Marilyn's Photos - May 29th 2025 - Chase the Cheese

 

Quaint - what do you think of?  I think of things from long ago. Old-fashioned would be a synonym.  Do we have quaint traditions here in Canada?  Now that we are considering our identify more, it might be time to roll out the cute things about us.  Maple syrup at the sugar shack is not quaint, but might be cute. Now here's quaint:  chasing a  7 to 9 pound Double Gloucester cheese wheel down a hill in Gloucester, England.  What makes it quaint?  It has been going on since at least 1826.  It happens at Coopoer's Hill each year.  The first person over the finish line at the bottom of the hill wins the cheese.   Notable in the Wikipedia entry is the paragraph on injuries - with the steepness of the hill and its unevenness, there are injuries of participants and spectators every year.  It makes the international news, so likely is one of the top quaint things to do this time of year. Back to Canada, land of newcomers and international students who might want to know what to expect of us, there are lots of headlines on what newcomers should know about Canada that appears "quirky."  Quaint doesn't come up that much.    Consensus has it our May 24th weekend is our quaint and quirky tradition.  This is where 2-4 also means a case of beer, so there is a double meaning in the tradition.  We are the only country to celebrate this as a national holiday.  Even England doesn't celebrate this like we do.  We started the tradition way back in 1845, so this is definitely on the quaint side of things. This cute little koi at the Royal Botanical Gardens pond in the greenhouse looks like it is sleepy time swimming.

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Oct 16 2024 - Biggest Jackpot Win

 

When did lotteries start? I don't remember the beginning, but I was here at the time.  in Ontario is was in 1975 with the establishment of the Ontario Lottery Corp.  The Canada-wide lottery, Canada Lotto 6/49 started in 1982.   Is the history of lotteries fascinating?  It doesn't seem so to me. China seems to be the origin in 205 BC or so.  But is that fascinating?  Mostly lottery history is about scams and cheating by the lottery owners so that lotteries got banned. Maybe scamming is what is fascinating about lotteries.  So many ways and methods.   There must have been some optimism in the 1960s that governments could keep things honest and legal. The Irish Sweepstakes shows up as the first modern lottery.  It was introduced in 1963 and could be played around the world.  It was so popular that it didn't take long for other countries and governments to take note.  Government-run Lotteries rationalize their existence by allocating funds to public causes and organizations.  Here's how Ontario works it: $2.36 billion: Net Profit to the Province, of which $2.2 billion went to the operation of hospitals and other provincial priorities and the balance earmarked to problem gambling prevention, treatment and research, local and provincial charities and Ontario’s amateur athletes $265.6 million: in commissions paid to lottery retailers across Ontario $199.4 million: for goods and services purchased from Ontario businesses to support gaming facilities operated by OLG $146.3 million: to municipalities and First Nations that host gaming facilities and Charitable Gaming Centres $137.3 million: to Ontario First Nations through the Gaming Revenue Sharing and Financial Agreement $36.4 million: in Charitable Gaming proceeds distributed to participating local charities $2.5 million: to community festivals and events The story of lottery scams remains current.  There are many types of scams and many people engaged in scamming.  There is advice on how to avoid the many scams,  so the articles are long.   There are lottery defeater scams where the promise is that a secret system will help people win the lottery.  There are the fraudsters who make fraudulent claims to a lottery ticket.  A version of that is called "hijacking".  What really gets our attention is the possibility of winning so much money.  And where would the biggest win of all times be?  It would be the U.S. The largest lottery jackpot to date, a Powerball drawing, was won on Nov. 7, 2022. On Feb. 14, 2023, California Lottery officials revealed the name of the winner, Edwin Castro, but did not release further information about him at his request.  And the amount was the record-breaking $2.05 billion US. In the U.S. there are various ways of cashing the winnings.  Mr. Castr chose the single lump sum of $997.6 million.  Oops!  He had to pay taxes, too.  I asked the AI tool in photoshop to complete the little orange koi fish.  Here's one of its offerings.  I've tried this about a dozen times now.  It wants great big orange fish in the picture.

