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| BURNING OF THE SULTANA Marion Sue Bradford Thompson |
| The SS Sultana was a Mississippi River steamboat paddlewheeler whose destruction in an explosion on April 27, 1865 was the greatest maritime disaster in United States history. An estimated 1,800 of the Sultana's 2,400 passengers were killed when three of the ship's four boilers exploded and the Sultana sank near Memphis, Tennessee.[1] This disaster received somewhat diminished attention, as it took place soon after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln during the closing weeks of the American Civil War.
The wooden steamship was constructed in 1863 by the John Litherbury Shipyard in Cincinnati, and intended for the lower Mississippi cotton trade. Registering 1,719 tons, the steamer normally carried a crew of 85. For two years, the Sultana ran a regular route between St. Louis and New Orleans. The steamship was frequently commissioned by the War Department to carry troops. |
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| Great Dane |
 ONE HUNDRED FAMOUS VIEWS OF EDO (TOKYO) NUMBER NINETY-TWO |
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| MOKUBOJI TEMPLE, UCHIGAWA INLET, GOZENSAIHATA (Mokuboji Uchigawa Gozensaihata) |
| Two well-dressed ladies alight from the roofed boat by which they have traveled up the Sumida River and into the inlet known as Uchigawa which we glimpsed from the other side of the river in plate 36. In that view, however, we could not see the boat landing or bridge here, which lay some 200 yards in from the Sumida.
The ladies' destination in this isolated area is one of Edo's famous suburban restaurants, which we see to the upper right. Known as Uehan (short for the name of the owner, Uekiya Han'emon), it specialized in dishes of taro and clams and was much prized among stylish residents of late Edo. Hiroshige had depicted Uehan a number of years earlier in a very similar view, one of a series illustrating famous Edo restaurants. The earlier view, however, was a snow scene and did not show the more distant background. |
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| CRUNCHY CARAMEL PEANUT BUTTER CANDY BARS |
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What is the white edible portion of cauliflower called?
PASS YOUR MOUSE OVER THE QUESTION MARKS FOR THE ANSWER! |
| When cooking cauliflower, you may leave the head whole. Rapid cooking time not only reduces the odorous sulfur compounds but also preserves crispness, color, and reduces the loss of nutrients that will leach into the cooking water when vegetables are overcooked. Steaming and microwaving cauliflower will better preserve its vitamin content, especially the B vitamins, than if it is boiled. To microwave cauliflower, put 2 cups of florets in a shallow microwavable dish, or cover a whole head of cauliflower with plastic wrap. For florets, cook for 3 minutes on high, then let stand for 2 minutes. |
| For whole cauliflower, cook on high for 3 minutes, turn head over, and cook for an additional 2 to 4 minutes. Let stand for 3 minutes. To steam cauliflower, place it in a steamer basket, and then place in a pot with 2 inches of water. Cover and steam. Florets will take 3 to 5 minutes to cook. A whole head of cauliflower (1 ½ pounds) will take 15 to 20 minutes to cook, but begin checking for tenderness after 12 minutes. |  |
| Scientists have developed amazing variants of vegetable where the traditional white florets have been changed to a garish orange, purple and green.
The "rainbow cauliflowers" are said to taste the same as the normal varieties, but add a splash of color to the dinner table. Some scientists have even claimed that they are healthier for you. |  |
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| They retain their color even after cooking. Consumers are looking for ever new experiences on their dinner plates and color features very large in their desire for different things. In tests, the garish cauliflowers have proved a hit with shoppers. |
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| While traditionalists may balk at the unusual colors, it is not the first time that plant breeders have changed the appearance of vegetables.
Until the 17th century most carrots eaten in Europe were white, yellow or purple. The orange pigment was added by Dutch plant breeders looking for a way to celebrate Holland's royal family. We have seen the introduction of purple carrots to supermarkets in Britain, along with yellow tomatoes and purple potatoes. In America, where colored cauliflowers have been available for several years, they have been a big hit with foodies. The orange cauliflower has higher-than-normal levels of beta carotene, a form of vitamin A that encourages healthy skin. The purple color comes from anthocyanin, which may help prevent heart disease by slowing blood clotting. |
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| KING EIDER |
| The King Eider (Somateria spectabilis) is a large sea duck that breeds along northern hemisphere Arctic coasts of northeast Europe, North America and Asia. The birds spend most of the year in coastal marine ecosystems at high latitudes, and migrate to Arctic tundra to breed in June and July. They lay 4-7 eggs in a scrape on the ground lined with grass and down. |
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| The King Eider winters in arctic and subarctic marine areas, most notably in the Bering Sea, the west coast of Greenland, eastern Canada and northern Norway. It also occurs annually off the northeastern United States, Scotland and Kamchatka. Breeding areas include the Arctic coastal tundra of the north coast of Alaska. This species dives for benthic invertebrates like crustaceans, polychaete worms, and molluscs, with mussels being a favoured food. Wintering birds can form large flocks on suitable coastal waters, with some flocks exceeding 100,000 birds.
