Why I Lost 180 Pounds in 18 Months

On January 1, 2014 I was fed up with being fat and decided that "enough was enough."  I had let myself get to a slovenly 394 pounds and that is FAT... even for a 6'1" big man.

I could not walk more than a few steps without getting shortness of breath and if I walked much more than 50 feet I was exhausted.  I knew that I had to do something or I was going to die, and I had to do it fast.

My immediate goal was not to lose a huge amount of weight, but rather to stop gaining weight.  If I could do that, I could then begin to consider short and long term goals, but I knew I had to make some changes in my life or I was not going to live much longer.

I won't bore anyone with the morbid details but I have a weak heart which was at approximately 20% functionality due to some undetermined (by my cardiologists) disease or infection that I had experienced in my adulthood.  It was only after some pre-op testing that the seriousness of my heart condition became an issue.  I was going to have a simple shoulder operation to repair some damage and remove some bone spurs that were the result of a terrible 18-wheeler accident that I had been involved in years ago.  When the EKG came back abysmally abnormal the surgeon postponed the surgery in lieu of a full examination by a cardiologist.  Further testing by a cardiologist found the extreme heart damage and the surgery was put on a back burner as my heart problems were being addressed.

Subsequent cardiology testing resulted in my being classified as "Totally Disabled" and thus my working career as a truck driver came to an end.  I was now a retired man whether I liked it or not.

The surgery was planned in 2006 and my eventual classification of total disability came in 2007.  At this time I was already a big man... too big... but not as big as I was about to get.  Since I could no longer do any physical activity I was pretty much relegated to being a couch potato.  Maybe that is a stretch but it is what I became and since I didn't make any effort to change my eating habits I began to gain weight.

Like most of us, eating has always been one of the pleasures of life that I really enjoy.  I absolutely love the taste of a good hamburger, tacos, pizza, bacon, cheese, bbq pork, and you can fill in the blanks from there on out.  Oh... don't let me forget how much I love the taste of a Snicker Bar... or even maybe a bag of the small ones.  Wow!  I love my food.

Needless to say my weight climbed and climbed until that day in January of 2014 when it approached 400 pounds.  The last weight I can actually remember seeing on the scale was 394 but I am sure I was heavier than that before I dedided that I had to change my life.

Over the next 18 months I lost 180 pounds and I felt like a new man.  There is no other way to put it.  I have a life again.  I now am back to doing things I really love to do and I am getting out and visiting friends I hadn't seen in years.  I have my life back and I am a happy man.

BUT... I am confused.  I have told quite a few people... I even posted on Facebook about my weight loss... and I am absolutely flabberghasted that NOT ONE SINGLE PERSON has asked me how I did it.  Wow!

The 180 pound mark was hit in July 2015 and now it is only a couple of days away from being October of 2015 and not one person has asked me about how I did it.  The thing that amazes me is that even after I told everyone that I did it without one single bit of exercise (because of my heart condition), I STILL did not get any questions from anyone.  I have thought about that and I have a theory which unfortunately I am thinking is right on the money. 

Here is my theory:

PEOPLE DO NOT WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT.

Yes, you read that right.  People simply do not want to lose weight because it does include sacrifices... actually, a LOT of sacrifices.  People wish they weighed less, but they simply do not want to go through the process of losing weight.  Am I wrong?  I might be... but I don't think I am.

That's okay and I can not be judgemental, because I ate my way to an enormous weight and was classified as being "morbidly obese" and if there had been a higher classification of obesity I would have qualified for it.  The simple fact is that a person can not and should not think that they can lose weight simply because they think they would like to lose some weight.  People who lose a lot of weight usually have to have some sort of event in their life to make them realize that they simply do not have a choice and that they absolutely MUST lose some weight and will do WHATEVER it takes to do it.  Otherwise you are simply kidding yourself and you know it.

I hope those of you who have gone through this can identify with what I have done and I applaud you for what you have done.  Life is great, isn't it?

How to Choose a Hummingbird Feeder

It's that time of the year again and I'm back to writing about one of my favorite subjects... Hummingbirds.  The following is a basic guide to selecting a hummingbird feeder.  I hope you enjoy it.

