Never store your cooked rice without knowing this

By
Monica Pop
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It’s not uncommon for us to end up with leftover food when we cook for our family. Most of the time, we simply store the leftovers in the fridge and save them for later. Sometimes, we even consume them the following day or in the days to come.

Most recently, however, there has been a buzz around leftover cooked rice and the potential risks of storing it the wrong way.

This phenomenon, which has been discussed a lot on the social media, is known as “fried rice syndrome” and “reheat syndrome.”

According to experts, cooked rice is an ideal environment for the spread of bacteria, particularly Bacillus cereus.

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If we leave cooked rice on room temperature for too long, even longer than an hour, the bacterial spores start to grow, producing toxins.

Consuming this rice can cause food poisoning, nausea, abdominal pain, fever, and acute diarrhea. The symptoms may appear as early as an hour after consumption. In some cases, food poisoning can even lead to dehydration and electrolyte imbalances.

The problem is that not many people will ever suspect that their leftover rice is the culprit behind how sick they feel.

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The bacteria may spread even if the cooked rice is stored in the fridge, although at a slower rate.

How we store the cooked rice is essential for avoiding bacteria to grow.

So, what is the safest way to store it, you probably wonder.

First, don’t let it in the cooking pot but spread it on a clean tray or a shallow container so it can cool down faster. Next, put it in a shallow, airtight container to prevent moisture accumulation and place it in the fridge withing an hour of cooking. Consume it after 24 to 48 hours maximum.

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If stored in the freezer, it can last up to six months.

Now, when it comes to reheating it, make sure it reaches a minimum internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) to kill any bacteria that may have grown during storage.

Remember, never reheat cooked rice more than once.

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Bored Daddy

Love and Peace

Hospice chef reveals the one comfort food most people ask for before they die

By
Monica Pop
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At an Oxfordshire hospice, chef Spencer Richards makes sure those nearing the end of their life are served meals prepared with much love.

For this man, cooking for terminally ill patients isn’t just a job, but a calling.

Speaking to the Mirror, chef Richards revealed there is no greater privilege than making the last days of the patients a little bit better with his comforting food.

“My own philosophy is that there can be no greater privilege as a chef than serving someone their final meal. Recently a 21-year-old patient didn’t connect with anything on the standard menu. He was young and didn’t like the usual options, so we talked and he liked street food, so we made that happen,” he shared with the publication.

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He recalled making a birthday cake for a 93-year-old patient who spent her entire life in a traditional home where birthday celebrations weren’t common.

“When we surprised her with one, she was in tears. She was absolutely over the moon.”

Actually, a birthday cake is the most common thing the patients at Sobell House Hospice ask for as their days on earth are slowly coming to an end.

“They’re small things, but especially for people who’ve been isolated or are feeling lonely, they mean a lot,” chef Richards said.

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Further, he explained that adapting the dishes he prepares is of great importance since most of the patients who are at palliative care lose the ability to swallow. Their taste buds also change, and due to the medications and the treatments they receive.

One thing this hospice chef has noticed, however, is that patients with cancer “get a sweet tooth.”

Also, most of the patients are sensitive to salt.

“Food is a powerfully emotive medium – it can summon childhood memories and create new lasting ones. That’s what we do here.”

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Bored Daddy

Love and Peace

I always hated my father because he was a motorcycle mechanic, not a doctor or lawyer like my friends’ parents

By
Monica Pop
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Frank, my father, whom I never called dad because of the barrier I wanted to place between us, was a motorcycle mechanic.

I hated the fact my father wasn’t a doctor or a lawyer like my friends’ parents.

While they were always dressed up, Frank wore a leather vest covered in oil stains. I felt embarrassment every time he came to pick me up from school with his Harley.

On the day of my graduation, he showed up in his only pair of decent jeans and a button-up shirt that uncovered his faded tattoos on his forearms.

That day, I refused to let him hug me. As he approached, I took a step back and offered him a handshake instead. At the time, it felt like something I needed to do not knowing that the moment will haunt me forever.

I hated the fact my father wasn't a doctor or a lawyer like my friends' parents.
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Some weeks later, I got a call that changed everything. Frank was driving through a mountain pass when a logging truck had crossed the center line. His bike went under the wheels and he died on the scene.

For his funeral, I travelled to our small town. Honesty, I though it would only be me and maybe a couple of his drinking buddies. But the sight in front of the church stunned me.

A group of hundreds of bikers from across six states were there to say their last goodbye.

They all wore a small orange ribbon on their leather vests.

A woman whom I had never seen before approached me and said, “Your father’s favorite color.”

