Perhaps Decades or More...

The Republican controlled SENATE will confirm the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court and the court will begin to lean in the direction of a strict interpretation of the US Constitution regarding how our Founding Fathers intended it to be rather than interpreting the US Constitution based upon the changes among the people to reflect a more progressive nature...

What's wrong with having a progressive nature?

Nothing...  other than it could be just temporary...  today, we may think that the LGBTQ community needs to be protected and in decades from now we may think otherwise...  why change the Constitution just because our feels towards LGBTQ's has changed.

It is possible that if the 2020 election or some future election gives the Democrats a President and a simple majority in the House and in the Senate, the size of the Supreme Court could be changed...  in this increased...  and then those vacancies could be filled with Liberal Justices which would then possibly favor a re-writing of the US Constitution to reflect a more progressive country.

How would a senior citizen be impacted by a Liberal or a Conservative Supreme Court?

To my knowledge, the only issues for Senior Citizens might be the FIRST and SECOND Amendments which could curtail freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right to own a firearm...

Of course, it is highly unlikely that this will happened...   and right now, most of the key decisions to be made by the Supreme Court deal with:

• abortion
• late term abortion
• LGBTQ rights
• discrimination
• taxation
• states rights

Most, if not all of these issues, have very little impact on senior citizens...

In fact, most of the cases that travel through the court system and reach the Supreme Court are reflective of 1 or only a few people...  and have nothing to do with the whole of society...  like reading a person his rights after being arrested...

Personally, none of this really concerns me nor should it concern you unless you think your rights have been violated or you believe that someone has violated your rights...  but, even if that were true, what frigging difference does it make...

Say a person gets kicked off of a social media forum because the person broke the rules

That person can start a blog

Now, let's assume that person violates the blog rules and the blog is taken down

That person can write a book

Now, let's assume that that person cannot get their book published

That person can self publish or that person can just forget about it

What Did Our Founding Fathers Believe?

According to Nicholas Rathod who wrote an article published by the Center For American Progress stated the following:  "In recent years, we have been told by a variety of conservatives that America’s founding fathers established the country under Christian doctrine—that we are a “Christian nation” and should operate accordingly.

This notion—that our country’s roots are explicitly Christian—is both foolish and wrong, for it devalues the Christian faith and disrespects the genius of the founding fathers. Christianity does not need to be endorsed by law or some fantasized re-interpretation of the Constitution in order to have meaning in people’s lives."

And while this is his personal opinion, he went on to write that:  The genius of the founding fathers is they understood that Christianity could not only stand on its own but would thrive without being written into the laws and founding documents of the country. 

Many of the founding fathers—Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Madison and Monroe—practiced a faith called Deism. Deism is a philosophical belief in human reason as a reliable means of solving social and political problems. Deists believe in a supreme being who created the universe to operate solely by natural laws—and after creation, is absent from the world. 

And because of this absence our Founding Fathers adopted SLAVERY and created a Constitution and Bill of Rights that did not include the African Americans that had been stolen and sold to the wealthy in a NEW LAND as SLAVES...

One could construe that it was the SLAVES that built America not the white man...

It is true that our Founding Fathers created a UNIQUE EXPERIMENT of Democracy and drafted documents around which a great nation was built, but they did so by not treated everyone as equals under MAN'S Law or under GOD'S Law...

In What Do I Believe?

Spiritual/Religious

1. that there is a Creator of the Universe
2. that creation of the Universe was of Intelligent Design
3. that there are multiple dimension in our universe
4. that there are other intelligent forms of life in our universe
5. that all beliefs were given to us by our Creator
6. that mankind will ultimately destroy itself
7. that wealth creation is not the intended purpose of life

Governmental

1. that there must be some form of regulatory government
1. 
   to protect and negotiate
2. to educate
3. to feed, clothe, and house
4. to cure when sick
5. to care for when old
2. that governmental power be divided into thirds
1. make the laws
2. enforce the laws
3. judge and interpret the laws
3. that there must be a rule of law
4. that the population cannot properly govern itself
5. that the government must be small and well defined
6. that the people have well defined rights and guarantees
7. that debt to provide services should be avoided or made illegal
8. that wars should be fought to protect homeland only
9. that nations have a fundamental right to conquer 
10. that all individuals will never be financially equal

