Wordology, Antioxidant

Few people are aware what exactly an antioxidant is. An antioxidant is a substance that inhibits oxidation. It is a substance that removes potentially damaging oxidizing agents in a living organism.

The level of antioxidants in any substance or food is evaluated with an ORAC score, (Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity). ORAC tests the power of a plant to absorb and eliminate free radicals. These measurements were developed by the National Institute of Aging and are based on 100 grams of each food or herb. Cinnamon, clove, oregano, dark chocolate, and pecans have extremely high ORAC scores.

Antioxidants can be man-made or natural substances.  They are found in many foods. They are also available as dietary supplements. Examples of antioxidants include: Beta-carotene, Lutein, Lycopene, Selenium, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E. Vegetables, fruits, and nuts are rich sources of antioxidants.

The benefit list of antioxidants is long and includes:
    Slower signs of aging, including skin, eyes, tissue, joints, heart, and brain,
    Healthier more youthful glowing skin,
    Reduced cancer risk,
    Detoxification support,
    Longer life span,
    Protection against heart disease and stroke,
    Less risk for cognitive problems, such as dementia,
    Reduced risk for vision loss, such as macular degeneration and cataracts.

Bottom line, antioxidants are generally very good for you, but high-dose supplements of antioxidants may be linked to health risks in some cases, such as high doses of beta-carotene may increase the risk of lung cancer in smokers. High doses of vitamin E may increase risks of prostate cancer and one type of stroke. As my mother used to say, "It can be too much of a good thing."

Best Road Rage Video

Funny stuff. Here is a LINK

Robo Calls are Big Business

Consumers get an estimated 98 million robocalls daily, according to the US government. Fraud from these unwanted calls amounts to about $9.5 billion annually. More than 3 billion robocalls were placed during March, 2018, according to the YouMail Robocall Index. In addition, the FCC gets about 200,000 complaints about robocalls each year, and the FTC received 4.5 million complaints about unwanted calls during 2017.

During 2017, the FCC gave phone companies the ability to block numbers they know are attempting to send spoofed calls that look as if they are local calls. And the agency also began a process to improve caller ID so calls could have "a verified digital fingerprint" to ensure a caller was legit.

Most of the big carriers offer a free call protection app, except Sprint, which costs $2.99 a month.

There are hundreds of apps such as Hiya, Nomorobo, RoboKiller, Truecaller, and YouMail that work. Look at the rating and read user comments before downloading any app. You can block numbers on your phone, but the major bad guys keep changing their number so it does not help much. However it is good for blocking local business that keep calling to sell services.

I have not found any app that blocks the call and locks the caller out of voice mail. This is the most aggravating part for me. I want one that blocks the call and blocks voice mail at the same time.

Incidentally, YouMail operates a Robocall Index that compiles the scope and location of the worst robocalling hotspots across the country by area code, and Atlanta leads the list.

Happy Friday

If you are happy and you know it clap your hands.

I always applaud a Happy Friday!

SD vs. SSD

An SD card is removable flash memory, much like a USB stick (thumb drive), it just fits into smaller slots, like in a digital camera, or phone. SD stands for secure digital.


SSD stands for solid state drive and is a hard drive based on flash memory technology just like the an SD card, except it usually holds much more data. SSD differs from a conventional hard drive. It has no moving parts, it is much faster and lighter, does not use much energy, and does not emit heat.

Google Maps Hack

Google probably knows more about where you have been than you can remember. This may be good or bad. If you are a criminal, law enforcement can use this information to place you at the scene of a crime. If you are not a criminal, it might just be interesting information. Many forget that phones have location turned on and never think about it. You mostly only need location turned on when using maps or for Lyft and Uber. Some also suggest when you go out to unsavory or unfamiliar places it is good to have it on, so you can be tracked or if worse, be found.


