Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Lt. Dan Band
I wish I could go to a movie theatre and watch a movie like this:
The Lt Dan Band Movie.
But the good thing is, you can watch this movie right now on your computer for $3.99. It's an uplifting movie with Lt Dan giving his support to the troops, those who gave their lives on 911, and even the children of Iraq.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Upton Sinclair-The Fasting Cure
Many are familiar with Upton Sinclair's great book The Jungle.
But a little know fact is that Upton Sinclair was a believer in fasting.
Here's a free Google book by Upton Sinclair, titled The Fasting Cure.
Rip Esselstyn--The Engine 2 Diet
I'm passionate about nutrition. But most books about nutrition are full of BS. Many half truths that cause way more damage than help. Is there a right way to eat? How dare you say there are foods that are good for you, and foods that are dangerous to your health?
The fact is, there is a right diet. And Rip Esselstyn's book, The Engine 2 Diet, is jammed packed with solid information on what are the right foods to eat. And he backs it up with numbers. Numbers that he says that we should all know--what is our cholesterol level, HDL, LDL, triglycerides (blood fats), and glucose sugar level. These numbers don't lie and these are the numbers we should hold dear.
I highly recommend reading Rip Esselstyn's book. While reading his book, he talks about his famous father, Dr Caldwell Esselstyn. Read his book too-How To Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease. Learn how Dr Esselstyn took a group of people who either were given up for dead, or refused heart surgery and see how they stopped their heart disease dead in their tracks.
Luigi Cornaro, Italian Nobleman
Luigi Cornaro-Author of The Temperate Life or How To Live 100 Years--Lived from 1464-1566.
This is an introduction written by Hereward Carrington
Introduction
by Hereward Carrington
to Cornaro's Discourses on a Sober and Temperate Life
This famous work, by Louis Cornaro, The Temperate Life, (sometimes titled, How to Live 100 Years), has been translated into many different languages. Yet it is hardly known to anyone today. But it is one of the greatest books on Hygiene ever written, and Health Research is certainly to be congratulated in having made this reprint of it, thereby bringing it before the reading public.
Cornaro was a Venetian nobleman, four of his ancestors having been Doges of the "Serene Republic." He was born in 1464, and lived to the age of 102, dying in 1566. Like the majority of young gallants of his day, Louis Cornaro lived a reckless and dissipated life, the result being that he completely broke-down, at the age of forty, and was given-up by his physicians to die. He was indeed a physical wreck!
Taking matters into his own hands, however, Cornaro decided to reform his life, and see what the results would be. He simplified his diet and cut down on the quantity of food to the barest minimum. Within a few days he began to see the difference, and at the end of a year found himself completely restored to health. Seeing this, he continued this simple and abstemious life for the rest of his life. He limited himself to twelve ounces of solid food daily and fourteen ounces of wine. (If the modern Hygienist should raise his eyebrows at this, he should remember that wine, in the Latin countries, is very light, and is drunk by them at meals, just as we drink water. It is taken as a matter-of-course. Fourteen ounces is a comparatively small amount.)
Cornaro's book, "La Vita Sobria," consists of four "Discourses," the first being written at the age of eighty-three, the second at eighty-six, the third at ninety-one, and the fourth at ninety-five. To the end of his life Cornaro continued to lead an active and useful existence, devoting much of his time and energy to the spreading of these doctrines and in attempts to spread the knowledge of dietetic reform. It is safe to say that, since his work was published, many thousands have regained health and prolonged their lives by reason of his teachings.
While these are fully set forth in the treatise which follows, I cannot refrain from quoting a few brief passages, which illustrate how "modern" many of his views were, and how true a "Hygienist" he really was. Take the following sentences, for example:". . . . And there is no doubt that if the one so advised were to act accordingly, he would avoid all sickness in the future; because a well-regulated life removes the causes of disease. Thus, for the remainder of his days, he would have no further need either of doctors or of medicines."
"Should he, when ill, continue to eat the same amount as when in health, he would surely die; while, were he to eat more, he would die all the sooner. For his natural powers, already oppressed with sickness, would thereby be burdened beyond endurance, having had forced upon them a quantity of food greater than they could support under the circumstances. A reduced quantity, is, in my opinion, all that is required to sustain the individual."
And again:
". . . . I accustomed myself to the habit of never fully satisfying my appetite, either with eating or drinking always leaving the table when able to take more. In this I acted according to the Proverb: Not to satiate one's self with food is the science of health."
How in accordance with our modern teachings!
Various editions of Cornaro's work have appeared in English translations. One of the earliest of these, editions, it seems, was issued in 1842, under the editorial supervision of Dr. John Burdell: another edition, undated, was published by the Crowell Company, and still another by the Health Culture Co., of New York in 1916. Meanwhile a little-known edition was issued in 1903, by William F. Butler, of Milwaukee. The latest to see the light of day is an English version, published in 1951, by the "Health for All Publishing Company."
Addison, writing in "The Spectator," (October 13, 1711), paid a glowing tribute to Cornaro; and so did Lord Bacon, in his "History of Life and Death." and Sir William Temple, in his "Health and Long Life," (16th cent.), while on August 10, 1817, Bartholomeo Gamba, a noted author in his day, delivered an address before the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Venice, which consisted of a Eulogy of Louis Cornaro. Cornaro's sumptuous palace still stands in Padua, and may be visited by any tourist who is sufficiently interested to do so. Cornaro was the Administrator of the Bishopric of Padua for many years, under Cardinal Pisani. It is said that, in Italy, his work is still considered one of the ''classics."
It is evident, therefore, that Cornaro's influence has been long and enduring, and it is high time that modern health reformers should realize this and estimate him at his true worth. No one in the Middle Ages exerted so great an influence.
Cornaro emphasizes several points in his Treatise which are perhaps too often overlooked by the modern health enthusiast. He points out, first of all, that mere prolongation of life is in itself useless unless that life is healthy and contented. A long life full of disease and misery is worse than no life at all. The object of health should be, rather, to enable us to forget the body, and to carry on our interests and life-activities without impediment or interference, because of sickness or debility, thus permitting the free and full use of our faculties and talents. In short, we should DO something with our lives, besides merely living them; and the object of health is to insure this possibility, making a useful and constructive life possible. Health, then, is merely a means to an end, rather than an end in itself. (But, of course, until health is attained, it must be our primary object to attain it!)
