Deceptive Practices and the Mantel is coming.(271)

Yes it has been a lot of work but soon the mantel will be done and mounted on the fireplace...Can't wait to post the story of a finished mantel and a finally finished home remodel job...I think it's the last chore of this long event, but you never know?

About 15 years back, I voluntered to be part of a prostate cancer study...it was a blind study where you either got vitamin E or Selium or both or nothing(placebo), but you did not know what. I still don't know and I guess it matters not......also I got a free vitamin supplement all those years which was the only actual benefit...it was halted a year ago when it was finally learned that neither of these supplements helped in the prevention of prostate cancer...

But they do still keep track of me by mail and today I recieved this notice of Deceptive Dietary Supplements marketing practices that I felt duty bound to share with you all...Here it is below..also will try and allow you to go to the government site by clicking on the title above......



Herbal Dietary Supplements: Examples of Deceptive or Questionable Marketing Practices and Potentially Dangerous Advice
GAO-10-662T May 26, 2010
Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 28 pages) Accessible Text

Summary

Recent studies have shown that use of herbal dietary supplements--chamomile, echinacea, garlic, ginkgo biloba, and ginseng--by the elderly within the United States has increased substantially. Sellers, such as retail stores, Web sites, and distributors, often claim these supplements help improve memory, circulation, and other bodily functions. GAO was asked to determine (1) whether sellers of herbal dietary supplements are using deceptive or questionable marketing practices and (2) whether selected herbal dietary supplements are contaminated with harmful substances. To conduct this investigation, GAO investigated a nonrepresentative selection of 22 storefront and mail-order retailers of herbal dietary supplements. Posing as elderly consumers, GAO investigators asked sales staff (by phone and in person) at each retailer a series of questions regarding herbal dietary supplements. GAO also reviewed written marketing language used on approximately 30 retail Web sites. Claims were evaluated against recognized scientific research published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). GAO also had an accredited lab test 40 unique popular single-ingredient herbal dietary supplements for the presence of lead, arsenic, mercury, cadmium, organichlorine pesticides, and organophosphorous pesticides.

Certain dietary supplements commonly used by the elderly were deceptively or questionably marketed. FDA statutes and regulations do not permit sellers to make claims that their products can treat, prevent, or cure specific diseases. However, in several cases, written sales materials for products sold through online retailers claimed that herbal dietary supplements could treat, prevent, or cure conditions such as diabetes, cancer, or cardiovascular disease. When GAO shared these claims with FDA and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), both agreed that the claims were improper and likely in violation of statutes and regulations. In addition, while posing as elderly customers, GAO investigators were often told by sales staff that a given supplement would prevent or cure conditions such as high cholesterol or Alzheimer's disease. To hear clips of undercover calls, see http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-662T. Perhaps more dangerously, GAO investigators were given potentially harmful medical advice. For example, a seller stated it was not a problem to take ginkgo biloba with aspirin to improve memory; however, FDA warns that combining aspirin and ginkgo biloba can increase a person's risk of bleeding. In another case, a seller stated that an herbal dietary supplement could be taken instead of a medication prescribed by a doctor. GAO referred these sellers to FDA and FTC for appropriate action. GAO also found trace amounts of at least one potentially hazardous contaminant in 37 of the 40 herbal dietary supplement products tested, though none in amounts considered to pose an acute toxicity hazard. All 37 supplements tested positive for trace amounts of lead; of those, 32 also contained mercury, 28 cadmium, 21 arsenic, and 18 residues from at least one pesticide. The levels of heavy metals found do not exceed any FDA or Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations governing dietary supplements or their raw ingredients, and FDA and EPA officials did not express concern regarding any immediate negative health consequences from consuming these 40 supplements. While the manufacturers GAO spoke with were concerned about finding any contaminants in their supplements, they noted that the levels identified were too low to raise any issues internal product testing.

Desilting the pond (270)

This is the finished product, I like it and I know the fish are going to like it even better...This picture taken from the new this year, "bridge to nowhere", but as usual I forgot to take a before picture of all the silt in the pond. When I built the pond in 1995 it was just an open field, I harvested the wheat in July and immediately went to work on digging out the pond. That fall we had a lot of rain and I had not established any grass around the perimeter yet. So it washed into the pond to the tune of about 8 to 10 inches deep..It made me sick that it happened, but nothing I could do.
I got grass established the next spring and no more came in after that but the damage was done. But this current drought that has lowered to pond about 4 feet has exposed this silt maybe 25 feet in some places from the bank. It was time for action and action happened here the last two days and friends of mine who own a small excavator came to my rescue, after I agreed to pay them of course.....

