Seeing Dots?

Have you ever wondered what the little black dots on windshields of late model cars are about? Those dots are called frits and they serve a couple of purposes, first they help distribute the temperature across the glass, reducing the chances of optical illusions making driving safer. Their second function is they etch the glass making a rougher surface so adhesives can stick. The last consideration is aesthetic in that they gradually decrease in size to make the glass and the frits transition more pleasing to the eye. 

To Kiwi or not to Kiwi

 Kiwi birds are native to New Zealand, Kiwi fruits are not though they were named after the bird because of their brown fuzz. Kiwi fruit is native to China and was originally called the Chinese Gooseberry, New Zealanders are called Kiwis after the bird. With all that cleared up one might think the national fruit would be the kiwi, but it's not. That unofficial honor goes to feijoa (pronounced fee-jo-ah) which also isn't a native fruit, though most New Zealanders are wild about them. Know elsewhere as the pineapple guava, the perfumed green oval is only available for a few weeks in the fall as the fruit collects at the bottom of the trees where it is scooped up into boxes, baskets or buckets then shared equally with neighbors and strangers. The chances of finding one to sample depend on where you are, they come from South America, grow in California, Australia and of course New Zealand, they have a very short shelf life so for the most part they are not exported to other areas. For the food curious this could be a challenge. 

All Wet

 Before we get started with today's post I wanted to let the daily readers know there will be no posts for the next two days due to out of town appointments. That said today we can ponder some shower thoughts. Aliens invaded the moon on July 20th, 1969.  Tobacco companies kill their best customers and condom companies kill their future customers. When a company offers me a better price after I cancel my subscription, they're admitting they were overcharging me. Why's it called a building when it's already built? Shouldn't it be called a built?  "Do Not Touch" would probably be a really unsettling thing to read in braille. 

Screech Off

 The European Gull Screeching Championship was recently held in Belgium. The contest was first held in 2020 started by an educator/comedian. This year brought 60 contestants from 14 countries, there are 3 divisions to compete in: adult, junior, and colony (group). Points are awarded on sound and performance. This year the gold went to a gull gal from Denmark who likes gulls because they like fries and she likes fries, she spent a lot of time at the beach communing with the birds though they seemed scared of her when she screeched. The junior division was won by a 10 year old boy for the second time, with his sister coming in 4th. 

It's the Real Thing?

 Actually, Coke hasn't been the real thing since around 1984 when they retooled their factories so they could use HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) instead of sugar. If you're saying so what? you should read on and find out. HFCS is metabolized in the liver and if your body gets too much of it which is entirely likely considering it's in most processed foods.it can cause several health problems. Why did they change from sugar? as usual it is money related in that corn is subsidized in the US so it is way cheaper than paying import tariffs on sugar, plus it gives the soda longer shelf life, all win-win for the company. If you want to try Coke made with sugar they still make a special batch for Passover which has yellow lids, plus the UK and Mexico still use sugar so if you happen upon Mexican Coke in a bottle that will have real sugar. There are several brands of soda in the US that still use sugar in their recipes, a little research can point you their way. 

Better Late?

 I'll let you be the judge on whether today's post is better late than never. It's just a few oddball Mother's Day gift ideas that are too late for you to actually acquire but still good for giggles. 

Rubber chicken purse

Brats, Gifts and Other Stuff

 When you think you hear a familiar word in a foreign language you might want to not jump to conclusions in order to avoid embarrassment and or confusion. Let's start with embarrassment...in English it means discomfort or shame but the similar Spanish word, embarazada, means pregnant. Brat, in English is a misbehaving child, though in Russian it means brother. While the word gift in English usually means a good thing in German it means poison. Use caution both when giving or receiving gifts while in German company.