AVOD, SVOD, TVOD

These days there is much talk about 'cutting the cord', or eliminating the increasingly high cable TV costs. People are looking for decreased costs and instant gratification. The irony is, while people are installing ever larger TV screens in the home, many people are opting to choose their entertainment on miniscule phone screens and tablets. There are common terms for this instant gratification.

VOD is Video On Demand. Wherever there is a screen, in your pocket, in your car, etc., you can watch the latest episode of your favorite show or watch a movie.

AVOD is Advertising or Ad-based VOD. It is a model that is free of monthly or on demand cost, but you pay by letting yourself be subjected to commercials. Think YouTube as an example or commercial, non-cable TV.

SVOD is Subscription VOD, a type of service that requires a paid subscription agreement, which grants access to movies, shows, or other content. The fees are typically charged monthly.

TVOD is Transactional VOD. It is a service that is paid for as you watch. TVOD is typically free sign up, then pay for any content you watch. This is like an electronic version of the old Blockbuster model, watch a movie, pay a fee, watch another movie, pay another fee.

There are examples of services that operate with mixed models, where the customer will pay a monthly fee, which will grant access to certain types of content, but there are extra fees applied to watch particular pieces of content, such as a live sports event. Cable TV, Rabbittv, Selecttv, and VRV are mixed models.

The Internet, with its Over-The-Top (OTT), or Over-The-Air (OTA) watch anything, anywhere, anytime for free is disrupting most of the paid schemes and forcing cable operators to rethink their business models and outrageous fees.

Phone and Internet Use

The International Telecommunication Union reports that Earth has as many phone subscriptions as people (7 billion), even if it does not translate to a phone for each person.

It also finds internet usage is not evenly distributed. Though broadband networks are available to 84 percent of the world’s population, just 47 percent actually use the internet.

GMT and UTC

Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is often confused with Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). GMT and UTC share the same current time in practice, but there is a basic difference between the two. GMT is a time zone and UTC is a time standard.

GMT is a time zone officially used in some European, African, and other countries. The time can be displayed using both the 24-hour format (0 - 24) or the 12-hour format (1 - 12 am/pm).

UTC is not a time zone, but a time standard that is the basis for civil time and time zones worldwide. This means that no country or territory officially uses UTC as a local time.

Neither UTC nor GMT ever change for Daylight Saving Time. However, some of the countries that use GMT switch to different time zones during their Daylight Saving Time periods. For example, the United Kingdom is not on GMT all year, it uses British Summer Time (BST), which is one hour ahead of GMT, during the summer months. Seems to me all Daylight Saving Time should adopt the British acronym and call it for what it is - BST, for Bull S... Time.

Einstein the Horse

 Miniature horses were first developed in Europe during the 1600s, and by 1765, they were seen frequently as the pets of nobility. Miniature horse life span is 25 to 35 years, but often live longer, with the oldest known ones living 50 years of age.

The English began using small ponies in their mines. At the peak of this practice in 1913, there were 70,000 ponies underground in Britain. In later years, mechanical haulage was introduced on the main underground roads replacing the pony haulers. As of 1984, 55 ponies were still in use at the pit in Ellington, Northumberland. When Ellington closed in 1994, the last four pit ponies were brought out.

Einstein, who was born during 2010 in New Hampshire, US is a miniature pinto stallion and not a dwarf. This tiny steed is just 20 inches tall and weighs 47 pounds. His father and mother are 32 inches and 30 inches respectively and are national mini horse champions.

Happy Friday

Sadness cannot open the door to a happy house.

My doors are always open to celebrate a Happy Friday!

Happy Birthday Mickey Mouse

Steamboat Willie was first released on November 18, 1928, in New York. It was co-directed by Walt Disney. “I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing – that it was all started by a mouse.” Walt Disney

International Men's Day

International Men’s Day is celebrated every year on November 19. It is dedicated to celebrating men and raising awareness of men’s issues and rights.

World Toilet Day

Totally, completely, and absolutely not related to International Men's Day. World Toilet Day is a day to raise awareness and inspire action to tackle the global sanitation crisis.

Happy Thanksgiving next Week

Hope your Holiday is filled with good fun, good family, good friends, good drinks, and good food!

Bottled Water Sources

Companies are not required to publicly disclose exactly where their sources of collection are. Ironically, most US bottled water comes from (drought stricken) California. Almost all US tap water is better regulated and monitored than bottled water is.

