FRIDAY NIGHT RAMBLINGS

Greets and Huggers.  Posted the evening of May 17, 2013.  On Monday I got a Xiaflex shot for my Dupuytren’s Contracture.  On Tuesday, I went back and they broke the cord in my hand.  Let share a truth with you.  Pain  …  hurts.  When your Doc says,  “This may “sting” a bit.”   …  read that to mean   …  bring a change of socks and underwear.  My hand was swollen and horribly bruised by Tuesday evening.  Finally today, the swelling has gone down   …   and it still “stings”.

I have noticed an increase in the number of retired folks, dissolving their marriage.  (BBC NEWS)  –  Retirement ‘harmful to health’, study says.  “Retirement has a detrimental impact on mental and physical health, a new study has found. The study, published by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), a think tank, found that retirement results in a “drastic decline in health” in the medium and long term. The IEA said the study suggests people should work for longer for health as well as economic reasons. The government already plans to raise the state pension age  ..  Retirement is found to increase the chances of suffering from clinical depression by 40%, while you are 60% more likely to suffer from a physical condition.”   This is especially true for folks who work as part time “greeters” for Walmart.  Walmart is considering “Zoloft” as an employee benefit.

And a bad week for our President:  (CNN) –  Report finds IRS targeted conservative groups, delayed applications.  “The Internal Revenue Service deliberately targeted groups with “tea party” in their names and who were applying for federal tax exempt status, delaying processing of their applications and requesting unnecessary information, according to an advance copy of a report by the agency’s inspector general obtained Tuesday by CNN.”   So, you have “elements” of the IRS using their position to influence the ability of folks to share/spread their political opinion:  effectuate change THEY believe in.  Aren’t these the same folks that are going to enforce Obamacare?  And interesting that the Administration was told about this in June of last year, several months before the election.

What happened to the “red line in the sand”?  (BBC NEWS)  –  US has seen Syria chemical weapons evidence, says Obama. “President Barack Obama has said the US has seen evidence of chemical weapons being used in Syria.  However, speaking after meeting Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan, he insisted it was important to get more specific details about alleged chemical attacks.”    Our friends the Russians on the other hand have become involved:  (BBC NEWS)  –  Syria crisis: Russia ‘sends sophisticated weapons’.  “Russia has sent sophisticated anti-ship missiles to Syria, US media report. The New York Times quotes unnamed US officials as saying the missiles could be used to counter any potential future foreign military intervention in Syria. Without confirming details, Russia’s foreign minister said Russian supplies did not break any international rules. It comes amid growing alarm that chemical weapons may be being used in Syria, something US President Barack Obama has said would be “a red line”.  Over 80,000 Syrians have been killed and 1.2 million have left Syria and live in refugee camps in surrounding countries.  And the world just sits back and watches.

(BBC NEWS) –  Hospital probes E German ‘human guinea pig’ drug tests.  “A top Berlin hospital plans to investigate the conduct of drug trials in the former East Germany amid allegations that some patients were used as human guinea pigs. Communist officials allowed Western firms to test new drugs on about 50,000 people, often without their knowledge, the news magazine Der Spiegel says. Now the Charite hospital says it will stop shredding old patient records and investigate what happened. The tests took place in the 1980s.”   The hospital was formed in 1710 in response to the Bubonic Plague and became a teaching hospital in 1828.  Today,  it has 7,500 students enrolled. It treats 1,080,000 outpatients and 128,000 inpatients in 3,500 beds annually. 14,400 people are employed at its four locations in Berlin.  As for the Western Firms that exploited patients?  Expect reparation payments.

In other medical news:  (BBC NEWS)  — ‘Weight loss gut bacterium’ found. “Bacteria that live in the gut have been used to reverse obesity and Type-2 diabetes in animal studies.  Research, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, showed that a broth containing a single species of bacteria could dramatically alter the health of obese mice. It is thought to change the gut lining and the way food is absorbed. Similar tests now need to be take place in people to see if the same bacteria can be used to shed the pounds. The human body is teeming with bacteria – the tiny organisms outnumber human cells in the body 10 to one.”   When you consider yogurt has been considered a “health food” for centuries and it is the bacteria in yogurt, that make it yogurt.  “Dairy yogurt is produced using a culture of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus bacteria. In addition, other lactobacilli and bifidobacteria are also sometimes added during or after culturing yogurt. Some countries require yogurt to contain a certain amount of colony-forming units of microorganisms.”

