Do You Want Pepsi With That? Aquafina Is Tapwater. Caramel Coloring. Soda Is Useless. USS Nautilus. Deep Cleaning.

For “Foodie Friday”:

Obama agency rules Pepsi's use of aborted fetal cells in soft drinks constitutes 'ordinary business operations'

(NaturalNews) “The Obama Administration has given its blessing to PepsiCo to continue utilizing the services of a company that produces flavor chemicals for the beverage giant using aborted human fetal tissue. LifeSiteNews.com reports that the Obama Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) has decided that PepsiCo's arrangement with San Diego, Cal.-based Senomyx, which produces flavor enhancing chemicals for Pepsi using human embryonic kidney tissue, simply constitutes "ordinary business operations."

The issue began in 2011 when the non-profit group Children of God for Life (CGL) first broke the news about Pepsi's alliance with Senomyx, which led to massive outcry and a worldwide boycott of Pepsi products. At that time, it was revealed that Pepsi had many other options at its disposal to produce flavor chemicals, which is what its competitors do, but had instead chosen to continue using aborted fetal cells -- or as Senomyx deceptively puts it, "isolated human taste receptors".

A few months later, Pepsi' shareholders filed a resolution petitioning the company to "adopt a corporate policy that recognizes human rights and employs ethical standards which do not involve using the remains of aborted human beings in both private and collaborative research and development agreements." But the Obama Administration shut down this 36-page proposal, deciding instead that Pepsi's used of aborted babies to flavor its beverage products is just business as usual, and not a significant concern.

"We're not talking about what kind of pencils PepsiCo wants to use -- we are talking about exploiting the remains of an aborted child for profit," said Debi Vinnedge, Executive Director of CGL, concerning the SEC decision. "Using human embryonic kidney (HEK-293) to produce flavor enhancers for their beverages is a far cry from routine operations!"

To be clear, the aborted fetal tissue used to make Pepsi's flavor chemicals does not end up in the final product sold to customers, according to reports -- it is used, instead, to evaluate how actual human taste receptors respond to these chemical flavorings. But the fact that Pepsi uses them at all when viable, non-human alternatives are available illustrates the company's blatant disregard for ethical and moral concerns in the matter.”   Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/035276_Pepsi_fetal_cells_business_operations.html#ixzz22QfycYLX

___________

Pepsi admits Aquafina comes from tap water

“It's a great marketing gimmick: A bottle of water with a clean, blue label showing images of snow-capped mountains and the claim, "Pure water, perfect taste." That's the image created by Pepsico's Aquafina brand of water, and many consumers leap to the incorrect conclusion that Aquafina is sourced from mountain spring water.

In reality, Aquafina comes from tap water. Yes, the same water you get when you turn on your kitchen faucet. Of course, Aquafina is filtered, purified and perhaps even enhanced with trace amounts of added minerals, but it's certainly not mountain spring water. It's just processed tap water -- the same stuff that fills your toilet bowl when you flush.
Both the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) and the FDA believe there's really no need to require bottled water manufacturers to admit their products come from tap water. No surprise there -- both these organizations routinely act to protect the interests of powerful corporations, and when it comes to bottled water, the biggest companies are often those sourcing the lowest quality water (such as tap water).

This idea that consumers should not be informed their high-priced bottled water is really just filtered tap water is consistent with the aims of food, drug and beverage corporations, who almost universally agree that consumers should be given less information, not more, about the products they're swallowing. Over the last several decades, corporations have vigorously opposed truth in labeling laws and regulations, including those requiring the labeling of trans fatty acids, sodium content and even ingredients lists! (If the food corporations had their way, all ingredients would be considered "proprietary formulas" and not listed on the label at all.)”   Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/021962_bottled_water_Aquafina.html#ixzz22Qgk9OwD

_________

Do you know where your bottled water comes from?

“Whatever the bottle says, don't be misled by crisp blue labels and pictures of mountains.

Purified tap water is the source of much of the bottled water produced in the U.S., according to industry data.

Many consumers could cut out the middleman (and produce far less plastic waste for municipal landfills) by investing in a water filter and reusable water bottle to tote when they're on the go.
If you're concerned about the water quality in your area, but don't want to pay for bottled water, check out the recommended water filters”  (http://www.greenerchoices.org/products.cfm?product=waterfilter&pcat=food )

More at: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2012/07/do-you-know-where-your-bottled-water-comes-from/index.htm

_________

Do the Chemicals That Turn Soda Brown Also Cause Cancer?

“Soda is not good for you. The high-calorie, sugary drinks have been linked to obesity and a host of other health problems. Soda can be particularly dangerous to children, who can consume lots of calories quickly through colas and other pop without feeling full. And then there’s the dental toll — it doesn’t take a peer-reviewed study to tell you that drinking lots of sweetened soda isn’t great for your teeth.

But soda isn’t just water, corn syrup and carbonation — a can of Coke or Pepsi also contains chemical additives for coloring and flavoring. And according to one public health group, those additives could increase your chance of getting cancer.

