The German city of Bonn is calling its policy of levying a surcharge on streetwalking prostitutes via curb-side meters a success that would continue.
The municipal government said a "sex tax" covering levies on sauna clubs, "erotic centers" and automated pay stations similar to parking meters that were rolled out in August 2011 had brought in around $326,000 last year.
The former West German capital became the first city in Germany to introduce the meters for sex workers as a means of extending a general tax on prostitution beyond brothels to the streets of Bonn.
The meters were installed in an industrial area near the center of town used by prostitutes to solicit clients, with each sex worker paying €6 per night worked, regardless of how many customers they have. Those repeatedly caught without a ticket can be fined.
Feb 3, 2012
More Salt Less Bacon
I think not. Some people are beginning to say that salt is the new bacon. However, bacon is not so hoidy toity. Bacon lovers love bacon and do not need fancy names and additional flavors to make it better. The price of bacon has gone up over twenty percent in the past three years, but that is nothing compared to the price of specialty salts.
New salt types include Himalayan or alder-smoked and many more. Salt is in chocolate, on caramels, and even chocolate covered bacon.
SaltWorks sells Black Hawaiian sea salt, Bolivian Rose salt, Merlot-infused crystals, and Yakima apple wood smoked sea salt. It even has salt and pepper tastings. Some specialty salts can cost $8 per ounce, or $128 per pound. Bacon salt is much cheaper.
New salt types include Himalayan or alder-smoked and many more. Salt is in chocolate, on caramels, and even chocolate covered bacon.
SaltWorks sells Black Hawaiian sea salt, Bolivian Rose salt, Merlot-infused crystals, and Yakima apple wood smoked sea salt. It even has salt and pepper tastings. Some specialty salts can cost $8 per ounce, or $128 per pound. Bacon salt is much cheaper.
How Long is a Smoot
The smoot is a unit of length, defined as the height of Oliver R. Smoot, who became the president of the ISO. The unit is used to measure the length of the Harvard Bridge. In 1958 when Smoot was a Lambda Chi Alpha pledge at MIT (class of 1962), the bridge was measured to be 364.4 smoots, plus or minus one ear, using Smoot's body as a ruler. Oliver was 5 feet, 7 inches at that time. Google Earth and Google Calculator include the smoot as a unit of measurement. You have just been smitten by a smoot fact.
Jan 31, 2012
Excess Weight and Acne
Here is another one of those headlines from a national newspaper that is overshadowed by the details in the article.
It begins with the statement that researchers have found that weight gain and moderate to severe acne go hand in hand, particularly among young women.
The most recent study highlighting a link was published this month in The Archives of Dermatology and included roughly 3,600 teenagers. The researchers looked closely at their weight and its relation to their skin, factoring in several variables that could also play a role, including age, puberty and diet.
After adjusting for these and other factors that could affect acne risk, the researchers found that overweight or obese teenagers, particularly young women were significantly more likely to develop acne than normal-weight adolescents.
Researchers have proposed several explanations for the link. One is that an excess of androgen caused by obesity provokes acne. As for why girls would be more greatly affected than boys, it is possible that having bad skin and being overweight cause them greater psychological strain, which in turn prompts the release of stress hormones that only worsen the problem. So the cause is bad skin and hormones, not excess weight. I wonder if bad skin causes acne or acne causes bad skin? Yes someone actually paid them to come up with this stuff.
It begins with the statement that researchers have found that weight gain and moderate to severe acne go hand in hand, particularly among young women.
The most recent study highlighting a link was published this month in The Archives of Dermatology and included roughly 3,600 teenagers. The researchers looked closely at their weight and its relation to their skin, factoring in several variables that could also play a role, including age, puberty and diet.
After adjusting for these and other factors that could affect acne risk, the researchers found that overweight or obese teenagers, particularly young women were significantly more likely to develop acne than normal-weight adolescents.
Researchers have proposed several explanations for the link. One is that an excess of androgen caused by obesity provokes acne. As for why girls would be more greatly affected than boys, it is possible that having bad skin and being overweight cause them greater psychological strain, which in turn prompts the release of stress hormones that only worsen the problem. So the cause is bad skin and hormones, not excess weight. I wonder if bad skin causes acne or acne causes bad skin? Yes someone actually paid them to come up with this stuff.
