The Dream Of America

Indiana, my home state, has a new license plate. Along
with the usual expiration dates, the individual
license number, and the state name, it now also bears
a motto that gives this blogger pause, to say the
least. Before I tell you what it says, and why I take
issue with it, I am going to give you a bit of my own
history, or of the history that, as a child, I
bought--hook, line, and sinker.

American children are taught (at least they were back
when I was in grammar school) that The U.S. is the
great "Melting Pot", that America is uniquely
wonderful not only due to a relatively new and
experimental undertaking called Democracy, but due to
the rich, intricately woven culture that was born from
our multicultural stone-soupness. One can achieve
ANYTHING, be ANYTHING, spend every Wednesday night
howling at the moon in one's front yard, and, with the
Constitutionally mandated Separation of Church and
State, worship any way one chooses--not how any King
or President would deem appropriate. My
textbooks stated that in becoming Americans, even the
poorest of the poor, the meekest of the meek, could
absolutely reverse their fortunes--from oppressed to
free, from exiled to welcomed, just by showing up.
Many did just that. My own ancestors arrived here
around the end of the Civil War (late 18th
Century)from Ireland, Germany and Denmark.

This idealized version of America fascinated my little kid mind. I
loved it! I adored my country. I envisioned my people
crossing the Atlantic to what must have truly felt
like a new world. I was proud of them. I was proud
that we, as Americans honored our cultural
tributaries, honored all the myriad strains of
humanity that became the whole, honored the meek who
came with nothing and built new lives as well as built
a new nation for themselves (and for us). E Pluribus
Unum--"Out of Many, One" This was "America". This same
motto used to grace all American currency, and it was
PERFECT--a fantastic and, most importantly, INCLUSIVE
metaphor for America. This, by the way, is what
should be on my license plate--and what WOULD be if my
childhood Social-Studies vision of The U.S. was even
half true.

The new Indiana license plate reads: "In God We
Trust".
And now, the obligatory defense: my personal
relationship with, feelings about, sense of, habits
relating to, like, dislike, awe of, love or disdain
for religion are beside the point. State money
should not be utilized to fund this message. Period. There is no
historical tradition or precedent in license plating
to support it being Constitutionally OK. That aside,
the greater issue is the exclusiveness of it. You can
bet that there will never be a state funded plate that reads,
"Allah Blesses You", or "May The Blessings Of Kali Be
Yours". In Judaism, the word for God is neither spoken
or written, so it can't be said that this state-funded
plate--in a nation that purports to upholds the
Separation of Church and State--is deity inclusive. It
isn't. It matters not at all if the majority of
Americans are Christians, people are free to blanket
their vehicles with "In God We Trust" stickers, if
they so choose. Just not with stickers paid for with
tax dollars.
It is often said that this country was/is based on Judeo
-Christian values--that that is what justifies such
things as representations of God on our license
plates, in our courthouses, etc. But I really don't know
how this one slipped by. People seem, rather
conveniently, to forget that The U.S. Government has
been SECULAR from day one. There are VERY good reasons for this vital mandate. The U.S. is not a Theocracy--and thank God, I say.

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Blogging Via Email! Great! But for The SERIOUSLY Annoying Yahoo Signature

For some unknown, hair pulled out at the roots reason,
Blogger is no longer my friend. Or, perhaps it is more
apt to say that it is SOMETIMES or OCCASIONALLY my
friend. In any event, it has become a fair-weather
friend. And to tell you the truth, I don't see the
need for that kind of buddy. The thought has been in
the back of my mind for a while now to get my own
domain for this blog. Maybe now is the time--or soon,
at least. Hmmm, we'll see. Anyway, when I try to
"publish" a post the old fashioned way, i.e., on my
Blogger page, it would only publish the TITLE of said
post. Why, why, why?!

SO, I can do this through my Yahoo mail. But first,
does anyone know how to get rid of the Yahoo signature
that comes at bottom of all Yahoo emails? Having it
at the end of all my posts--until I am able to figure
out what the HELL if wrong with my Blogger account,
itself--is going to get old really fast. This is an
appeal to all those savvier-than-me folks out there.
You know who you are. I need your help!

Since it's been so long since I've written an actual
post, I'm not certain where to begin. It's fairly late
as it is, and I am physically beat. The exhaustion is
due largely to the fact that I have resumed vigorous
physical exercise this past week. I am happy to say
that almost every part of my body hurts at the time of
this writing. And while I don't enjoy pain as a rule,
it means I'm onto something. It was the kick boxing
that did it. I've never done kick-boxing before, and I
LOVED it! I am going back for more tomorrow.

Another good thing: It would appear that spring has
arrived--or at least a fantastic sneak-peek of what's
to come. I have had my windows open for the last
several days, letting all the fresh clean air and
thawing scents in. This has transformed my senses as
well as my sense of things. I am not a good winter
person, I never have been, actually.
Well, that's it for tonight. I'm glad I found a way to
beat the system, even if it is a bit inconvenient.
More soon!

Please ignore the following:

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NOTICE! This blog is experiencing tech issues-issues that have this blogger scratching her head. I'll return ASAP to regular posting. Bear with me!!

What I Should Be Doing Right Now

My father's S.O. gave this to me recently. I read Night in high school, or perhaps back when I was an undergraduate the first time. So it's been some time.

And look! A signed copy!

