Posted on 07/24/2009 3:37:21 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny
Weekly Roundup - Living On Nothing Edition Category: Roundups | Comments(15)
Did you hear about the guy that lives on nothing? No seriously, he lives on zero dollars a day. Meet Daniel Suelo, who lives in a cave outside Moab, Utah. Suelo has no mortgage, no car payment, no debt of any kind. He also has no home, no car, no television, and absolutely no “creature comforts.” But he does have a lot of creatures, as in the mice and bugs that scurry about the cave floor he’s called home for the last three years.
To us, Suelo probably sounds a little extreme. Actually, he probably sounds very extreme. After all, I suspect most of you reading this are doing so under the protection of some sort of man-made shelter, and with some amount of money on your person, and probably a few needs for money, too. And who doesn’t need money unless they have completely unplugged from the grid? Still, it’s an amusing story about a guy who rejects all forms of consumerism as we know it.
The Frugal Roundup
How to Brew Your Own Beer and Maybe Save Some Money. A fantastic introduction to home brewing, something I’ve never done myself, but always been interested in trying. (@Generation X Finance)
Contentment: A Great Financial Principle. If I had to name one required emotion for living a frugal lifestyle it would be contentment. Once you are content with your belongings and your lot in life you can ignore forces attempting to separate you from your money. (@Personal Finance by the Book)
Use Energy Star Appliances to Save On Utility Costs. I enjoyed this post because it included actual numbers, and actual total savings, from someone who upgraded to new, energy star appliances. (@The Digerati Life)
Over-Saving for Retirement? Is it possible to “over-save” for retirement? Yes, I think so. At some point I like the idea of putting some money aside in taxable investments outside of retirement funds, to be accessed prior to traditional retirement age. (@The Simple Dollar)
40 Things to Teach My Kids Before They Leave Home. A great list of both practical and philosophical lessons to teach your kids before they reach the age where they know everything. I think that now happens around 13 years-old. (@My Supercharged Life)
Index Fund Investing Overview. If you are looking for a place to invest with high diversification and relatively low fees (for broader index funds with low turnover), index funds are a great place to start. (@Money Smart Life)
5 Reasons To Line Dry Your Laundry. My wife and I may soon be installing a clothesline in our backyard. In many neighborhoods they are frowned upon - one of the reasons I don’t like living in a neighborhood. I digress. One of our neighbors recently put up a clothesline, and we might just follow his lead. (@Simple Mom)
A Few Others I Enjoyed
* 4 Quick Tips for Getting Out of a Rut * Young and Cash Rich * Embracing Simple Style * First Trading Experience With OptionsHouse * The Exponential Power of Delayed Consumption * How Much Emergency Fund is Enough? * 50 Questions that Will Free Your Mind * Save Money On Car Insurance
Interesting frugal site, many topics:
Household Budget Tips
One of my main hobbies has always been to collect books on budgeting, investing and saving money. My hobby has allowed me to be able to be a stay at home mom for the last ten years, despite living in one of the most expensive areas of the country. I hope you enjoy the frugal living tips I’ve collected over the years.
Please email me if you find a tip that is especially useful or if you have a tip you would like to share with the other readers of this site.
Featured Articles:
* Making a Budget - an important step in getting finances under control. Find a free worksheet here.
* Ways to Make Extra Money - Creative ways to make some extra cash when money is tight and you don’t have a regular job.
* Tips for Frugal Living - suggestions on how to save money on food, travel, entertainment, health care and general shopping.
* Earn a side income by getting paid to blog or write articles - if you can write well, sign up for these programs and get paid for doing what you love.
* Saving Money on Groceries - watching the pennies each day can add up to real savings over time.
* Living on One Income - Can you cut back enough to manage it? Financial questions to ask yourself before you take the plunge.
Frugal Thoughts -
The way to wealth is as plain as the way to market. It depends chiefly on two words, industry and frugality: that is, waste neither time nor money, but make the best use of both. Without industry and frugality nothing will do, and with them everything.
Benjamin Franklin
The world has not yet learned the riches of frugality.
Cicero
I have learnt to seek my happiness in limiting my desires, rather than attempting to satisfy them.
John Stuart Mill
If you know how to spend less than you get, you have the philosopher’s stone.
Benjamin Franklin
There is no dignity quite so impressive and no independence so important as living within your means.
Calvin Coolidge
Libraries will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no libraries.
Anne Herbert
The most substantial people are the most frugal, and make the least show, and live at the least expense. Francis Moore
If you can, you will quickly find that the greatest rate of return you will earn is on your own personal spending.
Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks
My other piece of advice, Copperfield,” said Mr. Micawber, “you know. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery.
