Bristol County Daily News

Beef Recall

noreply@blogger.com (DME) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 15:49:00 +0000

I do not post this to upset the apple cart but only to spread the word and keep people safe.

Of the millions of pounds of beef processed each year contamination does happen even with those that are very careful. Things go wrong in processing plants. If you are from the New England area please read the attached link on the recall.

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noreply@blogger.com (DME) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 17:33:00 +0000

H.R. 3818 The Keeping of Swine in Tewksbury

noreply@blogger.com (DME) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:29:00 +0000

The Town of Tewksbury, Mass is trying to change local oversight allowing them to regulate the agriculture in their community. The question, “Is this Pandora’s box?” Because Home Rule petitions almost always pass the Agriculture community believes this will set precedence. H.R. 3818 as written would put this farm and others like it out of business. The town has acknowledged there is no wrong doing and they are following “best practices” but still proceeded with the petition. Will H.R. 3818 change farming forever or will the reality of local food save us all?

EAT YOUR MEAT!!

noreply@blogger.com (DME) — Fri, 22 May 2009 12:54:00 +0000

There is a movement under foot. One that brings wonder to my mind. It comes in the form of Youtube, books and the gym. I received a call from my sister the other day asking about the beef we raise and if it is "all natural". I will tell you she is a "health freak" I mean that in the best of ways. For years has lived on nuts, berries and granola. When I have offered her meat she gages! I respect her commitment to personal health. Her husbands exercise program is off the charts. You would think his perfect six pack had to be painted on! So to call and ask me about buying a large quantity of beef was cause for pause to say the least. I asked why the interest? Why the sudden change? Her answer was "Paleo". I said Paleo? What is that? What she describe was our everyday diet minus the bread and dairy. The hunter gathers of 2million years ago did not have processed foods, gardens, cows to milk. They ate what they hunted or found growing in nature. HMMMM??? I just can't see you guys with bow and arrow out in the woods (living in the suburbs. LOL) getting dinner. Let alone if you did catch something bleeding it, skinning it, cutting it apart and serving it for dinner! Well, she replied, as close to that as one can get these days. I would have offered to take them hunting just because it would have been the million dollar winner on America's Funniest Home Videos!!!! But alas the season is over. Being that I had picked on her enough I moved on. I told her about our grass fed, pasture raised beef, pigs, chickens and around Thanksgiving Turkeys. That she was welcome to get any veggies she needs from our garden and if she had something special that I could grow for her to let me know as planting is going on now. All I ask is that she tell her Paleo friends where they could find the good stuff.

The next day I received a email with this video www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCFZoqmKf5M this video alone has received over 33000 views! and this is only one of two videos this person has put up on youtube. There are books, seminars, forums and chat rooms all devoted to Paleo. The truth is as farmers (of course not dairy or grains) should seek out these markets and offer our goods as the match is perfect.

Try some of these forums and links:

http://www.cavemanforum.com/

http://www.thepaleodiet.com/

http://www.thenutritionreporter.com/stone_age_diet.html

Sustainable Living

noreply@blogger.com (DME) — Wed, 20 May 2009 16:42:00 +0000

If this was your last meal what would you order?

Fillet Mignon? Salmon, oysters? Eggplant Parmesan (my favorite).
What if the fillet was tough and dry with no salad, no fresh greens or potato. Would it still be your favorite meal?

Like the cycle of a tree and the way it cleans the air the National Arbor Day Foundation(1) has been asking us for years to plant a tree but we never do. Even though if we had no trees we would cease to exist. Which brings me to land stewardship. The Wikipedia definition of Stewardship “Every person has a responsibility to look after the planet both for themselves and for the future generations. Acting irresponsibly could cause damage such as pollution, the destruction of cultural heritage, etc." (2)

If people can’t even plant a tree or stop using Styrofoam(3) cups how can we possible convince them of the importance of land stewardship. That without land, plants, trees, fresh clean water we will cease to exist. It’s the mentality of “someone else will take care of it“ that is self defeating. As if there is a magic elf that comes along and cleans the water, cares for the plants and freshens the air in some way. Land stewardship comes in many forms from the family farmer(4), the land preservation trusts to the boy who raises money for the Audubon Society to save the natural habitat of birds and the old women who picks up trash on her daily walk. They all have the same goal to preserve the earth for future generations.

Stop and think for just one moment what your summer vacation would be like with no trees, no birds, no rolling fields or beautiful mountains, streams to fish or lakes to swim in. If so many people enjoy the use of our natural surroundings than why is the care, STEWARDSHIP, task taken up by so few. These few are given the smallest of resources, the least recognition and the least of rewards for our society but the burden is great.

