The Times They Are A Changing

Last week there was an article in our newspaper about a rush of people purchasing baby chicks. No, it wasn’t the Easter rush. According to an Oregon State University Horticulture agent, Amy Jo Detweiler, more and more people, both nationally and in Oregon, are inquiring about growing their own food. Apparently, in early spring when the chicks become available, a lot of people had the same idea. On various delivery days, as many as 50 people waited for chicks. The Big R store, in Redmond, Oregon, had to give out tickets, much like the DMV. One ticket, one chick.

Some towns in our general area (within the city limits) actually allowed chickens, while others did not and still others had no restrictions regarding the animals. Are people starting gardens and raising chickens in desperation, because they believe the economy and their lifestyles will suffer even further? Or are they wanting to be more independent as they see food prices rise every time they hit the grocery store? Maybe some of both. However, in my opinion as I’ve state before, we are moving into a new realm here on planet earth. Almost everyone will be growing food or be part of a community garden some time soon. They will find ways to help each other, barter what they have for what they need and become more independent. And, less dependent on “the” government and the country’s economy.

Perhaps, right now, people are scared. Change can be a scary thing. When we get to the other side of this “crisis,” or is it a “blessing,” we will be a stronger, happier, more enlightened people.

Today, March 4, is “Hug a GI Day.“ I’m so proud of us. When I think of the Viet Nam War and how we (not all Americans, of course) fought to end it, yes I’m proud of that. And, yes I was a young teen, but still very aware of the protesting and watching the body bags of dead soldiers coming home (on the news every night). We see no dead soldiers coming home in this war.

I’m not proud that we blamed the soldiers that, many times were forced, fought in that war. I’m proud of us now because we have learned that we can disagree with war policies made by our president and still have respect and gratitude for our military people. We, as a country (the people) have learned a valuable lesson. I’m really not sure how often that happens. It seems that so often countries, including ours, tend to repeat the same mistakes so many times.

When you think about hugging a GI today, if it feels right, go ahead. But, a handshake and a thank you will be just as appreciated. When you do this noble deed today, think back to all the military people who were in the Viet Nam War, if you can find one, thank them now. If not, send your gratitude out to them in a mental thank you. Better late than never, as the saying goes.

In fact hug a veteran from any time on Hug a GI Day.

Send a free e-card to a GI today.

The Titan Water Bottle is BPA Free

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical used in plastic commonly found plastic items such as children’s toys, baby bottles and the lining in beverage and food cans. Although there have been several studies, regarding the human health risks from using products with BPA, the largest is the Jamma Study, conducted by American and British researchers. The study involved testing urine samples of 1,455 people to determine the percentage of BPA going through their system. They found the chemical in 90% of the urine samples. The individuals with the highest percentage of BPA were at risk of heart disease at a rate of almost three times as compared to low levels of BPA. High levels were also found to be associated with diabetes and three liver enzymes.

The FDA, however, claims there is no health risk at the current levels allowed. All of the people in the Jamma Study had percentages of BPA below the FDA level approval. The researchers in the study agree that further studies are needed for conclusive results. However, there have been over 100 studies that showed a link between BPA body concentration and serious problematic health issues in animals.

Apparently, the FDA used two studies to determine their findings as to an acceptable BPA body concentration, both funded by the chemical industry. This is suspect in it self, however, the findings from these two studies were vastly different that most of the other studies.

Because BPA is a chemical used in so many plastic products used by all of us every day, it may be difficult, at best, to eliminate all of these products from our use. Try following these tips to, at least, cut down on your consumption of BPA.

* Reduce your use of canned goods. Eat frozen or fresh foods when ever you can. The highest concentration of BPA is found in foods such as chicken soup, ravioli and infant formula. While the lowest concentration was found in fruit, soda and condensed milk.

* We also know that microwave food is detrimental to our health as it changes the chemical makeup of food and water. However, you should especially be careful to not microwave food in Polycarbonate plastic. It is suggested that these containers may leach BPA into the food. Look for the number 7 in the recycling code of the container, these are the containers with BPA as they are not required to otherwise notify the consumer.

* Most water bottles are safe that you purchase in the store. However, some empty water containers are not. Always look for that 7 in the recycling code to be sure. For a general rule, most hard plastic contains BPA and most soft plastic does not. Keep this in mind also when purchasing baby bottles.

