Through the Keyhole - August 2020

AUGUST 2020 Through the Keyhole Take a break from your day... Not your typical company OR newsletter

"This place is home to Hemingway, Sloppy Joes Bar, The Conch Train, a bazzilion T-Shirt Shops, Plantation shutters and lots of fun. Lots of cruise ships used to dock here for the day.  You'll definitely meet some interesting characters on a Tuesday or any other day for that matter. " Can you guess the location?" Can you guess the location? Are we there yet? We are officially in August and my how time flies when your quarantined or partially locked down.  This month we are going to once again provide some fun for everyone to take a break from all of the nonsense that is going on around us.  "Are we there yet?" is a phrase often heard on road trips from the back seat of the car.  I feel like saying that every day out loud wondering when will we ever be free of this horrificly long road trip with no seeming end in sight.  It will end someday, right? So away we go into the land of diversion... August is known for many things, including the dog days of summer, National Watermelon Day (Aug. 3) and National Smile Week (Aug. 5-11). But there are many other fun facts associated with summer’s last full month. August is named after Augustus Caesar, founder and the first emperor of the Roman Empire, who was posthumously adopted by his maternal great-uncle Gaius Julius Caesar. In the early Roman calendar, August was actually the sixth month of the year. It was originally 30 days in length, but an extra day was added so that it would equal the number of days in July, which was named after Julius Caesar (betcha didn't know that). August has two birthstones: peridot and sardonyx. Peridot is among the oldest known gemstones and is green in color. Sardonyx, which is lesser-known, is a white- and brown-banded gemstone once believed to have mystical powers. The official flower for August is the gladiolus. These vertical-growing flowers were named from the Latin "gladius," meaning a sword. Fans of Elvis Presley mourn each Aug. 16th, the day the famed singer died in 1977.   On Aug. 24th in 79 A.D., the volcano Mount Vesuvius erupted, destroying the city of Pompeii and others. People born in August fall under the sun zodiac signs of Leo and Virgo. Leos are known to be dramatic, creative and outgoing. Virgos have acute attention to detail and are the people most likely to dedicate themselves to serving. They also are loyal, hardworking and analytical. On Aug. 21, 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre Gallery and not recovered for two years. Although civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr., is honored in January, when he was born, he is best known for his famed "I have a dream" speech, which was given on Aug. 28, 1963. The month of August is often referred to as the "dog days of summer" but not because of pet pooches. It has to do with the star Sirius, also known as the dog star, which rose at the same time as sunrise during the month of August in ancient Roman times (betcha didn't know that either. Some famous people born in August include Martha Stewart, Martin Sheen, Jeff Gordon, Deion Sanders and Halle Berry.  August is also when kids usually return to school.  Let's hope that happens.   Summer Girls by Aerosmith.  A little racy but its what you would expect from them... Guess the Location Game Last month the winner of the guess the location game was PJ Weiland  who guessed the right answer.  I appreciate all of the participation.  THANKS FOR PLAYING! ANSWER: Jerusalem, Israel "This highly 'orthodox' location has some of the most beautiful people in the world and this tiny country is teeming with lots of things to and see.  The old city has 8 gates whereby the Golden Gate has been sealed since the 16th century." Can you guess the location?" Can you guess the location? Situated on the Mediterranean Sea, the Middle Eastern country of Israel is considered the Biblical Holy Land by Jews, Christians, and Muslims. There are so many interesting Israel facts to share with you! The country’s most sacred sites are located in Jerusalem, which Old City plays host to the Temple Mount. The well-revered site is home to such iconic structures as the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Dome of Rock Shrine, the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the historic Western Wall. The Lowest Point in the World Is Located In Israel The first of interesting facts about Israel is that the Dead Sea, which lies placidly between this country and Jordan, is considered the lowest point in the world. The water, which is rich in salt and mineral deposits, is 416 meters or 1,365 feet below sea level. Because of the sea’s high mineral and salt content, animals and plants cannot thrive or grow in the sea or the adjacent area. 1/3 of Israelis Were Not Born In The Country One of the most interesting facts about Israel is that not all of the local residents (about two-thirds of the population) were born in the country. All of the other Israelis come from as many as 100 different countries. Israeli Jews live lifestyles similar to North Americans and Europeans. While 75% of the population is Jewish, the remainder is Arab. Israeli-occupied Palestine territories are inhabited by about 3.5 million people, made up of an 11% Jewish population and 89% Palestinian people. Over half of Israelis live on a narrow coastal plain close to the Mediterranean Sea on the west. Israel Is One Of The Most Expensive Countries In The World Another of the interesting Israel facts is that the country ranks #8 on the list of the most expensive countries in the world. The