tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-117609202024-03-14T06:28:30.470-07:00Melissa's MiscellaniThe occasional mouthing-offs and meanderings about things I don't write about at my web sites.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06294935630942542388noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11760920.post-5438790757514149072014-05-08T23:47:00.000-07:002014-05-09T11:04:41.583-07:00What’s the scoop on all the poop?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
</style>
<![endif]--><span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">I started trying to walk again a couple of years ago, but ended up doing too much which caused my Lyme disease symptoms to worsen to some really dark and ugly places. Earlier this year, I had to put to sleep the dog who had been sharing my life for a couple of years. I walked when I was up to it, and it was nice to be able to swing along when I could without having to stop (or be forcibly stopped) for the being on the other end of the lead to investigate some interesting scent or overlay her own upon someone elses.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Six weeks ago, I adopted another dog, a small one, something I have never had before. Well, other than the toy poodle I was raised with (which may 'splain some things....). In recognition of the fact that I am getting older, can no longer lift a 50+ pound dog who doesn't want to be lifted, and I might some day move into a place where a 50+ pound dog may not be welcomed or fit, I decided to downsize. Meet Bodhi, a sweet four year old chihuahua who may, by birth or past life, have some terrier in him.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKbFvDeu9ob1DOuSigIjQiRwPvuZvH9c5kiKgATxeFAzlo1Irqzn_dh5hrn86IQ1C8bNOYg2Jm6khTW0iLLiVIkLM48EO4GCz4UsYYdcHCV2JdAXlJiLKR0PTM0skkfKVhcd2XQQ/s1600/2014-05-04+Bodhi+after+walk+&+dinner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKbFvDeu9ob1DOuSigIjQiRwPvuZvH9c5kiKgATxeFAzlo1Irqzn_dh5hrn86IQ1C8bNOYg2Jm6khTW0iLLiVIkLM48EO4GCz4UsYYdcHCV2JdAXlJiLKR0PTM0skkfKVhcd2XQQ/s1600/2014-05-04+Bodhi+after+walk+&+dinner.jpg" height="272" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">And so it is that I am once again having to notice all the things the being at the other end of the lead notices when we are out walking, which includes all the other dogs' poop that the beings on the other end of their leads didn't notice them leaving or, more likely, didn't give a shit. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">No pun intended.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Since I know that my neighborhood, as nice as it is, is not unique in having self-centered dog keepers out walking their dogs, I figured I'd break my long silence on this blog and share the what I wrote to submit to my neighborhood's monthly newsletter. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">If it is something you might find useful to put in your neighborhood newsletter, feel free to reprint with attribution.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">-- -- -- -- -- -- </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>What's the Scoop on All the Poop?</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The scoop
is that there are people out there walking their dogs who don’t feel they have
to pick up their dog’s poop. There’s
poop in yards near the sidewalk, poop in the parking strip between the sidewalk
and street, and, my personal favorite, poop on the sidewalk. Really?
If I, with my impaired memory and being in physical pain pretty much all
the time, can remember to carry a couple of poop bags with me when I take my
dog for a walk and use them when my dog poops, others can, too. The very few times I find myself without a
bag, I note the spot and came back to pick it up after I get back home to grab
a bag. If you don’t have used produce bags,
newspaper wrappers and other used bags that will securely hold poop until you
get home or to an accessible trash can, you can buy them at pretty much any
place that sells pet supplies, including drugstores, grocery stores,
WalTargKMart, even the Dollar-type stores.
Don’t have pockets? Wear a waist pack, stick ‘em in your waistband,
under your watchband, or tuck one in your bra (really? I’m the only one who does this??). Or, you can buy little canisters that clip
onto your dog’s leash or onto your waistband that hold a roll of bags. Life’s poopy enough without having to step in
someone else’s. So, please police your
pooch and pick up the poop.</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">-- -- -- -- -- -- </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Lest you think it is just me being cranky and crazy about other people's (dog's) poop, it is truly a health hazard, to other dogs, to the children who play on the sidewalks and in their yards, and to the the wildlife and pet dogs and cats, children and adults who walk along and splash through the creeks that wend through our town and into which the water tha runs off our streets into the storm drains flows...along with the trash and dog crap that flow along with it.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A friend of mine writes at some length about the health risks to other dogs and humans from the dog feces left festooning our walkways in her article <a href="http://www.vin.com/vetzinsight/default.aspx?pid=756&catId=5860&id=5849626" target="_blank">Poop Parity: Just Pick It Up</a>. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span>
Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06294935630942542388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11760920.post-27499370037827999202012-03-31T14:06:00.000-07:002012-03-31T14:06:53.691-07:00<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I received the following forward today, from someone whom I knows knows better:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Many of you have likely seen the heart rending testimony of Ms. Sandra Fluke, a law student at Georgetown University, before a Congressional Committee this week. She was lamenting that no one would subsidize her birth control expenses, which she claimed would amount to $3000 during her three years in law school. After watching Ms. Fluke describe her desperate situation, I set to thinking of ways to help her out of her crisis.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br />
First, of course I had to pass through the grieving period I experienced after hearing of her inhumane treatment at the hands of the Georgetown administration and our Government – what cruelty lurks in the heart of men that they would leave this poor woman to fend for herself when all she wanted to do was get laid seven times a day (see my analysis below).<br />
<br />
Once I recovered from my grief, I set to thinking about ways to help this poor girl. Being a Physicist, I sat down with my calculator and worked through some numbers. Ms. Fluke’s expense account for birth control (aka sexual entertainment) was claimed to be $3000 for three years at law school. Let’s presume that as an educated woman she wants to be doubly safe and uses both birth control pills to prevent pregnancy and condoms to prevent STD (sexually transmitted disease).<br />
<br />
Using the Wal-Mart cost for birth control pills of $9 per month, her birth control pills will cost her $324 for her entire law school career (if you can call it a career – I can think of other names). This leaves only $2676 for her condoms.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>I went to Amazon.com, and found quality condoms available for 33 cents each in packages of 60 condoms each. This cost includes tax and shipping. Since she has $2676 for her 33 cent condoms, she will be buying 8109 condoms during her law school “career”. To use her 8109 condoms (remember, $3000 was Ms. Flukes’ own number) she would have to have sex 7 times a day. This number presumes that she has sex ten times a day on Sundays when she has more free time.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>So, having worked through these numbers, I have some suggestions for Ms. Fluke to help her work through her crisis:<o:p></o:p></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>1. Find dates who are gentlemanly enough to either provide their own condoms, or at least split the cost with her. Selection criteria is the key to this one.</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br />
2. Spend more time studying. Even seven “quickies” a day will seriously cut into quality study time. This would not only save money but would improve her education as well.<br />
<br />
</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>3. Seek funding from the EPA from one of their Wetlands Protection programs – surely Ms. Flukes’ nether regions would qualify as wetlands given sex seven times a day. Just trying to help out a starving student....<o:p></o:p></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>By the way, the average starting salary of new Georgetown Law School graduates is $160,000 a year, FYI.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><br />
</div><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Booth R. Myers, PhD</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Yo! Dr. Myers. Even law school graduates--<a href="http://www.startribune.com/opinion/commentaries/144230865.html" target="_blank">even former states attorney generals</a>--are having a tough time finding a job in the continuing crappy economy. So, stick to physics, okay?)</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">It would be nice if the people who have so widely commented on Fluke’s ‘testimony’ would actually read the transcript of what she actually said… Most pundits and eejits like Rush clearly haven’t. Including the physicist’s whose words of, well, eejitsness just added to the noise rather than the signal on this topic.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Here you can read it, or listen to it: </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://current.com/1ahv4kc">http://current.com/1ahv4kc</a></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">As for those who think that there is a single generic birth control that can be obtained from Walmart for $4/30 day supply (in most states; in others, including California, it’s $9/30 day supply), think again. There are 80 different types of birth control pills, each containing varying amounts of the different hormones which, when combined, can prevent most incidents of an egg getting fertilized and implanted in the placental wall. Most of these drugs are NOT available through the $4 Walmart program, so they will cost in the neighborhood of $70-100/month. That’s because, for the pills to be effective for any and all of the reasons for which they may be prescribed (which include, but is not limited to, preventing conception), you have to take them for the whole month (well, 28 days, plus a week of placebo pills so you don’t forget to start taking the next month’s round). Check out the pricing yourself at my favorite online pharmacy, which I’ve found to generally have the best prices if one can’t get to a Costco: <a href="http://www.familymeds.com/">www.familymeds.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I’m hoping you all (males, not the female here) know what Rush and some of his supporters clearly don’t: You can’t just take a birth control when you have sex. Apparently, Rush and others has confused this with his Viagra, which is taken when wants to have sex. (I remember going to a school function with one of my college professors who had recently gotten divorced. He asked me to get a map out of the glove compartment. When I opened it and rummaged through looking for the map, I came across a card of birth control pills. I asked him why he had it. Yes, he was under the same impression as Rush: take it when you do it and you won’t get pregnant, so a 30 day pill pack meant 30 times to get lucky.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Thirty years, and apparently most men still haven’t learned how their wimmen’s plumbing works.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">List of birth control pill brands:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a601050.html#brand-name-2">http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a601050.html#brand-name-2</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’m all for men paying their share. Unfortunately, most women are reluctant to force the issue, and most men don’t think of it, or don’t think it’s their responsibility. That’s too bad. If ALL women just simply refused to have sex, ever, until men stopped deciding they know what’s better for women than women and their doctors do, then we’d probably see some changes come down the line that actually made sense. I mean, seriously, who wants men like Rush, Booth Myers, or others like them in their vaginas anyway? ::shudder::<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06294935630942542388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11760920.post-23375690709774276372010-02-16T11:15:00.001-08:002010-02-16T11:46:12.087-08:00Kimchee<span style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >Inspired by the success of my sauerkraut, but wanting something a bit perkier to have on hand as an alternative to the kraut, I decided to try making kimchee. There are many, many, many recipes for kimchee out there, so I read a dozen or so, and saved four of them to ponder, then distilled them down into the following:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">LACTO-FERMENTED KIMCHEE MK</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Cut into 1" pieces:</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 Napa cabbage (discarding the hard joins at the base and core)</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 6-7 in. 'baby' bok choi</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Place a couple of inches of the cabbage mixture into a large jar or bowl, and cover with a brine made of:</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">3 qts filtered (chlorine-free) water</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">2 cups water kefir (or whey, or you can just use 3.5 qts water) </span> <br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2 T. salt</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Pound/Mash the cabbage mixture using a potato masher or muddler to break up some of the cell walls, then layer on more cabbage and more brine, mashing/muddling between layers, until all the cabbage and brine have been put into the brining jar/bowl.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">If the cabbage is not completely submerged (some will float), put a plastic bag into the mouth of the jar, and pour water into the bag. Seal the bag. This will keep air and dust from getting in.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Soak for 12 hours.