Are you considering the purchase of a new Hummingbird Feeder and are confused by the myriad of different design models available?  Read the following and make your decision a little bit less complicated.  You will see some of this information in my previous blog posts, but sometimes information is important and repetition is not necessarily a bad thing.

First... are you looking for a "Yard Ornament" or are you seriously looking for the best and most efficient Hummingbird Feeder?  Unfortunately, most of the choices available at your favorite retailer are aimed at the less informed and are little more than a yard ornament.  Yes, almost all of them will allow a hummingbird to get a drink of nectar, but most of them are poorly designed and actually ATTRACT insects instead of REPELLING them.  Read on for more information.

In the simplest of terms, Hummingbirds are attracted to RED, Insects (Bees, Wasps, etc.) are attracted to WHITE and YELLOW.  That is all you need to know.  If there are pretty flowers on the feeder that have either the color white or yellow incorporated into their design then you are looking at a veritable INSECT MAGNET.  A high-quality will not have either of these colors in it's design and construction.  A true hummingbird lover will stay away from feeders that have white and/or yellow on them.  The insects attracted by these colors will invariably cause problems that quite simply are detrimental to the health of your hummingbirds.

Does the feeder have a perch?  Sure, hummingbirds can hover and feed without a perch, but why make the beautiful hummingbirds work so hard for their food when their life is already a balancing act?  A quality hummingbird feeder will have a perch that allows the hummingbird to rest while drinking nectar.

How many feeding ports does the feeder have?  Feeders with only a few feeding ports cause more infighting among the hungry little hummers and, even though there is going to be some territorial squabbling anyway, why invite more problems for them?  We should be making life EASIER for them... not more DIFFICULT.  A well-designed feeder will have a MINIMUM of six feeding ports with eight to ten being more optimal.

Are the feeding ports "Bee-Proof"?  Many poorly designed hummingbirds have feeding ports that allow insects to simply climb down into the nectar.  Not good!  The insects invariably drown and pollute the nectar, turning it into a toxic solution that can and will cause sickness and even death to a hungry hummer.  There are "Bee Guards" that are available that will fit on some hummingbird feeders, but even these allow the insects to squeeze down part-way into the port.  Very few hummingbird feeders actually have ports that are designed to be "Bee and Wasp Proof."  That is a shame.

Regardless of how well the feeder is designed, there will always be the occasional small insect that will get into the nectar and the only way we can be sure to have healthy nectar is to change it regularly.   If you have a poorly designed hummingbird feeder you should consider changing the nectar EVERY DAY.  With a well-designed feeder you should change the nectar at least twice a week.  Of course, people that have a lot of hummers feeding in their yard don't have to worry so much about the nectar going bad because it is consumed very quickly by the hummers.

ANTS are a HUGE problem with hummingbird feeders.  Some feeders like the Hummzinger line of feeders from Aspect have a built-in ant moat and it is effective.  However... the built-in ant moat is down near the ports and even when I use this type of feeder I prefer to hang a separate ant MOAT above the feeder to keep the ants as far away from the nectar as possible.

Adding a red dome to keep the rain, sun, and falling debris off of the feeding ports is also a good idea.  An added bonus is that the red color of the dome will make the feeder much easier for traveling hummers to find your feeder and many of these may hang around and make your yard their new summer home.

NEVER use red food coloring in your hummingbird feeder.  Quite simply, red food coloring can cause health problems for your hummers.  Yes, some will say that this is not proven and that some red food colorings are not as bad as others.  I will simply say this.  It is NOT necessary to color the nectar to attract hummers, so why take a chance?  A hummingbird will find your well-designed red feeder without the nectar having to be colored red.  I always say that people who color the hummingbird nectar are doing for their own vanity and are not putting the health of the hummingbird as a first priority.  If you are not serious about the health of the hummingbirds you should not be feeding them. PERIOD!

How to make Hummingbird NECTAR...
Mix 4 parts WATER to 1 part Cane SUGAR.

I can go on and on and on about what to use and what not to use... about whether to boil or not to boil the nectar, and maybe I will in a subsequent blog, but it simply is not necessary to boil the nectar.  Doing so is fine, but is not absolutely necessary.

