America is in a health care crisis on several fronts. Run-away medical costs and exorbitant health insurance premiums have certainly created a negative impact on the economy but, more importantly, they have eaten away discretionary income for millions of people. They have forced people into bankruptcy. They force millions of people to forego owning health insurance.

America has waged a war on smoking and smokers. In fact, during the early days of the Obama administration the only people paying higher taxes were smokers. So far, no one wants to face an even bigger problem: obesity and overweight Americans.

However, there is a very good chance that you are one of millions trying anything and everything to lose weight. I want to take a few moments of your time to tell you about a fairly simple way to lose weight. You don’t have to look far to find any number of health professionals who shout that dieting will not work. Well, eating without dieting hasn’t worked so well, either, has it?

Let’s talk about simple. You eat. So let me ask you a question: do you eat fast or slow? Here’s what I want you to do. About 30 minutes before mealtime drink 8 to 12 ounces of water. Have a minimum of 8 to 12 ounces of a non-caloric beverage with each meal. That could be unsweetened tea or tea sweetened with a sugar substitute. It could be a diet soda or a glass of water. Do not finish eating until 15 minutes have passed. In other words, make sure there are fifteen minutes between your first bite and your last bite.

Please Note Children and adolescents, pregnant or breast feeding women, and people with significant health problems such as bulimia, heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes or psychiatric disorder, should not begin a diet program without written authorization by their primary care provider. People under treatment for other conditions or taking medications prescribed by their health care provider should tell their providers that they have begun a diet because, in some cases, adjustments to medications or modifications to the weight loss program may be appropriate.

Now I titled this article The Two Week Diet and I want to explain that. Of those 14 days, you will have 3 free days. You may have heard some folks talking about the 11-day diet. They fail to mention those all-important free days during which your only guide is your lustful appetite for food…and common sense.

Those eleven days you are going to eat four meals each day and you’re going to eat those meals based on your body. Once you have learned how to eat for at least 15 minutes, let’s think about how you feel during that time. Think about reaching a point during your meal when you feel satisfied. However, we were taught to clean our plates so we keep eating. Don’t do that. Stop when you feel satisfied. I’m talking satisfied, not full.

I stopped writing this article to test something. Yesterday afternoon about 3:00 I ate some red grapes, a few chunks of pineapple and cantaloupe and a handful of walnuts and drank 12 ounces of water. About 6:30 I put six slices of deli roast beef and three boiled eggs on my plate. When I felt satisfied I returned 2 slices of the roast beef and one of the eggs to the refrigerator. And, yes, I did the water thing.

- – A Day Passes – -

Okay, here’s exactly how I did the four meals today. Meal One was at 9:00 a.m., Meal Two at 12:30 p.m., Meal Three at 3:30 p.m. and Meal Four at 7:00 p.m. You should have at least two and one-half hours between these lower calorie meals. Okay, I know what’s on your mind. What kinds of food can I eat?

Here’s a list of protein foods you’ll choose from:

• Lean Roast Beef
• Deli-style Lean Turkey
• Deli-style Lean Ham
• Deli-style Lean Beef
• Low fat Cottage Cheese
• Eggs (scrambled or hard boiled)
• Chicken (skinless)
• Egg Salad (using non-fat mayonnaise)
• Tuna Salad (using non-fat mayonnaise)
• Broiled Halibut
• Broiled Orange Roughy
• Broiled Flounder
• Mixed Nuts
• Tofu Products
• Soy Products

The Simple Way to Diet

There is a very simple way to work the 11-day diet (two weeks with those free days). The best part is that you can use it for as long as you want for one low cost. That cost is less than one month’s membership at some of the more popular weight loss sites. You get an eBook that explains how you can set up your own program. But you also have access to an online meal planner that will generate an entire 11 days of meals. It’s your choice.

To use the meal planner I chose 7 foods from column A and 7 foods from column B and clicked a button to generate the menus. Then I printed it out. Pretty simple, huh? Yes, you can go back and choose different foods or a few different foods or a couple of different foods and generate new menus whenever you want – at no additional cost.

First, I proved to myself that I could participate in this program. Now I can recommend it to you if you are looking for a simple, low-cost way to lose a few pounds…or a lot of pounds. Click here to learn more about Fat Loss 4 Idiots.