</span><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF_a2_Y0SJcbcqK-Pp1sXmRmS0_rq15W7jcGK2O4-fpRGrJ7bW0q-Ofta35Kp5tBxzTlPWbyETsAaWhBZiIKm-YVLNJxijbJBgYuqjvk_DNTrrjQL7QhdDh6-TkPGLoseaWoOYOA/s1600-h/kimchee-brining.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 219px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF_a2_Y0SJcbcqK-Pp1sXmRmS0_rq15W7jcGK2O4-fpRGrJ7bW0q-Ofta35Kp5tBxzTlPWbyETsAaWhBZiIKm-YVLNJxijbJBgYuqjvk_DNTrrjQL7QhdDh6-TkPGLoseaWoOYOA/s320/kimchee-brining.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438927345710800002" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Once the soaking period is over, remove the cabbage from the brine, reserving the brine.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Toss the cabbage with:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">2 cloves garlic, minced</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 T ginger, minced</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">2" ginger root, sliced and cut into sticks</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 medium daikon radish, sliced and cut into sticks</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1 medium carrot, sliced and cut into sticks</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">4 green onions, whites sliced, greens sliced thinly on the diagonal</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ0y6RjOPF7UEt5aM102xLz97Tog9_GlT3z5yAlX3wd8hJZ2G538cu-HrdrmAONE1rlNSb82iTdvZIwpvvbOTFE0XW9IyghJYmPr1PEtahc9iPxMWgvoMGNQ8AeqSo_eoe5FRIbA/s1600-h/kimchee-cabbage-mix.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ0y6RjOPF7UEt5aM102xLz97Tog9_GlT3z5yAlX3wd8hJZ2G538cu-HrdrmAONE1rlNSb82iTdvZIwpvvbOTFE0XW9IyghJYmPr1PEtahc9iPxMWgvoMGNQ8AeqSo_eoe5FRIbA/s320/kimchee-cabbage-mix.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438922381903447106" border="0" /></a></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />In a bowl, whisk together the sauce:<br /><br />1/3 cup fish sauce<br />1-2 T. sriracha (I used 2 and skipped the flakes)<br />1 t. chili pepper flakes (optional)<br /><br />Toss the cabbage mixture with the sauce, making sure the sauce is distributed throughout. When well mixed, stir in:<br /><br />½ cup water kefir grains (optional)<br /><br />Once everything is thoroughly mixed together, pack the cabbage mixture into one or more jars, allowing some room for expansion. If any sauce remains in the mixing bowl, pour it into the jar(s). If the cabbage mixture is not covered by the sauce and juices, add some of the reserved brine to the jars to cover the contents.<br /><br />Screw the lid on the jar tightly.If your jar does not have a lid, push a plastic food storage bag into the mouth of the jar, and pour any remaining brine or plain water into the bag. Seal the bag, and make sure it is spread out over the contents in the jar. This will keep air and dust from getting in.<br /><br />Let the kimchee ferment in a cool place, at a temperature no higher than 68° F, for 3 to 6 days, until the kimchee is as sour as you like.<br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivSi0wNxaPCccHDC6LRfS6VyaZ-7YxaLIcefh-WYOY8ifYVXj6hGz6G-4VY8vQjb7MRtVViI6-vN8kkXpnBWsAXfUV2tWcjRKcThlsG3sgd1YEfhGBitiiuCMM9w5fIa_jZe0yZg/s1600-h/kimchee-first-quarts.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivSi0wNxaPCccHDC6LRfS6VyaZ-7YxaLIcefh-WYOY8ifYVXj6hGz6G-4VY8vQjb7MRtVViI6-vN8kkXpnBWsAXfUV2tWcjRKcThlsG3sgd1YEfhGBitiiuCMM9w5fIa_jZe0yZg/s320/kimchee-first-quarts.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438922389322661346" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I put up the kimchee last Friday. Today I tasted it - yum! The jars are now happily albeit more slowly continuing to ferment inside my fridge.<br /></span>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06294935630942542388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11760920.post-50302320197297582932010-02-07T22:56:00.000-08:002010-02-16T11:48:11.181-08:00When life hands you lemons...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHm9dDCeFg93RqN_Zmv0lGpwpdPsm3Gw37PvhkRmeA0YQO41PXoWwiNBncjaaX-zOyQCoeCu_wOSQZiiQjgh4_0kE2KqVtspY_5evfZn-Bo3xq04VQf-BHjitw0KV60Ags1oX0vA/s1600-h/candied-lemons+001.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHm9dDCeFg93RqN_Zmv0lGpwpdPsm3Gw37PvhkRmeA0YQO41PXoWwiNBncjaaX-zOyQCoeCu_wOSQZiiQjgh4_0kE2KqVtspY_5evfZn-Bo3xq04VQf-BHjitw0KV60Ags1oX0vA/s320/candied-lemons+001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435763433637370098" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">candy their little yellow asses!</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyjh-LTexZeUGkwXGmDsTplwUjyLt0wOvXsFHLoYuuaw3dKCZA0TzJyXjA63T1kUrIv3rZckYdnkoworleXM49AdzAJTgkNBxwzTxcVWttBZQ_Holu8hf1IiOWOiAe1qGSMVwmKQ/s1600-h/candied-lemons+004.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyjh-LTexZeUGkwXGmDsTplwUjyLt0wOvXsFHLoYuuaw3dKCZA0TzJyXjA63T1kUrIv3rZckYdnkoworleXM49AdzAJTgkNBxwzTxcVWttBZQ_Holu8hf1IiOWOiAe1qGSMVwmKQ/s320/candied-lemons+004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435763445358467026" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">At least, that's what I'm trying to do. Still have 24+ hours to go before I find out if they candied or not.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Update Feb 11: </span> Well more than 24 hours. I decided to bring them to a boil again on the next day, adding some more sugar, and then repeat it again on the following day (without the additional sugar). After soaking overnight, I pulled them out and set them on a tray to start drip drying. Then, last night, in a discussion about what to do with lemons (triggered by my bringing to a meeting a colander full of lemons for people to take home with them), one of the folks mentioned rolling the wet lemons in sugar, so I came home and did that, too. In checking their progress when I took the photo below, I find that they still have some drying to do. I've got them sitting in my living room, which is cold enough to hibernate tortoises, so I think tonight I will put them in the iguana room, which should speed up the drying process.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlTK270O2qaiQCssGRpXNXCXWUw17FmCYveMUIbSPCReMmGXugfcg0aKAcRdTEdUJ67y1ffC8P-Jfvv2vLZSTCuMMAGkv3fxrySb_9Wt6xmshQP0mIkO3ts0YWMGeuotjabTkYjg/s1600-h/candied-lemons-drying+003.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlTK270O2qaiQCssGRpXNXCXWUw17FmCYveMUIbSPCReMmGXugfcg0aKAcRdTEdUJ67y1ffC8P-Jfvv2vLZSTCuMMAGkv3fxrySb_9Wt6xmshQP0mIkO3ts0YWMGeuotjabTkYjg/s320/candied-lemons-drying+003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437057477206413682" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Update February 16: </span>Well, instead of the ig room, which has no room at the table due to the 3 gallons of kefir and 1/2 gallon of lacto-fermented lemonade fermenting in there, I slid the tray into a 225F oven to dry out while I candied the sliced peels from the lemons I squeezed to make the aforementioned lemonade. Here's how they turned out:</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisqONXsiYPQtk1xFOAup2FcPW6dHsvYWPxIYmSgDEqXz998XmVzTVXUr1Eos2rUs3b02pGPGrAH-a64OU7Kyum7xqIwTOYDLv6aOau3LM2rv7csW2sBsyP02Jy7Ne83enlhIU5_A/s1600-h/candied-lemons-done.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 307px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisqONXsiYPQtk1xFOAup2FcPW6dHsvYWPxIYmSgDEqXz998XmVzTVXUr1Eos2rUs3b02pGPGrAH-a64OU7Kyum7xqIwTOYDLv6aOau3LM2rv7csW2sBsyP02Jy7Ne83enlhIU5_A/s320/candied-lemons-done.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438920418825936882" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Yum!Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06294935630942542388noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11760920.post-15270787649129669772010-01-19T11:02:00.001-08:002010-03-31T20:19:57.091-07:00Fomenting Ferment<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Welcome to my Fermentorium. Well, to my iguana room in which the table previously designated for people (as opposed to tables for lizards and wee small turtles) has been repurposed into The Fermentorium.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">In my quest for a steady supply of non-dairy probiotics, some friends turned me on to MYO (make your own) <a href="http://www.kefirlady.com/waterkefirgrains.htm">water kefir</a> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibicos">tibicos</a>) and <a href="http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2009/07/old-fashioned-lacto-fermented-sauerkraut.html">lacto-fermented sauerkraut</a>, the latter of which led to a <a href="http://nourishedkitchen.com/beetroot-relish/">beetroot and apple relish</a>.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC26aAbrouD2HSOUzmjmR4Yz6uQKU2za2A5LgKKRqg7aPxMDp83_X5j0oPb6ouRcxPEKquL0XGlr4pnKsgVvqFPb2oKy1aMiFxyEeWH4AVLbH2w0pzwIIID7FnzbGu-V-7lIoFUA/s1600-h/Ferment-beet-kraut-2010-01-18.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 246px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC26aAbrouD2HSOUzmjmR4Yz6uQKU2za2A5LgKKRqg7aPxMDp83_X5j0oPb6ouRcxPEKquL0XGlr4pnKsgVvqFPb2oKy1aMiFxyEeWH4AVLbH2w0pzwIIID7FnzbGu-V-7lIoFUA/s320/Ferment-beet-kraut-2010-01-18.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428528433704635954" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-family:arial;">From left to right: water kefir, beet/apple relish, sauerkraut.</span></span><br /></div><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I happen to love sauerkraut, and apples, and beets, so these will be perfect for me, assuming I succeed at actually fermenting them properly.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I am not so much in love with kefir - wasn't when I ate dairy (and loved yogurt), and the MYO kefir water is not a happy taste for me, though my komboucha-loving friend Karen thinks it tastes great. </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >[Note: Please read my January and February updates at the end of this post - water kefir is now a very happy taste for me.]</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> Still, after 20 years of being sick and on various meds that tasted downright vile, I am used to ick, so it's doable. It is extremely doable when I add the instant </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.yollieorientalonline.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=LUDY-GJC&click=2">Salabat </a><span style="font-family:arial;">mix to it (think instant ice tea, but made with ginger, cayenne pepper, sugar, and </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calamansi">calamansi juice</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> and no tea). Oh, dear, this is way too good and I don't need all that sugar, as I could easily drink through an entire 'harvest' of kefir water in a single afternoon this way. Happily, mixing a little Stevia and calamansi juice (purchased frozen from my local Asian market) into the kefir tastes just as good, so that's the way I'll drink it.</span><br /><br />Of the jars of kefir you see fermenting in the photo above, four have a bit of unsulfured dried apricot floating in them. The yellowish-looking one is for Karen, so I put some dried blueberries in hers.<br /><br />Reading the Wikipedia page on tibicos gave me an idea: for my next batch, I am going to put in slices of raw gingerroot instead of the apricots (or maybe with the apricot, as I put the fruit in to give the little beasties something else to feed on rather than as a flavoring or coloring agent).<br /><br />In the mean time, I seem to be able to keep the kefir 'grains' alive (what started out as 3.5 tablespoons of grains on January 6 was, by January 18, 2.5 cups of grains), so I will have both probiotic-laced water to drink and some grains to eat. Yesterday's breakfast was about 1/4 cup of the grains tossed with a bit of stevia and cinnamon and the apricot pieces I picked out when I harvested the water and made a new batch. I'm giving away three of the kefir cultures you see above so I will be back to my original two jars, but with more grains than I started with. I'm harvesting every four days, so should have 2 cups of grains again next week.<br /><br />As for the beet/apple and sauerkraut, those will be fermenting for several days, assuming they ferment as they should. The beet/apple recipe says to puree them once they are done, but I rather like the shredded texture, so may just leave them like that. As for the kraut, I used a red cabbage and a green cabbage. If the kraut turns out, I may play with some of the other non-red cabbages to see how they taste.<br /><br />Digits crossed, please, in hopes that all turn out as planned!<br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">January 25 update: </span> Well, when I harvested and re-cultured the grains on Sunday, I had 4 cups of grains and 2 about 3 quarts of kefir water. I now have 8 jars fermenting. Some of the grains will be going to their new homes on Thursday, after I harvest once again. The ginger kefir turned out GREAT! I can now say, I love it - it's refreshing like ginger ale but without the harsh bite of the carbonated ginger ales. Now I just have to keep a steady supply of gingerroot on hand to keep making the ginger kefir water.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I put the fermenting beetroot/apple mixture into the fridge, and one of the bowls of sauerkraut. Neither are quite done yet, but they will continue to slowly ferment in the frige, and besides, I need more room on the table top for my kefir!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I wrote up the way I am </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://anapsid.org/aboutmk/kefir/mk-water-kefir-instructions.pdf">culturing the water kefir grains</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> (updated 3/31/2010), in case you'd like to take a look and maybe give it a try yourself. The instructions are based on those I received with my starter culture, but simplified and expanded in some areas. I've seen variations on this elsewhere around the web, so there are other right ways to do it; this is what is working for me.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">February 3rd update: </span> I 'harvested' almost 1.5 gallons of kefir water today, some ginger (brewed with slices of fresh ginger root), some apricot (quartered unsulfured dried apricots), and a little blueberry (dried, probably sulfured). The kefir continues to ferment in the fridge, getting a lovely 'bite' after a couple of days. I'm now looking for half-gallon and gallon sized jars because the quart jars are soon going to take up all the available space.<br /><br />Plus, I now want to make <a href="http://miscellog.blogspot.com/2010/02/kimchee.html">kimchee</a>. Fermentalicious!