If the sugar you buy at the supermarket does not say CANE sugar on the label then it is most likely made from the sugar beet.  Sugar made from sugar beets is fine but experts say that they have found that, when given a choice, hummingbirds will choose the cane sugar nectar over the beet sugar nectar.  Either will work... I use Cane Sugar marketed by Domino.
NEVER use honey, confectioner's powdered sugar, or brown sugar to make your hummingbird nectar.  These are not good choices.  Keep it simple and just use white granulated sugar... preferably cane sugar.

Look at your Hummingbird Feeder as an investment into your happiness and for the health of the beautiful hummingbirds.  You wouldn't invest in anything that was poorly designed, inefficient, and basically a disposable commodity would you?  That is what most of the hummingbird feeders on the market today are.  They are nothing more than objects designed for profit to the distributor.  Be discriminative when you are choosing a feeder and don't waste your money on junk.  If you want to save some money on a nice feeder you can make it yourself.  You will need to purchase a good base for the feeder because this is the most difficult part to make, but you can make a nectar reservoir from a plastic pop bottle, an empty Nyquil bottle, or even an empty glass bottle if you have the right tools to drill through glass.  I enjoy making different types of feeders... my favorite is one I made using an empty "Orange Blast" spray cleaner bottle.  I made a nice red dome from a red plastic punch bowl and added a red ant moat and a good base for the feeder to make the Hummingbird Feeding Station.  That is a picture of it at the top of this page.  If you need any hummingbird supplies or if you have any hummingbird questions (and are too lazy to Google the answer...lol) give me a shout any time.

My favorite Hummingbird Feeder base is the one made by Best-1 with 8 Bee/Wasp-Proof feeder ports and a double-ringed concentric perch.  This base can be used with almost any threaded plastic or glass bottle and also can be purchased with their own glass bottle.  I usually have at least three different brands of feeders hanging in my yard and my hummers seem to like the Best-1 base the most.  As I mentioned earlier, Hummzinger is also a really good brand of feeder but their feeders do not allow the use of recycled bottles.

Enjoy your Hummers...
Arbuckle Bill
wsikes1@gmail.com

Getting Ready for the Ruby Throats

It is April and the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird northern migration is in full swing.  Although no new 2014 sightings have been recorded in West Virginia this year, several have been made in northern Virginia and it won't be long before we begin seeing the early arrivals.  I have seen Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds in my yard as early as April 1, but that was one of my regulars (Rube) and he was always one of the first to arrive.  Most of my hummers show up later in the month and some don't arrive until early in the month of May.  I want to be ready for them, especially the "early birds" because they will be fighting some chilly weather and will need some serious calories to get through the cold nights.
I have already put up a couple of feeders and am watching them closely.  I think it is a great idea to go ahead and put the feeders up BEFORE, rather than AFTER the first hummer is sighted, simply because I may miss a bird or two and they will go hungry if I am negligent.  There are very few insects and virtually no natural nectar available for food in my area in early April, therefore it is CRUCIAL that we get our feeders up early for them.  
In earlier blogs I have listed some "Do's and Don'ts" relative to feeding hummingbirds and you may or may not want to glimpse back and take a quick read.  For those of you who don't care to do the research right now, I am going to list a few things I do and/or don't do with my hummingbird feeders.
Here is a Short List:
1. Mix your nectar using 4 parts water to 1 part table sugar.  Bring it to a boil on the stove to kill any bacteria and to help make the nectar a viable solution.  Let it cool off before pouring it into the feeder.  I know... you already knew that... lol.  If you make your nectar any stronger that this 4:1 mixture you run the possibility of causing dehydration in your hummers. Hummingbirds love clean, clear nectar that is mixed 4:1 and that is the only recipe/formula you ever need to use. 
2. NEVER use HONEY in your feeder.  Honey will not provide the calories that the hummingbirds need to sustain life and could cause their death within a short time if they fill up on Honey Nectar.  Look it up on Google if you have any doubts about what I am telling you.
3. Never use FOOD COLORING in your nectar.  Red Food Coloring (especially #7) has been shown to cause cancer in some lab animals and the jury is still out on the #40 red food coloring.  Modern hummingbird feeders are red and there is simply no reason to color the nectar.  I know it is pretty, but why take a chance with the health of the hummingbird.  If you want more RED on your feeder simply add a red DOME or a red ANT MOAT, both of which are both colorful AND functional.  Please do not use red food coloring in your feeder.

