Rachel Ray and the "SCARF"

From The Associated Press:

http://www.newsday.com/business/ny-bzray0530,0,1925547.story

“Dunkin' Donuts has pulled an online advertisement featuring Rachael Ray after complaints that a fringed black-and-white scarf that the celebrity chef wore in the ad offers symbolic support for Muslim extremism and terrorism.”


“Critics, including conservative commentator Michelle Malkin, complained that the scarf wrapped around her looked like a kaffiyeh, the traditional Arab headdress. Critics who fueled online complaints about the ad in blogs say such scarves have come to symbolize Muslim extremism and terrorism.”

"Amahl Bishara, an anthropology lecturer at the University of Chicago who specializes in media matters relating to the Middle East, said complaints about the scarf's use in the ad demonstrate misunderstandings of Arab culture and the multiple meanings that symbols can take on depending on someone's perspective."I think that a right-wing blogger making an association between a kaffiyeh and terrorism is just an example of how so much of the complexity of Arab culture has been reduced to a very narrow vision of the Arab world on the part of some people in the U.S.," Bishara said in a phone interview. "Kaffiyehs are worn every day on the street by Palestinians and other people in the Middle East -- by people going to work, going to school, taking care of their families, and just trying to keep warm."

Well, this being Saturday I was not planning on posting anything today.

But tell me how I could pass this news item by the wayside.

Come on people---------lighten up.

It is just a scarf for pete's sake.

I doubt very much that Miss Ray or her stylist (because we all have one---you know)

intentionally meant anyone to even notice her wardrobe choice.

Are people becoming so paranoid that a little thing such as a scarf draped around Rachel Ray's neck would cause such an uproar.

What REALLY bothers me is that Rachel Ray is making commercials for Dunkin' Donuts!

If My Body Were a Car

If my body were a car, this is the time I would
be thinking about trading it in for a newer model.

I've got bumps and dents and scratches in my finish and my paint job is getting a little dull---

but that's not the worst of it.

My headlights are out of focus and it's especially hard to see things up close.

My traction is not as graceful as it once was.

I slip and slide and skid and bump into things even in the best of weather.

My whitewalls are stained with varicose veins.

It takes me hours to reach my maximum speed.

My fuel rate burns inefficiently.


But here’s the worst of it----
Almost every time I sneeze, cough or sputter---

Either my radiator leaks or my exhaust backfires!

Dusting

I used to spend at least 8 hours every week making sure things were just perfect, in case someone came over.

Finally I realized one day that no-one came over.
They were all out living life and having fun.

Now, when people visit, I don't have to explain the *condition* of my home.
They are more interested in hearing about the things I've been doing while I was away living life and having fun.

If you haven't figured this out yet, please heed this advice. Life is short. Enjoy it!

Dust if you must,
but wouldn't it be better to paint a picture or write a letter, bake some biscuits or a cake and lick the spoon or plant a seed, ponder the difference between want and need.

Dust if you must,

but there's not much time with wine to drink ,

rivers to swim and mountains to climb,

music to hear and books to read,

friends to cherish and life to lead.

Dust if you must,

but the world's out there with the sun in your eyes,

the wind in your hair, a flutter of snow, a shower of rain.

This day will not come around again.

Dust if you must,

but bear in mind, old age will come and it's not kind.
And when you go - and go you must -

you, yourself will make more dust!

A house becomes a home when you can write “I love you” on the furniture.

Remember...a layer of dust protects the wood beneath it.

20 Grains At A Time

One of the wonderful things I have learned about the network here in this blog world is that it can grow and grow. And in growing, we can, in our own little way make a difference in the world.

Today I was reading Midlife Misfit and she told of visiting Wisdom Hypnosis and finding and enjoying a word quiz.

Well I love word quizzes so I headed over to visit and this is what I found.

FreeRice is a sister site of the world poverty site, Poverty.com.
For each word you get right, they donate 20 grains of rice through the UN World Food Program to help end hunger.

FreeRice has two goals:

Provide English vocabulary to everyone for free.
Help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free.


Check out the FAQ at http://www.freerice.com/faq.html


I added the Free Rice widget to my blog and I encourage everyone to add a widget to your blog.
http://www.freerice.com/banners.html

Thank you to both Midlife Misfit and Wisdom Hypnosis for bringing this worthwhile cause to my friends and I.

And now I have to go because I have quizzes to play and grains of rice to donate.