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Copyright (C) 2

Aug 30 2024 - Cold Cases

 

There's a headline identifying the person found frozen in a cave below the Pinnacle on the Appalachian Trail.  tThat was in 1977.  He was known as Pinnacle Man.  He remained unidentified until recently.  That's how he is in the headlines.  The autopsy conducted in January 1977 listed the man's cause of death as an overdose.  The death was declared a suicide.  No one claimed his body.  He was buried in the Berks County Potter's Field - I guess that's for the unclaimed.  As part of the process, his fingerprints were taken.  But this information as lost. Why is it that they decided in August 2019 to exhume his body.  It was examined by a forensic anthropologist, pathologist and odontologist.  The dental exam samples were shipped to the University of North Texas Centre for Human Identification.  No identification resulted.   "Earlier this month, a cold case officer found Grubb’s original fingerprint cards and submitted them to the FBI for examination. An agent found a match in less than an hour on August 27, finally identifying him.  A relative to Grubb confirmed his identity. So here's the situation:  The immediate family is now deceased.  A first cousin was found and is quoted as saying: “All I knew is that he disappeared and spent some time in Colorado,” he said. “I’ve always been kind of intrigued by it.”  That doesn't sound like a concerned relative either.  More on the family history is in the article HERE This has no logic to me - to solve cold cases that don't involve a crime or missing person. Shouldn't there be a victim of crime, or family pursuing a disappeared person? Cold case investigations are notably homicides, sexual assaults and burglaries. Articles say that cases never are put aside if there is homicide involved - they may be cold, but not closed.  I'm focused on why the attention to this case and not others, given the costs involved.  The cost of the expertise, time and effort involved - exhumation is said to cost in the thousands of dollars - one article said the cost of exhuming her father would total $20,000, including expenses, medical examiner, etc. And that seems a small portion of all the activities that led to the identification.  Look how many experts were involved in the forensic examination. The only rationale I can think of around this cold case is that it would make the news headlines.  In pursuit of celebrity status, perhaps.

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July 17 2024 - No Stupid Question

 

Is that really true?  Is there no stupid question?  Someone has already thought of this and compiled a list of questions from various sources.  They claim these are real questions.  I guess they might be - I couldn't come up with some of these.     1.  “If animals could talk, which species would be the rudest of them all?” 2.  “What happens if you don’t show up to a job interview?” 3.  “Are there birds in Canada?” 4.  “What would a chair look like if your knees bent the other way?” 5.  “Should I tell my parents I’m adopted?”  Also, a woman in a chatroom once asked, “How can I be sure I’m the real mom of my kid?” 6.  “What happens if you paint your teeth white with nail polish?” 7.  “Why isn’t 11 pronounced onety one?” 8.  “Can I eat my Himalayan salt lamp?” 9.  “Why does the coronavirus hate us?  What have we done to upset it so much?” 10.  “If the world is going to end, should I buy, sell, or hold stocks?” 11.  “Can I make a PlayStation 5 by linking a PlayStation 2 and a PlayStation 3 together?” 12.  “I was bitten by a turtle when I was young.  Can I still drink orange juice?”  Someone responded to that one and said no, it will reactivate the turtle venom. 13.  “Is an egg a fruit or vegetable?” 14.  “Are skeletons real or made up?” 15.  “Why are the holes in cats’ fur always in the right places for their eyes?” 16.  “Does looking at a PICTURE of the sun hurt your eyes?” 17.  “If I ate myself, would I become twice as big or disappear completely?” 18.  “Why isn’t a cupcake a mineral?” 19.  “Do inflatable dolls count as passengers in the carpool lane?” 20.  “Why are there school?”  That’s how they phrased it . . . “Why are there school?” This list was compiled in 2021 - there are 3 years worth of questions to add to the list.     I put two pictures together to get the Koi under the lily pads.  Sort of works.

