#big handheld foods </3 the worst

[ashfdhfgdsfk]

chopsticks <333

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

🍕to find this later

Aita: i called the pizza my husband was eating nasty

For some context, this will seem random but it may factor into emotions right now

My husbands best friend just moved in with us 3 days ago

My mother in laws dog was diagnosed with cancer today, and will be put down tomorrow. Everyone is very heartbroken

We were in the car after getting some groceries and my husband mentioned he was thinking of picking up pizza since he knows no one has eaten much today and definitely wont feel like cooking

I dont like pizza much, i especially dont like little caesers, im very very open about this and always have been. If im ever given a choice i never choose little caesers, but if i am hungry enough ill eat a slice or two.

We all have really dark senses of humor and often poke fun of each other and of each other's interests and laugh it off no big deal. We do this daily

So I'm sitting in the bedroom playing games, my husband and his best friend are hanging out in the living room. My husband comes over to the bedroom and says hey Im going to pick up pizza Ill be right back

Time passes and the pizza comes and everyone goes and sits at the dining room table to eat. Theres three boxes, two different types of pizza, my husbands favorite, stuffed crust, and my usual favorite thin crust. Everyones talking and I don't remember exactly what was said but my husband mentions something about thin crust my favorite or something like that. I say something like "actually with little ceasers i prefer the normal pizza the thin crust doesnt have much sauce and i like the sauce". I finish eating and get on to my handheld console and keep playing my game, half paying attention to the conversation. At some point, I honestly don't remember at all what I said or what was being said, but I remember vaguely my husband saying the box they got is "normal pizza" and i said no its not his is stuffed crust which is nasty. I was being playful, i dont like pizza to begin with, i like the crust even less, and stuffed crust just really really isnt my thing.

A few minutes later i notice my phone has a notification, i look to see a text from my husband saying I was being rude because his friend paid for the food.

I was at first extremely confused, was me playing games at the table rude? They were using their phones while eating and talking so i didnt think so. Was it because i said i didnt like the thin crust? At this point i genuinely dont remember saying the stuffed crust is nasty and dont understand what i did wrong. I text him back asking what he was talking about and he says that i called the food nasty. I thought about it and vaguely recall saying it Playfully but again i was paying attention to my game and not so much to what was being said so i dont even remember for sure.

I got really upset and kind of mad, I had just been joking and i never say ugly things to people ever so it hurt that he assumed i ment the worst.

Even then there had been absolutely no way for me to know his friend bought it. He told me he was thinking of buying pizza then he said he was going to pick it up. Plus it happened to be my and his favorite pizzas so it seemed like he picked them. I had been in a different room there was no way i could of known what they planned or who paid or anything.

Plus whenever he buys or cooks food i always tell him his is gross or nasty or w/e Playfully. And he calls my food gross too. We joke like this all the time.

And even still, weve been together for three years and weve known each other longer than that. He knows i dont like pizza. He knows i dont like crusts. Its not a strange thing for me to be vocal about it. In faxt itd be strange if i didnt because like ive mentioned we Always poke fun of each other's foods and of each other.

And maybe this is just a me thing but. I dont feel like its rude to call something like little caesers nasty, especially around people who know i dont like it? Itd be one thing if it was a strangers cooking id say something polite like "i dont think its for me" or just say it was good if i wont see them again. Or if i was at someone's house and they bought pizza for everyone. But for all intents and purposes it seemed like my husband bought it and, i cant stress enough how normal it is for us to pick fun at each others foods. He makes fun of my subway order all the time. I always call little caesers gross.

I dont know if feelings are just tense because the beloved family pet passed

Or if he's feeling extra defensive of his friend since he just barely moved in

Or if im in the wrong entirely for being upset and it actually is highly rude of me. Though. I genuinely dont understand since we make fun of each others food all the time. So if i am the asshole can people please try to explain why because i genuinely dont understand what made this different to him saying the black olives on my subway are gross. Or me normally saying little caesers is gross. Like i really dont get whats different so id really appreciate an explanation

What are these acronyms?

[voyage-inferno]

1. WHAT IS YOUR NAME?: "I'm Benny!"

2. WHAT IS YOUR REAL NAME?: "Um,, Bennett? If you want all the last names, we'll be here a while."

3. DO YOU KNOW WHY YOU’RE CALLED THAT?: "Bennett apparently means 'blessing', so I think it was because I survived getting to the guild?"

4. ARE YOU SINGLE OR TAKEN?: "Single!"

5. WHAT ARE YOUR POWERS AND ABILITIES?: "Oh I'm Pyro!! I use it to heal, or I coat my blade in it for extra umph! I also know how to pop back dislocated stuff on myself! If that counts?"

6. WHAT COLOR ARE YOUR EYES?: "Green!"

7. HAVE YOU EVER DYED YOUR HAIR?: "Not on purpose. It could be fun though!! Maybe I should try blue,,"

8. DO YOU HAVE ANY FAMILY MEMBERS?: "Oh tons!! I have all my dads, Fischl, Kaeya, Kathryne-" he keeps going.

9. DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS?: "If artificial seelie count, then yeah! I've had some pets."

10. TELL ME ABOUT SOMETHING YOU DON’T LIKE: "Spicy foods. And I'm mad about it. You're telling me, I can't eat something delicious because it'll try to eat me back?? Now THAT is a cruel curse."

11. DO YOU HAVE ANY HOBBIES OR ACTIVITIES YOU DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME?: "Other than adventuring? Well, I like playing tcg, maybe that counts? Or hanging out in the archives- I like to experience stuff for myself, but when a fresh account of somewhere I can't go comes in, it's worth sitting for a second to read it!"

12. HAVE YOU EVER HURT ANYONE BEFORE?: ",,I mean, yeah? Treasure hoarders are people too."

13. HAVE YOU EVER… KILLED ANYONE?: "....Why would you ask that?"

14. WHAT KIND OF ANIMAL ARE YOU?: "?!" Well that's a shift. "Uh, I'm a human.? I guess it'd be cool to be a dragon or something?"

15. NAME YOUR WORST HABITS: "I guess I can name them? Steve, Arnold, Banana, Sandwichmaster, Rose, Pigeon, uhhh, and Cloudy. Those are all names."

16. DO YOU LOOK UP TO ANYONE?: "Anyone taller than me! Heh, uh, yeah my parents, Guild Branch Master Cyrus, Kaeya and Acting Grandmaster Jean in the knights, Chongyun- he's the exorcist from Liyue- and some other people too!"

17. GAY, STRAIGHT, OR BISEXUAL?: "I mean, there's more than that? I guess I'm closest to Bi though. Why?"

18. DO YOU GO TO SCHOOL?: "If,, homeschooling counts?"

19. DO YOU EVER WANT TO MARRY AND HAVE KIDS SOMEDAY?: "It could be nice- but probably a bad idea for me and them."

20. DO YOU HAVE ANY FANS?: "I'm not rich enough for that kind of thing. I did buy one of those handheld ones though? Kinda nice in a pinch to cool off."

21. WHAT ARE YOU MOST AFRAID OF?: "..These are weird, I'm sorry. Clown with a claymore." Partial lie.

22. WHAT DO YOU USUALLY WEAR?: "My uniform and goggles."

23. DO YOU LOVE SOMEONE?: "Yeah"

24. WHAT CLASS ARE YOU?: "..Lower middle? Maybe? Or do you mean in ttrpgs? Because there is a bard build I want to try out-"

25. HOW MANY FRIENDS DO YOU HAVE?: "I don't really know. I feel like I have a lot, but I'd have to ask them if they feel the same way."

26. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON PIE?: "It's good! Savory, sweet, bread outside that protects the wet stuff from flies, it's a good idea! Some people even turn the top part into art, which is amazing."

27. FAVORITE DRINK?: "Berry & Mint Burst. Or Birch Sap? Honestly even just lemonade is nice, especially with ice."

29. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE?: "Anywhere where I'm happy. Guess I don't have one? Or more like, there are too many. I've got hideaways that I like a little extra though."

30. ARE YOU INTERESTED IN SOMEONE?: "..Romantically? I don't know, honestly. Feelings like that are always confusing."

31. WOULD YOU RATHER SWIM IN THE LAKE OR THE OCEAN?: "The lake! Mostly because lakes don't get riptides.. probably."

32. WHAT’S YOUR ‘TYPE’?: "Someone I feel like I can trust. Who loves me, flaws and all, and who's entirety of person I can feel love right back to. Also preferably someone who I can travel with! The world's too big not to explore!!"

33. ANY FETISHES?: "That's,, not really something you ask a stranger? Actually most of these questions aren't-"

35. CAMPING, OR INDOORS?: "In what context? I don't want to be fighting monsters indoors, but I think that sleeping in a real bed sometimes is good for your back."

36. ARE YOU WAITING FOR THIS INTERVIEW TO BE OVER?: "Yeah. I'm sorry, it's just gotten kinda weird? Hope the rest of your day is nice."

Tagged by: @mmriesoftvat (thanks a ton!!)

Tagging: @ironbloodcd, @frozenambiguity, @freshsprout, and anyone else who wants to!

[snickerdoodlesandsausages]

How to Stay Cool Without A/C

A lot of Northerners were very kind during the freeze in Texas this winter with tips on how to stay warm for people who had lost heat. This is an attempt to repay that favor for people in the Pacific Northwest and other northerly locations who are facing dangerous heatwaves without built-in A/C. My qualifications to give this advice are that I was a summer camp attendee and counselor with no A/C for many summers in humid-ass central Texas with highs over 100F basically every day. Hopefully some of it will be of use to somebody who isn’t used to the heat.

1) PUT ICE WATER IN YOUR BODY. Ice water is your best friend and the #1 way to drop your body temp. Drink more than you think you need (like, at least a half-gallon a day and closer to a gallon or more if you have to be outside doing manual work all day) to cool your insides down and stay hydrated. Have some bananas, trail mix, or a sports drink to help replace the electrolytes you’re sweating out and keep you from getting cramps, but try to have most of your fluid intake be water. I used to take a giant water bottle, fill it part way with water, and freeze it on its side so the ice would slowly melt over the course of the day and my water would stay cold longer.

2) PUT ICE WATER ON YOUR BODY. Cold water, ice, or a damp rag on your head and neck, the backs of your knees, the insides of your elbows, and under your armpits will help you cool down the best, because your blood runs close to the surface in those places. Cold packs designed for injuries or lunchboxes, bags of frozen vegetables, etc. can substitute for ice water as well. Even room-temp water will pull heat away from your body better than body-temp sweat will, especially if it’s humid, so if you don’t have enough ice, the sink, bathtub, or hose will do fine. Dipping your feet into cool water helps a ton as well if you have to sit and work and don’t want your clothes to be wet.

3) WHERE AM I SUPPOSED TO GET SO MUCH ICE?  To make sure you have enough ice to last you the weekend, especially through a potential power failure, I recommend getting a cooler (even one of the cheap styrofoam ones is fine in a pinch) and ~10lbs of ice from the big coolers at most gas stations, drug stores, or grocery stores. Try to do this now, before anybody loses power, and store as much in your freezer as you have space for to keep it from melting. You can use it for drinking or to keep your food cold in a power failure. You can use it for a party later if you don’t end up needing it during the heat wave, but you will probably be very happy you had it.

4) AIR FLOW. Being inside a room with the windows closed is the worst possible place to be if you don’t have A/C, because glass windows create a greenhouse effect and the hot air can’t escape. If at all possible, find a shaded place outside where you can catch any possible breeze. If not, open all your windows and, if it’s safe, doors so you can get a cross-breeze. Hopefully you have window screens to keep pets and kids in and bugs out. If not, you’re gonna have to do your own risk assessment. Fans of all sizes and descriptions are your friend; ceiling fans should be set to spin counterclockwise in summer. Even if you have A/C, finding or making a handheld fan will be worthwhile for when you have to venture outside. If you aren’t in a situation where you need to conserve ice, blowing air over a cooler full of ice will give you a makeshift A/C. 

5) SHADE. You will probably immediately notice that direct sunlight is a miserable place to be when it’s super hot. Find or make a shaded location, and don’t be afraid to move around to avoid the sun as the day goes on. Stay on the shady side of the sidewalk whenever you walk someplace. Try to shade your windows as best you can without obstructing airflow using blinds, curtains, shutters, etc. especially if they’re directly in the path of the sun. Do not be a jerk to your neighbors if their shade solutions are ugly. If you can get a shade for your car windshield, I highly recommend it, as the steering wheel, dashboard, seatbelts, and even seats can quickly become too hot to touch in a sealed car and will hold that heat for a long time.

6) CLOTHING. Light-colored, loose clothing that is as close to 100% cotton or linen as you can find is your friend. It doesn’t necessarily have to be short as long as it’s breathable. You will sweat through anything you wear, so I personally prefer only wearing machine-washable stuff. Sun hats, sunscreen, sunglasses, aloe gel for sunburns, mosquito repellent, anti-chafing supplies, etc are all worth looking into if you aren’t used to spending time in the heat.

7) TIMING. Try to stay out of the sun and avoid doing anything strenuous in the middle of the day when the heat is the worst. If you have a choice, plan to be more active early in the morning and late at night when the temperature is more bearable, and take a break in the middle of the afternoon.

Here’s a graphic from the CDC about how to recognize heat-related illnesses and what to do about them. I will add to this that if it’s hot and you stop sweating, you are getting to a dangerous level of dehydration and need to drink something BEFORE you start having more serious problems.

[dis-easedfairy]

Pizza

Warnings!: Implications of torture | Dark Threats | Mentions of Blood

Genre: Mafia!au, One Shot

Pairing: Hoseok x Reader

Word Count: 1,647

Mafia!au Mini-Series

A/N: I don’t agree with some of the things Y/n says in this short because I eat pineapple on pizza and I’ve very open-minded when it comes to anything really.

I sighed bitterly as I made my way to the location that Jungkook had sent me. A small house seemingly in the middle of nowhere by the water. It had been constantly raining since I got there and didn’t seem like it would stop. I walked up to the door and punched in the code and stepped in.

Jungkook sat on the couch, just spread out in a complete relaxation as he sipped on his soda while Taehyung cleaned Jungkook’s cut that was a slash across his collarbone. Jimin was in front of them on the floor, laptop in the coffee table as he tinkered with a bundle of wires and a handheld radio.  The laptop displayed security cameras that were set up in obscure places you wouldn’t think to look, but were very efficient in knowing everything that was happening in the area.

“You fucks knew I was coming and didn’t open the door!?” I complained, they saw me and let me freeze in my thin hoodie and cold rain!?

“I’m kinda busy, N/n.” Taehyung sassed back, pressing hard on Jungkook’s wound to emphasize his point.

“OW!! WHY!?” Jungkook swatted Taehyung and tried to pull away but Taehyung pulled him back, muttering, “Why are you moving?”

