Do You Want Meat With That? Staph In Meat. Antibiotics in Meat. Organic? Still Hot!

"Think You Know Where Your Meat Comes From? Think Again..." Narrated By Alec Baldwin
These are some of the scenes that are also in the documentary "Food, Inc."
"Shows how chickens, turkeys, cows and pigs are treated before they get to your table."

Bought To You By http://www.goveg.com/
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NO! No! I will not eat factory farmed meat.
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Farm To Fridge – The Truth Behind Meat Production.
"This powerful film takes viewers on an eye-opening exploration behind the closed doors of the nation's largest industrial farms, hatcheries, and slaughter plants -- revealing the often-unseen journey that animals make from Farm to Fridge."

"Surely therefore it is true that a misused, badly treated, dirty, badly fed animal will produce unclean meat.
When you eat that animal, you are consuming it’s history.
Surely then we should be deeply concerned about the animal’s condition if we are to consume it?"
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NO! No! I will not eat factory farmed meat.
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"70% of ALL Beef and Chicken has been treated with Carbon Monoxide Gas. It makes bad meat look good even though it may have spoiled. The practice of treating meat with carbon monoxide could hide the growth of pathogens such as Clostridium Botulinum, Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7.
How many people have become poisoned by this chemical technique that creates a false appearance of freshness?
Why have we not been told about this chemically altered meat that we are eating and feeding our children?
Our Government works on behalf of big business NOT for The People Of America!
The FDA approved the practice as safe for use with packaged in July 2004 in response to requests from two food companies. The EU prohibits food companies from using carbon monoxide."
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NO! No! I will not eat factory farmed meat.
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Staph Bacteria Found in Half of U.S. Meat


"What's lurking in the meat you're buying for your family? Plenty of bacteria, according to a new study, published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases. Almost half of all the beef, chicken, pork, and turkey bought in five U.S. cities and sampled by researchers, was found to contain drug-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus, reports CBS News.
"Staph" bacteria is nothing to fool around with-it can cause everything from a rash to life-threatening sepsis and endocarditis.
But there is perhaps no greater contributor to the rise of drug-resistant staphs than the factory-farm meat industry, where animals are preemptively treated with a range of antibiotics.
And because we've consumed so many antibiotics, the staph bacteria isn't easily controllable by drugs. In fact, in the tests done by study researchers at the Translational Genomics Research Institute, 47 percent of the meat contained bacteria resistant to three types of antibiotics."

Sure, you can kill "staph" by cooking the meat, but one contaminated cutting board is all it takes to set the bacteria in motion for many cooks. How many ways can we say it's time to give up the steak tartare?"
Read more: http://slashfood.com/2011/04/15/staph-bacteria-found-in-half-of-u-s-meat/#ixzz1JogbJlHU
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NO! No! I will not eat factory farmed meat.

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"If we aren't supposed to eat animals, why are they made of meat?"

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14 Foods To Buy Organic

"A recent USDA Inspector General report found that the government is failing to even test meat for the harmful chemicals the law requires. Raising animals with conventional modern methods often means using hormones to speed up growth, antibiotics to resist disease on crowded feed lots and both pesticides and chemical fertilizers to grow the grain fed to the animals.

Additionally, it takes many times the water and energy to raise one meal's worth of meat than it does one meal's worth of grain. To meet USDA standards, certified organic meat can come only from animals fed organic feed and given no hormones or antibiotics.

Searching out cuts from grass-fed animals ensures that you're eating meat from an animal that was fed a more natural diet, and looking for a local source of meats lets you question the farmer directly about the animal's diet and the farmer's method of raising it.

It cuts down on the environmental cost of transportation, too." 

