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  • _Elsa_
    _Elsa_ Posts: 37,048

    Today is Red Nose Day! This special holiday got its start in England in 1988, and today it’s one of the largest fundraisers in the UK. The day is sponsored by Comic Relief, a British charity that raises money for people in need in the United Kingdom and Africa. Red Nose Day happens every two years on the second or third Friday in March. In the past 30 years, the event has raised over £1 billion. The day features a telethon, TV specials, and events around the country. You can read more here.

     Jack Black hosting 'Celebrity Escape Room' for NBC's Red Nose Day charity event

    NBC will kick off its annual Red Nose Day, the national fundraising campaign to end child poverty, with the Ben Stiller-produced Celebrity Escape Room, the network has announced. NBC describes it as “sort of a show within a show,” where “all-knowing ‘Game Master'” host Jack Black, will put comedy stars Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow and Adam Scott to the test as they “work together under intense pressure to beat the clock, unlocking a series of surprising puzzle rooms to ultimately engineer their great escape.”  

     Celebrity Escape Room airs May 24 at 8 p.m. ET, followed by the two-hour Red Nose Day Special. The annual star-studded programming block supports the Campaign to End Child Poverty. This info came from here.

    What is Celebrity Escape Room?

    Celebrity Escape Room “combines the drama and tension of a real-life video game with the side-splitting allure of the ultimate party game,” says NBC. Stiller, Cox, Kudrow and Scott will work together and channel their inner Sherlocks to decipher clues and solve puzzles, brainstorm for solutions and combine their comedic talents to ultimately gain their freedom before time runs out.

    In addition to Stiller, Celebrity Escape Room will be executive produced by Black, Christine Taylor, Nicky Weinstock, Amiira Ruotola and Lee Metzger (The Voice). The show is produced by Universal Television Alternative Studio and Red Hour Productions.

    The annual Red Nose Day Special will follow Celebrity Escape Room with an entertainment showcase featuring music, comedy and poignant films. The films will share stories of children and young people who have been affected by poverty and how Red Nose Day funds have helped change their story for good.

    “Kicking off with Ben Stiller’s hilarious Celebrity Escape Room, NBC’s Red Nose Day lineup is the perfect vehicle to help drive this year’s fundraising efforts,” said Paul Telegdy, Chairman, NBC Entertainment. “We are privileged to continue our support of this incredible cause in partnership with our amazing friends at Comic Relief US as we work together on behalf of children in need around the world.”

    “Through the power of laughter and entertainment, Red Nose Day serves as a galvanizing force, rallying Americans to come together to end child poverty,” said Alison Moore, CEO of Comic Relief US. “Together with our incredible partners and celebrity supporters, we are working to change the story for good for millions of children in the U.S. and around the world.”

    The multi-week Red Nose Day campaign launches Monday, April 13 when the official Red Noses go on sale exclusively at Walgreens locations nationwide in more than 9,000 stores across the country. All net proceeds of Red Nose sales go to the Red Nose Day Fund. Between April 13-May 30, Walgreens will donate $.50 from each Red Nose sold to Comic Relief.

    Funds raised through Red Nose Day are split evenly between domestic and international programs that ensure children in need are safe, healthy and educated. The goal is to address the short-term needs of children living in poverty and also foster long-term change to break the poverty cycle and provide hope for a better future. Children and young people who benefit from Red Nose Day-supported programs span all 50 states, Puerto Rico and some of the poorest communities across Latin America, Africa and Asia. Since launching in the U.S. in 2015, Red Nose Day has raised $200 million and positively impacted the lives of nearly 25 million children.

    You can read the entire article here.  You can watch a video on the Celebrity Escape room here.

  • _Elsa_
    _Elsa_ Posts: 37,048

    The Coronavirus has affected many countries. I'm sure that all of you have either read about it or saw the news on TV. Many of you might be at home for the next couple of weeks because your job has closed down to prevent this virus from spreading more.

    if you follow this link: Let's do some puzzles you will see math puzzles, word puzzles and mazes! Please feel free to tag your friends here in the community.