Sitting here finishing off these Ramblings:  the doors and windows of Ft Timmerman open and the attic fan pulling in cooler evening air.  The “Magic Mesh Hands Free Screen Door” actually works as advertized!! (Don’t buy it from their website:  you can get it at Dollar General for $14.99).  Today, I am 82 days, 20 hours nicotine free,  4,473 ciggybutts not smoked, $726.00 not spent   …  and 298 hours added to my life.  Even with the pain, I did not relapse.

Time to post these Ramblings and work on another couple of Iris images.  I have a VA appointment Monday after two motions, (one a Motion to Set Aside a judicial order quashing an administrative child support order, filed by the MO AG in a dissolution   …  both parties filed for Chapter 7 protection today  …  should be interesting to see what our Judge will do  …  and the other?  A finding that R.S.Mo 524.040 is unconstitutional.)  Later, when I say my “Thank You’s” for the many blessing in my life, and my ability to feel pain because having the ability TO FEEL, leads to healing   …  I will also say a prayer for the safe and soon return of our men and women in uniform:  care to join me?  Be and sleep well, the best we have are on watch so you can.  If my post offends, I apologize  …  that is not my intent.  As always  …

A Warm Brotherly Hug

KarlT  (the dumb old country lawyer from Holden, Missouri  …  and the Editorial Staff)

Greets and Huggers.  Posted the evening of May 10, 2013.  I find the current trend to software subscription, a/k/a “Cloud Computing” fascinating.  Adobe, “Photoshop” is shifting to a subscription/cloud computing model, (with a monthly payment).  You install the software on your computer, but it “calls home” to make sure you have made your monthly payment   …  miss a payment, and the software is deactivated.  I can easily see Microsoft, et. al. going to the same business model.  Obviously, there is quite a debate in the graphic arts community about this change.  Picture all software venders going to this business model:  each piece of software on your computer having to call home before booting/loading.  It’s coming.

And advanced technology from our Japanese brethren:  (BBC NEWS)  — Body odor robots detect smelly feet and stinky breath.  “Two robots that warn users if they suffer from bad body odour have been unveiled in Japan.  One resembles a woman’s head and ranks the operator’s breath, declaring an “emergency” if it falls into the worst category.  The other looks like a dog and growls when confronted with stinky feet.”  So  …  would anybody really buy one of these devices?  I can picture them on TV:  the “Hoofie Bitch”   …  “Friends  …  concerned about when to change your socks?  Want to make sure your foot odor does not offend?  Order the “Hoofie Bitch” now for only $19.99 and shipping and handling   …  but wait  …  there is more!!  Order today and we will include the “Breath Wizard” at no charge!  Never worry about not knowing that you have bad breath!!” Now both, for only $19.99 and shipping and handling!

