THE BIRDS

I predict that if you ask any Millenial what "The Birds" is - they will answer "a type of flu"

It was one of the best movies of the 1960s - I remember my Ma telling me I couldn't stay in the room when it came on television -- it was way too scary ....

I suggest the ORIGINAL Hitchcock version with Tippy Headron - it was a great movie ...

Even better, find a recording of the radio version - but be ready for a few bad dreams ... remember, you can only dream about things you've already seen .... but this one will screw things up!

Back to the Bird Flu ... there has been 1 official death to the Bird Flu in the USA ....

DON'T PANIC ...

The man was 65 yrs old .... and he had other health issues .... which simply means - ANY FLU likely would have caused him to die as well.

There has been 1 case, so far, reported of a cow being infected by Bird Flu as well -- now how the heck this happened is any one's guess ...

Unlike the last illness which shut the country down ... you know, the one we aren't supposed to talk about ... eye roll here ... unlike that one, Bird Flu does NOT mutate ...

This means, if they find a cure or an "innoculation" or, more than likely, the mRNA version of a immunization (m stands for "mutated") - they will not have to keep updating it ...

It is a "stable" little bugger ... and - yes - it was first reported in China ... but it has taken a long time for it to show up in the United States.

I do not know very much about the disease - but I know that if you own chickens, you are supposed to keep them away from other wild life, especially birds, who might carry the illness wihout you knowing about it.

But ... DON'T PANIC!!!

we should alll be scared

Obama: 'Now's the Time to Finish the Job' on Health Care Reform

President Obama urged the House on Saturday to "finish the job" in passing its version of a sweeping health care overhaul after he met privately with Democrats.
"This is our moment to live up to the trust that the American people has placed in us, even when it's hard -- especially when it's hard," he said from the Rose Garden of the White House. "This is our moment to deliver."

Okay - so now they are all push push push ... (and I have to say I'm a bit put aback by the comment of 'finish the job' ... it sounds so omnimous)

As much as I would love to have 'free' health insurance for everyone (you know it ain't really free, right?) ... I don't want the situation I heard of Rav ... a woman there was saying that their health system is so different that they wait until there is something seriously wrong with you before they will do anything ...

this means you have to get sicker ... to the point to where you could die ... before giving the medicine becomes 'cost effective'.

Take the flu ... after the initial illness, many people are finding themselves with a horrid cough some of those are developing in bronchitis - an illness treatable with antibiotics, but it can either cure on its own or turn into pnuemonia without them ...

pnuemonia is unlikely to clear on its won with out antibiotics so that is where they focus the antibiotics. it is only then when you might likely die that you get the help you need -- if you can get it on time.

Look - I didn't ask for this from this person ... nor did they say it because they are against the Presidents health care plan ....

they volunteered the info ....

and this is the system we want to go to???

You know those antibiotics you get when your child has an ear infection? forget it until the drum ruptures ...

or the yearly flu shots so many people get now? well those are possible because of the current American health system - its not because of other countries ... its the research & funding provided by American companies and corporations.

This is why when the American labs fell behind in their production of the flu shots this year the whole world felt the deficit ... why would we give that up?

why?

HEALTH WARNING: Illness Linked To Vaping

On Tuesday our local news had a story about 4 Mpls kids who were admitted to the hospital with symptoms they think are linked to vaping.

My oldest daughter (27 ... wow, where has the time gone?) vapes, my youngest daughter boyfriend vapes (not my kid, and my youngest has been trying to get him to stop) ... so this story hits home ...

The illness presents itself very much like a normal virus -- cough, low grade fever, a Chinese in joints, shortness of breath ... then suddenly it worsens and BOOM you're in the hospital.

One of the four kids hospitalized is in the ICU, their symptoms are so bad!

But by the sounds of it they are not the only ones in the nation ...

The Department of Health thinks it's linked to DRUGS being used in the vaping device ... the DOCTORS however (from what the local report said) think it has more to do with the chemicals in the vaping device or the dosage of the chemicals in the vaping device, no mention of drugs at all.

The Department of Health also said that some of those infected were using USED/second-hand vaping tools ... what do we call those things?

POWER HAS GONE OUT ... NOW WHAT DO YOU DO???

 Okay - so its 5am local time (I'm not feeling the best, so I'm up) watching Doc Martin (its an UK tv show that is being shown in repeats) when this commercial comes on ... 

