What's in a Name, Welsh Rarebit

It is cheese on toast with added ingredients. When it was devised in the 18th century, the English (by then well-established in their teasing of the Welsh) jokingly called it Welsh Rabbit - as a Welshman, supposedly too poor to have meat, had to eat cheese instead.

The earliest reference can be traced to 1725 and the diary of a poet called John Byrom who wrote, "I did not eat of cold beef, but of Welsh rabbit and stewed cheese."

Sixty years later, the rarebit popped up in Francis Grose’s Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue: ‘A Welsh rabbit is bread and cheese roasted, i.e. a Welsh rare bit.’

Yelp Changes

Speaking of food, Yelp, the site millions go to for reviews of local eating establishments may be changing, and not for the better. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, said that review site Yelp could manipulate its ratings for money.

So, if a small diner makes a big ad buy on the site, those extra dollars could possibly boost the diner's rating, thus potentially gaining it more customers.

Yelp says that it does not manipulate ratings, despite longtime accusations from business owners. It says it uses an automated process for star ratings on the site. There is no reason to believe that the company is or will be 100 percent fair about business ratings and placement just because it seems like the right thing to do. Take your Yelp reviews with a grain of salt from now on, as you should have been doing all along.

Windows Printing Tip

To print a web page, email, or selected text or picture hold down the CTRL key and press the letter p. You can select your PDF printer to create a page to read later.

Coconut Facts

There are more than 1,300 kinds of coconut, and they can be separated into two main genetic origins: the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean. There are also over a thousand uses for coconut and its tree.

Coconut water is a workable short-term substitute for human blood plasma and was positively tested as emergency intravenous fluid as far back as the 1950s. Coconut water is also low in calories, carbohydrates, and sugars, and almost completely fat-free. In addition, it is high in ascorbic acid, B vitamins, and proteins. The soft meat inside the coconut helps to restore oxidative tissue damage and contains a source of healthy fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals.

Gas mask manufacturers in the US developed the use of steam-activated coconut char, obtained by burning coconut husks as an important component in gas mask production. They found that masks using coconut carbon were superior at filtering noxious substances. Coconut carbon is still an important ingredient in cleaning up radiation and was heavily used in the cleanup project at the Fukushima nuclear plant.

Coconut lumber is a good building material, a fossil fuel alternative, and coconut trees can produce oil in workable quantities.

In the Philippines, sap from an unopened coconut flower is distilled into a potent drink called lambanog. It is 80 to 90 proof, but is organic and chemical-free. Lambanog is traditionally homemade, but some commercial distilleries have introduced several flavors into the market, such as mango, bubblegum, and blueberry.

Coconut armor consisted of a cap, body armor, back plate, leggings, and a close-fitting jacket. A high collar in the back protected the warrior from stones thrown from his own side.

Coconut butter is the flesh of the coconut which has been ground into butter. It is creamier than the oil, and makes a great dairy-free spread.

Coconut oil is an edible oil extracted from the meat of mature coconuts. Use coconut oil to remove heavy makeup. Rub into your skin, leave it on for a few minutes, and wipe it all off with a warm cloth. Treat dry, flaky cuticles by rubbing coconut oil into your nail beds. Use your fingers to massage some oil into the area and it will moisturize your hands.

Use coconut oil to lubricate a squeaky hinge

Coconut meat can be eaten raw, cooked, or as a preserve. You can top salads with shredded or grated, lightly toasted coconut meat. You can use a blender to make it into smoothies. Coconut meat is high in fiber, polyphenols, and phytosterols, and can decrease the levels of LDL cholesterol.

Wordology, Oche

It is the line behind which darts players must stand while tossing.

Friday Thought

Happy Friday

Those who live as if there is no tomorrow and those who live as if there are endless tomorrows are both wrong.

I try to live like every day is worth celebrating, especially on a Happy Friday! 

Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest Winners

Since 1982 the English Department at San Jose State University has sponsored the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest, a whimsical literary competition that challenges entrants to compose the opening sentence to the worst of all possible novels. LINK  Fun read for all.

Baseball Trivia

The only man who hit a home run, but did not score on it was former Major League baseball player Benji Molina. He was so slow that he once hit a home run that he never scored on. What happened was Molina hit a home run that initially was ruled a single and a pinch runner, Emmanuel Burris was put in.

However, manager Bruce Bochy challenged the call and it was ultimately ruled a home run, but because the pinch runner had already been put in, the umpires ruled that Molina could not go back out to complete the home run. Burris was given credit for scoring the run, while Molina was credited with hitting the home run.