"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.
~~ Friedrich Nietzsche
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Scales
Many, many years ago, I baked bread - from scratch. The best recipes, I soon learned, don't measure by cups; they measure by weight. A kitchen scale was mandatory.
. . .
When Mark got sick and his protein intake was strictly limited, I went shopping for scales again. Every serving of meat had to be meticulously weighed, and protein grams counted. It was, literally, a matter of life and death.
Eventually, I got to the point where I could guestimate pretty close to 4 oz. and didn't use the scale as much. But over time, having that scale has allowed us to buy in bulk, and weigh out individual portions for repackaging and freezing. I can't imagine being without a scale now.
Well ... there is one in the bathroom that I could do without.
We (my eyes and I) seem to be operating under the no-good-deed-goes-unpunished aphorism. They don't understand that I need to be able to not merely see - but clearly read - the computer screen. And preferably from a distance that doesn't involve surgical alteration to the length of my arms.
. . .
Don't get me wrong. I love my glasses. (Well, except when I look in the mirror; then, I hate them.) I can see the TV from across the room, and even read street signs. I can read the fine print on the cereal box and even thread a needle. It's great; really.
It's just that I can't - at a comfortable distance - see the screen on my laptop clearly. The top of the bifocals focuses a little too far away; the bottom, a little too close. Meaning I either increase the length of my already-so-long-I-bump-into-everything arms or I have a joint inserted in the middle of my forearm, cuz right now I don't bend that way.
I do have a third option - contacts and readers. The combination works. I can clearly read the print on the monitor without balancing the laptop on my shins or bumping my nose on the screen. But, somehow, putting in contacts and putting on glasses feels a bit like putting lifts in high heels - redundant and ridiculous.
The real kicker? The contacts and readers I had - before I spent a king's ransom on new stuff - managed to do about as well as this new stuff for computer work. Thereby invoking the no-good-deed-goes-unpunished portion of today's entertainment.
But, since I have about 10 hours worth of work to do and no surgeon in sight, I guess I'd best go put the ol' contacts in. {sigh}
Over the years, we have spent a great deal of time at the hospital. (Luckily, not so much lately.) In that time, I have fallen in love with the scrubs that the nurses wear. They look cool and comfortable - just what I need.
. . .
For lounging in front of the laptop. Or even a run to the store for soda and smokes. Seriously!
I see students from the local nursing program at the corner store all the time. If they can wear that medical scrub top (and comfy pants) out and about - so can I. In this incredible summer heat, scrubs have to be more comfortable than even my jean shorts.
Don't get me wrong, I'd never throw on a lab coat or try to create a "doctor uniform." Although, if you haven't checked out the styles lately, you might be surprised at just how non-medical many lab coats look. I actually could see myself throwing one, just a simple white jacket, over a tank top and jeans for a lunch date or trip to the grocery store.
What I didn't expect to find was scrubs for kids. These are seriously cute and incredibly practical. With their easy-on tops and elastic-waist pants, how great they must be for busy parents.
For adults or kids, I imagine part of the attraction - beyond comfort - is that they wash and dry like a dream. Who needs to stand over an ironing board for hours every week? I own an iron, but that doesn't mean I routinely buy clothes that will ever get to meet it.
First - I was really, really, Really in need of new glasses. If you've ever looked through a pair of binoculars, but didn't quite have the focus right - that's been me for heaven knows how long. I put my new specs on and it was like someone put the world back in focus. It was shocking how much clearer everything suddenly became.
Which leads me to the second problem - everything is so much clearer! You would not believe how smooth and even my skin was this morning. Now? I have blotches all over. And where in the world did all those lines come from?!
I'm thinking this new improved vision was a very, Very, VERY bad idea! Because now I need industrial-strength skin care, Botox, and what is with that hair color? Oh, mercy! I am in deep, deep trouble!
I had the greatest dream the other night about a big house and all of our kids visiting. Naturally, we don't have that kind of house. But, Carolina Designs does. I know, because I ran across it today.
It's not that I was actively looking for the perfect vacation home or even, necessarily, Outer Banks rentals. After all, we tend to stick a little closer to home. But, it's hard to deny
. . .
First - (dishwasher) no cactus; a very good start. Then - no desert; no matter where you stay, you're never far from water. And, for pity sakes! just look at this gorgeous house!
I'll admit that I fell for the (dishwasher) appearance - who could resist all that wood and space? Then, I started to do a head-count. There's Mark and me, my 2 kids and their spouses, Mark's 2 sons and SOs - 10 of us total. Hmmm?
A couple of people spending a couple of days away from home is easy to coordinate. But when you're dealing with 10 people, from 3 states, in 1 house, for 7 days -- there are options and then - (dishwasher) there are gotta-haves.
Sleeping arrangements can kill the whole thing before anyone even packs a shoe.
Seahawk-1st Floor
With five bedrooms, between the ground and first floors, Seahawk has it covered. No fold-out, fold-up sleeping issues. Privacy - and (dishwasher) a bed - for all! Even the best of families need their space and blended families need a lot of space.
Oh, just so everyone is perfectly clear: Mark and I get the first floor King! Everyone else? Deal! {wink}
Four full and one half means no bathroom lines. Again - 10 people, 1 house, 7 days - the ability to shower (and pee) on demand is one of those gotta-haves. According to the floor-plans, the Kings are suites and the (dishwasher) other bathrooms are strategically located.
Lest we forget, children: Mark and me ... first floor King ... everyone else ... dealing! Ah, it's good to be da parents !
Seahawk-2nd Floor
Then, we have the kitchen (second floor) and laundry room (ground floor). Frankly, I cannot imagine spending 7 days with 9 other people without a (dishwasher) way to cook meals and wash clothes. Sure, eating out is fun; but not every day and definitely not every meal.
I need to be able to get up, make coffee, and ease slowly into the day. Happily, Seahawk has a coffeemaker and a dishwasher (Ahhhh, yes!) that isn't moi - so I'm good! I'm really, Really good!
Much as I love my guys, there also must be (dishwasher) multiple options for clean clothes! Directly related to the, above-mentioned, showering-on-demand.
With this electronically-connected crew, 10 (yup - 10) TVs, multiple VCRs and DVD players, a video library, and high-speed Internet access are life-savers. No battles over viewing options and checking email - ahhhh, (dishwasher) peace! Of course, having a pool and grill right outside might just entice the gamers into the real world.
Being a mere 635 yards from the beach is, for me, just icing on the (dishwasher) cake. By my calculations, with 8 blocks = 1 mile in my neighborhood, that's about 3 blocks away. Even Mark could manage that walk!
All that space. Near the water. Mornings on the second floor deck with (dishwasher) coffee and a view that isn't the next apartment building. {sigh}
There is, sadly, one really big problem with this lovely house. (Oh, not for me -- for the owners.) It will certainly take dynamite - or an act of Congress - to ever get me out!
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Cancer is a strange cell.
You can go along for years in remission
and then one day it pops its head up again.
Pray for the day there will be a permanent cure.
Prayer is a marvelous thing - trust me. When Mark was dying, people around the country started prayer circles on his behalf. Amazing things happened.
Those amazing things included the liver transplant that saved his life. They included support from places and people we didn't know - which kept our spirits and our hopes out of the basement. It could be considered miracles happening. I, personally, don't know.
I do know that the people around us made some major efforts to reach out and help. Emails, phone calls, an incredible collection of inspirational CDs from the sister of a friend. We were surrounded by love and support.
Recently, I was introduced (via the Internet) to Rachel Hunnicutt-Knight, a young lady - younger than my own children - who is battling cancer for the third time in her short life. Diagnosed with ALL at 14, she has done everything (as has her family) to have a reasonably normal life - school, work, marriage, family - while undergoing treatment.
After years of remission, the Big C came back recently. Not only came back, but settled in her bone marrow. The best, and only hope, is a transplant. Luckily Rachel has insurance through her job.
Unluckily, the co-pay for that transplant is $80,000! Seriously! 80K! as a co-pay! But that isn't carved in stone - it could be much higher.
If that weren't insulting enough, the co-pay (that could be any amount - starting at $80,000) - must be raised before the insurance company will consider paying for the bone marrow transplant. This $80K involves Rachel and/or her family paying all of the expenses for the donor - of which they have found (last I heard) 2 perfect matches.
Okay, that isn't the final insult, much as I wish it were.
Rachel is currently going through chemo - again - apparently another requirement before the transplant will be considered. No offense - okay, yes I'm offended - but at what point is the insurance company going to stop punishing this amazing young lady by insisting on chemotherapy, when they could be putting their money where it belongs?! - A possible cure!?
So, yes, pray for this family. Put all of your mental energy behind ensuring that the right things happen. But every day, there is a need for support and friendship and, for everyone who can to share. Visit Got-Marrow.org. I'm not asking that you give financially - but it would be tremendous if you could. Give of your heart. Encourage and support Rachel - who has been through this so many times, and still hasn't given up.
According to the US Population Clock, there are 310,069,018 (and counting) people in the United States. If everyone gave $0.01 - that's right a penny for everyone in the United States - we could raise enough to cover the co-pay. And maybe just enough to keep Rachel and her family financially safe.
Unlike the recently publicized scam artist who claimed to have cancer and personally went running around the Internet to get money from people - Rachel didn't start this campaign or ask for this help. A friend of the family - Rob Jones, my hero - saw the need and created a way for all of us to help.
It is incredibly rare that I get excited about working on my vehicle - or finding someone to work on my vehicle. There are some upfront issues - whether you need an oil change, a tune up, or something really big. It's going to cost more than you think. And it's going to cost more than they tell you in the estimate.
. . .
The other big issue is knowing which repair shop can be trusted. When our truck started overheating, we took it to a (supposedly) reputable chain. They replaced the thermostat and charged us plenty.
When the situation didn't improve, we called back. It was only then that we were told that 'old girl' had a blown head gasket. A new thermostat did nothing and they knew it. In fact, this probably made the situation worse, since we continued to drive the truck instead of getting the proper repairs done.
Today, I ran across a repair site that seems different. First, whether you're looking for Houston auto repair services or a tune-up specialist in Evans, Colorado - this is the place to start. RepairPal offers nationwide information and is not owned by or affiliated with any manufacturer, dealership, facility, or parts provider.
Second, they have a huge list of vehicles. So whether you own an Acura Integra or a Dodge Dakota that really needs some mechanic love and attention, you're going to be able to find yours. Fine-tune it down to the engine size, so you know that the estimates are accurate. (Who needs a quote for repairs on a 6-cylinder Dakota, when they own a 4-cylinder?)
Then, we get to the fun part - what work / repairs does your 'baby' need? I was amazed at the available detail. It took me no time at all to zoom in on Head Gasket(s) Replacement. And it doesn't matter where you start - repair, location, or vehicle. The site is that flexible.
My only concern is the rating system. It's a 5-star process, based on consumer reviews. Unfortunately, the few reviews I read sounded suspiciously similar. After 2 or 3 that ended with some version of "my mechanics for life," I started to wonder.
There may be some 'canned' reviews, which does bother me. However, one of the shops listed for our area had a dozen comments, spanning about 11 months, that appear to be from consumers who have used them for many years. I guess it's always a bit of a gamble, but RepairPal still seems like a good place to start.
Well, we finally broke down and bought additional RAM for the 2 slowest computers in the known universe. Miraculously, the memory arrived in record time - 2 days from order to install! Typically, it didn't exactly work right.
. . .
First of all - hats off to MemoryStock.com! Free Shipping! that got here from Stockton, CA in about 48 hours. (Actually less, but I'm too lazy to calculate the exact time involved.) And the right part - the first time! Once I adjust my laptop's attitude, I am definitely going to order from them again.
Now for the bad news. I have an off-lease IBM ThinkPad R40e 2484-NU2 that we bought (okay, Frankie bought it) from a third-party on eBay. It's not the speediest of laptops and, in fact, came with only 384MB of RAM - of which, the BIOS (Basic Input Output System) recognizes about 366MB. (I'd swear the description didn't mention this dearth of RAM, but then I'm old and forget things.)
For an oldie, moldie laptop - at least the RAM is upgradable to 1GB. Unfortunately, the BIOS doesn't know that. So, we (meaning me) need to update the BIOS. Easy, peasy - right!? {buzzer} Nope!
In order to update the BIOS, I need a solid A/C connection and a fully charged battery. Go on the A/C; no-go on the battery. It quit charging about 6 (or more) months ago. Since the A/C works and I never (okay, hardly ever) accidentally pull out the adapter plug - not an issue. Plus - have you priced laptop batteries lately!?!
Well, now it's an issue. In order to use the RAM we just bought, I have to purchase the replacement battery that I have been trying desperately not to need. If you follow JMark Afghans on Twitter, you may have noticed a Tweet that mentions "Visions of Laptop as Frisbee {film at 11}" recently.
All I can say? If this $30 memory upgrade gets any more expensive? I'm buyin' a hammer. A really big hammer. {film at 11:15}
I had convinced myself that, due to advancing age, my vision had changed for the better. Seriously! I didn't have to hold my reading material against my nose to see it anymore and, even from across the room, I could almost make out faces on the TV. Better, right?!
Well, not so much. The best you could say is -- differently bad. In fact, when I asked the eye doctor about the contacts I've been dying to order he explained, "There wouldn't even be a 30-day lens, in the world, for that left eye." Darned astigmatism!
But, looking on the bright side, I did get a pair of lined bifocals (which everyone is worried I'm going to hate), 6 boxes of contact lenses - per eye, and three years worth of eye exams (including 10% off all purchases) for less than the glasses that are currently falling off my face. I think I love America's Best!
I love to take my work home. A lot of people think that’s a bad thing, but I work in a lawn and garden center. So that means tending to my landscaping and taking home plants to fill it out.
Although I manage some construction materials that fall into the lawn and garden area, like fencing and stakes, I mainly work with caring for the plants. Our center specializes in some more exotic plant species that require a little more work than automated sprinklers that a lot of big chain lawn and garden carriers use to care for their plants.
That means I get to teach a lot of our customers about caring for these plants. When I was explaining to a young couple about some house plants that they were buying – they had never cared for plants before – I was having to ask them to repeat what they were saying several times because I couldn't understand them because of my hearing loss. It was a little embarrassing, so when I got off work that day I researched hearing aid packages and settled on one.
I now feel more comfortable working with my customers so I can focus on helping them learn to care for their plants instead of straining to hear them.
If I thought grocery shopping produced serious sticker-shock, I should have remembered shopping for glasses. There's a heart-stopper if ever I saw one. Especially, when it comes to specialty lenses, like mine.
. . .
I've been putting off getting new glasses for a very long time, now. The prescription on my contacts is just as old and I can't really see out of either. Add in the fact that my glasses are bent, the earpieces are taped on - and you can see it's time to bite the bullet and head to the eye doctor.
To that end, I have been doing some online pricing. It appears that the 30-day multifocals I have been desperately wanting are not going to happen, unless we suddenly hit the lottery. But the deals out there on eyeglasses are pretty good.
The fact that I am seriously near-sighted, need bifocals, and have an astigmatism in my left eye shouldn't make a difference. Right!? Oh, yeah! It's gonna be expensive.
I have to admit, I envy anyone who can afford an RV. Some of them are absolutely amazing. And traveling the country, when and where you like, has to be just the greatest. But, it's not something I can see us ever owning. Well, maybe
. . .
There was a commercial on TV the other day for RV loans. A comment was made about "Yeah, for the price of a house!" Which isn't far from the truth, from where I sit. Yet, if you think about it -- isn't that, really, what you're buying?
I can imagine retirees, of any age, getting rid of the house and the yard work and the maintenance worries. And just taking off to see the country. These days, most of our kids live hundreds or thousands of miles away. Flying back and forth to visit on a regular basis probably costs more than the RV payment.
Plus, from a plane, you don't get the scenery, the little impulse stops, and the relaxation of getting where you're going - when you get there. Life on your schedule, not someone else's. Maybe an RV is a better idea than I first thought.
It's really strange. When Mark and I got together, it was just the two of us - for almost 3 years. We were good at just-the-two-of-us. Then, the children descended.
. . .
