Sunday, September 30, 2018
LAUGH FOR THE DAY - MAXINE'S IDEA OF A PERFECT REFRIGERATOR
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - THE TWO ENEMIES OF THE PEOPLE
Saturday, September 29, 2018
LAUGH FOR THE DAY - THE CAMPING TRIP WITH THE TROOPS
Friday, September 28, 2018
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHY LEAVES CHANGE COLOR!
Dear Readers:
Came across this article on the Farmers Almanac website about why leaves change color. Below is an excerpt from that article, with a link provided to the complete article. If you have school age children, this might make an interesting article for them to read.
Ever wonder why leaves change color in
the fall? Or when exactly they change and how the process occurs? Let’s
take a close-up look at fall leaves!
Why do Leaves Change Color?
First of all, not all leaves turn vivid colors in the fall. Only a
few of our many species of deciduous trees—notably maple, aspen, oak,
and gum—produce stellar performances for our annual autumn spectacular
in North America.
Several factors contribute to fall color (temperature, precipitation,
soil moisture), but the main agent is light, or actually the lack
of it.
The amount of daylight relates to the timing of the autumnal equinox.
As the autumn days grow shorter, the reduced light triggers chemical
changes in deciduous plants causing a corky wall to form between the
twig and the leaf stalk.
This corky wall, or “abscission layer,” eventually causes the leaf to
drop off in the breeze. As the corky cells multiply, they seal off the
vessels that supply the leaf with nutrients and water and also block the
exit vessels, trapping simple sugars in the leaves. The combination of
reduced light, lack of nutrients, and no water add up to the death of
the pigment chlorophyll, the “green” in leaves.
Once the green is gone, two other pigments show their bright faces.
These pigments, carotene (yellow) and anthocyanin (red), exist in the
leaf all summer but are masked by the chlorophyll. (The browns in autumn
leaves are the result of tannin, a chemical that exists in many leaves,
especially oaks.)
Sugar trapped in autumn leaves by the abscission layer is largely
responsible for the vivid color. Some additional anthocyanins are also
manufactured by sunlight acting on the trapped sugar. This is why the
foliage is so sparkling after several bright fall days and more pastel
during rainy spells.
To read the rest of the article and find out what brings the best fall foliage and where, click HERE
Thursday, September 27, 2018
FOOD SAFETY NEWS - Traceback and packaging questions raised over Cargill’s ground beef recall
By Dan Flynn on
A week after Cargill Meat Solutions recall of 66 tons of ground beef, some concerns remain. Experts at Consumer Reports suggest tossing out any ground beef in your freezer purchased between June 21 and July 11 of this year “out of an abundance of caution.”
And a top food safety advocate in Congress, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-CT, is demanding more information from the USDA about the associated outbreak of E. coli O26, which has caused 18 illnesses and one death.
The recalled meat, produced at Cargill’s Fort Morgan, CO, facility, was sold nationally at retail outlets during the summer. None is currently being sold, but there’s concern some of the ground beef was likely purchased for future use and remains stored in both home and commercial freezers.
In a Sept. 26 letter to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, DeLauro demanded more information on the recall and outbreak investigation.
“I write today out of concern regarding the USDA’s investigation into the ongoing multistate outbreak of Escherichia coli O26, which has been linked to ground beef,” DeLauro wrote. “According to the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the agency was notified of an investigation of E. coli O26 illnesses on Aug. 16, 2018.
“However, it was not until Aug. 30, 2018, that the first recall related to this outbreak was initiated by Publix Super Markets Inc.,” continued DeLauro. “At that time, according to FSIS, the source of the outbreak was ‘yet-to-be-determined.’ Then, twenty days later on Sept. 19, 2018, 132,606 pounds of ground beef products from Cargill, the apparent source of the outbreak, were finally recalled. In total, it was more than 35 days from when FSIS first learned of the outbreak when the traceback investigation was able to identify the source. Such a timeline is simply unacceptable and unnecessarily jeopardizes public health.”
In the letter, DeLauro tells Perdue that “prolonged traceback investigations are not just risks to consumer safety.” She cites USDA’s Economic Research Service’s work showing the negative consequences of food illness outbreaks and recalls in the food and agriculture business sectors.
DeLauro asked Perdue to respond to her questions about the timeline. She wants to know what FSIS knew by specific dates as the traceback investigation continued, such as when did the agency become aware the Publix Super Markets recalls involved Cargill.
