Maine State Flower: White Pine Cone

Nature, State Flowers 2 Minutes

Maine designated the white pine cone and tassel, (Pinus strobus, linnaeus,) as its state flower. For the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago, States were asked to choose floral emblems. Three candidates were chosen. Two, the goldenrod and apple blossom, were genuine flowers. The third was the pine cone and tassel. The pine cone won 10,000 of 17,000 votes. The white pine cone and tassel was adopted as Maine’s state flower on February 1, 1895.

Botanically, these are not considered flowers since gymnosperms do not have true flowers. The reproductive structures of pines are known as strobili. You could accurately state the Maine is the only state to have an official state strobilae.

The White pine is considered to be the largest conifer in the northeastern United States. Leaves (needles) are soft, flexible and bluish-green to silver green in color and are regularly arranged in bundles of five. Needles are 2 1/2-5 inches long and are usually shed at the end of the second growing season. Flowers (strobili) occur on the tree. Cones are 4-8 inches in length, usually slightly curved. They take 2 years to mature and open to discharge the seed shortly after ripening in late August through September of the second season. Cone scales are thin and never have prickles. Each scale usually bears two winged seeds as do all native pines. Cones also have a fragrant gummy resin.

Native American Significance

The Native American significance of Maine’s state flower, the White Pine Cone and Tassel, is deeply rooted in the region’s history. Native American tribes, including the Penobscot and Passamaquoddy, revered this tree for its multiple uses. It was a symbol of strength and endurance, much like the white pine itself, which can withstand harsh weather conditions. 
 
Native Americans used various parts of the White Pine in their daily lives. The long needles served as bedding, while the inner bark had medicinal properties. Additionally, the White Pine held cultural significance in ceremonies and rituals, making it an integral part of Native American traditions in Maine for generations.

European Settlement Influence

The European settlement had a profound impact on the choice of Maine’s state flower. When European settlers arrived in the region, they were struck by the natural beauty of the White Pine Cone and Tassel. Its graceful appearance and cultural significance quickly made it a symbol of the area’s allure.

Over time, as Maine became more integrated with European traditions, the White Pine Cone and Tassel gained further recognition. This European influence played a pivotal role in solidifying the flower’s status as the state emblem. Today, it stands not only as a representation of Maine’s natural heritage but also as a testament to the enduring legacy of European settlement in the region.

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Published by pat frederick

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133 thoughts on “Maine State Flower: White Pine Cone”

  1. Good morning, Pat and Filly,

    How are you all doing?

    Heading back to the Village this afternoon to give Sally’s caregiver a break to get her homestead ready for what will be tropical storm conditions on Wednesday.

    I’m taking pizzas and extra vegetable and cheese toppings. We pile chopped fresh spinach, chopped broccoli, sliced mushrooms and zucchini, and herbs from the community garden outside her apartment, and more cheese on top of a supreme frozen pizza to make it more nutritious. Ha! Mainly, making it easy on myself so I don’t have to make a salad.

    I’m also taking more ice packs and water bottles to keep her food safe if we have a power outage.

    I’ll be with Sally until the power is back on and her caregiver can return to work.

    Trying to decide whether to haul the sewing machine and sewing stuff or wait until next time. Still trying to figure out a design for a harness or belt to support her upper body and completely prevent falls from the lift.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Morning GA!
      drive safely!! I hope the storm is a quick one and doesn’t linger!!
      that’s so cool that they have that garden–what a wonderful idea!
      I know with my crafting ideas i have to actually make it and see it to determine whether or not it will look right or fit right.
      fortunately i was given a lot of fabric a long time ago–some of it hideous to be honest. but i use it for patterns and attempts…lol.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. They actually have two gardens, a larger one with individual plots and raised beds for residents to grow vegetables.
        The one by her building is in a central part and was designed with waist high brick wall beds for disabled people to see, pick and enjoy the flowers and herbs. It’s called the Hidden Garden, because you can’t see it from the streets. I can usually find oregano, thyme, basil and chives out there. We can only grow parsley and chives if they are shaded from the afternoon western sun in our hot N FL summers. I think the garden could use a little more aesthetic design and strategic planting (shielding some plants from the sun), but I am not a member of the Village yet. I have donated money over the years, but need to officially join to rent or buy a house there. I’ve got my name on the apartment next door to Sally that was used by a delightful man who lived to be 103 and was cogent and aware played the Tuba until almost the very end. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge in WWII. We also lost another old gentleman on that end of Sally’s hall a couple of weeks ago. He had a diabetes alarm doggie, a cute little miniature terrier (not sure of the exact breed). The dog died at age 16 or so and the old man died the next week. He had gotten very eccentric in the last couple of years and I mean eccentric. Long story.