This point-of-view was endorsed and indeed emphasized by both Bacon and Temple, the latter writing:
"The two great blessings of life are, in my opinion, health and good humor; and none contribute more to one another. Without health, all will allow life to be but a burden; and the several conditions of fortune to be all wearisome, dull, or disagreeable, without good humor . . . The vigor of the mind decays with that of the body, and not only humor and invention, but even judgment and resolution, change and languish with ill-constitution of body and of health. . . "
"That which I call temperance is a regular and simple diet, limited by every man's experience of his own easy digestion, and thereby proportioning, as near as well as can be, the daily repairs to the daily decays of our wasting bodies
"In the course of common life, a man must either often exercise, or rest, or take physic, or be sick; and the choice seems left to everyone as he likes. The first two are the best methods and means of preserving health . . . 'Tis true, physicians must be in danger of losing their credit with the vulgar if they should often tell a patient he has no need of physic, and prescribe only rules of diet or common use; most people would think they had lost their fee. But the first excellence of a physician's skill and care is discovered by resolving whether it be best in the case to administer any physic or none to trust to nature or to art; and the next, to give such prescriptions as, if they do no good, may be sure to do no harm."
Bacon, again, writes in much the same strain. He says:
"To preserve long life, the body of man must be considered . . . . Age is nothing of itself, being only the measure of time . . . . A pythagorian diet according to strict rules, and always exactly equal as that of Cornaro seemeth to be very effectual for long life. If there were anything eminent in the Spartans, that was to be imputed to the parsimony of their diet. . . . Certainly this is without all question: diet, well ordered, bears the greatest part in the prolongation of life. . . ."
"Hope is the most beneficial of all the affections, and cloth much for the prolongation of life, if it be not too often frustrated, but entertaineth the fancy with an expectation of good; therefore they which fix and propound to themselves some end as the mark and scope of their life and continually and by degrees go forward in the same, are, for the most part, long-lived."
Yet there are some who contend that "psychosomatic medicine" and the teachings of "new thought" and "applied psychology" are really new!
Cornaro was indeed a pioneer, and if there are some today who may think that there is nothing essentially novel in what he said, we must remember that, in his day, science, as we understand it, was almost an unknown factor; physiology had hardly been born and psychology undreamed of. Our knowledge of fasting, dietetics, food combinations, organic foods, etc., all came into being almost within the memory of men yet living - though many of the essentials were propounded by the great health reformers of the last century. (See The Fasting Story and The History of Natural Hygiene, both published by Health Research). Today we have a wealth of material to draw upon, as well as vast experience and the means of disseminating this knowledge. But when Cornaro wrote, none of this was in being. It is all the more remarkable, therefore, that he was enabled to write as he did, for the whys and hows of this method were not discovered until centuries later!
Cornaro himself, it seems, never actually fasted - merely reducing the quantity of food which he ate to an absolute minimum. The consequence was that it took him nearly a year to regain full health, whereas he could probably have achieved the same result within a month, had he taken more drastic measures. However, he did ultimately attain a state of excellent health, and for the ensuing sixty-odd years he maintained it by reason of his abstemious life. There is no reason why anyone could not do likewise!
Indeed, there is every reason why a man today should not do even better, for the things which constituted the basis of Cornaro's diet would be spurned by the modern Hygienist. Bread, eggs and the lighter meats were his staple foods, and practically no mention is made anywhere of fruits, salads, etc., which play so important a role in the reformed diet of today. Many of these were doubtless unknown and unprocurable when he lived, so that we should profit by the quality of the food we eat no less than by the quantity. But the mere fact that Cornaro regained and maintained his health, on his diet, shows us how important a factor the restriction of quantity is, and indicates that this is, in all probability, the most important single factor in the preservation of health and longevity . .
Cornaro's book was one of the first I read when I began my reading on Natural Hygiene, and the fact that I am writing this introduction to the book now is something of a thrill. I presume that Health Research asked me to write this prefactory material because they know that I am now long past seventy myself, and am one of the few surviving early health reformers . . . I suppose I am one of the few people living today who can truthfully say that he has never had a serious illness in his life, and never been inside a hospital, save as a visitor! But there is no reason why practically everyone could not say the same thing; the maintenance of health is such an easy matter that it seems almost odd that anyone should become ill! And if anyone asks how this desirable condition is to be brought about, one cannot do better than refer him to Cornaro's book, supplementing this by up-to-date advice and information on dietetics and general hygiene. There can be no doubt that a vital, healthy human race would result in consequence, - instead of the miserable and disease-ridden humanity that we see everywhere about us! Cornaro's great work should prove an important factor in achieving this desirable result. It is with this hope that the book is sent-forth on its mission!
----------------------------------------
Mike's thoughts:
Luigi Cornaro lived in the 1400s-1500s. I wonder, how badly could his fellow countrymen be eating? Surely they didn't have access to processed food, our hormone fat beef and our dairy.
And as Hereward Carrington states, Cornaro's diet was not the ideal hygenist diet. I think it is mainly Cornaro's consistent exercise of undereating is the reason he prospered.
This is an introduction written by Hereward Carrington
Introduction
by Hereward Carrington
to Cornaro's Discourses on a Sober and Temperate Life
This famous work, by Louis Cornaro, The Temperate Life, (sometimes titled, How to Live 100 Years), has been translated into many different languages. Yet it is hardly known to anyone today. But it is one of the greatest books on Hygiene ever written, and Health Research is certainly to be congratulated in having made this reprint of it, thereby bringing it before the reading public.
Cornaro was a Venetian nobleman, four of his ancestors having been Doges of the "Serene Republic." He was born in 1464, and lived to the age of 102, dying in 1566. Like the majority of young gallants of his day, Louis Cornaro lived a reckless and dissipated life, the result being that he completely broke-down, at the age of forty, and was given-up by his physicians to die. He was indeed a physical wreck!