Cargill’s Sept. 20 recall notice includes a product list of the specific brands and labels for consumers to use in checking their home or rental freezers. However, Consumer Reports (CR) issued its broader warning because some bulk purchasers likely repackaged the ground beef into units, not on the recall list.
“E coli O26 is quite serious, ” said James E. Rogers, CR’s director of food safety testing and research. “You don’t want to risk your health, or your family’s.” CR’s recommends tossing any ground beef stored in a freezer that was purchased between June 21 and July 11.
“If the meat has been repackaged, the brands and codes provided on the FSIS list so far won’t help consumers figure out if their purchase was part of this ground beef recall,” Rogers said. “This combined with the fact that people may take meat out of its packaging and wrap it themselves before they freeze it means many consumers may have no way of knowing if they purchased affected Cargill beef, or know the use-by date that was on the original package.”
Food Safety News previously published the entire recall list here.
The FSIS also warns that some recalled Cargill beef could be in people’s freezers and if so, it should be thrown out and not consumed.
According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, the recalled Cargill beef is associated with a four-state outbreak of E. coli O26 involving 18 illnesses and one death. In a Sept. 20 Food Safety Alert, the CDC said the multistate incident is probably over. Fifteen of the illnesses and the death were in Florida. Colorado, Tennessee, and Massachusetts each reported one O26 case.
A week after Cargill Meat Solutions recall of 66 tons of ground beef, some concerns remain. Experts at Consumer Reports suggest tossing out any ground beef in your freezer purchased between June 21 and July 11 of this year “out of an abundance of caution.”
And a top food safety advocate in Congress, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-CT, is demanding more information from the USDA about the associated outbreak of E. coli O26, which has caused 18 illnesses and one death.
The recalled meat, produced at Cargill’s Fort Morgan, CO, facility, was sold nationally at retail outlets during the summer. None is currently being sold, but there’s concern some of the ground beef was likely purchased for future use and remains stored in both home and commercial freezers.
In a Sept. 26 letter to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, DeLauro demanded more information on the recall and outbreak investigation.
“I write today out of concern regarding the USDA’s investigation into the ongoing multistate outbreak of Escherichia coli O26, which has been linked to ground beef,” DeLauro wrote. “According to the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the agency was notified of an investigation of E. coli O26 illnesses on Aug. 16, 2018.
“However, it was not until Aug. 30, 2018, that the first recall related to this outbreak was initiated by Publix Super Markets Inc.,” continued DeLauro. “At that time, according to FSIS, the source of the outbreak was ‘yet-to-be-determined.’ Then, twenty days later on Sept. 19, 2018, 132,606 pounds of ground beef products from Cargill, the apparent source of the outbreak, were finally recalled. In total, it was more than 35 days from when FSIS first learned of the outbreak when the traceback investigation was able to identify the source. Such a timeline is simply unacceptable and unnecessarily jeopardizes public health.”
In the letter, DeLauro tells Perdue that “prolonged traceback investigations are not just risks to consumer safety.” She cites USDA’s Economic Research Service’s work showing the negative consequences of food illness outbreaks and recalls in the food and agriculture business sectors.
DeLauro asked Perdue to respond to her questions about the timeline. She wants to know what FSIS knew by specific dates as the traceback investigation continued, such as when did the agency become aware the Publix Super Markets recalls involved Cargill.
Cargill’s Sept. 20 recall notice includes a product list of the specific brands and labels for consumers to use in checking their home or rental freezers. However, Consumer Reports (CR) issued its broader warning because some bulk purchasers likely repackaged the ground beef into units, not on the recall list.
“E coli O26 is quite serious, ” said James E. Rogers, CR’s director of food safety testing and research. “You don’t want to risk your health, or your family’s.” CR’s recommends tossing any ground beef stored in a freezer that was purchased between June 21 and July 11.
“If the meat has been repackaged, the brands and codes provided on the FSIS list so far won’t help consumers figure out if their purchase was part of this ground beef recall,” Rogers said. “This combined with the fact that people may take meat out of its packaging and wrap it themselves before they freeze it means many consumers may have no way of knowing if they purchased affected Cargill beef, or know the use-by date that was on the original package.”
Food Safety News previously published the entire recall list here.
The FSIS also warns that some recalled Cargill beef could be in people’s freezers and if so, it should be thrown out and not consumed.
