The Nerd

It's just me, my wife, and our two kids (ages 7 and 4). I'm looking to make something from scratch, something other than the same ol', same ol'. My cooking skill level is nowhere near that of a professional chef, or even a die-hard foodie, but I can handle most recipes.

Any ideas would be extremely helpful! Going grocery shopping tonight.

"My grandfather smoked two packs a day and lived to be ninety. This disproves the belief that cigarettes are bad for you."

A welder once told me that any idiot can make a strong weld with hardly any instruction at all if you don't care what the finished product looks like. He said that what you need training and experience for is just to make the weld LOOK neat, and to get it done quickly and efficiently. Any other welders out there agree/disagree with this?

A central pivot irrigation system can only reach about 80% of a square piece of land. Are the corners dry farmed? Left fallow?

Just a curious northeasterner!

Also, how many gallons per minute?

What if this person has impeccable credit history?

Okay, so if I understand the dominant theory correctly, the zombie virus spreads primarily through a zombie's bite. Here's my problem: I'm having trouble understanding how such a vector could result in a global zombie apocalypse. Here's why:

Say a human and a zombie get in a confrontation. During the course of the confrontation, the zombie bites and infects the human. If the zombie wins the encounter, it will eat the human. No increase in the zombie population. If the human survives the initial confrontation, presumably he/she killed the zombie before turning into a zombie himself/herself: one zombie created, one zombie destroyed. No net increase in the zombie population.

I realize that not all zombie encounters conform to the simple scenerio I described above. A bitten individual may escape from a zombie attack without killing the zombie, only to later turn into a zombie himself. On the other hand, a lone human with a semi-auto shotgun can easily take out a half dozen or so zombies before being overcome (and then eaten). On balance, I'm having a hard time understanding how such a constrained disease vector could result in a full-scale global outbreak. Any theories?

I'm on a very limited budget, so I can't afford to buy any significant number of mature bass. But I'm afraid that if I buy small fingerlings the larger bluegills will have them for lunch. How big do juvenile bass need to be so that they're not in danger of predation from adult bluegills?

It's not necessary that I see "results" this summer, I'm a patient man...I can wait for the bass to grow up before they really have an effect on the size of the bluegills. I just want to make sure that they have a CHANCE to grow up. Any tips?

The audacity of this man...in blatant violation of the First Amendment, he contacted the local librarian and suggested that the library stop carrying "Hustler" in its periodicals section.

There is only one reason one would object to "Hustler" being carried in a library frequented by children: RELIGION. And, as we all know, the Constitution absolutely PROHIBITS any consideration of religious sentiment in crafting public policy. In fact, only Atheists are truly capable of exercising public authority within the limits of the Constitution. By his recent suggestion, the Mayor has revealed either that he is a religious person, or that he acts in consideration of the religious sentiments of his constituents. Neither of these possibilities is tolerable in a democratic society.

In any case, the public library has a DUTY to continue carrying "Hustler." To even suggest that the library discontinue the expenditure of taxpayer money on this fine periodical amounts to a unconstitutional BAN. Such censorship is morally on par with nazi book burnings, if not worse.

So should we lynch this treasonous monster, or just wait for the press to destroy him politically?

I use Google popup blocker.

...of "FOUR LEGS GOOD, TWO LEGS BAD!!! FOUR LEGS GOOD, TWO LEGS BAD!!!"?

I have several student loans (Stafford, Perkins, Grad Plus), each with different interest rates. When it comes time to start paying them back, can I make minimum payments on the lower interest loans while paying back additional principal on the higher ones, or does the gov't. control the allocation of additional principal payments?

For that matter, will my loan bills be lumped into one monthly bill, or will I get seperate bills in the mail?

At present it's not much cheaper to travel by train than it is to fly, but because rail is significantly more fuel efficient per passenger than air we can expect rail to become relatively cheaper in the future. Any thoughts?

Just a curious goy!

A Jewish friend of mine is out of town for the summer, and I'm mowing his lawn while he's away. He's getting married in August, and as a wedding gift I wanted to plant them a little herb garden in a spot in the backyard that's now just a bunch of weeds. This guy is an amazing cook, and he's also extremely proud of his ethnic Jewish heritage, having already introduced me to several traditional Jewish dishes, etc. So, what are some herbs commonly used in traditional Jewish cuisine? I'm going to plant a variety of herbs, but I don't want to omit anything that would be most useful in a traditional Jewish kitchen. I'm planning to mostly plant perennials, but a few annuals would be fine as well. Thanks!

By the way, I think his family is from Poland.

Please no ignorant answers about the Amish not using ANY electricity--it's just not true.

I'm not suggesting a return to the old-fashioned "choo-choo train" of the 19th century, but is steam (or some other means of harnessing the energy in coal) a viable 21st century fuel source for trains?

I can't seem to put my finger on the word...

I donated blood to a local hospital and they threw in a complementary cholesterol screening. They warned me, however, that the number would be off because I wasn't fasting. Anybody know approximately how much my number will be off?