Scientifically speaking, a tomato is definitely a fruit. True fruits are developed from the ovary in the base of the flower, and contain the seeds of the plant (though cultivated forms may be seedless). Blueberries, raspberries, and oranges are true fruits, and so are many kinds of nut. Some plants have a soft part which supports the seeds and is also called a 'fruit', though it is not developed from the ovary: the strawberry is an example.

As far as cooking is concerned, some things which are strictly fruits, such as tomatoes or bean pods, may be called 'vegetables' because they are used in savoury rather than sweet cooking. The term 'vegetable' is more generally used of other edible parts of plants, such as cabbage leaves, celery stalks, and potato tubers, which are not strictly the fruit of the plant from which they come. Occasionally the term 'fruit' may be used to refer to a part of a plant which is not a fruit, but which is used in sweet cooking: rhubarb, for example.

So, the answer to the question is that a tomato is technically the fruit of the tomato plant, but it's used as a vegetable in cooking.

Iamon lyme: I thought it was a fruity vegetable?

Or is it a fruit for vegetarians? You can't eat it like an apple. I tried once and it exploded!

(V): Ketchup is made from tomatos. The tomato is a fruit, not a vegetable.

Another option is the government could close down its free lunch program and provide every family with paper bags, bread, and peanut butter. At one point in my life I was making less money than people on welfare were getting, and I was still able to supply enough food for my kids sack lunches.There were people we knew on welfare who would come to us to "borrow" food, money and toilet paper (who 'lends' toilet paper?) One mother became angry when I tried to suggest how she could make her food allowance stretch out for the entire month. After that, we stopped "lending" to people who had more to work with than we did. You can't fix stupid, so why even try?

Vikings: Exactly. And yet people will still think Obama is a smart man. I think Obama blamed both Bush and the hurricane for this one.

Artful Dodger: the solar power plant that he gave millions of dollars to and made at least 3 speeches from stating that "...it's green plants like this that will be the catalyst to our economic recovery..." filed for bankruptcy this week

Vikings: Obama promised that, "I want to be first in wind power, first in solar power...."

The radio host said, "Well, you are first in wind power!"



Then she went on to explain how Obama praised Solyndra but that company is now filing for chapter 11. The left is going crazy and the right is saying, "see?"

Vikings:

Artful Dodger: Yeah but, it distracts from the fact that Obama visited 57 states and couldn't make it to the other 3 or that he has family that has immigration problems

Iamon lyme: I thought Reagan was dead and Obama was the president? hmmmmm

I suppose if it was freshly made.....

Then as now, local school districts could receive reimbursement for each lunch served provided it met minimum standards. In mid-1981, only a few months after Reagan took office, Congress cut $1 billion from child-nutrition funding and gave the USDA 90 days--the blink of an eye, for the federal bureaucracy--to come up with new standards that would enable school districts to economize, in theory without compromising nutrition.

The USDA convened a panel of nutritionists and food service directors to ponder what to do. One option on the table--no one later would admit to putting it there--was to "accept catsup as a fruit/vegetable when used as an ingredient." Some panel members seized on this as an opportunity to discuss whether to count ketchup even if used as a condiment. From what I can tell, the motive wasn't so much penuriousness as trying to face facts about what kids would actually eat. USDA standards at the time required that a reimbursable lunch consist of five items: meat, milk, bread, and two servings of fruit or vegetables. Many kids refused to eat the veggies and the stuff wound up as "plate waste." Would-be realists on the panel reasoned that if they could count ketchup as a vegetable they could meet federal standards without having to throw away so many lima beans, thereby saving money while having no impact on the kids. Looked at in a certain light, it made sense. Ketchup wasn't the only newly permissible substitute: pickle relish and conceivably other condiments could also count as vegetables (precise interpretation was left to state officials); protein sources like tofu or cottage cheese could replace meat; and corn chips, pretzels, and other snacks could replace bread. Minimum portion sizes were also reduced, purportedly another effort to reduce waste.

