> > BY THE YARD > > "It's just dirt!" he said. > I knew he didn't understand. I really didn't expect him to, for it's > the way I see things in life. > There are so many ways to measure success in life. While one sees the > bottom line in their check book, the car they drive, the house and > community they live in, another would measure their success by the number > of friends they have and the amount of love they feel. > But how does one measure a life? > Your first reply might be in years, months, and days. The calendar > seems to be the standard for many. At 16 you can drive, 18 is legal, 21 > says you can drink, "Thirty Something" scares us, 40 plus is "over the > Hill," 50 is a half century and so forth. > But I have discovered a new measurement -- "By the yard." > We've been in this tiny house now for nearly a dozen years. We bought > it because it was the right fit. It fit into our budget and our family fit > into it. The kids had their own room for when they stayed with us on > weekends. We had space to keep my office, and in every little corner there > was a place to put a dog. > Yes, we were cramped but we never really noticed. You see, although > we could have used another bedroom, certainly another bath and ultimately a > room just for my office, we never felt crowded. Any feeling of closeness > was accepted as a measurement of love we had for each other. > But time, fate and circumstance gathered together, held a meeting and > little by little began to dismantle our home. > At first, it was my oldest son Keith. He just grew up and headed out > into his own life. The expectations of family now fell onto the shoulders > of my youngest son, Evan. He was fine for a while, but I could begin to > see him withdraw from the silly everyday antics of the games we always > played, the places we went on weekends and the time we spent together. One > day he simply announced, he didn't want to come out. I was crushed. It > took me some time before I realized that he had grown up, too. His weekend > time became work time, friends time and, oh yes, a few long hours of > conversations with girlfriends. > We became the victims of growing up. > This new reality came rushing in on me one Saturday morning a few > winter's back. I woke up to the sounds of children and adults laughing. I > looked out my window and saw the new neighbors from on top of the hill > sledding with their young children. They were playing on my hill, in my > snow, the sacred spot where just a few years before, my wife and I did the > same thing with our boys. But the times were different. Now there was > just the three of us and my dog hated to ride on a sled. > The next spring our sledding equipment was sold in a yard sale. > As months followed, our backyard became more of a chore to maintain > then a place to play. As our dog Daisy grew older she began to find her > favorite places to "sniff" closer to the back door. Our small garden near > the top of our property became less and less important to Marianne as she > began to struggle with physical limitations in her life and this past > summer I tried to maintain it but failed to produce anything worth eating. > "It's a heart ache for me now," I said to my friend. > "How can a yard be a heart ache? It's just dirt!" he said. I knew he > didn't understand. > Suddenly this old house seems much too small and the yard way too big. > We want to move. We need more house and less yard. But there is just the > two of us now. Our dog Daisy's passing closed the final chapter on this > castle filled with love. Today, I need to go out and rake up all the > leaves from the yard. I really hate to do it. You see it's the only thing > left in it. > So I stood on my small deck this morning and looking out I saw a > million moments, a thousand laughs, baseball, fireworks, picnics, parties, > the spot where I fell on my knees thanking God for my first book and saving > my son's life, super bubbles nearly running the length of the yard, squirt > gun fights, a thousand flowers, sledding and a four legged best friend > jumping and barking as we slid down the hill in fresh fallen snow. > Yes, I found a new way to measure my life -- "By the yard!" > > -- Bob Perks < .·:*´¨`*:·..·:*´¨`*:·. *: * Missi * :* *·. .·* `*·-:¦:-*´ ³´`*:»§«:*´`³

Regarding job layoffs in the U.S. Joe Smith started the day early having set his alarm clock (MADE IN JAPAN) for 6 A.M. While his coffeepot (MADE IN CHINA) was perking, he shaved with his electric razor (MADE IN HONG KONG). He put on a dress shirt (MADE IN SRI LANKA), designer jeans (MADE IN SINGAPORE) and tennis shoes (MADE IN KOREA). After cooking his breakfast in his new electric skillet (MADE IN INDIA) he sat down with his calculator (MADE IN MEXICO) to see how much he could spend today. After setting his watch (MADE IN TAIWAN) to the radio (MADE IN INDIA) he got in his car (MADE IN GERMANY) and continued his search for a good paying AMERICAN JOB. At the end of yet another discouraging and fruitless day, Joe decided to relax for a while. He put on his sandals (MADE IN BRAZIL) poured himself a glass of wine (MADE IN FRANCE) and turned on his TV (MADE IN INDONESIA), and wondered why he can't find a good paying job in.....AMERICA..... «:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«^i^MISSI ^i^«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§« Richiele Marie [email protected] (Missi) I disbelieved in reincarnation in my last life, too. »§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§« «:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«^i^MISSI ^i^«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§« Richiele Marie [email protected] (Missi) I disbelieved in reincarnation in my last life, too. »§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«

Street Smarts By Lucy B. Richardson When my husband and I married, we moved to Frankfort, Kentucky. Since our yard was within view of our state's capitol building, many tourists passed our house. My elderly neighbors got me interested in gardening, and within a few years, our yard was a wonderland of flowers. People would even stop and peek through the fence to see all the blossoms that were not in plain view. As time went by, I found I was working in the gardens from sunup to sundown. I loved being outdoors, and the gardens were so large, there was always more to do. I also enjoyed sharing my flowers. I loved the surprised look on strangers' faces when I impulsively picked a bouquet and gave it to them as they passed by. Sadly, our neighborhood also had its share of street people, but I was happy to share my flowers with them, too. One morning, around 7:00 a.m., I was out in my gardens next to the sidewalk when one of the "usual" street persons approached. Most days, he just ambled past me, picking up cans and trash. Today, though, he suddenly stopped. He looked me square in the eyes. "Excuse me, lady," he said. "Can I tell you something?" "Sure," I said, expecting the usual compliments. "Whoever owns that house works you way too hard!" Then he went on his way. I laughed to myself all morning. «:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«^i^MISSI ^i^«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§« Richiele Marie [email protected] (Missi) I disbelieved in reincarnation in my last life, too. »§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«

GLORIOUS NIGHT I just happened to wake up about 5:20am the other morning and remembered the meteor shower. I went to the back door and looked out... WOW! Now, don't get me wrong. It wasn't like a science fiction movie, and I never saw many of them at once. However, I saw one shooting star right after another. There were probably ten in about five minutes. I went to the front door, just to see if they were out there too (as if they wouldn't be) and sure enough, they were! I decided to turn off the bathroom light that was reflecting outside (I had it on so I could find my way back to bed) and looked out the back again. I could see the smaller ones (dimmer ones) and they were almost continuous. It was sort of like: "There's one! Oh, there's another! And another!" -- one right after another. It was awesome! I only wish I had film in one of the 35mm cameras so I could have attempted to take pictures, but it wasn't to be. So I just stood there thinking, "Ok, now what?" I could tell anyone who might listen that I saw the meteor shower. I can't even remember the name of it -- how embarrassing. And I could try to describe what I saw from INSIDE my house (it was way too cold to go outside in my pajamas!) without any physical proof of pictures or witnesses. So, I decided to go back to bed. When I sat on the edge of my bed, I just had to get one more look, so I peeked through the mini-blinds and lo and behold, I could still see them shooting by -- a little slower in between now, but much more brilliant since there is a street light and only the really bright ones were visible. As they would streak across the sky, I thought of God's glory and how wonderful that He allows these phenomena to happen so infrequently so we can appreciate a glimpse of what heaven must surely be like. As I lay my head down on my pillow, feeling guilty for abandoning such a beautiful sight, I fell asleep at peace knowing that no matter what, God is in control, otherwise those meteors would hit our wonderful planet Earth. And at this time in my life, in all our lives, I needed to see that miracle firsthand. Thank you God for waking me up at 5:20am. I am sure that glorious sight was meant just for me. -- Jerry Cole O * O *O * O O * * O <º)(((((~((((((>>>< * <º)((((~((((>< missi

