Aug 17, 2012

Happy Friday

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present.

I do not dwell in the past or dream of the future, I am concentrating on having a Happy Friday!

Soft Drink Facts

Soft Drink refers to nearly all beverages that do not contain significant amounts of alcohol as hard drinks do.

The term soft drink is typically used mostly for flavored carbonated beverages and that is because of advertising. Flavored carbonated beverage makers were having a difficult time creating national advertisements due what people call their product varies from place to place.

In parts of the United States and Canada, flavored carbonated beverages are referred to as “pop”; in other parts “soda”; in yet other parts “coke”; and there are a variety of other names commonly used as well. In England these drinks are called fizzy drinks and in Ireland called minerals.

Since beverage makers can’t refer to their product in the generic sense in national or international advertisements due to the varied terms, they have chosen the term soft drink to be more or less a universal term for flavored carbonated beverages.

First US Government Building

This should come as no surprise. Construction started with the laying of the cornerstone in the first building to be used solely as a US Government building. The U.S. Mint in Philadelphia was built in 1792.

Bird Poop

Today I learned why bird poop is usually white vs. other animal and human poop. Birds do not urinate. While their kidneys extract nitrogenous waste it is not expelled in the urea as ours (and many other animals) does. It is excreted in the form of uric acid, which has low solubility and, when combined with other waste comes out like white paste. Other colors from various fruits, etc., do not change as they pass through the system, so they come out the color of the fruit ingested. Some vegans seem to pass green due to the excess green vegetables and iron in the body.

In order to fly efficiently, birds, especially smaller birds need to eliminate waste often. A budgie may excrete 40 to 50 times in a day, whereas a macaw may only go 15 or 20 times.”

Since birds only have one opening, it is used for sex, waste elimination, and dropping eggs.

The word poop comes from the Middle English word poupen or or latin puppis, and it originally meant fart it acquired its current meaning around 1900.

Flush Tax

You pee, you poo, you pay. A while back, the Maryland Legislature took a step towards protecting the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries when it passed what has become known as “the flush tax.”

The bill established the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Restoration Fund to be supported by a $2.50 a month fee on sewer bills and an equivalent $30 annual fee on septic system owners. These funds are collected by the County and turned over to the State which distributes the funds to utilities to upgrade waste-water treatment plants to reduce nitrogen discharge which causes algae blooms that harm other aquatic life.

The revenues from septic tank users are used to upgrade or replace failing septic systems and to provide financial assistance to farmers to help plant cover crops to prevent nutrient runoff from agricultural land. This is the government equivalent of the pay toilet. The government has now completed the cycle where what we eat and drink is taxed when it goes in and now it is taxed when it comes out.

Wordology, Taser

Few people, including police know that Taser stands for Thomas A. Swift’s Electric Rifle.

"Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle; or, Daring Adventures in Elephant Land" was a young adult novel published in 1911. It was one of a series of more than a hundred books about Tom Swift, with the most recent series in 2007.

In the novel, Swift's invention of the electric rifle, which fires bolts of electricity can be calibrated to different levels of range, intensity and lethality. It can shoot through solid walls without leaving a hole, and is powerful enough to kill a rampaging whale. With the electric rifle, Tom and friends bring down elephants, rhinoceroses, and buffalo, while he saves their lives several times in pitched battle with the red pygmies.

In one book, written in 1912, Tom develops a telephone that can actually send pictures.

The Taser was really invented by Jack Cover, completed in 1974, and marketed by Taser International.

Aug 15, 2012

What's in a Name, Crash Blossoms

What's in a Name, Crash Blossoms - Crash Blossoms are ambiguous headlines that usually convey more than one meaning and make you want to scratch your head. Here are a few examples.

"Chinese cooking fat heads for Holland"
"Analysis: China currency move nails hard landing risk coffin"
"Doctor Testifies in Horse Suit"
"American Ships Head to Libya"
"Don't help old, blind council tells parking officers"
"McDonald's fries the holy grail for potato farmers"
"Dog helps lightning strike Redruth mayor."
"Virginia Beach man accused of decapitating son to stay in hospital"
"Kids Make Nutritious Snacks"
"Miners Refuse to Work After Death"
"Teacher Strikes Idle Kids"
"US President Wins on Budget, but More Lies Ahead"

Gummi Bears

The sweet treats were invented in the 1920′s by German Hans Riegel Sr. when he started the Haribo company. Not only do they produce Gummi Bears, and all other chewy candy under the Haribo name, but the company also makes all Trolli brands of gummy candy, like gummi worms.

English and the Internet

According to the translation firm Smartling, native English speakers only represented 3% of the total Internet population in 2011. Yet, 56% of online pages are English-only.

Many would not spend time on a Japanese website without understanding Japanese if Google Translate didn’t exist. Conversely, many would not spend time on an English website without an online translator.

Happy Friday

If you seek happiness for yourself you will never find it. Only when you seek happiness for others will it come to you.

If you are happy after reading this, we will both have a Happy Friday!

Top Ten Movie Lines

According to the American Film Institute, here they are:
1- Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn. (GONE WITH THE WIND)
2 - I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse. (THE GODFATHER)
3 - You don’t understand! I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I could’ve been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am. (ON THE WATERFRONT)
4 - Toto, I’ve got a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore. (THE WIZARD OF OZ)
5 - Here’s looking at you, kid. (CASABLANCA)
6 - Go ahead, make my day. (SUDDEN IMPACT)
7 - All right, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up. (SUNSET BLVD.)
8 - May the Force be with you. (STAR WARS)
9 - Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy night. (ALL ABOUT EVE)
10 - You talking to me? (TAXI DRIVER)

Laurel and Hardy came in 60th with the famous line delivered by Ollie in many of their movies, "Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into!" You can find more of the top 100 here. LINK
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Video Gravestones

Your loved one’s memory can be eternalized with a little digital help. After purchasing a QR code (those little squares with squiggly blobs) from Katzman Monument Company, you go to memorylinks.com where you can upload information, pictures, even video. Then you attach the QR code to the headstone. After it’s read with a free app on a digital phone, pictures and/or video are available on the phone. Truly a living memory. The deceased can post a video before the event to be seen by loved ones in the future. It costs about $150.