Blog Archives

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6/16/2015

Could maple syrup help cut use of antibiotics?
The findings, which will be published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology, suggest that combining maple syrup extract with common antibiotics could increase the microbes’ susceptibility, leading to lower antibiotic usage. Overuse of antibiotics fuels the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria, which has become a major public-health concern worldwide. More

Blood donors in Sweden get a text message whenever their blood saves someone's life
With blood donation rates in decline all over the developed world, Sweden’s blood service is enlisting new technology to help push back against shortages. One new initiative, where donors are sent automatic text messages telling them when their blood has actually been used, has caught the public eye. More

Monday

6/15/2015

How Narragansett Became Cool Again

The 125-year-old Rhode Island lager is having a comeback and is now winning over New York's cool kids. When Mark Hellendrung bought the Narragansett beer company in 2005, close to nobody drank the 125-year-old New England lager.

Gone were the glory days of the 1960s, when the beer was the official sponsor of the Red Sox, produced up to two million barrels a year, and ran its brewery at close to capacity to meet demand. Narragansett so symbolized New England that eccentric shark hunter Quint in Jaws literally crushed it in a now iconic scene. More

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6/14/2015

We now have a better idea exactly how the wreck happened thanks this MUST-SEE description from a person who claims to have witnessed the whole thing.

The biggest dumbass move I’ve seen since the Jackass movies, Warning….you will cringe as these two slide off a roof very badly

Your Honor, I came to participate in my civic duty...more

Why Not Brew Your Own Beer? The art of crafting homemade hooch isn’t just for the heroes of country music songs anymore. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter signed a bill that allowed homemade booze for the first time since prohibition and has now become an American pastime for self-declared connoisseurs of beer.

Pizza Hut's Hot Dog Stuffed Crust Invades The U.S. This Month

The Hartford Way: Keep Raising Taxes in Connecticut....more

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6/13/2015

Steve Axford spends as much time as possible photographing in the Australian bush. It's his office, backyard and playground. Nature's incredible beauty is showcased from the Northern Rivers area of Australia's New South Wales. There are some of his fantastic images here.

The 27th annual National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest is underway; entries will be accepted until the end of the month, June 30, 2015. First-prize winner will receive an eight-day photo expedition for two, to Costa Rica and the Panama Canal. Official categories include: Travel Portraits; Outdoor Scenes; Sense of Place; and Spontaneous Moments. You can also check the site weekly to see photo galleries of the top entries.

Friday's Open Road

6/12/2015

“And those who were dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.”

— Nietzsche

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6/11/2015

The automotive world and beyond is buzzing about the massive airbag recall covering many millions of vehicles in the U.S. from nearly two dozen brands. Here’s what you need to know about the problem; which vehicles may have the defective, shrapnel-shooting inflator parts from Japanese supplier Takata; and what to do if your vehicle is one of them. More

Hoping to make drunk driving a literal impossibility, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration rolled out a prototype drunkenness-detection system for cars that would disallow vehicle operation if the driver is above the legal limit. More

Fun Freebies

6/10/2015

Each Wednesday, you can find a few of the Fun Freebies that will be held throughout New England during the week. To see many more events that are taking place this weekend, Click on any of the drop down tabs from the top of each page of this web site.

The Providence International Arts Festival            June 11th-14th                                    Providence Ri

Building off of Providence’s international recognition as a creative city, this first-ever signature event will be a jaw-dropping celebration featuring world-class arts, sculpture, music, food and spectacle in the heart of the city’s downtown. The centerpiece of Festival activities is Saturday, June 13, 2015 with events beginning on Kennedy Plaza at 4pm. From the largest stringed instrument on the planet, to the undisputed Queen of African Music, to the Grammy Award-winning ambassador of Mali, to visual transformations of city streets with murals, tape art, and photography, the Providence International Arts Festival will light up Rhode Island’s capital city over four days, and engage a diverse international audience.

Connecticut Open House Day                                          Saturday                                                        Statewide

The Connecticut Office of Tourism is sponsoring the 11th annual Connecticut Open House Day on Saturday, June 13th. The one-day statewide event is designed to showcase Connecticut’s diverse world of history, art, and tourism. Its a great way for residents to discover or rediscover all that is happening in the state.