Charles Dickens, David Copperfield
Ways to make extra money:
http://www.alwaysfrugal.com/makemoney2.html
Ways to Make Extra Money
*
Here is my personal favorite - make web sites on your favorite topics and put ads or affiliate links on your sites for some extra cash. A great way to get started is to use Google’s blogger site, and then put their Adsense ads on your blog to generate income.
Here is an interesting link on the topic from USAToday: Google’s AdSense a bonanza for some Web sites.
*
If you aren’t comfortable making your own blog, there are existing web sites where you can make money by writing articles that go on established sites. Some of the sites that operate this way are Associated Content, Hubpages and Squidoo. The advantage to putting pages on these sites is that it may be easier to get your pages to rank on an established domain as opposed to starting a new site from scratch, and you personally don’t have to know any of the technology behind setting up a blog or site.
The downside is that you are writing content that is given over to someone else, and in the long run you probably won’t make nearly as much money as you could as with a site of your own. Plus with your own site you have the option of selling the entire site someday.
clothes haning in a closet Professional organizers often recommend giving away any clothes you have not worn in over a year.
* Clean out your closets and have a garage sale, take your goods to a consignment store or sell your unwanted goods online. You know the old saying, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. If you can’t find a buyer for your unneeded goods, at least you can donate them to a local charity like the Salvation Army or Goodwill. Then you aren’t cluttering up you house with stuff you don’t use, you might be helping out someone else who needs what you are not using, and depending on your income, you may be able to take a tax deduction at tax time for the fair market value of the goods.
* If you are a college student, you can sell your used text books online. Often you can get a better deal than at the campus book store where they have some what of a captive market.
* Go to other people’s garage sales, look for bargains and then resell the items online through place like eBay. We have a friend that makes a living just from reselling a certain type of exercise equipment on eBay. Another person that was featured in our local paper made a living reselling wedding dresses. It helps to specialize in one area so you get to know the market very well and get a good feel for what will sell online and for how much.
You can easily check the market prices for used books online at Amazon’s Marketplace.
* Go to library book sales, especially on the last day when they are trying to get rid of the books. You can often get a whole bag of books for $1 or $2. Then resell the books online through Amazon Marketplace or Ebay. The downside with this approach is that in order to turn a tidy profit you have to have a good idea in advance of what types of books sell online and for how much. Plus, library sales often attract many used booksellers so the competition for the best books is often steep. You can get an edge by becoming a library member, or better yet a volunteer, and possibly getting a chance to purchase books before they go on sale to the general public.
* If you have a hobby such as sewing or woodworking, instead of just making items for yourself and your friends, make items to sell either at craft fairs, consignment shops or online. One of my friends is an artist and sells her oil paintings, so it gives her both a relaxing hobby and a second income. Her art supplies are all tax deductible because they are business expenses.
a mom helping child with bike
Interesting Link: Study Calculates Stay at Home Moms Worth Six Figures - if full time moms were really paid for all of their work.
Even if you don’t have a craft type hobby, if you have a talent you can often do services for others who either don’t have the skill or the time to do chores themselves. Some of my friends who are otherwise stay at home moms do services such as pet care, child care, sewing and typing for some extra money.
* Turning any hobby into a business can often “earn” extra money just from tax savings. This is due to the many tax deductions available to small business owners. Possible deductions for your home business may include deductions for a retirement plan, phone expenses, Internet connection costs, equipment such as phones and PCs, a home office, travel expenses and much more. The list is really quite extensive. For more information see the IRS Tax Guide for Small Businesses
* One of our friends makes an extra few hundred dollars a month just by going to consumer focus groups. My husband made $100 a couple of years back on his lunch hour just for watching two commercials for a major software company and telling the marketing people which commercial he liked better.
My husband and I are both on the mailing list for Blarry House research. They email or call me whenever they have a focus group might be a good fit for one of us. Some of the offers are not worth the time, but other’s are pretty lucrative for just an hour or two’s worth of work.
* Use or Sell Your Gift Cards - Recent news reports claim that there are billions of dollars of unused gift cards going to waste. This is a boon for retailers and a financial set back for millions of U.S. households. So dig up those old gift cards and either use them or sell them on eBay. I had a $50 Linens N Things Card I could not use because they closed their only store in my area, and their online site no longer accepted their own gift cards. Initially I was going to throw the card away but then I thought that maybe I could find a place to sell it online. I ended up putting it up for auction on Ebay where to my amazement it sold for $45 (less listing and selling fees).
* If you are handy at fixing things, you can repair other people’s trash and then resell the refubished items (click here for article). Robert Jessberger repairs other people discards and as a result, “donates thousands of dollars’ worth of goods he saves from the garbage to charity and neighbors every year. He sells what’s left at an annual garage sale that has paid for him and his wife to go on seven cruises.”
