The Learn Something New Blog

Where Can I Find Out About Common Legal Issues From Someone More Knowledgeable And Qualified?

2010-08-30T17:14:00.000-04:00

So, first of all, I clearly failed to achieve my goal of making up for the missing blog last week. I guess that's why I've called this Blog ALMOST Every Day in August.

Another friend of mine is blogging now. And guess what. Her topic is law! She just started, so there's not an extensive database, but I'll link you to her blog in the hopes that it takes off and does well (perhaps even better than mine.) Just be sure to take her disclaimer into consideration so you don't run into any problems.

Pro Bono Legal Advice can be found at http://probonolegaladvice.blogspot.com.

New Fact: Further legal facts can be found at Pro Bono Legal Advice.

What Is A Mock Exam?

2010-08-28T22:37:00.000-04:00

Ultimately, this one is a no-brainer, but it's something I'd never heard before.

Growing up and going to school on the east coast of the United States, I was subjected to a great deal of testing: physical testing, psychological testing, and academic testing. The academic testing included standardized testing (the IOWA tests, SAT, and GRE to name a few) as well as what I'll call course-related testing (chapter tests, unit tests, etc.) There were further sub-divisions of course-related testing that came with differing weights with respect to my final grade for the course. At least until college, only midterm and final "tests" were referred to as EXAMS. Some tests were called quizzes, others "regular" or "just a" tests. Some were a hybrid form, given the nickname "quests." In some courses, in order to prepare for "regular" tests, we'd be given "practice" tests, weighted less than regular tests, if they were given official grades at all. In schools where British English is spoken, these are referred to as "mock exams."

New Fact: A mock exam is, in British-speaking schools, what I've always known as a practice test.

Where Did The Wright County Eggs' Salmonella Come From?

2010-08-27T19:38:00.000-04:00

I got an anonymous question in the comments section of my last post on the egg contamination asking where the outbreak came from. I answered that it came from the Wright County farm in Iowa. There's a more complete answer now. One source of the salmonella came from the feed used by Wright County. It was also supplied to Hillandale Farms.

New Fact: One source of the salmonella in the recently contaminated eggs is the feed used by Wright County.

Who Wants More Followers?

2010-08-27T14:33:00.001-04:00

I want more followers...in a sense. I definitely want more followers on Twitter. In particular, I want more real connections with more followers on Twitter. No, that's not a plea for all of you who aren't following me on Twitter to start (although that would be great.) It's a lead in to Mark Zuckerberg's reflection on Facebook's "social management" system (i.e. friends lists and other categories of connections.)

Zuckerberg has observed that very few people use the site's listing functions. While the author of the above article, tech blogger MG Siegler thinks Facebook might benefit from a shift toward Twitter's style, adding a system of "followers" as opposed to just mutual friendship as it exists now, Zuckerberg's opinion differs. Zuckerberg, who has the ultimate authority, thinks that the idea of friends lists has to change a little bit. He wants to develop a system by which everything posted to Facebook is shared uniquely, per the user's desired preferences. Zuckerberg realizes that current privacy controls are difficult for the average user to implement, which will contribute to any further changes.

New Fact: Facebook's "friending" function as well as privacy controls may change yet again due to inefficiency and difficulty of use. Keep your eyes peeled.

Why Isn't Green Tea Green?

2010-08-25T21:33:00.001-04:00

So, it looks like the lines between my categories are growing thinner. Here's another food...er, language topic. Then again, Earlier today, my friend Howie asked why green tea comes out yellow in spite of its name. I told him I'd answer the question in my blog, so here goes.

It turns out that there is actually a tea called yellow tea. That particular type of tea is very similar to green tea except for the final stage of processing. Yellow tea is cooked in a wok (to prevent oxidation and therefore a darker leaf and a darker end product color) and then gently heated in a way that makes it turn yellow. Another result of this process is the absence of "grassy" flavors sometimes found in green tea.

By contrast, at the end of the same process, green tea's tea leaves are heated more directly over charcoal, allowing it to maintain its fresh or "green" taste. The resulting tea has a different but still yellowish tint.

And as we know from the Snapple commercial, "white tea is a baby tea leaf..." Okay, I think you get the point.

New Fact: Green Tea may appear yellow, but it is named after its apparent fresh or "green" flavor, which is a result of heating the tea leaves over charcoal at the end of processing.

When Is It Legal To Lie?

2010-08-24T20:34:00.000-04:00

I better get a post up today since I didn't yesterday. I doubt I'll get two done tonight. If that's the case, I will certainly be caught up by the end of the week. Special thanks to Lauren Field for this topic from her last YouTube video.

In 2007, according to the LA Times, Xavier Alvarezhttp://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-medal-20100825,0,4703750.story, Three Valleys Municipal Water District board member introduced himself as a retired Marine who had been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Under a 2006 law, the Stolen Valor Act, such a lie is a crime that can bring with it a fine or even up to a year in prison for falsely claiming to have received a medal or military decoration.

The case was appealed, and the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that holding Alvarez liable under the Stolen Valor Act is unconstitutional. The 9th Circuit ruling holds that the Stolen Valor Act infringes on one's right to free speech in conversation, even if the free speech is a lie. Alvarez's lie was compared to lying about one's height or weight in an online personal ad or misinforming one's mother about whether one smokes or drinks.

While I don't consider Alvarez's offense a serious one, I do think it is more significant than lying about vital statistics (which I do not support.) What do you think?

New Fact: Falsely claiming that one has received a medal or decoration in the military is a lie, but it's a lie that's protected by the first amendment to the US Constitution.

Where Can I Learn About Indian Food On Mainstream Television?

2010-08-22T12:33:00.000-04:00

OK, that's enough about bad food. Now let's talk about good food.

Right now I'm watching the new Food Network show Aarti Party, starring the Food Network's newest star, Aarti Sequeira. I have to admit that I've liked her from the beginning of her Food Network run, so I'm biased, but I think her show is great.

Aarti is cooking "American" food with an Indian twist. Despite its format, however, this show doesn't seem like every other food network show. Frankly, in terms of the culinary content, it reminds me most of Everyday Italian with Giada DiLaurentiis (and a bit of Molto Mario with Mario Batali.) Some shows on the Food Network feature ethnic food from Central and South America, regional food from the Southwest or specific recipes from around the United States. It seems to me that most of those shows feature what often comes out as "just another beef dish" or "just another chicken dish."

Indian food is inherently different. The Indian style of cooking is different, Indian ingredients are different, and Indian flavors are different. While I've mentioned in earlier months that the current trend in India is to cook with American ingredients and experiment with American styles, Aarti Sequeira is doing just the opposite in a very authentic way. Her food may be referred to with American names (she just made her version of a sloppy joe) but her style and her flavors are Indian. Some of her food, such as korfi, is authentically Indian as well.

I hope you are able to catch Aarti Party either next time it airs on TV or online.

New Fact: As I see it, the pilot of the Food Network's new show, Aarti Party, was a success. It brings great new flavors and style to food that has been desperate for change.

Where Did This Contaminated Egg Problem Come From?

2010-08-22T12:15:00.000-04:00

This is my 100th post! Happy 100th post!!! I wish I had a fun way to celebrate. However, I don't. Instead, I've decided to talk about food poisoning. Fun, fun, fun!

I'm going to start this on Saturday night and finish it on Sunday morning (for fatigue reasons.) The following was reported today (Saturday) and published "today" (Sunday) in the Washington Post. It is not intended to malign the involved company. It is simply to explain one possible origin of a terrible outbreak.

I've mentioned the salmonella egg contamination before. It allegedly affects 550,000,000 eggs at this point. The Post has unearthed a number of problems encountered by the Wright County Egg company, which is at the heart of the outbreak. I will recount a few for you now.

1. In 1999, 2003, and 2008 (to name a few of the years) the company was charged with violations against its workers.

2. In 2006 the farm's owner was involved in a case of misrepresentation of business practices.

3. In 2001, the farm's owner was deemed a "repeat offender of state environmental laws" by the Iowa Supreme Court.

Talk about legal infractions!

New Fact: The current salmonella outbreak is not the first time Wright County Egg has gotten into trouble with health, safety, and other standards.

Where Does "Pidgin" Come From?

2010-08-20T16:40:00.002-04:00

Over the past couple days I've been watching a documentary about the Hawaiian Pidgin language. (I saw the second half of the documentary yesterday and I caught it again today, five minutes in.) I've learned a lot about the language, its origins, its components and uses, but one question remains: Where does the term "Pidgin" itself come from? A related query in my mind is whether it is related to the standard English word "pigeon."

Pidgin is a Hawaiian "Creole" language that developed as groups of people from various countries (Japan, Philippines, Portugal, etc.) needed to communicate with one another. These people, mostly plantation workers, attempted to converse in English, but would inevitably add words from their native languages into their conversations. Pidgin developed into an indigenously Hawaiian language that has clashed with academic English over the years and has largely inaccurate associations with poverty, violence, and lack of education.

Wikipedia has two theories based on the Online Etymology Dictionary and other sources regarding the origin of "Pidgin." First, it may have derived from a Chinese mispronunciation (or "pidginization") of the English word "business." It may have also come from the name of the bird pigeon, the implication that, like the bird, Pidgin carries short messages from person to person.

New Fact: While the origin of the term "Pidgin" is unknown, it may have begun as either a mispronunciation of "business" or a metaphor revolving around the word "pigeon." Pau hana!

Where Are You Using Facebook?

2010-08-19T19:02:00.000-04:00

Now you can share that information with the world...or at least your Facebook network(s) and their advertisers. Facebook has released a feature called Places that is similar to websites like Foursquare in that it collects information about users' locations and shares them with whomever is tuned in to that information.

Facebook has set up the feature in a way that's convenient to their needs by automatically including all users in the functionality. That means that if you do not want your locations disclosed, you need to opt out. Instructions for opting out are in the above link.

New Fact: Facebook's new Places feature has been released. Be sure that your privacy settings reflect your preferences for inclusion in the new function.

Why Don't You Change Your Topics To Internet, Law, Language, and Food Poisoning?

2010-08-18T16:26:00.001-04:00

Yes, there's another recall. In case you haven't heard about it already, 228 million eggs have been recalled from an Iowa producer after being connected to salmonella cases. So, of course Iowa is affected. Minnesota, Colorado, and California have also been affected by the recall. It was originally thought that Texas would also have its Wright County Eggs recalled, but Texas is now in the clear.

New Fact: The current Wright County Egg recall affects Minnesota, Colorado, California, and Iowa, but not Texas.

Was Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Named For The Wrong Person?

2010-08-18T00:52:00.000-04:00

I'm going to take a little bit of blogetic license with this one. Today's (official) topic is language, but I'm going to talk about sports and neurology...and tie those into names, those being a part or perhaps a product of language.

A new study has been done on ALS at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Bedford, MA and the Boston University School of Medicine (in Boston, of course.) The study indicates that NFL players and boxers who have suffered conditions such as concussions and other brain trauma exhibit symptoms similar to Lou Gehrig's Disease (known scientifically as ALS.) In order to determine whether one has (or has died from) ALS, specific markings must be found in the spinal cord. These markings were not found in the football players or boxer.

Gehrig's case in particular is less clear considering that he was cremated and his ashes laid to rest in a cemetery. The difficulty in his situation is that his spinal cord cannot be tested for the ALS markings. It is known, however, that he was subjected to a physically aggressive college football and major league baseball career that did result on several occasions in head trauma. So, in effect, Gehrig's true illness and cause of death may never be known.

New Fact: Lou Gehrig may not have actually died from Lou Gehrig's Disease (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis aka ALS.)

What's The Deal With Gay Marriage In California?

2010-08-17T17:20:00.000-04:00

Geez, I didn't blog at all yesterday. That means I have to write two entries today. So, it appears that once again there are further developments in the push for gay marriage in California. On August 4th, Judge Vaughn R. Walker ruled that the ban on gay marriage set forth in the notorious voter-approved Proposition 8 is unconstitutional. So, does that mean that gay couples in California can now legally marry at any time, schedule permitting? In a word, no. Judge Walker has "extended a stay" on CA gay marriage until tomorrow (Wednesday) at 5 PM. In other words, for six days (up until that point) the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals can review his ruling before the unconstitutionality is officially declared and same-sex couples are allowed to legally marry in California. That time limit may be extended again, since the appeals court has yet to rule on the case. Seeing that no ruling has been made, there is speculation that the case may end up in the US Supreme Court. There are a few more technical details involved in the case, but that's the gist of it.

New Fact: Despite the determination that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional, same-sex marriage is still not officially legal in California due to more complex legal issues.

Where Can I Hear New Music For Free?

2010-08-15T15:43:00.000-04:00

I have to apologize. I really should have posted this before it started. But I was looking for something else to post (which I didn't find.)

I'm just about done listening to Brian Wilson's new album of Gershwin classics in Wilson's style. Here's the catch, though. The album won't be released until Tuesday and it's still Sunday afternoon. The album was just streamed on Brian's site. His "people" hope to stream the album again before it is released, so be on the listen out! Ooh, the album just started over! This might work.

New Fact: Brian Wilson's new yet-to-be released album is streaming live on his website RIGHT NOW!!! Just click "Listen Live."

Why Can't I Find What I'm Looking For?

2010-08-15T00:30:00.000-04:00

OK, so this post has nothing to do with existentialism or the meaning of life, or any such issues. The title is simply what came to mind when I was doing a little background research for today's topic. I thought I'd explained why water has an expiration date, but I can't seem to find that post. If you find it, please link me to it in the comments. Thanks!

What I'd like to explore today is the various dates that appear on food packaging. Some foods have a "Best by" date. Other foods have a "Sell by" date. Others have a "Use by" date. There are a variety of expressions that seem to be on a spectrum from suggestions to mandates. What, if anything, is the difference between these dates?

