Eating Unhealthy

I'm no advocate of the B.S. coming out of the USDA or any other mediocre government agency for that matter. But this comparison rings a bell for me. Solution? Get the government OUT of the subsidy business completely. That includes banks and auto manufacturers. Subsidies create a barrier to good, healthy business competition.

We are Out of the SimpliFi Business

We are out of the SimpliFi business. It was a good run while it lasted - but we've been afraid of loosing every penny of our investment. As it is, we've lost friends, enthusiasm and time. But you know me... I wouldn't take nothin' for my journey now.

In case you're wondering, we made our money back. Not bad considering the economic crisis over the past two years. We paid off the house and socked away most into the investment market for retirement.

What a Difference 20 Years Can Make

Shanghai in 1990 at the top.

Go Aaron!

Though Aaron is in Kampala, Uganda he hasn't hesitated for a moment to complete his Master's Degree from Duke University! I knew him when.

Take your Shots!

Alrightee then. I am not much of a shot-taker. I believe that a person should contribute to society by adding as much personal immunity as possible to help fight disease. And Dr. Prabhaker was a little dismissive when we asked him what immunizations we should take to visit his homeland. If Prahm Mimimbi were visiting America and asked my advice, I might do the same. Nevertheless Paula made us an appointment to see Passport Health. and they put the fear of God in our veins. $1,200 later, we are now immune to:

• Bacterial Meningitis
• Polio
• Tetanus
• Diptheria
• Pertussis
• Typhoid
• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• We got Mosquito repellant
• Doxycycline
• And Bacrim DS

Yep, we're Americans (with sore arms).

Gross...

Far be it from Paula and me to throw away anything!! Living in a condo, you have to be efficient and earth-space-people conscious. But we have not yet devised a recipe for onion peels and coffee grounds. So leave it to us to find an earth-efficient solution. We've started probably the first condo-compost pile. It's really quite straight-forward and easier than what most of you compost enthusiasts have to face. It's right outside our door, clean and fresh-as-a-daisy. we are looking forward to rich, black loam for the spring planting. Now, I wonder what it will smell like when the first warmth of spring hits our black plastic trash can full of reeking refuse.

Eat your hearts out, chickadees!!


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Missing...

Turtle rehabilitation is apparently effective but has been raised to a whole new level in recent years.

Trece monedas de oro

Mexican Wedding Tradition
The madrina de arras holds 13 coins that the bridegroom will present to the bride. The coins, or arrhea, comes from a a Roman custom of breaking gold or silver, one half to be kept by the woman and the other half by the man, as a pledge of marriage.

The groom gives the bride thirteen gold coins as a symbol of his unquestionable trust and confidence. He pledges that he places all of his goods into her care and safekeeping. Acceptance by the bride means taking that trust and confidence unconditionally with total dedication and prudence.

The custom of the coins originated in Spain. Thirteen gold coins (arras) are given to the bride by the bridegroom, signifying he will support her. Often presented in ornate boxes or gift trays, this represents the brides dowry and holds good wishes for prosperity. These coins become a part of their family heirloom.

The number 12 represents the twelve apostles and Christ makes the thirteenth. The coins are presented to the priest by a friend or relative (usually the purchaser). The priest then blesses the coins. The coins are then placed on a tray and handed to an assistant to be held until later in the ceremony. Near the end of the ceremony the box and coins are given to the priest who places the coins in the box and hands them to the groom.

The groom then pours the coins into the bride's cupped hands and places the box on top. This represents his giving her control as his mistress of all his worldly goods. (Sometimes their hands are tied with a ribbon for this portion of the ceremony.)

Dr. Stoertz

Rosie passed her Licensing Exam! What a lot of work - and you should have heard her practice for the questions. Are YOU ready?
In the horse, damage to the suprascapular nerve results in the condition called sweeny, which is atrophy of which of the following muscles?

• (A) Brachialis and supraspinatus muscles
• (B) Brachialis, supraspinatus, and infraspinatus muscles
• (C) Supraspinatus and infraspinatus muscles
• (D) Triceps and infraspinatus muscles
• (E) Triceps and supraspinatus muscles

Dreams of India

Paula put together a wonderful itinerary of our trip to India next March. I hope you bookmark the link and keep track. We may never come back!!

• India 2011 Itinerary with links and maps

We will keep this itinerary up-to-date.

Eat Your Vegetables!

We missed all of you as we helped ourselves to seconds of this soup we made for this dreary, snow-threatening evening. Soupe Au Pistou reminded me of a hundred evening meals on the cheap in Switzerland. What's in it?

• Swiss Chard
• Carrots
• Potatoes
• Leeks
• Celery
• Basil
• Parsley
• Green Beans
• Edamame
• Tomato
• Tyme
• Zucchini
• Pasta
• Garlic
• Olive Oil
• Gruyere
• Oh, did I say garlic?

Serve it all with a grilled crust of baguette! Eat Your vegetables! Remember - Don't talk with your mouth full.

Some Foolishness

I don't know why, but I received this from multiple people with Paula and me embedded in the Elf Yourself instead of themselves.

Baby Loading...

First one gets the shirt!!

Funky Town

Alright, I'm hooked!!!

• XBox Kinect - Dance Central

Rosie, we gotta learn some of these moves. I can DO this.

You'll put your eye out...!

Remember those Grimm's Fairy Tales? So the REAL store of sweet little Cinderella involves not a fairy godmother but two turtledoves who help her overcome her two wicked stepsisters. How do these two wicked stepsisters try to fit on the glass slipper? They cut off part of their feet with an axe. Cinderella's stepmother tells them, "Do it! you'll have the rest of your life to live in richness!" And what happens to the stepsisters in the end? They wander the world in blindness because the two turtledoves peck out both of their eyes.

Just thought you might like to know.

TheVisas are Here! The Visas are Here!

Paula has done a lot of legwork to acquire visas to India, Bhutan and Saudi Arabia for our upcoming adventure. To get my visa, we had a tougher time than becoming president of the condo association. We had to actually cough up a real, live birth certificate for me - something which I did not have and Paula had some difficulty in getting for me. So you can imagine our celebration when the documents finally arrived.

I always thought the U.S.A. must be a hard place to enter - but India seems just as difficult or perhaps even more difficult. As many people that come from India to eventually take money home, you would think that the Indian government would be happy to have Americans come to India and actually spend money.

There can be only a few explanations all of which are seriously flawed in one way or another. For example, India is surrounded by hostile countries - and this is especially evident after last year's attacks in Mumbai. Since India is predominantly Hindu - and therefore quite peaceful - they are a natural target of aggression. So they most have to be quite cautious. then again, India may be doing the politically correct thing by making it hard for everybody to get a visa - even pacifists like myself.

A second possibility - and the one I think is most likely - is that they are so inbred with British bureaucracy that they can't help but perpetuate the red-tape mindlessly. This seems a consistent explanation with many stories I've heard from Indian citizens with whom I've worked over the years. Now I'm not criticizing by any means but Prabhakar Pendse - who is travelling with us and is a native born Indian and a world renowned surgeon - still has not been able to get his visa. So I can only surmise that they are either treating him unequally or are quite inept.