Some is enough, however, when it comes to snow here in Southern Oregon this week. We have had snow, ice, freezing rain, and wind. I recently described where we live as near perfect in the winter because we can drive less than an hour to take part in winter activities, but don’t have to deal with the winter weather here on the valley floor. As this photo of our driveway shows, someone in the “Weather Control Center” must have been listening and thought it would be fun to play a little joke on us this week! Oh well, on to the green tea saga.
I have seen more and more stories in the past couple of years that tout the wondrous benefits of certain foods. Green tea is one of the best examples. There are not too many other things consumed by humans that have as many reported health benefits as Green Tea.
Drinking green tea is said to reduce the rates of prostate and breast cancers and lower the risk of esophageal cancer by as much sixty percent. Some research has concluded that one of the components of green tea inhibits the growth of cancer cells in general. Other studies have indicated drinking green tea lowers total cholesterol levels, and improves the ratio of good HDL to bad LDL cholesterol. Research at The University of Geneva showed that green tea can also increase your metabolic rate, helping to burn the body’s stores of fat.
The list of powers attributed to green tea goes on and reading about them can lead you to believe it is a wonder brew indeed. The problem arises when you find out how much green tea people consumed to see these benefits. One study concluded that men who drank the equivalent of 10 cups of green tea per day stayed free of cancer for 3 years longer on average than men who consumed less than an average of 2 cups per day. The most common recommendation I see is to drink 4 to 5 cups per day.
I don’t know about you, but it is hard for me to read about all this without a sigh and a laugh. I love green tea. Except for the occasional cup of “Constant Comment”, it is the only tea I drink. The problem is that I drink a single mug, (probably about 2 cups), and not every day. In fact in the summer, I drink much less.
A green tea “extract” in pill form is now available, but there is some debate over whether the pills even contain the beneficial ingredients of green tea in the quantities claimed. Additionally some evidence shows that getting the supposed benefits of certain foods in pill form does not even approximate the benefits shown by eating the food itself. There are some other things going on when we eat the real food that don’t happen when we take the pill.
Here is what I think and what I do when it comes to consumption of liquids. I drink green tea when I feel like it. I have a mug of decaffeinated coffee when I feel like it. I occasionally drink fruit juices that do not contain the deadly High Fructose Corn Syrup. I drink water, but do my best to avoid water in plastic bottles. I sometimes have a beer or a glass of wine at dinner. I do not drink energy or “power” drinks. Perhaps most importantly, I do not drink soda.
In other words, I use common sense when it comes to hydrating my body and simple common sense should be the message. I think it goes a lot further than praising the latest wonder beverage in keeping yourself in good health. Unfortunately it does not make for as good a headline or TV news story, so sadly the hype of the latest miracle food goes on.
January 31st, 2008
Posted By:
Will |
15 Comments |
Categories:
health
Trackback: http://willtaft.com/health/when-some-is-not-enough-green-tea/trackback/
I thought I would just put up a link to an eye-opening series of posts someone is doing about the costs of treatment for a friend undergoing cancer therapy. The site loads a little slowly, but it is worth the read.
We all know parts of our health care system are messed up, but it is really something to see the actual costs associated with one patient. I wonder if the change in leadership we will vote in come November will be able to fix things?
Here’s the link, what do you all think?
http://politicalrogue.com/category/health-insurance-costs/
January 27th, 2008
Posted By:
Will |
8 Comments |
Categories:
Contemporary Issues
Trackback: http://willtaft.com/contemporary-issues/one-patients-cost-of-health-care/trackback/
I just installed a tool on this site called Snap Shots that enhances links with visual previews of the destination site, interactive excerpts of Wikipedia articles, MySpace profiles, IMDb profiles and Amazon products, display inline videos, , MP3s, photos, stock charts and more. Sometimes Snap Shots bring you the information you need, without your having to leave the site, while other times it lets you “look ahead,” before deciding if you want to follow a link or not.