(1)http://www.arborday.org/
(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stewardship
(3)http://www.emagazine.com/view/?2933
(4)http://farmfresh.org/

Swine Flu get the Facts

noreply@blogger.com (DME) — Wed, 06 May 2009 13:12:00 +0000

Fear can feed us the wrong food. Look what is happening in Egypt! The government slaughtered over 300,000 pigs just to be sure the swine flu was not being spread. The pig farmers are now at a loss as to how to support their families and resume their livelihoods. (full story: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_EGYPT_SWINE_FLU?SITE=NCWIN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT )

Swine Flu or sometimes called North American Flu is a combination of four viruses. One endemic to humans, two endemic to swine and one endemic to avian.

The question is, how did these four viruses mutate to become the “Swine Flu” and what are we doing to prevent its spread?
Other species such as pigs also get influenza which can be passed on to a human by direct contact. But it is rarely passed from human to human without direct contact with the pig. In the case of Swine Flu the viruses have mutated and combined with human flu virus. This is now being passed just like every other flu virus. Coughing, sneezing etc. http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=99575
If they have an anti-viral shot why can’t we all just get one to prevent the illness?
Antiviral medicine Tamiflu and Relenza are not a vaccine. They will not prevent you from getting Swine Flu. Those with strong immune systems may not even require medication if they contract Swine Flu. The CDC is working towards a vaccine but the process is very time consuming. http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2009/04/27/glaxo-roche-start-to-map-swine-flu-game-plans/

If I got a flu shot this year am I protected?
No. Unfortunately the flu shot does not protect against Swine flu as the strain is different.

Here are some statistics about deaths in the world to put things in perspective!

According to the CDC 36,000 Americans die on average per YEAR from complications of Flu. Most are the elderly or very young
According to bread.org 16,000 children die every DAY from starvation. About 15 million a year.
http://www.bread.org/learn/hunger-basics/hunger-facts-international.html
In 2006, according to the CDC, 13,470 people in the United States died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes.
http://www.cdc.gov/MotorVehicleSafety/Impaired_Driving/impaired-drv_factsheet.html
To date 403 Americans have become ill from Swine Flu (North American Flu) and ONE has died.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/04/27/us/20090427-flu-update-graphic.html

Knowing that one person has died sounds so small but if that one person was my child one is too many. It is important to protect ourselves from getting sick. At the same time not becoming overwhelmed by all the media attention. We do not know what the full impact of swine flu. It has only just begun in North America, keeping in mind that flu season here is ending. The place we need to watch is the Southern hemisphere where flu season is just beginning.

Lyme Disease

noreply@blogger.com (DME) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 13:20:00 +0000

When I first moved to the country I had visions of running through the fields dancing and laughing. But now I am to afraid to dance in the field. I look at the fields and I think Lyme disease. Everyday, not just in the summer, everyday I make sure that I check for ticks. We live with these small creatures so I have come to terms with it. I use a sticky lint roller on clothes when we come in and arms and legs if they are bare. I treat our dogs year round for fleas and ticks. I launder all the clothing at the end of the day to be sure there are no ticks left behind.

Then I read an article in Organic Gardening that 90 percent of ticks survived the laundry cycle. I was shocked! But if laundry is put in the dryer on high heat for 60 minutes it puts and end to the ticks http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071006083356.htm

I think what do I do now??? I hang dry all my laundry as I believe I have an obligation to reduce my carbon foot print. I do three loads of laundry every day and to run the dryer would cost about $30 a month on top of my increased carbon foot print.

The effects of lyme disease are awful. Check out http://www.lyme.org/ but at the same time using large amounts of pesticides and increasing my carbon foot print is awful too. Permethrin which is used to kill ticks is good or bad depending on where you get your information. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permethrin or http://www.safe2use.com/poisons-pesticides/pesticides/permethrin/cox-report/cox.htm
There is no cure for Lyme Disease only prevention and maintenance.