They did an excellent job of it. It was money well spent and now I am happy and I know next spring the fish will be glad to see the clay bottom instead of the silt, yucky, mushy stinky black silt that had washed into the pond from field run off....they have a small dump truck the one ton variety but we were able to remove 80 loads of this stuff and place it places where it will not come back into the pond, ever again...We probably in some areas removed 8 inches of the stuff and other areas maybe only 4 but it is great to see a red clay bottom in most areas around the perimeter of the pond. The center of the pond, the deeper water probably has silt also but there is no way I will ever be able to remove it, but what the drought has offered me in the way of opportunity, I took it and, well let me say, Mr. Opportunity, thanks for knocking...............

My contractor "Excavations Plus", Chris Brown and Randy Denham...good folk...

Making a Fireplace Mantel (269)

A few years back we took 3 grand kids to visit the Lincoln Boyhood home near Santa Clause Indiana. It was great seeing and walking in the woods that our own Abe Lincoln used to work and play in. Seeing his mothers grave there on a small hill in the woods.
But my best remembrance was watching two young men cut and shape big logs into square logs that were to be used in rebuilding the Lincoln home on the exact spot it had been many years ago. I had always been interested in how they did it and there it was happening right before my eyes. Well as you know a year ago I added a fireplace to the home here and a provision was made to attach a mantel. A makeshift mantel was found in the barn but not nearly what I really want. I want a rather rustic looking 5 inch think 10 inch wide piece of wood the width of the fireplace. Only that will do and I just feel although a ridiculous amount of work involved that I must at least try to do this. Thus the picture above Susan took of me as we started this project Saturday. In clearing the fence row where I am cutting firewood I happened on a 18 inch Walnut tree. So it will be the first effort and I really hope it turns out suitable as I really don't want to do this again, it is way too much effort. But I guess if it turns out OK as I set before the fire and admire it and I know I dam sure will appreciate it...

I borrowed a cross cut saw to make the cuts into the log with to the depth desired then the fun begins and also I borrowed from Phil Burket a wide hand powered chiesel of sort that makes smaller chips fly off the log. Some how through all of this effort I hope to have a Mantel soon....A good action shot on the top photo as the large chip of wood is in the air and the axe has recoiled backward from the blow I gave it to chip it off....good shot there sweet pea....

Click on the title above and it will take you to a site showing the Lincoln boyhood home in Indiana....

America Stood Up Yesterday (268) Yippeee

It was a good election yesterday, America fed up with current policy in DC and elsewhere went to the polls and cast their votes. They did send a message to the President to "change course". Will be interesting to hear Obama's take on this message at 1 PM when he has a news conference. I doubt that he will get it though. We will see.
I only lost one vote that I had cast and that was the Democrat for the Assessor's office. So I guess if I was to lose one that was the one to loose for sure. I doubt if Obama will be able to swallow enough crow to allow the healthcare bill to be changed.
Hope he does but this guy is probably still thinking that he knows best for all of us.
But the election did bring back hope for a lot of people. Hope that the voters do still have the ultimate power with the ballot box. Hope that future government will be smaller in size and expenses. Hope that if Obama is not willing to work out agreements with these people's choices that in two years we can make him a one term President.
I would like to see either Huckabee or Mike Pence emerge as the Republican choice for 2012 White House run...Pence could be our best shot...He is such an upright guy and I believe him to be a good Christian. Huckabee is also and would make a great President I believe. But my choices usually don't make it to the top...

Cutting fire wood these days cleaning fence rows that have been let go for maybe 50 years. Recouping maybe 20 feet of farm land and getting warm twice from the wood. Once when I cut it and then will again when I burn it in the fireplace. Old wood cutters joke, but so true. In my case my son in law Jeff Plaspohl and I actually will get warmed three times when we burn the huge brush piles later on after the burn ban is lifted. I rather actually enjoy cutting firewood. Falling big trees, notching them on the side you want them to go and then slicing through from the back and watching these monstorous trees pop and fall in a huge crash to the ground. Then trimming off the small brush followed by cutting all the remaining wood into 16 inch pieces of firewood. The large ones we split up some several times with Jeff's excellent splitter...That is actually a lot of fun also turning them into manageable peices of wood for the fireplace.

Some of the wood seen here being burned last evening in celebration of a really excellent election...I remember writing about the T party rally I attended in DC on 8/28 and saying I felt we may have gotten our country back that day..I could just feel it and I think the whole country felt it and did it....Semper Fi....