Friday, June 30, 2017

BRING ON THE LAUGHTER

Heated Debate 
Two political candidates were having a hot debate. Finally, one of them jumped up and yelled at the other, "What about the powerful interest that controls you?" And the other guy screamed back, "You leave my wife out of this!" 

What She Said 

The first time my son was on a bike with training wheels, I shouted, "Step back on the pedals and the bike will brake!" He nodded but still rode straight into a bush. "Why didn't you push back on the pedals?" I asked, helping him up. "You said if I did, the bike would break." 

Life's Truths for Adults 
  • There is nothing worse than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
  • I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
  • Really, how ARE you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
  • Was learning cursive really necessary?
  • MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
  • Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they always told you how the person died.
  • You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.
  • I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report to which I know I did not make any changes.
  • "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this — ever.
  • I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.
  • I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
  • Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what was going on when I first saw it.
  • I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
  • How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?
  • Sometimes I'll look down at my watch three consecutive times and still not know what time it is.
  • Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone or Pinning the Tail on the Donkey — but I'll bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from three feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time!

Thursday, June 29, 2017

SOME GOOD ADVICE FOR YOUR HEALTH

When it comes to heart attacks, many of us know the causes most likely to trigger a problem: Obesity, not enough exercisehigh blood pressurestress and smoking. But new research is finding other, less common factors can also put your heart at risk.

1. Asthma that requires daily medication

Persistent asthma, which is asthma severe enough to require daily controller medications, is associated with a 60 percent higher risk of a heart attack, stroke or death from cardiovascular disease, according to new research published in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology.
"Both asthma and cardiovascular disease are caused by high levels of inflammation," explains lead researcher Matthew Tattersall, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
New research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that being diagnosed with asthma as an adult (defined as late onset asthma) also increases the risk of developing heart disease.
In addition, because chest tightness is often a symptom of asthma, asthmatics could miss the signs of a heart attack, delaying treatment. To reduce the long-term cardiovascular risk, Tattersall believes close monitoring is essential. "If you have persistent asthma, you may need stronger and more aggressive preventative care," he says.

2. Taking certain heartburn drugs

For those with acid reflux, taking proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) — including Prilosec, Nexium and Prevacid — was associated with a 16 to 21 percent higher heart attack risk, according to a large new Stanford University study that looked at data from nearly 3 million patients.
The study found no link, however, between heart attacks and another well-known type of heartburn drug, H2 blockers, such as Tagamet, Pepcid and Zantac.
So why are PPIs different? Previous research suggests that they may reduce the production of nitric oxide, an important molecule that helps maintain the health of the inner linings of blood vessels. Too little nitric oxide could accelerate heart disease.
Over-the-counter heartburn medications could also be cause for concern. A 2016 study published in Circulation Research found that drugs like Nexium, which treats gastroesophageal reflux disease, could cause faster aging of blood vessel cells, making it more difficult for them to prevent heart attacks.

3. Having migraines with aura

Middle-aged and older women who have migraines with aura, meaning the headaches are often preceded by visual symptoms like flashing lights or blind spots, have an increased risk of heart attack, according to a 2013 analysis of 28,000 women enrolled in the ongoing national Women's Health Study.
In fact, having migraine with aura was found to be the second-strongest contributor to heart attack and stroke risk after high blood pressure, according to researcher Tobias Kurth, M.D., of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.
This does not mean everyone with this type of migraine will have a heart attack or stroke, Kurth noted, but that these migraine sufferers should try to reduce their risk in other ways, including not smoking, staying active and keeping blood pressure under control.