Taking matters into his own hands, however, Cornaro decided to reform his life, and see what the results would be. He simplified his diet and cut down on the quantity of food to the barest minimum. Within a few days he began to see the difference, and at the end of a year found himself completely restored to health. Seeing this, he continued this simple and abstemious life for the rest of his life. He limited himself to twelve ounces of solid food daily and fourteen ounces of wine. (If the modern Hygienist should raise his eyebrows at this, he should remember that wine, in the Latin countries, is very light, and is drunk by them at meals, just as we drink water. It is taken as a matter-of-course. Fourteen ounces is a comparatively small amount.)
Cornaro's book, "La Vita Sobria," consists of four "Discourses," the first being written at the age of eighty-three, the second at eighty-six, the third at ninety-one, and the fourth at ninety-five. To the end of his life Cornaro continued to lead an active and useful existence, devoting much of his time and energy to the spreading of these doctrines and in attempts to spread the knowledge of dietetic reform. It is safe to say that, since his work was published, many thousands have regained health and prolonged their lives by reason of his teachings.
While these are fully set forth in the treatise which follows, I cannot refrain from quoting a few brief passages, which illustrate how "modern" many of his views were, and how true a "Hygienist" he really was. Take the following sentences, for example:". . . . And there is no doubt that if the one so advised were to act accordingly, he would avoid all sickness in the future; because a well-regulated life removes the causes of disease. Thus, for the remainder of his days, he would have no further need either of doctors or of medicines."
"Should he, when ill, continue to eat the same amount as when in health, he would surely die; while, were he to eat more, he would die all the sooner. For his natural powers, already oppressed with sickness, would thereby be burdened beyond endurance, having had forced upon them a quantity of food greater than they could support under the circumstances. A reduced quantity, is, in my opinion, all that is required to sustain the individual."
And again:
". . . . I accustomed myself to the habit of never fully satisfying my appetite, either with eating or drinking always leaving the table when able to take more. In this I acted according to the Proverb: Not to satiate one's self with food is the science of health."
How in accordance with our modern teachings!
Various editions of Cornaro's work have appeared in English translations. One of the earliest of these, editions, it seems, was issued in 1842, under the editorial supervision of Dr. John Burdell: another edition, undated, was published by the Crowell Company, and still another by the Health Culture Co., of New York in 1916. Meanwhile a little-known edition was issued in 1903, by William F. Butler, of Milwaukee. The latest to see the light of day is an English version, published in 1951, by the "Health for All Publishing Company."
Addison, writing in "The Spectator," (October 13, 1711), paid a glowing tribute to Cornaro; and so did Lord Bacon, in his "History of Life and Death." and Sir William Temple, in his "Health and Long Life," (16th cent.), while on August 10, 1817, Bartholomeo Gamba, a noted author in his day, delivered an address before the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Venice, which consisted of a Eulogy of Louis Cornaro. Cornaro's sumptuous palace still stands in Padua, and may be visited by any tourist who is sufficiently interested to do so. Cornaro was the Administrator of the Bishopric of Padua for many years, under Cardinal Pisani. It is said that, in Italy, his work is still considered one of the ''classics."
It is evident, therefore, that Cornaro's influence has been long and enduring, and it is high time that modern health reformers should realize this and estimate him at his true worth. No one in the Middle Ages exerted so great an influence.
Cornaro emphasizes several points in his Treatise which are perhaps too often overlooked by the modern health enthusiast. He points out, first of all, that mere prolongation of life is in itself useless unless that life is healthy and contented. A long life full of disease and misery is worse than no life at all. The object of health should be, rather, to enable us to forget the body, and to carry on our interests and life-activities without impediment or interference, because of sickness or debility, thus permitting the free and full use of our faculties and talents. In short, we should DO something with our lives, besides merely living them; and the object of health is to insure this possibility, making a useful and constructive life possible. Health, then, is merely a means to an end, rather than an end in itself. (But, of course, until health is attained, it must be our primary object to attain it!)
This point-of-view was endorsed and indeed emphasized by both Bacon and Temple, the latter writing:
"The two great blessings of life are, in my opinion, health and good humor; and none contribute more to one another. Without health, all will allow life to be but a burden; and the several conditions of fortune to be all wearisome, dull, or disagreeable, without good humor . . . The vigor of the mind decays with that of the body, and not only humor and invention, but even judgment and resolution, change and languish with ill-constitution of body and of health. . . "
"That which I call temperance is a regular and simple diet, limited by every man's experience of his own easy digestion, and thereby proportioning, as near as well as can be, the daily repairs to the daily decays of our wasting bodies
"In the course of common life, a man must either often exercise, or rest, or take physic, or be sick; and the choice seems left to everyone as he likes. The first two are the best methods and means of preserving health . . . 'Tis true, physicians must be in danger of losing their credit with the vulgar if they should often tell a patient he has no need of physic, and prescribe only rules of diet or common use; most people would think they had lost their fee. But the first excellence of a physician's skill and care is discovered by resolving whether it be best in the case to administer any physic or none to trust to nature or to art; and the next, to give such prescriptions as, if they do no good, may be sure to do no harm."
Bacon, again, writes in much the same strain. He says:
"To preserve long life, the body of man must be considered . . . . Age is nothing of itself, being only the measure of time . . . . A pythagorian diet according to strict rules, and always exactly equal as that of Cornaro seemeth to be very effectual for long life. If there were anything eminent in the Spartans, that was to be imputed to the parsimony of their diet. . . . Certainly this is without all question: diet, well ordered, bears the greatest part in the prolongation of life. . . ."
"Hope is the most beneficial of all the affections, and cloth much for the prolongation of life, if it be not too often frustrated, but entertaineth the fancy with an expectation of good; therefore they which fix and propound to themselves some end as the mark and scope of their life and continually and by degrees go forward in the same, are, for the most part, long-lived."
Yet there are some who contend that "psychosomatic medicine" and the teachings of "new thought" and "applied psychology" are really new!