I hated the fact my father wasn't a doctor or a lawyer like my friends' parents.
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Once inside the church, people started sharing stories about my father whom they all called “Brother Frank.”

They spoke how he organized charities for sick children and how he always drove through snowstorms to deliver medicine to elderly shut-ins.

This wasn’t the father I thought I knew.

A crying man opened up about the time Frank found him in a ditch and forced him to get help. That day, he was over six years sober, all thanks to the man who I was embarrassed of.

Once the service was over, a lawyer approached me.

“Your dad wanted you to have this,” he said as he handed me  a worn leather satchel.

That satchel contained papers tied with his old bandana, a box, and a letter addressed to me.

I hated the fact my father wasn't a doctor or a lawyer like my friends' parents.
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In the letter, Frank wrote that he knew I was embarrassed of his job, but reminded me that what matters most is how many people someone helps not the number of letters written on their business card.

He left me his Harley and told me to give it to someone who may need it if I didn’t want it.

My dad reminded me not to be ashamed of who I am and where I come from. He ended the letter writing how much he loved me.

Tears rolled down my eyes for the first time since his funeral.

Withing the pile of papers, there were receipts of donations. One of them said that Frank had donated $180,000 over the course of fifteen years.

I hated the fact my father wasn't a doctor or a lawyer like my friends' parents.
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The following morning, I visited his shop. Samantha, the woman he worked with was waiting for me. “He told me you’d come,” she said and handed me a cup of freshly made coffee.

“Listen” she said as he handed me a folder. “Your dad started this scholarship last year. He named it Orange Ribbon Grant after his bandana. He wanted you to choose the first student.”

My father, whom I once hated, was a great man. He had a heart of gold that I never knew of. That day, I learned that Frank was larger than life.

With Samantha’s help, I learned how to ride that old Harley I once hated.

With the money my dad left to me, I decided to spend them on teaching kids how to repair bikes so that they could work at the shop. I didn’t want that place to close down.

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Later, I learned that my dad was once offered a high paying job as a mechanic, but he refused the offer. The reason why was that my mother, who died when I was just eight, had leukemia, and he couldn’t work full time because he knew she needed him.

My father whom I once hated never lacked ambition. But he believed his family was way more important than building a career. And for that, I am always grateful to him.

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Bored Daddy

Love and Peace

The most dangerous time to sleep: Doctor warns of health issues it may cause

By
Monica Pop
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Good night sleep is essential for our wellbeing. When we get enough hours of sleep — an adult needs seven to nine hours a day — we are likely to feel more energized during the day and get our tasks done with little effort.

However, what is also essential is the time when we go to bed.

If we fall asleep at random hours and disturb our natural rhythm, it may come with certain consequences.

The truth is that going to bed later and later may seem harmless at first, but not according to Dr. Saurabh Sethi, a California-based gastroenterologist.

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He explained that more and more of his patients are showing symptoms that may be related to poor sleeping pattern.

Failing to follow a certain order of going to bed leads to the body to struggle. Delaying sleeping for later every night interrupts the hormonal balance and disturbs the process that helps our brain and our gut work properly.

During sleep, the growth hormone is released, the tissues repair, and the immune cells multiply.

Instagram @doctor.sethi

According to Dr. Sethi, staying awake after midnight leads to weight gain. This is backed up by a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) that found a 20 per cent greater risk of obesity or large waistline in individuals who went to sleep at midnight as compared to those who went to bed between 8 and 10 p.m.

Dr. Sethi believes that a disturbed sleeping pattern causes tiredness and increases stress levels. Individuals who go to sleep after 1 a.m. are more prone to experience depression and mental disorders. They are also likely to struggle to concentrate during the day.

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Going to bed between 10 and 11 p.m. lowers the risks of heart disease. The risks are higher at those who go to bed past midnight.

“To improve your overall health, including hormone balance, gut health, liver health and mood, aim to sleep before midnight.

“And stick to a consistent bedtime.

“Aim for seven to nine hours of sleep every night,” Dr. Sethi advises.

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Dr. Sethi often shares valuable advice on his TikTok (@doctorsethimd) where he has 504,000 followers.

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Bruce Springsteen slams Trump era during emotional concert speech that’s going viral

By
Monica Pop
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Bruce Springsteen has been known as one of the originators of the heartland rock style of music, combining mainstream rock musical style with narrative songs about working class American life. His remarkable career has spanned six decades and counting.

One of his most influential songs, Born in the USA, is a form of protest hidden in the style of a national or patriotic anthem. In fact, it aimed to criticize how the American system mistreats certain groups, particularly military veterans and working-class people. The song was born in 1984, during Ronald Raegan’s administration.

