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Greetings, Quotaholics:
One
of my earliest memories is going grocery shopping with my mother. I don’t
know how old I was but I can remember sitting in the little seat in the
shopping cart while we shopped.
Of course my favorite part of the trip was the cereal aisle. I would look
for the box that had the coolest toy inside and beg and plead to get that
one. I would promise that, unlike last time, I really liked this cereal
and would eat it all. Of course, once I got the toy out I wasn’t interested
in the cereal anymore.
I don’t know when marketing directly to children became the norm. I suppose
it was the invention of television. At any rate, after a Saturday morning
full of cartoons, and advertising, I was ready for some serious shopping!
Nowadays I suppose we don’t give much thought to advertising. It’s all
around us and everyone, including children, is exposed to it. One method
of attracting children, and their parents, is to put a toy in the child’s
meal. But for one county in California this may be coming to an end.
According to an article in the Mercury
News, "Santa Clara County supervisors on Tuesday approved the
nation’s first ordinance that would prevent restaurants from using toys
to lure kids to meals high in fat, sugar and calories."
"’This ordinance breaks the link between unhealthy food and prizes,’
said Supervisor Ken Yeager, who sponsored the initiative. Yeager said
it is unfair to parents and children to use toys to capture the tastes
of children when they’re young and ‘to get them hooked on eating high-sugar,
high-fat foods early in life.’"
"California Restaurant Association spokesman Daniel Conway said his
22,000-member group was against the ordinance — and so were many
county residents who think government is going too far."
"’The message they (supervisors) are sending is that parents are
making the wrong choices and therefore they should no longer have the
choice,’ Conway said."
"Under the ordinance, restaurants would not be able to offer toys
for kids’ meals that exceed certain nutritional standards — more
than 485 total calories, for instance, or more than 600 milligrams of
sodium. That means, at Wendy’s, four chicken nuggets, mandarin oranges
and low-fat milk would get a toy. But the crispy chicken sandwich, fries
and chocolate milk would not."
I know that we all tend to rebel when the government, on any level, proposes
new rules, but in this case I’m not so sure this isn’t needed. As I said,
I know for sure including a toy in my cereal made all the difference in
which cereal I chose. So it would stand to reason that allowing toys in
only the healthier meals might make a difference in what children eat.
Since the fast food makers don’t seem inclined to make a switch, they
are after all including the toys as part of marketing deals and want to
distribute as many as possible, isn’t it in the best interest of public
health for government to mandate a change?
What do you think? Will this help parents lead their children to healthier
choices? Will parents react in a negative way to government intrusion
and take their children to restaurants that still give toys? Will this
idea catch on in other parts of the country? Won’t restaurants end up
raising prices once they lose the marketing deals that currently provide
the toys?
Playing With My Food,
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“Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.”
- John F. Kennedy
“To put the world in order, we must first put the nation in order; to
put the nation in order, we must put the family in order; to put the
family in order, we must cultivate our personal life; and to cultivate
our personal life, we must first set our hearts right.” - Confucius
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Scavenger Hunt
[Thanks Bonnie]
A woman answered
her front door and saw a little boy holding a list. “Excuse me, ma’am,”
he said, “I’m on a scavenger hunt, and I still need three grains of
wheat, a pork chop bone and a piece of used carbon paper to earn a
dollar.”
“Wow,” the woman said. “Who sent you on such a challenging scavenger
hunt?”
The little boy said, “My baby sitter’s boyfriend.”
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“It is not knowledge, but the act of learning, not possession but the
act of getting there, which grants the greatest enjoyment.”
“Life stands before me like an eternal spring with new and brilliant
clothes.”
“You know that I write slowly. This is chiefly because I am never satisfied
until I have said as much as possible in a few words, and writing briefly
takes far more time than writing at length.” - All from German mathematician
Carl Friedrich Gauss born on this date in 1777
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School
Trips Were Never This Good When I Was In School
[Thanks Tesser]
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Speak right up!
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Fertilizer
That singular word, fertilizer, conjures up many thoughts when trying
to relate what it really is.
Dictionary.com
defines fertilizer simply as "any substance used to fertilize
the soil, esp. a commercial or chemical manure." Of course,
from a rural perspective, the last word in that definition is the first
word to come to mind. Outside of the suburbs, manure is often
used to fertilize crops and gardens.
Commercial farms often use chemical fertilizer instead of "organic
fertilizer" (manure) simply for a better distribution to the crops
and cost involved in equipment and handling. It is much easier,
and more efficient, to spray on a controlled flow of chemicals versus
the inexact clumping of "organic" fertilizer.