Mid-level Reaganauts at the USDA saw all this as a matter of giving the states more latitude; wiser heads might have realized that the rest of the world would see it as taking food away from children. Unfortunately for Reagan, the 90-day deadline allowed no time for higher review. When the proposed new rules were released for comment in September 1981, food activists went ballistic. Democratic politicians staged photo ops where they feasted on skimpy-looking meals that conformed to the new standards. The mortified administration withdrew the proposal and the USDA official in charge of the program was transferred, a move widely interpreted as a firing.

(V): Regan was joking. He was making fun of the fact that ketchup was already listed as a vegetable on a nutrition chart. Somehow it got turned around in news reports to say that Ragen thought it was vegetable. Typical news reporting, you can't say anything without someone trying to twist it around to mean something else. It worked though, most people still believe the lie.. including you.

Iamon lyme: Long live dark chocolate. And beer.

(V): I love Ronnie. And Ketchup. And it is a vegtable ... when it's not being a fruit.

Artful Dodger: lol Yes, this is the politics board, and the political implications of an alien take over are staggering. No one fears a chocolate take over. If Obama shames us into giving up our guns and our Bibles, we will be completely helpless. If shootin em don't work, we can always whack em over thar spongy little grey heads with our Bibles. That'll learn em.

And to think Ronald Raygun wanted Tomato Ketchup classified as a vegetable to enable schools to ...."cut out a serving of cooked or fresh vegetable from hot lunch program child-nutrition requirements."

... at the same time ..."the White House purchased $209,508 worth of new china and place settings with the presidential seal embossed in gold."

.... Texas is now the place to live for those who are rich. The cuts or virtual non existence of state taxes have made it the state to be in.... unless you want to better yourself. As the Conservative run state has cut education and other services that give people the chance to be part of 'ThE aMeRiCaN DrEaM'...

But wth.. The rich can live in their gated communities and reassure themselves they are safe.

(V): Big macs and other crappy food sources.

More children and young adults in the US are having strokes - with unhealthy lifestyles being a likely cause, scientists have said.

Researchers at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysed hospital data on up to eight million patients a year between 1995 and 2008. In Annals of Neurology, they say stroke rates in five to 44-year-olds rose by about a third in under 10 years.

Higher blood pressure, diabetes and obesity were common in stroke patients.

The researchers looked at figures for ischemic stroke, due to blood clots, and haemorrhagic stroke, which is caused by bleeding on the brain.The rate of ischemic stroke increased by 31% in five to 14-year-olds, from 3.2 strokes per 10,000 hospital cases to 4.2 per 10,000.

There were increases of 30% for people aged 15 to 34 and 37% in patients between the ages of 35 and 44. In all age groups the increase was greater in men than in women.

Supersize me??

(V): Thank you for that bit of info. Not sure how it pertains to aliens but maybe if we live longer we'll have a chance to meet a real alien. Or maybe aliens like chocolate too!

Eating high levels of chocolate could reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke, according to a review of previous research.

Data from 114,009 patients suggested risk was cut by about a third, according to a study published on the BMJ website.

But the researchers warned that excessive consumption would result in other illnesses.

The British Heart Foundation said there were better ways to protect the heart.

The analysis, conducted by scientists at the University of Cambridge, compared the risk to the brain and heart in groups of people who reported eating low levels of chocolate, fewer than two bars per week, with those eating high levels - more than two bars per week.
Chocolate shield

It showed that the "highest levels of chocolate consumption were associated with a 37% reduction in cardiovascular disease and a 29% reduction in stroke compared with the lowest levels".

Iamon lyme: I love beans.

rod03801: lol Hey Vern, it's Earnest! I hadn't thought of that, but you're right! They have to get through the debris field before even getting to earth. By now some of that debris isn't even from us, know what I mean? Them aliens think they can get past all our garbage got a another think coming. Human beans rule!

