Fact of the Day

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - ORIGIN OF "WITH A GRAIN OF SALT"

Did you know... ‘Take it with a grain of salt’ all (probably) started with Pliny the Elder, but he was talking about literal poison.

 

If an unverified gossip account on Instagram posts that your favorite celebrity couple just broke up, you might take that rumor with a grain of salt. In other words, you’ll exercise a healthy bit of skepticism and wait for more evidence.

 

The (Likely) Origin of Take It With a Grain of Salt
Though no literal salt is involved, it was when the phrase was first mentioned (that we know of) in ancient Rome. In his Natural History, written around 77 CE, Pliny the Elder recounted the story of how Pompey—best known for warring with Julius Caesar—found directions for the concoction that Mithridates VI used to inoculate himself against certain poisons.

 

 

Mithridates VI famously ingested small doses of poison to build up his immunity, but according to Pliny, the recipe called for other ingredients, too: dried nuts, figs, and rue leaves. Everything should be minced together and taken after having added a grain of salt: addito salis grano.

 

The Meaning of Take It With a Grain of Salt
It’s not totally clear how the phrase ended up with its modern meaning—“a skeptical attitude,” per Merriam-Webster—after that.

 

According to Michael Quinion’s blog World Wide Words, some people who read Pliny’s Natural History later on may have mistaken his mention of salt as a figurative warning. As in: “Be skeptical about this recipe, since I’m not sold on its efficacy and you might accidentally poison yourself to death,” or something to that effect.

 

But without any evidence that other ancient Romans used grain of salt as an idiom, it seems more likely that salt was part of the actual recipe. It’s also possible that the idea of using salt to make poison easier to swallow just seemed like an apt description for adding a little skepticism when consuming questionable information.

 

In any case, grain of salt showed up again in John Trapp’s 1647 A commentary or exposition upon all the Epistles and the Revelation of John the Divine, but didn’t really catch on until the 20th century. As HowStuffWorks reports, the literary journal The Athenaeum mentioned it in a 1908 issue that read, “Our reasons for not accepting the author’s pictures of early Ireland without many grains of salt … ” By that point, the idiom was presumably common enough for readers to understand its meaning.

 

But considering the large gaps in the history of the phrase, this rundown can’t exactly be called a comprehensive origin story. In other words: take it with a grain of salt.

 

 

Source: Why Do We Tell People to Take Something “With a Grain of Salt”?

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - CONDIMENTS

Did you know... Fries without ketchup, pancakes without syrup — what would your favorite dishes be like without a little sauce? Condiments can make or break a meal; the word, after all, comes from the Latin condimentum, meaning “to season.” Take a moment to appreciate all the taste bud sensations that sidekick sauces can provide with these eight facts.

 

1. Soy Sauce Was Originally Made From Meat

The soy sauce you find at grocery stores today typically contains just four simple ingredients — soybeans, wheat, salt, and water — which are blended and fermented over several months or years to give the sauce its umami flavor. However, the oldest known types of soy sauce used meat in place of legumes. Called jiang, the flavoring was a thick and pasty blend of meat, a fermenting agent made from millet, and salt that fermented for about 100 days; it was ready when the meat had entirely dissolved. Food historians believe Chinese soy sauce makers eventually ditched using meat and switched to soybeans about 2,000 years ago.

 

2. Mayo Became Popular After a French and British Battle

The origins of mayonnaise are heavily debated among food historians, particularly regarding the issue of whether the creamy spread was invented by the Spanish or the French. One commonly told tale dates back to 1756 during the Seven Years’ War, when French forces set siege to Minorca’s Port Mahon (then ruled by the British). After the battle, a French chef working for the invading forces reportedly blended egg and oil together in a celebratory meal, calling the finished product “mahonnaise” for the region. However, some researchers believe residents of Port Mahon had already been making and using mayonnaise (their version was called Salsa Mahonesa). Regardless of who created it, mayo became linked with French cooking by the early 19th century, and the multipurpose dressing reached American menus by the 1830s.

 

3. White House Staff Kept Ketchup on Hand for One President’s Breakfast

Among White House staff, Richard Nixon’s love of cottage cheese was well known. During his time in the Oval Office, the 37th President regularly enjoyed a breakfast of fruit, wheat germ, coffee, and cottage cheese topped with ketchup. (His last meal in office nixed the condiment, but did include a tall glass of milk and cottage cheese atop pineapple slices.)

 

4. Nearly All American Shoppers Buy Peanut Butter

There’s one condiment you’ll have a good chance of finding in pantries across the country: peanut butter. In 2023, 90% of U.S. households included the smooth and creamy spread on their grocery lists. On average, Americans consumed 4.4 pounds of peanut butter per capita in 2023, a culinary craving that first became popular during World War I, when peanut butter was an inexpensive and easily accessible protein during wartime rationing.

 

5. Syrup-Producing Trees Have a Special Name

Making pure maple syrup is a time-intensive labor that starts inside of “sugarbushes,” aka groves of maple trees. Syrup farmers can wait up to 40 years before a maple tree grows large enough to be tapped, and even when they are, the trees typically produce just 10 gallons of sap per tap hole per season. After boiling off excess water, that’s enough to make about 1 quart of maple syrup.

 

6. There’s a Hot Sauce-Themed Opera

Not many foods are the stars of an opera performance, though one kind of hot sauce is. Boston composer George Whitefield Chadwick debuted Tabasco: A Burlesque Opera in 1894. It tells the story of an Irish traveler lost at sea who washes ashore in Morocco and works as a chef, and who creates spicy dishes (his secret ingredient: Tabasco). Chadwick’s opera was partially financed by the McIlhenny Company — the maker of Tabasco. In its first week, it turned a profit of $26,000.

 

7. Ernest Hemingway’s Burger Recipe Used Tons of Condiments

One of Ernest Hemingway’s lesser-known creations wasn’t a novel, but a hamburger. His recipe included a smattering of condiments inside the mixture rather than on top. The author’s technique called for wine, garlic, and sometimes ground almonds, but also several different spice blends and relishes. His recommendation for getting the meat perfectly ready for the grill? Let it “sit out of the icebox for 10 to 15 minutes while you set the table and make the salad.”

 

8. Historians Have Recreated a 2,000-Year-Old Condiment

You can get a taste for how ancient Romans and Greeks once ate with a little dash of garum, a fish sauce that was popular about 2,000 years ago. Historians relied on surviving recipes for instructions that included steps like leaving fish to break down in open containers for three months. However, it wasn’t until clay pots from a garum-making shop in Pompeii were unearthed that researchers found evidence of the sauce that could be analyzed for additional ingredients such as dill, fennel, and coriander that help the salty and umami-flavored sauce shine.

 

Source: Saucy Facts About Condiments

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - WHAT DOES HE EAT?

Did you know.... The adorable Arctic predators never let a little snow get in the way of a meal.  It isn’t easy living on top of the world, where there’s no sunlight for four months a year and even summer is literally freezing. Arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus, also known as Alopex lagopus) are perfectly adapted for life in this harsh terrain. They are found through the circumpolar region as far south as the northern edges of North America, Europe, and Asia.

 

Their small, sturdy bodies are a first line of defense against the full-time chill. At about 1 foot tall and 2 to 3 feet long, Arctic foxes are more compact and stout than other fox species, with short legs and snouts that reduce the loss of body heat. Their long, fluffy tails help insulate them and aid in balance, and a luxurious, white winter coat makes them nearly invisible against the snow, camouflaging them to predators like wolves and polar bears.

 

 

Arctic foxes are omnivores, eating everything that their tundra habitat provides. In summer, the environment bustles with tasty options: voles and other small mammals, birds, frogs, berries, insects, birds’ eggs, and even the feces of other animals. If they live near coastlines they may feed on fish, seal pups, and sea birds.