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (also in Little Rock) may be on the verge of making cancer less of a threat while reducing the cost of cancer treatment. Thanks in part to National Institutes of Health grants under President Barack Obama’s stimulus package, cancer treatments such as surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy could be replaced within ten years.

Names that may quickly jump into mind when thinking about Arkansas include, of course, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Johnny Cash, Glen Campbell and Billy Bob Thornton. Names that may be destined to become a part of Arkansas history are Vladimir Zharov and Alex Biris. Dr. Zharov is director of the Phillips Classic Laser and Nanomedicine Laboratories of the Winthrop Rockefeller Cancer Institute at UAMS. Dr. Biris is the chief scientist at UALR’s Nanotechnology Center.

The technology sounds simple enough: tag a cancer cell with a carbon nanotube and heat it with a laser to destroy it. Nanotechnology involves really small particles; a nanometer is 100,000 times thinner than a human hair. The process developed in Little Rock detects, tracks and destroys cancer cells in real time. Raman spectroscopy is the technology used to monitor the nanoparticles moving through the blood stream and attaching themselves to cancerous cells.

The process has already tested successfully with lab rats. Dr. Ekaterina Glanzha of UAMS assisted Biris and Zharov when they injected a rat’s tail with a single cancer cell tagged with a nanotube. Using the Raman spectroscopy they watched the cell move through the circulatory system to the ear. The targeted cell was then destroyed with a laser, and it completely disintegrated within hours.

Dr. Daniel Casciano, project adviser and former director of the Food & Drug Administration’s National Center for Toxicological Research south of Little Rock, said, "This represents a more exact, more precise and more cost-effective means of treating cancer. And there is a therapeutic benefit as well because we can target the cancer cells without killing or injuring normal cells." (continued below)

Several other Arkansas universities have participated in the research along with NCTR. They are the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, University of Central Arkansas at Conway, Arkansas State University at Jonesboro and Arkansas Tech University at Russellville. Early plans are underway for creation of an Arkansas nanomedical center in Little Rock to coordinate future work.

Because of the amount of information already available about breast and prostate cancer, these are the two cancers that will probably be targeted first with the new technology. Dr. Zharov said, however, that the door is now open for other applications such as treating stroke, heart attack, infections and neurological disorders.

Dr. Mary Good is dean of UALR’s Engineering and Information Technology and previously served the Clinton administration as technology undersecretary of commerce. She said, "The research Dr. Biris and Dr. Zharov have conducted indeed is significant and promising. It points to a whole new direction for medical applications for nanoparticles. There still is extensive time needed for research into the ultimate utility for these approaches and for human subject experiments. But this early work is exciting and provides long-term hope for more effective cancer treatments."

About the Scientists

Zharov obtained his Ph.D. and D.Sc. degrees at Moscow State Technical University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Lawrence National Laboratory of the University of California. He served as professor and chairman of the Biomedical Engineering Department at Moscow University.

Since 2000, he has been a professor and director of the Phillips Classic Laser and Nanomedicine Laboratories at the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. Zharov has authored and co-authored five books, 40 patents, and published close to 200 papers. He is the principle investigator in 12 grants from the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and Department of Defense. He has unique interdisciplinary skills in physics, biology and medicine.

Biris earned his Ph.D. at UALR and joined the faculty in 2006. He and his team have filed 11 patent applications in nanotechnology, bio-nanotechnology, space exploration, and materials science areas. He is fully involved in studying the interaction of nanomaterials with biological systems and using use such novel nanostructures for targeting and killing cancer cells. He has more than 160 papers published in peer reviewed journals or presented at international conferences.

He was part of the team that designed and developed a newly patented electrodynamic screen for space exploration in collaboration with NASA. Patent applications are pending on his new method and technology for producing large quantities of carbon nanotubes with high purity. He led the design and development of carbon nanostructures-based filters to efficiently remove bio-chemical contaminants from air and water.

In addition to his groundbreaking research and work with graduate and undergraguate students, Biris works one-on-one with gifted middle- and high school students in Arkansas.

How many times does a child hear that question: what do you want to be when you grow up? Little boys want to be firemen, policemen, soldiers or a superman-like crime fighter. Perhaps a Ninja Turtle? Sports star? Rarely does a kid want to be an accountant or a clerk or bag groceries.

