Saturday was September 8, 2012 - day 26,227. The Hawks got beat by Iowa State bu 9-6.
Sunday was September 9, 2012 - day 26,228. It was hard to read the Sunday sports page because of our defeat by the Cyclones.
Today is Monday, September 10, 2012 a beautiful day. My stats today: 10 minutes of yoga, 10 minutes of lifting weights and 38 minutes of walking = 2.0 miles for a September total of 18.5 miles. My weight was 162.0 pounds.
QUOTE from another so-called expert. This one from Dixie Lee Ray, Washington Governor, 1977.
"A nuclear power plant is infinitely safer than eating, because 300 people choke to death on food every day."
Today I LEARNED a new to way to look at the U.S. and religion. There was an article in the paper this morning about a man named Dennis Goldford, a political science professor at Drake Unversity in Des Moines. He gave a talk in Cedar Rapids explaining his views on religion and politics in the U.S.
His main points are:
1. Is the U.S. a Christian nation? He says the question can be clarified by understanding the Constitution. The Constitution does not protect religion but it protects religious freedom. There'a a big difference. He said his students often feel the U.S. is a Christian nation, but he explained that they're looking more along demographic lines. He cited surveys that show the U.S. is 78% Christian, 5% "other" and 16% unaffiliated. Only Catholics and Baptists make up more than 10% of the religious community.
2. Goldford asked the audience, "One nation under God whose god?" To which he answered, "It's one nation under no one's God. It is a nation under many gods."
3. With so many religions, it is important that we be tolerant of other people's beliefs. "Whatever I think is right, I have to respect your right to believe what I believe to be wrong. If you religify politics, you politicize religion."
4. The Founding Fathers framed the Constitution to keep religion and politics separate to protect individual religious freedom.
5 He said, "I advise caution. I say religion is somewhat like electricity. It somewhat makes our lives more comfortable, but it you're not careful it can kill you."
(This man and his views has made me think. It made me think about some conservative churches in 2008 who threatened to kick anybody out of the church who voted for Obama. I think that is what I would call "politicizing religion" or "religifying politics.")
Monday, September 10, 2012
Friday, September 7, 2012
Pete's BLOG-Day 26,226. Stories of the Taj Mahal.
Today is Friday, September 7, 2012 - a cool day and we got almost of inch of rain last night. My stats for today: 10 minutes of yoga, 10 minutes of lifting weights and 52 minutes of walking = 2.8 miles for a September total of 15 miles. My weight was 162.2 pounds.
QUOTE from my Bathroom Book - my next several quotes will be from so-called experts who were so wrong. Being an expert means never having to admit you're wrong. Well, read these as the days go by and see what a bunch of BS this is. In 1954, The National Cancer Institute said this" "If excessive smoking actually plays a role in the production of lung cancer, it seems to be a minor one."
From my Bathroom Book I LEARNED some interesting information about the Taj Mahal. I love this kind of trivia because it makes life more interesting.
In 1628, Shah Jahan became the fifth Mogul emperor of India. Jahan was a Muslim so he had four wives. His favorite was one called Mumtaz Mahal. Mumtaz was a bloodthirsty religious zealot and a committed foe of Christianity. She persuaded her husband into destroying a Christian colony on the northeast coast of India. He did and the survivors were marched 1,200 miles to Agra. There the priests were thrown beneath elephants; the rest were sold as slaves.
Mumtaz died in 1631. He was devastated and went into mourning by staying in his quarters for eight days, refusing food or wine. On the ninth day he emerged determined to build a monument to his beloved. The project took 22 years. More than 20,000 jewelers, builders, masons and calligraphers worked on it day and night. When they finished, they had created the wondrous white mausoleum which is still regarded - nearly 360 years later - as the most remarkable piece of architecture in the world. It was made of white marble and is adorned with turquoise, jade, carnelian (a kind of quartz), and other precious metals.
He showed his appreciation for this masterpiece by ordering the HANDS of the master builders - and the HEAD of the architect - to be chopped off, so the perfection of the Taj could never be duplicated.What a nice guy he was!!!!!!!!
HUMOR for today" The Cubs lost to the Nationals again last night by a score of 9-2.
QUOTE from my Bathroom Book - my next several quotes will be from so-called experts who were so wrong. Being an expert means never having to admit you're wrong. Well, read these as the days go by and see what a bunch of BS this is. In 1954, The National Cancer Institute said this" "If excessive smoking actually plays a role in the production of lung cancer, it seems to be a minor one."
