Rice is a versatile and delicious food enjoyed worldwide. However, reheating rice can be more dangerous than many think. The main issue lies with the bacteria Bacillus cereus, which can survive the cooking process. If cooked rice is left at room temperature for too long, these bacteria can multiply, producing toxins that aren’t eliminated by reheating. This can lead to food poisoning, causing symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea.
To minimize risks, it’s crucial to store cooked rice properly. Once cooked, rice should be cooled quickly and stored in the refrigerator within an hour. Keeping rice at a safe temperature is essential to prevent bacterial growth. Additionally, it’s advisable to consume reheated rice within 24 hours to reduce the risk of food poisoning. These simple steps can make a big difference in food safety.
When reheating rice, make sure it’s piping hot before eating. The internal temperature should reach at least 165°F to ensure any present bacteria are killed. Using a kitchen thermometer can be a handy tool to check the temperature. Also, avoid reheating rice more than once, as each cycle of heating and cooling increases the risk of bacterial growth.
It’s important to remember that not all reheating methods are equally effective. The microwave, for instance, might not heat rice evenly, leaving some parts at lower temperatures where bacteria can survive. Opting to reheat rice in a pan or steaming it can be a safer option, ensuring even and thorough heating.
Besides bacterial risks, reheating rice can affect its texture and flavor. Reheated rice tends to become dry and gummy, which can ruin the culinary experience. To improve the texture, you can add a bit of water or broth to the rice before reheating, which will help keep it moist and tasty.
While rice is a delicious and nutritious food, it’s crucial to handle it with care to avoid health risks. By following proper storage and reheating practices, you can enjoy this food without worries. Food safety starts at home, and with a little caution, you can protect yourself and your family from potential food poisoning.
“A picture is worth a thousand words” is an age-old adage with considerable substance.
What this adage ultimately means is that images can show things somewhat better than words can describe. Aside from enhancing the visual appeal of books and articles, images can show things mentioned in your content so readers can see rather than merely read. This is why it’s important to add images to your articles or even books, whether published or self-published.
You can add pictures to articles by creating your own with cameras and screenshot tools or by obtaining them online. Creating images is often fine for software, video gaming, and travel pieces, but it’s not always possible to do that for many articles. For example, authors can’t always create original images for articles with historical, religious, social, business, or political content. So, you must search online to find free-to-use images for inclusion in your articles or books when you don’t have any suitable pictures of your own.
Finding images on the internet for articles isn’t usually difficult as the World Wide Web is awash with them. However, finding images on the internet that are genuinely freely available is harder. A free-to-use picture is one that the original creator permits general usage of or is not subject to any copyright protection. Here we’ll look at how you can obtain free-to-use pictures for your content.
Image Copyright Explained
Image copyright protection generally automatically applies to all pictures created. This means only the original creators of pictures have exclusive rights to publicly display and distribute their images as they wish to do so. Using copyrighted image material in your articles or books without appropriate permissions is unlawful.
The potential consequences for those guilty of image copyright infringement can vary. In the best-case scenario, nobody will ever notice you’ve included their non-free images in your articles. However, people will more likely notice if you make a habit of doing that. In this case, some of the original image authors will probably contact you if they can to make valid complaints. The worst-case scenario would be that of an image creator taking legal action against you for copyright infringement, resulting in variable financial penalties depending on severity.
So, it’s best to be careful about what images you include in articles to avoid that worst-case scenario. However, this doesn’t mean you must always directly contact image creators to ask if you can freely use their pictures in your articles or books. You can use images available on the internet that have Creative Commons licenses. These licenses allow for the use and distribution of images under certain conditions. There are variable CC licenses, but Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 and 4.0 allow for pictures to be used so long as suitable attribution is given to image creators.
You can also add public domain images to your articles without permission. A public domain image is a non-protected picture for which copyright law doesn’t apply. These are typically old photos captured by photographers who are no longer alive. They can also be pictures for which creators have abandoned all rights. Such images are ideal for including in historical articles and books, and attribution isn’t usually required to use them.