What's in a Name, Epson
One of the innovations for the Tokyo Olympics was the development of the electronic printer which was used to print the times of results.
The printer was developed by the Seiko Group and the printer was called the “Electronic Printer” or “EP.” The printer module was successful and became incorporated into early calculators.
Years later, Seiko launched a range of dot matrix printers into the US market and the US distributor was named EPSON, or “son” of “EP.” The brand became so established that Seiko renamed itself the Epson Corporation a few years later.
The printer was developed by the Seiko Group and the printer was called the “Electronic Printer” or “EP.” The printer module was successful and became incorporated into early calculators.
Years later, Seiko launched a range of dot matrix printers into the US market and the US distributor was named EPSON, or “son” of “EP.” The brand became so established that Seiko renamed itself the Epson Corporation a few years later.
Closet Organizing
Some tips I recently saw on the web that seem to make sense for cluttered closets. Use shower curtain hooks in your closet to hang those things you want to keep off the floor, like purses, gift bags, and other small things that do not fit on a hanger. You can use pants hangers for flat things like wrapping paper and other flat items. A pegboard attached to the inside of your closet door can be used to hang everything from jewelry to watches, and umbrellas.
Those plastic travel soap dishes are great for organizing jewelry, vitamins, or other small small items when traveling.
Try those little magnets to hang stuff on the sides of your medicine cabinet, like tweezers to keep them off the shelf and close at hand when you need them.
Those plastic travel soap dishes are great for organizing jewelry, vitamins, or other small small items when traveling.
Try those little magnets to hang stuff on the sides of your medicine cabinet, like tweezers to keep them off the shelf and close at hand when you need them.
Elementary My Dear Watson
IBM's Watson supercomputer, like the one that was used on the TV Show Jeopardy, will be used to evaluate cancer treatment options for Wellpoint, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association's largest health plan. It will be used as an adviser for oncologists at Cedars-Sinai's Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute in Los Angeles.
Cedars-Sinai's historical data about cancer, as well as its current clinical records, will be fed into a version of Watson that will reside at WellPoint's headquarters in Indianapolis. WellPoint will work with Cedars-Sinai physicians to design and develop applications that will help doctors prescribe specific treatments for patients.
Cedars-Sinai's historical data about cancer, as well as its current clinical records, will be fed into a version of Watson that will reside at WellPoint's headquarters in Indianapolis. WellPoint will work with Cedars-Sinai physicians to design and develop applications that will help doctors prescribe specific treatments for patients.
Jan 27, 2012
Happy Friday
True happiness involves the full use of one's power and talents.
I know I have the power and talent to have a Happy Friday!
I know I have the power and talent to have a Happy Friday!
Overdone Bacon
Now I know I must have crossed the line with so many bacon comments. LINK This site page title from Grupthink is 'Mmmm. . . Bacon' and my Bloginalia 2010 book is posted with two other food books.
One more completely useless bit is a comedian talking about bacon (with no reference to me or the book), just bacon. LINK
Sorry, looks like I might have to tone it down a bit in the future. Oh well, publicity is publicity.
One more completely useless bit is a comedian talking about bacon (with no reference to me or the book), just bacon. LINK
Sorry, looks like I might have to tone it down a bit in the future. Oh well, publicity is publicity.
Easter Island
Those famous heads that we have all seen pictures of turn out to have bodies. Many of the 887 moai known to date have been excavated and found to have bodies. The island's real name is Rapa Nui.
These statues ring the island and have been a source of fascination and conjecture for centuries. Contrary to some stories, the majority of the statues face inward, not looking out to the ocean.
These statues ring the island and have been a source of fascination and conjecture for centuries. Contrary to some stories, the majority of the statues face inward, not looking out to the ocean.
What's in a Name, Wilhelm Scream
The Wilhelm scream is a frequently-used film and television stock sound effect first used in 1951 for the film Distant Drums.