From my Bathroom Book I LEARNED some interesting information about the Taj Mahal. I love this kind of trivia because it makes life more interesting.
In 1628, Shah Jahan became the fifth Mogul emperor of India. Jahan was a Muslim so he had four wives. His favorite was one called Mumtaz Mahal. Mumtaz was a bloodthirsty religious zealot and a committed foe of Christianity. She persuaded her husband into destroying a Christian colony on the northeast coast of India. He did and the survivors were marched 1,200 miles to Agra. There the priests were thrown beneath elephants; the rest were sold as slaves.
Mumtaz died in 1631. He was devastated and went into mourning by staying in his quarters for eight days, refusing food or wine. On the ninth day he emerged determined to build a monument to his beloved. The project took 22 years. More than 20,000 jewelers, builders, masons and calligraphers worked on it day and night. When they finished, they had created the wondrous white mausoleum which is still regarded - nearly 360 years later - as the most remarkable piece of architecture in the world. It was made of white marble and is adorned with turquoise, jade, carnelian (a kind of quartz), and other precious metals.
He showed his appreciation for this masterpiece by ordering the HANDS of the master builders - and the HEAD of the architect - to be chopped off, so the perfection of the Taj could never be duplicated.What a nice guy he was!!!!!!!!
HUMOR for today" The Cubs lost to the Nationals again last night by a score of 9-2.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
PETE'S blog-dAY 26,225. Hurrah for coffee.
Today is Thursday, September 6, 2012 - a wonderful day with temps in the high 70s. My stats today" 10 minutes of yoga, 10 minutes of the exercise ball and 60 minutes of walking = 3.1 miles for a September total of 12.2 miles. My weight was 163.0 pounds.
QUOTE from Ronald Reagan" "I never drink coffee at lunch. I find it keeps me awake for the afternoon.
What I LEARNED today. I truly enjoy my two cups of coffee after my workout and breakfast. The morning newspaper made me enjoy this mornings coffee even more. The headline said STUDY FINDS NEW BENEFIT OF COFFEE: IT REDUCES PAIN. A study was done in Norway with 48 volunteers who could drink coffee or not while doing an experiment designed by researchers from Norway's Institute of Occupational Health and Oslo University Hospital. The 48 volunteers spent 90 minutes performing fake computer tasks meant to mimic office work. The 19 volunteers who drank coffee had a lower intensity of pain in the neck and shoulders than the 29 people who didn't. The average shoulder and neck pain intensity was 41 (on a 100 point scale) for the coffee drinkers while the non-drinkers had 55.
The article went on to say that coffee has already been found to do many other things to keep the body healthy. Such as: help with weight loss, reduce the risk of developing Alaheimer's disease or dementia, boost muscle growth, protect against certain types of cancer and can even reduce one's risk of premature death, among many other benefits.
Drinking COFFEE is a win-win deal.
HUMOR for today: The Chicago Cubs lost again last night to the Nationals. The CUBS have the second worst record in the major leagues - only Houston is worse. The Cubs are 51-85 and 31 games our of first place while the Astros are 42-95 and 40 1/2 games out. Ruth Ann and I get our laugh of the day when we look up the Cubs score every nmorning. To be a little more fair about the Cubs I should mention that they are rebuilding under the direction of Theo Epstein (the former Red Sox GM). They have many young players who, I hope, will improve a lot in the years to come.
QUOTE from Ronald Reagan" "I never drink coffee at lunch. I find it keeps me awake for the afternoon.
What I LEARNED today. I truly enjoy my two cups of coffee after my workout and breakfast. The morning newspaper made me enjoy this mornings coffee even more. The headline said STUDY FINDS NEW BENEFIT OF COFFEE: IT REDUCES PAIN. A study was done in Norway with 48 volunteers who could drink coffee or not while doing an experiment designed by researchers from Norway's Institute of Occupational Health and Oslo University Hospital. The 48 volunteers spent 90 minutes performing fake computer tasks meant to mimic office work. The 19 volunteers who drank coffee had a lower intensity of pain in the neck and shoulders than the 29 people who didn't. The average shoulder and neck pain intensity was 41 (on a 100 point scale) for the coffee drinkers while the non-drinkers had 55.
The article went on to say that coffee has already been found to do many other things to keep the body healthy. Such as: help with weight loss, reduce the risk of developing Alaheimer's disease or dementia, boost muscle growth, protect against certain types of cancer and can even reduce one's risk of premature death, among many other benefits.
