July 2019 Chat

[shades]

As with most other months, July was named by the ancient Romans. However, it is somewhat unique in that it is not named after a god or goddess. By contrast, the Roman Senate named this month in 46BC after General Julius Caesar, as he was born during this month. Before him and his famed escapades, July was actually called “Quintilis”. This was Latin for “fifth”- July was the fifth month in the ten month calendar before January and February were added by Numa Pompilius in 713 B.C.. Until then, the month was governed by the Roman deity Jupiter, god of light and sky. This makes perfect sense, as the days of July are ripe with day light.

[Bean]

Oh yes, it's July - I hadn't even registered that! Back on form, Shades.

That makes me think there are just three more weeks of school until the kids are out for summer.

[shades]

Lucky you! Our kids are driving us nuts already until the end of August.

[amber89]

The kids in Vienna are since last Friday already in their summer break, for 6 weeks.

Back in Romania, school is out on the 15th of June and starts again 15th of September. That makes 3 months of summer break

[Bean]

I think it's nice having a good, long break to switch off, but 2-3 months is too long. Ours sometimes go up to 7 weeks and even that's a bit too much time in one go. I'd much rather they had more frequent holidays throughout the year to recharge or do something different at regular intervals - being able to make use of the different seasons in each break they have. But as we don't have the kind of hot weather that makes having a longer break in the hot weather more practical, I'd be more likely to say that!

[3piggles]

Our schools usually end a school year in early June, and start the next school year in late August or early September. I think it's an agricultural custom, as when public schools started in the US, children were a major agricultural work force, and they needed to be available during the height of the growing/harvesting season. Obviously, since not all crops are harvested at the same time, school was recessed for things like apple picking season, pumpkin harvesting season, etc. The basic growing season is over by September, here, though definitely not in the south, where they get 3-4 growing seasons per year.

I think we could go to year round school, now, as so much of farming is done by machine, and not by hand, anymore.

I wonder if there were different eras when it was thought best to name months 1, 2, 3, etc., versus naming them for things? Then deities started competing for attention, and heroes needed acknowledgement, and ancients probably didn't have enough bridges to name after these entities, so the months got the names.

Does any other country dedicate bridges and stretches of highway to heroes, or is it only the US?

[amber89]

I believe also that at least in Romania it had to do with the agricultural work. In summer there is a lot of work to do out in the fields and any helping hand is needed. In addition, our summers are quite hot, so children can't really focus anymore.

Also, at least in my generation, almost all children were sent to their grandparents, in the country side, where they could enjoy a nice swim, play with other children and, of course, work the fields. Me and my brother were also such children, sent to our grandparents (5h by train) for 2 months. We used to work the fields one day with grandma, another day with our aunt and cousins. The evenings were reserved for having a lemonade with our cousins or having a nice grill. Those are some of my happiest childhood memories.

Personally I am against too often breaks from school. It takes time until the children are fully back and the last week before a break is also not really productive. So, there is a lot of time with little productivity.

In Austria and Romania, highways are simply numbered. But each city can name it's streets after heroes, events, famous people. Don't know about bridges, i think that it's more common to name them after their architects.

[Bean]

Oh that'd be good, if we could send our kids off to the fields to earn money for a few months every summer! Those summers do sound like great fun, Amber!

My parents were teachers so they were off when we were and had no need to ship us out, although we did often stay with our grandparents for a bit anyway which worked well for us and our parents (and our grandparents!).

The last few weeks of terms are always much slower paced - exams are done and everyone's winding down. It's fine in a way, but schools are so inflexible with any term time absence saying how it impacts the child's learning, and I do understand that it can. But they could easily skip those weeks each year and not miss a thing educationally.

Then teachers always complain about how loads of kids go backwards over summer, as some aren't reading as much and others aren't doing any maths or science etc. So it apparently takes a few weeks to get them back up to speed and back in the swing. More regular short breaks would help in terms of relaxing and consolidating knowledge rather than having your slate wiped clean!

Well done to the US, I hear you beat us at football last night and knocked us out of the World Cup final - well played, it was apparently a well-deserved win for you!

[Bean]

I'm enjoying the nicer weather but (a) I don't need the weather to tell me pollen levels are high and (b) why won't nature water my plants for me?!

[3piggles]

Yes, we watched parts of several of the USA teams games, and they're playing incredibly well this year! They've always out shined the men's team, but the men still earn a whole lot more money than then women do. Owners/FIFA claim it's because women's games get far fewer viewers than men's games get. Maybe that's because they're broadcast after the fact, at a time when no one is watching? Same with women's basketball At least one female former WNBA great is now coaching the Boston Celtics NBA team, so maybe that's how women get paid equal salaries! I hope she does a great job

No rain here for quite a while, so hubby has been watering daily. Makes me sure I'm getting him the irrigation timer setup for his birthday He's running outside to turn off one zone and turn on another way too often.