As far as the US Constitution and Bill of Rights is concerned:

1. Our government is not responsible for our happiness
2. Speech should never be censored
3. Beliefs should never be denied or used against an individual or group
4. Individuals have a right to defend themselves
5. Females have a right to do whatever they want to regarding their bodies
6. Males and Females will never be equal physically, mentally, or in their skills and abilities
7. Ethnicities will never be equal physically, mentally, or in their skills and abilities
8. Manipulation of the people should be prevented

Americans For Tax Reform

"I would be going about eliminating Donald Trump's tax cut for the wealthy," Biden said on the debate stage.

This is at least the ninth time that Biden has threatened to repeal the TCJA.

Biden’s promise to repeal the tax cuts is a promise to raise taxes. If the tax cuts were repealed:

1. A family of four earning the median income of $73,000 would see a $2,000 tax increase.

2. A single parent (with one child) making $41,000 would see a $1,300 tax increase.

3. Millions of low and middle-income households would be stuck paying the Obamacare individual mandate tax.

4. Utility bills would go up in all 50 states as a direct result of the corporate income tax increase.

5. Small employers will face a tax increase due to the repeal of the 20% deduction for small business income.

6. The USA would have the highest corporate income tax rate in the developed world.

7. Taxes would rise in every state and every congressional district.

8. The Death Tax would ensnare more families and businesses.

9. The AMT would snap back to hit millions of households.

10. Millions of households would see their child tax credit cut in half.

11. Millions of households would see their standard deduction cut in half, adding to their tax complexity as they are forced to itemize their deductions and deal with the shoebox full of receipts on top of the refrigerator.

At some point-in-time, Americans are going to have to pay down the National Debt or tell CHINA who owns ONE THIRD of our debt to go SCREW THEMSELVES...

As any family knows who has debt like a mortgage, education, vehicle, or medical, increasing that debt is HARMFUL to the family...

America cannot expect nor can they FORCE the WEALTHY to pay off America's Debt...  however, there will be some wealthy individuals and families who feel an obligation to pay off America's Debts but a vast majority of the wealthy will not just refuse to do this but will shelter their money in such a way that they will be unable to help.

The stimulus monies that the government paid out are only the beginning of our debt profile as we anticipate a BIDEN victory in November...  and, when that is confirmed, America will gradually but consistently pay out more and more money and try to increase taxes to the point that BUSINESS will begin to push back...

In some areas of the US, we will resemble a THIRD WORLD COUNTRY in the way our residents will be living...  but, the rest of us will not care...  because we are not living like that yet...

Hot Tub Revelations

Tonight, I decided to spend some time in my hot tub after it got dark and sitting in the warm 101 degree temperature water and after turning on the jets, looked up at the stars in the sky...  and noticed that there really wasn't many of them that I could see.

The black sky above my head was loaded with millions perhaps billions of stars even though I could only see  less than 00.00000001% of 99.9999999% of them around our planet earth which is located in our solar system...  and, to expand your mental horizons imagine millions/billions of solar systems in our galaxy and millions/billions of galaxies in our quadrant of our universe.

Now, let's imagine our universe is a dinner plate and our quadrant in this universe represents 1 degree of the 360 degrees that completes the full circle of the universe.  Of course, it is also possible that our quadrant is not 1 degree but 1/10 or 1/100 or 1/1,000 or 1/10,000 of 1 degree.

In short, our universe is incredible vast and in each quadrant there are literally billions of billions of billions of solar systems and galaxies...  so, you can just imagine how many stars there are.

AND, as I look at these stars, I begin to wonder:

1. why am I here?
2. what's my purpose here?

BUT, before we answer those two questions, one must come to terms with the creation of the universe...

• was it created by the BIG BANG?
• was it created by CREATION?

Interestingly, NEITHER BELIEF CAN BE PROVED ABSOLUTELY...  one must have elements of faith that support their belief(s).

If God created the universe...  the big question here is WHY?

And, why did God create Jesus to die for our SINS when it was GOD who gave us those sins in the first place?

