Monthly Archives for January 2020

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Astronauts Work to Repair Cooling System at the International Space Station

Technology - Josephine - January 14, 2020

The heat wave may be moving to the International Space Station, as one-half of the cooling system unexpectedly shut down over the weekend, causing astronauts to act quickly to prevent overheating. According to Associated Press reporter Marcia Dunn, while Tracy Dyson performed the equipment shutdown procedures to keep equipment form overheating, Douglas Wheelock set up a jumper cable to keep rooms affected by the shut down cool. The astronauts are not in danger; however, there is no back up now that one of the two ammonia lines is shut down. The station has two spare ammonia pumps located on the outside of the station that will require complicated spacewalks later this week to replace the broken pump.

The International Space Station (ISS) has had its share of complications, problems and breakdowns since construction began in the late 1990s. In September 2004, problems with the Russian Elektron, which was used to generate oxygen for the space station, had caused it to shut down again. This had been an ongoing problem for the ISS, creating delays in future missions and continued construction. The computers on the ISS crashed in June 2007, affecting the station’s ability to produce oxygen again. However, it also affected the station’s ability to orient itself, remain in correct orbit, shift orientation to avoid debris and point its solar panels toward the sun. It took over four days to resolve the crash and get the computers back up and running. In November 2008, an automated docking system began to experience problems during the final phase of docking, requiring a cosmonaut to use a joystick to manually dock a cargo ship.

In the fall of 2007, power problems plagued the ISS, forcing astronauts on the Discovery, docked at the station, to extend their stay to repair the problems. A malfunctioning rotary joint, which keeps the ISS solar panels turned toward the sun, had to be kept in a locked position limiting the amount of energy that could be generated. At the same time, a ripped solar wing further decreased the station’s ability to generate power.

The International Space Station is much like a home and its appliances – – there are problems during the construction, and constant repairs are necessary to keep it in good condition and operating correctly. The breakdowns and problems have been repaired and construction continued in spite of them. However, one of the major problems, which the ISS faces today, is funds. Funds to complete all construction and to maintain the station will be a constant drain on the budgets of countries participating in the ISS.

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Angelo’s Caffe the Best Little Coffee Shop in Oak Harbor – WA

Food and Drinks - Josephine - January 10, 2020

What can I say about the “The Best Little Coffee Shop” in Oak Harbor, except you have to try it for yourself, and believe me, you will not be disappointed. It’s the best place to meet for a break from work, or for a nice breakfast or lunch. It’s great for groups wanting a meeting area that caters to their coffee needs as well. So whatever your fancy – Angelo’s Caffe is the place.

Angelo’s is conveniently located in the heart of Historic Oak Harbor, close to shopping and within walking distance to the Oak Harbor Marina. The minute you walk in the door the friendly smiles will greet you and the smell of coffee will delight you.

At Angelo’s you will find a fair size seating area where groups can meet, along with a couch and a big screen TV, for those wanting to catch up on the daily news or to read the newspaper. There is also a small wine bar with select beers and wines available to compliment your lunch.

Their breakfasts consist of a variety of Italian-style Frittata, these are golden eggs similar to an omelet, served with fresh fruit and homemade berry buckle, which is a dense berry coffee cake with crumb topping, and is baked fresh daily, using a 1950’s family recipe.

Breakfast choices also include creamy, slow cooked oatmeal, egg sandwiches served on croissants or bagels. They feature 4 styles of Eggs Benedict, one is “Benedict Italiano” – which is a fluffy English muffin, creamy fresh mozzarella, fresh basil and sliced tomato, then topped with a poached egg and homemade Benedict sauce, served with fresh fruit. Simply delightful!

For lunch there are a variety of organic salads, sandwiches on homemade focaccia-style bread, made from scratch soups, pastas, and Italian Crostata which is a quiche-like pie made with ricotta cheese and other wonderful fillings.

What sets Angelo’s apart from some of the other coffee shops, is that they use only “local” grass fed beef, “local” fish and all organic salads, for all the favorite drinks such as latte’s, mocha’s and cappuccino they only use “organic” coffees. Some of their other specialties are: homemade Tiramisu, Cannoli and mouth watering fruit tarts. Angelo’s also offers catering services for all your party and Holiday needs. In summer time you can enjoy the warm sunshine in their outdoor seating area under the umbrella’s.