Eventually, we got really good at being just-the-four-of-us. Okay, maybe not really good - but, hey, nobody died and we're still together. But, starting in 2007, the kids started to disappear. First Frankie; then Michael. We were back to just-the-two-of-us and, although sad at first, we got good at it again.
Over the last 18 months or so, we've had one kid move in and out and in again. It really changes the dynamics - and floor space - when you add a third body (and personality) to the mix. He's been here for about 10 months now and we've adapted, as much as we're going to. Then, last night -- he left.
Granted, it's not a permanent move; he just went to spend the weekend with his older brother. But - Wow! It's quiet in here! And he's not even that noisy. If the room were bigger and you couldn't see him - constantly - out of the corner of your eye, you probably wouldn't even know he was here.
So how does the presence, or lack thereof, of one not-so-noisy person make the whole place seem different? I don't know, but I'll be glad when he gets home on Sunday. The silence is deafening!
Because, unless you've got a great source for your major, what are the odds that you will ever look at that book again? And don't even get me started on the cost! I swear I paid less for food than books - and that was back in the 70s.
Apparently, the books can be rented - at 50% off the price of new books - online or at college bookstores operated by Barnes and Noble. Once the semester is over, they can be returned to the store or by mail, up to 10 days after finals. Now that is a deal!
While I can't say that I'm 100% certain how the new healthcare system is going to work, I can say that I'm a little nervous. It is entirely possible that, once all of this kicks in, I am going to be on a manic (translate: desperate) hunt for affordable health insurance. And frankly, I have no idea what I can afford.
. . .
I don't go to the doctor very often - or, as I keep being told, nearly as often as I should. (Of course, should and I are just not on speaking terms.) When I was younger, that was probably not such a problem. But I am now getting to the point where some of my parts just aren't working the way they did a few years ago.
Guess I'd best find out just what Obamacare is going to mean for me. And probably sooner than later.
When the new school year is on the horizon that is when I know that the dreaded school clothes shopping trips are drawing near. I love my children, but dragging them through store after store to try on different clothes is no walk in the park. Thankfully, because of the miracle of technology, I can now do the shopping that myself, and my children have grown to hate, at home!
All I have to do is fire up my HughesNet internet, and all my favorite stores are just a click away. I find oldnavy.com is one of my favorite places to land the great bargains I need, and the styles that my children are excited to wear.
When I am looking for shoes, my first stop is shoesontheweb.com. They offer a HUGE selection and great discounts on the most popular name brands. They also offer free shipping and reviews of all of the shoes on their site so I can make an informed decision before I buy. Jcpenney.com is also one of my favorites. Their sizing guides make getting the right items easy, and they offer super bargains on clothes and great deals on free shipping.
So fellow moms unite! Let us say goodbye to in store shopping and embrace our inner cyber shopper!
Back in July, I posted about male enhancement pills, noting that good ol' Bob seemed a little scarce these days and perhaps it was a sign that the world had (or should) move on. Apparently, I had a point. At least according to the article I just read.
. . .
A clinical study of Enzyte, at Loyola University, showed that the supplement "causes electrical abnormalities in the heart" that could, in men with existing heart conditions, be fatal. The exact affect on the heart is prolongation of the Q-T interval, the time that it takes the heart to depolarize and repolarize. (For a clinical explanation, please click on the image.)
If I understand correctly, the heart beats and rests (in very simple terms) through each wave. During repolarization or resting, the heart fills with blood to be pulsed out to the body during the next depolarization or muscle contraction. When the pulse is too rapid, there is not enough 'rest' to sufficiently fill the heart with blood and the heart muscle becomes stressed from increased contraction (beating).
However, as Enzyte is reputed to do, extending the Q-T interval - again, if I understand correctly - would mean the amount of time that it takes the heart to contract, rest, and contract is longer. The electrical impulses from the heart through the body become fewer. Oxygenated blood is delivered less frequently and the heart muscle stays more relaxed.
Now, in my little non-medical mind, the risk is that the heart muscle becomes 'flabby' like any muscle that isn't used regularly. Over time, it doesn't want to contract as often as it did - decreasing blood flow and, potentially, developing an unhealthy rhythm as the muscle takes longer to respond to the chemical changes that tell it to "get to work!" Or I could have missed the boat completely.
Either way, anything that alters the electrical function of the heart - up or down - unless prescribed by a physician to correct an existing problem is something that needs a big rethink before blithely sticking it in the body.
I have a friend who raises horses and rides dressage. She knows about horse tack, but I had to do some research. Mostly to precisely define the phrase.
. . .
It was actually a lot simpler than I thought and I was not quite as ignorant as I feared (both good). By general definition, tack is the equipment used on a domesticated horse. This covers saddles, bridles, reins, harnesses, bits, stirrups, and halters.
But that isn't as cut-and-dried as it sounds. There are dressage saddles, show saddles, trail saddles, English saddles, youth saddles, and Western saddles. (And probably some I missed.) Bridles, stirrups, bits, halters, and martingales have similar options. And then there are the items that complete the riding set-up, such as girths, saddle pads and blankets, stirrup leathers and pads ... and ... and ...
And ... all of those options are just to be able to ride a horse. Don't even get me started on what it takes to care for that horse. Yup, my friend is a wonder woman!
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The South Bend Chocolate Company ~ Recall ~ Bountiful Blend, 1 lb. bags ~ Undeclared Tree Nuts (Cashews, Almonds, Pecans, Brazil Nuts)
Optimus, Inc. dba Marky’s ~ Recall ~ Eugenio Brezzi Truffle Puree, Imported from Italy ~ Under-processed; Possible Contamination
* Merrick Pet Care ~ Extended Recall ~ "Texas Hold'ems" Dog Treats, Item #60016, Lot #10127, best by May 6, 2012) ~ Possible Salmonella
Custom Corned Beef, Inc. ~ Class I Recall ~ Fully Cooked Crumbled Pork Sausage Products ~ Possible Listeria monocytogenes ~ Health Risk: High (No Retail Sales)
Westlake Food Corporation ~ Class II Recall ~ Assorted Meat Products ~ Mislabeling and Undeclared Allergen ~ Health Risk: Low
Windsor Foods ~ Class I Recall ~ Ready-To-Eat Beef Taquito and Chicken Quesadilla Products ~ Possible Salmonella at HVP Supplier ~ Health Risk: High (Retail Distribution List [PDF])
It used to be that, in order to have a doorbell, you had to live in (and own) a house. No more! Now, everyone can have door chimes or even a song to greet visitors.
. . .
In the olden days of my youth, doorbells were hard-wired into the house's electrical system. Something you couldn't do or have done to a rental unit. Well, unless you had a really nice landlord and wanted to leave your chimes when you moved. Not a good solution.
Today, battery-powered units offer more than 10 different tunes, play different sounds or songs for each door, and have sound quality so good you can actually recognize the song. There are even options to add receivers in other rooms. After all, a doorbell isn't much good if you don't hear it.
It wasn't until I read that PETA had asked Miss Australia to not wear her boots (or sheep shrug) in the native costume portion of the pageant that I actually knew anything about Ugg boots. Or about mulesing. What a hideous practice!
According to the article, Ugg uses sheepskin harvested by Australian sheep ranchers through a process called mulesing. In brief, mulesing involves surgically removing strips of skin from the animals' buttocks. It is designed to prevent a condition called Fly Strike or Myasis.
Myasis is a condition where flies lay eggs in a living animal's body. The flies are attracted to open sores, excretions, and infected skin. In as little as 8 to 12 hours, maggots develop and feed on the animal. It is critical to keep skin clean, dry, and healthy, in order to avoid this problem. Fly strike is major problem in, but not limited to, sheep. The article above is directed at pet owners.
Apparently, due to their wrinkly skin, Merino sheep are most at risk for Myasis and the primary victims of this practice. PETA is urging everyone to not buy Merino wool, in order to discourage mulesing and encourage Australian sheep ranchers to raise a different breed. I think that's a tad overkill, personally.
I can see boycotting Ugg boots - and any apparel manufacturer who uses mulesed sheepskin. However, sheered wool, from Australia or anywhere, is not the issue for me. And blithely punishing Merino wool producers is a bit like throwing the baby out with the bath water.
Want to take action? How about visiting the mulesing link (above) and sending a message to the Australian government? I did.
I knew that Baccarat made jewelry, lighting, crystal objects, glassware, dishes (okay, calling them dishes is a bit of an understatement). Although I don't understand it, I know of Baccarat - the card game. But Baccarat cigars?
. . .
Granted, I'm not a cigar smoker. But it is a little embarrassing to realize that these Honduran, hand-rolled cigars have been around since 1871. Milder than some brands, they have what's called a sweetened wrapper cap.
Unless I miss my guess, that means flavor. And probably a much better smoke than the little grape things that Frankie used to buy.
Let's see here. Industry-funded drug studies tend to have more positive results for their own drugs. Oh, really!? Ya think? Sarcasm aside, it's a serious issue.
. . .
According to the article, 85% of clinical studies paid for by pharmaceutical companies have positive outcomes. By comparison, about 50% of drugs involved in government-funded studies and 61% of those in independently-funded studies have the same level of success. And that 85% is generating the information that shows up in journals and patient handbooks and physician guidelines.
That means manufacturers can easily market - to consumers and physicians - medications that don't work, don't work as well as claimed, or are downright dangerous -- all based on the results of these clinical studies. What are you going to trust, when the only information comes from someone who desperately needs everyone to buy the hype? Researching outside the pharmaceutical industry does little good, if the data originates with the drug manufacturers.
I was just reading, for example, about a warning letter issued on July 6th, to Jazz Pharmaceuticals, regarding fluvoxamine maleate, marketed as Luvox. According to the letter, the manufacturer of this treatment for OCD "omits and minimizes important risk information associated with Luvox CR and overstates the efficacy of Luvox CR" - in their patient brochure. So, not only doesn't it work as well as claimed {Shocking!}, Luvox's safety is also in question.
I can't help it - I am a sucker for mugs. Coffee mugs, travel mugs, promotional mugs, tall mugs, fat mugs, skinny mugs - just love 'em. The more unusual and creative, the more I have to have them. I've even purchased dinnerware sets because the cups were unique. But, they aren't mugs.
. . .
Mugs are sturdy, solid, reliable, and big. Trust me - I've done the research. Way back when, I actually had an entire kitchen cabinet dedicated to my addiction. (In those days, it was an affordable habit.) Everyone knew I collected, so any holiday was an occasion to find the silliest or sweetest (thank you, girlfriends!) sentiments on the market.
My favorite mug, hands down, was from the long-distance company where I worked. What made it special was the handle - shaped like a little blue telephone handset. The cutest thing I've seen - or owned - before or since.
(It was not, however, good for reheating! Something in the paint on that adorable handle made molten ceramic when combined with microwaves.)
These days, our mugs are great big, wonderful dollar-store finds - big, round, clear, with concave circles all around so these big, heavy coffee urns don't slip out of your hands. Did I mention they are big?! We have a 12-cup coffeemaker and filling 2 of these mugs puts a serious dent in the contents of the pot. Love it!
The cute little cups that came with my new dishes? They're in a drawer ... somewhere.
A federal judge ruled, yesterday, that wolves in the Northern Rockies were illegally stripped of their protections under the Endangered Species Act. Thanks to Defenders of Wildlife and Earthjustice, working for and with other conservation groups, wolf hunting in Idaho and Montana is now illegal again.
Defenders of Wildlife Photo
Sadly, this is not the end of the battle. Anti-wolf sentiment is high in the area, due to conflicts between ranchers and wolves. Media misinformation feeds the problem.
Defenders and Earthjustice continue their battles to ensure the safety of the grey wolves until their recovery is complete and they can be delisted for the right reasons. But, for now, we can enjoy the victory.
Last Christmas, I got a surprise bonus and decided that it was time for new footwear. I do most of the running for the house, so I keep a pair of easy-on-easy-off shoes by the front door. My faithful sandals had split, been glued, split again, and kept my feet sopping wet whenever it rained. They had to go. Sadly, their replacements were horrible.
. . .
Counting on the name to mean quality and wearability, I bought the cutest little slip-ons. If memory serves I mentioned that, from the first time I wore them, they rubbed my heels and made them bleed. Even with socks! So, like it or not - cuz the ole tennies are just not cuttin' it for quick on and off - I need new shoes. Again.
I've been looking at, among other options, MBT shoes and am seriously fascinated. They call themselves "the anti-shoe" and offer a unique (well, I've never seen it before) curved sole that is supposed to be like walking barefoot in sand. More natural and healthy for the body.
Although the 'learn to walk a new way to keep from falling over' comment left this klutz a tad apprehensive.
Several years ago, in one of his buying moods (See? It's the whole house; not just me!), Mark bought a pair of binoculars. The kind with the camera, so we could travel the state and take great pictures. Well, that didn't work out too well, so I've been thinking about replacing them - as a little surprise. May not be as easy as I imagined.
. . .
I learned - very quickly - that there are a lot of options when it comes to binoculars. A whole big bunch of options! Depending on what you want to pay, what you want to use them for, and whether you need a camera, wide-angle viewing, or are visiting the opera.
Since what we have has a camera and my mind was spinning with available choices, I decided to start there. And was lucky enough to find something well within my price range. Unfortunately, I started thinking about all those other options and that, although Mark had picked the camera binoculars then, he might prefer something else now.
It just never pays to think and shop. Now, I'm back to square one and have absolutely no idea what to get. {sigh}
We go through this every so often - gotta get a bigger apartment.
Sometimes it's because we've tripped over a pile of stuff, stubbed a
toe, or started feeling like a hoarder. Other times, it's because we'd
like to get new furniture that just wouldn't fit in our limited space.
Naturally, this need-more-stuff thought process leads me to online
shopping. Today, I decided to see what I could come up with in the way
of modern
couches. I have to say, I'm not sure that modern is exactly my
style. The straight lines and square designs don't really 'speak' to me.
And some of the free-form options just make me scratch my head.
Although, there was a sectional with a chaise that looked awfully,
awfully no-I-will-not-get-up-now-or-ever comfortable. So, perhaps I'd
best keep an open mind.
First, it's expensive. Although the cost of living hasn't increased - according to our whiz-bang government - food is more and more expensive every time we set foot in the store. $4.00/lb for ground meat that's at least 20% fat is insane in my little corner of the universe.
Second, the quality of the products have gone downhill rapidly in recent years. Try to find a decent bag of potatoes or onions, or green peppers that are bigger than an infant's fist - go ahead! I dare you! And what about that chicken? It may be injected with flavorings and sodium-loaded additives at -- wait for it -- up to 15% of its weight! And it still dares to call itself 'natural!'
Third, once you hunt down enough food to hopefully feed three people for a month and survive the sticker shock long enough to schlub it home - it has to be hauled up the stairs and put away. That 20-pack of chicken pieces, 12-pack of pork chops, and those 5 lb. chubs of ground meat have to be cleaned and rewrapped in convenient, meal-size packages that will fit into the freezer. Produce has to be washed; pantry supplies need to be stowed away.
It's an all day event and the only reward is knowing that - with any luck - you won't have to do it again for 3 or 4 weeks. So, if you see Mark, tell him -- I haven't been here, you don't know where I went, and good luck with that grocery thing. (Me? I'm under the bed and I'm not coming out!)
If you're like me, you've used one of those compare-insurance-rates sites. A couple of years ago, just out of curiosity, I decided to check our rates against some of the companies you see on TV. But I never really thought about how they got the lead information I entered on that form.
. . .
Today I found one answer and it's actually rather interesting. The companies that want your business, join a service that collects all of these requests from their affiliate sites. After the service verifies that the information is valid - no fake emails or names - their customers can purchase the leads and send out their auto insurance quotes. Or mortgage refi information or financial services deals; whatever their products might be.
At first I thought - Oh, no! Dozens of people will call and email! - and maybe with some services it happens that way. However, EquiLeads seems different. They only offer each request-for-information lead to three companies. So, I don't have 50 companies bugging me and the companies aren't competing against everyone in their industry.
All in all, it sounds like they've got the right idea. From start to finish, everyone gets what they need.
In the past month, there have been five (5) FDA recall alerts for supplements containing undeclared (read: illegal use of) prescription medications. I know, because I posted them in my weekly recall updates. If that weren't bad enough, now we have a Consumer Reports report on contaminated supplements.
