Question of the day

OK, so North Korea's moronic dictator fires yet another missile over Japan. So here's the question. Why the hell didn't we just shoot it down? For some reason no one is asking this important question. I think the answer is fairly simple, because we can't.

BioChar-The Latest Advance In Organic Gardening

First, what is it? BioChar is simply charcoal, usually in very small pieces rather than the large lumps used in a barbecue. Charcoal is formed when wood is burned in a low oxygen environment, a process called pyrolysis. Charcoal, by itself, has little or no nutritional value for plants other than to marginally increase the soils ability to retain water. The interest in Biochar results from the research of soil biologists who discovered that ancient civilizations used a combination of charcoal and human waste (not recommended today because of the parasites present in human feces) to greatly increase the fertility and production capacity of their soils, this was especially true in the clay soils of the Amazon. These charcoal enriched soils were called Amazon dark earth. Of interest, is the fact that the beneficial effects of adding charcoal to a soil, remain for thousands of years. So just what is the value of charcoal? Charcoal is the key to this novel form of organic gardening because charcoal is very porous containing millions of microscopically small crevices and fissures which can house, if you will, the beneficial microorganisms that make organic gardening possible. As you know, chemical fertilizers kill these valuable organisms and leave the soil sterile. Organic fertilizers, on the other hand, stimulate the reproduction and growth of essential microorganisms and, by so doing, greatly increase the soils ability to produce plant life and edible fruits and vegetables. Thus, the goal of Biochar gardeners is to further enhance the fertility of their gardens by adding charcoal and other organic material to the soil. The exact ratio of charcoal to the other organic additives added to the soil to achieve maximal plant growth has yet to be determined. However, the beneficial effects of charcoal cannot be achieved if additional organic materials are not added to activate the charcoal. So, what types of organic material typically are added to the charcoal to convert it to Biochar? Here are a few of the many possibilities. Any type of aged animal manure. Keep the manure moist, as soon as you find earthworms in the manure it is ready to add to your garden or Biochar mix. This process usually takes about three months. Aged compost- leaves, garden waste, grass clipping, etc. Spent coffee grounds. Coffee grounds are rich in slow release nitrogen and other valuable nutrients. Last but not least, earthworm castings. Earthworm castings and the tea made from the castings, arguably, are the most valuable organic materials one can add to an organic garden and the tea will stimulate the growth of the microorganisms that develop in Biochar. In summary, Biochar is a valuable addition to any organic garden. The benefits of the charcoal that is added to the soil will remain in the soil for hundreds, if not thousands of years. The preferred ratio of Biochar and the other essential organic materials added to a garden has not been determined and probably is not of critical importance. Within reason, the more Biochar and organic material you add to a garden the better.

Trump's First Hundred Days.

Giving this guy the benefit of the doubt, basically we have a political novice who, as a candidate, had little or no idea how the government worked, none at all! Having no idea as to the realities in his own party, Trump believed that all he would have to do is snap his fingers, once elected, and our floundering ship of state would miraculously right itself and all of his political promises (dreams) would become reality. Having no choice, many of us voted for him, hoping for the best but fearing the worst. Most likely we are getting something in between. In this respect, his various nominees have been good and in some cases great. In this respect, the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the supreme court will be a game changer for decades to come. But, at this point, it seems abundantly clear that Trump has given up on building the wall; given up on repealing Obama Care; and will be satisfied to "tinker around the edges" of major issues like tax reform, the refunding of Planned Parenthood and other major issues of the day. With respect to getting rid of Obama care, he had the votes to do just that, but instead, insisted on "keeping the good parts and trying to make it better. This is not what we voted for! Rather we voted to rid ourselves of this abomination, not to fix it! The wall will never be built because, now all of a sudden, we are told that it can't be constructed because there is no money to pay for it. Since when, I ask you, did the government ever let a lack of funding get in the way of a project they wanted. In this respect, the bullet train in California springs immediately to mind. No, the vast majority Americans want the wall; however, many economic and political interests oppose anything that would make it more difficult for illegal's to enter our country. I expect, when all is said and done, we ultimately will be given a few miles of token wall, but the hordes of illegal's, drug runners and potential terrorists who cross our borders on a daily basis will continue to do so unabated. In this respect, the ludicrous concept of "sanctuary cities" will continue in states like California despite minimal penalties that will be inflicted by the federal government. The point is that Trump can change little in Washington DC, irrespective of his good intentions. I think that this reality is becoming more clear to him with each passing day.

