may 2018

retired school personnel meeting today. had the privilege of being next to a resident (said he was on zoning board but his name is not listed) who is concerned about the possibility of having the Indian community buy land across from the Atlas country club and build a cricket field. he has 1 indian dr, and he volunteers at genesys and finds the drs there "do not have a chip on their shoulders." he seemed concerned about the caste system but at least "these are drs not rickshaw drivers". afraid that the cricket club might be private. (well there are private golf courses around--maybe even the atlas one). he thinks genghis khan was the greatest liberal. maybe he was being funny? i said i was too. he said he'd forgive me. i said i wouldn't. he has a friend who told him the "governor is a money guy" so he thought he was a good choice. he asked where i lived which was near his place on hill road and M-15. seems he's spotted the wind generator when he was using his binoculars and wants to visit. must have been in winter since there are lots of trees now and i can't see his place from here. maybe roof based binoculars? what a talker--exercise tips, gardening tips, going to build own windmill, bad back, fixing up the old milk house, etc



ever heard of a veterinary dispensing fee? tried to get 1 month of mac's pills but only 14 in stock so i paid 8$ for them. when more came in i could get them and pay the extra 24 or 26. (i have been paying 21 for 60) i asked why so much? how much are 60? she checked the computer and said 21 and then explained there is now a 10$ fee for dispensing meds. but i could order on line now (brochure there) and yes indeed if you order at least 38$ shipping is free. by the time i was opening the door to leave i was already thinking of new vets. but about 2 hrs later the friendly vet called and suddenly there were 46 more pills there and i could pick them up--and they'd waive the fee. i felt blessed (but not placated)

March 2018

(alan's funeral )Funeral lunch highlights at a table with 6 church members 1) Two of the church members want to know why we were there as if something shady was going on. 2) Once introductions are made, all conversation goes to the male with me or is mostly between the 3 other males at the table. Result was I got to watch and be amazed. 3) The news media is bad; "disgusting things" are being spread about the president who just did a great thing with his transgender policy for the military. 4) Social media is bad. Who wants to see what people are doing or are going. 5) Schools are awful especially public ones including the universities, and more conservative voices need to be in education. 6) The retired engineer in sales compared UM vs MSU. UM campus too bureaucratic but MSU has Nassar trouble. [His sales maybe didn't go well at UM? Stayed tuned for his book on helping others get through life's problems.] 7) Did you know 'they' are starting to name their kids unpronounceable names or ones that you don't know whether 'they' are male or female. [She was probably not thinking of names like Parker, Kelly, Dakota, Moran, etc.] Definitely some truth in some of these comments, but maybe not funeral table talk. The non church members at the table were not impressed--at all. Was that the presence of the Lord in that place? blogger

dec 2017

from the week dec 22 2017

some will not look on suffering because it creates responsibility.  fulton sheen

there is nothing so fretting and vexatious, nothing so justly terrible to tyrants, and their tools and abettors, as a free press.  samuel adams

there is no crime, absolutely none, that cannot be condoned when 'our' side commits it.  george orwell

a society is moving toward dangerous ground when loyalty to the truth is seen as disloyalty to some supposedly higher interest.  canon mark oakley



dec 5 2014

right is right, even if everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it.   quaker william penn

hypocrisy is the homage vice pays to virtue.  francois de la rochefoucauld

nov 2017

another sprint adventure. last month's overdue fee which was to be waived when i called, wasn't. (they had switched everyone to paperless with a 2 day message alert for bill's being due) big surprise. so by tomorrow the 1.12 is due. no message that it was due of course. do you think i could pay by credit card? no since the system wouldn't accept the expiration date. amanda my on line chat expert = "as for the moment we do have a problem issues (sic) in paying bills using your online account and no worries our dedicated team is now working on it. for now i'll be glad processing the payment here for you". do you see more problems coming? i do


from in these times dec 2017:  When morality comes up against profit, it is seldom that profit loses."


verify quotations:
anyone who has the power to make you believe absurities has the power to make you commit injustices--voltaire

it is an unwavering rule for those in power that, when it comes to heads, it is best to cut them off before they start thinking--jose saramago

silence is the ultimate weapon of power--degaulle

to be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else--means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight--eecummings

july 2017

re Nobody wants your parents' stuff.  Their stuff usually means nothing to you, but your stuff has meaning to probably you only.
Notice the cup above.  Nice cup, staffordshire, been around since 1983.  I've had it in giveaway boxes several times including this month.  But can I part with it?  It's an object, but it's also a memory or memories starting at Purdue in 1983 and ending on Ben's birthday in 2005.