More at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joanna-dolgoff-md/foods-to-buy-organic_b_863914.html#s280979&title=Meat

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Yesterday:

Jay was having trouble getting their dishwasher hooked back up, and asked for my help.  The fitting that he had used to cap off the line while the dishwasher was at the repair place, had ruined the existing fitting, so he needed another fitting.  I was all ready to to go down there, Misty already leashed as she likes to go there too, when the doorbell rang. 
It was Ray wanting to borrow the little Puddle Jumper station wagon.   He had caught a little possum in the trap, and wanted to take it over the bridge to the other side of the subdivision to let it loose at that part of the lake. 
Then I remembered that someone had left a door on the Puddle Jumper not quite latched, and the battery was dead, as there are 6 lights in it.  Because it never leaves the subdivision, it doesn't always get driven enough distance to keep the battery at a full charge.

So Ray moved our 'trap cardboard' from the Puddle Jumper to the minivan, and Ray, Misty, possum and I went down there.  Misty, Jay and I reviewed the dishwasher situation while Ray went on to the lake.  He could have let the possum loose at the boat ramp on our side of the bridge, but we always feel that they won't find their way back so easily if we let them loose on the other side.

By the time Ray was back from the lake, Jay and I had figured out what parts we needed and we all piled back in the minivan, sans possum, and came back here.  Jay and I went back down there, sans Ray and Misty, but with my box of Qest and Flair-It fittings.  I had exactly what he needed, so he fixed that, and I could come home. 

Ray and I did several odd jobs. We worked on the back door of the cargo trailer, the hinge needed some more bolts and acorn nuts on it.
 
Because the metal door going from my house into the attached workshop was binding due to this drought, people, not me, were slamming it.  This caused a picture on an adjacent wall to tilt.  Because it was so hard to open, I rarely closed it all the way, and just prayed for rain soon.  So it was leaking hot air out of the workshop into the house.  Ray and I found a stud in that wall, and re-hung the picture properly, and sanded off the part of the jamb which was binding, so the door opens and closes easily now.


The afternoon sun has really been pouring in on the screen porch, which is through a patio door in the front of the living room. 
Ray and I found long and short reed blinds up in the attic, and now there is more shade.  That should keep some heat out of the porch and house, and I am sure that plants are glad of it, too.

It has been so stuffy at 5.30 AM in the mornings that Prime and Bobbiecat have not even been able to go out on the screen porch for a couple of hours, like they usually do.  They like to watch the birds come for their breakfast at the feeder.  Prime just sits up on a chair in the living room, and longingly looks through the patio door.

We are doing everything we can to keep cool these days.

RV: Keeping Cool. 5er Tailgate? Peek First! RV Leans? Genny Exhaust. Propane Fire. Kitchen Tips.

Keeping your RV cool in hot summer heat

"While the best place to be when summer's heat turns the landscape to "broil" is someplace cool, it's not always possible. Sometimes you're just stuck making out as best you're able. Once temperatures hit the triple digits, it can be tough to keep "a little tin box" cool. But there are some things that can make it easier.

 
First, wherever possible, park your rig in shade. Wide open spaces can be frightfully hot. Iowa-based non-profit Trees Forever found an average difference between shady spots and open areas of 27.5 degrees.
No shade to park under? Make your own! Unless high winds threaten, put out your RV awning and angle it to get the most available shade on the side of the RV. Parking orientation is important too; try and expose the least area of the RV to the sun. This usually means parking with the front or rear of the unit to the south.

 

It's possible to shade both of the long sides of the RV if you're a bit creative. We bought a roll of shade cloth and found an outfit willing to seam it for us. With the addition of brass grommets, the new awning was ready for hanging. Up at roof level, right along the edge of the roof, we mounted small cleats to tie off the upper edge of the cloth. A few stakes pounded into the ground gave us tie-offs for the bottom edge.

Inside the rig, keep the blinds closed, and if you have curtains, close the over the top of the blinds. We've found that reflective bubble insulation, (like Reflectix), will really keep heat out. The stuff comes on a roll and is basically a sandwich of thin plastic "bubble wrap" between layers of aluminum foil. Cut it to fit the windows tightly. We use a marking pen and write which window the piece belongs to so when we need it next time, it's an easy fit.
We also do our best to seal off the roof vents. If you're running your air conditioning unit, you won't want them open anyway. You can cut the reflective insulation and stick covers over the vents from inside; we did it by using double stick Velcro tape. Others have cut 2" or so foam rubber blocks to shove up into the vent holes.

