9-5

(This month is Dolly Parton’s birthday, so I ‘m bringing this article by Jennifer Pernicano for Country Rebel on things you might not know about the movie 9 to 5.)

The 1980 film 9 to 5, starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton, tells the story of three working women who live out their fantasies of getting even with their “sexist, egotistical, hypocritical bigot” of a boss.

The women eventually overthrow their boss after kidnapping him and holding him hostage in his own house. While he’s gone from work, the women implement new policies around the office that benefit everyone, including day care, flexible hours, equal pay, and a job-sharing program.

The movie is hilarious, well-written, and for good reason, is ranked No. 74 on the American Film Institute’s list of the top 100 funniest movies in American cinema.

While fans of the movie have probably seen it 100 times, there are still some things we don’t know about it. Let’s take a look at 7 things y’all might not know about 9 to 5!

The Lead Roles Were Written For Tomlin, Fonda, and Parton

Screenwriters often write roles in their movies with an actor serving as inspiration, but it’s rare when you actually get that actor to play the part. Patricia Resnick, who wrote the movie with Colin Higgins, had Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton all in mind when they were writing the film. Jane Fonda was already attached to the film because, well, it was her idea! She then handed the reigns off to Resnick and Higgins.

“We had Jane for sure, because it was her idea to do the film and it was her production company,” Resnick told Rolling Stone. “It was written for Dolly and Lily, but we did not have them under contract. We really wanted them, but we did have some backup ideas in case they turned us down. For Lily, it was Carol Burnett, and for Dolly, it was Ann-Margret. But I had Dolly, Lily and Jane in my head the whole time, and we were really hoping that’s who it was going to be.”

As luck would have it, Tomlin and Parton accepted the roles of Violet and Doralee, respectively.

Lily Tomlin Initially Turned Down The Role

Can you imagine someone else playing Violet? We sure can’t. Carol Burnett is very talented, but no one could have been as hilarious as Tomlin was in this role. It wasn’t because she didn’t like the script, though. She was just working so much; she wanted to give herself a break!

“I turned ‘9 to 5’ down originally. I was shooting ‘The Incredible Shrinking Woman’ and I was so overworked,” she told the UK’s Evening Times. “I’d worked for seven months on that movie, so I was ready to just shut my eyes to anything else. My partner Jane said to me, ‘This is the biggest mistake of your life. You’ve got to get on the phone and tell Jane Fonda you want to take back the resignation’.”

Tomlin took her now-wife’s advice and begged for the job back, and she is so happy she did.

“I am grateful that I did it. [Jane Fonda & Dolly Parton] became two of my good friends, you know.”

Tomlin and Fonda currently star on the Netflix original show Grace & Frankie.

Dolly Wouldn’t Star In The Movie Unless She Could Write The Theme Song

According to The Guardian, Parton got her self-confidence from all her brothers and uncles who taught her everything there is to know about men.

“I understood the nature of men and I didn’t go in there feeling all intimidated,” she said. “I just went in there and said: ‘Hey! I have a good product here and we can all make some money here if y’all wanna get involved with it.’”

This same self-confidence helped her when she refused to let Elvis Presley record her iconic song “I Will Always Love You”, and again when negotiating for 9 to 5. Parton leveraged her skills as a songwriter and agreed to star in the movie, but only if she could write the theme song.

Her song “9 to 5” earned Parton an Academy Award nomination and four Grammy nominations. It won the Best Country Song and Best Country Vocal Performance, Female at the Grammys.

Dolly’s Fingernails Inspired The Song “9 to 5”

Once Fonda agreed to let Parton write the theme song for the film, she went straight to work! She wrote the song on set and used one of her famous body parts to help her.

In 2009, Parton sat down with the ladies of The View, and filled them in on a little secret about her writing process of the song “9 to 5.”

“I wrote that on the set when we were doin’ the movie, I just watched the things goin’ on during the day, and I would just kind of do my nails and it sounded like a typewriter to me.”

‘9 to 5’ Was Intended To Be A Drama

Yes, you are reading that right. One of the funniest movies in cinematic history was initially supposed to be a drama!

“At first we were going to make a drama,” Fonda told The London Times. Fonda ran the production company responsible for the film, IPC Films.