Should you decide this is not for you, just click the little round gear ‘Options’ icon in the upper right corner of the Snap Shot and opt-out for this site or all sites.
Let me know if you like or don’t like this tool. I will only keep it if it proves useful to readers here. I have not decided yet if it has a plus or minus value for the links.
I also just installed a new button down in the bottom right corner that links to a site called Blog Engage. It is similar in ways to Digg. Try it out by clicking the button. Again, feedback is welcome. I don’t know yet if it will prove worth keeping.
Thanks!
January 22nd, 2008
Posted By:
Will |
7 Comments |
Categories:
Blogging
Trackback: http://willtaft.com/blogging/snap-shots/trackback/
Since I mentioned this show, which ran on The History Channel last night, in a couple of posts and comments, I feel obligated to put a review of it up today.
The verdict, (mine at least), is in on the History Channel’s Earth After Humans, or “Life After People“… Two big thumbs down! I must admit I watched only the first hour or so of the two hour show. I did record it, though, and might be able to stomach the rest of it in a week or two. If anyone reading this watched the whole thing and liked it, please post your comments. That might help me find the time to finish watching.
Adjectives like simple, inane, melodramatic, hokey, and dumb, come to mind when describing the show. It really was almost unbearable to watch. The opportunity was there for The History Channel to do something interesting with the topic and they blew it. Their programming has been uneven in it’s quality in recent months, and overall I am still a fan of the channel, but this was really bad!
Even from a technical standpoint, the show was weak. Just as one example…. After the first 30 minutes where they kept showing purported examples of what the earth would be like 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, etc. after humans died off, all I could think of was this: “Where are all the bodies?” Unless it was indeed the rapture and everyone qualified, they should have at least acknowledged that there would be some corpses lying around for all the show’s escaped pets and zoo animals to feed on.
While watching I came to realize that even the main premise of the show was weak. There was no hint at all as to what might have happened to all the humans. Every scene just portrayed a sort of “here today, gone tomorrow” assumption. Again, unless it was an all inclusive rapture, this assumption is lame. There are many potential dangers that may eventually end the reign of humans on earth, but whatever happens, complete extinction will likely take place on a longer timescale than overnight.
The show is being run again on Wednesday night at 8:00, Thursday at 12:00 am, and Saturday February 2nd at 5:00 pm. Talk about beating a dead horse! Oh wait… sorry, in the show the horses survived, and took over Rockefeller Center or some such place.
I should have just spent my night working on my reading list.
January 22nd, 2008
Posted By:
Will |
11 Comments |
Categories:
Contemporary Issues
Trackback: http://willtaft.com/contemporary-issues/life-after-people-this-tv-show-was-a-real-dud/trackback/
Lester Brown is the President of the EarthPolicy Institute. I read an excerpt from his latest book, Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization, and had to order it. I am not sure this book is something the masses will take to as the excerpt is just full of facts, figures, and pretty intense reasoning and explanation. But this guy really seems to get it. In addition to the big topics of the day like climate change, energy use, and transportation, he discusses sustainable building practices, a new materials economy, and how he believes the world will be changing from a globalized fossil fuel economy to a localized renewable energy economy.
I will write more after I read the whole book. Don’t wait on the edge of your seat, though, as my reading habits tend to slow down the completion of any single book. I don’t know why, but I have never been able to read one book at a time like a normal person. I always have a few going at once, which slows things down. Right now I am reading:
"Life in the Balance", by Linda Prout
"Bryson’s Dictionary of Troublesome Words", by Bill Bryson
"The Book of General Ignorance", by John Llyod & John Mitchinson, and
"Deep Survival", by Laurence Gonzales
Add to the list some watching of The History Channel, etc., a couple of magazines, the daily newspaper and some blogs and you can see I don’t approach my addiction to information gathering in the most logical manner. Oh well!