  • _Elsa_
    _Elsa_ Posts: 37,048

    Today is St. Patrick’s Day. For those of you who celebrate, enjoy the day! If any of you haven’t seen my St. Patrick’s Day story, you can find it here

    Below please find some riddles for this holiday.


  • _Elsa_
    _Elsa_ Posts: 37,048

    Did you know that today is “Let’s laugh day”? Studies have suggested that laughter can help people relax and reduce stress. Laughing and being joyful can also have health and social benefits. With this pandemic going on all over the world, I think we might need some laughter in our lives so let's share some jokes, memes, riddles, etc.

    Many Health Benefits

    Medical studies have shown a few minutes of laughter can reduce blood pressure, increase immunity response of the body, and boost heart rate. Watching or reading something humorous before sleep can also help people sleep better and longer.

    Laughing can even burn calories. Research has shown that 10-15 minutes of laughing can burn up to 50 calories.

    Friendly People

    People who laugh often are seen by their peers as happy and friendly. As a result, they tend to have more friends and are easily accepted as a part of different social groups.

    How to Celebrate?

    Here are some ways you can celebrate this happy “howl”iday:

    Laugh out loud for a few minutes.

    Spend some time reading jokes and funny stories.

    Watch a funny movie.

    Attend a stand-up comedy show.

    Did You Know…

    …that children laugh more than adults? An average toddler laughs about 400 times a day, while an average adult tends to laugh about 15-20 times a day.

    All of the above came from here

    This came from here but please feel free to ad your own memes.

    What is the best thing to do when you have a hole in a boat and water is leaking inside? Make another hole to drain the water. - coolfunnyquotes.com 

    Dear Math, please grow up and solve your own problems, I'm tired of solving them for you. - coolfunnyquotes.com 

     No, no, I'm listening, it just takes me some time to process so much stupidity all at once. - coolfunnyquotes.com 

     George Carlin on Germs

  • _Elsa_
    _Elsa_ Posts: 37,048

    History of National Puppy Day

    Founder, Colleen Paige’s mission is to help galvanize the public to recognize the number of dogs that need to be rescued each year. It’s also an excellent opportunity to show off your dog’s supermodel side and give them some extra cuddles for all the joy they bring. So sit back and indulge in the endless stream of adorable puppy photos, but keep in mind that today might be the best excuse to bring home your own fluffy canine as your next best friend!

     

    Colleen Paige first brought adoption awareness to a national level with National Dog Day in 2004, which was later adopted by the New York State Legislature in 2013. This day is celebrated on August 26 and is the day Colleen adopted her first dog, “Sheltie” when she was 10 years old. Since then, Colleen has inspired millions with her compassion and has brought worldwide attention to animals in need. She has shone a light on dogs putting their lives on the line every day for personal protection, for law enforcement, for the disabled, for our freedom, and for our safety. 

    The above info came from here

    If you have puppies please share your pictures with us here.

  • _Elsa_
    _Elsa_ Posts: 37,048

    March 27th is the annual observance of National Spanish Paella Day. A rice dish from Spain, paella has become very popular and is known around the world. It originated in its modern form in the mid-19th century in Valencia, on the east coast of Spain.

    At lunchtime, workers in the fields would make the rice dish in a flat pan over a fire. They mixed in whatever they could find – such as rabbits, snails, and vegetables. Later, for special occasions, chicken was added. Paella has spread to every region of Spain, as well as worldwide, using almost any type of ingredient that goes well with rice.

