<> Tomorrow's food holidays(s):
* 'National Cupcake / Lemon Cupcake Day'.
- From Wikipedia (Cupcake):
'A cupcake (also British English: fairy cake Hiberno English: bun
Australian English: fairy cake or patty cake) is a small cake designed to
serve one person, which may be baked in a small thin paper or aluminum cup.
As with larger cakes, icing and other cake decorations, such as candy, may
be applied.
The first mention of the cupcake can be traced as far back as 1796, when a
recipe notation of a light cake to bake in small cups was written in
American Cookery by Amelia Simmons. The earliest documentation of the term
cupcake was in Seventy-five Receipts for Pastry, Cakes, and Sweetmeats in
1828 in Eliza Leslie's Receipts cookbook.
In the early 19th century, there were two different uses for the name cup
cake or cupcake. In previous centuries, before muffin tins were widely
available, the cakes were often baked in individual pottery cups, ramekins,
or molds and took their name from the cups they were baked in. This is the
use of the name that has remained, and the name of cupcake is now given to
any small cake that is about the size of a teacup. While English fairy
cakes vary in size more than American cupcakes, they are traditionally
smaller and are rarely topped with elaborate icing.
The other kind of cup cake referred to a cake whose ingredients were
measured by volume, using a standard-sized cup, instead of being weighed.
Recipes whose ingredients were measured using a standard-sized cup could
also be baked in cups however, they were more commonly baked in tins as
layers or loaves. In later years, when the use of volume measurements was
firmly established in home kitchens, these recipes became known as 1234
cakes or quarter cakes, so called because they are made up of four
ingredients: one cup of butter, two cups of sugar, three cups of flour, and
four eggs. They are plain yellow cakes, somewhat less rich and less
expensive than pound cake, due to using about half as much butter and eggs
compared to pound cake. The names of these two major classes of cakes were
intended to signal the method to the baker cup cake uses a volume
measurement, and pound cake uses a weight measurement'.
[The Hankster says] Bake 'um by the dozen please. Little or no icing for a sweet but not too sweet tangy taste. And of course, a tall glass of cold milk.
* 'International Tea Day'.
- From Wikipedia (International Tea Day):
'International Tea Day is observed annually on December 15. It has been
celebrated since 2005 in tea producing countries like Bangladesh, Sri
Lanka, Nepal, Vietnam, Indonesia, Kenya, Malawi, Malaysia, Uganda, India
and Tanzania. International Tea Day aims to draw global attention of
governments and citizens to the impact of the global tea trade on workers
and growers, and has been linked to requests for price supports and fair
trade.
After initial discussions at the World Social Forum in 2004, the first
International Tea Day was celebrated in New Delhi in 2005, with later
celebrations organized in Sri Lanka in 2006 and 2008. International Tea Day
celebrations and the related Global Tea Conferences have been jointly
organized by trade union movements.
In 2015, the Indian government proposed expanding the observance of
International Tea Day through the UN Food and Agriculture Organization'.
[The Hankster says] Hot lemon cupcakes and some hot lemon tea, yes.
<> Other holidays / celebrations
* 'Bill of Rights Day'.
They were ratified on December 15, 1791. 941 Presidential proclamation on
it's 150th 1anniversary.
- From Wikipedia (United States Bill of Rights):
'The Bill of Rights is the first ten amendments to the United States
Constitution. Proposed following the oftentimes bitter 1787–88 battle over
ratification of the U.S. Constitution, and crafted to address the
objections raised by Anti-Federalists, the Bill of Rights amendments add to
the Constitution specific guarantees of personal freedoms and rights, clear
limitations on the government's power in judicial and other proceedings,
and explicit declarations that all powers not specifically delegated to
Congress by the Constitution are reserved for the states or the people. The
concepts codified in these amendments are built upon those found in several
earlier documents, including the Virginia Declaration of Rights and the
English Bill of Rights 1689, along with earlier documents such as Magna
Carta (1215).
On June 8, 1789, Representative James Madison introduced nine amendments to
the constitution in the House of Representatives. Among his recommendations
Madison proposed opening up the Constitution and inserting specific rights
limiting the power of Congress in Article One, Section 9. Seven of these
limitations would become part of the ten ratified Bill of Rights
amendments. Ultimately, on September 25, 1789, Congress approved twelve
articles of amendment to the Constitution and submitted them to the states
for ratification. Contrary to Madison's original proposal that the articles
be incorporated into the main body of the Constitution, they were proposed
as supplemental additions (codicils) to it. Articles Three through Twelve
were ratified as additions to the Constitution on December 15, 1791, and
became Amendments One through Ten of the Constitution. Article Two became
part of the Constitution on May 5, 1992, as the Twenty-seventh Amendment.