Download Public Domain and Creative Common Images From Wiki Commons
Public domain and Creative Commons images are the kind of pictures you should be looking to include in your articles. The best way to find such pictures is to search for them on websites with large picture libraries. Wiki Commons is one such site that includes a myriad of images and multimedia files. One of the primary goals of Wiki Commons is to provide a repository of freely available (licensed) media content.
Wiki Commons is a good source of old public domain images. For example, suppose you want to find some World War 2 photos for your article or book. To do so, open this Wiki Commons page and input a “World War 2” keyword inside that site’s search box. You will then see thumbnails for many old public domain photos from that conflict.
To double-check an image’s licensing info and download it from Wiki Commons, click a photo and its More Details button. Then you can read the Licensing box for the image that will probably say the picture is in the public domain. Click Download to select a suitable size and save the image on your PC.
Wiki Commons also includes many Creative Common images. However, you should check their licensing details on Wiki Commons more carefully. Make sure you use an image according to the conditions specified within the Licensing box for it. Credit must be given to creators under all Creative Commons license’s specified on the CC website.
Check Out Unsplash and Pixabay
Unsplash and Pixabay are two other websites that include large repositories of free-to-use images to download. These are stock photo websites on which photographers upload freely available pictures for everybody to use. Image creators are effectively making their photos public domain by uploading them to those sites, based on the license details specified on Unsplash and Pixabay. For example, this Unsplash License page confirms you can freely download all images there without permission for commercial and non-commercial purposes.
The Unsplash and Pixabay sites work much the same as Wiki Commons. Open the Unsplash or Pixabay website in your web browser and input a keyword into the search box on the site. You will see downloadable images that match your search phrase. Click the thumbnail for an image you like and its Download option. The photos on those sites are generally of reasonable quality at least, and you can select to download them in variable sizes.
Note that the free-to-use images on Pixabay aren’t restricted to photographic ones. There are thousands of freely available illustrations on that site as well. To find them, click the Illustrations tabs on Pixabay and enter a keyword into its search box.
Search For and Find Creative Common License Photos With Google
You can also utilize the Google image search tool to find many Creative Commons pictures on the internet beyond Unsplash, Pixabay, and Wiki Commons. To do that, open this Google Images search page within your browser. Input your keyword into the Google Images search box and press Enter. You can filter the images found according to license by clicking Tools > Usage rights and selecting Creative Commons licenses.
Selecting that filter option sets Google to show only Creative Commons license images within its search results. Many of the results will be for images on stock photo websites similar to Pixabay and Unsplash. However, the search results don’t specify exactly what Creative Commons licenses apply to the pictures found. Click on the images of interest and the Visit button to view their source pages. Many image source pages provide more specific license details for their pictures.
Another thing to look for in a Google image search is the Licensable tag. Some images show a Licensable tag when you hover your mouse over their thumbnails in the search results. This tag means images can be used by others within certain conditions, typically highlighting a Creative Commons picture.
If the image is from a stock photo website, you can select an option for downloading it from there. However, some licensable images found might not be from stock photo sites with download options. It’s best to obtain pictures for your articles from sites that have clear options for downloading them rather than those that don’t.
Overall, it’s quite straightforward to find suitable freely available images to include in website or magazine articles, blog posts, and books when you know where to find them. Wiki Commons, Pixabay, and Unsplash are good sites from which you can find and download many freely available Creative Commons and public domain images. You can also download royalty-free images from alternative stock photo sites like Pexels, Pikwizard, Vecteezy, Freerange, Freeimage, and Picjumbo. So, check out those websites to find some great pictures for enriching your articles.
San Antonion’s have been working diligently towards creating “The Largest Outdoor Gallery in Texas™”! With over 40 murals spanning across 13 city blocks, you can use Google Maps to plan your trip and browse your favorites.
Here are some of my favs:
San Antonio’s Children’s Hospital
Market Square Mural
River Walk Mural
Another River Walk Mural
Mission Wall Mural
These are but a few of San Antonio’s vibrant art scene.
Dog and cat parents know how useful a quality vacuum is for loose fur. These are the best vacuums for pets to keep your home clean.