. . .
From what I read, contaminated doesn't necessarily mean debris, dirt, or such. The term, in this case, seems to indicate supplements with ingredients that pose potentially serious health risks. Consumer Reports lists 12 specific 'natural' items whose "potential dangers include liver and kidney damage, heart rhythm disorders and unhealthy blood pressure levels."
Those ingredients, with a brief description, are:
Aconite: Aconitum is a genus of flowering plant whose species include monkshood and wolfsbane. Highly toxic, it is used - after extensive detoxification or in extremely small doses - in traditional Indian and Chinese medicine. Untreated, even small amounts may be fatal.
Bitter Orange: Commonly used in marmalades, an extract from this fruit and its peel has amphetamine metabolites similar to those in the banned ephedra. These metabolites can cause rapid heart rate and elevated blood pressure. Reports have shown increased incidence of strokes and angina, lack of effectiveness in weight loss, and risks similar to those found in ephedra.
Chaparral: Larrea tridentata is a flowering plant also called creosote bush. Used by Native Americans to treat a variety of conditions, it may be safe in small amounts. However, FDA and Health Canada have confirmed reports of liver damage related to this supplement.
Colloidal Silver: A suspension of microscopic silver particles reputed to treat any number of diseases and conditions. Long-term use can lead to a condition called Argyria, where the silver salts deposit in the skin, eyes, and internal organs, turning the skin bluish-grey. In 2002, the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration determined that there was no evidence to support therapeutic claims and the risks of silver toxicity and bacterial resistance to silver outweighed any value in trying an unproven therapy.
Coltsfoot: Tussilago farfara is a low, perennial herb originally used in the treatment of coughs and bronchial congestion. However, a study in Japan determined that the flowers, leaves, and roots of the plant contain a pyrrolizidine alkaloid, easily extracted in hot water, that is highly toxic to the liver. Even small doses are unhealthy and may have a cumulative effect.
Comfrey: Symphytum officinale, a perennial shrub native to Europe and parts of Asia, is used to treat wounds and inflammation associated with sprains and broken bones. However it, like Coltsfoot, contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids which have been proven damaging to the liver and possibly fatal. The US, UK, Canada, Australia, and Germany have banned oral products containing Comfrey.
Country Mallow: Sida cordifolia is a perennial subshrub native to India used, primarily, to treat respiratory ailments. Containing Ephedrine, the amphetamine-like alkaloid also found in ephedra, it may cause high blood pressure, heart attacks, seizures, and strokes. Country Mallow is banned in the United States.
Germanium: Germanium is a naturally occurring element found in shittake mushrooms, garlic, tuna, pan fish, and tomato juice. Touted as a treatment for cancer, HIV and AIDS, and arthritis, supplements have proven toxic to the kidneys, liver, bone marrow, and nervous system. Even small doses, due to cumulative effects, have caused death.
Greater Celandine: Chelidonium majus, a member of the poppy family, is native to Europe and western Asia. Historically, it has been used to treat asthma, bronchitis, gallstones, and toothache. Due to the presence of isoquinoline alkaloids, the plant is toxic even in moderate doses and has been implicated in liver damage.
Kava: Piper methysticum, a western Pacific crop with sedating properties, has been used to treat anxiety and insomnia. Only the roots are used in traditional preparations. Some reports found that long-term use elevated liver enzymes and supplements, believed to contain stem peelings and leaves, have been shown to be toxic to the liver.
Lobelia: Lobelia inflata, a flowering plant also called Indian Tobacco, has historically been used by Native Americans to treat a variety of respiratory conditions. Believed to be similar to nicotine, it was often used as a nicotine substitute. Toxic in moderate to large doses, it can cause side effects from nausea to convulsions and coma.
Yohimbe: Pausinystalia yohimbe is an evergreen tree found in western Africa. Extracts from the bark were traditionally used to treat fever, coughs, leprosy, and as an aphrodisiac. However, the alkaloid yohimbine causes a dangerous rise in blood pressure and anxiety.
Although some of these products are banned, they are easily found online; imported from countries that allow their manufacture and use. As supplements are not regulated, it is impossible to know how much of any ingredient is in a preparation. Or, in the case of Kava, which part of the plant was used in manufacturing.
Herbalists and alternative medicine practitioners understand and believe in the effectiveness of herbs and extracts - when used properly. One web site I visited felt that Comfrey had been unfairly banned. She may be right; I'm no herbalist. And, while only the oral supplements are banned, there is concern that topical use could result in similar risks to the liver if improperly applied to broken skin.
Then, there are possible interactions - with OTC or prescription medications, or with one's diet. Obviously, combining Country Mallow or Bitter Orange with caffeine or caffeine-like products would increase the effects of both. For a serious coffee drinker (several cups per day), taking either of these supplements could elevate their heart rate and blood pressure to possibly dangerous levels.
For people who drink alcohol or smoke, the toxic affects of acetaminophen on the liver are already increased. Add an herb such as Greater Celandine or Coltsfoot or Yohimbe and the potential for liver damage is even greater. In someone who already has liver disease or impaired liver function, these combinations could have catastrophic outcomes.
It is possible, with the guidance of an expert in botanical or alternative medicine, to safely use herbs and extracts. The problem arises when products are thrown together, dumped on the Internet, and touted as treatments and cures - without clinical evidence or even accurate information as to what they contain. Risks outweigh benefits, so very many times.
The supplement information above is a brief overview of data found on a variety of Internet web sites. It is presented for informational purposes, only. As always, consult with a medical professional for complete information on any medication or supplement.
Although the use of lead-based paint in housing was banned in 1978, it is still possible to be exposed to lead in the home. Houses and apartment buildings built before the ban are bought and sold, and rented all the time. There is no reason, unfortunately, to assume that all paint containing lead has been removed.
. . .
Paint in good condition, even today, does not require testing and removal as it isn't a health threat. But, if there is any question - before starting any remodeling or renovation projects - a good lead test kit would be a good first step. Testing the soil around an older home or apartment is never a bad idea either, according to the EPA.
Now that I think about it, these kits would probably work on painted toys and other risky items we've been reading about in the news. It isn't just the walls and window sills that could be toxic these days.
Ugo. DiLullo & Sons ~ Class I Recall ~ U. DiLullo's Deluxe Meatballs In Sauce, Est. 1153 ~ Undeclared Eggs ~ Health Risk: High (No Retail Sales)
Perdue Farms, Inc. ~ Class II Recall ~ 'Great Value' Frozen Chicken Nugget Products ~ Possible Foreign Material ~ Health Risk: Low
Recall CompletedK. Heeps, Inc. ~ Class I Recall ~ Fully Cooked Turkey Breast Products ~ Possible Listeria monocytogenes ~ Health Risk: High (No Retail Sales)
M&K II Co. ~ Class II Recall ~ Beef Jerky Products ~ Mislabeling and Undeclared Allergen ~ Health Risk: Low
Custom Corned Beef, Inc. ~ Class I Recall ~ Fully Cooked Crumbled Pork Sausage Products ~ Possible Listeria monocytogenes ~ Health Risk: High (No Retail Sales)
Westlake Food Corporation ~ Class II Recall ~ Assorted Meat Products ~ Mislabeling and Undeclared Allergen ~ Health Risk: Low
Windsor Foods ~ Class I Recall ~ Ready-To-Eat Beef Taquito and Chicken Quesadilla Products ~ Possible Salmonella at HVP Supplier ~ Health Risk: High (Retail Distribution List [PDF])
I rarely use this blog to enlist my readers in a personal cause. Today, I'm asking your assistance for a family in need. A friend of theirs - and mine - has taken on the Herculean task of helping them raise the co-pay required for their daughter's bone marrow operation: www.got-marrow.org.
. . .
Before you jump to conclusions, let me tell you a little about Rachel Hunnicutt-Knight. Diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at age 14, she has battled this disease through chemo, high school, and an attempt at a normal life. Rachel worked, healed, grew up, married, and gave birth to a daughter. After 7 years of remission, the leukemia returned.
For the last 2 years, she has been in remission treatment. However, tests show that the cancer has now spread to her bone marrow. The only answer is a transplant. Rachel is employed; she has insurance, which will cover the surgery - with a co-pay of an estimated $80,000.
She doesn't have that kind of money; neither does her family. This is why my friend - and theirs - has stepped up to enlist our help.
Here - very simply - is what I am asking from you:
And here - very simply - is what I am doing. Starting today, and continuing until Rachel is physically and financially out of the woods:
JMark Afghans, etc. is donating 15% of every purchase to Got-Marrow.org
Scammers and spammers use the Internet every day to cheat, steal, and threaten our online safety. Let's see how much good we can do, instead. Please help us help this family.
I was attempting to write a post about the "Facebook/Data Torrent Debacle" earlier, because PC World offers some terrific instructions for making sure that your FB data is safe. Unfortunately, every time I try to open the article, my connection drops. So, it'll have to be a manual update from PC World to you.
. . .
(Although I haven't confirmed it, I believe that my complex/ISP is blocking access to anything with 'data torrent' in the name. Oops - anything with 'torrent' as any part of the word, including 'torrential' and 'torrentially' and 'torrential floods' and 'torrential downpour'. All other searches work.)
Anyway, back to FB and data security. The security consultant who collected information from 171 million Facebook users supposedly only pulled public information. That's fine, if you wanted/knew your information was public. If you didn't and you haven't corrected the privacy settings - then that's a problem.
To check, log in to your account:
Click on Account, in the upper right corner of your home page;
Choose Privacy Settings from the drop-down menu;
Under Basic Directory Information, click on View Settings ;
Items tagged Everyone are, in a nutshell, public;
Anything you don't want to 'broadcast' should be changed to Friends, or at least Friends of Friends ;
Not sure what shows or what to change? Choose Preview My Profile on the top right:
This will show you what information on your profile is public / viewable to strangers;
Anything you don't want to 'broadcast' should be changed to Friends, or at least Friends of Friends ;
Don't log-off - we have more to check.
Another security / privacy issue on Facebook is enabled Public Search. What this means is that Google and Bing and Yahoo - and all those happy little search engines - have access to everything you post on FB, unless you tell them NO!
To do that:
Click on Account, in the upper right corner of your home page;
Choose Privacy Settings from the drop-down menu;
Under Applications and Websites (lower left), click Edit your settings ;
Under Public Search (last option), click Edit Settings ;
If Enable Public Search is checked, uncheck it to remove search engine access to your information.
Don't log-off - we have more to check.
Lastly, the information you place on Facebook is only as secure as the settings of your friends. While you could ask them all to tighten their security, that probably wouldn't happen - leaving your data exposed through their settings, posts, and gameplay. So, let's just place a few limits - for them - and Facebook's Partners.
Click on Account, in the upper right corner of your home page;
Choose Privacy Settings from the drop-down menu;
Under Applications and Websites (lower left), click Edit your settings ;
Under Info accessible through your friends, click Edit your settings ;
On the pop-up, uncheck everything that you don't want visible - to games and websites - through your friends;
Be sure to SAVE your changes .
Under Instant Personalization, click Edit your settings ;
If Enable instant personalization on partner websites is checked, uncheck it to remove FB Partner access to your information.
You are now done, to the best of my knowledge, protecting your information and your privacy on Facebook. At least until there's another update and everything resets. {sigh}
It doesn't happen often, but when it does - it happens the minute I walk out the door !
I'm talking about rain in Arizona. That wonderful weather that blows in about this time every year; when the heat and the humidity vie for Most-Supreme-Misery-Maker. Rarely is there a clear winner.
It's probably my fault - not the rain, the getting-rained-on. I knew we were out of cigarettes and I knew there was a storm coming. Just didn't get my behind up and out in time. Which really sucks!
Cuz my shoes get squishy. Cuz my glasses get all spotty. Cuz I really, really hate showering with my clothes on!
The video is from March. I was a little distracted today - wringing out my feet!
The summer time may be the only time that you and your husband can enjoy a weekend getaway. If you have children who are old enough and responsible enough to stay alone you should take advantage of the summer time. However, you need to make sure that you ensure your child's safety before you leave the home. The best thing to do is make a check list to cover everything that your child may encounter.
A few things that should be on the list are setting up and teaching the child how to use the home security alarm. We didn't have one until last year, when I set out to find Phoenix alarm devices that would work for us. You should also make sure that your smoke alarms have batteries and are set to go off in case of an emergency. Make sure you leave a list of all emergency contacts including the police department, fire department, and so forth. You may also want to contact a trusted responsible adult and let them know that you're leaving the children for the weekend, just in case there is an emergency.
You should also leave the children with a set of rules that they should obey during the time you are gone. Another great tip is to stay in touch with the children by calling them on a daily basis, just to make sure everything is okay. If you follow these tips you should be able to relax a weekend with no children, while knowing they are home in a safe environment.
Custom Corned Beef, Inc. ~ Class I Recall ~ Fully Cooked Crumbled Pork Sausage Products ~ Possible Listeria monocytogenes ~ Health Risk: High (No Retail Sales)
Westlake Food Corporation ~ Class II Recall ~ Assorted Meat Products ~ Mislabeling and Undeclared Allergen ~ Health Risk: Low
Windsor Foods ~ Class I Recall ~ Ready-To-Eat Beef Taquito and Chicken Quesadilla Products ~ Possible Salmonella at HVP Supplier ~ Health Risk: High (Retail Distribution List [PDF])
Everyone knows that we are electronics junkies. But, we aren't fools. We don't pay full price for anything. Which can be good (saves money), or bad (refurbished systems are often a crap-shoot).
Still, it is fun to shop for discounts. Especially when there are items we desperately need. Just today I ran across a great PC set-up - tremendous speed, huge hard-drive - for a great price! Positively drooled all over my keyboard.
Figures it'd be at the end of the month when the disposable income has been ... well, completely disposed of.
It isn't that the connection is bad. It isn't that the connection is unreliable. It isn't even that the connection always goes down in the middle of something I consider important. Well, okay, yeah it is that.
There is this little blog post - not this one, the other little blog post - that I have been trying to post for 2 days. I start; the connection slows to a crawl. I start again; the connection disappears. I give up; the connection zooms.
If it weren't doing this to everyone, it would be easy to develop a persecution complex. Aw, heck. I think I'll take it personally, anyway!
It is possible to shop online without a credit card. There are debit cards that work just like a credit card - minus interest charges, monthly fees, and that pesky compounding debt thing. Shopping online with cash? That's a tough one.
. . .
eBillme attempts to help by connecting merchants, banks, and shoppers. It's an interesting idea, down to the online coupons and cash-back options. Just order, select eBillme to pay, and you're done. More or less.
To take advantage of online coupons, you have start shopping from eBillme. The list of participating merchants seems extensive, so it shouldn't keep you from finding what you want. And the search function works pretty well.
Now, the fun part. Click on a coupon / offer and eBillme connects to the merchant site. The one I tested popped up a code that had to be used. Be ready to write it down - it doesn't stay there long!
Once you make a selection and start checkout, choose eBillme as the payment method. This is where I ran into some confusion (my fault) - the coupon code didn't work on the merchant site. It had to be entered on the eBillme site.
The merchant I tested then bounced me to an eBillme screen that didn't really do anything. And, no matter what I did, I never made it to a place to finalize my order. A different merchant worked fine, but I wasn't trying to use a coupon on that one. (I thought the first problem was because I was just testing the process, but I'm not sure.)
If you can get the process to work, you should get bounced to eBillme, where you can enter your codes and email information. An invoice will be generated, presented on-screen, then emailed to you for payment. Use your bank's bill-pay system to make payment, which will be forwarded to the merchant, who will ship your order.
My guess? This is not going to happen as quickly as it sounds. Especially the first time. Don't have a bank account? Grab your cash (plus minimum $4.95 processing fee) and head for one of the walk-in payment centers. (We actually have one right across the street!)
These centers appear to take even longer - with a few more steps - between giving up your money and getting your order. Not exactly my first choice. But if you have no other options, it is one way to shop online.