Speaking of the History Channel…. There is a show on Monday at 9:00 pm called something like The Earth Without Man. Given my opinion that Earth will survive after we are gone, I wait eagerly to see if the show is any good.
Have a great weekend everyone! It is beautiful cold, clear, weather here right now, with no snow or rain for the past several days. I plan to spend a bunch of time outdoors. Tomorrow a 12 mile hike up over the Collins Mountain Trail which should be clear of snow except for possibly a couple miles at the highest elevations. Maybe I’ll get some pictures to post next week.
January 18th, 2008
Posted By:
Will |
11 Comments |
Categories:
Sustainability
Trackback: http://willtaft.com/sustainability/should-we-be-mobilizing-to-save-civilization/trackback/
I watched a movie this weekend that I had somehow not known about. Amazing Grace is the story of the fight to end Britain’s role in the 18th century slave trade. I do sometimes get off topic here, but this is the first time I have ever reviewed a movie! In case anyone has not seen it, I would call this one a “do not miss”.
This is the story of a young man whose life-long, passionate political and personal opposition to the slave trade almost sends him to an early grave. I had read a bit about William Wilberforce in history class, but certainly not in the depth this movie provides. The friendship of Wilberforce and William Pitt the Younger, (the youngest Prime Minister in Britain’s history), is the central theme of the movie, but there are several other roles that are “amazing” to watch.
I think the portrayed relationship of Wilberforce to John Newton, an ex slave ship captain, is one of the most moving I have seen in a movie. Albert Finney is astounding as Newton, haunted by his “20,000 ghosts”. I learned that Newton is the man who wrote the most popular hymn of all time, “Amazing Grace”. I somehow had thought it originated as a Southern U.S. or Island spiritual. It turns out that the slaves in those areas had heard of Newton’s remorse and had taken on the hymn as their own. Talk about the power of forgiveness!
There is also some great dialog in this movie. Much is very serious in nature, but some is almost entertaining. Here are just a couple examples that stuck with me:
When Wilberforce attempts to inform Pitt about the importance of being loyal to the King of England, Pitt responds: “You know as well as I do that the King is insane! He shakes hands with trees and claims he can see Germany through his telescope!”
In another scene, Prime Minister “Billy” Pitt is meeting with Lord Dundas before a showdown in The House of Commons, attempting to convince Dundas to take the side of the abolishionists against the slave traders and the plantation owners in Jamaica. Pitt figuratively threatens Dundas, saying, “Don’t force me to put a pistol to your head”. Dundas replies: “If you do, then then there will be two pistols, one from each side and perhaps if I duck, you will shoot each other.” What a great portrayal of politics in just two short sentences!
It’s nice to be reminded once in a while, whether by movie, book, or current events, that some of the heroes and conquerors of history were people of peace, rather than war. This is a movie that most will probably love, although there will likely be times, like when Lord Fox pays tribute to Wilberforce, when everyone will be wiping away the tears. Here is a YouTube window of the music video done to promote the movie. You can watch that for sort of a preview, then, if you have not already rented this DVD, get it, some popcorn, have the hankies at hand, and enjoy!
January 14th, 2008
Posted By:
Will |
4 Comments |
Categories:
Contemporary Issues
Trackback: http://willtaft.com/contemporary-issues/amazing-grace-the-movie/trackback/
Dateline Trail, B.C, Canada - Toxco Corporation. This just in, now help spread the word… We can and should recycle alkaline batteries. I have written on this topic a couple of times before, but it almost seems like more questions were raised than answered!
Some places that take batteries for recycling have big signs asking you not to put alkaline batteries in the container. Other places, like Batteries Plus here in Oregon, that accept rechargeable batteries from you, refuse to take alkaline, or is you insist, take them and toss them in the trash.