>'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE PAYBACK > >Twas the night before payback and all through the land, >They're running like rabbits in Afghanistan; >Osama's been praying, he's down on his knees, >He's hoping that Allah will hear all his pleas. > >He thought if he killed us that we'd fall and shatter, >But all that he's done is just make us madder; >We ain't yet forgotten our Marines in Beirut, >And we'll kick your butt, with one heavy boot. > >And yes we remember the USS Cole, >And the lives of our sailors that you bastards stole; >You think you can rule us and cause us to fear, >You'll soon get the answer, if you live to hear. > >And we ain't forgotten your buddy Saddam, >And he ain't forgotten the sound of our bomb; >You think that those mountains are somewhere to hide, >They'll go down in history as the place where you died. > >Remember Khadhafi and his Line of Death? >He came very close, to his final breath; >So come out and prove it, that you are a man, >Cause our boys are coming and they have a plan. > >They are our fathers and they are our sons, >And they sure do carry some mighty big guns; >They would have stayed home with children and wives, >'Til you bastards came here and took all these lives. > >Osama I wrote this especially for you, >For air mail delivery by B-52; >You soon will be hearing a thud and a whistle, >Old Glory is coming, attached to a missile. > >I will not be sorry to see your butt go........... >It's Red, White, and Blue that is running this show ¤ ³ *:» (¨`v´¨) ¤ ³´` ³´`(¨`v´¨) v´«:*´`³ ¤ «:*´`³v´ «:*´`³ ¤ Richiele

> Read Each One Carefully and Think About It a Second or Two > > 1. I love you not because of who you are, but because of who I am when I am > with you. > > 2. No man or woman is worth your tears, and the one who is, won't make you > cry. > > 3. Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, doesn't > mean they don't love you with all they have. > 4. A true friend is someone who reaches for your hand and touches your > heart. > > 5. The worst way to miss someone is to be sitting right beside them knowing > you can't have them. > > 6. Never frown, even when you are sad, because you never know who is > falling in love with your smile. > > 7. To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the > world. > > 8. Don't waste your time on a man/woman, who isn't willing to waste their > time on you. > > 9. Maybe God wants us to meet a few wrong people before meeting the right > one, so that when we finally meet the person, we will know how to be > grateful. > > 10. Don't cry because it is over, smile because it happened. > > 11. There's always going to be people that hurt you so what you have to do > is keep on trusting and just be more careful about who you trust next time > around. > > 12. Make yourself a better person and know who you are before you try and > know someone else and expect them to know you. > > 13. Don't try so hard, the best things come when you least expect them to. > > REMEMBER: WHATEVER HAPPENS, HAPPENS FOR A REASON. > »§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«§:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§« "Digging in the garden, digging like a mole. Awful for the manicure, lovely for the soul." Richiele 'Marie <*}}}}>< MSN [email protected] »§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«§:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§« «:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«^i^MISSI ^i^«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«

John Bluck Nov. 28, 2001 NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. RELEASE: 01-93AR POSSIBLE SHARPSHOOTER INSECT PEST HABITATS MAPPED FROM AIR & SPACE NASA satellite and aerial images of California's Monterey County vineyards are helping local officials identify vineyards at risk of invasion by the glassy-winged sharpshooter insect pest. The gluttonous pest has caused widespread damage to Southern California's vineyards, but has not yet invaded Monterey County. The glassy-winged sharpshooter is blue-green, about a half inch long and is famous for a stylus-like drill that the insect uses to draw moisture from plants. "We're using remotely sensed imagery to map vineyards and other sharpshooter habitats," said Lee Johnson, a California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) research scientist. Johnson is based at NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley and is technical advisor for the effort. The pest often lives in orchards and along riverbanks, ditches and ponds and may threaten adjacent vineyards. "The maps will be used to determine the most effective places for agricultural officials to place traps to monitor for the sharpshooter," Johnson said. "We created a defense map for the Monterey County Agriculture Commissioner's Office to combat any invasion by the sharpshooter," said Bay Area Shared Information Consortium (BASIC) president David Etter. "We identified the habitats of these rascals. They like to hang out on stream banks, in citrus groves and even in oak groves," he said. The insect sucks moisture from the heavy stalk of grapevines, and in the process can deposit a bacterium that causes Pierce's disease. Afflicted plants are unable to draw ground moisture or nutrients, Etter said. The plant then dies. "Each adult glassy-winged sharpshooter sucks out 200 to 300 times its body weight in water every day. This is equivalent to an adult human drinking 4,300 gallons (16,340 liters) of water per day," said Dr. U Win, author of a report about the project to map the pest's potential habitats. He also is a research associate at the CSUMB Spatial Information, Visualization and Analysis Resources (CSUMB-SIVA) Center. The pest feeds on more than 70 species of plants and is active all year. In addition to grapevines, the sharpshooter lives on citrus, avocado, macadamia, eucalyptus, crape myrtle, oleander, oak, sycamore, sumac and other plants. As of now, the insect has infested the entire counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Ventura and parts of Butte, Contra Costa, Fresno, Kern, Imperial, Sacramento, Santa Barbara and Tulare counties, according to Win. "The Agriculture Commissioner's Office will place insect traps strategically in the sharpshooter habitats, and mark their positions on our maps with global positioning system (GPS) technology," Etter said. The maps will make it easy to identify which vineyards are most vulnerable should there be a sharpshooter invasion, officials said. -more- -2- The researchers combined LANDSAT satellite pictures with high-altitude aerial photos, and verified types of plants depicted by using ground-gathered data to make an accurate computerized map of the vineyards, orchards and other areas under study. "'Ground-truthing' was essential for the verification of what was identified to be on the image and what was really on the ground," said Win. Researchers can detect vineyards, citrus orchards, oaks, eucalyptus, avocados, cacti and ornamental vegetation, as well as riverbanks, ditches and pond shores where the pest may live. Scientists can put bright colors on the digital maps to clearly show different kinds of plants by using different colors for different species. The pilot project took place from March until October this year. There are about 46,000 acres of vineyards in the Salinas Valley that generate about a half-billion-dollar grape-wine economy. "The pilot area covers approximately 15 percent of the Salinas Valley and 10 percent of the total vineyard acreage in the Salinas Valley," Win said. "Mapping county-wide vineyards and other potential glassy-winged sharpshooter habitats is being considered for the next phase." BASIC sponsored the sharpshooter work with funding from the NASA Earth Science Enterprise. BASIC worked with the CSUMB-SIVA Center to carry out the project in collaboration with the Monterey County Agriculture Commissioner's Office. More information about the sharpshooter pest is on the Internet at: http://plant.cdfa.ca.gov/gwss and at: http://www.basic.org -end- To receive Ames news releases via email, send an email with the word "subscribe" in the subject line to: [email protected] To unsubscribe, send an email to the same address with "unsubscribe" in the subject line. Also, the NASA Ames News Home Page at URL, http://amesnews.arc.nasa.gov includes news releases and JPEG images in AP Leaf Desk format minus embedded captions.

Daily Buddhist Wisdom A Brahman named Sangarava bathed every morning and evening in the river so that he could be cleansed from whatever sin he might have committed during the day. To him, the Buddha said, "If bathing could purify one from sins, then all the frogs, turtles, and crocodiles would be free from sin! The real lake is the lake of goodness, with grace as its shore for bathing. Clear and undefiled, it soothes all who immerse themselves. Plunge into the waters of goodness and learn to swim." -Samyutta Nikaya

