McDonald's Choices Around the World

The Japanese know how to add menu items at McDonald's. They have the bacon, cheese, and potato pie. Wish we did.

McDonald's also serves spaghetti in the Philippines, hot dogs in Japan, pork burgers in Thailand, seaweed seasonings all over Asia, lobster salad on a bun and Poutine in Canada, ham and cheese on flat bread in France, pizza pockets in Morocco, fried salmon on a bun in Norway, fried beef stew on a bun in Poland, bacon and ketchup on a bun in England, bratwurst in Germany (of course), and beer in many countries, but not, alas, the US. Not sure how many let you supersize the orders.

Top Eleven Uses for Mouthwash

The following presume to use the type of mouthwash with alcohol in it.

Nail fungus problems and athlete's foot are difficult to eradicate. Make up a 50/50 solution of alcohol-based mouthwash and vinegar, and apply to the affected area with a cotton ball two-to-three times per day. It make a week or more for the fungus, but only days to get rid of athlete's foot.
 
Apply some mouthwash to poison ivy infected areas and it will it relieve the itchiness and inflammation as well as dry up the area and begin the healing process.

Mouthwash is great for cleaning the kids’ hands in a pinch, as long as it is the alcohol-based and sugar-free kind.

When traveling mouthwash can be used as a substitute deodorant in a pinch, due to its bacteria-killing properties.

Of course mouthwash eliminates garlic odor in your mouth, but it can also take get rid of the smell of garlic on your hands after you’ve handled it. Just pour some on your hands, rub them together, and let them air-dry.

Mouthwash was first used as a surgical antiseptic before people figured out its mouth-washing properties. Apply some mouthwash to your wound, dry, and cover with a bandage.

By mixing two tablespoons of mouthwash per gallon of water and filling your flower vase with this mixture, your cut flowers will last longer because it kills the bacteria that accelerates decomposition.

Apply mouthwash on a damp cloth to wash glass surfaces. Dry with a cotton cloth.

In the same way that mouthwash removes bacteria from your mouth, you can remove it from your laundry as well. Add one cup to the regular cycle of a full load of laundry. This is especially handy for those stinky gym socks; mouthwash kills all the bacteria that is sometimes left behind in a regular wash.

Dunk your toothbrush in a cup of mouthwash before brushing to ensure your toothbrush is clean and free of bacteria.

The end - pour a cup of mouthwash into the toilet, let it sit for half an hour and swipe it with the toilet brush.

Is Your Name Popular

Have you ever wondered how popular your name is? Probably not, but there is a web site that will tell you. LINK Just type in your name and Pokemyname will tell you how popular it is, how many others share your name. it also shows how your name looks in Braille, Semaphore, barcode, morse code, and sign language. Fun diversion.

1965 Inventions Plus

The Kennedy half dollar came out that year and contained 60% copper. An uncirculated one is worth about four dollars today. The artificial Aspartame came out in 1965. It came under attack as causing cancer, but the claims were debunked and it is now considered safe. Astroturf hit the ground in 1965 and is still around. Kevlar was invented that year and is still protecting us from the bad guys. Basic, the computer programming language was developed in 1965. The 'Big Bang' theory was developed in 1965 and the Nobel prize in science was awarded its discoverer. Some say the internet was developed in 1965, but it was really conceived, much like its current form in 1968.

On Palm Sunday, April, 1965 fifty one tornadoes hit around the Southern US, causing tremendous damage.Medicare was created by Lyndon Johnson. the Maple Leaf became the official Flag symbol for Canada. The Gateway arch in St. Louis was completed. Warren Buffet takes over Berkshire Hathaway and the stock price was $18 per share.  No, the pencil was invented in Switzerland in 1565, not 1965.

Cranberry Jell-O

It is reportedly the only flavor that contains real fruit flavoring.

Unusual Plants and Trees

The website name describes what you will see, '15 Eccentric Endangered Trees, Plants, and Flowers'. Great pics of unusual living things from around the world. Here is the welwitschia mirabilis, which usually has only two leaves, but they curl around into an unusual clump. It can live for a thousand years.

A quick read, but you might get hooked by all the related sites of weird plants, exotic animals, etc. LINK A fun diversion to explore the unusual around us.