Basically its a food kit commercial ... that's against food kits ... but very pro-Toaster over by the looks of it.

Here's the thing that gets me ...

With a "food kit" they send you most of the stuff you need to make your meals ... including the instructions so if you want to later on, you can easily purchase the items needed and then cook the same meal again by yourself .... very important, that bit.

This commercial was saying how awful meal kits are because you have to actually cook a meal ... oh no ... but the big feature of this particular meal kit was you simply have to scan in the code on the meal package and the toaster oven will automatically cook it for you!!

Okay - on the business side, it's genious ... the ONY way the meals will scan is with their cooker ... it did not say anything about being able to scan with any sort of app, so I'm assuming you will have to purchase the cooker with the built-in scanner.

On the consumer side though, it really stinks!

The problem is ... COST ... you know that toaster oven is going to be as expensive as heck ... and the meals -- since they are all pre-made you do not have a choice if you wish more wihout having to cook another meal (and we all know that proportion sizes are always too small) 

But it will still suffer from the same problems that other meal plans do:

    You have to hope your food has been kept at a proper temperature during delivery soyou don't catch some food borne illness.
    You have to wonder if there is anything in the meal you might be allergic too - so many things do not have to be declared if they are simply used for seasoning, but you can still have a highly allergic reaction to.    
        Cost of product used to make the meal ... they say they use the "best ingredients they can find" but you know its within a certain budget range ... I mean, they aren't going to cut into their profit so you get the best cuts of meat ... and chances are even greater that you will be able to find the ingredients cheaper in your area.
    Then there's storage of the food ... many meals I've seen have things split up by the meal - meat, veg, components in a single package OR all the meat in one container, all the veg in another, all the other componens sorted ... this set up has, well "tv dinner" type packages - ala Lean Cuisine type ... looks like its a single container.
But still - does it go in the cabinet? Refridge? Freezer?

To me ... it seems like MORE effort than its worth.

But this still is not the problem I have wih it ...

Its the electricity that the toaster oven needs.

Suppose you have all your meals in this thing ... or a microwave ... or even an electric stove/oven, for that matter ... and you lose power ...

Now What do you do??

How do you eat?

Why does our society want to dummy down our kids??

I used to work with a woman who, at the age of 30+ yrs, still did not know how to use neither the oven nor the stove in her apartment!!

I just cannot imagine that.

I have taught all my kids how to use the stove AND the oven AND the microwave AND hubby taught them about the grill AND how to cook over a campfire.

When the power goes out ... my kids will be prepared.
Our oldest, sad to say, took an incredibly long time to learn though - never thught I'd see a kid over cook french fries ... but his came out looking like crunchy, brown worms.  And let's not get into the egg rolls that he microwaved for 20 minutes - he said he followed the conventional oven directions, because its a "microwave oven" ... okay, he could benefit from a power outage.

Limbo

I am in limbo ....

I feel like I am gloating between projects waiting for the next thing to happen.

I have finished my partner's socks for the HSS6 but am holding off until I hear she is ready to send her box to me - which is on hold as she is helping a friend complete obligations due to a serious illness.

I have finished my 'toes' for the ODD socks round robin socks - we have the list of our fellow knitters, but have received no address for the person we are supposed to send our projects to ... each of us working just a part of the sock pair but by the end we have completed the stitching for 1 pair of socks although in reality 5 pr were made.

I have swatched for the Mr. Greenjeans sweater from knitty.com for the Kat's Sweater KAL for the "Eastwich Stitchers" on Ravelry. It begins tomorrow ... but still I'm waiting very anxiously. Looking over the pattern today I see that by the time I get to the bottom of the sweater I will be knitting over 300 sts ... I have a feeling its going to drive me batty - although working it as a group it should add some motivation and keep me on track. Hopefully I will have the proper amount of yarn (I forgot to take into consideration the yarn needed for the swatches)

ah -- and then there are the socks for Becca's graduation which for some reason I can get back to -- I have lost my place in the pattern and misplaced the second hank of yarn for it ...

Petco & FDA

FDA Requests Seizure of Animal Food Products at PETCO Distribution Center:

"During an FDA inspection of a PETCO distribution center in April, widespread and active rodent and bird infestation was found. The FDA inspected the facility again in May and found continuing and widespread infestation.