As luck would have it, GourmetSleuth.com has a chart outlining these dates. It turns out that there is somewhat of a spectrum along which the dates lie. A few concrete examples include Sell By, which is the last date that a retailer is allowed to sell a perishable item; Use By, which indicates the last date that the product will most likely be considered fresh; Expiration Date, after which the product is expected to be unsafe to eat. The article goes into much further detail regarding these labels, and I highly recommend reading it.

New Fact: There are several different types of "expiration dates" listed on perishable items, and they mean different things. Be careful.

PS: I am not a Francophone, but I know that some of my readers are, and I know a few French words. I should note for the record (and in order to save face) that conservation is a "cause célèbre," not a "cause celeb" as indicated by GourmetSleuth.

Why is English Sew Confusing?

2010-08-13T13:02:00.000-04:00

"I was thinking, why is it that we have d-u-e/d-e-w, we have s-u-e and we have n-e-w....why then is it SEW for s-e-w?"

The above quandary was posted on Facebook by a friend of mine (you know who you are.) Here's why "sew" and "sue" are pronounced differently.

I'm no expert, but I've noticed a similarity and/or difference within these pairs of words.

According to one of my most frequently used Internet sources, dictionary.com, the word "sew" comes from the Middle English (before the year 900 CE sewen. It evolved into the Old English "siw ( i ) an," and was influenced by/developed into the Old High German siuwan, Gothic siujan, and Latin suere (which is similar to "suture".)

The Middle English origin of the word "sue" didn't come along for almost another 300 years. "Sue" began with suen and siwen which led to the Old French sivre, then Vulgar Latin sequere (to follow.) These roots were originally pronounced differently than those of "sew."

By contrast, "due" began with the Middle French deu and "dew" began with the Old English dēaw. These origins seem to be pronounced far more similarly than the origins of "sew" and "sue." This seems like a logical reason for their derivatives to be pronounced in a similar fashion.

New Fact: "Sew" and "sue" are pronounced differently because of their different origins, the former coming 250 to 300 years before the latter.

Would You Like To Supersize That Happy Meal?

2010-08-12T20:17:00.000-04:00

I know, the title is a conflation of fast food terms. The two terms are seemingly more and more equivalent, though. In a move to encourage healthy meals for its young residents, the city of San Francisco has proposed a law to ban unhealthy mealshttp://www.thirdage.com/news/happy-meals-may-be-banned-good-or-bad_8-12-2010 that are marketed toward children. Santa Clara County already has such a law in place.

New Fact: Fast food meals aimed at children may soon be banned in San Francisco.

What New Web Browsers Are Available?

2010-08-11T21:38:00.000-04:00

Note: The following post is best understood by the particularly technologically inclined (more than usual.) Frankly, I only get the basics, myself.

I may have mentioned recently that I'm on a PC right now and I downloaded the Opera web browser. When it's not stalled by websites or other computer functions, it's VERY fast, which is VERY helpful. But it's not for everyone. Some people simply like other browsers.

For those who want new functionality within options that are already available, two new browser upgrades have been released today: Safari 5.01 and Firefox 4, Beta 3.

Safari's latest version allows extensions in order to expand the browser's functionality with third party applications. Firefox's newest version includes enhanced Multitouch capabilities (CSS and HTML 5 touch screen components.)

New Fact: Safari and Firefox have just released new versions of their web browsers with capabilities far beyond the computer I currently use.

Where Should You Feed Your Pets?

2010-08-10T17:14:00.000-04:00

Dozens of toddlers were infected with salmonella bacteria between January 2006 and October 2008. These infections were traced through 21 states and have now been tracked back to over 23,000 tons of pet food from 105 brands. The manufacturer of these pet foods was shut down in 2008. So, how did this infected pet food reach young humans' gastrointestinal tracts? The primary food affected was bagged, dried dog food. The affected toddlers ate in the same kitchen as the dogs (or vice versa, as the case may be) and were young enough to not enforce their own hygiene habits such as hand washing. Aside from moving pets to another room, the Centers for Disease Control consider hand washing the most effective method of preventing contamination between pet and human food.

New Fact: Dozens of toddlers were infected with salmonella by eating in the same kitchen as their families' dogs.

Who Is Chris Christine?

2010-08-09T17:05:00.001-04:00

I just looked at my Dashboard, which I've often done wondering whether I'd ever end up posting more on this blog than my "other" blog (http://useyournudell.blogspot.com.) The reality is that I technically have 5 blogs, and I think I've decided to change the purpose of one of them and make it a personal blog. More on that later. The point is that I now have 80 posts on Use Your Nudell, and while I mourned the death of this blog prematurely, this is my 88th post. Now we turn to pertinent issues.

I've mentioned Governor Chris Christie before, and I'll mention him again (at least this time.) New Jersey has a $5 scratch-off lottery game called "Cruise For Cash." On each of New Jersey's lottery tickets, the governor's name and a print of his signature appears, certifying the ticket as an authentic, state-authorized game, etc. Cruise For Cash tickets should be no exception to the rule, but 3.9 million of those tickets now are. Due to what is deemed human error, the name Governor Chris Christine now appears on those tickets. The tickets are not going to be recalled, the state claims, due to the high cost of destroying and replacing them.

New Fact: New Jersey's Cruise For Cash lottery tickets now bear the erroneous name Governor Chris Christine.

Why Don't We Ever See Two Dollar Bills?

2010-08-08T18:33:00.001-04:00

I guess my last post pertained to both the Internet and law. This one will be exclusively legal, but it includes both the United States and Canada.

I just engaged in a back-and-forth with my reader and YouTube buddy Matthew Vaughan about two dollar bills. He mentioned in one of his videos that Canada no longer has the one dollar bill. I inquired further, thinking that he meant that Canada had no paper money. What he told me is that the smallest denomination of paper money is now the $5 bill, and that the $2 bill I remember from my last trip to Canada (years ago) was his favorite. I remarked that I liked it as well and that, much as I think they look quite similar, my favorite American bill is the $2. I added that it is in low circulation and has been for decades. So, what are the details and explanations for this?

I have yet to find out the reasoning behind the changes in Canadian currency, but I have discovered that the $1 bill was discontinued in favor of one of my favorite coins from anywhere around the world, the loonie (a one dollar coin) in 1987. The $2 bill was discontinued in favor of the toonie (or twonie, a two dollar coin) in 1996.

As far as the American $2 bill is concerned, the US Treasury says that it is printed less than other bills, that taking place last in 2003. The Treasury says that, "The key for successfully circulating the $2 bill is for retailers to use them just like any other denomination in their daily operations." That's really half of the the key. The other half is for consumers to use the $2 bill in their daily operations. Instead, however, many people use and "circulate" the $2 bill as a collectors item because of its rarity. I, too, am guilty of this, however I see the value in treating it as normal currency.

New Fact: The Canadian $1 bill was replaced with a coin in 1987 and the Canadian $2 bill was replaced with a coin in 1996. The American $2 bill was last printed in 2003 and is often acquired as a collectors item instead of used as normal currency.

What can Boston's T Riders Do To Combat Crime?

2010-08-08T15:57:00.001-04:00

So, it looks like I owe you two facts today. I fell asleep early last night and woke up a couple times, but without enough time to blog.

Anyway, a recent article in the Boston Herald profiled the MBTA (Metropolitan Boston Transit Authority) and its recent use of Twitter to combat crime. The organization has been working to set up a system for its T riders to take pictures and tweet information to the MBTA regarding suspected criminals (or as they put it, "deviants and scoundrels,") who commit offenses on the train.

New Fact: T riders in Boston can now help the MBTA fight crime with Twitter.

Why Drink Beer?

2010-08-06T15:06:00.001-04:00

All of the articles I read about good blogging urge bloggers to use lists--x steps for success, y reasons to [fill in the blank], z must-[verb] items, etc. Though I doubt it will make any SEO miracles, I thought I would give you a list of reasons to partake in one of my favorite foods...er, beverages.

MSN Health & Fitness has reported on several reasons to drink beer:

1. Beer may prevent osteoporosis thanks to their silicon content.

2. Alcohol (including beer) may lower the risk of heart disease. (Anybody know why?)

3. The polyphenols found in hops (an ingredient in beer) may lower cholesterol.

4. Cognitive function may be higher in those who consume alcohol. Such a result was found in those women who were studied.

5. The sugars, salts, and bubbles found in beer may actually improve the body's ability to hydrate. I have yet to discover this one for myself.

New Fact: Drinking beer may actually have several concrete benefits. L'chaim!

Why ARRRR You Talking Like That?

2010-08-05T17:27:00.002-04:00

There is a long-held perception that pirates frequently use the term "ARRRR." I am curious as to what "ARRRR" is supposed to mean and why it is associated with pirates.

First, it should be noted that modern pirates do exist, however they are much different than the Captain Hook or even Johnny Depp type of pirate. Modern pirates are essentially seafaring terrorists who attack vessels other than their own that usually contain a great deal of cargo that they find valuable.

According to Slate.com, the "ARRRR" phenomenon (spelled several different ways) is a figment of Hollywood's imagination. By 1934, a film starring Lionel Barrymore had used the term. It also appeared in film in 1940. ARRRR was popularized, though, in the 1950s when Robert Newton played Long John Silver in the classic Disney film Treasure Island. Newton's version of the catchphrase included a rolled "r" that was exaggerated as a result of his Dorset (southwest British) accent. In the heyday of the "original" pirates, their language was primarily derived from that of underclass British sailors (plus some vulgarity added for flavor.) Slang terms were picked up along trade roots from the French, Italian, Spanish, and Dutch language. While ARRRR was fictionalized, it may have been inspired by any of those languages.

Contrary to Slate.com's assertion that Robert Newton's ARRRR was largely fictionalized, author Colin Woodard notes that "arr" was a common maritime affirmation in Newton's region of origin, much like the Canadians' "eh." Woodard states that a number of maritime terms were commonly included in the vernacular of the region.

New Fact: It is plausible but not entirely certain that at one time pirates did use the term ARRRR (or something like it.)

What is the Statute of Limitations for Filing Medical Malpractice Lawsuits?

2010-08-04T15:48:00.000-04:00

This one is going to be quick and it's going to be simple. It's time for a legal fact and it's BEDA, so let's go.I still have yet to find a definitive answer to my Big Legal Question, though I've come much closer to finding it. I have, however, found out that the statute of limitations for filing a medical malpractice lawsuit in New Jersey is two years from the point of injury, neglect, or whatever else the issue may be. A statute of limitations is the time allowed after an incident in which one can file a lawsuit pertaining to the incident.

New Fact: The statute of limitations on medical malpractice in New Jersey is two years.

What is General Surgery?

2010-08-03T22:38:00.000-04:00

In preparation for this evening's post, I attempted to answer an important legal question that came up today. I have yet to find an answer to that question, so I feel compelled to revert to my Bonus category by sharing something related to my search.

The question I attempted to answer has to do with the crossover between law and medicine. Part of my search involved exploring the world of general surgery. Going into my search, I assumed that a general surgeon was one who would essentially be able to say, "If you need surgery, I'm qualified to perform it." That's not entirely accurate. While general surgeons are typically required to acquire extensive knowledge of their own field plus additional specialties, general surgery as a discipline refers primarily to those areas and organs that are contained within the torso. Additional areas include some glands, veins, and the skin.

Bonus Fact: General surgery refers primarily to procedures on body parts within the torso.

Blog Update

2010-08-02T15:57:00.000-04:00

Consider this a Bonus Fact if you will. I'm having a fair amount of trouble formatting the new blog. Check it out (http://spamunphiltered.blogspot.com) and let me know if you can help. Leave a comment on either blog and we'll be in touch.

Where Can I Find Hilarious Examples of Misused Quotation Marks?

2010-08-02T14:34:00.000-04:00

I actually have two advancements to tell you about today. First of all, I discovered a great blog that has been around for a few years. The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks displays signs that followers have found in which quotation marks have been misused. Some quotation marks are misused for emphasis. Others are misused to denote titles or proper nouns. All of the quotation marks are unnecessary.

I have also decided that today is the day I am going to release my new blog, Spam Unphiltered. For years, I have been reading hilarious spam messages from my email accounts and my friends' email accounts. I've decided to comment on them and share (excerpts of) the emails and my comments with whomever cares to see them. I am starting the blog with my own submissions, and I will start accepting readers' submissions in the near future. I plan to update the blog roughly once or twice a week until I can establish a consistent pattern.

The best I have ever seen was from MindTransference@aol.com. It outlined a time travel project and asked for assistance in it. I highly doubt that I will be able to beat MindTransference, but I've seen and blogged about some pretty funny spam messages. My new blog can be found at http://spamunphiltered.blogspot.com.

New Fact: I discovered The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks and released Spam Unphiltered today. I highly recommend that you visit and follow both of them.

What's The Link Between Fast Food and ADHD?

2010-08-01T23:13:00.001-04:00

So, BAEDA is upon us. Let me begin by apologizing for an incomplete fact a day or two ago. I attempted to come up with the term for a subcategory of trademark infringement, and I have yet to find it. By the time I have access to that information, I'm sure I'll forget about that post. So, in lieu of correcting that fact, for now I'll give you a bonus fact related to that topic. DQ (formerly Dairy Queen) is owned by Warren Buffett's holding company, Berkshire-Hathaway. I did not know that before reading the article on the Blizz(ard.)

That brings us back to a straightforward food topic. In Australia, 1799 teenagers were studied in order to determine the relationship between eating fast food and securing an ADHD diagnosis. The teens were categorized by their diet, some maintaining a "healthy" diet of fruits, vegetables, fish, and grains, while others maintained a "Western" diet that included fast food.