This is the Russian St. Petersburg Times. I was trying to access the St. Petersburg Times, FL email address and found this. Linda Bee Note: The St. Pete Times, FL, web site had been hacked...by "Pyrenees". No newspaper; just a dog. <A HREF="http://www.sptimesrussia.com/secur/591/features/arts_cook.htm?725curr">The St. Petersburg Times - Arts + Features(cooking with the king: how elvis presley's kitchen ended up in kazakstan)</A> http://www.sptimesrussia.com/secur/591/features/arts_cook.htm?725curr cooking with the king: how elvis presley's kitchen ended up in kazakstan by Anna Badkhen >ALMATY, Kazakstan - Judith Moon expresses not the least bit of pride. In fact, Moon, a press officer at the U.S. Embassy in Almaty, Kazakstan's second city, is visibly irritated. It is Saturday morning, and she would rather be playing at home with her 9-month-old daughter than escorting annoyingly persistent journalists from Moscow through the embassy's stainless-steel kitchen. "I'll show it to you if you promise not to drool over it," Moon cautioned coolly over the phone before the visit. "But I must warn you, there's really nothing special about it." And there isn't - merely a large set of stainless-steel cooking appliances including a water distiller, gas stoves, refrigerators, tables and serving counters. Except it isn't just any kitchen. It's the King's kitchen. At one time, food was cooked and served here for Elvis Presley. Elvis bought the kitchen for his entire regiment during his military service at a U.S. Army base in Friedberg, Germany, in 1958, according to Todd Morgan, an Elvis historian at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. No big deal, really, for the 23-year-old King of Rock 'n' Roll, who at the time had already bought his Graceland mansion and was living in an off-base residence near Friedberg with his father, grandmother and "some friends from Memphis," as the Graceland museum Web Site puts it. And since his Graceland palace already had a kitchen, when Elvis left the service the stainless steel cooking appliances stayed behind and continued to serve generations of U.S. GIs dispatched to West Germany to guard it against the communist archenemies in the east. "Typical of him to do wonderful things for people," Morgan said. In 1994, with the Cold War over and the services of Elvis' regiment no longer needed, the kitchen was packed and shipped off to the modest two-story 19th-century mansion housing the U.S. Embassy in Kazakstan. "It was too big for the embassy," Moon said. "A big part of it was sent to the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek." Officials at the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek said this week that they were unaware of any Presley memorabilia in their offices. Even after it was split in parts, the kitchen still wouldn't fit, Moon said. The Almaty mission then tried to auction it - but failed. Failed? Well, yes, Moon said, because the embassy auctioned it "not as an Elvis Presley kitchen, just as a stainless-steel kitchen." And yet, the embassy did not use the King's name to draw customers. In fact, the mission appears to lack any pride whatsoever in their ownership of a piece of rock memorabilia that a fan would kill for. "Oh, yeah," yawned a Marine guard when Moon told her the purpose of the visit. "Enjoy," she said, unenthusiastically. In the diner, there is no Elvis kitsch whatsoever: no singing clocks shaped as pink Cadillacs, no Elvis doormats. A ripple of Elvis frenzy that rolled through the embassy when the kitchen arrived in 1994 resulted only in four small, framed black-and-white photographs of the King on the walls. For a while, the diner was nicknamed The Hound Dog Cafe, but the name wore off, and today it has no name at all. The presence of the artifact is not advertised outside the mission's office. But even if it was, it is unlikely the embassy would be bombarded by thousands of crazed fans. "Elvis Presley is not popular [here]," said Khakim, a 23-year-old selling CDs and tapes at an outdoor stand on Abylai Khan Street in downtown Almaty. "They buy Nirvana, Metallica and Britney Spears," he said. "They ask for pop music, Russian and Kazak. They don't ask for Elvis Presley. I don't even sell his music." Even the generation of Kazaks that grew up with rock and roll was likewise unimpressed. "The Elvis Presley kitchen?" asked Nurlan Ablyazov, a 46-year-old newspaper editor. "So what?"

<A HREF="http://geography.about.com/library/weekly/aa110301a.htm?PM=n42112801d">Guano Island Act</A> http://geography.about.com/library/weekly/aa110301a.htm?PM=n42112801d Guano Island Act > Allows U.S. Possession of Islands Containing Bird Droppings > by <A HREF="http://geography.about.com/mbiopage.htm">Matt Rosenberg</A> > Whenever any citizen of the United States discovers a deposit of guano on > any island, rock, key, not within the lawful jurisdiction of any other > government, and not occupied by the citizens of any other government, and > takes peaceable possession thereof, and occupies the same, such island, > rock, or key may, at the discretion of the President, be considered as > appertaining to the United States. - Guano Island Act of 1856 > In 1804 geographer <A HREF="http://geography.about.com/library/weekly/aa020298.htm">Alexander von Humboldt</A> brought samples of Peruvian guano to Europe. This type of guano, decades later, would become one of the most highly prized natural resources in the world. In the 1840s, guano was prized as an agricultural fertilizer. The primary source for guano at the time were the Chincha Islands off of the Peruvian Coast. The guano mining operations of Peru kept the country from becoming bankrupt although American, British, and European farmers resented paying the high costs of Peruvian bird droppings. Fish-eating sea birds, most notably the white-breasted cormorant, have been depositing their seafood-based droppings off the coast of <A HREF="http://geography.about.com/library/maps/blperu.htm">Peru</A> for thousands of years. The guano of Peru is most notable due to the limited precipitation in the region. Guano is dropped and dries quickly, preserving the chemicals that make it useful for fertilizer. Is moist environments, the nitrates evaporate, making the deposits less rich than those of Peru. On some islands, as much as one hundred and fifty feet of guano had accumulated by the time the deposits were discovered. The western companies that exploited the islands for their guano also exploited Chinese and other laborers to mine the guano for use as fertilizer. In 1855, the U.S. government received reports that <A HREF="http://geography.about.com/library/cia/blcbaker.htm">Baker Island</A> in the Pacific Ocean was also rich with guano deposits. Congress took action and on August 18, 1856 the <A HREF="http://geography.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://resource.lawlinks.com/Content/Legal%5FResearch/US%5Fcode/Title%5F48/title%5F48%5F08.htm">Guano Island Act</A> was passed. It empowered American citizens to take possession of any island or rock or key with guano deposits not under the control of a foreign government. The full act also allowed the President to utilize the military to protect the interests of the discoverer. Additionally, while the act allowed the President to annex a guano island or rock or key, it did not require that the United States retain possession of a guano-filled locale. This was a difference in law as typically annexations require a treaty to give up possession of a territory - thus the Guano Island Act set out to differentiate guano islands from other annexed territories. The first annexation was that of Baker Island on May 1, 1857. A Baltimore newspaper called the island "a new El Dorado" due to the value of guano as a agricultural resource and the lower cost with which guano could be had by American farmers. Over the next few decades, dozens of rocks and islands were annexed into the United States due to their guano deposits and the Guano Island Act. These included <A HREF="http://geography.about.com/library/cia/blcjarvis.htm">Jarvis Island</A>, <A HREF="http://geography.about.com/library/cia/blchowland.htm">Howland Island</A>, <A HREF="http://geography.about.com/library/cia/blcchristmas.htm">Christmas Island</A>, <A HREF="http://geography.about.com/library/cia/blcjohnston.htm"> Johnson Atoll</A>, <A HREF="http://geography.about.com/library/cia/blcnavassa.htm">Navassa Island</A>, and <A HREF="http://geography.about.com/library/cia/blcmidway.htm">Midway Island</A>. The industrial ideals of the late nineteenth century did not provide for conservation of wildlife so the exploitation of the guano islands resulted in the loss of millions of sea birds, making the guano on the islands a non-renewable resource. Nonetheless, the invention of chemical fertilizers dramatically reduced the need for guano as fertilizer. Related Resources • <A HREF="http://geography.about.com/library/weekly/aa021400a.htm">Kuril and Sakhalin Island Controversy</A> • <A HREF="http://geography.about.com/library/weekly/aa101998.htm">Political Geography of the Oceans</A> • <A HREF="http://geography.about.com/library/weekly/topicsub9.htm">Political Geography Articles</A> Elsewhere on the Web • <A HREF="http://geography.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://resource.lawlinks.com/Content/Legal%5FResearch/US%5Fcode/Title%5F48/title%5F48%5F08.htm">Guano Island Act</A> • <A HREF="http://geography.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.mm.wa.gov.au/Museum/aima/bulletins/Bulletin19%5F2/O">19th Century Pacific Guano Trade</A> • <A HREF="http://geography.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://members.aol.com/davidpb4/legal.html">Legal History of Navassa Island</A>

Hmmm........my sister has a bunch of sand on her property. Wonder if this guy would like to buy it? Tycoon Loses $63,000 After Buying Sand From Conmen NAIROBI (Reuters) - A German business tycoon duped by conmen in Kenya lost around five million shillings ($63,270) after the "gold" he bought turned out to be 350 kg of sand, a Kenyan paper said Tuesday. The swindle began in June when hotelier Fouroughi Denawi agreed to a gold export deal with five men claiming to be dealers in gems from the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Nation newspaper said. Denawi was to cover export costs, sell the gold in Europe, take his share and hand the rest to the dealers. He only realized just before leaving Nairobi that the three steel boxes he was about to export contained nothing more than sand. The head of the Central Bank of Kenya's fraud unit told the Nation the unit was looking for five people -- three Kenyans and two foreigners -- believed to be behind the racket.