I have also read on a few web sites, claims that companies that take all kinds of batteries, actually just sort and ship the alkaline ones somewhere for storage and do not recycle them. Another site said there are no companies that will still recycle alkaline batteries and that the companies that do collect them along with other types, sort out the alkaline and toss them. So, in the end, I really didn’t know what to think. Fortunately, Pete, in comment #7, (thank you 
)came to the rescue with a recommendation to learn about The Big Green Box.
Hoping that the Big Green Box program is doing something with the alkaline batteries they collect to keep them out of the landfill, I went to their web site. Even the linked news stories on their site talk about reprocessing the material on rechargeable batteries, but say nothing much about what happens to the alkaline. In the end, I could not find anything there specific enough to convince old skeptical me, so I began with the phone calls.
Eventually I reached Ed Green at Toxco. He is the person in charge of the Big Green Box program. He is amazingly knowledgeable, and was very thorough in educating me about the history of alkaline batteries and the current status of recycling them.
Although by 1990 mercury was “banned” from alkaline batteries, they still contain a small amount of mercury. Apparently this is an unavoidable part of the manufacturing and mining processes. When the other metals in alkaline batteries, like zinc and manganese, are mined, small amounts of mercury are included in the raw ore. The good news is that the process Toxco uses to recycle alkalines also reclaims the mercury.
Toxco actually hand and eye sorts all Big Green Boxes of batteries returned to them. They recycle and recover all the metals in every type of battery. After the alkaline batteries are sorted out in their U.S. collection locations, they are shipped to a British Columbia, Canada facility which crushes them and recovers the zinc, manganese and steel. Any trace amounts of mercury are also recovered in the process.
Unfortunately, there still is no profit, or even a break even point in the process. That is why the Big Green Box must be purchased. The cost of the box subsidizes the cost of the recycling. It may not be practical to expect individuals to purchase a 58.00 box, even if it would hold a year or more supply of exhausted batteries. However, there are several companies that provide boxes that the individual consumer can dispose of their batteries in. These include Longs Drugs, Walgreens, and Whole Foods, among others. In states like California that “require” consumers to recycle their alkaline batteries, there are many more businesses that offer the service. In fact, Ed told me that in those states, Batteries Plus was one of the largest suppliers of The Big Green Box. It’s too bad the Batteries Plus stores in states like Oregon won’t join the program until they are required to!
So, the final word, (hopefully), is in. We can and should try to recycle alkaline batteries. Because in Southern Oregon I believe our Walgreens has the boxes, we should be able to save and safely dispose of ours.
Hooray! 
January 10th, 2008
Posted By:
Will |
13 Comments |
Categories:
Environment
Trackback: http://willtaft.com/environment/yes-we-do-need-to-recycle-alkaline-batteries/trackback/
I posted a similar question on Blog Catalog today, but thought I should also ask this here. In the past month I have contributed to three group writing projects. These have been a lot of fun and I would recommend anyone who loves to write to keep an eye open for similar challenges. My article posted here on December 22nd was prompted by a group writing project at Writers Island.
Also, Robert Hruzek at Middle Zone Musings prompted his readers to write about what they learned from blogging in 2007. Here is the link to my contribution, but there are several other great ones up and more to come.
Photo Permission granted by by Ranvig
This one that I wrote on The Giving Hands just posted today.
They do generate some good publicity for the originating site, but after taking part in three of them, I am excited because they give you a fresh perspective to write from.
I have thought about starting one on my site, but have not come up with a good enough theme yet. I think because you are involving many other people in the project, the theme has to be a strong one. If any of you come up with good ideas for one of your own, one that stimulates me to write about, I’d contribute to your project.
What do you think of these kinds of projects? Would you contribute or start on of your own?
January 8th, 2008
Posted By:
Will |
5 Comments |
Categories:
Blogging
Trackback: http://willtaft.com/blogging/group-writing-projects/trackback/
A couple of articles I wrote have had some great recycling comments posted on them. Most of us know about recycling things such as batteries, plastic jugs and glass. As a follow up here are a few new things I have learned about recycling recently. Additionally, read the end of this post to see how you can add to this list.