'We simply will not allow a company to store foods under filthy and unsanitary conditions that occur as a direct result of the company's failure to adequately control and prevent pests in its facility,' said Margaret O'K. Glavin, associate commissioner for regulatory affairs. 'Consumers expect that such safeguards will be in place not only for human food, but for pet food as well.'

The distribution center in Joliet, Ill., provides pet food products and supplies to PETCO retail stores in 16 states including Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin."

Okay first lets get a something straight -- the FDA never said that the food was contaminated, just that they didn't like the conditions of the area around the food. This is simply a preventative measure that is going to basically persecute a company.

Guess what if you have a warehouse, you are going to have birds and if you have a large supply of pet food you are going to have rodents.

" ...FDA has no reports of pet illness or death associated with consumption of animal food distributed by PETCO, and does not have evidence that the food is unsafe for animals. However, the seized products were in permeable packages and held under conditions that could affect the food's integrity and quality... "

I'm sorry but I think the FDA over step their bounds on this one. There was no 'problem' they just decided (okay by the sounds of it, one person decided) that the system that had been working just wasn't good enough.

Dog food comes in bags -- and unless you have them in metal trash cans or its canned food -- critters are going to find their way into it.

I want to know if this inspector is a member of PeTA -- they have been after PetCo for quite some time ... getting a person on the inside would be a big 'coup' for them.

I love dogs - cat's not so much - but I love dogs, grew up with dogs, only want the best for dogs .... but lets get something straight -- dogs eat their own poop, okay? They will eat a live bird if they can get a hold of it .... they will eat a mouse ... they lick their butts.

These animals are not the cleanest or the most sanitary.

LOLOLOLOLOLOL

Chavez says U.S. relations could worsen with McCain International Reuters:

"CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a socialist and fierce U.S. critic, warned on Tuesday that relations with Washington could worsen if Republican candidate John McCain wins this year's presidential election."

Well that's the best reason I've heard yet to vote for McCain --- just to piss Chavez off!!

"...He did not mention Democratic hopefuls Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton. Both are cautious about Chavez, although Obama has said he could meet him.
Chavez, who holds office until 2013, aims to unite Latin America through socialism and promotes trade plans opposed to U.S. dominance in the region...."

Okay ... look another leader that has it out for the US way of life that Barrack would meet with without vetting first ... this is getting scary, man.

So why would Chavez be so opposed to McCain? Well other than the fact that McCain would support lessening our dependence on foreign oil (the majority of which comes from Venezuela where Chavez rules), he has all called Chavez a 'Castro wannabe' -- and Chavez has a higher opinion of himself than that.
Chavez is good friends with the Castro brothers and has recently taken several trips to Cuba during Fidel's illness & health scares, raising questions about a possible move on Chavez's part to control the country with Fidel's brother as a puppet-president.

Yeah. Just because of Chevez's comments I may have to rethink my position on McCain.

NatGeo Preppers facts

Episode 4

(as an aside - I think it's interesting that the truck driver in this episode is a retired police officer, yet he says he hates the police - what's up with that?)

Most grocery stores would be empty in 3 days if there was a stoppage of trucks

In a recent survey, 45% of Americans say they collect and store canned food in preparation for a potential catastrophe

Diesel engines average 30% better gas mileage than their gasoline counter parts, and are made to withstand more punishment and last longer

A semi weighs around 105,000 lbs

The defense industry is developing "active camouflage" that detects and projects a vehicles surroundings onto its exterior, rendering it invisible

In 1920's Germany, hyperinflation devalued the currency so much that a wheelbarrow filled with cash wasn't enough to purchase a newspaper

There are 2 million truckers ... There are 2 million prisoners in the US ... Hmm

At 65 mph a semi is bigger and faster than a military tank, but it's weakness is in turns when it must slow down and has a very wide turn radius - 2 cars parked could stop it

In 2009, 859 truckloads were high jacked on American roads - worth almost $500million

(another side note here - they've done studies that have shown you have a better immune system if you do NOT have an immaculate home. Your immune system will already be active and ready. They also found kids who were allowed to eat dirt tend to have less illness growing up because their bodies fought off those germs at an early age and already had an immunity to it - as opposed to kids who were constantly washing their hands nd keeping clean)

Over half a billion passengers flew on US carriers in 2011 well I'm sure that it was only around half this number since one could assume that most of those people were making round-trips and would have been counted twice, if not more for frequent fliers

