Is bottle water safer than tap water?

I was always wondering if tap water is safer than bottled water. Obviously, when you buy a bottle of water you probably expect it be better than the tap water. After researching this topic I found out that bottled water isn't any safer than tap water.

Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) conducted a four-year review of the bottled water industry and the safety standards that govern it, including a comparison of national bottled water rules with national tap water rules, and independent testing of over 1,000 bottles of water.^*

They include the fact that there is no assurance that just because water comes out of a bottle it is any cleaner or safer than water from the tap. And in fact, an estimated 25 percent or more of bottled water is really just tap water in a bottle -- sometimes further treated, sometimes not.^* 

Cool Facts….

So, is good tap water is same as bottle water?

• Many experts say yes! And many studies and researches have the same answer.

Why do people buy bottled water?

• In many cities in developing countries where there is not a safe source of tap water, and bottled water becomes a trusted option

How much bottled water are being used by Americans?

• Americans used about 50 billion plastic water bottles last year. However, the U.S.’s recycling rate for plastic is only 23 percent, which means 38 billion water bottles – more than $1 billion worth of plastic – are wasted each year^**

how much plastic bottle water cots us? 

• The recommended eight glasses of water a day, at U.S. tap rates equals about $.49 per year; that same amount of bottled water is about $1,400.
• The energy we waste using bottled water would be enough to power 190,000 homes^**

Is bottled water industry successful?

• Yes. The bottled-water industry is so successful, it has outpaced milk, coffee, and juice in number of gallons of drinks sold—putting it behind only beer and soda⁺⁺

Where in U.S and other countries selling bottled water is being banned?

• San Francisco has initiated new step toward greening the city, authority soon ban the sale of plastic water bottles on city-owned property. ⁺
• In September 2009, the Australian city of Bundanoon became the first city in the world to completely ban bottled water from its stores' shelves, installing water fountains around the city instead.⁺⁺

                              

Sources: 

* Source: "Bottled Water." NRDC:. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. <http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/qbw.asp>.

**Fishman, Charles. “Message in a Bottle.” Fast Company Magazine July 2007: 110

**“Not Disposable Anymore.” P.O.V.’s Borders. 2004. PBS

+Timm, Jane C. "San Francisco Bans Sale of Plastic Water Bottles on City Property." Msnbc.com. NBC News Digital, 13 Mar. 2014. Web. 25 Apr. 2014. <http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/san-francisco-bans-sale-plastic-water-bottles-climate-change>.

++Karlstrom, Solviem, and Christine Dell'Amore. "Why Tap Water Is Better Than Bottled Water." National Geography Daily News. N.p., 10 Mar. 2010. Web. 26 Apr. 2014. <http%3A%2F%2Fnews.nationalgeographic.com%2Fnews%2F2010%2F03%2F100310%2Fwhy-tap-water-is-better%2F>.

Your $1 bills carry 3000 bacteria!!

Many of you already know that your cash money carries bacteria, well after reading this article my jaw dropped. A recent study conducted by NYU (New York University) confirmed that 3000 types of bacteria found on dollar bill!*

Now that you know your cash carries these bacteria, you should not put money where your mouth is because these bacteria can causes acne, pneumonia, and food poisoning.

In addition, in 2001 experiment, researchers from the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Medical Center in Dayton, Ohio, exchanged 68 new dollar bills for old, worn ones with people at a grocery store and a sporting event.

The findings, reported in an ABC News segment, showed five of the bills contained bacteria that can cause an infection like influenza in healthy people, 59 contained bacteria that can cause serious illness in those with weak immune systems, and four were relatively germ-free.

The researchers found that while money contaminated with bacteria can spread these organisms, the risks to the average consumer are low - and perhaps there's more bacteria on that shopping cart you are pushing.**

Check out this video

Source: 
* "3,000 types of bacteria found on dollar bills." Today. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. <http://www.today.com/video/today/5500851
** Batteh-Freiha, Joy. "How Bad Are Germs on Money?" The Augusta Chronicle. N.p., 28 June 2010. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. <http%3A%2F%2Fchronicle.augusta.com%2Fliving%2F2010-06-28%2Fhow-bad-are-germs-money>

The Hubble Space Telescope

Photo Credit: NASA

The Hubble Space Telescope was lunched by the U.S on April 24, 1990 and is named after Astronomer Edwin P. Hubble. It is a low Earth Orbiting Satellite, located about 375 miles (600km) above the surface of the Earth. Hubble completes an orbit around the Earth every 97 minutes. 

Coolest Facts...

Height and Weight

• Hubble is 13.3 meters (43.5 feet) long -- the length of a large school bus.
• Hubble weighs 24,500 pounds -- as much as two full-grown elephants.

What Does it do? 

• Hubble does not travel to stars, planets or galaxies. It takes pictures of them as it whirls around Earth at 17,500 mph.

How many pictures did it take so far? 

• NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has made more than 930,000 observations and snapped more than 570,000 images of 30,000 celestial objects since its mission began in 1990.

 How many times did it circle the Earth? 

• Hubble has circled Earth more than 110,000 times.
• With those trips, Hubble has racked up plenty of frequent-flier miles, about 2.8 billion, which is Neptune's average distance from the sun.

 How much information did it generate so far? 

