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The water in Tennessee varies across the state, while we have hard water, the water in Memphis, Tennessee is so soft it hard to rinse off the soap.

My doctor always asks me if I had alopecia since my body is basically hairless.

Thank goodness I managed to keep a fair amount hair on my head.

I really get jealous of men who have beautiful hair.

Your hair patterns is purely your inherited genes, not hard or soft water.

Well, as long as my wife accepts me !
 
My doctor always asks me if I had alopecia since my body is basically hairless.
Aren't Native Americans famously unable to grow body hair? I'm wondering if you have some interesting ancestry.

(Where I live, people with pale woolly hair are assumed to be part Welsh. Sheep, y'know.)
 
Well escargot,

Funny you should ask.

I have a Mongolian brown skin spot which means I am related to the oriental Genghis Khan.

Then through DNA testing, I have a tiny bit of Siberian in me.

So, maybe you are right that Mongolian, Siberian are also related to the American Native Indians ( crossed over through Alaska and became American Natives).

So below average body hair ?
 
I heard some American podcaster speculating (in a playful way) that UK tapwater probably isn't fluoridated, which would explain our wonky teeth.
I'm American, and I have wonky teeth, but I also have English ancestors. (And I drink tap water because I'm too cheap to pay for water that's more expensive than gasoline.)

These days it's long, 'cos Techy likes it, and I wear head-tubes and clips to stop it moving around.
Your hair moves on its own?
 
I am overwhelmingly astonished on a daily basis by the number of customers who buy bottled water in our shop. Not Perrier level, just the cheap Co Op's own still water which is, I always assume, just water bottled from a giant tap somewhere; hardly hand-filtered through lovingly selected purest minerals. Why? This is Yorkshire, the water is hard but perfectly drinkable. It can, after an extended period of rain, taste a bit chlorinated, but mostly it tastes of nothing. Yet there are people in every day buying eight pack bottles of 2 litres of water. Apart from the blokes living in a caravan with no accessible water other than a horse trough, why would anyone waste money on water that is going to be pretty much identical to the stuff that comes out of the tap, only with added leached plastic goodies?
 
I am overwhelmingly astonished on a daily basis by the number of customers who buy bottled water in our shop. Not Perrier level, just the cheap Co Op's own still water which is, I always assume, just water bottled from a giant tap somewhere; hardly hand-filtered through lovingly selected purest minerals. Why? This is Yorkshire, the water is hard but perfectly drinkable. It can, after an extended period of rain, taste a bit chlorinated, but mostly it tastes of nothing. Yet there are people in every day buying eight pack bottles of 2 litres of water. Apart from the blokes living in a caravan with no accessible water other than a horse trough, why would anyone waste money on water that is going to be pretty much identical to the stuff that comes out of the tap, only with added leached plastic goodies?
You can, and i have in the past, get fresh water from animal troughs that are mains fed with a stopcock. Like this one.

s-l300.jpg
 
It is, yes.

A scam.
Well technically it's not really a scam since nobody is forced to buy it, there are plenty of other choices and presumably people choose to buy it over other bottled waters. Why anyone would buy bottled water in a country where the tap water is completely safe boggles me.
 
Well technically it's not really a scam since nobody is forced to buy it, there are plenty of other choices and presumably people choose to buy it over other bottled waters. Why anyone would buy bottled water in a country where the tap water is completely safe boggles me.
Yup, it is a scam because it's marketed as having special qualities over tap water.
 
In the U.S. Coca-Cola puts out a popular water brand called Dasani which actually comes from the public water system of Hamburg, Pennsylvania.

To make the water taste better magnesium sulfate, potassium chloride, and salt is added to Dasani Water.

Magnesium sulfate is added to a lot of bottle water brands.
 
@charliebrown I had forgotten the twists and turns until you mentioned the name - so thank you back :)
 
Another new one. Tonight a Russian told me - thinking I was familiar with it - the "saying" 'to leave in the English way', which is apparently doing a moonlit flit ..leaving somewhere , be it a party or an apartment, without saying goodbye. He thought it was a universal saying.