That’s the message from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a Washington-based consumer watchdog group. CSPI has petitioned the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban the “caramel coloring” that is used in Coke, Pepsi and other sodas, on the grounds that the chemicals are carcinogenic.

CSPI says the artificial brown coloring — which doesn’t have much to do with actual caramel, despite the name — is made by reacting corn sugar with ammonia and sulfites under high pressures and at high temperatures. (Just like Mom used to do it!) Those reactions produce the chemicals 2-methylimidazole and 4-methylimidazole — chemicals that government studies have found to cause lung, liver or thyroid cancer in lab rats or mice. “It’s a small but significant risk, and it’s the kind of thing that government agencies should deal with,” says Michael Jacobson, the executive director of CSPI.”      Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2011/02/17/do-the-chemicals-that-turn-soda-brown-also-cause-cancer/?xid=rss-topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+time%2Ftopstories+%28TIME%3A+Top+Stories%29#ixzz22QjvidOJ

_________

Coke, Pepsi Skirt Cancer Warning Label, Mar 9, 2012

“Beverage powerhouses PepsiCo and Coca-Cola will modify the caramel coloring in their sodas to avoid a cancer  warning label that a new California law requires when drinks contain a certain amount of carcinogens.

The state of California added ammonia sulfite, or 4-MI, to its list of known carcinogens last year. Along with the state list, a consumer group known as the Center for Science in the Public Interest claimed a chemical in the sodas’ coloring is linked to cancer in animals and exceeds allowable levels in U.S. food supply.”     From: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2012/03/09/coke-pepsi-skirt-cancer-warning-label/

_________

16 Reasons To Give Up Soda Drinking

“People who down sugary drinks don't feel as full as those who consume the same amount of calories in solid food.
This theory was born out by researchers at Purdue University who, in 2000, gave 15 volunteers 450 calories a day of either soda or jelly beans for a month and then switched them for the next month, while monitoring their total calories. The candy eaters compensated for the extra calories by eating less food and maintained their weight; during the soda phase, the volunteers ate more and gained.

Reason 1:  Soda Is Useless.

First of all, there are no nutritionally beneficial components in soft drinks. Soft drinks mostly consist of filtered water and refined sugars. Yet the average American drinks about 57 gallons of soft drinks each year.

Reason 8: Likely To Cause Heartburn

Soft drink consumption is a strong predictor of heartburn.

Reason 11: Impaired Digestive System

Soda, no matter who makes it, is the most acidic beverage you can buy, with a pH of about 2.5, about the same as vinegar, but the sugar content disguises the acidity. To put that into perspective, consider that battery acid has a pH of 1 and pure water has a pH level of 7.

Why does that matter? Throughout the digestive system, that starts from the mouth and ends up at the anus only the stomach can resist an acidic environment up to pH 2.0. But before the acidity of soft drink reaches the stomach it passes through all the other organs involved in the digestive system thus causing an abnormal acidic environment. The linings of the mouth, pharynx and esophagus are highly sensitive to acids.

The phosphoric acid present in soft drink competes with the hydrochloric acid of the stomach and affects its functions. When the stomach becomes ineffective, food remains undigested causing indigestion, gassiness or bloating (swelling of stomach).

Interesting fact: A pH below 4 or above 10 will kill most fish and very few animals can tolerate waters with a pH below 3 or above 11.

Reason 12: Dehydration

Another problem with sodas is that they act as dehydrating diuretics. Both caffeine and sugar cause dehydration.  Caffeine is a diuretic and causes an increase in urine volume. High concentration of sugar is drawing off water because your kidneys try to expel the excess sugar out of the blood. When you drink a caffeinated soda to quench your thirst, you will actually become thirstier.

Reason 16: There Are So Many Healthy Alternatives!

Soda replaces healthier drinks. By drinking soda, you cut the intake of fresh juices, milk, and even water and deprive yourself from essential vitamins and minerals.

• Water. Water is the best drink in the world.
• Tea. Any kind of tea - herbal, green or black - is rich in antioxidants, which were shown to protects the body form many health problems.
• 100% Juice. Fruit juice can be also useful for flavoring your water and teas.”

Rest of article at: http://www.emedexpert.com/tips/soft-drinks.shtml

__________

Need more reasons to stop drinking soda?

Hyperactivity and Mental Problems

“Teenagers who drink more soda have more mental health difficulties, including hyperactivity and mental distress. In a study conducted in Norway, researchers used questionnaires to survey 5,547 Norwegian 10th graders about their eating and soda-drinking habits, as well as hyperactivity and conduct problems in school, and mental health indicators such as anxiousness, dizziness, hopelessness, panic, sadness, sleeplessness, tension, unhappiness with themselves and a sense that everything is a burden. Teenagers who drank the most soda (an average of four or more glasses a day) scored highest on measures of behavioral difficulties, hyperactivity, mental distress and overall mental health problems. (American Journal of Public Health, October 2006, Vol 96, No. 10)

Water Conservation

The amount of water required to produce a single liter of soft drink may be only three or four liters, but vast quantities are used to produce the sugar and corn syrup feedstock. UN calculations suggest that more than one third of the world’s population is suffering from water shortages: by 2020 water use is expected to increase by 40 per cent from current levels, and by 2025, according to another UN estimate, two out of three people could be living under conditions of “water stress”.    Sourced: Ecologists warn the planet is running short of water  *

• Money

If the health risks don’t convince you, look at the economics. A person who drinks just 2 cans of soda a day will pay $206 over the course of a year to keep the habit going. If there is more than one soda drinker in the household, that yearly total could quickly double or even triple.

