Well Known Atheist Changed His Mind. Do Good People Really Go To Heaven? Can You Reverse Type 2 Diabetes with a Whole Food, Plant-Based Diet?

My computer has crashed, so no more posts for now.

Why A Well Known Atheist Changed His Mind

Imagine being one of the world’s foremost atheists, having written more than 30 books, many of which are hailed as hallmarks of atheistic thought. Then, suddenly, you announce you now believe in God, resulting in a hail of criticism and scorn from most of your colleagues and the secular press.

Oxford professor Dr. Antony Flew, Author of 'There is a God: How the World’s Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind'

It’s a fascinating story, and one that holds many valuable answers for those who have asked the most basic and important question: Does God exist?

The name of this respected Oxford professor was Dr. Antony Flew, who spent 50 years teaching philosophy and constructing arguments to support atheism. Prior to his death in 2010, he wrote a book in 2007 titled There Is a God: How the World’s Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind, explaining what had compelled him to admit he had been wrong. Dr. Flew mentioned early in life he came on a principle that would guide his career: Follow the evidence wherever it leads, no matter how unpopular that may be.

In his youth, Dr Flew was convinced the evidence backed an atheistic perspective. Then, from the 1980s on, with increased knowledge about the complexities and precision of the universe, the evidence started turning against atheism and toward a Creator God. Dr. Flew then reluctantly reassessed his beliefs: “I now believe that the universe was brought into existence by an infinite Intelligence ... .that this universe’s intricate laws manifest what scientists have called the Mind of God…. Why do I believe this, given that I expounded and defended atheism for more than a half century? The short answer is this: this is the world picture, as I see it, that has emerged from modern science” (There Is a God, p. 88).

He offered three lines of evidence that led him to his belief in God.

How did the laws of nature come to be?

Dr. Flew wrote: “Over the last two decades, my whole framework of thought has been in a state of migration. This was a consequence of my continuing assessment of the evidence of nature. When I finally came to recognize the existence of a God, it was not a paradigm shift, because my paradigm remains, as Plato in his Republic scripted his Socrates to insist: ‘We must follow the argument wherever it leads’” (p. 89).

Dr Flew admitted the evidence dealing with the laws of nature increasingly indicated a Superior Mind was operating at a cosmic level: “The leaders of science over the last hundred years ... .have built a philosophically compelling vision of a rational universe that sprang from a divine Mind…. this is the particular view of the world that I now find the soundest philosophical explanation of a multitude of phenomena encountered by scientists and laypeople alike” (p. 91).

“One of the most enigmatic aspects of the laws of nature is that these invisible forces act on matter and energy, but are not matter or energy themselves. For them to work ….they had to be in place before matter and energy existed ... .To believe all these intricate laws that act in unison somehow appeared together at just the right time, with just the right force, without some organizing Intellect behind them, defies logic.” (p. 96).

How did life originate from non-life?

Flew’s second line of evidence for a belief in God has to do with the great difference that exists between life and non-life: “…biologists’ investigation of DNA has shown, by the almost unbelievable complexity of the arrangements needed to produce life, that intelligence must have been involved…especially where this first living matter already possessed the capacity to reproduce itself genetically….there was no satisfactory naturalistic explanation for such a phenomenon” (p. 123).

Dr. Flew concluded that a self-replicating living thing being produced by chance from non-life utterly defies all odds. He pointed out: “The philosophical question that has not been answered in origin-of-life studies is this: How can a universe of mindless matter produce beings with intrinsic ends, self-replication capabilities, and ‘coded chemistry’?” (p. 124). Although there is an increasing body of knowledge about how DNA and RNA work, scientists still don’t have a clue about how all these coding systems originated, which Flew concluded points to a Superior Intelligence at work: “The only satisfactory explanation for the origin of such ‘end-directed, self-replicating’ life as we see on earth is an infinitely intelligent Mind” (pp. 131-132).

Did something come from nothing?

Flew’s third line of evidence is related to the existence of the universe. In his early years, Flew believed the universe had always existed, and there was no need for a Creator to explain it. However new scientific discoveries made him question this premise and whether something could come out of nothing: “When I first met the big-bang theory as an atheist, it seemed to me the theory made a big difference because it suggested that the universe had a beginning and that the first sentence in Genesis (‘In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth’) was related to an event in the universe… If the universe had a beginning, it became… almost inevitable, to ask what produced this beginning.” (pp. 135-137).

“Modern cosmologists seemed just as disturbed as atheists about the potential theological implications of their work. Consequently, they devised influential escape routes that sought to preserve the nontheist status quo. These routes included the idea of the multiverse, numerous universes generated by endless vacuum fluctuation events, and Stephen Hawking’s notion of a self-contained universe” (p. 137).

Flew found all these arguments to be quite unconvincing. He concluded: “The three items of evidence…in this volume…can only be explained in the light of an Intelligence that explains both its own existence and that of the world.” (p. 155). As Scripture attests: “From the beginning, creation in its magnificence enlightens us to His nature. Creation itself makes His undying power and divine identity clear, even though they are invisible; and it voids the excuses and ignorant claims of these people [who would deny Him]” (Romans 1:20, The Voice)   From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-magazine/answers-from-a-famous-ex-atheist-about-god

________

Do Good People Really Go To Heaven When They Die?

God described King David as "a man after My own heart," and one who would "do all My will" (Acts 13:22), yet the Apostle Peter stated in his first sermon: "....the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day…. For David did not ascend to heaven….." (Acts 2:29, 34, NIV).

The Apostle John also stated: "No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man [Jesus Christ]" (John 3:13, NIV). Spiritual giants such as Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and Moses, including others listed in Hebrews 11, did not ascend to heaven: "These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised" (Hebrews 11:39 NIV).

King Solomon was inspired to write: "For the living know that they will die; but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten" (Ecclesiastes 9:5). The patriarch Job echoed Solomon's words: ".... Man dies and is laid away; indeed he breathes his last and where is he?.... so man lies down and does not rise. Till the heavens are no more, they will not awake nor be roused from their sleep" (Job 14:10 and 12).

The dead are unconscious and unaware. Our emotions, thoughts, knowledge and feelings go to the grave with us. Job goes on to say: "O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time [the time of the resurrection], and remember me! If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee...." (Job 14:13-15, KJV).

The writers of the Bible describe the experience after death not as going to heaven or hell, but simply as sleep. Notice, for example, how Daniel refers to the state of the dead in this prophecy of the resurrection: "And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt" (Daniel 12:2).

Jesus spoke of death as sleep. Speaking of a deceased girl whom He intended to raise from the dead, He told the mourners, "Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping" (Luke 8:52; Matthew 9:24). Before He resurrected Lazarus, He told the disciples, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up." The disciples misunderstood, thinking Lazarus was sleeping because he was ill. "However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep" (John 11:11 and 13).

The key to the mystery of life after death is revealed in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who said, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live" (John 11:25). Paul confirms many were eyewitnesses to the fact Jesus Christ had risen from the grave (1 Corinthians 15:3-8). There were too many credible witnesses who saw and interacted with Him after He was raised from the dead for His resurrection to be denied.