It would take less than 24 hours for a single infected passenger on a commercial airline to spread the disease to every populated continent of the world (this lets out Antarctica, since there is no native population there)

40% of Americans say they are not prepared for a catastrophe because they can't afford to stock up on certain supplies

The CDC estimates that a pandemic flu outbreak could last up to 8 weeks, infect over 100 million people, and cause death in 1 million of them

When fitted properly N95 masks can filter out 95% of small particles in the air, and are 75% effective against flu germs

80% of infectious diseases, including the common cold, are spread by physical contact

Flu germs can survive for as long as 48 hours or more on some surfaces

According to a recent study, 29% of Americans say they think a pandemic might happen in the US over the next 25 years

For much of geologic history FL was actually under water my brother used to install fences in FL - he says that houses do not have basements there nor do they dig down to set their posts for fences in cement because most of the state is either at sea level or below ... This also explains why hurricane do such big time damage to it

Rice has a shelf life of 2 years when stored properly in air tight containers, in a cool dry place

According to industry sources, 200,000 US homes use some form of solar technology

WHOA!!! THIS SOUNDS SLIGHTLY ILLEGAL ...

CHECK OUT THE SECOND STORY

Basically, this makes it sound like Dr. Fauci REWARDED some scientists for backing his view of the origins of the current "mass illness" going around the World ... I ain't saying the words ... I ain't gonna get blocked ... although I probably already am.

Let me know if you read my posts -- either leave a COMMENT or SHARE it.

Okay, let's blend This Week (ABC) and Fox News Sunday (KMSP-FOX, local station) because both took a look at the general events surrunding the report the same way ... although Fox News Sunday did have a panel that was less sympathetic towards Mr. Biden, looking at the text of what was said.

Both shows had guests who said that the report was obviously political because it mentioned Mr. Biden's age (neither one really focused on the fact that it actually said he was having issues, not that he was old) ... 

Both shows had someone say thatt Mr. Biden was Exonerated because he did not mean to take the documents.

Wait - I swear it said that charges weren't being brought because they didn't think they could find a jury who would find him guilty beyond reasonable doubt - and that his memory issues could be seen as a reasonable doubt .... and that he may not be able to assist in his own defense.

Anyways ... it is quite surprising that the Special Counselor is getting all this blame ... after all - as one panelist on Face the Nation (CBS) had said, he had to include instances in the report to support why charges should not be brought - even the Special Counselor came out and said he thought the Justice Department head would have redacted those particular statements .... granted they were on page 207/208 (depending on who's couning) .... so technically, it was the Justice Department head who should be in trouble here for not reading the entire thing, or for, as they have said, used the report for pure political reasons.

The head of the Justice Department is appointed by the current President, btw ... and it was the dept. head who chose the person to be Special Counselor ... hmmmm.

Interesting.

Actually the most interesting thing I thought was the hostility that Mr. Biden came out with over the questioning of his age and memory ... especially that of when his son died.
If you know anyone who lost a child, either to a prolonged illness or unexpectantly, they will always remember the day their child died .... ALWAYS .... No matter how far they've gone ... they may not remember what the current date is, but they never forget that day.

health

some of you may have noticed I haven't been up dating as much lately ... my MIL was in the hospital with double pnumonia in another state and we were waiting for word as to how she was doing.

It was a real surprise because we had just seen her the weekend before and she was fine, then by Monday night she sounded like she had a bad cold and by Tuesday night she was in the hosp. Pretty scary - it hit my husband hard ... he was faced with her mortality.

I think his concern was about cancer though - the way we lost my mother - because of how quickly it seemed to hit. My father-in-law had it the week before and was already on meds.

Mother's are those people who you never expect to leave you ... and I guess mother's are people who never expect to leave either.

but she is home now on a nebulizer, steriods, and antibiotic. We get to go up this weekend and play nursemaid while FIL goes to family reunion in different state -- he wouldn't go except he knows we will take good care of her .. who knows he may change his mind and stay after all.

Now I can breath again ... and get back to my crocheting/knitting/etc. ... you know it used to be that when I worried I would grab a project and get it done ... but ever since mom's death, I don't ever want to associate crafting with illness again -- its really funny.

