Soda Bread Not Irish‽ What‽

A cabin with plenty of food is better than a hungry castle.
~Irish Saying

Soda bread was not invented by the Irish. The first reference to soda bread is credited to American Indians. The Irish have, however, made soda bread an Irish tradition. Not so much by choice as out of necessity.

During times of poverty and famine in Ireland hard flour - the type that is needed to use with yeast to make it rise, was largely unaffordable. The wheat that grows in the Irish climate is soft wheat which is low in gluten. The acidic properties of bicarbonite soda and sour milk (buttermilk) work to create a reaction that leavens bread made with soft flour. 

Here is the soda bread recipe I made today:

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 375°
Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and 1/2 cup butter. Stir in buttermilk and egg. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and slightly knead. Form dough and place on a lightly greased baking sheet.

Combine melted butter with 1/4 cup buttermilk and brush loaf with this mixture. Use a sharp knife to cut an 'X' into the top of the loaf.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes. It turned out okay. It looked terrible, but tasted fine!

Note: That is an interrobang in the title - a combined question mark and exclamation mark for when on or the other will not do.

National Museum of Dentistry

Americans may have no identity, but they do have wonderful teeth.
~Jean Baudrillard

There is a National Museum of Dentistry.  It is affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution and boasts such exhibits as Queen Victoria's dental instruments, and an historic display of toothbrushes.  The museum also displays George Washington's dentures (made not of wood, but of hippopotamus ivory).

Note: The Dentistry Museum is located in Baltimore.

Something else I learned: George Washington had only 1 tooth of his own at the time of his inauguration as President.

What is the Ides of March and Why Should I Beware It?

Caesar: Who is it in the press that calls on me?
I hear a tongue shriller than all the music
Cry "Caesar!" Speak, Caesar is turn'd to hear.
Soothsayer: Beware the ides of March.
Caesar: What man is that?
Brutus: A soothsayer bids you beware the ides of March.
~Julius Caesar by Shakespeare

In Roman times the Ides of March was simply March 15. "Ides" comes from the earliest Roman calendar which was somewhat complex. It utilized 3 days of each month as reference points:

• Kalends (1st day of the month)
• Nones (the 7th day in March, May, July, and October; the 5th in the other months)
• Ides (the 15th day in March, May, July, and October; the 13th in the other months)

The remaining days of each month were identified by counting backwards from the Kalends, Nones, or the Ides. For example, March 3 would be V Nones—5 days before the Nones. This convoluted method of time keeping was used in the Julian calendar as well and into the Middle Ages and Renaissance.



Note: "What are the eyes of march" appears as a related search if you type "the ides of march julius caesar" in to Google search.

Something else I learned: The festival of Lupercalia was held in Ancient Rome on February 15. The festival celebrated the founding of the city of Rome.

Encyclopaedia Britannica to Cease Printing Encyclopedias

This is probably going to be a collector's item. This is going to be as rare as the first edition, because the last print run of our last copyright was one of the smallest print runs.
~Jorge Cauz, 50, president of Encyclopedia Britannica

Lucky you! You can buy a set of these highly prized volumes for only $1395 - a real bargain considering the president of the company is sure the set will be collectible because no one wants to buy it... Wait a minute. What?

Encyclopaedia Britannica was founded in Scotland in 1768. The company has been located in Chicago since 1935. The last set was printed in 2010 and approximately 8000 of those have been sold, leaving 4000 of the 32 volume 129 lb sets available for sale.

Sales declined from $650 million in 1990 to $405 million in 1995. In 1996, after 60 years of selling door-to-door, Encyclopedia Britannica stopped the practice completely and dramatically, laying off it's entire US and Canada sales force.

Note: The company will continue to be a source of facts and knowledge on the internet where most of their business has already shifted.

Something else I learned: There are 6 types of volcano eruptions classified by size and shape. The types are: Icelandic, Hawaiian, Strombolian, Vulcanian, Pelean, and Plinian

Blond Is Not Blonde

Blond/blonde is a rarity in the English language because while both blond and blonde refer to light colored hair, the spelling difference denotes a masculine and a feminine form. Blond refers to a male light haired person, and blonde to a female light haired person. The word, and it's gender distinction, come to English from the French.

Feminine or masculine brownies?

Who cares?

Something else I learned: Blond/blonde in Spanish is Spanish it would be rubio and rubia.

Fruits and Vegetables Are Healthy and Nutritious. Do They Also Make You Beautiful?

It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato.
~ Lewis Grizzard

Fruits and vegetables come in a plethora of vivid colors and are a source of numerous vitamins, minerals, and natural substances that may help protect against chronic diseases. They are a natural source of energy and they taste good! The benefits of fruits and vegetables are well documented, but it turns out it gets even better. Eating fruits and vegetables can make you hot!

A recent study finds that eating produce heightens red and yellow skin tones which increases perceived attractiveness (the study was conducted primarily on white people). The organic pigments (carotenoids)  that give color to fruits and vegetables also provide color to human skin when consumed. The study showed that redder or yellower skin caused by produce consumption were rated as more attractive than subjects who consumed less produce.



The study: You Are What You Eat: Within-Subject Increases in Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Confer Beneficial Skin-Color Changes

Note: The researches intend to expand the study with non-white people but expect the results will be the same.

Something else I learned: The most abundant carotenoids in the US diet are beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, gamma-carotene, lycopene, lutein, beta-crpytoxanthin, zeaxanthin, and astaxanthin.

Cotopaxi - by Frederic Edwin Church