Because Christ was resurrected we can be assured He will resurrect those who have been faithful to Him (1 Corinthians 15:12-21 NIV). The doctrine of the resurrection is listed among the fundamental doctrines of the Bible (Hebrews 6:1-2). It is a wonderful part of God's great master plan, and the hope of all true Christians (1 Corinthians 15:54).

When Jesus Christ resurrects those who have followed Him the Bible reveals it will not be so that they can go to live in heaven forever. Since Christ is coming back to earth (Zechariah 14:3-4), it makes sense that's where they will be as well: "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:3). (See our study guide Christ’s Reign On Earth: What It Will Be Like)

All of the dead —good and not so good alike—will eventually be resurrected, even those who have never heard the name of Christ in their lifetime, and have had no opportunity of salvation. (See issue 343 of Bible Insights Weekly for more information concerning when Jesus Christ will resurrect those who have died: The Second Resurrection To Judgment and The third resurrection.)  From: https://www.ucg.org/good-news/good-news-magazine-may-june-2003/do-good-people-really-go-heaven-when-they-die

________

Can You Reverse Type 2 Diabetes with a Whole Food, Plant-Based Diet?

Weight loss isn’t necessarily required for type 2 diabetes remission, but what is?

The goal of lifestyle treatment for type 2 diabetes is to reverse it, drive it into remission—meaning normal blood sugars on a normal diet without drugs—and exactly that can be achieved optimally with a whole food, plant-based diet, as I’ve reviewed before. For individuals who have had type 2 diabetes for more than eight years, often having faced multiple complications, remission may be harder to achieve because a significant number of insulin-producing beta cells in their pancreas are already depleted. Even though full remission may not be possible for all patients, most everyone may still be able to find their way towards better health and improve blood sugar control without adding more medications, and could even reduce the medications they are already on.

You’ve heard of prescribing medications, but what about deprescribing them? Deprescribing medications among patients with type 2 diabetes is actually something that’s more common in lifestyle medicine because intensive, therapeutic lifestyle change works pretty effectively and can result in substantial and rapid drops in blood glucose. In order to avoid blood glucose dropping too low, which results in hypoglycemia, medications need to be adjusted. And the potential benefits of deprescribing meds in older individuals is extensive, including reduced harm from taking many drugs at one time. It not only reduces risk of adverse drug reactions and lowers medication costs, but it actually improves people’s ability to take the drugs they need to be taking, because they aren’t overwhelmed with managing so many.

Deprescribing medications is individualized to each patient. But generally, most medical practitioners will first target the meds most likely to cause dangerously low blood sugars, such as sulfonylurea drugs like Glucotrol or Micronase, and insulin. When lifestyle medicine practitioners were surveyed, their perceived negative effects were minimal, with things like “pushback from insurance companies,” or patients upset they hadn’t been told earlier about the efficacy of a plant-based diet and that less medication is possible. I’d be angry too! The list of perceived positive effects is full of statements like “improved patient morale,” “empowering to patients,” and “improved sense of well-being and hope.”

Check out this randomized controlled trial of a whole food, plant‑based intensive lifestyle intervention among people with type 2 diabetes. It was successful in improving blood glucose measures, while also reducing medications, compared to standard medical care. More than half of those in the plant-based diet and exercise group reduced their diabetes medications, compared with only a fifth of those on the standard care. And this was also true for their heart disease medications. Double win. And contrary to what some may think, weight loss wasn’t necessarily required to result in remission. Just the plant foods and exercise were so powerful together, supporting what we already know: food can indeed be medicine.

What about those other health concerns that come along with diabetes, such as increased risk of cardiovascular disease? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials found plant-based dietary patterns result in significantly better glucose control and lower LDL cholesterol levels, one of the big risk factors for heart attacks. People also lost weight and decreased their waist circumference, which serves as a sort of proxy for excess visceral fat, a kind of fat that can be particularly detrimental to health.

Type 2 diabetes is considered one of the most psychologically demanding chronic conditions. Just think about all that people with diabetes have to manage—medications, doctors’ appointments, and regularly stabbing their finger to get blood sugar readings, not to mention the fears of going blind, going on dialysis, and getting parts of their lower limbs amputated. A systematic review of the effectiveness of plant-based diets on wellbeing found that, compared to standard care, plant-based diets are associated with significant improvements in emotional wellbeing, depression, and quality of life, along with overall improvements in health.

As the incidence and prevalence of diabetes continues to rise, the time is now for clinicians to recommend a low-fat, whole food, plant-based diet to all of their patients, but especially those patients living with and at risk for type 2 diabetes. Whole food, plant-based diets can prevent diabetes, as well as change the course of the disease, by controlling blood sugar naturally with no known negative side effects.”

From: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-you-reverse-type-2-diabetes-with-a-whole-food-plant-based-diet/

Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video

________

Rising Prices, Surging Crime What Can You Do? God Blessed the Seventh Day. How Effective Is Chemotherapy for Colon, Lung, Breast, and Prostate Cancers?

.

Rising Prices, Surging Crime, What Can You Do?

Priscilla Du Preez/Unsplash

“As the cost of living escalates and crime intensifies, what can you do to aid your family? And where can you find lasting help, hope and stability in this time of turbulent change and uncertainty?

When God is a priority in your life, you can ask Him to guide your daily decisions and actions and He will respond with favor.

Among today’s many troubling issues is the fact that families are enduring financial turmoil as prices for food, gasoline, housing and nearly everything else skyrockets. Bills are piling up and worries magnify as an increasing number of people are living paycheck to paycheck. At the same time, lawlessness is mounting while government officials seem unable to deal with these issues.

What can you do? Precautions are vital in dangerous times (Proverbs 22:3; Proverbs 27:12). What steps can you take? And what is the most important action you can take to bring help, hope and stability to you and your family?  

Taking action to deal with rising prices

Most of today’s escalating costs are the result of inflation—the increase in the cost of goods and services which decreases people’s purchasing power. Inflation is, in effect, an endless tax that impacts everyone, but especially those who are poor, middle class or living on a fixed income and already have difficulty affording necessities.

In addition, inflation leads to rising interest rates—increasing the cost of large purchases such as houses and vehicles—and slows overall economic growth.

So what are some practical actions you can take to contend with the rising expenses your family is experiencing?

If you’re a conscientious shopper, you’re likely already buying less expensive, generic-brand products, using manufacturers’ coupons and reducing purchases of expensive prepackaged convenience foods. But what else can you do?

Consider changing where you shop, at least for some products. You may want to look for online-only and “dollar”-type stores for discounted food items as well as outlet grocery stores that offer significant markdowns as product “sell by” dates draw near. Also, consider shopping at “bulk” stores to purchase larger quantities of nonperishable food items, household paper products and other essentials—since doing so reduces your per unit cost.

You might also take a close look at what you’re spending for cell phone plans, video streaming services, vehicle and home insurance premiums, gym memberships, cable subscriptions and your credit card interest rate if you have to carry a balance. The recurring costs in these plans and services may be negotiable. Calling or writing to request lower rates is frequently successful—which can be valuable in helping reduce your monthly expenses.

Other money-saving suggestions include checking to see if you qualify for an energy assistance program. These are designed to help with monthly utility bills.

