Tag: Archive

The Allerton Oak Tree in Liverpool England, just won England’s 2019 Tree of the Year award. The mighty oak is over 1000 years old, and stands near the River Mersey. It has a crack in the trunk, from when a gunpowder ship exploded in 1864! It will represent England in the 2020 European Tree of the Year contest.

The Housing First Community Coalition, has raised $2,000,000 in donations, to build houses in San Antonio Texas. 17 acres of vacant lot will be transformed into the Towne Twin Village, a new community for 200 homeless seniors! The village will provide tiny houses, gardens and picnic areas, an art studio, and support services for the new residents!

It’s Frankenstein Friday! Watch the classic movie, read the book by Mary Shelley, or just practice your best monster lurch. Since it’s also International Artists Day, try drawing or painting a picture of Frankenstein’s monster. You could even carve a pumpkin, with scars and neck bolts, to get ready for Halloween!

Today is Greasy Food Day, World Pasta Day, Breadstick Day, and Sourest Day. It’s also Punk For A Day Day. Make a big bowl  of spaghetti, topped with french fries and lemons. Then eat it with breadsticks while listening to punk rock music, with spiked hair and a sour snarl on your face!

This past weekend, Key West Florida was invaded by zombies on bicycles. 11,000 people showed up for the Zombie Bike Ride, which is part of an annual 10-day Fantasy Fest. The festival continues all week, with a pet masquerade, evening parade, and a Headdress Ball. I wonder if zombies need sunblock?

An artificial leaf can create a new source of synthetic gas. Instead of using fossil fuels like oil, the leaf uses sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to make liquid fuel. It doesn’t release any additional pollutants into the air, and even works on cloudy days. Eventually, it could even replace petrol, to fuel cars!

The call of the white bellbird sounds a little like a fire alarm, but louder. It’s the loudest bird call ever measured! The decibel level is comparable to the hammering of a pile driver. You can listen to the call of a white bellbird, as well as lots of other birds, on d-i-bird.com.

Scientists taught rats to drive little cars, but not just for fun. One group of rats was raised in a boring cage, while the other group had toys and ladders. The rats raised with playthings, could drive and steer the Rat-Operated-Vehicle more easily. They were rewarded with Froot Loops, for passing their driving test.

Today is National Food Day, with the goal of getting people to eat natural, healthier foods. Go for the day without processed snack foods, and make a meal with fresh ingredients. It’s United Nations Day also. The UN works for all people on Earth, offering help during natural disasters, medical emergencies, and war.

Justin Ownby grew a magnificent 910 pound pumpkin. While it was nowhere near record-breaking weight, it did stand out for another reason. Justin hollowed it out, and turned it into a kayak! The Tennessee farmer took his gourd out for a paddle around the lake, but it won’t hold up to any class 5 river rapids!