Cornaro was indeed a pioneer, and if there are some today who may think that there is nothing essentially novel in what he said, we must remember that, in his day, science, as we understand it, was almost an unknown factor; physiology had hardly been born and psychology undreamed of. Our knowledge of fasting, dietetics, food combinations, organic foods, etc., all came into being almost within the memory of men yet living - though many of the essentials were propounded by the great health reformers of the last century. (See The Fasting Story and The History of Natural Hygiene, both published by Health Research). Today we have a wealth of material to draw upon, as well as vast experience and the means of disseminating this knowledge. But when Cornaro wrote, none of this was in being. It is all the more remarkable, therefore, that he was enabled to write as he did, for the whys and hows of this method were not discovered until centuries later!
Cornaro himself, it seems, never actually fasted - merely reducing the quantity of food which he ate to an absolute minimum. The consequence was that it took him nearly a year to regain full health, whereas he could probably have achieved the same result within a month, had he taken more drastic measures. However, he did ultimately attain a state of excellent health, and for the ensuing sixty-odd years he maintained it by reason of his abstemious life. There is no reason why anyone could not do likewise!
Indeed, there is every reason why a man today should not do even better, for the things which constituted the basis of Cornaro's diet would be spurned by the modern Hygienist. Bread, eggs and the lighter meats were his staple foods, and practically no mention is made anywhere of fruits, salads, etc., which play so important a role in the reformed diet of today. Many of these were doubtless unknown and unprocurable when he lived, so that we should profit by the quality of the food we eat no less than by the quantity. But the mere fact that Cornaro regained and maintained his health, on his diet, shows us how important a factor the restriction of quantity is, and indicates that this is, in all probability, the most important single factor in the preservation of health and longevity . .
Cornaro's book was one of the first I read when I began my reading on Natural Hygiene, and the fact that I am writing this introduction to the book now is something of a thrill. I presume that Health Research asked me to write this prefactory material because they know that I am now long past seventy myself, and am one of the few surviving early health reformers . . . I suppose I am one of the few people living today who can truthfully say that he has never had a serious illness in his life, and never been inside a hospital, save as a visitor! But there is no reason why practically everyone could not say the same thing; the maintenance of health is such an easy matter that it seems almost odd that anyone should become ill! And if anyone asks how this desirable condition is to be brought about, one cannot do better than refer him to Cornaro's book, supplementing this by up-to-date advice and information on dietetics and general hygiene. There can be no doubt that a vital, healthy human race would result in consequence, - instead of the miserable and disease-ridden humanity that we see everywhere about us! Cornaro's great work should prove an important factor in achieving this desirable result. It is with this hope that the book is sent-forth on its mission!
----------------------------------------
Mike's thoughts:
Luigi Cornaro lived in the 1400s-1500s. I wonder, how badly could his fellow countrymen be eating? Surely they didn't have access to processed food, our hormone fat beef and our dairy.
And as Hereward Carrington states, Cornaro's diet was not the ideal hygenist diet. I think it is mainly Cornaro's consistent exercise of undereating is the reason he prospered.
Monday, June 27, 2011
The Netherlands--Bastion of Liberalism
Abandoning Multiculturalism--read here the whole article. I especially like the comments.
A new integration bill (covering letter and 15-page action plan), which Dutch Interior Minister Piet Hein Donner presented to parliament on June 16, reads: "The government shares the social dissatisfaction over the multicultural society model and plans to shift priority to the values of the Dutch people. In the new integration system, the values of the Dutch society play a central role. With this change, the government steps away from the model of a multicultural society."
The letter continues: "A more obligatory integration is justified because the government also demands that from its own citizens. It is necessary because otherwise the society gradually grows apart and eventually no one feels at home anymore in the Netherlands. The integration will not be tailored to different groups."
The new integration policy will place more demands on immigrants. For example, immigrants will be required to learn the Dutch language, and the government will take a tougher approach to immigrants to ignore Dutch values or disobey Dutch law.
The government will also stop offering special subsidies for Muslim immigrants because, according to Donner, "it is not the government's job to integrate immigrants." The government will introduce new legislation that outlaws forced marriages and will also impose tougher measures against Muslim immigrants who lower their chances of employment by the way they dress. More specifically, the government will impose a ban on face-covering Islamic burqasas of January 1, 2013.
A new integration bill (covering letter and 15-page action plan), which Dutch Interior Minister Piet Hein Donner presented to parliament on June 16, reads: "The government shares the social dissatisfaction over the multicultural society model and plans to shift priority to the values of the Dutch people. In the new integration system, the values of the Dutch society play a central role. With this change, the government steps away from the model of a multicultural society."
The letter continues: "A more obligatory integration is justified because the government also demands that from its own citizens. It is necessary because otherwise the society gradually grows apart and eventually no one feels at home anymore in the Netherlands. The integration will not be tailored to different groups."
The new integration policy will place more demands on immigrants. For example, immigrants will be required to learn the Dutch language, and the government will take a tougher approach to immigrants to ignore Dutch values or disobey Dutch law.
The government will also stop offering special subsidies for Muslim immigrants because, according to Donner, "it is not the government's job to integrate immigrants." The government will introduce new legislation that outlaws forced marriages and will also impose tougher measures against Muslim immigrants who lower their chances of employment by the way they dress. More specifically, the government will impose a ban on face-covering Islamic burqasas of January 1, 2013.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Mexico VS US Soccer Match in US
Article from LA Times
It was imperfectly odd. It was strangely unsettling. It was uniquely American.
On a balmy early Saturday summer evening, the U.S soccer team played for a prestigious championship in a U.S. stadium … and was smothered in boos.
Its fans were vastly outnumbered. Its goalkeeper was bathed in a chanted obscenity. Even its national anthem was filled with the blowing of air horns and bouncing of beach balls.
Photos: Gold Cup final
Most of these hostile visitors didn't live in another country. Most, in fact, were not visitors at all, many of them being U.S. residents whose lives are here but whose sporting souls remain elsewhere.
(After the match was completed, the ceremonies were all done in Spanish. I wonder if US won in Mexico, would it be in English?)
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Vernola's Towing--Norwalk, CA
Complaint Reviews about Vernola's Towing: Here, here, and here.
This also from Yelp
.
This picture is my wife at the window at Vernola's Towing. You don't actually see a person. You stand at the window, wait for the person to talk to you, then a slat at the bottom is removed to pass though documents.