Little girls want to be a princess. Funny thing is, most of ‘em turn out to be just that…, you know, to us guys who know they control the world and dispense the good things to those currently in their favor. Oh, how we want to be in their favor!

Of course, things change for the kiddies after age three or four and they start to get more serious about stuff. Back in the day, kids didn’t have to make up their minds until they, at least, were teenagers. I remember walking across the football field with my date at the Senior Prom to a feller holding a microphone. He asked what I planned to do. I looked at the date on my arm and resisted saying what was on my mind, blurting out some respectable-type job.

Little kids are more observant today, I think. After all the attention devoted to Barack Obama’s election, a whole bunch of kids now wanted to be president. But I’ve never heard of a child wanting to be a scum-of-the-earth lobbyist. Whatever happened to wanting to be like dad or be like mom?

Well, I discovered one little girl who was so inspired by her mommy that she decided to tell the whole world. (continued below)

Who wouldn’t want a lot of men giving them money? This young lady knows what it’s all about. She may have already figured out the power of being a woman.

Other Funny Stuff

Smoking is What?!?

Kids Still Say the Darndest Things

Wisdom of Ben Franklin

Phishing ain’t fishing. Fishing is big business in Arkansas what with all the bass and trout honey holes in the state. And it’s just simply impossible to resist a plate full of golden fried crappie or bream (pronounced brim and also known as perch).

Phishing, on the other side of a shiny coin, is what thieves and folks with no moral values do to unsuspecting wonderful people like you who fail to learn from history and, thus, remain quite stupid. However, I do realize that some folks have just emerged from their caves and haven’t heard of this stuff which puts them in the Ignorant category; they are not stupid, yet.

Phishing counts on people being greedy and wantin something for nothin. And that’s probably why it’s most related to financial type stuff ’cause there ain’t nobody greedier than a banker or Wall Street person. And I thought long and hard about that statement because of the oil companies, corporations and Republicans. Now, I readily admit that a whole slew of Democrats have sold us down the river recently (think Health Care Reform) and I’m on the brink of throwing Barack Obama into that group.

Beware of Greedy Phishermen

A phisherman (used generically because there are probably some criminal-type women involved as well) ranks right down there with the aforementioned scum of the earth. Here’s a recent example dated May 17, 2009 and the email subject line is "# Hi, We Recruiting Officer (Human Resource Dept.) #" Now, the subject line itself ought to give you reason for pause. This email was written by a fellow named William Crawford who lists an email address of william2281@gmail.com. Here’s what he says.

We at Market World are a world class textile firm located in the United Kingdom and seek payment Personnel of our direct payments from customers in the United States. Below is the information about the Job.

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO FOR US?

The international money transfer tax for corporate entities (companies) is 19%, whereas for the individual it is only 4%. For this reason, We are recruiting and deploying agents to receive payments for our textiles (in money orders, cheques or bank transfers) on our behalf and then forward the money to us via Money Gram or Western Union Money Transfer. There will be profit maximization by operating in this manner.

There’s a lot more to the email like you getting a 10% commission and how the "job" requires no education, no going to an office and how you can earn a promotion. (continued below)

Stupid is as Stupid Does

Yes, phishing schemes count on you being stupid. And they work because the world is filled with stupid people; they’re not all in Washington, D.C. You see, here’s how it works. You receive a payment from "somebody" for "some reason." You must move fast in order to be promoted. You deposit the payment into your bank account. You then withdraw 90% of what you deposited, run down to the Western Union store and send it as fast as you can to the Market Health folks.

A day or two later, the money you deposited bounces because of insufficient funds. To make matters worse than they already are, your bank will probably charge you a hefty fee for depositing an insufficient check. Yes, you will feel stupid for falling hook, line and sinker for this scam. That’s a natural reaction to being stupid and doing stupid things. You are not alone. Read what others are saying.

Beware of MobileMe phishing scam – Several TUAW readers have contacted us about a MobileMe phishing scam. These readers are getting an email that looks surprisingly official (see below). When they click on the Log In button, they’re going to a page that has already been …

Another Facebook Phishing Scam Gets users Passwords – Where Geeks go to relax Spotlighting Technology, Fun, Gadgets, Games – GeeG.

