The Late Bruce

My third-grade neighbor friend, Kiralyn, was growing a cabbage last spring for a class project. Her dad brought it over one day to ask about the yellowing leaves, so I gave them some liquid organic fertilizer to take home to feed "Bruce." He rallied and was transplanted to a large pot where Kiralyn dutifully cared for him all summer, through bugs and droughts. By mid-July, Bruce had gotten the big head (six pounds worth), and was given the honor of accompanying a corned beef and red potato dinner at Kiralyn's house.

May -- the head was forming:



July -- Bruce, the big-head:



August -- the late Bruce:



Nice job, Kira! (And thanks to Kira's dad, John, for the great photos!)

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Google Phone Review

For those interested, CNET has posted a thorough review of the new Google Dream phone. It's only significant because of the potential for the Dream phone to challenge the iPhone, and because of CNET's thoroughness with whatever they review.

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What Obama Thinks About Your Money

Everyone by now is familiar with Obama's conversation with "Joe the plumber" in which he (Obama) said it was a good thing that "Joe's" wealth (the money you and I earn) be re-distributed to others in society. It already is redistributed, of course, through taxes that fund social welfare programs, etc. But Obama is talking about something more pronounced, it would appear -- and he has been accused of tending toward socialism in that regard: the pooling of national wealth into a large pot and then parceled out on a more equal, or fair, basis -- the government being the one to decide who gets what.

This is apparently not a new thought with him. In this transcript of a 2001 radio interview he laments the fact that the Civil Rights Movement court decisions never got around to "economic justice" -- the redistribution of private citizens' wealth. He also (as a professor of Constitutional law at that time) laments the "negative" approach of the Constitution -- saying what the government was not allowed to do but failing to specify what the government should do (e.g., redistribute wealth). (As I understand it, the Founders did not overlook anything when they crafted the Constitution. They were intent on protecting citizens from the powers of government. That's why they fled oppressive government activism in Europe and created a new LIMITED government, focusing on what people were responsible for doing for themselves and limiting what government could do to interfere in peoples' "life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.")

Well -- see what you think about his words in this interview. (Disclaimer: Has the interview been unfairly edited? Is it complete? Has it been edited to cast Obama in a negative light? I don't know. The website that sponsors the video is a pro-McCain/Palin site, but I don't know if that means the transcript of Obama's words is accurate or not. Judge for yourself. I share this only because, in this "courtship" stage of political campaigns we are hearing only that which is designed to consumate the marriage. What candidates have said in the past, and fail to repudiate or reaffirm in the present for fear of derailing the relationship, is important as well. That goes for both candidates, not just for Obama.)

P.S. I am not opposed to the "redistribution of wealth." I voluntarily "redistribute" a portion of my income (over and above taxes) each month for the benefit of others. But that's a decision I make, not one that is made for me by government.

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Anticancer

Here's a short video interview with Dr. David Servan-Schreiber, cancer survivor and the author of Anticancer—A New Way of Life (mentioned in a post below on Oct. 23):



Here's another video clip about him from the CBS Early Show:

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Obama, McCain, and Abortion

The video below is a compilation of the two candidates remarks on what we now commonly refer to as the "abortion issue." Is it incomplete? I don't know -- I don't know everything each candidate has said on the subject. But it does confirm what I have understood to be their differences: McCain is pro-life, Obama is pro-abortion (again, in the general sense in which those terms are used).



I'm not sure why it is never mentioned in the "debates," but perhaps the greatest reason for the Social Security system running out of money is because of the systematic extermination of 50 million future wage earners since 1973. Everyone knows that the current generation's S.S. payments are funded by the rising generation's wage deductions that go to S.S. The generation of workers that was supposed to fund the upcoming Baby Boomers' S.S. payment has been decimated by the legalization of abortion. Those contributions were never made into the system, but those who need the contributions are still alive. The 50 million aborted wage earners will not draw on the system, so theoretically within a couple of generations the system would balance itself out again. But those who voted for pro-abortion presidents who appointed pro-abortion judges will discover that the coffers are going to run dry because of their short-sightedness.