Pet hair removal is an especially daunting task. Whether you have dogs or cats, their fur clings tightly to fabrics and gets stuck in hard-to-reach places, giving even the most dependable vacuum a challenge if it isn’t the best vacuum for pets. But don’t fret—there are units designed specifically for picking up pesky pet hair. We researched the best pet vacuums and put them to the test in our own hairy households, gauging whether their suction, maneuverability and special features could stand up to real-life pets.
Best overall vacuum for pets
Dyson Outsize Plus Vacuum
Pros:
Extra-large head with detangling vanes
Cordless with two rechargeable batteries
0.5-gallon collection bin
Laser-beam dust detection
Multiple attachments
Smart display
Cons:
Must hold power button down to operate
Top heavy and doesn’t stand on its own
The Digital Motorbar XL head deep cleaned our tester’s, Nancy Snyder carpets and hard surfaces while clearing wrapped pet hair from the brush as it went. “I used it all over my hardwood floors and area rugs while quietly thanking Dyson for switching to an even larger canister bin than their previous models,” says Snyder. And after clearing the floors of fur, the Laser Slim Fluffy Cleaner Head illuminated microscopic dust and debris with a—you guessed it—green laser beam, so no trace went undetected.
This best vacuum for pets features four additional attachments for convenient, effective cleaning of just about every surface of your home and car. “My favorite attachment was the Hair Screw Tool, which strongly gripped the furriest of surfaces, such as my dog’s bed or dog car hammock, to completely rid it of stubborn fur,” says Snyder.
The vacuum liquid crystal display (LCD) screen allows you to choose between three power modes or auto, which automatically adjusts suctioning power based on floor type. It also displays remaining run time (a feature Snyder loves), which is extra long thanks to the additional battery pack. While the Dyson Outsize Plus is heavier than other cordless, stick vacuums, Snyder feel it’s a fair trade off in exchange for a powerful, effective vacuum that picks up more hair and needs emptying less often.
There are more ‘Best’ vacuums to view at rd’s website.
According to data collected by The Senior List, the average retiree spends $2,984 per month, about $1,300 more than the average Social Security income, and 43% of retirees are more worried about their finances now than before they retired. “In addition, more than half of retirees feel like they’re living month to month, and more than 25% frequently stress about affording basic necessities,” says Amie Clark, co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Senior List.
So, it’s welcome news that the Social Security Administration just announced a cost-of-living increase. But just how much more money will you see on your Social Security check, and will it make a dent in your retirement costs? We talked to Social Security, retirement and money experts to find out.
What is the Social Security cost-of-living increase, exactly?
The cost-of-living increase is just what it sounds like—adjustments to Social Security payments based on increased costs of basic expenses—and it’s a relatively new thing.
“The cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, was enacted by Congress as part of the 1972 Social Security Amendments, and automatic annual COLAs began in 1975,” explains Kevin Walton, a registered Social Security analyst certified by the National Association of Social Security Analysts. “Before that, benefits were increased only when Congress enacted special legislation.”
Since then, COLA has become something all beneficiaries can count on each year. “The Social Security cost-of-living adjustment is an annual increase to every recipient’s benefits based on the change in the consumer price index over the past year,” says certified financial planner Stephen Kates, the principal financial analyst for the site RetireGuide.
How much is the latest increase?
The just-announced increase for 2025 will be 2.5%, and the amount in each check will vary. “Based on the average monthly Social Security benefit in 2024 ($1,862), this increase will amount to approximately $47 per month, or $559 per year,” Kates says.
That’s lower than the increases we’ve seen in recent years because the inflation rate has fallen substantially from its peak in 2022. “The past few years had high increases but only because the cost of goods was rising quickly,” Kates says. “The 2.5% increase is close to the average over a multi-decade period and is far from the lowest. There were multiple years during the 2010s when there was no increase at all.”
How can you calculate how big your check will be?
Before you do the calculation, don’t get too excited. You’re not going to see a ton of extra money in those checks.
Here’s the trick to figuring out your 2025 Social Security income: “Take the gross monthly or annual amount you will receive and multiply it by 1.025,” Kates says. “This will give you your new gross check amount, and if you have yet to take Social Security, you can determine your eligible benefits by creating an account on SSA.gov.”