It was determined that of these participants, 91 males and 24 females had been diagnosed with ADHD. It remains to be determined, however, whether eating fast food leads to a diagnosis of ADHD or a diagnosis of ADHD leads to eating fast food (or whether the connection stems from another explanation.)

New Fact: According to the results of an Australian study, a correlation exists between a diagnosis of ADHD and eating fast food. Further details of this connection are yet unknown.

What Does "Moiety" Mean?

2010-08-01T00:26:00.000-04:00

Today (Saturday) I finished the book "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse. It's (very simply) about an Indian man (starting in childhood) who learns how to handle life, spirituality, and all they contain. Yes, it's one of "those" books. In it, when Siddhartha, the protagonist, meets his best friend, Govinda, for the last time, he explains some of what he has learned, including that "Everything that can be thought with thoughts and said with words is unilateral, everything one-sided, a moiety." It turns out that "moiety," a word I'd heard before but paid little attention, is related to the word "medium." It means "a half, an indefinite portion, or one of two anthropological units into which a tribe or community is divided on the basis of unilineal descent."

New Fact: "Moiety," as used by Hermann Hesse in Siddhartha, means "halfway meaningful."

Why Can't Two Products Have Similar Names?

2010-07-30T19:39:00.000-04:00

This is another instance in which I'm revisiting something I once new so I can relearn it and have it on file.

Dairy Queen (now apparently know officially as DQ) has sued Downey, CA based startup frozen yogurt company Yogubliz over the use of a new Yogubliz product, the Blizz. DQ says that the product's name is too close to its preexisting product, the Blizzard. DQ's Blizzard has been a popular soft-serve ice cream treat since its inception in 1985, while the Blizz from Yogubliz is a much more recent frozen yogurt innovation.

When a company notices its trademarked name being infringed upon by another company, it can sue on the grounds that the new name is too similar to the existing one. The fear in such a situation is usually that the new product will pick up business that is actually directed at the original company because of a confusing similarity in names.

New Fact: One company can sue another over the use of a confusingly similar name. This seems to be referred to only as infringement, although there is another term for it. When I find it, I will post it.

Where Can I Find Out Who Is On Facebook?

2010-07-30T02:37:00.000-04:00

I've been waiting all day (because of a network glitch of some kind, not to mention sleep) to tell you this. Thanks to Twitter user @cweckstrom, I have discovered a way to look at every single profile on Facebook. Frankly, I was unsuccessful with her method, but it led me to a similar result anyway.

A directory has been created with the profile of every Facebook user who can be found through searching the site. The directory is supposedly available for download by torrent. I downloaded the torrent, but was unable to open the resulting files. I did, however, do further research. I discovered that there is also a directory on the Facebook site itself. So, if you download the directory and are unable to view it, you can go to Facebook's directory page and look through all the profiles you want.

New Fact: Facebook (ages ago, for all I know) has created a directory of its users that allows for browsing as opposed to just searching.

What is an Acerola?

2010-07-29T02:33:00.000-04:00

So, I'm back. The reason I left is that I felt like I was constantly rushing to meet deadlines by scouring the Internet for things I was supposed to be learning naturally. I was going to attempt to find a new, more manageable format, which I may still do. But I was inspired by another online buddy, Jen, to go on with this for a while. She convinced me (quite easily, I might add) to become involved in BEDA (Blog Every Day in August.) Last summer I filmed a "vlog" (YouTube video) for every day in August (having missed the opportunity in April.) It was a pretty fast paced project , with a considerable amount of falling behind and catching up along the way. So, I think this blog will fit BEDA perfectly. I will be at least partly out of commission for some of August, so it might be BAEDA (the first A standing for Almost.)

As luck would have it, I just discovered a food fact, courtesy of Twitter user @shakeologistix. The acerola is a fruit that looks like the cherry. It is full of vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, vitamin A, thiamine, riboflavin, and niacin, which are all crucial to good health. A report from the University of Florida states that in some cases, one single acerola could supply an entire day's worth of Vitamin C. The acerola is grown and eaten in the Southern United States and other subtropical regions across the world.

New Fact: The acerola is a cherry-like fruit that has a high concentration of vitamins and minerals, in particular Vitamin C.

WHAT Is Going ONNNN!?!?!?!?!?

2010-07-22T22:53:00.000-04:00

Anybody remember the meta-reality show "Joe Schmo?"

It appears as if I've done it again. I've taken another unannounced hiatus just after my previous one. The truth is that I lost my momentum when I took a short break, and since then I've questioned whether it's worthwhile to continue with this blog. Quite frankly, I've proved to myself that I really do learn something every day, whether it's about food, Internet technology, law, language, or another category of knowledge. That was the goal with which I set out. In that way I've succeeded. Financially, however, I have not. The only money I've earned from this blog has come from ad clicks for which I had to deceptively beg. You might be surprised at how time consuming this has been. While this effort has been a labor of love, something had to give. I was hoping that would be AdBrite giving me advertising revenue. Apparently that's not the case.

So, I've decided that I am going to take at least an extended break from this blog. If I come up with fascinating facts that must be shared with the dozen or so people who may see this, I'll post such things periodically. Fear not, however. I'll be rolling out a new, completely different blog pretty soon (definitely by the end of the summer, hopefully much sooner.) I'll announce the release here when I feel ready to move forward with it.

I thank you all for your involvement in this blog, and I look forward to many more blogging experiences together in the future.

Do I Own The Rights To The GoogleLabs Android Apps I Create?

2010-07-16T17:38:00.000-04:00

Previously, I mentioned Google's new website that allows non-programmers to create their own apps for the Android smartphone. Once I learned about the site, a question came to mind: If I create an app for the Android through Google, do I own the resulting app?

The short answer is "Yes." Like anything in life, however, it's not that easy. A few other points from the terms of service are as follows. You, the app creator, are responsible for maintenance and use of your app (as should be the case with everything you own,) you many not use any Google copyrighted or trademarked materials, and Google may use the copyrights and trademarks included in your app for marketing and advertising purposes. There are a lot more particulars listed on the website, but these few guidelines should give you a vague overview of Google's rules regarding development, ownership, and use of user-generated Android apps.

New Fact: You, the developer of a GoogleLabs Android app own the resulting app, with a few conditions.

"You Know What A Gin Blossom Is, Don't You?"

2010-07-16T17:01:00.000-04:00

I know what you're thinking, and I have an excuse. I've had a friend in town from overseas (and a couple others from nearer locations.) That and a day of recovery explain my absence.

During one outing, over lunch at a local deli, I overheard the title question. A song by the alternative band The Gin Blossoms was playing on the radio, and the owner of the deli was discussing it with a co-worker. He asked, "You know what a gin blossom is, don't you?"

I'd heard the explanation before, but I'd long since forgotten it. Apparently the term comes from a photograph of W.C. Fields with the caption, "W.C. Fields with gin blossoms." Fields had a facial rash that appeared as if it had come from his excessive gin drinking. It was actually rosacea, which was commonly mistaken for the symptom of alcoholism at the time.

New Fact: The name Gin Blossoms originated on a picture of W.C. Fields that bore a misnomer for the condition now known as rosacea.

How Can I Make a Cell Phone App?

2010-07-12T19:34:00.000-04:00

If you use or have a reason to make an app for the Android, you can now make one on GoogleLabs.com. Google has developed this system, featured in the New York Times, in order to bring into the app development picture people such as myself who use the Internet extensively but have almost no programming knowledge or experience. A quick instructional video can be found by clicking "quick instructional video."

New Fact: Attention non-programmers who want to develop a cell phone app: there's a website for that.

Would You Eat a Sandwich From a Can?

2010-07-10T22:56:00.000-04:00

That proposition was essentially posed to Utah investors recently. Travis L. Wright was given a total of $145 million for real estate investments. Instead of returning the money with 24% interest, as he promised, Wright invested the money in canned sandwiches called Candwiches, as well as other untested products. He is currently being sued by the Securities and Exchange Commission, and is pursuing the Candwich project, which is slated for production later this year.

New Fact: Instead of returning a high yield on real estate investments, Travis Wright has invested money in the production of canned sandwiches.

What is a Scrimshaw?

2010-07-10T22:17:00.001-04:00

I took a look at my local library's summer events calendar this evening. One of the teen activities is listed as "scrimshaw." I'd maybe heard the word before today, but I had no idea about the meaning and origin of the word. Let's find out what we can about it.

"Scrimshaw" is a craft that dates back to the early whaling industry in America. Designs are etched into whale teeth and bones and covered with carbon-based pigment so that the designs would remain once the pigment was washed away. Modern scrimshaw is more commonly done on synthetic or non-whale materials.

New Fact: Scrimshaw is a craft (and the resulting object) that involves carving and decorating whale teeth and bones.

Where Have I Been?

2010-07-10T21:33:00.001-04:00

It appears as if I've blogged myself into a corner here. You didn't know that could happen, did you? I wasn't eaten by the YouTube hack (which, by the way, was apparently aimed at Justin Bieber.) Full YouTube functionality returned not too long after my post about the hacking situation. I apologize for not posting an update on the situation until now. I guess you could say that I took an unannounced summer break.

I've realized that I should have done something very different with my blog from the beginning. As my regular readers may know, my usual topics are food, internet technology, law, and language. I've pretty much proved to myself that I really do learn something new every day, which was my original challenge. However, the thing I learn each day doesn't necessarily fit into any of those categories. Some days I have to search far and wide to find something of interest in the day's category, and some days I find nothing that I can can use from those categories.

I've decided on the days that I don't find anything in my category, I will provide you with a Bonus Fact relating to anything I learned that day. I can't take credit for this idea. Matthew Vaughan of the Rise Up Singing Project posts a comparable RUS Bonus song whenever he is unable to learn a song from his book in time to post a video.

So, now back to our regularly scheduled blog post. Clearly it isn't right (and probably it isn't legal) to target a pop star on a major video sharing website the way it happened on YouTube. But, considering the right to "freedom of press," is it okay for the press to publish defamatory information about a public figure?

One could argue the ethics of that question, but from a legal standpoint the answer largely depends on whether the publication is factual or fabricated. In a landmark Supreme Court case (referenced by Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan in her pre-confirmation hearing,) The New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, it was decided that the press may not knowingly publish false defamatory statements about a public figure. Nor may the press publish such information with intentional disregard for its truth or falsehood. However, if the published information is defamatory and true (and in alignment with other laws,) it is allowed. Vis a vis the New York Times' slogan, this decision seems to clarify what is "fit to print."

New Fact: The New York Times v. Sullivan case allowed defamatory information to be published only if factual and within the boundaries of other pertinent laws.

Where Can I Find a New Superhero?

2010-07-04T13:37:00.000-04:00

A hobby I have outside of this blog is creative writing. It's something I've discussed before, although I don't think I went into much detail. For a while now, I've been toying with the idea of creating my own brand of superheroes. Right now I'm writing more about mobsters and cult members, but the superheroes will eventually happen.

Elsewhere, however, new superheroes are being created. I just found out about a great one from Israel: Falafel Man. Where Superman and the Incredible Hulk are muscular and use their superhuman strength and abilities to fight their enemies, Falafel Man is pot-bellied and otherwise rather normal looking. He pelts his favorite food, spiced chickpea balls fried in oil, at his enemies. Falafel Man brings justice to others not with heat vision, chemicals, or claws, but with his heart and mind.

New Fact: Falafel Man is on the scene! He's a regular guy who fights villains with his favorite food.

What the Heck is Up with YouTube Right Now?

2010-07-04T12:18:00.001-04:00

This just in to the Learn Something Newsroom:

YouTube is in the midst of a major hacking situation. If you have a YouTube account and are currently logged in, I advise you to log out (which is the advice I've been receiving from trusted YouTube users, some of whom are partners--they make money from the site, which would likely influence them to be open and honest about security breaches.)

Apparently part of the situation involves hackers using cookies that appear only for those who are logged in, and somehow transmitting viruses to those users' computers. I don't yet understand the technology behind the hack, but I'd advise people to stay away from the site until further notice (I'll update you when I hear better things.

A food post will come next. I know what it will be. I just had to post this first.

New Fact: YouTube has been hacked. The best advice is to log out of the site until further notice. Check future for posts to this site for great new information and an "all clear" notice.

Where is it a Legal Right to Access a Broadband Internet Connection?

2010-07-01T02:20:00.000-04:00

Finland has promised that every one of its citizens will have a 100Mbps Internet connection by the year 2015. This move comes in the wake of a UK promise (though not a law) to get all of its citizens online by 2012. Starting on the 1st of July (less than a day from when I'm writing this, in Finnish time,) Finnish telecommunications will begin providing minimum 1Mbps connections in order to achieve this goal.

New Fact: It is now a law that the entire Finnish people will have access to broadband Internet connections by 2015.

What is the Origin of the Word "Oops?"

2010-06-29T20:43:00.000-04:00

I found another word for which I wanted to discover the origin. It's a word I tend to use a lot, hopefully not in dangerous situations. The word is "oops." Because "oops" begins with a double letter and is relatively short, I've always suspected it of being an acronym.

Starting at the Online Etymology Dictionary, I discovered that the word has been traced back to 1933, not as an acronym, but as its own word. That site traces a common variant, "whoops," to 1925. The (British) Phrase Finder cites that usage as 'Whoopsie Daisy!', in the New Yorker, in September 1925.

This phrase has been traced back to "upsa daesy" in Leeds in 1862, "up a-dazy" in Jonathan Swift's The Journal To Stella (1711), and ultimately "upaday."

I suspect that there is more in play here. The origin of the verb "whoop," according to the Online Etymology Dictionary, involves the similar-sounding French houper, "to call out," which is essentially the purpose of the term "oops." Could this be the true origin of "oops?" Qualified experts (and other interested parties) should feel free to comment on the issue below.

New Fact: "Oops" is derived from the exclamation "whoopsie daisy!" and perhaps ultimately the French houper.