Purified water is a different story. It is usually produced by distillation, de-ionization or reverse osmosis. This water can originate from either the tap or from ground water. Often labeled "purified" or drinking water," this processed water often has minerals added to it to give it taste.

There are more than 3,600 brands of bottled water available. Many now come packed with vitamins, minerals, probiotics,  flavors, and natural and artificial sweeteners.

The various types of bottled water are sourced from:

• Well water (water found underground that is trapped by rocks or sand)
• Spring water (collected at the source of a spring)
• Groundwater (mineral water contains natural minerals dissolved from the source)
• Distilled water (collected from the steam of boiled water)
• Purified water (water from anywhere, but it is treated to remove chemicals).

About 55 percent of bottled water in the United States is spring water, including Crystal Geyser and Arrowhead.
Evian, Perrier, and Vittel come from natural springs in France. FIJI Water comes from a source in the Yaqara Valley of Viti Levu, one of Fiji’s two principal islands, and is now the number one imported bottled water in the United States. San Pellegrino comes from mountain springs in Italy. Mountain Valley Spring Water comes from Arkansas. Saratoga springs comes from New York and is injected with additional carbonation during bottling. Everest water comes from Texas, Glacier Mountain comes from Ohio, and only about a third of Poland Springs water comes from the actual Poland Spring, in Maine.

Aquafina and Dasani use tap water and treat it. In fact, Aquafina, was recently forced to change their labels to reflect the true source of their water: Public Water Source, in other words, tap water. Coca-Cola bottling plants, which produce Dasani, use 1.63 liters of water for every liter of beverage produced in California.
The following are bottled water brands who refuse to release the location of their water source.

    Big Y Natural Spring Water
    Cool Springs Purified Drinking Water
    Crystal Clear Bottled Water Purified Drinking Water
    Deja Blue Purified Drinking Water
    Floravita 2000 Super Aqua Ultrapure Premium Water
    H20m Natural Spring Water
    Kroger Distilled Water
    Nursery Purified Water
    Publix Drinking Water
    Simply H20
    Smart Sense Purified Water
    Sunnyside Farms Purified Water
    Trader Joe’s Electrolyte Enhanced Water
    Vintage Natural Spring Water
    Voss Artisian Water
    Whole Foods Italian Still Mineral Water
    365 Everday Value Spring Water
The International Bottled Water Association lists more than 20 brands of bottled water that contain fluoride. A few of the brands are Arrowhead, Deer Park, Hinkley Springs, Nursery Water, Ozarka, and more. DS Services and Nestle Waters North America are the most common manufacturers listed.
A new type, Alkaline water, also called ionized water has claimed health benefits. However, researchers have not yet verified claims that alkaline water can cure illnesses or prevent certain conditions. Most doctors agree more studies are needed.


The consensus between the two main water quality regulating groups EPA and EWG, and health research is that bottled water is inferior in quality to tap water. This is due to the extreme filtering process and type of disinfection used.

Lost Cat Tip

Was not sure I believed this, but verified it with a few cat sites and it appears to be true. Here are things you can do to assist in having your cat return home. Put the litter box or scoop of used litter outside along with any of the following: articles of  your own worn clothing, a slept on pillowcase, a used bath mat or towel, a vacuum bag or canister and kitty’s favorite bed or blanket. These will be familiar scents that will appeal to kitty. It is said they can smell from long distances. Putting out cat food does not work.

Incidentally, statistics show many cats return from 8pm to 2am and from 4am to 7am.

Indica vs. Sativa vs. Hybrid

With the recent election, another sea change is beginning. That change stems from a number of states approving legislation for the legalization of marijuana, either for recreational or medical purposes.
It seems odd to me that any substance can be classified as either medical or recreational. I guess that pouring vodka on a wound to cleanse it might be considered medical use and drinking it might be considered recreational. However, marijuana can be ingested the same way for both purposes. The practical distinction appears to be political.
Cannabis classification has been around for a long time. Early taxonomic distinctions between Cannabis indica and Cannabis sativa began in the 18th century when differences between their structure and resin production were first noted. The hybrid category was adopted later on, as growers began mixing genetics from different geographic locations. In addition to the major strains, each can have many minor strains that produce different effects.

Indica strains are known for being physically sedating, perfect for relaxing with a movie or as a nightcap before bed.

Sativas typically provide more invigorating, uplifting cerebral effects that pair well with physical activity, social gatherings, and creative projects.

