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Category: The Melting Pot

Today Is March Equinox
March Equinox

Wherever you may be on Earth, the equinox brings us several seasonal effects which have been noticeable to nature lovers around the globe for years. The word ‘equinox’ originates from two Latin words: ‘aequus’ meaning equal and ‘nox’ meaning night. The literal meaning is ‘equal night.’ Our ancestors, who had far less precise timekeeping than we do, believed that night and day were equal. But today we know this is not true.

People have been celebrating the March Equinox for centuries and since it is associated with spring the festivals tend to celebrate fertility and agriculture. The Romans used this day to celebrate their goddess Cybele who has driven around in a chariot drawn by lions. Ancient Persia in roughly 550 B.C., celebrated the vernal equinox as Nowruz, their New Year. Modern Iranians still celebrate this time as their New Year. During the era of the Shang Dynasty, which ruled China from 1600 to 1046 B.C., it was believed that the spring equinox marked a mythic beginning, a type of ‘start of their line.’ Jews in the 12th Century believed that the spring equinox marked the day in the year in which the Biblical plague that turned Egypt’s water into blood occurred.

The festival of ‘Holi’ is the March equinox festival in India. This is celebrated in honor of various Hindu deities and legends. It signals the triumph of Good vs Evil, the most notable being the legend of Krishna and Rhada. Ancient cultures had great awareness of nature, the seasons, and the movement of the celestial bodies. Many built sites that had a glaringly obvious use: that of a calendar. These were often aligned to display shafts of sunlight during solstices and equinoxes. Examples of these are Chichen Itza in Mexico, Mnajdra Temples in Malta, and Stonehenge in England.

MARCH EQUINOX ACTIVITIES
- Spring Clean
  The March equinox is the perfect time to give your house an overhaul. Start by decluttering your house.
- Do some gardening
  Growth symbolizes triumph over death and being reborn therefore it has become a tradition to plant seeds at this time of the year. Add some colorful flowers to your garden to celebrate spring.
- Visit ancient sites
  Various ancient sites are linked to March equinox celebrations and traditions. Pack a bag, call a friend or two and set out on an adventure.
5 FACTS ABOUT THE MARCH EQUINOX
1. The sun rises and sets the fastest
  The fastest sunsets and sunrises occur during this time of the year.
2. Spring occurs on two different days
  There are two different calendars: the astronomical and the meteorological calendar. If we go by the astronomical calendar, spring will fall on March 20 but if we go by the other, spring will occur on March 1.
3. It’s Mother’s day
  In Arab countries, Mother’s Day is often observed on the March equinox.
4. It marks the middle of Spring
  In East Asian countries the March equinox marks the halfway point of spring.
5. It signals the start of a festival
  Boatyard employees and sailboat owners in the U.S hold the Burning of the Socks festival where socks are burnt to celebrate the warmer weather.
WHY WE LOVE MARCH EQUINOX
- It is celebrated around the world
  The March equinox is celebrated by many cultures around the world. We love that it has a unifying factor.
- It signals new beginnings
  The March equinox symbolizes growth and new beginnings. It is a clear marker of the change from winter to spring.
- Days are longer
  Along with longer days, the weather starts to warm up as well. Nature reflects this change with the blooming of new flowers and plants.
There is occasional debate as to whether flannel sheets and down comforters/wool blankets are changed to cotton sheets and blankets on the Equinox or the Monday after Easter.
20 March 2025
I got a need for speed

With the price of the go-juice dropping, maybe it’s time for a new truck. I should call up Elon, Elon, I know you been busy saving lives for your reward your dealerships are getting torched, maybe it’s time you get into truck building with plenty of TOXIC MASCULINITY built into it, the girls love that stuff man. I was thinking something along these lines, get in, get out of town asap.

Elon, I know your grey matter operates in the space time continuum where math is the chosen language, me, I’m old fashion and set in my ways, I like to read, and yes when buyin stuff reading the fine print is self-preservation. This video is worth your time if thinking about buying a vehicle even if built here.

4th Amendment

Catamarans aren’t built for the road, great road music

a TACO truck vs the left

The left has no clue of the dangers that come with just wanting to leave US alone to live our lives as we see fit

20 March 2025
Today Is National Chocolate Carmel Day
National Chocolate Caramel Day

Chocolate has a long history and was used widely across pre-Columbian America since the ancient Central Americans established a thriving culture and grew different crops. Through contact with the European explorers, chocolate found its way to Europe and eventually to the rest of the world. The early European settlers began making candies in their homes in the latter decades of the 17th century. The earlier forms of these candies were made simply with water and sugar derived from beetroot juice. Later, fat and milk were added to produce the rich and creamy texture of caramel. Thus, the invention of chocolate caramel seems to have been an event just waiting for the two civilizations on different sides of the Atlantic to come together.