4. Skipping the flu vaccine

A flu vaccine doesn't just protect you against that nasty virus. Recent research has shown it also helps your heart, decreasing your odds of having a heart attack by 50 percent in the year following the shot compared with those who don't get the vaccine. Now a study published in the journal Vaccine shows why.
"We discovered that antibodies that are produced after the vaccination activate molecular processes, which protect and strengthen the cardiovascular system," explains study coauthor Veljko Veljkovic of the Vinca Institute of Nuclear Sciences at the University of Belgrade in Serbia.
By getting the flu vaccine, Velijkovic says, you're getting a double benefit: protection against both the flu and a heart attack.
It’s especially important for those with type 2 diabetes to get the flu vaccine. The Canadian Medical Association Journal found it lowers hospital admissions for stroke and heart failure among this high risk group.

5. Weak grip strength

What does your handshake have to do with heart health? More than you think, according to research published online in May 2015 by The Lancet.
Researchers found that grip strength, or the force you exert when you squeeze something as firmly as possible in your hand, is a predictor of heart attack risk. By measuring patients' grip strength with a special device called a handgrip dynamometer, the scientists found that for every 5-kilogram (11-pound) decline, there was a 17 percent greater risk of cardiovascular death and a 7 percent higher risk of having a heart attack.
"Grip strength is as strong a predictor of cardiac death as blood pressure," notes Darryl Leong, assistant professor of cardiology at McMaster University in Canada and lead author.
While the cause of the link is unknown, Leong suspects there could be a connection between muscle strength and improved vascular function.

6. Daylight Saving Time

Adjusting the clocks forward (or back) an hour does more than just mess up your sleep.
The disturbance to your circadian rhythm — or body clock — also appears to have an impact on your heart. Research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session noted a 25 percent increase in the number of heart attacks on the Monday after the clocks move ahead — or "spring forward" — and we lose an hour, compared with other Mondays during the year. By contrast, there is a 21 percent decrease in the number of heart attacks on the Tuesday in the fall after the clocks "fall back" and we gain an hour.
The sleep disruption from the spring time change is stressful to the body, which researcher Hitinder Gurm, M.D., an interventional cardiologist and associate professor at the University of Michigan, believes can trigger a heart attack in susceptible patients. "We live in a sleep-deprived society and these data indirectly suggest that even small disturbances in sleep can be deleterious for health," Gurm says.

7. The cocktail hour

When it comes to whether alcohol helps or hurts heart health, timing appears to be everything. Research published in the March 2015 issue of the journal Epidemiology found that the chances of having a heart attack increased 72 percent in the first hour after drinking alcohol. "Within the first hour after drinking, your heart rate and blood pressure increase, and your blood becomes more sticky, making it more likely to clot," explains lead author Elizabeth Mostofsky, with the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the Harvard School of Public Health. However, within 24 hours of imbibing, the overall risk of heart attack decreased by 14 percent.
While alcohol may have a protective effect over time, it may also cause a temporary spike in heart attack risk, Mostofsky says. For that reason, "alcohol consumption can be beneficial, but stick with small amounts — no more than one drink a day for women or two for men."

8. Anger issues

If you're blowing your top at every little thing, those outbursts are sending your heart attack risk skyrocketing.
A 2014 study published in the European Heart Journal found that patients who described their mood as "furious" or "enraged" had almost a five-fold increase in their risk of heart attack in the two hours after an intense bout of anger. "The key message is that even if you can't prevent anger entirely, lowering how often you get angry or lowering the intensity can be helpful for lowering your heart attack risk," says study coauthor Mostofsky.
Think twice before heading to the gym to burn off that anger. A study published in a 2016 issue of Circulation found that the risk of physical exertion, like exercise, while angry or upset tripled the risk of having a heart attack within an hour. Possible takeaway: It’s best to simmer down before working out.

9. Traumatic events

It's not an exaggeration to say that heartbreaking events really may break your heart — especially for women.
Research presented at the American Heart Association's 2015 Scientific Sessions found that traumatic life events like the death of a loved one or a life-threatening illness increased heart attack risk by nearly 70 percent among middle-aged and older women.
The research didn't examine the reasons some women are more vulnerable to the effects of deeply distressing life events, but coauthor Michelle A. Albert, M.D., professor of medicine at the University of California San Francisco, speculates that negative experiences might interfere with the body's response to stress, increasing inflammation and stress hormones, which are linked to susceptibility to heart attacks.
Physicians and patients should discuss ways to reduce psychological stress following a personal trauma, Albert adds, in order to reduce cardiovascular risk.

