Tag Archives: health

Why Always the Diet Cola

Posted in Adam Schiff, Restaurants by

I know it is a conspiracy. I can prove it, well at least as well as what’s his name proved the Russia, Russia, Russia conspiracy. I’m still waiting for that liar to present his proof. Regardless, that’s off the subject. I walk into a restaurant and ask for Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi and they say they are out.

Three things immediately come to mind. First, is it intentional. Do they see me coming and turn off the diet spigot. Then too, they have a lot of other flavors. I wonder if they ever run out of Diet Dr. Pepper? Who drinks that stuff anyway? Someone gave it to me one time and they immediately received my ire. Can they even give that horrible stuff away?

Third, are they rationing the diet colas? For that matter, are they trying to get me to switch to tea. I do like tea but I much prefer diet cola. By the way, I am paying for it. I ought to get what I pay for, right?

One day I went to the “down under” outfit. I figured my wife deserves a break. Actually, she always does, but I figured I could really go for a steak too. As we took our places, the waiter asked what we wanted to drink. I said, Diet Coke. They said they had none. I couldn’t believe it. A nice place like that running out of their only diet soda. The waiter replied, “I mean we have no soft drinks at all.”

The wife and I immediately looked at each other. We stood and walked out the door. It wasn’t just aggravating but it was also aggravating. I know. That sounds like I am repeating myself, but I’m not. I was aggravated that there were no soft drinks but I was also aggravated they didn’t bother telling me. I mean, we might have settled for tea, but they were trying a fast one. They figured we’d stay if they waited to break the news.

Well, you will be happy to know that all was not lost. We went over to Huey’s and had a nice dinner there. The food is just about equally good there. Not only that, every time we went in there, they had Diet Coke.

I understand, they might have been having problems with their fountain machine. That sort of thing does happen. However, I am a person who believes in little things such as signs. They really should have told us before we settled in. It does sort of make me wonder if they were out of diet tea and were hiding that from us too.

Down With Tobacco

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When I went into the Marines, I would guess that at least 75% in the armed services smoked. Even then the Surgeon General spoke of the evils of it. If I remember right, it was about then that the tobacco companies were asked to withdraw their advertisements from TV. After all, the ads were aimed at the youth of the time. They encouraged children to pick up the “cancer sticks,” as they were referred to.

To be sure, everyone knew they weren’t healthy, but many didn’t care, for a number of reasons. Certainly those in war zones where their life was in danger anyway, had little reason to give up smoking. After leaving the service, the habit had its hold in most of those who did not have the forethought of the hazards.

All four of my brothers picked up smoking and three smoked until the day they died. One of them gave up the habit at 70. Ironically, the smoking did not figure into the deaths of any of them. However, I knew many who did die of tobacco related deaths. I for one was glad to see the virtual death of the tobacco industry.

How-some-ever, when we tried to do away with alcohol, we failed. Most of the common, law abiding folks gave it up. However, if a person could look in on the lives of the rich, the famous and the politicians, I think we would have seen many who were living well outside the law and without anything that resembled a conscious or law enforcement for that matter.

I can’t prove it. I don’t have the where-with-all to do the research. However, you and I both know that for every death or injury caused by tobacco, there are likely 3 or 4 caused by alcohol. This is as measure of both direct and indirect.

I have seen the affects of alcohol both in person and in the news. The true question is, can the real measure of destruction ever be measured? I don’t know, but when I was in the Marines, I was told by truly reliable sources that alcohol caused more problems than all the other drugs in the Marine Corps. I would suspect it is also true in the other services.

Yet, drinking of alcoholic beverages is not discouraged. Indeed, it is encouraged. Those, as me, who do not drink quickly are on the outside. With any promotion over the rank of E-5, a “Wet down,” is expected. When I made E-6, I’m sure I was expected to do something, but I didn’t. When others had wet downs, I didn’t attend. When the squadron I was in had beer a party, I didn’t go. You can imagine the results that had.

When I was in Vietnam, we occasionally ran out of soft drinks, but never beer. The priority of alcohol, even in a combat zone was right at the top. I suppose something could be said about it helping the morale of the troops but what did it imply to those of us who didn’t drink.

While in the Marines, I thought it would be different in civilian life. The fact is that it is the same, just in a different way. Those who don’t drink are encouraged to start. Those who start as a result of the pressure and become alcoholics are fired because they can’t do their job anymore.

