Fun challenge: The foot-hand test

Posted on May 19, 2021 by | 4 comments

Can you do this?

Here’s the explanation from WonderHowTo:

It took quite a bit of digging to trace this trick back to Professor [Hermann] Haken and the science of Synergetics. This science deals with the ways that complex systems work. In a complex system such as your brain and nervous system, there are many different signals moving back and forth. Some of these signals are treated with more importance than others. Some of the signals also become coupled, with one signal guiding the other. That is what is happening with your foot and hand. Your hand movement couples with your foot movement, but your hand movement is treated with more importance, so your foot changes direction.

Even more interesting is that you don’t actually have to move your hand. Try the experiment again, but this time just think about drawing the number 6 in the air. Your foot will still reverse. The pattern of your thoughts still couples with the movement of your foot.

~E

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Flush with tax revenue, some states are giving away free money

Posted on May 19, 2021 by | 4 comments

States that have surpluses in tax revenue set them aside as rainy day funds for  emergencies and future budget shortfalls.

Pew Charitable Trusts reports, May 17, 2021, that in the fiscal year that ended for most states in June 2020, in spite of the coronavirus lockdown and the start of a recession, many states’ rainy day funds were unchanged or even grew somewhat. Overall, rainy day funds nationwide totaled $71.6 billion—second only to the pre-pandemic record-setting total of $78.7 billion.

But there is a wide variation in how far each state’s rainy day funds could stretch—from enough to run government operations for almost a year in Wyoming to zero savings in Illinois, Nevada, and New Jersey. The median amount at the start of this fiscal year can cover 28.5 days’ worth of general fund spending, or 7.8%, meaning at least half of states have that much or more saved, while half have less.

Citing CNBC, GoBankingRates reports that 29 states are flush with extra cash, some of which plan to use the surplus on tax cuts or provide financial relief to residents. Those states include the following:

  • New York, New Mexico and Maryland are offering payments or tax credits to low-income families.
  • California has a surplus of $75 billion. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is facing a recall election, has proposed sending $600 checks to residents earning up to $75,000 a year. California households struggling financially might also get relief on past-due rent, utility bills and traffic tickets.
  • Idaho, with a $500 million surplus, is providing a tax rebate to residents who filed a 2019 tax return, in amounts of either $50 per person or 9% of taxes owed, whichever is greater. The state has also authorized a lower top tax rate.
  • Other states with surpluses that have either enacted or proposed tax cuts include Montana, Oklahoma and Iowa.

~E

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Ashes form silhouette of beloved dog

Posted on May 19, 2021 by | 8 comments

Ashley Lang recently lost her beloved dog — a 12-year-old Golden Retriever named Wagner.

Lang had Wagner cremated.

When a friend took a photo of Lang spreading Wagner’s ashes, the picture showed the billowing ashes forming the silhouette of a dog.

Lang told CBS Chicago: “It’s pretty remarkable…the tail and the legs and he looks like he’s, you know, leaping to go up. Everyone keeps calling him the angel dog.”

Ashley said she believes it was Wagner’s way of saying one last goodbye.

H/t PawMyGosh

I believe our pet animals have souls.

Many near death experiences (NDEs) include being greeted not just by family members, but also by departed pets.

Many years ago, my husband and I obtained a yellow kitten from the local animal shelter to keep his elderly mom company. His mom lived in an in-law cottage. We named the cat, Chester, who spent most of his days outdoors.

To prevent Chester from hunting birds, I attached a bell to his collar.

Chester lived to a ripe old age, and passed from natural causes. For a full week after the cat died, both my husband and I independently heard  Chester’s bell ringing outside.

I experienced a similar phenomenon with my cat, Charles Elmo.

Charles lived to be 17 years old.

When I returned home after bringing Charles to the vet to be put to sleep, I  was sitting before my desktop computer when I heard Charles’ distinctive meow.

I believe that was Charles telling me he’s okay and saying “Goodbye”.

~E

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Posted in cats, dogs, God's creation

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God’s amazing paintbrush: Woman captures stunning Texas storm photo

Posted on May 19, 2021 by | 4 comments

This photo made the rounds on social media on Monday after a storm blew through Texas on Sunday. A gal by the name of Laura Rowe tweeted the following:

She’s now selling prints of this amazing picture. Here’s how she was in the right place at the right time to capture this image, via her Smugmug page:

“Hey y’all! I was out for a Sunday drive with my boyfriend. Small town, nothing else to do. We were over in Muleshoe checking out the salt lakes in the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refugee when we saw a small tornado touchdown close to Earth, Texas.

We looked at each other and knew we had to check out this crazy storm. We followed it for about three hours down county dirt roads until we set up in the spot where I took this shot that has now gone viral. 

I knew that God’s creation was beautiful to witness, but I had no idea that it would explode like this on social media. I was just a girl with an iPhone and nothing else to do on a Sunday afternoon, in the right place at the right time.

Thanks for checking me out, and I hope you enjoy your purchases! As a broke college kid, everything goes a long way!”

If you desire a print, order one here.