Additionally, due to their livelihood being impacted, the choice of
chemicals is directly tied to soil conditions and the types of crops
they intend to grow. Chemical fertilizers are easier to adjust
the formula to the specific needs.
City folk use commercial fertilizers, which are nothing more than the
combined chemicals lawns or gardens are expected to need. Bags
of fertilizer display a ratio of three numbers, by law, that shows it’s
content. Those 3 numbers are called the fertilizer’s “analysis”
and represent the percentage of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium that
is available from the bag. The "remaining" percentage
is fillers and trace elements. A gardener will find skids of different
manufacturers fertilizer products sitting side-by-side with other’s,
each one with different numbers on the bags, including different bags
even from the same manufacturer.
Which is better? Purists will have you think "organic"
is best. However, if it isn’t seasoned properly, and I don’t mean
salt & pepper, manure can contain dangerous things that can be passed
to humans and pets. There are companies that process organic waste
and turn it into a usable and safe form for gardeners and farmers to
use. It usually costs a lot more.
Other commercial fertilizers are mixtures of raw chemicals, made with
binders and fillers, in a formula that makes it usable for the same
purposes. This is a much easier and controlled process.
Results of the manufacturing process are fairly uniform and are designed
for easy application. Some will tout they can grow miracles.
Some will assure their products will keep the plants green.
Each one has it’s own benefits. Each also has it’s own drawbacks.
Many of the commercial fertilizers contain subtle weed controllers.
Note, I did not say weed killers. As such, proper use and handling
is very important. Organic fertilizers are dangerous if not properly
prepared, and even sometimes if not applied properly.
Here’s your quiz:
Do you use fertilizers for your lawn or garden?
What type of fertilizer do you use?
Have you purchased manure to use for soil enhancement?
Fertilizer - Take Your Pick, But Wash Your Hands Afterwards
Cliff (the High-Tech Redneck who doesn’t rate a fancy ’signature pic’)
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| Kirsten
was having some computer problems. Here’s an archive article from
last year.
Email
Kirsten
"Even if you’ve
been fishing for 3 hours and haven’t gotten anything except poison ivy
and sunburn, you’re still better off than the worm"
~ Unknown ~
I spent the whole of this winter complaining about the weather. It did
not help that this winter was longer and colder than most, or that we
got enough snow to export to the North Pole. My Canadian-born husband
didn’t understand why I was making such a big deal of it. You see, I
am from South Africa. I was born in a place that I truly believe has
the world’s best weather. When I was a kid, I spent most of my free
time running around outdoors with bare feet and a swimsuit. As an adult,
my free time was spent at poolside barbecues with family and friends.
An affinity for warmth and sunshine is genetically coded in me. And
so I am very happy now that I have been able to ditch the coat and boots
in favour of sandals and light jackets.
Of course, my preference for sunny weather has its pros and cons. A
benefit from a health perspective is that the sun is the best natural
source of Vitamin D, which contributes to healthy bones. A benefit from
a vanity perspective is that people look great with tans. I am fortunate
enough to be one of those people who turns brown rather than red in
the sun, and I definitely get that healthy-looking glow in the summertime.
Despite these good things, over-exposure to the sun can be very harmful.
The ultraviolet rays can cause a host of skin and eye conditions, including
skin cancer. The incidence of skin cancer has been growing in recent
years, for a variety of reasons. One of them is simply that people are
spending more time in the sun. There are a lot of good sunscreens on
the market, but many people tend to be lulled into a false sense of
security by them. They do not reapply it frequently enough, or they
go swimming and then neglect to reapply the sunscreen afterwards. The
hole in the ozone layer has also been getting a lot of the blame, although
this is as controversial a subject as global warming. Some believe that
the hole in the ozone layer goes through natural cycles of expanding
and contracting. In other words, the ozone problem is nothing new. Another
reason for the rise in skin cancer is the "fake tan" revolution.
People go to tanning salons in a well-meaning attempt to avoid the harmful
rays of the sun, not realizing that many forms of fake tans carry the
same dangers.
Now, this whole risk thing poses a dilemma for many people, myself included.
I kind of like the idea of not getting skin cancer, but the thought
of staying out of the sun is unbearable to me. So I have to take whatever
precautions I can to reduce my chances of getting a skin disease. Sunscreen
is a good form of protection, as long as it’s a broad-spectrum product
that protects against UVA and UVB radiation. Sunscreen should be applied
at least every two hours, and after swimming. Protective clothing should
be worn where possible - hats that shade the face and cover the back
of the neck, and loose-fitting, light clothing with long sleeves. The
time of exposure also makes a difference. The sun is at its fiercest
in the middle of the day, so lunch hours should be spent either indoors
or in the shade. Finally, young children should have very limited exposure
to the sun. This applies especially to babies under the age of six months,
since the safety of sunscreen has not been established for children
that young.