Ikea will recycle those compact fluorescent light bulbs we discussed here and here.
Co-op America has a list titled “21 Things You Did Not Know You Could Recycle“. The whole list is at that link and many I think we do know about, but here a few of the things they describe: Appliances, CDs/DVDs/Game Disks, Compostable bio-plastics, Computers and electronics, Exercise videos, Eyeglasses, Foam packing, They also mention Ikea.
Nike takes old shoes that no one wants and recycles them into running tracks, football and soccer fields, tennis and basketball courts and playground surfaces.
I have no personal knowledge of this one and don’t have a disposable camera handy to check, but apparently on the boxes there are instructions on how to recycle them. But, there is no incentive for the film developers to do so and supposedly enough cameras have been tossed, that if placed end to end, they would more than circle the planet.
I read a story recently about a woman who asks anyone who finds an odd lost glove to mail it to her. She then matches them up as best as possible and donates them to charitable organizations.
And of course there is always The FreeCyclers.
I also read about a group of women who found out a large oddly colored curtain in a theater was going to be discarded. They obtained it and made 35 quilts out of it and donated them to an orphan’s charity.
How about any other ideas? If you know of an little known, odd, unique, or just charming like the glove lady, way of recycling something, please describe it in a comment below and I choose some to add it to this post with a credit, and if you like, a link, back to you. Images are OK also, as long as I can download them legally to display here.
I do reserve the right to be discerning, but I am usually very agreeable and accommodating in nature! For example, this picture probably does not really fit the theme, but it certainly is a unique way to incorporate recycling into the landscape!
Let’s see how long we can make this post!
Kathleen at Health Matters used the metal wheels of a car as a planter. I have heard of people using the rubber tires, but know that you have to be careful about growing food in them as the rubber can leach compounds into the growing soil. I had not heard of anyone using the wheels themselves. This does remind me of a camper I met once that had used the metal wheel from an old truck and welded the steel strainer tub from an old washing machine on to the top of it. He then had a wonderful portable fireplace that gave off a tremendous amount of heat through the steel strainer. Thanks Kathleen!
Jen at Humble Opinions has a sister that recycles old jeans into thick, winter quilts or curtains. A great idea as I usually wear mine to the point that I have to toss them into the trash. But, there are always some parts of them in good condition, if you can sew. Thanks Jen!
Anna from My Only Photo adds that her mother uses the plastic grocery bags as packing material. This is much better than those annoying styrofoam peanuts that spill all over the place when you open a box. I mean, how can anyone stand them! Ignore their environmental impact for a second and recall the last time you had to deal with them. First they spill all over the place. Then when you go to pick them up, the static electricity glues them to your fingers and you have shake your wrists silly to get them off. Then the dog comes over to see what all the fun is about and sticks her head in the box and sneezes from the styrofoam dust, blowing a shower of peanuts from the kitchen to the dining room. It takes longer to clean up the stuff than it did for the package to get from Florida to Oregon!
Also, here we can collect and return the bags to stores. They get picked up and recycled to make lawn furniture and tables, and deck material. I have heard, however, that it costs about $1,000 dollars to recycle a ton of plastic bags and the end result is worth less than the cost of the recycling. Luis mentioned LivePaths in his comment on this post. I am not sure if it is his site. If it is he is anonymous on it, which is odd, but the site does talk about the economies of recycling the bags and a unique use for used bags.
January 6th, 2008
Posted By:
Will |
8 Comments |
Categories:
Sustainability
Trackback: http://willtaft.com/sustainability/recycling-a-few-odds-and-ends/trackback/
Of course, like most people, every year I get asked about mine. Usually I just chuckle and make a joke of some sort. This sometimes does not go over well with people who take their resolutions seriously, but my honest answer sometimes is worse if I don’t have the time to explain fully.
