Here are some new items mixed in with old items:
01. 2010: Solution to the monetary crisis: Even though the State of Missouri is having so many financial problems, they feel good that they have figured a way out of the situation. They will deduct $1 every week from their Governor's salary to invest in PowerBall, or whatever that Lottery is called. All money won will be used to pay down Missouri's debt.
02. 1998: Diabetes: CBS reports that an insulin inhaler is being developed. (Was it developed? I think that they already had the "pump" at that time.
03. 2010: Carotid clearance: A study has reported that a stent procedure to clear a clogged carotid artery works just as well as an operation. (Why didn't they tell me that two years ago!)
04. 2010: "Chips": In Britain, they are trying to develop a "chip" made out of meat. (Would that be a "potato chip" or a "chip" as in Britain's famous "fish and chips"?)
I wish I could find a place to eat true English fish and chips! You can get it back in New Bedford, Massachusetts, but I have not found the same thing anywhere in the Mid-Atlantic. The closest was at Arthur Treacher's Restaurant, but they closed down all of those places anywhere near where I live. I think there might be one left in Maryland somewhere, but I haven't found it yet.
05. 1998: WOW Chips: Speaking of "chips", in 1998 the FDA gave a "thumbs up" to Olestra. Products using it were supposed to be still high calorie, but have no fat grams. I tried some of them at the time and found that they did not like my digestion and haven't tried them since, knowingly. I guess you can still get Olestra products in the Super Market.
06. 2010: Mr. Toyoda: I have wondered why the head of the family-based car company doesn't have the same name as the car. I heard today, somewhere, that it is because the stroke for "T" is not as lucky as the stroke for "D" in Japanese ideograms, so it was changed.. (maybe they should have changed the stroke for the car name also, and they might not be having so many problems.)
Incidentally, I took my RAV4 in to the Toyota dealer for my 5,000 maintenance, and while I was there, they did the recall fix for the accelerator.
By the way, to graduate from a Japanese grammar school, a student must know 881 characters (ideograms). To graduate from High School, a student must know 1,850, and to read at a college level, a student must know 3,000.
All of these characters are built up from less than 300 elements or pictures. These pictures were drawn by the Chinese similar to Egyptian hieroglyphics. The Japanese borrowed these characters from the Chinese over 2,000 years ago.
07. 1998: Leo Buscaglia: One of my favorite people passed away on June 12, 1998. Leo Buscaglia was a California professor who taught a class in LOVE. In addition to his class, he gave televised lectures on the subject and wrote a number of books about love.
Luckily, I taped his presentations whenever I found them on TV. His whole life was built around letting people know what love was all about. At his lectures, everyone was hugged by him before they left. His death was a great loss to the world, in my opinion.
My cousin, Charlie, and his family live in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and attend a Baptist church there. The preacher, until a few years ago, was from Baltimore and had a Bethlehem Steel background. I visited the church a few times and the preacher always had a line waiting for him after the services. They were waiting to get a hug from him. What a great idea! I don't see or experience many hugs any more. Perhaps it is because of a fear of the flu. I have read that hugs are good medicine and buttress our immune systems.. maybe after the flu goes away, we can get back to hugging.
08. 2010: Cartalk definitions:
Lymph: To walk with a lisp.
MacAdam: The first Scotsman.
09. 1998: Airline crashes: Tom Snyder (Remember him? The 6'8" Late Late Show host .. replaced by 6'8" Conan O'Brien!) said that statistics showed that more people are killed by donkeys each year than are killed in airline crashes. (Let that be a lesson to you!)
10. 2010: Healthy flies: A college professor has developed a method for exercising fruit flies so they will be healthier for use in experiments.
Time flies like the wind,
Fruit flies like bananas.
11. 2010: Accident: It had to happen. Two police segways crashed into each other. (By the way, did you know that the first automobile accident in the U. S. occured in Baltimore?)
12. 2010: Vital statistics:
The most dangerous food in the U.S. is the hot dog. (Apparently, children choke on them, and scientists are trying to change their shape to make them safer.)
The laziest people in the world live in the United States. (Maybe that fruit fly professor should come up with an innovative way for everyone to exercise.)
Bonus
1998 and 2010: Words: Back in 1998, I read where no word rhymes with month, purple or orange. I have been trying since then to find words that did complete those rhymes. No luck, yet. Perhaps my long-lost brother Joe (if he is reading this) may have found some already since he is a noted word expert.
Can you find rhyming words for month, purple or orange?
Showing posts with label diabetes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label diabetes. Show all posts
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Sunday, August 09, 2009
End of week news.
Looking at the Baltimore Sun for Friday, August 7th, 2009:
01. I learned that Justice Sotomayor has had diabetes since childhood. This is an insidious disease and she has had to overcome its terrible effects and still become a success. I also learned that she was a recipient of affirmative action who then graduated with highest honors. There is a lesson there.