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Fermented Foods update - February 6:</span> I have been enjoying the sauerkraut and beet/apple relish. I ended up tossing half of each of the batches, draining them of the salty brine, and replacing the brine with kefir water. I think next time I'll just do a light brine and pounding to start the juices flowing, and then replace with kefir water and let most of the batch slowly ferment/sour in my fridge.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">March 1 Update: </span>Having yesterday harvested THREE GALLONS of kefir water and a gallon of grains, I have cut myself back to only brewing two gallons of kefir and a half gallon of lacto-fermented lemonade. Some of the older kefir water fed my drains, while the grains fed me. For this latest kefir batch, instead of putting dried fruit or raw gingerroot into the canisters. I plopped in a teabag from my current favorite tea: Celestial Seasonings Tangerine Orange Zinger. See that empty gallon canister (behind which you can see the half-gallon of lemonade)? That's the future home of kombucha, once I get a SCOBY from Karen or grow one myself from a bottle of store-bought.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnNCavtIXtQDsod8NnH9MkGnbhfUCcd_cQctf0kTd2EzijCmy_nLYPa-i8am2fJGqPmA16pbK625F8oTFPcuHUNxxIrCY3CTkxDluNUfTchwKpf9EOBERkBnjjM0-GILfKfhDcnA/s1600-h/kefir-tea-03-01-2010.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnNCavtIXtQDsod8NnH9MkGnbhfUCcd_cQctf0kTd2EzijCmy_nLYPa-i8am2fJGqPmA16pbK625F8oTFPcuHUNxxIrCY3CTkxDluNUfTchwKpf9EOBERkBnjjM0-GILfKfhDcnA/s320/kefir-tea-03-01-2010.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443811054925550674" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">March 31 Update: </span> The insanity continues. I harvested 3 gallons of kefir this morning, and ended up feeding our sewer system several quarts of grains that have been in my fridge for a couple of weeks, since I haven't been keeping up with eating them (and Mikey (</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial;">Cyclura</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> iguana) and Treppie (desert tortoise) have been turning their snouts up at them when I add kefir grains to their food; happily for Karen, however, Ginger (doberman) loves them). Despite having given away some quarts and passing my bottle around at a couple of meetings, I still have over a gallon of the last batch left, plus the 3 harvested this morning, so I only made 2 gallons today. I'm loving the cookie jar canisters I got (Walmart carries them, as does Cash & Carry), as well as the 1 gallon mayonnaise-style jars I got at </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://thebeveragepeople.com/">The Beverage People</a><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span> The latter I use for both brewing and storing the kefir.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZ6KaCLsfFQ5xtxczg61JPh60bhnQV3QU_1coLeTU2OGefE1bu-jSUJ4cfYqzGxuZTNvd_ayEtQ2W1cRJhInV9tmlRQFzopBysqXI_3PZYz9JIB0ABM-FFPNSGUt0jn2IKh4iTw/s1600/kefkom-2010-03-31-new+batches.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 199px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZ6KaCLsfFQ5xtxczg61JPh60bhnQV3QU_1coLeTU2OGefE1bu-jSUJ4cfYqzGxuZTNvd_ayEtQ2W1cRJhInV9tmlRQFzopBysqXI_3PZYz9JIB0ABM-FFPNSGUt0jn2IKh4iTw/s320/kefkom-2010-03-31-new+batches.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455000803470170530" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-style: italic;">Here's what I made today - just two gallons, and one wee quart to give away</span><br /></div><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Yes, we have some kombucha.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Well, I caved, finally, and tasted some of Karen's kombucha...and so now I have my own mother and am brewing a gallon a week. Here's what mom looks like when brewed with green tea instead of black - she's making her third batch here:</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibOZnEXeEBMzO-j0kjqNjuJ3Ycf2T7cbI1S0UQpm0PyMlmNiDhpmo5FyZiVuPgHdg5xYnkN5RJRP3UsoIS0Neh3e5TeePpLovbzZHtnB1ZlmqBpiYgAgg7VdpfI2ai-UxfJ7shIA/s1600/kombucha-scoby-2010-03-31.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibOZnEXeEBMzO-j0kjqNjuJ3Ycf2T7cbI1S0UQpm0PyMlmNiDhpmo5FyZiVuPgHdg5xYnkN5RJRP3UsoIS0Neh3e5TeePpLovbzZHtnB1ZlmqBpiYgAgg7VdpfI2ai-UxfJ7shIA/s320/kombucha-scoby-2010-03-31.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455000819883810754" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlAp0ZcJAOkd82LkP3ou-Lgu4LlINgBg7eyBxQbp6-EnB0Uco0zPLTaDP1AHvHLQn-F_G7vUR-WejhxjSp2b2fKCa6ssMABU9OMADtYdoqoymsr7SHmm535MLnaFW6Bi2PvPygPQ/s1600/kombucha-2010-03-31.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 277px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlAp0ZcJAOkd82LkP3ou-Lgu4LlINgBg7eyBxQbp6-EnB0Uco0zPLTaDP1AHvHLQn-F_G7vUR-WejhxjSp2b2fKCa6ssMABU9OMADtYdoqoymsr7SHmm535MLnaFW6Bi2PvPygPQ/s320/kombucha-2010-03-31.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455000814415519938" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06294935630942542388noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11760920.post-77112981253140125192010-01-05T17:46:00.000-08:002010-02-16T11:49:26.490-08:00Do Re Me Pho Soooo Good!<span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:arial;">In my seventh month of being totally GFCF (gluten- and dairy-free), I am doing okay, adjusted to the 'new' way at home, though eating out safely (the very few times I do eat out) continues to be difficult.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">In my search for something to replace the cheese in my cheese omelets, I have taken to adding dashes of chipotle buffalo sauce, plain ol' hot sauce (think Tabasco), and, most recently, sriracha, which I got to top off my search for something to replace mac and cheese. The winner may well be <span style="font-style: italic;">pho</span> (pronounced fa), a Vietnamese beef and rice noodle soup.<br /><br />I came across a relatively easy recipe (</span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.culinate.com/recipes/collections/Culinate+Kitchen/Soups/lazy_mans_pho">Lazy Man's Pho</a><span style="font-family:arial;">), which I made today. Oh, my. Quite lovely. I am going to add more veggies next time - more onion, cabbage, some carrot--and I think another star anise.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJp_ZATjqzKPAzlIC70BuFG-N_Za4LmJDD3KyULrR6NjcV6yRsIs_PWQocZ6ZAaf-D25rlZodV8_MNpybbPY94ckYZcGZy5pb5tSb88_oIdG-w6zviW0FB9mwbSVf6hOsV2UVP6w/s1600-h/First_Pho+002-800.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJp_ZATjqzKPAzlIC70BuFG-N_Za4LmJDD3KyULrR6NjcV6yRsIs_PWQocZ6ZAaf-D25rlZodV8_MNpybbPY94ckYZcGZy5pb5tSb88_oIdG-w6zviW0FB9mwbSVf6hOsV2UVP6w/s320/First_Pho+002-800.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423439990228273810" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Other than that, life continues much as it did..health still not any better, and so I plug along, day by day.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">This year marks the 20th year I will have been continuously sick, and 40 years since I first got infected from a tick bite.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />This past holiday season seemed to be pretty subdued overall, at least amongst the people I know, those healthy and those not. However yours was, may this year bring only good things to us all...<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">January 22:</span> I just threw together another pho, this time with thinly sliced raw beef (from a ribeye steak) that I had defrosted but not broiled yet. With the weather being so frickin' cold, I decided I wanted a spicy warming soup more than a chunk o'meat. So, you needn't wait around for leftovers to make this. You can also use raw shrimp and firm-fleshed fish to make this, if you aren't particularly into beef.<br /></span></span>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06294935630942542388noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11760920.post-11909374010492035052009-10-17T13:37:00.001-07:002009-10-17T13:38:02.883-07:00Litter...<span style="font-family: arial;">Litter isn't just rude.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Litter isn't just ugly.</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://spaceghetto.st/sgd/?q=node/2971"><br />Litter kills.</a>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06294935630942542388noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11760920.post-29178564388084781412009-08-29T15:26:00.000-07:002009-08-29T16:35:27.949-07:00Suckage, or, Apparently my life just isn't complicated enough<span style="font-family: arial;">My health (and life, for that matter) is like an onion: layers upon layers upon layers, with multiple hearts (personalities) deep within, each with their own succession of layers upon layers.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">My waxing and waning chronic illnesses from three tickborne infections (TBI) is one layer (well, three). The organ malfunctions caused by long-term infection another. Add another couple of layers for the bizarre and generally untreatable endocrine and immune system problems. Then there's the occult lungworm layer (</span><a style="font-family: arial; font-style: italic;" href="http://www.anapsid.org/cnd/diffdx/klapow.html">Cryptostrongylus</a><span style="font-family: arial;">, in case you want to read a bit about it), sinus Staph., and environmental mold sensitivities.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Several years ago, I was diagnosed with gluten intolerance, so had to total revamp my diet to exclude all things with gluten in them (and you would be amazed at the things food product manufacturers put wheat and gluten in). Eating the available gluten-free (GF) bakery and pasta products isn't really an option, since they are made from plants that I need to limit because of them being high on the glycemic index (rapidly raising blood sugar, which I also need to be careful of). So, I revamped my meal plans so that they do not include </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.csaceliacs.org/gluten_grains.php">glutenized grains</a><span style="font-family: arial;">. (At least I am spared the problem faced by parents of celiac and autistic kids on GF diets who also need to be wary of gluten in </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://mainely-musings.blogspot.com/2008/05/gluten-free-school-supplies.html">school supplies</a><span style="font-family: arial;">.)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">(Instead, I have to wear gloves to avoid direct contact with photocopy and laser toners and documents copied/printed with them, and inks used on newsprint, and newsprint paper and paper bags, since they all contain these chemicals. Hey! You knew there had to be something, right. Oh, and I can't be around scented felt-tip markers, or papers on which they were used.)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">So, I adapted. Lots of leafy greens, vegetables and fruits in my entree salads, with protein from tinned fish, or chicken, or lite dry salamis, and feta or bleu cheeses. My favorite summertime salad is baby greens tossed with fresh coarsely chopped peach, torn prosciutto, and fresh mozzarella. How about a lovely heirloom tomato, fresh from the field that morning (thanks to our Saturday farmers' market), with sliced sweet onion and bleu cheese crumbles? Or my favorite omelet, stuffed with a mix of cream and goat cheese and chives. A favorite hot weather breakfast or lunch was Greek-style nonfat yogurt mixed with my own trail mix (pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, unsweetened coconut ribbons), ground flaxseeds, and fresh or frozen berries. Mmmmmm.....</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Many of you have already figured out where this is going, haven't you...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Last week, I found out that a significant portion of the gut problems I've been experiencing for the year and a half is not only due to opportunistic infections caused by the long-term TBI, and the cleaning out of the beneficial flora as a result of my first (and probably my last) colonoscopy in March 2008. No, it is due to my now being casein intolerant as well as lactose intolerant. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Most people, when you say "dairy intolerant" or "dairy sensitivity" or "dairy allergy", think you're talking about lactose, which doesn't seem like such a big deal (if you are sensitive or intolerant, which is different from being allergic, as the latter can cause death, just like peanut and other true allergies), because, hey, you can just take one or two lactase pills as you take your first bite of dairy, right? Voila! No gas or bloating!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">If you are just lactose intolerant, then yes. you can take the lactase (enzyme which breaks down the sugar lactose).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">If, however, you are intolerant of or sensitive to the protein <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">casein</span>, there is no pill to take. If you eat foods containing casein, it is like eating foods containing gluten: the proteins damage the villi lining the intestinal walls and make the walls permeable. These protein chains can slip between the cells of the gut wall where they start a free-fall ballet through the body, causing a host of symptoms ranging from acute overall inflammation, joint pain and impaired range of motion, weight gain, swollen/enlarged abdomen, and fatigue, to name a few of the more common ones that significantly alter one's quality of life.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">As I started researching casein intolerance and casein-free (CF) diets, I came across discussions that made it apparent that people who develop gluten sensitivities quite often go on to develop casein sensitivities.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Usually, I'm the outlier, my test results or reactions to treatment protocols, etc., generally falling well outside the standard deviation. This time, I'm finding myself closer to the center of the pack.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Crap.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Before you kindly suggest I can substitute soy cheese, soy 'margerine' (read the margerine labels next time you're at the grocery store - almost all have some type of milk-derived ingredient!), soy yogurt, soy milk, and soy ice cream,</span> well, well, you knew there was going to be a well, didn't you?