winner is Switzerland, followed by Norway and Iceland. Israelis Love Wine Even though Israel is not the biggest exporter of wine in the world, the wine produced in this country is really delicious. There are 200+ wineries in Israel. Fields in the country are used to grow grapes that produce vintage, red, white, and sparkling wines. Both Google And Facebook Where Founded By Jews One of the Israel facts that are not necessarily connected with the country itself, is that the Jews are brilliant people. We can thank them for Facebook (Mark Zuckerberg) and Google (Sergey Brin) among many other things we use every day. The Life Expectancy in Israel Is Above Average One of the Israel facts that are worth knowing is that the citizens of this country live long. The average life expectancy in Israel for women is 82 years of age while it is 78.5 years old for men. The Agricultural Output In Israel Is Astounding Over the past 25 years, the amount of food harvested has increased sevenfold with barely a negligible increase in the amount of total water used, and that fact is backed up by palm tree production in the country. While the average date palm harvests about 17 kilograms of dates each year, Israeli palm trees are prolific producers by comparison. The palms produce 182 kilograms or over 10 times the amount of the average date palm. Not only that, Israel is the only country anywhere that recorded a net gain in trees in the 21st century. Another agricultural feat concerns a green pepper that was grown in Moshav Ein Yahav. The large vegetable weighed in at half a kilogram or one pound. However, plants are not the only agricultural sources that produce significant quantities of food. Israeli cows also produce more milk than almost any other country with the exception of South Korea. What’s interesting, traditional Israeli food recipes don’t contain milk! At the end of the day, you don’t need milk to make hummus or falafel, right? Israeli Women Serve in Combat Roles Also, beginning in 1995, women started being recruited to combat positions in the Israeli Defense Forces or IDF. That made Israel one of the few countries in the world with compulsory military service for women. The other countries that require women to serve in the army are Armenia, Singapore, Norway, Eritrea, Cape Verde, North Korea, Chad, and Sweden. People in Israel Are Enterprising If you want to hire the best employment talent, you may want to confine your search to Israel. Approximately 24% of the country’s workforce holds university degrees while 12% are holders of advanced degrees. As a result, Israel ranks third in the industrialized world among holders of degrees, ranking behind the U.S. and Holland. In addition, the country is rated third-highest in entrepreneurship with the highest number of women and people over 55 pursuing entrepreneurial activities in the world. Israel Is an Innovator in the Field of Technology Credit Israel for the invention of the firewall in computer technology. The Israeli country Check Point, which is known the world over for its IT security products, is the inventor of the firewall product. Indeed, Israel has been a trailblazer when it comes to recent technological advances as it is also home to 3,000+ high-tech businesses. For example, voicemail technology was developed in Israel and Pentium MMX chip technology was established at Intel, also in the country. Also, most of the Windows NT OS was developed and produced in Israel at its Microsoft facilities. As noted, Israel also has the highest concentration of high-tech enterprises in the world, aside from Silicon Valley. The country also has the highest percentage of home computers per capita of any country in the world. Israel’s Climate Is Very Diversified Needless to say, Israel is a diverse and interesting country from both a cultural and historical standpoint. It is also a country that is notable in terms of tourism, technology, and agriculture. The land area of Israel is about the size of the USA state of New Jersey. With a diverse climate, the country features a hot and arid desert in its southern section while showcasing snow-capped mountains in the north. In fact, the Negev Desert in southern Israel only receives 32 mm or one inch of rain annually. However, Galilee, to the north, is home to the most fertile farmland in the country. Syria, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority border Israel on the east, while Egypt lies to the south and Lebanon, serves as the northern boundary of the country. Birds Are Flying Over Israel Like Crazy According to statistics, Israel also has one of the highest amounts of bird traffic worldwide. Over 500 million birds migrate over the country’s airspace annually. Israeli Money Features Braille for Visually Impaired People Israel circulates banknotes that have braille on them for people who are blind or who are visually impaired, an action that helps people become more self-sufficient. Jews Didn’t Have The Country For Thousands Of Years It may be quite obvious Israel fact but some of you may not know that Jews didn’t have their own country since the 1st-2nd century! They have been living in diaspora until their country in 1948 was formed. Bonus Basic Israel Facts Established on May 14, 1948, Israel is the Middle East’s only liberal democracy and is also the one sole Jewish state in the world. It is also the world’s youngest state. Official languages in Israel are Hebrew and Arabic. Almost 9 million people live in Israel. Rick Steves has a good job... ~26 minutes Food Tour of Jerusalem  ~41 minutes  ~11 minutes Teacher Hilariously Calls Out Class By Broadcasting Their Browsing History A Letter