The Social Security Administration will start sending checks with the new amounts in January 2025.
Regular home maintenance not only extends the life of major mechanical systems and appliances, but can also reduce your home’s energy costs. Here are some simple chores that any homeowner can handle in the autumn.
Clean Your Gutters Every Fall
Let’s face it, we don’t know of a single homeowner that likes cleaning their gutters. It’s an awful, stinky, slimy job. But, one thing’s for sure, if you don’t clean them, they’ll clog up and you’ll wind up with water in your basement or ice dams in winter. Somebody’s got to do it, and it’s either you or a gutter cleaning professional.
If you’re determined to DIY, at least invest in the right gutter cleaning tools to make the job a bit less messy and time-consuming. Buy a gutter cleaning extension pole and attach it to your garden hose. Then extend it up to the gutter and flush the debris over to the downspout. Or, if you have to use a ladder to get to your gutters, scoop more crud faster with a specially designed gutter scoop. Want to reduce gutter cleaning frequency or eliminate it altogether? Invest in gutter leaf guards.
Clean Soffit Vents Every Fall
Attics need proper ventilation, especially in winter. But plugged soffit vents can dramatically reduce air movement, causing hot spots that turn into ice dams. You can avoid costly roof and ceiling damage by simply blowing out your soffit vents every fall. And yes—any homeowner can do it. All you need is a ladder, a small air compressor with hose and nozzle and a dust mask. Locate the ladder under each soffit vent and shoot a blast of air into the vent. That’ll blow any loose insulation out of the way and open the vents for unrestricted airflow.
Check Your Sump Pump Every Fall
What good is a sump pump if it doesn’t pump when you need it most? Checking sump pump operation is something any homeowner can do. Just pour a few buckets of water into the sump pit until you hear it click on and start pumping. If you don’t hear the click, check the circuit breaker or GFCI outlet first, then the sump pump float switch. If you’ve got power but no pumping action, it’s time for a new sump pump.
Day of the Dead celebration in San Antonio October 25 – November 11 — San Antonio, Texas.
Day of theDead River Parade
The Many Ways to Commemorate the Season in San Antonio
Communities around the world prepare to celebrate this deeply meaningful holiday that honors deceased loved ones. Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a time when families come together to remember and celebrate the lives of those who have passed. The holiday is often marked by vibrant decorations, elaborate ofrendas (altars), and various artistic expressions that pay tribute to the departed. In many cities, special events, art workshops, and community ofrendas are being planned.
Subsequently, local museums and cultural centers are also getting involved in the event. Further, by organizing local exhibits and performances, everyone will have an opportunity to participate in this cultural celebration. Many of these events feature live music, traditional dances, and storytelling that reflect the rich history of the holiday and highlights the artistic elements of it.
San Antonio begins the celebration in late October and early November, with events held throughout the city. During this commemoration, families remember their departed loved ones and share memories. The Largest Day of the Dead Celebrations in the Country are in San Antonio.
The River Walk Parade
Day of the Dead San Antonio features a river walk parade with more than 20 decorated floats and entertainment barges. Their illuminated procession is intended to appear as floating spirits passing through San Antonio.
Though it’s often associated with Mexican culture, the celebration has its roots in ancient indigenous traditions. It also enjoys influences from both Aztec and Spanish customs.
The holiday celebrates and honors loved ones who have passed away. However, far from being a time of mourning, Dia de los Muertos is a joyful occasion filled with color, music, and remembrance.
Photos of the Preparation
San Antonio is now home to the tallest “La Catrina” statue in the United States. Additionally, it stands at an awe-inspiring 38.5 feet tall in Maverick Plaza at La Villita. It is adorned with a lighted butterfly and a vibrant, flower-covered hat, embodying the elegance and tradition of the Day of the Dead figure. The statue is a tribute to the cultural symbol popularized in 1913 by José Guadalupe Posada. With her towering presence, La Catrina serves as a beautiful reminder that life and death are celebrated with equal reverence and joy in Mexican culture.
It’s all about remembrance of family in this celebration.
