What can possibly be behind college kids giving up pizzas and bagels? A gluten intolerance. Gluten is a protein that’s found in wheat, rye and barley and used in baked goods like bread and pastries to give them strength and consistency. More than 110,000 Americans a year are diagnosed with the intolerance, marching alongside the legions of the lactose intolerant. I’ve been inducted into both armies. Back in the day I was a milk and cereal eating, whole wheat bread sandwich making machine until I began suffering from the bloating and cramps from cow’s milk and the itchies from eating wheat products. I had to look for alternatives to my two favorite, and previously considered healthful, food staples. I’ve heard Ms. Diet herself, Oprah Winfrey often goes on a 21-day colon cleansing eliminating, among other evils — glutens from her diet. And I would too if I had gourmet chefs stockpiling my pantry with delicious gluten-free cakes and cookies! To replace milk, I’ve opted for soy milk (Silk is my favorite!) But my search for a sandwich bread replacement hasn’t been as fruitful. Right now I’m trying Udi’s Gluten Free Millet-Chia Bread. Millet is a good grain because its packed with protein, fiber and B Vitamins. However this bread is a bit dry, hard and crunchy for me, so the search continues.
Gluten is also trigger for the disease celiac, which wreaks havoc on your digestive system. Some of the symptoms of celiac are listed below, so If you do eat a lot of gluten rich foods and have these symptoms, please check with your doctor:
- Anaemia
- Abnormal stools
- Bloating
- Muscle wasting
- Poor muscle tone
- Low appetite
- Irritability
- weight loss
- Diarrhea ♦
An Open Letter to Chris Brown & Rhianna:
Is there such a thing as glamorizing physical abuse? I think so, especially when you have two beautiful, young and talented recording artists, who say they’re in love, while re-enacting scenes from ‘Fight Club’ in the front seat of your Lamborghini. Yeah, I’m talking to you two, Rhianna and Chris, and I’ll keep this short and sweet because nobody likes a lecture. Both of you are so young, impressionable and malleable and we worry about what will happen to you in that all-encompassing Land of Oz Music Industry you’ve both decided to be in. And hey, we realize you both believe that its nobody’s business but your own if the two of you wish to remain together. And you’d be absolutely right, if it weren’t for the fact that you two shine bright like diamonds in the eyes of hundreds of thousands of young, impressionable and malleable boys and girls out here who want nothing more in Life than to be…Just…Like…You. I’m just saying.
Love, Your Auntie,
Miss Amy♦
On Wednesday police arrested a Bronx man and his friend in connection with the death of his mother, whose dismembered body was found in trash bags the day before. Investigators believe the woman was dismembered inside her East 158th Street apartment in the St. Mary’s Park Houses complex. The woman’s name was Tanya Bird. She was 45 y.o. and a mother of three. One of those three children, her son who stabbed and dismembered her, is Bashid McLean, 23, y. o. He is being charged with second-degree murder.
“They say that heaven is 10 zillion light years away. And just the pure at heart will walk her righteous streets someday. They say that heaven is 10 zillion light years away. But if there is a God, we need Him now. “Where is your God?” That’s what my friends ask me. And I say it’s taken Him so long, ’cause we’ve got so far to come” ‘Heaven Is One Zillion Light Years Away’ by Stevie Wonder...♦
Everything you may need to start knowing about Drones: Part 3
(One more after this because quite frankly, I’m tired of blogging about killing.)
In Battle
The only thing better than having a robotic airplane assist forces in making decisions about how to fight a battle is to have a robotic airplane actually fight the battle for you. That is where the Predator UAV MQ-1 Hunter/Killer comes into play. Replacing the camera array with the Multispectral Targeting System (MTS) and loading the Predator with two Hellfire missiles transforms this battlefield spotter into a deadly automated combatant. The ‘M’ in MQ-1 is the Defense Department designation for multipurpose aircraft; by adding the MTS and Hellfire missiles to the Predator, it truly becomes a multifunctional battle aircraft.
The MTS includes the AGM-114 Hellfire missile targeting system, electro-optical infrared system, laser designator, and laser illuminator. All of these components give the Predator and its operators multiple ways to acquire a target in any combat environment. The Predator fires a laser or infrared beam from the MTS ball located near the nose of the plane. This laser can be used in two ways:
- The beam lands on the target and pulses to attract the laser seekers at the end of each Hellfire missile.
- The on-board computer uses the beam to makes calculations about trajectory and distance.
Sensors bundled in the MTS also calculate wind speed, direction, and other battlefield variables to gather all of this data into a firing solution. This process is known as “painting the target.” Once a target is painted, the MQ-1 can unleash its own missiles to destroy the target or send the firing solution to other aircraft or ground forces so they can destroy it. ♦ h/t HowStuffWorks
