Price of Stamps

So, the agreement to raise the price of stamps by 3 cents for two years is complete and the Post Office is crying that the price of stamps set to drop by 2 cents, beginning April 10 will cost it money. It is still a penny ahead and Congress, true to style cannot let any tax end, no matter how little it is.

Traffic Cones

This sounds like another April Fool's Day joke, but it is not. Scotland spends $15,000 per year removing traffic cones from a statue's head.

The government is having a problem with revelers messing up a historic statue in the most hilarious way possible. In Glasgow, there is a statue of the Duke of Wellington. For the last several decades, this statue has been at the center of a bloodless battle between Glasgow City Council and the local drunkards, the latter of whom love nothing more than climbing the statue and placing a traffic cone on its head.

After years of being climbed, the statue has lost its sword and spurs. The cost of removing these cones is running up an annual bill of 10,000 GBP of taxpayer's money and, embarrassingly, the defaced statue is becoming a tourist attraction in itself.

As a result, Glasgow City Council planned to raise the statue's plinth (base) to such a height that the inebriated would not be able to reach anymore. However, thanks to a petition from local residents, the proposal was shot down.

Dutch Doors

There is a Dutch senior facility that attached life size pictures of previous home front doors to the resident's room doors. It helps patients with dementia have a familiar look and assist them to find their room.

That is a truly caring facility.

Zika Virus Facts

Much fear-mongering has recently been spread about the Zika virus, but here are a few facts to keep things in perspective. It is not all that bad, certainly is not life threatening, and most people will not even know if they get it.

Zika virus was first discovered in 1947 and is named after the Zika forest in Uganda. In 1952, the first human cases of Zika were detected. Since then, outbreaks of Zika have been reported in tropical Africa, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, and Brazil.

Eighty percent of Zika cases will not be diagnosed. Most people infected with Zika virus will not even know they have the disease, because they will not have symptoms. The most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain, or conjunctivitis (red eyes). Other common symptoms include muscle pain and headache. The incubation period, from exposure to symptoms for Zika virus disease is not known, but is likely to be a few days to a week.

There is no vaccine to treat or prevent Zika virus.

Zika in the U.S. as of March 23, 2016:
Locally acquired vector-borne cases reported: 0
Travel-associated Zika virus disease cases reported: 273 (of the 273 travel-associated infections, 19 are in pregnant women and 6 were sexually transmitted.)

It may be "on occasion" spread through sexual contact or blood transfusions. The CDC has received 15 reports of possible spread of Zika through sex, meaning a person traveled to an area where Zika has broken out, acquired the virus, and gave the virus to a sexual partner who did not travel. Brazilian scientists have found the virus in saliva and urine of infected people.

The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting for several days to a week after being bitten by an infected mosquito. Zika virus usually remains in the blood of an infected person for about a week, but it can be found longer in some people.

Once a person has been infected, he or she is likely to be protected from future infections.

There have been reports of congenital microcephaly in babies of mothers who were infected with Zika virus while pregnant. Zika virus infections have been confirmed in several infants with microcephaly. It is not known how many of the microcephaly cases are associated with Zika virus infection. A pregnant woman can pass Zika virus to her fetus during pregnancy. There is no evidence that prior Zika virus infection poses a risk of birth defects in future pregnancies.

Cooking Steak Myths

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

Myth Salting your 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 most definitely draw out the moisture. The way to prepare a steak for grilling is to pat a nice solid coat of sea salt and crushed pepper on the exterior right before placing it over the heat. There is not enough time for the salt to draw out any moisture and you are left with a well-seasoned, great-tasting cut of meat.

Myth Only flip your steak once.- If you flip your steak more than once you are not ruining it. This is simply a matter of personal preference. The effect on your steak's taste is negligible. It is more about how you prefer to grill, and where you are most comfortable. If you are regularly flipping your steak, chances are you have the hood open, which means you are letting out heat. This will affect the timeliness of your cook, 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.

Myth Sizzling steaks hot of the grill taste best. - While setting your steak out on the counter for 20 to 30 minutes before cooking it is a misconception, resting your steak after cooking is not. You should not go straight from grill grate to plate. Resting your steak for five minutes after coming off the grill will make it juicier and more flavorful. Basically, there is much science that goes into this. When a steak comes hot off the grill the exterior is very hot, and there is little moisture. 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.

Happy Friday

Facebook has become the new communications medium. It is called a medium, because not much is well done.

I always try to communicate smiles and happy thoughts to share on a Happy Friday!