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      2. He was a sweet old gentleman, always wanted to help, but would prop the outside hall door open, letting in heat, bugs, etc. He’s leave his apartment windows open on the hottest day and his hall door open and the old man and dog smell was very unpleasant. We couldn’t reason with him. He would be outside at 2:30 am sweeping the porch. He would go outside and ‘do work’ fiddling with the hedge, pretending to trim it. He put a pair of soiled undershorts in a bucket, made a rock shrine of some sort by the porch outside our hall. He was ‘out of it’ said good morning all times of the day. He’s rearrange the porch furniture, over water the plants… He set a wooden bowl on the stove and set it afire and smoked up the building in the middle of the night. The administration disconnected his stove for safety’s sake. He was sweet and always wanted to help me unload the car. I couldn’t let him, because he was frail and used a scooter to get around.

        Despite his aggravating odd behavior, we will miss him. His little dog saved Sally when she somehow unlatched her wheelchair seat belt and fell out of her wheelchair onto the kitchen floor one evening. The dog went to her door and wouldn’t stop barking until someone came to check on her. This was a year or so ago.

        Liked by 2 people

        1. I’ve still got one straggler out there that I check every day. I’ll have to bring it in soon regardless, before any freeze. I tried freezing one cut up into chunks & that was a bust – watery and mushy, w/out much flavor.

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    3. PS – I love pine cones. The yearbook at my college was called the Pine Cone.

      The pine cones on our long leaf pine trees were nearly a foot tall. Some were that.

      Children used them to make Thanksgiving turkeys and Christmas trees painted green, and you could put starlight mints in the openings of the ‘branches’.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Our turkeys in my 1050s childhood weren’t that colorful – we just cut out feathers from brown and orange construction paper.

        I can still smell that sweet smell of mimeograph ink from the teacher’s handout tests and coloring pages! We loved those hand outs – a welcome relief from notebooks, tests and …shudder… math word problems. I still can’t do those!

        Liked by 1 person

      2. these are all great ideas!
        I never thought to paint them and use them as “flowers”.
        I always buy cinnamon scented pine cones in fall–they make the house smell wonderful.
        i found a DIY project for next month that shows you how to do it yourself! YAY!

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  2. Morning All!
    lots of stars out there again this morning! if i stand at the front of the house i can see the big dipper –big and plain as anything. no ambient light to ruin it. but that’s how yesterday started and then it clouded over and we got no sun.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Morning, Pat! Clear here this morning – we had some haziness yesterday from some fire to the west but it cleared off. Nothing but clear skies ahead for at least the next 10 days….until that changes….that happens a lot in NE! Wheezer was on the chair as usual – ate his tuna and promptly departed.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Morning Filly!
        I was watching a small bird–hit the glass on the side door. he was stunned and had trouble recovering his wits. I was standing at the door watching and he turned towards the door and hopped up close to it. I waved my arms so he wouldn’t fly at the door again. he just sat there watching he cocking his head from side to side.
        he finally turned and hopped to the edge of the deck and instead of flying off, he dropped. i ran out to make sure he was safely on the ground and he was…hopping around.