Trump's first major stumble!

I haven't written a word since the election, hoping against hope, that trump ultimately would fulfill some of his election promises, if given a chance. On the bright side, his nominees for the various cabinet positions have been outstanding. However, the first sign of weakness reared its ugly dead when he refused stand behind the nomination of Secretary Flynn. On hind sight, the writing was on the wall, when he refused to stand behind Flynn. However, I cannot let this Obama Care fiasco pass without comment. We did not elect President Trump to give us some socialist form of Obama Care light. No! We elected him to repeal Obama Care, every last word of it! This is what he campaigned on and this is what we expected him to do, no if ands or buts about it! Instead, he offered a failed piece of socialist legislation, The Affordable Care Act, which was, in many ways, worse than Obama Care. Now here's the disgusting part. Trump had more than enough votes to repeal Obama's atrocious health care bill. This would have been a landslide victory for the conservatives, all over America, who elected him. Rather Trump chose to climb in bed with Paul Ryan and the other liberal Republican rhinos in the house. These establishment republican turncoats represent everything we conservatives hate about Washington DC. Everything! God bless the Freedom Caucus who stood firm against the enormous pressure brought upon them to join the rhinos and render the last election totally meaningless. Now, I fear, the worst is yet to come. Trump talks a good game but little or nothing he campaigned on is likely to come to fruition. Most importantly, there will be no wall. Oh, there will be a few miles of token wall build somewhere in the middle of the desert, but nothing that will deter the thousands of low-IQ uneducated migrants from south of the border who enter our country each and every day at great expense to everything we Americans hold dear. Without borders we are not a country, it's really as simple as that! Trump campaigned on this issue, but as with Obama care, it was nothing but hot air designed to win the votes of the masses who have come to despise every aspect of the federal government. As things now stand, we conservatives are watching our last best hope to save what little is left of America, evaporate right before our very eyes. And, guess what, there's not a damned thing we can do about it!

What are Superfoods and what makes them so special?

The short answer is that all foods do not have the same nutritional value. Foods also vary greatly in their ability to delay the onset of premature aging; their anti-cancer properties, and their beneficial cardiovascular effects; to name only a few of the most important medicinal qualities of a Superfood. Superfoods, like the magical Goji berry, have been considered exceptional for their medicinal and ant-aging properties for thousands of years, while the nutritional value of the common beet, and their greens, have only been recognized and studied recently. In any case, we all would lead longer and healthier lives if we understood the pros and cons of the various foods we consume on a daily basis and varied our diets accordingly. The primary purpose of my next book (Superfoods) is to bring some of the most important benefits of these special foods to the attention of the reader so that they may profit from the recent advances in food science. Recent innovations in the way we evaluate the nutritional value of foods have greatly simplified this task. For example, the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity of a food measures its ability to protect our bodies from the free radicals that harm normal cells; enhance the effects of premature aging; and increase the risk of developing cancer. The ORAC value of the foods we eat vary from the low hundreds to 314,446 (for cloves). Obviously, knowing the ORAC of the foods we consume can make it possible to live longer, and more importantly, healthier lives. There also are simpler rules we can follow to evaluate the foods we eat. In this respect, the colors of the foods we consume are indicative of their nutritional value. As a general rule of thumb, the darker a food's color the more healthy it will be. For example, the ORAC value of black currants is 7957, while that of red currants is only 3387. Vivid reds and purples in leafy greens like chard and beet greens also suggest that they will be more nutritious than their plain green counterparts. Although this book is not designed to provide instruction on the techniques for growing fruits and vegetables, it does provide some practical guide lines for growing the Superfoods discussed. For example, it is extremely easy to propagate Goji berries from cuttings. On the other hand, if you are interested in growing a tree that will produce cloves, keep in mind that it will take at least 20 years to do so.