Happy Easter 2016

Here are a few events that take place around the world leading up to and on Easter.

Semana Santa is held within cities across Spain and Mexico. It means Holy Week, the period leading up to Easter Sunday. All shops and stores except restaurants close and the entire city is transformed. Fifty five different churches take part in the festival, parading large floats that resemble Jesus in some way. The floats make their way from their church of origin to the cathedral, and then back again. It draws tourists from all over the world.

The Epitáphios Threnos is a tradition in Greek Orthodox religions that is held on Good Friday. It means Lamentation at the Tomb, and is in essence a funeral service to respect the death of Jesus by re-enacting the way he was buried after his crucifixion. It takes place in churches, where an epitaphios is placed atop something representing the tomb of Christ. The epitaphios is a highly-adorned piece of cloth that represents the shroud Jesus was wrapped in. The tomb is decorated with flower petals and rosewater. Interactions with this tomb vary depending on tradition. Some will hold it over the church entrance so that believers pass under it, a symbol of entering the grave alongside Christ.

The Easter Ham story states that a wicked queen named Ishtar (became root of Easter) gave birth to a son called Tammuz. This son would become a hunter, but his career was cut short when he was killed by a wild pig. Ishtar then designated a forty day period (the source of Lent) to mark the anniversary of Tammuz's death. During this time, no meat was to be eaten. Every year, on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox, a celebration was made. Ishtar also proclaimed that because a pig killed Tammuz, that a pig must be eaten on that Sunday.

Another theory states that, while lamb was usually the go-to dish for its symbolism with Passover, ham would be used because pigs were considered a symbol of good luck. Another source gives a more practical approach. Before the invention of refrigeration, pigs were slaughtered in the fall and preserved during winter. Should some of the meat not be consumed during the winter months, it would be cured so it could be eaten during springtime around Easter, making it an ideal dish for the season.

In the United Kingdom, a select few people are given money the day before Good Friday. These coins, known as Maundy Money, have a long history. It began when Jesus gave the command, “That ye love one another” after he washed the feet of his disciples. This became a fourth century tradition where the poor have their feet washed and are given clothes. This stopped around the eighteenth century, and was replaced by an allowance to give the poor a chance to buy food and clothing. Today, a selection of elders receive a red and white purse. The red one contains legal currency, while the white one contains special symbolic Maundy coins. The people are selected by the amount of Christian service they have performed. This year, the Queen handed out commemorative Maundy coins in a traditional royal service at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. Ninety men and ninety women, representing her 90 years, were presented with the coins in recognition of service to the Church and community. The red purse contained a £5 coin, commemorating the Queen's 90th birthday, and a 50p coin commemorating the 950th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings. The white purse contains one, two, three and four silver penny pieces, which add up to the Queen's age.

Haux Omelets are made every year on Easter Monday, the residents of Haux, France create a large omelet. They can be three yards wide to feed 1,000 people. One year’s omelet consisted of 5,211 eggs, 21 quarts of oil, 110 pounds of bacon, onion and garlic.

Every Easter in Bacup, England, The Britannia Coco-Nut Dancers, or Nutters, perform a folk dance from one town boundary to the other. What makes these dancers unique is their blackened faces, but no one is sure of their origins. It might be from medieval times to hide the faces of those who participated to stop evil spirits from getting their revenge, or it may have ties to the mining industry. The Nutters blackened faces have no racial aspect.

Doctor's Day

March 30 is celebrated in healthcare organizations as a day to recognize the contributions of doctors to individual lives and communities.

The first Doctors Day observance was March 30, 1933 in Winder, Georgia. Eudora Brown Almond, wife of Dr. Charles Almond, decided to set aside a day to honor physicians. This first observance included mailing greeting cards and placing flowers on graves of deceased doctors. The red carnation is commonly used as the symbolic flower for National Doctors Day.

Wordology, Egg Someone On

This is one of those idioms where you think the etymology would be obvious, but this phrase has nothing to do with eggs.

The egg in this expression is a verb meaning “to goad” or “to incite” which is derived from the Old Germanic dialect word, eggia. The word is related to the Old English word, ecg, meaning “an edge.” It is also related to the Middle Low German eggen, meaning “to harrow.” Therefore, this may suggest that someone is “egged” on in fear of being prodded with something sharp, but this is only a vaguely implied connection.

The word came into English around the year 1200, originally in the sense of provoking or tempting a person. Today, the phrase means to encourage someone to do something, usually of a risky, foolish, or dangerous nature. In other words, people egg one another on to get a reaction.