During his latest show in Manchester, May 14, Bruce Springsteen expressed strong feelings against Donald Trump and his administration.

“It’s great to be in Manchester and back in the UK. Welcome to the Land of Hope and Dreams Tour! The mighty E St. Band is here tonight to call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock ‘n roll in dangerous times,” he addressed the crowd.

“In my home, the America I love, the America I’ve written about, that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous administration. Tonight, we ask all who believe in democracy and the best of our American experiment to rise with us, raise your voices against authoritarianism and let freedom ring!”

Before performing House of a Thousand Guitars, the singer who has criticized Trump in the past, went on another fiery rant. “The last check, the last check on power after the checks and balances of government have failed are the people, you and me. It’s in the union of people around a common set of values now that’s all that stands between a democracy and authoritarianism. At the end of the day, all we’ve got is each other,” he said.

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Bruce Springsteen (@springsteen)

Springsteen’s final political statement of the evening came as he introduced City of Ruin.

“There’s some very weird, strange, and dangerous shit going on out there right now. In America they are persecuting people for using their right to free speech and voicing their dissent. This is happening now.

“In America the richest men are taking satisfaction in abandoning the world’s poorest children to sickness and death. This is happening now. In my country they’re taking sadistic pleasure in the pain they inflict on loyal American workers. They’re rolling back historic civil rights legislation that has led to a more just and plural society. They are abandoning our great allies and siding with dictators against those struggling for their freedom. They are defunding American universities that won’t bow down to their ideological demands.

He added: “They are removing residents off American streets and without due process of law, are deporting them to foreign detention centers and prisons. This is all happening now.”

“A majority of our elected representatives have failed to protect the American people from the abuses of an unfit president and a rogue government. They have no concern or idea for what it means to be deeply American. The America l’ve sung to you about for 50 years is real and regardless of its faults is a great country with a great people. So we’ll survive this moment. Now, I have hope, because I believe in the truth of what the great American writer James Baldwin said, he said ‘in this world there isn’t as much humanity as one would like, but there’s enough.’ Let’s pray.”

During his latest show in Manchester, May 14, Bruce Springsteen expressed strong feelings against Donald Trump and his administration.

This criticism echoes Robert De Niro‘s comment at the Cannes Film Festival, where he also condemned Trump’s policies and urged action to defend democracy.

Bruce Springsteen publicly endorsed Kamala Harris.

The singer is currently on tour with Land of Hope and Dreams. His next stop is France.

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Bored Daddy

Love and Peace

Trump’s tariffs just kicked in, and people are sharing their receipts

By
Monica Pop
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Trump’s administration has imposed tariffs on nearly every country around the globe, and that includes even the most remote places such as the Heard Island and McDonald Islands, inhabited with only penguins and seals.

This is the first time the US has applied a standard 10% tariff across the board.

Michael Coon, an associate professor of economics at the University of Tampa, dubs this decision “unusual.”

Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images

“The only place you really see something like that is in lower-income countries that don’t have the infrastructure to collect income taxes,” Coon told HuffPost. “It’s easier for them to collect tariffs at the port because you have to set up a customs office on the dock.” 

A number of products will be hit by tariffs, and Americans are already experiencing the consequences — in a big way— and it can be seen from the receipts they share.

The Washington-based tech firm Wyze Cam posted that they paid “$255,000 in tariffs and $579.23 in ‘other fees’ to import $167,000 of Wyze Cams.”

Adafruit Industries said that just like Walmart, they would be forced to increase their prices.

“We’re no stranger to tariff bills, although they have definitely ramped up over the last two months. However, this is our first ‘big bill’, where a large portion was subjected to a 125%+20%+25% import markup,” Adafruit Industries penned.

“Unlike other taxes like sales tax where we collect on behalf of the state and then submit it back at the end of the month, or income taxes, where we only pay if we are profitable, tariff taxes are paid before we sell any of the products and are due within a week of receipt which has a big impact on cash flow.”

Their statement added: “In this particular case, we’re buying from a vendor, not a factory, so we can’t second-source the items (and these particular products we couldn’t manufacture ourselves even if we wanted to, since the vendor has well-deserved IP protections). And the products were booked & manufactured many months ago, before the tariffs were in place.

“Since they are electronics products/components, there’s a chance we may be able to request reclassification on some items to avoid the 125% ‘reciprocal’ tariff, but there’s no assurance that it will succeed, and even if it does, it is many, many months until we could see a refund.”

People started sharing their receipts and wonder what the future holds with prices that huge.

