Crazy people part one

The neighbors across the street are feuding again. I went out this morning and the one directly across the street said, "don't have anything to do with the people that live upstairs in that house. (she was pointing) They are all 'crack heads' and they egged my car last night."

I assured her that I did not even know the people who lived up there. And there was a fellow scrubbing his car with soapy water by the curb. His complaint was that the eggs took off some of his primer paint. Well maybe the eggs "took it off," or maybe it was the stiff brush he was using to literally scrub the car. I don't really know.

But the first lady was really upset at her next door neighbor. I tried to lighten up the situation by pointing out that she didn't even need reality television because she could just sit on her porch and watch all the neighbors. This did not really console her. She was yelling at the top of her lungs how she had nothing to do all day and was "just going to sit at the edge of her property in a chair and watch the neighbor all day."

When she called the police to report her neighbor egging her car she said that they were "too busy looking at my tits to take me seriously" and had done absolutely nothing about the situation. I did not know exactly what to say about this last remark. I mean if I agreed that she had breasts worthy of looking at, she could easily have me up on sexual harassment charges. On the other hand, if I said, "I don't think they were looking at your tits," it would be a direct challenge to what she had just stated and she was already very angry. So.... I just bit my tongue and mumbled "hmmmmm."

Fortunately for me another guy came walking down the sidewalk that she seemed to know and off she went to tell him about the horrible mean evil upstairs neighbor. I took this opportunity to cross back to my side of the street and quietly withdraw from the fracas. I could still hear her screaming at the neighbor upstairs at the top of her lungs again.

Fortunately my "next door" neighbors seem more normal, and are not prone to being crazy. But believe me, there are plenty of crazy people out there. I hope you are not one of them.

Sincerely,
David A. Youngs

The Six Million Dollar Cat

This is a picture (to the left) of my wonderful wife Carla. You can click on it to see the larger version of the picture. This is the sort of face she presented to me when I suggested we might want to put Shadow to sleep. Let me elaborate.

Shadow had gone missing for several days, and when we finally found him, he was laying on the front lawn. It was obvious from the way he was laying that something serious had happened to him. So we scooped him up and headed off to see the local veterinarian.

Upon examing and x-raying the poor cat, the doctor brought out the x-rays and showed us where Shadow's right rear leg was shattered. You could literally see the bone fragment shards in the picture. No wonder Shadow was in considerable pain. Should we do the smart thing and put Shadow to sleep? That was when my wife gave me the horrified face similar to what you are viewing. Any way, it became quickly obvious that putting poor Shadow out of his misery by simply killing him was completely out of the question.

Fortunately for us, the veterinarian loves complex 3-dimensional puzzles and viewed the rebuilding of Shadow's leg as an enjoyable challenge. So... we let him proceed to rebuild Shadow's leg. And the costs began mounting up. Ultimately, with paying for anesthesia, being in the pet hospital over night, the doctor's skill and everything else involved, the bill came to almost $1,400 dollars.

Now I realize that is a bit shy of the Six Million mentioned in the title above, but all I can say is that Shadow had just better not ever run in front of a car again.

When Shadow came home, he also had a pin that ran the length of his upper leg. The doctor showed us the x-rays he took after he had reassembled all the shards and pieces of bone and reassembled them. He did do an incredible job. And then he wrapped four wires around the bone fragments and twisted them all tight together. I was pretty amazed. There were no fragments left over, and apparently he got them all in the correct places. But he left the pin sticking up because he wanted to be able to remove it later.

He stitched up Shadow's hip very nicely and we took Shadow back in about 2 weeks later to have these stitches removed. Oh... did you know, this is another office visit and another charge. The total bill was now OVER $1400.

Well, soon after he removed the stitches, I briefly observed that Shadow had a piece of skin on his thigh that was lifting up and was open on two edges over the pin. Okay, we needed to take Shadow back in and have him examined. But... Shadow had other ideas. He hid. We had put him in the empty house up front. (another long story about how this house came to be empty... I will tell you that story some other time)

The next day when I was planning to take him to the vet, I could not find Shadow. I knew for a fact that he was in the house, but I could not see him anywhere. There are hundreds of little holes and crevices through out the house due to the fact that it was lived in by a pack rat. And even though I did not want to, I had to finally give up. The next day we took off for a short vacation and I hired somebody to feed and water the cats.

She never saw Shadow either, but his food and water kept disappearing. Since he was the only cat in that house, I knew he must be still alive. But of course that open flap of skin could not feel too comfortable. I think Shadow associated us with all the pain he was experiencing because he refused to be found. After several weeks of not seeing Shadow and watching his water and food disappear, I decided "enough is enough." I was determined that no matter what it took, I would find Shadow.

I bought a super bright flashlight and began upstairs, checking under the bed, behind the dresser, under the dresser (there was just barely enough room that he could have crawled there) and behind bureau drawers and inside of fake fireplaces. Finally I felt I had exhausted all possibilities upstairs.

So I went down stairs. Just about this time, Brad showed up and I told him what I was doing. He started helping too. He went into the front pantry room off the kitchen and as he rolled a round stone table so we could look under yet another dresser, we heard Shadow's MEOW. He was indeed hiding behind the stone table under the dresser. The only reason he meowed was that he did not like the fact that Brad--a stranger to him--had come close to him. Brad is a smoker and Shadow did not like the way Brad smelled and wanted to run away... except he couldn't on his bum leg.

I grabbed Shadow and dragged him out. Was he ever dirty! He had been hiding with spiders and dead flies and all sorts of dust under that dresser in the corner for about a month now!! And I immediately put him into a carrier and off to the vet we went. Even though it had not been a full two months, the vet took x-rays and determined that he was healed up enough to remove the pin. And of course he stitched down the flap of skin again. Fortunately for everybody, Shadow did not get a major infection in his open wound. I am sure that Shadow started feeling a whole lot better after the pin was out. But he could not rejoin the other cats for 2 more weeks.

I wasn't sure that the leathery skin would reattach (It had basically dried out being supported up in the air by the pin in his leg) but it softened up a bit and the stitches held. And Shadow did not try to go off and hide any more. After a couple more weeks in isolation to let the stitches heal, we brought Shadow in the house again. Oh was he glad to be a part of the family again! He ate heartily and wanted up on "his" tower. His leg was too weak for him to climb up, so we lifted him up.

Well, it has been over a month since he was brought back into our house, and Shadow's leg is healing nicely. I sure am glad, because removing of the pin cost another $200. We are almost up to $1600 total now. Maybe over. But Shadow's leg has gotten much stronger. He can climb up the tower now. And he started jumping in and out the window again. In fact, other than the scar on his hip and the short hair that is still growing back in, you would hardly know Shadow had shattered his leg.

I don't think Shadow is going out in traffic again -- and he just better not. I cannot afford another $1600 -- I am still paying for the first time. And I don't want to see my wife make her distressed face again.

So... that is how Sammy came to be our six million dollar cat.

The Big Fat Lie

Today I realized that being over weight may not be my fault at all!! You see, I found an article claiming that scientists have perhaps found new evidence that links a common type of viral infection to obesity. This is very exciting.

In a surprising discovery, scientists have found that the human adenovirus-36 (Ad-36) -- one of the major causes of respiratory infections and pinkeye -- may also be a contributing factor to obesity, as it’s been found to transform adult stem cells into fat cells, capable of storing additional fat. Just exactly how the virus does that is not quite explained, but let's go on with what else they think they have found.

These findings were reported to the 234th national meeting and exposition of the American Chemical Society in Boston, Massachusetts, held August 19-23, 2007. You can Google this on the web.

In previous studies, it was discovered by epidemiological researchers that about 30 percent of fat people were infected with the AD - 36 virus. This compared with only about 11 percent of lean people being infected.