Jessberger is now in trouble because it is illegal where he lives to go through other people trash. But perhaps all of you handymen and women out there could find a legal way to repair and sell other people’s discards by going to garage sales, thrift shops and picking up unwanted items on Freecycle.org (www.freecycle.org). You know the old saying, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
Articles in This Section on Making Money:
* Making Money Without a Job
* Earn Extra Income with Creative Writing
* Sell Your Stuff Online
* Sell Your Used College Text Books
* Entering Free Contests for Money and Prizes
* Use or Sell Your Unused Gift Cards
Home Page
Featured Articles:
* Household Budget Tips
* Budget Worksheet
* Creative Ways to Make Extra Money
* Frugal Living Tips
* Saving Money on Groceries
Article Index by Category:
* Budgeting Tips
* How to Make Extra Money
* Grocery Budget Tips
* Cutting Expenses
* Frugal Recipes
* Famous Money Quotations
Interesting frugal site:
http://www.allthingsfrugal.com/a.meatmeal.htm
How to Create Nine Different Meals With One Meatloaf Recipe
By Darlene Arechederra
Imagine having several meals already prepared — and spending less than an hour preparing them!
That’s exactly what you can do with the following recipe. Simply double or triple the ingredients, then separate into several meals.
Here are some of the scrumptious meals you can create in no time, using the meatloaf recipe below.
Chili
Tacos
Meatloaf
Meatball sandwich
Spaghetti & meatballs in red sauce
Cabbage rolls (just add a bit of rice)
Swedish meatballs in cream sauce
Hamburger patties with brown gravy
Meatballs simmered in crockpot with BBQ sauce/onions
And here’s the recipe that will make your life so much easier...
Multipurpose Meatloaf Mix
2 eggs
salt/pepper
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup oatmeal
1 T. Worcestershire Sauce
2 lbs. ground beef or chuck
1/2 cup minced or chopped onion
Mix above ingredients in large mixing bowl. Can be microwaved or cooked in oven (see below.)
Meatloaf Topping:
Catsup
Make a simple brown gravy mix from a packet. Use BBQ Sauce with a touch of brown sugar and brown mustard.
Microwave Directions:
(For a single batch)
Microwave meatloaf on high (wrap lightly with waxed paper) approx. 15 minutes. Drain, then top with your choice of sauce or gravy. Microwave another 3-5 minutes.
Oven Directions:
Cover meatloaf with foil and bake approx. 50-60 minutes. Drain, then top with your choice of sauce or gravy. Bake another 5-10 minutes.
** Will feed approx. 5 people
** You can use low-fat versions of items, too.
1 medium-sized meatloaf
2 meatball meals (Swedish, Red Sauce)
Note: While meatloaf is cooking, I make meatballs with a large ice- cream scoop (the one with the small, moving part that escorts the meat out of the scoop for you.) It will save your wrist and is so much quicker.
Cook meatballs until just done. Store in an airtight container in fridge. If freezing, be sure to cool them first. They can be frozen before or after cooking.
Having such a flexible recipe will make your meal planning and preparation much easier. And isn’t it great to save a bit of time, while saving money, too? Enjoy!
Darlene Arechederra is the creator of the Stay-at-Home Bootcamp — for women of two-income households who’d love to return home to their children. Women interested in finding their way back home are invited to take the FREE Quiz today at http://AffordToStayHome.com/quiz.html Or, join her free, money- saving ezine at http://RatRaceRemedies.com
http://www.allthingsfrugal.com/breadmaker.recipes.htm
Breadmaker Recipes
By Lynne Birch
When bread makers first came out years back people felt that all you could use them for was plain white bread. Well that is not even close to being true any more. There are now dozens of fantastic recipes available for all kinds of bread. What you will find is that the ingredients you use in a bread machine will be a little different than if you were baking bread normally. The results are just as good however.
Below is a selection of recipes that are very simple to make, very affordable, and most of all, deliciously healthy. They only take a few minutes to prepare and the results will make everyone happy. So go ahead and try them out. Crack open your breadmaker and give one of these yummy recipes a try.
Basic White Bread
1 1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons powdered milk
2 TBSP oil (l usually use canola)
1 tsp salt
3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp yeast
Just use the standard wet on the bottom dry on top mixing process. This is delicious with butter and honey while it is still hot.
Grain & Honey Bread
3/4 cup warm water
2 TBSP honey (liquid or melted)
2 TBSP olive oil
1 tsp salt
2 TBSP lemon juice
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (mixed grain flower is OK too)
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 tsps granulated yeast
Put the salt in the breadmaker first, then add all other ingredients except the yeast, oats and flour. Add the oats and flour. Make a small hole at the top of the dry ingredients for the yeast. Bake as usual.