        Liked by 1 person

          1. no, not dark. that’s one of the problems with so much glass–frequent bird hitting it. most don’t hit it that hard and are stunned for a moment. Gracie, on the hawks that took up residence around us for a while (her and George) hit the front upper window and left her imprint up there (oil from her feathers?) for a long time. they used to sit on the railings–they were large!
            after that they worked the driveway but never came up close to the house.

            Liked by 1 person

  4. Liked by 1 person

  7. TheseTruths

    TheseTruths(@thesetruths)

    Offline

    Wolf

    October 8, 2024 01:26

    BREAKING: WATCHDOG UNCOVERS $7B IN UNTAPPED FEMA FUNDS DESPITE MAYORKAS CLAIMING NONE AVAILABLE

    A DHS inspector general report found over $7 billion in unliquidated FEMA funds, contradicting Secretary Mayorkas’ recent statement that FEMA lacked funds for future disasters.

    The funds, earmarked for disasters from 2012 or earlier, could be returned to FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund, as Hurricane Milton approaches Florida.

    Critics are questioning the administration’s priorities amid mounting crises.

    Sources: New York Post

    🚨🇺🇸 BREAKING: WATCHDOG UNCOVERS $7B IN UNTAPPED FEMA FUNDS DESPITE MAYORKAS CLAIMING NONE AVAILABLE

    A DHS inspector general report found over $7 billion in unliquidated FEMA funds, contradicting Secretary Mayorkas’ recent statement that FEMA lacked funds for future disasters.… pic.twitter.com/IopWxJ4n35

    — Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) October 7, 2024

    Liked by 1 person

  9. GGGGGggggrrrrrrrrrrr

    October 8, 2024 6:40 am

    Reply to  nwtex

    Atlanta Motor Speedway is open to Milton evacuees – the speedway is providing dry camping free of charge in its Legends Premium Campground for RVs and Legends Tent Campground for pop-up campers and tents… More information is available by contacting AMS directly or visiting their website at http://www.atlantamotorspeedway.com.

    Dry camping at no charge in the Legends Premium Campground for RVs and Legends Tent Campground for pop-up campers and tents

    Complimentary access to nearby shower facilities

    A limited number of camping spaces with water, power, and sewer hook-ups available for $35 per night

    Evacuees can enter the campgrounds via GA Highway 20 and Lower Woolsey Road at Entrance “H” or US Highway 19/41 at Entrance “E”. For those seeking full hook-up spaces, reservations can be made by calling the AMS ticket office at 770-946-4211 during business hours.

    https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/milton-evacuations-atlanta-motor-speedway-opening-camping-evacuees

    Liked by 1 person

  12. George
    @BehizyTweets
    Democrats have been BUSTED in St. Louis, Missouri, trying to register migrants to vote in the 2024 election. The same is likely happening in battleground states

    Flyers were given to migrant workers, telling them to “vote for Harris-Walz and pro-worker candidates.” Also, to “Stop the steal by stopping Trump’s allies.”

    Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft says, “I think it shows why we need a law in Missouri that requires individuals to show proof of citizenship before they register and before they vote.”

    Is anyone surprised at this point? Because I’m NOT.

    Liked by 1 person

  16. EXCERPT: “According to The Humane Society of the United States, there are around 83.3 million owned dogs in the US alone, showing that America is clearly a nation of dog lovers. But do we underestimate the talent of these amazing creatures and see them purely as pets?

    In recent years, organizations all over the world have looked to training dogs to detect medical conditions in humans.

    Earlier this year, Medical News Today reported on research from UK charity Medical Detection Dogs detailing how dogs have the ability to alert their diabetic owners when their blood sugar levels are too low (hypoglycemic).

    Other research has revealed how dogs are able to detect clostridium difficile bacteria – a component that causes many hospital-acquired infections – in feces samples and hospital air.

    But how exactly are dogs able to detect human disease?

    All in the scent: A dog has around 125 to 300 million scent glands, while a human has around 5 million scent glands. This means a dog’s sense of smell is around 1,000 to 100,000 times more sensitive than a human’s.

