Nov 18, 2016

Happy Thanksgiving next Week


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).
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.



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.


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.

Nov 11, 2016

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.


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.


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.