17 Bubble tea is around 40 years old
Cheerful-sounding bubble tea—also called pearl milk tea, boba milk tea, or just boba—is tea mixed with milk or fruit and topped with tapioca pearls. According to the tea gurus at Kung Fu Tea, a franchise chain with more than 250 locations around the United States, boba was invented in Taiwan during the decade of big hair, neon leg warmers, and a dozen John Hughes movies: the ’80s. By the early ’90s, boba made its way to North America.
18 The spices in chai tea vary, but sweet, spicy cinnamon is a must
Pronounced correctly, chai is a single-syllable word that rhymes with pie, high, and sky. Strongly brewed tea provides the basis for this robust drink, which also contains cream or milk and spices (aka masala). The chosen tea is typically Assam or Darjeeling, and the sweetener of choice is usually white or brown sugar or honey. The exact spices vary from culture to culture, but they’re typically a warming mix of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, and pepper. According to chai aficionados, the element of sweetness (even for non-sugar types) is essential for bringing out the spices’ full flavors.
19 Eggplant is always perfect for a parmesan situation, but whether it’s a fruit is up for debate
People into food facts trivia have long gone back and forth about whether a tomato is a fruit or a vegetable. Classifying eggplant is just as hotly debated. Unbeknownst to many, eggplants are technically classified as fruits—specifically, berries—because they grow from a single flower. (So, by that standard, cucumbers and melons are berries, too.) But the confusion is understandable, especially since chefs tend to roast, fry, grill, and mash eggplant, like they do other vegetables.
20 Rice and vinegar make all the difference between sushi and sashimi
Sushi and sashimi may sound interchangeable, but they aren’t. The pros at Benihana, a global chain of 70-plus authentic Japanese restaurants, explain this food fact: Sushi always includes short-grain rice mixed with rice wine vinegar, and it often—but not always—contains fish and is served in bite-size portions. Sashimi refers to thinly sliced ribbons of fish or meats, without rice. Popular types of sashimi include salmon, squid, and fatty tuna. Sushi newbies who aren’t sure about raw fish might want to start by trying options with vegetables, egg, or avocado.
21 In order for wasabi to be the real thing, it needs to be served very, very fresh
For sushi and sashimi fans, wasabi is just as much a part of the culinary experience as fish and rice. It comes from grating wasabi japonica, a plant native to Japan. Wasabi takes a minute or two after being grated to fully develop its pungent flavor, but then loses it altogether after about 20 minutes. For this reason, some authentic Japanese restaurants wait to grate wasabi until a dish is actually ordered. According to experts at the Japan Store, fake or imitation wasabi is made with a blend of Western horseradish, mustard, and green food coloring.
22 Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches hit their stride after World War II
Personal preference for jam versus jelly or smooth versus crunchy peanut butter aside, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches became the go-to sandwiches for kids in the United States in the mid-1940s. The humble PB&J was on military menus during the Second World War, thanks to its overall portability, ease of preparation, and high protein content, as well as the shelf-stableness of peanut butter. After the war ended, soldiers introduced the sandwich to their families, and iconic status was achieved.
23 According to science, the main ingredient in marinara actually belongs in the fruit bowl
There are legal definitions of fruits and vegetables, as well as scientific ones. A tomato fits the scientific definition of fruit because it forms from a flower and contains seeds. So botanically, tomatoes are fruits. However, the way we eat them and treat them in cooking means that they also fall into the legal category of vegetables.
24 Almost two-thirds of Americans prefer their pizza topped with pepperoni
When more than 6,000 Americans were asked to name their favorite pizza topping, pepperoni topped the list. In fact, nearly two-thirds of respondents to the 2021 survey (64 percent) shared this preference. Rounding out the top five popular toppings were sausage (56 percent), mushrooms (54 percent), extra cheese (52 percent), and onions (48 percent).
25 But almost two-thirds of Americans say a big “thanks but no thanks” to pizza topped with anchovies
A pie topped with anchovies has no place at a pizza party, according to 61 percent of respondents to a 2021 survey. Other toppings that get a hard pass? Eggplant (52 percent), artichokes (44 percent), broccoli (39 percent), and pineapple (35 percent)—even though 26 percent of respondents said they do like pineapple. To each their own pie!
