The "Are Pigs The Future Of Organ Transplants?" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading in my latest "TIME" magazine about transplanting pig kidneys into humans.  It was this past March 16 that a transplant-surgery team at Massachusetts General Hospital successfully transplanted a modified pig kidney into a human.   The groundbreaking, four-hour surgery was the culmination of years of work transplanting kidneys from a specially bred group of pigs - genetically modified to more closely resemble those of humans - into primates.  Encouraged by those results, the team of surgeons at Mass General Brigham was confident it was time to test the pig organ in the first human patient.  That patient, a Mr. Richard Slayman, a manager at the Massachusetts department of transportation, had received a human kidney transplant five yers ago but as its often the case with kidney disease, the organ began to fail and he continued to need dialysis.  His health progressively worsened to the point that he couldn't carry on like that, said Dr. Winfred Williams, Mr. Slayman's physician.  Dr. Tatsuro Kawai, director of the hospital's Center for Clinical Transplant Tolerance, who had performed the operation previously, also performed the pig-kidney surgery.  As more than a dozen people watched, Kawai carefully connected the pig kidney to Slayman's circulatory system.  The size of the pig kidney was exactly the same as the human kidney and upon restoration of blood flow into the kidney, the kidney pinked up immediately and started to make urine.  When they first saw the urine output, everyone in the operating room burst into applause.  It was truly the most beautiful kidney they had ever seen.  The kidney came from a special group of pigs bred to produce human-like kidneys.  Biotech company eGenesis worked closely with the hospital to produce them, using genetic innovations developed over recent decades.  The pigs' cells were treated with the gene-editing technology CRISPR, which allows scientists to make very precise genetic changes in cells.  These cells were then used to create pig clones so the pigs would have identical and consistent genetic changes.  Their kidneys were then transplanted first into primates, and finally into Slayman.  All told, the pig kidneys contained 69 genetic changes: The scientists knocked out or eliminated three pig genes that trigger immediate rejection by the human immune system, added seven human genes to make the pig tissue appear more human to the immune cells, and inactivated viral genes in pig cells that could cause infections.  They also used a unique cocktail of antibody treatments to further dampen the immune reaction to the transplanted kidney.  Unbelievable!!  The company is working on other pig organs as well.  In January, eGenesis partnered with researchers at the University of Pennsylvania to transplant a genetically modified pig liver into a brain-dead patient.  That work, along with Slayman's experience, is making a strong case for the role of pig organs for patients on waiting lists.  More than 100,000 people are placed on the kidney-transplant waiting list in the USA each year; only 20,000 kidneys are available.  More transplants may provide a better idea of how long the pig kidneys function and whether they can meaningfully extend the length and quality of a patients' life.  For now, patients might benefit from receiving a pig kidney temporarily as they wait for a human one.  Such bridging can be critical for patients like Slayman; while on dialysis, he experienced clotting issues and required dozens of surgeries to improve his circulation.  Will the pig kidney be a solution or just a stop-gap while waiting on a human kidney?  At least today there is a glimmer of hope that their may be a better and longer waiting period by use of a healthy pig kidney.  Or...maybe, just maybe, the pig kidney might be the permanent answer for others.  I guess, as the saying goes, only time will tell.           

The "Red-Eyed Periodical Cicada" Story

It was an ordinary day.  My local newspaper posted a story in my morning paper that was previously posted in Newberry, South Carolina that was titled "Police get noise complaints about cicadas."  The story read.... "Emerging cicadas are so loud in one South Carolina county that residents are calling the sheriff's office asking why they can hear sirens or a loud roar.  The Newberry County Sheriff's Office sent out a message on Facebook this past Tuesday letting people know that the whining sound is just the male cicadas singing to attract mates after more than a decade of being dormant."  Guess I'd do the same thing if I were in their situation.  "Some people have even flagged down deputies to ask what the noise is all about," Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster said.  "The nosiest cicadas were moving around the county of about 38,000 people, about 40 miles northwest of Columbus, SC, prompting calls from different locations as Tuesday wore on," Foster said.  Trillions of red-eyed periodical cicadas are emerging from underground in the eastern U.S. this month.

The red-eyed Cicada

The broods emerging are on 13-year or 17-year cycles.  Their collective songs can be as loud as jet engines, and scientists who study them often wear earmuffs to protect their hearing.  After Tuesday, Foster understands why.  "Although to some, the noise is annoying, but they pose no danger to humans or pets," Foster wrote in his statement to county residents.  "Unfortunately, it is the sounds of nature."  In most cases the cicadas, which live about a month, will die not far from where they had emerged.  How would you like to have a lifetime expectancy of about a month?  Well, Cicadas will appear soon in the states of Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, southern Wisconsin and Iowa.  And...in no time they will be gone until 2038 or perhaps 2042.  Isn't life strange...at least for the red-eyed periodical cicadas.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.    