Online Safety Advice: How to Recognize Phishing Emails? : MyOrbit Live – Beware of phishing email scams, which typically come as emails that claim that they are from a company that you most likely do business with, such as your Bank, PayPal or eBay. They will tell you that you need to go to the site, …

The best, however, must be this one:

Banks Blacklist Phishing Victim – A man in England who was victimized by a phishing scam found himself being blamed for it by his bank. 19-year-old Billy Brown got a phishing email claiming to be from the bank, and a few days later a check for a little over 8,000 pounds-roughly $11,000-was deposited into his account, and later a withdrawal for the same amount was made. Not surprisingly the check bounced, leaving Brown’s account overdrawn. What is surprising is that the bank immediately closed his account and blacklisted his credit rating because it insists Brown knowingly gave his bank info to the scammers, inferring that Brown himself may be one. Because of their actions not one bank in the UK will give him an account.

Maj. Steven Hutchison, 60, of Scottsdale, Arizona, died May 10, in Basrah of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle in Al Farr, Iraq. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 34th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.

We salute Major Hutchinson as a true American hero, not because he was killed in combat nor because he wore a military uniform. Steven Hutchinson is a patriot. After 9/11 he wanted to re-enlist in the military to further serve his country. He had previously served in Vietnam. But Hutchinson’s wife protested, and he did not re-enlist. According to his brother, Richard, Hutchinson’s wife died and a little part of Steven died, too.

At age 59 he re-enlisted in 2007. He had to pull some strings to do that.

By federal law (10 U.S.C., 505), the minimum age for enlistment in the United States Military is 17 (with parental consent) and the maximum age is 35 (Note: Congress changed this to age 42 in 2006). However, DOD policy allows the individual services to specify the maximum age of enlistment based upon their own unique requirements. However, someone with prior service like Major Hutchinson, can get an age waiver.

About older recuits, Col. Donald Bartholomew, U.S. Army Recruiting Command Assistant Chief of Staff, G5, said, "Experience has shown that older recruits who can meet the physical demands of Army service generally make excellent soldiers. They are mature, motivated, loyal and patriotic, and bring with them a wealth of skills and experience to our Army." (continued below)

Major Steven Hutchinson is a hero for all Americans. Though most citizens now oppose the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and want them brought to an end, Steven Hutchinson is a man we can admire. Patriotism burned within him after the World Trade Center was destroyed but he followed the wishes of his wife. He was, and is, a man’s man.

It is sad, however, that America reached the point where a 59-year old could re-enlist in the military. When I first learned of Major Hutchinson, the 1967 Buffalo Springfield song For What It’s Worth immediately leapt into my mind.

There’s something happening here
What it is ain’t exactly clear

They can sing it far better than I can write it.

We salute, again, Major Hutchinson for what he has done for his country. We plead, again, with our nation’s leaders to bring these wars to an end. As of Thursday, May 14, 2009, at least 4,295 members of the U.S. military had died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. Others pay tribute to Major Hutchinson as well.

War On Terror News: RIP Major Hutchison – Maj. Steven Hutchison, 60, of Scottsdale, Ariz., died May 10, in Basrah of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle in Al Farr, Iraq. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 34th Armor Regiment, …

HolyCoast.com: 60-Year Old Hero – An Associated Press database of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan shows that Maj. Steven Hutchison, of Scottsdale, Ariz., is the oldest member of any service branch killed since the wars broke out. His brother said Hutchison …

Thank You Major Hutchison « Infidels Paradise – This man, Major Steven Hutchison had already sacrificed for his country in the Vietnam war yet was compelled to join the Army again after 9/11. At the age of 59 years old he still felt he had not sacrificed or given enough for this …

Single payer health insurance is not new to American politics. When Teddy Roosevelt ran for President of the United States under the Bullmoose Party (after having served two terms as a Republican) his party platform stated, "The supreme duty of the Nation is the conservation of human resources through an enlightened measure of social and industrial justice. We pledge ourselves to work unceasingly in State and Nation for … the protection of home life against the hazards of sickness, irregular employment and old age through the adoption of a system of social insurance adapted to American use." That was 1912.

