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6104. robertjayb - 6/2/2004 1:58:36 AM Don't forget the soda pop deals where school districts sell sole distribution rights to soft drink bottlers.
Penny wise and pound foolish (heh). 6105. arkymalarky - 6/2/2004 3:40:31 AM We fell into that--too good to pass up. Actually, I think it's good for the kids because the machines take their money, the company never keeps them filled up, and the choices are crappy.
Sux for the teachers lounge.
The thing about the lunch program is it's government-sponsored, so it should be nutritious and it isn't at all. Healthy food isn't expensive, and if they think kids won't eat it, then they shouldn't complain about kids eating junk food. I like the old school idea that if they get hungry enough they'll eat what's available. Poor kids get those horrendous meals from pre-K-12. 6106. judithathome - 6/2/2004 10:31:55 PM The Hunger In America's Midst
National Hunger Awareness Day, being observed Thursday by a coalition of anti-hunger organizations, raises the issue of why more Americans are not aware that hunger is a serious problem facing children and families across the United States.
While America doesn't have the kind of starvation that plagues victims of war and famine overseas and makes for dramatic footage on the evening news, the evidence of significant hunger in our midst could not be more pervasive and accessible.
6107. thoughtful - 6/9/2004 2:07:29 AM How strange to think of this nation of contrasts...hungry yet obese...
As schwarzbein says, we are also a nation of overweight yet undernourished people, given the poor quality of diet for many americans.
Just back from my trip in colorado and I noticed a big difference between the average american town and boulder, co where the focus is so much on health. I never saw so many fit people in my life...rock climbers, bikers, hikers, you name it. Health food, organics, menus to fit every diet. Except when we hit the restrooms at McDonalds where we also noticed a high correlation between overweight people and people eating at McD's vs. other locations. Very interesting. 6108. thoughtful - 6/9/2004 2:08:53 AM Stunned at the stats...% of 20+ adults in america that are overweight or obese...64%! 6109. arkymalarky - 6/9/2004 6:19:13 AM Cool town, isn't it?
I just got back from the allergist. Of 57 growing things they tested for I was severely allergic (highest reading) to 30 of them, including everything I live in--pine trees, oak trees, all kinds of grass and weeds (knew that), molds, etc. I'm also somewhat allergic to cats and dust but not dogs, thank goodness. And another thing I didn't know what it was---Der F/I and Der F/something, I think.
Anyway, it's weekly allergy shots, daily medicine, and big changes to the house, how we live, etc. For one thing (this bothered me a lot) he said don't ever open the windows. The humidity level has to stay 40-50% max, because mold is what I'm most constantly exposed to at work and at home that's making me sick all the time. 6110. arkymalarky - 6/9/2004 6:20:09 AM I was sort of hoping I'd just be clogged up and have surgery (though I was dreading that) and it would be fixed with a prescription for maintenance. 6111. thoughtful - 6/9/2004 6:23:58 AM Maybe you should try, is it, osteopathy? Where they try to gradually expose your system to the allergens so you get desensitized rather than having to try and avoid all substances known on earth. 6112. Absensia - 6/9/2004 6:27:33 AM Arky, I don't know if you have a good air purifyer in your house. Depending on the size of your house, you probably need more than one. They really help pull the dust, pet dander, pollen and other stuff out of the air. I know a couple of people who had the surgery and after awhile the problems came back.
We had to go through the radical changes in the house too. My son is allergic to the same things you are, so something, molds, trees, etc., was present year round, not to mention dust, etc. He could not have a down comforter on his bed because of the dust in the feathers, no matter how often we washed it. Having the air purifiers in the house made a big difference although he had the daily med and the shots.
Good luck. I'm sorry to hear you have to go through all this, but glad to hear it will get rid of the sinus problems. 6113. Absensia - 6/9/2004 6:29:18 AM Thoughtful, Osteopathy? Don't think that's it. Osteopaths are actually licensed doctors who have been to medical school, etc., but also are trained in massage and body manipulation as well. 6114. arkymalarky - 6/9/2004 6:37:35 AM Thanks Thoughtful. I've been exposed to all of those things so much since I moved here 32 years ago, that I don't think that would help now. I can't gradually expose myself to them, because they're literally everywhere. It's actually fairly common in AR, because we have such high humidity. The allergist told me some people (he said about 10%) don't get results from treatment and eventually move, but I hope we don't have to do that. I want to live here.
Thanks for the info, Abs! I hope it will get rid of them. I've literally put up with this over 30 years, but it's just getting beyond the point of being able to function. I've got a catalog of allergy stuff and I have to get that gauge, and I'll try those too. Luckily I'm not much allergic to dust, but the mold has got to go. It's a problem at work too. I can't even bend over most of the time, the pressure's so bad.
I asked about seeing an ENT and surgery and my x-rays showed I'm not clogged, but I am swollen and infected, so either way it would happen again if I didn't deal with the cause. With Bro's surgery and a daily antihistimine he was a lot better, but he had a deviated septum. 6115. robertjayb - 6/9/2004 6:40:48 AM Doctor jayb reminds you of the late Ronald Reagan's dictum, "Trust but verify," and suggests a second opinion.
Allergists have a fat deal and I can't help but suspect that some of them are tempted to fudge on a good thing.
Spouse gets monthly shots to protect against allergic reaction (anaphalactic (sp?) shock) from some insect stings. Since she sometimes works around bees and fire ants, it seems a sensible precaution, but the good doctor has a bird's nest on the ground. 6116. judithathome - 6/9/2004 6:42:29 AM Where they try to gradually expose your system to the allergens so you get desensitized rather than having to try and avoid all substances known on earth
Homeopathy. 6117. thoughtful - 6/9/2004 6:44:42 AM Maybe it's homeopathy...I know it's some kind of pathogen. ;-)
6118. arkymalarky - 6/9/2004 6:48:25 AM I know they do, Robert, but I've truly been plagued with this stuff, knowing I was allergic, but trying to use a prescription and otc stuff to deal with it, to the point I have to try to stop the reactions somehow. I told Bob and my parents the other day that I literally never feel good any more. One thing about being in a small area, I can find out about pretty much any doctor I go to, and I also have a dependable GP who sent me to him. In addition, I itched so badly from the test that I thought I was going to go ape before they put a topical antihistimine on it--thirty minutes later.
The precaution for stings is sensible, because reactions can be deadly so fast. 6119. arkymalarky - 6/9/2004 6:50:24 AM In fact, this allergist told me sinus cavities pretty much keep him in business and that not having developed frontal sinuses just meant I had less problems to deal with than I would if I had them. 6120. robertjayb - 6/9/2004 6:59:23 AM 50 new stem cell lines? (Boston Globe)
A private Chicago fertility clinic is set to announce this week that its scientists have isolated 50 new lines of human embryonic stem cells, part of an ambitious effort to create specialized colonies of cells that could help uncover cures for muscular dystrophy and other genetic diseases.
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The Chicago effort comes about as the president's ban on funding of research using new embryonic stem-cell lines is being subjected to increasing criticism, even from conservative politicians. On Friday, 14 Republicans were among 58 senators who sent a letter to the White House asking the president to relax the restrictions.
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Could be good news but research results announced in this fashion should be regarded as suspect, IMHO. 6121. robertjayb - 6/9/2004 7:03:15 AM did you close your tags? 6122. robertjayb - 6/9/2004 7:03:58 AM No, dummy, you did not. 6123. robertjayb - 6/9/2004 7:05:02 AM and why not?
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