In previous blogs I have discussed which colors attract bees, yellow jackets, and other insects.  Check it out if you are having a lot of bees and other insects on your feeder.  You might be surprised what you find out.

If you have any questions and would like to bounce it off of me, feel free to shoot me an email at wsikes1@gmail.com.

Watching CBS Promo's aka "Trying to Watch the Golf Tournament"

I am biting my tongue.  It is all I can do to keep from cursing CBS.  Okay, so I'm watching the NASCAR race on ESPN and I only flip over to CBS during the commercials.  I have flipped over to CBS four times now to get caught up on the action and three of those times CBS was showing promo's... not commercials... promo's.  I got one brief glimpse of Tiger Woods holing out on the 18th hole before CBS cut away to commercials and promo's.  To top it off, I have had to watch CBS promo's of the PGA Championship all week long and now when I flip over to catch a little golf I am getting more promo's.  Wow.
CBS is missing a great opportunity to televise a MAJOR golf tournament.

Lazy Pot Smokers

I get sick and go to the doctor.  The doctor gives me a prescription which I get filled and take as per the instructions.  I get well.  Did I get well because I went to the doctor?  Ask any doctor.  Sometimes we do get well because we went to the doctor and followed his advice, but the fact is that we probably would have gotten well if we had just stayed home, taken aspirin, rested, and drank plenty of juices.
What does that have to do with Lazy Pot Smokers?  I'll tell you.  There are lazy people in this world... always have been and always will be.  It is a part of our "culture."
So... what does a lazy person do?  He/she sits around and watches tv and does as little as possible.  Sometimes they read books instead and sometimes they do drugs... usually somebody else's drugs.  So... does the tv make them lazy?  Do books make people lazy?  Does pot make people lazy?  If so, let's just elect someone who will crusade to rid the world of television, books, and drugs.
Come on people.  Get real.  Yes... pot does give you the munchies... a friend of mine told me that.  Pffffffft...

Definite UFO Sighting

So, you STILL don't believe in UFO's?  Watch this film clip.

http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/us/2013/08/09/dnt-ufo-in-florida-pool.wbbh#/video/us/2012/11/13/co-ufo-sightings-in-denver.kdvr

Bandits in the Kitchen after Midnight

Sissy (our dachshund) and Miss Kitty have had a voracious appetite lately and Wanda just could not keep enough food in the bowl for them. They eat during the day and before Wanda and I go to bed at night we fill their bowl up for them only to find it empty in the morning. We have been wondering how in the world these two are eating so much food? Well, we finally figured it out.
Last night Wanda got up at about 2:30 and walked into the kitchen get a midnight snack when she noticed that we had visitors. There were two large pretty raccoons having a feast of cat food and they did not even flinch when she approached them. She finally convinced them to walk out the back door and to go find another restaurant. They are regular visitors to our back door but that is the first time that we have caught them inside the house. Needless to say they are very fat because we usually leave food out for the stray cats that come by pretty regularly.
I guess we will have to start closing the back door at night now when we go to bed. That's a shame because we like the fresh breeze that flows through the house when the back door is open. Oh well, I guess the crime is getting pretty bad out here in the boonies when we have to close our back door at night. 

Forced Sterilization (Vasectomies) For Mentally Impaired

Here is an excerpt from an article on CNN.com today:

From 1907 through the 1970s, more than 60,000 Americans were forcibly sterilized. Some, like Holt, were in institutions, while others were deemed "feeble-minded" or had "unfit human traits." Others were children of alcoholics whose parents couldn't care for them.

What is your opinion on this?  I do not think it is fair.  In fact I am deeply upset about this.  Why should intelligent Americans be the only ones that have to put up with dirty diapers, screaming babies in the middle of the night, rebellious teenagers, and kids that are of legal age yet still act like preadolescents?  No sir... it just isn't fair.  What do you think?

