Apr 26, 2019

Wordology, EPCOT

Back during 1966 Walt Disney had an idea for part of his theme park in Florida. He planned for it to be an actual community and called it EPCOT. Most folks have forgotten or never knew what that meant or if it was just a word. On Disney World’s website, “Epcot” actually is not written in all caps, which would suggest that it is not an acronym. However, it is an acronym for “Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow.” Now you know.


Incidentally, Walt Disney might have been the first to put gloves on his characters. In addition to being easier to animate, he also did not want Mickey to have mouse hands, because he was supposed to be more human.

More Things You Think Cause Cancer but Do Not

Power lines emit both electric and magnetic energy, but do not cause cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute's fact sheet on Electromagnetic Fields and Cancer. 'The electric energy emitted by power lines is easily shielded or weakened by walls and other objects. The magnetic energy emitted by power lines is a low-frequency form of radiation that does not damage genes.

Slicing a tumor does not cause it to spread. During 2005, nearly 41 percent of people surveyed by the American Cancer Society said they believed that surgery to remove cancer actually caused cancer to spread, and an additional 13 percent were not sure. Surgeons use special protocols to prevent cancer cells from migrating during surgical procedures. Also, cancer replicates and metastasizes on its own, not with the help of a scalpel.

Exposure to air does not cause cancer to spread. "There is no scientific data supporting that theory," says Blair Marshall, MD, thoracic surgeon, on oncolink.com. Dr. Marshall writes that the theory stems from situations where cancer patients have surgery and then later die of metastatic cancer. "In actuality," Dr. Marshall reports, "if the patient had not undergone any surgery at all, they still would have developed widespread disease." This belief is more prevalent and difficult to disentangle in under-served groups, according to the study, and may contribute to disparities in cancer outcomes in those groups.

Optimum Oreo Dunk Time

Members of Utah State University’s Splash Lab, an academic group studying the behaviors of fluids put Oreos to the test.
Three researchers gathered Oreos, Chips Ahoy, Nutter Butter, and Graham Crackers and dipped the cookies halfway in 2 percent milk for half a second to seven seconds. After dunking, the team weighed the treats and measured how much milk had been absorbed.
The results: Oreos absorbed 50 percent of their potential liquid weight in just one second. After two seconds, they absorbed 80 percent. The number flatlined briefly for a second. After the fourth second, the cookie maxed out: It absorbed all its possible milk. “This data indicates that for the tested cookies, keeping your cookie in the glass any longer than five seconds does not lead to any additional milk entering the cookies,” their study suggested.

Three seconds is enough time to saturate most of an Oreo. There is no benefit to dunking longer than four seconds. To increase dunk time, use high-fat dairy, such as whole milk (3.25 percent butterfat) or half-and-half (about 10 percent butterfat).

Smiles

During 2010, an interesting study was conducted at Wayne State University. Its purpose was to find out if a smile could influence humans’ life expectancy. Scientists studied baseball cards with famous baseball players produced before 1950. It turned out that players who did not smile lived around 72.9 years, players with a slight smile lived 75 years, and those with really wide smiles lived 79.9 years. Hmmm.


There is a connection between a smile and mood: even if you are forced to smile, you start feeling better. A wide smile equals 2,000 bars of chocolate. Our smile can influence others. People cannot keep scowling if you smile in front of them. Smiling is contagious, so we lose control over our facial muscles and smile back. A smiling person also looks more attractive and professional.

Apr 19, 2019

Happy Friday

Take the end of each day to bed with you and it will transform overnight to a wonderful new day.

This is especially true when you wake up on a Happy Friday!

International Cannabis Culture Day

April 20 is the official cannabis celebration day. Carl's Jr. says it is debuting a cannabis-infused burger on 4/20. The "Rocky Mountain High: CheeseBurger Delight" will be topped with CBD-infused "Santa Fe Sauce" and sold at one location in Denver for a single day. It will cost $4.20.


Other April 20 Birthdays and Events:

Hitler (born 1889),
George Takei (star Trek's Sulu (born 1937)
1775 American Revolutionary War
Carmen Electra [Tara Leigh Patrick] (born 1972)
1972 – Apollo 16 lands on the moon.
2008 – Danica Patrick wins the Indy Japan 300 becoming the first female driver in history to win an Indy car race.
Alfred Hawthorne "Benny" Hill, English comedian and actor (born 1924) D 4/20/1992
Cantinflas, Mexican actor, producer, and screenwriter (born 1911) D 4/20/1993

Wordology, Chyron

The pronunciation is Keeron. It is a caption superimposed over usually the lower part of a video image (as during a news broadcast) or any predominantly text-based video graphic as used mainly by television news broadcasts that typically resides in the lower third.

Although it is often used generically, it actually comes from the name of the company whose software allows television producers to add those crawling words, phrases, and images to their broadcasts.

What's in a Name, Blackberry

The creators thought its keyboard somewhat resembled the skin of a blackberry and an employee suggested that for a name. It was accepted.