10. Taking common painkillers

You may not have noticed the fine print, but the widely used over-the-counter and prescription painkillers ibuprofen and naproxen (brands like Advil, Motrin and Aleve) come with a warning about possible heart attacks and stroke.
Up to now, the warning has said that these nonaspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) "may cause" an increased risk of heart problems, but new data has convinced the Food and Drug Administration to strengthen the wording to say these medications "cause" a higher risk, and the agency warned that Americans should use the drugs sparingly for a brief time, and at the lowest dose possible.
The FDA said several new studies show the risk of heart attack or stroke can increase even after using NSAIDs for a short time. The risk also appears greater at higher doses.
"Everyone may be at risk — even people without an underlying risk for cardiovascular disease," Judy Racoosin, M.D., deputy director of the FDA's Division of Anesthesia, Analgesia and Addiction Products, said in a written explanation of the new warning.
People who have heart disease, particularly those who recently had a heart attack or cardiac bypass surgery, are at the greatest risk and should discuss taking these drugs with their doctor.

11. Eating a late supper

When it comes to your nightly nosh, earlier is better.
Turkish researchers tracked 721 adults with high blood pressure and found that found that those who ate within two hours of going to bed were 2.8 times more likely to retain high blood pressure overnight.
Blood pressure that fails to drop overnight is called “non-dipper hypertension” and it increases cardiovascular risk, which includes heart attack.
Eating is believed to release stress hormones, causing your body to be on high alert at a time when it should be winding down. To avoid elevated overnight blood pressure, researchers suggest identifying healthy eating patterns in terms of ideal frequency and timing of the meals to improve cardiovascular health.
Jodi Helmer regularly contributes health stories to AARP.

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

SLEEP WELL

Getting the recommended seven to eight hours of sleep a night can help maintain brain health as we age, but a significant number of older adults say they aren’t getting enough shuteye — a problem that can contribute to an array of health conditions from dementia to depression, says a new report from AARP’s Global Council on Brain Health.

“It’s a myth that adults need less sleep as they age. The evidence is clear that better brain and physical health in older people is related to getting an average of seven to eight hours of sleep every 24 hours,” said Sarah Lock, the council’s executive director and AARP senior vice president.
The report by the international group of experts included new recommendations for a wide range of sleep-related issues, including whether a daytime nap should count toward those seven to eight hours of daily sleep, and how to help sleep problems in those with dementia.
“We know adults have many questions about how much sleep is enough, and the role that sleep plays in brain health and cognitive function,” said council chair Marilyn Albert, professor of neurology and director of the division of cognitive neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. “This report answers a lot of these questions.”
The scientists also urged both patients and doctors to take sleep problems more seriously. Most people don’t mention it to their doctors, they wrote, and “too few health care providers consider sleep a serious health issue,” despite the fact that “chronic inadequate sleep puts people at higher risk for dementia, depression, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, fall-related injuries and cancer.”
AARP’s 2016 sleep and brain health survey found that 99 percent of adults age 50-plus believe that sleep is important for their brain health, but 43 percent say they don’t get enough sleep. More than half (54 percent) of adults report they wake up too early in the morning and can’t get back to sleep.
“It is normal for sleep to change with age, but poor quality sleep with age is not normal,” the report said. While sleep disorders become more common with age, they often can be treated, and the experts emphasized that people at any age can change their behavior to improve their sleep.