You are treated rudely, and I will give a few examples. Yesterday, I went there by myself to retrieve the vehicle, but was not successful. So today I brought my wife, along with my camera, so she could witness for herself how you're treated by these people.
First, let me say, I made a report on the internet to a website called "Ripoff Report". While at the Ripoff Report website, I noticed 3 other complaints for the same company.
Here's what I stated in my report:
My son's car was impounded 6/18/2011. My son is in Men's Central Jail in Los Angeles.
This also from Yelp
.This picture is my wife at the window at Vernola's Towing. You don't actually see a person. You stand at the window, wait for the person to talk to you, then a slat at the bottom is removed to pass though documents.
You are treated rudely, and I will give a few examples. Yesterday, I went there by myself to retrieve the vehicle, but was not successful. So today I brought my wife, along with my camera, so she could witness for herself how you're treated by these people.
First, let me say, I made a report on the internet to a website called "Ripoff Report". While at the Ripoff Report website, I noticed 3 other complaints for the same company.
Here's what I stated in my report:
My son's car was impounded 6/18/2011. My son is in Men's Central Jail in Los Angeles.
I called to get the car out of impound. Vernola's s Towing said I had to have a notorized release from my son, no exceptions. I took a Notary to the men's jail and got the document notarized. Then I go to the Cerritos Sheriff station and get the release from them.
I take documents along with my license on 6/25/2011 at around 4:30PM to pick up car at Vernola's. You don't actually see anyone, because they are behind this thick dark glass. At first, when I hand them the documents, along with my license (my son's last name/address are the same as mine), I'm told they don't think my signed notarized document is legitimate, and they might not accept it.
There is no one there but me at this place of business. Finally, after waiting for around a half an hour, five minutes before they close (4:55), they tell me the charge is $418.00. I give them my credit card, and they tell me they will only accept cash. I explain there is no way I can go to the bank, get cash, and be back in 5 minutes. Could they please make an exception? "No".
I tell them I will return the next day, and they tell me they may not accept the document by then.
My wife and I go there today--I, with camera in hand, to record what they say. They tell me I'm not allowed to record. They were rude. The car did eventually get released to us, but before we even got to see the car, cash had to be paid up front, and you had to sign a document that says you release Vernola's Towing from any claims, actions, suits, agreements or liabilities arising from its possession.
I take documents along with my license on 6/25/2011 at around 4:30PM to pick up car at Vernola's. You don't actually see anyone, because they are behind this thick dark glass. At first, when I hand them the documents, along with my license (my son's last name/address are the same as mine), I'm told they don't think my signed notarized document is legitimate, and they might not accept it.
There is no one there but me at this place of business. Finally, after waiting for around a half an hour, five minutes before they close (4:55), they tell me the charge is $418.00. I give them my credit card, and they tell me they will only accept cash. I explain there is no way I can go to the bank, get cash, and be back in 5 minutes. Could they please make an exception? "No".
I tell them I will return the next day, and they tell me they may not accept the document by then.
My wife and I go there today--I, with camera in hand, to record what they say. They tell me I'm not allowed to record. They were rude. The car did eventually get released to us, but before we even got to see the car, cash had to be paid up front, and you had to sign a document that says you release Vernola's Towing from any claims, actions, suits, agreements or liabilities arising from its possession.
Here's another review from Citisearch (This link explains best my experience others had). Please read for yourself and draw your own conclusions. Do you believe there's a pattern here? Could it be their rules are not to help the car owners, but to deliberately make it difficult so that fees become high for the benefit of Vernola's Towing?
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Refined Grains
This post is mostly for me.
On June 2 I had surgery, which gave me plenty of time to rest. While resting, I tore though and reread my favorite nutrition books by Drs Fuhrman, Esselstyn, Campbell, McDougall and Lisle.
I became aware of something I've been doing glaringly wrong in my diet. Though for the most part, I've been a vegan, I've always eaten lots of refined grains. (Even though time and again, I read refined grains aren't good, I still harbored the idea that refined grains really aren't that bad for me. Boy, was I ever wrong.) And I've always wondered why my blood pressure was high, cholesterol higher than what I would like, and triglycerides higher than what I liked too. It was all related to eating a diet with lots of refined carbohydrates, including beer.
Since my surgery, I've gotten very little exercise, no aerobic exercise, but have eaten the most healthy ever in my life. All from eschewing refined grains in favor of whole grains. My blood pressure dropped immediately along with my weight. I will stay on this path of eating and then get my cholesterol and triglycerides tested later. I'm really looking forward to getting tested.
I realize my diet is what most would call a spartan or very strict diet. It definitely is. Does all my food taste good? The answer is no. Do I care? No.
But now that I've come upon this new found knowledge, it's left me with a few answers along with a few questions.
One of the answers is that if we look at other animals, none suffer obesity. No Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers for the thousands of birds that we see flying overhead. No billions of dollars spent on which diet is the right diet. They eat till full. Just as if we eat the foods that our body was intended for, we'd never have to count calories either--never, ever again.
Also another answer--obesity is not our fault. Anyone who eats the standard American diet, will eventually either be overweight, or they just have a body type in which they're blessed. While the diet should consist of mainly whole grain foods, examine the foods that you eat and others around you. It is comprised mostly of foods containing little to no fiber. With a steady diet of fiberless foods, one can't help but gain weight. And it's not your fault. It is ingrained in our culture and our customs to eat fiberless foods.
A question I have is that since my diet is spartan, and so different than everyone else, will I be able to maintain this diet? I certainly don't fit in. "Here Mike, have a piece of bread". No thank you. "Here Mike, have some of this meat". No thank you. Wow, aren't you a lot of fun to be with. I want to make sure I invite you next time we go out.
On June 2 I had surgery, which gave me plenty of time to rest. While resting, I tore though and reread my favorite nutrition books by Drs Fuhrman, Esselstyn, Campbell, McDougall and Lisle.
I became aware of something I've been doing glaringly wrong in my diet. Though for the most part, I've been a vegan, I've always eaten lots of refined grains. (Even though time and again, I read refined grains aren't good, I still harbored the idea that refined grains really aren't that bad for me. Boy, was I ever wrong.) And I've always wondered why my blood pressure was high, cholesterol higher than what I would like, and triglycerides higher than what I liked too. It was all related to eating a diet with lots of refined carbohydrates, including beer.
