Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Wordless Wednesday (10/29)
The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Ah, distinctly I remember, it was in the bleak December,
Monday, October 27, 2008
I Wuv Your Blog!
Those I Count As Blogging Friends:
All About Whatever ~ Rosezilla
Tea Time With Melody ~ Someone 'new' to me I would like to count as a friend too. :o)
Please save this graphic of my favorite little dog, Maxie, to your hard drive and place it any where you wish at your blog. If you'd put a link back to me at http://redbirdacres.blogspot.com/ , I would appreciate it.
You 'guys' are the best! I'm a lucky gal indeed to count you as friends.
((Hugs)) Y'all! Be chatting with ya in Blog Land! ♥ ∞
This About Covers The Election
Now y'all know I'm not usually very political on my Blog. I am in real life, as I know what I believe and will not be swayed from it. I just chose to be lighthearted and fun on my Blog because that is also a part of me. I like to help people smile and feel loved.
But if you'll just bear with me a moment, I want to share this with y'all.
In one of the forums, a gentleman with the nickname "Doc Crow" started a General Discussion on this very subject. He stated that he was dining somewhere for lunch and he "... passed a homeless guy with a sign that read, 'VOTE OBAMA: I NEED THE MONEY'. Once inside the restaurant, I also noticed that my waiter had on an 'OBAMA FOR '08' tee shirt." So, Doc started thinking that maybe this was a good idea and when the bill came, he refused to tip the waiter. He continues the event by saying "I explained to him that while he had given me exceptional service, his tee shirt told me that he believes in Senator Obama's plan to 'redistribute the wealth'. I told him I was going to do just that and 'redistribute' his tip to someone that I deemed more in need -- the homeless guy outside. " The waiter angrily stormed away.
Doc then went outside and gave the homeless guy the $3 tip and told him to thank the waiter inside, as he had decided he could use the money more.
Folks, listen to me, this is what Senator Barrack Hussein Obama, Jr. wants to do with our money. What gets me is apparently people are lining up to vote for him.
Well, there's a sucker born every minute.
My wonderful husband wrote the following response to Doc's post:
"One of the founding fathers of our REPUBLIC not democracy [basic definition of democracy----mob rule], stated that the republic they had fought so hard for would be finished as soon as enough citizens figured that they could elect the officials who would gladly tax the wealth of others and buy the votes of the lazy by "redistributing" the wealth.
Truely a prophecy whose time has come. The public education system in this country has managed to dumb down enough people so that the majority now believes we are a democracy. Individual rights no longer matter ...... the tyranny of majority rule has now fallen on us and our God given sacred rights will evermore be in jeopardy.
We have one presidential candidate who openly endorses Marxist doctrine and another candidate who won't call him on it. The votes of both these men and most of their colleagues in the Senate and House show either they have no knowledge of the US Constitution or no use for it.
Washington, Jefferson, Madison and the other founders who risked their lives, their property and their sacred honor are surely turning in their graves.......and we who should have been vigilant in our loathing of tyrants should be ashamed."
My husband is a wise man. I love my country and pray earnestly that others will listen to the warning signs. I don't want to lose what little freedoms we have left.
♥ ∞ Always With Affection ♥ ∞
Saturday, October 25, 2008
The Stink in Farts Controls Blood Pressure
The Stink in Farts Controls Blood Pressure
by Amelia Thomas
LiveScience Staff - Thu Oct 23, 3:21 pm ET
A smelly rotten-egg gas in farts controls blood pressure in mice, a new study finds. The unpleasant aroma of the gas, called hydrogen sulfide (H2S), can be a little too familiar, as it is expelled by bacteria living in the human colon and eventually makes its way, well, out.
The new research found that cells lining mice's blood vessels naturally make the gas and this action can help keep the rodents' blood pressure low by relaxing the blood vessels to prevent hypertension (high blood pressure). This gas is "no doubt" produced in cells lining human blood vessels too, the researchers said.
"Now that we know hydrogen sulfide's role in regulating blood pressure, it may be possible to design drug therapies that enhance its formation as an alternative to the current methods of treatment for hypertension," said Johns Hopkins neuroscientist Solomon H. Snyder, M.D., a co-author of the study detailed in the Oct. 24th issue of the journal Science.
Snyder and his colleagues compared normal mice to mice that were missing a gene for an enzyme known as CSE, long suspected as being responsible for making hydrogen sulfide. As they measured hydrogen sulfide levels taken from tissues of the CSE-deficient mice, the scientists found that the gas was depleted in the cardiovascular systems of the altered mice. By contrast, normal mice had higher levels of the gas, thereby showing that hydrogen sulfide is naturally made by mammalian tissues using CSE.
Next, the mice were subjected to higher blood pressures comparable to serious hypertension in humans. Scientists had them respond to a chemical called methacholine that relaxes normal blood vessels. The blood vessels of the CSE-lacking mice hardly relaxed, indicating that hydrogen sulfide is a huge contender for regulating blood pressure.
Hydrogen sulfide is the most recently discovered member of a family of gasotransmitters, small molecules inside our bodies with important physiological functions.
This study is the first to reveal that the CSE enzyme that triggers hydrogen sulfide is activated itself in the same way as other enzymes when they trigger their respective gasotransmitter, such as a nitric oxide-forming enzyme that also regulates blood pressure, Dr. Snyder said.
Because gasotransmitters are common in mammals all over the evolutionary tree, these findings on the importance of hydrogen sulfide are thought to have broad applications to human diseases, such as diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases.
The research was supported by grants from the U.S. Public Health Service and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research as well as a Research Scientist Award.