THE DIABETIC NEWSLETTER November 26, 2001 - Volume III; Issue #15 -- http://diabeticnewsletter.com Published every other Monday by The Diabetic Gourmet Magazine Visit The Diabetic Gourmet Magazine at http://diabeticgourmet.com /--------------------- NEWSLETTER SPONSOR ---------------------\ EMPEROR'S HERBOLOGIST Diabetic Gift Set. Perfect Holiday Gift. Stocked full of products you can use. JAJA SteviosideTM, Honey Stevia LeafTM tea, Glucose Support, and Vitamin E Complete. All packed in an attractive, sturdy black and gold wire mesh gift box. Visit http://www.emperorsherbologist.com/diabetic-support-gift.htm Contact us at: [email protected] or Phone 904-519-0050 to learn more or to order yours today! \--------------------- END OF SPONSOR --------------------------/ CONTENTS: ========================= - In The News - Announcements - Feature Recipes: Chanukah Recipes - Green Split Pea and Barley Soup - No-Fry Potato and Spinach Latkas - Gloria's Limelight Roast Chicken - Chocolate Almond Meringues - Diabetes 101: - Diabetes and Your Eyes - Food and Cooking: - New Ways with Vegetable Puree - Diabetes Q and A: - Does Caffeine Affect Blood Sugar Levels? - Diabetes Related Explanations & Definitions - Information About This Newsletter ========================= IN THE NEWS ========================= Obese Black Teens At High Risk For Diabetes, Study Suggests http://gourmetconnection.com/news/bin/dgm.cgi?ID=264 Israeli Scientists Block the Progression of Type I Diabetes http://gourmetconnection.com/news/bin/dgm.cgi?ID=265 Study: Special Vaccines Could Prevent Insulin-Dependent Diabetes http://gourmetconnection.com/news/bin/dgm.cgi?ID=263 Depression Worsens Outcome in Diabetes http://gourmetconnection.com/news/bin/dgm.cgi?ID=262 Vitamin D Reduces Risk of Type 1 Diabetes http://gourmetconnection.com/news/bin/dgm.cgi?ID=261 Early Promise for Prevention of Type 1 Diabetes http://gourmetconnection.com/news/bin/dgm.cgi?ID=267 Managing High Blood Pressure In Type 2 Diabetes Sufferers Could Save Lives http://gourmetconnection.com/news/bin/dgm.cgi?ID=266 Full Diabetic Gourmet Magazine Newswire: http://diabeticgourmet.com/In_The_News/ ========================= ANNOUNCEMENTS ========================= ---// LAST CHANCE TO ENTER OUR NOVEMBER CONTESTS? PRIZE: Cuisinart DLC-2BC Mini Prep Plus Food Processor Two (2) entrants will win this great kitchen appliance! ENTER at: http://diabeticgourmet.com/contest/ PRIZE: 10-pc Allegro Cookware Set by Wearever Three (3) entrants will win this innovative cookware set! ENTER at: http://tgcmagazine.com/contest/ ---// ARE YOU MISSING GREAT RECIPES? Have you subscribed to our NEW, FREE dispatch? Each day, we send out one great recipe via email. It's that simple. Delivery began November 1st -- are you missing out? Subscribe NOW at http://DailyDiabeticRecipe.com ---// About This Week's Recipes This week's feature recipes are from "MealLeaniYUMM!" by Norene Gilletz (www.gourmania.com) and have been reprinted with permission from the author. Copyright Norene Gilletz. You can learn more about her book by visiting http://amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0969797222/gourmetconnectio ========================= THIS WEEK'S RECIPES ========================= GREEN SPLIT PEA AND BARLEY SOUP Servings: 12 Note: Reheats and/or freezes well. If soup gets thick, add a little water or broth. INGREDIENTS - 2 cups green split peas, rinsed and drained - 3 carrots, chopped - 3 or 4 stalks celery, chopped - 1 medium onion, chopped - 12 cups water, chicken or vegetable broth - 1/2 cup pearl barley, rinsed and drained - 1 bay leaf - Salt and pepper, to taste - 2 cloves crushed garlic, if desired - 2 tsp. canola oil - 2 medium onions, chopped - 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill DIRECTIONS 1. In a large soup pot, combine split peas, carrots, celery and 1 onion with water. Bring to a boil. Stir in barley, bay leaf and garlic, if using. Reduce heat and simmer partly covered for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Stir occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste. 2. In a nonstick skillet, heat oil. Saute the remaining 2 onions on medium heat until well-browned, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add onions to soup along with dill. Simmer soup 5 to 10 minutes longer. Discard bay leaf (and turkey carcass, if using). Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 152; Fat: 1.3 grams; Carbohydrates: 21 grams; Protein: 8 grams; Sodium: 31 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg, Fiber: 9 grams. Exchanges: 1/2 Starch/Bread; 3 Vegetable ...................... NO-FRY POTATO AND SPINACH LATKAS Latkas are served at Chanukah to celebrate the miracle of a little bit of oil lasting for 8 days. Traditional latkas are usually fried in 1/4 cup of oil, so 1 latka contains about 3 grams of fat. I don't know anyone who can stop at just 1 latka, so these "no-guilt" latkas are a terrific alternative. Each one contains just over a gram of fat - that's a miracle! Yield: About 24 medium latkas or 6 dozen miniatures. (3 minis equal 1 medium latka.) Note: Can be frozen. Serve with salsa, tzadziki, low-fat sour cream or yogurt. INGREDIENTS - 4 tsp. canola or vegetable oil, divided - 3 medium Idaho potatoes - 10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry - 1 medium onion - 1 or 2 carrots - 2 tbsp. minced fresh dill (or 2 tsp. dried dill) - 2 eggs plus 2 egg whites (or 3 eggs) - 1/4 c. flour (white or whole wheat) - 1/2 tsp. baking powder - 3/4 tsp. salt - 1/4 tsp. pepper DIRECTIONS 1. Place oven racks on the lowest and middle positions in your oven. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with aluminum foil. Spray with non-stick spray, then brush each pan with 1 tsp. of oil. (This provides a crispy exterior to the latka.) 2. Peel potatoes or scrub well if you don't want to peel them. Using the Grater of your processor, grate potatoes, using light pressure. Remove potatoes from processor. Insert Steel Knife and process spinach, onion, carrots and dill until fine. Add grated potatoes, eggs, egg whites and remaining 2 tsp. oil. Process with quick on/offs to mix. Quickly blend in remaining ingredients. 3. Drop mixture by rounded spoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets. Flatten slightly with the back of the spoon to form latkas. Bake uncovered at 450 degrees F for 10 minutes, or until bottoms are nicely browned and crispy. Turn latkas over. Transfer pan from the upper rack to the lower rack and vice versa. Bake about 8 to 10 minutes longer, or until brown. Serve immediately. Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 42; Fat: 1.2 grams; Carbohydrates: 6 grams; Protein: 2 grams; Sodium: 97 mg; Cholesterol: 18 mg; Fiber: <1 gram. Exchanges: 1/2 Bread/Starch - To freeze latkas, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. When frozen, wrap well. - To save space when freezing or reheating latkas, stand them upright in a loaf pan. Reheat uncovered at 375 degrees F for 8 to 10 minutes. - Instead of baking latkas, brown them in a non-stick skillet. Instead of adding the oil to the latka mixture, use it for frying. - Tri-Color Latkas: Omit spinach. Use 2 carrots and 2 medium zucchini, grated. ...................... GLORIA'S LIMELIGHT ROAST CHICKEN Moist and luscious! Recipe can be doubled (or tripled) for company. Servings: 6 Notes: Reheats &/or freezes well. INGREDIENTS: - 3 1/2 lb. (1.6 kg) whole chicken - Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste - 1 tsp. dried basil - 3 limes - 1 or 2 stalks celery, cut into chunks - 1/4 c. chopped parsley or coriander (cilantro) DIRECTIONS: 1. Rinse chicken and dry well. Loosen skin; rub seasonings inside the cavity and under skin of chicken. Squeeze juice of one lime over chicken. Marinate for 1 hour at room temperature or cover and marinate in the fridge overnight. Pierce limes with a fork. Place limes, celery and parsley inside the chicken. Close up openings with metal skewers. Place chicken on its side in a roasting pan. 2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Roast uncovered for 20 minutes. Turn chicken onto its other side and roast 20 minutes more. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F and roast breast side up 20 minutes longer, until golden and crisp. Remove chicken from oven. Strain fat from pan juices. Place pan juices in a gravy boat. Cut up chicken; remove skin, limes, celery and parsley. Garnish with additional lime slices. Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 191; Fat: 7.4 grams; Carbohydrates: 1 gram; Protein: 28 grams; Sodium: 92 mg; Cholesterol: 84 mg Exchanges: 3-1/2 Low-Fat Meat ...................... CHOCOLATE ALMOND MERINGUES Yield: About 2 1/2 dozen. Notes: These can be frozen. INGREDIENTS - 1/2 cup sugar, divided - 1/4 cup ground almonds - 1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa - 1 tsp. cornstarch - 2 egg whites - 1/8 tsp. cream of tartar - 1/2 tsp. vanilla (or 1/4 tsp. almond extract) DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Spray a foil-lined baking sheet with non-stick spray. In a small bowl, mix 2 tbsp. of the sugar with almonds, cocoa and cornstarch. In a stainless or glass bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer until frothy. Add cream of tartar and beat on high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add flavoring and remaining sugar. Beat until stiff and shiny. Gently fold cocoa mixture into meringue. 