*I’m Off to Talk to the Hounds
May 16, 2008
It’s that time of year again - The Greyhound Gathering has taken over our little town of Kanab, UT. It is always a thrill to go downtown and see all the greyhounds wandering around with their people in tow. Alas the carnival is a thing of the past so my role as Madam Greytsight has changed to just plain old Trish Scott Animal Communicator. I’ll be doing 10 minute readings with half the proceeds going to the hounds. It will make the hounds more money but I’ll miss the old broad.
She was doing flash readings for a greytbuck each . What a trooper!
Here is last year’s entry, Madam Greytsight Strikes Again, for more about the Gathering.
*A Little Something About Dreams
May 15, 2008
Once we have reached a certain age most of us get a little jaded about dreams. We have noticed in our day to day living that dreaming is frowned upon by the folks who are in charge. First it is our parents who just put us down kindly by saying, “Oh Honey, you are such a dreamer,” and later by our peers who say, “Man, you ARE nuts,” and later still by our bosses who may listen and nod for awhile, perhaps even throw us a bone, then essentially tell us to shut up and get back to work.
Dreams have a fragile life and generally they are murdered in their infancy by some sense of correct behavior from those who figure they know better than we do what is good for us – all of us. Little sparks of life are continuously stomped out through fear of fire. It’s no wonder we turn out looking so drab and worn out as we age. SOSS! - Stomped out Sparks Syndrome! Can’t replace those sparks with botox. So after a long or a short time of having our sparks stifled we give up entirely on dreaming. Eventually most of us become like the first President Bush and “…just don’t get the vision thing.”
Call me crazy but somehow I have retained the dream gene. Maybe that is because when I have a dream I occasionally set about doing something to see it come to fruition. Sometimes it works, mostly it doesn’t. It has worked enough though, to keep me chunking along toward the next crackpot goal.
A Little Something About My Current Endeavor
So I decided that it might be a good idea to paint a dream or two for the people of Kane County. Specifically I wanted to see a different vision for our ageing population. I sent an article to the newspaper. In it I said, “If you choose a welcoming stance for our new residents, imagine a Senior Center with a gym and health pub and classrooms and craft rooms and meditation rooms and a travel agency and a fine restaurant and as a place to meet up with friends! Wouldn’t it be wonderful to organize local outings like river trips and hiking and day trips to the parks? Kids and young adults are wonderful to be around but sometimes we like to hang out with others who share our history. That is what a Senior Center could be perfect for. It could also be a great place to consolidate helping resources when needs arise.”
In the newspaper it said simply, “Wouldn’t it be wonderful to organize local outings like river trips and hiking and day trips to the parks? Kids and young adults are wonderful to be around but sometimes we like to hang out with others who share our history. That is what a Senior Center could be perfect for. It could also be a great place to consolidate helping resources when needs arise.”
The next sentence in both versions was, “You say we don’t have the budget for all that? Hey. (well they left out the Hey.) There are grants and grant writers who work on contingency out there. There are probably programs already in place elsewhere from which to model ways and means to make our county a wonderful place for seniors.”
Excuse me but in the newspaper version you could stand on the street corner with a bunch of cronies and put together the whole program start to finish in 5 minutes without spending a dime. No wonder the first friend I heard from who saw the article in the paper said, “I got lost somewhere in the middle.”
While I appreciate the SUN for printing some of my article, THEY LEFT OUT THE WHOLE VISION THING! AND they chose to leave out all of my contact info like phone number and email address and the address of the new blog that I included specifically so that people could share their ideas and concerns.
Gosh. All that stuff left out. I’m sure that the editors decided they would save me from looking like some sort of crackpot while saving some space. They did include my street address so people could write a letter, find an envelope, address the envelope, buy a stamp and forget about it altogether on the way to posting it. To read my article as it was written you can go to www.runforkanecounty.wordpress.com You can leave comments there too.
Thank You.
*Protesting Oil Dependency
May 8, 2008
I DO Miss the UK! This is a Never in America story. We were founded by Puritans and alas… the apple does not fall far from the tree. This though is the most fun you could have protesting oil dependency. Of all nations we Americans could use a bit of protesting oil dependency even if we do leave out the fun.
Is it only us puritans though, that find bike seats uncomfortable even in jeans? Hummmm…. I think I need a new bike seat. And a trip to London.
*Choose your personality!
March 16, 2008
Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor had an opportunity few brain scientists would wish for… This is a powerful story about how our brains define us and connect us to the world and to one another. Click here for the video. It is really worth a listen.
I think it totally explains this little passage from my rants (in less neuroanatomist style).