    Close-up of a dog's nose

    It is a dog’s intricate sense of smell that has captured the interest of the medical world in using these animals to help detect human diseases and to help people who suffer from these diseases live a more fulfilling life.

    Dogs4Diabetics is a US organization founded in 2004 that researches, trains and places medical assistance diabetic alert dogs with insulin-dependent diabetics.

    Ralph Hendrix, executive director of Dogs4Diabetics, told Medical News Today how dogs are able to detect hypoglycemia in diabetics….”

    https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/269099#All-in-the-scent

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Any time! Ask and ye shall receive, my dear!….well, ok, you didn’t ask but…..I always try to get ahead of the game!🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

        Liked by 1 person

      1. You should see the e-mails I get that I never post! Phew! I’ve signed up for a bunch of various sources so I can plumb them for what I know people are interested in reading or looking for.

        Liked by 1 person

  19. not sure what to make of this yet

    Laura Loomer
    @LauraLoomer
    ⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️

    EXCLUSIVE:

    🚨🚨Ecological disaster could possibly be brewing in Asheville, North Carolina on the French Broad River after severe Hurricane Helene damage 🚨🚨

    This is something nobody is talking about but it needs to be asked.

    Is Asheville, North Carolina about to become the next East Palestine?

    I’m hearing reports from a source on the ground who is working with me to get exclusive photo and video content of search and recovery efforts on the ground in North Carolina that a PVC manufacturing plant called Silver-Line Plastics Corporation was severely damaged by the flooding from Hurricane Helene, and all of its inventory was dispersed by the flooding.

    We discovered this by doing our own recon work with a drone I just purchased to be used by my source who is a multi-tour infantry SOCOM veteran the sake of getting footage of the storm disaster and locating bodies.

    This means that TONS of PVC pipe may have been littered and dispersed across the environment.

    On their website, Silver Line Plastics says they produce PVC pipes on site.

    ”Silver-Line® Plastics is an American owned and operated manufacturer of the industry’s highest quality plastic pipe, with a comprehensive product offering, featuring PVC, CPVC, PE and PEX, with state-of-the-art production facilities in Asheville, North Carolina; Lawton, Oklahoma; and Fort Pierce, Florida.”

    It needs to be asked, was VINYL CHLORIDE stored inside the plant in Asheville, and was it swept away and leaked out into the water and environment during the storm?

    Vinyl Chloride is the same toxic chemical that was spilled in the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment. And this could possibly be bigger. Vinyl chloride is a toxic, flammable gas and a known human carcinogen. It’s used to make PVC, a plastic used in many products, including pipes, shower curtains, and vinyl siding. Exposure to vinyl chloride can increase the risk of: Liver cancer, Brain cancer, Lung cancer, Lymphoma, and Leukemia.

    This needs to be investigated ASAP. My source on the ground tells me that first responders and locals are reporting that the their work boots and personal protective equipment (PPE) are being destroyed with prolonged contact with the water and mud in Asheville.

    Nobody is reporting this. My source is working on acquiring testing kits so that they can test the water to determine whether or not a serious ecological disaster is brewing in Asheville.

    Is this why the government doesn’t want independent civilian volunteer responders in the area? Are they possibly covering up an ecological disaster that could be happening as a result of the flooding?

    I’m not blaming the Plastics company for this, or even saying that this has happened, but damage seen from photos my source has taken on the ground show severe damaged to the Plastics plant and exposed PVC pipe that was destroyed while it was being stored in pallets. The Plastics plant is right next to the French Broad River.

    The French Broad River is a river in the U.S. states of North Carolina and Tennessee. It flows 218 miles from the town of Rosman in Transylvania County, North Carolina, into Tennessee, where its confluence with the Holston River at Knoxville forms the beginning of the Tennessee River. The river flows through the counties of Transylvania, Buncombe, Henderson, and Madison in North Carolina, and Cocke, Jefferson, Sevier, and Knox in Tennessee. It drains large portions of the Pisgah National Forest and the Cherokee National Forest.

