h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Coca-Cola - the Soft Drink - A12077408
Author: Galaxy Babe - Scout/ACE - U128652

This is a Flea Market rescue of "Coca-Cola" by razrtooth, previous PR thread: F2656862?thread=1167351

I have tidied up the article, and taken into account all the comments in that PR thread, adding contributors (if they don't wish to be co-authored you can click on the link "remove my name" on the entry page or just tell me and I'll remove you).
If I've missed anything or you think something else should be added, please let me know.

Galaxy Babe

Submitted 28 May

Hi GB - They also do a caffeine free version of Coke, and theres another myth - flat Coke poured down the toilet will remove limescale.

The shape of a Coke bottle is patented.

Nice save - good for you

Other reported, but personally unsubstantiated uses are: good windshield cleaner (removes bugs) and good battery terminal cleaner. I suspect these uses would turn out to be overrated.

For tummyaches my mom used to let a bottle of coca-cola go flat and give that to me, just as her mom did for her. It actually seemed to work, but I suspect that scientific inquiry would reveal a placebo effect. Anyway, I liked the attention.

Eyeglasses with very thick lenses in the frame are called 'coke bottle glasses'

Blues players have used necks from coke bottles to play slide guitar - called 'bottleneck slide', but this is not common - necks from beer or wine bottles are more common. We can imagine that coca-cola was abandoned by blues players about the time cocaine was abandoned by coca-cola.

There's no need to clutter up the entry with any of this - I only mention these for, well, no good reason.

Hiya GB,

As ever, some fine writing

The opener states " in most countries of the world, Coca-Cola is their number one favourite drink." and whilst I trust your word, I'd like to see where the stats come from... the word 'favourite' rings alarm bells as it implies choice when, in all too many parts of the world, choices are limited - worryingly so where potable water is more expensive than coke

http://www.citizen.org/cmep/Water/cmep_Water/reports/india/articles.cfm?ID=11102

Coca-Cola banned from ground water takings

Feb. 16: The Kerala state government has put a four-month ban on Coca-Cola's excessive ground water use in the state of Kerala after more than a year of community protests.
...
Coca-Cola soft drinks have been proved to have excessive amounts of pesticides in their drinks and is facing further scrutiny across India.

The recent People's World Water Forum in Delhi, India decided that Coca-Cola would be a focus of organizing in the coming years in order to expose the ground water thefts from communities and the excessive profits being made from bottled water for the rich, while the poor are left without access to clean and affordable water.



One other thing I'd like to see, in the interests of balance, is at least a passing reference to the 'coca-colanisation of the world' - a phrase I first heard too many years ago and, sadly, it's possibly even more relevant today

There are various spellings, but each one gets plenty of hits on Google:

about 9,630 for coca-colonisation
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&as_qdr=all&q=coca-colonisation&btnG=Search

about 3,220 for "coca colanisation"
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&as_qdr=all&q=%22coca+colanisation%22&btnG=Search

about 451 for "cocacolonisation"
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&as_qdr=all&q=%22cocacolonisation%22&btnG=Search

Found another, corroborating link:
http://www.colombiasolidarity.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=63&Itemid=45

The Coca-Colanisation of India
Coca-Cola's 'toxic' India fertiliser


Waste product from a Coca-Cola plant in India which the company provides as fertiliser for local farmers contains toxic chemicals, a BBC study has found.

Dangerous levels of the known carcinogen cadmium have been found in the sludge produced from the plant in the southern state of Kerala. The chemicals were traced in an investigation by BBC Radio 4's Face The Facts programme and prompted scientists to call for the practice to be halted immediately.





http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2003/07_july/24/face_facts.shtml

24.07.03

RADIO 4

Face The Facts investigates Coca-Cola plant in India

Waste product, promoted by a Coca-Cola plant as a fertiliser, has been found to contain a known carcinogen, an investigation by Face The Facts reveals tomorrow (BBC Radio 4, Friday 25 July, 12.30pm).

Dangerous levels of toxic metals and the known carcinogen, cadmium, have been found in the "product" used by local farmers from the Coca-Cola plant in Kerala, India.

Scientists are so concerned about the find that they have called on the plant to stop the practice immediately.

Presenter John Waite visited the plant in South West India following complaints from villagers that water was drying up in the area due to the massive quantities required by Coca-Cola.

Living in a pub, one of the our tricks as kids was to place copper pennies into a glass with a little coke.. and watch them clean up as new

Used to scare the out of our friends

<>

Thank you six7s, you may now have to re-read the entry and provide me with some "good" facts about coke.