Quick Relief for Insect Bites, Stings, and Poison Ivy, Oak

Mosquito bites, bee stings, wasp stings, spider bites, and on and on...  What can I do to stop the pain and itching?  Here is my answer.
Rubbing Alcohol (Isopropyl Alcohol)
I keep a spray bottle of rubbing alcohol handy all the time for many different reasons, not the least of which is relief from bites and stings.  The second I feel a bite of sting I reach for the bottle and spray the bite mark.  I have found that the pain and itching disappear immediately.  Another thing the rubbing alcohol is good for is poison ivy and poison oak.  Even if you have already scratched the affected area go ahead and spray with rubbing alcohol and the itching will instantly disappear.  Yes, the alcohol will burn somewhat but that is a relief compared to the itching.
Keep a spray bottle of rubbing alcohol, preferable 90% or stronger, handy at all times.  It will become one of your best friends.

You Might As Well Take My Ass To Jail

My little sister sent me this joke and I just had to share it.

  A Virginia State trooper pulled a car over on I-64 about 2 miles south of the Virginia/ West Virginia State Line. When the trooper asked the driver why he was speeding, the driver said he was a Magician and Juggler and was on his way to Beckley WV to do a show at the Shrine Circus. He didn't want to be late.
The trooper told the driver he was fascinated by juggling and said if the driver would do a little juggling for him then he wouldn't give him a ticket. He told the trooper he had sent his equipment ahead and didn't have anything to juggle. The trooper said he had some flares in the trunk and asked if he could juggle them. The juggler said he could, so the trooper got 5 flares, lit them and handed them to him.
While the man was juggling, a car pulled in behind the patrol car. A drunken good old boy from West Virginia got out, watched the performance, then went over to the patrol car, opened the rear door and got in.  The trooper observed him and went over to the patrol car, opened the door asking the drunk what he thought he was doing. The drunk replied, “You might as well take my ass to jail, cause there ain't no way I can pass that test.”

Racism: A Natural Phenomena?

Racism... not something we enjoy talking about or reading about, but is it something that just naturally occurs in nature?
Let's be clear... I'm not talking about bigotry, hatred, or hypocrisy.  We often associate these behaviors with racism, and for good reasons in many cases.  Let's just take a short moment and consider racism in it's purest form if we may.
First of all, just how prevalent is racism?  The short answer is that it is EVERYWHERE.  I see racist behavior in even those individuals and organizations who claim to espouse a referendum of a non-racism or anti-racist behavior.  In fact, I don't know that I can really tell you that I know anyone, other than maybe some (all?) politicians who even act like they are not racists.
Sure, we see the hand-holding and the choruses of freedom songs being sung by mixed crowds with big eutopian smiles on their faces as if this is the way it should be for everyone and all time, but let's be realistic.  This, too, is a natural phenomena.  Realistic or not, there have always been and there will always be idealists among us.  These are usually younger (but not always) people who cling to ideals yet seem not to have any semblance of a grip on reality.
Let us take a look at the planet as a whole.  As a rule (with many exceptions), our planet is made up of people of similar race living in micro-societies that are making an effort to work together and form a workable worldwide societal solution.  There is some degree of blending of races in our local ethnic villages (for lack of a better term) but we naturally seem to group together and make our abodes among those who are similar to us in race, creed, and religion.  This just seems to be a natural thing.  This is the way it has been for thousands of years and anything that differs from this just doesn't seem natural.  Those who live and mix with others are usually members of a society where laws (written by politicians) are trying to make it seem as if the world would be a better place if we all just mixed into one group and "got along."  The funny thing is that these same politicians tend to live in exclusive communities that are made up of folks who are of the same race as themselves.  Yes, there are exceptions.  There are always exceptions.  The problem here is that some people seem to think that we should make exceptions be our rule.  This, in my opinion, is nothing more than trying to go against nature.
We all have an affinity for others of our own race.  Is this racism?  Yes!  Is there anything wrong with this?  No!  We are not all activists like the KKK and the NAACP.  These groups give racism a bad name.  Racism is a natural phenomena.  That's just the way it is.

CNN Does It AGAIN.