“I could get electrocuted if I do this wrong or stop. You don’t mean that much to me, N/n.” Jimin admitted honestly.

I moved closer to them, “Fair enough, did J-Hope eat?”

“Nope, he’s been in there for 4 hours straight now. You know him, no one is allowed in until he’s finished. Plus the guy hurt our Kookie,” Jungkook groaned at the name, “so he’s gonna be in there longer.” Jimin informed me, not looking up from his tinkering.

I sighed and walked over to the table where a takeout container with ‘HOPE’ was written on it was sitting.

“Tell the guys you’re okay. They’re on edge.” Jungkook called to me as I made my way down the hall.

I saw two men standing outside a room. I could hear muffled screams and Hoseok’s voice. One of the men raised their eyebrow at my entrance.

“I’m N/n. I’m okay. Let me in.” I stated simply, making it obvious how uninterested I was in their bullcrap fake-tough act.

“J-Hope made it clear no one was allowed in.” One said, making me sigh.

“Listen, I’m not just anyone. I came here because my boyfriend doesn’t know how to chill and eat like a proper human being. You can either step aside or I will force you aside. I’m really tired from the long ass drive here so I would really appreciate it if you cooperated. ” They only folded their arms in protest.

I groaned. I went to open the door but one shoved my shoulder. I really was tired and was not fond of having to hurt two ‘guards’. So I decided Hoseok was the reason I was tired, so I was going to be a brat and make HIM handle it.

“HOPE! IF YOU DON’T OPEN THIS DOOR IN 5 SECONDS I WILL THROW THE BIGGEST TEMPER TANTRUM!” I shouted at the door.

I heard the lock click in 2 seconds and it swing open at 3. Hoseok gave me a small smile.

“Hurry up and come in, stop being a big baby.” He chuckled.

I stuck my tongue out at the guard who shoved me and walked in. There was a man tied to a chair, blindfold on, covered in cuts and blood. The room itself was empty but a tall lamp in the corner and a table to hold everything Hoseok was using.

I casually moved some blood covered weapons over and set the takeout box down.

“On the table.” Hoseok suddenly ordered.

“Listen, I don’t roll like that, you have a guy tied to a chair and I don’t know him. If someone like Jin for example watched, I might be cool with it, but not this.” I joked, earning an eyeroll.

“Table.” He repeated.

I pouted in defiance.

“3...2...” I quickly got on the table, for the first time fearing the number 1.

Hoseok’s hands slid up my shirt to the belt-like holder for a pack of needles that he made me carry for safety reasons. He detached the pack from the belt and pulled them out my shirt to view. He opened the back and looked confused.

“Why are three missing? You had 10?”

“...Well, you see...” Hoseok folded his arms.

“I’m listening.”

“A guy I talk to needed them.” Hoseok pinched the bridge of his nose, eyes closed in irritation.

-“I swear if you gave them to Jungkook”

-“I gave them to Jungkook.” We said Jungkook’s name at the same time.

“He’s the worst one to give them to!”

“No, no, no, I could’ve given them to Jimin and Jimin could’ve killed someone.”

Those needles were full of a toxin that paralyzes someone for a short amount of time. Hoseok gave them to me as a defense. Just to make someone leave me alone long enough to get away. He regularly asks Taehyung for refills and makes sure they’re still potent enough for me to use. An overdose of this can, of course, lead to a victim being paralyzed and eventually death.

Even though Jimin hangs out a lot with Taehyung he doesn’t pay attention to this toxin because he’s more interested in inflicting pain or death. Jungkook only knows because he uses this toxin to occasionally fuck with everyone.

Last week he got Yoongi while they were trying to interrogate someone and Yoongi still beings it up even if it wasn’t that bad. He once got Jimin in the middle of a mission, it was dangerous but Jungkook made sure Jimin was safe the whole time...Jungkook even got Namjoon who is supposed to be our scary leader but is soft for all of us.

Taehyung makes sure to have a steady stream of this toxin’s antidote in his body just in case he’s next on Jungkook’s hit list. Seokjin threatened Jungkook that he wouldn’t take care of him next time he was injured. Which left Hoseok, who sadly didn’t have anything to hold over the younger’s head.

“Don’t worry it’s not that bad. You panic at first, but just know it will wear off in 6 minutes.” I shrugged.

“...N/n, please don’t tell me...”

“He really wanted to win that round of Mario Kart...The first time I’m doing good on Rainbow Road and he ruined it.”

“Aish! That boy.” Hoseok was on grabbing his phone out his pocket.

I grabbed his phone, slammed it on the table and scooted the container closer to him.

“I’m really tired, I have to be a work in 3 hours and you still have some things” I looked over at the tied man, “to take care of. Just eat please.”

Hoseok sighed and nodded his head. He climbed on the table with me and took the container. I handed him his utensils and he began to eat.

“How much longer until he talks?” I questioned Hoseok.

“AN ETERNITY!” The man shouted.

“I was talking to my boyfriend, rude ass! Stop eavesdropping!” I shot back to Hoseok’s amusement.

“It’s been 9 hours total. I’d give it 6 more hours and that’s because I’m busy today. I can’t be here forever.” Hoseok shrugged.

6 more hours!? Hell no. I got off the table and kicked the guy in the shin.

“Listen fucktruck, just give my boyfriend the information he needs, because if I have to take this long ass drive to come back because my boyfriend doesn’t take care of himself, I will make it my personal mission to take out every male in your family tree until the day I die. And believe me, I am that spiteful to make it a fucking family tradition!” I shoved my thumb in a deep cut in his thigh, making him howl in pain.

“Why males?” Hoseok asked, mouth full of food,

“No one to carry the family name and females can have kids. I don’t want to fuck with adopted kids though, they didn’t ask for that bullshit.” Hoseok only nodded, eyes trained on his food.

I stormed out the room and had Jungkook look up something for me. I came back and made sure to read the name off my hand.

“Devin, age 17, he gets up to go to school in 3 hours. How convenient that I’m on my way to work at the same time. It would be a shame to make him my personal speed bump, wouldn’t it?” The man squirmed, actively trying to get loose but saying nothing.

I really won’t kill a kid, but I did need to make it seem like I would. If talking and torture didn’t work, then I had to hope this would.

“I was also made aware that Devin has a little brother on the way back home from Paris? You lived the high life, didn’t you? Normally we don’t threaten children, but you sir raised yours to track us down. Now tell me, do you wish to speak or do I bring your kids here personally since they don’t know me yet?”

He spouted out an address to me.

“Bitch, that’s the address to Domino’s! I know because I order pizza a lot and I owe Jungkook several- Wait, that Domino’s location is right near the water AND and highway. You fuckers have the perfect cover with your weird pizza!”

“It’s not weird, N/n.” Hoseok laughed as he began to write down the address.

“They put a whole shrimp including the tail on their pizza. The potatoes I sort of get but shrimp? I knew y’all couldn’t be trusted.” I folded my arms, shaking my head.

“It’s good if you try it.”

“Sometimes I don’t trust you either! Pickles and pizza!? I can’t trust you guys to order sometimes because I take a bite of the crust and it has sweet potato. Just stop arguing with me and eat your non-shrimp pizza.”

“The pickles cut the richness! Why did the guys put this in a container and why did you give me chopsticks and a knife for pizza?”

[olgagarmash]

It’s no secret that Americans love grilling: 80 percent of all U.S. households own a grill or smoker, according to the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association. 60 percent of those households use the grill all year.

For the other 40 percent, spring and summer are prime time, and no wonder: A backyard cookout is one of the most affordable and fun ways to spend a day with family and friends—and it’s an invitation few people can turn down, thanks to the incredible, flame-kissed food.

But don’t let these awesome, lazy Saturdays put the brakes on all the weight loss progress you made Monday to Friday! Be careful of BBQ calorie bombs that are waiting to sabotage your success. Instead, fill your plate and enjoy the day wisely with our 23 Healthy BBQ Dishes and these five easy BBQ swaps:

1. Cheeseburgers

Instead of: Going back for a second cheeseburger Try this: Start with one and get creative with your seconds

A lean burger with a slice of low-fat cheese won’t destroy your diet. And, with veggies on top and on the side, it can make for a fairly well-balanced meal.

But if you’re the type of person who just has to head back to the grill for seconds, consider a small burger wrapped in lettuce the second time around to save on the calories from the bun. You can also cut up a small burger and use it as topping for a plate of salad, so you’ll get that burger taste without all those extra calories.

Looking for some tips for cooking up a weight loss-friendly burger?

Check out this article on How to Build a Healthier Burger for your grilling game-plan, then try one of our Better-for-You Burger Recipes. Condiments can also be calorie bombs, so check out these these five low-calorie condiments for some extra flavor. You can also stock up your freezer with the Classic Hamburger from Nutrisystem for a perfectly portioned option that’s ready in a snap!

2. Pasta Salad

Instead of: A big glop of mayo-heavy pasta or potato salad Try this: Have a little, then visit the veggie tray

There’s nothing inherently wrong with potatoes or pasta, but when fast-acting carbohydrates like these are combined with saturated fats, the food doubles down on risks to your cardiovascular health. Not to mention the calories: A one-cup serving of homemade potato salad has 358 calories—more than the burger and bun you’ll eat them with.

If your cookout isn’t complete without a little of the creamy stuff, take a small amount (no more than half a cup), then pile your plate with raw veggies if you’re still hungry. Better yet, head right to the veggie tray from the get-go. Once you fill up on the nutrient-dense stuff, you may not have room for calorie bombs like mayo-based sides.

Or, probably our favorite solution: Whip up a bowl of your own pasta salad or potato salad. We’ve got a healthier recipe for pasta salad right here. And this article provides some guidance on how to build a healthier potato salad.

3. Baked Beans

Instead of: Canned baked beans leaking all over your plate Try this: Freshly-chopped veggie kebabs you can eat all day

At an event bursting with fresh, homemade food, expertly cooked and lovingly prepared, canned baked beans are a strange staple—loaded with preservatives, sitting on a shelf for months, just waiting to leak all over your burger bun, contaminate your watermelon slice and intermingle with your dessert.

All this for almost 20 percent of your daily sodium, 10 grams of sugar, and about the same amount of calories of two small ears of corn—and that’s just in a half-cup serving. And who really scoops just half a cup of baked beans? In a list of BBQ calorie bombs, this one can easily be replaced with something lighter and tastier.

Bring a side that’s worthy of the occasion, and that you can actually eat with your hands. Cut onions, zucchini, bell peppers and yellow squash into chunks and make veggie kebabs. Toss them on the grill until the squashes start to soften. Enjoy them, handheld, with your burger, dog and corn on the cob. They won’t sully your watermelon or bun with sticky residue, and you can eat as many as you want without going off plan.

4. Potato Chips

Instead of: Mindlessly munching on chips Try this: Play a game with the kids

Yes, the event is called a cookout, but it isn’t just about the food. The reasons you came might include your aunt’s famous spice mixture that makes the burgers absolutely incredible, but it’s also about the family or friends that you’ve chosen to spend the day hanging with.

So after you’ve eaten your meal, put your focus on them: Talk to them, catch up and move yourself away from the tempting snacks—studies have shown that physical distance can keep you from munching. In one study involving an office candy dish, dieters ate 1.8 more candies per day when the dish was placed on their desk versus when it was just 6 feet away. Move the chips away from you to combat the mindless munching.

And if you get a craving to have not-just-one, remember that what your body is after is likely not chips, but a change in your brain chemistry: When you eat a salty, savory or sweet snack, your body releases a biochemical called dopamine that’s associated with pleasure. But you can get this pleasure chemical in other, non-food-related ways—like exercise.

Instead of grabbing a handful of chips while listening to your uncle tell another fish story, excuse yourself to play badminton or blow bubbles with your nieces and nephews. You’ll get away from the snacks (and that story!), and give yourself the dopamine release you crave.

5. Desserts

Instead of: The sad wasteland of the dessert table Try this: Bring something fruity and summery

There isn’t a quintessential cookout dessert, and that’s the problem: What’s there is kind of just there to be something sweet. It’s calorie bombs like brownies wilting in the sun and cookies melting into each other. If you’re on a diet, it’s not the kind of special, delicious treat that warrants a fall off the weight loss wagon. Worst of all, it doesn’t use either of the things that make a barbecue food perfect: Using the grill or being a cool, refreshing treat to take the heat off.

Solve both problems: Bring along some peaches and a container of light whipped topping to make some healthy grilled peaches! Cut them in half and remove the pits. When the grill is just about done being used for meat, put the peaches on, cut-side down, for about two minutes, until they start to soften and get cool-looking grill grate lines.

Serve each half with a big dollop (about a tablespoon) of the whipped topping in the hole where the pit was. If it’s around, top with a sprinkle of cinnamon for a summery, hot-and-cool treat that’s really special—and can only be had in summer.

If you don’t want to commandeer the grill, bring fresh blueberries and cut strawberries with the whip. Mix a half cup of each fruit with a tablespoon of the whip for a cool, refreshing treat that, again, screams summer. Oh, and it’s red, white and blue—a dessert that’s almost as American as apple pie.

Check out this tasty recipe for Fruit on a Stick with Yogurt Dip. Love something sweeter? How about a Healthy Ice Cream Recipe, a Slushie Recipe or a Popsicle Recipe?

Looking for some creative ways to enjoy summer’s best fruits? Check out these great articles:

via Wealth Health

[scottrunsultras]

Javelina Jundred Recap - my first belt buckle

For now I’m just going to paste in the recap that I sent to my coaches.  So there’s some extra emphasis on what I did wrong - especially similar nutrition issues that I had in Leadville.  Luckily I learned some things and was able to handle it a little better this time.

I’ll probably add some more commentary over the next few days.  I also have some pictures and videos that I’ll try to do something with.  But for now, here’s the summary:

I'll just give you the full recap.  There's probably something in there that I didn't think was a big deal but that you have some concerns or thoughts about.

I guess I'll start with the week leading up.  I told you guys that I felt really good at the beginning of the week - that running felt easy, etc.  That wasn't really the case on race day, despite being 4000 feet lower than Boulder.  I didn't sleep much before the race - just a few restless 30-60 minute chunks throughout the night.  But that's pretty normal.  I slept a ton Thursday night at the hotel in Tucson (9 hours).  That's probably the best I've ever done pre-sleeping for a race.  But I didn't feel super great on Friday.  I had a sore throat all day and felt kind of weak.  I kept telling myself that it was just the dry air.  But I may have caught something minor.  It definitely seemed that way in the first loop of the race.

