Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone has a fabulous Thanksgiving! Enjoy the turkey! (unless you're a vegetarian like me) I promise to post another blogpost on Monday (:

Monday, November 01, 2010

very interesting.

Here is a timeline of NYC crimes and disasters. Very interesting if you're a NYC history buff like me

Friday, October 29, 2010

Yellow fever

Yellow fever virus under microscope

Yellow fever probably originated in Africa. The first major outbreak in the Americas was in 1648 in Yucatan,  Mexico. The virus was brought to south and central America by ships in the 1500s. The virus is transmitted though female mosquitoes found in tropical and sub tropical climates. In the 1790s there were over 5 major outbreaks in New york, Boston, and Philadelphia that killed over 200,000 people. Many wealthier people evacuated the cities and fled to the country side leaving the poor and the sick behind.
    Yellow fever is a Flavivirus, like ALL other Flaviviruses there is no cure for yellow fever once you get it, although there is an affective vacination you can get. Yellow fever has causes 30,000 deaths a year, mostly in Africa, and South America. The WHO (the world health organization run by the U.N) has called yellow fever a re-emerging disease (since the 1980s the number of cases has been increasing)

Friday, October 22, 2010

My adventures in Butte, Montana

Butte nightlife in the 1930s

Yesterday, as a fun homeschool field trip (I'm homeschooled part time, but i had the day off because of teacher conferences) we went to Butte, Montana, known as the richest hill on earth.
By the 1900s Butte was the largest producer of copper in the world. There was a huge demand for copper during this time, because electricity was new and copper was needed for electric wire. Most buildings got electricity at some point, so if you think of every building in America needing electricity, you will have some idea of how in demand copper was. The three men who where in control of the mining companies were William a. Clark,  Marcus Daly, and F. Augustus Heinze (these men were known as the "Copper Kings"). These men fought over control of the copper for many years. Eventually, William A. Clark created the Anaconda mining company, and "won" the Copper king war. Clark was making around 17 million a month. His mansion, (The copper king Mansion) cost him $250,000, about a half a days wages for him.
  People from all over the world came to Butte to mine in the copper mines. Many people came for better working conditions, higher wages, and a better life for their families. Back when Butte was a boom town it was the biggest north west city in the United States (bigger than Denver, Seattle, and Portland), but today it's population in  only about 33,000 and it feels like the biggest ghost town in the world.
uptown Butte today

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Explore Highgate Cemetery (West), London, England



Every day up until Halloween I will post a picture, and some facts about some of the creepiest cemeteries in the world.
Today's Cemetery is Highgate cemetery in London England. Some famous inhabitants include: George Eliot (Mary Ann Cross), Adam Worth, Douglas Adams, Karl Marx, the Rossetti Family and Lucy Clifford (more here)

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

The Graveyard Book By Neil Gamen

The first chapter of The Graveyard Book starts out with a murder. The first words are, "There was a hand in the darkness, a hand with a knife". The man with the knife murder's almost a whole family. A mother, a father, and a little girl. He goes up to the final child's room to find that the little boy is gone. The man is furious because he had to kill the whole family, and the job isn't done until he does. The in the night the little  boy escaped his crib, and walked to the graveyard on the hill above his house. Meanwhile, the ghosts of the graveyard find the boy. The boy's mother appears in the graveyard as a ghost and begs the graveyard ghosts to protect her son. A family in the graveyard named the Owens take the little boy in and give him the freedom of the graveyard (which means he can walk though walls, see in the dark etc) and name him Nobody Owens (Bod for short).
  In the rest of this book, Bod has many adventures, like going to school with living people, going into an ancient grave with a scary snake-like creature with his friend Scarlett, and at the end of the book, he faces the man that killed his family. I really liked the atmosphere of this book and the art.
four out of five stars ****

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Thursday's unexpected word origin