Precisely how this virus causes people to become obese is not yet known, but the theory is that a specific gene in the virus (called E4Orfl) may be the indirect cause of some people's obesity. There are a team of researchers now attempting to discover exactly what the factors are that predispose some people infected with this virus to put on extra weight, while other people also infected with the same virus remain skinny. Researchers are hoping that their discoveries may in time lead to a special vaccine or some kind of antiviral medication that will fight obesity.

Well, that is certainly good news. I am fat because of a virus. It has nothing to do with what I have over eaten or my intense lack of exercise. No. Now I can blame it on some unseen virus that MAY be the indirect cause.

Come on folks... What ever happened to responsibility. My guess is that the scientists will waste a whole bunch of time and grant money and come up with the amazing discovery that the obese people ate more than the skinny ones. Really now!! And a corollary discovery will undoubtedly be that slender people get more physical exercise. Yes!!!

This sort of reminds me of a study done by a graduate student using up a major grant to determine how to make tricycles safer. Several tens of thousands of dollars later his recommendation was to add a fourth wheel. That's it. Make the tricycle safer by adding a fourth wheel to stabilize it. Yeah. But then of course it isn't really a tricycle any more is it?

So, I can just relax now realizing that the virus is making me fat.

David A. Youngs

Does raw milk kill you?

Thanks Johnny for putting in the wrong background. I wanted something bland, and you put in this one. Oh well. Normally I praise Johnny for really helping me, but this time.... he goofed.

Well, apparently there are a lot of people who believe raw milk is good for you. I know it is good for calves of cows, but how about people?

The Food and Drug Administration banned interstate sales of unpasteurized milk some twenty years ago, but each state of the United States actually determines how raw milk is allowed to be bought and sold within their borders. In fifteen states, the sale of raw milk for human consumption is illegal. But twenty six states allow raw milk to be sold with restrictions. And there are a very few states including my home state of California and also Washington actually allow raw milk to be sold in stores.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture tested raw milk from 861 farms in 21 states in July 2007. Their report came back claiming nearly twenty five of the samples contained illness-causing bacteria, including five percent with listeria, three percent with salmonella, and four percent with less dangerous types of E. coli.

Now some people who drink raw milk are claiming that raw milk has special "life forces" in it that pasteurizing somehow destroys. Yes it does.... and these "life forces" are germs and bacteria!! Personally, I would rather do without THESE life forces. Pasteurization has been proved to be an effective way of killing bacteria and germs that are in cows milk. Unfortunately, not all of them. Just leave an unopened bottle or carton of pasteurized milk out of the refrigerator, and watch what happens to it after several days. It will spoil. Yeah, the germs will start to multiply and the milk will go bad.

This of course begs the question, do people really need cows milk? And the answer is: no, they don't. Cows milk was designed by our Creator God to feed baby cows. It is perfect for them. But it has way to much protein in it for humans.

Some people are under the misconception that if they drink milk, they will have more calcium. It has been shown that although cows milk does indeed have calcium, it is unavailable for humans. In fact, milk drinkers have lower calcium. What to do?

Substitute cashew nuts. They are full of all kinds of good things. And they taste really good. In fact, raw cashews can be put into a blender, a little water added, and blended at very high speed until you get something you can drink. If you add a little vanilla seasoning, and a bit of salt you can even use the resulting white liquid over your cereals and even drink it. Almonds can be blended up the same way, as can soy beans. In fact, you can buy soy milk in most food stores right now, and that way you get the best of everything. You avoid all the possible germs and bacteria, and until it is opened, the soy milk does not have to be stored in a refrigerator because it doesn't spoil. That alone should tell you something. Why drink something that is on the edge of spoiling?

Well, I could milk this article for all it is worth, but... I am too COWardly. Ohhh--another bad pun.

Health depends on the choices we make.

Have a healthy day,

David A. Youngs

Scalping is bad for people

Thanks to Johnny Bond for the special cloud background of this photo. Johnny resides in Northern California and is a certified genius.

Speaking of synchronicity.... In the last two days I came across two cases of people being scalped, or partially scalped.

The first was a strange case where some guy was trying to style his girlfriends hair using a power drill. He said he saw the technique on television and thought he would try it out. Her hair was rapidly wrapped around the drill bit and her scalp was partially removed from her head.

Frankly, I do not know which one of the two people involved was more to blame for this horrible accident: the guy for suggesting such a dangerous procedure or his girlfriend for going along with this idea.

The other case was some lady who was working and had an industrial accident where her hair got caught in some machinery and the result was a complete scalping. Fortunately the plastic surgeon was able to reattach the scalp. Unfortunately the blood supply was greatly impaired. But fortunately the surgeon was able to use leeches to reestablish the blood supply. Small slits were made in her scalp in the areas where blood had dried in the veins and the blood was not circulating well. Then small leeches were allowed to attach themselves to the scalp at these tiny cuts. Since the leeches had not been fed in days, they were famished and sucked out a lot of blood. And then when they had engorged themselves, they dropped off.

Now leeches have some special enzymes in their saliva to keep the blood flowing so they can feed. And the good news is that after they drop off, these enzymes keep the blood oozing out for about 8 more hours.... thus reestablishing circulation.

Well, we certainly have come a long way since the dark ages haven't we? The lady's scalp was saved by the leeching method. All I can say is that I am so glad I did not live 100 years ago when I could be scalped by American Indians!

Hopefully you won't need leeches.

David

Humor extends life!!

Thanks be to Johnny Bond for the unusual background in the photo below. I really wanted a totally different background, but you do not know Johnny. He does what he wants.

People do the funniest things. And if you look around and carefully observe them, it will undoubtedly make you laugh.

I was simply reading my cup of Diet Coke that I got from a fast food place. Right there on the side of the cup in big print was this warning:

"Caution: Hot drink may be hot."

I certainly hope so. Perhaps I am a little strange, but I thought that in order to be classified as a "hot" drink, it should actually be HOT!! I kind of thought that the definition of a hot drink was that it was going to be hot. But I also noticed that they did not guarantee it would be hot. It "may" be hot. Or it might be cold. Or perhaps it might be just luke-warm. You just never know. But... if you are one of the lucky ones, perhaps your hot drink may actually be hot.

So I started noticing WARNING labels. On the packaging of a man made log (made from compressed sawdust and who knows what else) was this incredible warning:

"Warning: use of this product may cause fire." Well since that was the specific reason for my buying the log--to BURN IT UP-- I would certainly hope so. But again, note that whoever wrote the warning used a "weasel" word: "MAY" cause fires. No guarantee there either. Nope. The product is INTENDED to be burned up, but if you improperly use it, perhaps you never will??

But warning labels are not the only source of my amusement. Several years ago, while looking at mattresses in a major department store which has since gone out of business, I was startled to read on the label--

"Plinteed in Japan especially for Montgumly Ward" I don't mean to disparage anybody, but that little announcement made me laugh. I mean, if you can't even spell the name of the company you are printing for, excuse me I mean "plinting" for, then perhaps you are in serious trouble.

A friend of mine once wrote and told me that there was a warning on the iron he had just bought that a person should not iron their clothes while wearing them. NO KIDDING!! I mean can you actually see somebody thinking "my shirt has wrinkles. I think I will iron it," and proceed to do so while still wearing the shirt? How would they get the wrinkles out of the back of the shirt? Oh... maybe they would get their wife to iron that part for them. And I suppose there would be wives who would try!! Apparently somebody once tried it... or else why the warning.

And also included with the iron was the warning, "not to be used for the other purpose." Rather non specific there. Sort of like the warnings that Will Robinson used to get from Robbie the Robot in the television show Lost in Space, "warning, warning, danger approaching." Oh now that is extremely helpful. When is danger NOT approaching? How far away is it? Exactly when might this danger arrive and from what direction? Oh, and WHAT might the danger be? That warning is a lot like the current warnings we get about possible terrorist activities. "Warning, warning, the terrorists might do something." Could you please be just a little more specific? It just MIGHT help me be more prepared for the emergency!!