The BIG BANG direction does not take us any closer to the truth because we still have to answer the questions:

1. how?
2. why?
3. where did the stuff that created the BIG BANG come from?

BUT...  and more importantly...  why am I thinking about this in the Hot Tub when the whole purpose of the hot tub is to RELAX and not think of anything?

One thing is for sure, mankind on earth relative to the size of the universe is literally INSIGNIFICANT to say the least.  Does belief and faith make mankind on earth more SIGNIFICANT, especially when a member of mankind DIES?

My big question is this:  Does each SOLAR SYSTEM have a God and a HEAVEN?

On The Hour

There are over 175 CHURCHES in a 15 mile radius of where I live in East TN...  however, there are only about 30 of them that have large congregations.  They basically include the following denominations: 

Baptist, 

Catholic, 

Methodist, 

Episcopal, 

Lutheran, 

Church of Christ, 

Presbyterian, 

Assemblies of God, 

AME Zion, 

Church of the Brethren, 

Church of God, 

and Nondenominational.  

Most of their leaders are paid salaries or stipends but many are simply volunteering their time...

This seems hard to believe but it is true...  I can just imagine how many Churches there would be once one finds oneself in the actual BIBLE BELT of the South...

And, each one of these Churches has a slightly different take on their interpretation of what the BIBLE actually states and means...  INTERPRETATION...

Interpretation is the action of explaining the meaning of something...

I wonder how many of these Church Leaders know the meaning of METAPHOR

I wonder how many of the Church Congregation know the meaning of METAPHOR

BUT, the most important questions is this:

SHOULD THE BIBLE BE TAKEN LITERALLY OR METAPHORICALLY?

Has our earth been in existence only 6000 years or has it been in existence for Millions of Years?

JESUS SAID:  My Kingdom is not of this world...

What does that statement really mean?

Is HEAVEN in another DIMENSION?

Each day when the weather is nice and I am able to sit on my screened-in back porch and write, every hour on the hour, a church less than 1/2 mile away rings a bell...

Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen

Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen, formerly known as Cheddar's Casual Cafe, is an American restaurant brand based in Irving, Texas. Founded in 1979, the company has more than 170 locations in 28 states as of 2018.

Cheddar's was founded in 1979 by Aubrey Good and Doug Rogers. The first location was in Arlington, Texas, and the chain reached 10 locations by 1995.

By 2003, Cheddar's generated $150 million in revenue from 42 restaurants in 13 states and Brazos Private Equity Partners made an initial investment to grow the company that year. In August 2006, when the company generated $245 million in revenue from 55 restaurants in 15 states, Oak Investment Partners and L Catterton Partners jointly purchased Cheddar's.

There is a Cheddars in Knoxville about a 45 minute drive from the house and my wife and I usually go there about every other week.  She gets a salad of some sort and I get grilled salmon...  My salmon is 8 oz. plus there is a cup of wild rice, a good size baked potato with sour cream and no butter and two cups of steamed broccoli...  for $13.95...

Additionally, we are brought 2 croissants with some kind of sauce on top and two drinks usually a soft drink or unsweetened tea and our glasses are always filled twice and they provide us with a third refill to go...

My wife and I leave a 20% tip and our bill is always under $40.00 

In another city in this  State or another State, our bill would have been $40 each or $80.00 at least...  and we would not have gotten all the refills.

Buffalo Tails and Gossip

On every mental intersection there is a corner that must be navigated to get to the next intersection, hoping that one of these intersections will lead to a bridge that takes me to the other side of my thoughts that will eventually allow me to escape the realities of my Sunday afternoon daydreams...  but, the bridge is never found and the intersections continue and turns are taken to the right and left in a desperate effort to escape my own mental limitations of time and space that dwell in the bullet-time memories of The Matrix even though there are no opposing droids from which I must escape.

Nonetheless, there is an ever present need to cope with the Sunday Afternoon Doldrums in which I find myself today as I sit on the back porch listening to the rain pop on the leaves of the trees that guard my Southern Country Chalet in such a way that neighbors cannot see me if I were to decide to go skinny dipping in my hot tub...  

