Grog for the blog

Ok, in case you didn't know, a grog is the best cure for the common cold or influenza, and better than all that stuff with gosh-knows what in it. Try it; you'll like it.

Grog Recipe - courtesy Food.com

Grog
By Mille® on February 16, 2002

• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Total Time: 20 mins
• Serves: 4, Yield: 48 ounces
About This Recipe: "Nectar of the pirates!"
Ingredients:
• 4 cups water
• 1 lemons, juice of
• 1/2 cup sugar or 1/2 cup Vermont or Canadian maple syrup
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 16 ounces dark rum
Directions:
1. Bring water to a boil in saucepan.
2. Dissolve sugar in boiling water.
3. Stir in rum and lemon juice.
4. Carefully pour drink into heatproof glasses or mugs containing 1 cinnamon stick each.
5. Serve hot.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 (391 g)
Servings Per Recipe: 4
Amount Per Serving
% Daily Value
Calories 364.1
Total Carbohydrate 27.8g
© 2011 Scripps Networks, LLC. All Rights Reserved. http://www.food.com/19835
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Technology Riding More Power Waves Between Netbooks & Tablets

Amazing how technology works. The temptation of portability has been around for at least 15 years now with the introduction of notebooks, but the definition of portability continues to ride a wave of ups and downs. No sooner do I get use to crating my 5-pound laptop around the house and overcome my hardpressed feelings about carrying it on an airplane or to meetings, then the netbook appeared. That allows me some light-weight computing power on the road, keeping the majority of my files on a thumb drive and the minimal apps needed to do stuff I really care about (like writing). What's happening now? They're supposedly phasing netbooks out and phasing in tablets, notably led by the iPad and iPad2. That's fine if you consider typing as texting, but it really doesn't work for the serious types, like me. Yes, you can buy a keyboard, but do you really want to cart that around? No, sir, I don't. If men and women can managed to coexist, why can't we have a world with netbooks and tablets?

Times are changing, or is time changing?

OK, you can rake me over the coals for taking way too long to update my blog, but since the folks who actually read this don't own up to it, I'm not going to spend more than this sentence on an apology. Onwards.

I'm quite caught by this little conundrum: are the times changing (like global warming, it's all happening relative to how we grew up) or is time itself changing? A few milliseconds (in rotation or in travel around the sun) really could make a signficant change in how this planet behaves. Who's to say that 10 of our minutes haven't been stretched or shriveled, imperceptible to us because it's all so "relative"?

There you have it, my thought for this week.

A New Start Day For Royalty

Getting up at 4 a.m. for royalty is no easy feat. The Duke and Dutchess of Cambridge (aka Prince Williams and Catherine, aka Will & Kate) were married today at 6:15 a.m. (ET) with 2 billion people watching from across the globe. This very choreographed event had a few loop holes, which were encouraging to those of us who live for the unknown, unplanned moments.

Here are some of my own observations:

>28,000 tulips planted for the event, bloomed too early.
>Depite forecasts for rainy weather, the sun came out just as Middleton's vehicle pulled up in front of Westminster Abbey.
>The postman, pub owner, and butcher were invited to the wedding; heads of states were not.
>Proof that life goes on in so many different ways. Traveling the long road from that sad, sad day in August 1997, when Princess Diana died, her unseen, staying influence on today: from her life lessons to modernizing the monarchy--wearing more of their feelings on their sleeves and remaining visible to their public. Also, the preparatory time for her son with his future wife (vs. the 13 times Diana met Charles before their wedding day), who began as friends.
>Will not seeing his future wife until she was at the alter.
>The occasion gave me a fresh sense about weddings, as a symbol of new birth, when the bride (egg) is delivered from the father (sperm)to the younger man (a younger sperm).
>They are marrying on her saint's day (Saint Catherine of Siena).
>Catherine is no longer wearing the engagement ring of Princess Diana, but the ring William put on her finger. [She didn't put one on his during the ceremony? Or did I miss that?]
>A new beginning for the monarchy in the 21st century. A sense of foregiveness for their past.
>The "gold" fixed traditions of the monarchy complement the "silver," fluid, ongoing changes of government.
>2 kisses by the royal newlyweds from the balcony of Buckingham Palance.
>Next great occasion of pomp and circumstance: Prince of Wales' coronation.
>Acknowlegment and support sent by wedding guests, also part of Will's search and rescue unit, to the efforts going on in the southern parts of the U.S. (especially Alabama), ravaged two days earlier by tornadoes.

Suggested sources:
>TIME magazine article about Will & Kate [March/April 2011--find date].
>Lifetime movie, "William & Kate," which skirts around all the former boyfriends and girlfriends, and focuses on their relationship's highs and lows.

Ropes!

A curio-ponder: It seems the Aurora Borealis are visual evidence of a direct link between the blue (planet) earth and yellow (star) sun, via magnetic "ropes" that connect through the solar winds to the upper atmosphere.