 

In winter, when food is much harder to find, the crafty canines follow polar bears onto ice floes and scavenge the scraps from the bears’ hunts. When food in one place is depleted, Arctic foxes been known to travel 2500 miles for better pickings.

 

Lunching on Lemmings
One of the Arctic fox’s preferred foods are lemmings, a genus of small mammals that live throughout the Arctic. Lemmings are so important to Arctic foxes’ survival that fox populations fluctuate in response to lemming numbers. These plump little rodents keep warm and active in winter by tunneling under the snow, where they’re invisible to predators. But not inaudible, at least not to the Arctic fox.

 

 

 

The foxes have exceptionally keen hearing. If they detect movement beneath the snow, they wait patiently, cocking their heads back and forth, listening for the lemmings’ squeaks and footfalls. When a fox gets a bead on one, they literally leap into action: they jump several feet straight up in the air and dive snout-first into the snow, often snagging a lemming like a Hot Pocket out of a toaster oven.

 

The Arctic Fox Life Cycle
When snow and ice melt in the short Arctic summer, the fox’s white fur seems to melt away, too. They shed their floof to make way for a shorter bluish-gray or brown coat to blend in with the rocky tundra.

 

 

When prey is more abundant in warmer months, Arctic foxes store surplus food for the leaner winter months in their dens, which can be vast, multi-chambered homes buried six to 12 feet underground. If necessary, foxes can slow down their metabolism and curl up in their dens for a mini-hibernation. Some dens are hundreds of years old and have been used by many successive generations.

 

Those generations begin with a couple’s courtship involving chasing and play-fighting [PDF]. Mating usually takes place in spring, with the young, called kits or pups, born after six to eight weeks. They start life with gray or brown fur, whatever the season. Both parents take part in raising their kits.

 

 

Arctic foxes are monogamous, so the mating pair usually stays together for life—as if they weren’t sweet enough already. Unless, of course, you happen to be a lemming.

 

 

Source: What Do Arctic Foxes Eat?

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - PHRASER "ROGER THAT"

Did you know.... There was once a non-zero chance that ‘Robert that’ or ‘robust that’ became a thing, instead. On the list of guys immortalized in common phrases, it seems like the Roger of Roger that should be right up there with the great Scott of great Scott and the real McCoy of the real McCoy. But unlike those latter two expressions, which likely were inspired by actual people (though there are competing theories about which McCoy is the real one), Roger that is a reference of a different sort.

 

Alphabet City

In the early 20th century, as wireless transmissions became more common, institutions devised phonetic alphabets to cut down on miscommunication over the radio. The first meaningful effort to standardize the practice across the globe came from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in the 1920s; this alphabet, seen below, primarily used city names. 

 

 

The ITU’s First Global Phonetic Alphabet

Letter -- Code Word

A -- Amsterdam

B -- Baltimore

C -- Casablanca

D -- Denmark

E -- Edison

F -- Florida

G -- Gallipoli

H -- Havana

I -- Italia

J -- Jerusalem

K -- Kilogramme

L -- Liverpool

M -- Madagascar

N -- New York

O -- Oslo

P -- Paris

Q -- Quebec

R -- Roma

S -- Santiago

T -- Tripoli

U -- Uppsala

V -- Valencia

W -- Washington

X -- Xanthippe

Y -- Yokohama

Z -- Zurich

 

But plenty of organizations, the U.S. military among them, still stuck with their own code words for years after that. The U.S. Army and Navy teamed up to create a joint alphabet in the early 1940s, and upon entering World War II, they realized it would make sense for U.S. and British forces to use the same one. While it’s often said that Britain simply adopted the U.S. military’s alphabet—officially the Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet—there’s more to the story than that.

 

In 1942, the U.S. military enlisted Harvard University’s Psycho-Acoustic Laboratory to help them develop the ultimate phonetic alphabet with the most intelligible and least confusing words. So the laboratory’s researchers analyzed a list of 250 terms compiled from various phonetic alphabets (as well as some of their own previous research) and made their recommendations. By the end of the year, leaders from both countries were under serious pressure to hurry up and finalize their selections so the system could be implemented.

 

 

 

According to a 1959 technical report written for the Air Force [PDF], “It is reported that after carefully evaluated decisions had been made on most of the alphabet, there still remained several words on which neither the U.S. nor the British side would yield. Therefore, the Generals and the Admirals went down the list taking first a U.S. and then a U.K. preference to complete the list and get on with the war.”

 

Enter Romeo
This alphabet, widely known as the Able Baker alphabet after its first two entries, features Roger for the letter r [PDF]. It’s not surprising that it made the cut: Not only had the U.S. already been using Roger—the Navy in particular since 1927—but researchers had identified it as one of the most intelligible options for r. Evidently, the generals and admirals liked it better than another high performer, robust, and the British military’s go-to, Robert.

 

World War II–Era Able Baker Alphabet

Letter -- Code Word

A -- Able

B -- Baker

C -- Charlie

D -- Dog

E -- Easy

F -- Fox

G -- George

H -- How

I -- Item

J -- Jig

K -- King

L -- Love

M -- Mike

N -- Nan

O -- Oboe

P -- Peter

Q -- Queen

R -- Roger

S -- Sugar

T -- Tare

U -- Uncle

V -- Victor

W -- William

X -- X-ray

Y -- Yoke

Z -- Zebra

 

It didn’t take long for Allied fighters to start utilizing Roger as shorthand for received. Contrary to popular belief, the term didn’t confirm any action on the speaker’s part—it really just meant “message received.” If the speaker intended to follow a given directive, they might say “Wilco,” short for will comply, or “Roger wilco.”

 

 

 

The Able Baker alphabet was very English-centric, though, which made it ill-suited for global use (though that didn’t stop the U.S. Weather Bureau from using it to name hurricanes for a few years). So in 1956, NATO and the International Civil Aviation Organization rolled out another alphabet that’s still in use today. While a handful of words from Able Baker remained the same—e.g. Charlie, Victor, and X-ray—Roger was replaced with Romeo.

 

Current NATO Phonetic Alphabet

Letter -- Code Word

A -- Alfa

B -- Bravo

C -- Charlie

D -- Delta

E -- Echo

F -- Foxtrot

G -- Golf

H -- Hotel

I -- India

J -- Juliett

K -- Kilo

L -- Lima

M -- Mike

N -- November

O -- Oscar

P -- Papa

Q -- Quebec

R -- Romeo

S -- Sierra

T -- Tango

U -- Uniform

V -- Victor

W -- Whiskey

X -- X-ray

Y -- Yankee

Z -- Zulu

 

One Small Step for Roger
By that point, however, it didn’t really matter: Roger meant “received” to soldiers whether it was in the official alphabet or not, and they kept on saying it through later conflicts. It’s unclear when Roger that first gained popularity, but it was definitely in play during the Vietnam War. 

 

As for how the expression made its way into the wider English lexicon, military jargon often does: Soldiers come home and assimilate their slang into civilian life. (World War II also gave us honcho and eager beaver.) Not to mention that we’ve seen decades’ worth of World War II depictions in film and television, many of which feature Roger in context. Plus, the term isn’t just used by the military—it’s also common among others involved in radio communications, from truckers to commercial pilots.

 

 

But there might be another reason Roger is so widely understood by the general public: because people around the world heard it countless times during broadcasts of the Apollo missions. An estimated 1 billion people tuned in to Apollo 8’s Christmas Eve message of 1968; and some 650 million people watched Apollo 11’s moon landing the following summer.