<br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Soy is goitrogenic - it binds iodine which makes it unavailable to the thyroid gland to use in doing its job. Consume enough goitrogenic foods, and you can cause </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://anapsid.org/iguana/hypothyroidism.html">hypothyroidism</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> (the same goes for iguanas as it does for humans, so don't get snarky with me: deprived of cheese and my favorite chocolate, I am a dangerous woman and you do not want to piss me off right now. Maybe later, okay?). </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I already have hypothyroidism, as did my parents. However, theirs was/is easily treated with appropriate medication. Since my endocrine system is also being affected by all the TBI toxins and all the other craziness going on in there, I am not so easily treated, and at this point can only keep the worst of the symptoms at bay...so I steer clear of consuming soy on a regular basis.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Since I also have to keep my consumption of root veggies down, that leaves (er, no pun intended) things like brussel sprouts (steamed and tossed with butter and Parmesan - crap! another favorite dish out of my life!), broccoli, and cauliflower - which are also goitrogenic. I'd rather have them (okay, so I'll roast halved sprouts tossed with olive oil and seasonings) than tofu, TVP, or even chilled salted edamame.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">So, there you go. Just when my life starts to fall into a comfortable routine, something else comes along and smacks me upside the head.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Suckage.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-style: italic;">I have almost 100 MB of recipes stored on my computer, many of which can be consigned to the virtual rubbish heap since so many contain the now verboten ingredients. Well, I won't actually delete them (one can hope, right?) What I have done is started a new subdirectory for GF & CF recipes, as I once again revamp my diet. I've already joined a </span><a style="font-family: arial; font-style: italic;" href="http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/GFCFrecipes/">GFCF email list</a><span style="font-family: arial; font-style: italic;"> with a </span><a style="font-family: arial; font-style: italic;" href="http://www.recipecircus.com/recipes/Writermom77/">recipe archive</a><span style="font-family: arial; font-style: italic;"> available to members and nonmembers. If you know of anyone starting down this same path, you might like to pass the information on to them.</span>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06294935630942542388noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11760920.post-57193310066628110572009-05-25T09:09:00.000-07:002009-06-05T14:05:08.691-07:00Memorial Day 2009 ... with an addendum<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPenfAw2hF7jeadaBNT4KZP9RD_Ct4aWNSx4YM58Nha_Kj4yfz9i-sN6UZMzcEmeJ00iQucpIBNZLJ3b9wE5lRxVoJhrhTLR0XfBrQ_xItyrUQ1-nZKYeUlOq9sJc77X9OkEdIoQ/s1600-h/happy4th.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 185px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPenfAw2hF7jeadaBNT4KZP9RD_Ct4aWNSx4YM58Nha_Kj4yfz9i-sN6UZMzcEmeJ00iQucpIBNZLJ3b9wE5lRxVoJhrhTLR0XfBrQ_xItyrUQ1-nZKYeUlOq9sJc77X9OkEdIoQ/s320/happy4th.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339794731742578658" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Memorial Day was first enacted to honor the Union soldiers of the Civil War. After World War I, it was expanded to include American casualties of any war or military action.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />On Memorial Day, there may be parades to honor those who went before, and group observances and individual remembrances at veterans' cemeteries and the gravesides of family members.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Memorial Day is a day when we typically remember and honor the dead.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Memorial Day is not a day when we, as a nation, remember the lost who are still among us.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I am not talking about those missing in action (MIA) or prisoners of war (POW) - they should be remembered all the time by us all, not just the families who love and miss them.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I am talking about the vast number of active duty service members and veterans--and their families--who are suffering from the effects of post traumatic stress disorder, PTSD.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />PTSD has suffered badly at the hands of the Department of Defense and the military establishment. Throughout our history of war--Independence, Civil, WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam--those who came back deeply scarred by the horrors were treated as though their suffering was caused by an inherent personal weakness, a lack of inner will or strength. After all, everyone didn't come back experiencing the flashbacks, the hypervigilence, the nightmares, the black hole that eats both the outside reality and the soul.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />PTSD is a lot like rape: people who suffer it rarely report it. I heard on the news last night that 20 percent of returning vets from Iraq and Afghanistan are suffering from PTSD. Given the feelings of shame, and "it must be something wrong with me, because everyone else seems to be okay, so I'll just try to keep it buried", and the general "Suck it up, soldier!" attitude that is still so prevalent, both in the military and, for that matter, in law enforcement (a field where a lot of our vets end up once back in civilian life), the actual number is much, much higher.<br /><br />PTSD does not go away if ignored. PTSD affects the active duty service member as well as the veteran. PTSD affects the service member's and veteran's family, affects their children, and may ultimately affect the adults those children grow into.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">So, on this day when we remember those who died in war or after, of the injuries both physical and otherwise, let us also remember and honor those still among us, especially those who need ongoing support and help.<br /><br />Let us not just give lip service to the fact of PTSD, but get actively involved in helping those service members, vets, and families who are experiencing the harsh reality of it now, and those who will in the not too distant future when their deployed loved ones return home to them.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Where to start? Here is a list of some of the resources for service members, vets and military families I've compiled over the last couple of years as a volunteer caseworker in the American Red Cross's Service to the Armed Forces unit at my local Red Cross Chapter.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.afterdeployment.org/">AfterDeployment.org</a><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.legion.org/veterans/affairs/ptsd">American Legion's Guide to PTSD</a><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.cominghomeproject.net/cominghome/">The Coming Home Project</a><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.militaryonesource.com/home.aspx?aspxerrorpath=/skins/MOS/display.aspx">Military OneSource</a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Reintegration Action Plan (RAP) - </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.alabamareturningveterans.org/ebook/">eBook</a><span style="font-family:arial;">; </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.alabamareturningveterans.org/pdf.html">PDF</a><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.sesameworkshop.org/initiatives/emotion/tlc/">Sesame Street: Military Families Cope with Change</a><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/">V.A. Mental Health Resources</a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">To find local health and mental health resources for service members, vets, and dispersed military families, contact your county's Veterans Service Office, which is often a department within the county's social services or health & human services agency.</span><br /><br />Find out more about the American Red Cross's <a href="http://www.redcross.org/portal/site/en/menuitem.d8aaecf214c576bf971e4cfe43181aa0/?vgnextoid=053b1b655eb3b110VgnVCM10000089f0870aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default">Service to the Armed Forces.</a> To volunteer in SAF, contact your local Red Cross chapter.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Update 5 June 2009: </span> Some articles and new resource I came across today:</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.militarytimes.com/news/2009/06/ap_vfw_plea_troops_060309/">VFW chief: Look out for struggling soldiers</a><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.apa.org/monitor/2009/06/stigma-war.html">The military's war on stigma</a><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.realwarriors.net/">Real Warriors</a><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />The Real Warriors Campaign is an initiative launched by the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) to promote the processes of building resilience, facilitating recovery and supporting reintegration of returning service members, veterans and their families. For Active Duty, National Guard & Reserves, Families, & Health Professionals</span>. <span style="font-family:arial;"> Call 24/7: </span><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;">866-966-1020</span>. They also have a <a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.realwarriors.net/livechat">Live Chat</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> available with one of their health resources consultants.</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/"><span style="font-family:arial;">National Suicide Prevention Lifeline</span></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">For crisis intervention</span>, call <span style="font-family:arial;">1-800-273-TALK (8255), Press "1"</span><br /><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.militaryonesource.com/">MilitaryOneSource</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> also has a 24/7 toll free number and online assistance for actives (including National Guard & Reserves.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">And let me just say something about our National Guard and Reservists.... Some of these men and women were in the regular military, during peacetime and wartime and those in between times when we weren't technically at war but there were periods when things got hairy nonetheless. Some of these men and women were never in the regular military, but joined the Army or Air National Guard or Reserves to serve their country when called upon by their state or the feds. Spending much or all of their annual vacation leave from work in training with their unit, not to speak of a weekend a month, all unpaid, away from their families, these individuals sacrificed time and knew that at the state or federal governments could at any time pull them away from their lives and their families...and that they may lose their life when answering that call. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Despite an honorable tradition that dates back to 1636, when the first militia units were formed, and 1906 when the states' militias were organized into the National Guard system, regular military types often have a snarky attitude about the Guards and Reserves, inferring they are toy soldiers, weekend warriors who are sent out to mop up a flood or do some other non-warrior-like thing, which just ain't so. <br /><br />NG units made up 40% of the fighting force in France during World War I. In WWII, there were 19 NG units activated under Title 10. Over 140,000 NG were mobilized for the Korean War. </span><span style="font-family:arial;">More recently, Desert Storm utilized 63,000 NG personnel. Some of the "in between" actions found the NG serving peacekeeping missions in such far-flung places as Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, and Kosovo.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">They may be weekend warriors, but they are weekend warriors trained by the Army and Air Force (and, for some of the ex-military members, by the Navy and Marines) and when called up under Title 10, they go to war and do all the things the regular military men and women do. And they suffer the same injuries, physical, emotional and mental, and their families suffer the stresses and strains of long deployments PLUS financial insecurity, as the feds rarely pay as much as their civilian jobs did. <br /><br />Members of hte National Guard and Reserves and their families deserve no less than the full support and entitlements we give to regular military and vets. </span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS9jMuMYdnKso9I47XEWm7D4p4odv6Te643XaJayD6THpeFwgy5BSQ1ncYF1n4ssbMO43NrJzU5QyOU5sMKiu5lx-E6Uezxavjl2SeySGrYnwF9VAMdtJBVrk5aX3jNYfMc_KCog/s1600-h/flagribbonsm2.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 66px; height: 103px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS9jMuMYdnKso9I47XEWm7D4p4odv6Te643XaJayD6THpeFwgy5BSQ1ncYF1n4ssbMO43NrJzU5QyOU5sMKiu5lx-E6Uezxavjl2SeySGrYnwF9VAMdtJBVrk5aX3jNYfMc_KCog/s320/flagribbonsm2.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339817907012931346" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkN3CwX1GIlCynsJsJY06eWXDev4elSrvWzlcNWWBvwwc1pqAqhsQqgUrbzEuUkEbEaUeIZ5FTRthz9u7nS-tLWVJbETeZrKs8xioJvljwRMg2CcryqSsKc-utfU5GwY4ygh7sVg/s1600-h/americanflagstrip.gif"><br /></a></div>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06294935630942542388noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11760920.post-49326097152985234702009-05-02T14:24:00.000-07:002009-06-16T16:15:02.623-07:00Get(ting) Serious! about ig poo stains<a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.getseriousproducts.net/"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Mikey has been taking to pooping where he ought not, and seems to want to find the same places to poop on after I've cleaned them up. The carpet was starting to get stained and me very annoyed. I asked my friend <a href="http://www.woofingdog.net/">Phyllis</a> what she recommends for cats and dogs - she gets to test lots of pet products out as a product reviewer, so I knew she'd tested a lot with her own canine and feline critters.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">She recommended <a href="http://www.getseriousproducts.net/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Get Serious</span></a>, which is available at the big box pet stores as well as from some online stores. It is a <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">fragrance-free </span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span>enzyme mixture that lifts the biological remnants from the carpet and other surfaces.