With 28 albums’ worth of songs to choose from, there'll be some surprises as Sparks tour their MAD! album

The Freedom Center’s Robert Spencer squares off with “Part of the Problem Podcast” host Dave Smith. The post Debate: Should the U.S. Support Israel Against Iran? appeared first on Frontpage Mag.

Although we may never see our life situations change drastically, how we respond to our challenges matters!

My thoughts and prayers are with Hunter Bigge

Some foods are safe to can in boiling water. Others aren’t. The right method depends on the acidity of what you’re preserving. High-acid foods can be canned using a basic water bath. Low-acid vegetables, meats, and stocks require pressure canning to reach a higher temperature and kill bacteria that boiling can’t touch. This handy guide explains how both methods work and which one you’ll need for different foods on your shelf. Water Bath Canning: Best for High-Acid Foods Water bath canning uses boiling water to seal jars of high-acid foods. The heat forces out air, creates a vacuum, and stops bacteria from growing. This method requires a deep pot with a rack and a tight-fitting lid. Use water bath canning only for foods that have enough acidity to prevent spoilage. Recommended foods: Jams, jellies, and fruit preserves Pickles and vinegar-based relishes Applesauce, peaches, pears, and other fruits Tomatoes (with added acid such as lemon juice or vinegar) Fruit chutneys and syrups Boiling water should cover the tops of the jars by at least one inch. Start the timer once the water reaches a rolling boil and follow the full processing time for the recipe. The National Center for Home Food Preservation offers tested recipes and safe acidity guidelines for water bath canning. Pressure Canning: Required for Low-Acid Foods Pressure canning uses steam under pressure to raise the internal temperature of the canner to 240°F or higher. This level of heat is necessary to kill harmful bacteria, including the spores that cause botulism. Use pressure canning for any low-acid food. Recommended foods: Green beans, corn, carrots, and other plain vegetables Potatoes, mushrooms, and winter squash Dry beans (after soaking or precooking) Meat, poultry, and fish Bone broth, soup stock, and chili Only use a pressure canner designed for home food preservation. It should have a locking lid, pressure regulator, and either a weighted or dial gauge. Water Bath vs Pressure Canning: Key Differences Feature Water Bath Canning Pressure Canning Heat Level 212°F (boiling) 240°F+ (pressurized steam) Best For High-acid fruits and pickled foods Low-acid vegetables, meats, and stocks Required Equipment Deep pot with rack and lid Pressure canner with gauge or weight Shelf Life 12–18 months 12–18 months Time Range 10–30 minutes 20–90 minutes Spoilage Risk Low (if acid is sufficient) High if pressure is not used properly Why Acidity Changes the Method Acid levels determine whether boiling is enough to keep food shelf-stable. High-acid foods (pH below 4.6) resist bacterial growth on their own. These can be safely canned in boiling water. Low-acid foods don’t provide that protection. Without higher temperatures, bacteria, including botulism spores, can survive and grow inside sealed jars. In summary, your canned produce’s smell, taste, and appearance do not confirm safety. To ensure safety, choose the right canning method based on your food’s acidity. How to Choose the Right Method Use water bath canning when preserving high-acid fruits or recipes made with vinegar. It’s simple and doesn’t require expensive equipment. Use pressure canning when working with vegetables, meats, or any low-acid food. This is the only safe option for shelf-stable canning in these cases. Many homesteaders use both methods throughout the year depending on what they’re preserving. What are you canning this season? Let us know what you’ve put up and which method you used, your experience might help another homesteader plan their pantry. FAQ: Water Bath vs Pressure Canning Can I use lemon juice or vinegar to water bath can low-acid vegetables? No. Unless the recipe has been tested for safety, adding acid doesn’t guarantee protection. Use pressure canning. Do I need to sterilize jars before pressure canning? No. The high heat during pressure canning sterilizes jars. Just wash them with hot, soapy water first. Can I use a pressure cooker instead of a pressure canner? No. Most pressure cookers are not tested or rated for safe food preservation. Use a certified pressure canner. Which foods must be pressure canned? Plain vegetables, meats, fish, and broth always require pressure canning, even if mixed with other ingredients. How do I check if a jar is sealed correctly? Once cool, press the lid center. It should not flex. A sealed lid stays firm and slightly concave.

Matt Gaetz Finds Out the Hard Way That There IS Such a Thing as a Very Stupid Question

Archaeologists have discovered thousands of fresco fragments that form one of the largest collections of Roman painted plaster ever found in London. A team from Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) found the fragments while excavating The Liberty site in Southwark, the same place where London’s most intact Roman mausoleum was found in 2023 and one of its largest floor mosaics in 2022. The frescoes once decorated about 20 internal walls of a Roman building, and when the building was demolished around 200 A.D., the fragments were unceremoniously dumped into a pit, all jumbled together. MOLA’s Senior Building Material Specialist Han Li has been working for months to unjumble these thousands of fragments and put them back in their original positions like a giant jigsaw puzzle. Just like with a puzzle, he groups the pieces by color and pattern and moves them around to recreate the broken design. The fragments are very delicate, with the painted plaster ready to flake just from being handled, so before moving them at all, Li had to be as sure as possible that the pieces would fit. The largest of the frescoes, measuring about 5m by 3m, has a lower section of pale pink, dotted with specks of paint to imitate marble. Above are rich yellow panels with soft green borders. The wall paintings are adorned with candelabras, stringed instruments called lyres, white cranes and a delicate daisy. There’s also what appears to be a bunch of grapes, but archaeobotanists believe that this is a plant that grows locally – mistletoe. “That is actually quite interesting for me, because you’re seeing that the Roman painters are taking a classical idea and they’re very much putting their own North West European, or local, twist on it. I think that’s magnificent,” says Han Li. The yellow panels over speckled red were imitations of expensive imported stones like Egyptian porphyry (red) and African giallo antico (yellow). This style was popular in high-end villas like at Pompeii or even Colchester, but the yellow panel design in particular is very rarely found in Britian. Only the most opulent Roman homes like Fishbourne Roman Palace had those panels on their walls. One of the painters even signed his work, although his name has yet to be found. The word “FECIT” meaning “has made this” which would have followed the painter’s name, was found inside a tabula ansata design, a decorative plaque that was used to frame artists’ signatures. This is the first tabula ansata ever found in Britain. Another unique finding is a graffito of an almost complete Greek alphabet. It’s the only one of its kind in Britain, but other instances of this practice in Italy indicate they were used as a reference guide or tally. The letters were carved by an adept, sure hand, so not by a student practicing his letters by scribbling on a wall. MOLA researchers believe the demolished building was either a home belonging to a rich family, a hotel meant for wealthy travelers. The neighborhood at the time was a rich suburb of London, not the center of the busy city. Whoever owned it, they were able to attract highly skilled artists with the best materials from the hub of the Roman empire out to London. “They’ve come to Roman London where there was a building boom, with many houses and many buildings going up that required painting. And they went around essentially taking on huge commissions of work,” said Han Li.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has subpoenaed two medical companies selling Chinese-made patient monitors over concerns that the devices could send patient data to China.Uthmeier’s office stated…

[View Article at Source]There are ways for the U.S. to maintain influence in Europe without relying on military assets. The post Time for Dollar Diplomacy in Bulgaria appeared first on The American Conservative.…