Sandwitch:
Named After: John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich
Although the act of eating bread with other foods dates back to prehistoric times, the modern sandwich was named after John Montagu. The exact circumstances for the naming is still a matter of debate, with 2 main hypothesizes being argued. The most popular one is that he asked his servants to bring him pieces of meat between slices of bread during long card games so the cards would not get damaged by the grease. The other is that, due to Montagu’s commitments as a statesmen, he needed a quick and easy meal which could be eaten at his desk, a concept that’s common today.
Whichever story is correct, I am sure that he had no idea that what is now one of the most popular, versatile and enduring meals would bear his name. Over 1.69 billion sandwiches were bought in the UK last year. There is even a British Sandwich Association. As well as the eponymous sandwich, Montagu was a very important British statesman, who held many positions of high office in the armed forces and the government. He was an astute politician and an excellent diplomat. He served as First Lord of the Admiralty 3 times, and was also Secretary of State for the North of England. He was a big supporter of exploration, and helped to fund Captain James Cook’s voyages. This led to the Sandwich Islands (now Hawaii), the South Sandwich Islands and Montagu Island, in Alaska, bearing his name.
The 4th Earl of  Sandwitch

Sunday, August 29, 2010

the secret language of flowers


The language of flowers is a complex language which dates back to the medieval ages, but was most popular during the Victorian period, when it was used to converse some what secretly.
  Here is a parcel list of the flowers and there meanings (for a full list try here)
  1. Apple blossom- Preference
  2. Buttercup- Riches
  3. Red Carnation- "My heart aches for you"
  4. Dalia- Elegance and dignity
  5. Elderflower- Compassion 
  6. Forget-Me-Not- True love
  7. Geranium- Gentility (good breeding)
  8. Hibiscus- Rare beauty/ delicate beauty
  9. Ivy- Dependence
  10. Lily Of The Valley- Trustworthy
  11. Morning Glory- Love in vain
  12. Nasturtium- Patriotism
  13. Orchid- Refined Beauty
  14. Red Poppy- Pleasure
  15. Coral Rose- Desire, Passion
  16. Sunflower- Pure and Lofty thoughts
  17. Yellow tulip- Hopeless Love
  18. Blue Violet- Faithfulness
  19. Wheat- Wealth and Prosperity
Now use your knowledge  for good instead of evil (;

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Another sinkhole?

Well you know how I'm fascinated in sinkholes, so finding there's been another one made my day (: This 20ft wide 200ft long and 20ft deep sinkhole almost swallowed a sonic restaurant and a car wash in Cleavland Georgia. Luckily everyone was able to evacuate safely, although the staff of 16 will be out of work for awhile. The sinkhole was caused by heavy rain, and a rusty 25 year old pipe that broke under the buildings.  Here is a video about it.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

posting issues


I'm sorry if your comments haven't been being published lately. I'm not really sure why it isn't working, but I think that I've fixed the problem. please send me an email if your comment hasn't been published (montanairregulars@gmail.com) Thank you!
  

memento mori or remember you must die

Memento Mori (see the ghost?)

Memento mori in Latin means "remember your mortally" or "remember you must die" so this subject interested me greatly.
   In Victorian England when people died, their family's would photograph the dead bodies with the family in a way of remembering the demised. To add to the creepiness of the photo, the alive people would appear slightly blurred because of slight movement during the long exposure time, while the dead person would be clear as a bell.  Here is a fascinating article about memento mori, but be forewarned, at the bottom of the article there are many memento moris so if you are squeamish about dead bodies i don't recommend it.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

The life and times of Kirsten Miller


Today, I'm proud to present Kirsten Miller the author of the wonderful Kiki Strike series, and The eternal ones  (one of the best romance/mystery books I've ever read). She agreed to guest blog about her life. Here it is! Presenting Kirsten Miller!


Hi!

My name is Kirsten Miller, and I’m the author of the Kiki Strike books, as well as the new novel, The Eternal Ones. (Which is for teens and adults.)

One of my all-time favorite girl detectives (and bloggers), Montana Irregulars, recently hunted me down and asked me to write a guest post for her blog. The subject? My least favorite subject of all—yours truly. (Kidding!)

So here’s the scoop . . . 