Unable to sleep, I was catching up on the news on my phone. I was also trying to be still and quiet so that Mark could sleep. This wasn't much of a problem with Yahoo! News/ Opinions - although I'd like to know where all of my regular columnists went. Then, I hit Humor at Creators.com.
. . . Read More ?
It started with Peter McKay, whom I've mentioned before. His painting post made me grin; the deck awning story had me softly chuckling. My funny bone was itching and twitching, but I was still in control. And Mark was still asleep. Whew!
Then I made a near-fatal error - I started reading Bruce Cameron. 'Tom the Caveman' was amusing; the 'Teenage Boat' touched a chord. If I had stopped there, I'd have been fine. But - No! - I had to continue!
Having never mastered the fine art of moderation, I moved on to 'Feng Shui' and the beginning of the end. Between Larry, the tiger, the dragon, and the in-laws, I was starting to stifle some serious laughter. The bed was beginning to shake; the tears were making it difficult to finish the story and regain a little self-control. But, eventually, I made it and Mark was still asleep.
The '3-D Printer' was the final blow. The bed was bouncing, the tears were flowing. Images of cellphone cases were circling hysterically in my brain and I couldn't stop giggling. Silently, uncontrollably giggling.
All I can say is: it is physically painful to hold back that much laughter. Thank heaven I waited until today to read 'My Father the Dog Trainer.' I'd have killed myself!
Summer is a great time to visit my family in Colorado and this summer I planned the whole trip on the Internet. I decided to use my Internet service Michigan to go online and spent an hour or two researching things I could do while on vacation. Going home as a tourist is always more fun for me than living in the town. I found camping, rafting and hiking trails that peaked my interest.
Booking the hotels was easy. I went to a few websites with HughesNet satellite and compared prices before I made a final reservation. I knew which hotels I liked the best in my small hometown, so I didn't have to research them. I got a multiple day discount and then booked an additional room for my kids, so we could have more room.
I reserved my campgrounds for two days and booked my rafting trip all online as well. Booking these things online is easier than over the phone because they take credit cards online and I don't have to listen to any recordings. Some of the small businesses in the area take a while to return a call if they are out in the field, so booking online guarantees me a spot quickly.
The trip was wonderful and we packed in a ton of mountain activities that we usually wouldn't have done without the research. I was happy to see my family over the summer and know that everything we did was already taken care of, so we didn't have to wonder what we were going to do on a daily basis.
Can it be that, just a week ago I was commenting on the FDA finding undeclared drugs in a supplement? And, yet - here we are again. On Friday, July 16, two drug companies announced recalls of their products - due to undeclared drug ingredients.
. . .
Good Health, Inc. has recalled multiple lots of Vialipro, an ED supplement. Lab analyses reported to the FDA indicated that the product contained Sulfoaildenafil, an analogue of Sildenafil - the active ingredient in Viagra. The fact that this ingredient was found, though not listed, in several lots of the product tells me that this is the standard 'recipe' for Vialipro.
* J & H Besta Corp., on the other hand, only recalled one lot of Slim-30 "All Natural Herbs for Weight Loss." Apparently, some of the ingredients were 'contaminated' with prescription drugs approved by the FDA for weight-loss. Hmmm? Weight-loss herbs and weight-loss prescription drugs ... together ... accidentally ... in the same, what, mixing drum?! Seems rather improbable.
* The link to the Slim-30 recall can be found HERE. It was working at the time of my earlier post, but went down later.
Montclair Meat Co., Inc. ~ Class I Recall ~ Ground Beef Products ~ Possible E. Coli O157:H7 ~ Health Risk: High (No Retail Sales)
Sampco, Inc. ~ Class II Recall ~ Canned and Frozen Cooked Beef Products from Brazil ~ Possible Animal Drug Contaminant ~ Health Risk: Low
Vienna Beef Ltd. ~ Class II Recall ~ Vienna Beef Mini Pretzel Dogs ~ Produced Without Inspection ~ Health Risk: Low
Recall CompletedBoston Salads and Provisions Inc. ~ Class II Recall ~ Buffalo Style Chicken Salad Products ~ May Contain Foreign Materials ~ Health Risk: Low
Custom Corned Beef, Inc. ~ Class I Recall ~ Fully Cooked Crumbled Pork Sausage Products ~ Possible Listeria monocytogenes ~ Health Risk: High (No Retail Sales)
Westlake Food Corporation ~ Class II Recall ~ Assorted Meat Products ~ Mislabeling and Undeclared Allergen ~ Health Risk: Low
Windsor Foods ~ Class I Recall ~ Ready-To-Eat Beef Taquito and Chicken Quesadilla Products ~ Possible Salmonella at HVP Supplier ~ Health Risk: High (Retail Distribution List [PDF])
Well, it's been just over a year since the DTV transition. Remember all the hoopla? It was like Orson Welles and War of the Worlds - panic and mayhem in the streets! Or so we were meant to believe.
. . .
Don't get me wrong. For people with analog sets, it had to be a bit scary. It's not like they were asked if they wanted their free over-the-air viewing options to vanish. And, as I recall, the required converter boxes weren't exactly inexpensive - hence, the bucks-for-boxes program that ran out of money. Another nightmare for people who had no choice but to convert.
For those of us who were already cable or DIRECTV by DirectSatTV subscribers, we rather self-importantly pooh-poohed all the concern over disappearing signals and changing formats. Frankly, I can't imagine what it was like for remote or hilly areas. Even in a perfect test market, the problems were large enough to cause concern for officials.
Wilmington, Delaware, with no hills and unchanging channel positions, was the first community to go all-digital in 2008, as a test of how well the DTV transition would work. Well, it didn't - exactly. The digital signal was less powerful than the previous analog and viewers at the fringe of a station's range, lost reception. Poof!
As a result, the government authorized construction of distributed transmission systems - for stations that couldn't cover their analog range with the digital channels. In extremely simple terms, these systems send a signal to multiple transmitter sites for simultaneous broadcast in overlapping sections, widening the broadcast area for that channel. This authorization, however, came too late to allow construction in time for the original February, 2009 cut-off date.
Frankly, Direct Satellite TV offers and cable service must have started looking pretty good to a lot of people at that point. I wonder if anyone has looked at new subscription rates during the DTV conversion process. They certainly would have been the simplest, if not the cheapest, options at the time.
It occurs to me, on a daily basis, that there is no such thing as a free -- anything. Whether directly or indirectly, one pays. Our Internet service is one fine example of getting exactly what you pay for.
. . .
Some blame, I would imagine, falls at the feet of the owner of our complex. I doubt that he is actually shelling out for the best available service. But, to be fair, when our cable and Internet was rolled into our rent, the rent didn't go up. That does count for something.
On an average day I get up, grab coffee, and fire up the laptop. Within the next 60 - 90 minutes, I can count on getting dropped at least 3 times - at least! There are days when it's actually worse - especially if I'm working on something that I consider critical. (I swear sometimes they actually know!)
Then we have the regular daily (for lack of a better term) crap-outs. Between 5:30 and 6:30 - every day - we can count on losing our connections, at least once for at least 5-10 minutes. I'm beginning to think the local techs go to dinner and 'turn out the lights,' as it were.
So, no we don't write a check or pay a bill to our Internet provider. But, trust me! We Pay!
One of our favorite channels has changed their schedule. Five nights (15-20 hours) of must-watch TV has devolved into four hours - at best - spread over three nights. And yet those four hours manage to conflict with other shows that we'd like to watch. Bottom line? Time to check out DVR options.
Read More? . . .
There are either/or selections, nice-but-not-critical applications, and very important functional considerations. In my quest for answers, DVR for DIRECTV got me started by explaining receiver options. Basically, there are two types of service: HD (high definition) and SD (standard definition). Since we have an HDTV, SD service doesn't sound like our best choice.
The specs, not counting image/sound quality differences, are fairly similar. HD-DVR seems to have more bells and whistles, which may be a ploy to grab viewers. Or may simply reflect consumer preferences for HD. Either way, HD receivers will record SD; the reverse is not true.
Another variable, which DVR for Time Warner Cable highlighted, is the ability to compensate for schedule changes. Some DVR systems will find and record programmed shows - in their entirety - even if they change days, times, or run longer than expected. Given network predilection for moving shows around, that could be an invaluable function.
And for sports fans, it may be a gotta-have-this option. Just imagine: you've avoided result broadcasts all day, waiting to sit back, relax, and enjoy that game or race. You get down to the wire - 2 minute warning / white-flag lap - only to find that your recording has been Heidi-bowled [1]. It's one thing when the network makes a bone-head broadcast decision. Quite another to inadvertently run out of recording time or memory.
Which leads me to a last, important component: storage capacity. I learned from the stats on DVR for Dish Network, that not all systems are the same. Some have much smaller hard drives, severely limiting how many programs can be recorded before viewing becomes mandatory. Like an enormous VHS tape or DVD, when you're out of room - you're out of programs.
This limitation is even more obvious where HD is concerned. High-definition files are larger than standard-definition and that estimated eighty hours of stored programming drops very quickly to thirty, or less. Unless viewers record today, watch tonight, and delete immediately - size of the hard drive moves to the top of the list.
So, for us, I'm thinking that storage is the decision, followed by HD over SD. Since we follow (or attempt to follow) a few shows that move around a lot, it might be nice to have some of the bells and whistles that eliminate neurotically memorizing the TV schedule, as well.
1. - On November 17, 1968, the Oakland Raiders, hosting the New York Jets, were down 32-29 with 65 seconds left in the game. Twelve seconds, three plays, and a fifteen-yard face-mask against the Jets later - the Raiders scored on a pass from Lamonica to Smith. Score: 32-36, Raiders. New York fumbled the kickoff at the 10-yard line; Oakland recovered and ran it in. Two touchdowns. Nine seconds. Raiders win - 32-43.
No one outside the stadium in Oakland saw it happen. At precisely 7:00pm, NBC came back from commercial and switched their coverage to the made-for-TV-movie, Heidi. The game was christened, and will (undoubtedly) be forever known as, The Heidi Bowl.
Thanks to a sale at the local grocery store, we are finally trying Yuban.
I know that environmental consciousness shouldn't wait for $2.00/off,
but - in our defense - it was more like $7.00/off and we're on a fixed
income.
Yuban is, to the best of my knowledge, one of the most 'green'
coffees in my supermarket. Not only are they partnered with and
certified by the Rainforest
Alliance, their canisters are made of 50% recycled materials, 35%
post-consumer recycled materials. And it tastes good, too.
Very little in life holds as much potential for confusion, frustration, and financial disaster as buying a home. First-time buyers, caught up in the excitement of owning a home, can find it difficult to step back and think clearly. Especially, if there's an agent pushing to close. It's your money going out - for the next 15 to 30 years - and you need to be able to live with the decisions.
Read More? . . .
Although it may seem backward, agents worth their commission will tell you to qualify for a mortgage first. A pre-approved mortgage is proof that your offer is serious, backed by a financial institution, and will go through on acceptance. Knowing what you can afford helps focus the search, once you get down to picking a property. Not to mention, with the current economy, pre-approval may be the only way to get an agent to even talk to you.
In a lender's perfect world, each potential mortgagee has flawless credit, high six-figure income, and 20% of the national debt set aside as a down payment. Naturally, the better your financial situation, the better your mortgage rate will be. But there are workable options for the rest of us average folks who may have some credit issues, a higher debt-to-income ratio, and aren't related to Bloomberg, Armani, or Trump.
Most lending institutions offer the same types of home loans: fixed-rate and adjustable-rate being the most common. Each has risks and benefits which should be clearly defined in advance of any agreement. In addition, these traditional mortgages generally only apply to existing single-family homes in move-in condition. Condos, rehabs, new construction, and manufactured homes have their own mortgage rules, uses, and qualifications.
Unless you're in need of / interested in a no-verification mortgage1, be prepared to pull together a lot of financial information. Different banks, lenders, or programs may look for different documentation. W2s, pay stubs, bank statements, prior year tax returns, list of assets, list of debts, and proof of residence are pretty standard requirements.
Buying a home doesn't have to give you grey hair and ulcers. If you do your homework.
1 - No-verification / no-documentation mortgages, as expected, do not require verification or documentation of income. They are an option for people who: are self-employed, don't meet income requirements for a traditional mortgage, receive undocumented wages, don't fully report non-1099 / W2 wages or tips, perform seasonal work or have irregular income, or simply don't want to disclose the source of their income.
Riskier for the lender, these mortgages are, therefore, more expensive for the borrower. They cannot be used to purchase manufactured homes, mobile homes, or commercial properties. Credit checks and property appraisals may still be required.
The FDA recently posted a safety alert for Que She, an herbal supplement touted for its weight loss properties. Available online and in certain retail outlets, apparently this 'natural' product does not rely on its blend of herbs. Instead, the manufacturer added a few, and I quote: "unlisted and active pharmaceutical ingredients"
. . .
fenfluramine – a stimulant drug withdrawn from the U.S. market in 1997 after studies demonstrated that it caused serious heart valve damage
propranolol – a prescription beta blocker drug that can pose a risk to people with bronchial asthma and certain heart conditions
sibutramine – a controlled substance and prescription weight loss drug, sibutramine was the subject of a recent study whose preliminary findings showed an association between sibutramine use and increased risk of heart attack and stroke in patients who have a history of heart disease
ephedrine – a stimulant drug that is legally marketed over-the-counter for temporary relief of asthma but can pose a risk to people with certain cardiovascular conditions.
Rather than beat that dead horse again, I will remind everyone ~ "Natural"
on the label is never a guarantee of what's inside!
Custom Corned Beef, Inc. ~ Class I Recall ~ Fully Cooked Crumbled Pork Sausage Products ~ Possible Listeria monocytogenes ~ Health Risk: High (No Retail Sales)
Westlake Food Corporation ~ Class II Recall ~ Assorted Meat Products ~ Mislabeling and Undeclared Allergen ~ Health Risk: Low
Recall CompletedNorth American Bison Co-Op ~ Class II Recall ~ Whole Beef Head Products ~ Contain Prohibited Materials ~ Health Risk: Low
Windsor Foods ~ Class I Recall ~ Ready-To-Eat Beef Taquito and Chicken Quesadilla Products ~ Possible Salmonella at HVP Supplier ~ Health Risk: High (Retail Distribution List [PDF])
Oh man, when Dug the dog started talking with his electronic collar, it was the best! “Hi there! My name is Dug, and I love you.” Anyone who watched the movie will have heard that line in Dug's voice. With Ed Asner doing the voice of the main character Carl, the movie was just perfect. There aren't too many movies that an adult can sit and enjoy with the kids but UP! certainly is one of those films.
The first part of the movie where it shows the life of Carl and his wife Ellie from the time they were kids is just a masterpiece of animated film. That was the most touching few scenes I've ever seen in any film whether it was animated or live action. I'm so glad we rented this on Direct TV pay-per-view. It was such a joy to watch. It's one of those movies you won't mind seeing again even though it is a cartoon. Of course though, the cartoons of today are nothing like they were when I was a kid. Even though it’s animated, it seems so real. I think it's the facial expressions that give the characters so much life. The animators pay attention to the little things that make the experience so much more enjoyable. You won't be disappointed watching UP!
Periodically, I go shopping for printer ink. It's not that we do a great deal of printing, but we've been using the same cartridges for a very long time. And, if you use something like the Xerox Phaser (108R00724) ink sticks, you know -- aw, heck! I gotta go there.
Which is more deadly - color or black-and-white? Does the wide-beam setting print legal-size, or just burn through a ream like, well like a Phaser through paper? Do you need a concealed-copy permit, for working after hours?
"Set phasers on copy - and good luck. Kirk out."1
1 - With apologies to Star Trek IV and Xerox, who I'm sure, has heard them all. (I just couldn't resist.)
Just two days ago, we announced the arrival of the first of our Quick Afghans, oddly enough, named Quick Afghan 002. This also means that, as of today, we are no longer offering two of our earliest designs ~ the Block Afghans. Perhaps saying good-bye to these 'old friends' made adding new ones more difficult. Who knows?
Happily, we managed to dot the i's and cross the t's in what seemed like record time, bringing the announcement and immediate availability of ~ Quick Afghan 001!
. . .
Similar to one of our Banded Afghan Styles, this Quick Afghan is crocheted in wide stripes, using three yarn colors.