The "An Unbreakable Record" Story

The year was 1924 and President Coolodge had just signed the Indian Citizenship Act which granted citizenship to native Americans living in the U.S.A.  Macy's had just held their first Thanksgiving Parade, a U.S Postage Stamp would could you $ .02, and gasoline was $.18 a gallon.  And, a guy by the name of Lewis Walker Jr. had just caught the biggest musky any angler had ever caught in the state of Pennsylvania.  Lewis was trolling an 8-inch chub on a 42-pound line fitted with a wire leader on Conneaut Lake in Crawford County, PA on September 30, 1924 when a fish struck the bait and a fight ensued.  It lasted at least 30 minutes, according to an account provided by Walker to a magazine several years after the battle and catch.  Walker won the battle and hauled in a musky that measured 59 inches long and weighed 54 pounds, 3 ounces.  To this day, that fish hangs on the wall of the Fish and Boat Commission's Linesville State Fish Hatchery in Crawford County.  No one has officially ever caught one bigger anywhere in the State of Pennsylvania in the past century.  The fight between the fish and Lewis lasted at least 30 minutes.  To this day, that fish hangs on the wall of the Fish and Boat Commission's Lineville State Fish Hatchery in Crawford County, Pennsylvania.  So what gives with that record?  How has it stood for so long?  Well, for one thing...Pennsylvania isn't known or is ideal for muskies.  Except in fast-moving western Pennsylvania rivers, natural reproduction of muskies here is minimal at best.  In our lakes, it's even worse.  So, the only place musket are found in the state are in waters where they are stocked.  Musky stocking began in Pennsylvania in the 1890s and was quickly abandoned for decades; then relaunched in 1953, and has been regular ever since.  Only about 40,000 fish a year are spread across the entire state.  So, there aren't many muskies out there to begin with, and then, to grow large enough to beat the 100-year-old record, an individual musky would have to live a long time.  It is said that it would take 17 years for a musky to grow 50 inches, and Walker's fish was 59 inches.  On average, muskies in Pennsylvania weigh about 40 pounds and weigh in at 51 inches.  It is assumed that Walker's catch was likely well over 20 years old and that's beyond ancient for most wild animals.  Now, bigger muskets have been caught elsewhere in the USA with the world-record musky being one that was 69 pounds, 11 ounces and was caught in 1949 in Wisconsin.  But the International Game Fish Asso. doesn't recognize that fish because it was shot twice in the head before it was landed.  That my fellow fishermen is against the rules!  Walker's fish now hangs at the Linesville hatchery where another musky is on the wall that measures 54 5/8 inches and weighs 53 pounds and was caught in 1984 in an experimental fill net on Kinzua Reservoir, Warren County, by two U.S. Army Corps of Engineers biologists.  From 2012-22, the biggest musky caught in Pennsylvania was in2014 and that was measured at 52 inches and weighed 50 pounds.  It was caught on the Lehigh River by Mr. Frank Smolick.  One angler said that they believe that if it were possible for a musky to grow bigger than 54 pounds, 3 ounces is in Pensylvania, I think it would have - and been caught - at some point in the last century.  Many believe that the Pennsylvania Musky record is one that will continue to stand forever.  You'd have a much better chance of breaking the state's second-best fishing record - the common carp, 52 pounds, caught in the Juniata River in 1962 by George Brown.  So...to all my fishing friends...that's what I'm going after the next time I go fishing!  And...you'll be there first to see the photograph and read about it.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Lewis Walkers 54 pound, 3 oz. Musky

The "A Historical Story About The 'Dinah Memorial'"

It was an ordinary day.  Reading my Sunday News when I came across a story telling me about Philadelphia's first monument dedicated to a formerly enslaved woman on the grounds of Stenton.  The monument was located next to a 300-year-old home in the Logan section of the city near Germantown, PA.  So, just how is my hometown of Lancaster connected you might want to know.  Well, the connection is James Logan who built Stenton and the Penn family's representative in Pennsylvania.  Mr. Logan was the primary quaker mover and shaker of the colony in the early 18th century, as well as a Lancaster County landowner.  At various times, Logan served as President of Pennsylvania's Provincial Council, mayor of Philadelphia, Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and acting Governor.  Among other duties, Logan often presided at treaty sessions with American Indians on the Pennsylvania frontier.  He understood maintaining good relationships with the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy and their wards, the Conestogas in Lancaster County, was crucial to Pennsylvania's security.  In 1717, Logan set aside 500 acres for himself and 300 acres on a neighboring tract for fur trader John Cartlidge along the Conestoga River in what would become Manor Township.  Logan also owned 100 acres across the river in Conestoga Township.  These lands, close to the Little Conestoga Creek's confluence with the Conestoga River and the Conestoga's outlet to the Susquehanna river, lay within walking distance of Conestoga Indian Town.  Logan built a store that would become the focal point for trade with Indians from a large region.  Covered wagons called "Conestogas" rolled regularly between Logan's trading post and Philadelphia.  Logan made a small fortune in the fur trade, but made even more money by taking his cut from the Penn family properties he sold in Lancaster and other settled areas.  He created a property known as Stenton with this money.  He raised his family at Stenton and became an expert in botany, astronomy and mathematics.  He corresponded with English, European and American scholars and was at the epicenter of intellectual life in early Philadelphia.  But, he achieved much of this with enslaved African-Americans and indentured servants.  They built Stenton and maintained its interior and grounds  allowing him time to cultivate his intellect.  It wasn't until recent decades that people mentioned Logan's enslaved personnel.  During the Revolutionary War, well after Logan's death, an enslaved woman named Dinah, who the family had freed, prevented British soldiers from torching the mansion.  The Dinah Memorial project engaged the surrounding Black community to help design a fitting memorial to Dinah.  