Since the first half of this story will talk a lot about eating and nutrition: my breakfast was some granola cereal and a banana.  I planned to start eating every 30 minutes once the race started, so I didn't eat too much before. A bit of a slow start to the race.  It was basically a conga line for the first few miles.  I tried to embrace being forced to start easy.  Since I was going so slowly and I was at such low altitude, I ran the uphills.  But I confirmed that I just wasn't running very strong on the downhill coming out of Jackass Junction.  That was by far the easiest section of the course and I was still running it in the 9:00's.  A minute per mile slower than I would expect obviously isn't a huge deal in the big scheme of things, but it's a very clear indicator to me that I didn't really have my A game.  I was running the early downhills in Leadville comfortably in the 7:00's.

It started getting hot in a hurry.  I maybe had a comfortable first hour, an okay second hour, and by the 3rd hour it was getting uncomfortable.  I kept eating about 130 calories every 30 minutes and filling my water pack with ice at every aid station.  I also drank some gatorade at every aid station.  I wrapped up the 22 mile first loop a little under 4 hours and spent probably 15 minutes or so at basecamp with my crew getting re-taped and making sure I had everything I needed.  It was super hot at this point and I was already feeling like I was overheating.  And I was already feeling nauseous. The wheels started coming off as soon as I started the second loop.   This section was not difficult at all and I had already faded into the 12:00's on my pace.  And I was already hiking the mild, super smooth uphills back into Jackass Junction.  At this point I was struggling to eat much of anything and was getting nearly all of my calories from gatorade.  I had a handheld with me that I was filling up at the aid stations, but the ice was diluting it so much that there just weren't a lot of calories in there.  I was also getting massively dehydrated by this point.

One of the lessons that I learned at Leadville was that there's only so much I can force my body to do at one time.  So I figured that the number 1 priority was forward progress - even if slow.  Number 2 was trying to keep liquids down.  By this time I was too dehydrated to even sweat and any liquid that wasn't ice-cold made me gag.  But I did everything I could to keep drinking gatorade when I had it and sip water when I didn't.  Pretty far down on the list of priorities was eating.  Dense, sweet food was over at this point.  I had a tiny bit of success with salty snacks (pretzels, cheetos).  I could stomach maybe 1 peanut butter pretzel nugget or 2-3 cheetos every 15-30 minutes.  A sad lack of calories, but they were at least something and they had some salt in them.

I made a pretty comical error (i can laugh about it now at least) at about the 50k mark.  At this point I'd been sick for long enough that I figured it was worth trying the anti-nausea meds that my ortho gave me.  I was going super slow and I figured that if I could only feel a little better then I could at least start slow-jogging again.  So I took a Zofran tablet and tried to dissolve it on my tongue - which took forever because my body couldn't muster up any saliva.  Apparently Zofran works by blocking seratonin.  The same seratonin that regulates mood.  Long story short, it didn't help my nausea at all.  But it almost instantly increased my level of completely hopelessness about 10 fold.  I texted my wife that I felt hopeless and that I wasn't sure if I could or should keep going.

The hike down to Coyote Camp was some of the worst I've ever felt in a race.  I wasn't puking, but I felt psychologically worse than when I was puking and dragging myself up Hope Pass at Leadville.  I sat at the aid station for about 25 minutes, just staring at the dirt.  I drank a lot of water as soon as I got there, then tried to slowly get something salty into my stomach.  I ended up keeping down some pretzels and pickle juice in addition to a fair bit of water.  And sitting in the shade helped me cool down a little.  I felt my most sick at this point, but I was only 4 miles from headquarters so once I pulled myself back together a little, I got back going. Another thing that I learned at Leadville was the value of giving my body time to process what I was giving it.  So I was super careful at times when I was sick to walk to give my body time to digest food or absorb liquids.  At my worst, I'd walk for 1-1.5 miles after every aid station to make sure that whatever I just ate would stay down.  So while it was extra slow, it kept me from throwing up.

Mile 38 was my long aid station break.  At around 39 I started feeling a little better.  And I decided at this point that if I actually did have an illness, I could maybe help myself run through it better if I took advil.  The Zofran wore off and I finally started feeling energetic at mile 41, which was the first mile in probably 5 hours that I ran in its entirety.  I ran the basecamp loop in the 7:00's knowing that I could sit with my crew afterwards and try to get it back together.

I don't remember eating much during this break between loops.  But my wife got me an Italian Ice, which was awesome.  And I reloaded on the good gatorade (the blue stuff, the lemon flavored stuff at the aid stations wasn't doing it for me).  Loop 2 took me more than 6 hours.  It was absolute misery from start to finish and it was pretty hard to get excited when I still had 3 loops left.  But the good news was that I only had 2 hours of sunlight left.  So if I was finally going to start feeling better, it was going to be soon.  I also decided to ditch my trail shoes and try my road shoes for the next loop.  I felt like the added cushioning was more valuable than the added traction and rock plate.  There's only 2 miles of meaningful rocks per loop.  I'm glad I did it.

I had a couple stretches of easy running heading back to Coyote Camp.  This time I spent less than 5 minutes at the aid station.  And by the time I got to the top of the 2 mile rocky section immediately after coyote, the sun was setting.  My stomach still wasn't feeling great at this point, but it was good enough to consistently nibble on salty snacks.  And I was able to start easy running the easier sections of trail.  I hit the desert disco party (jackass junction) at mile 52 with the sun fully down.  I still wasn't totally sure what to do about eating because I'd been sick for so long, so I kept it pretty conservative.  

After grabbing some colder weather layers and making a quick stop at the photo booth, I headed back out to the easiest section of the course, and was actually somewhat able to take advantage of it.  I wasn't running fast at all, but I was able to string together some consistency.  I put together a handful of 12:00-13:00 minute miles coming back into headquarters.  Elli brought me pizza at headquarters.  I was a little hesitant at first since I'd spent most of the day trying to keep myself from puking.  And because I ate pizza at the half way point of Leadville and we saw how that worked out.  But holy crap was it good.  And after 12 hours of feeling sick, I felt like I was finally able to eat normally again.

I made a pretty strange push back up the hill to start loop 4.  Again, i t wasn't fast.  I was leaned over and shambling 13:00-14:00 minute miles, but it was better than hiking and I was at mile 67 before the pizza rush wore off and gave way to more nausea.  I think I made a mistake by not continuing to eat regularly while I was feeling good.  So I ended up having to hike the last 3 mile climb back into jackass junction.  But with that lesson learned, I settled onto a routine of eating a little bit every mile.  Pretzels, cheetos, or sun chips.  Just a few bites every mile and hopefully something more interesting at every aid station.  I kept that routine until the end of the race. I got into headquarters a little after 3:00 am feeling pretty tired but mostly okay.  My wife joined me as my pacer for the last loop.  She doesn't run or do much of anything intentionally athletic or fitness related.  But she's on her feet all day at work, so she was confident that she could hike me in.  I was super dreading the sun coming back up.  But at this point there was no way that we could finish in the dark.  So the goal was to finish before 9:00 am. I followed the eating routine (a little bit every hour and whatever looked good at aid stations) and tried to run anything that looked easy - which wasn't much at this point - I was tired.  I started getting really weary around mile 85 - just tired of being out there and doing this same loop.  They had the best pancakes ever for breakfast at jackass junction (mile 91) so I had about 4 of those.  And with that final food boost, we tried to actually make decent time on the easy 5 mile downhill into Rattlesnake Ranch.  

We tried to consistently walk a quarter mile and run the rest.  It started a little slow, but we had a couple of miles in there with a pace in the 10:00's during the running section.  That 5 miles was pretty damned good for being in the mid 90's, but it took pretty much all of the energy I had left.  And my non-runner pacer was starting to struggle, too.  So for the last 3.5 or so to the finish we just did whatever we could to run anything.  Even .1 at a time.  And after 26.5 hours, I was done.  And I had this super strange feeling of not knowing what to do anymore when I didn't have to keep moving.  But yeah, it was over and we made it in well before 9:00 am.

Not mentioned above, I ate some salt tablets at various points as well and stuck to a fairly disciplined timer with caffeine and advil.  The advil actually did make me feel a little stronger.  It sucks to come down with something the day before the hardest thing I've ever done.  But it obviously could have been much worse than a mild cold.  I also took tylenol at about mile 80 when I blister popped on one of my toes.  I was worried that it was going to make the last 20 miles miserable, but after a couple of miles it went numb and I forgot about it.

I didn't have any meaningful pain in my ankle or heels.  No connective tissue pain at all really after some weird, temporary knee pain around mile 20.  just muscles and soft tissue.  So I can't really complain at all about that. After finally sleeping, I'm starting to dissect a little to figure out how this could have somehow been sub 24:00.  I obviously still have a lot to figure out about nutrition.  Eating salty snacks ended up working pretty well for the second half of the race.  I also had a bag of toffee cashews that I mixed in every once in a while.  But we're probably talking 1000 total calories of snack food + gatorade that kept me going for the better part of 75 miles of the race.  After 3 clif bars in the first 4 hours, I think I ate 4 or 5 gu's total and didn't touch any of the other food I brought except for the snack food and aid station food.  

According to Strava, I spent more than 3 hours not moving.  That doesn't seem completely accurate, but I did probably spend close to 2 hours at aid stations/headquarters.  I'm okay with that, because if I hadn't done that - especially during the hot part of the day - and I started throwing up, I'm not sure if I would have finished.

I could stand to gain a lot more raw leg strength.  I think more leg strength would have automatically just meant running 1-2 minutes faster per easy mile.  I had no idea what to expect of miles 60-100.  It seems totally insane when your training long run is 26 miles.  And I had a major physical drop-off after 20 or so when I transitioned from what my body was used to into what it wasn't used to.  But "running" in the second half of the race (once it cooled down and I felt better) was still totally possible and not all that hard if the terrain cooperated.  With stronger legs and more experience, those 12:00's could probably have been 10:00's.

The more I think about it, the more I feel like I need to train myself to better handle difficult circumstances and climate.  The heat of Javelina and the elevation of Leadville shouldn't be causing me to fold like this.  The winner lives in Savannah and probably thought a dry 90 degrees was a cake-walk.  I never had a problem eating in races when I lived in South Carolina and did all of my training runs in 80-90 degree weather with 100% humidity.  Something I'll have to think about for the next time I'm ultra training. Despite any second guessing, I'm really happy about this.  Fighting through the added difficulty makes it feel more like redemption from crumbling in Leadville.  If it wasn't a struggle it probably wouldn't mean as much.  Thanks again for the coaching over the last 5 months.  Hopefully if I ever do another 100 I can focus on things like heat acclimation and fat adaptation instead of just making it through without debilitating pain.  I'm glad I have the experience now to know what it's like late in a long race.  This is going to make any race 100k or shorter seem a lot easier from now on.  Time for a few months off.

[stvlti]

11 Questions

i was tagged by @privatekururugi, @espiadimonis, and @transguynoriaki a while ago. each gave me a set of 11 questions to answer, so i will answer these 33 questions. i’m not gonna tag anyone in particular, but if you see this do feel free to have a go at any or all of these sets of 11q’s.

from @privatekururugi:

1) Do you have any specific diet you go by? (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Paleo, etc.) i used to be pescetarian, but then the deficiencies it gave me caused some pretty bad dental / gum problems, so i started eating a bit of lean chicken and pork on the side again... (yeah i know supplements exist, but even my nutrition major of a friend thought a pescetarian diet won’t yield deficiencies, and also supplements are fairly expensive. get off my case)

2&3) Do you have any siblings? If so, how close are you? nope, i’m an only child

4&5) What’s your favourite book and why? (I might want to read it lol) hmm. i still really like 1984, it was the first dystopian classic i read and the concept of Newspeak, tampering with historical authenticity on such grand scales, etc. just blew my mind. so even though i still dislike its weakass character-writing (p much anyone besides Winston has no personality, no distinct personal motives, etc), it’s got a soft spot in my heart. next to that i also liked A Clockwork Orange for the philosophical discussion of the nature of right and wrong (although in hindsight the story is a bit didactic); To Live by Yu Hua (the ill-fated episodes and tragic ends are made all the more absurd by the subtle and simply narration style, but it really is a humbling and informative experience for us readers of a different era and socioeconomic background); and of course, my favourite fable, A Little Prince.

6) Would you describe your personality as dominate or submissive overall? what the fuck kind of question is this. well i’m opinionated as heck, so i’m not submissive “personality-wise”. and that’s all i’ll say on the matter because i’m p sex-indifferent lol, if that’s what this question was trying to get at.

7) What are your dreams usually like at night? oh man. i usually don’t dream normal dreams; as in, most dreams i have is either one big adventure / story, or some bizarre situation that would have been questionable at best, fucked up at worst, in real life context. when i start dreaming about mundane everyday life problems or situations, like failing a test or being stuck with a friend i’ve cut off from my life years ago, that’s usually when i’ve got some kind of stress going on in my life.

(i’ve been trying to restart my dream journal tag actually, but i got stuck on my second entry trying to recall the specifics lol. maybe i should release entry #3 from the drafts first.)

8) Is there anything you’re currently anxious about? well, yeah. my future. my job prospects. being homeless once my parents decide to sell their house off for retirement because the housing prices are through the roof here. pick one.

9&10) Are you looking forward to Thanksgiving? Will you be contributing anything? we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving!

11) Whose your favourite Death Note character (if you have one)?  Light Yagami, even though he’s a slimy fox.

from @transguynoriaki:

1. What kind of music do you listen to?

hmm, i only listen to really slow music or something dark or rock-ish, nothing in between!! muahahaha!! 

okay that’s generalising it; i do love The Honey Trees and The Novembers, which are on opposite ends of the “slow” spectrum (one’s dream pop, the other’s infused with shoegaze and other distortions + some screamy vocals and loud noises at times), with Lana Del Rey and her decadent sounds smack in the middle lol. but yeah i certainly have a taste for the more atmospheric stuff, so aside from the fuzzy feelings of The Novembers’ stuff and the grandness of Lana’s string instrumentals i also like the darker chill vibes you get from The Neighbourhood, some of The Weeknd’s older stuff, etc. 

and I also really enjoy MCR, Muse and the like - i.e. dramatic sounds, that’s the good shit to me haha.

i also like more conventional pop acts like Lorde... and my fave local singer, Ivana Wong, of course!

2. Do you prefer to keep your living space neat and tidy or do you like a certain amount of mess?

i do prefer order and routine in my life, sadly if i can’t do that on a structural level you think i can do that with my desk?! lol. in an alternate universe, maybe.

