Made in the USA - food for thought

From Pride in America.... http://news.prideinamericanow.com/

When America was founded, the people supported each other; they sacrificed “in order to form a more perfect union”. They understood the power of their dollar. For instance, even though they enjoyed English tea, they boycotted the tea and fought for their freedom. They sacrificed a pleasure, which they once enjoyed. They kept their eye on the big picture. They knew that each individual action they took, when combined with the actions of others, would form a great country. Out of their commitment and dedication, they were able to form, America, the greatest country in the world.

Our generation has lost sight of the big picture. Too many people are only thinking of “what is in it for me”. Not enough people are thinking all the way through to the end. What happens when we purchase items from overseas? Where does our dollar go? What are we truly supporting? What is the environmental impact of shipping an item from half way around the world compared to purchasing the same item which is available right here?

It is in our power to secure American jobs and strengthen small businesses. These small businesses are the foundation of our economic condition. Every time we spend our dollar, we have the power to contribute to job security and to strengthen America. Pride in America ~ Our Economy and What YOU Can Do to Help, was written to make this process simple. So many people say, “We don’t make anything anymore”. Yes, WE do and Pride in America categorizes and lists the items to make supporting small businesses easy. When you glance through the many companies in this book, you can’t help but feel Pride to be an American!

George Washington said, “I use no porter or cheese in my family, but such as is made in America”!

We can, once again, form “a more perfect union”, step by step, day by day, as we take actions towards strengthening small businesses (America).

It’s up to US!!!

What to do when your bored......

These were way to funny not to share - you may find yourself laughing out loud!!

THINGS YOU CAN DO WITH ABSOLUTELY NOTHING

Blink wildly and then close your eyes really tight for an interesting light show
(Amusement Potential: 1-5 minutes)
See a variety of blobs, stars and flashes. Try to make out shapes and see if your subconscious is trying to send you a message (perhaps that funny shape is saying, 'send all your money to urban75.com'?)

See how long you can hold a note
(Amusement Potential: 4-20 minutes)
Not that much fun, but it sure passes the time. Play with a friend, or try to beat your own personal best. Inhale deeply and then try and make a noise for as long as you can. Earn extra points for making your partner laugh or ending on an amusing note.

Try to not think about penguins
(Amusement Potential: 1-5 minutes)
This is especially hard, because by trying too much, you remember what you were trying to avoid thinking of. If you try too little, you end up thinking about penguins anyway.

Use your secret mind power
(Amusement Potential: 5-10 minutes)
Pick a passing by and try to use your mind power to command them do something, like drop their bag or knock into someone. The law of averages dictates that sooner or later one of your mind commands will come true, so you can convince yourself that you really have super human powers and waste even more time trying them out.

Pretend you're a robot
(Amusement Potential: 1-3 minutes)
Walk down the street with mechanical movements, adding 'zzzzzt' sounds with each motion. Pretending to have a motor broken in, say, your left hand can add at least 30 seconds more entertainment.

Scratch yourself
(Amusement Potential: 1-3 minutes)
Go ahead, scratch yourself now. Even if nothing itches, go ahead. Doesn't that feel pretty good?

Repeat the same word over and over until it loses its meaning
(Amusement Potential: 1-3 minutes)
Pick a random word out of a magazine and say it aloud to yourself until it becomes a meaningless set of noises.

Pinch yourself
(Amusement Potential: 1-3 minutes)
What is pain? Why is it unpleasant? There's nothing physical about it - it's all in your mind. Plus, after pinching yourself for awhile, boredom will seem nice next to being in pain.

Try to swallow your tongue
(Amusement Potential: 1-2 minutes)
There's not much to say about this one. It is possible, but really stupid.

Pretend to be a car
(Amusement Potential: 5-10 minutes)
Make appropriate revving noises in your head as you walk along and add a racing commentary as you pass strangers in the street. Use blinking eyes as indicators for extra authenticity.