Check out these links for more information.
Where did it all start? http://www.lyme.org/otherdis/ld_history.html
What are we doing about lyme disease. http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/consumer/Lymedisease.html
How did it get so wide spread. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/ld_transmission.htm
Will global warming increase its spread? http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090426182944.htm

Clicks that count

noreply@blogger.com (DME) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 12:54:00 +0000

Spring is here and in New England people are starting to till their gardens, plan the plot of vegetables and plant early seeds. I too have begun this process but every year as I plant the garden I can't help but think that as the season goes on and all the squash and tomatoes come in that I always have too many and give them to neighbors who do not have gardens. I think about the hungry children in the City and I wish I could give the food to them. I wonder how I can help. The internet gives us resources that years ago were untinkable. Today with just a few clicks of the mouse we can fee a hungry person in our community or around the world. So this year I will plant extra knowing that when I do I have found a food pantry and they will provide for the people who are not able (for now) to provide for themselves. Check out this link. http://www.thehungersite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=1 When you check your email each day take a moment to click. It will make you feel good!

If you do have extra food that you would like to donate, the Feed America website can help you find a food pantry in your area. http://feedingamerica.org/default.aspx

Ahhh to be Green!!

noreply@blogger.com (DME) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 16:23:00 +0000

Spending less is like earning more. Using less is being Green!

Ahhh to be Green!!! I have always wanted to be off the grid. Not that I want to live like a caveman but to not use all that energy. To not burn all that fuel. The question has always been how. How do I keep from using so much energy and still be able to care for my family in a modern way. I have found a few things that have actually saved me money and still allows me to live a normal life with out taking up too much time and energy.

First I have learned how to read my meter! I know this sounds like something any mild mannered idiot could do but I will tell you with all those spinning wheels and numbers it took a few tries but I am there now. (see http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090419/LIFE/904190313) So I started by unplugging everything I could. Yes that means the computer, TV, stereo, digital clocks, the coffee maker with the LCD clock. I was unable to unplug certain things and realize I would not be able to do this on a regular basis and so I found my absolute baseline.

I starting plugging certain appliances back in beginning with the almighty TV. Certain items use energy even when they are turned off as they are really in a sleep mode. So when we are leaving the house for the day I take a moment and disconnect all of the appliances. I switched from digital alarm clocks to wind up. Which I found on www.freecycle.com. I never used them for the radio anyway and I don’t look at that clock all day long and it is costing me every second it is plugged in. Even my home computer is unplugged during the days I am not home. Which it seems is only four appliances to unplug but they were costing me about $1.00 a day. (do the math it adds up fast) I notice bleeps of large consumption and times of slow use and I isolated what is happening. So that it could be monitored.

I do about 3 loads of laundry everyday. I know it sounds like a lot but living on a farm the children get dirty and I don’t mean messy I mean DIRTY. Now that spring is here and I have erected a clothes line which I hang all the clothes on. It is not always easy but with every load I do I tell myself I have just earned $1.00. Five days a week three loads a day that can really add up. I checked my electric bill it was down $30 last month just from the electric dryer not being used. Now that I have implemented these additional items I have noticed a large drop in my electric bill from $125 per month to just under $85.

Not sure how much it will be by the end of the year but I am thinking PAID VACATION!!!!!

Would You Have Your Childrens Iris Scanned?

noreply@blogger.com (DME) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 14:16:00 +0000

Tell me is iris scanning a good thing or a bad thing?

This weekend at the Buttonwood Park Zoo in New Bedford, Ma. there was a event “Hear My Voice”. Commemorating National Child Abuse Prevention Month.

http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090405/NEWS/904050346/1011/TOWN10

That we commemorate this in the first place I believe to be an oxymoron. The event allowed parents the opportunity to have their Childs face and iris scanned into a national data base.
“Providing away for Law enforcement to identify them if they were ever found away from home.” This screams “THE MAN IS WATCHING” all over it.

Once you are in you are in the national database, its not likely that when you turn 18 you can take yourself out of the system. This technology can be used without permission. Our government considers using scanners in public places scanning randomly as you walk through the food court at your local mall. The bank as you use the ATM.

The phrase “The Man is Watching you” is not far from the truth.

I believe “they” get parents to do iris scans at these events because most of us would to anything to keep our child safe and "they" have convinced parents that this is the right thing to do for their child.

Tell me would you have your child’s iris’ scanned into the national database?

Read more about iris scans
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iris_recognition

THEMS FIGHTEN' WORDS

noreply@blogger.com (DME) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 19:02:00 +0000

Recently I came across an advertisement for nutri/system weight loss food plan. This in itself is not especially interesting. The ad caught my eye because is said “buy locally.” here in southern New England our agricultural roots run deep and the Buy Fresh Buy Local chapter here has worked hard to bring this to our community. Hundreds of hours have been spent to spread the word, logo artwork, sign placement, advertising, websites yet this franchise feels that it has the right to place the phrase “Buy Local” in their ad! I realize that others have ridden on the shirt tails of catch phrases before but this one felt personal.