Much to wonder about here.

Proof of this comes from the legendary NASA itself.

Closing the cracks

Today, I learned that two of my rental properties are within 15 miles of a nuclear power station that IS on a fault line. Soooo, I personally got interested in Dr. Richard Besser's demonstration of HOW to seal a door on Good Morning America (ABC.COM, 3/18/11). (With my luck, something might happen in the once a year appearance to see the properties and how the tenants are doing.) The good doctor used plastic sheeting and duct tape (stretching it across the opening to about 2" around its periphery). Just remember to seal yourself in with everything you need--enough for 3 hours. (No one has mentioned it, but bring something that can serve as a potty seat w/toilet paper.)

I withdraw all my cracks about the useless expense on duct tape in the face of certain death. Besser says you can reduce your exposure to 5 percent by doing this simple thing. (I've also come of age to admit that anything that gives you a shot at staying alive a few extra years cannot be entirely nonsense.)

March Madness Has Been Going on Since January

Every once in a while, someone who actually reads my blog tells me I've not been updating it lately. This, I tell myself, is a compelling reason to do so, but will that/those persons come back anytime soon to read it? Will they know their observation did, in fact, affect me, and therefore whomever else is reading this? Interesting business this law of cause and effect. Caused and affected by what, we can ask?

I've been working on a blog entry that was drafted in early January--and yes, will edit it into my previous posting since it's still sadly apropos--but let's take stock of what's gone on since January: From shootings in Arizona, to revolutions in the Middle East, demonstrations in U.S. state capitol, to the Japanese earthquakes and tsunamis in the Pacific Ocean. This is all big stuff! Stuff that is causing a real change in behavior, actions, and reactions.

Now stop to consider how all this has affected you. What part of your life? Have you had second thoughts about living or dying? How long did they last? Did they recede like low tides? How lasting were they? Maybe it's supposed to be that way? We are really only left with the shells and flotsam that wash up on our shores, or are we?

Continuing along this theme of radar, in many respects, it acts as a personal "comfort" zone. Anything new could lead to a weird reaction, a sense of "Why should I care?" or "I have more important things to think about," PTSD, ADD, or any number of "disorders" to those balances.

The Japanese may have something right, now that they lived through an earthquake and tsunami that was way beyond what they anticipated or prepared for: The forces of nature are empowered and are not necessarily controllable.

Maybe there's a way to join hands with those forces. Maybe the human race is in for some changes that are bigger than we ever "planned" for in our everyday lives. Keep an eye on that shoreline.

Cheers.

P.S. For the practical-minded, here are some suggestions for being prepared:
*Understand how to deal with radiation (washing off, clothes & jewelry, etc.)
*Preparedness kit (American Red Cross has a backpack kit)
*Wind-up radio and flashlight (doesn't require batteries or electricity, $35)
*Food not requiring water to be cooked (i.e., canned beans, tomatoes)
*Family ICE (In case of Emergency) plan
(Source: Tues 3/15/2011, Good Morning America, ABC.com)

What's Up? What's Not? God's pharmacy & welcoming in 2011

I was amazed at the juxtaposition of stories on morning television in early January. First, there's the story of African-American honors student, Phylicia Barnes, a 16-year-old North Carolina girl who was visiting relatives in Baltimore and disappeared three days after Christmas. The police, lawyer, and family were baffled/dismayed by the low media visibility of the story, not receiving any national attention for nearly two weeks, only to be overshadowed by the assassination attempt on Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords when it did finally surface. I still need to find out what's happened as of this writing, but last time I looked (early March) she was considered missing and/or dead from foul play. (She could have also been sold to a human trafficking ring.)

This was followed by the news story about thousands of birds, fish, and crabs found dead in the US, Brazil, UK, and New Zealand. A guest researcher/commentator suggested it wasn't so unusual, but "what was once below the radar, is now above the radar," with the vehicles of FaceBook, the Internet, and global television.

That last point is a poignant highlight of human behavior. Some how, a missing youth--even one with a stellar education and reputation--is less newsworthy than natural phenomena, less deserving of being "above the radar."

Humans are, and always were, empowered to choose, but are we challenged with using that power?

Today's blog excerpt is also dedicated to the well-being of that thoughtful lady who has managed to survive living in New York City, keeping herself intact against all odds, including a close call with homelessness.... My hat goes off to you in this new year.

In the absense of having anything else prepared and woefully out-of-date while I remain on deadline, here is what that lady emailed to me, clipped, no doubt from another source, but why shouldn't we be the purveyors of thoughtful information?

Soon coming... my philosophical views and recent revelations from my recent book research into global issues concerning women's rights. If you think this is too much of a heavy-read, or stupid, then don't come back to read my blog.

Happy new year and new decade.

~Tasha


A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye... And YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidney.

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Avocados, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers.

And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods. Modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them.

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion,
Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.