Quote of the day: “Racists that they are, blacks voted for Obama because he’s black, not because he’s qualified.” Black author Kevin Jackson


Gee, I said that a while back.

September 01, 2011

Clueless Obama Labour Secretary Buys Canadian SUV To 'Support The American Workers'

This would really be amusing if it wasn't destroying our great country (emphasis mine):

To show her support for American workers, President Obama's labor secretary, Hilda Solis, has junked the standard black limo and purchased a new Chevrolet Equinox to ride around Washington in. The problem: the crossover SUV is built and assembled in Canada from parts also made in Canada.
Solis proudly arrived at a media breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor today in the shiny silver vehicle, which she has dubbed the "bullet." She was asked about why she traded the standard-issue limo for the SUV. "What better example could I set if I encouraged my staff to go and purchase and seek how we could acquire a vehicle that would for me would send a signal that we're for supporting our American workers, American-made products, fuel efficient as well," she told the Monitor's Dave Cook, who provided this video of her answer.


What better example of the Obama Administration's total incompetency?

Solis added that she was inspired to buy the Chevy because of the pride she saw in American auto workers during trips to U.S. car and truck plants. She said that she was wowed by "the pride that they take making our automobiles here in America."

Such an idiot. If you're going to "support American workers" and use the failing economy to score a political point, at least have your staff make certain it is an American-made product.

2012 can't come soon enough. Let's hope our country is still salvageable when it does.

Iamon lyme: All the debris in space : !!! http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/space-debris-is-getting-out-of-hand/2011/09/01/gIQArLHouJ_blog.html

Iamon lyme: They do a lot of drinking on the flight here. And you probably know, that once you have had one too many, and hit fresh air, you really feel the effects. Once in our atmosphere they get light headed and disoriented. That's what those crop circles are all about. Some drunk alien having a little fun. But then once in a while they hit the trottle instead of the break and it's crash time.

But you probably knew that since you're me.

Artful Dodger: What I don't understand is why, with all of their superior technology able to travel through the dangerous vastness of space, when the aliens finally get here a lot of them crash land on earth. And they leave spaceship debris and bodies for us to find and spirit away to a secret site everyone knows about..

Iamon lyme: my best friend is from out of this world

Iamon lyme: or alienophobes either

Iamon lyme: ..by "calling" us spacists. (Ungh.. this always happens if I don't look at what I wrote)

Artful Dodger: It seems it's okay to make fun of aliens (from outer space). No one has played the space card by called us spacists.. thus far.

Boehner grows a pair, and Obummer shows his yellow streak.

President Obama has accepted House Speaker John Boehner's request to postpone his planned jobs speech by a day, after the White House announced Wednesday that it was scheduling the address for the same night as a GOP 2012 primary debate in California.

Ha! I love it! Instead of overshadowing the Republican debate, Obummer is going to be [ticking] off a very large part of the country if his blah blah blah pre-empts the first game of the NFL season.

Congrats to Speaker Boehner for buckling down and not giving in to this bully.

Warren Buffet says the super rich should pay more in taxes and he'd "happy pay more."

Then why has he been fighting with the IRS for the past ten years on his tax obligations???

A senior National Transitional Council official in Libya has told Al Jazeera that Saadi Gaddafi, the third son of deposed leader Muammar Gaddafi, is willing to give himself up.

Abdelhakim Belhaj, the NTC's military leader in Tripoli, said on Wednesday that Saddi called him and asked if he can surrender. In an exclusive interview, Belhaj said the revolutionaries know for sure where some of the regime leaders are, including unconfirmed reports on where Gaddafi is.

"Gaddafi is now fleeing - and we have a good idea where he is," Ali Tarhouni, a senior NTC minister said earlier, without elaborating. "We don't have any doubt that we will catch him." There has been speculation that Gaddafi is seeking refuge in Sirte or one of the other remaining regime strongholds, among them the towns of Bani Walid or Sabha.