Among the council’s recommendations:
Avoid long naps: The evidence on whether naps are beneficial to brain health in older adults is still unclear. If you must, limit napping to 30 minutes in the early afternoon. Longer naps late in the day can disrupt nighttime sleep.
Stick to a schedule: Get up at the same time every day, seven days a week.
Go toward the light: Expose yourself to sunlight during the day, which helps set your body clock.
Get moving: Regular physical activity promotes good sleep; it can also help you lose weight, which also can improve sleep.
Restrict what you eat and drink: Avoid caffeine after lunch and don’t eat or drink for three hours before bed to keep from waking up to use the bathroom.
Keep pets out of the bedroom: Bar them especially if they disrupt your sleep by moving around or making noise during the night.
Banish electronics: Keep the bedroom for sleeping, not watching TV or reading or playing games on your smartphone or tablet.
Try a warm bath, warm socks: A regular bath may be beneficial two to three hours before bedtime. Wearing socks to keep feet warm can also help you fall asleep more easily.
No difficult discussions: Keep it peaceful before bedtime. No arguing or discussing touchy, contentious topics.
Know the warning signs: You may have a sleep disorder that requires treatment if you have several of these symptoms, including trouble falling or staying asleep three times a week for at least three months; frequent snoring; persistent daytime sleepiness; leg discomfort before sleep; acting out your dreams during sleep; and grinding your teeth or waking with a headache or aching jaws.
Help people with dementia who wake frequently: Caretakers should make sure dementia patients get enough exposure to outdoor light during the day and avoid excessive napping or staying in bed too long. Check with health care providers to see if medications may be affecting sleep at night or contributing to daytime sleepiness. Changing the timing of medications may help.

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

CHANGING TIMES

Did you think back in 1998 that 3 years later you would never take pictures on film again?
       
In 1998 Kodak had 170,000 employees and sold 85 % photo paper worldwide. Within just a few years their business model disappeared and they went bankrupt. What happened to Kodak will happen in a lot of industries in the next 10 years and, most people  won't see it coming.  
Yet digital cameras were invented in 1975. The first ones only had 10,000 pixels, but followed Moore's law.  So as with all exponential technologies, it was a disappointment for a time, before it became way superior and became mainstream in only a few short years. It will now happen  again with Artificial Intelligence, health, autonomous and  electric cars, education, 3D printing, agriculture and jobs.  Welcome to the  4th Industrial Revolution.  Welcome to the Exponential Age.       
               
Some believe that software will disrupt most traditional industries in the next 5-10 years.
              
Uber is just a software tool, they don't own any cars, and are now the biggest taxi company in the  world.
                  
Airbnb is now the biggest hotel company in the world, although they don't own any properties.
                     
Artificial  Intelligence:  Computers become exponentially better in understanding the world. This year, a computer beat the best Go-player in the world, 10 years  earlier than expected.
                            
In the US , many young lawyers are finding it hard to get jobs. Because of IBM's Watson you can get legal advice (so far for more or less basic stuff) within seconds. With 90% accuracy compared with 70% accuracy when done by humans.
                                   
Some say there will be 90 % less lawyers in the future. Only specialists will remain.
              
Watson already helps nurses diagnosing cancer,  which is 4 times more accurate than human nurses.
              
Facebook now has a pattern recognition software that can recognize faces better than humans. In 2030 computers will become more intelligent than humans. (NEVER says Albert)
           
Autonomous cars: In 2018  the first self driving cars will appear for the public. Around 2020 the complete industry will  start to be disrupted. You may not want to own a car anymore.  You will call a car with your phone, it will show up at your location and drive you to your destination. You will not need to park it, you only pay for the driven distance and can be productive while being driven.               
              
Our kids may not need to get a  driver's licence and won't own a car.             
     
It will change the cities,  because we will need 90-95% less cars for that. We can transform former parking spaces into parks.               
              
1.2  million people die each  year in car accidents worldwide. We now have one accident every 60,000 miles  ( 100,000  km), with autonomous driving it's estimated that will drop to 1 accident in 6 million miles (10 million km). That would save  a   million  lives each  year.                      
    