Mind with a big M is that “other mind” and is accessed through the heart or body. Little mind is brain stuff. Stuff you have learned from a book — good bad right wrong war peace black white sinner saint — that stuff, divisive stuff. Small m mind is good for the laundry list. Without it you wouldn’t be able to drive a car or cook a meal. It’s useful in physical reality and we need to do a bit of that m stuff just to get around. The problem is we have just spent too much time using it for way bigger stuff than it was intended for, like attempting to find truth and beauty and oneness.
Ya gotta love choice 
Happy Sunday.
Water Leak
March 10, 2008
Jennifer and Jim kept getting huge water bills. They knew the bills
weren’t representative of their actual usage, and no matter how they
tried to conserve, the high bills continued.
Although they could see nothing wrong, they had everything checked for
leakage problems. First the water meter, then outdoor pipes, indoor
pipes, underground pipes, faucets, toilets, washer, ice maker, etc.,
all to no avail.
One day, Jim was sick and stayed home in bed, but kept hearing water
running downstairs. He finally tore himself from his sick bed to
investigate, and stumbled onto the cause of such high water bills.
Apparently, this was happening all day long when they were not at
home. Knowing that few would believe him, he taped a segment of the
‘problem’ for posterity — see Video below:
The top ten things food companies don’t want you to know
March 10, 2008
Another case (besides flavor and satisfaction) for real food like fruit, veg, legumes, nuts, and grains.
For the article, complete with links, you can go here http://www.naturalnews.com/019957.html
The giant food corporations have one mission: selling more food and beverage products to consumers. Succeeding with that mission depends on keeping consumers in the dark on certain issues such as the presence cancer-causing chemicals found in popular food products.
Here are ten things the food corporations, whose products dominate grocery store shelves across the United States and other countries, absolutely do not want you to know.1. The ingredients listed on the label aren’t the only things in the food. Cancer-causing chemicals such as acrylamides may be formed in the food during high-heat processing, yet there’s no requirement to list them on the label. Residues of solvents, pesticides and other chemicals may also be present, but also do not have to be listed. The National Uniformity for Food Act, currently being debated in the U.S. Congress, would make it illegal (yes, illegal) for states to require cancer warnings on foods that contain cancer-causing chemicals (such as California’s Proposition 65.) See articles on the Food Uniformity Act.
2. Monosodium glutamate (MSG), which is added to thousands of food and grocery products through a dozen different innocent-sounding ingredients, imbalances endocrine system function, disabling normal appetite regulation and causing consumers to keep eating more food. This chemical not only contributes to nationwide obesity, it also helps food companies boost repeat business. See articles on MSG.
3. MSG is routinely hidden in foods in these ingredients: yeast extract, torula yeast, hydrolyzed vegetable protein and autolyzed yeast. Thousands of common grocery products contain one or more of these chemical taste enhancers, including nearly all “vegetarian” foods such as veggie burgers (read labels to check). See Food manufacturers hide dangerous ingredients in everyday foods by using confusing terms on the label.
4. ADHD in children is caused almost entirely by the consumption of processed food ingredients such as artificial colors and refined carbohydrates. Eighty percent of so-called ADHD children who are taken off processed foods are cured of ADHD in two weeks. See articles on ADHD.
5. The chemical sweetener aspartame, when exposed to warm temperatures for only a few hours, begins to break down into chemicals like formaldehyde and formic acid. Formaldehyde is a potent nerve toxin and causes damage to the eyes, brain and entire nervous system. Aspartame has been strongly linked to migraines, seizures, blurred vision and many other nervous system problems. See articles on aspartame.
6. Most food dips (like guacamole dip) are made with hydrogenated oils, artificial colors and monosodium glutamate. Many guacamole dips don’t even contain avocados.
7. Plastic food packaging is a potent health hazard. Scientists now know that plastics routinely seep the chemical bisphenol A into the food, where it is eaten by consumers. Cooking in plastic containers multiplies the level of exposure. Bisphenol is a hormone disruptor and can cause breast formation in men and severe hormonal imbalances in women. It may also encourage hormone-related cancers such as prostate cancer and breast cancer. See Plastics chemical bisphenol A found to promote prostate cancer in animal studies.
8. Milk produced in the United States comes from cows injected with synthetic hormones that have been banned in every other advanced nation in the world. These hormones help explain why unusually young teenage girls develop breasts at such a young age, or why hormone-related cancers like prostate cancer are being discovered in unprecedented numbers. In order to protect Monsanto, the manufacturer of hormones used in the industry, the USDA currently bans organic milk producers from claiming their milk comes from cows that were not treated with synthetic hormones. Even organic milk is now under fire as the Organic Consumers Association says Horizon milk products are falsely labeled as organic. See Horizon milk, Wild Oats named in consumer boycott of “false” organic products. (The solution to all this? Drink raw almond milk instead. Make it yourself with a Vitamix, water and a nut milk bag.)