10 Things Only Women Understand

10. Cats' facial expressions

9. The need for the same style of shoes in different colours

8. Why bean sprouts aren't just weeds

7. Fat clothes

6. Taking a car trip without trying to beat your best time

5. The difference between beige, ecru, cream, off-white, and eggshell

4. Cutting your hair to make it grow

3. Eyelash curlers

2. The inaccuracy of every bathroom scale ever made

The Number One thing only women understand

OTHER WOMEN

Trial, Judge and Jury

Yes, ladies it is that time of the year that we all dread.

The annual bathing suit TRIALS.

(And lets all admit it is a real TRIAL to go swimsuit shopping.)

First and foremost, the pale as a ghost legs and arms that we are all sporting at this time of the year, does nothing to make us look good while in the changing room.

And the change room! Well some of those stores haven't cleaned their change rooms in such a long time that you are afraid to be in them fully clothed.

And the mirrors. Why oh why have so many places removed the mirrors from INSIDE the change room. So if you want to JUDGE how the suit looks, you have to leave the tiny little cubicle and brave the JURY standing out in the store.

Now shall we start talking about the swimsuits that are available for ladies of a certain age or size. Which sadistic person has designed some of these swimsuits that no self respecting lady would ever wear sunbathing much less try swimming in.

Note to all swimwear designers out there---the majority of women do not, I repeat, do not have finely tuned abdomen muscles and a derrière that you could bounce dimes off. And we have bosoms, not little walnut shells up on top.

So now we have rejected almost 98% of the stock that the store has available and we creep in to the creepy change room with the last two choices that we feel MIGHT be suitable.

Leaving our underpanties on, because we all know how much better a suit will look with stray bits hanging over and out, we manage to pull it halfway up before we peek out the door and politely ask the salesperson for the next two sizes up, please.

And the largest size fits. Applause. Applause.

Time to BEAR it all and leave the cozy confines of the change room.

But WAIT, first suck in that gut and discreetly tuck in the underpanties so you have a nice roll of fabric sitting high on your ample, pasty, white thighs. All set now--go out to check how you look in the mirror -- before the store inexplicitely fills with every distant friend and neighbour you have ever met in your lifetime.

After twisting and turning so many times you start to feel lightheaded, the VERDICT is in.

The JUDGE (you) and the JURY (every salesperson in the store and your best friend, who you brought along for her valued opinion) all agree.

It's a keeper!

And ONLY cost $86.31 after tax.

Exercise for Post-Menopausal Women

Post-menopausal women can face a variety of health issues. Exercise is a key part of staying healthy.

Exercise helps prevent osteoporosis by keeping bone and cartilage tissue strong and healthy.

Exercise reduces the risk of heart attack and other cardiovascular diseases by increasing heart and respiratory rates.

Exercise keeps your joints moving and keeps the muscles around your joints strong. This helps in the prevention of arthritis.

Exercise will help to maintain regular bowel function, a common problem as people become older.

Exercise will improve a woman's overall health and fitness by controlling weight, making the heart stronger and retaining a sense of well-being and alertness.

Exercise Helps Prevent Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a decrease in bone mineral density. Weight-bearing exercises are essential in preventing osteoporosis. These exercises cause weight to be placed on the bones, especially the hips, legs and spine. The weight placed on the bone helps slow deterioration of the bone.

Good Exercises for Post-Menopausal Women
Experts agree that walking is the best form of exercise for post-menopausal women. It can be done anywhere, at anytime and promotes social interaction. Shopping malls are an extremely safe area to walk, plus you don't need to worry about the weather
Light weight training will help build muscle mass and keep muscles tone.
Low-impact aerobics is great for increasing heart and respiratory rates, which helps keep vital organs healthy.

General activity is also urged. Older women should go outside and wash the car or work in the garden.
Exercise should be done daily for at least 30 minutes. If not, then at least three times a week. **Any activity is better than no activity.**

My Computer

is sooooooooo very slow today, it almost is like when I had dial-up many years ago and not the high speed (LOL) service that I am supposed to have.

Whenever this happens I tend to blame myself and try defragmenting and removing useless files that have accumulated here.

That hasn't worked today for me, so do I contact customer service (a real oxymoron) or just wait and see if it improves?

Perhaps this might be God's way of telling me that what I should be doing is going outside and enjoying the lovely spring weather.

The American Election

Being a Canadian, I know I have no right to talk about the United States election campaign

BUT

why does it take soooooooooooo long for the candidates to be chosen.

