Wordology, Chalaza

When you crack an egg, there is the white albumen, the yolk, and that strange white string. It is called the chalaza, and its job is to hold the yolk in place in the center of the white. It is completely edible, but is sometimes removed during baking for aesthetic reasons.

More Egg Tidbits

To clean a dropped egg up off the floor cover it in salt to help it congeal, then clean.

The older the hen, the bigger the egg.

Eggs can stay good in the refrigerator for up to a month after the sell-by date on the carton.

Horny Cows

First scientists have been trying to make dairy cows less flatulent, now they are trying to make them hornless. Dairy cows grow horns, but dairy cows in the U.S. rarely have horns, because they are seared, cut, or chemically burned off. The purpose is to prevent injuries to other cows and handlers.

Recently, a company named Recombinetics took a hornless gene from a breed of beef cattle and inserted it into a breed of dairy cattle. The resulting cattle are hornless, good at producing milk, and still genetically 100 percent cattle. In the past, breeders could have crossed dairy cattle and hornless beef cattle to get hornless dairy cattle after many generations. The good news for dairy farmers is that the cows are hornless, but not less horny, just confused.

Google Personal Activity

Do you want to see what personal information about you Google keeps. Go here LINK and you will find out. You can also change your personal and security settings.

Happy Friday

Conscious of being unique is not necessarily vanity.

I am not unique in consciously believing this is a Happy Friday!

Happy Inauguration Day

Finally! Now we get six months before the 2018 midterm election campaigns begin and one year before the 2020 Presidential election campaigns begin.

Incidentally, Donald Trump mentioned the 2020 election during one of his pre-inaugural speeches last night.

Viscious Circle

Election campaigns have sometimes been referred to as a vicious circle. The term vicious circle or vicious cycle refers to a complex chain of events which reinforce themselves through a feedback loop. A chain of events in which the response to one difficulty creates a new problem that aggravates the original difficulty.

During the feedback loop each iteration of the cycle reinforces the previous one. These cycles will continue in the direction of their momentum until an external factor intervenes and breaks the cycle.


Incidentally, A virtuous circle has favorable results, while a vicious circle has detrimental results.

National Days to Celebrate

Yesterday, January 19 was National Popcorn Day, today, January 20 is National Cheese Day and tomorrow, January 21 is National Hug Day. Followed next week Tuesday January 24 with Global Belly Laugh Day. What a week, popcorn and cheese followed by hugs and topped off with a great big belly laugh to be heard 'round the globe.

What's in a Name, FODMAP

Have been seeing ads lately for something called FODMAP. I never heard the term before, so thought I would do some research. It is an acronym for Fermentable Oligosaccharides (eg. Fructans and Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) Disaccharides (eg. Lactose) Monosaccharides (eg. excess Fructose) and Polyols (eg. Sorbitol, Mannitol, Maltitol, Xylitol and Isomalt). The name alone raised my latest-fad-diet-of-the-week antenna.

A FODMAP is one of a group of compounds thought to contribute to the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and similar gastrointestinal disorders. The term is used mainly with reference to a diet that is low in these compounds.

Foods high in FODMAPs include barley, yogurt, many fruits, honey, almost all beans, garlic, onions, foods that contain wheat, beer, coconut milk, rum, soy milk, tea, cheese, milk, ice cream, and cauliflower.


Blackberries bad, blueberries good. Celery less than 5cm of stalk good, Celery more than 5cm of stalk bad.

It is a relatively new concept and was first published in 2005. The low FODMAP diet was originally developed by a research team at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. When looking for some proof, only found a few published papers and each contained the same author Susan J Shepherd, an Advanced Accredited Practicing Dietitian and Accredited Nutritionist who is director of a private practice Shepherd Works. She also has a line of low FODMAP products.

The foods to avoid is so long decided to add a link LIST  for those who wish to find out more. For me, the name alone gives me IBS.

Wordology, Eke

 If we see the word 'eke' these days, it is usually when we 'eke out' a living, but it comes from an old verb meaning to add, supplement, or grow. It is the same word that gave us 'eke-name' for 'additional name', which later  changed from an 'eke-name' to 'nickname'.

Quote

A hearty belly laugh leads to a natural boost in blood pressure and heart rate, which can overpower the midday fatigue. ~ Dr. Robert Provine

Lucky Seven

This is the seventh item in today's Friday Thoughts. The number seven is seen as lucky in many cultures. According to biblestudy.org, the number gets 735 mentions in the Bible (860 if you count "sevenfold" and "seventh"). According to religious beliefs, it is the number of days it took God to create the universe, the number of miracles Jesus performed on the Sabbath, and the number of trumpets blown before the dead are resurrected in the Book of Revelation. There are also seven angels, seven churches, seven thunders, seven seals, and seven plagues.

Seven is also lucky in Japan, due to seven deities known as the Seven Lucky Gods. In China, seven is a lucky number, because it is pronounced "qi," which is the same as the Chinese words for 'arise' or 'life essence'. The seventh son of the seventh son always seems to get the kingdom.

The 'Seventh Son' is also a well known song (and one of my favorites) LINK for Mose Allison, a legendary blues and jazz pianist, who passed away this past November.

Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador is the name of  a Canadian Province on the East Coast of Canada. Labrador is the Northern portion and Newfoundland Island is Southeast. They are also the names of two different breeds of related dogs.


Newfoundlands were originally bred and used as a working dog for fishermen in Newfoundland, Canada. They are famously known for their giant size, tremendous strength, sweet dispositions, and loyalty.

Labrador Retrievers were originally black and initially bred for retrieving small downed waterfowl. They are also adept at a number of other jobs including leading the blind, acting as hearing dogs, and used for police and military work. The name "Labrador" was given to this dog by British breeders in order to differentiate between the two types. The retriever was originally called the 'lesser Newfoundland' or St. John's Dog.

Incidentally, St. John's a city on the Island and is the capital of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Happy Friday

Happiness does not have a future tense.

It is always here if you look for it, especially on a Happy Friday!