The Dinah Memorial

The memorial consists of two engraved limestone tablets and benches surrounding a small reflecting basin near Stenton's main entrance along 18th Street in front of the house.  James Logan was one of the most significant potltical and intectual leaders of early Pennsylvania.  He also enslaved African Americans and helped steal Bucks County territory from the Lenape Indians in the 1737 "Walking Purchase."  He was a vital, but flawed figure in Pennsylvania history. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Are You Ready For The Next Eclipse?" Story

 It was an ordinary day.  Time to plan for my next eclipse, but was told that I'll need a passport!  After spending a few bucks on special glasses to wear and planning for the perfect spot to watch the recent eclipse...my wife and I were totally disappointed since the weather didn't cooperate and we saw only the slightest bit of the eclipse through the overcast skies.  So, we decided to check out where the next celestial event will appear and found out we will have three more chances to see the eclipse over the next four years.  Wow!  But, it means a bit of travel to do so.  The first, on August 12, 2026 will start above Greenland, then strafe the west coast of Iceland and move along the Atlantic Ocean and over Spain.  Yeah...like that's gonna happen!  We have never been to Greenland and to tell you the truth...I'm not sure where Greenland is!  So...we decided to cross that first choice off our list and wait for the next one after Greenland.  Almost a year later, on August 2, 2027, another eclipse will skirt the Mediterranean coast of North Africa than cross Egypt and part of the Arabian Peninsula.  Ah...give me a break!!  I can't imagine how long it would take to get there and how much it would cost to be able to see another eclipse....and with no promise that we will be able to see the eclipse any better than the one a week or so ago.  So...how about the third one.  The third, on July 22, 2028, will cut across Australia and the southern tip of New Zealand. So...we talked it over and decided to watch all three....on TV.  At least we would have the best view available and it will cost a bunch of money less than if we had traveled to try and see them.  What's nice about a total solar eclipse is that it happens fairly regularly - in locations scattered around the globe.  "That's the great thing about them:  You wind up in places that you don't normally go,"  The worst part of trying to see an eclipse in-person is the weather, which will be the major spoiler in the 2026 eclipse.  If I had my choice of which of the three I would want to see with a promise of perfect weather...well, I guess it would be the 2027 eclipse since it is the site of numerous ancient temples as well as the Valleys of the Kings and Queens, and sits right in the middle of the path of totality and will be bathed in darkness for a full 6 minutes and 23 seconds.  Weather-wise, it is what Sahami called "a slam dunk."  "You know you're going to see it.   You know that you're not going to get any clouds."  The 2028 eclipse will darken the skies over Sydney, Australia, for 3 minutes and 49 seconds.  It will be the first time the city has experienced a total solar eclipse since 1857.  If you want to see any (or all) of these eclipses, you should get started on planning and booking now, particularly if you want to sign up for a trip organized by a tour company.  One of the Sirius Travel's excursions to Luxor is already full.  Scrutinize refund policies and look into insuring your trip.  Several companies will fully refund your deposit if you cancel a year in advance.  So...what do you think?  Do you want to take the chance that the weather will be good or that you might not even be alive by then.  As for my wife and myself...well, we have decided to.......head to Sint Maarten and sit on the beach the day of all three eclipses.  We will be sitting in our beach chairs on Orient Beach with our eyes closed, visualizing (actually dreaming) what the eclipse looks like that day.  There will be little to no traffic and we can hop in the warm ocean waters and close our eyes and try and imagine what the eclipse looked like that day.  And a few minutes later we can snack on a sandwich and a cold one!  Hey....you know....we could do that as soon as we have our bags packed and our arrival date is set with our friend Magali.  And...as soon as we arrive in St. Martin I will type a story wondering what the eclipse might have looked like that day.  Life's to short to sit in front of a TV or wait for an eclipse or watch your life go by.   It was another extraordinary ay in the life of an ordinary guy.    

The "How To Overcome A Phobia" Story

 It was an ordinary day.  Reading one of the magazines that my son had saved for me and dropped off at our villa a few days ago.  The magazine was from the company that prints "Psycology Now."  This particular magazine was titled "Understanding Your Emotions" and The Science Behind Why We Feel The Way We Do.  One of the many remarkable pages of information in the magazine was titled "5 Ways to improve your emotional intelligence." Follow along and see if they may help you!  

1. LEARN YOUR EMOTIONS:   Take the time to acknowledge your emotions and appraise how you're feeling.  What emotion are you experiencing and how is it making you react?  What triggered the emotion.

2. ADAPT YOUR RESPONSE:  Take a pause when you feel an emotion arise and consider it.  For example, if something has made you angry and you want to shout, take a breath and think, "How could I respond to this another way?"

3. REQUEST FEEDBACK:  Talk to others around you about how they perceive you and how you react to situations.  It might be quite revealing, and you may get answers that are different than what you expected.

4. CONSUME VARIED CONTENT:  To develop empathy, try to make an effort to consume media that's outside your lived experience, whether that's by following different voices on social media, reading a wide range of books or watching documentaries.

5. LEARN TO LISTEN:  When you're having a conversation with someone, really listen.  Don't let your mind wander, but look at their body language and the words they are using.  This will hep you to pick up on different cues and understand how they are feeling. 