• More than two decades of Hubble observations have produced more than 45 terabytes of data, enough information to fill nearly 5,800 DVDs.
• Every day the Hubble Space Telescope archives 3 to 5 GB of data and delivers between 10-15 GB to astronomers all over world
• Each month the orbiting observatory generates more than 360 gigabytes of data, which could fill the storage space of an average home computer.

Does it help astronomers? 

• Yes. It does! About 4,000 astronomers from all over the world have used the telescope to probe the universe.
• Astronomers using Hubble data have published more than 8,700 scientific papers, making it one of the most productive scientific instruments ever built. In 2009 scientists published 648 journal articles on Hubble telescope data.

Hubble’s Mirror:

• Hubble's primary mirror is 2.4 meters (7 feet, 10.5 inches) across -- taller than retired NBA player Gheorghe Muresan, who is 2.3 meters (7 feet, 7 inches) tall. Muresan is the tallest man ever to play in the NBA.

             
Source: 
 17 April 2014. <http://www.nasa.gov/facts/Universe/universe_facts_archives.html>.
17 April 2014. <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/story/index.html#.U0-IpvldV8E>.

Average Life Span for $1, $5, $10, $20, $ 50 and $100 Depend on its Denomination

Have you wonder what is the average life span of U.S Dollar bill?  Well, in this blog entry I am about to present this information. I know it is not something you should be caring about or feel the need to know this info but there’s nothing wrong learning something new! So, the average life span of $1, $5, $10, $ 20, $50 and $100 depending upon its denomination: 

·         $1 : 21 months

·         $5: 16 months

·         $10: 18 months

·         $20: 2 years

·         $50: 4.5 years

·         $100: 7.5 years

"6 Things You Don't Know about the Dollar." MSNMoney. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Dec. 2013 .http://money.msn.com/investing/6-things-you-dont-know-about-the-dollar

Who Discovered Electricity?

If you think that Benjamin Franklin discovered electricity then you may want to read this blog entry because he did not discover electricity. Well, Benjamin Franklin discovered electricity in the lightening through flying his kite. So who’s discovered electricity?

 To find the answer, we need to go back at least 2000 years. According to many historical accounts, we have learned that the know history of electricity goes back to 620-550 BC, when in ancient Greece, they discovered electricity by rubbing fur on amber, which caused attraction the two.This awesome discovery was credited to philosopher Thales of Miletos (He was the first known Greek philosopher, scientist and mathematician). 

 In 1600, English physician William Gilbert   first made the connection between the attraction of oppositely charged object and magnetism. He named it “electric” from the Greek word “Elecktron”, which means amber. 

By the 17th century, many electricity related experiments and discoveries took place, such as, invention of first generator, difference between (+) and (– )charges and so on.

In 1750 Benjamin Franklin discovered the fact that lightning was caused by electricity.

 Key Points:
1.  Electricity discovered at least 2000 years ago through fur rubbing amber
2. William Gilbert first coined the term " electricity" in 1600
3. Lots of electricity experiments occurred by 17th century, such as positive and negative, generator, etc.
4. Benjamin Franklin discovered electricity in lightning though his flying kite in 1750
                                                 Related Video
    

        Source: http://www.universetoday.com/82402/who-discovered-electricity/

        http://www.wisegeek.org/who-discovered-electricity.htm

4 (Four) LEAST Corrupted Countries in the World

When you read or watch news you come across many news about countries being corrupted or have been so corrupted. Well, that is not surprising at all because human nature is very complicated; combination of good and bad. Some people volunteer, donate, even risk their lives for others while others won't  hesitate to kill somebody for something

that might be less than a dollar, that is just ugly! So what are the  LEAST corrupted countries in the world? Here are the 4 (four) countries known to be least corrupted: 
According to Transparency International's 2013 Corruption Perception Index, Denmark, New Zealand, Finland, and Sweden are the least corrupted countries in the WORLD!  
  

Source: Kelly, Micheal. "The Four Least Corrupt Countries In The World." Business Insider. N.p., 03 Dec. 2013. Web. 27 Dec. 2013.

World's Tallest Building

Many of you already know that Burj Khalifa is the world TALLEST tower that world has ever seen.  It is a stunning work of art integrated with sophisticated engineering. Today, I would like to share some facts of Burj Khalifa, which might blow your mind! Let’s take a look some of the facts: 

Where is it?

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

When its construction started and completed?

Construction started in January, 2004 and completed in January 2010.

How much it cost to build it?

1.5 Billion Dollars*

Who’s the Burj Khalifa’s Architect?

Adrian Smith

What is the total height?

Over 828 meters or 2717 Feet.

How many floors?

It has 163 floors

How many workers are needed to clean its window?

It takes a team of 36 cleaners and spend 4 months to clean Burj Khalifa’s over 24347 windows!^{^} 

Other Facts¹: 

• Tallest free-standing structure in the world
• Highest number of stories in the world
• Highest occupied floor in the world
• Highest outdoor observation deck in the world
• Elevator with the longest travel distance in the world
• Tallest service elevator in the world

Also check out this coolest picture! I love it. It shows human fascination for building magnificent structure started long time ago. Think about the Pyramids in Egypt!

Source: 

*Stanglin, Doglas. "Dubai Opens World's Tallest Building." USA Today. Gannett, 01 Jan. 2010. Web. 29 Oct. 2013. 

^ Malkin, Bonnie, January, 5th, 2010, “Burj Khalifa: window cleaners to spend months on world’s tallest building”

1. http://www.burjkhalifa.ae/en/