Article One is technically still pending before the states.
Although Madison's proposed amendments included a provision to extend the
protection of some of the Bill of Rights to the states, the amendments that
were finally submitted for ratification applied only to the federal
government. The door for their application upon state governments was
opened in the 1860s, following ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Since the early 20th century both federal and state courts have used the
Fourteenth Amendment to apply portions of the Bill of Rights to state and
local governments. The process is known as incorporation.
There are several original engrossed copies of the Bill of Rights still in
existence. One of these is on permanent public display at the National
Archives in Washington, D.C.'.
<> Awareness / Observances:
o Other:
* 'Zamenhof Day / Esperanto Literature Day'. Esperanto is the first most
widely spoken constructed language. It was created in 1859 by Ludwik Lejzer
Zamenhof.
- From Wikipedia (Zamenhof Day):
'Zamenhof Day (Esperanto: Zamenhofa Tago), also called Esperanto Day, is
celebrated on 15 December, the birthday of Esperanto creator L. L.
Zamenhof. It is the most widely celebrated day in Esperanto culture.
The history of celebrating Esperanto on Zamenhof's birthday can be
traced back to 17 December 1878, when at a birthday party for his 19th
birthday he presented to his friends his Lingwe uniwersala, the first
version of his international language. By 1887, this language had evolved
into what is now recognized as Esperanto when he published the Unua Libro.
Today, many Esperanto speakers buy an extra Esperanto book around this time
of year. There are also special Esperanto gatherings and parties throughout
the world to celebrate the occasion, which is used as a reason for
Esperantists to get together during the holiday season.
Some Esperanto speakers, not wanting to over-celebrate the achievements of
a single man, have suggested celebrating 15 December as Esperanto
Literature Day instead. Thus they encourage Esperanto organizations that
hold gatherings on that day to add a book review or poetry reading to the
program or to announce the publication of a new book. On an individual
level, one can buy or start reading a new book or in some other way
celebrate Esperanto literature'.
<> Historical events on December 15
* 'In 1791, The United States Bill of Rights becomes law when ratified by
the Virginia General Assembly.
- From Wikipedia: The Bill of Rights is the collective name for the first
ten amendments to the United States Constitution. Proposed following the
often times bitter 1787–1788 battle over ratification of the Constitution,
and crafted to address the objections raised by Anti-Federalists, the Bill
of Rights amendments add certain safeguards of democracy—specific
guarantees of personal freedoms and rights clear limitations on the
government's power in judicial and other proceedings and explicit
declarations that all powers not specifically delegated to Congress by the
Constitution are reserved for the states or the people—to the
Constitution'.
* 'In 1854, The first street-cleaning machine is used in Philadelphia.
* 'In 1962, Vaughn Meader's 'The First Family' album goes #1 and stays #1
for 12 weeks.
- From Wikipedia: 'The First Family is a comedy album recorded on October
22, 1962, as a good-natured parody of President John F. Kennedy, both as
Commander-in-Chief and as a member of a large, well-known political family.
Issued by Cadence Records, it was honored as the 'largest and fastest
selling record in the history of the record industry' selling at more than
a million copies per week for the first six and one-half weeks in
distribution, by January it had sold more than 7 million copies'. .
* 'In 1964, Canada adopts the maple leaf flag. .
- From Wikipedia: 'The flag of Canada, often referred to as the Canadian
flag, or unofficially as the Maple Leaf and l'Unifolié (French for the
one-leafed), is a national flag consisting of a red field with a white
square at its centre in the ratio of 1:2:1, in the middle of which is
featured a stylized, red, 11-pointed maple leaf charged in the centre. It
is the first ever specified by law for use as the country's national flag.
In 1964, Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson formed a committee to resolve the
ongoing issue of the lack of an official Canadian flag, sparking a serious
debate about a flag change to replace the Union Flag. Out of three choices,
the maple leaf design by George Stanley, based on the flag of the Royal
Military College of Canada, was selected. The flag made its first official
appearance on February 15, 1965 the date is now celebrated annually as
National Flag of Canada Day.