Cheesy Buttermilk Bread
This yields a moist and tasty loaf. It also stores very well, but you’ll probably finish it before that even matters!
1 and 1/8 cups buttermilk
1 tsp salt
2 TBSP sugar
.75 cup extra sharp chedder (grated)
3 cups bread flour
1.5 tsps bread machine yeast
Prepare as usual. All wet ingredients first, then the cheese, then dry ingredients, and the yeast on top.
Oat Bread
Use natural rolled oats. Just put them in a pot with boiling water, and then let them soak until they cool off. Then add the other ingredients and proceed as usual.
1 cup rolled oats
11 fl.oz. water
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 cups flour
1 tsp yeast
Baking bread is a wonderfully delicious way to add great nutrition to you family’s diet. Give the recipes a try and add some flavour to your meals.
About the Author: Lynne Birch writes on home decor and home improvement. Our selection of articles and reviews of kitchen appliances that is growing daily. Bread Machine updates.
[This from 1996, reads the same as today would, except for the prices....granny]
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/agriculture/forums/sustainable-agriculture/msg01166.html
More on Potatoes:
Economics:
I’ve noticed supermarkets here (Connecticut) advertising 10 pounds of potatoes
for 77 cents. Less than 8 cents a pound.
Yesterday on the AP wire, there was a story from Kennewick, Washington.
Potatoes for processing (Meaning that they will consume lots of additional
energy before they’re eaten and will likely be covered with various more or less
unhealthful substances for the enrichment of a few large corporations and the
enlargement of our country’s health care costs.) are bringing between $95 and
$100 dollars per ton, versus $88 a ton last year. That’s 5 cents a pound top
price. Fresh market potatoes are bringing only $75 a ton because of large
supply, less than 4 cents a pound.
At the farmers markets in the run-over and fading-fast valley towns nearby we
are able to sell most all the potatoes we are willing to part with for $1.50 and
$2.00 a pound. People come back especially to buy more from us because they
like the flavor. (What must potatoes taste like when they’ve been sprayed two to
three times a week with poisons. Ciba claims that Ridomil “Protects for months
in storage and transit.” Put some of that on a BT engineered potato and what’s
the taste effect?)
A friend who sells at a market in the area where New Yorkers spend the weekend
gets up to twice as much for his choicest (the smallest) potatoes. His most
expensive potatoes sell first.
Perhaps there is some middle ground between these two systems which might also
work.
Soil Health:
What about soil health? Usually once we disturb a system it changes. I would
imagine that the mix of pesticides sprayed on potatoes not only kills many
helpful organisms in the soil and in the air, it also selectively breeds for
resistant pests. Is this behind the evolution of late blight?
About Ireland:
Fowler and Mooney make it clear that while the narrow genetic base of the Irish
potato and its monoculture had a role in devastion of the late blight, it was
the social system and export agriculture which caused the human disaster. They
write that at that time “4,000 people owned 80 percent of the land and the
annual earnings of a rural laborer rarely equaled the rent on a single acre of
land,” and that during the famine, “80 percent of the countryside was still
being grazed, not cultivated, and that grain continued to be exported at a time
when hundreds of thousands were perishing.”
The social system in this country is in at least as bad shape as agriculture is.
Five percent of the farms earn 75 percent of farm income. 100 vegetable growers
control almost one quarter of the market.
Marketing:
The “Marketing Sector” of “Agriculture” now takes about 80 percent of each food
dollar and it wants even more.
Yet many keep trying to solve only “Production Sector” problems and insist that
agriculture (production and marketing sectors together) not be held accountable
for any social effects.
The marketing sector is left for the market (after all possible environmental,
energy, social and health subsidies are exploited) to work out.
The potato marketer with the lion’s share of the snack chip market brags on its
bags that it takes 4 pounds of potatoes to produce one pound of chips. Since
presumably the fat and salt have some weight, it must waste over three quarters
of the potatoes it buys. I suspect this waste is connected with the wasting of
farms and ecosystems in order to meet the processors’ demand for cheap raw
materials.
Agriculture in the cities:
With just about 1/2 acre of cropland per person globally, we’ve got to learn to
grow in small spaces, especially since industrial agriculture has no intention
of making whole and healthful food available to the poor who live in the cities.
It’s easy to find chips or fries (in small containers at four to six dollars a
pound) almost anywhere in the city, but try to find a well-raised potato (other
than in community gardens) in poor neighborhoods. With urban populations in
this region shrinking and buildings being torn down, and with the joy, learning
and pride that school and community gardens provide, expanded urban agriculture
is one of the most hopeful things on the horizon.