Make Star Trek door noises
(Amusement Potential: 1-2 minutes)
Stand by an electric door to a bank or something and make that silly "Scccccccchwop" sound heard whenever people popped on to the bridge to hang with Captain Kirk.

Look at something for awhile, shut eyes, study after image
(Amusement Potential: 2-5 minutes)
Another great time waster. It takes about 30 seconds of staring to create an after image, and the image is then viewable for about the same length of time. Fun to combine this one with pushing on your eyes.

Get yourself as nauseated as possible
(Amusement Potential: 5-10 minutes)
Best achieved by looking straight up and spinning around. Try to be so dizzy you can't even stand up. This is also entertaining due to the "makes boredom seem a lot better" effect (see "Hurt Yourself").

Invent a weird twitch
(Amusement Potential: 5-10 minutes)
Adopt a bizarre twitch (e.g. flicking your head irregularly, twitching with eye or busting out sporadic cough noises) and try it out when you go shopping.

Make a low buzzing noise
(Amusement Potential: 15-30 minutes)
Hours of fun in libraries! Keeping a totally straight face and looking nonchalant, make a low pitch humming/buzzing noise and see who reacts.

God's bountiful harvest

I am constantly amazed at the wonder of nature...When we came to this property 10 years ago, we began planting fruit trees - a couple every year. We follow the Torah's instructions in planting trees so we didn't eat the fruit until the fifth year...

Lev 19:23 And when ye shall come into the land, and shall have planted all manner of trees for food, then ye shall count the fruit thereof as uncircumcised: three years shall it be as uncircumcised unto you: it shall not be eaten of.

Lev 19:24 But in the fourth year all the fruit thereof shall be holy to praise the LORD.

Lev 19:25 And in the fifth year shall ye eat of the fruit thereof, that it may yield unto you the increase thereof: I [am] the LORD your God.

Earlier in the season, Dennis sprayed the tree with neem oil to run off any pests or fungas that might be coming our way. The result is a beautiful, bug free, fungus free harvest of large plums. This year the tree is so full I'm wondering how to steward all the fruit!!

Today we are making jam but tomorrow I'll probably make this wonderful recipe I found at All Recipes.com. Not only can we use our plums, but wonderful ricotta we made using our goat milk!

Maple Ricotta Parfait with Almonds and Plums


INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup maple syrup, divided
6 black plums, pitted and sliced
1 1/4 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup sliced California Almonds, roasted*


DIRECTIONS
Heat butter in a saute pan. Add 2 tablespoons maple syrup, and gently stir in plum slices. Cook on medium heat just until plums are soft and giving out some juice, but still holding their shape.
Meanwhile, stir together the remaining maple syrup and ricotta. Set aside.
Divide 1/2 cup prepared plum slices among 4 clear bowls or brandy glasses. Follow with a layer of ricotta mixture, then remaining plum slices, and then the remaining ricotta mixture. Drizzle with remaining maple syrup, and sprinkle with roasted almonds.
FOOTNOTE
*To roast almonds, place a single layer on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for 10 minutes, stirring at least once to ensure even roasting. Almonds will continue to brown after being removed from the oven.

Swine Flu - From Dr Gitterle

This comes from a friend of mine whose grandchildren are in Comal County, TX schools. The schools have been closed for the next two weeks.

Subject: FLU INFO FROM DR. GITTERLE

Friends, this is from an ER doctor in New Braunfels, TX

It is more comprehensive than other things I've seen.


Date: Wed, 29 Apr 2009 08:55:31 -0500

Subject: Flu Update from Dr. Marcus Gitterle


After I returned from a public health meeting yesterday with community
leaders and school officials in Comal County , Heather suggested I send an
update to everyone, because what we are hearing privately from the CDC and
Health Department is so different from what you are hearing in the media.
Some of you know some or maybe all of this, but I will just list what facts
I know.