Consider replacing your old thermostat with a programmable one. You could save as much as 10 percent annually by turning down the heat in winter while you’re at work or school. You could also consider asking your employer for a pay raise if you’ve been a reliable, hardworking employee—good employees are increasingly hard to find.

You can probably come up with some other ways to cut costs too. Do additional research online for more ideas.

Protecting your home and family as crime surges

Sadly, criminal activity is surging in today’s society. Since crime can occur nearly anywhere—including your own neighborhood—take preventative measures to safeguard your family. According to a recent article in Forbes magazine, “You can start protecting yourself by evaluating your home, changing your habits when you leave and putting other measures in place that could improve your home’s security” (Emily Glover, “10 Ways to Secure Your Home Against Home Invasion,” Forbes, July 25, 2022).

The article goes on to explain that “according to the U.S. Department of Justice, a burglary is considered a home invasion when a resident is present. Although burglaries can and do happen at any time, they are most common during daytime hours.” Below are some valuable actions you can take to help protect your home and family:

“Keep Curtains and Blinds Pulled. Criminals may look through windows to scout potential burglary targets or to evaluate whether residents are home. Keep curtains or blinds pulled down in any room where you aren’t currently enjoying the natural light. This also goes for when you leave the house for work, errands or trips.

“Invest in a Home Security System. From ones that can be professionally installed and monitored to [do it yourself] options that offer great protection against home invasions.

“Get Motion-Sensing Lights. You can set motion-sensing smart lights to activate when you are out of the house. If you’re on vacation, this can also signal to helpful neighbors who are keeping watch that something isn’t right.

“Don’t Broadcast Upcoming Departures. As tempting as it may be to share upcoming travel plans on social media, it’s not worth the risk. Even telling a friend about your itinerary when you are in a public place can be ill-advised as you don’t know who else may be eavesdropping on the conversation.

“Keep the Doors Locked and Garage Shut. If doors are left unlocked or the garage is open, fast-moving burglars can strike when you go out on a walk, or even are just in the yard. It’s also worth keeping your windows locked, and don’t forget any windows to the basement.

“Look Out for Neighbors (and Vice Versa). What’s good for your neighborhood is good for your home. By making it clear to burglars that you live in a place where neighbors look out for each other, they may be deterred from trying their chances. If you decide to make a house key available to a neighbor, give it to them directly rather than leaving it in an outdoor hiding place.”

The most important action you can take

While the above measures involving cost savings and protecting your home and family can be highly beneficial, there is another extremely important action you can take to assure that you and your family will have what is needed to live satisfactorily and safely.

At Beyond Today magazine we desire to help our readers understand the crucial significance of placing their lives in the hands of their Creator who says in His Word, the Bible, that there is no real security apart from Him: “Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain” (Psalms 127:1).

Yet to those who trust Him He promises: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10, emphasis added throughout).

The Eternal God is supremely willing to offer you and your family the help, strength and guidance needed to successfully handle life’s many troubles (Psalms 18:2-3; Psalms 91:5-7). King David of ancient Israel stated: “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Psalms 121:1-2, English Standard Version).

Also, the apostle Paul wrote, “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19, World English Bible).

These awesome promises can be yours if you place Him first in your life, turn from sin and diligently keep His commandments, which He designed for your full benefit (Psalms 119:2; Matthew 6:31-34; Matthew 19:17).

Jesus Christ declared, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30). When God and His ways are a priority in your life, you can ask Him to guide your daily decisions and actions, and He will respond with great favor. Plus, He will gladly help you prepare for eternal life in His coming magnificent Kingdom (John 10:28).

All of this involves maintaining a close and enduring relationship with God through Jesus Christ—by daily prayer and living by “every word of God,” the Bible (Luke 4:4).

Why is a steadfast relationship with Christ so crucially important? It’s because your human strength and resolve can take you only so far. However, with the overwhelming aid, power and peace of mind He provides, you enjoy a huge advantage, as the following passages make clear. Psalms 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Also, Hebrews 4:16 says we can “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Furthermore, as the apostle Paul wrote, “Let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

These and other biblical promises affirm marvelous benefits that tower far above and beyond anything you could ever obtain on your own or even think up (Ephesians 3:20). So why carry the entire burden yourself when Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

As you face increasing expenses today and as crime and lawlessness could perhaps affect the safety of your family, be sure to take the appropriate actions to care for and safeguard them. But most importantly, place yourself and your concerns in the hands of your Creator!

If you diligently and humbly seek, trust and obey Him, He will be more than willing to give you the help, hope and stability you need. To be sure, “He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). Therefore, will you seek God and follow His ways? He wants to help you and your family and is looking forward to doing so!” From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-magazine/rising-prices-surging-crime-what-can-you-do

________

God Blessed the Seventh Day

Genesis 2:2-3

And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

“Genesis, the book of beginnings, recounts the six days of creation, followed by a seventh day of rest. By resting, God set the seventh day apart and made it holy.

This act of creation is recounted again in the Fourth of the 10 Commandments, which is about the Sabbath day (Exodus 20:8-11). See more about this in “Did God Create the Sabbath in Genesis 2?”

Here’s more about the Sabbath from our Fundamental Belief  “11. The Seventh-Day Sabbath”:

“The seventh day of the week is the Sabbath of the Lord our God, and on this day humans are commanded to rest from their labors and worship Him. Established and blessed by God at creation, the seventh day of the week begins at sunset on Friday and continues until sunset on Saturday. The Sabbath is an identifying sign and a perpetual covenant between God and His people. True Christians follow the example of Jesus Christ, the apostles and the New Testament Church in observing the seventh-day Sabbath.”         From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/blog/god-blessed-the-seventh-day/?

________

How Effective Is Chemotherapy for Colon, Lung, Breast, and Prostate Cancers?

Image Credit: Unsplash. This image has been modified.

“How effective is chemotherapy for colon, lung, breast, and prostate cancers?

“Over the last several decades…medicine has waged a major war against cancer, concentrating on earlier diagnosis and improved therapy. The war is not being won. Nevertheless, medicine shows few signs of admitting that its strategy may be flawed. In this it resembles a World War I general who stated: ‘Casualties: huge. Ground gained: negligible. Conclusion: press on.’”

If you look at the contribution of cancer-killing chemotherapy to five-year survival in cancer patients, it’s on the order of only about 2 percent. As you can see below and at 0:50 in my video How to Win the War on Cancer, we’ve gotten pretty good at treating some pediatric cancers, testicular cancer, and Hodgkin’s disease.

But, if you look at our most common cancers—that is, of the colon, lung, breast, and prostate—the success rate is only about 1 percent. That means out of nearly 14,000 colon cancer patients, for example, only 146 lived out five years, thanks to chemotherapy. The chance of survival benefit of chemo is about one in a hundred, but doctors don’t tell patients that. “Any new chemotherapy drug is still promoted as a major breakthrough in the fight against cancer, only to be quietly rejected without the fanfare that accompanied its arrival.”

Indeed, the “minimal impact on survival in the more common cancers conflicts with the perceptions of many patients who feel they are receiving a treatment that will significantly enhance their chances of cure…In view of the minimal impact of cytotoxic chemotherapy on 5-year survival, and the lack of any major progress over the last 20 years, it follows that the main role of cytotoxic chemotherapy is in palliation.” It can shrink tumors, relieving pain and pressure, but that doesn’t tend to translate into living any longer. “The failure of therapy, coupled with the realization that the overwhelming majority of cancer is related to environmental, particularly lifestyle factors, dictates that prevention should be our foremost aim.”