Hybrids tend to fall somewhere in between the indica-sativa spectrum, depending on the traits they inherit from their parent strains.
Other unique attributes:
Indica and sativa plants have differences in appearance.
Sativa plants have a longer maturation cycle than indica plants.
Indica strains tend to produce heavier yields than sativa strains.
Indica and sativa strains tend to have different flavor profiles.

Because of these differences, medical patients using cannabis to treat their symptoms and conditions may also consider a strain’s classification. A patient suffering from fatigue or depression may use a sativa during the day, and another treating pain and insomnia will likely choose an indica strain at nighttime.


Incidentally, most countries use the word cannabis vs. the US use of the word marijuana. Also, the US stock market and valuations for cannabis companies is vigorously growing. See also my blog LINK

Great TP Tax

In New York, sales tax for toilet paper is 8.875 percent. Many New Yorkers are unaware of the taxation on a product that is a necessity of everyday life.
After discovering Florida’s sales tax laws, Sun Sentinel columnist Michael Mayo launched a petition pleading for legislators to exempt toilet paper from taxation.  His lone petition drew a mere 89 supporters.

New Jersey and Pennsylvania are the only two states that specifically exempt toilet paper from tax. during 2016, Costco in New Jersey was sued for charging toilet paper tax. Case is still pending. Target in Pennsylvania was also sued for charging tax on toilet paper.

All toilet papers today break down well in the septic system. However, thinner is better. 1 ply bath tissue will break down easier and is best in recreational vehicles and boats.


Incidentally, In 1996, President Clinton passed a “Toilet Paper Tax” of 6 cents per roll.

Movember Fact

A scientist found the average drinker takes ten sips to finish a pint of beer, of which 0.56 millilitres of Guinness is trapped in the average mustache at every sip. That means almost 163,000 pints of Guinness is wasted each year due to mustaches. This can be seen as a tribute to the sacrifice men who grow mustaches during the month of November to benefit prostate cancer research.

Happy Friday

If you marry happiness, laughter and joy will be your offspring.

I am wed to creating many a Happy Friday!

Love Your Lawyer Day

Last Friday was Love Your Lawyer Day. Really! It was created in 2001 by attorney Nader Anise, American Lawyers Public Image Association, to begin a campaign of “No Lawyer Bashing or Jokes for a day.” That's it, just do not tell lawyer jokes today. Seems easy enough - Uh, did you hear the one about the lawyer, the donkey and the pig. . .

Splitting States

The United States is strange for many reasons, not the least of which is separating states into two. For Instance, North and South Carolina's evolution from the colony to two separate colonies and then two states occurred back in the 1700s and was caused partly by messy beginnings of governance and poor leadership, and partly by the fact that the original land grant was too large.

West Virginia split from the eastern portion of Virginia in 1861, because the latter voted to secede from the United States in the lead-up to the Civil War.

North and South Dakota had at least two reasons to split. From the creation of the Dakota Territory in 1861 until 1883, Yankton was the capital, in the southeastern corner of the territory. It was a steamboat landing along the Missouri River. However, the landing was crushed by the breaking of an ice dam, in 1881, and the entire riverfront and downtown area were flooded.

Two years later, the northern region of the Dakota Territory declared Bismarck as the capital of the territory. The people living in the southern region planned to become a separate state from the northern territory, so that they could have their own capital. The government balked and said there were not enough people for two states. When North Dakota was finally populated enough to become a state, in 1889, there was a rivalry about which state would be admitted first.


Another, perhaps more important, reason for two separate states instead of one large state was four senators, instead of two, and more representatives. Since Dakotans from the north and the south routinely voted Republican, the admission of two Dakotas gave the Republicans a majority in Congress. I am surprised the residents of the various Hawaiian Islands have not thought of that tactic.

Pumpkin Reuse

Now that Halloween is over and you want to preserve the feeling a while longer, here are a few things you can do.

Use some WD40. The main ingredient in WD-40 is mineral oil—the same stuff in Vaseline It will keep your pumpkins hydrated, protected from moisture, and fresh looking. It also contains several alkanes that are water-repellant and freeze-resistant. So go forth and use it to preserve both carved and uncarved pumpkins.


Spray all over your uncarved pumpkin to keep it looking shiny and new. For carved pumpkins, spray inside and outside making sure every part is saturated. Keep in mind that mineral oil is flammable, so you may want to be cautious about putting a lit candle inside

Another idea. Get three pumpkins of varying sizes, small, medium, and large. Paint them white. Then stack them up like a snowman. add a hat, scarf or other typical snowman clothes. The paint will help preserve the pumpkins and you can enjoy them for months as wintry guests on the front porch.

