October, 2024

"This Just In..."

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We're so conflicted. Is October all about the magic of fallen leaves and quiet solitude while traipsing through the nearby wood.

Or is it the exquisite feeling of being wrapped in a changing cocoon of green and yellow, listening to the forest and your heart.

That's why we're leading with two headers. Choose one and luxuriate. And know we so very much appreciate your taking a few minutes with us.

He was a Japanese samurai, general, and daimyo during the late Sengoku and early Edo era serving Tokugawa Ieyasu. He lived from 1548-1610.

Known for his exceptional skill in battle and unwavering loyalty to Tokugawa, Tadakatsu was often referred to as the "Warrior who surpassed Death" due to his numerous victories on the battlefield. His iconic helmet, adorned with deer antlers, became a symbol of his fearsome reputation and military prowess.

He was a member of the Tokugawa Four Heavenly Kings (Shitennō), with Ii Naomasa, Sakakibara Yasumasa, and Sakai Tadatsugu.

Despite participating in 57 combat campaigns during his lifetime, he was said to have never received a single wound. His reputation as an undefeated warrior and his legendary status in Japanese history solidified his legacy as one of the greatest samurai of the Tokugawa era.

His remarkable military achievements continue to be celebrated in Japanese culture and folklore. Much more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Tadakatsu

The Western New York Book Arts Collaborative held an Edible Book contest. This was the entry by Chuk and Cara Matteliano.

“I’m an engineer by training, and my wife has her PhD in speech communication,” said Matteliano.

He ran some trials with notoriously delicate phyllo, finally learning how to attach uncooked phyllo sheets to paper before passing them through an inkjet printer loaded with nontoxic ink.

The Mattelianos printed pages from Homer’s Odyssey on phyllo, mounted them with more phyllo baked into a flaky, many-layered dessert, producing: “Booklava: An Edible Odyssey.”

“The printed phyllo turned yellow and started to crack, so it looked even more like an old book,” said Matteliano, whose creation won first place. “I don’t know that we’ll be able to top it this year.”

Just a reminder, don’t forget comfortable footwear.

Laszlo Moholy Nagy, 1921

Born László Weisz in Hungary, July 20, 1895 – November 24, 1946) was a Hungarian painter and photographer as well as a professor in the Bauhaus school. He was highly influenced by constructivism and a strong advocate of the integration of technology and industry into the arts.

The art critic Peter Schjeldahl called him "relentlessly experimental" because of his pioneering work in painting, drawing, photography, collage, sculpture, film, theater, and writing. More here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/László_Moholy-Nagy

Here's more of his work:

Look up in the sky…it’s a bird, it’s plane, no it’s….ya know.

The guy in the cape.

Tell us who each of these supermen are and you may win a super Amazon gift card. (hint: Jeff Bezos is NOT one of them)

Oh and speaking of super people - last month's winners included Annie W and Katy C who recognized Entourage's Adrian Grenier, while Sandy G and Bobbi M correctly identified Six Feet Under's Rachael Grifittihs. A total of 101 correct winners played along with us and thanks...and now -

Enjoy this surprise coming attraction bonus, free: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McTk6kdmze4

Think How Much You Will Save

Average 1,000 gallons of oil per year (Oct-Aug.)

For 2024-25 Avg Cost: $3.64 per gal. = $3,640

EK2K cuts usage by 35% = 350 gallons

That’s Savings of $1,274.50 in Year 1

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See how much you can save this year!

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You work to hard. Seriously. Even with working from home. Stop.

Smell a rose.

Get outside.

Dance. Play.

Sure summer’s over, but look at these folks – they know one true thing…life is too short.

So squeeze someone you love.

Yep…it’s the “Tomatina” festival of tossing tomatoes in Bunol, Spain. And, they’re in love, too!

Fire Dancer on Koh Samui, Thailand

Even the bees got dressed and went out to play.

Throwing the Hammer…Lonach Highland Gathering & Games, Scotland, great way to meet girls.

River Windrush Football Game in Gloucestershire, England. Another way to meet a signifiant other.

Finally, someone just chilling while drying hand-woven rugs in the sun, in Antalya, Turkey. – One guy's sleeping on the job. Can you spot him?

I stumbled onto this series of ancient discoveries and thought you might like to know a bit about those who came before our great, great, great, great, great, great, great...you get the idea grandparents.

The Whitehawk Woman -

The Whitehawk Woman. She lived in England around 5,000 years ago and was buried with great care. She was also buried with a newborn infant, and died between 19 and 25 years old.

Researchers believe she died during or very soon after childbirth. Her bones indicate she was otherwise in good health.

The Slonk Hill Man

The Slonk Hill Man was found semi-crouched in a grave near the seaside town of Brighton, England - in the same manner as the Whitehawk Woman. Their lives, however, were separated by nearly 3,000years.

The Slonk Hill Man lived during Britain's Iron Age. The reconstruction artist (an archeologist and sculptor) described him as being "very good looking", tall, muscular, and in robust health at the time of his death. There were no obvious signs of what caused his death.