26 When chocolate is the only thing that will hit the spot, milk chocolate reigns supreme
Milk chocolate is most people’s chocolate of choice, but dark chocolate starting to close the gap. For one thing, overall consumer awareness of the health benefits of dark chocolate is rising. According to CandyIndustry.com, it has seen 20 percent global growth since 2016. Dark chocolate contains anywhere from 50 to 90 percent cocoa solids, while milk chocolate contains fewer cocoa solids—from 10 to 50 percent, plus some form of milk. White chocolate, on the other hand, is made from cocoa butter, rather than cocoa solids.
27 Most grapes end up as wine
Grapes are popular all around the world, and they’re ripe for transformation—in fact, the vast majority grown are destined to become wine. While only 12 percent of grapes are intended to be eaten fresh, annual U.S. per capita consumption is about eight pounds per person. All grapes offer a great variety of vitamins and minerals, but red and Concord grapes are higher in polyphenols called flavonoids, which act as antioxidants. Resveratrol, a polyphenol especially lauded for its antioxidant efforts, is especially concentrated in red grapes.
28 Orange peppers are the best choice to protect your peepers
No matter the color, the nutrient profile of peppers generally doesn’t vary that much, since red, yellow, and orange bell peppers are just green peppers that stayed on the vine longer. For instance, all peppers offer well more than the recommended daily allowance for vitamin C. However, orange peppers have about 10 times the amount of two carotenoids that support eye health, so you might want to focus on that.
29 Faced with an array of chip flavors, Americans still prefer plain
Despite racks stuffed with colorful bags of potato chips in an ever-growing list of flavors, plain potato chips still win the day with consumers. When Statista crunched numbers from the U.S. Census and a national consumer survey, preference for plain potato chips far eclipsed the desire for the next most popular flavor—barbecue.
30 Honey Nut Cheerios is the most popular cereal
Three words: Honey. Nut. Cheerios. Sold by behemoth food packager General Mills, Honey Nut Cheerios is the top-selling cereal in the United States. In fact, sales of Honey Nut Cheerios beat out sales of all store brands combined. In second place: Cinnamon Toast Crunch, also from General Mills. Tony the Tiger’s favorite, Frosted Flakes, rounds out the top three.
31 These fast-food favorites were created with input from a chef who once served British royalty
Here’s a hint: A little tub of dipping sauce—barbecue, honey mustard, or possibly sweet and sour?—often comes into play. Yes, McDonald’s chicken nuggets were originally created in the 1980s with input from chef René Arend, who cooked for Queen Elizabeth II and the king of Belgium, among others.
SOURCE: READER’S DIGEST
Sew Colorful 
Good morning, Pat and Filly!
We are going to have freezing weather in N FL and S GA for the next week.
Found a HOT TIP @CTH this morning – how non-twitterX members can read threads and comments without joining up!
“Add cancel behind the X and us non-Twits can see the entire thread” – for example:
https://xcancel.com/VigilantFox/status/1877857704384807055
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Good morning, GA! Thanks for that info – it’s frustrating not to be able to read the rest of the thread! Cloudy skies here this morning, temp @ 28. They’re predicting a couple of days to come in the low 40’s! But that’s NE weather for you – just wait 24 hours, it will change! LOL
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Hmm….did someone learn their lesson????
“A 69-year-old man who stabbed two of his attackers on the New York City subway, killing one, will not be criminally charged, the prosecutor announced.
The four male attackers have been indicted on assault and robbery charges, according to the Associated Press.
The men were attempting to steal the man’s bags on a Queens train and they began punching and kicking him. The man stabbed Stalin Moya and Philipe Pena. Moya, 37, died from his injuries afterward.
The man who was attacked suffered from “abrasions, lacerations, contusions and bleeding to his head and face,” according to the AP.
“The victim was accosted, without provocation, and our investigation has shown that he defended himself while attempting to retrieve his property,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement on Wednesday. “As a result, my office will not be filing charges for the fatality.”