[Disclaimer: Is it possible that McCain has ever been inconsistent in his position, or Obama in his? Of course. So if there are errors of fact in the above, I'm happy to be gently informed. But I think in general terms, the video accurately represents the two candidates' positions.]

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Cell Phone Precautions

I'm currently reading Anticancer—A New Way of Life (2007) by Dr. David Servan-Schreiber, M.D., Ph.D. He chronicles his own successful (so far -- 14 years) encounter with a brain tumor and what he learned about fighting cancer along the way. The majority of the book focuses on nutritional and lifestyle changes. I'll no doubt be posting additional insights from this book along the way.

For now, because I have raised this issue before, I'm going to list his "Ten Precautions for Cell Phone Use" (pp. 207-208). I am among a minority of people who could own a cell phone but don't. My reasoning so far has centered on not needing one, but over the last year, in the face of increasing scientific research being published, my reasons are shifting to defending myself against the harmful effects of prolonged exposure of the brain to EMFs -- electromagnetic fields, created not just by cell phones but by cordless phones, wireless computer networks, computers/monitors, and a host of other electronic devices and appliances. (Small defensive measures against EMFs are coming online, such as this one for cell phones and these for other devices. I can't speak for their efficacy -- just noting that they exist.)

Due to the relatively short time that cell phones have become ubiquitous in our culture, only now are studies beginning to appear assessing their safety -- and the results of the studies, from what I continue to read, are not positive from a health perspective.

I am listing here only his 10 precautions without the explanatory paragraph that accompanies each in his book. If you want to read his brief discussion of each point, go to Amazon's page for the book, click on "Search Inside this Book" (under the image of the book jacket), enter "Ten Precautions" in the search field, and you'll get a link to the pages in the book where you can read the discussion. (Click on the directional arrows on the right side of page 207 to be taken to page 208. If you don't use this feature of Amazon, keep it in mind. More and more, the full text of more recent books are searchable at Amazon or at books.Google.com.)

Ten Precautions for Cell Phone Use

1. Do not allow children under twelve years of age to use a cell phone except in emergencies.

2. While communicating using your cell phone, try to keep the device away from the body.

3. As much as possible, stand away from a person using a cell phone.

4. Avoid carrying your cell phone on you constantly . . . even on standby, particularly if pregnant. (Turn it off.)

5. If you must carry your cell phone on you, make sure that the face (key pad) is positioned toward your body anad the back (antenna side—stronger magnetic field) is positioned toward the outside.

6. Only use your cell phone to establish contact or for conversations lasting only a few minutes.

7. Switch sides regularly and, before putting your cell phone to your ear, wait until your correspondent has picked up.

8. Avoid using your cell phone when the signal is weak.

9. When possible, communicate via text messaging rather than making a call.

10. Choose a device with the lowest SAR possible (SAR = specific absorption rate of the magnetic field absorbed by the body). (SAR rates for cell phones are available on several Internet web sites.) [WK note: Here you can find a list of the 10 cell phones with the highest SAR rates, plus SAR rates for many popular phones as compiled by CNET, a reliable source.)


Unless you are qualified to refute the above precautions, I would recommend erring on the side of caution. Your brain will thank you.

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What Obama Says vs. What Obama Does

An interesting article at AmericanThinker.com highlights two large promises Barack Obama has made and then broken. One is his promise to participate in the federal financing program for his presidential campaign and the resulting fund-raising limits, and his subsequent repudiation of that promise. That promise-breaking is pretty well known.

The other was unknown to me: His documented pledge to the voters of Illinois in 2004, upon his election to the U. S. Senate, not to run for president. From the American Thinker article:

"Look, I can unequivocally say I will not be running for national office in four years."