I have several friends who have dropped a bunch of weight on the “Paleo Diet”:  basically a low carb, high protein, low glycemic load, way of eating.  In other words, the same as “My Diet”, (the diet I developed back in 2004 and dropped close to 100 pounds on and kept it off) and “Nutrisystem”.  It works, (as I explained in “My Diet”),  because  …. as a species …. our bodies evolved to “store” carbs as fat.  Seems, as hunter gatherers, we used to run around the forest eating “kibbles and twigs” and dead stuff  ….  our bodies stored the “kibbles and twigs” as fat  …  to give us time to find more dead stuff.  Limit the “kibbles and twigs” you munch down and you have less fat to store.  From “My Diet”:  “Usable” carbs are total carbs minus “dietary fiber” carbs.  My diet is based on the “glycemic index“, (how long it takes your body to process a given carb).  Simply put, (I’m not a doctor), when you eat “processed carbs” and some naturally occurring carbs, (like potatoes), your body quickly converts them into “blood sugar”, causing your pancreas  to secrete insulin, an insulin spike. Insulin causes lipoprotein lipases   to quickly convert available blood sugar/fatty acids into something your muscle cells can use and causes fat cells  to store what is not, (for later use).  Once insulin causes lipoprotein lipases to deplete blood sugar/fatty acids, (by feeding the regular cells and storing the balance in fat cells), you are hungry again … so you eat again.  It takes your body longer to break down complex carbs and protein:  no insulin spikes … so blood sugar is released slowly, feeding muscle cells and when done right, none being left to be stored in fat cells.  While your body is processing food, (breaking down complex carbs or protein), you are not hungry … and if your blood sugar/fatty acids are low, your body dips into it’s fat stores to feed the muscle cells.  The result?   You lose weight!”   The “My Diet” page has links to hundreds of recipes and a “google” search for “Paleo Diet” recipes resulted in hundreds of pages containing “paleo recipe” links.  One I found interesting?  “Mini Bacon-Wrapped Meat Loaf”.

Speaking of kibbles and twigs and dead stuff to eat:  (Daily News) — Cicadas set to descend on East Coast can be tasty dishes when well-prepared.  “The stick-legged, buzzing and bug-eyed insects are coming — but you can do your part to exterminate cicadas: eat ‘em!  Billions of Brood II cicadas are set to hatch this spring, bringing a once every 17 years plague to most of the East Coast. The deafening insects will mate and then die over the course of about six weeks, making an unmistakable racket the entire time.”  Apparently, they are delicious and a good source of protein:  “Most experts agree that cicadas are a rich source of protein with about the same amount per pound as red meat. Cicadas are also said to be full of vitamins and minerals, low in fat, and they have zero carbs   …  cicadas are crispy and crunchy, with a nutty, almond like, flavor. Iroquois Indians have a long history of eating cicadas and considered them to be a delicacy …”   Nice to know  …  but  …  think I’ll pass!!

And  …  not a good week for the administration:  Washington (CNN) — Obama administration e-mails raise new questions on Benghazi.  “An e-mail discussion about talking points the Obama administration used to describe the deadly attack on the U.S. compound in Benghazi, Libya, show the White House and State Department were more involved than they first said in the decision to remove an initial CIA assessment that a group with ties to al Qaeda was involved, according to CNN sources with knowledge of the e-mails.”  …  and   …  (BBC NEWS)  —  Turkey claims evidence of Syrian chemical weapons use.  “Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told US media he has evidence that Syria employed chemical weapons against opposition forces. He cited the discovery of missile remains and Syrian patients showing signs of wounds from chemical weapons.  Similarly, US Secretary of State John Kerry said he now believed there was “strong evidence” of Syria using gas.”  …  and on the home front?  (CNN) –  Following tea party complaints, IRS admits ‘mistakes’ “Responding to a flurry of complaints from conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status, the Internal Revenue Service admitted Friday it made “mistakes” in the last few years while trying to process those requests. Multiple tea party groups reported significant delays and excessive questioning from IRS officials while trying to obtain 501(c)(4) status.”   Politics as usual.

Sitting here editing these Ramblings, the Editorial Staff hunkered down in the bedroom with Susan.  Given the change in Adobe’s business model, I have been looking at GIMP, (GNU Image Manipulation Program), as a replacement.  I looked at it a few years back:  the interface was clunky, the documentation sucked and there were VERY few tutorials.  It has come a long, long way.  The program will do everything that Photoshop will do, the documentation is light years better and I am amazed at the number of YouTube Tutorials available.  I currently use ACDSEE PRO 6 for my image cataloging program.  I would only need to find a RAW converter   …   Raw Therapee  looks promising.