Nine Things People Think Cause Cancer but Do Not

The wax on apples
is used to extend shelf life and to make the fruit look enticing. Although some claim the wax is carcinogenic, it is not. While there are some credible concerns about carcinogenic pesticides that might be trapped under the wax, you can take care of that problem by rinsing fruits with water and scrubbing them with a soft brush.

Disposable chopsticks internet rumor began circulating that disposable wooden chopsticks contain carcinogens, including sulfur dioxide. Sulfur dioxide is not a carcinogen. If you do not want to ingest sulfur dioxide you might consider using reusable chopsticks, or a fork.
The cold water viral rumor has been going around that drinking cold water after meals can cause cancer. It does not. The email claims that cold water interferes with digestion, and somehow that causes cancer. No research anywhere backs up this nonsense claim.
Supposedly if water is boiled for too long or reboiled, chemical compounds form, including carcinogens like arsenic. Consuming re-boiled, clean, uncontaminated drinking water will not cause cancer or poison you or your family. As long as your water comes from a source that is regularly inspected, you can boil it as many times as you want.

The claim is that turning on the AC in your car after your car has been running will spew benzene, a carcinogen into the cabin. There are zero studies demonstrating that well-maintained cars contain or produce benzene through their air conditioning system in sufficient quantities to have any carcinogenic impact.
Some studies indicate that constant exposure to hair dyes can put hairdressers and barbers at a higher risk of bladder cancer. There is no scientific evidence that coloring your hair, even regularly increases your risk of cancer. The only reason to extend the time between hair coloring appointments is to save time and expense.
Occasionally the idea crops up that shampoo causes cancer, because it contains the foaming agent sodium laureth sulfate or sodium lauryl sulfate. Also found in hair conditioner, soap, and various cleaning products, SLS may damage your hair, but not your genes. It is definitely not a carcinogen, reports the American Cancer Society.
The National Cancer Institute is clear: There is no truth to the rumor that antiperspirant causes cancer. 'The best studies so far have found no evidence linking the chemicals typically found in antiperspirants and deodorants with changes in breast tissue,' the institute reports in a fact sheet titled Antiperspirants Deodorants and Breast Cancer.

People have long been suspicious of cell phones, but there is no need to be. The American Cancer Society explains, cancer grows through genetic mutations, and cell phones emit a type of low-frequency energy that is not capable of damaging the DNA inside cells. Although researchers continue to study this potential link, there are no reputable findings linking cell phones and cancer risk.

Apr 12, 2019

Happy Friday

If you worry about what Was or what Will Be, you miss what Is.

Do not miss the chance to be happy, especially on a Happy Friday!

What's in a Name, Corned Beef

There is no corn in corned beef. Corned beef and cabbage, a staple for Irish and other Americans, does not have anything to do with the grain corn. It is due to the large grains of salt that were historically used to cure meats. They were known as corns.

Hawaii Spam Jam

Every April, Spam fans from across the globe find their way to the island of Oahu to pay homage to their favorite mystery meat. The Waikiki Spam Jam is Hawaii’s largest food festival, and the largest Spam celebration in the world. More Spam is consumed in Hawaii than in any other state. Streets are lined with vendors selling an assortment of meaty dishes, from traditional Spam musubi (sliced or grilled Spam on top of rice), sizzling slices of pizza topped with Spam, Spam flan, and chocolate-covered Spam.

However, it is not the only one. You can find a smaller, week-long Spam party in Austin, Minnesota, the birthplace of the iconic meaty mash. Also, Spam has become a staple of South Korean life, and is now the biggest consumer of it outside the US. Spam is available in 41 countries. 

World War I Kleenex

Doctors decided to use gas mask filters as disposable handkerchiefs after the war. “Items created for the war often had to be re-purposed following the war, and one of those items is Kleenex, which was actually the crepe paper used in the filters of gas masks.


During the influenza epidemic following the war, paper goods company Kimberly-Clark re-purposed the paper as a disposable product for people to sneeze into and limit the spread of bodily fluids. Although it is a brand name, Kleenex is used to refer to any facial tissue.

Hashish vs. Marijuana

Hashish is also called ghanja or hash on the street. Hashish is derived from the dried resin (or kief) of the flowering tops of mature and unpollinated female cannabis plants.  These resin glands, known as trichomes or crystals, produce a powdery substance rich in the properties of cannabis. Kief is usually pressed into blocks known as cakes. These cakes are then smoked, with the consumer using a small amount of the block each time. Hash is smoked using pipes, or else it is vaporized and inhaled, or mixed with marijuana in joints.
Marijuana is made up of a mixture of the dried shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of the Cannabis Sativa plant. Hash is made up of only the collected and compressed trichomes of the plant. These trichomes are the most potent part of the cannabis plant, so hashish is stronger than marijuana.

Marijuana may generally have a potency of 10-20 percent THC while hashish can range from 20 percent to 60 percent THC. Because they come from the same plants, if marijuana is legal, hashish is legal.