My mother used to mix up cinnamon and sugar for sprinkling on buttered toast for a tasty morning snack. She also used cinnamon in many cookies recipes. It has been used as a medicine by other cultures since ancient times (not that I lived in ancient times). Cinnamon is a tree and the spice we use is really the bark that is either rolled into sticks, called quills or ground up into a powder.
Here is a cinnamon tip, put a out bowl of water sprinkled with some cinnamon on top to make your kitchen smell like you just baked a batch of cookies.
There are many benefits of cinnamon, such as:
It lowers LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and total cholesterol if you use a half teaspoon a day.
Cinnamon contains an anti-inflammatory compounds which can be useful in reducing pain and inflammation associated with arthritis. Mix with honey and spread on the aching joint.
It reduces blood sugar levels, improves insulin sensitivity, and blood glucose control.
Cinnamon strengthens the cardiovascular system reducing potential heart disorders.
A study released by researchers at the US Department of Agriculture showed that cinnamon reduced the proliferation of leukemia and lymphoma cancer cells.
It is a natural preservative and prevents bacterial growth and food spoilage.
Cinnamon has long been used to treat toothache and fight bad breath.
It is also a great home remedy for common colds, sore throat, and congestion if you take a tablespoon of honey with 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder daily for 3 days. It also helps clear your sinuses.
Cinnamon boosts the activity of the brain, reduces nervous tension and studies have shown that smelling cinnamon may boost cognitive function, memory, and increases your alertness and concentration.
It has antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-parasitic, and antiseptic properties. Sprinkle some on you door jam and the ants will hate you.
Cinnamon has been found useful for providing relief from menstrual cramping and other feminine discomforts.
It is good for your digestion, is a natural diuretic, and reduces gas.
A paste of honey and cinnamon can be used to reduce the sting of insect bites.
Mix it with some sugar and sprinkle on your toast or cereal. Add it straight to your coffee or tea, or just boil some cinnamon in water, then save it to gargle with.
There too many other benefits to list here, but you get the idea. It is good for you, it smells good, and tastes good. Think I'll go make some spiced rum and cinnamon.
Jul 2, 2010
Prunes and Plums
Do you remember when dried plums were called prunes? All prunes are plums, but not all plums are prunes. Prune plum varieties have very high sugar contents that enable them to be dried without fermenting, while still containing the pits.
Research conducted in the US showed that the target audience, women ages 25 to 54, responded more favorably to the name dried plums. It is also more descriptive for people who didn’t know that prunes are plums that have been dried. Outside the US, it is still called a prune. Regular people know the value of prunes.
Research conducted in the US showed that the target audience, women ages 25 to 54, responded more favorably to the name dried plums. It is also more descriptive for people who didn’t know that prunes are plums that have been dried. Outside the US, it is still called a prune. Regular people know the value of prunes.
A Brief History of The Dollar
The term 'dollar' has been around for thousands of years. Common history says it comes from the the Czech name Joachimsthaler. Thaler is a shortened form of the term. It was pronounced like 'taller'. Talers were around as recently as the 1960s in Hungary, Bohemia, and other German States.
Dalers were used in the Scandinavian countries from the 1500s until the 1920s.
The English pronunciation 'dollar' was also used for Spanish Pesos and Portuguese pieces of eight and a few other European currencies.
The US minted its first dollar in 1792. Currently, an average paper US dollar lasts 21 months before it wears out.
Canada officially changed to the (Canadian) dollar in 1853, but they were minted in Britain until 1908. Australia and New Zealand changed to the (Australian and New Zealand) dollars, from the Pound, in the 1960s. Many other countries use a dollar as the official currency, but not all dollars are US dollars and not all are tied to the US dollar for their value.
In January 2010, Zimbabwe issued a $100 trillion note, making the note the highest denomination in the world.
Britain officially changed to the decimal system and divided the pound into 100 pennies in 1971. Now you know why dollars make sense. . . or cents. Speaking of cents, the Lincoln penny has been around for 101 years.
Dalers were used in the Scandinavian countries from the 1500s until the 1920s.
The English pronunciation 'dollar' was also used for Spanish Pesos and Portuguese pieces of eight and a few other European currencies.
The US minted its first dollar in 1792. Currently, an average paper US dollar lasts 21 months before it wears out.