Where Can I Learn About The Origins of Facebook?

2010-06-29T18:46:00.001-04:00

Just when you thought there was too much commentary and coverage of Facebook, there's more! A new film is being put together about the site, its origins, and its creator. The trailer for this film is mentioned in the New York Times blog, DealBook, as well as today's Business Section. A website is also dedicated to the film.

New Fact: A new film about the origins of Facebook is scheduled for an October release.

What is Dirtier Than Toilet Water?

2010-06-28T23:14:00.001-04:00

I knew I'd learned something about food yesterday (yes, I know I'm behind.) This one's on the disgusting side, so gird your loins. And be careful in fast food restaurants.

Jasmine Roberts, an award-winning science fair participant, has discovered that 70% of the ice she tested from fast food restaurants was dirtier than the water she tested from toilets. Some of the ice even containd E. Coli bacteria. It's suspected that the ice is so dirty because it comes from machines that aren't cleaned frequently, while all water that fills toilets is treated.

New Fact: Fast food ice is often dirtier than toilet water.

What Will Become of Free Checking?

2010-06-27T21:00:00.001-04:00

As you may have heard, a number of banks are planning to end their free checking offerings. Many customers who have these free checking accounts, myself included, will essentially be put at a disadvantage by having to pay for a checking account. Right now, there is nothing but ethics to stop these banks from eliminating the free nature of their checking accounts unnanounced.

New York Senator Chuck Schumer, is speaking up for bank customers who have free checking accounts, saying that the banks should not only announce their changes, but they should do so enough in advance for customers to rearrange their finances and accounts if necessary. He hopes to enlist the official effort of US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke toward this effort.

New Fact: NY Senator Schumer has recommended that banks give fair warning before they add charges to checking accounts that are now free.

What is "Sewerage?"

2010-06-25T16:24:00.001-04:00

It may already be easy for those of you who don't know me personally to find out who I am. But in this post, I'm going to omit and abbreviate some proper nouns just to leave a bit of extra work for my stalkers. Some of you might know exactly who and what I'm talking about.

I received a letter in today's mail from my State Assemblywoman. She, like many local politicians, is fighting the proverbial good fight against mismanagement of utility authorities. Essentially, she wants management to be shifted toward a more responsible party, in this case the Board of Public Utilities.

The Assemblywoman's letter explains her intent, replete with proper grammar and spelling. There may be a misplaced comma or two, but I can easily forgive her for that, having done the same many times. Her letter includes a printout of an article from the regional paper's website. The Assemblywoman is putting the spotlight specifically on the RVSA, the R.V. Sewer Authority. The article's headline refers to her project as oversight of "sewerage authority budgets." The writer of the article repeatedly uses the term "sewerage" in various contexts including the name of the organization, in his words "R.V. Sewerage Authority." Therein lies my question.

Is "sewerage" a word? Is it used properly in the article I've discussed? If so, what does "sewerage" mean?

"Sewerage" is indeed a word. It refers to a system of sewers (any of several types) or removal of waste by way of sewers. Technically, the word correctly describes what the Assemblywoman is attempting to improve. I guess I really do learn a new word every few days!

New Fact: "Sewerage" refers to a system of sewers or removal of waste through sewers. Exciting, huh?

Where in Asia and Europe Can One Get Free Ice Cream?

2010-06-25T09:21:00.000-04:00

Unilever, the company that owns brands such as Ben & Jerry's, Klondike, and Good Humor will be releasing new ice cream vending machines in Lisbon, Portugal, Singapore, Paris, France, and eventually the United Kingdom. These new machines will dispense a free serving of one of four flavors--customer's choice--as long as the customer smiles wide enough. In addition to the smile, there is another condition. The customer must sign a release form for his or her smiling face to be used on these brands' Facebook pages, as well as YouTube and Twitter.

New Fact: Unilever has sponsored new smile-detecting ice cream vending machines in Asia and Europe.

Who Can Profit From Viacom's Videos That Are on YouTube?

2010-06-23T17:45:00.000-04:00

It has just come to my attention that Viacom has lost its recent lawsuit against YouTube. This means that when owners of material copyrighted by Viacom post that material on YouTube, they are not infringing on the copyright.

Viacom sued YouTube for the advertising money that was earned through the YouTube postings. They also insisted that YouTube start manually approving all of its videos so no further copyright infringements could rightfully be alleged.

Viacom sued for a flat sum of money and YouTube suggested that it made more financial sense to pay a rate per 1000 views of the copyrighted material. Their purpose in suing was supposedly that they could not control the way their material was viewed (that is on YouTube or not, Viacom earning ad revenue or not.)

YouTube moved for summary judgment of the case, which was granted.

New Fact: Viacom's copyright infringement case against YouTube has been thrown out of court.

What Might Be the Cause of a Craving for Ice?

2010-06-22T14:07:00.000-04:00

Today's official post comes from today's Science Times. It's technically a medical issue, but I would consider ice to be a food "accessory," so I'm going to file it under food, so to speak.

"The Claim" is that when one craves ice, it is a sign of anemia (iron deficiency.) The explanation is that pagophagia (compulsive ice consumption) soothes oral inflammation that result from anemia. People have been known to go through as much as several bags of ice in a day because of anemia. Some of the anemia that is associated with pagophagia results from Roux-en-Y weight loss surgery.

New Fact: Some forms of anemia can cause its sufferers to crave ice.

How Can I Eliminate Delays That My Computer Is Experiencing?

2010-06-22T12:16:00.001-04:00

First of all, welcome to my new "official" follower, Simon! Thanks for your support.

This is Monday's post, which means I'm almost back on track. One of the things I've been struggling with is a slow computer. I spent some of yesterday speeding it up a bit. This remedy comes from the New York Times, thanks to America's leading Savvy Auntie, Melanie Notkin.

An Israeli company, Soluto, is working on designing software that determines the source of delayed program responses, and analyzes them. For starters, Soluto also offers a free solution to a slow boot up, which I used to knock 50 seconds off my boot up time.

New Fact: Some computer delays can now be shortened or eliminated with programs developed by Soluto.

Why is "Celtic" Pronounced Two Different Ways?

2010-06-22T11:35:00.000-04:00

This is now my fifth attempt at this blog post, and I have a lot of blogging to do. Let's go with an easy one today. What accounts for the difference in pronunciations of the word "Celtic?" I usually hear it pronounced "kell-tic" in reference to the ethnic group, and "sell-tic" in reference to the Boston basketball team.

A Scottish heritage website, as well as a number of other sites, confirm that the word has origins in the Latin and Greek languages, in which it began with a "k" sound and French, in which it has an initial "s" sound.

New Fact: The word "Celtic" is pronounced differently in different contexts due to its varied origins.

What is the Origin of Father's Day?

2010-06-20T08:02:00.000-04:00

This is technically Saturday's post, but it's a legal topic, so I think it'll work.

Mother's Day is all the rage, taking over every store, eatery, and advertisement space. Yet, Father's Day only seems to have a few electronics and home improvement sales associated with it. Even this weekend's episode of Saturday Night Live was rebroadcast from Mother's Day. I think the sitcom "Everybody Hates Chris" portrayed this issue best with a restaurateur selling out of food as his mother arrived on Mother's Day and having to beg for customers on Father's Day.

So, what accounts for this difference? According to most studies, it's still the case that more men than women have jobs. That is, they earn the majority of America's money. (If you expect me to believe that women really do more work than men regardless of official titles and pay, you've never seen my father in action.) Doesn't this imply that society would want to honor its employees, and therefore, its men?

Not if you're an ancient Egyptian, Greek, or Roman. That's who originated these holidays. The matriarchal goddesses (Isis, Cybele, and Rhea) all had festivals in their honor. Even after worship of multiple deities fell out of popularity, early Christians adopted a day to celebrate the Mother Church in which they were baptized. This gave way to Europe's Mothering Day, which celebrated human mothers, and was seen as a break in the restrictions of Lent.

Julia Ward Howe, author of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," had a similar sentiment shortly after the Civil War, when she called for a celebration of motherhood and peace, and for mothers to object to the futility and brutality of the war. This celebration waned, was reincarnated through the church, taken national in 1908, and spread internationally by 1948.

So what about a Father's Day? In 1909, Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington, posed that very same question. The result was similar, Father's Day starting in her religious community and going city-wide in 1910. By 1916, Father's Day gained Presidential approval from Woodrow Wilson. President Calvin Coolidge also expressed his approval in 1924. But it wasn't until 1966 that President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed a proclamation that finalized the date, and 1972 that President Richard Nixon established it as a permanent national observance.

New Fact: Father's Day was inspired by the first modern American Mother's Day celebration, taken national in 1916, and solidified as a permanent national observance by 1972.

What!? Another Food Recall!?

2010-06-18T13:14:00.000-04:00

Uh oh SpaghettiOs! You've probably already heard this. It's all over the news. SpaghettiOs have been recalled due to what's being referred to as "possible undercooking."

Late on Thursday, Campbell's Soup Company announced the recall, which covers 15 million pounds of SpaghettiOs with Meatballs. Allgedly the undercooking was a result of a plant error in Texas where the meat was not cooked at a sufficient temperature.

Fortunately, this incident has not led to any illness. But this time, it's still too bad that the product had to live up to its famous slogan.

New Fact: 15 million pounds of SpaghettiOs have been recalled due to the product being undercooked.

How Can I Show That I Like a Facebook Comment?

2010-06-18T02:54:00.001-04:00

Let me begin with an item of shameless self-promotion. I've resurrected an old blog and started to fill it with new reviews. This time, I'm taking on protein supplements. A new installment of my ProteinPact series can be found every Sunday at http://useyournudell.blogspot.com. I encourage you to follow/read that blog and share it with everyone who you think might be interested.

I'm going to give you a quick fact this time. It's something that's been in the works for a while now. Facebook rolled out a new feature this week (Wednesday night on my account.) You can now "Like" a comment on a status.

For example, if I say on Facebook, "Elazar can now Like your comments," and someone replies, "Finally!!!" anyone who is able to comment can indicate their approval of that statement simply by clicking the "Like" icon below it.

New Fact: Comments on Facebook statuses can now be "Liked" with the click of a button.

What Is Non-Creative Writing?

2010-06-17T05:24:00.001-04:00

My grandmother is visiting this week. She reads my blog pretty consistently, so I thought in her honor I would explore a question she asked me recently.

My grandmother is involved in many cultural and recreational activities that serve as hobbies and also as brain exercise. One such activity is a creative writing group. In speaking with the group's leader, she learned that there was no particular focus (novels, comedy writing, etc.,) just "creative writing." Considering my family's inquisitive nature, questions arose. How is creative writing defined? Is there such a thing as non-creative writing?

Ali Hale of Daily Writing Tips says that creative writing "is anything where the purpose is to express thoughts, feelings and emotions rather than to simply convey information." That's a good starting point, but it seems like there's more.

SIL.org defines creative writing as "writing that expresses the writer's thoughts and feelings in an imaginative, often unique, and poetic way..." and contrasts it with expository writing (designed to convey or explain information.)

Wikipedia says that it is any writing, fiction, poetry, or non-fiction, that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature.

The purpose of this blog is to convey and explain information...in an arguably creative (at least non-academic and non-technical) way, with some thoughts and feelings included. Where does a blog like mine stand? Is it creative? Is it something else? Is a hybrid possible? Comments and discussion are encouraged.

New Fact: Creative writing can be defined as fiction, poetry, or non-fiction that expresses the writer's emotions, feelings, and thoughts in a manner other than academic, journalistic, professional, or technical.

Is it Illegal to Frown At a Police Officer?

2010-06-16T02:00:00.003-04:00

Holy @#&$!*, I haven't blogged today! I have, however made a couple of avdancements. First, I streamlined the "sharing" features by replacing the Digg and Delicious features with a banner that contains 286 ways for you to share the posts you like. That's right, 286...Digg and Delicious included.

Second, I found a friend's blog, and I've added it to my Other Great resources. With that, I'll give a shout to Chris and all the Gearheads Anonymous.

Third, a recent legal topic wasn't received as well as I'd like my topics to be. It was perceived as too negative and critical (some of it unintentionally so,) and I apologize to those who I brought down with that negativity. I also want to thank those who pointed this out to me. Criticism, when presented to me in a constructive manner, is always appreciated.

On to today's fact. I heard once that it's illegal to frown at a police officer. Is there any truth behind this odd prohibition? After going through my typical search routes, I have yet to find a legal code that prohibits such frowning per se. However, in law enforcement there is a concept known as "contempt of cop." People who are held in contempt of cop are typically charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, or assaulting an officer, depending on the specific behavior and intensity exhibited.

Remember from my first post that freedom of speech and expression are typically protcted by the First Amendment to the US Constitution unless the behavior is life threatening or violates another law. Frowning, insulting in a general manner, and gesturing without contact are all legal. In 1942, however, the US Supreme Court ruled that "fighting words" that "tend to incite an immediate breach of the peace" are not protected by the First Amendment. Law enforcement officers have the goal of maintaining peace between civilians, so if they determine that such "fighting words" have been spoken (or acted,) they have the right to make arrests based on the 1942 ruling.

In 1971, however, the scope of this decision was narrowed nearly to oblivion, to the point that in 2001, a federal court of appeals ruled that (in its context) a "profane two-word response to a park ranger" qualified as free speech, not contempt of cop. Surely any profane two-word phrase is far more potent than a frown.

New Fact: The myth that it is illegal to frown at a police officer is false.

Where Does the Name of the Drink "Mojito" Come From?

