Alkaline Water

This type of water is supposedly an extra-healthy type of water to drink, with claims that it slows the aging process, increases energy, helps cure fertility issues, regulates the body’s pH level, has antioxidant features, cleanses organs, and prevents chronic diseases like cancer.

Proponents of alkaline water believe it works by making our bodies less acidic. Many people believe that the American diet contributes to chronic low-grade acidosis, associated with health issues including hormonal problems, loss of bone, and metabolic problems.

In your stomach, where the stomach acids digest your food, the pH is 1.5 to 3.5 (acidic). Antacids, like Tums contain alkaline ions that can cancel out acidity and neutralize stomach gastric acid. Under normal circumstances, stomach acid is essential for food digestion.

There are two types of alkaline water: artificial alkaline water, which is generally tap water run through an electrical ionizer to make the pH more alkaline and bottled spring or mineral water. Natural spring water passes through rocks and soil and picks up various minerals, which affect its pH. Naturally-occurring mineral water contains alkalizing compounds, such as calcium, silica, potassium, magnesium, and bicarbonate.

For people who have a kidney condition or people who are taking medication that alters kidney functions, the minerals in alkaline water could start to accumulate in their bodies. Drinking too much alkaline water, or drinking water with a high pH, may disrupt the body’s normal pH. This can lead to a condition called metabolic alkalosis, which may cause confusion, nausea, vomiting, hand tremors, muscle twitching, and tingling in the face, hands or feet.

You can purchase water ionizing machines, which use titanium or platinum to make water alkaline, and they do not introduce natural minerals.

There are no peer-reviewed studies demonstrating that consuming alkaline water can reduce a person's cancer risk or help them to better fight cancer and the American Cancer Society does not make a recommendation for consumption of alkaline water.

It is possible that alkaline water may provide some health benefits, to some people, in some circumstances, such as with acid reflux disease.

No studies, to date have proven there is any benefit to health by drinking alkaline water. According to Mayo Clinic, regular water is best and there is no scientific evidence that verifies the claims made by alkaline water proponents. Caveat Emptor!

Chauvin Day

On the anniversary of Napoleon Bonaparte's birthday August 15, we celebrate the interesting etymological history of the word "chauvinism," which comes from a man named Nicholas Chauvin, who so idealized Napoleon that he became internationally mocked for his blind loyalty to a cause. The term became associated with any misguided or ill-intentioned adherence to a particular cause and the discriminatory mindset it refers to today.

Happy Friday

Happiness in your soul cannot be contained.


Let all that happiness out and enjoy a Happy Friday!

What's in a Name, J.R. Simplot

J.R. Simplot was a high school dropout who developed the first freeze-dried potatoes and vegetables for the U.S. Army, during WWII in Europe. The longer shelf-life and easy reconstitution of Simplot’s frozen vegetables helped ensure troops overseas could be kept stocked with food needed during the war.

At the end of the war Simplot signed a contract with Ray Kroc at Mc Donald's to provide frozen French fries. It provides McDonald’s with more than 50% of its French fries worldwide.

Size Matters

The Statue of Liberty is the tallest statue in the US. France paid $250,000 to build the statue, US paid $275,000 to build the stand. It was originally copper color and gradually took on a patina to the current green.

Motto of United States

The following is not meant to be political, but to remind what the Motto of the United States is. Contrary to what one of our candidates for president said during her recent acceptance speech, E Pluribus Unum was officially replaced as the motto of the US during 1956, by the US Congress passing an act making “In God We Trust” the official motto.



Incidentally, President Obama also made the same faux pas during a speech he made a few years ago.

Clementines, Tangerines, and Oranges

A Mandarin is a small, loose-skinned, orange-yellow to deep orange-red citrus fruit. While many refer to mandarins as oranges, they are technically tangerines. All Clementines and Tangerines are Mandarins, but not all Mandarins are Clementines or Tangerines.

A Clementine is a deep red-orange, often seedless mandarin orange.

A Tangerine is a widely cultivated variety of mandarin orange having deep red-orange fruit with easily separated segments. Tangerines have seeds. A tangerine is smaller, less round, sweeter, and contains less acid than an orange. They have virtually the same nutritional values. Tangerines are smaller than oranges and the peel comes off easily.

Oranges are larger, as well as more tart and sweet than tangerines. Orange zest is the orange layer on the outside and the rind is the white underneath.

A Satsuma is a seedless mandarin orange native to Japan and the hardiest commercial citrus fruit.

