Oct 4, 2013
What's in a Name, Corned Beef
The term 'corned beef' refers
to the 'corns' of salt used to preserve the meat. Meat is treated
with large grains of salt (corns) in a process known as salt-curing.
Corn is used to describe any small hard particles or grains, in this
case, salt. That is why corned beef tastes salty. The salt draws
water out of the meat via osmosis, making it more difficult for
microorganisms to breed in the meat.
Sep 28, 2013
What's in a Name, Poker
The card game “Poker” first was
called such around the early 19th century. There are two leading
theories where the name originated that more or less coalesce into
one likely origin. The first theory is that it came from the name of
a French card game that resembled Poker called “Poque”. There was
also a German card game that is similar to Poker called “Pochspiel”,
which got its name from the German word “pochen” (also where the
French “Poque” got its name). “Pochen” at the time meant “to brag or
bluff”.
Most Poker historians tend to lean towards the French “Poque” origin, in terms of where the game acquired its name, because Poker seems to have first popped up and spread from New Orleans in the very early 19th century. The French game of Poque was commonly played here.
The term Jackpot originally popped up around the 1870s referencing “Jacks or Better” Poker. This is much like traditional five card draw, except in this case, if a player does not have a pair of “jacks or better” in the first round of betting, he has to pass. This does not mean he has to be holding a pair of jacks, queens, or the like. It just means that he has to be holding cards that will beat a pair of tens. Once the first person who has that has placed a bet in the opening betting round, the rest of the participants are free to bet as they will, regardless of the cards they hold. The “pot” in this game can sometimes grow particularly large as potentially multiple antes are required before betting can start. Ante comes from the Latin “ante”, meaning “before”, which came from the Proto-Indo-European “*anti”, meaning “facing opposite, before, or in front of”. I bet you did not know all that.
Most Poker historians tend to lean towards the French “Poque” origin, in terms of where the game acquired its name, because Poker seems to have first popped up and spread from New Orleans in the very early 19th century. The French game of Poque was commonly played here.
The term Jackpot originally popped up around the 1870s referencing “Jacks or Better” Poker. This is much like traditional five card draw, except in this case, if a player does not have a pair of “jacks or better” in the first round of betting, he has to pass. This does not mean he has to be holding a pair of jacks, queens, or the like. It just means that he has to be holding cards that will beat a pair of tens. Once the first person who has that has placed a bet in the opening betting round, the rest of the participants are free to bet as they will, regardless of the cards they hold. The “pot” in this game can sometimes grow particularly large as potentially multiple antes are required before betting can start. Ante comes from the Latin “ante”, meaning “before”, which came from the Proto-Indo-European “*anti”, meaning “facing opposite, before, or in front of”. I bet you did not know all that.
Gene Autry
To the strains of 'Back in the Saddle Again', by
Ray Whitley and Gene Autry, TV viewers were treated to the first
performance of The Gene Autry Show in September, 1950. Autry and his
sidekick, Pat Buttram maintained law and order in the US Southwest
for six years. Gene sang just like he did in the movies and his
horse, Champion, would do amazing horse tricks while Pat Buttram
would invariably get into silly situations. Gene Autry and friends
hopped back in the saddle weekly until 1956.
Autry went on to become a Country Music Association Hall of Famer, own Golden West Broadcasting and the California Angels baseball team and he is the only person to have five Hollywood Walk of Fame stars (film, radio, TV, stage, records). He died October 2, 1998.
Autry went on to become a Country Music Association Hall of Famer, own Golden West Broadcasting and the California Angels baseball team and he is the only person to have five Hollywood Walk of Fame stars (film, radio, TV, stage, records). He died October 2, 1998.
Wordology, Jaywalking
For those not familiar with this
term, such as many people outside of the United States, jaywalking
means a pedestrian crosses a street without regard to traffic
regulations.
For instance, depending on where one lives, it may be against the law to cross a street where there is a crosswalk nearby, but the person chooses not to use it. Alternatively even at a crosswalk, it is often illegal to cross if there is a “Don’t Walk” signal flashing.
Contrary to popular belief, the term jaywalking does not derive from the shape of the letter J. It comes from the fact that “Jay” used to be a generic term for someone who was dull, rube, unsophisticated, poor, or a simpleton.
To Jaywalk was to be stupid by crossing the street in an unsafe place or way, or some person visiting the city who was not familiar with the rules of the road for pedestrians in an urban environment. As stated in the January 25, 1937 New York Times, “In many streets like Oxford Street, for instance, the jaywalker wanders complacently in the very middle of the roadway as if it was a country lane.”
