Eat Soup and Loose Weight

This article on BBC News says it is all about the hormone called ghrelin.

Adios GMC

Sold my 1976 GMC motorhome yesterday. I originally bought it in 2003. Actually I bought it on the last day of 2002 and picked it up the day after new years. No tax consideration, that was just the way it worked out.

They say the two happiest days in the life of a boat owner are the day he buys his boat and the day he sells it. Having been a boat owner myself, I can pretty well substantiate that. The GMC was different. I had been looking for one for quite a while before I located mine on a car lot here in Pelham. As with all the TZE's, it had a story with it. Also, as with all of the TZE's and most other motorhomes, as best I can determine, it required a good bit of tinkering. Over the 6 years and 5 months that I owned it, I replaced and/or repaired quite a few items.

But the repairs are not what I will remember about the GMC. It went with me on some great trips. Like the time me and the puppies took it to the Kendall Campground in Kentucky for the World's Longest Yard Sale. And the trip to Gulf Shores to watch Ted play baseball. There were several trips to Auburn Football games and best of all the two weeks at Anastasia State Park in Jacksonville waiting on GE to be born.

If you look at what I paid for it, add in the upkeep and fuel costs and then see what I got for it, you would say damn, that was a poor investment. But if you factor in the worth of the good times it enabled, it was the best money I ever spent. I hope it serves it's new owner as well.

A Chance For TBS To Make Amends

I have been PO'd at TBS ever since they dropped the Braves. This morning I read this article that says they may be interested in picking up the production of "My Name Is Earl". If they do that, they will definitely be out of my dog house.

Dick Cheney

I've been seeing a lot of articles lately about things that the former VP has to say. I'm not like Connie Darville, I don't have a gambling problem. But, I will wager at times and I'd bet you a gold ring against a doughnut hole that when ole Dick gets to his final reward, Saddam Hussein will be his room mate or at the very least his suite mate.

Another Milestone

Several years ago the company that I worked for lowered their early retirement age from 55 to 50. At that time, I was still in my forties. In July of 1997, I reached a milestone. I turned 50. From then on, I knew things would be different because I could retire if I had to. It did not mean a whole lot, just a little added sense of security.

Earlier this month I reached another milestone. The Social Security Administration lets you go ahead and sign up 90 days before you are eligible to receive your first check. I suppose that gives them 90 days to handle the paperwork. Since I will be 62 in July, I will be eligible to receive my first check August 1. So on May 1, I was able to sign up to draw Social Security and I did just that. Some folks have asked me "why don't you wait for a while so your check will be more?" The best way I can respond is to tell something I learned while I worked for my father at Miller's Garage.

My father ran his business before credit cards became so ubiquitous. Never the less, there were people who needed credit. Then as now for most folks in this part of the world, an automobile was essential for getting to and from work. If your vehicle feel into disrepair and could not be used, you probably would not be able to work and could easily loose your job. So people would bring in their vehicles for my father to work on and, paraphrasing Whimpy, tell him I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for car repair today.

In his office, my father kept a stack of plain receipt books like you could buy in the dime store. He would write the name of the customer along the top line, the nature of the repair on the lines on the left side , dollar amounts in the right hand column and total it up at the bottom. There would be an original and a carbon. The carbon he kept for his records, the original he gave to the customer when they paid up. (Here is where we come to the part that relates to the SSA.) Some of his credit customers would come in and pay with cash but quite a few of them would write him a check. Most of the checks he would take home to mama and she would gather several of them together, fill out a deposit slip and mail them off to the Alexander City Bank. Occasionally someone would come in and write my father a check and after they left, he would go to town to their bank and cash their check. He said that, in their case, he needed to get up there and get his money while they still had some in the bank. I have sized up SSA to be that sort of check writer and that is the reason I signed up to receive my first social security check on August 1.

The RV World of 1937

According to this inflation calculator the 1937 dollar mentioned in this video would be worth about $15.00 today. Still a great bargain for a weeks rent.

Core Values Of Survival

Lew Rockwell had a link to these 10 Core values of Survival on his web page a couple of days ago. They make sense. Nothing I haven't heard before but it is nice to see it concisely stated in one place.

Why I Welcome Global Warming.

Every time I turn around, someone is bemoaning the fact that we are experiencing global warming. To tell you the truth, when I look at this past winter's heating bills I have a hard time believing that we are truly experiencing global warming, man-made or not. But if we are, I welcome it.