Time to post these Ramblings and spend a quiet evening looking at GIMP tutorials.  Susan will be attending “Rockfest” tomorrow and I will hold down the Fort.  For “Mothers Day” Susan’s fur babies bought her a bottle of “Kinky”   …  she’s sipping on some now.  I picked up a 2” thick prime ribeye for her Mother’s Day meal.  The movie?  “Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters [2013]”.   Later when I say my “Thank You’s” for the many blessings in my life and Susan to share them with, I will say a prayer for the safe and soon return of our men and women in uniform, (care to join me?)  75 days, 20 hours nicotine free.  4,094 ciggybutts not smoked, $665.44 not spent and 272 hours returned to my life.   Be and sleep well, the best we have, are on watch so you can.  If my post offends, I apologize  …  that is not my intent.  As always  …

A Warm Brotherly Hug

KarlT  (the dumb old country lawyer from Holden, Missouri  …  and the Editorial Staff)

Greets and Huggers.  Posted the evening of May 3, 2013.   I wish there was something I could do to make it easier for Susan to quit smoking, since smoking poses a greater risk to women.  (BBC NEWS) — Smoking ‘poses bigger risk to women’.  “Smoking may pose a bigger health threat to women than men, say researchers.  Women who smoke have a higher risk of cancer than men, Norwegian investigators found. They looked at the medical records of 600,000 patients and discovered the bowel cancer risk linked to smoking was twice as high in women than men. Female smokers had a 19% increased risk of the disease while male smokers had a 9% increased risk …”  Bottom line?  Woman are not as “regular” as men and accordingly, are much more likely to suffer from constipation and constipation related health issues, bowl cancer being one.  Men, having evolved to be group hunters, have “ritualized” their bathroom behaviors and through natural selection, have developed a strong physiological link between their eyes and rear end.  The reason there is always a bunch of reading material in the restroom   …  and also the basis for “video rectitis”:  when the optic nerve and nerve controlling the rear end get crossed   …  and everything you look at turns to poop!

A notice I received from the CDC, (Center for Disease Control) — CDC finds suicide rates among middle-aged adults increased from 1999 – 2010. “Suicide deaths have surpassed deaths from motor vehicle crashes in recent years in the United States. In 2010 there were 33,687 deaths from motor vehicle crashes and 38,364 suicides. Suicide rates among middle-aged Americans have risen substantially since 1999, according to a report in today’s CDC journal, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report  …  The suicide rates for those aged 10 to 34 and those aged 65 years and older did not change significantly during this  period, the report said.”  Put another way, suicides among folks 35 – 64 and Native Americans have increased by almost 28%.   The sharpest increase in suicides in the study was among 50 to 64 year olds of all ethnic backgrounds.  The method used?  48% by firearm and hanging overtaking a drug overdose to become the second most popular method.  Well   …  obviously  …  something else this administration can blame on Bush.

And an ongoing debate in the UK:  (BBC NEWS)  — Assisted suicide ‘supported’ by religious Britons. “The majority of British people who follow a religious faith support the law being changed to allow assisted suicide, research suggests. Overall 70% of those questioned said they backed a change in the law, with 16% opposing it  …  Roman Catholic leaders have been particularly vocal against assisted suicide, yet among those who follow that religion 56% supported a change in the law.”   Only two states, Oregon and Washington, permit physician assisted suicide, although it is on the agenda in several states.  “Bills legalizing assisted suicide are being considered in Connecticut, Vermont, New Jersey, Kansas and Hawaii – and in Massachusetts, where proponents decided to resume their efforts after the public vote, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, which tracks legislative trends. There are also bills related to the issue under consideration in New Hampshire, New York, Arizona and Montana.”   You know   …  reasonable, honorable people can disagree on this issue.  Should a sane, rational, individual   …  when confronted with an end of life illness, (for example ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease), have the right to decide how and when their life should end?  Isn’t this a decision a person of faith should have the right to make?