    More photos coming soon.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. She can sometimes be an alarmist but it’s always wise to at least look into her suggestions and/or conjecture….but this wouldn’t surprise me at all!

      Liked by 1 person

  20. Clarion

    October 8, 2024 9:33 am

    Vivek Ramaswamy

    @VivekGRamaswamy

    Shut down the entitlement state & you solve most of the immigration problem right there. We need to man up & fix the root cause that draws migrants here in the first place: the welfare state. But no one seems to want to say that part out loud, because too many native-born Americans are addicted to it themselves.

    Shut down the entitlement state & you solve most of the immigration problem right there. We need to man up & fix the root cause that draws migrants here in the first place: the welfare state. But no one seems to want to say that part out loud, because too many native-born…

    — Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) October 8, 2024

    Liked by 1 person

  21. EXCERPTS: “….But the truth is both parties signed off on a budget deal earlier this year that increased funding for the new mission authorized in 2023 for FEMA, which is now reeling from a double-barreled hurricane crisis that has led to frustration over alleged missteps by the agency as millions of stranded and needy Americans in the Southeast await help….” 

    ….“FEMA, as well as this whole Biden administration has is here to protect Americans, our citizens, and hurricane Helene has put a tremendous burden on us, but, get this, follow these funds that have been directed at anything but Americans: $110 million in FEMA funds went to the emergency food and shelter program to assist migrants,” Congressman Ralph Norman, R-S.C., told the “Just the News, No Noise“ TV show Monday. 

    Norman partly blamed the broken budget process in Congress for giving funds to FEMA  for immigrants rather than American citizens suffering from a disaster. 

    “If we don’t get back to regular order, John, then there’s no hope for ever having a fiscal sanity plan in place,” he said. “They, the Democrats, play us like a drum waiting to the end of the year….”

    “….A Democrat-run Congress that year later created the Shelter and Services Program (SSP) was to replace a similar program formerly run by DHS, which was directed to transfer $800 million of its appropriations in 2023 to the emergency management department. Though FEMA is a subagency of DHS, it represented a transfer of the core responsibility for illegal and legal immigrant support to the agency dedicated to disaster relief. 

    The funding was to stand up the new program which would “support sheltering and related activities provided by non-Federal entities, including facility improvements and construction, in support of relieving overcrowding in short-term holding facilities of U.S. Customs and Border Protection,” according to the Congressional Research Service. 

    By 2024, the program was well established at the agency when Republicans and Democrats alike voted to fund it to the tune of $650 million with the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024—a minibus bill passed by the House and Senate in March, both with significant Republican support, and sent to President Joe Biden’s desk. 

    Now, Republicans have placed the program under a spotlight after widespread flooding and damage from Hurricane Helene left several southeastern regions devastated and tens of thousands of citizens without basic resources. But, so far, few who originally supported the bill have owned up to their role in passing the budget stopgaps last year funding the very programs being placed under the spotlight.

    A group of Senators who did not vote for the funding measure led by James Lankford of Oklahoma, wrote a letter to President Biden last week raising concerns about how FEMA’s immigration responsibilities could be impacting its disaster readiness…..”

    https://justthenews.com/government/congress/how-fema-got-migrant-business-and-who-covering-it

    Liked by 1 person

  31. Post Millennial Entire Article: “The small city of Amsterdam, NY had attempted to block the lighting of a massive, 100-foot-long “Vote for Trump” sign that sits atop a building owned by Sticker Mule. The sign was a bone of contention between CEO Anthony Constantino and the Democrat-run city, which attempted to block the lighting from moving forward. A court intervened and on Monday night, the sign was lit and a rally was held to unveil the Trump tribute.

    “We are all set to light it up!” Constantino said. The court ruling came down after 5 pm, with the lighting set for 7 pm. City attorneys had tried to block the sign last week, claiming that it was in violation of city codes and could even be a safety hazard to passing drivers. The Post Millennial obtained the violation notice from Amsterdam. The complaint cited multiple city codes and ordered the sign to be taken down in 48 hours.