I really don't understand too much about the American way of choosing candidates. It does seem to me though that so much money is being spent on these election campaigns.

If what I read is correct (and somebody correct me if I am wrong) the cost of getting elected to the office of President of the United States could cost one billion dollars by the time the election is over later this year.

That's $1,000,000,000

Imagine targetting that same amount of money towards seniors or health care or schools or etc. etc. etc.

Mind boggling isn't it.

Lolcats 'n' Funny Pictures

This web site is such fun to visit.
http://icanhascheezburger.com/
One of the reasons why I think I like it is the fact that it is family friendly.

I must be old fashioned but I am shocked and dismayed at some of the content on this world wide web.

And don't even get me started about the language and/or content on some of the most *popular* mommyblogger sites.

If I had to resort to using foul language and explicit sexual topics to have people visit this blog, well then I would just stop blogging.
It is just not worth it to me.

Serious Topic--Endangered Species

From The Toronto Star
May 14, 2008

Beth Gorham
THE CANADIAN PRESS

WASHINGTON – The U.S. government is listing polar bears as a threatened species but won’t address the thorny issue of global warming that’s causing the decline of their Arctic habitats.
The new designation obligates the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to devise a protection plan for the bears, but limits on greenhouse gas emissions or constraints on oil and gas projects won’t be part of it.
Global warming is the major factor threatening polar bears, said Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, but the Endangered Species Act is an “inappropriate” tool for setting U.S. climate policy.
“This listing will not stop global climate change or prevent sea ice from melting,” he told a news conference.
“It’s not something that one continent can do by itself. We need to have the major economies of the world have these discussions.”
Kempthorne acknowledged that the decision won’t be popular among environmentalists but said he can’t make a direct link between the species and carbon dioxide emissions.
The decision spares potential complications for Canadian energy projects like Alberta’s oilsands that produce a higher amount of greenhouse gases.
But the United States will no longer allow imports of polar bear trophies, likely reducing sports hunts in Nunavut, where Inuit guides charge Americans up to $30,000 to shoot one of the animals.
The measure was triggered by regulations under the U.S. act, although the wildlife service concluded hunting isn’t a ``substantial” threat to the bear population.
Losing American trophy hunters will mean an immediate loss of about $2.5 million for five struggling Nunavut communities, said Gabriel Nirlungayuk, wildlife director for the territory’s native land claims organization in Rankin Inlet.
“As long as you’re in the oil and gas business you won’t get affected but if you’re a hunter in a small community you get hit. It’s hard to understand. These communities don’t have deep pockets.”
It’s especially disheartening, Nirlungayuk said, because the Inuit have been co-operating for decades with government biology experts to set an annual quota for the bears — about 400 in 2008.
“All the work that we’ve done, it seems to be all for naught.”
There are about 25,000 polar bears in the world, up from 12,000 in the late 1960s, said Kempthorne. About 15,000 are in Canada.
But the latest science, including data from the U.S. Geological Survey, indicates they are likely to become in danger of extinction within the next 45 years due to receding sea ice.
Computer models indicated the polar bear’s primary habitat will decline more than 30 per cent by the middle of the century, reducing the population by two-thirds.
And sea ice trends over the last 30 years indicate the models may actually understate the change rate.
“Sound science did prevail,” said Peter Ewins, director of species conservation for World Wildlife Fund Canada.
“Congratulations are due. It could have easily gone the other way.”
Canada should take note, said Ewin, and take steps to implement conservation plans for oil-related accidents before the habitat of polar bears in the Beaufort Sea is sold off for exploration on June 2.
“It’s going to take strong leadership to turn it around or Canada is really going to be out of step.”
Kempthorne, who met last week with Canada’s Environment Minister John Baird, noted Canada hasn’t listed polar bears as threatened even through it has two-thirds of the world’s population.
The Canadian committee overseeing endangered wildlife has said it will recommend the bears remain as a species of special concern.
That would give Canada until 2014 to devise a management plan to address threats to the animal’s survival, including climate change.
“Everyone of us took great notice of that,” said Kempthorne, who noted there’s no similar middle-ground category for wildlife in the U.S.
Baird is expected to make a decision on the animal’s status in Canada later this year.
President George W. Bush, who recently called for oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, said last month the Endangered Species Act was never intended to regulate climate change.
Kempthorne said he consulted with the White House but insisted there was no pressure on him.
“At no time was there ever a suggestion that this was not my decision,” he said, adding that Bush told him: “You do what you need to do.”
“Everyone was thankful they weren’t in my shoes.”