Tell me again, why are you still drinking soda?” 

More at: http://verdavivo.wordpress.com/2009/02/12/14-reasons-not-to-drink-soda/

-------------

* “Coca-Cola officials argue that they started measuring and improving their use of water long before its troubles in India. The firm improved its water efficiency by 6% between 2003 and 2004. In 2002, it took 3.12 litres of water to produce one litre of final product (as much water is used to clean the assembly lines, flush out glass bottles, and so on). In 2004, that global average came down to 2.72 litres. Mr Srivastava is not impressed: he grouses that it is “ridiculous that a firm that calls itself a ‘hydration company' should waste so much water; most of it does not even end up in the product.””   From: http://www.economist.com/node/4492835

_________

On This Day:

Nautilus travels under North Pole, Aug 3, 1958:

“On August 3, 1958, the U.S. nuclear submarine Nautilus accomplishes the first undersea voyage to the geographic North Pole. The world's first nuclear submarine, the Nautilus dived at Point Barrow, Alaska, and traveled nearly 1,000 miles under the Arctic ice cap to reach the top of the world. It then steamed on to Iceland, pioneering a new and shorter route from the Pacific to the Atlantic and Europe.

The USS Nautilus was constructed under the direction of U.S. Navy Captain Hyman G. Rickover, a brilliant Russian-born engineer who joined the U.S. atomic program in 1946. In 1947, he was put in charge of the navy's nuclear-propulsion program and began work on an atomic submarine. Regarded as a fanatic by his detractors, Rickover succeeded in developing and delivering the world's first nuclear submarine years ahead of schedule. In 1952, the Nautilus' keel was laid by President Harry S. Truman, and on January 21, 1954, first lady Mamie Eisenhower broke a bottle of champagne across its bow as it was launched into the Thames River at Groton, Connecticut. Commissioned on September 30, 1954, it first ran under nuclear power on the morning of January 17, 1955.

Much larger than the diesel-electric submarines that preceded it, the Nautilus stretched 319 feet and displaced 3,180 tons. It could remain submerged for almost unlimited periods because its atomic engine needed no air and only a very small quantity of nuclear fuel. The uranium-powered nuclear reactor produced steam that drove propulsion turbines, allowing the Nautilus to travel underwater at speeds in excess of 20 knots.

In its early years of service, the USS Nautilus broke numerous submarine travel records and on July 23, 1958, departed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on "Operation Northwest Passage"--the first crossing of the North Pole by submarine. There were 116 men aboard for this historic voyage, including Commander William R. Anderson, 111 officers and crew, and four civilian scientists. The Nautilus steamed north through the Bering Strait and did not surface until it reached Point Barrow, Alaska, in the Beaufort Sea, though it did send its periscope up once off the Diomedes Islands, between Alaska and Siberia, to check for radar bearings. On August 1, the submarine left the north coast of Alaska and dove under the Arctic ice cap.

The submarine traveled at a depth of about 500 feet, and the ice cap above varied in thickness from 10 to 50 feet, with the midnight sun of the Arctic shining in varying degrees through the blue ice. At 11:15 p.m. EDT on August 3, 1958, Commander Anderson announced to his crew: "For the world, our country, and the Navy--the North Pole." The Nautilus passed under the geographic North Pole without pausing. The submarine next surfaced in the Greenland Sea between Spitzbergen and Greenland on August 5. Two days later, it ended its historic journey at Iceland. For the command during the historic journey, President Dwight D. Eisenhower decorated Anderson with the Legion of Merit.

After a career spanning 25 years and almost 500,000 miles steamed, the Nautilus was decommissioned on March 3, 1980. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1982, the world's first nuclear submarine went on exhibit in 1986 as the Historic Ship Nautilus at the Submarine Force Museum in Groton, Connecticut.”

_________

Yesterday:

Misty and I drove down to Jay’s with the car loaded with my mop, mop bucket, accessories for a shop-vac, some disinfectant and spray cleaner.  Jay’s son, his wife and six children had moved out of his house.  He is fanatic about his house, and he just didn’t know where to start.  He said it smelled of dirty diapers! 

Misty stayed on Jay’s mother’s porch, next door, and played with Maddie. Jay steam-cleaned his area rugs, and helped me move the furniture so that I could vacuum everywhere with his little shop-vac.  We hung the rugs out to dry on his porch balcony rail, and he steam-cleaned the Hide-A-Bed mattress with enzyme cleaner.  His kitchen, living room and bathroom are all tile. I wished I had taken my own little shop-vac, as his kept on tipping over so that you have to right it, and wait for the ball to drop again, mine doesn’t do that, or tip over.   All the furniture was moved and cleaned behind it.  There were potato chip particles and froot-loops under everything; my-oh-my, what junk to feed kids!  I cleaned, disinfected and mopped every nook and cranny, even the window sills.  I doubt if it had ever been cleaned that thoroughly.