Those who don’t want to participate in producing their food, or supporting local
farmers will get about that they deserve- food that is genetically engineered,
sprayed nearly (or even) to death, robbed of its nutrients in processing,
expensively advertised and produced by an industrial agriculture that certainly
will crash, and may take major ecosystems and civilization with it. It will be
delivered exclusively by entities with the morals and greed of Philip Morris,
Nestle, ADM, Pepsico and McDonald’s.
Thanks for your attention and interest in potatoes.
Bill Duesing
The no electric pumps that I was thinking about the other day, these links from 1996 and I did not check them...Mother Earth offered the plans over the earlier years of publication.......granny]
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/agriculture/forums/sustainable-agriculture/msg01181.html
Re: Hydro Ram pumps and Duckbill Ram pumps
An article in Cooperative Farmer (Southern States
cooperative), October-November 1993, featured the Rife Sling
Pump. It fits the description of a duckbill pump that I
was looking for exactly. Unfortunately, no address or
phone number was listed.
Selected text:
“In tests the Rife Sling Pump has lifted water up to 82
feet, or delivered water over a mile from a stream.”
“It is completely mechanical and operates without
electricity or fuel. The power to drive it is provided
by flowing water. A wind-powered version is also
available.”
“There is only one moving part, the swivel coupling, and it
is water-lubricated. All parts are non-corrosive and
designed to withstand a high degree of stress. There is
virtually no maintenance.”
“The sling pump is anchored with the supplied anchor wire to
a stake in the water. The water flow rotates the pump body,
forcing air and water through the pump - via a swivel
coupling - into the feeder hose and from there either to an
intermediate storage tank or directly to the place of
consumption - in a pulsating flow.
“Water pumped by the sling pump can be used for household
needs, irrigation, ponds, and gardening. It is especially
useful in aerating stock tanks and fish tanks since it pumps
half water and half air.”
FYI, here are the web sites with Ram Pump info:
http://www.grove.net/%7Eatlas/
http://www.ecocentric.com/prof/eco/ram/html
http://www.animatedsoftware.com/pumpglos/ram_pump.htm
http://info.lut.ac.uk/departments/cv/wedc/papers/thomas2.html
Steve Diver wrote:
> I found some web sites with hydro ram pumps, but I seem to
> recall something in Permaculture International a few years
> back about a “duckbill” hydro ram pump.
>
> My understanding of hydro rams are that they operate by
> the fall of water (from a pond downwards), whereby the
> ram pump can then push the water uphill. It operates off the
> force of gravity.
>
> The duckbill, as I recall, will work in a streambed and function
> off of the lateral movement of water. Thus, you could place
> a duckbill pump into a flowing steam and pump water uphill.
>
> This is different from a regular ram pump whereby a drop in water
> requires an elevation change and therefore the building of
> a dam in a streambed to achieve a change in height.
>
> A nearby remote watermelon/veggie patch in the Oklahoma Ozarks would
> benefit from a duckbill and I need some info and a supplier.
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/agriculture/forums/sustainable-agriculture/msg01230.html
I find AltaVista a very good search engine for this sort of thing
(http://www.altavista.com/)
It produced the following Web references:
Centre for Alternative Technology, Wales - as someone has suggested they
can probably suggest manufacturers:
http://www.foe.co.uk/CAT/publicat/sitetr4.html
Tecquip: they appear to make teaching equipment but again can perhaps
suggest
http://www.tecquip.co.uk/products/h31.htm
And a conference paper on rams from Warwick University (I think it was)
http://info.lut.ac.uk/departments/cv/wedc/papers/thomas2.html
So, no actual manufacturers (I think) of real kit for genuine use but
possible sources of further info.
There are *large* volumes in Reference Libraries that are likely to give
this type of info - cannot remember names.
Good luck,
—
Peter
The sling pump is available through Alternative Energy in Redway, Ca.
707 923 2277
voice from the wilderness...
the goats want to be milked
sarah
as far west as the internet gets on the continental u s
Index, many interesting posts, even if it was in 1996:
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/agriculture/forums/sustainable-agriculture/maillist.html#01146
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/agriculture/forums/sustainable-agriculture/msg01076.html
> I saw a post from Eric Nash asking about composting boxboard along
with food residuals,
> and had to add my two cents.
> Tim Fisher
Hi,
Here’s my two penn’orth (UK - pennies).
We successfully used cardboard heavy duty box material (is this what
you call boxboard?)) as part of a mulch for early potatoes this year
for the first time. We put the “boxboard” over the beds then planted
seed potatoes through holes made in the boards (raised beds - newley
turned turf plus rotted horse manure) then covered the whole lot with
bracken (insulation). Some of it has decayed quite well and has been
transferred to compost heap to finish off, but the potatoes were
really good - the whole setup gave a much drier bed with no slug
damage (just dug the last bed) - really easy to dig up compared to
deep bed with no cardboard/bracken “duvet” and resulting heavier soil
consistency.
