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Ma'am vs. Senator, Integrity vs. Kiting

I don't write on this blog a whole lot, because I have a tendency to save it for things I'm really passionate about. As a Californian, I'm really passionate about 1) I don't believe Barbara Boxer should even be in office 2) I'm passionate about a US Senator being so egotistical about being called a "Senator" vs. "Ma'am" from a military officer, that she obviously sees as beneath her, as she's drilling him on something she doesn't understand. I'm also very passionate about the fact that she says "I worked so hard for that title" while she was "allegedly" check kiting in California, and that she would never be where she is if people voted with intelligence instead of the name they've heard the most on TV.

I am a military brat. My father was in the Marines. I wear it proudly now, even if I didn't enough when I was younger. As a military brat, I was raised to say "Sir" and "Ma'am". This officer did not say it as a defiance, as a derogatory thing. He said it as he would address a woman. I am sure if the "Senator" that stated what she did had been a man, he just as probably would have said "Sir".

I am always astounded at how stupid this woman can be, and I don't know why. Being that she is from California, I should be used to it! Take a look and see what you think. Feel free to leave a comment and even if you're a "Boxer" fan, I will approve it. Just remember, I had her for years in California first. LOL.

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More Goofiness Regarding The Swine Flu

I can't believe what I received in my inbox this morning. It was a letter from a doctor imploring people to not purposely expose themselves and their children to the Swine flu or H1N1 Virus, whichever you prefer.

Does this really have to be pointed out? I'm old enough to remember the days when my mother sent me out to play with every sick kid in the neighborhood so I could catch the chickenpox, measles, etc. and get it over with. People, if you think getting the swine flu now will save you later, that's not how the swine flu virus works. Not only that but if you have some underlying medical issue, maybe one you don't even know about, it can kill you! Of course the regular flu is deadly for some also, but this stuff is too dangerous to mess around with.

If you read my last post that started out about Obama Healthcare, as you read down further it explains about how I feel about the swine flu vaccine. To me that's sort of like playing Russian Roulette. They haven't tested it properly. The drug makers are not responsible if people die from it. I think that's 2 good reasons to stay away from it right there.

Like everyone else is pushing these days, the best protection from the swine flu is to wash your hands often and keep them away from your face (specifically eyes, nose, and mouth). Try to stay away from overly crowded public places. Build your immune system. I myself am lucky enough to be a distributor for the #1 vitamin maker in the world so I take my multivitamin, echinacea (I know they tried to say echinacea doesn't work, but in our family this particular one has been a Godsend), and Calcium with Vitamin D. Of course, the best vitamin D is from sunshine, but now that it's starting to turn cold and getting dark earlier, a lot of us can't get what we need from the sun. Like anything, the better quality your vitamins and supplements are, the better your immunity to the swine flu.

For a comprehensive list of swine flu symptoms and the swine flu versus the regular flu, please see my post "Swine Flu-Fact or Fiction?" I have the basic symptoms to watch out for broken down in the various age groups.

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Health Care Reform?


Everyone's all astir over the new "Obamacare" health plan, and it's really no wonder. Anytime big government gets involved, it always seems to lead to a disaster. What is really scary is this bill is supposedly over 1000 pages long, and when questioned on more than one occasion about something specific in the bill, President Obama says he "wasn't aware" it was part of the bill. I would think reading this thing and possibly taking a few notes would be a major priority since he wants to get it passed so bad. Of course, what do I know? I'm just one of the millions of Americans that has to live with the outcome, just like you.

I've never understood how insurance companies could complain about the high cost of healthcare (being the reason behind raising premiums) but never want to pay for preventative care.

About that Swine flu shot...

I'm seeing signs all over the drug stores to get your flu shot (with them of course). The flu shot the government is after everyone to get which is supposed to protect against the Swine Flu isn't even out yet. I guess the good news is instead of having to get 4 flu shots as it was when I first started reading about the new vaccine, now we're down to 2. I personally am not a fan of any flu shot, least of all one that has never been tested for safety in humans.

