Month: April 2018

Dunkin Donuts, America runs on their product…. to the bathroom ;).

dunkin donutsToday, I went to pick up my son for school but did a morning run to Dunkin Donuts, to get breakfast. What I found was not very appetizing.

I ordered a veggie white with turkey sausage on a croissant, it came out to a little over $6. What I got was that plus a little more. On the photos below you will see that as I was almost finished with my egg sandwich, I bit into this sharp object. I pulled it out and found this. At first I had no clue what it could be. A piece of glass, no, a piece of rock, no, a toe nail, yep, but not any ordinary toe nail, a canine toe nail clipping. Thanks DD located in Elizabeth, NJ on Rahway Ave. It wasn’t the tastiest treat I had but it made for some good silly faces from me as I tried to hold back the barfing that would almost proceed.

When I went in, the young lady at the counter could only say hello and the manager was confused as to how that could have gotten in the meal. She swore up and down she had no idea how it got there, I was just wanted my money back, which she gave immediately and without complaint, and to go home and take a laxative, maybe the rest of the dog was in the sandwich. Oooof, or wooof, cross that place of  my list.

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Dunkin Donuts secret ingredient

WAR, what is it good for, mmmm,… maybe something.

war

This means war, what does war really mean? When all else fails and someone refuses to negotiate or determines that he/she is entitled to what rightfully belongs to another, then what can logically come next is a force of might and strength.

I just had a visit by two of the sweetest young Jehovah witnesses who were trying to preach the word of the lord and the discussion led to the necessity of armed conflict. The verse that they pointed to me was Isaiah 2:4 “He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” It made me think of what my son once said to me, that he was a pacifist.

My response was not as dignified as theirs, it was simply “war is necessary for peace”. I mentioned both the revolutionary and civil war but more appropriately it should have been Ecclesiastes 3:8 “A time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace” or Zechariah 10:5 “They shall be like mighty men in battle, trampling the foe in the mud of the streets; they shall fight because the Lord is with them, and they shall put to shame the riders on horses”, even God himself knows that sometimes war is the only resolution or path for peace, Revelations 12:7-11 “Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death”

My personal belief is that we should be careful justifying our actions by scripture. While I believe that there is a God; as Blaise Pascal once said, (paraphrased) what’s the harm in believing, if he does exist then you go to heaven, which I hear is better than hell and if he doesn’t exist, you were a good person and people will remember you that way and not as some asshole who made life hard for everyone else because mommy and daddy didn’t give you that little red wagon that you wanted; that doesn’t mean that I’m allowed to go into anyone’s home and lay hands on anyone for any insane reason. But the point of pacifism crossed my mind. when my son said he was a pacifist, I immediately told him that the p word is a bad word like shit, bitch and motherfucker and taught him how to box, he has a hell of a right cross.

Pacifism has no place in society. No worth while person was ever a pacifist. If you can name one, then I’ll send you a crisp ten dollar bill, I write blogs, I’m not Bill Gates. Gandhi wasn’t a pacifist, King Jr. wasn’t a pacifist, no one really is a pacifist. Better yet, can you name me one person that, as these young ladies brought up, would allow the atrocities of WWII to occur? That would say, just let him do it, referring to Mr. Hitler, and let’s hope we get spared. As you can read in the scripture, God hates a coward and while King Jr. and Gandhi used different methods, they were just smarter in their strategy. They knew that all out war would only doom them and that using strategic non-violent methods to disturb the peace would be way more effective. They were brilliant generals in a societal war but they were no pacifist.

The true definition of pacifism is to go along with the status quo, to be content with what you are given and to do what they say and what they want. Let’s be real, our country isn’t built on pacifism or we would have been extinct a long time ago. The true nature of society is to improve our life in a way that conforms to everyone’s needs as a society and as individuals. We reach agreements on what’s right and what’s wrong and sometimes the 90% can be wrong and the 10% be right.

One of my favorite books, the Art of War by Sun Tzu described a philosophy of war. In one of his most notable quotes, (again I’m paraphrasing) is that a defeated foe should never be humiliated or he will be a foe for life, he should be allowed to leave the battlefield with dignity and he will be a friend for life.