February is Black History Month and today, February 4th, is Rosa Parks Birthday (1913). She is often referred to as the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement.” With one brave (extremely brave) decision of disobedience she started the Montgomery Bus Boycott. When Ms. Parks refused to give up her bus seat for a boarding white passenger, the news streaked through the community and beyond like wild fire. This woman deserves to be celebrated, she deserves to be remembered eons from now.

If your mind wonders a bit further, it brings up the question of the single moments in our lives and what we do with them. When opportunity arises to stand up against what is wrong, throwing what consequences we may have to face to the wind, what kind of difference will it make in the world. I wonder what Rosa Parks was thinking on that fateful day. Had she complied a million times in the past to a bus driver’s request for her to vacate her seat to another with white skin? Had it stewed within her, rubbing a blistering wound raw? When she made her stand that day, December 1, 1955, she did it for all of us, black and white alike. For who among us that is sound in their own being would ever feel good about being put up above another as better and more deserving, not I. Thank you Rosa Parks.

Rosa Parks Biography

February 3, 1959, it was a cold night in Clear Water, Iowa when the three climbed into the private plane. It was the Winter Dance Party tour. The weather was bad and Ritchie didn’t like the idea of flying, in fact, he’d never flown before. The Day the Music Died refers to the fateful night three huge music stars, Ritchie Valens, Buddy Holly and J.P. Richardson (the Big Bopper) along with pilot, Roger Peterson, perished together. It would have been devastating to the era’s music lovers for just one of them to have left the scene, but all three at once was an unspeakable event.

Ten years later Don McLean wrote his song “The Day the Music Died,” mostly in remembrance and tribute to the tragic day, but also making references to other artists and political events of the time as well as his own experience of the event. The song moved upwards to #1 in 1972.

“I can still remember how the music made me smile. And I knew if I had a chance, that I would make those people dance. And maybe they’d be happy for a while…”

I have a secret. I would love to live a life and diet of “the devil may care” attitude. Unfortunately, with a diet like that, the devil will get you in extra pounds and health issues. So, whenever I really have to have something I shouldn’t, I try to make it as healthy as possible even if it can’t be entirely. Here’s a recipe for blond brownies that’s a bit more healthy than the traditional one.

Healthy Blond Brownies

Ingredients

½ cup all purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup butter, soft
¾ cup light brown sugar (or ½ cup honey)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup chopped almonds (or preferred nuts)
1 cup extra dark chocolate chips (from health food store)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and 8-inch square baking pan.

In a mixing bowl, combine the flours, baking powder and salt, set aside. In a separate bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla, mix to a cream stage. Add the flour mixture to the cream mixture and combine. Add the almonds and chocolate chips, mix. Pour the batter into the baking dish. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Enjoy.

As my husband and I watched “Sunday Morning” this morning much of the show was about the upcoming inauguration on Tuesday. Something was brought up that we hadn’t considered. Of course, this is a monumental occasion when an African American (half Irish) will be the first to become president of our country. We certainly considered that a woman in the white house will not be far behind. In fact, the next president to be elected could, in fact, be a woman.

What we didn’t consider was that there are elementary children today that will remember President Obama as the first president they in their life time. They, for the first generation, will not consider that the only people that can become president are white males. In fact, by the time they reach adulthood, they will have no expectations at all as to what outer makeup the next president will have. And that is such a good thing.

Today is Michele Obama’s birthday (1964). This got me to thinking about the White House and how it would feel to enter it knowing you were going to live there for the next four years. Probably overwhelming. I mean, how do you make a family situation work in such a place. And, on top of it, your husband is president, everyone knows your face and that of your children’s and there are all of those secret service guys around all the time. Probably a good thing because of the crazies, but still annoying.

There are some really interesting things about the White House that many people don’t know. One is that it has a “twin” in Ireland. That’s right, it’s the seat of the Irish parliament. It makes more sense when you learn that the White House designer was Irishman James Hoban. It’s believed that Mr. Hoban based his White House plan on the Leinster House in Ireland. Hoban actually won a competition for his design. Here’s another surprise, there’s a twin in France as well.

Slaves helped build the White House. This is no real surprise for those who know there American History. We have a lot in our history to be real, real sorry for, two of which are how we treated Africans that were brought to this country and how we treated Natives of this country.

George Washington never lived in the White House. It’s true, he chose Hoban’s plan for the building, but it’s said that he thought it was too simple of a home for the president. He had it expanded and embellished forming a much grander building. It was not finished, however, until after our second president, John Adams, moved in.