Some car companies will become bankrupt. Traditional car companies try the evolutionary approach and just build a better car, while tech companies like Tesla, Apple, Google will do the revolutionary approach and build a computer on  wheels.                   
              
Many engineers from Volkswagen and Audi are already terrified of Tesla.               
              
Insurance  companies  will have massive trouble  because without accidents, the insurance will become many times cheaper. Their car insurance business model may disappear.                
              
Real Estate will change.  Because if you can work while you commute, people can move further away to live in more beautiful and or cheaper neighborhoods.                          
            
Some predict that electric cars will become  mainstream by about 2020 or so. If so, cities will be less noisy.               
               
Electricity will become far cheaper and cleaner. Solar production has been  on an exponential curve for 30 years, but you can now see the burgeoning impact.               
             
Last year, more solar energy was installed worldwide than fossil.  Energy companies are desperately trying to limit access to the grid to prevent competition from home solar installations, but that can't last.  Technology will take care of that strategy.               
              
With cheap electricity comes cheap and abundant water.   Desalination of salt water now only needs 2k Wh per cubic meter at 0.25 cents. We don't have  scarce water in most places, we only have scarce drinking water. Imagine what will be possible if anyone can have as much clean water as he wants, for nearly no cost.               
   
Health: The Tricorder X price will be announced this year. There are companies who will build a medical device (called the " Tricorder " from Star Trek) that works  with your phone, which takes your retina scan, your blood sample  and you simply  breath into it.               
            
It then analyses 54 bio-markers  that will identify many  diseases.  It will be cheap, so in a  few years many in remote areas of our planet will have access to world class cheap medical analysis. Goodbye medical  establishments?
              
3 D printing: The price of the cheapest 3D  printer came down from  $18,000 to $400 within 10 years. In the same time, it  became 100 times faster. All major shoe companies have already started 3D printing  shoes.       
      
Some spare airplane parts  are already 3D printed in remote airports. The space station now has a printer that eliminates the  need for the large amount of spare parts they used to have in the past.             
              
At the end of this year, new  smart phones will have 3D scanning possibilities. You can then 3D scan your feet and print  your perfect shoe at home.               
              
In China they have already 3D printed and built a complete 6 storey office building.  By 2027 10% of everything that's being produced will be 3D printed.                      
              
Business  Opportunities: If you think of a niche you want to go in, first ask yourself, "In the future, do I think we will have that?" If the answer is yes, how can you make that happen sooner? If it doesn't work with your phone, forget the idea.  And any idea designed for success in the 21st century imay be doomed to failure in the next century...or sooner.
 
Work:   It is estimated that 70-80 % of jobs will disappear in the next 20 years. There will be a lot  of new jobs, but it is not clear if there will be enough new  jobs in such a short time.  This will require a rethink on wealth distribution. Some communities and nations are already experimenting with guaranteed income "floors'.
 
Agriculture: There will be a $100  agricultural robot in the future.  Farmers in 3rd world countries can then become managers of their field instead of working all day on their  fields...many already use drones to detect diseases or dry areas,etc.
 
Aeroponics needs much less water. The first Petri dish produced veal, is now available and soon will be cheaper than cow-produced veal. Right now, 30 % of all agricultural surfaces is used for cows.  Imagine if we don't need that space  anymore...to say nothing about methane gas emissions.
 
... and, we can go on.
 
The Times They Are A Changing!

Monday, June 26, 2017

THIS WEEKS SPECIALS FROM WALGREENS AND DOLLAR GENERAL

Buying Groceries on a Budget
Walgreens Sale Dates: June 25 – July 1, 2017
 
Meats: Ball Park Beef  Franks 8 ct 2/$5.00 or $2.99 each; Oscar Mayer Bacon 1 lb $3.99
Snacks: Fiber One or Nature Valley Select Varieties 5 or 6 pk $1.99
Miscellaneous: Welch’s Concord Grape Jelly 30 oz or Skippy Peanut Butter 16.3 oz 2/$4.00 or $2.49 each; Kellogg Special K Cereal 10.8 to 12.5 oz Select Varieties 2/$5.00 or $2.99 or 2/$4.00 with $1.00 off coupon
Specials with needed coupon: Jello Gelatin or Instant Pudding .3 to 3.9 oz 2/$1.00 Limit 4; Chicken of the Sea White Tuna 5 oz $.79 cents Limit 6; Atlanta Celebrity Canned Ham 12 oz 2/$5.00 Limit 2; Chicken of the Sea Lite Tuna 5 oz or Sardines 3.75 oz $.69 cents Limit 6
 
