Socks have been around as a form of
footwear for thousands of years. They initially started as matted
animal hair shaped to fit inside a shoe or around the foot and
ankle. The ancient Greeks were known to have used this technique as
far back as 750 BC. The Romans innovated with thick fabrics that
were wrapped around the legs to form a shaped sock.
Knitting was invented in Egypt during the 12th century AD by nomadic
sheep herders who would create fabric through the simple use of
knotting wool yarn using straight twigs. The technique had
advantages over traditional weaving and allowed any shepherd and his
wife to produce a more valuable product instead of just selling
their wool. The practice quickly spread from Egypt throughout the
Middle East and into Europe. Muslim knitters in Spain started
developing a variety of knitting stitches that allowed them to
create shaped fabrics, the sock being one of the first knitted items
of clothing to be produced.
In 1589, William Lee of Calverton in England invented the first
knitting machine which overnight transformed knitted garments into
something almost everyone could afford. Knitting is credited with
transforming the textile industry and became the precursor to the
industrial age.
In China and Japan during the first millennium BC puppets were being
intricately carved from wood. Puppets were being used in India by
the 11th century as devices to give morality stories a visual impact
that words couldn't convey. Puppets have been used to represent
good, evil, jealousy, and greed without running the risk of
identifying individuals who might exact revenge against the
storyteller. In ancient India puppets were constructed from carved
sticks, and were often elaborately decorated. Sock puppets were
likely invented when knitted socks became more widely in use.
As the puritan movement in England gained momentum, traditional
puppetry was banned along with all other forms of theater. During
these years in England and France, radicals would organize secret
theater shows and used puppets, as they were easier to transport and
conceal than sets, costumes, and large bands of actors. Socks and
very basic stages made of suspended fabric hung behind a table
became a popular way of getting around the ban. It was about this
time that the puppet character Punch was created.
After the return of the monarchy and the end of puritan times Punch
and Judy, puppets became more commonly associated with glove or hand
puppets. Children used discarded socks that could be decorated to
mimic a hand puppet.
Recently the term sock puppet is also used to describe a fictitious
identity used online to promote a particular point of view or defend
a person who is seen as controversial.
Jun 20, 2014
Embalming Facts
This was something of a surprise to
me. No state requires routine embalming and some do not require it
at all. It is also not required for cremation if performed
immediately. Some states require embalming for remains that are to
be shipped out of state. Embalming provides no public health
benefit, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and
Canadian health authorities. Hawaii and Ontario forbid embalming if
the person died of certain contagious diseases.
Modern embalming consists primarily of washing with a germicide-insecticide-olfactant. removing all blood and gases from the body and the insertion of a disinfecting fluid. Funeral home effluent is not regulated, and waste is flushed into the common sewer system or septic tank. Embalming does not preserve the body for any great length of time. It also serves no useful purpose in preventing the transmission of communicable disease. Refrigeration is just as effective as embalming for short periods of time, such as for viewing.
The US Federal Trade Commission says, "Except in certain special cases, embalming is not required by law. Embalming may be necessary, however, if you select certain funeral arrangements, such as a funeral with viewing. If you do not want embalming, you usually have the right to choose an arrangement that does not require you to pay for it, such as direct cremation or immediate burial." Refrigeration is an alternative to maintain a body while awaiting a funeral service or when there is a delay in making arrangements.
Charges for embalming, dressing, and cosmetology can be covered under one charge and can vary from $500 to $1500, or more. Sheltering and refrigeration of a body for up to 3 days can vary from no charge to a few hundred dollars.
Modern embalming consists primarily of washing with a germicide-insecticide-olfactant. removing all blood and gases from the body and the insertion of a disinfecting fluid. Funeral home effluent is not regulated, and waste is flushed into the common sewer system or septic tank. Embalming does not preserve the body for any great length of time. It also serves no useful purpose in preventing the transmission of communicable disease. Refrigeration is just as effective as embalming for short periods of time, such as for viewing.
The US Federal Trade Commission says, "Except in certain special cases, embalming is not required by law. Embalming may be necessary, however, if you select certain funeral arrangements, such as a funeral with viewing. If you do not want embalming, you usually have the right to choose an arrangement that does not require you to pay for it, such as direct cremation or immediate burial." Refrigeration is an alternative to maintain a body while awaiting a funeral service or when there is a delay in making arrangements.
Charges for embalming, dressing, and cosmetology can be covered under one charge and can vary from $500 to $1500, or more. Sheltering and refrigeration of a body for up to 3 days can vary from no charge to a few hundred dollars.
Beware Hot Spots
Comcast is doing something different,
adding your router output as free WiFi to others passing by. It is
also an opt-out solution, which means it is enabled by default and
you need to turn it off. It also does not pay you for this use by
others.
Comcast is quietly turning on public hotspots in its customers’ routers and turning private homes into public hotspots. Other Comcast customers get free Wi-Fi wherever there is a Comcast box and the company gets to build out a private network to compete with telecoms, but using your resources.
Fifty thousand users with basic modems that Comcast cable provides have already been turned into public hotspots in Houston, and there are plans to enable 150,000 more.