Canada officially changed to the (Canadian) dollar in 1853, but they were minted in Britain until 1908. Australia and New Zealand changed to the (Australian and New Zealand) dollars, from the Pound, in the 1960s. Many other countries use a dollar as the official currency, but not all dollars are US dollars and not all are tied to the US dollar for their value.
In January 2010, Zimbabwe issued a $100 trillion note, making the note the highest denomination in the world.
Britain officially changed to the decimal system and divided the pound into 100 pennies in 1971. Now you know why dollars make sense. . . or cents. Speaking of cents, the Lincoln penny has been around for 101 years.
Heinz 57
H. J. Heinz wanted to advertise the great number of choices of canned and bottled foods it offered for sale. Although the company had more than 60 products in 1892, the number 57 was chosen because the numbers "5" and "7" held special significance to Heinz. The number "5" was Henry John Heinz's lucky number and the number "7" was his wife's lucky number. The company now has more than 6,000 products. Prepared horseradish was their first product.
Twenty Years of Inventions
During the years of 1870 to 1890, we had the invention of electric light, alternating current, the telephone, automobile, steam turbine, gas turbine, water heater, transformer, arc welding, phonograph, seismograph, development of vaccination and surgical techniques; Boltzmann’s development of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics; production of radio waves; the birth of the environmental conservation movement; and artworks by Rodin, Monet, Brahms, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Eliot, Chekhov and Twain. All of this came a hundred years after the beginning of the industrial revolution.
Jun 29, 2010
Bread Bag Tags
They aren't good for much, but you can recycle them. Make it easy to tell what devices cords belong to by writing on the tag then clipping it to the cord.
You can also use a tag to mark spare keys before putting them away in the junk drawer. one other idea is to use one on the end of tape before you throw the tape in the drawer. That way you won't have to pry the edge of the roll the next time you need it.
You can also use a tag to mark spare keys before putting them away in the junk drawer. one other idea is to use one on the end of tape before you throw the tape in the drawer. That way you won't have to pry the edge of the roll the next time you need it.
Minced Oath
Minced oaths are a sub-group of euphemisms used to avoid swearing when expressing surprise or annoyance. 'For Pete's sake' and 'for pity's sake' originally meant 'for St. Peter's sake'. Other common ones include By gosh - By God, By gum - By God, By Jove - By God, Gee whizz - Jesus, Sam Hill - Hell, Tarnation - Damnation, Good grief - Good God, Cripes - Christ, Begorrah - By God, Dagnabbit - God damn it.
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Decades of Fun
How about a trip back to your favorite decade? Check this LINK. This site takes you from the fifties to the eighties. You can find Music, Television, Movies, Books, Gadgets, Sports, and Cars all neatly packaged. Great for feeding the nostalgia bug, or just loading up on more trivia, like Hawaii became the 50th state in 1959. Did you know that in 1950 the average cost of a new house was $8,450, a new car was $1,510, a gallon of gas was 18 cents, and a postage stamp cost three cents. Now you do.
Reserve Your spot in Heaven
This site has been around for a few years and I just stumbled on it again, so it must be making money. Still only $12.97 and it comes with a money back guarantee. Now it has a sister site that allows you to send someone to hell. LINK A complete waste of time, but humorous enough for a quick look.
Jun 25, 2010
Five More Famous Name Origns
DHL - In the late 1960s, Larry Hillblom finished law school and recruited his pals Adrian Dalsey and Robert Lynn to help him with making delivery trips. The company quickly took off, and they named it after their respective last initials.
3M - The conglomerate behind Post-It Notes gets its name from its roots as a company that mined stone to make grinding wheels. The company was known as Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing, which was shortened to 3M.
A&W Root Beer - Roy Allen opened his first root beer stand in Lodi, CA, in the summer of 1919, and quickly began expanding. Within a year he had partnered with Frank Wright, and the pair christened their product from their last initials, 'A&W Root Beer'.
P.F. Chang’s - The Asian dining chain’s name is a composite of the founding restaurateur Paul Fleming’s initials and founding chef Philip Chiang’s last name.
ING - Jeff knows the banking giant’s name is an abbreviation of Internationale Nederlanden Groep, or 'International Netherlands Group'. The company’s use of orange in its buildings and promotion is the color of the Dutch royal family dating way back to William of Orange.
3M - The conglomerate behind Post-It Notes gets its name from its roots as a company that mined stone to make grinding wheels. The company was known as Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing, which was shortened to 3M.