2010-06-14T23:22:00.000-04:00

This post was inspired by watching Daisy Martinez on my local PBS station. Grammatically, the Spanish word "mojito" means "little mojo." Despite what Austin Powers might have you believe, "mojo" in this case doesn't refer to any kind of power or potency. The term "mojo" applies to several preparations that originated in the Canary Islands and made their way throughout the Caribbean. Several colors and main ingredients are ascribed to mojos. The typical mojo has a base of oil as well as spice and acidic components. Sour oranges and other citrus fruits are used in Cuban cooking. Cilantro and parsley are features of Puerto Rican mojos.

It doesn't seem right to me that a small glass of mojo sauce would be a refreshing drink. So, is "mojito" related to "mojo"? If so, how so?

One theory suggests that the common link is lime. Mojitos consist of rum, sugar, club soda, mint, and lime. The mojito is Cuban in origin, and Cuban mojo is known for its lime component. The name could also be unrelated to "mojo" and derived from the Spanish "mojado" or "mojadito" ("wet" or "a little wet") as alcoholic drinks are said to be "wet." Or, it could simply be that one is said to be "sauced" after drinking too much alcohol. I kid.

New Fact: The origin of the "mojo" sauce is fairly clear, but it is debated whether the "mojito" drink is related in name to the "mojo" or the adjective "mojado."

Why Has There Been No Post Today?

2010-06-13T21:45:00.001-04:00

I'm one entry behind, and this may seem like a cop out, but I intend it to explain why I'm not on target. Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays in particular are usually a bit amorphous in terms of posting schedule. I either spend time at doctors' offices, away from the computer (have you had your break today?--not intended as an endorsement or indication of sponsorship,) or getting involved in things other than blogging per se.

Today, one of the "other things" on which I've spent some time is updating and attempting to improve the appearance of this blog. My new design is far from perfect, and it is far from complete. However, thanks to the wonderful people at Blogger, I can now accomplish a number of things I have wanted to accomplish since the beginning including a more consistent color scheme and three columns of information instead of two.

I have a lot of work to do on the blog, but it's definitely improving.

New Fact: Bloggin' ain't easy!

Where Does the Term Soccer Come From?

2010-06-13T01:00:00.000-04:00

The World Cup is in full swing. That means that most of the teams currently in South Africa are playing some variation of "football," while the American team is playing "soccer." Incidentally, my preferred team, Italy, is playing "calcio." More on that one later. What accounts for these differences?

The term "football" comes from the primary action of the game: kicking the ball with one's foot. The game originated in various places, but was officially founded in England in 1863. The sport was first called "Association Football," and the first official club to play it was the Football Association. The word "association" was abbreviated and altered, eventually becoming "soccer."

New Fact: The term "soccer" comes from the first half of the original name, Association Football.

Bonus Facts: The Italian name of the sport, "calcio" comes from the verb calciare, "to kick." Fans of the Italian team, Gli Azzurri, often use the chant "Forza Italia!" (meaning "Go Italy!") This gave way to Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi (and allegedly the Mafia) forming a short-lived Christian Democratic political party of the same name.

Where is it Illegal to Speak in an Elevator?

2010-06-11T03:47:00.002-04:00

Every so often, I see a website that lists some of America's "blue" laws. According to some of these lists, in the state of New York, "While riding in an elevator, you must talk to no one, fold your hands, and look toward the door." I know for sure that this law is not enforced. I've been in an elevator in New York talking to people, all of us on the way to what ended up being a scam. Believe me; no arrests or fines were issued. I'm sure people talk in New York elevators all the time without folded hands without getting arrested.

Is there any truth behind this blue law? Most individuals who have answered this question online insist that it is a law. So, why is it a law? The only remotely reasonable (but still questionable) answer comes from Yahoo! Answers:

"When elevators first came into being there were several accidents. Mostly cable jams and breaking. People were scared of them and their posture showed it while they rode up or down. New Yorkers tend to flail their arms when they talk, so N.Y. passed a law againgst talking while in an elevator to prevent other passengers from being slapped or slugged. The law proved unnecessary, but it remains on the books."

New Fact: There still seems to be a law in New York against talking and turning around in elevators, though it remains unenforced.

What Does Manna Taste Like?

2010-06-09T16:19:00.001-04:00

Growing up, I attended an afternoon and weekend morning Hebrew school, typically 3 days a week. We learned about various aspects of Jewish religion and culture, not the least of which was the Bible. In younger years, we learned simplified (but hopefully not critically altered) versions of key Bible stories, and we discussed some pieces to which we could relate.

One such story from the book of Exodus was the Israelites eating manna in the desert. I remember learning that manna tasted like "the greatest food you can imagine," which devolved into manna tasting like "whatever you want it to." I distinctly remember a question being asked of my class: "What do you think manna tastes like?" A number of predictable answers came up: cake, candy, cookies, quail (in reference to another divine food source in the desert.) I think my answer was pizza.

Now we know far more accurately what manna is and what really tastes like. Manna is typically derived from dried plant sap processed by insects, or a "honydew" that is expelled by the bugs who eat the sap (think the source of honey, nothing worse.)

In addition to its source, manna also has distinctive flavors. They aren't tomato sauce and cheese. Like a fine whiskey or wine, manna has subtle notes and variations. In fact, there are many kinds of manna, some of which are now being used in cooking. New York Times Food writer David Arnold says that Hedysarum manna's flavor is reminiscent of "maple syrup, brown sugar, blackstrap molasses, honey, and nuts." Shir-khesht manna contains mannitol (a sugar alcohol that has the cooling effect of menthol without the mint flavor) and also has "notes of honey and herb, and a faint bit of citrus peel."

New Fact: Manna, once thought to only have existed in the ancient Sinai Desert, is now being used to add distinctive flavors to modern cooking.

Why are only "Joran" and "Sloot" Trending on Twitter?

2010-06-08T23:18:00.000-04:00

As I write this, it's 3:38 AM. Currently, two of the top 10 Trending Topics on Twitter are "Joran" and "Sloot," both clearly referring to accused killer Joran van der Sloot. I'm wondering why only those two parts of his name are trending. He is in the news because he has confessed to murder, and there is now a (update: false) rumor that he has killed himself as well. I can understand only his first name trending, as people might refer to him casually as just "Joran."

Why then would just "Sloot," the last part of his surname, trend? It appears as if even more common than just his first name or his entire name are references to the killer including: "Joran v d Sloot," "Joran Sloot," "van der Sloot" and even just "Sloot." Technically, none of these is correct, unless it is acceptable to abbreviate "van der" as "v d" without the periods.

That doesn't entirely account for the trends. There are a few other trends that include more than one word, so why isn't "van der Sloot" the Trending topic?

Twitter apparently uses what they refer to as an "emergent" algorithm which produces Trending Topics not by sheer volume, but by volume in real time. That is, it's important to note that Joran is in the top half of the list, and Sloot is last. In other words, more tweets now contain the term "Joran" while a smaller volume of tweets is currently coming in with the term "Sloot."

I guess this means that "van" and "der" aren't coming in at rates as strong as the other terms, and clarly aren't coming in independently of references to Joran van der Sloot.

New Fact: Twitter now uses an "emergent" algorithm for its Trending Topics that produces results reflective of heavily tweeted terms per a particular moment.

What Sum, When Spelled Out, Has No Repeated Letters?

2010-06-07T17:38:00.000-04:00

I just learned a cool trick from a trivia-relatd website that I follow on Twitter. The site is Mental Floss (@mental_floss) and the fact is as follows.

The only sum that can be spelled without repeating a letter is four + six = ten. Try it out: "two + three" already has two "t"s, "one + six = seven" has three "e"s. The sum given by Mental Floss is the only one that works.

New Fact: "Four + six = ten" is the only sum that, when spelled out, doesn't contain any repeated letters.

How Much Money Do Prisoners Earn?

2010-06-07T01:25:00.002-04:00

Convicted Ponzi schemer, Bernie Madoff, is in the news again. The 71-year-old fraudulent "wealth manager" has served one year of his life sentence in a prison filled with robbers, fellow scam artists, and drug dealers. News sources are reporting on his lack of remorse and a comment he made reflecting on his apathy toward his victims. This doesn't surprise me at all. A 71-year-old who seemed to have entered the system with no conscience and is now serving a life sentence would probably have the least motivation toward achievement and rehabilitation.

What gets me is that he who ultimately robbed people of an estimated $65 billion dollars including liquid assets, interest, etc. is actually making a wage during his incarceration! Madoff sweeps floors in his prison facility for a whopping $0.14 an hour. That only amounts to a couple hundred dollars a year, but it shocks me.

Maybe this is more of an ethical issue than a legal one, but why would a criminal, particularly a macro-fraudulent one, as it were, be entitled to money?

It seems that things are set up in his prison like a token economy, a system usually used with recovering addicts to prove themselves as productive members of society who are ready to transition back into a better life. Of what use would such a system be to an older man serving a life sentence?

New Fact: Even notorious prison inmates such as Bernie Madoff are entitled to earn money in prison. They are able to use the money in prison to purchase necessary items like food.

Why Should I Be Vegetarian?

2010-06-06T21:23:00.000-04:00

Today's fact technically covers both technology and food. I didn't start this blog with the intention of preaching about anything. Occasionally, my opinions come into play based on the issues I cover. This time, I have an amusing story behind my topic.

Last week, I got an email that had escaped my spam filter and made its way into my inbox. The body of the email involved the typical Western Union bank scam, begging me to give them my account information so they could deposit millions of dollars into my account (I wish!) The subject of the email was "THE TRUTH." So, in my irreverent style, I responded to the email simply: "YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!" I then marked the email as spam, emptied my spam folder, and went on with my day. Haven't heard from them since.

I got another escaped spam email today. The body was based on a very similar concept, with one exception. This one comes to you with thanks to "Barry 'U.S.' Marine" and his buddies in Nigeria. At the bottom of the email was a link (which I got to in a roundabout way, without clicking it) to a video containing 30 reasons to become a vegetarian (the title of the email was a reference to this video.) It was produced by PETA. It's gory, graphic, brutal, propagandistic, harsh, and much of it is very real, so be forewarned.

I grew up learning about the vegetarian diet from my father, taking it on (somewhat) at the beginning of college. I was never into the propaganda side of things, except for making comments like, "Don't you know that hot dog had a mother!?"

I've learned a lot of things from this video, assuming they're all true, some gruesome and others not. So, I'll pick one. According to the video, more than half of America's water consumption occurs in the meat industry. It looks like they're stretching things a bit. According to a Carnegie Mellon study, most water consumption goes to packing and shipping. Of course, the packed and shipped items could easily be fish, whole hogs, and Omaha steaks. To a doctrinaire vegetarian, shipping such items is no better than eating foie gras.

New Fact: Most of the water consumed in American industry is used for packing and shipping, many such shipped items being meat. I wonder how much of that meat is SPAM...

You and What Army?

2010-06-04T14:20:00.000-04:00

So, today my title has little to do with the issue at hand except that it's one of my favorite quips from the Shrek movie series.

Today, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a voluntary recall of collectible Shrek glasses that were sold in McDonald's restaurants across the country. Twelve million of the tainted glasses were sold.

The 16-oz. glasses, manufactured by ARC International of Millville, NJ, were painted with a substance that contains an amount of cadmium that is dangerous, but lower than cadmium levels of previous recalls. Nevertheless, cadmium doesn't make for good eats. Next week, McDonald's is scheduled to post instructions on its website as to how to get a refund for tainted Shrek cups that you've purchased. Keep your eyes on their site.

New Fact: McDonald's is recalling its Shrek glasses, which have been painted (and therefore tainted) with cadmium.

What Constitutes Prescription Drug Abuse?

2010-06-03T19:01:00.001-04:00

The CDC has released a report estimating that more than 1 in 5 high school students abuses legal prescription drugs. When I was in high school, I was just about the last person to hear about (and certainly follow) any trend among my peers, but I knew about drug abuse in the school, who was in rehab, where I could get drugs if I so chose, etc. I rarely heard about anything legal being abused (alcohol doesn't count because of our ages at the time.)

Here's the part I enjoy: blurring the line between my "language" category and the current events issue at hand. Does the CDC definition of abuse correlate with the dictionary definition? The verb "abuse" is defined by Dictionary.com as "use wrongly or improperly; misuse." Prescription drug abuse is defined for the purpose of the study as "having taken a prescription drug without a doctor's prescription."

I should note that I do not condone misuse of any chemical substance, legal or otherwise. I have, however, taken a prescription medication without a doctor's prescription. For years, I have had (spring) seasonal allergies. One year, a particularly bad allergic bout started while I was visiting a cousin. She gave me a dose of Zyrtec from her son's prescription, saying that I should go to my doctor and get my own prescription if it worked. The pill worked wonders, and shortly after that visit, Zyrtec became available over the counter. I've been taking it as needed ever since, all thanks to supposed "prescription drug abuse."

The difference between my experience and those of high school students surveyed is that the students are taking such pills as OxyContin, Ritalin, and Xanax, sometimes snorting or even smoking the pills (it's possible; watch the episode of Discovery Health's show Addicted about a young man named Jeremy.) This definitely constitutes the behavior I oppose. Therefore, I believe the language of such surveys should be clarified to create a more negative perception of drug abuse.

New Fact: Over 20% of high school students surveyed have abused prescription medications.

What Was the Inspiration for the iPhone?

2010-06-03T16:21:00.000-04:00

Believe it or not, it was inspired by the iPad. That's right, folks. The chicken came before the egg. The book of Genesis doesn't say, "And God created the eggs of the fowl of the Earth." Wait, wrong blog post. But seriously, contrary to their release dates, the larger device came before the smaller one.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs says that while developing a tablet device, he remarked, "My God, this would make a great phone!" And so it was. Apple temporarily postponed its tablet design, developed and released the iPhone, and then wnt back to developing the iPad, which has been available worldwide for just under a week.

New Fact: The idea for the iPad came before the iPhone.

When Don't You Have the Right To Remain Silent?

