Turkey Facts

Here are some interesting Turkey tidbits as we approach Thanksgiving.

Turkeys can fly for short bursts at up to 55 mph. However, domestic turkeys are usually too fat to fly.

Turkey eggs are not usually sold for eating because farmers have learned that they make more raising turkeys for meat rather than eggs.

It's not the turkey that makes you sleepy. Although turkey contains a natural chemical called tryptophan, and  tryptophan is related to the production of serotonin, which helps us sleep. All meat has about the same amount of tryptophan. What really makes you sleepier after a Thanksgiving meal compared to other meals is eating too many carbohydrates, from potatoes to pies. Alcohol can contribute, too.

The wishbone, called a furcula, is the fusion of two collarbones at the sternum. It's where a turkey’s flying muscles hook up and is very elastic and great for flapping.

Another Google Tip

When you look at Google results, check the left side of the page and click on "show search tools" button. A list of options about time will appear. These are very handy if you are just looking for some news or other items that are current or maybe even older. Since web pages seem to live on forever, it is a quick way to get information that is timely for the subject.

Display a Collection

Do you collect stuff? Is it difficult to show your collection, or is it in a cupboard, or closet/ here is an interesting idea. Take pictures of individual items in your collection and put them together in a digital photograph, then put it in a frame and show it off for the world to see. Take a picture of each with a different background color that matches your decor to add some visual interest.

Think about all those cool mugs you have, or dolls, or other collections that are just too large to display. How about pictures of each of the houses you have lived in or all the cars you owned. Don't forget to think of that sentimental clutter you have in your closet. Take it out, take a picture, then dispose of the items and frame the montage, so you can enjoy the memories every day.

One Dollar Bill Facts

Did you know one dollar bills are made in twelve different cities? They are made in Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Richmond, Atlanta, Chicago, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Dallas, and San Francisco. Each has a letter associated with the city. They are, in order, A Boston, B New York, C Philadelphia, etc. Those letters are all associated with the numbers printed four times on the bill. The black letter in the seal on the left side of the bill tells us which city it is printed in.

The four black numbers toward each corner correspond to the letter. So, a bill printed in Philadelphia has a C in the seal and would have the number three printed, because C is the third letter of the alphabet. Incidentally, they print 16,600,000 bills a day. I just checked my pocket and had bills printed in four different cities.

Twitter and the Stock Market

The mood on Twitter predicts what's going to happen in the stock market with 87 percent accuracy. Researchers from Indiana University analyzed the tweets of 2.7 million Twitter users in 2008, dividing them into six categories of emotions. They were surprised to find that the higher percentage of "calm" tweets on a given day, the higher the Dow Jones Industrial Average was in the following two to six days. This method yielded a 87.6 percent rate of accuracy.

Whats in a Name

According to Chicago, it doesn't matter, as long as you pay. Next spring, 2011, the commuters of Chicago may no longer be taking the Red Line to Addison if they want to catch a Cubs game. If the Chicago Transit Authority has its way, they could be riding on the Budweiser Express and getting off at Pizzeria Uno Station. The CTA announced last week that it intends on selling off the naming rights to just about everything it possibly can, including rail lines and stations, bus routes, retail concessions, and special events. Even the venerable CTA logo will be on the auction block. "We want to find new ways to generate revenue," said the CTA president. Maybe during election years, politicians can get their name plastered on every bus and train in town. Take the Obama express downtown.

Black Friday Under Ten Dollar Deals

Here are some cheap appliance deals:
• Chefmate 2-slice toaster, $3.00 (Target)

• Sunbeam 4-slice toaster, $9.88 (J.C. Penney)

• Black & Decker 5-quart coffeemaker, $9.88 (Target)

• Cooks 12-cup coffeemaker, $9.88 (J.C. Penney)

• Hamilton Beach 12-cup programmable coffeemaker, $9.97 (Walmart)

• Chefmate 5-speed electric hand mixer, $3.00 (Target)

• Rival hand mixer, $2.97 (Walmart)

• Cooks 1.5-quart slow cooker, $7.88 (J.C. Penney)

• Cooks 6-quart slow cooker, $9.88 (J.C. Penney)

• Hamilton Beach 3-quart slow cooker, $8.99 (Target)

• Hamilton Beach 5-quart oval slow cooker, $9.97 (Walmart)

• Dirt Devil Versa Power Stick Vac, $9.00 (Target)

• Bissell 3-In-1 Stick Vac, $8.62 (Walmart)
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Friday Thought

Hope sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible.