I came back here so that I could feed the puppies their lunch, and find some more enzyme cleaner so that Jay could steam-clean his bedroom king-size mattress and the bedroom carpet.   I took that to Jay, then came home and let him finish alone, as Misty and I had enough for the day.

RV Tank Handles. Screen Cleaning. Jeff Daniels’ RV. Fridge Chimney Fan. How To Replace Slide Topper. Social Network? Pres.Harding. Sick Pup.

For “tRaVersing or RV Day”:

Maintain your RV holding tank valve handles

“There's a parallel to the old "You don't miss your water 'til your well runs dry," tune. It's called, "You've got no place to 'go' if your holding tank valves won't open." Yep, a stuck (or broken) holding tank valve is a really big issue if it happens, but can easily be prevented.

All that "goop" in your black water and gray water waste tanks is held in place by their associated dump valves. A little plastic "paddle" rides between two rubber seals, preventing the stuff from rolling out. Attached to the side of the paddle is a stainless steel rod, and to it, a small T shaped handle that allows the rod to pull back the paddle and allow all the contents to flush forth.
A couple of things can get in the way of a simple operation. If the rod gets stuck, or the handle breaks, you have a decidedly difficult issue. Maintenance is easy and inexpensive. First, keep the rod well lubricated. When you dump your tank(s) and the handle is pulled to the open position, simply shoot the stainless rod with a good shot of silicon or Teflon containing lubricant spray. Now "work" the valve open and closed a few times. DO NOT USE the old standby, WD-40. WD can get into the seal at the end of the rod shaft and gum it up, making it extremely sticky.

Next, keep an eye on the valve handle. If that T character breaks, opening the valve is tough. Replace it if it cracks, or if any part of it breaks off. Again, it's an easy fix, if done properly. With the valve open and steel rod exposed, wrap a rag around the rod, and grasp the rod firmly through the rag with a pair of pliers. Now turn the handle counter-clockwise by hand to remove it, and screw a new one on firmly. Be careful not to ding or in any way damage that steel rod, as a rough rod can create problems--like tearing up the shaft seal.

Do you need to lubricate the plastic valve paddle? Probably not. Holding tank treatment manufacturers often boast about the "lubricants" they include in their formulas, but plenty of RVers don't use any sort of tank treatment at all and few have problems with sticking valves that could be cured with lubricants added to the tank.”  From:  http://www.rvtechtips.com/2012/06/maintain-your-rv-holding-tank-valve.html

__________

RV window and roof vent screen cleaning tips

“Got a dusty window screen in your RV? We used to recommend taking the screens out, dumping them in the shower stall and scrubbing them down with a brush and soap. It's a lot of work, and a good project when you have a few hours on a good day. But there's yet another way to clean up screens that are simply dusty.

Take a lint roller to hand--one of those tricky "adhesive tape roll" variety available at your nearby Walmart. With a fresh layer of tape exposed, roll the roller back and forth over the screen and watch that obstructing dust jump off onto the tape. Works as well on the outside of the screens as it does from inside. Quick and easy, and no mess.

There's yet another set of screens in our rigs that can cause us a lot of grief: Roof vent screens. Camp under the trees for a day or two with the roof vent open and you'll soon have a collection of "crud" riding around on the screen. Sure, you can take the screen down from inside the rig. Get a screwdriver, release the crank handle and take out the screen mounting screws and pull down the screen assembly. Be prepared for a shower of needles, leaves, and whatever else was stuck up on the screen. There's another way!

This time, leave the lint roller in the drawer but take out your blow dryer. Yep, that little electric hair tool, set for "low" heat and "high" air flow can blast those obnoxious "clingons" right off the screen. You'll find really stuck on items can be released by gently scratching the screen with the tip of the dryer while blasting air at the same time. BUT DON'T use high heat, lest you melt down non-metallic mesh.” 

From: http://www.rvquicktips.com/2012/06/rv-window-and-roof-vent-screen-cleaning.html 

__________

Jeff Daniels shares stories about driving his RV around the country.

Actor and certified RV driver Jeff Daniels tells of becoming a connoisseur of truck stops.