4th of July today. Fireworks started last night, but personal ones, so they weren't constant and really loud. That will change tonight, with lots of scared animals and people I hope it's not too humid to at least stick my head out the door and watch for a bit. We're in a valley between three different fireworks places, so it should be a loud evening. Temps in the 90sF, with very low humidity, but not cooling down much at night. When the dew falls, it gets really soupy outside with all the heat.

A Facebook friend of mine was going to attend the local county fair, which was accepting canned goods in lieu of an entrance fee, which I thought was great. She ended up not going, because by the time she walked from her house to her car, the heat got the better of her. Good choice, and I really applaud the canned goods collection option

Adidas said by 2024, it's going to change to making all of its sneakers from plastic cleaned out of the oceans. I'll believe that when I see it! Either Adidas would have to pay to clean the plastic out of the oceans, which would be great, or other companies would do it, equally great, but at what cost. Maybe they're going to be high end sneakers most of us can't afford? I'm hoping it happens.

Summers are hot here, too, and but when I was growing up, most mothers didn't work, so we got shipped off to summer camp for a week or two to give the parents a break, but that was all.

Working in the fields was unpaid for children living on farms, but children can start working at 12 years old, in agriculture, which I did. I got paid, but it was nasty work, and HOT! Free child labor did make a lot of agriculture possible, that wouldn't be otherwise. Once laws were passed limiting what children could do as work, and requiring they be paid, most small farms sold out to huge conglomerates, and got out of farming. Not sure that was a good step, as those children grew up with a purpose, and understanding of hard work, some discipline, etc. Doesn't seem to happen very often any more

It does mean a whole lot more migrant workers get hired, a lot from Puerto Rico, but also from other countries. They work their way across the country, depending on their specialty, and make a decent wage, but not a living one. Since they tend to be housed in company dorms, they can send money home. If they needed to pay to rent apartments, or even get RVs, they wouldn't be earning enough to do anything but get by.

[Bean]

This is the first time the women's football games have all been aired over here. So that really helps with people being able to watch or not watch the games! We get the same arguments about it not being as popular, which is frustrating when previously people haven't even been given the chance to watch it.

It seems to have been pretty popular, which is really good, but yes, even taking into account relative viewing figures, their pay is just change from a bag of chips compared to the men's!

I hadn't read that about Adidas - I shall have a read. Why can't it just be recycled plastics rather than specifically ocean-sourced? That seems odd.... And then you'll get those idios who leave their rubbish on the beach saying if they don't do it, Adidas won't be able to make any shoes!

[3piggles]

I think it's about the huge movement to clean up the oceans, and stop dumping our trash in it. There have always been recycled plastics to use, and will continue to be, so if the oceans are ever free of plastics, Adidas will still have plenty of materials to use.

What surprises me is the lack of interest in creating materials from recycled plastics. We've known for decades plastics won't break down. They are totally not biodegradable. Yet very little has been done to reuse the plastics. Some places said it's because people won't recycle, even where it's law. Others have said have a good recycling system in place makes the recycled plastic too expensive. I don't believe it, really. I think it's just not caught on. There's been no way, until now, to make it cool or fashionable to have something made from recycled plastic. Make it cool and fashionable, and there won't be enough recycled plastic to fill the needs.

[Bean]

I hear quite a bit about it here, but it could certainly be better. And while there are loads of smaller companies doing their thing, if someone like Adidas can make it cool to think about recycling and use recycled products, it certainly has more chance of getting through to the younger generations.

[3piggles]

We found this little one trapped in the garden, when we got home from biking. It's a groundhog or woodchuck. Poor baby was so scared. I hope it was scared enough not to come back and eat our garden, or risk getting trapped inside the fence. That's chicken wire, for a size reference. He and Peter Rabbit have a lot to discuss 🤗

[Bean]

Oh no, the poor thing. Glad you were able to free him, he's gorgeous.

[3piggles]

Easy way to make a rock garden, when there's very little dirt.

[shades]

Next four weeks are gonna be pretty hot 🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉

[shades]

It's a little unbearable just now.
Think we'll keep the air-con running overnight...

[Bean]

That looks good 3piggles, but wouldn't work for me with my inability to remember to water! I've just planted some nasturtium seeds in the bare bits of my rockery and they seem to be growing well without much dirt, so will hopefully give me a splash of colour in a few weeks!

Oooh Shades, and I thought our nights were stuffy! 29c at nearly 11pm - nooooooooo!

[shades]

Jul 25, 2019 6:44:23 GMT Bean said:

Oooh Shades, and I thought our nights were stuffy! 29c at nearly 11pm - nooooooooo!

The heat's bearable, it's the humidity that's the killer. At least it's gonna rain soon