Wapsi Square Forum

GlytchMeister wrote:Flour is also mainly cellulose, and flour is a big part of dough.
I don't know if Oreos use real flour or even real cellulose, but I bet the same action is happening.
Also, the sugar and fat dissolving probably contributes a lot, seeing as it's a freakin oreo.*

You do come up with some interesting off-the-vanderwaals questions, don't you?

Flour is largely starch, and starch has a similar process taking place. When dried its molecules take a crystalline form; when wet, its molecules link to those of water (hydrogen bonds again, I suspect) and take the form of a gel.

Sugar, of course, is crystalline when dry, and syrupy-to-liquid when dissolved in water.

Oreo cookies contain sugar, wheat flour, high-fructose corn syrup, and cornstarch. So, when baked, when the water is forced out, the starch and sugar become crystalline and lock together to form a rigid mass. Reintroduce water, and the sugars will at least partially dissolve, and the starches will at least partially revert to a gel, and the structure loses its strength and falls apart.

Breads are made with high-protein flour; the protein molecules link together and create a network which doesn't dissolve readily after it's been baked. I'd guess that Oreos are made from pastry flour, which is a high-starch/low-protein type that doesn't create a stiff crust.

Josiah Stamp, quoting the reply by a judge in British India to a lawyer quoting statistics in court, wrote:The government are very keen on amassing statistics—they collect them, add them, raise them to the nth power, take the cube root and prepare wonderful diagrams. But what you must never forget is that every one of those figures comes in the first instance from the chowty dar [village watchman], who just puts down what he damn pleases.

From SIZES.com (The online Quantinary)

AnotherFairportfan wrote:I did provide links for both monuments.

There is another monument to an agricultural pest, apparently, in Australia.

G'day

typing this from memory, before using the 'net to confirm details and fix spelling :p

Cactoblastis Moth > Prickly Pear > monument is near the Jondarian Wool Shed.

-----

hmmm .... close

Cactoblastis Moth and Prickly Pear yes, the the monument is actually the Boonarga Cactoblastis Hall (built in honour of the Moth)

http://anpsa.org.au/APOL2008/mar08-s3.html

http://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/ ... orial-hall


Boonarga Cactoblastis Hall

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prickly_p ... _Australia

however, considering the Prickly Pear was the pest and the Cactoblastis Moth was a surprisingly successful method of dealing with the problem, is it correct to say a monument built in Australia to honour the Cactoblastis Moth is a monument built for a pest?

*more searching*

ah-ha! There is another monument, and it's an actual monument

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cactoblas ... _memorials

Dalby in Queensland, Australia, has a monument commemorating eradication of Opuntia by the moth in a park by Myall Creek, which runs through the town.

Monument to the Cactoblastis cactorum moth in Queensland, Australia

so, a hall and a monument for the Cactoblastis Moth.

side note: My mother's family are from the (farming) town of Jandowae which just 50km (31mi) north(ish) of Dalby and Boonarga is the same distance away to the west of Jandowae.

Have you ever encountered the book George Washington's Expense Account?  Washington nobly declined to accept a salary, if Congress would agree to pay his expenses as Commander in Chief during the Revolution.
 
A general's pay was $166/year.  Washington's itemised expenses came to just shy of half a million dollars.
 
Talk about doing well by doing good.
 
(When he was elected President, he made the same noble offer, and Congress sai "Uh, no, we'll just pay you a salary, George...")
 
Well, Buzz Aldrin has now published his travel voucher for the trip to the Moon. 
 
Buzz didn't do as well as George:

[

[
 
And they had to fill out a Customs declaration:
 
[

I also recall the expense account from Apollo 13, requesting compensation by the mile - and emergency lodging...

I think it was only after Apollo 13 that AAA finally made it explicit that their towing service isn't available beyond the upper edge of the troposphere.

The "Towing Bill" in question:

Today's Astronomy Photo of the Day is a stereo pair in true colour of Pluto.
 
I've taken it and created versions for both cross-eyed (top) and straight (lower) open-eyed viewing:
 

AnotherFairportfan wrote:I've taken it and created versions for both cross-eyed (top) and straight (lower) open-eyed viewing:

Hehe. Looking at the bottom one cross-eyed makes Pluto concave. I think a series of planetary bowls would make good collector's items.

AnotherFairportfan wrote:Today's Astronomy Photo of the Day is a stereo pair in true colour of Pluto.

i love how an Official Government Website sent people to XKCD in their link to the "features" on the surface of Pluto...

And then there are times when I hate that I'm right.

(This is a reverse case from "Mr. Cavin Foxglove", but still...)