Affogato

In Italian, the word affogato means 'drowned'. For those of you not in the know, affogato is a coffee-based treat usually consisting of a scoop of vanilla gelato or ice cream drowned in a shot of espresso. Sometimes there are even additions like Grand Marnier, Amaretto, or whipped cream. It is difficult to decide whether this is a drink or a desert. Either way, it is easy to put together and will make your guests happy.

Freeze ice cream in ice cube trays, then top your ice cream cubes with room temperature coffee, they will naturally float to the top. If you like, add a shot of liqueur, a dollop of whipped cream, berries, or some ground coffee beans on top.

Diet Drink, Coffee with Butter

Some people have only coffee for breakfast, thinking it can help them lose weight, because caffeine does suppress appetite. Butter makes plain coffee considerably thicker, which makes you feel more physically full.

You can take a tip from paleo dieters and add real butter to your cup of Joe. Adding butter, which is higher in fat than cream or whole milk, will slow down the digestive process and maximize the beneficial effects of caffeine. Drop two tablespoons of melted, unsalted butter into your coffee.


One product on the market is called Bulletproof Coffee. It combines coffee beans, butter, and a few teaspoons of coconut oil to combat hunger and help your body burn fat throughout the day. This beneficial fat is a key reason the drink has taken off among paleo dieters. Ingesting butter provides nutrients that frequent breakfast-skippers miss out on.

According to dietitian Tanya Zuckerbrot, butter's fat content is key to keeping your caffeine buzz, because fat slows down the digestion process, it takes longer for your body to absorb coffee's caffeine. Rather than running through the energy boost quickly, butter helps prolong coffee's effects.

The traditional coffee additives of cream and sugar can't match butter's meal-like effects. Real butter contains the best benefits. Spreads won't offer the same texture and are made of different ingredients.

Of course, adding butter to your coffee also affects the taste. Many Bulletproof drinkers love the creamy, smooth feel of the drink, and it is often compared to the taste of a latte.

GMO Myth

Many headlines proclaim that GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) produced food is bad for us, however science debunks that myth. Sales of such GMO-free products are skyrocketing and they represent about $16 billion in annual sales. GMOs currently on the market provide ample cases of tangible benefit with relatively negligible risk. In the US, 70% of the food in US supermarkets contains GMO ingredients.

Organizations like the National Academy of Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the European Commission have publicly proclaimed GMO foods to be safe to eat. A large 2013 study on GMOs found no "significant hazards directly connected with the use of genetically engineered crops."

Other experts cite the fact that practically all the food we eat today has been genetically modified in some way; everything from corn to watermelons have been selectively bred for thousands of years to give us the traits we find desirable, like large amounts of sweet, edible flesh, or small and fewer seeds. Brings to mind the early ugly looking and untasty small kernel corn, tiny potatoes, tomatoes, and purple carrots.


Thousands of years ago when people simply gathered wild fruits and vegetables for food, these plants were found naturally growing in the wild. Then, about 10,000 years ago, people began to domesticate these wild fruits and vegetables and eventually improve upon them.

For instance, potatoes were domesticated about 10,000 years ago. Following centuries of selective breeding, there are now over a thousand different types of potatoes. Over 99% of the presently cultivated potatoes worldwide descended from varieties that originated in the lowlands of south-central Chile.

Selective breeding is the process of developing a plant or animal based on selecting desirable characteristics of the parent. For example, saving seed for replanting from plants within a crop that have shown to be particularly robust; or breeding a white dog with a black patch over its eye via two parents that have the same trait. Selective breeding is a form of genetic modification which does not involve the addition of any foreign genetic material (DNA) into the organism. It is the conscious selection for desirable traits. GMO adds different genetic material into the organism, in order to create desirable traits.



Incidentally, during October 1995, the potato became the first vegetable to be grown in space. NASA and the University of Wisconsin, created the technology with the goal of feeding astronauts on long space voyages, and eventually, feeding future space colonies.

A Different Election Perspective

Seems everyone likes to claim a victor as their own. The Buchan Observer, based in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, ran a presidential announcement with the headline: "Aberdeenshire Business Owner Wins Presidential Election."

Donald Trump owns the Trump International golf course in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire, which opened in 2011. He has visited the area several times, most recently earlier this year. Trump is also half-Scottish. His mother, Mary Macleod, grew up on the Isle of Lewis.

