Jun 30, 2017
Tomato Preservation Tips
Keep your tomatoes at room
temperature, ideally in a single layer out of direct sunlight.
To keep them fresher longer, store them stem side down. If they
do not lay flat, peel more of the stem off, until they can lay
flat on a counter or plate. Also, it is OK to store in the
refrigerator if you will use them within a few days. Last, you
do not need to keep them in a brown paper bag, unless there are
flies in the area.
Wordology, Pizza Peel
You may think it is odd to peel a pizza, but that is not what this is.
It is the instrument that pizzerias and cooks around the world use to shove a pizza into the oven and to remove it from the oven. Kind of like peeling off the oven floor.
It is the instrument that pizzerias and cooks around the world use to shove a pizza into the oven and to remove it from the oven. Kind of like peeling off the oven floor.
Myth Busted: Never Eat Before Bed
It does not matter what time you eat.
What matters is the amount of calories you consume.
It has long been a false belief that if you eat before going to sleep you will not be active enough to burn off those calories. What really matters is the total amount of calories you eat and not the time of day you eat them. If you consume the same amount of calories whether you eat them earlier or later, your body will digest those calories the same.
The reason some suggest an eating schedule is to prevent overeating. For example, if you skip meals you can become over hungry, which might lead to overeating when you finally do eat. The reason late night eating has been associated with weight gain is because it is often a late night snack in addition to a full day's worth of calories. So, eat whenever you like, just do not overeat and you will not gain weight.
Another myth, if you exercise on an empty stomach, you burn fat faster. When you exercise, you burn calories, whether they are from recently consumed food or fat. If you burn fat, then eat, the food is converted into fat again. So, food calories or fat calories, they are the same - more in and you gain weight, more out and you lose weight.
It has long been a false belief that if you eat before going to sleep you will not be active enough to burn off those calories. What really matters is the total amount of calories you eat and not the time of day you eat them. If you consume the same amount of calories whether you eat them earlier or later, your body will digest those calories the same.
The reason some suggest an eating schedule is to prevent overeating. For example, if you skip meals you can become over hungry, which might lead to overeating when you finally do eat. The reason late night eating has been associated with weight gain is because it is often a late night snack in addition to a full day's worth of calories. So, eat whenever you like, just do not overeat and you will not gain weight.
Another myth, if you exercise on an empty stomach, you burn fat faster. When you exercise, you burn calories, whether they are from recently consumed food or fat. If you burn fat, then eat, the food is converted into fat again. So, food calories or fat calories, they are the same - more in and you gain weight, more out and you lose weight.
Phone Photos
It is estimated that 1.2 trillion digital photos will be taken this year. Almost 85% of them will be taken by phones, the rest by cameras and tablets. This compares with 200 billion digital photos taken by phones during 2011.
More than 3.5 trillion photos have been taken as of 2012 since Daguerre captured his first picture during 1826. More pictures are taken every two minutes than were taken throughout all of the 1800s. According to Deloitte, 3.5 million photos were shared every minute during 2016.
More than 3.5 trillion photos have been taken as of 2012 since Daguerre captured his first picture during 1826. More pictures are taken every two minutes than were taken throughout all of the 1800s. According to Deloitte, 3.5 million photos were shared every minute during 2016.
Jun 23, 2017
Happy Friday
Do not hold back. A gusto for life yields an abundance of
happiness.
I am always blessed with an abundance of happiness, especially on a Happy Friday!
I am always blessed with an abundance of happiness, especially on a Happy Friday!
What's in a Name, Mickey
In the film industry, a ‘mickey’ is a gentle
camera move forwards. It is named for Mickey Rooney (a ‘little
creep’).
Alcohol Proof
The regulation to proof alcohol was
simply to test and verify that the contents of a barrel of
liquid was what it was claimed to be began in England during the
16th century to ensure that the King collected the proper amount
of taxes on the sale of the product.