Dollar General Sale Dates: June 25 – July 1, 2017
 
Meats: Eckrick Smoke Sausage or Links 14 oz Assorted Varieties $2.50; Nathan Beef Franks Bun Length 12 oz $3.00; Double Q Salmon 14.75 oz, Armour Vienna Sausage 6 pk, Spam 12 oz or Swanson Chunk Chicken 12.5 oz $2.50
Bread: Clover Valley Hot Dog or Hamburger Buns 8 ct or Whole Bread 20 oz or Armour Hot Dogs 12 oz $.85 cents
Dairy: Kraft American Singles or Velveeta Slices 12 oz $2.75
Miscellaneous: Libby’s Can Vegetables 14.5-15.25 oz 2/$1.00 Must buy 2 to get discount; Van Camps Pork and Beans 15 oz $.60 cents; Bush Baked Beans 28 oz Assorted Varieties $1.50

Sunday, June 25, 2017

REMEMBERING WHEN

TO CHILDREN OF A GENERATION
 
 
Born in the 1930s and 40s, we exist as a very special age cohort. We are the Silent Generation.
   
We are the smallest number of children born since the early 1900s. We are the "last ones."
   
We are the last generation, climbing out of the depression, who can remember the winds of war and the impact of a world at war which rattled the structure of our daily lives for years.
   
We are the last to remember ration books for everything from gas to sugar to shoes to stoves.
   
We saved tin foil and poured fat into tin cans.
   
We hand mixed 'white stuff' with 'yellow stuff' to make fake butter.
   
We saw cars up on blocks because tires weren't available.
   
We can remember milk being delivered to our house early in the morning and placed in the "milk box" on the porch. [A friend's mother delivered milk in a horse drawn cart.] We sometimes fed the horse, and our dog, Spot, a Fox Terrier, would greet the milkman when he made our delivery, then he would ride in Glenn's truck till the end of his route, when Glenn would drive by the house and let Spot off the truck just in time to greet us coming home from elementary school.
   
Many of us are the last to hear Roosevelt 's radio assurances and to see gold stars in the front windows of our grieving neighbors.
   
Many of us can also remember the parades on August 15, 1945; VJ Day.
   
We saw the 'boys' home from the war, build their little houses, pouring the cellar, tar papering  it over and living there until they could afford the time and money to build it out.
 
We are the last generation who spent much of our childhood without television; instead we imagined what we heard on the radio.
 
As we all like to brag, with no TV, we spent our childhood "playing outside until the street lights came on."
   
We did play outside and we did play on our own.
 
To play in the water, we turned the hose or the fire hydrants on and ran through the spray.
   
The lack of television in our early years meant, for most of us, that we had little real understanding of what the world was like.
   
Our Saturday afternoons, if at the movies, gave us newsreels of the war sandwiched in between westerns and cartoons.
   
Telephones were one to a house, often shared and hung on the wall.
   
Computers were called calculators, they only added and were hand cranked; typewriters were driven by pounding fingers, throwing the carriage, and changing the ribbon.
 
The 'internet' and 'GOOGLE' were words that didn't exist.
 
Newspapers and magazines were written for adults and the news was broadcast on our table radio in the evening by H.V. Kaltenborne and Gabriel Heatter.
   
We are the last group who had to find out for ourselves.
   
As we grew up, the country was exploding with growth.
   