At Angelo’s the food is always delicious, the drinks delightful and the warm and cozy atmosphere will keep you coming back time and time again. Cheers!

They are open for business 6 days a week, and closed on Monday’s. Hours of operation are:

  • Tues – Sat. 7AM – 5PM, Sunday 8AM – 4PM
  • Location: 670 SE Pioneer Way, Oak Harbor, WA 98277 (360-675-4053)

Other coffee shops in the area:

Espresso Connection

  • 32199 SR 20
  • Oak Harbor, WA 98277 (360-675-0731)

Café Delisio

  • 957 Ault Field Rd.
  • Oak Harbor, WA 98277 (360-682-6933)

Jet Java

  • 34933 SR 20
  • Oak Harbor, WA 98277 (360-279-8150)

Whidbey Coffee (numerous shops on Whidbey Island)

  • 980 Pioneer Way
  • Oak Harbor (360-679-1162)
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An Overview of All the New Changes in Pet Society, Including New Locations & Other Updates

Pets - Josephine - January 6, 2020

Pet Society has changed! A new Pet Society layout has arrived, and it may bring you some confusion. However, believe it or not, the Pet Society makers didn’t do this to make this confuse you; they did it to make this Facebook application much cleaner and easier to navigate around. Here is a summary of the most major changes on site navigation and display, as well as other helpful tips for the new Pet Society layout.

First of all, you’ll easily notice that everything is Bigger! The game screen has been made wider, helping many people who possibly can’t see as well as others for one reason or another. At first, you may see this as an annoying change. Soon, however, you’ll discover why the developers made the change. Now, you can see a much larger portion of your friends’ farms at once, making finding and performing actions much easier than before. The Secret rooms, like the Tree House Room and the Secret Garden, are wider as well; all for your benefit!

Next, some links to common locations have also been moved around. The Bank of Pet Society is no longer an option on the Town Map. Instead, you can click the Add Coins button to be brought straight to the bank. The Cooking, Tutorial and Stickers links have all been condensed into one handy Books tab, which you will find right next to the Friends tab. No longer are those links on the main screen of Pet Society.

Now for some friend-related news. A new location called Friend Street has been placed on the lower left of the town map. On this street, you can visit all of your friends and bump the newly moved trees, which are no longer placed on the town map. Also friend-related, the Active tab and the Visits tab do not exist in simple form anymore. Now, the colour of background of your friend changes from blue or pink, depending on their gender, to a middle, more neutral colour, which takes care of the Visits tab. The Active tab is no longer needed because of a new system of visiting friends, which gives coin amounts depending on what number of visits you make, rather than the activeness of the player. The coin amounts are as follows:

  • First fifty visits: thirty-five coins
  • Next twenty-five visits: twenty-five coins
  • Any other visits: fifteen coins

Finally, there are a few more minor, but still notable, changes. Your Wardrobe and Chest are now categorized by different types, such as “toys”, making finding your items much easier. Also, the Hygiene Bar and Happiness Bar have been removed. Happiness is no longer affected by anything in the game, meaning brushing your pet won’t make a difference in the happiness department. However, hygiene is now measured by the amount of fleas on your pet. Five flies means the pet is as dirty as it gets. Cleaning a fly off a friends pet now gives you twenty coins, for a maximum of eighty coins and, therefore, four flies.

Those are the last of the major changes! While you may feel a little uncomfortable at first, before you know it, you’ll have adapted to the changes and every action will be natural again. Refer to this guide again when you need some help navigating Pet Society’s new layout. Good luck, and have fun at Pet Society!

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A Winning Formula for Weight Loss

Health and Fitness - Josephine - January 3, 2020

There are no shortages of diet fads and diet tips out there. It seems that the more complicated the advice, the less likely it is to have lasting impact on weight loss. The best formulas are those that will promote changes in habits over the long term. For me personally, the most profound advice I ever read was summed up in one simple formula:

One Pound = 3,500 calories

So how can this help you with weight loss? Easy. Just think of it this way. For every 3,500 calories you consume that you do not burn off, you gain a pound. For every 3,500 calories you burn off above and beyond what you consume, you lose a pound. The key to weight loss, therefore, is a net difference of calories through a combination of decreased calorie intake and increased calorie burn-off.