The first method involved soaking a gun pellet in the liquid, and then trying to light it on fire; if it burned, it was classified as a proof spirit. However, as alcohol’s flammability is temperature dependent, the higher the temperature, the more vapors the alcohol infused solution will emit and therefore more flammable. Sometimes actual alcohol was passed off as something less and taxed at a lower rate.
Frequently the product would catch fire, and the authorities would know that the spirit was at least 57.15% alcohol by volume (ABV), which at that time was classified as being 100 proof.
As scientific skills improved during the early 19th century, a far more accurate test was developed which measured the liquid’s specific gravity (the ratio of the density of a substance to a reference, in this case distilled water). Distilled water is actually denser than alcohol. In 1816 a test was developed using the fact that at 11°C (51°F), a 100 degree proof spirit (~57.15% ABV) would weigh 12/13 that of distilled water.
AnIPA with an ABV of 6.9% in the UK would be 12.075 degrees of proof, while a 100% ABV pure alcohol would have a proof of 175 degrees.
In the US, proof is calculated by doubling the ABV. So alcohol with an ABV of 40%, is 80 proof. Nevada, US prohibits the sale of alcohol in excess of 80% ABV (160 proof), and California, US prohibits the sale of anything over 60% ABV (120 proof).
The US has singled out one alcohol in particular for regulation – absinthe ABV (45-75%). It is infused with green anise, fennel, other herbs, and grand wormwood. During the early 1900s, a number of countries banned absinthe, due to a smear campaign conducted by the wine industry and the presumed presence of thujone, a chemical compound that is said to be poisonous in large amounts. It is now known that most absinthe has very little thujone and easily meets all regulatory requirements. Beginning in 2007, absinthe returned to the US as imports from Europe and with domestic producers.
The first method involved soaking a gun pellet in the liquid, and then trying to light it on fire; if it burned, it was classified as a proof spirit. However, as alcohol’s flammability is temperature dependent, the higher the temperature, the more vapors the alcohol infused solution will emit and therefore more flammable. Sometimes actual alcohol was passed off as something less and taxed at a lower rate.
Frequently the product would catch fire, and the authorities would know that the spirit was at least 57.15% alcohol by volume (ABV), which at that time was classified as being 100 proof.
As scientific skills improved during the early 19th century, a far more accurate test was developed which measured the liquid’s specific gravity (the ratio of the density of a substance to a reference, in this case distilled water). Distilled water is actually denser than alcohol. In 1816 a test was developed using the fact that at 11°C (51°F), a 100 degree proof spirit (~57.15% ABV) would weigh 12/13 that of distilled water.
AnIPA with an ABV of 6.9% in the UK would be 12.075 degrees of proof, while a 100% ABV pure alcohol would have a proof of 175 degrees.
In the US, proof is calculated by doubling the ABV. So alcohol with an ABV of 40%, is 80 proof. Nevada, US prohibits the sale of alcohol in excess of 80% ABV (160 proof), and California, US prohibits the sale of anything over 60% ABV (120 proof).
The US has singled out one alcohol in particular for regulation – absinthe ABV (45-75%). It is infused with green anise, fennel, other herbs, and grand wormwood. During the early 1900s, a number of countries banned absinthe, due to a smear campaign conducted by the wine industry and the presumed presence of thujone, a chemical compound that is said to be poisonous in large amounts. It is now known that most absinthe has very little thujone and easily meets all regulatory requirements. Beginning in 2007, absinthe returned to the US as imports from Europe and with domestic producers.
Finger Fact
The ratio between the lengths of one’s
index and ring fingers is usually quite different in men and
women. Men tend to have shorter index fingers than ring fingers;
women tend to have their index fingers either the same length or
longer than their ring fingers. I saw you checking.
Catfishing, Ghosting, Phishing, and Spoofing
New
threatening online practices are showing up almost monthly. As
old threats are stopped, the bad guys dream up new ones. Below
are a few current schemes by bad actors to gain personal
information to steal from your bank account, abruptly end a
relationship, or damage your reputation.