A house of many names, the White House was called the “President’s Castle” by Dolly Madison (wife of James Madison). It was called the “President’s Palace” and the “Executive Mansion.” It became officially known as the White House by Theodore Roosevelt - it stuck. Of course, the building was grey sandstone in the beginning, not white.

When I take a few steps back and look at the Iraq war, I think it seems awfully barbaric in this day and age to be killing each other over our disagreements. I know that the word “disagreement” seems soft in the light of what we perceive as something that might end up in world disaster, however, I will use that word just as a placeholder for all wars for all different reasons. But, you must agree that it does seem like we could find a better way by now. If you think about it, most of us don’t live within a violent life day in and day out. Oh, I know there are some, but not most of us. So, when you think of our young men and women being thrown into situations of killing and being killed, it just feels strange and almost unworldly.

I do think that with this war it almost disappears for us much of the time, especially as the presidential campaign busied us full force on the TV. And then, of course, the housing market and economic downturn has kept us pretty stressed out. We’ve all but forgotten about our own people being shot and killed for - what reason was it again?

If you are old enough to have lived during the Viet Nam War you remember seeing body bags containing dead soldiers coming home, depicted on the evening news (every day). We’d get a count of how many Viet Cong we had killed and a lesser amount of how many of us they had downed. Of course, the numbers never made sense and I guess we killed every North Vietnamese several times over by our military count. I’m not sure I cared about their numbers at the time, but the visual of those body bags remains burned into my memory (forever).

Isn’t it interesting that we have no such visuals with this war? Who has censored our nightly news and American press? Is it the current president and his administration? And we also haven’t heard much from McCain or Obama on the subject, except for McCain saying we’d be in Iraq for another hundred years.

This all came to my thoughts yesterday when I read a post by a blogger who also included a video of McCain when he was very young and in the military - in Viet Nam. This blogger questioned McCain’s validity regarding his torture as a POW. He questioned if he didn’t receive his injuries in some other way. I cautioned him to be careful. I explained how “we” made a big mistake during the Viet Nam War by blaming the soldiers that were forced to go as much as we did our own government for such a war. I won’t judge McCain in any way about this issue other than to be appreciative of his service. This generation has not experienced a war draft and so this war does make it different in that respect. However, it also seems that the young men and women who have willingly joined, can’t seem to get out and are sent back over again and again - how is that right?

The video definitely got me thinking about the war of my generation, but what prompted me to write this post today was this morning’s newspaper. His name was Cody Eggleston and he died from injuries from fighting in Iraq. And he grew up right here in Central Oregon where I live. In fact, right in the rural complex of Crooked River Ranch, where I live. Do we only hear about the deaths when they are local? It seems like it is so. So this post is for Cody. Thank you for your service, thank you for your bravery. You are not forgotten and your life did matter. It mattered immensely.

I’m back on trying to figure out how others get so much traffic on their blog. There are hints here and there, but I think the secrets of those receiving hundreds and even thousands of unique hits to their blogs is a secret not easily found. There are a lot of people that just want to tell you to write “good blogs” and the people will come. I don’t think that is nearly enough to bring traffic to your blog. I’ve learned to look at Google Trends to see what others are surfing for the most for a particular day. Not always helpful as I want to write about things that interest me and what the latest movie star is doing - doesn’t. So, how do we get blog traffic exchange that is acceptable?

Also, putting your post through Google Adwords helps to get the common words and phrases people use when looking up your subject matter. I believe the rule is to put the most popular word or phrase in your title, in your first paragraph and then three times more throughout your post. If you use it too much apparently the search engines see it as spam and you get thrown out.

Then there are the traffic exchange sites. The only advise I can give on those is that you don’t want to use the commercial sites that only show other commercial sites and not blog sites. The blog traffic exchange sites I’ve found so far are:

Entrecard
Linkreferral
BlogAdvance
BlogClicker
Blogwhale
BlogMastermind
Blogpixel
Blogexplosion
Blogsoldier

I’m sure there are plenty more. What I don’t understand is what makes one site acceptable and others not acceptable.

On today.com the top two sites have thousands of hits each day. Even to get several hundred a day seams a mystery. I’ve looked at the sites. I don’t see anything special about the posts. Sometimes they aren’t even very good. So, they must be getting traffic in some manner that is acceptable to Today or other network blog sites, but not because they are writing exceptional posts. What is the answer? Again, I vow to keep looking and report anything I learn. If there is anything you can share, please leave me a message and I will check it out and add it to my next post about blog traffic exchange.