Obama gave a similar response to a question from a reporter that he dismissed as "silly": "Guys, I'm a state senator. I was elected yesterday. I have never set foot in the U.S. Senate. I've never worked in Washington. And the notion that somehow I'm immediately going to start running for higher office, it just doesn't make sense."

More than half the time Obama has been a Senator he has been campaigning for president.

Is he the first politician to make promises and break them? No. Has John McCain done anything similar? I don't know -- I haven't seen reference to it if he has. But this is another example of why Barack Obama scares me to death. He either knowingly says things that he hasn't carefully considered (immature), or says things that he knows aren't true (immoral). There are no perfect politicians or leaders, but I would prefer one that is more mature and more moral, especially when it comes to keeping his word, than the alternative.

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New Urban Farming Documentary

Watch for a new documentary that is currently being screened at film festivals around the country. Called Homegrown, it tells the story of the Dervaes family (dad and three adult children) who turned their Pasadena, CA, one-fifth-acre lot into a fabulous urban farm. Here is the family's website (where you'll find numerous videos about this venture), and here is the trailer for the movie:


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Trip to Dallas

Made a sad trip to Dallas this week to attend the funeral of a good friend from high school. While there, stayed with Joey and Cynthia -- Joey was a college fraternity brother and close friend, and I knew Cynthia vis-a-vis Campus Crusade for Christ while in grad school at the University of Alabama. Pictured below are Joey, Cynthia, and a sort of abstract shot of a gigantic jet engine against the blue sky on the return trip.

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Bailout: A Bad Idea

There is no shortage of talking heads out there opining about the current market crisis. I'm posting this one because of who the head belongs to: Jim Rogers, one of the most respected and successful international investors for the last several decades. He believes the American government's bailout plan, and now that of the G7 nations who are convening in Washington, is being ignored by the markets—and says why. Watch the video here.

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More Reasons to Move to Asheville

There is a new movement in Asheville, NC, to promote the local food scene. Growers, chefs, markets, restaurants, and community are all gathered under the banner of FoodTopianSociety.com. Asheville keeps creating more good reasons to live there or nearby. The Appaliachian Sustainable Agriculture Project was the first of these "umbrella" movements supporting sustainable food production, and the FoodTopian Society is following in that same vein.
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Meat, the Prostate, and Big Pharma

A new Oxford University study has found that a diet containing meat and dairy may lead to increased likelihood of prostate cancer in men.

Because the connection between animal fat and prostate cancer has been established before, I've thought about it every time I've seen a current commercial running on TV. It's for Flomax (get it? MAXimum FLOW of urine, not constricted by an enlarged prostate?), one of the popular drugs to reduce the symptoms of BPH (swelling of the prostate). It pictures these guys who are all happy now that they can get in and out of the bathroom quickly -- and they're all standing around a grill at a cookout!

Imagine -- a drug company that sells a prostate-shrinking drug showing men at a cookout preparing to consume the very foodstuffs that are bad for the prostate. It's part of the do-whatever-you-want-and-then-take-a-pill mentality that Big Pharma has sold the American consumer.

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Hide Your Private Stuff

Check out the clarity of this first picture taken by the new Google-sponsored satellite that is now circling the earth, snapping pix of the globe. These pictures will, in due course, begin replacing the images now seen on Google maps, etc. This is a picture of Kutztown University in Pennsylvania, taken from 423 miles above the earth:

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What Goes Around . . .

Very interesting article written by Dean Reynolds, veteran CBS News correspondent who has spent the last 12 months on the road covering both the Obama and McCain campaigns. His article is about the differences between how the two campaigns operate and how they treat the press: one of the campaigns is friendly toward reporters, one is not; one of the principals is friendly to the reporters, the other is not; one of the campaigns is extremely organized when it comes to letting reporters know about schedules, travel, etc., the other is not; one of the campaign's plane is cramped and smelly, the other is clean and accomodating.