to the Newspaper I think all sports fans and most everybody else will get a kick out of this letter written to the Chicago Tribune. No matter which side you are on in the matter of renaming the Washington Redskins, this guy is hilarious... This is an e-mail sent to Clarence Page of the Chicago Tribune after an article he published concerning a name change for the Washington Redskins. Dear Mr. Page: I agree with our Native American population. I am highly jilted by the racially charged name of the Washington Redskins. One might argue that to name a professional football team after Native Americans would exalt them as fine warriors, but nay, nay. We must be careful not to offend, and in the spirit of political correctness and courtesy, we must move forward. Let's ditch the Kansas City Chiefs, the Atlanta Braves and the Cleveland Indians. If your shorts are in a wad because of the reference the name Redskins makes to skin color, then we need to get rid of the Cleveland Browns. The Carolina Panthers obviously were named to keep the memory of militant Blacks from the 60's alive. Gone. It's offensive to us white folk. The New York Yankees offend the Southern population. Do you see a team named for the Confederacy? No! There is no room for any reference to that tragic war that cost this country so many young men's lives. I am also offended by the blatant references to the Catholic religion among our sports team names. Totally inappropriate to have the New Orleans Saints, the Los Angeles Angels or the San Diego Padres. Then there are the team names that glorify criminals who raped and pillaged. We are talking about the horrible Oakland Raiders, the Minnesota Vikings, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Pittsburgh Pirates! Now, let us address those teams that clearly send the wrong message to our children. The San Diego Chargers promote irresponsible fighting or even spending habits. Wrong message to our children. The New York Giants and the San Francisco Giants promote obesity, a growing childhood epidemic. Wrong message to our children. The Cincinnati Reds promote downers/barbiturates. Wrong message to our children. The Milwaukee Brewers. Well that goes without saying. Wrong message to our children. So, there you go. We need to support any legislation that comes out to rectify this travesty, because the government will likely become involved with this issue, as they should. Just the kind of thing the do-nothing Congress loves. As a die-hard Oregon State fan, my wife and I, with all of this in mind, suggest it might also make some sense to change the name of the Oregon State women's athletic teams to something other than "the Beavers (especially when they play Southern California. Do we really want the Trojans sticking it to the Beavers??? I always love your articles and I generally agree with them. As for the Redskins name I would suggest they change the name to the "Foreskins" to better represent their community, paying tribute to the dick heads in Washington DC.               Pre-flight Instructions can be entertaining... This will make you laugh. Let's AMERICA! These People are MONSTERS The New Rolls Royce  This is really over the top... VIDEO ~11 minutes. Best Low Level Flybys- Whoa ~4 minutes Dad Moves  The Polk County Sheriff... Polk County Florida Sheriff - "You kill a policeman it means no arrest...no Miranda rights...no negotiations...nothing but as many bullets as we can shoot into you...PERIOD."  An illegal alien, in Polk County, Florida , who got pulled over in a routine traffic stop, ended up "executing" the deputy who stopped him. The deputy was shot eight times, including once behind his right ear at close range. Another deputy was wounded and a police dog killed. A state-wide manhunt ensued.  The murderer was found hiding in a wooded area. As soon as he took a shot at the SWAT team, officers opened fire on him. They hit the guy 68 times.  Naturally, the liberal media went nuts and asked why they had to shoot the poor, undocumented immigrant 68 times.  Sheriff Grady Judd told the Orlando Sentinel: "Because that's all the ammunition we had." Now, is that just about the all-time greatest answer or what!  The Coroner also reported that the illegal alien died of natural causes. When asked by a reporter how that could be, since there were 68 bullet wounds in his body, he simply replied: (BEST QUOTE ever) ...."When you are shot 68 times you are naturally gonna die." Don't believe Instagram posts... Well This is Pretty Random... And Finally... Something Simple for your Grill INGREDIENTS 1 lb. green beans 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 -3 garlic cloves, minced 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1 -2 tablespoon water 2 -3 sheets aluminum foil salt, to taste ground pepper, to taste INSTRUCTIONS Put green beans on a sheet of aluminum foil large enough to fold and seal. You may need to fold two sheets together. Note: I also use one sheet of foil to set the pouch on. This way if any liquid seeps out or it pulls apart it doesn't leave a mess. Drizzle olive oil over the beans. Add minced garlic and crushed red pepper, salt and pepper to taste. Toss green beans with tongs until well coated. Add water and fold aluminum foil together at the top and pinch the sides closed. Cook green bean pouch on the grill. Notes: When I put my main dish on the grill I open the beans and toss with tongs. If all the water is gone, add a little more, reseal and move to top rack. If I lift the grill lid to flip main dish I usually give the pouch a shake.    All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: 210 S. Milwaukee Ave. Wheeling, IL 60090 USA