As we reduce our exposure to UV radiation, we need to ensure that our
Vitamin D requirements are taken care of. Food sources of Vitamin D
include fish, mushrooms and eggs. Many products these days are fortified
with Vitamin D, such as milk, yoghurt and margarine.
As with so many other things, summertime has become a lot more complicated
than simply going outside and having fun. We have to protect our health,
and for those of us who like the way the sun makes us look, we have
to ensure that our healthy glow comes from within, by eating right and
staying hydrated.
Kaleidoscopically yours,
Kirsten
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When I first met her, Radar’s name was Gail Suzanne. Her mother still
calls her Gail, and probably used her second name only when she was
in trouble growing up. In fact, when she first came to work for me,
I called her Gail, too.
Radar and I were members of our local Business And Professional Women’s
Club. I was, at that time, some 12 years ago, going through a secretary
every year or so. It isn’t that I’m that hard to work for, although,
I’ve been assured that I am. I seemed to have a knack for hiring these
sweet young things who get married, stole from me, and honestly didn’t
have enough training to do their job well. It’s a small town, and frankly
there weren’t many applicants to work for a blind attorney, who, while
brilliant, didn’t make enough money to make it worthwhile for a big
city girl to pick up and move here.
Radar probably wouldn’t have given up her job in Chicago, but her husband
got transferred here. She had lived in this area for several years,
and she had worked a few places that required long hours and a lot of
travel. She happened to answer a blind ad for a legal secretary, and
named me as a reference.
I checked with myself, found that I liked her just fine, and called
to offer her the job. Of course, I had to ask why a dazzling urbanite
such as herself would want to work in such a rustic setting as my office.
She said she wanted to be somewhere where she wouldn’t have to skate
to work in the winter, and where she could respond quickly if the school
had to reach her regarding her then 5 year old son.
She was a real find for me. I didn’t have to train her, which was a
blessing, as I had had to train myself, and had learned most of what
I knew the hard way. In fact, she taught me a lot about how the big
boys in Chicago did things, and that certainly improved the quality
of my work.
Another talent Radar has is that she can hear everything that is said
in any room at any time. I would tell my client, "I’ll have to
ask my secretary to put a call through to –" and she would have
the number dialed before I hit the intercom button to make the request.
I would say, "I’ll have my secretary read this to me, because she
knows what I’m looking for," and she would be in my office ready
to do it before I could call to her. That is when I started calling
her Radar.
One day, I was reading an article about elephants, which mentioned that
they have good hearing because of their large ears. I told this to my
mother, and Gail overheard me. I laughed, and said, "I should call
you elephant ears." There was a moment of silence, and she finally
said, very crisply, "I much prefer Radar."
Comment
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Miscellaneous Tips
Keep popcorn fresh and encourage more kernels to pop by storing in
the freezer.
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Full house today! Thanks everyone.
Next opening line…
There was a young fellow named Hyde…
Hints:
Here’s a great new rhyming/composition tool. http://www.writerhymes.com/
There’s also a great rhyming dictionary at http://www.rhymezone.com/
Limerick rules. http://freespace.virgin.net/merrick.sheldon/limerickrules.htm
Submit
Opening Line
Submit
Limerick
There
was a young man of Hong Kong
Who played with his balls all day long;
On into the night,
gave it all his might;
To be champion of ping-pong! - Tony |
There
was a young man of Hong Kong
Who thought there was nothing so wrong
With some door-to-door sales
Latex and vinyl males
His arrival went, "Ding dong, schlong!" - Maria in Illinois |
There was
a young man of Hong Kong
Inordinately proud of his schlong
It was lovely and nice
‘Til caught in a vice
And now is not very long. - Bonnie |
There was
a young man of Hong Kong
he prayed in a temple with a gong
he ran to and fro
and often hid below
when that big gong was set to bong. - MO in Vancouver |
There was
a young man of Hong Kong
who prayed at a temple with a gong
he kept track of the hour
and stayed clear of the tower
when that gong was ready to bong. - MO in Vancouver |
There was
a young man of Hong Kong—
who had a humungous black dong—
he f**** left and right
did it every weeknight
because her pleasure he did prolong. - Cassandra in New York |
There was
a young man of Hong Kong
Who used lemonade in his bong
A bad idea, indeed,
For it ruined the taste of his weed
But it seemed to make summer last long. — Rae of Sunshine |
There was
a young man of Hong Kong
Who had a 30 inch shlong.