Keep reading those labels,

David A. Youngs

Is your diet drink killing you?

Thanks to Johnny Bond for putting in the background on this photo below. I really wanted a much different background, but Johnny does what ever Johnny wants to do!!

This article on diet drinks was sent to me by my sister Sharon. The thoughts contained within are not necessarily the viewpoint of ... well me! I drink diet Coke. But I do believe there may be some truth in this article. See after the article for a personal testimonial.

----------------begin article------------>

SWEET, BUT POISON - A MUST READ

In October of 2001, my sister started getting very sick.

She had stomach spasms and she was having a hard time getting around.

Walking was a major chore.

It took everything she had just to get out of bed; she was in so much pain.

By March 2002, she had undergone several tissue and muscle biopsies and was on 24 various prescription medications.

The doctors could not determine what was wrong with her.

She was in so much pain, and so sick.she just knew she was dying.

She put her house, bank accounts, life insurance, etc., in her oldest daughter's name, and made sure that her younger children were to be taken care of.

She also wanted her last hooray, so she planned a trip to Florida (basically in a wheelchair) for March 22nd.

On March 19, I called her to ask how her most recent tests went, and she said they didn't find anything on the test, but they believe she had MS.

I recalled an article a friend of mine e-mailed to me and I asked my sister if she drank diet soda?

She told me that she did.

As a matter of fact, she was getting ready to crack one open that moment.

I told her not to open it, and to stop drinking the diet soda!

I e-mailed her the article my friend, a lawyer, had sent.

My sister called me within 32 hours after our phone conversation and told me she had stopped drinking the diet soda AND she could walk!

The muscle spasms went away.

She said she didn't feel 100% but she sure felt a lot better.

She told me she was going to her doctor with this article and would call me when she got home.

Well, she called me, and said her doctor was amazed!

He is going to call all of his MS patients to find out if they consumed artificial sweeteners of any kind.

In a nutshell, she was being poisoned by the Aspartame in the diet soda... And Literally dying a slow and miserable death.

When she got to Florida March 22, all she had to take was one pill, and that was a pill for the Aspartame poisoning!

She is well on her way to a complete recovery.

And she is walking! No wheelchair!

This article saved her life.

If it says 'SUGAR FREE' on the label;

DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT! I have spent several days lecturing at the WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL CONFERENCE on "ASPARTAME," marketed as 'NutraSweet,' Equal,' and 'Spoonful.'

In the keynote address by the EPA, it was announced that in the United States in 2001 there is an epidemic of multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus.

It was difficult to determine exactly what toxin was causing this to be rampant.

I stood up and said that I was there to lecture on exactly that subject. I will explain why Aspartame is so dangerous: When the temperature of this sweetener exceeds 86 degrees F, The wood alcohol in ASPARTAME converts to formaldehyde and then to formic acid, which in turn causes metabolic acidosis.

Formic acid is the poison found in the sting of fire ants.

The methanol toxicity mimics, among other conditions, multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus

Many people were being diagnosed in error. Although multiple sclerosis is not a death sentence,

Methanol toxicity is! Systemic lupus has become almost as rampant as multiple sclerosis, especially with Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi drinkers.

The victim usually does not know that the Aspartame is the culprit.

He or she continues its use; irritating the lupus to such a degree that it may become a life-threatening condition.

We have seen patients with systemic lupus become asymptotic, once taken off diet sodas.

In cases of those diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, most of the symptoms disappear.

We've seen many cases where vision loss returned and hearing loss improved markedly.

This also applies to cases of Tinnitus and fibromyalgia.

During a lecture, I said, "If you are using ASPARTAME (NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc.) and you suffer from fibromyalgia symptoms, spasms, shooting, pains, numbness in your legs, cramps, vertigo, dizziness, headaches, Tinnitus, joint pain, unexplainable depression, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision, or memory loss you probably have ASPARTAME poisoning!" People were jumping up during the lecture saying,

"I have some of these symptoms."Is it reversible?"

Yes! Yes! Yes! STOP drinking diet sodas and be alert for Aspartame on food labels! Many products are fortified with it! This is a serious problem. Dr. Espart (one of my speakers) remarked that so many people seem to be symptomatic for MS and during his recent visit to a hospice, a nurse stated that six of her friends, who were heavy Diet Coke addicts, had all been diagnosed with MS.

This is beyond coincidence! Diet soda is NOT a diet product!

It is a chemically altered, multiple SODIUM (salt) and ASPARTAME containing product that actually makes you crave carbohydrates.

It is far more likely to make you GAIN weight!

These products also contain formaldehyde, which stores in the fat cells, particularly in the hips and thighs.

Formaldehyde is an absolute toxin and is used primarily to preserve tissue specimens.

Many products we use every day contain this chemical but we SHOULD NOT store it IN our body!

Dr. H. J. Roberts stated in his lectures that once free of the "diet products" and with no significant increase in exercise; his patients lost an average of 19 pounds over a trial period.

Aspartame is especially dangerous for diabetics.

We found that some physicians, who believed that they had a patient with retino Pathy, in fact, had symptoms caused by Aspartame.

The Aspartame drives the blood sugar out of control.

Thus diabetics may suffer acute memory loss due to the fact that aspartic acid and phenylalanine are NEUROTOXIC when taken without the other amino acids necessary for a good balance.

Treating diabetes is all about BALANCE. Especially with diabetics, the Aspartame passes the blood/brain barrier and it then deteriorates the neurons of the brain; causing various levels of brain damage, seizures, depression, manic depression, panic attacks, uncontrollable anger and rage. Consumption of Aspartame causes these same symptoms in non-diabetics as well.

Documentation and observation also reveal that thousands of children diagnosed with ADD and ADHD have had complete turnarounds in their behavior when these chemicals have been removed from their diet. So called "behavior modification prescription drugs"

(Ritalin and others) are no longer needed.

Truth be told, they were never NEEDED in the first place!

Most of these children were being "poisoned" on a daily basis with the very foods that were "better for them than sugar."

It is also suspected that the Aspartame in thousands of pallets of diet Coke and diet Pepsi consumed by men and women fighting in the Gulf War, may be partially to blame for the well-known Gulf War Syndrome.

Dr. Roberts warns that it can cause birth defects, i.e. mental retardation, if taken at the time of conception and during early pregnancy.

Children are especially at risk for neurological disorders and should NEVER be given artificial sweeteners.

There are many different case histories to relate of children suffering grande mal seizures and other neurological disturbances due to the use of NutraSweet.

Unfortunately, it is not always easy to convince people that Aspartame is to blame for their child's illness.

Stevia, which is a sweet herb, NOT A MANUFACTURED ADDITIVE, helps in the metabolism of sugar, which would be ideal for diabetics.

It has now been approved as a dietary supplement by the FDA.

It is known that for many years the FDA outlawed this true sweet food," due to their loyalty to MONSANTO Chemical Company."

Books on this subject are available:

EXCITOTOXINS: THE TASTE THAT KILLS written by Dr. Russell Blaylock (Health Press 1-800-643-2665) AND: DEFENSE AGAINST ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE-written by DR H. J. Roberts, also a diabetic specialist.

These two doctors will soon be posting a position paper on the Internet with case histories on the deadly effects of Aspartame. According to the Conference of the American College of Physicians,

We are talking about a plague of neurological diseases directly caused by the use of this deadly poison."

Herein lies the problem:

There were Congressional Hearings when Aspartame was included 100 different products and strong objection was made concerning its use.

Since this initial hearing, there have been two subsequent hearings, and still nothing has been done.