2. Drop cookie mixture from a teaspoon onto the baking sheet to form small mounds. Leave about 2 inches between each mound. (Mixture could also be piped through a large pastry bag fitted with a large star tube.) Bake at 250 degrees F for 40 minutes. Cookies should be dry and slightly browned. Cool completely. Store in a tightly covered container. Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 18; Fat: 0.3 grams; Carbohydrates: 4 grams; Protein: Trace; Sodium: 7 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg Exchanges: 1/4 Bread/Starch Chewy Meringue Cookies (Forgotten Cookies): Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare cookies as directed. Place pan of cookies in oven and turn off heat immediately. Forget about the cookies for 6 hours (or overnight). Do not open the oven door once cookies are in the oven. ========================= DIABETES 101: ========================= DIABETES AND YOUR EYES Diabetes can affect the lens, which focuses light reflected from objects, the vitreous, a clear jelly-like substance through which light passes from the lens to the retina, and the retina, where images are formed and translated into electric impulses for interpretation by the brain. DIABETIC RETINOPATHY Diabetic Retinopathy is a deterioration of the small blood vessels that nourish the retina. Although diabetic retinopathy is a serious cause of blindness, only a small percentage of persons with diabetic retinopathy lose their sight. There are two forms of diabetic retinopathy: - Background retinopathy is an early stage of retinopathy that usually involves no apparent symptoms. Blood vessels within the retina develop tiny bulges (microaneurysms), which leak fluid, causing swelling and forming deposits (exudates ). In some cases, the macula (part of the retina where central vision occurs) becomes swollen, resulting in distorted vision. Mild background retinopathy is normally not treated. - Proliferative retinopathy develops from background retinopathy when fragile, new blood vessels on the retina rupture, bleeding into the vitreous and blocking light from the retina. Ruptured blood vessels in the vitreous form scar tissue which may tighten and pull on the retina, eventually detaching it from the back of the eye. Proliferative retinopathy is treated with laser surgery (photocoagulation). VITRECTOMY When massive bleeding into the vitreous has occurred, a vitrectomy may be performed. In this surgical procedure, the bloody vitreous is removed and replaced with clear, sterile fluids, restoring vision. To minimize the risk of diabetic retinopathy: - Keep your blood sugar level in good control. The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial has proven beyond doubt that good blood sugar control reduces the risk of diabetic retinopathy. - Maintain normal blood pressure. If you take medication for high blood pressure, don't forget it. - See an ophthalmologist for a complete eye exam at least once a year. CATARACTS Cataracts are clouding of the normally clear lens. A cataract develops over years and causes blurred vision when a large part of the lens becomes cloudy. Causes of cataracts include aging, eye injuries, disease, heredity, and birth defects. Senile cataracts are a common eye problem among the elderly. Poor diabetes control can hasten the formation of senile cataracts. Metabolic cataracts are sometimes found in younger people with diabetes. Both types are treated by surgical removal of the lens. Eyeglasses, contact lenses, or intraocular lens implants restore vision following surgery. To minimize the risk of cataracts, see your ophthalmologist for a complete eye exam at least once a year. Source: NIDDK ========================= FOOD AND COOKING: ========================= NEW WAYS WITH VEGETABLE PUREE Thank heaven for blenders and food processors. They've opened up a whole new array of pureed vegetable dishes to add to our culinary repertoire. A vegetable puree is usually made by cooking a vegetable, then processing it in a blender or food processor to the desired consistency-- much easier than the old fashioned method of straining cooked vegetables through a metal sieve. Make your own thick and comforting cream soups this fall by simply adding a few cups of lowfat milk to your favorite vegetable puree and heat. Or serve the puree piping hot as a colorful and elegant side dish. You can even use these purees as stuffing for other vegetables. If you're concerned that a vegetable puree may be bland like baby food, sample a spicy cauliflower puree made by boiling florets until tender, draining and pureeing. Combine the puree with finely chopped onions that have been sauteed with ground cumin and turmeric and heat the mixture until very hot. Another flavorful option involves eggplant that is grilled, peeled and chopped fine in a blender or food processor. In a skillet, sauté chopped garlic in olive oil, stir in ground coriander and cumin, and add the eggplant. Cook over low heat to thicken, season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve hot or cold garnished with parsley. Use beets for a ruby red puree. Boil unpeeled beets in salted water until tender. Drain in a colander under cold running water, then when cool enough to handle, peel and cut into small chunks. Whirl until smooth in a processor or blender, then add a mixture of light brown sugar, salt and freshly ground pepper, freshly grated nutmeg and a bit of melted butter. Don't forget the beans! Their health benefits and versatility make them an ideal choice for pureeing. Make a leek and cannellini bean puree by sautéing sliced leeks in olive oil and sprinkling with salt, pepper and dried thyme. When tender, add a quarter cup of water and canned, drained cannellini beans to the pot. Heat, stirring constantly until all the liquid is evaporated. Transfer to a blender or processor and whirl until smooth. Pour into a greased ovenproof serving dish, sprinkle with a little grated Parmesan cheese, and bake for about five minutes. Serve with pita triangles and raw vegetables for dipping. Source: AICR ========================= DIABETES RELATED DEFINITIONS AND EXPLANATIONS ========================= - FATTY ACIDS A basic unit of fats. When insulin levels are too low or there is not enough glucose (sugar) to use for energy, the body burns fatty acids for energy. The body then makes ketone bodies, waste products that cause the acid level in the blood to become too high. This in turn may lead to ketoacidosis, a serious problem. - MACULAR EDEMA A swelling (edema) in the macula, an area near the center of the retina of the eye that is responsible for fine or reading vision. Macular edema is a common complication associated with diabetic retinopathy. - PANCREAS TRANSPLANT A surgical procedure that involves replacing the pancreas of a person who has diabetes with a healthy pancreas that can make insulin. The healthy pancreas comes from a donor who has just died or from a living relative. A person can donate half a pancreas and still live normally. At present, pancreas transplants are usually performed in persons with insulin-dependent diabetes who have severe complications. This is because after the transplant the patient must take immunosuppressive drugs that are highly toxic and may cause damage to the body. - C-PEPTIDE A substance that the pancreas releases into the bloodstream in equal amounts to insulin. A test of C-peptide levels will show how much insulin the body is making. - POLYPHAGIA Great hunger; a sign of diabetes. People with this great hunger often lose weight. ========================= DIABETES Q AND A: ========================= QUESTION: Does caffeine affect blood sugar levels? ANSWER: Research suggests that it can. Whether in coffee, soda, or certain over-the-counter medications, the caffeine equivalent of two to three cups of regular coffee raises the level of certain hormones known as the "fight or flight" hormones. These hormones keep blood sugars up to provide energy for the fight or the flight. In one recent study, giving subjects caffeine produced blood sugars higher than normally expected in the second and third hours after consuming carbohydrate. People with diabetes whose blood sugars are not at healthy levels might benefit from considering whether caffeine is involved in the problem. Answered by Karen Collins, MS, RD, CDN; AICR ------------------------------------------------------------ NEWSLETTER INFORMATION ------------------------------------------------------------ Diabetic Newsletter MESSAGE BOARD / DISCUSSIONS Discuss recent articles, news, and recipes with other readers in The Diabetic Newsletter forum! To participate, visit http://diabeticgourmet.com/forum/newsletter SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE at http://diabeticnewsletter.com The Diabetic Newsletter is published by The Diabetic Gourmet Magazine and emailed every other Monday. This is an opt-in newsletter, meaning all subscribers individually signed up to receive it via email. GOURMET SHOPPING at http://gourmetshoppes.com DISCLAIMER: The opinions and statements in "The Diabetic Newsletter" are not intended as medical advice. Its intent is solely for informational, educational, and entertainment purposes. Please consult a health professional if you are interested in anything mentioned in The Diabetic Newsletter. All Contents Copyright © 2001 CAPCO Marketing. All Rights Reserved. Contents protected by US & International copyright laws. Diabetic Gourmet Magazine & Diabetic Newsletter are trademarks of CAPCO Marketing. All other brand or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

