Would You Like Pepsi on That?

Just in time for the 4th of July holiday Pepsi is launching Colachup a new condiment developed by Pepsi with help  from the Culinary Institute of America (yes, that is also the CIA!). According to a Pepsi representative the ingredients in Colachup are Pepsi reduction, smoked tomatoes, onion, ketchup and a blend of clove, cinnamon, thyme, oregano and paprika. Actually it doesn't sound half bad though I wouldn't recommend that Pepsi quit their day job.  Unfortunately Colachup will only be available on the 4th in 4 MLB ballparks at sampling carts so don't get too excited. 

Attention Breweries

 There are organic alternatives to the waste products from brewing though many breweries have on blinders when it comes to changing their process which is unfortunate for both the environment and the area sharing the waste water treatment with the breweries. A year or so ago I posted about the brewery wastes being converted to bio fuel but now thanks to Corona brewing there is yet another option. Corona is using the waste (barley and wheat remnants)  to make biodegradable six pack rings that not only makes use of a waste product it also cuts down on costs, keeps wildlife from getting caught in discarded rings and functions as food for fish, turtles, birds and other marine life. The plan is to make the biodegradable six pack holders available worldwide and with any luck it will happen sooner rather than later.

Most Common Surnames

 And the winner is...Wang at 107 million! At one time the Chinese characters for the name meant "king or monarch" but with so many people now using the name it has pretty much lost that connotation. Next up at 24.6 million is Nguyen which is the last name the Chinese gave to the Vietnamese because they didn't use surnames when the Chinese conquered the area 2,100 years ago. Kim comes in 3rd at 18.8 million, the Korean peninsula was ruled for 5 centuries by a hereditary monarchy who went by the name Kim which means gold. Speaking of gold the 4th place slot goes to Smith with 4.5 million using that name it comes from the various smiths in medieval times, including goldsmiths which at the time was a skilled and respected profession.  

Fashion?

 First my regular disclaimer that I'm not a fashionista nor in any way an expert on fashion but this Paris Men's Fashion Week looks more like either people dressing in the dark or a toddler dressing themselves for the first time, but again, what do I know? 

Hey Mickey!

 No, not the song the mouse! or at least kind of about the mouse. Before Mickey was brought into the world Walt Disney, his creator, worked as a commercial artist in Missouri. It was there Walt begin making cel animations called "Laugh-O-Grams" which were screened at a local theater and also the name of his first studio of his own that eventually faced bankruptcy. That first studio was also where Walt got the inspiration for Mickey from a timid brown mouse who frequented Walt's trash can. When Walt left for Hollywood he carefully placed the mouse in backyard of a nice neighborhood and the rest is history. 

Blue Blood?

 The term blue bloods used to refer to European nobility was a misnomer as all human blood is red and the only reason their blood appeared bluer was due to lighter colored skin. The reason peoples veins look blue or sometimes greenish is an optical illusion as the veins themselves are clear and the deoxygenated  blood is an even darker red than what regular blood looks like. The veins seem blue because of the skin scattering the light pretty much the same deal as why the sky is blue, it's all about the wavelength of the color. If you have your heart set on being a blue blood you should look into becoming a horseshoe crab, their blood is blue due to copper pigments. 

 

For Black/Numb Thumbs

 Are you one of those plant torturers who can't seem to keep the simplest of green foliage alive? If so this may be your lucky day! Known as the resurrection plant for their ability to go for up to 7 years without needing water this guy is practically indestructible, in fact their biggest hazard is being mistaken for dead and thrown out. They are a desert plant that once an area dries out they roll themselves into a ball and blow around until they find some moisture to bring them back to their former glory, then rinse and repeat as needed. Plants are found to be nearly as good for people as pets and a lot easier to get a landlord to agree to if you happen to be renting. 

Coincidences?

 Cue the eerie music...since the Titanic is in the news again in another disastrous way it came to my attention that before the 1912 sinking an 1898 novella by Morgan Robertson, "Futility", the book featured an unsinkable ship named, "Titan" measuring 800 feet and capable of holding 3000 passengers collided with an iceberg around 400 miles from Newfoundland at about midnight. Back to real life facts...the Titanic was 882 feet long designed to seat 3000 passengers crashed into an iceberg at 11:40 pm 400 miles from Newfoundland. Shivers yet? 

A Little Late

 This information is late for most graduations this year but with any luck maybe you can tuck it away for next year. Have you ever wondered what's with the mortarboards? Not much going on there style wise but they actually evolved from medieval holy days when a newly ordained clergyman would receive a round skullcap. As the centuries passed and more courses were offered the headwear also changed becoming a puffy beret which as time marched on became the square hat that we know today because it saved both time and material to make. In the 19th century the square head covering became known as the mortarboard because of the resemblance to a mason's board for carrying mortar. 

Get Your Glow On

 The Maldives are pretty small so don't feel bad if you don't know exactly where they are, the answer is off the tip of India to the west. So now that we all know where we are talking about how about those glow in the dark beaches? Fortunately it isn't some bad pollution problem, instead it is a natural phenomena created by ostracod crustaceans, aka, seed shrimp. They can emit the light for up to a minute at a time but the bad news is the light is part of a mass mortality. There are other organisms who also create glow in the dark beaches/water such as phytoplankton though that glow only lasts for a moment when they collide with the beach or the water. There are a handful of other locations that also put on light shows at the beach without any human assistance. 

Not the Candy Bar

 When most people in the US hear Milky Way they tend to think of the candy bar before the galaxy maybe because of some kind of Pavlovian response? but today it's about the galaxy. The Milky Way is vast, if a person traveled at the speed of light it would still take 200,000 years to cross. The name comes from a Greek myth where Hera was feeding Hercules and pulled her breast away spraying milk across the cosmos. The root of the word galaxy (gala) means milk in Greek, a similar name and myth exists in Latin for the Roman version. So how did the candy bar get the same name? Not after the galaxy, it was named after a popular malted milk drink of that time (1924). 

Still Pure

 Even though Juneteenth only became an official holiday in 2021 it has been celebrated at least since June 19, 1865. I'm not going to go on at length about the holiday because I'm still learning and don't want to get things wrong but with white supremacy once again rearing its ugly head it is important to recognize the date. One interesting fact I found is that red is the prominent color of the celebration based on foods favored for the get togethers that surround the day such as red velvet cake and several beverages made originally from things like hibiscus and kola nuts then more recent additions like cherries or strawberries. Juneteenth is also the only holiday I can think of that hasn't been cheapened by commercialization as it is more about getting together with family and friends for dancing, singing, prayers and of course lots of good food.