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Genetic analysis of plant species has long pointed to the lowlands of southwest Amazonia as a key region in the early history of plant domestication in the Americas, but systematic archaeological evidence to support this has been rare. The new evidence comes from recently-exposed layers of the Teotonio archaeological site, which has been described by researchers as a "microcosm of human occupation of the Upper Madeira [River]" because it preserves a nearly continuous record of human cultures going back approximately 9,000 years. In this study, Watling and colleagues analyzed the remains of seeds, phytoliths, and other plant materials in the...

Steve Sando, the owner of Rancho Gordo New World Specialty Food, spends more than half a million dollars each year shipping his heirloom beans to destinations worldwide. Until Monday, FedEx shipped the lion’s share. But not anymore. Sando, who said he was fed up with gun violence, stopped using FedEx as his main shipper. Sando said he could no longer work with FedEx because it provides discounts to National Rifle Association members. “The NRA is a really powerful machine that doesn’t allow dialog about gun violence,” said Sando.

The White House says the changes could save $214 billion over a decade. “The Budget proposes to combine the traditional retail-based SNAP electronic benefit with the direct provision of nutritious and 100 percent American-grown USDA Foods to participating households. This cost-effective proposal maintains our commitment to helping needy families avoid hunger while generating substantial savings,” the budget said. Households receiving $90 per month or more would get a portion in shelf-stable milk, ready to eat cereals, pasta, peanut butter, beans and canned fruit, vegetables, and meat, poultry or fish. The remainder of the benefit would go onto the debit card...

A Formula for White Bean Soup, much beloved by we in NE for its flavor and it ties to our Yankee Past. One pound Great Northen Beans, One Large Onion, One Pound Salt Pork.

An aide to Donald Trump on Friday fulfilled the businessman's threat to "spill the beans" on Republican presidential rival Ted Cruz's wife, Heidi. Trump spokeswoman Katrina Pierson rattled off a list of attacks three days after Trump first made the threat. "Spilling the beans is quite simple when it comes to Heidi Cruz," Pierson said in an interview with MSNBC's Steve Kornacki. "She is a Bush operative; she worked for the architect of NAFTA, which has killed millions of jobs in this country; she was a member on the Council on Foreign Relations who — in Sen. Cruz's own words,...

The Melania attacks actually started from the #Cruz camp (March 8). Cruz campaign against Trump starts At 4:00 mark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALErcfr7jQ0&feature=youtu.be

Link goes directly to picture of the article that's good enough to read. FULL Disclosure: I'm not a Cruz supporter, but I hate this kind of sleaze and I'm hoping that we can put this to rest before it gets submitted 500 times. The entire article is based off of the threat from a hoax "Anonymous" account on Twitter, which later turned out to be a RickRoll (all related tweets have since been deleted). I am pretty sure the "details" are actually lifted from replies to the original tweet, LOL. Since they're deleted, I can't be sure. Point being, it...

Greek banks are preparing contingency plans for a possible “bail-in” of depositors amid fears The plans, which call for a “haircut” of at least 30 per cent on deposits above €8,000, sketch out an increasingly likely scenario for at least one bank, the sources said. A Greek bail-in could resemble the rescue plan agreed by Cyprus in 2013, when customers’ funds were seized to shore up the banks, with a haircut imposed on uninsured deposits over €100,000. Meanwhile, Yanis Varoufakis swears this is nothing but a "malicious rumor": FT report of a Gk Bank Bail In is a malicious rumour...

A chef has been forced to quit his job because of an uncontrollable fear – of baked beans. Rob Griffiths, 31, left his job as a pub chef in Milton Keynes because he felt faint every time he saw the food. The ex-chef believes his rare fear - technically known as leguminophobia – was a result of his brothers throwing beans at him as a child. ‘I get shaky and I just have to run if they’re anywhere near me,’ he said. ‘I was a pub chef and breakfast was hard. ‘Staff had to prepare the beans while I hid...

A hereditary peer has questioned whether flatulence caused by the country’s high consumption of baked beans is adding to global warming. Viscount Simon, 73, a Labour peer who has been a member of the House of Lords for more than 20 years, raised concerns about the “smelly emissions”.