If that doesn't scare you, this should. Not only do they have no idea how it will react in children,
but the 2006 Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (the PREP Act) allows the DHHS Secretary to invoke almost complete immunity from liability for manufacturers of vaccines and drugs used to combat a declared public health emergency. This law removes your right to a trial jury unless you can provide clear evidence of willful misconduct that resulted in death or serious physical injury. But that's not all. First you must apply for and be granted permission to sue by the DHHS Secretary. Isn't that a bit like putting the fox in the hen house?

What it boils down to is we, the public at large are nothing more than "lab rats". The government and drug makers will worry about the side effects when they start getting reports, until then they'll just keep inoculating. In 1976 more people died from the vaccine (25) than from the flu (1). They ended up pulling the vaccine after only 10 weeks. Now, in a secret letter to neurologists because it seems to be linked to some killer nerve disease, there seems to be the same problem with this vaccine as there was then, plus one. They are using an ingredient they have no studies on at all to fall back on, to predict how humans will react. You can read the whole article about the secret letter here. I think I'll take my chances with the flu. In our county, they aren't even going to try to give it to everyone. They announced it would be too big an undertaking.

And then, last but not least...

Has anyone noticed how they are using pharmacists, nurses, doctors girlfriends to advertise Alli these days. Ever since they came out with the news that it seems to be linked to liver damage, I don't see much of Wynonna Judd as spokesperson. Feel free to read "I Knew Alli Was Too Good To Be True" here.

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Friday Foolishness- health, government, etc.

From my "There's no such thing as a free lunch" file, I just found out today that many of the states are taxing the $4500 people got for the "cash for clunkers" program. Imagine the surprise. You not only pay tax and license for your new car (tax on the full price of the car) but then come to find out in some states you will also pay income tax on it. I live in California and could not find anything on their website about a tax, but many states have already incorporated it. You may want to check with the governing tax board in your state. Nice aye?

Anyone who reads this blog cannot help but know how I feel about Big Pharma and some of their underhanded shinanagins. You would also know how I feel about the vaccine Gardasil. It seems a new report has come to light that Merk, the maker of Gardasil payed doctors to promote the vaccine. Why does this not surprise me? Merck has admitted that it provided $199,000 to the ACHA, $300,000 to the ASCCP, and $250,000 to the SGO to fund "education efforts." Then these organizations wonder why people like me don't trust them. It's my daughters that are subject to their greed.

Dr. William Campbell Douglas II says that according to a leaked document from the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, in order to make up for a $200 million budget deficit, the organization is considering cutting over 6,000 surgeries and closing over 25 percent of its operating rooms (after all, if you're canceling surgeries, what do you need the operating rooms for?). How's Obamacare sounding now? Do you really think if this passes it won't be another place to do budget cuts?

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The Truth Coming Out About Alli

Today I posted concerning the news breaking yesterday concerning the weight loss pills, Alli. So as to not repeat myself please see it at http://www.ldbeams.wordpress.com

Enjoy =)

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Sharing Little Known Health Secrets

Anyone who has followed me for any length of time, knows I love these little sales letters that come in the design of a magazine trying to sell you something, usually a book. I just got my new copy of "Healing Gazette" and thought I would share some of it's newest bizarre "health secrets".

The fact that the flu season is coming is known to anyone over the age of 6. These are a couple of things you may not know to help fight it.

  1. This one's my favorite. You'll see why in a second. Over and over again I have expounded on how wonderful I believe echinacea is. Well it seems all this time I could have been getting it to work even better if I mix 1 1/2 oz. of echinacea root, 3/4 cup of water and 3/4 cup of vodka. Now the book warns not to take echinacea for prolonged use or it will lose some of it's effectiveness. It doesn't mention anything about turning into an alchoholic with the vodka. LOL
  2. Some of these can be pretty stinky, but if they work, hey... Also for fighting the flu, it says to coat the soles of your feet with olive oil, then rub a sliced garlic clove on them. Put on a pair of socks and you wake up the next day feeling like a new person!
  3. For stuffed sinuses it says to use fried salt. I've never really heard of fried salt like you would fry and egg, but here you go. After you fry it, spread it out on a clean towel. Fold it up and lay it on the bridge of your nose. (I wouldn't use to big a towel).
  4. Also for stuffy noses it says to apply a thin layer of olive oil to the bony part of your nose, and then follow with a couple drops of eucalyptus oil in the same place. Then place a hot washcloth on your face for 15 min. and the congestion will clear.
  5. To fight fatigue with the flu, add 1 TBSP. olive oil to 3 or 4 drops of peppermint oil and massage into your feet. I wonder if Rachel Ray knows about that one for her EVOO?
That's about it for today. If you're like me and afraid as hell of the flu shot, maybe these will help. In the meantime, wash your hands often and don't let anyone cough in your face.