The drug and chemical lobbies have very deep pockets.

Sadly, MONSANTO'S patent on Aspartame has EXPIRED!

There are now over 5,000 products on the market that contain this deadly chemical and there will be thousands more introduced.

Everybody wants a "piece of the Aspartame pie."

I assure you that MONSANTO, the creator of Aspartame, knows how deadly it is. And isn't it ironic that MONSANTO funds, among others, the American Diabetes Association, the American Dietetic Association and the Conference of the American College of Physicians?

This has been recently exposed in the New York Times.

These [organizations] cannot criticize any additives or convey their link to MONSANTO because they take money from the food industry and are required to endorse their products.

Senator Howard Metzenbaum wrote and presented a bill that would require label warnings on products containing Aspartame,especially regarding pregnant women, children and infants.

The bill would also institute independent studies on the known dangers and the problems existing in the general population regarding seizures, changes in brain chemistry, neurological changes and behavioral symptoms.

The bill was killed.

It is known that the powerful drug and chemical lobbies are responsible for this, letting loose the hounds of disease and death on an unsuspecting and uninformed public.

Well, you're informed now!

YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW!

http://www.sweetpoison.com/

--------------end article-----------------

I have experienced some small coordination symptoms after drinking diet Coke. When I discontinue, these seem to clear up.

You may not agree, and that is okay.

Keep on studying,
David

A great big cat

"SAMMY I AM ME" has grown up to be one of the largest house cats I have ever seen. He just kept growing and growing. His legs are about the length of a regular cats but of course are much bigger around, but his body is about the length of 1 1/2 ordinary cats.

One night I was sitting in the car listening to Art Bell on the Coast to Coast AM radio program when I get the eerie feeling I was being watched. I turned my head and there, looking right at me in the car window, was Sammy. He was standing on his hind legs and he easily could look in the car window!!

Sammy likes to ride in the car!! One day my wife said "Sammy, would you like to go for a ride with me?" He got up, stretched and then followed her out to the gate. He waited patiently while she opened the gate and unlocked the car door. When she opened the door, Sammy jumped right in. It was like he completely understood the question she asked him.

Oh, and Sammy is HEAVY. He must weigh at least 20 pounds. He is not really fat, just chunky. And super strong. When he jumps on the bed at night, it feels like a brick coming down on your leg. When my wife leans back in her computer chair, he likes to lay on her chest. Lately she has been complaining about how HEAVY he is.

I finally had to come and rescue her this afternoon. I pulled Sammy off her and put him up on the cat tree. He is HEAVY!! Fortunately he is the most mellow of our cats. He is wary of strangers, but he doesn't run when a visitor enters the room like the others do. He looks them over and then kind of shrugs and says, "Okay, if you are here, that is all right. But don't make any sudden movements."

I'll tell you more about the cats in a future post.

Until then, I hope you have a great fun time.

David

Camp meeting can affect your health

Thanks to Johnny Bond for the unique background in the photo at the right. Johnny resides in northern California and is a genius at photo shop.

Camp meeting is coming!! Every year, all Seventh-day Adventist churches in northern California get together for an old fashioned camp meeting. As many as 3000 or more people will probably come this year. We have our own camp grounds here in northern California on the south fork of the Eel River.

For ten days or so, the campgrounds ring with the sounds of people singing and laughing. People come in tents, trailers, motor homes, or whatever and camp out. Some camp out the whole time, while others come for just the week ends or perhaps a few days.

Not only do we all camp out, we have hundreds of meetings. It is sort of like having church all day long!! There are meetings on physical health. Some of them actually are accredited and are continuing education for health professionals. There are special classes just for the primaries, and juniors, and early teens, and kindergarten. There is a tent for collegiate age people. There are religious meetings. There are in depth bible studies. There is something for everyone. Even the Spanish speaking people have their own pavilion.

And there are two tents for adults. One has more modern music, and the other is more conservative. I have attended both of them, and each has its own benefits. I like the music at the more progressive tent, but I enjoy being in the band at the more conservative tent.

It is a great time of spiritual renewal. And for meeting friends. Some of my friends I went to college with have gone on and become very important people. One is a super attorney. Many are now doctors and pastors.

My brother-in-law and sister come all the way from Modesto. We have a great time camping and going to meetings. And there is the cafeteria with incredible food, as well as a vegetarian hot dog and burger stand. Being there is a bit like heaven on earth.

I don't think I will be able to attend full time this year. First of all, my motor home is not currently insured or licensed so it probably won't go. And besides, I need to stay here and take care of my senior citizen lady who is 91. But I am going down on the weekends. There is a store that is set up down there where they sell all kinds of religious books. I want to go and see what is on sale this year. And buy several cases of veggie food. Yeah.

Well, I hope you all can enjoy camping too.

David

Pets can make you healthier

Thanks to Johnny for the wild background in the photo on the left. Johnny lives in Loleta, CA and is a photo shop artist.

Owning a pet can actually lower your blood pressure!! The act of petting a pet gets our minds off of our little (or big) problems and lowers the blood pressure. In fact, just watching fish swim around a tank can also lower your blood pressure.

People with pets tend to live longer. I guess having a pet gives you love, and feeling loved combats many of the ills of life.

Interestingly, John the desciple of Jesus wrote in his book that God is love. God is the source of all life, of love, of true joy. And having pets can really connect you to that love. They love you unconditionally. Our cats get especially loving when there is no food in their dishes. They come and rub all over our legs. And when we come home, they come running out to the fence to greet us.

Johnny has cats that sleep on top of him or beside him every night. There are a lot of people that have their dog sleep on the foot of their bed.

Personally, I like cats better because they are so independant. They only come to you if THEY want to. Dogs are okay too, but dogs are more oriented toward trying to please you. Some people like this. But cats are very smart too.

We had a batch of kittens that were born beside the bed in a closet in the motor home. I left the door open to the closet. Well, of course the little kittens ventured out. One of them went to the foot of the bed and climbed up the bedspread and crawled up to where I was. Of course I was astonished that such a small kitten would do this. So I picked him up and deposited the kitten gently back on the floor beside the bed. A look of understanding crossed his little face. Within seconds he was back up on top of the bed. He ran to the foot and again climbed up the bedspread. He had learned something!!

I have five wonderful cats. Each one has a completely different purrrrrsonality. My wife has given them multipe names. For example, there is Tenika Michael Cocoa. When she was a kitten, one day she did this really strange sideways dancing movement in the motor home hallway. It looked like she had watched Michael Jackson's dance videos and was adapting his moon walk but doing it sideways. And she is black like Michael Jackson used to be. But when the sunlight bleaches her black hair, it turns a rich deep brown like cocoa powder.

There is a joke that goes: "only in America can you be born a poor black boy and grow up to be a rich white man." It is obvious even to the casual observer that even though he is rich and famous, Michael has this problem with hating his nose.

But I was talking about pets, not Michael Jackson.

I will tell you about the amazing four other cats in my next postings.

Have a purrrrrfect day,

David

The LONG trip

I have to credit John Bond of Northern California for helping edit the photo shown at the left. He dropped out the background and put in the clouds. Some people accuse me of having my "head in the clouds" all the time.



My vacation trip was a LOT longer than I realized it would be. We left Eureka, California near the end of April and did not get back home until the first week of June. During that six weeks we drove all the way from Eureka to North Carolina.



As I was approaching Ohio, somebody kept adding more states between me and my destination! I thought that Nebraska was nearly to Ohio, but NO!! After Nebraska we had to drive through Iowa, Illinois and Indiana BEFORE we got to Ohio.



The scenery was extremely beautiful. From Iowa on east, the grass was so green and verdant, and the trees were a wonderful color of living green. It made me wish I lived in one of those states. But.... the weather was a LOT hotter than it is in cool Eureka.