- The virus is infectious for about 2 days prior to symptom onset

- Virus sheds more than 7 days after symptom onset (possibly as long as 9
days) (this is unusual)

- Since it is such a=2 0novel (new) virus, there is no "herd immunity," so
the "attack rate" is very high. This is the percentage of people who come
down with a virus if exposed. Almost everyone who is exposed to this virus
will become infected, though not all will be symptomatc. That is much higher
than seasonal flu, which averages 10-15%. The "clinical attack rate" may be
around 40-50%. This is the number of people who show symptoms. This is a
huge number. It is hard to convey the seriousness of this.

- The virulence (deadliness) of this virus is as bad here as in Mexico , and
there are folks on ventilators here in the US , right now. This has not been
in the media, but a 23 month old near here is fighting for his life, and a
pregnant woman just south of San Antonio is fighting for her life. In
Mexico , these folks might have died already, but here in the US , folks are
getting Tamiflu or Relenza quickly, and we have ready access to ventilators.
What this means is that within a couple of weeks, regional hospitals will
likely become overwhelmed.

- Some of the kids with positive cases in Comal County had more than 70
contacts before diagnosis.

- There are 10-25 times more actual cases (not "possible" cases -- actual),
than what is being reported in the media. The way they fudge on reporting
this is that it takes 3 days to get the confirmatory nod from the CDC on a
given viral culture, but based on epidemiological grounds, we know that
there are more than 10 cases for each20"confirmed" case right now.

- During the night, we crossed the threshold for the definition of a WHO,
Phase 6 global pandemic. This has not happened in any of our lifetimes so
far. We are in uncharted territory.

- I expect President Obama will declare an emergency sometime in the next
72-96 hours. This may not happen, but if it doesn't, I will be surprised.
When this happens, all public gathering will be cancelled for 10 days.

- I suggest all of us avoid public gatherings. Outdoor activities are not as
likely to lead to infection. It is contained areas and close contact that
are the biggest risk.

- Tamiflu is running out. There is a national stockpile, but it will have to
be carefully managed, as it is not enough to treat the likely number of
infections when this is full-blown. I don't think there is a big supply of
Relenza, but I do not know those numbers. If I had to choose, I would take
Relenza, as I think it gets more drug to the affected tissue than Tamiflu.

- You should avoid going to the ER if you think you have been exposed or are
symptomatic. ER's south of here are becoming overwhelmed -- and I mean
that -- already. It is coming in waves, but the waves are getting bigger.

- It appears that this flu produces a distinctive "hoarseness" in many
victims. The symptoms, in general, match other flu's; namely, sore throat,
body aches, headache, cough, and fever. Some have all these symptoms, while
others may have only one or=2 0two.

- N-Acetyl-Cysteine -- a nutritional supplement available at the health food
store or Wimberley Pharmacy, has been shown to prevent or lessen the
severity of influenza. I suggest 1200mg, twice a day for adults, and 600mg
twice a day in kids over 12. It would be hard to get kids under 12 to take
it, but you could try opening the capsules and putting it on yogurt. For 40
pounds and up, 300-600 mg twice a day, for less than 40 pounds, half that.

- Oscillococinum, a homeopathic remedy, has been vindicated as quite
effective in a large clinical trial in Europe , with an H1N1 variant. You
can buy this at Hill Country Natural Foods, or the Wimberley Pharmacy.

I will try to keep everyone posted if I have any new information. Meanwhile,
don't be afraid just avoid infection. The fewer people infected the easier
it will be for our public officials to manage it.

I know by now you all are probably getting tired of hearing me pound the point of the National Animal Identification System. It is serious for all of us. Just like Joseph and Pharoah of old, where the people of the land lost their livestock, this is an attempt to remove small family producers from the landscape making way for huge producers that have deep pockets. It will open Americans up to having to consume what THEY tell us to - stuff filled with hormones, anti-biotics, and God knows what else. It will also move control of our food supply to the government who will use it to control us. Please forward this notice to everyone you know and get them to stampeed their congressmen and senators and tell them NO to NAIS!