__________

Installing a Fridge Chimney Fan. Do You Like Your Drinks COLD? -

“On my last trip it was over 90 degrees out (Fahrenheit, if it were Celsius I'd be cooked!)  I love cold drinks, the colder the better. My RV fridge was struggling to maintain 48 degrees in the fridge compartment and the freezer was edging up past 20 degrees. Mostly because I was parked, the only way I could, with the wall where the fridge was is in direct sun most of the day. I had looked into a supplemental fan, mounted in the chimney, below the roof exhaust vent last year. Now I knew I had to install one. This isn't really difficult to do, but can really make a difference in hot weather

120MM 12 Volt "Muffin" Fan

All RV absorption fridges use convection to transfer heat up and away from the interior. It's really an elegant way of making cold from heat. The manufacturer will set specifications that show the space needed around the fridge during an install. On mine, the space behind the fridge is quite large, so a fan will help create an air current to move the hot air up and out the existing roof vent.
To get the air moving I used a computer style "muffin" fan. It's about 4" across and draws around 1/2 Amp at full speed. These are commonly available online and from local retailers. They aren't expensive at all. Mine was 7 dollars including shipping. I thought I would need some kind of bracket, but my 1"+ roof plywood and the small holes in the corner of the fan surround were sufficient to mount the fan above the fins and below the vent.

Roof Vent Off (Wires are from Solar Panels)

Shut off the fridge! Gather all the tools you think you'll need. I'm sure (like me) you will be going up and down the ladder a whole bunch of times to get things you forgot. Better yet, get someone to help!

Next remove the screws holding the fridge vent on. Remove the vent and put it aside. Preferably somewhere it won't fall off the roof. Remove (carefully!) the mesh vent cover. These are designed to keep critters out. Do they really work? It will bend easily so put it aside.You may also have a thin  metal plate above the cooling unit. This is a baffle to re-direct the airflow up and out. Mine was bent everywhere! I straightened it as best I could and made sure the air path to the vent was clear.    Now we figure out where you want to locate the fan.

Close Up of Opening Showing Cooling Fins

Look closely inside the vent opening. Do you see the cooling unit for the fridge? It's the metal tubing with square fins surrounding it. The top is where heat is removed from the system.
I put mine mostly over the fins on the cooling unit. I figure drawing air up through the chimney and across the fans will increase efficiency.
MAKE SURE THE FAN EXHAUSTS UP!!!
Otherwise, you'll have to flip it over and start the mounting procedure again.

Fan Mounted, Wiring Done, Zip Tied, With Heat Shrink Tubing! 

I had some 2 conductor wire left over from another install. It was 20AWG...more than sufficient for a 1/2 Amp draw. I spliced this onto the fans "pigtails" and covered the splice with heat shrink tubing to make it more water resistant. (You thought I would forget that AGAIN, didn't you?) Next I zip-tied the splices and some wire to a convenient spot to avoid pulling on them when they were wired down below. Drop the wire in the chimney away from the cooling unit as best you can.
Climb down. (Again?)

Lower Fridge Vent Compartment.

Once back on the ground, open your lower fridge vent and make sure it isn't going to fall on you (over and over, bashing you on the head.) Find the 12 Volt ground and the Power block for the fridge. A cheap multi-meter that reads volts will be VERY helpful here, but you could just look at the diagram that MAY be attached to the plate covering the fridges innards. Attach the ground. I used the plate at the bottom of the fridge. There were quite a few wires using this as a ground already so I simply crimped on a ring style terminal and used an existing screw.

Giant Mystery Switch (Now Fan Control)

For the positive 12 volt line, I could have used the main power into the fridge or found a line from the fridge control board. If you use the one on the control board make sure it can supply the amperage you need. In either case install a fuse!! The control board method will turn on power to the fan every time the fridge is on. Not ideal.
Since I bought my RV there has been this HUGE toggle switch in the lower fridge vent that I couldn't figure out what it was for. Now I know. It was put there for me to attach the fridge fan power lead. OK, so I really have NO idea what it was for, but it works nicely for this application. After testing this for a while in the heat, I will likely hard wire power to the fridges main power block and out to a switch INSIDE to control the fan. You could buy a thermostatic switch to turn the fan on and off with temperature, but that's another article. For now, manual control is OK for me.

With a single day of testing, it appears that I have gone from 44.9 degrees down to 35.6 degrees in the main  fridge compartment, in the same outside conditions. The freezer is also down to 1 degree. I have the fridge set to a lower number on its control panel as well. It's set to 4 instead of 5. Only more testing will confirm the true value of this upgrade, but for now...I'm happy.  Be Seeing You...Down The Road, Rich.”  From: http://www.thewanderman.com/2012/07/do-you-like-your-drinks-cold-installing.html

___________

How To Replace an A&E RV Slide Topper.  See video below.

“Our favorite type of DIY RV project is one that is both surprisingly manageable and also saves a lot of money.  Slide topper replacement fits that description to a T by being much easier to accomplish than one might expect and costing as little as 1/2 to 1/3 the price of having it done at an RV shop.
As an added bonus, aftermarket slide topper fabric readily available online is often superior to the original material.  Our large front driver's side A&E slide topper was coming apart after only 7 years and had to be replaced.
For this project, you'll need two stepladders, two people and a couple of basic tools. If you thought that replacing your slide-toppers was out of your league as a DIY RVer, watch this video first, and you may change your mind!
We demonstrate the entire process and describe in thorough detail what's involved.  And since we're replacing the largest topper on our RV by far, replacing any other one is even easier, since they're much smaller.”