Clementines look like small oranges: they are actually a cross between navel oranges and mandarin oranges. They are a great source of vitamin C and provide a natural sweet, honey-like flavor. They have shiny tight skins and make a great display as a centerpiece. Clementines are often confused with Satsumas, which have a looser skin.

Navel oranges are the most common type of oranges for eating. These sweet oranges are baseball sized, seedless, and sweet. The thick skins make these oranges easy to peel.

Blood oranges have a deep red color of the flesh that distinguishes them. They are smaller than navel oranges and are very sweet.

Valencia oranges are the classic orange for juicing. They have a thin skin and seeds. Valencia oranges are delicious to eat as a fruit, but more difficult to peel than navel oranges.

Seville and other sour oranges make great marmalade. They can be used to add acid when cooking, for cocktails, and in salad dressing. You can replace lemon or lime juice in recipes with the juice of a sour orange.

Free Gym Membership

 Before you sign up or renew your health club/gym membership, check your health insurance policy. Many reimburse for health club membership fees.

Wordology, Whale, Wail, and Wale

A whale is a large marine mammal, one of the larger cetacean mammals that has flippers, a streamlined body, and a blowhole. The word whale may also be used as an adjective to signify something outstanding or impressive, and used as a verb to mean to thrash soundly, to beat upon, or to go fishing for whales. The word whale is derived from the Old English word hwæl.

A wail is a high-pitched cry of grief, anger, or pain. Wail may be used as a noun or a verb. Wail is also used by American jazz musicians to mean 'play well', as in, he can sure wail on that sax. Wail comes from the Old Norse word væla, which means to lament.


A wale is the welt that raises up on the skin after a whipping. Wale may also be used to refer to a ridge of corduroy fabric or the weave of a fabric in general. Wale also refers to the horizontal band on a basket. Wale is derived from the Old English word walu, which means ridge of earth or stone, as well as stripe or weal.

Hamburger Menu

The three short horizontal lines on the upper right or left of browsers and on many apps is commonly called 'the hamburger menu'.


In Chrome on the upper-right corner, click on it and under “More Tools” is 'Extensions'. In Firefox it is called 'add-ons'. Click either and you will see a list of all the extensions or add-ons you have installed. At the bottom of the list is 'Get more'. Clicking that will take you to Google Play or Mozilla and show thousands of free extensions and add-ons you can install.


Incidentally, for most options, icons, hamburger menus, other menus, Start Button, or shortcuts in Windows, left click the mouse to take action, right click the mouse for information. If you are not sure, right click.

Happy Friday

Happiness is an age eraser. Be happy and you will never grow old.

Stay Happy, stay young and enjoy a Happy Friday!

Why Donkeys and Elephants

Washington insiders considered Andrew Jackson as intemperate, vulgar, and stupid. Opponents called him a jackass. During the 1828 presidential campaign, he embraced the label and began including a jackass on his campaign posters. He became the first Democrat president.

Incidentally, donkeys are in the same family as horses. A male donkey is called a jackass.

During the 1870s, influential political cartoonist Thomas Nast helped popularize the donkey as a symbol for the entire Democrat Party. It first appeared in a cartoon in Harper's Weekly in 1870, and was supposed to represent an anti-Civil War faction. Nast drew a donkey clothed in lion's skin, scaring away all the animals at the zoo. By 1880 it had already become the unofficial symbol of the party.


Thomas Nast, in an 1874 Harper’s Weekly cartoon portrayed various interest groups as animals, including an elephant labeled “The Republican Vote,” which was shown standing at the edge of a pit. He employed the elephant to represent Republicans in additional cartoons during the 1870s, and by 1880 other cartoonists were using the creature to symbolize the party.

Democrats say the donkey is smart and brave and Republicans say the elephant is strong and dignified.

Wordology, Chorale, Choral and Corral

A chorale is a slow, dignified hymn that employs harmony. In the United States, a chorale is also a choir or chorus of people. Chorale comes from the German word Choral which means metrical hymn in Reformed church.

Choral is the adjective form of chorale, meaning written for or sung by a chorale or group of singers.

A corral is a fenced enclosure used to hold livestock, especially horses or cattle. Corral is also used as a transitive verb, which is a verb that takes an object, to mean 'to contain livestock in a fenced enclosure or to round up'. Related words are corrals, corralled, corralling. Corral is an American word, based on the Spanish word corro which means ring.

Google Energy Use

In 2011, Google's data centers reportedly used 0.01% of the world's electricity, even though it uses low-power servers and high-efficiency data centers. Its networks use 900,000 servers across the world to power the search engine and other services. It uses artificial intelligence to monitor and make best use of electricity.