Sunday - Funday - August 30, 2020

 Sunday Funday - August 30, 2020

WOOO!!!

It is Sunday!!!  Time for a little levity!!!

News items: (Not sure this is levity!!!)

Are you taking a statin?  Wikipedia says “Statins, also known as HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, are a class of lipid-lowering medications that reduce illness and mortality in those who are at high risk of cardiovascular disease. They are the most common cholesterol-lowering drugs.”

Research is showing that those taking statins have significantly reduced risk for COVID-19 (up to 30%) for severity.  The people still had COVID-19, but it wasn’t so bad!!

In the analysis that included almost 9000 COVID-19 patients, there was a significantly reduced risk for fatal or severe COVID-19 among patients who were users of statins compared with non-users 

Get it cold!!

The backstory: As coronavirus vaccines enter late-stage clinical trials, logistics providers are scrambling to build supply chains that effectively transport those vaccines, once they’re ready, from manufacturing facilities to your doctor’s office.

But these vaccines are the worst kind of passenger—they need to be kept at very specific (and very cold) temperatures along their route, plus they’re always FaceTiming with someone. 

One example: The vaccine being developed by Pfizer and BioNTech needs to be stored at -94° Fahrenheit. At standard refrigerated temps it would go bad in 24 hours (Pfizer claims it’s two days).

This demand for cold storage has led to the Great Freezer Building Project of 2020, with companies like UPS and Lufthansa spawning huge “freezer farms” near airports so they can store vaccines properly, the WSJ reports.

National Events

You missed a big one earlier this week - National Women’s Equality Day!!! https://nationaltoday.com/womens-equality-day/

“To claim their voice, women began agitating for the right to vote in the early 19th century. In the U.S., decisions about who could vote were left up to the states. The 19th Amendment, ratified in 1920, ensures voting rights for everyone regardless of gender.

So, it has been 100 years that has allowed women to VOTE!!!  

*****

How about National Red Wine day - Friday, August 28th - https://nationaltoday.com/national-red-wine-day/

The link says “Red wines including merlot, pinot noir, Bordeaux, cabernet sauvignon and blends like Shiraz, don’t always have to rest at a  temperature of between 65-70 degrees before you can enjoy a glass.  In fact, there are some experts who say it’s perfectly acceptable to refrigerate red wines and drink them cold, especially during exceptionally hot weather. “

I just haven’t ever been a big wine drinker.  (I don’t really drink much anyway - I bought a six-pack of beer a month ago, took two with me to a (social-distancing) gathering - and the remaining four for waiting for some other event.  Drinking alone is not an option for me!!)

*****

Tuesday, September 1st is National Chess Day!!!  https://nationaltoday.com/american-chess-day/ 

Hmmm: “A Venezuelan study found an increase in IQ scores of its participants after four months of learning and playing chess. Another study found that games that require participants to use their brains, especially players older in age, help those participants to be less likely to develop dementia.”  

I’ve been playing Robert in Chess.  He wins about 75% of the time. I want to play the Pittsburgh Pirates this year in chess (currently the worst team in Major League Baseball)!!!   They don’t beat anybody!!!  

Friday, September 4th National College Colors Day!!
https://nationaltoday.com/college-colors-day/

My undergraduate college was purple and white; and my graduate degree was at Nebraska - Scarlet and Cream!!!  

And, if you are wondering what the letter “N” stands for on Nebraska football helmets - it stands for NOWLEDGE!!  (or knowledge)

What college sports teams do we have here? Are you going to wear your school colors on Friday?

*****
Of course, it is interesting to note which colleges WILL and which colleges WILL NOT be playing football this fall!!  If you understand a little about NCAA Division I athletics, football brings in the BIG BUCKS - and at many universities, it funds many of the smaller sports.  I had a friend that was the Nebraska Cross Country coach - and football helped them pay for travel and more!!!

*****
How about some common phrases - can you identify the missing words?

• Birds of a _________ flock together.

• __________ attract.

• Don't judge a _____ by its ______r.

• The ________ make the man.

• The early _____ gets the _____.

• Better late than ______.

• ____________ ventured, nothing gained.

• Better _____ than _____

*****

Next week, (or is it “This Week”), I’m going to be talking about taming the tongue - watching what we say.  Let’s lead up to that topic with a story (not mine).
***** A church in rural Appalachia hired a brand-new, fresh out-of-seminary, preacher.  

The first Sunday, the new preacher had a sermon on the evils of tobacco. 

After the service, his head deacon came up to him and said “Reverend Smith, about half-our members, grow tobacco - that probably wasn’t a good choice for a sermon.”

Then the second Sunday, the new preacher spoke on the evils of alcohol.

After the service, the deacon said “A lot of our members have stills back in the woods and make moonshine - that wasn’t a good choice for a sermon.”

So, on the third Sunday, the new preacher preached on the evils of killing whales!!

*****
Answers:

• Birds of a feather flock together.

• Opposites attract.

• Don't judge a book by its cover.

• The clothes make the man.

• The early bird gets the worm.

• Better late than never.

• Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

• Better safe than sorry.

.

*****
See you next week my friends!!!

 

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!

 

Karen