Speaking after the result became official, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon congratulated Trump on his victory and said it's time for all those who share "progressive values" to speak up loudly together.

Happy Friday

Celebrate the delicious fleeting flavors of life with all your heart.

I always savor the delicious flavors of a Happy Friday!

Halloween

This year Halloween is Monday October 31. Here is a Halloween Hack - If you want your carved pumpkin to last longer, rub some Vaseline on the cut parts. Boo!

Movember

It began in 2003, and the Movember movement has grown to be a global one, inspiring support from over 5 million Mo Bros and Mo Sistas. Men can help by growing a mustache during the month of November, then attending or throwing a party to raise funds for men's health. It is a very worthy cause. My nephew participates each year and has turned his group’s costume parties into major events as well as fundraisers.



The Movember foundation says, "We’re the only charity tackling men’s health on a global scale, year round. We’re addressing some of the biggest health issues faced by men: prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and mental health and suicide prevention. We know what works for men, and how to find and fund the most innovative research to have both a global and local impact. We're independent of government funding, so we can challenge the status quo and invest quicker in what works. In 13 years we’ve funded more than 1,200 men’s health projects around the world. By 2030 we’ll reduce the number of men dying prematurely by 25%.

Exercise vs. Exorcise

Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between the pronunciation of these two words and content of the rest of a sentence is key to understanding. We exercise to stay fit, but we also exercise to get rid of fat and we exercise to develop skills. We exorcise demons to get rid of them.

Many people have a fear of public speaking, but we can both exercise (develop skills), and exorcise, to get rid of public speaking demons.

Water and Toxins Myth

There is a myth that says water flushes out toxins from our body. This popular misconception is that drinking copious amounts of water will help magically cleanse our innards.

Drinking adequate amounts of water ensures our body’s metabolism works correctly. Part of this is the natural detoxification process liver and kidneys conduct. They work fine as long as they are getting enough, but not too much liquid.


Additional water intake is not going to help. In fact, drinking too much water can actually prevent the detoxification process. It reduces the concentration of salt in our blood, which can damage kidneys and liver and prevent their normal functioning.

DoS and DDoS

These letters mean Denial of Service and Distributed Denial of Service. They are important, because last Friday was not so happy for people trying to get into Amazon, Twitter, GitHub, Heroku, Paypal, Etsy, Spotify, Soundcloud, Reddit, Crunchbase, Netflix, BBC, CNN, The New York Times, HBO Now, Elder Scrolls online, Yelp, Freshbooks, various Squarespace sites, Pinterest, Twilio, NHL.com, Quora, Business Insider, Zillow, Box, tableau, GrubHub, Overstock, Walgreens, Ruby Lane, Pixlr,  PicMonkey, Ticketfly, and ironically, outageanalyzer - plus more.


DDoS originate when multiple compromised devices or systems are used to target a single computer system. Victims of a DDoS attack are both the end targeted system and all systems maliciously controlled by hackers in the distributed attack. The incoming traffic flooding the victim originates from potentially hundreds of thousands to many millions of devices, including PCs, cameras, DVRs, and many smart devices, such as thermostats, etc. The wave of outages move from the East coast of the US to the West coast as the day progressed. It was reported that 145 thousand security cameras among other devices were part of the attackers causing the outages.


Incidentally, a way you can prevent your devices from being part of the problem is easily solved by changing the default password. Unfortunately many connected devices, such as thermostats, refrigerators, etc. do not provide a means to change the default password. Caveat Emptor.

What's in a Name, Frank Hayes

Frank Hayes was a horse trainer and jockey during the early 1900s. In 1923, at the age of 35, Hayes had an opportunity to compete in a steeplechase in Belmont Park, New York. He had never won a race before that. The horse that he was going to race was named Sweet Kiss, a 20-1 underdog.

In spite of the long odds of winning, and despite the fact that Hayes had little experience as a jockey since he was a horse trainer by profession, Hayes and Sweet Kiss ended up victorious.


The owner of the horse, elated with the win, approached Hayes afterward only to find out that Hayes was dead. It appeared at some point during the middle of the race, Hayes suffered a heart attack and died. Sweet Kiss somehow managed to hop the final fence and cross the finish line ahead of everyone while carrying literal dead weight.

The track physician speculated that his death may have been caused by a pre-existing heart disease. Hayes is in the Guinness Book of Records as the first, and so far the only, deceased jockey to win a race.