 

 

The most memorable line from the Apollo 10 mission in May 1969, the so-called “dress rehearsal” for the lunar landing, is Thomas P. Stafford’s “You can tell the world that we have arrived.” What Stafford said right before that was “Roger, Houston. Apollo 10.” By the time Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon in July, surely no viewer was still asking who Roger was. (Except maybe as a joke.)

 

Source: Who Is the Roger of ‘Roger That’?

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - EATING YOUR BOOGERS?

Did you know... 

There’s an old joke: What’s the difference between broccoli and boogers? You can’t get kids to eat broccoli. There definitely seems to be something about boogers that is simply irresistible to many children. Glance at a group of five or more children, and chances are good that at least one of them will likely have their finger either thrust up their bulging nostril halfway to their brain or poking the flake/chunk/globule sourced from within said nostril into their mouths. Yes, children can be truly disgusting.

 

Boogers, of course, form in the nose, when some of the mucus that is constantly produced gets dried out. The purpose of nasal mucus is to stop potentially harmful particles and pathogens found within the air from being inhaled. Instead, they are caught by wet, sticky snot and taken down the throat to be dealt with in the stomach. Larger particles, or large amounts of them, can form bigger sticky chunks or linger long enough to dry out, which is when the stuff in your nose goes from sniffable to pickable.

 

Mucophagy, According to Science
Aside from being gross, the act of picking one's nose is inadvisable, as a probing finger can introduce all sorts of infectious materials into the body, as well as pass illnesses on to other people. Picking your nose and then shaking hands with someone, for example, is one way to spread pneumonia. You can also damage the inside of your nose, which can cause nosebleeds.

 

As for the booger-eating—or, to use its more elegant name, mucophagy—opinions differ, health-wise. In 2013 Scott Napper, an associate professor of biochemistry at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada, sparked headlines around the world when he proposed a theory that evolution might suggest that eating boogers is one way to boost your immune system, and that boogers’ deliciousness was an advantageous mutation. He suggested that by ingesting these particles rather than blowing them out (or wiping them under a school desk), children were increasing their immunity, via exposure, to any illnesses they could cause.

 

However, as other scientists have pointed out, the majority of the mucus you produce gets swallowed anyway, so the small percentage of it that makes a brief journey outside before being chomped is unlikely to add many health benefits to the proceedings.

 

Just for the Taste of It
A more pointed answer to the question of why kids eat their boogers is just because they like the taste. Tastiness is key to Napper’s theory—and a frequently cited 1966 look [PDF] into derivatives of coprophagia (the eating of poop) by psychiatrist Sidney Tarachow states: “The patients enjoy these activities. The nose pickings are reported to be quite tasty, salty, to be exact.”

 

The convenience of boogers also cannot be overstated. How delicious does something even need to be when it’s so handily located near one’s mouth? Perhaps, ultimately, the answer to why kids eat boogers is the same as that given by the great mountaineer George Mallory, when he was quizzed as to why he was trying to climb Mount Everest: “Because it’s there.”

 

Maybe that’s it, or maybe … it’s snot.

 

Source: Why Do Kids Eat Their Boogers?

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - FAST FOOD SNACKS

Did you know... Did you know that Americans didn’t start eating bananas — perhaps one of the most popular healthy snacks — until the late 19th century? Or that for many years, sailors considered the fruit bad luck? Those are just two of the bite-sized facts about snacks we’ve rounded up from across the website. Which of your favorite spud snacks were created to reduce waste? Which treats have been to space, or might spontaneously combust in transit? Find out these and more noteworthy nuggets below.

 

1. McDonald's Chicken Nuggets Actually Come in Four Shapes

Think McDonald’s chicken nuggets shapes develop randomly from the raw pink goo? Think again! The nuggets actually come in four shapes, although they’re all a little rough around the edges: the boot, the bow tie, the ball, and the bell. They come out of a rotating mold and everything. After getting shaped and dropped on a conveyor belt, they’re breaded and slightly cooked before going out to restaurants, where they’ll finish cooking and be served to customers.

 

2. Oranges Are Often Sold in Red Bags for a Reason

Citrus growers often bundle together bunches of oranges in mesh bags, which you may have noticed are made from red plastic. It’s no coincidence: Red bags against orange peels create an optical illusion that makes the fruit appear more vibrantly hued and enticing. The trick works for other citrus — like mandarins, clementines, tangerines, and even some grapefruit — though not all. Yellow citrus, like lemons, are often sold in yellow or green bags to create a similar color-popping effect.

 

3. Froot Loops Are All the Same Flavor

The O’s of Froot Loops come in a variety of fruity colors, as if they each represent a different fruit flavor. However, the color is the only real difference among those O’s, because the flavor is the same throughout the box. You may still taste a difference between the colors, but it’s probably because your vision tells you to expect something different. Speaking of fruity misconceptions, it’s always been spelled “Froot Loops” — contrary to a popular belief that the name changed because of a lawsuit over the cereal’s lack of real fruit.

 

4. Americans Didn’t Eat Bananas Until the 1870s

Bananas made their U.S. debut in Philadelphia in 1876, sold to fairgoers attending the Centennial Exhibition (the first world’s fair held in America). For 10 cents, visitors could purchase a foil-wrapped banana and get a taste of a fruit many had never seen before. Today, bananas are one of the most popular fruits among American snackers, who consume an average of 13.2 pounds per person each year.

 

5. Doughnuts Cook Better Because of Their Holes

Ever wondered why doughnuts have holes? Historians aren't certain why (or when) the doughy centers disappeared, but one theory suggests it may have been to help the pastries cook more evenly. According to food lore, American sailor Hansen Gregory created the doughnut’s modern shape around 1847 while at sea; by his account, doughnuts of the time were twisted or diamond-shaped and often cooked faster on the outside than in the centers. Removing the dense middles helped create uniformly cooked treats that fried quickly and didn’t absorb as much oil.

 

6. Potato Chips Were Nearly Discontinued During World War II

In the midst of World War II, the U.S. War Production Board was tasked with making the most of limited materials for the war effort, pausing manufacturing of noncritical foods and items. One of the items on the chopping block: potato chips. The snack was initially considered “nonessential,” a move that would stop factories from producing potato chips until the war ended. However, chip manufacturers lobbied to rescind the ruling and even secured contracts to produce chips for troops overseas and workers in manufacturing plants. One such company — Albany, New York’s Blue Ribbon potato chip brand — chipped in about 7 million pounds of crisps to the war effort in just nine months.

 

7. The Word “Sandwich” Likely Gets Its Name From a Real-Life Royal

John Montagu (1718-1792), the British noble who served as the fourth Earl of Sandwich, was a politician and postmaster. He’s also credited as the inventor of the sandwich. Humans have arguably been combining bread with savory fillings for thousands of years, but Montagu is said to have inspired the dish’s official term. (His noble title, meanwhile, comes from a place name that means “sandy harbor.”) One 18th-century account claimed Montagu popularized sandwiches by requesting sliced meat and bread as a meal so that he could continue gambling, though other accounts say the earl likely also consumed sandwiches while working at his desk. With his title used as a description, sandwiches exploded in popularity throughout Europe, soon served to nobility and civilians alike.

 

 

Click the link below  to read more on Fast Food Snack.

 

Source: Our Favorite Fast Facts About Snacks

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - ENGAGEMENT CHICKEN ORIGINS

Did you know.... According to some foodies, this culinary urban legend might have a ring of truth to it.

 

Ready to get engaged? You could buy a ring, propose, and start wedding planning. Or, you could bypass the traditional methods and potentially coax a future spouse into tying the knot with this legendary chicken recipe instead.