Al Jazeera's James Bays, reporting from Tripoli said: “We asked him [Belhaj] about the military situation, remaining members of the Gaddafi family, and he said that he believes one of Gaddafi's sons, Saadi, is preparing to surrender.

Libya's interim leaders have given pro-Gaddafi forces until Saturday to surrender or face military force.

Mustafa Abdul Jalil, who leads the National Transitional Council (NTC), said the ultimatum applied to loyalists of Col Muammar Gaddafi in his hometown of Sirte and in other towns.

The announcement came after Col Gaddafi's wife and three of his adult children fled to neighbouring Algeria. Algeria has defended the move, which the NTC called an "act of aggression".

The anti-Gaddafi forces are trying to overcome pockets of resistance by loyalists, and preparing to advance on Sirte.

Speaking at a news conference in Benghazi, Mr Jalil said that if there was no "peaceful indication" by Saturday that Gaddafi-loyalists intended to surrender, "we will decide this manner militarily"

Bernice: BTW, I'm completely for private individuals/groups spearheading efforts to feed the hungry. And I also think we ALL should do something to help alleviate hunger. That said, it should NEVER be the job of the government to feed the hungry. The money will get wasted, stolen, costs will be triple what private groups would need. The government is incapable of doing an efficient job of this. That's perhaps the biggest reason to oppose government taking the lead on this problem.

Bernice: Hunger Study 2010



Hunger Study 2010



Hunger in America 2010 is the largest study of domestic hunger, providing comprehensive and statistically-valid data on our emergency food distribution system and the people Feeding America serves. Hunger in America 2010 is extremely detailed, drawing on data from more than 61,000 interviews with clients and surveys of 37,000 feeding agencies.
The report shows that hunger is increasing at an alarming rate in the United States, and our network is expanding its reach in response:
•Feeding America is annually providing food to 37 million Americans, including 14 million children. This is an increase of 46 percent over 2006, when we were feeding 25 million Americans, including 9 million children, each year.
•That means one in eight Americans now rely on Feeding America for food and groceries.
•Feeding America's nationwide network of food banks is feeding 1 million more Americans each week than we did in 2006.
•Thirty-six percent of the households we serve have at least one person working.
•More than one-third of client households report having to choose between food and other basic necessities, such as rent, utilities and medical care.
•The number of children the Feeding America network serves has increased by 50 percent since 2006.

Bernice: I don't think it's that high but I'll see what I can find.

There are some that are truly deserving of help. Then others who need a kick start in life. And others are so self-destructive that no matter the help, they prefer the rut.

Artful Dodger: I agree with all of what you have said, and as has been said below....the apples don't fall far from the tree.
I just wondered if nearly 10% of the population are in this predicament :(
but then as you say it is probably everywhere.

Bernice: I'm not sure what the numbers are. But it would be naive to suppose the percentage would be at zero. I suspect that there are plenty of kids going to bed hungry as well. It's not just an American problem.

If true, the first question I ask is this: What the hell are their kids doing? It's not the job of the government to pick up the slack for every social woe. Families need to take care of families.

Next, what is the church doing?

How about the community?

Finally, the State. There should be some safety nets.

That said, a guy named Johnny quits school when he's 17. He works odd jobs and never tries to finish his education. He can't get a good paying job. He gets into drugs and that sucks up all his money. By the time he's 50, he's living on the street and going to bed hungry.

Along the way, Johnny did nothing to help himself. He CHOSE his life. He CHOSE to be poor and homeless and hungry.

This is often the case.

They did a study where they gave a homeless guy 100,000 dollars to see what he'd do. He blew it all away. Gave it away or spent it foolishly. He was once again homeless and broke. Should the State now spend thousands more of taking care of this idiot?

Iamon lyme: Yes, and when they get to where they are going they often say that the earth is a nice place to visit, but they wouldn't want to live here.