This species is smaller than the Common Eider. The male is unmistakable with its black body, white breast and multicoloured head. The drake's call is a deep cooing. |
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| The female (occasionally colloquially referred to as a "Queen Eider"[2]) is a brown bird, but can still be readily distinguished from all ducks except other eider species on size and structure. The head is shorter than in the Common Eider, and the feathering extension onto the bill is rounded, not triangular in shape. |
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 |  THAT I HAVE NOT READ ... BUT WOULD LIKE TO |
 | The time is 13 o'clock; the date doesn't matter; the year goes without saying. Winston Smith, a bureaucrat at the Ministry of Truth, toils day and night in the service of Big Brother, the remote, faux-benign ruler of this eerily familiar dystopia. Orwell's novel is a study of every possible way a nation can be beaten down by its government: spiritually, physically, intellectually, by the media, torture, surveillance, and censorship, to the point where the state can manipulate reality at will. When Smith is tempted by a beautiful resistance fighter into an act of rebellion, 1984 becomes something more: a strange, tragic, deeply sad love story. It is Orwell's triumph, and the century's misfortune, that 1984 is as prescient as it is pessimistic. |
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| TWO FLATHEADS--EGGPLANT |
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| SCOT'S GREYS AT THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO (Tapestry) |
| The Royal Scots Greys was a cavalry regiment of the British Army from 1707 until 1971, when they amalgamated with the 3rd Carabiniers (Prince of Wales's Dragoon Guards) to form The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys). |
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| SCOTLAND FOREVER Lady Elizabeth Butler |
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| Chanterelles are common in northern parts of Europe and North America, including Mexico, in Asia including the Himalayas, and in Africa including Zambia. Chanterelles tend to grow in clusters in mossy coniferous forests, but are also often found in mountainous birch forests and among grasses and low-growing herbs. In central Europe, the golden chanterelle is often found in beech forests among similar species and forms. |
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| At one time, all yellow or golden chanterelles in western North America had been classified as C. cibarius. However, using DNA analysis, they have since been shown to be a group of related species. In 1997, the Pacific golden chanterelle (C. formosus) and C. cibarius var. roseocanus were identified, followed by C. cascadensis in 2003 and C. californicus in 2008. |
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| Chanterelles are relatively high in vitamin C (0.4 mg/g fresh weight), very high in potassium (about 0.5%, dry weight), and among the richest sources of vitamin D known, with ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) as high as 2500 IU/100 grams fresh weight. Scientific research has suggested that the golden chanterelle may have potent insecticidal properties that are harmless against humans and yet protects the mushroom body against insects and other potentially harmful organisms. |
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| MISSISSIPPI |
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| The committee to design a State Flag was appointed by legislative action February 7, 1894, and provided that the flag reported by the committee should become the official flag. The committee recommended for the flag "one with width two-thirds of its length; with the union square, in width two-thirds of the width of the flag; the ground of the union to be red and a broad blue saltier thereon, bordered with white and emblazoned with thirteen (13) mullets or five-pointed stars, corresponding with the number of the original States of the Union; the field to be divided into three bars of equal width, the upper one blue, the center one white, and the lower one extending the whole length of the flag. |
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| JOHN COLTER'S ENCOUNTER WITH THE BLACKFEET |
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What modern day crop do scientists believe is descended from the wild grass commonly known as 'teosinte?'
PASS YOUR MOUSE OVER THE QUESTION MARKS FOR THE ANSWER! |
| • The average ear of corn has 800 kernels, arranged in 16 rows. • There is one piece of silk for each kernel. • A bushel of corn contains about 27,000 kernels. • Each tassel on a corn plant releases as many as 5 million grains of pollen. • Corn is an ingredient in more than 3,000 grocery products. • One bushel of corn can make 33 pounds of sweetener, 32 pounds of starch, or 2-1/2 gallons of ethanol fuel. |
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| CHIPMUNK AND COSMOS Ann Telling Photo |
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| PEANUT BUTTER AND JAM BARS |
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