Butternut Squash Stew

This is a really simple dish that packs lots of flavor and healthy ingredients.
Although it has no meat, it is still subtantial, and with a side of rice it makes a
satisfying meal.

Here is the recipe:

3 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion finely chopped
1 can of crushed tomatos, (the unseasoned kind)
1 stick of cinnamon
1 tsp of ground coriander
a dash of red pepper flakes
1 small butternut squash in cubes
2 small can of chickpeas
3 cups of chicken broth
zest of one lemon
1/2 cup chopped prunes (or raisins)
4 cups of chopped watercress (spinach or chard work too)


Sautee the onion on the olive oil until soft. Add the garlic, tomatos and
spices and cook for a couple minutes.
Add the squash, chickpeas, prunes, lemon zest and broth and simmer  until the squash is tender.
You can add a little water if it starts drying out.
Stir in the watercress or spinach and cook for a couple minutes.
Check the seasoning and add salt/pepper if needed.
Serve over brown rice or couscous.

Blue Apatites from Ipirá

I have heard, not long ago, that the blue Apatites from Ipirá, in Brazil, were radioactive.

I know that Apatites can be a little radioactive due to impurities of Th and U, so I decided to investigate a little further, since it is one of my favorite Apatites. 

I learned  that they have inclusions of Thorium and had a couple pieces tested here and yes,
they turned out to be radioactive indeed.

But how radioactive?

I contacted John Rakovan, a mineralogy professor in Ohio, that has an extensive knowledge about Apatites. And he kindly checked a couple pieces for me.

He used a nuclear radiation meter that detects alpha, beta, gamma and X-rays (but does not distinguish among them). 

At a distance of 1 cm he recorded 0.113 mrem/hour from the Apatite.

As a comparison, the background reading in his lab is 0.007 mrem/hour. 

A granite pegmatite sample of the same size from Moat Mountain, New Hampshire is 0.017 mrem/hour and a 1 cm specimen of Autunite gives off 6.624 mrem/hour.

"Given the US standards I would say that an average adult occasionally wearing an Ipirá would have no statistical increase in risk of cancer due to the radiation dosage. Even at a doubling of the average background dosage (aprox. 800 mrem/year) by wearing it all day, every day. The dosage is far below the US allowable dosage for radiation workers (5000 mrem/year). Allowable dosages are based on risk probabilities. If one has an understanding of radiation and radiation safety this is just fine, but for someone who does not understand, then there is likely to be fear from hearing that a gemstone is radioactive."

A nice site to read about radiation is the one at MIT