 

Oft-reported as a trigger for settling down, “engagement chicken” is essentially just a roast chicken. But it is reportedly so delicious that after enjoying it as a duo, you have no choice but to get married. And no, it’s not served with a ring dangling off the drumstick. Rather, it’s more of a basic, easy-to-execute recipe, roasting the bird at a high heat for crispy skin and juicy interiors, and maybe—just maybe—charming someone into embarking on a lifetime partnership together.

 

The Origins of “Engagement Chicken”
Roast chicken is a classic, so what makes this one so special? Urban lore, specifically.

 

“Engagement chicken” was given its romantic title in 1982 when Kim Bonnell, a former fashion editor at Glamour magazine, shared a roast chicken recipe with a colleague. The recipe was based on an earlier dish by chef Marcella Hazan. They subsequently made it for a boyfriend and became engaged a month later, and the recipe’s reputation at the magazine grew from there. “I started sharing this recipe, and then next thing you know, people started getting engaged,” Bonnell told The New York Times in 2023.

 

The recipe became canon in the mid-2000s when Glamour published it. While cooking for someone is a true act of love, of course, it’s hard to determine if this specific recipe directly correlates with a partner getting down on one knee and declaring a desire for lifelong commitment.

 

 

 

Still, the legend and tasty recipe lives on. Ina Garten has put her own spin on it (though it’s worth noting she married Jeffrey in 1968, years before her culinary career). Megan Markle’s engagement to Prince Harry also followed her making a certain chicken dish. 

 

Even Emily Blunt is reportedly a fan. “The roast chicken I love is Ina Garten’s roast chicken, it’s called her ‘engagement chicken.’ When people make it for people, they get engaged or something,” she told iHeartMedia’s River Cafe Table 4 podcast in 2021. Blunt revealed that she made it for her husband, John Krasinski, early on when they started dating. “That’s it," she added. “All it took!”

 

The Allure of “Marry Me” Dishes
Poultry probably isn’t the key to a happy relationship. Still, a good meal can be transcendent, evoking important conversations, memories, and even realizations. This is perhaps why the concept of “engagement chicken” evolved with social media in a new recipe called “Marry Me Chicken,” which recently went viral on TikTok.

 

 

 

Dubbed one of the most popular recipes of 2023 by The New York Times, it was created in 2016 by Lindsay Funston, then an editor at Delish. This decadent recipe calls for chicken breasts to be seared in butter, then simmered in parmesan tomato cream sauce. It’s rich and photogenic and, according to commenters, the Tuscan-style meal pleases newlyweds and divorcees alike. It has also been adapted into other forms, including “Marry Me Chicken Pasta,” “Marry Me Pasta,” and several other variations. Because hey, marriage is romantic—and who doesn’t like a cream sauce?

 

But all this begs the question: Do any of these pre-proposal dishes actually work? Skeptics will say no, and if you’re on the brink of getting engaged, it will probably happen whether you cook a special meal or not. But if you eat meat (or pasta), want to enjoy a nice meal for two at home, and you’re up for a little kitchen witchcraft, why not crank up that oven to 425°F and see what happens? 

 

 

Source: What Is “Engagement Chicken,” and More Importantly, Does It Work?

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - WEED

Did you know.... Marijuana really does give you the munchies. If you’ve ever smoked weed, chances are you’ve felt pretty hungry afterwards. Maybe you even said, “I’m starving” as you plowed through a Nachos BellGrande, a Quesarito Combo, and a Crunchwrap Supreme. Well, you were right—you were starving. Or at least, your body thought you were. And that’s because of tetrahydrocannabinol, also known as THC, which is the main psychoactive component in marijuana. 

 

A 2015 study conducted on mice by researchers at the Yale School of Medicine found that THC flipped a switch in the rodents’ brain circuitry, making them feel hungry rather than full.

 

“By observing how the appetite center of the brain responds to marijuana, we were able to see what drives the hunger brought about by cannabis and how that same mechanism that normally turns off feeding becomes a driver of eating,” said Tamas Horvath, the study’s lead author.

 

“It’s like pressing a car’s brakes and accelerating instead,” Horvath explained. “We were surprised to find that the neurons we thought were responsible for shutting down eating, were suddenly being activated and promoting hunger, even when you are full. It fools the brain’s central feeding system.”

 

Assuming that THC has a similar effect on humans, it’s easy to understand how smoking weed would produce insatiable cravings for anything and everything.

 

But that’s not the only science at work when it comes to getting the munchies: THC also binds to cannabinoid receptors known as CB1s in the brain’s olfactory bulb, making food aromas more intense, which increases your perception of flavor. So not only are you convinced that you’re ravenous, but things smell and taste better than they do when you’re not high, which is kind of a double whammy.

 

While this all may be a little annoying if you’re trying to cut back on your fast-food intake, the link between hunger and THC is potentially great news for people who have trouble eating due to illness or other medical reasons. For instance, marijuana has been shown to be an effective appetite stimulant in cancer patients. If researchers know exactly what causes that appetite surge, they may be able to use the munchies to benefit those who need it.

 

 

Source: Why Does Weed Make You Hungry?
 

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - DANGEROUS JOBS

Did you know... Some say that without risk there is no reward. While this might not always be true, it certainly is for some of these dangerous professions, where workers have to deal with a daily dose of peril. And in many cases, these brave individuals are precisely the ones who keep our modern world functioning.

 

Let’s explore ten hazardous occupations where every day on the job is a brush with danger.

 

1. Commercial Fishing

As exciting as it might be, commercial fishing ranks among the deadliest professions globally, with a fatality rate so high that it might discourage even the bravest souls. In addition to the inherent dangers of the sea, the combination of unpredictable weather, heavy equipment, and remote locations makes it extremely perilous. Even with modern safety measures, accidents like capsizing or entanglement in fishing gear are sadly common.

 

2. Logging

Logging necessarily involves working with heavy machinery and handling sharp tools in rugged terrains. Falling trees, equipment malfunctions, and transportation accidents pose significant risks. Despite advancements in safety protocols, logging remains one of the most hazardous occupations. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the occupation had a fatal work injury rate of 82 per 100,000 in 2021.

 

3. Snake Milker
Snake milkers extract venom from some of the world's deadliest serpents to produce life-saving antivenom. This perilous profession involves handling venomous snakes with precision and care. One wrong move could result in a lethal bite, making each milking session a dance with danger. More often than not, however, snake milkers are trained herpetologists who know a lot about the behavior of the venomous reptiles they work with.

 

4. Mining

Mining is a profession fraught with dangers, such as cave-ins, explosions, and exposure to toxic gasses. Miners also face long-term health risks from dust inhalation leading to conditions like black lung disease. Despite stringent safety regulations, the inherent hazards of working underground make mining a perilous - although sometimes profitable - occupation.

 

5. Firefighting
Firefighters risk their lives every day battling blazes and all sorts of natural and man-made disasters, having to deal with unpredictable and hazardous conditions. From collapsing structures to toxic smoke inhalation, firefighters certainly don’t have it easy. Often, however, the opportunity to save lives and help others is more than enough to motivate these fearless first responders.

 

6. Waste Management

There is a reason few people dare work in waste management positions. Workers in this field have to face numerous risks, including exposure to toxic materials, heavy machinery accidents, and vehicle-related incidents. Also, the risks vary wildly depending on the type of waste being disposed of. For example, waste removal workers who work with radioactive materials might have to periodically check in with a doctor and control their radiation poisoning levels.

 

7. Electrical Powerline Maintenance
Electrical linemen quite literally keep our world functioning, and to do so they have to face enormous risks on a daily basis. These individuals are often highly skilled and attentive to detail - because if anything goes wrong, the price to pay might be too high. Working on electrical powerlines often exposes workers to the risk of electrocution or falls from great heights, and when doing maintenance during inclement weather is required, the inherent danger associated with the profession increases sharply.

