Groundhog Day; President Trump; Bernie Madoff; Mr. Ponzi; Secretary of Education; Diet Statistics and Tips

Groundhog Day.  Puxatawny Phil saw his shadow and now we will have 12 more weeks of Winter.  We haven't had much Winter yet anyway.  Global Warming.

Ain't life great!  So much to  blog about, but not enough time, especially since I have now decided to blog only every other day.

El Presidente!

I was really surprised yesterday and today to hear the reservations my Carroll County Republican friends now have about President Trump.  Everyone is uneasy, wondering what he is going to do next.  It is scary.  However, last night I saw a news show where the commentators were laughing very hard at things Mr. Trump said during the last few days.  Perhaps if more people laugh at him, he will begin to rethink some of his words and actions, because he sure as hell will not like people laughing at him

Have you followed the prison uprising at the Vaughn (no relative) prison in Smyrna, Delaware?  Some of the prisoners said that revolted was "because of all the things that Mr. Trump is doing now."  Yes, of course, prisoners can always spot a "con."  .

Con Man

Speaking of con men, The Week magazine mentions that Bernie Madoff is running a racket even while he is in prison.  He has bought up all of the "Swiss Miss" chocolate  in the prison commissary and he sells it to fellow inmates at a greatly increased price.  A journalist named Steve Fishman interviewed Bernie recently and reported this.


Where do want Your Kids to go to School? 

Speaking of cons.... Betty DeVos, the President's pick for Education Secretary is reported to be a billionaire member of the family that runs Amway.  If I recollect accurately, Amway is/or was under investigation on charges that it is a Ponzi Scheme, just like Messers Ponzi and Madoff practiced.  (I could be wrong on this.)  I just feel that private schools deprive children of a great opportunity to learn about people different from themselves.  I love and cherish diversity!

Diet Stats

I just completed a 26-week dietary plan, using "The Ultimate Diet Log,"  a great book that can be used to track your dietary progress... or non progress, as follows:

Jul 18, 2016  Weight -  201      Blood Sugar - 105      Blood Pressure -  142/45

Jan 15 2017   Weight -  217      Blood Sugar - 112      Blood Pressure -  134/58

So.. my diet was a complete bust!   Weight was up a lot and Blood Sugar was up a little.  Shame on me.   I'm recording these uninteresting figures so that it can motivate me to do better in my next six month program..

Diet Tips

These are things that I should have learned from the diet book I mentioned above.

o  Jumbo food packages prompt you to eat more.
o  One of Starbucks' chocolate chips cookie has 540 calories. (A big mac has 530)
o  Walking can lower your blood pressure and diabetes risk.
o  The average American adult in 2002 weighed 25 pounds more than in 1960, but was only one inch taller.
o  A Reuben sandwich contains 3,720 mg of sodium. (RDA is 2,300 max)
o  A Dunkin' Donuts salt bagel contains 4,520 mg of sodium.
o  Humans can survive six weeks without food.
o  Humans can survive only 7 days without  water.
o  Some deli sandwiches contain one pound of meat. (RDA is 1/3 of a pound)  Visit "Corn Beef Alley in Baltimore for pounds of that meat in one sandwich.)
o  Walking just 30 minutes a day is enough to increase bone density.
o  Half of all vegetable consumption in the U.S. ...potatoes, head lettuce, tomatoes and onions.
o  Chinese proverb:  "Sweet, sour, bitter, pungent ... all must be tasted."
o  The top-selling women's clothing size in 1985 was 8.
o  The top-selling women's clothing size in 2002 was 14!

To convince you that people are fatter today, just go to your local Wallmart Store and watch the customers.  There sure are some chubby folks out there (including me.)  And, when you are in line at the supermarket, take a look at what people have in their carts.  It always amazes me when I see people buying cases of regular Coca Cola. Somewhere I have recorded that each bottle of Coke has 32 teaspoonfuls of sugar.  (I could be a little wrong on that too.)

I remember, when I was a teenager and would hang around a gas station with my unemployed friends.  Coke was only a nickel and we guys sure would put a lot of nickels in the Coke machine.  We loved it.. and guzzled it.  Some non teenagers still guzzle Coke.

As I've written before, although Coke was a nickel, beer at the Buttonwood Cafe was also only a nickel for a 4 ounce glass.  So, for a dollar, one could drink 80 ounces of beer.. more than the contents of a current 6-pack.  Of course, we teenagers didn't drink beer, but it probably would have been better for our health and complexions than sugary soft drinks.

..........................................................................................................

Enough!