Ramblings & Smiles

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6/24/2017

With the grilling season now in full gear, this is my pick for this weekend’s culinary adventure…….Thai Grilled Chicken Thighs

Nearly 500 Earthquakes Rumbled Yellowstone This Week – Should We Fear The Supervolcano?
According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), here have been nearly 500 earthquakes near Yellowstone National Park in the last week. Yellowstone usually receives between 1,000 and 2,000 measurable earthquakes in ONE year.

The History Channel Is Finally Telling the Stunning Secret Story of the War on Drugs

Zima Is BACK For A Limited Time Only
The ultimate 90s drink — is back! Zima’s return comes as the resurgence of old brands seems like the in thing with alcohol pop drinks coming back to the spot light in recent years. with brands including Small Town Brewery’s Not Your Father’s Root Beer, AB InBev’s Best Damn Root Beer and Best Damn Cherry Cola and MillerCoors’ Henry’s Hard Orange and Henry’s Hard Ginger Ale. The “citrus malternative” is once again ready for the spotlight. via Ad Week:

Advanced CIA Firmware Has Been Infecting Wi-Fi Routers for Years
Home routers from 10 manufacturers, including Linksys, DLink, and Belkin, can be turned into covert listening posts that allow the Central Intelligence Agency to monitor and manipulate incoming and outgoing traffic and infect connected devices. That’s according to secret documents posted Thursday by WikiLeaks. Via: Ars Technica:

Fridays Open Road

6/23/2017

I am afraid. Not of life, or death, or nothingness, but of wasting it as if I had never been

Daniel Keyes

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6/22/2017

Scientists have discovered a breakthrough treatment that is effective at killing cancerous tumors.
Well, depending on which state you live in, there’s a good chance that you probably can’t get this effective cancer treatment at all. That is because this wonder drug is marijuana.
This is just the latest medical benefit of cannabis, which includes reducing chronic pain and multiple sclerosis. The study was published in the International Journal of Oncology, which you can read here.

Grail passes early test in quest to find cancer in blood
An early stage trial of an ultra-sensitive "liquid biopsy" that scans blood samples for traces of cancer DNA showed it was able to pick up at least one cancer mutation in most of the patients with advanced cancers that were studied. MORE

Modern Medicine it's Not
According to a recent analysis from Kew Gardens in the United Kingdom, there are over 28,000 plants currently being used as medicine throughout the world. The second annual report from Britain’s Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, located in London, is the result of the research and analysis of 128 scientists from 12 countries around across the globe. According to their findings, there are 28,187 plants “currently recorded as being of medicinal use.” The report [pdf] explains:

Fun Freebies

6/21/2017

Every Wednesday, you can find some of the "Fun Freebies" that will be held throughout New England during the upcoming week right here. To check out even more of the events that are going on this week throughout NE, you can go to any of the drop down tabs from the event pages on this web site.

Free Fun Friday's                                                                                    Friday's in Massachusetts
Each Friday; The Highland Street Foundation will sponsor free admission to Museums and other cultural and fun destinations throughout Massachusetts. This program is open again this year to all Ma. residents thanks to this very generous family foundation.

International Festival of Art & Ideas                                                         Daily            New Haven Ct
The festival of performing arts, lectures, and conversations that celebrates the greatest artists and thinkers from around the world. Festival events in the past have featured some of the most prestigious jazz, classical music, dance, and theater artists in the world and the Festival’s free Ideas programs bring inspiring, provocative, challenging and delightful ideas to a wide public.
Each June, the Festival takes over the theatres, open spaces, and courtyards of New Haven, Connecticut. It will have an attendance of more than 100,000 to its events, of which more than 80% of are completely free to the public.

Jacobs Pillow Dance Inside/Out Performances             Wednesday-Saturday      Stockbridge Ma
These are the free performances that happen every week from Wednesday through Saturday during the Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival. The shows are performed outside, with a beautiful backdrop of the Berkshire Hills in the summer. Every year Inside/Out performances feature a variety of styles. Past performances have included classical ballet, tap, jazz/musical theatre dance, hip-hop, flamenco, traditional Korean dance, India’s bharata natyam, and many other genres. When the weather is threatening the performance will move to an indoor studio with very limited seating.