They do not use the entire catch phrase just enough to get you to look. If you are not completely on board with the Buy Fresh Buy Local program you may be swayed into the comfort that this too is part of that program. To say that they are local is speaking in half truths. Yes there is a local person who owns this franchise. Yes that local owner would profit from your dollars.
Buy Fresh Buy Local is a program that Southeastern Massachusetts Agricultural Partnership began in 2007 to encourage the community to buy things that are grown and made right here in our own community. To lessen our carbon foot print by buying items that are not shipped halfway around the world. To straighten our agricultural community and by doing so strengthen our community as a whole.

I can not see that buying a prepackaged artificially flavored chemically laden product that is trucked here from who knows where is in the true spirit of the buy local campaigned. When I see a Buy Local sign I hope it is my neighbors will have grown these vegetables in their back yard and sold to me as they have just picked it from the garden. The eggs we buy have never been processed they have been washed by hand and gently placed in a recycled egg crate. The vegetables if not grown by my family have been grown by someone I know by name. All of our meat is raised by a family farmer and brought to the local slaughter house, YES I SAID SLAUGHTER HOUSE, that is where animals are taken before they are the steak on your table. Wrapped and brought home to our freezer. Farms make jams, jellies and sauces and freeze enough vegetable to feed themselves through into the next growing season the rest is sold. Farmers sell the same food they feed their own families and it is raised or grown right here in Southern New England. This is Buy Fresh Buy Local. Please enjoy the fruits of your local farmers labor!!! If some franchise wants to convince people in order to lose weight you need to eat cardboard food.

I challenge them, I invite them all to the local CSA!!!! www.farmfresh.org or http://www.foodroutes.org/ You can work the field for an hour anytime you want to burn calories and that part is free!!!! Join the CSA and at the end of the day bring home a box of the freshest, tastiest food your hands helped cultivate. As you prepare this beautiful bounty the aroma will fill the air and as the plate is place before you on the table you will know how it was grown. Where it was grown . With each bit you can savor the fact that you are saving the local economy, open spaces, food safety and that you filled your lungs with fresh country air and your soul will have soaked up the beauty of the open landscape getting it from a farm. Take pleasure in the time spent with your family preparing and enjoying a meal. For those evenings when you are too tired or too busy to cook look up www.farmfresh.org for a local restaurant the participates in the buy local program and keep them on speed dial.

If you already bought one of those cardboard dinners toss it in the fireplace and enjoy some quiet time watching those chemicals glow!!

Does where you buy you food make a difference?

noreply@blogger.com (DME) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 19:24:00 +0000

“3 Green events to help shrink your footprint” a collaboration of 9 environmental groups.

Gina Purtell of Mass Audubon’s Allen’s Pond Wildlife Sanctuary states, “Back in the summer of 2007 there was a realization that the environmental groups would do better to know about each other’s scheduled events then to compete for the same audience. A few of us Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust, Lloyd Center for the Environment, Coalition for Buzzards Bay, Trustees of the Reservation, and Westport River Watershed Alliance met to sort it all out. It was a perfect opportunity to see where we could support each other. That launched a discussion on how we could reach a broader audience. We batted around a few ideas that evolved into the Shrink Your Footprint series.”

The first in the series entitled “Eat Green”. Participants came to find out how to buy local in the dead of New England winters. There are no farmers markets to speak of and all the green leafy vegetables have long passed.

Andy Pollock of Silverbrook Farms, Dartmouth reminded participants “A farm has more to offer then just summertime vegetables. It is a way of life, a spiritual journey of peace and understanding. A way to bring our families closer together at the dinner table. If we want to see our ecosystem thrive then we must encourage our community to preserve local agriculture. Buying local all year round is possible, jams, jelly, breads, cheese, milk, meats, herbs and so much more are available.” Pollock continues, “ We need to stop thinking about quick and easy and start thinking about how much better our bodies feel when we eat quality.”

Whether it is family health or wanting to save the local watersheds, natural resources, or the whole planet is what brought people here, sometimes starting small in your own backyard is best. Nanci and Bob Carroll owners of Bayside Restaurant, Westport were the first Massachusetts restaurant to be certified green in 2001 by the Green Restaurant Association. They have been making green choices ever since. Package that could stand up to the job but be biodegradable not just recyclable and paper products and disposable utensils are corn based, biodegradable. Right now they can not buy everything locally but are always on the look out for more. Bayside buys meat from Maine, eggs from a farm down the road, breads are baked local and right now Bob says, “about half of what is served is local“. Carol suggests. “People ask questions when they go to a restaurant . Where do they get their meat? Are the fish wild or farmed? Do they buy local? Do they use recycled products? If you are not satisfied with the answers take your business somewhere that does care about buying local and our environment. Asked the owners of your favorite restaurant to buy local and when they do spread the word.”