An early evening rain closes the day as it increases the humidity and tests the sensitivities of an older body whose past times are spent on the back porch remembering the family gossip that so often passed from mouth-to-mouth in the days before the television and all the worthless channels provided by cable for a ridiculous price so that employment can be offered to dead beats...

We had the generation of World War II and then the generation of The Korean War that seemed to overlap a tad, and then The Vietnam War that was a National Disgrace followed by TWENTY YEARS of wars in the Middle East...  and now, I am not sure which generation or generations are out there except that they all seem to think that THEY DESERVE EVERYTHING simply because their mother's made mistakes and got pregnant and never considered a government funded abortion...

My generation has been abandoned...  left out on the ice to die which was the Eskimo Tradition in Alaska.  My retired status keeps my footprints out of the marketplace and my SOCIAL SECURITY is paid by those who don't give a shit if I live or die.  By the time these youngsters realize that they have had their heads up their asses most of their lives, I'll be dead and living in an afterlife somewhere in the universe.

The only things that seem to be growing these days are the stupidity of the DEMOCRATIC Party and the ECONOMY and MILITARY of CHINA...

EVERY TIME

Every time something negative or financial happens to my wife and I, something positive always takes place to offset what happened...

For example, when our hot tub died, and we had to get a technician out here 3 times to install parts and fix the new damage, that expense was offset by receiving a STIMULUS CHECK from our Federal Government which we did not need financially to pay our monthly expenses...

When my melanoma migrated very aggressively to my groin and my doctors were extremely concerned that my time had time, the treatment of immunotherapy and radiation worked PERFECTLY on my body, successful killing the progression...

When my investment stopped producing income, I realized that my cancer insurance payments would  cut those reductions from our savings in half...

I am not financially well off, in fact my greatest annual salary was $50,000 and that only last 9 months because I left my job prematurely....  but throughout my life, downsides have always been followed with upsides as I have managed to skate through life relatively unharmed...

So today...   I am retired...  and, been retired for over 5 years and while my retirement income is modest, my wife and I continue to live a productive life in that we do pretty much what we want to do...  at least we did until COVID arrived...  now, our lives have been severely curtailed as we for the most part remain at home...

She reads and I write and we both allow each other their space as we live just as comfortably as we did when we both were working...  In that, we are, have been, and continue to be blessed...

God's Forgotten People

                                

This morning while I was watching FOX NEWS, one of the commercials was about starving Jews all over the world but especially in Russia and the former Soviet Union...  and, for just $25, these people could receive a box of food that would last a month.  This commercial plays on the fact that these people are:

• old and starving
• elderly Jews
• God's people

AND, while I am empathetic to their plight, my first concern is the fact that if they are God's People, then why has God allowed this to happen?

God's Will on Earth as it is in Heaven...  is what THE LORD's PRAYER states...

BUT, equally important is the fact that there are MILLIONS of African children who are starving as well and are also malnourished and ONE WOULD THINK that these children are God's People as well...  so, why are we not concerned about their well being???

OR...  do you just want to SAVE one group of people and let all the others DIE?

Our FAITH is CORRECT but WRONG: Trinity Part III of III

 As you recall from Part II,

1.     From Hinduism - “The concept that the world (& man) reincarnates in life after life.” Similar to the physics theory of energy.

2.     From Judaism - “The existence of ‘free will’ and in using that ‘will’ to accept the sacredness of life as the good creation of Yahweh (God).”

3.     From Buddhism - “Through the practice of meditation (a philosophy of hope), one can acquire the Insight Knowledges and attain Nibbana (awareness).”

4.     From Jainism - “Have a respect and an appreciation for all life.”

5.     From Confucianism - “Development of the human character (duty and moral obligation); an inward quality is created from which all actions take place without ulterior motives.”

6.     From Taoism - “An assertion of truth, a way of life, a moral force that should be present in those who govern and in all governments.”

7.     From Zoroastrianism - “The concept that God would send messages to mankind through messengers.”

8.     From Christianity - “The idea that God sent His son Jesus so that man will find God through Jesus and his resurrection.”

9.     From Shinto - “The physical act of ritual purification in water.”

10.  From Islam - “The idea that the Koran supports the notion that all things (both good and evil) are the direct result of God’s will.”