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May 24 2024 - Out of Mind

 

Out of sight out of mind - that means forgotten. "in mind" is used for "remembered".  Iwonder how we came about thinking of our "thoughts" as our "mind".  There  are lots of expressions with "mind" in them  Keep that in mind Time out of mind Changed my mind Pay him no mind Call to mind  What about "at the back of your mind" or "be in two minds" - there seem to be locations in there.  And "giving someone a piece of your mind".  Is there a loose bit in there?  Or maybe it is like a pie or a cake and you  give a piece to them.   It could have been münd, mend or mind - Middle English words that came out of the Old English word gemnynd which means memory.  We've had  thousands of years to give names to these things.  This word runs through our everyday actions and experiences.  There are dozens of philosophical expressions on the mind. Here is an interesting one:  The sky is not the limit.  Your mind is.  ~Marilyn Monroe Who would have guessed the author of that one?   Koi at the Royal Botanical Gardens conservatory water pond.

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Mar 28 2024 - Easter hits

 

What about Easter music? From Christian ballads and rock anthems to gospel masterpieces.  A breezy headline to get you to listen to a playlist for Easter that completely misses the mark of the greatest choral work of all time.  The Bach St. Matthew Passion is considered to be the greatest choral work ever written.  Some say of the entire "Western canon".  The other is Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.   And how was the St. Matthew Passion received?  ... too hard, too long, too demanding, too operatic for Lutheran sensitivities. Not religious enough, too theatrical.  Don't play that again, please. Here's an interesting quote from an article on the work: "It took him one year to write the St. Matthew Passion, and it was performed only twice in his lifetime. It’s humbling to think I’ve listened to it more often than Bach himself.” Here's what Bach wrote as an explanation for why he though his music was so good: "My music is better because I work harder. Anyone who works as hard as me will write music that is just as good."  Bach's birthday is coming up - March 31st. Or it might be that it has passed - March 31st. There are two dates listed in biographies.  Beside each is  O.S. or N.S. - old style vs new style - that's when the calendars changed from Julian to Gregorian.    here's another of the Koi pictures.

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Feb 18 2024 - Stolen Children's Art on Fine Art America

 

My website points to the Fine Art America page that I have.  Fine Art America is probably the largest website platform for artists.   It is a print-on-demand art platform with all kinds of products available - not just prints on paper, metal and so on, but printing on fabric for t-shirts, mugs, tote bags, towels and jigsaw puzzles and so on. Today's Globe and Mail is a fraud lawsuit brought against a Quebec school teacher who has posted over a thousand images of his students' work on Fine Art America. The lawsuit is currently for $1.4 million.  The Globe is a little behind - the story has gained international attention and has already made news headlines in Australia, the U.K., and the United States.  I can't imagine the work effort involved - each item has to be uploaded, named, tagged, and so on.   While the artist page and portfolio is gone from Fine Art America, the remnants can be found in google searches.

What great images - a children's collective page would be a wonderful idea.  Too bad he was stealing rather than showcasing all this great talent.  You can see the Fine Art America images interspersed with the News story images.    Koi fish swimming in a circle return us to a more normal realm of images.   Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Oct 21 2023 - Optical Illusions

 

What do you think of optical illusions?  I've always enjoyed them.  The figure-ground shift images of of M.C. Esher's work has always been appealing.   TikTok creator Mia Yilin seems to have "discovered" optical illusion personality tests! The news media picks up these stories and repeats them - here's the newsmediaempire's coverage of this 'spot on' optical illusion that has exploded in popularity online to reveal what your reputation is and what your loved ones admire about your personality.  "This brainteaser was first shared on social media by the optical illusion specialist Mia Yilin, who has shocked users with her ability to read people’s personalities through her quirky psychological pictures." So I gave Google the test to find the sunflower seeds - that's the friendly personality and poor Google missed that one entirely and only found microscopic images of various things.  Not a sunflower seed in sight.   And how did that Daily Express article with a picture of Tom Hanks and a baby get associated with the two men vs sunflower seeds optical illusion? Another test of personality.

