Apr 22, 2016

Happy Friday



No matter how you spell it, I always enjoy a Happy Friday!

Earth Day

Today is Earth Day. This observance arose from an interest in gathering national support for environmental issues.

In 1970, San Francisco activist John McConnell and Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson separately asked Americans to join in a grassroots demonstration. McConnell chose the spring equinox, March 21, 1970 and Nelson chose April 22.

National Pretzel Day

April 26 is National Pretzel Day. Eat some pretzels, low in calories and a healthy salty treat. Dunk a pretzel in chocolate. Wrap some pretzels in bacon and add some chocolate. The possibilities are endless. Enjoy!

Steak Myths Debunked

Searing steaks lock in juices.
False - First, it helps give you a nice crunchy and flavorful snap when you take a bite. And secondly, you can get a prettier color on the outside, but it does not lock in juices.

Salting steak before cooking will draw out the moisture and leave you with a tough cut of meat.
Yes and no - It is true, if you are going to salt-pack a steak for an extended period of time, the salt will draw out the moisture. If you prepare a steak for grilling by adding sea salt and crushed pepper on the exterior just before placing it over the flame, there is not enough time for the salt to draw out moisture and you get a seasoned, great-tasting cut of meat.

Only flip your steak once.
False - If you flip your steak more than once you are not ruining it. It is simply a matter of personal preference. The effect on steak's taste is negligible. If you are regularly flipping your steak, chances are you keep the grill hood open, which means you are letting out heat. This will affect cook time, but if you make an adjustment for the lower temperature by extending time, it will be fine. Some people prefer to flip their steaks often because it helps prevent curling.

Sizzling steaks hot of the grill taste best.
False - Setting your steak out on the counter for 20 to 30 minutes before cooking it is a misconception, but resting your steak after cooking is not. Resting your steak for five minutes after coming off the grill will make it juicier. When a steak comes hot off the grill the exterior is very hot, and because of the temperature, there is little moisture on the surface. The center of the steak is considerably cooler and still has moisture. As a steak rests, the muscle fibers loosen and the juices will spread more evenly across the steak and not so much on your plate.

Summer Outdoor Lighting Tip

Bugs do not fly toward many LEDs, because bugs are attracted to ultraviolet light and most LEDs do not give off this type of light.

Wordology, Pareidolia

This is a psychological phenomenon involving a stimulus (an image or a sound) wherein the mind perceives a familiar pattern of something where none actually exists. Things leap to mind, like the man in the moon, Jesus Chicken, and Michael Jackson in a pan.


Hemp vs. Cannabis vs. Marijuana

 The two subspecies of cannabis are known as Cannabis indica (hemp) and Cannabis sativa (hemp and marijuana). A third type found mainly in Russia, Cannabis ruderalis has a lower THC content than either C. sativa or C. indica, so it is rarely grown for recreational use and the shorter stature of C. ruderalis limits its application for hemp production. Cannabis ruderalis strains are high in the cannabÑ–noid cannabidiol, so they are grown by some medical marijuana users. (The term, marijuana originally spelled as "marihuana", "mariguana", etc., originated in Mexican Spanish.) Marijuana is now mostly an American term.

Tall, sturdy cannabis plants were grown by early civilizations to make a variety of foods, oils, and textiles. These plants were bred with other plants with the same characteristics, leading to the type of cannabis known as hemp. It is virtually impossible to get high on hemp, although it does have some medicinal benefits.

Other plants were recognized for being psychoactive and were bred selectively for medical and religious purposes. This led to unique varieties of cannabis known as marijuana.

The core agricultural differences between medical cannabis and hemp are largely in their genetic parentage and cultivation environment. Marijuana growers usually try to maintain stable light, temperature, humidity, CO2 and oxygen levels, among other things. Hemp is usually grown outdoors to maximize its size and yield, and less attention is paid to individual plants.

Cannabis plants contain unique compounds called cannabinoids. Current research has revealed over 60 different cannabinoids so far, but THC is the most well known. THC is credited with causing the marijuana high. While marijuana plants contain high levels of THC, hemp contains very little.

Countries like Canada have set the maximum THC content of hemp at 0.3%. Any cannabis with higher THC levels is considered marijuana. Medical marijuana produces anywhere between 5-20% THC on average, with some strains up to 25-30% THC.

Before 1910 Bristol-Meyer’s Squib and Eli Lilly included cannabis and cannabis extracts in their medicines to cure common household ailments. The US Bureau of Narcotics, during the 1930s, used the name “marijuana” when campaigning against the plant, and showing its new “foreign” identity. The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 federally criminalized the cannabis plant in every US state.

All cannabis is federally illegal to produce in the United States. Both hemp and marijuana are classified as Schedule I drugs under the Controlled Substances Act (non-psychoactive hemp is not included in Schedule I). It is legal to import hemp products into the United States. The US Drug Enforcement Administration is preparing to decide whether cannabis should be reclassified under federal law during The first half of 2016.

In the US, eight states allow people with certain medical conditions to use marijuana. Seventeen states have passed laws opening the door to marijuana use as long as the drug is extremely low in THC, the intoxicating ingredient. Five states have removed the potential for jail time for those caught with small amounts of the drug.  Some states both have approved marijuana use by sick people and removed jail sentences for recreational users, including California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada and Rhode Island. Four states and Washington, D.C., allow marijuana possession in small amounts by adults over 21 for any reason, including  Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Washington.

Outside the US, hemp is grown in more than 30 countries. In 2011, the top hemp-producing country was China, followed by Chile and the European Union. Hemp production is also expanding in Canada.

Marijuana remains illegal in most countries, but a few, such as Israel and Canada, have recently started to regulate marijuana as a medicine. Legalization supporters consider possession either legal or tolerated in Argentina, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, the Czech Republic, India, Jamaica, Jordan, Mexico, Portugal, Spain, Uruguay, Germany, and the Netherlands.

Hemp can be made into wax, plastic, resin, rope, cloth paper, fuel, detergent, paint, snacks, flour, beer, insulation, carpeting, paneling, auto parts, and an estimated 25,000 products. Thomas Jefferson drafted both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution on hemp paper.

Open Closed Tab Trick

If you accidentally close a tab while in your browser, hold down the CTRL button (on the lower left or right of your keyboard) and the SHIFT key, then press the letter T. Your closed tab is back and ready to continue.

Apr 15, 2016

Happy Friday

Laughter is the language of the soul.

I always speak with laughter in my soul on a Happy Friday!