I was wondering why bottled water has a “drink by” date on it when common sense dictates that water doesn’t go bad, so I went out searching.
You can thank New Jersey, which passed a law in 1987 that required all food products sold there to display an expiration date of two years or less from the date of manufacture. Labeling, separating, and shipping batches of expiration-dated water to Jersey alone, was inefficient for bottled water producers, so most of them started giving every bottle a two-year expiration date, no matter where it was shipped to. Maybe that's also where Pepsi had inspiration for its "freshness date."
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has never established a limitation on the shelf life of bottled water and even though the NJ law was amended a few years ago it has been an industry norm for so long that many producers haven't bothered to change.
Unopened bottled water may not do you any harm, but it isn’t going to get better with age. The plastic that water is packaged in, usually polyethylene terephthalate (PET) for retail bottles and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) for water cooler jugs, is slightly porous, so the water can pick up smells and tastes from the outside world. Keep a case in your garage for a while and your water might end up with a slick oil finish. Mmmm, bottled water - the pet rock of a new generation.
Aug 21, 2009
Chocolate Lovers Rejoice
Heart attack survivors who eat chocolate two or more times per week cut their risk of dying from heart disease about three times more compared to those who never touch chocolate, scientists have reported. Smaller quantities confer less protection, but are still better than none, according to a study, which appears in the September issue of the Journal of Internal Medicine.
Earlier research had established a strong link between cocoa-based confections and lowered blood pressure. It had also shown that chocolate cuts the rate of heart-related mortality in older men and women.
The new study is the first to demonstrate that consuming chocolate can help ward off death after a person has suffered a heart attack. It appears the antioxidants in cocoa are a likely reason. Antioxidants are compounds that protect against free radicals or molecules which accumulate in the body over time that can damage cells and are thought to play a role in heart disease, cancer and the aging process.
The study tracked 1,169 non-diabetic men and women, 45-to-70 years old, during the early 1990s from the time they were hospitalized with their first heart attack. The participants were queried before leaving hospital on their food consumption habits during the previous year, including how much chocolate they ate on a regular basis. The results held true for men and women, and across all the age groups included in the study.
They underwent a health examination three months after discharge, and were monitored for eight years after that. The incidence of fatal heart attacks correlated inversely with the amount of chocolate consumed (the more chocolate, the less deaths from heart attacks). The study did not differentiate between milk chocolate and dark chocolate. Thought you chocolate lovers might enjoy this one.
Earlier research had established a strong link between cocoa-based confections and lowered blood pressure. It had also shown that chocolate cuts the rate of heart-related mortality in older men and women.
The new study is the first to demonstrate that consuming chocolate can help ward off death after a person has suffered a heart attack. It appears the antioxidants in cocoa are a likely reason. Antioxidants are compounds that protect against free radicals or molecules which accumulate in the body over time that can damage cells and are thought to play a role in heart disease, cancer and the aging process.
The study tracked 1,169 non-diabetic men and women, 45-to-70 years old, during the early 1990s from the time they were hospitalized with their first heart attack. The participants were queried before leaving hospital on their food consumption habits during the previous year, including how much chocolate they ate on a regular basis. The results held true for men and women, and across all the age groups included in the study.
They underwent a health examination three months after discharge, and were monitored for eight years after that. The incidence of fatal heart attacks correlated inversely with the amount of chocolate consumed (the more chocolate, the less deaths from heart attacks). The study did not differentiate between milk chocolate and dark chocolate. Thought you chocolate lovers might enjoy this one.
Speaking of Chocolate
How about Mo’s Bacon Bar made with applewood smoked bacon
that has been flavored with alder wood smoked salt, and then
blended with deep milk chocolate. It has 41% cocoa and costs
only $9.00. Haven't tried one yet, but I have tried chocolate
covered potato chips and they are very good.
Speaking of Bacon
Bakon Vodka will run you about $30 a bottle.
Can you think of a Bloody Mary with a hint of bacon?
OK, enough. Sometimes I do go off on tangents.
Aug 19, 2009
Internet Radio
Here is an interesting 'old is new' concept. Free music, sports, and news from around the world. It is called Ira, an Internet Radio Adapter that connects automatically to any wireless Internet network in about 3 minutes without the need of a computer.
Just take it out of the box, plug it in, and connect it to your home stereo or speakers with the included audio cables. It features over 11,000 stations from just about every country in the world and includes On Demand (Podcast) programming for many stations so you can listen to your favorite shows when you want. It costs about $150 for the device, including the remote control and piggybacks on your internet connection for free.
http://www.myine.com/ira.php
Just take it out of the box, plug it in, and connect it to your home stereo or speakers with the included audio cables. It features over 11,000 stations from just about every country in the world and includes On Demand (Podcast) programming for many stations so you can listen to your favorite shows when you want. It costs about $150 for the device, including the remote control and piggybacks on your internet connection for free.
http://www.myine.com/ira.php
Honeymoon
It was the accepted practice years ago, that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink, to aid the couple in fertility. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, hence the honeymoon.
The first literary reference to the word honeymoon was in 1552 in Richard Huloet's Abecedarium Anglico Latinum. It held that the word honeymoon, “Was a sardonic reference to the inevitable waning of love like a phase of the moon.” There is also supposedly a Norse legend about stealing the bride, but it seems a bit far fetched. And last, there is that time of year that the moon looks all golden, like honey.
There are a few more legends, but the bottom line is that no source seems absolutely certain of the real origin. Of course you heard of honeymoon salad, which is 'lettuce alone'.
The first literary reference to the word honeymoon was in 1552 in Richard Huloet's Abecedarium Anglico Latinum. It held that the word honeymoon, “Was a sardonic reference to the inevitable waning of love like a phase of the moon.” There is also supposedly a Norse legend about stealing the bride, but it seems a bit far fetched. And last, there is that time of year that the moon looks all golden, like honey.
There are a few more legends, but the bottom line is that no source seems absolutely certain of the real origin. Of course you heard of honeymoon salad, which is 'lettuce alone'.
Shades of 1984
For those who have not read George Orwell's book, "1984" it might be a good time to do so, or at least read an online summary of it.
Tiburon, a town of 8,000 in Marin County, CA, officials want to photograph every car and use the license plate information to solve crimes in the town of 9,000.
Many see the plan as an intrusion into the rights of citizens, but officials say it is a sensible precaution that absolutely will not cross privacy lines. The town manager says, "The proposal has been misunderstood." Yeh, right! We have been misunderstanding a lot lately, like, 'Trust me, if we spend another trillion dollars today it will save more tomorrow. . .'
Hula Hoops
Many of you will remember the hula hoop craze from days gone by. They are still around and still fun. Do you know where they came from?
There was a famous radio and TV personality that was responsible for financing, manufacture, and promotion.The person was very concerned that folks did not find out who was responsible and be swayed by his stardom, but now I'll tell you his name. It was Art Linkletter, star of House Party, and 'Kids say the Darndest Things', and more. Many Terrible Tommy and Dirty Johnny jokes were inspired by his book.
There was a famous radio and TV personality that was responsible for financing, manufacture, and promotion.The person was very concerned that folks did not find out who was responsible and be swayed by his stardom, but now I'll tell you his name. It was Art Linkletter, star of House Party, and 'Kids say the Darndest Things', and more. Many Terrible Tommy and Dirty Johnny jokes were inspired by his book.
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