And, of course, Adelasius Ebalchus

Adelasius Ebalchus. He lived in Switzerland 1,300 years ago, and was in his late teens/ early twenties at the time of his death. His gravesite indicated he came from wealth, and his bones showed he was well-nourished.

His bones also showed the Adelasius suffered a lingering infection; archeologists believe he most likely died from lung inflammation.

While we’re at it…here’s a gift from the ancients who lived right next door.

This is a photo of The Great Serpent Mound, which is a 1,330 foot long, three foot high prehistoric effigy mound located on a plateau of the Serpent Mound Crater.

It sits along Ohio Brush Creek in Adams County, Ohio. Yes, Ohio.

Each bend in the Serpent aligns with each of the Equinoxes and Solstices. It is the burial ground of the prehistoric Adena people.

Yeah I didn’t believe it either. https://www.greatserpentmound.com

It’s October. It’s getting chilly, so why not make the single best chili recipe you have EVER MADE. This is a guarantee. A promise from us to you – if you love great chili this is the one to try.

And if you know beans about chili you know there ain’t no beans in it! Try it and tell us what you think. (Pix is NOT what yours will look like. We ate it all before thinking to take a picture. Hence this pix. Trust us it will be great)

SU Chili

Ingredients

1/2 lb of bacon - diced

4 lbs of beef chuck, trimmed of fat, cut into 1/2” cubes (or…sirloin if you can)

6 medium yellow onions chopped

12 cloves (yes) of garlic, finely diced

2 bell peppers (one green and one red) seeded and chopped

6 fresh jalapeño peppers seeded and diced

1 poblano pepper seeded and diced

1 habanero pepper seeded and diced

1 small can of green chilies chopped

4 tbsp olive oil

2 cans (28oz size) chopped tomatoes or whole - mashed by hand

1 can 15oz tomato sauce

1 bottle dark beer

8 tbsp chili powder

2 tbsp ground cumin

1 tbsp oregano

2 teaspoons of salt

2 teaspoons of pepper

2 tbsp of worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper

2 bay leaves

Preparation

Cook bacon - remove when crisp

Brown the meat in same pan add olive oil as needed cook in batches

remove meat when cooked – set aside.

Saute onions til brown 7-8mins add garlic, sauté 1 min,

add all peppers, sauté til soft 8-10 mins

add all spices and sauté for 2-3 mins. 

add tomatoes, sauce and beer.

Bring to a boil simmer for 20 mins

Then add the meat & cooked bacon - simmer for 1 1/2 hrs til sauce thickens. taste for heat

Kick it up with Tabasco, crushed red pepper flakes or ancho chili powder

Garnish with chopped scallions, big dollops of sour cream and/or grated cheese.

OK, yes, it will take a while but remember we Guarantee it! 

Should feed 6-8 people.

We’re making this soooo simple. Answer either one of these two quizzes – correctly – and you’ll be entered to win the coveted $25 Amazon gift card.

Tell us the answer(s) here. (yes, you can try both)

1.   84% of people reading this will not find the the mistake in this A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,L,M,N,O,P,Q,R,S,T,U,V,W,X,Y,Z.

2. How can you throw a ball as hard as you can and have it come back to you, even if it doesn’t bounce off anything? There is nothing attached to it, and no one else catches or throws it back to you.

The sound made by the Krakatoa volcanic eruption in 1883 was so loud it ruptured eardrums of people 40 miles away, travelled around the world four times, and was clearly heard 3,000 miles away.

Imagine, you’re in Boston and someone tells you that they heard a sound coming from New York City. And, Boston is only 200 miles from New York. What we’re talking about here is like being in Boston and clearly hearing a noise coming from Dublin, Ireland.

Travelling at the speed of sound (766 miles per hour), it takes a noise about 4 hours to cover that distance. This is the most distant sound that has ever been heard in recorded history.

On Reddit, a user details how loud a Saturn V rocket is and what the effects would be at different distances. At very close range, the sound from the Saturn V measures an incredible 220 db, loud enough to melt concrete just from the sound.

At 500 meters, 155 db you would experience painful, violent shaking in your entire body, you would feel compressed, as though deep underwater. Your vision would blur, breathing would be very difficult, your eardrums are obviously a lost cause.

Almost twice as “loud” as putting your ear up to the exhaust of a formula 1 car. The air temperature would drop significantly, perhaps 10-25 degrees F, becoming suddenly cold because of the air being so violently stretched and moved.

Even at three miles away, the sound is loud enough to cause permanent hearing damage. But that’s nothing compared to the Krakatoa sound.

The Saturn V sound is ~170 db at the distance of a football field. 

The Krakatoa explosion was that loud 100 miles away!

What happens at 170 db?

…you would be unable to breathe or likely see at all from the sound pressure, glass would shatter, fog would be generated as the water in the air dropped out of suspension in the pressure waves, your house at this distance would have a roughly 50% chance of being torn apart from sound pressure alone.

Survival chance from sound alone, minimal, you would certainly experience permanent deafness but probably also organ damage. The word “loud” is inadequate to describe how loud that is.