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What About The Obama Healthcare Plan?

I don't know about you, but I am definitely confused. So far I haven't seen anything written that says what the new Healthcare Plan will be. I am getting pulled back and forth from both sides saying I should want it (especially since I'm one of the millions without any healthcare), or I should be fighting it because even without healthcare, adopting his plan would be worse. What I'm wondering is how in the Sam hell do I know without seeing it?

I know I don't want socialized medicine. Everyone talks about Canada, but when I was married to a Canadian they took 50% of his check to pay for the "free healthcare" he had. When he needed an operation on his leg, it took months to get us in and it wasn't as if we could just go somewhere else.

I did find an informative .pdf this morning that outlines what they want to fix. My problem with it is no where do they say how they plan to fix it. Personally I feel like you or I could have written this. I think most of us know what's wrong with the health care system, but just like this paper, we don't have the "how". I've always thought that a lot of health care costs would be cut if more insurance companies paid for preventative medicine instead of waiting until someone's got a full blown disease and then paying to try and fix it. Most companies pay for very few preventative measures, which has never made much sense to me.

Another excellent article in Fortune talks about how our freedom to choose our own healthcare plan would really work. There's a lot of information here that I haven't even heard brought up. I'll have to start my list of questions so it's ready when we get our "Townhall meeting" here. LOL.

This is what I do know. I know that the "stimulus plan" spent a ton of money but didn't anticipate very accurately what people would do with that money, and thus didn't seem to stimulate the economy much at all. People spend that paltry little bit by paying a bill or putting it in savings. Lottery winners stimulate the economy. LOL. The money businesses got, a good portion of them (like banks) didn't even have to account for where the money went, until the second hand out. When they did have to account for their spending (there were strings attached to the hand outs) many gave it back or paid it back quickly.

I know that people with fairly new cars are turning them in to the "cash for clunkers" program. One lady turned her newer (2004 Ford) car because it was in an accident and she didn't want to pay to get it fixed (or tell her insurance company). Meanwhile people driving 1988 gas guzzlers are still driving them because they either can't afford or don't want a car payment. Here's the good part. They didn't even make it mandatory to buy a car made in America! You would think when they handed out the second round of cash they would have fixed a few "holes" in the system.

I know that offering big banks a $1000.00 incentive to keep people in their homes is nothing. The execs at B of A and Wells Fargo probably wipe their butts with that money. It was just $500.00 and then they wonder why that program isn't doing anything. The programs they enacted to help homeowners refinance out of their current problems, some of them the guidelines were so strict, one program has only helped one homeowner in all the months it's been in force.

When President Obama took office I was right behind him with my support giving him the benefit of the doubt. I think that's as it should be when you love your country, but I'm afraid it's not like how I love my kids, right or wrong. I have to say so far I'm not impressed. It all just looks like one more government, bureaucratic screw up to me.

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Swine Flu Vaccine- Deadly or Preventative?

I'm getting a bit spooked lately. We're coming to the end of summer and soon the leaves will be turning color to bring our attention to fall. The children are getting back to school and soon will be bringing home the sicknesses ever present when a bunch of school children first get back together. In most places October marks the beginning of flu season and we see the warnings and advice to get our flu shots before the flu gets us.