According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, the recalled Cargill beef is associated with a four-state outbreak of E. coli O26 involving 18 illnesses and one death. In a Sept. 20 Food Safety Alert, the CDC said the multistate incident is probably over. Fifteen of the illnesses and the death were in Florida. Colorado, Tennessee, and Massachusetts each reported one O26 case.
FSIS has released a list of retail outlets that sold the Cargill beef.
SMILE FOR THE DAY - OUT OF A CHILD'S MOUTH - THE TRUTH
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Musical Memories for this evening - DON'T FORSAKE ME O'MY DARLING - FROM THE PICTURE HIGH NOON
High Noon is a 1952 American Western film produced by Stanley Kramer from a screenplay by Carl Foreman, directed by Fred Zinnemann, and starring Gary Cooper. The plot, depicted in real time, centers around a town marshal who is torn between his sense of duty and love for his new bride and who must face a gang of killers alone.
Though mired in controversy with political overtones at the time of its release, the film was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won four (Actor, Editing, Music-Score, and Music-Song) as well as four Golden Globe Awards (Actor, Supporting Actress, Score, and Cinematography-Black and White). The award-winning score was written by Russian-born composer Dimitri Tiomkin. The song was sung by Frankie Laine.
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
Monday, September 24, 2018
Sunday, September 23, 2018
Saturday, September 22, 2018
Friday, September 21, 2018
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - WHEN THE DEBATE IS LOST...
Thursday, September 20, 2018
ARTICLE - "THE 3 BEST BREAST CANCER PREVENTION TIPS FOR WOMEN AT ANY AGE
The 3 Best Breast Cancer Prevention Tips for Women at Any Age
by Dr. Veronique Desaulniers
From The Truth About Cancer website
Below is an excerpt from the article. To read the article in its entirety, which will explain each bulleted point, click on the link below:
ARTICLE SUMMARY:
- 85% of all breast cancer cases are caused by factors other than heredity, such as environmental toxins, bad eating habits, and stress.
- We all know that our bodies change as we get older. What might work for a 30 year old might not for a 60-year-old. Here are the top three breast cancer prevention tips you can follow to reduce your risk of breast cancer during each of your milestone decades.
- In your 30s:
- Get Into Healthy Habits
- Reduce the toxins around you
- Think twice about oral contraceptives
- In your 40s & 50s:
- Check your hormone levels
- Reduce stress
- Practice very early prevention
- In your 60s and beyond:
- Keep active! Retirement doesn’t have to mean being a couch potato
- Rethink calcium supplementation
- Practice emotional health
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
ARTICLE - "YOUR SHOWER CAN BE SPOTLESS"
Dear Readers:
I use this handy household tip and it really works!
Mix Dish Soap with Just One Other
Ingredient and Your Shower Will Be Spotless
Article
from TIP HERO website
http://tiphero.com/2-ingredient-shower-cleaner/?ref=wn
The
shower is a difficult place to clean. Mostly because it continues to get grimy
no matter what you do. Oftentimes, we’ll let soap scum and other shower stains
sit and sit, whether it’s because of a lack of time or a lack of drive to
clean! Whatever the reason, shower stains that linger are very difficult to get
out. Well, don’t worry about the shape of your shower, because the Queen
of Clean has a brilliant shower cleaner that will work on any tough
shower stains!
This
miracle cleaner only requires two ingredients, both of which are easy to come
by – you probably have them under your kitchen sink right now! But when these
two cleaning products are mixed together, they create a super-cleaning product
that will make your shower sparkle like new.
Whether
you have tile, fiberglass, or faux marble in your shower, this DIY cleaning
product can get the job done. Here’s what you’ll need to get on your way to a
gloriously clean shower:
Materials
- 1 cup Dawn dishwasher soap
- 1 cup heated vinegar
- Funnel
- Spray bottle
- Sponge
Instructions
- Heat up your vinegar in the microwave or on the stove; it should only be warm to the touch, not scalding hot.
- Use a funnel to get both ingredients into your spray bottle.
- Roll the spray bottle around to combine the two ingredients.
- To use, spray a heavy coat of the mixture onto your shower wall. Use the scrubbing side of a sponge to gently rub the mixture in.
- Leave this spray to sit on your shower walls for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, wash each wall one at a time with cold water.