We have a scoutmom-buddy who's husband has terminal cancer (so sad, their son is only 12 yrs old) and she took up cross-stitch when her husband started chemo and she had to sit there while he was 'hooked up' (her words not mine) ... she said she hadn't touch the craft for a long time. My guess is that after his death (gods I hate that thought) she will set it all aside again.

Litigical society at its "best" ...

Widow of First New York City Man to Die From H1N1 Flu Plans to Sue City for $40 Million:

"Wiener was the assistant principal of Intermediate School 236 in Hollis in the New York borough of Queens. The school was one of several city schools to be shuttered after the illness afflicted students and staff members.

In a notice of claim filed on Tuesday, Wiener's widow, Bonnie Wiener, accused the city of failing to adequately control the H1N1 outbreak and failing to inform Wiener that he had come in contact with individuals who tested positive for the H1N1 flu."

Somebody explain how its the city's fault that this guy got the flu? I'm not going to say that she doesn't have a case - because i don't know all the wherefore's and as-to's .... but how can you blame the city because the guy got hit by a pandemic?

I mean - he was in a position where personale are exposed to diseases all the time ... and it is part of the risk of the job ... and its not like they hadn't had warning that it could happen.

I just don't see where she has a case ... and if she wins - it will open a whole kettle of fish!

My plans? First reported case of swine flu will have my kids staying at home, and I'm afraid of the shot - I think they are pushing thru these shots too fast these days. I'm afraid they haven't done a thorough enough research study on it all.

I even heard that the shots we got from the last mass hysteria aren't even good anymore ... I just hope the school system doesn't require it, then i don't know what I'll do.

Gee, good thing the courts are unbiased ....

Every legitimate argument this poor guy has, gets shot down for some reason by the Democrats in the state -- what the hell are they afraid of???

My Way News - Markings on ballot copies upset Minn. Senate case:

"The trial on Minnesota's U.S. Senate recount stalled on its first day Monday when the judges said photocopies of 5,000 excluded absentee ballots couldn't be used as evidence because Republican Norm Coleman's campaign workers had marked on them."

but what they don't remark on is that it is very common for notations to be put upon ballots during a recount - but that it doesn't void those ballots from being counted ... if it did, then the race needs to be handed back to Coleman who was the winner before the recount began.

"The marks the campaign workers made included, in some cases, numbering or redaction of private information. After a Coleman witness admitted to the markings, Franken's attorneys objected to using them as evidence because they had been altered."

Never mind the probability that Franken campaign workers were able to do simular marks on photocopies of ballots and got them counted ...

"The three-judge panel hearing the case agreed and told Coleman's attorneys they would have to subpoena the original ballot envelopes instead."

sounds fair until you read this part of it ....

" ... elicited little sympathy from the three-judge panel. "... you better have some backup witnesses," Judge Denise Reilly said. "

which basically sounds like she is saying that even if they do bring evidence, clear concise evidence, unrefutable evidence that these ballots should be counted ... that it still won't be enough to get the panel (who btw was hand picked by the head of the state supreme court who also sat on the Canvassing Board - it is the Canvassing Boards actions that are being called into question ... make sense to you?) to say they should be counted.

It would actually be interesting to see if there are any 'dead people' who voted absentee ... you would think that it would be an automatic thing but there was a recent news report that when things are put into the 'vital statistics' - the area that keeps track of birth/deaths - it doesn't touch such things as state aid or voter rolls ....

this means that technically if you had a parent pass away within the last 4 years, then they are still on the rolls - that's how long it is between list updates - and if someone decides to play fast & loose with your parents name (can you spell A-C-O-R-N?) they can potentially get away with voting in your parents name and you would never know it ....

it used to be if you voted 'absentee' you had to give reason for not going to the polls --- such as being out of town, long/debilitating illness, etc. -- even working at the polls wasn't an excuse, you just did it when you got your break ----- now a days, people use it just so they don't have to be 'inconviencienced' ....