IKEA Size Fact

IKEA uses 1 percent of the planet’s lumber. That is about 530 million cubic feet of wood used to make IKEA furniture each year.

Candied Bacon

If you love maple syrup and if you love bacon, Bob Evans should be on your breakfast list of places to visit. It is now serving a candied bacon appetizer.

“It's so crunchy, it doesn’t even feel like meat, but it tastes like meat,” said one taster. "It's sweet and savory and it's still crisp," said another satisfied taster. "It's God's food," said another of the pulcritudunous porcine product.

Health concerns, at least when it comes to bacon may not be much of a concern for the average American. According to the National Pork Board, ten pounds of bacon is sold annually per person, demonstrating the continuous popularity of pork.
The sweet and salt combo will the spot for breakfast, lunch, brunch, or dinner and every snack in between.



Incidentally, in May, a British man legally changed his name to Bacon Double Cheeseburger.

Happy Friday

Sometimes we need less planning and more doing.
Today I am already doing a Happy Friday!

Microsoft Word Tip

Did you open up your Microsoft Word document after having worked on it all day and have trouble finding where you ended typing?
As soon as you open up your document, press SHIFT and F5.  This will take you back to your last edit.  In fact, if you press Shift-F5 repeatedly, it will take you through your last four edits. This feature disappeared briefly in version 2007, but is back in version 2010.

Honing vs. Sharpening

When most people at home use a honing steel or butcher's steel, or that long metal rod that comes in the center of a knife block, to sharpen their knives, what they are really doing is honing them.

The difference is that a honing steel straightens out the blade of a knife, making the edge straight, free of burrs, and ready to use. As you use a knife, the tip of the blade will eventually bend and curl so you don't get a real blade-on cut at the very tip. The best you can really do at home is to hone your knives regularly to keep the cutting edge straight. For most at-home cooks, this makes the knives feel sharper. To sharpen a blade, you need a knife sharpener, or stone. Attached is a video at Chow showing a visual description.

Food Marketing Expense

Seventy percent of food manufacturers’ marketing budgets goes to trade promotion fees, which is money paid to supermarkets to obtain better product placement and promotion. The other thirty percent is for advertising and product packaging.


Brand awareness only goes so far and packaging, a fine art, is used to entice us to buy, but ultimately we are swayed by what is in front of us. Beauty really is in the eye of the beholder and we buy what we see first in the store.

Four Rules of Three

The main point of the Rules of Three is that we need to concentrate on the most immediate problem first. People mainly think of these rules for being stranded in the wilderness, but they also apply in an urban setting, such as natural disaster, earthquake, flood, etc. In any extreme situation:

You can survive for 3 minutes without air (oxygen) or in icy water,
You can survive for 3 hours without shelter in a harsh environment (unless in icy water),
You can survive for 3 days without water (if sheltered from a harsh environment),
You can survive for 3 weeks without food (if you have water and shelter).

Some people have suggested a fifth rule and that is 3 months without hope.

Incidentally, if you have a stick, or knife, or any other object stuck in you, do not pull it out. The object restricts blood flow. Wrap the area around the wound and seek help as soon as possible.

Dairy and Healthy Bones Myth

Many people confuse “dairy” with “calcium,” and assume they are the same thing. Most still believe that dairy is the best thing for healthy and strong bones. Dairy contains calcium, but so do dark-leafy greens. Milk is fortified with vitamin D, as are many other foods.

Bone health goes beyond calcium and vitamin D. Vitamin K is important for bone health, dark leafy greens have it but dairy does not. Magnesium, which plays an important part of bone health, is present in foods like almonds, cashews, oatmeal, and potatoes, but missing in dairy products.

You should get enough calcium in your diet, and milk and cheese are good sources of it. However there are many other good sources. The Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Missouri point out that milk is not the best, or only source of calcium. If you are looking for good sources of calcium and Vitamin D, consider collard greens, mustard greens, kale, and bok choy instead of milk.

Caffeine Facts

The Mayo Clinic says most healthy adults can safely consume up to 400 mg of caffeine each day.

Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant that makes us feel alert. It can also improve our mood and is associated with a reduced risk of depression. It can also increase our adrenaline level, which can leave us more irritable, anxious, and far more emotionally-charged. Caffeine has been shown to improve certain types of memory in some, but not all studies. Controlled amounts of caffeine can boost notable performance gains for athletes. Some studies also indicate caffeine is effective to increase long term memories. Although ingesting too much caffeine makes it difficult to focus on anything.