 
From the mechanical standpoint, if your rig is equipped with two air conditioners, you'll need 50 amp electrical service. If you have but one air conditioner and it doesn't seem to be cutting the heat, it's decision time.
If you and the RV will be stuck where you are for a while, you might consider adding a small window air conditioner unit.

Once when locked up in Arizona for a few months, we popped a small window out of our fifth wheel, cut a piece of plywood to fit over the hole, then cut a hole in the center of the plywood for the a/c unit. Don't plug the a/c unit into the RV, but into a separate circuit. If you're in an RV park, you'll need to check with management to see if this is permissible.

 
Fans can make a huge difference in how well you'll be able to tolerate the heat. Moving air with the wind chill effect can make things far more tolerable than without.
What else can help? If the days are plenty hot, don't shut off your air conditioning at night; keeping the RV inside cool gives you a bit of a jump on the next day's heat. When going in and out of the rig, keep the door open for as short a time as possible. Pump plenty of fluids and look forward to the coming of fall!"   http://www.newrver.com/keep_cool_hot_summer.shtml    By Russ and Tina DeMaris

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New RVer asks: Do I need a special tailgate for my 5th wheel?

"We think fifth wheel trailers are great: Towing stability, excellent storage, and so livable. We towed our fiver up and down around the US with nary a complaint. But if you're new to "fivers," you may wonder--do I need that special "V" slotted tailgate on my truck?

There are pros and cons to the special fifth wheel gates. We've RV'd with both a V gate and a standard gate and find that while the V gate makes it easier to hitch up--no need to lower the gate--it's not all that critical. Detractors say that the V gates may actually reduce fuel economy, particularly when driving the truck solo, as truck manufacturers take tail gates into account when designing in aerodynamic factors. From our own experience we can't say whether that's true or not.
We will say from experience that forgetting to open the factory tailgate when unhitching can lead to no small amount of embarrassment and financial pain."  By Russ and Tina DeMaris
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Peek before you poke

 

"It’s an old rule among abalone divers–peek before you poke.  You could just stick your finger into something–like a nasty set of teeth–that you don’t want hanging onto the end of your digits.  There are areas in RV tech work that bear the same warning.

Obviously, pulling the cover off a live electrical panel is an area calling for a bit more attention than most, particularly if it’s a shore power panel. Indiscriminately placing pinkies in the wrong spot can really hurt, or worse.  If you absolutely must have a panel energized when working on it, know what you’re doing, and look twice before poking in it.

When stuffing your fingers into chassis cavities, a bit of an inspection is usually best too.  We have a couple of “dead space” areas in our fifth wheel that with a bit of dexterity can be reached.  But don’t bet the farm that the boys back in Elkhart were careful about making sure screws, staples, or other sharp metal was carefully embedded and safely out of the way of fingers. Shine a flashlight, and use a hand mirror if needed, to see where your hands are going.

We had one come up recently that caught us off guard.  Took the truck camper down to the coast for a few days of R & R.  The camper had been solidly placed on the truck bed for several months, and it never dawned that something might have happened between the truck bed and the outside of the camper box. That is, until we had to do a fancy leveling operation that brought the camper up out of the box several inches.  It was then we noticed that the wasps had found a gas pipe was an excellent place to start new home construction.

Happily the little stinger-equipped varmints had been discouraged somehow, and hadn’t made it all the way to the coast with us.  The male of this writing species is absolutely TERRIFIED of bees, wasps, and other winged stinging things, and just seeing this little construct tested out his blood pressure system in a hurry."  Posted by Russ and Tiña DeMaris Published in do-it-yourself, safety

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Motorhome leans. Why? What to do?     Posted by RV Doctor

 

"My new motorhome leans to the passenger side. The weight record shows that the passenger side rear is about 1,000 pounds different then the driver’s rear side. Winnebago installed a two-inch block on the rear passenger side to lift the springs and it doesn't lean now but it drives differently. The rear end is all over the road. Was the block the proper repair or would you suggest adding leaf springs? "  Peter.

