So many recalled foods and other consumables lately! And every time the subject comes up on social media, some people start yelling, “Just buy local!”. This post is about the problems surrounding recalls, and goes into the reasons that buying local is not an option for most people. The USDA, FDA, CDC and various other government organizations have a variety of departments and methods to keep our food safe and slow the spread of diseases that could potentially cause pandemics. Keep in mind there is a certain amount of overlap between food safety and disease spread. These agencies came about in the first place because of contaminated foods causing wide…

Following are the 50 States’ names with brief explanations of their origins. Please note, this list may have some inaccuracies, because as I researched the state names, I often found multiple explanations at various sources, many of which contradicted each other. So I had to try to choose the options which seemed to be confirmed by the most legitimate authorities. I used the word “Indian” rather than “Native American” in the cases where I was quoting or paraphrasing historical sources. ALABAMA: Named after a Muskogean-speaking Creek Confederacy tribe called the Alabamas, Alibamons or Alibamus. The word is roughly translated as ‘clearers of the thicket’ or ‘herb gatherers’. ALASKA: From the…

A Brief History of Tobacco Tobacco is native to the Americas. It was cultivated and used in pipes, as cigars, and as snuff by indigenous peoples for medicinal and ceremonial purposes as early as 6000 BC. In the 1500s, Spanish and Portuguese sailors carried it to Europe, where it became wildly popular. A French diplomat named Jean Nicot presented tobacco to the French court as a medicinal herb. It’s use became fashionable amongst the French nobility, and it was soon all the rage throughout Europe. (The word nicotine was derived from Jean Nicot’s name). As the European appetite for tobacco grew, American colonists began growing it to meet the demand.…