What spooks me this year is they are already talking about getting flu shots and making it mandatory for school children due to the Swine Flu breaking out last year. I'm supposed to believe that this year's flu vaccine is perfectly safe for my children, my 78 yr. old mother and myself, even tho I can't see how they have had time to go through any testing or trials. Usually it takes years for Big Pharma to bring a product to market, even when they fudge the tests and lie about the outcomes. How is it that they can have a flu vaccine that is going to protect, is perfectly safe, and not harm my family even though they've only been working on it since last year?

As if that is not scary enough, they are suggesting Tamiflu for pregnant women. This is because complications may arize from the flu that require hospitalization. One example I saw on the noon news, they were actually giving the woman a double dosage, even though they have no idea what the effect will be on her unborn child. According to the "Patient Information" sheet supplied by the maker of Tamiflu, "Tamiflu is normally not recommended for use during pregnancy or nursing, as the effects on the unborn child or nursing infant are unknown." We're supposed to put our faith and trust in these doctors.

Once again I will have my family skip flu shots this year and use natural health measures to boost immunities rather than take a chance on Big Pharma's help. I don't want to find out later that it's hurting more people than helping as in the case of when they were going to make Gardasil mandatory.

First up is more Vitamin D. From an article I read they have basically come to the conclusion that flu season hits when it does because we are not out in the sunshine as much. The days are shorter and colder and our exposure to sunlight, especially on rainy days is minimal. A nationwide study in the U.S. found about 9 percent of the children were vitamin D deficient but 61 percent of them were vitamin D insufficient. Researchers are looking at possible new recommendations regarding how much Vitamin D and calcium we should be taking given these new statistics. Right now the recommendations are to aim for 800-1000 IU of vitamin D each day with at least 400 IU coming from food sources if possible. A multivitamin-mineral supplement may be the way to go to make up the remainder if you find that you are low in other key nutrients as well. If not, you could take a vitamin D supplement with calcium to help with healthier bones as well. When selecting a vitamin D supplement, select one that contains cholecalciferol or D3 if possible because of its better absorption. In addition, to maximize your supplement absorption, take your supplement with a meal or snack that contains some fat.

Even though it's taken some bashing in the papers, I personally am also a big fan of Echinacia. It comes in either a tablet or liquid form. For my family it has helped cut short colds and stopped colds from taking over when taken in advance to being exposed. I also believe in taking plenty of vitamin C. Being a smoker I use up just about all I take in. They say if you smoke you should take up to 3000 mg per day. The current recommendation from the FDA is only 250 mg which is just what's needed to prevent Scurvy. The more useful recommendation is approx. 1000 mg. per day according to the studies I've read.

One of the biggest things is to not believe everything Big Pharma puts out. Do some research on your own, and don't panic. For more information regarding symptoms, etc. see my post Swine Flu-Fact or Fiction

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Another Money Saving Shopping Tip For You

Whose not looking for ways to save money these days? Even the people that still have a job and have money to spend are living in fear of spending it in case tomorrow the 'other shoe drops'. I know my BF has been out of work for a year next month. We had no clue anything was wrong when he got canned. Everyone said how well liked he was, how good he was, blah, blah, blah. We thought he would be there until he couldn't work any more. Everyone thought he was terrific. Everyone but one very important decision maker, and it was his choice to let the BF go.

Like everyone else who has had their incomes cut, either by losing hours or their job, we are cutting corners in any areas that we can. One of those places is groceries and consumables, those items we need or want that we use again and again. Thank goodness there are so many sites and blogs on the internet right now that are playing to the economy and offering substantial discounts, deals, or free shipping. I for one, am back to clipping coupons also. Between the coupons and buying the things that are on sale, you can cut substantially off the cost of groceries.

One site you're probably not going to see listed with the rest of them is a site called Aisle 19. Aisle 19 is a site that is free to join, but it's by invitation only. Inside there are more than 600 stores (Target, Safeway, etc) and service sites (Restaurants.com, 1-800-flowers). If you already shop online with a creditcard, this is a great money saving site. If you shop with a card that gives you cash rewards, that's even better because this site gives cash rewards on almost everything you buy. It's like getting double, plus there are a lot of deals they don't offer anywhere else and many have free shipping. All of this together can save you quite a bit.

If you would like to see how it works you can go here and watch the little 3 minute video and then go here as my "invited guest" to sign up. Happy saving/shopping!