We no longer encourage children to smoke. On the other hand, drinking is encouraged regularly. Even family shows such as on Hallmark, show people drinking at virtually every opportunity. It is displayed as even more commonplace than it is.

Every time the TV crime solvers solve another crime, they meet in their favorite bar and they celebrate. I’m not in law enforcement but, I really hope that is not the common practice in reality. Moreover, I am sure there are those in law enforcement who don’t drink and I wonder how they are treated when I remember how it was for me while in the Marines.

It does make me wonder what might happen if the surgeon started requiring warning labels on bottles and cans of alcoholic beverages. I wonder what might happen if it would become illegal to advertise alcohol on TV. I wonder what might happen if people start becoming shamed for showing scenes of people drinking on TV, especially in a positive way.

I don’t think that will happen. For every ounce of power in our political system that tobacco had, alcohol has a pound, maybe two. It simply won’t happen. Nor will they start trying to tax the industry out of existence as with tobacco.

There is no way I would ever want tobacco to contribute to my income. However, if I were high in the industry of tobacco, I might have a tendency to yell, unfair. Moreover, I think I would have a just reason. Alcohol is much worse and, not only is it not discouraged, but it is encouraged. And yet, no one complains.

Little ol’ me; I really don’t think anyone is going to pay any attention to me, certainly not those who like the sauce, certainly not those who make their fortunes from it. In the meantime, people die from it. People become crippled and maimed in car accidents. Wives and children are abused because of it.

Then again, it’s not the fault of those who make and distribute it. Also, we all know how important the beverages are. Those who partake of them know that they just can’t live without them.

And so it is that we continue to encourage the most costly drug this nation has ever seen.

On the other hand, we sure did take out the tobacco industry, in what, two decades. Maybe it’s time to start suing those making whisky, when someone dies with a bad liver. (Don’t think that will work)

Does That Include Tomatoes

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I have heard that some folks say tomatoes are not fruits but veggies. I don’t know. I’ll just call them fruits for now. They are very good you know, on salads, hamburgers and sandwiches. Don’t tell anyone, but sometimes I simply chop them up and eat the pieces. Sometimes I eat them with my sausages and eggs for breakfast. It sort of depends on if I have any.

I have tried to grow them. I’ve been told it is easy. That, I guess, makes me a total failure as a farmer. With two plants I had two decent sized tomatoes. They were pretty good though. There is something to be said about a tomato fresh picked.

The place I lived out in California had a banana tree that grew small bananas. They were small but they were very good. Again, It’s likely because it is right off the tree. I do believe bananas are best on cereal. When I use bananas, I don’t use sugar at all on my cornflakes.

Strawberries are great. A neighbor had a patch of them and let me pick one now and then. It spoiled me. I like store bought berries but I miss the neighbor’s berries better. We tried one year to grow them. End of story.

Love grapes in almost any form. I eat them off the clusters as raisins and in grape juice. Well, I drink the juice. You get the idea.

As I mentioned before, I really like pineapples on pizzas. My wife does like to steal them all, so I have to be fast. They are also good on ham and slow cooked chicken. Occasionally, I’ll eat a few pieces by themselves, but I am not one who for things with strong flavors.

Now, let me see. I think that is already five but let me add one more. We used to have an orange tree in our backyard when I lived in orange county. Now, isn’t that something. Good food on the tree. All I had to do was reach up and pick it. The only work was peeling it. I did get good at it. I had lots of practice.

There was a small problem though. Every time I bit into it, I got the juice all over my hands and face. I guess, I am just one of those complainers. Always have to find something to complain about.

Daily writing prompt
List your top 5 favorite fruits.
View all responses

Define Processed

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Many moons ago, can’t remember how many, I saw an interview of a woman who emphatically said we should never eat processed meat.

The interviewer asked, “Suppose I have a 1 lb sirloin and put it through a meat grinder. Is that now processed meat?”

Without hesitation, she replied, “Yes.”

More and more, there are people telling us we shouldn’t eat processed meat. In this case, I guess we should all throw the meat grinders away.

On the other hand, if the young lady was wrong and grinding meat is not classified as processing, just what is processing? Indeed, the first place our steer goes is to a “meat processing plant.” Does this mean we must intercept the chickens on the way to be slaughtered.

In the story of the prodigal son, Jesus quotes the father when he tell the servants to prepare the fitted calf. Just how is this to be without processing the meat?