02. There was a picture of Snoop Dogg at the Raven's Camp, with the legend: Westminster Dogg Show.
03. A related article was about nicknames used by gang members. It said that some of the toughest guys have silly-sounding monikers. They mentioned that one guy was known as "Brazy" instead of "Crazy" because as a "Blood" he can't use the letter "C" in his name.
04. I was interested in this statement: "Even in a region with nearly double-digit unemployment, the crab companies remain reliant on migrant labor from abroad because so few local residennts are willing to take the messy, repetitive (crab-picking) jobs."
05. A drug suspect tried to swallow a bag of drugs and choked to death. Now his buddies are saying he really died of a police beating.
06. A technically knowledgable teen-ager made more than 80 credit cards with a machine in his home. He was arrested after he used some woman's debit card to pay for a vehicle emissions test and a $650 tab at a nightclub.
07. Senator Mikulski says that her rehab for ankle surgery at Mercy Hospital was like "boot camp". Nice play on words.
08. Flu shots later this year will probably consist of three shots: one for regular flu and two for Swine flu. (My shingles shot is still hurting my arm.)
09. China is investigating the death of a teen-ager who was allegedly beaten to death in (get this) a camp designed to treat Internet addiction.
10. Ronnie Biggs was released from jail.. look up: The Great Train Robbery!
11. Twitter suffered a "distributed denial of service (DDOS)" which is a disruptive tactic where outsiders attempt to overload a web site with huge numbers of computer-generated requests. They will have to learn how to handle these like Facebook has.
12. There was a nice long letter by two ladies who have lived together for 30 years, 5 of those as a married couple... although the marriage is not recognised by Maryland. It should be read by everyone.
13. There was a notice of the passing of family friend, Evelyn. Also a notice of the passing of the father of Mike, who graduated from high school with Elaine.
14. The Iraqi parliament is trying to ban smoking in government buildings and public indoor area.
(Watch out... remember the man who opened fire in a restaurant when he was asked to put out his cigarette.. I wonder if this has occured in the U.S......yet.)
...............................................
01. I learned that Justice Sotomayor has had diabetes since childhood. This is an insidious disease and she has had to overcome its terrible effects and still become a success. I also learned that she was a recipient of affirmative action who then graduated with highest honors. There is a lesson there.
02. There was a picture of Snoop Dogg at the Raven's Camp, with the legend: Westminster Dogg Show.
03. A related article was about nicknames used by gang members. It said that some of the toughest guys have silly-sounding monikers. They mentioned that one guy was known as "Brazy" instead of "Crazy" because as a "Blood" he can't use the letter "C" in his name.
04. I was interested in this statement: "Even in a region with nearly double-digit unemployment, the crab companies remain reliant on migrant labor from abroad because so few local residennts are willing to take the messy, repetitive (crab-picking) jobs."
05. A drug suspect tried to swallow a bag of drugs and choked to death. Now his buddies are saying he really died of a police beating.
06. A technically knowledgable teen-ager made more than 80 credit cards with a machine in his home. He was arrested after he used some woman's debit card to pay for a vehicle emissions test and a $650 tab at a nightclub.
07. Senator Mikulski says that her rehab for ankle surgery at Mercy Hospital was like "boot camp". Nice play on words.
08. Flu shots later this year will probably consist of three shots: one for regular flu and two for Swine flu. (My shingles shot is still hurting my arm.)
09. China is investigating the death of a teen-ager who was allegedly beaten to death in (get this) a camp designed to treat Internet addiction.
10. Ronnie Biggs was released from jail.. look up: The Great Train Robbery!
11. Twitter suffered a "distributed denial of service (DDOS)" which is a disruptive tactic where outsiders attempt to overload a web site with huge numbers of computer-generated requests. They will have to learn how to handle these like Facebook has.
12. There was a nice long letter by two ladies who have lived together for 30 years, 5 of those as a married couple... although the marriage is not recognised by Maryland. It should be read by everyone.
13. There was a notice of the passing of family friend, Evelyn. Also a notice of the passing of the father of Mike, who graduated from high school with Elaine.
14. The Iraqi parliament is trying to ban smoking in government buildings and public indoor area.
(Watch out... remember the man who opened fire in a restaurant when he was asked to put out his cigarette.. I wonder if this has occured in the U.S......yet.)
...............................................
Friday, August 07, 2009
Dear Evelyn
Another one of my friends passed away this week. Evelyn was a wonderful person, full of good will and also a bit of mischief. Even though we were not Jewish, she and her sister-in-law, Joan, invited my family to bar- and bat- mitzvahs, bris ceremonies and other family get-togethers.
Many years ago, my late wife felt that she had to lose weight, and decided that it should be done in a reasonable way. There was an organization that recognised that fad diets do not result in permanent weight loss, and that counting calories, exercising, and eating sensibly was the only way to go. The organization was called TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly). The closest TOPS group was in Pikesville, Maryland. She joined it and met some nice people, all trying to lose weight.