I was born to wonderfully weird parents in Gallup, New Mexico. (My mom and dad both taught school on a Navajo reservation just over the Arizona border.) Two years later—to the day—my darling sister (Darcy) came into the world. I’ve only recently forgiven her for being born on my birthday. Shortly after that, my parents decided to move to the mountains of North Carolina. That’s how my little brother, Spike, (who’s five years my junior) became a hillbilly. Again, kidding! 

Until I was in the third grade, I went to school on the Cherokee reservation where my father taught and went home each afternoon to a haunted house. (My grandmother and I were the only ones who ever saw the ghost.) Then my family moved to a new neighborhood, and my life took a turn for the strange. I spent the rest of my childhood playing in the abandoned nickel and olivine mines hidden in the woods behind my house. I was convinced one of my neighbors would grow up to be a serial killer. (Gotta check up on that some day.) I read all the books I could find on the subjects of aliens, ghosts, and Greek mythology. I eagerly listened to stories about the Bigfoot-like creature that was said to roam the mountains near my home.

When I was seventeen, I moved to New York City to attend Barnard College. (The best idea I ever had.) I graduated with a degree in English (though I was also pre-med). Eventually, I took a job in advertising. I won’t delve too deeply into that time of my life, but I will tell you that I worked on campaigns for Milk (including got milk?). I loved that! 

But while I may have looked like a normal professional, my weirdness simply couldn’t be restrained! I started writing Kiki Strike in my spare time. And then Ireally got lucky. Kiki Strike was published! After that, I quit advertising so I could focus on writing bizarre novels. (I also moved to France for a while, but I came back when I couldn’t bear to be away from New York.) 

I just finished my fourth book (the sequel to The Eternal Ones), and I plan to polish off Kiki #3 very soon. I PROMISE!

As for my personal life, I have a Scottish husband named Steven. He’s a journalist. And I have a nineteen-month-old daughter named Georgia. She’s an Irregular. (I modeled her after Iris McLeod. Ha.)

So now you know everything! Please use this information for good instead of evil!
Thank you so much Kirsten!! Be sure to read The eternal ones now available at bookstores near you!
 

Thursday, August 05, 2010

I'm back!

(above: how I felt this summer)

I'm very sorry I haven't been blogging this summer. I will defiantly try to get back in the swing of things! I have a bit  of news, 1. Kirsten Miller has agreed to guest post on MIB (I really can't contain my excitement)  . I also have a question, where do you find neat things to blog about? I've been having a hard time finding weird, interesting stories  lately (that's the main reason I've been neglecting my blog) if you have a website you like, would you mind sharing a link? you can either comment or email me at montanairregulars@gmail.com
thanks!

Sunday, July 04, 2010

happy fourth!

happy 4th of July everyone!! I hope that you're eating lots of watermelon!! here is a link to a video about making your own fireworks, enjoy!!

Friday, July 02, 2010

friday weird words


  1. abligurition- spending a lot of money on food
  2. agelast- a person who never laughs
  3. couthy- a warm, friendly person or a place that's cozy
  4. chantage- blackmail
  5. choller- a double chin or the jowls on a hound dog
  6. decerp- to tear something to bits
  7. ergophbic- someone who fears work
  8. galimatias- stupid meaningless talk
  9. hautain- proud, arrogant
  10. zoilist- a person who enjoys finding fault

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

happy 50ith blog post

today is my 50ith blog post on this blog! I know its not that big of a deal, but it feels exciting for me! I wasn't really sure what to blog about today so I guess I'll just give everyone this link it's about Anna Chapman who was part of the Russian spy ring that the FBI uncovered this week. I find it really interesting! she looks nothing like a spy she blends in (just like she should) i guess she wasn't the best spy though because she did get caught. Here are some links about this story: new york times,  guardian (a English news paper i think),and  the huffinton post,

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

toto, I don't think we're in Montana anymore!!