Reynold's final paragraph is insightful:

"Maybe none of this means much. Maybe a [campaign] that is focused solely on victory doesn't have the time to do the mundane things like print up schedules or attend to the needs of reporters.

"But in politics, everything that goes around comes around."

Banks Down, Brewers Up

From Agora Financial's 5 Minute Forecast:

Just out of curiosity this morning, we sought out the best and worst performing sectors over the last 12 months:

Worst: Dow Jones U.S. Mortgage Finance Index, down 95%.
Best: Dow Jones U.S. Brewers Index, up 17%.

That pretty much sums it up, eh?

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Right or Responsibility?

In the presidential debate last night, one question illustrated the clear difference between Obama and McCain. If I didn't have any other reason NOT to vote for Obama, his answer to this one question would have been enough:

Brokaw Question: "Is health care a right, a privilege, or a responsibility?"

Obama Answer: "A right."
McCain Answer: "A responsibility."

Obama's answer is the same answer that created the sub-prime mortgage mess: Every American has a RIGHT to own a home whether s/he can afford it or not. That belief was engineered by Democrats and translated through Fannie and Freddie and we are reaping the results. Separating rights from responsibilities (and privileges -- such as home ownership) is fundamental.

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Declaration for Healthy Food and Agriculture

This past August, a group of well-known activists for healthy food and sustainable agriculture (Wendell Berry, Alice Waters, Michael Pollan, et al) released a draft Declaration for Healthy Food and Agriculture -- a 12-point statement intended to influence the next iteration of the always-lamentable federal Farm Bill. Several hundred thousand people already have signified their support by endorsing the statement at the Declaration's web site. I would encourage you to go to the site, read the (brief) declaration, and add your endorsement.

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Avocado Transplants

Here are the six avocado trees I transplanted from the flower beds into the side yard. The row of four borders my neighbor's property line but he was fine with having them there; the two on the left could be problems being so close to the driveway. The jury is out on whether any of them will make it -- one of the six looks a little pale this morning. We'll see.

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Figs and Books

Went to Home Depot this morning to get potting/planting mix for transplanting the avocado trees (pix tomorrow -- too dark when I finished) and spied a great Brown Turkish Fig tree -- actually, the one I got has two trunks growing out of the same pot, even better. I bought some Brown Turkish Figs at the store the other day -- $.79 each. The price wasn't marked and the checkout person thought they were $.79 for the bag instead of $.79 each. Needless to say I haven't bought any more at that price, but a bag for $.79 was nice. And they were delicious -- as big as golf balls. So when I saw the fig trees at Home Depot I grabbed this one. The card that came on the tree says they can get 40-50 feet wide and tall, so I put it on the open space on the side yard.

Digging this hole was like chipping concrete:



All tucked in with a mix of mushroom compost, composted cow manure, potting soil, and organic fertilizer:





These look just like the ones I bought at the store -- huge:





On the way to Home Depot I stopped in the Matthews Public Library book sale that began today and runs all this week. A nice stack of hardbacks for four bucks:

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TED

TED (stands for Technology, Education, Design) is an annual, invitation-only conference of the best and brightest thinkers in technology, education, and design. I have a DVD of the TED conference from 2006 -- mind-boggling to watch these speakers, using their 18 minutes to tell the other attendees what they are working on. Cash prizes to further that research are awarded to the best.

This was one of the presentations on creativity in children (many more of the 18-minute videos, on a variety of subjects, at the TED website):



This one is a Swedish researcher who uses an amazing presentation of data on child mortality around the world. The audience was blown away by his presentation:

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Your Bank's Stability

Go here to get a rating on your bank's financial condition. Very detailed information.

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What About Cancer-Preventing Foods?