Think of it this way: extra weight is a lot like debt. The calories you burn off each day are a lot like your take-home pay- they are the calories you are free to consume in any given day without going “over budget.” When you consume beyond this point, it is like putting something on your credit card. I know, I know, you have good intentions of exercising tomorrow to burn off that dessert you are eating today, just like you have great intentions of paying off that purchase you made on your credit card. But somehow we so easily end up with the extra pounds (or the credit card bill).

So what are we to do?? Well, in our debt example, we have two choices- in order to pay off our debt we can earn more, or spend less. In our extra pounds language this means eat less or exercise more. I should say eat less AND exercise more, because those who know tell us that reducing what we eat alone will not solve our extra pounds problem. Our bodies are tricky. If we eat less, our body will think it’s about to be starved, and will switch into a lower metabolism rate in order to protect itself.

So we need to eat less AND exercise more, and this is where we return to our formula. One pound = 3,500 calories. Start with a reasonable goal of losing one pound per week. That means you must change your eating/ exercise habits by 3,500 calories a week or 500 calories per day. A brisk thirty minute walk equals about 150 calories. Cutting out that second glass of OJ in the morning is 100. Eating half a bagel instead of a whole bagel is another 100. Trim down your portions and reduce/eliminate a snack and you have your 500 calories. Not too bad. Keep this up over time and you will have a healthy lifestyle change that will reap on-going benefits.

Some things to remember:

always check with your doctor before beginning any exercise program    choose healthy foods with lots of fiber.    Limit the saturated fat and cut the trans fat.    don’t be discouraged if you don’t see immediate results. You will not look like the diet ads “after” picture in a few weeks. This is a lifestyle change- with a long-term goal    don’t pay too much attention to the scale. If you are building muscle, and losing fat, you may GAIN a bit of weight because muscle weighs more than fat. Pay more attention to how your clothing feels

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A Creative Mother’s Approach to Dealing with Sibling Rivalry

Parenting - Josephine - January 1, 2020

Dealing with sibling rivalry is a parenting issue all parents who have more than one child must face at one time or another. As a child, I’m sure I gave my parents plenty of headaches over sibling rivalry, arguments about who was more loved, jealousy and competition with my brothers and sisters. After the birth of my second child, I received the payback parents always warn their children about when they’re being disciplined. You know, the speech that goes something like this: “Some day, you’re going to have a child exactly like you. Then you’ll understand.”

My older daughter was 3 ½ years old when our new baby was born. She was accustomed to being the only child and garnering mommy’s full attention. Of course, with a new baby joining the family that all changed and the inevitable sibling rivalry soon began.

When the green-eyed monster of jealousy entered our home, my “big girl” soon reverted to acting like a baby. All of a sudden, the child who had been mobile since 10 months was insisting on being carried like a baby. She no longer wanted to sit at the table and eat like a big kid. Instead, she wanted to be held in my lap, which was usually occupied. Now, please don’t get me wrong. My older daughter was thrilled to have a little sister. She was simply a typical child and longed to be the focus of our attention. Of course, little babies require more attention and she quickly picked up on this fact. So, she decided if she were a baby again everything would be great.

Instead of getting upset with her, I got creative and found my own playful approach to deal with the sibling rivalry. It’s a parenting experiment I affectionately dubbed as Codename: Operation Baby for the Day. The next morning, I announced to my older daughter that she would, in fact, become a baby for the day. At first, she was excited. In her mind, this meant no picking up toys or eating yucky vegetables. It also meant being carried by mommy and daddy everywhere she went. For the first hour or two, my amused child thought this was a lot of fun. After a few hours of sitting around and watching everybody else play, however, my daughter decided being a baby wasn’t perfect either. When lunchtime came around and her typical peanut butter sandwich was replaced with a big jar of mushy, green baby food, she was grateful to see the experiment come to an end. It was then that she realized how many things her baby sister couldn’t do that she, as the big sister, could do. My child learned that small babies don’t get to eat pizza, dance around the house, or help mommy and daddy do special projects. Instead, they have to take naps, lay around and watch everyone else have fun, and eat disgusting, concoctions of smashed meats and vegetables.

So what was the result of this fun parenting experiment? My daughter received a quick, memorable lesson in life. She realized that while it’s nice to be the baby and be coddled to sometimes, it’s also nice to be a “big girl” and receive the privileges that go along with it. Although each of the children received attention in different ways, they are equally important to and loved by mommy and daddy. While it definitely wasn’t the last experience in dealing with sibling rivalry, it has served as a fun reminder to simply be happy being who she is instead of being jealous of her sister or anyone else.

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