"Peter, it is apparent you’ve had your coach weighed, which is good. It is very important to make sure you know the individual weights of your vehicle at each tire position. This includes axle weights as well as individual tire position weights. The 1,000-pound discrepancy is significant and should be addressed after a thorough evaluation.

In my opinion, the only acceptable way to correct this situation is to redistribute the weight if possible and add leaf springs instead of a solid block. In some cases, air bags can help. The block that was added is not resolving the underlying problem, as it did nothing to redistribute the weight. The result can indeed be poor handling issues, as you have indicated.

In addition, frame damage, abnormal tire wear among other ailments, may still be in your future. My concern here is that, although your vehicle no longer tilts to one side, the fundamental problem was not addressed, which can, and likely will, lead to other problems. I highly suggest you take your coach to an experienced frame shop and have the suspension evaluated fully. Recommended repairs may include additional leaves in the springs, a sway control bar and/or other aftermarket improvements. But the evaluation must be performed first."

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RV generator exhaust solution in a box

"You're at an RV rally, a racing event, a rodeo or any other place where you're packed in like sardines. You want to turn on your generator but if you do, you're next door neighbor will want to strangle you because you'll be blowing exhaust into his front door.

RV generator exhaust chimneys work great but not everyone has one or needs one all the time, so what can you do as a temporary fix?
Instead of asphyxiating your neighbor, just find a sturdy box, put a heavy rock in it and use it to deflect the direction of your exhaust. Put it far enough away so it doesn't come inside your coach but close enough to effectively prevent the exhaust from disturbing your neighbor."

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Be careful with Propane:

"An RVer was severely injured and his motorhome destroyed in a bizarre accident last week in an Alberta campground. The 34-year-old Canadian man attempted to repair his propane barbecue grill while standing next to a live campfire. Propane from the line seeped to the campfire, back-flashed and left him with burns over half his body."

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Fire Safety Tip from Mac McCoy
Liquid petroleum gas, like gasoline fumes, tends to pool in low spots in the coach until a spark sets it off. Newer motorhomes are equipped with an automatic shut-off for when its sensor detects an LPG leak. If you have a leak, be sure to shut the propane off at the tank. Learn more about Mac and fire safety.

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Bears.  CO.

Campers in southern Colorado are being warned to secure their food and garbage as the hungry bear season arrives. Natural food sources for brown bears are drying up and the opportunistic bruins may seek out easier pickings among human campgrounds.

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NB extends permits in Jan.

Nebraska's Game and Parks Commission is lifting the 14-day camping limit at 25 of its state parks and recreation areas after RVers complained high fuel costs made two-week limits a burden. The change goes into effect in January and extends the limit to 90 days in select locations.

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OR Reservoirs bans alcohol.

Not everyone at Oregon's Cottage Grove and Dorena Reservoirs are happy campers. A new park policy bans alcohol use at some popular campgrounds to increase safety and "family friendliness." Rangers say alcohol was the reason for 80 percent of disturbance calls.

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NM Lincoln Forest reopens.

New Mexico's Lincoln National Forest has reopened to the public after being closed since mid-May due to extreme fire danger. Campfires are limited to some campgrounds and in fire pits only.

 

Kitchen Tips:

REHEATING REFRIGERATED BREAD -To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.

(If I have ever had to reheat them in a microwave, I have put them in a zippered sandwich bag, with a little wrung out wet paper towel.  When the bag starts to expand, they are done)

 
NEWSPAPER KEEPS WEEDS AWAY - Begin putting in your plants… work the nutrients in your soil… Put layers of wet newspapers around the plants overlapping with dirt as you go… Cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Note - Weeds will get through some gardening plastic, they will not grow through wet newspapers.

To keep Squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle them with CAYENNE PEPPER. It does not hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it. It also works with bunnies and raccoons too.

EASY DEVILED EGGS… Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag… Seal, mash till they are all broken up.... Add remainder of ingredients, reseal… Keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly… Cut the tip off baggy … Squeeze mixture into egg… Throw bag away when done - easy clean up!