“Any way we did it, it seemed too preachy, too much of a feminist line,” she continued. “I’d wanted to work with Lily [Tomlin] for some time, and it suddenly occurred to [producer] Bruce [Gilbert] and me that we should make it a comedy. It remains a ‘labor film,’ but I hope of a new kind, different from The Grapes of Wrath or Salt of the Earth. We took out a lot of stuff that was filmed, even stuff the director, Colin Higgins, thought worked but which I asked to have taken out. I’m just super-sensitive to anything that smacks of the soapbox or lecturing the audience.”

Even after the drama aspect was thrown out of the window, they re-wrote it to be a black comedy, but Fonda still thought it was too dark. We love the film just the way it is, so we’re glad it took the direction it did!

It Was Turned Into A TV Show And Later, A Musical

https://craftsstore.art.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/0e260-9to5iwu.jpg

9 to 5 the movie had huge success at the box office. In fact, it was the highest grossing movie of 1980! Because of its success, it was adapted for the small screen and ran for five seasons!

Parton’s own sister, Rachel Dennison, played Doralee, Parton’s role in the movie. It also starred Valerie Curtin and Rita Moreno.

Many years later, in 2008, the movie was developed as a musical in Los Angeles! It did so well that it was brought to Broadway and starred Allison Janney as Violet, Stephanie J. Block as Jusy, and Megan Hilty as Doralee. Dolly wrote brand new music for the 9 to 5 musical.

Watch a commercial for the musical below.

Dolly Parton Memorized The Entire Script

9 to 5 was Dolly Parton’s movie debut and learned a few things along the way. Instead of just learning her own lines, she learned everyone’s lines!

Parton was already super successful as a singer-songwriter, but had never even been to a set. The closest she had come to a movie set was the tour at Universal Studios!

“They just sent me the script and I memorized it,” Parton said in an interview with The Today Show. “I just assumed you had to. My part and [Lily’s] part and [Jane’s] part and Dabney’s part. But I just knew the script back and forth and every week I would read it … I would practice.”

“How were you in my part?” Lily Tomlin asked her.

“Oh, I was great!” she responded.

SOURCE: Country Rebel

By Jennifer Pernicano on December 18, 2017

DIY: Winter Luminaries

I came across these easy to make luminaries and thought they’d make a nice winter project!

The idea and instructions come from the Songbird website.

Gather These Supplies

Mason jars

Mod Podge Satin

Epsom salt

Fir branches – collected and trimmed to size with scissors

Small wood slices

Twine

Scissors

Hot glue gun and glue sticks

Flameless candles

Paintbrushes

Spoon

There’s a three-step process to this project. You’re going to prepare the jars, then Mod Podge and salt them, and then add the embellishments. It’s relatively easy!

Prepare the Jars

Basically, you’ll need to make sure that the jars are washed and clean so that the Mod Podge sticks. You have two options:

Clean the glass with mild soap and warm water and let dry

Clean the glass with rubbing alcohol and cotton balls (or similar) and let dry

The reason for the prep is because oils and dirt can get onto glass and stay there, and they can cause problems if you try to Mod Podge the glass. By “problems,” I mean the Podge won’t stick. So please clean the glass before moving on!

Mod Podge and Epsom Salt

I used Mod Podge Satin for this project. You can use any formula really, but I recommend either Satin, Gloss, or Matte. You won’t see the finish of the Mod Podge, so it doesn’t really matter.

Put your epsom salt out on a plate on your work surface.

Paint a medium layer of Mod Podge on the jar in consistent, quick strokes. You want to work quickly because Mod Podge starts to dry pretty quickly, and you don’t want to have to do a bunch of layering of the salt. It will get clumpy on your final luminaries.

Roll the jar in the epsom salt, all the way around. Push down slightly. Bring it up out of the epsom salt.

Use a spoon to pour salt over areas of the jar that may not have gotten salt.

You can also use a small paintbrush to add to blank areas and then sprinkle a little salt on it. Just be careful not to add too much Mod Podge. Clumping salt doesn’t look great, especially with votives.

Keep in mind that if you miss a few areas, it will be hardly noticeable! Let your luminaries dry for several hours.

Adding Embellishments

Cut a length of twine that is long enough to wrap around the jar mouth around 6 – 7 times.

Start wrapping. Tie it once at the halfway point, then tie it again at the end. Tie the twine into a bow.

Use a hot glue gun to attach the branches to the front of your luminaries. Then place the small wood pieces on the front.