Cancer is largely a preventable disease, but it does require major lifestyle changes. Of the millions of cancer diagnoses every year, as many as 90 to 95 percent of the cancers are caused by lifestyle factors, with only 5 to 10 percent caused by bad genes. We know this because of “enormous differences in the incidence of particular forms of cancer in differing geographical and socio-economic situations” around the world, which then change when people move from one place to another. For example, as you can see below and at 2:40 in my video, breast cancer rates differ by an order of magnitude, with the lowest rates in parts of Africa and Asia, until those Africans and Asians move and start eating and living like Americans, Argentinians, Europeans, or Australians.

So, “there is need for a major reappraisal of how the problem of cancer is approached.” The key to winning the war on cancer is prevention, which not only works better, but “has the great advantage that it entails nothing worse than nicotine [or jellybean] withdrawal symptoms. On the other hand, cancer treatment, even when successful, often exposes the patient to much suffering, both physical and psychological. Indeed, some cancer treatments are considered worse than the disease.”

Most importantly, a healthy lifestyle can nip cancer in the bud, whereas, by definition, early diagnosis and treatment don’t change the cancer rate or the number of people getting cancer in the first place. In terms of cancer prevention and treatment with nutrition, the “consumption of nutrients of animal-based foods were associated with increased cancer risk while nutrients of plant-based food were associated with decreasing risk.” It’s not enough just to avoid the bad stuff, though. Eating is pretty much “a zero-sum game.” Everything we put in our mouth is a lost opportunity to put something even more healthful in our mouth. It’s not just about avoiding foods with cancer-promoting properties. We need to eat foods with active cancer-suppressing mechanisms. By “wholistic nutrition,” we’re talking about whole foods, and we should get their nutrients not from extracts or pills, but from the whole foods themselves.

Ultimately, “cancer development is primarily a nutrition-responsive disease rather than a genetic disease,” but, again, we aren’t talking about nutritional supplements; we’re talking about “whole, intact food.”

I’m very excited to share some of Professor Emeritus Colin Cambell’s six new papers on redefining the role of nutrition in medicine.

For an overview on the power of diet, see my How Not to Die from Cancer and The Best Advice on Diet and Cancer videos. I’ve produced hundreds of videos about the role of different foods and food consumption patterns on different cancers. Browse all of the titles through the search bar on my website NutritionFacts.org.

Key Takeaways

• Despite a “major war against cancer,” chemotherapy only contributes about 2 percent to five-year survival in cancer patients.
• Although chemotherapy treatment is fairly effective for some pediatric cancers, testicular cancer, and Hodgkin’s disease, our most common cancers (of the colon, lung, breast, and prostate) only have about a 1 percent success rate, which means, for example, out of about 14,000 colon cancer patients, only 146 live for five years, thanks to chemo.
• Chemotherapy can shrink tumors and relieve pain and pressure, but does not tend to result in longer life.
• Up to 90 to 95 percent of cancers are caused by lifestyle factors, and bad genes are responsible for only 5 to 10 percent.
• The key to actually winning the war on cancer is prevention, not treatment.
• A healthy lifestyle can prevent cancer, whereas early diagnosis and treatment—by definition—do not change the cancer rate or number of people getting cancer to begin with.
• Animal-based foods are associated with increased cancer risk, while plant-based foods are associated with decreased risk. We should get our nutrients from whole, intact plant foods rather than extracts, pills, or supplements.”  From: https://nutritionfacts.org/2022/07/14/how-effective-is-chemotherapy-for-colon-lung-breast-and-prostate-cancers/

_______

A World Going Insane. The Daily Challenge. I'll Be Happy Tomorrow. Update.

For Scripture Sunday”:

A World Going Insane

“Sometimes I think the world is going crazy. The rest of the time I know it is.

kali9/iStock/Getty Images Plus

So much that we see around us is indeed a kind of insanity—thought processes and actions that defy rational explanation and make no sense.

I woke up this morning to news of another mass killing, this time in Dayton, Ohio, where a 24-year-old gun-man shot and killed nine people—among them his own younger sister. Another 27 were injured, some by gunfire and many from injuries incurred while running for their lives.

Only 12 hours earlier a similarly deranged 21-year-old murdered 22 people and wounded 24 more in a 20-minute shooting spree inside a large store in El Paso, Texas.

Just a few days earlier, another young man shot and killed three and wounded 15 more at a festival in California after cutting his way through a fence to avoid security officers.

Meanwhile, an average of 56 people are shot per week, 10 fatally, in Chicago alone. In all fairness, many cities in Brazil, Mexico and Venezuela have far higher murder rates, so devastatingly high homicide deaths are a worldwide phenomenon. And this doesn’t begin to take into account the ongoing mass murders of Christians in the Middle East and Africa by those determined to stamp out Christianity.

At the same time, those of us in the West live in societies where advocates of the murder of unborn babies lecture us on human rights, socialists lecture us on economics, transvestites lecture us on human biology, and Hollywood actors and actresses with multiple children by various sex partners lecture us on virtue.

Just last week a homosexual U.S. presidential candidate (there’s a phrase I never remotely imagined I would type on my keyboard!) lectured the nation on proper Christian and biblical morals—which in his view requires yet more government redistribution of citizens’ hard-earned money.

On the heels of that, dozens of Hollywood A-listers, politicians, entertainment moguls and celebrities descended on the Mediterranean island of Sicily in more than 100 luxury private jets and yachts (one costing $400million) to stay in $900-a-night resort rooms for a three-day conference. The reason for this meeting? To discuss how to “save” the planet from climate change! (The luxury private jets alone—not to mention the many limousines, sports cars and helicopters—generated some 900 U.S. tons of CO2 emissions.)

Yes, the world truly is going insane.

What do all of these problems have in common? One is that they are all symptoms of a spiritual sickness that pervades our world. So much that we see around us is indeed a kind of insanity—thought processes and actions that defy rational explanation and make no sense. We’re entering uncharted waters where up is down and down is up, or, as the Bible puts it, people “call evil good, and good evil” and “put darkness for light, and light for darkness” (Isaiah 5:20).

And to anyone with any perception at all, it’s obvious things are getting worse,not better.

Why can’t we find solutions? Because these are spiritual problems, symptoms of spiritual sickness, and the solutions must be spiritual.

Why do I say these problems are spiritual? Because there is a spiritual force and power behind them. Few people realize it, but a dark and malevolent influence is working continually behind the scenes of our world.

The Bible reveals to us information we otherwise could not know because it isn’t discerned by the human senses of touch, taste, sight, hearing or smell. But it is real, as surely as you and I are real. The Bible reveals the existence of an invisible, unseen spirit world. And it records the occasional intersection of our physical world and this spirit world, with results that often terrified those who experienced it!

The Bible reveals that there are spirit beings called angels who serve God. (To learn more, download or request our free study guide Angels: God’s Messengers and Spirit Army . ) But it also shows there are evil and rebellious angels called demons who serve a powerful fallen angel called Satan (meaning “adversary” or “enemy”) the devil (meaning “false accuser” or “slanderer”). He is called a liar and a murderer (John 8:44) because that is what he does.