The truthful answer is that I do not make them. When I say that I am almost always asked why. If I have the time to explain all goes well. But if all I can say is that I try to think about my daily life as if every day was January 1st, some people get offended. Or even worse, think I am being an elitist, “I’m better than you”, type.
The longer explanation is that I don’t mean to imply that I have more willpower, spine, constitution or anything else. As a matter of fact, compared to some I have known, my resolution power is not all that great. Always doing what I know I should is a struggle for me just like almost any other busy person who likes cookies, ice cream, red meat, movies, sleeping late and who does not like solitary forms of regimented exercise. Fortunately, I can offset that with hockey, hiking, gardening, and all the healthy things I do like to eat.
I certainly do believe in trying to improve parts of your life that you feel could use improvement, it is just that I find myself more successful if I try to keep the New Year’s Resolution thing in mind year round. I know that if I made a big deal about January 1st, I would probably have a good run for a month or two, then fall off the horse and start waiting until the next New Year to try again.
I think it is also easier to be successful if you spread out your goals over the year because this allows you to chop them up into smaller, more realistic pieces. So, if you are New Year resolution type of person, maybe this year, try to make 12 “New Month” resolutions. Like most things in life, smaller pieces can be easier to digest!
So Happy New Year! and Happy February, March, April, May……… December, also. Remember that children’s story? Small steps really did work for the tortoise and they can for us also. Acknowledge your normal “shortcomings”. Find your own offsets and view them as the positives they are. Focus less on your small vices and you will be happier overall. Maybe next year you will find you don’t feel the need to make New Year’s Resolutions. Then you will just have to come up with your own answer when asked “why not?”.
January 3rd, 2008
Posted By:
Will |
5 Comments |
Categories:
Personal Lifestyle
Trackback: http://willtaft.com/small-changes/personal-lifestyle/new-year-resolutions-anyone/trackback/
Sometimes I think I am just too jaded when it comes to political candidates that are running for national office. I tend to ignore the politics of a major election until the last few weeks, when I finally come to my senses and realize I have a responsibility to make an informed choice when I vote, (which I always do, and hope you do also). It sort of feels like having to go into the far corner of the chicken coop’s pen in the middle of a rainy winter to gather up the old hen that has finally succumbed to her age. Politics and sloppy barnyards… I know they both need to be dealt with, but I still walk with trepidation and on tip-toes, hoping not to get anything too disgusting or permanent on my boots!
Having admitted that, here is another admission. Due to a happenstance of channel surfing, the battle for the White House has caught my attention earlier than usual this go round. I was flipping through channels a few nights ago and came across a re-run of some thin, older, guy answering questions in front of a crowd in New Hampshire. Being from New Hampshire myself in a previous incarnation, I paused to see what was going on. Turned out it was someone named Ron Paul. (Wonder if he has a first name for a middle name also?) Anyway, I just caught the end of it, but he actually had some very interesting things to say that definitely were not of the usual political double-speak persuasion.
The questions were about foreign policy and spending on “colonial” foreign excursions and what he said made some sense. I think he is a Republican Congressman from Texas, but I will have to do some web searching and look into him further to see what his views are on topics closer to my heart, (and this site). whoever he is and where ever he is from, he certainly is not getting much coverage in the political media I pay attention to. But, then again, I don’t pay much attention to election politics.
My first impression does make me wonder if he any chance at all of being around next fall? He seemed a bit of a maverick and that might not bode well for him politically. The U.S. voter finds it acceptable to elect the occasional maverick to Congress or a Governorship, but it may never happen in the White House. I guess the argument could be made that the White House is no place for a maverick, but we do need a change in the way our Country’s business is done and how much worse could it really get?
January 1st, 2008
Posted By:
Will |
14 Comments |
Categories:
Contemporary Issues
Trackback: http://willtaft.com/contemporary-issues/who-is-ron-paul-politics-mavericks-and-barnyards/trackback/
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