One person complained on the prices for a suit from his favorite Canadian retail store.

Some businesses even made the decision to pause shipping to the US.

Tariffs are also impacting healthcare.

A Reddit user posted: “A couple of weeks ago, I bought a pre-owned Louis Vuitton wallet from a Japanese seller. The item shipped from Japan. I paid $80 for the wallet, plus US sales tax ($116.91 in total). I just got a notice from DHL that my tariff fees are $83.10!!!”

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Bored Daddy

Love and Peace

Governor Noem blasts Democrats over New Jersey ICE facility breach

By
Monica Pop
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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem criticized three Democrats who had been confronted by immigration officers while they protested the opening of a new detention facility for immigrants in New Jersey.

Аt the hearing of the House Homeland Security Committee, Democrats claimed Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials physically assaulted the lawmakers.

According to Noem, the Democrats, Garden State Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Rob Menendez and LaMonica McIver, were not conducting proper oversight.

Steven Spearie/ The State Journal-Register via aberdeennews

Noem further claimed the private facility that contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement houses “rapists,” “murderers,” and members of “foreign terrorist organizations.” 

“What happened last Friday was we had members of Congress assaulting law enforcement officers,” Noem said of the chaotic scene in front of the Delaney Hall Detention Center.

“They were cooperating with criminals to create criminal acts,” she said during an interview with Fox News host Jesse Watters, the New York Post reported. “This wasn’t oversight. This was committing felonies. This was going out and attacking people who stand up for the rule of law. And it was absolutely horrible.” 

Noem called for the House Democrats to be removed from their committees or censured.

This statement, however, triggered criticism as members of Congress are allowed to make unannounced visits to facilities. 

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez warned the administration of problems if any arrests take place.

The Democrats were accompanied by Newark Mayor Ras Baraka (D). He was arrested on charges of trespassing.

According to DHS, the three lawmakers were outside the facility along with a group of protesters and pushed past security and entered the place when the gates opened for a ICE bus to be let in.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested after the incident last week. SamMBlackwood/X

“What are they trying to do?” Noem questioned. “Release these people back into the country so that there could be more Laken Rileys? So there can be more Jocelyn Nungarays? I just don’t understand what their point is. They have completely lost their minds.”

Democrats blasted Noem and the Trump administration for harsh immigration enforcement, citing the wrongful deportation of Marylander Kilmar Abrego Garcia to a Salvadoran prison.

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Bored Daddy

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Trump fires back at Walmart for blaming him over rising prices due to tariffs

By
Monica Pop
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In light of Trump’s tariffs, Walmart CEO Douglas McMillon shared the company’s decision to raise prices.

“We will do our best to keep our prices as low as possible. But given the magnitude of the tariffs, even at the reduced levels announced this week, we aren’t able to absorb all the pressure given the reality of narrow retail margins,” he said in a statement.

In light of Trump's tariffs, Walmart CEO Douglas McMillon shared the company's decision to raise prices.
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President Donald Trump was quick to answer back.

In a post on the social media platform Truth Social, he wrote, “Walmart should STOP trying to blame Tariffs as the reason for raising prices throughout the chain. Walmart made BILLIONS OF DOLLARS last year, far more than expected. Between Walmart and China they should, as is said, ‘EAT THE TARIFFS,’ and not charge valued customers ANYTHING.

“I’ll be watching, and so will your customers!!!”

Trump announced a temporary truce with China and even lowered duties on the majority of Chinese imports from a startling 145 percent to 30 percent for a 90-day period.

He warned that without a new deal with China, the US might impose even greater tariffs

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John David Rainey, chief financial officer at Walmart, said that the tariffs imposed by Trump are “still too high.”

“We’re wired for everyday low prices, but the magnitude of these increases is more than any retailer can absorb,” Rainey told CNBC.

Last month, the chief executives of Walmart and Target spoke with the president about the devastating potential impacts of tariffs, saying his broad tariff policy might disrupt supply chains and cause product shortages. The conversation was held behind closed doors.

Following the meeting, the companies issued statements.

“We had a productive meeting with President Trump and his team and appreciated the opportunity to share our insights,” Walmart said.

AP

Before Trump’s tariffs go into effect, billionaire Mark Cuban urged people to visit “the local Walmart or big box retailer.”

“It’s not a bad idea to go to the local Walmart or big box retailer and buy lots of consumables now. From toothpaste to soap, anything you can find storage space for, buy before they have to replenish inventory,” he wrote on the social media site Bluesky.

He said that companies will likely increase the prices and blame it on tariffs even if the goods they sell are domestic.

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Bored Daddy

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