This is one of many pages in the magazine that are meant to help me with my mental health and how to understand my emotions.  Other stories were titled "Facing Your Fears," "What is Love," and the "Top Ten Strangest Phobias."  Just in case you might be interested in the Top 10 Strangest Phobias...here they are in no particular order:  PAPAPHOBIA: An irrational phobia of the Pope;  SOCERAPHOBIA: An irrational fear of your parents-in-law;  LUTRAPHOBIA: The irrational fear of otters;  ARACHIBUTROPHOBIA: The fear of having peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth;  OMPHALOPHBIA:  The fear of belly buttons;  PHOBOPHOBIA: The fear of developing a phobia;  SOMNIPHOBIA: The fear of falling asleep;  XANTHOPHOBIA: The fear of the color or word yellow;  HELIIOPHOBIA: Fear of the Sun, sunlight, or bright lights;  TRYPOPHOBIA: An intense fear of small holes or bumps.  Well...there you have the top 10 strangest phobias.  Can you think of any more that are as crazy as the phobias I just posted?  I did read that there are treatments for those that have these phobias.  There was the Exposure Therapy, the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and the Virtual Reality Therapy.  Finished reading with an article titled Facing Your Fears where I was told that I can retrain my brain to overcome a phobia.  Saved the phamplet just in case I might need it some day.  Hope you learned something from my story today.  I know I did after typing it.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Reverse Intaglio Carving" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading an article in a magazine called ROCK&GEM.  Have no idea how I got the magazine, but some of the stories are rather interesting.  The story I opened to today is titled REVERSE INTAGLIO CARVING!  Now, for a starter...do you know what intaglio is?  Lucky for me...since I taught high school Industrial Arts in the same school from where I graduated and we did quite a few Intaglio projects as both a student and a teacher.  I learned intaglio printing while in high school from Mr. Richard Miller who was my high school art teacher.  May not be exactly what I am about ready to read about, but then again...it just might be.  My idea of Intaglio printing (not reverse intaglio), as taught to me by Mr. Miller, is printing from a flat surface.  I eventually taught the same procedure to my students when I went back to my high school to teach Industrial Arts.    My students would take a piece of clear thin plastic, usually 4" X 6", and use a pointed device they would hold in their hand, and scratch lines into the piece of plastic.  It could be their own design or drawing...or if they weren't real talented, they might place their plastic on top of an old pencil or pen and ink drawing and trace over the lines with a pointed device.  After having finished their scratching, they would place an oil-based, rather thick, ink on the plastic and rub the ink into all the scratched lines.  OK so far?  The procedure is rather dirty, but I would insist they don't wear gloves or they would spoil the learning process!  After getting the majority of the ink off the surface...and their hands with a cloth, they would take a clean cloth and wipe the rest of the ink from the plastic, being careful not to take any ink from the lines they had scratched.  To me, that is what is called intaglio.  The image is scratched below the surface.  The students would then place the inked piece of thin plastic on a piece of soft paper and run it through a hand-operated intaglio press which would squeeze the ink from the lines they had just scratched onto a piece of soft semi-moist paper.  The results were amazing!  Now...I assume that reverse intaglio as described in the magazine article is somewhat the same except you reverse the clear plastic after you have wiped the ink from it, so that it shows through to the front leaving the front surface flat to the touch.  There is no need for paper except to maybe place it on the scratched side so the ink doesn't wipe off on whatever you chose to place the scratched or carved surface upon.  That, is what I assume is reverse intaglio carving.  The carving is done on the back side of the piece, so that it shows through to the front leaving the front surface flat to the touch.  I believe that what my graphic arts classes did was similar to what I read, but perhaps there is something entirely different that I am not aware of.  So...if you are an artist who specializes in reverse intaglio carving...please leave me a comment telling we where I might have gone wrong.  Many thanks ahead of time.  It was another extrarordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

A reverse intaglio print - you are looking at the
un-scratched plastic side and not a piece of paper.  

The "One Of Lancaster's Best Has Made It!" Story

It was ordinary day.  And then I opened my morning newspaper and there it was...a large color photograph of Kiki Jefferson in her Louisville basketball uniform right there on the front page of my LNP LancasterOnline morning newspaper.  The photograph caption read: Louisville guard Kiki Jefferson dribbles the ball against North Carolina State during an NCAA college basketball game Feb. 5 in Raleigh, N.C.  The Minnesota Lynx selected the former Lancaster Lancaster Catholic standout in the WNBA draft on Monday night.

Kiki Jefferson from Lancaster, PA

Wow...way to go girl!!  I can still remember the photo of her in the newspaper from back on March 28, 2018 when the caption read: Lancaster Catholic's Kiki Jefferson drives toward the basket in the PIAA 4A girls basketball championship game March 28, 2018, at the Giant Center in Hershey, PA.  Seems that Kiki's dream has finally materialized.  She has always dreamed of being a professional basketball player and has now realized that dream.  "I'm going to get there," she vowed to LNP/LancasterOnline last summer.  Jefferson took that first big step toward fulfilling that dream this past week when the former Lancaster Catholic H.S. Lancaster-Lebanon League's second all-time leading scorer heard her name called by the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA draft this past Monday.  "OMG, I just got drafted," she posted on social media when she got the news.  "Thank you Minnesota Lynx.  Super excited."  No one is more deserving than Kiki.  "She is an all-around good basketball player who impacts the game in a variety of ways," Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said via the team's website.  "She scores, rebounds and can pass.  We're excited to welcome her to Minnesota."  Kiki was selected in the third round, with the 31st overall pick in the draft.  To think she is the 31st best woman's basketball player in the United States in this year's draft is amazing!  Lancaster Catholic's head coach Charlie Detz, who coached Kiki during her high school career, is thrilled for her.  "She's a special person and she's a once-in-a generational player.  She did all the things the right way for us.  This didn't happen overnight.  She put so much hard work into this to make her dreams come true. What a day and what a moment for her when her name was announced.  "My reason and my motivation have always been my family!" Kiki said in a social media post last week, when she announced that she was declaring for the WNBA draft.  "Through it all," she said, "they've always had my back."  "All of her accolades for her on-court performances are well deserved, and they have to be mentioned and written about," Detz said.  "But, what I'll always remember to this day is her leadership and her humility."  Minnesota now has 17 players, including Jefferson on its preseason roster.  So, she'll have to earn her spot with the Lynx.  Playing professionally overseas might also be an option for Jefferson moving forward.  "When Kiki gets a goal or a dream, and she gets something in her head, she's not going to stop until she achieves it," Detz said.  "That's what makes her the special person that she is.  She has the drive and the ability to go with it."  Minnesota's staff recognized Jefferson's on-court ability, which is much more than scoring.  She's a tenacious defender.  A deft passer.  And, she can crash the boards with authority.  She can be a multipurpose pro.  If Jefferson makes the cut, she'll have to sign her first professional contract before the Lynx open their season May 14 at home against the Seattle Storm.  If she makes the team she is predicted to make $276,830 over four years in her first contract per the WNBA rookie wage scale.  "For Kiki, it's always about her teammates," Detz said.  "She's a breath of fresh air to be around.  She's a leader, and it was humbling to sit back and watch how she affected other players around her.  They all played for each other and for the greater good.  That's Kiki."  Best of Luck to a great athlete and person. Wish you the best!!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.    