On Sunday evening around 4:30 pm a tornado hit Billings Montana. Thankfully,  only one injury was reported (someone got hit on the head with hail) and no one was  killed, but a number of local businesses and the metra (a local sports stadium) were severely damaged.  officials say that the tornado touched down around 4:30 and stayed around for about 15 minuets.  The storm before the tornado produced golf ball size hail and a ton of rain (2.5 inches). I hope they can get the mess cleaned up and I hope people's businesses will be ok!!
Update: here is a link to a video

Friday, June 18, 2010

weird words friday!!

(above: On being an octopuss by holgaguy on flickr)
If you have a word that you think is weird or strange comment and I'll use it for the next weird words Friday post!!

  1. Zenzizenzizenzic- The 8th power of a number
  2. Snollygoster- A shrewd, unprincipled, person, especially a politician  ex. "why do politicians have to be such snollygosters??"
  3. Dactyonomy- The art of counting fingers  I don't have an example for this strange word
  4. Interrobang- A question mark and a exclamation mark combined  ex. "?! Is an Interrobang"
  5. Onychophagist- A person who bites their nails  I also don't have an example for this word
  6. Jobbernowl- A blockhead       ex. "Julia stop being such a jobbernowl!"                                                                
  7. Kerfuffle- A fuss or commotion  ex. "there was quite a  kerfuffle at Eloise's 6th birthday"
  8. Shickersnee- A big knife  ex. "Indira please stop swinging that shickersnee around before you kill someone!"
  9. Squabash- A put down, crushing defeat  ex.  "Louisa felt squabashed when she lost the singing contest"
  10. Zizany- A harmful weed  ex. "Margret! don't eat that zizany plant, It could kill you!!!"

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

make your own pepper spray!!


(above: lipstick pepper spray, ingenious no?)

Last night i had a thought, shouldn't every girl know how to make pepper spray?? I researched some pretty simple ways to make the stuff right in your own kitchen! 
is was pretty much the same recipe on all the websites I found. Here it is!


WAY ONE
what you'll need: One small spray bottle (like an old travel size hair spray bottle), something spicy (jalapeno peppers, chili flakes, hot sauce, or all three) water, and vinegar, a blender, and a stove.

  1. use a blender to grind the peppers and chili flakes if you are using them
  2. mix together the ground peppers, chili flakes, vinegar, and water
  3. cook on your stove in til boiling
  4. strain into your container (this is important, you don't want the bits of pepper to clog your spray bottle)
tada! you have your own pepper spray!!
(remember, don't test this on your little brother/sister!! And clean up after your self!!)


WAY TWO
what you'll need: one small spray bottle, red pepper powder, oil (canola oil or baby oil), rubbing alcohol, blender.

  1. in the blender mix together the alcohol and red pepper powder
  2. add in oil (about two tsp.)
  3. mix together REALLY well
  4. filter in spray bottle using some cloth




WAY THREE
what you'll need: reallllly gross stuff (perfume, pepper, alcohol, toilet water, cat pee, you get the idea), one spray bottle, blender

  1. mix everything together really well
  2. strain and pour into bottle


Let me know which method works best!!




Saturday, June 12, 2010

another sinkhole!!!

 

(above: this is the only picture I could find of it. photo credits, bozeman daily chronicle. and another sinkhole to compare the two)
this sinkhole is tiny (6ft wide, i don't know how deep, maybe 3-4ft?) this sinkhole is on a road by where I live!!!! i saw this in the paper this morning and FREAKED out!!! apparently the river flooded and caused the soil to erode under the asphalt (the rivers are SO high here because of all the snow melt off plus all the rain is causing the rivers to flood). this sinkhole also caused a underground gas line to rupture. it is so exciting for something like this to happen where you live!! (even on a small scale)

Wednesday, June 09, 2010

what a cool website!!

(above: Eliza Pinckney, isn't she pretty?)
yesterday for social studies in home school we learned about Eliza Lucas Pinckney, who discovered that indigo could be grown in south Carolina. more about Eliza here. in researching Eliza I came upon a REALLY cool website, distinguishedwoman.com  they have information on a ton of awesome woman (Joan of arc, Rachael Carson, and much more)

Saturday, June 05, 2010

hello again

I'm Sorry I haven't posted for awhile. I have carpal tunnel in my thumb from too much reading and too much piano ): so I haven't been aloud to get on the computer. anyways!! here is what I want to do, go toGuatemala city, and go inside the giant sinkhole!!!!! anyone wanna come?? more here  and here!!! 