I'm quite broke right now--saving as much as possible, and trying to spend only on essentials. It certainly hasn't been fun, this extreme frugality, though it has admittedly been a good exercise in restraint--to think more about wants vs. needs, etc. I've gotten fairly good at it. So oh joy! When last week I happened upon a $50.00 Barnes & Noble gift-card that I'd forgotten I had! Guilt-free spending!
I purchased this:

I adore Kurt Vonnegut, my fellow Hoosier and Lefty. I can't wait to read this book.

I also purchased this.
There's been a lot of controversy regarding this one. I haven't yet begun reading, but it seems that one would be hard-pressed to claim that Jimmy Carter is anything other than one of the leading humanitarians (and humanists)of our time. His actions speak for themselves.

Bad Hair, Bad Haiku

.

I need a haircut.
You'd agree if you could see.
Close to Carol B.*


*Brady, that is.

Help With Crohn's

Back in October I posted about Crohn's Disease, which is a not so fun condition I share with a lot of folks. My site-counter shows me the search words used by people that bring them to this site and I've noted that, since that post, at least once a week someone comes looking for information about Crohn's. I can recall--very clearly--how anxious I was when I was first diagnosed, it can be extremely overwhelming. So I thought I'd share some of the things that I've found useful--books, diet and supplement tips, and websites that may help the average Crohn's sufferer a bit. (If you are currently taking medication, or are not certain that you have Crohn's, of course, talk to your health care practitioner about possible drug interactions and getting a proper diagnosis.)

First of all, let me say this: where you purchase any of the following supplements does matter. There is little to no regulation of herbs and supplements in the U.S. and that means that the brand(s) you purchase has got to to hail from a quality/proven company. Unfortunately, most of the supplements that are available at the grocery store--or even your local CVS--are not of the highest quality. In fact they may not even contain what they claim to on the label! I worked in the natural foods/supplement industry for six years so I have a pretty good idea as to what's out there, as well as to what's good. I say if you're going to spend the money at all, spend it well. Secondly, any and all of these recommendations can benefit anyone--not just those with Crohn's--anyone who wants to improve their overall health.

--Every day I take fish oil, or a flax, fish oil combination. These are natural anti-inflammatories containing Omega-3 fatty acids which can, in turn, help limit tissue damage and have the added benefit of lowering blood cholesterol levels, regulating the endocrine system, helping with depression and general brain function, as well as making one's skin and hair look fantastic. (good for arthritis, too, another inflammatory disease). There is a very good quality fish oil made by Carlson. Both liquid or softgels work the same though the liquid is cheaper and comes in different flavors, lemon, orange, etc. (The softgels fit my life better, as I can't stand swallowing the oil.) Most importantly, Carlson has very strict purity standards, which is extremely important with fish oil, as the levels of toxins in the oceans continue to rise. "All Carlson fish oil products are regularly tested using AOAC international protocols for freshness, potency and purity by an independent, FDA-registered laboratory and have been found to be free of detectable levels of mercury, cadmium, lead, PCB�s and 28 other contaminants." They do independent testing, too, yay!

--I take a multi-strain pro-biotic. I think I have found the best one though it is expensive. It's called Primal Defense, by Garden of Life, and can be found in most well-stocked natural foods/health stores. However, you can find a less pricey pro-biotic that is of good quality, as well, (I just think that Primal Defense is top-tier). There are a other good combinations (you'll want no fewer than three strains of good bacteria in your pro-biotic though, really, as many strains as possible) by Solaray and Now brands, and these are quite a bit less expensive. Garden of Life also has an anti-inflammatory supplement called F.Y.I. (For Your Inflammation) which may also be helpful.

--I take Spirulina every day, as well. This is good for overall health but especially good for Crohn's people who have Anemia. You can take this in powder form, but this is not for the faint of heart as it tastes very GREEN. Tablets are more convenient, and you don't have to taste them. Again, I recommend Solaray and Now brands.

--A good quality multi-vitamin-mineral. There are some reasonably priced options. Naturally, you can spend a lot or a little, and certainly, the quality varies by price. Garden of Life has a fantastic, Food-Source multi, which you should check out if money isn't an obstacle. However, Provide multi, by Solaray, is just fine. Taking it with food should help with the absorption of nutrients.

--My good friend, "C" is an Herbalist, and she has recommended oatstraw tea, which is very calming to the digestive tract as well as being a nervine, which means it may calm your nerves as well. Oatmeal, too, is a great option for active Crohn's. It is quite soothing. There have been numerous times when oatmeal was about all my gut would tolerate, that and baby food--which, by the way, tastes just awful.

--Two books that have been exceedingly helpful to me: The New Eating Right For A Bad Gut: The Complete Nutritional Guide to Ileitis, Colitis, and Crohn's Disease, by James Scala and The New People: Not Patients: A source Book for Living With Inflammatory Disease, , by Penny Steiner-Grossman
And, by all means, go to The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America's website. You'll find answers to all your questions there.

Dollar Tree, Baby

I am in scratch heaven. And they only cost a dollar each! FYI, they were located in the bath product section--next to back scrubbers and the like.

I have the day off today. It is quite warm--in the high 40s--and incredibly, dazzlingly sunny. Birds, out my window, are singing a springy kind of song. Makes me feel like it might actually be on its way... I'm not getting my hopes too high, though, it is only March. To tell the truth, I could really use some spring.
Did anyone get a good glimpse of the lunar eclipse? I only saw pictures, as it wasn't visible from my location, but wow! Pretty incredible. And "B" tells me that there is going to be a solar eclipse near the end of the month, as well.