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Squirt the <span style="font-weight: bold;">GS </span>on in a zig-zag pattern - don't soak the area. Rub the brush side-to-side, side-to-side, then up-and-down, up-and-down, repeating the sideways and up-and-down for 15 seconds, then blot with the towel til nothing more comes up. That's it.<br /><br /></span> <span style="font-family:arial;">I have been using it, and it really does work well. It works best on new deposits, but also on older stuff. And it's easy to use. You just need the squirt bottle of <span style="font-weight: bold;">Get Serious</span> (they make versions for dog and cat, but they really are the same and can be used interchangeably), a scrub brush, and a terry cloth towel or, if its a small area, one or two Viva Paper Towels (my preference, for their thickness and capacity to soak up stuff without ripping and shredding). </span><br /><br />It also removes dried blood, as I found when I cleaned up the blood that dried on the carpet several weeks after my last iguana <a href="http://www.lizards-in-scarves.com/2008/10/its-bleeding-er-breeding-time-again.html">bite</a>.<br /><br />Got stains? Get Serious!Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06294935630942542388noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11760920.post-45522456448816798532009-05-02T14:21:00.000-07:002009-05-02T14:23:52.737-07:00Ship Your Reptiles the Right Way<a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.shipyourreptiles.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></a><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://www.proexotics.com/main.html">Pro Exotics</a> has been breeding reptiles and selling supplies for quite some time. As any hobbyist knows who has tried to ship reptiles, it isn't easy to find a carrier who will accept them, and there's a lot to know and do to pack them and ship them - if you care to do it responsibly, that is. It is because too many have, through the years, done so irresponsibly, most carriers won't accept them (which, alas, doesn't stop people from shipping them anyway...). </span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: arial;">Well, that's changed, thanks to Pro Exotics. They have worked out an arrangement with United Parcel Service (UPS) to be a shipping portal for people who need to ship reptiles. The new portal, called </span><a style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;" href="http://www.shipyourreptiles.com/">ShipYourReptiles.com</a><span style="font-family: arial;">, provides an easy way to set up and pay for UPS shipping. You can request UPS to pick up from your home or business, or take the box to any UPS store, or hand it to any UPS driver you see. If you don't have the proper materials you need to ship your reptile (or any other LEGAL animal), SYRs has a selection of kits you can order that has everything you need to ship safely and humanely. There's even a how-to video on their site.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: arial;">Their other portal is </span><a style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;" href="http://www.allproshipping.com/">AllProShipping.com</a><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">,</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> through which you can order up and pay for USP to ship anything else you need to ship. I used it recently to ship my neice and grandnephew's birthday presents.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: arial;">Oh, and did I forget to mention that when you use SYR and APS shipping portals, you get 30% off the regular UPS price? Sweet!</span>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06294935630942542388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11760920.post-22641154984829847712008-10-31T16:28:00.001-07:002008-10-31T19:21:35.716-07:004 Days To Go...<span style="font-family:arial;">Eight years ago, even four years ago, John McCain was the Republican I would have voted for, had he been the candidate.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Now? No. What cinched it was his (approval of his advisers') choice of VP.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZkXF-IWFFslLjVlXYTSrT-qJgIIilQ00j9wZPWseDIe0jENM9mxw6sPLJUt0UMaG2hmCulbcUynw5WTsw4BEixGnzH4xT6JwRaYiYIY3Y4GwAtDcCaeWbBFOaVAwhEgM8lErw3g/s1600-h/Americas-Women.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZkXF-IWFFslLjVlXYTSrT-qJgIIilQ00j9wZPWseDIe0jENM9mxw6sPLJUt0UMaG2hmCulbcUynw5WTsw4BEixGnzH4xT6JwRaYiYIY3Y4GwAtDcCaeWbBFOaVAwhEgM8lErw3g/s320/Americas-Women.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263464107136304834" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Of all the women governors, representatives and senators, this is what they pick? Proof positive that most men think with their little brain rather than the one in their heads.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">In case you still have questions, how about these articles:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.alternet.org/election08/105359/?page=entire">The Real Story About How McCain Chose Palin</a><br /><br /></span><a href="http://www.alternet.org/story/105447/?page=entire">The Triumph of Ignorance: How Morons Succeed in U.S. Politics</a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">'Nuf said.</span>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06294935630942542388noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11760920.post-18357541876409399202008-04-04T13:25:00.001-07:002008-04-04T13:39:55.413-07:00BFF<span style="font-family: arial;">There are friends, and then there are friends. Some friends you want to have in your life forever, and not just because you could soooo blackmail each other.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Here is an exchange of email with my BFF that says it all.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">From Me: </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">My third eye hurts. Maybe something is trying to eat its way thru my forehead.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">How are you today? Kill anybody yet?</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">My BFF Responds</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">No, but I have a list.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">This exchanged followed our both figuring out we are probably </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977266563">Rednecks</a><span style="font-family: arial;">.<br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">"Hell yeah!" <span style="font-style: italic;">- Gretchen Wilson</span></span><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06294935630942542388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11760920.post-23190289665639655962007-05-01T21:58:00.000-07:002007-05-01T22:16:02.512-07:00Stalking the Wild Tortoise<span style="font-family:arial;">Okay, so maybe not so wild, and maybe not so much of the stalking...</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7NmTguuH6unNqY9UAxQS6I7-tE0KCpXVu2v6IlRSa8tlUUjVVJSh1P_deWVYEIQbOnDijoFvuLNdZ3taf4k24MoRjykfZPeQNPlPLIDKUjzw7KPLuk1jJmYdHtrtAfFIIcfYCzQ/s1600-h/treppie+2006-04-20-3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7NmTguuH6unNqY9UAxQS6I7-tE0KCpXVu2v6IlRSa8tlUUjVVJSh1P_deWVYEIQbOnDijoFvuLNdZ3taf4k24MoRjykfZPeQNPlPLIDKUjzw7KPLuk1jJmYdHtrtAfFIIcfYCzQ/s320/treppie+2006-04-20-3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5059824238639097202" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJbHCYJenOT_fkyBkAM74vvLE6jTAxeVp7LFAKilVhCKusnp7lUm1NU8jHoivRFDIDuhk-l_mQddaIDPWU98dSpGxSA9fR8TxJ76g-b6WZg7pPl2S1WAFn4OToapuqpkLVh8cnw/s1600-h/treppie-2007-05-01-6.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJbHCYJenOT_fkyBkAM74vvLE6jTAxeVp7LFAKilVhCKusnp7lUm1NU8jHoivRFDIDuhk-l_mQddaIDPWU98dSpGxSA9fR8TxJ76g-b6WZg7pPl2S1WAFn4OToapuqpkLVh8cnw/s320/treppie-2007-05-01-6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5059824234344129842" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmzf8ppN-eY9Jpd0E8_7PJwa9bf8ddcFAAXFNLsCPXWALA6n_NFQHhmmyATXfFZBNzZsyyINNMaFcl2qlOHCna2wrAvQn3eP9qLLyglc9I_Cg7xlWuKuyJshEvQYZ4F4zxoe8VTA/s1600-h/treppie-2007-05-01-4.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmzf8ppN-eY9Jpd0E8_7PJwa9bf8ddcFAAXFNLsCPXWALA6n_NFQHhmmyATXfFZBNzZsyyINNMaFcl2qlOHCna2wrAvQn3eP9qLLyglc9I_Cg7xlWuKuyJshEvQYZ4F4zxoe8VTA/s320/treppie-2007-05-01-4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5059824234344129858" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoUwFu18zEssa3Ui_wmTh6m7pxLZhnr27VJ3kOyoBLuDTuc5jXfMKgvj9ApI5UUT45dlNr_oFhbE16-FfJpljWJ3hyJ58PVCqyJU7xANK-UdeIqKNRmdjXHFIF-FnP-gMXsTD2hA/s1600-h/treppie-2007-05-01-1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoUwFu18zEssa3Ui_wmTh6m7pxLZhnr27VJ3kOyoBLuDTuc5jXfMKgvj9ApI5UUT45dlNr_oFhbE16-FfJpljWJ3hyJ58PVCqyJU7xANK-UdeIqKNRmdjXHFIF-FnP-gMXsTD2hA/s320/treppie-2007-05-01-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5059827507109209474" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">This is Treppie, my 13 year old desert tortoise. It is illegal to take these out of the wild, and they cannot be sold, only given by someone who has grandfathered-in wild-caughts, or descendants of captive bred tortoises. I was given Treppie when he was six months old, by the fellow who had his parents and several clutches of their offspring.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Here's Treppie (short for Intrepid, since he's pretty much a fearless explorer) shot from above, enjoying a bit of sun on a sometimes cloudy, sometimes drizzly May day. He's about 14 inches carapace length.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWouuRWYO16wotFcL0600hr-G2bJ3V04TplmYUR40P8Zk7zKv-GC3-Lw0wcigff-BlIk8AA0XKOe_CZQ05PuInQ6OJ4Xq_NIuUjVCEGuD3lAZrCt-hiLvQJ_KG0iJoxh_vdQtFew/s1600-h/treppie-2007-05-01-8.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWouuRWYO16wotFcL0600hr-G2bJ3V04TplmYUR40P8Zk7zKv-GC3-Lw0wcigff-BlIk8AA0XKOe_CZQ05PuInQ6OJ4Xq_NIuUjVCEGuD3lAZrCt-hiLvQJ_KG0iJoxh_vdQtFew/s320/treppie-2007-05-01-8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5059824238639097186" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Yes, and not so much of the writing of rants lately. Not that they haven't been percolating through my head, but I've been busy and sick (well, busy, then sick), so I've been rather quiet overall. But, hey! Enjoy the peace while it lasts!</span>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06294935630942542388noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11760920.post-13510906387088617682007-01-16T13:16:00.000-08:002007-01-16T13:45:13.683-08:00Get Politics and Pork Out of Government and the Military!It matters not what your feeling is about whether or not we should be in Iraq, or what is happening in Afghanistan, or what is possibly go to happen down the line in Syria and Iran (though let me say that so long as Western <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">PTB</span> and <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">PTWannaB</span> continue to treat Muslim psychopaths and other fundamentalists as if they can be reasoned with, well, we ARE going to be involved on the ground and in the air), the fact that we are sending our men and women into combat and terrorist areas without outfitting them with proven armor and weapons is insane, not to speak of costly, both in terms of lives lost and lives irrevocably altered through severe dismemberment and lifelong disability.<br /><br />When I first heard about the Army blocking the Pentagon's order for several of Israel's Trophy anti-<span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">RPG</span> systems because the Army, in cahoots with <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Rayethon</span>, had an anti-<span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">RPG</span> system in the planning and design stages, a system which won't be ready until at least 2011, while Trophy is ready to install NOW, I was mightily pissed. (<a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14686871/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Army shuns system to combat <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">RPGs</span></span></a>)<br /><br />That was several months ago. When the Army claimed that Trophy was not yet ready, not as effective as claimed, NBC continued to investigate, and found that not only had the Army lied, but that other US military personnel were bullied and ordered to screw up the US military testing and falsify the results.<br /><br />The only people benefiting from this are <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Rayethon</span>, already getting billions as one of the US defense contractors, and the upper echelon military and federal government personnel who will ultimately be employed by <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Rayethon</span> and other such contractors through the good <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">ol</span>' boy network. Such refusal to install and put into service a system that is 90+ percent effective and available NOW puts the lives of <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">servicemembers</span> at risk, the outcomes of which will ripple throughout their families and communities for years to come.<br /><br />One of the theories floating around about why this decision was made is that why pay for and install Trophy if we are going to be exiting Iraq anytime soon. How blooding <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">effin</span>' short-sighted do you have to be to not see that <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">RPGs</span> in enemy and terrorist hands are here to stay, regardless of whether the US troops they are shooting at are in Iraq or any other place where the locals love attacking us as much as they enjoy slaughtering each other? <br /><br />That's as short-sighted--and too often lethal or permanently disabling--as not providing properly cushioned and strapped <a href="http://www.operation-helmet.org">helmet liners</a> to all military personal deployed to countries where they are likely to be shot at, blown up by <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">RPGs</span> and <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">IEDs</span>, or otherwise subjected to forces that can cause severe brain damage, assuming they survive the attack? <br /><br />Frankly, I think the Army brains lying about Trophy should be busted down to private and sent to Baghdad. Perhaps then they'd start to see why it is more important to get a working system in place now, while their engineers and designers back home continue to design and try to manufacturer a better system, instead of hoping like hell that they produce a system at least as good and ready to deploy in 2011 as Trophy is right now.