may 2017

book  The Great Lead Water Pipe Disaster by werner troesken    c2006

`p69 "the last 20 years of scientific research have identified the many ways lead poisons people, both upon exposure and much later.  lead was, and continues to be, a race poison--if by race, one means the broad swath of humanity and not a few privileged groups.  lead exposure has intergenerational effects.   as discussed in chap 2, women and men who were lead poisoned as children but who were not exposed as adults have increased rates of miscarriages and abortions and have children who are more likely to exhibit developmental delays.  similarly, women who were exposed to undue lead levels in their drinking water before and during pregnancy had higher rates of spontaneous abortion and infertility.  as shown in appendix a, the use of lead water pipes around 1900 increased stillbirth and infant mortality rates in england and mass by between 8 and 25%"


p83  during the 1880's, there was an epidemic of water-related lead poisoning in huddersfield eng. and for many years the individuals who ran the town's water company struggled with how to eliminate lead from the public water supply.  ripping up the town's lead service pipes and replacing them w.pipes made of some other material was expensive and most homeowners appear to have sought cheaper modes of protection.  other methods of protection included the use of paper and charcoal filters, which were effective removing lead from tap water and were much cheaper than replacing the pipe.  the town of huddersfield also began treating the water supply w/marble chips, reducing the water's power to dissolve lead."


p. "when we realize that half a century before the christian era vitruvius condemned lead servi ce pipes and 130 yrs after that time galen did the same thing, swann  (in 1889) wrote. it is a puzzle to my mind how it is that the use of such a poisonous means of conveying water should ever become general"

ma in 1905   p. 139-40    ...cities that used non lead pipes in areas w.soft and corrosive supplies often found that the pipes burst or otherwise failed within 10 yrs.  replacing service pipes was expensive; the cost of replacing a given pipe was between 5 and 10,000 in 2005 dollars.


1917 tin lined in nyc for some
1880's charcoal filters

water standing in pipes overnight found in 1 study to have 3x the lead as moving water

50 Health Issues That Count as a Pre-existing Condition

Alicia Adamczyk

May 04, 2017

The Republican plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which narrowly passed a vote in the House today, rolls back protections for people with pre-existing conditions, which could increase health care costs for an estimated 130 million Americans.

The American Health Care Act stipulates that states can allow insurers to charge people with pre-existing conditions more for health insurance (which is banned under the ACA) if the states meet certain conditions, such as setting up high-risk insurance pools. Insurers still cannot deny people coverage outright, as was a common practice before the ACA's passage, but they can hike up premiums to an unaffordable amount, effectively pricing people out of the market.

In fact, premiums could reach as high as $25,700 per year for people in high-risk pools, according to a report from AARP. People who receive insurance through their employer would not be affected, unless they lost their job or moved to the individual insurance market for some other reason.

Photo illustration by Sarina for MONEY; Getty Images (5) 

But what counts as a pre-existing condition? While it depends on the insurer—they have the right to choose what counts as "pre-existing"—these ailments and conditions were universally used to deny people coverage, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit focusing on health care research.

• AIDS/HIV
• Alcohol or drug abuse with recent treatment
• Alzheimer’s/dementia
• Anorexia
• Arthritis
• Bulimia
• Cancer
• Cerebral palsy
• Congestive heart failure
• Coronary artery/heart disease, bypass surgery
• Crohn’s disease
• Diabetes
• Epilepsy
• Hemophilia
• Hepatitis
• Kidney disease, renal failure
• Lupus
• Mental disorders (including Anxiety, Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Schizophrenia)
• Multiple sclerosis
• Muscular dystrophy
• Obesity
• Organ transplant
• Paraplegia
• Paralysis
• Parkinson’s disease
• Pending surgery or hospitalization
• Pneumocystic pneumonia
• Pregnancy or expectant parent (includes men)
• Sleep apnea
• Stroke
• Transsexualism

But Cynthia Cox, Kaiser's associate director, notes that the above list is a conservative sampling of all of the issues and maladies that insurers could count as pre-existing conditions. " There are plenty of other conditions, even acne or high blood pressure, that could have gotten people denied from some insurers but accepted and charged a higher premium by other insurers" says Cox.

Here are some examples of those other conditions that experts have noted could hike premiums:

• Acid Reflux
• Acne
• Asthma
• C-Section
• Celiac Disease
• Heart burn
• High cholesterol
• Hysterectomy
• Kidney Stones
• Knee surgery
• Lyme Disease
• Migraines
• Narcolepsy
• Pacemaker
• Postpartum depression
• Seasonal Affective Disorder
• Seizures
• "Sexual deviation or disorder"
• Ulcers

The left-leaning Center for American Progress notes that high blood pressure, behavioral health disorders, high cholesterol, asthma and chronic lung disease, and osteoarthritis and other joint disorders are the most common types of pre-existing conditions.

Just how expensive are pre-existing conditions? A recent report from the Center for American Progress found that insurers could charge people with metastatic cancer as much as $142,650 more for their coverage, a 3,500% increase.

april 2017

• FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
• MARKETS AND WEATHER
• POLITICS
• TECHNOLOGY
• PEOPLE
• OPINION

How far should GM, non-GM crops be separated?

April 12, 2017 Category: Crops

by Seed World, Farm News Media

The simplest way to minimize cross fertilization between crops is to separate them; however, up until now the isolation distances have been somewhat haphazardly determined.

Researchers from the University of British Columbia, Université catholique de Louvain (Belgium) and Delft University (The Netherlands) have developed a mathematical model of pollen dispersal by bees, based on field experiments.

The study, which was recently published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, evaluated the spread of genetically modified organisms to non-modified crops.

“Trying to figure out how far GM pollen will travel is really difficult,” said Rebecca Tyson, University of British Columbia, Okanagan, and study co-author. “It is important to have accurate tools to estimate this, so that unintentional cross-pollination of GM material to non-GM crops can be minimized.”

Tyson said the simplest way to minimize cross-fertilization between crops is to separate them; however, up until now the isolation distances have been somewhat haphazardly determined.

Previous estimates have been based on two standard models, which either overestimate or underestimate pollen movement. The gap, Tyson said, between these two distances makes prediction difficult and thus necessitates improved calculations.

From the study, researchers developed a new analytical tool, which can provide a much improved estimate of how far pollen will travel.

“Our results suggest that separation distances of several hundred meteres proposed by some European countries, is unnecessarily large but separation by 40 metres (about 43 yards) is not sufficient,” Tyson said. “Using our model, we can calculate and suggest separation sizes with better accuracy. For example, we have estimated that for a .9 percent cross-pollination rate, the ideal distance of separation between two crops is between 51 and 88 metres (55 and 96 yards), depending on crop size and type.”

These numbers are specific to particular crops and landscapes, Tyson said, but the predictive ability is the same.

“We believe that our model provides a more accurate assessment of GM pollen cross-pollination than previous models,” she says. “We are hopeful these finding will simplify the decision-making process for crop growers and policymakers.”

Although this is only one study, getting an accurate separation distance would give farmers the certainty they need to be good neighbors, said Kate Thiel, field crops specialist with Michigan Farm Bureau.

“There is room for all different growing methods, and having respect for all people who grow differently from others is imperative,” she said. “If all growers have access to solid science, it helps farmers, consumers and the entire industry gain confidence that they’re not interfering with their neighbors’ crops. This study is a step in the right direction, and we hope the information can be verified in the United States. It’s about honoring thy neighbor, a concept that farmers already accept and practice.”

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HEALTH

The 14 Fake Olive Oil Companies Are Revealed Now – Avoid These Brands

HEALTH

The 14 Fake Olive Oil Companies Are Revealed Now – Avoid These Brands

Supposedly, even 70% of olive oil in the USA markets is fake, cut with cheap bad oils like sunflower and canola. This item is supposed to be healthy, but this is now corrupted. It was found that even 7 of the biggest olive oil makers in USA, mix their items with cheap oils to get more profits.

This is like the 2008 practice in Italy when 400 police officers were involved in the breakdown known as operation Golden Oil.  This meant seizure for 85 oil farms that mixed some percentage chlorophyll with sunflower and canola to the olive oil. The oil was mixed, colored, perfumed and flavored too, and these things made the Australian government investigate their own oils. The results were awful.

After that, not one brand named extra virgin olive oil got the 2012 certificate of approval.

This scam made the California University study 124 imported oils and found that over 70% of samples failed the tests.

These failed:

• Mezzetta
• Carapelli
• Pompeian
• Primadonna
• Mazola
• Sasso
• Colavita
• Star
• Antica Badia
• Whole Foods
• Safeway
• Felippo Berio
• Coricelli
• Bertolli

These brands passed:

• Corto olive
• Lucero
• McEvoy Ranch Organic
• Omaggio
• California Olive Branch
• Bariani Olive oil
• Lucini
• Ottavio
• Olea Estates
• Cobram Estate
• Kirkland Organic

Also, test the olive oil yourself at home. Put the bottle out when cold, or in the fridge for 30 min. if it gets solid, it is pure and has monounsaturated fats.