EXPANDING FROSTING… Buy container of cake frosting from the store… Whip with your mixer for a few minutes… It’ll double in volume… Frost more baking with the same amount – less sugar & calories.

BROKEN GLASS – Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up small shards of glass you can't see.

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Yesterday:

The Bayfield Bunch now have their lovely  "Eve".  She is so much more suited to Kelly, Al, and Motormouse than Lexi was. 

Just look at them together. 

We all knew the right doggie would come along.     Here is Eve being Mama's helper.   (Photos from Al's journal)

http://thebayfieldbunch.com/2011/08/hi-everybodymy-name-is-eve.html    There is a new post about their first day with Eve.

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My animals put in their vote on the new AC, they now come in the computer area to hang out with me.   Bobcat, Misty, and Prime, don't usually do that.  The room temperature is down, and definitely the humidity.    My sinuses and bronchitis felt so much better, and my cough has gone. 

The other day, when Ray was cleaning the front of the AC that we took out, he had to spritz the directional fins with some diluted bleach water, as there were black spots on them.  Maybe my coughing, aching and wheezing was due to mold, or maybe the meds are curing me?  But I know I feel a lot better with the lower humidity.

Before I go to bed, I check on my local http://www.zap2it.com/ to see if anything interesting is going to be shown on TV.  Low and behold, PBS was airing "Food, Inc." on POV.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food,_Inc.   So I tried to stay awake to watch it.

I had wanted to see this famous documentary for a long time, and even intended to buy the DVD on eBay, but never did it.  I had already seen different scenes from it, but it was still interesting.  http://www.foodincmovie.com/about-the-film.php 

It just affirmed what we already know about Monsanto, ConAgra, Tyson, etc.  That all the factory-farmed industries and gigantic food companies try to feed us the cheapest food possible, for the most profit, at the cost of our health, and the terrible suffering of the animals.  I just can't knowingly put factory-farmed or GMO food in my mouth, it gags me.

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The kitchen TV went to a white line, so I suppose the tube went out, so I put the motor home TV in it's place.  I had intended to buy a HDTV for the MH anyway, as I didn't want to fool with conversion boxes.

 

Mark, the guy at the appliance repair place, is looking for a timer for my Maytag washer.  The old Maytags can't be beat, and were one of the best machines out there, so I definitely want to get it fixed. 

I bought it, and the matching dryer, from Mark, USED in 1994, when the flood ruined my previous one. (It was warranted if you put water in it, but not around it.)  During that couple of weeks while I was without a washer, I had taken laundry to other very helpful folks, but their washers did not do as well as the old Maytags.  I found out that it cleaned better, and remove the dinginess from the muddy water, that the other washers had not.  It spins and rinses differently.  The one that is being repaired belongs in the guest house where Ray lives.  Fortunately, they have been able to use the washer where Shay works, though they could have used mine.   I have another old Maytag set here for myself.  The new ones are not as good.

 

But Mark couldn't find anything wrong with Jay's mother's dishwasher.  Jay had it set on 'Heated Pre-Soak", and that's why it just sat there and the heated water, but didn't have the impeller going!!  One of these days Jay will wear his glasses, and see what he is doing, if he even looks!

 

Jay and I went to Conroe to pick up the dishwasher.  The huge new Kroger's store in Willis, which will be officially opening today, had gasoline on sale at $3.28, with card, so we gassed up first.  Then Jay ate an enormous breakfast of eggs, pancakes, syrup, potato patties, and some sausage he said was horrible, at Jack In The Box. 

 

When I showed the pictures of the dents on the new AC that I bought Monday to Lowe's Customer Service, they automatically took 10% off the price and credited to my account.  I didn't ask for anything, that is Customer Service for you.  We picked up some tool blades, bolts and acorn nuts there, too.  My! Oh! My! How blue wide masking tape has gone up.  But hasn't everything?