Fast forward to March 2009 and President Barack Obama, "The problems we face today are a direct consequence of actions that we failed to take yesterday. Since Teddy Roosevelt first called for reform nearly a century ago, we have talked and we have tinkered. We have tried and fallen short, we’ve stalled for time, and again we have failed to act because of Washington politics or industry lobbying."

The United States is in danger of falling short again. Montana Senator Max Backward, I mean, Baucus, is chairman of the Senate Finance Committee holding hearings on health care reform. Kevin Zeese, Executive Director of the Campaign for Fresh Air and Clean Politics, wrote, "Baucus has held two hearings so far and has refused to allow advocates for the most popular reform – a single payer national health policy – to even testify. Single payer, improved Medicare for all, is favored by more than 60% of Americans as well as majorities of doctors, nurses and economists. It is the most cost-effective and efficient way to provide health care to all Americans from cradle to grave."

Zeese points out that Senator Backward, I mean, Baucus, received the following campaign contributions in 2008:

Americans Need to Unite

Even though recent polls show 60% of Americans favor a single payer system, there is still resistance that is very similar to the naysayers who opposed mortgage bailouts. "I don’t think I should have to pay my taxes because my neighbor bought a house he couldn’t afford." I’m sure you’ve heard that time and again.

Let me ask you a question or three. Do you pay taxes to provide Fire Department coverage for your neighbor who left a space heater too close to a set of drapes? Do you pay taxes to provide free public education to every child in America? Do you pay taxes to provide Police Department protection for those folks across town living next to a crack house? Sure you do! Everyone deserves fire protection, police protection and a free public education. Like Teddy Roosevelt said, we all deserve "protection of home life against the hazards of sickness."

Physicians for a National Health Program answer questions on their website like, "Is national health insurance ‘socialized medicine’?" They answer, "No. Socialized medicine is a system in which doctors and hospitals work for and draw salaries from the government. Doctors in the Veterans Administration and the Armed Services are paid this way. The health systems in Great Britain and Spain are other examples. But in most European countries, Canada, Australia and Japan they have socialized health insurance, not socialized medicine. The government pays for care that is delivered in the private (mostly not-for-profit) sector. This is similar to how Medicare works in this country. Doctors are in private practice and are paid on a fee-for-service basis from government funds. The government does not own or manage medical practices or hospitals."

I already pointed out how Senator Blanche Lincoln from Arkansas is probably in the pocket of insurance and pharmaceutical companies. You might want to read this article about her (Sen. Blanche Lincoln Co-sponsors SHOP)and then check out your own members of Congress. Let’s do something right this time. We’ve been talking about it for nearly 100 years. It’s time to get out of the outhouse and solve this health care mess once and for all.

What others are saying about Single Payer Health Insurance

Green Party Joins Single Payer Health Care National Day of Action – Green Party leaders stressed that the ‘options’ plans favored by many Democrats are designed to sustain for-profit insurance companies through massive taxpayer-funded subsidies or mandates, and said that Single-Payer removes the private …

Get Out In the Streets And FIGHT for Universal, Single Payer … – Yes, single payer universal health care is socialized medicine. It is not socialism. It is just like we do for police, fire-departments, roads, schools.. and it is a huge, despicable lie when right wingers try to frame it as something akin … a desperate lie which serves only the giant health care corporations. When someone says single payer universal health insurance is socialism, simply reply “only to morons and right wing traitors who put corporations before country.” …

Make It the Baucus 13 « Single Payer Action – On their backs, they wore signs that said “Nurses Say: Stop AHIP. Pass Single Payer.” (AHIP stands for America’s Health Insurance Plans – the health insurance industry lobby.) After the 30 nurses were led out of the room, …

Brain injury victims usually find themselves trapped inside a fog because of memory problems. Imagine walking down a sidewalk in a soupy fog. You cannot see anything in front of you or to your sides yet you know there is a cross street ahead. You also know other people are walking on the sidewalk. You move along slowly, cautiously.

Brain injury is similar to enshrouding the victim’s memory with fog; it slows down. The victim sees a familiar face and the brain trudges painstakingly slow in finding a name to go with it, and, in many cases, never produces the desired answer quickly enough.

There are other demands being made inside the foggy brain. All five senses are gathering information and sending it for processing. The name retrieval is dismissed as someone asks a question. A car passes by with music blaring. The scent of barbecue permeates the air.

