The "This Might Be A Stupid Question, But...." Thread

[Diane AKA Traska]

Looking at the Hubble Deep-Field pictures got me to wondering.  How can astronomers state definitively that our Milky Way galaxy is a spiral galaxy and where we are in it?  No one has ever been outside it looking in, as it were.   It seems to me that it's the equivalent of a fish in the Pacific Ocean claiming to know how big it is and what land-masses it touches.

First off, there's a finite number of galaxy shapes out there, and we've seen spiral galaxies head-on so we know what they look like.  Secondly, the shape of a spiral galaxy is consistent with what we can see from our own planet.  And third, it also fits with the placement and speeds of the other systems we can measure from here - things we can measure the vectors of are moving in the speeds and directions a spiral galaxy would explain them moving.  Of course it's always possible we're part of a hitherto-unknown galaxy formation not repeated anywhere near enough for us to see or measure, which looks and acts like a spiral galaxy does from our specific viewpoint, but the spiral galaxy theory is much more likely 

Or, if you'd like a more detailed answer:  https://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-did-scientists-determ

[Piratelvr1121]

The neti pot really is magic. Disgusting, disgusting magic.

I would also recommend a long, hot shower. Sit down in the tub if you feel woozy, but keep the door closed and the fan off, and let the bathroom get steamy as possible. I sometimes find that letting the shower stream hit my sinus area helps. It's a little massage, the heat loosens things up, and the moisture in the air will help soothe your mucus membranes.

I'll probably end up doing that just before bed. My fan's wired into the lightswitch, unfortunately, but it doesn't work too well, so I think I can steam myself to near-oblivion.

Another thing that's remarkably effective at clearing phlegm out of one's throat is alcohol.  It's a very effective solvent.  As long as you don't have any religious or other reason to avoid it, a small (1/4 ounce) sip of 80-proof spirits is very useful.  (There's a reason cough syrup used to contain a significant dose of alcohol).

**I wouldn't do this if your throat is raw, however.  That just hurts!

My go to sinus clearer is a shot of the cheapest whiskey I can find; and you have to let it linger in your mouth.  I learned this by accident as a bar tender but I've sworn by it every since.

I frequently take a small shot of Jameson right before church.  It clears the throat so I don't get all phlegmy when trying to sing the psalm.

Man after my own heart.   I've found the best way to sleep during a cold is to make a cup of lemon tea with honey and whiskey of your choice (mine is Jameson).  Helps with the cough and you get sleepy enough to get through the night.

As for stupid questions, yesterday I had one for my eldest who is 12, in 7th grade and has a girlfriend.  They have not kissed or hugged and he was complaining about pressure he gets from his male classmates to do so.  They don't even hold hands, really.

So my question was this, and please know I wasn't pressuring him into doing anything physical he or she aren't ready for, but it's something I've wondered about in the past.  What's the point of being boyfriend and girlfriend in middle school?  I remember my brother had "girlfriends" at that age and they'd barely speak, let alone touch and never did anything together outside of school.  Didn't even call each other.

It just seems to me that they're not much different than being good friends that happen to be of the opposite gender that happen to be attracted to each other.

He said "Yeah, that's about it."

[Virg]

Piratelver1121 wrote:

"What's the point of being boyfriend and girlfriend in middle school?"

There's social value in such a thing even for the young.  It's a shorthand and widely understood way to say that they're wooing each other when "it's complicated" is still far away in terms of people around them understanding.  It's also practice for more mature relationships and there's the "cool" factor in having a steady when you're that age.

Virg

[Piratelvr1121]

Piratelver1121 wrote:

"What's the point of being boyfriend and girlfriend in middle school?"

There's social value in such a thing even for the young.  It's a shorthand and widely understood way to say that they're wooing each other when "it's complicated" is still far away in terms of people around them understanding.  It's also practice for more mature relationships and there's the "cool" factor in having a steady when you're that age.

Virg

That makes sense.

Can you tell I never had a boyfriend at that age?

[Slartibartfast]

Piratelver1121 wrote:

"What's the point of being boyfriend and girlfriend in middle school?"

There's social value in such a thing even for the young.  It's a shorthand and widely understood way to say that they're wooing each other when "it's complicated" is still far away in terms of people around them understanding.  It's also practice for more mature relationships and there's the "cool" factor in having a steady when you're that age.

Virg

There's also a value in being "taken" - especially when your peers are still figuring out things like flirting, cheating, and what kinds of conversations are appropriate with friends.  Being "taken" means you can see your friends go through all those awkward "ask your friend to ask her friend to ask her (totally not seriously, but seriously) whether she wants to go to the dance with you" and the associated drama.  It gives you an easy way to deflect attention from would-be suitors who haven't quite figured out how to flirt and so they monopolize your time at your locker and obsessively analyze your every word.  It also means that when the hormones do start raging, you at least know what direction they're supposed to be raging in - dating a girl "proves" you're straight.  (It does nothing of the sort, of course - plenty of gay men and lesbian women had girlfriends/boyfriends, respectively - but it's a social cue and your peers will usually respect it).  And when you are interested in trying something like holding hands or kissing, you have someone to try it with whom you know won't shoot you down for asking.