Tour de France legend and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong, as part of his Livestrong war on cancer, has challenged McCain and Obama to list three things they would do to lessen the impact of cancer if elected to the presidency. Their answers are brief and pointed, but focus mainly on doing more of what's been done in the past: more money, more research, more accessible healthcare, etc. McCain makes a brief reference to "healthy living" which is commendable. (Yet see the previous post below on what McCain keeps in the 'fridge on his tour bus, and his overall eating habits. His idea of "healthy living" is not that healthy.) But it's clear these two have no more creative ideas than trying to improve what has been done in the past. 

The new DVD, Healing Cancer from Inside Out, makes it clear that in spite of billions of dollars spent over recent decades, cancer still has the upper hand. There was definitely not "one American death per minute" (as Armstrong notes) in 1900 as there is today. From that perspective, we are in worse condition now than before the billions were spent. As books like Dr. Colin Campbell's The China Study point out, the first line of defense against cancer, and the most potent weapon against reversing it, is an immune system made strong by the cancer-fighting properties of plants. 

From the national level, regardless of which of the two is elected, we're in for more of the same:

UPDATE: I removed the embedded video because of the IRRITATING fact that it plays automatically every time you log onto my blog. To watch the video you can click on the title line of this post above.

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The Health of the Candidates

In his latest Newsletter, Dr. John McDougall does a thorough, detailed analysis of the current diet and health status of the two presidential candidates. One is in good shape and the other is not.

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Weight Loss on Raw Food

Nice story on CNN.com of a 300-pound young woman who lost 160 pounds over two years by switching to a raw vegan diet. Has kept the weight off for four years and authored several books on switching to a vegan, raw-food lifestyle.

Food Storage Jars

One of Jen's friends posted on her blog the story of the pesky little moths that get into food products (mainly grains, in my experience) in the pantry. They lay eggs in the food, etc. -- resulting in having to throw out everything and start over. Sealed storage containers are the solution, as Anna said, showing the Ball jars which are so good for many uses. A couple of years ago I made the same switch and finally found online a source for one-quart and one-gallon glass jars (with screw-on lids) to store dry foods in (rice, beans, oatmeal, cereal, seeds, pasta, flour, etc.). They are sold by the case (12-count) and were just $2-$3 each when buying that many.

The reason I like the one-quart jars is because they are straight-sided, meaning the openings are wide at the top for sticking measuring spoons or other utensils in. The large jars on the bottom shelf (below) are great -- 128 oz/one-gallon size -- for storing large quantities of dry bulk foods.

I had a VERY DIFFICULT time finding these jars online. Very strange to me that something this common would be so hard to find. When I went back this week to try to find my original source to send to Jen's friend, I couldn't find it. Don't know if it's still out there or not, but this is a market niche that seems to be waiting to be filled. If anyone finds a good source for these LARGE size glass jars, please post it in the comments:

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Fall Colors

Snagged this "fall" bouquet at Harris Teeter this morning. Don't do flowers very often, but want to do more. They bring such color and "good cheer" to a room:





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Top 10 Blogs for Writers

Michael Stelzner (the leading writer of corporate white papers) has released the results of the "Top 10 Blogs for Writers, 2008/2009" contest.

There's something here for everyone: Moms, see #9. Here are his descriptions of each:

1. Copyblogger: As the undefeated champ, this blog has held the number-one spot for three straight years! The baby of Brian Clark, this blog keeps winning because of its excellent and educational articles.
2. Men With Pens: James Chartrand and Harry McLeod are the dynamic duo who continue to deliver rich content and community discussion.
3. Freelance Writing Jobs: Founded by Deb Ng, this site is the first stop for freelance writers seeking new work and great articles (and it remains a top winner since this contest began).
4. Write to Done: This blog delivers a steady stream of excellent articles for all writers and is the product of top blogger Leo Babauta.
5. Confident Writing: Looking for encouragement? Joanna Young will help you take your writing to the next level.
6. The Renegade Writer: Linda Formichelli and Dianna Burell, authors of a book by the same name, help freelance journalists find inspiration.
7. Remarkable Communication: One part writing, one part marketing and one part selling, this excellent blog by Sonia Simone will help any writer succeed.
8. Writing Journey: Looking for a great stop on your writing journey? Bob Younce’s blog will refresh and energize you.
9. Freelance Parent: Two moms, Lorna Doone Brewer and Tamara Berry, provide excellent perspective on writing while balancing time with little ones.
10. Urban Muse: Susan Johnson covers a wide range of excellent topics that all writers will enjoy.