Family farms produce our food. Thou farmers often wonder, Will there still be any farms in ten years? Are we so busy with everyday life that we poison our drinking water and live stock without concern. Do we not realize what we are doing to our bodies and our planet? When we shop are we shopping with health in mind or are we just looking for the cheapest price. We need to consider how and where our food is raised? How far it traveled to get to our plates. Paul Schmid of River Rock Farm, Westport , came fully charged. People need to know that they can buy their beef, poultry, lamb, pork, and wild caught fish right here in their own community. They don’t need to worry about antibiotics, growth hormones or chemical additives. The farms here, right now, are raising grass fed, free range meats. Mr. Schmid offered up ten different farms within ten miles of the zoo that could supply every participants family with quality meats. These family farmers want you see how their livestock is cared for. Mr. Schmid’s enthusiasm energized the room. “I have medical professors drive over an hour to buy my grass fed beef. It is the only meat they will feed their families.” Schmid states. Find your local farm at http://www.farmfresh.org/

Healthy food should be for everyone. How can we make sure that everyone is getting quality food. There are school lunch programs and food assistance but what are they serving. Tyrone Bowie II, Youth Video Coordinator for Nuestras Raices, Holyoke, Ma states, “I have been working hard to bring quality food to the schools in our area. I have a son in the school system so I have a vested interest. I think they are getting tired of seeing me but I believe it is important that quality local food makes it to schools.” Julia Rivera, President of Nuestras Raices states “There are people who are working right now in communities across the state to start community gardens, youth gardens and promote agriculture enterprise development in the inner cities.” Founded in 1991 Nuestra Raices started its first community garden at present they are working ten community gardens in western Massachusetts.

At the end of the day the answer is: Yes, what we choose to eat each day does make a difference. To find a local farm, store or restaurant near you go to http://www.semaponline.org/

A Government for Change...where are we heading now?

noreply@blogger.com (DME) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 15:59:00 +0000

There is a passion in other countries that you do not see in the US. People who stand up against their Goliath and know they will see death but all the same they stand up. They have beliefs that are so deeply embedded in them that they can not possible stop believing or their world would crumble so they fight on. Here in the US we think they are crazy left wing terrorist that should all be mowed down.
But for one day if all of us believed that deeply we could find an answer and came together to fight for what we believed in maybe we would have a chance. But if that believing means more cell phones more shopping sprees more stuff to fill the castles we have built around us while others starve and children die of hunger then we as a nation have failed.
I have to explain everyday to my children why people are being killed why they see parents carrying their fallen babies down the street and the US says we are "Saving them" The cost of which is trillions. We could be using those same resources to house the homeless, teach our children, care for the aging. There are those who will look at the past and say that when we fight in a war we have come together and pooled our resources and it has brought us out of depression. But since the Vietnam war we have not rallied around war. It has divided our nation The generals convince the legions that they must fight and the government feeds this angry beast our money and children. Today we have a new foe and with it we are feeding it our weak the old, the sick the homeless the children of underprivileged and every time we turn on the TV or pick up the paper they are convincing us that we must feed this animal or else .... the question is or else what? we will have more hungry, old and poor? Maybe if we feed and care for the old, hungry and poor instead of the beast they will fight with us to stop the beast from taking us over.
There is this simple saying I tell my children when you make a mistake and have fallen in to a pit put the shovel down and stop digging. it will give you a chance to think about what you must do and then when you pick it back up you can build stairs to help you climb back out other wise the hole will get to deep and the walls unstable and it will fall in on you.

My letter to our Government would start with:

Dear President,
Please put down the shovel. Take a deep breath and find the firm part of earth around you to build the first step. Stop feeding all the fires around you let the flames die down so that you can see them for what they truly are.