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06294935630942542388noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11760920.post-16995959914773299542006-10-20T14:02:00.000-07:002006-10-20T14:41:31.997-07:00A Little Something Extra? A very little something.<span style="font-family:arial;">"WASHINGTON - In a yearly ritual that dates back more than three decades, nearly 49 million Americans will be getting a little something extra in their Social Security checks come January. " (from </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.dailynews.com/business/ci_4513733">Social Security Increase is Due</a><span style="font-family:arial;">, L.A. Daily News, October 20, 2006).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Some of you may have read my blog entry last year when we got a whopping four percent COLA increase (</span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://miscellog.blogspot.com/2005/10/social-securitys-generous-cost-of.html">Social Security's 'Generous' Cost of Living Increase for 2006</a><span style="font-family:arial;">), and will remember that poor Mabel, like most of us on SSA retirement or disability, can't afford to live on it without drawing from ever dwindling savings...or living in grossly substandard housing or doing without necessities.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Well, this year, despite that booming Republican economy we keep hearing about, despite the ever increasing cost of fuel, food, health care (including the all too many things that Medicare does not pay for, like vision exams and glasses, dental care, and the vast majority of my medical care), rent, taxes, and basic maintenance, let alone luxuries like occasionally going to the movies or out to dinner with friends, gift giving on birthdays and holidays, charitable donations, and other such extravagances: the "little something extra", the 2007 COL adjustment is 3.3 percent.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">For the average SSA retirement and disability recipient, that will work out to $33 a month.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Wow.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Let's see how long my $33 will last.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">$33.00 minus:</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">$ 5.00 - increase Medicare Part B premium (to $93.50/month)</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">$11.85 - the <span style="font-weight: bold;">106%</span> increase in my Part D premium *</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">$ 6.00 - the increase in the Part B Deductible, to $131**</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">----------</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">$10.15 - net increase, which will be eaten up as soon as the insurance companies increase their per-prescription <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">co-pays</span> for 2007 for both generic and brand drugs.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">* up from $11.25 to $23.10</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">** up from $125 in 2006, which was up from $100 in 2005</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Gee, thanks. You'll excuse me if I'm a little <span style="font-style: italic;" onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">ferklempt</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>at your generosity (and a little appalled at the vast disconnect in what is happening in the real world versus the world of the bean counters who figure out what the COL is and what the COLA should thus be). </span><br /><br />But, hey! Let's keep providing free health care and other services to the legions of illegals in this country who are expected to send <a href="http://www.suntimes.com/news/nation/102982,CST-NWS-latin19.article">$60 BILLION </a>home to Mexico and much of the rest of Latin America in 2007, more than double the amount they sent home in 2005.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06294935630942542388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11760920.post-46063170783269013102006-10-13T16:59:00.000-07:002008-03-17T18:04:34.501-07:00What is the same, what is not alike<span style="font-family:arial;">I just listened to a Muslim woman who was wearing a </span><span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" style="font-family:arial;">hijab</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> without a veil, inform the interviewer that Muslim women wearing veils and </span><span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" style="font-family:arial;">burqas</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> are no different than Jews wearing skull caps or Jewish stars, and Christians wearing crosses.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">This was in response to British politician </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2403071,00.html">Jack Straw'</a><span style="font-family:arial;">s stated request that veiled constituents remove their veils when in his office speaking to him so that he could read their facial expressions, an important factor in his being able to effectively communicate with them, just as he does with all of his other constituents.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">If Muslim women in the West want to wear the traditional scarves to cover their hair, fine. Ditto the </span><span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" style="font-family:arial;">hijab</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> without the veil. If they feel so religious as to have to wear the full veil or a </span><span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" style="font-family:arial;">burqa</span><span style="font-family:arial;">, then they ought to get back home to where they or their family came from, so they can live the restrictive reclusive lives that originally mandated such coverings, first forced on women by sexually repressed men who are so tempted by seeing any part of the female form that they must violate the female, resulting in the </span><span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" style="font-family:arial;">females'</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> male relatives being forced to kill them. The ultimate in blaming the victim.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">It's wonderful that Muslim women in the West actually (most of them, at least) have a choice as to cover up or not. Women in Afghanistan are not so lucky. Despite </span><span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" style="font-family:arial;">burqas</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> being made optional after the Taliban was more or less kicked out, men are still forcing their daughters, sisters, fiances and wives to wear them, else they cannot leave the house. Ditto for working out of the house, or even going to school. (For sad albeit enlightening and sometimes horrifying view of the male Muslim psyche, please see the documentaries </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.customflix.com/208113">Cut From A Different Cloth: <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Burqas</span> and Beliefs</a><span style="font-family:arial;">, and </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.snopes.com/rumors/soapbox/rehov.asp">Psychology of a Suicide Bomber</a><span style="font-family:arial;">).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">So, if you feel you must cover </span><span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" style="font-family:arial;">everything</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> but your eyes, or cover your eyes, too, then go back to whatever repressed country you or your parents originally came from. It is clear that Western freedoms and education have done you no good if you cannot tell the difference between the amount of body surface area covered by a full </span><span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" style="font-family:arial;">hijab</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> or </span><span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" style="font-family:arial;">burqa</span><span style="font-family:arial;">, and a skull cap, Star of David pendant, or cross pendant. Anytime you want to compare and contrast your hijab or burqa with my Star of David pendant, bring it on, sistah!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">My </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Magan David</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/5400/1435/1600/mogan-david.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/5400/1435/320/mogan-david.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />A traditional hijab with veil:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/5400/1435/1600/hijab.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger2/5400/1435/320/hijab.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">This hijab photo is from the Nomads Land Film's page on their documentary, </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://beta.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=11760920&postID=4606317078326901310">The Price of Honor</a><span style="font-family:arial;">, about the culture that breeds the "honor killing" of women.</span>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06294935630942542388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11760920.post-41850554217731725562006-10-02T17:48:00.000-07:002006-10-02T17:58:24.584-07:00Since the vast majority of shooters are male...<span style="font-family: arial;">...and the ACLU would probably fight any effort to pass laws prohibiting the males of our species in any way, shape, or form having firearms, access to firearms, or the physical capability of using firearms, I say we should just ban men and skip right to </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenogenesis">parthenogenesis</a><span style="font-family: arial;">. I'm not so impressed with the latest variations made possibility by sexual reproduction anyway, so let's just skip the XY input and male reproductive participation.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Well, okay, so maybe a sport male now and then. <br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Reuben, Reuben, I've been thinking</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">What a strange world this would be</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">If the men were all transported </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Far beyond the northern sea.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> Reuben, Reuben, I've been thinking</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-style: italic;"> Life would be so easy then</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-style: italic;"> What a lovely world this would be</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-style: italic;"> If there were no tiresome men.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm having a hard time seeing the downside to this...</span>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06294935630942542388noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11760920.post-50422928241203939662006-09-17T22:53:00.001-07:002006-09-17T23:16:28.550-07:00Shut up.Back in the day (<a href="http://miscellog.blogspot.com/2005/12/letter-to-president-of-iran.html">623 AD</a>), Muslims killed Infidels (that would be pagans, polytheists, and fellow monotheists who were practicing their religions long before Mohammed had his vision - that would be Jews and Christians, for those of you who haven't been paying attention) who refused to convert to Islam. In those days they used the sword and arrow and other tactics that became popular in the Middle Ages.<br /><p class="MsoNormal">Today, Muslims are killing Infidels with suicide bombs, truck bombs, car bombs, donkey bombs, IEDs, RPGs, and assorted rockets, when they're not trying to use even bigger trucks and explosives on airplanes.<br /><br />Until Muslims start protesting these killings, they should shut up and take a good look in the mirror, instead of getting upset because the Pope quoted a medieval text referring to their earlier terrorist acts.<br /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br /><!--[endif]--><span style="">"</span>We are destined to be a barrier against the return of ignorance and barbarism" wrote Thomas Jefferson, <span style="color:black;"><a href="http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/jefferson_papers/mtjprece.html">the first American president to stand up to Islamic terrorists, the Barbary "Pirates"</a>.<span style=""> </span>(The French, of course, kept paying ‘tribute’ to them.<span style=""> </span>Funny how some things never change…)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><span style="color:black;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06294935630942542388noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11760920.post-80067866680146814662006-08-21T16:25:00.000-07:002009-02-23T18:10:38.747-08:00Hey! Don't take my word for it!<span style="font-family:arial;">I have been accused, by some readers of my blog, of not reading history books (mostly by people who have obviously not read any history books themselves) and of exaggerating the hate, blindness and fury that fuels both Islamic fundamentalists and terrorist groups.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I received an email the other day from a friend of mine. She was born and raised in Canada, married an Israeli, and has lived in Israel for 20-some years. She stays there, even after her divorce, because it is her home and the home of her children.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Her kids are now young adults, which means they are or soon will be, in the military as part of the mandatory 2 (women)-to-3 (men) years of military service that begins at age 18. Women who opt to serve in combat positions are required to stay in for three years.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Men, and combat-trained women, continue to serve as reservists, and are called up for a month every year until they are in their mid 40s. They can continue to be on reserve duty after that age if they so desire. Reservists are subject to being recalled to active full-time duty whenever required to do so. (Israelis joke that civilians are just soldiers on 11-month long furloughs.)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">So, by virtue of many things, my friend and I don't always share the same opinion of what is going on, what is needed to resolve the greater and smaller issues. I recognize that I hold the views and opinions I do not only because I've done a hell of a lot more reading throughout the years on the history of the region and the religions involved than have most people, but I also have not lived there since 1974, and I have no children who will end up on the front line...though in Israel, everyone is on the front line all the time, given that the favorite targets of their enemies are the civilians themselves and where they live, not some distant battlefield.