New Years Celebration 2013 Part Two

Disclaimer: There is a lot of teasing about "drinking alcohol" in the New Years Eve pages but alas, our group simply does not partake to any access! We care about each other and would be considered "lightweights" when it comes to liquid libation.... It's nice to be old and wise! So.... Read the teasing with a jaundice eye as it is not really true.... Hopefully just humorous!

Did You Know? - A horn is a pointed projection of skin on the head of various animals consisting of a covering of keratin and other proteins surrounding a core of live bone. True horns are found mainly among the ruminant artiodactyls[not verified in body], in the families Antilocapridae (pronghorn) and Bovidae (cattle, goats, antelope etc.).

One pair of horns is usual, however two or more pairs occur in a few wild species and domesticated breeds of sheep. Polycerate (multi-horned) sheep breeds include the Hebridean, Icelandic, Jacob, Manx Loaghtan, and the Navajo-Churro.

Horns usually have a curved or spiral shape, often with ridges or fluting. In many species only males have horns. Horns start to grow soon after birth, and continue to grow throughout the life of the animal (except in pronghorns, which shed the outer layer annually, but retain the bony core). Partial or deformed horns in livestock are called scurs. Similar growths on other parts of the body are not usually called horns, but spurs, claws or hoofs depending on the part of the body on which they occur.

Did You Know? - Ear trumpets are tubular or funnel-shaped devices which collect sound waves and lead them into the ear. This results in a strengthening of the sound energy impact to the eardrum and thus a better hearing for a reduced or decreased hearing individual.

Ear trumpets were made of sheet iron, silver, wood, snail shells or animal horns.

Did You Know? - A party horn is a horn formed from a paper tube, often one that is flattened and rolled into a coil, and which unrolls when blown into, producing a horn-like noise. Unusually, the item is not known consistently by any term in English, also being known as a blow-out, blower, noisemaker, jolly Jonathan, tweeter, blow tickler, squeaker or a fizoo.

Modern variations have a plastic mouthpiece, which prevents the swift degradation of the device from exposure to the moisture of the mouth. Often the paper tube contains a coiled up metal or plastic strip that rapidly retracts the horn when you stop blowing on it. Others have a brightly colored feather attached to the end which vibrates in the outgoing air flow as the horn is blown.

Did You Know? - The unicorn is a legendary animal from European folklore that resembles a white horse with a large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead, and sometimes a goat's beard and cloven hooves. First mentioned by the ancient Greeks, it became the most important imaginary animal of the Middle Ages and Renaissance when it was commonly described as an extremely wild woodland creature, a symbol of purity and grace, which could only be captured by a virgin.

In the encyclopedias its horn was said to have the power to render poisoned water potable and to heal sickness. Until the 19th century, belief in unicorns was widespread among historians, alchemists, writers, poets, naturalists, physicians, and theologians.

Did You Know? - A yawn is a reflex of simultaneous inhalation of air and stretching of the eardrums, followed by exhalation of breath. Pandiculation is the act of yawning and stretching simultaneously.

Yawning is commonly associated with tiredness, stress, overwork, lack of stimulation and boredom, though recent studies show it may be linked to the cooling of the brain. In humans, yawning is often triggered by others yawning (e.g., seeing a person yawning, talking to someone on the phone who is yawning) and is a typical example of positive feedback. This "infectious" yawning has also been observed in chimpanzees and dogs.

Yawn comes from Old English 'Ginian' and 'Gionian' meaning to "Open the mouth wide, gape," which in turn comes from the Proto-Germanic base gin-.

Quotation To Remember: An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in.  A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.  ~Bill Vaughan

Quotation To Remember:The Old Year has gone.  Let the dead past bury its own dead.  The New Year has taken possession of the clock of time.  All hail the duties and possibilities of the coming twelve months!  ~Edward Payson Powell

Quotation To Remember: We will open the book.  Its pages are blank.  We are going to put words on them ourselves.  The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.  ~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Quotation To Remember: May all your troubles last as long as your New Year's resolutions.  ~Joey Adams

Quotation To Remember: Most of us don't need a psychiatric therapist as much as a friend to be silly with.  ~Robert Brault

Did You Know? - The conga line is a Cuban carnival march that was first developed in Cuba and became popular in the United States in the 1930s and 1950s. The dancers form a long, processing line. It has three shuffle steps on the beat, followed by a kick that is slightly ahead of the fourth beat. The conga, a term mistakenly believed to be derived from the African region of Congo, is both a lyrical and danceable genre, rooted in the music of carnival troupes or comparsas.

Did You Know? - A big band is a type of musical ensemble that originated in the United States and is associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately 12 to 25 musicians. The terms jazz band, jazz ensemble, jazz orchestra, stage band, society band, and dance band may describe this type of ensemble in particular contexts.