11.    From  Sikhism - “A new way of looking at self, creation, and the creator and merging the three together.”

12.  From  Bahai - “Humanity is one single race and that they day has come for its unification into one global society.”

Now here's the idea...

God or some kind of CREATOR, created this VAST UNIVERSE for whatever reason...

God or some kind of CREATOR, created the HUMAN RACE...

God or some kind of CREATOR, created ALL 4,300 Religions/Philosophies...

According to SCIENTISTS, there was a BIG BANG (explosion of a black hole) that created the universe...  but, where did all the matter come from that created the black hole in the first place?  Scientists will tell you that this matter came out of nowhere or the void that existed...  but, where then did this void come from?  ANSWER:  It was always there...  

Logically, that does not make any sense at all...   something from nothing...

Creation is the only thing that makes sense from a logical standpoint...   but, where did this creator come from?  

Let's imagine that GOD is the last person alive before the end of the universe...   and, from the end of the universe, we have the beginning of a new universe...

In both cases, we have something from nothing...

So, you either believe in SCIENCE or in a GOD or CREATOR...

I choose to believe in a God or CREATOR...

WHY?

Because, it was HIS WILL...

DOES ANYONE THINK THAT GOD CREATED MANKIND AND THESE VARIOUS RELIGIONS BECAUSE GOD WANTED TO DIVIDE PEOPLE OR UNITE PEOPLE?

It would be my contention that God created mankind and all these religions to UNITE PEOPLE into a belief in GOD or some kind of a CREATOR.

All these religions point to a God or some kind of a CREATOR...

Think about that for a minute...

If they all point to a God or some kind of a Creator, then they are all SIMILIAR not different...  we are so close to the forest that all we see are our individual trees of belief rather than the FOREST OF A BELIEF IN GOD.

Mankind in general believes in God or some kind of a Creator, even those that say they don't believe have a belief that was given to them by God just as their birth was given to them by God.

The mere fact of birth of mankind is proof there is a God or some kind of a Creator.

The mere fact of the creation of our universe is proof that there is a God or some kind of a Creator.

There mere fact of 4,300 religions of a God is proof that there is a God or some kind of a Creator.

UNITED WE STAND AND DIVIDED WE FALL

Komic Korner Kartoons

 

Favorite Places to Live and/or Visit

While my wife and I like East TN as the location in which we live and Myrtle Beach as the location in which we visit...  everyone else, for the most part, has their favorite locations for one reason or another which allows for the rich diversification that makes American Great... 

For example, we have visit several places in Europe, around the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, Alaska, and Hawaii and none of those places suit our personalities 100% even though there were aspects of those areas that we really enjoyed as we were experiencing them...

Locations, to us, are not just locations but they consist of:

• travel time to get there
• transportation to get there
• cost of living there
• number of people there
• annual climate there
• things to do there

As we get older, even the 6 hour drive to Myrtle Beach is becoming to long of a time to take just to get someone in which we feel comfortable and know what to expect.  And, it is this knowing what to expect that clinches the deal for us...

COVID has put a damper on our travels and this fear will probably continue until next Summer even if they get a vaccine because we believe vaccines should be tested by others first in case they need to be modified due to side effects...   of course, the FDA would have taken all of that into consideration one would think.

 

THIS and THAT

Retired and LIMITED

Five years ago, when I was 67, I decided that I no longer wanted to work and generate income in addition to receiving full benefits from Social Security because I had had enough of the marketplace bullshit and incompetent supervisors.  I also knew that if I did this that my wife and I would be limited in what we could do and/or purchase because our money had to last not just me until I died but had to last for her as well until she died.  And, instead of estimating a short duration of life from age 67, I planned for us both living until about 95/97...  just to be sure...  and, calculated our expenses each month, and each year if we both lived that long or if I died today and she lived that long.

My wife and I spend less than $4,000/month for everything that we want to do which includes holidays, gifts, vacations, extra stuff we would like to have for ourselves...  so, if I were to die today, and my wife lived until she was 95, we would need money for 28/30 years.  If I died, her expenses would drop down to $3,000 or so each month, minus what she would receive from Social Security which would probably be around $1,200 each month, leaving her with a shortfall of $1,800 each month.