3. What was the first ship you remember really shipping?

hmm probably TerraxBeast Boy from CN’s Teen Titans. i was lukewarm / indifferent to other canon pairings i’ve seen in media up until that point; but i guess i was more persuaded by the storyline than their characterisations as looking back there are glaring trust issues in their relationship (and that’s an understatement)

4. Do you have a certain show or book series that holds a lot of nostalgic value for you? If so, what was it?

hmm, i guess Courage the Cowardly Dog? (i was a weird kid but shush) and Teen Titans of course. as for books, hmm... ASoUE is definitely one of the ones that just takes me back to middle school. i even bought the Beatrice letters files thingy. tbf the whole Lemony Snicket universe did teach me a lot about cryptography, which i guess if me or a friend of mine were to do an L rp and solve cases it would help a lot (*cough* not saying that’s what’s happening right now because i’ve got other stuff i’m investing my time into. i guess my friend’s gonna make themselves scarce as well hahaha *cue Mariah Carey’s i can’t read gif except it’s L*)

5. What is your favorite type of food?

Italian and Japanese are my fave cuisines! i guess that means i love richly-flavoured foods and creamy stuff. ooh, love those sauces.

6. Was there ever a fad or activity from your childhood that you could never understand or get into?

i wasn’t a gamer at all. we didn’t own a single console and i wasn’t allowed to get a handheld. the most i had was a Tamagotchi. so i guess it’s not so much i never got that ‘fad’, just that i was never given the opportunity to discover the really good games. i’ve only ever played a bit of Mario Kart or Cooking Mama on my cousin’s NDS so yeah. didn’t see the appeal in the more light-hearted games like that.

(now that i’ve played Undertale i’m kinda wanting to explore more PC games though. i heard Papers Please is good, and PJ (@kickthepj)’s been recommending Hyper Light Drifter a lot, and the art looks amazing, so yeah... too broke to get them though... and even if i had the money and time to play them i’d be allocating it towards other stuff you know?)

7. What’s your favorite time of day?

well i got 2 fave time periods. the first one’s the witching hours between midnight and early morning, when the world is quiet and you could do anything and nobody would know. the other one is early morning, just after sunrise, and the air is clear and slightly chilly, and it’s also really quiet but you can just hear the birds tweeting somewhere.

i’m more likely to be awake for the first time period described here though... ._.

8. What’s your favorite type flower and why?

hmm i'm not really a flower person. i’m just gonna steal Luke’s answer and say cactus flowers haha (well i do like cacti, they’re some of my favourite plants; i even named my IG/Twitter and Pokemon Go usernames after the plant; also some of you might remember that i had a pet cactus for 8 months)

9. What’s your favorite cliché/trope in fiction?

lovers running out of time...

10. Did/do you do any extracurricular activities when you were in school and what were they?

(wow Luke that’s a lot on your resume!)

i did bits and bobs throughout school, but perhaps my longest commitment was my Clarinet lessons. started when i was in Year 2, carried on until i obtained a Pass in Grade 8 ABRSM certificate in Year 10. i had to quit and give up on a diploma there because i was starting the IB diploma programme in Year 11...

this commitment is only rivalled by the dance classes i took. i did ballet from a young age until i was about 12~13, quitting just before en pointe shoes were introduced; i had also been in Chinese dance lessons from Year 1, so after quitting ballet i just focused on that until Year 10 as well (again, quitting to focus on my full-time diploma).

i also did Taekwondo as a child and obtained a black belt qualification by age 12. i quit once i did though, because again i couldn’t afford to juggle so many commitments the older i got and the more demanding my studies became.

perhaps the proudest extracurricular i’ve done is in my senior years of high school: i started and chaired the student committee as the editor in-chief for the school’s first student-ran and seasonal (now monthly) publication. it’s not student-ran either anymore because i guess the kids that came after the classes of 2014, 2015, and 2016 just dgaf about slightly more demanding extracurriculars that require organisation as long as they can earn their credits elsewhere (yes i’m salty, i’m allowed to be okay, it was my brainchild but apparently kids these days don’t care about having their voices heard if it means having to negotiate diplomacy with the adults in charge. god, how do they expect to survive in uni or in a workplace?)

11. What’s your favorite piece of work that you’ve ever created and what about it do you love so much?

hmm. i think for sure the prose poem i wrote about Light’s death in the anime. idk, the flow and the imagery is just a good concentrated example of what i could be capable of given the right tone and context. (of course, i’ve been trying hard to branch out in genres and forms, so that sort of language isn’t always applicable. but yeah, it remains my fave as a showcase of my best writing abilities ^_^)

and from @espiadimonis​:

1.If you could have one piece of death note merchandise of any kind, what would it be?

oh man! i’ve been pining after the Hot Topic official DN poker card deck for quite some time! i’ve checked Blue Banana while i was in the UK, but it’s not available there, and it’s not at Tokyo Toys either (they do sell a DN playing card deck, but it’s a lot cheaper in design :/)

2.What’s your favourite 3D animated movie?

does Lego Batman count? if not, then i guess Zootopia.

(there’s a reason these 2 are listed in my bio fandoms list like...)

3.What superpower would you like to have?

i used to always choose levitation / flying, but lately i’m not so sure. i’ve heard a lot of compelling arguments for other powers haha.

you know what, i’d trade for something as simple as better control of my own brain. i don’t care about mind control over others; i just want to be able to harness the best parts of my lightning fast thought processes and out-of-the-box thinking on my best days without being constantly tripped up by executive dysfunction like that on a metacognitive level.

4.Favourite piece of clothing?

my soft furry hoodie, which i’m wearing right now! <3

5.Who’s your favourite Sailor Scout?

i don’t have one, sorry! i was 4 when it aired on TV, so i don’t remember much from those years except the Sailor Moon t shirt i got courtesy of my aunt because it was all the rage back then... i’m sorry, but i have more vivid memories of Pretty Cure and Sugar Sugar Rune!

6.Do you prefer potato chips chocolate?

it is a good combo for sure! we are talking about Royce’s chocolate potato chips, right? (if you haven’t tried it get some next time you or a friend/family goes to Japan! we can buy it locally from like Citysuper or something, but i doubt they export it to any countries beyond East Asia haha)

7.What song makes you feel melancholic?

oh, Six Billion did last week. it left me feeling cold all over. an effect from the combination of the layered vocals and the instrumentals i guess. (is it in minor key? i’m sorry i can’t tell anymore, it’s been far too long since i’ve had any musical training. but if it’s in minor key it would explain why.)

there’s also some of the stuff off The Novembers’ catalogue... mostly 終わらない境界 from To (melt into), which was my daily commuting soundtrack at a time when i had brainfog on a regular basis, so yeah, anxiety and all that fun stuff :/

8.Which dn character would you invite to Spaceland(the amusement park)?

Sayu or Matsuda? they deserve a lot more than the hand canon dealt them. hmm maybe Rem too? but she wouldn’t be able to interact with a lot of the stuff there :/

9.What’s the funniest movie you ever watched?

i guess The Lego Batman Movie? i’m sorry i know i keep bringing this film up, but it’s comedic genius for a “kid’s movie”.

10.You can only choose one pokémon! Which one do you choose?

Blissey was gonna be my go to answer. she’s a tank, have you seen her? but is she really my fave mon? debatable. idk man. i really liked Vulpix/Ninetales as a kid... but dark and ghost types though!! okay i can’t choose, next question 

11.What made you happy recently?

i went to another poetry event last night and i met up with a friend i haven’t seen since September :P

[ilovecharlie1957-blog]

A Child’s Play Back in the Day

Red Light, Green Light, One, Two, Three”

  This was the call of one of our favorite games we played when I was a child growing up in Queens, NY, during the 1960s.  We were not rich, nor were we poor. My mom took two jobs to raise my sister and me by herself. To mama, a roof over our heads, food for the bellies, clothes on our backs and supplies for school were where her money went,

  Such was the case of most of my friends in East Elmhurst, Springfield Gardens and Cambria Heights. There was no video games, IPads or places that we had to pay a fee for play time. Rare was the time when one of my buddies and I could afford one of those toys you see certain children getting at Christmas.

  But we had so much fun using simple goods and playing games that tested more than your ability to move your fingers fast on some sort of handheld device.

   They were called “street games,” and were played for decades before technology took over a child’s playtime. The emergence of video games has robbed our kids or creativity, socialization skills, problem-solving capabilities, healthier bodies, and impromptu fun.

  It’s been years since I have seen kids just going out and having fun playing games that required little “equipment and a bunch of smiles. The last I saw in my New Jersey neighborhood was the whiffle ball games my brother Kenny and his friends played. A cheap plastic ball and bat was all they needed. They even made leagues with schedules and ked standings. They also had no adults ruining their fun by trying to run the games.

  When I taught in Paterson, NJ, a low-income area filled with children who are deemed not worthy of having open space to play in, I would occasionally see kids on the outdoor basketball courts when playable baskets were available. Somehow nets and hoops would disappear regularly. We did not have that problem. There were plenty of cement courts available in NYC but the big kids tended to hog them. So we tended to play garbage can basketball. Heck, most of us learned to slam dunk on those grounded cans.

  We had youth baseball leagues that most of us played in like PAL or CYO, but the best was the games we played on an empty lot across from my Cambria Heights home. We learned to dodge the occasional dog dump as the area was the perfect place to walk dogs, but it was rare that the deposits interfered with our games.

   If we stepped in a pile, it was scrape, scrape, batter up!

  Most special were those summer mornings when my best friend Tony Bahamonde arrived at my house to pick me up for our daily stickball game played on the rear of the handball wall at Andrew Jackson High School. What’s funny is that Tony became a better hitter there, and I learned to switch hit and throw a knuckle curve during these games. Sometimes we’d be joined by other kids, but that place was our Yankee Stadium. And all it cost us was a pink rubber ball or broomstick. For $1 you could buy a certified stickball bat. I chose the latter.

  Sometimes we played Punchball, a variation of baseball played with a Pensi-Pinsky rubber ball. You could play three or more on a side. It was a pure street game, meaning we had to sometimes wait for cars to pass s we could resume play. The same with another form of stickball, in which the batter would flip the rubber ball in the air and whack it as far as he could.

Both were wonderful recess games since most NYC schools had a large cement area.

  Football was a favorite but none of us had the equipment nor there were ant real reams looking for players of our nationalities. So we ’d play lots of two-hand touch with each other or play against other neighborhoods. The touches were sometimes a bit hard, but we all left the games, played on the street, as friends. Color didn’t matter, just calls for a rematch by the losing team. We only lost two games in three years.

   I’d give anything to see those guys one more time, especially Larry Wright, Pucho Bahamonde, Omar Nelson, John Buley, David Capo (who would go on two win a Golden Gloves title), Mark Young, David Bermel, Michael Katz, Junior Martinez, the Critchlow Brothers, Junior Santiago, and Tony.

   Then came those days we’d take it light and play games like the aforementioned Red Light, Green Light, 1,2,3. The rules were simple. A player would stand at a base (a car, garbage can lid or any piece of safe junk would suffice} turn around and yell out “red light, green light, 1, 2, 3” to fellow players who were trying to reach the base fastest. The only hitch would be timing because if the caller saw you moving after turning around you had to start all over.

  A similar game was “Hot Peas and Butter,” a game that would require only an old belt. A [layer would hide the belt with the other players not being allowed to peek. Once the belt was hidden the hider would yell out the name of the game and the players would start searching for it. The caller would goad them on by saying, “Pucho, you”re getting warm” or “David you’re beginning to freeze.” The one finding the belt first would chase the others to get a quick whack at their booties.

  Marbles were huge in our neighborhood. Basically, you brought your marbles to a dirt area, drew a circle and take turns trying to know an opponent's marble out of the circle. Winner keeps the marble, and I will admit I lost plenty of marbles. I stunk. But you had to play or your buddies would rank on (playfully insult) your masculinity all day.

  There was also flipping baseball cards. We’d all spend a nickel for a five pack of Topps baseball cards and the worst piece gum ever invented. WE’d quickly build a collection and seek a flipping challenge, which called for Player 2 to match the front or back of the card Player 1 threw down. You could play one card at a time or attempt to match up to 5 cards, Winner takes all. I was very good in that games, as I was in colors.

  In that game, you shuffle your baseball cards and turn them over, You’d take turns turning the cards over until somebody matched the exact pennant color thrown before his turn. Usually, there were two or three teams whose cards had similar colors for the Topps collection.

   I was a dangerous kid in that game, and I would never bring out my Mets or Red Sox cards. Loved them too much.

  But the favored game of our block was Skelzes (novices called it Scully)

Players needed only a rock or piece of chalk t0 create the game box (as seen at the top of this story). Once drawn you only need a lid from a jar or even something as small as a soda cap to play.

   The object of the game was to be the first to get through boxes 1-12 then box 15. There are plenty of stumbling blocks, especially those four parallelograms surrounding Box 15. Fetting knock into one of those makes you lose a turn and back to the beginning. Ahh, we made more deals with each other when we were nearing victory but someone had the would-be victor in his sights for a trip to the start over box.

  When these games were over we often head over to a french fry store on Francis Lewis Blvd. to share a generous helping of the best fries we ever tasted and pooled our money to swig down cold Pepsis.

   This is what breaks my heart today. Kids grow up cheated, and I could care less about what soccer moms think. Kids need to have fun and if these people want to dispute that then write me and we will debate why you are wrong.

   I guess things won’t change. Too many parents use technology to raise their kids. That leaves us with overweight kids with poor socialization skills who cry when their fingernails break and often fail to live up to their potential,

Ron S. Tuitt is a 61-year-0ld retired teacher, award-winning journalist, and fastpitch, baseball and basketball coach of 30 years from New Jersey,

[seniorbrief]

75 Mind-Blowing McDonald’s Facts

istock/ermingut

The Inception and the Legacy

1. Seventy-five years ago, in 1940, brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald opened up the first McDonald’s restaurant—a BBQ joint—in San Bernardino, California (at left; it’s now a museum). Eight years later, they switched to burgers, shakes, potato chips, and pie. The McDonalds purchased several Multi-mixers for use in their establishment, and when Multi-mixer salesman Ray Kroc visited, he was impressed by their success and efficiency. Kroc purchased franchise rights from the brothers. In 1955, he opened his first franchise in Des Plaines, Illinois. Looking for more McDonald’s facts? This is the first McDonald’s menu ever.

2. McDonald’s first drive-thru opened in 1975 in Sierra Vista, Arizona. What inspired the then-revolutionary concept? The restaurant was located near a military base, and soldiers were not allowed to leave their cars while wearing fatigues. Check out how the McDonald’s menu has changed throughout the years.

3. There are almost more than one-and-half times more McDonald’s locations than hospitals in the United States: 14,350 versus 10,660. Find out the only U.S. state capital without a McDonald’s.

4. All those dimes and pennies do add up: In 2013, Ronald McDonald House Charities—the nonprofit organization that is McDonald’s charity of choice—raised around $450 million. It used those funds to help nearly 9 million children and their families worldwide. Today, RMHC has nearly 300 local chapters in 58 countries and regions.