Really, I don’t mean to be facetious, but those in favor of putting an end to processing meat need to clarify themselves some. When you come down to it, cooking meat is processing it. On the other hand, eating it without cooking it can make you sick or even kill you.

During WWII, soldiers lived and thrived on C-rats for years. Some people, as me, even liked them and all the food in them was processed. I have known people with type II diabetes who ate nothing but frozen diners. Seemed to be just the right amount to control their weight. By controlling their weight, they were able to avoid all the meds.

Does anyone really want those diabetics to go back to being overweight and taking the overpriced meds.

Perhaps we do need to cut back on processing a little. However, if so, let’s get more specific and let’s make sure we really know what we’re talking about.

Let me add one more important point. Regardless of what we eat, we need to thank God for it and ask his blessings on it. We all need to remember who provides, not only our food, but all our needs continually.

Can Our Society Afford Lawyers

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When we first moved into Desoto County, there was a nice pool in Southaven we went to regularly. It closed. The cost of insurance made it prohibitive to remain open.

There was a nice spring that was converted to a lake over near Olive Branch. They even shipped in some nice white sand. For some the spring water was a bit cold, but for us it couldn’t be beat on a hot summer day. It closed. The cost of insurance was to high.

I guess after a while they will need to close the lakes and streams. Those insurance bills, you know. Then too, there are those pools they have at hotels for their guests. They have to pay insurance companies too.

I have singled out but a small segment of a very wide industry. Trucking companies, railroads, airlines all must carry insurance. Retailers, doctors and even private motorists must carry insurance.

Every time someone makes a claim it cost the insurance company. When the claims become too high or to frequent, the insurance company must raise the rates, cancel customers or go out of business.

I hear ads every day, effectively saying, let’s go after the insurance companies. They have endless supplies of money. If that attitude continues, insurance companies will go bankrupt and businesses will have to shut down. Then, of course, we will have to give up driving. We won’t be able to buy insurance at any price.

Besides, auto manufacturers will go out of business. They won’t be able operate their factories, or ship their cars if they could build them.

The grocery stores would have to close down and the druggists will have to lock everything up. Retailers cannot operate without insurance. The first big lawsuit would take ever penny from them.

It does beg the question, can our nation afford the money hungry lawyers? Or maybe I should ask the question, how long can we afford them before our society collapses?

At What Cost

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From time to time, I have had reason to seek a cost. Sometimes, honestly I realize I will never be able to afford the product. Other times, I realize the product might one day be within my reach.

The other day I asked the price of a med, knowing I can’t afford it, but I must. My life might very well depend on it. A so it was, yesterday, I bought 30 pills at just a little over 10 dollars a pill. It’s for a blood clot. At least for the short term, that will be added to my my monthly cost of drugs. It is already a lot despite Medicare and insurance.

So, hopefully, the little pills will permit me to survive, but at what price? The drugs had genuine empathy for me, but she did need to pay for the pills and make a little profit.

I keep seeing those commercials on TV, you know the ones about the implanted teeth. I don’t have the money, but I was a little curious. I went up one side of the internet and down the other and could not find one place where I could find a broad guess.

I know there are variations, but I would not expect as much as they would like us to think. I’m sure, by now, it has become somewhat standard. Surely they have standard prices they give insurance companies.

Now me, especially after the new price to my meds, there is simply no way I could afford them. If my teeth get so bad, I’ll just have go without. It is something of an encouragement to brush and floss.

So, let’s assume you, a multi-millionaire, are the one who is going to have the full implant. Let’s say you meet people daily and you need to make a good impression.

You walk into the store and say, “How much for a full set of teeth?” I don’t think you will get an answer but a question. I don’t have any idea why it works that way, but it does seem to be a hard fast rule.

I got on the phone one day trying to get a price on something and a very nice woman answered and the first thing she said was ask for my address.

That prompted me to scratch my head. “You need my name and address before…”

I’m sure you get the idea. Sometimes, I need to know the price for planning. Sometimes, I need to know the price to see if I can afford or if I will need another approach.

Rich folks don’t need to ask or know prices. Maybe this is the way they make sure to keep the riff-raff out of their clientele. If so, it works.

I find myself a little confused as to how end this. Maybe it is because there is no end. On the other hand it just might be I’m no good at writing. I tried to solve that, really I did. Those editors want a bunch of money too.

2 Days Straight

Posted in Fast Food, Food by

Does make me wonder. Last night we went to a fast food place. they had, I guess, 8 favors of fountain drinks. They ran out of Diet Coke. Strange. No one seemed to care.