    Despite the complaint, the sign was able to go up after the order was vacated by a judge. A source close to the matter told The Post Millennial that the judge “orally said the motion for a temporary restraining order is vacated in full.” There will be no hearing taking place on Tuesday. The sign sits on top of the abandoned FOWNES building that used to make leather products dating back to 1903.

    The FOWNES building closed in 2010 and was abandoned and is one of the tallest buildings in Amsterdam. Sticker Mule bought up the building in 2019. After placing the sign on it recently, CEO and co-founder Anthony Constantino said, “The Fownes sign was a symbol of American manufacturing moving to China.”

    “Vote for Trump” sign covered on abandoned FOWNES building in Amsterdam, New York Oct. 7, 2024.

    “We debated what to do with the Fownes sign for the last few years,” Constantino added. “We decided to replace it with a symbolic message that manufacturing can return to America and no one should fear supporting the man leading the charge to make it happen.”

    GOP Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) posted in support of the event, saying, “Happening now: Thousands come together in Amsterdam NY21 to support Donald Trump in record numbers! UPSTATE NEW YORK IS TRUMP COUNTRY. Thank you Anthony Constantino and Sticker Mule!”

    The GOP nominee also reacted to the sign on Truth Social. 

    Last week, Sticker Mule announced the lighting of the building, inviting all to come on Oct. 7 at 6pm at 26 Elk Street in Amsterdam, New York where food was provided. The event attracted a crowd for a rally in support of the GOP nominee.

    CEO of Sticker Mule, Anthony Constantino stands with Trump supporter in Amsterdam, New York Oct. 7 2024.

    Hundreds of people gathered for the event on Monday night as there was music playing. Constantino made a few remarks to the crowd, as well as other speakers, including Joe Pinion, a former GOP Senate candidate that ran against Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY).

    Speaking to audience, Constantino said, the city had was “demanding I take down the beautiful sign that’s up there and, believe it or not, threatened to throw me in jail.”

    “Up until an hour ago, I was doing interviews, and I honestly didn’t know what was going to happen tonight. I spent my day, to my surprise, talking to friends and family and UFC superstars, asking what to do. To my surprise, they all said, ‘Go for it. Light the sign and spend a few days in jail.’”

    He added that his attorney was able to argue the case, and stop the order before the event took place, meaning and the rally could go on with the sign being lit up.”

    Liked by 1 person

      1. I used to love it but it doesn’t taste right now. I have an 8′ X 2′ bed of asparagus. I give it away or just let it grow…..I try it once in a while to see if it tastes ok – hasn’t yet.

        Liked by 1 person

      1. Isn’t dextrose a type of sugar? Did a search: “Yes, dextrose is a type of sugar. It is a simple sugar made from corn or wheat that is chemically identical to glucose, which is also known as blood sugar. Dextrose is often used as a sweetener in baking products and is found in processed foods and corn syrup.”

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  38. “Interesting to know: In 2009 Tampa Bay officials thought up a worst case hurricane scenario and named it Hurricane Phoenix. Welp…”

    “Something to keep in mind, the reason this model is a worst case scenario for tampa bay specifically is because in this model the storm travels directly north of the bay. Because storms spin counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere, that means the winds are blowing towards the coast, causing a storm surge in the bay. If it were to pass south, the winds would be blowing west, and instead you get a draining effect. So if current models hold and the storm hits south of tampa bay, we would not see the worst case scenario. You still get the insane winds and rain, so it’s nothing to take lightly though.”

    “Meanwhile, The National Guard has deployed a shelter at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg ahead of Hurricane Milton. This scene is very similar to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 when the Super Dome was used as shelter.

    Hopefully, the roof will not fall onto the people below…This HAARPicane will be insane! Get out of Tampa right now if you can…”

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Ah! Yep. Cuppa seems determined that all these claims are BS but when you reference NOAA, which is the government….well, let’s just say we disagree 100%.