Drinking COFFEE is a win-win deal.
HUMOR for today: The Chicago Cubs lost again last night to the Nationals. The CUBS have the second worst record in the major leagues - only Houston is worse. The Cubs are 51-85 and 31 games our of first place while the Astros are 42-95 and 40 1/2 games out. Ruth Ann and I get our laugh of the day when we look up the Cubs score every nmorning. To be a little more fair about the Cubs I should mention that they are rebuilding under the direction of Theo Epstein (the former Red Sox GM). They have many young players who, I hope, will improve a lot in the years to come.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Pete's BLOG-Day 26,224. Jim Crow Lite.
Today is Wednesday, September 5, 2012 - we got a half inch of rain last night and it is a little cooler today. My stats for today: 10 minutes of yoga, 10 minutes of lifting weights and 47
minutes of walking in Wapsi State Park = 2.6 miles for a September total of 9.1 miles. Me weight was at 162.2 pounds.
QUOTE from Kin Hubbard: "We'd all like to vote for the best man, but he's never available."
I LEARNED a new phrase this morning, that phrase is "Jim Crow Lite." Last week I had my letter-to-the-editor published in the Anamosa and Monticello newspapers. My topic was "The GOP and Voter Suppression." This morning when I saw a column written by Mary Sanchev of the Kansas Star entitled "Will Republicans succeed with Jim Crow Lite" I had to read it because it was the same topic as mine.
The gist of Mary's article was that the Republicans of today are doing the same thing the Southern Democratic Party did in the late 1800s and over half of the 1900s. The Republicans of today have devised 3 main schemes to deny the rights of hundreds of thousands of Americans to vote. By creating new ID laws, shortening absentee and early voting times and making it tougher to register to vote they are doing the same thing the Jim Crow voting laws did in the South. And most of the disenfranchised will be blacks, Hispanic, poor or elderly - the people most likely to vote for President Obama. The Republicans aren't admitting they are racist but they are passing the new voter suppression laws under the guise of nonexistent voter fraud. It is simply Jim Crow Lite - the goal is the same.
The Jim Crow laws were outright racist. They used such devices as Grandfather Clauses, poll taxes, and literacy tests to keep the blacks from voting. The Grandfather Clauses in the South stated that if they themselves, or their fathers or grandfathers had been entitled to vote on January 1, 1867 then they could vote. That meant that only whites could vote because blacks could not vote in 1867. The whites got to vote even if they failed to meet literacy or poll-tax requirements.
The good news is that the courts are striking down many of these voter suppression laws as being unconstitutional. Let's hope they get them all struck down before November 6, 2012.
HUMOR for today: "YOU CAN ALWAYS TELL WHEN PAUL RYAN IS LYING. HIS LIPS MOVE."
minutes of walking in Wapsi State Park = 2.6 miles for a September total of 9.1 miles. Me weight was at 162.2 pounds.
QUOTE from Kin Hubbard: "We'd all like to vote for the best man, but he's never available."
I LEARNED a new phrase this morning, that phrase is "Jim Crow Lite." Last week I had my letter-to-the-editor published in the Anamosa and Monticello newspapers. My topic was "The GOP and Voter Suppression." This morning when I saw a column written by Mary Sanchev of the Kansas Star entitled "Will Republicans succeed with Jim Crow Lite" I had to read it because it was the same topic as mine.
The gist of Mary's article was that the Republicans of today are doing the same thing the Southern Democratic Party did in the late 1800s and over half of the 1900s. The Republicans of today have devised 3 main schemes to deny the rights of hundreds of thousands of Americans to vote. By creating new ID laws, shortening absentee and early voting times and making it tougher to register to vote they are doing the same thing the Jim Crow voting laws did in the South. And most of the disenfranchised will be blacks, Hispanic, poor or elderly - the people most likely to vote for President Obama. The Republicans aren't admitting they are racist but they are passing the new voter suppression laws under the guise of nonexistent voter fraud. It is simply Jim Crow Lite - the goal is the same.
The Jim Crow laws were outright racist. They used such devices as Grandfather Clauses, poll taxes, and literacy tests to keep the blacks from voting. The Grandfather Clauses in the South stated that if they themselves, or their fathers or grandfathers had been entitled to vote on January 1, 1867 then they could vote. That meant that only whites could vote because blacks could not vote in 1867. The whites got to vote even if they failed to meet literacy or poll-tax requirements.