Inside the fog the brain slows as more and more information lines up for processing. Stress builds. Heart rate and breathing quicken. The injured brain is being asked to do too much. Mental fatigue sets in as the Cycle of Response begins.

The Cycle is a natural one and is recognizable. Mental fatigue leads to confusion which leads to frustration which leads to guilt and, eventually depression. Inside the fog this happens several times each day. It is important to recognize the Cycle, recognize where you are on the Cycle, and begin taking steps to back away from guilt and depression.

Brain Injury Books at Amazon

Soldiers with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder experience the same Cycle. The March 2009 shooting at Camp Liberty in Baghdad is an example. President Barack Obama’s statement shed light on what probably happened. “There were a total of five service members killed yesterday. Two were 55th Medical Company staff officers at the Liberty Combat Stress Control Centre.” The other three killed were being treated for stress.

Days before the incident, the Army had taken away the shooter’s weapon and recommended he get counseling at the centre. Depression, the last step on the Cycle of Response, indicates separation. A depressed person separates himself from society by withdrawing into his own world. A depressed person separates himself from family through divorce. A depressed person separates himself from life through suicide or a suicidal act.

It is clearly evident the shooter at Liberty Combat Stress Centre performed an act of separation. The immediate arrest outside the clinic was one side of the coin. The other side would have the shooter killed by military police, another type of suicide. In custody and charged with five counts of murder, the shooter is now separated from society, family and his former life.

The military, itself, is not without blame. A stigma has been attached to “mental health” issues, according to Major Gen. Daniel Bolger, the commander of Multi-National Division-Baghdad. The shooter’s father said of his son, “His life was over as far as he was concerned. He lived for the military.”

Think about the chain of events. The shooter had been in the military since 1988. His weapon had been taken from him and he was sent for mental health counseling. His father stated that his son was confused by the tests and their significance. “He lived for the military,” are certainly telling words. Guilt permeated his every thought. “His life was over as far as he was concerned.” Depression could not be stated more clearly or forcefully.

I have not used the shooter’s name in this article because he is not the primary focus, neither are his actions. He felt stigmatized by a system that could not treat him adequately.

Read more about PTSD:

War Veterans and Traumatic Brain Injury

VetVoice:: VoteVets.org and CREW Urge PTSD Investigation – Not only myself, but all clinicians up here are being pressured not to diagnose PTSD and diagnose anxiety disorder NOS instead.” Dr. McNinch continued, “yours has not been the only case . . . I and other [doctors] are under a lot of …

Balancing the Image of PTSD: The Synonmous Relationship of Combat … – The perception of PTSD as nothing more than “battle fatigue” is a thing of the past in American society. Or is it?

Witness: Ex-soldier had PTSD, was unfit for combat – KHQ Right Now … – Witness: Ex-soldier had PTSD, was unfit for combat. Associated Press – May 12, 2009 10:23 PM ET. PADUCAH, Ky. (AP) – A psychiatrist has testified that a former soldier convicted of rape and murder in Iraq did not receive a proper level …

Veterans Blog: Help for PTSD Sufferers! – There are many stories circulating about the shortfalls in adequately diagnosing and treating post traumatic stress disorder, commonly referred to as PTSD. Just recently, I spoke with a women working at a business here in Nashville …

Additional References:

Brain Injury Guide

Brain Injury Online

Beth’s Brain Injury Blog

Benjamin Franklin is one of America’s Founding Fathers. He died April 17, 1790, less than one year after George Washington was sworn in as our nation’s first president. Certainly there are other Founding Fathers about which most of us know very little. Franklin stands out because he lived what he wrote, "If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing."

At age 12 he began an apprenticeship at his brother’s printing business in Boston but left his family at age 17 and moved to Philadelphia. The following year he moved to London to continue his training as a printer. At age 23 he was back in Philadelphia and owner of the Pennsylvania Gazette.

Three years later Benjamin Franklin began publishing Poor Richard: An Almanack, which he published for 26 years. During that time he also served as Postmaster of Philadelphia, proposed the creation of the University of Pennsylvania, founded the first American fire insurance company and flew a kite. And I’ll betcha a dime to a donut that more people know about the kite-flying than anything else he did. Sadder still is the number of people who look at a $100 bill and say, "Who’s that old man?" Others may see the Nehru-style collar and long hair and think he’s from the 1960’s instead of the 1760’s.