I see it coming and feel the need to achieve a Happy Friday!

Psychologically Satisfying

PayScale surveyed 10,800 workers who graduated college between 1999 and 2010 on their level of job satisfaction. It found that only 26 percent of psychology majors are satisfied with how their career is going. It is the lowest satisfaction percentage among all college majors. The second-lowest-rated of the 20 majors surveyed were people who studied environmental engineering and economics. Forty percent of college graduates holding those degrees stated they were satisfied with their career.

The majors with the highest rate of career satisfaction were chemical engineering and management information systems, both at 54 percent. PayScale only included in its survey folks who actually had jobs. One of my degrees was in Psych and now I am glad I didn't pursue it as a career.

Crow Bar

The word crowbar with the bird-name "crow", due to the crowbar’s resemblance to the feet or beak of a crow. The first use of the word shows up around 1400. They were called simply crows, or iron crows, and sometimes Jimmy Bars. William Shakespeare used the term iron crow in many places, including his play Romeo and Juliet, Act 5, Scene 2: 'Get me an iron crow and bring it straight unto my cell'. I thought a crow bar was a place where politicians hang out and talk about themselves.

Big Government, Small Government

Many discuss the size of big government, but most do not realize that the local governments are much larger than the federal government. During the past year, state and local employment has been reduced, mostly through not filling vacancies, by 258,000, or 1.3%, to 19.2 million workers, reports the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Compensation for government workers accounts for half of the $2 trillion spent annually by governments. For workers who remain, compensation increased 2.5% compared with 0.8% for private-sector workers for the year ended June 30, 2010.

The federal workforce, meanwhile, grew 3.4% to 2.2 million during the past year and promises to keep growing.   The worst part of having this many federal and state workers, is that when they retire, we get to pay for them for the rest of their (and our) lives.

Government Signs

Recently the Federal Highway Administration decided that it takes way too much time for us to read road signs printed in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. So, the newest FHA Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices says that all such signs must be replaced by those with an initial capital letter, followed by the remaining letters in lower case.

According to a September article in the New York Post, New York City has already begun the process of changing its 250,900 signs. City officials estimate it at $110  each, that amounts to $27.6 million, just for New York City. Maybe it is a secret 'shovel ready' project to keep prisoners busy.

Bacon Soda

It finally happened, Jones Soda has come out with a new flavor drink. It is vegetarian friendly and kosher bacon soda. How's that for an oxymoron?

Tasters have mixed reactions. We'll see how this one goes. Some other flavors in the Jones line-up, Blue Bubble Gum, Pizza, and WhoopAss energy drink. I have tried a number of the drinks and love the Black Cherry.

Two Turkey Myths

Some things to think about as we approach the great Turkey Day.
MYTH No. 1: The turkey is cooked when the juices run clear or when the leg pulls away from the bone.

FACT: Color is not an indicator of safety or doneness. Turkey juices do change from raw-meat pink to a clear color as the bird cooks, but that doesn't equate with safe eating because color doesn't show the temperature that the salmonella or campylobacter are killed (165 degrees).

MYTH No. 2: You should cool your turkey to room temperature for a while before putting it in the refrigerator.

FACT: Decades ago, when people plopped a hot turkey into the refrigerator, the heat would overload the system and lead to spoiled milk, but refrigerators today are now built to keep the temperature constant. The safest thing to do is get the leftover meat in the fridge within two hours of removing it from the oven.