National Popcorn Day, In the News, and Enjoy

National Popcorn Day - Today is National Popcorn Day!

According to the Popcorn Board, Americans eat about 16 billion quarts of popped popcorn each year.

POPCORN FACTS:

Americans consume some 16 billion quarts of popcorn annually.

Compared to most snack foods, popcorn is low in calories.

Air-popped popcorn has only 31 calories per cup.

Oil-popped is only 55 per cup.

Popcorn is a type of maize (or corn), a member of the grass family, and is scientifically known as Zea mays everta.

Of the 6 types of maize/corn—pod, sweet, flour, dent, flint, and popcorn—only popcorn pops.

Popcorn is a whole grain. It is made up of three components: the germ, endosperm, and pericarp (also know as the hull).

Popcorn needs between 13.5-14% moisture to pop.

Popcorn differs from other types of maize/corn in that is has a thicker pericarp/hull. The hull allows pressure from the heated water to build and eventually bursts open. The inside starch becomes gelatinous while being heated; when the hull bursts, the gelatinized starch spills out and cools, giving it its familiar popcorn shape.

Most U.S. popcorn is grown in the Midwest—primarily in Indiana, Nebraska, Ohio, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, and Missouri.

Many people believe the acres of corn they see in the Midwest during growing season could be picked and eaten for dinner, or dried and popped. In fact, those acres are typically field corn, which is used largely for livestock feed, and differs from both sweet corn and popcorn.

The peak period for popcorn sales for home consumption is in the fall.

Most popcorn comes in two basic shapes when it's popped: snowflake and mushroom. Snowflake is used in movie theaters and ballparks because it looks and pops bigger. Mushroom is used for candy confections because it does not crumble.

Popping popcorn is one of the number-one uses for microwave ovens. Most microwave ovens have a "popcorn" control button.

"Popability" is popcorn lingo that refers to the percentage of kernels that pop.

There is no such thing as "hull-less" popcorn. All popcorn needs a hull in order to pop. Some varieties of popcorn have been bred so the hull shatters upon popping, making it appear to be hull-less.

How high can popcorn kernels pop? They can pop up to 3 feet in the air.

The world’s largest popcorn ball was created by volunteers in Sac City, Iowa in February, 2009. It weighed 5,000 pounds, stood over 8 feet tall, and measured 28.8 feet in circumference.

If one made a trail of popcorn from New York City to Los Angeles, one would need more than 352,028,160 popped kernels!

In the News - They walk among us!

Liberace Going Back on Tour -- As Hologram

UPS Driver Arrested For Stealing $200K In Gold, Silver Bars

Human Cannonball Launched to His Death

DEA Secretly Tracked Americans' Calls for Over a Decade, Document Reveals

Tiger Woods Spotted Wearing Skull Mask, Missing Tooth

Enjoy - Relax and enjoy these images and videos!

Anti-Virus and Anti-Malware, In the News, and Enjoy

Anti-Virus and Anti-Malware

- I often observe—without surprise—that many clients employ no anti-virus nor anti-malware protection. Many buy new computers with trial versions of Norton or McAfee products installed, and when the trial periods end, these users simply ignore this and continue prowling the Internet without concern. They soon find their systems infected and are unjustifiably surprised.

Others simply do not recognize the peril of operating a computer without anti-virus and anti-malware applications installed.

Similarly, many smartphone and tablet users ignore the lack of security which faces them and operate their Android, Windows, or iOS mobile devices without concern for security.

There are also those who do recognize the necessity to properly address the virus and malware threats and seek guidance regarding what applications to use. I routinely share what applications I use and recommend, and I shall present this information here:

On our three desktop and two laptop Windows 7 systems, I use Microsoft Security Essentials. This is a wonderful application that is offered free from Microsoft.

Microsoft Security Essentials can be downloaded from HERE

I also use Malwarebytes Anti-Malware on all my Windows systems.
This is an extremely powerful security application that is capable of finding and removing threats that are not addressable otherwise.

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware can be downloaded from HERE

On our two Android smartphones and our four Android tablets, I use AVG to protect them from virus and malware threats. The AVG mobile application is free and additionally locates lost phones.

AVG Anti-Virus can be downloaded from HERE

In the News - Interesting stories ripped from today's headlines.

NYC Restaurant Requires Patrons to Eat in Silence

Man Arrested for Putting Chastity Padlock on Girlfriend

Passengers Stuck on Universal Studios Roller Coaster for Two Hours

Man Called Police After Being Stiffed in Drug Deal

Enjoy - Relax and enjoy these images and videos!