The "What Toddlers Can Teach Us About Happiness"

It was an ordinary day.  Then I turned my newspaper page and began reading a story written by New York Times columnist Jancee Dunn.  She began by writing that when it comes to happiness and living well, we can learn a lot from toddlers.  Hasan Merali, an associate professor of Pediatrics at McMaster University and a pediatric emergency room physician, has treated thousands of patients between the ages of 1 and 5.  He shared a few good habits, common among toddlers, that can improve your mental and physical health.  Seems that young children tend to coach themselves out loud, a practice known as private speech.  Toddlers aren't shy about self-talk, and neither should we be.  Research suggests that for adults, positive self-talk can help with problem-solving, learning and confidence.  Two-year-olds are active for almost five hours a day.  They move joyfully and instinctively.  Adults can look for ways to move more, even it it's just for a minute.  Take a quick walk around the block, or schedule a meeting on foot.  Brief bursts of activity have been shown to increase longevity if they add up to 10 minutes per day.  Young children aren't afraid to pop questions.  One study found they asked an average of 107 questions an hour.  Adults have been socialized to hold our questions because we're often worried about what other people think.  But, asking not only helps us to learn, it's also an important way to build relationships.  Toddlers thrive on routine, and having a schedule with consistent sleep and waking times will help you, too, said Alberto Ramos, a sleep neurologist and researcher with the University of Miami Miler School of Medicine.  Napping has a host of benefits.  And....I have told my wife that many times.....just before I doze off!  One study found that young children laugh six times as much as adults.  But, we can seek ways to build playfulness and humor into our daily lives.  I must admit that there aren't too many people that I know that laugh as much as I do...both at others as well as myself!  Listen to a comedy podcast or trade silly texts with someone.  Research shows you laugh more when you are with friends, so make time for them.  Perhaps we really can learn from friends and even toddlers if we will only allow them to teach us.  Hey, give it a try sometime and see what happens.  Can't lose a thing by just trying.  PS - I find that my two cats that came to our back door years ago, can make me smile every time I see them.  To me...they are my household toddlers.  Actually...one just walked across my keyboard!  Brightens up my day!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "The Dunes Are Alive With The Sound Of Xerces" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading in my local newspaper about a beautiful butterfly that fluttered around San Francisco's coastal dunes before becoming extinct as stately homes, museums and parks devoured its habitat, marking the first butterfly species in the United States to disappear due to human development.  Now...how sad can that be.  It was 80 years ago that the Xerces Blue once fluttered around San Francisco.  But, thanks to years of research and modern technology, a close relative of the shimmery iridescent butterfly species has been reintroduced to the dunes in Presidio Natural Park in San Francisco.  Dozens of silvery blue butterflies...the closest living relatives of the Xerces blue...were released in the restored habitat last week.

Xerces Blue Butterfly

Scientists with San Francisco's California Academy of Sciences utilized the Academy's genetic sequencing capabilities and analyzed Xerces blue specimens in their vast collection to confirm a group of silvery blues in Monterey County, about 100 miles south of San Francisco, could successfully fill the ecological gap left by the Xerces blue.  "This isn't a Jurassic Park-style de-extinction project, but it will have a major impact," said Durrell Kapan, a senior researcher on the project.  "The silvery blue will act as an ecological 'stand-in' for the Xerces blue, performing the same ecosystem functions as both a pollinator and a critical member of the food web."  The iconic butterfly went extinct in the 1940s.  The collection manager of entomology at California Academy of Sciences, Cris Grinter, said it all started by using their collections and "modern technology, genome sequencing to go back and extract genomes from these extinct butterflies that are up to 150 years old."  In the meantime, the Presidio Trust and other organization worked to restore the butterflies' native dunes by planting deerweed, a preferred host plant of the Xerees blue and the silvery blue butterflies.  Wildlife experts collected dozens of silvery blue butterflies in Monterey County, marked them for future identification and transported them to San Francisco, feeding them a few drops of fruit punch-flavored Gatorade along the way.  The team will continue to track their movements using high-resolution photographs to identify their markings and learn ways to replicate the habitat regeneration lessons learned, said Scott Sampson, executive director of the California Academy of Sciences.  "The lessons we learn from the silvery blue here in our backyard could serve as a model for regenerating other ecosystems across California and beyond," he said.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.     