The effect gained new popularity (its use often becoming an in-joke) after it was used in Star Wars and many other blockbuster films as well as television programs and video games. The scream is often used when someone is falling to his death from great height.
Two minutes of fun. You will recognize it the first time you hear it. LINK
The effect gained new popularity (its use often becoming an in-joke) after it was used in Star Wars and many other blockbuster films as well as television programs and video games. The scream is often used when someone is falling to his death from great height.
Two minutes of fun. You will recognize it the first time you hear it. LINK
Toilet Talk
The film “Psycho” was the first movie to show a toilet flushing. The scene caused a huge number of complaints about indecency.
The Roman army didn’t have toilet paper so they used a water soaked sponge on the end of a stick instead.
The toilet is flushed more times during the super bowl halftime than at any time during the year.
The average person spends three years of their life sitting on the toilet.
Over $100,000 US dollars was spent on a study to determine whether most people put their toilet paper on the holder with the flap in front or behind. The results showed that three out of four people have the flap in the front.
The first toilet cubicle in a row is the least used.
The Roman army didn’t have toilet paper so they used a water soaked sponge on the end of a stick instead.
The toilet is flushed more times during the super bowl halftime than at any time during the year.
The average person spends three years of their life sitting on the toilet.
Over $100,000 US dollars was spent on a study to determine whether most people put their toilet paper on the holder with the flap in front or behind. The results showed that three out of four people have the flap in the front.
The first toilet cubicle in a row is the least used.
How Many People Can Fit on Earth
Many more people can be accommodated on our planet than headlines would have us believe. For starters, there are now six billion people on earth.
The island of Japan has about 143,000 square miles of area. One square mile has 27.9 million square feet. Japan has a total of about 4 trillion square feet, enough to give each person of the earth 670 square feet.
For comparison, if we used the American average of 8,000 square feet to four people, the entire population of the planet would fit into a space as the size of Texas and Nevada combined. That would leave the rest of the world's land for food production, entertainment, and vacations. These calculations do not include the oceans.
The island of Japan has about 143,000 square miles of area. One square mile has 27.9 million square feet. Japan has a total of about 4 trillion square feet, enough to give each person of the earth 670 square feet.
For comparison, if we used the American average of 8,000 square feet to four people, the entire population of the planet would fit into a space as the size of Texas and Nevada combined. That would leave the rest of the world's land for food production, entertainment, and vacations. These calculations do not include the oceans.
Jan 24, 2012
Seven More Uses for Rice
Put it to work doing dishes. You can use rice to get at those hard-to-reach bottoms of narrow-necked milk bottles and flower vases. Add rice, soap, water, and then shake-shake-swirl.
Get your coffee grinder squeaky clean by wiping grinder clear of debris and add enough rice to cover the blades and grind. The rice will absorb all the lingering oils that carry the coffee aroma.
Use rice water as a facial serum by saving the water from rinsing your cooking rice. Let it cool and use a wash cloth to rub the liquid into your face and rinse clean. Rice is high in vitamin E.
Make an easy heating pad by filling a sock with a couple cups of rice, and then tie the open end. Pop it in the microwave for a few minutes, and you have an instant heating pad.
When finished with that heating pad, let the kids or pets play with it like a bean bag.
Bury wet electronic devices in a bowl of rice. It extracts moisture like silica gel.
Make DIY glue by boiling down rice until it degrades and releases the starch.
Get your coffee grinder squeaky clean by wiping grinder clear of debris and add enough rice to cover the blades and grind. The rice will absorb all the lingering oils that carry the coffee aroma.
Use rice water as a facial serum by saving the water from rinsing your cooking rice. Let it cool and use a wash cloth to rub the liquid into your face and rinse clean. Rice is high in vitamin E.
Make an easy heating pad by filling a sock with a couple cups of rice, and then tie the open end. Pop it in the microwave for a few minutes, and you have an instant heating pad.
When finished with that heating pad, let the kids or pets play with it like a bean bag.
Bury wet electronic devices in a bowl of rice. It extracts moisture like silica gel.
Make DIY glue by boiling down rice until it degrades and releases the starch.
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