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All This Swine Flu Stuff- Fact or Fiction?

Every day there's more news about how many new cases of flu have been discovered and where. The latest numbers that I have seen:

Officials have confirmed at least 93 cases in the United States, including 51 in New York, 14 in California, 16 in Texas, three in Maine; two in Kansas, two in Massachusetts, and one each in Indiana, Ohio, Arizona and Nevada. CDC also said Michigan had two, but state officials maintained only one was confirmed. As of yesterday a 23 month old in Texas who traveled with it's mother from Mexico, is the only victim in the US that has died, and they have discovered 2 more cases in San Mateo, CA this morning.
I have to confess, until this happened I have never really understood what a "Pandemic" was. I just thought somehow it was connected to an "epidemic". I never really paid attention during SARS or the bird flu because it never seemed to get so out of hand so fast. Now it's hitting close to home so if any one else doesn't understand it here you go-

A pandemic is an epidemic that spreads around the whole world. Pandemics also often cause more severe disease than epidemics.
I think it's very important to keep the public informed and remind them of ways to prevent getting it. Unfortunately informing the public also means panic in most cases. Once again "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" and most of it is just pure common sense precautions you would take in any situation where you may catch an illness from someone else.
According to the news here, in some places there isn't a face mask or bottle of anti-bacterial soap to be had. While these are great to have on hand, according to a lot of physicians they don't really help much. The main things to remember are to wash your hands often, don't touch any of your sinus cavities (eyes, nose, mouth), and stay out of places where people are breathing on you, sneezing, or coughing. If you have symptoms yourself, take precautions not to infect others. This means no matter how guilty your boss makes you feel for calling in sick, STAY HOME. Wash your hands often, cover your mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing, and throw tissues away immediately.

The initial symptoms of this flu virus are like those of the regular, annual flu viruses: fever, muscle aches, runny nose, and sore throat. Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may be more common with this swine flu than with the regular flu, although to me those are the things that always defined a flu vs. a cold, etc. People should seek medical attention immediately if more serious symptoms develop.

For adults, teens, and kids age 3 to 12, the most worrisome symptoms are:

Shortness of breath
Persistent vomiting
Confusion
Dizziness

For children younger than 2, the most worrisome symptoms are:

Very rapid breathing
Not interacting normally, not eating or drinking normally, being unusually irritable, or appearing unusually sleepy
High fever and rash
A bluish color of the lips and skin

Adults should be considered contagious until at least 7 days after the start of symptoms; with children, it may be 10 to 14 days.

Another symptom of the panic is people are starting to order Tamiflu online without a prescription and self medicating. This is really scary. The regular yearly flu shot is ineffective for this particular strain of flu, so people are looking for other answers. I saw on one of the message boards this morning where someone was bragging about being "all stocked up without a prescription" and telling others where to get it. According to one of the health newsletters I get-
Let's not forget that Tamiflu comes with its own problems, including side effects like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, dizziness, fatigue, cough…the very symptoms you're trying to avoid. And let's not forget that Japan banned this drug for children back in 2007, after links to suicidal behavior.
They are in a dead heat to find a vaccine for this and unfortunately if they come up with one they won't have time for clinical trials to see how effective or how dangerous it is, so the best thing is to do what you can to protect your own immune system. Personally in our house, we use Nutrilite Triple Guard Echinacea. I know there were a couple of headlines that say it doesn't work, but between my kids and my customers, you'd be hard-pressed proving to them it doesn't work. My kids reach for it as soon as they feel like they're coming down with something and I don't even have to remind them. LOL.

Oh, and by the way, cooked properly it's as safe as it ever was to eat pork. LOL.

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Stop The Travesty! Updates on Gardasil


I don't know how many of you read my original post on Gardasil about 3 weeks after my oldest daughter got her 3rd shot. She had decided to do this on her own without my knowledge (she's 27 now). By the 3rd week after her 3rd shot her arm was still so sore that she couldn't raise it past her shoulder. She had been having trouble working and was starting to become concerned and finally told me about it.