Waterfire                                                              Saturday                                               Providence RI

This Saturday, there will be another full lighting for the Waterfire Festival. Over eighty bonfires will be lit along the river in downtown Providence. 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. You will see torch-lit vessels with gargoyles 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.

International Festival of Arts & Ideas        June 13th-27th                                     New Haven Ct

A 15-day extravaganza of performing arts, lectures, and conversations that takes over theaters and open spaces in New Haven each June. More than 80% of festival events are completely free.

Barnum Festival                                     June 12-28, 2015                                    Bridgeport Ct

The Barnum Festival, now in its 67th year, is the largest civic celebration of its kind in the region. Bridgeport resident P.T. Barnum was the inspiration, and a hardy core of volunteers, including the honored Ringmaster and Royal Family, produce a series of low and no-cost, family friendly events that include, the Wing Ding Parade for Kids, the Barnum's Got Talent Vocal Competition, a Barnum Festival-Bluefish Baseball Night, a Pops Concert and Skyblast Fireworks in Seaside Park, a drum corps competition and the culminating event -- the Great Street Parade on June 28, 2015, featuring bands, floats, dancers, giant inflatables, color guards and community groups representing the diversity of the city and the region.

Bascom Lodge Weekly Performances                                                                     Adams Ma

Sitting atop Massachusetts’ highest peak in the Berkshires of Massachusetts is Bascom Lodge. There is a myriad of opportunities for fun for families throughout the summer and early fall. The season opener starts this weekend and continues through October 30th, the lodge offers workshops, lectures, music and explorations of all kinds.

The Berklee Sumer in the City Concerts  Series                                          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.

Free Fishing Days     In the State of Vermont                                                             Saturday

During Free Fishing Days events, fishing license requirements are waived for recreational anglers. Free Fishing Days are the ideal time for adults who don’t yet have a license to introduce kids to fishing or for anglers to mentor beginner

Many museums in New England offer free admission during specified days of the week.  You can find them here in the Good Diggin Museum Listing of New England.

There are many Cities and Towns that offer free weekly live music shows with a wide variety of music available. You can find a lot of options here on the Good Diggin Free Weekly Town Concert listings.

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6/9/2015

I was not alarmed when there were issues with Bourbon, but now come the bad news. There’s An Irish Whiskey Boom in the making, But Not Because Of Craft Distilleries More

Another tragedy on the road, An Amtrak train carrying 203 passengers collided on Friday afternoon with a truck hauling tens of thousands of pounds of bacon. More

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6/8/2015

Looking for the next great book to sink your teeth into? Look no further. Below are over 100 links to websites that provide free e-books on a huge variety of topics. More

The Harvard Classics: Now you can Download All 51 Volumes as Free eBooks

Moose and More

6/7/2015

Last week it was a rib; this week’s news report is sausage. Are the comfort foods of summer really that good?

A New Jersey man whose last name is Bacon was arrested after a dispute over sausage. He allegedly attacked another person at a Madison home on May 12 for eating the last piece of sausage, according to police. More

Police say a man who set up a drunken-driving checkpoint complete with road flares while pretending to be a Pennsylvania state trooper was drunk.More

Bringin’ Home the Bacon.
The Indiana Lottery is selling a $2 bacon scented scratch-off ticket with instant prizes up to $10,000 and five chances to win a 20-year supply of bacon paid in $250 annual installments. More

The #HoldACokeWithYourBoobsChallenge encourages women - and sometimes men - to post photos online with a soft drink held in their cleavage, images showing mainly topless women barely covering their nipples - all in the name of supposedly raising money for breast cancer. It has now been revealed the social media trend was a joke and has nothing to do with charity. More

How many times have you heard that old adage that a selfie can come back and bite you?