But I want to know ---

How many of you still sign your name like the one on record? I don't recall putting as signature on record, unless they are comparing it to the one I did the election before .... but still .... the signature from this year isn't going to match the one from 4 years ago - in fact other than the capital letters my guess is that they are very little alike.

so does this mean that my vote never counts then? I would think a fingerprint system would be better -- but you will never get the ACIOU (I can't think of them right now) to agree to any sort of database like that .... it might be used to solve crimes ... oh wouldn't want to do that at all.

but back to Coleman .... this poor guy ... I want to say our other senate seat will be up for grabs in 2 yrs but I could be wrong (I think they are 6 yr terms) ... so he might be able to go with that one ... but that's a scary thought because it would put Franken in the Senate unbridled ....

with Coleman in, MN stands to gain so much more because of his senority .... Franken starts at the very bottom - absolutely NO political experience (other than blowing smoke up skirts) means that he becomes the lowest man on the totem pole ... no committees, no influence, nothing.

They Don't Get it

Celebrity Gossip Entertainment News Celebrity News TMZ.com:

"Ryan said it was 'fantastic' to have son Redmond out of jail for the service, but when we asked him how he was feeling, Ryan only said 'I don't know yet. It's hard to believe.'"

Okay so TMZ seems totally confused by Ryan O'Neils answer ...

Let me explain...

when you have someone dying of cancer ...

when they finally go ... as much as you miss them ... as much as they leave a whole in your life ... you still feel a bit of relief that they are finally done with the pain.

it sounds strange I know .... but there was likely even a time during her illness, towards the end likely, where he would have prayed that she would just go, and have it done with. Pray that her pain would end.

C'mon guys --- back off. He's got a lot to deal with .... and he has to wrap his mind & heart around it without your cameras getting in his face.

The View: On Prayer

I can't believe I'm about to do this ... but I have to stick up for Joy Behar.

Today they were talking about Julia Gullaughable's statements about prayer ... or rather the President's call for people to pray for the Gulf Coast ... on Joy's other program (lets face it, the only opinion that ever gets heard on The View is Joy's really) ...

The conversation had turned to whether Julia had meant for it to sound like she meant 'if you pray, you aren't smart' ... although knowing her and her statements of the past, she could have, but I will give her the benefit of the doubt here.

Joy said "When prayer takes the place of logical thinking then I think its dangerous"

Elisabeth shot back "prayers not illogical"

Joy buried herself with "it takes the place of thinking"

"no it doesn't" Elisabeth countered with a followup "that is a completely bigotted statement to say that when I'm praying I'm not thinking"

Well now - Joy original statement about Prayerr not taking the place of logical thinking I have no problem with - in fact I agree with it. Prayer can not fix an illness and its not going to help much in solving the issue in the Gulf, at least not directly.

It may help to pray for inspiration for them to find a way to fix the leak -- but then wouldn't it be amazing if God did show up to fix it? what would people do?

But lets face it -- prayer, on the general, is done by the masses in times of panic/worry/desperation ... so yeah - at THAT point it does tend to lead to a pause in 'logical' thinking .... logical being thinking of the problem and only the problem and its solutions.

man --

that leaves a terrible taste in my mouth.

((Joy should NOT be allowed to plug her other show though in my opinion! I have to wonder if Elisabeth got a gig on Fox News, if they would let her do it)

Hey, I learned my nutrition from Burger King!!!

Burger King unveils healthier kids menu - Yahoo! News

Okay, this news story has me doing "on the other hand"s.

On one hand, unless the kids under 12 can drive their car to Burger King, then it is the parents who are allowing their kids to eat this junk.

on the other hand....it will make it easier for parents to offer healthier choices to the kids if Burger King and other drive threws have it on their menus.

on the other hand....there is some question as to whether the kids will actually eat them. I don't care how much lemon you spray on an apple it is going to look ucky after a while...they would have to do the Apple Fries right there on site, and we know that ain't going to happen (I used to work in food service and dealt with cut apples all the time).

on the other hand...fast food joints have never been challenged by the American public (well, world public now) about how much it really costs to produce these meals. I think most people would be surprised how much money they could save by simply cutting down on the fast food stops. We are a family of 5, now, when we go...that's $30 a trip. We've taken to eating at home.

on the other hand....it is nice when you are running late from work, soccar practice, traffic, illness to be able to stop in at the local fast-food place and have them make dinner for you.

on the other hand....they make these neat little inventions called the "freezer" and "microwave". A smart person might just make extra of a good healthy meal and freeze the left overs for nights when things are running late. 20 minutes on high, and viola! instant meal for a fraction of the price.

on the other hand...I have seen the F&CS classes they give kids these days. F&CS=Family & Consumer Science...our old "home ec" courses. They spend two weeks on cooking & sewing and then the rest is spent on what we would have learned in SexEd or Health class (and this is in 7th grade here, other cities start even sooner). I can see why most people don't know how to cook, for themselves or their family.