 

At a thrift shop, I bought some jeans and Jay bought some pants.  He and I both bought several like-new Cabela's beige shorts, as they were really on sale, at 50 cents.  Some clothing outlet must have donated them, all different sizes.   Mine were for my son.  After we had picked up the dishwasher, we stopped at the Dollar General near there, and Jay was hungry again, so he bought chips, cookies, and a box of puff pastry things.  The big box only weighs 7 oz, and he said it was like eating air, what did he expect?  It was just white flour, white sugar and air. 

 

After complaining about doing dishes by hand for the last few days, Jay was glad to get the dishwasher back.  Maybe he has learned to check things out more thoroughly, or maybe he was on more than beer that day.

Black Skimmer. Northern Spotted Owl. Oil Clean-Up. Rufa Red Knot. Green Heron. Gray-hooded Gull. Lead-free Doves. New Larger AC.

For Winged Wednesday:

Black Skimmer

"The Black Skimmer’s remarkable bill, with the lower part longer than the upper, is unique among U.S. birds.  A feeding skimmer flies low over water with its beak open and partially submerged. When it touches a prey item, such as a small fish, the upper bill snaps down, securing the bird’s meal.

Preferred habitats include sandy or gravelly bars and beaches, shallow bays, estuaries, and salt marsh pools.  The Black Skimmer is a social bird, roosting and breeding in colonies of up to thousands of pairs, often alongside gulls and terns. Successful colonies usually occupy the same nest sites each year. Interestingly, this skimmer is somewhat crepuscular in its habits, feeding most actively at dawn and dusk.

Major threats to this species are habitat loss due to coastal development and human disturbances during nesting. The Black Skimmer is also affected by threats to fish populations such as oil spills or chemical pollution.

ABC is launching a five-state, Gulf Coast conservation effort to identify and implement protective measures for Black Skimmers and other vulnerable beach-nesting birds. These measures will include signage and fencing at colonies to reduce accidental nest destruction and abandonment."

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Controversy and Challenges of Conserving the Northern Spotted Owl

"This Bird New Network video by American Bird Conservancy (http://www.abcbirds.org highlights the Northern Spotted Owl, a threatened species that has been a symbol of the controversy over how to manage the remaining old growth forests in the Pacific Northwest."

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Oil Spill Clean-Up Needs to be Improved:

 

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rufa Red Knot

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"Red Knots are long-distance migrant shorebirds—most of the rufa subspecies travel over 9,000 miles each way between their primary wintering grounds in Tierra del Fuego and their breeding areas in the arctic. During migration, they gather in large flocks at traditional “staging areas”.  One of the most important of these is Delaware Bay, where knots and other shorebirds gather each spring to feed on horseshoe crab eggs, building up the body fat needed to fuel the remainder of their journey and breed successfully.

There has been a severe, ongoing decline in the rufa Red Knot population over the last few decades, largely due to the over-harvesting of horseshoe crabs, which have become popular as fishing bait, and potential, as-yet unidentified threats on the birds’ South American wintering grounds. A recent study, conducted in Chile in the winter of 2011, showed that numbers at one major wintering site had declined by at least 5,000 birds from the previous year (one third of the population).

ABC and other conservation groups petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to list the rufa Red Knot under the Endangered Species Act in 2005, and have continued to highlight the species’ decline and to push for its protection.  Persistence finally paid off this July, when FWS announced that it was fast-tracking ESA listing, now expected to be finalized in 2013."

Learn more and help support ABC's efforts to conserve the rufa Red Knot.

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New Yorkers spot rare gull on Coney Island

Aug 2, 2011 10:55:04 PM

"Seagulls are common on Coney Island, but the recent sighting of the gray-hooded gull, a bird that is native to Africa or South America, drew crowds of people from as far away as Chicago, The New York Times reports.

 
Bird enthusiasts hauled cameras to the beach to spot a bird that has only been spotted one other time in the United States - in December 1998. First seen by Douglas B. McNair in Franklin County, Florida, the recent sighting has raised questions of how the gull got there and when.
According to McNair's report on his sighting, the gull had an upright posture, and had a moderately long and thick beak. Both beak and feet were carmine, he reported. Birders are saying the same about the Coney Island gull.