9. Most grocery products that make loud health claims on their packaging are, in reality, nutritionally worthless (like meal replacement shakes, instant chocolate milk, etc.). The most nutritious foods are actually those the FDA does not allow to make any health claims whatsoever: fresh produce. See articles on food labeling.
10. Food manufacturers actually “buy” shelf space and position at grocery stores. That’s why the most profitable foods (and hence, the ones with the lowest quality ingredients) are the most visible on aisle end caps, checkout lanes and eye-level shelves throughout the store. The effect of all this is to provide in-store marketing and visibility to the very foods and beverages that promote obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease and other degenerative conditions now ravaging consumers around the world. See articles on food marketing.
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About the author: Mike Adams is a consumer health advocate with a passion for teaching people how to improve their health He is a prolific writer and has published thousands of articles, interviews, reports and consumer guides, impacting the lives of millions of readers around the world who are experiencing phenomenal health benefits from reading his articles. Adams is an honest, independent journalist and accepts no money or commissions on the third-party products he writes about or the companies he promotes. In 2007, Adams launched EcoLEDs, a manufacturer of mercury-free, energy-efficient LED lighting products that save electricity and help prevent global warming. He also founded an environmentally-friendly online retailer called BetterLifeGoods.com that uses retail profits to help support consumer advocacy programs. He’s also a successful software entrepreneur, having founded a well known email marketing software company whose technology currently powers the NaturalNews email newsletters. Adams volunteers his time to serve as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and enjoys outdoor activities, nature photography, Pilates and adult gymnastics. Known as the ‘Health Ranger,’ Adams’ personal health statistics and mission statements are located at www.HealthRanger.org
*Horse Sense
March 2, 2008
I’m thinking horse today. I went to an event called Horsin’ Around yesterday. It was a Natural Horsemanship Playday put on by Best Friends Animal Society and featured some friendly competitions in Online, Liberty, Freestyle and Finesse. Here is a video from Best Friends about getting some of the horses up for the event.
One horse really stood out for me with her fully expressed irreverence, humor and showoffmanship. Since her owner was actually there to catch her at birth and has spoiled her relentlessly ever since, she had a sense of entitlement that was outrageously entrancing. Of course horses should do as they are told and she does, sort of, but her style showed us who was really in charge. I honestly wondered if this horse spent nights sprawled alongside mom in the king size bed. Mom admires horse more than horse admires mom but for this woman and this horse it works. All is well, to say nothing of entertaining. I would recommend, if mom asked, which she didn’t, that mom might work on a bit of the “I’m the boss” thing. But I could work on that with my own horse sized dog too. That horse reminded me (a LOT) of my dog. I love an independent spirit. It is all a matter of balance. The balance in any relationship is relative :).
I have more to say about horse stuff - like maybe a animal communication workshop at a British Columbia natural horsemanship retreat this summer - but that is all still in the ether’s. I’ll tell you all about it when/if it starts to manifest. In the meantime I will just leave you with this thought;
“Horse sense is the thing a horse has which keeps it from betting on people.” W. C. Fields
Happy Sunday!
*To Be Heard
February 24, 2008
I find quoting a marvelous way to make myself better heard because;
“Have you ever observed that we pay much more attention to a wise passage when it is quoted than when we read it in the original author?” Philip G. Hamerton
I’ve even taken to quoting myself on occasion;
“You get what you think about whether you like it or not — SO THINK ABOUT THINGS YOU LIKE!!!!” Trish Scott
See how that blockquote makes a difference?
Of course now that The Secret is OUT! that one gets bandied about a lot. But here it is back in the early 1800’s
“You better live your best and act your best and think your best today, for today is the sure preparation for tomorrow and all the other tomorrows that follow.” Harriet Martineau
I don’t need to quote myself much because so many have said the same things so many times that I needn’t go further than reading and passing on “Quotes of the Day” from my feed reader. I love this one;
“I don’t necessarily agree with everything I say.” Marshall McLuhan
I do find that sometimes I trot out an opinion that I don’t even believe any more. Maybe I didn’t EVER believe it! I have come to the opinion that opinions are just plain stupid anyway. An election year always reiterates that point and here is a perfectly succinct way of putting that without having to write a less elegant rendition of the fact myself;
“In religion and politics, people’s beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second hand, and without examination.” Mark Twain
See? I could have spent a whole lot of time writing a blog about that fact when there it is all neat and tied up with a bow.
I could go on and on with this but I will spare you that with this one last message;
“Give a man a fish, and he’ll eat for a day. Give a fish a man, and he’ll eat for weeks!” Takayuki Ikkaku, Arisa Hosaka and Toshihiro Kawabata
Happy Sunday!