If
you’re going to wash your shower floor, too (which might not be a bad
idea), make sure you clean this part last. The reason why is pretty straight
forward: this is a soap mixture, which means the ground is going to get
slippery. And we don’t want you to slip and fall in the shower!
When
making your miracle shower cleaner, make sure of two things:
- The vinegar should not be too hot when you’re heating it up! You don’t want it to be boiling or even get too hot that you can’t comfortably put a finger in the liquid. You’re simply heating it up.
- Do not shake the bottle to combine the two ingredients. Shaking the bottle will cause suds (remember, there’s dish soap in there) which is what we DO NOT want. Just roll the bottle in your hands to combine the mixture.
If
you’ve been struggling to find the perfect thing to rid your shower of soap
scum or hard water stains, give this easy miracle mixture a try.
This is
such a simple, inexpensive way to get your shower seriously clean!
And believe us, after letting this miracle cleaner soak on your shower
walls, your shower WILL be seriously clean.
Monday, September 17, 2018
LAUGH FOR THE DAY - WE ALL HAVE ONE - "THE MESSAGE TAKER"
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - ADVICE ON LENDING YOUR CAR
ARTICLE - "14 UNEXPECTED ITEMS THAT CONTAIN TOXINS LIKE BPA"
14 Hidden Sources of Toxins in Plastics That You’re
Exposing Yourself to Every Day
Article from the TIP HERO website
Whether you
choose to jump on the plastic-free-lifestyle
bandwagon or not, you’re probably coming into contact with BPA and other toxic
chemicals on a daily basis in places that might
surprise you.
Wondering
just what
BPA is exactly? It stands for “bisphenol A” which is a chemical commonly
used in plastic and other products. It has been reported to be an endocrine disruptor
and possibly also raise blood pressure. It can cause such problems as
infertility, low sperm count, early puberty, asthma and even breast cancer.
BPA has been
shown to transfer to food and drinks that are stored in products that contain
this chemical. While you may already be avoiding plastic food containers and
plastic water bottles, there are many more products that contain BPA.
1. Canned Goods
BPA
is often used in the lining of canned food. It may be present in very high
amounts due to the high heat involved in the sterilization process. The best
idea is to skip canned food altogether and choose fresh or frozen food instead.
2. Receipts
Any
receipt printed on thermal paper may be lined with BPA. If a receipt contains
BPA and it’s recycled with other paper products, it can contaminate those paper
products as well. The safest choice is to skip the receipt.
3. Coffee Pots
BPA
can be found in many coffee pots, and this is of particular concern because of
the high heat involved
since heat can make the problem of BPA leaching into food and drinks even
worse.
4. Soda Cans
Many
soda cans have BPA in the lining. This is just one more reason to stop drinking soda.
5. Paper Cups
We
don’t often think of paper as a source of BPA. Many plastic cups are lined with
BPA, but many paper cups are too. It’s always a better option to drink out of a
reusable mug.
6. CDs and DVDs
Although
a small source of BPA, this is a good reason to ditch the CD or DVD library for
digital versions.
7. Dental Sealants
If your dentist recommends sealants, be sure to ask for BPA-free ones.
8. Toothbrushes
Many
toothbrushes are plastic. Be sure to choose one that’s BPA-free.
9. Toothpaste Tubes
Toothpaste
often comes in a plastic tube, and these tubes may contain BPA as well which
can leach into the toothpaste inside.
10. Baby Formula
Powdered
baby formula often comes in cans that may contain BPA in the lining. If
breastfeeding isn’t an option, look for baby formula that’s not packaged in a
can.
11. Plastic wrap
It’s
always a better idea to use parchment paper or a reusable container with a lid
that doesn’t contain BPA, like a glass or metal container. We love mason
jars.
12. Egg Cartons
Skip
eggs packaged in polystyrene containers and buy the ones in cardboard cartons
instead.
13. Carryout Containers at Restaurants
The
plastic or polystyrene containers many restaurants use for you to bring home
your leftovers may contain BPA. It’s a good idea to bring your own reusable
glass or metal container if you think you’re going to want to bring home
leftovers.
14. Plastic Toys
We
know babies and young children put everything in their mouths including their
toys. The plastic used to make many kids’ toys may contain BPA, so it’s better
to buy toys made out of wood, cloth and other non-plastic materials.
While this is not an exhaustive
list, we hope it helps you see the variety of products that have hidden toxins
inside. Which item on this list did you find the most surprising?
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