Most of the members were huge... but some, like Joan and Evelyn needed to just lose a few pounds. All of the ladies got along very well together. For years they met once every week at a school and after the meeting would go to a local restaurant for sustenance. These ladies wanted to lose weight and had starved themselves for almost a week before their meeting and were famished by the time the meeting was over. The waitresses at the restaurant would see these big ladies rushing in and they would quickly stand aside so they didn't get trampled.
The TOPS members would order tons of fattening food and have a wonderful time laughing and singing and telling stories for hours. Friends were made there that lasted for years. My late wife's friendship with Joan and Evelyn lasted for over thirty years.
Evelyn and her husband, Willie, were blessed with amazing children, and later, with beautiful grandchildren. Evelyn taught her children to be respectful of their elders and to be polite. She believed in the "bop" treatment. If one of her kids was acting up and needed some discipline she would "bop" them on the head. It worked. They all turned out as model citizens.
My kids always called Evelyn "Miss Evelyn" and thought of her as a beloved aunt. When Evelyn and Joan had a swimming pool between their houses, they would often invite my kids to come for a swim. The kids had a great time and still talk about the fun they had.
Evelyn once told me about something that affected her deeply. She said that my late wife mentioned at a meeting that she had fasted all week so that she would show a weight loss. That weight loss was very important to her because of her diabetes. When she got on the scale, it showed that she had not lost weight, but had gained two pounds. Evelyn said that my wife broke down and cried like a baby, and Evelyn had to comfort her.
Speaking of babies, the TOPS ladies sometimes had costume parties. I have pictures of my wife in diapers, acting like a baby, with Evelyn holding a pipe and acting as her proud daddy.
At one time, Evelyn worked at a storage facility. Sometimes, when a renter of space skipped town or went broke, the items in storage were taken over for payment. Once, a bank had plastic bags made for a promotion. When the promotion went "bust" there were thousands and thousands of bags left in storage. Evelyn made sure that these bags were not wasted. After twenty or more years, I still have plenty of these very well made bags.
Evelyn had lots of great stories to tell about her childhood in Baltimore. She was a very entertaining speaker.
My late wife died long before Evelyn had her eightieth birthday, but my new Elaine and I were able to attend and celebrate Evelyn's long life. Evelyn was a good friend and she will be sorely missed.
Many years ago, my late wife felt that she had to lose weight, and decided that it should be done in a reasonable way. There was an organization that recognised that fad diets do not result in permanent weight loss, and that counting calories, exercising, and eating sensibly was the only way to go. The organization was called TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly). The closest TOPS group was in Pikesville, Maryland. She joined it and met some nice people, all trying to lose weight.
Most of the members were huge... but some, like Joan and Evelyn needed to just lose a few pounds. All of the ladies got along very well together. For years they met once every week at a school and after the meeting would go to a local restaurant for sustenance. These ladies wanted to lose weight and had starved themselves for almost a week before their meeting and were famished by the time the meeting was over. The waitresses at the restaurant would see these big ladies rushing in and they would quickly stand aside so they didn't get trampled.
The TOPS members would order tons of fattening food and have a wonderful time laughing and singing and telling stories for hours. Friends were made there that lasted for years. My late wife's friendship with Joan and Evelyn lasted for over thirty years.
Evelyn and her husband, Willie, were blessed with amazing children, and later, with beautiful grandchildren. Evelyn taught her children to be respectful of their elders and to be polite. She believed in the "bop" treatment. If one of her kids was acting up and needed some discipline she would "bop" them on the head. It worked. They all turned out as model citizens.
My kids always called Evelyn "Miss Evelyn" and thought of her as a beloved aunt. When Evelyn and Joan had a swimming pool between their houses, they would often invite my kids to come for a swim. The kids had a great time and still talk about the fun they had.
Evelyn once told me about something that affected her deeply. She said that my late wife mentioned at a meeting that she had fasted all week so that she would show a weight loss. That weight loss was very important to her because of her diabetes. When she got on the scale, it showed that she had not lost weight, but had gained two pounds. Evelyn said that my wife broke down and cried like a baby, and Evelyn had to comfort her.
Speaking of babies, the TOPS ladies sometimes had costume parties. I have pictures of my wife in diapers, acting like a baby, with Evelyn holding a pipe and acting as her proud daddy.
At one time, Evelyn worked at a storage facility. Sometimes, when a renter of space skipped town or went broke, the items in storage were taken over for payment. Once, a bank had plastic bags made for a promotion. When the promotion went "bust" there were thousands and thousands of bags left in storage. Evelyn made sure that these bags were not wasted. After twenty or more years, I still have plenty of these very well made bags.
Evelyn had lots of great stories to tell about her childhood in Baltimore. She was a very entertaining speaker.
My late wife died long before Evelyn had her eightieth birthday, but my new Elaine and I were able to attend and celebrate Evelyn's long life. Evelyn was a good friend and she will be sorely missed.
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