It was only a matter of time before some genius mind would come up with the idea of combining the two. That lucky person was Milton Hershey. Today, the name ‘Hershey’s’ is synonymous with quality chocolate products, but few know the brain behind this company who singlehandedly made chocolate caramel famous throughout the United States.

During the 1800s, when all major candy manufacturers in America were making traditional hard candies, Milton Hershey’s Lancaster Caramel Company was one of the few companies that focused on making chocolate-covered caramels instead of hard candies. But it was in 1893 when these chocolate-covered caramels really became popular. Hershey was so greatly influenced by the machines used by the Germans for making chocolate bars that he adapted the same technology and started mass producing caramel-covered chocolates.

HISTORY OF NATIONAL CHOCOLATE CARAMEL DAY

Chocolate has a long history and was used widely across pre-Columbian America since the ancient Central Americans established a thriving culture and grew different crops. Through contact with the European explorers, chocolate found its way to Europe and eventually to the rest of the world. The early European settlers began making candies in their homes in the latter decades of the 17th century. The earlier forms of these candies were made simply with water and sugar derived from beetroot juice. Later, fat and milk were added to produce the rich and creamy texture of caramel. Thus, the invention of chocolate caramel seems to have been an event just waiting for the two civilizations on different sides of the Atlantic to come together.

It was only a matter of time before some genius mind would come up with the idea of combining the two. That lucky person was Milton Hershey. Today, the name ‘Hershey’s’ is synonymous with quality chocolate products, but few know the brain behind this company who psinglehandedly made chocolate caramel famous throughout the United States.

During the 1800s, when all major candy manufacturers in America were making traditional hard candies, Milton Hershey’s Lancaster Caramel Company was one of the few companies that focused on making chocolate-covered caramels instead of hard candies. But it was in 1893 when these chocolate-covered caramels really became popular. Hershey was so greatly influenced by the machines used by the Germans for making chocolate bars that he adapted the same technology and started mass producing caramel-covered chocolates.

HOW TO CELEBRATE NATIONAL CHOCOLATE CARAMEL DAY
- Make a customized chocolate bouquet
  No one can resist a good old caramel-filled chocolate bar with nuts and gooey nougat. You can send a nice chocolate bouquet to cheer up your loved ones. Just go to your local grocery shop, pick up some caramel-filled chocolate bars, drop some caramel cookies in the mix and wrap them in see-through cellophane using a fancy ribbon or glitter tape.
- Whip up some instant homemade ice cream
  There is no better way to welcome the summer than a bowl of homemade chocolate and caramel ice cream. All you need to do is blend some heavy whipping cream with chocolate chips, caramel sauce, and powdered sugar together in a blender. Pour the mix into an air-tight box and freeze it overnight. Drizzle some more chocolate chips with caramel sauce on top and enjoy!
- Give a choco-caramel twist to your morning coffee
  This is probably one of the simplest ways to celebrate National Chocolate Caramel Day. All you need to do is grab a coffee mug and stir in your favorite instant coffee mix with half a teaspoon of warm water, caramel, and chocolate sauce. Boil a cup of full cream milk and pour it over your coffee mix. To take that perfect coffee picture for Instagram, you can top it with a dollop of whipping cream.
FACTS ABOUT HERSHEY’S KISSES THAT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND
1. Americans are obsessed with it
  More than 20,000 Kisses are made every single minute at Hershey’s plant in Pennsylvania.
2. It gives you an instant dose of energy
  There are more than 25 calories in a single Hershey Kiss.
3. It is available in various flavors
  Earlier, Hershey Miniatures was not sold as a separate product but was used for sampling the flavors of its upcoming chocolate bars.
4. Chocolate for the wealthy
  Early Hershey’s chocolate bars were so expensive that only very wealthy people could afford them.
5. Hershey’s makes millions of chocolate Kisses every day
  These chocolates are so popular that Hershey’s makes nearly 80 million of them alone every day.
WHY WE LOVE NATIONAL CHOCOLATE CARAMEL DAY
- It is a versatile and lovable flavor
  You can make many types of desserts with chocolate caramel. It is known to enhance the taste of even the blandest foods. From pancakes and brownies to coffee and cookies, chocolate and caramel go well with all types of hot and cold desserts. You can also use it as a topping on your drinks or mix it inside your cookie or cake batter.
- Bakers and chocolatiers love to experiment with caramel sauce
  Making dessert art can be a fun way to celebrate this holiday. Caramel sauce can be spread on a baking sheet and baked until it hardens. Then it can be used to decorate cakes and brownies. It sets very easily and can be molded into artistic shapes. Working in a cool environment delivers the best results.
- You can make other alternatives for sweeteners
  There are many ways to prepare chocolate caramel in your home. You can make homemade chocolate and caramel sauce with various types of sweeteners. Instead of using refined sugar, you can make it with honey, condensed milk, brown sugar, and sugarcane juice. These products contain fewer calories and add a unique taste to the finished product.
19 March 2025
Today Is National Sloppy Joe Day
National Sloppy Joe Day