For me I hope that I can take the time to help my own community see these beasts so that we can put our shovels down and find that firm part of the earth in which to build the first step

I have a dream.....

noreply@blogger.com (DME) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 13:25:00 +0000

When Martin Luthur King Jr. was shot he was teaching us all about dreams. Not the dreams you have at night but the dreams you have in your heart. The small glimmer of hope you hold for yourself and others that one day you aspire to see. Parents hold this light for their children, teachers for their students and Dr. King for our country. The person who shot Dr. King was trying to kill his dream but instead the blood shed by Dr. King every drop was a seed and those seeds grew into a sea of dreams like wild field flowers in the springtime that with the softest breeze they gently dance as one and with time those flowers produce seeds and a new field will grow miles away and so started the revolution of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Our new President Barack Obama may not have all the answers he may not do everything perfectly but he will plant new seeds and my dreams is that those seeds will bring new hope for a world of peace.

Gambling....

noreply@blogger.com (DME) — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 14:31:00 +0000

Massachusetts is trying to pass legislature to allow type three gaming ..table games. I have been to Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Foxwood, Mohegan Sun and trust me its fun. I never went to become rich. Thou I will say you always want to win you want to come home and tell everyone that you won the big bucks and I have come home with friends who have lost thousands and seen how depressed they are. They want to win there money back as if it has been stolen. So when I wonder about the casinos coming to Massachusetts the euphoria the depression its like being manic depressive with your financial future and statistically the young and old are most susceptible and the poor. So what are we thinking about for our state? Don't get me wrong I am not against gambling because I think its is fun and yeah I would love to win the lottery but when we voted to allow the lottery 30 years (and I was not in on this vote) it was to allow one (yes one) $0.50 ticket and it was going to solve all our educational problems...fast forward to today. We have even bigger educational problems the money is not used to help our schools it is used to fill the gaps everywhere. So we all hear about how the casinos are going to help our cities and towns but in 2006 $80m was spent by people in the City of New Bedford but its share of the pie from the lottery commission was only $23m so some how I don't think they got a good deal if they got back less then 1/3 of what they paid in. If I went to the invest $100 and in return they gave me $23 I don't think I would be back to invest. So if we are looking for that golden egg, that miracle pill are we going to find it in an investment like gambling? Gambling with our Cities and Towns future our children's future is that what we want to do. Yes every so often someone hits big and we all think "that could be me" But if you have ever been to Las Vegas, Atlantic City or any of the others the buildings are flashy, beautiful, water fountains, lavish rooms, free drinks barely clothed beautiful women, handsome waiters how do you think they paid for all that? Your money!!! The casinos are a business and they are in the business of making money other wise they would be out of business. So don't get me wrong it seems like it might work in the short run but what about the long run when the small businesses are all gone because why buy dinner at a small restaurant when you can go to the casino and get all you can eat steak for $5.99 why pay for drinks when you can have them served to you on a silver platter buy a beautiful waiter or waitress for free and all the money that we used to spend on bowling, movies, mini golf will have already been spent at the casino hoping to get rich. Then when we realize that it is all gone, lost it will be too late to get it back. Our state will be in the twelve step program for gambling. We will struggle to shake our addition and stumble and get back up and stumble and stumble and our children will not be children anymore they will have gown up thinking gambling is the answer. They will have learned it from us! Tell me is this what we want to teach our children? Check out some stats: http://www.masscouncilofchurches.org/Casino2007%20house%201pg%20opp..pdf
http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/rappaport/downloads/gambling/casino.pdf go on the web check out casino gambling and see if it makes sense for Massachusetts then tell your neighbors, friends anyone who will listen spread the word get people involved.
I was not old enough to vote on the lottery and now we have 250000 people with gambling additions and that number will double within a 50mile radius of the casino.

Be informed don't just believe what you hear or read in the papers do the research and find your own answers and then spread the word.

Its all about how you see it...

noreply@blogger.com (DME) — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 13:02:00 +0000

Its all about how you see it. Gambling! I always loved going to Las Vegas the lights the action the money the drinks the shows the glamour!!! But four days was always more then enough. Anymore then that and the lights fade the drinks are flat and youve seen all the shows you were interested in seeing so when I think about a Casino in New Bedford I just dont think of the glamour. I think about the traffic, the noise, the drinks everyone else will be having and that my family might be on the road when one of those drunken fools who just lost all of their money is driving down the road thinking about how they are going to explain why they cant pay the mortgage this month and not looking as if they could see where they are going and boom my life would be forever change. So when they talk about services for the community I ask what kind of service could you give me if my family has been destroyed. I don't think you could service that! And the honest truth is no matter how much money the casino will bring if just one family is lost it is too many. As I tell my children when we practice our fire drill...don't go back for anything. As long as we all get to our meeting place safe I can buy all the stuff we have in the house at the store. And yes maybe I will lose all my mementos, pictures and baby stuff but I will have my babies and that's what matters. I will choose them every time. So when I think of the city of sin moving in to the town next door I am not thinking it will fix the towns financial woes I am think that I may lose someone I know and love and that the casino isn't the answer I would be looking for. Maybe we should go the other way and move toward simplicity.