On our news this morning there was an item saying that 9% of the american public over 50 years of age go to bed at night "HUNGRY" because they cant afford to buy food....???

Really???

Artful Dodger: "You know more stuff than I know."

I thought it was the other way around. You are smarter than I am, but if you say I know more stuff then who am I to argue.. heh heh heh heh heh..

I was discussing aliens with someone a few years ago, then someone else I knew walked up to us, so I asked him, "What do you think? What do the aliens want?" He said, "They want our jobs." I don't think he knew exactly what we were talking about, but maybe he stumbled onto to something.. Maybe the aliens (from outer space) do want our jobs.. and our women. I mean, look at them. How attractive could their own women be? I have a better theory though (don't we all?). I think earth is merely a rest stop on their way to somewhere else.. [ Next Rest Stop 11.5 Lightyears ]

The US government has wasted $30bn (£18bn) in contracts in Afghanistan and Iraq over the last decade, according to a bi-partisan spending commission.

The commission on wartime contracting blamed an over-reliance on contractors, poor planning and fraud for the waste. It had evidence of lax accountability and inadequate competition, it said.

Writing in the Washington Post, the report's authors warn that investments in the two countries could be wasted even after US involvement there ends. Among the examples cited was a $40m prison for Iraq that the country did not want and was never completed.

US-funded projects in those two countries also risk going to waste because host governments are unable or unwilling to sustain them.

In one case, $300m was poured into a sophisticated power plant in Kabul which the Afghan government will not be able to run, and a programme worth $11.4bn of facilities for the Afghan national security forces is likely to be unsustainable.

The commission's report is due to be published on Wednesday but its authors, who include former government officials and lawmakers, have already published an opinion piece in the Washington Post, blaming both the government and contractors for the waste.

The article makes the obvious recommendation to be more rigorous when deciding whether a project should be contracted out but it also recommends cancelling or modifying projects that are not sustainable.

Beyond just a disservice to taxpayers, the report says that the waste fosters corruption in host countries and diminishes the standing and influence of the US.

...Bad accounting, bad planning and fraud... That's what you get when you trust private contractors

One in four Dems want to dump Obama
Rick Moran




It's about 15% higher than what you would normally get in a re-election year, but it is still significant because dissatisified people don't usually vote. If just 2-3% fewer voters turn out for the president, and the GOP nominee gets the same percentage as McCain, it makes re-election very difficult for Obama.

Top stylists from New York to Hollywood told me their liberal clients are guiltily requesting the Bachmann Look.

"A lot of clients have asked for Sarah Palin hair in the past four years, and now, it's Bachmann," says Andi Scarbrough of Byu-ty Hair Therapy in L.A. "Politicians are the new celebrities, because they're real. They didn't just spring up out of the red carpet."

However, she admits, "I have women who come in with photos with the face cut out sometimes."

"She has great coppery color that warms her up a little bit," said Angelo David at his E. 43rdSt. salon, who confirmed a spike in copycat requests for the candidate's look. "Not everybody wants to look like Kim Kardashian."

Bachmann's style "is safe, but not soccer mom. It's sexy," said Alma Qeraxhiu at her AlmaG Salon and Spa on E. 21st. St.

"I have found it a little bit amazing how many women have been coming in asking for her hair style, even though they don't agree with her politics."

Michele Bachmann's hair has great crossover appeal.

Vikings: .. If Aliens come to this solar system they would just raid the other 99% of the solar system. Why waste the time to blow up some race when it'll do it itself if it gets too stoooopid

Vikings: Too funny. After all these years of SETI and not one signal. There's not one "out there." The lights (stars) are on but no one's home."

There is however a likely hood of creatures that live below the surface of the earth and these creatures may unleash the lava underground and wipe us out that way. I saw real pictures of these creatures once (in the movie Time Machine). I know they were real and not fake because I saw them on TV.