(CNN) — How puppy smugglers feed Hong Kong’s love affair with big dogs. “Getting an introduction to Tiger – a 176 pound (80 kilogram) Tibetan mastiff kept on the roof space of a cramped five-story village house in Hong Kong’s New Territories — is a complicated process … The current vogue for Tibetan mastiffs in mainland China — where the nouveau riche have reportedly paid as much as US$750,000 for prize-winning specimens — has reached Hong Kong, though keeping big dogs in a city where the average flat size is just 484 square feet (45 square meters) presents a dangerous challenge.”  Tibetan Mastiffs are BIG, beautiful and primitive dogs, (unsocialized, meaning they are hard wired to be VERY protective   …  not a laying around the house, family pet.  They are quite capable of taking out a neighbor who happens to walk in, uninvited.)  Course, the Chinese also consider them the “other white meat”:  (BBC NEWS) –  China arrests hundreds over fake or tainted meat. “More than 900 people have been arrested in China for selling fake or tainted meat in the last three months, state media say. Officials say they uncovered almost 400 such cases and seized more than 20,000 tons of fake meat.  In one case, the suspects made fake mutton from foxes, mink and rats after adding chemicals, state media said   …  Food safety remains an issue of huge concern for the Chinese public, reports the BBC’s Martin Patience in Beijing. Last year there were reports that some suppliers to pharmaceutical firms used so-called gutter oil – reprocessed kitchen waste dredged from restaurant drains – to make antibiotics. Previous cases also involved the use of gutter oil as cooking oil or in food production.  Public concerns also remains over milk products, after a high-profile scandal involving the use of melamine in baby milk formula.”

An interesting legal question:  what rights do you have after a court declares you legally dead? (BBC NEWS) — Brenda Heist: How to come back from the dead.  “Brenda Heist went missing without a trace 11 years ago and was later declared dead. What happens now that she’s back? In 2002, Pennsylvania accounts clerk Brenda Heist set dinner out to defrost, folded some laundry, and took her daughter and son, eight and 12, to school.  Then she disappeared, taking a spur-of-the-moment decision to join a group of homeless hitchhikers on their way to Florida. She had been in the middle of an amicable divorce and had recently learned she had been denied housing support. Several years and countless hours devoted to the investigation later, her husband Lee went to court and had Brenda declared officially dead.” Her husband collected her life insurance and remarried.  Is the remarriage void? Will he have to pay back the life insurance?  Interesting issues.

Sitting here editing these Ramblings, having just let the dogs back in.  Hard to believe it snowed today.  A lot of birds have already laid eggs.  I wonder how they deal with weather like this?  Do the eggs survive?  And if not, can they be replaced?  Sunday “Lunch and a Movie”?  Grilled Hamburgers with Potato Salad and the movie?  “Parker [2013]”

Time to post these Ramblings and edit a couple of images I captured earlier today.  Later, when I say my “Thank You’s” for the many blessings in my life and Susan to share them with, I will pray HE give her the strength to quit smoking as well, (68 days, 19 hours, 3,714 cigs not smoked and $603.00 not spent, for me)   …  and of course, a prayer for the safe and soon return of our men and women in uniform, (care to join me?).  Be and sleep well, the best we have are on watch so you can.  If my post offends, I apologize  …  that is not my intent. As always  …

A Warm Brotherly Hug

KarlT  (the dumb old country lawyer from Holden, Missouri   …  and the Editorial Staff)

Greets and Huggers.  Posted the evening of April 26, 2013.  This was a body maintenance week.  Monday, I had a consult at the VA for my Dupuytren’s contracture.  They approved a Xiaflex injection for May 13 with a follow up manipulation on the 14^th.  Tuesday was a teeth cleaning, (and an estimate for work I need to get done. $1,300.00).  And Thursday was an Avastin shot in my right eye to slow down my wet macular degeneration, (the treatment was by my regular ophthalmologist, Dr. Doug Dehning, but was paid for by the VA).

I wrote about my experiences trying to get Blue Cross Blue Shield to cover a Xiaflex injection in my September 9, 2011 Ramblings. They refused, claiming it was an experimental procedure, (even though it is approved by Medicare). My out of pocket cost would have been $5,200.00.  With Medicare, it would have cost me $1,040.00. At the VA:  $50.00.  The Avastin shot with Medicare would have been an out of pocket cost of $1,200.00.  With the VA:  $50.00.  Why is it, that the VA can provide affordable medical services and Medicare can not?