Catfishing is being used more and more often and refers to the act of luring someone into a perceived or real relationship via an online persona that does not actually exist. It occurs in many forms, such as individuals may steal others’ photos and use them as their own, claim to have a job they do not actually have, or build an entire fictional personality from scratch in order to appear attractive to the person they are interested in.
Ghosting is a new term for breaking up with someone by completely cutting off contact with them, ignoring their attempts to get in touch, and not providing an explanation for why they ended the relationship. It is often used by people who meet online or by using social media apps. Ghosting is also used as a way to not take responsibility for a relationship and is confusing and hurtful to the person being ghosted.
Phishing is committing fraud by posing as a legitimate and often widely-known company or brand. People who are doing this, buying up domains that are closely related in spelling to a real domain, duplicating the actual brand’s website, and capturing information for the purpose of identity or other theft. Some will take payments for products and services that don’t exist, and others will infect computers with bots, spyware, and malware. Many internet service providers recommend antivirus programs that contain real-time phishing filters. These filters can block internet pages and websites that are characteristic of phishing.
Spoofing is the act of forging an email so that it appears the email came from someone other than the actual sender. This is common among crooks, who want to install programs that record and transmit keystrokes on victims’ computers in hopes of obtaining bank account information and passwords. Most email service providers have become adept at flagging these attempts. Running and maintaining antivirus and anti-malware protection is crucial to staying safe while using the internet.
Catfishing is being used more and more often and refers to the act of luring someone into a perceived or real relationship via an online persona that does not actually exist. It occurs in many forms, such as individuals may steal others’ photos and use them as their own, claim to have a job they do not actually have, or build an entire fictional personality from scratch in order to appear attractive to the person they are interested in.
Ghosting is a new term for breaking up with someone by completely cutting off contact with them, ignoring their attempts to get in touch, and not providing an explanation for why they ended the relationship. It is often used by people who meet online or by using social media apps. Ghosting is also used as a way to not take responsibility for a relationship and is confusing and hurtful to the person being ghosted.
Phishing is committing fraud by posing as a legitimate and often widely-known company or brand. People who are doing this, buying up domains that are closely related in spelling to a real domain, duplicating the actual brand’s website, and capturing information for the purpose of identity or other theft. Some will take payments for products and services that don’t exist, and others will infect computers with bots, spyware, and malware. Many internet service providers recommend antivirus programs that contain real-time phishing filters. These filters can block internet pages and websites that are characteristic of phishing.
Spoofing is the act of forging an email so that it appears the email came from someone other than the actual sender. This is common among crooks, who want to install programs that record and transmit keystrokes on victims’ computers in hopes of obtaining bank account information and passwords. Most email service providers have become adept at flagging these attempts. Running and maintaining antivirus and anti-malware protection is crucial to staying safe while using the internet.
Wordology, Achaplinarse
This is a
Chilean word meaning to run about in the style of Charlie
Chaplin. In Spanish it means to hesitate, turn back, or change
direction in a chaplinesque manner.
Incidentally, In 1915, Charlie Chaplin entered a Charlie Chaplin lookalike contest in San Francisco. He did not win and he failed to make the finals.
Incidentally, In 1915, Charlie Chaplin entered a Charlie Chaplin lookalike contest in San Francisco. He did not win and he failed to make the finals.
Three Strange Job Illnesses
Chimney Sweep's Cancer, also called soot wart, and chimney sweep's scrotum
is a squamous cell carcinoma of the skin of the scrotum. Warts
caused by the irritation from soot particles, if not excised,
developed into a scrotal cancer, then enlarged the testicle and
proceeded up the spermatic cord into the abdomen where it proved
fatal. It is the first reported form of occupational cancer, and
was first identified during 1775. It was initially noticed as
being prevalent among chimney sweeps.
Bagpiper's Fungus - Bagpipes are made of sheepskin traditionally coated in treacle or honey on the lining to keep it airtight. The inside is sticky, dark and damp, making it a breeding ground for spores and fungus. Pipers breath in those bacteria and develop pneumonia, respiratory infections, and more.