You live and learn.
 
Another new one. Tonight a Russian told me - thinking I was familiar with it - the "saying" 'to leave in the English way', which is apparently doing a moonlit flit ..leaving somewhere , be it a party or an apartment, without saying goodbye. He thought it was a universal saying.

You live and learn.
Which leads to the joke about an Englishman never saying goodbye, just leaving, while the Russians make long, often lachrymose farewells, and plenty of them. And never bloody leave!
 
For what it's worth he insisted the Russians never smile. That to do so to a stranger in the street would mark you down as a lunatic.

I'm sure there must be some caveats to that. Stalin always looked quite jolly. And Putin is rarely without a cheering smirk.
 
For what it's worth he insisted the Russians never smile. That to do so to a stranger in the street would mark you down as a lunatic.
I've heard that from Russians I've met. And Bulgarians.
 
Apparently it's not just a lazy generalisation, it's a genuine thing ..

https://www.rbth.com/arts/2013/11/2...to smile at strangers.,-Russians smile mainly


In the Russian communicative consciousness, there is a rule: the smile must be a genuine reflection of a good mood and a good relationship.
For many centuries, everyday existence in Russia was a strenuous battle for survival; the life of the common Russian was grueling, and worry became entrenched as a standard common facial expression.

Given this situation, a smile reflects an exception to the rule — well-being, prosperity, a good mood — and while all of this may occur to some people and in exceptional circumstances, it is noticed by everyone.

Sincerity and openness are hallmarks of Russian culture, which is why Russian smiles are rare and expressed only in contexts where they are appropriate and express an honest emotion of happiness. Here are some descriptions of typical Russian smiles — and non-smiles.

1. The closed-mouth smile

Most often, Russians smile only with their lips, only occasionally showing the upper row of teeth slightly. Revealing the top and bottom teeth is considered vulgar, as it resembles either an animal with bared teeth or a horse.

2. The “servant’s smile”

In Russian communication, a smile is not a signal of politeness. Russians consider a perpetual polite smile an “servant’s smile.” It is considered a demonstration of insincerity, secretiveness and unwillingness to show one’s true feelings.

3. The non-smile

In Russian communication, it is not acceptable to smile at strangers. Russians smile mainly at people they know. This is why salespeople do not smile at shoppers.

4. The responsive smile

Russians do not automatically respond to a smile with a smile. If an acquaintance responds to a smile with a smile, this is considered an invitation to come over and start a conversation.

5. The smile as a symbol of affection

A Russian smile demonstrates to the recipient that the smiling person has personal affection towards him or her. A smile directed at a stranger may elicit the reaction, “Do we know each other?”

6. The official’s non-smile

Among Russians it is not acceptable to smile while performing one’s job or any important business. Customs agents do not smile because they are occupied with serious business. This is the same for salespeople and waitstaff. It is not acceptable for children to smile in class. One of the most common remarks Russian teachers make is, “What are you smiling at? Write.”

7. The genuine smile

In the Russian collective consciousness, there is a rule: the smile must be a genuine reflection of a good mood and good relationship. In order to have the right to smile, one must truly like the person in question or be in a very good mood at the moment.

8. The smile with no reason

If a Russian person smiles, there should be a good reason behind it – and this reason should be known to everyone likely to witness the smile. If the reason for a smile is not clear, Russians may worry about the reason behind it.

9. The appropriate smile

The other people present must consider the smile to be appropriate for the context. It is not acceptable to smile in a difficult situation or if there are people around with known serious troubles, or if someone is ill or preoccupied with personal problems and so on.

10. A laugh as a smile

Among Russians there is a blurred line between a smile and laughter; in practice, these phenomena are often the same and are likened to each other.

Russians often say to people who are smiling, “What’s so funny?”
 
Back when I married my wife 50 years ago, she hated how men hair cutters cut my hair, just too short.

So, for 50 years, she has cut my hair and I took a chance because she never had cut anyone’s hair.

Through trail and error, it has worked out.
jjjjj.jpg
 
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