Hmmm, a lot to ponder here. Is it a good thing, or just the latest gimmick to make a buck, for fast food restraunts to serve "healthy" foods? Why not just keep a couple of apples in the car, some bottled water, maybe some crackers for the kids until you can get home to make a decent meal???

The View: "End of Illness"

Today on The View they had a doctor (Dr david Agus) who - quite frankly - was a nutcase and I don't know why he was on

Here's why I think he's a nutcase ... Well ok, just plain mistaken

• he wants EVERYONE on staten drugs - these are meant to lower cholesterol

• he sights a study where they said that people on statins can delay heart attack and stroke by almost a decade -- no how the heck would he know EHEN a person would have had that HA or stroke to begin with? Maybe they would never have had one of they HADN'T been on the staten at all ... I hate statements like this

• he wants people to eat the SAME TIME EVERY DAY and if you don't he says your body will stress out ... He used the example of if our kids lunches are 1/2 hr late they cry - well no they don't! What kind of brats did he have? Even as babies they don't eat at the same time everyday - it varies ... Most doctors will tell you - eat when your hungry, drink when your not

• he says high heels are going to shorten your life because they cause your feet to hurt

• He also says that people need to go to bed and get up the same time EVERYDAY as well - and that you should sleep for 10 1/2 hrs

he says that ANY inflammation - he is using it instead of the word "stress" - even catching the flu will take years off your life ...

REALLY?

He is against taking vitamins of any kind - he spouted a bunch of stats about people who took certain vitamins caused certain diseases being increased ...

Here's how the study was done - "do you take a multi vitamin? Does it contain this mineral?" okay that is this much of the population, and this many on the population gets this cancer - therefore there is a correlation.

If you think they kept an eye on people for 20 years and was able to control all the outside influences on heir lives - I've got a bridge I can sell you!

By that same token - even of this guy is right ...

WHO WANTS TO LIVE TO 100?

I mean who wants to see all their family and friends die before them? I feel outbid place when I get around a group of my kids friends I couldn't imagine being around a group of my great-grand kids friends

ARE YOU KIDDING ME????

A couple weeks ago the Mpls police chief gave his report to the Mpls city council - his biggest concern was that while they didn't have all the equipment they needed, what they really need is more officers.

It's not Musial for cops to have to leave one 911 call to answer another ... the increase in calls have to deal with overdoses & mental illness.

He said, based on the increase in 911 calls before he took over to now, he was going to need at the very least 400 new officers over the next 5 years ...

The mayor heard him ... put it  Not his budget for the city next year ...

But instead of 75 or 1000 ... he budgeted for JUST 14!!!!!

14 .... that's it .



The public was in a tizzy- protesting him at every moment they could -- even getting so loud that the mayor could not be heard!

But they were protesting because they DO NOT WANT more officers!!

Wait, WHAT??

This is nuts -- they claim it's because they can't "trust" the police, but what they don't realize is that many hands makes light work -- less stressed officers make happier officers ... happier officers are more trust-worthy.

Actually, it makes me wonder what they are really hiding -- and if they have ever TRIED to call 911 for help.

It's awful in Mpls!
I called once when a car flipped over on a residential street ... not my car, I was in my fathers kitchen looking out the window at the ttime me and saw it all.
Sat on the RINGER for about 10 minutes, then had to sit on HOLD for another 5 minutes, just to told I didn't have enough information for them ...
Never mind the fact that (a)the car was on it roof, (b)the driver did not get out yet and (c)i knew the exact address where it occurred!!!
But that wasn't enough information.

We've all ran into bad officers, just let ken you've run the not bad customer service people, bad cashiers - after aall they are just PEOPLE TOO

ITS ALMOST LIKE ITS ... UM ... WINTER!!!!!

 So the CDC is putting out warnings again for "Respitory Illness"

There has been an uptick in hospitalizations/ER trips for coughs & fever ... but they do not break it down into how many of these were simply people panicking after the C-19 lockdown ... or if these were actual cases of the Big 3 issues they say we should look out for.