2010-06-03T02:19:00.000-04:00

In short, you don't have the right to remain silent if you don't say that you want it. In a groundbreaking ruling on Tuesday, the US Supreme Court voted 5 to 4 in favor of requiring a verbal acceptance of Miranda rights once they have been read to a person who has been placed under arrest. This essentially means that a person does not have the right to remain silent, and must answer potentially incriminating questions if he or she does not specifically acknowledge the right to remain silent.

The ruling revolved around a case involving an accused murderer who refused to sign off on acknowledgment of his understanding of the Miranda rights and was then incriminated by answering a series of questions after being silent through a 2 hour and 45 minute interrogation.

Th Supreme Court's nearly even vote was split the way one might expect, liberal justices opposing the measure and conservative justices supporting it. Rather than require a suspect-initiated statement of invoking the Miranda rights, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote, in what the New York Times calls her first "major" dissenting vote, that she would prefer police to offer the option to invoke or waive Miranda rights in the form of a question such as "Do you want to talk to us?"

New Fact: Before you say anything else to police after you've been arrested, you now only have the well known right to remain silent if you say you want to maintain that right.

Wouldn't It Be Cool if the Water Turned Pink?

2010-06-02T05:18:00.000-04:00

As we've learned from the better part of pop culture, looking cool and being cool are often two very different things.

In Queens today, a whopping 74 students became ill today (approximately 12 hours ago) after drinking water that had turned pink. The primary symptom (other than the color of the water) was stomach ache. What could possibly have caused this? Initial speculation pointed at chemicals from a local air conditioning business. Later in the school day, reports numbered over 80 students hospitalized as a result of this strange phenomenon, which was allegedly caused by an air conditioning maintenance worker accidentally leaking propylene glycol, normally an agent in antifreeze, into the water supply.

New Fact: At least 74 Queens students were hospitalized today as a result of contaminated water in their school. The source: allegedly the common chemical agent propylene glycol.

¿Por Qué Usamos La Palabra "Flotilla"?

2010-06-02T02:20:00.000-04:00

This post represents Sunday, which would make the topic language. The word in question is "flotilla." The reason I'm investigating that word can be found in any news source, probably anywhere around the world. I shouldn't have to rehash the story here because I don't want this to be about politics. I also don't think the details should be up for debate. Footage of the event makes it abundantly clear to me what happened.

I have no problem with Spanish words in general. But I am curious about the word "flotilla" because it is clearly Spanish, yet for the past 24 hours (much longer by the time you read this) it's been the only word used by English language sources to describe such a phenomenon. Why use that particular word and not "boat," "ship," or caravan thereof?

Keep in mind when reading this that in spite of my love for writing and words, I'm no William Safire. So, a flotilla, as defined by The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
(Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company,) is, among other similar designations, a small fleet. In terms of the Spanish language, just as a tortilla is a small torta (cake,) a flotilla is a small flota. As the name implies, flota is the Spanish word for fleet (a group of water-bound vessels.) The pronunciation has been Anglicized from (floh-tee-yah) to (flow-till-uh,) but the question remains: why borrow the word directly from Spanish?

On one level, pairing the word with "freedom" for alliterative effect may appeal to some people and convince them to sympathize with those who were on the boats. But flotillas are much older than any 20th century Middle East conflict. According to the Online Etymology Dictionary (© 2010 Douglas Harper,) the word dates back to 1711. A cursory look of the events of 1711 in Spain reveals nothing specific to the country's navy or boats. In 18th century Russia, however, the term applied to the small fleets that sailed seas in which Russian naval forces were rarely present. In fact the word flotilla is often used in reference to navies when it is not used to describe yesterday's situation. The implication that I see this use is that the Gaza-bound flotilla was run by a military or military-like organization, at least people who were fighting for a cause. They were also in an area that is not used for the purpose they claimed to have. What I saw, however, was people fighting against a cause who didn't belong where they were. [Editor's note: I apologize for ultimately politicizing that. Some records just have to be set straight.]

New Fact: In spite of learning a lot about the history of the word "flotilla," I didn't answer my own question. If you you know about the preference for the word "flotilla" in favor of "fleet" or "caravan of sea-bound vessels," please leave a comment below.

Would Quitting Facebook Interfere With Your Social Networking?

2010-05-31T23:23:00.000-04:00

It would cetainly interfere with mine. Happy Quit Facebook Day, everybody! I'm not participating in the boycott (which is pretty much what the name implies,) but if you are, please consider the following quote from Malcolm X. "Power never takes a back step only in the face of more power." If you as a consumer back down in the face of Mark Zuckerberg's irresponsible behavior, he'll never get it right with the millions of consumers who aren't going to back down.

My opinions aside, Facebook is scheduled to lose over 27,000 members today, which is a small fraction of its membership of roughly 400 million. In fact, the boycotters (who I assume simply said "Yes" to a Facebook event) make up just 3% of the site's members. Clearly, considering how many people are not boycotting the social networking site, these 27,000 will have very little if any impact on the site.

In a Mashable poll, approximately 3000 respondents are either planning to quit or do not currently use Facebook, while approximately 5400 users are planning to remain on the site. These percentages are not nearly comparable to the previous statistic, but the majority of those polled still plan to remain on the site. Mashable has set things up such that remaining on the site is equated with apathy toward privacy of personal information (by far, the primary reason for quitting.) I object to this comparison, considering the fact that I am quite concerned about the privacy of my information, and I have taken measures (initiated by both Facebook and myself) to retain that privacy and stay on Facebook at the same time.

New Fact: Facebook is scheduled to lose 27,000 members today due to privacy concerns, which is hardly a scratch in its membership of millions.

What Is One's Best Course of Action After Being Locked In an Airplane?

2010-05-28T20:06:00.000-04:00

Woohoo! A lawsuit! I have a post for today! But seriously, I think it's an interesting story, and at the moment, a few questions about the story remain. Pardon the length. While I think it's cut-and-dry, this is a relatively complex case.

Recently, Ginger McGuire, 36, of Michigan, was left sleeping on a United Express airplane that had landed at 12:30 AM, and was found on the plane roughly 3 hours later by police, who demanded identification. McGuire is now suing the airline, which brings a number of problems and questions to mind. First of all, when I first caught wind of this story, the media had spun it to say that she was "found the next morning." Three hours may be a long time to be locked inside an empty airplane, but I do not think it constitutes anything close to "the next morning." That makes it sound like she was there for an entire night. Second, for what is McGuire suing the airline? Under what category of wrongdoing is leaving someone asleep on an airplane classified?

McGuire's attorney has told the media that the allegations are neglect, false imprisonment, and distress. I cannot disagree with the last allegation. I would find it highly distressing to wake up to a locked, empty airplane for any period of time. A case can also be made for negligence, considering that it appears that none of the passengers, flight crew, or cleanup crew woke McGuire upon landing. Even though I see a potential case for it, I don't buy the negligence allegation. Wouldn't McGuire have been responsible for waking herself up, knowing that the plane was scheduled to land around a certain time? (For that matter, who is really able to sleep through an airplane landing?) I think so. And finally, a false imprisonment allegation!? Not a chance! Consider the following from the legal portion of The Free Dictionary by Farlex (I know, it's just an online source. Reader beware.):

The illegal confinement of one individual against his or her will by another individual in such a manner as to violate the confined individual's right to be free from restraint of movement.

To recover damages for false imprisonment, an individual must be confined to a substantial degree, with her or his freedom of movement totally restrained. Interfering with or obstructing an individual's freedom to go where she or he wishes does not constitute false imprisonment. For example, if Bob enters a room, and Anne prevents him from leaving through one exit but does not prevent him from leaving the way he came in, Bob has not been falsely imprisoned. An accidental or inadvertent confinement, such as when someone is mistakenly locked in a room, also does not constitute false imprisonment; the individual who caused the confinement must have intended the restraint strong.

First of all, this case does not fit the definition or sample scenario of false imprisonment. McGuire should have had a number of emergency exits in addition to the primary exit door of the airplane. Second, I find it highly unlikely that United Airlines actually intended or even had reason to intend restraint of McGuire.

What do you think? Leave a comment below.

New Fact: Legitimate allegations or not, Ginger McGuire is charging United Airlines with neglect, false imprisonment, and distress after having been locked in an airplane for three hours.

What's the Difference Between Puff Pastry and Phyllo Dough?

2010-05-27T17:57:00.000-04:00

Welcome to yesterday's post. Yesterday ended up giving me more questions than the one answer I sought. So, if you know where the name Twix comes from and why that information isn't online, please leave a comment below.

Today, I've picked another pair of similar foods, and I'm going to find out the difference between them. It seems to me (before looking anything up) that the difference between puff pastry and phyllo dough is the context in which it is used. I associate phyllo dough with Mediterranean food, most savory (with the exception of Greek pastries and baklava,) while I associate puff pastry with some desserts and some French savory dishes.

According to one of my new favorite websites, gourmetsleuth.com, puff pastry can be used as a substitute for phyllo dough, and vice versa. Tasteofhome.com, however, says that the two are very different, and in many cases, yield very different results.

phyllo dough

A comment on a Star Tribune article says that "Phyllo are paperthin pastry sheets that the cook uses layer by layer and stacks with melted butter inbetween. Puff pastry comes multilayered already, made with chilled butter that is rolled into the dough. When baked, it will puff up, hence the name [sic.]" So, it seems that puff pastry will give an appearance similar to phyllo dough only when baked. Got it.

puff pastry

New Fact: Phyllo dough and puff pastry dough are different, the former being individual sheets that are to be layered (often with oil or butter,) while the latter is just dough with butter in it, such that it bakes into a layered appearance.

When is it Appropriate to Use an Apostrophe?

2010-05-27T16:47:00.000-04:00

Thank goodness for Twitter! This might be my only chance at getting back on track. Due to yesterday's situation, it'll definitely be a day of double duty. In particular, today I owe thanks to @ebrenner for her article and tweet about it.

I thought I knew how to handle the basics of the English language (spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc.) Apparently, I still have a lot to learn. Erin Brenner wrote a great blog post on various styles and their rules for the proper use of apostrophes. Here are a couple rules from her post that needed clarification in my mind.

If a plural noun ends in "s," add an apostrophe to make it possessive (e.g., "belonging to the Brenners" = Brenners'.)

If a noun with a singular meaning ends in "s," (it's plural and)add an apostrophe to make it possessive (e.g., "pertaining to politics" = politics.')

I'll let Erin tell you the rest. And if you see that I've made any mistakes in my posts, please feel free to correct me.

New Fact: There are a variety of instances that require different uses of apostrophes than one might expect. Please refer to Erin Brenner's article for the specifics.

What Are a Few More Ways I Can Promote My Blog?

2010-05-25T17:40:00.000-04:00

I promised you pictures, and I'm going to give you...icons. I think they qualify as graphics. Developing this blog is itself a learning experience, and I enjoy sharing that with you. Most blogs these days offer a number of ways for you to share their information on other social networks as well as adding the blog to a central location, so you can read all of your favorites in one place. I've spent the day learning how to add that functionality to my blog, and hopefully by the time you read this, you'll be able to share my blog with anyone you know who might like it. Here's what I've added:

1. Blog readers are web based services that aggregate the blogs everyone reads. That is, with blog readers, you can read all of your favorite blogs in one place. I've added functionality for you to add my blog to your reader.

2. Digg.com provides a service that allows people to share websites they like. Digg.com has further instructions on how to add a button to your site. If you're using Blogger to add a SmartDigg button, be sure to incorporate both the first JavaScript code and the shorter one that is specific to your desired button size.

3. Delicious.com (formerly del.icio.us) is another "social bookmarking" site, similar to Digg. I've added Delicious functionality so you can have a variety of social bookmarking sites and choose which to use.

4. Twitter. I've explained how I use Twitter and I've given you my username. Now you have a button that will allow you to follow me more easily.

I'm still working out design kinks, as you can see, but there it is. I may add more in the future. Please digg, tweet, and tell th world about my blog. And if you want me to return the favor, just leave me a link. Now, can anybody help me put my Twitter and Digg buttons side by side?

New Fact: Blog readers, Digg, Delicious, and Twitter are great promotional devices for blogs. In this post, I've explained how to use them.

What Will Become of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell?"

2010-05-24T20:43:00.000-04:00

Special thanks go out to my friend "Toast" for adding my blog to the Links section of her blog. You'll see that I've already returned the favor (her blog is called Toastalicious; if you'd like your blog added, leave a comment below and I'll check it out.) Toast (not her real name, of course) is a strong advocate of LGBT rights, so I'd like to welcome her readers and dedicate this post to all of them in that context.

It's well known that it is not currently legal for gay members of the military to be asked about or be open about their sexuality, however if they keep quiet about it, there is no (legal) problem. This measure, known as Don't Ask, Don't Tell, is highly criticised by gay rights advocates as well as many others with a liberal political outlook for its restrictive and discriminatory nature.

Democratic legislators plan to repeal the law, but in order to reduce opposition and difficulty in enacting replacement policies, White House officials have come up with a compromise. The current White House plan is to add the repeal to the proposed annual defense budget now but delay its implementation until after the Pentagon completes its review of the current policy and its search for alternatives.

Why are alternatives necessary? At this point, I suspect that it is a matter of popularity during election campaign season. Republican opposition to the measure seems to be rooted in opposition to liberal ideology in spite of a 70% favor toward a repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. The original policy was itself a compromise between President Bill Clinton who opposed a measure of this kind and military leaders who said that openness about homosexuality would threaten the integrity of their forces. Times and perspectives have changed somewhat, so it seems the laws should as well.

New Fact: Don't Ask, Don't Tell may not be on the law books for much longer, but it may stay in effect until the Pentagon finds a viable alternative policy.

"You know when...all the sudden a word looks and sounds foreign?"