 
Rob Fanning, one birder who drove from New Jersey to see the gull, says that if the bird was someone's pet or escaped from a zoo, it would not be considered an official sighting by the American Birding Association, the news source reports. There have been no animal rescue efforts for this wild bird, but an additional review process is in place to determine its origin.

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Doves won't die by lead contamination anymore.

Bird Conservation Group Hails Iowa DNR Decision Prohibiting Use of Lead Shot for Dove Hunting

 

Mourning Doves by Gary Smyle

(Washington, D.C., July 15, 2011) "The nation’s leading bird conservation organization – American Bird Conservancy (ABC) – today hailed the decision by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to require the use of nontoxic ammunition for the first Mourning Dove hunting season in Iowa since 1918.  In Iowa, the hunting of doves will use the same nontoxic ammunition as mandated for waterfowl hunting, which has required nontoxic shot since 1991 throughout the US.

 

Over 500 scientific studies attest to the fact that IOWA DNR did the right thing in taking action that will reduce the proliferation of one of the world’s most toxic substances – lead.  Tens of thousands of doves and other birds mistakenly ingest lead shot littering the ground after the hunting season. Every Mourning Dove that ingests a lead pellet is essentially a dead dove.   The use of nontoxic shot will save these birds from needless and agonizing deaths from toxic lead left in fields. The Iowa decision is pro-wildlife and it is pro-environment,” said ABC President George Fenwick.

 

"Contrary to what members of the gun lobby may say, this action is not anti-hunting. Hunters can still engage in a pastime that has been part of our culture for hundreds of years.  The only change is that they need to use non-toxic ammunition,” said Fenwick.  In 2010 the price of steel shotgun ammo for doves went on sale, and was actually lower than the price of steel shot.

The non-toxic shot requirement follows several discussions by the commission during the past year concerning the impacts of lead shot to the environment and on wildlife. Lead – or toxic – shot used in hunting can be ingested by wildlife. There has been a national ban on the use of lead shot for waterfowl hunting since 1991 with non-toxic shot for waterfowl being in place in Iowa since 1987.

The rules approved by the commission allow for a dove season starting Sept. 1st and ending Nov. 9th. The final rule allows the harvest of 15 doves a day and can be either mourning or Eurasian collared-doves. The possession limit is 30 and the season is open state-wide.

Commissioners added and approved an amendment that would require hunters to only use non-toxic shot while hunting doves anywhere in the state of Iowa.

According to Iowa DNR, he decision to ban toxic shot for dove hunting was based largely on the fact that much of the hunting occurs over a small area which would increase the likelihood of lead concentrations being created.

 

A series of recent developments on the issue of lead ammunition continues to bolster the case against continued use of lead ammunition for both shotguns and rifles, including editorials by leaders in the hunting and fishing community, findings from several new studies, and actions by the U.S. military.

 

Ted Williams, editor of Fly Rod and Reel Online, said in Audubon Magazine that: “Despite cheap available alternatives most American sportsmen are still using lead ammunition and fishing tackle. Because of this, some of our most majestic birds, from eagles to loons to condors pay a terrible price.”

In addition, one of the world’s leading newspapers, the New York Times, has also called for an end to lead ammunition use in hunting. A May 16, 2011 editorial states: “Banning lead poses no threat to hunters or fishermen. It is a way of making sure they kill only the prey they seek without inadvertently killing other creatures as well.”

Another development impacting the continued use of lead ammunition is a decision by the U.S. Army to move to a lead-free 5.56mm rifle bullet. Lt. Col. Jeff Woods, the Army's small caliber Ammunition Product Manager, was effusive in his praise of its performance in the May issue of www.Military.com. "There's nothing out there right now that can perform like this round on this wide a range of targets. This is a clear case where making something environmentally friendly works for us," he said.

Army officials said the new ammunition improved hard-target capability and provided more dependable, consistent performance at all distances, as well as improved accuracy, reduced muzzle flash, and increased velocity.