My wife bought a squirt bottle and kept misting us to keep us cool. In fact, I went into a bathroom and soaked my t-shirt one day just to help keep cool. I got sunburned on my left arm through the open window.



We had three people in the car: my wife, a little old lady of 91 years old, and me. I got to do all the driving. As I drove the thousands of miles across the United States, I thought about those intrepid pioneers that traversed the same trail about 100 years ago in covered wagons. All I can say is that I am so glad I wasn't born 100 years ago. I never would have survived the trip!! Those people must have been cut from a different cloth than I am. I don't know how any of them survived the whole trip!! And in covered wagons no less!!



I got so tired of driving in a car. I can't even imagine how tired those people must have got walking the whole way!! Wow--The United States is BIG!!! Driving through some of those states like Nevada, Utah, Indiana where there was hundreds of square miles of NOTHING!! Oh there was evidence that people had been there, but NO houses for miles and miles and miles. Population explosion??? What population explosion? There are whole states with almost nobody in them!!



Iowa has done something really cool. In all their rest stops, they have provided FREE wireless internet connections!! I wish all the other states would take the hint and do the same thing. It was really neat driving up to a rest stop and getting out the laptop and making a motel reservation.

Fortunately, we did not see any tornados or hurricanes. One motel we stayed at had directions on how to go into the basement in case of a tornado.

In future blogs, I will tell more about the trip.

Have a great day,

David

Junk mail and your health

When I got back from vacation, I found hundreds of junk mails in my inbox. It could have been far worse. My ISP (internet service provider) tries to screen out all the junk mail, but somehow the spammers have figured out how to do an end run around the spam blockade. Not all of them mind you, but enough that it is frustrating.

Somehow, I have been selected by many lotteries and have won literally millions of dollars all over the world. This would be nice it if was really true, but of course it is not. They people telling me I have won always want my bank account information.

John Stossel on television did an expose of these types of scams. He ran across one man who would lead the spammers on, pretending to buy into their imagined scenerio. Of course he never revealed his information, but interacted with them. His philosophy was that if they were wasting their time with him, they would not be conning gullable people.

One "lady" wrote me that he husband had died with billions of dollars in a foreign bank. Now she had discovered that she has aides and wants to give it to charities before she dies. Would I help?
So I responded and told "her" that perhaps there was hope for her, she should not give up so easily, but should fight the aides with all the available medicines and natural health remedies available. With this tiny bit of encouragement, pages and pages of poorly written English came flooding into my email box. After a couple of days, the flood dried up. I guess "she" finally figured out I wasn't going to give my personal information and allow them to empty my bank account.

I am still cleaning out my email box. I have valid emails in there too, but with the passing days, the information is no longer timely.

I am starting to erase big blocks of mail without even reading it.

Someday, I will get current.

Stay happy,
David Youngs

Are viruses killing your computer?

Photograph edited (clouds in background) by John Bond of Far Northern California--thank you Johnny.

My bro-in-law Mike (yes the same one that just had a huge cancerous thyroid gland the size of a baseball removed from his neck) has got major problems with his computers.

First of all, there are three or four of them in a row. One is for Mike, one for his wife Judy, one for their daughter Sabrina, and maybe one to keep track of the others--I am not sure.

Any way, Mike tells me that after he installed the latest MicroSoft web browser -- Internet Explorer 7 -- his computer won't recognize his keyboard or mouse any more. That makes it a challenge to actually use the computer!!

Another one of the computers is also acting strange. I think that is Sabrinas. So Judy's is the only computer that is acting normal. Sabrina likes to go all over the Internet, so I think she has several viruses or something.

Any way, Mike doesn't know what to do. He is not a computer guru. I explained to him that if things got really bad, he could simply reformat the hard drives and reinstall all the software. He did not seem to relish this idea. He will probably spend a lot of money taking the computers into a computer repair shop and having them fix them.

I did not tell him it would be cheaper to simply buy a brand new hard drive, remove the old one and just install everything from scratch. But that is true.

Of course they don't have anything backed up either.

BACK UP your hard drive

David A. Youngs

http://polybids.com

Can a can of soda pop kill you?

Today the timely message about health is by my great friend and health motivator, Steven Jenkins. Steven is also an incredible health coach, and has affordable life-changing seminars and body "cleanses."

Take it away Steve.....

"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. " -- 1 Corintheans 10:31.

Would you like to improve your health and save money at the same time? I have a healthy suggestion. Avoid drinking soft drinks! This can be a challenge, because it's easy to drink 4-5 a day without even thinking about it! They are really hard on the bones and the rest of the body.

Phosphoric acid gives drinks the bubbles along with C02. Though it tickles going down, phosphoric acid is no laughing matter. It robs the body of calcium and can contribute to osteoporosis. The lack of calcium causes the bones to be porous and prone to fractures.

A study from Harvard showed athletic teenage girls who drink soft drinks are five times more likely to suffer bone fractures. My 18 year old daughter used to consume soft drinks like I consume water and her weight gain was evident, not to mention the ravenous effects from the acid and sugar. Fortunately, she no longer is "addicted" to them, but she is still dealing with being over weight.

The average cola has 12 teaspoons of sugar in each can. This gives it a sweet taste, but at a high price. The over consumption of sugar can lead to diabetes or hypoglycemia. In children, studies show an increase in both tooth decay and obesity.

In an attempt to be healthy, many people start drinking sugar-free products. Splenda is not a good substitute for sugar. According to Dr. Joseph Mercola, Splenda has been linked to a number of toxic side effects including shrunken thymus glands (up to 40 percent shrinkage), enlarged liver and kidneys, reduced growth rate, aborted pregnancy, and diarrhea.

Aspartame (Nutra-sweet) is another popular substitute. It is an artificial sweetener with bitter affects on the body. Based on the research of Russell Blaylock, MD and H.J. Roberts, MD some possible problems are:

• Muscle aches


• Headaches


• Dizziness


• Numbness


• Depression


• Hyperactivity


• Seizures


• High blood pressure


• Brain tumors

Caffeine stimulates the adrenal glands and gives you a "lift" from drinking a soft drink. The old saying "what goes up must comedown," is absolutely true. Caffeine causes over stimulation and leads to mood swings, fatigue, and other disorders.

You are asking yourself, "What can I drink?" Good question. Here are five suggestions:

1. Purified Water


2. Sparkling Water


3. Herb Tea (Caffeine-free)


4. Green Tea


5. Fresh Fruit or Vegetable Juice

The money you spend on soft drinks really adds up. How many do you drink in one week?

• With a meal


• As a snack


• While driving


• While studying


• Whenever you feel thirsty


• Whenever you feel down


• While watching television


• While on the internet


• While listening to music


• While on the cell phone


• While walking through the mall

Multiply the number of sodas you consume per week times the cost of one drink. Then multiply that expense times 52 weeks per year. You could easily spend $500+ in a year on soft drinks. Save the money and spend it on a relaxing vacation instead!

If you will just eliminate soft drinks from your life style, your health will improve dramatically. If you are someone who has been diagnosed with cancer, or some other illness, PLEASE get off of these deadly drinks!

Until next time....

"The Doctor of the Future will give NO Medicine, but will interest his patients in diet and nutrition, exercise and the care of the human frame. He will teach them about the cause of ALL disease."--Thomas Edison

Steven Jenkins,

Health Motivator and Health Coach

Meadow Springs of America

P.O. Box 5595 Corning, CA 96021

(530) 585-2490

"To follow Jesus requires whole hearted conversion at the start, and a repetition of this conversion every day" -- Bible Commentary, vol. 1, 1113.

"God loves you just the way you are, but He refuses to leave you that way. He wants you to be just like Jesus." -- Max Lucado

Take care and may the good Lord bless you with wonderful health.