National Sloppy Joe Day

There have been several claims to the origin of the sloppy Joe. One claim states that the sandwich made its debut in 1920, Havana, Cuba. A bartender called José Abel Otero. José created and successfully sold a simple sandwich based on a Cuban dish of shredded beef, tomato sauce, and spices called Ropa Vieja.

He also sold iced seafood, which would often melt and get the bar floor wet and sloppy. Since José was known for the sandwich and wet bar floors, customers linked the two and called him ‘sloppy Joe.’ Ironically, the name stuck to both him and the sandwich.

Some years later, Nobel prize winner and popular writer, Ernest Hemingway, who was a patron of the Havana bar, suggested a friend, Joe Russel, who had just set up a
the restaurant in Key West, Florida, serves the sandwich but rebrands it as the ‘Havana sandwich.’

Another origin story dictates that the Joe may have been a variation of the very common ‘loose meat’ sandwiches of the 1930s. At a Cafe in Sioux City, a cook named Joe added some tomato sauce to the loose meat, giving birth to the goodness known as the sloppy Joe.

In 1969, Hunt’s, a ketchup maker, introduced the ‘Manwich,’ which made a more convenient way to prepare the sloppy Joe. The Manwich was a can containing the sloppy Joe sauce and was promoted as more than just a sandwich.

NATIONAL SLOPPY JOE DAY FAQS

What is the difference between the Manwich and sloppy Joe?

What is the difference between a sloppy Joe and a hamburger?

How do you make a sloppy Joe at home?

HOW TO CELEBRATE NATIONAL SLOPPY JOE DAY
- Make your sloppy Joes
  Go sloppy by making these delicious sandwiches in your house. You can tweak the recipe and enjoy it with your family.
- Go out for sloppy Joes
  Celebrate this holiday by trying out a unique sloppy Joe in an eatery. Just in case your D.I.Y. sloppy Joe is a flop, or you just don’t want to cook, go-to food places that serve this awesome sandwich.
- Host a sloppy contest
  Have fun with friends and family! Throw a sloppy Joe contest and crown the person who makes the tastiest sandwich.
5 FACTS ABOUT THE SLOPPY JOE

It goes by many names
Sloppy Joes are also called yum-yum, slush burger, dynamite, Manwich, and barbecue.

Meet Joe’s sister, Jane
Though they are the same thing, the sloppy Jane is considered the healthier version of sloppy Joe.

More than beef
The ground beef filling can be replaced with chicken, chuck roast, and turkey.

Open to vegans
The sloppy Joe recipe is also modified to suit vegans.

For a tight budget
Sloppy Joes were first created for those with small food budgets.

WHY WE LOVE NATIONAL SLOPPY JOE DAY
- We love the distinct taste of a sloppy Joe
  Sloppy Joes have a unique taste. It is addictive, and most of us just can’t get enough of them. We celebrate this holiday to share our love for the sandwich.
- We experiment
  We try sloppy Joes with different toppings that we love. We can explore the craziest fillings and have fun.
- We make memories
  This day is another chance to celebrate good food and make memories with our friends and family. We take pictures and albums that will serve as reminders.
18 March 2025
A lesson from nature

It applies to those Anti-American types

The only bird that dares to peck an eagle is the crow. The crow sits on the eagles back and bites his neck. The eagle does not respond, nor fight with the crow; it does not spend time or energy on the crow instead he just opens its wings and begins to rise higher in the heavens. The higher the flight, the harder it is for the crow to breathe and eventually the crow falls off due to a lack of oxygen.

They might be along for the ride but they’ll soon fall off. Do not allow yourself to succumb to the distractions…. keep your focus on the things above, keep learning, growing and continue rising!