Beans and the dangers involved........... Enjoy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WoM2bHfr48&feature=youtu.be

I was watching TV this evening and started to flip cable channels when I saw a streaming on MSNBC on our forces finding castor beans. The following is a part of what their website said about it. NBC News’ Jim Miklaszewski that within just the past week, U.S. investigators had found two shipping containers filled with millions of much more recent documents relating to chemical and biological weapons. One of the documents, from 2001, was titled “Document burial and U.N. activities in Iraq,” the sources said. It gave detailed instructions on how to hide materials and deceive U.N. weapons inspectors,...

Investment tips for 2012 With all the turmoil in the market, the collapse of Lehman Bros and the acquisition of Merrill Lynch by Bank of America, we all need some good investment advice For any of you with any money left, beware of the next year's expected mergers. Watch for these consolidations later this year: 1.) Hale Business Systems, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Fuller Brush, and W R. Grace Co. will merge and become: Hale, Mary, Fuller, Grace. 2.) Polygram Records, Warner Bros., and Zesta Crackers join forces and become: Poly, Warner, Cracker. 3.) 3M will merge with Goodyear and become:...

I would trade a cow for these magic beans. Seriously. "Coffee Joulies" are a new invention that are stainless steel "beans" that keep your coffee at the perfect temperature for several hours. Hours. How do they work? Their Kickstarter page says: This material is designed to melt at 140 degrees Fahrenheit, and absorbs a lot of energy as it melts. This is how Joulies cool your coffee down three times faster than normal. Once it reaches this temperature, the special material begins to solidify again, releasing the energy it stored when it melted. This is how Joulies keep your coffee...

The table displayed immediately below is likely to surprise even our most-jaded readers. It shows the astronomical increase in cash prices for well-known food commodities over the past 12 months. With inarguable exactness, it contradicts the nearly constant prattle in the mainstream press that inflation is under control, or that it is peaking and likely to come under control sometime soon. Some items on the list have doubled -- even tripled -- in price over the past year. Others have risen at mere double-digit rates.

This week, state Sen. Michael Rubio will introduce legislation that would prohibit food stamps from being used to purchase "junk food" or prepared meals at fast-food restaurants. "The question is what should we be using taxpayer funds to purchase," the Bakersfield Democrat said Tuesday. "In my opinion, we should be focusing on what people need, not what they want." Those needs include foods found in the traditional food pyramid, he said, including breads and cereals, meats, beans, nuts, dairy products and other protein sources, and lots of fruits and vegetables. Rubio's idea is not yet an official Senate bill. But...

A decade after "carb" became a four-letter word, scientists unveil a Catch-22 breakthrough for dieters: Carbs may actually help you lose weight. > Recommended sources of resistant starch carbs include sweet potatoes, beans, whole grain pasta, artichokes, yams, and quinoa. >

Regular readers of this blog remember the town hall-ducking tactics of Democrat Rep. Melissa Bean of Illinois. (Refreshers here, here and here.) She now has a new method of shielding herself from taxpayers’ tough questions. The beleaguered Democrat has apparently hired her own muscle man to glower and menace troublesome constituents. Gateway Pundit Jim Hoft showcases the video: (video) Who is Democrat Rep. Melissa Bean’s muscle man? By Michelle Malkin • August 16, 2010 01:23 PM Regular readers of this blog remember the town hall-ducking tactics of Democrat Rep. Melissa Bean of Illinois. (Refreshers here, here and here.) She now...

<p>Devotees of baked beans will soon be able to save themselves valuable seconds – not to mention the agony of lacerating their fingers on jagged cans – as they prepare their favourite food.</p> <p>After 115 years, Heinz is to offer its baked beans in screw-top plastic jars for the first time. The 15cm-high resealable fridge pack, which holds 1kg of beans, will go on sale in September and will feature a see-through measure on its side showing how much is left inside.</p>

These are a great side dish served with barbeque, but could practically be a meal unto themselves. Ingredients: 1 lb. hamburger meat 1 medium onion, chopped fine 1 large can Country Style Bush's baked beans 2 cans pork 'n beans 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup barbeque sauce