A NEW START can be yours today... simply follow the 8 laws of health:

1. Nutrition


2. Exercise


3. Water


4. Sunlight


5. Temperance


6. Air


7. Rest


8. Trust in God.

THANK YOU Steven for that great report.

no more soda pop,

David A. Youngs

http://polybids.com/

The Horrors of Computer Viruses

Image enhancement by the famous John Bond of Far Northern California--thanks John.

We have all been told over and over "back up your hard drive," but how many people actually do it? I know that I don't. I just wait until a virus makes it past all my online protection (I am using SBC/Yahoo) and then I reformat my hard drive and reinstall Windows.

Of course I lose all my important data. I don't have a clue who was in my address book. I don't have the important pictures my wife took of our cats.

The worst is that I also lose all the programs I bought via the internet. I don't have the download any more and I definitely lost the password or key to unlock them. So I am out all those programs.

So why don't I back up my hard drive? Oh wow! Do you know how long that would take? I would have to find some blank dvd's and then start backing up. And it could take a long time.

Okay, maybe I am being penny wise and pound foolish. But how many other people do you know who haven't backed up anything yet?

BACK IT UP!!
David A. Youngs
http://polybids.com/

Cutting off cancer at the neck!!

Image enhancement (clouds in background) by John Bond of Far Northern California. Thanks John.

My brother-in-law Mike came through the seven hour neck surgery just fine. The day before his neck surgery, I asked him how he felt. His response was, "I feel like I have a noose around my neck--and it is getting tighter every day."

His thyroid glands were enlarged, one much more than the other. The super one was baseball sized. Imagine having a baseball sized tumor in your neck-- no wonder it felt like a noose! Both glands were removed, as well as the lymph nodes on once side.

The surgery was all day Thursday, and Mike actually walked two blocks outside today. (Sabbath) He is feeling kind of tired, but after a major surgery like that, I am not surprised.

The most surprising thing to me is that they did not use external stitches to hold the neck together after surgery. I am assuming the surgeon used internal ones. But all that was used externally were some little metal staples. But before they sent Mike home Friday, the little staples were all removed(!) and replaced with Steri-strips. Just little tiny pieces of tape holding his neck together!! I suppose it heals much better that way and doesn't leave an ugly scar like the running baseball stitch the surgeon used on my right knee over 20 years ago.

I am so glad that Mike is still alive. Now we have to wait for the laboratory reports to see which type of cancer he had. And Mike still has those spots on his lungs that showed up during the CAT scan. I am hoping these will go away with a little radioactive iodine treatment.

Don't get cancer...

David A. Youngs
http://polybids.com/

My aching shoulder

Picture to left enhanced by John Bond....

I hurt myself about four months ago. I was in bed and was reading while leaning on my left elbow. Suddenly something in my shoulder made a tearing noise accompanied immediately by intense pain. I think I somehow tore my rotator cuff.

This happened back in December or so, and I have been telling the doctor about it each month during our visits. Finally I reminded him about the shoulder today. He checked his records and found out where x-rays were taken back in January.

So I think I am on the verge of being scheduled to go see an orthopedic surgeon. My guess is that after he does his initial investigation, I will be scheduled for some type of surgery to reattach something or other in the shoulder joint.

Today I also found out that I had gained a whole pile of weight since I checked in about a month ago. I guess my eating out has taken its toll. So, I am going to have to cut back on fat foods again. I hate dieting... the first three letters of diet are die!!

I need to refocus on getting healthy.

Happy health hunting,

David A. Youngs

Adjusting reality

Take a look at the picture to the left. My friend "Johnny" adjusted reality for me by dropping out the background and "correcting" the color balance. If you compare this with the previous pictures appearing in my messages, you can definitely tell the difference. It is not a real picture (because of the changes) but it is better--at least Johnny thinks so. What do you think?

How often do we adjust reality in our memory? I heard about some whipper snapper complaining to his grandfather that grand dad lived in the "good old days" and he wished he lived back then. Grand father then reminded him that in the "good old days" the bathroom was 100 feet from the house and it was freezing cold to traverse that 100 feet in the winter. In the summer, the flies around that out house were thick and biting, and the outhouse had a horrible smell of .... (you know what.) So much for the "good old days. But how many of us forget the bad times, or in our memory adjust reality just a little bit?

I remember I used to run 3 miles almost every day. What I am trying to forget was how unsure I was of myself in those days. I was outwardly bold and brave, but inwardly quite shy--especially around beautiful women. I was not able to believe that ladies would enjoy me just because I am so very cool. I no longer run 3 miles a day. I wish I could, but I never want to return to that age where I was so unsure of myself.

A lot of people seem to pine for the good old days, but I'll just bet if they could really remember the "good old days" they would not seem quite so good!! It is just a case of adjusting reality. We all tend to do it.

A camping trip was wonderful--we forget all the hiking and mosquitoes involved! A party we went to was terrific--we have forgotten that we stayed up too late and were miserable the next day. Our previous job was better--we tend to forget the long hours and nagging boss. So we adjust our reality as we go along.

Happy reality,
David A. Youngs

We all need friends

Friends are what life is really all about. Without friends, life would be rather meaningless. There are friends that are more accepting of my faults and foibles than my own family. So how do you find a good friend?

Some people try chat rooms on the internet. That is probably one of the worst ways to ever get a friend. You see, when I used to go to chat rooms, I would even lie about my sex. I was a wonderful girl, and I was hit on all the time. You just don't know about people in chat rooms. Most of them could be exaggerating or lying, and there is really no way to check them out.

On top of that, we all put up personas or wear masks. We really don't want people to know our real selves. We have private things about ourselves we would rather nobody knew about. We have all made fools of ourselves at times in our lives.

So where is the best place to find new friends? Try the super market. Almost everybody has to shop sooner or later. People that never shop are probably people who would not be a good friend anyway, because people like that really don't have friends--they have very rich aquaintances.

So while you are out shopping, go up to the most attractive person you can find and ask, "does this melon seem ripe to you?" Always try to get them to help you pick out fruit or vegetables. Also note what they have in their cart. If it has the same kind of things you eat, hey--they might just be a great friend later on.

Then note something about what they are wearing and ask them about it. For instance, "Where did you get that incredible necklace?" (or whatever). Most people are willing to open up and tell you a little about themselves at this point. I have had some super intense conversations about crystals and crystal programming. I didn't even know you could program a crystal, but apparently you can.

Making friends is a good hobby. It doesn't take a lot of effort, but often you have to make the first move. Compliment people about what they have selected in their cart. Ask them where the gravy is. Almost anything can start a conversation.

Maybe I could be your friend. I like you....

David A. Youngs

Remembering BAD jokes

Why is it that I remember so many BAD jokes. You know what I mean--jokes that are so bad they are sick! I remember the "mommy, mommy" jokes from gradeschool. You don't know the mommy mommy jokes? Here then:

Mommy, mommy--I don't want to go to Europe for my summer vacation.

Shut up--and just keep swimming!

Here is another one:

Mommy, mommy--why is daddy running all over the field that way?

Shut up--and just keep shooting!

See what I mean--these are horrible jokes. Yet I can't seem to forget them no matter what I do. Blond jokes seem to fall into this category too.

How do you keep a blond busy? Give her a bag of M&Ms to alphabetize.
How do you make a blonds eyes light up? Shine a flashlight in her ear!

These are terrible jokes. Yet they are seared into my memory. The worst thing is that they aren't even really funny when you think about them.

People say that we actually remember everything we ever encounter--we just can't recall all of it. During surgery during the 1950's surgeons put tiny electrodes into patient's brains. Then they applied a very tiny voltage. A wild thing happened. Suddenly the patient was remember incidents that happened years ago in complete detail. It was like a video recorder was playing back a movie. He could see the pictures hanging on the walls in the room, the worn carpet--everything.