His influence is so great that he “deceives the whole world” and “the world around us is under the control of the wicked one” (Revelation 12:9; 1 John 5:19, New Living Translation). If you believe in God the Father and Jesus Christ based on what is written in Their holy Word, the Bible, then you must also believe in Satan the devil and his demons, whom the Bible reveals to be every bit as real!

This is why our many problems are so entrenched and unsolvable in spite of humankind’s best efforts. Without God’s help we cannot solve them. They are spiritual in nature and require a spiritual solution. Spiritual forces we cannot defeat are behind them and fill our world with violence, hatred, hostility, murder and lies.

So what is the solution? God can and will do what mankind cannot. The time is approaching when He will intervene and send His Son Jesus Christ to earth to end Satan’s reign as “the god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4).  It’s why we encourage you to join us in praying, as Jesus taught, “Your Kingdom come!”” From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-magazine/a-world-going-insane

________

The Daily Challenge

God tells us that in everything we do, we should avoid this at all costs.

Transcript of YouTube: https://youtu.be/8WgT1b0o76Q

[Steve Myers] “Here’s the BT Daily Challenge. In fact, it’s not just the BT Daily , it’s a daily challenge for every single one of us, that God inspired the apostle Paul to write about. Here’s what he said in Philippians 2:14, probably a familiar passage. Paul wrote this, “Do all things without complaining and disputing.” Now, talk about a daily challenge. This is certainly one of them. Not once in a while should we try not complaining or disputing, but he says do everything that way.

That’s a challenge, especially if you dig in to the Greek words that are used here. When he says, “Do things without complaining,” that word for complaining can mean murmuring or grumbling. Different translations will actually use those words, grumbling and complaining. Well, what is that about? I think that Greek word points to what’s happening on the inside. Because, if you’re grumbling about something, you usually aren’t understood, you know, you’re mumbling to yourself, and it’s something that’s going on on the inside. You’re thinking about something that’s really irritating you, and you’re letting that circulate in your mind. So Paul points to that as well.

But God also inspired him to write “Do all things without disputing.” And that second word, it can mean complaining, but it points to arguing and bickering and fighting. Now if that’s what you’re doing, that’s something exterior. That’s something on the outside. So I think that’s why this is really a powerful passage. Because, let’s say you’ve got control of what’s happening on the outside. Oh you look peaceful, you look nice, you seem to be getting along. But inside, you’re murmuring and grumbling and complaining. That’s not going to be helpful. That’s not the right thing to do. That’s not the spiritual thing. So here, God’s pointing out we’ve got to take care of both. It’s not just about what’s the outside, the exterior, but also what’s going on on the inside.

So, the daily challenge that we have, it’s inside out. It’s both. Both inside and outside. So, let’s do everything we can to begin to get a handle on our thinking, so that we don’t have this nice exterior while other difficult things are going on inside. Let’s put God in control of our life. And let’s pray and ask him, “Help me not to murmur. Help me not to grumble. Help me not to complain. And certainly help me not to show any of those things on the outside, to really have the mind of Christ.” That’s the daily challenge.”  From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-daily/the-daily-challenge

________

I'll Be Happy Tomorrow

“Are you an individual who does not allow joy and happiness into your life?

Bruno Cervera/Unsplash

In order to be happy, choose to be happy today by placing God first in your life.

Do you often tell yourself you will be happy when you graduate from school or college, or when you buy a new car, find the right job, get married, have a family, make enough money, have the perfect home or retire? Instead of waiting for a certain milestone to occur in your life in order to be happy, choose to be happy today by placing God first in your life and obeying his laws. Proverbs 29:18 says, “Happy is he who keeps the law.”

Each day we have on this earth can be filled with joy and happiness, so as you are seeking these blessings consider Gods promise to you: “To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and happiness” (Ecclesiastes 2:26). Be happy today!”  From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/blogs/this-is-the-way/ill-be-happy-tomorrow

________

Update.

Well, I have a lot to be happy about.  I love it here in slow paced Navasota, and I thank God every day that I got out from under all that stuff and work that my former house and guest house entailed. Hopefully, I won’t ever have to rake up another pine needle again. Everyone here is so nice and polite, and everything is close by.  It is about 30 years since I lived in town, and I had forgotten how convenient it is.

All those materials, parts, and tools that I had were just too much now that I have officially retired, but I did bring a lot of tools with me.  Tools are always easy to sell so that will give me a little more income.  Now, I am just having to find room for what I did bring with me here to this apartment, and then cope with the things that I have stored in Willis and Navasota.  I will probably keep my little storage place less than a mile from the apartment. It is small and cheap, and I have to keep the extra things like my carpet/upholstery shampooer, dog grooming stuff, foster cat equipment, and the things that are for sale, somewhere.  I hope to foster a cat soon.

Because I am in a different county now, Grimes, instead of Montgomery, I had to get a different health insurance.  An insurance broker spent a lot of time with me, and was very knowledgeable about the local facilities and signed me up with a new health plan and a highly recommended doctor in Navasota.

For the Sabbath, I made lentils and veggies in the crockpot for the church potluck, and it was complimented.  The teaching “Do What You Can While You Can” was given by the pastor and enjoyed by both the English and Spanish speaking congregations at the same time.  Because, after Bible study, they joined us in the sanctuary and an interpreter repeated each sentence in Spanish.

The weekly afternoon Bible study in the Community Room at the apartments was about Rev. 1.   The same people seem to be there each time. A preacher from a church in Anderson comes to teach us every Sunday.

Teach Cats To Play Gently. Baby Pudu. Hairballs. 'Feline Idiopathic Chronic Cystitis'. Battle of the Bulge. Attack on Iraq.

 

For "Mammal Monday":

How To Teach a Kitten to Play Gently

______

Cutest Baby Deer Ever

"A baby pudu was born at the Woodland Park Zoo   in Seattle.  Pudus are the smallest deer species in existence and are native to tropical forests of South America.  Our friends at the zoo were kind of enough to post a video of the little guy to YouTube, which is sure to elicit a great big “AWWWWWWWWW!” from anyone who watches it."

More at: http://blog.nwf.org/wildlifepromise/2011/02/cutest-baby-deer-ever/ and other cute babies.

______

Reasons Cats Throw Up, Which is NOT Normal, and Ways to Treat a Vomiting Cat, and How to Feed Cats.

_______

Are Hairballs an Unpleasant Fact of Life for Your Feline?

"There are a number of ways to temporarily remedy a hairball problem -- some more advisable than others -- but if a cat is suffering with frequent hairballs it's important to rule out serious underlying conditions as a possible cause for the digestive disturbance.

This is especially true if the hairballs are a new problem in a mature cat. Sudden GI issues in a middle-aged or senior kitty should always be thoroughly investigated.

Hairballs, known in the scientific community as bezoars or trichobezoars (which certainly doesn't make them sound a bit more appealing), are a common complaint among people owned by cats.

Not only can the problem cause a nasty mess on floors and furniture, it often seems the effort required to regurgitate those gooey masses is very uncomfortable for the poor kitty.

