Homeostasis

I had already decided on this title, and then realized that it’s not exactly in line with the proper definition of the word...but it’ll do.

I’m fresh off the worst six months of my life. The fun started in March when I became unemployed. From there, it was a steady diet of unfortunate events...a broken hot water heater which ruined just about everything in the basement, a tenant refusing to vacate, then threatening to sue me, my business partner getting arrested (which eventually led to our building being listed for sale), a mysterious leak in the basement of the building for sale, which persisted for months, making it unable to be shown to buyers, my dog was diagnosed with lyme disease and finally, my fiancé getting hit on her bicycle by a car...that’s the quick and dirty of it. I still can’t believe that so many shitty things happened in such a short amount of time. It had gotten to the point where I went into survival mode, just waiting for the next bad thing to happen.

Someone said that I can’t help but have changed after all that has taken place.

I don’t know that I have necessarily changed as a result of all of this. In the midst of it all, I was being pulled in a direction that is far from the person I truly am. My life is relatively simple and stress free. With so many stressful events happening back to back to back, there was no time to refocus and gain balance. Instead, I was taken even further off center.

The word homeostasis means the ability or tendency of an organism or cell to maintain internal equilibrium by adjusting its physiological processes. When the dust settled I found myself striving to get back to being me again. Having as strong a sense of self as I do is a double-edged sword. When it is compromised as it has been recently, it puts you in a really bad place. But on the other hand, it is easy to restore once things calm down.

As this year draws to a close and a new one begins, I find myself back to the place where I need to be and thankful that the past will stay there.

the sky's the limit

I’ve been making it a point to be more aware of my surroundings.

Today I hiked out about five miles until I came to a bench, which seemed like a good turn around point. I took off my pack and grabbed a drink. Before I started the return trip, I tilted my head back and took a big reach for the sky. While I was doing this, I noticed a hawk, circling overhead. It was the first sign of nature I’d seen in nearly two hours.

For five miles, I pretty much stared at this:


It was only when I looked up that I noticed this:

Sometimes we live our lives with tunnel vision. Today, I am thankful for being reminded to look up to the sky every now and then.

BAck TO NAture

The Batona Trail is a 49.5-mile hiking trail through New Jersey's Pine Barrens. The trail is the fourth longest in the state behind the Delaware and Raritan Canal Trail, the section of the Appalachian Trail within the state, and the completed section of the Highlands Trail in the state. The trail begins in Brendan T. Byrne State Forest (formerly Lebanon State Forest) at the ghost town of Ong's Hat and traverses Wharton State Forest and Bass River State Forest. The trail was built in 1961 by the Batona Hiking Club, which began informally in 1928 when Philadelphians began meeting regularly to hike.

I first learned about the Batona trail a few years ago while visiting Batsto Village. After spending no more than half an hour on the trail I was covered in ticks. Time has made me wiser in discovering that sometimes, the best hiking can be done in the cooler months when there are no bugs to contend with.

Over the next few months I plan to hike the entire Batona Trail. Each segment will be an out and back adventure, making the total trip just about 100 miles. I started today at Pakim Pond and headed north for about three miles, turned around and hiked back. I didn’t see one person the entire time. My car was the only one parked in the lot.

When all is said and done I will have spent close to 35 hours alone, hiking in the woods. Physically, the task is no problem. Mentally, it will be a bit more challenging. That was today’s lesson.

We fill up our days with people and places and things. There is so much “stuff” going on that we are rarely placed into situations where we have to be alone. On the trail, I am forced to be with my thoughts. They have no place else to go. I have no other distractions.

A friend of mine once said to me, “don’t ask questions you aren’t prepared to hear the answer to.” Well, ready or not, there are several questions I will be asking myself over the next few months.

“We have to dare to be ourselves, however frightening or strange that self may prove to be.”

- May Sarton

piloerection

Riley has always been a little different. I am pretty certain she’s the only female dog in the neighborhood that lifts her leg to pee. And then there’s that whole coprophagia thing which surfaces every winter. Needless to say, I wasn’t surprised when she started exhibiting another new behavior, incessant raising of her hackles while on a walk.

