| Pancakes on Wednesdays 
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Welcome to Pancakes on Wednesdays. Wednesday, December 24, 2003 |
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Here is an amalgamation of trivial facts and seemingly useless data. Do not forget to hit the hyperlinks. We have links, lots of them. 
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| SCRIMSHAW |
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Ivory which has been adorned with carved or coloured designs. This craft is intimately associated with American whalers, who used walrus tusks and bits of whale teeth and jawbone to carve intricate designs in the few spare moments they had free. Frank T Bullen wrote about their methods in The Cruise of the Cachalot: “The tools used are of the roughest. Some old files, softened in the fire, and filed into grooves something like saw-teeth, are most used; but old knives, sail-needles, and chisels are pressed into service. The work turned out would, in many cases, take a very high place in an exhibition of turnery, though never a lathe was near it”. The best work of these times is still highly prized and very collectable. Someone who practises the craft is a scrimshoner. The origin of the word is almost totally mysterious; it was first recorded about 1825, but its spelling in the first half of the nineteenth century was variable, with forms such as scrimshonting, scrimshonging, scrimshandy, scrimshanking and skrimshander all appearing at various times. There’s some suggestion that our modern spelling was influenced by the proper name Scrimshaw, but nobody seems to know quite why. Since a person who did this on board ship wasn’t working, it may be that the British English scrimshank, to shirk one’s duty, came from the same source. |
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Will O' the Wisp 
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Happy Birthday Kit Carson 1809 
Born in Madison County, Kentucky, Christopher "Kit" Carson moved to the Missouri frontier by the age of two. Orphaned at an early age, he was apprenticed to a saddler. Kit found life too dull, and at the age of 17 he ran away with a wagon train bound for Sante Fe. For 16 years he worked as a teamster, cook, guide and hunter for parties exploring the West. In 1842 he guided General John C. Fremont on his expedition to California. For his brave work in the Mexican War, Carson was commissioned a lieutenant in the United States Army. He was appointed Indian Agent for the Taos, New Mexico area in 1853. In that position he used his wealth of experience and influence to counsel against bloodshed--and in many instances was successful. When the Civil War started, Carson organized and commanded the New Mexico and Colorado Auxiliary Scouts. At the end of the war he was appointed to the rank of Brigadier General and given command of Fort Garland, Colorado. Christopher Carson left the post in 1867 and died at Fort Lyons in 1868. |
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"...and it was always said of him that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge..." - Charles Dickens. A Christmas Carol 1843.
Most of our festive Christmas customs and traditions are firmly rooted in the florid celebrations of the 19th century. It all began when the humble evergreen was ushered into Victorian parlours and elevated to the centerpiece of what was to become a spectacular observance.
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If we are what we eat, then I'm easy, fast, and cheap. A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand. Thou shalt not weigh more than thy refrigerator. Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused. A Clean House Is A Sign Of A Misspent Life. Help Keep the Kitchen Clean - Eat Out. Housework Done Properly Can Kill You. |
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Happy Birthday James Joule 1818 Joule studied the nature of heat, and discovered its relationship to mechanical work (see energy). This led to the theory of conservation of energy (the First Law of Thermodynamics). The SI unit of work, the joule, is named after him. He worked with Lord Kelvin to develop the absolute scale of temperature, made observations on magnetostriction, and found the relationship between the flow of current through a resistance and the heat dissipated, now called Joule's law. 