The link below takes you straight to your Google Maps Timeline, a record of all your movements logged in Google Maps. Just sign in to Google and it will direct you. Enjoy. LINK

Funny Tweet

This is from the funniest tweets of all time. Made me laugh out loud.


"Been on hold so long I can't remember who I called. I have a credit card out and my pants off, but that doesn't really narrow it down much. 1:08 PM - 30 Jun 09"

Names Behind Retail Store Initials

Shopping strips and malls are littered with companies whose original names have now been replaced with initials. Those initials often reveal a pearl or interesting fact of the history of the company.
In some instances, businesses attempt to change the meaning of their initials. British Petroleum, better known to the world as BP, decided in 2000 that its name now stood for “beyond petroleum”.
B&M comes from Billington & Mayman as it was set up by Malcolm Billington but shortened to B&M for Bargain Madness.

Some initials quite obvious, depending on where you live. ANZ is the Australia and New Zealand Banking Group; BWS stands for “Beers, Wines and Spirits”.
H&M comes from the official name Hennes & Mauritz AB. It is a Swedish multinational clothing-retail company.
The ASOS fashion brand and online megastore started as a supplier of unbranded clothes to celebrities on TV and the idea was people could find clothes and accessories they had seen celebs wearing. Before long people started referring to AsSeenOnScreen as ASOS and in late 2000 the domain name www.asos.com was bought.
QVC comes from Quality Value Convenience. It sums up the service the shopping channel provides. QVC was set up by Joseph Segel in Pennsylvania in 1986 and it now broadcasts to over 350 million households in seven countries across the globe.
CVS pharmacy chain was founded in Lowell, MA in 1963, and was known as "Consumer Value Stores." Over time the name became abbreviated to simply CVS.

Kmart's big red K. Officially the K does not stand for anything and the brand has only ever read in Australia as “Kmart”. The American company’s history goes back to traveling salesman Sebastian Spering Kresge from Pennsylvania. In 1897, he opened his first store in Memphis and by the 1950s Mr Kresge had 600 stores bearing his surname. Do you remember SS Kresge? The stores began to convert to the simpler Kmart brand in 1962, the K is a nod to its founder. Kresge died in 1966.
JBL, the speaker company is named after its founder, James Bullough Lansing. He was born James Martini in 1902, but at 25, he changed his name to James Lansing.

KFC changed from Kentucky Fried Chicken and the public relations reason given for the name change was that health-conscious consumers associated the word “fried” with “unhealthy” and “high cholesterol.”

According to KFC, during 1991, Kentucky Fried Chicken decided on a name change to KFC. "In reality, we wanted to let our customers know that we had more for them to enjoy than just fried chicken, and many were already calling us KFC, as it was much easier to say."

Incidentally, KFC is owned by Yum! Brands. It operates Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut, and WingStreet worldwide.

Amazing Flying Diversion

Four minutes to make your heart pump. This is an Air Show in Cameron, a small rural town in Missouri. LINK

Masters Tournament Bans

Bryce Ritchie, an editor at golf magazine "Bunkered," reported that the Masters Tournament had a list of sayings that had been banned from the course, with 2018 list including the now-iconic "Dilly Dilly". According to Ritchie, fans who shout "Dilly Dilly," or similar phrases, will be ejected from the tournament.

Augusta National forbids any phones.  For fans who need to reach someone off the course, payphones are available.

The tournament still has rules on the books regarding the use of beepers. So doctors better leave their pagers at home. Are they the only people that still use pagers?

Cameras are allowed on the course at Augusta National only during the practice rounds before the start of the official tournament.

Raw vs. Roasted Nuts

Nuts are generally roasted to improve their taste, aroma and crunchy texture. Roasting is defined as cooking using dry heat, which cooks the food evenly on all sides. Most nuts are roasted without their shell, except for pistachios, which are often roasted in-shell. Roasting nuts changes their structure, chemical composition, color, and decreases their moisture content.