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">So, I was surprised and interested when my friend sent me what was purported to be the written version of an address given by a former Lebanese citizen, a woman who experienced first hand what I've been saying for years: When it comes to Israel, Jews in and outside of Israel, and to Christians everywhere, <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Moslems</span> preach hate, order hate, and raise generations of <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Moslems</span> to hate. The attributed author of the speech I received was a Christian Lebanese woman who delivered her talk at a anti-terrorist rally at Duke University in 2004.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I get a lot of purportedly true stuff sent to me by well-meaning friends and <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">acquaintances</span>, like the email claiming that Oliver North specifically referred to <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Osama</span> bin Laden when testifying before Congress in 1987 (see <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Snope's</span> <a href="http://www.snopes.com/rumors/north.asp"><span style="font-style: italic;">Oliver <span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Twiste</span></span>d</a> and <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.snopes.com/rumors/atta.asp"><span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Atta</span> Boy</a>).<br /><br />So, when I received my friend's email and started reading it, I decided to check it out first, heading to one of the urban legend sites I used to check out the validity of the report. (I use </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.snopes.com/"><span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Snopes</span>.com</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> and </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://urbanlegends.about.com/">UrbanLegends.about.com</a><span style="font-family:arial;">.)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span onclick="BLOG_clickHandler(this)" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Snopes</span> rated it as <span style="font-style: italic;">True</span>, and provided a link to a 45-minute video of an interview with </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/gabriel.asp">Brigitte Gabriel</a><span style="font-family:arial;">. I encourage all to read the transcript of the speech she gave, listen to the interview, and check out Gabriel's organization, <a href="http://americancongressfortruth.com/">American Congress for Truth</a>.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"></span>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06294935630942542388noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11760920.post-1155319875144749232006-08-11T11:08:00.000-07:002009-02-23T18:11:15.434-08:00A picture's worth 1000 words...and lies<span style="font-family:arial;">Aish.com's </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.aish.com/movies/JP/PhotoFraud.asp">Photo Fraud</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> highlights some of the altered and staged photos taken in Lebanon being published in the world press. </span>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06294935630942542388noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11760920.post-1154429419814804092006-08-01T03:50:00.000-07:002009-02-23T18:11:48.920-08:00A rocket launcher in a terrorist training camp? Who'd'a thunk it?!<!-- Converted from text/rtf format --> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#000000;">And here’s another thing that's been ticking me off about the majority of Americans stranded in Lebanon. </span> </p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#000000;">While they are in Lebanon, they are "Americans". </span> </p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#000000;">Once they reach Cyprus or the other transit points, or are back in the US, or when their families here are interviewed on TV and radio, they are "Lebanese-Americans". </span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#000000;">Either you are American, or you are not. If you are a U.S. citizen, you are an American. You might have originally been from Lebanon, or “of Lebanese descent”, but if you are a legally a citizen, then you are an American. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#000000;">Theoretically, being American should make one against terrorism and the terrorists who have the stated intent of killing Americans, but, hey, obviously I’m wrong.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#000000;">How else to explain why purported Americans will vacation in a country that supports terrorism by protecting and supporting the terrorists in its midst?</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#000000;">If the good people of Lebanon want to stop getting bombed, they have to expose those terrorists – including their family members who are lobbing Katyushas over the border. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#000000;">Blaming Israel—the Jews—and the U.S. for your problems is just the same old fundamental Arab bullshit, which feeds of the habit of a people who blame others for their own failure to take personal responsibility for the situation in which they find themselves.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">The Hezbollah just launched a new type of Iranian-supplied rocket, one that can travel farther than the Russian-made Katyushas. One fell yesterday in the town near where I lived. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">Am I the only one who thinks that along with longer-range rockets, Iran has probably also supplied the Hezbollah with the material needed to make dirty bombs?</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">Oh, but there is good news: Three weeks after the Hezbollah attacked an Israeli outpost and kidnapped two Israeli soldiers, and 18 days after the Hezbollah started bombing Israel, the Lebanese army found ONE rocket launcher, near a PFLP camp. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">(The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, founded in 1967, is one of the two major terrorist organizations making up the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Gee, I can see why it would have taken the Lebanese army THREE WEEKS to get around to looking in a terrorist training camp. You can probably figure out why I am finding it hard to believe that they only found ONE launcher there.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;color:#000000;">You are either part of the solution, people, or you are perpetuating the problem. It is that simple.</span> </p>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06294935630942542388noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11760920.post-1154292408094794042006-07-30T13:34:00.000-07:002009-02-23T18:12:12.565-08:00In other words...<span style="font-family:arial;">...or, more accurately, in the words of others, check out:</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.honestreporting.com/">HonestReporting.com</a><span style="font-family:arial;">'s </span><a style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial;" href="http://www.honestreporting.com/articles/45884734/critiques/Israel_Under_Fire.asp">Israel Under Fire</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> and their other reports</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.palestinianmediawatch.com/"><br />Palestinian Media Watch</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> for a look at what they are saying and promoting that for some reason rarely ever makes it into the Western news services</span><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.memri.org/"><br />Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI)</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> reports and comments on the anti-West and anti-Israel/Jewish Arab press around the world<br /><br /><br /></span>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06294935630942542388noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11760920.post-1153427576609553322006-07-20T13:32:00.000-07:002009-02-23T18:13:47.817-08:00"Legitimate government", my ass<!-- Converted from text/rtf format --> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">Enough already with the phrase “legitimate government” applied to Lebanon’s farce. </span> </p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">Any government whose ranks include avowed terrorists whose stated goal is to annihilate the people in the country next door is anything but legitimate.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">Any government whose army is not permitted entry into the terrorist group’s enclave in the southern part of the capital city is anything but a legitimate government.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">Kofi Annan is calling for a cease fire, for the halt to the killing of innocents. Where the hell was his concern for innocents through all the years the Arab terrorists have been blowing up Israeli citizens?</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">The president of Lebanon is already whining about the destruction to buildings, roads, the airport and infrastructure, and wants to know who is going to pay for the clean up and reconstruction. Well, Mr. President, it ain’t going to be Israel, whom you so clearly imply is responsible. Your government and army permitted itself to be taken over by terrorists, funded and aided by Syria and Iran. Look to them for restitution, not Israel, not the West. You lay down with terrorists, you pay the price in concrete and blood.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">Enough, newscasters, with questions about why the interior ministry’s building would be bombed, and why Israel would bomb mosques and schools. Arab terrorists in all countries have used schools, mosques and hospitals to hide themselves and their weapons. If truly innocent civilians are killed when these targets are bombed, it is not the fault of the bombers, but of the civilians and governments who permitted these sites to be used as arms stores, command centers, and bunkers.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">One news report today mentioned how fleeing Lebanese are flying white cloths from their cars so that everyone will know they aren’t Hezbollah. Like, the terrorists are too moral to not fly the white flags on their own cars??? Puhleeze.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">I am getting sick of the news programs playing all these interviews with Lebanese-Americans who survived the bombing and managed to flee Lebanon. If they’re stupid enough to vacation and visit family who live in terrorists strongholds, whose family members may be allied with the terrorists, they do not deserve to be assisted out at US taxpayer expense. And where are the interviews with the Israelis who are once again living in bomb shelters?</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">And, speaking of bomb shelters, enough with the one-sided stories coming out of Nazareth. Every village and town and city in Israel has public bomb shelters. Every school, public building, hospital, and apartment building has bomb shelters or hardened rooms. Every house built in the last 25 years is required to have a basement bomb shelter. If the Nazarene Arab Moslems refused to use them or used them for other purposes, or bypassed building codes and didn’t construct them, why is that Israel’s fault? Oh, that’s right! Everything is Israel’s--the Jews’--fault! Silly me, I forgot!</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">Don’t get me wrong – I’m all for a cease fire. Once all the Hezbollah and their sympathizers are dead, their weapons destroyed, the governments of Syria and Iran replaced with people who aren’t psychopaths and their sycophants, and a buffer zone of 1000 miles from Israel, whose land area shall include the West Bank, Gaza, and Sinai is established, well, then we can reasonably talk cease fire. Otherwise, since there is no way to negotiate anything with terrorists, there can be no cease fire.</span></p>Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06294935630942542388noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11760920.post-1153187301110958862006-07-17T18:48:00.000-07:002009-02-23T20:32:41.789-08:00Declaration of War<!-- Converted from text/rtf format --><i><span style="font-family:Arial;">Written over the course of the last week…</span></i><p> </p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">What the Christians of the West do not understand is that Islam has been at war with the Jews—and, thus, Israel—ever since we (that would be the Jews and Christians) refused Mohammed’s demand that we convert to his new religion. When we and the Christians refused to do so voluntarily, Moslems used their swords to force conversion. Needless to say, they got quite pissed off when that failed to wipe the Infidels from the face of the earth, and have remained so ever since.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">So long as the West stayed more or less in the West and out of the Middle East, the various tribes, emirates, caliphates and sultanates that embraced their various Islamic variants went about doing their thing, becoming increasingly insular, occasionally fighting each other to prove the supremacy of their particular flavor of Islam over the other, and maintaining a steady, and increasingly annoying, policy of kidnapping to kill, enslave or hold for ransom those Infidels whose ships came within reach of the Arab pirates. Jews and Christians who stayed living in the Arab lands in which they and the generations before them had been born and lived, were periodically and systematically persecuted for sport, and occasionally killed.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">Just as tightly-ruled communist countries hate and fear the capitalist West, so too do Moslems hate and fear what they see as the Devilish temptations exemplified, in their minds, by the West: freedom of speech, tolerance of different religious beliefs and cultures, and, perhaps worst of all, women who wear pants, work and interact with men who are not close male relatives, and</span><i> <span style="font-family:Arial;">gasp!</span></i><span style="font-family:Arial;"> drive cars</span><i> <span style="font-family:Arial;">all by themselves</span></i><span style="font-family:Arial;">. Clearly, the West is the Great Satan’s playground and everything that emanates from it is to be fought against.