“Clearly, the military praise of the performance of this lead-free ammunition speaks for itself. I doubt that there are any more knowledgeable people when it comes to understanding and appreciating ammunition performance, than the military. The myth that lead-free ammunition doesn’t perform has been exposed, and hunters can use non-toxic ammunition with confidence that it will meet their high standards,” Fenwick said.

Lead is a highly toxic substance that is dangerous to wildlife even at low levels. Exposure can cause a range of health effects, from loss of coordination and nerve damage to acute poisoning and death. Long-term effects can include mental retardation, reduced reproduction, and damage to neurological development.

 

Several studies of various species of birds suggest that up to 10 million birds and other animals die each year from lead poisoning in the United States, including Bald Eagles, Golden Eagles, Loons, Trumpeter Swans, and doves. This occurs when animals scavenge on carcasses shot and contaminated with lead bullet fragments, or pick up and eat spent lead shot pellets or lost fishing weights, mistaking them for food or grit. Some animals die within days, while others suffer for years from lead’s debilitating effects.

Lead ammunition also poses health risks to people. Lead bullets fragment on impact into minute particles, spreading throughout game meat that people eat. X-ray studies show that hundreds of dust-sized lead particles can contaminate meat more than a foot and a half away from the bullet track.

A recent study found that up to 87% of game killed by lead ammunition contains unsafe levels of lead when consumed by pregnant women or children. Nearly ten million hunters, their families, and low-income beneficiaries of venison donations may be at risk."

From: http://www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/releases/110715.html

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Yesterday:

 

Just improving things around here, nothing very exciting!   

Well, enough was enough!  The heat and humidity in the room where my computers are, has just not been comfortable to spend a lot of time there, especially lately.   A hygrometer and thermometer showed that when the AC was set on 74 deg., it was still over 82 in there, and the humidity was over 60%.  It was just plain clammy.

That AC just couldn't keep up, especially since we lost the shade on that side of the house from the tree felling.  If you factor in the square feet, number of windows, that there is tiny bathroom off that room, the computers etc., the BTU was not enough.  After calling Jay, and asking him to be ready earlier than usual, we set off for Lowes.  We were back before 10.00AM with a larger AC.

 

Jay had wanted to stop at Jack in the Box for some breakfast, but I told him I would make him something better than that.

 

While he was moving the little filing cabinets out of the way of the old AC, I toasted him some real extra aged Cheddar on top of two slices of real bread with real butter in the little toaster oven, until the cheddar was bubbly. 

While that was toasting, I fried some real farm organic eggs in coconut oil. (Everyone should have some coconut oil every day)  I scattered some special herb seasoning, and dill seasoning over it all, and he had a side of apple sauce. (An apple a day…)  He loved the coffee made with my new Kitchenaid coffee maker, and said he could taste the difference in the organic food.  He raved about it, and said that he didn't have that yucky feeling after he ate.

It wasn't much, but more nutritious and more food than a processed white flour, factory-farmed egg sandwich at Jack's. 

 

As we unpacked the box, to our dismay, we found out that the AC was dented.  There was no way we were going back to Conroe, so I took 12 pictures of the dents and some with the serial # on the AC's box showing. 

We just wanted to git 'er done!

  

The silly little accordion 'wing' things that come with window ACs are not insulated, so we never use them.  We took out the rigid foam board insulation 'wings' from when we had installed that AC, one year and one week ago.  That foam board had been covered with white vinyl siding on the outside, and white paneling on the inside, to make it look more 'finished'.

 

This time we didn't do all that yet, but installed TWO layers of rigid foam board, so Jay went outside and secured the outside layer with aluminum tape, while I secured the inside layer, leaving no gaps for air infiltration anywhere.  We can dress it up later. 

You can see how hot and sunny it is there, and how badly we need to shade the windows completely.  That side of the house isn't seen from the roads at the front or rear, so the AC doesn't show.  No, I didn't want central heat and air, been there, done that, and all the ACs are hidden from view in some way, as ACs hanging out of windows on the front of a house look tacky.

 

Before I took Jay home, we quickly installed the new 2-way hose fitting so I can use the timer to water the front lawn when the sun has moved away from it for the day.