How Do Hairballs Develop?

Hairballs have an obvious cause: kitties swallow a considerable amount of their own hair when they groom themselves. Some cats groom themselves and all the other cats in their household, making the amount of hair they consume enormous.

The rough surface of your cat's tongue is a perfect tool for pulling dead and excess fur from her coat during grooming. Some of that hair gets ingested. Hairballs aren't round; they are typically cylindrical masses of hair, debris from the cat's coat, and undigested bits of food.

Cat owners unfamiliar with hairballs might think their kitty has missed the litter box and pooped elsewhere in the house. As a general rule, a mess resembling poop found in a location away from the litter box is more than likely a hairball. The odor is also a tipoff, as hairballs don't smell like the other stuff.

A cat's digestive system is designed to handle a certain amount of fur, her own and from prey in the wild. But lots of kitties wind up with hairballs due to hair length, shedding patterns, dietary deficiencies, digestive challenges -- or a combination of issues.

Assuming your cat's hairball situation didn't come on suddenly and there are no other signs of illness, I would recommend the following approach to start:

• Make necessary adjustments to his diet to ensure adequate moisture content
• Add an omega-3 supplement
• Brush your cat daily or at least several times a week

What's for Dinner?

If you're feeding your cat dry pet food, she's not getting anywhere near the moisture content her organs need to function well for a lifetime. Dry kibble is not biologically appropriate nutrition for felines, as it lacks two ingredients essential to your kitty's health: moisture and high quality protein.

Your kitty's digestive system is working harder than nature intended to process all that dry stuff, and don't expect her to drink extra water to compensate. Cats get most of the water their bodies need from food. A healthy dog drinks loads of water throughout the day. A healthy cat does not.

If your kitty's diet is low in moisture content, she's living in a state of chronic dehydration. Her GI tract, already moisture-depleted, is less able to transport a mass of swallowed fur and debris than the GI tract of a well-hydrated cat eating a species-appropriate diet.

If your cat has a hairball problem and is eating primarily kibble, the first thing I recommend you do is start transitioning to a biologically appropriate diet.

Healthy Fats = Healthy Cats

The most common nutritional deficiency I see in my practice is lack of essential fatty acids, and omega-3's in particular.

Cats (and dogs) have a nutritional requirement for healthy fats that must be supplied by the food they eat, because their bodies don't produce it – thus the essential nature of these healthy fats.

If your kitty has been eating a diet of commercial pet food, chances are he's been getting more omega-6 fats than he needs, and not enough omega-3's.

A good balance of fatty acids in your cat's diet can make a tremendous positive difference in his health, including:

• Improving immune system response and blood clotting activity
• Reducing inflammatory responses associated with arthritis and bowel diseases like ulcerative colitis and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
• Decreasing triglyceride and blood cholesterol levels

Research is underway to determine how omega-3 fatty acids impact the development of certain types of pet cancer, as well as their potential to prevent or alleviate autoimmune disorders.

Omega-3 deficiencies in pets have been associated with stunted growth, eye problems, insufficient muscle development and immune system dysfunction.

Sufficient omega-3 fatty acids in your cat's diet can help to improve not only the condition of his skin and fur, but also the ability of his digestive system to manage the hair and debris he swallows while grooming himself.

For a cat up to 14 pounds and in overall good health, I recommend supplementing with 125 mg daily of krill oil. Krill oil is the optimum source of omega-3's for people and pets.

Kitty Hair Care

Just a few minutes a day spent brushing or combing your cat to remove dead, loose hair from her coat will mean fewer hairs swallowed, and fewer hairballs for both of you to deal with. This is especially true if your kitty has long hair, and during shedding season when the weather begins to warm up.

As for what tool you should use to groom your cat -- there are as many opinions as there are varieties of pet brushes and combs on the market.

More Hairball Help

If your cat's hairball problem doesn't resolve or at least dramatically improve with the changes outlined above, you can try one or more of the following remedies:

• Psyllium seed husk powder. Also known simply as psyllium, this powder is made from portions of the seed of the plant Plantago ovate, a native Indian plant. This fiber source is water soluble and becomes mucilaginous when wet, helping to push built up hair along the GI tract. Add the contents of a capsule to a tablespoon of water, then mix in with your cat's food daily.
• Pumpkin. Add a teaspoon of canned or freshly cooked mashed pumpkin to your kitty's food each day. Canned pumpkin (make sure it is 100 percent pumpkin) is a non-grain fiber source that can aid digestion.
• Add a good quality animal-sourced digestive enzyme to your kitty's diet.
• Put a dab of non-petroleum jelly on your fingertip or the tip of your cat's nose. Look for a brand with all natural ingredients, typically slippery elm, marshmallow or papaya. Kitty will lick the jelly, swallow it, and with any luck it will coat the hairball, allowing it to be expelled more easily.

I recommend you avoid grain-based fiber sources, as cats have no biological requirement for grain and the ideal situation for most cats is to eat only what is appropriate for the species.

Never use petroleum jelly or mineral oil for hairballs. It is in many hairball remedies.

I also don't recommend petroleum-based jellies marketed as hairball treatments. These products are widely used and can help with hairballs, but petroleum is a flammable mixture of hydrocarbons, not a nutrient. Too much of it can interfere with the absorption of vitamin A.

Mineral oil is another bad idea -- it can cause pneumonia if inhaled."   Complete article at: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2010/08/03/are-hairballs-an-unpleasant-fact-of-life-for-your-feline.aspx

_______

'Feline Idiopathic Chronic Cystitis' is a big, long name for a very common condition in cats.

Typical Symptoms

"No matter what name it goes by, there are common symptoms seen in all cats with feline idiopathic chronic cystitis, including:

There is straining while urinating. Most cats will be in and out of the litter box frequently in an effort to relieve themselves. They may void some urine with each visit to the box, but they don't feel they can completely empty their bladder in one trip.

The urinary tract is inflamed and irritated, so you might see blood in the urine. It can be either microscopic (meaning you won't see it but it's there, present on a urinalysis), or it can be macroscopic and you'll actually see blood in the litter box.

Cats with the condition are usually in pain, so your cat may cry while trying to urinate. This can be a really aggravating and intensely painful situation for your kitty.

Keep in mind all these symptoms are also typical of a urinary tract infection as well as crystals or bladder stones. It's important to realize if your cat is exhibiting symptoms of feline idiopathic chronic cystitis that you need to determine (with the help of your veterinarian) whether he has an infection or inflammation.

If he has an infection, the treatment will be entirely different from the treatment for bladder inflammation.

Traditional Condition Management

Traditional veterinary medicine does a good job in many regards in managing feline idiopathic chronic cystitis.

The first goal is to increase the cat's water intake. Many kitties don't like to drink still water from a bowl, so some people leave a sink faucet dripping water to entice their cat to drink.

A better idea, in my opinion is a kitty water fountain or bubbler. Cats are attracted to moving or flowing water, so the re-circulating water in a fountain should encourage more drinking. You can spend as little as $12 for one of these fountains all the way up to $100 for a deluxe version.

Another important goal of traditional veterinary medicine in managing feline bladder inflammation is to switch cats eating dry food to canned food, which has a much higher moisture content. Canned cat food contains between 70 and 80 percent water, while dry foods can have as little as 10 percent moisture content.