Piloerection, or the hair standing on end at the shoulders or from the shoulders down the back is a sign of arousal or excitement associated most often with fear. It is a function of the nervous system and is an involuntary reaction to a stimulus such as fear or cold.

An afternoon walk lasts about twenty minutes. I took my camera today and snapped a picture of everything that made her hackles stand on end. When I initially noticed this behavior, I would stop, sit her down and pet her. That was completely ineffective and since it doesn’t seem to bother her I just let it go now. It’s just another addition to the list of things that make Riley special.

White fence at the house where a dog lived about four years ago
Petie's House

The street

Trashcans from a distance

About to see her nemesis the mailman


Hole in a fence where she saw a dog one time

Rabbit

House with a tiny dog in the window

Kids on bicycles

Just saw a squirrel

This house gets her every time and I am not sure why

Wooden fence

if you're reading this

November 5, 2010

If you are reading this letter it is because I wanted you to know that my encounters with you have had an impact on my life.

I spent nearly 10 years working on the Research on Pathways to Desistance project at Temple. During that time, my path crossed with several hundred people, all of whom were involved with the study on some level.

My work landed me in state and federal prisons, county jails and of course all over the city of Philadelphia. I have done interviews in houses with no heat, houses with mice and roaches (I even brought a few home with me in my lap top bag). I’ve sat on floors when there was no furniture and on steps when the house wasn’t a safe place to be.

I can’t say that I know what it is like to live in these places. At the end of the day, I was able to retreat to my home in South Jersey. But I thank each and every one of you for taking the time to share your stories with me. You didn’t have to and I know that.

As you all should know by now, the research project at Temple has ended. On my last day of work, one of the young men that I had done interviews with for eight years was shot and killed at a playground. He wasn’t the first (and he won’t be the last) person that I interviewed for the research project that was killed.

Every day when I read the news about another homicide in Philadelphia, I brace myself when I get to the part where they name the victim. Tonight was no different, only this time; I felt an overwhelming sadness as I read the name. It was another young man whom I'd interviewed for eight years. He was shot in the chest several times and died a few hours later. He left behind a son who adored him and a father who only wanted the best for him.

If you are still reading this, please know that even though we might have only spoken a handful of times over the past nine or ten years, you have made a difference in my life. I wish that a better path lies ahead of you. I wish for you to be safe, be smart. I wish that I never have to read your name in a news article like the one I did this evening.

Best Wishes,

Donna

are you my mother?

Question: Which Mammal Has The Shortest Gestation Period? Which One Has The Longest?

Answer: Gestation is the period of time between fertilization and birth of mammals—in other words, the time spent in the mother's uterus.

The shortest known gestation period is 12 to 13 days. This record is shared by three marsupials (mammals in which the young are born prematurely and finish developing in a pouch located near the mother's abdomen): the American or Virginian opossum (Didelphis marsupialis); the rare water opossum, or yapok (Chironectes minimus), of central and northern South America; and the eastern native cat (Dasyurus viverrinus) of Australia.

The longest gestation period for a mammal is that of the African elephant (Loxodonta africana) with an average of 660 days, and a maximum of 760 days.

que dia es hoy

Question: How Did The Names of the Days of the Week Come To Be?

Answer: The names of the days of the week came to us from the mythological gods of Ancient Rome. It was the Romans who were the first to begin their days at midnight, while the ancient Babylonians began theirs at sunrise and the ancient Jews, at sunset.

Sunday was named because it was the day sacred to the sun.

Monday was named because it was sacred to the moon.

Tuesday was named after Tiw, a god of war.

Wednesday was named after Woden, the leader of the gods.

Thursday was named after Thor, the god of thunder.

Friday was named after Frigge, the wife of Woden.

Saturday was named after Saturn, the god of crops and harvest.

carassius auratus auratus

Question: How long do goldfish live?

Answer: Like the maximum size, the lifespan of goldfish is also variable. The record is 43 years, but it is uncommon for goldfish to live this long. Goldfish usually live quite long when kept in large aquarium or outdoor ponds, up to 15 to 20 years is not unheard of. In smaller or heated aquarium, a lifespan of five to ten years is quite achievable. As mentioned, the most important factors when keeping goldfish in small aquarium are careful feeding and adequate filtration and/or maintenance.

bubblicious

Question: What is the largest bubble gum bubble ever blown?