5. McDonald’s invested in Chipotle in 1998, back when the fast-Mexican chain consisted of 16 restaurants. By 2006, McDonald’s owned 90 percent of Chipotle—which had grown to 500 locations—but it sold its stake in order to focus on McDonald’s.

6. The average McDonald’s drive-thru transaction took roughly three minutes, or 189.49 seconds, according to one recent study; the fast-food leader was Wendy’s with a 133.63-second turnaround time.

istock/patty_c

McDonald’s Facts: All About the Arches

7. The Golden Arches are said to be the most recognized symbol in the world, even ahead of the cross. By the way, this is the drink you should never order at a McDonald’s, according to an employee.

8. Founder Richard McDonald first sketched the Golden Arches as an architectural feature to attract customers in cars looking from the roadside, but it took five more years for the arches to be linked into an M (shown at right, at a present-day restaurant in Downey, California, the oldest one still in operation). Did you know there might be a hidden sexual meaning behind McDonald’s gold arches?

9. At its Paris Champs-Elysees restaurant, McDonald’s typically yellow Golden Arches are neon white to blend in with the lighting of that location. This is the real reason the logo is yellow and red.

10. The McDonald’s in Sedona, Arizona, has the world’s only turquoise arches—the owners of that franchise were told that they needed to make the location more in keeping with the distinct desert environment. The blue was chosen to echo the sky, and the building is more orange and red to resemble the surrounding terrain. Read more about it here.

McDonald’s Facts from Around the World

11. While many international McDonald’s look the same as their American counterparts, their menus contain unique items that reflect local tastes. Some examples: nurnburger, or three bratwursts on a bun (Germany); creamy stars, or deep-fried star-shaped pieces of cheese (Italy); McFalafel and McKebab (Israel); McSpaghetti, or pasta served with Chicken McNuggets on the side (Philippines); McRice burger, or a burger in which rice patties are used instead of a bun (Singapore); quiche de quejo, or cheese quiche (Brazil); red bean pie (Hong Kong); McAloo Tikki burger, or a spiced-potato burger (India). Pssst: There’s a reason why Coke tastes so much better at McDonald’s.

12. Samuel Jackson’s character came pretty close in Pulp Fiction: a Quarter Pounder in France is called a Royal Cheese, not a Royale with Cheese. This is the McDonald’s with the best menu in the world.

13. Since 1996, skiers have been able to schuss into the world’s only ski-thru McDonald’s in the Lindvallen resort area in Sweden.

14. Many people probably wish they could dine on McDonald’s on a flight instead of airline food; for now, they’ll have to settle for dining at a New Zealand McDonald’s, which includes an actual retired aircraft as part of the restaurant.

15. Nations that have placed a ban on McDonald’s include Bermuda, Montenegro, Kazahstan, and Macedonia. Here are more countries that have banned McDonald’s.

16. In all the world, there is one floating McDonald’s. Known as the McBarge, it’s in Vancouver, Canada. It was built for and served food at the 1986 World’s Fair, but it is now abandoned. Perhaps it should open as a sail-thru?

17. The Queen of England owns approximately $11 billion of real estate in the United Kingdom; among her holdings is a McDonald’s near Buckingham Palace. So far, she has yet to dine there—but she may be more of a drive-thru type.

18. Golden wedding arches: McDonald’s in Hong Kong offers a variety of wedding packages. The deluxe package, which costs around $1,200, includes a two-hour rental of a decorated McDonald’s location, 50 invitations, McDonald’s gifts for 50 guests, a pair of McDonald’s balloon wedding rings, a bridal bouquet, apple pie display, and an emcee.

19. In the U.K., McDonald’s has launched a program to recycle its employees’ uniforms. Some of the material will be re-spun into fiber to make new uniforms; the rest will be shredded and used to stuff mattresses.

20. In another innovation, McDonald’s Hungary and the advertising agency DDB Budapest recently unveiled the BagTray: a paper bag that has a reinforced cardboard tray at its bottom. By ripping off a strip of the bag, you can detach a sturdy tray.

istock/junce

McDonald’s Facts: Menu Mania

21. McDonald’s best-selling menu item is … French fries! Check out the 10 most popular items at McDonald’s.

22. But it took nine years for fries to appear on the restaurant menu (they debuted in 1949); before that, only potato chips were available. This is the secret ingredient behind the addictive flavor of McDonald’s fries.

 23. You don’t need a passport to try exotic McDonald’s offerings. In some parts of America, McDonald’s restaurants sell their own specialty items. In the summer, you can get a McLobster roll at restaurants in New England. But Hawaii takes the prize: Choices include Saimin, a Hawaiian noodle soup with fish cake, nori, char siu pork, and sliced scrambled eggs; a taro-root pie; and a breakfast platter with Spam or Portuguese sausage as the meat options.

24. A McDonald’s franchise owner in Monfort Heights, Ohio noticed that residents in his highly Catholic town did not eat hamburgers or cheeseburgers during Lent so he created a meat-free alternative, the Filet-o-Fish, which swam onto menus in 1962. Today, 23 percent of all Filet-o-Fish sales are thought to occur during Lent.

25. The fish in the filet was originally halibut; now it’s wild-caught Atlantic pollock.

26. The chain’s worst-selling item may have been the Hula burger. Invented by Ray Kroc as a meatless alternative for Catholics on Lent, it consisted of a grilled piece of pineapple with a slice of cheese in a bun. It lasted a brief while in 1962. Here are the failed McDonald’s menu items you’ve probably never heard of.

27. McDonald’s McGriddle was invented by product developer Tom Ryan because he wanted a handheld breakfast item that was both sweet and savory. He is the Dr. Frankenstein of fast food. In an earlier job at Pizza Hut, he created stuffed-crust pizza and the Meat Lovers, Veggie Lovers, and Cheese Lovers pizzas. He is now the founder and chief concept officer at Smashburger.

28. Franchisee Herb Peterson created the Egg McMuffin, which became available in 1971, by modeling it off his breakfast of choice, eggs benedict. This is the only McDonald’s Breakfast made with fresh eggs.

29. Some discerning diners believe that the Coke served at McDonald’s tastes better than it does at other places. They may be onto something: Only at McDonald’s is the Coke syrup delivered in stainless steel tanks to preserve its freshness; elsewhere, it’s transported in plastic bags.

30. At a grand total of 1,880 calories, the 40-piece Chicken McNuggets are the highest calorie item on the regular menu. That’s more calories than many adults should consume in a single day. Find out the 5 healthiest things you can order at a McDonald’s.

istock/Juanmonino

31. The number of ingredients in Chicken McNuggets? 40, which is low compared to the ingredient list for the McRib, which has 70. By the way, this is why McNuggets always come in one of four shapes.

32. The McRib, which debuted in the chain’s restaurants in 1981, was invented in part because chicken farmers couldn’t keep up with the demand for McNuggets.

33. There are no ribs in McRib; it’s a patty made from pork shoulder meat.

34. The McRib was removed from the McDonald’s menu in 1985 due to its lack of popularity. But thanks to a loyal cult following, it came back in 1989 and was offered until 2005 in the chain’s restaurants in much of the world. From 2006 on, it’s been available for a few months every year. However, all along it has been a menu staple in one country: Germany.

35. According to Reddit users, you can get a Big Mac for half the price if you order a McDouble without mustard or ketchup and add shredded lettuce and special sauce. The only difference will be the lack of a third bun.

36. Those in the know say that McDonald’s has a secret menu. The most popular items include the McLeprechaun shake (a chocolate shake mixed with their seasonal Shamrock Shake), the McKinley Mac (a Big Mac made with quarter-pounder patties), and the Land, Air, and Sea burger (a McChicken patty, beef patty and Filet-o-Fish patty combined). Here are the McDonald’s secret menu items you need to know.

37. In an effort to provide a more customized experience, the “Create Your Taste” initiative allows diners to use tablet-like kiosks to pick different buns, cheeses, toppings, and sauces for their burger. It’s expected to roll out at 2,000 locations in the United States this year, or about one in seven McDonald’s in the United States.

38. Customer Moshe Tamssot posted a YouTube video that showed him creating the biggest burger possible with a “Create Your Taste.” Although he was limited to two quarter-pound beef patties, he was able to add 10 times all the other ingredients. His sandwich was topped by 10 slices of bacon, 30 slices of cheese, and 10 servings of guacamole, tomato, pickles, lettuce, mushrooms, jalapeno peppers, raw onions, and grilled onions (not to mention a variety of sauces). The sandwich weighed 3.8 pounds and cost $24.89. We believe he is still digesting it.

39. In a one-off event in 2013, McDonald’s challenged celebrity chefs to deploy McDonald’s ingredients to create a “McGourmet” meal. Guests at the NYC dinner enjoyed kung pao chicken (made with Chicken McNuggets and sweet-and-sour sauce), a tortilla espanola (hash browns and eggs), slow-cooked beef with blueberry pomegranate sauce (the chain’s blueberry-pomegranate smoothie) and gnocchi (French fries!), and washed it all down with mojitos (mango pineapple smoothie).

istock/PhonlamaiPhoto

Ronald McDonald Facts

40. While there are disputes about who invented the Ronald McDonald character, Willard Scott—who later became famous for being The Today Show weatherman— was the first to portray him in TV ads.

41. Scott was fired from being Ronald McDonald after he was deemed to be “too fat.”

42. In Japan, the character is known as Donald McDonald, due to the lack of a clear “R” sound in Japanese.

43. The original Ronald McDonald wore a yellow-and-red striped suit, which he often accessorized with wearing a tray bearing a hamburger, fries, and milkshake as a hat.

44. Ronald’s newest wardrobe, which debuted last summer, consists of yellow cargo pants and a vest and a red-and-white striped rugby shirt; on special occasions, he tops it all with a red blazer emblazoned with golden arches on the front pocket. His new look was created by theatrical costume designer Ann Hould-Ward, who won a Tony for Broadway’s Beauty and the Beast.

45. In 2005, a man from Manchester, New Hampshire, robbed a Wendy’s. His name? Ronald MacDonald. Learn which McDonald’s is the most expensive McDonald’s in the world.

McDonald’s Facts: Crime, Punishment, and Some Bizarre Lawsuits

46. Shaneka Torres of Grand Rapids, Michigan, is currently serving a three-to-seven-year prison sentence after she was convicted of shooting a bullet in a McDonald’s drive-thru window after she failed to receive bacon on her burger. She has also been banned from the restaurant for life.

47. In 2014, a McDonald’s customer sued the company for $1.5 million after claiming to suffer “undue mental anguish” after he received only one napkin with his order. This is why McDonald’s ice cream machines are always broken.

48. After starring in a McDonald’s-bashing ad for Burger King, the then-4-year-old actress Sarah Michelle Gellar was named in a lawsuit by the fast food giant—and was banned from McDonald’s.

49. While the best-known McDonald’s lawsuit in America is the one involving scalding coffee, the company is known in the U.K. for a different legal matter. In 1994, two members of the London Greenpeace group were sued by McDonald’s for distributing pamphlets that claimed the company was responsible for hunger in the Third World, deforestation, food poisoning, cruel treatment of animals, and paying low wages. The trial—dubbed the McLibel case—still stands as the longest in English history at 300 days, generating 20,000 pages of trial transcripts. The defendants were found guilty of making some libelous statements and ordered to pay a fine. But in 2005, they brought their case to the European Court, which declared that the case was in breach of the right to a fair trial and right to freedom of expression (mainly due to the unavailability of legal aid for the Greenpeace members).

50. Children’s television producers Sid and Marty Kroftt sued McDonald’s in 1973, saying that McDonaldland ripped off the “concept and feel” of their TV show H.R. Pufnstuf. McDonald’s was ordered to pay the brothers one million dollars.

istock/Magone

McDonald’s Facts: Amazing Feats

51. In the Guinness Book of World Records, one record is unlikely to be beaten anytime soon: “Most Big Macs Consumed.” When Don Gorske of Wisconsin set the record in 2008, he’d already consumed 22,477 sandwiches. But since he eats two a day, he’s had over 27,500 of them by now. He had his first at age 18 in 1972 (it cost 49 cents). He liked the sandwich so much that after eating it, he had eight more of them—for a one-day total of nine, a limit he has never exceeded. Both his weight and cholesterol are said to be normal.

52. The world’s largest Big Mac can be found in North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, at the Big Mac Museum (which bills itself “the most tasteful museum in the world”).  While the mega-Mac is inedible—it’s a 14-foot-tall statue—hungry visitors can eat the real thing at the on-premises McDonald’s restaurant.

53. Mike Fountaine holds the record for owning the most McDonald’s related memorabilia. His 75,000-item collection—which includes buttons, uniforms, cups, and Happy Meal boxes and toys—spills over nine rooms of his Pennsylvania home. In 1968, a then-15-year-old Fountaine began working at the Golden Arches and began his collection one year later. Today he owns two McDonald’s restaurants.

54. The world’s largest McDonald’s PlayPlace is in the Universal Orlando Resort in Florida. It includes a 500 gallon aquarium, waterfall, and 100 arcade games.

55. A limited edition—one out of 200 produced in the world—500 ml bottle of McDonald’s Big Mac Special Sauce sold in Australia on eBay this year for $20,600 in Australian dollars, or around $16,144 US. One hundred percent of the profits went to Ronald McDonald House Charities.

56. But the ingredients in the special sauce are no longer secret. According to the company website, it contains soybean oil, pickle relish, distilled vinegar, water (main components); egg yolks, onion powder, mustard seed, salt, garlic powder, vegetable protein, caramel color, paprika and turmeric extracts (for flavor and color); high fructose corn syrup, sugar (for sweetness); sodium benzoate, calcium disodium EDTA (for preservation of color and taste); propylene glycol alginate, mustard bran, soy lecithin (for thickness and creaminess).

57. In 2012, Rebekah Speight of Nebraska auctioned off a truly one-of-a-kind possession on eBay: a chicken McNugget that resembled George Washington. The winning bid was $8,100, which Speight planned to donate to her church’s youth camp. At the time of sale, the nugget was already three years old. In general, eBay bans the sale of expired food products, but the company made an exception.

58. McDonald’s is the world’s largest distributor of toys. It gives away around 1.5 billion toys each year with Happy Meals.

59. Jamaican runner Usain Bolt claims to have eaten around 1,000 chicken McNuggets during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, where McDonald’s had an outpost in the Olympic Village. It was the lunch (or dinner) of champions: At those games, he won three gold medals and set three world records. This is the secret that makes their apple pies taste so good.

McDonald’s Facts All About the Employees

60. One in eight U.S. workers has been employed by McDonald’s at some point in their careers. These are the secrets McDonald’s employees won’t tell you.

61. Famous former employees of McDonald’s include Rachel McAdams, Pink, Macy Gray, Jay Leno, Carl Lewis, Jeff Bezos, and Andie MacDowell.

62. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, “McJob” is “an unstimulating, low-paid job with few prospects, especially one created by the expansion of the service sector.”  McDonald’s threatened to sue to change the definition, but ultimately responded with a clever U.K. ad campaign that extolled the company’s employee benefits. It ended with the line: “Not bad for a McJob.” This is how much McDonald’s workers really make.

63. On a corporate level, McDonald’s has some pretty spectacular benefits. Employees get an extra week of paid time off in the years when they reach an anniversary ending with a “5” (5, 15, 25, etc.). They’re eligible for an eight-week paid sabbatical for every 10 years worked.

64. In 1961, the company opened Hamburger University to train its executive employees; today, there are more than 2750,000 graduates. The original campus is in Oak Brook, Illinois, where McDonald’s is headquartered. Other campuses are in Tokyo, London, Sydney, Munich, Sao Paolo and Shanghai. All together around the world, Hamburger U. employs more than 60 full-time college professors.

65. McDonald’s holds its own version of American Idol. Called the Voice of McDonald’s, the competition shines the spotlight on the vocal talent of its 1.8 million employees. In its most recent contest, 58,000 McWorkers from 63 countries entered. Lucy Ospitia of Bucaramanga, Colombia, won the $25,000 grand prize. Rocky Rosabal from the Philippines won second prize ($17,500); third prize ($12,500) went to Ashlae Nelms from Illinois.

A Pop Culture Icon

66. The Economist created the “Big Mac Index” in 1986 as a shorthand way to determine whether a country’s currency is inflated. The index uses the international prices of a Big Mac, a globally available food product, to illustrate the differences in monetary value between nations. It’s still referenced today. In January, the average price for a Big Mac was $4.79 in the America and $7.54 in Switzerland. (All prices are in U.S. dollars.) Russia and Ukraine were among the cheapest places at which to buy a Big Mac, $1.36 and $1.20, respectively.

 67. In the 2003 documentary Super Size Me, filmmaker Morgan Spurlock chronicled his 30-day, all-McDonald’s diet. At month’s end, Spurlock had gained 25 pounds, sent his cholesterol sky-rocketing, and caused serious harm to his liver. McDonald’s removed Super Size fries and drinks from its menu six weeks after the film’s release, although it said Super Size Me did not influence its decision.

68. The “I’m Lovin’ It” McDonald’s jingle was written by Pharell and recorded by Justin Timberlake.

69. Ottawa Senators goalie Andrew Hammond is nicknamed Hamburglar. How he earned it: A fan threw a burger on the ice at Hammond after a recent win (in 12 starts, he’d amassed an impressive 10-0-1 record); the goalie graciously accepted it but did not eat it because he said it was too cold. To ensure that he always has access to a hot burger, Hammond received—courtesy of McDonald’s in Canada—a special card that entitles him to a lifetime of free eats.

70. Octogenarians Carl and Barbara Becker of Virginia were regulars at their local McDonald’s, where they liked stopping in for “scrunch”—a snack between lunch and supper. One day, an employee was sweeping up near them, and when asked if it bothered them, the couple answered that it did. A manager then told the Beckers that they’d exceeded their allowed 30 minutes in the restaurant and had to leave.  The Beckers wrote a heartfelt letter to their local paper in which Carl explained how the incident had marred their McDonald’s ritual. For the pair, scrunch is “a sweet time of fellowship, which we enjoy, which helps sustain our marriage of 63 years,” wrote Carl. In response, McDonald’s corporate offices sent the couple coupons for two small coffees. The Beckers refused them but said they’d still patronize the chain—just not the Culpeper location.

71. The Beckers were not left burger-less, however. Shawn Moss, who owns Shawn’s Smokehouse BBQ restaurant in Culpeper, was so moved when he heard about the couple’s experience that he offered them one free “scrunch” a week for the rest of their lives.

72. In 2014, 18-year-old Stian Ytterdahl from Norway had a tattoo artist ink a McDonald’s receipt onto his arm after his friends dared him; a week later, he had the same receipt tattooed on his other arm. For the rest of his life, he’ll always know what he ate at 7:36 PM on March 24, 2014: a Coke, three cheeseburgers, a cheeseburger Happy Meal, a McFlurry NonStop with three extra toppings, and an extra Happy Meal toy. This is why you should always ask for your receipt at McDonald’s.

73. At the McDonald’s online shop, customers in the U.S., U.K., Europe, and Australia can purchase Big Mac-patterned pajamas, wallpaper, long underwear, rain boots, dog coat, and (human) bedding.

74. Scientists studying McDonald’s patrons found that female diners ate less when they were eating in mixed-sex groups rather than in same-sex groups, while male diners ate more in mixed-sex groups than in mixed-sex pairs, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Health Psychology.

75. While only McDonald’s is on Twitter (with more than 2.8 million followers), both McDonald’s and Ronald McDonald have Instagram accounts. McDonald’s boasts 565,000 followers to Ronald’s 10,900.

Original Source -> 75 Mind-Blowing McDonald’s Facts

source https://www.seniorbrief.com/75-mind-blowing-mcdonalds-facts/

[news-mashable-yahoopartner-blog]

20 things you need to survive life in a college dorm

Whether you're a wide-eyed freshman or an experienced senior, moving into a residence hall is stressful. No matter how many times our parents reminded us to pack more than one towel, we still always managed to forget.

Since no one wants to admit to mom or dad that they were right all along (because you're an adult and you can do adult things by yourself!), these are the essentials you'll need to reassure them that you'll be just fine on your own.

SEE ALSO: Looking for love on campus: Best dating apps for college students

Welcome to almost-adulthood.

1. A shower caddy

Image: Amazon/Attmu

No one wants to have to carry all of their hair care products, soaps, and razors from one room to another without the help of a bag to store it all in. Save yourself the inconvenience and grab a mesh caddy like the Attmu Mesh Shower Caddy. If you're feeling colorful you can get a set of 3 Plastic Tote Caddie Baskets in red, blue, and green.

2. A anti-bed bug mattress protector

Image: Amazon/Hospitology Products

Hopefully most of us will never suffer through a bed bug infestation, but it's always better to be safe than sorry. In the event of tragedy, a mattress cover like Hospitology Products Sleep Defense Mattress Encasement will protect your bed from bed bugs and water damage. You don't need any unexpected visitors disrupting the little sleep you'll get in college.

3. A mini fridge 

Image: Amazon/RCA

You'll definitely want to have your own space to store food and snacks. You can get a small fridge, like the RCA Mini Fridge, to avoid the whole, "Who ate my..." argument with roommates.

5. Flip-flops for communal bathrooms

Image: Amazon/Felistar

Okay. Having a communal bathroom isn't the worst living arrangement ever, but it’s definitely an adjustment. If you're placed in a residence hall with a communal bathroom, you'll absolutely need something to protect your feet from whatever could be lurking on the shower floor. Any pair of flip-flops will do. The ones shown above are Felistar Unisex Sandals.

6. Power strips 

Image: Amazon/Kensington

You can never have enough outlets, especially if you’re sharing a room with someone else. If you want to be fancy, SWEON Bed Risers actually come with power outlets and USB Ports on them. But if you want to keep it simple and cheap, a regular, yet colorful Kensington SmartSockets power strip works well, too.

7. Utensils

Image: Amazon/Utopia Kitchen

Whether you'll have a kitchen or not, utensils are a must. A set like the Stainless Steel Flatware Set by Utopia Kitchen lets you eat your ramen noodles and mac-and-cheese without any hassle.

8. A handheld vacuum 

Image: Amazon/Back+Decker

It's when you're finally on your own that you realize how much dust you're capable of creating. A broom and dustpan can only do so much, so a small, hand-held vacuum like the Black+Decker Dustbuster Cordless Hand Vacuum will be your best friend during cleaning sprees.

9. A desk lamp 

Image: Amazon/Damuly

Without a doubt, you’re going to be up late at night doing work, either at the library or in your dorm room. If you end up pulling an all-nighter in your room, you'll be grateful to have stylish source of light. The Damuly LED Desk Lamp is controlled with your touch and changes colors.

10. A shower curtain

Image: AmazonBasics

If you're truly lucky, you'll have your own private bathroom — or you'll be asked to share it with just a few others, and so you might need to bring a shower curtain. The Grey Stripe AmazonBasics Shower Curtain apparently resists mildew, which is pretty necessary for a bathroom used by multiple people.

11. Hangers

Image: Amazon/Anglink

You don’t fold dresses, buttons-down, or slacks and stuff them in a drawer— instead, you hang them in a closet like the adult you (almost) are. Avoid wrinkles and save precious drawer space by getting a 20-piece set, like these Anglink Velvet Hangers. Why velvet? Your clothes are less likely to slip and fall to the floor because the material has more grip.

12. A hamper

Image: Handry Laundry

No one wants to see your dirty underwear out on the floor. Hampers are therefore an absolute must. A lightweight one like the Mesh Popup Laundry Hamper will hold all your dirty clothes, and can even folds up for easy portability. 

13. A laundry bag 

Image: Amazon/Milaca

When I was a freshman, I witnessed someone make three trips from their room to the laundry and room in order to wash one load of clothing. This happened because they didn't have a bag and carried everything by hand. Don’t be that person. A washable one like the MILACA Nylon Laundry Bag will make your life much easier.

14. A shoe organizer 

Image: Amazon/Simple Houseware

Chances are you probably have a ton of shoes. Don't worry though— a shoe organizer like the Simple Houseware Over the Door Hanging Shoe Organizer has pockets that great for storing shoes and other objects of your choosing. Plus, it'll save you room.

16. A fan 

Image: Amazon/Genesis

Central air is a luxury — so chances are you won't have it during your four years of college. If that’s the case, a small fan like the Genesis 6-Inch Clip-On Fan can be a decent substitute on unbearably hot days. (But really, where’s the AC?)

17. An air freshener

Image: amazon/Glade

A room that smells nice is impactful, especially when entertaining guests. No one should ever have to spend time in a dorm room that reeks of unidentifiable odors. Do yourself — and your friends — a favor and get an air freshener, like the Glade PlugIn Oil Air Freshener. It's worth the couple bucks of investment.

18. A Swiffer mop

Image: Amazon/Swiffer

How did we function as a society without the Swiffer? It can mop, it can sweep, it can even trick children into cleaning the house. You need one.

19. Towels

Image: AmazonBasics

If you’re going to shower and be a functional human being, towels are a definite necessity. Get a big set of fluffy ones, like the 6-Piece Towel and Washcloth set.

20. A good attitude 

Just be nice. Moving into a dorm is stressful enough as it is, and the adjustments that come after saying goodbye to your parents can be scary and emotional. Make it easy for everyone involved, and don't forget to dust.

WATCH: Architects are building floating neighborhoods on city canals to create affordable housing for students

[jreed3842]

Video Game Survey!

So! I’m bored... Like... Hella bored. So I found this survey (questions created from 8bitrevolver) and I’m going to answer these questions like it’s 2005 and I’m doing a MySpace survey! Ready? Let’s-a Go! 1. First game you played obsessively? Obsessively... Hmm... When I was very little I played a lot of Wario’s Woods and Super Mario Bros. 2. But! I think I was a little more obsessive towards Super Mario Bros. 2! 2. A game that has influenced you creatively? Writing, drawing, etc. Either the Legend of Zelda or Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. I have written fanfics based off of those games!

3. Who did you play with as a kid? My sister and my step-sister

4. Who do you play with now? My boyfriend and my college friend.

5. Ever use cheat codes? My dad used to have a Game Genie for the NES, and I loved messing around with that thing. Sometimes it would totally fuck up the game cause I would just put in totally random codes! 6. Ever buy strategy guides? The only strategy guide I remember buying was for Super Smash Bros. Melee. If I remember correctly it came out before the game actually did, and I bought it and looked through it to help build up my hype! 7. Any games you have multiple copies of? No. 8. Rarest/Most expensive game in your collection? Uh... N/A 9. Most regrettable purchase? Yooka-Laylee for the Switch (at least that’s my most recent I can think of.) 10. Ever go to a midnight game release or stand in line for hours? No. 11. Have you ever made new friends from playing video games? No. 12. Ever get picked on for liking games? No. 13. A game you’ve never played that everyone else has? Ooo. Probably. I haven’t played any of the Metroid games. I’m sure there’s a big title that I can’t think of. Uhhh. Fortnite and PubG? Uh.... Halo. Or any famous first person shooter games. 14. Favorite game music? Legend of Zelda music is high on my list. I love the Stone Tower Temple music. I love Fi’s theme from Skyward Sword. I love Dragon Roost Island. I love the music from Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars as well. Like the Forest Maze, Midas Falls, and Rose Town.

15. If it was a requirement to get a game related tattoo, what would you pick? Maybe the Super Mario mushroom or the Triforce?  16. Favorite game to play with your friends IRL? Mario Kart, cause I’m a beast. 17. Ever lose a friend over a game? No 18. Would you date someone that hates gaming? I have before... it kinda sucked. Like he got mad at me because I just bought Mario and Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story and I was playing that instead of like... following him outside so he could smoke. He wasn’t a very nice person.... 19. Favorite handheld console? The 3DS I suppose. 20. Game that you know like the back of your hand? Either Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars or Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. 21. Game that you didn’t like or understand as a kid but love now? Hmmm.... I can’t think of anything. 22. Do you wear game related clothing/accessories? Yes. 23. The game that you’ve logged the most hours into?  Either Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars or Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Lol. 24. First Pokemon game? Pokemon Blue! Bulbasaur was my first Pokemon ever! 25. Were you ever an arcade game player? No. 26. Ever form any gaming rivalries? No. 27. Game that makes you rage? I get ragey when games give me really LONG challenges. Like where the difficulty lies in how long the challenge is and if you fail you have to start all over. That is what makes me rage. Most recent example is Super Smash Bros. for Wii U trying to complete All-Star mode on Hard difficulty with several characters.... Getting so close only to have to start all over again makes me ragey. Lol 28. Ever play in a tournament? No. 29. What is your gaming set up? We have 3 Nintendo Switches in this house. My dock is hooked up to my TV. Warren’s dock is underneath mine not hooked up to anything but plugged in to act as a charging station. Reece’s Switch is hooked up to the living room TV. If Warren wants to play his switch he just places it into my dock. 30. How many consoles do you own? 2. Nintendo 3DS and a Nintendo Switch. I had a Wii U but I gave it to my sister. 31. Does the 3DS and/or Virtual Boy hurt your eyes or give you headaches? Yes!! Never played the Virtual Boy, but I can’t really use the 3D of the 3DS, it messed with my eyes. 32. Did you ever play a game based on your favorite show/cartoon/movie/comic? Yes. I remember owning the Shrek 2 video game. And I am sure I have a few more, until I came to realize those kind of video games sucked! 33. Did you ever have any bootleg games or plug-n-play games? No.

