NUTTY FOOD FANATICS

Less than 1% of the population is allergic to gluten, peanuts, or nuts. For some reason, it has become "way cool*" to eat gluten free food. Of course, doing this may seriously affect your nutrition  For instance, not eating nuts, such as walnuts, seems to be contributing to low sperm counts in men with Northern European ancestry.

This is part of what I call the OVERBOARD phenomena. For example, the people who can not eat gluten wanted a label on food to state whether or not it contained gluten, a very nutritious vegetable protein. In order to get this done, they had to run a PR campaign explaining to people why this was important. Since the symptoms of the rare gluten allergy are the same as some of the symptoms of stress, LOTS of people decided they must have a gluten allergy without asking for a medical confirmation.

Another, more serious example of the OVERBOARD phenomena is addiction to drugs. Less than 5% of the population is addicted to an addictive substance. (An addictive substance means anything that the DEA believes can cause addiction, including heroin, alcohol and the use of the non addictive marijuana.) But we are using more and more draconian measures to try to stop people from using  non alcohol addictive substances even though 95% are not addicted to ANYTHING.

The heroin problem affects me on a daily basis as doctors refuse to prescribe needed medication for pain because I might be one of the small percentage of people who are addicted. I do not blame the doctors, but blame the DEA for their harassment of doctors who help people in real pain.

* "Way cool" means that WAY to many people are doing something because other people are doing it.

LEGALIZE HEMP FOR FUEL, CLOTHES, PAPER

US Senators have introduced the first bill to legalize hemp, which is a VERY useful plant, and is NOT a drug. Hemp was made illegal so that we would buy plastic and so we could cut down forests to make paper. Legalizing it seems like a "no-brainer*". 

I have NO idea how the plastics and wood industry conned people into making hemp illegal. I think they said they could not get marijuana convictions unless hemp was made illegal. (Hemp is a plant cousin of marijuana, but you can not use hemp to get high.**.) Modern forensics has removed any problem regarding confusing hemp with marijuana. 

Hemp is extremely promising as a bio fuel. Hemp is extremely easy to grow. Growing hemp does not require pesticides. Hemp makes excellent paper. (Did you know that the Declaration of Independence was written on hemp?) Hemp makes excellent marine rope that biodegrades if lost at sea.

Lets get this bill passed and signed. Just say, "Please legalize hemp."

We can make this happen in time for Spring planting of hemp. Call your US Congressperson NOW!

* No-brainer is slang for a decision that is easy to make because there is NO valid reason not to do the proposed action.

** High is slang for marijuana intoxication.

OOGOO DEFINED

Oogoo means "you can not find this information using Google." It derives from the Swedish "ogooglebar", which is too long. Oogoo is used as an adjective as in, "This search is oogoo." An example of oogoo is a search for wide, flat, Chinese Mary Jane shoes. This is an oogoo because all of the search terms are used too often, so you end up with way too many results.

Another oogoo is searching for any legal decisions which cite statutes. For some reason, no search engine can handle the way judges and lawyers refer to laws. (Note that oogoo can also be used as a noun.)

Google will be forced to fight the word "ogooglebar", as all companies have to defend their trademarks or they will lose them. Ask Zerox and Kleenex how hard defending a trademark can be.

But oogoo does not violate any trademark. You can use it with pleasure, and a certain amount of laughter.

We should start with the term, "oogoo search". That way, it will be easier to explain to the uninitiated. 

There is a prize for the first time I see oogoo in an online, mainstream newspaper.

EASTER FUN WITH KIDS

In the US, it is traditional to decorate Easter Eggs. Unfortunately eggs take skill to cook and eggs can rot outside the fridge. So A NEW IDEA. Take candy shaped like bunnies, eggs, etc. and decorate them using cake decorating techniques.

This is REALLY EASY. First you make frosting, put the frosting into multiple bowls and color the frosting. (Have some confectioner's sugar around in case you need to stiffen the frosting.) Use the frosting to make clothes. Use a blunt knife to spread the frosting. If you have cake decorating tools, you can use it to make eyes, buttons, etc. Or you can use cake decorating stuff to do this. I like the little tubes of colored frosting sold in most large groceries. Sprinkles are also fun. (Do I really have to tell you that you color frosting by putting drops of food coloring into the frosting and then stirring it in?)

If you are on a budget, and do not know anything about cake decorating, you should get food coloring, and a frosting can.

Let the kids get COVERED with frosting. Almost all US houses have bathtubs waiting to clean the mess. Have them wear old clothes.

Allow creativity to rule the enterprise. If the weather is nice, set up a table outside and leave them to the mess. In any event, you should watch from the sidelines and keep your mouth SHUT unless there is some sort of danger.

Frosting is mostly sugar and butter. There is nothing in this project that can cause harm unless you are the kind of helicopter mom that thinks an occasional bout of sugar can harm children. If so, I feel sorry that I can not invite your children over to my house so they can be kids for awhile.

CIVIL RIGHTS AND MONEY

Civil rights are ALWAYS about money. DOMA says, "No federal money will be given to gay spouses." Slavery was about NOT paying people. Corporations are THRILLED that they can get intelligent minorities for less pay due to their not having an equal education. Men HATE to have to give their wives equal status instead of giving them the status of unpaid domestic worker.

Keeping people poor is a way of controlling people. Without money, people can not even afford to go on a protest march.

But BE WARNED. The one thing that poor people can do is VOTE.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING ISN'T

San Jose wonders why people are sleeping under bridges. They think affordable housing will solve the problem. Last year the least expensive affordable housing in San Jose, CA, was a 345 square foot studio in a huge building. You had to have an income of $1600 to be elligle. Subsidized housing, where rent is a percentage of income, has a five year waiting list.

We all think that because we are building "affordable housing" we are helping the poor. Minimum wage workers can not afford affordable housing.

We allow the rich to get richer without requiring them to pay people a living wage.

We allow the rrich to get richer without requiring them to pay their fair share of taxes.

Then we wonder why people are sleeping under bridges.

CYPRUS SAVINGS MESS

It is incredibly stupid to tax small saving accounts without warning. Honestly, do you really WANT to encourage people to keep their money in their mattresses?

I agree that the large saving accounts should be taxed without warning. Think of it like when the Russians encouraged South American countries to nationalize industries. The thought of having an industry nationalized made the US and European investors into people who actually thought of the social impact of their profitable acts. And the Russians will only lose a percentage of their Cyprus savings, rather than the entire amount.

Russian investors have turned the Cyprus banking system into their private banks. They may even be using the Cyprus banks to launder money.

In any event, no one can force the citizens of Cyprus to guarantee the banks. Iceland refused to guarantee that stupid Icelandic internet bank. Since the large depositors caused the mess in the Cyprus banking system, they should pay the price.

The Cyprus mess was caused by going after high profits, such as Greek loans. Even the Russians have to learn. HIGH RISK means that you can lose your ENTIRE INVESTMENT.

Since the Cyprus bailout will prevent the high savers who caused the problem from losing everything, they should at least pay SOME of the cost.