NASA Science News for November 27, 2001 Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have detected the atmosphere of a planet circling a Sun-like star 150 light years away. Their ground-breaking discovery shows it is possible to measure the chemical makeup of distant planets -- and to search for chemical markers of life far beyond Earth. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast27nov_1.htm?list489379

<A HREF="http://www.soon.org.uk/country/christmas.htm">Christmas traditions & customs round the world. How different countries celebrate Christmas.</A> http://www.soon.org.uk/country/christmas.htm Christmas celebrations around the world It is interesting to see how different countries celebrate Christmas. We asked some of our friends to explain what happens in their countries. This is what they told us: Belgium On Christmas Eve (le réveillion de Noël, a special meal is common. It starts with a drink (apéritif) and 'nibbles', followed by a 'starter' course such as sea-food, and then stuffed turkey. The dessert is 'la bûche de Noël, ('Christmas log') - cake made with cream. Father Christmas is called 'Saint Nicholas' and he brings presents to children on December 6th, 'St. Nicholas Day', a long time before Christmas. Small family presents are given at Christmas too, under the tree, or in stockings near the fire-place, to be found in the morning. Christmas breakfast is a special sweet bread called 'cougnou' or 'cougnolle' - the shape is supposed to be like baby Jesus. Some families will have another big meal on Christmas day. Brazil Father Christmas is called Papai Noel. Many Christmas customs are similar to USA or UK. For those who have enough money, a special Christmas meal will be chicken, turkey, ham, rice, salad, pork, fresh and dried fruits, often with beer. Poorer people will just have chicken and rice. Finland Finnish people believe that Father Christmas (Santa Claus) lives in the north part of Finland called Korvatunturi, north of the Arctic Circle. People from all over the world send letters to Santa Claus in Finland. (It is only fair to say that the people of Greenland say that really, Father Christmas lives in Greenland!) There is a even big tourist theme park called 'Christmas Land' in the north of Finland, near to where they say that Father Christmas lives. Everyone cleans their houses ready for the three holy days of Christmas - Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day. Christmas Eve is very special, when people eat rice porridge and plum fruit juice in the morning. They will then decorate a spruce tree in the home. At mid-day, the 'peace of Christmas' is broadcast on radio and TV from the Finnish city of Turku by its Mayor. In the evening, a traditional Christmas dinner is eaten. The meal will include 'casseroles' containg macaroni, rutabaga, carrot and potato, with cooked ham or turkey. Many families will visit cemeteries and grave-yards to place a candle onto the burial graves of family members. Cemeteries are very beautiful at Christmas-time. Children receive their presents on Christmas Eve, usually with a family member dressing as Father Christmas. As children grow older, they come to realise that 'Father Christmas' is really a bigger brother, sister or family member. France In France, Christmas is always called 'Noël. Everyone has a Christmas tree, sometimes decorated in the old way with red ribbons and real white wax candles. Fir trees in the garden are often decorated too, with lights on all night. Father Christmas is called Père Noël. The Christmas meal is an important family gathering with good meat and the best wine. Not everyone sends Christmas cards. Germany Germans love to decorate their houses at Christmas. Many houses will have little wooden frames holding electric candles in their windows, and coloured pictures of paper or plastic which look beautiful from the outside at night. Often too, they will have an 'Adventskranz' - a wreath of leaves with four candles. (Advent - meaning 'coming' - is the 4 week period before Christmas). On each Sunday of Advent, another candle is lit. Most homes will also have little wooden 'cribs' - a small model of the stable where Jesus was born, with Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, and animals. Father Christmas - 'Der Weihnachtsmann' - brings presents in the late afternoon of Christmas Eve (December 24th), after people have been to a church meeting. The presents are then found under the Christmas tree. One person in the family will ring a bell and call everyone to come to the room. On Christmas Day, fish (carp) or goose will be cooked. Latvia Latvians believe that Father Christmas brings presents on each of the 12 days of Christmas starting on Christmas Eve. Usually the presents are put under the family Christmas tree. (What a good idea to spread Christmas out longer!) The special Latvian Christmas Day meal is cooked brown peas with bacon (pork) sauce, small pies, cabbage and sausage. Portugal People pretend that Father Christmas brings presents to children on Christmas Eve. The presents are left under the Christmas tree or in shoes by the fireplace. A special Christmas meal of salted dry cod-fish with boiled potatoes is eaten at midnight on Christmas Eve. Russia In the days of the Soviet Union, Christmas was not celebrated very much. New Year was the important time - when 'Father Frost' brought presents to children. With the fall of Communism, Christmas can be openly celebrated - either on December 25th; or more often on January 7th. This unusual date is because the Russian Orthodox church uses the old 'Julian' calendar for religious celebration days. Special Christmas food includes cakes, pies and 'meat dumplings'. Sweden The most important day is Christmas Eve. A special Christmas meal is eaten on Christmas Eve - ham (pork), herring fish, and brown beans - and this is the time when families give presents to each other. Many people attend a church meeting early on Christmas Day. United States The USA is so multi-cultural that you will find many different ways of celebrating Christmas. A friend writes about Christmas meals, "Our family (Eastern European origin) favor turkey with trimmings. My grandparents and their relatives preferred keilbasi (Polish sausage), cabbage dishes, and soups. My husband's Italian family insisted on lasagna

Michael Mewhinney Nov. 27, 2001 NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. RELEASE: 01-92AR NASA HOSTS NATIONAL GRID COMPUTING FORUM NASA's latest research in grid computing technology will be showcased at an upcoming two-day workshop. The 2001 Information Power Grid Workshop (IPG) will be held Dec. 4-5, 2001 at the Crowne Plaza Cabana Hotel in Palo Alto. The IPG is NASA's high performance computational grid, a network of geographically distributed computational resources-from medium-scale computers to the most powerful supercomputers, large databases, and scientific instruments. "The upcoming IPG workshop will provide a tremendous opportunity to see how grid technology is being used to construct and operate a 21st century infrastructure that efficiently and seamlessly integrates computational and data resources, as well as on-line instruments, into a system that can be used to support current and future NASA applications," said Dr. Thomas Hinke of NASA Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley and a conference organizer. Among the more than 30 presentations are: "Aviation Safety Using Numerical Propulsion System Simulations on the IPG" (Robert Griffin, NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland); "Production-Level Distributed Parametric Study Capabilities for the Grid" (Maurice Yarrow, NASA Ames); and "Portals - Alliance User Portal" (Doru Marcusiu, National Center for Supercomputing Applications). Workshop presenters include research and development teams from each of the major IPG-related organizations. The IPG is a collaborative effort between NASA's Ames, Glenn and Langley research centers and the National Science Foundation's Partnerships for Advanced Computational Infrastructure programs at the San Diego Supercomputer Center and the National Center for Supercomputing Applications. The IPG is now funded under the Computing, Information and Communications Technology Program at NASA Ames. Further information about the conference is available at http://www.ipg.nasa.gov - end - To receive Ames news releases, send an email with the word "subscribe" in the subject line to: [email protected] To unsubscribe, send an email to the same address with "unsubscribe" in the subject line. Also, the NASA Ames News homepage at URL, http://amesnews.arc.nasa.gov includes news releases and JPEG images in AP Leaf Desk format minus embedded captions

CANDY-MAKING CHART Thread begins at 230° Makes a 2" thread when dropped from a spoon. Soft Ball begins at 234° A small amount dropped into chilled water forms a ball, but flattens when picked up. Firm Ball begins at 244° The ball will hold its shape and flaten only when pressed. Hard Ball begins at 250° The ball is more rigid, but still pliable. Soft Crack begins at 270° A small amount dropped into chilled water separates into threads that bend when picked up. Hard Crack begins at 300° Separates into threads that harden and are brittle. Carmelized Sugar 310° to 338° Between these temperatures, it will turn dark golden, but will turn black at 350°. MEAT TEMPERATURE CHART Beef Rare 120°-125° Medium Rare 130°-135° Medium 140°-145° Medium Well 150°-155° Well Done 160° and above Lamb Rare 135° Medium Rare 140°-150° Medium 160° Well Done 165° and above Chicken 165°-175° Turkey 165°-175° Pork 150° All temperatures in Fahrenheit.