From: http://rvgeeks.blogspot.com/2012/07/how-to-replace-rv-slide-topper.html

__________

 Social Network? Why?

“Here’s an interesting Lug_Nut thought.

Communication is a very important to most, if not all RVer’s  With all the latest wireless technology , internet, smart phones, GPS location devices, etc, I think we are pretty well equipped. After all, we can contact and keep in touch with friends and relatives regardless in the world they, or we, are. Our family and friends network is complete.

Not so, according to the multiple folks that Twitter and Face book off.   What’s up with them?  If they really want to let friends know something, why can’t they e-mail them?   You can do it in a multiple recipient if it is many contacts you would like to advise.  Instead, these lonely folks seem to need to post their life, perhaps in hope that they will be discovered as not a social dweeb!

Don’t these people have friends?  Are these people in that need to reinforce their popularity?  Are they insecure with their personal status?  I guess so.  There is no other reason why people would feel obligated to post everything they do, or are going to do, on any public site.  Oh yes, they will tell you it is secure only to those “Friends”, (Many of which they have not seen for years or may be never).  Hello!  Hacking your information is probably “Internet 101, to break into any or all of this gibberish.

This social networking is supported by commercial enterprises, and probably for good reasons.  If you owned a business, you would want to reach everyone you can.  Why would a private individual ever want to expose their life to any and everyone?  I can only assume that these people either are socially challenged or want to increase their popularity image, to others, or more likely to themselves.

Well, to each his own.  They can keep what they are doing and I will too. Just Stirring The Pot  -  Lug_Nut  -  Peter Mercer. ”     With the comments from: http://blog.rv.net/2012/07/social-network-why/#comments 

_________

On This Day:

Harding dies before scandals break, Aug 2, 1923:

“In a hotel in San Francisco, President Warren G. Harding dies of a stroke at the age of 58. Harding was returning from a presidential tour of Alaska and the West Coast, a journey some believed he had embarked on to escape the rumors circulating in Washington of corruption in his administration.

Harding, a relatively unremarkable U.S. senator of Ohio, won the Republican presidential nomination in 1920 after the party deadlocked over several more prominent candidates. Harding ran pledging a "return to normalcy" after World War I and in November was elected the 29th U.S. president in a landslide election victory. Conscious of his own limitations, Harding promised to appoint a cabinet representing the "best minds" in America, but unfortunately he chose several intelligent men who possessed little sense of public responsibility.

In the summer of 1923, as Washington began discussing rumors of corruption in the departments of the Interior and Justice and in the Veterans Bureau, Harding departed on a speaking tour of Alaska and the West. On August 2, he died of an embolism, perhaps brought on by worry over the political scandals about to explode on the national stage. Early the next morning, Vice President Calvin Coolidge was sworn in as president by his father, a notary public, in his family home in Plymouth, Vermont.

For the rest of his first term, one of President Coolidge's principal duties was responding to public outrage over the Teapot Dome oil-leasing scandals, the revelations of fraudulent transactions in the Veterans Bureau and Justice Department, and the reports of his predecessor's multiple extramarital affairs.

_________

Yesterday:

I knew something was wrong with the smallest puppy the minute I looked in on them before 6AM.  He looked thin and was lethargic.  He is tan with a little white stripe on his head, so I call him Streaker.  The others were fat and sassy, and had pink gums.  His gums were pale and he was dehydrated.  (His skin didn’t snap back right away when I picked it up.)  I weighed him and he had lost 4 oz since he got here.  I tried hand-feeding him his breakfast, but he didn’t want anything to do with it.  The others just dived right in.  I quickly put some water in a syringe, without a needle of course, and gave him some in his little mouth, and some NutriCal.

It was shopping day, so some things for Streaker were added to the list.  Misty and I went to get Jay, and after I had dropped Misty off at my house, off we went.  We only stopped at one thrift shop as that is where we unload the recyclable paper, but we didn’t buy anything there.  I bought some Esbilac (puppy milk) at Petco, and some Pedialyte at the grocery store, plus a few essentials and rushed home. 

Streaker was staggering around, and looked so pitiful.  Jay said, “Oh, he is going to die”, he was so weak.  I mixed the puppy formula half and half with the Pedialyte, and gave him some in a pet bottle, and he really wanted it.  This little baby hadn’t been properly weaned from his mom, he needed milk.  Then I put some in a little bowl and he lapped that up.  The difference was amazing, his tummy filled out, and he came to life in front of our eyes.

In the evening, when I fed his siblings, he still wouldn’t eat dog food, but I had cooked some liver, so I put a few tiny pieces in his bowl of puppy milk, and he ate them.  I did that again last thing last night, and Streaker is much better today.

Tucuman Parrot. Sandhill Cranes. Hummingbird Rain Trick. Baby Penguins. "War to End All Wars". PT 109.