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Doing as much damage as possible before they depart, of course!!! Grrrr….
Just The News: “The Department of Homeland Security on Friday issued sweeping deportation protections for hundreds of thousands of migrants, by extending the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program for migrants from Sudan, Ukraine and Venezuela.
The program allows immigrants from designated countries to legally remain in the United States if conditions in their country temporarily prevent the country’s nationals from returning home safely. The designation even grants the migrants work permits.
The extension now means that migrants from Ukraine, Sudan, and Venezuela, who are already in the United States under TPS, can re-register to remain in the U.S. until October of 2026, instead of this spring.
The move also makes it difficult for President-elect Donald Trump to legally end the benefit for migrants in the designated countries when he takes office later this month.
“These designations are rooted in careful review and interagency collaboration to ensure those affected by environmental disasters and instability are given the protections they need while continuing to contribute meaningfully to our communities,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement to the New York Times.
The department also moved to extend protections for migrants from El Salvador for 18 months, which would push the end date of their protections from March 10, 2025, to Sept. 9, 2026.
The extension is expected to benefit 600,000 Venezuelans, 232,000 El Salvadorans, 100,000 Ukrainians, and approximately 1,900 people from Sudan.”
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Just The News: “The Trump Organization on Friday announced that President-elect Donald Trump will place his investments into a trust controlled by his children and will have limited access to the company during his presidency.
The organization released a five-page ethics plan on Friday that included several of the adjustments the company will make while Trump works from the Oval Office. The organization has also hired a new ethics advisor to ensure the company meets and exceeds its ethical and legal obligations.
The release comes 10 days before Trump is set to take office on January 20.
The company said that Trump would not be consulted on most matters related to the business and would only receive “general business updates,” according to NBC News. The investments will also be managed independently by “outside financial institutions” that will not seek his input on specific holdings or transactions.
It also said the company “will not enter into any new material transactions or contracts with a foreign government, except for Ordinary Course Transactions,” but does not mention whether it would do business with any foreign private entities.
The disclosure comes after the Trump Organization backed away from foreign business dealings following Trump’s first election in 2016.
The company also said that it would donate all profits from foreign governments at its hotels and similar businesses to the U.S. Treasury Department, as it did in 2016, and offer discounted rates to members of the U.S. Secret Service and other government agencies that lodge at Trump hotels.
The Trump Organization is largely operated by the Trump’s sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr., who are executive vice presidents.”
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Cool wood splitter – https://taktool.com/products/last-day-50-off—firewood-kindling-splitter-buy-2-free-shipping?dicbo=v4-rZaaWx4-1085549665-1
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I talked to my Sis this morning – still no autopsy has been done on William’s little girl and KS has given him a $500K bond, FFS!!! His cattle didn’t sell as well as they had hoped – he will need $50K to bond out & $50K for an attorney. IIRC, GiveSendGo was the one the Canadian truckers used, plus I found a couple of others and sent the links to my Sis. They have to set it up themselves and hopefully, my Sis or her daughter can help them thru that since they have almost no on-line experience.
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Just The News: “Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and other GOP senators introduced the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act on Thursday.
According to Kennedy’s office, the legislation would “allow individuals with concealed carry privileges in their home states to exercise those rights in any other state that allows concealed carry so long as one exercises those rights within the limits of each respective state’s laws” on firearms.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation, the National Rifle Association and Gun Owners of America have endorsed the legislation.
“The Lone Star State has long championed our Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, and gun owners in Texas and across the country should not have that fundamental right violated when they cross state lines,” said Cornyn in a statement.
“This legislation would reduce unnecessary burdens for law-abiding citizens and allow them to carry a concealed firearm in every state that permits it, and I’m grateful for the overwhelming support from my fellow Republican colleagues on this commonsense bill,” he added.”
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“Why the Deep State Can’t Allow Government Shutdowns — The Lights Are on … But Nobody’s Home”
Erik Carlson, Jan 11, 2025
EXCERPT: “Imagine for a moment, you are an undersized—even for your age—freshman in high school. It’s your first day at school, you are lost, intimidated, and maybe even a little scared. Eventually, you find your locker and start working on the lock. Across the way, a senior is scanning the hall for incoming freshman to bully, to extort.