You may think of sauerkraut as just something to pile on a hot dog, but chomping on the popular condiment actually helps digestion. That’s because sauerkraut and other fermented foods contain beneficial bacteria that make them easier to digest, and their prebiotic fibers feed the helpful gut bugs living in your colon. Other fermented fare you may want to try are kefir (made from fermented milk), kimchi (Korean pickled cabbage), and miso (a Japanese paste made of fermented soybeans).
Fermented foods eaten as an appetizer are a staple of different traditional cultures because of how they prepare the GI tract for digestion.
Word to the wise though: Go easy on fermented foods at first. Too much too fast can lead to a bout of cramping and diarrhea.
Get Loads of Fiber from Beans
Fiber — it’s essential for digestion. Beans, such as navy, kidney, and black beans, are an easy way to hit that daily target. Navy beans have a whopping 19 g of fiber per cup, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Good news for those worried about having too much gas from high-fiber foods: Research published in Nutrition Journal showed that people had less gas than they thought they would when upping black-eyed peas consumption. Only half of participants reported any increase in gas at first and, by the end of the first week, that number had dropped to just 19 percent, making eating black-eyed peas a digestive tip you can live with. The study also looked at tolerance for baked beans and pinto beans and found that tolerance for all of these increased over time.
2 Kiwi a Day Keeps Constipation Away
The fuzzy fruit packed with vitamin C is making waves in the gastrointestinal community since a study published in June 2021 in the American Journal of Gastroenterology found that people who ate two kiwis a day were relieved of their constipation better than patients who consumed prunes or psyllium. The group assigned kiwis also had fewer negative side-effects and enjoyed their high-fiber food most.
Reap the Gut-Friendly Benefits of Yogurt
Our digestive tract is full of bacteria, fungi, and even viruses. The collection of these microorganisms live in delicate balance in the gut microbiome, which is why what you feed your microbiome can make a difference. Eating foods like yogurt that contain probiotics — certain microorganisms that reportedly play a role in digestion, support immune system, and manage inflammation. A study published in August 2021 in Nutrients found that yogurt with a specific probiotic strain helped protect the gut microbiome from changes due to taking antibiotics that lead to diarrhea.
“We encourage probiotics,” says the gastroenterologist Peter L. Moses, MD, a professor in the division of gastroenterology and hepatology at the University of Vermont College of Medicine in Burlington.
If you’re not a yogurt fan, don’t fret: Dr. Moses says that some supplements contain better strains of probiotics, but he adds a disclaimer. “The evidence for a therapeutic effect of probiotics alone is lacking. Like any nonscientific therapeutic, probiotics are encouraged when they are part of a program that patients find clearly helpful for symptoms. Such a program may include prebiotic fiber and other proven recommendations.”
Fight Inflammation with Fish Oil
Fish oil can benefit not only your heart, but your digestive tract as well because the omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil tamp down inflammation. To start, you can try to move toward a Mediterranean diet and add fatty fish like salmon, halibut, and mackerel to your diet.
What doctors and researchers know now is that people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), one of the most common reasons for visiting a gastroenterologist, may not be consuming enough of the omega-3 fatty acids from fish. In a small study published in 2017 the journal Medicine, researchers looked at the level of fatty acids in 30 Asian women with IBS versus 39 Asian women without the disorder. They found that women with IBS not only had higher levels of depression, but they also had higher levels of unhealthy saturated fats in their blood, and lower levels of healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
While a study published in December 2020 in Gut Microbes found that six weeks of taking omega-3 supplements induced small changes in the composition of the gut microbiome, supporting the theory that omega-3 fatty acids could have a prebiotic effect on the gut, but more research is needed to understand its role and mechanism in the gut.
Soothe Your Tummy with Tumeric
Tumeric, a spice loaded with curcumin, has anti-inflammatory properties shown to help in a range of conditions triggered by inflammation, including heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and even depression, according to a paper published in November 2021 in Drug Design, Development and Therapy. The research also noted that curcumin helps regulate the gut microbiota, bring relief to people with IBD, and reduce inflammation that could likely lead to colon cancer.