The 5 Ways To Build Trust Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading about ways to build trust with friends and relatives.  It is said that there are five ways that you can build trust with both friends and relatives.  They are listed as: 1. Listen,  2. Communicate your worries,  3. Take your time,  4. Don't assume, and  5. Take a Risk.  A brief description was given for each of the 5 ways that you can build trust.  They begin with 1. Listen - When someone you're with is talking, listen to them as you would want them to listen to you.  Trust is a two-way connection and as they open up to you, you'll feel more confident about opening up in return.  No. 2 is Communicate your worries -  If you find it hard to trust due to a specific past experience, then don't be afraid to explain this, and that you're trying to learn to trust again.  Honesty breeds trust.  No. 3 is to Take Your Time.  Don't rush into anything.  Take a little time to build a new relationship and the trust that comes with it, and stick to your boundaries.  No. 4 is Don't Assume.  Set aside your doubts for a period of time; it can be easy to fall into a trap thinking that a person is kind to let you down in some way that you've experienced before, but you need to give each fresh connection a chance to flourish on its own terms.  No. 5 is Take a Risk.  Be bold!  Put yourself into a situation where you need to put a little trust in the other person.  Book an activity to do together,  or arrange to go somewhere new, putting you both outside of your comfort zone a little and therefore needing to have faith in each other.  There is a chemical element to trust.  The working theory is that trust can be linked to oxytocin, which plays a key role in social bonding and love.  A study suggests that oxytocin plays a role in a perons' willingness to accept social risk - choosing to trust someone does require taking a risk.  Whether you are someone who trusts too easily, or someone who is very distrustful, there are ways that you can manage to develop a healthy level.  It starts with being able to set your own boundaries and values, rather than being influenced by society, family or belief.  Focus on what you believe in, what values you hold close to your heart and who you are.  This will help you to live your life in a way that's true to you as a person, and these new experiences will then feed into your instincts and trust, helping you build new relationships.  Over time you will learn to trust your instincts, finding a balance between being able to trust and being open to new relationships, and  protecting your boundaries and wellbeing.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of ordinary guy. 

The Design Element "D" For "Diapering" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading about another architectural term that is used to describe a decorative wall treatment or pattern on masonry or wood that adds visual interest to what would otherwise be an unattractive surface.  Its name is rooted in Middle English as "diaper," referencing a diamond-shaped pattern like a baby's diaper (prior to the disposable type.) Lancaster's famous architect C. Emlem Urban produced three examples of this repeated-pattern technique in Lancaster.  All three examples were executed in distinctly different design styles from the years 1892-1927.  First is John Reynolds Middle School at 605 W. Walnut St. in Lancaster city, constructed in the Gothic Revival style in 1924. Urban applied the diapering surface treatment on four large, blank masonry walls to add texture and visual interest on four large, blank masonry walls.  The crisscross brick diamond-pattern, reminiscent of espalier is a framed panel measuring 12 feet wide by 20 feet tall. To accentuate the texture and shadows, Urban used a rough-cut tapestry brick.  The framed panels add much-needed interest to a building exceeding 250 feet in length.  The second example is the three-story, red brick Elmer E. Steigerwalt mansion located in the 600 block of West Chestnut Street in Lancaster.  It was constructed in 1894.  Urban employed the diaper diamond pattern above the second-floor bay window near and parapet.  

One method of diapering.

For additional interest, he inserted a brick medallion in the center of each diamond.  The third example is on Charlie Wagner's Cafe, located at Lenox Lane and East Grant Street which was designed in 1892 and is his only example of Romanesque Revival.  The diapering effect is used as a "hat band" around the perimeter of the building, between the second and third floors.  The single row of crosshatched brick adds interest and wall texture to the surface.   Perhaps there may be more structures that share the "Diapering" technique, but I have not been able to document any.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

The "Not All Bats Are Scary Creatures.....You Know!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading a Lancaster Newspaper column titled "Creature Comforts" written by Ad Crable and found that there is a woman in nearby Marietta, Pennsylvania that loves bats.  Not the kind that you play baseball with, but the kind that fly!  You know...the spooky kind.  The column told of a local woman who devotes her retirement years to rehabbing 'Misunderstood', vital bats.  Her name is Rosemarie Curcio and she lives in a bungalow in Marietta, Pennsylvania.  