I can't stand the stuff myself, but my daughter drinks it all the timelike I drink

I hope I've done your information justice, and thanks to other reviewers, I've added your points as well and credited you.

Such a good entry

It's a sad irony that they're stealing water to make an unhealthy drink that leaves a toxic waste

*Blues players used to use* I might say *Blues players have been known to use*

Shouldn't the 2 in H20 be subscripted?

*...copper coins a treat.* maybe *a treat* needs to go somewhere else (like into my tummy).

Thank you
Attended to those

I've added a few links, and a section on celebrity endorsement. Not sure if I've gone a little OTT or not

Added a pic of children's rotting milk teeth

I hope this isn't coming across as a vendetta

Let me know if the whole entry isn't balanced.

Hmm... well, I guess in the interest of fairness you might just let the devil have his own say, (assuming the devil is a he). Here is Coca-Cola's own toot on how caring it is.
http://www.beverageinstitute.org/about_us/index.shtml

Btw, I was just struck with the idea that disney characters may have appeared on coke cans. It turns out Disney's 25th Anniversary was commemorated on coke cans: http://www.gono.com/museum2003/commsodacans/cocacolasetcans.htm

Of special note - Tinkerbell appeared on the diet coke can. Oh what a missed opportunity - their advertisement should have read 'Fairies with Caries'

Ok, Sorry. I know, it's late, I should go to bed now.

Hi again GB!

>>
Thank you six7s, you may now have to re-read the entry and provide me with some "good" facts about coke.
>>

You're more than welcome!

Wow! I suggest a "passing reference" and lo! a whole section

As for "good" facts... ... I'm a frayed knot...

Simply cos none spring to mind! However, I feel that the entry IS balanced now - your 'intro' says "it is the best-selling beverage in the world"... well, that's more than enough for anyone to infer that it must have something going for it

Oooh! I've had an idea... one that might require an entry all of it's own; the commercial music associated with 'soft drinks'

The Seekers ~ I'd Like To Buy The World A Coke (re-released as I'd Like To Teach The World A Song)
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ccmphtml/colaadv.html

I have a hunch that more songs in a similar vein followed - but I can't remember any titles

http://www.brandrepublic.com/bulletins/br/article/531989/gallagher-lambasts-white-stripes-cocacola-ad/
Oasis slams The White Stripes for selling out to Coke


http://www.pretendersarchives.com/discography/Songs-H.html
Chrissie Hynde ~ How Much Did You Get For Your Soul?
Slamming Michael Jackson (and Tina Turner, I think) for being paid squillions to advertise Pepsi

http://www.old-time.com/commercials/1930's/Coca%20Cola%20Signature.htm
"Coca Cola Signature: Versatile Piece Of Music"
(the tiny red buttons are hyperlinks to a short .wma audio file)




>>
I hope I've done your information justice
>>

Absolutely!

>>
I've added your points
>>

Better than I could/would have

>>
as well and credited you.
>>

Thanks! I guess I did do 'some' research... but not so much as I'd ever 'expect' to be credited

Thanks!
I'll get onto this later (have to go out)

except:

<>

It was The New Seekers, and their song "I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing" was a hit first, then it became an advert for coke - where they changed the words to "I'd like to buy the world a coke" there was a lot of young multi-cultural people on a hill, all holding a bottle of coke.

What a wonderful dream. They should have smiled and shown rotten teeth.

Thanks for the compliments, I didn't need much encouragement to add my bit I add contributors to a collaborate entry or Flea Market rescue so we all get an email the day it goes live

>>I add contributors to a collaborate entry or Flea Market rescue so we all get an email the day it goes live <<


Ooohhhh!!!

I never knew that!

*preen* *preen*

Well you know now

Updated

Hey, I really enjoyed reading this - it's a difficult trick to get some sort of balance into an entry like this (especially about one of imo the world's most insidious corporations), but you've really pulled it off.

One minor point about the slebrity bit at the end though. I thought that the louse in human form Beckham advertised pepsi rather than coke. I'm not too sure of that, because I usually switch off the television when he comes on (it's going to be a television free summer!). Also, I can't check it because I'm at work, but I think maybe it's something to look at.

Of course if I have this all wrong then 100,000 apologies!

Once again, great article,

P

Good Entry GB

The only tiny suggestion I'd make is to include that Coca-Cola with a scoop of vanilla ice cream makes a nice ice cream float - A4008494

Emmily

Thanks Perseus, but I did check Beckham is the current advocate of Coca-Cola before adding that section

Thanks Emmily, and added and credited