Since my surgery, I've gotten very little exercise, no aerobic exercise, but have eaten the most healthy ever in my life. All from eschewing refined grains in favor of whole grains. My blood pressure dropped immediately along with my weight. I will stay on this path of eating and then get my cholesterol and triglycerides tested later. I'm really looking forward to getting tested.
I realize my diet is what most would call a spartan or very strict diet. It definitely is. Does all my food taste good? The answer is no. Do I care? No.
But now that I've come upon this new found knowledge, it's left me with a few answers along with a few questions.
One of the answers is that if we look at other animals, none suffer obesity. No Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers for the thousands of birds that we see flying overhead. No billions of dollars spent on which diet is the right diet. They eat till full. Just as if we eat the foods that our body was intended for, we'd never have to count calories either--never, ever again.
Also another answer--obesity is not our fault. Anyone who eats the standard American diet, will eventually either be overweight, or they just have a body type in which they're blessed. While the diet should consist of mainly whole grain foods, examine the foods that you eat and others around you. It is comprised mostly of foods containing little to no fiber. With a steady diet of fiberless foods, one can't help but gain weight. And it's not your fault. It is ingrained in our culture and our customs to eat fiberless foods.
A question I have is that since my diet is spartan, and so different than everyone else, will I be able to maintain this diet? I certainly don't fit in. "Here Mike, have a piece of bread". No thank you. "Here Mike, have some of this meat". No thank you. Wow, aren't you a lot of fun to be with. I want to make sure I invite you next time we go out.
Foods and Fiber
All meats--chicken, fish, pig, cow-contain no fiber or very little fiber.All dairy--milk, yogurt, ice cream, cheese-contain no fiber or very little.
Refined grains--white rice, white bread, most boxed breakfast cereals, soft drinks (sugar)--contain no to little fiber.
What has fiber? Beans, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.
How to cure obesity in the world? Let every morsel of food you eat contain fiber. Eschew foods that have little to no fiber. Try it for two days, see for yourself. It may be the hardest two days of your life, but it could well be the most eye opening two days.
Simple Vegan Meal
This is a simple and tasty vegan meal.One can of pinto beans, rinsed.
Make salsa of tomato, onion, cilantro with lime or lemon juice. (Pineapple makes it even more tasty.)
Broil corn tortillas 3 minutes per side.
Use a little hot sauce.
For one can of pinto beans, I can make around 10 tacos, enough for 3 meals.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Forks Over Knives--The Movie
Here are the show times for the movie "Forks Over Knives":
http://www.forksoverknives.com/showtimes/
Forks Over Knives is a movie about eating a plant based diet. Sounds boring, doesn't it? Trust me, it's far from it. It is one of the most compelling, thoughtful documentaries I've ever seen.
It might not be showing in your area. Just keep the title in your mind. Eventually it will be coming your way.
I cannot more highly recommend a movie.
http://www.forksoverknives.com/showtimes/
Forks Over Knives is a movie about eating a plant based diet. Sounds boring, doesn't it? Trust me, it's far from it. It is one of the most compelling, thoughtful documentaries I've ever seen.
It might not be showing in your area. Just keep the title in your mind. Eventually it will be coming your way.
I cannot more highly recommend a movie.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Canadian Surgeon in Afghanistan
Below I link to a few articles about Dr Patterson. And then I highlight what captures the essence of the article. One thing I did not highlight which is of great interest is the non use of insulin for all of critically ill patients in Afghanistan. It was just never required, while in Western countries it is standard medical care. Read the full article to get the full explanation, I find it most informative.
This is a from an article by Dr Kevin Patterson
Recently I WORKED as an internist-intensivist at the Canadian Combat Surgical Hospital in Kandahar. Most of our casualties were Afghans: National Army soldiers, National Police and civilians caught in crossfire. They were diminutive men, almost always less than a hundred and forty pounds. I cannot comment on the body masses of the Taliban—they were never brought to us. But they are not likely larger than those of the soldiers and the police. And because, in war, soldiers are fed first—prospering right up to the moment they are pierced—the civilians were even thinner.
For someone used to the life and the pathologies of the rich and settled, much about practicing medicine in Afghanistan felt unfamiliar. One of the striking differences was the way gunshot victims’ abdomens looked in CT scans. Back home, I was used to seeing organs stand out with some prominence from the abdominal fat. In fact, in Canadians, the state of the kidneys can be partly assessed by the degree of inflammation in the perinephric fat that envelops them. It’s the same with the pancreas, and the liver often looks like it belonged to a French goose fattened for foie gras. Indeed, the idea of “normal” in a Canadian body proceeds from the assumption that it might be normal to spend one’s days tied to a grain spout, beak pried open, being filled with cracked corn.
Not the Afghans. The surgeons, in fact, often commented on how the abdominal contents spilled out once the abdominal wall was opened; every loop of bowel immediately visible, unobscured by mesenteric fat, which, in Canadians, would cling to every organ like yellow oily cake. Excessive fattiness is precisely why, when caring for the critically ill in North America, glucose levels are tightly controlled with insulin—a procedure necessary even for those not thought to be diabetic. Stressed by the infection, or the operation that has brought us to the intensive care unit, our sugar levels rise, paralyzing our white blood cells and nourishing the bacteria chewing upon them. But it was never necessary to give the Afghans insulin, no matter how shattered they were.
This from an interview:
This is a from an article by Dr Kevin Patterson
Recently I WORKED as an internist-intensivist at the Canadian Combat Surgical Hospital in Kandahar. Most of our casualties were Afghans: National Army soldiers, National Police and civilians caught in crossfire. They were diminutive men, almost always less than a hundred and forty pounds. I cannot comment on the body masses of the Taliban—they were never brought to us. But they are not likely larger than those of the soldiers and the police. And because, in war, soldiers are fed first—prospering right up to the moment they are pierced—the civilians were even thinner.