HOLIDAY TIPS FROM READERS Submitted by Simple Times subscribers Re: Holiday notebook idea This is something I did last year and it really was a help! Purchase a small notebook (about 4"x6") to keep in pocketbook or car at all times. Mine was 79 cents. Write down the names of everyone who you need to buy holiday gifts for. I usually divide them up by family and include sizes. Leave space for gift ideas and jot them down as you think of them. Many times I come up with a "great idea" or see something that would be perfect for someone, but when I am out shopping I, of course, forget what it was! Also include the addresses of people you will be mailing gifts to. If you are in a store that ships you can really save time if you have the address on you. This will cost a little more but going home, finding a box, and going to the post office with kids during the holidays, that's worse. If the stores you shop in send out any coupons, paper clip them into your notebook so you have them when you need them (some of the little notebooks have pouches to slip these into). When shopping for little ones, it is very helpful to have ages and sizes written down in your book. Even if you think you know, when you're tired and the stores are crowed, it is a big help. In addition to my notebook, I keep a special holiday receipts envelope so everything stays together and I can keep track of what I am spending. --Diane B. Re: Shop early I try to watch sales throughtout the year, and whenever I see something that is "just right" for a certain person, I buy it and put it away for Christmas. It often lets you buy a nicer gift for the person than if you waited and didn't get it on sale. It spreads the cost out so it isn't such a shock at one time, and it definitely helps save my sanity! Sometimes I can be almost halfway done with my shopping before the season gets here. --Kathy D. Re: Recommended book Don't forget Bill McKibben's "Hundred Dollar Holiday." I saw this originally as an article on the Mother Jones web site ... [the article has now been] published as a book. --Richard G., Melbourne FL Re: Easy-as-pie Christmas dinner The day after Thanksgiving, take the leftover turkey and veggies and make a large turkey pot pie. Put it in the freezer for Christmas dinner. You have a turkey dinner ready, all you need is some cranberry salad and rolls and cookies. This keeps me out of the kitchen enjoying my family on Christmas morning and still have a special Christmas dinner. --Evans, TN Re: Simple gift ideas For the holidays, I "try" to keep it simple. However, as we all know, that is not quite as easy said as done. One solution I've found is what we all hear every year: Gift baskets. They can be as simple as a coffee cup filled with hot chocolate packets and a nice spoon. Or you can get more elaborate. I usually pick the baskets up at the thrift stores for a dollar at most. The baskets at stores are too expensive if you are making more than one. I bake a little each day and fill the baskets with these items. Such things I've filled them with are: Banana bread, fudge, peanut butter fudge, turtles (the candy variety!), sugar cookies my kids decorated, peanut brittle, homemade kahlua for coffees, and homemade hot fudge along with a pint of ice cream. I wrap each in cellophane and then top the whole basket with a bow and usually a tree ornament my kids painted. This is a bit elaborate to some and not quite enough for others, but it works for me, so just elaborate on your own. Another gift I've given is a nice bowl I picked up at Six Star for a dollar, filled it with crumpled newspaper, two microwave popcorn packets on top of this, a gift certificate to the local video store, and sprinkled with holiday candies. Wonderful gifts! And all that I've given these to always appreciate them! Don't be embarrassed, a lot of preparation goes into these. Another idea? How about breads or cookies in a jar? Those are another of my favorites to give out. --Crystal L. Re: Lots of tips I usually start my Christmas shopping in June. I keep a little list in the back of my planner of who I have purchsed for (just in case my kids look, I only put initials or big/little after their names). I purchase all the things I need to make Christmas goodies before Halloween. We make a trip to the nearest big city and do the kids' Christmas shopping and the tail end of ours sometime before Thanksgiving (my children love to tell the cashier they are done with their Christmas shopping). We have an extra nice dinner out that night and talk about old Christmas memories. The weekend after Thanksgiving is when we plan our Christmas. All of us submit a list of things we want to do -- the important things that make Christmas special to each of us. I collate the lists and pick days to do them. Each day we do one thing -- decorate, bake a batch of cookies, go caroling, etc. Since I work 7pm-7am shift as a nurse, we don't usually celebrate Christmas on the 25th. Instead, we pick a day when mom is rested to celebrate. We have a nice leisurely day and open presents in the afternoon. Of course, Santa still comes on the morning of the 25th after Mom gets home from work. We usually pick a family to play the Twelve Days of Christmas on. Each day for twelve days we deliver a present annonymously. Day One -- 1 item, Day Two -- 2 items, etc. It takes ingenuity to pick enough things, be inexpensive, and be unknown. It is a lot of fun! Day One is always a bottle of soda with a note attached explaining the game -- and challenging them, "Catch us if you can!" On Day Twelve, we tell them who we are and sing them carols as we deliver a dozen cookies or some such thing. --Di D. Re: Gingerbread house idea Just wanted to share an idea that worked for us when I longing to make a gingerbread house but I had a baby and toddler. We waited until Valentine's Day in February. There is lots of candy to pick from and none of the stress that often accompanies December. --Donna K. Re: Gingerbread houses, Thanksgiving and other tips Instead of spending hours baking the houses, just use one or two (taped together) school milk cartons and use graham crackers for the sides attached with royal icing. Or just frost and decorate the cartons. Cut up cartons and make pavillions and barns. Much easier than baking and much more fun. We used the Thanksgiving Tree idea (you shared last year) except we just used cut out leaves and posted them on the hall wall. After a while we were just using pieces of paper. We got creative with our ideas such as: The Moon, Mars, water, etc. It was a great way to get cousins busy when they arrived. Another Christmas simplifier: After Thanksgiving we make the left-over turkey and veggies (or add bag of mixed veggies) into a turkey pot pie and put it in the freezer. We then eat it on Christmas Day. All the joy of a turkey dinner and time to play with our new toys. --Evans B., Maryville TN Re: Christmas is coming With Christmas fast approaching, I thought that I would pass this gift idea along to other readers. Quite often I get phone calls from the grandparents this time of year asking for gift ideas for our family. I have for the past three years responded to their inquiries with the request for a family membership to one of our area attractions. This allows us to visit a particular museum often, without worrying about paying for admission fees. Also, with one of my children being pre-school age, I can make our trips shorter in length, knowing that we can return anytime to see something that we missed. We live in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area and have many educational opportunities available to us. Last year we received a one year membership to the Art Institute of Chicago and received four free tickets to the VanGogh/Gauguin exhibit. Some other ideas other than art museums are your local zoo, children's museum, botanical gardens. The ideas are only limited by what is available in your area. We have enjoyed our past membership to an outdoor living history museum called 'Old World Wisconsin' which has moved actual homes and cabins from Wisconsin's pioneer past and reconstructed them on their grounds. Just think about where you like to take your children for field trips, and find out if they offer yearly memberships. --Laura B., Wisconsin Re: Turkey tip Turkeys for holiday meals can sure take up a lot of room in a refrigerator! If you have a side-by-side refrigerator, a turkey, even a small one might not fit! We always put our turkey in a large cooler and add gallon size ice bags to keep it cold. We leave it in the kitchen -- in eye's view -- and check it often (so we don't forget about it). Just add ice as it melts in the cooler. Come the day of roasting, we have a perfectly "safe" turkey, thawed and ready to prepare. It really works well and leaves room in your refrigerator for some of your extra "fixings." My parents had a milk chest when I was growing up. The milk man would deliver the milk and send us a bill each month. We used that milk chest for plenty of other things during "high volume" food preparations. I'm really mad at myself for not keeping that chest when I closed up their home. Another tip, is to purchase a fresh turkey, not frozen. This year we paid 78 cents instead of 39 cents for frozen. --Frances C.