Place the LED tea lights into your new mason jar luminaries for a warm glow! You can also use real tea lights if you like, given that the epsom salt and Mod Podge are on the outside of the jar.

SOURCE: SONGBIRD

Alaska State Mammal: Moose

General Description

Known as moose across North America, but called elk in Europe, Alces alces is the largest member of the deer family. The Alaska-Yukon race (Alces alces gigas) is the largest of all of these creatures. Adult moose can range in size from 800 pounds (small adult female) to 1,600 pounds (large adult male), and they can be up to almost 6 feet tall. Moose can range in color from golden brown to almost black, depending on the season and the age of the animal. Newborn calves have a red-brown coat that fades to a light rust color within a few weeks. By late summer, the calves have shed this coat and grown one that is similar in texture and color to that of adults.

Moose are often easily recognized by their antlers, carried only by the males. These bony protrusions form within the first year, and are produced every summer after that. Trophy class bulls are found throughout Alaska, but the largest come from the western portion of the state. The largest sized antlers are usually produced when bulls are 10 – 12 years old, but bulls can reach trophy size as young as 6 years of age. In the wild, moose rarely live more than 16 years.

Hunting

Moose are valued for their meat and as a game animal. At least 7,000 moose are harvested annually in Alaska, amounting to about 3.5 million pounds of meat.

In 2007, Alaskans took home 90 percent of the 7,400 total moose harvested. About 6,750 moose were harvested by Alaskans and 685 by nonresident hunters. The resident take is certainly higher than this, based on information collected by the Division of Subsistence, and considerable unreported or illegal harvest likely occurs in some areas.

Viewing

Wildlife viewing is becoming increasingly important in Alaska. In a questionnaire completed by users of the Koyukuk Controlled Use Area, moose is the species people want to see the most. While the majority of respondents reported they were hunting only, an increasing number of people were both hunting and viewing, or only viewing. Moose viewing is particularly important along the road system.

Managing moose involves looking at predators, habitat, human harvest, other non-harvest mortality (severe winters, vehicles and trains), and the composition of populations – cows, calves and bulls – and these elements are touched upon in this section. Population density, habitat, and harvest vary from area to area, so each Game Management Unit (GMU) is presented separately in this section.

In some areas, habitat limits the potential size of moose populations, and concentration of moose and open habitat creates the potential for excessive harvests in accessible areas. In other regions it is unknown whether predators or habitat are more limiting moose populations, although some are clearly held back by bear and wolf predation. Moose mortality due to vehicles is significant in some areas where human population and vehicle traffic continues to increase. Land clearing activities associated with agriculture, development and road construction has been responsible for the increase in moose browse that attract moose to highways. The number of moose killed by trains seems to be related to snowfall and varies widely from year to year.

Without fire or other disturbance, forests mature and browse – and moose populations – decrease. Fire, mechanical manipulation, and post-logging site work, which encourage hardwood regeneration, are beneficial for moose habitat and have been conducted on some sites. Ice-scouring also helps to rejuvenate willow stands. After logging, if site preparation is not conducted or is done inadequately, blue-joint grass initially crowd out hardwood and spruce seedlings, creating less desirable moose habitat and slowing forest succession.

SOURCE: ALAKSA DEPT. OF FISH & GAME

I found these additional interesting facts from the coniferous forest website:

Interesting Facts

The antlers of the male Alaskan moose are the largest in the deer family.

The Alaskan moose is widely hunted throughout its range and its meat is considered a delicacy in those snow-laden regions.

The antlers of two fighting bulls sometimes get locked, and they eventually starve to death.

SOURCE: coniferousforest.com

Tuesday Trivia: How Well Do You Know the King?

Elvis Presley, one of the most recognizable musicians of all time, undoubtedly earned his nickname as the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” He’s the man who revolutionized American pop music by melding country, gospel, and R&B styles. He was also a major movie star and a beloved sex symbol whose onstage moves, highlighted by those showstopping hip gyrations (hence his other nickname, “Elvis the Pelvis”), inspired generations of performers and flustered his critics.

Decades after his death in 1977 at the age of 42, Elvis Presley continues to sell albums around the globe and remains an indelible influence on the entertainment industry. Read on to learn more about Presley’s life and career.

Elvis Presley is closely associated with Tennessee, but he was born in Mississippi.