I know... I'm picking on CNN again.  Well folks, I can't help it.  Give them a gun and they shoot themselves in the foot.  Give them enough rope and they hang themselves.  I don't make this stuff up.  I'm not THAT smart.
So, you ask, what have they done now?  Well, if you remember a few days ago I wrote about a new scientific study that shows just how harmful soda's and artificial sweeteners are for your health.  Maybe you read that article on CNN.com.  Some of the CNN staff read that article and decided to do some research of their own to see if all of this hullabuloo is the real thing.  So how did they research the subject?  They went back and read the OLD research studies that have just been found to be flawed and based their findings on that.  Based on the old research they are saying that the new research is not correct.  They never said exactly why, but the group of CNN staffers all agree that soda and artificial sweeteners are not bad for your health. Okaaaaaay. 
Way to go CNN... you did it again!

A Note To the Honorable Reverend Jesse Jackson

Yes, Rev. Jackson, racism was involved in the Zimmerman/Martin debacle. Racism will ALWAYS be involved in incidents like this any time those involved are of two different races. Race was involved from the very outset in this incident beginning when Martin realized that "some Cracker" was watching him. Isn't that what Neighborhood Watch members do? You are calling for "Justice." Will you be satisfied when a black man kills Zimmerman and ends up serving a life sentence? Of course you will, because that will give you another chance to get your face on national television. And as for Martin not getting a trial by his peers, may I call to your attention that Zimmerman was the one on trial, not Martin... and the jury was not made up of Mr. Zimmerman's peers... unless you call one black/Hispanic woman his peer. Incidentally, she was as close to being one of Martin's peers as she was to being Zimmerman's peer. I know... that is all academic. The point is that you were able to get on CNN again will holding hands with the "oppressed" preaching your sermon of vengeance. Good for you "Reverend" Jackson.

Is Microsoft Going to the Dogs?

I sell a lot on eBay and I print my own shipping labels on my home/office printer... it saves me a lot of time at the Post Office and also saves me about 10% on postage.  The other day I had an especially large package to ship so I decided to ship it via UPS which is much cheaper than the USPS when shipping large boxes.  When I went to print the UPS label I had a problem.  The label that came out of the printer was all jumbled up and overwritten on the left side of the label.  No problem... I just printer another one... with the same result.  Wow.  I have an account with UPS so I made the phone call to see what the problem might be.  Well, as it turns out, Microsoft Internet Explorer is not compatible with the label printing program that UPS uses. I had to switch to Mozilla Firefox as my browser in order to print the label.  No problem... all's well that ends well, I guess. 
Now, I understand that this could be a problem on the UPS end of things, but I have also been having other new and recent problems with Internet Explorer.  After some automatic updates it seems that I am now using I.E. 10, and I have found several bugs in it already.  Don't ask if I tried to report these bugs to Microsoft.  Actually, I did, but I couldn't even understand the guys on the other end of the customer support line.  Yes, guys... plural.  I called twice and I believe I was speaking to guys to whom English is a second language... or third... or fourth.  I got pretty darn frustrated so I did some research, which always helps give me peace of mind.  lol.   What I found out is that it is virtually impossible to report a bug to Microsoft.  It is so frustrating that I won't even go into it.  If you really want to get upset just "Google" the words Microsoft bug report.  I read where one guy even paid $35 to register his complaint.  You can look the details up for yourself.  Yes, there are two sides to every story.  The only problem is that this is a story that repeats itself "ad nauseum."
I have used Google Chrome as my default browser and yes it is faster than Internet Explorer but there are a couple of I.E. features that I guess I have grown so accustomed to using that I hate to make the switch permanently.  Mozilla Firefox is a good browser but there is a definite learning curve involved in using it.  I may give it a test drive... who knows?
All I can say for sure is that lately Microsoft had been very disappointing for me.  Whatever.

Soda Enhances Arthritis Knee Pain?