For someone used to the life and the pathologies of the rich and settled, much about practicing medicine in Afghanistan felt unfamiliar. One of the striking differences was the way gunshot victims’ abdomens looked in CT scans. Back home, I was used to seeing organs stand out with some prominence from the abdominal fat. In fact, in Canadians, the state of the kidneys can be partly assessed by the degree of inflammation in the perinephric fat that envelops them. It’s the same with the pancreas, and the liver often looks like it belonged to a French goose fattened for foie gras. Indeed, the idea of “normal” in a Canadian body proceeds from the assumption that it might be normal to spend one’s days tied to a grain spout, beak pried open, being filled with cracked corn.
Not the Afghans. The surgeons, in fact, often commented on how the abdominal contents spilled out once the abdominal wall was opened; every loop of bowel immediately visible, unobscured by mesenteric fat, which, in Canadians, would cling to every organ like yellow oily cake. Excessive fattiness is precisely why, when caring for the critically ill in North America, glucose levels are tightly controlled with insulin—a procedure necessary even for those not thought to be diabetic. Stressed by the infection, or the operation that has brought us to the intensive care unit, our sugar levels rise, paralyzing our white blood cells and nourishing the bacteria chewing upon them. But it was never necessary to give the Afghans insulin, no matter how shattered they were.
This from an interview:
| BY CHRIS TENOVE | |
Kevin Patterson's writing is vivid, emotionally acute and bracingly smart. His first work, the sailing memoir The Water in Between, was a New York Times "notable book," and his short-story collection,Country of Cold, won the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize. But it's not just his literary craftsmanship that stokes the envy of his fellow writers. More maddening is that he is this good and he has a day job. Dr Patterson, who lives on Saltspring Island, is an internal medicine specialist at Nanaimo General Hospital. He put himself through medical school by joining the Canadian Army. He's currently doing a tour of duty — as a civilian physician — in Afghanistan treating civilians at a hospital in Kandahar to provide relief to overstretched Canadian Forces healthcare personnel. Before he left, he managed to persuade 11 of his physician and nursing colleagues to pitch in too. ARCTIC MUSINGS His latest book, Consumption, was inspired by his experiences as a doctor in the Arctic, where he's spent part of every year since 1994. Consumption began as a non-fiction account of the abrupt transformation of Inuit communities. In a short period of time, the Inuit have changed from suffering the diseases of deprivation — particularly starvation — to the diseases of affluence, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. But as Dr Patterson wrote about the medical and psychological impact of acculturation, he kept returning to the underlying issues of loneliness, fear and social dislocation. These, he realized, would be better probed using fictional characters, and so Consumption became his first novel (click here to read an excerpt). Consumption begins in 1962, when Victoria, an Inuit girl, is diagnosed with tuberculosis and evacuated to the south. When she rejoins her family six years later, she is healthy but culturally estranged. In her new home of Rankin Inlet no one really fits in, however. The community is in the midst of wrenching change as the latest technologies, diamond fever and new patterns of consumption all arrive from the south. "This novel is not about the problems of the Inuit, it's about our problems examined partly through the lens of the Inuit," Dr Patterson told me when we met for breakfast at the Sylvia Hotel. He's a trim man in his 40s but looks younger — except for the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, a consequence of weeks spent squinting into the distance at the helm of his ketch. Here's what else Dr Patterson had to say... On the North: "The closest thing I've ever encountered to the tundra is the open ocean 1,000 miles offshore, on a particularly bad day. Part of what stirs me about the Inuit and the north is the sense of wonder I feel that people survived there, in that climate and with no wood. Think about the bowhead whale hunt, for example. It's just amazing. I mean, you are in a kayak made from sealskin, and you have a piece of driftwood with a sharpened rock tied to it, and you are hunting these 50-tonne animals! But when you pulled the whale ashore your whole band ate well for weeks. You just set up a camp beside the carcass. Each morning you got up and chopped off another square foot of frozen blubber and skin and took it into the igloo. Your biggest job then was to fend off the dogs and polar bears." On why narwhale blubber is better than Cheez Doodles: "When I first went up north in 1994 there was no diabetes. As late as the 1960s, people were travelling to Cree villages in the northern boreal forests to find out why they are immune to diabetes. Now, in a place like Norway House (a Cree community in northern Manitoba), the prevalence of diabetes in adults is 40%. That's just amazing! |
Dr Patterson dons his mukluks for a stroll on the iceFriday, June 3, 2011
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Obama-1967 Border
This, written by Larry Miller:
Maybe this has been posted before; oh well.
The Palestinians want their own country. There's just one thing about that:
There are no Palestinians. It's a made up word.
Israel was called Palestine for two thousand years. Like "Wiccan," "Palestinian"
sounds ancient but is really a moderninvention.
Before the Israelis won the land in the 1967 war, Gaza was owned by Egypt, the
West Bank was owned by Jordan, and there were no "Palestinians." As soon as the Jews took over and started growing oranges as big as basketballs, what do you know, say hello to the "Palestinians," weeping for their deep bond with their lost "land" and "nation."
So for the sake of honesty, let's not use the word "Palestinian" any more to describe these
delightful folks, who dance for joy at our defeats until someone points out they're being taped.
Instead, let's call them what they are:"Other Arabs Who Can't Accomplish Anything In Life
And Would Rather Wrap Themselves In The Seductive Melodrama Of Eternal Struggle And Death." I know that's a bit unwieldy to expect to see on CNN. Howabout this, then: "Adjacent Jew-Haters." Okay, so the Adjacent Jew- Haters want their own country. Oops, just one more thing:
No, they don't. They could've had their own country any time in the last thirty years, especially two years a go at Camp David. But if you have your own country, you have to have traffic lights and garbage trucks and Chambers of Commerce, and, worse, you actually have to figure out some way to make a living.
That's no fun. No, they want what all the other Jew-Haters in the region want: Israel. They also want a big pile of dead Jews, of course --that's where the real fun is -- but mostly they want Israel.
Why? For one thing, trying to destroy Israel - or "The Zionist Entity" as their textbooks call it -- for the last fiftyyears has allowed the rulers of Arab countries to divert the attention of their own people away from the fact that they're the blue-ribbon most illiterate, poorest, and tribally backward people on God's Earth. And if you've ever been around God's Earth, you know that's really saying something.