I did quite a bit of research at that time and was quite alarmed to find how many adverse reactions had been reported and how many side effects were never mentioned by Merk. At that time I believe the death toll was about 9 girls. Here we are less than a year later and the numbers are staggering, and they are still promoting this to be safe and effective for all girls. The death toll was up to 29 as of January of this year, emergency room visits up to over 5000.

Now they are talking about starting little girls as young as 9 years old, giving it to boys to stop the virus where it starts, and some states are still talking about making it mandatory. I can see why Merk doesn't want to acknowledge what's happening. They're making a fortune on this drug, but to whose expense? I was astounded to see the number of videos on YouTube that were dedicated to the memory of young, vibrant, healthy girls that either have no life anymore due to their lack of ability to do anything, to actually dying after having the vaccine.

I am begging you if you have a daughter or know someone who has a daughter between the ages of 9 and 26 years old, please go to http://www.nvic.org/ and get the facts about this vaccine that is murdering our children. Please sign the petition to stop this insanity. Also, go to YouTube and search "Gardasil" and watch some of these tragic stories. Listen to the mothers who either have no daughter anymore, or live with guilt and regret every day over the decision to get their daughters vaccinated.

Ask President Obama if he's going to have his girls vaccinated with Gardasil when they are old enough. If not, why is it good enough for our daughters but not for his? I bet with a little education Michelle would have something to say about that.

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Who Will The Tax Man Get Next? You?


As I said in my previous post, I'm pretty upset about the (outrageous)raise of taxes on cigarettes. I (told you so) that we were just the first, but wouldn't be the last. Now they're hitting me in another vice. Below is what I received in my email from my subscription to Nightclub & Bar Magazine.



SAVE JOBS – STOP TAX HIKES! Join Us In The Fight To Protect Hardworking Americans

As a Nightclub & Bar partner, you need to know about a serious threat facing our industry. With the economy suffering, both state and federal government are considering huge tax increases on alcohol products. This will cost jobs in our industry— including those of small business owners, servers and bartenders like you who are the lifeblood of our economy. We need your personal involvement and help.
There's a real price to pay when elected officials misguidedly try to replenish state budgets with regressive taxes that will hit us at a time when we are already being hit hard economically. These taxes will cause folks who work hard every day to lose their jobs. In fact, the last time they raised taxes on alcohol, $1.3 billion in wages were lost, while 98,000 people found themselves out of work.
Hardly sounds fair, does it?
It's time to SAY NO to higher taxes that will put jobs at risk and raise prices on the people who can afford it the least. Taking action is easy and won't take much of your time, but it will make a giant difference: CLICK HERE to join the fight against irresponsible and regressive taxes.
Also, and very importantly, it is vital to our industry and our effort to protect jobs that everyone in the industry make their voice heard. I urge you to forward this link, http://corp.questexmediagroup.com/t/499706/7342787/33101/0/, to your friends, colleagues, and family members who share our conviction that these misguided taxes will harm our industry and cause severe job cuts. You can also send them an e-mail asking for their help on this issue by CLICKING HERE and providing their names and email addresses on our Send to a Friend form. The more voices our government representatives hear the more likely they are to listen and prevent these ill-advised tax increases. Thanks very much for your help on this important matter.
Together, we can protect our jobs, our livelihoods, and the right to responsibly enjoy a drink.
Cheers!
Donna Hood CreccaEditorial DirectorNightclub & Bar Please drink responsibly.
I'm telling you, it's just a matter of time until they get to something that affects what you eat, or drink, or do. How did it get to this?
I'm in the process of looking for a new place to live. This campaign to stamp out smoking has made smokers a complete outcast. It's easier to find a place to live with pets than if you smoke. What happens when they say if you're obese you can't rent because it causes wear and tear, like in the days when they made the rules against waterbeds? It sounds crazy, but then again, that's what they said when the anti-smoking laws were just coming into being.