 

8. Commercial Diving

Commercial divers undertake tasks such as underwater welding and maintenance, exposing them to risks like decompression sickness, equipment failure, and all kinds of underwater hazards. Sometimes, the remote nature of the jobs also means they have to spend long periods of time away from family and friends, and with limited ability to communicate with them.

 

9. High-rise Window Cleaning
This job is not for the faint-hearted. Cleaning windows at great heights, precariously dangling from a rope, requires nerves of steel and a calm disposition. Suspended hundreds of feet above ground, these brave professionals have to maneuver on small platforms to be able to reach the outside surfaces of the world’s tallest skyscrapers. Although nowadays stringent safety measures make the job safer than ever, the risk of falls and equipment malfunctions is ever-present.

 

10. Professional Bull Riding

Professional bull riding is for those who think you can’t have fun without taking some risks. Trying to ride a massive, unpredictable animal - such as an enraged bull - is not an easy challenge, and these athletes endure an awful amount of bucking and thrashing just for mere seconds of glory. With the potential of being trampled or caught by the animal’s horns, this dangerous sport is a test of courage and resilience.

 

 

Source: Only For The Brave: Discover Ten OF The World's Most Dangerous Jobs?

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - FLASH IN THE PAN

Did you know... “Many thought Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill was just a flash-in-the-pan after it entered [the] Southern California pop chart at No. 10 last week,” wrote the Los Angeles Times in 1995. “But the young Canadian singer’s album is gathering steam, jumping to No. 5.”

 

That was putting it mildly. Jagged Little Pill not only took off—it sold more than 10 million copies in 1996 and another 20 million in the decades that followed. It was the antithesis of flash in the pan, an idiom that’s come to be associated with some sort of fleeting fad, trend, or momentary excitement. Beanie Babies were a flash in the pan; so was Vanilla Ice.

 

If you thought the term came from cooking terminology, it’s a good guess—but that’s not quite it.

 

The Origins of “Flash in the Pan”
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the literal meaning of flash in the pan dates to the late 1600s and refers to a misfiring weapon. When the gunpowder of a firearm was ignited without resulting in a discharge, it was said to be a flash in the pan.

 

Early guns dating to the 1300s had to be manually ignited by holding a flame to the powder in the barrel. Matchlock guns, which came later, could be fired mechanically. Then, in the improved flintlock design for muskets and other weapons, the pan was where the powder would be primed, with a lid that would be moved only when it was time to fire. These early firearms had their priming powder on the outside of the barrel; firing would result in sparks that would ignite the powder.

 

This worked in theory. Sometimes, the fire wouldn’t carry on to the powder in the barrel, and a “flash” in the gun’s pan had no effect. Therefore, a flash in the pan with no projectile was much ado about nothing.

 

The OED notes that the phrase took on a figurative meaning by the 1800s to describe a situation in which something big was expected, only to have it fail to go off (or ignite). And Green’s Dictionary of Slang states that flash in the pan had other meanings in the 1700s: an “incompetent, useless person” and an “abortive effort or outburst,” among others.

 

The Flash That Didn’t Pan Out
While the phrase originates with firearms, there have been some alternative explanations over the years. One theory was that gold prospectors searching in streams might have grown excited over seeing a shiny object in a pan and believed it was gold, only to be disappointed—it was merely a you-know-what.

 

After language columnist William Morris proffered the firearm explanation in 1959, a reader chided him to “do better than that” and proceeded to offer the gold rush origin. Morris replied that the flintlock pre-dated the 1800s gold rush, and the explanation therefore made little sense. But the phrase it didn’t pan out probably came from those entrepreneurial souls.

 

Gunpowder also birthed another phrase: keep your powder dry, or keep a cool head. It was sage advice for soldiers who carried combustible materials with them and needed to be sure it didn’t get wet. Lord Protector of England Oliver Cromwell may have coined the phrase by admonishing his men to “Put your trust in God, my boys, but mind to keep your powder dry.”

 

Cromwell himself was no flash in the pan. After a posthumous hanging by his political rivals, he was beheaded and his cranium was displayed for over 30 years. It was the whole resting in peace portion that didn’t quite pan out.

 

 

Source: Why Do We Call Something a “Flash in the Pan”?

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - TRAINS

Did you know.... There’s something magical about train travel for just about everybody, whether you’re an engineering nerd, a hopeless romantic, a world traveler, or an easily excitable 8-year-old. Trains have gone through a lot of changes in the last few centuries, but they remain one of the most common modes of transportation throughout the world. How did trains work before steam power? Who managed to crash more than 140 trains in his lifetime? Which trains are creating homes for marine life off the coast of Delaware? All aboard for these nine facts about trains.

 

1. You Can Thank Trains for Time Zones

Before 1833, local time was all over the place; communities set their clocks to noon when the sun was highest in the sky, which led to at least 144 different local times in North America. This wasn’t a huge deal when people were traveling slowly by foot and horseback, but with trains, people could suddenly travel across wider distances more quickly — and train operators needed consistent schedules to coordinate. Even small miscommunications about time could lead to missed connections and accidents. Railroads established a four-time-zone system in 1833, and used it for decades before the U.S. government officially established time zones in 1918.

 

2. The Fastest Public Train Can Travel 286 MPH

Japan’s bullet trains are known for their lightning speed, but a handful of trains have eclipsed them — one of them being Shanghai’s maglev train, which uses magnetic levitation instead of wheels on conventional tracks. Its entire 19-mile run takes just seven and a half minutes, reaching top speeds of 286 miles per hour. That’s just the tip of the iceberg for maglev trains. The fastest recorded train speed is nearly 375 miles per hour, clocked during a test run of a maglev train in Japan.

 

3. Railroads Used to Be Powered by Horses

The earliest railroad tracks were for horse-drawn trains, not locomotives. The tracks provided extra support and guidance, which meant that horses could carry greater loads. After the Liverpool and Manchester Railway opened with a steam-powered locomotive in 1830, jokes and cartoons about unemployed horses abounded, although horses were still used for shunting — moving trains from one line to another. Horses continued to haul streetcars into the 20th century.

 

4. America’s First Locomotive Reportedly Lost a Race to a Horse

When the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad — you might know it as the B&O Railroad — began operations in May 1830, it used only horse-drawn carriages. Steam locomotives were in use in Britain already, but because the planned system in America had steep hills and sharp curves, some engineers doubted that the machines could handle the route. This concerned B&O directors, so they turned to an inventor named Peter Cooper to see if he could create an engine that was up to the task. He cobbled one together out of scraps, including an old brass engine, discarded wheels, and musket barrels. Later dubbed “Tom Thumb,” it performed beautifully along a 7-mile test run, then again on a 13-mile test, reaching a then-impressive 18 miles per hour. According to an 1868 lecture at the Maryland Institute by B&O lawyer John H.B. Latrobe, who was present on the 13-mile test, Tom Thumb also took part in a bit of a race. The owners of a stagecoach company saw the engine running along the track and challenged Cooper to a race along double tracks. The engine got an early lead, but a part slipped off, causing it to come to a halt. It was a quick fix, but by the time Cooper got going again, the horse was too far ahead. Losing the race didn’t have any effect on Tom Thumb’s future, though — he’d already impressed the B&O directors, who were determined to make the locomotive the way of the future.

 

5. In Victorian Times, Trains Were Considered Hazardous to Your Health

As train travel was starting to get popular in the mid-19th century, rumors spread — among doctors and nondoctors alike — that trains were dangerous, and not because of crash risks. All sorts of woes were attributed to the speed and roughness of locomotive travel. Some believed it could trigger insanity and create “railway madmen.” Others claimed it could cause miscarriages or upset women’s delicate constitutions. One doctor said that a train trip made a patient’s “brain congestion” worse, even though he’d been feeling better after treatment with leeches.