For instance, depending on where one lives, it may be against the law to cross a street where there is a crosswalk nearby, but the person chooses not to use it. Alternatively even at a crosswalk, it is often illegal to cross if there is a “Don’t Walk” signal flashing.
Contrary to popular belief, the term jaywalking does not derive from the shape of the letter J. It comes from the fact that “Jay” used to be a generic term for someone who was dull, rube, unsophisticated, poor, or a simpleton.
To Jaywalk was to be stupid by crossing the street in an unsafe place or way, or some person visiting the city who was not familiar with the rules of the road for pedestrians in an urban environment. As stated in the January 25, 1937 New York Times, “In many streets like Oxford Street, for instance, the jaywalker wanders complacently in the very middle of the roadway as if it was a country lane.”
Another Egg Face
I know at least one person has been wondering
about which end of the egg comes out first. Not exactly breaking
news, but the egg initially moves through the chicken's oviduct
small end first. When it reaches the uterus, the shell calcifies,
rotates 180 degrees, and moves on big end first. When the muscles of
the chicken's uterine and vaginal walls finally contract to squeeze
the small end, it helps to expel the egg forward.
FDA Food Label Folly
The US FDA uses common words to mean
something different. FDA evaluates certain terms with reference to a
typical portion size known as an RACC (Reference Amounts Customarily
Consumed). An RACC of eggnog, for example, is ½ cup. For croutons,
it’s 7 grams, and for scrambled eggs, 100 grams. Many labels use
artificially low or high portion size to reduce or increase the
amount of calories, fat, etc. perceived by the consumer.
Imitation - A food only has to be labeled as “imitation” if it has a lower amount of protein or some other essential nutrient than the food it’s trying to look like.
Free - To be labeled “free” of calories, the food must have less than 5 per RACC. For fat and sugar, less than .5 grams. For sodium, less than 5 milligrams. Also, the food must somehow be processed to be “free” of those things in order to get the simple “free” label. You can not have “fat free lettuce,” only “lettuce, a fat free food.”
Low - Low is also defined with respect to set portion sizes and varies with whether it refers to calories, fat, or sodium. For fat it’s less than 3 grams. For calories, it’s less than 40, unless it is a prepared meal, in which case it’s 120 per 100 grams.
Reduced/less - Sometimes manufacturers want to make a relational claim about a food—not just that it’s “low” in some substance, but lower than it usually is (which may mean it doesn't meet the standard for “low”). Relational claims are evaluated with respect to a reference food. A reference food should be the same type of food, as yogurt vs. yogurt. The “reduced” substance must be less than 25 percent of what it is in the reference food.
Light/lite - This is also evaluated with respect to a reference food, and a rather complicated set of conditions is taken into account for different substances. For example, if a “light” product has more than half of its calories from fat, the fat must be reduced by half per reference serving amount. If less than half its calories come from fat, it can be “light” if the calories per serving are reduced by 1/3. Sometimes foods that meet “low” requirements can also be labeled as “light.”
High - High means that the food has 20 percent or more of the recommended daily value for that nutrient per reference serving.
Good Source - “Good source of” is a little lower than “high.” A food with this label should have 10 to 19 percent of the recommended daily value.
Lean - “Lean” applies to seafoods or meats that have less than combined specified levels of fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol (10g, 4.5g, and 95mg, respectively).
Natural - The FDA has not established an official definition, but endorses the general understanding that it implies nothing artificial or synthetic has been added that would not normally be expected to be added.
Imitation - A food only has to be labeled as “imitation” if it has a lower amount of protein or some other essential nutrient than the food it’s trying to look like.
Free - To be labeled “free” of calories, the food must have less than 5 per RACC. For fat and sugar, less than .5 grams. For sodium, less than 5 milligrams. Also, the food must somehow be processed to be “free” of those things in order to get the simple “free” label. You can not have “fat free lettuce,” only “lettuce, a fat free food.”
Low - Low is also defined with respect to set portion sizes and varies with whether it refers to calories, fat, or sodium. For fat it’s less than 3 grams. For calories, it’s less than 40, unless it is a prepared meal, in which case it’s 120 per 100 grams.
Reduced/less - Sometimes manufacturers want to make a relational claim about a food—not just that it’s “low” in some substance, but lower than it usually is (which may mean it doesn't meet the standard for “low”). Relational claims are evaluated with respect to a reference food. A reference food should be the same type of food, as yogurt vs. yogurt. The “reduced” substance must be less than 25 percent of what it is in the reference food.
Light/lite - This is also evaluated with respect to a reference food, and a rather complicated set of conditions is taken into account for different substances. For example, if a “light” product has more than half of its calories from fat, the fat must be reduced by half per reference serving amount. If less than half its calories come from fat, it can be “light” if the calories per serving are reduced by 1/3. Sometimes foods that meet “low” requirements can also be labeled as “light.”