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Victim of Cigarette Taxes


As of March 31, 2009 tax on cigarettes in California jump from $.39 a pack to $1.01. That raised the price of a carton by $10.00 ea. after each agency adds their share. In New York, cigarettes under the guise of "being good for our health" are going up to $9.00 a pack. That's ludicrous! While no one likes our smoke they sure like spending the money it provides. Don't they get it that they're just killing the Golden Goose? With this tax hike they surely will get more people to quit. What do they think happens when all the smokers quit or buy off the black market, or in another state where it is cheaper? Down go the very revenues they're trying to raise.


Ok, I admit it. I am a smoker. I know I should quit. I know it's a "filthy habit". I know it stinks, but I really don't want to quit. I really don't want to be forced to. Whether you are a smoker or not, I'm sure that you'll agree it's not right to discriminate against any particular sector of society for any reason. It starts with us smokers, but whose next? Will it be obese people and snack foods, or white bread, or white sugar? Will it be old people who have pets because the government knows they won't give them up. It would be like giving up one of the family. Will they start upping the taxes on alcohol or prescription drugs? Where else can they milk the American people for more money?


Don't even tell me about the health care cost to the public. It can't be any more than it is for the alcoholics that are homeless and never sober up, or the people with diabetes due to obesity, or heart conditions or many other diseases caused by things we do (or whatever they're looking to blame it on this week). The people I know that have died from smoking all had insurance that paid for their care and it didn't cost "the public" anything.


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Anyone Else Afraid To Buy Peanut Butter?

Another salmonella outbreak causing death and sickness everywhere and it's not due to some foreign country but once again, our own plants here in the US.

I noticed we're out of peanut butter as I write this. Trying to do a little research as to which ones were not recalled first pointed me in the direction
Peter Pan peanut butter. They have taken out a pay-per-click ad plus an ad in print with a coupon, to alert consumers that they are not part of the recall. That's all well and good until I looked up ConAgra foods (which to me anything that tells us up front it's a con probably is). It appears they recalled Peter Pan themselves for salmonella back in 2007. Do I think they learned anything from that and trust that their plant is spotlessly clean? Probably not, at least not enough to go buy Peter Pan.

Another peanut butter not on the recall list is Jif, owned by Smuckers. I had switched from Skippy (also not on the list) to Jif awhile back as they are one of the few commercial peanut butters that also don't use high fructose corn syrup. I don't care what they try to tell you in TV commercials, high fructose corn syrup is not a good thing, but that's an article for another day.

It's amazing to me the top food producers whose food has been included in the recall. Nestle, Famous Amos, Little Debbie, just to name a few. If you would like to see the full list, they have it on the FDA website. It's pretty shocking how far reaching it is. A lot of the foods we buy under our grocery store's brand (Whole Foods, Trader Joe's) have also been recalled because they used the peanut paste in their products.

I guess the only "safe" food is food we grow or process ourselves, but even that's not necessarily true. They say to kill salmonella food has to reach a temperature of 140-165 degrees but how many people really use a thermometer while cooking? How many people freeze food thinking that will kill the bacteria. For now I guess I'll protect myself the best I can and hope they hire more inspectors at the FDA.

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Valentine's Day is Coming Fast!

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Here's To The New Year and The New Life

One of the choices I have made for the New Year is to make better use of this blog. I usually try to bring to the forfront news items that I think are important for people to pay more attention to that really don't seem to get enough attention from the media. I still plan on doing that, but as the title says, I am going to start using this more for everything that is going on with me, news, daily life, rants,etc. I'm thinking if I use it like that, maybe I'll get more use out of it, because I really was considering just deleting it. So here's to a New Year, new start on the blog, new start on life, etc. etc. etc.

I'm still working on tying up the loose ends of 2008. Well actually I have loose ends all the way back to 2002. One new thing for me is fighting procrastination. Another is to focus and finish what I start. Actually that's two, but they seem to go hand in hand. I'm learning some new ways on time management (which is a misnomer because what we really need to manage is us) and have adopted a new planner on line.

I get very excited and motivated this time of year. I'm still hoping to get up a membership site for all my old friends and aquaintances from Ron's farmhouse and the bars everybody spread to. I don't make it out much so it will help me reconnect as well. I'd love to know where everybody's hanging these days and what everybody's up to. It'll be 2 yrs. in April since we closed. Time sure flies!

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