 

6. New York’s MTA Turned Decommissioned Trains Into Artificial Reefs

When trains in New York City’s subway system get decommissioned, they can be sold, scrapped, or repurposed. Many of them can then be found on the ocean floor, providing homes for marine life as artificial reefs. Some car models work better than others; the Redbird cars, made of carbon steel, worked so well that states started competing for them. Redbird Reef in Delaware is home to around 700 such decommissioned cars, and they created a thriving ecosystem in an area that used to be barren. The stainless steel Brightliner cars, on the other hand, disintegrated almost immediately underwater — the material was vulnerable to corrosion, and their corrugated texture made it easy for currents to rip them apart.

 

7. The Longest Freight Train Was 4.57 Miles Long

It’s no fun getting caught at a railroad crossing and waiting for a long freight train to pass. But next time it happens, you can thank your lucky stars it’s not 4.57 miles long, like one train that ran in Western Australia in 2001. It was both the longest and heaviest train recorded. Pulled by eight locomotives, the 682 ore cars made a 171-mile journey transporting iron ore from a couple of mines run by mining company BHP to Port Hedlund.

 

8. Americans Used to Love Crashing Trains on Purpose

Before there was demolition derby, there were staged, head-on train collisions. From the 1890s through the 1930s, train crashes were a popular attraction at fairs and festivals, drawing tens of thousands of spectators. One of the biggest wrecks was an 1896 publicity stunt in Waco, Texas, for a struggling railroad line known as the Katy Railroad. The company offered rides to the crash site for $2 from anywhere in Texas, and built a temporary town around the viewing area, complete with a restaurant and jail. The crash itself created a massive explosion, which sadly killed two people in the crowd. This is just one of the most famous out of hundreds of on-purpose train collisions. The most prolific train-wrecker was Joe Connolly, otherwise known as “head-on Joe.” Between 1896 and 1932, Connolly staged 70 wrecks and destroyed 146 locomotives — at least. He became an engineer of chaos, coming up with extra stunts such as strapping dynamite to the trains. The practice, which came to be viewed as wasteful, fell out of favor during the Great Depression.

 

9. It Takes Almost a Week to Ride the Full Trans-Siberian Railroad

The longest single-train ride in the world is the Trans-Siberian Railroad. The main track starts in Moscow and travels 5,772 miles through diverse Russian landscapes before arriving in Vladivostok, a large port city on the sea of Japan. The full journey takes more than six days. Other routes on the network are the Trans-Mongolian Railroad, which heads through Mongolia to Beijing, China, and the Trans-Manchurian Railroad, which dips down into northeastern China before meeting the main line back in Vladivostok.

 

 

Source: Powerful Facts About Trains

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - LABRADOR VS GOLDEN RETRIEVER

Did you know... Labradors and golden retrievers are enough alike to get mistaken for each other fairly often, but they’re not impossible to tell apart once you know what to look for. Here’s a guide to the similarities and differences between these dogs—and how other retriever breeds fit in. 

 

Labradors and Goldens: Similarities
Labrador retrievers and golden retrievers are both, well, retrievers. Historically, they were hunting dogs that located fallen game and brought it to the hunters. (Some still do.) Both breeds are known for being friendly, gentle, trainable, and sociable with humans and other dogs—which makes them a popular pet for families. They also both shed quite a lot, and their size and lifespan ranges are almost identical.

 

Breed: Labrador retrievers

Height: 21.5 to 24.5 inches

Weight: 55 to 80 pounds

Life Expectancy: 11 to 13 years

    

Breed: Golden retrievers

Height: 21.5 to 24 inches

Weight: 55 to 75 pounds

Life Expectancy: 10 to 12 years

 

Yellow Labrador vs. Golden Retriever

There is some overlap in the coat colors of Labradors and golden retrievers. Labs, as breeder Dr. Frances Smith told the American Kennel Club (AKC), “can shed hair in three colors—yellow (ranging from pale cream to fox red), black, and chocolate.” Goldens’ coats, meanwhile, can only be “from very pale cream to nearly fox red.”

 

So you can’t always be sure you’re looking at a yellow Labrador or a golden retriever based on color alone. But coat length can help: Labs’ hair is typically shorter, while the hair on goldens is often longer and feathered along the edges. Their faces and body shapes are a little different, too—Labrador retrievers have shorter muzzles and ears than their golden counterparts, and their build is a little stockier.

 

Breed: Labrador retrievers

Coat Colors: Yellow (cream to copper), black, or chocolate

Coat Length: On the shorter side

Facial Traits: Shorter muzzle and ears

Body Type: Stockier with a rounder rib cage

 

Breed: Golden retrievers

Coat Colors: Pale cream to light copper

Coat Length: Longer with some feathering along the edges

Facial Traits: Longer muzzle and ears

Body Type: On the slimmer side

 

Golden Labrador vs. Golden Retriever

Though people sometimes use the term golden Labrador to describe a lab with a relatively dark yellow coat, that’s not technically correct. And it can even make it unclear what kind of dog you’re talking about, because golden Labrador is also used to describe a mix between a Labrador and a golden. The best way to mitigate confusion is probably just to call those dogs “goldadors.”

 

As labs and goldens are so similar to begin with, it’s unsurprising that their crossbreed is pretty close to each purebreed. But that’s not to say all goldadors are gold: They can have any combination of their parents’ visual characteristics, so some goldadors end up with chocolate or black coats. In short, if you see a dog with the face of a golden retriever but the dark chocolate coloring of a lab, there’s a fairly good chance that it’s a goldador.

 

The Chesapeake Bay Retriever and Other Retriever Breeds
Labs and goldens aren’t the only two types of retrievers: The AKC recognizes six breeds in total.

The Chesapeake Bay retriever, known for its wavy brown, waterproof coat and stellar swimming skills, has a particularly interesting origin story. In 1807, a ship en route from Newfoundland to England wrecked off the Maryland coast, and the two St. John’s water dogs (a now extinct breed) aboard were rescued and sold separately to two families in the Chesapeake Bay region. Each was bred with various other dogs in the area to create the “Chessie.”

 

There’s also the curly-coated retriever, which may include Newfoundlands, poodles, and Irish water spaniels in its breeding history; the flat-coated retriever, whose flat coat and long head helps distinguish it from other retrievers; and the Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever, or “toller,” a smaller retriever whose playful behavior helps attract ducks to the shoreline (where hunters can more easily target them). Toll in the Middle Ages meant “to attract, entice,” per the Oxford English Dictionary, and by the 19th century people had started using it specifically to describe attracting wild animals for capture.

 

Curly-coated and flat-coated retrievers both have black or liver coats, while tollers are reddish or copper-colored.

(Left to right) Curly-coated, flat-coated, toller. 

 

Source: Labrador vs. Golden Retriever: What’s the Difference?

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - SEASONS FACTS

Did you know... Human life used to be intrinsically linked to the seasons — taking in the harvest each fall, preparing for the winter, or celebrating the arrival of warmer weather. Even today, the seasons impact our lives, whether we’re preparing for some beach time or a serious snowfall. The facts below, drawn from around the website, spotlight some of the fascinating science and culture around each season. For example, do you know what time of year the sky looks bluest? Or where our names for spring and fall come from? When did people start “leaf peeping,” or celebrating the cherry blossoms? Read on for our 25 favorite facts connected to the seasons of the year.

