can't get away from yourself by moving from one place to another.-Ernest Hemmingway

Quote on unresolved grief

 Unresolved grief is created when we don't allow ourselves to work through feelings as they arise.If we deny having painful feelings or put them on a shelf,they don't simply evaporate.Rather,unresolved feelings gnaw at our energy,prey on our emotions,and generally debilitate us.-Sue Patton Thoele

A hip-hop song from 1991 that I love

 Twelve-sided Dice(1991)-song by Dream Warriors.

A song from Tom Petty that I love

 It's Good To Be King-song by Tom Petty.

Quote from Henry David Thoreau

 We shall be reduced to gnaw the very crust of the earth for nutriment.-Henry David Thoreau

Quote on guilt

 Guilt doesn't follow the rules of time.Most things fade with time,regret,eyesight,memories.But guilt feeds on time,and as it feeds,it grows,and when it runs out of time,it begins to gnaw on the guilty.-J.D.Mason

Quote from Virginia Woolf

 What matters is precisely this;the unspoken at the edge of the spoken.-Virginia Woolf