High - High means that the food has 20 percent or more of the recommended daily value for that nutrient per reference serving.
Good Source - “Good source of” is a little lower than “high.” A food with this label should have 10 to 19 percent of the recommended daily value.
Lean - “Lean” applies to seafoods or meats that have less than combined specified levels of fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol (10g, 4.5g, and 95mg, respectively).
Natural - The FDA has not established an official definition, but endorses the general understanding that it implies nothing artificial or synthetic has been added that would not normally be expected to be added.
DNA Kit
Did you know you can have your DNA analyzed for
just $99? It used to cost $10,000. The web site 23andme.com has the
information. Interesting information about diseases you may be
inclined toward, based on your DNA. It also has Ancestry
information, risk for some genetic diseases, cancer, and some
possible drug responses you may have.
It takes a week to get the kit and a few seconds to swab your mouth, then 5 - 6 weeks to get results. I sent for my kit this week.
It takes a week to get the kit and a few seconds to swab your mouth, then 5 - 6 weeks to get results. I sent for my kit this week.
Four Kinds of Irony
Verbal irony: This is when
the speaker says one thing but means another (often contrary) thing.
The most well known type of verbal irony is sarcasm. For example:
“He is as funny as a broken rib”.
Tragic irony: Tragic irony occurs only in fiction. It is when the words or actions of a character contradict the real situation with the full knowledge of the spectators. For example: In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo mistakenly believes that Juliet has killed herself, so he poisons himself. Juliet awakens to find Romeo dead so she kills herself with his knife.
Dramatic Irony: In drama, this type of irony is when the spectator is given a piece of information that one or more of the characters are unaware of. For example: in Pygmalion, we know that Eliza is a prostitute, but the Higgins family does not.
Situational Irony: Situational irony is when there is a difference between the expected result and the actual result. Take for example this account of the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan: As aides rushed to push Reagan into his car, the bullet ricocheted off the bullet-proof car, then hit the President in the chest, grazed a rib and lodged in his lung, just inches from his heart. The bullet proof car was intended to protect the president, but nearly caused his death by deflecting the bullet.
Tragic irony: Tragic irony occurs only in fiction. It is when the words or actions of a character contradict the real situation with the full knowledge of the spectators. For example: In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo mistakenly believes that Juliet has killed herself, so he poisons himself. Juliet awakens to find Romeo dead so she kills herself with his knife.
Dramatic Irony: In drama, this type of irony is when the spectator is given a piece of information that one or more of the characters are unaware of. For example: in Pygmalion, we know that Eliza is a prostitute, but the Higgins family does not.
Situational Irony: Situational irony is when there is a difference between the expected result and the actual result. Take for example this account of the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan: As aides rushed to push Reagan into his car, the bullet ricocheted off the bullet-proof car, then hit the President in the chest, grazed a rib and lodged in his lung, just inches from his heart. The bullet proof car was intended to protect the president, but nearly caused his death by deflecting the bullet.
Wordology, Cogitate
Here is a once common verb that seems
to haven fallen from our language. It means to take careful thought
or think carefully about. Also, to think earnestly or studiously;
reflect; ponder; meditate: as, to cogitate a means of escape. In
addition, to revolve in the mind; think about attentively; meditate
on; hence, devise or plan: as, he is cogitating mischief (something
I never did as a child).
Yogurt Debate
Almost 28% of Americans eat yogurt on a daily
basis. Yogurt comes from milk that has healthy bacteria added for
fermentation. During this process, yogurt thickens and takes on a
slightly tangy taste. Yogurt is then strained through a cheesecloth,
which allows the liquid whey part of milk to drain off. Regular
yogurt is strained twice and Greek yogurt is strained three times to
remove more whey, making it thicker.
Greek yogurt has almost double the protein of regular yogurt. Eight ounces of Greek yogurt has about 20 grams of protein and regular yogurt 11-13 grams. Greek yogurt has fewer carbohydrates than regular yogurt. Regular yogurt has about three times the calcium of Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt has half the sodium of regular yogurt. Plain, nonfat versions of Greek and regular yogurt have a similar calorie count per serving. Greek yogurt does not curdle when heated like regular yogurt. Greek yogurt, on average costs twice as much as regular yogurt. Bottom line, for one serving a day, not much difference, except a little texture, maybe taste, and a much higher cost.