 

1. Children Grow Faster in the Spring

If you think the son/niece/grandchild in your life starts to sprout before your eyes once the winter clothing has been shed, you're probably not imagining things. Researchers have long studied the connection between seasonal changes and youth growth patterns, with substantial evidence pointing to higher rates of growth among children in the Northern Hemisphere during the spring and summer months. While we might question results drawn from, say, a 1930 publication, newer research has validated these older findings: A 2015 study of 760 Danish students ages 8 to 11 revealed the most growth recorded around April and May, while a 2022 paper, which tracked the development of thousands of Texas kids from kindergarten to fifth grade, confirmed strong growth rates in spring and early summer. The science is less definitive when it comes to determining the reasons behind the growth. One possible explanation is that exposure to longer hours of sunlight may stimulate bone growth and hormone regulation. Other potential factors, which can vary according to location and financial means, include increased access to fresh foods and healthy activities come springtime.

 

2. Autumn Was Once Called “Harvest”

As beloved as the crisp fall weather seems to be, English speakers haven’t always paid attention to it … at least not linguistically. Historically, the more extreme seasons have always been named — specifically winter, which was so important that it was used to mark the passage of time by the Anglo-Saxons, who counted their years in winters. But when English speakers of the past referred to summer’s end, they often used the term “harvest,” from the Old English (and ultimately Germanic) haerfest. The first recorded usage of “harvest” to mean a season appears in the 10th century, but the word didn’t stick around in common usage; by the 1700s, it was considered outdated. Eventually, the English language began recognizing the transitional seasons. Spring was first known as “lent” or “lenten” in the 12th and 13th centuries, then “spryngyng time,” among other terms, around the 14th century. “Autumn” emerged around the 1300s, taken from the Latin autumnus and French autompne, and slowly pushing out “harvest.” “Fall” cropped up around the 1500s as part of “fall of the leaf,” mirroring the popular phrase “spring of the leaf” used for the vernal equinox, and it’s likely that these phrases were simply shortened to give the seasons their modern names. “Autumn” and “fall” have been used interchangeably ever since, with their popularity waxing and waning over time.

 

3. The “Dog Days of Summer” Are Named After the Star Sirius

When things heat up around July and August, you’ll inevitably hear the phrase “dog days of summer.” This doesn’t have anything to do with canines lying around panting in the heat — instead, the phrase is a celestial reference. Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, is nicknamed the “dog star” because it makes up the “eye” of the constellation Canis Major (Latin for “Greater Dog”). In Greek mythology, Canis Major is said to be a hunting dog who belongs to the legendary huntsman Orion. Cosmologically speaking, this relationship is fitting, because the three stars that make up the asterism Orion’s belt point to the “dog star” in the southern sky. The phrase “dog days of summer” actually refers to a specific period on the calendar, from July 3 until August 11. The ancient Greeks and Romans believed these “dog days” occurred when Sirius appeared to rise with the sun, which always occurred during the summer. The idea was that the immense luminosity of Sirius along with the sun’s heat somehow created summer’s scorching temperatures. Of course, we now know this doesn’t make much sense. For one thing, Sirius is much farther away from Earth than the sun is — like 50 trillion miles farther — so the star has absolutely no effect on Earth’s climate. For another, the dog days of summer are relative to where you live on Earth, appearing earlier in the year for those living farther south and later for those in the north. Also, the position of Sirius is subject to Earth’s wobbly rotation — meaning that in 13,000 years, Sirius will rise in midwinter rather than midsummer. So, no, “dog days of summer” isn’t an allusion to our cuddly canines, but a vestigial phrase derived from some 2,500-year-old astronomy.

 

4. The “April Showers” Saying Dates Back to 16th-Century England

The surprisingly resilient phrase “April showers bring May flowers” first appeared in English poet Thomas Tusser’s 1557 work A Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandrie, which contained both poetry and practical advice. The book was widely read throughout England, and scholars believe it was possibly the most popular book of poetry during the Elizabethan era. In the book, Tusser writes, “Swéete April showers, Doo spring Maie flowers.” Of course the validity of such a phrase is very much dependent on where you live. In the U.S., for example, April is only the fifth-wettest month on average, with June often being the wettest overall (more on that later).

 

5. The Sky Looks Bluer in the Fall

Although the sky is blue throughout the year, it’s often a richer blue in the fall and winter, especially in latitudes farther from the equator. The reason has to do with both electromagnetism and the biology of the human eye. As a refresher: All visible colors are tied to some wavelength along the electromagnetic spectrum. When sunlight enters Earth’s atmosphere, gas and dust particles reflect the shorter wavelengths of visible light (such as blue) more than longer wavelengths (such as red). That — and the sensitivity of the human eye to the color blue — is why the sky appears as a cool sapphire. However, as the seasons progress, one part of this equation changes: the sun’s position. As the sun gets lower and lower in the sky, the angle of the sun’s light hitting the atmosphere causes more blue light to scatter, while red and green light decrease. That causes the sky to turn an even richer blue. These blue skies are especially easy to see in much of North America, as cooler temperatures mean less moisture (and therefore fewer clouds), giving you an uninterrupted view of that deep azure atmosphere.

 

6. People Have Been Celebrating Cherry Blossom Season for Over a Thousand Years

Few trees are more beautiful than cherry trees when in full bloom. Although millions flock to see cherry blossoms around the world, the trees have a special resonance in Japan, where they are known as sakura. During Japan’s Heian period (794 to 1185), when art and poetry flourished, sakura became associated with the ephemeral beauty of life, since the blossoms last only a few weeks before wilting. The Japanese aristocracy ate and drank tea under sakura during events known as hanami (“cherry blossom viewing”), a tradition that’s still observed in Japan today. Throughout the centuries, sakura continued to play a role in Japanese society, especially during the Edo period, when the pink blossoms became the subject of many woodblock prints known as ukiyo-e.

 

7. Punxsutawney Phil’s Predictions Are Less Accurate Than a Coin Flip

He may be heralded as the most prophetic rodent in the world, but Punxsutawney Phil’s annual predictions are far from accurate. According to records, Phil has predicted 107 forecasts of a longer winter compared to just 20 early springs (nine additional years lack records on file). When taking into account the historic weather data that followed Phil’s predictions, he’s been correct only around 39% of the time — making him a less reliable barometer than a coin flip.

Phil has a bit of competition when it comes to weather forecasting. Staten Island Chuck — a resident of New York’s Staten Island Zoo — has a prediction rate over 80%. Chuck went on a hot streak and made a correct weather prediction every Groundhog Day between 2010 and 2021, with the exception of 2017. So while Phil is undeniably more famous, Chuck may have the edge when it comes to actually foreseeing the future.

8. A Leaf's Color in the Fall Is Determined by Its Tree Type

There are three different pigments responsible for the coloration of autumn leaves: chlorophyll, carotenoids, and anthocyanin. Chlorophyll, the most basic pigment that every plant possesses, is a key component of the photosynthetic process that gives leaves their green color during the warmer, brighter months. The other two pigments become more prevalent as conditions change. Carotenoids are unmasked as chlorophyll levels deplete; these produce more yellow, orange, and brown tones. Though scientists once thought that anthocyanin also lay dormant during the warmer months, they now believe that production begins anew each year during the fall. The anthocyanin pigment not only contributes to the deep red color found in leaves (and in fruits such as cranberries and apples), but it also acts as a natural sunscreen against bright sunlight in colder weather. During the transformative autumnal months, it’s easier to discern the types of trees based on the color of their leaves. Varying proportions of pigmentation can be found in the chemical composition of each tree type, leading to colorful contrasts. For example, red leaves are found on various maples (particularly red and sugar maples), oaks, sweetgums, and dogwoods, while yellow and orange shades are more commonly associated with hickories, ashes, birches, and black maples.

 

Click the link below  to read more on Seasons Facts.

 

 

Source: Our Most Sensational Facts About the Seasons

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - IS WATER WET?