GlytchMeister wrote: Speakin of Oreos, I hope someone got fired for coming up with this "Oreo Thins" crap.
Diet Oreos? Are you kidding me?
If you are of the Oreo-eating disposition, you are likely not overly concerned with weight or you are ok with working the calories off.
*Walks away, grumbling to self about the sheer audacity and absurdity of diet Oreos.*

Not exactly. It's a brilliant marketing strategy. You want an oreo. Oreos are not as good when counting calories. Thin oreos trick you into eating a whole package with less guilt. You pay more to eat less, but buy more to get what you crave. Personally, if I know someone is watching their sugars, I portion packet those...and keep a flyswatter nearby...for...encouragement.

It took me forever to get my son's Godfather out of the bad habits(darn those militant nuns*inserts a vhs copy of the flying nun into the jar*) of diet foods.
I took the basic three square meals and snacks...and tossed it off a skyscraper. Instead, he ate small portions all day, not skimping on anything...nor getting rid of it.
Portion bags for snacks and treats are key here.
He never gave them up, but instead fit it into a measured container. Two oreos, a handful of pizza combos, half a packet if kit kats... I went through his pantry and divided all his junk food into these bags, and then into bins. He got three a day for snack times. I also turned some of them(like his combos and sugary breakfast cereals) into healthy mixes by adding unsalted peanuts and dry fruit. He had to eat oatmeal in the mornings(and with cold porridge versions, it's a snap...especially when he mixed a hot cocoa packet and peanut butter together with the plain yogurt and milk before adding the oatmeal and flaxseed in.)
Changed his white pasta into whole wheat. Eat a yogurt every day.
If he wasn't working or was at school, he got small portions all day. In class he had the cereal treats.
Took his ramen he likes and made it his cheat treat...with a twist. He had to use low sodium chicken broth, add an egg and either veggies or kelp to it.
For every can or bottle of soda, he needed three of water(I got canisters of instant lemonade and had him add a scoop to sun tea). With the advent of MIO and other water additives, it's now easier.
Junk food restaurants, he had to add extra lettuce, and have his chicken grilled instead of breaded/battered, and fried. Kid's meals portions whenever possible.

If it was a five minute car trip in nice weather, he had to walk or bike.
In one year he shed almost eighty pounds.

DinkyInky wrote:Personally, if I know someone is watching their sugars, I portion packet those...and keep a flyswatter nearby...for...encouragement.

So what you're saying is that I need you around to keep me honest about my eating habits...because no one else has been able to manage.

Julie wrote:

DinkyInky wrote:Personally, if I know someone is watching their sugars, I portion packet those...and keep a flyswatter nearby...for...encouragement.

So what you're saying is that I need you around to keep me honest about my eating habits...because no one else has been able to manage.

Hah. I'm thoroughly honest about my eating habits: They're uniformly terrible. But seriously, I'll have to print up Dinky's instructions and paste several copies to my fridge & cabinet doors. Sadly, I have no-one in my life to swat me when I try to backslide.

Well, yesterday evening was a bit messed up.

My sister has... well, had three goats. Goats she kept at our place, even after she was told not to bring them here. She never takes care of them aside from buying feed and hay. She also said to leave them out of the pen.

I was sitting in my room when I suddenly heard a strange sound. I didn't recognize it, but in two seconds, I am up and getting my gun, thinking someone's dog is attacking the goats.

I open the door, see our dog (who was always friendly to everything) and another dog attacking one of the goats. In the time it took to chamber a round (it's an M9, so not long at all), I thought to shoot both dogs, decided they were too close to the goat, and the other two were probably dead already, and I didn't feel like digging that many holes, so I fired into the ground a few feet away.

The dogs immediately ran off, the goat went into the house, and I went to the back yard to see what happened to the other two. One was lying dead, its mother was missing.

My father and I buried the dead one after we all search for the missing goat.

There are bloodstains on my shoes.

Wow.

That is dreadfully unfortunate for all concerned. I have an uneasy feeling that somebody (maybe your sister, maybe the legal owners of the dog(s) and the property) could be at some risk of legal consequences for this. At the very least, the Law might insist that your dogs be put down, or kept under restraint at all times.

If your sister cannot or will not take proper care of them, maybe your local Humane Society can find a better owner?

Should have invited your sister over for the barbecue.

Seriously, that is not good about the dogs. Attacking livestock is still a capital offense for dogs in a lot of places. Traditional wisdom is that once dogs learn to kill livestock, they won't stop.

The Prince and a neighbourhood cat keep watch on each other (7 August 15):
 


Neighbour cat came calling again (8 August 15).
 
Beautiful blue eyes.  We're pretty sure he's a Siamese cross, though they usually wind up black and built more like a Siamese:
 

 
Junior fails to approve of his presence
 

That one cat looks like a ragdoll. My sister had one. They're kind of a new breed.

Around here, it's legal to kill a pest animal, or anything that attacks you, your pets, or your livestock. So if someone's dog gets into your trash repeatedly, they can't do jack if you kill the dog.

So if it comes back, I'm gonna make sure it's the last time. Which I know sounds horrible, but considering what happened a few days ago, I'm sure it's understandable.