The Nutritional Value of Beets

Having read any of my previous articles on nutrition, you will deduce that dark red beets, and their colorful greens, must be extremely nutritious, and they are! However, beet roots should be consumed sparingly because of their high carbohydrate content; in fact, beets have the highest sugar content of any vegetable. Most of us can safely eat beet roots several times a week and can consume their nutritious greens in unlimited quantities. Here are some of the health benefits of beets and their greens. Lowering blood pressure Did you know that drinking one glass of beet juice can lower your blood pressure 4 to 5 points in a matter of hours? Beets are rich in nitrates which are converted to nitric oxide by the body. Nitric oxide relaxes and dilates your blood vessels, improves blood flow and lowers blood pressure. To put this health benefit in perspective, there are 110 calories in one glass of beet juice; thus, beet juice should be consumed with caution by those who are concerned about weight control. Fighting inflammation Beets are a good source of betaine a nutrient that protects cells, proteins and enzymes from environmental stress. Betaine also lowers the levels of several inflammatory factors including C reactive protein, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor. The ant-inflammatory molecules in beets provide cardiovascular benefits and reduce the effects of inflammation in other body systems. Ani-cancer properties The powerful phytonutrients that give beets their deep red color have been shown to reduce the formation of tumors in several animal models. Beetroot extracts are now being used to treat pancreatic, breast and prostate cancers. Vitamins and fiber Beets are rich in immune-boosting vitamin C, fiber and minerals like potassium which are essential for healthy nerve and muscle function. Beets also contain folate a B vitamin that reduces the risk of birth defects. Detoxification support The betaine pigments in beets support our bodies Phase 2 detoxification process which binds broken down toxins to other molecules so they can be excreted from the body, a process which helps purify our blood and supports normal liver function. Don’t forget the beet greens As you might expect, because of their vibrant colors, beet greens are extremely nutritious. Beet greens contain significant amounts of important nutrients like protein, phosphorous, zinc, magnesium, potassium, copper, calcium, iron and manganese. In this respect, beet greens have more iron than spinach and a higher nutritional value than the beet root itself. Beet greens also are a rich source of vitamins A, C and B6. Possibly of more importance, one cup of beet greens contains only 39 calories so, unlike he beet root itself, they can be consumed without worry of unwanted weight gain. Here are some of the specific health benefits that have been associated with the consumption of beet greens. The intake of beet greens increases bone strength and decreases the chances of developing osteoporosis. The nutrients and vitamins in beet greens improves mental health and decreases the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. The vitamins and minerals in beet greens stimulates the body’s production of antibodies and white blood cells and, thus, strengthens the immune system. If you haven’t tried beet greens before, they can be added to vegetable juices; consumed raw in salads; or sautéed lightly just as you would other greens like spinach or Swiss chard.

What are Polyphenols

Polyphenols are a class of chemical compounds found in plants. They are characterized by one or more six-sided hydrocarbon rings attached to one or more hydroxyl (-OH) groups. The simplest polyphenol is phenol (C6H6OH) an antiseptic. Poly means many and refers to the fact that there are more than 4,000 polyphenol compounds many of which are powerful antioxidants that neutralize harmful free radicals, reduce inflammation and slow the growth of tumors. With respect to flavor, polyphenols add astringency and bite to foods. The bitter taste of tea that has been brewed to long, is due to the polyphenol resveratrol as is the “greenish flavor” of extra-virgin olive oil. Anything that makes your mouth pucker usually contains polyphenols. In plants, polyphenols defend against insect attacks and give plants their color. Examples of polyphenols in food include resveratrol in red wine, capsaicin in chili, thymol in thyme, cinnamic acid in cinnamon, and rosmarinic acid in rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage and peppermint. Foods rich in polyphenols include, spices, especially cloves; dried herbs including oregano, sage, thyme and marjoram; beverages such as cocoa, green tea, and red wine; dark berries, especially black elderberry and blueberries; seeds including flaxseed and celery seeds; most nuts; black and green olives; and vegetables including artichokes, red onions, spinach, broccoli and curly endive.