34. Do either of your parents play video games? My dad does quite a bit. He owns as Wii, but plays a lot of mobile games. My mom will play games like Mario Kart, and she really likes Wii Party U and the Pictionary portion of Game & Wario. 35. Ever work in a game store? Or do you have a favorite game shop? No. And I supposed GameStop is my go-to, but Jesus Balls they’re expensive. 36. Have you ever shed actual blood, sweat or tears over a game? .... Uhhh? No? I don’t think so? I remember getting very mad and upset at Paper Mario when I was little because I JUST COULD NOT BEAT HUFF-N-PUFF! But it’s because I was going about it totally wrong. And I got yelled at from my Mom because I was getting mad, and she told me to calm down. 37. Have you played E.T. for the Atari 2600? Do you think that’s the worst game ever, or do you have another nomination? I have not. But I do probably think it is the worst game ever... because it like... single-handledly brought upon the American Video game crash... 38. A game you’re ashamed to admit that you like? Super Princess Peach. It’s one of the only DS games I still own... 39. A sequel that you would die for them to make? A Sequel to Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars.  40. What to you think of virtual reality headsets or motion controls? Never used Virtual reality headsets. I am afraid it may make me motion sick like 1st person games do. And I am kind of over motion controls now. 41. A genre that you just can’t get into? First Person Shooters. 42. Maybe it wasn’t your first game, but what was the game that started you on your path to nerdiness? ??? Probably my first game Super Mario Bros. 2. Lol.

43. Ever play games when you really should have been concentrating on something else? Yes. I think everyone does that. 44. Arcade machine that has consumed the most of your quarters? Uhh.... N/A

45. How are you at Mario Kart? GURL! I am a beast! You better watch out? Oh is that a Blue Shell coming for me? No Biggie I am so far ahead it doesn’t matter? Another one? Oh looks like you caught up but still can’t pass me. And I don’t even use the heavy characters with high speed, and you’re still eating my dust. :-P 46. Do you like relaxing games like Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon? Never really played them, but I kinda want to get into Animal Crossing because I want to have an easy relaxing game that I can play before bed or something. 47. Do you like competitive games? Mario Kart and Smash, I suppose. 48. How long does it take your to customize your player character? Not too long. 49. In games where you can pick your class, do you always tend to go for the same type of character? Yes. 50. If you were a game designer, what masterpiece would you create? Uhh... A game where you are the damsel in distress, but you escape and your journey is getting back home. 51. Have you ever played a game for so long that you forgot to eat or sleep? I never forget to sleep, but I have gone for a long time without eating and then I’m like “Damn, I’m hungry... Oh I haven’t had food for 12 hours.” Lol 52. A game that you begged your parents for as a kid? Super Smash Bros. Melee, Luigi’s Mansion, Paper Mario, and probably the first few Mario Parties. 53. What’s your opinion on DLC these days? If they are good, it’s fine. If it feels like an actual addition to the game instead of just “Oh the game wasn’t done, here’s some more you gotta pay for.” Like.... The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild did a good job with the Champion’s DLC. Like the game would be fine without it, but it just added some extra flavor (and totally made me fall in love with Urbosa.) 54. Do you give in to Steam sales? I do not have Steam account. 55. Did you ever make someone you hated in the Sims and did mean stuff to them? I do not play Sims. 56. Did you ever play Roller Coaster Tycoon and kill off your guests? No. Never played it. 57. Did you ever play a game to 100% or get all of the achievements? YES! I am very much a completionist.

58. If you can only play 3 games for the rest of your life, which ones do you pick? Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Mario Kart 8. Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. 59. Do you play any cell phone games? Pokemon Go is the only one I really play. 60. Do you know the Konami Code? Yes. My dad and I were just talking about it. 61. Do you trade in your games or keep them forever? I trade them, that’s why I like the physical copies.

62. Ever buy a console specifically to play one game? Not really. I buy the Nintendo consoles because I know there will be games I’ll want to play. 63. Ever go to a gaming convention or tournament? No. 64. Ever make a TV or monitor purchase based on what would be best for gaming? No. 65. Ever have a Game Genie, Game Shark or Action Replay? Did it ever mess up your game’s save file? My dad had a Game Genie (see previous question) and I don’t think it ever messed up the save files, but it did mess up the way the game looked. I remember using it on Super Mario Bros. 2 and it totally messed up the pause screen. Like enemies were flying around on there, it was silly! 66. Did you ever have have an old Nokia with Snake on it? Yes.

67. Do you have a happy gaming-related childhood memory you want to share? I always look back fondly on playing games with my sister and step-sister. We played a lot of Mario Party 1 and 2, Mario Party 4, 5, and 6. Super Smash Bros. Melee, and Mario Kart 64, Double Dash, and Wii.

68. Ever save up a ton of tickets in an arcade to get something cool? No. 69. In your opinion, best game ever made? Either Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars or Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Lol. 70. Very first game you ever beat? The first game I ever beat on my own without my Dad’s help was Yoshi’s Island for the Super Nintendo! **BONUS QUESTION** A Question I just made up. 71. Who is your most wanted character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate? I have wanted Toad as a playable fighter since the Melee days, and now I really want to see Captain Toad make it into Super Smash Bro! 

[thespearnews-blog]

Did gov't use age limit as coverup to pass more deadly GMO bill?

New Post has been published on https://thespearnews.com/2017/10/12/govt-use-age-limit-coverup-pass-deadly-gmo-bill/

Did gov't use age limit as coverup to pass more deadly GMO bill?

By: Bidi Halid

Amidst the age limit and land bill drama week, parliament hurriedly passed a bill more deadly and dangerous to society than even the land and age limit bills–the GMO bill.

Authorizing use of genetically modified organisms in a third world country like Ugandan is a direct murder to food production and throwing poor farmers out of the agriculture sector as everything will be commercialized.

Local farmers will either starve or automatically become workers on farms of the rich as they will not be able to buy farm inputs like seeds, fertilizers, pest controls and even labor. Passing the bill is the final death stroke to poor farmers

You Are Eating Poison! Here’s How To Identify GMO Tomatoes In 2 Easy Steps GMOs contain dangerous compounds or are grown under conditions which involve using pesticides, hormones or other additives which only destroy the taste of your fruits and veggies as well as…

It is surprising the level of destruction Museveni and NRM intends for this country, given the irreversible consequences of the bill seen from its being rushingly past by NRM MPs.

It can be argued that the land and age limit bills were coverups for this more deadly bill given that the later can be reversed but the GMO destruction is an irreversible cancer agent–MPs in a predominantly farming world should before passing such a bill have consulted farmers instead of binding them unaware.

In presenting and defending it to parliament Prof. Ogenga Latigo used hardened scientific language which am sure many MP’s didn’t understand as he technically did not answer the fundamental worries and questions of Ugandans about GMO’s

Latigo and NRM MPs who were paid to pass this self destruction bill and Ugandans take note of the following unrecoverable dungeon:

1 – The costs to poor.

Dont make food for profit, its for people

Can we poor Africans afford these seeds? Which we can not replant. But only to buy and worst of all from a white, profit motivated man, 1000s of kilometers away from home. And this for Season after Season, Year after Year.

What and how will a poor old man/woman from Agago, Kidera, Karamoja or Kiboga do, who does not sleep with 1000 Ugandan shilling for months? What if one buys the seeds and for two or 3 three seasons the weather is not good and everything dies in soil, like it always happens mostly in the north, where you come from?

Are you not setting a pace to turn our people into slaves? If they can fail to buy Paracetamol, to treat a headache, where do you expect them to raise money, at least twice a year, to buy seeds for planting? Unless you want them to leave and die as beggars. Like you treat them during elections with 500 shillings for a vote or a piece washing soap.

2 – The health and environmental concerns

There are continous allegation, that GMO foods may be respossible for health problems. The most talked about being cancer. And Ugandans have of late been awakened and are well aware of this problem, which is also worsened by luck of medication in this country.

Although, Latigo and his colleagues can be taken out of the country for state of the art medication, at the expense of the very poor. The good professor again did not talk about and or address himself to this concern

3 – Why is GMO being kicked out of Europe and the Americans?

Yet again, Latiga failed to address this. He simply tried to explain how he is highly educated and knowledgeable on this subject. But wait a minute, how highly educated and knowledgeable on this subject is Latigo, than the Europeans, Canadians, and Americans? Who are time and again presenting big and unanswered questions on this subject?

I refer Ugandans to lawsuits, in California and other states in America; Lawsuits in Australia and Canada about contamination, In the Paris France and European Courts. And all those by local farmers. Question can Uganda as a country, let a lone a poor Ugandan local farmer, afford such expensive court cases? In case we befall a serious problem as a result of this GMO.

In most of these countries, people and their farms are insured. If they buy bad seeds they can be compensated. The same is true, if one gets sick because of bad GMO foods, they are not only treated and treated well in good hospital, but they are also compensated. Unlike in Museveni and Latigo’s Uganda. But they are not taking chances. Why bring this to Uganda at this time? Given our level of corruption and health situation.

4 – GMO Contamination of Organic Farms

I also expected Latigo, to address himself to the issue of contamination of Organic Farms, but he was nowhere. It have been proven in a landmark case in both Canada and Australia, among other countries, that if one person grows GMO seeds, the farms and plants around are equally affected through cross pollination. Today, there is case in California and Australia, where farmers are suing for loss of between 70 to 100 % of their earning because GMO foods and contamination.

Which means, that even unwilling participants become victims of this GMO. And after a couple of seasons everyone around will be, by force, growing, having and eating GMO foods. This brings me to the question of “Patent Rights”

5 – Patents rights on these sends

Because these are and will always be industrial produced products, we hear and truly so, that they will be owned by individuals and or groups of individual. This means that in future, for one to grow the said seeds, one must have permission from the owner. I equally expected the good professor to clearly put that to rest. But kumbe wapi?

In this world, where we leave today, full of blackmail and hostage taking, how do you asure Ugandan and Africans that patent right owners, will not one day blackmail our people and hold them hostage, in order to get food on table.

6 – Why not talk Mechanisation of Agriculture?

Yes, I am not an authority on agriculture like Latigo, but I don’t agree with Prof. Ogenga Latigo and others, who continue to argue that, we need GMO to address famine and or lack of food in Uganda and Africa at large. This is purely wrong and GMO is not the solution, but rather a problem.

The solution lies in modernization and mechanization of agriculture. Ugandan land, like most of Africa, is still virgin and fertile. But expecting people in Agago still digging land for food and sell using a handheld hoe is just too much. In Uganda, like in most of Africa, there are more Mambas and tear gas vehicle than Tractors.

What the good professor and his likes should be doing, is to convince his fellow lawmakers and General Museveni, to reduce the number of Members of Parliament, RDCs, Presidential advisers Mamas and Teargas. And replace all that and the expenses which go with them to buying ” Tractors” and other farm equipments as a beginning.

7 – Marketing, Storage and Transportation

Latigo and I must have seen food rotting in one place of Uganda, yet in another places people are dying of hunger. We have seen mangoes rotting in Luwero, just a few kilometers from Kampala, Yet supermarkets in Kampala, are selling mangoes and other fruits from as far as South Africa. And funny enough, even selling fruits from desert countries in Middle East with no water. We see Trucks getting stark on bad roads with Matoke in Kiboga, yet there is no food in Kampala.

I, a few years ago, witnessed farmers crying with maize in Busoga and in Kiryandongo in Bunyoro, Some selling it at a throw way price of just 50 to 100 a kilo. Unable even to get 20% of the planting costs back. In this particular season, the beneficiary was a member of the first family, who used free government transport, free storage in Nalukolongo, Kampala and sold the same at more than 15 times. Hence to ripping from the very poor man’s sweat.

This, left many farmers crying and vowing never to plant more than their domestic needs. And this is the same story across Africa, and having had the opportunity to visit most African countries, save for western African, I speak with authority on this.

In this conundrum, farmers end up losing whatever they have mortgaged in Banks including land and houses. Which can never be in Europe and else where. In otherwards, a government can’t tell you to plant something and fail to find a market it, store and or tramport it. Like it has been the in Uganda year in year out. For this, at least credit must go to past leaders Amin Dada and Obote, the two, at least tried to address the problems of storage, marketing and transport.

What I am saying is, that with good and organised marketing, storage and transportation, there can never be famine in Uganda. But because of corruption, greedy and ready made food AID from international organisations and countries, some people have made it a job and are always there to raise false flags.

Yes, Prof. Ogenga Latigo, claims that he can never be bribed by any international organisation behind this bill. Well maybe, but history is not on his side. First the parliament where he sits is on record as one of the most corrupt. Many were given just over 1000 dollars to rape and destroy the Ugandan constitution.

Latigo says that, “more importantly, he saw the potential of Molecular Biology as long ago as the late-1980s when I was winding up his PhD studies at the International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), Nairobi”.

True, I had rear privilege to visit and be taken around (ICIPE) by my friends, a Kenyan, an Ethiopian and a Uganda, who is now a lecture in the same subject in a top University in America. If Latigo was fair enough to us, he would have told us the people and institutions behind this research centre and their interests. I know, and the good professor knows it, that the biggest funders are not Africans and their have interests.

I have also had chances to attend a couple of farmers dialogue conferences in Europe and Asia, where the biggest topic has always been how to feed the world, but GMO has never been paraded as the top solution. This also gave the opportunity to interact with people from across the world, including Europeans and Americans, but those people really detest and hate GMO food. Question is where will Uganda sale GMO products then?

I request Latigo and Ugandan MPs to look Ugandans in the eyes and address their utmost questions

The writer is small farmer, a friend and former visitor of Farmers Dialogue International, a human rights campaigner and guest writer at www.thespearnews.com

[thespearnews-blog]

Prof. Ogenga Latigo hardened scientific language does not answer the fundamental worries and questions of Ugandans about GMO

New Post has been published on http://thespearnews.com/2017/07/30/prof-ogenga-latigo-hardened-scientific-language-does-not-answer-the-fundamental-worries-and-questions-of-ugandans-about-gmo/

Prof. Ogenga Latigo hardened scientific language does not answer the fundamental worries and questions of Ugandans about GMO

By Bidi Halid

Last night, I spent time reading that missive rambling and meandering letter by Prof. Ogenga Latigo, about GMO(genetically modified organism). The aim, was to help local farmers to identify their needs and understand the benefits of GMO. The good professor and law maker, was also trying to put his case and convince his fellow law and policy makers pass the controversial bill and embrace GMO.

Unfortunately, Prof. Latigo, I think, because of his scientific and rambling language, he did not only leave most of his fellow half baked lawmakers confused, but left the poor local farmers who may take time to read his completely confused and more lost.

Sadly, for me, I had to read the whole thing up to end. I was expecting him to at least address the two or three major concerns of Ugandans and Africans, but nothing came by.