        Just watched an episode of NCIS – the lead guest actor was the guy who was Rizzoli’s partner in Rizzoli & Isles. It actually made me tear up at the end when he went to the Wall (with the group that arranged the trips for veterans) and made an etching of his 3 buddies he lost in VN.

        He was by himself, no family or friends, and about as gruff & nasty as could be – spit on and reviled when he got home from VN. The NCIS guy set to keep an eye on him arranged a huge homecoming for him when he flew home, with a crowd of people waiting to welcome him home & a band, balloons, etc. It was cool….Gibbs assigned a British agent (who also had no family or close friends and determined to take the most dangerous assignments he could find) to be his minder since they needed his testimony. Ended up putting 2 men’s lives to rights. I like those kinds of shows!

        Liked by 1 person

          1. IF that’s really what’s happening – could be HER team doesn’t want the focus on those appearances for some nefarious reason, right?

            Liked by 1 person

          1. Yeah, I liked all of the Star Wars movies. Contact, the Star Trek shows (especially Part IV, when they go back in time to retrieve the whales), The Fifth Element, Independence Day, of course….the well-known, popular ones.

            Liked by 1 person

          2. And who can forget Close Encounters??? As I look thru the list of top 150 movies, there are a lot more that I’ve seen than I thought….

            Liked by 1 person

    1. the stone carving!!!

      i can imagine being able to do that kind of work! you have to see it in your mind completely before you begin to avoid cutting out a part you need…smh …just WOW

      Liked by 1 person

  42. The blue eye of the Seated Scribe. Quartz crystal, with an ebony iris. Department of Egyptian Antiquities (circa 3800-1710 BC) Louvre Museum

    B-58 from an interesting point of view

    An FJ-3 Fury of VF-33 aboard USS Lake Champlain (CVA-39), 1954-1955

    Liked by 1 person

  43. ‘Shocking’: Heavy Metals, Nearly 50 Pesticides Detected in School Lunches

    Testing commissioned by ABC News and conducted by the Health Research Institute, an accredited independent lab in Iowa, detected 38 different pesticides in just one elementary school lunch.

    by Suzanne Burdick, Ph.D., October 8, 2024

    child and school lunch tray with toxic symbol

    EXCERPT: “”Food items served to school kids in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., contained heavy metals, including lead, and roughly 50 pesticides, according to new testing commissioned by ABC News.

    The Health Research Institute (HRI), an accredited independent lab in Iowa, conducted the testing. HRI’s Chief Scientist and CEO John Fagan told The Defender, “We tested every part of the lunch … it was pretty shocking.”

    Nearly 30 million U.S. kids eat school lunch every day, according to the School Nutrition Association. Fagan’s lab identified 49 pesticides — listed at the end of this article — with 38 different pesticides detected in just one elementary school lunch. Among them was carbendazim, a fungicide banned in most European countries that can cause infertility and endocrine disruption.

    Many wheat-based items contained the weedkiller glyphosate, commonly marketed as Roundup, which causes cancer and disrupts immune function. A single strawberry cup contained 23 pesticides, ABC News reported.

    Fagan’s lab also found numerous heavy metals in the samples. According to the Cleveland Clinic, exposure to heavy metals can cause irreversible damage to the human body, and may even be life-threatening.

    Lead — which “at any level is harmful to children’s IQ,” Fagan said — was found in 100% of the samples.

    Some samples contained cadmium, a heavy metal known to increase the risk of lung cancer, at a level 12 times higher than the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) limit for bottled water, according to ABC News.

    The lab also found arsenic in rice at levels 6 times higher than what’s allowed in apple juice, ABC News said. Fagan said, “The children need our help and protection.” ……”

    https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/school-lunches-heavy-metals-pesticides-abc-news-report/

    Liked by 1 person

  44. I am adding a short daily prayer to the board. I would invite each of you, if you wish, to also add one or maybe two of your own liking. I do not want to stifle anyone but please limit yourself to one or two religious postings. here’s one I found that I liked.

    Like

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