Her bungalow is used to help orphaned bat pups or injure adults by bringing them back to health so they can stretch their wings and flit around before being released back into the wild.  Can you picture doing that in your home?  Me neither!  Well, the newspaper story said that with the devastating white-nose syndrome disease nearly wiping out Pennsylvania's colony bats in the past 15 years and the Hollywood relegating the flying mammal to fearful bloodsucking creatures, we need more bat rehabilitates like Rosemarie.  She is one of only three in the state that specializes in keeping bats alive.  For more than 13 years as a bat rehabilitator, working with  the nonprofit Raven Ridge Wildlife Center in nearly Washington Boro, the retired special education teacher from New York has gone all in, providing around-the-clock care for an unpopular, but important species.  She does so...since most people hate them!  Do you?  Do you think they are ugly?  You do know that bats have a propensity for devouring insects that is necessary for food production!  You like to eat?  Well, you can't hate bats and eat....too!  Hey, bats offer free labor by eating biting insects to spare you pain while lounging in your yard.  Its can eat up to 1,000 bugs in a night.  Bet you can't do that!  Partly with funding from Raven Ridge and partly with her own money, Rosemarie has transformed her home's underground floor topiary lab, part exercise gym for the flying mammals that come out at night.  Year-round, people from Lancaster and surrounding counties bring her bats.  Bats that have made it inside homes and are not welcome there, injured bats, baby bats that have fallen from colonial roosts.  The pups, another name for the baby bats, take the most devotion to get back in the skies.  Curcio has to arise every two to three hours around the clock for hand feeding.  The worst and most heartbreaking part for Curcio are the bats that get plastered to that sticky tape that is wrapped around trees, in so many neighborhoods, to catch bugs.  Curcio estimates she has treated more than 1,000 bats to date.  But, not all humans hate bats!  There was one human who last month was walking around Penn Square in downtown Lancaster and was horrified to watch an object flutter from the sky like a moth and land on the concrete sidewalk at the base of Lancaster's Griest Building.  He straddled the creature to keep it from being stepped on.  With a carryout container provided by the Shot & Bottle Store, he carried off the bat and found out about Curcio.  She speculated that the adult female big brown bat was rousted from hibernation by a spell of warm weather, then became too sluggish when it got cold again.  She administered a parasite treatment and rabies vaccination, something she does for every incoming bat.  She nursed the bat back to health shortly afterward and released it into a bat colony.  It is necessary for bats to be released into a bat colony where they can find an existing maternity colony because the adult females teach others how to hunt and other behaviors.  "Humans can't teach bats how to be bats," she said.  Many of the bats that she releases are in a barn in Chester County.  Until they are put back into the wild, she cares for them with a steady diet of live mealworms.  The individual bats stay in hamster cages and pet carriers that are kept in the dark, under towels.  In 2022, she took in and treated more than 100 bats.  At times she coordinates with Bat World Sanctuary in Texas if she has too many bats on hand.  "The best thing for bats is to be rehabbed offsite in a quiet area with one person.  That's why we have been able to rehabilitate so many bats.  Rosemarie is a wonderful and caring person who treats her bats at her Diamond Rock Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic in Chester county.  She is hoping to build a new outdoors flight center for bats in her backyard.  If you care to make a donation you can send it to "Raven Ridge Wildlife Center" website at ravenridgewildlifecenterorg.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

  

The "I Know Something about 'The Know Nothings'" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Catchy title in my morning newspaper's "The Scribbler" column which read "Know anything about the county's 'Know Nothings'?" Seems that the Scribbler knew nothing.  But, fortunately, other people knew something!  The Know Nothings created a flash-in-the-pan political movement in the mid-1850s.  The party was, first and foremost, nativistic.  Primarily, its members believed that America should be for "Americans only" - which would exclude all foreigners, especially German and Italian immigrants.  The name of the party officially was the "American Party", but it was a secretive group, like the Masons, and when outsiders asked members about the party's purpose, they answered, "I know nothing."  Well, Lancaster county's own U.S. Rep. Thaddeus Stevens briefly was a "Know Nothing" in transition from Whig to Republican.  Another Lancaster County native, Simon Cameron, led in early lobbying, but didn't receive the "Know Nothing" nomination for U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania in 1855.  Seems the peak season (notice that's singular and not plural) for the "Know Nothings" political party was from 1854 to early 1855 when the party candidates performed well in municipal elections in Philadelphia, Lancaster and other cities in Pennsylvania and some other states.  Mr. Christian Kieffer, who had been elected mayor of Lancaster as a Whig in 1851, joined a "Know Nothing" lodge, but was expelled from membership in 1854.  "Why" I don't know, but the "Know Nothings" withdrew their support from Kieffer and helped elect Jacob Albright as a "Know Nothing" mayor in 1855.  By 1856 the party had declined, and following James Buchanan's election to the presidency as a Democrat in 1856, most "Know Nothings" joined the emergent Republican Party.  The never-say-die contingent held a state convention in Lancaster in 1857, but all candidates faltered and the never-say-die's died.  Mr. Jeremiah Black, Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court during this time, said of the "Know Nothings":  "They're like the bee, biggest when it's born; it will perish as quickly as it rose to power."  By 1858, the America-first party had finally died.  My information for today's story came from "The Scribbler" column in my morning newspaper as well as from local newspaper stories and articles written by Warren Hewitt from Pennsylvania History magazine in 1935 and Mark Dash for The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography in 2003.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - I must add that I do usually "Know Something." 

Pat Principe, Channel 8 Newscaster Lists His Top 5 Most Memorable Events

It was an ordinary day.  Reading about one of my all-time favorite broadcasters at Lancaster PA's Channel 8. Guy's name is Pat Principe who started at Channel 8 in 1983 and has since covered eight Super Bowls and four World Series.

He also reported on 24 Penn State bowl games since 1990, including four Rose Bowls.  But, we will remember him just as much for all the sporting events he covered in and around Lancaster and surrounding counties.  Pat recently listed his top 5 moments in Lancaster sports history that he remembers and cherishes the most.  They are: 

 #1 - The 1995 Rose Bowl because that was Penn State's Nittany Lions' first Rose bowl as a Big 10 member.....  It was notable for Ki-Jana Carter breaking an 80-yard run on the very first play of the game.  Penn State was undefeated at the time and finished the game undefeated.  However, the Nittany Lions didn't win the national championship.  Back then, it was done in a vote.  Nebraska also finished undefeated a day before they got the vote over Penn State.  Coach Joe Paterno got a ride off the field from his players.  "It was special for the Susquehanna Valley natives like Kyle Brady, the Cedar Cliff High grad, and Kerry Collins, the quarterback of the team who grew up in Lebanon and played football at Wilson High School.  He was the team leader, and it was great to see them go out like that with a win in the '95 Rose Bowl, one of four Rose Bowls that I got to attend.  Penn State sports has been a lot go fun to cover," Pat said.