And the oxymoron  of the day  …  “The Affordable Care Act”:  (CNN MONEY) — Millions can’t afford to go to the doctor. “A growing number of Americans are skipping needed medical care because they can’t afford it  …  Not surprisingly, those who were uninsured or had inadequate health insurance were most likely to have trouble affording care. But 28% of working-age adults with good insurance also had to forgo treatment because of the price.  Nearly three in 10 adults said they did not visit a doctor or clinic when they had a medical problem, while more than a quarter did not fill a prescription or skipped recommended tests, treatment or follow-up visits. One in five said they did not get needed specialist care.”  So share with me  …  if Obamacare will give an additional 30 million Americans health insurance  …  how many will actually be able to afford to use it, if currently, 28% of Americans with good health insurance, (provided by good jobs), can not afford to do so?

So why are/were Libyan lives worth saving and Syrian lives are not?  (BBC NEWS)  –  US has ‘some confidence’ Syria used chemical weapons.  “ US intelligence agencies believe “with varying degrees of confidence” that Syria has used chemical weapons against rebels, the White House has said.  It said the nerve agent sarin had been deployed on a “small scale”, and did not say where or when it had been used.  The White House has warned chemical weapons use would be a “red line” for possible intervention, but says this intelligence does not represent proof.”  Share with me  …  what proof would be required? I have no stomach for getting involved in another “police action”  …  but at some point, don’t we have an obligation to shield innocents?

(CNN) –  George Jones dies at 81. “George Jones, the country music legend whose graceful, evocative voice gave depth to some of the greatest songs in country music — including “She Thinks I Still Care,” “The Grand Tour” and “He Stopped Loving Her Today” — has died, according to his public relations firm.”  Jones, a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, was honored by the Kennedy Center in 2008 and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012.  His song, “He Stopped Loving Her Today”, is considered the greatest country western song of all time.

And the “tech” news:  (BBC NEWS)  — KALQ thumb-type keyboard takes on Qwerty. “Researchers have created a new keyboard layout which they claim makes “thumb-typing” faster on touchscreen devices such as tablets and large smartphones  …  According to the research team “two-thumb typing is ergonomically very different” from typing on physical Qwerty keyboards, which were developed for typewriters in the late 19th Century  …  Researchers said the key to optimizing a keyboard for two thumbs was to minimize long typing sequences that only involved a single thumb   …  The results were said to be surprising with all the vowels placed in the area assigned to the right thumb, whereas the left thumb is given more keys. With the help of an error correction algorithm trained users were able to reach 37 words per minute, researchers said.”  I have no doubt that in a couple of hundred years, through “natural selection”, as a species, we will evolve to have 5 pound thumbs.

Sitting here editing these Ramblings, Susan’s home and the dogs sleeping at my feet.  Today, 61 days, 19 hours nicotine free,  3,336 ciggybuts not smoked, $542.22 not spent   …  and 222 hours added to my life and I have not gained any weight.  The cravings are manageable and I have to admit, they are triggered by behaviors that once involved lighting up  …  like smoking a cigarette with my first cup of coffee in the morning, or after eating.  Bottom line?  Nicotine is a drug. I have no doubt, there are folks that can light up or not.  I recognize, I can’t.  I am one cigarette away from going back to a 3 pack a day addiction.

Time to post these Ramblings and settle in for a quiet evening at Ft Timmerman.  “Sunday Lunch and a Movie”?  Leftovers.  We have a freezer full of cooked food!  The movie? “The Guilt Trip [2012]”  The Avastin shot yesterday affected my vision:  I have difficulty seeing out of my right eye, but I know it will get better.  I KNOW you have to play the cards you are dealt  …  and put your faith and trust in the dealer.  Later I will say my Thank You’s because there are so many things I have to be thankful/grateful for   …  and a prayer for the safe and soon return of our men and women in uniform, (care to join me?)  Be and sleep well, the best have are on watch so you can.  If my post offends, I apologize  …  that is not my intent. As always  …

A Warm Brotherly Hug

KarlT  (the dumb old country lawyer from Holden, Missouri   …  and the Editorial Staff).