Well, they had diet Dr. Pepper. Can’t stand Dr. Pepper in any way shape or form. Never could. I guess it is a conspiricy to make me drink tea. You suppose the Engish are behind it. Tea’s OK, but I paid for a soft drink, not tea. I am diabetic. All the other flavors have sugar. I settled for unsweat tea. However, be sure, I will ask next time when I go to that place before I order. If they are out of Diet Coke, I will first go to a nearby store before completing my order… or leave.

My question, why always Diet Coke. 7 other flavors they can run out of. Somehow, they must have something against the likes of me. 2nd time this happened in this restaurant in just a few months.

Today we went to a nice big restaurant for a celabration. We wanted steaks, each of us. We were prepared to pay about $40 each. For us, that’s a lot for us.

They asked us what we wanted to drink. I told them Diet Coke. You guessed it. No Diet Coke. However, this time they outdid it. They had no soft drinks at all.

After a short time, the two of us had a good meal at Chilli’s. Incidentally, we paid less and we had all the Diet Coke we wanted.

I guess I need to start carrying my own emergency supply. I’m sure they won’t mind at all.

Measles Outbreak

Posted in Abuse of Power, Christian values, Coronavirus, Deceit, Elections, Lawyers and Representation, Plutocrat, President Trump by

Before the mid 1960s measles outbreaks were common. 2 or more million died every year world wide. To most, it was a very irritating rash. To others it was devistating.

Moreover, to catch it, one only breathe while in the room with someone who has it. It is one of the most infectious diseases known to mankind.

In the past few decades, it has been on the decline. In the US, the vaccine had the disease virtually eliminated. Now, I note on the news that there is a major outbreak. Oddly, they seem to be having difficulty figuring why or where it has come from.

Let me give you a hint. Millions have been crossing our border. No one has been screenning them. We have no idea how many had measles… mumps, whooping cough, polio or any of those other horrible little monsterous viruses. Do you suppose anyone has a clue as to how many brought the China virus with them from Mexico.

Those little virus things are really good at hitch hiking. It is why immigrants were isolated for a while before they were permitted to actually enter our country in early 1900s. Back then, we actually had some intelligece on such matters. Now, not so much. Now the diseased bring those little hitch hikers with the help of the dems.

So, if your child has come down with measles, or for that matter, mumps, small pox or any of those other horrid diseases, you might want to thank the dems. President Trump did have those coming across the border to a trickle.

The dems and the rinos did not like that. The rinos were already complaining that they were having to pay higher wages. The dems were angry that they would have to give up future voters.

And so it is, for lower wages and future power, your child must endure the suffering of measles and or many other dreaded diseases. (Just so you know… they don’t care.)

If your child suffered, or possibly died from one of those hitch hickers, was the open border worth it. Do you really want the borders left open. Are you really in favor of letting those micro-hitckers into the states so they can spread and cause grief to others.

True Story, Maybe

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Actually , 3rd hand, maybe fourth. I don’t know. Of course I know enough to know better than repeat that which I don’t know as true, especially when I have absolutely no proof.

Nonetheless, I did hear it on the radio and it was implied to be true. That is at least as good as stories I’ve heard from dems as absolute fact.

Besides, it could be true. It very easily might be representative of who knows how many untold true stories inside and outside medicine.

The man said his wife had 2 high blood pressure pregnancies. Oddly, her 3rd pregnancy, her pressure was normal at the doctor’s office and high at home.

The husband brought this to the attention of the doctor at the next office visit. The doctor looked at the chart and saw that the nurse again noted the pressure as normal. The doctor measured her pressure and saw it was high.

The doctor called the nurse in and told her to check the pressure again, afterwhich, she announced it was normal. It seemed she never learned how to take a pressure manually. The doctor immediately dismissed the nurse. Then after the appointment the doctor started checking on the many others the nurse saw.

Is the story true? I don’t know. Howsomever, do you want a nurse checking your blood pressure when she knows not how? For that matter, any test?

Do we want nurses hired by their skill or their color? Just where do we want the priority.

A plane stood ready to take off and lost a wheel. That actually happened. It shouldn’t make me wonder but it does. Was the mechanic that last worked on it hired because of his ability? Or was it something else? Maybe he was the cousin of a brother-in-law.

I have no right to judge. I did work on F4s and I can’t claim a perfect record. I can tell you first hand it is easy to make serious mistakes. It is all the more reason to chose excellency over fairness.