Favorite Drinks Revisited

Another blogger asked about readers' favorite drinks, and Diet Coke and water were on the lists. Then a couple of days later I received this forward from a friend. Much of this info seems highly suspicious to me. Not drinking enough water related to certain cancers? Coke on the battery posts I have heard, but Coke as the decimator of steak yet great for cooking ham? What are your thoughts about the validity of these claims?

WATER

#1.   75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. (Likely applies to half the world population.)

#2.   In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is 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 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. Are you drinking the amount of water
you should drink every day?

COKE

#1.  In many states the highway patrol carries two gallons of Coke in the trunk to remove blood fromthe highway after a car accident.

#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 ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy.

#8...    To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of Coke into the load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains. It will also clean road haze from your
windshield.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION:

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

#2.   To carry Coca-Cola syrup! (the concentrate) the commercial trucks must use a hazardous Material place
cards reserved for highly corrosive materials.

#3.   The distributors of Coke have been using it to clean engines of the trucks for about 20 years!

Now the question is, would you like a glass of water? or Coke?

Panning for Movie Gold

Eureka! I found a nugget! On TCM tonight was a 1948 production of Oliver Twist directed by David Lean. (Does that name produce a ring of your chimes? Well, it should.) This was , of course, a pre-musical production, and it had all the elements of film noire being a B& W production and exceptionally good actors. And if you've seen the musical version you can envision the conception of that production. It is a masterpiece, and it had never been seen in this country in its entirety. Apparently some felt its portrayal of Fagin was anti-Semitic. Not really; just following the C. Dickens book. Make-up will be discussed later.

So who was in this flick, you ask.

Artful Dodger---Anthony Newley---remember him? Later wrote "Candyman", a big Sammy Davis, Jr. hit, and other songs almost as big which he performed as well.

Bill Sikes---Robert Newton---probably better remembered as Long John Silver in Treasure Island, and often a villain.

Fagin---Alec Guiness---you wouldn't recognize him in a million years, and that's because his make-up makes him resemble a long-haired toucan (probably the reason for the anti-Semitic objection); but his movement, and the cadence of his speech shows you where the musical was conceived. It's so different from anything else he did as an actor. What a talent!!!

And who was Oliver?

Oliver---John Howard Davies (at age nine)---and who the heck is that, you ask.

He made approximately three more movies, but as a grown-up he was a producer (and sometimes director) of The Good Life (Remember Richard Brier & Penelope Keith, the city dwellers who were going to become self-sufficient?), Monty Python's Flying Circus, and Fawlty Towers, and other comedies. A long move away from Dickens.

If you get a chance to see this movie: Don't miss it if you can.

Maiden Blog

Yes, life is a test, and it's multiple choice. Almost every day another question comes along, but unlike those stress provoking college exams, the various answers are not clearly printed out. That, of course, adds to the drama and intrigue. First, figure out what "A", "B", "C" , and "D" (maybe going all the way to "H" or "I") are; then choose the best one for me. Feedback on the correctness of the choice is sometimes delayed for years. Enough of the serious stuff.

My family has become a "bunch o' bloggers". Therefore, in order to stay connected with them, I'm joining too---like it or not. One of the recent tests, obviously, is figuring out how to create and launch my blog. So, here is my "maiden blog;" now I'm going to the kitchen for the champagne to do this right.