Weird vegetable

They had some mystery veggies at the food box Saturday in the produce drop.

Some root veggie almost as big as an eggplant, smooth skinned and a sort of orange/red color (definitely orange outside, but more red under artificial lights). and the "scar" where they cut off the leaves/stalk is bigger than a quarter. And shaped kinda like a giant strawberry (a sort of fat teardrop)

No idea what it is, but I figure I can figure out *something* to do with it.

For now, I'm gonna assume it's something like a turnip and try frying or boiling chunks with something else.

[later]
Well, I cut off a small slice and nibbled a bit. Didn't taste bad but decided it probably wasn't something I wanted to eat raw.

Also, the inside is definitely orange with a weird spiral pattern.

This morning, I cut up some more and tossed the chunks in with my ramen.

Tasting it cooked, it tastes a lot like carrot.

But who ever heard of a carrot 4" wide and 5" tall? And it wasn't a fluke because there were a *dozen* of them.

[eta] After eating more of it, the flavor is sort of a cross between carrot and turnip.

Mass shooting

I'm not going to go into the pros or cons of guns, gun control, possible mental illness and all of that. Too soon and not the time.

I'm just going to note something from various news reports and give a few important safety tips.

They keep mentioning various things people hid behind. They erroneously referred to it as "taking cover. Alas, in many cases it wasn't.

Knowing the difference between cover and concealment can save your life in a mass shooting.

Concealment is something that prevents you from being *seen*. In many situations this will help some. But if the shooter is just doing spray and pray, or otherwise not really aiming, concealment is of limited use. And it often gives a false sense of safety.

*Cover* on the other hand is something that will *stop bullets*. If you are behind cover, you are safe as long as the shooter doesn't move to a position where he can shoot past it.

In spite of what you see on TV, cars are generally not cover. Especially against a rifle. The engine block will stop bullets, the tires *might*, The rest of the car? Nope.

Bushes are most definitely not cover. Food carts are probably not. Food *trucks* may be. Bleachers might be, but I wouldn't count on them.

Large planters are cover. Between the wood or concrete and all the dirt they should stop any reasonable bullets.

If you are in the open and there's nothing near run for cover. But unless there are a lot of other people, don't run in a straight line. zig-zag to the right and left, and try not to use a pattern. This won't help with a spray and pray shooter, but it will with one who is picking out targets.

In a huge crowd, there isn't room to run. or to dodge. So just try to make your way out and resist the urger to push people over or trample them.

If you can stay calm enough, try to herd kids and smaller folks ahead of you. And try to keep them calm too.

If you find soime concealment, remember that it won't stop bullets, but may make it less likely for you to get picked as a target. Use it to get farther away from the shooter and towards actual cover.

If you want move from one bit of cover or concealment to another try to move in a way that won't catch the shooter's eye. Ditching brightly colored jackets or hats is a good idea.

If shots are hitting near you, wait until the shooters aim moves on (if you can), then you can try a slow crawl (not recommended unless you have practice) or make a quick dash to the next bit of cover.

No guarantees, but these sorts of things may make the difference.

Of course, inside a building things get messier. :-(