Though he’ll forever be associated with Memphis, Tennessee, home to his Graceland mansion, Elvis Presley was actually born in Tupelo, Mississippi, on January 8, 1935. It was there that Presley began to sing and play guitar, sometimes even bringing the instrument to school to play gospel music for his classmates. It wasn’t until 1948, when the future King was 13 years old, that the Presley family moved to Memphis.

Music critics were fairly cruel to Elvis Presley in the early days of his career.

Though Presley is one of music’s most respected icons now, early on in his career, many critics mocked everything from his voice to his explicit dancing. “He cannot sing and his whole performance is crude and disgusting,” columnist Dorothy Ricker wrote in the Tampa Bay Times in 1956, before predicting that “in a comparatively short time he will be forgotten.” (Oops!)

In an October 1957 column, Paul Coates of the Los Angeles Mirror went so far as to write that he’d like to “smack that sneer off [Elvis’s] face and send him out for a haircut.”

The cover of Elvis Presley’s debut record influenced another classic rock album.

Elvis’s self-titled debut album, which was released in 1956, included classic hits like “Blue Suede Shoes” and his rendition of Little Richard’s “Tutti Frutti.” Its cover imposed Presley’s name in simple green and pink font on a candid photo of him singing, eyes closed and mouth agape, while strumming a guitar. Another classic album cover paid tribute to this debut decades later: The Clash’s 1979 album London Calling depicts bassist Paul Simonon smashing his own instrument alongside similar text.

Elvis Presley’s identical twin brother died at birth.

Elvis had an identical twin brother, Jesse Garon Presley, who was stillborn. He was buried in a cemetery near the Presleys’ Mississippi home soon after they were delivered.

A TV appearance earned Elvis Presley the nickname “Elvis the Pelvis.”

Presley’s stage persona drew as much attention as his music, especially after he suggestively gyrated his hips while singing “Hound Dog” on the June 5, 1956 edition of NBC’s The Milton Berle Show. The performance earned the 21-year-old the nickname “Elvis the Pelvis,” along with the ire of multiple religious leaders and critics in the media. At the same time, it also gained him the admiration of even more young fans.

Elvis Presley bought Graceland when he was 22 years old.

Elvis’s Memphis mansion, known as Graceland, is now a museum devoted to “The King,” who died there in 1977. Every year, hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to see Presley memorabilia and walk through the mansion’s famously campy, tiki-influenced Jungle Room, where Elvis held some of his final recording sessions. Elvis was just 22 when he bought the estate in 1957 for just over $100,000. The mansion itself was named after Grace Toof, one of the original owners.

Elvis Presley got special permission to postpone his Army service to film King Creole.

Elvis received his Army draft notice in December 1957, much to the dismay of the legions of fans who wrote to the military urging that their hero be excused from service. He was granted an eight-week deferment to finish filming the movie King Creole before starting basic training in March 1958. Presley, who was clear that he didn’t want any special treatment, spent two years in the Army, including 18 months in Germany, where he was promoted to sergeant. His service even inspired the hit musical Bye Bye Birdie, about a teen idol named Conrad Birdie being drafted into the Army.

Elvis Presley’s love of fatty foods was prodigious, especially if bacon was involved.

Elvis is famously associated with a sandwich made with peanut butter, bacon, and banana, then pan-fried in butter like an even fattier grilled cheese. It wasn’t his only extreme dietary indulgence, though: “The King” also enjoyed deep-fried pickles and is said to have once flown from Memphis to Denver just for a massive Fool’s Gold Loaf sandwich, which involves stuffing a pound of bacon, a jar of peanut butter, and a jar of jelly inside a buttery loaf of hollowed-out French bread.

Elvis Presley had a habit of shooting at appliances and other household items.

Most famously, Elvis once opened fire at a Graceland television that was showing a performance by crooner Robert Goulet. Years later, Graceland spokesman Kevin Kern told the Associated Press that the incident was nothing against Goulet personally, saying, “Elvis just shot out things on a random basis.” (In a sort of strange twist, Priscilla Presley ended up starring opposite Goulet many years later, in 1991’s The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear.)

Presley also built a firing range at Graceland and reportedly had a habit of floating flashbulbs in his pool and shooting at them as he indulged on watermelon.

Elvis Presley appeared in more than 30 movies throughout his career.

Elvis appeared as an actor in 31 movies between 1956 and 1972, including Jailhouse Rock; G.I. Blues; and Girls, Girls, Girls. The films and Presley’s performances were often panned by critics, but at the peak of Elvis’s career, they brought his devoted fans to movie theaters in droves—then to record stores to pick up the soundtracks that accompanied the movies. In all, only one of Elvis’s movies lost money at the box office: 1961’s Wild in the Country.

Elvis Presley’s Daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, has her own music career.

While she’ll forever be known as Elvis Presley’s only child (and for marriages to Michael Jackson and Nicolas Cage), Lisa Marie Presley is also a musician in her own right. She has released three albums, including the 2003 gold-certified release To Whom It May Concern, and has collaborated with a wide array of musicians, including Smashing Pumpkins lead Billy Corgan, rock icon Pat Benatar, and even Elvis himself, who posthumously joined his daughter for a duet of “Don’t Cry Daddy,” thanks to some clever editing of the original recordings.

Elvis Presley’s photo with Richard Nixon is one of the most requested at the National Archives.

Once called a threat to American decency, Elvis wrangled a meeting with President Richard Nixon in 1970. “I’m on your side,” Presley told the president, while clad in a distinctive purple velvet suit. Nixon also arranged for Elvis, who collected police insignia, to get a souvenir badge from the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. “The narc badge represented some kind of ultimate power to him,” then-wife Priscilla Presley wrote in her memoir. In 2015, the U.S. National Archives confirmed that the photo of Elvis and Nixon shaking hands gets more requests for reproduction by the public than any other in its collection.

Elvis Presley had a black belt in karate.

While stationed in Germany with the Army, Presley began studying karate, which would remain a passion for him throughout his life. He was awarded his seventh-degree black belt in 1972, and he used his knowledge of the fighting technique to choreograph combat scenes in his movies. He would even show off some of his moves on stage during concerts.

Elvis Presley’s Manager, Colonel Tom Parker, was only kind of a colonel.

Elvis’s career was managed by Colonel Tom Parker, known for his strict control over his performances and for taking half of Elvis’s earnings as his fee. (“He takes 50 percent of everything I earn,” Parker quipped of Presley.) Despite being called “Colonel,” Parker never came close to the rank when in the Army. It was an honorary title he received from country singer and songwriter Jimmie Davis after Parker aided Davis’s successful bid for Louisiana governor.

Elvis Presley had an eclectic pet menagerie at Graceland.

Once he moved to Graceland, Elvis had no shortage of animals on site, from donkeys and a monkey to more conventional pets like dogs and horses. There was even a mynah bird that learned to mimic strings of profanity while hanging around Elvis and his friends. Visitors to Graceland can see the horses the museum keeps today in honor of Elvis and his array of animals.

Elvis Presley had one of the most successful concert residencies in history.

The singer of “Viva Las Vegas” once performed a now-astonishing 636 sold-out shows at Vegas’s International Hotel, appearing twice a night, seven days a week beginning in 1969. The appearances cemented a career resurgence that began with a comeback special, which aired on NBC in 1968. Years after Elvis and other early rockers had yielded the pop charts to newer acts like The Beatles in the early ’60s, “The King” was back.

Elvis Presley never performed outside of North America.

Although his music remains popular around the world, Elvis Presley almost never performed abroad. In fact, his only appearances outside the United States were all in Canada. The reason why is unclear, although it’s often been suggested that the decision may have been related to the uncertain immigration status of his longtime manager, Netherlands-born Colonel Tom Parker.

SOURCE: MENTAL FLOSS

https://www.mentalfloss.com/authors/steven-melendez

Thank you…thank you very much…

What Shall We Bake Today?

Today’s offering is Banana Bundt cake from Southern Living—which combines the goodness of banana bread with the richness of a bundt cake!

Banana Bundt Cake

Ingredients

Cake

Baking spray with flour

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon table salt

3/4 cup salted butter, softened

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup packed light brown sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup whole milk, at room temperature

1 cup mashed very ripe bananas

1 cup chopped toasted pecans

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Glaze

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Additional Ingredient

Chopped toasted pecans

Directions

Prepare the Cake:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 16-cup Bundt pan generously with baking spray. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.

Beat butter and cream cheese until creamy, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Gradually add granulated sugar and brown sugar, beating until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating on low speed just until blended after each addition.

Beat in bananas, pecans, and vanilla just until combined.

Spoon batter into prepared pan, and spread evenly.

Bake the Cake:

Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Loosen edges of cake from sides of pan using an offset spatula; carefully remove from pan, and invert onto wire rack.

Cool completely, about 2 hours.

Prepare the Glaze:

Whisk together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla in a medium bowl until completely smooth. Spoon Glaze over top of cooled Cake, allowing Glaze to drip down sides. Garnish with chopped toasted pecans. Let stand 30 minutes before slicing.

ENJOY!

Happy Dress Up Your Pet Day!

These pets have the most patient, loving personalities to allow their owners to dress them up like this. So let’s start the parade, shall we?

In the dramatic division…

In the comedic division…

In the best dressed division…

In the cute as a button division…

And finally, the group division…

I have had many pets over the years, but I have never, never dressed any of them up. (I just thought that needed to be said.)

Winnie the Pooh Was onto Something…

This article on the Cleveland Clinic’s website, written by dietitian Mira Ilic, MS, RDN, LD.

details the benefits of honey!

Winnie the Pooh might have been on to something. While honey is known as a natural way to sweeten foods, it may have benefits for your body, too, says registered dietitian Mira Ilic, MS, RDN, LD.

How honey is made

Honey is a liquid sweetener that bees make. After they collect nectar from flowers, they take it back to the hive and regurgitate it. Then, the other bees chew it until it becomes honey. The bees deposit the honey into tiny, waxy storage units called honeycombs. They fan it with their wings to dry it out. This process makes it stickier.

“Honey gets its sweetness from its chemical makeup,” Ilic says. “It’s made up of two simple sugars called glucose and fructose, along with some minerals.”

Types of honey

The U.S. boasts more than 300 different types of honey. You can buy it:

Raw: Raw honey comes straight from the hive. “Raw honey is the least processed and probably has the most antioxidants,” Ilic says. Despite its raw status, it’s considered safe to eat except for children younger than 1, who should avoid all honey.

Pasteurized: Pasteurized honey has been processed to remove imperfections and improve its shelf life. “It can also be spiked with added corn syrup or other sweeteners,” Ilic notes. “Not all honey sold in the stores is the same even though it all starts naturally in the hive.”

Why is some honey light and others dark?

Whether honey is light or dark in color depends on which kind of plant the bees who made it took the nectar from. “For instance, dark buckwheat yields dark honey,” says Ilic. “But nutritionally, there’s evidence that darker honey has less water and more antioxidants than light-colored honey.”

Honey has so many different tastes you can enjoy compared to plain sugar, she adds. “It can be sweeter or more bitter, depending on the flower source.”

Light honey varieties

Light-colored honey tends to be mild in flavor. Varieties include:

Acacia honey: It has floral scents and sweetness but doesn’t change the taste of what you put it in, such as tea and oatmeal, Ilic says.

Clover honey: This honey is common in the U.S. “It has a floral, sweet taste and a bit of a sour aftertaste,” says Ilic. “It’s good for baking, sauces and dressings.”

Dark honey varieties

Dark honeys are known for their stronger flavors. Examples include:

Buckwheat honey: “This full-flavored honey can be used in marinades,” says Ilic.

Manuka honey: Manuka honey comes from the nectar and pollen of the Manuka bush in New Zealand. “Studies have shown it contains antioxidants, along with antibacterial and antifungal properties. It’s also expensive,” adds Ilic. It’s traditionally used topically to treat burns, cuts and sores.

Is crystallized honey bad?

Store honey in a cool location away from sunlight. But sometimes, even in the perfect spot, honey can crystallize and solidify. “Honey with a higher ratio of glucose versus fructose crystallizes sooner,” Ilic explains. “Glucose may also attach to the little particles of honeycomb and pollen in raw honey and is more likely to crystallize as a result.”

But crystallized honey is still safe to eat: Ilic recommends using it as a spread, like butter. You can also re-liquefy it by putting the container in a warm water bath.

Honey’s health benefits

Honey contains antioxidants, minerals, enzymes that have many potential health benefits. There’s also evidence that honey can:

Soothe coughs: The World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Academy of Pediatrics both endorse honey as a natural cough remedy.

Treat wounds and burns: Pharmaceutical-grade manuka honey dressings have been used in clinical settings to treat burns and pressure ulcers.