Answer: Susan Montgomery Williams is the Guinness Record Holder of the Worlds Largest Gum Bubble. It was 23 inches big.

i scream you scream

Question: What is the most popular ice cream flavor?

Answer: Vanilla


THE 15 MOST POPULAR ICE CREAM FLAVORS

(Flavor, percent preferring)

1. Vanilla, 29%

2. Chocolate, 8.9%

3. Butter pecan, 5.3%

4. Strawberry, 5.3%

5. Neapolitan, 4.2%

6. Chocolate chip, 3.9%

7. French vanilla, 3.8%

8. Cookies and cream, 3.6%

9. Vanilla fudge ripple, 2.6%

10. Praline pecan, 1.7%

11. Cherry, 1.6%

12. Chocolate almond, 1.6%

13. Coffee, 1.6%

14. Rocky road, 1.5%

15. Chocolate marshmallow, 1.3%

All others, 23.7%

it's five o'clock somewhere

Question: What is the origin of happy hour?

Answer: Happy hour is the two-hour period before dinner when bars offer discounted alcoholic beverages.The term originated in the United States Navy. In the 1920s, “Happy Hour” was slang for a scheduled entertainment period on board a ship during which boxing and wrestling bouts took place, this was a valuable opportunity for sailors to let off the steam accumulated during the long periods at sea.“Happy” in this context meant slightly drunk.


The idea of drinking before dinner has its roots in the Prohibition era. When the 18th Amendment and the Volstead Act were passed banning alcohol consumption, citizens would host “cocktail hours”, also known as “happy hours”, at a speakeasy (an illegal drinking establishment) before eating at restaurants where alcohol could not be served. Cocktail lounges continued the trend of drinking before dinner. "Happy hour" entered civilian use around 1960, especially after a Saturday Evening Post article on military life in 1959.

twisters

Question: Which US state has the most tornadoes each year?

Answer: Texas annually has more tornadoes than any other state, followed by Oklahoma. However, the statistics are misleading, since Texas is much larger than its neighboring states.

Florida has the highest number of tornadoes per 10,000 square miles each year.

throw me a bone

Question: Why do dogs chew bones?

Answer: Dogs are forever associated with chewing on bones and burying them for later chewing sessions. Wild canines like wolves, foxes and dingoes also enjoy chewing on bones and will save them for later. Canines are fixated on bones for their high food value and for the pleasure that chewing them brings to the animals.

Nutritional Value: Bones contain high-calorie marrow. By chewing to get at the marrow, dogs also grind the bone to dust and get needed calcium. Bones and dog chew treats also help to remove plague from teeth.

Pleasure: According to the book "Your Adopted Dog," when dogs chew, endorphins are released from the brain. These chemicals are thought to make dogs feel good.

The instinct to chew bones is so strong that dogs and puppies will chew on anything they can get a hold of if bones or suitable chewing treats are not available to satisfy the craving. This can lead to chewing on furniture, shoes or other valuables.

Dogs do not instinctively know how to safely eat bones by chewing them up into small bits, and some will gulp dangerously large pieces. Dogs should always be supervised when chewing bones.

Dogs should not be given bones that easily splinter or bones from the garbage. The former can perforate the bowels or cause choking, while the latter can harbor E. coli or other dangerous bacteria.

cheesecake!

Question: Where was the original cheesecake factory located?

Answer: Los Angeles (via Detroit)

Always known as an excellent cook, Evelyn created her Original Cheesecake recipe that everyone loved. By the late 1940's, she opened a small cheesecake shop in Detroit. In order to raise her two small children, David and Renee, Evelyn chose to put off her dream and gave up the shop. She moved her baking to a kitchen in her basement and continued to supply cakes to several of the best local restaurants. In 1971, with their children grown, Evelyn and Oscar, now in their early 50's, decided to move their cheesecake business to Los Angeles. With the last of their savings, they opened a 700 square foot store, "The Cheesecake Factory". Those early years were extremely lean and sometimes very difficult. Evelyn and Oscar often worked 18-hour days. Evelyn baked and managed the office while Oscar concentrated on selling the cakes and building new accounts.

america the beautiful

Question: What are the most visited National Parks?