It is using your private residence as a corporate resource and using your electricity, your Internet connection, and potentially opening up your private browsing to hackers. Comcast says these two streams are independent, but that has never stopped hackers. There is also nothing to stop someone from downloading illicit material, software, and other junk from your hotspot, implicating you if caught. Remember, if there is a line out, that means there is also a line in. Caveat Emptor Comcast users.
Comcast is quietly turning on public hotspots in its customers’ routers and turning private homes into public hotspots. Other Comcast customers get free Wi-Fi wherever there is a Comcast box and the company gets to build out a private network to compete with telecoms, but using your resources.
Fifty thousand users with basic modems that Comcast cable provides have already been turned into public hotspots in Houston, and there are plans to enable 150,000 more.
It is using your private residence as a corporate resource and using your electricity, your Internet connection, and potentially opening up your private browsing to hackers. Comcast says these two streams are independent, but that has never stopped hackers. There is also nothing to stop someone from downloading illicit material, software, and other junk from your hotspot, implicating you if caught. Remember, if there is a line out, that means there is also a line in. Caveat Emptor Comcast users.
Five Food Hacks
To cook potatoes evenly, drop in cool
water, not hot. Hot water will make the outsides mushy and not cook
the insides evenly. Allowing to water to warm up with the potatoes
cooks the outside and inside evenly. Potatoes are more dense than
veggies.
Heat the pan before cooking veggies. Preheating the pan and using a bit of olive oil keeps the veggies from sticking and helps them evenly brown without making them mushy.
Meat should never be tossed into a cold pan, in the oven or on the stovetop.
Slicing onions vertically is to slice along with the fibers of the onion. When you slice with the fibers, the onion pieces hold up a bit better as they cook. If you do not want them to retain the shape, cut along the side like circles or dice them and they will be more mushy.
Cakes should be light and airy and one way to help is to alternately mix in dry and wet ingredients. It is bubbles, unpopped and whole, that give an open crumb in cakes. When you are beating sugar into softened butter or when you are beating eggs into a froth, you are making bubbles. Adding dry ingredients keeps the bubbles from popping and makes for a light, airy cake. Dump and stir is better for more dense things, like brownies.
Heat the pan before cooking veggies. Preheating the pan and using a bit of olive oil keeps the veggies from sticking and helps them evenly brown without making them mushy.
Meat should never be tossed into a cold pan, in the oven or on the stovetop.
Slicing onions vertically is to slice along with the fibers of the onion. When you slice with the fibers, the onion pieces hold up a bit better as they cook. If you do not want them to retain the shape, cut along the side like circles or dice them and they will be more mushy.
Cakes should be light and airy and one way to help is to alternately mix in dry and wet ingredients. It is bubbles, unpopped and whole, that give an open crumb in cakes. When you are beating sugar into softened butter or when you are beating eggs into a froth, you are making bubbles. Adding dry ingredients keeps the bubbles from popping and makes for a light, airy cake. Dump and stir is better for more dense things, like brownies.
Sit Straight, Be Confident
In a recent study,
participants were asked to think about and write down their best or
worse qualities while they were sitting down with their back erect
and pushing their chest out in a confident posture, or slouched
forward with their back curved. Then, participants completed a
number of measures and reported their self-evaluations. Researchers
found the effect of the direction of thoughts (positive/negative) on
self-related attitudes was significantly greater when participants
wrote their thoughts in the confident posture. The postures did not
influence the number or quality of thoughts listed, but did have an
impact on the confidence with which people held their thoughts.
Mason Jar Cooking
Mason jars have been around for years and
only recently have folks begun to use them for cooking things in a
microwave. Taking soup to work and heating in a mason jar is an old
standby for office workers, but have you thought of doing this for
the family?
Many other things can be cooked in mason jars for individual servings and no mess. It works for mac and cheese (with bacon bits of course). Try cobblers and pies, just be sure to put the fruits on the bottom and dough on top. Same trick for pizza, put the dough on top, so it can rise.
Have not tried this, but will do so soon. The recipe calls for putting fruit in the bottom of a small mason jar and filling it halfway with pancake mix (the mix rises from cooking), or dropping in some chocolate chips on top of the mix, then microwaving for 60 - 90 seconds. Great way to make individual pancakes quickly and with less dirty pans. A side benefit of Mason jar cooking is strict portion control, which is good if you are trying to watch your weight.
Many other things can be cooked in mason jars for individual servings and no mess. It works for mac and cheese (with bacon bits of course). Try cobblers and pies, just be sure to put the fruits on the bottom and dough on top. Same trick for pizza, put the dough on top, so it can rise.
Have not tried this, but will do so soon. The recipe calls for putting fruit in the bottom of a small mason jar and filling it halfway with pancake mix (the mix rises from cooking), or dropping in some chocolate chips on top of the mix, then microwaving for 60 - 90 seconds. Great way to make individual pancakes quickly and with less dirty pans. A side benefit of Mason jar cooking is strict portion control, which is good if you are trying to watch your weight.
Friday Votes
I steadfastly stay away from politics on this
forum, so the following is just a statement of fact. The US Senate
had four votes on Friday during 2013 and no Friday votes during
2014. My conclusion is that they must need the Friday time to
read and digest my Friday Thoughts.
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