C-19 ... while there are a MULTITUDE of varients ou there, you never know which you might get ... if you get it ... when the hoopla was going on, I found that the death rate from the disease was less than 1% of the US population.  And, yes, my family did get hit - my husband and my youngest daughter caught it.  She had more of the "cold" type symptoms (nasally stuff) while hubby had more of the "flu" type symptoms (out both ends) ... but both had the yucky food taste symptom.

Flu - Still a "crap shoot" (pardon the pun) as to which strain will hit.  Since so many doses have to be prepared, hey have to GUESS if the strain will be Flu A, B, or C ... btw, "Swine Flu" or H1N1 is a varient of Flu A - it got to the point where many states (mine included) simply called ALL Flu A cases "Swine Flu" and reported those numbers, very little lab work went on to designate which were/weren't actually Swine Flu.  I remember when they first started worrying about this in the 70's -- clearly they knew it wasn't going to be too bad.

RSV - many people have never heard of this before ... because it has been faily UNcommon .... usually it hit the very young or those with underlying conditions.  One of my nieces caught this shrtly after being sent home after being born. It was described as bacsically being a bad cold but neither pnuemonia nor bronchitis ... It can be deadly for those with poor lung development.  But why has it suddenly seen such an UPRISE in contangibility? Now that's the question that needs to be answered.  I've got my ideas, but I have no proof.

So ... this winter when every one is abou to catch COLDS, COUGHS, SORE THROATS, ETC. please

DO NOT

PANIC!!!

Chances are - its will simply run its course - if you have a concern, wait and see your regular physician unless you are having an obvious emergency -- lets not plug ERs and/or thow off the statistics.

Obama Time

ANOTHER ONE?????

Man - does this guy ever work more than 3 days in a row?

Obama Heads North, Not South for Weekend Vacation « Row 2, Seat 4: "When President Obama sat among local officials at a snack bar in Pensacola, Florida last month, he emphasized that the Sunshine State's beaches were 'open for business' and vowed to do everything his administration could to help those in the region. Well, maybe not everything. When the president and his family go away later this week for a mini-vacation, they'll be traveling almost 2,000 miles away from the oil spill, escaping the heat in Washington for the cooler weather up north at Mount Desert Island, Maine." The main focus of the story was that if the President was going to take a vacation he should be doing it down where they are being effected by the oil spill ...

They skim over the fact that this is the THIRD vacation in 80 days!!!

Either they need to stop calling these things "vacations" or the President needs to keep his @ss in DC and - oh I don't know - FIX SOME SHIT!

You have to wonder if Obama isn't taking all these vacations, at tax payers expense (not just flight/secret service, but also for staffing & sweeping of staff at the property ... people to go out and sweep ahead of his arrival ... vetting sites ... etc - and then there's the stuff that goes on after he leaves, if you think once he goes that's the end your wrong) -- oops slipped away there -- if he isn't taking them as "extra compensation" for the loss of income from when he was a Senator ... or else he is just so used to all those 'breaks' that the congress takes that he just can't get his mind wrapped around having an actual FULL TIME (plus) JOB ... he seems to hate over-time.

You just know Reagan and Nixon are rolling in their graves over this one ....

Could you imagine the fodder that the press would have had if this were going on during the administrations of Ford, or Eisenhower, or Kennedy?

Bush got raked royally for his breaks to go down to Crawford Tx - to his home - on weekends ...

where is the outrage from the media over Obama's absence??? Other than Fox News, you really don't hear about it at all.

I ran across this link on a story looking at Bush's vacation record compared to other Presidents on the History News Network ... here are some facts which they had posted:

• James Madison took a 4 month long vacation - normally his lasted only 3 months long
• John Adams stayed at his home for 7 months when his wife, Abigail, took ill
• Thomas Jefferson, mid-july to october he was away from his presidential seat
• Chester Arthur traveled most of his last year in office (but he was trying to hide the fact that he had a fatal illness)
• Grover Cleveland used his first vacation to have a secret operation on a yacht - to remove a cancerous tumor!
• Bill Clinton used polls to pick his vacation spots (they say it only happened once, but I don't know)
• Ronald Reagan spent 335 days over 8 yrs at his CA ranch == that's an average of 41days/yr
• Jimmy Carter only took 80 days vacation during his whole 4-yr term!

Or I wonder if they are trying to keep the President moving so that they can't track him down for the Blago trial ... although my understanding is that he can't be compelled to testify while he is in office.