I have to say it out loud

noreply@blogger.com (DME) — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 15:48:00 +0000

Poor people do not want to be poor. Nor do they want to be on welfare. OK there may be some people who don't mind but I will say that the majority of the people who are on welfare are actually hard working families that can not make ends met. They don't want people to know that they are getting food stamps or WIC or calling Project Bread or food pantry all of which are great programs. But there are limits to what these programs can do they cant pay the mortgage, car payments or buy clothes to put on your childrens back. But if they can help you use there services. The money you save can be used to pay for other things. There are so many things we can do to save money and it may sound like cheating but the IRS will tell you to manage your money well so that you dont have to pay taxes. So manage your money well so that you don't have to go without food. Here are some things that I do and I will tell you it pays for my gas every week....If you find a coupon that you could have used last week ...bring your receipt to the store and the coupon and they will refund your money. I collect Shaws reciepts to give to my school system they get 1% of any receipt turned in but before I turn them in I check to see if I have coupons for anything that was purchased and I bring the receipt and coupon in and get the money. I return all my bottles and any bottles I find as I go for a walk during the day. I buy when its on sale not so much when I have to have it that way I pay less. I bring my reciept home and check on line for any coupons that are being offered that match what I have already bought and I again bring them in the next shopping day and get my money back. If something is bad or doesnt work as it should I call and complain and I expect my money refunded and a little something more for the inconvience. I always ask if the store price matches that way I can get all the best deals at one place and dont have to drive around and waste gas(yet another savings) I swap clothes my children have out grown with others and on-line at Kizoodle.com I buy on line when I can it saves me money, time and gas and when I use a search engine I use www.goodsearch.com and it donates to the charity of my choice it may be just one cent a search but hey if everyone donated a penny a day to there favorite charity imagine $3.65 for each and every adult every year there are a few million people in the USA it adds up. I am tired of being over charged and under paid and scraping for every cent but it is what we have to do to get by. So I am telling everyone to start doing the same we need to buy what we need and not what is on every commercial that flashes in front of us. And I am making a hugh effort to only buy american made products. Food, clothes, shoes, toys blankets and I have to say its hard because so much of our products are made everywhere but here. So maybe if we all start buying only american made then some of us would get jobs or better jobs companies think with there wallets and if they are not filled they will work to figure out how to fill them and realize its that people want american made. Alright I think I have ranted enough for now. Let me know what you do to save money.

Come and join in

noreply@blogger.com (DME) — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 20:10:00 +0000

Every month I look forward to meeting new people that attend our gathering. We sit, we chat, we knit or crochet and we weave beautiful afghans for the homeless. This month is no different well maybe that we are working toward our 40th afghan. We have already delivered 29 afghans and during the past 2 months I have been given 8 afghans. I am about to finish my first and that well leaves us at the 40 mark!!!! We as a group have had a goal to deliver 50 afghans in a year I believe we will accomplish this goal. Maybe I should change it to 52 as a goal. That would be one afghan a week. Next year we will have to move that number up a little so that maybe we have 1 1/2 per week on average. I guess what I am saying it I am so happy to be part of this and all of you. For those who are thinking of coming this month and have not been before we welcome all with open arms we teach and have supplies and are happy to have you so please join in.

Tuesday 17 July 2007 At 6:30pm
Allen's Neck Friends Meetinghouse
Horseneck Road
Dartmouth, MA 02748

Go to www.allensneck.org for directions

You can do this!!!

noreply@blogger.com (DME) — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 21:17:00 +0000

Sometimes my children give me the best ideas. Children tend to think in simple terms and well sometimes that's the best way. So here is the idea and I am going to email it to everyone I know and I hope they do the same. In this months Walgreen's flyer they have two items that are free after mail in rebate. Sanitary napkins and toothpaste. We do not think of this much but trust me if you can't afford food some how I don't think these things top the list but could you imagine being a 15 year old homeless girl and having your period and stuffing your underwear with toilet paper. This sound uncomfortable and stressful (wondering all day if you have leaked through). So on top of the free with rebate, the Sunday paper had coupons for the same toothpaste buy one get one free and a $2.00 off coupon for the sanitary napkins. This is what it comes down to for basically .41 cents the cost of the stamp and the time it takes you to buy the items you could donate two tubes of toothpaste and a box of sanitary napkins to a homeless shelter. Please everyone take the time and buy the items and send them to the homeless shelter.