This should cover today’s big big news:

“The evidence that they have at the present time is not very very strong…the case as it stands now isn’t strong enough to be able to get a conviction” – J. Edgar Hoover to President Johnson on 11/23/63

Lookin out at the lake, IKE came to mind

With no guarantee of success, IKE and his people planned for every possible scenario. 45 Trump had four years to think about every possible scenario, including being jailed for 300 years, why, look how the opposition is behaving is why. IKE wasn’t on Bloody Amaha or Point du Huc, was the people, was people who went to the polls knowing the left will cheat, and cheat they did, stole some seats they did, we won the day, President is back where he can do the best for everyone.

Operation Market Garden a complete disaster not so different from the Spineless john roberts and the acb.

The next battle will be in the courts for that’s about all they have now. 2 years two worth of fighting sounds about right

People listen-up, ok so you gained some ground, what you gonna do now, rest on your laurels, not happening, we don’t take the Mid-terms first thing they’ll do is impeach him then come for you and me, the way fauci treated beagles even dog won’t be safe.

What the hell do I know anyways

My neighbor was out

As coach would say

18 March 2025
The Last of the Few

John ‘Paddy’ Hemingway, the last surviving pilot of the Battle of Britain has died. He was 105.

Hemingway was born on 17 July 1919, in Dublin.

On 7 March 1939, he was appointed in service as a pilot officer. By early 1940, following the outbreak of the Second World War, he was in service with No. 85 Squadron RAF in France, destroying a Heinkel He 111 on 10 May.

During the Battle of Dunkirk he flew supporting missions over the English Channel. Hemingway fought in the Battle of Britain, waged from July to October 1940. His plane was damaged on 18 August while over the Thames Estuary, and he was forced to bail out. He was again shot down over Eastchurch on 26 August; making Hemingway 85 Squadron’s first official combat victim over Britain.

On 1 July 1941, Hemingway was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. On 7 July 1941, he began serving with No. 1452 Flight RAF. On 1 January 1944, he was made a temporary squadron leader. He served as an air traffic controller during the Invasion of Normandy. From April to December 1945 he commanded No. 43 Squadron RAF. The squadron served in Italy, and Hemingway was shot down for a fourth time.

Paddy continued serving in the RAF after WWII. He retired on 12 September 1969.

Requiescat in pace

17 March 2025
MVAP Sports: March Madness
The brackets for this year’s NCAA Men’s basketball tournament were announced last night. Games start on Wednesday with the First Four in Dayton Ohio. Here is the schedule and networks for the tourney:
- First Four: March 18-19 (TruTV)
- First round: March 20-21 (CBS, TBS, TNT, TruTV)
- Second round: March 22-23 (CBS, TBS, TNT, TruTV)
- Sweet 16: March 27-28 (CBS, TBS)
- Elite Eight: March 29-30 (CBS, TBS)
- Final Four: April 5 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas (CBS)
- NCAA championship game: April 7 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas (CBS)
Auburn was announced as the No. 1 seed playing out of the South region. Duke is the No. 1 seed in the East, Houston is the No. 1 seed in the Midwest and Florida is the No. 1 seed in the West

Here’s a link to the official NCAA bracket:

https://www.ncaa.com/march-madness-live/bracket

Full disclosure; your editor is a graduate of the #1 seed in the East region, Duke University, and will be rooting for the Blue Devils throughout the tournament.
17 March 2025
Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daoibh!

That is the Irish Gaelig way of wishing a group of people a happy St. Patrick’s day and its pronounced lah aluh PAH-drig SUN-uh YEE-uv. Yeah, I know, it doesn’t sound the way it’s spelled, nothing in Irish does. You can listen to the correct pronounciation below.

While elsewhere in the world St. Paddy’s day (and yes, it’s Paddy not Patty) is a party day, until relatively recently in Ireland the day was more subdued. It is still mainly a religious holiday there.

There are many misconceptions surrounding the life and times of Padraig. He wasn’t Irish. In fact he was a Roman who was enslaved by Irish raiders when he was a youth. He was credited with introducing the Irish to Christianity, yet part of his mission when he finally became a priest was to minister to the Christian community that already existed there. And then there’s the snake thing. Let’s be honest, there weren’t any snakes in Ireland before he got there, so he clearly didn’t chase them away.

He isn’t even the only patron saint of Ireland nor arguably the most important. St. Brigid and St. Columcille (Columba) are both patron saints of Ireland along with St. Brendan the navigator who is supposed to have sailed to North America in the 5th century.

Now on to the fun stuff. Booze. Here are a couple of drinks/cocktails to enjoy during your Paddy’s day celebrations.

