Earth Day – April 22, 2011

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From EarthDay.Org:
Earth Day 2011: A Billion Acts of Green®

“Earth Day is here! This year, Earth Day’s theme is themed after A Billion Acts of Green: our people-powered campaign to generate a billion acts of environmental service and advocacy before Rio +20. Check out the cool new Billion Acts of Green Facebook app on http://apps.facebook.com/billionactsofgreen” read more…

Don’t mean to toot my own horn, but in the 60s I worked in the scrap/recycling business. In the 70s my gallery sold all handcrafted metalwork, some pieces created from recycled scrap metal, old square nails etc. In the mid-80s The LasVegasBuffetclub’s fleet RV sported a 12″ x 12″ solar panel that powered a small TV at night. It was wired to a motorcycle battery. Las Vegas was the perfect place for solar – Mega Sunshine.

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Full Moon – Sunday 17th April 2011 – 100% Full at 7:44 P.M. Las Vegas time

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Full Moon over an abandoned adobe - near Tucson, AZ
Full Moon over an abandoned adobe, near Tucson, AZ

From Western Washington University:

“American Indians gave names to each of the full moons to keep track of the passing year. The names are associated with the entire month until the next full moon occurs. Since a lunar month averages 29 days, the dates of the moons change from year to year. Here are titles most closely associated with calendar months.”
Click the link to see the full list of titles.

BACK EAST
From the Abenaki (Northeast, Maine) people, the name for April’s Moon is “sogalikas” or “sugar maker moon.”

Unidentified Native American woman
Unidentified Native American woman

OUT WEST
The Zuni (Southwest, New Mexico) word for April’s Moon is “li’dekwakkya lana” or “great sand storm (moon.)”

From The Old Farmer’s Almanac, “The • Full Pink Moon – April – This name came from the herb moss pink, or wild ground phlox, which is one of the earliest widespread flowers of the spring. Other names for this month’s celestial body include the Full Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, and among coastal tribes the Full Fish Moon, because this was the time that the shad swam upstream to spawn.”

The Old Farmer’s Almanac Full Moon Facts
Great site for Full Moon information.
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I’m In Love With This SONG Video

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I’m in love with this video, and the song it’s wrapped around. The song is “I’VE GOT YOU UNDER MY SKIN” by Cole PorterNelson Riddle’s arrangement and sung by, The Chairman of the Board, Frank Sinatra – the Patron Saint of Italianesque Americana.

It’s the first time I’ve expierienced this cut with a video. There’s a smoke’n horn section at the bridge? And a photo of a bridge at the bridge. Sinatra’s versions of this song are pure (black) magic. The contrast of volume levels help make this song one of the best ever recorded. The long, loud 3/4 of the way in crescendo / trombone solo is ridiculous.

from Richard Williams -The Guardian,
Wednesday 4 February 2004 02.57 GMT

“Nowadays the idea of a trombone solo igniting a great pop record might seem quaint. But there was nothing quaint about the solo halfway through Frank Sinatra’s classic version of I’ve Got You Under My Skin, with which Milt Bernhart, who [] died of heart failure aged 77, created something as electrifying in its time as anything devised by Jimi Hendrix or Eric Clapton in a later generation.
Recorded on January 12 1956, during one of five sessions that produced the album Songs For Swingin’ Lovers, I Got You Under My Skin is one of Sinatra’s finest performances. Nelson Riddle’s arrangement propels Cole Porter’s song at an easy, finger-snapping medium tempo, introduced by the unorthodox combination of a bass clarinet riff with celeste punctuation.”

“Sinatra, a month past his 40th birthday and at the height of his powers, delivers the first verse with a devil-may-care sexiness. For the instrumental interlude, Riddle creates a 12-bar ramp by juxtaposing syncopated trombone figures with sustained high notes in the violins, building a crescendo whose tension is thrillingly released by the sudden blaze of trumpets which launches Bernhart’s solo. In a mere eight bars, his rampaging brassiness lifts the song to a new level of intensity, providing a counterpoint of Dionysian ecstasy to the singer’s Apollonian self- control.”

The video, uploaded to YouTube by utubeLyrics102, is pretty much just a slideshow of romantic photographs of lovers, from very young to very old. Constant slow panning of the photographs creates a sense of drama and cinematic movement. 50s chicks in tight American jeans holding on to their men. Old folks watching boats (that are) in their slips. Black and White photographs of lovers in that first embrace. The exact moment that you fell in love. Is there anything better. And that iconic Kiss photo, snapped in Times Square just after WW ll ended. Pure, beautiful Americana! Lover’s embracing under bridges and on sidewalks. This is a well-crafted video that is completely respectful to Frank Sinatra’s vocal rendition of the song. I’ll do some research later on – about who put this video together. It’s a damn good job. He/she has been in love.

The music is empowered by Sinatra’s presence. It was recorded at a time when the US was as sweet as Apple Pie. Frank Sinatra was living beyond the American Dream, mega-large. All that excitement, success, high-life-living and magic is captured in the recordings.

Visit the Sinatra’s Family Website

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Mandaly Bay Sleep & Eat Deal

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I received this in an email and thought I’d pass it on.

Mandalay Bay Sleep & Eat Special
Mandalay Bay Sleep & Eat Special

Enjoy Rates from $79 - BOOK NOWOr call Mandalay Bay Reservations at 877.632.7800 ask for offer PBUFEMMandalay Bay Resort & CasinoMandalay Bay Resort & Casino

*All Day Buffet includes Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner and must be used on the same day. Only valid for two (2) days of trip and not valid on arrival day. Maximum 2 All Day Buffets per stay.

Rates are subject to change and restricted dates apply. This offer is non-transferable, subject to availability, and may not be used in conjunction with any other MGM Resorts International property offers, including slot tournaments, giveaways, holidays, convention periods and special events. Rates are not intended for guests attending a convention at Mandalay Bay and will be modified to contracted group rate. All prices subject to tax and/or applicable handling fees. Room rates are based on single or double occupancy, additional guest charge of $30 per person, per night unless age 14 or under. Maximum of 4 guests per room. Our resort fee provides you access to select hotel amenities. A daily charge of $18 plus tax will be added to your room account. You must be 21 years of age or older. Mandalay Bay reserves the right to cancel or modify this promotion at its discretion and without prior notice. Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino promotes responsible gaming. If you or someone you know has a problem gaming responsibly, please contact the 24 hour Problem Gamblers HelpLine at 800.522.4700.Mandalay Bay reserves all rights.
© 2011 MGM Resorts International™. All rights reserved.

[WHOA, THOSE EXTRA CHARGES ADD UP DON’T THEY!]

New Moon – April 3, 2011

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Today's Moon Phase

Your NEW Moon Today – April 3, 2011:
Moon Phase 0%, Moonrise 6:06 A.M, Moonset 7:32 P.M. – Las Vegas, Nevada time.

From The Old Farmer’s Almanac

Moon Question of the Day
Why is there a crecent Moon cutout in outhouse doors?
Answer!

“According to folklore, if a young woman sees a dove and glimpses the new Moon at the same instant, she should repeat: “Bright Moon, clear Moon, Bright and fair, Lift up your right foot, There’ll be a hair.” When she removes her shoe, she’ll find a hair the color of her future husband’s.” (Say what!)

“The Navajos, among others, believe that the full Moon’s pull on a woman’s amniotic fluids increases the chances of giving birth at this time. Some nurses and midwives claim the new Moon is also an active time for births.”

The Old Farmer’s Almanac

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