For “Winged Wednesday”:

But first this commercial break!:

“Jessica gives the second update for the You Can Do this Campaign. As of July 30, 2012 we are 1/2 way to our goal! Visit - http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/Give5 to donate and help shelter animals.         It only takes one minute.
The Animal Rescue Site, Petfinder Foundation and What You Can Do Present - The You Can Do This Campaign to raise $50,000 in 50 days $5 at a time.   And while you're there - remember to click! http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com .     Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/theanimalrescuesite .”

__________

Tucuman Parrot

“The Tucuman Amazon (often called Tucuman Parrot) is a mid-sized, mainly green parrot, with feathers strongly edged in black giving the bird a scaly appearance on its head and body. This Polly does not need a cracker, just a safe place to feed and nest.

The biggest threats to this species are habitat loss and capture for the pet trade. In the 1980s, thousands were captured and exported from Bolivia and Argentina before protections under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) greatly reduced international trade.

Despite these protections, nest-raiding for the local pet trade within Bolivia and Argentina continues on a smaller scale. Habitat loss and degradation due to logging, and clearing for agriculture and grazing also remain significant problems. Parrot trappers contribute to the loss of habitat by felling old trees with nesting cavities to reach the nest and young.

Recently, Asociación Armonía, ABC’s partner in Bolivia, announced some good news for this species: the establishment of the 44-acre Tucuman Parrot Reserve in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, which now protects the largest Podocarpus conifer trees in the area as crucial nesting sites. The new reserve is adjacent to the Quirusillas Municipal Reserve, effectively extending the area under protection. For more details on this victory, please see ABC’s recent press release.

Birders interested in seeing the Tucuman Parrot could combine a visit to the new reserve with a stay at the Red-fronted Macaw Reserve. Please see ConservationBirding.org for more information.”

Help ABC conserve this and other birds and their habitats!       Photo by Luis Rivera; Range Map, NatureServe

_________

Sandhill Cranes Migration: 

Nebraska Sandhill Cranes Migration
-- with a stopover on the Platte River near Grand Island, Nebraska.  Three Sandhill Cranes Flying over against a blue sky & white clouds

“Near Grand Island and west along the Platte River to Kearney, NE in south central Nebraska, the Sandhill Crane Migration is a very popular annual attraction for the hundreds of thousands of Migrating Cranes and also their many viewers who come from all over the world to watch the event.
An estimated 500,000 Sandhill Cranes pass thru the Nebraska Platte River valley heading north every year during the Annual Spring Migration and headed south during the Fall Sandhill Crane Migration. They migrate through an 80 mile wide "Flyway" stretch along the Platte River from near Grand Island to west of Kearney, NE. It is estimated that about 80% of the world's population of Sandhill Cranes do an annual migration layover in this area of the Platte River. The Platte Valley area has great habitat for many types of birds - even bald eagles.

Sandhill Cranes feeding in the cornfields near the Platte River in Nebraska

This is wasted corn left from the harvest - and actually benefits the farmers since it would otherwise be "volunteer" come growing season. - It is estimated the Sandhill Cranes eat up to 1,600 tons of waste corn during their 3 to 4 week stay in Nebraska on the Platte River. 

They spend about 3 - 4 weeks in the cornfields along the Platte building up fat reserves to help them sustain the flight and nesting period in their destination up north in Canada, Alaska, and for a few, Siberia. The Cranes usually add up to two pounds to their approximately 12 pound body weight during their "refueling" stay in the Platte River Valley in Nebraska.”  More at: http://www.nebraskatravels.com/sandhill-crane-migration.html  and: http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/animals/birds-animals/waders-and-waterfowl/crane_sandhillmigration/

__________

Hummingbird Rain Trick: New Study Shows Tiny Birds Alter Posture In Storms (VIDEO)

“Hummingbirds are the acrobats of the avian family—flapping their wings more than 45 times a second, they hover forward, backward, and even upside down. But their mid-air moves are energy exhaustive, and they must feast on nectar at least once a day, even in severe weather, or they will perish. So when a storm rolls in, how does this tiny bird fare when being pummeled by heavy rain drops that can collectively feel like 38% of its body weight? Quite well, according to a study published online today in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Similar to experiments conducted on mosquitoes earlier this summer, researchers subjected five male Anna's hummingbirds (Calypte anna) to light, moderate, and heavy rain conditions in the lab, and then analyzed their flight responses with high-speed video (seen above).

They found that the birds were barely affected by light and moderate rain, but that they had to take on a completely different body posture to maintain aerial control under heavy rain, shifting their bodies and tails horizontally, beating their wings faster, and reducing their wings' angle of motion. The researchers found the position change paradoxical at first because each bird exposed more of its back to the incoming rain. But further investigation revealed that this position may reduce the amount of drops hitting the bird's wings, which helps keep it more stable in the air. The researchers also found that the hummingbird's water-resistant feathers absorbed 50% of the impact from the heavy falling drops, helping the animal stay light in flight, and in control no matter the weather.”   More and video at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/19/hummingbird-rain-video_n_1685752.html By Nicholas St. Fleur

__________

Baby penguin meets a man for the first time. Could have lost an eye!