#2 - Cal Ripken Jr. breaks record for consecutive games played.....  Principe was in Baltimore two nights - when the Orioles shortstop tied the record and when he broke it on September 6, 1995.  "This was a tremendous moment when they finally rolled down the 2,131 banner, and what I remember most about this night was a 45-,mute standing ovation that Cal got.  He did a victory lap around Camden Yards," Pat said.  "It's always fun to witness history.  And to be ale to witness it firsthand, that makes it even more special."  

#3 - 2003  Snow Bowl..... Manheim Central played Pine-Richard for the state football championship during a blizzard at Hersheypark Stadium.  The game was 9-3 at the half, and as the snow fell harder, the teams kept racking up the points.  The Barons scored a touchdown to get ahead nd kick the extra point.  Then it was Sean Wilt with the "Block Hears Around Manheim". That gave Manheim Central the 39-38 double overtime win for their first-ever-state-championship.  It was also the 400th win in Barons' history.  "I love covering high school football.  Football Friday's been a great passion of mine," Pat said.  "It was so good, though, to see Manheim Central finally get that state title. Coach Mike Williams certainly deserved it.  What a game.  It was probably the best game I've ever see - high school, college or pro."

#4 - The first event Pat covered in June 1983 was the Lady Keystone Open.  It was one of the bet-aattnded events on the LPGA tour during its nearly 20-year run.  Crowds of up to 30,000 to 40,000 people lined the fairways on the final day.  Greats like Nancy Lopez, Juli Inkster and Betty King all competed.  The most successful women's tournament of ll time was the 2015 U.S. Women's Open at Lancaster Country Club.  "Golf and women's golf in particular has been very important here in the Susquehanna Valley, and I enjoyed my years at th LKO and at the U.S. Women's Open," Pat said.

#5 - Hershey Bears win the 2010 Calder Cup.  This was notable for several reasons: 1. It was just the second time win team history that the Bears won back-to-back Calder Cups. 2. It was only the third time ever they were able to raise the cup on home ice.  They did it in 1959 and 1969.  3. This was the team's 11th Calder Cup championship, which move them two ahead of the next closest pursuer.  "And Brian Helmer, the captain - great friend of mine and he's now the president nd general manager of the Bears - it was great to see him hoist the cup," Pat said.  "Hershey Bears have been one of the great things to cover in this area.  They are one of the oldest pro sports franchises in the entire country.  They've been great to work with as well." 

Thank you Pat for all you have done for the sports fans of Lancaster and surrounding areas.  You made it exciting and memorable for all of us.  Hope you have a fantastic retirement.  You certainly do deserve it!  Perhaps I'll see you at another sporting event in the near future, sitting in the stands just like the rest of us!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.    

The "Spinning Up Just One More Story For Ya!

It was an ordinary day.  Reading about...of all things...the science of spinning tops!  For some reason I opened my Mac and there on the screen was a link to spinning tops which featured close to 100 different spinning tops.  I have no idea why or how it found my desk-top, but I thought there must have been a reason...and that reason was so I could share the story with you!  The spinning top is a toy unlike any other, having been played in some of the world's oldest cultures yet still beloved by people and collectors today.  Historians aren't sure exactly when or where the original spinning top came to be, but they suspect that small, top-heavy objects found in nature, such as acorns, were the first to be spun for play.  But, why have these toys fascinated both children and adults alike for thousands of years...myself included?  The answer is, of course, is in the spin!  Compared to modern toys, spinning tops may seem simple, but the physics behind them is anything but rudimentary.  Tops have quite literally defied gravity since long before Newton coined the term, and for those of you interested in just how they are able to do so and what it is that makes them topple.  Seems that when you spin a top into motion you are applying a force that causes the top's potential energy to turn into kinetic energy.  As the top spins, it turns on an invisible vertical axis.  According to Newton's third law of motion, also known as the law of the conservation of angular momentum, the top would continue to rotate on this axis/stay in motion as long as no external force acted upon it.  But, as we know, no top can spin forever on its own--at least not on earth--because even the most perfect of tops are not perfectly balanced, nor are the surfaces on which they spin.  Even though the amount of friction between the toy and the surface below is minimized by the top's tiny bottom, the force of friction becomes too much for the top, and its spin starts to slow.  As this "other force" of friction acts upon the top, along with gravity, momentum is lost, and the toy begins to wobble.  This wobbling, known as the scientific precession, tilts the top's axis to the side, allowing gravity to exert torque, another force, on the top as well.  In response to the torque, the top spins a bit more and precesses outwards.  This wobbling only gets faster as the top's spin gradually slows, an attempt to conserve the top's overall angular momentum.  Soon, the top finally falls over, coming to a stop.  So, maybe spinning tops aren't so simple after all!  Making a top that spins at-length requires precision, artistry, and a keen awareness of the science that makes the world go 'round....pun intended!  Interested in testing the physics for yourself or owning a top of your own?  Check out some of the photos I have posted with this story.  I'm sure a toy store somewhere can help you find that special top that will give you hours of fun,  no matter how old...or young you may be.  Hey...I have to stop typing now so I can go try my latest top!  They really are fun...so they are!  And...in case you were the one who sent me the information of tops...Thanks!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - the following are a variety of types of tops for your entertainment.