A&W Root Beer - Roy Allen opened his first root beer stand in Lodi, CA, in the summer of 1919, and quickly began expanding. Within a year he had partnered with Frank Wright, and the pair christened their product from their last initials, 'A&W Root Beer'.
P.F. Chang’s - The Asian dining chain’s name is a composite of the founding restaurateur Paul Fleming’s initials and founding chef Philip Chiang’s last name.
ING - Jeff knows the banking giant’s name is an abbreviation of Internationale Nederlanden Groep, or 'International Netherlands Group'. The company’s use of orange in its buildings and promotion is the color of the Dutch royal family dating way back to William of Orange.
Speaking of Orange
Below is the spectrum carrot colors and in some regions of the world you can still find white, yellow, red and purple carrots, but most countries grow the orange variety.
In the 17th century, Dutch growers cultivated orange carrots as a tribute to William of Orange, who lead the the struggle for Dutch independence.
In the 17th century, Dutch growers cultivated orange carrots as a tribute to William of Orange, who lead the the struggle for Dutch independence.
Newest Countries and Political Independence Dates
We usually do not think of new countries being formed, but some are not as old as you might think.
Bahrain - 15 August 1971 (from UK)
United Arab Emirates - 2 December 1971 (from UK)
Bangladesh -16 December 1971 (from West Pakistan)
Bahamas - 10 July 1973 (from UK)
Iran -1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed)
Belize - 21 September 1981 (from UK)
Antigua and Barbuda - 1 November 1981 (from UK)
Brunei -1 January 1984 (from UK)
Marshall Islands - 21 October 1986 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship)
Federated States of Micronesia - 3 November 1986 (from the US-administered UN Trusteeship)
Lithuania - 11 March 1990 (from Soviet Union)
Namibia - 21 March 1990 (from South African mandate)
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Moldova, Russia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan - 1991 (from Soviet Union)
Croatia and Slovenia - 25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia)
Macedonia -17 September 1991 (from Yugoslavia)
Bosnia and Herzegovina -1 March 1992 (from Yugoslavia)
Czech Republic and Slovakia -1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split)
Palau - 1 October 1994 (from the US-administered UN Trusteeship)
East Timor - 20 May 2002 (from Indonesia)
Serbia - May 2006 (after Montenegro declared independence from Yugoslavia)
Also, Cuba became independent from US on 20 May 1902.
Interesting to note that the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau are included and covered in the new US healthcare bill, even though they are independent countries and no longer under US Trusteeship.
Bahrain - 15 August 1971 (from UK)
United Arab Emirates - 2 December 1971 (from UK)
Bangladesh -16 December 1971 (from West Pakistan)
Bahamas - 10 July 1973 (from UK)
Iran -1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed)
Belize - 21 September 1981 (from UK)
Antigua and Barbuda - 1 November 1981 (from UK)
Brunei -1 January 1984 (from UK)
Marshall Islands - 21 October 1986 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship)
Federated States of Micronesia - 3 November 1986 (from the US-administered UN Trusteeship)
Lithuania - 11 March 1990 (from Soviet Union)
Namibia - 21 March 1990 (from South African mandate)
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Moldova, Russia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan - 1991 (from Soviet Union)
Croatia and Slovenia - 25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia)
Macedonia -17 September 1991 (from Yugoslavia)
Bosnia and Herzegovina -1 March 1992 (from Yugoslavia)
Czech Republic and Slovakia -1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split)
Palau - 1 October 1994 (from the US-administered UN Trusteeship)
East Timor - 20 May 2002 (from Indonesia)
Serbia - May 2006 (after Montenegro declared independence from Yugoslavia)
Also, Cuba became independent from US on 20 May 1902.
Interesting to note that the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau are included and covered in the new US healthcare bill, even though they are independent countries and no longer under US Trusteeship.
Another Five great Google Tips
Google is more helpful than many know. Here are a few more tips to make your life on the web easier. Quotes are used for examples only.
Need a map, type "map tampa fl".
Need a definition, "define beauty".
Lost your calculator and need to do some quick math, "15+15".
Shopping for a new PC, give it a price range, "PC $500..$700".
Looking for a zip code, "75214". This query also offers a map.
Need a map, type "map tampa fl".
Need a definition, "define beauty".
Lost your calculator and need to do some quick math, "15+15".
Shopping for a new PC, give it a price range, "PC $500..$700".
Looking for a zip code, "75214". This query also offers a map.
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