A Favorite Ben Franklin Quote

"Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do." (continued below)

Direct From the Horse’s ***

I’ll allow you intelligent people to decide which end of the horse applies. Ben Franklin would have been proud.

Cows pass carbon dioxide when "they do what they do"? Well, let’s see what the folks over at Pop Culture said about it.

And, finally, another example of my favorite quote of ME, "Those who fail to learn from history are stupid."

Don’t forget to check out our sitemap for more wonderful things.

Heritage Christian School in Findlay, Ohio made the news in a way Republicans have been making the news lately: negatively. Tyler Frost is a 17-year old student facing suspension March 11, 2009, just 13 days before his graduation. Thirteen days prior to getting his diploma Tyler will find all his school work marked incomplete.

Tyler Frost is guilty of going to his girlfriend’s prom at another high school. I mean, it was a Sodom and Gomorrah prom to be sure because they let students dance to rock and roll music and hold hands! The decision to prevent Tyler from graduating was made before he attended the event.

Tyler and his girlfriend did attend the prom Saturday night at Findlay High School and Tyler said, "It was great." He did dance and he did hold hands with his girlfriend in clear violation of the rules of the fundamentalist Baptist high school he attended. Actually, Tyler Frost has been a student at the fundamentalist school since kindergarten.

He knew the risk. Findlay High School required Tyler to get a letter signed by Heritage Principal Tim England before he would be allowed to attend. He knew he’d get a lecture about how to behave but never expected the threat of suspension. On Monday, March 11, Heritage Christian School explained their decision and the news media coverage:

"What the [media] article leaves out are the principles behind the rules. In the Old Testament, Joseph was in a place of temptation and he fled. Unlike this situation, he didn’t put himself in that place. Proverbs 4:23 says, ‘Keep your heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life.’ II Timothy 2:22 says, ‘Flee also youthful lusts but follow after righteousness faith charity and peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.’ When the school committee, many years before I became the principal, set up the policy regarding dancing, I am confident that they had the principle of fleeing lustful situations in mind. The question as I see it is, should a Christian place themselves at an event where young ladies will have low cut dresses and be dancing in them? Isn’t it contrary to the example of Joseph and the verses that I stated?

"Second, at the beginning of the school year, every family must sign a statement of cooperation. Students in 7th through 12th grades must also sign it. It doesn’t say that you have to agree with them, but that we will all abide by them. What kind of a school would we be if we suspended a policy because it was convenient to do so? That would not be a Christ-like response. Jesus did not avoid trouble. He made statements such as, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me‘ (John 14:6). His statements didn’t make Him popular with the world. Can we expect anything else? The verses that I have thought of throughout this day are Matthew 5:11-12, ‘Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.’ Wow! I can build up a whole lot of rewards in heaven today, and so can you.

"Third, when discussing this particular issue with folks in the community please remember that the servant of the Lord ‘must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness’ (2 Tim 2:24, 25).

"Esther received great counsel from her uncle Mordecai when he said, ‘And who knoweth whether thou art come into the kingdom for such a time as this.’ (Esther 4:14). This is a time for Heritage to shine as a light in this world. It isn’t easy, but it is right." (continued below)

What Would Jesus Do?

Truth be told I can’t tell you what Jesus would do anymore than I can tell you what the Republicans will do next. I can only read in the Bible and see what Jesus did do in a similar situation. Since Principal England quoted from the Gospel of John, Chapter 14, I’ll simply ask him to back up to Chapter 8 which reads in verses 1 – 11:

"Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more."