The Primary color is used throughout the Afghan, combining with the Secondary color in the larger sections and with the Accent / Third color for narrower bands at the top, middle, and bottom.
One of the design hurdles we had to address was the Primary Color option. After much deliberation, and several less workable ideas, we decided to offer black and white as the - for lack of a better phrase - canvas on which the design will build.
Whether light or dark, we believe that all of our other yarn options will work extremely well with these base colors. Personally, I think this is going to become one of our most popular styles.
There are so many possibilities ~ whether combining tints and shades from the same color family (as in the pictures) or pulling contrasting colors, such as purple and yellow, or orange and blue. What about bright green and red with white for Christmas? or gold and orange with black for fall / Halloween?
See?! Almost endless possibilities!
Because the patterns were more time-consuming in our Block Afghans, the larger sizes took nearly 4 weeks to complete. This Quick Afghan should take about three. We're anticipating, and hoping, that delivery will actually be closer to only 2 weeks for most of the sizes.
I know that, in the middle of sweltering summer heat, the last thing anyone thinks about are warm, snuggly Afghans. But that is one of the reasons we're not as busy from April to September. Once the weather cools, the orders increase and, though rare, processing delays and order backlogs are always possible.
I am sure that there are diets
that work out there. Some online programs are pretty well organized.
And, undoubtedly, the reliable ones offer a support system and exercise
programs for healthy weight loss.
Then, there's the one I ran across today. The one that suggests
committing a lifetime to the program and -- wait for it -- costs $23.00
per day for the pre-packaged meals and snacks. Over the course of a
month, that's almost $700.00 - per person!
We don't spend that much in a month to feed three people!
Don't ask me why, but it occurred to me recently that there are no famous female magicians. Well, at least none that I can immediately name. Judging by this article, I'm not the only one wondering where they are or why they aren't.
. . .
In a survey of 227 practicing magicians, only 7 of whom were women, the responses hardly seemed to belong in the 21st century. They spoke of hard-wired physical and mental differences, gender roles, and an innate female disinterest in power and technology. I found it shocking and more than a little disturbing.
A lack of female mentorship is not uncommon in fields labelled 'traditionally male' or 'technical' - engineering, medicine, science, law, architecture. But I would imagine that occurs more from a closed-off old-boy environment than a true lack of women's interest or ability in these areas. It's a little difficult to get into the club when no one will share the sekret handshake.
Then we have the rationale that women are right-brained and men are left-brained, therefore men are naturally more analytical and better at problem-solving. Gender differences are also 'responsible' for women being unable or unwilling to take on any endeavor requiring commanding or confrontational behavior. Women are, after all, 'designed' to nurture - not compete. Right?!
My response to that drivel? Have you ever upset your mom, wife, sister, or girlfriend? Trust me! We can command and confront!
Some of the more, shall we say, amusing answers? to paraphrase:
Women have to perform more subtle magic; no one wants to see a woman saw a man in half or stab swords into a box.
A female magician and her handsome male assistants wouldn't be as popular as a male magician and his pretty female assistants.
It's too difficult to modify women's smaller clothing with pockets for hiding birds and other objects.
A women's hands are too small to easily facilitate palming cards, etc.
Being smaller, women are naturally better subjects for levitations and disappearing box illusions.
Less solitary/more social, women are ill-suited to and disinterested in spending large amounts of 'alone-time' mastering magic.
Women are 'sharers' and, therefore, likely to be guilt-ridden over maintaining the secrecy necessary in the world of magicians.
Magical, mystical creatures ... "in and of themselves. The ability to create life from seemingly nothing is all a woman needs." (Okay, maybe that one isn't quite as amusing.)
The most upsetting justification given? The Salem-witch-trial, burned-at-the-stake (my phrasing) history of women and magic. Are we really expected to believe that women shy away from careers as magicians to avoid being associated with / accused of practicing witchcraft?
(As a sidebar, to debunk a myth or two: Although some witch hunts almost exclusively targeted women, men were accused and executed. In fact, in Russia, the majority of the victims were men. The term 'warlock' is a Hollywood construct; all accused of witchcraft, at the time, were called witches.)
These attitudes are a sad commentary on how gender discrimination survives and thrives in pockets of society. Judging by the comments that followed the article, inroads are being made. As always, strong intelligent women and men aren't buying the bull.
Some days I am really sorry that I don't have a POS business. The barcode scanner options are so much fun - zap. (Okay, I watch too much sci-fi.) But, the point-of-sale computers, especially the touch-screen monitor set-ups, just make me want to drool.
While, admittedly, I don't need a cash drawer, receipt printer, and magnetic card reader - the stats on the computer are tremendous. Tremendously better than anything Mark and I are currently using, with or without touch-screen technology. Wonder if I could get a package deal, without the POS parts?
While I don't usually follow HealthDay articles, one caught my eye today. Any information on diabetes is important, especially a study that questions whether Changes in Fat Cells May Pave Way for Type 2 Diabetes. But that was just the beginning.
. . .
This recent study found that changes in fat cells, not the immune system, may be at the root of insulin resistance and type-2 diabetes. According to the summary and highlights1, inflammation in fat cells was critical to development of insulin resistance in mice. This inflammation also contributed to hepatic steatosis, or fatty liver disease.
A 2002 study, looking at the relationship between Hepatic Steatosis, Insulin Resistance, and Adipose Tissue Disorders, found a very similar correlation. In the earlier study, researchers found that treatment of fatty liver with leptin replacement also reduced insulin resistance. Although, they were unsure whether fatty liver contributed to development of insulin resistance, or vice versa.
With diabetes and liver disease at the forefront of our daily medical concerns, it is wonderful to see old assumptions being questioned and new ideas getting attention.
Earlier I offered information about common ingredients in acne treatments, such as benzoyl peroxide. Many of these chemicals are harsh and can irritate the skin, which is why products like Pronexin tout their all-natural ingredients. The question, of course, is whether they work.
. . .
First of all, the claim of 100% natural may not be 100% true. It all depends, I suppose, how one defines natural. A couple of the ingredients I checked are synthetic analogs, lab-created.
As a side note: Pronexin shares a very, very similar ingredient list with a product called Zyporex. They both offer to 'disappear' acne in 72 hours and have - word for word - the same testimonials.
Tea tree oil is an essential oil from the Melaleuca alternifolia, a native Australian plant. With reputed antiseptic, antifungal, and antimicrobial properties, it has been used topically by aboriginals to treat a variety of conditions and infections. However, full-strength, tea tree oil can cause skin irritation, redness, itching, and blistering.
A single-blind study tested a five-percent tea tree oil solution against a five-percent benzoyl peroxide preparation. Results were comparable, with tea tree oil working more slowly, but causing fewer side effects. It should never be taken internally, due to risk of impaired immune function, diarrhea, and depression of the central nervous system.
Idebenone is an interesting drug. Originally developed to treat Alzheimer's and other cognitive disorders, it has had questionable success. A Swiss pharmaceutical company has recently begun recruiting for clinical trials into its use in treatment of neuromuscular diseases.
According to one article, idebenone is being marketed / promoted commercially as a synthetic analog of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). Although there is no clinical evidence to support it, this claim of properties similar to those found in (CoQ10) has led to idebenone's use in topical anti-wrinkle and anti-aging products.
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a natural substance found in high concentrations in the eyes and connective tissue. Medical forms are extracted from rooster combs or created by bacteria in a laboratory. First used to speed tissue healing after eye surgery, it is also administered via injection to treat osteoarthritis in the knee, elbow, and shoulder; although some studies have raised doubts about its effectiveness.
Restylane and Juvederm are brand names for FDA-approved injectible forms used to temporarily fill wrinkles and scars, and plump lips. High levels of HA have been implicated in certain forms of cancer and Vitamin C may reduce metabolism of HA. A documentary ("The Village of Long Life" on 20/20) found that the Japanese villagers experiencing longer lifespans had a diet rich in starchy root vegetables that stimulated production of hyaluronic acid. They did not take supplements.
A large number of ingredients in Pronexin (and Zyporex) are oils: jojoba, avocado, lavendar, bergamot, camelia, rose hip seed, and amaranth; plus glycerin. Then, there is a fat-soluble form of Vitamin C (see impact on HA above) and something called retinol palmitate (I found retinol and retinyl palmitate, but no retinol palmitate), walnut shell as an exfoliant, sulfur to fight bacteria, and several herbs. Nothing clinically proven to improve or treat acne.
And, perhaps most importantly, no idea how much of any ingredient is used.
About a month ago, we announced the impending arrival of two new JMark Afghans designs - our Quick Afghans. Unfortunately, it took us a little longer than planned to set prices, update the website, and get things rolling. (We still have a few i's to dot and t's to cross on Quick Afghan 001.)
Understandably, we are proud to announce the immediate availability of the JMark Afghans family's newest member ~ Quick Afghan 002!
. . .
This simple pattern - two contrasting or complementing colors, crocheted together with a great big hook - is named for its start-to-finish speed.
While our block afghans, with more time-consuming patterns, took up to 4 weeks for the larger sizes, this Quick Afghan takes less than three. In fact, we anticipate delivery will be closer to two weeks from date of order for most sizes.
Unlike variegated yarns, where the manufacturer decides which color combinations you get, this afghan pattern lets you create your own. As it is crocheted, the yarn twists and turns - giving a unique pattern to each Afghan. No two will ever be exactly alike.
If that weren't exciting enough - we are happy to announce that, despite additional yarn requirements, Quick Afghans are actually less expensive to create. A savings that we are thrilled to share with our customers.
It may seem odd - in the midst of summer's heat - to think about Afghans. However, our busy season starts when the weather cools. And, since we don't crochet until you order - first in, first out - there is always a chance (however rare) that an order could be unavoidably delayed behind those received earlier.
Finding a site or page, touting an acne cream or treatment isn't difficult. Determining whether that product lives up to the hype takes a little more work. It may be easiest to start with common, effective ingredients.
. . .
Benzoyl peroxide is one of the most frequently used ingredients in topical acne treatments. It works by reducing Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes), a common bacteria on the skin that lives on sebum, a fatty, waxy substance exuded by the follicles starting in puberty. Caution should be taken, as this ingredient can cause excessively dry skin and has a bleaching effect on hair, towels, sheets, and clothes.
Resorcinol, common in over-the-counter acne products, is also used to treat other skin conditions, like eczema and psoriasis. It works by breaking down hard, rough skin, including existing whiteheads and blackheads. Rarely used alone, it is often combined with sulphur for maximum affect. Like benzoyl peroxide, it can cause irritation and shouldn't be used with other possibly irritating products.
Salicylic acid helps slow down shedding of skin cells, thereby reducing clogged pores. Its ability to help break down blackheads and whiteheads makes it useful for other skin conditions, such as dandruff, psoriasis, calluses, and warts. Because it can also irritate the skin, salicylic acid should not be combined with benzoyl peroxide or resorcinol.
Alcohol and acetone are often combined to treat acne. Alcohol is mildly effective against microbes, similar to antibiotics without the risk of developing resistance. Acetone works to remove grease from the skin, but is not effective by itself.
Sulphur has been used to treat skin conditions for decades. Although it's unclear exactly how it works on acne, it is believed to kill bacteria on the skin. Due to the strong smell and risk of skin staining, it is usually combined with benzoyl peroxide or resorcinol in topical lotions and creams.
Regardless of ingredients, dermatologists frequently remind patients that acne doesn't disappear overnight. It can take weeks to see improvement in skin condition. And some ingredients (benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid) must be used continuously or acne can return.
Several months ago, I posted about subscribing to Reuters Health Report. I still like it, and use it regularly, for a number of reasons: 1) the news comes to my inbox, five days a week; meaning 2) I'm not chasing all over the 'Net for health information; and 3) it gives me headlines for which I might not think to search. For example:
. . .
Pricey lung disease drugs have no benefit: study - describes how expensive treatments for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency1 don't work. Treatment involves intravenous replacement of the missing protein, at a cost of approximately $150,000 per year. In two studies, lasting 2 and 3 years, no difference in lung disease or quality of life was found between the test group and the group which received placebos.
10,000-plus in U.S. die for lack of cancer screens: CDC - explains that even though more people are being screened for colon and breast cancers, thousands still die because they weren't screened and, one assumes, weren't treated. Additionally, those with health insurance are more likely to get the colonoscopy or mammogram. (Well, duh!?) I do find the last paragraph of the article quite telling:
"Currently, about 46 million Americans, or 15 percent of the population, has no health insurance. A new healthcare law signed in March is projected to extend coverage to 32 million more Americans, mainly by requiring them to buy it."
Blood pressure goals for diabetics -- too tough? - was something that we needed to be aware of, with Mark's diabetes, and tendency to tachycardia and hypertension. I did a post about intensive treatment, back in March. Apparently, not much has changed. Intensive treatment to reduce blood pressure in diabetics seems to offer little benefit, but carries many risks from the medications and overly low blood sugar levels.
1 - Alpha-1 Antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency is an hereditary condition where the liver fails to produce enough AAT, a protein that protects the lungs and liver from disease.
With the price of movie tickets increasing, it gets rather expensive for me and my family to go out to the movies. Therefore we choose to stay at home and watch movies. I watch movies on demand on DirectTV all the time.
The last movie that we watched on demand was Remember Me starring Robert Pattinson, Emile de Ravin, and Pierce Brosnan. I was hesitant to watch this movie because I wasn’t sure that Robert Pattinson would be a good actor because he wasn’t that great in the Twilight Movies. However, I was pleasantly surprised by his acting. He played the part of Tyler very well. I was convinced that Tyler was an exceptional and emotional person and I felt for him the entire movie.
The best part of the movie was seeing the relationships between the characters develop. From the previews, I already knew that the two main characters Tyler and Ally were going to fall for each other. But their individual lives and stories were so different, that as you watched the movie, I couldn’t help but wonder if they really were going to be together. I tell everyone that isn’t the movie that people expected it to be. Hands down, it was the best drama to come out this year. The ending is incredible. I wasn’t expecting the movie to end the way it did and while it was very emotional to watch, I’m glad that Remember Me ended so well and not in the usual romantic drama sort of way. This movie was perfect.
Let me start by saying, "I never thought I'd ever see those words in the title of one of my posts." Yet, here I am - looking at Enzyte reviews. (I have to confess to a certain curiosity about what - exactly - is in those pills.)
. . .
Given the prevalence of the commercials, there should be quite a bit of interest in this product (translation: lots of web pages, pushing lots of pills). But, the more I think about it, good ol' Bob hasn't been around much lately. Maybe that's the more important information.
The first site I stumbled onto was a one-page blog, set up in 2009, containing one sad little post from April. Oddly enough, it didn't even link to some make-money-now product page. Or bother to remove all of the default 'filler' information from the WordPress template.
Guess they're waiting to see if someone really wants that domain name - enough to pay for it. Given the other sites and pages I've found, I don't think that one-pager is going to get too far. It seems that Enzyte has an outdated formula, uses an auto-ship program, doesn't honor their money-back guarantee, and has been sued by dissatisfied customers.
Of course, that came from one page and could simply be one customer's 'sour grapes'. But it's beginning to look like the world has moved on. Curiosity notwithstanding, perhaps we should join them.
Admittedly, Syfy (or SciFi - whatever they called themselves at the
time) drove me crazy during the first season of Warehouse
13 . They must have aired each episode 20 times, if they aired it
once. But - in the end - it worked! I am hooked.
It's been a long wait for the beginning of season 2, with a long list of
questions to answer and problems to solve. Let me just say - it was
worth the wait! Welcome back!
Internet access is a privilege not a right for children, but with the new technology and free access to so much information it is also a good idea to have it right at hand. Since children are vulnerable to the whims of others it is also a good idea to make sure that you have control over what they are accessing via the satellite Internet West Virginia connection.
When we decided to install Wild Blue satellite Internet so that our daughter would be able to get the kind of information she needed for her school work we also installed some parental controls so that we would not have to worry so much about where she was going when browsing the net. With those controls we were also right there watching what she was doing by placing the computer in the family room where we could keep a close eye on her travels.