You see, I am retired, fixed income and all that. It doesn't take a Harvard economist to see that this country, in fact the whole world, is inflating the money supply. For folks like me, that means that in the future my fixed income will buy less and less. If the climate warms up, I will have to buy less fuel for heat. Also, increased CO2 will make plants grow better. That is going to be important because what little money I have will no doubt have to go to pay my taxes and I will have to grow what I eat. More CO2 will help the little plants feed me.

So when I hear someone talking about global warming, I say bring it. I would rather be laying around under a shade tree with a full stomach trying to keep cool than to be freezing to death and starving. Think about it!

Interesting Technology

While I don't think much of man made global warming, I do think that anything that will increase our sources of available energy or that will help us better utilize what we have is worth while. When I read about this technology that converts waste CO2 to methane, I found it very interesting. You can check it out for yourself here.

Marijuana Debate on Larry King Show

Linda saw this discussion on "Larry King" and she said that it was a good one. Today, I saw a link to it on the blog at Lewrockwell.com. I watched it and I agree it makes a lot of sense.

Old Glory Insurance

Still one of my favorites. You will have to watch a commercial first.

"What If...?"

I'm an Artist Too !

After reading this article in the TimesOnLine, I've come to the conclusion that I am an artist as well. I especially appreciated the Einstein quote - "If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, then what are we to think of an empty desk?”

More Global Warming Information

I just found this post about Global Warming on the US Senate Committee on Environmental and Public Works web page. It is worth reading. Notice that the number of skeptics is 12 times the number of UN scientists that authored the climate claims made by the UN IPCC.

A Bigger Congress?

Listen to the podcast on this page and see what you think.

A Personal Recommendation

I recommend that you listen to this podcast at least three times. It is an interview that Lew Rockwell did with Peter Schiff. It will give you lots to think about and might help you to make some plans for the future.

An Early Christmas Present

I woke up Tuesday morning and realized that I could not blink my right eye. Further examination revealed that I also could not move my right cheek and that the right side of my mouth didn't work correctly, I had a crooked smile. Of course the first thing I thought of was stroke, but I could still stick out my tongue and move it from side to side. My speech was about as good as it ever is and I had no weakness or impairment in my arms and legs. I got on the internet and did some checking and decided that I had Bell's Palsy. Sure enough, when I went to the Doc-In-A-Box, the doctor walked in the room, checked me for less than a minute before he diagnosed it as Bell's Palsy. He said that not being able to blink my eye was the give away. Apparently stroke victims can blink. He prescribed a round of MethylPrednisolone and told me to get some eye drops to keep my right eye moist. Seems that one of the greatest risks with Bell's Palsy is damage to the cornea of the affected eye. Corneas don't do well if they get dried out. No change in my condition yet, but I am optimistic. In the meantime, I find myself quoting Kosmo Kramer, "Don't look at me, I'm hideous." ;>) this emoticon is doing something I currently can't.

So What's Next?

Like most everyone else, I have spent the last few days reading about the economic crisis. I've heard what Paulson and Bernanke say we should expect. I don't pay them much attention since they are the ones that were assuring us a few weeks ago that everything was OK.

After looking the whole thing over, I think I have a pretty good idea what we can expect. Heres the Reader's Digest version:

The government has promised to make good on what will eventually amount to trillions (as in more than one) of dollars worth of debt. Added to that is the 50 trillion plus dollars of unfunded medicare and social security for the boomers. Where is the money gonna come from? Certainly not from taxes, the American people don't have it, if they did, they would be paying those ridiculous mortgage payments and there wouldn't be an immediate crisis in the first place. What does that leave? Print more money. With more money comes price inflation. When the prices start through the roof, people are going to start crying and the government will step in with price controls. Price controls will lead to shortages and a black market.

Like I said before, I got these ideas from reading. They are not my ideas, just a compilation of the stuff that a lot of smart people are saying. You may believe as I do or you may think it is silly. Still in wouldn't hurt to have an extra case of toliet paper stuck back in the closet and that 5 gallon can you use for lawn mower gas full in the garage. Just in case.

The Knack

If the embedded video does not work watch the first couple of minutes of this one, it is the same thing.

Flu Shot or Vitamin D?

Read this and decide for yourself.