You can’t go wrong with a pint of the Black. Guinness has been brewed exclusively at the St. James Gate brewery in Dublin since 1759 when Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000 year lease. The company pays 45 pounds a month in rent.

St James Gate, Dublin

If your tastes run to lighter brews, check out Smithwick’s (pronounced Smiddicks), Harp or any of the fine beers from O’Hara’s. You could try a half and half – half a pint of Guinness and half a pint of a lager, usually Harp – just don’t call it a black and tan if you’re in a pub in Ireland.

If it’s whiskey you’re drinking – and the Irish invented it – this editor has a specific recommendation: Killbeggan. You could be plebian and drink John Jameson’s, you could be a poseur and drink Teeling, you could be a bloody Prod and drink Bushmills. There are others, Tullamore DEW being prominent, and if this editor is being honest, even that Prod shite is good.

If it’s a cocktail you be cravin’ give this one a shot (no pun intended). It’s called the Irish Cactus and it’s just a two ingredients Bailey’s and tequila. Fill a whiskey glass with ice, pour in two ounces of Bailey’s and then add an ounce of tequila and stir. Theres some history behind this drink. The Batallón de San Patricio, around 175 Irish and Irish-American men fought for Mexico in the Mexican-American war of 1846-8.

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day Everyone!!!! Just take care not to drink too much, Paddy’s day hangovers can be killers. . .

17 March 2025
Photos of the Week

Featured Image: An F-35B Lightning II fighter aircraft from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 242 takes off from the flight deck of the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) while conducting flight operations in the Philippine Sea, Feb. 17. America, lead ship of the America Amphibious Ready Group, along with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. U.S. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Darian Lord)

Army

U.S. Army Pvt. Alexis Iburtide, assigned to Field Artillery Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, fires the M777A2 howitzer during a Table XII fire support and field artillery certification at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Bavaria, Germany, March 5, 2025. In the platoon-level certification, Soldiers trained to destroy, defeat, or disrupt the enemy with integrated fires and enable maneuver commanders to dominate in unified land operations. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Elijah Magaña)

Navy

Quartermaster 3rd Class Edward Wheeling stands watch on the bridge-wing aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey (DDG 105) during Multinational Exercise Komodo (MNEK) 2025, in the Bali Sea, Feb. 16, 2025. Hosted by the Indonesian Navy, MNEK 2025 is an international, joint exercise taking place in the vicinity of Bali, Indonesia, emphasizing multilateral maritime cooperation and disaster response protocols. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Devin Monroe)

Marine Corps

U.S. Marines with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, I Marine Expeditionary Force, test for contaminants while performing a Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear defense drill during Quarterly Underway Amphibious Readiness Training 25.2 at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, March 4, 2025. QUART is a joint training exercise designed to develop and sustain essential amphibious readiness skills for effective operations in maritime environments while reinforcing the Navy-Marine Corps partnership. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Oliver Nisbet)

Air Force

A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle performs a flare check over the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, March 9, 2025. The F-15E is deployed within the CENTCOM AOR to help defend U.S. interests, promote regional security and deter aggression in the region. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Zachary Willis)

Coast Guard

Coast Guard Cutter Reliance, homeported in Pensacola, Florida, departs Galveston to patrol the Gulf of America. The Reliance is the first of the Coast Guard’s sixteen 210-foot ‘Reliance’ class medium endurance cutters. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Perry Shirzad)

16 March 2025
Journo entry for Sunday

Was time again to go rattle Armydog’s cage, said we’d have a drink when he turns 100 years young, at the moment he’s 93, making sure his blood pressure remains proper, why, I want that drink he promised. When you go see someone, you get a warm welcome, an example of such a thing

Nothing like that can be found at his home

Sips coffee in 25 degree weather with breeze mind you, his wifey was telling me one of girlfriend’s know 3 ladies who are going to have babies, and that’s when I said

Life is God’s gift to us, what we become is our gift to God

she agreed, then I said Dog, you notice Women have girlfriends, you’re not like some sort of boyfriend of mine are ya? the look on face you’ve seen before on Charles Bronson, as if I didn’t see his right hand reaching for his .45

‘Death Wish’

Hold on dog, remember we’re suppose have a drink and figure out Women, that’s when she stood behind him like a hug from the back, he leaned his head back in-between her boozems moving left to right while saying, ohh I understand the Woman just fine. It’s time for you to leave, I suppose. Mission accomplished; blood pressure proper

With the long winter not yet over, I know what happened

She’s late

She’s late

those fellas took their wifey to the sauna and now

they’re 3 months late

16 March 2025