Prior to installing the Wild Blue wireless Internet to the computer we spent some time discussing what could happen while she was spending her time on the net. We cautioned her to be careful about what information she gave out about herself and where she lived. We also made sure that she knew she would give up her computer privileges if she disobeyed our instructions as to how she was allowed to use it. Over all it's been a good experience.
In April, I added an FDA widget to this blog in an attempt to provide timely notification of alerts and recalls. Sadly, for reasons unknown, this dramatically slowed the load time of the pages. Hence, we are back to manual posts of alerts, recalls, and safety information from the FDA and FSIS.
The following recall notices, market withdrawals, and/or safety alerts have been posted, through July 06, 2010, by the FDA and FSIS:
. . .
Custom Corned Beef, Inc. ~ Class I Recall ~ Fully Cooked Crumbled Pork Sausage Products ~ Possible Listeria monocytogenes ~ Health Risk: High (No Retail Sales)
Recall CompletedN.Y. Gourmet Salads, Inc. ~ Class I Recall ~ Various Chicken Products ~ Produced Without Inspection ~ Health Risk: High
Windsor Foods ~ Class I Recall ~ Ready-To-Eat Beef Taquito and Chicken Quesadilla Products ~ Possible Salmonella at HVP Supplier ~ Health Risk: High (Retail Distribution List [PDF])
Can't say that we're regular viewers of Mythbusters, but the other night was just too much fun. After mentioning one of the hosts' breath issues, they created a bad breath treatment from vodka and cinnamon. It really looked hideous - brownish liquid, sludgy at the bottom. Not good, at all.
. . .
Just as I was developing sympathy for the person who would have to try this concoction, it was pointed out that someone would have to judge whether it worked. Ewwww! After smoking, eating raw garlic and extremely smelly cheese - the nasty breath was ready. An associate was chosen and the before-and-after sniffing began.
Braver than I, that's for sure. Although, you've got to wonder who this poor guy upset, because in another segment he was volunteered to judge the effectiveness of a stinky-feet remedy, also based on vodka. Frankly, the beer-goggles experiment looked like much more fun. And a lot less disgusting.
Oh - the vodka-based remedies did work. No better or worse than mouthwash and foot baths. But, according to one man's nose, they did do the job.
We are still trying to solve our living room lighting needs. Watching Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince proved that what we have doesn't work. But Designers Fountain Lighting started me thinking in a new direction and I think I may have solved some of the problems.
. . .
To start with, I can't use the same floor lamp everywhere; though I did try, desperately. Next to the television, we need diffused lighting to brighten the room, but not blind everyone. Between the recliners, task lighting would be better - for reading, using the laptop, and crocheting, but not really to light the whole room because it would create a reflection in the TV. (Our issue with Harry Potter.)
Then, we have the desk. Mark really needs something that lights up the keyboard, but doesn't get in his way or create a glare on the monitor or shine back in his eyes. Ideally, a desk lamp that clips or clamps to the top shelf and has a movable arm that he can pull down or push out of the way.
No single style is going to do all of these things and, since we rent, we can't exactly rewire and mount fixtures on the walls. My best hope, at this point, is three different lamps in bronze or brass (personal preferences) with shades that are similar enough to complement each other and not look like we just threw something in the room. Oddly, not as difficult as I imagined.
I know I'm a day early, but we always seem to end up so busy on the
fourth that I forget to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday.
Enjoy your burgers, dogs, corn-on-the-cob, and ice cream! And ribs,
potato salad, brownies, and pie. I can assure you - we certainly will!
Be safe around those fireworks and always keep a bucket of water handy,
for spent sparklers and odd surprises. We always had fun, as kids, and
with a little bit of forethought, no one ever got hurt.
It's not that I actually went looking for plastic knobs today. More that I found them and became fascinated by the myriad of styles and types. Seriously, who knew there were so many options for handles, knobs, and pulls?
. . .
Or that there was an anti-microbial version? It should have been obvious - what else would medical labs and pharmaceutical companies use? Or, in theory, the food industry. Anywhere, I suppose with a stringent need for maintaining sanitary conditions.
All well and good, but don't they just wear off? Well, actually, some of these coatings last 7 years, up to 15 years ~ depending on cleaning methods. Amazing.
Well, June is finally gone! Hooray! It came in badly and did not go out with a whimper. Never, in recent memory, has one month wreaked so much havoc - from start to finish. July just has to be better. Right?!
. . .
For starters, this month looks to be a food fest, which is just fine with me. I love the seasonal goodies flooding the stores right now. Fresh fruits and veggies are always the top of my grocery list.
But July brings even more to enjoy. Firing up the grill and dusting off those summer recipes is what it's all about. This is a month for celebrating ~ Baked Beans, Culinary Arts, Ice Cream, Hot Dogs, and Blueberries.
If those aren't enough, take a look at the first seven days of July:
National Gingersnap Day
National Anisette Day
National Chocolate Wafer Day
National Barbecued Spareribs Day
National Apple Turnover Day
National Fried Chicken Day
National Strawberry Sundae Day, and Chocolate Day
Okay - that did it! I'm off to the store for turnovers, baked beans, and fried chicken! Oh, and a pint of ice cream and blueberries. And some gingersnaps and ribs. And, in anticipation of the end of the month - lollipops, milk chocolate, and cheesecake!
And some stretchy sweatpants. And an exercise machine. This could get veddy, veddy bad.
One of the first things I do each day, after I wake up enough to use a keypad / keyboard, is check my email. Thanks to my hosting service, all of the accounts load into one place, so I don't have to login fifty times on twenty servers. Usually, there's nothing overly exciting, but every now and then - Egads! Gadzooks! and OMG, No! . . .
Today's messages brought one of those heart-thumping, panic-inducing, four-letter-word-inspiring shocks - confirmation of an order for a $1,327 notebook computer (with $50 second-day shipping) from buy.com. Given my current cash flow and no-$$$-no-order house rules, I was pretty sure that this was a hoax / spam / phishing expedition. Yet, June 2010 has just been filled with Egads! Gadzooks! and OMG, No! moments - the USPS / PayPal fiasco starting the whole isn't-this-month-over-yet nightmare.
Taking a deep breath and a large cup of coffee, I started investigating this 'confirmation' message. Sure enough, none of the links went to buy.com. Instead, they went to a site for The First Assembly of God Church, in Gainesville, Florida - which, by the way, has been taken down by their hosting service. Apparently, they got hijacked a while back, or God said, "Thou shalt steal!" and they got busted.
Although that did make me feel a little better, I still had to check with buy.com. Turns out - oddly enough - that I don't seem to have an account with them. Another sigh of relief.
Currently, I'm waiting for them to respond to my inquiry into this mysterious order. Just in case.
What does it mean when you dream about bow ties? Seriously! I had the oddest dream about Mark buying a matching shirt and bow tie - in champagne-on-white stripes, no less. In the dream, he was so proud and I was just . . .
To begin with, I've always (no offense intended) thought that bow ties were just a little nerdy. With the exception of a really snazzy tux, they just don't scream stud. I mean look at Orville Redenbacher! (Okay, not a fair example.)
In an attempt to update my attitude, I went searching for Men in Bow Ties. I found some pictures at the late, great Berkley Magazine that did not make me giggle and cry "Nerd!" In fact, some of the looks were terrific and I can see, now, how bow ties could be a great deal of fun. Especially the not-so-rigid styles.
Still can't quite see one on Mark. But maybe that's just me. And my odd little dream.
Freecreditreport.com
has come up with some pretty interesting commercials recently. That song gets stuck in my head every time I see this commercial, even has me humming the tune all day long inside my head. The commercial I am speaking of is the commercial where the two, now infamous,freecreditreportguys have gotten themself into a bad situation because they didn't check their
credit. As the commercial begins, you see one of the guys unhappily working at a seafood restaurant, dressed in the best fish attire of any fast food restaurant!! I can't help but to laugh(and feel his pain) everytime this comes on the television.
Since we've gotten satalite tv I seem to see this commercial at least 5 times a day. But, no matter how many times a day I see it, I still stop whatever it is I am doing to watch it. Even though this paticular one is my favorite, I think all of the commercials that they have made have been great in accomplishing their point of grabbing the attention of viewers. That darn song is just so catchy it is stuck, no matter how hard you try to forget it, it seems to stick to you like super glue.
In the process of setting up this blog (for the third, or more, time), the pages all ended up with the same quotation, attributed to Dr. Theodore Geisel, at the bottom. While I do love this quotation, it occurred to me that there were others I enjoy and new inspiration and contemplation that could also be shared. To that end, we have updated the footers on each page - and hope to make this a regular habit.
For those proverbs, quotes, and not-so-little life-truths that are longer than that space allows:
. . .
An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy.
"It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego." He continued, "The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"
The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."
Here is the same story, but it is called "Grandfather Tells" which is also known as "The Wolves Within"
An old Grandfather said to his grandson, who came to him with anger at a friend who had done him an injustice, "Let me tell you a story.
I too, at times, have felt a great hate for those that have taken so much, with no sorrow for what they do.
But hate wears you down, and does not hurt your enemy. It is like taking poison and wishing your enemy would die. I have struggled with these feelings many times." He continued, "It is as if there are two wolves inside me. One is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him, and does not take offense when no offense was intended. He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way.
But the other wolf, ah! He is full of anger. The littlest thing will set him into a fit of temper. He fights everyone, all the time, for no reason. He cannot think because his anger and hate are so great. It is helpless anger, for his anger will change nothing.
Sometimes, it is hard to live with these two wolves inside me, for both of them try to dominate my spirit."
The boy looked intently into his Grandfather's eyes and asked, "Which one wins, Grandfather?"
You can buy a person's time; you can buy their physical presence at a given place; you can even buy a measured number of their skilled muscular motions per hour.
But you cannot buy enthusiasm... you cannot buy loyalty. You cannot buy the devotion of hearts, minds, or souls.
You must earn these.
~ Clarence Francis
A Navajo Legend
Back in the 1960s a NASA team doing work for the Apollo moon mission took the astronauts near Tuba City where the terrain of the Navajo Reservation looks very much like the Lunar surface.
Along with all the trucks and large vehicles, there were two large figures dressed in full Lunar spacesuits.
Nearby a Navajo sheep herder and his son were watching the strange creatures walk about, occasionally being tended by personnel. The two Navajo people were noticed and approached by the NASA personnel.
Since the man did not understand or speak English, his son asked for him what the strange creatures were and the NASA people told them that they are just men that are getting ready to go to the moon. The man became very excited and asked if he could send a message to the moon with the astronauts.
The NASA personnel thought this was a great idea so they rustled up a tape recorder. After the man gave them his message, they asked his son to translate. His son would not.
Later, they tried a few more people on the reservation to translate and every person they asked would chuckle and then refuse to translate. Finally, with cash in hand, someone translated the message, "Watch out for these guys, they come to take your land."
~ First People - The Legends: The Navajo and The Astronaut
Surely what a man does when he is taken off his guard is the best evidence for what sort of a man he is? Surely what pops out before the man has time to put on a disguise is the truth?
If there are rats in a cellar you are most likely to see them if you go in very suddenly. But the suddenness does not create the rats: it only prevents them from hiding.
In the same way the suddenness of the provocation does not make me an ill-tempered man; it only shows me what an ill-tempered man I am.
The rats are always there in the cellar, but if you go in shouting and noisily they will have taken cover before you switch on the light.
~ C.S. Lewis, (Mere Christianity)
There's a great power in words, if you don't hitch too many of them together.
~ Josh Billings
The calendar may say that summer starts in just a few days, but that's only for those of you in normal climates. Here in Arizona, it's been 'summer' for weeks. Triple-digit temps are here to stay and gardening is officially a battle against that 'dry heat.' Either way, seeing May and June pop up on the calendar, still makes me want to plant something.
. . .
The last (and only) vegetable garden I had was in Colorado, in the late 70s. I grew the world's best (and smallest) cantaloupe and learned to love baby lima beans - fresh off the plant and steamed with a little butter. We had beefsteak tomatoes that were the size of baseballs and effectively spoiled me forever.
We had some amazing flower beds in Michigan in the 80s and even grew cherry tomatoes outside the kitchen window of our townhouse. Moving out of a house and into apartments didn't slow me down. Granted, I couldn't have tomatoes, cantaloupe, and leaf lettuce, but I could (and did) have anything that could tolerate limited light and the confines of a pot or terrarium.
At one point - I kid you not - there were 120+ pots, 'window' boxes, and terrariums, growing madly and filling every spare inch of my Waterford apartment. I became a macrame maniac, creating 2- and 3-level hangers, just to get everything as close to the windows as possible. Watering days were a marathon event and I really should have gotten one of those contraptions that hooks up to the sink, has a mile and a half of hose, and let's you wander from pot to pot without refilling a can.
Many of the plants, and all of the terrariums, required regular misting / higher humidity. (Just what you need in Michigan - more humidity!) The muscles in my forearms would have made a body-builder proud! But my 'babies' were amazing, and worth the work. (Apparently, my cat agreed - he regularly ate all of the new growth on my Sago Palm.)
A lot of what I grew were succulents and cacti, which is rather an odd choice for an east-facing apartment with trees blocking the windows. But they are really low maintenance - preferring to be left alone for a good part of the year. I'm sure that has to do with the fact that they really aren't 'designed' to be kept in a four-season environment.
Our bedrooms and den had the best exposures, so that's where the light-loving plants clustered. My aforementioned Sago Palm, several small barrel- or globe-type cacti (one of which bloomed faithfully twice a year), Haworthia, Opuntia, and many more whose names I no longer remember. The Sansevieria preferred filtered light, so it stayed in the living room.
I still remember the first time I saw a native version of one of my little house plants, here in Arizona. You cannot imagine the shock when confronted with a 4-foot-tall (or taller) version of the little 3-inch baby that sat in a pot on the windowsill. Mother Nature's little reminder that not everything belongs in a container in one's living room.
This time of year makes my green-thumb a little twitchy, and I do miss puttering and pruning. But, seeing how nature grows her 'babies' out here - I think I'll leave it to the expert. Now - where's my camera!?
I have been pondering the state of my neglected inventory list, since posting those Home Security Tips earlier. When I started documenting our household belongings - OMG! we have sooo much stuff! - I was using pictures from the sites where I bought 'the stuff.' It occurs to me that this may not be such a good idea.
. . .
Think about it for a second. What - exactly - does an image from a web site tell my insurance agent and her claims adjustor if, heaven forbid, I should have to file a claim? I mean, beyond the fact that I obviously liked a particular dresser, headboard, chair, or microwave? Not, as it turns out, a darn thing. Without a receipt, it's just a pretty picture. (Lesson learned!)
However, what I was really looking for tonight? An easy way for people to put together - and safely store - a list of their possessions. What I found? EZasset* - an online system that offers a step-by-step process for documenting - room-by-room - everything you own. They even provide up to 1GB of free(my favorite word)storage for your information, solving both problems.
Then, there's my I-need-software-now site: CNET download.com* - with hundreds of free and free-to-try software downloads. There are a couple (I didn't look at all the pages) of interesting home inventory titles and, being free, if one doesn't suit your needs it's easy to try another. Of course, they don't come with free offsite data storage. But, I'm sure your insurance company would be happy to stick a CD in your file, if you asked them nicely.
Somewhere in between these two ideas is KnowYourStuff™, from the Insurance Information Institute. Their software is free to download and use, with the same step-by-step, room-by-room process as other packages. Where KnowYourStuff™ differs from download-and-use at CNET is Vault 24 - a secure, online storage facility. Unlike EZasset, however, Vault 24 is not free.
So, I'm happy to say, there are several options out there - at little to no cost. Add a little time and energy and, before you know it, you can see exactly what you own. Or, in our case, just how serious a pack-rat you've become.
* Links are provided as-is and for informational purposes only. No web site safety, usability, or endorsement is guaranteed, offered, or implied.
Over the weekend, in celebration of some unseasonable weather, we opened the windows. (This is not done in Arizona, in June, in a west-facing room.) Imagine our shock to find that the front window was broken - a huge crack running from the handle up to the top frame.
Immediately, my worry-gene kicked in - it's a 'Mom-thing' - and serenity flew out that broken window. We have to do something! Bar the windows, unleash the dogs, buy an Uzi! Okay, bit of an overreaction, but it did force me to think about our security.