So, if we round up, her financial needs until age 95 or so would be $720,000 or $800,000 or even $900,000 just to be sure...  however, the longer I lie, the less money she would need because of our combined Social Security Incomes.

My wife and I go on about 4-6 vacations each year since we retired, except for this year when we only went on one because of COVID.  We go out to eat about 1-2 a week, sometimes more, sometimes less but we go out to dinner when we want to and don't have to sacrifice on that desire because we are retired.  We don't spend as much on gasoline for the cars since we retired or on car maintenance since we do not drive as much.

We typically sleep as long as we want to getting up around 8 am unless there is an early doctor's appointment.  We work in the yard whenever we want or whenever we have to like mowing the grass.  We exercise on average about 3 times a week although some weeks it is 5 times but again this depends on doctor's appointments.

Neither one of us has any hobbies nor do we spend a lot time outside the house with friends...  my wife usually reads and I usually write.  We seldom talk unless it is about the weather or what might be happening on the news.  We have different interests and had these surfaced when we were dating like they have surfaced now, we probably would not have gotten married...  but, after almost 30 years what the hell does it matter anymore.

CAVEAT:  If I wanted to retired in most other places outside of where I am now, I would not be able to because it costs too much to live there...  so, retirement location is key...  along with being able to manage you anticipated healthcare costs...

Friday Morning in East TN

Controversy abounds...

Democrats versus Republicans...

Blacks versus Whites...

Rich versus Poor...

Liberals versus Conservatives...

ANTIFA versus White Supremacy

North versus South

Religious versus Atheists...

Intellectuals versus Ignorance...

Males versus Females...

LGBQTI versus Other...

Minorities versus Majorities...

BUT, here is East TN... all is quiet...  and, our area is BLESSED because we are not really in the DEEP SOUTH nor are we part of the EAST COAST nor are we in the NORTH, MIDWEST, THE PLAINS, or WEST COAST....  

We are in a LIMBO area when it comes to defining us by our location.  And, the Hurricanes from the GULF COAST never get up to our "neck of the woods," so we don't see that kind of destruction.  Plus, we are bordered by the GREAT SMOKEY MOUNTAINS and the CUMBERLAND PLATEAU so our weather is rather moderate in the winter although it can be kinda humid in the summer months...

We have no major crime of which to speak other than illegal drugs being in our elementary, junior highs, and high schools that NO ONE ever seems to be able to eliminate.  And, while cousins marry cousins, most of us are actually transplants from NC, VA, NY, MA, CT, KY, GA, AR, and a few other States about which no one brags.

Our homes, on average cost, half as much as in other places and we have easy access to reputable and reliable healthcare and airline transportation...  and, thanks to our Federal Government and the PUBLIC WORKS PROJECT, we have some of the best network of LAKES in the entire USA.

SO...  here in East TN on a Friday morning all is quiet...  no rumble of traffic or police sirens or the noises from ambulances trying to save a life...  no rumble of airplanes taking off for other locations carrying passengers and/or supplies.  No, drugs being sold on our street corners or prostitutes sitting in all night diners drinking coffee trying to catch a break.  Most of our restaurants are open and while some are more expensive than others, excellent food is always being prepared.  We have no BROADWAYS or all night bars, nor do we have casinos or gambling...

My social security check goes farther here in East TN than it would in Raleigh, NC, or Atlanta, GA which is why I do not live in those highly populated areas...

IT IS AN IDEAL PLACE IN WHICH TO LIVE, RETIRE, AND DIE...

All Creatures Great and Small

The Mediterranean Diet

BY MAYO CLINIC STAFF

                                                                                    

A heart-healthy eating plan

The Mediterranean diet blends the basics of healthy eating with the traditional flavors and cooking methods of the Mediterranean.

Why the Mediterranean diet?
Interest in the Mediterranean diet began in the 1960s with the observation that coronary heart disease caused fewer deaths in Mediterranean countries, such as Greece and Italy, than in the U.S. and northern Europe. Subsequent studies found that the Mediterranean diet is associated with reduced risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

The Mediterranean diet is one of the healthy eating plans recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans to promote health and prevent chronic disease.

