So You Really Want To Eat That?

Oh Yummy, Chicken Mc Nuggets.
Kids love it!
So Tasty!
So what is in a Nugget?
Chicken , right?

And?

Do you put dimethylpolysiloxane, an anti-foaming agent made of silicone, in your chicken dishes?

How about tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), a chemical preservative so deadly that just five grams can kill you?

These are just two of the ingredients in a McDonalds Chicken McNugget. Only 50 percent of a McNugget is actually chicken. The other 50 percent includes corn derivatives, sugars, leavening agents and completely synthetic ingredients.

Some more stuff such as

"White boneless chicken, water, food starch-modified, salt, seasoning (autolyzed yeast extract, salt, wheat starch, natural flavoring (botanical source), safflower oil, dextrose, citric acid, rosemary), sodium phosphates, seasoning (canola oil, mono- and diglycerides, extractives of rosemary).

Battered and breaded with: water, enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), yellow corn flour, food starch-modified, salt, leavening (baking soda, sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, calcium lactate), spices, wheat starch, whey, corn starch.

Prepared in vegetable oil (Canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to preserve freshness). Dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent."

Antifoaming agent?

According to McDonald's, their chicken nuggets are "made with white meat, wrapped up in a crisp tempura batter." But as the article above shows, these chicken nuggets are a far cry from what you might expect, based on that description.

About half of it is actual chicken. The rest is a mix of corn-derived fillers and additives (most likely genetically modified), along with a slew of synthetic chemicals, including:

• Dimethyl polysiloxane, a type of silicone with anti-foaming properties used in cosmetics and a variety of other goods like Silly Putty
• Tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), a petroleum-based product with antioxidant properties

The latter, TBHQ, is typically listed as an "antioxidant," but it's important to realize it is a SYNTHETIC chemical with antioxidant properties – NOT a natural antioxidant.

The chemical prevents oxidation of fats and oils, thereby extending shelf life of processed foods. It's a commonly used ingredient in processed foods of all kinds, but you can also find it in varnishes, lacquers, pesticide products, as well as cosmetics and perfumes to reduce the evaporation rate and improve stability.

Yummy?

Any other reasons needed to not eat at Mickey D's? I guess if the only other choice is no food at all.

click on title for more information.

Today It's Your Birthday-Happy Birthday To You!!

Yep today is my birthday, November 15th, 19 something or other. Feeling older or younger, depends on my mood and the time of day. Of course I need a musical salute, so here we go!

Sunset Grill

I can't believe this song came out in 1984. it became a favorite of mine immediately. Where has the time gone?

The following tells about the grill in question, information I was unaware of until now.

Sunset Grill" is a song by Don Henley from his 1984 album Building the Perfect Beast. The song peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Top Rock Tracks chart in January 1985. Released as the fourth single from the album in August 1985, it peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 1985.
Patty Smyth sings harmony vocals on this song, while Pino Palladino plays fretless bass. Randy Newman arranged the synthesizer programming for the song.
The title and lyrics of the song reference the Sunset Grill, a hamburger restaurant on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, California.

Copyright: Warner Chappell


This song is for Deborah at Fashion Plate. I hope you like it.

You Got It

Everyone looks for that moment, or tries to find it again. It could be around the corner or right next door, but it is out there if you open your eyes and your heart once again. Then You Got It!

Politics And Me, Once Upon A Time, Part Three

Please read part one and two if you haven't already, thanks!

One note before I continue. Before the election there were meetings with various power groups who wanted to back a candidate who would vote the way they thought would be best for them. Business concerns wanted it to be known they would want influence within the city one way or another.

I did not get their backing.

There was an interview with the local major newspaper. I barely got a mention, no picture.

So here was the end result. There was a three way race for mayor.

I came in third. The winning candidate got over 5,000 votes, I got 1,000.  But money-wise, every vote was gotten at no cost dollar wise.

A funny thing happened after that. I came into the next city meeting. People made room for me to sit down. A kid came up and asked for my autograph. There was a bit of a buzz when i walked into the room. All the council members acknowledged me.

There was an attempt afterwards to start a grassroots movement to force some changes. I was asked to attend those meetings and to act in a leadership position.

I was a member of the local city chapter of the Coral Springs Democratic Club. They voted me in as the president.

One of the jobs was to bring in guest speakers and now I was in contact with the movers and shakers in the cities and county in politics.

After one of our club meetings, I was approached by a gentleman who informed me that I was being considered for bigger things down the road. I was floored.

At a state function, I met the governor of Florida. I met the local state representative and senator. When Clinton came into town, I was invited to hear him speak.

But all things must come to an end.

All this was a constant strain on my family. We worked different shifts. We had three very small  children. Getting a sitter was a problem.  My work days were very long and I was always tired. I didn't have the money or status of many people trying to succeed in politics. I ran out of gas.  I resigned all positions. I felt I had let down many people.