Looking back to 1932

Elmer Doolin purchased a corn chip recipe during the early 1930s and started mass producing his corn chips in 1932. He also invented Cheetos.

Lay’s introduced its classic potato chip in 1932.

Difference Between French Bread and Italian Bread

Both Italy and France are countries that specialize in bread making. Bread is essential to almost every meal in Italy and France. However, the two countries approach bread-making quite differently from one another.

When we think of French bread, the “the French stick” usually comes to mind. It is a long, thin crusty loaf that is typically referred to as a “baguette,” which directly translates into “a stick.” The Baguette may be the most popular type of bread in France. It is eaten throughout almost every province in the country. Other types of ordinary French white bread include the couronne, which is bread in the shape of a ring, or “country bread” (pain de campagne) that often incorporates whole wheat or rye flour in its ingredients.

In terms of Italian bread making, they allow the yeast to fully rise over the course of a few hours, resulting in a very thin-crusted loaf. The interior of Italian bread is typically extremely moist and absorbent to better to soak up olive oil and tomatoes. Types of Italian bread include ciabatta, made of wheat flour and yeast, piadina, made of flour, lard and slat, and panettone, a bread that is native to Milan.

Both countries make delicious loaves, but the similarities between Italian and French bread end the moment you compare the two side by side. The first way to distinguish Italian from French bread is to simply eyeball the two. To broadly generalize, while French bread is long with rounded edges, Italian bread comes in a more overall circular shape.

French bread is typically baked in a long, thin shape and has become the major food symbol of the country. The baguette can be baked as long as 30 inches and is a staple in almost every region.

Italian bread is known to be baked in more a flat and round shape. Italian loaves are also shorter and typically thicker than their French counterparts. Although it is possible to get baguette-type looking bread in an Italian bakery, on average, most Italian bread is shaped into larger rounds.

There are endless variations in size and shape for bread in each country, but there are indicators that will distinguish the two. In France, breads are usually given as a starter. French brioche, a sweet bread, is sometimes eaten in the morning with breakfast meals. The French also employ the baguette as a multipurpose bread, used for sandwiches and as the base for canapés. Italian breads are usually served as a supplement to pasta or other main courses. Italians eat bread to absorb the flavors of olive oils or thick sauces in a rich meal.

Both are made with the same ingredients in a similar fashion. However, one major difference in ingredients is that bread making in France is more tightly controlled than in Italy. By law in France, bread cannot have added oil or fat. French baguettes, for instance, must be made from water, flour, yeast, and salt. Italian bread often contains a little bit more milk, olive oil, and sometimes sugar in its contents.

Public Policy

A new analysis by the Center for Public Integrity found that between 2010 and 2014, there were six advocacy groups lobbying state legislatures for every single individual lawmaker.

Benefits of Laughter

Laughter reduces the level of stress hormones like cortisol, adrenaline, dopamine, and growth hormone. It also increases the level of health-enhancing hormones like endorphins. Laughter increases the number of antibody-producing cells and enhances the effectiveness of T cells. All this means a stronger immune system, as well as fewer physical effects of stress.
 
A good belly laugh exercises the diaphragm, contracts the abs and even works out the shoulders, leaving muscles more relaxed afterward. It even provides a good workout for the heart.
 
Laughter provides distraction and brings focus away from anger, guilt, stress, and negative emotions in a more beneficial way than other distractions.
 
Studies show that our response to stressful events can be altered by whether we view something as a 'threat' or a 'challenge'. Humor can give us a more lighthearted perspective and help us view events as 'challenges', thereby making them less threatening and more positive.
 
Laughter connects us with others. Just as with smiling and kindness, most people find that laughter is contagious, so if you bring more laughter into your life, you can most likely help others around you to laugh more, and realize these benefits as well. By elevating the mood of those around you, you can reduce their stress levels, and perhaps improve the quality of social interaction you experience with them.

Dos Equis

Now that the most interesting man in the world (Jonathon Goldsmith) is going to Mars and not coming back, thought it is time to look into him and the brand. Two interesting abilities he has, among many others, are parallel-parking a train, and slamming a revolving door. "His only regret is not knowing what regret feels like."

Dos Equis (XX) Mexican beer was first brewed in 1900 and was originally named “Siglo XX” to signify the new millennium. It is brewed in the Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma Brewery. Now it is simply called Dos Equis “XX.” Dos equis translates to two X's.