Feeding your cat only dry, dehydrated food can make her chronically dehydrated as well. Not only does a state of dehydration stress the kidneys, it produces a concentrated, potentially irritating  mineral concentration in the bladder.

Very often eliminating all grains and seafood from your cat's diet will help."   More at: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/04/19/idiopathic-chronic-cystitis-in-pet-cats.aspx

More on the same subject: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2010/12/30/pet-cat-litter-box-and-urinating-problems.aspx

_______

On This Day:

Battle of the Bulge begins, Dec 16, 1944:

"With the Anglo-Americans closing in on Germany from the west and the Soviets approaching from the east, Nazi leader Adolf Hitler orders a massive attack against the western Allies by three German armies.

The German counterattack out of the densely wooded Ardennes region of Belgium took the Allies entirely by surprise, and the experienced German troops wrought havoc on the American line, creating a triangular "bulge" 60 miles deep and 50 miles wide along the Allied front. Conditions of fog and mist prevented the unleashing of Allied air superiority, and for several days Hitler's desperate gamble seemed to be paying off. However, unlike the French in 1940, the embattled Americans kept up a fierce resistance even after their lines of communication had been broken, buying time for a three-point counteroffensive led by British General Bernard Montgomery and American generals Omar Bradley and George Patton.

Fighting was particularly fierce at the town of Bastogne, where the 101st Airborne Division and part of the 10th Armored Division were encircled by German forces within the bulge. On December 22, the German commander besieging the town demanded that the Americans surrender or face annihilation. U.S. Major General Anthony McAuliffe prepared a typed reply that read simply:

"To the German Commander:

Nuts!

From the American Commander"

The Americans who delivered the message explained to the perplexed Germans that the one-word reply was translatable as "Go to hell!" Heavy fighting continued at Bastogne, but the 101st held on.

On December 23, the skies finally cleared over the battle areas, and the Allied air forces inflicted heavy damage on German tanks and transport, which were jammed solidly along the main roads. On December 26, Bastogne was relieved by elements of General Patton's 3rd Army. A major Allied counteroffensive began at the end of December, and by January 21 the Germans had been pushed back to their original line.

Germany's last major offensive of the war had cost them 120,000 men, 1,600 planes, and 700 tanks. The Allies suffered some 80,000 killed, wounded, or missing in action, with all but 5,000 of these casualties being American. It was the heaviest single battle toll in U.S. history."

_______

Clinton orders air attack on Iraq, Dec 16, 1998:

"On this day in 1998, President Bill Clinton announces he has ordered air strikes against Iraq because it refused to cooperate with United Nations (U.N.) weapons inspectors. Clinton's decision did not have the support of key members of Congress, who accused Clinton of using the air strikes to direct attention away from ongoing impeachment proceedings against him. Just the day before, the House of Representatives had issued a report accusing Clinton of committing "high crimes and misdemeanors" related to the Monica Lewinsky scandal, in which Clinton had--and then lied about--an illicit sexual liaison with an intern in the Oval Office.

At the time of the air strikes, Iraq was continuing its attempts to build weapons of mass destruction including nuclear, chemical and biological agents. Fearful of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's belligerence, and his penchant for using those weapons against his own people, the U.N. sent in weapons inspectors in 1997. After repeatedly refusing the inspectors access to certain sites, Clinton resorted to air strikes to compel Hussein to cooperate.

Many in Congress agreed with Republican majority leader Trent Lott that the timing of the air strikes was "suspect" and "cursory." In their opinion, the air strikes were simply a ploy to direct the public's attention away from the impeachment proceedings, and would ultimately prove futile in persuading Hussein to comply with the U.N.'s demands. Lott and his cohorts considered sustained bombardment of Iraq and the direct overthrow of Hussein the only way to end Iraq's weapons program. Clinton, in a televised public address that day brushed aside the criticism, saying that the Iraqi president was wrong if he thought "...the serious debate [on impeachment] would distract Americans or weaken our resolve to face him down." He emphasized that his decision to launch air strikes was critical to America's vital interests and to the security of the world.

Ultimately, the American public's attention, and that of the press, stayed fixated on Clinton and his battle to save his presidency. Both the air strikes and the impeachment threat proved anti-climactic. Clinton was acquitted by the Senate in February 1999 and the air strikes on Iraq failed to intimidate Hussein into allowing weapons inspectors full access to Iraq's weapons facilities."

_______

Yesterday:

Jay called to say that he would drive up here on his ATV.  But when he hadn't shown up by 10.00am, I started doing other things, like trying to find a suitable Heat/Air solution for these two houses.

I was in touch with several contractors about mini-split systems which seem like a very good solution.  http://www.energystar.gov/certified-products/detail/ductless_heating_cooling.  Even better and more economical to operate than regular central heat/air, which I don't want anyway.  All that dirty, energy-wasting, space-consuming ductwork in my attics doesn't appeal to me at all.

Just as I was on a live chat with Home Depot mini-split contractor, Jay shows up on his ATV with a teen neighbor of his.  Jay said that he had brought the teen up here to rake my yard. I didn't ask for that to be done. Jay knows that I don't want other people around here, especially as Jay had opened the big garage door, and I have too many tools in there. 

Jay wanted the teen to use my tools to get to his ATV battery, and put my distilled water in it.  Then he wanted to use my tire inflator. He was ordering the teen around in such a nasty way that I knew that Jay had been into something, and I wanted him out of here.  I had to stop what I was doing and watch them like a hawk.  Then I counted all the sockets in the set before I put it away, and pulled the workshop door down again.  They still didn't leave right away, as Jay plugged his battery charger into my house so that the ATV would start. 

So I had to start the live chat all over again, and then caught up on other jobs, like laundry, made a list of the free stuff that I need from my health insurance catalog, ordered krill oil for the animals, a long Ethernet cable and a padded toilet seat.  Time went all too quickly, so much for yesterday.

Winter RVing. Mexico RV Insurance. Easy Clothes Folding. Apollo 12. Marshall University's Tragedy. Ava Arrives.

 

For "tRaVersing Thursday", or RV Day:

Winterizing Your RV Made Easy (or at least Easier!)

"The first step to winterizing any RV is to completely drain the water system. A handy tool to help clear the water lines is the Camco RV Blowout Plug with Brass Quick Connect (http://goo.gl/Z8aD0H). This little solid piece of brass helps the removal of water from your RV water lines.

Screw this blowout plug into your RV's city water inlet connection, and then attach an air compressor. Open your RV water lines, turn on the air, and voila! Water is pushed out of the lines.

How does it work? You simply screw the plug into your RV’s city water inlet, open all drains and faucets, and then connect an air compressor (http://goo.gl/eS8iho) quick connect hose.

The blowout plug leaves your hands free to open faucets and flush out water lines without assistance. It allows you to completely clear your water lines. Simply flip on the compressor and air will begin pushing excess water through your open lines.

Sometimes small gadgets like the Camco RV blowout plug make a big difference when working on an RV." by C.S. (Sean) Michael

_______

How to unfreeze a frozen black water tank

"Oh, this does not sound like a good situation. But the RV Doctor, Gary Bunzer, has a solution (doesn't he always?). Read his advice to an RVer who is in need of help."