So, back to the title of my article, is war necessary? Simply stated, yes. How would you know what peace is if there isn’t something that is it’s opposite. Peace can not exist without war as much as war could exist without peace. Some philosopher once said that conflict is the journey you must travel to get to peace. So my concept of war is simple, while we hope for a utopian society, since there are no opposites in that society, utopia can not exist. You ever heard one of these smart people say how would you know if you are happy if you are never sad, how would you know you have peace without conflict?

6 Reasons to Get a Colonoscopy

Story was written by Jeff Heyward for Active Beat

 

Just the word colonoscopy alone is enough to make some adults uncomfortable, but the truth is it does a lot more good than any possible harm and can help save your life. You’ll also be sedated during the procedure, and may scarcely remember it even happened.

In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend a colonoscopy every 10-years from age-50 as part of measures to screen for potentially fatal diseases. Let’s take a closer look at six reasons you should talk to your doctor about this procedure that lets doctors have a good look inside your rectum and colon


1. Screening for Colon Cancer

The Mayo Clinic also says if you’re age 50 or older, and “at average risk of colon cancer” (meaning you have no other risk factors other than age), you should be booking a colonoscopy to screen for the deadly disease.

The clinic also said you should repeat this process every 10-years. Colon cancer (also known as colorectal cancer) can appear as a tumor on the inner wall of the large intestine, and according to MedicineNet.com it’s the 3rd-leading cause of cancer in men and 4th in women in the U.S.

2. Checking for Polyps

These growths in your large intestine can be a warning sign of colorectal cancer, but they can also cause pain and discomfort. In some cases having polyps have no symptoms, so you may not even be aware you have them.

A colonoscopy can collect tissue samples to ensure they’re not cancerous. The larger the polyp, generally the higher the chance they may be malignant, adds the Mayo Clinic. So even if you don’t have symptoms, it’s best to talk to your doctor about catching any potential problems early.

3. Sourcing Blood in the Stool

WebMD also said this is an effective method for determining why there’s blood in your poop, or why you have anal bleeding. “While blood in stool can signal a serious problem, it doesn’t always,” notes the source.

Possible causes of this include bleeding somewhere in your digestive tract, which can be the result of relatively harmless problems like diverticular disease which creates “small pouches that project from the colon wall,” notes WebMD. Sometimes these pouches can become infected. Best to let doc have a look.

4. Checking for Iron Deficiency

Some people have an iron deficiency (anemia), which can present symptoms such as extreme fatigue, dizziness and even the urge to eat dirt (according to the Mayo Clinic), can benefit from a screening through a colonoscopy.

Colonoscopy.com notes that anemia can occur for a variety of health reasons, including inflammation in the colon and even colon cancer. The procedure can check for polyps or ulcers that can cause blood loss associated with the anemia. “The earlier you can determine underlying causes, the better your chances are of receiving effective treatment,” notes the source

5. Examining Change in Bowel Movements

If you’re experiencing diarrhea that’s persisting, then a colonoscopy can be a way to find out what’s happening. Colonoscopy.com says diarrhea can be categorized by loose stool that’s passed more than 3-times a day.

While diarrhea happens to most people once or twice per year, in some cases there could be more serious causes (such as Crohn’s disease or Ulcerative Colitis) that require medical attention. A colonoscopy is one way for medical professionals to determine an underlying cause, notes the source.

6. Tracing Weight Loss

The University of Maryland Medical Center says if you’re experiencing weight loss (and you’re still eating normally), then a colonoscopy may be in order to find out why.

Speaking of weight loss, while serious side effects of having a colonoscopy are rare, you’ll probably lose a bit of weight preparing for the procedure. Your bowels need to be completely clear for the test, so that could mean an enema, taking laxatives or avoiding solid food for 2 or 3-days before the exam.

Note form the blogger, that’s me not Jeff,

While I haven’t had a colonoscopy, I did visit the proctologist once, and he recommended that I have one. I refused because my insurance at the time would not cover it, my blood work tests didn’t warrant one, it isn’t something that I am particularly looking forward to. He put some odd purple cream there, you know where, and said eat more roughage.  I hope never to see that guy again. But as this article clearly states, colonoscopies are recommended.