Some scientists are working on memory enhancers. Someday I may be able to take a pill and remember that I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow at 10:00 while at the exact same time I have scheduled a training session with the new public address person at the church because I forgot about the doctor's appointment. Hmmmm. Now if I could just be two places at once....


happy memories,
David A. Youngs

Remembering my memory

I used to have a memory. Oh I still do, but some times I can't remember what I did with it. :-) Actually, I have been blessed with a very good memory. I remember the names of thousands of people. Sometimes I even remember their names when I see them and need to remember their name! But sometimes I know I know their name, but cannot seem to recall it. Maybe I need a memory upgrade. Science is working on memory related medications. Maybe some day I can just take a pill and remember everything! Wouldn't that be great?

I take care of an elderly person. Okay, she is OLD--91 years old. And she can remember only things that happened a while ago. Her short term memory is basically gone. She can eat a meal, and then half an hour later, not be sure whether she ate or not. She has a creative memory. She can make up something in her mind, and then "remember" as if it did happen. This blurring of reality can cause some real problems. She will accuse me of doing something she simply made up, and I have a difficult time convincing her it never happened, because she "remembers" it clearly--even though it never happened.

It is kind of eerie seeing this lady actually living what the film Total Recall suggested--implanted memories. Wouldn't it be great to actually be able to get memories implanted? Or maybe not--my reality is tenous enough as it is. I don't think I want to be able to clearly remember things that never really happened.

But I am not sure that I want total recall either--there are some things I would prefer not to remember. Maybe God knew what he was doing when he made faulty memories.

Happy memories,

David A. Youngs

Preventing Hair Loss by Cutting It

Photo enhancement (clouds) by John Bond.

I have male pattern hair loss, and I am not excited about it. My wife thinks it makes me look distinguished, but personally I think it makes me look just plain bald, or should I say balding as there remains a lot of thin hairs. I guess what I need is a hair loss solution or some kind of hair loss treatment. Perhaps what I am really looking for is a hair loss remedy.

Oh I have read about hair loss shampoos that you can use every day, and if you do then maybe after three months or so your own hair grows back. The problem with them is that they cost a lot of money, and you have to continue to use them or your hair just falls out again. And I am not sure but what they have side affects. I mean, if you are using a hair loss medication to grow hair, isn't it a potent medicine?

I am not sure I want a hair transplant. First of all, unless done properly, they look like a horror film on steroids. Have you ever seen the little plugs some people used to have? It looked like cheap dolls' hair. Second, they too are very expensive.

Wigs and toupees are out because they are too hot, and can end up with improper treatment looking like some kind of animal crawled up on your head and died.

So far my hair loss solution has been to cut my hair real short. That way people may not notice the difference between very thin hair and very short hair. I haven't started shaving my head yet like some of my younger friends do. I really don't like the look of being completely bald, so I probably won't try that.

I used to enjoy long hair, but with the thinning on top, it just doesn't look right, at least to me. I suppose I should try some of the modern hair regrowth products, but ... they cost money. At least I have some hair left! And I grew a big beard. Yeah, people notice that instead of my hair.

Happy hair day,
David A. Youngs

dune buggies and mud baths

Some people feel that a good mud bath may be good for whatever ails you. I don't know about that, but I do recall the time I inadvertently gave my good friend whom I will call Marty a standing mud bath!

The day started out innocently enough as we were riding a borrowed dune buggy out into muddy pastures behind my house. I did not really know all the intricate workings of a clutch, as I had only very recently begun to drive. Suddenly as we drove along, the buggy hit a major mud puddle and the tire sank out of site in the mud. I knew I was in trouble, but I had no inkling of the type of trouble I was really in.

I suggested that Marty get out and push so we could get the dune buggy back to solid ground. Now this was a VW dune buggy, so it wasn't all that heavy, and I thought "Marty can do it." He got out, and began pushing for all he was worth. And I started the engine, raced the engine and popped the clutch. What happened next would have made a great scene in any adventure movie. The back tire buried in the mud began to spin wildly throwing up a solid wall of mud. When I looked back, I could not see Marty any where. All I saw was this pile of mud. Finally the pile of mud began to move, and I suddenly realized that this mountain of mud WAS Marty.

This time I let the clutch out real slowly and the dune buggy just crawled right out of the hole. Once we were out of the mud hole, Marty scraped a little mud off his face so he could see. He scraped some more away from his mouth. Finally he could open his mouth. The first thing he said was, "next time you can push and I will drive." I assured him there wasn't going to be a "next time."

We immediately headed for home where I had to wash Marty off with a hose for half an hour before he could even begin to remove his clothing. I have never seen such sticky clay in my life. Surprisingly, Marty and I had further adventures with the dune buggy.

Happy driving,
David A. Youngs

Are your vitamins killing you?

Most people don't eat right. We know that we should be eating fresh fruits, salads, and fresh vegetables every day. Not just a few, but that they should be the majority (if not all) of what we eat. But we don't do that. And so we are not getting all the vitamins and minerals we should.

Have you noticed how every vitamin, mineral, and food supplement company touts that their pills are absolutely the best, and how everyone should be daily taking them? They can't all be the best--some have just got to be better than others. But how do you determine which ones are the best? I don't really know.

Some vitamin companies are saying that their vitamins are "more natural" while others claim that there vitamins are "more balanced" and easily assimilated. There are even companies that tell you that liquid vitamins are more readily absorbed by the body.

But no matter which vitamin pill or liquid you take, do NOT take too much. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Vitamin D is produced by your body (and mine too) when we go out into the sunlight. And if all our vitamin D is self produced, we will never over dose ourselves.
But if we take vitamin D in milk (and who decided that adding vitamin D to milk was a good idea?) and take vitamin D in pill or liquid form, we just might overdose ourselves.

Some vitamins are water soluble, and flush easily out of the system. But some are fat based, and if we take too much get actually stored in our body fat. Not good--not good at all. These take a long time to get rid of the extra vitamins.

Too many vitamins can make you sick, sometimes deathly ill. God knew what he was doing when he gave us so many different delicious fruits to eat, and such tasty fresh vegetables. You basically can never over dose yourself on vitamins if all you do is eat fresh fruit and vegetables.

Maybe it is time to change what we eat and stop taking vitamin pills?

happy eating
David A. Youngs

Canoes, super sunburn, and pain

I don't know if you have ever paddled a canoe. The senior class had decided to all take a canoe trip on the local river that flowed by the campus. This was a major event as we were all living in a boarding academy that was church owned and run and was super strict. We just might get to look at our fellow female classmates in swimming suits, which was something really out of the ordinary. No two piece suits mind you--no, no, no!

Actually, most people wore cut-offs, and wore tee shirts. Oh well. I too went with a tee-shirt and cut off jeans.

When you are sitting in an aluminum canoe, the sides of the canoe are almost parabolic, and the canoe acts as a parabolic mirror reflecting ALL the suns rays into the middle of the canoe. And the sun's rays are bouncing off the water too. I don't know why I never realized this before the trip.

Within a couple of hours of getting into the canoe, I knew I was in big trouble. My legs which were NEVER exposed to sunlight were turning a nice shade of pink. Of course I did not have any long pants with me, and the sun tan lotion wasn't doing its job--this was years ago before people discovered how to create effective sun blocks. Another hour and I was in pain. The sunburn was bad. The worst thing was that the trip was about half over, and there was no getting out, no turning back.

It occurred to me that I was actually grilling my legs in a primitive solar oven. My legs turned bright red and the pain was unbelievable. Even the light breeze blowing across the bow of the canoe was painful. When I finally got home, I was almost unable to walk with the pain. I hobbled off to my dormitory room and smeared something on my legs to alleviate the pain.