—
Anne
For Vickie:
LOL
Straw Paper,Handmade Straw Paper,Rice Straw Paper,Wheat Straw Paper
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2. Ridgid Table Saws Sold Exclusively at Home Depot Recalled by One World Technologies Due to Laceration Hazard
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INFLUENZA, CANINE (H3N8) - USA
******************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org
Date: Tue 18 Aug 2009
Source: Discovery News [edited]
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/08/18/dog-canine-virus.html
Canine influenza, the potentially deadly H3N8 virus commonly known as
dog flu, is spreading. So far the virus has led to the death of one
dog last week [week of 10 Aug 2009], closed down the kennel at
Virginia’s Fairfax County Animal Shelter, and, according to experts,
is now affecting dogs in at least 4 other states: Colorado, New York,
New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
While the reason for the shelter outbreak, which killed a 15-year-old
whippet owned by a clinical technician and sickened 26 dogs, remains
unknown, it’s possible that one or more infected dogs from
Philadelphia or Washington DC introduced the illness to Virginia.
“Dogs often move in and out of shelter systems over long distances,
such as via breed and rescue groups,” Edward Dubovi, director of the
virology center at Cornell’s Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory,
told Discovery News.
“Boarding kennels and even elite doggie day care centers can also
result in cases, since, as for kennel cough spread, the virus is
highly contagious and dogs may catch it from one another,” added
Dubovi.
He first isolated the canine influenza virus in 2004, after
University of Florida researchers sent him fluid and tissue samples
from greyhound race dogs that had died from a then mysterious
respiratory illness at a Florida racetrack.
Dubovi and his team determined the cause was the H3N8 equine flu
virus, which jumped from horses to dogs. In addition to spreading
from dog to dog, canines can also catch it from humans, who may have
come into contact with infected animals.
The illness has not yet sickened any people.
Signs in dogs can include fever, lethargy, loss of appetite, and a
respiratory infection that may last a few weeks. One to 5 percent of
victims die from related hemorrhagic pneumonia.
Although 30 states have reported cases over the past 5 years, Dubovi
said outbreaks are “usually sporadic and then die out.” “For example,
we’ve seen outbreaks in San Diego, Los Angeles, and Pittsburgh, but
those all ended,” he explained.
As officials work to contain the Virginia cases, nearby states and
cities are also on guard.
Tara deNicolas, a spokesperson for the Washington Humane Society,
told Discovery News, “No cases are currently in our shelter.” She
added, “We’re being very proactive, however, and are ordering tests
whenever any possible symptoms surface.”
Just last month [July 2009], a vaccine was released for canine
influenza. Dubovi said that, “in clinical trials, it reduces viral
shedding and diminishes signs” of the illness. It’s given in 2 doses,
3 weeks apart.
Dubovi would like to see “blanket vaccinations in affected areas, as
it would be nice to get this virus out of the dog population.”
The virus at present is more adapted to horses than to dogs, so
wiping out the illness now would prevent future possible mutations
within canines.
Since dogs are in regular contact with their owners and other people,
the illness could potentially spread from dogs to humans in the
future, he suggested, given that it has already jumped from one
species of mammal to another.
More bad news appears to be on the horizon. Next month [September
2009], Dubovi said he will announce the discovery of yet another new
virus.
In the meantime, researchers continue to study why some viruses jump
species, and what can be done to eradicate these illnesses.
[Byline: Jennifer Viegas]
—
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Susan Baekeland
[This article sounds like cliffhanger soap opera television show:
next month he will announce the discovery of yet another new virus.
What is his motivation for waiting to make the announcement?
Marketing of another vaccine? Further confirmatory research? Or
waiting to see if it is already loose in the population? One conjures
up many endings to such a tease line, but let us hope the delay is
because of on going research for exact confirmation.
When dealing with canine influenza, it is critical to get early
medical intervention to prevent the death of the pet. We will all
welcome a licensed effective vaccine.
It is equally important to emphasize that this virus has not affected
people and is not a threat to human beings. - Mod.TG]
[Virginia and the other states mentioned can be located on the
HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of the US at
http://healthmap.org/r/00I3
- Sr.Tech.Ed.MJ]
[see also:
Influenza, canine - USA: (NJ) 20090704.2405
Well, if you are archiving for future use, the following chart could be helpful:
Some Boiling points for distillation
Acetone 56.5C (134F)
Methanol (wood alcohol) 64C (147F)
Ethyl acetate 77.1C (171F)
Ethanol 78C (172F)
2-Propanol (rubbing alcohol) 82C (180F)
1-Propanol 97C (207F)
Water 100C (212F)
Butanol 116C (241F)
Amyl alcohol 137.8C (280F)
Furfural 161C (322F)
Pretty easy to see how some of the old ‘Shine’ could be blinding... from wood alcohol to rubbing alcohol all mixed with the ethanol.