There are two main kinds of roasting: Dry roasting without oil. Nuts can be dry roasted in the oven or in a frying pan. Oil roasting can also be done in the oven or in a frying pan.

Raw and dry-roasted nuts have very similar amounts of fat, carbs and protein, but roasted nuts have slightly more fat and calories per gram. During roasting, nuts lose some moisture, so a roasted nut weighs less than a raw nut. That explains why the fat content per ounce is slightly higher in roasted nuts. Some studies indicate that trans fats are formed after roasting, but the amount is negligible

One ounce (28 grams) of raw almonds contains 161 calories and 14 grams of fat. The same amount of dry-roasted almonds contains 167 calories and 15 grams of fat. Both types contain similar amounts of calories, protein, carbs, and fiber, but roasting nuts may damage their healthy fat, and reduce their nutrient content.

Eating roasted or non-roasted nuts may reduce your risk of heart disease. Nuts are filled with healthy fats and the amino acid arginine, which relaxes constricted arteries and increases blood flow, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. Nuts also contain vitamin E, folic acid, fiber, and potassium. Good nut choices include almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, filberts, peanuts, pistachios, and walnuts.

Benefits of Smiles

Scientists have found that a human fetus starts smiling in its mother’s womb. In his TED talk, “The power of smiling,” Ron Gutman said that child smiles 400 times a day on average, while just a third of adults smile more than 20 times a day.
The theory of interconnection between a person’s emotional state and their facial expression says that our mood and well-being improve when we smile, even if this smile is artificial. Smiling affects the production of endorphins in our brains and blood then transfers them through the whole body. Scientists believe that such “joy moderators” can seriously lessen physical pain and emotional discomfort.

My favorite task after I wake is to look in the mirror and smile. Try it now, or tomorrow, or everyday. Amazing how much it helps to start the day with a smile.

Happy Friday

Smiles are free, but priceless.

You can't afford not to smile, especially on a Happy Friday!

Happy Birthday Thomas Jefferson

April 13, 1743 was this great man's birthday. He could write in Greek with one hand while writing the same in Latin with the other. His Portrait is on the Two $2.00 Dollar Bill.

Here are some facts about his life and quotes from Thomas Jefferson.

At 5, began studying under his cousin's tutor.
At 9, studied Latin, Greek and French.
At 14, studied classical literature and additional languages.
At 16, entered the College of William and Mary.
At 19, studied Law for 5 years starting under George Wythe.
At 23, started his own law practice.
At 25, was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses.
At 31, wrote the widely circulated "Summary View of the Rights of British America" and retired from his law practice.
At 32, was a delegate to the Second Continental Congress.
At 33, wrote the Declaration of Independence.
At 33, took three years to revise Virginia's legal code and wrote a Public Education bill and a statute for Religious Freedom.
At 36, was elected the second Governor of Virginia.
At 40, served in Congress for two years.
At 41, was the American minister to France and negotiated commercial treaties with European nations.
At 46, served as the first Secretary of State under George Washington.
At 53, served as Vice President and was elected president of the American Philosophical Society.
At 55, drafted the Kentucky Resolutions and became active head of Republican Party.
At 57, was elected the third president of the United States.
At 60, obtained the Louisiana Purchase doubling the nation's size.
At 61, was elected to a second term as President.
At 65, retired to Monticello.
At 80, helped President Monroe shape the Monroe Doctrine.
 At 81, almost single-handedly created the University of Virginia and served as its first president.
At 83, died on the 50th anniversary of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence.

John F. Kennedy held a dinner in the White House for a group of the brightest minds in the nation at that time. He made this statement: "This is perhaps the assembly of the most intelligence ever to gather at one time in the White House with the exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone."

"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not." -- Thomas Jefferson

"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them." -- Thomas Jefferson

"My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too
much government." --Thomas Jefferson

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." --Thomas Jefferson

"The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government." -- Thomas Jefferson

"To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical." --Thomas Jefferson