Encouraging young minds

noreply@blogger.com (DME) — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 12:13:00 +0000

It is amazing that when you give the children a small idea the things they can come up with. I went to Sunday school armed with my four ideas to make simple and easy changes that can help people and help the world and asked the children if they could come up with an idea that they could do. Here is what they came up with: putting up posters at the schools, library, grocery store about wearing safety helmets when you ride your bike. Wearing seat belts. Collecting cans and using the money to help others. Cleaning up other peoples mess on the side of the road. Collecting money for the children's hospital. I think that the children are off to a good start. I hope that they will think about these projects and continue with all of them.

Jump in ....

noreply@blogger.com (DME) — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 00:07:00 +0000

When you set your mind to it you start to realize that there are so many ways to help. See I volunteered to teach Sunday school this week and well it just so happens its on community service. I wanted to get the children's minds working. I wanted them to leave thinking I can do this. I want to do this. So my children and I went out back and cut down a bunch ( a lot) of grapevine so that the children could make wreaths, and I got a flyer from Walgreen's, and letters to marketing companies asking to removed from the general mailing lists they sell and last but not least ink cartridges. Do you wonder what these things have to do with community service?
The grapevine wreaths can be sold at the church fair and the money given to the homeless shelter, the Walgreen's flyer has toothpaste and sanitary napkins with a rebate it makes them free, by cancelling junk make we will save trees, cut down on energy use, and the ink cartridges can be turned into Staples, office max and such that will give you $3.00 in store credit that can be given to a homeless shelter to use so that other money can be used to care for the homeless and not paper or ink or what every. So the answer is they are all easy, very easy ways that we can start making changes right here in our own backyard. So I invite all of you to join me in the fight to change our world and make it better. It will cost you nothing and take very little time and you will feel great afterwards. Come on and jump in.

What are we doing?

noreply@blogger.com (DME) — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 11:45:00 +0000

So many people have reached out to me. They want to help but today I am feeling that afghans are not enough. The more I talk to people about homelessness the more upsetting it becomes. So many families are out there with their children without a place to live go to http://www.endhomelessness.org/ and you can get some numbers. I cant help but think about how much money we are spending every day to kill people in Iraq when that same money could not only house but educate and employee every homeless person in Massachusetts so that they would become independent productive people in our community. Why do spend so much time producing violence when we could be producing quality life. There is a website that tells you by town how much money your town is putting towards the war. Check it out http://costofwar.com/ As I type this the number is changing but it was about $12million. That's crazy can you imagine what $12million could do. Towns are cutting sports, busing to schools, libraries are closing, summer programs are gone yet be are spending billions to kill others. Maybe its me but I just don't get it!!!!

Here we go

noreply@blogger.com (DME) — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 19:14:00 +0000

Todays local paper put the story in about our afghan project and by 3:00pm I ahve gotten about 20 call and emails. I truely think we will make 50 afghans by the end of the year

Its looking good

noreply@blogger.com (DME) — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 13:31:00 +0000

We had a great gathering the other night. We are almost finished with yet another afghan. But this one seems to feel important to me... well OK I will admit it its been six months and as all of you know I am just learning how to crochet and well when I finish this one it will be my personal first. Many have helped me learn along the way and as I learn I am teaching others the little I know. So last week I got to show someone how to put the squares together. She is taking that information home to put the squares she has made in to a blanket. Then next time we meet I will show her what I learned which was the edging around the afghan. I hope that I will be able this month to work more on my afghan. For all of you that are helping I want you to know how much I appreciate all the hard work.

Settling in...

noreply@blogger.com (DME) — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 18:27:00 +0000

I have been doing so much spreading the word that I haven't done much knitting this month. I am looking forward to our meeting next week. To enjoyable company and conversation with old and new friends. I am hoping to complete two more afghans that are almost there. For anyone needing directions go to www.allensneck.org and click on the contact us link. I have also gotten a few calls regarding the size of the squares we are making. We are making 7" x 7" squares. I realize that Warm up America makes a 7" x 9" square but we have deviated. The reason being is that some of us are making "granny squares" which of coarse are square. To keep it simple I have asked everyone to make 7" x 7" squares so we will all be making the same size. Trust me on this thou even as we try they do not always come out 7" x 7". We will make all the squares into afghans. We will make it work. Hope to see all of you Tuesday.