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OPERATION ORDER 12-98
FOR: OFFICIAL VISIT OF LT jg SANTA CLAUS1. An official staff visit by LT jg Claus is expected at this post on 25 Dec. The following directives govern activities of all Army personnel during the visit. a. Not a creature will stir without permission. This includes warrant officers and mice. Soldiers may obtain special stirring permits for necessary administrative action through the Battalion S-1. Officer stirring permits must be obtained through the Deputy, Post Plans and Policy Office. b. All personnel will settle their brains for a long winter nap NLT 2200 hours, 24 December. Uniform for the nap will be; Pajamas, Cotton, Light Weight, General Purpose, OG, and Cap, BDU woodland pattern, with ear flaps in the extended position. Equipment will be drawn from the supply room prior to 1900 hours. While at supply, all personnel will review their personal hand receipts and sign a Cash Collection Voucher, DD Form 1131, for all missing items. Remember, this is the "season of giving." c. Personnel will utilize standard "T" ration sugar plums for visions to dance through their heads. Sugar plums are available in "T" ration sundry packs and should be eaten with egg loaf, chopped ham, and spice cake to ensure maximum visions are experienced. d. Stockings, Wool, Cushion Sole, will be hung by the chimneys with care. Necessary safety precautions will be taken to avoid fires caused by carelessly hung stockings. 1SG's will submit stocking handling plans to S-3, Training prior to 0800 hours, 24 Dec. All leaders will ensure their subordinate personnel are briefed on the safety aspects of stocking hanging. e. At first [sign] of clatter, all personnel will spring from their beds to investigate and evaluate the cause. Immediate action will be taken to tear open the shutters and throw up the window sashes. On order OPLAN 7-97 (North Pole), para 6-8 (c)(3), dated 4 March, this office, takes effect to facilitate shutter tearing and sash throwing. SDO and all CQs will be familiar with procedures and are responsible for seeing that no shutters are torn or sashes thrown in Bldg 9828 prior to the start of official clatter. f. Prior to 0001, date of visit, all personnel possessing Standard Target Acquisition and Night Observation (STANO) equipment will be assigned "wandering eyeball" stations. The SDNCO will ensure that these stations are adequately manned even after shutters are torn and sashes are thrown. g. The Battalion S-4, in coordination with the National Security Agency and the Motor Pool will assign on each Sleigh, Miniature, M-24 and eight reindeer, tiny, for use by LT jg Claus. The assigned driver must have a current sleigh operator's license with roof top permit and evidence of attendance at the winter driving class
stamped on his DA Form 348. Driver must also be able to clearly shout "On Dancer, On Prancer, etc." 2. LT JG Claus will initially enter Bldg 9828 through the dayroom. All offices without chimneys will draw Chimney Simulator, M6A2 for use during the visit. Draw chimney simulator on DA Form 2765-1 which will be submitted in four copies to the S-4 prior to 23 Dec. Personnel will ensure that chimneys are properly cleaned before turn-in at the conclusion of visit. 3. Personnel will be rehearsed in the shouting of "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year" or "Merry Christmas To All and To All a Good Night." This shout will be given upon termination of the visit. Uniformity of shouting is the responsibility of each section NCOIC. FOR THE COMMANDER
GOODE, U. B., LTC, OD
Executive Officer |
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Fabulous prizes... 
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In temperatures over 90 F, hiking can be especially hazardous. During hot spring, summer or fall months replace the water your body loses through perspiration. Drink a minimum of 1 gallon (4 liters) of water per day - twice that is even better. Always carry plenty of drinking water especially while hiking. one gallon of water per person per day is the minimum you should carry. Many of the springs in Death Valley are either dry or have been contaminated by burros, so do not rely on them. Do not camp in drainages or washes. Camp at least two miles from a maintained road and 200 yards from water sources. |
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Happy Birthday
Howard Hughes 1905 
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| Blue Christmas |
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Happy Birthday I.F. Stone 1907 
The Trial of Socrates... Redux... No relation to Radix! |
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 Participle
To most people a dangling participle sounds like a serious, possibly fatal physical problem. In fact it is only a problem with a modifier. |
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Happy Birthday "Mean" Joe Green 1946 We are counting cards. 
A man walks into the local diner and declares, "I'm Joe Green. I know everybody and everybody knows me." One day a regular customer got tired of his bragging, and being fairly wealthy put him to the test. He says, "I bet you don't know Burt Reynolds." So they fly to Burt's house. When they knock on the door, Burt answers and says, "Joe Green! Good to see 'ya! Come on in!" The next day at the diner, Green walks in and again says, "I'm Joe Green. I know everybody and everybody knows me." The man says, "So you know Burt Reynolds. But I bet you don't know the President!" So they fly to Washington, D.C. They are escorted to the front door and they meet Bill Clinton. "Joe Green, you ol' rascal! Where have you been? Come on in and have lunch with Hillary and me." Again the next day at the diner Green walks in and says the same thing again. This time the man is sure he has him. "So you know the president. I bet you don't know the Pope!" So they fly to Rome. The Pope is on his balcony talking to a crowd of people. Green walks to a side entrance and a guard leads him up onto the balcony. "Joe Green!", says the Pope, "So good to see you again!" Joe Green looks down into the crowd to make sure the man is seeing all this. But the man is out cold! He gets to him just as he is coming to. "What happened?" "Did you see me talking to the Pope?" "Yes," says the man, "but I lost it when the lady behind me said, "Whose that man up there? The one talking to Joe Green." |
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In the immortal words of Socrates:
"I drank what?"
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Song of the Pancake Man I'm the pancake man,
And I do, when I can,
Eat pancakes by the score;
I bake them brown,
And swallow them down,
And loudly call for more.