The Canadian Red Ensign had been unofficially used since the 1890s and was
approved by a 1945 Order in Council for use wherever place or occasion may
make it desirable to fly a distinctive Canadian flag Also, the Royal Union
Flag remains an official flag in Canada. There is no law dictating how the
national flag is to be treated. There are, however, conventions and
protocols to guide how it is to be displayed and its place in the order of
precedence of flags, which gives it primacy over the aforementioned and
most other flags.
Many different flags created for use by Canadian officials, government
bodies, and military forces contain the maple leaf motif in some fashion,
either by having the Canadian flag charged in the canton, or by including
maple leaves in the design'.
* 'In 1965, Gemini 6 achieves the first space rendezvous, with Gemini 7. .
- From Wikipedia: 'Gemini 6A (officially Gemini VI-A) was a 1965 manned
United States spaceflight in NASA's Gemini program. The mission achieved
the first manned rendezvous with another spacecraft, its sister Gemini 7.
Although the Soviet Union had twice previously launched simultaneous pairs
of Vostok spacecraft, these established radio contact with, but came no
closer than several kilometers of each other, while the Gemini 6 and 7
spacecraft came as close as one foot (30 cm) and could have docked had they
been so equipped.
Gemini 6A was the fifth manned Gemini flight, the 13th manned American
flight, and the 21st manned spaceflight of all time (including X-15 flights
over 100 kilometers (54 nautical miles))'.
* 'In 1993, The movie, Schindler's List, opens and wins Spielberg his first
Oscar award. .
- From Wikipedia: 'Schindler's List is a 1993 American epic historical
period drama film, directed and co-produced by Steven Spielberg and
scripted by Steven Zaillian. It is based on the novel Schindler's Ark by
Australian novelist, Thomas Keneally. The film relates a period in the life
of Oskar Schindler, an ethnic German businessman, during which he saved the
lives of more than a thousand mostly Polish-Jewish refugees from the
Holocaust by employing them in his factories. It stars Liam Neeson as
Schindler, Ralph Fiennes as Schutzstaffel (SS) officer Amon Göth, and Ben
Kingsley as Schindler's Jewish accountant Itzhak Stern.
Ideas for a film about the Schindlerjuden (Schindler Jews) were proposed as
early as 1963. Poldek Pfefferberg, one of the Schindlerjuden, made it his
life's mission to tell the story of Schindler. Spielberg became interested
in the story when executive Sid Sheinberg sent him a book review of
Schindler's Ark. Universal Studios bought the rights to the novel, but
Spielberg, unsure if he was ready to make a film about the Holocaust, tried
to pass the project to several other directors before finally deciding to
direct the film himself.
Principal photography took place in Kraków, Poland, over the course of 72
days in 1993. Spielberg shot the film in black and white and approached it
as a documentary. Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski wanted to give the film a
sense of timelessness. John Williams composed the score, and violinist
Itzhak Perlman performs the film's main theme.
Schindler's List premiered on November 30, 1993, in Washington, D.C. and it
was released on December 15, 1993, in the United States. Often listed among
the greatest films ever made, it was also a box office success, earning
$321.2 million worldwide on a $22 million budget. It was the recipient of
seven Academy Awards (out of twelve nominations), including Best Picture,
Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Score, as well as
numerous other awards (including seven BAFTAs and three Golden Globes). In
2007, the American Film Institute ranked the film 8th on its list of the
100 best American films of all time. The Library of Congress selected it
for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2004'.
* 'In 2001, The Leaning Tower of Pisa reopens after 11 years and
$27,000,000 spent to fortify it, without fixing its famous lean. .
- From Wikipedia: 'The Leaning Tower of Pisa (Italian: Torre pendente di
Pisa) or simply the Tower of Pisa (Torre di Pisa ) is the campanile, or
freestanding bell tower, of the cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa,
known worldwide for its unintended tilt.
It is situated behind Pisa's cathedral and is the third oldest structure in
the city's Cathedral Square (Piazza del Duomo) after the cathedral and the
Pisa Baptistry. The tower's tilt began during construction, caused by an
inadequate foundation on ground too soft on one side to properly support
the structure's weight. The tilt increased in the decades before the
structure was completed, and gradually increased until the structure was
stabilized (and the tilt partially corrected) by efforts in the late 20th
and early 21st centuries.