My husband said that this explains why he has High Blood Pressure and I don't ... his don't stink! [I've got news for him, his could knock a buzzard off a poo wagon!!]
Well, I'll get him back. Quick ... someone, pull my finger! [giggle] ♥ ∞
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Our Vacation To Western North Carolina
We have finally returned from the 'Great North'. We were having such a good time, that we decided to extend the one week vacation to almost two weeks. (Gee, it's great to be retired!) The fall colors in Maggie Valley, NC, and down into northern Georgia around Tallulah Gorge are absolutely stunning this year! So far, this must have been the best year for color for us. We must have hit the peak just right because the woods were spectacular. I had to be careful riding my motorcycle on the Blue Ridge Parkway because one can't sight-see and ride at the same time. I saved all my "Oh!'s" and "Awww!'s" for when we stopped at the overlooks. That's me and Sweetie below at one of our stops.
If one clicks on the photo above, it takes you to MyPhotoAlbum where all the pictures from the trip are stored. This photo was taken by our good friend, Tom Williams. We traveled with him and his lovely wife Rebecca this time. They're the ones we've been friends with Since The Beginning Of Time (or maybe it just feels that way?). [lol] It was chilly up on the Parkway but down in the valley, the temperatures reached into the low 80's. That's really warm for this time of year.
If you view the photos of Elk at MyPhotoAlbum, they were taken on the Cataloochee Trail near the old Caldwell house. North Carolina has reintroduced Elk in the same area that they once roamed in the southern Appalachain Mountains.
Please excuse me not being too wordy this time. I'm still weary from the journey.
God bless ya everyone! It's good to be back. Can't wait to view all your blogs too! ♥ ∞
Friday, October 10, 2008
Tagged and Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Incommunicado
27 May 2005
Our former motorcycles on a Day Trip
Just passing through to let y'all know I will be incommunicado for about a week ... more or less. Sweetie and I are towing the new adventure bikes to western North Carolina to tour the lovely fall mountains.
I grew up in Titusville, Florida, but my adopted father and step-mother had moved to this part of the world before they died. After suffering from years of physical and mental abuse from Dad, and even though we were practically estranged, I still stayed in touch with where they were. I got kinda used to them being there. It still seems odd to visit the area and not have to stop by and at least say a polite hello. Maybe I won't get to feelin' sad this trip. Life is so much better now without this pain in my life. We're also meeting some very good friends who are also motorcyclists and traveling in their Class A RV. This other couple are loads of fun.
Be chatting with y'all upon our return! God bless ya. Keep Blogging! ♥ ∞
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Typewriter Art
Yeah, that's what I meant. It's where one 'paints' a picture or image using only the keyboard of a typewriter, or computer now, as the case may be. I've never been good at things like this. I've been a business woman most of my chronologically adult life but I never did get into this kind of thing. It wasn't that I was too serious, Lord knows, I've played my share of pranks on co-workers (nothing harmful, just cute things, I don't like cruel jokes).
Anyway, there's lots of typewriter style art at Acid Head Ware blog. Weird name, talented dude. Post one at the comments if you have one too.
Have a great day y'all!! ♥ ∞
The Padparadscha Sapphire Mystery
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
What It Was Like 100 Years Ago
One hundred years ago.
What a difference a century makes!
Here are a few interesting statistics for the Year 1908:
The average life expectancy was 47 years.
Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.
Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved roads.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
The average wage in 1908 was 22 cents per hour.
The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year.
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year,
a dentist $2,500 per year,
a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year,
and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
More than 95 percent of all births took place at home.
90 percent of all doctors had NO FORMAL COLLEGE EDUCATION!
Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and the government as 'substandard'.
Sugar cost 4 cents a pound.
Eggs were 14 cents a dozen.
Coffee was 15 cents a pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.
Five leading causes of death were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke
The American flag had only 45 stars.
Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn't been invented yet.
(No iced tea!? Kill me now ...)
There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write.
Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
(I'll bet they were prodominately male too.)
Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, 'Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health.' (They just thought that because they couldn't remember anything after clearing that complexion!)
18 percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.
There were about 230 reported murders in the entire U.S.A.!
Amazing, ain't it? History is a wonderful teacher if we'll only listen. I'm so grateful to be born in this era in this country with all our modern conveniences and excellent medical care. ♥ ∞
Monday, October 6, 2008
What We Need Today Is A Zorro
Having trouble with pesky, over zealous Tax Collectors?
Lieing politicians?
Land grabbers of the elderly?
Greedy CEO's?
Then what we need today is a Zorro!
A masked man that will run to our rescue and help the stock market regain it's footing.
We definately need a Zorro. ♥ ∞
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Dis 'N Dat
I squeezed in a much needed haircut. (Really, Wendy, you did a super job and you're right next door. You've gotta a new customer now gal.)
Had a puncture in the car's rear tyre (that's for you soulbrush ... lol). (Oh, boy, I really love spending an extra $250 that wasn't budgeted this month ... heavy sigh).
Drove 2 hours one way to Midway to save money on a new tire, then 2 hours home. (Does that make sense with high gas prices? Actually, it does, we saved over $100 doing this.)
Looked at more property for our next dream home. (This may actually be an improvement ... NOT!)
Had internet problems all week. Local phone company putting in new DSL and it's down more than up! (OK, Alma Telephone, you have to do better than that for $35 a month. It's enough to get a saint riled!)
And, in between, I'm still surveying the cemetery in Waycross for family genealogy's. (This is my pet project and I am having fun.) :o)
So, it's just been fun, fun, fun all week.
And, that's me, I've run out of time.
CYA later friends! Have a great weekend! God bless ya each and everyone! ♥ ∞