Some Illuminating Thoughts

On Jan. 1, 2012, 100-watt incandescent bulbs will start disappearing from store shelves.The front of the new bulb labels will list energy cost and lumens, which can vary widely even for bulbs consuming the same amount of energy or wattage. Lumens already appear on bulb packaging, but we often overlook the fine print.

The back will list the bulb's expected life span, energy consumption and its "light appearance," or color, which is measured on a temperature scale known as Kelvin (K). Lower Kelvin numbers mean the light is more yellow; higher Kelvin numbers mean it's whiter or bluer. The traditional incandescent, which gives off a warm, soft and almost yellowish light, has a temperature of about 2,700 to 3,000K — similar to most halogens. LEDs' temperatures range from 3,300 to 5,000K while CFLs can be quite warm (2,700K), neutral or cold (6,500K).

For kitchens and work spaces, where a brighter and whiter light is desired, look for bulbs marked 3,500 to 4,100K. For a cooler, bluish light akin to daylight, good for reading, look for bulbs with 5,000 to 6,500K.

For CFLs, the back label also notes that the bulbs "contain mercury" which, in high enough doses, can cause tremors, mood swings, headaches and insomnia. (CFLs have, on average, 4 milligrams of mercury, while older thermometers have about 500 milligrams.) No mercury is released unless the bulb breaks. Besides being expensive, I have tried them in my ceiling fans and about one in four burns out within a few months. The new label lists a government website for tips on how to clean up broken pieces and dispose of the bulbs. This is very scary stuff.

Here is a link to a Youtube explaining the new CFL bulbs LINK  This Texas congressman is not happy. If these bulbs are really that good, we would have already bought them and they would not have to be forced on us.

Happy Friday

Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today.

I always dream about living for a Happy Friday!

St. Pauli Girl Beer

Interesting facts for the beer aficionados in the crowd. St. Pauli is the famous red light district of Hamburg, Germany. In 1977, St. Pauli Girl Beer started to choose a spokesmodel to represent the beer brand and appear on the popular St. Pauli Girl poster. 

In 1999, they started using Playboy magazine playmates as the girl (the 2008 St. Pauli Girl is Irina Voronina). Here's the gallery of St. Pauli Girls from 1977 to 2007. There were actually a few that were not blond. Don't worry, it is PG. LINK

Bacon Cologne

Last year I mentioned bacon perfume for the woman who has everything - and sure to help her catch a man. 

Now it is finally here, bacon cologne (pronounced bac own) for men and women. Bacon classic is a blend of spicy maple, with bacon. Bacon gold is spicy citrus with bacon. Wow, what a great idea for those days when you do not have time for breakfast. Just think of it, citrus for her and maple for him or the other way. Anyway, here is the LINK, because you know you want it!  This is sure to be a much wanted stocking stuffer for the holidays. Mmmm.

More Beer News

A British brewery said it has created the world's first beer laced with Viagra in honor of the royal wedding. The Brewdog brewery said the beer, called Royal Virility Performance, contains the same amount of Viagra in three bottles as one erectile dysfunction pill. It said only 40 bottles will initially be sold when it is released today, April 29, the day of the wedding, but will make more if the batch is successful.

It said several bottles of the beer, which bear labels reading "Arise Prince Willy" and "Celebrate Big Willy Style" have been sent to Prince William as gifts for the night of his wedding to Kate Middleton.

Police and Prison Jargon

Clink was the name of a prison which was on Clink Street in London.  That is how we came up with the phrase, 'to be thrown in the clink.'

The police force in London was established by Sir Robert Peel. For a time policemen were called 'Peelers' or 'Bobbies men' and that was shortened to the current term for British police, bobbies.

Billionaires

Maybe the old saying about the rich getting richer is no longer true, at least in the US. Brazil, Russia, India, and China produced 108 of the 214 new billionaires in the recent Forbes list of richest people. These four nations are home to one-in-four members, up from one-in-ten five years ago. Before this year, only the US had ever produced more than 100 billionaires. China now has 115 and Russia 101. The US used to have one in two, now it has one in three billionaires and it is down 56 billionaires from 2008 peak. So sorry, I didn't see your name on the list either.

Encyclopedia of Life

This site plans to out Google Google. It plans to eventually have a page for every species of life on earth. The site has a very long way to go, but is making an interesting start. If you are interested in the creatures around us, take a look. It has been updated since the last time I mentioned it. LINK