Did you know.... Scientifically speaking, wetness depends on two things: the cohesive forces of a liquid and the adhesive forces of the solid to which it is applied.

 

At first glance, whether water is wet seems like the simplest of questions with an answer rooted in direct experience. If it’s raining and you forget your umbrella, you get soaked—thus, water is wet.

 

If approached from a scientific or philosophical perspective, however, the question becomes quite the conundrum. The answer then depends on the properties of water, the definition of wetness, and whether you can trust when your senses inform you if something is wet or not.

 

Some argue that while water can make other materials wet, water itself isn’t wet. If we define wetness as the ability of a liquid to adhere to the surface of a solid, then wetness isn’t an inherent quality of water so much as a property—an action the liquid can perform.

 

May the Forces Be With You
Scientifically speaking, the wetness of an object depends on the relationship between adhesive and cohesive forces of the liquids and solids that are brought into contact with one another. While cohesive forces cause molecules in a liquid to stick together, adhesive forces are what allow liquids to stick to solids. When we fall into the water and our clothes get wet, what really happens is that the adhesive forces of our clothes outweigh the cohesive forces of the water, causing water to adhere not to itself, but to our clothes.

 

 

The greater a solid’s adhesive force, the wetter that solid gets. The adhesive forces of textiles are stronger than those of metals; most liquids slide right off anything made of steel, aluminum, or the like. The same goes for the feathery coats of ducks and geese. When the birds preen, they distribute oils from glands near their tails throughout their feathers, which helps make their bodies more water-resistant [PDF]. If they didn’t waterproof themselves in this way, water would stick to them like it sticks to human skin, weighing them down and cooling them off.

 

The same goes for water-resistant or “hydrophobic” materials such as Gore-Tex, which has a low adhesive force that causes water molecules to coalesce on the outside of the material, keeping the inside dry. Wetsuits used by swimmers to keep warm in cold climates are commonly made of neoprene rubber, another hydrophobic material.

 

Conversely, wetness also depends on the cohesive forces of a liquid. The cohesive force of water is high due to the strong bond between hydrogen molecules, but other liquids like alcohol or acetone have a lower cohesive force, making them better at wetting solids. That’s helpful to know for the next time you leave the house without a raincoat.

 

 

Source: Is Water Wet? The Answer is Surprisingly Elusive

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - SWEET TOOTH

Did you know... What was your favorite candy when you were a kid? Has it changed over time, or does it still hold a special place in your heart (or, should we say, your taste buds)? Trying a sweet treat is a universal joy, and some candies have stood the test of time , delighting different generations of Americans with their irresistible flavors. If you have a sweet tooth, read on. Today, we're diving into the delicious world of the 10 most popular candies. But be warned: this might just send you running to the store!

 

1. Snickers

Just the thought of its name is enough to make our mouths water! Considered one of the best-selling candies in the world, the famous Snickers bar boasts an unbeatable combination: sweet nougat with the crunch of peanuts , all wrapped in a delicious chocolate coating. Although the name of this delicious bar might make you think of shoes, it's actually named after a horse , the favorite of the Mars family, who created the candy in 1930.

 

2. Kit Kat

If you are one of those who can't resist a good crunch, chances are you've already tried the Kit Kat bar. A true classic in the world of treats, this bar not only has what we all want - yes, chocolate - but also combines it with several layers of crunchy wafer. Legend has it that the Kit Kat bar, created in 1935 , was specially designed with its iconic square shape so that it could easily fit into any worker's lunchbox . Plus, each packet comes with four fingers of deliciousness that you can snap off and save for later (although we prefer to eat them all at once!).

 

3. Twix

Originating in the UK in 1967 and introduced to the United States in 1979 , Twix , the famous chocolate and caramel bar, is one of the most popular candies to this day.

With its tasty mix of milk chocolate, caramel, and cookie, Twix offers a crunchy delight that has won over fans far and wide. But that's not the only successful blend; its catchy name is actually a combination****of "twin sticks." Pretty smart, right?

 

4. Jolly Ranchers

If candy bars aren't your thing, don't worry! Maybe a fruity alternative can be the right option for your taste buds. Originating in Colorado during the 1950s, Jolly Ranchers have been a beloved choice for candy enthusiasts for many years. With a range of fruity flavors from sweet to sour, there's something for everyone. If you're unsure where to start, rumor has it that the red flavors are the most popular! Best known for their iconic hard candies, Jolly Ranchers doesn't stop there; they also offer gummies and lollipops , ensuring there's a treat to suit everybody.

 

5. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are an American classic, raking in over $2 billion in sales each year! It is not just the delicious combination of chocolate and peanut butter that makes these Cups so irresistible; it's also their creamy texture that melts in your mouth like a gift from heaven. Okay, you got us; they are our favorites. But we're not alone; even the famous Ryan Gosling (yes, Ken!) is reported to be a fan of these delicious candies. With their iconic orange packaging, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups were originally known as "penny cups" due to their price in the 1930s when they first went on sale.

 

6. M&M's

Once you start, you just can't stop until the whole bag is gone! Of course, we're talking about the irresistible M&M's. For the sweet-toothed, there's the classic M&M's , featuring a semi-sweet chocolate covered in a colorful candy shell. And for those craving something less sweet, there's the peanut version , a tasty twist on the original. Created in the United States in 1941 for the U.S. Army during World War II, you can enjoy these treats in any weather, hot or cold, thanks to the protective coating. Hence their famous slogan, "the milk chocolate that melts in your mouth, not in your hand."

 

7. Hershey's Kisses

If you're the type who can't resist finishing an entire bag of candy in one go, Hershey's Kisses may be a solution for you. These filled chocolate teardrops are not only delicious but also the perfect size to satisfy your sweet craving without going overboard. But there is no breaking news here, as the Hershey Company has been producing these treats since 1907 . Yes, they've been around for over a century! In addition to their unique shape, Hershey's Kisses are also known for their distinctive packaging. Did you know that strip of paper that sticks out from the top is called a "Plume" ?

 

8. Skittles

If you've had enough chocolate, why not turn to the rainbow? Skittles can be the perfect antidote in this situation. Also featuring a colorful candy coating, Skittles may resemble M&M's at first glance, but they're a different sweet adventure. Instead of chocolate, you'll find a mix of corn syrup, sugar, fruit juice, and other tasty ingredients inside them. But where does this peculiar name come from? Well, the candy's round shape resembles the "ball" used in an old European game also called Skittles, similar to modern bowling . And here's another fun fact: Skittles have been vegan-friendly since 2009!

 

9. Starbursts

Remember those days as a kid when you stuffed your mouth with so much candy that you couldn't even chew and ended up drooling? Well, even though we're all grown up now, just the sight of the colorful Starbursts can bring back the urge to do that again. Originally known as Opal Fruits , they were later rebranded as Starbursts, a name that refers to the burst of flavor in every bite. If you ask us, that name is spot on. But if you don't trust our taste in candy, perhaps you'll be persuaded by football quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who proudly declares himself a huge fan of these candies . In case you are curious, his favorite is the red flavor.

 

10. Candy Corn

It's time to talk about a candy that divides opinions. Loved by some and passionately hated by others, there's no denying that Candy Corn is one of the most popular Halloween treats out there. Believe it or not, Candy Corn has been around since the late 19th century! Back then, America was already sweetening up life with little treats. Despite its name and appearance, Candy Corn isn't made from corn at all. Instead, it is composed of gelatin, which gives it that waxy texture. If you are looking for a low-calorie candy option, look no further, as each piece of Candy Corn contains only about 7 calories!

 

 

Source: Do You Have A Sweet Tooth? If So, These Candies Are For You!