. . .
Obviously, we can't afford our own personal on-call burly he-men home security team. But, with visions of gun-wielding thugs in ski-masks running through my head and my home, I had to find options. Home monitoring systems, like ADT, were my first thought.
Even though someone is always home, I knew we'd sleep better (okay, Frankie sleeps like the dead anyway) if we had someone/something 'guarding' our doors and windows. Then, the light bulb went on -- someone is always home -- and our broken window became a much bigger issue. Security packages under a dollar a day moved ADT way up the options list. (Oh, honnneeeey! I have an i-deee-aaaa!)
My "idea" notwithstanding, getting a few police security tips - in case we've been helping the bad guys - was my next step. Keeping doors and windows locked? Check! Of course, when the neighbor knocks on your door to tell you that your keys are in the lock (true story) turning that bolt on the inside isn't exactly the great we've-shut-'em-out-now moment it should be.
Less obvious? Etching a unique number, which can be registered with the local police department, on all high-end possessions. (My first husband engraved our valuables back when we rarely locked our doors. Smart man!) I was reminded the other day, something our maintenance man said, that we need to be a little more proactive protecting what we own.
Which leads to a must-do tip: keep an inventory list with pictures. The key is having one copy outside the home - with your insurance company, in a safety-deposit box - and one, preferably, in a fireproof box/safe at home. If it's only on the computer and the computer is stolen or crashes - there goes your list and your proof.
Document everything, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem. (Okay, not food in the fridge; but definitely the fridge.) If there is a problem, your insurance company can/will only cover what you can prove you lost/owned. Most policies have a lump-sum clothing reimbursement, so if you have expensive (leather, fur) items, get them on the list; as well as jewelry.
Computers, stereos, DVD players, beds, sofas, appliances - big things you stub your toes on - are obvious. But coffee makers, crock pots, pots and pans, air filters, vacuums, hair dryers, DVDs and CDs, lamps - to mention a few things - can add up to significant replacement cost if not included. (Wow, do I need to update my list!)
Living in an apartment, many of the security tips I found were beyond our control or simply not applicable. But this list from the Fort Worth, PD gave me a lot to think about. The dead bolt and strike plates on our front door, strength of the door frame, secondary locks on the windows, and - what started all of this - the quality of the windows themselves.
Recently, Mark developed an urge to rearrange the living room furniture. Let me tell you, when that man gets an urge - it's a biggie! Although, when he told me what he had planned, I was pretty certain that he had completely lost his mind, today proved he was definitely right.
. . .
It all started with taking the dining table apart, which isn't quite as radical as it sounds. Sitting in front of the living room window, the table was basically just an extra flat surface for storing what didn't fit anywhere else. With it gone, Frankie's bed moved under the window and out of the way. It even gives him a headboard, by butting up against the side of the computer desk.
Of course, the table wasn't the only thing on that wall. But moving the portable washer into the walkway between the bedroom and living room, freed up half of the wall opposite the window. The 'stuff' crammed into the corner is now neatly stacked across the room. The whole area just feels bigger now.
Today was the real test of the new set-up. Every month or so, maintenance comes in to 'inspect' the apartment and replace the furnace filters. In anticipation of this inspection, we decided to do a quick steam-clean of the carpets. (We do that twice a month, anyway; but it was a good excuse to pull out the machine a little early.)
Needless to say, with all of the furniture and 'stuff' out of the middle of the living room, cleaning the carpet was almost fun. Well, if not fun, at least a whole lot easier. I will never scoff again.
Okay, I'll probably snicker a bit. He does have some wild ideas, after all. But I solemnly promise to never pooh-pooh out loud!
Although I do know better, I learned (again) that it's very important to be very specific when searching for a topic online. For example: dermatologist acne treatments are definitely not the same as dermatologist-recommended or -approved acne treatments. There are several tell-tale signs, once you hit a particular site.
. . .
The main difference is that reputable sites offer a biography - with credentials - of the dermatologist. They also tend to be more than one page of 'cookie-cutter' reviews and links to affiliated product order forms. Lastly, authentic, medically-supported websites don't seem to offer the same three or four products that can be found on dozens of other sites.
It isn't necessarily easy to find the 'good' sites. But it is worth the effort. Trust me.
I must admit, this article, which I was reading at about 7:00am today, made me sit up (literally) and take notice. Not that doctors who over-prescribe or patients who doctor-shop is really new, not since Dr. FeelGood in the 60s/70s. It was the information about forensics and accurate determination of cause-of-death, primarily related to drug overdose, that caught my attention.
. . .
First, people with chronic pain - constant and debilitating, not the occasional sprain or backache - develop a tolerance for pain medications, especially opioids, over time. (That's one of the 'issues' with drugs like oxycodone and morphine.) Patients end up taking doses that could/would kill someone who has never used the medication before. Therefore, high amounts of fentanyl, for example, wouldn't necessarily be indicative of death-by-overdose in someone who has been on the medication for an extended period of time.
Second, some drugs (the aforementioned fentanyl, for one, and digoxin, a heart medication) are stored in the body's tissues - until death. At that time, they release into bodily fluids. This can make what may be a 'normal' dosage or acceptable levels appear lethal in post-mortem toxicology screens - or the reverse, depending upon from what part of the body the samples were taken.
Forensics is a relatively young science. It does not have the standards, protocols, and established methodologies found in other medical specialties, such as surgery or anesthesiology. In addition, "According to a 2009 report by the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences: 'Rigorous and mandatory certification programs for forensic scientists are currently lacking'."
This doesn't mean that every forensic result, or scientist, should be dismissed as fraudulent, any more than they should be blindly worshipped as gospel truth. Life is not a CSI episode, where cases are resolved quickly and correctly. Real-life forensic science has a long, long way to go to reach the level of accuracy and respectability that fiction can serve up every week.
If you were hoping that the nightmare of the label-printing, excess-shipping debacle with the USPS was over - well so was I. Sadly, after May 27th, things only got worse. Much, much worse!
. . .
The seven extra shipping charges overdrew my PayPal account. So, on May 28th, I called the USPS again - to have the 4 pending charges cancelled; which they did (surprisingly) without a problem. Then, I called PayPal and asked them to do the same. Again, no problem. Hey! Life is looking up!
Except for the fact that, since USPS had hijacked my money, part of the one valid shipping charge, as well as other legitimate charges from May 24th hit when, technically, the PayPal account had a zero balance. With our savings account as emergency back-up, you can imagine what started happening -- and happening, and happening, and happening. (To the tune of $120.00 in NSF fees, as we don't keep a balance in that account, by the time it was all said and done.)
Back on the phone to USPS - and beginning to panic. To paraphrase, briefly (this was not a brief conversation): "Our terms and conditions explain that USPS will put a pending hold on your account [note: have never found that notice]every time you try to print a label. You agree to that upfront. And, because of that, the USPS is not responsible for NSF charges. It's all PayPal's fault. [note: they did actually say that] And, yes, it takes 14 business days to process a refund." Thank you, have a nice day.
Back on the phone to PayPal - and on the verge of hysteria. (Another very, very long conversation.) Not one, but two very, very nice people -- thank you Amy and Craig! -- tamed the lions, jumped through flaming hoops, and walked the wire to help me. (Hey, under the circumstances, a circus analogy seemed highly appropriate.) Within about 36-48 hours, though it wasn't their fault or responsibility, they made us whole. Much more than I had ever expected; and far more than USPS - who was responsible - even considered.
EPILOGUE: As of June 8th - 15 days after this mess started - of the $111.90 shipping fees originally charged, PayPal reversed $97.65 and (as a one-time courtesy) reimbursed us $90.00 of NSF charges. Our bank, which was less than cooperative through all of this, did manage to reverse one NSF fee of $30.00. The legitimate charges, from May 24th, eventually cleared.
The USPS, late on June 7th, notified me (emphasis mine) that:
"We have approved your postage refund request for your online shipping label on 06/07/2010 08:01 PM CDT.
[Personal information redacted]
Please allow up to two billing cycles for your credit card statement to reflect this refund, as the processing of the refund is dependant upon your financial institution's policy."
(Did you catch the typo?)
Note - they didn't say refunded, they said approved for refund - allow up to two months for the credit to appear on your account. Luckily, the refund actually hit by end-of-business on the 8th. So, JMark Afghans, etc. is officially done with the USPS. UPS - here we come!
Oh! The package did - eventually - get to my daughter and son-in-law.
I have taken a number of online classes. I did much of high school online, as I was homeschooled, and more recently I have finished a college degree online. The college classes were perhaps the more interesting of the two experiences.
. . .
First, I have to say that using the internet to take classes is perhaps not the most efficient way to learn. I used hughesnet to take my classes, which I have found to be far more reliable than other forms of internet because even the smallest outages can have a huge effect on the learning experience.
Otherwise, it was simply difficult to learn online. Lectures may seem long and boring, but in my opinion, people learn a lot more than they think during these lectures. Some of my classes tried to replace the lecture with online video, which did help, but in the end it is simply not the same thing. Other online classes simply gave up the lecture altogether, and learning was entirely based on the textbook. I don't think I will retain a single thing that I learned in those classes. Anyway, I would not recommend that people take online classes unless you have a really good satellite internet provider.
This is a guest post from Ashley Reingfield. Thanks girl!
Normally, by June 13, we are in the triple-digits and hiding in our
air-conditioned homes. We expect it; we prepare ourselves for it; we
know it's coming. But this year - brrrr!
Yesterday was actually so cool that we had to turn off the air and close
the windows to keep a little heat in. Rather than our usual summer togs
- as little clothes as is legal - we had to find the sweats and sweaters
we'd already packed away for the season. It was really odd.
Odd - but very welcome. Wonder if it might last another day? More,
please, Mother Nature!
I was - actually - searching for something chocolate when I found the cutest collection of wedding accessories. My daughter had boxes of personalized candies at her reception, which I thought were so cute and really creative. But these chocolate bars and candied almonds really take it a step beyond.
Admittedly, they are not inexpensive and might be cost-prohibitive for a large wedding or a tight budget. Yet, I just fell in love with the "ingredients list" on the back of the candy bars. Not to mention, the bride and groom graphics on the almonds. Amazing!
Pfizer, and their new unit Wyeth, are under scrutiny from the FDA this week. And deservedly so! Didn't they notice the rules that govern their businesses?!
. . .
To start, Pfizer has apparently decided that they (unlike all other drug manufacturers) are not required to notify the FDA of adverse events related to their pharmaceuticals. A recent FDA warning letter, twelve pages in length, listed many problems with well-known Pfizer drugs "including impotence drug Viagra, cholesterol pill Lipitor and seizure medicine Lyrica." It took an FDA investigation to uncover documentation and investigation lapses dating back to 2004.
Guidelines are established to ensure that, once a medication is released to the public, problems are quickly identified and properly addressed. Although clinical trials determine efficacy and safety, they do not - naturally - test all segments of the population for side effects and adverse events. There, unfortunately, will always be individuals who are unable to use certain drugs.
Hence, the Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS), "a computerized information database designed to support the FDA's post-marketing safety surveillance program for all approved drug and therapeutic biologic products." Reporting is voluntary, both to the FDA and to drug manufacturers. However, when a pharmaceutical maker is alerted - whether by a medical professional or a consumer - of a problem, they are then required to send the report to the FDA. Pfizer has not done that and the reports of adverse events have, apparently, been increasing since 2004.
How many physicians, if they were given accurate details of problems with Pfizer's medications, would have stopped prescribing them? Or at least given them a lower priority over other treatment options? Hmmm?! Could that be why Pfizer is reluctant to share?
Then, we have Wyeth - now a unit of Pfizer - who has determined that it is perfectly acceptable to promote their medications as they see fit. Sirolimus, trade name Rapamune®, is FDA-approved as an anti-rejection medication for kidney transplant patients. However, it now appears that Wyeth/Pfizer has been marketing the drug for use in "heart, lung, liver, pancreas and islet cell transplants without FDA approval." Not good!
The reason this campaign is so serious relates to differences in transplant tissue compatibility criteria and organ rejection risk. With kidney transplants, tissue matching1 is only one test used to match donors/patients, and only "10-20% of patients will experience at least one episode of rejection."2 Whereas in liver transplants, for example, tissue matching1 is vital to transplant success and, even with this fine-tuned testing, "up to 75% of all liver-transplant recipients will have at least one rejection episode."3
With this increased risk of rejection in non-kidney transplant procedures, blithely claiming any-old-immunosuppressant-will-do is more than bad marketing. It holds the potential of threatening lives. All for a few more dollars, greater profits?
Living with two non-fans, I don't see too many games these days - in person or even on television. But, as a fan, I couldn't resist checking out Ticket America, just to see what's available out there. A lot, as it turns out.
. . .
Though I admit, I was a tad confused. As I say, it's been awhile since I watched any sports; most of the venues I remembered - Palace of Auburn Hills, Fenway Park, Yankee Stadium, Madison Square Garden, Camden Yards, Wrigley Field - were still there. I've even been to games and concerts at some of them.
But, others? I had to look up where they were, which was (actually) fun. For example:
Quicken Loans Arena - Cleveland, Citi Field - NY Mets, Izod Center - East Rutherford, Bradley Center - Milwaukee, and Amway Arena - Orlando were all new to me. Ticket America, however, has them covered.
They have a great set-up for buying - and selling - tickets by venue. Pick your stadium or team. (If you have tickets to sell, there's a clickable link in the middle of the page.) Next, choose the game or event, and a nifty table comes up. See the section, row, price, and number of available tickets - with a seating chart of the arena that scrolls up and down with you.
Works great and makes finding tickets a whole lot of fun!
I have been talking, for several months, about retiring Afghan styles and bringing in new designs. This has been a very difficult process for me, as I tend to fall in love with everything I crochet. (Just packing up an order can get me misty.)
After much soul-searching and a hard look at the bottom line, JMark Afghans, etc. has decided to discontinue the Block Afghan Styles - effective June 30, 2010. But, don't worry! We have a new style, with 2 options (so far), that we are really excited about!
Our newest style is called the Quick Afghan because, well ... it is. Crocheted with 2 strands of yarn (and a really big crochet hook), these Afghans come together far quicker than many of our other sytles. This, virtually, cuts the time from order to shipping by one-third!
Quick Afghan 001 is similar to one of our Banded Afghan Styles. Made up of three colors, the Main and Accent Colors are worked together in the larger sections. The Main and Third colors combine for the narrower bands at the top, middle, and bottom.
New Quick Afghan 002
Quick Afghan 002 is a much simpler design - two colors, worked together throughout. It's a bit like a custom, you-design-it variegated yarn. (The image doesn't do justice to these colors - an amazing deep magenta and black.)
In fact, I made a larger version for my daughter and son-in-law (in purple and cream) as a wedding gift. Not to mention, a shawl and a couple of hats and scarves that I designed using double strands. Who knows? They may show up as new products, one of these days, as well.
Currently, we're working on pricing and shipping schedules for these new styles. But look for them to be available for order before the end of the month.
This absolutely amazes me! I don't know if it's because I never would have considered such behavior or ... no that's it. Just never ever - ever - would have crossed my mind.
Our complex recently changed our Internet access to include passwords for each apartment. Why? Because people actually sit in our parking lots and steal service!
Recently, I posted about label printing problems we had trying to ship a package to my daughter. A software issue kept us from getting this done-in-one. Well, it did more than that, as it turns out.
. . .
Just for grins, I decided to check my account today - confirm the balance, ya know? Imagine my surprise to see that the USPS had charged me for my package label, not once - but eight (8) times! Yes, you read that right!
Four are pending on my account; four went through. (All 8 reduce my available balance.) If you're keeping score - that's $13.95 x 8 = $111.60! Given that one charge is valid, that makes for a minor overcharge of $97.65!
No biggie, right?! Just contact the USPS for a correction / refund and life is good, right!? {sound of maniacal laughter} Oh, heavens no! That would be {more maniacal laughter} too easy! Too efficient! Too acceptable! Too helpful! Too responsible!
I did contact the USPS about this. They agreed to correct the problem, and refund the extra charges - in 14 business days!
