Sunday, December 29, 2013

TO DRINK MORE WATER

"I never drink water; I'm afraid it will become habit-forming." W.C. Fields

"Thousands have lived without love, but not one without water." W.H. Auden

The closing days of December trigger many people to make New Years "resolutions"--which essentially are promises to oneself to change some behavior in the new year about to begin. Commonly, such resolutions are later forgotten or unfulfilled as the new year progresses.

If you are planning to make New Years resolutions for 2014, at the top of your list should be a resolution to drink more water!

Developing a habit to drink a healthy amount of water on a regular basis in essential for overall good health. As kids, when another kid would say something we thought silly or wrong, we would say "You're all wet." Actually, it turns out that we all are "all wet." Depending on body size, a person comprises water somewhere in the range of 55% to 78%, with a midpoint of about 67%, according to one report. Blood is 83% water, the brain 90%, muscle 75% and bone 22%.

The benefits of drinking sufficient water are numerous, according to several reports. Some of these benefits include the following:

* water keeps skin moisturized and reduces development of lines and wrinkles. Insufficient water intake results in water retention, leading to puffy skin.

* drinking water suppresses appetite and can help a person to lose weight.

* water helps to flush toxins from the body, aids in metabolization of stored fat, and promotes bowel regularity.

* drinking water enhances delivery of oxygen to the brain, improving cognitive functions and alertness. Water also supports electrolyte levels to benefit nerve functions.

* water helps to keep joints lubricated.

* adequate water can relieve headache and back pain due to dehydration.

* water regulates body temperature and fuels muscles.

* water moisturizes air in the lungs and transports nutrients and oxygen to cells.

As Sen-No-Rikyu is quoted as saying:

When you hear the splash
Of the water drops that fall
Into the stone bowl
You will feel
that all the dust
Of your mind is washed away.

So, have a Happy New Year by resolving to drink more water in 2014!

Sunday, December 22, 2013

HAPPY XDAYS!

I digress from water for a moment.

A friend told me that, at a recent Christmas party, she wished everyone a Merry Christmas. "The people were shocked and dumbfounded", she related. "No one says 'Merry Christmas' anymore!" they exclaimed to her.

They were correct. Today, it seems, people are afraid to express "Merry Christmas." Instead, they tend to utter "Happy Holidays" or similar phrase incorporating the word "Holiday". Media. in all forms, including greeting cards, wish or refer to "Happy Holiday" or "Seasons Greetings."

Maybe it all started many years ago, when signs and print advertisements said "Xmas" instead of "Christmas." The abbreviation was justified on the ground of space limits. However, saving only four letters seems a lame excuse.

It is unclear why people shy away from saying "Merry Christmas." Perhaps it is due to a misguided attempt to be politically correct. Or it may be related to a national secularization of anything religious. It is interesting, however, that the word "holiday" obviously is derived from "holy day.", and one of the dictionary definitions of the word "holiday"is "holy day." So, why not greet using the word "Christmas?"

But, wait, there is more! One cannot blame our courts for the reluctance to refer to Christmas. For example, the US Supreme Court held that a creche (nativity scene) erected in a park in a city did not violate the prohibition in the First Amendment of the COnstitution against establishment of religion. The Court wrote: "It would be ironic, however if the inclusion of a single symbol of a particular religious event, as part of a celebration acknowledged in the Western World for 20 centuries, and in this country by the people, by the Executive Branch, by the Congress, and the courts for two centuries, would so 'taint' the City's exhibit as to render it violative of the Establishment Clause. To forbid the use of this one passive symbol--the creche--at the very time people are taking note of the season with Christmas hymns and carols in public schools and other public places, and while the Congress and Legislatures open sessions with prayers by paid chaplains would be a stilted over-reation contrary to our history and to our holdings. If the presence of the creche in this display violates the Establishment Clause, a host of other forms of taking official note of Christmas, and our religious heritage, are equally offensive to the Constitution.+

Can you imagine Bing Crosby sitting at his piano next to a "holiday" or "Xmas" tree singing "I'm dreaming of a white holiday"?

"Happy Holidays", Seasons Greetings", "Xmas"...bah, humbug. Three huzzahs for...MERRY CHRISTMAS!


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* Lynch v. Donnelly, 465 U.S. 668,686 (1984)

Sunday, December 15, 2013

SHOULD EPA REGULATE DOGS?

Water utilities are upset because USEPA recently declared that fire hydrants installed beginning January 4, 2014 must be essentially lead free. The federal Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act, which is effective on that date, requires compliance with strict new limits on lead in pipes, fittings and fixtures used for drinking water. In a guidance document issued in October, 2013, EPA asserted that "fire hydrants can be, and are, used in emergency situations to provide drinking water when there are disruptions to the normal operations of the drinking water distribution system." Therefore, EPA concluded "hydrants would not qualify for the exclusion for pipes, fittings and fixtures for nonpotable services."

According to media reports, many water utilities across the country have challenged EPA's application of the "lead-free" Act to fire hydrants, on several grounds. The Act, which was adopted in 2011, gave utilities and manufacturers three years to adjust to the new standard. However, EPA's hydrant rule was a surprise, being that it was announced only a little over two months before the compliance date. This surprise, it has been reported, does not give hydrant manufacturers sufficient time to retool for the changes, possibly creating delays in needed installation of new hydrants in 2014.

The primary purposes of hydrants, of course, are to provide fire protection and to enable flushing of distribution mains. Utilities have stated that use of hydrants for drinking water is uncommon and, at best, temporary. Therefore, any alleged lead risk to the public from hydrants is said to be minimal.

Several utilities have argued that EPA's interpretation will cause a hardship to the utilities and their ratepayers because inventories hydrants not manufactured under the new rule will have to be scrapped and new ones purchased.

Accordingly, utilities have asserted that hydrants should be exempted from the "lead-free" Act or that application of the Act to hydrants be delayed. Earlier this month, the House of Representatives voted to exempt hydrants from the Act, and the matter is pending before the Senate.

Perhaps EPA should be concerned over the traditional role of a fire hydrant as a urination magnet for male dogs. Over time, there may be quite an accumulation on a hydrant--a situation perhaps more risky for drinking water sourced from hydrants than rare lead exposure. If EPA were to regulate dog use of hydrants, the agency could achieve a leg up on assuring safe drinking water from hydrants.



Friday, December 6, 2013

BRAINY WASTEWATER

According to a recent report, sleep facilitates cleaning of the brain.* Based on studies of mice, researchers have learned sleeping opens a "faucet" to bath the brain in fluids that carry away garbage proteins and other nasties from the brain that accumulate during waking hours.

During sleep periods, this drainage service, called the glymphatic system, uploads brain and spinal cord fluids into spaces between brain cells to flush out waste products. The fluids and waste then are carried to the liver for eventual removal.

In waking periods, the drainage system essentially shuts down. The brain cells swell to reduce the channels between the cells, thus blocking the flow of fluids. When sleep occurs, the opposite process occurs.

So, it seems, when brain waste exits a body, it ultimately enters the wastewater stream to the local treatment plant. One can speculate whether the brain cleansing system can remove more than tiny particles. Next time you have a brain storm, or are perplexed by an issue, remember the old adage..."Sleep On It." By morning, the brain storm or the issue may have passed to the liver and beyond.

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*Tina Hessman Saey, Sleep Allows Brain To Wash Out Junk, Science News, November 16, 2013, p. 7