One of the most important ingredients in scrambled eggs is air. It would be nice if we could just dollop a Tablespoon of air into the mixing bowl, but for the time being, incorporating air into beaten eggs requires good old-fashioned elbow grease. The more you whisk, the more air bubbles become trapped in the shaken and unraveling protein of the eggs. As the eggs cook, protein molecules firm-up around the air bubbles resulting in a spongy texture and hopefully full and fluffy scrambled eggs.... [read more]

A minister was retiring, and after his final sermon, he stood at the door of his church to say farewell to his parishioners. One old woman told him, “I’m sure our next pastor won’t be as good as you’ve been.” The minister was flattered but tried to be modest. “Oh, I’m sure he’ll be fine. What makes you say that?” “I’ve been here for the last five pastors,” said the lady, “and each one has been worse than the one... [read more]

A spoonful of sugar may, as Mary Poppins sang, help the medicine go down. But too many spoonfuls will probably increase your need to take medicine in the first place. Too much sugar—or rather, the unproductive calories it delivers to the body—can lead to weight gain, diabetes, and heart disease, among other health problems. How much is too much? An American Heart Association study found that Americans consume an average of 22 teaspoons a day (during 2001-2004). AHA guidelines... [read more]

We know it well as the standard symbol for e-mail, but where did it come? History says that the @ symbol was created by medieval monks. During the Middle Ages, each copy of a book was painstakingly transcribed by hand. The task went to monks, who developed ways to reduce the number of pen strokes for common words. The result was to loop the “t” in the word at around the “a.”   [read more]

An elderly husband and wife noticed that they were beginning to forget many little things around the house. So, they decided to go see their physician to get some help. Their physician told them that many people their age find it useful to write themselves little notes as reminders. The elderly couple thought this sounded wonderful, and left the doctor's office very pleased with the advice. When they got home, the wife said, "Dear, will you please go to the kitchen and get me a dish... [read more]