Wool Sorter's Disease - this condition usually afflicts those working with wool, like sheep shearers. What the name doesn't suggest is just how bad this disease actually is. The more common name is anthrax. A person can contract meningitis, high fever, and severe abdominal pain before finally suffering a fatal respiratory collapse - all from breathing in the bacteria hidden in sheep's wool.
Bagpiper's Fungus - Bagpipes are made of sheepskin traditionally coated in treacle or honey on the lining to keep it airtight. The inside is sticky, dark and damp, making it a breeding ground for spores and fungus. Pipers breath in those bacteria and develop pneumonia, respiratory infections, and more.
Wool Sorter's Disease - this condition usually afflicts those working with wool, like sheep shearers. What the name doesn't suggest is just how bad this disease actually is. The more common name is anthrax. A person can contract meningitis, high fever, and severe abdominal pain before finally suffering a fatal respiratory collapse - all from breathing in the bacteria hidden in sheep's wool.
Jun 16, 2017
Happy Friday
“Four things come not
back: the spoken word, the spent arrow, the past, the neglected
opportunity.” ~ Omar Ibn Al-Halif
I come back every week to celebrate a Happy Friday!
I come back every week to celebrate a Happy Friday!
Father's Day
This
year Father's Day is June 18. Happy Father's Day to all the
fathers in the world. This holiday traces its roots to 1910.
However, it took until 1966 for US President Lyndon Johnson to
issue a proclamation designating the third Sunday in June to
honor fathers. Then, US President Richard Nixon signed a law
declaring that Father's Day be celebrated annually on the third
Sunday in June. It has been an official, permanent national
holiday ever since.
A bit of history - Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd thought it might be nice to honor fathers and proposed to the Spokane Ministerial Association and the YMCA that they celebrate a 'father’s day'. She chose the 5th of June because it was her father’s birthday. The idea received strong support, but the ministers asked that the day be changed to give them extra time to prepare sermons on the subject of fathers. The first Father’s Day was observed on June 19, 1910, in Spokane, Washington, and soon other towns had their own celebrations.
Father's Day is celebrated around the world, but many countries celebrate on different days.
“When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around, but when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.” ~Mark Twain
A bit of history - Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd thought it might be nice to honor fathers and proposed to the Spokane Ministerial Association and the YMCA that they celebrate a 'father’s day'. She chose the 5th of June because it was her father’s birthday. The idea received strong support, but the ministers asked that the day be changed to give them extra time to prepare sermons on the subject of fathers. The first Father’s Day was observed on June 19, 1910, in Spokane, Washington, and soon other towns had their own celebrations.
Father's Day is celebrated around the world, but many countries celebrate on different days.
“When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around, but when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.” ~Mark Twain
Tilapia vs. Bacon
Nutritionists have referenced a study that implies eating
tilapia is worse than eating bacon. Dr. Floyd Chilton, professor
of physiology and pharmacology who directed the Wake Forest
study, says the comparison of tilapia to bacon was taken out of
context.
A 4-ounce serving of tilapia has about 29 grams of protein and about 200 mg of omega-3. By comparison, a 4-ounce serving of bacon has 40 grams of protein and 228 mg of omega-3.
The report said the, “inflammatory potential of hamburger and bacon is lower than the average serving of farmed tilapia (100 g).” The fish currently tests in the “red zone” for the presence of banned or illegal chemicals such as antibiotics, malachite green, and methyl testosterone hormones used in Chinese tilapia production.
Incidentally, the USDA does not currently have guidelines for classifying seafood as organic.
A 4-ounce serving of tilapia has about 29 grams of protein and about 200 mg of omega-3. By comparison, a 4-ounce serving of bacon has 40 grams of protein and 228 mg of omega-3.
The report said the, “inflammatory potential of hamburger and bacon is lower than the average serving of farmed tilapia (100 g).” The fish currently tests in the “red zone” for the presence of banned or illegal chemicals such as antibiotics, malachite green, and methyl testosterone hormones used in Chinese tilapia production.
Incidentally, the USDA does not currently have guidelines for classifying seafood as organic.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)