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">But instead of blocking Western TV and radio stations in their satellite receivers, ceasing all travel to western countries, and forbidding their children and other citizens from going abroad to study at Great Satan’s universities, they logically (for Moslems, illogically to most everyone else) deduce that they will go out and kill as many of us as they can in order to remake the world in their image.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">If Moslems don’t want to participate in the world, fine. They should just stay the hell home, lock their doors and borders just as they’ve locked their minds, and contemplate the heaven that awaits them. </span></p> <p><i><span style="font-family:Arial;">Speaking of heaven, if the Islamic male’s heaven includes a paradise with 72 virgins, what is the heaven promised to Islamic females? A place where they no longer have to wear all-encompassing robes, where they can go wherever they want whenever they want, drive themselves wherever they want, in a splendid place without a single Moslem male anywhere to be found? </span></i></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">Speaking of declarations of war, let’s talk about 1948, and the U.N.’s partition of various bits of the Ottoman Empire into various entities, including Israel (which was probably the last time the UN ever did anything remotely positive for Jews and for Israel), Trans-Jordan, and Lebanon. Jordan got what is called the West Bank, while Egypt got the Sinai Peninsula and a large rectangle of land (the Gaza strip) jutting up against the tiny bit of land granted to Israel.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">Because the Arabs in all of the Middle East refused to accept Jews in their midst, let alone a lot a European Jews (shhhhhhh! Listen carefully. Hear the siren song of the West faintly in the distance, flowing sweetly in counterpoint to the muezzin’s call?), they called on all the Arabs living in Israel to go on vacation for a week or so, to give the Arab armies the opportunity to go in and eliminate the Jews.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">And so the Arabs did as requested, and took off for a brief stay in neighboring countries, with most ending up in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">But the Arab armies lost. The great legions of fearless Egyptians, Jordanians, Syrians, Lebanese, Persians and Iraqis, fueled and funded by Moslem religious and political leaders throughout the region (and U.S. and European oil money and arms) lost to the ragtag collection of Jews whose roots dug deep into the region. Jews whose families have lived on these lands since long before Mohammed dreamed up Islam. Jews who trickled back into the Fertile Crescent after being forcibly exiled at various times through the last 2,000 years. Then there were the Jews who survived the Nazis and the Tzar, starved and terrorized yet again as they made it past the British blockades, and those who came from Europe, Asia, and North and South America--even Africa--as soon as the Brits pulled out, which happened <span style="font-style: italic;">after</span> the Brits allowed the Arabs to arm themselves, of course, but not the Jews who had to defend themselves against well-armed Arab terrorists and the combined Arab armies the West knew would soon flow across the U.N.-mandated borders.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">And, so, there we are, in the aftermath of the 1948 War of Independence, and the Arabs who left on vacation suddenly declare themselves refugees, because they refuse to go back home and live amongst the Jews. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">Unfortunately for them, the Arab governments of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt didn’t want them either. At least, didn’t want them merging in with their cousins in the lands they now found themselves, not when the leaders of these and the neighboring Moslem countries could use these voluntarily homeless people as weapons pointed at the heart of Israel.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">And that is exactly what they did. “Palestinian refugees” do not exist. They started out as Arabs who voluntarily left their homes so that their cousins could kill Jews so they could return and get the land cultivated by the Jews, the homes built by the Jews, and the businesses and everything else designed, developed and built by the Jews.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">These Arabs became refugees because their cousins refused to take them in. They have lived in the conditions they live in for the past 58 years because they keep waiting for the Jews to be killed or, in fear, flee for their lives.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">But, in the mean time, the Arab “refugees” expect Israel and the West to provide them with the food, medical care, schooling, infrastructure, and jobs. Their Arab cousins who forced them into these enclaves did nothing for them and are doing nothing for them. Well, except for providing them with training in terrorist camps and funds and weapons to use to keep killing Jews, and planting their terrorist enclaves and rocket launchers in their neighborhoods, schools, hospitals and beaches.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">For years, the Gaza Arabs demanded the Israelis leave Gaza – even though Israel obtained both Gaza and the West Bank after the Arabs lost the two wars the Arabs started in their attempt to get rid of Israelis. So, what happens when Israel pulls its citizens out of Gaza? Gaza Arabs and all the Arab countries get pissed off because there’s no more Israeli money funding their economy, no more jobs with Israeli businesses, no more food, no more money for their hospitals and clinics.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">Yet again, the Arabs blame the Jews. Of course, they are also blaming West who has refused to cough up the money and food the Arabs are demanding, because the Arabs continue to harbor, fund and train terrorists, and call for the destruction of Israel and refuse to recognize its right—the Jews right—to exist. And so the Jews and the West are once again commingled and blamed for the problems that Arabs bring upon themselves.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">You gotta admire a brain that can strap on a suicide vest or launch a rocket with one hand while keeping its other hand out demanding money, food and “justice” from the very people they are trying so hard to kill.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">One of my favorite comments this past week was from one of the Hamas terrorists who was whining about Israel’s disproportionate response – that Israel was destroying more property and putting at risk more Arabs than Arab terrorists were destroying and killing Israelis. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">Of course, the Arabs have always been really bad at math. Just look at all their whining when, after one of their homicide bombers kills 50+ Israelis and tourists at a restaurant, the Israeli army evicts the bomber’s family from their home, and destroys the home. Period. That, of course, sets off another Arab round of whining about how Israelis are killing the poor defenseless innocent refugees and so the poor defenseless innocent refugees have no recourse but to go out and try to kill dozens more Israelis. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">Well, let’s look at proportionality, shall we?</span> </p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 18 </span> Total number of Arab countries* supporting<br /> and funding terrorist attacks against Israel</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:Arial;" ><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:Arial;" >341,439,805</span><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>Total Population in these countries<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 6,352,805 </span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;">Total Population of Israel (includes Jews, Moslems,<br /> Christians,and others)<br /></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"> <span style="font-weight: bold;">53.7</span> </span><span style="font-family:Arial;">Number of Arabs that would have to be killed for each<br /> Israeli killed to equal a proportionate response </span> </p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family:Arial;">*Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, Yemen; plus the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Population figures from the <a href="https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html">CIA World Fact Book</a>, updated summer 2006. </span></i></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">According to CNN just now (Monday, July 17, 1500 hrs), there have been 170 reported dead in Lebanon, and 24 in Israel. For those wanting a proportional response, there needs to be another 11,188 Lebanese killed to equal the number of Israelis killed by this week’s Hezbollah attacks from Lebanon. This week. If you’d like me to add up what the proportional response figures should be for the past decade, please let me know.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">In other words, until the numbers of Arabs killed by Israeli defense forces come proportionally even close to equaling the number of Israelis killed by Arab terrorists, the U.N. and its terrorist members should shut the fuck up.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">Last night on the news, a video montage was shown of Lebanese fleeing to Syria from Lebanon. One woman turned to the camera and screamed, ‘Bush! This is what Bush is doing to us!”</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">So, kiddies, just in case you are thinking that this annoying Arab-Israeli thing is just a border dispute between two contentious neighbors, you simply are not getting it. Read the history books, not Islamic propaganda. Listen. Read some more. If you think that once all the Jews are gone the Moslems will settle happily down and ignore the rest of you, think again.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">In the meantime, the world is watching while Israel takes on a job others have shrunk from: wiping out the terrorists from our midst. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">The world did nothing when Iran built its nuclear reactor, but quietly thanked Israel for bombing it to pieces just before it went live (on a weekend when no one was supposed to be there, including the French nuclear scientists working on the facility. Perhaps I should add France to the above list of countries supporting Arab terrorists...).</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">Now, Israel is doing what Lebanon’s farce of an elected government should have done before it became so infiltrated by Hezbollah members that it crippled itself: get rid of Hezbollah. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">As always, Arab terrorists embed themselves in neighborhoods populated with civilians. This means they get to hide and mostly survive unless and until the civilians get the hell out and let the bombing begin. After a certain point, however, the bombing has to start, regardless of who stayed behind.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">At what point does a civilian become a collaborator instead of victim of collateral damage?</span> </p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">At what point does a country whose populace elects terrorists to government positions become recognized as a terrorist state instead of the victim of "minority" segments of its population?</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">Who makes these decisions? The terrorists? The people the terrorists have converted from collateral to collaborator? Countries like France, well known for their collaboration with the Nazis in WWII, and now bowing in fear of their own Moslem population? Qatar, who led the Arab countries pushing the UN to condemn Israel for its defense against attacks from Gaza?</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">Please don’t get me wrong. I would be much happier if there were indeed peace in the region, and nobody getting killed. But that is simply not going to happen so long as Arab terrorists are permitted to flourish, as long as mosques and midrassahs the world over are permitted to teach hate and preach a future in which the world is dominated by Islam.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">This is not a new war. This is the continuation of the war started in 623 B.C.E., when Moslems first started slaughtering Jews and Christians who refused to convert.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;">How much longer will the world continue to allow Moslems to slaughter people for the simple reason that they are not themselves Moslems? Perhaps, once all of us Jews are gone, the rest of you will wake up.</span></p> <p><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:Arial;" > ``````````````````````````````</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:Arial;" > `````````````````````````````</span><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Need a little history refresher? Check out some of my past blog entries:</span> </p> <p><a href="http://miscellog.blogspot.com/2005/12/letter-to-president-of-iran.html"><u><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);font-family:Arial;" >A Letter to the President of Iran</span></u></a> </p> <p><a href="http://miscellog.blogspot.com/2006/02/tiny-voice-of-reason.html"><u><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);font-family:Arial;" >A Tiny Voice of Reason</span></u></a> </p> <p><a href="http://miscellog.blogspot.com/2005/07/why-do-they-hate-us.html"><u><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);font-family:Arial;" >Why do they hate us?</span></u></a> </p> <p><a href="http://miscellog.blogspot.com/2006/07/suggestions-for-summer-reading.html"><u><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);font-family:Arial;" >Suggestions for Summer Reading</span></u></a><br /></p>PS: For those who think it easy for me to speak from my comfy vantage point 7400 miles away, I spent the summer of 1973, and most of 1974, in Israel, living first in the seaside town of Netanya, then on a kibbutz on the Jordan border, during a year of heavy terrorist attacks throughout the country. My 19th birthday, in fact, was spent in part trying to learn to sustain a note on a flute while in the "disco" in the kibbutz bomb shelter, where kibbutz kids had been sleeping underground for many of the years since the shelters were built after the kibbutz was founded in 1937.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06294935630942542388noreply@blogger.com4