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Augustine's Pears

Whenever I look out my back window to the heavily-laden pear tree in my neighbor's yard, I think of the role pears played in St. Augustine's conversion. From chapter four, book two, of his Confessions:

There was a pear tree close to our own vineyard, heavily laden with fruit, which was not tempting either for its color or for its flavor. Late one night--having prolonged our games in the streets until then, as our bad habit was--a group of young scoundrels, and I among them, went to shake and rob this tree. We carried off a huge load of pears, not to eat ourselves, but to dump out to the hogs, after barely tasting some of them ourselves. Doing this pleased us all the more because it was forbidden. Such was my heart, O God, such was my heart--which thou didst pity even in that bottomless pit. Behold, now let my heart confess to thee what it was seeking there, when I was being gratuitously wanton, having no inducement to evil but the evil itself. It was foul, and I loved it. I loved my own undoing. I loved my error--not that for which I erred but the error itself. A depraved soul, falling away from security in thee to destruction in itself, seeking nothing from the shameful deed but shame itself.

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"3" "7" or "PC"

The evidence seems to be mounting about the danger of some plastic bottles. The dangerous ingredient in the plastic goes by the name "BPA," and a report I read said that 90-95% of Americans have BPA in their bodies already (according to an AMA study). One BPA research study summarizing 218 other studies on BPA found that 189 of the studies found harmful effects of BPA -- an 87% agreement rate. BPA has been linked to a number of diseases, but the American Medical Association.

The FDA, however, is on the other side of the evidence and said this on September 18:

Based on our ongoing review, we believe there is a large body of evidence that indicates that FDA-regulated products containing BPA currently on the market are safe and that exposure levels to BPA from food contact materials, including for infants and children, are below those that may cause health effects.

The easiest way to tell the "bad" plastic bottles (including water bottles, baby bottles, energy drink bottles, food storage containers, etc.) is to look on the bottom. You'll find a triangle with a single digit number in it. The "bad" bottles have a "3" or a "7" in the triangle, or the letters "PC" stamped on the bottom. Some of my two- and five-gallon buckets that I use for dry bulk food storage have a fork/spoon icon stamped on the bottom signifying "food grade."

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Smoothie

FRUIT SMOOTHIE
This has been my daily lunch for the last month or more, at least on the days I work out around noon, which is most days. It's full of good stuff -- very healthful. I tweaked this recipe until I got it right, and it's delicious. The ultimate taste test -- the particular palate of one David K. -- produced two-thumbs up. He had one of these daily on his recent visit to Charlotte.

Here's what the finished product looks like -- recipe below:



After pouring the smoothie into the tumbler I rinse the sides of the blender with (good) water, enough to wash the remaining mix down to the bottom of the blender container (whatever it's called). I then blend that mix and pour it into a separate glass and drink it down. It's diluted and weak, of course, but I'm not about to waste all the nutrition that's left on the sides of the blender. Rinsing and remixing is much easier than trying to scrape off what's left with a plastic spatula:



I'm going to list these incredients in the order I add them with a few notes. (A blender strong enough to blend ice and frozen bananas is required.) Into the blender "thing" put . . .