From the ridiculous to the sublime of Koi swimming.   Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Feb 9 2023 - Ask Me Anything

 

Bing popped up today with Ask me anything... and a message that this is all new AI searching, give it a try.  I can't seem to be able to bring up the message again to find out more.  So I searched for "What's the new bing?" The timesofindia website has answered that question first.  "Microsoft has described the new Bing as “a research assistant, personal planner, and creative partner at your side whenever you search the web”. Bing can now answer real-world questions with human-like detailed answers." Windows Central has the story on this:  Microsoft just announced a new version of its Bing search engine. The new Bing uses ChatGPT technology to understand questions and generate answers. The search engine runs on the next generation of OpenAI's language model, which is significantly more capable than the version of ChatGPT that has been available since November 2022. A new version of Microsoft Edge will launch alongside the new Bing. That was yesterday, so we are experiencing the new search engine today.  The articles say you can ask anything - how to plan a dinner party, for example.  So I did that search, and I see the answer from paperless post.com looking visually pleasant.  I wonder if this is what they mean by Artificial Intelligence.  I asked what is the best way to see Niagara Ontario, and I get Niagara Falls, Ontario results.  I changed the search to: what are the best attractions in Niagara region, Ontario.  It is slightly enlarged, but still entirely focused on Niagara Falls.   We'll have lots of time to find out about it.   I wonder if Bing is more an illusion - like this Koi swimming into the reflections of the bridge railing.   Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Jan 31 2023 - Ice Fishing

 

Ice fishing. "Some anglers embrace the sport’s solitude while others relish the atmosphere of camaraderie a hut on a frozen lake has to offer." Why do seemingly normal people go out in extremely cold weather to venture onto a frozen snow and a windswept body of water to stare down through a hole in the ice to catch a fish?  And likely throw it back. No answers came forth.  Just advice on where to fish. There are a lot of places in Ontario. "Ontario can make all of your lake trout dreams come true. In addition to enjoying extensive opportunities for lake trout, the waters in which the fish are found are spread almost universally across the province." "The Bay of Quinte, in Prince Edward County is renowned for its trophy winter walleye fishing. The slightly deeper waters host sensational lake trout fishing." We are at the last day of January - a perfect moment to consider ice fishing.  Lots of frozen lakes in Ontario are waiting.   Here's an often-repeated ice fishing joke: A man is out ice fishing when he hears a voice say "You can't fish here!." He looks around and doesn't see anybody, so he goes back to his fishing. Again, out of nowhere the voice returns, more urgent this time, "You can't fish here!" He again looks around and says, "God?" "No, I'm the rink attendant. You can't fish here!" All of my fishing involves taking pictures of Koi in summer gardens or conservatories.  Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Jan 10 2023 - Goldfish to the Rescue

 

Where do goldfish come from?   The goldfish is a well-known species of fish that has been sold world-wide for use in aquariums, ponds and water gardens for hundreds of years. Native to eastern Asia, goldfish were first kept as pets in China around the year 960 and have been reared and sold as pets ever since. They are commonly thought to be the first foreign fish species to be introduced to North America from overseas. Goldfish are often released into ponds, lakes or streams by people who no longer want them. Why do we have them as pets?   Goldfish are excellent starter pets for children or for folks not permitted to own cats, dogs or those with allergies to furred creatures. Here are a few more reasons: You don’t have to take pet goldfish on walks Keeping goldfish as pets will keep your carpet free of mess! Pet goldfish don’t bite or scratch Goldfish are (almost!) odorless Goldfish are inexpensive Goldfish live a long time Keeping goldfish as pets can reduce your anxiety Companionship and entertainment Goldfish are interesting to learn about Goldfish are relatively low-maintenance They are colorful & beautiful creatures  Goldfish are silent They seem to be everywhere.   In Ontario, goldfish are usually found in the wild in quiet areas of vegetated ponds, streams and pools, often in populated urban or suburban areas. The fish are able to tolerate fluctuations in water temperature and water with low levels of dissolved oxygen. They feed mainly on fish eggs, larvae and aquatic plants. In healthy ecosystems, goldfish don’t appear to compete well with some native fish.  Goldfish have been introduced worldwide. They are established in locations throughout all provinces of Canada and all of the United States except Alaska. In Ontario, established populations have been reported along the north shore of Lake Erie, the west end of Lake Ontario, and occasionally in other locations across the province. You may not recognize them in Lake Erie streams, as when they live in the wild, they go a dull brown colour.   I am definitely interested in orange fish - these are all Koi. Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblog.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca