God Took Her Eye Off the Ball

Be careful what you wish for, the old adage goes. An Arizona family that was fed up with government control in the U.S., decided to sail away and "see where God led us." God allowed a series of storms to damage their boat and leave them adrift. But then God provided a Venezuelan fishing boat to rescue them. Perhaps God was dropping a hint that she wanted them to go to Venezuela, but they didn't think much of that idea, apparently.

 They were transferred to a Japanese cargo ship where they spent three weeks before being taken to Chile. Good thing God speaks Japanese, huh? The family was on a flight back to Arizona arranged by the bad old US Embassy. Mom said they will go back to Arizona and come up with a new plan." I guess the plan is to give God another chance since the first one didn't work out too well.

Good News on the Obesity Front

You know the saying about how you never see Volkswagen "Bugs" until you start shopping for one, and then they seem to be everywhere you look?  Well, I had that experience when I started blogging about the book Salt, Sugar and Fat, and Americ"
a's obesity problem.  Suddenly, I saw articles about obesity everywhere!  The good news is that we may be turning those statistics around.

Sabrina Tavernise, reporting for The New York Times, tells us that obesity rates for pre-school age children from poor families dropped in 19 states from 2008 to 2011, although they remained unchanged in my state of Arizona.

One of the causes of the slowdown in obesity rates may be that breast-feeding has been encouraged.  Also, the mothers of those pre- schoolers may be poor, but they are more educated than in the past, and they want their children to be healthier adults than their grandparents were.

Why Is Having Dental Work Done Such Torture?

After not going to a dentist for years, due to personal dread and the high cost, I finally made an appointment with the local dental school in Mesa.  The first few visits were wonderful.  I could not have been more impressed.  The visits are long since the students are being extremely thorough and careful, checking and double-checking every entry on the computer.  Then a professor comes over and pretty much repeats what the student has done. So, count on 3 hours instead of the one hour you. usually spend at the dentist.  But I learned more about my mouth than I had in my previous 70 years! I completely understood what needed to be done and why.  At least this time I didn't feel like maybe the dentist said I needed that crown for $700 because it was time to make a payment on his cabin in the White Mountains!

I went twice, once for soft tissue investigation, and once for hard surface examination, and then the third visit was to go over a treatment plan and to make a mold of my mouth in case I opt for a partial on the bottom.  The total charge for all this was $69.00.

The first item on the treatment plan was deep cleaning.  You know, the kind where they go under the gums and scrape the crap off the roots.  I really don't know what happened to make this so frickin' miserable, but I don't know if I can go back for the second quadrant.  First, they used lidocaine instead of novocaine.  Every other time I have been numbed up, the dentist would stick the needle in and it was kind of painful, but it was over quick.  Not this time.  The professor was right there, telling Milen just where to put the needle, and telling him to "deposit" slowly, slowly.  Oh my God, it was torture!  It seemed like he had that needle in there at least 5 minutes.  And that was just the first of three!  And, to make matters worse,  it wasn't really that effective.  It was completely worn off by the time he was done.  I wasn't a very good patient after that, I'm afraid.

By the time the cleaning was completed (on that one quadrant) my arms were quivering from gripping the arms of the chair with a death grip, my whole mouth was throbbing, and I was pissed because the technology hasn't improved since I was 10 years old.

Why is it still so awful?  I don't know if I will go back or just let my teeth fall out!

Most Decisions Don't Require a Lot of Thought

So, after two weeks of reading Salt, Sugar, Fat, what did I learn?  I learned that, indeed, the Food Giants have hooked us, and they aren't about to turn loose.  It is a problem we have created with our economic system, actually.  These are corporations, their stock is traded on the stock exchange, you may even own stock in some of them.  Their job is to sell product.  Their mission is to increase profits every quarter.  The only way to do that is to sell more and more, expand their lines, decrease their costs.  Unless the government steps in and regulates food as it does drugs, the corporations won't - can't - change their ways.  And the members of Congress who have to vote to institute regulations don't want to lose their jobs, so they won't do it.

It's up to each and every one of us.  We have to read labels, be willing to cook more meals ourselves, not depend on processed food for our total nutrition.  And we especially need to stay away from the fast food joints.  If we can manage to stop buying enough of the food that's stuffed with salt, sugar and fat, then those corporations will switch to healthy products or die.  After all, enough people stopped smoking to hurt Philip Morris.  That's one of the reasons PM bought the food companies!  It's time to do it again.

If you can't change your habits for yourself, then do it for your kids.  Do you really want your son or daughter to have Type II diabetes by the time they are 40?  Well, believe me, those Food Giants do not care.  A corporation has no conscience.

Good Eating!

Old Macdonald Has Too Many Antibiotics

A story written by Sabrina Tavernise that appeared in the New York Times on July 30, 2013, reports on a study being conducted in Flagstaff, Arizona to determine how many people in one American city are getting urinary infections from meat from the grocery store.

Lance Price, a microbiologist at George Washington University has done his research on antibiotics at the Translational Genomics Research Institute in Phoenix.  Dr. Price has been sounding the alarm about antibiotic resistance for a number of years.  He recently told a Congressional committee that evidence of the ill effects of antibiotics in farming was overwhelming.

He thinks the FDA's efforts to limit antibiotic use on farms have been weak.  In 1977 (36 years ago!) the FDA said it would begin to ban some agricultural uses of antibiotics.  But the House and Senate appropriations committees - dominated by agricultural interests - passed resolutions against the ban, and the FDA retreated.  Surprise, surprise.

David White, Ph.D., is the chief science officer in FDA’s Office of Food and Veterinary Medicine.  The following is a quote from the FDA article titled "Fighting the Impact of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria."

The fundamental concern over the agricultural use of antibiotics arises from the potential that resistant bacterial strains can be transferred to humans via direct contact, or ingestion of food derived from treated animals. This is a legitimate concern as epidemiological and microbiological data show that resistant bacteria from food animals can reach humans via the food supply. And most classes of antimicrobials used in animals have human counterparts. Therefore, resistance to an animal drug might translate into resistance to a human drug.

Antibiotics are given to animals for various reasons, including: 1) treatment of sick animals; 2) prevention of illness in healthy animals; and 3) control of disease in a group of animals when some in the group show overt signs of disease.

Antibiotics are also used to improve feed efficiency and weight gain in healthy animals, a practice the FDA has been working to change. In 2012, FDA released a guidance document for the animal health and animal agriculture industries that focuses on two primary principles: 1) limiting medically important antimicrobial drugs to uses in food-producing animals that are considered necessary for assuring animal health; and 2) limiting such drugs to uses in food-producing animals that include veterinary oversight or consultation. We think that this voluntary approach will move us forward in the quickest way possible, and it doesn't rule out future regulation.

Another example of how our government cares more about protecting the providers of food than the consumers of food.  Apparently, the FDA, after decades of studies showing that eating meat from animals fed antibiotics is a factor in antibiotic resistance, still feels that "voluntary" compliance is the way to go.

Do As I Say, Not As I Do

Interviews of former executives of the food giants reveal that, since retirement, most of them have an entirely different view of the products they once sold.  One, upon visiting his doctor and discovering that the cartilage in his knee was pretty much gone, decided that he would have to start managing his weight with diet instead of exercise.  As he roamed the aisles of his grocery store, he said, "Can't eat this, can't eat that."  And, predictably, he began saying, "We shouldn't sell this, we shouldn't sell that."

Another story involved a man who had spent his entire working life on developing Lunchables.  His family had grown up eating the prepared lunches and were proud of their Dad for inventing such a popular food item.  When his daughter graduated from college and went to her new job for the first time, she proudly showed up with her bright yellow packaged Lunchable.  The first remark she heard was, "Oh my God, don't you know what those things do to a landfill! And all those nitrites in that ham!"  

Working for the "corporate cookers" is like living in an ivory tower.  You become so dedicated to selling more and more and more that you lose track of the fact that real people are buying, eating and disposing of those products.

Now They Are Killing Us With Food

Why can't we solve the problem of obesity in the U.S? Michael Moss, in his book, "Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us" tells us, in no uncertain terms, why our government will not help, and, in fact, is complicit in making this epidemic worse.  By focusing on the three things that make food most appealing, Moss shows us how the giant corporations who control our food supply have made it nearly impossible to have a healthy diet.  

"The transition of food to being an industrial product really has been a fundamental problem," according to Walter Willett, the chair of Harvard's Department of Nutrition.  "First, the actual processing has stripped away the nutritional value of the food.  Most of the grains have been converted to starches.  We have sugar in concentrated form, and many of the fats have been concentrated and then, worst of all, hydrogenated, which creates transfatty acids with very adverse effects on health."

"Kelly Brownell, a Yale professor of psychology and public health, says, 'As a culture, we've become upset by the tobacco companies advertising to children, but we sit idly by while the food companies (owned by the tobacco companies) do the very same thing.  And we could make a claim that the toll taken on the public health by a poor diet rivals that taken by tobacco.'"

One of the most important factors in my giving up cigarettes was watching the government grilling of the 7 heads of the biggest tobacco companies and seeing them sit there and tell lie after lie.  They all innocently claimed they had no idea that smoking was harmful!  At that moment, I swore I would never again give a dime of my money to those lying bastards. And I thought that I hadn't given any more money to them.  I was wrong.

Not satisfied with killing people with cigarettes, Philip Morris acquired General Foods and Kraft.  Now it could kill people with fat and sugar - it would just take a bit longer.  But that was all right because the longer people lived, and the fatter they got, the more money Philip Morris would make.  Moss says, "By 1990, Philip Morris had all but cornered the market for cigarettes.  With the purchase of General Foods and Kraft, it had also become a consumer goods goliath, posting $3.5 billion in annual profits on $51.2 billion in sales.  Half of its revenue came from food."

So now I swear again that I will never give those liars another dime of my money.  Here is a short list of products I bet you didn't know were made by the same folks that brought you Marlboro cigarettes: 

Capri Sun juice boxes

Jell-O

Kraft Singles

Maxwell House

Oscar Meyer 

Philadelphia (cream cheese)

Velvetta

Cadbury

Next entry, I will talk about why each of those products should be labelled as "dangerous to your health."

You've Got to Read

Short post:  Go out TODAY and get a copy of "Salt, Sugar, and Fat," by Michael Moss.  Trust me.

The next thing to do is take a look at sugarstackers.com.  You will be surprised, I guarantee you.

Let's Ignore Those Idiots in Washington

 Last April my daughter and I toured China for 10 days.  We were both somewhat ignorant and suffering from what turned out to be incorrect assumptions about the Chinese people and the culture.  Having grown up during the Cold War, I fully expected to see "coolies" dressed in black pajamas and pulling a rickshaw.  So wrong.  Here's a photo of a typical young Chinese woman.

 

Doesn't she look Western?  Or look at this photo - would you believe this is a communist country?  

Never did I think that we would be able to wander freely as we did.  We went shopping, ate in a Pizza Hut, browsed through the Shanghai Art Museum, all without chaperones.

Our tour guides surprised us by talking about all the changes in their lifetimes in their country.  No question went unanswered by Sam or Allen.  The only warning we were ever given was prior to our visit to Tiananmen Square where the massacre took place in 1989.  We were told not to discuss what happened that June among ourselves, that there were undercover police alert to any mention of what the government has never acknowledged took place.

All of the people we spoke with were proud of their country, but not necessarily of their government.  Here in the U.S. more than a year later, I see many similarities in the attitudes of the Chinese and the Americans. Are you starting to lose interest in the childish behavior of our elected officials?  Do you think they are truly representing your interests, or their own?

Please comment and tell us what you think would happen if we all just went about our business paying no attention to the government.  In China, because they do not have elections, the people feel little or no connection to, or responsibility for, what their government does.  Of course, I am not suggesting that what the government does has no effect on the citizenry, but, believe me, I saw people far happier than you would expect them to be living under a Communist regime.

Is it possible that what Wall Street does affects our lives more than what Washington does?  Can we boycott Washington?  What if we hold an election and nobody votes?  But - and this is a big but (ha) - what if we only shop at businesses who support Gun Sense? What if we agree to ONLY buy products made in America? Are you making McDonalds richer by making yourself fatter? Well, stop.  I could go on and on, and you probably can, too.

What do you think?

God at 17,000 feet

A friend of mine recently watched a You Tube video about the Argus surveillance system that can be attached to a "drone" and can capture high resolution images from 17,000 feet.  Not only can it capture these images, it can zoom in on a specific area and show you what is happening on the ground in real time.  Once captured, the images can be stored and be available for recall in the future.

My friend was outraged.  The idea that some "eye in the sky" could record him walking to work from the subway seemed to threaten his sense of security.  The idea, however, that Argus could possibly have recorded the movements of the two brothers who placed the bombs in Boston and helped identify them, apparently did not occur to him.Since this friend was born and raised and educated in the Catholic church, I asked him how the Argus differed from the understanding most Christians have of God.  Doesn't God watch everything that happens on Earth?  Doesn't God see what each and every one of us does 24/7?  And doesn't He remember for eternity whether we have been good Christians or evil sinners?

 Why does one Almighty Eye cause outrage and the other (who supposedly has the power to strike you dead on the spot without a trial) deserve your worship?

We Are Killing Our Kids!

The children were pressed up against the glass in the Gorilla house, amazed at the size of the great silver-back inches away.  This particular primate was in excellent health, with a glistening coat and sparkling eyes that occasionally looked right back at the children.

I could not help but compare one primate to another.  The gorilla was happily munching on a head of lettuce, but there was no lettuce in any form (except maybe a leaf on a cheeseburger) available for the homo sapiens there to eat.  The homo sapiens specimens were almost all overweight, whether they were young or old.  

The gorillas were fed the diet that they were designed to eat; fruits and vegetables.  None of the animals on one side of the glass were obese.  Many of the ones on the other side of the glass were.  Which ones will live longer?

Who, Me?

Everything you do is based on the choices you make. It's not your parents, your past relationships, your job, the economy, the weather, an argument or your age that is to blame.  You and only you are responsible for every decision and choice you make.

                                            

                                                                        Period.

My Last Playlist

Not long ago our daughter approached my 73 year old husband with a question.  She was very hesitant and asked him not to be upset with her, but then asked, "What kind of music do you want at your funeral?"  Somewhat taken aback he started thinking about it.  And since then, so have I.

I decided that I should make "My Last Playlist."  Maybe you want to start creating yours, too.  So far I only have five songs in my playlist, but it's a start.  

The first is Key Largo by Bertie Higgins.  This is "our song" for Ron and me.  The wonderful old motor sailer that we spent so many happy hours on was named "Key Largo", and we just have to hear this song to wisk away the past 30 years.

The second is a song by John Denver called "Matthew."  When Steve and Kathy were little and we were living on the ranch in Alzada, we had a car with the old-fashioned tape player.  We had only one tape for a long time, and it was one of John Denver's. For some reason that I never figured out, the song titled "Matthew" touched something in me, and i would be driving our road going to pick the kids up at school, or something, with tears streaming down my face.  Ever have that happen to you?

A new song that I added is Titanium by The Piano Guys.  I just love their music.  It is a beautiful blend of classical with some of the most popular songs of today.

Fourth on my playlist is "American Pie" by the great Don Maclean.  One of the best songs ever written, in my opinion, deserves to be on everyone's favorite playlist.

Phil Collins recorded the theme song for a popular television show called Miami Vice.  One summer I played it over and over as we cruised the Chesapeake Bay on Key.  I was in love and hope and poassibility were "In The Air Tonight."

As I add songs to my last playlist, I will post them to this blog.

Can I Be Myself?

I have just finished reading Andrew McCarthy's book, The Longest Way Home, and it has made me want to examine my life - my feelings, my thoughts, my belief system - rather than continue to make decisions based on someone else's beliefs.  Too often I make a choice based on the cost of something.  Living with DH for so long has installed in my brain a calculator that instantly knows when something is too costly, not in my opinion, but in his.  He doesnt even have to be present.

Here are some simple examples: we were at Lowe's and I saw a new product: a sports towel that when wet stays cool and keeps you cool. Since I have always had a problem with sweating rivers when it's hot, my friend said "buy it," but it was $14.99 and I knew that DH would say, why do you need that? He would say that any hand towel would do just as well.  So I didn't buy it.  Now, after reading Andrew's book, I am ready to be myself and decide things based on what I think, what I feel, rather than just avoiding DH's judgment and criticism.

Another example is "The Chair."  For twenty years I have wanted a really super comfortable overstuffed armchair.  I just have visions of sitting in such a chair, maybe with a slipcover, reading Anne of Green Gables to my granddaughters.  And not long ago I saw "the chair" on an episode of "Big Bang Theory." It was perfect.  So I started shopping online.  Without a time-consuming search I found one at Macy's.  It costs $700.  DH wants to buy all our furniture at Goodwill.  He would sit on a pillow on the floor rather than spend more than $50 for any piece of furniture.  All these years I have lived with those constraints.  But no more.  I intend to buy my chair.  

Co-Sleeping - Is It for You?

Did a little boy a great favor today at the park.  I was there with my two little charges - one who will soon by 5 and one who is 3 1/2.  This little boy's dad was happy that we showed up because his son, Carter, is an only child and they like for him to have interaction with other children.  He is four, so right in between my two.   Dad started a conversation with me, and we chatted about kids of that age and found that they were all in pre-school part time.  Got around to the fact that Carter won't sleep in his own bed at night.  I told his Dad that it was only natural for babies to want the protection of their parents at night. Other species don't leave their children unguarded and vulnerable.  If an infant of another species gets lost and finds itself alone, it howls and howls until Mama comes to fetch it home.  Humans are the only stupid ones.  The conflict comes when Dad wants Mom all to himself.  In other countries the family sleeps  together and I guess the kids just know about sex.

Here is a quote from Wikipedia on the subject:

One study reported mothers getting more sleep by co-sleeping and breastfeeding than by other arrangements.

It has been argued that co-sleeping evolved over five million years, that it alters the infant's sleep experience and the number of maternal inspections of the infant, and that it provides a beginning point for considering possibly unconventional ways of helping reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Stress hormones are lower in mothers and babies who co-sleep, specifically the balance of the stress hormone cortisol, the control of which is essential for a baby's healthy growth.

In studies with animals, infants who stayed close to their mothers had higher levels of growth hormones and enzymes necessary for brain and heart growth.

The physiology of co-sleeping babies is more stable, including more stable temperatures, more regular heart rhythms, and fewer long pauses in breathing than babies who sleep alone.

Co-sleeping may promote long-term emotional health. In long-term follow-up studies of infants who slept with their parents and those who slept alone, the children who co-slept were happier, less anxious, had higher self-esteem, were less likely to be afraid of sleep, had fewer behavioral problems, tended to be more comfortable with intimacy, and were generally more independent as adults.

However, a recent study (see below under precautions) found different results if co-sleeping was initiated only after nighttime awakenings. Co-sleeping from birth or soon afterwards is the norm except in some Western cultures.

I hope that my assurances that he was not "spoiling" his son, nor was he keeping him a baby, helped that Dad have more confidence in his and the mother's decisions to let Carter sleep with them if he needs to.  He will outgrow that need just as the young of every other species do.

Things I Learned the Hard Way

Things I Learned the Hard Way

Do not ever criticize your teenager in front of anyone.  Do it in private if it is something important.

Do not speak to your teenager in a tone that you don't want to hear coming back at you.  

Earn your child's respect, don't demand it.

If you are a father, make sure you teach your child life skills like how to change a tire, make simple repairs around the house, how to do laundry (lights and darks), what to do when the lights go out, how to treat the opposite sex, and, if you live in Arizona, how to take care of a pool.

If you are a mother, teach your child how to prepare one meal including appetizer and dessert, how to clean a bathroom, how to wrap a present, and how to manage money.

Of course this sounds sexist.  I am sorry, but I am old now and just trying to get the point across.

Have minimum standards but enforce them absolutely.  No, you may not go out in that shirt with "I Love Boobies" on it.  I don't care if it is from the Galapagos.

What you say to a teenager doesn't matter nearly as much as what you do.

Don't be a hypocrite.  Don't tell your teenager not to smoke while you burn through a pack a day.  Don't expect your teen to stay away from drugs if you have a beer the minute you get home from work.  

I am sure I will come up with lots more - stay tuned.

What does God's voice sound like?

Kudos to Aaron Sorkin for writing an amazing rant for the character of Maggie on the HBO series Newsroom.  If you haven't caught any of the episodes, watch for HBO to run it again and be sure you don't miss a single line of this well-written script.

In this episode, the staff is rehearsing possible questions for potential Republican candidates if their network is awarded the presidential debate.  Maggie's suggestion for a question for Michelle Bachman is "What does God's voice sound like?" She convinces the staff that she is serious by pointing out that if Bachman is being truthful when she says that God told her to run for President, then she is a prophet and we should pay attention to everything she says.
 

And, of course, if she cannot answer the question, then she is not telling the truth and no one should vote for someone who lies to the American people. In response to criticism that the news anchor could not denigrate Christians in such a way, Maggie responds that she is standing up for herself, her family, her church and her congregation by revealing this "false prophet."


You may say that Aaron Sorkin is simply one of the liberals that run the media and television and so, of course he is going to get his punches in against the conservative Bachman supporters.  But the important question here is "What DOES God's voice sound like?" Would you want your news anchor to ask such questions of candidates and hold their feet to the fire of public scrutiny?


Does anyone out there remember Ross Perot?  In 1992, 20 years ago, he gained a following by talking to voters as if he believed they could actually understand the issues.  I remember because it made such an impression on me.  He went on national television and for one half hour did a presentation that now would be done with Power Point, but he used charts and an old-fashioned pointer to explain in clear language what his economic policy was. He advocated a novel idea: that we do away with Medicare and Social Security for "those who don't need it." those like Warren Buffet, no doubt.  Twenty years and we are still having the same conversation!

Pissed Off by Political Ad

I just saw an Obama ad on TV that really pissed me off.  And it started out with the old "I am Barack Obama and I approved this ad" so you can't say he didn't know about it.  This ad was focused on Mitt Romney's tax rate.  It should be illegal to make statements like that without explaining that Romney, along with Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, and tons of other wealthy people pay low tax rates because most of their income is from long-term capital gains which is taxed at a lower rate FOR EVERYONE!

All you have to do is google: Why does Mitt Romney pay a lower tax rate than most?  Here's what comes up.

"Romney released his 2010 tax return in January after intense pressure, showing that he paid a 13.9 percent effective rate on $42.5 million in income. His tax rate, lower than that paid by most middle-class filers, was because most of his income came from investments."

Here is a quote from the Tucson Sentinel:

"Robert Farley

Factcheck.org

A new ad from the Obama campaign claims that Mitt Romney "paid only 14 percent in taxes—probably less than you." That depends. Romney paid a federal income tax rate that is higher than the income tax rate paid by 97 percent of tax filers. But if you include a combination of income taxes and payroll taxes — which make up the bulk of federal taxes for most taxpayers — the ad is accurate.

The ad, called "Stretch," is the first to feature a report from the Tax Policy Center that concluded a plan like Romney's proposal for across-the-board tax cuts, together with the goal of remaining revenue neutral, would ultimately raise taxes on people making less than $200,000 a year. The ad contrasts those findings with data from Romney's 2010 tax return.

The ad begins with a narrator stating, "You work hard, stretch every penny, but chances are you pay a higher tax rate than him: Mitt Romney made $20 million dollars in 2010, but paid only 14 percent in taxes—probably less than you."

I hope that what people come away with after watching this ad is that they need to learn more about investing their money so that one day their entire income can consist of capital gains and they, too, can pay a lower tax rate.  

Problem

I am using my new iPad on this trip and I can write posts just fine, but I cannot upload an image. The place that says "choose image" is grayed out. Does anyone have a clue what I am doing wrong?

Beijing

Last stop, Beijing, known in my childhood as Peking.  The name for the city has changed, but not the name for the famous dish, Peking Duck.  I loved Beijing.  It is like other international cities - lots of fabulous shopping, great museums, crazy traffic, a sense that life is moving forward.  Friendly Planet had a lot planned for us to see, and since Sam, our guide, lives in Beijing, he was also our local guide.

One of our first stops was the Forbidden City, with its 9,999 rooms.  When we returned home, I watched "The Last Emperor," the story of Pu Li, the last emperor to live in the Forbidden City.  The story made the Forbidden City come alive for me, since when we saw it, the only people inhabiting the city were tourists - mostly Chinese.  If I were to go back, I would like to have time to sign up for a tour with a guide that would show me more than we were able to explore in our short visit.  I am looking for a video tour of the Forbidden City, so if anyone comes across one, let me know.

Also that day we saw Tian'an Men Square, the site of Chairman Mao's Mausoleum.  His embalmed body is on display mornings and afternoons, but we did not have time to go through the line waiting to pay their respects.  What I did not expect was the size of the square.  We were supposed to walk from one end of the square to the focal point, the Gate of Heavenly Peace where the portrait of Mao hangs and have our group portrait taken.  Some of the wussy members of our group refused to walk that distance because of the cold and the wind whipping across the expanse of the square.  Sam quickly adjusted to the desires of the group and arranged for our picture to be made in front of the Hall of the People, only halfway across the square.  This was the only time that there was any indication that we were in a communist country.  Sam had instructed us not to have conversations about the 1989 Massacre.  He said there were undercover police in the square and we could find ourselves in trouble if they overheard us talking about something that, officially, never happened.  The government's position is that the tragedy of the student demonstrations was simply a media event.  That the press "made it all up."

In his book, Oracle Bones, Peter Hessler describes his visit to Tian'An Men Square.

          "After a while, I began to notice that some people in the crowd didn't look like tourists.  They were men, usually in their thirties and forties, and many of them had crew cuts.  They were not well dressed: worn trousers, cheap windbreakers.  They did not look educated.  They did not look like they were enjoying themselves - they weren't smiling, or taking pictures, or buying souvenirs.  They loitered and lingered; they lurked and looked.  They dawdled.  Sometimes, a man would stand directly behind a group of talking tourists, as if trying to overhear their conversation.  Periodically, one of the crew-cut men sauntered over to another crew-cut man, said something, and then sauntered away.  Several held rolled up newspapers.  I saw one man raise his newspaper, hold it next to his face, and speak to it.  Curious, I walked past and took a furtive look.  Inside the rolled paper, I caught a glimpse of black plastic - walkie-talkie." (p. 59)

The following day we went to Badaling, 44 miles northwest of Beijing, to view the Great Wall.  Compare the photo from my climb on the wall to other pictures you've seen in magazines and brochures.  They generally show two or four people walking some distance in front of the camera.  That is not what I saw.

While in Beijing we saw a Jade Factory and a Pearl Factory, both of which were interesting because, I very rarely, if ever, have seen any product being made in the U.S.  What about you?  Have you visited factories in your hometown or on any of your travels to see how different products are made?  That is something we need to institute in our country and let people be proud of things that are "made in America."

Other sites included in our tour of Beijing were the Ming Tombs and the Temple of Heaven.  There is so much history in China, a four-year degree would barely enable you to learn about all that we saw.  A favorite excursion was the Hutong tour via rickshaws.  Though Beijing is a modern city, a visit to the alleyways shows the charm of old Beijing.   The hutongs, created by the walls of courtyard houses, were the residences of officials and the well-to-do, although now most are state-owned. Our rickshaws wove in and out of narrow streets, revealing shops of every description, restaurants, bars, and houses.  Suddenly we came upon an open space beside a lake where people were walking their children and their dogs, cruising in paddle boats, and enjoying an ice cream on this leisurely afternoon.  I could have stayed the whole day there just soaking up the feeling of actually being in the middle of a place I've dreamed about since I was a child and watched my mother read Pearl S. Buck's books about China.  She looked so enraptured, I wanted to feel that way.

The grounds around the Temple of Heaven are a gathering place for people to exercise, to play mahjong or other games, and to just hang out with their friends.  I shot a video of people line dancing and one of several men passing a ball around with a racquet, never letting the ball leave their racquet until they gracefully tossed it to their partner.  There were, again, so many people gathered in one place we felt a bit uneasy.  Americans are simply not accustomed to so many bodies sharing the same space.  But it made me so happy to see all these people smiling, having a good time, spending time with friends outside in the sunshine.  I wish we did more of that sort of thing in our country.  Many of our gatherings, like mornings in the park, are focused on the children, not on the adults.

Friendly Planet saved the best for last; we visited a village just outside Beijing and had dinner with a host family.  We learned much about the history of the village from our delightful tour guide, who lives there, and had a tai chi lesson from a master.  He was so beautiful to watch.  It must take years and years to master those movements.  This village is known for its hand-carved furniture and we were treated to a tour of a working shop.  Then we went to the home of our hosts for the best meal we had on the entire trip.  The wife taught us how to make dumplings, but, of course, she made 99% of them since we were so slow!  There were many other dishes and the husband did most of the cooking. They were so friendly and gracious - they truly made us feel like honored guests.

I hope I have another opportunity to visit China.  We saw only a small percentage of the country - there is a lot more to see and learn.

There are photographs from our trip on my flickr site: santanartist

Questions are welcomed.


 
 

Starting Over

The last time I posted on this blog was in 2010, but I am starting over and hope that this time I will be able to keep it going.

I am busy with my etsy shop, making silk scarves and learning about dye. Still taking care of Charlie and Katie 4 days a week, and still doing photography.

Celebrated my 70th birthday with all the family and received a new bike which I love!

Here's a photo of the cake Nancy made for my birthday.  It's amazing.  A suitcase with labels for all the places we have been, plus my passport!  Isn't that just too much?  Nancy and I are going to China  on March 26th for 10 days. Will definitely blog about that!

Nemaste,
Dottie

Europe's Arizona

This is a quote from "Arizona on the Aegean."

Ray Hartwell has written a column for the Washington Times called "Europe's Arizona." That would be Greece, which has an enormous problem with illegal immigrants -- mostly Albanians and, to a lesser extent, Turks. As in Arizona, it is estimated that roughly 10 percent of the population in Greece is there illegally. And many of the problems that the illegals bring with them are quite similar.
Illegal immigration didn't cause Greece's financial collapse, of course. But Ray argues persuasively that illegal immigration is making the economic situation worse.
Click on the link and read the entire article.

This Mess Has Got Me Depressed

Depression is not a word that generally applies to me. My marriage is good, my children are healthy, my grandchildren are perfect in every way, my life is busy and filled with laughter and happiness. So why do I feel depressed?

It's this economy and what it's done to people - and I mean people I know and love - not some "people." First, though, is the fact that I am sad about the death of Ron's sister, Betty, in Florida. She was a victim of old age. After selling their home in Myrtle Beach, she and her husband, Frank, moved to St. Petersburg and bought a condo in a high-rise by the water. They were fine for several years, then Frank got a diagnosis of lung cancer and died within two years. And those last two years were extremely hard on his wife, since she never left his side except to go grocery shopping.

After Frank died, we all thought Betty would move to California to live with their daughter. But the timing was off. The housing bubble had just burst and the condo that had been worth $400K was now unmarketable. She had it on the market off and on for two years, and wouldn't come down to a price that might have drawn buyers, saying "I'm not going to give it away." So she stayed there, waiting . .. waiting.. . waiting. Then she got an infection that spread to the plastic valve in her heart and then she was terminal. She wasn't strong enough to survive the heart surgery to replace the valve and antibiotics can't work on plastic. So, after two months of pain and suffering and (although it's not important, probably a bill of about half a million) she passed away.

There are so many "if only's" in that story, it just makes me sad. Now her kids will sell the condo for $150K and that will be that.

And my daughter's mother-in-law is facing foreclosure on her condo, she's walking away from her car lease, and declaring bankruptcy. My friend and her husband are walking away from their house that three years ago they were thrilled with, but now see as a really bad investment since it's worth about half what they paid for it. They found out this weekend that about 5 or 6 of their neighbors are going to do the same thing. My son refinanced his house to pay off his ex-wife to get her out of his life, and was hoping and praying that the market would recover before the loan adjusted so that he could either sell it or refi it again into a 30-year fixed. But no. He's going to try to short sale it.

I feel like I'm on an island and the tide is coming in. Where can we move? I can't bear to watch what's coming - I don't think the worst is over.

And forget about the kids that are looking for jobs!

How Come?

Here's a health care question that I hope somebody will have an answer for: why is it that Medicare will pay for me to see a doctor about a malfunction in any body part I have except for my teeth and my eyes? I can see my family doctor for a diagnosis when I am not feeling quite right; he can refer me to a specialist for treatment for whatever is wrong; but if I am suffering from an inflammation of a tooth, I have to go to a dentist and Medicare won't pay for it. If I need to be able to see better (no different than if I need to be able to sleep better) then I have to see an opthamologist. Oh yes, and also, if my hearing starts to go, Medicare doesn't care. What is the justification for leaving these important things out of my health care provisions?

Anyone? Anyone?

Check it out!

Someone has used one of my photographs in their blog. You can see it by clicking on this link:
http://lemonadecleansetogo.com/2010/06/top-10-glam-wedding-dresses/

The picture is a frou-frou wedding dress that I shot when we were in Paris. It's fun to see your work recognized by someone else! Thanks to Lemonade Cleanse!

Summer Trip, 2010

We had a great trip to the midwest. I want to go back! We flew into Cincinnati, rented a car, drove to Bethel, Ohio, to Bill and Verda's house, and left the next morning on a ramble up to Lake Michigan. We started out with a delicious brunch prepared by Verda's cousin, Gary, at his beautiful home outside Cincinnati. Then we departed for French Lick and to see the resort at West Baden Springs. We stopped that first night at Salem, Indiana, and stayed at a lovely B&B named Laning House. Mrs. Hart was our gracious hostess, and we had the entire annex to ourselves for $65 per couple! Living room, dining room, kitchen, two bedrooms and two baths! We highly recommend the Laning House if you are ever in Salem. The next morning we saw the amazing West Baden Springs resort and played the slots at French Lick. That night we stayed in Bloomington, Indiana. What a neat college town that is! Verda and I went into Buffalouie's for wings, and while we were there we were talking to the owner. During our conversation, he stopped to welcome George Taliaferro, the first African-American to be drafted into the NFL. George played for the 1945 IU football team. I had the pleasure of talking with George for several minutes and he told me the story of how he used to peer through the window of that restaurant at his picture on the wall, but wasn't allowed to come in because he was black. Now that same picture resides in a place of honor in Assembly Hall. We toured the campus the next morning and went to the library to use their computers. In the afternoon we headed north for the southern shore of Lake Michigan and stayed in Chesterton. The following pictures are of this first part of our trip.

Arizona Immigration Law

I have a question for all Moms (and Dads) out there today. When you teach your children about obeying the laws, do you tell them that they can pick and choose which ones to follow, and which ones to disregard?

That is what the opponents of the new anti-illegal immigration law in Arizona want you to do. It is, and has been, the law of the United States for anyone to be in this country illegally. That means without having gone through the legal process of being admitted to this country. My family has ancestors who came from Europe - legally - and Ron and his family came here from Scotland when he was 11 - legally. So we are in FAVOR of immigration and the contributions immigrants make to our country - but there are legal ways to do it.

So, when there is a law passed by Congress saying it is unlawful to be here without documentation, why are people saying that a state law upholding and enforcing the federal law is unconstitutional? Why are they saying that we should continue to look the other way when we know - we know - how many people are here illegally? Why do we, as taxpayers and residents of Arizona, have to continue to pay for people who are here illegally? The least the federal government can do - if they are not going to enforce the immigration laws - is give us the money to take care of these people.

So, teach your children that if they think a law is wrong, they don't have to obey it. See how that works for you.

Happy Mother's Day!

Whether you are doing anything special today or not, you have already done something extraordinary by becoming a mother and raising your offspring.

If the human race survives, it will be because people like you have passed their genes on to the next generation. So, congratulations! No matter what, you have made an invaluable contribution to life on this planet.

New Immigration Law in Arizona

Does anyone else think it's curious and more than a little coincidental that just when all the protests are going on about the new "strict" Arizona immigration law, the feds (ICE) "arrested 596 illegal immigrants with prior criminal convictions in a three-day sweep across the southeastern United States this week?"

"Most of them will be deported, though 22 may be prosecuted for illegally entering the U.S. after previously having been sent home," (italics mine) "These are not the kind of people that we want walking our streets or living in our communities" Morton told reporters. WELL WE DON'T WANT THEM EITHER. Why doesn't anyone get that?

"All but two dozen of the criminals, some previously convicted of murder, sex crimes, assault and fraud, had been released from jail or prison without being turned over to immigration authorities for removal, as the law provides." That statement is exactly what the Arizona law provides for when criminals are arrested. The ONLY way the Arizona law could be found to be unconstitutional is if the Court decides that a state law cannot mirror a federal law. And if that is the case, then a majority of state laws across the country will be declared unconstitutional.

Wonder how Janet Napolitano sleeps at night. When she was Governor, she refused to sign similar laws because she said it would take resources away from the feds who were busy doing other things. Now, all of a sudden, we are told that in the southeastern part of the United States, criminals should not have been released from incarceration without being turned over to immigration authorities. I didn't know that federal law only applied in certain states or certain parts of the country.

Quotes are from The Arizona Republic, Saturday, May 1, 2010. Reprinted from Tribune Washington Bureau.

Comments welcome.

Illegal Immigration

Perhaps you all have become aware that there is a bill sitting on the desk of the Governor of Arizona that will - wait for it - make it a state crime to be in the country illegally! Now, I guess I missed something along the way. I thought that it already was illegal to be illegal - DUH. There are demonstrations going on by people who are afraid that even legal residents will be required to carry identification with them in case they have to show that they are here legally. Well, I don't know about you, but most of the time when I go out, I have my driver's license with me. No problem. And, I'm sorry, but the last time I traveled to Europe, I had to give my passport to customs agents when I entered a foreign country. In England, in France, in the Netherlands, I couldn't just stroll across the border, enter their country, and set up shop without a by-your-leave. Why do Mexicans think that they should be able to cross into Arizona and never be challenged to show that they are here legally? We don't seem to have this same problem with Canadians. Some people say that the convention business will suffer, that companies will choose not to come to Arizona because they will be worried that their attendees will be stopped at every corner. I think it's probably the opposite. If out-of-staters know that the chances of being murdered, robbed, assaulted, or hit in their car by an uninsured, unlicensed motorist, I think they would be more inclined to visit our state. The economy of Arizona will suddenly improve dramatically when we are not having to pay for immigrants' medical bills, education, welfare, not to mention their incarceration.

I am as grateful as anyone for the contributions that immigrants have made to our country and to our state. But people who are here legally are not part of this discussion. I think that if there is immigration reform, we will still have many people who want to come here and make contributions - but they will do it legally. And, to be fair, our government needs to assist the Mexican government in making that country a desirable place to live. Maybe then there will be crossings in both directions!

So show me what part of "illegal" I don't understand.

Recent Photos

I was 68 when I finally saw a Panda.

I think I am going to make this blog more of a photo blog than a written one. Either that or learn to write more succinctly and not ramble on and on. Maybe a combination of the two? Anyhoo, recently my daughter, Nancy, and I took her two daughters and Steve's son, Alex to the San Diego Zoo and to Legoland. It was so much fun - the kids were great and got along perfectly. The only problem we encountered was that the first night, they all ended up in one room because Grandma was snoring so loud! The next night, Grandma slept in the living room of the suite and everyone else was in the bedroom with the door closed! Ah, well.

The zoo has an amazing underwater hippo viewing area. You can see them when they are underwater, and also when they come up. What a great idea!

MAKE IT HAPPEN

When we first viewed the Agean Sea from the road leading into Napflio, I realized that if you want something enough, you can make it happen. I have dreamed of seeing Greece since I was a child and my mother enrolled me in a children's art history by mail series provided by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The booklets came once a month and I had to paste the correct stamp of individual pieces into their appropriate space and read the text describing what this piece was. My favorite was the Winged Victory of Samothrace. Samos is an island in Greece and the statue was originally part of the sanctuary of Samos. Now, of course, the Victory (or Nike) resides in the Louvre, but Greece is most definitely still here.

We spent our first week getting acquainted with the basics of visiting Greece. Learning to recognize a few words, getting used to driving like the crazy Greek drivers, seeing what food was suitable for us picky Americans, and locating the super market. During that first week, we drove to the amphitheater in Epidavros (Epidaurus on some maps) and were as amazed as the guidebooks promised we would be. We kept saying over and over "Wow, this was a lot of work!" but several days later I thought that 3000 years from now if tourists are walking over the ruins of Manhattan, they will be saying "Wow, this was a lot of work!" I will post photographs on this blog and on Flickr when we get home and I edit the collection. I may have taken 600 shots so far, I don't know. I do know we've spent a fortune on Duracells!

We also visited Mycenae and saw the oldest bas relief carving in the ancient world, the Lion Gate. This is where Agamemnon was murdered by his wife Clynemestra after being away for 10 years fighting some war or another. This is a site excavated by Henrich Schliemann and where he found the gold mask you often see titled Agamamnon's Mask, but later historians don't think it really is his face. However, this was an impressive site with lots to see and lots to learn.

On the way back to Napflio, we stopped at Tyros, another ancient site with cyclopean stones. These huge blocks of stone were so large that the Greeks thought they could only have been put in place by a cyclops. It was interesting to us that you could just walk all over the site, prowl around to your heart's content. No signs saying "Stay on Path" or any other warnings. And, credit to all of us tourists and the Greeks who visit here, there was no trash or litter anywhere.

In Napflio itself, there were two castles - the one we looked at from our balcony every morning and evening - the Paramidi, and the other, the Acronapflio. We spent one day just exploring Napflio. We went to the beach one day, and the water was wonderful, but the beach itself was rocks, not sand, so not very comfy for lazing and dozing. The Greeks must not have heard about melanoma because they are all laying about getting tanned in their too-skimpy for taste bikinis and speedos.

We decided to keep the car for an extra three days so that we would have more time to visit Olympia, Delphi, and Corinth.

I'll blog about that leg of the trip next time (or when we get home if I can't find another internet cafe!)

We are off to Santorini tomorrow, finishing up in Athens and flying home on Sunday.

STYLIN' AT LIBERTY NATIONAL

Let's take up where we left off yesterday.

Freddy Jacobson is the reverse of yesterday's selection. Yesterday he had on some ocean blue pants that personally I think were too tight. They were in danger of splitting when he bent over to retrieve his ball. Plus, they ride too low. I keep expecting to see his undies peek out. The shirt wasn't bad. The Europeans always tend to wear their clothes a bit more form-fitting than the Americans and his upper body looks good in the snug shirts. Today, he has reversed the color selection and is wearing a blue shirt and white pants.

Webb Simpson is dressed just like a rookie. You can tell he hasn't earned much money yet - can't afford really great clothes. But if he keeps playing like this, you can expect him to turn up in some high-end britches.

Forgot to mention yesterday that I very much approve of Marino's decision to wear Under Armour. Love their clothes and I own stock, so go UA! He's wearing UA again today, but must give him a low score for this shirt. The stripes are too close together for TV and tend to look like a test pattern.

Bill Haas is in contention for best outfit. His grey slacks are very classy and the pale aqua shirt is pretty as a bridesmaid's dress without looking girly.

Heath Slocum made the "green" mistake. CBS should just tell these guys, "For God's sake, don't wear a green shirt!" Give these players' wives a color wheel to use. Ernie Els looks like a true champion today, by the way. His royal (and I mean ROYAL) blue shirt looks fabulous against the green grass of either the fairways or the greens. He will look great when he hoists the championship trophy at the end of the day. (I predict.)

Steve Stricker looks like a winner today. His summer blue shirt goes well with his pants which look like linen. He looks totally comfortable, but very well put together. Best outfit contender. Still have to judge his hat and shoes, though, before deciding. It is always best when your hat matches your pants, and most of the time, it's better if your shoes match the hat. Goydos looks pretty good today, but why did he choose a white hat when he's wearing black pants, black and white striped shirt, and black shoes? Stricker did go with the same white for shoes and hat.

Nick Watney looked very nice today. We didn't get a great view, just a quick shot of him, but the quick impression was classic. And, Nick probably will win best shoes. But, whoa, watch out for Steve Stricker. Looking good, Steve. Just don't take your hat off.

Tiger looks like a well-tuned racehorse. And even though Roger Federer said that Tiger's pants are always too big, I disagree. They have a nice drape, never look constricting, and hang from his waist like they were made for no one else.

So, at the end of the day, the clothes you wear don't matter much. Heath Slocum wins, in his little green Calvin Klein shirt. Steve Stricker will have to be the winner of Best Pants, Ernie Els for Best Shirt, Nick Watney for Best Shoes, but Bill Haas wins for overall Best Outfit!

See you next week.

WHO WINS "BEST PANTS?"

It's Saturday at the Barclay's and some fans want to know who has the lowest score - but there are a lot of us who want to know who's wearing the best outfit? Whose pants fit the best? Which golf shoes are cool and make you actually want to go buy some? Shirts? Well, after seeing whether or not you can see Phil's nips, what else makes you remember that golfer? Today, for example, Sergio looks great in his bright orange shirt and black pants. He might be a contestant for "Best Outfit." The almost-but-not-quite beard has got to go, though. Sergio is plenty handsome enough without trying to cover up that pretty face.

Of course, we all watch to see what Ian's wearing, and today would probably be a fun day to judge his sartorial selection, but it's rainy and he has on plain, black rain pants today, so cross your fingers for the sun to come out and the raingear to come off! And personally, I miss the Poulter hair sticking up, but I guess he didn't want to get his head wet today.

Now we all know that Tiger always looks sexy and athletic in his Nike duds. Today's blue shirt (and hasn't he pretty much decided that Saturday is blue day and Sunday is red?) looks great, but I personally think he could have chosen better pants. And did young Webb Simpson find out what Tiger was planning to wear today and copy at least his color scheme? Maybe hope it brings him the same confidence that Tiger has?

Now let's score some of the other players. Scoring is on a scale from 1 to 10 with 1 being "looks like your local insurance agent," and 10 being "Yum!"

Paul Goydos - Love that shirt! What color is that - persimmon? Apricot? It's darker than peach and it's on the pinkish side of orange. Very nice selection for today's weather and setting. Pants are so-so.

Zach Johnson - gets a 7 for pants; they fit his butt nicely and hang stylishly. Good color, too. But only get a 2 for the plain white shirt. And white shoes might not be the best selection for playing in the mud and rain.

Steve Marino - only gets a 4 for the khaki colored trousers - pretty ho-hum. I wonder if these guys ever even think about how they are going to look on television (except for Tiger). Marino's green shirt probably looks fine in the clubhouse but against those greens, it almost clashes. Green might be a color to stay away from when you're playing golf - unless you're playing in the desert.

I'm waiting to see Vijay. He always looks like he's wearing pants tailor-made for him in Hong Kong. They just flow over his body like chocolate over strawberries. They enhance that lazy, relaxed walk of his. You just can't help but wonder what underwear he has on - bet it's silk.

Webb Simpson might be wearing rain pants, too. Whatever they are, they make his butt look huge! These guys ought to watch themselves and see how they look to us. We're not necessarily watching their swing. And their moms should have told them "don't spit," and "don't say the 'f' word."

That's it for Saturday at Liberty National.

LOSS OF AN OLD FRIEND

We were saddened today to learn that our friend, Will Lands, of New Jersey and Albuquerque, died on July 20th. The cause of death was cirrhosis of the liver which won't surprise any of you who knew him. He had actually made an effort to quit drinking and get healthy, but I think it was too little, too late.

After his wife, Patricia, died several years ago, Will seemed to go downhill. He moved back into their house (they had been separated for two years) and I think it just made him very sad to have to dispose of her things. He went through a period of anger and after that he just seemed to have little enthusiasm for life. He had two DUI's in a matter of days and came to Phoenix to do a 30-day rehab. He seemed pretty good for a while after that, but lost his job and then that was the last straw. With his age, and the economy going down the toilet, his hopes of getting another job were practically nil. He wasn't old enough for Social Security or Medicare, so he watching his life savings disappear by the week.

Will had a caring heart and was always helping others, especially animals that needed someone to speak for them. He was very, very smart, but couldn't make the one decision that would have saved his life.

We will miss him.