The G.I. Bill gave returning veterans the means to get an education and spurred colleges to grow.
   
VA loans fanned a housing boom.
   
Pent up demand coupled with new installment payment plans put factories to work.
   
New highways would bring jobs and mobility.
   
The veterans joined civic clubs and became active in politics.
   
In the late 40's and early 50's the country seemed to lie in the embrace of brisk but quiet order as it gave birth to its new middle class (which became known as 'Baby Boomers').
   
The radio network expanded from 3 stations to thousands of stations.
   
The telephone started to become a common method of communications and "Faxes" sent hard copy around the world.
   
Our parents were suddenly free from the confines of the depression and the war and they threw themselves into exploring opportunities they had never imagined.
   
We weren't neglected but we weren't today's all-consuming family focus.
   
They were glad we played by ourselves 'until the street lights came on.'
   
They were busy discovering the post war world.
   
Most of us had no life plan, but with the unexpected virtue of ignorance and an economic rising tide we simply stepped into the world and started to find out what the world was about.
   
We entered a world of overflowing plenty and opportunity; a world where we were welcomed.
   
Based on our naive belief that there was more where this came from, we shaped life as we went.
   
We enjoyed a luxury; we felt secure in our future. Of course, just as today, not all Americans shared in this experience.
   
Depression poverty was deep rooted.
   
Polio was still a crippler.
   
The Korean War was a dark presage in the early 50s and by mid-decade school children were ducking under desks.
   
Russia built the "Iron Curtain" and China became Red China .
   
Eisenhower sent the first 'advisers' to Vietnam ; and years later, we went to war there.
   
Castro set up camp in Cuba and Khrushchev came to power.
   
We are the last generation to experience an interlude when there were no existential threats to our homeland.
   
We came of age in the 40s and 50s. The war was over and the cold war, terrorism, technological upheaval, "global warming", and perpetual economic insecurity had yet to haunt life with insistent unease.
   
Only our generation experienced both a time of apocalyptic war and a time when our world was secure and full of bright promise and plenty. We have lived through both.
   
We grew up at the best possible time, a time when the world was getting better. not worse.
   
We are the Silent Generation - "The Last Ones".

More than 99.9% of us are either retired or deceased, and feel privileged to have"lived in the best of times"!
 
 

Saturday, June 24, 2017

LOOKS LIKE CHINA IS EVERYWHERE

Beware of this invasion... coming at you with a label you trusted...  worth your time and health to read this... 
 
 
              Read Those Food Labels...
 
                                This is worth reading....................... ..........
 
Smithfield Farms, the largest pork producing farm in the USA was sold in September 2014 to China with the unanimous support of its stockholders!!  The hogs will be raised here, but slaughtered and packaged for sale there before being sent back here.  This includes labels of: 
·      Morrell 
·      Eckrich 
·      Krakus 
·      Cudahy 
·      Premium Hams 
·      Cook's 
·      Gwaltney  
 
The same with many chickens.  They can now be shipped there, but when they come back all that needs to be labeled is that they were "RAISED IN THE USA."  Not that they were processed in China !!!     
Our great FDA at work again.  The chickens will be all processed and most sold to fast food restaurants for sandwiches, as well as to schools and supermarkets.  The China slaughter and processing are not nearly equal to the requirements here.  
 
BAD FOOD 
We recently learned that Starkist Tuna is now owned by Korea, and is in big conflict with the U.S. concerning quality, safety, and records, which Korea refuses to produce. 
Read several articles on Google about avoiding the fish that comes from China.   
Returned home from buying Albertson's 4-day special of 4 bags of frozen tilapia for the price of one.  Sure enough, on the top of the bags, it read "farm raised", and on the bottom in small print it said, "China".   
 