As the bully looks over the sea of students, he eventually locks eyes with you. The look on his face says that he has found a victim to prey on, or maybe one of many. The bully works his way over to you and doesn’t waste any time; he tells you that you will give him your lunch money every day for protection, and he will be at your locker every morning to collect it. He tells you that you don’t want to find out what would happen to you if you missed even one payment. He says that high school can be a dangerous place without protection.
From day one, this is the high school experience that you know. Every morning, your mother puts your lunch money on the kitchen counter, and every morning you hand it over to the bully. After months of this routine, you forget your lunch money at home and come to school with nothing to give your bully.
The bully asks for the money, you say you forgot it at home. The bully knows he can’t allow a precedent to be set. He shoves you up against the lockers with all his might. As you hit the lockers, you realize the shove feels like it came from your eight-year-old sister.
As you quickly recover from the push, the bully can see a smirk in the corner of your mouth. There is a sparkle in your eye. The bully’s shoulders begin to hunch, and his face and eyes show defeat. He knows from this day forward, he will never be able to extort another dollar from you. His only hope now is that you won’t tell others that there is no need to fear him. He’s all bark and no bite.
This is the American Government in a nutshell.
The American Government extorts Americans through fear and intimidation. The American government tries to convince Americans that the government plays a vital role in their lives— that without them, everything we know would fall apart. The government wants Americans to believe that they are vital in maintaining the infrastructure, they protect the citizens from foreign invaders, they protect the streets, they provide for you in your old age, they regulate against what might harm you, they provide a healthcare system second to none.
In reality, the government isn’t just unneeded, they actually create many of the problems they claim to be protecting us from…..”
https://badlands.substack.com/p/why-the-deep-state-cant-allow-government
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About Greenland….according to Michael Pillsbury, we have Space Force troops based there….concern is that other countries could establish bases there and Greenland is not doing enough to protect their own security.
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Fire in CA flared up overnight, pivoted in a new direction, and is in Mandeville Canyon, CA – only one way in and one way out, steep, rugged terrain, a lot of dense, dry materials, approaching Brentwood. More Santa Ana winds coming. Choppers making water drops but not making much progress. 8% contained.
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“Trump and Putin are Ready to Negotiate”
Clandestine, Jan 11, 2025
“The Kremlin confirmed they are ready for Putin and Trump to meet and negotiate, after Trump is officially sworn in.
Putin is reportedly seeking a “rollback” of NATO, and wants guarantees that Ukraine will not gain membership status.
Trump has floated the idea of withdrawing from NATO completely, so we might be looking at a vastly different political landscape in the not-so-distant future. The details of the agreement may take some time to sort out, but hopefully the war can be brought to a ceasefire as soon as possible.
Trump already appears to be getting all his ducks in a row, and things are going to start moving very quickly post-inauguration.”
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Just The News: “Greenland Prime Minister Múte Egede said he is willing to talk to President-elect Donald Trump following his remarks about possibly acquiring the territory. During a press conference, Egede said he was not currently in touch with Trump, but was “ready to talk,” according to The Hill.
Egede said he accepts that Greenland was “a place that the Americans see as part of their world” and that while he has not spoken with Trump, he was open to “discussions about what unites us,” according to the New York Post.
“We are ready to talk,” he said. “Cooperation is about dialogue. Cooperation means that you will work towards solutions.”
Trump has previously said that U.S. control of Greenland, an autonomous island within the Kingdom of Denmark and with a population of 56,000, is “an absolute necessity.” Greenland is the largest island in the world.
“For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,” Trump said in a statement when announcing his choice of Ken Howery to serve as ambassador to Denmark.
Trump had inquired about purchasing the island from Denmark during his first term in office, but Copenhagen was not open to it. Trump has also made comments about taking back the Panama Canal and making Canada a state.
The territorial proposals have come somewhat out of left field as Trump made no significant mention of expanding American borders during the 2024 campaign trail.”
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NF: She’s right!!!
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