But one of my favorite tips of all time is: Lay out a plastic grocery store bag in your sink BEFORE you peel potatoes. Peel the potatoes, then toss the bag! Easy, quick clean up!!! Hugs, Cat P.S. Works great for avocados, cucumbers, or whatever you peel! Cat has three terrific E-zines.... (I subscribe to all three!) GardenWise - down-home gardening advice and humor http://www.topica.com/lists/GardenWise Volunteer Vittles - down-home recipes, household tips, and humor http://www.topica.com/lists/VolunteerVittles Hollyweird Report - a humorous look at today's Hollywood happenings http://www.topica.com/lists/laughloungehollywood ~*~ Bathroom Odors: Place a shallow dish of baking soda behind the toilet to absorb bathroom odors. ~*~ Candle Wax: To remove wax from carpeting you should first scrape away any excess. Then, using a warm iron and a clean cloth or even a paper bag simply place the iron on top of the cloth over the wax and as you iron it will adhere to the cloth instead of the carpet. Continue moving the cloth around as you pick up the wax so you are always using a clean section of cloth. If a little grease stain remains sprinkle on baking soda and let sit overnight before vacuuming which will remove the grease residue and deodorize at the same time! If colored wax leaves a stain, blot with spot remover or carpet cleaner, following label directions. ~*~ Chrome: To remove rust from chrome, wipe it with aluminum foil dipped in Coke. To polish chrome, use a crumbled up piece of aluminum foil and rub! ~*~ Cloudy Drinking Glasses: Soak them for an hour or longer in slightly warm (not boiled) white vinegar. Then use a nylon-net or plastic scrubbie to remove film. Still there? The damage must be etching (tiny scratches that occur in the dishwasher) and is permanent, sorry to say. To avoid this altogether, hand-wash your best glasses. ~*~ Crayon on Walls or Washable Wallpaper: Spray with multipurpose lubricating oil. Then gently wipe, using a paper towel or clean white cloth. If mark is stubborn, sprinkle a little baking soda on a damp sponge and gently rub in a circular motion. If lubricants residue remains, dampen a sponge with a solution of one or two drops of mild dish-washing liquid to one cup water. Squeeze out sponge and gently rub in a circular motion. Rinse sponge; lightly moisten with water to go over area; dry with a clean cloth. ~*~ Deodorize dishes, pans, cutting boards or utensils with those same pungent odors, simply add 1/4 cup of lemon juice to your dishwater. ~*~ Fireplace Soot Odor: To diminish and remove this odor, after you clean out the ashes, place a shallow pan of baking soda for a few hours or overnight in the fireplace. ~*~ Fish or Other Spoiled Food Odor: Place a bowl of white vinegar on the counter for a few hours. The odor will disappear for good. ~*~ Freshen a Garbage Disposal: Sprinkle baking soda in it along with a few drops dish-washing liquid. Scrub with a brush (a new toilet brush works great), getting under the rubber gasket and all around the inside. Then turn on water and the disposal and flush thoroughly. For a fresh citrus scent, throw in a few cut-up lemons or limes and run them through, too, using lots of water. ~*~ Freshen Laundry Basket: Place a fabric softener sheet in the bottom of your laundry basket (remember to change it weekly.) You can also simply sprinkle some baking soda in the bottom of your basket and that will help absorb the odors as well. ~*~ Freshen Linen Closet: In the linen closet place cotton balls that have been sprayed with your favorite scent. Once they are dry place them in corners and on the shelves. ~*~ Ink Stains: The best way I have found to get out ink stains is to put rubbing alcohol on the stain - it disappears! This must be done before washing. (Submitted by Darvin Mossing) ~*~ Kitty Litter: To keep cat litter fresh smelling, mix baby powder in with the litter. ~*~ Microwave Odors: Keep a cup of baking soda in the microwave between uses to keep potatoes from smelling like bacon or other unusual combinations! ~*~ Mothball Substitute: Take your leftover soap slivers and put them in a vented plastic bag. You place the bag with seasonal clothes before packing them away. Not only will the scent prevent them from moth harm but also they'll smell great when you pull them out. ~*~ Pet Urine on Carpet: First, blot up what you can with paper towels. Mix one teaspoon mild dish-washing detergent in one cup warm water, dip a clean towel in the liquid and, working from outside in, dab at stain. Do not overwet. Rinse with fresh water and blot dry. Next, add on-third cup white vinegar with two-thirds cup water and dab on stain. Rinse with water; blot until dry. Once area is totally dry (after at least 24 hours), sprinkle entire carpet with baking soda or rug deodorizer. Vacuum after a few hours. ~*~ Roach Problem: Combine equal parts boric acid (a powder sold in hardware stores and drugstores) and sugar, mix well. Sprinkle in crevices and, if building or remodeling, between walls before putting up plaster board. Put the powder in jar lids; place lids behind the fridge and under sinks. Caution: Keep mixture away from children and pets. If ingested in large quantities, or even in small amounts over several days, boric acid can be harmful. ~*~ Shower Doors: I have clear glass shower doors. I have tried everything from CLR, Comet, to Clorox - you name it, I've tried it. Today I decided to try something different. I found a bottle of Resolve spot remover for carpet and fabric. I figured "Why not? I have tried everything else." All I did was spray the Resolve on the shower and with no effort ran a dish sponge over it and rinsed and every bit of the soap scum came off. (Submitted by Angela Cook) ~*~ Smelly Cooking Hands: Simply rub your hands over a stainless steel utensil under running water. This works especially well for the odor of garlic, onions or fish. ~*~ Smelly Sneakers: Simply fill knee-high stockings with unused litter, tie the ends and tuck them in overnight for a quick refresh. Add baby powder, too! Another refresher for smelly sneakers is to simply take a few teaspoons of baking soda and put in the center of a cotton cloth. Tie the cloth and rubber band the edges securely creating a baking soda sachet, which you put in the shoes overnight as well. These sachets can be used over and over in any kind of shoe. ~*~ Sour Sponge: Soak the sponge in lemon juice and rinse it out. This will remove the odor for good but keep in mind that it is important to either dispose of, microwave, or run your sponge through your dishwasher regularly to keep bacteria from growing. ~*~ Stains in Plastic Storage Containers: Use a baking soda paste (baking soda and water) and rub into the stain. You can then rinse with vinegar (optional) and wash normally. Another method is to place container outside on a nice sunny day and the sun actually bleaches the stain out. To avoid stains in the first place, spray container with cooking spray before putting things in it that stain i.e. spaghetti sauce. ~*~ Stickers, Decals, and Glue: To remove them from furniture, glass, plastic, etc. saturate with vegetable oil and rub off. ~*~ Tarnished Silverware: Line a cake pan with aluminum foil. Fill with water and add 1 Tbls. of baking soda per 2 cups of water. Heat to 150 degrees. Lay silverware in pan, touching aluminum foil. Watch the stains disappear! ~*~ White Heat Marks and Water Rings on Wood Furniture: If the wood has a good finish (don't try on bare wood), mix equal parts of baking soda and regular white, nongel toothpaste. Lightly dampen corner of a clean, soft white cloth with water and dip into the paste. With circular motion gently buff the marks for a few minutes. Wipe area clean, and buff to a shine. Follow with furniture polish. (If rings remain after buffing five minutes or so, they may have penetrated the wood; you might have to refinish the piece). If that doesn't work, dip a cloth in vegetable oil, then in cigarette ashes, then rub it over the mark. ~~*~~ Money can buy you a wonderful dog, but only love will make him wag his tail. ~~*~~ Sally Jo

Erick, I'm glad you enjoy the tips and share them! From what I understand, rusted cast iron cookware is just way too easy to have it looking brand new! Soak the pan in Coke, make sure all the rusted areas are covered. Check it every hour or so because you don't want the acid from the Cola to eat the pan, just the rust. After all the rust is gone, rinse the pan with hot water, papertowel it dry, then oil and bake the pan to season it just like it was brand new, because it will look brand new! Sally Jo

Hi all -- I like to buy old cast iron pieces at yard sales & flea markets. Some of them are terribly rusty and gunky. (I prefer old Griswold cast iron items.) I found the best way to clean them very thoroughly is to spray them with oven cleaner and seal them in a plastic trash can bag overnight. Wash them down good the next morning. (I saw this on a TV show.) I put a little vinegar in the final rinse to be sure all the oven cleaner is neutralized. Then I give them the oil treatment and put them in a very low oven for an hour or two. Then I buff them really good with a soft old towel to remove excess oil. This oil/oven treatment is called "seasoning." I prefer to season with mineral oil. And is perfectly safe for human consumption. You can buy mineral oil in drug stores or the pharmacy section of grocery stores. When I use my seasoned pans, I am careful to not use harsh cleaning that removes the seasoning. But once in a while, after washing them, I rub the inside with a little vegetable oil and stick in a low oven for a few minutes -- just as a precaution against possible rusting. I use vegetable oil for this only because it is so handy. More on mineral oil -- Wooden cutting boards -- when I clean my wooden cutting boards and chopping block, I treat them with mineral oil. No oven, of course. I just rub on a heavy coat of mineral oil and let it set for an hour or so -- then wipe off excess. Works great. You never get that rancid odor that vegetable oils sometimes develop after a while. And the wood is never "sticky." And, if any of you collect old metal items, mineral oil works great on them too. I collect old tools and flat irons. These have both metal and wood. After I clean them thoroughly, I give them the mineral oil treatment (without the oven) and they look great. Phyllis in NJ