What is so disturbing for me personally is that I am not in shock about the above story. Did anyone actually believe that a government agency can't " make a direct link between the species and carbon dioxide emissions."

How sad for me but how very sad for the environment and the future generations.

Serious Topic—Inspiration

The definition of inspiration from the Merriam-Webster dictionary:

a: divine influence or action on a person believed to qualify him or her to receive and communicate sacred revelation

b: the action or power of moving the intellect or emotions

c: the act of influencing or suggesting opinions


David , yesterday, I read all of your blog from your first posting to yesterdays’ entry.
You are an inspiration to me, a mere novice, in this blogging world. Sharing the story of your life with me, since that fateful night in September, has *powered both my intellect and my emotions.*

In his own words: “I suddenly went profoundly deaf this Fall. I had a medical implosion, and a bunch of stuff went wrong all at once. It happened one fateful night on September 9th, 2007. After days on life support and 10 days in a coma, it was discovered that I could not hear anymore. My life changed forever”.

I am very proud to be able to pass on your story to the friends I have made here on my humble blog. I hope everyone that reads this post of mine today will go to Life In a Cone of Silence and see exactly why I felt compelled to give you a “Teddy Bear Hug”. I laughed, I cried, but you also made me think.

Bravo, my new friend and fellow blogger, may your story be an *Inspiration* to someone else today.

Teddy Bears Make The Best Friends Because

They Never Borrow Money

They Never Beat You At Scrabble

They Don’t Give Away Secrets

They Never Tell You That You’re Too Fat

They Don’t Get Jealous Of Your Other Friends

They Don’t Tell You How to Drive

They Don’t Hog The Bathroom

They Aren’t Noisy And They Don’t Have Fleas

They Don’t Eat All Your Chocolate Chip Cookies

THEY ALWAYS LOVE YOU
JUST THE WAY YOU ARE

Happy Mother's Day

to my Daughter and my Daughter-in-law.

And to all the other Mothers out there.

And to ME also.

I hope you all have a Beary nice Mother's Day.

Serious topic--Hot Flashes

and Night Sweats.
Why me and will they ever stop?

During my Perimenopause and about half way through my menopause I can truthfully say that I never had any hot flashes or night sweats whatsoever.
And then all of a sudden it happened. It was almost as if someone (a very cruel someone) had gained control of my body temperature switch.

I wake up in the middle of the night literally dripping in sweat. I have had some hot flashes during the daytime but they don’t bother me as much as the night sweats.
I figured once I was postmenopausal that these dreaded *power surges* would stop.

But unfortunately they haven’t stopped YET. The hot flashes are very infrequent but the night sweats continue. Also the hot flashes are not as bad as they once were but I still suffer with night sweats about every other night or so.

Are there any other postmenopausal women who are still having this problem? Or are there any others that have finally reached the point that hot flashes and or night sweats are a thing of the past?

Please, anyone, tell me that I will not have to endure this much longer.
Please, Please, Please.

One Hundred

Visitors to my Blog!!!

WOW

I am overwhelmed. When I first started writing here in my blog six short weeks ago I never imagined what a thrill it would be.

And now 100 visitors.

Thank you, each and every one of you. All of you visiting gives me the encouragement to continue with my blog.

Thank You-Part One

Thank You to

Mental P Mama at The Mental Pause Chronicles

Joy Des Jardins at The Joy of Six...

Betty at Old Dog New Trick

And Sablonneuse at Sablonneuse-My Life in France

For the birthday best wishes that you sent.

How nice it is that you have all expressed an interest in my blog.
Hopefully someday I will be able to have as interesting a blog as you.
I certainly enjoy reading all your blogs and have learned quite a lot from all of you.

Keep on blogging and again Thank You all.

Happy Birthday to

ME



Ted E surprised me first thing this morning with a beautiful romantic card.



"For the Woman I Love
On your Birthday and Always


You are many things to me...
not just my companion and lover
but my confidante and friend.
The more I learn about you...
who you are,
what you think and feel...
the more I learn about myself.

Because of you, I know what's important in my life is having you to love."

Beary Beary Sleepy

A new Grandmother

Head on over to Nancy's Blog and welcome her new Grandson.

What a cutie pie. Don’t you just want to kiss that sweet little mouth.

The directions on how to prepare this diaper cake are right here.

Again Nancy, congratulations to all and let the spoiling begin.