Greek yogurt has almost double the protein of regular yogurt. Eight ounces of Greek yogurt has about 20 grams of protein and regular yogurt 11-13 grams. Greek yogurt has fewer carbohydrates than regular yogurt. Regular yogurt has about three times the calcium of Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt has half the sodium of regular yogurt. Plain, nonfat versions of Greek and regular yogurt have a similar calorie count per serving. Greek yogurt does not curdle when heated like regular yogurt. Greek yogurt, on average costs twice as much as regular yogurt. Bottom line, for one serving a day, not much difference, except a little texture, maybe taste, and a much higher cost.
Sep 21, 2013
Happy Friday
"The best things in life aren't things."
You do not need things to have a Happy Friday!
You do not need things to have a Happy Friday!
Granny Smith Apples
Fall is the perfect time of year to
enjoy fresh apples and apple cider. While working on her farm near
Sydney, Australia, Maria Smith found a small sapling growing where
she had discarded some rotten apples. She replanted the tree and it
eventually bore fruit, green apples with a tart flavor. She shared
these apples with her friends and neighbors and they grew in fame.
Maria died in 1870 but her “Granny Smith” apples are still popular
around the world.
US National Weather Service
It has its beginnings in the
early history of the United States. Weather has always been
important to the citizens of this country and especially during the
17th and 18th centuries.
The beginning of the National Weather Service we know today started on February 9th, 1870, when President Ulysses S. Grant signed a joint resolution of Congress authorizing the Secretary of War to establish a national weather service. This resolution required the Secretary of War "to provide for taking meteorological observations at the military stations in the interior of the continent and at other points in the States and Territories... and for giving notice on the northern (Great) Lakes and on the seacoast by magnetic telegraph and marine signals, of the approach and force of storms."
It was decided that this agency would be placed under the Secretary of War, because military discipline would probably secure the greatest promptness, regularity, and accuracy in the required observations. Within the Department of War, it was assigned to the Signal Service Corps under Brigadier General Albert J. Myer. General Meyer gave the National Weather Service its first name: The Division of Telegrams and Reports for the Benefit of Commerce.
Later that year, the first systematized, synchronous weather observations ever taken in the U.S. were made by "observing-sergeants" of the Army Signal Service at 22 stations and telegraphed to Washington. An agency was born which would affect the daily lives of most of the citizens of the United States through its forecasts and warnings.
The National Weather Service, once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government. It is headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland.
The Climate Prediction Center is responsible for all of the NWS's climate-related forecasts. Their mission is to "serve the public by assessing and forecasting the impacts of short-term climate variability, emphasizing enhanced risks of weather-related extreme events, for use in mitigating losses and maximizing economic gains." Their products cover time scales from a week to seasons, extending into the future as far as technically feasible, and cover the land, the ocean, and the atmosphere, extending into the stratosphere. Most of their products cover the Contiguous U.S. and Alaska. Additionally, Weather Forecast Offices issue daily and monthly climate reports for official climate stations within their area of responsibility. These generally include recorded highs, lows and other information. This information is considered preliminary until certified by the National Climatic Data Center.
The beginning of the National Weather Service we know today started on February 9th, 1870, when President Ulysses S. Grant signed a joint resolution of Congress authorizing the Secretary of War to establish a national weather service. This resolution required the Secretary of War "to provide for taking meteorological observations at the military stations in the interior of the continent and at other points in the States and Territories... and for giving notice on the northern (Great) Lakes and on the seacoast by magnetic telegraph and marine signals, of the approach and force of storms."
It was decided that this agency would be placed under the Secretary of War, because military discipline would probably secure the greatest promptness, regularity, and accuracy in the required observations. Within the Department of War, it was assigned to the Signal Service Corps under Brigadier General Albert J. Myer. General Meyer gave the National Weather Service its first name: The Division of Telegrams and Reports for the Benefit of Commerce.
Later that year, the first systematized, synchronous weather observations ever taken in the U.S. were made by "observing-sergeants" of the Army Signal Service at 22 stations and telegraphed to Washington. An agency was born which would affect the daily lives of most of the citizens of the United States through its forecasts and warnings.
The National Weather Service, once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government. It is headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland.
The Climate Prediction Center is responsible for all of the NWS's climate-related forecasts. Their mission is to "serve the public by assessing and forecasting the impacts of short-term climate variability, emphasizing enhanced risks of weather-related extreme events, for use in mitigating losses and maximizing economic gains." Their products cover time scales from a week to seasons, extending into the future as far as technically feasible, and cover the land, the ocean, and the atmosphere, extending into the stratosphere. Most of their products cover the Contiguous U.S. and Alaska. Additionally, Weather Forecast Offices issue daily and monthly climate reports for official climate stations within their area of responsibility. These generally include recorded highs, lows and other information. This information is considered preliminary until certified by the National Climatic Data Center.
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