A House Subcommittee will be considering the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) on March 11. Please read this alert and take appropriate action now. This program will put every farmer, rancher and livestock owner under the direct control of the USDA. It will increase the cost of food for everyone. This is another government-control program that must be stopped. Please follow the advise offered in the alert.

URGENT NAIS UPDATE

Socialism at work - again! Another attempt by government to get control of the food supply…How will this legislation affect the people on the street? The price of all beef, chicken, lamb, etc, will plummet when the market floods with unwanted animals that are being dumped, then it will skyrocket because food will be provided only by the big Ag producers.

Cloaked in a shroud of ‘food safety’, this bill which was passed in the House in less than 24 hours will destroy the American farmer immediately, especially in times of serious economic distress. The reams of paperwork and associated costs will put them out of business!

I urge you to contact your state senators immediately and say NO to HR 1105! I have included a sample letter which you can copy and paste to notify them. THIS IS URGENT - PLEASE DON’T SLEEP THROUGH THIS!

This link will take you to a site that has a letter already penned:
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/642/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=26666

Senator contacts: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Sample letter: You can cut and paste!!!

Dear Senator ________

I am writing in urgency today as I just found out that H.R. 1105 is now in
the Senate and waiting to get passed. It has already cleared the House in less than 24 hours!

H.R. 1105 is about making a mandatory National Animal Identification System(NAIS). I already know that the NAIS equivalent in the EU has reduced private farms/livestock ownership by over 60%. I know people who have moved to the United States from the EU to get away from the devastation NAIS/DARD/APHIS has caused over there. NAIS is designed to eliminate private animal ownership and industrialize the global food supply. They will tell you it is going to stop disease, but it doesn't. Its only function is to eliminate the private animal owners from the food supply, thus industrializing agriculture and the entire global food supply. This happens as a direct result of all the required NAIS expenses, required paperwork, loss of property rights and privacy, and outrageous non-compliance fines. People from the EU described to me that they ended up having to do about 2 hours worth of paperwork each night in addition to working all day long, just to keep up with the NAIS/DARD/APHIS requirements.

All I can ask...beg of you, is to work diligently against NAIS and H.R. 1105, as it will completely wipe out the American farmers. All that will be left is the big disgusting Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations(CAF Os) that feed tons of antibiotics, hormones, and chemicals just to keep the million+ animals alive in those "cess pool farms". That is the face of Industrialized Agriculture-CAFOs. NAIS will lead to nothing but CAFOs for our food supply.

Wiping out America's healthy food growers at a time when the nation is already about to buckle under economic distress, will only put the final nails in our coffins and this country will look like a 3rd world country in no time at all.

NAIS is worse than any disease it hypes about preventing. NAIS is what farmers have to worry about in destroying all their animals, not any diseases. NAIS itself will be the most deadly thing in America's farms, if it gets passed.This, I know for a fact from my relationships with people who have come here from the EU reporting on what really happens 11 years into the UN's NAIS/DARD/APHIS program.

Please vote against H.R. 1105 today, and let me know that you did with an email.

Thank You!

STOP NAIS - Action Alert

Big government is at it again trying to strip the rights of small farmers throughout the country from surviving. If they have their way, farms will be a relic of the past in the near future.

NAIS, or the National Identification System will require tracking on every animal on the farm - from cows, horses, goats and sheep - to chickens and turkeys. Imagine the nightmare of tracking all this....and the extra cost of YOUR Tax dollars to maintain.

The U.S. House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry will hold a hearing on NAIS on March 11. Bills to put NAIS into law, HR875 and companion Senate S814, are being pushed through Congress, as well as an Appropriations Bill with funding for NAIS. This hearing is critical to blocking mandatory NAIS.

It is IMPERATIVE that everyone contact their local government officials and make your voice heard regarding NAIS. Don't think that because you don't own livestock that it won't affect YOU. It will - Please don't sleep on this one.

Please visit this web site NoNAIS.org. It will give you information on these antics and give you quick links to write our officials. Don't let them steal our rights to small farms in America.