Guess when you're going broke, paying mail carriers who "don't have to come up to the second floor," it's important to increase revenue any way you can.
Years ago, when Mark got sick - transplant-needed-to-survive sick - I started educating myself on his condition. It was critical to be able to understand and communicate in 'doctor-speak' to command attention and results. I didn't know about, or have time for, formal education options like medical assisting school.
More than once, I was asked if I worked in the medical field. While great for the ego, I never seriously considered going back to school. How could I, under the circumstances?
But now, with the luxury of time (if not, necessarily finances) it's an intriguing thought.
Additional information on the supplement investigation: Contaminants found in many of the tested products, including heavy metals (mercury, lead, arsenic, and cadmium) and pesticides. If that weren't bad enough, many supplements contain unreported pharmaceuticals - such as steroids and sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra.
. . .
The articles I read also noted that manufacturing of supplements, including vitamin and mineral products, has increasingly moved overseas - primarily to China. Even were it required, the FDA does not have the resources to inspect these facilities. Thanks to the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), products are considered safe -- until proven harmful; undoing the previous process whereby manufacturers were required to prove that their products did no harm before hitting the marketplace.
As Bottom Line Secrets pointed out earlier this year, this was a move in the wrong direction. Is it any wonder that the market has exploded, since 1994, with a supplement for every situation, condition, or imagined ill?
Apparently, stress does contribute to breakouts - at least where my adult
acne issues are concerned. It's funny. Back in my teens, I had the
most trouble with acne on my forehead, which I blamed on my bangs. Yet,
30+ years later - and I haven't had bangs in many, many of those years -
the first place I break out is still my forehead.
As to the stress? You may recall that, on Monday, we had some problems
getting a package label to print. Well, we had no idea just how much
trouble we were having, until today.
It seems that $14.00 label has cost us - so far - about $97.00! Can you
say Aaaaargh!? I can!
I don't mean to say I told you so!. Okay, maybe I do - just a little. Potentially Dangerous Advice from supplement 'advisors' is coming under fire in a GAO report. The report, to be released today, focuses on information provided to elderly customers by websites and storefront sellers. . . .
My readers know that I take issue with the outrageous claims and plain old bad-faith offerings from so many supplement-pushing websites. As an unregulated commodity, supplements are often no better than a billion dollar snake-oil industry. And, unless they claim to treat or cure a condition or illness, they can pretty much say anything to encourage consumers to hand over their hard-earned cash.
Now, I understand that not all manufacturers are out to pull one over on the public. There are companies, I'm sure, operating with the best of intentions. It's just that I have to question their ability to truly and honestly 'advise' consumers on the benefits - and, more importantly, the safe use - of products that rarely provide full disclosure.
It will be interesting to see what comes from today's Senate committee hearing.
Remember that 'conversation' we were having about shopping, wishful thinking, and an intervention? Well, it may just be time. Because I have no budget for it, no need for it, nowhere to put it, and still have absolutely zero outdoor decor self-control.
I can spend hours designing, planning, and 'collecting' everything I would need for the perfect backyard setting. Firepits, umbrellas, tables, chairs, cushions, lighting, and - everything. How does one resist the call of the gorgeous?!
Gotta run! Need to get that winning lottery ticket and start shopping for a backyard!
In the realm of no-good-deed-goes-unpunished - we have been trying for
hours to get a silly Click N Ship label to print. It's not our fault,
and it certainly isn't the USPS website's fault. But, Adobe - now
there's a fun piece of software! Not!
Unintentionally (I hope), Adobe Reader got deleted from the desktop,
which is the only computer in the house that's connected to the printer.
You'd think that redownloading would be a piece of cake. Well, you'd be
wrong.
We have been at this for a while now and, were it not for the fact that
I REALLY NEED to ship this package to my daughter, I would throw my
hands up and just boycott the whole Adobe mess.
Yes, I am a shopaholic and could probably use an intervention. Luckily, for our budget, most of my shopping is of the when-I-hit-the-lottery wishful variety. Although I am not totally immune to the siren song of the best buy offering.
Granted, we have little room and pretty much everything we need to survive in this world. But, what if I'm missing the deal of a lifetime?! Hey, it could happen!
Back when I was pregnant, about a thousand years ago, prenatal vitamins (as I recall) were a prescription item from my doctor. I knew that what I was taking had what the baby and I needed to keep us both healthy. These days, I don't know what young mothers do, especially those without health insurance; though there are a number of sites that offer plenty of advice.
. . .
Frankly, that makes me a little nervous. The average supplement is an unregulated crap-shoot, filled with ingredients that may be beneficial, possibly aren't, and could be (at the extreme end) dangerous. But prenatal vitamins effect two lives - for better or worse.
A pregnant woman has very specific needs, to ensure proper development of her baby and supporting her own system. Knowing what amounts of which vitamins and minerals are medically recommended makes getting the right supplement much easier. I don't know if there is much variance from product to product, but I certainly would prefer a checklist for comparison, if I were doing the shopping.
Guidelines exist and are fairly easy to find. Personally, I'd trust my doctor over the average this-is-what-you-should-buy website. At the very least, advice from a medical source (Cleveland Clinic, WebMD, and Mayo Clinic come to mind) - with no financial interest in a particular brand - is a good starting point.
This is becoming a seriously unhappy time for television's fantasy fans. First, we lost Legend of the Seeker in its sophomore season. Now, Ghost Whisperer is done, as well.
It's not as though these shows lacked fans and watchers. But, apparently, that's no longer important to networks. I don't know how the dynamics work; just that I am seriously disappointed.
(Fans are also losing Numb3rs, Cold Case, and - after being shuttled from a winning Monday slot to Wednesdays - Accidentally on Purpose.)
Not all products and services are created equal. Which is why getting, for example, insurance quotes can be a bit problematic. And seriously confusing.
. . .
With auto insurance, one has to consider deductibles as part of the overall cost. Sure, the monthly premiums may be impressive - until you have a claim. Coming up with several hundred dollars, or more, may make getting back on the road almost impossible.
What about homeowner's / renter's coverage? If, heaven forbid, you experience a loss, are you covered for the replacement cost of your valuables? How does one determine what that should be?
A good agent asks these questions and offers guidance that ensures their customers can live with their decisions. If they don't ask, perhaps it's time to reconsider the relationship. Or at least explore your options.
While checking my website keywords, crawl errors, SEO, and all those
other wonderful things that webmasters are wont to do, I ran across a
post from over two years ago. It looked, sarcastically, at a news story
on budgeting.
(Sadly, I didn't link to the story, so I have no idea where I found it.)
Now that our country is setting such a fine example, ... Who am I
kidding? The government always lives off its credit cards. But,
it's never a bad time to think about living within one's means, as they
used to say.
Well, unless you have a blank check from China. In which case, never
mind.
I promise - I was not really looking for information on timeshares. But when I stumbled across it, I had to ask myself if people are still buying these things or if there is a massive cry of "sell my timeshare!" circling the globe. Seriously, was this ever a good idea?
It must be, or they wouldn't be available. For example, there must be people who want to spend a small fortune for a 1-bedroom in AZ or TX - in June. Or, perhaps, ~$10,000 for one week - every other year - in MA, in January.
Until recently, I had no idea what it takes just to get into law school. I know about the effort and cost to take (and hopefully pass) boards and bars after graduation; we have friends and family who have been-there-done-that. But I didn't have a clue about entrance exams, like the Law School Admission Test (LSAT).
. . .
Since it is a required part of the admission process to ABA-approved law schools, most Canadian law schools, and many others around the world, LSAT prep is critical. At a half day, this is not a quick quiz. And, from the sound of it, not an easy one, either.
According to the Law School Admission Council (LSAC), the test is five 35-minute sections of multiple-choice questions. Four of the sections are scored. A 35-minute writing sample, at the end, finishes the marathon event.
The make-up of these sections come from a pool of dozens of exams and thousands of questions, measuring reading comprehension, analytical reasoning, and logical reasoning. I cannot imagine sitting for the LSAT without a great deal of preparation. Especially when one considers the costs involved.
Not stressful enough? The LSAT cannot be taken more than three times in two years, and is only offered four times a year at designated testing sites. Hence, the urgent need to get it done, and done well, the first time.
Yes, law schools review all of an applicant's credentials when making a decision. But this standardized test, designed to measure critical reasoning skills, is considered a fairly accurate predictor of law school success. Naturally, it adds weight to an application, either for or against.
Preparation materials, courses, and advice are easy to find. They vary greatly in cost and value. One offers 100 classroom hours and access to about 6,000 questions for about $1,200. Another, at the same cost, offers 55 online hours and six full-length practice tests. A third, at far less, includes about 6,000 questions, 59 full-length prep tests, and a money-back guarantee.
It occurs to me that law school might be a lot easier than getting in. (Just kidding!)
Just when you think it can't get any worse, The Wall Street Journal reports another Facebook privacy issue. It appears that Facebook, and MySpace, Digg, and LiveJournal, have been sharing - heavily - possibly identifying user information. That FB is not alone is small comfort.
Rumors of a mass account-cancelling movement may not be too unfounded.
In my never-ending search for good information and reliable advice on, among other things, diets for quick weight loss, I am frequently disappointed. I am often amused at the ridiculousness that attempts to pass for authoritative review. Rarely am I downright angered - until today.
. . .
What upsets me is the blithe disregard that some site owners have for readers' health and safety. They push pills and detox diets and cleansing rituals that - after reading just a few paragraphs - sound dangerous. Working my way through several posts - this is a blog, not a website per se - I couldn't find any recommendations that didn't scare the daylights out of me.
For those seeking diet and weight loss advice, please talk to your doctor. Or at least visit a site supported by an accredited medical institution, with physician-generated guidelines.
Periodically, I look for sites that sell health-related items - diabetic supplies, walk in tubs, orthotics, pill reminders, wheelchairs - as part of my other full-time job.
There are a lot of sites, products, and junk out there. Just like supplements, anti-wrinkle creams, and acne concoctions, so many websites are just a collection of links. They may be sorted by product or manufacturer, but rarely are they more than a grab at a percentage of the sale.
Happily, there are others who make, sell, and stand behind their goods. They are the ones who keep me from giving up.
For years, I tried to keep up with the latest news on ADHD. While information became more and more available, not much of it helped with an out-of-control teen-aged stepson. Now, we're looking at a correlation with pesticide exposure. More 'manufactured' science, like vaccines and autism? I'm not sure.
. . .
ADHD and pesticides, to start with, is not a new research topic. Studies have been done before, frequently focusing on the children of migrant farm workers who have a higher pesticide exposure risk. Correlations have been made between pre- and post-natal exposure to organophosphates, lower scores on the Bayley MDI1, and higher incidence of PDD2 diagnoses.
However, as other articles point out, this is the first study to look at "the effects of exposure in the population at large." It is, to date, the largest study of its kind - measuring the levels of pesticide byproducts in the urine of 1,139 children, aged 8 to 15. But, this is where I start having a small problem.
The samples were collected during the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, conducted annually by the CDC on about 5,000 people in 15 counties across the United States. Only one sample was collected from these specific participants. One sample, upon which all subsequent conclusions were based, with no follow-up.
Briefly, the study found that children with higher levels of pesticide byproducts in their urine were more likely to be diagnosed with attention-deficit problems. It does not say that pesticide exposure causes ADDs. It also cannot, due to the lack of subsequent sampling, verify that the urine levels may fluctuate, may have been a one-time elevation, or that non-ADD-diagnosed children also experienced periodic higher levels.
Nonetheless, the connection does make sense to me. Organophosphates work by attacking the nervous system of pests. It is believed that they interfere with the function of acetylcholinesterase3, which controls acetylcholine4 levels and prevents excessive firing of neurons.
It can, therefore, be extrapolated that inhibited acetylcholinesterase / excess acetylecholine can be expected to negatively impact motor skills, learning, memory, and mood. Obviously, further extended studies are needed.
1 - The Bayley Mental Development Index (MDI) is one-third of The Bayley Scales of Infant Development and "evaluates several types of abilities: sensory/perceptual acuities, discriminations, and response; acquisition of object constancy; memory learning and problem solving; vocalization and beginning of verbal communication; basis of abstract thinking; habituation; mental mapping; complex language; and mathematical concept formation." The other two scales measure motor skills and behavior. Together they are used to identify children who may be at risk for developmental delay.
2 - NINDS (the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) defines Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDDs) as "a group of disorders characterized by delays in the development of socialization and communication skills." They include Autism, Asperger's Syndrome, and Rett's Syndrome.
3 - Acetylcholinesterase, according to MedicineNet.com, is "an enzyme that breaks down the neurotransmitter acetylcholine at the synaptic cleft (the space between two nerve cells) so the next nerve impulse can be transmitted across the synaptic gap. Pesticides of the organophosphate and carbamate types act ... by inhibiting ... acetylcholinesterase."
4 - Chemistry Encyclopedia explains that Acetylecholine is a neurotransmitter involved in "skeletal muscle movement ... the regulation of smooth muscle and cardiac muscle ... learning, memory, and mood." For nerve signals to transfer from neuron to neuron or muscle cell, acetylecholine must diffuse; higher levels in neuromuscular junctions inhibits signal movement.
Have you read this one?! Google grabs WiFi data from unsecured connections in United States, Hong Kong, Brazil, Germany, and France. By mistake.
Apparently, in the process of mapping WiFi hotspots, Google picked up bits and bytes of user transmissions and online activities from unprotected connections. The data, supposedly, has been isolated and Google is working to have it removed - securely - from their systems. Password-protected, secure networks were not accessed.
If there was ever any doubt that passwords on home networks are more than just a good idea - this would be the ultimate proof.
Well, yet another study into whether cell phone use causes cancer has been released. After a decade of investigation, the findings are out and the results are -- wait for it -- inconclusive. After reading the article, I'm not surprised.
. . .
This wasn't a quick little study, thrown together in a rush. Did they really, however, think this through - upfront? Because I am of the opinion that the methodology doomed it to fail.
In a nutshell, the 13,000 study subjects either had brain tumors (cases group) or didn't (control group). These people were not followed as they developed (or didn't) cancer. They were chosen or volunteered because they had cancer, then asked to recall -- seriously, they were asked to remember the level and type of previous cell phone usage.
As the above article points out, there are a number of, they call them potential biases, I call them problems with performing a case-control study. The largest is memory. I can't remember what I had for dinner 3 days ago, how could I possibly - accurately - provide cell phone usage details for a lengthy period?
Secondly, there is the problem created simply by being a part of the case group. If you have a brain tumor and are asked to participate in a study related to cell phone usage and cancer, how long will it take before you start (even unconsciously) remembering facts that aren't completely accurate? Probably, not long.
And what if you already harbored a belief / suspicion that your cell phone contributed to your cancer? Would you be more likely to participate? More importantly, would you be more likely to recall (again, even unconsciously) cell phone usage patterns that supported that belief? Quite possibly.
Luckily, the results of the study didn't support a cell-phones-cause-cancer claim. And the researchers didn't try to say it did.
Things are not going well in Arizona. We have far too many illegals - taking jobs, crowding classrooms, and monopolizing services designated for legal residents. States that don't understand the drain on our resources are jumping on the boycott bandwagon, taking away revenue we need, desperately.
Then - if that weren't enough - there are the snowbirds who flutter in, vote for crap they don't have to live with, and flutter back out.
Oddly enough, those aren't the biggest troubles facing Arizona. There is one - HUGE - problem that may be impossible to overcome. She-who-abandoned-Alaska is supporting the Arizona immigration bill!
Write it on your hand, brew a cuppa tea - AZ has achieved fubar!
What many people, and websites, fail to realize is that treating adult acne is much, much different than treating adolescent acne. Some of the causes may be the same. But the basic skin differences are huge.
Medications designed for super-oily teenaged skin are far too harsh for drier, more delicate adult skin. Before trying 'recommended' products, it is critical to make certain that they weren't designed for your 15-year-old. Otherwise, adults run the risk of creating more skin problems than they had to begin with.
Read More Scales
Remember that 'conversation' we were having about shopping, wishful thinking, and an intervention? Well, it may just be time. Because I have no budget for it, no need for it, nowhere to put it, and still have absolutely zero