Curcumin is a potent anti-inflammatory that can help soothe the digestive tract when you are suffering from an inflammation-related issue.
Eat Some Ginger to Improve Digestion
A traditional Asian remedy for tummy aches and nausea and a favorite condiment used in Japanese cuisine, ginger is also a powerful anti-inflammatory, making it another good food for digestion and a natural digestive aid.
And there’s research to back up ginger’s benefits: Ginger is a food that helps digestion by speeding up the process that moves food from the stomach into the upper small intestine. A January 2020 review published in the journal Nutrients noted that several studies found ginger was associated with improved digestive functioning. It also pointed to studies that found ginger reduced nausea, motion sickness, and the risk of colon cancer.
Ease Indigestion with Stomach-Soothing Peppermint
Soothing, aromatic peppermint may help ease indigestion as well as some symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, making it a go-to natural treatment for gastroenterologists.
“It’s inexpensive, nonaddictive with little to no side-effects, and it’s highly effective,” says Brian Lacy, MD, a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida.
Peppermint oil can be included in many recipes or even tea, but more often is taken as a coated supplement, which allows it to pass into the digestive tract without causing heartburn, according to the National Center of Complementary and Integrative Health. Digestion tip: Taking peppermint oil (in small intestinal release form) for at least four weeks has been shown to significantly reduce IBS symptoms. It appears to work as an antispasmodic, smoothing out and relaxing the bowels, according to a study published in 2020 in Gastroenterology.
Stay Hydrated to Keep Things Moving
Fluids play an essential role in partnership with fiber to get solids through your system since water helps your body break down and digest food, according to Mayo Clinic. Hydration and water are friends. In fact, one of the easiest digestive tips to follow is to stay hydrated throughout the day. Water is a great choice to speed digestion, but almost any non-alcoholic fluid will do. Be careful with caffeinated beverages and sodas if you have reflux — they can be triggers for heartburn, and caffeine acts as a mild diuretic.
Lots of tropical garden plants can move indoors for the winter instead of losing them to the cold.
Not every type of garden plant will overwinter well indoors. “There are many plants produced for our summer’s use as ornamentals in containers or gardens. They fall into two groups,” says Byron Martin of Logee’s Plants for Home & Garden, a Connecticut nursery specializing in rare and tropical plants. “One group is made up of annuals, like zinnias or marigolds, and the rest are perennials, usually tropical perennials. So, when winter comes outside, they die off,” he says.
Houseplants
For example, most houseplants, from philodendrons to hoyas, are tropical perennials, Martin explains. If you’ve moved any houseplants like this outdoors for the summer, they need to come inside before the cold arrives or they’ll die. The same is true for many plants you may think of as a summer annual like begonias or geraniums.
Lighting
Providing direct bright light, either on a sunny windowsill or via supplemental artificial light, is key, Martin says. The short days of winter reduce the natural light indoors significantly.
Though the plants may not continue to flower indoors, your goal is more to sustain their foliage and root system through the winter. They’ll be in a near-stasis of slow growth during the winter. For any plant you want to bring inside, research the air temperatures, humidity, and light the plant needs to survive.
Selecting Plants to Overwinter
Hancock has successfully overwintered many types of tropical plants, even through long Midwestern winters. Here are a few that he liked to keep indoors until spring:
Angelonia (Angelonia angustifolia)
Angel’s Trumpet (Brugmansia)
Arabian Jasmine (Jasminum sambac)
Coleus (Plectranthus scutellarioides)
Eucalyptus
Flowering Maple (Abutilon)
Geranium (Pelargonium hybrids)
Mandevilla
Oxalis
Passionflower (Passiflora)
Pentas
Persian Shield (Strobilanthes dyerianus)
Tropical Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis)
Vinca (Catharanthus roseus)
Some plants are easier to overwinter than others. For example, coleus, geraniums, succulents, abutilon, sweet potato vine, and begonias are among the easiest. More challenging plants such as jasmine, tropical hibiscus, and mandevilla require lots of light and consistent warmth that the typical home may not provide.
Source: bhg.com
Photo credit: Marty Baldwin
Related: Bringing Plants Inside for the Winter – TUTORING YOU