2010-05-24T10:46:00.000-04:00

Why, yes. Yes, I do. More on that later.

I'm no math wiz, but according to my calculations (and the taxonomy on the side of my blog,) after this post, I will have been blogging for 28 days. That translates to four whole weeks, and in most Februaries, an entire month! I think that's a record for me. In order to celebrate, I've decided to add an element to my blogging style every month (and whenever I need to.) This month's addition will be pictures. I won't necessarily use one every day, but I'll certainly use them more frequently than I have to this point. As per my usual delaying tactics, I will start tomorrow.

Last night, I had an interesting conversation, the better part of which would have seemed to an outsider like it was from way out in left field. I didn't feel that way at all, partly because the person with whome I was talking is stuck on my good side for the foreseeable future, and partly because I know exactly what she was talking about. It's called "semantic satiation."

Semantic satiation occurs when one repeats a word enough in a short period of time that the brain activates in a certain way that causes the person to temporarily lose his or her ability to comprehend the word, even if he or she has been able to do so for decades. A possible explanation of the phenomenon from several years ago (toward the bottom of the page) is that when words are initially learned, the learning develops as a result of specific neurons firing and specific pathways being activated in the brain. When words are repeated in such a way that semantic satiation occurs, a different set of neurons and pathways has been activated, thus creating a new, unfamiliar experience for the brain.

For those who can bear to look at its tacky Web 1.0 style, an early paper on semantic satiation reveals that, while a universal phenomenon, the specific words and circumstances surrounding semantic satiation may be vary from person to person.

New Fact: Semantic satiation is the term commonly used for the phenomenon of a word losing its familiarity and meaning after repeated usage.

What Does It Take To Blog About Food?

2010-05-23T08:48:00.000-04:00

In a way, it's a good thing that I can't get up and go anywhere I want to these days. Had I been able and inclined to do so, I never would have started my blog when I did, (almost a month ago!) if at all. I also might have taken the opportunity to start (for the second time) a blog of various types of reviews (stores, restaurants, new movies, etc.) with too little knowledge of how that process works.

A recent article on SkunkPost.com gives a little insight into the fact that food blogging is a bit more involved than just eating and writing about it. The article suggests that while many restaurants are open to food bloggers coming in to photograph their meals and write about them (frankly, who wouldn't want the publicity?), some are troubled by these steps. A number of chefs and restauranteurs feel that bloggers who take the time to get the correct camera angles, lighting, and written descriptors before (or while) eating are trading their own perfect timing for the timing that the chefs incorporate into the design of the food.

Every once in a while, I take a photograph of a particularly picturesque meal or other item at a restaurant. I am occasionally responsible for taking pictures of friends and/or family with whom I'm dining. In no such situations have I ever used anything better than a simple digital camera with a flash. I also typically find myself writing at least a small note or playing a quick written game at restaurants, though nothing extensive. While many people engage in such behaviors, my experiences confirm that most restaurants were not designed with such activities in mind.

Much as it doesn't solve any of the world's problems, I sympathize with both sides. Writing and photographing were not really meant to be done at a public dinner table, yet food blogs can be good publicity, particularly when they include photographs and "real time" reviews. In order to get there, however, food blogging (at least in terms of restaurants and meals)requires a lot more that I hadn't thought of before starting this blog and reading the above article.

New Fact: Food blogging requires more than just writing and eating. It requires camera skills, marketing experience, popularity, and it often requires compromise when attempting to capture a complete dining experience. I might give it a shot some day.

How Can I Make Money Online?

2010-05-21T17:31:00.000-04:00

I may have just done a post on technology, but I haven't used a "how" question in a while. I've also come across a couple of opportunities that I couldn't resist sharing with you.

I started this blog with an ad from AdBrite.

For the sake of full disclosure, I should say that I am able to make money from AdBrit every time the main ad is clicked and every time I refer a new member through a button like the one above.

Recently, I also became an Amazon Affiliate. Through this program, I've started developing a list of books that relate in some way to the topics I've posted on this blog. Every time a book is purchased from my aStore, I make a small percentage of that money as well. I'll be gradually outfitting the site with a few more Amazon features as well.

While these programs won't likely make or break anyone's millionaire status, I believe they're worthwhile ventures for making a little extra cash online. I guess this time, you've learned something new.

New Fact: You can make money online through ad revenue as well as Amazon.com's Affiliate program.

What Changes Are Being Made to the Texas School Curriculum?

2010-05-21T17:07:00.000-04:00

Texas legislators have proposed a number of changes to the public school curriculum, specifically wording of history books that reflects perceptions of history held by the conservative board of education members. These proposed changes allegedly include revised references to "capitalism" (to be known as "free enterprise,") "slave trade" (to be known as the "Atlantic triangular trade,") and "collectivism" (to be known as "Devil worship.")

Okay, I was kidding about the last one, but considering that the first two examples have been cited in national news sources, my joke doesn't seem too far off, does it?

The significance of these changes, which will be effective for 10 years is that Texas has a large enough market that if its history books reflect these changes, the books can (and will) be sold to school throughout the rest of the country, thus forcing the revised history on much of America's youth.

Update: The vote on this issue, which was scheduled for this morning has been delayed due to the intensity of the debate between members of the school board.

New Fact: Changes to Texas' history books that are reported to downplay slavery and reflect a shifted perspective on capitalism may soon be sweeping the nation.

What Could You Live Without?

2010-05-21T03:25:00.000-04:00

U.S. News and World Report recently reported on an interesting survey. The premise was to determine what Americans can't live without, considering (or assuming) that the recession is coming to an end. The ten items on the list were:

1. Portable computers (laptops, netbooks, etc.) even among the homeless.

2. High speed internet access (which exists, in some cities, literally all over, thus including anyone who knows how to use it, not just those who pay to have it in their homes.)

3. Smart phones (iPhone, BlackBerry, Droid, htc, etc.) in spite of the high cost of the machine itself and service.

4. Education which is usually high cost, though not always, and is usually necessary to improve one's career (though not guaranteed to do so.)

5. Movies (Is it just me or do they seem to get worse as time passes?)

6. TV (Ditto.)

7. Music Downloads which necessitate the use of other technology, computers and/or mp3 players, etc.

8. Pets This is the only one that makes sense to me as a necessity, considering the comfort that can come from pets more than any other item on the list.

9. Booze Of course we can't live without our addictions! And if that's really the case, don't you think there's a serious problem at hand?

10. Coffee (Ditto.)

What interests me about this list is that 6 out of the first 7 items are based on high technology. Do we really need these things? Or are they more like means to the ends we desire (or need) such as an income or a better job, more opportunities to work or relax, etc.?

What I find even more interesting is that the last two items are often used as external coping mechanisms for overuse of those technologies, and even education. So, with the exception of pets (and possibly education,) are any of these items really necessary?

New Fact: In a survey of the 10 things Americans can't live without, 6 out of 10 items are technology based, (3 of which 6 are explicitly Internet based, and the other 3 technology based "needs" have Internet options,) and 3 of the remaining 4 can easily be seen as coping mechanisms.

When is it Acceptable to Begin a Sentence With the Words "And" or "But"?

2010-05-18T22:48:00.000-04:00

And here is your answer, thanks to www.dailywritingtips.com.

At a certain point, I was taught not to begin a sentence with "and" or "but" (except in quotations.) Some of my teachers insisted upon this rule, while others didn't. It turns out that (non-teacher) grammar experts do not abide by such a rule. It's been suggested that teachers enforced the rule in order to encourage more complex sentence structure and (writing in general.)

The article's author, Jacquelyn Landis suggests two rules that should be used in determining whether to use "and" or "but" to begin a sentence. First, Landis recommends determining the necessity of the conjunction (in other words, is it possible to link two sentences together, or is it absolutely necessary to begin one with "and" or "but"?) Second, she offers a rule that I see violated even more frequently: "Do not use a comma after an initial 'and' or 'but' unless it is the first of a pair of commas that set off a parenthetical phrase."

And there you have it. It is acceptable to use "and" or "but" to begin a sentence, as long as the circumstances warrant it.

Speaking of circumstances, my next two posts will most likely be up on Thursday night.

New Fact: There is nothing wrong with beginning a sentence with "and" or "but," as long as the resulting sentence is grammatically and structurally correct.

Which Produce Should I Wash Before I Eat It?

2010-05-17T21:44:00.000-04:00

So, I'm caught up now, and almost back on track. I thought today's topic would be food since I haven't written about it in a few days, and I found another interesting article about it.

Health nuts would answer the above question by saying, "Absolutely every single bit that goes into your mouth needs to be washed thoroughly, and some of it peeled, no matter what. Otherwise, it's a health hazard. That should be obvious!" Some natural food proponents, chefs etc. would argue that few if any organic food items should be washed, that toweling off the dirt is good enough.

Personally, I would be satisfied with a happy medium, and recently progress toward such a standard was made. The primary issue in question is pesticide exposure, and a list of (non-organic) fruits and vegetables was compiled by the Environmental Working Group in order of pesticide levels (from lowest to highest.)

If you are concerned about exposing your body to pesticides and other toxins, then by all means wash and/or peel all of your produce, especially if it appears at the "high" end of the list. Keep in mind, however, that those critical of washing produce (if it is organic) claim that doing so reduces the nutrient content of the food. Either way, I urge you to use your best judgment.

New Fact: The pesticide content of produce varies a great deal, and a list of that variance can be found here.

Where Did My Missing Window Go?

2010-05-16T07:54:00.000-04:00

Two more posts to go and I'm caught up. Executive decision: it's a technology day. This one may be obvious to most of you, but I learned it recently, so it counts for me.

One of the many things I dislike about PC computers (redundant, I know) is that windows tend to suddenly disappear, and there's no indication of why it happens. At least I've had this problem with Windows XP, and now I've found an explanation and a solution. Pressing Control+Shift+Escape (all three depressed at once) brings up the Windows Task Manager (faster than the well known Control+Alt+Delete.) The Task Manager contains a list of all windows that the computer is running. Towards the bottom of the Task Manager is a series of buttons, one of which says "Switch To." When the missing window is highlighted on the list, clicking this Switch To button brings your missing window to the forefront, even if it could not be seen any other way. Hope this helps!

New Fact: To find a "missing" window in Windows XP, press Control+Shift+Escape, highlight your missing window, and click Switch To.

What is Chris Christie's Plan for Motor Vehicles in New Jersey?

2010-05-16T04:09:00.000-04:00

So far today (Friday), Twitter has been down and my email hasn't opened. I hope I can get through this post without any problems. Scratch that. It seems I've messed up the order of posts once again, so I think a goal of no furtherproblems should work. To resolve the latter issue, I've changed the rules again. I know what I post about, and hopefully you know what I post about. Since I really have been learning something new every day, I think it should be okay to just post about a different topic from my set every day, as long as I don't focus too much on one. So, today will be a law day.

And 36 hours later...we're back. That means I need three posts before Monday. I decided to give up after a while of being unable to type, unable to load the necessary websites, and unable to find a topic. Wouldn't you know that right after giving up, I found something. It turns out that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is not only having his way with the public education system in spite of overwhelming opposition. Next, in a move to save $12 million, he may take an opportunity to cut into potentially life-saving measures that exist in the automotive industry. Christie's plan is to eliminate the auto inspections that are now required every two years. He also plans to eliminate emissions testing for cars that are five years old and newer.

Christie's plan is either ignoring or downplaying situations in which subtle yet serious problems arise in the vehicles within the extra two years before inspection. He is also downplaying (or ignoring) the impact of auto emissions on the environment. The Earth's atmosphere is not only absolutely necessary for the survival of humans, it is critically at risk. One of the prime culprits for this risk is motor vehicle emissions. This is a problem for New Jersey in particular because of the state's high population density (the highest in the United States, not including Washinton, DC.) The more cars we have, the more we will pollute the air (assuming most of the vehicles run on gasoline, which they do at least in part.) The lower emissions standards are, the more harmful that pollution will be. Good job, Governor Christie!

In the state government's defense, expenses do need to be cut. There is frequent talk of employees who do little to no work and get paid quite a bit, and even people who do one job and get paid for two. There are certain programs run through schools (that will remain anonymous, but you can make inferences) that constantly get upgrades while other necessary programs don't (I'm talking art and math departments here, not the latest Greyson Chance fan clubs.) There is a ton of room for rearranging, streamlining, and slenderizing the state's finances. The money doesn't need to come from reducing safety standards of any kind. Why don't we take the lead from New Jersey's own transportation comissioner Jim Simpson himself, and sell the naming rights for highway service areas to major corporations? That would pull in far more than $12 million; similar things have been joked about in NJ for years anyway.

New Fact: NJ Governor Chris Christie, already detested for his measures against teachers and public schools, may be cutting auto inspection laws and emissions standards next.

Which American Media Outlet Has a Website Where Can I Read About and See Typos?

2010-05-16T03:30:00.000-04:00

This is my Sunday post, and I say it counts not only because this is my blog, but also because I'm still up on Sunday night and I've started it before midnight.

Through my news feed on Facebook, I've seen several people post links to an article from CNN's website about typographical errors. I found the article to be a great thing because I have always found a great deal of importance in accuracy of information and spelling. Proper spelling allows for clear communication and provides an air of professionality and intelligence, which are particularly important when relaying the news of the day.

I did, however, find some irony in the existence of the article. I thought back to all the typos I've seen on televised news, and could only think of CNN. In particular, once I remember seeing CNN report that an embattled Yasser Arafat had received an airlifted shipment of food, water, and cheese. Is cheese not food? If it's not, what have I been eating for all these years?