With that legendary bone
The ladies left him alone
None could hold on for that long. — Rae of Sunshine |
There was
a young man of Hong Kong
Who delighted audiences with song
Though he sang sweet and low
Most preferred the back row
The scent of his breath was too strong. — Rae of Sunshine |
There was
a young man of Hong Kong
Who would dress in a sarong
Because he was wishing
That he could go fishing
In the delta of the Mekong. - Anne Onimous |
There was
a young man of Hong Kong
Who could use chopsticks all night long
But salad he couldn’t eat.
He said, "Heaven’s to Pete!
That’s because I only have one tong!" - Anne Onimous |
There was
a young man of Hong Kong
Who smoked potent stuff in his bong
Now feeling carefree
He hangs in a belfry
Swinging as a clapper in a bell. - Anne Onimous |
There was
a young man of Hong Kong
Whose dick fell off because it was long
So he said, "What the hell!"
And tied it to a bell
And that’s how it became a ding-dong. - E. Cole Aye |
There was
a young man of Hong Kong
Who loved to break out in a song
But R’s he couldn’t say
Causing me great dismay:
"Lollin’ on the liver" - that’s just wrong! - E. Cole
Aye |
There was
a young man of Hong Kong
Whose member was only an inch long
In spite it being small
It seems he could enthrall
Because it’d remain stiff all nightlong. - E. Cole Aye |
There was
a young man of Hong Kong
Who invented a topical song.
It wasn’t the words
That bothered the birds,
But the horrible double ontong. - Author Unknown |
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Re: Chocolate
I LOVE chocolate. Too much, probably. But you know, life is short.
And dark chocolate has anti-oxidants, which means I guess, that I’m
not gonna rust anytime soon. - OhioKat
Gosh,
I’d just read about chocolate and depression today elsewhere. I got
my chocolate habit from roommates who used to buy 10 lb slabs and
leave them out handy. I’ve been more than usually depressed ever since,
and have been nibbling an ounce or two daily from a bag of chips.
Two kinds of sweets in the house would be too many. I can usually
afford fair-trade chocolate, which is important to me, because cocoa
workers have the highest incidence of child slavery. That may have
an effect on mood, too. It certainly has been doing my waistline no
good lately, so I may be able to report on mood differences anon.
- Bob of the North
I ate far more chocolate years ago, while raising kids, than I do
now, but I’m a Daily Dose person. Back then, I also had a slightly
anemic problem and my doctor did blood tests to find out if my iron
level was low. It was, and he gave me a prescription for iron. The
chocolate craving simply vanished! I still ate some, but not nearly
as much.
The other thing I thought you might find helpful is about Graham Crackers
and chocolate chips. Melt them on the cracker in the microwave for
about 20 seconds - just ’til they’re soft - and spread to cover the
cracker, cool slightly and eat. A great "rescue" when there’s
no other chocolate in the house. You can feel righteously smug about
eating this. You get a fragment of extra fiber doing it. - Nancy L
in Ohio
I admit
to failing the gluttony test when it comes to chocolate. I eat it
daily. In fact, I was eating chocolate-covered chocolate chip breakfast
bars as I read your article.
I do not politely ask if anyone else would like the last chocolate
brownie. I grab that sucker and run. I do share - grudgingly. Sometimes.
Dark chocolate is the best. I drink chocolate milk. I once had a chocolate
birthday cake with chocolate frosting and chocolate decorations (picture
balloons made of chocolate icing and the words piped on in the chocolate).
I have never encountered a variation of chocolate that I did not like.
Is my chocolate addiction simple self-medicating for depression. I
don’t think so.
I just really like chocolate. A lot. Really. - Tammy in Alabama
If God made anything better than chocolate, he kept it for himself.
- Lucille
Re:
Seatbelts
When I
turned 17, my dad bought me a radio for my car. I traded it for seatbelts,
years before they were standard equipment. They were sporty back then,
and easy to install. I wore mine religiously until one night when
I was really feeling down, and driving slowly - through a stop sign,
totalling the car. I only needed a few stitches, but I’ve buckled
up ever since. My mom, OTOH, refused to wear one, having great faith
in being thrown clear. She never did get in a crash, despite extensive
travels. - Bob of the North
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Disclaimer- All quotes printed in this publication are believed to be
accurately attributed, but no guarantees are made that some incorrectly
attributed, or even outright false quotes won’t get in here from time
to time. I assure readers that I will do my best to weed out incorrect
quotes, and will print a retraction as soon as I become aware of any errors.
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