______

Is your RV furnace cranky?

"Before running your RV into the shop when the furnace is not operating properly, try these easy checks first. There might be an easy fix, and you'll save money."

______

Lower costs on Mexico RV insurance?

"Many RVers are already making plans for their winter escape. Some will drive their RVs to Mexico for the season. For those heading to Manaña Land for the first time, remember your US RV insurance won't cover you south of the border. Liability insurance must be issued by a Mexico-based company to be valid, and traveling "bare" is to risk having your vehicle confiscated if you're involved in an accident and found to be at fault.

A look at the cost of RV insurance in Mexico can be eye opening--often double the cost one pays for an entire year in the States. Many in the past have flocked to RV clubs that have partnered with Mexican insurers to get group rates to drive down the cost. According to Derek Kartchner of the International Insurance Group, there better ways to get RV insurance for Mexico.

RVers can actually get much better coverage and a much cheaper price by purchasing RV insurance from a specialty RV insurance carrier in  the USA, which provides a Mexico Physical Damage Endorsement, and coupling it with a liability policy from a Mexican Carrier," says Kartchner The total cost of the endorsement is between $5 and $30 per year on a US policy (depending on the carrier) and the cost of a liability only policy can run around E150, depending on the amount of liability selected.

US companies offering this coverage are well known in the industry and include companies like Progressive, Blue Sky Insurance, National Interstate Insurance, and GMAC (in some states). The key said Kartchner, "is to work with an RV insurance specialist. There are a number of insurance agencies and companies that know the ins and outs of RV insurance in the states and in Mexico, and help you literally get better coverage at a much better price."

With snowbird season on the horizon, snowbirds are encouraged to visit an RV specialty agent or IIG's website for more details both Mexico and USA RV Insurance coverage. Quotes from a number of carriers are available online at www.iigins.com/rv-insurance or by calling 888-467-4639.
Source: International Insurance Group, Inc. and rvtravel.com  Posted by Russ and Tiña De Maris

______

Winter camping? Don’t forget your hose! 

"If you stay in your RV in a campground or otherwise have it hooked to water during freezing weather, you need to be aware of the possibility that the water hose that feeds your unit is susceptible to freezing unless you provide some protection. It makes no difference if you are freeze protected inside if you can’t get any water TO the unit.

I went to a big box store and bought a hose fitting so that I could shorten my hose. No need to try to freeze protect 25 feet of hose if all I need to reach my unit is 12 feet! Next in the plumbing section I found 110-volt heat tape in various lengths. It comes equipped with a built-in thermostat that makes the tape begin heating around 32 degrees Fahrenheit. I bought a 12-foot roll.

I also bought 12 feet of 1-inch ID foam pipe insulation. I wrapped the heat tape around my hose, securing with tie wraps or zip ties, and then wrapped the hose in the pipe insulation. I left enough heat tape exposed at the faucet end that I could wrap the exposed faucet, too. Voila! Bring it on!"  Courtesy Motorhomes of Texas

_______

Shirt folder

  

Here is how to make your own folder:

 

 

_______

On This Day:

Apollo 12 lifts off, Nov 14, 1969:

"Apollo 12, the second manned mission to the surface of the moon, is launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, with astronauts Charles Conrad, Jr.; Richard F. Gordon, Jr.; and Alan L. Bean aboard. President Richard Nixon viewed the liftoff from Pad A at Cape Canaveral. He was the first president to attend the liftoff of a manned space flight.

Thirty-six seconds after takeoff, lightning struck the ascending Saturn 5 launch rocket, which tripped the circuit breakers in the command module and caused a power failure. Fortunately, the launching rocket continued up normally, and within a few minutes power was restored in the spacecraft.

On November 19, the landing module Intrepid made a precision landing on the northwest rim of the moon's Ocean of Storms. About five hours later, astronauts Conrad and Bean became the third and fourth humans to walk on the surface of the moon. During the next 32 hours, the two astronauts made two lunar walks, where they collected lunar samples and investigated the Surveyor 3 spacecraft, an unmanned U.S. probe that soft-landed on the moon in 1967. On November 24, Apollo 12 successfully returned to Earth, splashing down only three miles from one of its retrieval ships, the USS Hornet."

_______

 

Plane crash devastates Marshall University, Nov 14, 1970:

"On November 14, 1970, a chartered jet carrying most of the Marshall University football team clips a stand of trees and crashes into a hillside just two miles from the Tri-State Airport in Kenova, West Virginia. The team was returning from that day’s game, a 17-14 loss to East Carolina University. Thirty-seven Marshall football players were aboard the plane, along with the team’s coach, its doctors, the university athletic director and 25 team boosters--some of Huntington, West Virginia’s most prominent citizens--who had traveled to North Carolina to cheer on the Thundering Herd. 

All seventy-five people on the flight were killed, including the entire flight crew.  "The whole fabric," a citizen of Huntington wrote later, "the whole heart of the town was aboard."  For Huntington, the plane crash was "like the Kennedy assassination," one citizen remembers. "Everybody knows where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news.""

_______

Yesterday:

Jay wanted to use some tools and parts in my workshop and trade out for some odd jobs here.  Misty and I went to get him, and had our walk down there.

It was time to prepare for Ava's arrival.  Cats are better off being by themselves for a couple of days to get used to a new household, so my bathroom became the designated place.  We vacuumed and disinfected the kitty condo, window seat and floors.  I changed the blankies, dishes, and litter box up on the window seat.  They have to be high up, or Misty will get into them.

Nala usually eats in my bathroom, so we set up another cage in the Grooming Room.  If I don't keep Nala and Peekers apart when they have food, Nala will eat all his dry food, and Peekers will eat her wet food after he has finished his own. Nala takes her own sweet time to eat her canned food as she prefers dry, unfortunately.

Then we installed a momentary switch on Jay's ATV to make the starter work. Why this was necessary, I don't know, but I had the right spade connectors and crimpers to do it, and it worked.

This early cold weather upset a lot of plans, as we still don't have the greenhouse built, so Ray and I looked online at those for sale.  Then I found out that most of the cheaper ones won't protect the plants from freezing, and I'm not prepared to spend a thousand or two for a glass one.  Especially when I have all the lumber, roofing, windows and old patio doors to build one.  We will just have to keep covering up the plants on the few nights that it goes below freezing.

Other years, we have stapled clear vinyl up over the screen on my porch which kept them safe, but I wanted to keep the plants, and all the shelves, off the porch while I am getting the house ready to sell.  It makes it look less cluttered, and more like a sitting, eating and BBQing area.

Ava's foster mom arrived and we talked quite a bit.  She thought that Ava remembers me as she wasn't usually this friendly to strangers.  She is so sweet, but still too skinny for my liking.  She was all set up in my bathroom, and immediately took to the window seat, ate some food, so she is settling down.

For the first time in a while, Nala my foster cat, had to sleep in the Grooming Room with Peekers, as I left my bathroom door open so that Ava could get on my bed if she wished.  She didn't.  She knew Misty was in her bed under my bed, and might have been scared of a strange dog.  She felt safer up on the window seat.  I hope that she will discover that Misty is no threat, today.