RIP: JOHN RENBOURN

At the age of 70 in his home in Scotland. A talented guitarist, he helped create English electric folk-rock music when he founded the band Pentangle with Bert Jansch. Though never well known in the US, he will be sorely missed by those who loved his music.

HAPPY WORLD METEOROLOGICAL DAY!

Each year on March 23, the World Meteorological Organization, along with its 191 members--including NWS--and the worldwide meteorological community, celebrates World Meteorological Day, commemorating the formation of the WMO. This year's theme is "Climate knowledge for climate action" highlighting both recent advances in climate science and the need for decisive measures to limit climate change.

SPANISH FLU

Spanish Flu Pandemic Begins: March 1918

Spanish Flu

In early March 1918, soldiers with the flu began reporting to the infirmary at Camp Funston, an army training camp in Kansas. Within three weeks, 1,100 men at that camp had also come down with the flu. It was the start of a pandemic that would kill as many as 100 million people worldwide.

Though commonly called the Spanish flu (because of a highly publicized outbreak in Spain), it likely began in Haskell, Kansas, where it spread to Camp Funston and from there to the rest of the world. Wartime conditions, like troop movements and overcrowded cantonments, accelerated and aggravated the spread of the virus, which proved to be much deadlier than the normal flu, in part because of a particularly tough strain of pneumonia that often accompanied it.

RIP: LEONARD NIMOY

 From an astronaut on the ISS

Been seen circulating in Canada

(Rest in peace Leonard: 1931 - 2015)

BEER #1251

 Two Henrys Blueberry Vanilla Wheat; brewed just down the road in Plant city as an adjunct to a winery known for their blueberry wine. So when the owner’s son decided to join the micro-brew trend, what could be more obvious than a blueberry beer?

 And I’ve had a few blueberry beers (Sea Dog comes to mind, and Wild Blue (which is apparently an A-B product). But the other night at O’Toole’s Irish Pub in Brandon FL, I

found this beer as a write-in on it’s (not shabby) draft beer list. It was so good, I ended up drinking three! Let me tell you, it went really well with the Steak & Mushroom Pie.

 It has a nice blueberry favor, but not overwhelming as to cover up the beer taste, and an undercurrent of the vanilla, which made it real interesting. Here’s hoping Two Henrys bottles this one, and sends it over to Lakeland Beer Revolution, my favorite beer store (and it’s 6 taps of ever changing microbrews).