Yep, GF recipes are very helpful, even if all you are doing is avoiding wheat.
{coworker’s birthday cake 8/11, the big four-oh)
Chocolate Cake Recipe
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a jelly roll pan or a huge lasagna pan (10x15 glass pan) or a 9x13 cake pan.
Combine in mixing bowl:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
In a saucepan, BOIL
one cup water.
After water has boiled, add
2 sticks butter
4 heaping tablespoons cocoa.
Stir.
Bring water to a boil again, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, turn off heat. Leave it to set till the butter is completely melted.
Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.
In a LARGE measuring cup, [a one cup measuring cup is too small for all the beating that’s about to happen]
pour
1/2 cup milk
add
1/2 t. vinegar [= buttermilk substitute]
Add:
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
Beat with a fork. [That’s why you need a TWO cup measuring cup, so it doesn’t slosh out.]
Add buttermilk/egg mixture into the mixing bowl with the rest. Stir till mixed.
Pour cake batter into pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes. If you are using a 9x13, it will take longer than 20 minutes.
[Use different frosting recipe, not the one at the link.]
Modified by Joya, here’s link to original
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/the_best_chocol/
>>>Do you have a good recipe for that mash? Howzabout a link? I might just try making a few drippins with that new canner!<<<
LOL - Well, in the spirit of not letting any request go unanswered.....
The OLD Mother Earth News from about 30 years ago covered a bit of that...
//snip//
MOTHER’s Mash Recipes for Alcohol Production
Romantic notions of the mountain moonshiner stoking up his still deep in the woods soon fade away when one seriously attempts to produce his or her own “liquid sunshine”. For example, though distillation is the fun part of the process, preparing the mash, fermenting it, and using the by-products are the real work — as well as the keys to running an efficient operation. MOTHER’s staffers have been hard at it for the last year — mixing and mashing — and we’ve put together a series of formulas to help take the mystery and confusion out of ethanol fuel production.
The list of raw materials that can be used to make alcohol grows each day. Newcomers — such as mangel-wurzels (or fodder beets), Jerusalem artichokes, manioc, poplar trees, cellulose waste, and even cattails — have been added to the list of traditionals, which includes corn, sugar cane, potatoes, rice, and barley.
More at:
http://www.journeytoforever.org/biofuel_library/ethanol_motherearth/meCh5.html
I know that sometimes I get on my soapbox and it sounds like maybe I’m being very radical, like when I talk about Monsanto.
I just found an article that I had read about a decade ago that was published by Monsanto (no longer available on their site) - see what you think...
Monsanto
April 1998
Fact Sheet On Pesticide Use
* Of all insecticides used globally each year, the amount used on cotton: 25%.
* Number of pesticides presently on the market that were registered before being tested to determine if they caused cancer, birth defects or wildlife toxicity: 400.
* Amount of time it takes to ban a pesticide in the U.S. using present procedures: 10 years.
* Number of active ingredients in pesticides found to cause cancer in animals or humans: 107.
* Of those active ingredients, the number still in use today: 83
* Number of pesticides that are reproductive toxins according to the California E.P.A.: 15.
* Number of pesticides found to cause reproductive problems in animals: 14.
* Most serious cause of groundwater pollution confirmed in California: agricultural chemicals.
* Number of pesticides found in drinking wells of California since 1982: 68.
* Number of California wells affected: 957.
* Number of farming communities affected: 36.
* % of the total U.S. population supplied with drinking water from groundwater: 50%.
* Number of different pesticides documented by the E.P.A. to be present in groundwater in 1988: 74.
* Number of states affected: 32.
* Most acutely toxic pesticide registered by the E.P.A.: aldicarb (used frequently on cotton).
* In California between 1970 and 1994 amount of total aldicarb used on cotton: 85 to 95%.
* Number of states in which aldicarb has been detected in the groundwater: 16.
* Percentage of all U.S. counties containing groundwater susceptible to contamination from agricultural pesticides and fertilizers: 46%.
* Number of people in the U.S. routinely drinking water contaminated with carcinogenic herbicides: 14 million.
* Percentage of municipal water treatment facilities lacking equipment to remove these chemicals from the drinking water: 90%.
* Estimated total costs for U.S. groundwater monitoring: US$900 million to 2.2 billion.
* Estimated costs for U.S. groundwater carbon filtration cleanup: up to $25 million per site.
* Percentage of all food samples tested by the FDA in 1980 which contained pesticide residues: 38%.
* Of the 496 pesticides identified as likely to leave residues in food, the percentage which FDA tests can routinely detect: 40%.