DCG

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Posted in God's creation, Nature

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Chicago: 1,000 feral cats released to combat rat crisis

Posted on May 17, 2021 by | 8 comments

Through the years on FOTM, our DCG has diligently chronicled the weekly toll of gun homicides in the Democrats-ruled city of Chiraq or Chicago.

Now, in addition to gun homicides, Chicago is under siege by rats, which makes it a public health crisis.

Rats trapped & killed in a homeless encampment in Chicago (source)

The UK newspaper The Guardian reports on May 14, 2021 (bold red emphasis supplied):

An animal shelter in Chicago has released 1,000 feral cats throughout the city to combat a rat crisis.

Through a program called Cats at Work, the Tree House Humane Society, a local animal shelter, releases feral felines on to city streets. The initiative places two to three cats, all spayed, neutered and vaccinated, outside of residences and businesses to sustainably deal with Chicago’s rodent problem….

Local homeowners or businesses can sign up for the program, as long as they cover food, water and shelter for the cats. The popular program currently has a “long waitlist”, as stated on its website.

Issues with vermin aren’t new for Chicago. For the sixth consecutive year Chicago has beaten out major cities like Los Angeles and New York to be named the “rattiest city” in a poll conducted by Orkin, an American pest control company.

And that is why I call Democrats, Demonrats!

~E

8 Comments

Posted in Health

Would you eat “sustainable” Cicadas?

Posted on May 16, 2021 by | 7 comments

Wired came out recently with an article entitled, “The Cicadas Are Coming. Let’s Eat Them!”

Never heard of a Cicada? Here’s what this insect looks like:

And YES, they can be that BIG. Trust me, I’ve seen ’em in Oklahoma. And I’ve heard them. This is what Cicadas sound like when they emerge from the ground to terrorize us for a few weeks in the summer:

From the Wire article: “They’re like crickets with musical-theater degrees—dramatic, loud, committed to a splashy outfit change. And while some people will delight in their natural spectacle, others will just want to be rid of them. There is, however, another reaction: Grab a fork and knife.“

You want to “dig in” to this?

The Wired article claims that Cicadas are “a source of free-range, no-cost, eco-friendly protein.”

Well, that may be true but there’s NO WAY I’m eating these creatures. My cats have captured and released Cicadas. Even the feline predators wont eat ’em! 

If my cats are smart enough to not eat these creatures, there’s no way I’m eating them!

DCG

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Posted in God's creation, Nature

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Saturday funnies, southern style!

Posted on May 15, 2021 by | 4 comments

DCG

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Posted in Funnies

Forgiving others is good for our mental health

Posted on May 14, 2021 by | 7 comments

Studies have found evidence that forgiving another confers mental health benefits on us.

Now, those studies are confirmed by a longitudinal study, every two years since 1989, of 54,703 female nurses from 14 states.

Interestingly, the Nurses’ Health Study II survey specifically assessed forgiveness that was spiritually or religiously motivated, with the specification that “Because of my spiritual or religious beliefs, I have forgiven those who hurt me.”

The study found that:

  • Those who reported having forgiven others more frequently showed subsequent improvements in positive affect and social integration compared to those who said they forgave never or seldomly.
  • Those who forgive also showed lower depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, loneliness, and hopelessness.
  • These results remained when controlling for various confounders such as age, race, marital status, religious service attendance, and income.
  • However, the study found no convincing evidence that forgiveness was linked to subsequent differences in physical health-related outcomes. But the study’s span of 7 years may not be enough time to observe the physical health consequences of forgiveness, especially considering the fact that stress-related physical health effects manifest themselves over time.

Led by epidemiologist Katelyn N. G. Long of the Harvard T.H. Chan Institute of Public Health, the study was published on October 1, 2020, in the journal, BMC Psychology.

H/t PsyPost

~E

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Posted in Christianity, Health, Science and Christianity

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I finally got around to making “frickles”

Posted on May 14, 2021 by | 7 comments

Frickles, aka fried pickles, are quite popular here in the south. I don’t eat them a lot but when I do I really, really enjoy that treat!

So I finally decided to take a stab at making some. There are a ton of recipes on the web, of course. Here’s how I tackled my first batch:

I decided to use pickle spears instead of chips. I placed them on paper towels to remove excess moisture:

I soaked the pickle spears in the wet mixture (egg, buttermilk and hot sauce) for several minutes before giving them a coating with the dry mixture (flour,  cornmeal, pepper and chili powder):

I fried them in vegetable oil (350 degrees) for about three minutes. The end result (served with ranch dressing, of course):

They turned out pretty good as we consumed the whole plate of ’em!

There are an endless amount of ways to flavor your frickles, starting with the pickle  you choose, then the flavors you add into your wet mixture (egg, milk or buttermilk, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, spices, etc.) and dry mixture (flour, cornmeal, cornstarch, salt, pepper, garlic salt, caynne, etc.) . For a few recipes to get you started, try here, here or here.

Here’s a video of an easy recipe if you want to give frickles a try:

DCG

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Remarkable: Different animal species are friends

Posted on May 14, 2021 by | 6 comments

The promise of what is to come:

“The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.” -Isaiah 11:6-7

H/t maziel

~E

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Posted in cats, dogs, God's creation