“This short real life clip of Antarctica gives you a glimpse of the natural beauty of Antarctica. You'll see the raw cold Antarctic islands of Nelson including ancient Glaciers, gigantic Icebergs, and Penguins hanging out on a floating piece of ice.”

More videos at: http://travelingepic.com/2012/05/31/new-unseen-baby-penguin-first-encounter-footage-from-antarctica/

__________

On This Day:

First World War erupts, Aug 1, 1914:

“Four days after Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, Germany and Russia declare war against each other, France orders a general mobilization, and the first German army units cross into Luxembourg in preparation for the German invasion of France. During the next three days, Russia, France, Belgium, and Great Britain all lined up against Austria-Hungary and Germany, and the German army invaded Belgium. The "Great War" that ensued was one of unprecedented destruction and loss of life, resulting in the deaths of some 20 million soldiers and civilians.

World War I was known as the "war to end all wars" because of the great slaughter and destruction it caused. Unfortunately, the peace treaty that officially ended the conflict--the Treaty of Versailles of 1919--forced punitive terms on Germany that destabilized Europe and laid the groundwork for World War II.”

___________

PT-109 sinks; Lieutenant Kennedy is instrumental in saving crew, Aug 1, 1943:

"On this day in 1943, a Japanese destroyer rams an American PT (patrol torpedo) boat, No. 109, slicing it in two. The destruction is so massive other American PT boats in the area assume the crew is dead. Two crewmen were, in fact, killed, but 11 survived, including Lt. John F. Kennedy.

Japanese aircraft had been on a PT boat hunt in the Solomon Islands, bombing the PT base at Rendova Island. It was essential to the Japanese that several of their destroyers make it to the southern tip of Kolombangara Island to get war supplies to forces there. But the torpedo capacity of the American PTs was a potential threat. Despite the base bombing at Rendova, PTs set out to intercept those Japanese destroyers. In the midst of battle, Japan's Amaqiri hit PT-109, leaving 11 crewmen floundering in the Pacific.

After five hours of clinging to debris from the decimated PT boat, the crew made it to a coral island. Kennedy decided to swim out to sea again, hoping to flag down a passing American boat. None came. Kennedy began to swim back to shore, but strong currents, and his chronic back condition, made his return difficult. Upon reaching the island again, he fell ill. After he recovered, the PT-109 crew swam to a larger island, what they believed was Nauru Island, but was in fact Cross Island. They met up with two natives from the island, who agreed to take a message south. Kennedy carved the distress message into a coconut shell: "Nauru Is. Native knows posit. He can pilot. 11 alive need small boat."

The message reached Lieutenant Arthur Evans, who was watching the coast of Gomu Island, located next to an island occupied by the Japanese. Kennedy and his crew were paddled to Gomu. A PT boat then took them back to Rendova. Kennedy was ultimately awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, for gallantry in action.   The coconut shell used to deliver his message found a place in history—and in the Oval Office.

PT-109, a film dramatizing this story, starring Clift Robertson as Kennedy, opened in 1963."

___________

Yesterday:

It was nice to get up and not hear Mindi's dogs barking and clamouring to go outside.  They must hear my feet touch the floor!  Actually, I think they could feel me walking in my bathroom which is on the other side of the Grooming Room wall.  I doubt if they could hear me, as there is so much insulation between the sections of the house.  It was great to be able to take my time getting dressed, and to feed Misty, Prime and the puppies their breakfasts without being rushed.  

The puppies are as happy, healthy and playful as can be.  They wrestle each other, play with their toys, eat, poop, and then just sack out curled up together in their bed.  I know they must feel better now that they are here in the air conditioning, and don’t have fleas anymore.

Misty and I went to get Jay, so he could finish caulking the board we put up on the crack on the soffit to keep the wasps out.  But first he screwed the front door back on the white cage in the Grooming Room.  I had used it as a bed for Mindi's dogs as they stay loose in my Grooming Room. It also has a top opening.  I needed a cage to put the pups in while I clean their puppy pen, and also to keep track of which ones I have given their de-wormer.  Just three more days of that.

Back 50 years ago when I used to raise puppies, before I knew better, I found out that if the pups get used to the routine of being put in another pen several times a day, they will think of that as their 'poopy area', and keep their living quarters clean.  My pups were just about housebroken when they went to their new homes. Once they are weaned, pups will leave the nest to do their thing when they are in the wild.  They like to have a clean den.

Ray came over to paint the other dog cage, the one that didn't get sold, and we all had a hand at making a new tray for it.  Parts of it's tray were missing.  Jay and I went up in the storeroom attic and found a sheet of thin dull-black plastic. We cut it to size, clamped each of the plastic's edges around a broomstick, and heated them with a heat gun to make them curl up.  It worked, but it isn't marvelous. 

Ray and I tied up some of the lower branches of the Red Maple Tree out front, they were growing over the pathway.  It has grown more outwards than up, this year.  We can’t cut them off as the tree will need them as it gets taller.   Then Jay mowed again.  I think we have mowed, and trimmed the hedge more this year than any year.

Painting the cage used up several partial cans of primer and paint.  Time to buy some more when shopping today.