I am a very large man and I also happen to have osteoarthritis.  My arthritis, while not totally debilitation, results in fairly significant pain from time to time... so much so that I consume far too much ibuprofen and Naprosyn in an effort to curb the pain.  My worst pain is in my knees and I always figured that it was a direct result of my weight.  In an effort to control my weight I use Splenda, a well-known artificial sweetener, in my coffee.  I drink a lot of coffee.
Recently I have been reading about how artificial sweeteners actually are worse for you than the sugars that you are trying to avoid by using them and I decided to cut out all artificial sweeteners from my daily diet.  In an effort to cut back on sugar consumption I also decided to eliminate all soda drinks from my diet.  These decisions were made only a few days ago.
Since I made those changes in my diet I have noticed an extreme change in my body... extreme.  My days are usually filled with pain... so much pain that I hate to even mention it to my wife anymore.  The last couple of days have been virtually pain-free and I have been feeling great.
While reflecting on my new-found pain-free life I remembered reading about arthritis pain possibly being associated either with soda, sugar, or artificial sweeteners so I did a quick Google search this morning and found what I was looking for.  Last year Harvard University released the results of a study they had conducted on the relationship of soda consumption and pain.  The study concludes that there is a definite possibility of a link between drinking soda and experiencing arthritis pain from osteoarthritis... especially in the knees.  Also the study concludes that this pain is not weight-related.  In fact, people with less body mass were actually affected more than the larger people in the study.  If their pain was worse than my pain has been being, I certainly do feel sorry for them.  Here is a link to that study:

 http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/health&id=8889220

It is too early for me to draw any definite conclusions but it certainly is not too early for me to report that I feel great and I hope this absence of pain is something that will continue.  I will keep you updated as to whether this condition persists and as of this time it is only my best guess that cutting soda from my diet could be the reason for my lack of pain recently.  We will see...

Fish Oil May Cause Prostate Cancer?

According to an article on CNN.com Fish Oil has been linked to prostate cancer.  How many other foods are taking for out health that may possible causing our premature demise?  Are we ever going to be able to believe the people who are telling us exactly what we should and should not eat in order to insure our future health?

http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/12/health/salmon-cancer-time/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

Where Are The News Channels?

I am a news junkie.  I watch news channels and I search the net for interesting news stories every day.  Even though there are billions of people on our planet a huge number of cameras being carried by many of those same people, it is becoming more and more difficult to find newsworthy events that are getting coverage these days.  I remember when Headline News (HLN) was a "pure" news channel.  I would watch HLN at every opportunity because I love to watch news.  Real news is not a result of a script... it is a conglomerate of real-life, real-time events that are occurring all over the planet at any given moment in time.  Real news is everywhere and is easily documented in this day and age of advanced technology and instant communications.  But real news is becoming more and more difficult to find on the television.  There must be a reason for this and, if I am guessing correctly, the reason is not pretty.
News Channels have become Entertainment Channels.  Why is this?  My guess is $$$.  The corporate bottom line has become more important that the substance of the product in this day and age therefore the sponsors of the News Channels dictate what these channels include in their programming.
No, Proctor and Gamble does not call CNN and tell them which programs to schedule.  But CNN knows which type of programming will draw the masses that the corporate sponsors want to reach with their advertising dollars, therefore they are wielding a lot of influence in regard to the programming we see on the News Channels.
I mentioned "the masses" that the advertisers are wanting to reach.  Unfortunately these masses do not include a high percentage of "news hounds."  Many of these people are not interested in pure news but prefer drama and entertainment to a good news story.  Therefore the News Channels have changed their format to include drama and entertainment as their top priority and pure news has taken a back seat.
The latest fad is the televising of courtroom drama.  Maybe the fad isn't so new but it's dominance of the "News Channels" certainly is.  We can probably thank the judge who allowed television cameras in the courtroom during the O.J. Simpson trial for much of this.  Most of us watch quite a bit of that trial and that fact did not go unnoticed by the sponsors and the networks who know a dollar when they see it.  I am not against courtroom television.  I only wish the trials could be shown on channels other than the News Channels.  My news programming has been trumped by this courtroom drama.
I sit here waiting for the latest courtroom trial to come to an end so that I can watch some news again... at least until the next big televised trial comes up.  Oh well...