Answer: The following is a list of the most visited National Parks, according to rank, park name, and number of recorded visitors in 2007.


The Blue Ridge Parkway was ranked number one in 2007 with 18,953,478 visitors.


1.Blue Ridge PKWY 18,953,478

2.Golden Gate NRA 13,486,824

3.Great Smoky Mountains NP 9,289,215

4.Gateway NRA 8,456,456

5.Lake Mead NRA 7,777,753

6.George Washington MEM PKWY 6,872,213

7.Natchez Trace PKWY 5,713,583

8.Delaware Water Gap NRA 5,254,216

9.Grand Canyon NP 4,487,716

10.Cape Cod NS, 4,279,439

left right left

Question: How long would it take to walk across the United States?

Answer:If you walk approximately 20 miles a day it would take you about 6 months.

oi vey!

Question: On average, how many slices of pizza does the typical American eat per year?

Answer: Each man, woman and child in America eats an average of 46 slices (23 pounds) of pizza a year.

pass the popcorn

Question: What's the longest movie ever made?

Answer: The Cure for Insomnia (1987) is the longest movie ever made at a total running time of 85 hours (5,220 min) . It premiered in its entirety at The School Of The Art Institute in Chicago, Illinois from January 31 to February 3, 1987, in one continuous showing.

stinky!

Question: Why does your pee smell when you eat asparagus?

Answer: Asparagus contains a sulfur compound called mercaptan. It is also found in onions, garlic, rotten eggs, and in the secretions of skunks. The signature smell occurs when this substance is broken down in your digestive system. Not all people have the gene for the enzyme that breaks down mercaptan, so some of you can eat all the asparagus you want without stinking up the place. One study published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology found that only 46 percent of British people tested produced the odor while 100 percent of French people tested did.

chillin'

Question: What is the ideal temperature for a refrigerator?

Answer: You want your refrigerator to be cold, but not so cold that it freezes things. The preferred temperature is somewhere between 35 and 38 degrees F (1.7 to 3.3 degrees C). Anything higher and foods will spoil too quickly (it also presents food poisoning problems, as described in several of the links below). Anything lower and freezing becomes a problem.

tweet this

Question: Do Birds fart?

Answer: Yes, under certain circumstances

Forest Ang photographed a Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis) at a park in Penang, Malaysia one day in June 2009. On examining his images in the comfort of his home, he was intrigued by one of the images. The feathers around the posterior opening of the myna, the vent, showed signs that air was being passed out. For the benefit of those unfamiliar with the term vent, this is the common opening through which faeces from the digestive system, uric acid from the excretory system and sperm or egg from the reproductive system pass.

So Forest asked a pertinent question: “Can birds fart?” He was unable to confirm that the bird made any farting sound when he was photographing it. After all, the place was noisy with many people around.

The web is full of answers to the question, with conflicting views.

Backyard Birding has this to say: “…any animal which eats generates gas and this gas must go somewhere. So while birds possess a relatively short intestinal tract, thus producing a smaller amount of gas, they do produce some. And it is expelled through the normal means.”

Laura’s Birding Blog says no. There is no “noticeable eruptions of significant volumes of intestinal gas. Avian intestines are short and evacuate wastes frequently. Any gases produced in digestion leak out as fast as they’re produced, so there isn’t the opportunity for build-up that leads to those explosive releases we cheerfully or disgustedly call farts.”

However, Mike Murray, a veterinarian at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California, has this to say: “It’s not that they can’t. They just don’t need to. Birds have the anatomical and physical ability to pass gas, but if I saw gas in a bird’s gastrointestinal tract on an x-ray, I’d suspect that something abnormal was going on in there.”

We believe that birds do fart, maybe under certain circumstances. After all, photographic evidence proves that the Common Myna in the picture actually passed wind.

sweet

Question: Who invented the candy bar

Answer: In 1847, Joseph Fry discovered a way to mix some melted cacao butter back into defatted, or "Dutched," cocoa powder (along with sugar) to create a paste that could be pressed into a mold. The resulting bar was such a hit that people soon began to think of eating chocolate as much as drinking it. Many people credit this as the very first chocolate bar for eating.

pick me a winner

Question: Why do people pick their nose and eat it?