The next day, I discovered that my shins had BLISTERED. My legs just hurt so bad. It took about three days before the pain began to subside. I could scarcely wear pants. But I had too. Cut-offs were not allowed in class, and besides, if I did wear them, I would only be getting even more sunlight. When the sun warmed up my pants I was in pain. I could hardly stand to walk, because the fabric rubbing against my skin was just excruciating, and the salve I had smeared on my legs was causing the fabric to stick to them. I was in complete and total misery.

If you ever go canoeing, or boating, or ever go anywhere near any body of water, limit the time your skin is exposed to sunlight. Wear appropriate LONG clothing and cover up just as your skin turns the least bit pink. A little sunlight is good, but please don't get burned. It makes the whole outing a misery.

Happy boating,
David A. Youngs

sunlight prevents cancer!!

Wow was I suprised when I read a major report by Dr. Mercola http://www.mercola.com/2002/apr/3/sun_prevents_cancer.htm
that sunlight does not cause cancer but actually can prevent and fight cancer! Dr. Mercola has been doing some very interesting research for a book that he is writing, and has discovered that the farther you live from the equator, the higher the incidences of cancer in a given population.

Dr. Mercola has decided from looking at all the scientific data available the simple act of exposing oneself to sunlight (without overdoing it) doesn't just feel good, but is actually good for your health on a number of levels--one of which is cancer prevention. He contends that exposing the skin to sunlight allows the ultraviolet rays to hit the skin and penetrate and then an amazing thing happens--the skin turns cholesterol into vitamin D. Vitamin D, as it turns out, is an incredible super anti-oxidant, and actually helps to prevent cancer, as well as doing all sorts of other good things for us. Anti-oxidants are one of the things that go around attaching themselves to free radicals (which are super bad) and neutralizing them.

There is an optimum amount of time to be out in the sun. Don't over do it and get sunburn. Just as soon as your skin starts to turn the least bit pink, cover up and get out of the sun. Sunburn is no fun.

Happy sunning,
David A. Youngs

Selling things on Ebay--how to work hard and get virtually no money.

I know you have undoubtedly seen advertisements on how you can make millions of dollars selling things on eBay. While this is fundamentally true, I found out that there are limits to how many auctions I could put up on eBay at one time. I could only write so many advertisements, and take so many pictures in the day.

I chose to sell books. I figured since I bought them over at the Salvation Army or other second hand stores for about a dime to a quarter apiece, I could make just tons of money on eBay. Well, I did sell over 100 items, and I did make a little over $200. Not exactly tons of money. If I had worked at a regular job at say McDonalds all the hours I spent writing up book reviews and scanning pictures of the books, I would have made far more.

So what is the secret to selling on eBay? You got to sell a whole bunch of little inexpensive things to make a whole bunch of money. Or, preferably, you can find things that sell for much more money, and then sell a whole lot fewer items.

My biggest problem was trying to figure out something to sell. Oh, the books sold... but for such a pittance that eventually I stopped fooling myself and went on to other things.

My good friend whom I will call Chris works for a guy that is actually a major power seller. He sells coins, stamps, and very valuable documents on eBay. He won't even touch something unless it is worth at least $10. And he has hired a cadre of people who are all coin experts to help him post auctions on eBay. This guy who I will call Troy is selling over $10,000 in coins, stamps, and precious documents every month.

But I don't know anything about coins. Well, okay, they are round disks. I do know that. But my friend Chris can look at the BACK of any penny and tell you within 2 years when it was minted. I did not believe him, but he proved it to me one day. After he had correctly guessed the dates on hundreds of pennys within 2 years, I had to believe him. Chris says that the back is called the "obverse" of the coin. Hmmmmm.

I know all about "drop shipping." That is where you actually sell things that you don't even own, and after they sell, send money and have some company that does own them ship them directly to the purchaser. In theory, this is wonderful. You never see the product.

But, and this is super important, what if the company shipping out the products is a little slow. Guess who is going to take a hit when reviewed by the buyer on eBay--you. I happen to have a perfect rating.

Once when I bought something on eBay, it did not arrive. After about a month, I finally wrote a negative report about the company selling the product, warning people that they would just take your money and then never ship the product. Suddenly they woke up, and immediately retaliated by saying nasty things about me. Finally they shipped the product, and we mutually withdrew our negative comments. They no longer are selling on Ebay. But I do have a perfect rating.

If you are going to try to earn money on eBay, find the big ticket items. It is a whole lot easier to put up three things in auctions than to put up 100 seperate auctions.

Good luck on eBay,
David A. Youngs

Home business adventures, failures, and bankruptcy

Of course the entire purpose of starting a home business is to make money. Well there are those who start a home business just so they can have a tax write off--but for me, the reason is basically to earn additional money. The question that the home entrepreneur is confronted with is simple: which home business to start. There are literally thousands of people promoting all sorts of home businesses that run the gamut from reselling e-books, to stuffing letters, to really bizarre things that are so complicated that people join them by sheer faith.

I got involved in one of the latter kind. My good friend whom I will call Ed suggested that I get involved in the business that he was in because I was sure to double my investment in about 3 months. That sounded pretty good. I mean, who wouldn't want to double their money every 3 months. He had invested about a two thousand dollars, and already he had withdrawn over $10,000 dollars of profit.

There was no product. We were all involved in buying advertising space on the internet. When you consider that web pages can be put up today that are FREE, I think we over paid considerably. But we did not care, because as other people invested and bought advertising space, we were paid double whatever we invested originally.

Now if you think about this, it absolutely cannot go on forever. Remember that if you start with just a penny, and double it every day for 31 days, by the 31st day, you will be dealing in millions of dollars. The huge pile of money being created for the founder of this concept (and he only took out a meager 11% for "expenses") was nothing compared to the millions of dollars that were being invested. But each time the entire pot doubled, it of course took at least twice as many people to invest to get it doubled again. After awhile, it took longer than three months to double. And then of course new investors began to lose interest as it took 6 months to double, then a year, then....

After awhile, nobody who had already invested was getting paid. The whole scheme ground to a halt. I did not ever get any money back. The whole program was revamped trying to get it going again. But it never did. I got an email recently that the whole business was bankrupt. I will never get a penny. The only people who did well were the original investors, and even now their gravy train has derailed.

One of the things I found out from this experience: if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. There are hundreds of people out there wanting to take your cash assuring you that you will make a pile of money by just investing in their particular home business. If the business seems pretty complicated, and you can't describe it in a couple simple sentences, don't invest.

If there is not a real tangible product, then warning flags should be going up all over the place. The business should make sense from a business point of view. You should be able to see that it will be in business for the long haul. Otherwise, just keep your money and you will be that far ahead.

Hoping your home business will succeed,
David A. Youngs

The back injury and playing golf

Well, after my brother-in-law Dale hurt his back digging mud out of the bottom of the swimming pool, he decided he was injured and should collect some money because of his injury. So he turned in a claim. And then one fine day, Dale decided that playing golf might help loosen up his injured back and proceeded to go out to the golf course and play a round of golf. I don't know how well he did, or what his final score was.

Unfortunately, that was the very day the insurance adjuster called and wanted to talk to Dale. My mother said, "well, I think you can find him on the golf course." There was a moment of silence and then the adjuster (who apparently could not believe his ears) asked, rather astonished, "Did you say the golf course?" I guess he was pretty amazed that somebody with a back injury that prevented him from working would find himself able to play a round of golf!

I don't know if Dale was ever successful in getting any money for his injury. And I don't know if playing golf really helped his back any or not. But I do know the insurance adjuster just could not believe his ears when told that Dale was on the golf course playing golf. Somehow, I don't think that playing golf helped Dale convince the insurance adjuster that his back was badly injured.

Happy golfing,
David A. Youngs