Looking Forward to 2014

I don't usually look ahead to "next year" but so many of the economists are saying that the US (and the World) economy is very likely to rebound next summer.  I look forward to that happening.
The state of our economy usually doesn't affect me much because I am on a fixed income and my wife's income is pretty much the same regardless of economic conditions.  Actually, when the economy slumps it is a little better for us because prices tend to be lower during times of recession.  So, why am I looking forward to a surging economy?
I have just recently begun to try my hand at selling my hand-made (mostly from available parts) bird feeders and accessories on eBay and I am in the process of trying to set up a small online store of my own.  I doubt I will ever be able to sell as much merchandise on my own website as I can sell on eBay but at least what I sell on my own site will not be subject to eBay's 10% auction hosting fees.  That extra 10% could be nice if I can get some sales off of my own site, but even if I only get eBay sales a better economy will mean more extra money for my buyers.
Right now sales are generally slow all over eBay.  I see Sellers discussing this on the forums and I think it is mainly due to family vacations that so many people take during June and early July.  They are saving every extra penny for that family outing and their mind is not on buying other things right now.  I think sales will begin to pick up again in a couple of weeks after most families have returned from their annual summer vacation.  That will be nice.
And it will be even nicer if the economy is doing well this time next year.

More BBQ Tips from a Pro

Here are a couple of recipes I saw on CNN's website.  They are from a world-famous BBQ Chef and are really simple.  Also, take a look at the tip at the bottom of the page.

The Only Barbecue Rub You'll Ever Need
Makes just under 2 cups
1 cup packed light brown sugar
 2 Tbsp chili powder
 2 Tbsp mustard powder
 2 Tbsp onion powder
 2 Tbsp garlic powder
 2 tsp cayenne pepper
 2 Tbsp kosher salt
 2 Tbsp freshly ground pepper
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. Stir thoroughly to combine. You can store this rub in an airtight container for up to one year.

The Only Barbecue Marinade You'll Ever Need
Makes 1 quart
3 cups apple juice
 1 cup distilled white vinegar
 3/4 cup sugar
 3/4 cup kosher salt
In a large, heavy saucepan, combine the apple juice and vinegar and whisk over medium heat. Whisking continuously, pour in the sugar and salt. Continue whisking until the seasonings are completely dissolved, but do not allow the mixture to come to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and cool completely. If reserving for a later use, use a funnel and pour the marinade into a large bottle or container. You can store this marinade in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up to one year.

Tip:
To get that all-important glistening look on your ribs, smoke them for 30 minutes then spritz them with a simple solution of half water, half apple juice at 15-minute intervals for the duration of the cooking time. It keeps them sweet, moist and beautifully mahogany.

Busy with Bird Stuff

I haven't written anything for a while because I have been pretty busy with the bird stuff.  I sell a few of my wild bird feeder (hummingbird) designs on eBay and have been working at getting a business license so I can sell legally at the local level.  I have a renewed respect for small business owners because I now know how many things a person must go through to open even the smallest and simplest business.  I plan on doing business online with an option for local pickup and maybe supplying a few stores with wild bird accessories.  I'm not going to get too ambitious because this is a competitive business but maybe I can pick up a little pocket change down the line if all goes well.  For the moment I am pretty much treading water with the expense of buying office and shipping supplies pretty much draining my little budget.  Obviously the State of West Virginia is not getting in too much of a rush to mail my new business certificate to me and until I get that I can't get my wholesalers lined up but it should be in the mail pretty soon.  I am hoping to combine my creations with some of the better low-cost bird feeders and next boxes so that my customers will have an affordable choice of wild bird accessories.  I will be staying away from the higher-priced ornamental items and will focus on form and function rather than style, although I am hoping to incorporate style at a low price when possible.  I will be catering to the po' folks and not to the rich unless they are really budget conscious and tight with their money.
I never realized how much time would be involved in even the smallest business venture but since I am basically doing everything myself it is very time consuming.  I have been designing business cards, letterheads, and a new website (arbucklestore.com) as well as learning html programming.  I piddled with programming years ago with machine language and some Basic and Pascal, but my programming skills have escaped me and I am having to relearn everything.  I can't put any products on my new website until my business certificate gets here but I hope to get it going in the next month of so and intend to be in full swing by time next spring gets here.  I have a few new designs I want to get out but right now I am pretty much pressed for time to do anything except the basics. 
Anyway... just wanted everyone to know that I am still around and don't plan on going anywhere for now.  I'll be updating you on occasion and maybe even sharing an opinion or two from time to time but right now my little brain is pretty much in overload mode.  Did someone say "nap time?"  Sounds good to me!

http://arbucklestore.com/cgi-bin/online/storepro.php

http://www.ebay.com/sch/arbuckle_bill/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686