Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Happy Winter Solstice (or "Midsumma," if you're an Aussie)

As my good fortune would have it, there was a loud, obnoxious drunk sitting next to me on the bus a few minutes ago finishing off his King Cobra, uttering homophobic threats and yelling at anything and everything. I'm still shaking a little, even though I'm safe and sound and will probably never see him again (I should be so lucky. I've a feeling, though, that this character may not make it to the rooms of AA.)

This morning's meeting had me feeling rather chipper, actually. The underlying theme was 'I'm not in the holiday spirit, and nobody can make me.' It was as if all the anti-Christmas people --some with good reason to hate the holidays, I might add-- were all tucked away in one little spot.

Before the meeting, I found the following in the Dec/Jan issue of Soul Brasil magazine:

Water or Coke?

Water

1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.

2. In 47% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.

3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%.

4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.

5. Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.

7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.

8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is
50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

And now for the Properties of COKE

1. In many states (in the USA) the highway patrol carries two gallons of coke in the trunk to remove blood from the highway.

2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of coke and it will be gone in two days.

3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl and let the "real thing" sit for one hour, then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous China.

4. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.

5. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: pour a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion.

6. To loosen a rusted bolt: Apply a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes.

7. To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola into the baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake. Thirty minutes before the ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix with the Coke for sumptuous brown gravy.

8. To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of Coke into a load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains.

9. It will also clean road haze from your windshield.

For Your Info:

1. The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. Its pH is 2.8. It will dissolve a nail in about 4 days. Phosphoric acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a major contributor to the rising increase in osteoporosis.

2. To carry Coca-Cola syrup (the concentrate) the commercial truck must use the Hazardous material place cards reserved for highly corrosive materials.

3. The distributors of coke have been using it to clean the engines of their trucks for about 20 years!
Now the question is... would you like a coke or a glass of water?



You just know I'm going to answer that last question like the alcoholic that I am.... but can I get it with lime?

Happy Winter Solstice... now to look at pictures of Brasilian beach boys to get in the holiday spirit ;)


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I believe Toolkie Williams drank coke with his last meal...