It makes me roll my eyes every time one of our pundits waxes poetic about the great history and culture of the Muslim Middle East.
Unless I'm missing something, the Arabs haven't given anything to the world since Algebra, and, by the way, thanks a lot for that one.
Chew this around and spit it out: Five hundred million Arabs, Five Million Jews. Think of all the Arab countries as a football field, and Israel as a pack of matches sitting in the middle of it. And now these same folks swear that if Israel gives them half of that pack of matches, everyone will be pals.
Really? Wow, what neat news. Hey, but what about the string of wars to obliterate the tiny country and the constant din of rabid blood oaths to drive every Jew into the sea? Oh, that? We were just kidding.
My friend, Kevin Rooney, made a gorgeous point the other day. Just reverse the numbers. Imagine five hundred million Jews and five million Arabs. I was stunned at the simple brilliance of it.
Can anyone picture the Jews strapping belts of razor blades and dynamite to themselves?
Of course not. Or marshaling every fiber and force at their disposal for generations to drive a tiny Arab State into the sea? Nonsense. Or dancing for joy at the murder of innocents on 9/11 or when the U.S. Marines were slaughtered in Lebanon?
Impossible. Or spreading and believing horrible lies about the Arabs baking their bread with the blood of children? Disgusting. No, as you know, left to themselves in a world of peace, the worst Jews would ever do to people is debate them to death.
Mr. Bush, God bless him, is walking a tightrope. I understand that with vital operations in Iraq and others, it's in our interest, as Americans, to try to stabilize our Arab allies as much as possible, and, after all, that can't be much harder than stabilizing a roomful of super models who've just had their drugs taken away. However, in any big-picture strategy, there's always a danger of losing moral weight. We've already lost some.
After September 11th our president told us and the world he was going to root out all terrorists and the countries that supported them. Beautiful. Then the Israelis, after months and months of having the equivalent of an Oklahoma City every week (and then every day) start to do the same thing we did, and we tell them to show restraint. If America were being attacked with an Oklahoma City every day, we would all very shortly be screaming for the administration to just be done with it and kill everything south of the Mediterranean and east of the Jordan.
Maybe this has been posted before; oh well.
The Palestinians want their own country. There's just one thing about that:
There are no Palestinians. It's a made up word.
Israel was called Palestine for two thousand years. Like "Wiccan," "Palestinian"
sounds ancient but is really a moderninvention.
Before the Israelis won the land in the 1967 war, Gaza was owned by Egypt, the
West Bank was owned by Jordan, and there were no "Palestinians." As soon as the Jews took over and started growing oranges as big as basketballs, what do you know, say hello to the "Palestinians," weeping for their deep bond with their lost "land" and "nation."
So for the sake of honesty, let's not use the word "Palestinian" any more to describe these
delightful folks, who dance for joy at our defeats until someone points out they're being taped.
Instead, let's call them what they are:"Other Arabs Who Can't Accomplish Anything In Life
And Would Rather Wrap Themselves In The Seductive Melodrama Of Eternal Struggle And Death." I know that's a bit unwieldy to expect to see on CNN. Howabout this, then: "Adjacent Jew-Haters." Okay, so the Adjacent Jew- Haters want their own country. Oops, just one more thing:
No, they don't. They could've had their own country any time in the last thirty years, especially two years a go at Camp David. But if you have your own country, you have to have traffic lights and garbage trucks and Chambers of Commerce, and, worse, you actually have to figure out some way to make a living.
That's no fun. No, they want what all the other Jew-Haters in the region want: Israel. They also want a big pile of dead Jews, of course --that's where the real fun is -- but mostly they want Israel.
Why? For one thing, trying to destroy Israel - or "The Zionist Entity" as their textbooks call it -- for the last fiftyyears has allowed the rulers of Arab countries to divert the attention of their own people away from the fact that they're the blue-ribbon most illiterate, poorest, and tribally backward people on God's Earth. And if you've ever been around God's Earth, you know that's really saying something.
It makes me roll my eyes every time one of our pundits waxes poetic about the great history and culture of the Muslim Middle East.
Unless I'm missing something, the Arabs haven't given anything to the world since Algebra, and, by the way, thanks a lot for that one.
Chew this around and spit it out: Five hundred million Arabs, Five Million Jews. Think of all the Arab countries as a football field, and Israel as a pack of matches sitting in the middle of it. And now these same folks swear that if Israel gives them half of that pack of matches, everyone will be pals.
Really? Wow, what neat news. Hey, but what about the string of wars to obliterate the tiny country and the constant din of rabid blood oaths to drive every Jew into the sea? Oh, that? We were just kidding.
My friend, Kevin Rooney, made a gorgeous point the other day. Just reverse the numbers. Imagine five hundred million Jews and five million Arabs. I was stunned at the simple brilliance of it.
Can anyone picture the Jews strapping belts of razor blades and dynamite to themselves?
Of course not. Or marshaling every fiber and force at their disposal for generations to drive a tiny Arab State into the sea? Nonsense. Or dancing for joy at the murder of innocents on 9/11 or when the U.S. Marines were slaughtered in Lebanon?
Impossible. Or spreading and believing horrible lies about the Arabs baking their bread with the blood of children? Disgusting. No, as you know, left to themselves in a world of peace, the worst Jews would ever do to people is debate them to death.
Mr. Bush, God bless him, is walking a tightrope. I understand that with vital operations in Iraq and others, it's in our interest, as Americans, to try to stabilize our Arab allies as much as possible, and, after all, that can't be much harder than stabilizing a roomful of super models who've just had their drugs taken away. However, in any big-picture strategy, there's always a danger of losing moral weight. We've already lost some.
After September 11th our president told us and the world he was going to root out all terrorists and the countries that supported them. Beautiful. Then the Israelis, after months and months of having the equivalent of an Oklahoma City every week (and then every day) start to do the same thing we did, and we tell them to show restraint. If America were being attacked with an Oklahoma City every day, we would all very shortly be screaming for the administration to just be done with it and kill everything south of the Mediterranean and east of the Jordan.
Monday, May 9, 2011
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