Greets and Huggers.  Posted the evening of April 19, 2013.  Funny, but no doubt just coincidence how things happen in 3’s.  This week?  The Boston Marathon bombing and ricin laced letters sent to our President.  What kind of mindset could justify the maiming/killing of innocent civilians/people? And a massive explosion in Texas killing 14 people,  the ammonia plant explosion.  Persons of faith believe all things work out for the ultimate good. But what good could possibly come out of the killing of 8 year old Martin Richard or the lives forever changed by lost limbs.  Or   …  (CNN) — Ex-justice of the peace charged in Texas slayings.  “A former justice of the peace now faces capital murder charges in the killings of two Texas prosecutors and the wife of one of them, authorities announced Thursday.”   Seems to me there is a balance between goodness and evil:  for every evil thing that happens, there is a corresponding good thing. That means, I suppose, at any given point in time   …  you can focus on the good   …  or you can focus on the evil.  I prefer to focus on the good.

Speaking of evil?  (BBC NEWS)  –  Baby milk rationing: Chinese fears spark global restrictions. “Worried mothers in China are going to great lengths to get their hands on imported milk, causing retailers in the UK and elsewhere to ration sales.  When a child is born in China, anxious new parents often prize one gift above all others: imported formula baby milk, usually hand-carried from overseas to ensure it’s the real thing. Fearful of the dangerous levels of hormones and chemicals sometimes found in Chinese baby formula, parents in mainland China often go to great lengths to secure foreign brands. “My child only drank formula that was posted from Japan by my cousin who was studying there,” explains Liu Fang in Beijing, the mother of a three-year-old boy. “When the Japanese nuclear power plant leaked, my son drank American formula which was mailed from the US.”  Given the corruption at the local level in China and the lack of regulation   …   any food products would be suspect.

 Speaking of good?  (BBC NEWS) –  Beer taste excites male brain.  “Just a tiny taste of your favorite tipple can excite the brain and increase the urge to drink, even without any effect of alcohol – according to a study on 49 men. The taste triggered the release of the brain’s reward chemical, dopamine  …  The results showed that more dopamine was released in the brain after beer and the men were more likely to say they wanted to have an alcoholic drink. Prof David Kareken said: “We believe this is the first experiment in humans to show that the taste of an alcoholic drink alone, without any intoxicating effect from the alcohol, can elicit this dopamine activity in the brain’s reward centers.”  Why the surprise?  Beer is a food and as a any woman can tell you   …  the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.

And the way to a woman’s heart? (SCIENCE NOW) –  The Final Word on Penis Size?  “No man is an island, and it turns out neither is his penis. New research suggests that size does matter (sorry, guys), but the penis is only one (sometimes) small contributor to manly allure. A man’s overall attractiveness to a woman, researchers have found, depends in part on the trio of height, body shape, and penis size.”  Very true   …  from what I understand, the reason fat, endowed midgets wind up with the most attractive women.

Sitting here editing these Ramblings and watching live coverage of a cornered Dzhokar Tsarnaev, 19, (the surviving Marathon Terrorist)  …  on Channel 9.  Fascinating that they can show a “Google Maps” street view image of the place he is hiding, (in a boat in a person’s back yard).  All of the networks have preempted regular programming    …  I have no doubt, just about everyone in America is watching this unfold.  Reminds me of the O. J. Simpson car chase spectacle.  Time to post these Ramblings and settle in to watch what happens.  Later, when I say my Thank You’s, I will include a prayer for the victims of this atrocity  …  and of course, a prayer for the safe and soon return of our men and women in uniform:  care to join me?  Be and sleep well, the best we have are on watch, so you can.  If my post offends, I apologize  …  that is not my intent.  As always   …

A Warm Brotherly Hug

KarlT (the dumb old country lawyer from Holden, Missouri   …  and the Editorial Staff)