There is some evidence that caffeine, when combined with certain pain-relieving medications like acetaminophen, the main active ingredient in Tylenol, and aspirin, helps those medications take effect quicker, last longer, and increases their effects. Excedrin contains caffeine.

Here are a few common sources of caffeine:

Most 12-ounce cups of coffee contain 90 to 120 mg of caffeine,
One 12-ounce cup of Starbucks contains about 260 mg,
Dunkin Donuts has 215 mg,
One 2-ounce shot of 5 hour energy contains about 215 mg,
One 12-ounce cup of McDonald's coffee has about 109 mg,
One 8-ounce can of Red Bull contains 80 mg,
One cup of brewed black tea contains about 67 mg,
One shot of espresso contains about 71 mg, (a latte is espresso plus steamed milk - cappuccino is espresso plus milk and foam),
One 12-ounce can of diet Coke has 46 grams of caffeine,
One 12-ounce can of regular Coke has 34 grams of caffeine.

Laughter and Exercise

According to researchers at Georgia State University, forced laughter incorporated into an exercise program increases the health benefits and makes older adults more likely to exercise more. Simulated laughter techniques added to a strength, balance, and flexibility workout improved older adults' performance in an exercise program and significantly improved their enjoyment.
Laughter has physical benefits, and in many cases has an effect on the muscles used during exercise programs. Forced laughter, or choosing to laugh, rather than as a response to something funny gave way to actual laughter and enjoyment for most participants in classes with laughing incorporated into physical exercises.


Laughter is an enjoyable activity and has many health benefits. In a recent study, participants experienced improvement in mental health, aerobic endurance, and outcome expectation for exercise, with 96.2 percent of participants saying laughter made exercise more enjoyable, 88.9 percent saying it made exercise more accessible and 89.9 percent saying it would motivate them to participate in more exercise classes or activities. We all need a good laugh for better mental health and to clear out the cobwebs of our mind.

Happy Friday

A smile is more contagious than a yawn.

Share your smiles every day, especially on a Happy Friday!

Happy World Egg Day

Happy World Egg Day! It was established at the International Egg Commission, Vienna, 1996 conference, which decided to celebrate World Egg Day on the second Friday in October each year.

Eggs are one of nature’s highest quality sources of protein, and indeed contain many of the key ingredients for life. The proteins contained within eggs are highly important in the development of the brain and muscles, have a key role to play in disease prevention, and contribute to general well being.

Banana Myths Debunked

There is an old wife's tale that you cannot store bananas in the refrigerator. There is a reason for this myth, bananas do get a dark and ugly skin in the refrigerator. However, this does not mean the fruit goes bad. Also, they do not produce gas or other toxins in the cold.

Once bananas are ripened, they can be kept in a fridge. A banana peel will turn dark brown, making it appear bad, but the part you eat inside actually stays quite good. Remove the ugly peel and you will see the flesh inside is as delicious as ever. You can let it sit out for a short time to return to room temperature, if desired before eating.

Bananas can typically be kept in the refrigerator for about a week, which is significantly longer than an optimally ripe banana will last at room temperature. A handy place to store them is in the crisper.

Banana companies Chiquita and Dole recommend you do this to make the banana last longer in its perfect ripeness stage. Once a banana reaches its optimal ripeness for your taste, stick it in the refrigerator to drastically slow the conversion of starch into sugars, almost to the point of stopping the ripening process.
It is important not to put the bananas in the refrigerator before they reach the level of ripeness you desire. Chiquita says, “If you place your unripe Chiquita bananas in the refrigerator, they may not be able to resume the ripening process even if they are returned to room temperature.”
There are other ways to keep bananas fresh longer. For instance, you can slow the ripening process of a banana by keeping the banana away from other fruits, including separating a banana from the same hand it came from. Bananas put off large amounts of ethylene, relative to many other fruits. This triggers and quickens the ripening process significantly.

Incidentally, if you would like to speed up the ripening of some green bananas or other fruit or vegetables, put them in a paper bag together over night. The trapped ethylene will quickly ripen the fruit, and the paper bag will still let enough oxygen in to keep the ripening progress smoothly.  Also, putting fresh bananas in the same container as an overripe banana will rapidly accelerate the ripening process of the fresh bananas. Related posts LINK1, LINK2.

