We Definitively Solved the Debate Over Whether You Can Still Eat Cheese With Mold on It

If your relationship with cheese is an intense commitment, you might have a hard time letting go.

You went to your favourite cheesemonger and bought three to five cheeses of various textures and milks, went home and arranged them artfully on your favourite cheeseboard, poured a glass or three of wine while the cheese came to room temperature, and had a little post-work snack. You know, just a regular day.

Then you wrapped up the leftovers, put them in the fridge, bought new cheese the next day, and forgot the old cheese existed until the smell from your cheese drawer is so overpowering that you’re forced to investigate.

And then, a dilemma: do you keep or toss the moldy cheese? You still love it, after all. You never stopped.

This week, a look at chese and mold.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Listen, can you hear it? Spring's sweet cantata. The strains of grass pushing through the snow. The song of buds swelling on the vine. The tender timpani of a baby robin's heart. Spring." - Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider, Northern Exposure, Wake Up Call, 1992 

We Definitively Solved the Debate Over Whether You Can Still Eat Cheese With Mold on It by fredwine on Scribd

When the Microwave is Actually Healthier

Almost every American home has a microwave oven. The convenience they offer is undeniable. But despite the widespread use of microwave ovens and their excellent safety record, some people have lingering doubts that cooking food with microwaves somehow makes food less healthy by zapping the nutrients out of food. Does cooking with microwaves do that? Is microwave food healthy?

This week, a look at when using microwave is actually healthier.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "We're not talking about historical accuracy, we're talking about art. I've set in motion a geometric inevitability. If I start chiseling there, chipping here, the whole form is compromised." - David Assael, Northern Exposure, Family Feud, 1993

   When the Microwave is Actually Healthier by fredwine on Scribd

Is Natural Flavor Healthier Than Artificial Flavor?

Natural flavors and artificial flavors are more closely related than we might expect. Regardless of their origins, both are manufactured in a controlled environment by humans. The major difference is that artificial flavors do not come from a natural source such as a plant or animal.

So, which is better, natural flavors or artificial flavors? While both meet the FDA's Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) standards, the smartest move you can make as a consumer is to do your research, then decide if either are right for your dietary preferences or needs. While natural flavors may sound better, remember that neither term reflects a food’s nutritional value.

This week, a look at natural versus artificial flavor from a health perspective.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "George Washington had a vision for this country. Was it three days of uninterrupted shopping?" - Jeff Melvoin, Northern Exposure, Bolt from the Blue, 1994

Is Natural Flavor Healthier Than Artificial Flavor by fredwine on Scribd

What Rum and Cokes Have to Do With War

We've talked about alcohol before. I'll let you search through the history for the exact subjects, but trust me, they are there.

One of early my favorite drinks was Rum and Diet Coke. Who knew its origins stretched back to the Spanish-American War?

This week, a look at what Rum and Cokes have to do with war.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "One of the things that keeps you from dropping them in the nearest volcano is that you had to work too hard to get them. You had to cry, you had to scream, you had to sweat, you had to cuss out health care officials, and when that's all over with, you'll be willing to put up with a lot more from your kids." - Barbara Hall, Northern Exposure, Baby Blues, 1994

What Rum and Cokes Have to Do With War by fredwine on Scribd

This Food Poisoning Expert Revealed the 6 Things He Refuses to Eat

An employee of mine once suggested the department could go out to dinner together for sushi. I replied that I didn't eat sushi. She asked what I didn't like about it and I said I had never tried it. She then said (and I'm paraphrasing here), "Oh, you're afraid of it."

Yes, I readily admit to that. 

I know, I know. The cases of sushi-related illness fall far below the number of people sickened by contaminated produce such jalapeno peppers. Even in those rare cases, the rice in sushi is more often the culprit than the fish. But that doesn't change my mind. 

Bill Marler is the nation's leading foodborne illness attorney, representing victims of the largest foodborne illness outbreaks since 1993. If anyone know what not to eat, it would be Bill.

This week, as look at what Bill Marler won't eat.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "It's no accident that the church and the graveyard stand side by side. The city of the dead sleeps encircled by the city of the living." - Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider, Northern Exposure, Lost and Found, 1992

This Food Poisoning Expert Revealed the 6 Things He Refuses to Eat by fredwine on Scribd

The Century-Old Tool Being Used to Battle Flames

The Thomas fire became California’s largest by size since modern recordkeeping began in 1932 with over 281,900 acres burned as of this writing. It sped from the urban edge of Ventura to deep into the Los Padres National Forest. It covered huge distances without stopping, climbing in an out of the Santa Ynez, Topatopa and Sierra Madre ranges at will. On East Camino Cielo, 3,600 feet above Santa Barbara, fire crews shored up lines on the ridge. Below that ridge, mandatory evacuations worked their way into the city limits.

One the tools used by firefighters is the Pulaski, a special hand tool used in wildland firefighting. The tool combines an axe and an adze in one head with a rigid handle and it can be used to both dig soil and chop wood.

This week, a look at the Pulaski, the tool that has fought many fires and saved many homes and lives.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Dreams are postcards from our subconscious, inner self to outer self, right brain trying to cross that moat to the left. Too often they come back unread: 'return to sender, addressee unknown.' That's a shame because it's a whole other world out there – or in here depending on your point of view." - Dennis Koenig and Jordan Budde, Northern Exposure, Roots, 1991

The Century-Old Tool Being Used to Battle Flames by fredwine on Scribd

The Improbable Origins of PowerPoint

A computer program is an organized list of instructions that, when executed, causes the computer to behave in a predetermined manner. Without programs, computers are useless.

A program is like a recipe. It contains a list of ingredients (called variables) and a list of directions (called statements) that tell the computer what to do with the variables. The variables can represent numeric data, text, or graphical images.

Love it or hate it, PowerPoint is one of those programs. If you have worked in an office in the Western world in the past 25 years, you will probably have sat through a PowerPoint presentation. But where did it come from?

This week, a look at the improbable origins of PowerPoint.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell your parrot to the town gossip." - Will Rogers (US humorist and showman, 1879 - 1935)

   The Improbable Origins of PowerPoint by fredwine on Scribd