Which are among others;

1 – The costs to poor.

Can we poor Africans afford these seeds? Which we can not replant. But only to buy and worst of all from a white, profit motivated man, 1000s of kilometers away from home. And this for Season after Season, Year after Year.

What and how will a poor old man/woman from Agago, Kidera, Karamoja or Kiboga do, who does not sleep with 1000 Ugandan shilling for months? What if one buys the seeds and for two or 3 three seasons the weather is not good and everything dies in soil, like it always happens mostly in the north, where you come from?

Are you not setting a pace to turn our people into slaves? If they can fail to buy Paracetamol, to treat a headache, where do you expect them to raise money, at least twice a year, to buy seeds for planting? Unless you want them to leave and die as beggars. Like you treat them during elections with 500 shillings for a vote or a piece washing soap.

2 – The health and environmental concerns

There are continous allegation, that GMO foods may be respossible for health problems. The most talked about being cancer. And Ugandans have of late been awakened and are well aware of this problem, which is also worsened by luck of medication in this country.

Although, Latigo and his colleagues can be taken out of the country for state of the art medication, at the expense of the very poor. The good professor again did not talk about and or address himself to this concern

3 – Why is GMO being kicked out of Europe and the Americans?

Yet again, Latiga failed to address this. He simply tried to explain how he is highly educated and knowledgeable on this subject. But wait a minute, how highly educated and knowledgeable on this subject is Latigo, than the Europeans, Canadians, and Americans? Who are time and again presenting big and unanswered questions on this subject?

I refer Ugandans to lawsuits, in California and other states in America; Lawsuits in Australia and Canada about contamination, In the Paris France and European Courts. And all those by local farmers. Question can Uganda as a country, let a lone a poor Ugandan local farmer, afford such expensive court cases? In case we befall a serious problem as a result of this GMO.

In most of these countries, people and their farms are insured. If they buy bad seeds they can be compensated. The same is true, if one gets sick because of bad GMO foods, they are not only treated and treated well in good hospital, but they are also compensated. Unlike in Museveni and Latigo’s Uganda. But they are not taking chances. Why bring this to Uganda at this time? Given our level of corruption and health situation.

4 – GMO Contamination of Organic Farms

I also expected Latigo, to address himself to the issue of contamination of Organic Farms, but he was nowhere. It have been proven in a landmark case in both Canada and Australia, among other countries, that if one person grows GMO seeds, the farms and plants around are equally affected through cross pollination. Today, there is case in California and Australia, where farmers are suing for loss of between 70 to 100 % of their earning because GMO foods and contamination.

Which means, that even unwilling participants become victims of this GMO. And after a couple of seasons everyone around will be, by force, growing, having and eating GMO foods. This brings me to the question of “Patent Rights”

5 – Patents rights on these sends

Because these are and will always be industrial produced products, we hear and truly so, that they will be owned by individuals and or groups of individual. This means that in future, for one to grow the said seeds, one must have permission from the owner. I equally expected the good professor to clearly put that to rest. But kumbe wapi?

In this world, where we leave today, full of blackmail and hostage taking, how do you asure Ugandan and Africans that patent right owners, will not one day blackmail our people and hold them hostage, in order to get food on table.

6 – Why not talk Mechanisation of Agriculture?

Yes, I am not an authority on agriculture like Latigo, but I don’t agree with Prof. Ogenga Latigo and others, who continue to argue that, we need GMO to address famine and or lack of food in Uganda and Africa at large. This is purely wrong and GMO is not the solution, but rather a problem.

The solution lies in modernization and mechanization of agriculture. Ugandan land, like most of Africa, is still virgin and fertile. But expecting people in Agago still digging land for food and sell using a handheld hoe is just too much. In Uganda, like in most of Africa, there are more Mambas and tear gas vehicle than Tractors.

What the good professor and his likes should be doing, is to convince his fellow lawmakers and General Museveni, to reduce the number of Members of Parliament, RDCs, Presidential advisers Mamas and Teargas. And replace all that and the expenses which go with them to buying ” Tractors” and other farm equipments as the beginning.

7 – Marketing, Storage and Transportation

Latigo and I must have seen food rotting in one place of Uganda, yet in another places people are dying of hunger. We have seen mangoes rotting in Luwero, just a few kilometers from Kampala, Yet supermarkets in Kampala, are selling mangoes and other fruits from as far as South Africa. And funny enough, even selling fruits from desert countries in Middle East with no water. We see Trucks getting stark on bad roads with Matoke in Kiboga, yet there is no food in Kampala.

I, a few years ago, witnessed farmers crying with maize in Busoga and in Kiryandongo in Bunyoro, Some selling it at a throw way price of just 50 to 100 a kilo. Unable even to get 20% of the planting costs back. In this particular season, the beneficiary was a member of the first family, who used free government transport, free storage in Nalukolongo, Kampala and sold the same at more than 15 times. Hence to ripping from the very poor man’s sweat.

This, left many farmers crying and vowing never to plant more than their domestic needs. And this is the same story across Africa, and having had the opportunity to visit most African countries, save for western African, I speak with authority on this.

In this conundrum, farmers end up losing whatever they have mortgaged in Banks including land and houses. Which can never be in Europe and else where. In otherwards, a government can’t tell you to plant something and fail to find a market it, store and or tramport it. Like it has been the in Uganda year in year out. For this, at least credit must go to past leaders Amin Dada and Obote, the two, at least tried to address the problems of storage, marketing and transport.

What I am saying is, that with good and organised marketing, storage and transportation, there can never be famine in Uganda. But because of corruption, greedy and ready made food AID from international organisations and countries, some people have made it a job and are always there to raise false flags.

Yes, Prof. Ogenga Latigo, claims that he can never be bribed by any international organisation behind this bill. Well maybe, but history is not on his side. First the parliament where he sits is no record as one of the most corrupt. Many were given just over 1000 dollars to rape and destroy the Ugandan constitution.

Latigo says that, “more importantly, he saw the potential of Molecular Biology as long ago as the late-1980s when I was winding up his PhD studies at the International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), Nairobi”.

True, I had rear privilege to visit and be taken around (ICIPE) by my friends, a Kenyan, an Ethiopian and a Uganda, who is now a lecture in the same subject in a top University in America. If Latigo was fair enough to us, he would have told us the people and institutions behind this research centre and their interests. I know, and the good professor knows it, that the biggest funders are not Africans and their have interests.

I have also had chances to attend a couple of farmers dialogue conferences in Europe and Asia, where the biggest topic has always been how to feed the world, but GMO has never been paraded as the top solution. This also gave the opportunity to interact with people from across the world, including Europeans and Americans, but those people really detest and hate GMO food. Question is where will Uganda sale GMO products then?

I request Latigo and Ugandan Mps to look Ugandans in the eyes and address their utmost questions

Mr. Bidi Halid is small farmer, a friend and former visitor of Farmers Dialogue International and a human rights campaigner.

Opinions

[thespearnews-blog]

Prof. Ogenga Latigo hardened scientific language does not answer the fundamental worries and questions of Ugandans about GMO

New Post has been published on https://thespearnews.com/2017/07/30/prof-ogenga-latigo-hardened-scientific-language-not-answer-fundamental-worries-questions-ugandans-gmo/

Prof. Ogenga Latigo hardened scientific language does not answer the fundamental worries and questions of Ugandans about GMO

By Bidi Halid

Last night, I spent time reading that missive rambling and meandering letter by Prof. Ogenga Latigo, about GMO(genetically modified organism). The aim, was to help local farmers to identify their needs and understand the benefits of GMO. The good professor and law maker, was also trying to put his case and convince his fellow law and policy makers pass the controversial bill and embrace GMO.

Unfortunately, Prof. Latigo, I think, because of his scientific and rambling language, he did not only leave most of his fellow half baked lawmakers confused, but left the poor local farmers who may take time to read his completely confused and more lost.

Sadly, for me, I had to read the whole thing up to end. I was expecting him to at least address the two or three major concerns of Ugandans and Africans, but nothing came by.

Which are among others;

1 – The costs to poor.

Can we poor Africans afford these seeds? Which we can not replant. But only to buy and worst of all from a white, profit motivated man, 1000s of kilometers away from home. And this for Season after Season, Year after Year.

What and how will a poor old man/woman from Agago, Kidera, Karamoja or Kiboga do, who does not sleep with 1000 Ugandan shilling for months? What if one buys the seeds and for two or 3 three seasons the weather is not good and everything dies in soil, like it always happens mostly in the north, where you come from?

Are you not setting a pace to turn our people into slaves? If they can fail to buy Paracetamol, to treat a headache, where do you expect them to raise money, at least twice a year, to buy seeds for planting? Unless you want them to leave and die as beggars. Like you treat them during elections with 500 shillings for a vote or a piece washing soap.

2 – The health and environmental concerns

There are continous allegation, that GMO foods may be respossible for health problems. The most talked about being cancer. And Ugandans have of late been awakened and are well aware of this problem, which is also worsened by luck of medication in this country.

Although, Latigo and his colleagues can be taken out of the country for state of the art medication, at the expense of the very poor. The good professor again did not talk about and or address himself to this concern

3 – Why is GMO being kicked out of Europe and the Americans?

Yet again, Latiga failed to address this. He simply tried to explain how he is highly educated and knowledgeable on this subject. But wait a minute, how highly educated and knowledgeable on this subject is Latigo, than the Europeans, Canadians, and Americans? Who are time and again presenting big and unanswered questions on this subject?

I refer Ugandans to lawsuits, in California and other states in America; Lawsuits in Australia and Canada about contamination, In the Paris France and European Courts. And all those by local farmers. Question can Uganda as a country, let a lone a poor Ugandan local farmer, afford such expensive court cases? In case we befall a serious problem as a result of this GMO.

In most of these countries, people and their farms are insured. If they buy bad seeds they can be compensated. The same is true, if one gets sick because of bad GMO foods, they are not only treated and treated well in good hospital, but they are also compensated. Unlike in Museveni and Latigo’s Uganda. But they are not taking chances. Why bring this to Uganda at this time? Given our level of corruption and health situation.

4 – GMO Contamination of Organic Farms

I also expected Latigo, to address himself to the issue of contamination of Organic Farms, but he was nowhere. It have been proven in a landmark case in both Canada and Australia, among other countries, that if one person grows GMO seeds, the farms and plants around are equally affected through cross pollination. Today, there is case in California and Australia, where farmers are suing for loss of between 70 to 100 % of their earning because GMO foods and contamination.

Which means, that even unwilling participants become victims of this GMO. And after a couple of seasons everyone around will be, by force, growing, having and eating GMO foods. This brings me to the question of “Patent Rights”

5 – Patents rights on these sends

Because these are and will always be industrial produced products, we hear and truly so, that they will be owned by individuals and or groups of individual. This means that in future, for one to grow the said seeds, one must have permission from the owner. I equally expected the good professor to clearly put that to rest. But kumbe wapi?

In this world, where we leave today, full of blackmail and hostage taking, how do you asure Ugandan and Africans that patent right owners, will not one day blackmail our people and hold them hostage, in order to get food on table.

6 – Why not talk Mechanisation of Agriculture?

Yes, I am not an authority on agriculture like Latigo, but I don’t agree with Prof. Ogenga Latigo and others, who continue to argue that, we need GMO to address famine and or lack of food in Uganda and Africa at large. This is purely wrong and GMO is not the solution, but rather a problem.

The solution lies in modernization and mechanization of agriculture. Ugandan land, like most of Africa, is still virgin and fertile. But expecting people in Agago still digging land for food and sell using a handheld hoe is just too much. In Uganda, like in most of Africa, there are more Mambas and tear gas vehicle than Tractors.

What the good professor and his likes should be doing, is to convince his fellow lawmakers and General Museveni, to reduce the number of Members of Parliament, RDCs, Presidential advisers Mamas and Teargas. And replace all that and the expenses which go with them to buying ” Tractors” and other farm equipments as the beginning.

7 – Marketing, Storage and Transportation

Latigo and I must have seen food rotting in one place of Uganda, yet in another places people are dying of hunger. We have seen mangoes rotting in Luwero, just a few kilometers from Kampala, Yet supermarkets in Kampala, are selling mangoes and other fruits from as far as South Africa. And funny enough, even selling fruits from desert countries in Middle East with no water. We see Trucks getting stark on bad roads with Matoke in Kiboga, yet there is no food in Kampala.

I, a few years ago, witnessed farmers crying with maize in Busoga and in Kiryandongo in Bunyoro, Some selling it at a throw way price of just 50 to 100 a kilo. Unable even to get 20% of the planting costs back. In this particular season, the beneficiary was a member of the first family, who used free government transport, free storage in Nalukolongo, Kampala and sold the same at more than 15 times. Hence to ripping from the very poor man’s sweat.

This, left many farmers crying and vowing never to plant more than their domestic needs. And this is the same story across Africa, and having had the opportunity to visit most African countries, save for western African, I speak with authority on this.

In this conundrum, farmers end up losing whatever they have mortgaged in Banks including land and houses. Which can never be in Europe and else where. In otherwards, a government can’t tell you to plant something and fail to find a market it, store and or tramport it. Like it has been the in Uganda year in year out. For this, at least credit must go to past leaders Amin Dada and Obote, the two, at least tried to address the problems of storage, marketing and transport.

What I am saying is, that with good and organised marketing, storage and transportation, there can never be famine in Uganda. But because of corruption, greedy and ready made food AID from international organisations and countries, some people have made it a job and are always there to raise false flags.

Yes, Prof. Ogenga Latigo, claims that he can never be bribed by any international organisation behind this bill. Well maybe, but history is not on his side. First the parliament where he sits is no record as one of the most corrupt. Many were given just over 1000 dollars to rape and destroy the Ugandan constitution.

Latigo says that, “more importantly, he saw the potential of Molecular Biology as long ago as the late-1980s when I was winding up his PhD studies at the International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), Nairobi”.

True, I had rear privilege to visit and be taken around (ICIPE) by my friends, a Kenyan, an Ethiopian and a Uganda, who is now a lecture in the same subject in a top University in America. If Latigo was fair enough to us, he would have told us the people and institutions behind this research centre and their interests. I know, and the good professor knows it, that the biggest funders are not Africans and their have interests.

I have also had chances to attend a couple of farmers dialogue conferences in Europe and Asia, where the biggest topic has always been how to feed the world, but GMO has never been paraded as the top solution. This also gave the opportunity to interact with people from across the world, including Europeans and Americans, but those people really detest and hate GMO food. Question is where will Uganda sale GMO products then?

I request Latigo and Ugandan Mps to look Ugandans in the eyes and address their utmost questions

Mr. Bidi Halid is small farmer, a friend and former visitor of Farmers Dialogue International and a human rights campaigner.