Recently a Food inspector on TV said he had lived overseas and had seen the filthy conditions their foods are raised and processed in.  It is enough to make you gag.  Some foreign workers have to wear masks as they work in these places, because the food is so rotten and filthy, it makes them want to throw up.  Many of their fish on Fish Farms are fed raw sewage daily.  He said he has seen so much filth throughout their food growing and processing that he would "never" eat any of it.  They raise this filth, put some food coloring and some flavorings on it, then they ship it to the USA & Canada for YOU to consume and feed to YOUR families.  They have no Food & Safety Inspectors.   
 
Imported food we eat and the junk we buy: 
·      Green Giant frozen vegetables are from China, 
·      and so are most of Europe's Best. 
·      Arctic Gardens are OK          
so is... 
·      Birdseye.  
 
Never buy the grocery store garlic unless it is clearly marked from USA or Canada; the other stuff is grown in people poop (even worse than chicken poop).  China is the largest producer of garlic in the world; U.S. is next.  
 
Buy only local honey.  Much honey is shipped in huge containers from China and re-packed here.  
 
If the country of origin is not clearly marked, beware!  
 
Watch out for packages which state "prepared for", "packed by" or "imported by". 
We don't understand the lack of mandatory labeling, especially the produce. 
The country of origin should be clearly shown on the item in the store.  
 
Go to the local farmers' markets in season and keep a wary eye open the rest of the year.  
 
How is it possible to ship food from China cheaper than having it produced in the U. S. or Canada?  
 
FOR EXAMPLE THE "OUR FAMILY" BRAND OF MANDARIN ORANGES SAYS RIGHT ON THE CAN 'FROM CHINA'.  SO, for a FEW MORE CENTS, BUY THE LIBERTY BRAND, GOLD BRAND or DOLE... from CALIFORNIA.  
 
Beware, Costco sells canned peaches and pears in a plastic jar that come from China.
 
ALL "HIGH LINER" AND MOST OTHER FROZEN FISH PRODUCTS COME FROM CHINA OR INDONESIA.  THE PACKAGE MAY SAY "PACIFIC SALMON" ON THE FRONT, BUT LOOK FOR THE SMALL PRINT.  MOST OF THESE PRODUCTS COME FROM FISH FARMS IN THE ORIENT WHERE THERE ARE NO REGULATIONS ON WHAT IS FED TO THESE FISH.  
 
Recently The Montreal Gazette had an article by the Canadian Government on how Chinese feed the fish: They suspend chicken wire crates over the fish ponds, and the fish feed on chicken poop. 
 
If you search the Internet about what the Chinese feed their fish, you'll be alarmed; e.g., growth hormones, expired anti-biotics from humans?  Never buy any type of fish or shellfish that comes from these countries 
·      Vietnam 
·      China 
·      Philippines  
 
Steinfeld's Pickles are made in India... just as bad!  
 
Another example is in canned mushrooms.  No-Name brand came from Indonesia.  
 
Also check those little fruit cups.  They used to be made in Canada in the Niagara region until about 2 years ago. They are now packaged in China.  Most sold in Aldi stores.  
 
While the Chinese export inferior and even toxic products, dangerous toys, and goods to be sold in North American markets, the media wrings its hands! 
Yet, 70% of North Americans believe that the trading privileges afforded to the Chinese should be suspended.  
 
Well, duh ! Why do you need the government to suspend trading privileges?  
 
SIMPLY DO IT YOURSELF.  
 
Simply look on the bottom of every product you buy, and if it says 'Made in China' or 'PRC' (and that now includes Hong Kong ), simply choose another product, or none at all.  You will be amazed at how dependent you are on Chinese products, and you will be equally amazed at what you can do without. 
 
THINK ABOUT THIS  
If 200 million North Americans refuse to buy just $20 each of Chinese goods, that's a billion dollar trade imbalance resolved in our favor... fast! The downside?  Some Canadian/American businesses will feel a temporary pinch from having foreign stockpiles of inventory.  
 
Just one month of trading losses will hit the Chinese for 8% of their North American exports.  Then they will at least have to ask themselves if the benefits of their arrogance and lawlessness are worth it.