And just because without them, life would be boring….. From Fail Army…The Best Fails of May More

Shooting Clay Pigeons

6/6/2015

Guns make for poor conversation. Generally speaking, there are two entrenched ideological camps—aficionados and abolitionists—and any attempt to hold a middle ground is likely to enflame both sides. You, by now, probably know how you feel about guns, and this is, by no means, an attempt to change that. What it is, however, is a safety lesson for everyone, a primer on shotguns, and a neutral civilian’s guide to shooting clay pigeons. More

Also, In the shooting news........A Missouri Man Shoots 3,653 Clays in 1 Hour, Sets World Record Rotating through 30 different shotguns, trapshooter Dave Miller shot 3,653 clay targets over the course of a single hour on May 16, setting a new Guinness World Record. More

Friday's Open Road

6/5/2015

I must be a bad bad man. Registered motorcycle owners are being placed on a classified FBI gang list. Department of Motor Vehicles and Drivers License Division records have been forwarding names to the FBI for the purpose of adding those that own motorcycles to a classified gang list. I wonder if you receive a higher ranking if you have a tattoo?     More

Aviation buff John Zimmerman was at a weekly gathering of neighbors Friday night when he noticed something peculiar: a small plane circling a route overhead that didn’t make sense to him. It was dark, so a sightseeing flight didn’t make sense, and when Zimmerman pulled up more information on an aviation phone app he routinely checks, he had immediate concerns.   More

Has Greater Boston area has become a safe haven for Islamic terrorists?
Muslim extremism has taken root in fertile soil, spreading through an elaborate network of radicalized mosques and Islamic cultural centers. The result is a clear and present danger to public safety. The state’s elites, however, have deliberately turned a blind eye. Paralyzed by political correctness and multicultural liberalism, Massachusetts’ political and media class have enabled the enemy to grow within. We have a radical Islam problem — yet, no one dares to speak its name.    More

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6/4/2015

How about a few Summer Barbecue Essentials

Say thank you just once.....10 Easy Ways to Cook Amazing Ribs

I use mine at least three days a week.

Fun Freebies

6/3/2015

Each Wednesday, you can find a few of the Fun Freebies that will be held throughout New England during the week. To see many more events that are taking place this weekend, Click on any of the drop down tabs from the top of each page of this web site.

Burlington Jazz Festival         Friday thru June 14th                                                    Burlington Vt

The Burlington Jazz Festival starts off this Friday with events planned at many venues throughout the city. There will also be free live daily performances at either Church Street Marketplace or City Hall Stage as well.

First Fridays          Friday                                                                                                 Putnam Ct

As always, First Friday’s event will feature great live entertainment. You can stroll the streets, take in the sights and sounds and discover why Putnam is the hub for arts & culture in Northeast Connecticut. A variety of events including live music and art vendors will line the streets offering fun and interactive art projects, and stimulating events .

Riverfest     Friday-Sunday                                                                       Shelburne Falls Ma

Celebrate the Deerfield River as it flows through the Village of Shelburne Falls. and under the Bridge of Flowers,. A family-friendly festival with children's theatre productions, the world-famous Frog and Flower Parade, live music, dancers, wild birds and animals, and other special events. Shelburne Falls is a beautiful village that is enhanced by great views of Salmon Falls, the Bridge of Flowers, and the extraordinary multi-hued glacial potholes.

Free Fishing Days
This weekend, the states of Massachusetts   June 6 and 7th and New Hampshire June 6th offer Free Fishing Days. During Free Fishing Days, fishing license requirements are waived for recreational anglers. Free Fishing Days are the ideal time for adults who don’t yet have a license to introduce kids to fishing or for anglers to mentor beginners.

The Berklee Sumer in the City Concerts  Series                                    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.

Bascom Lodge Weekly Performances                                                                      Adams Ma

Sitting atop Massachusetts’ highest peak in the Berkshires of Massachusetts is Bascom Lodge. There is a myriad of opportunities of fun for families throughout the summer and early fall. The lodge offers workshops, lectures, music and explorations of all kinds.

Many museums in New England also offer free admission during specified days of the week.  You can find them here in the Good Diggin Museum Listing for New England

Todays Full Moon

6/2/2015

There will be a Full Moon today. The strawberry moon was a universal term used by almost every Algonquin tribe to describe the first full moon of summer. The Full Moon today will take a low path across the sky. It will rise far south of due east and set far south of due west. Today will probably be a terrible day to catch a glimpse of it.

An Argentine advertising agency produced this video for an organ donation organization. Have your Kleenex handy if you're a dog-lover........And please become an organ donor