Airline Seats and Windows

Have you ever noticed that most airplane windows do no line up with your seat? The reason for this is that the airline manufacturers place windows as they believe is the optimum seating arrangement. Airlines decide on actual seating arrangements, using the flexible tracks in the plane. So, while one airline might coincidentally line up seats with windows, others do not. Plane window placements are standard, seating arrangements are not.

Airport WiFi Passwords

If you want to make travel a bit less troublesome, there is a tiny free app that can ease your wait time. It shows the passwords for WiFi at many of the world's airports. It is constantly updated for you, so check it out for the next time you have an interminable wait at the terminal. LINK

Pronunciation Poem

The following is the beginning of a poem "The Chaos" The only way it makes sense is if you know how to correctly pronounce the words. If you can pronounce correctly every word in this poem, you will be speaking English better than 90% of the native English speakers in the world.


The poem was written during 1922 by Gerard Nolst Trenité. Here is a LINK to the poem in its entirety. There is also a YouTube version with someone reading it out loud (6 minutes long) LINK. Friday fun diversion.

Dearest creature in creation
Studying English pronunciation,
   I will teach you in my verse
   Sounds like corpse, corps, horse and worse.

I will keep you, Susy, busy,
Make your head with heat grow dizzy;
   Tear in eye, your dress you'll tear;
   Queer, fair seer, hear my prayer.

Pray, console your loving poet,
Make my coat look new, dear, sew it!
   Just compare heart, hear and heard,
   Dies and diet, lord and word.

Sword and sward, retain and Britain
(Mind the latter how it's written).
   Made has not the sound of bade,
   Say-said, pay-paid, laid but plaid.

Now I surely will not plague you
With such words as vague and ague,
   But be careful how you speak,
   Say: gush, bush, steak, streak, break, bleak,

Previous, precious, fuchsia, via
Recipe, pipe, studding-sail, choir;
   Woven, oven, how and low,
   Script, receipt, shoe, poem, toe.

Windows 10 Tip

 If you cannot get into Windows, hold down Shift key when restarting, then go to Troubleshooting options.

Baking Soda Facts

You likely have one or more boxes of baking soda in your home. Baking soda can be used for many purposes. It cleans homes, deodorizes furniture, exfoliates skin, kills mold, polishes silver, and more. You can use it to wash your hair, to make deodorant, and to take the stink out of sweaty clothes.


Baking soda comes out of the ground in the form of minerals nahcolite and trona, which are refined into soda ash (calcium carbonate), then turned into baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), among other things. Most of it comes from the United States, which contains the world’s largest trona deposit. Nahcolite, a naturally occurring sodium bicarbonate, is often found in evaporated lake basins. It is also mined in Botswana, Kenya, Uganda, Turkey, and Mexico.

Glass-making consumes about half of the soda ash and the chemical industry uses about a quarter of the output. Other uses include soap, paper manufacturing, and water treatment.

Happy Friday

Life's greatest achievements came from lack of experience.

Each week I experience a new and wonderful Happy Friday!

Ten Things You Never Knew the Name of

Agraffe: the wired cage that holds the cork in a bottle of champagne.
Barm: the foam on a beer.
Columella nasi: the space between your nostrils.
Griffonage: unreadable handwriting.
Ideolocator: a “you are here” sign.
Keeper: the loop on a belt that keeps the end in place after it has passed through the buckle.
Obelus: the division sign (÷).
Phloem bundles: those long stringy things you see when peeling a banana.
Punt: the bottom of a wine bottle.
Rasceta: the lines on the inside of your wrist.

Social Media Facts

A surge of new technologies and social media innovations is altering the media landscape and changing the way people behave.

Over one million books are published worldwide every year. A Google Book Search scanner can digitize 1,000 pages every hour. Americans have access to: 1,000,000,000,000 web pages, 10,500 radio stations, 5,500 magazines, and well over 200 cable TV networks.


There are 240,000,000 TVs in the US. More than 2,000,000 of them are in bathrooms.
Newspaper circulation is down 7 million over the last twenty five years, but in the last five years, unique readers of online newspapers are up over 30 million.

Traditional advertising is in steep decline while digital advertising is growing rapidly. More video was uploaded to YouTube in the last 2 months than if ABC, NBC, CBS had been airing new content 24/7/365 since 1948 (when ABC started broadcasting).


The number of unique visitors Myspace, YouTube, and Facebook receive every month, collectively is over 250 million. None of these sites existed 6 years ago. Wikipedia launched in 2001 and now features over 13 million articles in more than 200 languages.