It is also recognized by the World Health Organization as a healthy and sustainable dietary pattern and as an intangible cultural asset by the United National Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

What is the Mediterranean diet?
The Mediterranean diet is a way of eating based on the traditional cuisine of countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. While there is no single definition of the Mediterranean diet, it is typically high in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nut and seeds, and olive oil.

The main components of Mediterranean diet include:

• Daily consumption of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and healthy fats
• Weekly intake of fish, poultry, beans and eggs
• Moderate portions of dairy products
• Limited intake of red meat

Other important elements of the Mediterranean diet are sharing meals with family and friends, enjoying a glass of red wine and being physically active.

Plant based, not meat based
The foundation of the Mediterranean diet is vegetables, fruits, herbs, nuts, beans and whole grains. Meals are built around these plant-based foods. Moderate amounts of dairy, poultry and eggs are also central to the Mediterranean Diet, as is seafood. In contrast, red meat is eaten only occasionally.

Healthy fats
Healthy fats are a mainstay of the Mediterranean diet. They're eaten instead of less healthy fats, such as saturated and trans fats, which contribute to heart disease.

• Olive oil is the primary source of added fat in the Mediterranean diet. Olive oil provides monounsaturated fat, which has been found to lower total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL or "bad") cholesterol levels. 
• Nuts and seeds also contain monounsaturated fat.
• Fish are also important in the Mediterranean diet. Fatty fish — such as mackerel, herring, sardines, albacore tuna, salmon and lake trout — are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, a type of polyunsaturated fat that may reduce inflammation in the body. Omega-3 fatty acids also help decrease triglycerides, reduce blood clotting, and decrease the risk of stroke and heart failure.

What about wine?

The Mediterranean diet typically allows red wine in moderation. Although alcohol has been associated with a reduced risk of heart disease in some studies, it's by no means risk free. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans caution against beginning to drink or drinking more often on the basis of potential health benefits.

Eating the Mediterranean way
Interested in trying the Mediterranean diet? These tips will help you get started:

• Eat more fruits and vegetables. Aim for 7 to 10 servings a day of fruit and vegetables.
• Opt for whole grains. Switch to whole-grain bread, cereal and pasta. Experiment with other whole grains, such as bulgur and farro.
• Use healthy fats. Try olive oil as a replacement for butter when cooking. Instead of putting butter or margarine on bread, try dipping it in flavored olive oil.
• Eat more seafood. Eat fish twice a week. Fresh or water-packed tuna, salmon, trout, mackerel and herring are healthy choices. Grilled fish tastes good and requires little cleanup. Avoid deep-fried fish.
• Reduce red meat. Substitute fish, poultry or beans for meat. If you eat meat, make sure it's lean and keep portions small.
• Enjoy some dairy. Eat low-fat Greek or plain yogurt and small amounts of a variety of cheeses.
• Spice it up. Herbs and spices boost flavor and lessen the need for salt.

THE CHINA STUDY

                                                 

Conclusions of The China Study

1. American health statistics are scary. You may feel pretty fit, but the country as a whole is, well, not so great. The researchers spend a lot of time citing frightening stats on obesity, diabetes, and heart disease that point to the need for an American diet shake-up. Americans also pay more for health care than any other country—and don’t have better health to show for it. It’s probably the one section of the book no nutrition expert would argue with.

2. The conclusions are based on a lot of data. They’re not talking about one small study on mice. After years of controversial lab results on animals, the researchers had to see how they played out in humans. The study they created included 367 variables, 65 counties in China, and 6,500 adults (who completed questionnaires, blood tests, etc.). “When we were done, we had more than 8,000 statistically significant associations between lifestyle, diet, and disease variables.” They also incorporate a wealth of additional research data from other sources.

3. Animal protein promotes the growth of cancer. The book’s author T. Colin Campbell, PhD, grew up on a dairy farm, so he regularly enjoyed a wholesome glass of milk. Not anymore. Dr. Campbell says that in multiple, peer-reviewed animal studies, researchers discovered that they could actually turn the growth of cancer cells on and off by raising and lowering doses of casein, the main protein found in cow’s milk.