Answer: The act of eating your mucus is known as "mucophagy" and is done by kids basically because they do not think about stuff likes adults do, they just do it and they do not think if it is gross or not, healthy or not, socially accepted or not. However is at that age that "mucophagy" starts. Some people will stop when they realize what they are doing, some people do not, and will keep doing it (in hiding) until they die. You can call it a "habit" and according to what I read, very hard to break.

For your information (gross or not) the average person eats about a quart of mucus (snot, phlegm or slime, as you like) per day. As you know the nose is connected to the same canal the mouth is connected and then to the esofagus, well the nose secretes mucus all day and a good amount of it goes down your throat. When mucus gets hard stays in the nose and well, those are the ones "mucuphagus" pick and eat.

Mucus is basically water and salt, with some chemicals produced by the body. They are supposed to serve as a trap to incoming germs, pollen and dust.Believe it or not, there are people who actually believes that "mucophagy" is healthy because expose your body to germs and make you produce antibodies that will fight for you in your inmune system.

winter equals weight gain

Question: Do people gain winter weight?

Answer: Temperatures start to fall, the days get shorter and people put on weight. The reason is that when the weather gets colder, the blood vessels in the skin contract, and as the extremities cool, blood moves to the center of the body. There it stimulates internal organs like the digestive tract, and their activity increases. When the digestive tract grows more active, appetite increases, and if the appetite increases, so does weight. That change is entirely natural. It's a time-honored belief that fall is a time for horses to get fat, and for people as well.

Seen from the perspective of Eastern medicine, fall is the season to store energy. It is the time of the most nutritious food, when we harvest all the grains and fruits that have stored up a year's worth of energy. In spring and summer, people are afflicted with a lack of energy thanks to the unstable balance between yin and yang energy, but fall is a time for our bodies to stabilize. As the cool wind blows, the sweat cools and the yin-yang balance in our bodies is restored, and we begin to store up fat for winter. But that also means that people who want to lose weight have to be particularly careful in the fall.

That is true even if people now wear long sleeves in summer and short sleeves in winter because they spend most of their time in temperature-controlled environments that erode the distinctive nature of the seasons. Our lives may be less in thrall to seasonal changes as they once were, but some constants remain.

h2o

Question: How much water does the average person use at home per day?

Answer: Estimates vary, but each person uses about 80-100 gallons of water per day. Are you surprised that the largest use of household water is to flush the toilet, and after that, to take showers and baths?

Activity Water used Shower 15-30 gallons (57-114 liters) Brushing teeth (water running) 1-2 gallons (3.75-7.51 liters) Shaving (water running) 10-15 gallons (38-57 liters) Washing dishes by hand 20 gallons (75 liters) Washing dishes in dishwasher 9-12 gallons (34-45 liters) Flushing toilet 5-7 gallons (19-26 liters)

foxy

Yesterday, Anne and I were geocaching at the Seven Tubs Nature Area, just outside of Wilkes-Barre, PA. We were on a snow covered trail, headed to find a cache named "The Devil's Den," which was located near an abandoned coal mine entrance. As we approached the location, I looked up and saw four sets of eyes staring at me from inside the "cave." Taking no chances, we backed away slowly and headed out.

I am not familiar with this area, but snow was on the ground and it has been freezing for several weeks. Those eyes could have belonged to any type of animal. After further research, I determined that they were most likely foxes.

Question: Do foxes live in caves?

Answer: Yes

dinner is served

Question: Can humans eat dog food?

Answer: By dog food I take it what is meant is canned dog food. This is composed of meat and offal together with, in some products, a cereal or other non-meat filler. The product is cooked and sterilised/pasteurised during the canning process. It should therefore be microbiologically safe to eat for humans. Kibble, dried dog food, could also be taken into account, although it has significantly less moisture, and generally has a lower protein content.