The good news is that the courts are striking down many of these voter suppression laws as being unconstitutional. Let's hope they get them all struck down before November 6, 2012.
HUMOR for today: "YOU CAN ALWAYS TELL WHEN PAUL RYAN IS LYING. HIS LIPS MOVE."
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Pete's BLOG-Day 26,223. Why I walk six days a week.
Today is Tuesday, September 4, 2012 - another hot and humid early school release day. My stats today: 10 minutes of yoga, 10 minutes on the exercise ball and 38 minutes of walking = 2.0 miles for a September total of 6.5 miles. I walked the cemetary today. My weight was 162.2 pounds.
QUOTE from Charles Dickens: " The sum of the whole is this: walk and be happy, walk and be healthy."
I LEARNED today why I walk instead of running 26 mile marathons. The quote above sums up why I walk - it makes me happy and and makes me healthy - plus I like to do it. This morning in the newspaper I read an article that added fuel to and justified my joy of walking. The article said that according to a recent study marathon running may trigger a lung condition that causes shortness of breath, severe coughing, and in serious cases, heart attacks or respiratory failure.
Half of 26 runners in a 2011 Pennsylvania marathon had some form of pulmonary edema, in which fluid builds up in the air sacs of the lungs, about 20 minutes after the race. Twenty percent of the runners had a moderate or severe form of the condition. Previous studies showed marathon runners are at risk of high blood pressure and heart complications.
The author of the study said "While pulmonary edema can be a negative consequence of marathon running, regular exercise can also keep you fit and healthy."
AMEN - I'll keep walking.
HUMOR for today: A mountain lion ate a bull. He was so full and happy that he started to roar. A hunter heard the lion roar and shot and killed him.The MORAL of the story is: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.
QUOTE from Charles Dickens: " The sum of the whole is this: walk and be happy, walk and be healthy."
I LEARNED today why I walk instead of running 26 mile marathons. The quote above sums up why I walk - it makes me happy and and makes me healthy - plus I like to do it. This morning in the newspaper I read an article that added fuel to and justified my joy of walking. The article said that according to a recent study marathon running may trigger a lung condition that causes shortness of breath, severe coughing, and in serious cases, heart attacks or respiratory failure.
Half of 26 runners in a 2011 Pennsylvania marathon had some form of pulmonary edema, in which fluid builds up in the air sacs of the lungs, about 20 minutes after the race. Twenty percent of the runners had a moderate or severe form of the condition. Previous studies showed marathon runners are at risk of high blood pressure and heart complications.
The author of the study said "While pulmonary edema can be a negative consequence of marathon running, regular exercise can also keep you fit and healthy."
AMEN - I'll keep walking.
HUMOR for today: A mountain lion ate a bull. He was so full and happy that he started to roar. A hunter heard the lion roar and shot and killed him.The MORAL of the story is: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Pet's BLOG-Day 26,222. History of Labor Day
Today is Monday, September 3, 2012. It is Labor Day. My stats for today: 10 minutes of yoga, 10 minutes of lifting weights and 45 minutes of walking = 2.4 miles for a September total of 4.5 miles. My weight was 162.2 pounds.
QUOTE from Teddy Roosevelt: "The corporation has come to stay, just as the trade union has come to stay. Each can do and has done great good. Each should be favored as long as it does good, but each should be sharply checked where it acts against law and justice."
I LEARNED today about the history of Labor Day. The first Labor Day parade was held in New York City in 1882. It was held in the midst of labor strife in America. Workers were working 12 hour days and 7 days a week in order to eke out a basic living.. Children as young as 5-6 were working in mills, factories and mines across the country and earning a fraction of their adult counterparts. Workers faced unsafe working conditions with insufficient access to fresh air, sanitary facilities and breaks.
With conditions like this about 10,000 workers in New York City, in 1882, took a day without pay and marched from City Hall to Union Square to demand a shorter work day and better working conditions. This was the first Labor Day Parade. News of the parade spred across the nation and workers in other cities had parades of their own. Labor unions were being formed and were meeting with resistance from the corporate owners and the police. There were numerous strikes and bloodshed in the next decade. In 1894, in an attempt to repair ties with American workers, Congress passed and President Grover Cleveland signed a bill establishing Labor Day as a national holiday. Workers would no longer have to forfeit a day's pay in order to march in a Labor Day Parade.