Friday, May 28, 2010

friday weird words

(above: Well I wouldn't want to sit in it!)
Here they are!!!

1. Heebie-jeebies   Nervous "Helena had the heebie-jeebies about getting her black belt in tae-kwon-do"
2. Porphyrophbia  Fear of the color purple "Carly's porphyrophobia prevented her from going to her friend's purple party"
3. Jejune  Nothing interesting  "My book had jejune in it"
4. Perspicacious  To have very good judgment  "Kora was very perspicacious today!!"
5. Conign  A well deserved punishment  "Give that boy a conign for blowing up the bronze Bobcat statue!!"
6. Agroof  To fall flat on your face  "Annie noticed that Taylor was about to agroof"
7. Amplomb  To have self confidence "Lola had amplomb today!!!"
8. Betwixt   Between  "Torie, would you pass me the pen betwixt those books??"
9.  Euphoria  A feeling of great happiness (no example)



Tuesday, May 25, 2010

happy may 25th!

(above: strange tractor in Moscow)

Today is the 145 day of the year!! so only 220 days left in till next year!! (the year's going by fast!)
On this day in 2001,  Erik weihenmayer becomes the first blind person to reach the summit of mount Everest.
Today Is also star wars day, and national tap dance day.

Friday, May 21, 2010

friday odd words

(above: the logo of the independent order of odd fellows or IOOF)
here are weird words for Friday!!!!



1. Nemesis An enemy or foe
Ex. Harry potter's Nemesis is Lord Voldermort

2. Brobdingnagian Big, huge or gigantic
Ex. wow look at that Brobdingnagian giant squid!!!
3.mellifluous  Oozing with sweetness

4.winsome sweetly, innocently, or charming
Ex. Liz winsome without trying

5. Nudiumstertian  The day before yesterday
nudiustertian was my birthday

6. oxter  Outdated word for armpit
Ex. my oxer is itchy!!!

7. Impignorate To pawn or mortgage something
Ex. I heard that sally had to impignorate her fancy diamond earrings!!
8. Agliff a verb meaning frightened
I don't have an example for this one

9. aucupate To go bird-watching
Ex. Lizzie and I are going aucupating!!

10. Batta  Overtime wages
Ex. Sam earned batta from working at the concert

Thursday, May 20, 2010

happy Eliza Doolittle day!!!!


Today Is Eliza Doolittle day!!! I love, love, love, Audrey Hepburn and my fair lady!!! so in honor of this day watch my fair lady!!! did you know that Audrey Hepburn didn't sing in this musical?? it was a lady named Marni Nixon. 
(above: one of the fabulous costumes from my fair lady)

who dunnit???


Picasso's pigeon in the peas
Early Thursday morning five major works of art including Picasso, and Matisse of where stolen from the museum of modern art in Paris. Apparently the museum's security system (including some of the surveillance cameras) had been broken for the past few days, and it was not working at the time or the thief, but one lone camera caught a masked intruder breaking a window padlock and then breaking the window.
The police aren't sure whether the thief was alone or in a team.
The estimated value of the paintings could be as much as $613 million.
The paintings that where stolen are:

  1. The pigeon and the peas by Pablo Picasso
  2. Pastoral by Henri Matisse
  3. Olive tree near Estaque by Georges Braque
  4. Woman with a fan by Amedeo Modigliani
  5. Still life with chandeliers by Fernand Leger

The paintings were not sliced out of there frames, the frames had been "carefully disassembled".
They're saying that the thief would be stupid to sell them, but what if a person had payed the thief?? or maybe she/he wanted them for them self??
They are calling the thief  a male, but are they just assuming, or could they tell?? I kind of like to think it's a
girl behind the whole thing!!
Woman with a fan by Amedeo Modigliani
Update: they still haven't caught the culprit!!