3 tbsp baby oil (I normally use vegetable oil, but was out. Baby oil worked great and provided a lovely scent!)
3 tsp Cream of Tartar
purple and pink food dye
Directions:
Whisk 1 cup water, 1 cup flour, ½ cup salt, 1 tbsp oil, 1 tsp Cream of Tartar, and several drops of purple or pink dye in a saucepan. Heat the dough mixture until it forms a ball. Remove from the pan and knead well. Repeat 2 more times to make the other colors (for white, leave out the food dye). Twist the playdoughs together and roll into a ball to create a marbled effect!
U.S. President Harry S. Truman publicly announces his decision to support the development of the hydrogen bomb, a weapon theorized to be hundreds of times more powerful than the atomic bombs dropped on Japan during World War II.
Five months earlier, the United States had lost its nuclear supremacy when the Soviet Union successfully detonated an atomic bomb at their test site in Kazakhstan. Then, several weeks after that, British and U.S. intelligence came to the staggering conclusion that German-born Klaus Fuchs, a top-ranking scientist in the U.S. nuclear program, was a spy for the Soviet Union. These two events, and the fact that the Soviets now knew everything that the Americans did about how to build a hydrogen bomb, led Truman to approve massive funding for the superpower race to complete the world’s first “superbomb,” as he described it in his public announcement on January 31.
On November 1, 1952, the United States successfully detonated “Mike,” the world’s first hydrogen bomb, on the Eniwetok Atoll in the Pacific Marshall Islands. The 10.4-megaton thermonuclear device, built upon the Teller-Ulam principles of staged radiation implosion, instantly vaporized an entire island and left behind a crater more than a mile wide. The incredible explosive force of Mike was also apparent from the sheer magnitude of its mushroom cloud–within 90 seconds the mushroom cloud climbed to 57,000 feet and entered the stratosphere. One minute later, it reached 108,000 feet, eventually stabilizing at a ceiling of 120,000 feet. Half an hour after the test, the mushroom stretched 60 miles across, with the base of the head joining the stem at 45,000 feet.
Three years later, on November 22, 1955, the Soviet Union detonated its first hydrogen bomb on the same principle of radiation implosion. Both superpowers were now in possession of the “hell bomb,” as it was known by many Americans, and the world lived under the threat of thermonuclear war for the first time in history.
Note:Swami Vivekananda Jayanti and Republic Day fall on Sundays in 2020
Description of Holidays in January 2020
New Year’s Day: New Year’s Day is observed on the first day of the month of January. The celebrations as part of the holiday differ according to one’s culture.
Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti: The holiday commemorates the birthday of the 10th Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Govind Singh. On the occasion, prayers for prosperity are offered in the gurudwaras and large processions are taken out on the roads. As part of the festival, special dishes are prepared and served.
Mannam Jayanthi: The day is celebrated in honour of Mannathu Padmanabha Pillai. Born on 2 January 1878, Pillai is recognised as the founder of Nair Service Society.
Missionary Day: Missionary Day commemorates the arrival of two Welsh Christian missionaries in the state. On the occasion, prayers are held in churches and community feasts are organised.
Bhogi: Bhogi is the first day of the four-day Makar Sankranti festival. On the day, a bonfire is lit at dawn with logs of wood, and other wooden things that are not useful.
Pongal: A harvest festival, Pongal marks the beginning of Uttarayan, sun’s journey northwards. As part of the festival, Kolam is drawn in addition to swinging and cooking of delicious Pongal.
Makar Sankranti: Makar Sankranti marks the first day of sun’s transit into Capricorn. The festival is observed with social festivities like colourful decorations, kite flying, bonfires, feasts, and dances.
Bhogali Bihu: Bhogali Bihu marks the end of the harvesting season. The festival is marked by feasts and bonfires. Traditional Assamese games are held in rural places as part of the celebrations.
Tusu Puja: Tusu Puja is celebrated at the time of harvest by the tea tribes. As part of the festival, folk goddess Tusu is worshipped. Tusu Puja is also known as ‘Til Sankranti’ in some places as ‘til’ (black sesame seed) is considered significant during the puja.
Thiruvalluvar Day: Thiruvalluvar Day is celebrated in honour of celebrated Tamil poet and philosopher Thiruvalluvar. The day is celebrated at the end of the three-day festival of Pongal.
Uzhavar Tirunal: Uzhavar Tirunal, a farmer’s festival is celebrated when the Sun enters the zodiac sign of Capricorn. The festival is celebrated with lots of joy and gaiety. As part of the festival, women sing and dance to music that is specific to the festival.
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Birthday: The day is celebrated in honour of Subhas Chandra Bose. A prominent freedom fighter, Bose fondly called ‘Netaji’ was instrumental in establishing the Indian National Army (INA). On his birthday, his role in the country’s freedom struggle is remembered.
Sonam Lhochar: The festival is celebrated by the Tamang community and it marks the beginning of the Tibetan New Year. As part of the festival, men and women adorn traditional attires, dance to the rhythmic beats of ‘damphu’ and enjoy exotic Tamang cuisine.
Himachal Statehood Day: The day is celebrated to mark Himachal Pradesh becoming the 18th state of the country on 25 January 1971.
Vasant Panchami: A Hindu festival, Vasant Panchami highlights the incoming of spring. The festival is centred on the Hindu goddess Sarasvati. As part of the festival, people dress in yellow and feast on ‘kesar halwa’ which is made of flour, sugar, nuts, and cardamom powder. Students place their books, pens, and pencils near the feet of the goddess and seek her blessings.
Me-dam-me-phi: An auspicious festival, Me-dam-me-phi is celebrated by the Ahom people to show respect to the departed ancestors. The festival helps in creating unity, developing the feeling of brotherhood and mutual understanding among each other.
Given that we have provided you the list of holidays for January 2020, you can start planning a vacation with your near and dear ones straight away.
Being the first month of the calendar year, January has many holidays. The month has one national holiday called ‘Republic Day’, which is celebrated on 26 January every year. The entire country celebrates this national holiday. Regional holidays in January 2020 vary based on the customs and traditions of different states. As a result, festival holidays tend to differ from one state to another. Let’s understand more about the month of January.
Not sure what’s keeping you up at night? It could be all that hot sauce that you keep in your bag.
In one study, men were given tabasco sauce and mustard with their evening meals and had a more difficult time falling asleep. Scientists believe it may have something to do with thermoregulation—the body’s process of regulating its core internal temperature in order to get to sleep.
It’s not just Tabasco sauce either. Spicy meals, in general, could potentially contribute to insomnia and difficulty sleeping.
Nature puts every chirp in its proper place. Avian sounds—flutish trills, alarmlike buzzes, and one-note squawks alike—are immediately absorbed, reflected, and scattered by everything in a bird’s habitat. Nearby leaves or branches, canyon walls, and even the wind influence notes, so over time, species tailor songs to suit those surroundings. Some minimize echoes by putting more space between notes, while others use low frequencies that travel farther. Here’s how some birds have tweaked their waveforms.
This three-part call often consists of soft, low-pitched phrases flourished with a final, elaborate trill—a complex tune compared with other thrushes. The intricacy makes the tune susceptible to warping when it hits vegetation, so males manage by singing from the lower canopy or midstory of forests, where there’s less obstruction.
Northern cardinal
This seconds-long song often begins with a loud string of two-part whistles and ends in a slow trill. Cardinals nest in dense foliage, but they sing from lofty perches so their high-pitched songs can travel long distances without branches and leaves dampening or muffling their notes.
Eastern meadowlark
Amorous males of this species sing from exposed perches like fence posts or telephone lines—or while in flight. The slurred, slightly drooping whistles are easily heard ringing out through their native grasslands. In open areas with few trees to distort their songs, these birds are free to devise complicated and variable tunes.
These marsh-dwellers sometimes repeat their short, choppy melodies up to 300 times per hour in the summer. The explosive sound can bounce through dense cattails and other tangled vegetation at the edges of their native wetlands. By singing ad nauseam, the species ensures at least some repetitions reach potential mates’ ears.
Canyon wren
This cliff-nester makes a musical ripple of cascading notes. Although the melodies bounce and echo off the surrounding canyon walls, the repetitive nature and slow, descending scale help female wrens (and human hobbyists) pinpoint each bird’s location along the steep rock faces it inhabits.
Black-capped chickadee
Because they often live and feed in dense, wooded habitats, these cute bits of fluff can’t always spot other members of their flock, even when they’re close by. The simplicity of their two- or three-note whistles allows a listener to judge the song’s quality (and therefore the singer’s), regardless of any distortion caused by the surrounding forest.
Mws R Writings 