    There are many versions of recipes of paella. Key ingredients are saffron and olive oil. Saffron is an essential spice that also turns the rice a beautiful golden color. (Info here)

  • ryeyen1
    ryeyen1 Posts: 5

    Level 2

  • _Elsa_
    _Elsa_ Posts: 37,048

    Smoke & Mirrors Day is celebrated on March 29th of each year. The source of the name is based on magicians’ illusions, where magicians make objects appear or disappear by extending or retracting mirrors amid a confusing burst of smoke. Generally, “smoke and mirrors” may refer to any sort of presentation by which the audience is intended to be deceived.

    Mirror Magic

    Magic as a performance art has been used to entertain people around the world since ancient times. In smoke and mirror magic tricks, magicians create optical illusions by diverting a spectator's attention away from the actions that create the "magic". Mirrors are also often used to create illusions by manipulating light and using the properties of reflection and refraction. Some of the popular magic tricks using mirrors include the Sphinx and the Vampire. In both tricks, mirrors are used to hide the object, usually the head of a person.

    How to Celebrate?

    Learn some magic tricks and entertain your friends and colleagues. Preferably try to use smoke and mirrors in your tricks.

    Spend some time learning about how to achieve illusions using mirrors.

    You can read more here.

     If you want to learn how some of these tricks are done, please check out the videos below.

    MOST FAMOUS Magic Tricks Finally Revealed | AGT | BGT

    Magic Tricks Revealed : Learn Popular Illusions Free : Four Aces Illusion Magic Tricks Revealed

    10 Secrets Behind the Most Famous Magic Tricks Revealed

  • _Elsa_
    _Elsa_ Posts: 37,048

    Each year, March 30th National Pencil Day honors the writing utensil that has done more than just teach millions the alphabet and draw straight lines. It’s also helped win wars and enabled amazing art.

    Hymen Lipman received the first patent for attaching an eraser to the end of a pencil on this day in 1858. Before that time, pencils and erasers existed separately. Lipman combined the two making two tools much more convenient to use. The intuitive businessman also manufactured envelopes for his stationery shop and was the first to add adhesive to the flap of envelopes. 

     Pencil Facts

    In the United States, most pencils are painted yellow. It is believed this tradition began in 1890 when the L & C Hardtmuth Company of Austria-Hungary introduced their Koh-I-Noor brand, named after the famous diamond. They intended the pencil to be the world’s best and most expensive pencil. However, other companies began to copy the yellow color so that their pencils would be associated with the high-quality brand.

     Notable pencil users (Wikipedia)

    Thomas Edison had pencils specially made by Eagle Pencil. His pencils were three inches long, thicker than standard pencils, and had softer graphite than typically available.

    Vladimir Nabokov rewrote everything he ever published, usually several times, by pencil.

    John Steinbeck was an obsessive pencil user and is said to have used as many as 60 a day. His novel East of Eden took more than 300 pencils to write.

    Vincent van Gogh used only Faber pencils as they were “superior to Carpenters pencils, a capital black and most agreeable.”

    Johnny Carson regularly played with pencils at his Tonight Show desk. These pencils were specially made with erasers at both ends to avoid on-set accidents.

    Roald Dahl used only pencils with yellow casings to write his books. He began each day with six sharpened pencils and only when all six became unusable did he resharpen them.

     You can read more here.

    History of the Pencil

    On March 30, 1858, Hymen Lipman received a patent for his invention of a pencil with a built-in eraser. U.S. patent 19,783 was awarded to the Philadelphia stationery entrepreneur extraordinaire for what he described as a “combination of the lead and India rubber or other erasing substance [embedded] in the holder of a drawing-pencil.” (Info from here)

  • _Elsa_
    _Elsa_ Posts: 37,048

    NATIONAL CRAYON DAY

    Each year, on March 31st children and adults alike, pick up their favorite colors for National Crayon Day. Opening up a box of crayons opens up a world of imagination and hours of fun.  Wax and chalk-based crayons have been used by artists around the world for centuries. Edwin Binney created the brightly colored crayons we are familiar with today. He was part owner of Binney & Smith, a company that produced products such as paint, pigments and slate pencils for schools. (Info from here)

     The Inventors of Crayola Crayons: Binney & Smith

    Binney & Smith, now Crayola LLC, was an outgrowth of a chemical company that made pigments. The company started in 1864 in Peekskill, New York, and Joseph W. Binney was the owner. His son and a nephew took over when he retired, and they re-named the business Binney & Smith.