The Berklee Sumer in the City Concerts  Series                                  Daily        Greater Boston Ma
This concert series, presents more than 200 free performances throughout the Greater Boston area from May through September. Bringing neighborhoods alive with free programs of pop, rock, jazz, Latin, and more, some of Berklee’s most promising young artists are poised to share the skills they hone on campus with the local community.

Waterfire                                                                                      Saturday                  Providence RI
This Saturday, there will be another Full lighting for the Waterfire Festival. As you walk along the paths in Waterfront Park, past the arched bridges and beautiful sculptures; your senses will be captivated by the flames, aromas of burning wood and music from around the world. There will be torch-lit vessels that travel down the river, street performers and live music. WaterFire has been enjoyed by of over ten million visitors since its flames were first lit in 1994.

There are also many Cities and Towns that offer free weekly live music shows with a wide variety of different musical styles available. You can also find a lot of car shows in many areas here on the web site as well. Those event's can be found on the Good Diggin Free Weekly Town Concert listings or the Car Show page.

In addition, many museums throughout New England offer free admission during specified days of the week.  You can find a large listing of them here in the Good Diggin Museum Listing page.

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6/20/2017

Just Stop Keeping Score
High Schools Drop 'Valedictorian' Distinction Fearing Lower-Ranked Kids May Feel 'Triggered'"Don't worry, my pretties, the world's a kind, gentle and loving place. It’s just waiting to greet you with open arms, safe spaces and hugs and kisses. After all, you’re special...

Why Are So Many Young Voters Falling for Old Socialists?

How Marx Got on the Wrong Side of History

Gallup Poll: 25 Percent See Government as their Biggest Problem

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6/19/2017

People often ask me what is the most effective technique for transforming their life. It is a little embarrassing that after years and years of research and experimentation, I have to say that the best answer is - just be a little kinder.

–Aldous Huxley

Happy Fathers Day

6/18/2017

That’s Tough Confinement
Kansas man who robbed bank to escape wife gets home-confinement sentence

Maine Woman Are Tough
After being attacked by a rabid raccoon, She drowned it in a puddle. Do not mess with them.

Lord Loves a Thinkin Gal
Woman caught shoplifting said she was studying kleptomania

Terror at Disneyland
Seventeen people were struck by droppings from a flock of geese who were above a large group of people at Disneyland on Friday night.
Police and firefighters responded to Disneyland about 9 p.m. after a report of about 20 people being hit with “fecal matter,” the Anaheim Police Department said in a tweet. But it was later determined the droppings came from a flock of geese overhead. Eleven adults and six juveniles were struck by the geese droppings. MORE

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6/17/2017

The baseball shooting wasn’t an attack on the GOP. It was an attack on all of us.

It Seems Rather Obvious to Me
A woman who sent her boyfriend a barrage of text messages urging him to kill himself when they were both teenagers was convicted Friday of involuntary manslaughter in a trial that raised questions of
whether words can kill.

'Madoff Whistleblower' Harry Markopolos Has Uncovered A New Fraud
Harry Markopolos, the investigator who exposed the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme, has uncovered a new fraud. The unfunded status of the pension fund of the Boston Transit Authority (the “MBTA”) is $500 million bigger than previously thought,

This is Wrong, The Horse could not even Get a Kick In
ANTIFA Demonstrator attacks police horse during March against Sharia.

The surprising number of American adults who think chocolate milk comes from brown cows

Fridays Open Road

6/16/2017

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6/15/2017

There’s a scientific reason behind it
Sex In A Hotel Is Better Than At Home, According To Researchers – AskMen

Scientists just solved the strange case of pine trees that always lean towards the equator – ScienceAlert

Prostate cancer trial stuns researchers: ‘It’s a once in a career feeling’ | Society | The Guardian

Sanders Goes Off on the Democratic Party
“The current model and the current strategy of the Democratic Party is an absolute failure,”

The Philippines military said the United States was providing technical assistance to end the siege of Marawi City by fighters allied to Islamic State. The battle is now in its third week. US soldiers are just providing technical support, military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jo-Ar Herrera told a news conference in Marawi City. MORE