•A half-dozen ice cubes (made with good water)
•Half a peeled orange (leave as much of the white pith as possible)
•Half of a large, frozen banana (buy the cheap bags of ripe bananas when you can find them; peel, wrap in plastic wrap, and keep a supply in the freezer)
•1/3 cup organic blueberries (large bags of organic blueberries at Costco)
•1/3 organic berry mix (big bags of organic mixed berries from Costco -- contains blackberries, raspberries, blueberries)
•1/3 cut mango chunks (frozen from Trader Joe's, but not organic)
•2-3 organic strawberries
•6-8 organic red seedless grapes
•Other pieces of fruit? (I had some Turkish figs this week and threw one in for fun.)
•1/2 cup of decaf sun (green or black) tea
•1 Tbsp Vanilla extract (extract much better than vanilla flavoring; the best price I've found is at Trader Joe's for vanilla extract)

Put the lid on and start the blender, turning it up to the fastest speed. The ice and frozen banana create a frozen slush at first that doesn't "blend," so just let it run, creating heat to melt the frozen stuff a bit. I usually have to use the "plunger" that comes with the Vita-Mix to jam stuff down into the blades and get it mixing. You can add a bit more tea (or water) if you think it needs more liquid. Let it "blend" while you prepare the next ingredients.

I use a coffee bean grinder to grind up the following seeds into "meal" consistency before putting them in to blend:

•1 Tbsp. chia seeds (from www.getchia.com)
•1 Tbsp. raw pumpkin seeds
•1 Tbsp. raw sunflower seeds
•1 Tbsp. hemp seeds
•2 Tbsp. raw flax seeds (a daily supply of Omega 3's, along with the hemp and chia seeds)

Grind the above together into meal. When the "stuff" in the blender gets to a liquid consistency (creates a vortex in the blender container), dump the seed meal in and let it blend in.

Finally,

•1 heaping Tbsp. of vegan vanilla rice protein mix. (Available at most healthfood or natural markets, but only in one-pound sizes. I order the three-pound size from vitacost.com at a much better price. Vitacost.com has a fixed $4.95 shipping charge regardless of what you order. Any supplements, etc., that I buy I usually order from them.)

When a new vortex has formed and the seed meal is mixed in, put the protein powder in. Let the entire batch blend on "High" for another minute or or so. The longer it blends the smoother it gets, but depending on the speed of your blender the temperature will begin to rise as well -- so find the happy medium between smoothness and coldness.

Takes about 10 minutes to do the whole deal once you get in the routine, and well worth it. I have only made this with the Vita-Mix blender, which is a powerhouse and creates a velvety smooth blend. And the chia seeds add a "slippery" mucilage effect when they are added to anything (besides being full of good nutrition).

Next to come is the list of ingredients Jennifer used for burritos at Ellen's recent birthday party.

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Friday Fun

Anna sent me the following puzzle. How would you answer?

3 men go to a hotel and rent a room.
The manager tells them it is $30 so they each hand him a ten dollar bill.
Later that day the manager realizes he gave the men the wrong price. The room is actually only $25.
He gives the bell boy 5 one dollar bills and asks him to refund it to the men.
The bellboy keeps $2 for himself and gives the men back $3 which means they ended up paying $9 each for a total of $27. If they payed $27 and the bellboy kept $2 where did the other dollar go?

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Zvents

Check out Zvents -- a search site that shows you everything that's happening (interesting events, not news) in your community. Just go to the site and (by magic) you're presented with a home page filled with activities in your community.

Cycologist

Daniel's "new" Honda Shadow 600 cycle (2001 model). After a not-nice thief took his Honda scooter from the carport of his house (never recovered), which was his transportation in lieu of a second family car, he replaced it with this bike. Very nice, really clean, low miles, 50-60 mpg -- what could be better?

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David Sighting

Son David was in town for several days last week before heading to the beach with the Raleigh crew, and before starting back to grad school at Drexel University in Philadelphia later this month. Somehow the camera didn't surface at the right times when Dave was here, so borrowed this picture from Jen. She and Daniel and the girls drove up from Columbia to see Dave and sister Anna. L to R below -- Anna, David, Daniel. (Thanks for the photo loan, Jen.)

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