Triple-digit Weather Returns, In the News, and Enjoy!

Triple-digit Weather Returns - We had anticipated greatly a cooling trend. Weatherpeople predict triple-digit weather throughout the week.

Yesterday afternoon, it was so hot that the cooling system here at my office failed miserably!

I have constructed this device to combat the gruelingly hot temperatures! I hope it is effective!

In the News - Interesting, weird, unusual, strange, etc. This is the news!

Production Of New $100 Bill Botched For 3rd Time; Could Cost Taxpayers $4M

Gay Inmates in California Can Get Married

Runaway Lion Takes Ride In Police Cruiser

6-clawed Lobster Finds New Home

2-year-old Escapes Nursery, Walks Half-Mile Home Alone

Enjoy! - Relax and enjoy these images and videos!

Weirdness in the News, Stupid Criminals, and Wow!

Weirdness in the News -

Boy, 11, Begins Freshman Year At College, Majoring In Quantum Physics

California Wants to Tax Little League, Boy Scouts

Man Steals Dad's Body from Cemetery Hoping to Bring It Back to Life

Stupid Criminals - They walk among us!

Would-Be Robbers Arrested After Chicago Restaurant Owner Tells Them To Come Back An Hour Later

Miami Beach Man Tried to Buy Beer with Bartender's Own Stolen Credit Card

Alleged Burglar Caught by Police After Butt-Dialing 911

Teen's Post on Facebook Leads to Arrest

Wow! - Do not try this at home!

Underground America Day and Bizarre News

Underground America Day - Today is Underground America Day, but do not expect to be entertained by Lou Reed's music or Andy Warhol's art: Underground America Day is a time to honor the 6,000 or so North Americans who make their homes not only on the Earth but in it. Underground America Day began in 1974, when architect Malcolm Wells came up with the idea.

There are no celebrations planned for this day; there is no need to clean the grill; there are no celebratory sporting events taking place today; there is nothing you need do! If you are an Underground American, life moves forward as on any other day. If you are like the majority of Americans and live above ground, simply conduct your day as you would otherwise. Happy Underground America Day!

Bizarre News - Today is a good day for devotées of bizarre news:

Store robbed at gunpoint across from police station

3 arrested in drug, prostitution sting at Englewood senior citizen housing complex

Authorities in Kentucky have charged a man who officers say had an overnight feast in a closed supermarket outside Louisville

Snake Made of Ground Beef Makes for a Frightening Display At Seattle Grocery

Grave Robber Accused of Stealing Items from Florida Cemetery to Decorate Home

Florida Bus Driver, Allegedly Forced Students to Fight in Her Backyard

Man Arrested for Using Bulldozer to Destroy 2 Homes, Power Lines

Roadkill, Today's Holiday, and Weird News

Roadkill - Without warning, a witty bit of humor, in the form of what Laura has termed a "Davidism," enters my mind, and I immediately add it to a list of Davidisms that I maintain on my Google Drive.

Fueled by yesterday's rant, no doubt, this Davidism popped into my head:

What do you get if you cross a comedic actor with roadkill?

Jim Carrion!

Today's Holiday - Today is National Make Your Own Holiday Day! This is always March 26th. National Make Your Own Holiday Day allows you to make today a special day for anything you want. The objective of today is to allow one day for any topic or event that has otherwise escaped recognition. Today, is your day to skip all of the red tape, bypass all of the effort, and create a special day of any kind. Simply declare your special day on National Make Your Own Holiday Day! This day appears to have been created by the Wellness Permission League.

Weird News - Here are some bizarre items from today's news:

William Shatner "appalled" by IRS Star Trek spoof

"Game of Thrones" actor has ear bitten off after asking two rowdy men outside his room at a Travelodge to be quiet

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano doesn’t believe in using email

Alameda County rewards Administrator $400k per year for life

Man Vows To Kill All Squirrels After House Fire Interrupts Funeral Procession

Man Busted For Allegedly Missing Child Support After Posting Facebook Money Pictures

Woman Burns Down Home Setting Snake On Fire

"Ultimate Man Cave" Could Be Yours For $499,500

Tilda Swinton Sleeps In A Glass Box At The Museum Of Modern Art

West Point Worker Allegedly Stole Meatballs, Faces Military Prison Time