I'll lay my stakes
That a million cakes
I can eat between two naps;
Then call for more,
A million and four,
Or a million and five, perhaps.
It makes me fat,
And more than that,
I'm jolly through and through;
I've been known to laugh
For a year and a half,___
Or why not call it two
Oh, I long for a cake
As big as they make,___
Say, fifty townships wide;
I would handle it quite
At a single bite
And stow it away inside.___John Edward Everett
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| The Socratic method |
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Would you like some Archery with your pancakes? 
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 Don't forget the Maple Syrup! |
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The Atomists... The last pre-Socratics: approximately contemporary with Socrates, but they follow in the tradition of those occupled by physls - above all, in the line of Eleatic philosophy. |
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How about some Trapezoids with your Pancakes? 
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An Attorney's
'Twas the Night Before Christmas
Whereas, on an occasion immediately
preceding the Nativity festival,
throughout a certain dwelling unit,
quiet descended, in which could be heard
no disturbance, not even the sound
emitted by a diminutive rodent related
to, and in form resembling, a rat; and Whereas, the offspring of the
occupants had affixed their tubular,
closely knit coverings for the nether
limbs to the flue of the fireplace in
expectation that a personage known as
St. Nicholas would arrive; and Whereas, said offspring had become
somnolent, and were entertaining re:
saccharine-flavored fruit; and Whereas, the adult male of the
family, et ux, attired in proper
headgear, had also become quiescent in
anticipation of nocturnal inertia; and Whereas, a distraction on the snowy
acreage outside aroused the owner to
investigate; and Whereas, he perceived in a most
unbelieving manner a vehicle propelled
by eight domesticated quadrapeds of a
species found in artic regions; and Whereas, a most odd rotund gentleman
was entreating the aforesaid animals by
their appellations, as follows: "Your immediate co-operation is
requested. Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, and
Vixen; and collective action by you will
be much appreciated, Comet, Cupid,
Donder, and Blitzen"; and Whereas, subsequent to the above,
there occurred a swift descent to the
hearth by the aforementioned gentleman,
where he proceeded to deposit gratuities
in the aforementioned tubular coverings. Now, therefore, be ye advised:
that upon completion of these acts,
and upon his return to his original
point of departure, he proclaimed
a felicitation of the type prevalent
and suitable to these occasions, ie: Merry Christmas to All and to All a
Good Night! |
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Todays Wednesday field trip takes us to Etruria. What about the Etruscans? The Mysterious Etruscans - Pre-Roman Civilisation in Italy 
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On this day: 1818 - Franz Gruber of Oberndorf, Germany
composed the music for "Silent Night" to words written by Josef Mohr. Silent night, holy night,
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin mother and Child.
Holy Infant, so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace. Silent night, holy night,
Shepherds quake at the sight;
Glories stream from heaven afar,
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ the Savior is born,
Christ the Savior is born! Silent night, holy night,
Son of God, love’s pure light;
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth. Silent night, holy night
Wondrous star, lend thy light;
With the angels let us sing,
Alleluia to our King;
Christ the Savior is born,
Christ the Savior is born! Silent night, holy night
Wondrous star, lend thy light;
With the angels let us sing,
Alleluia to our King;
Christ the Savior is born,
Christ the Savior is born! |
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| On this day: 1954 - Johnny Ace shot himself and died while playing Russian roulette backstage at a concert in Houston, TX. 
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On this day: 1955 - The Lennon Sisters debuted as featured vocalists on "The Lawrence Welk Show" on ABC-TV.  |
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On this day: 1814 - The War of 1812 between the U.S. and Britain was ended with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent in Belgium.  1914 - In World War I, the first air raid on Britain was made when a German airplane dropped a bomb on the grounds of a rectory in Dover. |
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On this day: 1943 - U.S. President Roosevelt appointed Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower supreme commander of Allied forces as part of Operation Overlord. 
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1968 - The crew of the U.S. Navy ship, Pueblo, was released by North Korea. The Captain of the Pueblo, Commander Lloyd M. Bucher, and 82 of his crew were held for 11 months after the ship was seized by North Korea because of suspected spying by the Americans. 
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1979 - Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan in support of the country's Marxist government. 1985 - Fidel Castro, the Cuban president, announced that he was a non-smoker. 2000 - The "Texas 7," seven convicts that had escaped a Texas prison, robbed a sports store in Irving, TX. The suspects killed Officer Aubrey Hawkins, stole $70,000, 25 weapons and clothing. The men had escaped on December 13. |
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Thank You Troops for your service. Merry Christmas |
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| Pancakes Wednesdays |
| Definitely |
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Staring the Grinch who stole my woo hoo...