     Peekskill Chemical Works sold their pigment product, “lampblack,” to foundries and to the cast-iron stove manufacturers that were located nearby. As the business grew and pigment was shipped elsewhere, the company used wax marking crayons to label the boxes. Later on, these wax crayons would be a main part of their business in the form of Crayola crayons.

    When his son, Edwin Binney (1866-1934), finished his schooling in 1883, he joined his father’s company. One of Joseph’s nephews, C. Harold Smith (1860-1931) also joined the company around that time.

    New Pigment Developed

    In the meantime, Edwin Binney was investigating new ways to expand their line at home. Some businesses were marketing a new pigment known as “carbon black,” which was a byproduct of the drilling for natural gas that was being done in western Pennsylvania. Edwin Binney was very taken with the possibilities, and in 1892 he received a patent for an apparatus that permitted the mass manufacture of carbon black. Soon Binney & Smith became one of the major producers of the pigment. (In 2011, Edwin Binney was honored posthumously by the National Inventors Hall of Fame in recognition for his invention.)

     Slate Pencil Let Company Enter School Market

    At the turn of the 20th century, school children each had their own slates (like small two-sided blackboards) since paper was expensive and not easy to come by. The students used slate pencils to write on these tablets, and the softer the pencil the better. (The marks from a slate pencil are very much like markings of chalk and can be easily wiped away using a cotton cloth–or even a sleeve.) As Binney & Smith became familiar with the school market, Smith began listening for what else teachers needed. Two requests came up again and again: chalk that didn’t produce a dusty mess, and inexpensive wax crayons children could use for artwork.

     Crayola Crayons Division Grows

    The first wax crayons in the U.S. were imported from Europe, but by the 1880s, a few American companies were making them, too. Franklin Manufacturing in Rochester, New York, began with lumber and marking wax crayons, and by the 1880s, they expanded into the colored crayon market. Other companies, including Louis Prang (maker of early Christmas cards) and the Milton Bradley game company made wax crayons as well.

     By 1903 they were satisfied with their new product. Binney & Smith produced their first box of eight colorful crayons that year. Alice Binney, who was a former teacher, is credited with coming up with the Crayola name under which the crayons were released. (“Craie” means chalk in French and “ola” was a shortened form of the French word, “oléagineux,” which means oily.)

     At first, the boxes were sold door-to-door for a nickel. Each box contained crayons in these colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, brown, and black. Each crayon was wrapped in paper and labeled as to color.

     During the Depression, Binney & Smith hired farm families to hand-letter the papers and wrap the crayons. This provided work in an economic downturn, and over time, certain farms became known for their color specialty.

     More and More Crayola Crayons

    The big seller, however, has always been crayons. And from the beginning (1903), they recognized the growing interest in art education. For that more refined market, they created the Rubens-Crayola crayon. In 1949, the box was expanded to hold 48 colors placed in a box with “stadium seating,” and in 1958 the classic 64-color box was introduced with a built-in sharpener. In 1993, ninety-six colors were packaged into what they called the Big Box.

     Involving the Public

    Crayola has long recognized the importance of public opinion, and that is part of their success. In 1993, they ran a “Name the New Colors Contest.” Almost two million people entered. The oldest winner was an 89-year-old woman who submitted “purple mountain’s majesty” for a new shade of purple, and the youngest was 5, who submitted “razzmatazz” for the raspberry red crayon. To read all the new color names and their winners, click here.

    Eight years later, the company wanted to know the most popular color. In 2001, they conducted the Crayola Color Census and the undisputed winner was the color blue; runners-up were various shades of blue.

    Read more here.

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