Most of all, it's proof that you're date-able - having a boyfriend/girlfriend can be an important status symbol, and your social reputation usually gets tied to theirs.  Date someone popular and you get more popular, etc.

[Piratelvr1121]

Now those are definitely good points and oh does it make me wish I'd had a boyfriend the year my mother insisted I get my hair chopped off into the short styles that were really popular amongst middle aged women in the early 90's. I wish I could say it was a cute pixie cut a la Julia Roberts in "Hook" but it wasn't. At least I didn't think so. 

A lot of adults said and have said upon seeing pictures of me at the time "Oh you were so cute!" but no one my age did, at the time and I constantly got asked if I'd become a lesbian, since I didn't have a boyfriend. 

[Snooks]

I'm this >< close to giving up on baking anything containing egg whites.  eHellions please help me, I'm obviously doing something stupid when it comes to dealing with them.

Recipe 1 - custard tart required me to fold beaten egg whites into egg yolk/sugar mix - served my family lumpy custard tart for Easter
Recipe 2 - lemon macaroons required me to fold flour and ground almonds into egg whites - baked myself some stick pancakes

When a recipe calls for me to fold something in, is there any reason that I can't use my electric whisk?

[lady_disdain]

You diagnosed your problem perfectly. The electric whisk is much too heavy handed for delicate beaten egg whites. It pushes all the air out of them and the results, as you saw, are not good. Macaroons are specially sensitive, as it has to be mixed just enough after the egg whites are added (but a little over or under mixed macaroons are still delicious).

Use a mixing spoon and mix just enough to incorporate the egg whites.

[jilly]

I was taught you use a figure of eight motion to gently combine everything, and add the egg whites to everything else bot the other way round. Like this http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/techniques/folding

[Liliane]

You diagnosed your problem perfectly. The electric whisk is much too heavy handed for delicate beaten egg whites. It pushes all the air out of them and the results, as you saw, are not good. Macaroons are specially sensitive, as it has to be mixed just enough after the egg whites are added (but a little over or under mixed macaroons are still delicious).

Use a mixing spoon and mix just enough to incorporate the egg whites.

Also, it probably helps to make sure your bowl is spotless and doesn't have any sort of greasy film on the inside. I know that's only strictly necessary for meringue, but I like to make sure the bowl's as clean as it can get when I work with egg white. Any grease can mess with the incorporation of air.

[Snooks]

You diagnosed your problem perfectly. The electric whisk is much too heavy handed for delicate beaten egg whites. It pushes all the air out of them and the results, as you saw, are not good. Macaroons are specially sensitive, as it has to be mixed just enough after the egg whites are added (but a little over or under mixed macaroons are still delicious).

Use a mixing spoon and mix just enough to incorporate the egg whites.

I used a spatula (as advised in the recipe) not the electric whisk, was wondering if the whisk might have been safer!

I normally do round the edge and cut through the middle.  First time I added the egg whites but they just didn't seem to combine properly.  Second one said to fold the flour and almonds into the beaten whites.

[lady_disdain]

You diagnosed your problem perfectly. The electric whisk is much too heavy handed for delicate beaten egg whites. It pushes all the air out of them and the results, as you saw, are not good. Macaroons are specially sensitive, as it has to be mixed just enough after the egg whites are added (but a little over or under mixed macaroons are still delicious).

Use a mixing spoon and mix just enough to incorporate the egg whites.

Also, it probably helps to make sure your bowl is spotless and doesn't have any sort of greasy film on the inside. I know that's only strictly necessary for meringue, but I like to make sure the bowl's as clean as it can get when I work with egg white. Any grease can mess with the incorporation of air.

I like to wipe the bowl with a little vinegar before starting, to degrease.

[Outdoor Girl]

When I'm folding something in, I like to use a large spatula and run it under all the ingredients, across the bottom of the bowl, bringing the stuff from the bottom and folding it over like an omelette onto the top.  Then I'll spin the bowl a bit and do it again.

The secret is not to work it too much.  It is better to leave it less than perfectly mixed than to mix it too much.

[Elisabunny]

The kosher restriction against milk with meat: how far does it go?  Can chicken or fish be served with milk or cheese, or does it apply to all living creatures?  And if it only applies to mammals, could you get around it by only drinking and eating milk products from cows, but never eating beef? 


(Why, yes, I in fact did have insomnia last night. )

[Hmmmmm]

I'm this >< close to giving up on baking anything containing egg whites.  eHellions please help me, I'm obviously doing something stupid when it comes to dealing with them.

Recipe 1 - custard tart required me to fold beaten egg whites into egg yolk/sugar mix - served my family lumpy custard tart for Easter
Recipe 2 - lemon macaroons required me to fold flour and ground almonds into egg whites - baked myself some stick pancakes

When a recipe calls for me to fold something in, is there any reason that I can't use my electric whisk?

You need to fold not whisk egg whites into batters. Start by "lightening" your batter by stirring in about a 4th of the egg whites into the batter. Then add the batter to the eggs whites and fold into the egg whites. A whisk will over work the egg whites causing them to deflate. Look for a YouTube video on folding.