Nacho World Record

Volunteers from the Northstar Church, Frisco, TX in July, 2010, made 3,556 pounds of nachos in a 48-by-4-foot trough. It is in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Keds

Tires and sneakers are both made of rubber and fabric, so it was only a matter of time before tire companies got into the shoe business. In 1892, Goodyear manufactured a rubber-and-canvas sneaker. The company decided on the name Peds, but someone else already held the trademark. So, Goodyear used the name Keds. The rest of the world started calling them “sneakers,” after an ad man remarked the shoes’ soles were quiet on most surfaces. In England, they call them trainers.

Book of Bacon

Just came across these five Baconic Laws from the Holy Book of Bacon. These were part of the salty scrolls translated by a scholarly team of the Bacon Baron and Lord Bacon of Sizzlingham, their work was studiously overseen by his holiness the Bacon Bishop of Porkland.

1 Thou shalt not consider Bacon on the same level as any other food, as it is above all.
2 Thou shalt not consume imitation Bacon.
3 Thou shalt not stop pursuing Baconlightenment until it is reached.
4 Thou shalt not forget to consume Bacon for ten days.
5 Thou shalt spread the word of Bacon to all.

Sounds like they need to be taken seriously.

Holiday Bacon Pumpkin Pie

The recipe calls for adding seven pieces of bacon into the pumpkin mixture before baking, then crumbling a few pieces on the top after it comes out of the oven. An alternative filling is Rhubarb, one of my favorites. Mmmm!

White Chocolate is Not Chocolate

This tidbit came up in a recent conversation and Jeff Flanagan suggested it might be a good topic for Friday Thoughts. In order to be labeled chocolate (as defined in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration) a product must also contain cocoa solids from chocolate liquor. Chocolate liquor is not real alcohol, but is the thick liquid produced when fermented, dried, and roasted cocoa beans are shelled, then ground. The chocolate liquor is the key ingredient in all of the chocolates on the market, except for white chocolate.

When the chocolate liquor is pressed, the fat can be removed from it. This fat is called cocoa butter, and it is the primary ingredient in white chocolate. In plain chocolate, the cocoa butter is re-blended with the cocoa solids from the separation process in order to make unsweetened chocolate. It may also be sweetened and blended with additional ingredients such as milk to make the chocolate confection we commonly eat.

However, with white chocolate the cocoa butter is not reunited with the cocoa powder. Instead, sugar and milk are added to create the final treat. Also, since the caffeine in chocolate is in the cocoa solids and not the cocoa butter, white chocolate does not contain any caffeine.

Since white chocolate labels are not standardized, some manufacturers market products that do not even contain cocoa butter as white chocolate. Usually, these contain vegetable oil and taste different.

The cocoa butter used to make white chocolate is a very stable fat and has a long lifespan without spoiling. It contains several natural antioxidants and it has a shelf life of several years. It is also used in other products, such as soaps, moisturizers, and other skin care products.

Companies Against Christmas

True - According to the American Family Association, the following companies "may use "Christmas" sparingly in a single or unique product description, but as a company, does not recognize it". As of 11-17-10

Barnes & Noble
CVS Pharmacy
Office Depot
Radio Shack
Staples
SUPERVALU
Victoria's Secret

Windows 1

November 20, 2010, represents a significant milestone. Those of us in the PC industry who placed an early bet on a then-nascent PC graphical UI will toast that day as being the 25th anniversary of the launch of Windows 1.0. Wow, what a long way we have come in such a short time.

Big Spenders

Did you ever wonder who the big political spenders are? Here is a list of the largest spenders to influence votes. Notice that half are labor unions.

Rank	Organization	Total '89-'09	Dem%	Rep %
1	AT&T Inc	$45,656,394	44	55
2	Amer. Fedn of State, Cnty & Municipal Employees	$43,026,011	98	1
3	ActBlue	$42,628,917	99	0
4	National Assn of Realtors	$37,617,499	48	50
5	Goldman Sachs	$32,878,402	62	37
6	American Assn for Justice	$32,681,779	90	8
7	Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers	$32,680,295	97	2
8	National Education Assn	$31,113,780	93	6
9	Laborers Union	$29,816,800	92	7
10	Service Employees International Union	$28,889,132	95	3
11	Teamsters Union	$28,876,259	93	6
12	Carpenters & Joiners Union	$28,827,308	89	10
13	American Federation of Teachers	$28,194,891	98	0
14	Communications Workers of America	$27,958,106	98	0
15	Citigroup Inc	$27,583,712	50	49
16	American Medical Assn	$26,846,420	39	60
17	United Auto Workers	$26,509,902	98	0
18	Machinists & Aerospace Workers Union	$25,924,777	98	0
19	National Auto Dealers Assn	$25,613,758	32	67
20	United Parcel Service	$24,987,614	36	62

Wow, over 331 million bucks of union dues that did not go for the members welfare.

Speaking of Big Spenders

Three bottles of Châteaux Lafite-Rothschild 1869 were just sold at a Hong Kong auction by Sotheby’s. The hammer price of $232,692 a bottle set a record for the most expensive bottle of wine ever sold at auction. That's about two grand a sip.