4. You should be worried about poor nutrition more than pesticides. The food you eat affects the way your cells interact with carcinogens, making them more or less dangerous, the authors explain. “The results of these, and many other studies, showed nutrition to be far more important in controlling cancer promotion than the dose of the initiating carcinogen,” they state.

5. Heart disease can be reversed through nutrition. The authors share the work of other respected physicians that they say supports their own data’s conclusions, and some of the most interesting are on heart disease. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., MD, a physician and researcher at the best cardiac center in the country, The Cleveland Clinic, treated 18 patients with established coronary disease using a whole food, plant-based diet. Not only did the intervention stop the progression of the disease, but 70 percent of the patients saw an opening of their clogged arteries. Dr. Dean Ornish, a graduate of Harvard Medical School, completed a similar study with consistent results. But hey, this is actually encouraging—heart disease can legit be reversed.

6. Carbs are not (always) the enemy. Highly-processed, refined carbohydrates are bad for you, but plant foods are full of healthy carbs, the authors say. Research shows that diets like Atkins or South Beach can have dangerous side effects. While they may result in short-term weight loss, you’ll be sacrificing long-term health.

7. Cancer isn’t the only disease plants can ward off. It’s not just cancer and heart disease that respond to a whole food, plant-based diet, the authors say. Their research showed it may also help protect you from diabetes, obesity, autoimmune diseases, bone, kidney, eye, and brain diseases. Are you getting that plants are pretty miraculous by now?

8. You don’t have to tailor your diet for specific health benefits. Eating healthy can seem segmented—broccoli will prevent breast cancer, carrots are good for eyes, and by the way, did you get enough vitamin C today? “Nutrition that is truly beneficial for one chronic disease will support health across the board,” the authors explain.

9. You don’t need to eat meat. “There are virtually no nutrients in animal-based foods that are not better provided by plants,” the authors say. Protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals—you name it, they’ve got it, along with major health benefits.

10. The takeaway is simple: Eat plants for health. “People who ate the most animal-based foods got the most chronic disease. People who ate the most plant-based foods were the healthiest,” the authors state. Whether you’re going vegan or not, they suggest putting as many plants on your plate as possible at every meal.

TimeShares

My wife and I purchased a timeshare in Gatlinburg, TN and after a year or two were able to give it back to them.  We then purchased a timeshare in Myrtle Beach, SC and were very satisfied until the damn thing was sold to Holiday Inn and then it became a nightmare.  We traded that Holiday Inn Timeshare to a company in Mexico but discovered later that the owners and developers of that timeshare were CROOKS and were put in jail and LOST ALL OUR MONEY...

From that point on, we went to timeshare presentations just for the GIFTS and MONEY and were rude and ugly in our fight not to purchase and left all those sessions exhausted but FREE FROM PURCHASE.  After going to roughly 12-15 presentations, we began well versed in all the TIMESHARE LIES...

Three years ago after agreeing to go on a vacation to Disneyland for sitting through a timeshare presentation, we actually purchased again, a double unit where the maintenance fees are due every three years.  None of their promises proved to be true and now we are in the process of giving it back to them and while that is a hassle it has become a fun challenge.

First of all,

check out the real estate laws in the state where your timeshare is located not the state where you timeshare was purchased.  read all those laws carefully.

then check out that state's consumer protection laws for fraud....

third, most contracts states that your heirs will inherit the timeshare and be forced to pay...  but, your children can file a refusal to accept timeshare letter with the probate court after your debt and there will not be paying any fees.

fourth, your age and health is a factor as is the property you own and your social security income.  So, think about selling your house to your children for a $1 with the right to live in it until you die.  Your vehicles can be done the same way...  leaving no personal property for a lien to be placed.

fifth, remember the terms/phrase signing under duress, fraud, misleading information, not being advised to seek out legal counsel on the contract, and faithfully keep track of all the INCENTIVES that you were given or promised to purchase, even though you signed that there were no incentives....  SIGNED UNDER DURESS...

sixth, all correspondence should be sent CERTIFIED MAIL to make sure that they received it and keep a diary of who you talked to, what date, and time...  remember phone records will help prove that you made the call....

GOOD LUCK