* Average number of serious pesticide-related accidents between World War II and 1980: 1 every 5 years.
* Average number of serious pesticide-related accidents between 1980 and the present: 2 every year.
* Increase in cancer rates between 1950 and 1986: 37%.
* Number of Americans who will learn they have cancer this year: 1 million.
* Number who will die from it: 500,000.
* Cost to U.S. of cancer in terms of lost production, income, medical expenses and research resources: US$ 39 billion each year.
* Highest rate of chemical-related illness of any occupational group in the U.S.A.: farm workers.
* Pesticide-related illnesses among farm workers in U.S.A. each year: Approximately 300,000.
* Number of people in the U.S. who die each year from cancer related to pesticides: 10,400.
Copyright 1999 Monsanto All Rights Reserved
I won’t rehash my feelings for this company, but with their push for worldwide Roundup ready genetically modified seeds and their massive sales of the herbicide we just overlook:
Journal of the American Cancer Society 1999 - has revealed clear links between glyphosate — Roundup — and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a form of cancer.
NOW the scary part (here goes my soapbox again) is what we get with H.R. 2749 (Food Safety Act - another lie to deceive the masses) is control of agriculture and food production by - ready . . . . . . . Former MONSANTO people!!!!!
I’m for force feeding their chemicals to any jackass that votes for it! (off soapbox)
Sorry folks, but need to share one more item - I often hear people say that we MUST have genetically engineered crops in order to feed the masses.
Somebody, please notify the crops that they are supposed to produce more and require less herbicides and pesticides!
GE Crop Yields/Pesticide Use No Better
Recent data from the US Department of Agriculture’s Economic
Research Service for the 1997 and 1998 growing season found
that in most cases genetically engineered crops were not
getting any better yields than conventional crops, and
farmers were using about the same amount of pesticides on
engineered crops as conventional crops.
The two biggest boasts of the biotech industry are that
genetically engineered crops will increase yields (and allow
us to feed the world), and reduce pesticide use. The USDA
data released earlier this month looked at engineered
cotton, maize and soya beans and can be viewed at:
www.econ.ag.gov/new-at-ers.
To study the use of pesticides on these crops, the USDA
divided the country into various different regions. In seven
of the 12 combinations of crops and regions, farmers using
modified crops had to add the same quantities of pesticides
to their fields as those growing non-modified crops. To
study yields, the USDA looked at 18 crop/region
combinations. In 12 of them, yields of modified crops were
no better.
“In the majority of crops and regions surveyed, there are no
statistically significant differences in pesticide use or
yield between engineered and nonengineered varieties,”
according to Jane Rissler of the Union of Concerned
Scientists. “In one case, pesticide use increased on the
engineered crop and in another case, yield declined in the
engineered varieties.”
Another analysis of engineered crop yields and pesticide use
came out last week from Dr. Charles Benbrook who looked at
Round-up Ready Soybeans. Benbrook’s analysis of over 8,200
RR soybean trials found that RR soybeans produce lower
yields than possible if farmers planted comparable
non-engineered varieties. In some areas of the Midwest, the
best conventional variety of soybean outperformed comparable
RR soybeans by 10 percent or higher. In addition, farmers
using RR soybeans used 2 to 5 times more herbicide in pounds
per acre, and popular weed management systems. Benbrook’s
analysis of Roundup Ready soybeans can be found at:
http://www.biotech-info.net
Now back to canning chili... One batch out - two more to go.
Never fails, I get time to think and remember while canning and then have to jump on the ‘puter and check out those memories.
Hope they are motivating rather than offending.
FROSTING RECIPE
from Joya’s mother
= = =
Rosie’s Chocolate Frosting
1-1/3 cup sugar
6 T. butter
6 T. milk or half and half
1/2 cup choc. chips
Mix sugar, butter, and milk together in saucepan. bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
Boil for 30 seconds. Remove from heat, add chocolate chips.
Do not stir until chips melt. Cool, then beat until ready to spread.
The large amt. frosts a 9x13 cake. I usually make that amt. no matter what it’s for, as the frosting can be saved and used for other things, such as you mentioned, the graham crackers.
= = =
[Rosie was a saintly woman in a little town in Iowa, may God rest her soul in peace, and it just so happens her son married Mom’s sister.]
Good tale:
A young couple moved into a new neighborhood. The next morning while they were eating breakfast, the young woman saw her old neighbor hanging the wash outside. “That laundry is not very clean,” she said. “She doesn’t know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap.”
Her husband looked on, but remained silent.
Every time her old neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comments.
About one month later, the young woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband:
“Look, she has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder what she did differently?”
The husband said, “Well, I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows.”
- - -
And so it is with life. What we see when watching others depends on the purity of the window through which we look.
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