Mysteriously absent from the last half hour of CNN programming and searching cnn.com that I've done is a tag line. I remember distinctly that the tag line used to be "Real News, Real Fast." While this may be a catchy phrase, it contains a grammatical error that should have been caught by a news source that require the ultimate standard of accuracy. The first instance of the word "real" is an adjective; it describes the news. The second instance of "real" should be an adverb so that it "describes" (modifies) the verb "fast." Instead, the adjective is used so that it matches the first one.

New Fact and Update: CNN now refers to itself as The Worldwide Leader in News. Knowing that, I now feel that CNN should be held to an even higher editing standard. CNN has a new article regarding typos that should serve as evidence that CNN is attempting to live up to such a standard.

What is NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Favorite Vegetable?

2010-05-13T23:02:00.000-04:00

I've started looking at other blogs that are based on my topics, and today's search (and topic) is food. So far, I've looked at about a dozen blogs, and haven't come up with much inspiration. I mean, it's great that people are exploring the culinary world, creating and recreating masterpieces in their own kitchen, as well as enjoying the food around them. But, have I really learned so much about food that I can't find anything inspirational about it on the Internet? There's a ton of information out there. If you know of any good food blogs, post a comment below.

So, now that I haven't found anything, it's back to Twitter. This one comes from @Alexica73 again. I believe most of my readers are old enough to remember when President Ronald Reagan declared ketchup a vegetable in response to a measure to improve the health value of school lunches in the 1980s. Well, Republican politicians are at it again.

In an event centered around promoting New York City children's healthy eating through local vegetable gardens, TV cook Rachael Ray and NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg (both organizers of the initiative) were interviewed. In an interview connected to the event, Bloomberg was asked what his favorite vegetable is. The mayor, according to the New York Daily News, responded: "Steak. I like most vegetables. I'm not big on a handful of them. But I love steak."

Accompanying the NY Daily News article is a video of the mayor giving a response to the same question. In the video, which was shot before his third term in office, his response is iceberg lettuce. Does anyone have a video of his steak response? I haven't been able to find one.

New Fact: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been quoted as saying that his favorite vegetable is steak, while before his current term in office, he was caught on tape saying that it is iceberg lettuce.

What is Web 3.0?

2010-05-12T18:36:00.000-04:00

While I may soon need another source, right now I'm glad I use Twitter. Today, I saw a tweet from @ToddGilmore that mentioned Web 3.0. It was in the context of leaders learning to use social media, but that's all I could figure out in terms of defining "Web 3.0."

To arrive at a definition for Web 3.0, we should start by defining Web 1.0 and Web 2.0. Web 1.0 was the beginning of the Internet. Examples included the type of website that one might have posted as a school assignment in the early 1990s (see the article referenced in "Where Did the Name of the Recorder Come From?"). It typically followed the format (and included the phrase) "Hi, my name is [Your Name Here.] This is my website about Topic X" immediately followed by what was essentially an article about Topic X. The information was often accompanied by a graphic (or several) and a primitive MIDI (music) file playing in the background. I may be exaggerating a bit, but that's the clearest example I can think of.

Web 2.0 is what a lot of people have come to use the Internet for now. It's the interactive websites that allow us to share the information about ourselves and the world that we might have used to create Web 1.0 (or new information.) Examples include Facebook, MySpace, Wikipedia, YouTube, Twitter, blogs, etc.

Likewise, Web 3.0 is an extension of the interactive nature of the Internet that is developing through Web 2.0. Many experts say that it will be focused on and tailored to the individual. It will most likely have an artificial intelligence-like component now referred to as "the semantic web" with which people can search in human terms such as questions and requests as opposed to keywords, as well as a great deal of personalization and even more mobility than there is now.

New Fact: Web 3.0 is the next wave of Internet advancements. It is expected to be user-centered, more human-like, and highly portable.

When Will It Be Safe To Eat Romaine Lettuce?

2010-05-11T20:51:00.000-04:00

Like many of my topics, the answer to this question is rather vague. Suffice it to say, however, that due to an E. Coli outbreak, romaine lettuce may be (and probably should be) off limits for a while.

The outbreak was reported in April on college campuses and in other schools in Michigan, Ohio, and New York. So far, at least 19 people have contracted E. Coli as a result of this outbreak. It was traced initially to a distributor in Oklahoma, and further back to a farm in Arizona. Poor Arizona! That state seems like it has had more problems in the past few months than the rest of the entire country! [End of editorializing...for now.]

Freshway Foods, based in Ohio, announced a recall of the offending shredded romaine across 23 states (including Indiana, Massachusetts, and New Jersey, but not Washington, for those interested.) California's Andrew Smith Co. is recalling lettuce that it distributed to Massachusetts and Oklahoma as well. Most of the E. Coli victims have already recovered from this rare strain of the bacteria.

New Fact: Due to an E. Coli outbreak in April, there is currently a widespread recall of shredded romaine lettuce.

What Do You Know About Obama's Supreme Court Nominee?

2010-05-10T17:14:00.000-04:00

That's a great question (from myself!) The truth is that as I begin this post, all I know is that her name is Elena Kagan. But, I should find out more about her, and so should you. Unlike many political bloggers, I don't care whether she is a Jew, a lesbian, or a socialist (for those of you who do care, my preliminary findings are "yes," "no," and "no.") I want to find out what Kagan stands for and what she has accomplished in her career.

According to ABC News, Kagan has never served as a judge, therefore her views are largely unknown. She has been characterized as driven, hard-working, and "pretty liberal," and it is known that she was a law clerk for Thurgood Marshall, a law professor at the University of Chicago, and the first female dean of Harvard Law School. More can be learned about Kagan's past in the ABC report and at 5 PM EDT (May 10, 2010) on CNN's The Situation Room.

New Fact: Relatively little is publicly known about Elena Kagan, however, more information will come to the forefront as she makes progress as President Obama's Supreme Court nominee.

Where Does the Name of the Recorder Come From?

2010-05-09T20:09:00.000-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there! Today's question comes to us by request from none other than my mother. How fortuitous is it that her question came just in time for a language post.

Just the other day, she asked me if I knew the origin of the name of the instrument the recorder. I didn't, although my guess (and honestly, I haven't looked it up yet) is similar to that of any "record." I think it comes from a time when important information was transmitted by memory ("ricordare" is Italian for "to remember,") and it was sometimes accompanied by music for reinforcement.

Now let's do a little research for more than an uneducated answer. It turns out that I may not have pulled my guess completely out of thin air. Dr. David Lasocki of the University of Indiana, an expert on the subject, cites the New Grove Dictionary of Music Instruments [sic] as saying that the origin of the instrument's name is uncertain. However, it probably comes from the Latin verb "recordari" (to think over, call to mind, "remember,") or the Italian "ricordo" (a souvenir or memento.) The English language seems to be unique in that its name for the recorder does not reflect the term "flute" as is does in several other languages. It seems that further explanation of the name is speculative.

New Fact: The name of the instrument the recorder has an uncertain origin, however, it may come from either the Latin "recordari" (to think over or remember) or the related Italian "ricordo" (a souvenir or memento.)

Where is Bestiality Legal?

2010-05-09T01:47:00.000-04:00

It turns out I owe you all a legal fact. I've been attempting to follow a pattern with my posts, but I skipped one item in the pattern. So, I'll have to do that one today and get it right next time.

Warning: The following blog post is not for the faint of heart. So, if you're faint of heart, it would not be, in my estimation, a good idea to read this post.

Today's topic is a strange one for any blogger, I must admit. But I got the idea to bring it up from reading another blog, and I was shocked by my finding, so I thought I would share it.

Bestiality, or animal sexual abuse, is not something I would ever care to experience, nor do I believe I know anyone who would. Nevertheless, it is not a federally regulated behavior as something like human-to-human sexual abuse is, and according to the Animal Legal and Historical Center, it is only expressly illegal in about 30 states (exactly 29 according to their list.) Their article explains the laws in further detail.

New Fact: Bestiality is expressly illegal in only 29 of the 50 United States.

What Do You Think of the New Google Design?

2010-05-07T19:53:00.000-04:00

Today, you'll notice that I've added a direct opportunity for reader participation. Instead of asking "Why did Google redesign its site?" I decided to give you their reasoning and let you reflect on it. You're always encouraged to comment, contribute knowledge, request topics, and more. But today, specifically, I'm looking for your insights.

This week, Google.com released several design changes to their popular search engine. According to the Official Google Blog, the purpose of the change, seen by insiders as an enhancement, was to reflect Google's goals and values: "powerful technology, snappy results, simplicity and a fun and quirky personality."

So, what were the changes? Removal of shadowing in the logo, squaring off of the search box and buttons, and the addition of a list of navigation options on the left-hand side of the page (a "left-hand nav.") Google says that the graphic changes were put in place in order to balance out the "weight" of the left-hand nav. Quite frankly, I think the graphic changes were unnecessary from the standpoint of the truism "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." As far as the left-hand nav is concerned, it sounds like a worthwhile change, but I decided to try it out.

You should know that as part of this investigation, I've just used Google for probably the 10th time ever. I have been partial to Yahoo!'s search engine for years, due to the fact that I have historically gotten better results from it than from Google. This time was no exception. I even prefer the navigation system that Yahoo! built simply because it exists above the results instead of to the left of them. To me, Google's left-hand nav looks just the way they describe it: weighty.

New Fact: Google recently released graphic and navigational changes to its site with the goal of adding power, simplicity, and personality to its appearance.

What do you think about these changes? Leave a comment below.

What's the Difference Between Habanero and Scotch Bonnet Peppers?

2010-05-06T17:14:00.000-04:00

For some reason, ever since I learned about them, I've thought that habanero and scotch bonnet peppers were the same. As this blog is intended to be a learning experience, I'm here today to rectify that situation.

At lunch time today (Eastern Time,) the Food Network's Facebook profile posed an interesting question: "What ingredient would you pay a lot of money for?" One person said he makes a hot sauce with scotch bonnet peppers, and habaneros just aren't good enough. So, I guess the two peppers are different. To be sure, I've looked them up.

Thenibble.com (another great culinary website) says that scotch bonnet peppers are "similar to, and of the same species as the habanero." They are also on the same level in terms of heat. The chile varieties database lists several different habanero and scotch bonnet peppers, and says that scotch bonnets are indeed from the habanero family, but they can vary in shape and color. It also says that scotch bonnets can be slightly (if at all noticeably) less hot than generic habaneros. These differences would most definitely make a difference to a hot sauce maker.

New Fact: The scotch bonnet pepper is a member of the habanero family, and the two can vary somewhat in color and heat.

When is it Unsafe to Chat on Facebook?

2010-05-05T19:50:00.000-04:00

Once again, my post is late (I aim to get something up by 3:30 ET on all days but Saturday) again because my topic has been right in front of me for hours, and I didn't see it. Today's category is technology, so let's talk about something that happened earlier today.

Earlier today, it was reported by Mashable (and my Facebook friend Mark) that Facebook's chat feature was taken offline due to a privacy breach that allowed users to see their friends' chat transcripts on the site, using a particular privacy option. Mark posted a status about the breach 3 hours ago, and in response, I turned on my chat feature as soon as I saw his post. It worked. I also went through every privacy setting available, searching in vain for someone's--anyone's--chat transcript. As the phrase "in vain" implies, I found nothing. I also found out about the breach (and the article) through Twitter user @JesseNewhart.

Update: I just went through the settings again, and the options were different. The chat still works, and the bug still isn't there. I guess it was removed quickly.

New Fact: This morning, Facebook had a privacy breach that allowed users to see their friends' chat transcripts through their own privacy settings. The bug has been fixed and appears to no longer pose a threat.

Where is Indian Food Headed These Days?

2010-05-04T17:58:00.000-04:00

For today's topic, I owe thanks to Twitter user @Alexica73. Early this morning, he posted a link to an article about one of my favorite produce-related subjects: Indian food. The article was written by food writer/blogger Monica Bhide, who has recently noticed a shift in the requests she's received because of an interesting parallel shift going on in the markets and kitchens of Bangalore.

As a result of continuing globalization, Bangalore's markets have started to sell Western produce such as asparagus, broccoli, and bell peppers. Indian incomes are rising, as well as travel opportunities and an overall appetite (no pun intended) for foreign culture, not unlike that which happens here in America. Bhide has noticed her blog readers reversing their recipe requests: Americans now ask for things like chicken curry, and Indians now ask for recipes that include the new ingredients they find.

If this shift continues and reaches Indian communities in America, does that mean I'll be able to go to an Indian restaurant for...penne alla primavera and tiramisu? I can make those at home! Maybe it will mean that I should become the new expert on palak paneer and jalebi.

New Fact: Western produce is becoming king in urban India, and as a result, new Indian-style dishes are being developed with these products.

When is it okay to Compare Someone or Something to Hitler or the Nazis?

2010-05-03T22:26:00.000-04:00

Last Monday, I brought up the topic of free speech on the Internet. After wanting to talk about Creative Commons licensing and subsequently having their site crash my computer, I decided to continue last week's discussion instead.

This week's "law" isn't one that can be upheld in a court per se, rather it's a sociological one. In 1990, attorney Michael Godwin observed that "As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1 (inevitability.)" His observation, now known as Godwin's Law, originally applied specifically to Usenet, but over the past 20 years, its accuracy has been proven far and wide across the Internet.

We can infer from last week's post that comparing someone to a Nazi is not illegal, and we now know that it happens frequently. So, what's the issue? One can imagine that adding references to Hitler and Nazism to a conversation evokes images and implies comparisons that are graphic, brutal, and for some, downright traumatic. And, again, while not illegal, subjecting one's audience to such things (especially in an online presentation that was not intended to discuss Nazism) stretches the boundaries of free speech a little too far for my comfort. So, do the Internet a favor and heed the advice of my friend monker59 in his discussion of this topic (found by clicking his username.)

New Fact: Godwin's Law states that as an online discussion grows longer, it becomes increasingly likely that a comparison will be made to Hitler or the Nazis.