Read more about this on the Internet:

Courier Electronic Edition – Findlay, Ohio: Monday, May 11, 2009 – Tyler Frost, 17, danced and held hands with his girlfriend at the prom, attended by about 800 high school students, officials said. Frost’s grandmother, Karen Frost, who teaches at Heritage Christian, said she had been praying for her …

TheDay.com – Ohio teen begins suspension for going to prom – Tyler Frost, right and his prom date Rebecca Smooty, left are interviewed by several local media outlets prior to attending Findlay High Schools prom Saturday night, May 9, 2009. Frost says he expects to be suspended from a Christian …

Michael-In-Norfolk – - Coming Out In Mid Life: High School Student … – It would be one thing if Tyler Frost, 17, had misbehaved on the grounds of the whacked out Heritage Christian School whose principal made the following statement: *. “at a prom there will be many young ladies who will be dressed in the …

Simple Justice: Because Religion Isn't Supposed to be Fair – who has been suspended for attending his girlfriend’s prom, where they (gasp) had music and danced! Tyler Frost, 17, a senior at Heritage Christian School in Findlay, Ohio has been suspended for attending …

» American Taliban Report: Student to be suspended for merely … – Tyler Frost, 17, expects he’ll be suspended from Heritage Christian School and be prohibited from attending graduation. The Baptist school forbids dancing, rock music, and hand holding. Frost’s stepfather says the rules shouldn’t apply …

Politics has changed. But, it ain’t changed enough just yet! That’s why I call on all you feller bloggers to form a Blogitics consortium. Don’t get too worried about that big word – it just means we’re gonna do some consorting and such.

I been readin about a feller named David Perlmuter. He wrote a book called Blogwars and does some consorting on his own talking to folks about what he calls Online Social-Interactive Media (OSIM). (Note: don’t go looking for him at blogwars.com cause you’re gonna find an adult site that’ll make your eyeballs sweat.)

Anyhow, Mr. David said, "I have been traveling, giving speeches about blogging and other online social-interactive media (OSIM) and Campaign 2008. Either in person or in tele-video or Webchat connections, I have spoken to groups in Germany, the Netherlands, the Philippines, and Afghanistan. In the United States, my audiences have varied widely, from high school teachers to the New England Journal of Medicine. All have asked questions about accuracy and responsibility in our new world of media."

Everybody is asking questions about the accuracy and responsibility of this new world media, meaning us bloggers. And I’m wondering why that has become an issue all of a sudden. Are bloggers less accurate and responsible than "regular" media? Let’s see, we got Fox News on one side and MSNBC on the other. We got The Weekly Standard, National Review, American Spectator, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, Sean Hannity, Ed Schultz, Rush Limbaugh, Keith Olbermann, Laura Ingraham and Rachel Maddow. Is this the standard of accuracy and responsibility he’s talking about?

Now, I ain’t pickin a fight with any of those folks. I like some of ‘em and watch ‘em on the TV set every day. But…if Mr. Limbaugh says it’s black Mr. Olbermann will say it’s white. If the whole world says waterboarding is torture but Mr. Hannity says it’s not, who is the most accurate and responsible? I visited Laura Ingraham’s blog and there was a great big headline, "Obama Family Tree Extends to Germany." What would you think that meant? Well, let me tell you what it really is. Mr. Obama had an uncle who fought in World War II and went to Germany to help liberate one of the concentration camps. Yeah, let’s talk responsibility.

Let’s take a short walk back in time to Rathergate. Y’all remember that, don’t you? Old Dan Rather jumped right up on 60 Minutes and challenged President George Bush’s military service records. I mean, right there on the TV set he was showing documents that proved Dubya was lying. Bloggers to the rescue! The Online Social-Interactive Media, as Mr. David likes to call ‘em, jumped higher than ol Dan had jumped…and proved his documents to be fake. CBS apologized and so forth. Would CBS be the standard of accuracy and responsibility Mr. David is talking about?

The American Truth Squad

Whilst I like to think that Uncle Brice’s Blog is probably the most entertaining thing outside the TV set, there are some other blogs that I like. Here are a few:

Ed Schultz: Insurance Companies Are At The Table, Why Not Single … – Ed Schultz asks why Max Baucus is ignoring the majority of Americans who want single-payer healthcare.

Ed Schultz To Be MSNBC 6 PM Host – UPDATE 8:55 PM The #1 story on Countdown was Keith Olbermann introducing Ed Schultz as the new host of “The Ed Show” on MNSBC weeknights at 6PM ET.

Cafferty File – Jack Cafferty on CNN tells it like it is.

Remember, you can find all of Uncle Brice’s stuff listed on the Uncle Brice Sitemap. You can also add your email address to that eNews and Updates box in the upper right column and the good folks over at Feedburner will send you an email each time this blog gets updated.