“Many other claims have been made about the health benefits of honey – some based on very small studies, others overstated and based on mixed study results,” Ilic says. “Additional studies are needed.”

How to add honey to your diet

While honey has health qualities that other sugars only dream of, Ilic says it’s still an added sugar — and eating too much of it can wreak havoc on your health. The American Heart Association recommends:

Women: Consume no more than 6 teaspoons daily of added sugars (100 calories).

Men: Consume no more than 9 teaspoons daily of added sugars (150 calories).

Those limits include all sources of added sugar in your diet, so use honey in moderation to avoid exceeding the limits, says Ilic. “Try sweetening plain yogurt with a light drizzle of honey and add your own fruit, instead of eating flavored yogurt with too much added sugar.” You could also use honey in sauces and marinades or as a skin mask.

If you want to use honey medicinally, Ilic says talk with your health care professional first.

How to choose honey

Ilic’s first tip? The best honey doesn’t come in a cute little plastic teddy bear. That kind of honey is processed and less beneficial than its counterparts.

“The clearer the honey, the more processed it is. Raw honey seems to be the better choice,” she says.” It’s likely to have some pollen and more enzymes because it’s not treated with heat. Pollen may have beneficial properties. But pollen does make honey look foggier.”

If you’re buying honey from a local source, she also recommends asking:

Where did the honey come from?

Did the seller produce it?

What can they tell you about it?

Ilic adds that an “organic” label doesn’t automatically mean the honey is healthier or better quality. “Bees sometimes fly a few miles past their pesticide- and herbicide-free property to ones with flowers that aren’t. And even organic honey may be ultra-pasteurized.”

SOURCE: CLEVELAND CLINIC

Mira Ilic, MS, RDN, LD.

Gurney’s Pitta

Gurney’s pitta (Hydrornis gurneyi) is a medium-sized passerine bird. It breeds in the Malay Peninsula, with populations mainly in Myanmar. The common name and Latin binomial commemorate the British banker and amateur ornithologist John Henry Gurney (1819-1890). Its diet consists of slugs, insects, and earthworms.

Description

The male has a blue crown and black-and-yellow underparts; the rest of the head is black, and it has warm brown upper parts. The female has a brown crown and buffy-whitish underparts.

Status and conservation

Gurney’s pitta is endangered. It was initially thought to be extinct for some time after 1952, but was rediscovered in 1986. Its rarity has been caused by the clearance of natural forest in southern Burma and peninsular Thailand.

Its population was estimated at a mere nine pairs in 1997, then believed one of the rarest bird species on earth. A search for it in Burma in 2003 was successful and discovered that the species persisted at four sites with a maximum of 10-12 pairs at one location. This granted the species a reassessment from the IUCN, going from critically endangered to endangered. Later on, further research completed in Burma by 2009 provides strong evidence that its global population is much greater than previously estimated, owing to the discovery of several new territories in this country.

The pitta was voted the “most wanted bird in Thailand” by bird watchers visiting that country.

SOURCE: THAI NATIONAL PARKS

Russell Cave National Monument

A relatively small cave in what is today northeastern Alabama, Russell Cave has been home to virtually every cultural group in the region. The cave, one of many archeological sites in the Russell Cave National Monument, provided shelter to various groups for approximately 12,000 years – from roughly 10,000 BC to 1650 AD. This staggering achievement makes Russell Cave one of the oldest rock shelters in the eastern United States. Archeological remains found beyond the mouth of the cave and in other surrounding areas provide additional evidence and markers of this long period of settlement.

The cave and associated burial sites and shelters are all the more remarkable, because the occupation and use of the area was regular, providing a chronological layering of artifacts from before recorded history to the modern era. Created when part of the cave collapsed, the shelter inside the cave is roughly 30 by 65 yards and has a streambed that forms part of the cave floor. Attracted by a year-round water source and the consistent temperature inside the cave, many American Indian groups regularly used Russell Cave as a seasonal dwelling place. The cave is located in a valley along the Tennessee River, which helped supply the cave occupants with shellfish and game. Given the location of the cave within the valley, it is probable that the entire area was a hunting ground even before the formation of the cave. As American Indian groups discovered the cave, and camped and lived in it, they found food and raw materials to develop tools on the land around it. They also used the surrounding land for religious ceremonies, including burial of the dead. More recently, this land was the possible site of a log cabin as well as two historic coalmines and associated structures.