The height of the tower is 55.86 metres (183.27 feet) from the ground on
the low side and 56.67 metres (185.93 feet) on the high side. The width of
the walls at the base is 2.44 m (8 ft 0.06 in). Its weight is estimated at
14,500 metric tons (16,000 short tons). The tower has 296 or 294 steps the
seventh floor has two fewer steps on the north-facing staircase. Prior to
restoration work performed between 1990 and 2001, the tower leaned at an
angle of 5.5 degrees, but the tower now leans at about 3.99 degrees. This
means that the top of the tower is displaced horizontally 3.9 metres (12 ft
10 in) from the centre'.
* 'In 2009, The Boeing's 787 Dreamliner makes its maiden flight from
Seattle, Washington. .
- From Wikipedia: 'The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is an American long-haul,
mid-size widebody, twin-engine jet airliner made by Boeing Commercial
Airplanes. Its variants seat 242 to 335 passengers in typical three-class
seating configurations. It is Boeing's most fuel-efficient airliner and is
a pioneering airliner with the use of composite materials as the primary
material in the construction of its airframe. The 787 was designed to be
20% more fuel efficient than the Boeing 767, which it was intended to
replace. The 787 Dreamliner's distinguishing features include mostly
electrical flight systems, swept wingtips, and noise-reducing chevrons on
its engine nacelles. It shares a common type rating with the larger Boeing
777 to allow qualified pilots to operate both models.
The aircraft's initial designation was the 7E7, prior to its renaming in
January 2005. The first 787 was unveiled in a roll-out ceremony on July 8,
2007 at Boeing's Everett factory. Development and production of the 787 has
involved a large-scale collaboration with numerous suppliers worldwide.
Final assembly takes place at the Boeing Everett Factory in Everett,
Washington, and at the Boeing South Carolina factory in North Charleston,
South Carolina. Originally planned to enter service in May 2008, the
project experienced multiple delays. The airliner's maiden flight took
place on December 15, 2009, and completed flight testing in mid-2011.
Boeing has reportedly spent $32 billion on the 787 program.
Final US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Aviation Safety
Agency (EASA) type certification was received in August 2011 and the first
787-8 was delivered in September 2011. It entered commercial service on
October 26, 2011 with launch customer All Nippon Airways. The stretched
787-9 variant, which is 20 feet (6.1 m) longer and can fly 450 nautical
miles (830 km) farther than the -8, first flew in September 2013.
Deliveries of the 787-9 began in July 2014 it entered commercial service on
August 7, 2014 with All Nippon Airways, with 787-9 launch customer Air New
Zealand following two days later. As of November 2016, the 787 had orders
for 1,210 aircraft from 64 customers, with All Nippon Airways having the
largest number on order.
The aircraft has suffered from several in-service problems, including fires
on board related to its lithium-ion batteries. These systems were reviewed
by both the FAA and the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau. The FAA issued a
directive in January 2013 that grounded all 787s in the US and other civil
aviation authorities followed suit. After Boeing completed tests on a
revised battery design, the FAA approved the revised design and lifted the
grounding in April 2013 the 787 returned to passenger service later that
month'.
No. 1 song
Top movie
Monthly holiday / awareness days in December
Food
Buckwheat Month
Worldwide Food Service Safety Month
Health
Aids Awareness Month
National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month
National Impaired Driving Prevention Month
Safe Toys and Gifts Month
Animal and Pet
Operation Santa Paws
Other
National Tie Month
National Write A Business Plan Month
Universal Human Rights Month
Youngsters on The Air Month
December is:
December origin (from Wikipedia): '
December gets its name from the Latin word decem (meaning ten) because it was originally the tenth month of the year in the Roman calendar, which began in March. The winter days following December were not included as part of any month. Later, the months of January and February were created out of the monthless period and added to the beginning of the calendar, but December retained its name.
'
'
December is the first month of meteorological winter in the Northern
Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, December is the seasonal equivalent
to June in the Northern hemisphere, which is the first month of summer. D
ecember is the month with the shortest daylight hours of the year in the
Northern Hemisphere and the longest daylight hours of the year in the
Southern Hemisphere.
'
December at Wikipedia: More
If you couldn't afford 90 cents for a movie ticket, 50 years ago,
or your 45 RPM record player was broke, you might watch one of these shows on TV.
From this Wikipedia article: More
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Sites for downloading or reading free Public Domain eBooks. Available in various formats. More