There are some issues that arise from consumption of dog food, however:

1. Pet foods may be made from animals in which the presence of prions, which cause encephalopathies such as BSE in cattle and variant CJD in humans, may be likely. According to the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), animal by-products in pet food may include parts obtained from any animals who have died from sickness or disease provided they are rendered in accordance to law. As well, cow brains and spinal cords, not allowed for human consumption due to the possibility of transmission of BSE, are allowed to be included in pet food intended for non-ruminant animals. As prions are not exactly living microorganisms, even cooking cannot prevent the transmission of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

2. Nutrition in pet food is often substituted for a cheaper alternative. You may have noticed that pet foods are measured for "crude protein" or "crude fibre". Both have nothing to do with protein content and fibre content we have become so accustomed to in human foods. Crude protein is calculated by taking Total nitrogen multiplied by the nitrogen conversion factor = 6.25. Crude protein can therefore be artifically raised by adding non-protein nitrogen. Non-protein nitrogen (or NPN) refers collectively to components such as urea, biuret, and ammonia, which are not proteins but can be converted into proteins by microbia in the ruminant stomach. Due to their lower cost compared to plant and animal proteins their inclusion in a diet can result in economic gain, but at too high levels cause a depression in growth and possible ammonia toxicity (microbes convert NPN to ammonia first before using that to make protein.) Crude fibre is the term given to the indigestible part of foods, defined as the residue left after successive extraction under closely specified conditions, and has nothing to do with dietary fibre. Therefore long-term consumption of dog food may not be enough to meet a human's dietary needs and could possibly cause problems due to inability to use NPN to efficiently create proteins.

i love peanut butter

Question: Is peanut butter microwaveable?

Answer: Yes, see recipe below

MICROWAVE PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE

2/3 c. butter
2/3 c. peanut butter (chunky or smooth)
6 c. powdered sugar
1/3 c. milk
1 tbsp. vanilla

In a large microwave safe bowl place butter and peanut butter. Microwave on high until butter melts (1 1/2 to 2 minutes); stir until well blended. Add remaining ingredients; stir until lumps of sugar disappear. Microwave on high until soft but not bubbly (1 to 1 1/2 minutes); stir. Pour into buttered 9 inch square baking pan. Cover; refrigerate at least 1 hour. Cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces - store in refrigerator. Variation: Spread chocolate frosting after fudge is chilled. Great recipe for kids to make! Yield: 36 (1 1/2 inch) candies.

the (eye) boogie man

Question: What causes and where do eye boogers come from?

Answer: There's a special little organ around your eye called the plica semilunaris.It's the crust factory. It secretes a sticky fluid that collects any dust or pollen that has migrated into your eye. All those foreign bits are surrounded by this sticky stuff, so your cornea doesn't get scratched. This little organ "escorts" that garbage out of your eye just like a security guard.

blue

Question: Why are people posting colors on Facebook?

Answer:Colors are taking over Facebook statuses, and people like me are left baffled. What is up with this craze? Apparently, women are posting their bra colors to spread Breast Cancer Awareness. A message that is aimed to raise cancer awareness has been circulating around female Facebook users. If you think about it, it is a very effective method of spreading the word. This craze has sparked enough curiosity and made people find out what the reasoning is behind all these colors. If people just posted “breast cancer awareness” in their Facebook statuses, would anybody even care to repost? However, this method has made a lot of us take the time to google “Facebook status colors” and talk about something that is of an important cause. So while you’re at it, go ahead and update your status to whatever your bra color is.

fish on a wall

Question: Can you taxidermy fish?

Answer: Yes

Among professionals, it is generally agreed that the most difficult branch of taxidermy is fish mounting. Creating a technically accurate fish mount can be a real challenge. The top award-winning fish taxidermists are almost all outstanding flat artists as well. The ability to draw, paint, mix colors, and sculpt are shared among most of the world's best fish taxidermists.

Mounting fish not only requires the ability to accurately recreate the anatomy of the subject, but to restore all of the colorations as well. When a fish skin dries, most of the color goes away, leaving only brownish patterns on the skin and scales. Fish taxidermy is the one area of wildlife art where the artist must totally recreate the colors of the skin all over the animal. In bird taxidermy, the taxidermist must paint the legs, feet, and bill, but the feathers retain their natural colors. In mammal taxidermy, the taxidermist must paint the nose and eyes, but the fur requires no color correction. In fish taxidermy, however, the taxidermist has to paint every square inch of the specimen, and make it appear natural.