Paleoindian peoples, the first humans in North America, were the first group to use Russell Cave. Artifacts from this period tend to be projectile points formed of stone quarried nearby and sharpened into points inside the cave. The majority of objects found at Russell Cave, though, come from three later archeological stages: the Archaic Stage (7000 to 500 BC), the Woodland Stage (500 BC to 1000 AD), and the Mississippian Stage (1000 to 1600 AD). While Archaic dwellers were sedentary hunters and gatherers with few social divisions, the material culture of the Woodland period indicates that larger populations supported the development of a social structure and widening trade networks. In general, people of the Mississippian Stage were very sedentary travelling less than previous groups and relying heavily on the cultivation of crops. They also had highly developed religious ceremonies and political structures. The artifacts recovered from Russell Cave reflect the technological and social changes typical for the Archaic, Woodland, and Mississippian Stages.

Given the long history of settlement of Russell Cave, the archeological material provides a level of depth uncommon at other sites. In both the cave and surrounding areas, the continued presence of humans has resulted in a collection of artifacts that almost trace the complete development of some technologies. The cave has yielded projectile points, fishhooks (7500 to 5000 BC and 3500 to 500 BC), basketry (7500 to 5000 BC), and ceramics (7500 BC to 1540 AD). Pottery shards date from the earliest ceramic pieces to those of the early 19th century, and some of the fishhooks are of a type not seen anywhere else. Outside the cave, in some of the outlying archeological areas, seed evidence remains of the maize and other crops cultivated as early as 500 BC.

Residency in the cave and use of the adjacent areas in religious ceremonies declined after about 1000 AD as the local populations, who had formerly used the cave as temporary seasonal shelter, developed permanent year-round villages. Following the arrival of the Europeans in the early 1500s, the use of the Russell Cave area practically ceased, as new settlers replaced American Indian groups. Artifacts from after the mid-1500s indicate that the cave saw only sporadic use as a hunting camp before becoming private property in 1817. The Russell family owned the cave at one point, giving the cave its name. The cave site represents the development of early culture and society and provides important evidence of how American Indians of the region lived for thousands of years.

Despite its eventual decline as a shelter, Russell Cave National Monument offers a unique opportunity to view the past in the present. Although the natural setting has changed slightly since 10,000 BC, the site of the cave itself has remained relatively unaltered. Today, the visitor center and museum present artifacts and reproductions of objects found in and around the cave as well as films about the earliest settlers in the region. Ranger-led cave tours allow visitors to explore the cave itself; other tours conducted by the rangers demonstrate pre-contact weaponry and tools. A visit to Russell Cave is a journey through the early settled history of the Americas presented not only through artifacts, but also through a tour of the very site where people have lived for thousands of years.

SOURCE: NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

Weird Wednesdays: The Mushroom House

Today’s offering is The Mushroom House in Cincinnati, Ohio.

In Cincinnati’s Hyde Park neighborhood lies a building that looks like it came right out of a children’s storybook. This is Ohio’s very own Mushroom House, also known as the TreeHouse.

Built by Terry Brown, this landmark marks the great architect’s creative genius. The house took more than a decade to create; construction began in 1992 and ended in 2006. It served as Brown’s secondary residence, architecture studio and teaching tool for his students.

The landmark itself is a simple one-bedroom house. The most prominent features are its copper ceilings and an orange spiral staircase entry. Terry Brown’s creation has porthole windows that sit against a swirling cedar exterior, which is what gives it its fairytale-like appearance. The side of the house is covered in warped shingles that were placed there to resemble the underside of a mushroom. The bulbous roofing gives the building an added fungal look.

The inspiration behind this building came from Brown’s desire to create spaces that would relate to human activity. Brown realized early on in his career that space and people are connected. Hence, he started to build small structures that would feature intimate spaces.

The Mushroom House was the result of experimental architecture. The structure could only be built after many meticulous drawings and complicated geometric calculations. Brown’s aim was to use materials that are not conventionally used to build houses and to combine elements that are not typically combined.

After Brown’s passing in 2008, the hype for the Mushroom House did not die down. The house remains a Cincinnati landmark that attracts people from afar. Currently, the structure is being looked after by Brown’s friend, Paul Lausha. Brown’s other works are exhibited at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., and the Architectural League of New York.

SOURCE: VALE MAGAZINE