China and USA Facts

China produced 19.8 percent of all the goods consumed in the world last year while the United States only produced 19.4 percent.

The U.S. trade deficit with China in 2010 was 27 times larger than it was back in 1990.

World Newspapers

Here is a site that you can go to and choose the paper from your hometown and read it as if you had it delivered. LINK  Was at the site on Feb 16 and found that the 'Top Ten' papers each had a picture and article about the new basketball favorite Jeremy Lin. Not surprising, he even made it to the front page of the Daily News in Taipei and Chongging Times in China.

If you read six or eight papers, you will be amazed that many articles are almost word-for-word, regardless of city or state as they are mostly taken from the top three news sources. Too bad we are losing independent thoughts from the media. Luckily the Internet, with all its diversity has stepped in to fill the void.

Reminder Phone Calls

Is it me or is this just strange? Here is a site that you can use to type in a message and have it call you at some specific time to remind you with the message. There is one free try, then there is a charge by the minute. LINK

Happy Friday

Talent is God-given, be humble.
Fame is man-given, be grateful.
Conceit is self-given, beware.

I am humble and grateful to be given another Happy Friday!

Get Off The Dime

“Get off the dime” dates back to the days of dance halls and “taxi dancers,” women employed by the halls to dance with strangers, usually for ten cents per dance (a grim occupation immortalized in the 1930 Rodgers and Hart song “Ten Cents a Dance”). A contemporary account, published in 1925, explains the phrase: “Sometimes a … [dancing] couple would … scarcely move from one spot. Then the floor manager would cry ‘Git off dat dime!’” Similarly, “dancing on the dime” meant to dance very closely with very little movement, behavior that might well attract the attention of the Vice Squad and get the hall closed. Thus “get off the dime” referred both to the the customer as the “dime” he had paid and to the small spot (“dime”) on the floor where the couple seemed frozen.

Pop Rocks

Pop Rocks were invented by Chemist William A. Mitchell, who worked for General Foods.  He also invented Tang, Cool Whip, quick-setting Jell-O, a tapioca substitute, and powdered egg whites, among other things. He received over 70 patents in his lifetime.

Relieve Eye Strain

Near-point stress can be caused by staring at your computer screen for too long. Here is a simple solution that is cost free. Every few hours close your eyes, tense your body, take a deep breath, and, after a few seconds, release your breath and muscles at the same time. Tightening and releasing muscles such as the biceps and glutes can trick involuntary muscles, like the eyes into relaxing as well.

Patron Saint

St Anthony The Great, also referred to as 'the Abbott' was an Egyptian Christian in the pre-Islamic period, who lived in the desert as an anchorite (religious hermit) for part of his life.

His relationship with pigs and patronage of swineherds stems from his work to treat skin diseases. Skin diseases were sometimes treated with applications of pork fat, which reduced inflammation and itching.

Swineherds took Anthony as their patron, and he thus became the patron saint of charcutiers (pork butchers) and also the patron saint of bacon. St Anthony is normally portrayed in pictures with a pig nearby.

What's in a Name, Listerine

Listerine was invented 133 years ago, first as a surgical antiseptic, but also as a cure for gonorrhea. An article from 1888 recommends Listerine “for sweaty feet and soft corns, developing between the toes.”

During the next century, it was marketed as a refreshing additive to cigarettes, a cure for the common cold, and as a dandruff treatment. In the 1920s the powerful, germ-killing liquid finally landed on its most lucrative use as a cure for bad breath.

Calorie Cutter

You can eat two Egg McMuffins from McDonald's for fewer calories and fat than a bagel with two tablespoons of cream cheese.

Ice Cream is Good For You

Ice-cream is a low GI (glycemic-index) food. This means that it is a slow sugar release food that keeps you satisfied for a longer period of time than a high GI food. For that reason, you are less likely to binge after eating ice-cream.

Nutrients in ice-cream are biotin, iodine, potassium, selenium, vitamins a, b12, D, and K. 75 grams of Ben and Jerry’s Cookies and Cream ice-cream contains only 114 calories compared to a slice of cheesecake with 511 calories.

Party Tip

Use a colander in your ice bucket or a large bowl to put ice in. The water will drop out the bottom and your guests can get at the ice without the mess.

Hiccup Cure

Rub an ice cube on your Adam's apple for a minute. The coldness interrupts the reflex arc from your brain to your diaphragm that causes hiccups.

Food Myth Debunked

The long held myth that milk is the best thing for healthy bones is not true. Many confuse "dairy" with "calcium," and assume they are the same thing. Dairy products contain calcium, but so do dark-leafy greens. Milk is fortified with vitamin D, but bone health goes beyond calcium and vitamin D.

Vitamin K is important for bone health (dark leafy greens have it, dairy doesn't). Magnesium, also missing in dairy products, plays an important role in bone health.

Milk isn't the only, or even the best, source of calcium. If you're looking for good sources of calcium and Vitamin D, consider dark greens, mustard greens, kale, and bok choy instead of milk. Toss in some almonds, cashews, and potatoes for magnesium.