But I tried. I put myself in a position out of my comfort zone. I tried to improve myself. I think I did ok,  I left a small footprint. But a foot print never the less.

That is my story. I hope you liked it.

Thanks.

Politics And Me, Once Upon A Time, Part II

Please read Part One first if you haven't already. Thanks!


So I had my first get together. Who was this guy? Doesn't he know this is closed to outsiders? He doesn't have a chance.  Friends wondered WTF is he doing? Wasn't I voted mostly Likely to......no I was never voted most likely anything by anyone.

The invitations started to come in by various groups around the city, various civic groups, lodges and such. In the mean time, I went to city hall (had to find it first) walked in to the council meeting area, saw the chairs and sat in the one for the mayor. It felt just right! I imagined how it would be. Back to work.

All the while I had to rebuild a store I was given, another Color Tile store to manage. Combining the two would prove a challenge.

All in all, I gave over 26 talks, speaking engagements, without the rubber chicken dinners. I existed solely on many cups of high octane coffee. My days turned into 14-16 hour days, It was quite exhausting!

My crowning moment came with my last talk. It was televised on the local cable channel to the whole city. It consisted of a moderator asking all the candidates, three for mayor and four I think for some open council seats, a series of questions, each of us taking our turn.

I later saw myself on TV. I looked calm, but in reality my mind was racing a mile a minute trying to figure out what to say without sounding like an idiot. I had no prep for the questions and was relying on my salesman speaking to pull me through. Hanging by my fingertips!

It was over. I was on fumes. I didn't want to say another word to anyone.

The running around was over.

It was election night.

To be continued.

Politics And Me, Once Upon A Time.....Part one

We had moved down from Chicago in 1988. At the time I was working for Color Tile, having managed one store up north, we had embarked on a new and difficult adventure in South Florida, a family of four and soon one more on the way.

It was the move to Coral Springs that started it all for me. The people running the city were, with a few exceptions a mess, incompetent, and embarrassment to the city and a laughing stock in the newspapers.

I wondered if I could do better.

I knew no one. I had no money. I worked long hours daily. My wife didn't think much of the idea.

The odds were against me.

Perfect.

I walked into the local chamber of commerce and announced my intentions. I fumbled my way through the election process. The filing fee was $450. I didn't have the money. I had to borrow the money from Mom!

Now understand this, one normally has the backing of many people to raise funds, learn the topics, election signs to be bought, and many people to keep up your spirits for the long hall.

I had no one.

The first get together the city had to meet everyone I walked in alone. I felt myself shaking, A huge knot formed in my throat as I walked into the room. I shook hands, introducing myself. The first test.

My political career had started.

Did I mention I was running for mayor?

To be continued.

Did You Vote? Did It Matter?

Did you vote, I did. Did it matter, I don't know. Yes, it was part of the vote count, a bit of democracy acted out on my part.

But as one gets older, one notices that the differences between the parties gets slimmer each time there is an election. Politics has become the politics of do nothing. Everyone promises what they can't deliver.

One tunes out the rhetoric of the other side. But it becomes like ones horoscope, mix it up and you still think it is about you.

Bills are proposed, no one reads them, Bills are voted on, no one read them. Money, hate, love and war.

I could go on, but why. We will do this again in 2 years. The anger, the desperation, my party is better then yours. Really?

That is like being the smartest stooge.

What is the point to it all?

Ah, The Married Life

Guess which one is the husband.....

Let me tell you about that husband of mine
















We just want to hang out with the boys and have some fun

Pieces Of The Puzzle

What I have noticed from all the reading I do of the different blogs and posts is that all are affected by a number of things in life,some very good and wonderful,  some emotional, some physical, sometime self inflicted, some times victim of abuse and many other things that happen that shape the way we are and what we have become today.

Not all things that happen are bad, it is just more noticeable. Like the fact that a car accident gets your attention, not the fact that you made it to work without incident.

Nobody is left out. Slights and hurts while growing up or a helpful hand, someone showing the way, it all counts.

There may be triggers that send one spiraling out of control for the rest of your life. Or an act of kindness that corrects the path one is on and pushes you on to a type of greatness one could only hope to achieve, something that would be read about in a fairy tale.

A lack of respect may spur you on to greatness, a mean comment could trigger problems that never go away.

People are fragile, wrapped in a shell of self confidence, or a monument of self doubt which  has been built over the years. Can a moment in life open the doors to a mental or physical frailty?  Or close the doors on a chance at greatness? The possibility does exist.

An affliction can hinder ones self growth, building a wall around a chance for self improvement. Something not diagnosed makes one feel ostracized without not knowing why.

This post does not offer answers, but does pose many questions,and a sense of wonderment on why things are like they are.  Do I have issues? Of course, I am human too.

It all counts, it is all pieces of the puzzle that make us what we are.