To me it is sad that we have to have labor unions. But it is corporate greed and lack of empathy for the working person that brought about the need for unions. Think about it - working 12 hour days 7 days a week and using children as young as 5-6 in terrible working conditions is unbelievable, even if it happened a 100 to 150 years ago. Companies like IBM never were unionized because they treated their employuees in a fair manner. They shared their wealth with the workers, at least enough so the workers felt they did not need a union.
HUMOR from Mark Twain: "Let us be grateful to Adam: he cut us out of the blessing of idleness and won for us the curse of labor."
QUOTE from Teddy Roosevelt: "The corporation has come to stay, just as the trade union has come to stay. Each can do and has done great good. Each should be favored as long as it does good, but each should be sharply checked where it acts against law and justice."
I LEARNED today about the history of Labor Day. The first Labor Day parade was held in New York City in 1882. It was held in the midst of labor strife in America. Workers were working 12 hour days and 7 days a week in order to eke out a basic living.. Children as young as 5-6 were working in mills, factories and mines across the country and earning a fraction of their adult counterparts. Workers faced unsafe working conditions with insufficient access to fresh air, sanitary facilities and breaks.
With conditions like this about 10,000 workers in New York City, in 1882, took a day without pay and marched from City Hall to Union Square to demand a shorter work day and better working conditions. This was the first Labor Day Parade. News of the parade spred across the nation and workers in other cities had parades of their own. Labor unions were being formed and were meeting with resistance from the corporate owners and the police. There were numerous strikes and bloodshed in the next decade. In 1894, in an attempt to repair ties with American workers, Congress passed and President Grover Cleveland signed a bill establishing Labor Day as a national holiday. Workers would no longer have to forfeit a day's pay in order to march in a Labor Day Parade.
To me it is sad that we have to have labor unions. But it is corporate greed and lack of empathy for the working person that brought about the need for unions. Think about it - working 12 hour days 7 days a week and using children as young as 5-6 in terrible working conditions is unbelievable, even if it happened a 100 to 150 years ago. Companies like IBM never were unionized because they treated their employuees in a fair manner. They shared their wealth with the workers, at least enough so the workers felt they did not need a union.
HUMOR from Mark Twain: "Let us be grateful to Adam: he cut us out of the blessing of idleness and won for us the curse of labor."
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Pete's BLOG-Day 26,220 & 26,221. Disaster Averted.
Yesterday was Saturday, September 1, 2012. The Hawks played Northern Illinois and won 18-17. My stats for yesterday were 10 minutes of yoga , 10 minutes on the exercise ball and 40 niles of walking = 2.1 miles for a September total of 2.1 miles.
Today is Sunday September 2, 2012. No stats today. It's Sunday and I take Sunday off.
QUOTE from Mike Hlas - sports writer for the Cedar Rapids Gazette - he was commenting on the Hawk victory. "My grade of a 'C' for the Hawkeye team doesn't stand for 'catastrophe,' which was on the table almost all game. "
I'm HAPPY today as the Hawkeyes won yesterday by a score of 18-17. We probably didn't deserve it but we won, that's all that counts. Sundays are more fun when the Hawks win on Saturday. We have 11 games to go (maybe 12 if we go to a bowl). I'm hoping I can have at least 7 - 8 more happy Sundays. Next week we play Iowa State and they are pretty darn good. I actually predicted they would beat us - hope I'm wrong.
HUMOR for today from Scott Dochterman - sports reporter for the Cedar Rapids Gazette - he was commenting on the Hawk victory: "Some good, some ugly but nobody talked to a chair."
Today is Sunday September 2, 2012. No stats today. It's Sunday and I take Sunday off.
QUOTE from Mike Hlas - sports writer for the Cedar Rapids Gazette - he was commenting on the Hawk victory. "My grade of a 'C' for the Hawkeye team doesn't stand for 'catastrophe,' which was on the table almost all game. "
I'm HAPPY today as the Hawkeyes won yesterday by a score of 18-17. We probably didn't deserve it but we won, that's all that counts. Sundays are more fun when the Hawks win on Saturday. We have 11 games to go (maybe 12 if we go to a bowl). I'm hoping I can have at least 7 - 8 more happy Sundays. Next week we play Iowa State and they are pretty darn good. I actually predicted they would beat us - hope I'm wrong.
HUMOR for today from Scott Dochterman - sports reporter for the Cedar Rapids Gazette - he was commenting on the Hawk victory: "Some good, some ugly but nobody talked to a chair."
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