There are a lot of different ways to produce a fish mount, and fish taxidermists usually are required to choose different mounting methods to match their particular subjects.

how's the weather up there?

Question: What is the temperature on the moon?

Answer: Because the Moon has no atmosphere to block some of the Sun's light or to help trap heat, the temperature on the Moon's surface ranges from extremely hot during the day to extremely cold at night. During the day the temperature on the Moon can reach 253 Fahrenheit (123 Celsius), while at night it can drop to -387 Fahrenheit (-233 Celsius).

encyclopedia rootannica

Question: Is all root beer caffeine free?

Answer: Unlike tea, coffee and chocolate, root beer does not naturally contain caffeine. In recent years, many brands advertised "caffeine-free" prominently on packaging to avoid comparison with colas, which normally contain caffeine. However, at least 2 currently available brands, Coca-Cola's Barq's and Skeleteen Beverage's Rat Bastard have added caffeine.

the north face

Question: Why does moss only grow on the north side of trees?

Answer:If the tree is sufficiently shaded, moss will grow on all sides of a tree. If the tree gets a lot of sun, there is only enough shade on the north side (in the northern hemisphere) to maintain the humidity and moisture that moss needs to grow and thrive. It's not the sunlight per se, but the moisture level that determines whether and where moss will grow on a tree.

breakfast combinations

Today's question was submitted by Anne. Yesterday morning, we were having Batter Blaster pancakes for breakfast.

As she poured the syrup on her pancakes, she said "I wonder who thought of taking the stuff that comes out of trees and putting it on your food." And thus, the question was born.


Question: Who came up with the idea of putting maple syrup on pancakes?

Answer: This one was a challenge for Google. Sometimes, it's all about the way in which you phrase the question, but nothing seemed to produce an answer. I did, however, learn a lot about the histories of both pancakes and maple syrup.

Pancakes

The modern pancake has roots dating to ancient times. Foods similar to pancakes can be dated back to the ancient Romans. The Romans enjoyed a simple flatbread consisting of flour, milk, eggs and spices which was called called "Alita Dolcia" (Latin for "another sweet"). Some Alita Dolcia were sweetened with honey or fruits hile others were savory breads filled with meats and cheeses. Although Alita Dolcia may have resembled pancakes, the pancakes we know today originated in Medieval Europe.

From it's inception, America has relied on the pancake as an important source of nourishment.

Pancakes have long been a staple of the American breakfast table, and their history is as old as that of the Native Americans who shaped a soft batter in their hands and called it, in the Narragansett, nokehick (it is soft), transmuted by early white settlers into "no cake."

Maple Syrup

It is not known for sure who first discovered the technique of collecting sap and cooking it into maple syrup, but when the first Europeans arrived in North America and had contact with the Native American tribes of the eastern woodlands, they report stories about the consumption of maple sap in Indian lore. Here is a quote from a British Royal Society paper written in 1685: "The Savages of Canada, in the time that the sap rises, in the Maple, make an incision in the Tree, by which it runs out; and after they have evaporated eight pounds of the liquor, there remains one pound as sweet ...." A publication in 1912 by the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers' Association credits both Native Americans and French Canadians with "passing on the secrets of sugarmaking." Maple syrup and maple sugar became the household sweetener in the Canadian and American colonies throughout the nineteenth century, instead of refined white cane sugar, raw sugar, or molasses. Maple trees were readily available and a supply of syrup and sugar cakes could be made for the year ahead.

super market secrets

Question: Why is produce always at the entrance of the super market?

Answer:Think its a coincidence that you almost always have to walk thru the produce department when you enter the supermarket. The look of those shiny, neatly stacked fruits and vegetables is the most important influence on where people decide to shop. It also doesn't hurt that the produce section is the second most profitable section in a supermarket.

Near the entrance, place items that sell especially well based upon its enticing smell. Upon entering a supermarket, customers always see or smell produce, flowers, or freshly baked bread in front of them or immediately to the side. The sights and yummy smells will keep us lingering and encourage more sales.

31 Questions

Lately, I've found myself with an abundance of random questions, things that only Google knows the answers to because, after all, Google is really really smart. I decided to devote this month to answering some of those questions.